Cutest Baby Boy in the World!

You found him--Lane Hibbard--the cutest boy! I think he is so cute because he is always so happy. He literally giggles all of the time. I can't wait to see what he does when he gets older. He looks alot like Vicki's (my sister) baby pictures. I was playing around in Photoshop trying to get a rounded photo with feathered edges. I finally figured it out. I'm working on the layout for my family Christmas card so I wanted to figure it out before it's too late.

My Little Goblins

Toddler Fun Time

I was having a rough weekend as a “single mom.” Brant was in St. George for work and I had to do the Trunk or Treat thing all by myself. I’m not young enough to keep up with 2 two-year olds and a baby. I just don’t have it in me. So, they really wore me out. I miss Brant for things like that. He seems to have boundless energy when it comes to taking the kids out. I totally feel for single Mom’s and Bishops wives. I can’t imagine having the kids without support. It’s so hard.

Anyway, on Sunday I was dreading going to church with 3 kids as Brant was still gone. Rhonda, my MIL, was still sick so I knew I would have to do the whole thing by myself. After the night before, I was not looking forward to it. Madison, sensing my despair, schemed to create a legitimate episode that would allow me to stay home with the kids. It speaks to hear innately intuitive nature and extreme thoughtfulness. She decided to find my one, yes I only have one, bottle of nail polish. Then she painted her whole left arm with with pink polish. She also decided that my leather office chair would look better as a pink chair. Unfortunately, there was only enough polish to do most of the seat.

She also got it on the carpet, bean bags, an end table, the couch, and I'm sure some other things I haven't yet discovered. But, thanks to Madison, I was cleaning up nail polish instead of getting us all off to church. After getting them all down for a nap, I decided to crawl into bed and take a nap myself. I am not kidding--45 seconds after I sighed and crawled into bed under the covers--Brant walks in. It's like total chaos up until he comes home. And, I know he wonders why I am also so tired when life is so calm when he comes home. Murphy's Law.

Some good political banter in my inbox

BAILOUT PROGRAM IN EASY TO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH
Young Chuck, moved to Texas and bought a Donkey from a farmer for $100.00.
The farmer agreed to deliver the Donkey the next day. The next day he drove up and said, 'Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died.' Chuck replied, 'Well, then just give me my money back.' The farmer said, 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already.' Chuck said, 'Ok, then, just bring me the dead donkey.' The farmer asked, 'What ya gonna do with him? Chuck said, 'I'm going to raffle him off.' The farmer said, 'You can't raffle off a dead donkey!' Chuck said, 'Sure I can, Watch me.. I just won't tell anybody he's dead.' A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, 'What happened with that dead donkey?' Chuck said, 'I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars a piece and made a profit of $898.00.' The farmer said, 'Didn't anyone complain? Chuck said, 'Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back.' Chuck now works for the government as a top advisor on the bailout plan.

Trunk or Treat

Trunk or treat was a lot of fun, but a lot of work! Brant ended up having to go to St. George so he said goodbye to us as we left. The kids loved what they called "Candy Day." They figured out the "Trick or Treat" very fast. One guy said, "Looks like they had some influence on their costumes." And another said, "Your costume deserves a little extra candy." They won the pre-Primary award for best twin costume. Ha, ha. They were the only twins, but they got a bucket of candy for their costumes. I wish Brant could have come. He would have loved it, but I got lots of pictures for him.

Saturday is a special day

Porter found a new place to keep his binky. I told him he needs to quit losing them if he wants to use them. He decided that his underwear was the perfect place to keep it near and warm.
I was feeding Lane and he said, "Lane you eating? You eating Mommy?"
Tonight is the ward Trunk-or-Treat. The kids are so excited. They are calling it "Candy Day." We'll see how it goes. I have to make chili for it tonight. I hope Brant gets off work in time to help.
Brant has been working so much! But I am so proud of him. He is getting all of the over time he can. He is also taking a welding class, crane training, and working on getting a CDL. He just passed his CDL permit exam last week and now only has to pass the driving part. I am glad he is getting so much done, but I don't see him alot some days. I miss the Saturdays that he is off and takes the kids to the park.

Nap time was so easy today

All three kids are worn out from the shots they got yesterday. I have to say, they did really well. Much better than I did. I had scheduled time for all three to get done. I was planning on Brant going with me. He told me the day before he couldn't get off of work early enough. I was so distraught, but thought, "Oh, well. Lots of people take 3 kids to the doctor. I can do it." Thankfully, my mother-in-law volunteered to go with me when she heard I was going to go by myself. And, boy am I glad she went.
I was more anxious about the ordeal than I should have been. I always hate that stuff. I feel like I'm leading a lamb to the slaughter because it's going to hurt. I hate seeing my kids hurt. Anyway, I did tell them that we were getting shots and it was going to hurt, but the pain would go away. Obviously, they did not fully understand that. I had told them earlier in the week that we could have ice cream after they got their shots. For some reason, Madison did not forget that. Of course, I had to honor my promise and did.
While at the doctor, they enjoyed the weighing and measuring. When shot time came, Madison bravely went first. She was taking it in stride. I kept telling her, "It's going to hurt, but it's going to go fast." She was crying when they were done and she said, "It hurt. It was fast." Porter was right next to her after she got off the table. He asked, "Did it hurt." She said, "Yeah." Then he said, "You crying?" She said, "Yeah." He was of course, terrified after that. He grabbed me and started crying before he even got on the table. He cried longer than she did.
Lane was all smiles until the first shot. Then, he was ticked off. He was yelling at the nurse more than he was crying from the pain. I'm glad we got it all over with--until next time. But, the twins are almost done with their shots. They have one more visit in 6 months.
By the way, the doctor said they should be using two word sentences by now. I was a proud Mama telling her they speak in full sentences. The kids are all about average in weight and height. Lane was in the high percentages for his length. He was very tall for his age. Madison was less than Porter. She's a little smaller than him.
When Dad came home, Porter re-enacted the whole ordeal in a very lively and animated fashion. His conversation went like this: "Her shot me. It hurt way bad! (with emphasis on the way bad) Then band-aid. Me cried."

My name is Bill

Yesterday a woman came over to buy a table that Geneva listed on Craigslist. She bent over to Porter's level and said, "What is your name?" He responded, "My name is Bill." I was over by the kitchen sink and not sure that I heard him correctly. Sure enough, the lady repeated, "Nice to meet you Bill. My name is Cheryl." I'm thinking, "What? Bill? Must be a mistake." When she is leaving I call Porter over to me. I stoop down and said, "Porter, what is your name?" He holds his hand to his chest and says, "My name is Bill." I said, "No it's not. Your name is Porter." He looks at me as says very surprised, "O-o-oh!" I don't know why he thought his name was Bill.

Lane is so cute in the morning. He giggles, laughs, and kicks his legs. He actually throws his legs and thumps the bed. I call him Thumper. However, as soon as he saw the camera he totally stopped everything! He was passing gas all morning (at 4:30 a.m.) and I went to change him and he had nothing! But he was wearing his all night diaper so I changed it. Two minutes later, I heard an explosion! He pooped the new, clean diaper.

I sure made up for my "day off" on my birthday. I didn't feel like I was ever going to catch up. Today, I am taking all 3 kids in to the doctors for shots. I am not excited about it. Poor little guys. It's so sad. They don't even know where I'm taking them until we get there.

Porter and Madison are basically potty-trained. Madison will get mad at me and pee while she's in time out. Such an attitude. But, for the most part they are on their way. I'm so glad. It's so awesome to have them going to the bathroom by themselves and saving on the diapers. Not too mention the loads of trash we took out.

Rhonda and I go walking every evening. Last night the twins stood at the door and waved good bye to us. Grandpa yelled out, "Don't come back until you're skinny!" Madison just said, "Have fun on YOU walk." They're so cute. For you cold weather people--you may be jealous to know we went walking at 7:30 p.m. in shorts and t-shirts.

Prayer Time

Okay...Vicki I am not copying your post. I had every intention of posting this. It's just funny that it is the same time you already posted yours. That said--the other day Porter said a funny prayer. The twins take turns praying and it was actually Madison's turn. However, Porter was sitting next to me having his own prayer. He said:
Dear Heavenly Father. Thank Thee for this day. Bless us to have fun. Bless us to have fun. Bless us to have fun. Bless us to get bottles. Name of Jesus Christ Amen. It was so funny--funnier in person.

Turning 38

I have so many things to write I hope I remember them all. Very likely, I will come back and edit this post and add everything.

When Madison woke up this morning, she came into my room and said, "You back from you birthday Mom?" I had a great birthday! I gave myself the day off yesterday. It was very fun. I didn't do any housework (except for a couple loads of dishes and some necessary laundry.) I got emails, facebook notes, and calls all day. It was fun. I heard from friends, family, and even old, old, old friends from back in college. I loved hearing from everyone. Thank you. Plus, my father-in-law gave me 50 bucks. Then my brothers Jake and Travis, and my Dad called and sang Happy Birthday over the phone. I am so glad they have a real job and don't have to sing for a living. :) But, it was thoughtful, fun and cute. My sister-in-law made me a German Chocolate Cake that was very yummy. I loved it.

My husband is the best guy to have around for a birthday. He has always been a wonderful, perfect gift giver. I have gotten so many perfect gifts in the past. Of coure that was in our Life Before Kids. These little buggers are the most expensive, best gifts ever. They're the gifts that keep on costing. I've never heard the song, "Happy Birthday Mama!" But I did last night.

Anyway, Brant took me to Carrabbas. We go there twice a year now. Once on his birthday, and once for mine. That used to be our place. Like every weekend--before kids. We can't afford it now. So the nostalgia for me is almost better than the food. I had a Steak Marsala and Brant ordered his usual--Chicken Parmigiana. It was so good. And so unusual for us now. We really took it for granted that we could eat out all of the time.

THEN--we went to Fry's and bought a new digital camera/recorder. It was awesome! Brant knows how much I like photography and we found a cool camera. Mine is big, bulky and hard to carry around. So we wanted something we could use more often. Okay, I use mine a ton, it's not like it doesn't get used. Anyway, it was just a very frivolous upgrade.

Just Stuff

Here's a glimpse of the weekend. Twins brushing their teeth. Madison getting her first hot roller hair-do. Unfortunately, her hair was like mine was. It straightens out way too fast. Porter followed Lane around this morning. They love playing together even though it's limited. Porter found a roll of paper towels under the sink. Porter was flexing for Brant.

"I can do it!"

Porter insisted he can... "do it myself!" He wanted to dress himself, so I let him. That's pictures one and two. Then, I helped him fix it. He's so determined.
Porter sees me taking pictures all of the time so he wanted to use my camera. He took a million pictures of the floor, but managed somehow to get this one of me and Madi. I don't look so hot...my hair wasn't combed and no makeup and I was wearing the same clothes I had on the day before--a baggy t-shirt and elastic waist pants. Madi and I both have the famous family double-chin. I kind of like the picture though. It's because that's what I really look like in my unglamourous Mom job. I have puffy bags under my eyes and I look so tired. But, there is a distinct genuineness in my smile. At the very moment this picture was taken, my baby was sleeping; I was next to my girl, my only daughter; Porter was taking pictures and laughing; and Brant had just come home. It's a great moment and some day I will really miss that moment. Thanks for the picture Porter.

Yeah for Saturday!

This is a little blast from the past. The first photo was taken in April 2007 when the twins were 9 months old. The other picture was just taken this morning on their way out with Dad. They were going to the Park. Brant takes them to the park for a couple of hours when he's not working on Saturday. The twins are 27 months now.

Just Stuff

* Me and all three kids took a bath this morning. Madison grabbed my razor. I was explaining to her how it can be dangerous and can cut. She swiped it across Porter's head and cut a chunk of hair out. I was holding Lane, so I had to try to grab it from her. I was showing them how it cut hair and it is so dangerous. Porter grabbed the hair and put it back on his head. He said, "It's okay, I put it back!"
* Potty training has been going well. Porter is on day 2 with no accidents. Madison does well overall, but peed her pants yesterday morning. She still asks me for a diaper to poop. Hmmm... Oh well, it's better than going in her pants. Porter was on the toilet pooping and he said, "I need a book!" Hmmm...wonder where he gets that from. :)
* Lane can sit up, but is still a bit wobbly. He is so happy. He is just grinning from ear to ear when he wakes up. He is very talkative as well and has the cutest little coo.
* Me--I am still trying to lose weight and have been walking 5 times a week. It's coming off very slowly. I guess I am going to have to start giving up chocolate too. :)
* Brant is working so much. He is administering crane testing this weekend so we won't see much of him on Saturday or Sunday.

I used to hate Barney...

...but now he is one of my best friends. I can sing most of the songs by heart. And he's the best babysitter ever. This photo was not staged. They love watching Barney and it gives me a 30 minute break. Yeah!!! The precious minutes you get.

It was another all-night party

Lane woke up with giggles and happy chirping at 1:30 a.m. He was so happy, he stayed up for two hours. I was so tired. I kept thinking, why? Why? Why? The twins woke up a couple of times during the night as well. So, it was just one big whammy of a night. Sometimes I wonder why we have to be sleep-deprived as mothers. I would do a much better job if I could get a decent night's sleep. Plus, I'm not crazy about the puffy, baggy eyes.
I was feeding Lane and watching Porter in his room. He was dancing to a barney video. It was so cute. I suddenly had this feeling that he would be a grown man so quickly and I wanted to capture that sweet moment of his light-hearted dancing. I thought, "Wow! You really do have to treasure every moment!" I reminded myself of my motto, "I'll sleep tomorrow!"

I Got Tagged By Skeeter!

8 Favorite TV Shows
Biggest Loser
Nancy Grace
Hannity and Colmes
O'Reilly Factor
Dr. Phil
Law and Order
Extreme Home Makeover
Days of Our Lives (but it's only to prove that Soap Operas are so stupid!)

8 Favorite Restaurants
Carrabas
Outback
PF Changs
Pei Wei
Chilis
Robertos
Sonic

8 Things that happened yesterday
Madison pooped in the toilet by herself (Yeah!!!)
Porter pooped in the toilet by himself (Yeah!!!)
I walked twice (one hour each)
I cooked dinner
Lane wore jeans for the first time (so cute)
I signed Vicki up on Facebook
An old friend contacted me on Facebook (cool)
Brant watched all 3 kids so I could have some free time

8 Things to look forward to
My sister Kimberly is having her first baby very soon
We are going to Utah for 2 weeks to visit my family for Thanksgiving
Brant is receiving the Melchezidek Priesthood on Sunday
Going through the temple in April
Losing weight
My Mom and sister Dona coming to Vegas for a week in November
Going to that great Chinese restaurant alone on a date with my husband when we go to Utah
Watching the twins experience all of the upcoming holidays

8 Obsessions . Collections
Chocolate-any
Coke/Dr. Pepper
Reading
Business Management
Blogging (Reading and Writing)
Photography
Gossiping...I mean keeping in touch with my 5 sisters
Brant, Madison, Porter, and Lane

8 Things on my wish list
Be debt free (including Ron)
Get our own house
Lose weight
Start my own business
Make lots of money
Go on vacation with Brant w/o kids
Get our Christmas Family Photo taken

8 People I am tagging
To anyone who feels the urge to share

"Rear" View Mirror

This is what you call a rear view mirror. Madison sat down on this sticky mirror and walked around with it all morning. She didn't even realize it was there.

Kids Pics

I haven't put any pictures of the kids in awhile so I thought I would put some that I have collected over the last couple of weeks.

Quips

I know this is small and insignificant, but it will be really fun to read in the future. Porter is such a vegetable fanatic. I have never seen a kid like vegetables so much. We will eat dinner and he will only eat the broccoli. Yesterday, I caught him getting in the the refrigerator. He had pulled out a tupperware container of cold green beans. And, he was eating them at the table. The other day we had asparagus for dinner. He and Madison always sit next to each other. When she was looking the other way, he stole her asparagus and ate it. Last week he ask me if he could have a bowl of peas. I said, "Sure!" He wanted to eat them cold.
Madison on the other hand is a sugar bug. She likes her candy and chocolate. She asked me if she could have a cookie for breakfast. I told her she could have one after lunch.
Madison is my Little Mama. She is so responsible and came down the stairs yesterday looking for me. She said, "Mom! Porter is making a mess!" I went upstairs and found him naked on the bathroom counter. He said he was taking a bath.
They have both been doing great on the potty-training. We still have little accidents every day, but it's getting better. Madison was doing really well, but she wet her pants yesterday. I started working with Porter about a week after Madison so he's not as good as she is. Some days they give up and want me to put diapers on them. Actually, they have both been sick with fevers this week so I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed. Anyway, we have really cut down on the diapers which is great! Madison was also modeling her new underwear to Porter. She kept saying, "Do you like my underwear, Porter?" "They're pretty." Porter would just shrug and walk away. They're "so boy", and "so girl."

4th Picture Tag

I was tagged from Vicki's blog...OK here's the deal...you open your picture files...choose the fourth file and then the fourth picture in the file and post it and tell us about it!
This picture is of me the day I was in the hospital having Lane. I was terrified in this shot. We were doing all of the preliminaries before going in for the c-section. Dr. Lewis hadn't shown up yet and Mom and Brant were taking turns visiting with me. Only one of them could be in there at a time. Meanwhile...out in the lobby, Jake, Brian, and Mom/Brant would wait.

25th Anniversary Dinner for Wayne and Rhonda

Geneva and I put together a special dinner for their anniversary. We totally surprised them. We served:

Cheese Biscuits
Sweet Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Orange Walnut Salad
Filet Mignon with Blackberries
Asparagus and Cashews
Pecan Crusted Chocolate Truffle
Lemon Squares

A Mom's Life

Okay, this Mom stuff is totally kicking my butt. I know, Vicki, laugh it up! I had it (and a hell of a lot more) coming. I'm sure Queen Karma is dishing it out. I was just too freakin' old to start having kids. And, of course, being the over-achiever that I am I had two at one time. Whoever says having twins is cheating is full of chocolate pudding. I am potty-training two, yes two, two-year olds; I have a 4 month old baby, and I live with my in-laws. (Which is not to say that they are bad people, it just adds to life's drama to live in a house with two other families.)

I have to say that I am glad the potty training hasn't been worse. They have peed their pants a couple of times. Madison refuses to poop on the toilet, but does kindly ask me for a diaper so that she can poop in her diaper. Porter came running down the stairs naked and yelling, "Mom, I have to poop!" I said, "Get in there!" He made it to the toilet. So all in all, I guess it could be worse.

I am also trying to exercise. I didn't realize just how easy it would have been to exercise without kids. Rhonda and I have been walking every time for about 45 minutes. Actually only 4-5 times a week. I have plateaued on losing weight so I decided to start walking briskly for less time during the day--with all 3 kids. So picture this walking down the street--a 200 pd woman with gray roots, pushing a big-ace stroller, walking with a gait... (due to my shorter leg, which is due to be breaking my leg at 3 yrs old playing duck-duck-goose. Yeah, true story.) I am pushing a double stroller with the twins sharing a seat and Lane in his own seat. We look like escape homeless people. All I can think about as cars pass is what my Dad used to say when "fat" ladies were walking. Every time we would drive past a fat lady walking, he would say to her (obviously she could not hear), but he would say, "You need to walk a little faster than that if you want to lose all the weight you're carrying around." Okay, not exactly that, but something like that.

Brant has been sick all week. He got a really bad sinus infection on top of having a cold/flu. He had to go to the doctor and get a Z-pack of antibiotics. He is getting better but has been laid up in bed almost every second he is home. He's still working, but struggling. I am so glad I was able to call Ron, my dentist brother-in-law, and get his advice about whether he thought it was an abcess tooth or sinus infection. His advice saved a lot of time and headed us in the right direction.

I have really learned to appreciate all of the help I get from Brant, since I haven't been able to get it this week. Monday night Geneva and I made a special anniversary dinner for her parents/my in-laws. We really enjoyed the cooking. We really did not enjoy have a total of 6 kids hanging, crying, or screaming for us while we were trying to do it. Kendall came and took my kids when their screaming became too much. However, I thought he took them upstairs to play with them. He put them in their room and left them there. When I was finished and famished I came upstairs to discover they had emptied an entire 46 oz. bottle of apple juice all over the carpet, bed, and their clothes. I dumped baking powder all over the messes to absorb the wet, sticky mess and cleaned it all up the next day. Including steam cleaning the beds and carpet.

We recently found out that the house we are renting is going into foreclosure. The owner has not made the last two months of mortgage payments. Therefore, we have to move AGAIN! I'm not excited, but I feel like there is something better on the horizon and that things will work out for the best.

So, that's all for my explanation as to why I haven't blogged in a while. My kids are great, my husband is great, and life is good. I am going to follow President Monson's admonition and enjoy every minute of it. This is life and I am going to LIVE it!

Great Recipe...makes cute kids

My kids are so adorable. I know no one will love them as much as I do. But, I just look at them and think how grateful I am to have stewardship over them for a short time of their life. It's such an awesome, incredible blessing. Wow! I feel so lucky. Their personalities are so different and they are each so special. I don't know what recipe we used, but it sure did make cute kids!

Healthy Food and Snack Idea

I came up with this really cool idea. Okay, I'm sure it's not totally original, but I have never heard of it. I used my veggie tray to make a fruit, nut, and veggie tray. The kids love it! Every time they want a snack or are hungry, I take it out. It's been great for me too. More good food and less junk. I got the idea because they just love a bowl of green beans, corn, or frozen peas. I thought, I don't want to destroy their desire by giving them processed food, i.e. white bread, macaroni and cheese, cereal, etc. So I tried this out and they love it. I have seven slots in my tray. Here's what we started with: 1: almonds, 2: raspberries and chopped apples, 3: cantalope and watermelon; 4: fresh green beans; 5: thinnly sliced and quartered zucchini and yellow squash, 6: bite-size celery with peanut butter, and 7: grapes.

I'll sleep tomorrow

I woke up this morning at about 3 am because Lane was hungry. I decided to go to the bathroom myself because I had drank too much water when I went walking last night. Rhonda and I go on a 45 minute walk every night. We use the time for emotional therapy as much as for good exercise. I am so thankful I have a mother-in-law who is like a good friend. I don't think that living with 3 families in one house would be as bearable if my mother-in-law wasn't so easy to get along and was such a great confidante. Anyway, I did my usual complaining to her last night.
So back to waking up at 3. I had this feeling--idea--mother's instinct or mother's constant worry. I'm not sure which. Anyway, I went in to check on the twins. Madison had her back cuddled up next to Porter. He was laying on his back with his shirt on and buck-naked from the waist down. Naturally, the bed was soaked in pee. His completely full diaper lay on the ground next to his bed. I groaned. I had just washed all of their bedding yesterday. And thankfully, do not put them to bed with out their plastic mattress protector. Believe me, the mattress would be yellow if not for that.
Just as I was crawling back to bed and dozing off, Brant's 4 am alarm went off. Lane, who was already moving a bit, decided to wake up with a full-on grin. I just thought about the bags under my eyes and how this wasn't going to help them. Luckily, Lane is so happy for quite awhile when he first wakes up. I changed his diaper and I knew I could put him back in his crib. So I did and started to fall asleep. Then, Brant kissed me goodbye and left. Just as I was starting to fall asleep, Lane starting making that sound he makes when he's uncomfortable. Like, "Mom, my pants are poopy are going to do something?" Sure enough, he pooped his pants. So I changed him. He didn't fall asleep and I eventually picked him up and played with him. I recited my motto, "I'll sleep another day." I tell myself that alot! About 5:30 he was ready to go back to sleep and so was I!
Unfortunately, the twins wake up at 6 a.m. I did bribe them with bottles and turned on Barney and squeezed in another 30 minutes of sleep. At 7 Lane was awake again. I got up and decided to log on and read blogs. I read one from a lady in our ward. Her blog is so fun to read. She had pictures of her 2 year old smearing paint (they had just painted the wall) all over himself and their carpet. She talked about how it was no big deal, because she had been reading another blog about a woman whose child had died on the way home from church. She choked on an apple the size of pea while in her carseat. It's very inspirational reading. Go to jacksonparkcity if you want to read it. I also started reading other links they have of parents who lost their children very young.
It overwhelmed me to tears and my heart filled with gratitude for having 3 precious little munchikins to take care of in the early morning hours. I look at them and am thankful Heavenly let me have the privilege of having stewardship over these sweet little spirits. Yes, they try me and sometimes I get frustrated. But in the big scheme of things, it's not so much work. They bring more smiles than tears. And, I can always sleep tomorrow.