A Breather

I have:

• No camera (kids broke it, haven't bought new one)
• 2 two year olds and one 3 year old who have 0 respect for me or the house
• Some issues

So, I'm taking a little breather here on the blog. I won't be gone for long because frankly, I couldn't be. I like blogging too much. But life is getting me down a bit and I can't keep beating myself up that I haven't blogged because there are other things I haven't done that are even more important. Like taking out the trash. And vacuuming up the popcorn the kids have dumped on every surface of the family room. And trying to teach the kids once and for all that whining is NOT okay.

How do people do it? this motherhood thing? its kicking my trash.

See ya!

p.s. if I come into some money, which isn't expected but it happens to some people, some times, what kind of camera should I get? I did have your basic little point and shoot, but I'm playing with the idea of a real grown up camera (digital SLR if that's what they're even called)....

Parental Playland

Last night we partook of Whopper Wednesday at Burger King. Dan had to pull another late night at the office (engineers have deadlines you know) so we decided to steal him away for a minute for dinner before we had to return him to his desk again.

Dan and I were kicking back watching the kids climb around the playland when Maggie came up and begged us to join her on the slide. "I'll watch you," I said, getting up to prove to her my sincerity. And that is when Dan read the sign that said "Parents please use caution when entering the play structure."

"Use caution? Does that mean we can go up there?" he asked.

"I guess so. I can use caution." I answered.

And that is how Dan and I found ourselves crawling up the twisty slide and laughing our guts out. The playland was full of little tiny tubes and we just crawled around it while our kids squealed with delight at seeing their enormous parents in the itty bitty playworld. I will never forget how hard our kids were laughing when the whole family went down the slide together headfirst--Dan, then Maggie, then the twins then me.

My favorite part though was when I ran into this big kid (he was probably 12) and he was running towards the slide and I said "Don't go down there, there is a really big guy coming up." And the kid didn't listen to me and he threw himself down the slide and ran right into Dan. Then the kid climbed back up the slide and said "That was a REALLY big guy."

Told ya.

Maggie Wants a Truck

Maggie is convinced that we need a truck. I'm sure Dan had something to do with this conviction. But she really does like trucks. Every time we go anywhere she points out the "cool trucks" that  she sees and asks if she can have one.

A couple of weeks ago, she actually started crying when she saw a truck she wanted on the freeway ("Pease? I have it? Pease? I want that one. Pease?").

Today I got a mailer from the Toyota dealership and Maggie looked at it with hope in her eyes and said "Is that the one you get for me?" 

Um, no.

G'Dat, Mommy!

We took the kids to the zoo to see the animals. Dan's parents met us there which was wonderful since Dan had to meet with a bunch of engineers about one of the big renovations the zoo has planned. So, it was nice to have some extra kid wranglers/stroller pushers.

One of Will's new favorite phrases is "look at that, Mommy!" which he says as "G'Dat! Mommy!" Basically its the most adorable thing ever. And Coleman just likes to ask people for candy ("Canny?"). So, we walked around with Will pointing out things of interest as Coleman talked about food.

The boys loved the monkeys. Maggie loved watching the elephants spray water on people. I got an awesome free mascara sample from some makeup company as I was coming off the train. And Dan loved thinking about retaining walls. So, I think we all left happy (Besides Maggie who whined about leaving before she saw her fill of snakes).

Vacay

Last week we took a family roadtrip to Vegas. One of my favorite Las Vegas cousins was getting married, so we thought we'd go early and stay later and have a good time.

We so had a good time. We stopped in St. George at the most adorable cupcake store: {25 Main}. They had some really yummy cupcakes and a super groovy cafe. I was in heaven being there. I could have eaten all my meals at that place and been happy.

Our hotel in Las Vegas was gorgeous. The whole time I felt like pinching myself because I couldn't believe that we actually lived there with our gaggle of screaming children. In my family we always joke that "we don't deserve nice things." And seriously, {The Green Valley Ranch Resort} was just the kind of nice thing that I don't deserve. Dan gets big bonus points for finding a good deal on it.

The bathroom in our hotel room had a chandelier, and marble covering every surface. It had a beautiful deep tub and Maggie found the phone by the toilet to be endlessly fascinating (her favorite feature). Maggie would sit on the toilet with the phone and make me talk to her from the desk in the bedroom. We don't have a landline so maybe that was part of what made the phone situation so exciting. There was a mini fridge full of booze as well as a tray full of vodka which freaked me out. I hid it in the closet. I don't drink and I don't think I'd ever actually stayed in a place that had liquor--it felt extra naughty and vegas-y I guess.

I felt like a queen hanging out at this pool:

Check out the sandy beach on one side, with the shallow water area for lounging on the other. 

The wedding was beautiful. Elizabeth and Nathan couldn't be more perfect for each other. Liz was the most gorgeous bride! And they couldn't have served tastier food at the reception. I think I went through the buffet line at least half a dozen times (it was for the children... or that's what I told people). I loved seeing aunts and uncles and favorite cousins, and the twins wrestled with each other and put on a great show near the end of the reception so that was a bonus. People in Vegas love a good show.

On the way back home, we stayed the night in Mesquite, Nevada. Our hotel room and pool at that establishment were 100% less nice than the ones at GVR. But at $24.99 I don't know what we expected. At least it acclimated me back to real life living without a bathroom chandelier and shampoo samples that are better than the Sauve I have at home.

Now that we're home I'm missing that fancy pool and the proximity of our hotel room to Panda Express. I love a good vacation. And chow mien. 

Maggie's Dream

This morning, Maggie told me, "I dreamed about our favorite food."

Not knowing what food that would have been, I asked, "What food did you dream about?"

And then in a voice that seemed both annoyed and obvious she said, "Pazgetti."

Of course! Spaghetti! The dream also consisted of monkeys, cereals, and a baby. But luckily Maggie said "I shake my head and it all goes away." 

Perfect Match

My foxy husband Dan, the Senior Class President of Woods Cross High School Class of 2000 (Can I pick 'em or what?), was in charge of his high school reunion on Saturday. It was a lot of work. And a lot of fun!

I really didn't expect to have as much fun as I did. I mean, I didn't go to his high school. I only know a handful of his friends. And the reunion was at the University of Utah (not where a BYU grad feels most at ease). Plus, I figured while Dan was busy making sure things were running smoothly I'd be sitting in a corner spilling food on my dress.

But you know what? I had a ball! Dan's friends were so hilarious to talk to that I didn't feel dumb chilling without Dan the whole night while he was hosting. And everyone else that I met was so hilarious and nice that it made me wish I'd known them my whole life. Plus, there was a chocolate fountain. So, there was an abundance of nice people and chocolate covered cinnamon bears. And I didn't even spill on my dress until the party was over. My perfect world.

The best part of the night though was when my new 2 BFFs, {Natalie} and {Camille} came to talk to me and tell me that they loved reading my blog (really? my blog? this old thing?) Then they went on to say that they really thought Dan was the luckiest guy in the world to end up with me and they couldn't think of a more perfect match. They said that. Isn't that sweet? Then Camille said "And I'm happy to know what your laugh sounds like because I love Dan's laugh and I can now picture what they sound like together in all those funny pictures you take." I think she means ones like these:

I'm so happy I have my Danny and I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who thinks he's perfect for me.

Zucchini Season

Oh I am loving my garden. Tomatoes are almost ripe. The red potatoes were harvested and subsequently digested. And I can pick a delicious zucchini off one of my 8 plants nearly every day.

While I prefer to eat my zucchini sauteed in olive oil with onion and seasoned salt, Dan likes his baked into something chocolatey. So, I made him a cake.

It didn't turn out terrific, so I won't post the recipe, but I will tell you that the best part was the carmel glaze I made up using butter, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla. But seriously what wouldn't taste good with that on top? I'd be tempted to eat my own head if that glaze was poured over it.

See? The kids couldn't keep their lips off that glaze.

My Brush with Fame

A few weeks back I was just minding my own business stuffing my face with cupcakes with a group of my girlfriends at the Sweet Tooth Fairy, and guess who walked in?

The paparazzi snapped this photo of us, or maybe it was just one of my friends with a cellphone

It was {Kirby Heyborne}.

And being the obnoxious person I am with no verbal filter, I yelled "Kirby is that you?" I don't know what would have happened if it had not been him. But it was him, the Mormon movie celebrity, and I told him that I'd always wanted to meet him and you know what he said? He'd been dying to meet me! Imagine! We were fulfilling each others' life long desires. Although, I'm sure we were both kind of lying because a) he had no clue who I even was even though I am totally worthy of wanting to be met with and b) I've always thought he was cool-ish but I never really thought I should have a goal of meeting him. {Isaac Hanson}*, yes, but not necessarily Kirby Heyborne.

But there I was, meeting Kirby Heyborne and it was really kind of thrilling. And I told him that when I saw {Saints and Soldiers} I cried like a little baby and loved it. And he seemed touched. Or weirded out.  I wanted to ask him if he had to really smoke real cigarettes in the film but I forgot to. I also wanted to ask him if it was hard to use a British accent the whole time 'cause I worried for him knowing he wasn't British and was just a Mormon boy from Utah. He did good with it, though. I think. I'm not an expert being how I'm also from Utah.

Then I asked Kirby if he liked cupcakes, it seemed an appropriate question while at the bakery. He said yes and asked me if I'd ever eaten Sprinkles cupcakes (he said he goes there in L.A.). I told him that I rarely get out of Lehi. So, he pointed out that we were standing in Draper and congratulated me on getting out. How kind!

All in all, it was a really great first meeting. I'm sure I'll run into him again now that we're close friends and cupcake connoisseurs.

*I always wanted to meet Isaac Hanson, in particular, because he was 13 when the Hanson brothers became famous and he was awkward and, oh I'll just say it: homely, and every time I googled Hanson, which back then was actually on yahoo.com  but we never said  that we "yahoo-ed" something like we say "googled"... anyway, every time I yahoo-ed Hanson nobody ever said how much they loved Isaac, just Zac and Taylor. So I made it my personal mission to be Isaac's fan. I'm nice like that.

Yet Another Reason Why Dads are Way Cooler than Moms

Dads, in general, are a lot more fun that Moms are. They play harder. Tickle more. Wrestle. Let kids stay up later. And this:

Photo evidence that, apparently, while Mom is away, Dad lets the kids play in the mud naked.

Dan is one awesome father. No wonder the children ask where he is all day long.