Excuses

Jackson really dislikes cleaning his room, and as you will see will come up with any excuse not to do it. The first time I went in to check on him this is what I found:

Excuse #1: "I am just too tired to clean."

Excuse #2: "I'm too hungry to clean my room." (This is a common excuse. He is always hungry.)

Excuse #3 (my personal favorite): "I can't clean my room because my hand is wrapped up on this ball".

Jackson's favorite excuse is that he just can't do it by himself and I need to help him. I usually do help him because I realize he is 3 years old and it can be overwhelming for him (even though I know he can do it, because he has done it before), but I was just too busy yesterday. However, when Eric came home Jackson asked him so nicely for help that I guess he couldn't resist and his room finally did get cleaned up.

Lastly, I had to post one more picture from last weekend so I don't forget it. We were out to eat and all talking about our favorite dogs. Megan's favorite was the Chihuahua and the Bulldog. I can't remember Eric's, but I won't forget Jackson's. Jackson looked at us and said his favorite was the French Poodle. WHAT. I don't even know what a French Poodle looks like. He cracks me up.

My 100

1. I see shades of grey.
2. I am inherently messy, but always try and have my house clean.
3. I consider myself a feminist.
4. I have no athletic ability.
5. I always wear lipstick or lip gloss.
6. I once ate Macaroni & Cheese everyday for 6 months.
7. I have never had a cavity.
8. I didn't learn how to cook until I got married.
9. I love to eat out.
10. I never ate desserts or candy as a child.
11. I loved being 22. It was my signature year.
12. I lived alone all through college.
13. I am not a snacker, but I am a big eater at meal times.
14. I have never broken a bone.
15. I dislike Jazz music and R & B.
16. I once had pink hair in high school.
17. I am very responsible.
18. I am a home body.
19. I love T.V.
20. I also really love to read.
21. I truly adore my husband.

22. I can't tell a joke.
23. I am not a great story teller.
24. I can keep a secret.
25. I am allergic to most perfumes.
26. I love my friends. They are super important to me.
27. I believe in the power or attraction.
28. I always try my best.
29. My biggest fear is snakes. Our neighbor has some and I am worried that one will show up on my doorstep one day. And since I believe in the power of attraction, it will probably happen.
30. I hardly ever cry.
31. I am close to very few people.
32. It is important to me to teach my kids tolerance.
33. I tend to be a rebel.
34. I don't enjoy watching movies more than once.
35. I am a worrier.
36. I love to learn new things.
37. I have an excellent memory.
38. I can be inconsistent.
39. I need to be more patient.
40. I take a bath every night to relax.
41. I am addicted to lotion.
42. I am shocked that I am married and have 3 kids. Really, how did that happen?

43. I believe in constant self-improvement.
44. I think I am more glass half-empty.
45. I don't enjoy napping.
46. I love being productive.
47. I am sarcastic.
48. I would like to be more involved in social issues. I often picture myself at demonstrations.
49. I admire those who stand up for what they believe in.
50. I believe it is never okay to be mean to another person.
51. I avoid confrontation.
52. I don't enjoy traveling without my husband and kids.
53. I have a hard time leaving my comfort zone.
54. I am addicted to Dr. Pepper. I love it.
55. I have small feet.
56. I always wear earrings.
57. I love playing games.
58. I am competitive, but it does not bother me when I don't win.
59. I am a realist.
60. I believe self-confidence equals success.
61. I don't drink milk and never have. I was allergic as a small child.
62. I love to sing loudly in the car.
63. I have anxiety about calling people I don't know well.
64. I try never to lie (even little white lies).
65. My favorite color is red.
66. My favorite food changes often. Right now it is Zaba Bowls from Zaba's.
67. I struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for years.
68. I don' t like crowds.
69. I am more of an indoor person.
70. I am an only child, and never wanted brothers or sisters.
71. My nails grow really fast.
72. I love cloudy days. Probably because we get so few of them here.
73. I listen to music every day while I am cleaning the house.
74. I am frugal, except when it comes to eating out.
75. I like sugar cookies, but not any other kind.
76. I always have my toenails painted.
77. I am not a pet person.
78. I always wear sunglasses when I am outside.
79. Laundry is my nemesis.

80. I am not a morning or night person. I am more of an afternoon person.
81. As a child I thought about dying every day.
82. I believe in constant self-improvement.
83. I am an excellent multi-tasker.
84. I have a tattoo.
85. One of my dreams is to learn how to tap dance.
86. I am good friends with those who have qualities I admire.
87. I don't do well on little sleep.
88. I don't like having my belly button touched.
89. I went to 5 different Elementary Schools.
90. I never imagined being a stay-at-home mom, but now I can't imagine not being one.
91. If someone would have told me 5 years ago that I would like country music one day, I never would have believed them.
92. When I commit to something, I always follow through.
93. I don't enjoy musicals, opera, ballet or plays.
94. I miss my high school car (1976 Convertible Superbeatle). I secretly hope that Eric will buy me one for my birthday one year. Hint, hint.
95. I am constantly thinking of ways to change my house (new paint, floors, etc).


96. I would love to be able to speak Spanish fluently.
97. I fundamentally believe everyone should have access to health care. It is my number one social passion.
98. I am great at taking tests and studying.
99. I don't like to get up before 8 am.
100. My favorite flowers are Gerber Daisies.

Flashback Friday

This is a picture of me in Kindergarten. It is my "Student of the Month" picture. I chose it today because I am wearing overalls in this picture. Megan and I had an argument this morning about overalls. She has this cute overall dress that I wanted her to wear today, but she started crying and said that overalls are the "most hideous pieces of clothing she has ever seen" (her words). It turns out she remembers watching What Not To Wear and they happened to say this on the show. Her clothing choices are getting more and more limited. The other day she refused to wear anymore dresses to school. Her new school is considering school uniforms next year, I think I am going to vote yes to that.

SPT

This week's challenge:

Hunt for something "eggs"traspecial about your weekend.

We had a great weekend, but if I had to pick one "eggs"traspecial part it would have to be the weather. Living in Las Vegas we don't have many days that are truly perfect, but Saturday was one of them. Although I would have worn sunscreen if I thought I was going to burn, I will pay the price for such a nice weekend.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!

Here are the kids just before church today.

We had a lot of fun this weekend. First up was our Ward Easter Egg Hunt. There were about 1,000 eggs on the grass so all of the kids that were there got quite a few. Jackson picked them up pretty quickly, but true to his personality he gave most of them away just as fast. The kids had so much fun. There were not only a lot of Easter Eggs, but games as well. Megan was always careful to have Jackson on her team and they both did really well.

Us Mom's had fun too. We got to do a lot of socializing while we let the kids run free. It was almost 80 degrees, and a truly beautiful day.

Later that day we colored our Easter Eggs. When I brought home a glitter egg kit, Eric told me he can tell he is getting old because his first thought was what a mess the glitter was going to make. I agree. But it was fun, and they turned out really well.

Flashback Friday

I decided to post this Easter picture of Megan because the look on her face cracks me up. Since she was my first child I was always following her around with a camera which I imagine explains the face. I am sure she was sick of me taking her picture. She is 2 1/2 in this picture.

Easter Festivities

I will probably have to do multiple posts about Easter, since it is still a few days away and my kids have already had numerous Easter activities, with quite a few to go. I am definitely not complaining, I am just happy they have so many fun things to do. Since it is Spring Break this week, last week Jackson's Pre-School had their Easter Party. They colored eggs and had a picnic. We are so fortunate that we have such a great Pre-School for him to go to. Megan went to the same one and had the same teacher, Miss Jackie, whom all of the kids adore.

Here is a picture of Jackson coloring his eggs. We ended up with all broken eggs, because he liked to drop them into the cup, instead of gently putting them in there.

Here he is all finished. He was waiting very patiently while I took his picture. He really wanted to jump up and wash his hands.

Today Jackson went to and Easter party. Here they are doing an Easter craft. They decorated flower pots and planted flowers.

They also had an egg hunt. Jackson is not that competitive, so it involved a lot of me telling him to hurry and get more eggs. He would have probably been happy finding one or two.

Here is a picture of all of the kids at the party. A couple of kids Megan's age were at the party, but she had a play date today instead.

Lastly, I had to add a picture of Miss Sadie. She was such a good girl at the party. Really, she is such a good girl all of the time. Just growing up so fast.

Elizondo Honor Day

Today was a very special day at Megan's school. Once a year on March 13th they hold Elizondo Honor Day to honor Raul Elizondo, the police officer that her school is named after. He was killed in the line of duty in 1995, just a few months after being named police officer of the year in 1994. The Air Force Base, Police, Fire Fighters, and community leaders all come out for a parade and ceremony. Here are some pictures of our day.

The kids are asked to wear their Elizondo t-shirts, and told to bring a hat and sunscreen since they are outside for most of the afternoon. They are also given dogtags each year with the date and their school name on them. It was about 15 degrees hotter last year, so this weather was a welcome change.

All of the police, military, and fire vehicles circle the school and wave to the kids. Here is a picture of one of the K-9 vehicles. During the ceremony the K-9 unit does a presentation with their dogs for the kids.

The police officers on horses closed the parade. I think they got the biggest applause out of everyone.

Lastly, here is a picture of Jackson posing with all of the motorcycles. Megan is zoned for a new school next year which makes me a little sad. Elizondo gets a lot of support from our community and I will especially miss this great event they put on each year.

Tree Climbing And Other Adventures

Last weekend we took a quick trip to St. George to visit family. The kids are always so excited to go. Once we get there all they can focus on is getting to go outside to play on the playground. In the summer, it is swimming in the pool.

Here they are climbing one of the trees outside. It would be quite impressive if they climbed the tree themselves, but Eric put them in it.

Sadie still does not really enjoy the outdoors. It's too bad because in another two months it will be way too hot for them to be outside.

Here is a self-portrait of my mom and I. It was a quick trip, but fun to get away.

Flashback Friday

For this Flashback Friday I decided to go back to my Freshman year at college. My best friend Kate and I were going to a concert in Salt Lake and decided to wear major make-up, including fake eyelashes and bright red lipstick. Notice my see-through plastic purse. I was so cool:))

Lady Sadie And A Pile Of Laundry

My little Sadie has finally started to smile. It seemed to take forever, but it was worth it. She is really growing up so much. I love when they finally start to interact. I couldn't get a picture of her in full mist of a smile, but I was able to capture the before and after.

Also, I wanted to post this truly horrendous picture of my laundry. For those of you that know me, you know that doing laundry and emptying the dishwasher are my two most hated jobs. I don't mind putting the laundry in and changing it, I just really despise putting it away. So yesterday this is what our office looked like. I should have taken a picture of it in a huge pile on the floor because it was awe inspiring. I would like to report that almost all of it is now put away and I am going to really try a new system in the future. However, I make no promises. It is hard to imagine but it even looked worse in person.

SPT

This week's SPT Challenge: Photograph something that is extra special about you. It might be a physical feature, unknown talent, or an unknown secret. This SPT is all about you.

For this SPT I decided to go with an unknown talent. When I was 6 years old I became obsessed with learning to walk on stilts. My dad built me some and I practiced every day in our garage until I could do it. My dad made me many pairs as I got older and luckily I still have them. This was a pretty cool talent to have at 7 or 8, but now not so much. I would like to say that I haven't been on them since I have had kids, but apparently I still have it.

Flashback Friday

Here is my family just after I was born. Notice the lovely blue mohair cushion I am sitting on. This is our only official family picture. My dad still has a beard but mercifully it has been trimmed up throughout the years.

SPT

This week's challenge:

Go on a scavenger hunt for the following "L" words: Lavender, Lips, Little, Lunch, Laughter, and Light.

LAVENDER

At first I thought I had nothing in my house with lavender in it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered my favorite Bath & Body Works scent (Moonlight Path), was "infused with lavender extract." I had no idea. Can you tell I am kind of obsessed with it. I currently have Moonlight Path bubble bath, body cream, perfume, body spray, soap and hand lotion.

LIPS

I don't wear a lot of make-up. Mostly because I have no idea how to apply it. However, the one piece of make-up I always wear is lipstick. I get this from my mother who has used the same shade of lipstick (Copper Glaze Brown) for as long as I can remember. I also have many memories of bits of paper and napkins around the house with lipstick blotches on them. I am sure my kids will grow up with those memories also.

LITTLE

Right now we have lots of little things around our house. Little diapers, clothes, shoes. But my favorites are these.

LUNCH

This is what I had for lunch today. Pretty much every Tuesday I have Salmon. This is because I weigh in every Tuesday night at church for our "Biggest Loser" competition. You will notice however that my will power was sorely lacking today because I stopped and bought a 32 oz. Dr. Pepper. I don't think my weigh in will go so well tonight.

LAUGHTER

Since I couldn't figure out how to get a candid shot of myself laughing, I decided to take a picture of Jackson. I knew I could count on him. You can illicit this response from him most often by tickling or by watching Tom & Jerry.

LIGHT

Here is a picture of me lighting my favorite candle. You will notice it is almost out and I don't think I will be able to purchase another one. I purchased this one from Pier 1 on clearance and cannot find it again. So sad.

Snow Day

Today we went to Mt. Charleston to play in the snow. It is amazing to me that we can travel 45 minutes and the weather can be so drastically different. Since my kids have grown up here they are definitely not used to the cold weather. I was worried we would have lots of complaining, but they were having too much fun to even realize it was cold outside.

Megan and Jackson didn't notice the cold, but as you can tell by Sadie's face, she sure did. She adjusted after a few minutes and ended up falling asleep.

Luckily we still had gloves, hats, and coats that fit everyone. The only thing we were missing were boots. The kids definitely had cold, red feet by the time we were finished.

Mt. Charleston has gotten quite a bit of snow the last week so there was lots of undisturbed powdery snow to sink into.

Jackson, Megan and I built a snowman. Isn't he cute? I have not built a snowman in years. Building the snowman was my favorite part, Megan's was sledding, Jackson's was having a snow ball fight and Eric says his favorite was seeing everyone have fun together (Isn't he sweet?). We definitely had a lot of fun.

SPT-Self-Portrait Tuesday

This week's SPT question:

What do you turn to when you need a quick pick me up?

When I am having a stressful day, nothing makes me happier than turning on my favorite music, singing along, and of course dancing. If I am in the car you can bet my music is turned up loud and I am singing my heart out. I enjoy it so much that I don't even care if people in other cars are making fun of me.

Family Visits

This last weekend we had family in town. It was Sadie's baby blessing so Eric's parents flew in from Washington, and his brother Todd came from Arizona to stay with us. On Saturday, after a marathon shopping session at Wal-Mart and Costco (without kids - it is so nice to have family in town to watch them), we all went to Hoover Dam. We have been there a few times, and I am always amazed and a little bit frightened by it.

In this picture you can see the bridge they are building across Hoover Dam. SCARY. You will also notice Megan giving me rabbit ears. Isn't it so funny how all kids love doing this (And I am sure even some adults).

Here is a picture of all of us. Notice Megan on her Grandpa's shoulders. Right after this picture was taken I forced her to get down. I just could not take the stress.

On Sunday we had Sadie's baby blessing. My mom and her husband, along with Eric's cousin, and some good friends were able to be there with us. I wasn't sure what to expect since my other two kids were not blessed, but everything went fine. It was a good day, and we were so happy so many people could be there. Here are a couple of pictures.

Flashback Friday

For those of you who grew up during the time I did, I am sure you remember a little movie called Wayne's World. My best friend Kate and I loved the movie so we decided to dress up like Wayne and Garth for Halloween. Here is a picture of us at our High School Halloween dance when we were Sophomores. It was honestly one of the best Halloween's I have ever had. I love dressing up.

SPT-Self-Portrait Tuesday

This week's SPT challenge:

The other day, I was in my _____________, and I noticed this _______________. My only thought was, "Why do I still have this hanging around my house?!?"

This past week I don't know what has come over me but I have been organizing and throwing things away like crazy. However, when I read this SPT I realized I clearly had forgotten to throw something away that desperately needed to be.

So:

The other day, I was in my kitchen, and I noticed this bowl of Halloween candy. My only thought was, "Why do I still have this hanging around my house?!?"



I do realize that Halloween was 4 months ago, but somehow this giant orange bowl has been allowed permanent residence on my refrigerator. It has been refilled with some Christmas candy, but now all that is left is the candy nobody in my house wants to eat. So today I am throwing it away. Of course, I will have to wait until the kids go to bed, or you know I will hear desperate pleading to keep it.

Flashback Friday

This picture was taken July of 1999. During this time Eric and I weren't married yet, had just finished college, and were getting ready to move to Salt Lake. That summer we spent a lot of time riding this motorcycle and hanging out. This picture was taken at Tony Grove up Logan Canyon in Logan, Utah. I love this picture because it shows Eric with a beard. If you know Eric this is totally out of character for him, but for some reason he decided to grow one for a few months. I would like to see him in one again, but I don't think it is going to happen. I am just happy I have pictures to document it.