The Chase Files

"Sunshine Kisses"

2011-05-10T20:34:00.000-07:00

Olivia has the cutest freckles that run across her cheeks and nose. They are such a cute feature. I can't imagine her without them. I didn't know until now, the kind of love hate relationship she has with them. Here is a poem she wrote just a couple of days ago and I thought it was cute, I just had to share her cuteness and her talent.

Sun Shine Kisses

"When I go outside the sun shines
always there
and it kisses my nose and cheeks
it leaves little golden kisses on my face
I never get to choose if I like them or not,
because sometimes, I feel beautiful
and then I feel ugly,
but my sun shine kisses can be as gold as sunlight
and I can feel beautiful
or they can be as brown as bark
and I can feel ugly"
-- Oliva Lark Chase

2010-08-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

I miss my blog! I'll be updating shortly. Promise.

Dad's Birthday and Goofy Glasses

2010-04-02T23:07:00.000-07:00

My dad turned 58 on March 30th. My dad is an amazing person. He has always shown me how much he cares about me. He is the kind of dad you can talk to about pretty much anything. He has a very tender heart when it comes to his family and I really have appreciated it throughout the years. You're awesome Dad!

We had dinner at my parent's house on the Sunday before his birthday to celebrate his and Phil's (March 12, the big 30). My mom got the kids some pipe cleaners to play with after dinner. Olivia made a pair of glasses for almost everyone. What a sweetie! Don't we look amazing in them?

The creative oneMe and AdriThe Birthday Boy!
PhilOlivia
Ian
Jonah
Emmett
Sunny

Compassionate One

2010-03-17T16:14:00.000-07:00

Olivia is the sweetest thing sometimes. Here are two of the things she has done lately that tell me I have a sensitive soul for a daughter....

This is a picture I found taped to our front door with a pencil attached. You are supposedd to sign the paper if you want to help her save the earth. No one but me signed it, and this made Olivia very upset. She thought by the end of the day the paper would be full of signatures. I had to explain to her that only the mail man comes to our door and he's in a hurry. This didn't make her feel any better.

This is a picture of a book Olivia checked out from the school library. It is a story of a slave named Henry who had had his wife and children sold to someone else, while he was working in a tobacco leaf factory for his master. Henry was so upset and decided he would escape slavery by mailing himself to a different state in a wooden crate. He succeeded in doing that and was thereby known as Henry "Box" Brown. Olivia thinks he is amazing and feels so bad for him. His birthday is March 30th, the same day as my dads. She has decided we should celebrate Henry's birthday as well.<

What a thoughtful little girl. I am so proud of her for her efforts in trying to make the world a better place.

Thinking of my Mother-in-law, Lynne

2010-02-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

Emmett's mother, Lynne, passed away two years ago today. Time has really flown by. She lived about 9 hours away, so I think sometimes we still feel like she is just living at home and we haven't seen her in a while. What we really miss are her phone calls and Emmett being able to call her with any news we have. I miss having Lynne in our lives. She had so much to offer my children, like teaching them to appreciate nature, and history. It's funny because Emmett's mom could name any tree you came across and my mom can name any wild flower. My kids really had the best of both worlds as far as Grandma's go. Luckily Em has a really wonderful step-mom, Eva, who we all adore and who takes care of us. I wish Lynne could see our kids grow up. I feel like Emmett is the one in his family that is most like her. I think he is proud of that fact and strives to be like her still. As a daughter-in-law, I know that she loved me and would always tell me so. It was nice. Lynne was a remarkable human being, not always perfect, but always loved. Hopefully we'll see her again someday. Here are some pictures:

Catching Up Time

2010-02-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

So I've neglected my blog again. It's just to easy to be lazy, but I've come to realize that I should be seeing this blog as an opportunity to write a journal, which I am even worse at, so I am going to try to make it a priority from now on. So here are tons pictures from the last couple of months:

December
Olivia was able to go to David Archuleta's Christmas concert at Abravanel Hall. This was her first concert, so she was super excited!
This was the best picture I could get of him.

The kids and I made Christmas tree cookies; Emmett ate them.

Jonah and I helped with gingerbread houses in Olivia's class.

Christmas Eve

January

Olivia's is daddy's best helper when it comes to stripping wire. She loves to do it!

My aunt let us use her house in Midway so that we could all hang out together before Adam went on his mission. It was really fun. Here is Olivia with Grandma.

Ethan and Jonah

We went to these ice castles while we were in Midway. They were pretty "cool".

Jonah and Cora had fun making everyone swing then as we walked back to the cars.

All the cuties at the Midway house. Ethan, Olivia, Jonah, Cora, Lucky, and aunt Emilee. The kids loved this house because it was much bigger than what they are used to and they could full on sprint down the halls.

February

Adam left to the MTC on February 3rd. He is going to Brazil. He is such as awesome brother and uncle. He is going to be so missed. We know he is going to rock as a missionary though.

Valentines Day

Flowers from my hubby!

Making valentine cookies.

Sorry about so many pictures. It's been two months.

Robbers

2009-11-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

Jonah woke me up at 2am last night...

Me: "What do you need, Jonah?"

Jonah: "Are robbers real?"

Me: "Yes, but there aren't any at our house."

Jonah: "Do they live in the mountains?"

Me: "Maybe some of them do. Let's go back to bed ok?"

Jonah: "Ok."

A little while later Jonah is back in my room...

Jonah: "Mom I can't sleep because I'm afraid of robbers."

I ended up sleeping in Jonah's bed with him. Poor thing!

October and Halloween

2009-11-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Cascade Springs was beautiful!

Olivia found a butterfly and tried to make a home for it.

Halloween was great, but it is the first time Emmett could not get out of going to work. That made me sad, but we still had lots of fun!

Olivia the Gypsy (courtesy of my amazing mom)
Ethan the Ninja. He would talk to anyone when he wore this. He was in character the whole time.
Jonah was a Skeleton Pirate!

Lady Killa!

2009-09-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

In the car ride home from work and preschool.....

Jonah: "Miracle (girl in his class) always kisses me."

Me: "Ohhh!"

Jonah: "Why does she always do that, Mom? I don't kiss her back!"

Me: "She just thinks you are way cute! Where does she kiss you?"

Jonah: "On my cheeks, ALL THE TIME!"

Me: "Do you like it?"

Jonah: "Let's just not talk about this anymore!"

Sassy Baby?

2009-09-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

The other day my family jaunted through Gardener Village, just for fun. We went through all the stores one by one. I thought is was very fasinating that I could not get my husband to leave the store called "Sassy Baby". It was a very cute store. Emmett saw "the coolest baby blanket he has ever seen!" and wouldn't stop playing with the dinosaurs. I waited and waited for him. Then, we finally went to a store called "Just for Girls". He found a section of the store that sold note pads and sticky notes etc. with ladies from the fifties on them. They said really funny quotes and we, once again, all had to wait for him to leave; Even Olivia. When I asked him, "What is up with you?", he said, "You need to let me do my thing". Huh?
Just before we left Gardener Village, Emmett wanted to check out the quilting store. What husband WANTS to go to a quilting store? He's a funny one.

Thanks, Honey!

2009-09-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have had this discussion about the meals I make quite often with Emmett....

Me: "Did you like it?"

Emmett: "Well, It didn't make me wanna puke!"

Me: "Oh, wow! Thanks!"

The other night after dinner, I didn't even ask him. He just said,"Thanks for Dinner Elle; It didn't make me wanna puke."

I've come to realize that this is a compliment in his eyes. Now, I just say, "Thanks!"

Fun, fun, so much fun!

2009-09-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

I saw this on my facebook page and just had to share it. Thanks, Infinite Cycles!
Half of the screen is cut off, but I think it's enough.The skinny guy in the silver cracks me up!

10 YEARS!

2009-09-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today is mine and Emmett's 10th anniversary! Yah! We did it! We already celebrated by going to Zion and Bryce Canyons last week. Our plan ten years ago was to go to Hawaii, like we did on our honeymoon. Who knew we would be so poor? It's ok though. We had lots of fun. Our hotel upgraded our room to the "honeymoom suite". OOHH,LA,LA!This means we got a heart-shaped jetted bathtub in our room. OOHH,LA,LA! We hiked and stuff and had a really good time! I love you Em!

Silly Girl

2009-08-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

My daughter is as silly girl! I found her on the couch looking like this while she was watching T.V.......I look to see why my daughter is hyperventilating into a paper bag...........David Archuleta (of course).

Catching Up!

2009-08-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I've finally got my computer back! Here are some picks to catch you up...........

Olivia's 6th Birthday!

Jonah played soccer in April and May and LOVED it!

Olivia graduated Kindergarten!

We went to Vernal and hung out with our great friends, the Morton's. We went for the "Relay for Life" but I didn't take any pictures.

We stopped by Flaming Gorge on the way home of course

Jonah turned 4
Ethan turned 9 very shortly after. This year he had a birthday party with his friends. We had a reptile show and then a water fight!

This is on Ethan's real birthday which was a Sunday.
July 4th. We tie-dyed t-shirts the night before. Then we met my family at the park for fireworks. I didn't take very many pictures. We had fun though.

I have a virus!

2009-05-24T19:13:00.001-07:00

I have a horrible computer virus. So I can't blog until it's fixed. It's really irritating! See you when I see you.

The Pig Nose Family

2009-04-26T12:06:00.000-07:00

The other night my kids and I did this for fun.....

We all agreed that Jonah has the best pig nose. I was also very proud of Ethan because he thought we were out of our minds and was embarrassed to show us his pig nose.
I remember once when I was younger that my WHOLE family, parents included, were in the bathroom with tape on our noses doing this exact same thing and laughing our heads off!

Happy Birthday Sweet Thing!

2009-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

Olivia just turned six. She is an old lady to me. She is so sweet and yet sooo sassy! She is very affectionate and loving toward us all. She bandages her brother's cuts and scrapes before I even find out about them. She gets into EVERYTHING she isn't supposed to and goes through about a pack of printer paper a week with her little drawings and surveys and score cards. She's funny and very smart. Her teacher say's she has Olivia help her with diciplining the other students in the class (teacher's pet?). She loves all the sappy singing sensations, like, David Archuleta and Liona Lewis. She loves Pocahontas and everthing to do with her. She is awsome! I don't kwow what I would do without my sweet daughter. If you ever want to know the truth about something, just ask Olivia. She'll tell you how it is.

Easter

2009-04-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a great Easter like we did! Here are some pics.......

Easter Morning

Kite flying. Olivia was the best kite flier.

Hula Hooping at Grandma's house.

A Beachy Wedding Vacation Part 2

2009-03-20T09:22:00.000-07:00

The day after the wedding Jon and Codee invited us over to the cottage they were staying in (by the beach) for breakfast. It was so nice of them. Our kids went and played in the rain with the banana slugs. Aysia acually cut one in half. They thought that was too mean, so they decided instead, to just poke their eyes in. Em, Ethan and Jonah at the cottage. They are standing in front of a huge redwood stump
Behind the cottage
The kids checking out the chickens that were nearby

We decided to go to show Jon and Codee Trinidad. A cute little fishing town near by where we usually see starfish and sealions. The weather was so bad! The wind was blowing rain right into our faces. The kids could not understand why we even got out of the car. There wasn't anything to see except one baby starfish if you looked really close. It was a little disappointing since it is one of our favorite places to go.
Trinidad

We then drove to the redwood trees. They are so beautiful, especially in the rain because it makes everything so much greener. The boys wouldn't get out of the car. Olivia wanted to brave the weather so we took her with us a little ways up a trail that was on the side of the road. It was worth it. My camera was having problems though, it wanted to focus on the raindrops instead of on the people.

The redwoods
After the redwoods we had to be on our way home. We first made a stop at Em's mom's grave again. Joel and Shaonna let us have some of the wedding flowers to put on it. When we got there about five dear were just hanging around staring at us. The land his family owns is amazing. I would say it is probably Ethan's very favorite place to be. We stayed a little too long and didn't arrive to our destination in Portola again until 2:00AM. We had to drive through all the pretty parts in the dark and the ugly Nevada desert in the day. We just didn't want to leave the pretty forest and great family.
The view from South Fork Road, Em's family's landThey planted a garden for Em's mom
Lynne's grave. It's unmarked until they find a river rock to engrave

The five staring deer
Em's family's land

It was a really fun time I only wish we could have stayed longer.

Note: If you ever visit northern California make sure you have a rain jacket, a hoodie, a coat, a t-shirt, and lots of extra clothes and shoes, and not your best ones either. You get very wet and very dirty!

A Beachy Wedding Vacation Part 1

2009-03-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, just to let everyone know, Emmett passed his stone! All is well again.

We just returned from northern California. We were there for Emmett's brother's wedding. We traveled with one of Emmett and Joel's good friends, Jon, and his adorable family. We all stayed the night at Em's stepdad's house in Portola, California, just one hour outside of Reno. We stopped along the way to see Emmett's mother's grave. We arrived to the coast at about 4:00PM just in time for the wedding rehersal dinner. It was fun because Jon had never seen the ocean before. I could not believe the sun was shining. In the ten years I have been going there, I have never seen the sun shine while at the beach. It was so awsome and so beautiful. I was glad Jon got to see it that way first. Jon and Emmett
Our kids had such a fun time playing on the beach with their cousins and Jon's kids while everyone was getting things ready for the wedding.
Jon's wife Codee
Olivia

Jon and Codee's kids, Aysia and Dempsee
Codee and Jon
Shaonna and Joel
Erika saying the prayer
Dempsee, Aysia, Olivia, and Carina
Sara and Erika (little sisters)
Aaron, Ethan, Leon, Jonah and Joel's son, Rian
Mark (Em's stepdad), Eva (Em's stepmom), Joel, and Em's Dad
Em and May(big sister)
The wedding was cold and rainy. It wasn't too bad though. The real rain held out until the reception, which was indoors in a beach house. They had tons of abalone shells with candles in them. We got to keep and abalone shell because Olivia was a flower girl and they put petals in them for her to throw. They're so pretty! Em's sister Erika did a prayer before the ceremony in the Hoopa language. It was really neat. It was a nice wedding I really enjoyed it. It was especially fun being with all of Emmett's family in one place. That doesn't happen often enough. Congrats Joel and Shaonna!

To be continued.......

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've always thought St. Patrick's Day was supposed to be a lucky day. Maybe, that's just for the Irish. Our day started out very unlucky. We returned hone from a vacation in northern California last night at about 10:00 PM and went to bed at about midnight. At 2:00 AM Emmett starts rolling around with major back pain. We were up all night. At 5:30 AM Em decided it was bad enough to go to the emergency room. We had to wake up our kids and take off to the hospital in our pajamas. They told us Emmett has a 3 millimeter kidney stone. Yay! We were at the hospital for 4 hours. They did a CATscan and gave him some pain meds.

I guess we were lucky in a way. This could have happened during his brother's wedding just two days earlier or even worse in the car on our way through Nevada. I'm glad he's OK. Poor Em!

Happy Birthday Mamacita!

2009-03-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

I have such a wonderful mother. She is a very kind, generous person. She raised seven weird kids. On top of that, she is magic; everything she touches becomes a beautiful work of art!

I have always been proud to call her my mother. When I was little I wanted all the kids at school to see her because I thought she was the prettiest mom. The most embarassing thing she did was help me make my school projects too awsome or glittery and I didn't like the attention because I was shy. When I was a teenager I wanted all my friends to meet her because I thought she was the coolest mom. She let me set my own curfew. she trusted me which was nice. She would talk to my friends like they were real people. And now that I'm a mom I want her to know how much I appreciate the person she is because she showed me how to be a good mom.

I love you Mom,

Happy Birthday!

Thank Goodness He Believes!

2009-03-03T20:15:00.000-08:00

Ethan: "Dad, I would do alot of really bad things if it just weren't for Santa."

What about God, Jesus, your PARENTS for heaven's sake!

Little Punks

2009-02-17T15:30:00.000-08:00

My kids thought I wouldn't notice that they broke the plant with a soccer ball if they taped it back to the stem.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Emmett works tonight so we celebrated Valentine's Day on Wednesday, which was not the best day for a date. Em got home from work around 6:30 and it was a school night for the kids, so it was a short one. Oh well, I guess I'm used to not having my holidays and anniversaries being "ideal".

You could say Valentine's Day is the day Emmett and I started this long, crazy love affair(he he). Emmett asked me if I would ,"be his valentine", and I said, yes, I would love to go on a date with him. He picked me up at my house in Logan wearing a suit jacket and some jeans with his hair all combed back with gel and everything to go to breakfast at Village Inn. He brought balloons and chocolates and flowers, the whole bit. He told me he was "mild mannered Emmett". That night he picked me up again and took me to another restaraunt for dinner. He told the host that his last name was "Iacocca". The host messed up his whole smooth plan when he asked Emmett how to spell it. "Uh, I-O-", and so on he went with the wrong spelling. I think the date ended with kissing in his Pontiac but I'm not quite sure, but it really doesn't matter because we've been together for 11 years now. The time has really flown by.

The other night we were with our kids at Marie Calenders, we used to go there when we were dating sometimes, because we liked their turkey sandwiches and cheesy potato soup. (There must have been one near by where we lived at the time, since we are defineatly too old to be Marie Calenders regulars.) Anyhoo, we were there with our kids and he and I ordered the same thing and we just thought back to when we were dating and to where we are now with our three kids etc. and were shocked and amazed at where the time had gone.

The bottome line is I guess Em and I are still in love and I feel very grateful for the wonderful family I have. Eventhough life isn't always perfect I realize that the little things count in a big way!thennow

Valentine Treats

2009-02-13T19:39:00.000-08:00

I usually make valentine sugar cookies but I just didn't have it in me this year. This was much easier.

Spoken like a truely naive man

2009-02-12T21:20:00.000-08:00

Emmett: "Oh, so this is why women like being by the stove. It's warm over here."

I don't even know where to begin.

She drives me crazy!

2009-02-07T19:53:00.000-08:00

My daughter!!! Olivia is a very sweet and loving girl, but she has the most mischevious side to her. My mom and I and all three of my kids went to see my ailing grandpa (my dad's dad) and my 95 year old grandma(my mom's mom) last night. My grandpa has a catheter because he can't get out of bed and of course Olivia sees this bag of yellow liquid and starts poking at it and asking what it is. AHHHHHH!!!!I went and grabbed her and took her out of the room and told her that I would tell her later! I never did.

We went to my grandma's house right after and had interupted her dinner. She had been eating in the living room while watching T.V. so she had left her plate of food on a side table by the chair. Granted my kids were really hungry, but when I saw Olivia sneak a noodle of her plate with her bare hands I almost died! My grandma is very in to being polite and so am I, but you wouldn't know it from the way Olivia works! I really hope my grandma didn't notice.

I don't know why I'm always shocked when the person who asked the teenage boy working the checkout stand if he was a boy or a girl(eventhough he was obviously a boy), or the person who told my dad he was too furry and should shave his arms, or the person who told her uncle his hair made him look like a girlie-man, is going to do things like this!

Whoops!

2009-02-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

The other day Emmett and I asked Ethan how school went that day.....

Ethan: "I messed up."

Me: "What did you mess up?"

Ethan: "I don't want to talk about it."

Me and Em: "We're your parents, Ethan, you can tell us anything."

Ethan: "Well, Cheyenne (the girl Ethan has a crush on) gave me a letter that said, 'will you be my boyfriend. Yes or no. Check the box'.

Me: "So, what did you do?"

Ethan: "I checked the "yes" box."

Me: "So, you're Cheyenne's boyfriend now?"

Ethan: "No, Cheyenne just gave me the note, but the note was from Sarah!" I thought the note was from Cheyenne. That's why I checked "yes".

Me (laughing): "So, are you Sarah's boyfriend now?"

Ethan: "NO!"

Girls are such tricksters sometimes!

What a catch!!!!

funny girl

2009-01-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

Olivia is a funny girl. She was impressing me the other night on how she really notices the details in things and understands underlying meanings.

I said: "Olivia, you are so smart! I think your brain works super good!"

Olivia: "Yeah, but I don't know what two-thousand and eighty-nine looks like!"

So modest.

Eric is gone!

2009-01-15T18:00:00.000-08:00

We took my brother Eric to the MTC on December 17th. It was hard to say goodbye, especially right before Christmas. He was defineatly missed. It's funny, I mostly feel sad for my brother Adam, because he and Eric are very close and did almost everything together. It's weird to see them apart. Adam will probably be going on a mission next year sometime too. Those two brothers are the nicest people. They are so helpful and never complain, unlike the rest of us. I'm sure it was nice for my Mom and Dad to have their youngest children be such angels. Anyway, so long Eric and may the force be with you!

Beauty Is Pain, But Sometimes It's Worth It!

2009-01-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Olivia had been begging us for a long time to get her ears peirced. She said she's the only one of her friends who doesn't have earings. So, a few days before Christmas I took her to Claire's and had them peirce her ears. She was so afraid. They had her hold a Teddy bear, but she needed my hand too. My sister showed up out of the blue, so I had her take some pictures. Olivia was very brave and I was very proud of her. She is very happy with the results and couldn't wait to tell everyone and show her friends at school. She always wants to wear her hair in a ponytail to show them off. Now she knows what all us girls know: Beauty is Pain!

Junior Jazz Spazz

2009-01-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ethan has been playing on a Junior Jazz Basketball team. He is the youngest and smallest kid on the team. He's so cute! He doesn't quite know what to do when he's out on the court, but we can clearly see his trying his best. It's fun because Ethan never really got into soccer. He played four seasons until finally he told us he really hated it. He also did two T-ball seasons and didn't like that either. He loves basketball, though. He gets really hyper during the games and jerks around and dances alot. The boys on his team are really nice and try to pass him the ball and cheer for him. He does some embarrassing things, but that's OK because apparently, I am the most embarrassing mother on the planet right now! So right back at me!

Christmas Pics (Finally)

2009-01-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. We sure did! I've been very neglectful of my blog lately. It's hard for me to stick with anything, but I'm trying. Enjoy the pictures.

Elementary School Santa (AKA the principal).Livi and my adorable neice, Cora at Grandma's house on Christmas Eve.Christmas Eve.

Santa brought Ethan a new pet. Ethan named him "Cody".

My Little Rock Star!!!

2008-12-23T19:24:00.001-08:00

On the 19th my mom's family (the Birds) had the yearly Christmas party. My aunt told us all the families to come with a "talent". So, since I have no talents I put it on my kids, because it wouldn't matter what they did, it would be cute. Olivia was my victim. She said she would sing one of the songs she sang for the Christmas Progam at school. Since the song she picked went to the tune of "I've Been Working On the Railroad", Emmett decided to accompany her on the guitar.
She sounded really good and was really brave. When the other kids at the party watched everyone perform they wanted to perform too. Even Ethan (my shy child) kept begging me to sing. I said, "what are you going to sing?" He says,"My song!" I say, What song?" He says, "It goes WHAAA A AA, UH UH UH!" I'm like "Oh great a hard rock thrasher song!" I say, "Ethan, I think you should think of a nicer song. Can you think of one?" I thought he was over it and I start to get things ready to leave. I thought the talent show was over when my aunt was showing us some really neat Christmas stuff she had got from another country. Then I hear, "Ethan wants to perform a suprise talent! I'm like,"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!" So, Ethan gets the mike and says,"This song is going to take either three, four, or five minutes. (So cute) And then, "A WHA AA A A, UH UH UH! Down with the sickness, down with the sickness! And then violently it changes, violently it changes!" and so on and so forth. Emmett and I were laughing so hard! He was rocking back and forth and of course he was wearing a black shirt with flames on it and black vans with flames on them. He looked like a little rock star! I actually got some most of this on my video camera. If I can figure it out, I'll put it on the blog. Livi's song too!

Sometimes I guess you just have to let your kids be who they are even it will embarrass you. I was really proud of him for being so brave. He knew what he wanted and he went for it! I wish I was more like him.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

2008-12-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is a cop out, but ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!! And yes, that is about an inch of dust on those drums. (I've cleaned them since.)

Rule #1

2008-12-13T13:54:00.000-08:00

The rule at our house is: If you want to play the Nintendo DS you have to depickle it yourself.

Yes, this is the kind of thing I find around my house on a daily basis.

It's been a while!

2008-12-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving really threw me off! We had a wonderful time though. My in-laws(Em's dad, step-mom, and 2 younger sisters) came to our house this year. I cooked the WHOLE dinner. It was fun though. I don't entertain very often and we don't get to see Em's family members often enough. They totally spoiled us. The kids especially had fun with them. As you can see from the picture they brought the kids cute snow hats made by a Yurok indian woman they know. They are so cool because each stitch pattern means something. They stayed until Sunday morning. I wish I had taken some pictures, but I forgot.

Then on Sunday our friends Derek and Ryan and their families came over and we had an unexpected pizza party! The fun never stopped!

We got a Christmas Tree last Tuesday. This is mine and Emmett's favorite holiday! Our tree is really pretty this year. We don't have too much rhyme or reason to our tree, we just do COLOR! All colors. I like it that way. I guess our style of tree is "no style". I love the wonderful smell a real tree brings. It doesn't seem like many people get real trees anymore. We will forever I think.

I've had so much to say this last month, I'll write more later. (I think)

I love you, but.......

2008-11-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

I was telling Ethan how much I love him the other day and this is what I get....

Me: "Ethan do you know how much I love you?"

Ethan "Uh hu."

Me: "I just love you so super much!"

Ethan: "I know!"

Me: "Do you love me too?"

Ethan: "Yes, but...sometimes...you...make me...want to...throw-up."

Me: "I make you want to THROW-UP?"

Ethan: "Well, just sometimes. Like when you danced with me in Home Depot and then held my hand and ran through the parking lot saying, "whoo hoo". That...well...kind of made me...sick...like I wanted to...throw...up."

Me: "O...K. But, you love me though, right?"

Ethan: "Yes, I DO love you, Mom."

(You just make me want to puke) If he wasn't already so strange I would be offended by this. But, knowing what I know about my crazy kid, I know he loves me.

So Sweet!

2008-11-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

Jonah: "Mom I'm going to marry you when I'm big."

Me: "Jonah, that's sweet but I'm already married to Dad."

Jonah: "UUUHHH!"

Me: "Jonah, I'll always be your mom."

Jonah: "Can I marry you after Daddy?"

Me: "Jonah, you don't marry your mom. You marry a girl you think is pretty."

Jonah: "I can't find any pretty girls!"

Me: "You will when your big."

Jonah: "Can I marry the prettiest girl?"

Me: "You can marry the prettiest and the nicest girl. You get to pick."

Jonah: "OK! Mommy, will I be as big as you someday?"

Me: "Yes, you'll probably even be bigger than Daddy!"

Jonah: "OK, but I can't get too big or I'll smash the house!"

Can we just freeze Jonah in time? I'm really going to miss these conversations.

Two Dorks in a Pod

2008-11-07T20:28:00.001-08:00

Emmett, my mom, and I were sitting around the table when Emmett does something really dorky....

Me: "You are such a dork! Isn't he a dork mom?"

Mom: "No."

Me: "You don't think so?"

Mom: "How come every time Emmett does something I would do, you call him a dork? Us dorks stick together!"

Truthfully, I love dorks. I am a daughter of a dork and a wife of a dork. I wouldn't have them any other way!

Kicking Butt Time (mine)

2008-11-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

I ordered a workout video from a t.v. infomercial. It's called "10 Minute Trainer". I just did it for the first time and it kicked my butt. My body feels like jello. I can hardly type this. I know it will work if I could just do the moves. It's hard and I am a weakling. Sweat was dripping from my fore head. My kids kept wiping it off with a paper towel.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Halloween! Here are some cute pics.....
We went to see my 95 year old Grandma Bird. She's so funny!
My mom made this amazing angel costume. Livi was so pretty despite having a cold.
We added a push light to Ethan's Iron Man costume so he would be more authentic. He lit the way through the darkness.
And of course we have Indiana Jonah.

Early Voting and Early Voting

2008-10-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

Emmett and I voted early yesterday. This was the dinner conversation that night....

Olivia: "Mom, who did you vote for?"

Me: "Barak Obama."

Olivia: "Good! That's who I voted for too! Ethan likes McCa-ain."

Ethan: "I've changed my mind about McCain, now I like Obama."

Jonah: "Me too! Obama! Obama! Obama!

For some reason I didn't care who or what the president was when I was three. My kids are already politically savvy. Is that good or bad?

Sandwich Smandwich

2008-10-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

I went to Blimpe's on my lunch break yesterday and they had ran out of mayonaise. You're a sandwich shop! You can't run out of mayo! If I owned that sandwich shop, I would have sent someone to the grocery store or to steal some little packets from the gas station. I wouldn't just say, "Sorry no mayo today."

Also, I asked for white bread and they gave me wheat. I said it was ok, I would live. But, then it was burned on the top! Needless to say, that was not the best sandwich I have ever had.

Chinese Water Dragon Fever!

2008-10-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Ethan is totally obsessed with reptiles and amphibians. Right now the Chinese Water Dragon is at the top of his list. I'm a little worried about him. You know how most kids get addicted to video games; well, Ethan is addicted to watching lizard videos and pictures on the internet. When you type in anything that starts with the letter "L" the website for "Lizard Lounge" pops-up.

The other day Ethan says: "Mom, I want a TODDLER Chinese Water Dragon but I ordered an ADULT one from Santa on my Christmas list. What do I do?"

What does he think? You just place your order to Santa and then your order is delivered on Christmas? I must be doing something wrong. No. Let's blame Emmett for this one.

A couple of weeks ago Ethan tells me that he is moving to China for the Chinese Water Dragons and chicken dumplings. He said not to worry he WILL see us again. On our birthdays.

It cracks me up. He tries to breathe like them and acts out the things they do. He makes fun of other kids who do not know as much about lizards as he does. "Mom, Jared thought Kimodo Dragons were the only dragons. He thought there was only one kind. He didn't know about all the other kinds like Bearded Dragons, Chinese Water Dragons, and Australian Water Dragons."

That Jared must be an idiot! (J/K)

Autumn

2008-10-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

This is my very favorite time of year. I love the food, the smells, the crisp, cool weather, and of course the brilliant colors of the leaves. It makes me feel renewed like the spring-time. I made Emmett miss work the other day and our family went galivanting around. Here are some pics.

The one below is from about a week before the others when we went to the pumpkin patch.

Secret Confession

2008-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other day, when I saw all the pictures of the people who are running for office on billboards, that it would be fun to spray paint little horns on all of their heads and maybe some little goatees. I don't condone that sort of thing. I'm just saying, you know, if that's what I was into. I probably just wish someone else would do the painting( because I'm afraid of heights) and I could just laugh (secretly).

Bad Breath Police

2008-10-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Olivia comes running into the room ready to tell on Ethan with Ethan right on her heels....

Olivia: "Mom, Mom!"

Ethan: "You didn't brush long enough! You didn't brush long enough, Olivia!"

Olivia: "Mom, Ethan says my breath smells like balloons!"

Ethan: "No, your breath smells like STINKY balloons with a little mint!"

Me: "Olivia, let me smell your breath."

She blows some air at me

Me: "Your breath does smell a little like balloons, but I think it smells like black licorice."

Ethan: " I do not like the smell of balloons! Olivia, you need to brush your teeth longer!"

Rip Off!

2008-10-16T20:37:00.001-07:00

Has anyone else noticed that the "fun size" candy bars are not so fun anymore? They are so tiny now. They also used to have alot more chocolate waves on the top too! I'm sure they cost the same or even more! I find this very irritating!

Cutie Patootie

2008-10-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Me: "Jonah, what is your favorite animal?"

Jonah: "I like iguanas, dogs, and wock and woll!"

Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-05T19:39:00.001-07:00

Olivia says that WHEN she is rich, she is going to "dress like hip hop" and wear braids and sunglasses and have a chihuahua in her purse.

What has she been watching?

WARNING: This is a Rant. Enter at your own risk.

2008-10-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to the elementary school's carnival. I wished so badly I hadn't. The kids at that school are CRAZY! The parents are even CRAZIER! Emmett was there with us at the begining, but then had to go to work. While he was there he said, "You can almost understand why some people don't like kids." I couldn't believe that I agreed with him....

The girl who is soaking wet from the dunking booth that walks right in front of you while your standing in line and YELLS: "OH! MY! GOSH! WE HAVE TO FIND FIONA GUYS!!!! Like if they didn't find Fiona the world would come crashing down on their prepubesant little heads. And then she runs off splashing water on you from her wet,way to long pants. I couldn't believe how many junior high stundents were at the kiddie carnival. There was a boy and girl there, he was at least a head shorter than her hugging her around the waist from the back. He tried to put his hands up higher, but she casually grabs both of them and acts like she's enjoying his company. It made me want to throw up! I thought of going up to him and saying, "Take your damn hands of her!" EW!

I DID turn into a monster a few times when kids were butting in front of us everytime we were patiently waiting in line. There was one little kid I actually physically held back so that he didn't butt in front of Ethan. I told him he was butting and he needs to go to the back of the line and wait like everyone else! He didn't speak english, I don't think. His mom was right there too. The biggest thing I hate about my nieghborhood and the kid's school, is that no one seems to care that their kids are bullies or say crude things or run around all by themselves across busy streets. I look out for these kids and I don't even know them. The good parents around here are defineatly lacking, at least MY version of a "good" parent.

Anyway, I guess I just had to rant a little. I just know that I turn way mean when I go to these things. I don't even recognize myself! I guess I should just be grateful that there were no clowns!

More of the Weirdo

2008-10-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today Ethan went to the dentist and had six cavities filled. He was really numb and a little dizzy when we got in the car.

Me: "Ethan, are you ok?"

Ethan: "I hate getting numbed!"

Me: "Yah, but after this, you're all finished and you only have to get cleanings."

Ethan: "Yah, mealworms have legs and the one at Petsmart was alive."

That's what it's like talking to my son on a daily basis.

Silky Smooth

2008-10-01T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ethan: "Mom,I shaved today."

Me: "You WHAT?"

Ethan: "I shaved."

Me: "WHAT did you shave?"

Ethan: "My chin felt rough, so I shaved it."

Me: "WHEN?"

Ethan: "Just now. When I was in the bathroom."

Me: "With WHAT?"

Ethan: "The thing you shave your legs with."

I felt his chin. It was silky smooth. (As usual)
There was no peach fuzz, however.

The Pledge of Olivia

2008-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Olivia was proud to tell me she knew the WHOLE Pledge of Allegence. She then repeated it with such conviction:

"The pledge allegence of the flag to the United States of America
And for the republic which is less
One nation underground
Invisible, with liberty and justice for all!!!"

Close enough Livi

Congrats Eric!!!

2008-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Last night my brother Eric got his mission call. He is going to the Phillipines. I thought for sure he would go somewhere cold. In my mind I could see him in one of those black wool trench coats. So, I am nowhere near psychic! DANG! It's cool he is going there because that is where my dad went on his mission. Also, Eric will come back speaking Tagalog (not sure how to spell that), you know one of those useful languages. Anyway, Congrats Eric!!!

The leaves are changing

2008-09-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

<

Yay! My favorite time of year is almost here. Our family went to Little Cottonwood Canyon to see if the leaves were changing yet.

You win some you lose some

2008-09-15T18:34:00.000-07:00

The other day Olivia got a little flyer in her backpack about tryouts for the local play Hansel and Gretel. I asked Olivia if she would like to try out....

Me: "Olivia do you want to tryout for this play? It's Hansel and Gretel."

Olivia: "Ya! I love that story! I could be Gretel."

Me: "Olivia, I think you're too young to be Gretel. They'll Probably give it to someone older."

Olivia: "That's OK, I'm REALLY good at witches! EHH HE HE!(SO CUTE!)

Me: "That was really good Liv, but I think the smaller children don't get the main parts." Do you still want to do it?

Olivia : Sure!
This is a picture of when Olivia was 2.

So, today we went to the auditions for two hours. There were mostly little kids like Olivia. She didn't get a part in the play. She was really shy. The older kids got parts whether they could act or not because there weren't enough of them to go around. I felt bad for Olivia, she took it pretty hard. We told her we were very proud of her for even trying out then, we bought her a chocolate shake. I figure, it's a learning experience for her and we'll try again next year.

Are you kidding?

2008-09-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

No, No one was kidding me when I show up to my job, at a school, and find out we are having a practice fire drill on September 11th. I think alot of people at the school thought it was a little creepy. They could have done it on ANY day. I guess that's reality though.

Another weird thing is that I show up to work the other day and there are firemen with their truck shooting tons of water from the hose to absolutely nowhere. Just in the middle of the parking lot. I guessed they were just testing how far the water would spray. How else would they know?

We need a new fence

2008-09-11T18:28:00.000-07:00

Today some little girls, who live on the other side of our backyard fence, snuck through the big gap between the slats and asked if they could play in our backyard. The girl that asked, said that her mom was in the hospital and really wanted her to do something (like play in a strangers backyard?). Weird. I really wanted to say no, because I hate when people just use you for your stuff. We have a see-saw and a tire swing is all, but I guess if you have nothing, it looks like alot of fun. I also thought they could get hurt and it would be my fault or they might break our things and I would be really mad (we're supposed to break our things). I said "yes" because I'm a total push-over.
Later, I saw them eating peaches from our tree. I went outside and asked her if she had any food in her house. She said that she didn't. I picked her a bunch of pears. Then, I gave her some candy in a little bag and told her to take them home and share them with her brothers and sisters. She seemed very excited. I had the feeling, she was taking care of herself. Where were the adults? I remembered that we also had some yummy grapes growing on our vine and took some to her over the fence. When I saw her, she was totally pigging out on the pears. I felt so bad for her. She was eating like a she had been starving.
I was happy that she had some food, but I really hope she doesn't come over everyday wanting to play in my backyard. I hope her mom comes home and feeds her and hugs her and loves her.

Has it been that long?

2008-09-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

<
It was mine and Emmett's 9th Anniversary yesterday. We both worked all day, and Emmett worked all night too, of course. He came to see me at work for the ten spare minutes he had. It was a nice surprise, since I thought I wouldn't see him at all. I was almost nervous around him when he came. I'm not sure if it was because he was watching me work or because I felt like we had just met(maybe al little of both). It was a good feeling, because eventhough I've been married to him for so long and see him everyday,I thought he was really cute(one of the girls in the office thought so too!) It just doesn't feel old yet. So, eventhough we didn't get to do much, it was a good day! Oh yes, and he bought me some flowers too! I REALLY like getting flowers!

Livin' in the Burbs

2008-09-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor lady to the west is ,I swear, The Wicked Witch of the West. Not only does she act like it, she looks like it. She is VERY mean. She has no idea what our names are or what we are like, she just comes over to yell at us because our dog barks when we are not home in the middle of the day. She says that's when she sleeps. My mom was over the other day, and the lady came out in a mumu and starts yelling at our dog. She was barking because my mom was in our back yard, but the lady didn't see her and just starts yelling. My mom said later, "a wicked witch really does live next door." Now she believes us.

So, the other day Emmett is sleeping while we are at the store and our dog starts barking and wakes him up. He looks outside to see about three hispanic guys from the apartments behind us on our fence trying to pick peaches from our tree. When they saw him they took off, but Emmett told them to come back and told them that he didn't mind if they took the peaches except that it makes our dog bark, which makes the lady next door upset. They just said "you don't need the fruit?" I felt bad for them because I think they were hungry. Emmett said "no, you just make the dog bark is all." I wanted to pick all the fruit for them from our pear tree too.

It's sad when people have to pick fruit from their neighbors trees in order to eat and the neighbors get yelled at by the lady that sleeps in the middle of the day because the dog is trying to protect them from the starving people.

Our other neighbor is an anal 80 year old woman who hates plants. She is so anal that she mops the walkway up to her house and sweeps the gutters when they are to dusty. She also lives to drive Emmett and I crazy....

Old Lady: "Eleanor, when are you guys going to cut down this pine tree? I always have YOUR pine needles in MY yard."

Eleanor: "Sorry, I like this tree, it's the only one we have in the front yard."

Old Lady: "Eleanor, your tree is crossing over on my property line. Do you mind if I call some people to cut those branches off?"

Eleanor: "Go for it!"

Old Lady: "Eleanor, we need to get a new fence this one is falling down and I want white vinyl because all by other fences are white."

Eleanor: "I don't think we can afford it right now."

Old Lady: "Eleanor, when we get the new fence was Emmett planning on cutting down any branches on your cherry tree or your apricot tree? They're getting really gangly on my side."

Eleanor: "I don't know."

Old lady: "Eleanor, do you mind if while I'm having your tree in the front yard trimmed, if I just had those trimmed at the same time?"

Eleanor: "Whatever."

I could go on, but I must tell you how she asked Emmett if we were going to get rid of the pretty Virginia Creeper that I was to excited had finally climbed up the house and fence. She says, "I'll get rid of it for you." Emmett says he'll get to it later, that we just haven't had time. The next thing I know, IT'S GONE! ALL of it. Then I come home the other day and she's just finished weeding my garden and killing all living things.

Eleanor: "Thanks, but you REALLY didn't need to do that."

Old Lady: "It was my pleasure."

AAAHHHH!!!!!!

Well, I guess that's just livin' in the burbs!

Kindergarten Kid

2008-09-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today was Olivia's first day of kindergarten. I can't believe it's already here and at the same time I can't believe she's ONLY in kindergarten because of her grown-up personality.

She was crying and crying last night because she was so nervous and she thought no one would like her. I told her she was crazy! Everyone in her preschool class adored her. They would fight over her when she got there. It was Olivia Mania! Then she wakes up today super excited! She said, "I thought I would be sad today, but I'm not."

She said she made some friends, so I asked her what they talked about. She said," We talked about our dads snoring and about how the toilets are so tiny." Interesting stuff! She is really excited to go back! YAY!!!!

Funny Mamma

2008-08-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

This is how I entertain myself sometimes. He was so tired, but I was making funny faces at him and he couldn't resist. I just love my Jonah.

What a man

2008-08-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to say that Emmett topped the 17 hours and worked 22 hours on his birthday. What a man!!!

Happy B-Day Em!!!

2008-08-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

Poor Emmett, his day started with me waking up late for work, then he had to work until 3:00 and be back to work by 7:30, so we hurried to a pizza place and hurried back just in time for him to be late yet again. It wouldn't be so bad if his last two birthdays hadn't been so lame. Two years ago we all had school and work. We had also just moved to a new house about two weeks before, so Em had to go to the dump ALONE. It wasn't a good birthday to say the least and last year's was so unexciting that I can't even remember it. I bet he can't either. He probably had to work. Anyway, it stinks because this year is no different.

I just want him to know that I love him and that he deserves MUCH better. He is a really great person and awsome dad. He works night and day for our family. The other day/night he worked for 17 hours. So love you EM. Hopefully next year will be better!

Zonk

2008-08-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

I have some very bad news. Ethan's pet tiger salamander, Zonk, died yesterday.
We have had him for a little over a year. He was Ethan's birthday present when he turned 7. We ALL really thought he was great though. Yesterday, Olivia cried so hard, she couldn't eat her dinner. Ethan cried some too. I almost cried. It really stinks when a pet dies. He was a good pet to have. He didn't demand attention and it was fun to watch him eat the crickets.

I think he might have committed suicide. He got really bloated, he felt like what I imagine those SHREK frog balloons would feel like. I asked the dude at the store where we bought him "what is wrong with our salamander? He looks really fat all of the sudden, and he won't eat anything". The guy just said that sometimes they get bloated and to try feeding him a moth. OK- YA-RI-IGHT. Anyway, so yesterday I misted him with water and he ran into his pool and submerged himself and there he stayed until we pulled him out.

We are having a funeral for him today, when Ethan comes home from school because he insisted that Zonk is just in some sort of catatonic state that he'll come out of by morning. Nope! Didn't happen. Poor Ethan.

I was like, can't we just get another one just like him, and call him Zonk, and pretend that none of this ever happened?

I don't know what it is, but, I really liked this salamander. He will be missed by all.

Weird Kid

2008-08-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

So, Ethan is a pretty strange kid, as most people know. For those of you who don't, here are two recent examples:

Me: "Ethan, what are you doing with those two GIGANTIC leaves?"

Ethan: "I want to make a loin cloth with them."

Me: "Ummmm, OK."

So i get some ribbon and put it through the leaves and then I tie it around his shorts, so that one is in the front and one is in the back. Then I go back downstairs to watch T.V.

A short time later......

Olivia: "EWWW! GROSS! Eww, that is so GROSS!!"

Me: "What's going on up there?"

Olivia: "Ethan is like all naked essept for some leafs!!!"

Me: "Ethan, put some clothes on. That is NOT appropriate."

Ethan: "I just wanted to look like a REAL indian."

Me: "Ethan, indians wore diaper like things, you're more doing the Adam and Eve thing."

Ethan: "OK, I'll get dressed!!"

This is the other goofy thing (he had done this the day before and to punish him, I told him it was going on either mine or Emmett's blog. He didn't care.)

So, the other day I hear all of my kids laughing their heads off in the bathroom. I went to investigate and I find that Ethan has drawn circles around his nipples and a big smile across is bellybutton with a permanent purple marker. He was making the other two weirdos laugh by making his bellybutton sing. We were supposed to go swimming the next day! Luckily, Jonah had diarrhea and we couldn't go.

I never thought I would say, " luckily, Jonah had diarrhea".

3 year old vampire

2008-08-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Me: "Jonah, go and get me a diaper so I can change you."

Jonah: "No!"

Me: "Jonah, you better or you'll be in HUGE trouble."

Jonah (With fake vampire teeth now in his mouth): "OH YEAH!!!"

Me: "AAAAAHHHHH!!!!" ( to humor him, of course)

Jonah (after quickly taking the teeth out of his mouth): "It's just me mom."

I've started a family blog!

2008-08-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I would start family blog. Let me start by saying I am not a good writer, nor do I seem to stick to doing things like this very well, so we'll see how it goes!

I just thought it would be a good way to keep up with family and friends, since that's defineatley not one of my strong points. Hopefully, I can get the true writer and funny person, Emmett, to write a few posts too.

Well, I guess I'll write more later. This has been such a big day for me! Ha! Ha!

Eleanor