A change in plans

Exactly one week after Joey’s vasectomy, we discovered that there will be a third.  I had been feeling quite tired and not myself and decided to rule out pregnancy by taking a test.  I was shocked to discover TWO lines when I was expecting to see only one.  I showed it to Joey and he just chalked it up to the cheap test from the dollar store.  Then, he went and watched the Jazz game.  I think he was in denile.  He continued to be in denile over the weekend, and he even “laughed” about it.  I was worried.   I took two additional tests just to “prove” it to him.  He has now accepted it and spilled the beans to his family.  He wouldn’t admit it, but I think he’s kind of excited.  Just regretful about the vasectomy thing.  I feel bad about that too.  I’m also sad that I just sold or gave away all of the baby items that I had….except for the crib.  Oh well.

To make room for our new addition, we are planning to sell our house and move to a bigger one.  We will miss the pool, but I’m on the look out for a garage and a walk in closet this time around.

a trip down the red carpet

We held our third annual Viewmont Best Buddy Ball on Saturday.  It’s an event that all the kids really look forward to.  This year’s theme was “hollywood”…and you know how I like a good theme. 

We started with really cute invitations with a picture of the “hollywood” sign on it.  They were instructed to come dressed as their favorite movie star or character…..and boy did they!  They all looked so cute in their outfits.   

 

 

We decorated using a giant “hollywood” sign, lots of stars, balloons, and movie posters all around the room…all in red, black, white, and gold colors.  And, of course, we had a red carpet.  When the kids arrived, we had them make handprints on their stars for our own walk of fame.  Then, they enjoyed dancing, music, and food. 

 

 

For food, we served “movie” food:  popcorn, candy, hot dogs, and nachos.  I also made some rice crispy treats in the shape of stars. 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the end of the evening, a few students were awarded with their very own “Oscar”…also made of rice crispies.

It was a very successful “Ball” and I wish that I could take all the credit….but the officers of the club really did most of the labor.  I just gave them the ideas.

But…they were great ideas!

coach for a day

Spring soccer got off to a shaky start because of all the icky weather we’ve been having, but Nate finally had his first game last week.  His official coach was out of town and asked Joey to fill in for him.  He did an excellent job with the boys and I was very proud of him.  All of the soccer moms were so jealous. 

It was amazing how much those few winter months made in the boys’ soccer skills.  They can actually pay attention to what’s going on and they didn’t try to pick the ball up as much.  Nate even scored a goal!  He is a very persistent player.

Cinda-Tessa

Tessa has really taken a liking to scrubbing the floor ever since Nathan “got to” scrub the floor after pee-ing on it.  (yes, he really did)

She asks to scrub the floor nearly everyday.  I hope that she’s this excited to scrub the floor when she gets old enough to do a good job!

getting fixed

Joey was “fixed” on Friday and has been wearing a really sexy jock strap and sitting on ice all weekend. 

I was having a “moment”  with the children when I agreed to this operation several months ago and have had many second thoughts about it.  Joey has never wavered, however,and has remained consistent in knowing that he only wants two children.  He agreed to three ONLY if we had two of the same sex…just to try to get another flavor.  But, since we were blessed with one of each, I guess we are calling it “good”. 

So….unless there is some sort of “miracle”, it looks like we will not be having any more children.  I’m o.k. with it (I think) but it still makes me feel old and sad to think that we are done.  I guess I can always have kids with my next husband.

my sweet new ride

We picked up our sweet new ride last Thursday.  It’s a 2006 Honda Odyssey with leather seats, DVD player, navigation system and a back-up camera!  I LOVE it!!  The kids are hypnotized by the movies and they don’t fight anymore!  It’s gonna be so nice for our drive to DisneyLand in June and then to Kentucky in August. 

We bought it at a place called “Totally Awesome Cars” in Clearfield….they are are not affiliated with SuperDell.  It was a very “casual” place with absolutely no pressure whatsoever.  They have very awesome prices, but the service is not so hot.  The owner, Josh, will not return my phone calls since we bought it.  I need to get the wheel lock key from him so we can get the new tires.  It is also lacking the owner’s manual.  I hope the good deal will be worth it in the end.

It’s Britney B*tch!

Oops, I did it again!  Okay, I’ve never done this before, but I had to use that line.

Unbelievable as it may be, I attended the Britney Spears concert last week.   Before you start judging me…I did NOT pay for it!  Hayley got free tickets and aksed me if I wanted to go with her.  Much like my inability to look away from a car crash, I just couldn’t say no.  So, I got all “hootchied” up (as best I could) and went to the show.  When we got there, I discovered that everyone was a lot more “hootchie” than me.  I tried to take a picture of one of these girls, but it didn’t turn out.  There were MANY girls in “school girl” outfits.  I was also surprised at how many YOUNG children were at this concert. 

 As for the show, I’ll just say it was quite a “spectacle”.   Our seats were on the VERY tippy top near the ceiling, so this is the best shot of the Brit I got.  We also got to see the Pussy Cat Dolls.  They looked a lot like strippers to me.  I fell asleep a few times, but Hayley and a few of her friends from work REALLY liked the show. 

 

 

 

 

I think that her friends may have been a bit tipsy?

After the show, I found an empty popcorn box with Britney’s name on it.  I thought it would make a lovely photo.  Hayley kept it ….for her scrap book, I guess?

love affair

I would just like to announce that I am in love.  In love with a mini-van.  It all started last night when I sold my car (after only 2 days, by the way…thanks KSL.com!). 

Having the car gone, and after Nate’s birthday dinner, we decided to do some test drives to decide between Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey.  The Odyssey won.  I had the opportunity to drive THE coolest car ever and I am now in love.  In love with it’s leather seats that warm your bum, it’s DVD entertainment center, it’s power everything, it’s back-up camera that appears as if from nowhere, all of it’s luxurious features and most of all the smell!!!  Too bad that it’s too darn expensive for us to buy! I seriously dreamt of this van all night long.   Unfortunately, we (Joey) were not in love with the price of this beauty and we can’t get it. 

It sure would be nice to buy one brand new, but I guess that I’ll have to settle for used luxury.  “sigh”

Nater Potater

Well, it’s been five whole years since little Nater came into my world.  It was a terrifying experience becoming a new mom and in such a violent (c-section) way.  But, I survived and have been blessed by this little boy. 

As of late, Nater has really given me a run for my money.  You might say that he gets a big kick out of “shocking” people by doing strange things. For example, he recently peed on the living room floor in front of his cousin and he “mooned” some of my friends.    I admit that he “might” have gotten this from me.  The shocking part, not the pee-ing….I don’t do that. 

In addition to his shannanigans, Nater LOVES his action figures and video games; he is a true boy.  He’s a huge goof ball, always making faces for the camera and loves to perform little songs for people.  He is a meat eater and his favorite food is ribs.  Nate is also very creative and loves to draw and do “homework” as he calls it.  He is such a little smarty pants too, always wanting to know about stuff and shocking me with his five-year-old wisdom. 

Happy Birthday Naters!!

Easter Festivities

In the five years that we’ve had children, Joey and I have never really agreed on what Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are really “responsible” for.  We both have completely different ideas on the subject because of the different households from whence we came.  The Easter Bunny, for example, has never hid any eggs for me.  He simply came and put stuff in my basket and left. We went to grandma’s house for the easter egg hunt.  For Joey however, the bunny took their eggs and hid them throughout the house.  Regardless of how you do it, the Easter Bunny is creepy if you ask me. 

Giving in to Joey’s idea, we decorated the eggs on Saturday night and left them for the Easter Bunny to hide.  The kids really liked dying the eggs.  We shall see if they are equally excited to eat the eggs.  Sunday morning, Nater woke up early and very excited to see what the Easter Bunny had brought him.  He was surprised to find lots of candy, an outfit, and stuffed animal.  They were both delighted with the ritual and when they’re happy, I’m happy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At church, I taught the lesson to the 4-5 year old primary kids.  I explained Jesus’ death and Resurrection, etc.  Then, I asked them to each tell the group a part of the Easter story.  Each of them told me that Jesus hid the Easter eggs.  I knew Joey wasn’t right.

Oh yes, I did it again

I really wish that my kids didn’t have birthdays one week apart.  It would really help with the “sickness” that I have.  Each year, I consider not having a party for one of them, but each year I do them anyway.  I guess you could say that it’s a hobby of mine.  Besides, after I write my book and sell a million copies, it will all be worth it. 

So Nate’s party was on Saturday, and I must say that I really out-did myself on this one.  Even a few strangers at the park commented on how outstanding it was, and of course, I really ate that up. 

Nate has liked “BatBan” since he could barely talk and even dressed like him for Halloween when he was 18 months old.  So, it was inevitable that he would want a Batman party eventually.  We started with some awesome invitations which I made myself, spending just $2.00 total.  I found a template for a bat mask online and I used clipart for the bat symbol in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to hold the party at the park, which is free and has plenty of covered table space and loads of free entertainment for the kids.  I picked up a few pizzas from Little Caesars, it cost $15.  The pizza was accompanied by a batman fruit roll up.  We had lemonade to drink.  All together the food cost about $20. 

I made three things for the kids to take home with them:  bat capes ($1.50 each), bat cup/mugs ($1 each), and bat signal flashlights ($1 each).  So, total I spent for each child was $3.50, coming to $42 for 12 kids. 

 

 

  I spent about $5.00 decorating the table.  I used black plastic table clothes and sponge-painted yellow bats on the sides.  I used yellow plates atop batman coloring book pages that I printed from the internet.  I then, provided crayons so that the kids could color their place mats. 

After the kids put on their masks and capes, they searched for “villains” , which they really enjoyed more that I thought they would.  For this, I just printed out pictures of 12 different batman villains, put them in plastic sheet protectors, rolled them up and tied with some twine.  I had Joey “hide” them in the park. 

For cake, I decided to do cupcakes to make things simple.  I topped them with yellow frosting and then rolled the edges in chocolate sprinkles.  I printed out some batman sybols and had Joey glue them together with toothpicks while he watched the Jazz game.  They were very easy and cute.  They didn’t really cost anything because I already had all the ingredients for these puppies.

So there you have it:  fantastic Batman party for 12 kids for only $62 total.  I’ll now take my bow.

buying and selling

I am looking to sell my car so that I can get a mini-van.  Yes, I realize that I only have two children, but I still want one; don’t judge me. 

I spent much of my spring break getting new tires, oil changed, full inspection and getting it detailed.  It is in really good shape and I’m now afraid to let my kids ride in it. 

In case anyone out there is interested, we are selling it for $5,000 (if I know you or we are related, I’ll cut you a deal).  It’s a 2002 Mazda Protege 5 with 117,288 miles on it.  It’s in good condition, but has a little body damage.  Send me a comment if you’re interested! 

baby animals

We drove up to Logan on Friday for the annual Baby Animal Festival at the American West Heritage Park.  My kids have gone to this festival in the past with their babysitter, Reanna.  Since it was my spring break, I got to go this time!   It was really fun, with lots of fun activities for the kids to do, but it was REALLY crowded.  We had to wait in a lot of long lines, which is not easy for little ones….or big ones, for that matter.  Tessa REALLY enjoyed the baby bunnies and Nate liked the baby turtles.

Since we were in Logan (my absolute favorite town ever) we decided to visit a few favorites.  We ate lunch at the best A&W in the world (really, it is) and then went for ice cream at Casper’s.  Tessa made a gigantic mess with her ice cream cone, but it was cute. 

Driving back, we hit the Pepperidge Farm outlet and Gossner’s cheese.  All of these festivities completely wore me out!  I slept all the way home.  Thank goodness Reanna drove.

just another quality party by Anda-ree

Here are all the details on the outstanding party that I threw for Tessa.  I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but c’mon….I am freaking awesome. Tessa really likes to sing “old McDonald” so we decided to go with the barn theme. It all started with the CUTE invitation made from construction paper and my printer.  Total cost: $4.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I planned to have the shin-dig at Wheeler Historic Farm which is free to the public and has a lot of space for a nice picnic. Unfortunately, it had rained all morning and was quite chilly and muddy….so we had the picnic at our house instead after we visited the farm.  They have hay rides for $1.50, duck food for 50 cents, and you can milk a cow for 50 cents.  We had planned to do each of the activities, but it was too muddy for the hay ride. The kids had A LOT of fun just feeding the aggressive geese, looking at all the animals, playing in the treehouse, and finally milking the cow.  The total cost at the farm was $8.00.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the picnic, each child got a sandwich, bag of cheetoes, and “my little pony” fruit snacks all placed in a red “fast food” basket.  I got the baskets at the D.I. for $1 for all of them. The PB&J sandwiches were in the shape of a chicken.  They were easy to do using a cookie cutter, and cheap to make.  The entire dinner cost about $6 total.  I bought $5 foot longs from subway for the adults to eat, which cost $20 total. 

The party favors where little plastic barns with toy animals inside and a few “cow tail” candies wrapped up in a clear cylophane bag and tied with a red bandana.  The total cost for eight kids was $24.00. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I made a cow cake based on a picture I found on the internet.  It was super easy to do and only cost about $4 to make. 

And there you have it.  Cute party for a 3-year-old.  The total cost was $72.   I am saving these pictures for the book I’m gonna write one day.

Tessa Lee-ta

It was my niece, Averi, that coined Tessa’s nickname, “Tessa Lee-ta” when she was just a baby.  I’ve been calling her that ever since.  I remember from my five years of Spanish, that the ending “lita” means little.  So…I guess we are calling her Little Tessa Lee. 

We celebrated three years with this little princess and we’ve loved  every minute of it.  From the very beginning, she’s been a very good girl, although full of opinions, spunk, and determination.  I’ve always been impressed with how well she catches on to things like swimming, singing, and anything physical, really.  (she definitely didn’t get this from me) 

She’s a fairly obediant child and has always worn her glasses without complaint, just like Dr. Larsen says.  She loves to play cook and take care of her many babies…which she prefers to have naked at all times.  Her pre-school teacher has told me that she’s the smartest in the class and can read a lot of words already.  (this she got from me, definitely) 

I just love her to pieces!  Happy Birthday Tessa-Leeta!

Ge Ge

I was a bad grand-daughter and completely forgot my Grandma Ge Ge’s birthday until one week later!!  I know it’s a terrible excuse, but my mom usually reminds me.  I felt really really bad.  My grandma ALWAYS remembers my birthday.  I

The kids made gifts and we loaded up and headed to Riverdale for a visit.  Because my grandma is so awesome, she has forgiven my transgression and welcomed us with ice cream and cookies. 

So, Happy Belated Birthday, Grandma!  I love you!

Jazz Girl

Joey subjected Tessa to a Jazz game the other night.  He bought her this outfit and pom poms and she was thrilled to go cheer for the team. 

After her popcorn was gone, she got bored and ancy; couldn’t really pay attention to the gam. 

That’s my girl!

“hunting” for plastic eggs

We attended the annual Best Buddies Utah 5K walk/run at Davis High on Saturday.  I am proud to say that I can run a mile…and walk the rest. 

After the run, the kids had a “hunt” of sorts.  I think it’s funny that they call it a hunt, when in reality they just throw a bunch all over the big gym floor.  They should call it an Easter Egg “pick up”. 

It was a fun day.  One of my students won 4th place, and was 1st place out of the students with disabilities.  He ran the entire thing in 28.32 minutes.  I signed him up for the track team on Monday.