crazymominparadise

2010-07-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

I seem to be only good at dong this every couple of months or so. Since it has been a couple of months-here we go!

Ted got laid off a week before Memorial Day and our life has been a little bit turned upside down and well...crazy. But that is the name of my blog, so I guess I will take it. We have been extremely blessed with temporary jobs. Ted has decided and felt prompted to take the tests for him to become a fully certified landscape architect. This will be a challenge for us time and money wise, but we up to it. It will be such a huge boost in his ability to acquire more jobs and confidence in himself. He has been doing this for almost over 13 years now, and I know he can do this. His knowledge is astounding and not only that, he actually can apply it. There are so many landscape architects out there that only know things on paper, but he has been in the trenches (literally) and understands how things work. He is amazing! He also has been called to serve as the 9 year old Primary teacher and 11 year old scout leader. He has his hands full, but loves it! Ted and McKay are at scout camp this week having a blast and doing all the "manly" stuff he can take in. This was an awesome opportunity for him to go, and I'm glad he is having fun...He told me this after he walked 5 miles to call me and check in. THAT is true love!

I'm busy holding the fort down. What else is new? Not much. I'm serving in the nursery and am the ward choir accompanist. It's all good. I'm definitely exhausted by the time church is over with. I usually am in need of a serious nap and is good birth control-lol! They really are adorable! I'm still teaching piano, and I swear this will be my long-life job. I struggle with the decision to teach every year, but then when I get called to every church calling that has to do with piano-I know that I need to keep teaching! I just recently started watching "Glee." It is totally irreverent, but I feel like singing again. I truly miss singing! I got to see my Grandpa, Aunt Rachel, Uncle Floyd, and Ruth (cousin) sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and I know for sure that I want to do that. It was awe-inspiring! I cried pretty much the entire time.

I cried because the spirit was so strong.

I cried because this was my grandpa's life-long dream.

I cried because i was surround by my family.

I cried because the music was absolutely beautiful.

I cried because I long to be up there singing.

One day!

McKay is doing awesome. He is just a good kid. I am so blessed to have him, and have noticed that especially this week. He will be 12 on the 20th. I can't believe it! I remember every detail about him coming into our family. From first time we said decided what his name was going to be until his actual labor and delivery. If I could give him anything for his birthday it would be to always have the confidence to stick to his convictions. To be true to what he believes in!

Kayte is trying her best to imitate me in everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I need to do better! I was rocking out on the piano one day and I didn't notice that she was sitting on the couch behind me. After I was done, she asked me to do it again because she wanted to learn how. She also asks me every night to sing "like when I'm trying to get Eden asleep." I forget that my greatest and best audience is my kids.

Noah is full of spunkiness and a lot of other stuff! We are slowly, but surely working on his anger management issues. This week has set him back because of Scout Camp. It broke his heart when he was told that he couldn't go. I can't wait for October when he turns 8 and can be a Cub Scout! That will be a great thing for him-

Eden is almost 2 and I'm in denial! She is such a sweet little girl. She is just like the others and their spunkiness and sass. She is the only one of my kiddos that doesn't have blue eyes and white hair. I catch myself staring at her because she looks different. Her hair is strawberry blond and her eyes are gray. She is beautiful!

Like I said...my life is crazy, but there are moments when I feel like it's paradise!

2010-05-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

MAY 2010

Happy Mothers Day to me...I wanted family pictures and my sister Kimmy obliged. She is an amazing photographer. These are originals and I will know they will look even more fantastic once they are edited. I just needed to put some up so everyone can see my beautiful family.

I am truly blessed to be a mother. There are many things that are frustrating and hard, but there are MORE wonderful things that balances it all out.

Things that I love:

McKay's love for reading. We discuss books ALL the time and think that we could be champions at a Harry Potter trivial pursuit.

Kayte's love of singing. She could put on a show everyday. Loves to perform!

Noah's love for justice, fairness, and exactness. AMEN!

Eden's love for snuggling. I can't get enough!

Things that I love about MY Mom:

She knows how to text.

She has a blog and facebook page.

She is EVERYTHING domesticated!

She is a classy lady.

She can laugh at herself.

Eden Ann is named after her.

She has a mother heart!

She is a wonderful example of goodness.

Things I love about my mother in law-Teddy:

She loves even when it hurts.

She raised WONDERFUL children.

She is THE most giving person I know.

Teddy Kayte is named after her.

I love them so much!

2010-03-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Is it March ALREADY?!?
How did this happen?

I don't even know where to begin because our life changes too fast.

We will start with the oldest...Ted!

He is plugging away at work, and is looking forward to the Scout over-nighter this weekend. He is having fun learning and creating with Adobe Creative/Master Suite and I almost never have the computer to myself

when he is home.

I am in the process of getting sick. Usually I can mentally tell myself not too, but this is a keeper. Sore throat, pounding head, and feeling achy...sigh.

I also get to give a talk in church about HAPPINESS. I have had so many thoughts and impressions about this that you would think that it was already done. It's not. Hopefully I won't bore the congregation.

Our biggest news recently is that our landlords decided that they want to move back to Utah, so that means ANOTHER move in May...sigh! I have to believe that the Lord knows where we are supposed to be and He will let us know pretty soon. I also have to believe that He thinks that we are capable of moving multiple times so we can be helpful to others wherever we end up. Does that make sense? It does to me-so I'm keeping it in this post.

McKay is busy being an active 11 yr old. He is either playing football or basketball outside in the cold. He loves to read! This has been a joy to watch as a mother. I REALLY love to read, and hoped that my kids would be the same way. He babysits for me when I teach piano, and I pay him in books. It works for us. I recently registered him for junior high and felt strangely melancholy about the whole affair. As much as I want him to grow up, I am still

extremely grateful for his innocence.

Kayte is turning 9 this month and is super excited to have a party. She is planning one heck of a party and I'm lucky if I can catch all the details. She is a whirlwind of singing, dancing, and talking. Such.a.girl. She loves playing with friends and we are entering the girl "catty-ness" stage. I hate this stage! I remember it well. Can't girls just get along? There always has to be one queen bee that determines if you are cool or not, and this changes on a daily basis. My hope is to instill a great sense of self so she can be happy with who she is.

Noah. Every time I get to his turn I don't even know what to say or where to start. I'm learning how to handle his little sassy self. He seriously needs anger management, and I am NOT the one to help him with that. I don't know where he gets it-lol! He marches to the beat of another drum then the rest of us. But let me tell you-he gives the best hugs and snuggles! He sure is a thinker. He told me the other day that he doesn't understand why I need to change. He was referring to my hcg diet. He told me I was beautiful the way I was. How sweet is that! That made my day!

Eden is battling a double ear infection at the moment and I can hardly put her down without massive tears and tantrums. You think that this sweet,teeny, tiny girl can't throw a tantrum-you are wrong! She actually throws herself on the kitchen floor and lays down. It is pretty comical-sometimes! She can say cracker and fish. I figure she doesn't say much because she has 3 older siblings catering to her every need and desire. If she wants something she will come up to you and grab your fingers with her tiny hand and pull you to where she wants to go. So so cute! She also jabbers up a storm and likes to dance. She can swing her hips and it is too funny to watch. She also survived her first week in nursery AND loved it! It is hard to believe she is 18 months! WHAAAA!

Okay! Done!

2010-01-29T21:42:00.000-08:00

So here are some digital scrapbook pages that I just did!

Pretty amazing..after a few tears, a whole "sleeve" of Ritz crackers, and reassurance from my awesome sis Tori.

I did it!!!

She said "welcome to the dark side-mwhaaaa!"

I LOVE Jessica Sprague and her classes!

THE. BEST. EVER.

2010-01-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

2010 January Update

Ted has been called as the 11 year old scout leader and is actually excited about this! McKay is as well! He loves catching all the BYU sports he can get his hands and ears on. There have been many a countless nights of falling asleep to ksl post-game shows. He is having a blast playing on Photoshop and will one day teach me "all" he knows. Ted is also planning on passing his exams to become a fully licensed Landscape Architect pending the economy. Tests are extremely expensive-ouch! He got to go ice fishing with the boys on Saturday. They caught a tiny fish that they think I'm going to cook and smell up my entire house just so McKay can pass of a merit badge-NOT!

We saw Avatar in 3-D and thought it was pretty cool.

I've been busy with Primary, piano, and just kids. We have gone through the stomach flu more times than I'd like to remember. I am officially starting HCG diet on Monday-FOR REALS this time! I need to shed about...#@!* so many pounds and it is WAY over due! Prayers would be ever so helpful. I will need some serious divine help. Especially since I am giving up Dr. Pepper and heaven help my kids to survive this craziness!

McKay is your typical 11 year old BOY. We (yes, we) have almost finished the dreaded "UTAH" science fair project. He loves throwing snowballs and jumping off man made snow ramps on sleds. He walks Cricket when asked and enjoys NOT doing his chores. What else is new?!? He really is a good kid and tries hard to do what's right. It is really hard sometimes to hear what goes on at school and not completely FREAK out. There are some days I want to home school...and then the feeling passes-hee! We have lots of learning opportunities to teach the gospel when he decides to share his school "experiences."

Kayte is such a GIRL! Thank goodness, right? She is full of make-up, singing, and drama. Let's just say she's FULL of it! She is the only one that Eden will go to in the morning. She loves to antagonize her brothers just about EVERYDAY of their lives. Even in Sacrament meeting-arg! She is a great shopping buddy and always wants candy. Surprised? With a mother like me?

Noah is...Noah. There are no words! He loves to antagonize Eden. I will be surprised if she lives to see 2. My mother-in-law Teddy told me that when Ted was small, she had to love him into doing things. You could not tell Ted what to do. Guess what, Noah is Ted!!!! I told her that I do not have enough love-lol! Noah loves to draw pictures in Sacrament meeting about how he's going to hurt his brother and sister with captions. Lest you think he is a total sociopath, they do the same to him. Yes, they are ALL sociopaths! That is how they communicate in silence. I wish I could scan the pictures for you to see...pictures are worth a thousand words! Noah is actually quite the cuddle-bug and still as sweet as can be when things are going his way. He has an AWESOME voice on him. I love to listen to him sing! He is my morning reminder to read scriptures before they head out into the lone and dreary world-lol!

Eden is my sweet and sassy girl! She can say hi, no, no way, go away, thank you, love you, doggy, daddy, mommy, eye...and lots of other babbling. She can definitely hold her own and it not afraid to scratch your eye out or pinch your cheeks. She gives the biggest cheesy grin and has 12 teeth that are SO cute! She has no hair, but look at Ted, right?!? I love to just squish, kiss, cuddle, and eat her up! She is adorable and busts out the moves...again-Ted?!? We will be working on sleeping in her own bed and getting rid of the bink. Heaven help us with that too. I'm seriously asking for a lot of divine intervention here.

We are loving the winter season. IT is quite the change for us, but I think we are all adjusting. Even Cricket, the dog. She was made for this weather! She barks at the snow...hilarious!

Okay-hopefully we will get some pictures in the next week, but I'm hoping for monthly updated through the year.

2010-01-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas Vacation 2009

Utah

Lovin' the snow!

I had to throw this in because she is so dang cute!

All bundled up!

This is what you do in Utah.

Seriously......beautiful!

My kids teachers LOVED their gift!

Eden found the black marker!

My love!

Sledding with cousins. First time EVER! So FUN!

Christmas Eve at our house complete with fiesta and UGLY sweater contest.

Loralee...no comment. The sweater says it all. Tee-hee!

This is a three-way tie!

"Really...it fits!"

2009-12-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas!
May kids have lived to see another year and I'm not in an insane asylum.
Truly this is something to celebrate!

I've decided to post my childrens Christmas lists because I want to remember them for a LONG time...just so I can laugh! I 'm not going to change the spelling, wording, or punctuation...a translator for Kayte's might me a good idea! It's that good!

McKay's List:
ramp (you know what I mean)
Leven Thumps 5 don't need to buy till I finish 3 and 4
scooter (optional)
plastic sword and or light saber (not cheap) (please)
my own room (please I beg you)
Teck Deck or other (mini skateboards) and or Flip Tricks (mini bikes)
Football (Willson)
DSI or DS with one game I would like

Kayte's list:
1. Fure Pet
2. Cup cake and Ice cream muker real of it
3. D.S. and games for it
4. The little pet shop stuff animals
5. Bart girls on barbie stile
6. One more game for gameboy
7. A Hanah Matana wig
8. Hanah Matana lip stike
9. fake vampir teeth glow in the dark
10. A pencile sarpener
11. A serct diry
12. Little pet shop coler book
13. A sooby Dooy do movie
14. A purse that has Hanah Mantana on it
15. A look a like doll
16. A Hanah Mantana jeep
17. I like a doll
18. fake eay lashes
19. A love neaklis
20. A love baslist
21. Some homework
22. Some Kool-Aid
23. Some lots of candy
24. A little puppy
25. A little coler for her neak
26. Some lots of make up
27. Some Jerlerey
28. A tea set
29. And some spoons for my tea set
43. Talor Swith shoes

I belive in you Santa I do
can you just bring some of my prestents please

Noah's list-
I wish I can have DS
Lego Indiana Jones for Wii $20
lego ship
and a jeep

There are a couple of things I noticed that I probably should be concerned about, but because it's Christmas...I'll let it go!

2009-11-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

2009-11-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

FINALLY found the camera!

GOOD times ahead!

POSTing soon........I promise!

2009-10-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

BRRRRRRR...it's COLD outside!!!

2009-08-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Girl!First Day of School

(notice the pencil behind Noah's ear)

Trying to Walk

Eden's birthday cake!

My beautiful one year old!

2009-07-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Ted decides to give the babe peach ice cream.

She screamed every time she wanted another bite.

Did she sleep that night? No!

Does she get any more peach Ice cream? No!

Ted took care of her that night...hee!

2009-07-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

This is mostly for G-ma and G-pa.

This is a typical FHM (Family Home Moment) in the Finch house.

We SO know how to "break it down!"

2009-07-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is Eden dancing and sorry about the quality.

Camera phones only capture so much! She is so dang cute!

2009-07-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

We are officially in Utah!

Eden's blowing kisses to you all..we miss our AZ family and friends!

We are enjoying the weather and the plethora of children my kids get to go with and wander aimlessly about. Ted is working hard and recently just started our own company with FHTM. We are really jazzed about it (more info will be forth coming) !!! I am STILL unpacking and finding uses for our basement. (We've never had one before!) Our ward is HUGE! Palm Valley has nothing on this one! There are 750 ACTIVE members and we are always introducing

because there's a good chance that they are new too.

Now that we have Internet (YEAH!) I will be on more often!

2009-04-27T09:45:00.001-07:00

We are GOOD at hanging out!

We are also STILL alive and kickin'! (Well-some of us are...)

The end...so there!!!

2009-04-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here are my crazies!!!

2009-04-05T16:51:00.000-07:00

2009-03-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

UTAH it is!

SO ever since Ted got the job in UT, I have heard the good, the bad, and the ugly!

I vaguely remember the "BYU" days and I loved Thanksgiving last year in Orem.

Other than that-I just don't know what I'm getting myself into.

I have heard that I need to keep my testimony strong so

I don't confuse the "church" with the gospel.

I've been told that I will see every sort of Jell-o concoction imaginable.

Oh...and I might be able to try out for the Mo-Tab!

We will be heading up there at the end of the school year in May and that is a huge relief to me. McKay will be in a cast until then and I would like to keep the same doctor because of the type of break. Oh yea...he broke his tibia right by the growth plate. It happened on the trampoline, but it wasn't because of the trampoline. HUGE difference! One of the neighborhood boys thought that it would be okay to try out a WWF move on his leg unbeknownst to McKay. I am so thankful to have insurance! Being in a cast bites!!!

I also caught the flu! Thanks to my good Canadian friend-J...I'm much better! She's got the good stuff (AKA contraband) thera-flu that you can't get here in the USA.

We are adjusting to living as a family of 12...good thing I decided to refill my Zoloft prescription.

And the looks that I get from the cashiers at the grocery store when I come through with 10 bags of cereal, 3 bags of chicken, 10 boxes of Popsicles, 4 gallons of milk, 2 bags of string cheese, 2 gallons of OJ, 4 bags of assorted chips, 15 things of baby food, and tons of fruit, bread....

Their expression is priceless when I tell them that this feeds a family of 12 for a week. They look at me like "Say What?!?" Then "Are they all yours ?"

Good. Times.

another two words

Spring. Break.

Holy. Cow.

Shoot. Me.

Solitary. Confinement.

Got. it?

Peace.Out.

Hungry baby!

2009-03-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

Please see this link http://www.torij.blogspot.com see what's happening in the Finch house!
Ted had an interview in Utah yesterday and it was AWESOME! Who knows? I may be coming to see you Mom and Dad!

2009-02-12T20:15:00.000-08:00

*Update on Job interview*

Ted's interview went well, and found out that he was 1 of 300 applicants. They have narrowed it down to a dozen and he will have another interview in March (hopefully!). We have been praying that they will speed up their time table because not having a job=not having any money. We are planning on moving on the 21st of this month to Tori and Loren's (bless thier hearts!!!) And from there I have NO idea what the heck we are doing, but we will be okay. Thanks for all your prayers and fasting in our behalf. We have felt peace and calm...

well most of the time!

2009-01-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

Eden ROLLS over and Star Wars in Sacrament meeting!

Noah was having a hard time during Sacrament meeting on Sunday-this is a weekly battle! While the bread was being passed I asked Noah who he was supposed to be thinking about. He quietly said, "Jesus." I told him that that was correct and that we can also think about the things that we believe in. He sat their for about two whole minutes and said LOUDLY, "I believe in Star Wars!" Okay-no more battlefront Start Wars X-box game for him!!!

Eden can officially roll over and over and over! She like bananas and sweet potatoes. Her stats for 5 months are:

11 lbs 15oz

24 inches

She is still teeny-tiny!

Ted is flying to WA tomorrow. Cross your fingers and say some prayers that this is going to work and that he comes home to a semi-sane wife.

2009-01-15T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is purely for posterity sake.

I'm never in pictures...so this is for my kids.

(And a before picture because I am going to be a working out QUEEN!)

2009-01-15T15:51:00.000-08:00

LIMBO

It is not a fun place to be, but we are hanging in there.

We have confidence in the Lord, and know that He will lead us where to go.

Our options are W I D E open.

We have limited time for obvious reasons...money-

AND the house we are renting is in FORECLOSURE!!!

Let me tell you-we don't mess around-hee!

I am enjoying the compainnship (not a typo-ha!) of my sweet Ted.

I have been able to help in Noah's class.

I have given up Dr. Pepper since 2 Sundays ago.

I have been purging my house of clutter and ancient items of NO value!

I have been trying to convince Ted that packing 10 boxes a day is GREAT!

My kids are LOVING their dad around.

Pray for us! Pray for my sanity...Zoloft can only help so much-

Here are some pictures...just because!

2008-12-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

2008-12-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Seriously-We are SO blessed! Thank you for your generosity and sweetness. Our hearts are truly touched by family and friends that have offered words of encouragement, food and unexpected monetary gifts. It is not hard to find the true spirit of Christmas amidst this trial because Heavenly Father has sent his angels to bring us comfort and joy. I love my Saviour. I know He lives and am grateful for this time of year to reflect on the greatest gift that was given.

2008-12-18T09:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you to the Christmas angels for doorbell

ditching an awesome Christmas dinner!

You are wonderful!!!

2008-12-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

Utah, Arizona, Texas, California???

No-I'm not deciding where our next vacation is going to be, but where Ted will find a new job. Yesterday (a week before Christmas) Ted got laid off. This is a new experience for our family since they have reassured him over and over that his job was safe. SO WRONG!!! It's a good thing Obama is going to be president because I know he'll pay for my home, insurance, car payments. Just like he promised-right?!?

Okay-enough of the depressing stuff. We have seriously been blessed and I know that Ted and I have weathered much worse. Please pray for our family and if you hear of anyone need a landscape/irrigation designer-give us a ring! We love you all and are blessed to know you!

2008-12-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

2008-12-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving post and pictures will be coming soon! I'm waiting for the CD with pictures from my dad...hint...hint-

Here are some pictures to tide you over!

Noah ROCKS!!!

He was student of the month in November and got a cool award!

We also got to eat a donut breakfast. YUMMY!

2008-11-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

M.I.A.

Sorry-I've been missing in action and I wish I was missing in sleep.

Not missing sleep!

McKay took this picture and yes...I didn't have time to do my hair or ANYTHING!

She makes my day!

Can you believe he is 10?!? He is talking on the phone with his cousin about who knows what...but it's important!

She is SO beautiful! I love it when we sit down to read Judy Moody and eat Halloween candy.

Is he just not the cutest boy ever? I love his spiky hair and no front teeth!

2008-10-23T20:23:00.001-07:00

Could these cousins be any more different and yet...

any more cuter?!?

*This is Tessa and Eden*

2008-10-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

She is the cutest baby EVER!!!

2008-10-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

There is a "rabbit" in the house!

Her name is Eden Ann and she now has the nickname my dad

gave to me because we both scrunch our noses.

SOOO cute!!!

2008-10-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Whew! I'm glad this is over!

2008-10-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Newest baby bird to join the family!

2008-10-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

2008-10-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Pictures-FINALLY!!!

2008-09-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

TAG-Paul Mitchell Challenge

My sister Julianne attends Paul Mitchell Hair Academy in Rexburg and she's entering a contest. I want to say just a few words about her. She is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet in your life. She has had to overcome some SERIOUS obstacles throughout her life. When I think about the things that she has encountered, I am amazed at her ability to get through them. No doubt she is one of Heavenly Father's strongest and most faithful daughters. She is a loyal friend and tries so hard to bring happiness into the lives of those around her. Hair school means so much to her because it's a place where she can go and feel safe, feel confident in her abilities, and feel like she has a support system all around her.

(copied from my sis Loralee and I "amen" everthing that is said!!!)

Here's what she wrote:

Paul Mitchell is having a you tube contest that all Future Professionals in all of the schools nationwide are invited to participate in. And I really really really want to win!!! The grand prize is an all expense paid airfare, hotel, and dinner with John Paul Dejoria and Winn Claybaugh. So here is the deal. The winners are picked by the HIGHEST NUMBER OF VIEWS and HIGHEST RANKING. So here is where all of you come into play and your friends and family and their friends and family! You will all need to view JUST my video (don't view the other videos b/c then they get a vote as well) as often as possible and then rank it high!!! In order to rank it, you need to be a You Tube member-it takes just a couple minutes to create an account and other than the confirmation email, you don't get any other emails from them. You can view it as much as you want (please view it a lot) and then I would love you to tag everyone on your blog list with it. Voting goes from the time my video is uploaded until October 18. This is so important to me. Love you all!!!!!!!

So keep your eyes open for the link!which is right here

(and to make sure you have the right one,

her username is julijam421)

:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEEFibmvwdY

TAG ALL OF YOU WHO READ THIS!!

Just copy and paste this post and put it on your blog, then create a You Tube account and view, view, view!!!

Julianne would flip out if she won this contest.

THANKS!

***Voting starts at midnight tonight-Thursday***

2008-09-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

*Eden's Stats*

1 month old

4 days of nursing "for real"

14.5" head circumference

21" long

8.4 pounds

1,256,463 smiles that she gives me!

I have to get a new battery for the camera because my kiddos are to darn cute to let a day go by without capturing them!

2008-09-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

So...I finally worked out for the first time EVER and please call me in the

morning to see if I'm alive.

Don't call before 11 am though-that's when I get my best sleep!

2008-09-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

The Biggest Loser!!!

SO...our family is doing the biggest loser competition which ends on the day where most people engorge themselves on turkey, pies, and mashed potatoes. I have come to accept this and the fact that my sister insists that we are running a "turkey trot" Thanksgiving morning. Don't even ask what a turkey trot is...exercise is a bad word in our family! But NEVER fear-let not your heart be troubled! I have already lost 34 POUNDS since Eden was born!!! Since we only started yesterday I have lost 4 pounds. You read that right! My family is shaking in their boots right now because I am so gonna win!

You see-I have the stomach flu on my side!

PS-Congrats to my Von and Lindsey! They just had a beautiful baby girl yesterday and dang it all-Linsdey gets to count those pounds-wahhh!

2008-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

My cute little Eden!

2008-09-11T16:07:00.000-07:00

Would you like some fries to go with that shake?!?

This would be the first time in my motherhood life that I have had kids that really want to know how things work and get done when caring for a newborn. This has been a source of panic for me because I have the worst luck nursing and have had to pump 6 weeks with each kid before they would even consider latching on. Is Eden any different?
No.

So, being the curious kids that they are, they have wondered for the past three weeks how Eden is getting "her" milk. We were all sitting on my bed and they asked AGAIN about the machine and all the interesting looking plastic pieces that I continually wash all day long. I finally told them that I pump the milk out of me and put it in a bottle so she can drink it. That answer was received with question marks in their eyes and Ted told them I was "like a cow."

...I'm just going to let that sink in...

There are a plethora of things wrong with his statement. First thing is that we don't live in the country where that would even make sense to them. They get their milk from a jug! Next thing is -you NEVER refer to ANY woman in a bovine nature. Third-it brought on a whole lot of conversation that didn't need to happen in our house ending with Noah calling me "milkshake!" He has no qualms with telling anybody who is listening earshot that Eden gets "milk from my mom's chest when she pumps it out." So sorry to the sweet family that came over for dessert and Bro. H. got the low-down on my "milking habits."

I sure hope nobody gets scarred for life from this!

2008-09-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Must.get.sleep.

One.tired.momma.

2008-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

2008-08-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

There could be so many titles to this entry..."Holy tidal Wave!" or "I'm in love with the Candy Man aka epidural guy" or "I should have ordered my epidural when then handed me the pitocin." I have a million of these so I just better jump right in a tell Eden's birth story-

It all started at my sis-in-law's house on a bright sunny day at 2pm. I had EVERY intention on getting all of my checklist done including buying the rest of Pack Meeting items and scrubbing down my house from top to bottom. Well, as luck would have it I stood up to go and I thought to myself-"Oh my goodness! I just peed my pants!" (That happens sometimes after having 3 kids and pregnant with your fourth...totally normal...really!) I went to the restroom and lo and behold my water had broken and Tori was thrilled! I was just waiting for the contrax to start and they didn't. Tori drove me to the hospital and we met up with Ted and I seriously couldn't get out of the car because it was a tidal wave! Ted looked down and was like "What the heck?!?" He found a wheel chair and we were off to triage. We get there and funny enough that they have to check to see if my water had broken-um-HELLO! I'm still gushing water out and they are doing there little litmus test strip on the many gallons of amniotic fluid that is coming out of me. At 5 pm they finally decide that this little one is not coming on her own and they need to give me pitocin. The first thing they asked me was if I wanted an epidural once they started and I said that I would prefer to do this no epidural and let me tell you...they were excited! I really mean that! They started the pitocin at a very small dose and told me that they wanted me to go as far as I could naturally. Did you catch that? "As far as I could go naturally." Red Flag!!! When the contrax starting coming I thought that I could handle it an then I had 5 contrax that were one on top of the other and I almost broke Ted's hand. I looked at him and whispered fervently "give me the epidural." I dilated from 4.5 to 7 all within those 5 contrax and heaven help me I couldn't imagine what transition would be like. Within 5 minutes the epidural guy was there. He was a no nonsense fellow and bam-badda-bing that needle was in and out. He had to work speedy because the contrax we on top of each other-CRAZY!!! It took everything I had to be still and then...it was like sunshine parting on the water and the heavens opened up and smiled on me! About a half hour later I looked at the nurse and asked her to check me because there was So much pressure and she told me that she would in a little while because I just got my epidural. Even though you might have an epidural-the pressure is VERY painful and no amount of numbing medicine was taking that away. She finally checked me and her facial and eye expressions were enough to tell Ted and I that it was time. She said "You are completely dilated and she's coming. I gotta go-I have to call the doctor." She was out of there SO fast and within seconds there were a bunch of people in the room and I was doing everything I could to not push for 30 MINUTES!!! There were two residences there and I was begging them to just let me push and I will sign whatever they wanted me to sign to give consent to deliver. Finally the doctor flies in and WATCHES the resident doctor deliver Eden. After 5 pushes she was out with no tears or stitches. She hardly cried and she just looked around with big eyes. She also was smacking her lips and trying to suck on everything! She was so peaceful that we immediately knew her name was going to be Eden. I had a rough go of it in the hospital with a fever and all the drama and IV antibiotics that came with it. I had to stay longer in the hospital and nursing is NOT working...again. I will pump like I have with all of my other kiddos until she decides to latch on.

Besides that-she is amazing! She has brought such a sweet spirit in our home. I love to watch Ted snuggle with her and have the kids "hands washed and ready" to hold her. It is SO hard to put her down. We have been waiting for her for so long and we just can't get enough!

2008-08-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

Eden Ann Finch

(more pics to come) . . . and details.

Baby and mom are doing well - and as you can see "resting"

UPDATE:

Adrienne had to stay in the hospital for an extra day due to an infection+fever.

Please go to my sister's site for some very sweet pictures, etc. if you'd like.

Baby and mom should be able to come home today!! Yea!

2008-08-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the BIG day!!!

The doctor scheduled my induction for the 20th and I'm trying not to freak out too much. I have been dilated to a three and thinned out and SO ready to have this baby. We spent much of our anniversary at the hospital with "false labor" and I do not want to do that again...so here we are. Ted and I are amazed at the chance to have another baby in our home. Excited doesn't even cover it! We cannot wait to hold our beautiful little girl. I feel extremely blessed to be in our ward that is so giving and helpful. I have had dinner already brought in and I haven't even given birth. My friends are amazing!

I am petrified of the whole induction thing because I have gone into labor naturally every time before and I really don't want an epidural-I know CRAZY!!! I just recover a whole heck of a lot faster without it and if you really knew me-you would know that I am needle-phobic! Surprisingly-I have been pretty calm and haven't had a panic attack-thank you Zoloft! The one thing I remember from all my other labors is that I would constantly be bargaining with Heavenly Father. You know what I mean ladies!!! "Please-if I can just get through this...I will read my scriptures every day. If you make the pain go away...I will go visiting teaching TWICE a month. If you just let this kid be born right NOW....I will NEVER say crap again!"

That type of bargaining!

I wonder if our husbands do the same?

I wonder if it sounds like this-"If she doesn't break my hand...I will help change the diapers in the middle of the night. If you could just help her...I promise not to check on Mitt Romney's website every night. If you could just inspire her to get the epidural...I will walk on the treadmill every night like I already promised AND get up and get the kids ready for school...for a week!"

So without further ado-I'm out because-hello-I'm having a baby tomorrow!!!

2008-08-15T08:24:00.000-07:00

THE BETTER HALF!

Today is our 11 year anniversary and this morning we just looked at each other and smiled. I'm not that big into jewelry and gifts, but I am grateful when special days are acknowledged. That is ALL I want! I can't believe it has been 11 years and we are both somewhat sane with 3 kids and one due ANY day. The thing I love most about Ted is his desire to keep going. He does not give up and we need that in our lives. Did I ever mention how funny he is? He can be super corny, but let me tell you...our Cub Scout pack meetings are famous! I love watching him be a good dad. My favorite is when he reads to the kids and make all the different voices or when he imitates the SNL characters. I knew that when we got married our lives would be "funny." He is a crack-up and I love to laugh, but he can be serious when he needs to be and so very tender when things happen that require him to be sensitive. He is SO the better half in our marriage. I love the way he can roll his eyes at me to let me know I'm being completely ridiculous and hysterical and then try to kiss me and make me laugh even though I still want to be mad. I appreciate his thoughtfulness. He takes time in formulating how he wants to say things when I just blurt things out without regard to feelings. He is very patient with me and I am so not. When people tell me how much they love him and how great he is...I tell them I am so lucky that he's mine and I absolutely 100% agree!

I love you Ted!

2008-08-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Don't even ask!!!

Cardinal Vs. Saints Game

First day of School

First Day of School

I know that I am a WEEK late in posting this, but I am thoroughly enjoying myself! The day started out a bit rough because the kids could not get to sleep the night before. They were so excited and nervous. We got to school and I did a quick goodbye to McKay because he didn't want me to embarrass him...sigh...10 year olds! Then Kayte was super excited that she ran to her number on the concrete, dropped her bag, and ran off to play. Then it was Noah's turn. He got the new teacher so nobody knew where the number was so we all just stood by the Kindergarten section. There were so many little ones crying that Noah looked at me as if to say "Are you serious?!?" He was so excited that NOTHING was going to deter him from his happiness. He gave me a kiss and went with his teacher without a backward glance. I have to mention that Noah and McKay's classes are right next door to each other and I have this reoccurring thought that Noah will think that it is okay to visit his older brother. I told the teacher of the possibility and she made herself a note that if Noah was missing to look in McKay's class.

Fast forward to THIS week and Noah's response to school is "It taked FOREVER Mom!!!" The only thing that keeps him going is that I promised him he could take the bus. Other than that -he continues to have a love/hate relationship with his new life. Kayte has already had her first accident involving a pencil and her eyelid...oh and a runny nose. McKay is in heaven because he Mister social butterfly and is fully engaged with ALL sports during recess. I get all the stats when he gets home. All of them are dead tired when they get home and SO super cranky. I put them all to sleep at 6 pm-gasp!

I am LOVING my days and especially if I get a nap in, but I am too busy cleaning. Ted did not realize that "nesting" was an actual term and today when he comes home...he WILL be impressed. I have officially turned into the cleaning machine. Not to mention the organization! I have packaged all my kids clothes in Zip lock bags so all they have to do is take out a bag and get dressed in the morning. I hope this will solve a lot of headaches with my sweet Noah. He thinks that it is okay to wear his Star Wars Lego shirt every day.

I have my appt. tomorrow and they had better tell me that I'm more dilated then last week because I shouldn't be in this much pain if it's not doing something! There is a full moon on the 16th, so wish me luck! I will be happy when I get to hold my little girl baby! Enjoy the pictures-

2008-07-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

School is almost here!!!

As much as I want my kids to go back to school-I had a melt down the other night about my baby going to Kindergarten. He is SO small even though he'll be 6 in October and I just want him to have an awesome experience. He was so jazzed that he got a Lego Star Wars shirt and Sketchers that he has worn them for the past 4 days and I had to hide the shirt so I could wash it! He has been begging me for the past year to be able to go to Kindergarten and just yesterday he told me he wasn't going. He just wants to go to work with Dad everyday. I told him that Daddy had to go to school so he could get a good job and that he needed to do the same. Then he asked me if Dad got A's. I told him him he did and then he asked me where he kept them. Noah is such a cutie!

I finally got a car seat today -just in case! (I know-random!)

I had the most WONDERFUL baby shower on Tuesday night thrown by Tori-Ted's sister. Ted and I went to bed that night with our hearts filled with gratitude for all the sweet gifts and kindness that was showered on our family and this new little girl by our friends and family. Tori did such an amazing job with all the details and hopefully soon I will have pictures to show!

I had my Dr. appt this week (37 weeks) and nothing changing except that my hands are swelling too much. They are seriously sore and bend weird. My blood pressure is low and no weight gain. I can't complain too much except...I want to be done!!! The dr. wants to see me on Tuesday so maybe the update will be more exciting. Cross your fingers!!!

I'm off to bed because I am just really tired and have teach piano lessons, open house, and date night tomorrow. Hopefully all of those things will be pleasant!

2008-07-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

So this is the damage and it is still looking a little green thanks to our chlorinated pool! My temper has finally cooled off and if the child would just wash her hair with the "green" shampoo I wouldn't worry so much about the color.

2008-07-24T15:26:00.001-07:00

SO...
It started out with me at the computer for a quick check (yeah right) of all the happenings in cyberspace. Ted called me from work to tell me how much he loves me (I can dream-hee) and Noah calls from upstairs to tell me something VERY important. While I'm multi-tasking I hear "Kayte...scissors...hair..." I told Ted that I had to go and shot up the stairs as fast as a pregnant lady can go and my heart stopped for a moment. My 7-YEAR OLD had butchered her hair and it was not even close to being salvageable. I told her to go to her room...NOW! And thanks to Zoloft I calmly called Ted back to tell him the damage and made her pick up all the hair. Last week, as you recall, she had to pay me back for the carpet cleaning and now she has to pay me back for getting her hair to a somewhat decent state. Pictures will be forth-coming. In her defense, her friends are all getting their hair cut short and she wanted to be like them. But this is the girl that always gives me a hard time when we go to trim and says I want my hair cut LONG! This is the 3rd haircut she has given to herself and I thought it would stop when she got older-NOT! And to think that I am having ANOTHER girl-heaven help me!

2008-07-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

And by the way-I lost ANOTHER 2 pounds and...the doctor's not worried! The baby is doing fabulous and next week is WEEK 35!!! I keep having gnarly contractions, but other then that the kids are STILL alive and school starts in 2 WEEKS! Ted keeps asking me what the plan is when I go into labor seeing how Noah came in 2 hours FLAT! Ted doesn't want to be caught in Phoenix rush hour traffic and neither do I. The hospital is a good 30 min. away with no traffic..so-yikes! We will keep you all updated-

2008-07-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Eden Ann or Addyson (Addison) Ann?

What do you think?

Which one?

2008-07-15T22:34:00.001-07:00

So what do you get when you add:

Kayte

4 packets of Kool-aid

flour

water

dining room carpet

1 gallon Pampered Chef pitcher?

A $70 carpet cleaning bill, hours of contractions, and

kids that were my slaves for the WHOLE day!

Let's just chalk it up to ANOTHER learning experience revolving around a girl and her misfortunes with anything liquid or involving food.

2008-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Life on the Ranch

We got to spend 4th of July weekend with Ted's brother Tim and family. They take care of a big horse ranch and we got to be "countrified" for the weekend. We even went to a rodeo and saw bull riding, roping, and barrel racing. We had a lot of fun just hanging out around the house and exploring the place. Don't you just love the flip-flops?

Unloading and washing horses!

On Sunday we went to church and then headed out to the mountains for a picnic lunch with Grandma Hearne, Aunt Linda, and the rest of the crew!

You NEVER be too prepared!

I don't know where she learned to pose like that!

WAY TOO HIGH and WAY TOO CLOSE!

Here's Grandma trying not to have a heart attack because my kids are trying to get themselves thrown off the edge. I think my blood pressure and heart rate went crazy on that edge and I'm still trying to get it down!

NOT the best picture-but what can I say? I'm almost ready to pop!

2008-07-11T08:10:00.001-07:00

*Our 4th of July in the Mountains*

Okay...so the pictures are not in order. Seeing how I don't have the patience to change them, we are starting with the end of the night. After an exciting day we ended it up at Uncle Glenn's home with a BBQ and a fireworks show. They did the fireworks themselves and I have to say that it was one of the best I've ever seen. Not to mention the closest I've EVER been to one. The kids LOVED it and it was SO fun to be with family!

Let me preface the next set of pictures of Kayte by saying that if there is water to be in...Kayte will be "in." Uncle Glenn has a river down below their home and of course Kayte had to partake. She loved meeting all new cousins and playing in the water. How cute are her rain boots? She "had" to have them and they turned out to be an excellent investment!

The beginning of the day started with an awesome honest to goodness parade. Including candy, APACHE helicopters, tractors, fire engines, and floats. The APACHES were the highlight of the day. We couldn't believe that they did that. There were 4 of them and they flew so low that we could see and wave to the men. It was incredible!!! And of course, we went four wheeling with Uncle Tim a.k.a. Joe Pete. The kids couldn't get enough of being cowboys and cowgirls. They HAD to wear hats and if you look closely-I think that I'm in one of the pictures!

2008-06-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

Before and After???

So I found my senior picture and all I have to say is I have changed! IS it really hard to believe that that was taken in 1996? It's probably not the best thing to do when your 8 months preggo and be looking at the pictures when you were like 200 pounds skinnier. Oh well...I suppose I should put a picture up of me now for posterity sake. I'm just not ready yet!

Besides swimming multiple times a day and getting tan lines that I never thought possible-we are doing okay! I am or should I say my kids are surviving the 115 degree heat. I have been FOREVER spoiled because I grew up in San Diego and NOTHING beats the weather there. I am truly thankful for air conditioning.....and Sonic! So I'm off to swim team to melt and commiserate with the other hot mommas that sacrifice to be there.

2008-06-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

Our Family Home Moment

Ted and I decided that it was about that time that our children needed to learn about where babies come from...aka-the birds and the bees. Deseret Books has a wonderful book for kids just about this subject and we spent our FHE reading it to the kids. I had been STRESSING about this ALL day long and my stomach was in knots. Surprisingly, our kids were pretty complacent with everything until-the whole nursing thing was explained. This is how it went down-

McKay- "WHAT!?! That is so disgusting! You mean we ALL did that? EVEN ME!?!?" (followed by copious gagging noises)

Kayte- "Why can only girls do that?"

Noah- Well...he pulls down his shirt and looks at is chest and then looks back at me with ALL sorts of questions in is eyes and says..."What da heck?!?"

I have to imagine Heavenly Father finding the humor in all this! I wish I had it recorded because I cannot even convey to you the funniness of it. Ted and I were laughing about it the next morning. And since we haven't had any conversations since then I feel confident that we covered our bases-right?

All in all everything is going great with just a few aches and pains due to this baby thinking that my body is a jungle gym. We are busy with swim team, piano, scouts, naps (for me), and other stuff that I can't wrap my brain around because it was fried from the heat and gas prices.

My parents were able to be in town last weekend and it was so much fun. I cherish the moments when I have family here. I just want to be near them. They got to come to our Stake Conference and see how awesome our stake is. It really is great to be in a place where the gospel thrives and is in effect. I love the friends that I have made here!

So that 's it!

2008-06-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!

Dr. says everything looks fabulous and puts me at 28 weeks. That means I pretty much have 12 weeks to go and oh my goodness!

2008-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Kayte: "Dad I want my OWN car and YOU to pay for it!"

Me: "McKay you need to take a shower every day from now on AND wear deoderant!"
McKay: "But Mooommm...that's how I keep the girls away!"
Me: No comment-hee!

Noah had surgery on the 30th of April. He had to have 4 teeth removed due to our "lovely" dog Cricket and a gene anomoly that produced two extra front baby teeth. So now he's missing his two front teeth and the first thing he said (more like shouted) coming out of general anesthia was "Where's my teef? I want my teef back!" Poor kid...he now has a lisp! The nurses were laughing their heads off over the crazy way Noah said everything. His nose was numb still and he kept grabbing it and saying "Take fis fing off!" No matter how hard I tried to explain that it was his nose-the kid was NOT normal until three hours AFTER he came out of surgery. Good times!!!

Okay-there is 9 more days of school left and heaven help me it's that time of the year-SUMMER! Pray for me please!

2008-04-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

I went to my doctor's appt on Thursday with my family and guess what....

we STILL don't know what we are having.

I am grateful that everything looks great and healthy, but I am a little sad.

On the bright side-I only gained a pound. I can't complain!

2008-04-16T07:57:00.000-07:00

Things that I'm grateful for...

*My WHOLE ENTIRE HUGE family!
*DVR
*music
*the fact that every chapel has a Kawaii grand piano
*tax day is over and done with
*we will be more debt-free than we have ever been next month
*paying tithing
*Ted's job!!!
*the ability to teach piano
*this is my last few months of teaching
*I get to my mom, dad, and sister next week!!!
*squeezes (hugs) and kisses
*Wii, especially Super Mario Party that Ted and I play WAY TOO much!
*a clean house-it's a rare thing, but I'm thankful when it is.
*Clean towels and sheets
*not gaining a pound and I'm 5 months...I understand that this could change ANY minute-
*a car with air conditioning!!! (It's already over 90 degrees here-yikes!)
*a husband that is pretty stubborn and fixed the car even though there were screws left over-
*A watchful Heavenly Father that will save me if my car falls apart because of left-over screws!
*a sense of humor!
*really and truly good friends
*a preschool that Noah loves.
*that my kids LOVE to play the piano and pick it up easily. Trust me-this is a blessing!
*phones and my unlimited calling plan
*being able to feel this baby kick and move around. It's amazing!
*sunglasses. Pretty much just got my first pair 3 weeks ago and holy smokes!
* this list and how my day has been considerably brightened by writing these precious things down !!!

2008-04-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

So because I don't know what this baby is I will continue as if I'm having fraternal twins. You should see the cashier's face when I inform them that I will likely bring back half of these items after the 24th of April. That will be my next dr. appt. and baby willing we will find out!

I love Old Navy and their clearance sales!!!

2008-04-01T15:25:00.000-07:00

I wish this was an April Fool's joke, but the baby did not cooperate and we STILL don't know if it is a he or she. Dr. says probably girl...but to save all receipts.

2008-03-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm totally blogging this for posterity sake and the fact that I'm STILL laughing about it. So here it goes...

Yesterday Ted and I got in to a heated discussion on where the money was going and such. You know what I'm talking about if you are the person responsible for getting ALL the bills paid. So Ted left for work on a not very pleasant note and I proceeded to make and "accounting" of where all the monies were going to and mostly consisted of our favorite store Costco. And at the end of my short and to the point e-mail I asked "Any questions?!?" We exchanged some e-mails back and forth with the hopes of coming to terms with the budget and expenses that needed to be paid and then came an e-mail from Ted saying this:

"I have a pain in my chest - right side of sternum and it hurts to take a full breathe. I woke up with it. ???

The budget you have is good.
Thanks for doing that."

I'm thinking to myself...so do I knowing where all this money is going and not a penny left over and I have a pain in my neck from doing this ALL myself. I didn't e-mail him back. Then he sent me another e-mail and this is what it said:

"I think I have this "costochondritis"

I laughed out loud and sent him an e-mail that said HAHAHA! I thought that it was funny because he was making a joke about money and everything costing SO much and then I left for the morning to run errands and stuff. When I got home I checked my e-mail and he sent this:

"thanks for laughing"

So I immediately called him and he was SERIOUS! He really was in a lot of pain and he thought I was acting like a jerk to him because of our "discussion" earlier in the day. Fast forward to this morning and a visit to the urgent care he does truly in fact have costochondritis. It is inflammation in the ribs and he has to take high doses of Advil for the next couple of days. I'm amazed that he self-diagnosed and got it right and to think...how much money we could have saved by not going to urgent care!

2008-03-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon...

Is it a boy or a girl or both???

Find out April 1, 2008

2008-03-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

Things that make me happy in my home-

2008-03-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

This is titled...

Wii little addicts

Spring Break Craziness

These pictures are for you Mom

and...

I have the cutest kids in the WORLD!!!

2008-03-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

THE TRACK

THE CARS (32 of them)

AND THE RACE STARTS...

(McKay's is the bottom one)

SECOND PLACE WINNER-YEAH!!!

(sorry about the picture!)

This is just a picture of how clean the garage was before Pinewood derby...pity!

2008-03-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm going to preface this by saying that this is a "girly post." Not that I think any guys read this or anyone for that matter, but just as a courtesy!

So yesterday I finally got myself a new bra. You have to understand that I have been dealing with Victoria Secret bras for years and finally after my last experience there (with my three kids!) I have moved on and went somewhere else. Thankfully I was by myself which is rare because I have a cling-on named Noah. Well after being measured correctly and trying on 6 different styles I found the one. I have discovered that not all bras are equal and just because you know your size does not make it automatically fit. This has been problematic in the past. I have also discovered much to my dismay or amazement depending how you look at it-I am downright perky again! Who knew?!? I almost feel obscene like I'm sticking them out there for everyone to see and not doing it on purpose. I even had to ask my husband if I looked too weird and he said no and basically it's good to see them back where they belong! NICE! An instant $21 boob job with no pain involved!

Other things that are going on...I'm starting to feel a heck of a lot better. I am also enjoying American Idol and Brooke White was awesome and I am now in love with Jason Castro because he is so darn cute! I have to tell you why I like Brooke so much because when Randy said to her "I can picture you younger sitting at your piano and playing this..." I was truly moved by this image. I have always wanted to be a singer. I can play the piano exactly like her. Someways I wish that i had been way more aggressive in my music but hearing that song "Let it be" was just a calming experience that said to me it is okay to let it be and continue on teaching piano and singing in my own little world. I sing because it brings joy to me or helps me find peace in the chaos. That is good enough and it was just a really neat experience. I am actually crying while I type this because if you truly know me you know that music means more than practically anything in this world. It is probably the only thing that can move me so powerfully to make change in my life. Sometimes it is hard to let dreams go and have the assurance that it was the right thing to do. I hope that I will get opportunities to share the talents that Heavenly Father saw fit to give me, so that others will feel the love that He has for them. I feel loved by Him when I play and/or sing.

I finally got to see August Rush on pay per view and I LOVED it. I only let my kids see the end of it because there is too much cussing in it that I didn't feel comfortable with them watching. I highly recommend this movie. I would love the soundtrack.

2008-02-26T10:01:00.000-08:00

So I realized that I'm not so tech savvy (oohhh...Johnny Depp) and my blog my seem a bit on the boring side because I don't know how to add pictures from the Internet like I want to. Someday I will learn but until then...

I now know why more than half of my family is in dentistry. Holy moly! I just took Noah to the dentist and I can't believe how much it's going to cost me the next year to get him on track. Not to mention the 2 teeth that need to be extracted thanks to our lovely dog Cricket. Thank goodness that we have some dental insurance or else I'm going to need to take out a loan or sell a kidney. And we are only talking about Noah and I shudder to think what will happen when I take McKay and Kayte in March. Goodness sake...my kids brush AND floss. What is this world coming to?

I am really lucky to be living in AZ right now. The weather with be 75 degrees today. I know that makes some of you want to shoot me or do me harm for stating that I live in paradise today, but just know that in a couple of months I will be living in Hades. It is a catch-22 here. Since we have a pool now I expect the summer to be a little bit more manageable than last year. YIKES! You do not know hot until you have been here in August, by the way, the month I will be having this baby. You may take the time now to pity me. I understand!

Well that was just a quick update and a promise to have pictures for the next post-

2008-02-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

I'm losing weight! Who knew that getting pregnant would solve all me weight issues. Eat your heart out Jenny Craig! I finally had my 12week appt and the doctor says "I see you have lost some weight." And I sweetly said " I would rather I never find it again. Let's just let it be lost." I got to see the little jumping bean and next appt I get to find out if it's a boy or girl. Ted teases me that this baby will not cooperate because I'm such a "have to know" kind of gal. Something about control issues?

I hope everyone had a wonderful V-day! Mine was filled with appts, piano lessons, eating an exorbent amount of sugar, 2 hr nap(AHHH!), making a dinner that my husband loves, chilling out on the couch and then promptly going to sleep. ONly to wake up the next morning with the messiest kitchen in the world and kids that have a holiday from school. My life is complete! It is what it is! That should be my blog name. IT is what it is!

Random thought alert!!! Why is it SOO easy to read Harry Potter and not scriptures? What is the thought process behind this? Where is the reasoning? Someday (hopefully soon) I will get past my stumbling blocks. Until then...

2008-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

My run in with a big yellow school bus!

I just have to preface this by saying that this was in no way my fault! I was merely parked to the side of the road waiting for my kids to finish buckling their seat belts. You know that time where you are uttering threats of no Wii if they don't buckle quickly. Well...a bus behind me decides to not wait the 15 seconds and squeezes past me and practically takes off my side mirror. That is how close he is!!! I'm totally laying on my horn because I don't want him ANY closer and he doesn't even stop. So what does any self respecting momma bear do?!? I followed him at a high speed rate and squealed to a stop behind his drop off. I proceed to PARK my car again get out and knock on his window.

And I said in an ever sweet voive (not) "Do you realize that you just side-swipped me and practically took off my mirror? DId you not hear me honking? You could have taken off my childrens body parts that they love to stick out the window? DId you not see me?!?"

And he tells me "you are not supposed to be parked there."

Yep...he had the audacity to tell me this and what did I say to him. "I was waiting for my children to finish up buckling and yes I have to stop behind a school bus because you are not allowed to go around a stopped school bus." I was literally shaking with fury!

He then proceeded to tell me I was not close enough to the curb.

I said WHAT?!? WHAT??? That gives you the right to hit my car with my three kids in it?"

Needless to say I took the card that he shoved in my face and I called the head of transportation and reamed him for letting a very stupid and unsafe man behind the wheel of a bus load of children. Then I called my insurance and got a quote. It will take $300 to fix my mirror and a whole lot more to lower my blood pressure. Unbelievable!!! I am NOT a vindictive person or revengful, but can you tell how upset I am by this man? IF he would have said I'm sorry or I thought I was able to get by you...I wouldn't be so mad!

Okay-I just had to get that off my chest and hopefully this will get taken care of quickly. Other than that things are going pretty good and I have 2 more days until I hit the 12 week mark and here's to hoping that I get past the all day sick feeling!

2008-02-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

Time For Myself-please?

So I have literally spent hours on the computer while my kids rummage through the house fending for themselves becasue I just need time by myself. 3 kids home from school for a WHOLE week does wonders for your sanity and how you feel about blessed public school. This week has been interesting. We have gone through SO much food that last night I informed the kids that we were having cereal for dinner and they informed me that they already ate it all....nice!

They all have strep throat and if I survive this I will be ever so thankful.

Another noteworthy thing happened and that is my hair dryer broke. I only mention this because if you really knew me you would know that it looks like I stuck my finger in a light socket when I don't do it. Well...it just happened to be the day when I wanted to go to Costco and buy those blasted chocolate covered pomegranted bars that I so desperatly crave. Well I come to find out that my membership needs to be renewed and I need a new card. Seriously??? In my state of friziness? I bagged Costco and went to get a hair dryer and went back the next day. They do not carry the bars anymore! Dumb Costco!

My spell check isn't working so I apologize for the non-editing. You can now see what a horrible speller I am. Anyways...I am on week 10 of my pregnancy and I look forward to two more weeks when I hope to feel 100% better. My whole family looks forward to that day!

Pinewood Derby is coming up again...heaven help us ALL! Ted and I are Cubmasters and let me tell you that we have OVER 30 boys in our pack and that I dread this day. It will be a long night of racing,yelling, tears, smack-talking, and I'm just talking about the dads. We can't forget to mention the numerous little ones that will be running amok and the flagrant disregard for order. I'm just getting this all out of the way know because I am trying really hard to have a better attitude...I need to try harder...I know!

My piano is going to be fixed on Wednesday. Oh happy day! Something in my digital piano blew in the process of moving in Sept. and I have been without it for this long. I hired a guy the beginning of Oct. to fix it and just now is it going to be fixed. After several not so nice phone calls from me explaing that I was a piano teacher and NEEDED my piano and maybe something about calling the Better Business Bureau he FINALLY called me back. I've been using a replacement keyboard, but it is not the same. My students are estatic that it will be fixed next week.

So am I! I love to play and have noticed that I miss the peace that comes when I

sit down to play.

Whew! This is long...I guess I just needed to let this all out. Not like it was building up or anything-hee! Just a reminder that Super Tuesday is coming up and go vote! My man Mitt is on the line and if McCain gets it I'm moving out of AZ! Just food for thought...but he co-sponsered the DREAM act. Do you know what this is? It basically gives funding to illegals to go to college. Do you know hard it is to actually get grants, loans, scholorships of any kind being an American? And then have to pay them back (loans) for the rest of your life? That pretty much did it in for me as far as McCain being out of touch with what we want as American citizens.

Okay off my soapbox...sorry if you take offense. Just stating how I feel. Enough of that!

I am looking foward to this weekend because 2 of my nephews are being baptized and I am so happy for them and their families. What an awesome day to look forward too. I also get to play the organ in church on Sunday and the opening hymn is "We Thank Thee O God For Our Prophet." I hope Iwill be able to see through my tears as I play and pay tribute to President Hinckley. I love that man! He was MY prophet and has had such a profound effect on my life and Ted's life. Well, that's all for now.

2008-01-21T17:15:00.001-08:00

It's a miracle!!!

I officially hate french fries today! I couldn't bring myself to eat even one!

2008-01-21T12:37:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive! I can't put a whole lot in except for the fact that I am under the influence of Tylenol#3 and trying to keep my kids from killing each other. Thank you for another American holiday!

2008-01-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ME -"heave!"

I swear that the Lord makes you forget how sick you can get with morning sickness so that you'll be suckered into doing this whole thing again. In my case it is all day sickness except from 3-5 pm. Which is pretty awesome in itself because that is when I teach piano and the kids get home. Really the only person I feel sorry for is Noah! He thinks he has it great because he can play the Wii and X-box ANY time he wants too, but I am totally neglecting the poor boy. I'm lucky if he goes out the door with ANY clothes or ANY shoes. I am so far past matching it's ridiculous. I have to force myself to eat-oh the shame! It's not like I have a gazillion pounds to lose, but can I just crave something healthy? Please? I have this craving right now that only Costco can satisfy and that is the...dark chocolate covered pomegranate ice cream bars! I WILL NOT go there just because I WILL eat the box in one day. They are so heavenly...don't knock it till you try it people. Other than that why on earth do we have another holiday today? Yep...it's Friday and my kids are home. Lame teacher training...just kidding-

So a few of you have mentioned that I wrote a cliffhanger and did not expand on my emotional state of December.The reason for this is partly because some of the events are extremely personal and I'm not at liberty nor do I want to let the whole blogging world know.

Some of the events were...

*finding out that our precious baby #4 is on its way

*finishing up "The Ten Virgins" a musical parable that I was in charge of putting together

*being with my family at Christmas time

*receiving answers to prayer when things were just too much to handle

*having mom here in AZ to help me with the dress rehearsal because everyone knows I can be sent into a tail spin when overwhelmed

*finding out that a dear friend will be going through chemo again

*realizing that good communication is essential for families

I'm sure I'm leaving a few events out, but I have truly been blessed. I know that trials are allowed in our lives and it depends on how WE deal with them. My inspired visiting teacher let me borrow a book called "The Peacegiver." I am re-reading it. If you have not read it-read it! And if you have read it-read it again. There is so much to learn.

2008-01-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

Time Flies!

Okay-so everyone is even blogging through the holidays and I'm such a slacker! What can I say? When I take a holiday...I take a holiday. We were in California for what seemed like the whole month of December and I had such a good time. I got to participate in the most fun parts of our family's Christmas traditions. If you want to know more about them you have to visit my sis. blog (Lathamites) to fully appreciate them from a non-Packard perspective. Trust me-you want to read it! I was laughing my head off-

Even though Christmas was awesome I am glad that December is done with. Too many sad, happy, fulfilling, tragic, and joyful events took place. It has been too much of a roller coaster. The best news by far is that we are expecting #4 in August this year. I know that I'm only a couple of weeks, but wow has it ever hit me like this before? NO! I am sicker than a dog and we just decided to tell everyone. We are praying that we can keep this little one. We are very excited!

Here are some pictures of our fun vacation-

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Kayte's spill on the skateboarding ramp

Gotta go-I'll post more later!

2007-12-03T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a break form the holidays before the holidays even start! Well...that's what it feels like. Too much has happened good and horrible that I just want to tell you about the good. My kids never surprise me in their funniness and this is how the week went-

Noah: "Guess what? I know how to spell PU...It's a P and then a U." Genuis! Ted couldn't even talk because he was laughing SO hard hitting the dashboard with his hand. We are all about slapstick in our fam.

Noah: " Mom do you know which is bigger...the sun or the moon?"
Mom: " The sun Noah."
Noah: " No mom. That would be an X." Can you tell that we have been watching Family Fued a lot lately?

Then McKay decided to bear histestimony on church yesterday and words cannot describe the ...joy? NOT the trepidation I felt because it is his goal in life to be a stand up comedian. He knows that Sacrament Meeting is not the place for that, so it went something like this-

McKay: "Hello. I'm McKay (Last name) for those ofyou who don't know me.(pause) I'd like to bearmy testimony and talk about my brother and sister. (by now I was completely red and giving him the cut off sign to stop...) My brother and sister like to play mom and dad and my brother Noah likes to be the dad. He's a good dad! My sister likes to play the mom sometimes, but what she really likes to pretend is to be the dog. We have a for real dog named Cricket, but she likes to be the dog. They like to pretend toplaythings that they love and that's neat. Okay...and then he closes to my relief. Again...one of those experiences that youreally have to hear me tell the story to get the FULL effect, but I need to write it down for my sake.

Gotta run and take the little guy to preschool and get my hair cut.

2007-11-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

This is my cousin Danny and his awesome wife Erin. They are wanting to adopt a child and need your help! If you know anyone that is looking for a great adoption couple-this is the one! I've listed the link below-just follow directions and you can find out all about them. Don't them down please. We know that there is a little one for them that they can care for and love-

http://www.itsaboutlove.com/

Click on 'search adoption profile' and search by our profile name, 'DanielandErin.'

Ted and I wish you the best Danny and Erin!

2007-10-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Ted and I were watching the Late Show with Jay Leno (I know...it was late!) and a commercial came on that started with a picture of a man looking at himself in the mirror at his gray hair. Then the commercial proceeded to be a long drawn out drama of how long it would take to color and you must really use this brand of hair coloring because it takes five minutes. So that's it in a nutshell and the whole 2 1/2 minutes of this man-drama Ted was the DRAMA!

First second it started he said...

"AWww shut up!."

Then the next second was...

"What are you complaining about?"

Then he finally said...

"At least you HAVE hair!"

So that was where our night ended with me in tears because I was laughing SOOO hard and I told him that I was going to blog about this in the morning. Nothing is sacred in this house-hee!

We celebrated Noah's fifth birthday and I can't believe he's five. I am in denial! He's my baby! ON the other hand he did show his age by his response to the gifts he was given. He got a lot of the kid kinetiks and when he opened them up he said "You've got to be kidding me?!?" I don't know where that came from. Then Von bought them some new jeans and Noah opened the bag and said "WHAT?!?" Where did these ingrates come from??? He's demanding to go to kindergarten now because everyone tells him he can go to Kindergarten when he's five. That's great!

We made a goal last night during Family Home Moment to read our scriptures everyday. I'm really excited about this and we are starting at 6:30 AM after I go walking at 5:30 AM-ahem. Well...this morning we did read our scriptures and the morning was so much better! I'd rather not talk about the walking-alright already!!! Oh! Just for your information Kayte can lead the music just as well as Julianne could in FHE. You know what I'm talking about. I could not stop cracking a smile! She is so darn cute! OKay- I have mountain of laundry and it's not going to wash itself!

2007-10-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Just had to post these!!!

2007-10-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

*TAGGED by the brother in law*

So Dave tagged me (Adri) and not Ted too. I don't know how I feel about this because he tagged all the other people in couples. I think that I am an open book, so I really don't know if any of this will be a "wow" moment. Anyways here are the rules...

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. If I eat Cornflakes I HAVE to have peanut butter mixed with honey in a cup that I can get a little bit on my spoon and then get a bite of cornflakes. My mom gets all the blame on that one because she started it. I remember friends laughing when I would tell them that was the way to eat cornflakes and realizing that my family was the ONLY one that ate them like that.

2. My name is Adrienne and I am a paper addict! I love scrapbook paper and the plethora of it available to people like me. If I could wallpaper my walls with papers that I love-I would do it! It has been a well known fact that I don't get into sewing (quilting) because fabric would become like paper to me. Let's face it-paper is WAY cheaper then fabric. Right Mom? I'm like a kid in a candy shop when I'm in a scrapbook store.

3. I am a talk radio junkie! I like to run my errands when Rush, Hannity, Savage...are on. They are my kind of guys! We go waaayyy back to when my dad would listen to them and I got hooked. And that leads into my next fact...

4. I do NOT understand the liberal mind!!! I'm as conservative as they come and it blows my mind when someone says that Hillary Clinton or Obama would be good for this country. What are you smoking?!? I could really get into this, but without completely alienating my flam'in liberal friends...I'll stop.

5. I am obsessed with smells! My favorite scent in the entire world is an awesome vanilla scent. Like Mexican vanilla. My house, clothes, kids have to smell clean and good or you are

just disowned-just kidding!

6. I have been off of Dr. Pepper for 5 days now and I have to say...WHY??? According to my friend Kimber-"It is the nectar of the gods." I have to agree and now I'm trying to delude myself that water is much better. It is so not working-

Okay that's it! That's me in a nutshell. A crazy, caffeine-addicted, ultra conservative, neurotic, great-smelling woman!

2007-10-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

We Love the Diamond Backs!!!!

2007-10-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

So...I've gotten a few complaints that I need to write a new post. I probably would if I felt like people were actually reading it!!! Thanks Deb for leaving a comment! That totally made my day. And to those who will not take anon. comments-I can't post on your blog and that makes me sad because I read them EVERYDAY. I know that I am obsessed. That is another post on another day.

So we are moved in and I would love to take pictures but I can't find the camera. I swear I packed it and labeled the box! I love my new home and I cannot tell you the difference that paint makes. Our whole house is painted!!! NO more white walls that are painted with flat paint. You have no idea how dirty your house looks when you have white primer flat paint everywhere. My kids would just look at it and it would get smudges on it.

We are slowly getting things unpacked and last week on Monday we discovered a tragedy that occurred amongst the move. My digital piano doesn't work! I finally called and called and got an appt for the repair people to come on Thursday, but I have been able to teach piano for over 2 weeks and not having a piano is an absolute nightmare! You never know what you have until it's gone! I know that it's totally cliche, but so true. My life does revolve around music and I become a sad person when I can't play. There have been more than a few nights were Ted will come home to me playing while chaos is abounding ALL around me. Sometimes I'm playing crazy fast classical music and sometimes it is hymn arrangements because I want desperatley to find peace and want my kids to live another day! It is the peacemaker in the home.

So that's an update along with the fact that we are on Fall Break from school. My children think that they have to swim multiple times a day in our new pool. The water is freezing! They are outside for like 5-10 minutes and want to go back inside. It takes us that long to get ready to go outside-arrggg! Maybe this will wear off and I can actually get stuff done around inside of the house. Oh- another funny thing is that while we were moving the kids came home Monday (Oct. 1) and started to tell me that they are so excited because they got their pictures taken and I'm asking them why and of course they tell me that it was picture day. Let me just tell you that their teachers probably think that I've been totally neglecting my kids because they showed up to school in whatEVER I could find and Kayte's hair looked like stringy noodles and McKay's hair was a shaggy mess. I don't think that they were even matching. It was a dark day in the Finch house. So...I've decided to add some pictures of my cute kiddos just to make me feel better. Enjoy!

2007-09-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

Moving Day!!!

We got the keys last night and Ted just about cleared out the garage and took it all to the new place. If you knew what the garage looked like...he's basically a hero!!! I have two friends who are coming to help me this morning and I'm SOOO grateful! I finally went to Urgent Care yesterday after my sister told me I should go and I have a sinus infection and since last night it has ALL moved into my throat. I really have no voice. The fam. doesn't mind, but I can't sing! What's a girl to do? So after feeling totally sick and stressed from moving my sister Julianne called me last night at 9:30 and was so excited because she LOVES school (Paul Mitchell.) I'm excited because come Christmas time I'll have a new do for my hair when I get back to AZ. She made me happy because she was so happy. I like that! I need to be happier!

I went to Time Out For Women on Friday and Saturday and it was AWESOME!!! I will not ever miss one! I have finally found the motivation in my life to become MORE! More of a mother, more of a wife, more of a musician, more of a friend, more like a daughter of God! It was so peaceful to sit and listen to beautiful music by Jenny Frogley, Michael McLean, and the guys who did the Nashville tribute to Joseph Smith. The Lord knows that I feel the spirit so much stronger through music and I don't think the tears stopped flowing the whole time I was there. It was something I needed so much that I wasn't aware of. Does that make sense?

Well...I'm moving so I'll be out of commission for a few days. See you later!

2007-09-19T09:50:00.001-07:00

A BLESSED DAY!

It was ONLY 95 degrees yesterday and we expect mid-80's on Saturday.

That's all I have to say other than my kiddos told me it was cold yesterday when they

walked to the bus in the morning. Who would have thought that we would feel cold

when it's 85 degrees outside?

Not me!

2007-09-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

Count down T minus 12 days and

zero brain cells left

until...

we move into the new house lovingly called

the "pool house."

With all the moving I have done this should be easy right? We have 3 days to move and make sure the old house spotless and the new house in at least some sort of organized chaos. I keep chanting "I can do this! I can do this! Really...I can do this?" It is my daily mantra.

What do you call someone that has:

3 kids

15 piano students

3 children taking piano lessons

1 kid in baseball (2 days practice and Sat. baseball games in 108 degrees)

1 child in Cub Scouts

30 boys in Cub Scouts ( We are Cub Masters)

1 husband

1 Relief Society in which to put on Women at the Well

1 huge dog named Cricket

2 school classes that need parental help

100 boxes too little...

IN DENIAL and counting the hours for Time Out For Women!!!

2007-09-07T11:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sister Loralee!!!

My sister is awesome! She is one of the most talented people I know. I try not to be green with envy, but come on-she can sew!!! I love talking to her and listen to her no-nonsense approach on how not to strangle my hubby...hee! She's great and I absolutely LOVE her!

2007-09-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

"Come on baby shake your body-do the conga"

This is a song that came on the radio this morning while taking the kids to school and made me smile the whole way back. Whenever I hear Gloria Estefan sing this song I think of my friends back in high school. I can picture Mindy and Jessica doing a mean "rat-tat-tat on the drums." They were SO much fun! It also takes me back to Lake Powell and the house boat.

Have you ever noticed that certain songs can take you back to really old memories and smells? Everytime I hear a Carpenters' song I think of our house on Cresent Point Rd. I remember my sisters and I doing pretending that "rainy days on Sundays always get me down." To this day-I hear Lionel Ritchie and Whitney Housten and think about my dad. I swear my parents must of laughed so hard at us girls pretending that we were "Ballerina Girl."

I hear any "Envogue" and I think about our showchoir competitions in Burbank. Man-those Burbank kids could rip itup! They were awesome and I always wanted to an "Envogue" song, but we had to keep things G-rated at our school.

Everytime I hear Garth Brooks I think of my cousin Debbie in high school. She understood country music before it became popular and a big thing at our school. I only listened to R&B and LOVED it! It's been a while since I've delved into that style.

If Toni comes on -you know Toni Braxton! I think of Ted. If he could be with anyone else besides me...it would of been Toni!

If I listen to the jazz station on the radio I totally think about my dad and the fact that we always complained in the car when he put that music on. Can I just say...I love "smooth jazz...KYOT."

Okay-I just realized I could go on FOREVER with this entry! I'm just so grateful for music and the emotion and inspiration that it can spark. I love it when I listen to a song and it becomes like the "balm of Gilead." It can soothe the soul and relate to those emotions deep down that you can't put into words.

...there is nothing better than to crank up the volume to "Hotel California" and just feel cool.

2007-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

Private Matters

Noah can officially say "sweaty." I don't know how I feel about this! He's getting to big. He also thinks he needs to go to the "YCA" (YMCA) to go swimming everyday because it is soooo hot! His best friend is his 3 yr. old cousin Jayne and they beg Tori and I to play with each other everyday! Kayte is busy being bossy! She is a little me-so sorry! We had a nice little chat the other day and it went something like this...

Kayte: "MOM!!!! Noah kicked me in the pe***!"

Me: "Kayte...you don't have a pe***."

Kayte: "I don't?" (With the most confusing look on her face.)

Me: "Those are boy parts and you have girl parts."

Kayte: "OOOHHHH!" Then she runs off to play needing no further explanation-whew!

McKay has no problem dropping the "p-bomb." Whoever said it was important to teach your children the correct words to explain their private parts didn't know there would be kids like mine!

On to another subject...Yesterday was Ted, Tori, and my brother Von's birthday-oh and cousin Jason's too. CRAZY day, but to end it with Panda Express and a Coldstone Creamery cake was the best! Singing "Happy Birthday" to numerous people was fun for the kiddos.

Ted and I get to have a date night (I know...what is that!) at the D-backs game. I'm so happy we get to go because the next morning he is leaving for Missouri to help move his brother's family out here. Heaven help me that I won't be in a mental institution, the house will still be intact, and the kids ALIVE!

I'm going to try to enjoy this holiday weekend as best I can. Labor day is such a fitting name because what else are you to do with no place to go and a house full of kids? We are 99% sure we are moving at the end of Sept to a home with a pool and an extra room-YEAH! We move so many times-we are like nomads! Anyways-I'm packing and that means de-junking. Can I get another YEAH!!!? Although- Ted has expressed his wishes that I not touch his stuff-darn!

OKay-gotta go mow the lawn and get this house ready to be shown!

2007-08-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

My First Digital Scrapbook page!!!

2007-08-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

Can they just stay little?
This picture is SO telling! My kids are all about being as big as they can with all the crazy energy they have. Kayte is too independent for her own good and never wants to hold hands unless she is completely scared of something-which is rare. Noah idolizes his big brother and will ONLY hold McKay's hand. McKay is a good older brother and every once in a blue moon remembers that his brother and sister are smaller than he is. Everday there is a massive collision of limbs flying in all directions, and some are from our four-legged furry friend. There most favorite thing to do afterschool is play "slippery slid." Lest you think it has anything to do with and actual slide on the ground (old school)- you would be wrong. My kids take out the sprinkler and put it under the trampoline...you see where I'm going with this! Everyone including the dog, Cricket, gets involved. Up until this weekend we have had a net, but due to serious hanging of kids on it, it is gone! Do I dare let my kids do slippery slid? How can I resist my little Noah telling me he is sooo "smeaty" and needs to cool off? So yesterday-I let them do it while I called my health insurance and made sure I already met my deductible! Ted and I agree that a net needs to purchased post haste!

2007-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Fishing at Glen and Rachel's in Eager, AZ

2007-08-08T13:53:00.000-07:00

My little fisherman!

2007-08-07T15:29:00.000-07:00

Celebrate good times COME ON!!!! Kids are in school and I'm dancing in the streets! Noah does not know what to do with himself and neither do I. We are having summer hangover and in a week I'll be up and at 'em again, but until then I'll finish my prescription on Vicodin and Motrin (post-surgery) and lay low!

Pictures will be forth-coming from our numerous trips to the White Mountains the past couple of months with a travel-log. I told Ted we definitely need to have a summer home because I literally melt (no-not from water) the minute my hand touches the door handle. I know what I signed up for moving here and all but ALRIGHT ALREADY with 112 degrees. I at least have to say something in my posts about how stinkin' hot it is or I wouldn't be a true California city girl!

Okay-so now that the kiddos are in school I will be posting more! Come on-have faith in me! I can do this!

2007-06-15T15:19:00.000-07:00