FALL UPDATE

I hope this explains my slacking blog lately...
We fed some ducks...



One of us swam with some ducks...

We irrigated...

We ate spaghetti...

We kicked back with some milk (note to self do not drink milk at my house)...

We watched Bridger at football practice 3x a week for 2 hours a time (mother of the year runner up)...

We played with these at said practices, luckily (unfortunately) none were lost...


They went back to school...


Me and Brody have been drinking this since the day they went back...

We supported Bridger on Saturdays (GO 44!) Side note, I did not get kicked out, told to put a sock in it, or asked to quiet down, (there was another mom that took over that role! Prayers do get answered)...


We had our labor day tradition, getting wood with Brandon's brothers...

The kids played, the wives talked about how hard the husbands were working, TRAAADITTTTTTTION!...



The kids found this old log cabin while cutting wood. Can you spell TETNUS! Yea, we went to a "cabin" for Labor Day don't be a hater...

Thanks for sticking through to the end, until next time...

1st aid

Oakley, our "mosquito magnet" got a bad bite last week. I tried the cold rag on the head treatment, didn't work, drink a glass of milk and lay down treatment, still didn't work. I was going to have to get serious if I wanted the constant whining to go away. This dilemma combined with the GREAT SMITH'S sale on maxi pads last week led to some great 1st aid remedies.

First let me throw in the disclaimer "I AM NOT A DOCTOR" I am a MOM. A MOM that is sick of laundry and washing things covered in dermoplast, hydro cortisone cream and bug spray. Here is what you'll need to fix a "bad bite" and reduce yucky laundry items.


Step 1:Apply hydro cortisone cream to bite area

Step 2: carefully lay ALWAYS dri liner (or any other pad you have available) onto bite area, make sure it is STICKY SIDE UP!
Step 3: Using ace wrap, wrap bite site and secure ace wrap. Notice how a left a 1/2 " of the pad by the wrist,fold that down over the pad. This will ensure a comfortable fit, you do not want the wrap interfering with any future bike riding.
when Oakley asked what kind of band aid this was, I had to think a minute before naming it the "special pad wrap".

Dance Dance Fever

Oakley took dance at Dance Depot last year and she had her recital in May. She was more concerned about what flowers we were going to get her than she was about the dance recital.

Every time we went to Costco from November till May she would make sure and tell us that she was having a recital coming up and she would be needing some flowers. She did not disappoint at the recital and we did not disappoint when it came to the flowers.

I sure wish somebody would have told me it is like he!! to curl a 6 year olds hair while she is "practicing" her mad dance moves. It would have also been nice had I not thrown most of my make up away the week before this. I taught her the pinch your cheeks trick that I learned in 6th grade when I couldn't wear make up yet and luckily I found a tester mary kay lip gloss in the cupboard I got as a free sample years ago. I put on a little mascara and she was ready. She looked great and I looked like a hot sweaty mom that was glad she only had 1 daughter by the time we got the the recital.

Here she is in her tap outfit with the coveted flowers

We all made a big deal about what a great dancer she is and how proud we are of her (After the lecture that we WILL support each others hobbies and, crap we are in, and act like we like it, even if you HAVE to spend the night in the auditorium watching dancers. Admit you loved it Bridger!)

Here is the ballet costume which will also be making a repeat appearance in October as "the Halloween costume" She danced to Beauty and the Beast for Ballet and yes, the crown is put up somewhere really high until Halloween.

3 months really?

I have noticed on your blogs that my blog has fallen to the bottom of the page, you know down into the "wishes they had something great to blog about but don't" category. I never really cared until I seen my name with a 3 months next to it. I haven't told you how great my life has been for 3 months!!
WOW! What have I been doing that is so important that I stopped blogging? Nothin' really nothin' unless your my kids...they would tell you I have been yelling and getting a 44oz drink 2x a day to soothe the sore throat from yelling all day.
I am now going to take the "slacker blogger oath" to blog more about my great family and my wonderful life, I will blog about it tomorrow, or for sure before 3 months.

Disneyland #2

Okay, I get it, I get it! We went on a vacation and I only posted 1 picture and told you a little of what we did. So for EVERYONE that said, you should post that part, or "we want more pictures..." This is for you! Everyone who has said enough is enough about the "happiest place on earth" (unless your kids are with you) hang in there, this to shall pass!

If your driving through St. George and your going to stop, go to McDonald's. While the kids that can walk, play and you drink as much Coke as you can handle gearing up for the next 7 glorious hours this guy will "hold" your non walking kid! Brody even liked it. Brandon was a little mortified that it was McD's which = dirty place, but I assured him that for 9 am on a Sunday the place was no dirtier than our house, and this is how I would be holding him at 9am on a Sunday so he will be fine. (I of course would not have my hair like that, totally '70's!)

Oakley and her cousins showing off their drivers licenses. Oakley was a really good driver and did not like the fact that I was fake bawling that my "baby girl" was driving. I was practicing because she only has 10 years left until she's taking me for "a cold one"!

Cinderella, despite everything Bridger said, she really was a princess, She acted like she wanted to see us, gave both kids a hug and didn't mention my lumberjack arms once.

Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Bronson was a little curious as to where Snow Whites little guys were? Who wasn't curious, heck I was looking for the Prince Charmings until Brandon reminded me that someone has to hold down a full time job to keep the lights on in this castle! and restock the 401 (k)!!

My mom in Minnie's house, I think she looks like Minnie's Visiting Teacher just a waiting to give the best most wonderful Disney message ever! My mom loves Minnie so she had a good time seeing her at her house. Oh No! the Bronson curse! It DOES NOT SKIP A GENERATION!! If your related to my mom then you love to not really "snoop", but just check out other people's refrigerators. Every grand kid on the Bronson side does this, so I was not shocked, just a little taken back that the kids all looked in Minnie's fridge. Don't worry, I ran right over and (looked myself) then made the kids close the fridge. We had a lot of fun.

Here is a picture of the cousins visiting Minnie and then here we are at Mickey's. Oakley thought it was weird that he was shorter than Minnie. Uh, she's wearing high heals you know!

The Prince practicing for the "World's Toughest Baby Contest". He's not crying, he's flexing really hard.
Okay I have to do a part 3! My kids are acting like I have been avoiding them or something? Yea, like I would do that!

MICKEY MOUSE

M I C...See, we haven't been there before so...K E Y... Why because we are the greatest parents this side of the Mississippi. M O U S E Mickey Mouse...Mickey Mouse... We even had a great time, despite our kids being there.

Bridger gets motion sick and he reminded us that this is all fake, you can't really ride on elephants, there is no Disney Princess, and It's a small world was just a tad to long for him (killjoy). He did enjoy the beach and the Lego store in Downtown Disney, Heck, who doesn't LOVE downtown Disney?

Oakley loved everything, she wasn't quite sure about seeing the fairy god mother, she was quick to point out that she really didn't have any wishes she needed to come true so we didn't need to get close to her. I wish that I would have got close to her, I would have loved to see if she could grant me my wish of being a size 10! Oakley also loved Downtown Disney and showed us how much at the Build A Bear Workhsop! (FYI they have some Disney only clothes and stuff for your bears, if your into that kind of thing, I would not recommend getting into that kind of thing if your not already, It is a Grandma place me and Brandon have decided, meaning that Grandmas buy $5 underwear for stuffed bears, moms do not!)

Bronson LOVED the hotel pool and the beach. we could set a clock to him because at 2 o'clock everyday he would say "Okay, we have been to Disneyland, Now Can WE Go To The Hotel and Go Swimming?" He also loved the beach and the train that goes around the outside of Disneyland. He could have swam at the hotel, rode that train all day, and still had a great time. Next time we'll leave him and Bridger at a hotel next to a train station.

Brody, he didn't care about anything. We did figure that after 9 hours in the car, he gets really really mad! We fixed it for 1 hour by feeding him a 1/2 bag of Cadbury Easter Eggs. We took one for the team and fed him those until he started screaming/bawling again. Then, what do parents of the year give their almost 1 year old? A 1/2 of a stick of gum!! Yea, and he CHEWED it for 20 glorious miles, his face was total disgust as he tried to figure out what we put into his mouth, oh well so he has a piece of gum in his stomach for 7 years, who gives a crap, he was quiet!

Brandon and I will definitely go back, just NOT with our kids. Until then, MIC See ya real soon, KEY, Why because I love you! MOUSE. MICKEY MOUSE...MICKEY MOUSE.

How to make a mom cry:
Send her kindergartner home on valentines wearing this...


It says: Special Delivery, There's a valentine standing at your door I'm one of a kind you can't buy me at the store. I have something for you that you won't want to miss. Just pick me up and give me a GREAT BIG KISS!




Have her husband baptize your 8 year old...





Bridger and Brandon January 30. I kind of hoped Brandon was going to drowned him. I think Bridger was getting out all of the Pi$$ and Vinegar the month before he was baptized...IT WAS A VERY LONG 30 DAYS!


take this picture at her 25 lb "babies" 10 month (I forgot they needed a 9 month? after 3 other kids who knew?) Dr. apt...




This is one of my favorite pictures, It is our favorite nurse, Nurse Vickie (my mom) at Dr. John Winn's office! Brody looks quite proud of the 16lb weight gain in a short 10 months, he is sitting on the scale.


Put your last baby in a "Big Kid" car seat...



I should have invented car seats, they charge an arm and a leg for these things, I sure miss the 80's, just hold that kid on your lap, or put him on the floor in the back or lay him in the back window next to the other 3 kids, or do as my mom did, on long car trips put them in a laundry basket. Hey, we all survived!




Find this picture of her 4 year old after she yells at him and his stinky sister for taking pictures with her camera...












Cut her babies "Goldy locks" off, and pretend like it will be okay...





This picture says it all, for both of us.

Dear Lehi Free Press,

So this is how your going out? Just slinking away? No big farewell edition, No apology for being such a lame excuse of a town paper these last few years? No replacement? What a joke! I have read you and loved you since 1985, the year I turned 10 and read an article by the late GREAT Betty Fowler. How I loved the old you; so full of real newsworthy articles, so full of wedding announcements, being full of real classified ads, full of a police beat that was about people that had lived here long enough that you knew who it was, so full of Lehi High School pride, listing the honor rolls for only lehi schools, being delivered on wonderful Wednesday instead of crappy Thursday.

I remember our happier times, when words weren't spelled wrong or repeated as they are now. I remember the wedding announcements that told you the bridesmaids, who gave the showers, where the honeymoon would take place, I remember birth announcements, actually listing parents, grandparents and siblings. What happened? Where did you go wrong?

I just hope that your happy where ever you end up, we had a great run and I have not been happy with this new you, the Lehi Liar, I called the Daily Herald and they confirmed that a refund would be on its way and for that I thank you. Once your biggest fan, now embarrassed to call you a Town paper, Doreen.

We made it!

We survived the Christmas festivities!!!
We survived the school singing program, Brandon said he barely made it this year, only to be brought back by his kindergarten daughter "the entertainer"(the tall one in the front. I really didn't think she was that tall, they must have accidentally placed her on the vertically challenged row!) she sang with gusto, all the gusto that her brother (tall blond kid back row acting like his mom was sitting on that side of the lunchroom) didn't even bring to school that day! the same gusto he used to ignore me while I took pictures and video taped both his songs.


We survived the Night before Christmas or in our house known as THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR!!
We Survived Christmas day. We tried something new this year, the kids all got 1 present from Santa and $ from mom and dad that we went the day after and choose their own gift. I know it sounds crazy, but It was perfect. Both older kids even exclaimed "This is the best Christmas EVER" more than once on Christmas day, unheard of in the past! the day after thing even turned out better than I had braced myself for. Here are a few pictures of Christmas day...

We even took the kids to Thanksgiving point for New Years Eve, we were there with all the other parents on the verge of strangling their kids after the 2 week break from school.

Bronson's favorite part of the museum is washing and drying his hands. He'll play 10 minutes, wash and dry 25 minutes. And now with the kids back in school and on a routine we are really enjoying this time of year.