Dirty Laundry

I'm way behind. We'll just pretend I wrote these on time and you can enjoy several posts for the next couple of days while I catch up =)

One day, when Laurel brought Oliver and Rachel home from preschool, we were standing upstairs chatting. Suddenly, we realized that we couldn't hear them anymore. Not a sound. That is never good as far as these two are concerned, so we quickly ran outside to see if they were playing in the snow. No sign of them. We ran back inside and began calling again. Still not a sound. Suddenly I heard giggling from downstairs. I found them in the laundry room.

This is after they lifted their heads up. When I first found them, they were completely inside the hampers. I had no idea they could fit in there. What little sillies.

Merry Christmas!

These will soon be in the mail. That's right, it's Christmas Eve and I haven't mailed my Christmas cards. I have no excuse for that... but at least I did them. I can't say as much last year. Enjoy =)

If you need a new holdiay joke...

"Why did the reindeer cross the road? 'Cuz it was afraid of the doggie."

You can just tell Oliver thanks for that one next time you see him.

Dear Oliver,

Please note that paper crimpers are made to be used for the express purpose of crimping paper. Use with any other objects or materials will result in less than satisfactory results. Cranberry bread will become stuck in the rubber rollers. Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal will be smashed to oblivion. Your creativity and experimentation, while notable, is causing your mother a lot of unnecessary clean up. Your attention to this matter is appreciated. Failure to use good judgement in the future may result in the permanent confiscation of craft materials.

Much Love, The Management

Putting up the trimmings

I've been reluctant to put up Christmas decorations this year. It is so much effort and we've all been so sick this year! I don't know what is going on. We are usually NEVER sick with anything that would require a doctors visit, but right now Savannah is recovering from her 3rd bout with strep and Tyler is on an antibiotic for some unknown yucky infection (maybe walking pneumonia). Anyway, Sunday we finally gave it a try because this Friday the girls are having a Christmas party and they thought it would be silly to not have a tree. I only took a couple of noteworthy pictures.

Tucker found the bubble wrap memorizing.

Oliver loved pretending that the Christmas tree box was a coffin.

Tyler got some really gorgeous glass balls from Restoration Hardware in January during their after-Christmas sale. They look great, but we've decided we've outgrown our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. We'll look for something else during the sales in January next year.

Our angel baby

Saturday was our Christmas party at church. The kids were going to sing two songs as part of the evening entertainment. When we went earlier in the day to get everything set up, Tyler put Tucker in the manger for a couple of minutes. He looked so adorable in there and sat so still that Tyler decided he should do it again for the program. I wasn't so sure, but agreed to it if he would put him in the manger and be ready to take him down if he made a peep.
It was so precious. Tyler draped the blanket on his head because he knows (from wearing Tyler's hats) that you don't move if you have something on your head so it won't fall off.

He just sat there, with his giant eyes, looking at the audience. Luckily it distracted the crowd from listening to our horrible performance.

Don't you love the angels?

Somehow we got really off on the rhythm of one of the songs. I didn't know what to do. I tried singing REALLY loudly to try and get them back on pace, but to no avail. Afterward, everyone talked of nothing but Tucker, so I think he saved us.


I always love to have all of the kids dress up for the Nativity. I think they enjoyed it a lot, as well since most of them didn't want to give the costumes back.

Savannah and Emmaline both had solos. They did really great.

Of course the night wouldn't be complete without sitting on Santa's lap.

Quotes of the day.

Oliver (of course!):
"Mama, when I grow up I'm just going to be a Daddy." (pause) "A Daddy who shoots deer with a gun."

When Tyler dropped Oliver off at preschool they had the question for their morning calendar, "What do Mom's do best? Love you?" (weird question, we know)

Oliver said, "Just a second. I want to tell you something."
Teacher: "Yes, Oliver."
Oliver (with much drama): "One time, when my Mom and I were at a store, we were looking at a sunset."

Blast from the past

This was a post that I tried to publish months ago. Then, the picture I wanted to use with it disappeared! Today I found it again, so- here it is...

Yesterday Savannah had a soccer game at Cottonwood Elementary. Since Ollie had to go to the bathroom, I took some time walking the halls, reflecting. It's only been a little over 4 years since I worked there, but it feels like forever! I was thinking about how much my life has changed since then and I thought about a picture I found a couple of weeks ago.

When I first saw this picture, it made me cry. My focus was obviously so consumed with Joey (as it should have been... I was at work) and how Savannah seems to be "fending for herself." Granted, this was a field trip that I let her tag along- but I think I sometimes carried my work over into the rest of my life too much. Tyler and I have always talked about me going back to work when Tucker gets in first grade- both for the monetary benefit and my emotional sanity. I'm wondering what I'll do that I can leave at work. I love child psychology. It's fascinating, it's rewarding- and it's emotionally draining. I think in some ways I was much better at it before I had kids although I understand it much more since then. Just something I've been thinking about.
And by the way... doesn't Oliver look just like Savannah?! When I had Emmaline, LaVar said, "Doesn't it make you want to have a dozen more, just to see what they will turn out like?" (because the first two looked so different.) But the older they get, the more I think all my kids looks identical!

A Dallas Thanksgiving

We had a whirlwind of a vacation to Dallas for Thanksgiving! By Tuesday night, it became apparent that Tyler would not be able to join us for the holiday. We took a quick look at flights and decided a trip for the rest of the family to join him was the best solution! As a side note- 15 minutes after I made the reservations, Savannah threw up. I guess it was due to the antibiotic she was taking for strep throat since none of the rest of us got sick- whew! Anyway, Neal and Leslie (more pictures here as well) were kind enough to add 6 extra places for us. We spent most of Thursday on the plane, and arrived at their home at about 6 p.m. It was really fun (for us) because much of my extended family had somehow found themselves there as well... so sorry Leslie, but it was wonderful! The kids had a great time connecting to cousins.

We celebrated Jackson's birthday on Saturday with a trip to Benihana.

(I know- my eyes are closed. I couldn't see without my glasses anyway!)

Then off to the Galleria for ice skating.

Oliver with Uncle Shelby.

The kids loved MoMo.

Did you know Tucker has sprouted his curls?

Although I'm not usually much for spontaneity as it applies to anything last minute, this turned out really well. Made me kind of re-think all the planning I usually do (baby steps... be a satisficer).

Quotes of the day.

Oliver:
"Mama, I think my stomach headache is going away."
To Tyler's employee's working on his room downstairs, "Talking is not working!" (He thinks they're not getting that place done quickly enough.)

This isn't an exact quote, but the other day, at dinner, Savannah started talking and Tucker suddenly leaned over and looked at her as if to try to understand her better. We tried to take a picture, but this was the best we got.


I don't know exactly how things work upstairs, but I'm pretty sure, if he got a chance, he would have told God, "Tyler and Charlotte look like okay parents. But those kids, man I want to get down there and be part of that action." It's so funny to see how he looks at the "big kids" with so much adoration.

What a turkey!

After weeks of practice (both with the Running Club and on her own, around the block), Emmaline managed to pull off a win at her school's Turkey Trot. She wanted it SO bad, and we were so proud of how well she did.

She calls this her "charge" position. I think it did the trick =)

I was running with the double jogger, and Oliver would ask me to stop and let him run every couple of feet.

A winning team.

The youngest participant.

You probably notice that Savannah was not there. She's had a couple of illnesses recently and didn't feel up to the race. She was really sad since she had practiced with the club as well. Maybe next year. I was feeling pretty fast because I was the first parent to finish, then I realized that most of the other parents were running with their kids, keeping them motivated to finish. I couldn't even begin to keep up with Emmaline! I have been able to run twice a week with the Running Club, though, and haven't had any foot problems, so I'm feeling like someday I might be able to race again as well.

You might be a redneck if...

On Saturday I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to Cabelas. I was going to get John a gift card for his birthday, so I expected it to be a short, uneventful trip. I walked in the doors and went straight for the register. The minute the guy in front of me turned around with the most crooked set of teeth I have seen in a while, I realized I had left Utah and entered a whole different country. Redneck country, to be exact.

I guess since it was Saturday, every redneck from Wyoming to West Valley had congregated there. One woman came in with two boys who quickly set about playing with the gun safes and touching everything within sight. She yelled, "Did I tell y'all you could touch anything. I don't remember saying it was okay for y'all to touch anything. Drop and give me 40!" What? I am not kidding you, those boys dropped and began doing push ups in the middle of the aisle. And do you think anyone besides me was staring at them, thinking it was weird?

I must have seen 5 men with babies in front packs, so I think dads that are babysitting spend some quality time with their kids there. It reminded me of our first trip to Kansas every summer. Remember the stop in Oklahoma city at Sheplers for everyone to get a new pair of boots and all the necessary gear? Fun memories. Oliver sure wished we could have stayed longer, but we needed to pick up Savannah. John told me the average first stay at a Cabelas store is 4 hours. Maybe next time.

Compliment?

On Saturday I asked a friend to help me get Emmaline to a piano recital (Savannah had to be in Provo for Olympic Development Program try-outs). We were discussing the last couple of weeks, my constant cold, Savannah's strep throat (yep- found that out Thursday), etc. and she said,

"I'm so sorry. Usually I don't have to feel sorry for your because you have everything more together than I ever do, even when your husband is out of town. But I feel sorry for you this time."

Thanks, I guess.

Emmaline's Projects

Emmaline loves to share her projects from school with Oliver. Here are some of the latest.

She promised him she would show him how her volcano worked if he let her bring his dinosaurs and such to school.

I love how she cut up feathers to make "fur" for this mask. I wish you could see her whole outfit. She left on her dance leotard from school with some cut off sweat pants and a pair of neon green snow boots that Tyler bought her from D.I.

Notes to Dad.... Love Oliver

I bought Tyler a boxed set of "Robo-Tech" movies for his birthday, thus, "in the box" instead of downloaded on the computer.

Thoughts on the kitchen sink

I always joke that I didn't get to choose anything in our house except the refrigerator. That isn't exactly true. I also got to choose the kitchen sink. It was a LOT of trouble to get here (it's from IKEA and we didn't have one here at the time and they didn't ship this sink)... but it is so worth it. It is the perfect size for giving little ones a bath. Tucker is just starting to like to splash around and enjoy the "tubby." But lately I've been giving a little more thought to the kitchen sink.

Have you ever heard of the Fly Lady? I've been using some version of the Side-tracked Home Executive system (SHE) for years. It's a really easy way to keep your house organized and most importantly (for people like me) a way to know when to STOP! The Fly Lady is so great because you don't have to make the 3x5's- she just sends you an email every day to let you know what to do. It's fantastic and really streamlines your whole routine. One of her main things, though, is to start with the kitchen sink. At first I didn't give much thought to this because the kitchen isn't a hard place for me. But then I realized, I almost always have clean dishes sitting in my drainer. Way back when I had to take a class to get my "Food Handler's Permit" when I worked, they told us that air-drying dishes is the most sanitary thing to do. So that's just an excuse for me to leave the dishes there. This week I've been making a point of putting those dishes away as soon as they are dry. I'm surprised at how much less cluttered my kitchen looks! That huge empty sink makes the whole place look amazing.

Anyway, I know every once in a while we all need a little something extra to get us motivated. Sometimes we get down because we think we can't do it right, so why start? But truthfully, a little bit a day makes all the difference. She even has a free Holiday Planner... so get over there and get signed up today.

The curse of natural talent

We're finding that, although she's not that great in academics (but that appears to be improving) our little Emmaline is quite talented in lots of other areas. After her first day at the school's running club, the teacher pulled me aside and says, "Emmaline is quite a runner. She beat everyone else quite effortlessly." At the latest parent-teacher night, her dance teacher asked me what types of dance Emmaline has taken in the past. When I told her she hadn't taken any dance since preschool, she was surprised. "I guess she just has a natural ability. She certainly isn't shy or hesitant to jump right in and try new things." She's a great artist, and as I've mentioned before, she is quite good at soccer. She is playing with Savannah's team for indoor, and although she isn't the star of the team- she can keep up.

The frustrating thing is, since she knows she is naturally good at things, she isn't willing to put in any extra effort to improve. On Saturday, I signed both of the girls up for the "Olympic Development Program" try-outs for soccer. It's a great way to get some extra training and get your name out there for the college coaches to see you. Savannah was thrilled. I practically had to drag Emmaline to the car as she said things like, "But I'm already good at soccer. I don't need extra training." No amount of reasoning makes her feel any differently.

I always thought a little talent was a good thing. Now I'm not so sure. As I watch Savannah work her little heart out (even waking up at 5:30 every Saturday last winter for extra indoor training), I'm starting to think "desire" might outweigh "talent." We'll see.

Eating my words

I'm sure you could tell that my post about my next door neighbor was mostly written in jest. I hope that is the case, anyway. He really is a great guy... but his dogs do bark all day. He moved in after Gaye moved out who moved in after Dan and Kristi left. I was on bed rest, so I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with them for about 8 hours a day while he was at work. They bark about every 5 minutes for the duration. I had considered leaving a bark collar anonymously on his front porch when he asked me one day, "Do my dogs bark while I am gone?" I was so relieved to tell him that they did until he said the only solution he could think of was putting them in the garage while he was gone. That seemed rather cruel, so I decided to just put up with it. It has been better now that I'm not in bed all day. Yes, they still bark- but I don't hear it quite as much.

Anyway, early this morning Tyler called to say that Russell had called him to ask if he could help him put his dog into his car because it was dying. Tyler is in Dallas, so I quickly hurried over to help. It was so sad! That dog was 14 years old. Russell is a bachelor and those two dogs are his life. I sat and rubbed the dog to comfort her while he backed the car up and helped him get her into his car, holding back a few tears of my own.

When I picked up the girls, I let them know what had happened. Emmaline was especially touched. She's spent some time with those dogs and has a soft spot for all animals. She talked about how sad it was for Russell, what a sweet dog she was... but without missing a beat added, "The only good thing is, I don't think Fanta (the other dog) will bark so much now." Now I don't feel so bad for thinking that.

It's all worth it.

I was just writing an email to my niece who recently emailed me to let me know she is expecting in June. I was saying to her that I hoped she wasn't too sick, and then I remembered the cutest thing that happened.

On Thursday night, Tyler took the girls to a fundraiser for their soccer team (Emmaline has joined Savannah's team for the indoor season). They cleaned up a "section" of the stadium after the U game to earn $1,000. The only problem was... a "section" was half of the stadium! They planned on it taking about 1 hour. They didn't get home until almost 2 a.m. It was awful. It had been rainy/snowy, so not only was there garbage everywhere- it was soggy, yucky stuff. Anyway, because they got back so late, I let everyone sleep in on Friday morning. I was sitting in bed, nursing the baby, when I heard the sweetest noise. It's was Oliver, who woke up and began singing to himself,

"Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child's prayer. Some say that heaven is far away, but I see it close around me as I pray. Heavenly Father, I remember now. Something that Jesus told disciples long ago. Suffer the children to come to me. Father in prayer I'm coming now to thee."

Emmaline sang a duet of that with another lady at church last month. We practiced A LOT, but I didn't realize that he had learned the words. That was the most amazing way to wake up. Anyway, Beth and Kristine, I know you already know this, but if you're hanging your head over the toilet and feeling like you can't take another day- just know that it's all worth it.

Dear Russell, the next door neighbor,

(Yes- she raked leaves all day with no shoes on. Remember, this is Emmaline. I have no control over that.)

Thanks for bribing Emmaline to rake the leaves in your yard for $20 while I was inside feeding the baby. It made finishing our yard with me, for nothing, a whole lot less exciting. And did you really think she was capable of doing a $20 job on her own or did you secretly know that I would come and help her? I know, it's not your fault that I chose to go to that new class at the gym on Friday and I was already REALLY sore. I mean, Emmaline is a fantastic worker, but she's only 10! Anyway, thanks a bunch. You and your dogs that bark all day are the greatest.

We love our Daddy because....

Oliver: "Because he hugs me and cuddles me."
Emmaline: "Because he helps me with my art."
Savannah: "Because he is fun to be around. He takes us places that aren't only fun for us, they are fun for him." (I think she means he does the fun stuff too- hide-and-seek, bounce house, etc.)
Charlotte: "I love Tyler because he works so hard for our family. He is willing to do jobs that aren't so fun so I can stay home and be a mom. I love how he is teaching our boys to be as romantic as he is. Whenever Oliver brings me a flower he picks on a walk, it makes me love Tyler even more because I know he learned that from watching his Daddy." Plus he's HOT! =)

Happy Birthday! We love you.

Too much of a good thing.

Since Oliver almost got kidnapped (well, it felt that way anyway) we've been discussing a little "stranger danger" with our kids. I always kind of shy away from that talk because I think it is hard to help them have a healthy sense of safety while recognizing when they aren't really in danger. Just the other day, I noticed that our new neighbors' little boy came home to an empty house. He walked up, knocked on the door, and when no one answered, went to sit on the front step. I was a little concerned because I haven't ever seen that happen before. Like I said, they just moved in. I walked across the street and innocently asked if he would like to use my phone to call his mom and see if she was on her way. He initially looked at me, then turned his head as I continued talking. Like an idiot, I didn't let this deter me. I said, "I think you know my daughter Emmaline. I live right across the street." Handing him my cell phone, I continued, "You're welcome to use my phone to make sure everything is okay." He just ignored me so I said, "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you, I was just trying to help." So much for my stint as a Good Samaritan.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween.

Oliver designed his first jack-o-lantern.

I'm not sure why Savannah chose a turtle, but it's her pumpkin so whatever.

Emmaline wanted this to be a nerd... not Harry Potter or Arthur.

I didn't make a single costume, so it was much less stressful for me.

Is this the cutest chick you've ever seen? (Emmaline took this picture, by the way.)

Our neighbor, and Ollie's friend, Roan, is the boy with the chain.

Oliver only lasted about 20 minutes, but felt like he got tons of candy. John helped him count it.

Emmaline gets the prize for staying out the longest. She lasted until 9 pm. That's a LOT of candy!
Check out Tricia and Tim's blog for more pictures (somehow my pictures of Gavin didn't turn out and he was one cute cowboy!).

Day of the Dead

Our library had a really great celebration for "Day of the Dead." I don't think the kids really understood what it was all about, but they had sugar skulls for the everyone to decorate. All was going well until I had to take Oliver to the bathroom. This is what Emmaline's skull looked like before we went to the bathroom.

This is what it looked like when we came back.

She said she just couldn't resist it, it smelled so good. Then, she remembered that she really wanted a skull to take home, so she stopped eating it and drew a skull on the leftover piece. The funniest part was that before this point, I don't think most of the kids understood that the skulls were actually made out of sugar. Suddenly all the kids were furtively trying to take a lick. I hear parents around the room saying, "Those are not to eat!" but it was a lost cause. Who ever heard of sugar that isn't for eating?! =) We quickly scooted out of there to escape all the dirty looks from the other parents. Emmaline is such a nut.

We lost Oliver today.

I'm not kidding. We lost him for a whole 30 minutes this morning and I'm still having trouble recovering from the trauma. The girls had already left for school and I was feeding the baby. Oliver wanted to watch T.V. and I said "no" because Tucker won't pay attention to what he is doing if there is any noise in the room. I asked Oliver to go to his room and play until I was done. It was taking a long time to feed the baby, so I asked Tyler to get Oliver dressed and feed him breakfast.

That's when we realized he was gone. At first I was sure he was downstairs, watching a movie, but he didn't answer when Tyler called him. We quickly checked the house and couldn't find him anywhere. This took about 5 minutes, but I was already panicked! He is just not the type of kid to wander off by himself and he only has one friend in the neighborhood- our next door neighbor- who had already left for school.

I called 911 in the first 10 minutes. I just couldn't fathom where he could be if not inside the house or right outside the door. That is the WORST feeling- describing your child to someone, trying to think of their most unique features that would immediately help find them. I was very near hysterical at this point. Something kept telling me that he was fine and not outside, but I couldn't be still and listen, even for a second. I was running around "like a chicken with it's head cut off" as Mama would say. I finally gave in to the prompting and ran inside, this time screaming, "OLIVER." I hear a groggy, "What is it, Mama?"

He is such a sweet little boy. Earlier, when I told him to go back to his room- that's just what he did. He went and laid back in his bed, and fell back asleep. He didn't even hear us calling him and was a bit confused by my tears and crushing hug. Man, I'm glad he is safe. That feeling was so awful- I can't stop thinking about it, although I feel really stupid!

Megan and Tyson's Birthday

I'm way behind... so this is a bit of back-tracking, but a couple of weeks ago we celebrated Megan and Tyson's birthdays (Tyson's was earlier, but he spent it with his own family- imagine that!). It was a lot of fun, although I didn't get great pictures. Taking pictures with a baby on one arm (who is constantly trying to grab the camera) is tough!

We introduced Tyson to such traditions as "Round the table you must go...." Where did Mama get that, anyway?
I really can't believe Megan is so grown up. It seems like just yesterday she was that little tiny something with TONS of black hair.

Chef Oliver stikes again

You might remember this post. Oliver has always liked to cook, including such delicacies as a cornbread sandwich (cornbread between two pieces of white bread). Today while I was blow drying my hair, he decided to make Tucker a morning snack.

A turkey sandwich is hard to eat with only two teeth.

Later in the day, he made himself a sandwich of 2 pieces of bread, with a thin spice cookie filling.

He must have learned to cook from his Dad.