Apparently I am not known for my cooking!

I was scanning in some of the kids artwork today and I came across this from Elise's schoolwork from last year. I thought it was pretty funny. The leader for the sentence was somewhat suggestive, I think most kids would have been thinking of food their mom makes. But not Elise. Apparently I make great rules and berry shakes and sometimes, if they are lucky, those shakes even have stevia (sweetener made from plant leaves). That's okay with me, I've never been a baker. I hate baking. In fact, Jared made our neighbor gifts this year. I constructed a doll sized manger with the power tools while he was in the kitchen making oreo truffles. It was great.

The Best Thing About Being a Mom

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. My life is full of mundane tasks. It is mostly cleaning up messes and driving kids around. But I love it--maybe not so much the cleaning and wiping bottoms parts, but the comic relief that comes at just the right moments. I get this constant barrage of hilarious little comments to keep me going and help me see the fun side of this mom business.

I was thinking the other day that I need to start writing everything down. But as I went through the morning, I found myself making mental notes about every five minutes. Those funny little moments just never stop with Miles around. Two year olds are good for making you laugh (or cry). Miles wakes up and puts on his "packpack" and asks, "Can I go to school with Elise and Monet, I have a packpack on?" Apparently his little mind just sees all the kids wearing their backpacks on the way to school, and he thinks that is the key. He REALLY wants to go to school. Even after my explaining that he can't go until he is five, he says, "but, but I have a packpack though!" At the store, he sits in the grocery cart, takes off his shoes, and plays with them like puppets. He makes conversations for them. It is so funny to listen to who he is imagining his shoes are, and what they are saying. Then, as we get home, he starts in on his potty mouth. This is all new for him. He started coming up with words like "poo poo head" a few weeks ago, and he has been encouraged by Monet's bursts of laughter when he uses those words. So we are working on it. Although I must admit it isn't easy even for me to restrain my laughter when he sings things like "Shake your PEAnut!" (I've learned that the source of this phrase is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse--why any kids' show would teach a song that sounds like "shake your penis" is beyond me.) When he says words he knows he isn't supposed to he gets to sit on the step. And sometimes he'll say to me, "I SO mad at you Mommy!" In a very defiant, and angry way--which makes me laugh again.

Today, just after I scrubbed applesauce off of at least ten spots on the floor, Miles goes and opens yet another little cup of applesauce and drips it across the whole floor. But when I pointed it out, he says to me very seriously, I SO sorry Mommy" and goes to help me clean it up.

I get the best hugs from my kids. It is so nice to have these four little ones who just live to hear me tell them how much I love them. A few months ago, Monet and I went to dinner. She said to me after just a few minutes of talking, "This is the best mommy-daughter date ever!" For now, they are hanging on my every word. They are so easy to please. I often feel overwhelmed by the work it takes to keep up with everything that having four kids entails, but it is so rewarding. I got a little frame this summer that says "And this is our joy" on it. It is just so true. There is nothing that brings us more joy than our children.

Sweet Little Monet

This past summer, we started listening to Wicked a lot. As I listened, I wanted to know more about the story. So we went home and found a synopsis of the musical on Wikipedia, and read it to the girls. Monet was so sympathetic to Elphaba. She'd always tell me that if Elphaba went to her school, she'd be her friend, etc. She talked about Elphaba all the time. She was even Elphaba for Halloween. Here is a picture she drew of Elphaba. We have about ten just like this. Many with papers taped together that are about three feet long.

The kids watched the newer Grinch a few weeks ago. I was cleaning up and getting Simone to bed when I sat down to watch the end with them. I was commenting a bit, trying to instill in them the true meaning of Christmas and the moral message behind it. Monet started filling me in on what had happened and she started to get very emotional as she explained how the Grinch was just trying to give a present to his teacher, but all the kids were laughing at him and that is why he doesn't like Christmas. I didn't even quite understand the synopsis, because at that point she was totally crying. Later that night as Jared was tucking them in, she was relaying the story to him and soon she was gulping tears and feeling sad for the Grinch again.

I think it is pretty cute to have a child who openly weeps for compassion. I started getting teary the other day while reading them a story, and I was totally embarrassed. Somehow crying, even in front of my kids, is just humiliating for me. But Monet is just a little sweetie. She doesn't hold anything back. During the summer, I was trying to get the girls to open up a little with adults, especially their relatives. I explained that it makes people feel really good when you are friendly and smiley when you see them. If you don't talk to them or you look away, they might think you don't like them or you aren't happy to see them. Monet has really taken that to heart. She felt really sad that people might think she doesn't like them. I'm just glad she has been able to open up.

I've been tagged- 5 things you may not know about me

I was tagged by my sister Michelle a couple weeks ago, and am supposed to come up with five little known things about me. I've been mulling it over a bit, and I have to admit it is kinda hard for me to come up with anything that my friends don't already know about me. I am an open book! But I'll give this a try.

1. I have a great long term memory. I remember things from when I was one. I remember when Bekah was born and how I felt. I remember Michelle giving me some water color paints for my third birthday. At age two and three waking up in the night and being scared in my room, and going into my parents bed. How it felt when I got the courage up to walk in the dark across the hall to find their bedroom door locked. I remember a lot!

2. One of my favorite movies is Rocky. I love that show and watch it a few times a year. I was so excited when the new Rocky came out--it didn't compare to the first, but it was entertaining.

3. The Olympics make me kinda sad. There are so many people who just have their dreams crushed. What they do is amazing regardless of whether they win the gold of course, but the expressions of the ones who don't win are kinda tragic.

4. I am really talented at both the pogo stick (one time got over 600 jumps in a row) and the stilts. I can go up and down stairs on both.

5. I have a bit of a hippy streak when it comes to health, childbirth, etc, and it has rubbed off on Jared. I think it is due to my mom. We were raised on 20 lb whole wheat and honey birthday cakes, and had virtually no sugar, white anything, or artificial ingredients in our home when I was young. As a kid, I had vivid dreams of eating Doritos chips and remember thinking to myself that when I grew up, I was going to fill my pantry with soda and Oreos like some of my lucky friends. Now I really see the gift that I was given and I've grown to appreciate the influence mom had on me. I like healthy food, the only vegetable I really hate is Okra. I am pretty sure I'd even like that if it was cooked right. My kids asked if they could join Jared and I in 100 days of no sugar last year, and it was awesome to see how the parental influence is passed down through generations. Jared is now more into health foods than I am, and has been inspiring me when I get off track. I love it!

I am supposed to tag people now (this whole blogging thing is a little new to me, can you tell?). So Chelon, Kelli, Kristen, Lisa, and Ang, you guys are it.

Guess Who's Walking!

Simone! Just shy of 10 months, she took her first steps on Thanksgiving (on our countertop) and today she started trying to walk everywhere. She was practicing all day. It is pretty cute too. She gets a big grin on her face when we encourage her.

We have so much fun with this sweet little girl. She is just full of personality. She is nearly always smiling at us, and "plays" with the kids and Sugar a lot too.

She is just very good natured. The first few months of her life were spent in the car driving everywhere. Apparently that is the secret if you want a flexible, very easy going baby ;) If you happened to call my cell phone during that time, chances are you'd have heard a screaming baby in the backseat. It was pretty miserable! But now, Simone is trained to fall asleep wherever. Church is a breeze with this little girl. She rested her head in the palm of my hand today and nearly fell asleep. If she's tired, she'll usually just fuss for a few seconds and then go to sleep. She takes a bottle (yay! my first baby who has had an occasional bottle of formula without being completely starved). So I guess there are some good things that came from running around like a madwoman for six months!

Elise's Baptism

Elise was baptized almost six weeks ago, so it is about time I post about it. It was such a neat day for me. She had tons of family there. Her Nana and Papa even came out from California. It was neat to see her confirmed by Jared with all those uncles, friends, grandpas, etc. I love seeing the priesthood in action.

What a milestone! She is growing up, that is for sure. She is loving it too. She was very excited for her baptism and to be able to go to activity days. We'd been talking about it for quite awhile. She was so thrilled to have her very own scriptures. She has been dutifuly marking them with every scripture reference she finds. They set some neat goals in activity days and Elise is working on them without any reminders from me. I went in her room the other night, and she had her little nightlight on reading her scriptures. It is pretty sweet. Grandpa A gave her a neat little packet to work on all about baptism, and she's finished all of it but the memorization.

Last week was her first time fasting. She was so hungry! But she was very dedicated to it and was a great example to her daddy. ;) She helped me make a huge dinner and we had cinnamon rolls as a reward for all our long suffering.

I have such a sweet 8 year old! She is so patient with her brothers and sisters. Elise understands humor like very few kids I know at this age. She loves fashion and is very creative when it comes to outfits and hairstyles. She also loves shopping and jewelry. Earrings and bracelets are just about the only things we can get her to spend her money on! She is a saver, and likes to have what feels like a lot to an 8 year old. Elise is really well behaved and nice to everyone. She is especially attached to Jared. They have a neat bond, and she just loves going anywhere he is going. She is such a sweet daughter! We are so proud of her.

Halloween Pictures

Elise or "Hannah Montana Zombie" and Sugar the cowgirl dog


Monet AKA Elphaba


Grandma the biker chick and Simone the fairy


The whole gang


Miles as Anakin Skywalker


Simone the fairy

Faithful Fans

Last week we had some crazy and unpredictable weather here in Happy Valley. So we weren't sure if we wanted to brave the BYU game with all four kids. But things cleared up, so we bundled everyone up and made it by the end of halftime. We figured that the kids were not going to last 3.5 hours anyway.





We had at least 30 minutes before it started snowing like crazy. Simone was totally loving it and trying to catch the snow in her mouth. But it started getting windy and the snow was really wet. So we left at about the fourth quarter.

This is what it looked like just after we left:



That was my idea of a perfect game! 1 quarter, and we all still got to be in the crowd and eat stadium food.

All my problems solved---or not!

I was thinking earlier this week that really, everything I feel I want to fit in to my day would be accomplished if I could just dicipline myself to waking up one hour earlier. I can work out, read my scriptures, start a load of laundry, switch the load, fix a good breakfast, get showered and dressed for the day before the kids wake up etc.

Well, what was I thinking? I am terribly optimistic when it comes to time. I always think things will just take a few minutes. And I am always late to everything (thank you to my sisters who understand me and don't take that too personally--I am trying to be more realistic). So I shouldn't be surprised that waking up an hour earlier did not accomplish all those things. I did get a load of laundry put in, a workout, and showered before the kids woke up. But all that other stuff can't be fit into that same hour unless I learn to run four minute miles. And I don't think waking up another hour earlier at 4:30 am is going to work for me! Jared will be begging me to get some more sleep.

I was cranky all day from waking up early and running hard. Thankfully daylight savings is in two days! Now if I could just stick to my yearly goal of going to bed earlier with daylight savings...

How is this comfortable?

Last night, our kids wanted to sleep in the tent in the family room, but after an hour of giggling and fighting, we sent them back to their beds. Miles generally sleeps with Monet for a few hours, then comes and climbs into bed with Daddy. But last night, he had other plans. We went up to the girls room and found this:
He had laid a blanket below him, stuffed his Lightning McQueen pillow behind, and climbed in. I guess months of napping in the car seat has made upright sleeping pretty comfy!

Miles is in love

Miles has been watching Barbie and the Nutcracker over and over for the past few days. Two year olds tend to get on those little stints with certain movies. So this morning as I am hastily getting Elise and Monet off to school, he asks for Barbie. I put on the DVD to buy me a little time since I am running behind and as she appears on the screen, he says, "I love her" very tenderly. I ask him what her name is and he says "Princess." He's so sentimental, just like his daddy.

Our family cruise

In the beginning of September, we went on a cruise with our little family, my mom and Aunt Marge. We docked in San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada. Jared works in the travel industry, and frequently books large groups. This time, we decided to use our free cruises and visit the grandparents all in one trip.



We started our adventure by visiting the grandparents in Tustin, California. The kids loved swimming at Nana and Papa’s house. Monet is petrified of swimming and she got brave enough to jump in with her life vest on. Check her out!
http://s72.photobucket.com/albums/i186/shereewinger/cruise/?action=view¤t=MOV04852.flv





We got to spend a relaxing day by the pool. The kids loved it. Elise is wishing we still lived in California. Sunday, we went to Jared's brother's baby blessing and got to see the new baby twin girls! They are so cute.

On Labor Day, we boarded the ship and immediately started exploring the boat. The kids really loved the kids club and all that food! We met up with Aunt Marge and Grandma Nancy and ate at the big Windjammer Café. It was fun to see all the different boats in the port. That evening, grandma and Elise wrapped up Monet with toilet paper. She was a cute little mummy! We participated in a Family Disco that night. We were the only ones there! It was great. Our kids can get down! Later we watched Karaoke and then headed back to our rooms.







Day 2 the ship was docked in San Diego. We decided to let the kids have some fun in the kids club and at the pool. So we stayed on the ship and swam, ate and let the kids nap.
They loved the food! That night was formal night on the ship. We had escargot for dinner! Elise and Miles loved it!











Day 3 we arrived in Catalina. Catalina is beautiful! We loved the quaint town of Avalon and Descanso Beach. We rented sea kayaks and paddled around to a private beach where Elise and Jared went snorkeling while the rest of us checked out the tide pools and saw some great sea animals and fish! Miles spotted a pretty big octopus slinking back into the ocean. Elise found a sea urchin shell while snorkeling, and we saw lots of interesting other stuff. There were lots of bright orange garibaldi fish. Simone and Miles both fell asleep on the kayaks as we paddled back to the beach. We definitely want to go back to Catalina and spend more time there. Dinner was really entertaining each night. It takes about 2 hours to eat in the formal dining room with desserts and everything. Which is kinda long for Miles. He figured out that if he needed a new diaper during that time, we’d take him back to the room to change him. So on Wednesday, dinner started during Spiderman 2, and he was pretty upset we had to leave in the middle to go to eat. So during dinner, he announces that he wet his diaper and we need to go back and change him. Jared tells him that he can wait until we are done. About thirty seconds later, he tells us all “I poopy.” He pooped his diaper so he could go back to the room and catch another few minutes of Spiderman. The kid loves Spiderman! That night on the ship, they had a late night chocolate buffet. It was amazing. I can’t believe all the beautiful food creations. It was very cool. We ordered room service that night. It was so fun to just look at a menu and order whatever you want. No money to worry about. No guilt, just eat!













Day 4 was Ensenada. I love Mexico! I love the markets, the houses, the landscapes, everything. It is just so fun to be in such a different environment. Mangos on a stick, yummy fresh tortillas, churros, and just genuinely nice, sweet people. We took a bus to La Bufadora. We went horsebackriding on the beach close to La Bufadora. It was beautiful! Elise was pretty disappointed that our horse was slower than the rest. Miles fell asleep sitting up on the way back. One of the guides got Elise some really nice big shells. The beach was full of them! Apparently Mexican kids don’t treasure them like we do. After horsebackriding, we went to La Bufadora. It is beautiful! The shopping around it is really fun for kids. Not so much for me anymore. They don’t really have anything I want, but they had all kinds of fun stuff for Elise, Monet and Miles. Little purses, Spiderman capes, jewelry, etc. We didn’t have time for me to get a mango with Lime and chile, or any fresh tortillas. We had to head right back to the ship. But it was a really beautiful day all around.











The next morning, we headed off the ship. We were ready! The sleeping situation with Miles squished between us, Simone in the pack and play, and only 100 sq ft. total living area with all our luggage, etc is kinda taxing. We went back to Nana and Papa’s that night. I was really sick that day, so I pretty much slept the whole day. By night, I was feeling better. Phew! It must have been something I ate. Probably the yucky curry.

The next day was Saturday and we spent the morning at Downtown Disney. Miles was so excited about the huge Darth Vader built out of legos at the Lego store. The girls loved it there.



That afternoon, Jared and Elise headed to the UCLA vs. BYU game in Pasadena, and Sheree took Monet, Miles and Simone to the American Girl Store. I met up with Rachel for a few minutes! She lives right by the Grove Shopping Center. It was very fun! A little chaotic and I got tons of looks with my kids. Kinda fun.



We were really ready to be home on Sunday! Jared and I loved that the baby was in her own room, and Miles didn’t climb in bed with us until 5am. I slept so well!



Overall, I loved the cruise. The Monarch of the Seas was a nice ship for the low price. Family cruising will be something we do again when Miles is three and can go to the kids club with the girls, and when we get a bigger room.

We learned that the placement of our room was not good. We were next to some kind of storage closet, and there was opening and shutting of doors all night and early in the morning. It reminded me of trying to sleep in the hospital. I didn’t like that. But it will be helpful to know this for when we book other groups. We’ll know which rooms are not as desirable. The cruise was booked to capacity, and our initial reservation was lost, so we got the only room that was available. Our last cruise on the Vision of the Seas was wonderful! We did a Mexican Riviera, and I slept so well the whole time. It was silent and dark, and we had really comfortable beds and a nice sized stateroom. This was a smaller boat, and the staterooms weren’t updated recently. But we had a great time! I thought the food was wonderful.

I'm Supermommy!

One sure way to impress your superhero obsessed two and a half year old is to don a receiving blanket cape and leap down the stairs shouting, "I'm Supermommy!"

He will stare at you in awe, seeing you with new eyes. And probably won't let you out of his sight for the rest of the day.

More pictures of our cute baby.

I don't have a lot of time to type, but we LOVED this picture of Simone. Her whole face just lights up when she smiles. She loves to coo, and is such an easy going baby.

Happy Birthday Monet!

My little Monet is five today. She's been counting down the days for at least 3 months now. A few weeks ago she made a paper chain. I think she's had a great day! Her little cousins slept over, and they helped me make a "How to Eat Fried Worms Cake." Monet has had this planned for awhile now. Gummy worms and buying the "How to Eat Fried Worms" dvd was a very important part of her plan. Five is such a funny age. I listen to her with her little friends banter about who is sitting by each other, and what they are bringing for show and tell. Birthdays, and getting to wear a crown on their special day. So we bought a really neat little "birthday girl" tiara that came with earrings and one of those beauty pageant banners. She loved it! She got a puzzle that she has done over and over again today. She loves puzzles!

Simone Smiles!

She is such a little sweetie! She smiles at me all the time! Which is just a little bit of heaven with my life as hectic as its been.

Miles learns to cook and other fun kid stories

I must say that I am doing a great job of raising independent kids. The other day I made the kids some quesadillas for lunch then made a phone call while they were eating. I guess Miles decided that he wanted some more. I heard the microwave open and came back in the kitchen. He was just taking his quesadilla out. I'd left the cheese and tortillas on the counter, so he put them together, put it on a plate, stuck it in the microwave, and made himself some more lunch! He also enjoys helping himself to applesauce.

We had a fun St. Patricks Day. The kids were SO excited for the tricky leprechaun to visit. Elise is almost 8 and asked me in all seriousness if leprechauns were real. I told her they were not real, but a fun tradition. Then I glanced over about thirty seconds later to see her gulping and holding back tears. She was clearly upset about the leprechauns not being real, so I said, "Just Kidding!" and she got happy again and set out to make a leprechaun trap. So sad that I lied, but you know, sometimes they just aren't ready to give up the fun of it all, and someday I'll just have to explain it to her. She asked me about the Easter bunny today, and I just asked her what she thought. She tried to nail down an answer, but I stayed vague this time. It was just too much fun to hear their excitement on the morning of St. Patricks Day when they saw that the tricky leprechaun had turned over the furniture and left them some gold foil wrapped chocolates.