Sweet Dreams brought to you by Hasbro

Okay, by now, most of you know of or have witnessed first hand Adam's extreme love of Transformers. You may not know of Adam's sleepwalking habits. (now you do!) This happened last night and I thought it was really funny. Around midnight I heard Adam calling me, and usually that means he is going to be up and walking around if I don't make sure he stays in bed. When I went in his room, he said "Hi Mom, did you know that Blackout's propellers fold back so that you can transform him?" He then started mumbling about how to fully transform him and then he laid his head on the pillow and rolled over. It was really funny, but I couldn't laugh or it would really wake him up. What a funny kid.

America's Got Talent (Or Melanie doesn't really need to do anything productive with her time)

I never got on the American Idol bandwagon or the dancing shows, but I am hooked on America's Got Talent! Right now they are narrowing down the finalists and they are all amazing. It's crazy to see how talented people are. Plus, all the cracks at "The Hoff" are funny. At work, we just did an art festival and my entry...oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Yes, that was the best I could do, but they are mighty tasty! These are the ones where Melissa, Michelle, Matt and I would make a batch, and it generally wouldn't even get to the baking stage because we would eat the dough first. My kids love the dough as well, and it's good that I can bring in all the extras for my agents at work to help me get rid of these. If not, I'd be eating 4 dozen cookies on my own and I could! haha!

It's about time!

Okay, I know, I know, I'm the definition of slacker. Or...maybe I just wanted to memorialize the King of Pop by having everyone see the one movie Michael Jackson was in as a tribute. You make the call. Quite a bit has happened over the last few months. Let me try to sum it up as quickly as possible.
May: My sweet Grandpa Soulier passed away. I miss him a lot. He was such an amazing man and I am so proud that he was my Grandpa. We spoke at the funeral which was very difficult, but we made it. Matt was nearby just in case one of the girls went down. Mark was given one of Grandpa's blazers which fit him perfectly. The kids were excited to finish up the school year. Adam had a great part in his school cowboy program. He even sang a solo! I have a copy of it for anyone who would like to see it. The video is a little shaky because I was crying the whole time- it was darling! We also bit the bullet and had a new furnace and central air unit installed. Bye, bye swamp cooler! I think this was the best decision we've made and we're really enjoying it on the 100+ days! My only problem- why did we wait so long???
June: Our first camping trip of the season to Little Mill in American Fork Canyon. It was really windy and we even took Rudy along with us. He was quite worried about all the blowing smoke but loved it. The kids had a great time fishing at Tibble Fork. Adam got a new fishing pole and Ashley had so much fun, we'll end up getting her one as well.
July: Our downstairs bathroom addition is moving along. Mark and his friend worked on the plumbing, and now it's just about ready to have the sheetrock and then tile done. It's a big project and we've got another bathroom so we're not moving as quickly as the other ones we've done in the past. We also went to Lagoon with my parents last week. It was so much fun! Mark and Ashley love all the scary rides so I usually stay behind with Adam. In another year or two, he'll really want to go on all the rides. I was surprised that he wouldn't go on Colussus, but his favorite ride was the Jetstar- aka the whiplash ride (or the drool ride- don't ask...). After talking mom into realizing the Rocket wouldn't hurt her ribs, her and Ashley rode it, and then she found us later on to ride it with Ashley again! I'm sure Ashley thought she had the coolest grandma to be riding along with her on all those rides that I wouldn't even go on! :) It was really hot that day, but it was such a good time. No long lines and lots of fun with the family. It couldn't get any better than that. At the beginning of the month, we went camping to Lodgepole Campground right at Daniel's Summit. Mark and I were commenting that it was probably the best camping that we've had so far. It was perfect. I can't wait to go again. Speaking of camping again- we'll be going to Whiting Campground this weekend.
I think that's about the highlights in a nutshell. I'll try to update my blog more often. I'm sure I'll have a lot of updates with Ashley starting high school next month!! Ahhh!!!!

Ease on down the road

Last night, we saw Ashley in the musical "The Wiz" at Eastmont. For those of you that aren't a child of the 70's, or a fan of Michael Jackson when he had a nose, the Wiz is a creepy Motown version of the Wizard of Oz. I can gladly say the play was much better than the movie. Ashley was cast as a slave and an Emerald City person. The Emerald City cast all had to wear green dresses. Ashley, apparently, got to wear someone's 80's prom dress just minus the lace. It was so funny!!! Ashley said it was a horrible dress, and she wasn't kidding!!! The other highlight of the play was when they showed a large painted picture of the Wiz on one of the backdrops. I guess Bob Ross is the Wiz. And over here we'll paint some happy little munchkins, and over here a happy little scarecrow. It was hilarious. The night was great- Ashley really had a lot of fun rehearsing and now she's excited that the performances are finally here. There will be shows tonight and Monday night if you want a chance to see some motown magic. :)

Happy Birthday Adam!

Adam turned 9 on February 17th. He had a lot of fun and got lots of great toys that have kept him very busy. Some of the highlights from his loot this year are Baukugan toys (I guess they are all the rage with boys his age) a King Arthur Viking ship and a huge Bionicle set. Adam is so good at putting things together. He will sit still for hours reading instruction sets on how to create the masterpieces. I am so impressed with his patience! Hmmm....I wonder where he got that skill from. :) Mark sits and smiles as he watches him work on those- too proud of him to speak. (I had to throw in a little Shel Silverstein reference in there.) If I ever tell him to take a little break, he tells me "No mommy, I'm not giving up!" I admire his determination, but it's off to bed at some point. Another great gift was a book from Melissa- The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He has been loving it! Any time I can get Adam interested in a book or something other than a video game is good news! It's a really funny book and he's looking forward to finishing it so he can start on the other ones in the series. Thanks to everyone for helping to make Adam's bday such a great one!

They need a warning label on those things....

For Adam’s 9th birthday party, we invited a couple of his friends to celebrate at Nickelcade. They had a blast! It was like a mini-Vegas casino the way the boys were dropping nickels in two at a time. The best thing about the party was the fact that I didn’t have to clean up after it, and the boys didn’t gang up on Ashley and torment her. She really appreciated that little bit. At the party, each kid got a bag of goodies. In the bag was a cute little mini-stapler. Adam wanted to play with it when we got home. I guess Adam was having a hard time loading it, because a few minutes later I hear him crying. When I ran to see what happened, I noticed a little staple sticking out of his thumb. It was a little funny, and luckily he was fine so we bandaged him up and off we went. Or so I thought… A couple minutes later I see Mark staring at this thumb. This time, the mini-staple went all the way in with both prongs. Ashley and I, being really caring and all, laughed and laughed and laughed. I have to say it was probably the funniest thing I saw that day especially since we just saw that happen to Adam minutes before. So, make sure your tetanus shots are updated before playing with mini staplers. And, bring lots of nickels to Nickelcade.

Jazz hands!

For Adam’s birthday, one of his gifts that he really, really wanted was a new kitten. We weren’t sure about dealing with a new kitty, but we agreed to a 10 month old cat. She’s cute, but not too young. Adam named her Jazz. It was only fitting since Potter and Rudy are named after movie characters. If you don’t know where Jazz came from, it’s not his love of Utah’s basketball team, or even some good soul music, but after Jazz in Transformers. Hey, it’s better than the other name he chose…Susan. Huh???

Wipeout!!

Wipeout!!! Okay, our family is definitely not into sports or the SuperBowl so this Sunday we watched a marathon of Wipeout. We laughed so hard!!! I woke up the next morning and my abs were hurting- does this qualify as an ab workout? Heck yes it does! If you haven’t seen it, check out an episode one day. The commentary is hilarious. Plus, there’s nothing better in the world than hearing my kids laugh.

Wii are having too much fun

Our family is now officially a group of Wii junkies. It is so much fun! We have wasted so many hours of our lives to this addictive game. It’s sad that I’m such a better Wii bowler than I am in real life. Ashley is amazing at Guitar Hero. It’s my goal to pass off more songs than here, so I’m working at it. Adam has successfully won just about every tournament in Mario Kart. It’s amazing to see how my skill he has! My only skill on that game is falling off on every corner. Mark is really good at that as well. Plus the golf game- dang, I’m not a good golfer in real life, and my Wii golf is just as bad. I also just got my Wii Fit in. I love it! I actually look forward to getting some activity in my day. It helps me keep track of my weight as well- so that’s a good thing after all that candy. One downfall is our dog, Rudy. He loves the Wii as much as we do. Any time we go downstairs, he runs in front of the TV to watch us play. It’s hilarious.

Christmas 2008

Okay, okay....I'm really a slacker. I've been pretty busy lately, and to be honest, our computer room is always freezing so I can't bring myself to hang out in the Arctic Tundra very often. Today is my day off so I thought I'd better add some posts.

Christmas this year was great! We have been having so much fun with all the great gifts we received. Some of the highlights are the Wii (I'll post more on that one later) and Adam opening his gift from Santa - it was a King Arthur Castle that he loves! He also had the greatest reaction to a new set of golf clubs that he got from Papa Garber. He can't wait for the weather to get better so he can spend some time with Papa hitting some golf balls. He occasionally takes out each club and just practice swings, and makes sure they are clean. It's so cute! Ashley got a lot of really nice Breyer horses, too. I'm sure they'll be shown in this year's horse show if there is one. One gift I got wasn't such a gift at all... about 10 pounds from all the great food this time of year! I guess I'll be trying to work it off for a while. Was it worth it? Yep...that fudge I made was great! haha

Who's Got Holiday Spirit?

More pearls of widsom from Adam....
Lately, on our way to and from school we have been counting houses that have decorations on their house. We've gotten up to about 300 so far (some houses are counted twice) so we decided to stop counting and just enjoy the lights. Adam is always so thoughtful of other people. When I commented that our house looks like it has more Christmas Spirit than most of the houses Adam said "Maybe that's their idea of Christmas spirit. They all don't have to look like ours." We talked a little more about it and then he commented, "The houses with decorations have Christmas Spirit, but any houses that don't have decorations are DEVIL SPIRIT!". So funny. Seriously, that kid keeps us laughing. And yes....I will teach him about the different traditions for other religions....

My Quirks. AKA...I'm a mess...

Here are the rules:

* Link the person who tagged you.
* Mention rules on your blog.
* Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
* Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
* Leave a comment to let them know

My Quirks (I was tagged from Tina's Blog):

1- I do not go barefoot ANYWHERE. Seriously, I'd shower with socks if I could. I hate the feeling of dry feet on cement and carpet. Ewww...
2- I'm a slacker with my blog. I don't do anything for a month and then I swarm it with numerous posts.
3- I don't like to watch sad movies unless I'm at home alone, with a roll of papertowels. Seriously, I'm a mess when I cry. Dang Steel Magnolias, and even kids movies make me sob.
4- I don't like anything other than fruit in my Jell-o. Soggy nuts and other unholy ingredients mixed in make me gag. I barely like Jell-O because let's face it, pudding has more calories which means that's my favorite.
5- I do not like sitting in the middle of a movie theater. It's always near the end of the row. You never know when I'll get the call to save the world and need to make a speedy exit. Or that the huge Diet Coke has finally caught up with me. I hate crowds. I hardly ever go to the movies on opening weekend (unless it's Twilight!) and the thought of going to a concert makes me cringe. (Aside from the Monkees because the middle aged folks didn't get too rowdy) I'm a home body and like my space.
6- I love to sing outloud even though I'm a horrible singer. Just ask my kids, they wish I would stop. I probaby look like an idiot singing along in my car when I'm by myself. Not only am I not a great singer, but I constantly get the words wrong. Oh well, it makes me smile. :)

The Fabulous Five (things about me)

5 things I was doing five years ago.
1- Getting REALLY excited to move back to Utah!!! (12/8 will be 5 years)
2- Getting nervous to join the full-time working class again
3- Excited to be near family and friends
4- Happy to have had the opportunity to stay home with the kids for a couple years
5- SOOO Excited to move back!!! I had to list that twice.

5 things on my to do list.
1- update my blog (done- for now at least)
2- clean out my hotmail inbox (yikes, I have a lot in there...)
3- put up Christmas ornaments
4- set up meetings at work (procrastination is not good)
5- Christmas shopping. I don't want to be near the malls around Christmas.

5 snacks I like
1- Microwave popcorn with Junior mints. Yum- you have me hooked, Tina!
2- Toast with honey
3- bagels and cream cheese
4- oranges
5- all of the above with a nice frosty Diet Coke.

5 Things I would do if I were a millionaire
1- Travel
2- Pay off all my debt!
3- Retire
4- Go to school
5- Help out others who are in need.

5 Places I have lived
1- Sandy
2- Midvale
3- Magna
4- Van Nuys, CA
5- Santa Clarita, CA

5 Jobs I have had
1- Trolley Stop - I had a great ice cream arm. And old people always order Pralines and Cream. Every time....
2- Lechters/Famous Brands Housewares
3- OC Tanner
4- Robinsons May
5- 1-800 CONTACTS

Tag to whoever hasn't done this already. I'm probably the last since I'm such a slacker.

Patriot Pride

Today Ashley won the Patriot of the Month award at Eastmont Middle School! She didn't have any idea that she would be getting the award so it was a great surprise. She didn't see that Grandma Arents and I were sitting in the front row until after she was called up in front of the entire school. It was really hard to keep it a secret. She is so involved in school that it's surprising it took this long for her to win this! But, better late than never! So far, she has always had a 4.0 GPA in school and she makes the schoolwork look easy. Great job, Ashley!!!

Tag: 4th folder, 4th picture

New Tag! Go to your 4th picture folder, and download your 4th picture.

My picture was of our cute dog Rudy. Weird, because he was in my folder labeled Yellowstone. Tag: Tina, Janessa, Melissa, Michelle

Santa and the Candidates

Okay, I have to post this- Today while Mark and I were watching the presidential debate (same old stuff said, different day) Adam announced that he was voting for Barack Obama. Honestly, I am not pushing my political views on my children, he decided this at school from a weekly reader. Here was the conversation that followed:

Adam: "I'm voting for Barack Obama not the other guy."
Mel: "Why did you decide to vote for him?"
Adam: "Because he looks nice."
Mel: "That's a nice reason, but you should vote for someone with the same beliefs as you have to help you decide."
Adam: "Like believing in Santa Claus?" (Imagine this being said with a huge grin)
Mel-trying not to laugh: "Yes, like believing in Santa Claus. Obama believes in Santa Claus."
Adam: "Then I'm voting for him!"

It was too funny not to share.

Cat Bowling

Try your hand at Cat Bowling! This is seriously the funniest thing I have seen!
http://www.brandextract.com/catbowling/

Tag You're It!

Copy and respond in one word answers.
Here are the questions:
1. Where is your cell phone? purse
2. Where is your significant other? Couch
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? fabulous
5. Your father? amazing
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? work
8. Your dream/goal? healthy
9. The room you're in? office
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? snakes
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? 130
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? confrontational
15. One of your wish-list items? mattress
16. Where you grew up? Hood
17. The last thing you did? blog
18. What are you wearing? nothing (haha- just kidding)
19. Your TV? loved
20. Your pet? crazy
21. Your computer? slow
22. Your mood? frustrated
23. Missing someone? yep
24. Your car? peppy
25. Something you're not wearing? contacts
26. Favorite store? WorldMarket
27. Your summer? quick
28. Love someone? Yes
29. Your favorite color? red
30. When is the last time you laughed? tonight
31. Last time you cried? Friday

You're it: Anyone, who, hasn't, responded, already, to, this, lately.

Ashley's Horse Show

Ashley's pride and joy is her amazing Breyer Horse collection. She entered the Pioneer Classic horse show this year because she had so much fun last year. We spent the day in Provo with a group of other horse lovers and they judged the models. She won so many ribbons that day, and one of her horses even won Best In Class! It was fun spending the day together and whispering "Go Utes" every time we heard an update on the BYU game. She's already planning on going next year if they have another show!

Hiking to the ends of the Earth

Okay, I'm behind as usual. A few weeks ago on a beautiful Saturday afternoon I decided to get a little activity. I suggested the hike at the S-Curve in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I've seen parents with their toddlers walking to their cars, so I figured it must be an easy hike. WRONG! Don't be fooled, those parents were probably just making their children pay for misbehaving in some way and time out wasn't cutting it. I see that the hike is about 2 miles. I don't stop to think that it's basically uphill! We still go on against my better judgment. I'm stopping every now and then and thinking I really should have brought my inhaler and more water, but I'm determined. I won't give up! If a Hobbit can do it, so can I. After over an hour of hiking and listening to Adam saying "are we there yet?" I ask someone coming down if we are almost there. I'm very discouraged to hear "You're not even 1/4 of the way." Jerk. Mark and Ashley probably could have gone on, but I was done. We decided to turn around and the downhill hike was much more pleasant. One of these days I might go back, but for now, I've learned my lesson. Stay nice and cozy on the couch enjoying your day off with a bag of Hershey's kisses. But, I guess that's why I should hike....what a vicious cycle. At least it was a gorgeous view that day!