Really? $27 dollars?

If I had a lot of money (and lets be honest...cooked regular meals) I would buy Cutco knives. A friend of mine is earning money for law school and I got to be one of the first to hear her sh peal. Wowza. She gave me a knife and a thick piece of rope and asked me to try to cut through the rope in one motion. Yeah whatever. So I thought. Oh no. Sliced through it like butta.

Oh and the vege peeler? Magic. No resistance. Pure magic. I have never paid more than twenty dollars for a single kitchen utensil, nor never thought that I would. Did it. Today $27 for a peeler.

Update: Due to a nightmare (having to do with knives) her mother has had since my friend was little, her mother apparently 'prayed' her into a new job. Best of luck, Melissa. Try to score all the free knives you can before you Cut Cutco!

brand spankin' new!

Damian’s sister had her baby today.

A healthy red headed baby girl!

Congratulations!!!

We can’t wait to run our hands through that hair

and smother her with love and kisses!

TRaVeLinG PaNTs...

Okay, I am slow. I heard of the books. I knew there were movies, but c’mon people why has no one filled me in one the secret of the sisterhood? The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, that is. I just spent the last two hours crying off and on as I watched the second movie. Backwards yes, but I loved it despite ever reading the books or seeing the first movie.

I am glad I was alone in my bed so I could just soak it all in. I needed a chick flick after watching Iron Man with Damian last night. Any guy or unsentimental girl would have hated the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. I haven’t checked, but I am pretty sure the critics would disagree with my fine (albeit usually cheesie or crudely humorous) taste in film. They always do. (Christina Maria Barcelona or whatever that stupid movie was called…seriously?)

Back to the pants. They just made me so grateful for SISTERS! Grateful for my two incredibly amazingly wonderfully talented fun and loving sisters by blood who I adore, awesome sister-in-laws who have not only become related but close friends (even though they might not know it), my extremely cool girl cousins, and for all of the girlfriends who have adopted me as a sister along the way.

I have been blessed with so many incredible women in my life to make me laugh, set me straight and lift me up.

Some have even held me up or carried me for awhile. To all of you, I want to send you some pants. It is amazing to me that no matter how long it has been since I have talked to my sisters of the ‘pants’ they are there to pick up right where we left off. Thanks ladies for your sisterhood. Long live the pants that we can all fit perfectly into! I love my sisters!

baptism

I can’t believe our little girl will be turning 8 this year! Damian and I are so proud of her! Eden is such a sweetheart. She has been talking a lot lately about being baptized, and has decided to get baptized when she turns 8. We are thrilled with her choice and are happy that it is important to her and not just something that we want her to do!

Tonight we went to the baptism of two of Eden’s friends. I wasn’t sure if she was more excited to go because she was looking forward to the chips that were rumored to be served with the refreshments or that she was just happy to be a part of her friends’ special day. I was pretty sure it was the chips, but when I got home I found these cards that she made to give the boys being baptized. What a sweetie!

So, we are planning for a baptism in October…mark your calendars! I know many of you who have kids who have been baptized have some fun traditions that you have done and I would love to hear them! We want to make it a special day for Eden so that she will remember the importance of the covenants she will be making with her Father in Heaven that day!

mOnSTeR TrUck JaM

The boys got Monster Truck Jam tickets for Christmas and were nice enough to let the rest of us tag along. We got into Reliant Stadium right as the show was starting and were frantically trying to find our assigned seats- the ones which the taxes and fees cost almost more than the tickets themselves…ugh! I don’t know why we couldn’t have been running our trademark ten minutes behind tonight.

As soon as we entered our section they cut the lights. The show had started, and they weren’t wasting any time getting things cranked up. The intro featured ALL of the LOUD…incredibly loud…like the loudest noise I have ever heard…trucks…monster trucks…huge engines, mega horsepower… making laps around the stadium...in the dark. We all climbed over people shouting at the family who were in our seats. They couldn’t hear us. I couldn’t hear myself. Mass chaos.

The kids all had their hands cupped over their ears. Then I looked down at Eden. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. As soon as she caught my eye she begged for me to take her home. She was sobbing… “I don’t like this!!! I want to go HOME!” Poor girl. She didn’t want to come in the first place, but Damian told her we were going as a family. Luckily he had put his ginormous ear protectors, courtesy of outings at the local shooting range, in my purse. I pulled them out and quickly put them on her. Then I blindly dug around the massive purse cavity for the box of soft squishy earplugs I brought for the rest of us.

After the first five minutes, we were all kind of numb to the roar of the stadium. but the Having the earplugs finally in actually made it enjoyable. The boys were all mesmerized on the edge of their seats. They kept looking at one another to find their own excitement and disbelief mirrored on one another’s faces. Eden was still not happy, but then I remembered the Halloween candy that I brought in my purse for treats. That quickly dried the tears!

First there was the wheelie competition, then the donut competition, and the show ended with the freestyle show. I am no Monster Jam fan, but I did recognize the beloved Grave Digger monster truck. I wasn’t impressed with the truck, just its devoted fans. There was also Cowboy, Monster Mutt (with his huge floppy ears and wagging tail), Minimizer, a few others I can’t remember, and our family’s favorite of the night: 199.

Some of the tricks were pretty amazing, and even I got a thrill at seeing the vehicles ride almost vertically on its back tires, crush cars to smithereens, and bounce on their enormous tires. The best part was watching the boys, but their excitement took a whole new level when the intermission show brought out the four motocross riders on their bikes.

It was obvious that we should have held out for Motocross tickets by the way the boys belly-laughed at the coolness of each of their tricks. When they started to ride, Landon ripped out his earplugs. I kept trying to put them in but he was obviously annoyed with me. He pushed my hands away and said firmly, “No! I want to hear the dirt motorcycles!” He then put his hands out like he was gripping the handlebars of his own motorcycle pretending to be on his own incredible thrill ride.

Just another day at the Museum...

When my mom and niece visited in October we went to the Children’s Museum. (That is one of those 2008 posts that are still in draft status. One of these days I will get to those!) We had a great time, and my mom spoiled us by treating our family to a year pass. We had not been able to make it down there since and it was time to make another trip!

The Children’s Museum in Houston is incredible. I believe it is still rated #1 in the country. Actually, Houston has an amazing museum district that we have yet to take advantage of. Every time I think about going I picture my kids careening into some priceless statue or rubbing their hands on some oiled canvas. The thoughts have created a major museum deterrence, and it is probably a good thing!

We filled every seat in Oddy and packed lunches to eat there. We made it and pulled out Becky’s double stroller to hold all our goods. The kids were itching to check everything out, but spent the most time in the grocery store. That is always a favorite. When it was time to go the boys all laid down on a bench in protest. We were able to peel them away because they felt bad that Brynlee was falling asleep on the museum floor.

We had a great day. More specifically, there were

no meltdowns,

no one got lost,

Becky treated the moms to caffeinated beverages

and McCall brought the adults peanut butter and chocolate bars.

I think the kids had a blast too! The funniest part was Becky trying to corral Gavin into taking a picture with the other kids. That didn’t work out too well, but Carter got a hold of him and we even got a smile! Ta Da!

Los GuaPoS...

They laughed uncontrollably at each others smoothie mustaches. I was laughing too, especially knowing that they were downing (and wearing) healthy berries and spinach.

My BIG brother...

Today is my one and only brother’s 40^th birthday. Happy Birthday to the best brother!! When we were growing up, I practically worshiped him. I thought he was the coolest thing around. I remember sitting outside the door to his room listening to him jam on his keyboard and synthesizer and pretending to play along with him. I wanted to be just like him.

Despite being a decade older than I was, he always made me feel loved and that he had time for me. Things haven’t changed much except for the fact that we live across country from each other and he is one busy man.

reasons why I love him:

He had one sweet mullet in high school
He is the most intelligent person I know
He can read or hear something once and have it memorized
His wife is still his sweetheart and #1 priority
He checks up on me
The amazing relationship he has with each of his 5 girls
His witty sense of humor
He has excelled at everything he has ever tried
His ear and taste for music, not to mention the way he plays
He has been surrounded by girls his whole life but can still be
a man’s man

How passionate he is about the things that are important to him
He isn’t afraid to share the testimony he has of Jesus Christ
He would do ANYthing for his family
The way he plays with and loves my kids
His intEgRitY
He doesn’t let me forget that I am loved
The fact that I still want to be like him!

how does she do that?

I received a darling gift from my mother in law. Damian traveled to Dallas last weekend for work, and she sent it home with him. She made the cutest little zippered pouch. I love it! She is so incredibly talented, and sewing is just a small part of that talent!

The fabrics she chose are adorable. I don’t know if you can tell from the pictures, but using brown thread she quilted it with different sized circles. She also added a few rhinestones to glitz it up. I am totally impressed with her handiwork, as usual, and so grateful to be the recipient of such a nice gift. Thank you so much, Kris! I love it!

Carter did it!

It ended up being an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday. We played outside for three hours. Well, the boys played and I weeded. When I was finished they were in the middle of making ‘dirt soup,’ so I let them continue mixing grass, mulch, leaves, flowers, and some ill fated insects in their buckets of water. As I watched them from inside I just laughed. They are such little boys!

With my kids I often find myself getting caught up in the moment, thinking I don’t ever want to forget these little things! Anyone who knows me can attest to the fact that I have a terrible memory. Lindsey, my little sis of 6 years, will be the first to point out that she remembers more about my childhood than I do. I think that is one reason why I love taking pictures so much. Pictures not only help me remember those precious moments but they also bring with them the flood of emotions I felt when I took the picture.

Eden is constantly asking me why I have to take pictures all the time. I have given her a whole slew of lines: because my photographic memory is broken, because I love her, because I want her to see how cute she is, and just because I am the mom. Occasionally she plays along, but usually she just gets annoyed with me. Is that supposed to happen at seven years old?

The boys, however, still enjoy being the stars of the show and often ask me to take more pictures of them. I eat that up! Today when I felt the familiar I don’t ever want to forget this moment, I ran for my camera. Now hopefully I will be able to remember them laughing at each other covered in dirt making their soup. Mmm… they are so stinkin’ cute!

When they were finished I was stripping them down and saw Landon’s filthy feet. I said, “Oh Buddy, look how dirty your feet are!” After a quick glance at his feet his split second reaction was, “Carter did it!”

I took them both into the bathroom and filled up the tub. When I went to get Landon out he had what we affectionately call ‘booga nose.’ I held his towel wrapped little bod as I went to get a tissue to remedy the issue. On the way to tissue retrieval he was seriously trying to convince me that Carter gave him booga nose too. He’s definitely picked up the blame game, but someone forgot to fill him in on saving the blame for when he could actually get away with something!

ConfeSSionS: part II

1. I get irritable and quite angry at everyone else when I am late going anywhere, even though it is usually my own fault.
2. I miserably failed the U.S. state capitals quiz my husband gave me at dinner one night last week- miserable like I only knew a handful. (Seriously embarrassing. Sorry honey.) I am proud to say that eating on our map of the United States place mat for two days and my hurt ego has pushed me to be a U.S. state capital nerd. I have relearned them all! Go ahead third graders, quiz me!
3. I have often mistaken the dentist in my cell phone for the chiropractor. I refuse to admit to the number of times I have called my dentist asking for an appointment as soon as possible so that I can come in for an adjustment. The bad part is as soon as they answer they ask who they are speaking with, so it’s not like I can just hang up. Now you can imagine what the dentist must be thinking of a customer who needs a dental ‘adjustment’ ASAP. PSYCHO. We now have a great new dentist! To avoid another change in our dental care provider, my cell phone now says DENTIST instead of Dr. Whoever. Brilliant!
4. I am going through a phase. Well, I hope it is just a phase. I am so not a phone talker lately! I remember spending hours upon hours and all through the night on the phone. Now I dread it. I still love talking to my friends, but not so much on the phone. So, if you call me I might be rude, but not on purpose. If I hang up a little abruptly, know that I have phone issues. Really it's not you. Oh, and if you call me and it takes me a couple days to call you back, it's not that I don't want to talk to you. I just have total phone retardation. (After reading this I realize that I need phone therapy and that you are going to stop calling me. Don't. I need your friendship as I work through this phase. Baby steps.)

dAte niGHt

Damian and I got to go on a date tonight! woot woot! First we stopped by the post office to mail some things (i.e. check things off my list), then we drove by the theater to see what our movie options were. We quickly settled on Yes Man that had already started. (We will call that being spontaneous instead of neglecting to plan.)

We both are Jim Carrey fans, so YES we enjoyed his usual wacky humor and gave it two thumbs up. Actually, there were a few parts where I was pretty sure Damian was going to get up and go sit somewhere else because I couldn’t stop laughing. (i.e. Spartan party and Red bull scene with the glow necklace) I love stupid humor though. It is pretty bad when you are the only one in the theater laughing. (We will call that ENJOYing myself.) Fortunately, he hung in there with me!

After the movie we walked across the parking lot to a pizza place and talked over dinner. I have always had this fear that we would turn into that couple…you know the ones who sit and eat together at a restaurant but hardly share a word? I was so relieved that we talked the whole time-scared for nothin'. I didn’t want it to end, but the babysitter was on the clock. I had so much fun just being with my husband and knowing that after ten years we still aren't that couple. YES!

Business is BOOMING!

The child raising business that is! That doesn’t mean that this is an announcement that we are adding any more to our crew. I just had the pleasure of helping other people raise their kids all day today. Before I go off getting some kind of saintly award, I have to admit that most of the time my kids are easier to manage when they have friends over to occupy them.

This morning there were 5, and tonight we hosted kids night out with only 7. I even got to check a few things off of my list while they were here, and Damian stopped and picked up dinner on the way home from work! Surely our shareholders would agree that today was a successful day.

Today I enJOYed...

- hearing my sweet husband get up with the kids, make breakfast & pack lunches

- Landon showing me what he learned at preschool: K is for ‘Kiss!’

- Having a few hours to myself to run errands

- Talking to both my mom and dad on the phone for a minute

- Sneaking my big spoonful of white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookie dough

- Dinosaur bedtime stories and cuddles with each of my precious kiddos

- Finishing an entire 273 page novel in the bathtub before bed

The Christmas Sweater by Glen Beck was a great story, well written. It is based on a true personal story and written for his children. Put it on your book list for Christmas next year! Without giving away any of the plot line, here are some of my favorite quotes:

“I’m lost.”

“That’s not exactly true… You’re exactly where you are supposed to be.”

“What is this place?”

“It is the world you made for yourself…When you choose the path, you choose the destination.”

“I wonder sometimes how many of us don’t face ourselves because we are convinced that we’re worthy of only a certain level of happiness. We are limited by our imaginations and thoughts of worthiness and joy.”

I am cooler than...TV!

When I was growing up, there was a family we were friends with who didn’t have television. Well, they did until their mom couldn’t get anyone to pay attention to her when she was trying to get them to do something. She ‘dropped’ the only one they had- TV, not kid. Several years and eight kids later, they were still without. All of their kids loved to read, were very intelligent and involved in many extracurricular activities. The only time not having TV at their house was really an issue is when any of the kids went somewhere where there was TV. It was like they were completely mesmerized and could not be distracted. As a teenager, I thought that was pretty weird.

Fast forward to motherhood and I find myself wanting to be that mom who limits TV time. (I didn’t say eliminate, just limit. I have to admit that television has saved my sanity more than once, so we will always have it in some form.) I try to limit my kids to two shows a day. Sometimes it’s more and some days we go without ever turning a TV on. However, my kids have turned into the mesmerized zombie TV watchers that I used to think were so strange. When the TV is on, it would take an earthquake AND a fire to distract them!

This morning, the boys and I were cuddled up reading some books and motorcycle magazines. (Yes, they read their motor sports magazines over and over like books.) I was really enjoying the quality time with the boys, but the clock was ticking closer towards the time to leave for gymnastics. With each tick my every other day shower was slipping away. Then my brilliant thought came, “Landon, how would you like to go upstairs and watch a show with Carter?” I started to get up sure he would fly off my lap and lunge toward the stairs, but he looked at me and said, “Actually, I just want to stay here and hang out with you.”

Seriously? How lucky am I to be so much cooler than TV? Well, it didn’t last for long, but I enjoyed it while it did! I did end up having time for a shower after a few more books. As we scrambled to make it to gymnastics, Landon told me with tears in his eyes that I was ‘boring.’ That is his way of saying totally lame. I went from cooler than TV to totally lame within an hour. I have chosen to focus on the ‘cooler’ description.