TABASCO SAUCE

So...due to the kids and their new found back talking we have come up with a solution. Tabasco sauce. We tell them "Whenever something bad comes out of our mouth, something bad has to go in our mouth." That goes for bad words and back talk and not saying nice things to others. Needless to say it has worked amazingly. I think each has only had it in their mouth once, maybe twice.

The other day we were with my Mom and she let the "F" bomb slip as she was holding Payton. I gasped "MOM" and tapped her mouth saying "BAD CHOICE". To which Payton had to add "JuJu, you get Tabasco Sauce." So I proceeded to put some hot sauce on my mom's tongue. After a few seconds she was squealing in pain and couldn't seem to get enough water to put out the burn. At least a lesson has been learned. HAHAHA. The things kids will say.

SPRING!!!

So yes I am a slacker once again. Sorry.

The kids are almost done with preschool for the year and Brody is all signed up for Kindergarten in the Fall. SOB. I am not ready for him to leave me to grow up. He is so smart and tells me that it is ok he will come back home to play with me. I am hoping he keeps this same train of thought as he grows up and truly leaves home. Payton is excited to not have school at all. She just wants to play and hang out with mom.

Both kids have started tumbling classes and love it. They have no fear I swear. Their teachers say that it takes most kids months to do some of the things that just come natural to Brody and Payton. They have great balance and do so well on the balance beam. Both love doing flips on the bars and don't mind dropping off of the high bar. I guess letting them jump out of the tree out front really does serve some purpose besides giving Grandma a heart attack. We are so proud of them.

Curtis and I are both working, working, working. Things are going good, maybe it's because we never see each other. Haha. Our 6 year Anniversary is this weekend and we both managed to forget that it was even coming up. Whoops. At least it was both of us that forgot, being so busy all the time really sucks. Anyone know of work from home or that pays decent part-time let me know please. Working nights is really taking its toll.

Hopefully soon I will have some pictures of the kids to post, they are getting so big I need to not forget to capture each wonderful stage of their childhood. Maybe I'll get some shots of tumbling. We'll see.

SPRING!!!!

SUCK, my camera is still broken!!!

Anyhoo. We took the kids snowboarding yesterday and oh what a beautiful day. Mom set up the grill in the parking lot and we had a fabulous end of the season BBQ. Ribs, hamburger, sausages, 7-layer dip, brownies and plenty of other stuff to slather on my hip and thighs but oh so good.

So proud of my kids...went up the lift and boarded the whole way down. A mother's patience is truly tried when teaching your kids something new. Brody was first and demanded that he was going to jump the rails. If I tried to steer him another way he would just sit down and become limp till we headed back towards the jumps. GGRRRRR. Thank you Rob for catching up at just the right moment. Uncle Rob swoops in and saves the day. Brody was willing to do anything Uncle Rob did since Uncle Rob can snowboard "so good".
Payton then insisted that she wanted to go up the lift. By now I was very hesitant but figured I could always carry her down if needed. She was EXCELLENT. She raced down the hill faster than I thought she would be able to handle but did it with a big grin on her face and some squeals along the way. I am so proud of her.

What a beautiful day, we got some much needed sun, relaxation and family time. We went to Mom's house and watched a movie (although everyone but Curtis and I fell asleep). Just as we were getting ready to go one of Mom's dogs bit Payton on the arm. Payton is such a trooper, she cried a little and then just kept saying that Kosmo made a "bad choice" and that he needed a time out. Took her to the Instacare and it is infected but she insists on not crying. The only thing that made her cry was the anticipation of what the Dr was going to do. She is so brave. It's amazing how resilient kids are and how simple they think of things.

CRAZY!!!

I know, I know....I am such a slacker.  Things have been beyond hectic I'm not sure where to start.

The kids broke our camera so we are missing a lot of amazing photo ops.  They were playing with the camera and dropped it with the lens out and then decided to hide the camera so Mom wouldn't notice.  It's been at the shop for 5 weeks now and not sure when we will get it back but if they can't fix it then we get a new one.  Let's just hope for the new one so we can have our camera soon.

Curtis and I have been working like crazy.  We don't see each other pretty much at all 4-5 days out of the week.  I leave for work before he gets home and I crawl into bed as he is getting up for work.  So, needless to say we are missing each other terribly.

The kids are having a hard time with me working so much and Spring Fever is definetely making it worse.  They are tearing up the house and fighting like crazy.  Kids will be kids but Mom is losing her sanity.

We are all ready for the warm weather and some fun outdoors.  The other day we woke up to another snow storm and Brody started crying "Mom, I want the snow to be done.  Can't you make it stop?"  Poor kids.

Curtis and I are now on Facebook, so you can email or Wall-to-Wall us.  We sure would like to catch up with everyone.  LOVE YA

SNOOPY

Our poor Snoopy passed away last week. He was 14 years old and we knew that he might not make it through this winter but, nonetheless, it has not been an easy loss. He was a part of the family in every way possible. We swear that dog could talk.

Explaining death to the kids has been a little challenging. They wanted to go see him but that was something that I didn't want them to see, it was hard enough for me. Brody was crying, saying he didn't get to say goodbye. They couldn't quite understand the concept of Heaven, but we told them that Snoopy was going fishing with Grandpa Sippy and that seemed to make them feel a little better. Mom had Snoopy cremated so we told the kids we could have a going away party in the Spring so they could say their goodbyes.

Thoughtful kids that they are, they wanted to cheer JuJu up. They knew that she was sad and crying so they insisted that we make her happy. Flowers, Dinner, and Cookies were on the list of supplies. It definetely gave her some cheer, that and a session of dancing convinced them that their job had been accomplished. I'm glad that our kids are compassionate enough to not just think of their feelings but to think of others and what they can do to make things better.

We loved Snoopy dearly but know that he is in a good place and is happily running free with Grandpa.

INTERESTING

I saw this on a friends blog - thought it was interesting. Copy it and bold what you have done on your own blog!



1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band(Junior High)

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a Meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a Praying Mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Seen in person the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch-hiked

23. Taken a sick day when your're not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a Gondola in Venice

29. Seen a Total Eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or a sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagra Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (does anyone ever?)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michaelangelo's David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen the Old Faithful Geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Received a prestigious award

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited The Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold girl scout cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp (I really want to)

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the changing of the guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (Owned a bullet bike)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car (it was new to me)

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White house

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had Chickenpox

89. Saved someone's life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (Chris LeDoux)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Learned to play an instrument



Wow, I have accomplished more than I thought.

LITTLE SHREDDERS

So, we decided that the kids are ready to try snowboarding. In the last couple of years we bought 3 different size boards for Brody to grow into. NOW is the time. We got some lessons for the kids with a friend of ours and they took to the hill quite naturally.
Here is Payton all bundled up to go. She insisted that she wanted to snowboard too. How dare her brother do something without her. She is so stinkin cute all bundled up.
Brody was hammin' it up. He was so proud of himself that he didn't fall at all. After a few runs on the kiddie side he kept insisting that he wanted to go faster. So, what does a mother do? You give the kid what he wants. And so.....HE ROCKED. Watch the video at the bottom. I LOVE IT.Payton did so well. She wasn't as excited as Brody was once she got all strapped in. But she did take a few runs WITHOUT FALLING ONCE!!! Everyone kept commenting how cute she was and couldn't believe a kid that little could be snowboarding. Apparently you usually don't start kids on boards, you start them on skis. But, anyone that knows our family knows that we BOARD NOT SKI. So these kids don't get options. She got pretty cold so she just wanted to stand and watch her brother race down the hill. She says she wants to board again "just not today Mom". I can handle that. Of course the day wouldn't be complete without the bus ride down the hill and a cute girl by your side. This girl is the one that took the kids pictures for their season passes and Brody decided that he liked her. He turned to Curtis and said "Dad, I don't want to sit by you. I'm sitting with her." So, he did. The whole ride down he was flirting with her and looking in her purse and telling her how good he is at snowboarding. OH MY. What a little ladies man. He even got a hug when we got off. We are in so much trouble.

Look how fast he is going. SO PROUD!!!!

He LOVES BOARDING, can you tell?

We have gone a couple of times since these pics and the kids cry if we go boarding without them. This last weekend we did take them again. Brody went up the lift and did a whole run with me and my mom. We were teaching him how to turn. He was doing so good that at one point we passed a beginner snowboarding class. He did head for the rails and laughed as his mother was screaming " STOP, STOP, STOP, SIT ON YOUR BUTT, TURN TO MOM, STOP, STOP!!!!" As he sits down he lets out a huge sigh.

B: Mom, but I can do it.

Me: Brody, we can't do that yet.

B: But Mom, I want to jump, I can do it.

Me: (Still having a heart attack) We need to wait till you know how to turn really good, is that a deal?

B: I guess, but Mom I can jump off that next time, ok?

Me: (Lauging) We will see.

B:(Grunts)

Oh, the fearlessnous of little boys. He did have a pretty good crash involving a cart wheel and to back flips, or front flips, depending on the angle you were watching. He cried for a minute then was ready to haul butt down the hill again. I love that my kids are so determined and willing to try just about anything. I can't wait till next year when it will be me trying to keep up with them on the hill.

X-MAS 2008