Go Obama!

Okay, I take it back about never watching anything "real" on TV. The Democratic Convention last night, Wow! I loved a lot of the speeches, it was refreshing to hear something inspiring rather than something meant to strike fear into your heart.

DH and I thought it would be really fun to be there- it wasn't even that far away. But we settled for watching it at home while eating french fries in bed. Classy, huh?

So, in my mind I can't even imagine how you would argue with what he had to say in his speech, but if you're not sure that he is our best bet for our awesome country, check out what he has to say.

If you happen to be a Republican (bless your heart) check out this website, "Republicans for Obama"

6 Quirky things about me, or "Why I'm a Loser"

My friend Mury did this so I thought I'd give it a whirl. (to avoid chores I need to be doing)

So, here are six quirky things about me, or at least what I think are different than the norm:

1) I didn't watch a single Olympic event (hangs head in shame) I think it's great that they have the olympics and all, but no interest in watching whatsoever. I've never seen American Idol, Biggest Loser, etc.. I don't like to watch the news. (Listen to it on NPR) I really don't want to watch something on TV if it's real. The only reason for me would be to watch something pretend to take my mind of real things.

2) I HATE Diet Coke (I know, how am I even a woman, let alone a mom) In fact, all carbonation makes me sick so I stick to juice, water, and milk.

3) This is the same as Mury's. I don't make my bed. I'm just going to mess it up again (at naptime) so it would only be "made" for a few hours- and who in the world is going to see it.

4) I've never been skiing and I have lived in Utah most of my life.

5) This is hard to explain- but everything I think is very visual (I'm a visual learner) Like numbers are black on white and go up from 0 in a vertical line, down from 0 in a vertical line. Months/dates are in a circle with Jan. at the bottom and July at the top. I can't think a number, date, letter, etc.. without "seeing" it in it's place in my head. Maybe this is normal?

6) I don't worry about things I "should" like dying, accidents with my kids, etc.. But I do have a deathly fear of getting my picture taken, packing, and falling down stairs.

So what are your quirks? Please do tell.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday today mom!

My mom is now officially a half century old, and she looks great!
A lot of you have known about this, but I wasn't able to blog about it because it was a surprise party. Unfortunately, she knew something was up because of something she read on dad's PDA. (Dad!) She didn't know WHO was doing it, so that was a surprise.

On Saturday night, we invited her siblings, parents, friends from HS, college, recent years, etc... to come celebrate her birthday with us. We had almost 100% turnout, which was awesome. It was great fun eating, watching her blow out all 50 candles (yes, she did it) and eating the gigantic cake I made her. Yesterday, we had a little family dinner and ate the rest of the cake. Dad got her a new ipod to replace the one she lost. I made her a scrapbook of her life that many of us contributed to. It was so fun to go through her old funny stuff she'd saved and see the old pictures.

I couldn't have done this without her dear friend Diane, whose house we had the party at. She provided food, a beautiful house, and a lot more.

I can now focus on getting the preschool stuff done before next Tuesday when it starts!

It's a mission!

This is a shout out to the little brother, who got his mission call today! He leaves Nov. 19th, a mere 4 days after turning 19- and he's going to Raleigh, North Carolina.

Congrats baby bro!

Highlights of the week

I am following orders to do this, at least for this week ;)

So, my highlights of the week would be:

Cleaning the bathrooms with my kids- it takes twice as long but it's funny to see what they think cleaning is. I usually just give them wipes and let them follow behind me. Their favorite is the mirrors. I would take a picture, but it's not clean anymore.

A ladies night out at my lovely friend Mel's with a group of wonderful women from high school. It was great to visit uninterrupted and share what we'd all been doing. I hadn't seen some of them for several years.

Watching the kids dance in the fountains at the Gateway with our good friends. It was hilarious how M dances to Jazz, his favorite genre. It probably wouldn't be cute if he was a teenager, but it is now.
The County fair, complete with pony rides, bunnies, chickens, goats, llamas, pigs, sheep, and crazy activities.

And best of all, my 7 year anniversary! DH made us a wonderful dinner, which we got to eat alone (thanks Grandma and Grandpa). It's fun to think back on our wedding day and how much we've grown up (or not). He gave me beautiful flowers and for dinner he made me:
A yummy Asian Salad, Apple beer,Classic swiss fondue with apples, peppers, carrots, and bread,
Marinated grilled flank steak, and a cute little cheesecake (no picture)

Gotta Love those Sneeches

We've been dogsitting Oswald yesterday and today and all 3 of these guys are having a great time!

What's with the humidity this week?

Last week was a pretty normal week, went to the Zoo, Cherry Hill, did a bunch of projects, etc.. I am busy this week getting things for preschool finalized and planned with the other moms. (we are doing a little co-op school for our kids)

We went to the park as a family yesterday for a little relaxation and took some fun pictures, so I thought I'd share.

Our trip to Paris!

Paris, ID, that is. ha ha.

Sunburned around the hairline and on the back of my legs, tired, bug-eaten, 5 lbs. heavier, and still faintly smelling of smoke, I'm back and I had a great time!

The kids have never been camping for more than one night, and I don't believe they've ever swam in a lake, so this was a weekend getaway filled with several firsts. First ice cave, first time popping corn on over fire, first dutch oven cobbler, first time drifting on air mattresses for hours, and first wild-snake sighting.

Most surprising thing: How obsessed my boys are with babies (uh oh, that made me a little baby hungry)

Most annoying: I know they're supposed to "be dirty," but E really goes above and beyond his duty and it is gross when they are eating with their dirt-covered hands.

Saddest: E was "stunged by a beeb" right before we left, so the whole time he was shrieking with fear of the bugs flying around.

Best part ever: (M) dumping sand on "that lady" (my aunt) (E) dumping water on "that lady" (same aunt) (me) The fun little b-day celebration they had for me complete with a candle that said "27" (DH) The food

Cutest thing ever: When M and his little cousin, H hugged goodbye. They looked so sad :(

And here are a whole bunch of pictures that I think are cute but probably nobody else does! (that one was for you, Shelly)