Randomness

This is kind of a venting/rambling blog....I think. It's 6:30 on a Thursday morning, I'm awake, which makes for a long day, but there's no one to talk to yet. So, I'm talking to you people......

So, Kate Middleton and Prince William are FINALLY getting married. I hope they are happy and the bizarreness that was his parents' lives skips them entirely. They deserve to be happy.

Harry Potter--don't get it. I know, people don't get the whole Twilight thing either. I do love Twilight, but I don't consider myself an obsessed fan. I have all the books--and by that I mean the ORIGINAL five, not the random "comic books," movie books, "special edition" magazines, etc.,--and the two DVDs that are out. I enjoy the books and the movies and um, yeah that's it. You people who know me well know that my biggest obsession is scrapbooking, but that's a blog for another time....

Casey on Channel 2 news--Is he everywhere or is it just me? I love him; he's funny, pretty adorable and just crazy enough to be entertaining, but WHEN DOES HE SLEEP???? He's on the morning show, he's on the noon show, he has his OWN afternoon show, he's here and there and somewhere else being a DJ, hosting sports viewing parties, whatever. Maybe he has a clone?? Anyway, I do love Channel 2 news in all its formats and all its broadcasters....

So, Pink is pregnant, cool; Tony Parker was stupid enough to screw up his marriage to Eva Longoria (what IS it about athletes that have beautiful wives that they always manage to screw it up??); Bristol Palin is still on DWTS? WTH??? And some dude flipped out and shot his TV and threatened his wife because of it? Really? PEOPLE, turn off the TV and get out of the house sometimes!

Hmmmm, if I wanna fly on a plane now I have a choice, appear naked on a screen in front of God knows who and risk THAT image becoming public or endure public fondling of my person? I think I'll just drive....

I think I'll clean out my coat closet today and the pantry so I can take stuff to the Day of Thanks food and coat drive on November 24th at Smith's Marketplace (90th South and Redwood or Jiffy Lube at 677 East and 400 South).

Alright, time to wake the school children and fix breakfast....

Have a good day y'all!!

Catch up

Soooooooo, I'm not very good at blogging. Now that I'm not working for a while, I'll try to do better! (But really, don't expect much LOL)

Yes, I'm home; I've been a stay at home mom for just over six weeks now. Yes, I am looking for a job :) So if you know of anything, drop me a line! It started out pretty rocky, but now we're kind of into a routine. I am loving the chance I have right now to hang out with my boys. Jake is just growing and growing and learning more words and we just giggle! Like today, I burped and Jake says, "cuse ouuuuu," which of course is "Excuse You!" We say it to Jax all the time because, naturally, he LOVES to burp really loud. Now Jake is picking it up and it's pretty funny. Hayden and I have "us time" every afternoon when Jake has a nap. We watch Phineas and Ferb or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and he helps me fold laundry or clean up the house. He's got this weird obsession right now with measuring EVERYTHING. I find Shane's measuring tapes and straight rulers all over the house! Hayden calls it "his work," he finds a measuring device and says to me, "Mom, I gotta do my work now, okay?" He's such a nut. Jax is THRIVING in 1st grade. He reads really well, so far math is seeming to come VERY easy for him and he loves to come home and immediately do his homework. I'm so glad we started that routine last year; as soon as Jax got home we had the backpack open and getting stuff done. So much easier that way! By the time I get him home from school, he sits at the table and I start putting stuff together for dinner and/or cleaning up the kitchen. Jax also loves his teacher, Mrs. Hind and the principal, Mr. Howe. He has friends that he plays soccer with at recess and walks across the skybridge with. So happy that he's at such a great school! Shannon is also doing pretty well. There have been some bumps in the road with school, but things are slowly getting better. Luckily Shannon's teachers are more than willing to contact Shane and to hear from him if there are concerns. It may be a rocky road, but we'll make it :) She's smart and funny and in spite of everything that's happened in the past year, she's doing really well.

Shane is doing great, LOVING his job and doing really great at it. He's pretty amazing all around and puts up with my insanity, poor man!

As for me, it's been a weird trip so far. I miss my job, I really miss my work buddies and well, leaving the house every day, but like I said, I LOVE spending this time with the boys. Being home, cleaning, organizing, going to school with Jax, teaching Jake where is belly is, doing shapes and colors with Hayden, having time to find new recipes and try them out.....it's all happening for a reason and I'm just taking each day as it comes :)

Monday, Monday...

Oh good grief! This has not been the greatest Monday......

First, we had to leave the house earlier than usual to take my poor wrecked van to the body shop so that it can no longer be wrecked and then we had to take Jax to school and then drop Shane off at work. (PS--could not sleep last night, last I looked at the clock it was about 3:30am). Already, day not off to a GREAT start. Jake was really fussy all the way out to Wells and about halfway home a DELICIOUS aroma starts wafting from the back seat. I get us home, strip Jake (who is screaming) and place him in the tub. I try to give him some breakfast, he's not interested, so I finish my breakfast and am picking up the living room when Jake comes in and throws up all over the floor. Thus is my day...Jake throws up, I clean up, take a load of vomit-clothing to the washer, hold Jake while he whimpers, etc., etc.

After a long day of this, Shane comes home, we fix dinner (still Jake not eating, but not vomiting either) and just when it's bedtime Hayden starts to cry. When he finally is coherent enough to tell us what is wrong, we discover that he has a large piece of red crayon shoved up his right nostril. Yeah. Crayon. Up his nose. I try to reach it, nope it's really in there, and I tell him we have to go to the doctor so they can get it out. There is much screaming and crying until we're almost to the Instacare. By then I've calmed down....(kidding, but I really wanted to scream and cry a little).

I check in at the desk and, bless their hearts, they tried not to laugh, but really, how could you not? By now, Hayden is calm and pretty much enjoying the whole experience. He starts chatting with the girls. They ask him what color the crayon is: he says red, but his brother's favorite color is blue. They ask him why he put the crayon up his nose: he says, "because I was hiding it and I was gonna put it in my pocket, but then I just put it in my nose." We go back after a fairly short wait and the cute student nurse is talking to Ralphie. He's flirting with her (how much trouble am I going to be in when this kid grows up?), smiling and laughing. We go back to the exam area and soon the doc comes in. He tells her again how and why the crayon got up his nose and then adds, "you just have to make them (the crayons) into small pieces to put them in your nose." The cute student nurse is back and has him lay on the bed and tells him that when we're done he can have a popsicle. Then she says, "not because you put a crayon in your nose, but so you won't hate me when we're done." And sweet boy says, "I would never hate you." He was so good while they dug out the crayon and cute student nurse says to him, "where do crayons go?" And he says, "in the box!" "Do you put things in your nose?" "Nope, I never put anything up my nose again!" And she produces an orange popsicle. He says, "I would never hate you and maybe next time I can bring you a popsicle." And she says, "I like blue ones best!"

All in all, not my best Monday, but having 3+ people tell me that I have the cutest, sweetest little boy pretty much makes up for all the yucky.

And no, we did not save the piece of crayon.......

Dear Atheists

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=12065233&hl=5

This is my response to the above story and ruling to a very misguided 10th Circuit Court of Appeals:

Dear Atheists:
You are offended by a cross on a roadside in a state that you don't live in that bears the symbol of a state agency. You are offended that you should be confronted with a "religious symbol" as you drive past at 75+ miles per hour. You are offended that there is no separation of church and state.

I am offended that you would dare to interfere with a memorial to officers that have given their LIVES so that you could be protected and served. I am offended that YOUR beliefs seem to be more important than the hundreds of THOUSANDS of people that knew and loved and respected these officers and the ultimate sacrifice that they paid, protecting and serving everyone, including YOU. I am offended that in the times we live in where the economy and immigration and natural disasters, foreign and domestic, are so much bigger and more important to humanity that YOU would chose to fight THIS battle. I am offended that you choose to believe that there is no higher power. Will I take YOU to court? No, because you are entitled to believe as you choose. Just as the THOUSANDS of us choose to believe that a cross, memorializing the site where these noble officers died PROTECTING AND SERVING their communities is an appropriate monument.

I pity you, that you have nothing better to do, no higher purpose in this world than to challenge a memorial to the dead that hurts you in no way, save for "offending" you. You offend me, and my family, who faithfully pass a memorial cross to our own fallen hero on a stretch of highway between here and there, where he died, PROTECTING AND SERVING his community.

God bless all the troopers and police officers and deputies that serve us and bless you, Mark Shurtleff that you will win this battle over the imbeciles that believe no one has the right to "offend" them.

Summertime and potty training

I was told yesterday that I never blog and that I should blog more, so here I go! It's been such a busy summer :D There have been camping adventures at the 1/2 of Ten, 4th of July and Ute Stampede in Nephi and coming soon is Salem Days, the Juab Demolition Derby, swimming at the T-Ville pool and Cowabunga Bay.

The most exciting thing happening right now is that Hayden is FINALLY potty training! We've been trying for about 4 months now and finally this weekend he has started to get it! With Jax it seemed so much easier, but it's seemed like such a struggle with Ralphie. It started this weekend while we were camping; he was VERY willing (like all boys are) to pee on trees. And since we've been home he's been pretty good about going potty, with reminders of course, but just a little bit ago he was sitting on the couch and all of a sudden jumped up and said, "Mom, I gotta go pee!" Off he ran to the potty and SUCCESS! We've been using the reward method and so far, so good! If all goes well this week, I'm taking him to buy "big boy" underwear! We just celebrated his birthday on Sunday and he is only three, but he's so smart! We had to have a Buzz Lightyear birthday and he loved it. The other kids are doing great as well; Jax just spent a week in Nephi and when I talked to him on the phone about midway through his visit he said, "Mom, I miss you, but I'm not coming home ever." According to all, Jax had the time of his life and yes, he did come home with us on Sunday :D Jake is growing and growing; he's walking and getting into EVERYTHING and loves to be in the middle of whatever Jax and Hayden are doing. Shannon is doing great too; she's getting ready for junior high and is really growing up. Her new thing lately is cooking :D I bought her an apron at the craft show in Nephi and she LOVES wearing it and helping in the kitchen. Last week she made homemade oreos (almost) all by herself. She was so proud of those cookies and I was so proud of her! And of course, my "baby" Bella is getting somewhat bigger :D She had her first haircut 2 weeks ago and she hardly looks the same!

Anyways, things are busy but good :D The first half of summer has been fun and busy and the second half promises to be the same! I'll try to blog more, haha, but in the meantime here are some pictures of the summer so far:

Jax and Hayden at a Bees Game

Hayden at the 1/2 of Ten

Jackson, Jaxton and Austin, conquering the mountain

Hayden all worn out and having a nap in Grandma Phyllis's lap.

Jake at the park in Nephi on July 4th.

Kenna and Shannon showing off their 4th of July prizes (the hats!)

Bella with her cute new haircut :D

Nostalgic.....

I had a bit of a nostalgic moment yesterday. I went to pick up the boys from Grandma's and Jaxton made me "close my eyes!" Finally when he let me open them both he and Hayden were standing in front of me with flowers that Grandma let them cut from her rose bushes. They even picked one "from Jake." So I brought them home and got a water glass from the cupboard to fill it with water and I had a moment of nostalgia......When I was a little girl I remember picking flowers for my mom. And she always got a water glass from the cupboard, filled it with water and saved my flowers until they died. It made me smile to think that some things never change. I'll probably keep these flowers on the table, in a water glass, until they die......

Jaxton

Fair warning, picture overload! Yesterday my sweet Jaxton turned 6! I can hardly believe it myself! I love you so much buddy!

Jaxton's 1st field trip!

Ah, today was such a fun day! It was zoo day for Jaxton's kindergarten class and I went with to "chaperone!" I had the best group :D Jax, his best friend Gavin and this cutie named Emily. It was a pretty quick trip around the zoo (least amount of time I've ever spent there!) but the kids were great and we had such a fun time! At the end I asked them what their favorite part of the day was; wanna know what Jax said? Riding the bus!! Here are some pictures of my adventures with the backpack brigade:

Emily, Jax and Gavin at the beginning of our "walking tour" of the zoo.

Doesn't that face just say it all? We were watching the tigers stretch and play at that point.

The backpack brigade watching the giraffes. The giraffes are my favorite!

Three buddies at the end of a great morning at the zoo! This is my favorite picture :D

Thoughts on grocery shopping

Today I did what I dread....I went grocery shopping, on a SATURDAY! Usually I have planned well enough that I am going on a Tuesday night or something, but I had no choice, today I had to brave the crowds. While I was at Walmart (yes, I know, they're evil, but I am a creature of habit) I had some startling thoughts:

When you're buying frozen foods do you ever wonder if the item you've just put in your cart was that random item that you always see shoved onto a shelf in the cereal aisle? I wonder, when the good folks of Walmart find those items after 8 or so hours spent NOT in the freezer, do they just throw them back into the freezer? Or do the responsible thing and throw them out?

Why is it that out of at least 4 carts to choose from I get the one with the crazy wheel that spins and squeaks? I even try testing them in the grocery cart selection area and inevitably the one I judge to be fine there has some sort of break down once it hits the grocery store area.

How come some cashiers appear to be fast and efficient when you're at the end of the line and once you commit yourself to that line everything breaks down? I am the WORST checkout line selector in the world. This is your warning, if you see me at the store DO NOT GET IN LINE BEHIND ME. Invariably the person in front of me will have no less than three items that do NOT have prices and/or barcodes on them and the price checks take HOURS. Or, like today, we have a minimum of four ads from various grocery stores and must price match EVERYTHING. Also, when it's finally my turn we must change cashiers......

I sound pretty whiney, don't I? So, here's why I'm glad I went to the store today:

I don't have to go back for at least a week. Just kidding! I was able to go to the store without kids, unlike some harried moms I saw. I had money to go to the store and buy groceries for my family. I now have a stocked fridge and cupboards and the fixings for two weeks worth of meals.

Coming up next: Jaxton's very first field trip! We are heading to the zoo on Monday and that should be an adventure! Take care friends!

Coping, a birthday and Bella

Hello my friends! It's been a long, strange, good week. We're hanging in there, trying to get back into a routine. We went to the drill team parents' banquet Tuesday and it was nice to be there with the parents of such wonderful girls, but it was so hard to be there without our own Kati. It often surprises me the number of times every day I think of our sweet girl and it's still a shock to the system to realize that she's gone. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that she is in such a better place now and that we were so lucky to have her for the time we did.



Of course, we had a VERY special birthday this week! Thursday, April 22nd, our Jakey turned 1!! We celebrated a bit early in Nephi on Sunday and it was so fun! Gramma Phyllis gave Jake his most favorite, by far, present:





I love this picture because it almost seems like he's saying, "Ohhhhhh, streamers on the handlebars, NIIIICCCCCEEEEE!" Even though his feet don't QUITE touch the pedals, he thinks this bike is just the best thing ever! I can't keep him away from it at home :D

Of course, no first birthday is complete without the CAKE! I got really lucky with the bakery at Walmart (I know!) and the sweet girl who took my cake order made a cute "smasher" cake for Jakey that matched his birthday cake AND had his name on it! Obviously, he enjoyed it very much :D

And finally, Friday found us adding a new member to our family. I've been bugging Shane for a few months now about letting me get my own little baby girl dog to spoil and finally, he agreed! I found this little sweet girl through a friend and the minute I saw her I knew she was mine! She's a purebred papered Shih tzu and her parents are so sweet and cute. She'll only get to be about 10lbs at full grown and that's just what I wanted. Yes, her name is Bella, but not because I'm obsessed with Twilight! I've always liked that name and I tried SEVERAL names on her after I picked her up and finally I called her Bella and it was just perfect! She is totally a diva already :D, but she's so smart! I started pad training her as soon as we got home and she's catching on so fast! She was home alone today while we went to church and when we got home, no accidents on the carpet, just on her puppy pad! She's so playful and she LOVES chasing those sweet boys of mine! She likes to cuddle with me and she's so funny! She will climb up onto my shoulder like a little bird or something and cuddle in.

It's been nice to have her this weekend and talk silly to her and think about making bows for her hair and all those crazy things people do. She's so sweet and fun and I'm so glad we found her and brought her home! She's been a comfort to me on a weekend when I'm the only girl in the house! I can't wait for Shannon to come home Wednesday and meet her :D

Good night my friends, I love you all :D

"normal"

Hello friends,

Just a quick blog to say THANK YOU! for all your love, prayers and support over the last few days and weeks.

Things are slowly getting back to a normal pace. Shane and I have both gone back to work and we're adjusting to the changes in our life.

It's strange to think that Kati is really gone, but at the same time, we're so happy that she is out of pain and dancing across the heavens......

I love you all so much and I know that we would not have made it through the last two weeks without all of your love and prayers.

In loving memory.....

Our dancing angel, Kaitlyn Mariah Adams, returned home to her Heavenly Father on April 12, 2010 at the age of 16 after a courageous 5 year battle with cancer. She was born in Salt Lake City on February 12, 1994 to Shane Adams and Carolyn Horne-Adams. Kaitlyn lived to dance and was a member of the Taylorsville High School Chirons drill team and served as its sophomore representative this past year. She fulfilled her dream this past March by performing a solo, one that she choreographed, at the National Competition in New York City. She received a 100% score for attitude and showmanship and a standing ovation. Kaitlyn was an inspiration to everyone who knew her. She always had a positive attitude and strong will. She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Kaitlyn is survived by her mother, Carolyn Horne-Adams, father and stepmother, Shane and Amy Adams, sister, Shannon, brothers, Jaxton, Hayden and Jake, all of Kearns. Grandparents Chris and Kathy Horne of Kearns, Robert and Karen Adams of Taylorsville, Nyle and Julie Robinson of Nephi, great-grandparents Ken and Phyllis Ingram and Ann Denece Robinson all of Nephi, her two best friends that never left her side, McKenzie and Zandalee and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Funeral services will be held Friday April 16, 2010 at 11:00am at the Bennion Heights 5th Ward, 5775 South, 2700 West, Taylorsville, Utah. A viewing will be held Thursday April 15, 2010 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at Redwood Memorial Mortuary , 6500 South Redwood Road and one hour prior to services at the church. Interment will be at the Redwood Memorial Cemetery at 6500 South Redwood Road following services.

A memorial fund as been established in Kaitlyn's name at Cyprus Credit Union.

We'll miss you, sweet girl, until we meet again..........

A new post!

I know, I really, really SUCK at this blogging thing! I just don't have time :D I only have a full time job, three sons, two daughters, a scrapbooking obsession, a new PhotoShop obsession and so on and so on.....LOL!

Anyways--some of you may have known, some may not, but Shane was laid off on February 16th (2 days before my birthday--Happy Birthday to me!). We knew his project was ending, but he was told he would have a job until Feb 26th, an ending bonus and then help with transferring to a new project either in Orem or at the Salt Lake Convergys, so the layoffs on the 16th were a bit of a surprise. After a MAJOR bout of panicking on my part, I realized that we were luckier than most. First, we had just gotten our taxes done and were lucky enough to be getting a decent refund. Second, I've started getting into couponing and so we started building up our food storage in December. Third, we have the AWESOMEST parents in the world! Shane's parents are always sending over juice and treats and groceries and of course my parents are always there to help too! So, we cut back spending, shopped A LOT out of food storage (ours and Shane's parents'!) and just prayed a lot. Shane was spending every day applying for jobs, sending out resumes and just talking to people all day and I just kept working and talking to everyone I could think of that might be able to help. Then, on March 5th his sister told him about a job opportunity at Wells Fargo. He applied online that day, the called him the next day to set up a phone interview for March 8th. After that they had him come for a face to face interview on March 9th and on March 10th they hired him! Talk about relief!

His training starts on March 29th, so at this point he has just over a week to get my honey-do list done (ha ha!) and then he'll be back to work. The best parts of all of this are that this job is in Salt Lake, no more driving, it will be seven weeks of training and then his regular daytime schedule will start, he'll be making more money and they have GREAT benefits! I was so distraught over him not being able to stay at Convergys and if he had, he never would have gotten this opportunity!

It was a nice reminder of something I try to live by:
Everything happens for a reason, you just have to patient!

Anyways, friends. I cannot promise more blogging, but I'll try! If you want pictures, you will have to see my Facebook page :P

Love you all!

Catch up

I know, I NEVER blog! There's just been a lot going on lately! Some of you may know and some may not, but Shane lost his job about 3 weeks ago and so things have been stressful! We're taking it one day at a time and luckily Shane has an interview tomorrow, so keep us in your thoughts tomorrow!

The boys are growing and growing! Jaxton is wrestling now and it's so funny to watch! His first tournament was definitely a learning experience for him, but he LOVES it! He asks every day if it's a wrestling day. And Hayden is getting so big. He makes me laugh every day with some of the things he says! Like today, we called Aunt Nichole to wish her a Happy Birthday and after Hayden talked for a minute, he hung up on her! I asked him why he didn't wish her a happy birthday or tell her that he loved her and he said, "I forgot!" Cracks me up! And Jake is just a little monster! He's standing now and almost walking and he crawls around here so fast! He loves being in the bedroom with the other boys and right in the middle of whatever they're doing.

Work is still work and I'm so lucky to be where I am! I have some many wonderful friends at TOSH and I don't know what I'd do without them. It's such a good place to be. I love you guys!

I have a new friend too! My sweet brother-in-law has a new special someone in his life and I ADORE her! She's so funny and we have a lot in common and it's nice to talk with someone who understands a lot of things about my life.

Life has its ups and downs, but luckily for me, I have a great support system to catch me on the downs and to share the ups with.

I'll try to blog more! And hopefully this week I'll get some videos of Jaxton wrestling up!

Jake crawls!

I know, I really suck at this blogging thing, I just never remember to do it.....but, today Jake is 9 months old and last night he started crawling for the first time!

I'm getting sad! My sweet baby boy is growing up too fast! Soon he'll be walking and before I know it he'll be in kindergarten! Cuz I swear, it was five minutes ago that Jax was learning to crawl! And now he's in kindergarten and plays Jr. Jazz and will start wrestling next month.....it's crazy!