My Dad is Better than YOUR Dad!

Remember bragging about why your Dad was better than anyone elses? Well, my Dad is still better! Here are a few reasons why:

Even though you might make him crazy (and when I say you, I mean Dave) He still doesn't off you. (He might shoot you point blank "on accident" right Kristy? But he generally doesn't lose his cool too often). Nine kids and we all still have our heads attached-that's pretty incredible!

My Dad is one easy-going, laid back kid of guy, looking at this picture you'd think it's because he's usually intoxicated huh? Nope, just so easy going that even his eyelids take it easy-they do in most pictures-unfortunately a few of us kids inherited this trait!

My Dad honors his priesthood. Here he is with us this spring when he came out to join Brett in the the blessing of our new baby Izzy. Dad is always willing to give a priesthood blessing to his kids, I remember him doing so each school year before we started back at school.

My Dad loves to have fun! Here the kids were all jumping on him, playing "Dog pile" like we did when we were little. Even the family dog gets in on the fun!

My Dad is supportive of big decisions, like buying our first home...

Or getting married. He wants to see each of us kids happy in our lives and he tries to show his support to each of us in the way we need it.

What I love most about my Dad lately is watching him interact with my kids. I feel his love for me by the way he treats my children, with kindness, patience, and tenderness. My Dad is not only a great big joker, but he is such a sweet Grandpa to my kids and still a source of strength and an example to me as well. Thank you for all that you do Dad!

I love you!

-Wendy

My High and Low for Today

The Iz is getting to that squishy, marshmallowy delicious stage of babyhood when you just want to strip the kid down and snuggle up with all of those soft rolls of chub. So, I do. I love this baby, she is such a sweet little thing and at the end of the day, there is nothing better than curling up with my baby girl on the couch. No, I lied, seeing my husband curl up with her-knowing he 's as sweet on her as I am-now THAT is the best! This family thing rocks!

I'm sometimes in awe of the responsibility of raising kids, maybe 'in a panic' is a better way of saying it. I'm in charge!?! I'm the boss!?! Really? Me? But I'm honored too to be trusted to care for these little people for a short time before they go out into the world on their own. It's empowering to know that God trusts me enough to send me these little strong spirits, He must think I'm woman enough for the job of teaching them. I hope He's right!

My high today is realizing that I have the coolest job around-being a "stay at home Mom," I realize too that it's such a rare blessing. Some may think it's selling out on a career, and it might be annoying that all I talk about is my kids, but my work is, quite literally, my life. And, it's a wonderful life. I wouldn't want it any other way.

My low today...hmmmm...it's probably just that I took on all the calories I just burned off working out by eating a few cookies. Not a big deal when you've got such a good high-not to mention a good sugar rush!

What is your high and your low today???

May Highlights

This month our Lil' Izzy started chunkin' up. So much in fact that she started eating everything in sight. I don't think she even realized that she had a toe-hold on herself here! Oh I do love this picture. I can't wait to show it to her future boyfriends.
These next two are to show off my little zebra girls, not yet as popular as The Cheetah Girls, but so stinkin' adorable in their matching suits. I told myself I wouldn't be a Mom who dressed her kids alike, but Anna and I found baby swimsuits at the dollar store of all places and this one matched a swimsuit Anna got from Aunt Jill and Aunt Ashley last year, we couldn't help ourselves!
Yeah, and the answer is "NO!" to anyone who might wonder if I'll be posing in my zebra suit along with these girls. I am more into giraffe print myself.
Here is our scurvy pirate, Captain Jack. Chrissy came to visit this month and while we were busy scrapbooking we made the kids all mustaches and they "played pirate" out on the boat. I couldn't find my camera in time to get shots of all the kids, but they looked grrrreat! Argh!
Quinner and I made homemade pudding pops this month with chocolate pudding, cool whip, and crushed Oreos. Mmmm...my affinity for frozen confections has grown. So has Quinn's.

Brett took this picture of Elizabeth last weekend. I feel bad that we haven't taken too many shots of her, but this one is really quite sweet, a perfect reflection of what a happy easy little girl she is.
This is Quinner and his buddy Kai, playing with their "dig-ohs and dump-ohs" otherwise known as diggers and dumpers. We have a few patches of dirt left in the yard and the kids are constantly scooping dirt and driving it around the yard. Who needs a sandbox when you have dirt eh? Also, it's a good excuse for why I haven't planted anything in said flowerbed, the kids just NEED that space, I respect their needs.
Meet Princess Fiona. Brett called Anna home from the neighbors the other night and this is what our daughter looked like! I knew he was part frog and he'd passed it on to her, which explains the croaking I keep hearing at night!
For any of you bored enough to read my lengthy previous post, yes, Brett did survive the river. I will answer affirmatively that we did indeed bake and eat a dessert for and in behalf of him in his absence. I'm such a nice wife though that once we received proof of life, we made up for eating his cupcakes by baking a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, it was the least I could do, especially after he froze his chances for future posterity off in that river for a week!
This month was the end of preschool for Anna, here she is with her teachers. After the graduation ceremony when we were running errands I looked in the back seat and saw my girl tearing up and silently wiping her eyes. I asked what was wrong and she started sobbing the saddest little cry and said, "I just miss my teachers so much!" I know Cris and Michelle loved my girl and I'm glad that she had such a great start to her educational experience. Thanks to her teachers for making it so special for her, it warms my heart to know that she was loved enough that my child feels a sense of loss at the end of the school year, it's a bittersweet ending.

Happy Birthday Brett!

Unfortunately Brett is on a river trip for his birthday this year. He is not here to have the cake which I will inevitably bake and devour for him in his absence, so I thought that I'd post some love for him on my blog, should he happen to look at it upon his return. (And, should he live past the tumultuous rapids and ferocious bears that I in my paranoia have imagined to be summing up his existence even as I type!)

Brett, here are 31 things I love about you Babe...

1. You have the sexiest smile. I remember how you looked at me when we first met and mmm...that smile... You also took great pride in your fabulous teeth and even carried a toothbrush with you in the cargo pocket of your pants. You might actually be a little vain about your beautiful smile after all huh!?!

2. I love that you will always do the dishes. I have them waiting in the kitchen for you right now. Okay, maybe for your birthday I'll give you a vacation from the kids AND I'll do the dishes!

3. You are the world's best Daddy. You are so sweet with our children and much more patient than I am. You take the time to listen to them, to wrestle with them, to snuggle them, and, of course, to read Moo Who? and I Will Never, Ever Eat a Tomato over and over and over...

4. I love that you encourage me to do things just for me and you're proud of my accomplishments. I love that you are proud of me for going to Jazzercise (we both know that I need major validation here!). I love that you take the time to look at each scrapbook page I make, and that you are always willing to take over when I need to get away from the kids, even if it means that you're stuck with three little grumps while I'm relaxing in a hot bubble bath. You validate my needs as a wife and it makes me proud that I was smart enough to land a guy like you!

5. You are a jack of all trades-you can do ANYTHING and you're never afraid to try something new. Have you given gourmet cooking any thought???

6. I love that you always have to have a project. Sure, this can be expensive, but you are always going, always thinking, always creating...if the rapids and bears don't get you, and of course, if you can escape heart disease, then you will live forever with full mental capacity like your Grandfather who still skiis and designs webpages at 93!

7. You have a very easygoing, easy to like personality. You like pretty much everybody and can get along with anybody regardless of how different they are from you.

8. You are optimistic. You think positively and you ground me when I start getting down on something.

9. You share in my affinity for a good movie, a greasy pizza, and a Big Gulp. There may be a discrepancy on the definition of "good movie" but we both know that the Super Big Gulp is an essential part of any balanced weekend.

10. I love it when you build me things. Not cakes, which I do like, but whenever I see shelves or a table in a Pottery Barn catalog you're happy to make it for me for far less, and I'm happy to brag about what a handy man I've married.

11. I love your two gray hairs. I'm only in my twenties so I don't know what it's like going gray, but I love how well you've aged Brett, you look distinquished. You make the thirties look good!

12. I love what a history buff you are. If we chose teams for Trivial Pursuit (you know, if we had friends to play board games with) then I'd definately chose you on my team because you know all the presidents, when all the wars were, what the battles were called, who lived when and where and what they all did...you know a lot of history. And you know that if we were playing Cranium, well then, I'm your girl-as long as I don't have to do the humming questions.

13. I love that you love to take drives, especially in the fall. I love that you'll stop every ten feet on drives through the canyons so I can grab leaves to press too.

14. I love you in a sweater, mustard yellow or any other color.

15. I love that you can make a joke and lighten up tense situations. This usually works, unless I'm angry with you, in which case your jokes all of a sudden aren't so much funny as they are a feable attempt to dig yourself out of the hole you've created.

16. I love that when the jokes aren't working, you finally come around and say your sorry-it works everytime.

17. I love your Swan Dance

18. I love that I'm the english minor, and yet anytime I challenge a word you've used it's always in the dictionary. Lucky. I challenge you to a game of Scrabble anyway.

19. I love what a geek you are. You are always looking at things from an engineer's perspective, thinking about how a structure is made or how different mechanisms work. Me, I'm just glad there are people like you who understand it and make it all possible!

20. I love it when your foot reaches over and rubs mine in the night. It's an "I love you" without words.

21. I love that you'll play The Newlywed Game over and over with any group of people even though we usually always lose. But I know your toothbrush is blue and you know mine is green, everything else just doesn't even matter!

22. I love that you let me be myself and you don't have an agenda of what you expect of me. I'd love it if you came up with a "to do" list for me though...that'd be pretty funny!

23. I love that you support my staying at home to raise our children. Even when money is tight, you know that I'd rather be here to hear all the cute little things our kiddos say and to witness them rolling over and starting to walk and talk-that those things are more important than having a nice boat, designer clothes or furniture that isn't second hand. I appreciate the opportunity you afford me to stay home. Plus, the Brown Trout is a killer boat and you know it! It's vintage Baby!

24. I love that you love nuts. Because when someone makes the mistake of buying us an assorted box of See's candies, I know that half of them don't have to go to waste, you actually prefer those nutty guys!

25. I love that you love bacon and cheese and all things fried. Were we made for each other or what!?!

26. I love that we know each other well enough that we can interpret one another's thoughts from what is said. Like when we're on a dirt road on a mountain and there is an alternate route, when you say "I wonder where that road goes?" I know it really means, "I don't know where that road goes, do you mind if we drive it for the next two hours?" Or when you ask where something is and I say, "I don't know," you know that what I'm really saying is, "I might know, but we both know I'm too lazy to go get it."

27. I think Jemaine said it best: "Brett, you've got it go-in' o-o-on!"

28. I love that you're a hard worker. Anything you do you put your all into it and you don't stop until it's finished.

29. I love that you're assertive, you get your point across and get your way but you're polite about it.

30. I love that you are the best man I know, AND that you're mine. Unless you think the thing you and Reid have is worth a shot. He he he.

31. I love that you're in your thirties and I'm in my twenties. You're an old man Brett!!!

I love you Babe! I hope you know that, even if I'm a crappy gift giver and the best idea I've ever come up with on my own was a Dwight Schrute bobblehead doll! I hope you have/had a great birthday. Now I'm off to make your cake for me to eat later...

Happy Birthday Ariann!

I am usually embarrassed every year when I call Ariann for her birthday and realize that I've called a month early, only to forget to call or send a card the following month. I'm crappy when it comes to birthdays, but I never let go of a good friend, and this is one girl worth celebrating, even if I'm a month, or a few days off... (it really is May 21st isn't it???)
Happy Birthday Ariann!!! I'm posting birthday wishes to you for a special day. I'd like to write a few of my favorite things about my good ol' girl, thirty of them as she is 30 this year! Here it goes...

1. Ariann has been my best friend since junior high/high school-my "go to girl" who I call with all my BIG stuff, and who I can call about all the little stuff too. (it's rare to find these kinds of girlfriends, I know, I've looked!)
2. Ariann is judgemental, in a motherly protective cougar sort of way and she will claw the eyes out of anyone who crosses someone she loves.
3. Ariann will tell you when you have a zit ready to burst or a dangling nose monkey-she doesn't want you to be embarrassed, and she doesn't wanna look at the thing and pretend it's not there-it's not her style!
4. Ariann knows a good deal when she sees one. One year she bought me a skirt and when I opened the gift she said something to the effect of, "yeah, it's cute huh? I only paid 3 bucks for it on clearance, now will you wear it tomorrow so I can steal it?" She also steals clothes, but I've never loved that so it doesn't get it's own number.
5. Ariann sometimes returns clothes. You do have to go to her house and dig whatever you want back out from under a pile however.
6. Ariann always lets me cry on her shoulder, even if it's wasted tears over some stupid guy who she knows is stupid. She will also then tell you how stupid said guy is. (Pretty much my whole junior year she was running to get me tissue!)
7. Stove Top stuffing with sour cream, need I say more?
8. Ariann, my diabetic friend, has been known to smuggle cadbury creme eggs home in her bra so her Mom wouldn't find out. (Diane, if you're reading this, it wasn't my idea!)
9. Ariann will dress up in ridiculous clothing and shamelessly strut her stuff in public. I'd post pictures but it would draw too much attention!
10. Ariann isn't shy when it comes to buying bras with high fiber content, the more padded the better!
11. Ariann has an infectious laugh, a laugh that makes you laugh just hearing it.
12. Some of my fondest memories of high school are of my best friend and I lying around on the floor of my bedroom just talking and laughing, talking and laughing all night long.
13. Ariann knows my deep dark secrets and loves me anyway.
14. Ariann and I used to have secret meetings in the library otherwise known as "doctor appointments" to the attendance lady, where we'd try to read exerpts from steamy novels aloud to each other without laughing and we'd end up cracking up, peeing our pants a little bit, and getting seriously dirty looks from the librarian. We nearly got banned from the public library. Ariann, you're trouble!
15. strawberry daquiris in Pam's laundry room and harrassing Chris Miller. Yeah, you remember!
16.Ariann has always stood up for me, even if what someone else was saying was true and it just wasn't nice of them.
17. Ariann has always had a firm testimony of the gospel and has held me up with her faith when mine was lacking. I remember what amazing letters you'd write me during our freshman year Ariann, you'd write just what I needed to hear and you supported me from hundreds of miles away. I know that God loves me because he provided you in my life to help me through some really bad times, and to laugh with me during the good times too. I remember one time when you asked how I knew that there is a God, you are my answer. Your friendship is proof that God exists.
18.you aren't afraid to tell someone if what they're wearing makes them look fat.
19. also, you'll say what alot of people think but don't say. Sometimes you say it a little too loudly, but it's funny nonetheless!
20. you love cheesy love music. Your iPod is probably full of Air Supply, Chicago, and Eric Carmen isn't it?
21. you know how to recycle your paper, Grandma Dot would be so proud!
22. you tell good stories, even if you REALLY REALLY exaggerate.
23. you like to make people feel good...
by telling them that some hot guy is staring at them, only to find out later that said hot guy's friend thought I was constantly checking him out. Yes, remember when you unwittingly made me John Franklin's stalker??? Yeah, that 7th grade crush is hard to break huh? It's okay, we both know he's really gay, a guy that good looking HAS to be gay!
24. You're willing to admit that you had a crush on John Franklin. I never did. Never.
25. You flew back to go to our reunion with me and the best part of the whole thing was just being with you.
26.You know what you want. Yes Travis, if you're reading this, she knew she wanted to marry you since senior Prom night, since Senior Prom night!!! And you get what you want don't you Ariann! You go girl! (P.S. way to go with the iPod Travis, I think Ariann's post shamed many a husband!)
27. Ariann, you are someone who I can be myself with, you don't put on any fronts and you're so fun and easy to be with.
28.you get crazy about funny things, like not going in your yard because a snake might come after you, or wanting to flee Florida for fear that a gator will eat your babies. I think I get this nutty paranoia from you! (this week Brett is going on a river rafting trip and I'm afraid a bear will eat him, I even added into the clause of him going that his travel companions would have to find me a replacement husband should mine meet an untimely death!)
29. I love that you are still my same friend after all these years. Our families may change, our state of residence too, but I am always just a phone call away from someone who loves me. (Hopefully I'll make that call on time this year eh?)
30. I love that you are in your thirties and I'm still in my twenties. You're a freakin' old woman Ariann!!!
I love you Girl! I hope you have a special day!
-Wendy