Barney Days Revisited

Taylor and Chase have been going through a phase for a while now and it's something I definately want to remember, thus the post. Their new favorite things to watch are what they refer to as "baby shows". They search through the channels until they find some Teletubbies or Barney, etc. and then they sit and laugh and make fun of it. I'm sure it's their way of sort of disowning the baby stuff and graduating into MANHOOD. It's kind of hilarious. We went to the library today and they actually checked out a Barney video and were so excited to get that thing going. I secretly recorded them.

They giggle a lot but then there are moments where they're quiet and straight faced and that's the funniest part because they think they're so cool and above it all but then they actually get sucked in a little bit. I can't say that I object because Barney always has a nice moral to teach.

Oh, and Chase wanted a hair cut. He's been growing it out for a while but told me the other day he wanted a buzz. So I hooked him up.




K I have no idea why those pics wouldn't load in the order I wanted but you get the idea.

The Latest

We're starting to get all settled into our new place. I'm figuring things out and getting to know my way around. The kids have made tons of friends already. There are nothing but little boys in this neighborhood so Tay & Chase are stoked. Our neighbors are nice. We bought a new entertainment center and as we were unloading it from our truck, a guy we'd never met pulled over and helped James bring it in. It was awesome and I was so thankful because it was HEAVY!

It's year-round school out here and the kids actually started on July 27th. This week, however, they're "off track". So...no school for 3 weeks. Kinda odd. Not sure how I feel about it but I guess I'll have to get used to it. Taylor has joined the school band and it just so happens that they offer the electric guitar. We never had that option when I was in elementary! So, of course that's what he picked. I just happen to wail on the guitar a bit myself, so I'm showing him a few things. I can't wait for his first concert. The band has 4 kids on the electric guitar. ARe there even any "school band" type songs with parts for this instrument? I can't wait to find out.



Okay now, I've had a goal for a while to learn how to make an awesome pie crust. I have tried many times to make one and have failed miserably because I'm just following directions out of a cook book. Well, I was talking to my bff, Lisa, about pie crust and how I really wanted learn to make it and she told me she had a great recipe and would teach me!! So she came over a few days later and showed me how. We made an apple pie and it was delicious. Lisa, I and the boys all carved some little designs into the crust and popped it in the oven. It was lots of fun. Thanks Lees:)



I wanted to test my skills on my own so I made a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight and guess what? It turned out awesome. Taylor did the artwork. I'm so excited! This may be funny to some because you probably mastered pie crust long ago. I'm a late bloomer.


I did some canning this week as well. I always look forward to canning tomatoes from my garden but no garden for me this year. Luckily James's dad had a great crop and hooked me up with a huge box of tomatoes. It was fun. I love this time of year because it's getting to be fall, MY FAVORITE!!



And finally, I took the boys to Cowabunga Bay today. We've been wanting to go for a while. Anyhoo, if you haven't been, I've got a couple tips for you. First, don't order the chicken caesar salad at the snack bar. I waited 20 minutes for mine. Second, don't wear a bikini on the slide called Bonsai. My bottoms came off. I am not kidding you. And I wasn't just wearing a bikini (because that would be offensive in my case). I was wearing it under board shorts and a tank top and my board shorts and bikini bottoms were a bit too loose apparently and they slipped right down to my ankles. I was sitting in the bottom of the slide frantically trying to get them back on and it was hard because the water just wanted to keep pushing them down. I dont know how many people saw it. The life guard (thank heaven a female) was laughing so hard that she couldn't even talk when I asked her if it had ever happened to anyone else. She just shook her head no. And the worst part is... you know they have security cameras around. James said it will probably end up on YOU TUBE. If it does, people will be laughing all around the world. It really was hilarious but at the same time...not. I got kind of bummed out later when the total humiliation set in. I still can't believe it happened.

Other than that, it was a pretty fun place.

Finally.....We Moved!!!

It's been a good, long while since I updated. Lots has happened. We've had a good summer. And finally, after much grief and anticipation, we have moved. The story is long and many of you already know it so I won't bore you with the details. The sale of our house went very well, it's been our purchase that has caused us pain this time around! But we just found out yesterday that we're going to close tomorrow, so it will be a done deal. FINALLY!!!!!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who helped us move. We are so blessed with awesome friends and family, some of which took time off work to help us. Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you:)


Piling up our many boxes.


James arrived with the U-Haul.


Then all the awesome helpers started showing up. Pops was the first to get there and he and James loaded up most of the big stuff. Thanks Pops:)



Little by little, the house emptied out.





The Hamideh's showed up because they rock. Here's one of many shots of Beth bending over and working her butt off for us:)




All Clear!

Then we moved on to the new house. I still don't have any "after" pictures because I'm still in the process of finding a place for everything.




There's Beth again, bending over and putting my table together. Isn't she a sweety?!!!

And then Beth showed up the next day and pulled weeds for us! I'm not talking about a few little weeds. I'm talking about 5 feet tall with roots to China and stalks like small trees. I wasn't even there when she came, but I made her take some before pics for me because I really love before and after photos. I'll post the after photos soon.




James helped a little bit and when I tried to go out and pull some she wouldn't let me because she wanted me to go put my kitchen together. She really is the most awesome girl. Love ya Beth!

So we left our little house in Sandy. I went back the next morning by myself to get the last few things and if you know me at all, you know that I am a sentimental fool and it was hard for me to say goodbye to my little, brick house. It was our first house. It was where Chase took his first steps and Taylor learned to ride a bike. Lots of good things happened in that house. And even though I love my new house, it'll be a while before it feels like home.

Thanks again to my sis, Pops & Grandma Kathy, Shane, Dave, Ryan, Buddy, Mike, Beth, Nick, Gabe and Mindi. We filled up the U-Haul plus all of your cars and we appreciate you so much.

Now on to the next adventure.....!

Summer..So Far

I can't believe June has come and gone. It was a very busy month, but fun. I have to say that the weather was the best ever. Just one thunderstorm after another. Who knew we were in for such a treat! I really did love it, even though my basement flooded twice. Anyway, I've got a lot to cover, so if you're bored and have some time to kill...this is the blog for you. James's birthday was June 12th. I got him a bunch of desperately needed summer clothes. It was also OC Tanner Lagoon Day so that's where we hung out all day. It was sooo crowded. Ridiculously crowded but we had lots o' fun. We hooked up with our good friend Louri and her 2 girls. We closed the place down, as always. Then there was Father's Day. I had my dad over and cooked a huge mexican dinner. I forgot to take a picture of the spread, but it was awesome. James got some new golf gear. Then came the much anticipated annual Pineview trip. The best part is having Mindy and Jeremy and the boys here from South Carolina. The kids have so much fun. It never fails to rain on us, however. This year we had some huge wind storms as well. Tents were literally flying. We always end up coming back early because of the weather. Still, tons of fun though. Then there's the Demolition Derby! We get VIP treatment whenever we're in West Jordan thanks to the inlaws. We sit up in the box, eat all kinds of treats and watch the show. They had some good crashes this year. One of the drivers got really mad and got out of his car and started yelling at someone. When the crowd booed him, he flipped us all off. Great entertainment for little boys. The next big event is the 4th of July, of course. We always go out to the West Jordan Stampede. Again, VIP treatment! We get to go backstage and see all the bulls and cowboys. The kids have all mutton busted and hide ridden (some rodeo lingo for ya there) and then we get front row seats to boot. Good Things Utah has been covering the Stampede and Chase got on the show yesterday morning. Check it out. (Kid in the black hat assisting magician).

And in between all of that we do the usual summer stuff: swimming, Nickelcade, dollar movies, the zoo, and my fav.. library hopping! Hope ya'll are having as much fun as us this summer:)

Still My House

I wasn't planning to do much yard work this spring since we were moving. The last couple of months have been really weird because I'm usually thinking and planning but everything has been so up in the air, and I feel like I've just been waiting around and not accomplishing much. So I decided that while we're still here, we need to live and enjoy and just do what we do and quit waiting around to do it.

So I spent some time in the yard the last couple of days. It was sooo much work but it was good to be out digging in the dirt. The weather's been perfect too. Cloudy and not too hot. I've been so preoccupied with the inside of my house that things outside were looking pretty bad. I pulled a ton of weeds, dug up my brick path and straightened it all out. Then I planted some flowers... my favorite part.

We've had these weird rocks piled up in the back yard forever, so I decided to put them to use in one of the shady flower beds in the back that always gets neglected. I planted some ground cover and Impatients. It turned out kinda cute. I should have taken a before picture.

I even planted a tiny little vegetable garden with tomatoes... my favorite!! I usually do a much bigger garden with more stuff but since I started so late, I kept it simple.

Then there's the side yard that's so hard to keep up. It's got a ton of rocks and weeds and weird things that pop up. I tried my best to fix it up. Rearranged the rocks and planted some Marigolds. Not my favorite flower but one that rarely fails to spread and brighten things up. By the way, if anyone knows how to remove the ugly hard water build up on brick, I'd love to know! Here's before:

And...TADA! After:

I also copied my friend, Beth, and painted my front door black. I love how it turned out. I wish I'd done it years ago. Should have taken a before pic of this too. It's a huge improvement, I think.

So these little things have kind of made me feel more comfy and grounded. I've been in a state of detatchment, thinking "Why spend the money and take the time? It's not my house anymore." But it's still my house....at least for now.

One of My Favorite Things

Just had to blog about the sky today. I looooove it when a storm makes its way over the mountains and into the valley. I love the dark clouds mixed with the white clouds with patches of bright blue sky in between. I love the sound of the wind in the trees and the tinkle of wind chimes. It is seriously one of my greatest joys and I could totally handle it if it was like this every day. I love the rain too, but I think just watching it all brew up is the best part. Now if we could get a little thunder and lightening I would absolutely be in heaven. We just don't get enough of that around here. I took a few pictures of the sky. Of course, my camera is far from doing it justice. But here they are anyway. Gotta go sit on my porch now and it enjoy it while it lasts!