Exaggerated For Your Pleasure

August 2009

2009-09-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

We all started school again in august. The girls started the first week. They were ready though and really excited. Poor little Ellie, she was so excited for school. I walked her in there the first day and she started to cry. I think she was just too overwhelmed with everything she was feeling. She wanted to be there, but she just couldn't help it. She got over her emotions quickly though and was able to stop crying before her class left.

Here's Anny and Ellie with Javi and Faith.

Jack fell asleep with these on. It was so funny.

I started school in August too. I found out that my Monday night class is online. So i only have to go in for my midterm and final. My ecology class is really interesting, but my teacher goes off on so many tangents that I'm not really sure what i should be taking notes on during his lectures. Spanish 201 was too much for me. I'm not ready for it yet so i dropped down to a lower class. It was really cool though, cause in 201, the teacher only spoke in Spanish, and i could understand pretty much everything he said. But i understand it faster than i speak it. My new class is super easy though. Me llamo Ashley. Ooh, that's a tough one. Someday I'm going to be really good at Spanish and I'll convert my whole blog to it so no one can read it. Not that anyone reads it anyway.

July 2009

2009-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've caught myself up, for all of you people that keep bugging. I finished physics this month and got a B. I get to start ASU in the fall and will be taking Ecology, Spanish, and Ethical and Policy Issues in Biology. I also added a Spanish minor to my degree which will probably add another year to school. Hopefully i can take the Spanish classes during the summer and winter breaks or something.

I can't believe the girls are starting school already. Next Monday the 3rd. We have meet the teacher Thurs. night. The girls are really excited about it. I had enrolled Ellie into a.m. kindergarten cause they weren't going to fund all day anymore. But then they called and said that they were going to and asked if i wanted to switch. I decided to stick with a.m. cause i wasn't sure what i wanted to do yet. I was thinking the half day schedule would get filled up first since there was only one teacher doing it. All the rest of the classes were full day. Well i guess people get pretty excited that they can get rid of their 5 year olds for a whole day instead of a half day, even at the expense of the kid. The only reason i was going to maybe put her in all day is cause she's older. She'll turn 6 in September and missed the cutoff last year by 9 days. So i think she could handle all day since she's almost a year older than some of the other kids starting kindergarten this year. I don't really like the idea of full day kindergarten. They kept complaining about not having enough funding to do it. I think they should use all the funding they got and give all their teachers raises instead. Money better spent in my opinion. Poor little kids have to go from having preschool in someones house a couple times a week for an hour or so, to all day at a public school. I just think it's hard on them. and i don't think it makes much of a difference in the kids' success throughout school anyway.

Yesterday i went to Shanna's house and her and Chelsea and my mom helped me tie a quilt I've been working on. Now i just have to bind it. So I'm probably going to my grandma's on Saturday and she's going to help me do it. Then i can give it to Iman, since i made it for her as a wedding present. Sorry it's almost a year late!!! Quilts take a lot of time. I'll post a picture of it when i finish.

These pictures are from the 4th of July parade that the ward does every year. It was at 7am and still way to hot to be outside.

Here's the kids all lining up for the parade.

Ellie apparently enjoyed her chocolate donut.

I think Anny probably ate like 3 or 4 donuts!

Okay, so this is jack's new little trick. Alex walked in and saw him doing it and decided to take pictures. Mind you, he's already done this several times previously when i walked into the room but i was screaming.

Thanks for the death trap, i mean piano, mom.

June 2009

2009-07-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

In June we decided to do a girls night for all of us sisters. My mom and my cousin Shanda came too. Both haylee and Chelsea are leaving for school this fall. Haylee is playing vball at Idaho State and Chelsea will be at BYU. So this was like a going away party/birthday party/facial night. I'm going to miss them both so much. Pretty much because of the free babysitting!! Just kidding guys. I am going to miss hanging out with them and getting to know the woman each of them have become. I know they will be successful at school and will probably still graduate before i do!

Haylee, Chelsea, Shanna enjoying a french clay mask.

Me and Chelsea

That night we played one of my all time favorite games in the whole world. Um, no. Not even close. i always get outvoted when i choose a game.

Chelsea and mom.

we also got a new van this month, something i wasn't planning on doing until they started making more affordable hybrid vans. But the kids were getting really squished in the back of the civic. Its an 03 odyssey. And we got an extended warranty on it so we are set for 3yrs/36,000 miles. Just as good as a new car but for less than half the cost.

Here's jack in the van. He definitely has a better view now.

June also marked the end of the vball season.
Back row: Karyn, me, Erica, Brittany, Jessica. Bottom row: Natalie and Sam. We thought we'd make it look all teamy.

We were the cherry bombs. It was obviously my idea to wear pink since i love that color and have loads of pink shirts in my closet already. we did pretty well. I was middle blocker and sometimes right side. I got quite a few good blocks on the last night we played, and i was really excited. we couldn't get enough girls together again to start another team. Oh well. It started again in august buy i might get too busy with school. It may just be church ball for me!

We also went to kingman, AZ in June too. How very exciting. We met Alex's brother's there. O.j. is taking a job there at the airport and had an interview. This is the girls with their uncle Ryan. They are all playing around on iPhones. My kids are very technological.

We were also able to catch jack walking for the first time. He hadn't been walking before our trip to kingman and he was about 17 months old already. SO i was laying on the bed at the hotel, or craptel (don't ever stay at the travelodge in kingman unless you want black feet and a dead cockroach in your bed), and all of a sudden he just stands up and takes like two steps. I was like What!!? So i put him on the ground thinking that would be easier to walk on than the bed, minus the black feet of course, and he took a couple steps. So Alex used his phone and got these first moments of jack walking. It was so fun. And now i get to watch it whenever i want.

May 2009

2009-07-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

The first week in May Alex and I went on a cruise with his parents and his little brother Briggs. We did the Catalina Island one. And because everyone was unnecessarily panicking about a ridiculous outbreak of swine flu we weren't able to dock in Ensenada. It was still pretty fun. We had to take jack cause i was still nursing him. I wouldn't have left him anyway, he's my baby! I think i don't want to do another cruise until i can do the Alaska one or something. I was bored a lot. The coolest thing was when they showed this short film done by Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. I guess it wasn't released back when it was first made because they thought it was too spooky or something and they didn't want to fund it cause it was during WWII. I guess if you've seen any of Dali's work, you could maybe see why that would be so. It was pretty cool.

We also finished up school this may, well everyone but me. I still don't get out till July. Ellie was finishing preschool and is super excited to start kindergarten. And Anny finished 1st grade. for a while there we thought she'd have to repeat it, but she worked it out! Just kidding Anny.

Ellie and Karyn Castro, her preschool teacher.

This is Ellie with her two best friends, Amberlyn Castro and Maylee Lunt.

What a bunch of lazy bums i decided to go on vacation with.

From left to right: Mike, Alex, Jack, Briggs, Steven

It got kinda cold one day it was all foggy out on the ocean.

On Catalina Island by a neat fountain. Yes, i am immodest, i don't care. And i got a sunburn, serves me right! And jack has antlers.

Also this month, with great sorrow, we lost our sister-in-law Dawn Frakes Kellogg. She is married to alex's brother ryan. They had only been married about a year. It was very sad, and we will miss her much. The girls were very sad to hear it, but they still talk about her sometimes when they remember stuff that they did with her. We love you Dawn.

When we were in Nebraska for the funeral, we got this little video of Jack and Grandma Debbie playing ball.

Easter

2009-06-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

Every year for Easter we go to my Grandma Tyra's and Grandpa Mac's house for a breakfast and Easter egg hunt. They usually hide numbers in some of the eggs and there will be a prize associated with the number. There are separate ones for the kids and the adults. The girls found a couple numbers each. I didn't get any. Boo hoo. but they had pitty on me and someone gave me one of their eggs. I got like 7 bucks!

Here's Ellie's number.

I got this outfit for Jack specifically for this occasion. Then he goes and gets it stained after wearing it once. I haven't been able to get the stains out yet.

sorry to disappoint some of you, but i don't get my kids all that dolled up for Easter Sunday. I'm just not that frilly of a person.

Oh yeah, i got called to nursery. Yippee! So jack gets to go early. Here he is having a snack.

Alex's Spring Project

2009-06-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Alex decided to make a shed for some reason. Probably cause i said we couldn't buy one. I kept trying to get him to build me a chicken coop and he never would. So then i finally just bought one. I think if he can build this, he can build a measly little chicken coop.

I got to pick out the color!
It does have a door as well, its just not on yet.

March 2009

2009-06-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

Not much going on in march. Just trying to keep up with school and kids. Anny had her 1st grade program this month. They sang a bunch of songs and each kid had a little part to say. I was mad at my camera the whole time cause the flash sucks. Its supposed to be this really great camera, but i find that sometimes my crappy one does a better job. Maybe i just need to figure out how to use my better one.

On the way home from the 1st grade program we caught a really cool glimpse of the moon.

The girls thought it'd be funny. I just took the picture.

Jack's Odd Sense of Humor

2009-02-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

Jack has been known to laugh at really random things that wouldn't seem funny to most. This event is no exception. He likes to shove lots of food in his mouth all at once. So all i was doing was breaking his crackers up a bit so he wouldn't get too big a mouthful.

Riding Bikes...Finally!!

2009-02-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

The girls finally figured out how to ride their bikes with no training wheels! Alex has been working with them and they were so excited to figure it out. Ellie is a little better at it. Anny kept getting mad because she was falling and Ellie seemed to have no issues. On Monday, Anny had a pretty bad fall and scraped her chin and now has a big bruise.

Jack also likes going out for bike rides. Alex put him in the bike trailer for the first time and he was cracking up laughing for like the first 5 minutes he was in it. It was pretty funny.

So me and a couple friends are on a vball team for the new league that started up in queen creek. We had a practice on Monday and played for like 3 hours. Then last night was our first time playing against some of the other girls. Lets just say my team is probably the underdog. It didn't help that i was sore from Monday night and missed a bunch of serves last night. It's still really fun and I'm glad I'm doing it. Haylee did laugh at me though. I guess she doesn't think I'm qualified to play in the league. What a jerk. We can't all be as good as you Haylee, no need to make fun of others! You see how good you are after having 3 kids and being out of shape. She is going to be a sub for one of the other teams, so i may have to play against her. All i can say is BRING IT ON HAYLEE!!!

Anny does fine in the parking lot. but for some reason she panics when she's on the sidewalk and keeps falling over. I don't think she likes being confined to a straight line. She is exactly like me though, when i was a kid. She is super cautious and takes forever. I couldn't help teach her cause i just started yelling at her, which doesn't help anything.

No, the can of red bull is not open. Alex thinks its sooo funny to try and trick people into thinking his kids drink that crap like he does. Alex, your headaches are never going to go away unless you stop.

They first learned in the grass at the park by our house.

Some Video of Jack

2009-01-27T21:28:00.001-08:00

Just thought i'd put this on for those of you that don't see Jack on a regular basis.

Jack has a thing for ears. He's always trying to grab or chew on mine and alex's. He also plays with his ears all the time. At first i thought it might be an ear infection, but he does it all the time.

Jack is 1!!!

2009-01-27T20:59:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my teeny, tiny baby is getting so big. And just for the record, he did army crawl by his first birthday. Still can't regular crawl though. He weighs 19 lbs. I think that is about how much Anny weighed. Ellie only weighed like 18lbs. My kids are just small.

We had it on Sat. the 17th, so Briggs could join us. But his actual birthday was the 20th. We had it at my mom's. It was just the fam. I felt so bad cause that night he got really bad heartburn. He was up crying and spitting up. I'm pretty sure it was the cake. He hadn't ever really had that much artificial sugar all at once. Poor kid. but i had to let him eat some. I should have made a more healthy cake. O well, he's over it now. He got some new clothes, a Little People farm, some books, and yes, a baby doll from Great-grandparents Thompson. Now he can learn to be a good dad.

I had to crop my face out of this pic. Jack looked cute, but i didn't. What do you expect me to look like when my baby is playing with fire!

No Jack! Don't eat it. It will give you heartburn!

No, you can not have any more.

No Jack, not 3. You're 1.

Ahh, here's Jack with his lovely new dolly!

Family from Nebraska

2009-01-27T20:29:00.001-08:00

Earlier this month Alex's brother Ryan and his wife Dawn came to visit us. We had a lot of fun with them and the kids were really excited to see them. We didn't do anything too exciting while they were here, but we did take them to one of our favorite places to eat, Pita Jungle. Yummy. I had the tabule with hummus. The next week we got a visit from Alex's other brother, Briggs. We had Jack's birthday party a couple days early so he could be here for it. On Sunday he decided to run the P.F. Chang's marathon. He ran the 1/2 marathon and finished it! I guess they said he was the youngest kid to ever finish it. He's only 13! We were pretty proud.

Here's Briggs and Anny

We were out in the back playing croquet.

Jack loves his swing. Thanks grandma Debbie and grandpa Mike.

Okay, so i walked in to get jack when he woke up from his nap the other day. And guess what?? he can now sit himself up. So we had to lower the crib mattress, obviously. It was so funny to walk in there and see him like this. I ran and got the camera right away.

Jack and Aunt Dawn.

Jack and Uncle Ryan. It was so funny, when they first got to our house, Jack looks at Ryan and did a double take. He made the weirdest face. I think Jack was pretty confused cause of the resemblance.

December

2009-01-26T22:17:00.000-08:00

So this is the month that I get to be done with micro. And guess what? I got an A!!! I got an A in humanities too, but I don't want to brag. I can't believe Jack is almost going to be 1. And no, he still is not crawling. What a lazy little butt. It's really my fault cause i hold him too much. But I can't help it. He is so cute and cuddly. Lets see... What happened this month? Oh yeah, I stupidly decided to butcher my hair. Hmmm, what was i thinking. Actually, i kind of like it. It makes me actually have to do it, instead of just putting it in a ponytail.

Christmas was good. Alex got me a new lens for my camera. Man, you can really zoom in. I got some really good close ups that some people may not think are so good. Hee hee!

Here's my new do. It doesn't look so great in this pic though. Unless everybody thinks it does, then yeah, i mean, it looks good.

Jack make up your mind. Is it Star Wars or Batman? I guess we should really ask Alex, who is the one that finds all this crap necessary.

For Christmas, me and my siblings made a memory book for my parents. We all included our first memories of them (or at least as early as we could remember). We filled it with pics of the past and present. It turned out really good. If you are ever at my mom's, be sure to check it out.

Here's the pic i used of me and my mom. This was my first camping trip, and i think my mom's last! Oh, let me make sure that i mention that she was wearing all her pre-pregnancy clothes right after i was born. Wish i could say the same. How old is Anny now?

And this is the one of me and my Dad. The funny thing is, is i remember this exact moment. Its pretty fuzzy though. I know it's not the picture I'm just remembering though, cause i can remember my own visual point of view when i was opening this present.

So here's all the junk the girls got this year that they won't remember in a couple weeks. They did get some good stuff. Santa got them Leap Frog Leapsters.

Jack got this cool car from Grandma and Grandpa Thompson. Ha Shanna, i got the better one!

Here's Anny playing with the barbie head that grandma got her. Maybe she can practice on barbie and learn how to do her own hair so i won't have to (not that i actually ever do it, as you can see from the pic).

Alex didn't have surprises for Christmas, cause he picked out everything himself. this is his new watch. He did get one surprise. I got him a new drill, cause the old one was broken. How exciting.

This is a shot taken with my new lens. It is one of our trees taken from across the yard. Pretty good detail from afar, huh?

Also in November: Jack's first haircut!

2009-01-26T21:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, not that his hair is all long and thick, but all those little thin, wispy hairs where really starting to bug. So they had to go.

Oh, and yes. I did put all this hair in a bag to keep forever.

November

2009-01-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

I love November. It starts to really cool off. Of course by December I'm always saying that i wish it was summer. Its funny cause it was last year around this time that i really started feeling pregnant. The time has gone by so fast since Jack was born. We've had a lot of fun this month. There's always lots to do with family once the holiday season gets going. I ended up getting an A on my microbiology midterm. I completely over studied. But i suppose that's better than understudying. Wouldn't ya know, I managed to take a total of 0 pictures at Thanksgiving. O well. We probably shouldn't celebrate the genocide of the natives who we supposedly shared corn with at one point in history.

We had a family get together at my uncle Pat's house. The kids had a good time. And Aunt Jenny always has really good food.

Ellie and aunt Chelsea.

I had Ellie go around and pick pecans for me.

They have this really cool swing. Its cool cause even biggies like me can go on it! WEEEE!!! Yeah, i was actually kind of scared. What, I'm afraid of heights.

Here's Anny on it.

Later, when me and Haylee were on the swing, Anny got hit with Haylee's legs. So Uncle Justin rushed over to rescue her.

Oh, poor baby!

Our family and Shanna's family went to a little scenic spot to take some family pics for Christmas. Out of like the 100 that we took, maybe 5 turned out! It's so hard to get everyone looking good at the same time. Except for me, I always look good!

Ellie, get some longer pants.

Jack is 10 months old here. The girls thought it was so funny that the cereal got stuck to his face and he didn't know it.

Just hanging out with the cuz'

Cassie let me borrow this toy. Jack loves it, but he's going to get a big head when he keeps seeing how good looking he is.

These are Ellie's friends Amberlyn and Maylee. She goes to preschool with them and has a playgroup with them every week.

The girls went to a birthday party for their friend Amberlyn. I think Anny's getting a little too old for this kind of thing. None of their dress up clothes really fit her anymore.

Also in October

2009-01-26T20:27:00.000-08:00

Anny had her awards assembly this month. She had perfect attendance, made the honor roll, and was student of the month. I can't remember which month though. Good job Anny! Too bad none of my pictures turned out. My zoom wasn't good enough. Can you make her out? She's up there in the top row, third kid in.

October

2009-01-26T19:23:00.000-08:00

Not much new in October. School is going well. It keeps me pretty busy with all the reading. Jack's 9 months now and still not crawling. No worries. The girls did things kind of late too. Can't really think of anything else to say.

Mom and Dad came over for Halloween. The girls went out with Dad while we all hung around the house.

Both the girls' were fairy princesses. How very original. They got lots of candy. Most of it mom secretly threw away!

Jack! No! Don't go to the dark side!

Our little Darth. There's still good in him, I know it.

I don't know, he looks pretty crazed!

Jack started clapping this month.

8 Months

2008-09-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love the crisp, cool feeling of toilet water splashing in your face. I guess i will need to work on my scrubbing skills so it doesn't happen again. At least my bathrooms got clean.

So jack is 8 months old now, and finally sitting up. He falls eventually, but i can usually leave the room for a little bit. Its such a whole new field of view for him and its easier for him to play with his toys. We also finally put up the airplane swing that the Kellogg's got for jack. when i first went outside, Alex was pushing him waaaayy too high and he was all shaking and scared. so we had to slow it down a little. then he got happy. All the pictures i took turned out all blurry except a few. we finally got our water barrels cleaned and filled. well, all but two of them. So that makes me feel good. I still need to go out and plant some seeds. And we need to redo our drip system on the garden cause its not working properly. I am also growing starter plants if anyone is interested. They will be $2. I've just got herbs going mostly. Basil, thyme, sage, rosemary, cilantro, chives, parsley. so let me know if you are interested. They won't be ready to plant for a little while though.

school is going good. my bio teacher said she would be my lab partner any day. i think that is a good sign!!

Jack's wispy old man hair flying in the breeze.

Big boy jack!! What good posture you have.

Anny the Yogi

2008-09-19T21:45:00.000-07:00

So tonight i was in my bathroom and all of a sudden i hear my yoga video playing. i though, hmm that's weird, so i come out and there's Anny doing my yoga video. it was so funny. She had my yoga mat out and everything. so i had to get some pics of that. at first she was like, "stop taking pictures, its not funny" and "you're messing me up". She has done it with me a couple times before. she's actually pretty good, and understands what they are talking about. she knows the names of some of the poses already. Alex put a kids yoga video on our netflix list, so we'll see how she likes it. she said she was good enough to do the grown-up one and she didn't need the kid one. I'm just excited that she wants to do it. neither me or Alex are very flexible, so hopefully this will help her.

Pretty good down dog Anny! isn't my room so very neat and tidy??

My blueberry baby

2008-09-17T09:01:00.001-07:00

I know i just posted, but i just thought this was too good. i made some pears with blueberries for jack today. boy did he love it. of course it got everywhere. he kept grabbing the spoon so he could feed himself.

Ellie actually took this picture. i was in it too, but i cropped myself out for your benefit. he totally looks like alex here, well i think so. funny enough, this is also what alex looks like after eating blueberries.

Sorry to keep you all waiting

2008-09-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Geez! i have been busy with school. Since i don't have a teacher teaching me anything, i have to read the chapters word for word pretty much. very time consuming. but i really like it. i actually learn a lot more. i think i would just do the bare minimum before, but now, i have to do it all cause i don't know what i will be tested on.

The girls' birthdays went pretty well. Alex is a good dad. he gets them flowers and a balloon on their actual birthday, so they wake up and see the surprise. it makes them feel really special. i used to get mad when he did this, cause i think flowers are a big fat waste of money, but they really do appreciate it. We had family over for dinner on Sunday the 7th. They both got the stupid barbie dolls they wanted. and then Cassie got them the new barbie movie. why do they like barbies? i hate barbies. why can't they take after me?? i wonder if there is a connection between girls who play with barbies and girls who later have eating disorders or lots of plastic surgery.

We also got a great garden box made. poor Alex, it was a lot of hard work. it was exhausting just watching him do it all. We used like 2x12 inch boards. they only cost about $32, so not as expensive as i thought it might be. The whole thing is 22ft x 5ft. We found a place down the road that sells clean fill dirt for $12 a ton. and we also got quite a few bags of good garden soil with lots of compost. I planted a few herb plants to get it going. and I'm going to put out some garlic in a couple weeks. and i have a whole list of seeds to get started. Ellie wanted a tomato plant. So we put that next to the basil. i am trying to teach the girls to recognize the difference between the herbs and weeds.

Last night we went to Shanna's house for dinner. Alex got to go too since he was off. earlier in the day he went to jury summons. they were going to pick him but he said he had a funeral on Friday, so they let him go. The funeral is for Marcus Bess' dad. If any of you knew him. He died last week from a very unexpected heart attack.

Can't think of much else that has happened. Jack will be 8 months in a few days!! he's just about sitting up by himself. yeah, my kids usually hit those physical milestones pretty late. Anny didn't even walk till she was about 18 months!

Ellie was a good helper. She was raking all the dirt. you can see my grape vine and my grapefruit tree that have yet to produce.

Anny helped out by bringing small loads of dirt with a shovel. the shovel had holes in it too. thanks a lot Anny for all your help.

Here is my overgrown herb garden. the grass took over as i got more and more pregnant with jack, and then i didn't have the energy to do anything after he was born. stupid grass. There is still some sage, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender along the house. I'm going to have to borrow my dad's tiller to get out all that grass.

Oh, yeah, Alex's family saw those guys from that motorcycle show Orange county choppers, or whatever its called, at the airport and got a picture.

Here's Anny and Iman's son Ethan.

Oh what a beautiful barbie, NOT!

Lucky me, they sing too. so i now have barbie songs stuck in my head all day.

Ethan gave them mouse trap. good job Ethan.

Homemade Baby Food, School and Movies

2008-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well thanks to the cool magic bullet my mom got me, i was able to make all of this baby food for only about $2.50. Cool!! i did green beans, peas, and some sweet potato. I did way to much of the beans and peas though and ran out of containers. Next time i will do smaller portions so i can have a wider variety.

Me and the girls just got done watching another Hayao Miyazaki film. I would say he's like the Walt Disney of Japan, but better. They aren't as fluffy and full of songs like Disney movies can be. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But Miyazaki's movies are just more relevant. I'm not really into anime, but his films are just really good. they have amazing animation, even the older ones, and they have such good themes in them so they are great for families. We just watched My Neighbor Totoro. We've also seen Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Castle in the Sky, and our personal favorite, Spirited Away. Anyway, i would highly recommend seeing some of his movies, or all of them for that matter.

School is going good. I have an essay due on Monday. better get started on that. i also just got my Lab kit in the mail today for micro.

The girls got their birthday present in the mail yesterday from the Kellogg's. It is a Karaoke Machine. It looks like a little boom box. so Ellie's been singing into the microphone all day. Luckily she has to plug it in, so i just make her go in her room and shut the door. I am such a fun mom!

Tonight Clarissa is spending the night for their birthdays. We are having pizza. And then we are having birthday cake on Sunday since Alex will be off. At least i don't have to do a party this year. i hate doing that. besides next year Anny will be 8, so I'm sure we will do something for her baptism.

Shanna, this is how much it made. Next time you can come over and we will make it together. Are you going to add cinnamon to your sweet potatoes??

This is our favorite. Watch it and you'll see why.

Despite that this is voiced by Dakota Fanning, it was still really good. the images are so emotionally moving, i wish i could be there rolling around in the grass and flowers.

My New Favorite Website

2008-08-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

I just put together my own yoga sequence at yogajournal.com It's a pretty easy tool to use. Now i just want to figure out how i can put it into a power point or something. so it's easier to see, at least till i memorize it. i guess i could just print it too, but I'm out of paper right now.

i just know my Lil sis Chelsea is going to check out this website, aren't you Chels? I'm coming over to mom's so we can do it together. then I'm going to get my mom to do it. ready mom??!!

Alex is really impressed every time i show him something new i learned in my yoga class. he's actually considering trying it out. and he should, he is the least flexible person i know, besides myself. someday i just know i will be a master yogi!

The Big 7

2008-08-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jack was 7 months on the 20th. i wonder how many kisses I've given him and how many gallons of milk I've produced in the last 7 months. i am happy to say that my milk contains no rSBT.

i kind of feel gypped out of my first day of school. i mean, nothing really special happens when you take the class online. no one made me french toast or anything special. i didn't get to ride the bus, or pack a lunch. o well. at least it was rainy day recess!

both the girls have been doing well in school so far. the only thing with Anny is that she keeps saying her leg hurts. her teacher even sent her to the nurse during recess and the nurse put some ice on it. OK, how come when i tell her to put ice on it she doesn't listen. there's not even anything wrong with it. i think she's just trying to get attention, which is a sign of my superb parenting skills. I'll be teaching a class this Saturday on "how to get others to think you are abusing your kids". let me know if you are interested. my mom told me that when i was little i kept going to the nurse everyday saying i was sick. maybe my mom needed to give me more attention too. mom if you are reading this, good.

Doesn't every kid love it when their mom does this.

yeah, i know, he wears these pjs a lot. sorry.

eating a banana in a gross, bacteria laden mesh bag. Geez mom, what's the difference between this or a pacifier.

k, i had a ton of cute birthday bath pics, (yes, my kid gets a bath once a month) but i couldn't use them because grodies out there might do something inappropriate. so here are the two puzzle pieces with the middle cut out! next time I'll make sure to have a wash rag handy.

no es que importe...

2008-08-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to my mom's for dinner cause Justin was here visiting from Utah. it was good to see him. he has some pretty cool hair right now, if you're into the Mohawk/mullet look.

Jack has been sleeping a little better now that he got his second tooth in. you can just barely see them, but i can sure feel them! Alex is going to be going to Nebraska to help his dad put up a new roof. it got all messed up during a bad storm. Anny was pretty upset that she wasn't going too.

Anny has been pretending like she is the maid. this is my favorite game ever! she walks around with my apron on and i can get her to do pretty much anything. its mostly kitchen stuff. cause that's where she says she works. when she starts complaining about something, Alex tells her that the maid isn't supposed to talk, just clean.

i am really excited cause i start school on the 25th. its a humanities class. then i start microbiology on the 2nd of Sept. i just ordered my books, so they should be here in a few days. i still haven't found out how much I'm getting for my grant, that is, if I'm getting anything at all. I'd better. i will be sure to take some awesome pics. of myself for my first day of school too.

Jack drinking some juice. its so funny how he can hold the cup by himself.

This is a pic of Anny after we told her she wouldn't be going to Nebraska. aww, don't you just feel so sorry for her.

this is what happens when Anny gets a hold of the camera. notice how she's wearing my apron.

very artsy, Anny.

Ellie's first day

2008-08-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

OK, its your turn Ellie. Geez, stop buggin. she wore her new dress that grandma Melissa got her too. I wasn't too worried, cause her teacher is a friend of mine, and Ellie is pretty familiar with her. the only problem was when Elie almost lost her sticker because she wanted to go down the slide when it was reading time. they are supposed to keep their sticker everyday, then after they get so many of them, they get a prize. she already knows a lot more than Anny did at her age, but i still think preschool will be good for Ellie.

day 1 Anny: i basically kick her out of the car to fend for herself.

day 2 Anny: she's about 5 minutes late and her whole class is already inside.

day 3 Anny: finally we get there before the class goes inside. yea!!

yeah, she was posing in like every shot.

yeah, i know what you are all thinking. my kids ride in the front seat without a seat belt. so what, you probably do it too. at least the airbag was off.

there she goes

this is Anny's second day

First Day of school = ashley gets rid of a pest

2008-08-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

this day couldn't come soon enough. Anny has been so bored lately, and asks every morning, "what are we going to do today?" although, wouldn't you know, even after spending the whole day at school, she still came home and said she was bored and wanted to go somewhere. i cant win.

she decided to wear the new school dress grandma Melissa got her. she got up and i had her take a shower, which she didn't want to do, cause it would make her late. then she ate a bowl of cereal. i said i would make her something else if she wanted it, but she wanted to hurry up, and pancakes or eggs and toast would take too long. i guess I'm not that fast of a cook or something. so then we were just about ready to go and i couldn't get jacks new stroller to work. so i started getting anxious that we would be late, so i threw the stroller into the back of the car and was going to drive down halfway and then walk her up the the school. so as I'm getting down there there wasn't really anywhere to park so i just went up to the drop off area. she got out and i took a quick pic of her. i was thinking we wouldn't be able to take them all the way into the center of the school, but turns out they were letting parents in. so now i feel bad, cause she had to go in there by herself. and Cassie said she saw her in there and she was all sad cause she couldn't figure out where to go and forgot her teacher's name. oh my gosh! we went over what she was supposed to do like 50 times.

anyway, we picked her up from school and she was really excited and happy and said she had fun. she said she can't wait to see her teacher tomorrow. she didn't eat her carrot sticks or all her grapes, so i hope they give them enough time to eat.

Ellie starts preschool tomorrow. so I'll probably post tomorrow with pics of her, and a detailed description of everything that happens. i know you are all excited.

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!

My last sight of Anny, boo hooo hoo. she's behind (or i guess really in front of) the guy in the red shirt. Cassie is taking a picture of her and javi.

Here's the picture she took

New haircuts for school

2008-07-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

Well the girls start school next week so i got them their once a year haircut. i think they turned out pretty good. Anny has her "meet the teacher night" tonight. i think i am more excited than she is. i feel like i am going to school all over again. it was so fun picking out her backpack and a lunch box.

the other day Anny made dessert for the family. it was grapes, bananas, raisins, and string cheese, all smothered in a sauce of strawberry banana yogurt. boy was it tasty. actually, i wouldn't know. i just pretended to eat it. she ate it though.

the back of ellie's new do.

Jack's 6 months!

2008-07-31T16:03:00.000-07:00

My little baby, so big. i cant believe how much he has changed. what else was i expecting though? He just got his first tooth a couple days ago. the bottom left one. he wont let me see it and he sticks out his tongue when i try. he's now starting to grab everything that I'm holding. he's just about to sit up. he can for a few seconds already. and yesterday he said "mama". no, not really, but he does make lots of silly noises. he weighs 1 ounce away from 16lbs. which is nothing compared to Shanna's fatties. he is so much fun to have in our house. he's always happy, and the girls have such a good time making him laugh. I'm just glad he is back to nursing only 6 times a day instead of 8. that was annoying. i think the baby food has helped that. he's had squash and sweet potatoes so far. I'm going to start making my own baby food with the magic bullet my mom got me for Christmas.

This is his first time trying squash.

We got this jumper thing with Anny. all my kids have really liked it.

Thatcher

2008-07-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

We went to thatcher for the weekend on the 18th. it was jack's very first visit there, and wouldn't you know, i forgot my camera. we were like halfway there when we remembered. so i only got a couple pics from Shanna's cam. The kids had fun playing with Spencer. they went back to see the new colt about fifty times. so did i.

we also went to the pioneer day parade. the girls really like seeing the floats. we ended up going back to grams house before the fireworks started though cause it was raining. so we just watched them from there.

i took the girls up to the cemetery to show them where grandpa is buried. they wanted to put flowers at his grave. Anny didn't want to stay very long because she thought it was scary. it was funny cause this cemetery doesn't look a thing like the ones portrayed on movies and TV with all the fog and creepy noises. so i don't know why she was scared. she said she didn't want to go back ever again.

when we were ready to leave Ellie couldn't stop crying. she said she was going to miss grandma. they say i used to do that too when i would leave thatcher as a girl. poor thing, she didn't stop till about 20 min down the road. its something i would have expected from Anny, but not from Ellie.

I'm going to use this one for my next Christmas card.

"as sisters in Zion..." just kidding!

Anny and grandma

The girls waiting for the next float to come.

Memory Bandwagon

2008-07-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am jumping on the memory bandwagon post. I think it is fun to reminisce!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

EVERYBODY PLAY! I want to see what memories are out there!!

My Current Read

2008-07-14T21:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you who bother to look at what i am currently reading...

So i got a few pages into this book and was thinking, um there's no way that Allende wrote this. So i thought maybe it was like her first attempt at writing in English or something, or it had a really bad translator. it was just too remedial, like how a book would probably sound if i wrote it! so i looked at the back jacket and it said this was her first book for young readers. hmm, what was it doing in the adult stacks then? then i thought I'd forgo the reading of it, not just because it was a youth book, cause i have read and liked many such books, but because it just wasn't holding my interest. but then i thought what the heck, I've got nothing better to read at the moment, I'm sure it won't take long. I'm like a hundred pages in, and it seems like it might be a good story. i don't really know why i am telling you all this. i guess its just in case some of you decide to read this book you will know what you are in for. Or if you do read this book and don't like it, then i can tell you from having read them, that Allende's other books are much, much better written. and i will definitely be telling the librarian that i think the book was categorized into the wrong section.

Tea Party!!

2008-07-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Anny decided to break the word of wisdom! She made an invitation for mallory to come over for tea (lemonade) at 3 o'clock. They dressed up and she got to use my chinese tea set and they had grapes, banana bread (thanks mom), and brownies. Ellie was supposed to be in her room having her own tea party cause she wasn't invited to this one. it was only for 6 year olds. so i had to hear it from anny every 5 min. cause ellie wouldn't leave them alone.

Alex was off work today and we did absolutely nothing. We were supposed to go to our ward pool party but didnt end up going. Alex did trim the trees out front though and finally put the suitcases away in the attic that have been out since we got back from nebraska in may. which was dumb now that i think about it, cause we will need them again next weekend when we go to thatcher.

well i'm sad to say that my days at boot camp will be over for a while. i cant really afford to keep going. but if anyone would like to donate money to my cause, i would readily accept. I'm still proud of the results i've got so far. and i will probably start going to the aerobics classes they do mon, wed, and fri. mornings at our church. So i should be okay.

um, jack, that is not a boob. he was sucking on porter for like 5 minutes, but porter didnt seem to mind.

awww, haylee, you dont want to take your picture? too bad.

Chelsea wants her pic taken though! what a sport.

Some really great news...well, to me at least!

2008-07-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

At boot camp last night, Suzy took my measurements for the first time since i started. and i was really excited. i have lost 6 inches total and over 3% body fat!!! i was sooooo excited.

Alex is working on the 4th, so i will be doing nothing. If anyone wants to invite me and my 3 kids to do something, feel free!

oh, i keep meaning to tell everyone this, but always forget. for those of you in my family, on my mom's side, that remember, i have that trundle bed that used to be in grandma Thatcher's spare room. if anyone wants it let me know. or if you know someone that may want it, just leave a post.

This is my favorite face that jack makes. he does it all the time.

Oh how thrilling, I'm in a high chair.

despite what you may think, this is not a breakfast scene. i am actually making dinner. the girls decided not to get dressed yesterday, which may have had something to do with me not getting dressed either.

we finally got jack on of these things so he has something else to do.

and, he's making the face again.

No Pics Lately

2008-06-30T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry, but i haven't been taking any pictures lately. but i thought i would post something anyway, just so certain family members don't give me a bunch of crap.

the other day we got our coldplay tickets in the mail. i got them for Alex for father's day. of course they are really bad seats so we will have to take binoculars.

I've been in the process of getting registered for school this fall. I'm going through Rio Salado for the rest of my credits. i need the online classes cause i don't think my teachers would appreciate me breast feeding in class. I'm having some holdups with my financial aid application. Rio Salado sent me emails saying, you have to come take some dumb test because you don't have a high school diploma or a GED. oh really, i wasn't aware of that. how did i get funding in the past then? so i don't know if I'm going to have to send them a copy of my diploma or if they can look it up somehow. i never had to deal with so much crap through Chandler-Gilbert. stupid. I'm going to take micro and a humanities class and probably something else. i want to take a Spanish class, but i don't want to take it online. maybe next semester. i only need like 13 more credits to get my associates degree. then I'm transferring to ASU to get a degree in Applied Biological Sciences/Secondary Education. the cool thing is that i can get the whole degree done at the east campus out here in queen creek.

Iman came over last night to try some dresses on the girls for her wedding. they looked really cute. i still cant believe someone agreed to marry her! just kidding iman. I'm really excited for her. i still have to meet the guy though to give my approval.

well jack just woke up from his nap and he's crying.

i know how everyone hates to read so much. so just consider this my adult fiction post, and I'll have a children's literature post later with all the pics for those of you who need it.

5 Months Old = New PJ'S!!!

2008-06-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

Jack has pretty much outgrown all his PJ's, so i thought i should get him some new ones. it was really hard to find the kind of one's i wanted. i like the 2 piece ones, but they mostly start at the 12month size. i did find some cool lizard ones.

i cant believe that jack is already 5 months old! the time has gone by really fast. he has changed so much. he rolls over now. but only to his tummy. he has a hard time trying to get back to his back. he is getting pretty good at playing with toys. he still isn't really interested in them though. its like he can hold them, but doesn't really know what to do with them.
The past couple days he's been kind of crabby. and this morning he was coughing a little. i think he might have a cold or something. he doesn't have a fever though and he still wants to eat, so I'm not too worried. maybe he's getting ready for a tooth!

i got Shanna to go to vball with me on Friday. i cant believe I'm so much better than her! just kidding Shanna. I'm glad she could get away for a little bit and have some time to herself. its got to be so hard to have two little ones who take up all your time. I'm going to go over there tomorrow to help her clean up her guest room. and then she's going to come to my house another day to help me organize all my food storage. Then I'm going to bury it and keep it hidden so people wont ask me for food when there is an emergency!
So as you can see, i was trying a new format with my pics. As I'm typing, I'm not sure if it's going to work out how i want it to. but I'll just have to see when i post it.

well I'm off to boot camp yet again. its been going really well. i can really tell a difference in how i feel, and in how my clothes fit. And the best part of getting in shape, is that i plan to one day try out for the Olympic vball team.

I think I'm psychic

2008-06-12T21:15:00.000-07:00

The other night i was having a dream that our power was about to go out and i had to hurry and pay the bill, and no one seemed to care in my house. everyone was like "who cares Ashley, we don't need electricity." then my dream moved into another dream, which i don't remember, but then, all of a sudden, the sound of our computer shutting down woke me in a start. and then i realized that it seemed much darker than it should be. do do do do, do do do do...i know, the twilight zone song was playing in my head too. its surprising how much light things like radios and DVD players offer at night when nothing else is on. instead of just going back to sleep, i stumbled to the kitchen looking for a match to light a candle. for some reason i get really scared when the lights go out. my first reaction is that some burglar turned of our breakers so i wouldn't see him when he broke in and stole all my stuff and then killed me. so I'm looking for a match and finally find my box of "strike anywhere" matches, which didn't seem to want to strike. hmm, that doesn't make much sense. oh, by the way, Alex had to be to work early and left at like 3 am so that is why i was extra nervous. well then, while I'm uselessly striking a match that obviously was supposed to be recalled, the lights come back on!! so then i just went back to bed again. i just thought it was cool how i had that dream, and then it really happened! no, i didn't forget to pay the bill, it was just a fluke.

well a couple weeks ago i tried giving jack some cereal. he seemed to like it, but then he didn't poop for like 4 days. so I'm pretty sure his digestive tract isn't quite ready for it yet. i think I'll wait some more. it's just so fun to feed them food and then see the faces they make.

Anny and Ellie started a dance class for the summer. I'll take my camera sometime so i can get some pics. Anny likes to show me the stuff she's learning and says she wants to be a ballerina teacher when she grows up. she said she is going to have her classes be free, but that people can still just write her a check.

Our Trip to Nebraska

2008-05-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Nebraska from the 15th-20th for Alex's brother, Ryan's wedding. it went by pretty fast cause it seems like we were always doing something. the Friday before the wedding, we spent all day at the church helping to get ready. then Saturday was the wedding. i got some good pics of the girls on the grounds of the winter quarters temple. Sunday we went to a baby baptism at a Greek orthodox church for one of Alex's cousins. still don't understand the point of baptizing babies, but a really neat experience regardless.

Riding the quads

2008-05-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Monday we went out by Columbus, Nebraska, about 2 hours away from Omaha. we road around on the quads. it was so fun. such a different landscape than the rocks and cactus of AZ. the trails were in the bottom of a river that they've damned up. so everywhere you go was sand. There were trees and flowers everywhere. you would ride through a path in the shade of all these trees. i kept slowing down to admire the different flowers, shapes of leaves, and strange birds that I've never seen. i guess its the bio girl in me that gets so awe struck by the life i see around me. unfortunately, i never took my camera out on the quads, so i didn't get any pics of all this stuff. just of us up by the camping grounds. the first time i went out with Alex. he didn't seem to care that i was on the back and I'm pretty sure i got whiplash. the sand can get kind of bumpy, and i almost fell off like 5 times. good thing Alex was wearing the helmet. Brigg's kept getting stuck in the sand cause he had a little quad. it was funny trying to watch him get out of it.

Jack just loves kisses from his mom!

Gram debbie giving a push

Omaha Children's Museum

2008-05-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, before we left, we went to the museum with the kids. Anny had gone before, and she really wanted Ellie to see it. There was a little pretend supermarket, and the kids could pretend they were shopping and checking out. There was also this room filled with machines that collected those plastic balls like the ones that are sometimes at fast food playrooms. once enough of the balls had been collected, they would all fall down on the kids. There was also a playhouse, where you could put on make-up and dress up. Its a very interactive museum that teaches kids about how things work.

Plane ride home

2008-05-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I'm really nervous when i fly. i have to keep thinking of something else, and not the image of all of us plummeting to the earth with no parachutes. The kids did really well. Ellie would get kind of whiny at the end of the flight. luckily the flights weren't too full and i could bring the car seat. on the way to Nebraska i could see ironwood road which was kind of neat. but it was dark on the way home, so it was hard to tell what you were looking at. i wish i would have remembered to bring a book. i did have a magazine where i read a really interesting article about the rise of china as a new world power.

T-Ball

2008-05-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

This spring a bunch of families from the neighborhood made up a couple t-ball teams. Luckily our team got the red shirts instead of the blue ones, or I'd never hear the end of it from the girls. Anny did pretty good. i think Ellie is still too young. good thing it only cost us the price of the shirts to play.

You can really count on Ellie in the game. This is pretty much her usual game stance.

Anny's Kindergarten Graduation

2008-05-08T22:38:00.000-07:00

i have some really heartbreaking news: my boyfriend got voted off American idol last night!

Well I've been doing really good about still going to boot camp. I'd post some pics of my toned and lean body but i don't want you all to get jealous. I didn't get to go last night cause Alex went to a diamondbacks game. hmm, funny, never knew he was such a fan.

Anny and Ellie went to a dance class today. I'm putting them in one this summer for something to do. they had a trial class today to see how everyone likes it. Ellie was being a little punk. the teacher was like, "k everyone give me a high 5" and Ellie wouldn't give her one! rude! she must take after me. high 5's are for idiots who feel they need validation. Ellie already knew she did a good job, she didn't need someone to give her a high 5. Shanna and the boys came over today. we got some good pics of all the kids together. her boys are as big as jack now.

oh my gosh! Anny's kindergarten celebration was the most boring thing ever! don't tell her i said that. every stinking kid in the kindergarten had to get up and say some dumb little part, and sing all these songs that you couldn't understand the words to. I'm such a proud parent.

one of those songs i was talking about.

pic i used on my mothers day cards.

Anny and hunter.

c'mon Ellie, get some muscles. we couldn't get her to hold up the babies, and Anny's over there holding 2 of them.

Nothing really happening lately

2008-04-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

The reason its been so long since i have posted is because i've been incapable of moving after boot camp. ok, not really, im just lazy, but boot camp was really hard. i've gone twice now and i'm going again tonight. My friend Iman told me yesterday that she is getting married!!! i'm soooo excited for her. i hope she doesnt care that i'm announcing it to everyone! I havent even met the guy. But with Iman's previous picks in guys, im sure he's a winner! just kidding iman. i cant wait to meet him.

It was exciting to hear about the two new temples being built in az. one is going to be pretty close to my mom's house, so that will be fun. alex heard it will be as big as the san diego one. but i'm not sure where he heard that from.

does anyone know if there is obedience school for 4 year olds? i have one who needs it. lately ellie has been having some problems with her temper. she has always been so happy and hardly ever raised her voice. but recently she's been yelling a lot more and throwing tantrums. i cant really blame her though, usually its anny's fault. it's funny cause sometimes she will get so mad and it looks like she wants to hit me, but then she doesnt cause she knows she's not supposed to. i think it could have to do with me showing so much attention to jack and not enough to her. i guess i'll have to make some special time for just the two of us.

ive been keeping a journal for jack. i didnt start it till march though. i just used one of those composition books and scrapped it. shanna started two for porter and hunter. i think i may start ones for anny and ellie too. then they can do their own when they learn to. i just havent been very good at scrap booking, and it gets pretty expensive too, so i figured this would be a better idea for me!

5 little monkeys jumping on the tramp

2008-04-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

yesterday we were at my mom's for dinner. Justin was down from Utah and Shanna and Brandon were there with their new babes. We decided to go for a jump after dinner. Supposedly Haylee is having some back problems, but it doesn't look like it, does it?? Tonight i have my first boot camp class. aaahhhh!! I'm kind of nervous. I'm sure i will probably pass out. I'll let you know how it goes. i also changed my blog so that anyone can post, not just other bloggers. so please, feel free to express yourself.

Oh, the cluff family, how sweet! Brandon, Hunter (aka Brandon Jr., Shanna, and porter (aka Shanna Jr.)

Justin and Jack (aka Alex Jr.)

Two losers doing a high five, or ten, whatever.

my willingness to post this picture shows just how much self esteem i have.

Alex is Famous, well sort of...

2008-04-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

At work yesterday, a lady from the Arizona republic asked Alex what sprouts is doing for earth day. His response can be seen here

I'm happy to say that i own 5 green bags, and use them quite regularly. I even got back 20 cents today at Albertsons. oh, yeah, totally worth it!! I'm going to save up all that change and take that trip to Italy i was planning.

well, jack almost rolled over yesterday. i looked away for like 2 seconds and looked back and he was almost on his belly. his chubby arm was in the way though, and he wasn't strong enough to pull it out from underneath. when he finally does roll over, I'll get it on video for all to see.

Anny's field trip went well. she said she fell asleep on the bus, and started to cry at lunch time cause she was tired. she also almost had her first kiss!!!!! but decided against it. good girl Anny! if i ever see that little punk...

Here are some more cute pics of Jack. Even when he's crying, which is hardly ever, he is still cute.

Just to Clarify

2008-04-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

So Shanna gave me a little grief about what i said in a past post. What i meant to say was, Jack is by far just one of the cutest babies I've seen lately. The other two cutest babies are Hunter and Porter Cluff, as you can see from the pictures. They are all tied for first place in the cutest baby contest.

Anny is really excited about her field trip on Thursday. she is going to the children's museum in mesa. and she gets to go on the bus. she keeps going on and on about how there are no seat belts so she has to be really careful and always sit down so she doesn't fall.

Anny and Ellie always make-believe dumb things when they play. today they were playing "restaurant" and Anny had to go to the bathroom. so she says "Ellie, pause the game" i think my kids are exposed to too much electronics or something. So Ellie isn't allowed to play "restaurant" till Anny gets back and she "un-pauses" it.

Well i get to go to volleyball again tomorrow night. Haylee is giving me some of her old knee pads, so I'll be able to dive for the ball and do one of those somersault things. wish me luck!

Alex thought it would be a good idea to start him out young on all the really cool stuff. it kind of looks like it scared him though.
i took my camera to Shanna's the other day so she could take some pics. here's jack and hunter.
and here's porter. hope Shanna doesn't get mad that i posted pics. of her babies. i saved the cutest ones for her to post.

vball

2008-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last night i went and played volleyball with a bunch of girls from my ward and stake. I had forgotten how good i was! man i was like smacking those balls down. i was unstoppable! I also got hit in the head by a rogue serve, thanks cassie. I have included a very realistic illustration to show what happened. it felt good to be doing something active. im hoping to start going every wed. night, and maybe wear a helmet from now on.

Ants in my Pants

2008-04-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well, not really in my pants, but they are in my house. I think they are under the floorboards or something. I keep putting diatomaceous earth around the baseboards. Its been working pretty well. But it doesnt help when certain people (anny, ellie, and alex) like to walk around carrying crackers or other crumbly food, dropping it on the floor.

jack is now 11 weeks old. He is by far cuter than any other baby i have seen lately. here are some pictures to prove it.

Anny thinks that Alex's old ipod is hers. Sorry this is sideways, if forgot to flip it.

Jack's Big Day

2008-03-31T13:10:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we had Jack's baby blessing. He was probably the oldest one getting blessed out of the 5 that did! It was a fun day. A great opportunity to catch a couple good pictures of jack with great-grandmas. We had everyone back to the house after church for lunch. Of course both grandpa's Thompson decided to stay for Sunday school. Shanna and Brandon thought it started at 12:30 so they were late. Shame shame! Mom, don't be mad that i put this picture up. You look good!

quinoa

2008-03-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

So tonight for dinner i made some quinoa. I'm trying to make it more often because it is the only grain that is also a complete protein. A much healthier choice than white rice or some other carb. Here's what i did to make an easy side dish.

In saucepan bring 2 cups water or broth and 1 cup quinoa to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 min till all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

Meanwhile, in skillet, add 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper. Cook on Med. heat till soft and caramelized.

When quinoa is done, add onions to it and mix. Right before serving, grate some parmesan cheese over top.

My kids actually really like this. You can buy quinoa in bulk at Sprouts, or in a box at Trader Joe's. I'm not sure if other stores carry it, i haven't looked. This is a very versatile and healthy grain that can be substituted for rice any time.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Jack, looking smashing in his new shirt and pants, which are not on him.

Anny, Clarissa, and Ellie

What another great holiday with the opportunity of giving children more candy. Anny ate all of her easter candy within a few hours, and then some of Ellie's. Luckily the easter bunny didn't give her very much! Saturday was an early start. We went to Grandma Tyra's for breakfast and an easter egg hunt. Grandpa puts numbers in some of the eggs, and then those numbers represent a prize to be won. Ellie got a dollar. Anny got 50 cents and a little pretend makeup kit. I didn't get anything. Boo hoo! That's ok, i wasn't really looking that hard. We stayed at grandma's for most of the day. Anny and Ellie got pretty dirty playing outside with Clarissa. Sunday we went to mom's for dinner. Shanna decided not to come and expose her babies to my disease laden kids. Can't blame her. But she missed out on some good food.