Go Boise State!!!

For Christmas my parents sent us a bunch of Boise State gear so of course we had to take a photo of us wearing it. We are fans and will be cheering for them during their bowl game Tuesday. Go Boise State!!!!

Its been 2 days!

So far its been 2 days without running water and we are starting to feel the hurt. Our sink is overflowing with dirty dishes and we are down to our last clean dish. The same goes for our underwear drawers since I didn't do laundry the days previous to our little ordeal. Also our house is starting to smell like an outhouse. Ive become desperate enough that I'm willing for Seth to sneak out of the house and get water from the swimming pool just so we can flush our toilets. At least we have a good supply of bottled water so that we don't go thirsty, but right now Id give my left leg for a hot shower; sponge baths and deodorant are starting to lose there strength. Had enough descriptions? Hopefully they get the pipes fixed really soon. Ive started to get a little OCD turning on the faucet every 10 minutes to check for water! I cant imagine what those poor people up North are going through without any electricity. I'm grateful for our many conveniences to say the least!

Basketball Fiasco

Yesterday was Mckenzies last game of the season and was by far the funniest thing Ive seen in awhile, too bad Seth forgot the camera! The first half of the game Kenzi decided that instead of running down the court that she was going to twirl down it making herself so dizzy that she ended up on her butt, meanwhile her teammate Isaiah did karate chops and kicks up and down the court. The second half was even better as Kenzi decided to hold hands with the little girl she was supposed to be guarding. They ran up and down the court in this manner while her teammate Aiden decided that the easiest way to guard someone was to take hold of his jersey and hang on for the ride. Our highlight of the day was when Kenzi payed attention long enough to almost make a basket, but Kenzis highlight of the day was the trophy ceremony after the game. She was so excited about her trophy that I wouldn't be surprised if she took it to bed with her last night! Kenzi had such a great experience playing on a team and learning the game of Basketball and I am grateful for the many opportunities that living in San Antonio gives us.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Friday night we cranked up the Christmas music and got to work decorating our tree. Kade really enjoyed eating the year old candy canes off the tree and the first thing Kenzi wanted to do was put the star on. Our tree is definitely not fancy but I love it. It started out with ornaments given to me each year from my childhood and has progressed to my children getting a different ornament each year signifying something they accomplished or did that year. Its always fun to get out the ornaments and remember years past.

Black Friday

Not wanting to compete with crowds and risk getting myself killed at Walmart I did my shopping online this year. I still got the same great deals and only had to pay a little extra for shipping, not to mention my shopping was done in under a half hour. After my little Internet shopping excursion my friend Audrey and I went to the gym and participated in a cycling class which went well but my backside is definitely feeling really sore today. Next we headed over to Outdoor World to see the fish and get pictures taken with Santa. (If you ever come to San Antonio you must visit this store, it is amazing.) While there we also had lunch at the restaurant there. It was a very good day but also very tiring due to Kade not being able to stay put in one place.

Thanksgiving

Thursday Seth and I got up early to start the Turkey. I stuffed the inside with apples and onions and made a rub containing garlic, rosemary, poultry seasoning and some other spices and rubbed it under the skin. I then made a honey and orange juice mixture that I injected into the bird. I think it turned out very well and would like to think of myself as a gourmet. :) After a little scare with the electricity going out, everything finally came together and we headed over to our friends the Checketts for a feast. We enjoyed dinner with 3 other couples and when we were sufficiently stuffed we positioned ourselves on the couch and watched a little Dallas football. I'm very thankful that we were able to have such a wonderful dinner and while we definitely missed all our family we are glad we could spend it with Friends.

A Twilight kind of night

Saturday night while the boys stayed home and played Rock Band, the 6 of us girls went out on the town. Our first stop was Red Robin where we enjoyed dinner and laughter, after that we headed to the theatre a mere 2 hours before the movie Twilight was to open. We were the first ones there so we decided to head over to The Rack and look at clothes before the movie. When we got back to the theatre we found a line forming so we quickly staked out our places. I liked the movie but I have to say it was more enjoyable because I had read the books and I understood more of what was supposed to happen. Overall the night was a success and plans are in place for another girls night out!

Seth got Lucky

Friday night Seth came home with an X-box 360. Apparently at work they had a drawing and he won! I was really excited because Christmas was starting to look pretty meager as we are paying off bills and trying to build a savings account. Friday night we also went to the Chases and played Rock Band. We had so much fun singing, playing guitar, and rocking the drums that we might just have to buy it ourselves. Other than that nothing else of any significance happened this week.

While moms away the kids will play

I have been sick in bed with a sinus infection possibly the flu because I feel very achy and feverish. I really hate being sick not because I feel terrible but because my kids behave terribly. This time their mess involved a carton of sour cream. They smeared it on the furniture, in the bedding, the carpet, the toys and books, simply put it was everywhere including themselves. So while I was feeling terrible I got to clean the carpet, toys, furniture surfaces, and wash bedding. Someday when my kids read this maybe they will feel a little guilty. Meanwhile look at the smile on Kenzis face. Does she look the least bit guilty?

I have one of those kids

Did you ever stick stuff in your nose or ears when you were a kid? Ever seen those E.R. shows where they bring kids in with stuff stuck in their ears or noses? Kade took it upon himself to stick some of his Halloween candy up his nose and was very excited about it. Im glad he showed us right away and it didn't get shoved up there any further because it would have been so embarrassing going to the doctors office.

Veterans Day 5K

Saturday Seth and I completed our first 5K. I clocked in at about 45 minutes which is a terrible time but I don't feel too bad about it considering I was pushing a stroller up hills with about 70 pounds of kids in it and I have a sinus infection. My goal is to knock at least 15 minutes off that time for my next competitive 5K. My goal at jogging 3 miles 5 times a week has ended up being more like 3-4 times a week, but I feel good about myself for even doing that. Eventually I would like to work up to participating in a 10K.

A new President

Seth and I spent a lot of time researching and listening to a.m. radio during this election. We both feel that it is careless to vote for a President based solely upon eloquence, race, charisma and well crafted speeches. Through our research we both found McCain, while not an excellent speaker was a better fit with our moral values and beliefs. We were not impressed with Obama's lack of experience, ideas, and agenda.

I really hope that Obama does a good job. He as an opportunity to become a good president. Even though he was not my choice for President my thoughts turn to this phrase" Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". We have been so blessed as Americans and I think that many people forget that. I am proud to be an American and it is up to us now as individuals to come together to support and uplift our leader and pray that he does a good job.

Whitezican Feista

Last night Seth and I had our Whitezican Fiesta so named because it was white people trying to make Mexican food. We invited 5 couples and had a good time eating and chatting. I never realized how long it took to make tamales, I cooked the meat the day before which took about 4 hours and then we started making them at 11 a.m. yesterday and finished by 6 p.m. that evening. We also had an extensive menu of Mexican rice, beans, mole sauce, pico de gallo, and tostadas. I must say that for my first attempt at making Mexican food it turned out really good!

Trick or Trunk

Wednesday was the wards trick or trunk. The kids really enjoyed themselves and got a lot of compliments on their costumes. I am the Cat in the Hat and the kids are my Thing 1 and Thing 2. We have read the Cat in the Hat to Kenzi and she enjoyed the fact that the Things were always making a mess. The first thing she said when she got her costume on was "now I have to go make a mess!" Boy does she know how to get into character!

Temptation

Temptation comes in many forms but for me my weakness has always been sugar. It doesn't help that we have a holiday where kids go door to door trying to get as much candy as possible. It was fine when I didn't have kids but now that they are trick or treating age I now have a huge bowl of chocolate goodness staring at me. On that note I have been doing pretty good about exercising now I just need to watch out for those candy bars.

Family Night

Every Holiday I try to do crafts and activities that pertain to that Holiday. Sunday, for our activity we painted and carved Pumpkins. The kids enjoyed themselves and made quite a mess doing it. Kenzi painted a puppy pumpkin complete with ears, and mine is the funny faced pumpkin. We carved a scary faced pumpkin and cleaned the pumpkin seeds an toasted them. We experimented with different flavors which included ranch, garlic, and cayenne pepper. My favorite was the ranch flavored pumpkin seeds. I have never toasted pumpkin seeds and we enjoyed them so much I think we will make it a Family tradition for Halloween. If you haven't done it before you should try it at least once. More pics at our website.

Partied Out

The annual USAA Fall carnival and rodeo was Saturday October 25th at Don Strange Ranch in Boerne, Texas. We came early and stayed late and are already looking forward to next years party. Seth and Mckenzie made themselves sick on ice cream from the Schwann Mans Truck while I tried very hard to win some money at the bingo tables. We actually did win $150 but someone else called Bingo and we lost the drawl. The rodeo was great and we were entertained by bull riding, barrel racing, and a trick roper. Mckenzie really enjoyed the carnival rides and Kade enjoyed riding the ponies. There was face painting, free caricature drawings, a petting zoo, all you can eat buffet, rides, and a live country band with dancing. They really go all out for this party and we had a blast! Thanks USAA!








(More pictures at www.sethington.com)

The places kids fall asleep

Don't ask me what Mckenzie was thinking when she crawled into her Build a Bear box and fell asleep. Seth and I got a good laugh out of it though!

Another Tag

Ok this is absolutely the last time I do this and Im only doing it because its different than the last one. So no more tagging me! :)

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

Finishing my Senior year of High School

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?

Voting, Laundry, Jogging 3 miles

Cleaning the house, and making dinner

3. Snacks I enjoy:

Pomegranants, Chips and Salsa, yogurt, chocolate,

string cheese, beef jerky

4. Places I've lived:

Washington, Idaho, Texas

5. Five things I would do if I was a billionaire:

Pay off all our debt, buy a house and decorate it, pay off all extended families debt/help strangers,

buy 2 new cars, Travel

A list of 7

7 TV shows I love to watch

Bones, Monk,Ugly Betty, Kitchen Nightmares, Dancing with the Stars, Biggest Loser

7 favorite places I love to eat

Mi Teirras, Fatburger, Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Changs, Jasons Deli, Souper Salad, Texas Steakhouse

7 things that happened yesterday

watched a movie, took Kenzi to Basketball,

Went Jogging, took Kade outside to play,

Played Volleyball,

Had Lunch with Seth,

Kenzi went on her first fieldtrip

7 things I look forward to

Kade being potty trained, the holidays, losing weight,

going to visit family, Going to the beach, Buying a house, Having more children

7 things on my wish list

House, Kade being potty trained, our student loans paid off,

new car, going to Hawaii, My family would come and visit us

Goals

Ive been kind of slacking off in the exercise department the last week so I decided to set a goal and have you guys hold me accountable for it. My goal for the rest of the month of October and the month of November is to jog 3 miles a day at least 5 times a week. Each month after I will add a mile or two and work on making my times better. In addition to getting into shape I hope to lose a lot of the weight Ive packed on. I will have a new goal each month and I ask that you guys check up on me. I would love for everyone's support and encouragement and I will update you on my progress. Thanks guys!

The Giant Rat!

At first I thought it was a cat slinking around on my porch trying to find a free handout but then I saw the tail long, skinny, and hairless; that's when I about had a heart attack. It didn't help that I was up all by myself in my darkened apartment way past my bed time. As I cowered on my couch the creature kept pacing around past my blinds its shadow reflecting from the lights outside. Finally I pulled up my blinds and to my surprise discovered not a rat but a possum. Boy was I relieved to find a possum and not a giant rat! One things for sure, Im not in Idaho anymore.

A world of fun

Living in San Antonio there are lots of fun things
to do, so Saturday we finally made a trip to Sea World with our friends the Checketts and had ourselves a blast. We got there at 10 a.m. and didn't leave until 7:00 p.m. We started out watching an acrobatics show that involved people and dolphins and then after that made our way to the Shamu Theatre where we fell in love with the grace and beauty of killer whales. We sat about six rows from the front and figured we wouldn't get too wet, boy were we wrong we were drenched. I think that was probably the kids least favorite experience of the whole day. After our drenching we played for a while, enjoyed some rides and then found our way to the sea lion show. (Which by the way was hilarious)
After the show we made our way over to dolphin cove where we hung over the side of the tank trying to pet the dolphins. There was so much to do at the Park that we didn't have nearly enough time. We bought a season pass and next time we plan on feeding the dolphins, penguins, and alligators. If anyone ever comes to visit us we will take you to SeaWorld. Fun Times! (For more pictures please visit our family website at www.sethington.com)


McKenzie and I after the Shamu Show. We were ringing water out of our clothes.










Jack is Back! The official mascot of Sea World HalloScream. Kade was afraid of him.

Kades T.V. debut

I love my stay at home mom attire. It consists of sweat pants, t-shirt, ponytail and no makeup. Normally when I leave the house I put on makeup and wear something nice but today was an exception. My friend Natalie called me this morning at 9:00 and invited me to the Park at 9:30. So I had 30 minutes to take a shower and get Kade dressed. Well needless to say my hair was still wet and thanks to San Antonio's humidity it became a mass of frizz when I stepped out the door, not to mention no makeup and workout attire. I figured it would be ok because we were just going to the park and there wouldn't be anyone there. Boy was I totally off base. News 5 was there filming some kind of story and they wanted to get video of the kids playing. I tried to stay out of the picture while I was pushing Kade on the swing but the guy had the Camera trained right on him. I'm crossing my fingers that I will not appear on the News looking like I did. On the other hand it will be fun to see Kade on T.V. So the moral of this story is to always be camera ready when leaving the house you never know when you'll make a T.V. appearance. :)

The Escape Artist

Today I have felt almost every emotion there is towards Kade but mainly anger and frustration. Kade escaped again from our apartment and someone found him in the middle of the road, which is really scary because people drive like bats out of heck with no regard to the fact that children are around. Ive been so blessed that someone has not stolen him or run him over. I swear Im not a bad parent, I play with him, read, do crafts , but If I so much as take time to use the bathroom a catastrophe happens. Seth and I suspect he might have something like ADHD because the kid can not for a second sit still. Anyways, this is not the first time its happened in fact he has done it at least 3 other times. I keep all the doors locked dead bolt included but Mr. Sneaky pulls up a chair unlocks the door monkies his way over the very high railing on our porch and catipolts himself over. Im so mad at him right now I just had to vent my frustration somewhere so the blog seemed an appropriate place. Anyways tonight Seth and I will be making a trip to Walmart and investing in a latch that goes across the top of the door.

Mi Teirras

After Kenzis Basketball game Saturday we took a drive in downtown San Antonio and ended up at Market Square. It is a huge market with hundreds of tiny shops and a farmers market. We ended up having lunch at a Mexican restaurant and bakery called Mi Teirras. The food was the closest to authentic Mexican food I have had since coming to San Antonio and it was very good. We were even entertained by musicians that went around to tables and played songs for a small fee. Because the trip was so impromptu we didn't get to stay very long but we plan on making another trip the next time McKenzie has a game.

Kenzis First Basketball Game

Kenzi had her first Basketball game of the season and it went pretty well. Since the kids are only 5 the games are focused on learning the game of Basketball and having good sportsmanship. It was kind of funny to watch because half the time the kids would run down the court carrying the basketball instead of dribbling. One child after making a basket ran up to the sidelines to his mother and exclaimed "I made a basket mom!" It was a great learning experience for Kenzi, but I suspect she liked dressing up in the uniform and getting treats more than the actual game.

A fun month of October Halloween Activity

Halloween Phantom...

Im sure most of you guys that live in Idaho and Utah have done this activity, but its still fun and a great way to spend time as a family. Today, as a family night activity we made doughnuts, attached the following poem and then went and left them on a couple of peoples doorsteps. Kade slept through it but Kenzi had a blast.


The Phantom has been here with a treat just for you,
He crept to your door in a fog misty blue.
This isn't a trick, this treat isn't for free,
Now it's your turn and the Phantom you'll be!
The Phantom loves treats and also loves rhymes.
Visit WWW.HALLOWEENPHANTOM.COM
To reprint this TWO times.
So he won't strike again, hang this on your window or door.
Take this and a treat and deliver TWO more
To a neighbor or friend in the black of the night.
Pound on their door, and give 'em a fright
Then by Halloween night, there surely should be
Phantoms on all of the doors that we see.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Tag your it

7 Things I Plan To Do Before I Die

1. Buy a house
2. Learn a Foreign Language
3. Go to Hawaii
4. Get skinny again
5. Have another kid or two
6. Visit all 50 states
7. Help another person in a big way

7 Things I Do Now

1. Read a book every couple days
2. Miss my friends and family
3. Go to the Gym a couple times a week
4. Get on Ebay at least once a week
5. Run kids to sports practices
6. Check my pants for cockroaches
7. Always make sure my doors are locked

7 Things I Can't Do

1. Change a tire
2. Sky Dive (I'm afraid of heights)
3. Not get sick at an amusement park
4. See my family whenever I want to
5. Understand half the people in my ward (Lots of Spanish speaking members)
6. The splits (never could)
7. Run a marathon

7 Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex

1. Athletic Build/Good looking
2. Height (Must be at least 6 foot)
3. Masculine
4. Smart
5. Sense of Humor
6. Kindness
7. Willingness to help and do things without being asked

7 Celebrities That I Like

1. David Boreanaz (Does anyone else want him to hook up with Dr. Brenan?)
2. Keiffer Sutherland (Just like his husky voice)
3. Milo Ventimiglia
4. America Ferrera
5. Reese Witherspoon
6. Sandra Bullock
7. Rachel McAdams/Ryan Gosling (The Notebook!)

7 Favorite Foods

1. Lemon Pie with fresh whip cream
2. Fresh salsa (I can eat it without the chips)
3. A good cheeseburger
4. Pomegranates
5. Raspberries, Strawberries, Blackberries, pretty much any kind of berry
6. Craigos Pizza
7. Dickeys BBQ mmm pulled pork sandwich

NoBama ....

There are a number of LDS people who have said they are supporting Obama. How can you vote for someone who opposes some of the strongest foundations of the church? Haven't you heard/read the signs of the last days. Our Constitution and what we stand for will hang by a thread. Obama supports gay marriage and abortion. What about the sanctity of marriage and the divinity of family?

I have been watching McCain since he lost to Bush back in 2004. He has always been a straight talker. He isn't perfect by any means but he normally takes a stand. Did you know that Obama has voted "present" 129 times in the 8 years that he has been in the Senate? A true President can't just show up he needs to make hard decisions.

It also bothers me that Obama says things like, "I'm going to lower Capital Gains taxes for small business." Most small business don't pay Capital Gains taxes! Please look up the definition of Capital Gains! Mark my works if Obama doesn't raise taxes his spending will send our deficit so high that we will start to crumble under its weight. ( Seth Ethington)

Congrats to Seth!

We have now been living in Texas for a year and Seth just received a promotion to Software Engineer 2. Congrats! I am very proud of my hard working husband. His boss had a lot of good things to say about his performance on the job. Yeah Seth!

The Teaching of Sunbeams

Boy did Seth and I have an interesting experience at church today. We were asked to teach the sunbeams and the lesson was on loving everyone. Of course we had the story of the good Samaritan, but then we asked the children how they can show love to other people. Here are some of the responses... keep in mind these kids are 3 and 4.

"I will not give my brother an upper cut in the face"
(How the heck does a 3 year old know what an upper cut is?)

"My girlfriend loves it when I kiss her"
(Hmm, this kid is already a mack)

"My daddy has a new girlfriend; he always has new girlfriends, and hes always loving on them"
(What do you say to that one? Thats great!?!)

"My uncle beats me, he likes it"
(Do I call child welfare?)

There were some good answers to, but these ones will forever stick in my mind. Boy are we living in a different world!
One other thing I wanted to ask is if you guys could include in your prayers those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Ike. Love to all!

A most unpleasant feeling

After what happened to me today I don't think I will ever be the same again. After I had gotten dressed I felt a huge creepy crawly run up my leg. I screamed did a little dance and then ripped off the offending pants and while shaking them out found this big beauty. Can I just say I hate cockroaches! Twenty minutes later I still feel like I have things crawling on me. I really haven't seen very many cockroaches but when they are making there way into your pants drawer then its definitely not ok.

Build a Bear Fun

Kenzi and Kade have a chart for each week of jobs and certain things they need to get done in the day and they either get black marks or happy stickers. If they get 30 or more stickers in a week they get a reward. This week it was a Build a Bear outfit. Build a Bear is such a awesome little store. You go in, pick an animal they stuff it with just the right amount of fluff, and then you get to pick out clothing, accessories and you can even get a voice box put into your bear. The kids really enjoyed themselves and I think that the reward system has been a positive way to get them to be good.

This weeks project

Kenzi has been asking me forever to make her a superman cape so I finally did. I am definitely not a very good seamstress but I am learning and that's what counts. I even managed to make her a dress up outfit out of the remaining scrap material and with no pattern. As you can tell I'm a little bit proud of myself. Right now I'm thinking about Halloween costumes so that will probably be my next project. The idea is to have Kade and Kenzi be Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the cat and the hat. We will see how that turns out. Anyways we have a really busy weekend ahead of us so I will keep you posted.

First Day of School

My little girl is now a kindergartner! No sad moments here, I was happy to send her off to school. I love my daughter truly I do but I guess I'm also a little selfish in the fact that I like a little time to myself, and with kids you don't get that very often. Kenzi was extra excited about school and even decided to give herself a new haircut a couple of days previous to school starting. I tried my best to even it out but it still looks terrible!
Things around here have been pretty clean and quiet right up until the moment she gets home. There is a moment of pure sweetness when Kade runs to the Bus and gives her a great big hug but when they get inside its like a bomb exploded. I never realized just how much more trouble the two of them get in together. Its really interesting just to take a step back and observe them. Alone they are little angels but when they are together the little Devil part of them decides to come out. This week the house has been extra messy when Seth has come home. It really looks like I haven't been cleaning all day but I have!!!! I beginning to think Kenzi's mindset is that she has to make up for not making any messes at school. And Kade has missed her so much he whirls around making messes like a little tornado. On a side note I have been trying to potty train Kade and today he decided to leave some little nuggets on my bed.

Quiet is Bad!

When you have 2 kids and you realize that its actually quiet then that's a very very bad sign. Today I found my two little angels locked inside mommies bathroom and guess what I discovered..... most of my makeup drained out of the bottles and smeared all over the bathroom; not to mention the toilet overflowing while my darling little Kenzi tried to plunge it. Right now our toilet is currently clogged and I cant find the glass bottle that housed my makeup. Hmmm I wonder where the bottle is?! Any body know any good stress relief techniques? Personally I would love to invest in a punching bag, the counting to 10 isnt working today.

A divine experience

A warm muggy day, the kind where your clothing clings to your body persistently...... sliding into a cool clear inviting pool...... a tropical rain shower pouring down on you while you glide through the water. That was what I experienced today, and I have to say it has been one of the highlights of my summer. I have enjoyed taking a walk on a summer day while there was a warm drizzle of rain but never have I been swimming during a rain shower. If you ever get the chance to experience it don't waste a minute thinking about it just go its divine.

Happy Birthday Seth, Mama Mia!

Yesterday was Seths birthday and I just wanted to say Happy 28th Hunny! What a hard worker he is and a good father. We are going to celebrate his birthday this weekend with a shopping trip to San Marcos and dinner at our favorite restaurant the Gristmill. Yesterday my friend Natalie and I went and saw Mama Mia at this really neat theatre. It is called the Bijou Theatre and it is an actual dinner theatre. You get there a little before the movie order food from a menu, and then watch a movie. The seats were really comfortable and they had a long table in front of them for the food. Definetly a great and unique place to go on a date. Do your dinner and movie in one place. We decided that we definetly had to take our Husbands there on a date. As for the movie I really enjoyed it and laughed a lot. The movie looks like the actors had a lot of fun making it and of course I love Abba. Anyways thats my update and im sticking to it.

The nerve of some people

Today I was feeling brave so I took Kenzi and Kade shopping. Well to start off lets just say that I don't want to go shopping again with my kids for a very long time. Kade was all over the place, I think Im going to dress him up as Flash the superhero for Halloween, because man is that kid fast! Anyways the worst part of the day was Target. As I was chasing Kade around an older man actually told us to be quiet and then on top of that he asked me If I wanted him to beat my kid for me. I was totally shocked speechless, yes I have one terrible 2 year old but for someone to actually offer to beat my child.... boy did that guy have some nerve!!! For all those mothers who would rather starve than go shopping with their children I dedicate this blog to you.

Its Ladies Night

Friday night I was actually able to get out of the house without my children and husband. Four other girls and I headed out to a big Twilight Party. For those of you who are clueless as to what Twilight is, well that's just sad, enough said. The party was a blast! When we arrived we picked buttons that said that we either supported Edward or Jacob and then we played trivia games, gabbed, and of course what would a gathering be without eating. I think that there were at least 20 women there. After the Party the 5 of us went to Barnes and Noble to gawk at the people that were waiting in line to get the book and we ended up joining them and getting Breaking Dawn. I have just finished reading the book and although I was expecting some of the stuff to happen I must say that Stephenie Meyer did a good job of throwing a couple curve balls into the book. I enjoyed the series and even though the characters bugged me at times, I would definitely recommend the books.

Laura, Me, Audrey, Audrey, Allison, and Natalie

Need your Carpets Cleaned? Ask Kade!

After washing my hair the other day a peculiar thing happened. I went to check on my kiddies and their room was covered with a white lathery substance. The day previous to this I had bought 2 bottles of kids shampoo and had left them sitting on the counter top. My little Hurricane Kade apparently climbed up grabbed both of the bottles and proceeded to shampoo his carpet adding just that right amount of water for that perfect lather. The funny thing is I was just telling Seth the other day how much we needed to clean the carpets.

The excuse

Lately Kenzi has been coming up with some great excuses when she does something shes not supposed to. Normally she refers to the old adage of blaming it on her younger brother but today she came up with a truly original one. After telling her "no, that she could not have a Popsicle for breakfast," a couple of minutes later I found her trying to sneak one into her room. When I asked her why she was disobeying me she replied, "I didn't understand you mom, you were speaking Spanish." What could I do but laugh at that one.

Tornado scare

Today Seths Company went into lock down because of the torrential rains and tornado warnings. It was kind of scary for me to be home alone. Luckily we just had a very bad storm in our area. I have never had to go over tornado safety procedures before and it has definitely been a new experience living here in Texas.

The Tennis Star

Kenzi started tennis lessons last week. I am so
excited for her to share in something I truly love to do. She is doing awesome so far and she looks forward to going to lessons, mostly because her friend Daniel is taking them also.

Happy Birthday Mckenzie!

My little girl is 5 years old today and will be starting kindergarten in a month! To celebrate her birthday we took her to Build a Bear where she selected a bear, picked an outfit and then proceeded to get it stuffed with just the right amount of fluff. I got to say whoever started that company had a great idea because the place is always packed! We had Kenzis actual birthday party on Sunday. It was a very relaxed party where we invited a couple of friends, had homemade pizza, and ice cream cake. Kenzis little boyfriend Daniel gave her a stuffed bunny which she named Gracie. She took it to bed last night and also informed me in her matter of fact voice that Daniel really loves her. A child's innocence is a wonderful and funny thing to observe. Hoping you have a fun and adventurous year, Happy birthday to my # 1 girl Mckenzie!

4th of July

The 4th of July is always a great time at the Nielsens. In the morning we had a community tennis tournament. It was fun even though I didn't win. At noon we had a big BBQ over at my grandmothers house with the Smiths, Manns, and Nielsens. Almost all the Nielsens were there except those on missions and some of the cousins. My kids favorite thing about the get together was the snow cone machine. Kade and Kenzi made themselves very colorful and sticky in their quest to make themselves sick from unlimited snow cones. We were treated by a very amazing rendition of God Bless America from Justin Smiths 2 year old son, (He definitely passed on those singing genes) after that we headed down to the family pool and as usual there were a number of kittens at my aunt and uncles. Kade had himself a ball throwing the poor little creatures into the pool, and tried to do it over and over again even after mommy scolded him. After swimming we made our way back to my parents house, rode the 4 wheeler then lite off fireworks. Overall it was a very fun and enjoyable 4th of July. (More pictures of our 4th on the Family Website)

Viewer Discretion Advised Dont try at Home

So yesterday I heard Kade crying from the other room and I had Seth go see what he was crying about. Upon arrival he saw Kade laying on the ground crying. He asked Kenzi what had happened and she said that Kade had fallen off the bunk bed. I came into access the damage and found a rope tied to the top of their bunk bed. Then to my horror Kenzi took hold of the rope and did a Tarzan leap off of the top bunk. She ended up burning her hands and when I asked her what she was doing she explained that she was playing "Wipeout". For those of you who haven't seen it, the show is an obstacle course game where pretty much the whole point is to watch people fall down or "wipeout"! Its pretty funny especially the commentary. Anyways, just a side note beware of what your children are watching because they get the most insane ideas!!

Cabin at Garden Valley

The 2nd week of our vacation we went up and stayed in a cabin in Garden Valley, Idaho. For those of you who have not been up there it is really beautiful. The ride up there was very nostalgic as I craned my head to see all the dangerous rapids my crazy adventurous grandpa Nielsen loved to take us Kayaking down. It brought back fun memories of our trips together and what an all around amazing guy he was. Our first night up there we attended Oklahoma at the starlight theatre. While the play was mediocre the majestic sight of bald eagles soaring above got me in quite the patriotic mood. What a wonderful country we live in! The rest of the time there was spent, playing tennis, cards, swimming, and karaoke. The latter I found out was not my thing. I have a new respect for those crazy people who try out for American Idol! It was fun and best of all I got some relaxation time in.

Roomate Fun

While up in Utah I got a chance to get together with 2 of my old roomates and catch up on their lives. Crystal was positivly glowing and newly married, and Carrie also looked amazing with one of the cutest little girls ever. We went out to an authentic Italian Restaraunt called Buca di Beppo in downtown Salt Lake. The food was great but the company even better. I hope that we can make it a yearly ritual. It was so good to get together, catch up, and enjoy each others company.

Ethington Family Reunion

The reunion went very well but as I said before we were in charge so we didn't get to mingle much. I did have a fun time going to the grocery store and shopping for over 70 people and while planning and executing the reunion Ive discovered that planning events is something that I would enjoy doing on a part time basis. The kids had lots of fun boating, eating, and hitting a pinata. During the marshmallow roast I swear Kenzi ate a whole bag or
marshmallows by herself !

The Family Talent & Story Show went off pretty well, it was enjoyable hearing stories about Seths grandparents whom I never got the opportunity to meet. For the Family Talent show Seth and I did a spin off of you might be a redneck. Here is our Ethington Family version we came up with.

You might be an Ethington if:

If you take a load to the dump and bring back more than you took
If your family buys pepto and Tums in the Bulk
If there is no such thing as an unusable leftover
If people ask you about “the accident” and you reply with “which one?”
If you’ve gutted and rebuilt your computer 5 times since you last changed your oil
If you have a 2 car garage but cant fit any cars in the garage
If its not a Junk drawer but a Junk Room.
If the mother of the groom was pregnant at your wedding
If it takes more than one car to get all your kids to Grandmas house.
If you have one kid in diapers and another on a mission
If you have to guess more than a couple of times the name of the child your disciplining
If your bathroom doubles as your office
If you’ve ever owned a station wagon
If your house has become a motel
If your best conversations happen in the bathroom
If there is a science in making mashed potatoes
If you can make money off of clipping coupons
If you pick up more strays than the number of kids you have
If when you move into a ward the primary doubles

(We will be posting more pictures on our regular family website in the next couple of days)

Sedona June 2008

What a beautiful Hippie Town. I have never seen so many new age attractions in my life! We arrived in Sedona on a Saturday and our first stop was to visit some ancient cliff dwellings. We were able to look up at them but not able to go inside so that was kind of disappointing. After the cliff dwellings we headed out for some grub at this great little mexican restaurant in Sedona. Kade slept through the meal while Kenzi cleaned her plate. This girl was born to live in the Southwest because she just loves tacos and burritos. Its a good thing too because I swear they have those at least twice a week at the school cafeteria. After our meal we stopped to take some pictures and then headed back to the hotel to catch some z's and go swimming. The next morning we headed out and traveled through oak creek canyon towards the Grand Canyon. We didn't get to see as much of the Grand Canyon as we liked but it was still awe inspiring. The only depressing part of the trip is through the Indian reservation. Their houses are little more than shacks and it definitely made me appreciate more what I have. We gassed up our car in Beaver, Utah where the kids enjoyed icecream cones while they rocked in the giant rocking chair in front of the station. After about 23 hours of driving we finally made it up to Seths families house on Sunday night.

A vacation from a vacation

Our drive up to Utah seemed to take forever because I was so excited to finally see my family. We stopped in Sedona, Arizona on Saturday and spent the night and then proceeded to Utah on Sunday. We went through the Grand Canyon which was really pretty and then made our way to Seths Families house. The week there was pretty full as we cooked meals and cleaned out the family garage which took a whole day and 2 trips to the dump. I also shopped and prepared food for Seths Family Reunion. Well Seths Family Reunion is finally over and I am in need of a vacation. I planned, cooked, and supervised the reunion for 2 days 3 meals and over 70 people. Everything actually went really smoothly and I think that everyone had fun. We went up Friday night to Heber Valley Camp in Heber, Utah and had dinner and a talent show and then on Saturday we had breakfast, lunch, played volleyball and went paddle boating. Seth and I didn't really have that much fun because we were always working but I am proud of the fact that it was a huge success and I received lots of compliments on the reunion. We are now at my Grammies house in Meridian, Idaho and I feel a lot more relaxed. On the way up to Idaho I just started crying for no reason at all, I guess Im just really tired from too little sleep and everything that was going on. Seth and I have a hard time relaxing at his families house because its always messy and we feel like we should always be cleaning. Tomorrow we are heading up to Garden Valley to a cabin my mom rented. I am looking forward to relaxing and I will let you know how everything goes, also I will post pictures when I get back to Texas!

The final countdown

Tomorrow is the day! We will be heading up to Utah and Idaho for 2 weeks. We are leaving Friday night and will be making some stops in Sedona and the Grand Canyon. It should be lots of fun, the only part Im not looking forward to is being stuck in a car for about 50 hours there and back. Ill try to blog and keep you updated on what we are doing and when we get back I will post the pictures.

An anniversary forgotten......

So, Saturday June 14th was our 6 year anniversary and guess who forgot!!! Last night I took a look at the calendar and asked Seth if he realized what day it was and it finally dawned on him that we had missed our anniversary. Where has the romance gone? Unfortunately my husband has lost his way along the path of wooing his woman. The first couple of years he was pretty good, I would find a letter on my pillow or he would bring me a flower, but now nothing, we are lucky if we get to go on a date alone! To those other husbands who read this blog a woman always needs to be wooed!!! It makes her feel special and appreciated. Yes, life does get busy and hectic but we should always find time to nurture our marriage. It doesn't have to cost a single cent a short little love letter will do.

This blog dedicated to my significant other in hopes he will get the hint. :) hint hint.

A night on the Town

Seth and I were finally able to get out without the kids. We hit a little hole in the wall Bbq Pitt that was voted top 50 best Bbq in Texas, it was really good. Afterwards we went and saw Prince Caspian. I liked the movie and only wish that it would have had more romance, even though its not in the book. :) It was nice to have some time with just my hubby.

This is what happens when I blog

This blog is especially for Ashlea, she has been bugging me about writing more so I just wanted to show you guys what happens when Kade does'nt get the attention he wants. Kade decided to get into the Diaper Rash Cream. Not very fun to clean up because it is so greasy. Gotta love kids and their messes! :)

The Terrible Twos

Im contemplating not taking Kade out into Public until he turns 5. Lets just call him Hurricane Kade because wherever he goes he leaves destruction and mayhem behind. Today I took Mckenzie and him to a Magic show at the local Library, it was actually really good and Kenzi loved it, but Kade was horrible!!!!!!!! He ran around, threw things, and screamed his head off the whole time. I hate getting all those different looks from people ya know the ones of sympathy, annoyance, and why the heck don't you stay home looks! The sad thing is that this kind of behavior occurs daily. Maybe I should call Super Nanny. :) I cannot imagine having another child right now with as much attention as Kade requires, so for all those who are wondering lets just say it may be a couple more years!

Like sister Like Brother

My kids love to color. Crayons, Markers, Paint, Food...... Find a liquid or viscous object and they can usually create a masterpiece out of the substance. The problem is that instead of drawing on paper they choose themselves, the carpet or the walls. The other day Kade decided to get into my Mascara and draw all over himself. The funny thing is that Kenzi did the same thing at his age. At least Kenzi had the general idea where the mascara went! You be the judge, who did a better job at applying the mascara?!?