Sweet Simplicity

Snippity Doodah!

2010-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Jolie's hair was sort of a HOT MESS so we took her to get a hair cut. She likes to suck on her fingers and twirl her hair at the same time, and she often gets her fingers wound up too tightly in her hair and rips out big chunks. Needless to say, her hair wasn't exactly even. It was much longer and thicker on the side she doesn't twirl. I always kept it in ponytails, but they were totally uneven. Anyways, it was time to cut her hair. She sat so still. It only took about 5 minutes. Oh, how I wish we lived near Ann. I wanted a cute, stacked cut, but she doesn't have a lot of hair, and it's pretty thin and uneven, so it didn't end up with a lot of shape, but it is sooo much better, and she looks like such a big girl!

Wheezer

2010-05-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, David took Aidan to Carden Children's Hospital's ER because he had been having difficulty breathing through the night. They admitted him and he was there for 2 days. It turns out he had suffered an Asthma attack. He hadn't ever been diagnosed with Asthma, so we weren't prepared for it. He was such a little trooper. He didn't like getting the IV, but he was very cooperative and did whatever he was asked. He even learned how to swallow a pill! He liked being waited on hand and foot and having control of the remote. He also liked peeing in the little handheld urinals. He didn't like having to stay in bed because he was tethered to cords and machines, but he made up for it as soon as he got home, running around like a mad man, jumping over couches etc. Really smart for a kid who had just gotten out of the hospital, huh? He had quite the case of "Roid Rage" from all the steroids he had to take. He is usually a pretty emotional little guy anyways, but it was ridiculous! He's doing much better now. We were bombarded with information at the hospital - movies, reading material etc., so now we feel much more prepared should it ever happen again. It was scary! I had never had any experience with Asthma, and I didn't know how serious it can be, but now that we know Aidan has it we can hopefully modify our home to help prevent this from happening again. Our dog might have to go.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2010-05-25T23:17:00.001-07:00

Make Lemonade!!!

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1cup sugar

Fill to 2 quart line with water

I love living in a place where you can just go outside and pick a fresh lemon right off the tree! Look at the size of that sucker!

The Monster Mash

2009-10-10T09:19:00.001-07:00

I saw this on my cousin's blog and just HAD to copy it! Brooke, I hope you don't mind!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Bobble-head no more!

2009-10-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

Aidan's head is a little "larger than average". Okay, so his noggin is huge, but he needs a BIG head to engulf his BIG brain, right? On top of having an enormous melon, he has a mop of THICK, voluminous hair to go along with it. Together, they create a sort of "bobble head" look on this little guy. David usually gives the boys their haircuts, but I've been known to give them an occasional hack-job. Ethan has learned from experience NOT to let me near his head with the clippers. Aidan, on the other hand, will do just about anything when bribed with a little computer time.

It didn't turn out too badly this time. Thank goodness we're going to visit Ann this weekend so she can help blend it a little better. It couldn't have gotten any worse than it already was. At least there wasn't anything living in it! This kid can GROW some hair!

I got a little carried away with the #1 guard. We were missing a few attachments, so it skips from a #6 to a #4 to a #2, and then just a whole lotta #1!

Sweet Egyptian dance! He's dancing because he's so excited to get a haircut!

Jolie's Got BLING!

2009-09-19T12:08:00.001-07:00

We finally got Jolie's ears pierced! I know, she's only two, so I can't really say "finally", but it is a decision I have been wrestling with for a while. When ever I would see a little girl with earrings, I would want to do it, but I didn't want to put Jolie through unnecessary pain. The deciding factor was when Jolie was trying to put my earrings in her ears and she put them IN her ears. I don't want to have to keep fishing my earrings out of her wax-infested orifices, not to mention the damage it could do to her. So in an effort to avoid a trip to the emergency room, I took her to Claire's and they did the deed. We got her some little "diamond" studs, so now Jolie's got BLING! She sat so still while the ladies prepped her ears, sterilizing them and drawing on the little dots. She really wanted to get earrings, she just didn't know it was going to hurt. She only cried for a couple of minutes. They gave her a sucker, and we got some ice cream on the way home. She loves her new earrings! When ever she catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror she tilts her little head to the side, reaches up to touch her earrings, and smiles. Hopefully now that she has her own earrings, it will prevent her from sticking mine in her ears.

On to the Next Chapter...

2009-09-12T09:12:00.000-07:00

She's been a good crib.

She has weathered the elements ... soggy diapers, leaky bottles, night terrors.

She has been used for many things ... her railings as chew toys, her mattress and springs as a trampoline, her undercarriage as a favorite hiding place.

She has been assembled over and over, through our several moves, each time emerging as strong as the day we pulled her out of that big, cardboard box.

But most importantly, she has provided a soft, warm, safe place for my children to rest their heads.

Now the time has come for us to go our separate ways.

She's a simple gal, nothing fancy, but she's solid.

She's still got some good years left in her.

There will be other babies, but mine were her first.

(If any one needs a crib, she's yours for the taking.)

Working Girl!

2009-09-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

I started a new job as a receptionist at a dental office! I've been working there for two weeks and I love it! I thought it would be a lot harder going back to work after being a stay at home mom for the past twelve years, but everything has just worked out so perfectly that the transition has been a pretty easy one. I'm working 4 days a week with Wednesdays off. David was able to re-arrange his work schedule so he has Mondays and Tuesdays off, so our two younger kids only have to go to daycare on Thursdays and Fridays. Our two older kids are in school all day. I was able to find an awesome babysitter about a mile away from our house. The kids love it. My office is about 5 minutes away from my house. They are so fun and laid back there. My sister-in-law, Melissa, works there and helped me get the job. It has been so fun working with her and the other staff members. I get to wear scrubs, so I don't have to worry about buying a new wardrobe. But the best part is we get FREE dental care!!! And............ORTHODONTIA!!!!! That's worth it right there with my family's teeth! In today's economy I am just so grateful to have found a job at all, let alone one that is SO AWESOME!!! Now I won't have to resort to plan B: working the corner of Brown and Stapley.

2% Other

2009-08-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

At our house we eat a lot of hot dogs. I mean, who doesn't like a good wiener, right? They're quick and easy to make, there is a wide variety of toppings you can put on them (sauerkraut is my favorite), you can eat them with one hand, and my picky, younger kids love them. We've always got a freezer full of them. Anyways, Avery just HAD to inform me that the FDA only requires hot dog makers to use 98% beef, pork, or chicken (whatever the hot dog is made out of) in their hot dogs, and that the other 2% can pretty much be whatever else falls into the mix. i.e. insects, rodent droppings, rodents themselves etc. I had always heard that hot dogs were made out of "lips and bumholes", or just the leftover parts of the animals, and that never stopped me from eating them, so I doubt this will either, but at least now I know that if I bite into something crunchy, it might just be a cockroach leg, or a mouse turd. Mmmmmm, protein!

"Most Horriblest Mother!"

2009-08-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday I was taking a little afternoon nap, which I NEVER get to do, when Aidan woke me up asking me if I would "get him on the computer." Half asleep, and annoyed that he awoke me from my precious slumber, I replied something like, "not right now" or "have Avery do it", to which his reply was, "You're the most horriblest mother!" I've been called a lot of things, but I can't say that I've exactly heard that one before. So, now I hold the title of "Most Horriblest Mother!" Shouldn't I at least get a sash or tiara?

One Year Older and Wiser Too!

2009-08-17T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we celebrated David's thirty-second birthday! Yep, the big 3-2! He doesn't look a day over twenty-five! I can't say enough great things about this guy, and if you know him very well, I don't have to. His face in this picture says it all. David is the first one to drop whatever he's doing to help you out, and does so HAPPILY! He works harder than anyone I know. He plays harder too. He is a big kid and is so funny and laid back. He has the best personality! He can be sooo inappropriate sometimes and I love it! I usually act like he is embarrassing me, but really, I think he's hilarious and I "egg" him on most of the time. It is so hard to stay mad at him - all he has to do is give me THAT look and my heart melts! I can't wait for him to come home from work every day just so I can snuggle him. He has big, strong arms, and his shoulders... seriously - you should watch him swim! The Summer I met him, when I was just sixteen years old, we went swimming together and after that, I was HAD! He is so confident, yet so humble at the same time. I just love him so much, I can't STAND it! I have loved learning and growing right along side him for almost half of his life. He is my best friend, and I'm so happy he was born! Happy birthday David Burk!

Alien Flower in my Backyard!

2009-08-15T10:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen anything like this? I feel like I'm in the sequel to "Little Shop of Horrors"! My backyard neighbors have this flowering vine that is growing over the wall, and THIS is what grows on it! I've never seen anything like it! It's so cool! It looks like something from outer space! The yellow things sprouting out of the middle look like they're going to reach out and GRAB you! Then there are the little soft, fuzzy, feather-like petals? If anyone knows what it's called, let me know. I guess I could look it up. I'll just call it Audrey II for now. If I wind up missing, you know where to look!

Okay, so I easily found it on the internet! It is the Passion Flower! It accompanies the passion fruit! I think I'll try to harvest some seeds from it and grow them myself.

Back to school 2009

2009-08-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Avery and Ethan went back to school on Wednesday! They're happy to have somewhere to go and to be back with their friends - old and new, although they still complain about how much they HATE it.

Avery is in 7th grade this year. Yes, JR. HIGH!!! We went to her orientation on Monday. We walked around the campus and found all of her classes. We also found her locker which happened to be on the TOP row. She is miniature, and she could hardly reach it. Seriously, she could barely see the numbers on the dial to do the combination. I had to go with her on the first day of school to get it changed. She really is tiny! I saw a bigger girl (I'm assuming she was in 9th grade) pointing at Avery and commenting to her friends something along the lines of, "Oh my gosh, look at the little seventh grader! How cute!" At first she acted all embarrassed to have her mom with her on the first day of Jr. High, but when it came time for me to leave, she wanted me to walk her to her first class. Spread your wings little birdie and FLY! She only got lost once, and ended up having a great first day!

Ethan is in fifth grade this year. We happened to miss his "meet the teacher", so he didn't know where his classroom was. He was pretty nervous, so I walked him to school and helped him find his classroom. As soon as he saw some of his friends from last year, he was good to go. He had a good first couple of days as well, and he's already asking to play the french horn. Where does the time go? You want your kids to grow and learn and become independent, but it always feels so good to know that they DO still need their mommy sometimes. I can't wait to see what this new school year has in store for these two. I'm sure it will be FABULOUS because these kids are AMAZING!!!

Camp Lomia here she comes!

2009-08-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Avery was able to go to Young Womens camp this year because she just turned TWELVE!!! She had such a great time and was really able to bond with the other girls in our ward. She has sort of had a hard time with this last move, and has really tried to hold on to her friends out in Queen Creek and hadn't really given the girls out here a chance, so it was so great for her to go up to camp and get to know everyone better. I was also able to go up for three days, and it was a FABULOUS experience if I do say so myself! The theme this year was "In Tune". We learned that the spirit speaks to us all differently and how to recognize and be "in tune" with how he speaks to us individually. Going along with the theme, each ward chose a musical to plan their activities around. Our ward chose Mary Poppins! Our YW President, Cindy Allen, was Mary and the girls were all chimney sweeps. They did the "Step In Time" dance for the skit. They were so cute! They all got along so well, and there was absolutely NO girl drama! They were all so excited and involved. They had great attitudes which made their camp experience so wonderful! The ward and stake leaders put SO MUCH WORK into camp! Everything was AWESOME! I am so grateful Avery's first year at camp was such a great one! I am so grateful that she has such AMAZING women for her leaders, and I am so blessed to be able to work with them. She was able to come into Young Womens this last Sunday for the first time, and now we'll be able to go to Mutual on Wednesday nights together. How FUN and EXCITING!! She really is an AMAZING YOUNG WOMAN! I can't believe how quickly she's growing up!

Chim-chimminey, chim-chimminey, chim chim cheree, a sweep is as lucky, as lucky can be. Chim-chimminey, chim-chimminey, chim chim cheroo, good luck will rub off when I shakes hands with you. Well blow me a kiss, and that's lucky too!

Harris 1st ward - First year girls - Avery, Kater, Elena, Chelsea(YCL), Teghan, and Sunni

Flower the skunk - Instead of running away from the skunks, these girls chased after them, coaxing them with blackberries!

Avery and Elena - "Practically Perfect in Every Way!"

Our Playbill - someone in the stake painted these beautiful Playbills for each ward.

Avery and Kater - two spoonfuls of sugar!

Dutch-oven at the Carters!

2009-07-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite places to visit in Utah is the "Carter Family Farm"! My cousin, Shareen, and her husband, Kevin, have a fun, little farm that we HAVE to go play at every time we're in Utah. This time they invited us over for some good ol' Dutch Oven cooking. Shareen ran a 1/2 marathon that morning, but was still her usual, energetic self. Kevin impressed us with his cooking skills preparing not just beef ribs, but also pork ribs and some yummy potatoes. There were chips and fruit salad, and they topped it off with ice cream cones! We sat around the fire pit until 11:00 while the kids went exploring with their headlamps on. After hearing a blood-curdling scream from Aidan (just because he didn't get to hold the flashlight), David went to investigate what was going on. In the mean time, Kevin had a brilliant idea... he snuck over, hid behind the haystack, and waited...and waited...until finally, when the moment was just right, "RAAAAAH!!" He jumped out at David, who screamed like a little school girl! Needless to say, David was NOT allowed to sit on the "MAN LOG" after that.

Kevin, the cullinary master!

What do you call cheese that isn't yours?

NOT-YO CHEESE! (Nacho cheese)

Mmmmmm! These ribs are finger-lickin' good!

Check out these cute, matching aprons I made for Shareen and her daughter, Hadlie. Hadlie LOVES horses, so I found her a cute fabric with horses on it, and I HAD to make Shar one to match. They're reversible!

Utah trip June/July 2009

2009-07-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an extended stay up in Utah visiting my family. We had a Hadlock family reunion, a wedding in Montana, and my dad celebrated his 70th birthday. I had to be there for everything, but I couldn't make three separate trips, so I just stayed for a MONTH!

The kids had fun getting to know their grandparents and cousins a little better.

Jolie and Grandpa are BEST FRIENDS!

Granny taught Jolie how to play the accordion.

We went to the 4th of July parade in Provo.

Blowin' Bubbles!

Silly cheerleaders!

Helping in the garden!

Check out these beets!

Here's Ethan mowing the lawn.

We were able to stop in for a visit with Jeff and Kristi's family in Rexburg, ID on the way to Montana for my niece's wedding.

Uncle Jeff let Aidan help make some popcorn in his cool popcorn popper.

My niece, Candice got married in Dillon, Montana on July 11th.

Good times were had by all, but there's no place like home!

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

2009-07-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have moved into the BEST NEIGHBORHOOD EVER!!! We have some of the COOLEST neighbors! Not only do we live across the street from David's sister, Amy and her family, but our next door neighbors, Richard and Nancy, are THE BOMB!!! Richard always takes our garbage cans in and out for us if we don't remember, and we don't usually have time to remember because he has already done it. He is a one-man neighborhood watch. He is the first one to offer to bring in your mail and water your lawn when you go out of town. Nancy is the cutest, tiny little lady with the BIGGEST personality! She is always so upbeat and happy. They have been known to go to the Grandparent's Day at the elementary school, even though they don't have any grandchildren that go there, just to be there for some of the little neighbor kids that don't have grandparents close by. They have started having these monthly FHE cook-outs with a few of us close neighbors. Here are a few pictures from the very first one back in June. They had another one the night we drove back from Utah. It was so nice not to have to make dinner after driving for eleven hours! We love our "new" neighbors!

Who you gonna call?

Three Smokin' Hot Ladies! Amy, Kayla, and Crystal

That's right, the men get to do the cooking!

A friendly, little game of football.

Jolie loves her a good HOT DOG!

BFF's

2009-07-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

So, we were able to spend a MONTH in Utah visiting my family. The best part about staying for an extended period of time was my kids getting to know their grandparents a little bit better. Jolie warmed right up to my dad and now they're BFF's!

"I'd rather be spinach!"

2009-06-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a conversation I over heard Ethan having with his friend...

Friend: "I'd rather be dead than in a coma for the rest of my life. I wouldn't want to be a vegetable."

Ethan: "I'd rather be a vegetable. (pause) I would be spinach! I love spinach!"

Good choice Ethan! Keep eating your spinach and you'll be strong like Popeye!

Sink, Swim...or Float!

2009-05-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this being swimming season and all, I thought I would try to start exercising so I wouldn't be too embarrassed sporting a bathing suit in my backyard this Summer. I know, it's kind of late to START exercising if I want to get into good enough shape to feel confident, but better late than never, right? I figured the big kids are out of school, so they can stay home and watch the little ones while I go for a run etc. Well, I got dressed to go running, then decided to go for a swim instead. Water aerobics is supposed to be a good work out, right? The funny thing is, I DON"T KNOW HOW TO SWIM!!!

Lucky for me, I was able to hitch a ride with this friendly crocodile! I kicked back and forth across the pool for a while, floating on this little guy. I didn't want to get my freshly colored hair wet. Well, I got my hair wet, so I figured "what the heck", and I attempted to swim a few laps. My doggy paddle just wasn't cutting it, and I swallowed a bit of water. In the process I discovered that our pool isn't that deep, and I can touch the bottom all the way across, so then I decided to RUN back and forth across the pool. Needless to say, I didn't move very quickly and I wasn't getting the results that I wanted. Feeling a little defeated, I gave up on trying to "feel the burn", and instead I inhaled a big, deep breath, laid back, and floated around on my back for a while. Although I didn't have the experience that I originally desired, I got a whole different, equally rewarding one instead. It was so relaxing listening to the birds singing in the trees, the distant sound of a neighbor's lawnmower, and just looking up at the sky. I was out there, alone with my thoughts, floating around. It was so nice!

This is what it looked like.

So now I've decided that I'm going to go for a run, then come home and float around in the pool for a while. That's a great combination! I'll be able to get the work out that I wanted, and then unwind and meditate for a while.

Guitar Gang

2009-05-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are Ethan and a bunch of his friends with their guitars under our tree out front. This is how they spent their Memorial Day. Aidan's even rocking out with his Guitar Hero guitar. They say they're going to form a band. This will be the cover for their first album.

Just Because She's So Darn Cute!!!

2009-05-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

I Want My Mullett Back!

2009-05-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

So, I've been known to wear these pop-in hair extensions from time to time, and as I was taking them out the other day, my son Ethan asked me to put them in his hair so he could have a mullett.

His hair is blonde, and so straight and coarse, so they didn't really blend very well(or at all), but it just looked so funny!

Not to be left out, Aidan had to get in on the action. Here he is playing his air guitar. Billy Ray Cyrus, eat your heart out!

Jolie Turns Two!!

2009-05-06T07:31:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd birthday to our sweet Jolie Olivia! How did we get so lucky to be blessed with such a beautiful, sweet, smart, happy girl? We are so grateful to have you in our family. You have brought so much joy to our lives. You are growing up so quickly! I can't believe you're two years old already! What a special girl you are! You have got such a sweet disposition. You are always so happy and smiling...and laughing! What a laugh you have! You have the funniest personality. The best part about it is that you KNOW you're funny. You are so observant and smart. Here are a few of the things you are into these days...
You love to sing songs. Your favorite songs to sing are "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam", "Rock-a-bye Don't You Cry", "Five Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree", "The Wheels On the Bus", "Ring Around the Rosies", etc. You've also got a few not so kid-friendly songs in your repertoire, such as (1)-"All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce. You sing the "Oh, Oh, Oh" part, and you wave your hand back and forth like she does in the music video. (2)-"Boom Boom Pow" by the Black Eyed Peas. You roll your hands around and sing "I like a boom boom boom, I like a boom boom boom." (3)-"Poker Face" by Lady Gaga. You try to sing the words "poker face" at the same time she does, but the whole p-p-p-poker face thing confuses you. You just love music and singing and dancing. You've got some nice moves. You love to watch Elmo and Dora and the Wonder Pets on TV. You have your Elmo movie that you love to watch, VHS because we still live in the dark ages, and you'll just go pop it in and watch it whenever you want. You're a little tomboy since you play with your big brother, Aidan, all day. Instead of pretending to be a princess, you pretend to be Spiderman. You fight and wrestle and make fake sound effects. At the same time, you are so cute and girly. You play "Mommy" with your baby dolls, you love to do my hair, and you get into my make-up all the time. You haven't discovered the Disney Princesses yet. You wont sit through a full-length movie. You are little miss independent. You insist on dressing yourself. You get so frustrated when both of your legs get stuck in the same pant leg, but you try to stand up and wear them anyways. You are a little parrot-you repeat EVERYTHING! You have an extensive vocabulary. You can express yourself perfectly. I can seriously have a conversation with you. You also use a few signs (More, please, thank you, milk, bread, poop, Mom, Dad, pig, elephant etc.). You are so polite and always use such nice manners. When you talk to me, you end every sentence with "Mom". "Okay, Mom", "Thank you, Mom", "I promise, Mom", "Hello, Mom!" etc. It's so cute! It makes me love my name, Mom. You are obsessed with cheese. You would eat Popsicles all day. You love your pink milk, and you have to shake it up all by yourself. You actually love hot, spicy food. You love the water! You lay back in the bathtub so your hair floats around, and you say, "I'm a mermaid!" You love to play hide-n-seek. You count like this, "One, seven, nine, ready not here I come!" You will stay in your hiding spot, which is usually under the covers of my bed, so quietly and hold so still. I pretend that I can't find you and you start laughing, but you try to laugh quietly so I won't find you. You sound like Ernie from Sesame Street. You still suck on your two fingers, and like to play with your hair. If I ever have my hair in a ponytail, you take it out so you can play with MY hair. When it's time for bed, you have to give EVERYONE a kiss. Even Eddie, our dog. You are always the one that reminds us to say prayers. You fold your arms and say, "Heavenly Father,". Sister, I could go on and on, and I already have, but I just love you so much I can't stand it!!! Happy birthday sweetheart! I'm so glad you are my daughter.

Fountain Hills

2009-05-05T09:30:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we went up to Fountain Hills. No big deal, but we had so much FUN!!! There's a HUGE fountain that goes off every hour for about fifteen minutes in the middle of a lake filled with ducks. Aidan(4) saw it and said, "That's a geyser!" Yes, he's a genius! We picked up some KFC and just hung out at the big park there. They had an area with all of the squirty water things that the kids had fun in.

And there were SWEET statues to pose on.

The weather was beautiful, there was a nice breeze, people were roller blading, walking their dogs, laying on blankets and making out. Oh, nix that last one. Anyways, we will go back. It's one of our new favorite places, and it's only 1/2 hour away.

Sponge Curler Head Jolie

2009-05-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Sponges don't only live in a pineapple under the sea...they live on Jolie's head!!! Seriously people, who uses sponge curlers anymore? They still make those things? Where do you get sponge curlers? Well, I found them in the bottom of a box, left over from when Avery was little.- Yep, I tortured her too. I actually think I got them at the Dollar Store. I used to HATE it when my mom would put sponge curlers in my hair. In my third grade school picture I have ugly sponge curler hair. They make your hair so much shorter...and FRIZZY. I just have to tell you the reasoning behind my decision to "pass the sponge ". Jolie's hair has gotten a little out of control. It's getting long and stringy, and her bangs are always in her eyes. She walks around with her head tilted back so she can see out from under them. I put her hair in cute pigtails every day, but she likes to twist her hair while she sucks on her fingers, so she always pulls them out. I cut her bangs a few times, but she ended up with "square bang syndrome" and looked a little dorky. When we moved back to Mesa there were SO MANY cute little girls in our ward with the CUTEST stacked haircuts. I took her to the salon to get her hair cut, but she pitched a fit and we were out of there in two minutes flat. So, I'm going through boxes on Saturday and I come across a little, plastic, zip-up bag full of sponge curlers. The wheels in my head started a'turnin, and before I knew it, I had pulled a Lois and stuck my kid in sponge curlers. She sat so still and let me put them in. I was sure she would pull them out so she could twist her hair to go to sleep, but in the morning they were all still in tact and VOILA - Sponge Curler Hair!!! Or S-C-H as I like to call it. It actually turned out pretty cute.

It's May Sird!

2009-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy, happy birthday to my beautiful cousin Shareen! I was lucky enough to live next door to her my whole childhood. She's the closest thing I have to a little sister. When she was little and you would ask her when her birthday was she would say, "May sird!" She's all grown up now with FIVE kids of her own. She is such a great mom, canner extraordinaire, and just an all-around great gal. She is a ball of energy and talks a mile a minute. She is HILARIOUS and has kept me laughing with her belching on command, Firemarshall Bill impersonations, and especially her SWEET dance moves! I love you Shar, and I can't wait to spend some time with you this Summer!

New Blog Address

2009-04-28T12:03:00.000-07:00

I had to create a new blog. For some reason my computer would always freeze on my old blog, so I imported all of my old posts over to this one. I've got my computer working again - for now - so I'll try to get on the ball with the blogging again. All you private bloggers - add me to your lists with the new e-mail account chapmanblog@hotmail.com. I'm getting so frustrated because I can't get to you.

This One's Gonna Be A Doozy!

2008-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

It's been over TWO MONTHS since I last blogged! My computer pooped out on me, but now (thanks to Ann and Steve) I am able to blog again! HALLELUJAH!!! I seriously went through some major blogging withdrawals, but time heals all wounds and it got easier each day. I am so excited to get back on the blogging horse! I can't wait to see what ya'll have been up to! I've got two months worth of stuff to catch up on, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the little ride I like to call CHAPMANIA!

October

Ethan was one out of only three fourth graders in his school to get straight A's in the first quarter! He's so responsible. He comes home from school every day and gets his homework done without being reminded.

Avery also got straight A's! She's only in sixth grade, but at her school they change classes like a junior high, so she has seven different classes. She has adapted to the schedule very well. Look how miniature she is. I really do feed her.

Avery had a choir concert. She was SOOO nervous, but she looked so cute up there smiling and doing the little actions. She did a great job!

This is the only picture I got of Halloween. The batteries died in my camera, but you can sort of tell that Jolie was a lion, Ethan was a scary hockey man, Avery put together this last-minute punk rocker get-up, and Aidan is a caterpillar - he went through a few other costumes, and this is what he decided on. We didn't have any trouble keeping track of him in that bright green outfit.

November

Three of David's beautiful sisters, Kelly, Liz and Ann, had birthdays this month and we were able to go out to lunch to celebrate with them. I didn't have a lot of cash to get them presents, so I had to get creative. I channeled Maria from "the Sound of Music", and turned my extra curtain pannels into aprons for each of them.

TWILIGHT! Avery and I went to the 9:50 showing on the 21st with Avery's friend Chyanne and her mom, Pam, and sister, Matracia. We got there 2 hours early and were already behind about 200 other die-hard Twilight fans. We had a fun time and enjoyed the movie. We can't wait for the next one to come out, but rumor has it our favorite guy, Taylor Lautner, may not be playing Jacob Black this time around. BOYCOTT! Start a petition! (All you Edward fans had better ZIP IT!!!)

We got to go up to Utah to visit my family for Thanksgiving! We had a great time catching up and eating lots and lots of delicious food!

We went to visit my cousin, Shareen, and her husband, Kevin and their kids while we were there. They have a farm with all sorts of fun animals, so my kids had a blast! I must admit, I had a great time too.

December

My mom's birthday was on December 2nd. I love my mom! Everyone loves my mom! I'll have to do a separate, special blog about her. I'm trying to hurry and get this blog finished and she deserves a little more thought and time. As does my Aidan who turned four on December 6th. Stay tuned... many more blogs to come. I also had a birthday this month. The big 3-0! Yep, that's right, twenty-something no more. I've been dreading this one, but it came and went without a hitch. We had a big birthday dinner the weekend before for myself and David's sister, Amy, who turned 40 this month. Thanks to Ann for organizing it!

My sister, Diana, and her daughter, Rowan were even able to fly in from Utah to be here for it! Here are just a few pictures from the fun night.

There's the past two months in a nutshell. I've got many more blogs to do, but they'll have to wait until another day. Christmas is just a few days away, so I'm sure there'll be many more, but I'm only one woman people.

My Marlboro Man!

2008-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

In an effort to remain at the top of your "most recently posted" blog lists, I have been trying to post a blog every day! It's also a way to pass the time while I'm busy not cleaning my house, and neglecting my children.

I'm sure many of you are familiar with http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/. I know you are because I see it all over your blogs! On this sight the author of the blog, Ree Drummond, a country mom and housewife, shares her delicious recipes and beautiful photography, along with helpful hints and entertaining stories. It's my new favorite sight to go to. Growing up on a small farm myself, I'm a country girl at heart, and her pictures make me feel at home. She's living my dream life. Anyways, my favorite feature on her sight is "LOVE STORY - Black Heels to Tractor Wheels". Here she shares the story of how she met and fell in love with "Marlboro Man", which is what she calls her husband. It has been so fun to read! She has the funniest personality and has done a great job of writing it. Every couple weeks she'll add a new chapter to the story. I started reading it the other night, and I couldn't stop! I'm all caught up now and can't wait for the next installment! It's worse than waiting for the next Twilight book to come out! I've always had a thing for those cowboys in their Wranglers and boots! Funny how I married a man who wears baggy jeans. I've always wanted to get him in a pair of Wranglers and boots! I think that's what I want for my birthday now! He swears he's not going to sing to me, so maybe I can get him to wear Wranglers and boots! It doesn't matter what he wears though, he's still my Marlboro Man!

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!

2008-10-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

I recall a phrase that a wise, old mother rabbit once told her young son, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". I come from a family of name callers! I'm one myself. Whether it be good or bad, we always end our sentences with a name, and not usually the one that belongs to the person we are talking to. Where, to most people a term of endearment might be "sweetheart" or "honey", ours were "poopy head" and "butt hugger". Anyhow, growing up I had some older brothers that liked to tease. I had red hair, crooked teeth, and freckles, so I was a pretty easy target, but for some reason, they always found the ugliest GUYS to name me after. I think I could've handled it a little better if they were at least naming me after ugly girls, which they did too, (a girl in our neighborhood whose last name resembled swine) but these are a couple of the meanest things they called me.

ROCKY, from the movie Mask. I mean come on, I'm sure he has a sweet spirit, but they didn't call the movie Mask for nothing.

MALACHI, from the Children of the Corn movies. One of my brothers would follow me around saying, "They want you too, Malachi." (a line from the movie)

Now days I'm positive that NAPOLEON DYNAMITE would've made the list.

As would CARROT TOP!

I'm sitting here, laughing my head off, but when you're a little, awkward, red-headed girl, it can do some damage. I'm all grown up now, and I understand that when we're younger we do some silly things. The problem is, I still do it!

When Avery's being a stinker, I've been known to bust out NELLY OLSEN.

Aidan has a HUGE head, and when he gets in front of the TV I might say, "Hey, JIMMY NEUTRON, could you move your noggin?"

I'm usually just trying to be funny, which sometimes backfires on me. Children have tender, little feelings, and I know I should be more cautious. Obviously, I'm setting a horrible example for my kids, and in turn they are name-callers themselves. I need to heed the advice of that old, mother rabbit and just KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT!!! It's time to break the cycle! If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all! We know I can't keep my mouth shut, so I'll try to think of something nice to say.

Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortnin' Bread!

2008-10-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Put on the skillet, put on the lid, Aidan's gonna make a little shortnin' bread!

Aidan found some wheat and decided to make some bread...

He ground the wheat into flour...

(Pay no attention to the Fry's bag on the counter.)

Kneaded it and let it rise...

Formed it into loaves...

And baked it in the oven!

Mmmmm! We love homemade bread!

I remember reading a history of David's grandma, Elsie Burk Chapman, in which it talked about how when she was just eight years old, she would mix homemade bread, twelve loaves at a time, and she had to stand on a crate because she couldn't reach the top of the table. I may be off a little, but it makes for a good story. Anyhow, I figured if she was doing it at eight, it wouldn't hurt to start Aidan at three. We actually inherited Elsie's big, stainless steel mixing bowl. It still has her name on it on a piece of masking tape. It's obviously not the same one she mixed it in when she was eight, but I imagine she's mixed many a loaf of bread in this bad boy.

I decided to let Aidan help me make some bread to keep him from playing on the computer all day, which he would do if I would let him, and believe me, I have. He had fun, and while we were doing it, I was teaching him the song, "Shortnin' Bread". My dad used to sing me that song when I was little, and I can't believe I hadn't taught it to him sooner. It brought back good memories, and we got to eat some yummy, homemade bread in the end.

Show Low High School Football...A Family Affair!

2008-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

We went up to Show Low this last weekend to visit our family up there, and to watch conference with Ann and Steve. Three of David's sisters and their families live up in the White Mountains now...Ann and Rebecca in Linden, and Kelly in Taylor. On Friday night we went to the Show Low High School varsity football game. Our brother-in-law, Randy Ricedorff, is the head coach, and our other brother-in-law, Brock Bevell is an assistant coach. Our nephew Rathen, who is just a sophomore, is the starting quarterback for the varsity team, and our little niece Gracie got to cheer during 2nd quarter and do a dance during half time with a group of 170 little girls in the "lil' line". Oh yeah, how could I forget Rhett winning the sit-up competition during half-time with 73 sit-ups in 60 seconds?! It was like a mini family reunion!

Tayvin and Beau showed off their SLHS "Bling"!

Catelyn, Elsie, and Darcey cheered from the stands!

Josh got all bundled up to watch the big game!

Gracie was so cute and did such a great job cheering and dancing with the Lil' Line!

We love going up there! I'm a country girl at heart. There's nothing like sitting outside on the porch in the morning, listening to the elk bugling to each other, letting your kids run wild all day, and then later that afternoon, having your neighbor bring you a big bag of freshly-picked produce from his garden. That's how I grew up, minus the elk bugling, and that would be my ideal life ... slower-paced, more simple. We go up there every chance we get, and if we could, we would move there in a heart-beat. Thanks to Ann and Steve for always letting us impose on them and being the BEST HOSTS EVER!!! Ann is quite the domestic goddess! Every meal is a production. Even something as simple as preparing a green salad, which to me means opening a bag and dumping it into a bowl, ends up being a gourmet dish - Spring mixed greens, red onion, apple slices, crumbled blue cheese, and last but not least, candied pecans (which she candied herself) all topped with a strawberry vinaigrette dressing. So good, and no big deal to her, but to someone like me who doesn't cook much, it's PHENOMENAL!!! She also made delicious enchiladas with cilantro-lime rice, a fresh peach pie, homemade bread, a lemon cheesecake, and our favorite thing she makes every time we visit - yummy buttermilk pancakes with buttermilk syrup, just to name a few things. The thing is, I really think she LOVES doing it! It's no wonder they have guests all the time. But it's not just the food. The tone in their home is one of family, love, and happiness. We just love to be around them. Watching conference with them is the best. David came back down to the valley with Steve to attend the priesthood session with Steve's dad, brother, and brother-in-law. They went out for sushi afterward. Not to be left out, Ann and I got take-out sushi that evening. Jolie really liked it, and Avery and Ethan both were "daring" enough to eat a fish egg or two. Anyways, we're back home now - Reality check - back to arguing and fighting over our cold cereal and Top Ramen. Okay, I'm not really that bad. Actually, I've been so inspired by Ann that I've got bread rising in the kitchen, I'm making a peach cobbler for dessert with the beautiful peaches Ann and Steve gave us, I ran three miles this morning, and I'm planning our FHE lesson for tonight! I'm not even kidding! Hanging around with great, positive, productive people tends to rub off on you sometimes, and being fed spiritually by our Prophet and other leaders of our church just makes you want to be a little better. Hopefully I'll keep it up! We love you Ann and Steve! Thanks for making our weekend so great!

Run Forest! Run!

2008-09-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

So, David's sister, Amy, is going to run a half marathon in February, and has challenged all of us sisters to run it with her. I haven't moved a muscle in years, but I figure I've got four months to train, so I may just take her up on it. I ran today for the first time. It showed me just how out of shape I am. My nine year old son, Ethan, ran with me. We left at 10:40 am, and got back at 11:05. We only went about 2.25 miles and it took us 25 minutes! At this rate I'll be able to finish the half marathon in just under four hours! It was the wrong time of the day to go running. It was stinking HOT, but there was a strong breeze that felt pretty good, until it became a dust storm and we were blinded and eating dirt. Baby steps. I'll work my way up. I'm just proud that I actually got up off of my big bootie and did it! We'll see how it goes.

* If anyone out here in the QC needs a running partner, I'm looking! I need to be accountable to someone.

Aidan's First Trip to the Dentist

2008-09-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

Aidan had his first appointment with the dentist today. He was so excited about it! We've been trying to prepare him for it for the past couple weeks. He's been to the dentist's office when Avery and Ethan had to go, and he's seen the toys and stickers and new toothbrushes etc. that they get. Well, he was ready. That is until Ethan started teasing him, telling him that the dentist was going to give him shots and pull his teeth out. When it came time to go, he wasn't feeling so confident anymore. We reassured him that Ethan was just trying to scare him, and after a little coaxing, he was back on board.

He fell asleep on the 5 minute car ride to the office. Here he is snoozing in the waiting room.

He was still pretty groggy when I carried him back to the examination room.

He was so good while they took the X-rays. He held so still. They couldn't believe he was only 3 years old. He really wanted to see the "skeleton pictures" of his teeth.

Aidan liked the way the chair went up and down. Who needs Disneyland?

He knew he was going to have to open his mouth really wide, so as soon as he sat down in the chair, he opened up his mouth. The dental hygenist and I kept telling him, "not yet", but when it came time to really open up, he opened his mouth up so big like a crocodile! Here he is squinting from the bright light.

What an awesome patient! Look at that big, healthy smile! See you in another 6 months!

Cheeser Love Songs

2008-09-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

I love cheesy love songs! The cheesier, the better! Give me a sappy duet over a rock n' roll song any day! I told David that all I want for my birthday this year is for him to sing me a cheesy love song, but he has to be serious about it. I'll count it for my birthday and Christmas! And he has to do it in front of people too. I've made a playlist of some of my favorite cheesy love songs. I know I've forgotten soooo many, so please help me add to it! I want David to have a good variety to choose from. Yeah right, I know he'll never do it, but I want to be prepared just in case. So leave me a comment with your favorite, cheesy love songs, so I can add them to my list! Thanks!

Happy Birthday to my Sister, Cheryl!!!

2008-09-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

I stole this cute picture of my sister, Cheryl, off of her blog. It's her birthday today! Cheryl is 7 years older than me, and now that we're adults, the age difference doesn't matter, but growing up, it was sort of a big gap. Cheryl was a cheerleader in high school and she was my idol. She always took the time to teach me dances, and do stunts with me(dropping me on the ice a few times). She even took me to basketball games and other fun events with her. She even coached my jr. high cheerleading squad. I used to spy on her with her boyfriends and read her journals. Cheryl has a beautiful singing voice, and she shares her talents with others. She has three beautiful daughters. She is a fun mom and is always doing fun things and going fun places with her girls. She is uninhibited and hilarious! When we get together, which isn't very often because she lives in Montana, she makes me laugh my head off! She always sends my kids and I cute little cards and gifts just for fun. I haven't seen her in over two years, but hopefully we will both be able to go home to our parents' house for Thanksgiving. I love you Cher! Happy Birthday!

New Day's Resolutions

2008-09-23T19:11:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each new year, most all of us make a few New Year's resolutions. Lose a few pounds, be a better parent, stop a bad habit, start new, good habits etc. I always mean well, but more often than not, I find that a week or two into the year I have already broken most, if not all, of my resolutions. In years past I've just given up and waited for the next year to roll around to make some new ones, hoping that "this will be my year", but I've come to realize that I actually make new "resolutions" every day. I want to try harder and do better than the day before. Let's face it folks... I'm not perfect. I make a mistake every now and again, and again, and again. I'm just glad that I can go to bed each night, and wake up to a brand new day, in the morning, that I can make better than the one before.

David the Divine

2008-09-17T07:12:00.000-07:00

When David gets home at the end of a long day of hard work, all he wants to do is just take a little time to kick back and relax, but the kids always mob him and want him to play with them. This is how he kills two birds with one stone. He usually gives Aidan a pen and lets him draw on his back. Aidan has a blank canvas to go to town on, and David gets his back scratched, all the while "interacting" with each other. Then, of course, Aidan wants a turn being the canvas. Don't be surprised if Aidan gets inked later on in life. Well, the other night Avery was playing in her make up when David got home, so this is how they spent a little time together.

Look at the pleasant look on his face. Doesn't he look so comfortable and relaxed? Everyone loves a facial! I love the color scheme Avery chose. The blue eyeshadow really contrasts with his hazel eyes. It also matches his periwinkle wrap (bedsheet).

And for the lips she chose a pink, shimmer gloss. David has big, full lips, so I think she was going for a more subtle look here. She also applied a pink blush to the apples of his cheeks. It goes really well with the scruffage of his beard.

She topped it all off with this beautiful, deep green, yarn wig that she fabricated herself with a bit of yarn she had been practicing her crocheting with. (Yes folks, she's not only a great make-up artist, she also crochets.) All in all, David was very happy with the results as you can tell by the big, cheeser grin he has on his face. He's such a good sport!

Blog Update

2008-09-08T11:23:00.000-07:00

The stomach flu has swept - more like crept - through our ENTIRE family the past two weeks. I was the last one to get it, so at least I was able to take care of everyone else, but when it was my turn, I was down for the count. I couldn't get vertical even long enough to sit up at the computer to check emails/blogs, let alone post anything. There were a couple things I wanted to post during that time though, so now I'm back-tracking. Bear with me.

Remembering Grandpa Chapman

September 5th was David's Grandpa Chapman's birthday. He passed away in May of last year. He was ninety-one years old. Our family lived with and cared for Grandpa for 2 1/2 years until he required more care than we could provide, and he was moved into a lovely nursing home. I always had a special place in my heart for Grandpa. Growing up, I didn't have a grandpa. My dad's father passed away long before I was born, and my Mom's father passed away when I was very young, so I didn't have that relationship that a granddaughter has with her grandpa. I tagged along with my cousins and "adopted" their Grandpa Worthington as my own, but it still wasn't enough. After living near Grandpa Chapman for several years, we built that relationship that I thought I had missed out on. During the time we lived with him, Aidan was born. From day one, Grandpa couldn't get enough of his little "Punkins". He was constantly by his side. Aidan gave Grandpa a reason to keep going those last few years. Grandpa's first words every morning were, "Where's Punkins?" Grandpa was always feeding him, and not always things he should be eating either... hot sauce, steak off the end of a knife, a mouth full of Milkduds. They had a special relationship though. Grandpa loved to take Aidan on walks. He would put Aidan in his wheelchair and push him up and down the street. He was so proud of him. We made some great memories in the short time we had with Grandpa. I cherish the time we got to spend with him, and I know my kids are greatful for the experiences they shared with him. We sure miss him, but we know he's so happy to be back with his "Darling Little Bride" who preceded him in death by ten years. We love you Grandpa!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad Chapman

September 6th was David's mom and dad's 46th wedding anniversary. Right now they are on a trip across the country. They got to spend their anniversary at the Grand Hotel from the movie "Somewhere In Time". They returned this April from a two year LDS mission in Colorado, and are soon headed on another one in January to Charleston, West Virginia. They have a huge, beautiful family... Nine children + their spouses, and I think the grandchildren count is nearing forty. Actually, over forty now with all the inherited grandchildren! They have always been such great examples to us. They have spent their lives serving each other and those around them. They are also still so in love. We love you Mom and Dad! Happy Anniversary! Thank you for setting such a great example for us to follow! Well, TRY to follow. Nobody can do it like you two.

Happy Birthday Old Man!

2008-08-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my David Burk! He is thirty-one years young today. I'm so glad he was born! What would we do without our David? Here are 31 reasons I love David...

1 - Avery McKenna
2 - Ethan Burk
3 - Aidan Peter

4 - Jolie Olivia
5 - He is a great father to our children!
6 - He is a loving husband to me!
7 - He is generous!
8 - He used to always buy rocks from a homeless man near his work.
9 - He is a big tipper.
10 - He is a hard worker.
11 - He has calloused hands.
12 - He has surprisingly soft feet.
13 - He is a natural athlete.
14 - He is a great artist.
15 - He has a lovely opera voice.
16 - "It would be my pleasure!"
17 - He has some funky dance moves.(Must be where Avery gets hers.)
18 - He's not afraid to make a fool of himself, and he does quite often.
19 - He is hilarious!
20 - He is sensitive.
21 - He loves babies.
22 - He used to dress his grandpa for church.
23 - He loves his family... all of his family. (6 sisters, 2 brothers, their spouses, 37 nieces and nephews, and his mom and dad.)

24 - He loves MY family...most of them. J/K

25 - Captain Morgan pose.

26 - He'll watch the Notebook with me over and over.

27 - He loves to shop for his clothes at thrift stores.

28 - He has twinkly eyes.

29 - He was my high school sweetheart.

30 - He loves music.

31 - HE ROCKS MY WORLD!!!

Feel free to comment and add to the list. These are only a few reasons I love my David.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Avery Mac

2008-08-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to our sweet Avery! She is eleven years old today, going on twenty-five. I thought I would post eleven things I love about Avery, but there are WAY more than eleven, so here are just a few. Avery is beautiful. Avery is smart - sometimes too smart for her own good. Avery is hilarious! She is so responsible and helpful. She is such a great big sister. Her little brothers and sister adore her. Everyone is drawn to her. She is a leader. She is a good example. She is energetic and excited about life. She is sassy and feisty. She loves to learn and absorbs information like a sponge, then she can spit it back out at you in great detail. She loves animals and knows a lot about them. She is sensitive and kind. She has a beautiful singing voice. She has funky dance moves. She is creative and artistic. She is forgiving. She is strong. (there's a lot of fight in that little body.) She is brave. She made me a mother. These, and so many more, are the reasons we love our Avery Mac! Happy Birthday Princess!

Sixty-nine is fine!

2008-07-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today my dad is turning 69 years old! I called him to wish him a happy birthday and he told me that he's 67 (big liar). He said he's going to count backwards until he gets back to 50, then he doesn't know what he's going to do. He's quite ambitious thinking he's going to live to the ripe old age of 87, isn't he? I guess the thought of being 70 is a little daunting. I can relate, to some extent, with the big 3-0 right around the corner. Anyways, happy birthday to my dad! "I'm goin' wherever you go!"

Hangin' Tough

2008-07-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

At first, when I saw the new music video, Summertime, by "NKOTB", New Kids on the Block for those of you who aren't familiar with Danny, Donnie, Jordan, John and little Joey-Joe, I about busted up laughing. I couldn't believe they were trying to make a comeback. I mean, they're a bunch of old men now, right? How can they still call themselves the New Kids on the Block? And if you've seen the video you'll understand where I was coming from. From the boyband choreography to their silouhettes posing every other two counts, it just seemed laughable, but then I found myself rewinding the DVR and watching it again. A little nostalgia was creeping in from the "Hangin' Tough" days back when I was ten years old, following the lead of my older cousin, you know who you are, and the neighbor girl who swore she was going to be the mother of Donnie Wahlberg Jr. I am a little embarassed to say that I am a fan of the new, "New Kids on the Block". Joey-Joe's not so little anymore.

4th of July weekend in Show Low

2008-07-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last year we had such a great, old fashioned 4th of July up in Show Low that we decided to make it a tradition. We went to the parade in the morning. Steve and Beau were on their stake's float depicting a father and son fishing. The kids got into a game of cards with a couple of roughnecks.

Later that evening, we were invited to a little get together by some of Ann and Steve's neighbors, where there was homemade ice cream and a friendly game of horse shoes. We didn't make it to the fireworks at the high school this year.

Aidan had a ball pulling faces...

... pulling everyone's faces.

I really have no dignity posting this picture of myself, do I?

The following day we went up to Hawley Lake to fish for crawdads.

Avery caught herself a whopper!

How do you like the sweet fishing pole I made for Aidan? I thought ahead and brought some clothespins to help hold the bait, but who would've thought a wooden clothespin would float? I had to use a rock for a sinker. He had fun "casting" it into the water anyways.

Here are Aidan and Gracie waiting for a bite.

Aidan didn't dare touch a live crawdad, but he found this claw on the bank and thought he was pretty tough holding it.

Alright David, show him how it's done.

Success!

Just a Little off the back

2008-07-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Jolie got her first real haircut! We went back up to Show Low for the 4th of July weekend to spend it with some of our favorite people, the Williams family, and Ann gave Jolie the cutest hair do. She didn't take much off (there wasn't much to take off), but she made it look so cute by just giving it a little shape.

Look how cute it looks from the back! And look at her little halter top swimsuit

She knows she looks so pretty.

Ranch on the Side

2008-07-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

Out of all the condiments there are to choose from, Jolie loves ranch dressing the best! We were eating carrots and ranch, and everyone had their own plate. Jolie can't really eat the carrots, but she had a grand old time licking her plate clean of the ranch.

The Bevell Bunch

2008-06-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here's the story of a lovely lady who was bringing up a very groovy brood
All of them were super cool like their mother four girlies and a dude
Here's the story of a man named Bevell who was busy with five kids of his own
There were four girls and their little brother. What's next? Who could have known?

Till the one day when this lady met this fellow, and they fell in love, got married in a crunch
Now this group, they make an even dozen. That's the way they all became the Bevell Bunch. The Bevell Bunch! the Bevell Bunch! that's the way they became the Bevell Bunch!

Congratulations to David's sister, Kelly, and her new husband, Brock Bevell! They were married over the weekend, in a beautiful garden ceremony in Lakeside. Kelly was such a stunning bride, and Brock didn't look too bad himself. Check out his sweet new hair do. Go Annie!

Here's Kelly with three of Brock's girls... Kandrys, Kaybree, and Keyala. Their kids were all so happy. All TEN of them. I'm excited to see what the future has in store for this new family. We love you!

Here's my little poser, Aidan. Avery was the photographer.

Got Sushi?

2008-06-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ann and Steve, this one's for you! I hope these pictures don't cause you to salivate all over your computer keyboard. A couple of years ago, David's sister, Ann, and her husband, Steve, introduced us to SUSHI!!! I never thought eating raw fish could be such a fun, and surprisingly appetizing experience, but we took to it right away. We've tried some different, crazy dishes, but we've found our favorites, and now we crave the stuff. We can only get it a few times a year, on special occasions, because it can be pretty pricey, but we decided to treat ourselves on Saturday night and off we went. The place we go is called "Got Sushi". It just looks like a little whole in the wall in a strip mall in Mesa (NW corner of Power and McDowell), but someone who has eaten sushi all over the world highly recommended this place, so that's where we go.

David has mastered the chopsticks.

I, on the other hand, prefer to use my hands.

We started off with a little yellowtail and tuna.

Followed by some crab - I don't like the seaweed wrap, so I just take it off.

Eel - this was just for David.

Salmon! I love this one! It has a thin little slice of lemon on it that makes it extra tasty. Check out the rose garnish made out of a piece of salmon.

My very favorite dish is the "Got One" roll! It's got cooked fish wrapped in a cucumber roll topped with shredded cabbage and spicy mayo. There's other stuff in it, but I can't remember what. I don't care though, because it's just so darn good!

And here's another roll, the "CJ" roll. My favorite part about this roll is the smelt roe (fish eggs) on the top. It's the orange stuff. I love to bite each little one between my teeth and feel it burst. I love food with cool textures.

Look at this butterfly made out of a carrot. These sushi chefs do some pretty cool stuff. It's almost too pretty to eat.

When you sit up at the sushi bar, at the end of your meal, they give you an orange. It's already cut and sectioned for you. Mmmmmm!

The next thing I want to try is going to the "Melting Pot" and eating fondue. I have heard that it is just such a fun experience, and it's also so yummy. If I ever make it there, you know I'll have my camera with me. What is this world coming to when people take pictures of everything they do and post it on the computer?

Pigtails!!!

2008-06-09T13:38:00.000-07:00

Jolie's hair is finally long enough to put it into pigtails! Avery's too old to do cutsie hair-dos, so I've really been waiting to do cute, little girl hair again. She would look cute in anything...mohawk,afro, mullett,jerry curl, dreadlocks, but SHE HAS PIGTAILS!!! Don't be jealous!

I really do have four kids. I know I post a lot about Jolie, but so much fun stuff happens when they're little. Not to mention, the kid can't take a bad picture, she'll sit still long enough for me to take it, and she still likes me, so she's happy and smiling in them. My other kids like to pull faces, and they're sick of having the camera on them all the time.

This is actually Aidan when he was Jolie's age. He had the thickest, curliest, and the most hair out of all my kids. I know it's a little disturbing, but I was just so desperate to get me a little girl. David came home from work that day and Aidan's hair was kinked from sleeping in the pigtails, so David knew what I had been up to. Aidan got his first haircut shortly after that.

Check out Goldilocks! I've got some little blondies. David was blonde when he was little, but he's dark now. I'm sure it will change as they grow. I always wanted a little red-headed girl, but I guess I can just dye it later on. Just kidding! It's beautiful!

"C" is for Cookie

2008-06-01T21:37:00.000-07:00

How do you eat your Oreo cookies? Or in this case, your generic, $1.49, store brand, chocolate sandwich cookies? Well, Jolie likes to break them apart, scrape off the cream filling with her little pointer finger and eat it, then eat the cookies. She has five teeth now. For the longest time she only had the bottom two, but just in the last week or so, three have popped through on top, and the fourth one is on its way. Needless to say, she's been a little cranky. She's usually such a nice, happy girl, so we'll let it slide just this once.

Fun in the Sun

2008-05-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Our cousin, Christian, turned seven years old this weekend and we were all invited to his swimming birthday party. Here are the kids in their swimming gear. Check out Avery's model pose! Isn't she a beauty! And how about those farmers' tans? I guess it's at least more color than their mom has.

These are Aidan's "BIG MUSCLES". They match his swimsuit perfectly. Yes, I did that on purpose. He didn't really use them much, because the water was still pretty cold and he only got in for a few seconds and stayed on the steps, but I think they'll help him gain a little confidence in the pool.

Here's Jolie with her cousin, Claudia. Claudia's six weeks older than Jolie. Aren't they cute in their matching swimsuits? We didn't even plan it. It looks like Jolie had a few too many cupcakes. She really is a Roly-Poly-Jolie!

I know there's a big elbow in this picture and I need to crop it, but if you can, zoom in on Jolie's face. That's the face of an angel! I am a terrible photographer! I can't ever get everyone looking good at once or get the people centered and in focus, but thanks to editing and cropping, I can get a good picture every once in a while. This one's going on the wall!

Latex allergy?

2008-05-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

With Jolie's birthday last week came some major discomfort for Ethan. Her birthday was on Tuesday, but it wasn't until he woke up on Thursday morning that I noticed Ethan's face was red and swollen. This has happened a few other times in the past and the doctor said that it was an allergic reaction to something, and that I should just give him some Benadryll and rub on some cream for the itching, but we've never been able to pin point what brings it on until now. I always take pictures of him when it happens, so I did a little detective work, and compared all of the pictures etc., and I came to the conclusion that it always happens right around the kids' birthdays. Birthdays = Balloons! LATEX!!! When I looked it up on line it confirmed my diagnosis. Don't get me wrong, I'm by no means a doctor, but it just all makes sense. I need to go have him allergy tested. He already has eczema and his skin is so dry and sensitive, but with this allergic reaction, he has just been so miserable. His face is so tight and itchy. He stayed home from school on Thursday and Friday. I lathered him up with a thick layer of vaseline last night, and when he woke up this morning, he scrubbed his face with a washcloth. It looks so much better! He was so embarrassed about it. He didn't want to go up during sacrament meeting yesterday when the Primary kids sang to their moms for Mother's Day, but he went up and sang to me. He's such a tough kid. At least now we know what might be the cause of it.

Mommy Dearest

2008-05-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

I hope all you moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day. Mine was fabulous! I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be the mother of my four, amazing children! I woke up to breakfast in bed - french toast and orange juice - made by Avery and delivered by Ethan. Aidan was in the wings, so excited to tell me about the present they got for me -- the softest, cuddliest snuggle blanket EVER! Three year olds aren't exactly known for their ability to keep secrets. I was also showered with homemade cards and pictures. Those are my very favorite gifts. So much time and thought was put into each one. Ethan drew me a picture of a crown with the caption "Queen for the Day". They sure made me feel like a queen. I wish every day was Mother's Day. After church we went to visit David's parents at his sister Kelly's house. The kids had fun playing Rock Band. We've got some talented little musicians there. Aidan just loves to dance, and boy does he have some sweet moves. When we came home, we made some grilled cheese sandwiches in the new waffle iron/sandwich maker that David gave me, to go with the stew that had been cooking in the crock pot all day. We topped the night off by watching the movie, P.S. I love You, after we put the kids to bed. All in all it was a pretty laid back, relaxing day.

Big One Year Old Girl!

2008-05-08T22:29:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl, Jolie, turned one on Tuesday! I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by. Jolie is such a big girl. She learns something new every day. I have just loved watching her grow and develop. The world looks a lot different through the eyes of a one year old. Seeing the excitement in her big, beautiful, blue eyes as she experiences something new for the first time, a new food, a new friend, the sound of a strange animal etc., I can't help but wonder what is going through her little head. She is such a sponge right now, soaking everything in. I feel so blessed to be a part of it. She has such a sweet spirit, and the funniest personality. We couldn't have asked for a brighter, happier, more beautiful baby. We love our sweet Jolie, and we are so happy she is a part of our family.

Quite the Little Gentleman!

2008-04-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Our three-year-old son, Aidan, had his little "girlfriend" over to play the other day. David came home with pizza, and as we were sitting down to eat lunch, Aidan thought he would place his order. "Vanessa and I would like pepperoni please." Not only was he ordering for his "date", but he totally used proper English - "Vanessa and I". It was so cute. The first time he met Vanessa at the park, a year or so ago, he said to her, "Are you brown?" to which her reply was, "I'm Mexican!" "I'm white", Aidan continued, "You look like chocolate, but I won't eat you." He's an observant little guy. We have to watch ourselves around him. Gotta love him!

Water Baby

2008-04-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

Jolie loves the water! A few weeks ago we took her to the pool for the first time. She had so much fun playing in the little fountains that shoot up out of the ground.
We had to lather her with sunblock since she's such a whitey like her mom. She loves taking baths and putting her face in the water, but she hadn't ever been in COLD water before. I guess this doesn't count because the pool at the YMCA is heated, but we'll just take baby steps.

Daddy's Greeting

2008-04-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

"I'm so glad when Daddy comes home! Glad as I can be! Clap my hands, and shout for joy, and climb upon his knee. Wrap my arms around his neck, hug him tight like this. Pat his cheek and give him what?... A GREAT BIG KISS!!" This is the greeting David gets after a long day of hard work. As soon as we hear the garage door opening, the big kids race to the door to see who can hug Dad first, our dog, Eddie, gets so excited, sometimes he even pees a little, and our baby, Jolie, flaps her arms up and down and squeals with excitement. I have to just stand back and wait for the dust to clear before I get my turn. We are all so glad when Daddy comes home. I am so grateful for my husband, David, who is such a hard worker, and does whatever it takes so I am able to be at home with our small children.

Stalkable!

2008-04-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided to join the blogging world! I figured that being a "blog-stalker" myself, it would only be fair for me to create my own blog so you can stalk me back, so stalk away! I'm STALKABLE! Not that I have anything stalk-worthy going on in my life, I have just been so impressed with everyone else's blogs that you have inspired me to start recording the lives of my own family. I won't be able to compete with all you super-bloggers out there. I'm pretty computer-illiterate, I don't have a state-of-the-art camera that takes beautiful, professional photos, and we don't go on lavish vacations, but as the title of this blog states, I will be recording the Sweet Simplicity of our little family.