Dad and Baby

Showin off his tube socks and that kissable face. Love these boys!

Feeling Artsy!

The kids are always doing something crafty-just thought I'd share a few of the things they've been working on the past couple days...

Bekah drew that turkey-stinkin cute if you ask me!

After we ooood and ahhhhd over Bekah's turkey-Topher showed us his yellow line and said; "See my turkey? I so big! Yeah!" I don't see the turkey, but I give him an A for effort and an A+ for cuteness! Painting a truck-yup I made them take off their shirts to paint-I am learning...slowly!She painted a pony and it turned out super cute all sparkly and stuff, I didn't get an after darn it!And THIS showed up on our door step today from Grandma as a happy day present for the kids to play in and color. It's outside covered in marker and probably a little dirt and tree sap-but the kids LOVE IT! Chad gives it till the end of the week before it's in the recycle bin-I am hoping it lasts at least until Halloween when Grandma comes to visit so she can see how much the kids are loving it. Thanks Grandma!

On the Road Again

So cupcake Friday had to be canceled last week because as it has been this year... ...we were on our way to Utah AGAIN. We found out last minute that Ryeleigh was getting baptized this past weekend. Chad decided to rent a car and drive out there himself on Friday after school, stay for the baptism and then come back early on Sunday. The kids and I were just going to stay home, until the second we were leaving to get the rental and the kids asked where daddy was going. They flipped out-they were horrified at the thought of missing out on staying with their cousins and Grandma even if it was just for a day. So two hours later, when Chad came home from school, we were all on our way to Utah...in this-Not a lot of snow-but enough to make me nervous about driving the deer hitting road again in the little Suzuki economy car we were driving. Luckily-no delays this time-we all made it in one piece. I didn't get a single photo of the important stuff while we were there, at the baptism I left the camera in the car, so the kids' mom said she'd email me some pictures. After the baptism we went with the Erickson family to Build a Bear for Connor and Tage's birthdays and then to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner (yummy!). We watched Iron Man in Scott's theatre room and then went to bed. That was it-our whole trip. Early Sunday morning, we left in this...By the time we got to the deer killing road though-it looked more like this for those 200 miles. We saw lots of cows, mules, antelope and deer on the road-but managed not to hit any this time! Hooray!The drive through Nevada's scenery is less than stellar, this mountain is about the highlight of the trip until you get into Oregon... ...that about sums it up! We are home now and REALLY hope we are done with last minute trips to Utah for the year!

Super

So, I have been walking in the mornings.

Like exercising.

Can you believe it?

Not only that, but I have been doing it with all 3 kids in tow...on a sit and stand stroller.

 

(picture taken last Monday morning)

Crazy?

Yes.

I'm okay with that.

AND on the days that I'm not walking, I have been playing volleyball with some exercise type moms at the stake center.

We are doing this once a week, and now are planning to add a second day of some kind of aerobics each week.

Say what?

Back to me walking...

We have just been walking around the neighborhoods, but yesterday I decided to get real adventurous and try walking all three kids to the park.

I know it doesn't sound like much, taking 3 kids to the park, all by myself...

...but I felt like a Super Mom-fo' real!

So without further adieu-

The proof in photos...

Question: What do you get when you ask Topher for a smile on the swings, when he is obviously the child of a crazy scrapbooking, blogging, picture taking fool?

Answer: You get one of these.... ...and one of these......and if you are really patient, one of these. Not what I asked for, but so much more priceless! Bekah playing underdog- -and one of her many 'posed' shots-yes my daughter is a poser! Proof that Porter and I were at the park as well. Then if that weren't enough-I decided to keep being a super mom and take some pictures (more on his blog) of my cute baby. Because he's getting bigger. I can't stand that he is already 3 months. He is old enough to sit in a Bumbo chair. Speaking of which, I need to get one. Why do I feel like he is going off to college already? Then, just when you think my super powers were dwindling-I also made a DEEE-LICIOUS, and also so very NUTRITIOUS meal! It doesn't look all that pretty, but it sure was tasty! Lettuce wraps! With ground turkey, shredded carrots, zucchini, water chestnuts and cashews with just a teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce all mixed together and served over rice and romaine lettuce. Bekah even ate this. Am I feeling super or what? I have to admit though, it is much more of a mommy food, like my friend April said. (She made these for a play date the other day and gave me the general recipe-thanks!) SO if you are hosting a girls night and want a cheap, easy, and super yummy dinner to throw together. Look no further! I wish these photographed as well as they taste...I have been eating leftovers for lunch and dinner!

He came at me like a spider monkey!

Chad has been working on his homework for a good part of the day today, and I got bored, so I got out the camera. Probably not the best idea! It went down something like this...

Chad: "Don't take my picture, I mean it!" Me: clickChad: "You are such a crap-put the camera away! I mean it, you're asking for it." Me: "You are soooo cute doing your homework-what am I asking for?" click Chad: "That's it, you're going down!" Me: click "Sit down old man!" "NO NO NO!" click I was upside down and on the ground within seconds. He's still pretty good for a one handed poop! He got me pinned down on my stomach and bouncing up and down on me before the kids were down trying to 'help' their momma. He just grabbed both of them and added them to the doggy pile. Not cool. These pics on the blog...that'll teach him! In other news...Chad got his pins out today! It was gross, but they're out! He has to wear this brace for the next couple weeks when he is doing anything and after that when he is doing anything strenuous, but the doctor said to use his fingers lightly as much as possible to get the stiffness out, so I think diaper changing is back on dude! You have 6 weeks you're behind!

What's Tuff up to?

I wrote Tophers name on the chalkboard today while Bekah and him were playing school and he tried to write it. That blue chalk is his-pretty good T and O and start of a P under Bekah's writing. I'm a proud mama!

Hmmm. What else? His new thing is saying "I don't want it to", or "I want it to" which is his way of saying I don't want to, for some reason he has to add the it. Cute, right? Sometimes.

With everything lately it's,

"Topher it's time for bed"

"I don't want it to"

"Topher, no more fruit snacks"

"I want it to"

You get the picture. He gets easier to understand every day, and I find myself 'translating' for him less and less.

Bekah doesn't feel the need to translate anymore for him, but feels a strong desire to let me know everything he is doing. I call it tattle-telling. She doesn't think so. She's funny about it now, yesterday morning she came into my room and said;

"I'm not going to tattle-tell on Topher, but there are wipes all over the floor. Just so you know."

Then a couple nights ago she tells Chad, after Topher colored on the table (you would think we would learn to keep crayons and such out of the house, right?)

"I'm not going to tell on Topher, but you might want to take a look at the table. Look at it dad. Can you believe that?"

Okay. So sometimes the telling comes in useful for this little stinker.

3 Months Old

Porter is 3 months old. I cannot believe how fast it has gone, it seems like I was just posting his pics of him in the billi lights! He has been a fun baby-lots of smiles and such a cuddle bug. I think he might be the most challenging of all my kids though-or maybe it's just that I have 3 now that he seems more challenging. Just that constant need for attention 24-7 has been a lot more draining on me this time around. He doesn't like to be left alone for longer than a minute, so he cries a lot during meal times and when I'm bathing the other kids etc...Luckily he is number 3 and hearing a baby cry isn't as hard as it was when I first had Bekah, or I might be a complete emotional wreck right now! I am just so glad my other kids are so accepting and patient with him. They just seem to know he needs me and they are just fine to wait their turn.I am so grateful for this sweet little spirit in our home though, I am grateful for his health and for the fun he adds to our family. Our family wouldn't be complete without him that's for sure! Speaking of that-completely off the subject of Porter...I know I want another baby in a couple years that was always the plan, but ever since I had Porter I have felt like we are missing someone. We go to the store and I look around for someone who isn't there. If we are all sitting around watching a movie, I really feel like someone is missing. I hope this doesn't mean I need to have the next one sooner than I was planning! You know how I like things all planned out! It's just been very unsettling to me to always feel like I'm forgetting someone!

Today...

I have been working on a project this week of documenting our lives through photos, from a challenge from Ali. Taking pictures of the mundane and everyday things we do. I started on Monday and have been pretty diligent in doing this thus far. It's been a good week to do this, since we have started a new schedule with Chad starting school and all-so it will be fun to look back in a couple months and see how our "schedule" has changed.

Today was Thursday-Thursday are Chad's lab days, and I had errands to run, so I took him to his lab after his math class and started my errands, I was leaving the library when the car wouldn't start. I don't have that funny of a story to go along with this-because my friend was just up the street and saved us, (thank you again SO MUCH April), but if you want to read a funny 'car won't start story' than you will want to check out Jason's story here. Turns out mine was just a loose bolt and Chad and April's husband Jason were able to fix it within minutes. So no biggie.

We spent the afternoon at the Appah's house playing and hanging out. Topher fell down her very steep stairs and about gave me a heart attack. He's fine, but the thoughts of what could have happened make me shudder still. It rained today-which was such a nice reminder of Portland-we miss the weather there...Bekah loves her new friend Phoebe...And Porter is super smiley and cute lately.Topher got a new coat today and he got some new cowboy boots the other day that he would sleep in if I let him.I had my first homemade pumpkin steamer of the season...yum!

Edit: I have been asked how to make these-super easy and just as yummy as Starbucks version-because this is how they do it-I know one of the Starbucks big whigs-and he let me in on the secret-It's just warm milk and Torani Pumpkin Syrup. It's best if it's whipped like they do at Starbucks, we have a cocoa latte that whips them up nice, but you can also just heat up the milk and syrup on the stove with a whisk until frothy. Add some whip cream to the top, dust with cocoa or something else yummy if you want and enjoy-Super simple eh? (You can just do it to taste; but to get it like the ones you buy-it's about a tablespoon and a half of syrup to a cup of milk).

Don't have Torani Pumpkin Syrup? You can buy it at World Market, and other such stores, but if you can't find it-Chad bought me a bunch of different flavors on their website. They also have a gingerbread syrup so you can make gingerbread steamers come Christmas time, Chad loves the eggnog steamers. So pick your fave flavors and go crazy, and lower your Starbucks tab!

I will be finishing up my documentation on Sunday and then next week I am going to put it all together and posting it on my scrapbook blog. I think it will be fun to look back at, and then after I am done with this I am going to go back to doing my daily somethings.

Here is a funny pic of Topher yesterday, after our walk he wanted to check the mail-note the boots, even with shorts...Such a boy!

PSThere is still time to become a "Follower" of this blog for this month's giveaway-just look at the sidebar on the right. Click on "FOLLOW THIS BLOG" and then you will be entered in. Super Easy Lemon Squeezy

Meanest Mommy in the World

Do you know how long it takes for my 2 year old to go through every person he knows possibly on this earth? About 5 minutes. That is a lot of people he knows. Why am I telling you this? Because we found this on the wall tonight in two different spots; ...and when I asked Christopher who did it, he proceeded to tell me that dad did it, Bekah Hewlett (that is how he refers to her now) did it, Porter did it, Zach and Ryeleigh did it (yes they are in Utah still-but what talent to get crayon on the wall from there), 'friend' as they call the girl next door did it, grandma did it, and a whole long list of other names did it-if you are reading this, you very well may have been blamed for this crayon drawing. He stood in time-out after the first-dad did it-and stayed in time out until he ran out of people and finally said; "Me did it mommy, sorry" with the biggest grin on his face you've ever seen. The little stinker. I made him clean the smaller of the two messes with a magic eraser (thank heaven for those things! I should buy stock in them!).He moaned and groaned the whole time, he couldn't scrub very hard, so it was taking quite a long time. It might have been a little strict and hard for a 2 year old to handle, but I was already at my wit's end with him for all the little fibs he was telling, and for not eating his dinner and spilling the whole bag of gold fish crackers on the living room carpet just minutes before discovering the crayon. Chad came and helped him with the last little bit by pushing on his hands while he scrubbed, I think he really might think twice before doing it again though-he was miserable cleaning it up!

You're mom goes to college

No, not really, but their dad does.
Chad had his first day at OIT today!He wouldn't let me take a picture of him on the front doorstep, like I wanted, so I had to use his first day of kindergarten picture, (isn't he cuuuute?!?)...I did get a picture of him walking to the car though (still soooo cute!)......so here he walks with determination, eyes on the prize, mind ready to soak up the knowledge needed for his chosen path.

He has 4 classes this term-Math, Chemistry, Human Anatomy and Medical Imaging Intro.

All of them are super time consuming and intensive-so that means all sorts of time spent studying and on homework. On top of all that he is still working on his Bachelors from University of Phoenix-which already takes up a good portion of his week, and once his hand heals he is going to have to go back to work too.

So that means a whole lot of leaving him alone while he gets edu-macated-it's going to be all sorts of tough! It'll all be worth it in the end though right?