In the Mind of Jacob..

"Mom, I don't want to get married."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that until after your mission."

"But, I just don't want too. Ever."

"Being married is fun. I love being married to your Daddy."

"Yeah, but I like to shop. A lot. I like to shop every day of every week....Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday...um, Wednesday. Every day."

I guess telling him we can't buy whatever he wants has made him decide that marriage must be too expensive.

jUst a LittLE RaNdoMneSS

We took a trip to CEC (chuck e. cheese, this is our code so that the monkeys don't go crazy when they hear those three little words). We look for the coupons on Kool-aid squeezers that have the Buy 40 tokens for $10 get 40 free, and then limit what they use so that it lasts a couple of trips. Plus we can only handle being there for so long! :) Trav is ADDICTED to skee-ball, and has made the boys save their ticket vouchers, so this time I brought them along, since some of them are so old the printing is starting to fade. I told him that it was time to spend them. Man has Chuck E. Cheese upped the ticket redemption's. We had almost 2000 tickets, and that wouldn't get the boys much. Daddy decided that we should keep saving and told the boys that they could spend 50 each, yea that only gets them a tootsie roll (regular small one) and a crayon. Jacob was NOT having that since he saw all the vouchers in my bag. In fact he broke down in tears when his Daddy told him that he should save them for something better. He just really wanted the little Light Saber. After I gave Trav "the look" and the lady at the ticket counter looked at Travis like he was insane to save Chuck E. Cheese tickets, he gave in. Jacob bought his little Light Saber for 500 tickets, and since he spent that Trenton said that he would only use 200 for a multi-colored pen. He is a saver like Dad.

Xander LOVES to be outside, that is as long as you don't close the screen door. I am so mean for taking this picture, but it was cracking me up. As soon as I opened it, he gave me an angry look and went back to playing.

He loves my Ikea colander. He puts it on his head and walks around the house making funny noises.

So... We were eating with the Elders last night. After dinner I told Trenton to go and take a shower. He came down and I looked at him and thought that something looked funny about his hair. When he got closer I asked Trav to look at his hair. We asked him if he cut it. He said yes. When?! It didn't look like that earlier. He said that he did it in the bathroom. With what? Daddy's razor. WHAT?!!!!

This is his before-Mommy-tried-to-fix-my-hair, boy-am-I-in-trouble face:

And this is the after I-didn't-want-super-short-hair face.


I am so sad. I loved his hair. When it was done any way. He ran upstairs to see it when I was done, and I hear "WHAT THE?!" Then Jacob starts laughing hysterically, which Trenton follows with his own crazy laugh. Jacob yells, "You have crazy bald hair!" This is not what I was hoping for, I was hoping he would see his short hair, feel sad about what he did and promise never to hunt down Dads razor. When I realized that this wasn't phasing Trenton, I made a big about it to Jacob, who LOVES his "long" hair. I asked him if I should cut his hair that short. When he said "NO!" then I told him to never cut his hair.

Hopefully he won't ever attempt to be his own barber.

Here are a few random things that I have heard the boys say lately:

Jacob while we were at Old Navy: Mom I want to walk.

"Why don't you just stay in the stroller."

"But if I don't walk then I won't get my exercise I need!"

Trenton talking to his Grandma Shepherd:

"I am getting older and bigger....Yeah, and you don't want time to go to0 fast because then you'll die soon."

Jacob to Trenton in the van:

"Yeah well I am going to have my own motocycle when I get big and only Mommy will ride on the back of it!!"

Jacob during dinner (which he never wants to eat):

"But Mommy I took two bite and look, do you see how BIG my tummy is?! I just can't eat anymore."

Trenton to Grandma Shepherd:

"Why don't you just put a bell on Grandpa so that when he walks away you know where he went."

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Nothing like a good ole' Ward Campout

Two weekends ago was our Ward Camp out. On our way out it rained like CRAZY!! I was starting to wonder if it was a good idea to go, and IF any one else we knew would be there. Luckily the mountains we went to were more rock than dirt, so the boys really didn't get muddy. And there were people there we knew. The first few pictures are on the way out. Our Bishop said that there had been a fire a few years ago, I can't remember how long seems like 4, and miles of land had been burned. I didn't realize how long it took for things to re-grow. Any way. It was kind of sad to see all the destruction. There were signs along the way that reminded people to look around and remember what recklessness can do.

Here we are for early morning breakfast. Xander woke up at 5 AM!! Which was just great since I had no sleep because it was FREEZING and I forgot to bring extra blankets for Xander and he ended up in bed with us to stay warm. I felt like sleeping of the cold ground at one point just to get away from all the rolling around he did.
Jacob and his little friend getting ready for the 3 legged race. It was so cute to watch them try and stay together.
There were only girls Trentons age there, and all though he was fun to play with, they didn't want to be partners with him. So I volunteered.

Melissa Larsen and I came in 2nd during the adult race. I was just happy that I didn't take her down like I did when Trenton and I raced!

BTW- Melissa happens to be my friend Marianne's sister-in-law, and her husband and Robby Packard found out one night at our house that they are related. It is such a small world.

The boys during the tug-o-war. We didn't have many kids, I think that they lost.

OK, this video is funny, to ME. Trav joined up with the men for some crazy relay race. I'm not sure what you would call it, but he was the only one to keep dropping the ball. I was dying!

Whatever she says...

I just picked Trenton up from school and he says "Alex's (a girl he likes) Grandma got killed." "What happened?" I ask.
"Well she was really ugly and these bad guys came into her house and took her to jail and then poisoned her food and when she ate it she died."
"What?? Did she tell you that?"
"Yes. And it is the truth."
To which Jacob suddenly agrees as if he had witnessed the whole ordeal.
"And she gave me this to keep." He holds up this ratty hair band.
"That is yucky bud. You should give that back to her tomorrow. Or better yet, through it in the trash when we get home."
"But it is hers!!"
Oh, brother.

First haircut and short "Jacob Hair"

Xander finally had his first hair cut the other day. Hurray that he finally had enough to cut. Jacob and Trenton had tons of hair by one year. I kinda miss the little curls on the side of his head, but he was starting to look like a little girl instead of the wild and crazy boy that he is.

I cut Trenton and Jacob's as well, and Jacob surprised me and said that he wanted it shorter than normal. Trav tried to convince him to leave it long by saying, "you don't want Trenton hair do you?" Jacob said, "No, just short Jacob hair." So that is what we did.

Happy Birthday to our Daddy!!

Travis turned 31 this Sunday. We had a few friends over for cake and home made ICE CREAM!! Which is our personal favorite. I had a problem capturing a few pictures but here are some of my favorites of my favorite MAN!

Just tell me that he wasn't a cute baby!!

I can so see Jacob in this one

Who would have thought that two years later we would be married

Awards and PoPsicLeS

Trenton came home with a Citizenship Award yesterday from school. He was so excited that they read his name over the PA. We were proud of him, but most importantly happy that he didn't freak out this time. In pre-school they did the same thing and the teacher brought him up to the front and talked about what a nice boy he was and how he was always willing to be helpful. Well he walked back to his chair, yelled at his neighbors and then kicked over a bucket of blocks. I'm sure that his teacher was certain in that moment that she had made a huge mistake!

Xan man had his first Popsicle last night, and was he loving in. He would shove that thing almost down his throat, and only got a brain freeze once. I wish that I could have captured that on video. He suddenly got this crazy look on his face and started hitting his head. Of course we all laughed and then he decided that it must be something really funny to do and continued to do it.

Just like Dad

Travis loves to cook. His Mom spent a lot of time with him in the kitchen as a kid, something I am trying to be better at. Trenton brought home a kids cook book by Emeril Lagasse the other day and I let him pick out a recipe. He picked the Bread em' and bake em' Pork chops. He loved helping me make them, and now that he is older he really was a big help. And they were DELISH!! So much so that I thought I would share the recipe:

1 (5 oz) box of Melba toast

2 teaspoons Emeril's Italian Essence or other dry Italian seasoning

( I used 3 cups of Italian bread crumbs instead of these two, just because I already had them)

2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Baby Bam (I would tone down the salt though, it was a little too much):
Mix together and put into air tight container
3 tbls paprika
2 tbls salt
2 tbls dried parsley
2 tsp onion pwdr
2 tsp garlic pwdr
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt

You also need:
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 LRG eggs

6 thin cut pork chops



Position rack to middle of oven and pre-heat to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top.

Put melba toast in blender and blend until crumbs

Place crumbs into a plastic bag and add the Italian seasoning, 2 TBLS of Baby Bam, garlic pwdr, Parm. Cheese, and oil.

In med. bowl beat eggs and 2 tsp of Baby Bam

Dip Pork chops in egg mixture and then coat with bread crumb mixture, making sure that they are WELL coated.

Place on wire rack and bake for 20 minutes. I did mine for 25 just to make sure that they were cooked all the way through.
I served them with a egg and spinach salad, my favorite, and peas which my kids love.

First visitors!!

Trav's older brother and his little family came to visit us for a few days as they make their trek cross country to Chicago. He will be attending Podiatry school there. The boys were so very excited and could never get enough play time in. It was such a change to have two little "girls" running around. Kinda evened things out. We took them to one of our favorite spots, a little spray park just down the road that happens to be FREE. And Saturday morning Trav and Troy went yard selling, so funny that they went and not us girls, and Trav bought me this wonderful new (to me anyway) dinning room table! YEAH, now we can fit our family and food around one table. Xander is already learned to climb up the table, and is currently enjoying Trentons second waffle that he couldn't finish before leaving for school this morning. Doesn't our yard look so dead! It is major dry here and they limit how often you can water. Needless to say, our yard is paying the price, and I am not rich enough to go against the watering restrictions.

This is what the chairs look like. I know that they are different, but that is what I like about them. Trav only paid $100 for it, which we feel is a STEAL. The table itself weighs a ton, so you know that it is built very well, and the leaf in the middle comes out, which is good since my kitchen is so little it takes up almost half.

Friday night Becky and I went to Wallyworld (walmart in lay mans words) and bought the new Twilight Series, Breaking Dawn. I really wish that I could say that I LOVE it, but that would so be a lie. The story just took a few different twists and turns that I had a hard time appreciating.