Trotter: Party of Four

A Miracle, a Tragedy, Science and some Silliness

2012-01-27T23:43:00.000-08:00

This week we had a miracle at the Trotter house. Chad cooked! He had heard me complain for too long that I hate to cook for picky eaters, so he decided to make lunch on Sunday. The funny part is that he didn't like his own cooking. Oh well!

Tragically, the reality of Wild Rivers being no more was right before our eyes. Chad and I had both gone there growing up and worked there. We were hoping to take our kids there one day, but it's gone. So sad! Hope there is a replacement soon!

Sundays mean that we have dinner at my parents house. We thought that we would get scientific. Here we are microwaving Ivory soap. I won't ruin it for you. Try it! Get a bar (super cheap) and you can cut off 1/3 and put it on a plate int he microwave for about 40 seconds. It's pretty amazing!

On to science experiment #2! Coke and Mentos. Micah got a little tube for this in his stocking this year and we have been having fun with it.

Try number one didn't go so well, so we tried again.

We have success! The kids loved it.

Then we got silly with cousins.

And...we tried on Grandma's glasses and looked quizzical.

Amid the craziness of the week, we hit the park with plumber crack...

...and found some time to lounge!

Sometimes it amazes me how fast a week can fly by! I thought that as the kids got older, things would get easier because they would be in school or just generally be less needy. Let me tell you, it is busy here all the time. Not only do they have activities they need to be at, we still have chores, I started up a new blog (details later), took up tutoring again and I spend hours at school with Micah. Breathe! Anyways, there is a ton going on, but as I do more that I am interested in, I care less about made beds and fingerprints on the windows. I do all the things we have to do and by the end of the day, when there is only a couple of hours left, I have a choice. I can get home and get started on chores and dinner or I can say screw it and take the kids to the park and do dinner on the fly! We have been choosing the latter lately. I have the weekends to catch up, right?

Giving into Passion

2012-01-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but Micah is OBSESSED with cars. I mean obsessed! They are definitely his passion. After finding out that K1 has junior races, we knew we had to take him!

So, on Wednesday night (yes, the middle of the school week), Chad packed us up and we went to Anaheim.

Micah was excited, but to our surprise, nervous too! He listened to the instructions from the official.

They told him how the cart worked.

He put on the racing sock.

Dad helped him with his helmet and a little pep talk. He got in his car and then hopped back out because he was scared. Then the official said, just try one lap and see if you like it.

This little racer took off! He was a little slow at first, but in no time he was on lap 2, then 3, then 4....he loved it!

This little girl was devastated that she was not tall enough to drive. Sorry baby girl, you are going to have to eat those veggies stat to grow those last few inches.

A few minutes of tantrumming lead to this. Out like a light!

This kid was thrilled to show us his scores and is already planning a return to the track. We ended the evening with cones from McDonald's. We didn't get home until 9:30! Whoops, I guess that memories trump the whole responsible parenting thing.

MIA

2012-01-18T07:55:00.000-08:00

We have been up to this and that. Tea parties at home.

Dinners at Grandma and Papas. Here are all the grandkids with Uncle Brett and Aunt Michele.

I did a project from Pinterest. I got a box spring for B's bed and covered it with some fun fabric. Ta da!

I got myself some fun shoes. It's a big deal for me. I don't buy for myself often. Usually it is the kids with a great pair of shoes!

We have been playing with our scooters and falling down on them too! This girl fell hardcore and did a scorpion (aka fall on your face and your feet nearly touch your head). I was so impressed that I forgot to give her sympathy and I was telling her I needed to take her picture with all the dirt on it. She got over it pretty quick!

We celebrated MLK weekend our way. We slept in. This is what I woke up to that morning. I love that they love to snuggle!

We got out and about and even made a trip to the LB Ruby's. The kids love Ruby's!

I have not been much of a blogger lately. Life has been hectic for us. I am trying to find my way through some of this. We recently saw a doctor that diagnosed Micah as ADHD. Now, I know that it might seem like I am sharing too much, but I have my reasons. First off, I know that those of you who read this are my family and friends. I am looking for advice or information on how to handle this. I want to be as informed as possible. Right now, it feels very foreign to me. At the same time I am really needing to find something that helps. It is so sad to hear him pray for help controlling his body every day. Secondly, I am hoping that at least one other person will stumble upon this one day and feel like they can learn something from me. Maybe they are thinking or feeling the same way and won't feel alone in it anymore. I also want to make sure people don't read my blog and think things in life are always sunny. It isn't for anyone. Some choose to write only about the good things and that is great, but I like to write about the good and bad so people can relate to me and the craziness of life. Believe me, it is crazy, but it is also fun and full of surprises.

Schtuff

2012-01-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Well, the end of winter break had some pretty cold days, so there were times we just spent indoors. Luckily, things changed and it warmed up (finally)!

We started going out to parks and I noticed that the kids kept stealing other kid's scooters and since they had taken back a few things, we decided these two needed scooters. We got our helmets before the scooters arrived. (I know she looks scary in this picture)

We were so excited that we wore it everywhere. In fact it was worn all New Years Eve. As we made a Mentos Gyser and popped poppers and threw snaps, it was still on. Can you tell she likes it?

Two days later, the beloved scooters arrived!

Micah took off right away. He was so excited, he didn't bother trying to get used to it, he decided to take a big hill and ate it.

He did get the hang of it though. Trial and error can be a great teacher.

Brooklyn loved hers and does her best to keep up with her big brother. I need to get video of it. When Micah goes over the bump and does a jump I usually say something like "Wow, nice jump buddy!" Then I ask B if she can jump and she literally jumps up and down on it. "Nice job B!"

A Merry Day

2011-12-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Our holiday started out on Christmas Eve with Chad's side of the family. The kids were thrilled to get to presents. I remember as it kid it seemed like a lifetime before we got to Christmas!

The cousins.

Ghee reading a story about Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. I had never heard the background story before. If you haven't heard it before, look it up.

Most of the crew.

Cody got these gems. I don't even remember why, but I think they are hysterical! We were all spoiled. It was a really nice night with great company and food.

The next morning Santa had left his mark. Micah got his Mega Blitz Garage and Brooklyn got her pink and purple dress up!

They attacked their stockings.

Silly putty anyone?

Getting into all of it.

Daddy helping B with her new book.

The alarm clock radio he had been wanting. You know it was a good Christmas when your kid says "This is the best day ever!"

Next we got dressed up for church.

Looking handsome.

Trying to get a picture of these two with normal smiles is a challenge!

Next we went to my parents house and enjoyed brunch and more presents.

My beautiful niece.

I think Gavin had had enough. We were all spoiled and tired by the end of the day and as much as I LOVE Christmas, I dread the clean up afterwards. We had a lot of new fun things to play with and find room for. Thanks to our families! They are fantastic!

Could we be more festive?

2011-12-19T22:18:00.000-08:00

I don't think we could be cramming more joy, merry and fa la la in! We have the tree trimmed, presents wrapped, stocking hung, fire lit and we are ready.

We have visited Santa several times now. He should have the kids gifts memorized by now!

We have visited gingerbread displays. Yum!

Some little hands just can't keep to themselves!

Can you believe the masts on this boat are all made of white chocolate?

We visited the massive tree at Fashion Island.

With Shelby, Grandma and Grandpa.

We also insisted on watching Elf with Joseph from our nativity set.

As much as I wish I could say that I am just enjoying the heck out of all of this, I have to admit I feel like I am scrambling to find activities. I feel like I am really good at taking care of the day to day stuff (meals, cleaning, errands, getting kids from place to place), but when there is a holiday, I am out of my element. It could be the extra lack of sleep and increase of sugar intake, but I am feeling a little stressed. I'm hoping I can let go and just get that fun tingle of the Christmas spirit before it is all over! Oh to be a kid again. Who wouldn't love that? In the meantime, I am going to be taking the kids to the movies and ice skating and sending myself to bed early. Goodnight!

Cookie time & Funnies

2011-12-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Keeping the Christmas traditions rolling, we made sugar cookies today! I actually bought my very first (and probably last) rolling pin today just for this!

Brooklyn helped cut out the cookies.

We kept it simple with a few chocolate chips and M&M's.

Delish!

Yum!

Today as I was picking Micah up from school we were driving home and I pointed out how all the dark clouds were moving in.
Me: Looks cold to me.
Micah: Not to me. Do you see there is a hole in the clouds? I think Jesus is going to pop out of there.
Me: OK, well probably not today, but maybe one day.
Micah: Are Jesus and Santa the same guy?
Me: No.
Micah: You know, Jesus has a beard and Santa has a beard too.
Me: Yep, you are right.
How do you explain things like that? Sorry Micah, our culture dictates that I lie to you about Santa until you are old enough to handle it. I am thinking it is better that I let you believe a lie than to let you be THAT kid at school that spills the beans and shatters childhood dreams for kindergarteners. One day there will be a manual for this parenting stuff, right?

A Chaotic Christmas

2011-12-13T21:25:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or does Christmas time feel a little frantic? I know, I should simplify and all that, but sometimes things just happen. We are trying to figure out things with Micah. I guess it really isn't all that big of a deal, but to me anything that has to do with my baby makes my stress level go up. So I decided to take a mommy's night out with a friend to get away when I get a phone call from Micah. He said daddy's ear was hurt. Well, in the hour or so since I left the house, Chad and the kids were playing on the floor and Brooklyn got Q tips out for some reason. Micah grabbed one and shoved it into Chad's ear. Well, I headed home and convinced him to go to Urgent Care. Again, I think that term is used to loosely because they were closed at 5 on a Friday. Anyways, the next morning he went in and it turns out his ear drum is punctured. He is literally deaf in that ear (he says he can hear about 30%). The doctor told him that he needs to be seen by an ENT. He said that they will likely see how well it heals on his own, but most likely he will need surgery. Bummer. The timing isn't great, but it will work out OK. I don't want to let things like this stress me out or take away from the joy of this season...it's just a bump in the road, right?

Just too funny!

2011-12-06T21:26:00.001-08:00

My kids were regular comedians today. Here are a few things that happened.

1. When Brooklyn and I went to get into the car today, she was running to the car and looked the other way. She turned her head just in time for her face to meet the bumper and get clothes lined. She was flat on her back and I have a streak of her face on the back of my car. OK, it was sad at first and then I thought, man I wish I had that on camera!

2. When we were driving home from dinner, Brooklyn let out a huge burp followed by, "That was my quesadilla. I think that was a monster burp!"

3. As we were talking about a person and I said her name is Tammy. Micah: "It's a girl?" Me: "Yeah, Tammy is a girl name." Micah: "I'm not a big fan of girls." So matter of fact.

4. Micah has been learning Spanish and we were talking about foods in Spanish. Micah: "I would like a pickle too. How do you say that?" Me to Chad: "I don't know how to say pickle, do you?" Chad to me: "No." Brooklyn: "I do. Pickle!"

Days like today remind me of how dull life would be without them!

All the little stuff

2011-12-06T08:25:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas! Yes, it can be stressful getting things bought, wrapped, and so on, but I love it. What I love the most are all the little parties and all the activities that make Christmas special. On Saturday, we went to two ward Christmas parties. We went to our ward breakfast, but then Santa wasn't there. How dare they make Christmas about Christ at a church event! Ha ha We decided to head to my parents ward party and luckily, they had Santa at the very end.

The kids looked pretty unsure of him, but then got comfortable and told him what he wanted. For the record, Micah wants a Hot Wheels Mega Blitz Garage and Brooklyn wants a purple princess dress up.

Sunday we got together for our normal Sunday dinner with the family. My mom got a gingerbread village kit and we all got to work.

Chad helped Brooklyn with construction.

Micah decided he was better at making cookies than gingerbread houses.

Brooklyn holding the sides of the house.

Troy taking his art very seriously. He made an outhouse.

Shelby and her bf made a cottage.

Taura working on her roof.

Our A frame all finished with a little tootsie roll man to boot! Yes, it was a shirtless activity. Just be grateful I wasn't in this picture! Ha ha

Letting Go

2011-12-01T13:43:00.001-08:00

Last night we decorated our Christmas tree. From these cute pictures, I could lie and say that it was just so heart warming, we all sang Christmas carols and sipped hot cocoa.

I could tell you that I have fond memories of this night and it was like living out a Hallmark movie.

That would be a lie. It seems like every year that we do this, it is chaotic. We were snipping at each other, trying to keep B from breaking the ornaments, Micah was whining about having to eat more dinner to earn dessert and Chad and I were bickering over lost ornaments. How is that for a loving family moment? No hot cocoa sipping. No warm fuzzies.

Here is the deal: I am a perfectionist. Type A all the way. I have been for a long time. In school I was on the honor roll. In the work force, I have been asked to come back to every company I left after I moved on. It has always worked out well for me to be this way. Now, I'm a mom.

Being a perfectionist and a mom DO NOT mix. I'll tell you why. I have a way of creating expectation in my mind of what I want things to be like. Well, kids hardly ever live up to those expectations. They don't eat without making messes, they don't fit into your schedule, they can't even get out the door on time without a fit over a toy or certain shoes they want. They don't go to bed without balking, they do not play together peacefully, talk quietly or listen intently to directions, and they do not care how much effort you put into making them look cute in the morning, that mud puddle was just too enticing! Basically, as a perfectionist, I have set myself up for frustration over and over again. I can't keep living life in such a tight little box. I know I can sour the mood in my house really quick or I can keep the fun going by laughing. I know it isn't New Years yet, but I am going to make this a new goal of mine. I am working on letting go. I'm letting go of these silly ideas of perfection and expectations that fit in a certain mold. Life just doesn't go that way for anyone. I'm going to try and take things as they come and get better at rolling with the punches.

So here is what I think. Last night could have been full of warm fuzzies if I had surrendered to the chaos and embraced it and loved it for the 20 or 30 minutes it took to fill the tree with our old memories. So that is what I am going to try to do from now on. That should make for a much merrier Christmas!

Giving Thanks

2011-11-28T23:07:00.001-08:00

So the week of Thanksgiving arrived and we were heading out. We packed up and headed up to Northern California to be with the Trotter side of the family this year.

It was a long drive and B quickly made her way into the snacks.

We got there late, slept and woke the next day (my b-day) and Chad decided we should go into San Fran for the day. So we took the Bay Bridge in.

We kind of got lost in the city, but at the same time had the good fortune of running to some fun places like Lombard street!

How cool is this: we are driving down the hill when a trolley is coming up and Alcatraz is in the background.

We ran into a maritime museum near Hyde Pier. This is what is inside of a lighthouse.

Big boat.

Out to the pier we went. I loved seeing the waves rolling up.

The view.

Cool place to look around.

B is pointing to the ship in case you didn't see it.

I had Chad take this picture. I guess I wasn't looking too good, so he didn't want to zoom in. Ha ha

The kids running around holding hands.

Playing with pulleys.

This trolley is ready for Christmas!

Off to Ghirardelli Square. You can't go without getting my fave, ice cream!

I thought the kids would be more into my hot fudge sundae, but daddy's plain vanilla got all the attention!

Sorry daddy, you don't get any!

Yum!

Seeing the machines doing what they do best, make chocolate!

Then we ventured around the city. The Trans America building.

Awesome architecture!

Thanksgiving rolled around and all the family gathered.

Tory put on the whole shebang and did an awesome job. Here she is checking the turkey.

The kids loved playing with cousins or cousins once removed or twice...I'm really not sure.

We got to visit with our newest members of the family!

The kids throwing up gang signs. What do they teach these Nor Cal kids? Ha ha

The big boys huddled around computers pretty much all day. I don't know if they knew anyone else was around!

Dinner is up and running.

There are a lot of us!

The next day we went to the Jelly Belly factory.

They were ready for Christmas!

We watched them make lots of treats.

Then we took a tour of the factory.

...and we looked really cool in our tour hats!

Or super duper cute! That was the end of our trip and we headed home that afternoon.

When we got home we found Charlie (our Elf on the Shelf) sitting in the hall waiting for us with new Christmas pajamas!

Brooklyn got pink giraffe.

Micah got Super Mario.

Then daddy read the Elf on the Shelf book to the kids and we were off to bed!

We had a great trip! My niece Tory welcomed us into her home and put on the whole dinner. She was awesome. Sorry to the friends and family that we didn't see while we were up there. Wish we could have dropped by, but in the midst of this trip, Brooklyn got the stomach flu. Maybe next time? Now onto Christmas!

The week before

2011-11-28T22:59:00.001-08:00

So last week we got into a little Christmas spirit a little early.

Micah the red nosed reindeer!

I joined in!

Micah has his last game of the season and got a trophy. We were so proud to see him really into the game and trying to play with his team to score a goal. This is huge for him. He really showed heart!

...and Brooklyn dressed herself. Not good!

What we do

2011-11-14T11:05:00.001-08:00

Last week has come and gone already. Here is what happened...

I turned my back for a second and found this girl out on the hood of my car. This just reinforces the reason why I have a deadbolt on the inside of my front door!

We decided to do a Thanksgiving craft. My friend Brynn did this with her girls and I thought we would have to give it a shot.

Turkey hand prints anyone?

Micah wanted to stamp his name over and over again. Can you tell he has that mathematical brain?

We welcomed a new family member! Hello my pretty new Ford Edge! We finally got rid of the PT since it was literally falling apart and got the new Ford Edge. Lucky for us, my sister works for Ford and we got an amazing deal. We love it and kind of sort of fight over who gets to drive.

My mom took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. I am sure there are families that go all the time. We do not. I really really dislike Chuck E. Cheese, so I had to take pictures since this will probably not happen again for quite a long time.

See kids, you got to go to Chuck E. Cheese!

They loved it!

They have this horse thing that I had to pry Brooklyn off of. She was totally into it!

OK, he is just handsome. I am totally biased, but I think he really is the cutest even with his funky new teeth coming in.

We had a really cool looking stormy night.

We had a really typical Sunday morning. What? You mean your kids don't hang out in their undies most of the day?

A Few of my Favorite Things

2011-11-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

So I have gotten questions about the different favorite things party I have been to. Who doesn't want to know about great products that makes life easier or a little better in some way? First off here are a few of the things that I have brought to parties:

Arm & Hammer with Oxi Clean Laundry Detergent

Insulated tumbler from Copco (I hardly get a chance to use it because it is Chad's Favorite!)

Trader Joe's sauces: Thai Red Curry, Tiki Marsala Simmer Sauce and Aribiatta sauce

Forever 21 Jewelry (cheap and so fun)

A book (The Help wasn't in theaters yet, so that was my fave)

Bigelow & Co. Mentha lipgloss (it gives color and has mint in it, so it freshens your breath too!)

Others have brought:

Stationary

Flavored Marshmallows

Garage Saleing Tips along with some awesome deals she scored

A Pineapple Slicer from Vinco (I LOVE that one)

Scented Candles (3 wick from Bath and Body Works)

Smut Magazines (aka People, Vogue, OK etc.)

The Book Glimpses by Marjorie Pay Hinkeley

Burt's Bee's Lipglosses

A family recipe for Almond Roca with all the ingredients

Fresh flowers

Coke or Diet Coke

Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutters

Clip on car scents from Bath and Body Works

Carmel apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers

Dry Shampoo by TIGI Rockaholic

OPI Nail Polish in You Don't Know Jack

Apple slicer and caramel dip

A CD of favorite songs

Vanilla from the middle of Mexico

Vanilla Italian syrup to make steamers

Recipe book of favorite dips

I know there are more and if I remember I will try to post again. There will be another Favorite Things party in Spring, so there will be more to come!

A Trike Redo

2011-11-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

OK, here is the before:

And here is the after:

It went from a "I've been sitting out in the hot summer sun" red to a sparkling pink princess trike. I got some of the Glitter Blast spray paint from Krylon (pain in the butt honestly) and of course the color was called Posh Pink. Now the old trike has a new life and a girly ride! Even the pedals and basket got the treatment. I love what a little paint can do!

A Spooky Week and a WINNER!

2011-11-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

This week, we headed to the park.

We love the park!

And the swings!

He is my little man.

We also took a trip to the Urgent Care. The diagnosis: Drama Queen! She ran out of the bathroom telling me we needed to go to the hospital because her pee pee hurt. I figured UTI. Test results said she was just fine. Thanks for the false alarm B!

The Pumpkin Patch is a necessary fall activity. Lucky for us, my friend Carrie hooked us up once again! She had tickets galore for us, so we enjoyed rides and bounce housing!

We went with our friends Luke & Logan. Love this pic!

Checking out the ducks.

B is a terrible driver by the way. She loved it, but ended up in the hay every five seconds!

Micah is an excellent driver as you would expect. He is only obsessed with cars!

B riding the train and ringing the heck out of that bell!

For Halloween, we kicked off the festivities early and dressed up on Friday for a Trunk or Treat with Al and her ward. Here is my ninja doing a tribute to MJ.

My little flapper girl.

They are so fun.

You should see the poses he made. I chose to show the most normal ones. He is a nut!

B was a winner in the costume contest. Pretty excited that my first real sewing project in years won a contest! This was the result at the end of the night. Success!

Chad and I went to a party the next night (forgot to get a pic) and the kids hit up yet another Trunk or Treat.
Sunday we carved pumpkins at my parents house. Micah and I wanted to make a Jack o' Lantern that looked like him.

This is what we got!

Chad helped B. They were inspired by her shirt.

Here is B with her Hello Kitty, Micah with his car (once I left he wanted Papa to cut a car out of the back of his), and Shelby with her graveyard.

For Halloween Day, Micah had a costume parade at Micah's school.

He hurt his hand right before, so he was not into it. At least they all looked cute! Micah is in the bottom left corner.

Of course we ended the night with Trick or Treating!

And now for the winner: #4 Tanya (even if she is having her fourth boy!)

Another week over and a giveaway!

2011-10-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

This week, we enjoyed the fall weather at the park...

We ate cookies into the shape of the temple (according to Brooklyn).

We took bike rides in the neighborhood...

...and rode really fast!

We started projects. This should look different in about a week!

We had school presentations.

Micah was making weird faces.\

I guess Brooklyn wanted to be like her brother, so she made a weird face too!

We played soccer games in the fall fog.

And since daddy had to work and this one was sick, we dressed like Eskimos!

We had fun playing! I love that you can see a smile on his face!

We ran into a kids fair and got to sit in a police car. I showed Micah the backseat and told him how they make the back all plastic because the bad guys will pee, poop and throw up in the back and they need to be able to spray it down. He told me he never wanted to be a bad guy. Awesome! Scared straight at age 6!

We went on a fall hike. OK, so really we meant to and ran out of time and kind of just walked down the street and back. At least we got to see the beautiful fall colors!

We made some fun things for a GIVEAWAY! If you would like to win these cute red polka dot bows, just leave a comment. We don't even have to know each other. I just want to know who reads this blog anymore and I figure I can bribe people with a giveaway ha ha. Anyways, the winner will be picked next week!

How to get designer jeans for free...well practically

2011-10-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I got a pair of True Religions and Joe's Jeans for Brooklyn for free! OK, well not entirely, but practically.

I do not have an endless budget, but I do like nice things. I will not sacrifice my budget for clothing. I won't go into debt to buy clothes (especially for kids clothing that is outgrown in no time). I also can't pay full price for pretty much anything. It makes me a little sick honestly. I have to work my options.

Here is what I do. I have a local second hand store that I really like. After my kids outgrow their clothes or even toys, I bring them in and they give me store credit. I browse for a while and find the best brands with the least wear. Usually the good stuff is near the cash register, but check the racks too! I got these two pairs using my store credit. As an added bonus, they give you another 30% off for using store credit.

What is nice is that I don't even bring in my favorite clothes to get store credit. I bring in the ho hum things and use that. I get their best items and then I can hold on to them or eBay them. One time I got B a Ralph Lauren skirt there for free (store credit) and since her thighs were enormous at the time, it was just too tight. I put it on eBay and the free skirt got me $32! I kid you not!

Anyways, my advice to anyone trying to keep their kids well dress and stay well within budget is to make the most of your hand me downs and make them help your bottom line (and your closet!)

Wait, is it already next week?

2011-10-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow this week went by so fast! I wish I could say it was all fun, but I can't. Chad had a work project so twice this week he was pretty much up all night in LA. Friday night he actually came home at 5:30 am on Saturday! In the meantime, I was still busy with the kids and I had some friends pop into town. We had a blast! I realize though, that I am getting old. I can't power through a sleepless night and I can't eat junk food without repercussions! Here are a few pictures that captured the week.

Monday night is family night and so since their aunt had already taken the kids to the pumpkin patch, we had pumpkins to decorate. We decided it was too early to carve them, so we painted them. B went with purple (I added polka dots at the end which she hated) and Micah wanted a red one. I tried to encourage another color, but he wanted red. We added a spider and web to his and it turned out cool!

One morning I took Micah a little early to school so I could treat him to Chic-fil-a. We had a little extra time on our hands, so we ran around the park for a while and enjoyed the beautiful morning!

Friday I went with some friends on a walk around the lake and my friend Carrie just happened to know the captain of the station that is on the way. We stopped in and the kids got to check it out.

Thacker could have set up house in there. That kid loved it!

Brooklyn thought it was pretty.

B and A girl. Can't get a decent shot of them at the same time. One is looking this way and then the other looks another. Oh well, they are three.

Like I said, the kid was glued to that seat!

Tonight as I made dessert, I had this one all over it. Who doesn't like getting the beaters?

Not pictured: A favorite things party with the ward that was so much fun and a hit! I am already looking for some of the fun things that people brought. A sleep over (if you can call 3 hours of sleep a sleep over) with friends for Val's b-day. A park day with all the kids and friends.

I'm tired and behind on chores, but it sometimes you need to push your routine and chores aside to just have fun. They will be there when you get back.

Recap

2011-10-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

This week we were on the move! Well some days. Other days, we just played around at home.

This was one of those days. I have to say, I've always been jealous of people who are naturally beautiful. You know the ones that can wake up in the morning and without effort, still look great? I think B is one of them!

Al and Logan invited us to join them for donuts since Logan turned the big 3! Happy b-day big boy!

Of course we got out to play. We had a rainy day and that is when you realize how much you enjoy the weather here.

We love grandma's park. Even Shelby does. Poor Micah is being squashed by his loving cousin!

We had a soccer game as always.

Sadly, Yellow Lightning was defeated soundly by the Volcanoes. Their team actually seemed to care about playing soccer, while ours, well, it is more of a social club...I think.

Brooklyn was running out of clothes, warm one at least. With the rain and cooler temps, I looked in her drawer and realized she needed some clothes. I get such a thrill out of a good deal. This is how cute she looked and...

...this is what I spent! Oh and did I mention I got an additional 20% off those prices? Yay! I seriously think I have a gift for shopping. I know it may sound lame, but really I can find big time deals. It helps to keep us on budget and I still get to shop and dress my kids in stuff I like.

Moving on, Chad and I got a date night. A real one! We went out on Saturday and had dinner at Mozambique. When we left, the parrot outside said "bye" to us!

Then we went to Ki and raced. It is so much fun! If you haven't been, you need to try it. Chad is an animal out there and lapped me! Then since he had treated me to such a nice night, I treated him to dessert at Frapy's. It was only fair, right? Not only did we have a fun night, but the kids were spoiled by their aunt Tawnya. They got Ruby's AND the Pumpkin Patch. Plus, we had hit up a carnival earlier that same day. Needless to say, we all crashed hard that night!

Sunday we always have dinner at my parents house. Today, the kids got extra sticky and messy, so they all jumped in the spa with their Papa. We are glad they are home from their LONG trip to London and Paris!

Stylin'

2011-10-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

On Friday my friend Carrie invited me to join her for a blogger event at Style Week OC. It seems like most of my really fun posts start out with "My friend Carrie took me .... or I went with my friend Carrie to...." I think she might be the source of my social life. Just saying. Anyways, it was so fun! Nick Verreos from Project Runway was hosting. Here is Carrie:

Look, I was there too:

They put on a fashion show...

...and on top of Nordstrom's catering, a huge candy buffet and awesome swag bags, we got to meet Nick! He was very nice and does a hilarious impersonation of Heidi Klum. he might have also mentioned that the first time he met Seal, Seal told him his fly was down. Nice!

It was such a fun night! I loved being out and about and just being a person for the night. Most of the time I am mommy, cook, maid, chauffeur, nanny, entertainer, wife, etc. Thanks Carrie for letting me a fashionista for the night!

Catching Up!

2011-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I will say it again and I know you will all be shocked...we have been busy! I like being busy though, even if it is with silly things. That is what most of our life is at this point anyways, right? So let me catch you up in pictures.

Brooklyn has had a lot more input on what she wears these days. We went out like this. I thought it was funny. Chad was a little embarrassed, but I think she was proud of herself for being independent.

We play on bikes...

...and fall of trikes.

B in another "independent" outfit. Yes, we took her out in pj's, dress up shoes and a wand!

We have tea parties. Sometimes they sneak in water and then the tea party goes from adorable to less than cute. At least they are having fun!

We enjoy treats...thoroughly!

We enjoy date nights. This was my date the other night. He said we should go out to a restaurant, eat bread, talk and hold hands. We walked through the mall instead, but he still told me, "I think this date is going really well." It's a good thing because I wouldn't want to be dumped!

We lose teeth! Micah was having a tacquito before church and out popped another tooth. My baby is growing up.

We are enjoying park time together. Once in a while I actually get in a picture with my kids. Yay!

We check out dogs at the pet shop. I don't think we are ready yet, but oh my goodness, this Shiba was so so sweet. Can you tell she liked Micah?

We go to football games! Mission was playing Long Beach Poly and we wanted to take the kids to see it.

They had fun and it was fun to be back at the old alma mater.

We go to car shows! We got free tickets to go to Cruisin' for a Cure in Costa Mesa. Micah was in heaven! There were so many fun cars to see. Micah and Chad even got to ride the old firetruck around the grounds. There were old cars, new cars and even Cars cars. Did you see the Lightning McQueen car? Cute, right?

We have had more soccer games.

I'm not so sure soccer is his thing, but I think it is good for him to be involved in a team sport. I think next year I will see if he wants to try something new.

We go out shopping and end up upside down. B decided this was the best way to sit. She is a crack up!

We share drinks. I added this just because it is cute. No fun story, just cute.

We finish Halloween costumes. I brushed up on some of my sewing skills (they are still quite rusty) and made this flapper costume for B. She LOVES it. I let her pick out the color as you might imagine. I think she fits the part!

Are you ready?

2011-09-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm not! The other week we had a massive blackout. It took out our area, all of San Diego, some of Arizona and even parts of northern Mexico. The power was out for about 12 hours. In that time, we realized we are NOT ready for an emergency. We had to head north for dinner that night. So did everyone else and we got home at 9 pm! From there, we had to have Brooklyn stomp her feet to give us light to walk in. Thank you Twinkle Toes! I got a few candles up and running and we went to grab a flashlight only to find out the only working flashlight actually acted like a strobe light. Awesome! Don't worry, we survived.

It wasn't bad, but I think it could have been easier if we were better prepared. It is easy to brush things like this aside when you have little kids because they take up so much time, money and energy. I realize that if I am investing this much effort into my family, I need to be able to protect them in an emergency, so I started making a list of what to get. So far I have:

-clean out the hall closet to have a central location for emergency kit
-put in grab 'n go bags with emergency documents
-buy new flashlights
-have an emergency bag in the car: blankets, bandages, clothes, snacks and water
-have a $20 in the glove box at all times
-get $100 in $1's to stash (I was told that in an emergency, people won't make change for you, so you better have the exact amount)
-solar chargers for cell phones
-First Aid kit
-work on food storage by buying one or two more items more at a time

That is all I have so far. I am new to this though, so I would love any advice. Hopefully, we will never have to use any of this, but it seems like natural disasters are going on around us all the time. It's better to be safe than sorry, right?

More Random Thoughts

2011-09-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

First off, I have to wish a happy late b-day to Chad! He just hit the last year of his 20's. We celebrated with just our little fam, a few gifts and red velvet cake. Micah was explaining to me today that Chad is getting closer to 100. I asked him what we were going to do with dad when he was 100 and he said "I think I am going to be in college or something then." I guess we can't count on Micah to take care of us in our old age. Time to suck up to Brooklyn!

Speaking of Brooklyn, I have been falling in love with this little girl. If anyone has read much of my blog at all, you would know that B and I have a love hate relationship. I love her, but she and I have not gotten along well. I know that has to sound weird to say about a three year old, but truly she has been a challenge. With Micah in school for full days, things have changed. We get to cuddle and run errands together and just hang out. She is a totally different kid when she is alone. It is like she doesn't have to fight for attention, so she is a dream. I love to hear her chat away and talk about all the things she is seeing. I am just loving it!

I have been a bad blogger lately. I haven't been writing or reading many and it shows. Sadly, the last two posts have no comments and I deserve it. Sorry. If anyone could do me a favor and write a little something in those post, it will help me to 1) not feel like a loser and 2) motivate me to write a little more often.

I don't want to speak too soon, but I am feeling so serene these days. Sounds cheesy, right? I feel like most of my twenties have been kind of crazy. Trying to figure out life and the ups and downs. A lot of it has been trying to figure out motherhood. I definitely was comparing myself to some imaginary perfect mother who cooks, cleans, sews, and adores every moment with her kids. I don't know where I got the idea that I had to be Polly Perfect, but I found myself disappointed with myself day after day and getting frustrated that I wasn't loving and adoring every moment with my kids. I think I have gotten a better grip on the reality of the situation. For one, I got some great advice. I told an old friend that I was struggling with my happiness in being a mom. She told me that every mom has felt that way at one time or another and if they say they didn't they were lying. Motherhood is the hardest thing you will ever experience, but by far the most rewarding. My favorite part is that she said people that don't ever have children and experience all these highs and lows are like flowers that never bloom. They never reach their full potential. I loved that! I'm blooming! Ha ha. The other thing that has helped is reading this book:

This is such a great book. If anyone needs a boost to feel more positive (because a positive attitude is priceless) I highly recommend this book. It goes over different stories and views on how to see better days. The point is that you have to SEE good days. They aren't given to you, you have to LOOK for them. Duh, how did I miss that? Again, great read!

Go Yellow Lightning!

2011-09-11T23:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday Micah played his first soccer game of the season. He is on the Yellow Lightning. Can you tell the kids picked the name? Anyways, it was an interesting experience. Micah as well as the rest of the boys had to be reminded over and over again which direction they should be running and kicking the ball in. They're 6 and it shows! The whole point is for them to learn and have fun. I for one will admit that it is hard to let them run wild when I want to see them play the game.

Coach Mo was so patient with them and got a quick practice in.

Micah was having fun.

The boys were playing against the Green Hornets.

Go Micah!

They tried, but lost and Micah knew it, so there were tears after the game. I don't know if Micah will be growing up playing soccer. For now though, I love he is doing it and that it creates teaching moments that I don't think I would have otherwise. He has to learn to play with a team, share, follow through, push himself and learn how to lose gracefully. He is such an awesome kid!

First Day of 1st grade!

2011-09-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

Today Micah went to his first day of 1st grade! We switched him to a charter school nearby and I am excited to see how it all goes. Getting up and out the door early is not our specialty, but we are going to be pros in no time! Here is my handsome guy.
Brooklyn didn't want to be left out and insisted on picking out her outfit.

Here he is at school. Lined up and ready to go in!
Bye Micah...have a great year in 1st grade!

Our week in photos

2011-09-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

This week have been hanging out in the park.
Brooklyn prefers the equipment that requires others to work while she sits and enjoys the ride. Surprised?
We have gotten Sno on the Go for FHE.
She posed for me. Surprised?
Chad was invited to go paddle boarding with a coworker and he brought Micah along. They got a close up of a sea lion!
Later the at night, I headed out to spend time with some old friends and Chad was on daddy duty. Instead of spending the evening inside, he decided it was time for an adventure. He packed up a picnic dinner and took the kids hiking.
There is an abandoned housing tract that has two gazebos on top of a hill they were trying to get to.
Micah discovered the right trail and even in sandals, they were excited to head up the hill.
There they had their picnic dinner with their Dad. Micah said this was his favorite adventure. I think Chad hit a home run with the kids!

One less tooth to brush!

2011-09-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Micah lost a tooth! It has been a long time since he has lost a tooth. These top two have been stubborn. I think it has to do with the accident he had a long time ago that they were lodged in a little tighter than they should be. Anyways, they are both so loose. One more than the other. He hasn't been biting with them for a long time and I finally told him that it was time to take it out. I was afraid he would swallow it in his sleep. It was a bit of a fight, but after I got a little tug, Micah took over and pulled it out himself! I think it helped that I bribed him with a new Hot Wheel. If you know him, that is as good as gold. Good job bud!

A Little Home Improvement

2011-08-31T09:57:00.000-07:00

Surprised that I am back so soon? Well, I am trying to get back on this. Well, we have been trying to do some home improvement projects here and there. You might remember the antique bed I got on Craigslist for a steal.
It has all this pretty detail and I wanted to get a dresser for her that matched it. She had an Ikea dresser that was too modern to go in her girly room. So I began searching Craigslist again to see if I could find another treasure.
That is when I found this. I was hoping to find a cheap one that I could work on myself, but this one I got $275 ($50 lower than what she was asking for) and it was already done. Solid wood with dovetailing. I still was feeling like it was a little more than I should have spent (don't start Chad on that one), but I loved it!
I was feeling a little guilty for spending that much until I spotted this on PB kids. They want $599 plus another $100 for shipping! Now I am feeling like I got a deal especially since I got another two drawers.
Decorating a house is expensive and since we don't have an unlimited budget, it is slow going. We do things as we can. B's room is still coming together. I just added some ribbon to the end of her lanterns which make them look a little more complete.
I also made another little piece of art. I think it goes well with the teacup pictures.
Now I just need to get the Ava shelf from PB kids to put her books and whatnot on.
It hasn't just been B's room we have been working on. We got these neat little hanging bins from Ikea for CHEAP. Now they are holding all of Micah's art and craft supplies. We are hoping to build a little corner desk for him soon so he can sit there and do his homework or draw.
Another thing I am working on is a message board for our family. We have one of those useless doors that go to our heater and with such a small space, we need to make use of it. I decided that I would divide it up into thirds. The top is cork. I bought the roll that was meant to be a shelf liner from Target and doubled it up for thickness. The middle will be vinyl to act as a white board and the bottom part is a chalkboard, just painted on with some chalkboard paint. Almost done!

Revamp!

2011-08-27T10:30:00.001-07:00

OK, I have been a bad bad blogger. I am only going to use this simple excuse: It's summer! Summer life is busy and spontaneous. We are trying to get a lot of sun and fun and playtime in! Now I am trying to get back on top of this blog of mine. You might notice that I revamped it a little. Did you notice the new pictures along the side? Yay for new family pics! I got some gems like this one:
Now I need to get around to printing them up and putting them around the house!

Aside from that, we have been doing bedtime stories...
Playing with mommy's phone again...
Taking walks at sunset...
Styling ourselves....cute, right?....
Going back to school shopping and finding some closet staples....
He is cute even in a bra!
Taking bike rides at the park until we are THIS sweaty!
Taking more trips to the beach and taking the lazy way down. How cool is this little trolley!
Playing in the sand...
Making weird faces!
Being adorable...
Being a boy...
...and basically being spoiled by the good weather and good friends!

I will get back in the groove of this again! For now, enjoy a clip of Micah being a goof. I think this proves that he watches too much TV!

Time's flying!

2011-08-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

The last two weeks or so have just been going by so fast! We have been keeping busy. Last week, Chad took a Monday off and we went on a train adventure. We walked from our house to the train station down the hill and hopped on.

We were heading to Fullerton since we heard there was a train museum and the Old Spaghetti Factory.
The kids loved the train and I have to say it is not a bad way to travel.
Peek a boo!
When we got there, we discovered the train museum was closed as was half the town for some reason. Not to mention the memorial that was right outside of the train station for someone that had died the day before. We found out the hard way that Fullerton was kind of lame. We went back to the little Quickie stop and got some sodas.

I have great memories of getting to pick out my own soda with my family and I always chose Crush!
Micah went with chocolate milk.
Mmm mmm good!
Then we hit up the Old Spaghetti Factory. Fun atmosphere.
The food, not so good. We left earlier than planned and headed home. I thought the trip was a bust, but Micah said "This was the best train adventure ever!" I think it was a success!
Other things we have done have included playing with the phone.
Going out for milkshakes and getting them all over ourselves.
Going to the beach with friends.
And digging holes with them.
Going to the fair on a date!
And catching a Heart tribute band concert!
Meeting my friends new baby boy Nixon!
Having my baby boy turn 6!
We went to In N Out for lunch to celebrate. He is easy to please!
Brooklyn decided she should steal some ketchup packets in her hat.
We also celebrated friends b-days. B is having a meltdown and I think there is an extraordinary amount of blonds in this bunch, or is it just me?

Whoops!

2011-08-11T16:20:00.000-07:00

Kind of forgot about my blog. I am just too busy to work on it right now. We are squeezing a lot of fun out of summer when I am not out playing with the kids, we are catching up on chores, laundry and sleep. I will try to be back tomorrow and at least give a little shout out to my big boy who is going to be 6!!!!!

Santa Barbara in photos!

2011-07-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went on a spur of the moment trip to Santa Barbara with Carrie and her family. It was a work trip for her and we just tagged along. Friday we arrived and joined in on kid's day at Cox. Yes, she throws parties for a living!
The kids got to tour the trucks.Micah loved that!We love cupcakes!That night we all joined up to head to the pier to have dinner. On our way we ran into this monstrosity. Santa Barbara wins the ultimate hippy award! He said you can take all the pictures you want, but he would like a donation because that's what keeps the hippy rolling in more ways than one. I snapped away, but didn't feel good about supporting his love of cannabis, so I stiffed him. Sorry!

Walking up the pier.
Brooklyn stopped and said she was "looking for mermaids." How cute!
My kids and jaws.
The pier.
Out to dinner and Brooklyn needed a drink. Looks like the real deal right? It's just apple juice. No worries!
Saturday, we headed to the zoo! We got to see the penguins being fed.
Micah was the navigator.
The elephants were out!
The giraffes were awesome.
I was there too!
Micah is a monkey!
So is Brooklyn!
Abby and Brooklyn are buddies!
We were hanging out with the apes.
How funny is Micah's face?We fed the goats.
There were birds here and there.
More birds.

We even got to see a snow leopard! The funniest thing though was the howler monkeys. I wish I had gotten it on camera. They sound like car alarms. We went down to see them and they were up in their trees. I told Micah to make the noises they did. Micah started making that car alarm noise and all of a sudden they started climbing down the trees to see what the heck was going on. There were two of them that just sat there watching Micah and looking totally confused. i think Micah might be the monkey whisperer (or maybe sqwaker would be a better word for that.) Anyways, they trip was fun. Carrie's family is beyond awesome and we were glad we went. Thanks Carrie!

D-day and milk art

2011-07-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

Monday was D-day for me. Disaster day that is. I had planned a beach day week earlier with my mom's group and just happened to be watching my nephew the same day. I packed all of us and headed to the beach as planned. My mom's group has gotten less and less dependable and so at the last minute, everyone bailed. I ended up on the beach alone with three little kids. Austin was experiencing it for the first time and for about 30 minutes, he was thrilled, then he was over it. Then I was trying to keep everyone happy and keep an eye on them all. It was busy!
B loves the beach.
Austin...feels so so about it.
Micah loves the beach too. Well, after snacks and entertaining for a while, Austin had had it and I decided it was time to pack up and go. I took them to the car and got clothes changed and got everyone buckled and was about ready to go when I realized my phone was missing. I checked over and over again and it was really gone. I picked all the kids back up out of the car and headed back to the beach. I retraced my steps and asked people along the way if they had seen my phone. I went back to the spot I was at and looked around and even asked a stranger nearby if she could call my phone. Nothing! Stressed and tired, I put them all back in the car again and headed home. Along the way, my gas light went on. I got home and tried to get a hold of Chad to tell him I couldn't find my phone. My cousin helped me out by sending me a map of where my phone was (on the beach!). In the meantime I was getting the kid lunch and baths. When Chad got online, he told me to go to the beach to get it, but without someone to call it, I would be wasting my time. Annoyed, but always helpful, Chad got in his car and headed to the beach to meet me. I got all the kids back in the car, stopped to get gas and headed back to the beach. As I pulled up, Chad was on the curb with my phone in his hand. Someone had turned it in to the lifeguards. Awesome! Anyways, after a day like that, I was done! We headed to Frapy's for frozen yogurt and called it a day. So glad that day was over!
Here is a quicky on milk art that I grabbed from another website. The kids loved it! All you need is milk in a tray, food coloring, and something to stir it with.
Throw some of the food coloring in the tray.
Then swirl away!
We did this a few times. It was quick and easy and the kids loved watching the colors move around!

A fair is not a fair...

2011-07-24T09:30:00.001-07:00

I always think of this song, when I think of the fair! We headed there on Friday with my mom, Shelby and Austin. We got to work checking out the animals.
Llamas have really bad underbites!
We petted the baby chicks.
Micah did too.
Austin enjoyed a lollipop...shhh don't tell Ashley!
The kids loved the massive bugs in this tent. Gross!
We went on some rides. I would recommend a sports bra for this one!
More rides...
They loved it!
The funny thing is that usually I got the fair knowing I am going to blow through all my money on food. I blew through my money, but we left hungry! What? I guess with the three little ones and all the things to see, we kind of forgot about getting anything for ourselves. The kids had plenty to eat, but I think I had half of an ear of corn and some lemonade. So wrong. Looks like we will have to go back!

Sand & Sprinkles

2011-07-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

On Monday, we took a trip to the beach. We decided to knock an item off our summer bucket list and "tried a new beach." It wasn't a new beach to me, but I have never taken my kids to Corona del Mar. It was so fun. I forgot how much I love that beach. The sand is clean and fine and the waves are tiny, so I don't have to worry about the kids.
As soon as we hit the beach, Luke and Micah got to work.
This beach babe soaked up some rays.
Isn't Logan a doll? He is my boyfriend.
The kids played and played.
And played.
Got sandy...
..everywhere!
We love hanging out with these fun people.
After the beach, we headed to Sprinkles for cupcakes. Yum!
Is it just me or does this face say "take the dang picture already!" She was ready to eat!

In this weeks' news...

2011-07-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

We did some night swimming, hit the dollar theater, Ikea and ate a lot of Sno on the Go! I was too busy having fun to take pictures, but I do have a few shots from the week, so here we go:

Micah does all sorts of designs with his cars and insisted that I take a picture. Maybe he will be an artist one day? Maybe a car designer? I don't know, but I know his mind works outside of the box and it is so interesting to see.
We did some shopping and this might show you how much B likes to shop. I am in big trouble.
These boys had fun being together even if the moms were shopping.
I wore her out. This is how she fell asleep!
Man, we must be boring! Asleep again! We were heading out to have our family pictures taken, so of course she fell asleep. I already got a sneak peek of our pictures and I am so excited to update our frames with new pictures.
One a quick side note, Happy Anniversary Chad! Seven years and all the craziness it has held for us. Here is to many more!

Summer Time and the Livin's...

2011-07-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

...crazy busy fun!
In the last week, we have seen the dentist,
and got our teeth cleaned.
Brooklyn saw the dentist for the first time. Too bad she gagged and puked. Not such a great first impression, but overall successful. No cavities!
After the dentist, we picked up my mom and niece (isn't she cute?) and headed to the Spectrum.
We rode the carousel like old men,
and little ladies.
We rode the big wheel too!
Micah has a funny smile here.
Our Fourth of July was a little crazy. It started out great with a trip to Frapy's.
Yum.
Yum. From there we went to my parents and swam and grilled. It was going great until the kids just kind of soured. They were fighting and being turds, so we went home. We were going to skip out on fireworks until the very last minute. We thought, let's just do it.
We set up on a hill in Laguna Hills to get a good view. You can tell how much of a screw it attitude we had at this point because B was topless, in public. We just weren't going to deal with one more fight!
Luckily, the rest of the day went great and the kids had a great view of three shows from where we sat. Go USA!
Wednesday night, my friend Carrie took us out for the night. She spoiled us with dinner and then she took us to the Pageant of the Masters. I have never been and it was huge treat! Really amazing.
Love these girls! Thanks a ton Carrie!
Friday we swam with friends. I have little fish.
Micah and his wild jumping.
Lizzy and Brooklyn.
Micah and Joseph and my finger too! We were worn out and it was a great summer day because it had a nap right in the middle of it!

Now it's Official

2011-07-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

Now it's summer.
The sun is out.
The temps are high.
The beach is perfect even in the evening.
The kids are loving the sand.
We have some friends of ours that we don't see as often as I would like to, so I decided to have a bonfire so we could get together again. It was so fun to see old faces! The boys got to catch up and Brett was our cook.
The little boys played for hours.
The food was yummy since it was pot luck (Rach I need that dressing recipe!).
Allie even made it and she just had a baby!
The kids chilled and chowed.
Deb and Russ getting their grub on!
Carrie watching her little daredevil...ha ha!
Still playing...
We all got to catch up, which is my favorite part!
Now it's official. Now it's summer!

Take me out to the ball game...

2011-06-29T22:58:00.000-07:00

...take me out to the crowd...(with the weirdo poses)

...buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks and cotton candy and popcorn...

I don't care if we ever get back!So it's root, root, root for the home team...
...and they won, what a game! For it's one, two, three strikes your out at the old ball game!

Tuesday night we went to an Angels game. Chad got the best hookup ever and his boss gave us tickets and parking that were amazing! We were in the Diamond Club and literally sitting ten rows back! It was a lot of fun for all of us. The kids loved the food and atmosphere. It was a crack up to watch them go wild when the rest of the crowd did when they clearly had no idea what was going on. Love them!

Also had to mention I had a great girls weekend this weekend. I think that deserves its own post when I get a minute. I have the coolest friends ever!

Before I forget

2011-06-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

I have to write this down before I forget! Do you ever have one of those things happen that are just so cute or funny that you have to write it down before you forget? Well this is one of those.
Thursday was Micah's last day of kindergarten. He has grown so much!
Brooklyn didn't want to be left out of the picture taking of course. Anyways, when I went to pick up Micah, he was in tears. At first, I thought he was sad to be leaving kindergarten, his teacher and the school. I was wrong, his girlfriend had broken up with him! Turns out one of the other boys in class told her to break up with Micah so she would go out with him. Oh love triangles! Well. we had been invited earlier that week to go to a pool party and both kids were going to be there. Micah was reluctant, but I convinced him to go. When we get there the kids are having fun. About an hour later, I walk over to where Micah and these two kids are. This is what I hear from Micah. "Ethan break up with her. I took your awesomeness away and I won't give you back your awesomeness until you break up with her!" Oh my goodness, that was so funny!
We also got a package from Ghee the other day. Ghee is in tons and tons of pain right now, so for her to be able to send this out means a lot! The kids just love these care packages. They were thrilled to open it and see the goodies inside!
Woo hoo jammies!
I had to mention this cutie too. Austin's 1st b-day party was today. How cute is he?

Before and After

2011-06-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much in the way of crafts on here. I have been doing them, but not posting. Maybe one day I will go around the house and take pics of the crafts I have done. Here is what i did the other day. I have two "helpers" that like to be close by in the kitchen and I got this hand-me down:
I took it and put a little cream paint and painted the numbers on, sanded them for an aged look and voile!
B seems to like it!

Keeping up with it all

2011-06-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

Having an iPhone on you is so convenient. I can scroll through photos and know just what a I did during the week. Here is a week in review:
Last Saturday, we went to the Lupus walk at the Great Park in Irvine.
We were there to support Debbie and she had a lot of friends show up. Carrie and her kids were there too and Brooklyn and Abby are great friends. Can you tell?
Aunt Tawnya got B a new skirt and she loves it. She was too sick at the time to show it, but she really loves being a girly girl.
I got a cool hand-me-down. With the kids wanting to be by my side as I cook, this wil come in handy. Now to find the time to work on it.
Micah is as nuts about cars as ever. He turned his dresser into a Hot Wheels dealership.
Today in honor of Father's Day, we let daddy sleep in and then in the afternoon, we went for a family hike. Micah is SO sweet with Brooklyn.
They loved hiking and learning to avoid horse poop. In fact, Brooklyn told me today, "Watch out for horse poop, we don't want it on our Twinkle Toes." Micah said later, "Whoa, it's so big! It's like a beanbag I can't step on!"
Stopping for a photo op.
The trail.
These are some of the cutest faces and this is what you get when you say, "Don't smile!"
After almost 3 miles, Brooklyn had had it. Micah was a trooper and I think family hikes will be among our new favorite activities!
The things they say:
At Target, Brooklyn sees an employee stocking shelves. "What's his name?" "I don't know." "Mom, what's his name?" "B, I don't know." "Is it Target Man?"

Leaving the house to pick Micah up from school a kid quickly rides by on his bike. "Mom, was that Micah?" "No, we are going to pick him up right now." "Oh, was that Justin Beiber?"

This is one of my favorites. Brooklyn can't say "hearts" right. It cracks me up!

Coming to a close

2011-06-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

Micah only has seven days of school left and so things are winding down. With the school year ending, we got to enjoy a concert from Micah's class with all the songs they learned this year. Chad and my mom made it and as always, B was in tow.
Micah entered the room waving his flag. Btw, Happy Flag Day!
Look at the class of 2023.
They did such a great job singing.
Micah even took a minute to flirt with his girlfriend Simone. Those two have too much fun together!
They even did a song in sign language. I can't believe my baby is almost through kindergarten!
Micah, we are so proud of you! We know this year came with a lot of adjustments, but you were a trooper and we have seen you learn and grow so much in just one year. We hope that you will have a desire to learn and work hard throughout the rest of your life. We love you!

What a week!

2011-06-10T22:41:00.001-07:00

I'm not too good at blogging anymore, but I will try to stay on top of it a bit more. Anyways, luckily, even when days go by quickly around here, I can always go back through in pictures and remember what happened in the blur!
This is what happens when you put your hair in rollers around B. Monkey see, monkey do!
I was feeling a little overwhelmed this week, so that is when I go hang out with my mom and the kids enjoy park time. I am so blessed to have a mom that understands me. She was a stay at home mom too and knows how crazy it can be sometimes, so I get to spill my guts out to her and she gives me great advice. She had to remind me to live day to day and not try to plan and think out life as a whole. Duh, right? Sometimes it is the most obvious stuff that we don't clearly see!
Anyways, here are my kids enjoying the outdoors. Bottoms up!
Hellooooooo down there.
They are so good to each other. OK truthfully, it is Micah that is really patient with his bossy little sister.
There she is. She asked me to bury her feet.
I don't think I get enough photos of him since he is at school all day. Handsome boy!
Wednesday, Brooklyn got to go to her very first gymnastics lesson. She calls it gin-nas-tics. Anyways, she was pumped and thrilled to be there.
She was doing really well following instructions. Why do they always listen better for someone else?
Learning to tumble.
...and the finish!
The princess is out. Peace!
Thursday was a bit crazy for us. The day started out as normal, but then I got a call from Micah's school saying that he was sick and had a fever. When I got there to pick him up, they told me it was 103! I took him home and got him medicine, had him lay down and gave him cold drinks. After a nap, his fever still hadn't broken, so I put him in a cool bath. He started shaking. It was the saddest thing I had ever seen. I started to cry. I know, way to be the strong mama, but I was so upset to see him that sick. Well, I got it back together and laid him down again with cool cloths and called the dr. After a talk with the advice nurse, another dose of medicine and another nap, the fever finally broke and he was back up and running!

A Summer Bucket List

2011-06-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming up quick and I want to make the most of it. I was thinking about scheduling out beach days and park days, but then I ran across this idea on Tatertots and Jello and we are going to make a summer bucket list. We made a list of the things we want to do this summer and we are putting them in a jar to pick from. It won't be an everyday thing (really who can do that unless they have a maid and a chef, right?), but we will try to do it a couple days a week. This is what is on our list:

1. make giant bubbles
2. make homemade ice cream
3. make a trip to Utah
4. have a Hot Wheels/Otter Pop stand (Micah's idea)
5. go bowling
6. go miniature golfing
7. play night games
8. make s'mores
9. go to the zoo
10. go on a picnic with bikes
11. go to a $1 movie
12. write a story
13. go to the pool
14. visit the library
15. have a PJ day
16. make dinner for another family
17. do service for someone
18. build a fort
19. see the tidepools and beach
20. do some start gazing
21. go to a free concert
22. have a no electronics day
23. wash and detail the car (I hope they think this is so much fun!)
24. have a scavenger hunt
25. have a weenie roast at the beach
26. have a dance party
27. make a piece of art
28. have a bug hunt
29. take the ferry to Balboa Island
30. try a new beach

Any other suggestions? I think this will make for a fun summer! So what are you doing?

And I thought we were boring...

2011-05-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think we are boring. We do stuff, its just lots of little things. For instance, we cut our own hair:

We spend family time at the park.

We go to school carnivals.

We have story time before bed.
We have play dates with friends.

We celebrate Memorial Day.
With family.
With funny faces.
With cupcakes.
With Bocci Ball.
With friends.
With crack showing.
We ride the carousel at the Spectrum.
With a smile.
We sleep hard to get up and do it all over again!
Yes, she is sleeping on the floor.

Random Thoughts Again

2011-05-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

I've been busy, but nothing seems to be major and therefore I dub it unblog worthy. Isn't that lame? Maybe I should make everyday life blog material by making everyday special. Don't hold your breath though, there are still errands to be run and laundry to be done. If I add sparkles into my laundry maybe that will make it special! ha ha, no. I think B would be the only one that would appreciate that!

Did you guys see the last Oprah show? LOVED it and although I feel a little silly saying it, I'll admit I cried. The whole show was really a talk on her philosophy on life, spirituality and inspiring others to see their self worth. It resonated with me. I feel like I need to work on that.

Speaking of, you know what bugs me? When people dismiss me or say things to devalue my work as a mother. I've had jobs. I've had easy jobs and hard jobs. This is by far my hardest job...bar none. I am the most influential person in the lives of two humans and just because the endless hours I put into this job doesn't come with monetary compensation, it doesn't mean I can't converse with you or that I am less worth while. Can you tell it bugs me? Yeah, just a little.

Micah did a Fun Run for school. We always called them Jog-a-thons. Anyways, during practice he thought it was a race and wanted to win. He decided that eliminating the competition (pushing them down) was the best way to do it. He got sent to the principal for that. Just for the record, that would be the third time I have heard from the principal this year. The first was when I sent him to school in sandals, the second was when he didn't come in right away because he was trying to help the "special" child off the playground and the last was pushing. The latter two are on his permanent record. Is it just me or that almost comical? Really, is that school that peaceful that we need to write up a kid for pushing?

I am tired of school. I never thought I would be as excited to have summer roll around as my kids. I am tired of the schedule, the homework and all the extra things. The thing I am most excited about is to have him away from influences that are unsavory. There is a kid in Micah's class that is all over Micah. Always wants to be around him, but he is kind of violent and uses bad language and then blames it all on the other kids. I know because I am there at least one day a week with B in tow and I see it all first hand. It is because of him that I have had to come down hard on Micah for using potty language and for saying things like kill, murder, guns, bullets, etc. I can't wait to have Micah away from him. Actually the only way I know I can keep him away is to switch his school, so that is what we are doing. We were lucky enough to get Micah into a charter school, so we are looking forward to him starting a new year with a new group of kids.

Sugar is my friend again. I tried doing a week sugar free again. This time I was much more successful, but I also was allowed to have fake sugar. I even got a little crazy and tried making a spinach shake with agave and chocolate. Um, gross. It tastes like dirty chocolate. Pas on that one. Well, by Friday I was done and I don't think I will have another fast any time soon because come Friday, I ate enough sugar to put a person into a diabetic coma! I think I am better at monitoring my sugar daily rather than cutting it out and allowing it on the weekends. I think I did more damage in one day that I would in a week. What can I say, I have a sweet tooth!

I was having a discussion with my mom and she was talking about food issues. I told her that I didn't think I had big food issues. Later that day I was telling her how I felt bad about eating M&M's, so I ate the rest of them while I held plank position. Wait a second, I think I was wrong. I might have food issues!

Phew!

2011-05-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a bit of a scare. I was late...I don't want to spell it out for you, you know what I mean. Anyways, I was a lot late. Like 3 weeks. I was sure there was no way that I was prego and two tests told me I wasn't, but still nothing. Anyways, I decided to go into my OB/GYN just to make sure things are OK. Well, it takes a week to get any results. A week is a long time to wait! So I get a call on Wednesday that I am definitely not pregnant and that although all the tests came back in normal, my blood test showed that I had a drop in my platelet level. Over a year it had dropped about 30 points. He told me to make an appointment with my primary physician to look it over.

If you know me, you know I am not a medical person. I don't like hospitals, I avoid the doctor (for myself) and I try not to take medicines. I am not totally against it, but I think the body can take care of a lot of things on its own and I hate being poked and prodded. Hearing the doctor say he wanted me to talk to another doctor freaked me out. My friend Carrie was over and we turned to trusty doctor Google first to see what a low platelet level meant. The Mayo Clinic said it was a symptom of leukemia. Totally freaked out now. I got on the phone with my doctor and made an appointment for that afternoon. I had too many hours between to think and I scared myself half to death.

Finally the appointment rolls around and the doctor says that although it doesn't look or sound good to be below the "normal" range, there are many normals and this might be my normal. He said his wife is actually lower than me on a normal basis. Nonetheless, he is going to have me come in for labs in another 6 weeks to make sure it isn't continuing to go down. He seemed very sure of himself and it relaxed me. What a scare!

Glad that we got to get out that night. I needed it. My sister and her family were camping at Doheny, so we met them for dinner and this is how I got to end my day:

Guess Who's Three!

2011-05-15T19:31:00.001-07:00

Saturday Brooklyn turned 3! She has been talking about a Hello Kitty birthday party for months! I couldn't disappoint, especially when I know how very little I have to do to make her happy. She was excited to wear the little birthday hat I made her.
We had lots of yummy food...(picture a pizza and salad on the table too). I found that material at the fabric store and sewed it with my new sewing machine!
We had a candy bar for the kids to fill up their buckets with at the end.
Cupcakes. Simple and a crowd pleaser. I got the cute toppers made on etsy. I love that they were just for her.
Of course no party is complete without a meltdown at one point or another. This was right before everyone arrived.
She got over it and greeted her guests.
Some of my favorite people in the world!
Gavin chowing.
Nothing beats good food and good friends.
B and all her gifts.
She loves the new Barbie Micah got her.
The laughing monkey from Ghee was a hit.
I was there too. I know I rarely get in front of the camera.
Feeding her new baby doll.
Singing to the birthday girl.
Our friends and family.
B getting cozy with Aunt Tawnya.
This girl will be 3 soon too!
Although putting a party on can be stressful, it went well and B had a great time. She was spoiled by her friends and family. Ghee and Papa even drove all the way from Utah to be with her on her special day. You think they love her? We love you B, even with your feisty attitude and all. We love those quiet sweet moment when you touch our cheeks gently and say I love you. I love you too!

Moments of Motherhood

2011-05-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

OK, so Mother's Day wasn't what I thought it would be this year. I got an awesome new sewing machine from my hubby (and kids), so that was a total bonus. The day itself was a little difficult. The kids didn't get the memo that they were supposed to be extra good today. Oh well, I still feel blessed to be a mom. For me, it isn't every moment of everyday. If you are that mom, I envy you. Most of my day consists of chores and "teaching moments" as I like to call them. There are a few gems here and there that I love. On days like today I like to remind myself of them. Here are some of the funny things they have been up to:

Brooklyn's newest saying is when I ask for something and she takes her time. I will finally get what I asked and say a curt "Thank you." This is when I get back, "For heaven's sake! That's how I feel!"

Micah is always full of it. On one of their busy days I told Chad in exasperation, "I need a girl's night out!" Micah popped in with, "Can I go too? I am kind of a girl. I have long hair in the back. Do they have bathrooms there?" Cracked me up!

We got Micah a car catalog that he was looking through at church. At one point I said, "Micah, I think you should put that down for now. We need to think about Jesus." He put it down for a little bit and then picked it back up again. "Micah." "I'm thinking about Jesus mom. What kind of car do you think Jesus would drive?"

I am glad they have these cute moments because both are in stages that are challenging our patience. Micah likes to do what he was told not to do, so he is getting a lot of things taken away and time outs. Brooklyn likes to cry about everything and I mean EVERYTHING. We are worn out by the end of the day. I am hoping that with patience and love and consistency, these stages will end soon and we will be in a stage where I can enjoy much more than a moment here and there. I love them! I do, they stretch me as a person to become much more and better than I ever could have been without them!

Lately...

2011-05-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

...Brooklyn has been throwing a lot of tantrums. I think in our family, terrible twos are delayed and we get them at three. So to keep my sanity we are getting out a lot. This is the meltdown she had when she accidentally let go of her balloon and it floated away. You would have thought she was being stabbed by her screaming! She has also thrown such tantrums for things like and toy not being shared, a sandal being left and so on. I am learning a lot of patience from her, but not without a tantrum or two throw on my part as well!
Well, it's May and we are ready for summer. The weather is warming up and we are hitting the pool!
I have water babies.
At the beach or in the pool, these kids love to play in the water.
Micah is a fish, so I only have to watch Brooklyn.
Hello!
Bathing beauty.
My fish with shaggy hair. I want to cut it SO bad, but he likes it.
Cannon Baaaaaaaaall! (Sandlot anyone?)
Did you catch in the first picture that B was wearing undies? She is potty trained now. I think I forgot to mention it. It happened so gradually and I really didn't dedicate myself to it, so I didn't feel like it was really "done." It feels more like it happened. She is great about going and we have had only one accident and that was two weeks ago! I am so glad I don't have to buy diapers anymore. OK she still wears them at night, but you know what I mean.
THE END!

I've got an addiction...

2011-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

...it's the white stuff. I love it too much! Sugar is my love and my enemy. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweets! The problem is, they don't LOVE LOVE LOVE me back, unless you count cellulite as a show of affection of course. Well, their little show of affection is not so cute on the beach and beyond the cosmetics, though, it's just not good for me. I know that the short burst of energy I get from it won't last long and I end up crashing soon after and then begin to search for more. It's a vicious cycle...are you picturing Big Fat Bastard from Austin Powers right now, 'cuz I am! Anyways, my other addiction is sugars mortal enemy: fake sugar! I always have it in the form of diet sodas. I don't normally buy it for myself or order it, but while I work, the kid I tutor always has a stream of soda going in and he brings me one too. Great, now I have two bad addictions. Hi, my name is Rachel and I am a sugar and fake sugar addict! Anyways, I think I have to break this cycle. What am I going to do when I hit my 3 o'clock lull? Not sure yet. I'm going to try and knock both of these nasties out of my diet in the week. Wish me luck and feel free to send me tips on how you avoid sugar!

Easter!

2011-04-26T12:33:00.001-07:00

Did anyone else feel like Easter flew by? I finally got things moving around here on Thursday. I got an egg dying kit and Shelby and my mom came by to help out. B wasn't feeling too good, so we were in jammies most of the day.
Micah was totally into it and this was our final product!
Sunday morning the kids woke up to see that the Easter Bunny had swung by to drop off some goodies. Yay! Of course, Micah noticed the Hot Wheels in his basket immediately.
I think she was happy to get sidewalk chalk. What do you think?
The Easter Bunny doesn't like to give my kids a ton of sugar, so graham crackers it is!
Yay for eggs!
This was the aftermath. An over sugared girl in her new bathing suit with chocolate dripping out of her mouth. If only I looked that cute with chocolate hanging out of my mouth and in my bathing suit!
Dressed and ready for church.
Her new signature pose.
My two together.
That wasn't the end of the day. Aftter church we headed to my parents house to have an Easter dinner and do a couple of egg hunts. The kids got to hunt and then the adults got to do a hunt for money. That is my favorite tradition! All in all, the food was good, the company was better and the holiday was a success! Happy Easter everyone!

Random Thoughts

2011-04-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

1. When did Easter creep up on us? I get so used to seeing the next holiday's decor show up in the stores before the first is over that I don't even worry about it. I know that I have time. You know what I am talking about. When you walk into Target the week of Halloween and the Christmas section is already being set up. It makes you want to panic a little, but then you realize that they are WAY ahead of schedule. I did this with Easter since I was seeing the Easter Bunny booth being set up at the mall before V-day. Now we are only a couple days away and I think the Trotter's Easter Bunny is going to have to go into overdrive tonight!

2. B is sick. Bummer, hope she isn't sick for Easter. How weird would it be to miss church and Easter Egg hunting on Easter? I think we will have to get her well before then!

3. I have a Hello Kitty party to put on for Brooklyn. I was all over it at first, but then I realized I had time. I have a lot of ideas in my head. I think we all know the fun is in the details, so I want to have some fun details. However, I don't want to stress over the party, so we will see the day of if I cut some out for the sake of my sanity. I can't do it all, but I can do a lot! By the way, I was hoping to have some little Hello Kitty cupcake flags and tags for the party. I found some on Etsy, but I was wondering if I can make it. Does anyone know how to do graphic design?

4. I have useless ESP. I will either have dreams of things that will happen or a random thought that pops into my head that ends up showing up in my day. Only once or twice has it had any real meaning, otherwise, it is totally useless. For example, I will have a dream about the conversation that we might have at breakfast. "Can you pass the peas?" "Sorry, they are all gone." That simple and stupid. This morning I woke up with the song "It's Raining Men" in my head. Haven't heard it in a looooong time, but it was in my head. Lo and behold, Cookie Monster started singing it on Sesame Street. Of course it was raining cookies in his version, but you get my drift. If only I could predict earthquakes or the lottery!

5. Money and budgets suck. Just when you think you are getting to where things are easy, something always pops up. The car has trouble, the kids break something (love them anyways), etc. I am glad Chad and I are on top of budgeting. We never spend more than we make and have no debt, not even a car loan, but I am looking forward to a day when I can be less vigilant in taking our budget into consideration. Maybe one day I will be able to shop without having a budget!

6. My kids are growing up! Micah is almost done with his first year of school, he no longer needs a car seat and he is old enough to help me with chores and cooking dinner. Brooklyn is in a big girl bed, we are working on potty training and she is getting to be more independent and less shy (yay!). I have to admit I have felt a little baby hungry. Right now, we just can't. Our tiny place and budget dictate that decision. I think it will be a while before this family sees another baby and by then, who know if we will want to go back to diapers and napping schedules and sleepless nights? I can enjoy my nephews and my friends babies and get my fix that way!

7. Have you ever tried Piloxing? Awesome! Bootcamp is over for me and it is just to pricey for me to keep up with, so I am working out on my own. I have been using Cox Freezone to do exercise videos. They have Piloxing (Pilates and Boxing) and it gets you sweating like crazy. I recommend it. I think Yoga is on deck for tonight.

Burned

2011-04-18T12:18:00.001-07:00

Here is what we have been up to lately. First off, we are working on potty training. Not super successful, but working on it! B tends to sit on the potty for hours and watch TV, so I don't know that she is actually comprehending that she is going or if it is just kind of falling out like it would be in a diaper. It's a start...when is the end?Brooklyn is also really into picnics lately, so we will have impromptu picnics in the front yard with a blanket and applesauce. It's a thrill for her and super easy for me!
Saturday we went to the beach as a family. The weather was just too nice and I have two kids that love the beach! We got the best parking spot on a fluke and headed down to Thousand Steps (still feeling it). Brooklyn and Micah were so excited to finally use the chairs that grandma got them.
Micah hauled water up the beach all day.
Chad catching some rays...too many of them. Actually, he is anti-sunscreen, even though he saw me and the kids lathering up before hand, he didn't want any. He said when he lived in HI, he naver put sunscreen on and never burned. Looks like times have changed because she got burned so bad, he swelled and hasn't been able to sleep well since. Whoops!
Micah running up with more water. Always on the move.
Look what I have!
Chad and his girl.
More sand fun.
Playing playing playing
Don't forget snacks!
Who would have thought you could have so much fun with a water bottle?
That's all for now! See you next time and yes, I know I haven't gotten around to a giveaway. I think I am going to have to make something. Catch you later!

Totally Embarrassing!

2011-04-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Who's up for a laugh at my expense? I am! Here is a few things that have happened to me just in the last week.

I went to a wedding Saturday night. Near the end of the evening, Micah ran up to me and told me he needed to go to the bathroom. It was urgent, so I followed behind him while telling him which direction to go. Once we got to the door he ran right in and I followed behind. I stood near the door and saw a man in the stall with his little daughter on the potty. I thought 'Man that guy is pretty bold to be coming into the women's bathroom', but I knew him, so I didn't think much of it. Then I look over to Micah who is standing at the urinal. That is when I took a double take. He is at a urinal. Oh crap! "Am I in the men's room!?!" The guy starts to laugh and was said something like "Yeah, I was wondering what you were doing in here." I am so lame sometimes. Later I ran into the guy again as I was talking to his mom and he said, "She tried to look at my weenie!" It's a good thing I know him, otherwise I think I would have crawled under a rock!

This week, Micah is student of the week. Basically, he makes a poster about himself and is the main helper in the classroom for the week and gets to bring treats for the class at the end of the week. Anyways, he asked me to come in on Monday and I was there as they started to go over the poster. His teacher asked what his favorite food was. Hot dogs! Micah supplemented this information with, "They are just like weenies. You cook them and put it inside a bun with ketchup." Ahh, did he really just say that? Of course the kids caught on right away and the teacher was pretty quick to brush it off and move on. So on we went through the poster. More favorite things, what he wants to be when he grows up, etc. We are about half way through when Micah says, "Wait a second, I need to show you all a new dance move I have." Cut to Micah who is now undulating in the front of the class for no apparent reason other than the fact that he felt the need to educate his friends on the latest dance moves. He cracks me up! Don't know whether I should be proud of him for not caring what others think or be worried that he doesn't care enough. Oh well, he is young and life is easy now.

Last but not least, we have a quick tid bit from today. I was riding up the elevator at the mall with the kids. I was on the phone and there was one other couple and their baby with us. While I was talking I hear Micah ask the guy with us, "Does it smell like beef and cheese in here?" I was actually really grateful I was on the phone because I didn't know what to do or say, so I went on with my phone conversation and hoped that those people didn't feel self conscious about their odors as they left. Micah just really likes the movie Elf. Sorry elevator buddies!

Vegas!

2011-04-10T21:05:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday we hit the road for Vegas. We got there in the late afternoon and checked into our awesome hotel room at Mandalay Bay. Chad got a sweet deal and when I think of sweet deals I usually think cheesy. I was wrong! The place was huge and this was our view:

This was our view at night. I don't think it could have been better!
Anyways, after checking in, Ghee and Papa came to meet us. We hoped on the tram and headed for the strip.
Where did we land? The Coca Cola Factory of course! Where else would we take the kids? Anyways, we ordered the Tastes from Around the World (16 flavors of Coke products sold around the word) and the variety of coke floats (8 flavors of Coke products with a scoop of ice cream.
Yum! When I finally sat down, they were half way through the floats. I made everyone taste the Beverly. That stuff is terrible. Seriously, I don't know how you enjoy that!
Micah simply loves the fact that I freely let him drink sodas. He loved every last drop!
Brooklyn loves Coke!
Then we headed to the M&M Factory. I know, we don't stray much from what we know.
The kids loved choosing their overpriced goodies.
Micah found the NASCAR car. I had to retrain him from jumping in and taking off in it. Don't take your eyes off that kid for a second!
Brooklyn found a boyfriend...
...and sealed the deal with a kiss!
Candy yet again.
Then the kids jumped in the car with Ghee and Papa and off the went to spend the next couple of days up in Utah leaving us free to do what we want. We started out with a dinner out.
Then we did a lot of relaxing.
We did some shopping and more eating. The food was great (pricey too...what happened to the cheap buffets). We were so mellow. I have to admit it took me a while to relax. I have been so high strung lately. This time away gave me the time to really think. Usually I get thinking and I feel overwhelmed or stressed and then the kids interrupt me and keep me too busy to lead to any conclusion. This time I got to think through it all and I got to look at my life from the outside looking in. I feel so relaxed now! I needed this so bad. Yay for vacations and some time away from the kids. I have to admit though after just a few days, I missed them so much! I was so glad to see them again.
Ghee and Papa took great care of our babies. They were spoiled rotten and came back happy, healthy and with a whole lot more toys and clothes! Thanks for giving us a break Ghee and Papa. P.S. After this picture, I trimmed Micah's shaggy hair. I'm ready to shave that mess off!

A Quick Trip

2011-04-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Al and I took the kids and headed to the snow for a quick trip. We packed up Sunday afternoon and away we went!
We got up to Big Bear with just enough time to make dinner and get into pj's.
The plan was to make s'mores, but all we were able to do was light a pine cone. We suck at making a fire.
We decided that s'mores would be just as tasty if we made them in the microwave.
Monday morning. We were bundled up and ready for the snow!
Micah loved the snow. It was their first time experiencing it.
We were excited to go to go up the hill and tube.
Yay! Brooklyn LOVED it! She was cracking up.
Micah and I had a ton of fun too!
Since we had to take turns, B spent most of the time sitting in the tubes. She looked like a Care Bear.
I had to add this photo because Logan's pout is so cute. He was upset that it wasn't his turn. As were the rest of them.
Thanks Al for bringing us along for the trip!

Neglect

2011-04-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,
Sorry I have neglected you. You have become a once a week thing nowadays. I have family members reminding me that I am not as dedicated as I used to be. Truth is, life is busy. Really busy, but busy isn't always interesting. You all don't want to be reading up on how I have been reading this book or that, having playdates with other kindergarteners, dropping off kids so I can run to tutor, cleaning, bootcamping, etc. It just isn't fun to read about. I think I might have to make you a little more random, like posting about things I like, or the funny things the kids say in addition to the big posts like losing teeth and riding bikes. Oh, and blog, I know I said I would do a giveaway like forever ago. Whoops, I forgot! Luckily, I am heading out in a few days to vacation. Can you believe that? A vacation, a real one, with a hotel and no kids! I will be taking plenty of pictures and pick up a little something to giveaway to anyone who reads my blurbs. Until then blog, hang in there, you are still loved, just less used. Love, Rachel

Away we go!

2011-03-24T21:43:00.000-07:00

I think we are a little late on this...oh well! Santa got Micah this bike last Christmas ('09) and he has had pretty much zero interest in it. He chooses his scooter over the bike any day, but now that his scooter is on it's last leg and it is time to move on. Tonight I wanted to go out for a walk/run and Micah wanted to come, so on the bike he went. The training wheels seemed like more of a handicap than help, so we made a pit stop at the garage and the trainers came off. Who would have thought that the same day that he actually started to ride that thing again would be the day he learned to ride it without training wheels? Well, here he is:

St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T21:49:00.001-07:00

I had a pretty crazy St. Patrick's Day. I had plans in mind ahead of time because I wanted to make it a little special. I was thinking Lucky Charms for breakfast (a treat for us), fruit rainbow for Micah's class and special shirts for the kids so they don't get pinched. Well, we woke up late. I'm talking 8:56 a.m., which means I have to have Micah at school in exactly 19 minutes! So by some miracle I am able to get him to school on time, however, his Lucky Charms breakfast was now a to go meal in a plastic baggy being scarfed on the way to school. Brooklyn's ended up like this:
I was so behind that there wasn't time to get dressed, only time for a quick diaper change and clothes on this kid. We headed to the grocery store because I knew Micah really wanted the fruit rainbow for his class and I wanted to do something special for him. I got the fruit I needed, headed home to cut up the fruit and arrange it and it turned out cute, then returned to his school still in my pajamas to deliver it.
I got home with enough time to put away all the folded laundry, major clean up and finally got breakfast at almost noon. I headed back to the school to pick up Micah (still in pj's). The fruit rainbow was a hit with the kids. Yay! I just wanted to get a picture of the kids (with their friend Noah) in the shirts I made them. I was a little antsy at that point and I think I yelled. Hope they forgive me!Did I forget to mention that we had a leprechaun use our potty and forget to flush? They pee green. Micah said that he must have peed in our dinner too because we ended the night with chicken and green rice, green peas, green pears and green apple juice. Yikes, these kids are going to have some strange pee themselves!

It wasn't the St. Patrick's Day I had envisioned, but it was successful! I got in some fun extras and I don't think the kids noticed or cared that I was in my pj's most of the day. They will remember that they got Lucky Charms (woo hoo), that I brought a special treat to school and that they had silly shirts to wear. I have to look at my life as perfectly imperfect. It can drive me crazy sometimes, but I am blessed!

A Royal Butt Kicking

2011-03-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

I finally went to bootcamp. Thursday morning I woke up at 5:40 and headed to the gym. I have been wanting to get myself in shape for a while, but when you have been less than active for a while, it is painful to get back into the swing of things. Well, the bootcamp started and not wanting to be the lamo, I tried my hardest to keep up with it all. I was putting in a good effort and feeling pretty proud of myself when I found out that I was only doing the warm up! Ahh! I pushed myself, but my muscles weren't liking me. There was one big guy there that at one point laid down on the floor huffing and puffing. Oh how I wanted to join him! I decided to keep my suffering hidden. I made it to the end, but not without feeling like I was going to barf. Really. I can't believe I have let myself get so sedentary that when I do get up and moving I am as bad as the contestants on Biggest Loser!

I knew I was in trouble when I was sore right away. I don't know about you, but soreness for me fully ripes at about 24 hours out from a workout. Fast forward to Friday morning...um, I couldn't get up. Literally, I went to sit up out of bed and my abs were so sore, I had to roll onto my stomach and put my legs down on the floor first to get up. Trying to get my shirt off and even turning the steering wheel while driving is painful. Here I am writing about this on Saturday night and I am still hurting. As much as I would like to just give up and avoid the pain, I know I need this. I am back on the ball for Monday morning. Pray for me. I need it!

FHE

2011-03-08T08:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know about your Family Night, but mine always revolves around food. I will be the first one to tell you that we aren't consistent with FHE. With tutoring and a generally busy schedule, it is easily forgotten. We try to squeeze them in here and there. Last night, we roasted marshmallows while Micah said the prayer, Chad looked for a scripture to read the kids while they ate their gooey creations and then it was teeth brushing and off to bed. Now that I think about it, I don't think we ever found a scripture. Oh well, our intentions were good and the treat was even better!
What happens when you don't have chocolate to make s'mores? You use Chips Ahoys instead. I don't think that they missed out at all.

GSD

2011-03-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you know what GSD is, but that is what Chad says when we need to "Get Stuff Done." That is the G rated version of it at least. Don't worry, Chad has a G rated mouth. Anyways, I have been trying to GSD around here. The other day I got the kids pictures taken. I got a free session, so heck why not? I have a few friends that are photographers, so it is fun to get to try them all out. Let me know if you need a referral!

I have been working on a couple projects. First was this dresser. I was all excited because the shape was fun and it was free. Well, the top was warped (probably from water damage), so I sanded it down only to realize that it was all veneer and I sanded through to particle board. Then as I was cleaning up the drawers, I realized the moulding around the drawers was all plastic. I went ahead and primed it. Then, using the same brand paint as primer, I painted. That is when the primer crackled and bubbled and the paint beaded up. So weird. Anyways, I have had enough. Time to move on!

So, onto gardening! After almost two years of living at this house, I am finally getting around to planting a garden. We have had an empty planter by our front door and I have been wanting to plant it for a long time. Truth be told, flowers add up quickly! I went to the store and asked for shade plants. I have to say that I think that the full sun flowers are much cuter, but I think I still found a lot of cute ones. I found Gold Dust, Calla Lilies, Foxtail Fern, Primrose, Pansies and Winter something or others. Spring has sprung!

My assailant

2011-02-28T23:05:00.001-08:00

So I might be speaking too soon, but I think we are out of the woods finally. The last time I declared we were 24 hours vomit free, it blew up in my face. Not literally, thank goodness. Anyways, this has been a long hard week. I don't think I will be able to touch alfredo sauce again because I swear my kids can recreate that smell to a tee in the worst way. Micah's room will never be the same. Let's hope that the smell isn't revived by a good carpet cleaning. Enough grossing you out.
Well, I have to say that Friday was the hardest on us all. Micah had woken up several times through the night to vomit, which means I was up too. We actually just camped out on the couch. The next morning, Micah and I were pretty useless. Chad went off to work (that didn't last long) and B kept herself entertained pretty well. With the obscene amount of vomit, I had left two big serving bowls around the house so that we could catch a mess before it happened. Well, at one point during the day Brooklyn decided to come by to visit us as we laid across the couch. She had the vomit bowl up above her head and before I knew it is was coming down and coming down fast. I tried to move, but I didn't move far enough. The bowl crashed down on the right side of my nose. I hit so hard I thought for sure there would be blood gushing out. No blood, but plenty of pain. She didn't break it because she hit bone, but man did it hurt! I haven't been in that much pain since I gave birth. Well, it looks like it is all finally healing up and the bruise that she created is draining through my eye. Gross, right?
Anyways, I am working on a few things around here. I have a dresser to paint and get new hardware for, a boot camp to start up, a Wipeout style 5K to sign up for, a trip to Big Bear with the kids, and maybe a cake decorating class to take. I think I might buy a sewing machine too. Point being I am shaking up the routine here. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, right? Other people call that determination though...anyways, I have been living in a very small world for a long time. I love my kids and being a mom, but my routine is leaving me with little in the way of experiences. I need to keep myself challenged and busy with new things. I hope you all didn't read the last post the wrong way and think I am chasing rainbows. I am not looking for a thing, I am seeking that feeling of excitement and joy that I used to have all the time and since the way I am living life right now isn't filling my cup, I need to change things. That in itself is exciting!

Sick sick sick

2011-02-22T12:20:00.000-08:00

We have been sick around here. Very sick. I came down with it on Thursday. The headache and then the sore throat. I think it is strep since that is what is what is going around here. Brooklyn picked it up the next day. She got the worst of it. Friday night she started throwing up, so we have been doing a lot of this:

I have also been doing a lot of laundry! Poor thing. Monday she was finally able to keep food down. I hope we are getting all of the nasty out and that we will be on our way to a healthy household.

I have been feeling off lately. Not sure why, just really emotional (not pregnant by the way). I think I need to find who I am again. I have been so wrapped up in raising my kids and taking care of my family that my happiness has fallen to the wayside. I need to find what makes me happy. It is kind of funny how I always wanted to get married, have kids, buy a house, etc. Now I have all of that and I should be so happy, but I don't think I dreamed beyond that. I'm kind of going, OK what now? Do I join a book club, get a job, find a hobby? I need to have goals. Things that I can measure. I know I am constantly working on managing my family and shaping these little ones to be good people, but that isn't something you get the results of for a long time to come. In the meantime I need something. Since I know the people that read this blog are close family and friends, I will ask you. What do you do that makes you happy or validated? What are your goals?

I am still looking for something fun to giveaway, so stay tuned for a giveaway. I will try to get back to blogging again. By the way, that is partially the iPhone's fault. My husband got me one and I am a little addicted. Just saying.

Hello out there?

2011-02-15T13:31:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or has the blogging world up and died? I have tried to keep my blog going, but if no one else is blogging, it just isn't as much fun. I am thinking it might be time for another giveaway. Those are always fun and hopefully it will get more people updating their own blogs, so I am not sitting here writing my family stories to myself. BORING! Anyways, check in again soon. In the mean time, I will have to find something fun to give away!

What they say...

2011-02-05T20:41:00.000-08:00

While in the car: Micah-"Mom, did you see that house? It thinks it's still Christmas!"

As my mom's dog continues to try and jump up to nip at his arm: Me-"What is up with that dog? Why does he want to bite his arm?"
Micah-"Maybe it's his favorite bone."

As she is handing things to me: Brooklyn-"Here you go, lady."

As I am calling her over: Me-"Come here girlfriend."
Brooklyn-"I'm not girlfriend. I'm Brooklyn!"

They are so cute! Glad I have them. I've been having a bummer week for no reason really except for the fact that I am way to critical of myself. Luckily, I have these cuties to cheer me up when I feel like I far short. Thanks mini Chad and mini me!

Mother Daughter Time

2011-02-02T16:08:00.001-08:00

Brooklyn and I have been doing a little bonding lately...or at least trying. The other day I thought making cupcakes would be fun. I put her up on the counter and instead of being my little sous chef, she took advantage of having the M&M machine behind her and helped herself! She was done. Better luck next time?
Today we met up with my friend Al and Logan to do a citrus walk. Amy told us about the groves in Ladera where you can come and pick what you want.
Brooklyn and Logan were more than happy to be helpers.
They are just so cute!
Afterwards, we hit the park for a little play time.
She is getting so big! When did she turn into a little lady? I love that I get to do a little one on one bonding with her. We love our boys, but having a little girl time is fun!

Tooth Fairy: Take Two

2011-01-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

It looks like we will get a second visit from the tooth fairy in one week! Micah's other bottom tooth was very loose and today it came out. Well, it was a bit of a team effort. I told Micah I wanted to try and pull it one time and then I would leave it alone. It was so loose, it was just grossing me out. Anyways, I got a hold of it and then Micah pulled away. I was left with a tooth in my hand and Micah was now down one more tooth!

I thought this was all pretty early, but his dentist says it is the right time. His x-rays show that his adult teeth are pushing up and ready to come in. Love this cute sweet kid!

I better get going and take care of my two sickies. Looks like they have caught colds. Hope it passes quick and that I don't catch it too!

Ta da!

2011-01-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

This little table was a hand me down from Chad's parents. It is so small that I thought it would make the perfect play table for Brooklyn. At first I painted it all yellow. I didn't like the way it turned out and I ended up putting it in the corner of her room for the last year. I decided to try again and stripped it. I stained the top and painted the bottom white. I think it turned out pretty good and now I need to get a pair of these little chairs from Ikea to complete it!

Coming in for a Landing!

2011-01-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

Looks like the Tooth Fairy will be making her debut at the Trotter house tonight! Micah lost his first tooth. He came out of the bath telling us he "swamped" out the tooth with his other teeth. Huh? Anyways, he seemed both thrilled and scared at the same time. He is starting to hit these big milestones that make me realize that he is a big kid!P.S. The kids are loving the Yo Gabba Gabba bouncers their Ghee got them. This is practically their main form of transportation!

FYI

2011-01-21T15:43:00.000-08:00

I got a lot of comments about my hair in the last post. Just wanted to let you all know how easy it is. First of all, this is what I have:

I got it as a gift and I love it. You can get it on eBay for around $35. I have super straight hair and this is the only curling iron that has curled my haired and kept the curl all day and even into the next day. That is a miracle for me! Anyways, if you take a small section of hair and curl it like you would a normal ringlet. The only difference is that instead of trying to keep the hair nice and flat against the iron, hold on to your hair the entire time you wrap it around. As you wrap it, it will naturally twist and that is what makes that cool wave effect. There you go, now curl away!