The Dayton-Dixon Line

My Two Cents....

2012-02-01T11:23:00.000-08:00

Listen. Politics are stupid. But I have something to say.

Okay, several somethings.

Obama is not the devil.

I don't care if he is Muslim...it doesn't matter to me.

I don't believe he is trying to take down America.

I don't care if he was born in Hawaii or Hati.

Doesn't matter.

What does matter is that while Obama may be a nice guy he is not a good President.

He doesn't know what he is doing and he doesn't know how to make things happen.

Plus, I do believe his ideas are fundamentally wrong.

Mitt Romney is not a god.

I don't care if he is Mormon....it doesn't matter to me.

I don't believe he only cares about rich people.

I don't care if he was born in Mexico or Michigan.

Doesn't matter.

What does matter is that while Mitt Romney may seem like an "out of touch with the little man" kind of guy, he would make a fantastic President.

He knows what he is doing and he knows how to make things happen and he has a very impressive track record to prove it.

Plus, his ideas are quite good.

I have never been so certain that a man as President can actually make good things happen for our country.

Then I read this by Ann Romney, Mitt Romney's wife:

“Four years ago, I was definite about one thing: I would never do it again,” she said of her husband’s failed 2008 campaign. “Mitt said, you say that after every pregnancy. All the women out there know what I’m talking about.”

When he broached the subject again, she said she was reluctant. Before she was going to endure another campaign, she asked him to answer one question: “Can you fix it?” When he answered yes, she was in.“

"He has the ability to find the core of the problem and then figure out how to fix it,” said Ann Romney.

http://americaisconservative.blogspot.com/2012/01/ann-romney-makes-difference-in-florida.html

Can you fix it? .... Yes.

America, if you're smart you will vote for Mitt Romney.

He is our only hope for this sinking ship.

Van Man...

2012-01-27T13:31:00.000-08:00

Excuse me, sir?

Yes, you. The one driving the mini-van.

I realize your ego has taken a bit of a hit having to drive such a vehicle, but speeding up to not let me in your lane is a bit much. It's really not becoming and it's not proving anything.

You lost your "cool dude" status like 3 kids ago, so just own it.

Slow down, smile, and let me in your lane.

That's all I ask.

It's ON!

2012-01-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

So if you'll recall, we recently re-did our front yard to look oh so lovely, like this:

And we have one of these:

Which a certain feral animal:

Thinks is this:

And it's making me:

And also:

I've spoken with the "cat lady" across the street from us that feeds feral cats. Apparently their poop isn't her problem and she claims they would still be here even if she didn't feed them.

So I've had to take matters into my own hands.

I've researched several sites trying to figure out how to keep those dang cats out of my plantar box.

I wanted to do it in a humane way.

I put bamboo skewers, pointy side up, all throughout the plantar box.

They pooped in there anyway.

I sprinkled black pepper all throughout.

They pooped in there anyway.

I sprinkled red pepper all throughout (I read this may cause them to scratch their own eyes out. Being humane was becoming less of a priority for me).

They pooped in there anyway.

After checking the plantar box this morning and finding MORE poop I told Shane, "It's on. I'm going to war with the cats."

Shane just smiled his knowing smile because he knows I like a challenge...wait, or maybe it was because he thinks I'm crazy. One of the two.

Nevertheless, the war is on.

Watch out cats...you're going down.

(in the most humane way possible.)

Heritage...

2011-12-30T04:52:00.000-08:00

The other day I overheard Morgan telling Dane: "You know I'm half Mexican. Everyone in my family is half Mexican! Even JERSEY is half Mexican 'cause you know, Chihuahua."

I started laughing and Shane said, "Oh she's been on this kick for awhile now. She told me all of this the other day."

"What did you tell her?" I asked.

"I told her that she wasn't half Mexican and that the only people in the family that are half Mexican are me and Jersey."

"Did she buy it?" I asked, knowing that Morgan isn't one to back down because she is always so certain of her stance.

Shane said, "She insisted that she likes salsa so she is half Mexican too."

It's hard to argue with logic like that. :)

Wrapping Up the Front Yard...

2011-12-23T15:41:00.000-08:00

Want to see what my front yard used to look like yesterday?

Dumpsville.

When we got this house I HATED the front yard, if you can even call it a yard. I've never been a huge fan of desert landscape, although it can be done well, this was definitely NOT done well.

Although you can't really tell in this picture, most of those shrubs are dead or dying, the rock is obnoxious, and well, you have eyes...it's just ugly.

It bugged me every time I drove up and when people would come inside our house they would go, "Oh! This is really nice!" Not knowing that their enthusiasm was giving away the fact that from the outside they thought it was going to be a "fixer-upper" inside.

I don't blame them. I had the exact same reaction when I first met my house.

But now that I know my house, I felt really bad that it was so homely. It was in desperate need of some curb appeal...someday.

Someday came sooner than I was thinking.

Two days ago Shane told me Santa was coming to give me my Christmas gift. Santa came in the form of Ron Ponsin...a gruff landscaper that did our backyard over a year ago.

I smiled as soon as he drove up.

I knew what was coming and Santa had never looked so good. (Neither had Shane. :) It's incredibly sexy when a guy knows just what to get you for Christmas and does it without you knowing and works extra weekends to earn the money to pay for such a large gift.)

Shane had me talk to Ron to make sure things were gonna be done the way that I'd like and work was started the next day.

Today (our Christmas Day), my front yard looks like this:

When our tree gets bigger and actually has leaves and our bushes grow and bloom it will be even better.

I had no idea grass could make me so happy.

I had no idea you could get a front yard for Christmas.

I had no idea my house could look 3000 times better in one day.

I had no idea my husband was so brilliant...okay, actually I did have an idea about that.

For so many reasons this was the best Christmas ever, and it will always be the year I remember getting a front yard for Christmas.

Hmmmmmmm.

2011-11-29T09:02:00.000-08:00

Last night Shane and I were having a rousing economic discussion.

He was telling me that the average salary today is $1000 less than it was in the 1980's.

Pathetic.

Olivia wanted to know why this was. So he explained a little bit about people spending money they don't have and how this caused problems for everyone, even the people that didn't do that. Now we all get to pay for everyone else's mistakes and there isn't any money now.

Then he said, "The US is in so much trouble and we have had to borrow tons and tons of money from China."

Immediately Olivia said, "Well that's embarrassing."

And she's right. It is embarrassing.

How can an 8 year old understand this so well and yet most of the adults in our country can not?

It reminded me of my favorite SNL clip ever:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1389/saturday-night-live-dont-buy-stuff

First we have to figure this out.

Then we'd better teach our kids.

And then maybe, just maybe, this country of ours might stand a chance.

Crafty I Am Not...

2011-11-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Want to see the super cute Advent Calendar I made?

Isn't it adorable?

Okay, so maybe I didn't "technically" make it, but practically.

I've been telling Lana for weeks now that we need to make an Advent Calendar. It is essential for our children's growing up Christmas years. They might as well not even have a childhood if they have no Advent Calendar. I'm not really even sure how they've survived the past few years.

So we discussed some different ideas of what we wanted to do and we came up with the idea I have pictured above. Then we set out to the store to fetch our supplies.

Well...wouldn't you know it, when we walked into JoAnn's to go get the fabric, they had already made our Advent Calendar for us!

I thought that was nice of them.

And they just so happened to have TWO left! It was a sign really.

We looked at each other for a second and then slowly placed them in our carts, careful not to make any sudden movements.

We didn't want to alert the crafting gods that anything had gone awry.

Needless to say, we did feel a little sheepish going to JoAnn's for materials to make a project and just walking out with it in hand already done, so Lana decided we should make Christmas wreath's.

Who am I to kill a dream? So I went with it.

I'm happy to say it turned out fabulously...with some help from Lana. :)

See? Isn't that cute?

Hopefully the crafting gods will forgive us now. :)

Wedded Bliss

2011-11-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

If you must know, my nephew Bryson just got married yesterday.

When Bryson was born I was 9 and, being the youngest, I was SO excited to have a baby around. Plus I felt ridiculously cool being an "aunt" at age 9. I totally bragged about it at recess.

I don't think I let Bryson out of my sight until he was about 4. I LOVED him so much!

I remember worrying that he might try drugs some day (I had strong mothering instincts in me from a very young age) and I just wanted to protect him from all the bad things in the world.

As it turns out, I didn't need to worry. Bryson turned out fabulous and made many great choices, like just saying no to drugs. But yesterday he made the best choice yet. He married Tierra Jean and she is so freaking cool.

See what I mean? She's just so fun.

A few years ago Bryson and I were talking and he was thinking about his future and said to me, "I'm so afraid that I might just 'settle' for someone when I get married and I really don't want to do that."

"Then you won't," I assured him.

And he most definitely didn't.

Congratulations to a beautiful couple. :)

Oh Justice...

2011-11-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I took the kids to the mall.

Olivia had $20 burning a hole in her pocket and she wanted some new earrings and an outfit. (but for mall prices that means new earrings and a shirt).

So after getting the earrings she saw the store Justice for Girls which she LOVES and had to go in there. After MUCH perusing, trying on, and perusing some more she finally decided on a shirt.

She bought the shirt which was $3 more than she had and I told her she'd owe me $3 when we got home.

As we were walking out of the store she decided she wanted to return the shirt and get a cheaper one instead.

So back we went.

There is no such thing as a quick return anymore.

The girl needed my driver's license and a background check to return the shirt we just bought with cash.

Geez.

So as she goes to hand me the difference in change, which was $1.96, I said, "Oh, can I just give you 4 pennies so you can just give me $2 instead?"

She looked at me like I was asking her to give me free $100 bills.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can't," she stammered, "I've already run the transaction."

"Um, okay. It's just cash right? So this should be fine. You know 96 cents plus 4 cents equals a dollar, soooo...."

"Oh, yeah, I just don't think we're allowed to do that."

"What do you mean 'allowed to do that'? I just want a dollar instead of 96 cents and here is the 4 cents so that it is all good."

"Ummm, yeah, I just, I'm not sure how they count the drawers at night and I don't want to get in trouble and I just don't think we're allowed. Let me just check."

Oh. My. Gosh. This was now like a 5 minute ordeal and when I was telling Shane the story later I realized I should have taken the 96 cents from her, added my 4 cents and said, "Hey, can you give me a dollar for all this change?" But I was just so baffled by the whole thing I didn't know what to do. She was acting like they wanted an exact count of every quarter dime and nickel people pay with. And the whole "allowed to" thing was really throwing me off.

I assured her I had done drawers before and that all that matters is the amount needs to add up and that this would add up just fine.

She wouldn't take it.

So she asked the girl next to her, "Um, Kaitlyn, are we allowed to do this [explains story]?"

Kaitlyn, while looking up and thinking really hard: "Um, I don't know. I mean, it makes sense, I think, but I'm just not sure if like that is something we are allowed to do."

WHAT DO YOU MEAN ALLOWED TO DO?!?!?!?!?!? You can't give somebody a dollar bill for a dollar's worth of change? Somebody just shoot me now.

Finally they called the manager over.

"Um, Cami (aka: the manager) can we...[explains story]?"

Cami looks at her and says, "Yeah. Of course."

Thank you Cami, I was really starting to wonder if I had gone crazy.

Let this be a lesson to all you young girls out there--Pay attention in 3rd grade math class.

You'll need it someday.

Disgusting!

2011-11-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Last night we had shish-kabobs for dinner.

They were pretty tasty but some of the meat was a little too big for me to eat. I kind of want to barf at large pieces of meat that take longer than 10 seconds to chew. So after about 15 seconds of chewing a certain piece of meat I took it out of my mouth and placed it on the side of my plate.

Can you see where this is going?

A little while later Owen came picking around on my plate. I shooed him off and turned to talk to Shane for a second. Moments later Shane said, "Owen just stole more food off your plate."

I looked back and to my horror you know what he had eaten.

Ugh, my stomach turned but I just started laughing and said, "You don't even want to know what just happened."

Well, then of course everyone wanted to know.

So I looked at Owen and said, "That meat you just ate off my plate was meat I had chewed up and spit out."

He just looked at me, smiled real big and said, "Well that's okay, I still really liked it!"

It's hard to phase a boy that is this awesome. :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T08:05:00.000-07:00

Have I said this before? I hate Halloween.

It's such a bother.

But I have to say, this year, and this neighborhood, may be changing my mind just a bit.

Our neighborhood is Cuh-RAY-zee about Halloween! People decorate more than I do for Christmas. There are some people that spend all month decking out their yards. One man has robots that move and another man does a different theme every year. This year his whole front yard was a graveyard. I should have taken pictures because I'm certain you aren't appreciating what he does. They have smoke machines and black lights and all kinds of stuff. Another family does a big spook alley for everyone to go through (I must admit, I screamed. They totally scared me).

I guess my neighborhood is really good at being creepy. Is that a good thing? :)

Anyway, the kids really enjoyed it and this was the first year Owen and Livy went off with older friends to trick-or-treat by themselves. I had to take some deep breaths and Shane told me it's time to let them do that and they will be okay. And he was right and they were...fine that is.

So here was our Halloween....

Stephanie from Lazy Town (we realize this is sooo 4 years ago, but the cool thing is there were no other Stephanie's so there! And she looks adorable. She kept telling us, "I don't really look that good in pink hair." But I tend to disagree. She pulls it off.)

Harry Potter. Which, as you can imagine, there were plenty of. But that just made Owen think it was even cooler. He has this serious look in just about every picture I took of him. He was really trying to cast a spell.

And last but not least, Bloody Mary. You would think Olivia would like to be something pretty, but no, the last 2 Halloween's she has really wanted to be something scary, and the more creepy she looks the more she likes it. I like that she keeps me guessing like that. (Thanks to my sis-in-law Jody for the awesome wig. It made the costume for sure. Everyone loved it. Also thanks to my mom for all the help making Olivia's and Owen's costumes. Couldn't have done it without her.)

Annual Shumway/Dayton kid Halloween picture. So cute.

And here we have my kids with 3 of the Brienholt kids and 2 of the Shumway kids doing candy trading.

This handsome guy even dressed "festively", as Livy put it, for his classes today. He's a teacher, what can you expect? If he starts buying cardigans with pumpkins on them I will start to worry, but an orange shirt and tie I can live with. :)

Until next year....

BOO!

TRI Catching Cupid

2011-10-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Olivia is on the AZ Desert Dolpins Synchronized swim team and I am also the land conditioning and swim coach for her team. I have to say, I love it.

Synchro is an interesting sport that I am still learning a lot about, but the more I learn the more I like it. It takes a lot of time, work, and effort on the part of the coaches and the girls, but there are so many great things being learned it is worth it.

One of the hardest things about synchro is once you get into national meets it is EXPENSIVE! I think they told me it was about $5000-$7000 per girl that went to nationals last year. Crazy.

So as a team we try to do a lot of fundraisers to help with these costs. BUT, what I love about this team's fundraisers is that they aren't typical. They don't just put their hand out and ask you for money, they try to do things that you get something out of. So our fundraiser this year is a TRIATHLON!

Ambitious, yes indeed.

I stepped up to be Race Director for this because nobody else was and I thought I was up for the challenge. A challenge it most certainly is. I have a whole new appreciation for these kinds of events. There is so much work and money poured into putting this on. But hopefully it will all be worth it.

My goal is to get 300+ participants out to this race. That means YOU should do it and get your neighbors, friends, family members, kids, etc. to do it too. It's Valentine's themed and it's gonna be fun.

Sometimes people will say things like, "Why would I want to pay money to do something like that?" So I have written a little ditty below to help people realize what it is about triathlons that makes people come out and why they should probably "tri" too.

For your reading enjoyment....

Why TRI?

Several years ago, after my last baby was born I needed something to motivate me to get my buns in gear and get back in shape. I had heard people talking about triathlons. It sounded exciting but out of reach. I thought, That’s something that “other people” can do, not me. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to TRI. If other people could swim, bike, and run then so could I!

What I didn’t realize at the time I registered for my first triathlon is that triathlons are such an amazing experience from beginning to end. From the day you register to the moment you cross that finish line, your experience is in full swing. When you pay that registration fee (and you feel butterflies in your stomach) you aren’t just paying for the race day, you are paying for every day leading up to the race as well. What you receive with that entrance fee isn’t just a t-shirt and a slot on the bike rack, it’s also increased motivation, physical & emotional growth, endurance, excitement for life, the realization that you can do things you didn’t think you could do, a clear-cut goal, and more. If you are training with a friend, spouse, or child you are paying for invaluable time growing together.

When you register for a triathlon you get so much more than a day…you get an experience that lasts several months and memories that last a lifetime.

So why TRI? I think the real question is why not?

Here's the link: http://www.active.com/triathlon/mesa-az/tri-catching-cupid-reverse-sprint-and-youth-triathlon-2012?cmp=1745&fb_ref=event_details&fb_source=profile_multiline

Right now you can use coupon code: LOVE 2012 and get $10 off registration!

***

TRI Catching Cupid is the perfect triathlon for first timers or seasoned athletes. It will be a very fun event for the whole family. Also, following the triathlon, before the awards ceremony, the AZ Desert Dolphins Synchronized Swim team will entertain us. How often does that happen at a triathlon? This is one triathlon you don’t want to miss! Register today!

Learning To Do The Little Things...

2011-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

The other day Olivia (8 almost 9 years old) came home from a play date with a friend where they painted their nails and apparently they also trimmed their nails.

She told me, "Sydney was really surprised that I didn't know how to trim my nails."

"She was?" I asked, a little surprised. Then I said, "Did you tell her that your mom still does too many things for you that she probably shouldn't?"

We laughed and then I told her to bring me the clippers because she had missed several of her nails and they were driving me crazy and I just trimmed them up for her real quick. :)

I told Shane, "I started trimming their nails when they were babies, how am I supposed to know when to stop?"

I know I am not the only mom that would rather do things for her kids to avoid certain messes, save time, get it done the way I want it, make sure they don't get hurt, etc. but the more I think about it the more I realize I NEED to let those things happen for their sake. I have figured this out in certain areas (swim skills, aka: learning to do hard things), but I have to be willing to have my life "inconvenienced" so they can learn regular, every day life skills.

I'm working on it....

I did let them pour their own cereal & milk this morning.

Baby steps.

Speed? I Am Speed.

2011-10-04T10:51:00.000-07:00

Being fast can be a really good thing. Especially in things like running or swimming, etc. But there are other times it can just be annoying.

Shane has a loving little nickname he calls me:

"Reaction Time".

It's usually used like this:

Shane is cleaning up the kitchen, he turns around to do something and while he does that Dixie puts away five things he was just about to get to and he'll say, "Thanks Reaction Time."

Or, one of the kids will ask him to help them with something and I just walk over and do it before he even has the chance to stand up. "Okay, Reaction Time."

Or, he will be doing laundry and I will hear the washer finish and go put them in the dryer as he rounds the corner to do the same. "I was going to do that Reaction Time."

You get the idea. I'm just one step ahead of him most of the time, which, as you might imagine, could get annoying. Especially for Shane because he is actually Reaction Time Jr. Before me in his life he had always been Reaction Time Sr. But he tells me all the time that I even out pace him.

But I can't help it!

I like to do things fast...I always have. (for instance, I just typed that really fast just to prove a point...to myself.)

When I was at BYU I had a class where they tested our reaction time. As you may have guessed :) , I had the fastest reaction time in the whole class! I was quite proud of this, until I started realizing how annoying it is to have really fast reaction time when the rest of the world around you doesn't.

Any time I am at a stoplight I swear I see it turn green about 30 seconds before the car in front of me.

Frustrating.

When I am at the grocery store in the check out line the people in front of me all move like they are 95 even though I can clearly see they are probably closer to 35.

Irritating.

When I am walking pretty much anywhere I am again surrounded by 95 year olds and I have to figure out routes around them.

That one is kind of fun because it's a challenge for me, but if I have to stay behind them for some reason...lame.

So here's the thing... I HATE this about myself.

My reaction time is crazy fast and it makes me crazy crazy.

I am trying to learn how to slow down.

It's hard.

I Strongly Dislike Crazy Hair Day...

2011-09-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

This is what my children looked like as they walked out the door for school this morning.

I know it's nothing impressive, but it was no small feat.

Mostly because of this girl:

Olivia plans and schemes for weeks about Crazy Hair Day. She has all kinds of ideas about what it's going to look like. Somehow I am supposed to know this and bring it to life and if I can't then crying and screaming will ensue.

And it did.

There was a solid 10-15 minutes of bawling and shouting from Olivia because, well, I don't even know why because every time I would touch her hair to try something she was already upset. When I finally told her that I wouldn't listen to it anymore and that unless she calmed down she could do her own hair she shouted inane things like, "You just love Owen and Morgan more than me. You don't even love me you only love them!!!!"

Hmmmmmm, okay.

Stupid Crazy Hair Day.

I'm happy to report that calmness was finally achieved and the above hairstyle was deemed acceptable.

Ugh.

Owen, on the other hand, was pleased as punch that we were able to do three of the tiniest pony tails I have ever done in my life. Easy-smeesy and no crying or complaining.

Thank you Owen.

Likewise, Morgan was real easy to please.

She took out her buns from yesterday and her hair essentially looked like this in the morning. She has bed-head unlike any other I have seen. So we teased it up some more and hairsprayed the crud out of it.

Is there a 1980's hair band somewhere missing their lead singer?

I never realized how tiny her face is until it was lost amongst this massive poof of hair.

Anyway, I'm glad it's over.

...At least until next year.

ugh.

Oh To Be Four Again...

2011-09-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

Morgan is now officially incorporated into Swim Skillz.

It's been rough, but we are getting there.

Yesterday I explained before we got in that if we could stay focused and on task we could get through the workout in 30 minutes and then have time to play when we got home.

Now, I have said this before, but for some reason it really struck a chord with all of them yesterday and they hit the water with force.

Even the lifeguard (who has been with me through this whole journey) commented that, "They are all business today."

'Twas true.

And Morgan was hyper-focused. This is the girl that screamed and cried at me for having to swim just one lap. But now she was going like crazy on her own.

I told her to swim 2 laps freestyle. Instead she swam a lap, got out and did push ups, and then swam a lap back and asked, "Okay, what's next?"

I think I just sat there blinking at her for a second trying to figure out what was going on. Needless to say I gave her several more laps of kicking and freestyle and then she told me she wanted to do Butterfly. So she swam about 1/3 a lap of a pretty decent butterfly and then came up and said, "Did you see that?" I said, "Yeah, that was really good." And she said, "Yeah, but I was taking like no breaths and I was like 'What am I doing, I'm not taking any breaths!'" And then with that she decided she was done and went over to the other side of the pool to play.

Well, what Morgan doesn't understand yet is that she doesn't decided when practice is over. I do. :)

So I let her play for a bit while I worked with Owen and Livy and then when she came back over I informed her she had 2 more laps of freestyle and then she would be done.

She yelled, "Ahhhhhh! I already worked so hard and now you're just making me do more!"

"Yes, you have worked hard. You've done such a great job, now you just have 2 more laps and you are done."

And then as she slapped the water some more in frustration she yelled again and said, "I wish I was still 4! When you are 4 you have a better life!"

I looked at the life guard to see if he was getting this, and he was, and we both just laughed and I told him it was probably true...when you are 4 you probably do have a better life. But alas, she is 5 and hard things have come upon her, the most recent thing being two more laps of freestyle.

Eventually she got it done. She somehow survived and everything was okay.

But let's be honest, life will never be the same.

Five is just not four.

Is Katy Perry Evil?

2011-09-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing...

Today I'm driving down the road, no kids in the car, and a Katy Perry song comes on the radio.

It's Teenage Dream.

It's a really catchy song that I have been very clear with my kids they are NOT allowed to listen to because the lyrics are so wrong it makes me sick. And yet every time it comes on the radio I want to listen to it because really, it's catchy. But I don't. I change the station because I don't think I should be listening to it for the same reasons my kids shouldn't be.

So the next station I turn to also had a Katy Perry song playing.

Last Friday Night.

And I'm met with the same dilemma. I actually like to listen to the song but I feel like it's really wrong. The lyrics are so messed up, especially for young kids to be hearing messages like this. So I turned it off and I started thinking, how does somebody feel like it is okay to put these messages out to kids and teenagers (or anyone for that matter)?

Shane and I have talked about Katy Perry a lot and what to do about her songs because the kids all want to listen to her and all their friends at school listen to her. They even play her music at school carnivals from the DJ booth. Shane thinks she is evil and her lyrics make me think maybe she is too. Her songs are the last thing I want my kids listening to.

I decided to research her a little more today to try to figure out where she came from and why she does what she does. I went to the ever reliable Wikipedia where I learned she is the daughter of two pastors (of course!) and her mother never let her listen to "secular" music growing up, only gospel music. When she began pursuing her music career her first attempts were at Gospel Rock and she was highly unsuccessful. Of course she was. There is nothing sexy or immediately gratifying about Gospel Rock so why would anyone care? It was only once she went to pop and dropped all things moral that she was highly, EXTREMELY successful. Suddenly she got triple platinum songs and albums, her success is even compared to Michael Jackson in some areas, and she gets married to Russell Brand.

As I read all that I tried to think about every moment she realized she was compromising morally for the success she really wanted, and I am certain there were a lot of moral compromises going on. Especially for someone who grew up with a religious background. Then at the end of her wiki page there is this quote:

In an interview with Rolling Stone she said, "I am sensitive to Russell taking the Lord's name in vain and to Lady Gaga putting a rosary in her mouth. I think when you put sex and spirituality in the same bottle and shake it up, bad things happen."

And there I found it. The rationalization that allows her to do what she does. She has convinced herself that as long as you don't put sex and spirituality together that it's okay. That statement, combined with the songs that she sings, is so absurd it is just too much for me to take.

I have some news for you Katy Perry, bad things also happen when you promote teenage sex as fun and exciting.

There will be repercussions for the teenagers that buy into it and someday, there will be repercussions for you.

So is Katy Perry Evil?

I don't think so. I think the word I would chose would be "confused", which is what happens when you compromise on your morality. You get really, really confused.

She doesn't know what she's doing anymore... and that's scary.

Satan Created Angry Birds--I Can Prove It.

2011-09-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

I am nearly certain Satan himself invented Angry Birds.

"Dixie," you say, "That is simply not possible."

Ohhhh, but it is.

"You are being unreasonable."

Am I?

Those cute little birds suck me in to a crazed mental state with their sweet little faces and simple tricks. And then I keep wondering what special NEW bird will I unlock next?!

Boom-A-Rang Bird, are you serious?!?! It's so cool!

I also care for Big Fat Bird a great deal. (I don't think that's the real name, but that's what I call it).

And if I could just get a whole slew of Bomb Birds I could do just about anything.

(Just don't give me any of that plain little red bird. He's useless I tell you, USELESS!)

Then they create these clever levels with all kinds of fun stuff, (including bouncy beach balls for pete's sake!) and before I know it I'm sneaking the iPad around, trying to play Angry Birds in dark corners so the kids can't see because....well, I'm addicted to it!

And I think we all know: addiction=Satan.

So clearly, Angry Birds was created by Satan.

I rest my case.

A Dreamer I Am Not...

2011-09-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Shane and I just spent the morning discussing the fact that I am not a dreamer.

I'm a realist.

I have always thought of this as a good thing, which it is in many ways, but Shane really helped me to see why it's not so great at times. (Kudos honey, kudos).

So here's how it came about...

We were discussing my sweet brother Porter who is the ultimate dreamer. It's one of his most endearing qualities.

For example, when Dara Torres won the silver medal at the Olympics at age 43 my brother Porter called me up and said, "Do you want to swim train with me? I want to make the next Olympics. If Dara Torres can do it, so can I." (I promise you I am not joking about this).

I laughed. Not because I wouldn't love to be in the next Olympics too and be a national sensation, but because I couldn't even see the dream. What I saw was 8 hour training sessions, trying to juggle babysitting for three kids, and trying to get a husband on board with this idea. The dream never even had a chance because I smashed it to pieces before it could even take root.

For as long as I have known Porter, which is my whole life, every time after a summer Olympics airs he has decided he wants to be in the Olympics the next time around. I love this about him. As kids I used to get on board with this and dream about it a little, but at some point I lost that ability to dream and think big... for anything. Everything became: responsibilities, logistics, reality, etc. No room for dreaming.

Shane asked me why I refuse to dream. When I thought about it, aside from worrying about all the logistics of getting there, I told him my two biggest reasons are:

1. I don't want to be disappointed.
2. I don't want to disappoint others.

Even as I said it it sounded dumb.

Really? Disappointment? This one little word (well, okay, it's kind of a long word) is stopping me from dreaming big and possibly realizing some of those big dreams?

Lame.

This needs to change. (and pointers from "dreamers" would be much appreciated).

Maybe I can be a Realist with a minor in Dreaming. :)

Marketing Madness

2011-09-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

Don't even worry about it. I'm totally writing a blog post.

So the other day I said something in passing to Shane that went like this, "Yeah, Owen wants to have Scott over for Friendly Friday so I had to...."

Shane: "Wait. What? Friendly Friday? What the heck is that?"

And so I had to explain, not just "Friendly Friday", but what I have figured out works wonders with my kids...for them and for me.

I market everything to them.

Yep. I've become a marketing whiz. Does anyone want to hire me? I have some really fabulous ideas. :)

I think it started with swim skillz. We gave it a name. It became an actual "thing", so if we missed it we didn't just miss going to the YMCA to work on our swimming, we missed SWIM SKILLZ. It was a real thing and we didn't want to miss it. In the simple act of naming it became more important, more significant. And suddenly I was understanding marketing a little bit more. Why iPads/iPhones/iPods etc are so cool, in part, is because of the name. It's not just a small little computer, it's an iPad. Bam!

So I have developed names for real things we do and suddenly they become more real, cool, important and fun. That's how "Friendly Friday" came to be.

Play dates these days are no longer an easy affair. Gone are the days of living in the neighborhood with all the kids you go to school with. We are blessed with cousins close by so we can play with them, but I want the kids to know how to make friends with other people too. We live a good 8.5 miles away from the school and any neighborhoods that feed into it. So play dates require me tracking down the mom of the child my child has selected as their "Friendly Friday Friend", getting a phone number, actually connecting with them on the phone, and then working out the details of pick ups and drop offs. It's no easy feat to say the least. It usually takes a few days to actually speak to the mom. And I have to do this for all three kids. It's awesome. I do feel it is important for them to connect with their peers outside of school. But I also know that the headache of doing all of this calling and setting up is annoying and just the thought of it makes me want to take a nap on the couch. So for my own sake I gave it a name and a place: Friendly Friday, every other friday. This did two things: 1. It made me feel like I have to follow through and 2. It gave the kids something they really look forward to.

Now my kids tell me who they want to have over for Friendly Friday like it's every day phraseology--catchy isn't it?

It's ok. You can use it too. :)

First Day of School--for everyone!!!

2011-08-10T11:12:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has arrived that I never thought would. I can remember having Olivia, and then Owen, and then Morgan and then thinking, it is going to be FOREVER until they are all in school.

Well forever came today.

ONE.

TWO.

THREE.

Just like that, they are all in school.

All three of my beautiful children started school today and I can hardly believe it. It's weird. It's exciting. And, well, it's mostly exciting.

Morgan woke up this morning and exclaimed happily, "I finally get to be a big kid!"

We pulled up right behind Lana and Dana, what are the odds? So we snapped a quick cousin pic. (Brooklyn is also going to Zaharis but wasn't there for this picture).

First Day of School 2011.

It's gonna be a great year! :)

Cool! Double Prizes!!!

2011-07-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this year, if you'll recall, I became Chinese.

One of the big parts of my new-found Chinese parenting was "swim skills". Twice a week I'd take the kids to the YMCA and work them out, teach them how to swim their strokes better, and really help them learn how to work hard. It definitely wasn't easy... for them or me. However, I could see right away the benefits it was having in other areas of their life. (especially Owen).

If you'll recall, back in February I was cussed out by some guy at the pool for pushing my kids too hard. If you need a refresher click HERE. But I knew why I was doing this, and it had nothing to do with swimming.

As time went on and the kids were getting better and faster I said to Shane, "Oh my gosh, they actually might have a chance to win trophies in city swim this year." I wasn't sure, I just thought it might be a possibility. Maybe.

As they started swim team and came home meet after meet with mostly blue ribbons I thought the reality of getting a trophy was within our reach, and then, I'll admit, it became a little about swimming. :) But still, more than anything, I wanted them to learn that hard work and discipline pays off.

Well, it does.

Last night we didn't walk away with just one High Point trophy, but two! Olivia & Owen both won first place in their age groups and I couldn't be a more proud Mama. :)

(Body marking is all the rage these days at swim meets. Who were we to buck the trend?) :)

They didn't win because they are naturally strong or talented, in fact they are both on the small side of things and their strokes were atrocious when we started, but they worked harder than anyone else and that's what makes me proud. They spent most of the season working out with the 9-10 year olds and even Owen out-swam most of those kids at practice.

(This is Olivia with cousin Tatum (left) and friend Haylee Haynes (right) who got the runner up trophy. More on that later. Olivia is standing on her tip toes because both these girls have about 4-5 inches on her!)

When you work that hard you get to walk away with these:

When I see those trophies I nearly cry because I know what went into getting them. One of my mom's favorite quotes is this:

"The greatest reward for man's toil is not what he gets from it, but what he becomes by it."

That's what I see when I see those trophies...what those kids have become. They know how to push and work hard and want something and go after it and not give up and be disciplined and work past fears and get over disappointments and be their best. And in an age where most kids don't know how to do any of those things, I find that to be a major accomplishment.

When we started swim skills I truly never intended or even believed that this would be our outcome, but I am pretty proud and happy that it was.

A quick side-note about Olivia beating Haylee Haynes. When I was eight I got the runner up trophy and a girl named Nancy Haynes got the High Point. Nancy is Haylee's aunt. What are the odds?! When we figured that out I told Olivia she had to avenge my loss. :) And so she did. She and Haylee are so cute together. They are great friends and Olivia went back and forth from being excited to feeling bad about winning. But mostly she was just excited. She said Haylee told her she is just here to have fun and if she wins, then great. Olivia told us she liked that attitude and decided to take it on. Pretty cute wisdom for little eight year olds. I'm glad they were there to push each other to be their best.

(Olivia & Haylee after the meet--proud owners of their trophies.)

I'd like to give a special shout out to my mini-me coach Morgan. She's been by my side at every swim skills. She yells at the kids to go faster, she corrects them on their strokes, and tells them all the things they are doing wrong. She's quite the professional at age 4. She really has been such a great sport throughout all this and has picked up some swim skills of her own. I'm excited to throw her into the swimming mix next year!

Anyway, this post is much longer than I ever like to do but for the record here are their best times on each event (some of Owen's divisional times were faster) and if you want to see what awesome little swimmers they are you can follow this youtube link. It's a straight run-through of each of their events and them getting their trophies. Just mute your volume because I scream like a crazy lady. :) I know they can't hear me, but it makes me feel better. Also, I was shaking and cheering so it may not be the best video. :)

OWEN:

freestyle: 18.59 (1st)

backstroke: 25.98 (3rd)--had a bad race, he's gotten 1st at the last two meets)

butterfly: 24.42 (1st)

OLIVIA: (she was 1 second off the city record for every one of these)

freestyle: 15.64 (2nd)--she and Haylee really pushed each other. best time for both of them.)

backstroke: 19.52 (1st)--she is such a great backstroker)

butterfly: 17.50 (1st)

SWIMMING VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSTiZD4j1E0

Avert Your Eyes...

2011-07-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

My kids almost never see me without make-up on.

I'm one of those people that get ready and wear make-up every day.

I don't wash my face at night. (gasp! I know, no need to tell me how horrible this is, but it's not going to change the fact that I don't and I won't. I used to and it didn't work out for me, so I don't.)

I wash it in the shower after I've worked out in the morning and then I get ready immediately. If they come ask me a question or something in that period of time they will see me, but other than that, not really.

But I never, and I mean NEVER, go about my day without some form of make-up on...especially eye make-up. There's just something glorious about putting black stuff all around my eyes. :)

Today, however, I had showered a little later than normal and I needed to get lunch ready for the kids. So I just threw my clothes on after the shower and pulled my hair back and came out WITHOUT MAKE-UP ON! I know, can you believe it.

Nobody said anything and all seemed to be going fine. But I did get the distinct impression that Owen was sort of avoiding me.

After about 20 minutes or so I had the food ready and called Owen over to come eat.

As he sat down he said as politely as he could, "Mom, I like it when you have your make-up on." He made eye contact with me for about point five seconds and then quickly glanced down at his macaroni and cheese because looking at me was just too scary. Seriously, he AVERTED HIS EYES!!!!

I know son, I am a hideous creature without make-up on. I am sorry you had to witness this.

When I tell people this they never believe me, but I really am one of those people that you don't know how they can look so different with or without make-up. It's kind of crazy. I would post a picture but you'd never look at me the same. (and I don't think I've ever allowed anybody to take one of me without make-up since I was 12)

I used to have nightmares in Jr. High that the boy I liked would show up at my house and I wouldn't be wearing make-up and then what would I do?!?!?! Really, I worried more about this than I care to admit.

Once or twice in high school I decided to just try going to school sans make-up and try the au naturale look, but everyone just asked me all day if I was sick. Lovely.

Every guy I ever dated had to pass the "Here I am without make-up on, are you sure you want to keep dating me?" test. Of course they were all kind and told me I looked just fine (they had to say that), but I think secretly they were just praying that I would never remove the make-up from my face in their presence ever again.

So my dear sweet Owen, with two sisters who will wear make-up someday, and a mother who wears it, you get an early taste of the hideous creatures that lie beneath these make-uped faces.

Our beauty is only as deep as our eyeliner can go.

Holy Cow!

2011-07-14T08:16:00.000-07:00

I live in a neighborhood.

Suburbia.

Granted, there is a deserty field just to the side of my house, but it's just a bunch of sage brush and dirt.

So you can imagine our surprise when this morning Shane left for work and came back in two seconds later saying, "Come here, you've got to see this! There are cows and a donkey in our front yard."

What?!

So out we went to view the spectacle.

Sure enough there was this guy:

and this guy:

and all of these guys:

this is a view from my driveway:

Right now I can hear cows mooing outside my window.

And now the police have shown up beeping their sirens at the cows.

Half our neighborhood was standing outside, gawking at this.

I couldn't help but think how funny this would be to a rancher or cattle farmer, us all standing there like: "Oh my gosh, look at the cows!"

But I suppose it wasn't because they were cows, but cows in an unusual place.

Morgan just keeps saying how awesome it was and that maybe Jersey could go out since maybe she would just look like a cow to them (since she's a cow dog), but she also mentioned we would need to paint her paws to look like hooves and they might notice her dog nose, so we'd need to do something about that.

She's got it all figured out.

Anyway, you can't really beat a day where you wake up to cows.

Yee-haw!

School Clothes Cash

2011-07-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

I'm still on a quest to make sure my kids learn how to appreciate things.

I want them to learn to work and place value on the stuff they get.

I'm going to squash out entitlement if it kills me. :)

So here's my latest gig.

School clothes.

They need them, and I'm gonna get them, but I don't want the kids to think they get them no matter what.

So I've developed "school clothes cash".

They have to do 1/2 hour-1 hour of work for me (depending on the job) to earn some "cash". Once they have their cash they can come spend it in my "store". My store consists of school clothes I have already purchased for them and they can pick out one item of school clothes per job they do.

This will teach them:
1. That every piece of clothing has value--they know, because they have worked for it.
2. How good it feels to work for something you want. (they keep eyeing what they want to get next).
3. To take better care of their clothes.
4. That they don't get something for nothing.

The funny thing is they really like doing this. It's more exciting to them. And it's great for me because they are begging me to do work around the house! :) Livy has literally said to me several times, "Mom, is there anything I can do for you PLEASE. I really want some more school clothes cash." I'm just having a hard time coming up with enough jobs for them to do.

I'm telling you, it's fantastic.

Come August my house will be clean and my kids will be well dressed.

Lovely.

Picture This...

2011-06-03T08:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes pictures capture things we don't notice in our every day lives.

This happened the other day.

Dane just had a birthday party.

I walked the kids down and took a cute little picture of Morgan by the door getting ready to enter the Tikki Pool Party.

She's adorable....don't worry, I notice that.

Then we went inside and I wanted to get a picture of Dane with Owen and Morgan giving him his gift. So I took this quick little picture.

Here is what I noticed: Owen has a freakin' chiseled body. What the heck? He's six!

I mean, I've noticed he is a pretty fit kid, but when I reviewed this picture it kind of freaked me out.

Shane is doing P90X right now...trying to look like Owen.

I suppose what he should be doing is swim skills, with me. :)

Rights and Privileges

2011-04-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the lines of American life this idea of "rights" and "privileges" has gotten seriously confused.

I believe it is this thought process alone that is bringing down our entire society.

Everyone is "entitled" to this or that.

I "deserve" a nice home. I'm "entitled" to a nice car. It's my "right" to have an iphone. I "have to" watch my tv shows. I "deserve" to make X amount of dollars. And on and on.

This mentality will prove to be our destruction...if we don't change it in ourselves and our kids.

Last night Shane and I were watching "Kate: Her Story" (of Jon and Kate Plus 8) and in the interview Kate said, "My children deserve life served to them on a gold platter." I wanted to punch her in the face for saying this. Children, and people in general, "deserve" 3 things.

1. To be loved
2. To be clothed
3. To be fed

Everything, and I mean everything, outside of that is a privilege.

Unfortunately our American minds have begun to consider most American luxuries as rights.

Consider the difference between my thought process last year and this year.

Last year:
  Kids: "Mom, we've hardly even watched any tv today. It's not fair! Please just let us watch one more show."
   Me: (internal thought--Most kids watch way more tv than my kids. I'm sure one more show won't hurt them.) Sigh, "Okay. One more show."

What just happened was I fed their "entitlement" by giving in to the idea that they should get to watch one more show, and I bought into it too because in my mind my kids deserved a similar amount of tv as other kids.

This is a small example of something that happened in many other areas of their life as well, and I know happens in the lives of kids all around me.

Now consider something that happened yesterday.

Yesterday: (while doing skills)
   Kids: "Can I take out the garbage?" "No I want to take it out." "NO, I do!" (taking out the garbage is one of the chores they can do for an extra token).
   Me: "Well, whoever gets done with their skills first can pick their extra job first."

They raced as fast as they could to finish their skills work because they wanted the "privilege" of taking out the garbage.

It was almost unreal to hear my kids arguing about who got to take out the garbage. But it made me so happy. They are starting to see work as a privilege...which it most definitely is.

I used to think that giving privileges to my kids showed that I loved them, when in fact, it hurts them. Privileges always have to be earned or life gets confusing and actually, quite unenjoyable.

This is true for kids and grown ups.

When my kids just got computer time, tv time, junk food, fruit snacks, toys, etc. for no other reason than that it was their "right", they were unhappy. They couldn't enjoy it because they hadn't earned it and it always left them unsatisfied and wanting more.

Now when they get one of those things they are able to truly enjoy it and on a whole different level. So what I have "given" them is something even greater.

Much greater.

What a privilege. :)

Lessons Learned

2011-03-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday nights Shane and I play on a co-ed softball team.

It's a lot of fun and the kids love the chance they get to run around the ball park with other kids and play in the dirt.

They've also discovered the snack bar.

I've made it clear that I'm not giving them money to buy stuff at the snack bar (even though all the other parents do and I'm just a big meanie!)

Livy and Owen remembered they wanted to bring money and get something from the snack bar last night, so they each grabbed a dollar out of their piggy bank.

But Morgan is broke.

I think she's got 17 cents to her name.

When we got to the field, Morgan immediately broke into tears: "I want to get something too! I want money!"

I offered that if she were willing to do a job for me I could probably help her out.

"NO!" She shouted. "I want to get a treat!" And then she crumpled into my arms and cried.

Oh how I wanted to just give her a dollar. It's a dollar. What's the big deal?

With that little dollar I could buy:

my daughter's immediate affection
my way out of an embarrassing public situation
the peace of mind that I'm nice and not a big meanie

But then I remembered I don't want to do the easy thing, I want to do the right thing. The thing that will pay off later. The thing that will teach her and help her to grow. And for now, that's the harder thing.

I told her I was sorry, but I couldn't give her a dollar.

With that, I ran out to the field to start the game. (I was glad I was able to do that because allowing time for her to deal with the situation is essential. And if I'm right there with her it's so much harder to not want to try to fix it.)

When I came back in she had fully recovered to her happy self. Olivia had bought some Skittles and, hating to see any soul suffer, she shared with Morgan.

I realized at that moment why it was so important for me to withhold that dollar:

Morgan learned how to control her emotions when things didn't go her way.
She learned that money has value and if she wants something, she has to work for it.
Olivia got the chance to share and build a bond of love and friendship with her sister.

When we immediately give in to the demands of our kids to ward off a tantrum we do them no favors. I have noticed they are always worse when I do this.

When we do this we are rewarding them when they are out of control so that we don't have to hear it.

But what's worse than that is we water down the lessons that they so desperately need to be learning at a young age and that will help them for the rest of their lives.

Is it hard to see our kids disappointed and unhappy?

Yes. It's the worst. I hate it.

But I would so much rather have them learn these lessons over Skittles than over a job or a marriage or any other things later in life.

Hard now, better later.

It's worth it.

She's worth it.

Cereal....Who Knew?

2011-03-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up sugar cereal was non-existent in our house.

I envied other kids who could open a cupboard to the glories of Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms.

Oh how I longed for that sugary goodness to coat my mouth at the breakfast table.

No worries. It wasn't that we never got it. We simply had to win 1st or 2nd place in the City Championship Swim Meet and then we could pick whatever cereal we wanted! (You'd better believe that was the driving force behind me becoming as good of a swimmer as I was. I got to pick my own cereal 4 times. :) You also had to carefully HIDE your cereal once you won it so your sneaky older siblings wouldn't gobble it down.)

So I think I thought when I first became a mom I wouldn't deprive my children of such things, and sugar cereal became the most common breakfast we had. (I hadn't yet discovered the wisdom of my mother's ways).

Oh, I had standards. No Cocoa Puffs or Cookie Crisp (for the most part), but Lucky Charms was pretty much a staple.

Before long I realized my children were sort of demanding such things.

"MOM, why didn't you get more Lucky Charms?!?!"

The more I thought about this and examined their behavior in general, the more I realized I didn't quite like how they were turning out. And I knew, of course, that was mostly my fault at this point in time.

First I started becoming Chinese, established "skills", and became more disciplined in my parenting.

Major, MAJOR improvements in their behavior.

Round about this time we also removed not just sugar cereal, but pretty much all cereal after realizing that high fructose corn syrup is in EVERYTHING and it started to really gross me out.

There was actually not a ton of complaining when I straight forward told them we wouldn't be having it anymore and why. (Food Inc. and Michael Pollen, I blame thank you.)

Now I have started a morning chore chart where they can earn tokens for certain prizes. There are only certain things that can earn them tokens and other chores they simply have to do. If they complain about those chores they lose a token.

I have never seen such motivation in all of them, but Owen especially. He is up at the crack of dawn making his bed & making sure his room is clean. It's amazing to see him so motivated and focused.

Anyway, the whole point of this story is this. For 25 tokens (which would be the equivalent of never missing a single job for 2 1/2 weeks) you can pick out your own box of cereal. The night after we introduced the new program I overheard Morgan discussing with Owen the possibilities.

"Owen," she said in her gravely voice, "I bet when you pick a cereal you can pick a sugary one!"

"Yeah, I know." He said. I could almost hear him day dreaming about it.

There are a lot of different prizes they can work towards, including $5 cash or a night out for ice cream. But the biggest motivator proves to be that elusive box of cereal.

My Mom knew it all along. :)

Skillz

2011-02-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been cussed out by someone in regards to your child?

Well, we can check that off my bucket list. :)

Every Wednesday and Saturday we do Swim Skills.

On about our 3rd day of Swim Skills Owen was bawling his brains out. He did NOT want to do it.

He started crying the moment he got in because he thought it was all "too hard". (please keep in mind he was saying this about stuff he has done many times before.)

I wouldn't let him off the hook and I encouraged him to keep going.

He kept crying.

I told him he could not get out of the pool until he finished.

He kept crying.

I stayed firm.

He kept crying.

Then, I hear a shout from across the pool deck from some 20-ish year old kid:

"What the h@(* is your problem?"

I looked around. Where was this voice coming from? And what in the? ...is it aimed at me?

When I got over my confusion and honed in on the origin of the voice we made eye contact and he continued:

"You're pushing him like he's in the effing ('cept he didn't say effing) Olympics and he's 5 years old."

First I thought "Actually he's 6," because that's how my brain works, but then I told him to watch his mouth.

Then I asked him if he was a parent.

He said nothing.

I said, "That's what I thought."

He didn't like that and he walked away pretty angrily.

And it hit me right there: Us American's have the HARDEST time making kids do hard things.

It is hard.

I hate seeing Owen cry and feeling like I'm being mean.

Except the important part is I know I'm not being mean. I know what he can do. I know why I'm wanting him to do it. And THAT is essential to the process.

What is mean is allowing my children to spend all their time watching TV, eating junk food, letting them quit and back out of everything, etc. because they are scared or think it's hard or just don't "feel like" doing something. It never gives them a chance to learn and grow and believe in themselves.

Is swim skills about having him do 20 laps? No.

It's about helping him to discover that he can indeed do "hard" things. Things he didn't think he could do. And when he does it, he will feel so good and start to realize he can do anything.

Want to know what's awesome?

Owen loves swim skills now.

He told me the other day he wishes we had swim skills every day.

He's started to see his own progress, and it feels good.

He keeps checking his muscles, certain they are getting bigger by the minute.

He is a different kid now. Completely different kid. (even in his class at school).

At the end of swim skills we always do sprints. Yesterday I told Owen he had to make it across the pool with 2 breaths or less. And Olivia had to make it across in 1 breath or less.

And we weren't leaving until they did it. (My swim coaches made me swim with no breath at age 6, so I knew this was completely possible).

Owen tried his first one.

3 breaths.

Tried again.

3 breaths...and a decent amount of frustration.

I decided to let him rest a bit while Olivia tried hers.

Olivia made it in NO BREATHS! (this is another post, but needless to say, she was ecstatic!)

Owen got up and tried again.

He made it in 1 breath! And he took 5 seconds off his fastest time. 5 SECONDS!!!

Pure joy. Pride. Excitement. (That's describing him and me).

He kept saying, "I can't believe I could do that!"

I could see his confidence in himself growing before my eyes.

It was like magic.

Do I do swim skills or academic skills with the kids so they can win contests?

No.

I do it so they can win confidence, self esteem and happiness.

And guess what?

We're winning.

We are still becoming Chinese over here.

I love it.

The kids love it.

It's a beautiful thing.

The Reading Bucket

2011-02-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

First off, I must apologize for my last post.

I'm afraid I have offended some by exposing part of my belly. (at least I think it was my belly).

Anyway, on to cuter things.

The other day Owen stayed home from school sick. (that's not the cute part)

I heard him reading to Morgan and turned around to see.

Okay, here's the cute part....

He was reading to her in this bucket:

I don't know why they felt the need to squeeze themselves into this bucket for reading, but whatever.

Now you all want a reading bucket, don't you?

Well as long as you don't look like this:

...then you'll probably fit just fine.

Okay, okay...I'm sorry, I couldn't resist.

No more.

A Little Valentine's Lesson...

2011-02-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

So the other day, I casually mentioned to Shane that I had never received a box of chocolates.

Ever.

And I said it might be nice to get one for Valentine's Day, you know, if he was wondering.

Maybe one that looked like this....

Well, okay. Maybe it didn't go exactly like that.

It could be that the conversation went a little more like this:

"Hey hon, I have never gotten a box of chocolates... ever. And this year I would like some. In fact, I would like this one, right here (handing him a photographic advertisement). It needs to be this one. The red, heart shaped one. From See's. Really, I want it." (To be fair, I think it was Fast Sunday and I was really hungry.)

I just wanted to make sure we were clear, that's all.

No confusion=no disappointment come said Valentine's Day.

Well wouldn't you know it, my sweetheart came through.

It was the same one as I saw in the picture!

Spectacular!!!

It was waiting on my heart shaped plate on Valentine's morning and I couldn't have been happier.

Fast Forward....3 days later.

Uh oh, my heart shaped candy box looks like this:

And now I look like this:

Honey, maybe next year when I demand ask kindly for the red, heart shaped box of chocolates you should buy me flowers and tell me they were all out of chocolates.

For everyone's sake...

Becoming Chinese.....

2011-01-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law Annie sent me THIS article.

Take 5 minutes and read it.

Seriously, read it.

It has changed my life.

Ok. If you can get over being offended by the title of the article, and get past some of the cultural abnormalities like calling your child "garbage" to "motivate" them, then we can get to the meat of what is really great about this article.

Don't just write it off because there are things you disagree with, look at what is true in here and really analyze your parenting style versus hers.

Western parents really could learn a lot.

There are so many different aspects to address in this article, but for now I will just address one.

My favorite paragraphs is this:

What Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you're good at it. To get good at anything you have to work, and children on their own never want to work, which is why it is crucial to override their preferences. This often requires fortitude on the part of the parents because the child will resist; things are always hardest at the beginning, which is where Western parents tend to give up.

I think this single paragraph, if addressed by the Western world, could make all the difference in the lives of our children and the future of our country.

We do this. We TOTALLY do this. We give up as soon as our kids resist. We're afraid of seeming strict or mean. We're afraid of CPS being called on us because we make our kids do something that makes them cry. So as soon as they cry we either feel bad and say, "Okay, never-mind." Or we get frustrated and say, "Forget it!" Or we're just too tired (or distracted) to deal with it so they get away with whatever it is without even a word on our part.

What have we just taught our kids? Several things:

1. When things get hard, just quit.
2. You're not worth my time, effort, or energy.
3. You aren't good at _________ anyway.
4. Laziness is ok.
etc.

Probably not the messages we mean to, or want to, send our kids.

But I assure you, they are being sent.

So here's the thing. Parenting NEEDS to, HAS to, be proactive.

And you, as the parent, have to know what you are doing and why you are doing it. Your motives have to come from the right place and they are what drive you.

Proactive parenting is the solution to many, if not most, of our parenting woes.

You can't facebook, blog, text, work, etc. and parent on the side.

It just doesn't work.

So let me just tell you how things have changed since we've become more Chinese here at our house.

When the kids get home from school they finish up homework, have a healthy snack that I have prepared for them (which is mostly just a vegetable and it's the ONLY choice they have if they want a snack). After snack they work on "skills". Skills are lots of different things: math, geography, running, splits, reading, etc. They work on skills for 1- 1 1/2 hours. Once they are done with skills they have time to play until 5pm, at which point they need to be home. They don't get TV time, except for one hour on Saturday morning, and they have chores to do too.

We have been doing "skills" for about 3 weeks now. Let me tell you what has happened:

1. Olivia, who has been failing all of her subtraction tests at school (anywhere between 54%-68%) just came home last week with a 100% on her subtraction test. She is practicing daily to be able to do the splits and she has just declared that she would like to win the City swim meet this summer. (we do swim skills twice a week).
2. Owen, who has been on the cusp of reading for a LONG time but just got too frustrated with it, (which means I got too frustrated too) has now begun to read.... a lot. He is becoming more focused and self controlled and has become more respectful and obedient as well. He cried his brains out the first day of swim skills and I think the Lifeguard thought I was the meanest person in the world, but I would not let him get out until he finished the set I had given him. He has now taken 11 seconds off his 25 yd freestyle time already and was BEAMING yesterday after swim skills with his accomplishment. He kept saying, "I can't believe I could do that!"
3. Morgan, well....Morgan is tough. She is testing boundaries more than the other two, but she comes around and even asks when we are doing skills. I think this is more because I'm not as certain about what to give her or exactly how to push her. But we'll figure it out soon.

They eat better, they listen better, they are happier and we are all happier.

I'm telling you, it's been amazing.

When I know exactly who I am as a mom and what I expect from my kids, they do so much better.

I don't waffle on my expectations, I know what they can do and I expect them to do it.

And they do.

Try becoming a little more Chinese.

You'll be glad you did.

(...and even though they may complain, your kids will be glad too.)

Is Your Family THIS Awesome? Yeah, I Didn't Think So. :)

2010-12-30T09:34:00.000-08:00

There's a cute little girl I know that just turned 8.

She looks a little something like this:

Turning 8 at our house is a very special thing for lots of reasons.

Of course the biggest deal is that she gets to be baptized.

But I think Olivia might think the biggest deal is that she gets a BIG birthday party!

(something we only do every 4 years).

However, since we do them only every 4 years we go ALL out when we do them.

Unfortunately Olivia's Grandma Susan has been dying of cancer and at the beginning of this week was so sick that Olivia and I took a last minute trip to Utah to get a chance to say goodbye. Luckily we did because she passed away this morning. She and Olivia had a very special bond and I'm grateful for the chance we got to go. I had just resolved that her party would be a little less "spectacular" and that was okay.

My mom and sisters, however, didn't think any such thing should happen.

They wanted Olivia's party to be even MORE spectacular!

So they stepped up and rocked her birthday world.

But before they could do that, I have to say I came home from our trip to Utah to a SPOTLESS house. My sweet Shane made sure everything was clean...not clean to boy standards, but super clean!

I was SO impressed and grateful because I had no energy to do it.

He had also installed a quiet fill toilet kit in our bathroom and kept Morgan and Owen thoroughly entertained while we were gone.

Seriously, how did I get the best husband in the world?

(I don't like to do braggy husband posts, but I just couldn't help it. Sorry.)

Anyway, Olivia, being the girly-girl she is, decided she wanted a "spa party".

So we called it "Olivia's Pamper Me Party" and went from there.

My mother made 10 spa robes so each of the girls could have one. 10!!! I think it took her 2 solid days and they turned out so dang cute it's not even funny.

She has some extra material so she decided, why not make them matching gift bags?

WOW!

But just in case that wasn't enough she also made matching eye masks too.

Can you even stand it?

My oldest sister Dana knows I love to do cakes for the kids' birthdays and offered to do this for me.

I was just planning on buying some grocery store cake since I wouldn't have time to even think about making one but Dana wouldn't have it.

She made this masterpiece along with 10 giant cupcakes for each of the girls to take home.

OH. MY. GOSH.

My family is amazing.

But it doesn't stop there.

After playing some games, each of the girls started their "Spa Experience".

They each got a facial, manicure and pedicure.

My mom, sisters Dana, Allyson & Jenny, along with my sis-in-law Lana and adopted sister Julie (who is Allyson's sis-in-law) all came to be our Spa Workers.

And they were FABULOUS!!!

I didn't make any assignments they just all jumped right in and started doing their thing.

I am so grateful for that.

Here is Olivia getting her facial from Julie. Julie is a massage therapist so whoever got her was lucky because they got some lovely face massage as well. :)

Don't even think we would forget the cucumbers.

Puffy eyes be gone!

Pedicures were full out, performed by my mom and Lana.

They included foot spa soaks, exfoliating foot rubs, foot and calf massage with lotion, and a nail polish of your choice.

Look at these girls relax! They loved the "pampering".

Manicures were done by Allyson and Dana, our resident nail experts.

Hand soaks, fingernail buffing, cuticle oil and fingernail trim/filing when needed.

Then they picked out their favorite color and also got some nail art stickers!

After all the pampering we "beautified."

Julie is also a Mary Kay girl, so she had fun doing some make up on the girls.

Lana did hair and the rest of us tried to help with hair and make up when we could. Jenny is actually really good at the hair and make up too.

Our final result was a bunch of beautiful and pampered 7-8 year old girls.

Aren't they adorable?

I don't know how Livy has so many pretty friends.

It was the perfect day.

Livy loved her party, her robes and her beautiful cake.

She told me the party was even better than she thought it would be.

Me too Livy, me too.

Thank you so much to each of you wonderful ladies who went above and beyond my wildest dreams to make Olivia's birthday so special.

We will never forget all you did for us at this crazy, emotional, hard, exciting time.

My family is truly the best.

We love you!

..........

And Morgan was happy because even though she wasn't invited to the party, Grandma Dian made her a robe & eye mask too. :)

Snow Trip

2010-12-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our snow trip to Flagstaff last weekend.

Oh, what's that? You don't see any snow?

Yeah.

Olivia looked high and low.

We did find a pancake size bit of left over snow.

Don't even worry, the kids made 3 snowballs out of it.

I suppose it makes the snow trip legit.

I did know before going that there would most likely be no snow since it hadn't snowed in awhile and temps were in the fifties, but it was our only weekend available and we had already promised the kids we would take a snow trip this year, so we gave it a shot.

We stayed in the Little America Hotel where we got a smokin' deal on Priceline.

I must say I was really impressed with the hotel, especially for the price! ($65/night)

The kids thought it was the Taj Mahal. Loved it.

Plus, the beds and pillows were super comfortable!

They had lights up on 100's of trees, the lobby was all decked out and they had a huge fireplace to lounge by. Here Shane and I are lounging and I'm holding his face so he doesn't try any funny business since all the pictures before this were goofy faces. Look how handsome he is when he acts normal. :) Love you babe.

Buddy the Elf paid us a visit. :)

Olivia thought it was fun to pose for this picture because we were laughing, but when she saw the picture, and Shane mentioned she looked like a boy, she was horrified and wouldn't put her hair up in her hat the rest of the trip.

Don't we look special?

I was just proud that I was able to get us all in.

Sheer talent.

There was a big plasma screen TV in the room, which, as you can see, completely pleased the kids.

"Hey everyone, let's go to Flagstaff so we can watch TV!"

Here we are leaving room 287.

The kids wanted to show their sadness by crying for a picture.

Lovely.

Even though there was no snow, we had a great time.

Maybe next year we can see some of that white stuff!

Sold

2010-12-08T20:02:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile I have a great idea. This week I had one of those.

A stroke of genius really.

I decided my kids should actually earn the money they use to buy each other gifts this year. Instead of saying, "Here's $5 for you to buy a gift for your brother/sister," I figured they should work for it so it meant something to them.

But what to do?

I'm a firm believer in NOT paying kids to do things they should do anyway like clean their rooms, make their beds, do chores, be "good", etc. I thought of creating "extra jobs" like wiping down baseboards and stuff, but I decided that fell into the same category as "earning their keep". But what can 4, 6 & 7 year olds do to earn money then? I kept my mind a thinkin' and I came up with a plan.

What are my kids really good at? Looking adorable (irresistible in fact) for 1-2 minute increments of time. How could I exploit that and help them earn some sweet cash in the process?

Selling cookies!

They were totally down with the idea--quite excited in fact. Everyone had a job:

Job 1: Hold the cookie basket and speak to the customer (this was the most important and coveted of the jobs--the actual selling. They all wanted to do it.)

Job 2: Hold the sign that clearly explained 3 cookies for $1 with a Santa that was telling you that you were "lucky". (which indeed you are because 3 cookies for a dollar is a smokin' deal).

Job 3: Hold the money can up for the sweet cash to be deposited.

Job 4: (mom's job) make all the cookies and wrap them up all cute-like.

We did two days of selling. The first day (Saturday), I thought went pretty well. We sold about $14 worth in just under an hour. Today we doubled our amount to sell ($28 worth) and sold out in 35 minutes!

We did two things different today: One, I dressed them all up. I know this made a big difference. And two, I let them take turns "selling". (the first day Livy did all the talking per her insistence, but I thought it would work well to change it up). I am certain this made a big difference too.

Here's the sales team:

Could you say no to this?

Or this?

How 'bout THIS?!

Morgan was our secret weapon. When she was in charge of selling NOBODY could say no.

We didn't get many "no's", but Livy and Owen did get some.

Morgan got none.

I told her to speak real loud so people could hear her. So she spoke real loud in her raspy, perfect, Morgan voice and I could literally watch grown men, teenage boys, grandma's, anyone that was standing there, melt into puddles and run for their wallets. She was proud that she wasn't even being shy.

The kids loved this experience. They think selling is fun and pretty easy. They were SO excited to count their money at home and figure out how much they made. They all made enough to buy each other gifts and maybe even have a little left over.

So, as Livy said when we got home, "This was a great success!"

Van Morgan

2010-11-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a naughty little girl that looked like this.

Don't let that adoreable-ness fool you. She's naughty.

And because of this naughtiness she got sent to her room for a time out.

Fast forward a few days later when I go in to make the bed of this naughty girl because I can't look at the messy room for one more moment.

As I start to pull back the covers I notice something.

Is that a drawing? On the sheets?

Why yes, yes it is.

And it is distinctly a Morgan. You know how you can tell a Van Gough from a mile away? Well I can do the same thing with a Morgan.

Now, I had to muster up some anger because the drawing was so dang cute and pretty good for being done on a sheet. And it extra melted my heart because it's a dog or cat (or animal of some kind because that's all Morgan loves and it cracks me up). So I pulled myself together and marched out to Morgan to demand some answers.

Did you draw a picture on your sheets? I asked all mom-like.

She sheepishly answered that she did indeed.

I demanded to know why she did such a thing and she informed me that she just really likes to draw, even when she's in time out.

I reminded her that we ONLY draw on paper and she confirmed that she knows this and will do so from here on out.

I don't want any more bed sheet drawings, but I have to admit...it was kind of fun to be greeted by a little drawing while making the bed.

Naughty girl.

Is it too late?

2010-11-12T12:51:00.000-08:00

I do realize it is nearly Thanksgiving, but here are our Halloween pics nonetheless.

This was Olivia's first year to be something scary instead of something "pretty". She had been talking about it for quite some time and was very excited about it. I was surprised because I didn't think she'd ever want to be anything but pretty. As it turns out, she just really likes to play the part. And she did well. Cackling laugh and all. I did make that smashing witch dress with some leftover material I had. It was just what she wanted...and just what I wanted (free!).

Here is Owen as a vampire. Also his first year to debut as a scary Halloween character. He and Livy both really enjoyed the make up process. We lost the cape for his costume (which I just found today!) so I had to come up with this make shift cape which is actually a curtain to a puppet show thing. Eh, it worked. This costume...also free. (I am not including the $2 make up I used from Walmart).

And lastly, our little ballerina. This was Morgan's dance costume from June. It cost $60. But for Halloween, it was free! :) Isn't she just gorgeous? She won the costume contest at our ward for her age group. She totally did a twirl right when she got in front of the judges. How could she not win?

Here's a little action shot. You know, the 'ol ballerina/witch duo.

And last of all, here they are together.

We did some trunk 'or treating, went to two ward carnivals, the second of which had 19 different booth games to play, tons of prizes and treat and craziness, and then on Halloween we didn't do anything but sit on the porch that night to hand out candy. When all was said and done I asked the kids what their favorite part was and Owen said, "Handing out candy. That was so much fun."

I have an idea for Halloween from here on out.... :)

Cast Off!

2010-10-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

Want to see something creepy? Well, read this. I'll get to it.

This little girl has been a trooper.

6 weeks she has been in this cast. SIX!

And yesterday, she got to get it off.

Here's the nurse cutting it off.

Morgan hates loud noises, hence the fingers in the ear.

Viola! It's off!!! Finally she can itch her leg.

She doesn't seem too enthused. But she humored me with the thumbs up anyway.

Okay, here it is. The creepy part. Apparently Morgan smuggled an adult male's leg into her cast because seriously where in the heck did that much hair come from. Certainly a 4 year old girl can't have legs that hairy. What the heck?!?!

No wonder her legs were constantly itching! She was growing enough hair to make a wig and send it to locks of love. I really did think about shaving her leg when we got home. Ew. These pictures

aren't even doing it justice. It's really long.

We had a "Cast Party" to celebrate the occasion. First everybody had to smell the stinky cast. It was quite stinky.

Then we had ice cream sundae's.

What everybody failed to mention to me was that after you get your cast off you can't walk, so there really isn't anything to celebrate, except the fact that you can itch your hairy legs.

Hooray!

What Matters.

2010-09-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

As you all know Shane teaches students from all over the world. He spent 2 months in Iraq and 23 of those Iraqi teachers have been here for the past month receiving further instruction.

A few days ago one of the Iraqi teachers said to Shane, "Your life is so hard."

Shane's brain nearly flipped upside down trying to grasp what this woman...from Iraq...could possibly mean. I'm sure he probably wanted to remind her that she was from Iraq, SHE is the one that gets bombed on a daily basis, SHE is the one that has to worry if death is around the corner for her or her family members, SHE is the one that comes from a war torn country. Certainly it is SHE that has the hard life.

Instead, he asked her to explain what she meant.

She talked of how scheduled he is (as most Americans are). How he has to spend so much time working on and accomplishing tasks. That in Iraq they all go home at 2 pm and have a big feast and enjoy time together every day.

And as he told me this I couldn't help but think...she's right.

Our lifestyles here are actually pretty crappy. They consist of work, work, work and more work mingled with some family time. Why do we work so hard for things when it's people that matter? We want a bigger house, a better car, nicer clothes, the latest technology, or just to be the best in our business...but none of that matters.

If I could be in Greer with my family, every day, with the possibility that there might be a bomb, I think I'd take it because every day matters so much more. Every day is so enjoyable. Every day is worth living. Every day I'm surrounded by people I love and that love me. Not a 54" TV screen or iPad's or granite countertops--but people.

Want to know what matters?

Them:

Bizarre-O World

2010-09-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

What would you say if I told you I attended my ex-husband's wedding...and enjoyed it?

Or if I told you at the wedding dinner that I was given the opportunity to stand, introduce myself, and give marriage advice? Ha!

Well, it's true. This really did happen. It was probably more weird because it really wasn't that weird. Cameron has a really great family and really great friends that I was so happy to see and visit with. And, as it turns out, I think he made a fabulous choice in Erin.

Almost 2 weeks ago Cameron married Erin Del Torro on the beach in California.

It looked like this:

Erin looked beautiful and I got some beautiful shots of the kids. Olivia and Erin's daughter's (Ava and Beatrice--twins) were the bridesmaids.

Owen was the ring bearer (that was brave). I had to put this one in because seriously...look at Liv's hand. She just came that way! Also, they tied the rings on really tight knowing that Owen would be holding them. Smart.

Morgan was the flower girl. I love how admiringly she is looking at Owen.

Super cute smile on Morgan and...well, classic Owen.

One of my favorite pictures ever of this girl.

Owen, lost in his own world.

Livy, lost in hers.

Morgan was playing in the sand and water the whole time. Even during the ceremony she was trying to build a sand castle. She ripped her dress and was a mess, but it wouldn't have been Morgan if she was doing anything else.

Love this kid. He looked like such a stud in his tux and he LOVED the bow tie.

Beautiful girl. When she noticed me taking pictures across the way she immediately started smiling and tried to hold back full on poses. So cute.

Congrats Cameron and Erin!

Hard Knocks

2010-09-09T16:17:00.001-07:00

No sooner do you turn 4 than the hard things in life come along.

Last Saturday, whilst enjoying a day at the water park with Cameron, Morgan broke her leg.

The weird thing is I was worried about her all day...just felt like something might happen to her and even texted him several times asking him to be extra careful with her. Let it be known, I do not blame him in any way for this, it was a complete accident that couldn't have been prevented with "being extra careful"...I just think mother's intuition is a real thing and it's sort of weird when you realize you have it.

Anyway, being the tough girl that she is, he didn't know it was broken (and also in his defense, there really wasn't any swelling), but when he brought her back to me on Sunday morning and she screamed just when he moved her from his arms to mine I knew something was very wrong.

I took her immediately to Urgent Care, where upon observation the doctor thought she might just have a bone bruise but he said we'd take x-rays just to be safe. I told him I found that hard to believe since she screamed any time it moved and I was glad we were taking x-rays.

He came back with a surprised look on his face after reviewing the x-rays and confirmed she did in fact break it at the top of the tibia (just below the knee) and that she was definitely not overreacting. There is a huge dent in her bone and a crack all the way across. I KNEW she wasn't overreacting. She's always so tough. Every time she falls or gets banged the first words out of her mouth to me are, "That didn't even hurt."

And this definitely DID hurt.

So when you're tough like that, after you get splinted you get to do this on the couch...

Nobody EVER gets to do that on the couch.

Then after a couple days you go to the orthopedic doctor and you get to pick out the color for your cast.

Morgan had an entire rainbow of colors in front of her to choose from. The doctor told us that a girl close to her age had been in earlier with the same break, which he usually only sees a few times a year, and she picked a pink cast.

What did Morgan pick?

Brown.

The nurse laughed and said they actually don't even have brown. I sighed a sigh of relief and tried to encourage her to pick a "pretty" color.

So she went with.....

Red.

Good choice.

Grandma Susan will love it!

The Big 4!

2010-08-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

Allyson said I wouldn't do this post for like 2 years because she thinks I'm the worst blogger in the world. So I'm doing this now (2 hours after the event) just to spite her. :) I'm totally not in the mood to post and I have no clever or witty approach to write said post--but I do enjoy proving her wrong a great deal, so there's that.

That's hardly a good intro for the cutest 4 year old in the world's birthday party.

Here's a better one: Morgan turned 4 today!

She's been anticipating this for quite some time. We only do BIG birthday party's every 4 years, so this was her first. She's certain that everyone has been planning for this, including Fry's who had balloons up in their store on Monday, "...because it {was} almost {Morgan's} birthday."

We went with an animal theme, because if you know Morgan at all you know she is much more of an animal girl than a princess girl.

Here is a picture of the party guests at the front door. Left to Right: Dane, Maggie, Morgan, Jayce & Brooklyn. All cousins. One from each family...only Eric's family decided not to represent in this era of children.

They are all such good buddies, except when they are screaming and fighting with each other. Dane punched Morgan in the nose about 1/2 an hour after the party and made it bleed. Morgan was bawling and saying how much she "hated Dane" and how he's "the meanest person in the whole WORLD!" Then, her nose stopped bleeding and about 5 seconds after that she was like, "Hey Dane, want to play _____?" Best friends again...no remembrance of the offense at all. I love that.

Birthday girl--her animal was Tiger.

She was so pleased to get to wear the birthday hat.

Her animaled-out special plate.

We played games like pin the tail on the Lion, which Morgan won, and a freeze dance game.

THE GUESTS: Each guest got their own animal invitation a week ago, and a coordinating cake today. Yeah, I made them all their own cake. They aren't nearly as good as past cakes I've made, but what I lacked in quality I made up for in quantity. Note to self: JUST ONE CAKE FROM HERE ON OUT!!!!

BROOKLYN=Giraffe

DANE=Lion

MAGGIE: Elephant

JAYCE: Monkey

MORGAN=Tiger

They all got to do whatever they wanted with their cakes. Morgan ate a LARGE amount for such a small girl. Impressive.

GIFT BAGS: With coordinating animal stickers, of course.

I know I talk about Morgan on here a lot. She's such a fireball full of spunk, personality and her own ideas. I love her so much. The other day it occurred to me that she very well could have never happened. She came just in the nick of time at a crazy period in my life and I am so thankful every day that she did. I'd be lost without her.

Happy 4th Birthday Little Miss!

I officially have no babies in my house--weird.

1500 Pieces--Oh my!

2010-08-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Shane and I have a puzzle schedule that goes something like this.

Greer--puzzle

RECOVER

Christmas--puzzle

RECOVER

... repeat...

So pretty much every 6 months we have it in us again to want to do a puzzle. We decided this past Christmas that we shan't ever do a puzzle again larger than 500 pieces because it takes all day and we pretty much ignore everyone around us because we HAVE TO FINISH. So why the heck did I bring a 1500 piece puzzle to Greer? Well, because it was free (handed down from Allyson who apparently had no more use for it) and it was brand new, with plastic still on it. We had to at least give it a try. And unlike Christmas where we only have one day, we had a whole week!

I think we started it within the first hour of getting to Greer and finished at the end of day 3. We didn't work on it straight, but there was some solid time dedicated to it. We got some help from others this year including but not limited to: Jere (who discovered the joy of puzzling isn't as nerdy as he once thought), Porter, Troy, Dad, Eric and some of the kids who thought they were helping but mostly just moved pieces around.

It's always nice to finish because I do feel like I wake up out of a trance and look around like, "Hey, I didn't know you were here!" So when all was said and done it looked like this:

(it BARELY fit on the card table we started on...that added a whole element of trickiness!)

Amazingly enough, we finished with no pieces missing, even though I had to tackle Jody who had stolen the last piece and put it in her pocket. Sneaky, that one.

Some people complained that we shouldn't take a picture with just Shane and I because we weren't the only ones that puzzled, but let's be honest people...95% was Shane and I, so pose we will!

And our final helper was Morgan. She kept herself busy and her complaints to a minimum while we puzzled. This was quite a bit of help. She would also tell other kids to back off if they got too close. She was such an asset.

All in all, I would say my puzzle quotient is definitely filled for a good long while.

We'll see what Christmas brings....

Sleepy Much?

2010-08-18T20:50:00.001-07:00

Have you ever had a bloody nose when you were just so, so tired? A few days ago Owen banged his knee into his nose and started bleeding ALL over my couch at the very moment I had just discovered a major leak under my kitchen sink and everything was all wet. Why does it always happen like that?

Anyway, I think Owen thought he might be dying. He keeps getting really freaked out by little injuries and majorly freaked out at the sight of blood. So he starts screaming all panic-like "I'M BLEEDING!!!!" and Livy is screaming equally as panicked, "Oh my gosh there's blood, MOM, there's blood, there's blood!!!!"

So we got it all cleaned up and got Owen settled on the floor to wait for the blood flow to stop. After soaking through about 5 tissues and complaining that it was taking so long, he was finally on his last one. We went to tell him he was good to get up and we found him like this:

I told Shane I thought he was faking it. So we tested it out:

"Hey Owen, look at Jersey!"

"Hey Owen, do you want a cookie?"

"Hey Owen, check out this rocket!"

...and when he didn't respond to that, we knew he was asleep.

I guess he was pretty tired. Kindergarten will do that to ya!

First Day 'O School...

2010-08-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

So we have a big, brand new kindergartner at our house!

What a stud. :)

And don't forget his experienced older sister.

What, don't all 2nd grade girls wear things like this and pose like this for their first day of school pictures?

Gigantic flower. check.

Scarf. check.

Jeggings. check.

Gladiator sandals. check check.

**And for the record, I let her pick out her entire first day of school outfit. She told me it was the best day of her life. She was so giddy looking through clothes she could hardly contain herself. I'm so not a girl.**

Seriously? Is this girl in a JC Penny's ad or what?

Next year this one won't be eating Cookie Crisp (what? it was on super sale and it's the first time in my entire life that I have bought it, so sue me.) Anyway, if you're all done judging :), next year Morgan will be right along side the others for her first year of school!

Oh. My. Gosh. Next year my nest will be empty all day.

What's a girl to do?

Are You Trying Jo Chuff Me Up?

2010-07-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, are you?

No those aren't typos. It just happens to be the saying on the coolest shirt I have ever seen.

Yesterday I went with Shane and his 19 Chinese students to the Heard Museum.

So fun.

These students are seriously such cool people. (another post on them pending)

Anywho...one of the guys was wearing a shirt that had a cartoon drawing of a panda. The panda had a thought bubble coming from his head. You know, that looked like this:

And inside the bubble it said "Scribble".

Um, okay.

But then just below the panda it said:

"Panda Panda are you trying jo chuff me up?"

I read it about 10 times before I finally asked Shane if I was missing something.

He called the student over so we could read it better, and one of the other students was reading it with us. Shane just started laughing and said:

"That is total Chingrish!"

The students all started laughing--they loved it.

But I realized it was something like this...

You can make a racist remark if you are good friends with a group of people or if you are in the group of people, but if you are on the outside and make a comment like that you'd better be careful because they just might try jo chuff you up.

Bad Hair Day

2010-07-18T20:15:00.001-07:00

See these two? They are buddies. They are tight.

Maybe a little too tight.

While playing around today one of them got a great (read: not so great) idea (still not sure who).

Somehow this kid got involved too.

But I think this kid was the instigator.

Plus these @)(&*#$ scissors!

Plus Morgan's hair. (yeah, I didn't know you could use toe nail scissors to cut hair either).

Oh what? You didn't catch the mullet in that last picture? Take a closer look.

It's pretty sweet. I'm signing her up for a softball team tomorrow. Apparently Dane specializes in 80's cuts. Business in front, party in back!

So here's the story...Livy came running in horrified because she found Owen and Dane cutting Morgan's hair. The reason she went in was because Morgan started crying. The reason Morgan started crying was because Owen was trying to cut her hair too.

The story from Morgan goes a little something like this: "I didn't want Owen to cut my hair, only just Dane 'cause he's my friend." He must've convinced her he knew what he was doing since he watches his mom cut hair all the time.

Lucky for us his mom cuts hair all the time. She knew just what to do. So she worked her magic.

Tatum asked if she makes everyone pay for haircuts. Lana said, "Yep. Dane's paying for this one." :)

Morgan thought the whole thing was pretty sweet since she's been wanting a haircut for awhile. (obviously, since she was willing to get one from her 4 year old cousin).

Lana did a smokin' job of fixing the mess they made. (Thanks Lana!)

Super cute Morgan!

And maybe someday, when Owen is 16 or so, I will let him use scissors again.

Maybe.

Shoot For the Stars!

2010-07-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

I know. I've been on a roll the past few days. So here we go again.

Lana has a sister in town visiting and she has 2 boys, ages 7 and 11 I think. As we were lounging in the pool yesterday she was telling me a little about what they want to be when they grow up.

The older one wants to be either an engineer of some sort or an architect. He takes things apart and puts them back together, builds things, has a crazy brilliant mind.

The younger one is quite into chemistry. Chemistry? I don't think my children even know what that is. Apparently he wants to be a chemist or world famous scientist and tells his mom that he is going to cure all disease. What the?

The reason I found this so fascinating was because the day before yesterday Owen and I had a conversation about when he grows up. He informed me that he really wanted to go to college. I asked him what he wanted to study at college and he said, "I don't know. I don't know really what they do there."

So I explained that you go to college to study something that you'd really like to do as a job when you get out of college. So then I asked, "What do you want to do for your job when you grow up?"

He looked to the side, thought for a second and then turned to me quite proudly and said with a smile, "Ice cream tester."

The look on his face was something to the effect of: Holy crap! I really get to PICK what I do when I grow up. Then it's going to be something awesome!

No worries. At this house we teach them to dream big!

So far we've got Owen the ice cream tester and Morgan the duck.

Quack.

FIVE!!!

2010-07-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

That's the number of times I've gone into the kids bathroom and had to flush this:

...because there was poop in it.

FIVE!!!

It is only 4:30 pm and I only have 3 children.

1. Why the heck can't they flush...ever?

2. Who the heck is pooping so much? (my guess: Morgan)

3. Sick.

Eh? What's That You Say?

2010-07-13T15:08:00.000-07:00

Sooooo.....

The other night as Shane and I sat in 116 degree heat with Morgan jumping all over us waiting for Liv's and Owen's swim meet to start we were just looking around and having an innocent conversation.

You know, stuff like, "Look at that little baby, how cute." and "Hey, I think I know that person from somewhere." etc.

So then Shane looks across the pool to the other side as some of the older guy swimmers were getting in to warm up. One of the guys was wearing a suit that looked pretty much exactly like

this (minus the cool black racing stripes):

And he says to me: "What is up with some of the suits these guys are wearing? They are so weird. Like look at that guy over there with that red suit on. It looks like he's wearing grandma panties."

Just then the lady in the blue chair (who was sitting directly in front of us at the time...like maybe 1 foot in front of us) turned around and said:

"It's a drag suit. That's my son."

And then Shane's face looked about like this:

Seriously? What are the odds?

There were several HUNDRED people at that swim meet. There was only one sitting close enough to us to hear him say that.

Just one.

She moved away from us a little while later.

Oops! :)

What Spunk Looks Like

2010-07-13T14:37:00.000-07:00

There aren't too many kids in this world born with as much spunk, sass, and confidence as this little one right here. "Little Miss", as I like to call her, really keeps this house hoppin'!

She's fun, quirky and quite smart. She loves animals soooooo much. We can't pass a dog without her needing to pet it and talk to the owner all about it. She's never scared or shy to do this. Ever. She will be sure to mention that we have a Cheagle--"part Beagle, part Chick-a-wa-wa".

In her preschool this past year they had a Reptile Show in their class where this man brought all sorts of lizards, snakes, etc. Morgan was front and center to pet them all. One of the kids asked the man, "Is a mouse a reptile?" But before the man could answer Morgan turned and said, "No, a mouse is a rodent." A rodent? Really?!? She's so cool.

After going to Sea World she would tell me how much she loves Orca's...not Shamu, Orca's. And Otter's. She was a baby Otter for a few weeks...in the tub, getting dressed, eating breakfast. (Phew, glad that's over.)

If you asked her a few weeks ago what she wanted to be when she grew up she would tell you "A duck." She saw no problem with this. She has since revised this to a ballerina. (But if Ballerina doesn't pan out I think duck is still a close second). For Halloween she was a duck and since we did a triathlon that day she was our "cheerleader duck". So now if she asks to wear her "cheerleader costume" she is referring to her duck costume. (took me awhile to figure that one out).

She pays very close attention to details that you wouldn't expect. The other day she held up a peach and said, "Mom, a peach has fur all over it. That means it's a mammal." I didn't say she pays attention to ALL details. I had to explain that peaches don't give live birth, so no, they will remain in the fruit category.

I long for the sheer life and confidence that exudes out of this girl. She did this whole photo shoot at Olivia and Owen's swim meet in front of bleachers filled with people. Not a thought given to the fact that she was wearing her leotard with her underpants hanging out, or that her hair was, well, special. She was just enjoying herself and didn't care about anything else. Some of that is because she is 3 years old, but some of that is because she is Morgan.

Thumbs up to you Morgan. Nothing makes me smile, quite like you. :)

(side note: story coming up on that lady in the blue chair behind Morgan).

Annoying Pet People...Don't You Just Hate 'Em?

2010-07-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have always been so bugged by people that think their dog is so cute or funny.

I'd hear people tell stories about when their dog died and how sad they were and I'd think, "It's a dog...give me a break."

Well, I have to say, I officially understand those people.

Somewhere over this last year I've let this cute little Cheagle named Jersey into my heart, and you know what? I freaking love my dog!

It's embarrassing to catch myself telling people stories about her like she's one of my kids. Or Shane and I will watch her play with one of her toys and laugh because it's so cute the way she does it.

She's got personality and spunk, but most of all she is very sweet and so good with the kids.

But she's a DOG!

I know, I know. But she happens to be the best dog ever. :)

I had no idea when we got her that she was the perfect dog for our family. I didn't even know you're supposed to think about what you want when you get a dog...I just wanted her. Come to find out I just got very lucky. She's not a barker (yes!), she's super smart which means she was pretty easy to house train (yes!), she's very good with kids (yes!), she's short-haired which means way less shedding and no need for hair cuts (yes!), she's small so I can carry her when necessary (yes!) and she's the Olivia of the dog world...just so good. :)

So a dog like this deserves a birthday party when they turn one.

And that's what we did.

I made a chocolate, bone-shaped birthday cake (for us, not her).

And we even had her blow out the candles. (I think that's Owen's mouth there helping out. Jersey's blowing skills aren't the best).

The kids really wanted to get her some gifts too. So I took them to the store to pick something out. Olivia insisted on using $2 of her own money so Jersey would know it was just from her. Morgan gave me a Venazuelan coin that Shane had given her to pay for her gift for Jersey (which she later snaked out of my pocket and put back in her bank). And Owen just laid claim to the other toy we got for her.

We had some family over and literally sang Happy Birthday to Jersey.

Holy crap? When did this happen to me?

But you know what? It was so fun and the kids loved it.

Jersey has brought a lot of enrichment to our life and we love her for it.

I really have to say, she's one of the family.

Music Theater Workshop--Year 2!

2010-06-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

Do you see these beautiful girls? Olivia (with her new hair cut), Tatum and Maya just finished their 2nd year of Music Workshop and can I just say that the difference between this year and last year was ridiculously huge!

Every one of them sang, acted and danced like they were old pros. It was quite impressive.

Livy was spot on with her choreography. Loud on her solos. And convincing in her facial expressions.

This mama couldn't have been more proud. (Dang her hair is cute! Thx Lana!)

This brother, however, was less than thrilled.

Unfortunately he fell asleep on the way over so he was sort of a grump. Not to mention that's sort of his M.O. at the moment. Especially when you want to take a picture. He makes that face and then as soon as you take the picture he smiles really big and asks to see it. He thinks he's pretty funny. Me thinks he's not.

Livy is already practicing for her future photo shoots. She informed me that she was "Born to entertain." Uh oh.

Grandma and Grandpa never miss a show. They are quite faithful in their viewing and we appreciate it a lot. Makes the girls feel like even bigger stars--if that's possible.

This little girl was sassy as ever and when I told her I wanted to take a picture, she struck this pose.

I think she'll be ready for the stage herself in a few short years. She is quite the ham.

Anyway, workshop was awesome and the highlight of Olivia's summer. She loves it more than anything else she's ever been involved in and it's fun, again, to see such growth.

Hannah Montana better watch her back. :)

Swim Team

2010-06-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Olivia and Owen are both on swim team this year.

Olivia is really good.

Owen....is learning. :)

Olivia is great at freestyle, a natural at backstroke and she just clicked with butterfly. It's so exciting to watch her growth.

Owen, on the other hand, needs a lot of stroke work and an attitude adjustment and then we might get somewhere faster. He enjoys the friends and he likes the meets where he gets ribbons, he just hates the hard work part. (and the cold water)

They don't have little speedo's like they used to :(. I was sort of disappointed by this. My brother Porter used to live in his speedo all summer and I sort of had visions of Owen running around like that too, but I suppose times have changed and so have swim suits.

Here is his racing suit.

I kept trying to get him to pose normal but he told me, "But mom, I want to look awesome." So that's him looking awesome, in case you were wondering.

I love swim team.

I can see them getting stronger before my very eyes. It's so good for them. Physically and mentally.

I don't think enough parents push their kids to do hard things anymore and that bugs me. I let my kids be "kids" plenty, but they do have to learn how to work hard, not quit, and do things they don't always feel like doing. I figure if they learn how to do that now it will be a lot better than trying to teach them at 25 while they try to live in my house and escape reality.

Swim team is a good place to start for that.

My Boyfriend's Back!

2010-06-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's nearly a month late, but nonetheless, Shane made it home and we are beyond glad to have him here.

Want to strengthen your relationship?

Have your husband go to Iraq for 2 months.

The kids were asleep by the time he got home so we made "Welcome Home" nightshirts so when they saw him first thing in the morning he felt fully "Welcomed".

And he did. :)

I'm Old.

2010-06-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

Today Livy was playing with this little toy:

I picked up a party pack of 4 little ones to keep in my purse for when the kids are bored and we are waiting some place. I LOVED this toy when I was little.

While she was playing with it she saw that it said "The Original Wooly Willy" so she asked me:

"Did they have this toy when you were a kid?"

"They sure did," I said proudly.

"Whoa." she exclaimed. "So it's like millions of years old."

RUDE.

The Buckle

2010-05-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

So guess who is the coolest?

I'm assuming you all just said, "You are Dixie."

To which I would respond, "Correct."

A couple weeks ago, after getting home from a fab-o shopping trip in New York City I decided to go spend the rest of my shopping money on a good pair of jeans because it's been over 2 YEARS since I've bought any jeans. (and I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE jeans). :)

I was in dire need.

So I moseyed on in to the Buckle (my jeans store of choice) in one of my hot new little New York outfits and started shopping away.

All the kids were at school and to an outside observer I might actually pass as a normal human being.

And pass I did!

As I was purchasing my jeans the manager and the sales girl who had been helping me handed me this card:

Then they told me they are really looking to hire people like myself and wanted to know if I was interested, or if I wasn't interested I probably know a TON of people that are looking for jobs so could I please let them know they are hiring.

I was a little dumbfounded and didn't quite know what to say. Here is a list of things that went through my head:

Actually when I was at preschool talking to all the other moms we were really mentioning how we'd love a "career" at the Buckle.
You do realize I'm a 32 year old mother of three. I'd totally kill your cool factor real fast.
Are you freaking serious?!

So what I actually said was: "No. I don't really know anyone." And I must have looked at him like he was stupid because my face does that without meaning to.

He looked shocked and didn't really know what else to say.

And then I left.

For a split second I passed for a cool person.

Very flattering but,

...totally not true.

An Unhealthy Relationship

2010-05-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

I've got a bro.

His name is Porter, and I just realized today that we have, quite literally, an unhealthy relationship. (despite this picture taken just before we did a triathlon which would suggest a healthy relationship).

I went over to his house today (3 houses down from mine), sat down on his couch and upon seeing me he said, "I could really go for some cookies right now."

It was at this moment that it dawned on me that is what Porter says to me 75% of the time we see each other.

We see each other a lot. :)

I said to Porter, "Is it me? Does just seeing me make you want cookies?"

I could see the realization flood across his face, "You know what, yes. I think you're right."

To be fair, I do believe the text I sent him last night said this: "So what are we doing for Biggest Loser? Are you going to make the brownies or am I?"

Apparently he has the same affect on me.

I love you Port, but for the sake of my backside maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore.

**I think I just blew all of my clients minds that I personal train. For the record, we don't always make them and I follow the rules...only when hungry, never past full. Well, most of the time. :)**

Living

2010-05-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

I don't know when it happened exactly, but my life reached a point where I was just existing, not living.

The two are very different.

When I "existed" I had things that must be done, like scrubbing toilets, paying bills, and grocery shopping.

I couldn't understand how people ran out of milk or forgot to pay a bill because those things were my life. I existed to make sure everything was in order.

And it was.

Except my life was a mess.

I had died inside.

I couldn't feel anything but depressed that life had to continue day after day.

There was nothing in it.

There was nothing in me.

I forgot how to live. How to be alive.

This is not an exaggeration at all.

And then one day...it was back.

Suddenly my life was filled with people and events and excitement and happiness again.

I started forgetting things, which in my world was a huge victory because it meant I was living and not wasting all my time and attention on obnoxious details. (Shane actually congratulates me when I forget stuff. ) :)

I was no longer getting caught up in the "thick of thin things" as Elder Holland puts it.

I used to wonder things like, "When will I ever have a chance to sit on our couches and just relax?" And then last Sunday Porter, Lana and I sat and talked on those couches for a few hours. Totally unplanned.

Unplanned in Dixie's world = accomplishment. :)

When Shane dropped in for a surprise visit from Iraq (the best story ever and it blew my mind), I wiped my slate clean for the 4 days he was here, planned a spontaneous trip to the Gila Valley Temple with the kids and didn't fret about anything being missed. I just enjoyed him and our time together and didn't think about thinking....I was living.

Living is driving to my parents house on a Sunday afternoon, setting up a table in the front yard so we can play Boggle while the kids play Mother May I. Laughing our guts out at dumb things we say and teasing each other mercilessly for the stupid things we do.

Living is going to New York with my mother-in-law (my ex-husbands mom) and sister-in-law's and my ex-husband's fiance, shopping all day and staying up until 4:30am talking about everything under the sun. Seriously so much fun...and FYI, I REALLY like my ex-husbands fiance. :)

Living is letting Livy come sleep in my bed because she had a hard day and wants to stay up and talk about it.

Living is sitting at the kitchen table to have lunch with Owen and copying everything he does for 15 minutes while he laughs his guts out and tries to get me to do really ridiculous stuff. (which I do).

Living is singing a lullaby to Morgan every night while she pretends to be sleeping, squeezing her eyes shut as tight as she can while she mouths the words of the song I'm singing.

Living is smiling from ear to ear when you go to bed and find your kids like this in the hallway.

Living is....waiting until 1 am to finish this blog post because your sister-in-law and her sister come over to see your tile and end up staying to talk (on my couches!) for 4 hours.

Living is in the small details of life with the people we love that can get overlooked so easily because we're worried about time, or money, or bigger houses, or nicer cars.

It's allowing the time to laugh and taking the time to be happy.

Existing is awful.

But living is what life is all about.

**Just a quick shout out to those who have helped me to "live" again: Porter & Lana, you've helped loads; Allyson, you always make me laugh; Susan, Natalie, Annie & Erin--New York was magical; Owen, you remind me to play; Morgan, not a day goes by that you don't make me smile; Olivia, you have helped me learn about feelings so much; and more than anyone, Shane. You've changed me and I'm so glad I get to "live" with you. Love you all!

I Heart Shane.

2010-05-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

About 9 or 10 months ago Shane came home from work one day and said:

"ASU put in a bid to teach in Iraq. We'd be teaching teacher trainers (Shane's favorite type of teaching) from Iraq how to teach better English in their schools. I'm sure we won't get it, but it's a possibility and if we do, I will most likely go."

I knew right then he'd be going.

I just felt it--and if you know me at all, I'm a feeler.

Feel-er (noun) = someone who can feel when something is right or wrong or if something is really going to happen.

That's me.

So of course, ASU won the bid and Shane was selected to go.

First it was just going to be two 10 day sessions in November and December. Then it got pushed back to mid-March, then the beginning of April. And then it wasn't just for 10 days, but for 2 months! I wonder how long Shane knew this before he let me know. He was pretty evasive when I'd ask questions. Hmmmm, sneaky guy. :)

Anyway, it seemed like it wasn't ever really going to come... until it came. Now it feels like it will never really be over. And yet I know it will be.

It's times like these I really feel like Morgan or Olivia, cursed with extreme emotions. When Olivia and Tatum get in a fight and Olivia claims, with much conviction I might add: "I NEVER want to see Tatum again. She is the meanest person in the whole world!!!" Or Morgan telling me: "I can't stop crying. I tried EVERYTHING and I just can't stop!"

I get this.

Sometimes I find myself thinking, "Shane will NEVER be home. I hate this!" I try to keep it on the inside (unless I'm talking to Shane), but I find myself wanting to pout like a 5-year old all the time. It's good to have kids to give me some perspective so I can see how silly it sounds/looks.

However, I must say that this situation has definitely changed me--a lot.

I've had a lot of time to think about what's important to me. What matters. Who matters. And why they matter. What I should worry about and what I shouldn't worry about. What deserves my time and what doesn't.

It's been really good.

I know there have been days when Shane was here that I took him for granted. I feel bad for that. And I'm afraid of doing that again. It's so easy to do when someone is so close to you.

But a big part of this change in me sees the importance of not taking him, or any other people I love in my life, for granted. They are to be loved and appreciated every day.

And as Shane gets ready to come home (2 weeks from today!) I prep my heart for the real test.

...Loving him and appreciating him while he's here. :)

Seven Never Looked So Good

2010-05-19T21:15:00.001-07:00

When Olivia was in my tummy I knew, I just knew she was going to be girly.

It was almost as if I was given visions of her prancing around the house in the most girl-like fashion.

I was right.

I don't know how a newborn can act girly, but she did! Even though she didn't have much hair nobody ever mistook her for a boy baby...she always looked like a girl.

When she was 18 months old (maybe even younger) she decided she would wear nothing but skirts. I mean NOTHING but skirts. (oh, and swimsuits). I'm a jeans girl people, this was a frustrating stage for me. Not to mention we were living in Utah and dealing with snow. It was rough.

She finally evolved to accept other types of clothing. She's got a greater fashion sense than I do and she loves to accessorize and dress up like she was 20-something.

Lana and I are certain our girls must have gotten switched at birth because her daughter is a total tomboy and loves to wear T-shirts and jeans all the time. See THAT I can understand. :)

Needless to say, I am quite grateful to have a dainty daughter. I've learned a lot from her and how to appreciate her differences from me. I love who she is. How could I not?

Fashion aside she is one of the most kind little girls I have ever known. If she ever sees me upset she will come and rub MY back and tell me it's okay and ask if there is anything she can do for me. She told me the other night that I'm perfect--and she actually looked like she believed it when she said it. (Livy, read this post when you turn 16. :) )

Once when she was a baby...we're talking maybe 15 months or so...she was sick and I didn't know it. She didn't want to eat and she hadn't eaten for a few days and I was quite worried. Finally one day I just sat in front of her high chair and cried (more like sobbed) and begged her to eat. To my surprise she opened her mouth and ate...everything.

Then, she threw it all up.

Do you see what I'm talking about? She just came with this very tender heart that always wants people to feel okay no matter what she's gotta do.

She's also incredibly observant of the world around her. I got a new pair of "Miss Me" jeans. As I was talking to my sister about them Livy told me, "Oh, Kiley's mom has Miss Me's."

And she said it like she was a 17 year old talking to her 17 year old friends.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Because she was wearing them when I was over there."

Wha?!

I didn't even know this brand existed until yesterday when I got them.

She's also into music in ways I didn't even know. Today in the car she announced that the Beatles are her favorite band. Tatum was unfamiliar with the Beatles and asked her if she likes Taylor Swift.

"I absolutely do." she replied.

She's just so grown up in her responses sometimes.

Tonight as we were eating and Morgan said she was eating her 2nd piece of pizza when really it was her first Livy tried to correct her.

"No, you're wrong. It's my 2nd." Morgan protested.

Livy just looked at me out of the corner of her eye and smiled coyly.

"You're right Morgan."

Then she turned to me and said, "It's no use arguing with a 3-year old. It's the most impossible thing in the world."

How can one little seven year old girl be so wise?

I know if I were seven right now, I'd really want to be friends with Livy.

But I'm even luckier than that...

...I get to be her mom.

Winner, Winner--Chicken Dinner!

2010-05-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

So our biggest loser contest is officially OVER!

About 5 or 6 weeks ago it became pretty obvious that Troy was gonna take this, and he did. He started at 199.2 pounds and ended at 161.0 for a total of 38.2 pounds lost and a percentage of weight loss = 19.17%! He decided he was going to win (he told me with certainty in his voice and I knew he would) and he worked hard to get there. I'm so impressed with all he has done to make changes in his life to look and feel better. He's a different person inside and out. It's amazing what being active can do for you.

BEFORE

AFTER

There were 13 other people that started this contest with him, but when Troy had such an obvious lead everyone opted to drop out....except one person.

Sarah.

Sarah has been working like crazy and didn't allow herself to be deterred by this fact. It didn't matter that Troy was ahead and was most likely going to win. It wasn't about that, it was about changing her life and finishing something she started. She stayed focused. She didn't allow this to distract her or use it as an excuse to stop losing. I'm so proud and impressed with her and know that she will continue her journey because she is determined.

She started out at 246.2 pounds and now weighs 214.8 pounds for a total weight loss of 31.4 pounds and a percentage of 12.75%.

BEFORE

AFTER

Congratulations Troy and Sarah for all you have accomplished!

You can do anything you set your mind to...

...So set your mind to great things!

Morgan--She's "Rockin'"

2010-05-09T22:40:00.001-07:00

Morgan is her own kind of wonderful.

She knows what she wants, and she always has.

While her sister and cousin opt for beautiful (and slightly creepy) butterfly face paint...

And her brother even gets a rainbow with a star (let's not go there people)...

Morgan opts for....Spongebob. (this picture says a lot)

One of her favorite sayings these days is: "I'm right and you're wrong."

Oh dear.

She's almost always a disheveled mess, but somehow she makes it look good.

For the past week she's been getting bloody noses almost daily to which she'll tell me, "Mom, my nose is blooding again." So we've figured out this hot new look for her so she can go on playing.

She loves her cousins, most especially Dane. But they all make her pretty happy.

(LtoR: Jayce, Morgan, Maggie, Brooklyn, Dane--yeah, she decided a shirt was superfluous.)

Morgan pushes every line and tests every limit WAY more than my other two ever have. It's part of what makes her Morgan.

She is more street smart than the others. While Olivia and Owen are very book smart (probably because I spent inordinate amounts of time reading to them and showing them flash cards when they were tiny--and Morgan sort of got the shaft in the department), Morgan always knows what's going on. She's had to figure out a lot more stuff on her own....and she has indeed figured it out. She will have to explain things to Olivia and Owen sometimes. She knows what things mean that they don't. It's crazy.

She is so comfortable and confident with herself. And, if you haven't heard it, she has the best voice in the world. :)

She's A LOT of work these days. But she sure adds a lot of color to our life.

...And, she's thankful for her ears. :)

For Susan

2010-05-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

There is one woman in this world that is second only to my mother in her impact and influence in my life.

Her name is Susan and she happens to be the mother of my ex-husband.

I have loved her from the beginning....and through everything, I have never stopped loving her.

For a long time in the Dayton family she and I were the only women around and we bonded. A lot.

While most people would say, "Ugh, my mother-in-law is coming to visit." I would say, "YES! My mother-in-law is coming to visit. I'm so excited!"

She is always ALWAYS thinking of other people.

I began watching her right away to figure out how I could be more like her. So alive. So bright and full of energy. So much fun to be around.

She is the best hostess you will ever meet and I always wanted to figure out how to do that because she makes everyone feel so welcome--and that is truly a talent.

When Olivia was about 5 months old Susan and Merril moved to New York. All the rest of her sons (my brother-in-laws) were in Utah. We would have them over for Sunday dinner and other events often--not because I felt like it was my responsibility, but because I loved it. And also because I felt like Susan had really taught me how to host and how to enjoy it. I valued (and still do) all the things I learned from her.

She's so good at just dropping little tid-bits of information or suggestions without pushing them on you. More like, "I've learned this really interesting thing, maybe it would work for you."

When I moved to my Lehi house I was 9 months pregnant and tired. Susan unpacked my entire kitchen and much of my house. (among a million other things). When I moved from my Lehi house, leaving in the wake of a divorce from her son, she was right there to help too and I remember thinking, "How in the world would I do any of this without Susan?" She's amazing...and now I'm crying.

Why?

Because while Susan beat breast cancer a few years ago the cancer has returned, but this time it is all throughout her body and the doctors prognosis isn't promising. Liver, lungs, bones, and brain have been affected. Word is, it's terminal.

I sobbed when I heard the news. For myself and for my kids--especially for my Olivia who thinks her Grandma Susan hung the moon.

I've cried many times in the wake of this news not knowing quite what to do with it. I told Shane it was really weird for me to sort of be on the "outside" of all of this with Susan. My Susan. But here I am.

When I got divorced Susan cried because she said she didn't want to lose me. I assured her that she wouldn't. We had done nothing wrong and just because the situation changed didn't mean that our relationship had to. But it has. Our love for each other hasn't, but our relationship has had to make some adjustments.

I guess that's exactly how I feel now. No matter what happens, or how the future changes, I will always love her--even if the situation changes some. She has changed my life forever. Even with all its hardships I wouldn't change an ounce of my past because I value my relationship with her so much.

There are very few people that impact your life so fully and so directly in such a remarkable way as Susan has for me.

And for that I just want to say...

Thank You.

Owen el Klepto

2010-04-29T22:34:00.001-07:00

Well, congrats. The seven of you have all encouraged me, so I will post. :)

To my audience of seven:

I think Owen will be my top story because he is my top frustration as of late.

As mentioned briefly in my last blog (which was just yesterday, in case you didn't notice), Owen has turned into a kleptomaniac. And I mean kleptoMANIAC.

This kid wants to sneak everything...even stuff he doesn't have to sneak.

So he's always looking at you with these guilty eyes and you're like, "What? What the heck did you just do? Did you just take something? What did you take? Stop looking at me with those crazy eyes and just tell me what you did? What? What the heck is it?!?!?!"

But he's not talking. Just staring at you and shaking his head with crazy, guilty eyes.

So it's up to Morgan, his accomplice in crime--but also his biggest rat--to let me know what's really going on.

The other day she was in my room with me and said, "I think I need a little snack." So she leaves and comes back to tell me she just had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Ummm, you were gone for like 3 seconds and you can't make your own sandwich. She caught my look of confusion, had some guilt maybe, and took me to Owen's room where she showed me he had stashed a bag of marshmallows--her "little snack"--under his bed.

This was extremely aggravating because it was coming on the wings of him stashing an entire bag of cookies underneath his bed and eating them all--well, apparently with a little help from Morgan.

First off: where am I when he is sneaking all this crap? Weird.

Second: he has told me that he just really, REALLY needs the sugar and that his tummy told him he needed to take it. What in the?

Thirdly: well, there is no thirdly. I just don't know what to do to stop all the sneaking. It's driving me insane.

Unfortunately all this misbehaving calls for discipline and all this discipline has led to Owen telling me he would like to "Quit the family."

I simply informed him, "You can't quit the family."

"Why not?" he asked me very quizzically.

"Because we need you."

"Oh." he said...and although he didn't say it, I think it made him feel important.

Which he is.

I just love this kid--sneaky, crazy eyes and all.

We all do because when he's not being crazy (about 1/16th of the day) he is the sweetest kid you've ever met.

I'm Baaaack--Sort of.

2010-04-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay...I've been severely reprimanded from several people that my blogging hiatus needs to end.

Ugh.

Fine.

Obviously a few changes have happened:

new house
Shane in Iraq
NEW HOUSE (did I mention that?)
oh yeah, and Shane is in freaking IRAQ

You'd be surprised at how these two changes could just flip my whole world upside down. I am recovering, slowly but surely, and will ease my way back into blog land.

Posts I need to do:

The house and all sorts of pictures
Shane and how much I love him and miss his guts
Olivia and how she has turned into a teenager--holy moly!!!
Owen and how he has turned into a klepto (mostly with sugar/candy/cookies)
Morgan and how she says words like "rockin'" and "totally" with a thumbs up
Profound thoughts about how I can change the world
Stupid thoughts that come out of nowhere
The fact that I can't remember anything anymore and how uncharacteristic this is for me
How I've lost my knack for blogging...totally gone. See this is why I haven't done it.

So I will make it a goal to do at least one of these soon. ( just for you mom and allyson)

But don't expect anything clever or witty...I'm fresh out. I think Allyson stole it all. Do you read her? My gosh she is HILARIOUS. Need an example of her brilliance? Click HERE.

Until I muster up enough energy for a real post...

word.

Biggest Loser--almost there

2010-04-17T12:13:00.001-07:00

I'm just going to post reported weights until the end. Here's what we've got:

Troy: 164

Sarah: 222

Breckyn: 233

Adam: 315

Biggest Loser--WEEK 10 RESULTS

2010-03-27T12:29:00.001-07:00

Results are slightly skewed this week since Mandy and Jackie's last reported weights were from week 5. So while they got the # 1 & 2 spots, it was over the past 5 weeks. Troy still got the #1 spot this week.

Since last reported on week 5:

1. Jackie

start: 159.6

end: 150.5

% lost: 5.7%

2. Mandy

start: 168.2

end: 163

% lost: 3.09%

---------------------------------

Results for this week:

1. Troy

start: 174.8

end: 170.6

% lost: 2.4%

2. Dana

start: 233

end: 228.5

% lost: 1.93%

3. Adam

start: 319

end: 315

% lost: 1.25%

4. Porter

start: 244.3

end: 241.5

% lost: 1.14%

5. Nataleen

start: 168.5

end: 167

% lost: 0.89%

6. Taryn

start: 195.5

end: 194.4

% lost: 0.56%

7. Sarah

start: 226

end: 226

% lost: 0

8. Greg

start: 217 (from week 7)

end: 217.6

% lost: +0.27%

Lindsey--did not report

Eric--late report: 284

Breckyn--did not report

Danielle--did not report

Biggest Loser--WEEK 9 RESULTS

2010-03-20T15:23:00.000-07:00

It was a bad week.........

1. Troy (no surprise there!)

start: 177.2

end: 174.8

% lost: 1.35%

2. Eric

start: 287

end: 285

% lost: 0.69%

3. Sarah

start: 227.2

end: 226

% lost: 0.52%

4. Breckyn

start: 235

end: 234

% lost: 0.42%

5. Adam

start: 319

end: 319

% lost: 0

5. Danielle

start: 268

ends: 268

% lost: 0

6. Dana

start: 232

end: 233

% lost: +0.43%

7. Porter

start: 242.8

end: 244.3

% lost: +0.61%

8. Taryn

start: 190.7

end: 195.5

% lost: +2.51%

Greg--did not report

Lindsey--did not report

Nataleen--report late: 168.5

Jackie--did not report

Mandy--did not report

Biggest Loser -- Week 8 Results

2010-03-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

1. Troy

start: 181

end: 177.2

% lost: 2.1%

2. Sarah

start: 231.6

end: 227.2

% lost: 1.9%

3. Adam

start: 325

end: 319

% lost: 1.84%

4. Dana

start: 236

end: 232

% lost: 1.7%

5. Taryn

start: 191.6

end: 190.7

% lost: 0.46%

6. Danielle

start: 269.2

end: 268

% lost: 0.45%

7. Eric

start: 288

end: 287

% lost: 0.34%

8. Breckyn

start: 235.5

end: 235

% lost: 0.21%

9. Lindsey

start: 213

end: 213

% lost: 0%

9. Nataleen

start: 170

end: 170

% lost: 0%

Porter--traveling, no scale access

Greg--did not report

Jackie--did not report

Mandy--did not report

Biggest Loser--WEEK 6-7 RESULTS

2010-03-06T18:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, we've had some great weight loss this week. (well...2 weeks) Some people have stepped it into high gear! Here are this weeks results:

1. Troy

start: 187.6

end: 181

% lost: 3.51%

2. Dana

start: 244

end: 236

% lost: 3.27 %

3. Adam

start: 334

end: 325

% lost: 2.69%

4. Taryn

start: 194.2

end: 191.6

% lost: 1.33%

5. Nataleen

start: 172

end: 170

% lost: 1.16%

6. Eric

start: 291

end: 288

% lost: 1.03%

7. Danielle

start: 271

end: 269.2

% lost: 0.66%

8. Greg

start: 217.8

end: 217

% lost: 0.36%

9. Porter

start: 243

end: 242.8

% lost: .08%

10. Lindsey

start: 211

end: 213

% lost: + 0.94%

Mandy--did not report

Jackie--did not report

Sarah--did not report

Breckyn--did not report

Biggest Loser--WEEK 5 RESULTS

2010-02-20T13:34:00.000-08:00

WEIGH DAY!!!

1. Troy

start: 190.4

end: 187.6

% lost: 1.47%

2. Lindsay

start: 214

end: 211

% lost: 1.4%

3. Nataleen

start: 174

end: 172

% lost: 1.149%

4. Danielle

start: 274

end: 271

% lost: %1.09%

5. Mandy

start: 170

end: 168.2

% lost: 1.058%

6. Breckyn

start: 238

end: 235.5

% lost: 1.05%

7. Eric

start: 294

end: 291

% lost: 1.02%

8. Porter

start: 245

end: 243

% lost: 0.81%

9. Sarah

start: 234.8

end: 233.6

% lost: 0.511%

10. Greg

start: 217.6

end: 217.8

% lost: +0.009%

11. Taryn

start: 193.1

end: 194.2

% lost: +0.466%

12. Jackie

start: 158.7

end: 159.6

% lost: +0.567%

13. Adam

start: 327

end: 334

% lost: +2.09%

14. Dana

start: 238

end: 244

% lost: +2.52%

Biggest Loser--WEEK 4 RESULTS

2010-02-13T14:05:00.000-08:00

You've gotta be able to see your "thin self". Can you picture it?

Then work like crazy to become that.

Looks like Troy kicked some serious trash this week. Way to go Troy! He told me he was gonna "win this thing." :)

What do you think?

1. Troy

start: 194.4

end: 190.4

% lost: 2.05%

2. Dana

start: 241

end: 238

% lost: 1.24%

3. Danielle

start: 277.4

end: 1.22%

4. Jackie

start: 160.3

end: 158.7

% lost: 0.998%

5. Adam

start: 330

end: 327

% lost: 0.9%

6. Porter

start: 246

end: 245

% lost: 0.4%

7. Taryn

start: 193.8

end: 193.1

% lost: 0.36%

8. Nataleen

start: 174.6

end: 174

% lost: 0.343%

9. Sarah

start: 235.6

end: 234.8

% lost: 0.33%

10. Greg

start: 218.2

end: 217.6

% lost: 0.27%

11. Mandy

start: 170

end: 170

% lost: 0%

12. Eric

start: 293

end: 294

% lost: +0.341%

13. Breckyn

start: 237

end: 238

% lost: +0.421%

14. Lindsay

start: 213

end: 214

% lost: +0.469%