What's Up Wednesday

Thursday- It rained and rained! Caden's t-ball game was cancelled and so were the team photos. He was really bummed and a little ticked off. He still wore his uniform and cleats and that made him feel a little bit better. *He is so darn cute!*
-I had to work all day -I do love my job though, it totally rocks
-Cassie had her last day of dance

Friday- Let's just say that I was DONE! I was on the verge of a major freak-out and it was either beat the children senseless or ditch em at their cousins! I know you Moms can relate...sometimes you're just DONE! I love my children and I love being a Mom but sometimes I just need a time out. Coleton went to my parents and Cass and Cade went to my brothers. Jake had to work late which was fine with me. I wanted to be ALONE! I had the absolute best time! I saw two movies all by myself, I took a steaming hot bubble bath with scented candles burning, I read a raunchy romance novel in a QUIET house and loved every minute of it! The best part was the bath...no one was screaming, or banging on the bathroom door. No one was begging to "just put their feet in the water", or asking, "Can I just see if this Lego ship can float?" I didn't have half the kids in the neighborhood running in and out of my house and driving me crazy...it was an awesome day!

Saturday- Jake and I woke up to a blissfully quiet house and had a peaceful breakfast then went to a matinee movie. We picked up the kids and had a great day of yard work, playing, and house cleaning. Really, it was a great day. I was a new woman!

Sunday- My whole family met at my parents for breakfast and a tour through our families history and then we headed off to the cemeteries. It was fun and I learned some new stories and recalled some neat memories. When we were done with my side of the family we drove to Ogden to visit with Jake's grandma and to see his dad's and grandparents graves. It's always hard for Jake to go to his Dads and I don't know if it will ever get any easier. We did have a nice time with his grandma though and she loved seeing the kids.

Monday- Jake went golfing in the morning and afterwards we went to my parents (again) and had a barbecue. We tend to spend a awful lot of time with our extended family! It rained like crazy but fun was had by all and it was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

Tuesday- I worked all morning.
-Cassie had a field trip to Timpanogos Cave with her fourth grade class. She had a blast and is still talking about how neat the cave was. She is really sore from the hike though and is complaining about her muscles hurting. She said that almost everyone in her class could hardly move today! Too funny!
-Coleton had a field trip too with his science class. They went on a geo-caching type hunt...they had to find hidden objects using several different technologies/techniques. His group set new time records and he is feeling very hot-to-trot about it! Yea Coleton!

Wednesday (today)-I worked all morning again.
-Cade went to daycare for the very last time EVER! He is way excited and so is my checkbook!
-Tomorrow is the last full day of school this year!

Crazy Weather

This has been the craziest spring season ever! Record highs, record lows, sun, snow, wind, rain...sometimes all in the same day! Do I wear my flip-flops or snow boots!? Tank-tops or sweaters!? One day we are working and playing out in the yard getting sunburned and the next day we are sipping hot chocolate snuggled in blankets on the sofa! I'm so confused!

It is just so mean to tease us with the sun and dangle summer right in front of us, but always just out of reach. It seems as if Spring is having a super dramatic temper tantrum! Well, I say let's just skip right over Spring and her nasty little attitude and jump into Summer! I mean, I'm not shaving my legs and getting pedicures for nothing! I want to wear shorts and sandals! Come on Mother Nature...Get it under control and bring on the warm weather!

Our Vacation!

We had sooo much fun in California! We spent 8 days in the sun and had a blast! It was an action packed adventure and we loved every minute of it! We started out in Disneyland for two days and then did one day in California Adventure. It was Caden's first time and he was beyond exited! The whole time we were driving to California (10 hrs) he would ask about every hour or so if we could see Disneyland yet...So cute. One of our favorite rides was the Tower of Terror!!! -Caden excluded, he opted out of that one- It was the best, and so scary! Coleton and Cassie are fearless and absolutely loved all the roller coasters and "intense" rides...They are definitely taking after their parents! We also had a character dinner at Goofy's Kitchen one night. I would definitely recommend it! We loved it and had a riotous good time!

We went to Universal Studios next and it was totally awesome! All the kids loved everything! The mummy roller coaster was so weird, but way fun! (Cade is still leery and a bit short so he bypassed all rides that went fast, got you wet, or looked scary) Don't worry, we'll work on it and next time he'll be begging to ride! We saw a couple of shows/performances and they totally rocked! We loved the Waterworld show!

After Universal we headed down to San Diego and hit the Wild Animal Park before checking into our hotel. The park was o.k. and we had fun but it wasn't spectacular. The tram tour was cool though and we loved seeing the cheetahs and lions...very cool. After we checked into our hotel we headed for the beach since it was still fairly early and played in the sand and waves for a bit. The kids and Jake love the beach and ocean and could stay forever. I on the other hand have a different idea of fun. The beach is only fabulous if I'm laying in a lounge chair, shaded by an umbrella, while alternately snoozing and sipping on a drink, being left completely alone and having nothing to worry about except my drink being empty. So I was a good sport and sat on a towel and took videos and pictures and pretended to love it. I did love seeing my family so happy so the sacrifice was worth it!

The next day was Seaworld and it was fantastically fun! The shows were awesome and our favorite was the sea lion and otter show...too funny! I fell in love with flamingos that day. They are so ugishly beautifully weird! I love them! Caden liked Shamu and the sharks and he thought the dolphins were really cool. Coleton loved everything and was really disappointed when he sat in the "soak zone" at the Shamu show and didn't get wet...not even a drop! Poor kid. Cassie was in Cassie Heaven at Seaworld. She just loves animals and had a blast. We couldn't get her away from the tide pool exhibit where she could touch and hold everything. She even fed dead fish to the sea lions -ewww!- blah! But, to each their own right!? Afterwards we headed for the beach again...yea. This beach was much nicer and everyone had a good time. Some of our neighbors were enjoying a Disney vacation just like us and we were on pretty much the same schedule so we meet up with them throughout the trip and hung out in most of the parks and at the beach. Coleton and their oldest boy are best friends and Cassie and their middle boy are sweet on each other and "going out" so it was very exciting to vacation with them! It made it really fun for the kids to share some of the excitement with their friends.



We drove to St. George the following day and stayed in a nice hotel over night to break the drive up a bit. We all swam in the pool and soaked in the hot tub and talked about our fun trip! Everyone agreed it was the absolute best! It was sad to go home the next day, but reality does have a way of finding you. All-in-all we made some great memories and had some excellent quality family time.

New Job for Jake! (and slacker catch-up stuff)

Jake has officially accepted a job offer! He will start the week after we get back from California.(He has this entire month off!) We are both excited and nervous! I love change but Jake is more of a "comfort zone" kind of guy...so he is a little anxious. I think it will be a good move with a lot of great potential. Cross your fingers that it all works out! It is a local job(sort of)so we won't be moving far...but we will be moving. Lot's of change!

Last week and the week before were not so fun! Julie's in-laws had a family emergency and her and Chet took off for the Philippines leaving me to care for their boys for a week. (This was all arranged within a 24hr period!!!)The night they left, their kids came down with the actual Flu, Influenza! So of course I caught it and then so did the rest of my family! Not Fun! We were so miserable and pathetic! It was the worst! Anyway, I think I deserve the "Best Aunt/Sister of the Year" award!
She could only call us once the whole time they were gone and it was like a two minute conversation. I didn't even tell Julie that we were all sick...she would have just worried and there was nothing she could have done about it...so I spared her the agony. Everyone is fine now and the dust is starting to settle on the in-laws family ordeal. It was a whirlwind event and my heart goes out to my sister and her family. I love you!

Spring soccer has begun! It is condensed into one month so my head is spinning! Coleton has soccer three times a week until the end of April! It might not be so bad if it were a little warmer...Brrrrr... It's a lot of fun though and his team has improved a lot since last season. (I am such a soccer Mom) :)

Irish Girl Calls Demolition Company...Too Funny, and Very Well Done! I don't know how she stayed so serious!

The New New Do!

First, I have to apologize to Melanie...I have completely fallen off the wagon. I will understand if you want a different support person...I have failed you. I'm Sorry.

But, I love my short hair! There, I said it, it's true! I cannot deny that short hair rocks! It is so much more ME! I missed my short sassy locks so much. Everyday is a good hair day now and I feel so much more put together! Short hair completes me. ;)

Confession:
I have had this hair cut for about two weeks now. I was putting off blogging it because of Melanie. hehehe *evil laugh*

I will post pics soon.

Some Interesting Facts about Easter This Year...

· This year Easter is on March 23, 2008 for Western Christianity, only one day later than the earliest it can ever be in Western churches (March 22).

· The last time Easter fell on March 23 in Western Christianity was the year 1913, 95 years ago. Therefore, only a few of us were actually alive then to celebrate Easter.

· The next time Easter will fall on March 23 in Western Christianity is 2160, 152 years from now. It's doubtful any Western Christians will still be around to celebrate Easter again on March 23.

· Even more remarkable, no one alive today has ever, or ever will celebrate Easter earlier than March 23. The last time Easter fell on March 22 was in 1818, and the next time will be in 2285.

In Western Christianity, Easter Sunday can fall anywhere between March 22 and April 25.

In Western Christianity, Easter is always celebrated on the Sunday immediately following the Paschal Full Moon date of the year.

In the year 325 AD astronomers approximated the dates of all the full moons in the year for the Western Christian churches. These were called the Ecclesiastical Full Moon dates, and they have been used ever since 326 AD to determine the date of Easter. So, the Paschal Full Moon is always the first Ecclesiastical Full Moon date after March 20 (which happened to be the vernal equinox date in 325 AD).

The Paschal Full Moon can vary as much as two days from the date of the actual full moon, with dates ranging from March 21 to April 18. As a result, Easter dates can range from March 22 through April 25 in Western Christianity.

Western churches use the Gregorian Calendar to calculate the date of Easter and Eastern Orthodox churches use the Julian Calendar. This is partly why the dates are rarely the same.
Easter and its related holidays do not fall on a fixed date in either the Gregorian or Julian calendars, making them moveable holidays. The dates, instead, are based on a lunar calendar very similar to the Hebrew Calendar.

What's Up Wednesday

Thursday- Jake was seriously ill -very unlike him. He missed almost three days of work. I think it was just a really nasty cold virus. He had a fever and chills, aches and pains, and a horribly runny/stuffy/throbbing head. He was needless to say miserable.

The Weekend- Jake was a new man! We went out on Saturday to a fantastic Italian restaraunt and afterwards went to see Fools Gold. It was a pretty good movie -didn't love it, but did like it.

Monday thru Wednesday- Boring. I worked yesterday and today and we (the girls) went out to lunch afterwards. It was "normal" food so I wasn't being adventurous. However, Kim found us a new restaraunt to try. It has something to do with Madrid...spanish food or something, I can't remember. I'll give you the update after I've tried it.

We are going to Disneyland! I have been wanting to go for a while now and finally just booked it! We are going in April. The kids are sooo excited -Disneyland, Universal Studios, Seaworld, and Wild Animal Kingdom!

What's Up Wednesday

Thursday
-Some friends from work and I went out to eat at a mediterranean restaurant. I tried so many different foods, and couldn't pronounce half of them! I didn't even know how to eat some of the items! I did like most of the food but it was very different. Some of the gals have taken it upon themselves to broaden my knowledge of edible delights. They are determined to have me try everything!

The Weekend
-We filed our taxes. Getting a refund! Yea!
-Jake and I got our fannies kicked on card night.
-We rented some movies; Stardust, Chuck and Larry, Live Free or Die Hard

Monday
-Nate had his birthday party at Jungle Jims. The kids had a blast and I had a headache. I so don't do chaos!
-After the party Me, the Kids, and my Parents had Jake meet us for dinner at a buffet restaurant (Coleton loves all-you-can-eat!) and we had a great time and of course ate way too much. Cassie spilled mac and cheese all over her suede and fur coat -this coat gets spilled on every time we go out to eat!

Tuesday
-The Food Journey continues. We went to an Asian restaurant after work and had sushi. I only tried the mildly fishy tasting ones (I'm not a seafood lover) and actually liked them. I got pretty good with the chopsticks and learned that you put the whole sushi roll into your mouth instead of trying to bite it! I made a mess before anyone decided to enlighten me...I am becoming so educated!

The new "DO"

New Do and Deep Thoughts

Yikes! I have a new do! I had a couple of bad hair days in a row, which is always a dangerous thing. Well, I finally had enough of the 30 minutes (at least) a day that it took to do my hair and had it cut on Saturday! I didn't go as short as I have in the past, but it is short. Sort of an a-line type cut. Very cute and easy to style! I think I will like it, but it is so wierd to not have long hair anymore! Everytime I put a shirt or a jacket on I go to atomatically pull my hair out of it, but there is nothing there! Strange! I must look like an idot flapping my arms behind my head pulling all that air out of the back of my collar. Anyway, I will take a picture and post it soon. I love change, it is so refreshingly satisfying, don't you think?

Yea for a Creator who knew to give women options on thier appearance...What if we had been made with hair that didn't grow, or wouldn't hold an artificial colour! What if we couldn't curl or flat iron?! I must say that in His infinite wisdom he saved me for the latter days -I would have been one ugly frizzy washed out features scary looking pioneer!- Praise electricity! So I say a very heartfelt prayer of thanks to My Father above who knew just what I needed. And I encourage you to style, style, style! For the way has been prepared for you...cut, comb, gel, spike, crimp, curl, and style!

Dinner Favorites

Ok, so I'm stuck in a rut and in need of yummy, simple, "normal", recipes. We are becoming very predictable on what is for dinner and I thought it would be fun to try some new variations on some old favorites. We're not picky eaters...but we do like things that are very -traditional- (my kids won't eat the fancy stuff as well as they will eat...oh, say meatloaf, shepards pie, etc.)So, any recipes that you have that are family favorites please share them with me! We love pastas, soups, veggies , meats, casseroles, etc. I'm hoping for a couple of really good crockpot recipes too. I love to just throw something in the pot and forget about it! I know some of you are good cooks so please help! My family will thank you! It's always refreshing to have something else for dinner other than the norm.