This picture was taken last year, at the first game of the season.

I'm turning into my Mother. I got Hannah a swim suit back on March 31st, I know because I just found my receipt. Anyway, I have noticed that it's become a bit stretched out lately. She went to put in on today and it looked funny it was so stretched out. So, I made her take it off and I went back to Justice to return it. Call me crazy, but shouldn't swim suits last more than a couple of months???? I figure she didn't start swimming in it until May. Why does nothing last anymore? It's starting to drive me crazy. We are on our third dishwasher in this house!!! That's nuts. I say I'm turning into my Mom because she'll take anything back if it hasn't met expectations. A few years old...doesn't matter she'll take it back, but I'm starting to think she has the right idea.



I had to eat the last of the chocolate amaretto cookies ice cream sandwiches...I worked so hard this morning in Total Conditioning...I needed my strength. I enjoyed every mouthful of it too. My arms were so tired after that class I was really wondering if I would be able to hold Hope. Don't worry, I could, but Hunter had to hoist her into the car seat for me. He said "Mom are you okay to drive???" "I think so, I guess we will find out" :)



Hunter started football practice last Saturday, and the end of the lazy summer is in sight. Bummer. Just when I was really starting to embrace it. The kids start school on August 27th. But this football stuff is a killer. 4 practices a week! They really work these kids too. Hunter knows the kind of pain I am feeling today. I went to practice on Saturday and thought about how sore I'd be if I was doing what they were doing. Texas football, I'm learning, is a big deal.

Zesty Porcupine Meatballs

I found this recipe at Allrecipes.com and it's a keeper. I had never heard of these before, then one day I asked Scott what he wanted for dinner. He mentioned this dish he used to have at a friend's house called porcupine meatballs. It seems like it's a popular dish, there are lots of different varieties out there, but this one looked good to me and I had all the stuff. I've made it a couple times, and the kids like it...but Scott loves it. It's his kind of food.

Zesty Porcupine Meatballs
SUBMITTED BY: Michelle R."These meatballs are easy to make and a favorite around our house. Serve over hot rice."

Original recipe yield:4 to 6 servings
PREP TIME
20 Min
COOK TIME
20 Min
READY IN
40 Min


INGREDIENTS
1 egg
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup (I have used one can soup one can sauce)
1/4 cup instant rice (I used regular rice a little over 1/4 cup cooked)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS
Lightly beat egg with a fork, then add a heaping tablespoon of the soup and mix lightly. Mix in rice, onion, parsley, onion salt and pepper. Stir in the ground beef and mix well with hands. From mixture into 1 1/2 inch round meatballs.
Coat a large skillet over medium heat with cooking spray. Cook meatballs and brown on all sides.
Combine remaining soup with Worcestershire (you can increase or decrease Worcestershire to your liking), stir until smooth, then spoon over meatballs. Cover with lid and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes

Pull my finger Brother Bush

Oh that Hayden. Why is it that when you'd like your children to act their best...they act their worst? Hayden really tries to push the limit when my visiting teachers and home teachers are here. So tonight he was doing pretty good...until the end of the lesson and he got a little bored. Out of nowhere, "pull my finger Brother Bush". We tried to ignore it, but then Hannah goes and pulls his finger, and you know what happens after that. Nice.

The fridge was delivered yesterday and I love it! It's so funny to get so excited about a fridge, but I am. I spent way too long last night, (when I should have been reading Harry Potter) arranging the inside. We got a good deal through a "contact" Scott has at LG, but that meant we got the pleasure of setting that bad boy up. Scott had to take the door off it's hinges to even get it inside the house. But, we managed to get it in, set up and hooked up without scratching it. That's what I was afraid of. Dinner is calling. Oh no wait that's just the kids telling me they are hungry. Porcupine meatballs for dinner, yum.

Your husband must really like YOU!

Have you ever noticed some men really like pregnant women? I noticed this especially at the gym. I worked out quite hard while pregnant and some people, men particularly, thought I was crazy. Some men kind of "liked it" gross-go bother your own wife, I'm just here to get a workout in!!

Don't worry I'm getting to my point. But first there was this one guy at the gym. He seemed like a regular Joe, he'd would say stuff like "how are you feeling" normal things. Until one day he came into the gym at the same time as me and he says "Your husband must really like you." I was rather shocked and amazed (did he just say what I thought he just said) and it took me a few moments to recover. Then I just laughed and said "Do you mean because I'm pregnant?" "Well yes, I don't mean to be weird, but I love pregnant women and you look beautiful". Ahhh, too late, you are weird!! I was 8 months pregnant and my maternity workout clothes weren't fitting so great anymore. I was getting BIG, my hair was in a grungy ponytail and I had little to no make-up on. Not my best moment. Most normal people would have said "oh poor thing, but good for her for trying"! Anyway, I guess it takes all kinds and he never said anything else really to me but he always smiled.

Another person that has always said HI to me and made small talk about working out during pregnancy and the baby was this other dude. Just a friendly guy not creepy or weird at all. A few nights ago, Scott and I were watching the evening news and there he was. He is a sports newscaster from CBS. There is his picture. He is the one on the far left side. How weird is that. So, Butch (that's really his name) came up to me and said HI today. And I said "I saw you a few nights ago on the news". He laughed and said people are always coming up to him and asking "how do I know you? Did we go to high school together?" Weird that he works out at Lifetime! I wondered why he was always there in the morning time. Also, just so you know...the guy in the middle is a Mormon, his name is Giff Nelson a BYU quarterback.

Hey what's going on here?? I still have a chest!

I'm off to start Harry Potter right after this...Hunter finished last night at about 11:30. I was asleep in bed and he busted in and said "I finished Mom!! IT was so good I couldn't put it down." Can't wait to go start, but I had to check in with all my gals today.

I felt like a domestic goddess today. :) I grocery shopped-filled up two carts. I'm not joking. Hunter had to push one and I pushed the other...and I only spent $168. I didn't have to buy any milk today that's why it was so "low" for 2 carts worth. Can you believe the price of milk these days? I can't. Neither can Scott. He went in a couple of days ago for a couple of gallons and paid $4.19 per gallon at Walmart. I usually buy milk at Costco for almost a dollar less. But, anyway...last night at dinner Hunter was guzzling the milk and Scott said after his 2nd glass..."Why don't you have some water now?" I giggled.

The house was FULL of kids today playing nerf guns, Wii, you name it we had it going on today. I started cooking dinner at about 3 pm and didn't stop until 6, when the missionaries showed up. I made that Chicken Ragu on my menu, and then I made these amaretto chocolate chip ice cream sandwich cookies for dessert. To die for good. Hope had a good old time with all the action going on. You know who helped the most with Hope? Hunter and his friend Ethan. Ethan is the baby and he is really cute with Hope. So, is Hunter but you know I think that already anyway. It's fun to see boys that age taking an interest in a baby. They will be good Daddies someday.

Yesterday Hannah and I went shopping at Justice for some school clothes. She is always bugging me to go into that store. But since it's "Justice-just for girls" the boys would rather die than set foot in there. Hunter one time said it was "humiliating!" to go in there. So, I took her while Scott was home for lunch. It's real close to my house. We had a fun little hour of shopping-just Hannah and I. That girl is so skinny! If the pants don't have the adjustable waist, we aren't buying them. I LOVE that adjustable waist band. We did some good clearance shopping and got some good deals. Good times.

I realized something else today...I'm still about 5-7 pounds heavier than before I had Hope, but I still have some boobs!! I'm not super flat yet. With all the other babies, all my weight plus some had been off by now, but so have my boobs. I'm kind of liking this new me. Maybe I'll just keep eating those amaretto chocolate chip cookies and enjoy life a little bit more and keep some boobs.

Here's the cute book I got in the mail from Jan! Jori picked names for a fun children's book swap and Jan got my name. I've never read that one, and I really liked it. It's a cute story about a Grandma, Grandpa, a little girl and their hello/goodbye window. It's a Caldecott Honor book from 2006 I think. Thanks Jan.


She is crying/whining ...NOT smiling.
She has been chewing on the thera-band thingee and that black rubber bracelet like there is no tomorrow. It's making her happy so I'm going with it!


It has been a loooong day with this girl. She has about 4 teeth that are coming in. Her nose is running and she has been a crabby girl today. I'm kind of scared to nurse her...she might use me as a teether! Bed is calling to her.

Bonjourno

Oh my gosh, Giada from Everyday Italian is my new BFF. I have been obsessing about her Food Network show for the last week or so. I have about 10 on my DVR that I haven't erased yet. I've only watched about 5, but everything she has made looks amazing. I've got a huge recipe box on the Food Network web-site. If you like Italian food it's worth checking her out.

Chow!

I did it!

Cute little picture of Hope that Hayley took in Utah.

I'm at a cross roads on what book to read. Hunter has been entirely too social the last few days and is only on page 489 of Harry. I'm thinking I should pick up book 6 and re-read parts, because I don't remember a lot of it. Last night at book club, Andrea's (the hostess) husband came home from a business trip. He said he went from book store to book store at the airport and read 3 chapters yesterday...their copy was at home with Andrea. That made me laugh. Desperate times call for desperate measures!



So I have officially "tracked" my food storage. I used that trackmyfoodsotrage.com (thanks Holly for telling me about this web-site!) and it is pretty cool. My sister Heidi inspired me while we were in Utah to get organized in that aspect of my life. I have plenty stored away...no where near the 1 year supply amount...but didn't know exactly "what" and where exactly "what" was stored. But not now baby. It has a cool inventory tracker. So, I can pull up the case of diced tomatoes I bought and see that it's stored on my food storage shelf (in my closet grrrrr), and when it expires. It has these cool grafts so that I can see I have (only!!) 247 lbs of the 1787 pounds of grain that I need for a year supply. How can that be??? Where would I store 35 more 50 lb buckets of wheat and oatmeal? Maybe I should reevaluate my food storage goals until I move someplace with a basement. We would seriously be "decorating" with 50 lb buckets!! A coffee table would be 5 buckets with a slab of wood across it. I don't know, but it is very cool to have everything organized in one of five places, and to know exactly where it is.

It's all Scott's fault

Last night we went over to our friend's house to play some dominoes and blockus. Their baby turned one in April. Anyway, this little girl was walking around being as cute as can be...but getting into stuff. Scott says, "I'm not really looking forward to that stage with Hope quite yet". Well that was it. This morning Hope has been crittering all around. She is crawling all over and pulling up on stuff. She was in my bathroom and she kept pulling up on the tub and grabbing her little bar of Dove soap. She even fell twice. The first time she smacked her head on the tile, but I didn't react and neither did she. The second time she bonked her little mouth, that's got a mouthful of teeth trying to pop through mind you, so she cried. Then she moves over to my cabinet. You could just see the excitement in her eyes. I was loving it. I love seeing her explore and discover. To see her looking at the little box of Q-tips-how amazing!!

Hannah just made me laugh. She has got her neighbor friend Katie over. Katie brought over a packet of seeds to plant. They have this little corner at the side of the house by the A/C unit they call their garden. The girls were in there trying to divide up the seed packet equalling so they could each plant some. Katie says they need to count the seeds...Hannah's reply" Come on Katie get over it, I think you even have more seeds than me...who cares, but we are not counting these little seeds!" You go girl.

How about a little jalapeno in your eye

Yesterday for dinner I made some yummy chicken with mango salsa. It was delicious. But...I did a stupid thing...I tried to yank the seeds out with my fingers instead of slicing it open and cutting away the seeds. I wasn't thinking, I was cutting it like it was a green pepper. Well, about an hour later, my three fingers started burning, they actually kind of hurt. They smelled like jalapeno too. So, this morning I go to put in my contacts, and OH MY GOSH, even after washing my hands like a mad woman, that juice is still on there enough to burn the crap out of my eyes. Learn from me people and be smarter with your jalapenos!

I'll admit, I was a few minutes late for church yesterday. The kids and I were walking in right as the bishopric member was announcing the open prayer. Lucky me. The "spirit" prompted him and he asked ME from across the pulpit... while I was walking in dragging 4 kids. (Scott was already sitting on the pew, he had meetings earlier.) I don't know about you, but the last half hour or so before church are a little crazy around here, and it usually takes me a few minutes to calm down and feel the spirit. I sat down, handed the baby over and started praying. If I wasn't feeling the spirit a minute before, I sure wasn't feeling it then. You should have seen the look I shot that man!! But it all turned out all right, I did a fine job and I even enjoyed the meeting. See what the spirit can do! Not a huge fan of being asked to say the opening prayer as I walk into the meeting though!!!

Sometimes we just don't get it as parents,you know?? I was in the primary room yesterday, and this Dad was yelling at his little boy for touching his sister. The Dad WAS talking and the little sister was annoyed with the little boy, but I watched it, and the little boy wasn't being mean, he was actually trying to help his baby sister. This other lady and I looked at each other and I said "sometimes we just miss it don't we?" Why is it we can see "it" for other people, but we miss "it" in our own lives. Oh...help me be more patient with my kids, not get annoyed when they bug Hope for the millionth time and make her fuss. They aren't being mean (maybe super annoying to me but...)they are just trying to say "I love you"

Well, it's 10:15 and I'm still sitting around in my garments. I'll try and put my contacts in again so I can see. I already decided it's an at home day. BTW, I have been up with Hope since 6. I'm just having a lazy morning. I'm NOT going to feel rushed this morning, I'm taking MY TIME.

Here is the new dress I bought for my sister-in-laws wedding. Doesn't that look comfy. I was walking by Banana Republic on Friday and saw it hanging in the window. I went it and bought it off the rack, without even trying it on. I like the shoes too. Those I'll have to try on though. :)

Nothing too important to report

Happy Birthday to my Mom. It's only 11 pm so it's still her day. I called and talked to that woman and it sounds like she is having a good day.

I don't know where this day went. It seriously flew by. I made it to a Pilate's/yoga class at the gym today and it felt so good. Hannah had a volleyball game today at 1. I like volleyball, it's inside and there are comfy chairs to sit on. She is a cute girl out there on the court. We went to Sweet Tomatoes for lunch today AFTER volleyball which was quite tasty. But that meant nobody was all that hungry for dinner. Oh too bad for me, I didn't have to make anything! Luckily, we had leftovers and turkey for sandwiches. Scott hung up the new chandelier-looks good. I am trying to read A Thousand Splendid Suns for book club on Tuesday. I was only about 1/3 into the book, so I have some reading to do. Good book though. Harry Potter is up next. Hunter is reading it now. Good thing he is a fast reader!

Meet my new Foodsaver

So for the past 5 years or so I have looked at these Foodsavers at Costco and Target. I've always thought they looked cool and would be quite handy. Part of my compulsive house organizing/cleaning/improvements....I cleaned out the freezer. There were things in there that were less than a month old and that already had freezer burn. So, yesterday at Costco I "treated" myself to a Foodsaver. I spent Hope's nap time vacuum sealing cheeses and meat. I even tried hot dog buns...but that didn't turn out so well. You see I was multi-tasking while I was doing it...I talked on the phone the whole time :).

The next thing on my list of to-do's...figure out how much food storage I have. More importantly, how much I don't have, and what I need to buy. I keep pushing that job off until later. As it is, I have to take Hope for her 9 month pictures. So, later, I'll do it later.

Happy 9 month birthday to Hope! Poor girl got 2 shots today and hardly even cried.

Talk about compulsive Hayley (Hayley thinks she has ocd)...I have been on a home improvement kick around here. I have decided Lowe's is a much better place than Home Depot. I walked into Lowe's today, and two people ask if they could help me right away. How's that for customer service? The third person that asked I said sure...help me find this light. I got a new chandelier for over my kitchen table. I'll finally be rid of that ugly piece the builder put up. I figured it was meant to be, it was marked $198 on the display, but when I found the box it was clearanced for $49. You've got to love a good deal. I cleaned out both linen closets and I have a love seat couch full of old towels. I'm not exactly sure what to do with them. I can't possibly use them all for rags, but I feel so wasteful throwing them away. I think I'll pick out the good ones, and maybe donate the rest. Just what the poor of Houston need, right, a ratty towel? It's so nice to have space and room to breathe, even if it's in a linen closet. I found a bunch of junk that got pitched. I even got up in the attic today, hence the picture. Scott got this "head flashlight" when he went to scout camp, and you better believe I mocked him...but after I dropped the MAG light from the attic...I strapped that thing on and I was in LOVE. I made Hunter model for you :). A very handy (but funny looking) little thing.

Hayden boxing

Quick kids before she changes her mind!

We just got back from the pool, we actually swam today. We have tried but it's but storming like nobodies business here...what else is new right? This has been one heck of a wet summer. When we came home from our trip our yard looked... well, like a jungle. But anyway, Hannah and Hayden went over to the Dollar's house and Hunter and his friend Drake came here. As Lori and I were parting ways (aka me skipping gleefully off) I said "I think I got the better end of the deal here!!!!!!!!!!! Quick kids before she changes her mind." hahaha. Hope is in bed and the Hunter/Drake combo are happily playing the Wii. Gosh I love that thing! It's my new summer friend. I'm going to have to figure out the whole posting video on the blog thing, because watching Hayden box on the Wii is a sight you must behold. He was boxing last night and he says, "Mom this is hard work!" I went over to him and he was sweating, his hair was wet and his shirt was "moist" (for you Kristi) :) He does this jogging in place and swinging his arm crazy man thing that's a kick. Anyway, my few precious moments are slipping away and my book and comfy chair are calling to me.

Hope in the tub tonight, I just like that girl.

This is what I found when I went to get Hope out of her bed this morning. She pulled herself to standing today. She has been crawling for about 2 weeks...I mean she would take one "crawl" if you know what I mean. But, not tonight. She crawled half the length of the room to "get me". Oh that girl.

Lots of pictures tonight. Before our trip, I discovered a leak coming from my bathroom shower...leaking into the office...through the ceiling. Lovely. We had a plumber come out that day, but they couldn't do it until the day before we left...and we just opted to wait and have it fixed when we got home. We just couldn't use that shower, that's all. Until today. The leak has been fixed and I now have a huge hole in my ceiling. Isn't it lovely? The plumber doesn't fix the hole, he just makes it. So, on top of the arm and leg we paid him to MAKE that hole, we have to pay somebody to fix it. Although, our friend David and Scott think they can fix it???? Maybe.

That being said, Scott installed our new dishwasher last night by himself. It took him until midnight, but hey, it's in and looks great. We ordered up our new fridge today, that should be in 10 days from now. Can't wait!! I got the LG fridge with the french doors on...oh heck I'll just put a picture in here.

Oh you know what else I bought today?? New towels. The last time my Dad was here, he kept using the rags...they are clearly on another shelf...what was the problem? I think he thought they looked better than my towels. hehehe! So, right now my washer/dryer are humming with fluffy, new towels. I'm just going to ditch the old towels. Maybe some are fit to be used as rags...
Shoot, I might as well show you the new dishwasher too. I'm excited, can you tell?

Building Brotherly Bonds

Before I left for Utah I was on a mad search for a Nintendo Wii. (Do you know about the Wii? If not...go check out this link) They are very hard to find. Stores get like one or two in a shipment every OTHER week. Oh my gosh. I got caught up in the frenzy. I was calling Target and Game Stop every few days for 2 weeks. No luck. I was beginning to wonder if I'd find one for Hunter's birthday. He said he wanted one instead of a party. But then...one day we were driving by a Game Stop...with out Hunter. Hannah said "Mom go check they might have a Wii." So I did and THEY did. They had just gotten two in and had one left. They sell like hotcakes. I was so excited...I started acting like a crazy person. I find it funny because "I" don't want a Wii...and it's not like they are cheap. But anyway, I found one and I was so excited, but I couldn't share because Hunter reads this blog. When the kids and Scott got home last night, I had it all wrapped up and ready for him. They have played ping pong, golf, skeet (not sure if that's how you spell it) shooting, baseball, boxing, tennis, bowling, laser hockey, cow racing...what else...can't remember anymore, but you get the point. Fun stuff. Hunter said this morning, "Mom do you like how Hayden and I are building a brotherly bond together?"

Happy Birthday Hunter

Happy Birthday to Hunter. He is 3 in this picture and all dressed up for Holly's wedding.

11 great things about Hunter:

1. He is a funny kid and can make me laugh...hard.
2. He likes root beer floats.
3. He is a good "baby sitter" with Hope. She really loves Hunter.
4. He is a good friend to others.
5. He likes most of the food I make-except Chinese food.
6. He likes to run and is really fast.
7. He is figuring out how to be a really good listener, most of the time :).
8. He is good at sports.
9. He loves to read.
10. He is a smart kid.
11. He is my little boy who is growing up way too fast.

Happy Birthday Hunter. I love you.

The party is ending.

Here is what we have been up to the last couple of days...

Here is the truck and below is the tire. It gives you a little perspective.

We made it to the copper pit. The size of that tire is something else, right? That's the size of the trucks that hauls "stuff" out of the pit. That was some hole!

We went to Sweet Candy Factory. We all had to wear hear nets. Even little Hoper, we were all amused by that. They stick beard nets on baby's heads. We tried warm peach taffy. Yum!
We went for a cool hike on the "Rock Mouth" trail. The trail head was in this really pretty neighborhood...just right there. You hike up that and you come to a really pretty waterfall. Very cool. Pretty stuff is all over here. It's crazy.


Friday night we went up Mill Creek Canyon and had foil dinners, smores and birthday cake for Hunter. There was a stream very near that the kids played in. Again...they got very wet and dirty. But they had a blast! Hayden came to the edge and didn't put a toe in...oh no he just went and jumped. We even managed a hike. Thank heavens for Hayley's washing machine, between dirt and Hope's blowouts...we would have been coming home to a suitcase full of dirty clothes. Now, I'm done, I just need to put it all away.

But the party is ending. Scott and the kids left this morning. Hayley, Heidi and I are heading out to Dodo's again :), Roberts and who knows what.

What a day!

Scott and I joined in the fun too!

Hayden's face cracked me up on this-plus he was so intense about the control stick-bring on the speed!
Such pretty flowers, and the smell up there was won-der-ful!
See? Gloves.
She was so cute doing all kinks of back-flips!
Good brother.
The Peruvian chairlift was very high...but it was so pretty. Hope cried a lot up there. I think her ears hurt. You see how she is sitting? I had to "pop" a boobie out to feed her on the way up...on the way down...she just cried.


I kept hearing "This is the best day Mom" all day yesterday. We went up to Snowbird yesterday to do all their "summer activities". It opened at 11...we were there by 10:45 and didn't leave until about 1/2 before it closed (about 7:30). We might have stayed until 8 but there was thunder and lightning in the area, and I don't know about you, but I didn't want to be stuck on the top of some mountain with lightning all around. I am totally afraid of heights, but even I had fun. We did everything-go check out the web-site, it was fun. They had this trampoline you jump on while attached to bungee cords. So, I did it, but I didn't do any special tricks. The kids and even the dude that was working kept trying to get me to. I do NOT succumb to peer pressure!! haha By the end of the day I even did the zip-rider and cackled all the way down. My favorite was the alpine slide. We even managed to take the tram up the mountain, take about a 20 minute hike, and play in some snow. By the time I made it there, Hayden had his socks off his feet and he was using them as mittens! Good times.