Do Not & Do...continued education for motherhood

Life is for learning, right? So, I have definitely learned a few unexpected lessons and I thought that I would share my new-found wisdom with you all :)
DO NOT ever (ever ever ever ever) buy Great Values Dishwashing Detergent unless you want all of your cutlery and dishes to be filmy...like insanely filmy. However, if you do buy and use this heinous soap DO purchase a gallon of vinegar to get rid of the film. That is about the only way to clear things up :)
DO NOT use random peoples bathrooms, even if you are about to have the kind of accident that only a 2 year old should have. The other day while I was out running, I needed to use the bathroom when there was no hope of finding one. Until I heard someone on the road clapping and cheering for me. I assumed this was someone that I knew...wrong. I ran over hoping to get some help with my bathroom need. This led to my new found friendship with Ms. Lucy, an elderly lady with dementia (which I did not know at the time). She not only let me use her bathroom, but she also gave me an enormous cup of Hawaiian Punch, a thorough tour of her home, a bag of broken glasses for Shaune to fix, a bag of used dryer sheets and lint, a bag of books, a set of Cribbage, and a bag of stale snacks. I was there for a lllloooooonnnngggg time. It was a very odd experience.
But, I have to say DO have a random experience sometime to spice up life. The day we took her glasses back, she told me that she had lost a lot of weight in her "hooters" and advised me to actually "get some hooters". Could I stop laughing and smiling after this? Absolutely not!! :)
She also grabbed Shaune's butt after hugging and kissing him several times. Was Shaune freaked out? Definitely. Could I stop laughing after this? No.
I should probably hate a woman like this, but I have to say that I have quite the soft spot for her. She is clearly losing her mind, most likely not her fault. But, I think she loved having a new "friend" and so did I. Even though she will never remember me...I will not ever forget how hard she made me laugh this last week :). I love Lucy.
DO NOT waste your time watching lame movies on TV-- especially not old westerns when you are really in the mood for a romantic comedy. DO see "When In Rome" instead. It will save you time and bring a big smile to your face :)
DO NOT waste time saying "No" so much, especially to your children. Instead, DO try to make it a win-win situation. That way, when you both "win" your children will compliment you and say, "Great job, Mom!" as though they were really proud of you :)
That is probably enough for now :) Have a great week!

Happy 4th of July

Nothing makes a national holiday more meaningful than some pyrotechnics, right?? That's what my boys think at least :)
Last week, Shaune and I had the privilege of speaking in Sacrament meeting on patriotism. It was the perfect topic to study the week before celebrating Independence Day. I couldn't help but feel an even greater sense of love for the brave men who founded this country and gave us our religious freedom. It seems that none other than the Almighty God could have helped such underdogs win that war. Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave...it does.

33...already??

June was seriously a party month for us...Papa & Grandma Wallace came back to visit us WITH Team Spencer/Linden/Rosalyn! Shaune and I were so happy to get to meet Ros for the first time. We also LOVED having time with Spencer/Linden and Ken/Audrey. We did a lot of swimming and hanging-out...excellent for a sleep-deprived family :) My favorite part was going to the Grand Canyon AND Zions in the same day. My not favorite part of my favorite day with the Wallace crew was when we slid off the road and got stuck in the sand. Thank heavens for some Good Samaritans with a big truck :)
P.S. Spencer and Linden, remember when you guys kept trying to take "our" camera to Australia with you?? :) HAHAH!! We actually sold Shaune's flip camera and bought one just like yours, only a different color so as not to risk getting them mixed up :)
Spencer and Linden moved all the way to Australia for 6 months. We felt lucky to get to spend a week with them here!
Also, after a month-long stay in St. George, we had to say a very sad good-bye to Uncle Vernie. My boys still talk about the night that Uncle Vern took them to a movie :) We miss you all...but,the partying must go on.
Caden's birthday. Ken's birthday. Shaune's birthday. Father's Day. My dad's birthday. Phew....
For Shaune's birthday, we had a party with all of his friends. We played games, watched some crazy YouTube videos, ate up the entire dessert buffet, and hung out til the wee-hours in the morning :) He requested a Key Lime Pie Cake. It was SO good. 33 candles were a lot to put on a cake, but we made Shaune blow every last one out...Happy Birthday, hon! We love you!!!

Caden turns 5!!

Caden really wanted to have a swimming party this year. So, he planned away :) We tried to keep things simple. He helped me make his cake which he "invented". It was a cookies-n-cream cake...YUM!!! We had fun smooshing up the Oreo's for the topping :) I sure love this boy. Happy Birthday, bud!

The boys

One morning, we were looking for bugs together, and I couldn't help but think that my boys sure looked handsome. So, I grabbed the camera for a quick photo shoot :)

Katharine's Blessing

Shaune blessed Katharine at the end of May. We were SO lucky to have Papa Wallace and Uncle Spencer around to stand in the circle. My dad, Reed, Brett, Grandpa Dan, Bishop Esplin, Brother Campbell, Brother Graft, and Shaune were alsp in the circle. The blessing was so beautiful and the Spirit so strong. A big thanks to Dena for helping me with the bow, to Erin for the dress, and to Jill for the shoes :) Katharine looked beautiful in her first white dress. We also got to see Katharine and John Peterson that weekend. They are great friends of ours and we loved spending some time with them (again, no pictures of this...sorry :).

Cousin Fun

Trev, Erin, Ally, Nixon, and Scotia came for a visit in May. We had a blast getting to play with them!! This is the only picture I have of the good times (clearly a sleep-deprivation blunder). I am still amazed at how much we were able to do...hiking, exploring the Glitter Bowl (still am finding chunks of gypsum around the house), taking a tour of the St. George Tabernacle and visitors center, swimming, eating some yummy food (thanks for making us one of your chocolate cakes, Trev & Erin!), aplash pad, park, going to Target (a MUST for Erin & I), and clearly finding some time to dress up like cats :) Love you guys!!!

They left us...

After all of our help left, this is what my reality was :) A little bit of a wake up call to life with 3 children...we were a bit tired, I'd say :)

Merry Maid Men

Help after Katharine came in many forms, but one of my favorites was Uncle Devin...aka Merry Maid (man). He came with Papa and Grandma (Wallace) to visit us. Katharine was barely a week old so having family around to help with the boys was great! Uncle Dev would usually take the boys in the morning for Shaune and I so that we could catch a few extra winks. He and the boys would watch "Life" or build a Super Tent or play Dora games:) They were in HEAVEN! Papa and Grandma took the boys to lunch and the park...and many many times in between :) These last few pictures truly capture the essence of Wallace-ness. Shaune, Papa, and Uncle Devin went for a small spelunking excursion. Many hours later they returned with bumps, bruises, and apparently a new route :) Look at Ken's face in that last picture...it really says it all :)

Bili Baby

All three of my children have had to go under the bili lights for their jaundice. This would have been insanely crazy without the extensive help of our families! Thanks to both of our mothers and Jill for the food and help with Caden and Dex!

By the way...

Dexter turned 3! Um, just realized that I forgot to document this!! He had a dog party this year...which consisted of roasting hot dogs, inviting some friends for the roast, playing baseball, and eating a doggy cake :) He loved it because he planned it :) We loved it because he was so stinkin' cute about having this party, eclectic as it was :) Perfect for Dex! Thanks again, Tawnia for the amazing cake!!!

April 11th

Ok, so this is a throwback to Katharine's birth :) I am just trying to get caught up on the chronological high points in our life since this cute little girl joined our family. I absolutely LOVE the we share a birthday!!! Couldn't have a better birthday present :)

Once upon a time, I turned 30...

So, sometime you turn the big 3-0. And sometimes you have a cute husband who makes a big deal out of that by throwing a Backwards Party :) Sometime he makes it a surprise backward party even. A backward party where people show up in clothing on backwards, "Happy Birthday" signs spelled and worn on backwards, drinking out of your pop can backwards (or at least on the other end), where the pinata is backwards (candy on the outside), and even a special cake shows up backwards :) I LOVED all the fun details that Shaune thought out for my party. Maybe getting older isn't so bad :) I was actually in labor during the party (checked into the hospital just hours after cleaning up from the party), so it is funny to look back at them now and think that. Anyways, thanks, Shaune for a great party!! Loved spending my birthday with so many people I love!

Box Boy

Isn't this what YOU do when you find some boxes lying around the house??:) I love my Box Boy. This morning, as we came downstairs to get breakfast started, I found Caden at the kitchen table with a box, tape, scissors, markers, and a few pieces of paper. He was making a race car out of his box and already had the decals for the car made. I love how creative he is :)