What the?!?!

Porter got into...okay I don't know what he was doing. He came walking down the hall in this getup. I HAD to take a picture. The only thing I can think of is blackmail.

Watching the baby birth

Jaymi made this cute little diaper cake. It was a great idea instead of the traditional flowers.

I got called early in the morning. That's the only thing I can think of to explain my hair. I look like a lost Kling-on.

Jeremy was very proud--I guess he should be. Now he has his son. He won't have to sing "Daddy's Girl" anymore.

There were a lot of people in the room when Kai Frampton was born. I was there. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure I was invited. I just got called and notified that he was coming. I just went. The last live birth I saw was Travis Taylor. I saw Brooke Shock before that. I don't want this to sound wrong, but I don't want to watch one again for awhile. It is an amazing miracle, but I have a weak stomach or something. I don't like horror movies either. Maybe it's kind of the same thing. I was very greatful for my 2 c-sections that yielded three children. Very efficient. Other than feeling weak in the knees, it was fun to see a new member of the family come into the world. Bobbi did freakin' awesome. (Refer back to my note about being thankful for c-sections.)

Dona is getting better with age

If you haven't seen Dona in awhile, she looks really good. She has been on an amazing weightloss plan and has lost over 35 pounds. I am so impressed. She has done so good at sticking to her regime.

The "Krew" kids

Porter and Madison really had a lot of fun with Krew. Porter especially liked any boy cousins. Of course, it was all fun and games until Krew broke his leg. The threesome were jumping on the trampoline. Jaymi no sooner put Krew up on the trampoline, turned toward me and Mom and said, "I hate trampolines." We suddenly heard a horrible scream. Porter and Krew were both on they're stomaches, lying next to each other. Whatever happened (I suspect Porter's hard head) Krew ended up with a hairline fracture below his knee. It was so sad. He was hobbling around pretty well before we left.

Aunt Kim's (and Uncle Jake) house

We were able to celebrate Kim's birthday while we were up there. They are moving to Texas for the summer. I am so glad we got to see them before they left. Poor Kaylor was not feeling well and cried a lot. Maybe it's because her Mom hangs her upside down all of the time. J.K. Kim. Madison hit the jackpot with Kim's jewelry box. She loves jewelry.

Back from Utah--Save the Drama for your Mama

We finally made it back. It was good to visit family. This was my first trip since I have been married--or since college--that I haven't been tied down to a job. I had the luxury of not having to get back because of work. We were able to visit family in Provo, Mt. Pleasant, and St. George. I have to say I was not too excited about spending a lot of money for a camera for my birthday last October, but the home videos we now have are worth every penny!
The kids were really glad to be home. They missed their Dad alot. Even Lane was very excited to see Brant. I am uploading pictures to the computer and will have to editorialize on each of them. We are going back to Mount Pleasant on Monday.

St. George pics

Porter and Lane on the walkway.

Madison on the walkway.

Brian and Taylor Lane (pictured above l to r)

I don't know what the kids are going to do when we get back to Vegas. They have been having so much here. I am trying to update the pictures we have taken on the trip. These are the St. George pics on our first day out. This was last Sunday when we stopped at Mom and Dad's condo in St. George. They had so much fun traveling. They were really good. Madison got a little moody on the way up to Mt. Pleasant.

Pictures in Utah

Bobbi had her baby. Their fourth child and first son--Kai Taylor Frampton. Born April 23, 2009. Congratulations!

Excited sisters welcome Kai. From l to r (Briann, Averi, Emyly, Jeremy, and Kai)

My little city slickers out on the farm. They were helping Uncle Brian feed the horses. Madi looked around and said, "Ooh! This is messy. Somebody made a mess."

Who put who to sleep? I don't know. The twins fell asleep with grandpa Lane in St. George.

...more pictures and update later. I don't have easy access to a computer. I am in the country.

Utah vacation

The kids are having so much fun in Utah. We spent most of Sunday on the road and in St. George. They were so sick of being in the car. I think they did good considering.
We went to Provo first thing on Monday and didn't come back until dark. We took Kim out to lunch at the Olive Garden. Mom, Jake, Kim and Jake, Jaymi, Bobbi, and me were all there. The kids included: Porter, Madison, Lane, Krew, Averi, and Brianna.
We went to Bobbi's house afterwards and visited. Taylor stopped by on his way to work and he talked with him for awhile. We stopped and Kim's house on the way out of town. Just had lots of fun visiting.
Today the kids spent most of the time with the animals. All three of them are out cold right now. They love the outdoors and the amount of land they have to roam is almost as big as the block we live on in Vegas. They have seen baby puppies, baby goats, chickens, roosters, horses, goats, cats, and a lamb. I have taken a lot of pictures. I'll have to post some more later.

Spring weather

The weather has been so nice lately. We have really enjoyed the backyard. Flowers are blooming the gardening is growing. The kids love it. I took the twins to Jack in Box the other day. They were really good. Other than announcing very loudly that they had to go poop. They are the friendliest little kids I have every seen. They wave and say hello to everyone they meet. They also go up to the counter and thank the employees. I don't know where they got that from. They just do it.

We're leaving to go to Utah tomorrow morning. I have everything packed and ready to go. We're picking my Mom up in St. George and then driving through to Mt. Pleasant. Bobbi is having her baby soon and Kim is moving to Texas for four months. So, we'll get a chance to visit with everyone for awhile. I think I'll be gone about 10 to 14 days.

Easter Egg Hunt

This was the exciting Easter Egg Hunt. Lane wasn't too interested, but Porter and Madison had a good time. We had fun watching them walk right past the eggs. You can see alot of the eggs they missed while the filming is going on.

More Easter

I had trouble with my camera on some of my pictures. I was afraid I lost this one--and another video we filmed. I got them today.

T.E.A. Parties everywhere

How about all of those T.E.A. (Tax Enough Already) Parties all over the United States yesterday? I was so excited to hear all of the reports coming in from the thousands and thousands of people who joined together in their own cities to protest again the taxing of the government. We are now paying almost 50 to 60 percent of our income to taxes. No wonder the economy is in such a hurt.

Can you believe there were actually anti-tea party protestors? They held signs supporting Obama and applauding this great country that uses our tax dollars. One lady said that the taxes were necessary for us to live "in a civilized society." This is not about a person, this is about a system that has become corrupt.

I personally don't have a problem with taxes per se. The things I take issue with are the pork barreling, brown-nosing, self-raises that go on in government. Did you know that in one state the wife of a governor thought it would be a good idea to plant wildflowers in the medians of their highways. First of all, planting wildflowers is a bit of a oxymoron--or oxymoronic in this case. Secondly, guess how much it cost? 17 million dollars. Wow! There are millions of examples of government misuse of funds and taxes. Why can't they be more accountable for their funding like businesses have to be? There is no way you would see a business doling out money in this fashion.

I'm proud of the Americans who are standing up and doing something about this. I hope something happens that will cause a revolution in the change of our government. It is way past due.

And as a postscript...if you haven't read the Constitution of the United States of America, you might want to refresh your memory. This is what are country was founded on, with Divine inspiration. Back when it was okay to be proud to have faith and believe in God. Read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Constitution

Just Plain Funny

Yesterday, Brant and I were sitting at the table eating. Madison and Porter come in at a full run. Madison is chasing Porter. She's yelling at him, trying to get him to stop. After they've made two full circles through the living room, kitchen, and entry way, I tell them to stop. I ask Porter, "What did you do? Did you take something from her."

He says, "No!"

"Madison," I say. "What happened?"

She replies, "I just want to be a princess, Mom."

I think for a minute and say, "Okay. You can be a princess. But what does this have to do with Porter?"

"He won't hold my hand!" She whines. "And if he doesn't hold my hand, I can't be a princess!"

Porter jumps in, "But I don't want to hold her hand!"

I talked to her into letting Lane hold her hand so she could be a princess. That was a satisfactory arrangement to all three.
_____________________

I fried eggs for the kids yesterday morning. While I was cutting Porter's eggs, he starts screaming, "Aaahh! Aaahh!" (like someone is killing him.)

"Porter!" I snap. "Stop screaming bloody murder."

"It's not me!" he says in agony. "It's the eggs! You're killing them."

Madisonisms

There's nothing worse than hearing your children repeat back phrases you say to them all of the time. This morning Madison said, "Mom, you need to change your attitude." (I was getting mad at her for making a mess.)

Yesterday, she said, "I am NOT tempermental!" She can be a drama queen--especially when she is tired and cranky.

Easter Sunday

Can you guess which egg carton is Porter's and which is Madison's?

Lane kept himself busy in the cupboards while we did eggs.

Making the dye was a big part of the fun.

What a wonderful holiday to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a great opportunity to teach our children more about the life of Jesus. In addition to the reverence of the holiday is the fun and excitement the kids have from painting the eggs, easter egg hunting, and getting candy. Hopefully, they have memories of both.

This is their first Easter that they are aware of what is going on. They also were able to color eggs with supervision this year. Just like with Santa, Porter insisted on staying up to talk to the Easter Bunny. I kept telling him he couldn't. He finally gave way to sleep.

Easter morning they were so excited for the egg hunt in the back yard. Brant and I were laughing as they would go so quickly they would look right past an egg that was in front of them. At one point, Brant told Porter to pick up Lane's toy and give it to him. He did, without evening noticing the egg that was under it. We enjoyed a good laugh at their excitement.

I'm so busy...but can't complain

Tuesday was our 7 year anniversary. As much as we wanted to, it is still hard to squeeze some time in away from the kids. We were able to go to dinner at T.G.I. Friday's. It had nothing to do with the last post I made. Just a coincidence.

I have spent every spare moment learning about credit restoration and finance. It is so much fun. I love it. I am excited to get some real clients and help people clean up their credit.

The kids are having fun--as usual. They spend their days playing in the yard and in the loft with their toys. I try to have them watch a B of M movie every day. They are at the stage where they like to watch movies. It's a nice break for me. Madison still takes a nap every day. Porter does not. Porter sleeps in, and Madison wakes up instantly. Lane was sleeping through the night until he got sick. Now, I am in the process of re-training him. Ughh.

T. Goodness I. F.

What a week. The kids and I have been sick for about a week now. I am so run down. Lane actually only woke up about 3 times last night. I think he's winding down on the sickness. But, it will be back to letting him cry all night to get him back to sleeping through the night. I was awake alot last night because I kept coughing.

I don't have to worry about my kids learning to "make lemonade from lemons." Because, they love lemons. I can't believe it. Yesterday, they wanted to eat some lemons. I kept trying to warn them and then thought it would be funny to see their sour faces. So, I let 'em have at it. They ate the whole thing. And, then they wanted more to take to Walmart. They were literally walking down the aisles of Walmart sucking on lemons.

Tonight I am going out with Brant for our Anniversary. It's actually not until Tuesday. We're going to Olive Garden and then to see Fast and Furious in the theater.

Madi discovers the mirror...

...and lipstick, and earrings, and hairspray. She was in the downstairs bathroom the other day, (not related to these pictures) and she was sitting on the counter. I had peeked in to see if she needed any help. I asked her what she was doing and she said, "I'm just looking at myself." I think she knows she's pretty. She always wants to put my makeup on and I try to get her to settle for lipgloss. She wants to go get her nails done, but she says, "Mom is going to take me to get my nails clipped."

Attack on Kendall

These pictures are from the week the Tenney's were here. All of the kids tackled Kendall on our bed. I think he could have shook them all off, but they thought they "had him."

Grandma Smith gave everyone a big bath in her jacuzzi tub. They kept saying they were having a naked party. Let's hope that doesn't go on into their teens.

Family Home Evening

We have been trying to do at least one "out-of-the-house" family home evening every month. This was our March trip. We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese. They had a lot of fun. We bought 100 tokens and still have 60! I guess we can still get a couple more trips there.

Monday, Monday

Brant finished getting all of the maintenance done on the Expedition today. I am so excited. I am finally going to have a vehicle. I went to pick it up from the shop with him after work. He took me out to the Black Bear Diner. It was a cool little home-cooking kind of restaurant. While reading about their origins on the menu, I discovered it was started in northern California in Mt. Shasta. That is the area my Mom grew up in, so it was kind of exciting to find it here in Vegas.
Lane has been sick for the last three days. He has a fever and goopy eyes and nose. He's been up all night--so have I. I can't wait to get back to sleeping through the night. Poor little guy. It's so sad when they're little and sick.

Busy Week

I don't know where the week went. I was so busy. Geneva and Mead came to visit with their kids: Aundra, Jantzen, and Cambry. We had a really full house. The kids had a good time playing with their cousins.
I had a dental appointment on Tuesday--they seated the crown on my root canal and filled another BIG cavity. But, I'm done for awhile now.
I've also been taking classes on Credit Restoration classes. I am helping some members of my family work on repairing their credit. It is an awesome program and I can't wait to work on it more. It's fun to watch the numbers climb.

Funny comments

Madison had a sword and Porter was holding a gun. Madison yelled: "I have the sword of Laban!" and Porter yelled, "I have the gun of Laban!

Madison Cleaning

I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday and Madison wanted to help. I was using a spray bottle.

Madison at 2 years and 8 months

Madison is my little smartie pants. That girl is amazing with the memory and mind she has. She is always thinking, thinking, thinking. And she says the funniest things. She's the one that can talk a mile a minute and be my "show girl." She knows the answer to everything.

Yesterday, I told her my visiting teachers were coming over. She said, "We have to say 'Nice to meet you. My name is Madison.'" I said, "That's right."

She is the little mama over her two brothers. She will tell me that Porter is making a mess. Although a lot of the time she was involved in it to. She just decided to repent and confess. She also tells Porter and Lane what they can and cannot do. She also likes to help with house cleaning--as long as a spray bottle is involved.

One of her favorite things lately is to get my phone and say, "I need to call my Aunt Dona." She will ask her a few questions and then be satisifed that she talked to her.

Porter at 2 years, 8 months

What a sweet, sensitive boy he is. He loves to cuddle and be held. He still has an obsession with his binkies. We've talked to him about letting them go and he just doesn't want to. He has no problem leaving them at home when he has to go out. That's good. He loves to watch Disney movies. He can play outside for hours and loves to play with his little brother. Him and Lane play like brothers having a good time. Him and Madison are little chums in a different way. It's so fun to watch.

He hates to take naps or go to sleep. It's as if he going to miss something. He rarely takes naps during the day anymore. He'll play quietly by himself or follow me around. Yesterday, he was out on the patio just sitting in a chair. Rhonda asked him if he was reflecting, he said, "Yeah."

I think his favorite person right now is his Dad. He gets so excited when Brant comes home. He will often say, "I want to play with my Dad."

He painted the picture above a couple of days ago. Brant bought the kids some paints. He also weighs 27 pounds.

Lane at 10 months old

Lane now has eight teeth. (4 top and 4 bottom) He has been walking all over the place. He officially starting stepping about 2 weeks ago. Sometimes when he is in a hurry to get to something he drops down and crawls. He loves to crawl up the stairs and if you don't keep an eye on him, he'll be at the top before you know it. He did fall down one time. But I was heading over to get him off of the stairs anyway. Thankfully, he was only up about 3 stairs.

He loves to play in the backyard. He thinks dirt, rocks, and flower petals taste good. He also likes to stand on my bed and look out the window. He will dance even when I sing off tune. He adores his big brother and is sometimes annoyed by Madison who tends to be overbearing at times. He gets the biggest kick out of seeing his cousin, Isabella. He will lay his head on her chest and kiss her. He is still such a joyful child. He maintains a permanent smile and laughs easily.

Little Quips

I have to record these conversations before I forget them.
_______________
While watching Animated Book of Mormon.

Madison: Mom, Heavenly Father can teach me how to build a ship, too.
_______________
After coming back from picking Nathan up from work.

Madison: Where did you go, Mom?

Me: I went to pick up Uncle Nathan.

Madison: Did he go on a mission again?
_______________
While watching real lions on tv.

Madison: The lions are going to get you, Mom.

Me: If they get me I will be gone. Who will take care of you?

Madison: Grandma.

Busy is good

I have been so busy lately I haven't had a lot of time to blog. The kids have been working on the garden. It's mostly planted now. Though I can't take much credit for it. It is impossible to actually try to plant when you have 3 kids hanging on. The twins are anxiously waiting to pluck their one strawberry that is getting redder by the day. They are delighted by the real "popcorn popping" trees in the backyard. I am going to have to get Dona's Apricot jam recipe because are certainly going to have a surplus this year.

Brant has not been working as much. The time we have him around has been so pleasant. He takes the kids with him grocery shopping and to the park. They get so excited when Dad gets home. I admire how he is able to have fun with them and still maintain a level of discipline. He made dinner last night too. This is kind of funny--I mean, now after the fact. Brant made chicken strips and scalloped potatoes last night. The chicken was done a lot sooner than the potatoes so he put them on the stove. When he came to get the potatoes out, all of the chicken was gone except for one piece. Wayne, Kendall, and Nathan had all walked through the kitchen at different times and taken a piece here and there. Brant just ate potatoes and the kids and I split the last piece. I thought it was funny.

Brant came home early last Tuesday and wanted to take me out on a date. We went to Olive Garden for an early lunch. (One of the benefits of living with your in-laws is that you have instant babysitters.) It was great and I am thankful they are so awesome.

I've been spending a lot of time on our new blog. It's been a fun project, but has taken alot of time. We're ready for more submissions!

Help me get the word out...please

Have you ever had a child make a mess in 2 seconds flat? You just turned your back for one minute and before you know it--they emptied the fish tank on the living room floor; painted the walls; or cut up your leather sofa. Vicki (my sister for those of you who don't know) and I have created a fun web page to post these laughable (after the fact) incidents. We would love to get your stories and photos as well.

To visit the website go to: http://lookwhatmykiddid.blogspot.com/

To submit some of your favorite mishaps please send a story and email to mailto:mykiddid@gmail.com

I know you've got these. So send it in. Feel free to forward this to anyone you know!

P.S. There is a $25 Target Gift Card for the messiest photo. Tell your friends.

Lane with Isabella

Lane loves to play with Isabella. Grandma Smith was giving her a bath and he wanted to jump in. Grandma was nice enough to let him.

Self-proclaimed "Best Friends"

Porter and Madison chum around together like they've known each other for a long time. They're fascinating to watch. I wonder just how long they have known each other. They often refer to each other as their best friend. They are happy to include Lane into their little private club.
Porter is turning into the ham and clownster. Tonight I was getting on him because he was tired and crying at every little thing. I warned him in

my sternest voice, "I want you to get happy, Porter. You need to find your happy face really quick."
"Okay," he whimpered. I gave him his glass of water. While he was drinking it he lit up and said, "Look Mom! It's my happy face. I see it!" He was standing in front of the oven and could see his reflection in it. He ran over the oven and grabbed at the glass and then put his hand over his face. Excitedly, he jumped up and down, "I

found my happy face, Mom! It was right here." He became very happy after that.The twins have spent a lot of time in the garden with their Grandma. They love being outside and helping. However, sometimes their well-intended destroys good plants. They are very excited about their strawberry plant that is growing. One strawberry is starting to turn red.

They tell me over and over not to pick it because it's not ready yet. Porter told me it would be gross and yucky if I pick it now.

I am afraid Madison might be getting chicken pox. Her and Isabella have tiny pimples on their skin. Madi's is on her tummy and Isabella's is on her face. I guess we will see what develops.

Lane in Pictures

I finally got my camera problems worked out. Lane has been moving all over the place. He took 14 steps today and has been taking steps here and there all day. I'd say he is officially walking. He loves climbing into things. He climbed under Madison's bed and into a cupboard the other day.
He has a special fascination for his older brother, Porter. They are very cute watching together. The boy in them both comes out. It's so interesting the dynamics of brothers playing together. I hope they continue to be close.

As much as he looks up to Porter, he seems to have an "protector" thing going for his little cousin Isabella. He loves to see her and talk to her. I can't wait to see Lane's personality develop even more. He's adorable, happy, and sweet. He is sometimes reserved and cautious. He has spent the last two nights crying off and on between 2 and 4 in the morning. It's killing me.

61 now? Really?

I am the only person I know that can start using an exercise program and get worse at it instead of better. The Wii told me I was 61 today. I was only 60 3 days ago.

2 a.m. Ramblings

Lane is having another bout of waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to nurse. He does so good for a stretch and then starts waking up. I don't get it. He's been up for and hour and a half tonight! I'm waiting him out.

Brant surprised me with a spontaneous date yesterday after work. It was fun. We went to the Olive Garden and had a nice early dinner. We're on such a weird schedule since he gets up at 4 a.m.

Rhonda and I went to the temple last night. I really enjoy going. It is so peaceful and such a fine alignment of your spirit. Despite the fact that Brant was sick, he watched all three kids for me so I could go.

My stomach is feeling it from the Wii Hula Hoop. I tried running on the Wii yesterday, but kept getting interrupted by kids. My last two laps I ended up holding Lane while I was running. It lowered my percentage, but I think it was actually harder! It's a very fun workout program. I love it.