Stephen's Hot Cocoa Ratings

In our neighborhood, it is quite common to receive hot chocolate as a gift from neighbors. The most common kind is a Utah brand called Stephen's and it comes in several flavors. It's pretty good stuff.

When we received some orange cream flavored Stephen's from some neighbors a few nights ago, followed by some mint chocolate a night or so later from some other neighbors, Joel and I realized that it is entirely possible to tell how you rate with your neighbors based on which flavor of Stephen's hot chocolate you receive. Thinking back over the past couple of years and which flavors we have received, we came up with a three-tiered rating...

Tier 1--Milk or Mint Chocolate flavors. These come from the neighbors you are closest to and who you get along with the best, the ones that you will call from time to time if you need a favor or a cup of sugar. You genuinely enjoy them.
Tier 2--Cinnamon or Rich Chocolate flavors. From the neighbors who you are fond of, will strike up conversations with when you see them, but don't really socialize outside of church much with. Your children are possibly friends with their children, but not best friends.
Tier 3--Raspberry or Orange Cream flavors. From the neighbors who feel obligated to get you something because you are neighbors, but people who you don't know well at all.

And there we have the Stephen's Hot Cocoa Ratings. It's funny how true they are!

Merry Christmas!

Cookies for Santa:
The big guy came and left too much, as always, despite his best efforts to tone it down every year:
Sam's first Christmas! It was overwhelming, but he did great:
Wee! A Wii! (The favorite gift this year, by far!)
James rocking out on his new guitar. He's our rockstar. Dude feels the music.

3 A.M. Alarm

At about 2:45 am this morning, it sounded like one of the smoke alarms was chirping (the annoying "my battery is low" high-pitched chirp every 60 seconds). WHY does that happen in the middle of the night, by the way? So, Joel stumbles out of bed and goes to try to locate which alarm is chirping. It sounds like it's coming from the alarm in the hallway, outside the bedrooms. He tries to quiet it by removing the battery. Nope, still chirping. Thinking it may not be that one, but the one a few feet away instead, he tries the same thing with that one. Still chirping. He then decides to go turn off the power to the alarms in the circuit breaker (when all else fails, right?)

Still chirping.

He then goes about rearranging the batteries--of course, we don't have any extra 9 volt batteries laying around, so he finds a battery in his guitar and pulls one out of the basement alarm and switches them into the two hallway alarms. Still chirping.

Turns the power back on. Still chirping.

Turns the power off. Still chirping.

Removes the batteries. Again. Still chirping.

Pulls the actual units off of their bases. At this point, there is no power going to the alarms, there are no batteries in the alarms, and the units are actually disconnected from the wires in the ceiling. That has to work, right?

Nope. Still chirping.

We're thinking, "WHAT THE HELL?" (And also being very thankful that the children are somehow sleeping through it).

Joel decides that the next thing to try is to go buy new batteries and replace them in all of the alarms. So he does. At 3:20 am. (And found out in the process that two of the supposedly 24 hour grocery stores are not actually open at 3:20 am).

He comes home and begins replacing the batteries in all of the alarms. He even has to bring in the ladder from the garage to change the battery in the alarm in our bedroom because it's too high to reach. Turns the power on and off a few more times.

Still chirping.

After throwing out a few more curse words and preparing to cut all of the wires to the alarms, he decides to unplug the carbon monoxide detector, which is also in the upstairs hallway.

The chirping stops.

We looked at each other and started cracking up. It's now 3:54 am and we have spent over an hour hunting for the source of the chirping, flicking switches, changing batteries, hauling ladders in, driving to grocery stores, and cursing up a storm, all to find out that all that it wasn't the smoke alarms that needed to be reset, it was the carbon monoxide detector. All we needed to do was unplug it and plug it back in.

I think we'll laugh about it for years to come. Thank goodness we didn't cut any wires! LOL!

Ally's Nine!

Allyson turned NINE today! Yikes! Could someone please stop my kids from growing up so dang quickly?
Here she is opening her gifts after school. I love the candid shots of kids opening presents--you can see the absolute joy on their little faces:

It was High School Musical mania in our home today: (and the picture of the guitar she is holding is the guitar that was ordered but didn't arrive in time--hopefully it will be here soon):

Following present opening, we went out to dinner at her favorite (and expensive--gah!) restaurant (Japenese-style seating--the kids even all had their first sushi!) We followed up dinner by coming back home and having some family over and singing to her.

Happy Birthday, my Sweet Ally Cat!!!

Seven Months Old!

The past month was a big one for little Sam-I-Am...he began sleeping through the night pretty consistently, he started rolling both ways (and actually likes being on his tummy to play--a first for one of our babies), he got his first tooth, and started gumming on some crackers. He's on his way to being too big, too fast. *Sniff.*

Photo Session

I attempted to gather the kids together after church yesterday for an impromtu photo session--hoping to get at least one semi-decent shot to send out with Christmas cards. My hopes were soon dashed when, in less than three minutes, it went from this...

to this...

Needless to say, I didn't get that card shot. I am most likely going to have to pass on photo cards this year. That's okay--the outfits didn't coordinate anyway and that would have bothered me to no end. (I would have lost sleep over that detail).

But is it really too much to ask to just have everyone look in the same direction and smile just ONCE?

Ally's Testimony

A few weeks ago, Allyson was asked to give a talk in primary. The topic was on serving others. She wrote this talk almost all by herself (with a little guiding help from me--I only tried to give her some leading questions like "who are some people who serve others a lot?" and "what are some of those things they do?"). After she read it, a member of the presidency asked if she would read it again during the primary program (in front of the entire congregation). She did that last week.

It's so neat to catch a glimpse into her heart and her feelings about the gospel. Ally is not really vocal about her feelings, but she is fantastic about writing and drawing them out--expressing herself on paper. Here is her testimony:

When I grow up I want to go on a mission and teach other people about the gospel. Even though I am not old enough to go on a mission, there are lots of things I can do now to be like a missionary. I can invite a friend to church or to a church activity. I can help others when they need it. I can serve people by doing nice things for them. I can tell my friends about the things at church. I can be kind and friendly and helpful. I love going to church because we get to sing and learn about Jesus. I love the gospel and Heavenly Father. I am excited to be a missionary one day so I can teach other people about the Book of Mormon and Jesus Christ. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Six Months Old!

I swear, time just goes faster and faster with each passing year. I cannot believe Sam is six months old already!

He is still a super sweet little guy. He loves to smile and is so gentle-natured, it's sweet just to be around him. I think my favorite feature has got to be his fuzzy wuzzy head, though!

At his six month well-check, he weighed 18 lbs. 15 oz. (missed Josh's six month weight by just a few ounces!) and was off the charts in length at 29 inches long. He's a big, healthy boy. And have I mentioned how sweet he is?

Sisters

My new favorite picture. This is a picture of the girls in San Diego on Halloween. I love it so much that I've ordered it in an 8x10 to frame in their room. It captures their relationship beautifully.

Class Clown

Last night we attended Parent-Teacher conference for Josh, Ally, and Savannah. I'm thrilled to say that all three are doing well in their classes.

It was interesting talking with Josh's teacher. We were going over his report card--everything was marked with a "4" (equal to an "A"), except one thing, which was a "3.5".

His behavior.

Gasp.

He apparently has been chatting and cracking jokes a lot in class. He also has been bringing toys from home, when he knows he isn't supposed to. The toy that got confiscated? A fake mustache.

And as we were wrapping things up, his teacher asked, "Josh was talking about a cheese buffet he ate at yesterday...where is that?" (She was asking sincerely). A cheese buffet? Seriously? The little jokester was yanking her chain. He started giggling when she asked.

When did he become the class clown?

Turkeys

I took James and Sam in to get their pictures taken today, mostly so they'd have an updated picture on "the wall" along with the other kids' school pictures. James was such a turkey during the session. The photographer did manage to get a few cute shots of them, though.




I *LOVE* this one...he was so delighted at seeing his own image on the screen above the camera. He couldn't stop laughing. It was adorable!

Happy Halloween!

The girls before the church trunk-or-treat last Saturday. (They spent actual Halloween day in San Diego with Joel's parents).

James--he was not a willing participant in pictures this year. I couldn't resist this picture, though! Halloween night...since the girls are in San Diego, we let Josh invite his friends over for dinner and to go trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Josh somehow lost his costume, so he ended up in a hoodie with fake blood sprayed on his face. Here he is, with his five best friends (they call themselves the Finigin Family):And my little pirate, super sweet Sam-I-Am:

Get The Locks Ready

I was picking up in the girls' room this morning and came across a piece of paper wadded up on the floor. I noticed that it had writing, so I opened it to see what it was. Here is what it read:

Dear dierey,
I have a crush on a person, named Korbin. he is so cute. I feel like I want to kiss him so much. I even can't stop thinking about him. humm oh so I gess I love him so much. his eyes are cute. ok I better stop thinking about him or elset I mite rite about him. se ya. The end.

Aye yi yi.

Korbin is a neighbor of ours, who has had a crush on Ally since they were tiny. In fact, two years ago I shared this. Two years ago they were six and seven and Ally didn't give much thought to Korbin one way or another. She enjoyed playing with him sometimes, but it was left at that. Apparently she has begun to notice those blue eyes of his.

I'm so not ready for this. Can I go ahead and lock her up now?

Five Months Old

Conversations With James

Friday morning James came upstairs and remarked,
"I'm freaking out."
"You're freaking out?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Cause I have to go to work."

That about sums it up. ;)

I think the most hilarious thing he's ever said to me, though, was when I was leaning over him changing his diaper and he looked at my cleavage and matter-of-factly said,
"Mom, you have another bum on your tummy."

He is such a funny kid and I really wonder what goes on in his little two year old noggin sometimes.

Progess

Josh is making progress with his sentences, but is still trying to throw in some funnies:

The tart candy poisened me.
A piece of litter killed a squirrel.
I stuffed a cat in a crate.
The rats stole my cheese.
The cheese shares 99% of my DNA.
I threw cobs at hobos.

At least we don't have any animals flinging feces at the president this week.

Love Today

Today we attended a beautiful ceremony between two people who are deeply in love and wanted to commit to spending every day of their lives together. Joel's brother, Matt, married his partner of four years today. It was truly one of the most beautiful ceremonies I've ever been to--it was so heartfelt and the joy radiating off of both of them was evident.

Today I learned that love doesn't discriminate.

I wish both of them a long, happy life together--and I hope they love each other for always as much as they do today.

Sixth Grade Sentences

I was looking over Josh's papers and homework he brought home from school a couple of days ago, like I normally do every day. In reading over one assignment, it seemed innocent enough--about 20 sentences he had constructed.

The clock is slow.
The girls like food.
That coat is warm.

But as I read on, things began to change...

Don't eat yellow snow.
The airplane blew up.

It got continually worse...

The duck went beserk because his family got ducknapped.
The duck ducked because of a duck.
The cheese ate the pickles.
The bacon was still alive.

And worse...

The cat got run over and blood squirted out everywhere and its guts were all over the road and the body was flat.

But the one that topped them all (and the one Joel found most amusing)...

The monkey flinged poo at George Bush.

What followed was a conversation about what is and isn't appropriate for school work.

Sigh.

Four Months Old!

Samuel is four months old. This is one of my very favorite ages--they just seem to change sooo much over that month--lots of smiles, laughs, cooing, grabbing things, rolling over--all sorts of fun! At his well-check this week he weighed in at 16 lbs. 13 ounces and measured 26.5 inches. We're waiting to see if he reaches Josh's 6 month old weight of 19 pounds. I'm thinking it will likely happen. He may be our biggest kid yet!

Here's my little man...

Another fun milestone that comes along with four months of age...

EATING!

The Dreaded Day

The first day of school is always a hard one for me. It's a stark reminder of how much my children have grown and that another year has come and gone. And after being with them all day every day all summer long, I really miss them when they're at school. This mom stuff is really tough sometimes.

There go my babies.

Storm Watchers

Three Months Old

Fall T.V.

The show line-ups for the new fall season of tv were recently released and I am fairly disappointed. Last year I was anticipating the return of several of my favorite shows and looking forward to checking out several new ones. This year? Not so much. I was sorely disppointed to learn that my beloved Veronica Mars and What About Brian will not be returning for my viewing pleasure. Let's have a moment of silence.

Thank you.

There aren't really any new shows getting a lot of buzz either, so I am quite bummed!

That said, here is what I plan on watching:
*Grey's Anatomy, of course
*Private Practice (new show with Addison from Grey's. I didn't love the pilot, so I'm not getting too worked up about this show.)
*House
*Desperate Housewives
*Lost (not until FEBRUARY though--UGH!)
*Family Guy
*The Class
*Gossip Girl (new one)

But, there are some good things on right now--one of my very favorite shows, The Hills, premeires this week (YAY!) and both Joel and I are enjoying Big Love and Saving Grace. I'm also watching Greek and Top Chef. Oh-and lest I not forget my guilty pleasure Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. *blush* He was my number one bad boy back in the day. Okay, okay, I'm also tuning into the new season of The Real World and Newport Harbor (previously Laguna Beach). What can I say? I'm still a teen at heart and therefore an MTV junkie.

Thank goodness for TiVo!

As a side note: I am trying to update my right column over there -----------> but being the computer illiterate person I am, I am having trouble with the html codes and whatnot when I try to change things. There are blogs I want to add and some I'd like to remove. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out soon!

Two Months Old

Samuel--the boy with the smile that makes my heart melt. He's really stingey with those smiles, but when you coax one out of him, it lights up the room.

At his two month well-check he weighed in at 13.5 lbs. and was 24.2 inches long. He still isn't sleeping through the night, but is on a bit of a predictable schedule. He'll sleep for one five hour stretch and then for another two to three hours. I'm able to get about six hours of sleep now, which isn't too bad with a newborn.

On a sad note, phase one of his babyhood is nearly over: I've packed up all of his 0-3 month size clothes, he's moved out of the bassinet into a crib and has moved up to a size 2 diaper. Man, I hate it. I love the little teeny tiny newborn stage, where they will curl up into a little ball and sleep on your chest. I love the little unmistakeable newborn wah-wah wail (Sam's starting to do more of a cry now). I'm just not ready to move on yet!

(Although, that smile does make it much more bearable).

City Parade

We attended our city's annual City Days Parade today. The funny thing about small(ish) town parades is that they're full of small local businesses, city folk and a few firetrucks for good measure. (Sam was not fond of that!) It's always a good time though.

Here we are, waiting for the fun to start:
The girls making a mad dash for candy. Even though it's a small parade, we still somehow accumulate an insane amount of candy by the end of it.
James getting in on the candy collecting action:
The best part about this year's parade, hands down, was watching Josh stroll by with his fellow student council members. He sure had a great time!

The Best Part About Being a Mom

...are the sweet notes and pictures I get every now and then. I came across two from Ally today (she loves to write notes).

This first one was for Mother's Day:

Dear Mom,
How are you? I am fine this morning. I hope your going to have a fun day to day. I will do jobs for you like take care of James. I can bring brekfast up for you. and work in the garden. At church we are going to sing for you. And your #1 mom.
love, Ally

This one was a little tiny note that I thankfully found tucked in her pocket as I was sorting out laundry. It was written the morning Sam was born. I'm glad I found it!

Dear Mom,
Today is a specil day for you! your baby is borne and evry thing is to be bisy today. I love you very much.
from, Ally

She is such a sweetheart! What a lucky mom. :)

Blessed

Joel blessed our precious Samuel at church yesterday. It was such a beautiful blessing. My heart was running over with love and gratitude the entire day yesterday.

We are so blessed to have Samuel in our family. He has the sweetest spirit. He is a perfect addition to our family and I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to love and raise this little boy along with our other wonderful children. This is what life is all about.

Cousins

This is James and little cousin Maggie (just a couple of months older than James) having a good time together after Sam's blessing. It's a lot of fun now that they're getting to an age where they are beginning to enjoy playing together. Cute stuff!

Dancing Queens

The girls had their annual recitals this week. Savannah only tumbled this year, but Ally, being on the show-time dance team, performed in several numbers. The recitals always make for a somewhat crazy and long day, but at the end they're always worth it.

Here is Ally in her show-time costume. (This picture was actually taken in March when her dance team performed at a Utah Jazz game for half-time):

And here are the beauties, just before leaving for the recital:
Afterward--flowers for a job well done (or shall I say-a dance well danced):
And this is just a cute picture of Uncle Matt and Tony and little James after the recital:

Go, Adrenaline!

Rough game...

The aftermath...

Who IS that hot coach anyway? ;)