spring blew in

HOW did it go from this..

..to bulbs sprouting up in my yard? I'm happy about it, but I thought I would have more time to complain about the snow and cold and now I'm left to complain about yard work! BOO. But yay. I love working outside but it is so overwhelming. I just want to do EVERYTHING right NOW. Project A.D.D is a struggle.

I had a GREAT birthday. I am 33 and wild and free. My Baby's breakfast is Ravioli. I love my life and my family. I'm busting out rhymes so call me Shorty.

Here are my boys testing out their egg-drop thingy for pack meeting. Hunter had the idea to get sponges and hollow out a place for an egg in the middle and then tie the sponges together.

I tell you, I am like the luckiest gal around because on my way to the store to buy the big sponges, a
HUGE thick long piece of really nice foam blew through the intersection I was approaching (the spring wind is unbelievable here- stuff blows around like mad) and I just about passed it when I said to myself, "Hey, that is a NICE piece of foam. I bet I could use it for something sometime." Then BAM! it hit me-- use it for the egg drop!

The boys had a blast making their egg-drop contraptions; Mack made one, too and competed at pack meeting. He is SO excited to be a cub scout. I am going to start him when he's 7 just on our own. The LDS church starts cubs at 8 but I need to foster this sooner while he's this pumped.

Mack is one in a billion. If you are not friends with me on Facebook, you need to be. That is, if you like to hear funny, cynical and/or messed-up stuff kids say. I have a whole notebook of things Mack has said starting at age 2 when he could speak in sentences. I post many of them on Facebook because it is just too good to keep to myself.

My Mack is a hard worker when it is his idea! He went out and dug weeds after school this day-just grabbed the shovel and went at it. He got obsessed with watching the YouTube video of Frozen's "Let It Go". It was cute/bizarre at first. Then really annoying.

So now that the snow is gone, my kids think it's summer. They BEGGED to sleep on the tramp so we put them off until the weekend and they held us to our word. We told them it was cold (in the 30s) and they insisted! They went out and all 4 of them fell asleep. When the temp dropped below freezing, Dax and I just couldn't let Quinn stay out there all night. We brought her in at 11:30pm.

In the morning it was 25 degrees and frost covered everything. I asked Mack if he had fun sleeping outside and he said, "Yes. My pillow was frosted!"

It warmed up in the day and Dax and I were able to work on our pile of rocks that isn't moving by itself. Moving a pile of rocks is about as unmotivating as it gets.

Hunter is the cutest, sweetest brother. I just love how he looks after Quinn and makes sure she is happy.
We went out exploring/hiking one day after church and the kids got all prepared..Quinn brought her backpack with a waterbottle and little wooden knife. Following in their father's footsteps..

Hiking and climbing enjoyed by all! Hunter is at the very top of this mountain..

It got tricky climbing amongst all the cracks and crevices..

Then Dax taught the kids how to baton wood with a knife. We ended up with perfect kindling for a fire. Which we built and enjoyed.

Scrolling through these pics to find a good one of all of us girls amused me...

Quinn's off..

Preslie's off..

um..

Preslie's dance teacher, Miss Heather opened up a 3-year-old class and I was able to get Quinn into it. She is so happy there; it is really cute to watch. She calls her teacher "Miss Feather".

 This is how my bar and counters have looked since my kids started school in August. It is so annoying and embarrassing and overstimulating. I get pressure in my chest just looking at the picture.. but the kids have so many papers that are "pending" and can't be put completely away. So my counters have become a dumping ground because there is always a pile, and that invites more piles. I finally came up with a solution!

 I bought a tiny set of wood drawers that fits papers in them perfectly. There are six drawers- one for each person's stuff. It sits between the bar and the window. My camera is lost right now so I can't take a pic. But AHHHHH! I can breathe! I can feed my children at the bar again!

The change of season motivates me to get to work in my house (and now yard)! I love to organize, rearrange, and de-junk. I love change and have so many projects on my list. The list grows faster than it shrinks but life is so so good.

my Free photobook

Click here to view this photo book larger

Build your own high-quality photo books at Shutterfly.com.

Shutterfly had a promo for a free 8 x 8 photobook! I fully intended to make a book of some sort, but I have a hundred other things going so I ordered a copy of a book I'd already made for my in-laws last Christmas. My kids will love it for Easter. And all I had to do was click, order, and pay shipping. Sweet! On to the next project!

home remedies

Our friends Bridgett and Derrick were on the brink of finishing their basement and having their 5th child. When Bridgett stopped by to borrow a drill the other day, I couldn't help but invite myself over to help her paint her girls' rooms. Throw in a couple of kids and a couple of carpet guys and you have my idea of a fun day! This was my first time painting horizontal stripes and it was so fun!

 Problem solving skills came into play with this accent wall. We had a limited amount of paint, and had to measure and pre-plan where all the furniture was going before we painted. We left an "opening" where 3 picture frames will be hung over the bed. Gonna be cute!

 Last week I read on a blog about how raw, organic apple cider vinegar is the cure-all for everything from acne to sore throat. It's gotta be true if it's on the Internet. I bought some and Dax was the guinea pig. He treated a mole on his arm 4 nights. A week later and a tiny scab is all that remains; the mole is gone. Crazy, right?

I kind of love Sundays at our house. The kids come up with awesome ideas for entertainment. Here are Flo and Arnold...spa owners and stylists. They are legit. My appendages have never been smoother.

 

And just for fun, I'll end with these photos of my bendy daughter. And my messy house. Does anyone have a remedy for after-school clutter? I give up..

goals, goodbyes, and good vibes

GOALS
I like January for the chance to reflect on my good life and for making plans to improve myself. I went without candy for 7 days and then said...WHY am I doing this? It doesn't really matter and it won't make me a better person to go without candy (which really means chocolate). So I decided to omit yelling from my life instead. That didn't last too much longer, but I think working toward that is a better improvement and will have more eternal rewards.

Another thing I want to work on this year is spending more time with people I love, including extended family. I have family in Alaska, Idaho and Utah. In January, my sister Trina moved from Florida to Utah so I am excited to add more visits with her family, too!

We spent Martin Luther King weekend with Dax's family and celebrated our niece's birthday. Chuck-A-Rama, Kangaroo Zoo, games, chats, and cousin time gave us some happy family memories to start the year out on a happy note.
This pic is of my nephew after a few hours going full-speed at Kangaroo Zoo. I love his red, tired face and how he's slumped over with his gut sticking out.

 

GOODBYES
Our dear neighbors/friends moved from our town and they will be sorely missed. My boys are best buddies with their boys and I taught the older two piano; there is already a void in our day-to-day life!

These pics were taken on the last night they were here.

I sent them home at dinner time and Mack was stomping around yelling that "They are STUPID for moving! Tell their Dad to quit his new job so they DON'T have to move!" If you know Mack, you know that mad is the emotion he shows for all other emotions. This is Mack's way of being super sad that his friends were moving. I sat my kids down for dinner and the next thing I know, Mack has his forehead down on his arm and is SOBBING. Like the saddest, real tears I've ever heard out if him. This sincere, raw emotion just burst out of that tough and gritty 6-year-old and it was the saddest and most beautiful thing I've seen him do. I went over and put my hand on his back and (he didn't elbow me away like I thought he'd do) I just said "it is SO hard when our dear friends move away. I'm sad too and it's ok to be sad. It is really hard." Then Hunter says, "Mom, just don't talk about it. It's making me cry." then Hunter teared up. We are planning to visit them this month and the boys are excited.

 GOOD VIBES
Paper clutter is my ultimate nemesis. My counters and kitchen table are constantly piled with papers and I can't stand it. Somedays I submit and let it win. One day last week I went on a rampage and was chucking things left and right when I saw one of Mack's school papers that he hadn't completed except for one part...

 I was as happy as a red hen when I saw that!

 A few friends and I organized a birthday lunch for my friend Jaclyn. It is so worth the effort to get together with good people. Most of these ladies are my neighbors. I love where I live!

Here is one room in my house that has not given me good vibes for a long time. My boys room has never received the attention it needs. It is super boring, no style, cluttery and blah. That is going to change.

I cleared it out and planned to paint it the end of November. Then this thing called Thanksgiving and Christmas happened and then it was January and so I called in 2 of my friends to help me and we painted it bright and clean white! I love it. I took the bunkbeds down. Making bunkbeds is awkward and annoying and I've been doing it for 8 years so I'm done. But I'm NOT done with this bedroom. Now that I have a beautiful blank canvas, I can begin to transform this room into something awesome for my boys (and me) to enjoy!

GRABBING LIFE
I feel like my main goal this year is to make life happen instead of letting life pass me by. I plan to take charge of my time and really do what I want to do. Spend time with loved ones, take my kids new places, make my house a place I love, reach out to people and serve, be a missionary, read the scriptures, visit the temple, choose the best things instead of just good things. I feel like I am a robot that is going through motions everyday but I want to live and soak it up and be in the moment. This life is temporary. Loved ones won't always be there. So hard to remember that. I love life; I want to spend more of it DOing.

I started writing in a little notebook ideas and things I want to accomplish and remember. In the back I write down gift ideas when they come to me, projects I want to do, etc. The first page, I wrote January at the top and as the month went on, I recorded things that I wanted to remember like what day I washed which sheets, payed the mortgage, and kicked the dog. But also what projects I wanted to accomplish that month. My January projects were: paint the boys room, decorate for Valentine's day, make a hairbow organizer, and organize my Christmas decor in my storage room. Well, I did all but the last one. My storage room is a bomb so I wrote that on the next page with my February goals. Writing things down has helped me stay focused on the projects I want to do most so I don't spend time spinning my wheels unsure of where to start.

Here is my bow organizer. Yes, it's a baby gate. I love my jewelry organizer I made out of a baby gate so when my friend was throwing this out, I grabbed it and it fits great on the wall behind my bathroom door. I have extra gate pieces if anyone needs one!

Here is my Valentine decor. Way cheap and easy.

Learn from me, don't put your candy jars up high like this. Mack was up on the counter grabbing some candy and he fell. The top rack of the dishwasher broke his fall. And it broke. It still works, but is a little crooked now. The candy jars got moved down to the counter and a pink feather heart wreath moved up onto the shelf. Dumb to make my decorations non-kid friendly! Learned my lesson.

beatin the winter blahs!

 It's that time of year! Christmas is over. The cold is not. We are sick of our winter clothes. The kids are cooped up and driving Mom and Dad crazy. What to do! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma Mangus for the jumping balls..a great way to use up all the extra energy!

Mack is trying out my new iPod shuffle. I have tried to squeeze a run in here and there! I bundle up and it really is beautiful outside once I get past how cold it is!

We planned on visiting my family for New Year's but they were all sick so we got a hotel in SLC and partied just the 6 of us! It was really fun and something we haven't done with all the kids in years.

 On this rare sunny day, Preslie and Dax went with the youth in our ward to baptisms at the temple. It was Preslie's first time and she liked it!

 The indoor activity that we do the most is cook. This can be a good or bad thing. I am planning to make grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for din tonight. Only I cooked these veggies down and blended them to beef up my canned soup. I also pulled homemade bread out of the oven minutes ago!

 Preslie told me the other day, "I'm sick of my clothes. I wear the same thing over and over. Can you sell my clothes and buy new ones?"
Today I went down to her room and pulled out some things I haven't seen her wear in months and put together some new combos for her... We'll see if she likes them. Sometimes my tastes are a little too "old lady" for her- ha!

 Here is my new little sunbeam! Wow. No kids in arms or in nursery. It seems that my family is growing up! Quinn's crown says "I am a child of God".

Today Quinn ran to me holding her crown and it was kinda bent up and she says, "Look, I'm not a child of God anymore!" What a sweetheart.

Best of 2013

What a year. I always say that. Then the next year comes and tries to out-do the last. The years are soo competitive that way.

So starting with the most recent.. here a few 2013 highlights:
My dad surprised us on Christmas Eve and drove out to take us to Frozen.

Preslie is now 12 and in Young Womens! The video of her on Facebook getting her bike makes me laugh every time.

We spent Christmas at home and enjoyed each other, gifts and sledding. Plus all the festivities and surprises leading up to it.

 This picture is beautiful on so many levels. This was the first snow and my kids all got themselves dressed in snow clothes and went out and played together in our very own backyard. They made their own snowman. They got along. They GOT THEMSELVES DRESSED in snow clothes.

 

We put in curbing and sod in our backyard this year. It's wonderful!

Quinn won 2 coloring contests this year at age 3. Earlier this year she insisted on sleeping in her rocking chair and not in the crib I had refinished.

Check out our house with a double rainbow behind it!

 My little bro got married!

 

We said goodbye to our sweetheart dog Echo. (It wasn't you, boy, it was me)

and don't forget..
Tristie's primary/hunting/Halloween/birthday-induced breakdown in October
Hunter's been around for a decade!
Mack started Kindergarten and continues to delight and amaze with his quick-witted yet demented one-liners.

Finished Preslie's room downstairs
Hunter won the Pinewood derby and poetry out-loud
Tristie went to Hawaii!
Nephew Sawyer joined our family

Cheers to a new year. New goals. New adventures. But with my same favorite people..

Best of Life's offerings

 We spent Thanksgiving with my husband's family in sunny Southern Utah. It was 40 plus degrees warmer than where we live and we LOVED it. And the family time was wonderful. And the food was delish.

 We held our 5th annual Bonus Gobble at our home with dear friends. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, pie and awesome company. You can't beat it!

 Mack lost another tooth! I will miss those cute tiny teeth!

 I attended my first treat swap. If there is one thing we all need more of in December, it's treats. So I brought 2 dozen of these...

 And came home with a smorgasbord of delectable delights.. (but actually I think mine were the best treats of the bunch. I'm kind of a treat snob; I make awesome cookies.)

 Preslie planned and hosted her own birthday party! HOLY COW. I have a kid about to turn TWELVE.

 I woke up this morning to this out my window! Everything is covered in crystal frost. It is gorgeous!

Other happenings this month:
sneaky 12 days of Christmas drop-offs
Temple date/Christmas shopping with Dax
Mack's kindergarten program
Mack's class party
teaching piano
Preslie's Nutcracker dance recital
Putting up our tree!

 Putting it up and decorating it was actually not that fun. We were all too grouchy. After hours of getting all the lights to work, finding extension cords, climbing up and down the ladder ('cause the tree is 11 feet tall), too much fighting while decorating and finally finishing and getting the kids into bed, I was ready to buy a fake tree. But I really don't want a fake one. I like how the real ones look: REAL. There is a giant tree in my house that used to be in the mountains. I like that it isn't perfectly shaped and it's not full everwhere and there are little pinecones at the ends of the branches. It beautiful to me. So, I won't buy a fake one, yet.

We are so excited for Christmas! I am ready! What a beautiful time of year in so many ways. I can hardly sing a Chrismas carol without tearing up. Especially the Christmas hymns. Christ's birth means more to me every year. I am so grateful for all the gifts I have! Merry Christmas to all!