"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.