A day in the life...

I've been dying to share pictures from our family photo shoot last month.  It's taking some serious restraint not to post all 300 pictures, but we only had ten of them edited.  I love them!  Thanks to Laura from 2Q Studios.

We haven't had family pictures in years. I'm glad we finally have this time in our lives captured on film.

I'm pretty sure our family tree produces nuts.

Cousins are one of the greatest relationships ever.  I used to think it was because you get to be friends with people you wouldn't normally associate with.  But after spending time with a lot of my cousins while in Arizona, I've changed my mind.  I think I'd choose them all to be my friends.

Cousins are your earliest friends.  They knew you during your awkward phases, poor fashion choices,  temper tantrums and perms.  Yet at the end of the day, you're still related.  I like my cousins even better now that we're mostly grown-ups.  As kids you were kind of expected to play with the cousins your age and sometimes you got along and other times you didn't. But now? age gaps are not important.

A HUGE majority of my cousins on both sides live in Arizona.  And thanks to Jeff for getting married, I had them all in one place for a day.  I loved having a chance to visit with them (and aunts and uncles and grandmas).

A handful of my cousins and Aunts (and uncles who ditched the party and chatted in the other room) showed up at my moms house one night after my kids were in bed.  Aside from the wedding, it was the highlight of my trip.  We played a rowdy game of "In the Manor of the Adverb"; a charade-type game.  Spencer had us rolling with his Tyra Banks impression and the 3rd date doorstep scene he acted out with my great aunt Vicki. To be honest, everyone had us rolling. It was a fun night. (Does anyone have pictures?  Can you send them my way, please?)

With cousin visits so few and far between, I kinda forgot how fantastic my extended family is.  They really are the greatest.

Holy Matrimony!

I have a lot of things I want to remember about my trip to Arizona last week, but there's no way I'm writing them all down in one long blog post.  And since I don't know how much I'll really get to, I might as well start with the reason for the trip in the first place.

My brother Jeffery got married.  I knew I would like Olivia and this trip just confirmed it. (Though we had very little time to hang out...it was like she was preoccupied or something.)

We did get to spend a bit of time standing around my mom's kitchen on the night before the wedding preparing things for the next morning's wedding brunch.  Lisa, Mike's fiancee, came down for the weekend, too.  Even though I live too far away to hang out with these girls on a regular basis, I have decided having sister-in-laws is pretty much the best thing ever.  I've never been part of a family where the girls outnumber the boys (and I suppose if you factor in my boys, the girls are still outnumbered, but they were in bed so they didn't count).  I love that our family is expanding and I couldn't be happier to count Lisa and Olivia as sisters. 

Olivia was a stunning bride.  Her dress was to die for.  And to be honest, I thought it would be all about her.  But when the two of them stepped out of the temple after their sealing, I have to say that Jeff held his own next to his beautiful wife.  They were a picture perfect bride and groom. Flawless, really. 

These were taken a few weeks before their wedding so as fantastic as these pictures are, it doesn't quite capture the moment when Jeff and Olivia stepped out of the temple as husband and wife.  Those two just radiated eternal happiness at that moment. But you can still get a clear picture of how stylish, hip and fun they are. 

These two are a perfect match and I'm so happy for them both.

Making Up is Hard to Do

Raise your hand if you think parenting is hard... Unanimous!  Just as I suspected.  (If you didn't raise your hand, you're obviously doing something wrong.)  I've had a rough go at it the past month... evidenced by my lack of appearances anywhere in the blogosphere lately. I'd like to think that will change soon, but reality tells me it won't. Curse reality! May is jam-packed.  Then summer begins.  I'm hoping summer brings me a little more face-to-face time with my iMac. We'll play that one by ear.

We did in fact celebrate Easter with the rest of the world.  The boys got some new shirts for church.  Is anyone else as grateful as I am that H&M sells cute kids clothes on the cheap? Though I haven't had any luck finding church pants...which is why I made them last year.  I failed to take any Easter pictures.  After a lovely day at church, we celebrated with good friends and good food.

We also celebrated Cinco de Mayo in the usual fashion...with good friends and better food.  I can say that. I hosted both parties and cooked both meals.  I could seriously eat Mexican food every day of my life and never tire of it.  I've decided Cinco de Mayo is my favorite holiday.  You think that's a joke?  Low stress, the BEST food, Mariachi music, fake mustaches.  Honestly.  How can you top that?

Well maybe Mother's Day tops it.  But Cinco de Mayo is a very close second. Spencer and the boys (but mostly Spencer) pull off the best of Mother's Days.  I'm looking forward to it.  I could use a day off.  Plus Spencer already gave me my gift.  And it's a good one.  I'm talking Banana Republic good.  I guess that settles it.  Mother's Day is the best holiday.  No one gave me a new skirt for Cinco de Mayo.

Spencer and I celebrate 9 years of wedded bliss this coming Tuesday.  Want to know how we're spending it?  At the hospital for Grayden to have surgery.  Romantic, huh?  He has to have his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears.  Poor kid has been walking around with significant hearing loss in both ears for who knows how long...at least a year. 

Has spring been unseasonably cold everywhere?  Or is it just Ohio?  There were a couple of days this week that the temperature never rose above the 40's.  I seriously haven't even unpacked my summer clothes yet.  I'm going to be in for a rude awakening in Arizona in a few weeks.  To be honest, I don't mind this weather.  I much prefer cold weather clothes.  If it weren't for all the rain I'd be fine.  The rain has got in they way of spring yard work and our yard is desperately seeking help.

I had a battle with poison ivy a couple weeks ago.  The poison ivy won. I've got it before (it grows rampant out here) but never this bad.  Two weeks later and I'm still itching like crazy.

We're getting our family pictures taken next week.  It's only been four and a half years since our last picture, but we decided to go for it anyway.  Any suggestions for locations? Or clothes? Local friends...I need your input...what do I wear that makes me look 20 pounds lighter?  RUDE!  But you're right, that's impossible.  Long distance friends...you'll only see the pictures if I come out looking 20 pounds lighter.  Or if my hair looks really good that day.

Does this count for a month worth of missed blog posts?  Cause this might be it for a while. (Thanks to Spencer being on a camp out.) And when he gets home tomorrow evening, I'm going out alone.  Bra shopping.  Your welcome.

Empty Threats

Me: Grayden!  Go to back to bed or you're in trouble!

Grayden:  I pick trouble.

Unanswered Prayers

Last night Reid said the blessing on the food.

"...and please bless that we won't have to eat green beans..."

Poor kid had to eat his green beans anyway.

OO-EE-OO I look Just Like Buddy Holly

And ironically, we have the same birthday as well.

I got new glasses.  It's been a few years.  Glasses are a fab fashion accessory, but they're kind of annoying to wear.  I picked myself out a hip pair of nerd glasses in hopes that it would get me to wear them more often.  We'll see how it goes.

Dear March,

What's your deal?

Didn't you read the memo?

IN like a lion...
...not OUT like a lion.

Sheesh!  There's snow in today's forecast.  I had no intentions of waking my coat from it's summer hybernation.  Yet the weather has been requiring it all week.

Come on March, it's spring.  Get with the program.

The difference between Parker and Reid

I make the boys put their own clothes away.

Parker and Reid share a dresser.

And again:

Parker came out of the womb with these intense organizational skills.  I remember a time when he was still crawling (so younger than 9 months).  He pulled out all my mixing bowls and lined them up by size in an orderly row.

I don't know where he gets it.  Because if I'm being honest, my drawers more closely resemble Reid's.

I need to put Parker to work on the rest of my house.



For those of you wondering, Gray is somewhere in between.

Who knew...

...cardboard could look so good.

I followed THIS tutorial.

Stutzneggar

But we just called her Stutz.  Her first name is Carrie, but with 2 Carrie's in the group we preferred to call her Stutz.  She preferred to be called the Queen of Everything. 

(Funny side story...I thought her last name was Stutz for like 6 months.  When someone told me it was actually Stutzneggar I didn't believe it.)

I think the thing I admire most about Stutz is her work ethic.  She was the first one of my roommates to get out and get a job; a "custodial engineer" at a nearby middle school.  That job had great perks...like free toilet paper.  She's always been hard working. But besides that, Stutz is adorable, devoted, spunky and tough.

It took me a little longer to get close to Stutz.  You see...she had a boyfriend back home.  She did whatever she could to catch a ride home with someone every single weekend for a little extra time with the BF (despite our best persuasion efforts to the contrary).  I guess it paid off. After he served a two year mission he came home and married her. 

Now she's just as hardworking, adorable, devoted, spunky and tough to the benefit of her cute family.  She supports that same man as they've moved around the country while he goes to law school.  She has an adorable little girl (named Bentley...is that cute or what?) and another coming soon.

I'm a little sad at my limited number of pictures of Stutz.  But if you recall...she was never around on the weekends and she worked during the week.  I love her just as much, there's just less photographic evidence.  Looking back, I'm pretty impressed.  It must have been hard to go off to work day in and day out while we all begged her to come have fun with us. That girl has always had a good head on her shoulders.

Our lovely rendition of "My Little Buttercup" from the Three Amigos

 

A trip to Temple Square

 

We all had various places to go that night, but felt it necessary to take a group picture.

 

I think I might have realized at this point how few pictures I had of Stutz and I made her take a picture with me then and there.  I'm not sure how happy she was about that.

What college apartment was complete without an inflatable couch?  Just thinking about that one makes me laugh.  

Sophomore year (while her BF was on a mission and we saw a little more of her) Stutz's mom gave her a HUGE turkey.  She brought it back and slaved away all day to serve the whole apartment complex. 

Riding the LTD.  

None of us had a car freshmen year and we rode the bus to get anywhere.  The boy is only vaguely familiar...somebody's high school friend maybe?  It seems like his name was Brett? Did we run into him on the bus?  Why is he in my picture?

 

Picnic on the Quad

 

No better way to celebrate the end of finals week than a slumber party! (Preceded by the best apartment dance party ever!)

 I had to swipe a current picture off her blog to show you just how adorable Stutz and her family are.  My pictures don't do her justice.  Cute right?

Stutz has a busy couple months ahead of her...with a new baby due soon, a husband taking the BAR, a move a few states away, and a little visit with her family in the mix.  I have no doubt she'll handle it with ease.

Miss you!

You guys know Jeff, right?

Last night I was giving my kids the healthy eating spiel.  You know...healthy food is good for your muscles and good for your bones... (blah, blah, blah) ...eating healthy helps you grow.

Parker: So if we only eat healthy food, we'll be as tall as uncle Jeff?

Me:  Not necessarily.  That has to do with your genes.

Parker:  That's why uncle Jeff is so tall?  He wears skinny jeans so he can just squeeze his body up taller and taller?

I went on to explain the difference between genes and jeans with my 7th grade knowledge of genetics.

And I used to think learning about genes would never help me in the real world.

To see Jeff in all his skinny jeans glory and to get a sneak peek at his strikingly beautiful fiancee, Olivia, you can check out their engagements HERE.

Hell Week

I'm talking about finals week. 

As hard as finals week was when I was going through it myself,  I think it's even harder when Spencer goes through it. And by harder, I mean harder on me.  I'm selfish like that. 

I'm not sure if I really need to refer to it as finals week.  He doesn't have any professors giving actual tests.  It's all about the papers.  And papers when you're getting your PhD in philosophy are not a walk in the park.  Spencer has been on campus until 10 or 11 every night only to come home and work on the computer until 2 or 3 in the morning. 

I'm exhausted (because I'm selfish like that). And I kinda miss Spence. 

It's all over tomorrow (though he still won't be home for bedtime).  If I'm this worn out from the past week and a half, I can't imagine how tired Spence must be.  He has a break on Thursday.  Then the poor guy has a scout camp out to be at on Friday night.

Next week we have one blissful class-less week before spring quarter begins.

High Above Me

This is the entry way between my kitchen and family room.

Zooming in...

And we have chocolate milk.  On the ceiling. 

I can think of numerous possibilities for how chocolate milk ended up in that unreachable spot; each possibility involving any combination of three crazy boys.  I'd love to give you a humorous account of what they were doing to get the milk to it's final resting place.

The thing is, all three boys have alibis for when this incident took place. 

That, my friends, is the work of Chief.  My dog.  Please explain that one to me because I can not quite figure out how a dog managed to get chocolate milk so high.

I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeves...

Pet Peeve:

Image from GAP.

Dark shirts with white sleeves. 

We have at least two navy blue shirts with white sleeves at our house. (And several white baseball T's with navy sleeves.)

How in the world am I supposed to keep these sleeves white?  Can't wash it with the whites.  And washing it with the darks turns white sleeves less-than white. 

Advice?


(RubyAnn...are you reading this?  You're the queen of clean laundry.  I need help.)