A busy week and a Sunday evening

I've checked my blog every day to see if I've posted anything new. Nope. I've wanted to and have even sat down a few times to do it. So, here I am at the end of another week. It went fast and was pretty busy for the most part.

Camden and Cooper spent the first part of the week meeting their new teachers. So far I have been impressed with both of them. I was so impressed, I guess, that I signed up to be the kindergarten room mother for their class. I only have Lucy at home, and I am lucky enough to have a husband who works from home and is great to help out whenever I need him. I can leave Lucy with him while I attend to my room motherly duties. I like to have duties. They make me feel needed.

Friday was the dreaded visit to the doctor. I really liked our new Dr. Whiting, but I'm not sure I'll ever convince Cam and Coop to go back. They have been traumatized by their "pokes." They had to get four plus a prick on the finger. Not fun when you're only expecting one. They now ask me if they ever have to get any more shots and at first I told them no. Then Shea chastised me for lying, so the next time they asked I told them the truth. That set them off on a 30 minute crying and whining session, so I think I'll go back to lying. Since then I've pleaded the fifth. I'm not talking about it with them or with anyone. They have to have a hepatitis booster in 6 months, and I'm already dreading it.

Saturday was the boys' first soccer game. They both did so well! They both scored goals, (not that anyone keeps score) and they ran faster and longer than the other kids. They were way more aggressive than I thought they would be too. They stayed right with the ball and the other seven kicking children. A few times they broke away with the ball and kicked it the length of the field. The game was fun to watch, and my boys were very coordinated. I was proud.

They have been wearing their soccer uniforms--shin guards, cleats, and all--for three days. They have already been washed twice since Wednesday! They only take them off to put pajamas on, and when that happens, Lucy has the jersey in her hand and wants to wear it. She ends up wearing it until I slip it off her when she's asleep. Silly girl.

I'm looking forward to the boys' first day of kindergarten on Tuesday! They are very excited and very ready. If I think too much about all that kindergarten entails by way of how they've grown and changed since I carried them in my tummy...I get really sad. My babies are growing up and entering the world. I'll be sending them off on missions before I know it.

I've got to stop that train of thought right there...

Happy new week!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I love you for always thinking of others before yourself, for loving my babies and my husband, for teaching me almost everything I know, for showing me how to serve by doing service, for having so much fun doing girl stuff, and for being a wonderful mother and friend.

Her birthday was actually yesterday, the same day Shea and I celebrate our anniversary, but with it being Sunday...

My parents had a fireside at their home where Cam's friend Nobuaki told his conversion story and sang songs about being the light. It was a great evening. Since we had that going on (and the fact that we get done with church at 4 and Shea doesn't get home until about 5:30) we celebrated this evening with a Baskin-Robbins mint chocolate chip fudge nut cake--minus the cake. We're not a big cake-eating family.

Lame excuse as to why I'm a day late with my post again, but that's the truth.

The boys toured their school today. They were very excited about the library and fascinated with the office and why a kid would have to go there. They are excited to meet their Learning Dynamics teacher, Mrs. Medved, tomorrow and their kindergarten teacher, Miss Allen, on Wednesday. They are also not as scared for their doctor visit on Friday since they found out he is Boston, Audrey, and Brynn E.'s doctor. Somehow, that makes shots not as scary. Phew!

Our 7th Anniversary Dinner

Our anniversary is on Sunday, so we decided to celebrate last night with dinner at the Tree Room at Sundance and a movie. We had such a great evening together. We both realized what a wonderful seven years it has been, and we are both looking forward to the next seven.

Dinner was delicious. We started with gnocchi and portofino mushrooms with a light mushroom sauce and shaved parmesan. We also had a bowl of creamed eggplant soup with Jamaican Jerk seasoning and a mango drizzle. For all you Rumbi soup lovers, you would have LOVED it. It was yummy!

Next we both had the Sundance salad with plumped currants, candied pecans and the house viniagrette dressing. My main course was halibut over creamy artichoke risotto with fresh green beans and squash. Shea had the buffalo flank steak that was cooked over the apple wood grill with an ancho chili lime glaze. Both our entrees were delicious!

We ended the evening with the fresh berries and custard.

My mouth is watering just thinking about how wonderful our food was!

We then drove to Wynnsong to see Stardust. Neither of us knew very much about it besides seeing a few previews of it. It was so good! It is a fairy tale story, and we both loved it. It wasn't too girly, and it wasn't too bloody. Actually the only swear word I remember was a d... somewhere. So, it was very clean.

Thank you to Nana and Papa for watching our kids last night! They love being at your house, and we love how attentive and fun you are with them! We love you!

School Days...

The boys are getting so excited to start school next week! We have a meet-the-teacher or a tour of the school or something from Monday to Thursday next week. They start actual Kindergarten on Tuesday the 28th. Yea! We took these pictures last week when we went to go find out what their teacher's name is. Lucy is going to miss these guys!

I can't believe my babies are growing up...

And I love this picture of Lucy and Aunt Olivia. Cute girls!

Happy Birthday, Cameron!

Again, I'm a day late, but...

Happy 21st Birthday, Cam!

Blah

Shea just checked our online credit card statement. Someone has stolen his work AMEX number and charged well over $12,000! I am just sick that someone would actually do something like that. Seriously, the pit in my stomach...
Of course he called and canceled the card. The fraud lady reassured him that we wouldn't be responsible for any of the charges, but still. Who are these people who steal credit card numbers? Who raised them? Why are they such idiots?
I feel so naseous right now. Ugh.

He's home!

It was so wonderful to see Cam again. He's so darling! We loved spending the evening together with the whole family. Lucy, Audrey, and Eli didn't know what to think, but they're warming up to Cam quickly. Cam and Coop were excited, but a little shy. Today will probably be a different story. Cam was back to teasing and playing with them the minute he stepped off the plane.

T minus 3 hours...

Until we get to hug Uncle Cam at the airport!

Sleepover and Chuck E. Cheese

My boys are darn lucky. They know to ask their Aunt Shannon for a sleepover, and she can't say no! She immediately plans the date, the menu, and the next day's fun activities! My boys always show up and have more fun in 18 hours that they have in a normal week! (I'm kidding, but it is a fun-packed, fast-paced party time!)
They showed up and got Boston's new fish all settled. Then they got jammies on, ate cereal and cookies before bed, brushed teeth, and played Nintendo until they fell asleep!
Today I met them at Chuck E. Cheese. Aunt Shannon bought 200 tokens for Boston, Camden, Cooper, and her babies to share. They were running around like crazy kids! They had a great first trip there. It was so fun!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Shannon!

Two more sleeps until we see Uncle Cam...

Mamma Mia!

My mom took me, Candy, Kelly, Shannon, and Matt to see Mamma Mia at the Capitol on Saturday. It was so fun to hang out with the girls and Matt! (He is such a darling stud muffin, by the way.) We had a great time dancing in our seats to the ABBA songs. Kelly and my mom had fun reliving the 70s. (Crazy stranger picture taker lady took a blurry pic. Sorry!)

Thanks, Mom!

And a HUGE thank you to Shea for taking such great care of the kids while I was out. They were all happy and fed when I got home. He is such a good dad.

Saturday night we went to our friends' house for dinner and games. We had a great time, and the kids were crazy together!

Church was good today. Lucy slept through most of sacrament meeting and sunday school. Yea! She was ready to leave by RS time though. She kept grabbing my finger and trying to drag me to the door. When that didn't work, she stood at the door and pushed it repeatedly to try and get it to open so she could escape. No such luck.

We had our Taylor FHE at our house tonight. We had great food, but really missed Todd and Jane and kids, Jake, and Judd and Candace who are on vacation. It wasn't the same! Hannah and Reese were with their other grandma, so they were missing. We only had 9 adults and 7 kids! We're usually 32 people!

And for those who are counting down with me...5 sleeps until Cam gets home from Japan!

Audrey Rose

Happy 1st Birthday, Audrey!!!!

It was actually yesterday, but today's her big party. We're going swimming and having dinner and Ben and Olivia's clubhouse. The boys are very excited. Adam and Ashley will be there, and Olivia's brother, Richard, just returned from his mission to Russia/Georgia (the country) last night!
Seven more sleeps until we pick up Uncle Cam from the airport!!!

(I have to run upstairs to post pictures from that computer...)

Cheeseburger!

That's what the boys yell as they are about to steal the cheese from off the counter while I'm preparing a meal. Then all three of them sit around and do this...

Cutting slices of cheese from off the block doesn't help. I've tried. They still prefer to take enormous bites out of it. I'm going to attribute this little quirk to Shea. He's the cheese lover, and he's obviously passed it on to the kiddos.

I got out of the shower the other day and found this...
So sweet!

And lately, Lucy has been in love with her Daddy. It is the sweetest thing to see her grab hold of his finger and walk him around the house. He gets her whatever she wants, and they laugh and play together a lot! Those are rewarding mommy moments!

Harry Potter

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows last night. I loved it! I couldn't have guessed all the details of the ending and the way things would resolve/unresolve/resolve in the last 120 pages. It was so entertaining, and a great read. I won't spoil it for anyone, but I'm one satisfied reader. I didn't think it could happen, but I was wrong.
After I finished, Cooper came walking in to my room (mind you, it was almost 2 a.m.) and turned on "Frosty the Snowman." He started watching it like it was the middle of the day--crazy kid! Shea was still up reading Harry Potter #6, and we just looked at each other and laughed. We all fell asleep sometime after that and no one woke up until 9:30!
We have my cousin, Eliza, over to play. She is 7 and just moved back from Virginia after her dad clerked for Supreme Court Judge Alito for a year. Cam and Coop missed her!
We are also getting ready for a ward party at Mutual Dell from 3:30 to 5:30 today. It should be nice to hang out somewhere less hot!

Sick with a stomach bug

Lucy, Cooper and I were up sick last night. Yuck. Today has been one of those lounge around, visit the bathroom often, sip on a Sprite kind of days. I am ready to feel better! Luckily (I hope it doesn't get worse tonight) Lucy has seemed to feel good today. She wanted to eat a banana for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. She hasn't acted sick and has taken two naps! I hope she is over it. As for me and Coop...we're on the mend. Now I'm just dreading Camden and Shea getting it. Is it possible to escape? I hope so!
We had a relaxing Pioneer day yesterday. We had a lunch time bbq at Shea's parents. There was lots of good food and fun cousins. Boy how we miss those Todd Taylor kids! Family parties are so different.
The kids played water games, threw water balloons, did the slip and slide, and watched "Barnyard" while the adults gathered in the shade and talked. A storm blew in in the afternoon and it was so nice outside! It cooled down to about 78 degress. Perfect!
After Shea's parents' house, we ordered food from Bombay House and ate at Cory and Shannon's. We had a fun game of whiffle ball with everyone, the kids played Wii and on the swingset, and we did fireworks at dark. It was a fun day!
My parents and Matt and Marc are in Lake Powell this week. I love living by both families, but it was nice to spend some good quality time with just one on a holiday.
We also said goodbye to Shea's younger brother, Jake. He's moving to Raleigh, NC for a new Cisco job. He flew out today. It was sad but exciting for Jake at the same time. This will be an amazing opportunity for him. (I also think we'll be seeing a lot of him since he left a darling girlfriend, Andrea, at home.)
Shea got in touch with his best friend from North Carolina this week. They haven't been in touch for 10 years, when Shea found his MySpace page. Now we're planning a trip to see Jake and Shea's friend sometime in the Fall. I'm excited to see where Shea grew up!
Hope you all had a fun 24th!

Darling E

Do I not have the most darling nephew on the planet? Did I mention that his dad weighed 27 lbs. at 9 months? E looks like he's going to catch up!

Nordstrom Sale!

Oh, how I love the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! I have been going with my mom for probably 15 years. We used to go up to Fashion Place, but we now meet in Orem. This year we pre-shopped on Monday, which was awesome. We had gotten everything done and were home by 10 this morning. (We were there when the doors opened at 7...)

I have no problem shopping for Fall clothes--even when it's 100 degrees outside. I love that season's clothes more than any other. Sweaters, jeans, cute shoes...I just love back-to-school time in general. I used to get so excited and have my first day's outfit planned for a month. Of course, it was usually too hot to wear it, but I did anyway.

Now that the boys are headed to kindergarten in the Fall I love getting them ready. They are excited; I'm excited for them; it's a good thing. They keep asking if they can wear their school clothes, and I just brought some of them home today! That's going to be a fun battle. Hopefully they'll forget about them hanging in the closet.

I hate goodbyes

I've been kind of avoiding the blog world since I'm boycotting so many of our family leaving. All of them are going on and doing the things they need to and should do; I just don't like change. There are so many things I'll miss. There are so many things my kids will miss.

Adam, Ashley and E left last week to Loma Linda, CA to start 3 years of dental school in the fall.

Todd, Jane and kids leave tomorrow morning for Gilbert, AZ. Todd can work from anywhere, and it's time to share them with Jane's family for a while. Lucky Beesons.

Jake leaves next week for Raleigh, NC to start a year-long Cisco training program to further his career.

Camping at Nana and Papa's

Shea's parents planned the greatest sleepover of all time. They wanted all their grandkids (10 from age 3 to 13) to sleep over. They all arrived at 7 last night. Nana had hot dogs, chips, and Capri Suns for dinner. While Shea and Papa set up the tent the kids ate. They all got to paint on "cousins' camp" t shirts after that. My boys were loving it! The younger kids needed a little help, but I know we have some new favorite t shirts in the making!

The parents left after that, and the kids were going to watch a movie, enjoy smores, listen to bedtime stories told by Papa, and sleep in a tent! They were all so happy and excited; I hope they actually got some sleep.

This morning they were going to eat Papa pancakes (which my boys think are the greatest pancakes on the planet), and have a water balloon fight.

Last night I heard Brynn tell Nana, "if you ask us to do jobs, we'll do the jobs." I was laughing to myself. She has a good mom who teaches her to be a little helper. All these kids love being together. I'm sure they had a blast!

Thanks for the memories and the entertainment, Nana and Papa!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

We love you! We are all so lucky to have you as a sister-in-law and aunt. My kids adore you and love being with you. You are always so patient, sweet, and very fun!

We hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy 8th Birthday Boston!

We had a wonderful experience at your baptism. We're so proud of you. Thank you for being a great example for Camden and Cooper to follow. You're one of the coolest kids we know!

My cousin, Marie with Lucy and Audrey Matt and some cute girls!
Adam, Ash, and E
Lucy and Audrey looked so darling!

Happy Fourth!

Lucy and my aunt's baby, Laila
Mitchell, Coop, and Cam at the Provo parade!


Lucy and cousin, Hannah at the Hansen party on Monday
Lucy, Marc and Audrey at the Burr picnic on Tuesday
Matt, Lucy, Shea, Coop and Grandpa at the picnic