meet the senator

Layla's hair was looking a little mullet-y to me and I thought I'd give her a little trim.  I didn't quite intend to give her an undercut (bob) but that's just what I did.  I didn't even know I had that skill set.  

Brian, a die-hard believer of long hair, was not a fan.  In fact, it earned Layla a new nickname from her daddy:  Senator, or Hillary Clinton on occasion.  

I stand by my  undercut and think she is still as cute as she ever was.  

*this post is old.  She's since had her hair professionally cut into an a-line- something her mother could never pull off.  Also, Daddy's still not a fan.

But. I think he still kind of likes her.

thoughts on a sunday

Strawberry Days Rodeo crew - bad phone picture, but it's all I've got.

• Since we live in Pleasant Grove now, we decided to abandon the Lehi Roundup and give the Strawberry Days rodeo a try.  Really, we will be out of town for the Roundup, so it wasn't that hard to abandon it.  But we went on Wednesday with Ken and Missy and their girls and we were pleasantly surprised!  It was a pretty good rodeo.  My favorite event by far?  Wild cow milking.  It was the most entertaining thing I've ever seen at a rodeo.

• We have been enjoying those Alaska grown girls this month.  I cannot believe how fast Ellery and Adele became best friends.  They are both girly-girly girls and hold hands and sing made up songs everywhere they go.  We all just adore watching them together and I'm already sad thinking that soon they'll be split up.  

• Addie and Elle might be best friends, but that doesn't overshadow the fact that Elise fits in perfectly with the boys.  She is very similar to them and they have such fun playing outside and doing lots of wrestling.  Elise is the best wrestler of the bunch.

• Brian's sister Jaynann got married on Friday.  It was a great, busy day.  Sadly, I forgot my camera all day and didn't get a single picture.  Jaynie was beautiful, of course, but what I really wanted to show you was how cute my kids looked in their wedding garbs.  I have no idea if I used the term garbs right, but it sounds good, doesn't it?  Anyway, McKay had a bow tie and suspenders, and the girls had beautiful dresses that Adele made.  All the kids looked adorable.  Wayne in suspenders and a bow tie?  I am dying just thinking about him.

• Layla was quite active during the reception.  She was running around, being loud, demanding ice cream, asking to do the naked dance as she tried to pull off her dress. . .you know, the usual.  But she really made me proud when she loudly declared over and over and over, "Shut the L" while looking out the eight story window.  We have no idea what she was meaning to say, but everyone within a ten foot radius sure knew what it sounded like.  It really made people wonder about us when she then started repeating a word that sounded a lot like another sh word. 
•  
• That girl talks so much, I am amazed by it every day.  The other day Brian asked her where I was.  She responded, "She's upstairs."  What not even two year old says that?  I think she's really smart.  

• Ellery was in heaven getting to spend her evening in a room full of roses, plus a bride too.  She definitely has a soft spot for weddings and carried my bouquet around the whole night, as well as any other flowers she could get her hands on.  You can bet that Addie was right by her side, doing the exact same thing.  

• McKay was bummed that he couldn't wear his suspenders to church, but his outfit was in the dirty clothes.  He is not above wearing things out of the dirty clothes hamper, and it's something I have to monitor on a daily basis.  He has his favorites and always asks me the status of my laundry doing.

• Our kids are super naughty at church lately.  I read somewhere that in order to get  your kids to behave in church you take them to an empty classroom, turn the lights off and sit them on a table and just sit there silently.  I give this a shot with Layla today, and it kind of, sort of worked as well as you could expect from a one year old.  Brian then tried it with Ellery (yes, we were in and out twice today) and it didn't work as well.  I feel like we are a circus.

• Speaking of naughty, today we heard some commotion from the basement.  When Brian went down to investigate he found Ellery locked in the playroom closet with the lights out and McKay against the door saying, "I won't let you out if you tell on me."  Apparently he punched her and then tried to hide the evidence in the closet.  He ate dinner in his room, and spent quite a bit of time there.  They've since made up, but wow, what are we supposed to do with these two?

• I don't want to sugar-coat my children.  I think it will be important to remember their struggles as well as all the good things.  They are naughty sometimes, and lately fighting a lot more than usual.  Brian and I feel a bit out of control and are re-evaluating our discipline tactics.  It's hard though.  Compared to a lot of families, we are quite strict with our children- we've been told this many times.  And knowing that we are pretty strict makes it harder to know what more we can do.  More follow-through.  More serious consequences.  No earning things back once they're gone.  I guess those would work.  But I wonder if there is more that we're missing- that we don't even know about.  

• What's hard about discipline is what is effective with one child can be completely in-effective with another.  I am just thinking out loud here, and probably not making a lot of sense.  What does make sense is that I have good kids.  No matter if they fight or punch or tattle, I wouldn't trade them.  They are good and I hope to be able to teach them how to get along better.  It's more a reflection on us than it is them.  We are the ones teaching them.  

• That was super boring and if I were you, I would have skipped it.

• The only thing left that I can think of is that it's this kid's birthday tomorrow/today, depending on when you read this.  

Happy Birthday Sweetie!  I love you today, even more than yesterday! (hehe)  

Enjoy your two days as an older man!

• And, Happy Birthday to Brian's twin and my favorite girl born on June 25th, Buffy.  I sure love you!  I'll call you later...

Happy Birthday to Bri and Buff and Happy Sunday too!

thoughts on a sunday

• This doesn't really look like a girl who had been vomiting all morning, does it?  But sure enough, Ellery burst into my room early Friday morning and said she was going to throw up.  And she did. . .about every 5-10 minutes for a couple hours.  Sadly, this is totally normal for her.  My friend Maurine (hi Maurine!) told me about a disease awhile back called cyclic vomiting syndrome that her little girl has, and after reading about it I am fairly certain that Ellery has it too. I really have a moronic understanding of what this is, but basically certain things can trigger an episode of vomiting, like excitement, anxiety, certain foods, etc...   I don't know what's going on with her lately, but she had an episode last week and then again this week.  Maybe the move?  Meeting new friends?  Cousins and swimming happening?  I don't know.  I am starting to feel like I should take her in and discuss this with an actual doctor, although Maurine, I would love to talk to you more about it. 

• Ellery is pretty much a pro at throwing up.  We keep a bowl under her bed and she never makes a mess of it.  After a few hours, she is totally normal and ready to eat and run around just like an energetic four year old should.  

• I am so in love with my new house, but I must admit that it has been very overwhelming for me to live here.  I don't know how to clean such a big space (part of that could be due to summer activities) and I am finding it hard to "complete" any rooms at all because there is so much that we want to do, but don't have enough funds to do it all at once.  Also, Brian has put me in charge of weeding (haven't totally agreed to that yet) and I haven't pulled a single one yet.  So yeah, I'm feeling a little small in this house.  And wondering how I am ever going to keep it clean.

• We have finished the family room though!  I know it's not healthy, but trying to find an accent chair for this room has caused me such stress and frustration.  Did you know that chairs can be- and most are- more expensive than a couch?  It's true.  I scoured stores in Orem, Salt lake and poured over the internet for hours looking for one stupid chair and the ones I liked were super pricey and the ones that were cheaper were not really what I wanted.  So it was a miracle when I found one at the RC Willey Outlet store in West Jordan.  It was still pricey, but not as much as a couch.  I love it though, and am so happy that the room is done.  We needed at least one room to be done!

 Updated our pillows and our new chair.

• I have to acknowledge my sweet sister Lisa who came over and helped me get some organizing done and things put away.  She is really talented when it comes to organizing and getting things done.  I'm glad I get to benefit from her skills.

• So far I have not been sure that we are going to love this ward.  Sometimes, when I'm new, I just assume things about a place/ward/neighborhood.  We met some really nice people at church today, and even noticed some our age-ish, so maybe my assumptions are wrong.  I hope my assumptions were wrong.

• There is a cute neighbor two houses down named Bett, who gives out candy and cuts flowers from her garden for the kids if they come over.  I love her already.

• Since we don't have cable, Brian's only program of choice is Pawn Stars.  Any non-cablers notice how that is on ALL the time.  I am sick of it.

• This week we went to the splash pad in Highland with my sisters.  Splash pads are such a great idea.  The kids love them and I love sitting in the sun on the sidelines.  We got shaved ice after, which is always a good idea in my book.

• We also went swimming with the Matthews clan on Monday.  I think Layla might love the water more than my other two- and that is a lot.  She could bob up and down in the pool for hours and hours.

• McKay's two birthday parties were successful.  One was a science party and they made all sorts of weird science-y things and the other was seeing The Lorax.  

Love this bed headed girly.

• Layla has been taking morning naps this week instead of her usual afternoon.  I don't really mind it, as it has fit into my schedule quite nicely.  

• Brian and I are alternating weeks spent in the nursery with that little one.  She is not a fan of going solo, at all.  It's pretty annoying, actually.  I hope she gets comfortable soon because the nursery leader is not a fan of just having her cry it out as long as it takes.  I can't blame her, although part of me thinks that would be the fastest way.  Oh well.

• McKay and Ellery seem to be fighting a lot more lately. I am not happy about this.  I know it's stupid, but I really thought they would be nice to each other forever.  They lasted quite a long time, I know, but those days are over.  Except I am not wanting to accept that!  I am thinking/praying/hoping for a way to teach them otherwise.  I'm sure I'm fighting an uphill battle, but I'm still going to try.

• Ellery has a boyfriend.  It all happened so fast.  She met him at one of McKay's baseball games.  He's the son of another CRNA who works with Bri, and the brother of one of McKay's teammates.  His name is Adam and he kissed her on the cheek and they spend two games a week together.  

• Brian and I had a night to ourselves on Friday while our girls had a sleepover at Grammy's and McKay played with the Allred cousins all night.  We went furniture shopping (bought our chair!) and then out to dinner and to a movie.  I don't remember the last movie I saw, probably something at Christmas time, but it was so fun to sit in an actual theatre.  

• The reason we were kidless for a night was because Brian's sister went to the temple, so we all got to be there early Saturday morning.  It was great to be a part of that experience for her, and we are so excited for Friday when she and Tyler get married!!!

McKay testing out the new toy.

• I should acknowledge Father's Day.  Brian got a ladder.  Also the kids picked him out some other great things.  We are sure grateful for such a good father in this home.  I'm not sure he was grateful for us, as it was a fairly stressful kid day, but we love him just the same.  

Happy Father's Day Sunday!

thoughts on a sunday

• My boy lost one of his front teeth this week.  It has been loose for weeks, but this week it really started wiggling.  On Wednesday morning we knew it was close- he couldn't eat with it, it looked all crooked and creepy dangling there by just a couple threads.  Then while I was running errands Brian did a little twisting and a pulling and out it came.  I got a message to make sure the tooth fairy had a dollar and now my boy has a hole in his head.

• I must admit, with his summer buzz and his new toothlessness, I am missing him a little bit, and anxious for his hair to grow back and his gap to fill back in.  I don't know if I can talk him into letting his hair grow- he wanted to buzz it SO bad- but we agreed that by August he had to have some hair.  

• Maybe it's the awkwardness that losing teeth can bring, or maybe it's just that I'm realizing that he is no longer my small boy.  He is a big, long, skinny boy who is starting to understand how to use sarcasm and who is watching Myth Busters at his friends house and who is reading all over the place.  When did my baby start doing that?  

• It's been interesting to observe my two older kids as we've moved into a new neighborhood.  McKay has been really anxious to make friends and wants to play with someone all day long.  That is really no surprise to me.  But Ellery's behavior was a little unexpected.  She hasn't really wanted to play.  She's been content to stay in the house and just play with Layla and her toys.  She had a couple of sisters over to play last week and they played for over two hours and had a great time.  I've suggested several times that we ask them to play again and she is not at all interested.  I am just giving her time to figure this all out and she's pretty easy to have around, so it's fine with me.  I know she'll get to want to play with friends eventually.  

• McKay has already been invited to a birthday party, so he is thrilled about that.

• We haven't met too many people in our neighborhood yet.  I don't want to assume that I'm not going to like this ward, because I know from experience that it's not always how you assume that it is at first, and also I know that what we make of it can make a huge difference, but I am definitely feeling new and shy and weird about being the new, shy, weird girl.  It will happen- I know we'll make friends and feel comfortable- I just know it will probably take awhile.

• My niece Rylee cut the girls hair this week.  Ellery got an inch cut off her long hair so you can't even notice, except it looks healthier and more even on the ends.  Layla got an A-line cut, after seeing how cute my niece Elise looks in hers I finally had the guts to do it.  She looks really cute, but Brian still does not condone short hair on either of his daughters.  We don't really care what he thinks about hair though.

• Yesterday was a big day for the Matthews side.  It was Summerfest.  We were amused yesterday as we realized that Summerfest for this family is bigger than the fourth of July.  It has been a tradition since Brian and his siblings were little, and it seems to just be getting stronger and stronger.  It is a happy day though, and we didn't let raging wind and bitter cold hold us back!  We celebrated all day long!
 

• The morning started off with a marathon for the boys- no big deal, right?  And a kids 1K race for all the kids, including the babies!  We waited at Riverwoods for our boys to run by, and it was so exciting to see them.  We had signs and donuts and plenty of cheers for our runners.  

• I was worried that Brian was going to end up in the ambulance because of his knee injury.  He had been training so hard for this race and it was shaping up to possibly be one of his best.  He would wake up early before work and run several times a week for months.  Then his knee started acting up about a month ago and he couldn't rest it enough to get it better in time.  He ran the first 19 miles without pain, but then it set in and he ran the last seven miles while his knee ached with each step.  I am proud of him- I was worried he wouldn't finish.  I also feel bad for him because he was really looking forward to this race and this really changed it.  

• Layla loves to be naked.  Whenever she has the chance to be naked, she runs around saying "naked! naked! naked!" doing a little running dance.  

• Missy and Ken and their girls are here for from Alaska for a whole month and we are so happy about this!  It's been really fun seeing all the cousins play together.  Addie and Ellery are two peas in a pod- instant friends!  They are very similar and they hold hands all the time and love flowers and princesses and they are just precious!  Little Elise can hold her own- actually more than her own- with Sharp and McKay and they have fun playing all sorts of things together.  I wish they lived here all the time.

That's all for now!  Happy Sunday.

home

It's late.  But I can't sleep.  Probably because I slept most of the day.  I had a weird stomach/achey/lethargic sickness thing going on today and I really laid around almost all day.  I had a  giant nap while Layla slept and the others were at church.  So now, here it is, almost one in the morning and I was just laying there wide awake. . .so I thought, maybe I should blog?  So here I am sitting at the desk in my dark kitchen while everyone else is sleeping.

So this is our new house.  We've been here for one week.  It's funny, when we were looking at houses I told Brian that I hated those square cap things that some stuccoed houses sport on the corners, and look what we ended up with?  But I love this house so much that I hardly notice those squares.  There is a lot to love- the beautiful view of the valley, the mountains just a couple houses away, a fenced backyard that I have been craving for six years, a beautiful kitchen, a playroom, double sinks- I could go on and on.  I have felt very grateful this week as we have tried to settle into this new home.  I really love it.

We are definitely still settling in though.  We have unpacked all rooms except one in the basement.  We have hung zero pictures and haven't decorated a bit.  We are still getting used to living here and just being here and we're all feeling the adjustment of a move.  The kids have made a few friends, but they are still cautious and it isn't that instantaneous playing that they were used to in Grandma's neighborhood.  They are a bit timid and still trying to find their place and meet their people.  They are extra whiney, especially Ellery, and I can tell Layla is feeling a bit out of sorts.  We all just need time.

Brian has surprised me and jumped head first into his role as "keeper of the yard".  I think I was up to my neck unpacking boxes in the house and he had this undeniable need to mow the lawn.  I almost asked him if he was crazy to want to mow the lawn when there was so much else to do, but I could see that this was a big deal for him, and mow he did.  He mowed and trimmed and weeded and who knows what else happened in that yard.  I am glad he is so into it.  I don't think either of us expected him to be.  He has admitted that he doesn't enjoy yard work too much, but refuses to let it get out of control- so control he did.  He is particularly frustrated with a large patch of crab grass in the back.  In fact, he can't really stop thinking about it.

I am slowly trying to make things feel like home inside.  We have a few extra rooms to fill so I am finding it harder than our other moves in that way.  But I think that's a great problem to have.  We'll just add furniture a bit at a time and one day it will all be done.  We joke that we are hemorrhaging money, what with buying new couches, a washer and dryer and a kitchen table, plus everything that it takes to keep up a yard- of which we had absolutely zero of.  So yeah, we've been bleeding for awhile now.  Thankfully, we're about done with the big items and from now on it's just little things here and there.      

So I guess that's my late night update.  Now that we don't have anyone to chat with on Sunday nights, I might actually get back to my thoughts.  I feel bad that I haven't kept them up- but I wanted a break and so I took one.

Happy Sunday!

mother's day 2012

I'm really glad I get to be the mother of these three.  They are my greatest joy.  I am one lucky mother.  

mckay the snake and the championship game

This is McKay holding McKay the snake.  Some neighbor boys caught him, much to McKay the boy's dismay.  You see, he really wanted to catch a snake in neighbor's yard.  He was pretty bummed, until the boys decided to name their snake McKay and give it to McKay.  Things immediately looked up and then McKay the boy began to beg me and Brian to keep McKay the snake as a pet.  After far too much begging, we finally convinced McKay the boy that McKay the snake would die if we kept him, and he released him into the backyard.  Not before a quick photo shoot, of course.  

McKay the snake was good inspiration for McKay the boy's animal report/diorama, so he was quite useful in the end. 

You would have thought Jimmer himself was coming to the neighborhood by the way our boy was talking up this championship basketball game.  We don't really know how there was a championship game without any previous games, but we went with it.  Brian was the ref, I was the press, and Ellery was a cheerleader.  Everyone in the house was invited to come and be the audience.  I think Grandma was the only one who showed.  No matter, the game was still on!

Gracie and Si were on one team, and McKay and Bensen were on another.  I think both teams were the BYU Cougars.  The Cougars won!  They were all pretty serious, except Gracie was a little bewildered because she was just recruited minutes before the game started.  

It was a big deal.  And it was adorable.

i feel like sharing

What is my blog?  I don't even know anymore.  But today, it's a place where I want to tell you (whoever still stops by) about a couple things I feel need to be shared.

First, this book:

My mom was getting rid of a box of books and Lisa handed me this book and said I might like it.  She was right.  I couldn't put it down.  You know when you have a book and you want to read it all the time so you treat yourself to it to reward yourself?  Like, when I put the kids to bed, I can read my book after I fold all the laundry.  That was this book for me.  I treated myself all over the place.  It's a little weird/disturbing, but I loved it.  You should read it.

Disclaimer/Intriguing tidbit:  there is a breastfeeding child in this book.  Child, not infant.  If that gives you the creeps, stay away.



Okay, moving on to a couple of recipes from Pinterest that are complete winners in our house:


Balsamic Chicken Tortellini Pasta

One of Brian's favorite flavor combinations is balsamic vinegar, tomatoes and basil.  We have many recipes with this flavor combination, but this one is our newest favorite.  It's a really great, light meal for summer.  Also, it looks really beautiful with all the different colors.



BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad

This is another one that we all really love.  And when I say we all, I not only mean my little family, but the big family that we currently reside with.  I was afraid of quinoa for awhile, but really wanted to incorporate it into our meals.  This was the recipe that made me fall in love with it.  Here's a tip in cooking quinoa (or how I do it anyway):  Soak it in water for 10 minutes or so, then rinse a few times, then drain.  Put it into a frying pan and toast it on the stove until it looks/feels pretty much dry.  Then cook according to package directions.  Also, I cook it in chicken broth (buillion+water) instead of just water.  I think it adds to the flavor quite a bit.  I love quinoa!  Try it in this recipe and you will too!

Okay, this is a weird post that took me way too much time, when I should be blogging about my children or something, but it's done. 

treasures from the phone

Random pictures from all different times.  Instead of writing a description I decided to title each photo.  

My Favorite

(April 2012)

Asleep in Giant Basket with a Fever

(March 2012)

Busy in the Kitchen

(March 2012)

Old Man Wrestles Bald Man

(March 2012)

Bald Eagle at Grammy's

(February 2012)

UPS Store Tour

(February 2012)

Cute Boy Laughing

(December 2011)

Locked Up

(December 2011)

Accessorized

(December 2011)

Oregon Baby, Utah Bound

(January 2012)

Dead Princess Shrine

(March 2012)

friends we miss

Here are some of our very favorite friends we had to leave behind:

Deanna McRae

Truly a little angel in my life.  She was my friend, she was my visiting teaching partner, she was like a (young) mother to me while I was there.  She really reached out and helped whenever she saw a need and truly took care of us.  She is the mother to six wonderful boys and has a heart of gold.  Really felt lucky to be able to call her my friend and know such a wonderful family.

Matthew Broberg

This is McKay's kindergarten buddy.  They went to preschool together for a year, and then got to do half of kindergarten together too.  I love this kid so much.  He was always fun to have around.  So good, polite and funny.  He and McKay would go to each other's houses a lot before school and ride the bus together.  They loved to trick the bus driver at the different stops.  Matthew never ate a bite of food when he was at our house.  I would feed him lunch and he would barely nibble on a cracker.  I was always so worried until one day I talked to his mom about it and she said that he has an extremely sensitive gag reflex and if there is anyone chewing with their mouth open, or especially a baby eating with their hands and smearing it all over, he could easily throw up!  I about died laughing, and I guess Layla ruined his appetite every time!  Such a sweet boy though.

Blayke Gardiner

One of Ellery's best friends.  They were very similar in their taste for dress ups and all things girly.  As soon as they would get together, clothes would be flying off and before you could even blink, there would be two princesses, or ballerinas or something beautiful standing before you.  Ellery could get really bossy with Blayke, for some reason, but I'm told Blayke did the same thing at her house.  It was always a very good day for Elle is she could play with Blayke.

Stephanie Broberg

 This is one of the most beautiful people I have ever known.  She is so kind, so loving, so generous, and just so good.  She was the relief society president almost the whole time we lived there and I learned so much from her.  She's also Matthews mom.  She has two daughters, Audrey and Caroline, and I am so sad that we don't live there anymore, purely for the fact that those two girls can't be my babysitters in a few years.  The whole Broberg family is as sweet as their mom.  

Hendrickson girls

I don't have a picture of all three (now four) of the cute Hendrickson girls, but we sure loved them, and their sweet mom.  Ellery and McKenzie were best buds and we all loved sweet Halle and spunky Taylor too.  

Rilynne Hollist

Rilynne was our closest ward member and we were sure happy when she got old enough to play with us outside and have play dates at our house.  She loved the kids and would just run right over to our garage and join in whatever was going on.  She is such a cutie and we already miss playing with her and her mom, Cathy.  

my driver

My sweet dad drove us to (June) and home from (September) Utah last year so I didn't have to do it on my own with my three little kiddies.  He is such a sweetheart.  

One thing I have learned about traveling with this man is that he likes to stop and smell the roses. . .the roses being little local restaurants, and smelling being eating at them.  He also enjoys some pretty interesting gas station snacks as well.  Have you ever been travelling with someone who came out of the gas station with a huge smile on his face, only to have him reveal spicy lima beans as the treasure he found inside. . .and chose to buy?  I have.

It took a little longer, sure, but these little stops made the trips a lot of fun.  On one particular trip he wanted to stop at VooDoo.  We may have driven the wrong way down a one way street, we may have gotten lost, we may have been a tad bit stressed out, but we got our donuts!

One the other trip I swore we were going to run out of gas somewhere in the Idaho nowhere towns, but we found a tiny little cafe run by that old lady in the picture below.  I so wish I could remember her name, but I cannot.  We got to try the world's best cinnamon rolls, but we decided that they weren't the world's best.  Just okay.

My dad was very intent on letting the kids swim each at the hotel each night after a long day of driving.  If it had been up to me, I would have skipped swimming, but Poppy knew how much they would love it and made it happen.  They were lucky he was there.  

Also, my dad is the king of athletic wear.  I have discovered upon looking at these pictures that he prefers to wear light neon green sports wear when he travels.  That's okay, I prefer my black yoga pants.  We all have our favorites. 

(look how small my laysie is?!)

I so enjoyed the long hours in the car that we got to talk, just me and him.  It was fun to have him all to myself for a couple days, and I am so very grateful for a dad who sacrifices so much to help me.  I'm also grateful for a dad who picks up all of the gas along the way. . .and the hotels. . .and the cafes. 

 He's the best.

easter sunday 2012

Happy Easter!