Day 2 of Disneyland

Yes, I know I should be out having fun at the park, but Katera HAD to nap. Especially after falling out of the stroller! She won't let us buckle her in and won't sit still so as I was quickly walking through the crowd to go back to the hotel she fell out and I tripped over her. No major injuries, just a bump on the head.

Sekoya is going, going, going with Grandma Sindy right now. Jason is working so we can justify our gas and hotel bill on the company. We went to our Princess lunceon at Ariel's Grotto today. Sekoya was so happy to see all the princesses and get all their autographs in her book. Katera was pretty awe struck by the beautiful princesses too. Today has been great for the lack of lines at the rides. We walked right on Pirates of the Carribean and Indianna Jones! Jason even rode the California Screamin' roller coaster while I took the girls on King Triton's carousel. -Very different interests! As soon as Katera wakes up we will go back and try to find the High School Musical performance. It has been a great trip so far... if I could order the weather I would order it slightly cooler! It is still 85-90 degrees! But it is better than freezing at home! We have one more day in the park and lots more to see. I will post more later along with picures--oh the many pictures!!!!

Pumpkin Patch

This was the first field trip for the kindergartners this year. It was to the pumpkin patch. Jason was home from the Elk hunt so he got to go with her. She was so excited to get Daddy to go with her. He was even a good husband and took a couple of pictures with his cell phone! What a good guy! The first one is her and Parker waiting in line. The second one is her friend and neighbor Hadyn. These two girls are like peas in a pod. We keep saying we're going to change their names to have each other's last name for a middle name. Good friends are great!!

The Mighty Hunter

I told Jason I had to get a picture of his hairy face from the hunt. He got home late Thursday night a couple of weeks ago (I am a little behind) and told me I had better hurry and take the picture because he was going right to the shower to shave. I'm glad he doesn't like to have a full beard. I don't prefer it!

Happy 2nd Birthday Katera!

A week late!! We didn't even see much of Katera on her actual birthday-last Saturday. We were busy moving into our house. She was with Grandma Maridon the whole day. I think we actually only saw her a total of 3 hours that day. So we celebrated yesterday. We took the girls to see Beverly Hills Chiuaua. It was funny, I asked Sekoya if she knew what movie was at the theater. She said what and I did the tune from the song. She still didn't get it, but Katera immediately said "Wah Wah!" (chiuaua) Katera only sat through about half the movie then she got up and ran up and down the isles the rest of the movie. After that we came home and had pizza before everybody came over for cake and ice cream. I made her a cute Care Bear cake since that is her nick name. It turned out pretty cute I thought. It was my first time working with fondant (the rainbows, stars, and clouds). She was really fun when we sang Happy Birthday to her. She sang right along with us and grinned at everybody there. After that it was complete meltdown. She screamed and cried and wouldn't be happy about anything. I figured she needed to get to bed since she didn't have a great nap. So everybody left and we got the kids bathed and in bed by 8. But Katera didn't go to sleep until 10! She kept coming up the stairs and would NOT go to bed.

Sevens

7 things I can do...
roll my tounge
mind my own business- I don't like to participate in gossip
shop quickly-even clothes shopping
get my way with my hubby
offend people without meaning to-I'm too blunt sometimes
understand my two year old's language, most of the time
find addresses and directions- not your typical blonde


7 things I cannot do...
keep my patience with screaming kids
keep my house clutter free- it's clean just cluttered
sew
deviate from my "schedule"
bake very well
play pretend for very long
go without internet for more than a couple of days


7 things that attracted me to Jason...
his truck (i know- very superficial)
that he was an "older man"
his smile
he spoiled me in every way
he had/has a very good work ethic
he stood up to my dad
I could have a meaningful conversation with him


7 things I say most often...
1,2,3 when Sekoya is on her way to trouble
Be nice to your sister
I love you
What Honey?
For Cryin' out loud
In a minute
Sekoya where are you? She can't ever stay put


7 Favorite foods...
tomatoes
avacados
fresh peaches
black beans
tilapia
chocolate
crepes

TAG to anyone who feels like sharing

Home Sweet Home

Pure Happiness!

We were able to move into our house on Saturday.... after a long and stressful day on Friday. It turns out our sellers did not get their money the same day we did- Wednesday. I stopped by Friday afternoon to see if we could move in on the weekend to find out that they did not have their money yet and they were not turning over possesion until they did. So I spent the afternoon on the phone with title companies trying to find out what had happened to the money. I was even willing to pay the sellers an extra $100 if they would let me move in without them having the money in hand. Turns out that I didn't have to do that. They got their money right at the end of the day. So we had a crew of men from our new ward at the house at 9 am and were done unloading trailers by 9:45. It helps when you have 12 guys moving you in. Jason was smart enough to come off the mountain to help me get into the house and get things settled. I gave him a check list of things he had to have done before he went back on the mountain which included- beds set up, TVs set up, washer and dryer functioning, and office set up. He completed them all and even stayed to watch Sekoya in the primary program on Sunday. We went to church last week and found out that the program was the next week. They even gave her a part- which she memorized in one week. It was fun to watch her on the stand singing the songs that we have been working on for so long. Katera was really upset that she couldn't go sit with Sissy. She kept trying to escape all through sacrament. I have most of the house put together, except for all the decorating. That will be a long slow process. I kind of have to wait until we finish the family room in the basement so I make sure I have enough decorations to go down there too. The girls' bedrooms are in the basement and that has worked fine for these first few nights. I actually have to get my baby monitor out again because they are so far from my room. I am LOVING the nice big garden tub in my room. I have missed that so much these last three years in Monroe. Our neighbors and ward have been so great! We have had four plates of goodies brought to us since moving in on Saturday. The next door neighbor has a daughter Sekoya's age and they have been absolutely inseparable. I think they will be great friends. Well, I still have some unpacking and organizing to do. I just couldn't wait to get back to the blogs and see what everyone else has been up to while I've been busy.

Drama, Drama, Drama

I swear if the drama with my girls gets any worse.......

What happened today was actually kind of funny, but it is just a taste of what is to come.

After school Sekoya was playing with a classmate and her sisters that live a few doors down from Grandma Sindy's house. I went outside to make sure they were still around and found Sekoya sitting on the grass pouting. When I asked her what was wrong she started wailing and ran to the back yard. Now, when my girls throw fits it is best to just leave them alone and talk about it later. So I went in and finished cooking dinner. When I went to get her to come in and eat she was walking back from this girl's house crying still. As we sat at dinner she proceeded to tell me about them not agreeing on what to play. She had walked to her house after the disagreement and told her "I could never be friends with a gymnastics girl!" I guess the girl wanted to do gymnastics and Sekoya didn't. I told her to just forget about it today and it would all be better tomorrow. She wailed, "But I can't forget about it. She was my best friend and I just gave her up!"

Let me tell you something about Sekoya... she has a photographic memory. That line about never being her friend came right out of the movie Ella Enchanted that she has been watching all week at Grandma's house. And she is full of DRAMA!! Everything is always a bigger deal than it really needs to be. But life would be pretty dull without her. I definitely got a good laugh at this petty squabble between little girls. I can even remember being in quite a few of them myself growing up. I told Sekoya that this was only going to be one of many disagreements between her girlfriends and girls can be not very nice sometimes. After dinner I told her to walk back to the girl's house and apologize and tell her she said some mean things that she didn't mean. Guess what ...... Best Friends again!

Tonight I took her to the high school play at the city park- Once Upon a Mattress. The acting was ....amateur (to be nice), but Sekoya thoroughly enjoyed it. She had been looking forward to seeing the play ever since she saw them practicing a couple of weeks ago. She wanted to stay and watch the practice. I told her I would not stay for the practice, but when they did the actual performance I would bring her. So that is how I got myself into 2 1/2 hours at the mediocre high school play. Thanks to Kelsey for watching Katera!!

Movie Day

Poor Sekoya was sick to her stomach last night and today. So I kept her home from school and we watched movies ALL day long. I never even changed her out of jammies or did her hair. I think it was a combination of her feeling unsettled right now and a lot of junk food yesterday. I even got her to take a two hour nap.... that is a miracle. I know she needed it.

We signed closing papers yesterday on the house and it funded today. Yipee!!!! So we should be able to move in on Saturday. Hopefully ---- if the hunt allows that! Jason is on the mountain right now searching for the "big one". Today was opening day and they didn't get anything yet. I will be so glad to get into our new house and get things settled. I am so tired of living in chaos.

Caramel Apples

Today before school we did caramel apples. It made a huge mess, but I needed a project to do with the girls. I think they ate as much caramel as we put on the apples. Sekoya is getting pretty good at taking pictures lately. So now I get to be in some!

Homeless

We are now officially homeless. Well, I guess we still claim the Monroe house as ours, but it is completely empty. We spent the last two and a half days moving EVERYTHING into trailers and getting it spick and span for the new owners. My mom is on a week long vacation so we are calling her house home for the next week. Thanks Mom!! And thanks to everyone else that helped- you know who you are! W couldn't have done it without you!

Oh.. I can't forget to put this in. After a long day of packing up our house-the kids had been with Grandma Maridon all day- Katera was crying and pointed to the car. She said "I go. I go mome (home)" It made me want to cry.

Jason's "work"

Jason has been anxious to post about his last "work" week, but he has been a bit busy since he got home. I put him to work moving me out of our house and now he is going elk hunting. So this is reserving his spot for his post.......

Strong Sit

Conversation bewteen Sekoya and I when I picked her up from school today-

S- Guess what happened today?..... I got in trouble and had to strong sit.
M- Why, what did you do?
S- I was wiggly on the carpet.
M- (thinking that is a bit harsh, what kindergartner isn't wiggly) What do you mean- wiggly?
S- You know like a worm..... and then I was wrestling.

The truth comes out!!

M- Wrestling?
S- (giggling) Yes, me and Nora. So we had to strong sit by the sink.
M- Did you learn your lesson? Are you going to be wiggly again on the carpet?
S- Yes I learned a lesson and no I won't be wiggly.

For any of you that don't know - strong sit is when you sit indian style on the floor with your arms folded and your back straight as a board.

I really hope she isn't "the problem child"!!

Overwhelmed

We just found out last week that we will be closing our loan either this Wednesday or Friday. That means I have less than two weeks to be all packed and out of my house. I have a lot done, but I am at the point where I don't know what to pack because I still use it on a day to day basis. I find myself going in circles not knowing where to start. I am really excited to get into our new house though. The drive between Richfield and Monroe gets longer every day!!

I took the girls and Cortney with me this weekend and went to Provo. I had to find fabric to make Sekoya a princess costume. I've talked her into being Rapunzel though. I also had to return some jeans to Nordstrom that I bought in LA. I have had major buyers remorse about spending so much $$ on one item! I knew they would hate the shopping so I thought if I threw in a couple of fun things for them they would be nice. So much for thinking right? I should know better. Friday we shopped a little bit then ate at PF Chang's. It was so yummy and the girls even ate some of it since there was no kids menu! Then I took them to Chuck E Cheese to play. I know Sekoya had fun, and I think Katera did until she got too tired. Saturday we went to Toys R Us and let them play with the toys there. Made a few more stops and then home. All I can say is I am really glad Cortney decided to come with me. I don't know what I was thinking taking both kids on a shopping trip. Never Again!!

9/11/2001

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? - Alan Jackson

Wow, what a major event! It doesn't seem that long ago. I was at home getting ready to go to work at noon. I turned on the TV to watch Good Morning America and there were scenes of the plane hitting the towers. I just stared in awe. I thought 'Where is this? This can't be in the United States. Things like this don't happen here.' I couldn't tear myself away from the TV. I also wondered if this would be the beginning of "The End". And in ways it probably is. The complete END just hasn't come as quickly as I was anticipating. I am so glad that I don't live in or near a big city that would be a major target. I was feeling very happy about my little country town. I felt so bad for those who lost loved ones in the planes and the aftermath. I was glad it was none of mine-is that bad? There were definitely some brave souls who gave their lives trying to help others. I think in ways it brought our nation closer as a whole, but in ways it has tore it apart. I just hope we can finally put an end to this chapter and stop this whole war soon.

Bully

Sekoya has informed me that there IS a bully at school. I told her there wouldn't be. His name is Ron Wilson-I don't know if that is real or made up. Sekoya likes to "tell stories" sometimes. I asked her what he does to bully her. She said he pushes them down the slide and hits them. I told her to tell the teacher. She exclaimed "It makes me as mad as Mom!"

Whoa!!! Eye opener!!! I think I spend way too much time being mad. I really need to work on that!

Katera's new thing is sassing and saying "Ha, Ha, Ha". Of course this was learned from her older sister. It's almost too cute to get mad. She even puts her hands on her hips and gets the whole body into it. I'll try to post a video if I can figure it out.

Happy 34!

Well, today was Jason's birthday.....Happy Birthday hun! Sorry it wasn't more fun, but you're old you don't need a big celebration! ;) J/K!!! He chose to go spend the night at Fishlake and go hunting this morning with Josh. I was really hoping they would kill a big bull and make his day. No such luck. He did have fun bugling and calling them in though. The girls and I made a cake this morning- Pudding Cake. I found out that is his favorite. That was my guess, but he likes all kinds of desserts so I wasn't too sure. Sekoya really wanted to get him a store bought cake with all the novelty decorations. We compromised and bought a small deer figurine to put on the cake that we made. I didn't even attempt 34 candles- I didn't want to burn my house down right before our buyers close their loan!! Now he is enjoying his other passion- Football. The Broncos play the Raiders tonight.

The girls love licking the beaters.

As you can see, I am not at all interested that is why am blogging. I really don't understand the love of football..... or why games have to last four stinkin' hours!! My in-laws keep saying that I will learn to like it. Well, it has been 12 years since we have been together and it hasn't happened yet. I don't see it happening unless I end up with a son playing football. But in return... he doesn't understand how I can spend hours scrapbooking. So I guess it's even.

Anyway...... HAPPY BIRTHDAY J!!!! I love you tons and I am so glad that you chose me to grow old with.

Mini Golf

We went miniature golfing tonight. It has been such a busy summer and we haven't done much other than camping. We drive by the mini golf course a lot on our way to town. Sekoya has asked to go several times, but we always have other things planned.

We all golfed-including Katera. If you can call it golf. Katera would walk up to the hole and put her ball right by the edge. Then she would tap it in and be all proud of herself. I figured if she was having fun that's all that mattered. Jason and I didn't even keep score for ourselves because it was too crazy trying to golf with two kids. Sekoya had a blast until she slipped on one of the last holes and twisted her ankle. She said she wasn't going to walk on it for three weeks. Again being the drama queen! We had fun, but I'm glad it only took about 45 minutes. I don't think I could have done much more than that!

Family pictures

Here are a few of the pictures that we had done in Maple Grove a few weeks ago. Best picture of both my girls in a long time! My SIL JaLee and her partner took them. If you are interested in pictures check them out at

http://www.reallifecaptured.typepad.com

How well do you know your spouse?

1. Sitting in front of the TV.. what is on the screen? sports-whatever the season is, or hunting
2. You're out to eat what kind of dressing do they get on their salad? thousand island
3. What's one food this person doesn't like? tomatoes
4. You go out to the bar. He orders...... nothing from the bar, just to drink- diet coke
5. Where did he go to high school? RHS
6. What size shoe do they wear? 10
7. If this person were to collect anything, it would be...... mounted animals
8. What is their favorite type of sandwich? just a guess? Philly steak and cheese?
9. This person could eat _Sushi__ everyday.
10. Favorite cereal? anything with tons of sugar-Cinnamon toast crunch
11. This person wouldn't be caught dead wearing..... a v-neck shirt
12. Favorite sports team? Denver Broncos
13. Who will he vote for? Probably McCain- "the lesser of two evils"
14. Who is this person best friend?me or his dad
15. What is something you do that he wishes you didn't do? gripe about his hobbies
16. How many states has this person lived in? 3-Utah, Colorado, Nevada
17. What is his heritage? Hungarian, French
18. You bake them a cake for their birthday... what kind is it? I don't know- I better find out since his birthday is in three days!
19. Did he play sports in high school? Football, Basketball, chasing girls (that was a sport to him)
20. This person could spend hours...... golfing, looking for elk, on the internet

K, Jas- tell me how I did!

What a goof!

Tonight Jason went on Monroe Mountain to scout elk for Kim's hunt. I didn't feel like spending another evening alone. So I gathered the girls and we went to Grandma Sindy's for dinner and homemade peach pie (as seen on GTU)! It was yummy. I asked Sekoya what she would rather have for dinner- chicken or fish? Any guesses on what she picked?

Fish

Weird kid huh? I cooked a fillet of salmon for her and we all had tilapia. She ate almost the whole fillet. After dinner she was goofing around and found a long wool coat, scarf and hat to dress up in. I thought she looked pretty dang cute. Katera dressed up in it too, but wouldn't pose for a picture. After we left Grandma Sindy's we made a stop and Grandma Maridon's. Great Grandma Carol is here for Braxton's baptism tomorrow. We haven't seen her since the Fourth of July. It's great to have family close on nights like this.

Battles with a five year old

Sekoya has some sight words that the teacher sent to practice at home. I have tried a couple of times to go through them with her and it just ends up with me yelling and her crying.

She tells me that is why she goes to school......
I tell her that the teacher can't do it all and needs mommies to help at home......
She cries that she doesn't know how to read and it's hard.......
That's why we are practicing, you won't know how until we practice.....
Well, I can figure it out on my own. So there! (with lots of attitude)

That's where I completely loose my temper! I don't know why she won't let me help her. And I don't expect her to know how to read right from the beginning. I really am patient with her until she refuses to even try. I don't know what to do. I am not one of those moms that sends her kids to school and expects the teachers to teach them everything. I want to help her, but she just won't let me. Oh, the kicker is when she cries- "I want Daddy to do it."

Dance

Today Sekoya started dance class. She got home from school around 4:30, ate a quick dinner, and out the door again. I was running late- if you can believe that- so I didn't get any pictures of her. We had to run to Gary's to get tap and ballet shoes and that made us really late. Sekoya loves, loves, loves her tap shoes! She didn't want to take them off. I think she will have tons of fun in dance. She is always dancing around the house even when there isn't any music. She is just my little show-off! I will take a picture of her next week and add it.

Labor Day weekend

We spent labor day weekend at------ you guessed it, Fishlake. We had quite the camp there this weekend. We had seven trailers, 18 kids, lots of four wheelers and TONS of fun. I didn't get many pictures because my kids were running and having too much fun to stop for even two seconds. The weather scared us a little bit.....we had some rain and looked like it could turn into snow at any second. All in all it was not too bad. We still had a mouse in the trailer, but it wasn't as noisy this weekend so I actually got some sleep. Our elk hunter- Josh- still didn't bag his bull, but I think he had fun chasing them. It has been a really fun summer at the trailer. I am so glad to have it and have a place that is so easy to get to.

Katera was supposed to be taking a nap!

All the girls had so much fun dancing and just doing 'girl' stuff!

At the tree hut.