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.

Lane is my little Sweetheart

Lane is so sweet. I have really enjoyed having him for a baby. He is not just happy, but giggly all of the time. He's sleeps well, only poops once a day, and is just happy to be near me. So unlike the twins. It is so neat to experience only one child at a time. Of course, I loved Porter and Madison, but it is a new experience to get to be able to love a child so much--not just take care of their needs. He is a very content little man. Unlike Porter, who was so anxious to sit, scoot, crawl, and walk, he is content to just be. He's active and loves to use the walker, but takes all of the world in stride.

Great Grandparents Visit

The kids had their great grandparents visiting over the weekend. Tom and Dena Cox, Rhonda's parents, stopped by for a quick visit. It is so fun to have the gift of great-grandparents. I love that the kids have so many grandma's and grandpa's.

Madison...maybe partially potty-trained

Madison has been stellar in her potty training performance. Porter dropped out of the race and I didn't encourage him to get back in. I didn't want to deal with two of them and a 4 1/2 month old baby. Anyway, Madison has not had any accidents. Her exceptions of course are nap time and sleeping. I don't have that much faith. She wore panties to church and all through Sacrament Meeting. I was too afraid to send her to nursery with panties, so Brant put a diaper on her. She also has a very hard time pooping--every time. Or I should say she has bowel movements with much effort. She asked me yesterday if she could wear a diaper to poop. So, of course, I let her put it on. She didn't want to do that on the toilet. Mostly because she has to stand up to poop. I think we're on the right track! I'm so glad.

Madison (pictured above) was showing off her new underwear. She was thrilled and picked out the pink ones to wear--her favorite color.

Day Two

I'm writing this braless, in pajamas, and tired and it's 1:30 p.m.. Training twins is not easy. I didn't mean to do both of them. I tried to get Porter on board, but Madison wanted to do it too. I feel like I have been living in the bathroom. Porter did really well this morning at first. Then he got bored with it and told me he wanted to wear a diaper. The kids great-grandparents were visiting, so it was easy to give up on him. I still had Madison and that dang timer that would go off every 30 minutes. And oh don't forget my 4 month old baby.

Madison was awesome! She wouldn't always go when the timer went off so I just started asking her when she needed to go. She started running to me saying, "Mom, I gotta pee!" I would help her and she would say, "No Mom. I do it." They can both get their underwear off and get on the toilet without any problem. When it was nap time I put her in a diaper, but she wanted her underwear on over the diaper. A couple of times before falling asleep she wanted to go potty. Then, she realized this was a great way to get out of taking a nap. After several, "I have to go potty" I said, okay that's enough. Use the diaper.

Porter did get up before he fell asleep because he had to use the bathroom. I was like, just go in your diaper! He was very insistent and I realized I shouldn't stop him if he was willing. Thankfully, I didn't because he pooped in the toilet. Yeah! He did this twice. (He's got an amazing metabolism so he is a frequent pooper.)

They are both sleeping like little angels, so I have a break. Of course, baby Lane is awake, but he is so good. He has really been in to the political debates. Maybe that's because I have it on so much and he just stares at the lights.

So am I on track? Are they doing what they're supposed to? This is my first time, so I am hoping it will go well.

End of Potty Training Day 1

So, we did the every 30 minutes thing. I was just trying with Porter, but Madison was way into getting a potty treat. She would sit on the toilet and try to convince me she had peed just to get her potty treat. They get ONE smarties--not a pack--just one. She wanted it every time. Porter was doing really good all morning. Right before nap time, I slacked off a little and forgot to ask him if he needed to go to the bathroom. He wet his pants, but was not happy about it. I asked if he wanted to try again and he did. So we put new pants on. He did okay in those and started to wet himself, but stopped and ran to the bathroom. We did have an early morning success as well. Porter had just gone to the bathroom and then caming running to me saying, "Mom, I gotta poop! I gotta poop!" I said, "Well get in there!" He was very proud of pooping in the toilet. I put a diaper on him for nap time. He sleeps for about 3 hours and I didn't want to deal with a big, wet, bed. After nap time, I put a diaper on. His 3 pairs of underwear were dirty. We continued with going. He didn't do as well in the diaper, but both of them would run to the bathroom when the "Potty Timer" went off. We have two bathrooms right next to each other, so most of the day I had one in one bathroon and another in the other. I feel so tired today. Lane, however, continued to poop and pee in his diaper and we got no where with him! :) I would like to send them to Dona to get housebroken--just like I always did with my dogs. She can give them back once they are potty-trained. :) I guess it will pay off once the work is done. And, I guess for the first day, we didn't do so bad. I just have to keep up with it. I was hoping to have Brant home to help tomorrow, but he has to work! Oh well.