Just a quick one

I had to write this down so we can look back and laugh at it later! Mallorie and Mason each had a friend from their class over today to play. It was so fun! While they were drawing pictures, Mason told their friend Kaylee that he drew some pictures for her. I was listening to their chatter, but didn't see the pictures. Well, when Kaylee's mom came to pick her up she showed her the pictures and I got to see them. So cute!! Mason had drawn one with a rainbow with Mason and Kaylee standing under it holding hands. Then there were 2 or 3 that had big hearts with arrows going through them and Mason and Kaylee holding hands again. Then he wrote both of their names on them. I just think it so cute! Wish they could stay this innocent forever.

Nothin' like cafeteria food to make you thankful for what you've got

This is my favorite time of year. Well, the weather was better a couple of weeks ago, but I still love it!
The elementary school that the kids attend has an annual Thanksgiving Feast just for the kindergartners. They can invite family to come eat a super yummy thanksgiving lunch from the cafeteria. Okay, so maybe super yummy isn't the best way to describe it, but it is a fun time. Grandma Patty (Jeff's mom) was able to join me at the school with the kids and it really was fun. They had made Indian headbands using patterns and a feather. We also got their school pictures back finally, and they turned out so darn cute. I'm not posting those, but here are some pictures from the feast. They're taken with my phone so they aren't the clearest, but you get the picture, haha!

Grandma and Peanut











Bubba and his cute friend, Tessa

Going Private!

Okay, okay. So, when I originally started our blog I was going to make it private, but then some people had a hard time accessing it, so I decided not to. I did everything else I could to keep it as private as possible though. Well now I've had a couple weird comments trying to post from people I don't know, so as of December 1st, I am going to make it private.

I would love to still keep you informed, so please, please, please send me your email address if you want to keep track of my slow spiral into madness with these crazies! (You know I'm kidding about the madness and crazies, although sometimes it feels like it.) Hugs to all!

Send your email address to: hinds76@gmail.com

Report Cards

It is so weird for me to think that our kids are old enough to bring report cards home now. But they are! What happened to the time? It has gone by so fast. Anyway, they brought their first report cards home on Friday. Report cards are done differently nowadays. There are several categories (reading, mathematics, social skills, etc) which then have several subcategories. So they get a number grade for each category that is an average of all the subcategories in that section. They both did really, really well and got all 3's - which is, "meet or exceeds all expectations" - except for one subcategory each. They each have different things they need to be working on, but they are things that I have seen at home and we are already working on them. So we're pleased with their progress and so grateful that they're doing well. A good start to their school careers so far!

Happy Halloween!

We had such a fun Halloween! The Hinds side of our family has some fun traditions that we enjoy every year, and this year was the same. Jeff's grandma (Grandma Great) has a party for all of her posterity. She makes us all lunch/dinner and then has games and prizes for the kids. Everyone dresses up, even most of the adults-we didn't, boring I guess-and its a great time. Then we went to Dicks Market for their Trunk-or-Treat in the parking lot. It was especially busy this year, and lots of fun to see all the kids in their costumes and get some good stuff. Then its off to trick or treat in Grandma and Grandpa's neighborhood (Jeff's parents). We go to several people in the area that are friends of the family and show off the kids costumes. The best part of it all is that we do all of this with our awesome Hinds family and especially with our special cousin Jackson. The kids just love him so much and he is such a fun little guy.

He is such a ninja!

Sweet little genie girl

We are alive! Just barely...

I haven't posted for awhile because...well, I guess there is no reason really, just very busy all the time. So here's a little catch up from us.

The kids are loving school still. They have made lots of friends in their class and are doing especially well learning to read. I'm kind of surprised really. Not sure why, I mean, look at their parents. Ha ha! They have had a letter of the week each week and with each letter, comes a "Secret Word". So far they have had "I", "see", and "my". I didn't realize that they were actually getting how to use the words together until the other day when Mallorie was writing on her doodle and she wrote "I see my" and then drew a picture of a horse. Wow! I was so proud of her. Obviously she knows what those words mean, but that she WROTE them all out in a sentence was so awesome!

Soccer has been fun for all of us. I will post some pictures soon. Maybe I'm a bit biased, but Mason really is the best player on his team. Now, realize this is 5-year old soccer and isn't competitive, but he understands how to play and he really plays hard. He seems to love it and looks forward to it every week. Mallorie loves it too, but I think she likes the social aspect of it more. She can run really fast and can beat out most of the other players (just like her Auntie Katie!), but she is such a girly-girl and is very timid about actually getting in there and being aggressive. We're working with her on it. It is fun to watch her run up and down the field though, and especially fun to listen to her tell her coach all about our dog.

Jeff started a new job about a month and a half ago and is really doing well with it. I'm so proud of him. It is definitely not his dream job, but he has really put his best effort into doing great work there. His boss and his boss's boss have both given him a lot of "atta boys" for his efforts. I know it is hard for him to go there everyday, and I am so thankful for a husband who is willing to work so hard at a job he doesn't particularly enjoy to provide for us. This job has been an answer to A LOT of prayers. Hopefully it will be very temporary until he can get through POST and find a position with a police department close by. In an area with low crime :)

I have been working working working full-time. Thank goodness I can work from home and pretty much make my own hours. Another answer to prayers. We have been very blessed this year. Hmmm. Never thought I would be saying that after what has been one of the most difficult years of my life, but it is true. Funny how that works. I am seeing more and more that we are often blessed through trials.

That is pretty much it. This last week, the kids and I have been sick with the flu. Possibly of the porker variety, but not sure. The fevers have not been overly high, but high enough to keep the kids home from school almost all of last week. A lot of families in our ward have had the swine flu, and several kids in their kindergarten class. Ugh! I hope that we're past the worst of it. Anyway, we are alive!! I will try to post again soon. Love to all!

Twinks in Kindergarten

Its hard to believe that the two wrinkly little preemies that we brought home 5 1/2 years ago, are now in Kindergarten!! The time has gone by so quickly and they won't listen to me when I tell them to stop growing. So, the kids have been in school now for two weeks, and they absolutely love it! I'm so glad. I think one of my biggest concerns as a parent was that my kids wouldn't like school. I know I'm a geek, but I loved school and I really want them to look forward to going every day and to learning new things. So far, so good! They have already made friends in their class. One boy is in Mallorie's Primary class at church, so that is fun too. I only cried once that morning when we were saying our prayers before we left. It kind just hit me that my little ones were going off to the next stage of life. Sniff sniff.

Some of the highlights and interesting things they have come home saying:

- There is a bully on the playground. He is in the other morning class. Really? In Kindergarten?
- According to the kids, everyone in class has a boyfriend/girlfriend. Really? In Kindergarten??
- They wish that they could ride the bus to school. We live right down the street, so we walk everyday, which I love!
- They "stick together" and take care of each other. Hey, what more could we ask for?

Walking to school









Saying goodbye to the dog

In class









Walking out the door

Staycation

This year has been rough for us financially, so instead of going on a vacation, we opted for a Staycation!! Okay, really cheesy I know, but it was a bummer that we couldn't go to Yellowstone like we normally do and I was trying to make it fun for all of us. So I tried really hard to build it up for the kids and Jeff, as well as for me.

First, we went to the fair. Free, fun and so very hot! But it was a lot of fun to watch the kids with the animals, riding the rides, and just having a great time. Next we went to see the new Harry Potter movie. This one was definitely not too scary for them and I think they enjoyed it, although they lost interest a little towards the end. And then later that day we went to a neat park that is 5-10 minutes from our house. It has a castle theme and is really large. The kids love to play at the park, and they had a blast. They keep asking when we can go back.

Finally, we went to Lagoon with Jeff's sister Missy and her little boy. We had so much fun!! It was hot and crowded as Lagoon should be. We got Jeff to ride most of the kiddie rides that he was allowed to, even the Ladybug Pop. The kids just had so much fun with their cousin Jack and loved all of the rides. We went on Dracula's Castle first and the boys loved it, but Mallorie - not so much. So later when the Terror Ride was mentioned, she and I stayed behind while everyone else went. The boys were so cute and kept asking to go back to the ride with the mummies and dead people.

All in all, we had such a great time just hanging out together. We generally do things with other people, so it was really nice to have some family time alone. Still missed Yellowstone with the rest of the Hinds', but we had an awesome Staycation here in good ol' Utah.

Sorry its not the best post, but here are some pictures from our fun times together. Stay tuned for a first day of school post soon!

Happy Birthday Hero!

Yesterday was my Jeffy's 30th birthday! He keeps telling me how old he feels and I just roll my eyes at him. 30 is not old. Anyway, it wasn't so much of a fun day for him I'm afraid. He has been sick off an on for about a month now. I'm thinking its allergies because neither the kids nor I have gotten sick at all. Anyway, yesterday he was not feeling really well, so we didn't do much. We went to Holy Smokes (his favorite BBQ place) for lunch and then hung out together at home. Kind of a quiet b-day. We'll have to celebrate another time, I guess.

Today, Jeff took Bubba to Target while Peanut and I stayed home. Well I guess on the way there, they were stopped at a rather busy intersection here in Layton (Hill Field Rd & Antelope), and there was a serviceman from the base on a motorcycle in the right lane next to them. Both lanes go straight. When the light changed to green, both Jeff and the guy on the motorcycle started out into the intersection. Well, an older gentleman who was turning left coming the other direction, turned right in front of them. He went in front of Jeff, but the guy on the motorcycle ended up t-boning the car in the rear passenger door and was thrown up and over the car onto the road. Poor guy! I'm so proud of Jeff. He immediately put our car in park, turned on the hazard lights and ran out to the guy. Another lady also stopped and ran out as well. Jeff stayed with the man, talking to him and keeping him down (he wanted to get up). The lady had someone from her car call 911. Other people ran out and wanted to take the guy's helmet off, but Jeff told them to leave it and really was watching out for the guy. He said the fire truck showed up within minutes and then the paramedics and police. Jeff was able to pull the Jeep over to the side of the road and tell the police what he saw. Mason said he felt a little bit scared, but he was brave. I guess so! Jeff didn't want to leave Mason alone in the car again, so Mason got to sit in the back of the police car while Jeff filled out his statement. He said it was cool and that he saw real bullets in there. His eyes were about as big as saucers when he told me. I am so proud of Jeff for responding so quickly and being such a great guy!

It doesn't work...not good

Last night, like most Sunday nights, we went to Jeff's parents house. We got home at about 8:30 and when we hit the garage door opener...nothing happened. So I got out and tried the code to the garage and again, nothing. As we got looking around we noticed that there were several neighbors out and the Rocky Mountain Power guy was looking at the utility box up the street. You guessed it, the power was out. Here's the problem. We did not have the keys to the door with us either. So, we were locked out until the power came back on. Dangit!! It was a little crazy. Jeff eventually got us in, but the house was so hot! Long story short, the power was out all night until 7:30 this morning. It was a long, warm night. But we made it. The moral of the story is: always have a house key with you because the garage might not always open. Its funny to realize how dependent we are on modern conveniences, until we lose one.

Also, the kids had some funny things to say about the power being out. Mason said "This is the worst day ever! I didn't sleep good last night, its past our bedtime, and we're all tired." And, he talked to my dad (Ponca) on the phone last night and was telling him about the power being out. My dad said he told him every single thing that wouldn't work because the power was out. I guess he was really serious about it and said stuff like, "The TV won't turn on - not good. The lights won't turn on - not good. The air condtioner won't work - not good." He's so funny!

And Mallorie just sat down on the couch and said "Great! Now we just have to sit here like big freaks!"

Summer Fun!

Summer hasn't been so much summer since its been raining so much here lately. But we have managed to have a few fun times outside so far. The kids were given a double slip 'n slide for their birthday (thanks Auntie Katie and Uncle Brandon!) and they've been begging us to get it out. Last week it was finally hot enough to get it out. It took them a few times of running and jumping on before they really got the hang of it and could slide all the way to the end. Jeff even got in on the action. The kids had so much fun and now they want to do it everyday!

Also, Mason had his final week of T-ball and they got to play a real game. It was so much fun to watch these little boys and girls playing. Mason played first base and if they had been following rules, he would have tagged a few outs. He also hit the ball really well both times at bat and he didn't even have to be told which way to run! I have to say-and this is totally unbiased-Mason was one of the best players out there. He has always loved baseball and Jeff has worked with him a lot to teach him how to play. I'm excited for next year when it is a little more organized and he will have a game every week. Here is a picture of his team (not a great one, but all we have). He is in the red hat on the bottom left.

One of those days

Mallorie: (yelling) Mom, he keeps repeating everything I say!
Mason: She keeps repeating everything I say!
Mallorie: See?!
Mason: See?!
Me: Stop it.

Mallorie: He keeps doing it!
Mason: She keeps doing it!
Me: I'm serious.

Mallorie: He's still doing it.
Mason: She's still doing it.
Me: Mason, enough!

Mallorie: Mom!
Mason: Mom!
Me: I said enough!
Mason: I said enough!
Me: Mason!
Mason: Mason!
Mallorie giggles

Aaaaaargh!

Oh the joys!

How fun being a parent is! Our kids are now getting to the age where every weekend is filled with activity. Mason started T-ball a couple of weeks ago and today, Mallorie started Gymnastics. So at 9:00 we all headed over to gymnastics and watched our little Peanut try to do a back bend. She is so cute and loved it so much. Unfortunately for her, she didn't inherit her dad's coordination, so she will have to work a little harder in order to get everything. She wore her gymnastics outfit that Grandma bought for her and looked very cute in it. She was a little nervous about trying some of the stuff they were doing. She said her favorite thing to do was jumping in the pit (filled with foam blocks) and she looked like she was having fun on the bars.

And T-ball. Well, what can I say. Its a bunch of kids and a coach and its a little chaotic. But Mase is having fun with it and will get to play an actual game in a few weeks. Our $25 basically went towards his t-shirt and hat. Notice how they all have red hats on. That's the only color choice, I guess. He is a little ahead of the other kids, so tends to get a little bored. But he has fun anyway and I think its a good experience for him. Enjoy the videos. I didn't get a very good video of Mallorie, it was too far away, so I'll post some pictures as well. Its a lot of time spent watching and laughing, but so worth it. Love it!

Then and Now

Today was our little twinks' 5th birthday! I can't believe it. Time has just flown by. These two little ones have brought so much joy and love into our lives and I just can't even imagine life without them. Being a parent is the best experience I've ever had and I am so grateful that I was blessed with these wonderful children. So, here are some pictures of them when they were babies and now...so grown up! (But they'll always be my babies.)


Sleepy Boy!

Sweet Girl
One of my favorite pictures of them together when they were babies...I love it!
Handsome Henry today. Look how much he's grown.
She loves Littlest Pet Shop. And look how big she is now.

Growth Spurts!

Mason is going through some sort of crazy growth spurt right now. I know this because:

#1 - the kid who has never been a big eater, eats constantly. He is always hungry. We'll eat breakfast and 5 minutes later he wants to know what he can have for a snack. And that goes on all day long. Always wants something more to eat. Crazy!!
#2 - he is complaining that his legs hurt a lot. This morning he came into my bedroom crying because his knees were hurting so bad and he didn't even want to walk. He'll often ask me to rub "magic lotion" (aka sports cream) on the backs of his knees at night because they hurt him.
#3 - he is tired and ORNERY!! Today was the first time in probably a year that he has had an out and out, laying on the floor kicking and screaming, can't breathe kind of tantrum. It was like he was possessed! It took me by surprise because, like I said, its been awhile since he's had one like that. And although he sleeps between 11 and 12 hours every night, he seems like he needs a nap most afternoons. He won't ever take one, but I'd sure like him to.

So I'm going to measure him and hopefully he'll catch up to Mallorie in height with this growth spurt. If not, that's okay, but we're crossing our fingers. Lets just hope we all make it through this alive!

Mesquite Fun!!

We had a great time visiting Grams and Pops (Jeff's grandparents) in Mesquite over Easter weekend. It was a good distraction from the stress of daily life and we had so much fun! Here are some pictures of the good times. Love to all!

General Conference

I just wanted to make a quick note before I go to bed. I was very glad that I was able to catch almost every talk from General Conference this last weekend. I even took notes!! The kids were great to play and color while it was on, so there weren't a ton of interruptions. Anyway, my point is this: I thoroughly enjoyed conference and I am so glad that I'm able to receive direction from the living prophet and the apostles. I feel like some of those talks were written directly for me in my life right now. I have discovered a lot about myself over the last couple of years and one of the things is that I have a great spiritual strength that I didn't know about. And that I need to rely more on Heavenly Father than I do and not try to be strong and make it through life's difficulties on my own. That is extremely hard for me. If you know the Haag family at all, you'll know that we are strong-willed people and like to do things on our own. But I'm learning...

Skillet Sensations!

You may think this is a weird thing to blog about. Jeff is a little picky when it comes to food. I know, shocker. If you ask him, he will tell you that he isn't, but I know the truth. Well, recently I had some bratwurst that I needed to use and didn't want to just cook them and throw them in a bun, so I looked for a recipe on one of my cooking websites Allrecipes.com. And I found this gem. It is now Jeff's favorite thing to eat. He will eat it every day for three days in a row if I will make it for him. I have to admit it is pretty good. I'm blogging about it because anytime I can find a recipe that Jeff loves, its a miracle. Plus, it is really easy to make. So, here it is. The recipe that Jeff has dubbed "Skillet Sensations".


2 Bratwurst, cooked and sliced into 1/2 in. discs
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 potatoes, cut into 1/4 in. chunks
1 green pepper, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 Tbls. soy sauce
1 Tbls. orange juice
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash Pepper

Heat a 10-inch skillet on medium heat. Add oil. Put potatoes in skillet carefully (they'll sizzle). Cover and cook until crisp-tender (about 6-7 minutes), stirring occasionally. While the potatoes are cooking, mix together in a small bowl: soy sauce, orange juice, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Set aside. To skillet, add green pepper, onions, and cooked Bratwurst discs. Cook and stir for about 5-6 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender and the bratwurst is heated through. Pour soy sauce mixture over the skillet mixture. Stir to coat, and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Be careful, you may end up having this 3 or 4 days in a row, its that good!


Recipe from Allrecipes.com translated by me.

Spring is here...sorta!

After two weeks of snow, rain, snow, sun...well, every day its different, we finally had a warm day today. Relatively speaking. Its in the mid-60's today, so the kids decided to sunbathe on the deck between General Conference sessions. They loved being able to go outside without being bundled up!


Also, I took some really cute pictures of them just before church last week when they still looked well dressed. Because, you know after Primary and wrestling through Sacrament meeting, they look a little uh...disheveled. Ha ha!

Love is in the air

Saturday I was invited to a baby shower for my friend Tami, who is married to one of Jeff's "bromances", Jeff Rivera. Its their first baby, and we're so excited for them. They are going to be awesome parents! Anyway, the Riveras and the Hinds' are practically related. My mother-in-law, Patty, and Jeff R.'s mom Pat, are best friends and the two families have known each other a long time. So Patty and Jeff's sisters, Missy and Katie, were also invited. Since the girls were all going to the shower, all the boys (except Bill) came up to our house to play Xbox. Mason was excited to play with Jackson, and I decided to take Mallorie with me to the girl party.

People ask me all the time if my kids are close and I always answer yes, but I think in the back of my mind, I usually think that they are not any closer than other siblings. But, Saturday I realized that yes, they do have a special bond because they are twins. Even though they fight sometimes, they really are best friends and depend on each for a lot. Moreso I think, than a normal brother/sister. As we were getting ready to leave on Saturday, Mallorie threw her arms around Mason and said "Bye Mason, I love you! I'll miss you!" It was so sweet! One of those moments that you just want to freeze and keep forever in your heart. After we left and were on the way to the shower, Mallorie was being pretty quiet, so I tried to talk to her. She kind of sniffed a little bit, so I asked what was wrong. She said "I just miss Bubba." It was so cute! So, as we pulled up and started getting out of the car, she then said "Mom, my eyes leaked a little because I miss Mason, but I didn't cry." What a sweetheart!! I hope they always stay close, I just love seeing how they take care of each other.

Advice needed...

If anyone has found a way to slow down time, please let me know!! It is now time for registering the kids for Kindergarten. Aaaaargh! How did they ever get this old? I'm having the same type of freakout that I did last year about starting preschool. I'm not worried about them, they'll be fine. I'm worried about me! These are my babies and they can't grow up anymore. I won't allow it! Any suggestions for dealing with the rapid growth of children and the psychosis that go along with it would be appreciated.

Also, I have realized lately that I need balance in my life. I work, take care of Jeff and the kids, and I don't leave myself a lot of time to do anything for myself. It leaves me pretty wiped out and feeling like I'm emotionally drained. So I'm wondering if anyone has any tips on time management and balance. And if you have any ideas for hobbies that are relatively inexpensive, I'd welcome those too.

Oh so clever...

Kids these days. I have to say, my two little twinks are very clever. While I was working the other day, the kids were playing out in the living room and when I took a break to check on what they were doing...well, this is what I found:


































The first two were on a light switch and door, respectively. Mason wrote those and put his name on the one on the door. He said that was because he is in charge of that door and he was trying to tell us not to turn on that light switch or open that door. And the others were on their bedroom doors, so we would know that Mason's room is a boys room and Mallorie's room is a girls room. Just like the bathrooms at the store. Oh, and these are not post-its, nor are they stuck on with tape. No, my little geniuses used good ol' SPIT to stick these up. You have to give them credit for ingenuity!

Digging out!

We've had A LOT of snow here over the past week. Yesterday we got the most, probably about 2 feet. I love the snow, and I actually like shoveling when its manageable. But...this was ridiculous!! We don't own a snowblower, so in order for Jeff to even be able to get into the driveway last night after work, I had to shovel. Ugh!! Mason and Mallorie and I went out and shoveled for about 2 hours and got one half of the driveway clear, including all the stuff that the snowplow piles up in front of the driveway. It was a workout!! Thank goodness for my two little helpers. My poor 32 year old body felt like a 70 year old body last night. I'm feeling much better today, though. Thankfully, Jeff's dad came up with his snowblower last night and did the rest for us. He really saved us! There was no way we could have shoveled all of that by ourselves. Thanks Bill!! Here are some pics.

Funny little thing...

On the first Saturday of every month, Home Depot has a free build for kids. So, the night before this monthly extravaganze, our kids usually spend the night with Grandma and Grandpa Hinds. Then they go the next morning and meet Aunt Missy and Jack and they build. Its really kinda cool, they make a neat wooden thing each month that they get to take home. They also got a Home Depot apron in kid size that they then get a pin to put on for each thing they complete. Pretty cool, huh?
Since tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month, the kids are spending the night. On our way to take them down earlier this evening, Jeff told me a story about something that someone in our family did that was extremely funny and kind of embarassing (don't ask because I will not tell you what it is!) Well, of course Mason heard this and repeated it, laughing hysterically. Now if you know Mason, or have ever been around a 4 year old, you know that they repeat EVERYTHING. To anyone. And the funnier or more embarassing it is, the more likey it is that they will repeat it. Knowing this, I told Mason "Do not tell anyone that or say anything to Grandma or Grandpa about it." So, Mason agreed not to say anything and we thought the subject was done. A couple of minutes later, Mason says in his cutest silly voice "Dad, I just can't get it out of my head". We laughed so hard! We'll see tomorrow if he brought it up or not.

Try to do something nice...

A few weeks ago in church there was a sign-up sheet passed around to donate blood. It was a Scout who was organizing this blood drive for his Eagle project. I try to give blood whenever I have the opportunity for two reasons: 1. I don't mind needles, in fact, I like to watch the process (weird but true), and 2. It is a much needed resource. If I was ever in a situation that me or someone in my family needed it, I would feel horrible if I had never taken the opportunity to donate. What goes around comes around, ya know? Karma, kismet, whatever you want to call it. There's my soapbox about donating blood.
Anyway, last night I went over to the church and went through the approval process. Which, on a side note, can I just say why do they have to know your exact weight? I mean, c'mon look at me, I weigh enough to give blood. You can see that. Aargh! Back to my story...I went in and laid down. Now, I have had problems in the past giving blood, my veins tend to run deep and my blood clots quickly and therefore doesn't flow quickly, sometimes even clotting in the tube. Also weird but true. After a little poking and wiggling, they finally got the needle in the vein and the blood started flowing. After a couple of minutes the phlebotomist(sp?) came over and started checking everything and wiggling the needle and stuff and then called over another lady phlebotomist to help her. So after more wiggling and moving of the needle, they decided I was not going to be able to contribute enough blood. Apparently it just wasn't going to work and they wouldn't be able to get enough blood out of me. So it was all in vain. They unhooked me, put the red wrapping on my arm and I grabbed my treat and left. Why do I blog about this, you ask? So that you will know what I now know: I will not bleed to death as quickly as someone else, very good to know, and that donating blood can leave a bruise. See photos, 'nuff said. By the way, I will try again.

What an adventure today!

Our adventure today. Think "Gilligan's Island" theme song:

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale,

a tale that will make you weep,

That started from the city Bountiful, aboard this old white Jeep.

The driver was a short and freckled mom,

on the way home from preschool,

Two kids in the back were buckled in

for a 25-minute carpool.

A 25-minute carpool.

The Jeep started going chug, chug, chug, chug,

high on the Mountain Road.

It finally slowed and then it stopped

On the way to our abode

On the way to our abode

After starting and stopping so many times

we finally made it home.

With Mason hitting Mallorie,

and she had her tongue out,

And Mommy yelling “STOP IT!”

the whole time,

We made it home,
in just two hours,
here to the House of Hinds!

We have been having problems with the Jeep, but usually for shorter distances it is okay. I decided to push the ol' gal a little bit today and go to Salt Lake and back, but she just couldn't make it the whole way all at once. So, what should have taken 25 minutes from Bountiful to Layton, ended up taking us two hours. But it was an adventure! And there wasn't constant fighting, but that seemed to be what stood out to me the most. I can't imagine why!

Here are some quotes from the kids during our sojourn:

Mallorie: "When I grow up, if I have a baby girl, I'm going to name her Shauna" (No idea where that came from)
Mason: "Stupid Jeep!"
Mallorie: "Why is it Winter?"
Mason: "Let's get going"
Mallorie: "A thumb is very important."
Mason: "Idiot drivers"
Mallorie: "Do you see something growing on my chin?" (she has a small freckle)

If you didn't notice, Mason was in a very obstinate mood and was mad at everyone and everything. He was not happy about having to start and stop and was tired from not getting enough sleep last night. Mallorie was just commenting on what she was thinking about I guess. It was pretty interesting to hear all the things she wonders about. In the meantime, I was just praying that we would eventually get safely home and hoping that no cops would stop. I knew that each time it stopped, if I just let it sit for a few minutes, that the fuel pump would cool down and we could go another 100 yards. I didn't want the added embarrassment of having to explain it to a cop and possibly have Mason roll down his window to chat. Anyway, it worked out and we made it home (thank heaven!) in one piece.

After a long hiatus...

(Apparently my first version of this post insinuated that I was happy not to have to spend Christmas with my side of the family-which is SO not the case. So to avoid any problems, this is the edited version!)

Okay okay...I've been remiss in my blogging duties, I know. So, I'm back on the blogging wagon now. We just got really busy with the holidays and this mommy just couldn't handle one more thing!! So, Christmas was great. The kids had so much fun, were spoiled as usual, and this was probably the year that the "You better stop right now or I'm calling Santa" threat worked the best. Jeff loved that and used it quite often. I think Mason is traumatized for life. Ha ha, just kidding!

One of the things we got for Christmas was a bug and frog habitat. You've seen them in the stores I'm sure. Well, we decided it would be much more fun to have a frog. So we sent away for a live tadpole (yes, you can get them!) And it came today! You would have thought by the kids' reaction that it was Christmas all over again. They were so excited! Another thing we got for Christmas was a handheld digital camcorder - mine! - that is so fast and convenient that we use it all the time. So tonight I took video of the kids talking about the tadpole and the tadpole itself. So here it is, enjoy our new pet! In 6-12 weeks it should have morphed into a full-grown frog. We'll keep our fingers crossed that we can keep it alive that long. We'll keep adding video as it changes.