Kids say the funniest things..

Luke talking to his dad one day about his balloon..

Luke "If I let my balloons go into the sky, what will happen to it?'
Todd "It will go way up to heaven"
Luke "Will the Nephites play with them?"

Luke and Sadie having a conversation about the "Boogie Man"

Sadie "I don't yike the 'Booger Man'! He wiw (will) get me"
Luke "Sadie, it's not the 'Booger Man', it's the 'Boogie Man' and I will protect you with my sharp pointy finger!" (holding up his index finger)

LUKE LEARNING TO DRIVE

Luke loves to visit Grandma and Grandpa Tick-Tock (named by Maddie when she was 3 years old because of their 11 clocks that chime twice every hour) He loves to drive with Grandpa on his scooter and it always brings a smile to our face because Grandpa is legally blind.. No accidents yet, but that is probably because Luke is steering.

Luke's Date Night with Mom and Dad

Luke's special treat after watching the show with Mom and Dad. He still talks about this almost every day (the ice cream was especially a hit, he is very easy to please.. just hand him something with sugar and you will be a HERO)

Loved spending time one-on-one with you, buddy. You are a fun kid and I can't wait to take you to the movie "feeter" again really soon.

Stacy on Ambien

Why would you post this hideous picture, you ask?  Because it tickles my fancy. It tickles my husbands fancy (he was the jerk who had to capture the moment on film).  If you look close enough you will see crumbs all over my shirt.  I was in the middle of eating a biscuit in bed when the power of sleep descended over me.  It is CRAZY stuff!!  Todd gets psychotic on it, I mean a bit like a stoned 13 year old.  He has been told that he has to tell me when he takes his pill so I can steer clear of his weirdness before he goes to sleep.  

To get back at Todd for this award-deserving photo, I am going to share my favorite Ambien story.  I woke up a few mornings ago and as I was stretching and trying to get up outta the bed, Todd woke up.  He was on his stomach and pressed up and looked down at the bed and exclaimed "What the crap!?" I looked over to his side of the bed and there was several pieces of cantaloupe smashed into the sheet and a piece of pineapple stuck to his garment top.  Upon further investigation, we found more cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes surrounding his glorious body.  We also discovered a bowl and a fork, which he had slept on all night long.  "Why did you let the kids eat fruit in the bed?!!" he thunders at me.  I was laughing so hard, it took me a few minutes to explain to him of his idiocy.. He got a snack after work, took his pill, became unconscious right in the middle of a bite of fruit salad, woke up with fork marks in his buttocks.  The best morning ever.  

I love where I live

Sadie and Grandpa Rod hiking above Alta


Sadie with some wildflowers


I love where I live for many reasons.

I love the mountains. When we moved back to Salt Lake after having been gone for about 5 years, I could not take my eyes off of them. They truly are magnificent, and I love looking at them everyday and knowing I am just a short car ride away from escaping the city.

I love my family. Both sides. I have a great "birth" family and a loving and fun "in-law" family. My kids enjoy every moment with their cousins and grandparents. I am so glad we made the decision to come back to Zion to be nearer to our loved ones. All 4 of my kids wake up each Sunday and ask "what time are we going to Grandma's?" They don't care what we do, but they just want to be with them. Fun at Grandma Jeannes is usually one or more of the following; talking, laughing, watching "Funniest Home Videos", playing Wii, playing tackle football in the backyard, running thru sprinklers, hiking in the mountains, eating popcorn, swinging on the porch swing, etc. Fun at Grandma Farms is usually one or more of the following; feeding chickens, checking for eggs, riding in the tractor, swimming in the pond, eating, reading, watching disney movies, talking on the front lawn, picking fruit off various fruit trees, riding horses, moving cows, running through the field, riding the 4-wheeler, petting the new puppies, trying to find the new kitties, laughing at the turkeys, picking strawberries, taking a ride up the canyon, etc... My kids are just the luckiest kids on the earth!

Sadie with Grandma Farm at the pond

I love being so close to so many temples. My kids are always pointing the temples out to me as we do our running around the valley. What a wonderful reminder of why we are here and what is important.

I love Fall here in Salt Lake. I can't wait to do some fall hiking with the kids.

THE END OF DIAPER DAYS

OK, so we are not quite yet to NO diapers yet, but we are a huge step closer. This week Sadie decided she wanted to be a big girl and go in her potty. I must say, she was a dream to potty-train. All it took is a wee bit of bribery (a bit of candy and a trip to Build A Bear). She is awesome and oh-so-cute in her Dora panties. No accidents today and we are feeling GOOD!

Sadie looking fabulous in her birthday suit + panties

Sadie with her new friend, Brownie, the pony.

Sadie and Daddy leaving the mall after a fun "diaper free" date

A FAMILY NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Every now and again we have a special, successful family home evening. Once in awhile, i feel the angels singing our praises as we engage our children in most holy lessons. for real.. what i am trying to say is that most of the time there is yelling to "get down here right now for family home evening!! we are starting now, with or without you!! don't you look at me with that face!!" and then there might be a little bit of "mom, i don't like to sing in front of people..." then "i'm not going to sing if maddie is not singing!" then... "Luke-- don't scream! you can say the prayer first and then Sadie you can say the prayer next." Followed by, "I swear, if you don't pay attention to this wonderful message I will hit you upside the head with my lesson manual!" Ho hum, such is my life. I am a truly a gift to my children...


But then, about once a year, we have a great family home evening. I know that I will remember this one for a long time. Unfortunately, even though it was family home evening, 1/2 of our children were not in attendance (hmm... what does that tell me...). Tanner and Maddie were both with other family members and so Todd and I decided to do a FHE taylor-made for our toddlers. As you can imagine, it is very hard to do a FHE that toddlers and teenagers find entertaining. I guess that is why we always have the treats at the end--both toddlers and teens love a good sugar rush.


Anywho.. we made a little jaunt to Jamba Juice. FYI-- free kids size smoothies and balloons on Mondays. Super awesome. Next, we went to Chick-Fil-A for the chicken strips (only 5 points on weight watchers...). Our mission was to go to the Oquirrh Mountain temple and teach the babies a little about the temple and then take their pictures in front of our newest temple. We ate our chicken and slurped our juice and talked about how special the temple is. We talked about angel Moroni and how he is waiting for Jesus to come back (Luke always says he is waiting for Heavenly Father to come back and 'why is it taking so yong for him to come?') We talked about the priesthood power and how we can be a family forever. We talked about baptisms for the dead (Sadie.."I too yitto to be batized"). They were so receptive and cooperative and we just had the greatest time. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for these special moments that we are given when we are trying hard to do what is right. And all I can say is "it's about dang time!"






After we ate, we strolled around the temple. It is so beautiful and such a great setting. I am so excited for it to be dedicated this weekend. Luke and Sadie had a great time and I think they may remember their special temple date with mom and dad.












Luke decided that he was going to make cookies for the treat, "all by myself". I told him he could and asked him if he could tell me how he was going to do it.


"I put the stuff on the tray and put it in the oben (oven)."

I asked, "How hot are you going to turn the oven to?"

He said "I'n going to put it on 'swow' (slow)"

"For how long?" I asked.

He said "for 2 minutes"

Me "How will you get them out of the oven by yourself?

Luke "I will put on my gwubs (gloves) and take em out."

Me "well, ok then.."







So Luke made our cookies (ready made dough is the best) and was so proud.


We decided to take the dogs on a walk around the neighborhood to cap off our wonderful evening. We got about 1/2 block and stopped to chat with a few neighbors and stayed talking to them for over and hour. Kids ran around playing with their new friends and had the best time.





We love where the Lord has decided our family needs to be. Prayers are answered!!

Naps on the beach are the best..

Sadie actually slept in this chair for over an hour and a half. About 30 minutes into her nap, the chair tipped over and folded in on her and she just kept right on sleeping....

Alas, mommy did not get a nap. But I sure love to watch my sun-kissed babies sleep on the beach. It does a mom's heart good.