...ahhhh....teeth....

One child losing teeth and one gaining teeth. Two phases I HATE.

Alexa is now 5 months and teething. Oh my. I can't stand the runny nose, drooling, the screaming and wailing. The waking up all night. I wish those darned things would just come in already.

And, as you can see, Ainsley is losing hers. It grosses me out. She sits there and turns them. They make this nasty creaking sound. oooh. Just thinking about it gives me the chills.

Yuck. Teeth. I am so glad I am not a dentist.

Flashback Friday

My friend Brittany does these Flashback Fridays which I love. So I thought I would start up the tradition. Except I am a day late!!!



I picked this beause I LOVE the hair. This is Ryan and his Grandma Joy. Joy is the best! She spoils the kids rotten and they always look forward to seeing her. By the way, she spoils me, too.

Soccer started up AGAIN!

It seems like last season just ended, but here we are again, spending our Saturdays full of sun and exercise. At least Ainsley's first game was at 7:30 am. We beat the heat today. I'm a little nervous, though. Ryan has a scout camp out next weekend, right in time for the 1:00 pm game! How in the world am I going to do that with a baby and 105 degree heat? Blah!

Ainsley did great! This is the first year for goalies, and they now kick the coaches off the field. She's growing up! It was fun to see them stay in their positions, and pass the ball, etc. Good bye to the clumping in a big pack the ball. (I hated that!) Hello to the real game! yay!

I love to see the temple aka let's go to Dairy Queen

Monday night for Family Home Evening we decided to take the kids on a field trip to the temple. We wanted to do something fun and spiritual. Well, it's always nice to throw in some bribery for good behavior, right? So we told them if they were good we would go to Dairy Queen after.

I LOVE the Mesa Arizona Visitors Center. It's just fun. We went in the little "house" movie thing about the grandparents that die. Is it called our Heavenly Fathers Plan? Anyway, the kids loved it.

After, we were outside looking at the fountain, when I decided to make the best of this teaching opportunity by recognizing the spirit. "Ainsley," I said. "How did you feel during that presentation?" "Fine." Fine? "Well, did you like it?" "Yes, it was kind of weird."
Brandon steps in at this point. "Mom, let me try. I felt the Holy Ghost and it was the spirit making me feel good to let me know what we saw was true."
Wow! I stood there kind of amazed at my sweet little boy.

I guess he just knew what I wanted to hear because it was followed by, "Now that that's out of the way, can we go to Dairy Queen?"

Parenting - By Ryan

Sometimes I don't know how to parent these little people that live at my house. I'm trying to be more patient with them, but it's so hard sometimes. Here's a sample of what I caught myself saying just the other day:

"Brandon, don't handcuff the baby to the piano!" [as one end of the plastic handcuffs were going around the baby's foot and the other end around the leg of the piano.]

"Brandon, sidewalk chalk does not go on the garage door or on the stucco"

"Ainsley, don't run across the carpet with your chalky, dirty feet."

And seriously, why do we make dinner anyway? Some days, I think we should just grate a big block of cheese and open a can of olives and let them go to town.

Here are some things I've learned while being a parent:

I've learned that once a child turns 7 years old, everything you say to that child will either be followed by the phrase "Why do I have to..." or "Why can't I..."

I've learned that a MegaBlaster super soaker holds an enormous amount of water, and that the volume of water seems exponentially greater when the super soaker finds its way into the kitchen.

I've learned that even though I have an MBA, I no longer know the difference between a vowel, a consonant, or a suffix, thus making me totally unqualified to help with second grade homework.

I've learned that if I don't handle the situation carefully, trying to help a child learn "Grammar Rule #9" can cause the whole family to melt down into total chaos.

I've learned that, while Moonsand sounds like a good idea at the time, it is actually a creation of the devil.

I've learned that you don't really want to know what happens to Moonsand when it gets wet.

I've learned to hate "Grammar Rule #9."

I've learned that an entire roll of paper towels is not sufficient to clean up all of the water from a MegaBlaster super soaker, mixed with moonsand. ("Bounty...the quicker-picker-upper"...my eye!)

I've learned that there are really bad consequences when a five-year old child eats an entire can of olives.

I've learned that there's nothing that can make a dad more proud than watching his child score their first goal, or ride a two-wheeler for the first time.

I've learned that nothing is better than when a child spontaneously puts their arms around your neck and hugs you and tells you they love you.

What have YOU learned? Post some things you have learned while being a parent in our 'comments' section below.

Trying to be creative...

So, my counter is usually a disaster. With mail, homework papers, etc., I can hardly see the surface. AND I often hear, "where's my reading log?" "I can't find a pencil." It was driving me crazy.

So, I came up with this easy sew idea. Here is a picture of the proto type I has my mom make for me. (thanks, mom.)

What I did was take 2 placemats and sew them together. That way, It's a bit thicker, and already hemmed and lined. Then we made pockets for pencils and sharpeners out of scrap material, and hung it on the back of the barstool. After homework, all papers that aren't going in the backpack go in this holder. We also put a calendar of school due dates in it, for those stressful moments of "when is my poem memorization due?" or book report or whatever. This has been an awesome thing to have, with one problem.

IT'S UGLY!!!

Can you believe I used to use those placemats? heehee. So, here's where I need your help.

PLEASE give me some ideas on how to make a good looking one or on upgrading it a bit. I would love to hear your crafty solutions!!!!!

BTW, I was cutting up chicken tonight when Brandon asked me what the yummy part inside chicken nuggets is made from.
Chicken.
Are you sure?
Pretty sure.
Why doesn't it taste like chicken?
I don't know.
This kid cracks me up.

Piercing Ears!

Ainsley and her best friend, Rebecca, decided to get their ears pierced together, and today was the day! Ainsley was a little nervous, but was brave and didn't cry at all! I think she wanted to for a minute. All night long she kept reminding me how much they hurt.
Her CZ's are so sparkly I am jealous. Can I get some diamonds like that, please???

As for the boy...
Brandon has a bunch of friends joining a basketball league. I asked him if he wanted to play on their team. This was his response.
"I will only play if I can use a remote control ball."
And he was totally serious.

Priorities? It's been a while!!!

Okay, so it's been a while since I posted. Where are my priorities???
Actually, I have to blame all of you.
For example, Shayla (McLaughlin)has got me creating. Finding ways to create and do things on my own. I even asked for a sewing machine for my birthday!!!
Meredith (Simpson)has got me trying to spend more time with my kids and be a better mom. So who has time anymore?
Seriously, though. If you have time, check out their websites. They have been amazing lately!!!
But, I wanted to show you a picture of last weeks game. Just to prove that my priorites ARE actually straight, and our kids still know what team we represent.

Now seriously, is that not the face of someone repulsed by the Cougars? Sorry Ryan, we may have a future SunDevil on our hands!