There Are Some Things I Will Never Outgrow...

I was watching The Rookie on TV the other day, and it got me to thinking about how much I used to love playing softball as a kid. I used to LOVE playing it, not because I was any good, but because I just thought it was fun. There was nothing more satisfying than hearing the crack when the bat connected with the ball, or the feeling of catching that fly ball. To this day, I would jump at the chance to get outside and play a game of softball. I guess I never outgrew softball over the years.

Thinking about softball got me thinking about some of the other things that I loved as a kid or a teenager that have carried over into my adult life. Wanna hear some of them? Well, if not then I suggest you stop reading 'cuz I'm going to share. Ready?

~ Toast and Chocolate Milk. Oh, yummy! I still eat this at least once a day. There is something about that buttery flavor and the chocolate milk together that is so good. I now it's not mature or "mom-like" at all to love toast and chocolate milk so much, but oh well.

~ Coloring. I still love to color. I love it when my kids ask me to color them a picture. Sometimes I will color my kids a picture just for the heck of it and leave it for them to find.

~ Music and Dancing. I am by no means a great singer or dancer. I do, however love music. I still love to listen to loud music while I am doing my hair and makeup. When my babies were infants, I used to dance with all of them to put them to sleep. And my dream is to someday learn to play as many different instruments as possible. I can already play the piano, but I would secretly love to jam out on the drums.

~ Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cookie Dough. Need I say more? Give me a hot, home-made chocolate chip cookie and I'm in heaven any day. Let me eat a big blob of dough before the cookies come out of the oven and I'm even happier.

~ Puzzles. I love puzzles. The more pieces the better. I love the puzzles that take hours to put together.

~ Baby Animals. I love baby animals. I wish I could hold one of just about every kind of baby animal. I remember as a kid walking down the road to my friends' farm and helping them feed some of the baby sheep with the bottle. I LOVED it, and I still turn into a pile of goo whenever I see a baby animal.

~ Water fights! I love a good water fight. Rylee was shocked one day when I was doing dishes and pulled out the little water nozzle and sprayed her across the kitchen. I sprayed her until she was good and wet, and we both laughed so hard. And water balloon fights - those are the best! I loved tagging someone with a nice, full water balloon. I'm so excited that summer is right around the corner!

~ Graham Crackers with Chocolate Frosting. YUM-O! The more frosting, the better. Give me a bunch of frosting smushed between two graham crackers, with the frosting oozing out the sides and I'll turn into a ten year old again!

~ Roller Skating/Roller Blading. I remembered how much I used to love it when Bill and I went for a date recently. It is so fun! But do you remember going as a kid? They always had that huge disco ball hanging and they would do the dreaded "boy/girl" skate. I remember bolting out of there so fast to get a snack so I didn't have to hold an icky boy's hand to skate. :)

~ Tossing popcorn in the air and catching it in my mouth. Why is that still so much fun? My kids think I'm awesome when I show off my skills.

~ BYU. I love BYU, and it's not because I went there. I just grew up going to BYU basketball games with my dad and then football games too when I was in Junior High and High School. I am bound and determined to make my kids avid BYU fans as well (much to Bill's dismay - hehe!) I sing the BYU fight song to my kids from birth. They WILL know the fight song. It's very important.

~ Fireworks and the 4th of July. As a kid, I think I liked the 4th of July so much because it was so close to my birthday. Now, I just love everything about it - the parades, the BBQs, the fireworks, the water parties, the patriotism...EVERYTHING. It is by far my favorite holiday. There is nothing about it I don't like.

~ I'm going to admit something I probably shouldn't here. But here it goes. I have never outgrown a really funny crass joke. For some reason, I still bust a gut when I hear a crass joke. I really need to grow up, but I just don't see it happening...

~ Lik-A-Stix. Do you know what I'm talking about? Yep, those little white sticks that you dip into the powder that is straight sugar. I still love those things.

~ Okay, last but certainly not least. (It's just all I can think of or dare to admit right now.) I still LOVE a good campfire with s'mores and the silly girls' camp songs. I may need to take my kids camping this year just to let them experience the atmosphere while I teach them all of those goofy songs. Tippy Canoe anyone?

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has things I loved as a kid that have carried over into adulthood. I want to hear some of yours! So share!

Bright Spots

The kids have all been sick since last Thursday with strep throat. YUCK! Usually, having sick kids is so miserable, but it actually hasn't been that bad. I've had some things to make me smile:

~ The night before the kids started getting sick, Bill brought me home these beautiful roses. I think he must have known that I was going to need something bright and cheery and pretty to look at for the next little while.:)

I'm not the only one who has enjoyed the roses. Kate climbs on the counter every chance she gets and smells them.

~ On Saturday afternoon, Kate had us all laughing because she was spraying everyone with the water bottle. She has a thing lately for anything that sprays in a bottle like that: Windex, Clorox Bathroom Cleaner, Water...you get the idea. By the time she was finished spraying Bill, he looked like he just had a shower. She was merciless with him.

~ Saturday night, Jordan and Nikole came over and we played games and laughed and laughed until after midnight. It was fun eating junk food, playing games, watching Rylee get so tired that she was delirious with laughter, and watching Rylee's face, completely amazed by Jordan's magic card tricks. It was lots of fun having them over and they introduced us to a new favorite game and even left us with it:

~ The weather is SO nice right now! We have been able to get outside and start working on the yard and let the kids run around and get much needed fresh air.

~ Yesterday afternoon, the kids all fell asleep! Here are the three big kids sacked out in the family room. Kate was asleep in her bed, and Bill and I were able to take about a half hour nap too! I really don't think we have EVER all taken a Sunday afternoon nap since Kate was born. It was so nice!

~ Yesterday evening we got a visit from my mom, Jordan, and Nikole. The kids were so happy to have visitors! Kate wasn't feeling too hot yet, so she just snuggled with Jordan on the couch for a bit. It was so sweet.

~ Somehow, Bill and I have avoided getting strep this far. Keep your fingers crossed that we stay healthy!

Thank heavens for these little things to smile about and enjoy while the kids are all feeling icky. Having sick kids is so hard, but we've been given a lot of good times during these past few days. It's so nice! :)

Easter Pictures - Finally!!!

I have been a serious slacker in the blogging arena lately. Today my kids are all sick, which means I don't get to go anywhere. Yay for having time to sit at the computer!!!

The day before Easter, we did the traditional coloring of the eggs! (If you word it like that it sounds more exciting - kind of like the running of the bulls, only no one gets gored.) My mom came over to assist us with the four little sets of hands that would surely be dropping eggs in dye and splattering the stuff all over.




After the egg coloring was over, we made Resurrection Rolls. (Thanks again for telling me about these, Steph.) If you have never heard of them, you get refrigerated crescent roll dough and jumbo marshmallows with some melted butter and cinnamon/sugar. The marshmallow represents Christ's body. You talk to the kids about how His body was anointed with oils and spices after he died. Then you roll the marshmallow in the butter and cinnamon/sugar. Then you roll it into the crescent roll dough, making sure the edges are pinched together. That is obviously a representation of putting the body in the tomb. I was showing the girls the first one and talking to them as I made the first roll...


Then it was their turn to make a roll. They loved it and did a really good job. When they were all made, we baked them and when they come out...


The marshmallow was gone! Rylee showing off her "empty tomb." They loved this activity and they were really yummy too!


Okay, fast forward to Easter Morning...

Each of the kids with their baskets after they had to work long and hard to find them:

And here are a few pictures of the kiddos all dressed up in their new Easter clothes, ready for church.

Kate kept playing with Bill's tie while he was holding her. It was so sweet. I got a few pictures of that, but the cutest picture isn't of her playing with his tie, it is this one:

After church, we had a yummy meal! We usually do a barbecue on Easter Sunday so we can make potato salad and use up a couple of those hard-boiled eggs. This year, Lana requested hot crossed buns as well. She has had these in preschool for the last couple of years when they sing the song "Hot crossed buns." Her teacher was nice enough to get us her recipe and we made them for dinner. Lana was so excited!

Look at her. She couldn't wait to dig in!

We spent some time that afternoon doing arm wrestles, leg wrestles, sword fights, thumb wars, playing the slap game, etc. The girls LOVED it and we were all laughing so hard.

Then after baths that evening, we headed over to my parents' house to see everyone. It was lots of fun. Lana took her hula hoop that the Easter bunny brought her, and it was a hit. The adults had more fun with it than the kids.

Go, Mom! Go, Mom!! Woohoo!

My sister, Brooke, is due with her first baby in June. Check her hula-hoopin' skills out!

Our adorable cousin, Angela, even came up to join the fun! We grew up with her and her family and it is always fun to get a chance to see her.

Mike and Bill got, uh, cozy for the picture. ;)

My parents got cozy for a picture as well! Thanks for having the whole herd over there!

The guys in the family, minus Hayden. Getting that boy to stop long enough to get a picture of him was impossible. (From left to right: My brother, Jordan; my brother-in-law, Andy; my dad; Bill; and then sitting in the chair is my brother-in-law, Mike, holding his cutie pie Isaak.)

And here are some of the girls. (From left to right: My soon-to-be sister-in-law, Nikole; my sister, Tai; me; my cousin, Angela; and my sister, Brooke.)

Just before it was time for us to leave, the guys were outside playing with the kids while us ladies did what we do best - talk! Mike came running in the house saying, "You gotta see this!" So we ran outside, cameras in hand, and saw that they had put the kids all in "jail" for a minute. A window well IS good for something! The kids thought it was great.

We had a fantastic Easter and hope you all did too. :)

Congratulations, Jordan and Nikole!

My awesome brother, Jordan, proposed to Nikole on Thursday night and she said "YES!"

We are so excited to welcome Nikole into our family. She is an awesome girl, and my kids adore her. She is so sweet to them and is good to Jordan. She is such a perfect fit for him and we are so excited for their wedding in June.

Jordan and Nikole came over last night to show us her ring and to let us bug them for a minute. The kids wouldn't leave them alone, but they were such great sports about it.

CONGRATULATIONS Jordan and Nikole! We love you both!

I'm Curious...

Look closely at this picture. Go ahead. This is in my bathroom, in the tub. The shower in my bathroom is separate from the tub. What is wrong with this picture? Give? Okay, I'll tell you.

I think the builder put the wrong spout thingie on my tub. Do you see what my poofie is hanging on? Why on earth do you need the little shower puller-upper thing if there is no shower?

As for the question that has been driving me nuts for so long now: What would happen if I pulled that thing up and kept the water running? Everything goes through my head from water seeping through all of the walls and causing icky mold to grow everywhere, thus causing a total remodel. (Hmmm...Now I'm thinking...) Oh sorry, but I have wondered about everything from the water in the wall to the whole faucet blowing completely off the wall due to the water pressure build-up.

What would happen? I know I am totally stupid to not know what would happen, but the curiosity is killing me. I have never pulled the thing and left the water running because I'm scared of ruining something. Maybe I should just call my uncle who is a plumber and ask him, but I would feel like such an idiot. Or maybe I should just pull it and see what happens. Dare me? Either way, I HAVE to know what would happen. Four years of wondering is making me nuts!

So if you know what would happen if I turned the water on and pulled the little shower thing up when there is no shower, please let me know. Otherwise my house may explode because my curiosity is getting the best of me.