As if I didn't torture him enough....

So, as many of you who read my blog know, I took Eric to see Mamma Mia a few months ago...he said I owed him big time! Apparently, he didn't learn his lesson the first time because tonight I took him, along with our good friends, Patti and Andy Alder, to see Phantom of the Opera. Oh, am I in BIG trouble! You would think by now he would learn to say no...(he tried...he asked one of his co-workers at the hospital to go in his place...she apparently doesn't like dating other peoples spouses...expecially women!...hahaha! At least I fed him first (Olive Garden...yum!) It was a good evening for all of us (eric even got a nap in during the show...after he was caught holding Andy's hand :-o!!)What a good man he is...he cancelled his class for tonight and it was a lot of fun being with friends who aren't afraid to act like toddlers with us! I swear they aren't going to let us out in public together anymore! The show was great...not my very favorite broadway show but I was happy I experienced it! There is a very long list of Broadway shows I would LOVE to see...I just may be watching them alone! Anyways, when we got home, Hailey had written a message on our dry-erase board in the kitchen that said "mom and dad...I hope your date was really really great tonight...love, Hailey" how sweet...then lower on the board it said "mom and dad kissed on their date!" and then, at the very bottom it said "mom and dad love each other" yes, we do...thanks for noticing! And we love our kids too! Until next time...

Grandma Duncan

Happy Birthday, Grandma Duncan! We hope you love your flowers! Love, Hailey, Cayson, Jaxson, & Deni

Twilight Movie 11/21/08

Okay...take a look at this and tell me you aren't as excited as me?!?! Oh, the things in life that make us giddy...Until next time...

If you have my autograph...better hang on to it...it could be worth something someday!

Okay...so I was picking Jaxson and Deni up from school on Wednesday when Teacher Valerie gave me a sheet of paper asking if I would be one of the parents involved in meeting Senator Murray at the kids' school on October 17 to discuss HeadStart and the resources available to us as parents. Sure, no problem...until I read that there will be media involved...a little more hesitant, but, hey...why not?!?! Then the next day (Thurs) I was picking up kids again (you think I would learn and let Eric do it from now on)...when Teacher Valerie runs out after me saying..."Janel needs you to call her". Janel is a social services specialist from HeadStart that is also over the policy council of which I am the current president so it is not unusual that I would get a phone call from her. I was loading the kids up in the van and since Eric had the older kids I was in no hurry to get home so I sat in my van on my cell phone and called Janel...she had called to see if I would be so willing as to join her and another HeadStart employee on Oct 22 to be interviewed on PBS for a piece on education something or other. I know it is only PBS and not a lot of people watch it...but still...I was excited that they thought to include me! I guess my next step is the BBC...(just kidding!) Anyways, I am happy about it..HeadStart has done a lot for our family and we have made lots of lifelong friends from the program...I recommend it to anyone who has kids...(it makes me want to have more...well, that may be overreacting just a bit!) Until next time....

Glenna

Happy Birthday, Aunt Glenna! We Miss You! Love, Hailey, Cayson, Jaxson, & Deni

Kim

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kim! We Love You! Thanks for being our friend! Love, Hailey, Cayson, Jaxson & Deni

Thanks for trying to help...but next time don't!

Okay...it's Tiphaine here! Hello to all! So, the other day I was putting groceries away in the pantry and I smelled something rotten. I couldn't quite figure out where the smell was coming from so i started cleaning off the shelves. I started at the top and worked my way down...sorting and tossing and organizing and wiping things down. Still the smell was awful...when I got done with the last shelf...I still couldn't find the smell so I started removing the 5 gallon buckets filled with flour, sugar, and such. When I moved the last bucket...I found the smell...an almost (but not quite) empty bag of potatoes...ROTTEN! Yuk! They were not put back in their spot...someone decided to hide them apparently. They were so rotten that they were leaking all over the pantry floor and the purple print on the outside of the potato bag was now staining my pantry floor....I went to go get the mop to clean it up and Jaxson (the big helper) said, "Mommy...I won't let Deni get into it!" "Thanks, Jaxson...you stay away from it, too!" was my response. When I came back into the pantry from getting the mop wet, I turned around and was immediately met with purple footprints going from my pantry to the bathroom to the kitchen and back to the bathroom...AAAGGGHHHH!!! Jaxson and Deni, both, decided to "dance" from the pantry throughout the rest of the house and thought the purple footprints were the coolest thing ever! Oh, I could have beat them both...but instead, handed them each a wet towel and told them they had to clean it up! They were not too happy that I was making them mop up their masterpiece. Oh...I can't wait until the next adventure....perhaps it will be a mudpie in my bathroom sink (oh, wait...that already happened last week...I sure do wish those two had school on Fridays!)

Twilight Saga (this is a long one...)

Okay...so I need to find a Twilight Anonymous meeting to go to. Can anyone help me? For those of you who don't know what I am talking about...where have you been? The Twilight Saga is a series of 4 books, written by an LDS author named Stephenie Meyer, about a vampire who falls in love with a human. That is the jist of it....kind of. Anyways, I really didn't want to get started with these books in the first place because I have seen friends get addicted to them to the point that they had a countdown of when the next book would come out...that is way out of my comfort level (and one of the reasons I did not read Harry Potter...) I can't read part of the story and wait a whole year for the next part of the story...I need it all at once...Well, my mom came for a visit and had read the first one she had borrowed from my neice. So she bought herself one and left it for me to read (I hope she knows she won't be getting it back!) She left at about 10-ish am and lucky for me, it was a rainy day...the kids sat on the couch and watched tv most of the day...and I read! I was done with the book(400-ish pages maybe) by 9-ish pm...I decided I could wait until the next day to read book 2 (until I read the first chapter of book 2 at the end of book 1). I called Eric at work and asked him if I could get book 2 from Barnes & Noble across the street from his work (class doesn't end until 10 but b&n closes at 10...do you see my dilema?)Anyways, I got the book that night (spoiled, I know!) and had it finished by noon the next day (it rained...thanks, mother nature). I got on the computer and checked to see if my Borders coupon had been emailed to me and lucky me...in my inbox was a 40% off coupon...hallelujah! I rushed over to Borders in the rain and got book #3 and #4(book 4 was on the bestsellers list so it was already 40% off). I had books 3 &4 read in the next day and a half...that is 2500 pages in 3 days. Not only that, but in the next 3 days, I had them all read again...that is 5000 pages in 1 week (Eric said it is not something to brag about and my neighbors kept asking me if I had fed my kids..."yes", I would say...and I also did 4 loads of laundry daily!) I am an official "Twilighter". They are great books for those of you who are readers (they are even great for you non-readers)...it is a great story and you really get into the books. There are several ladies at church who read them and on Sundays we have a discussion on them...I think all of my books are currently out on lend right now...I even have a waiting list (I feel like the library!) I can't wait for the movie to come out! I am way excited! November 21st...you can find me in line at the movie theater...I already have a sitter lined up (thanks, eric!) Pathetic...I know...but at least I am willing to admit it! Until next time....

Oldie, but Goodie...

Okay, so Eric fixed me up with another computer (he has a multitude of them at his office) so he decided to bring me one home...how sweet! Anyways, I still can't promise that the postings will be any closer together! I could have put this posting under "they said what?!?!" but I chose to do it this way instead....

Last year while staying at Gma & Gpa Nelson's house...the kids were getting ready for bed and Cayson came in and said..."Mom, Deni pulled some black stuff out of the rectangle CD!" Not knowing what in the heck he was talking about...I went to investigate only to go back into the Family Room laughing so hard...Deni had pulled the ribbon out of the cassette tape and poor Cayson had no clue what the darn thing was! Are we really THAT old!?!?! Anyways, it is this story that inspired my new cassette tape on the blog that plays some of my favorite songs...let me know what you think! Until next time...(hopefully it will be sooner than later!)

P.S....Happy Birthday, Dad! Thanks for being the greatest dad anyone could have asked for! Lots of Love!

9/11

God Bless America!

Papa Mike

Happy Birthday, Papa Mike! Thanks for being our friend!
Love, Hailey, Cayson, Jaxson & Deni

Wii Are A Happy Family!

So the other day I had a hard day...getting ready for school to start on Tuesday (hallelujah!!), going through the kids' clothes to see how many outfits were going to be needed for school, and still trying to get daily chores done before a cranky daddy came home from work...we got most of it done but I figured it was safer for the kids to go to bed than for them to keep trying to "help" me. After I thought all the kids went to bed, I sat on the couch with my feet up (and my stupid books I am addicted to-look for them on a later post) I heard a ka-thunk, ka-thunk (there were approximately 11 ka-thunks) from upstairs...I went to investigate just to be scared at the bottom of the stairs by Cayson...I think I caught him off guard as well! He was coming downstairs to let me know that all the other kids were asleep and could we (and this is a quote) "just play a few games on the Wii because we never get any alone time". BULL!!!! He's gonna be a great negotiator or lawyer or something when he grows up! I thought there would be no harm in playing a couple of rounds of Army Tanks or Big Game Hunter (shooting animals without getting dirty...Deni will tell you to watch out for the bear!) But when it comes to boxing (a game everyone should experience at least once), I have to say I much rather watch than play (Hailey does a booty shake when she plays and Eric turns 30 shades of red!) It is hilarious...Cayson becomes a whole new personality when he plays (as you can see in the pics). So, here it is in a nutshell...anyone is welcome to come play anytime...just call first! Until next time...

Mamma Mia!

Okay...so for our anniversary today Eric proved his undying love for me! Today is our 11th anniversary and it just so happens that a few movies we have been looking forward to have just opened within the last couple of weeks...The Dark Knight, Hancock, and of course Mamma Mia! Oh, I have waited for so long for this to become a movie (it is cheaper to pay $9 to see it than $65 to see it as a play). So Eric told me I could pick the movie (a decision he now regrets!) To see this movie, you have to be a fan of musicals...Eric is not! You have to be a fan of chick flicks...again, Eric is not! Finally...you have to be a fan of ABBA...Eric is not, shocking, isn't it?!? He was a good sport, though, and let me make the decision to see this movie that I have been waiting almost a year for...he did pretty good until about the 7th or 8th song (there are at least 11 or 12 songs in the movie)...although, I must say that even though he is hotter than heck, Pierce Brosnan CAN NOT SING! I love him as an actor...he is my new Sean Connery...but he can not sing! Anyways...thanks Eric for a fantastic anniversary and, yes, I do owe you big time! Thank you for 11 wonderful years! I love you! Until next time...

Spoiled Rotten!

Okay, so here's how this adventure started....Tiphaine's mom called her friend, Susan, to see if she knew about tours of the fire department. Susan called back and told us to call the fire station and talk to James...so we did. This is how the conversation went (in a nutshell)..Gma Nelson: Hi James, this is Peggy Nelson calling about the tour of the fire station. James: Where do you live? Gma: 1000 Apache. James: Are you Denise's mom (have you noticed that mom's lose all identity when they have kids?!?)? Gma: Yes, I am. James: How would the kids like it if I came and picked them up in the fire truck? Gma: They would be in hog heaven!
So after a quick rush of "everyone go potty and comb your hair" we rushed outside to wait for the firetruck. He came and picked up Tiph and the kids (you should have seen the neighbors come out to see what was happening) and off they went! He took us on a ride for about 15-20 minutes during which time he let the kids (one at a time) unbuckle (which I told them under normal curcumstances was NOT safe) and turn on the siren. He then took us to the fire station and gave the kids a tour of it...they asked so many questions (Cayson was disappointed that they did not have a fire pole!)and James was very patient and answered each question the kids had for him (what's that? what's in there? how does this work? what does this button do?) He even gave each of the kids a baggy full of goodies (coloring book, tattoo, pencil, activity thingy) and each of them got a bottle of Gatorade (he told the kids it was firefighter juice). He then put us back in the firetruck and took us under the underpass (where it echoes) and blew the horn and siren. The kids loved it! He then took us back to Gma Nelson's house where Aunt Sandra, Gma, and John (a neighbor across the street) were waiting (Gpa had just left for work). It was a great adventure that they will remember for a long time to come. When the kids told Eric about it, I think there was a hint of jealousy there but he was excited for them, too. James told us this is not a usual thing they do...maybe it's just because he knew Denise or maybe he was having a slow day...who knows, we are greatful whatever the reason! Until next time....

Reese

Well...right now the kids and I are visiting the super-exciting city of Winslow, AZ. So far we have gone to a Brewer reunion in Snowflake and then came to Winslow and are staying with Tiph's parents (thanks). The other day (Friday, maybe!?!?) we went to Eric's dad's house and he helped each of the kids make marshmallow shooters out of PVC pipe. You should have seen his living room when they got done with it! Well, then we came back to Gma and Gpa Nelson's house and there yard soon looked the same as Gpa Charlie's living room...Deni loves eating the marshmallows off the floor though (yuk!) Anyways...let me get to Reese....Deni and Jaxson got into swimming lessons starting last Monday...Deni was excited until we got there and then wasn't sure about it...Jaxson had an anxiety attack and threw up 3 times before we even got to the pool...anyways, so once they got into the water all was fine...Jaxson has learned lots of things from his teachers (Sharon Cox and her daughter Savannah)as has Deni...all because of her teacher Reese...actually Reese is one of her two swim teachers (the other is Amber Garner-daughter of Wayne & Jodi for those that know them). Anyways...back to the story...Reese goes to my mom's ward and they are good friends of the family. My girls have a crush on him. He stopped by the house on his way from the credit union on an errand from his mom and had a popsicle with the kids (the girls were not about to let him leave without one!) Anyways, Cayson takes fabulous pictures of the kids swimming and one day he decided to let Hailey have a shot at the camera...she took one picture of Deni under water and one of Jaxson floating on his back..........and 12 of Reese!

Today at church Reese just happened to pass the sacrament to us and Deni said, "That's my teacher, Reese...I love him, I don't hate him!" She then went and showed him her dolly she was paying with during church and a page she had colored...his friends were sitting in front of him but even so, he was a good sport about it! Thanks, Reese!

Well, we are off to swimming lessons again tomorrow. I think perhaps Hailey will get in (Hailey and Cayson were #1 & #2 on the waiting list) but Cayson has opted to go to wrestling camp instead...they both will do great at whatever they get to do! Until next time.....