Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I survived!!!

We all survived the mess of yesterday day! Yeah! Tyler is still home however trying to get his strength back. The girls are in perfect form. They are active again which is good and bad. They are in better moods but are back to fighting over things!!! Can't wait for school tomorrow :)

I started feeling a little sick to my stomach last night but feel better this morning. I CAN'T get sick. It's never okay for the mom to be down. Everything goes crazy if I'm not able to be in control.

The weather has cooled a bit. This morning I opened all the windows in my house and soaked in the cool breeze. Instantly my mood was lifted. Something about the smell of fall just does something to me. I took a moment to sit and just listen to the outside world (kids were watching a movie). The noise of the world rushing by were so familiar and i wondered why I didn't take the time to just sit and listen anymore. I think I get so caught up in the day to day tasks that I forget to "stop and smell the roses". I am definitely a "stop and smell the roses" kind of girl. I remember as a teenager i would hide in my room with a good book and my window open so I could hear the birds chirping, or airplanes flying over head. It's those small quiet moments that do so much to refresh the soul!

Here's hoping I can remember to seek those moments out :)

Kristen

Monday, September 28, 2009

Throw up + Poop = A lot for Mom to Do...

It all started Saturday night while Aaron and I were out on a couples date. I received a call from our babysitter that Marie had just thrown up. "Okay" I thought, maybe she ate dinner too fast. she had been acting fine all day. Just as I as about to tell our sitter to just put her to bed, Aaron informed me that Marie had been complaining of a "hurt tummy" earlier that day. So with that bit of information, I knew something was up. We came home, took care of Marie and then everyone went to bed.

Thankfully we made it through the night with no incidents, but as the morning sun rose, so did the vomit from Marie! So it was no church for her! As the day wore on I was waiting for one of the other kids to get sick. I mean if one comes down with something it is going to spread like wildfire. Finally, last night around 10 pm, Tyler woke up sick! I knew it was going to be a long night when about every 15 mins he was throwing up. It lasted this way most of the night added with diarrhea! The poor kid probably has lost ten pounds, and believe me it needs so pounds.

With the night behind us and Tyler finally able to fall asleep around 7 am I checked on the girls. To my dismay Marie was burning up with a fever and McKenzie had vomited in her crib. So this is how the day as gone, kids throw up, I clean up, kids want water, fine for an hour or so, then the cycle starts again. Luckily Tyler is able to get himself to the toilet.

The only bright spot in this whole situation is that at least they all got it at the same time! It would be worse if this sickness had dragged on for the whole week!!

Kristen

Friday, September 25, 2009

A morning at the Temple...

I love the Temple so much when I go....so why don't I go often?? This morning I decided to skip my morning run and head off to the temple. It's been awhile....too ashamed to tell you how long! Anyways ,once I made the short drive there I was so happy I had made the effort to come.

The spirit that surrounds the temple is so refreshing to my soul. I love being able to see people I know and share a few moments of conversation. I know we go to the temple to serve , but in reality it is for us! Being able to have the quiet time, shut out from the crazy world is priceless.

I plan to go back very soon!!! I promise :)

P.S Girls are not sleeping again!!!! I wish they would. They are so cranky when they don't get their afternoon nap :(

Kristen

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Why does Good Food = major $$$$?

After I dropped Tyler off at football practice tonight I had about forty-five minutes to kill so I wandered into the grocery store Henry's. As I browsed the aisles i remembered why I loved this store so much! I found whole wheat, whole grain, real fruit inside pop tarts, sweet potato fries ( I'm so over making my own), a chocolate powder drink with protein, veggies and fruits for the girls and many other things!

I love being able to feel like I am going to give my kids good wholesome food. Then I checked out! It cost me almost 100.00 for just a few items. Granted the two protein shakes did cost a lot but Ugh....why does good food have to cost soooo much? Why can't companies make it more affordable for moms to give kids the food they want but healthy?

I want nothing more than to be able to feed my kids organic food, um not going to happen with my budget. So I try to meet in the middle, some whole grains....and some not so whole!! I've decided that I definitely need to go back to Henry's for the protein shakes and the pop tarts, I tried one and they were delicious and my girls eat pop tarts like crazy.

Here's hoping that in the near future healthy food will be more affordable!!

Kristen

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Lost Boy... found!

What an afternoon I had! It all started around 1 pm when I was doing some book editing. The girls had finally fallen asleep for their afternoon nap and I myself was feeling drowsy. Unable to keep my eyes open anymore I set the alarm clock for 2pm when I would have to go get Tyler from school. I pushed my laptop to the side of the bed and snuggled under the blankets for a little catnap.

Then suddenly I awoke with a start! I glanced at the clocking thinking I had awoken before the alarm and was shocked to see that the time was 2:30!!! A whole 1/2 hour after pick up time!!! I jumped out of bed, pulled two very sleepy girls out of their cribs and hopped in the car. As I raced to the school, which takes about 8 minutes to get too, I hoped that the kids he plays with after school at the church were still there. I went to reach for my phone and realized I left it at home.

To my dismay as I got closer to the school, construction on the road had me stopped for a few minutes. Pulling up to the church I scanned the parking lot for Tyler. I saw no other kids and no other Mom's in their cars waiting for children. By now it was 2:40pm. I looked up in the trees, for sometimes Tyler waits for me there. Nothing! I drove around the parking lot twice to make sure I wasn't missing him and then as my panic began to heighten I decided maybe one of the other mom's took him home and i had just missed him. Plus, I wanted to grab my phone.

I raced back home, no Tyler, ran inside grabbed my phone (which was on a very low battery and about to die,) and raced back to the school while calling the mom's I knew. By the time I had talked to the second mom (who didn't know where Tyler was ) I was in full panic mode! I couldn't imagine what happened to him, and I couldn't believe I had over slept and left him a lone for so long. If someone had taken him, what was i going to do??? How would I even find him?? Could this really be happening to me?? All these questions and more raced through my mind.

Finally a friend told me to go check the front office that he might be there. I doubted it, because we had never discussed where to go if I didn't come and i didn't know if he would think to go back to the school but I parked the car and ran into the office anyways.

The moment i opened the door I was met by the Principle who immediately pointed to my precious Tyler sitting on a chair reading his latest Library Book selection. Within seconds of seeing him relief washed over me and I started to sob. I explained what happened to the Principal and she said that a mother who was at the church had instructed Tyler to come to the office. Through my cries I thanked the Principal (who gave me a much needed hug) and held Tyler's hand as we walked back to the car.

Moral of the story.... don't take naps before pick up time, if you do MAKE sure the alarm works, always have a back of plan for your kids if something should happen and NEVER leave home without your cell phone!!!

Kristen

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Offically Home!

Well I am officially home....and I am "officially" thinking about the next time I get a break from the girls! J/K. Today has actually been a good day so far. Though McKenzie is screaming her head off right now when she should be sleeping. However, I refuse to get her, this is "my" time.

For those who are Dan Brown fans I hope you are already reading the new book. The Lost Symbol is a great read! Dan Brown knows how to make every book a page turner. Every chance i got in Chicago I read a few pages. I was looking forward to reading majority of the book on the flight home last night, but forgetful me, packed the book in my suitcase! I was so bummed. I can't stand being on the plane without a book , so right before the flight I hit the airport bookstore and bought another book to read. Though the book is a New York Times bestseller, it can't even compare to The Lost Symbol!

The kids were happy to see us this morning. McKenzie kept touching my face and saying "mama". It was as if she was trying to make sure I was real. Tyler gave a big hug and than went about his morning. (Typical boy) . Marie gave hugs and kisses and then pushed us away so that she could watch cartoons!

I guess it should make me feel good that they didn't fall to pieces seeing us again. I think my children are used to us being gone every few months. As long as they are being taken care of, at this point I don't think they really care who it is!

FYI today is the first day of Fall! So who ordered this HEAT! I hope soon the cool weather kicks in....October is just not the same in summer heat!

P.S . Japan trip is cancelled! (yeah) So kids Halloween party is on! I'll get dates out soon.

Kristen

Monday, September 21, 2009

Farewell Chicago!!

We've had so much fun but finally today we get to go home!! Yeah! Just a few more stops to make before we catch the plane. We still need to grab some presents for the kids and for those who helped watch the kids. Plus, there is an Historic Bookstore which is three levels high that I've been dying to see all week and haven't gotten there yet.

So Aaron is finally taking me! I hope it is worth the walk :)

Chicago is a beautiful city and I am so glad we made the trip out here. Our country has so many wonderful places to explore and I'm thankful that i married someone who likes to explore as much as I do!

See ya back home!

kristen

Sunday, September 20, 2009

From Norte Dame to Bears Game....

What a Sunday we have had! Since we have been in the city for three days now we decided to rent a car and get out of town. We drove an hour and a half away to Norte Dame college. It was way worth the drive. The campus is beautiful. Aaron's dream come true was being able to tour the football field. We just happen to see a worker who let us in and then drove us around in his little golf court and let us take pictures of whatever we wanted.

After walking around the campus for a bit, we found the mess hall and ate a delicious lunch. There was so many different things to choose from. Unable to decide I got a bunch of things, tacos, bread and butter, grilled cheese, grapes, cheese omelet, and ice cream. I have to admit i was a little embarrassed walking around with a pile of food on my plate. But each bite was wonderful!

Next we drove back to the hotel, dropped off the car and made the twenty-minute walk to Solider stadium. Aaron pretty much wanted to sprint there, so I made him give me my ticket and we parted ways. I took a lovely walked through the park, watching the leaves begin to fall. I was defiantly in no hurry to get to the game. Once I finally arrived and found my seat it wasn't ten minutes later that the skies opened up and it began to pour! "Um... I think I'm done" I stated and Aaron gave me taxi money so I could come back to the Hotel.

On the ride back, my taxi driver who was speeding on the newly wet ground, took a turn too quickly and skidded out of control. Luckily I had my seat belt on, which i never do in cabs but something told me to put it on. Thankfully, he gained control again and dropped me safely at the hotel!

Anyhow I am so ready to get home to my children who I know have totally exhausted my sister and mother! Chicago has been the best but nothing is like HOME!

Kristen

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Adventure to Obama's House....

Today we walked around Chicago shopping and hanging in some very beautiful parks. The day was very relaxing, that is until Aaron decided that he wanted to go so Obama's house. I wasn't that thrilled on it, since I'm not a huge fan and i could really careless about where he used to live.

But as a group we all decided that we didn't have anything better we wanted to do so we hopped on the subway and jetted out of the city. I knew we were in trouble when our surrounding started looking...well....really run down! I verified with Aaron that the area we were going to was nice and he said " Of course. Obama's house is over a million dollars. Do you think he is going to live in the projects?" I had to admit he had a good point, but somewhere from the back of my mind I vaguely remembered hearing that one of the reason's Obama was so loved was because he came back to the place he grew up and wanted to "build" it back up.

Needless to say once we made our stop and exited the train. I knew we were in trouble. this was not the place four white, OC housewives and husbands with a child, should be. Right away I told Aaron that i was not walking down the street. I was going to catch the next train back. He however, kept on pushing me to go. We got into a small elevator to go down a level but failed to get it to work. Of course the doors closed but the elevator didn't move. After two times of having the doors close behind me and feeling "stuck", I jump out and said " I'll take the stairs, thank you!

Everyone followed but Jen and I never left the station! Once I got down to the main street level, I knew there was NO way I was walking out onto the street. Aaron was very upset but i didn't care. I asked the security guard how long it would take for us to walk to Obama's house and he said it was fifteen blocks. NOPE I was not going to do that! Three of us turned around and caught the train back while Aaron forged on ahead.

I called him every few minutes to make sure he hadn't been jumped! He made it fine, but was not able to actually see the house. The cops had the streets blocked off! As we waited for his return, we grabbed some lunch. With each bite I took of my "Chicago" pizza I was sooooo thankful I had not gone to the house.

There are just certain places I should not be and Harlem and Wabash is one of those places!!

Kristen

Friday, September 18, 2009

Fun, Fun & More Fun!

We are having a blast here! This morning we walked down the the famous Navy Pier and rented some bikes. We followed a map that took us around the shoreline to many different points of interest. Keeping up with Aaron was a little difficult but other than that it was a great ride. By the end of the ride, everyone was exhausted, (especially when we realized that we had bike over 10 miles!)
After another great meal (I had the best tomato soup), we caught a boat for a tour of the city from the river. Thank you for the idea by the way Jocelyn! It was an awesome way to see the city.

We just came back to our hotel room after a wonderful dinner of steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus and BANANA CREAM PIE! i am soooo stuffed! I have vowed to eat very little tomorrow! We will see how that goes.....

I got good reports from home, but just read on facebook that one of the girls pooped in the spa and then got into the fireplace! UGH! Sorry Michelle! got to stay on top of those crazy girls!
,
Kristen

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Chicago!!!

Aaron and i are in the wonderful city Chicago! We are here for the Steelers/Bears game on Sunday. Our flight here was uneventful, however, I did hurt my foot somehow yesterday and I have been limping around the city all day! I hope it's better tomorrow :(

Tomorrow we are going to go on a bike ride around lake Michigan and then a boat tour of the city. I am very excited to be able to spend one and one time with Aaron. Our really good friends the Macs are here as well. Total coincidence that we are here at the same time. We had a lovely candle light dinner of mouth watering Italian food. I loved the thin crust pizza I ordered!

My amazing sister Michelle is at home with all our kids! I can't believe that she says yes each time we ask her! Luckily my mother is helping her out and the girls have school tomorrow so at least she will get a little break!

Before I go I want to pose a question. Do you ever have the right to butt into someone parenting? Especially a stranger?

Last night I took the kids to Disneyland and while I was packing the car up to go home I pulled the girls stroller back behind my car. I grabbed Marie and placed her in the car seat, while keeping an eye of McKenzie who was still in the stroller. As I was placing Marie in the car ,a man , probably in his thirties rolled up behind my car. He started to pass me and then we made eye contact and he reversed his car and rolled down the window.

I was expecting for him to ask if I was leaving when to my surprise he said " Do you know you have a baby in that stroller?" Now normally I might have said something funny, but after three hours at Disneyland with the kids, I was in no mood! So while giving him the "evil" eye I said " Yes, I do know there is a child in the stroller".

He seemed shocked by my "attitude" and shook his head as he drove off in disgust. I watched him in wonderment shocked that he felt so strongly about the situation that he had actually had said something? Would i have done the same thing If the situation was reversed? Probably not! I hate people saying stuff like that to me. What do you think?



Kristen

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Power of Music....

On Sunday I gave a lesson to the Young Women on how to control our thoughts. Music came up as a huge influence. Because of the lesson, my mind is been on music and how much it influences an individual. I've realized how powerful it can be for both good or evil. Music sets the mood for everything. It controls what we think about. Often we can rationalize "bad" music by saying it is "back round noise". I've even heard some say, " I just like the beat, i don't listen to the words".

But even if we don't "hear" the words, our unconscious mind can still hear them right?? This morning as I was flipping through radio stations, I came across a song that I really like but is a bit questionable. I tried to rationalize the song because even though it talks about "Your sex is on Fire", what harm is it to me?? I can have sex!! I'm not a teenager trying to stay chaste in that area.

I listened to half of the song until I couldn't talk myself out of it anymore. Why should I have a different standard for myself than I do for our youth. Shouldn't we be striving live worthy to be their examples? Feeling guilty I switched to song and found a song I loved even more.

But to my dismay all day I have had the other song in my mind. The chorus just keeps replaying again and again !! Ugh!! I've learned my lesson. If I have questions about a song, I'm just moving on to the next one right away.

Kristen
p.s Ummm... it is on FIRE by the way! :)

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Changing Seasons....

Today I can almost feel Fall just around the corner. It is by far my most favorite season! I took the girls to the park today with my sister Michelle and it was so wonderful to be able to play outside and not get sweaty from the heat! Garments and Summer weather do NOT mix well!

With the change in the weather getting closer I am already anticipating the many seasonal parties, crisp cool air, orange and red leafs, rain storms, baking treats, fall clothing, snow boarding, etc. Isn't it wonderful that the earth brings change with it. It seems like by the time a certain season rolls around, I am sooo ready for the change! Funny, how in my daily life a part of my craves change while the other part wants to soak in every minute with my kids.

As I watched the girls play at the park, I had such a sense of fulfillment come over me. I love them SO much and yet they can drive me to the brink of insanity. Yesterday, Maire was in my face ALL day saying "Ba ba" (bottle). I literally gave her probably five bottles of milk and by the early evening she was still begging for more! By six o'clock I lost it. I was trying to clean the house for a dinner with our friends and the missionaries. As I started to mop the floor, Maire started in again, McKenzie was crying about something else and Tyler had the T.V volume on full blast. As my nerves began to rattle I tried to tune everything out but when Maire grabbed a cup full of water off the table and spilt it all over the floor, I LOST it!

I took the mop and slammed it onto the ground, ( of course breaking it!) . In an instant the room got quite as my children looked at me and tried to assess the situation. Feeling terrible about losing my temper, I took everyone into the playroom, put on a movie and locked the door behind me.

I knew i needed a few moments to myself. Luckily once everyone got to the house for dinner I was feeling a little bit better! So again I wonder, I can something so wonderful as Motherhood be so hard at the same time??

I guess what it comes right down too, Anything worth while is going to take a lot of hard work.

Kristen

Monday, September 14, 2009

Pain....a common bond

This morning I was able to help out in Tyler's classroom. I LOVE his new teacher. I've heard she is just as forgetful and disorganized as I am. Great! Now when I forget one of the million's of papers that will come home this year, I won't feel like such an idiot! I heard that she forgets that you've even given her the papers! We are going to make quite a pair!

While spending time with her this morning, the subject of infertility came up. This is something I am very used too since having twins often sparks this topic. I was surprised to find out that like me she struggled for years to conceive until she finally adopted two beautiful children. The instant I heard her story I felt a kinship to her. She didn't have to describe the pain and heartache that she had gone through....I was well acquainted with it.

It reminded me that now matter who we are we've all been touched with sorrow and that when we find someone who has walked that path as well, there is a bond that no one else can understand.

This is one of the big reason I am writing my book "multiply and Replenish". When I was struggling with infertility, though there was many wonderful books on the subject, I never found one dealing specifically with being L.D.S and dealing with it. In the L.D.S world, our culture is so different from the outside world. Families are so important to us. I wanted someone to tell me how they got through the doubts in faith, prayer, the Lords will , etc. I never did find one, hence, that is why I decided to write it! Thankfully I'm only a few months away from being done. I have the best proof reader right now who is helping me out so much! (you know who you are)

I hope that through my hard earned lessons, I can soften the tears of those who are currently living through one of the darkest times.

Pain is a natural part of life,but it's nice that no matter what we go through...most likely someone as been there before. Let us all lend a hand to lift those who need it!

Kristen

Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Single Mother for the Weekend....

I survived the whole weekend without a husband!!! In fact, it wasn't that bad at all. Usually when Aaron goes out of town the girls get sick and the days are miserable. I think this is the first time that no one got sick, I slept good at night and never once did I feel overwhelmed with doing it ALL by myself. I'm so proud of myself!

Now that everyone is in school our days are running so much better. I actually have time to "think". Of course now that Aaron is home I am putting him on full "Daddy Duty"! I even saved to dirty diapers for him to change tonight. Sure the girls had to "sit" in it for about fifteen minutes until Aaron came home, but I figured that my shift was over and if they don't mind, then I wasn't going to worry about it. Horrible I know! Hey, I never said I was a perfect mother!

We had two baby blessing today and for a moment I thought about having another child. Every now and then this thought will cross my mind but soon I come to my senses. No way can I handle another child right now! I'm just starting to find my way again. It has made me wonder , How does one know they are finally done having children?? Is it one of those things that you just know? Is the desire gone? Or do you just make the decision on what you think you can handle as a mother?

My head hopes I am done but every now and then my heart questions it......

Kristen

Friday, September 11, 2009

Is Motherhood the end all and be all???

In the church Motherhood is very sacred! We know that the world has a very different few. As L.D.S women we have to find a balance. How do we become great mother while not "losing" our sense of self??

In my opinion I think that following your own dreams and goals as a daughter of God only make you a better mother. We teach our young Woman to value themselves , to work on their "individual worth",to get their education, improve " life" skills, so why do many forget to do all that once a baby comes?

A close friend and I discussed this topic today. As mothers we both feel that fulfilling yourself also fulfils the lives those around you. I remember when I wanted to go back to school and Aaron didn't really see the point. That is until my own mother pointed out that having an education would only benefit my children.

Our daughters have to be so strong in today's world. They need to not only be spiritually strong but have skills that can help them through out their life. We don't know what life is going to spring on us, divorce, death of a spouse, loss of income. We need to prepare for anything. I love that the leaders of the church are starting to really push this idea.

I've been going to school for over eight years now and i LOVE it! No i haven't received my degree yet, ( i take only one class a semester) but I know that I will and I KNOW that it has helped me keep my identity. I am not "just" the mother of my children. I am a woman who has many different qualities to her. It is one of my goals in life to never lose a sense of myself.

I know one day my kids will be gone and i don't want to be walking around an empty house wondering who the heck I am!

Yes, being a mother is the most important thing I will EVER do, but I'm glad it's not the ONLY thing I do!

Kristen

Thursday, September 10, 2009

A Housewife's Job is NEVER done....

So I've been thinking lately about how no matter how many times i pick up the house, it is a disaster by the end of the day! My sister-in-law and i just had this conversation. As a mom if you take even a afternoon off from picking up, the house ends up looking like a bomb went off!

Unlucky for me I live with a clean FREAK! Bless his heart but things like little hand prints on windows and mirrors drive him crazy. Um....if i let things like that get under my skin I would most definitely lose what is left of my mind. Still i feel that i keep a very clean home! NO it is not perfect and yes, you shouldn't open a certain closet of mine! But give me a break I've got two , two year olds that can destroy a room within seconds!

Now I'll admit I am terrible at laundry!! I've even bought my husband more garments just so that I can wait a little longer before i have to do the whites! Why do I hate laundry so much??? It's really not that difficult to do. I mean, it's not like I'm living on the frontier washing my clothing by hand and than hang drying them. All I have to do is put the clothes in the washer then the dryer , fold and put away!

So again I ask myself what is the big deal with doing laundry?? After eleven years of marriage i haven't figured it out yet. I must have some "deep rooted" feelings about laundry:) But I still keep trying to get better.

A load a day, keeps the laundry Blues away!!
Kristen

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

First day of school Blues.....

This morning while I was doing my dreaded morning run on the treadmill, I tuned into the "View". One of the co-host spoke about how hard it was leave her four year old child at preschool. The women started to discuss how it can be so hard and that the first day of school is often filled with tears. Not from the child, but the parent.

So as I dropped my girls off to their first day of preschool I pondered if the fact that i was excited and relieved to have a few hours to myself made me a "bad" mother??? Even with Tyler, I never cried!! Not even for a second!

Who are these mother 's that are crying?? I don't think its bad in anyway...but I wonder what makes one mom cry and the other do "cartwheels" out the door??

Girls had a great time! No bad reports from teacher which I am sooo thankful for. Let's up this is a start to a great year for them!

Kristen

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

What to do when all H*ll break loose...

The day started out wonderful. I got up early to make breakfast for the first day of school. Tyler got up and took a shower without me having to drag him out of bed. We had breakfast, scripture study, I got to exercises before nine am and the girls were in a great mood .

So what went wrong??? I am hiding in my bedroom as I type this listening to the twins having a total melt down. Over what I have no idea. One minute I was cleaning the kitchen after breakfast while telling them we were going to get ready to go to the grocery store and the next minute Maire starts screaming at McKenzie. Then McKenzie screams back and so on and so on. I knew i needed a "time out" when I started to scream at them!

Now as I listen to them fight and wrestle....hopefully soon to work it out...I am trying to figure out why on earth girls are so dramatic??? The world does not have to end just because a toy was taken away!!

For the moment they have calmed down a bit but I better come out of hiding because i think McKenzie just slapped Maire...at least that's what it just sounded like.

So pray for me today!!!! I feel that I am going to need all the strength I can get until they start school tomorrow!!!

Monday, September 7, 2009

Home Sweet Home...

It's great to be back in Sunny southern California! We drove through the night hoping (again) that the girls would sleep...really who were we fooling??? They only slept for about an hour the whole trip! I knew it was a lost cause when it was 2 am and they were still up. So from now on we will do road trips during the day.

Thankfully, no one got car sick, but we were prepared for anything! We had two changes of clothes for each girl and a bunch of groceries bags handy to catch vomit! We learned are lesson!

Tomorrow is the first day of school for Tyler and I am sooo ready. Of course this means that now I have to start getting up early in the morning but it will be worth it. I'm sooo tired of trying to think of fun things for him to do! My brain is officially fried.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day!

PS: McKenzie has not bitten Maire for three whole days!!!! Yeah!!!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Wonderful Utah....

Utah is one of my favorite places to visit! The air smells clean, the mountains are magical and the changing weather keeps me on my toes. We are up here for Swiss Days. There is a huge festival that goes on for two days with many things creative, handmade items to buy but the best part is the pancake breakfast. For a small fee, you are given two of the biggest pancakes I've ever seen, (they actually fall over the edges of your plate) smothered with butter and syrup ,two fried eggs, and two pieces of grilled ham. Not to mention all the other food that is available at your finger tips, warm gooey brownies, fried bread topped with honey or jam, all kinds of homemade cookies, Carmel apples that crunch with every bite...my list could go on and on!

The celebration of Swiss days also includes a parade put on by the locals. It is mostly older people marching up and down the main street but the kids love it because of the handful after handfuls of candy that is thrown at them.

I was proud of myself for not spending very much money. Just some new bows and church shoes for the girls.

I have to give a special shout out to my wonderful husband who took the girls the rest of the afternoon so I could hang out with my mom, sister and mother - in -law. It was a wonderful day and I' m sad that we must leave tomorrow. I will miss Utah....maybe one day I'll be able to talk Aaron into "living" up here.....or at least getting a second home up here....though who knows when that could happen!

The summer is offically over and I am a little sad to see it go, though I am ready for the cool crisp air that comes with fall, the best season of all!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Utah or Barf...

What a trip we had getting up here. We decided to drive during the night hoping the girls would sleep all the way up. Uh...How wrong we were. First of all , we didn't get on the road until 1o pm and by the time we had made it to Victorville, Maire got car sick and vomited all over herself and Tyler, who in turn almost hurled as well. Also we had a full car with me, husband, kids and both of my parents who we stuffed in the way back (sorry mom and dad).

By the time we pulled over and got Maire cleaned up we had a feeling that maybe we should just turn around. But we love punishment so we decided to push on. Thing calmed down around 1 am when the girls FINALLY fell asleep. Though they would wake up every twenty-minutes and cry. I think the bad shocks on the car was waking them up. Driving in that car was like being on the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland. (we got new tires today! )

Around 7:30 we were twenty mins. away from Provo when Maire vomited again....this time it was worse. So after pulling over and cleaning her up , we again went on our merry way. We also bought some air freshener since the car stunk!

Around 8:00 we dropped my now very tired parents off at my aunts house and before heading up the canyon to my in-laws house, we decided to hunt down some food. We were all starving. Needless to say that took us a while to do, not much was open. While hunting for food, McKenzie suddenly vomited all over herself. By now we knew the routine well : pull over, undress child, wipe child down, wipe car seat , take dirty clothing and blankets and stuff into the trunk.

By the time we found food, we decided to not give anything to the girls. We were not taking any chances. But we weren't so lucky, for just as we were about to enter the canyon, McKenzie vomited again. I turned around in my seat to help catch some of the vomit with a tee- shirt and to my horror she projected vomit so far that some landed in my MOUTH.! For an instant I thought for sure I was going to lose it! I started to scream, Aaron screamed at me to catch the vomit and then had to slam on his brakes which in turn made me lose my balance, slam into the passenger door and break our handle off!!

Let me just say I think from now on we will be flying to Utah!!!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Get a Job or go insane?

Today was such a terrible day that I actually started thinking about going back to work ! I just don't know if I'm going to make it with out losing my mind! I wanted to just sit down and cry at least three times today. The girls just don't get along at ALL! They fight and cry about everything! After a crazy morning I finally separated them. McKenzie in the playroom and Maire watching a movie. It gave me a half hour of peace. That was until McKenzie escaped!

There was one bright spot in our day. Aaron and i got to take the girls to the Yo Gabbagabba set! So much fun! The girls just loved seeing the characters in "real life". Tyler thought is was pretty cool to. Thanks to my brother in-law who is one of the creators of the show for giving us the grand tour.

So my fellow readers....um all one of you :) I will be away for the weekend and will not be posting. We are taking a family trip....the last of the summer as school finally starts on Tuesday. (I couldn't be more excited) Here's hoping that I survive this trip! Have a great Labor Day weekend.

Kristen

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Why must I force my kids into having fun?

Summer is almost over and I decided to head out to the Spectrum in Irvine to give the kids one last chance to play in the water fountains there. Of course it took me twenty minutes just to convince them that we were going somewhere fun. Tyler was upset that he couldn't spend ALL day playing his video games and the girls just wanted to go in the pool.

However, I was determined that we were going to get out the house since we did not yesterday. After basically tackling the girls to the ground to dress them and begging my son to be happy, we finally were on our way. As I drove I started to have a sick feeling in my stomach that maybe I should have just stayed home. I mean, why go through all this trouble if they want to stay home? Problem is, when we do stay home, they fight the whole time and destroy the house!!!

In the end it ended up being a great afternoon. The girls had a blast eating pizza, playing in the water and chasing the birds. Tyler took a while to warm up to the idea of having "fun", (crazy kid) but once he changed his attitude for the better, I saw that old familiar smile that just melts my heart.

Just a side note: I am on full biting alert! McKenzie bit Maire three times yesterday and already once today. Poor Maire has bite marks all over her body and McKenzie is spending her day's in the time out chair! Lets just hope she doesn't get kicked out of preschool. Oh......please....don't get kicked out of school!!!

Motherhood is all about surviving the storm. I know one day soon these crazy days will be a distant memory....

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Down time!

So I figure the best time for me to write is in the late afternoon when the girls go down for a nap....though it's been fifteen minutes and I can still hear them talking to each other! I hope they go to sleep. I need a least an hour of "mommy time" to get through the rest of the day.

This morning Tyler asked for cinnamon rolls and since i didn't have any of the store bought ones I decided to make them by hand. I got creative. Instead of the white flour I used whole wheat flour. Plus when I went to go make the glaze I realized I was all out of powder sugar. As I scrimmaged through my cupboards looking for something I could use for a glaze I had the "bright" idea to melt butter and chocolate and drizzle it over the rolls. I have to say that they turned out pretty good and the best part was that the house smelled GREAT! I wish I had the energy to bake every day! It's not that i don't like cooking, I just HATE cleaning up the mess!

For the few of you who know that I'm writing a book, I 'd like to inform you that I am only days away from being finished with the final edit! I'm so excited. This book has taken me two years to write since I've rewritten it twice! A writer is never pleased with her work!! The book is going to be discussing my journey with Infertility and how difficult that was. However, it is not written in Memoir form. It is written as a novel. Here is just an excerpt from the first page:

The day was July 2oth, 2007. I awoke from yet another night of consistent tossing and turning. Sleep seemed to be an unattainable goal for me these days. I was now thirty-seven weeks pregnant with twin girls and very uncomfortable. Actually uncomfortable was an understatement. I was miserable. I had never before faced such physical adversity. The moment my eyes popped open, I sensed the something was wrong.....

Stay tuned for more....