My buns are burning!!!

Today I met my friend Valerie at the gym to do a class that she had picked out. I read the info. about the class and pointed out that it said you should master the previous class before diving into this one but she insisted that we would be fine. Well, she must have a lot of faith in me because that class was super-D-duper intense. WoW! By the end I had burned almost 700 calories and do you know what I thought about as soon as I was done? That's right, you guessed it! Cookies! I was wondering how many cookies I could eat that day and still not gain weight! I think I missed the point. I am in the beginning days of summer where I have to figure out the routine. The kids just want to lay around all day watching t.v. or playing on the computer (video games) while I wonder around cleaning! This system is not going to work. So, I need to sit down with the kids and work out what the expectations are for these next fun filled months. It seems like I'm always having to mix things up around these parts. BJ is out of town this week and so I stayed up last night until 1:30 am knitting. I am making 2 baby girl hats for a set of twins due next month. They are going to be so cute!
This past week I have been thinking a lot about the "good things my parent taught me" and how we often dismiss them. I talked at church in testimony meeting on Sunday about how my parents had taught me to serve and what a blessing it has been for me in my life to realize the joy in service and how I really want my kids to find the joy in service as well. In thinking about that I decided that I didn't want to lose what the past has taught me. I want it to live on in my own children. So, I bought a steam canner and all the goodies that go with it so that this fall I can put up some peaches, pears and applesauce. Most people don't do this anymore. It's much easier to buy them in cans at the store. However, if you've never tried a canned bottle of pears or peaches in the winter--you just have missed out. My mom has always done this and loads of other things that we just don't do any more. It's becomming a "lost art". I would like to bring some of those "lost arts" back. As I come up with things, I will share all that I'm bringing back to our family. It should be interesting. I think one of the first things I'm going to do it make salt water taffy. My mom used to make it with us as kids and we loved pulling it and pulling it to make it soft. Then she would wind them together and cut them in pieces and we'd suck on them all day because they were never pulled long enough to make them soft and chewy. I'm also going to have an "old fashioned" night games evening. I'm going to invite all the neighbor kids over and I'm going to teach them to play "kick the can", and "red-rover", and "steal the flag" and then have homeade icecream. It's time to re-live the past! I invite you all to do the same and share your ideas!

1) Friends that make you go to intense exercise classes, that you would never, ever go to.
2) Lazy summer days
3) BJ's chocolate chippers--there are a few left but not for long! Ha!Ha!

The Lazy Day's of Summer

Well, the kids officially got out of school last Wednesday but this is our official 1st full week of summer. The kids were so excited to get out of school. My friend Valerie set off the end of school in a grand patriotic olympic party. She had one of those huge blow up slides with water coming down from it and the kids ate hotdogs and chips and participated in 3 olympic events. We had an opening ceremony of handing off the flags and then a closing ceremony where each child got a gold medal. It was so much fun and the kids loved spraying each other with their squirt guns and playing on the water slide. This morning I got up and took the kids on a bike ride. I had such happy, positive, summer fun intentions but Brinly cried through most of it. Ugh! Anyway, she's going to have to adapt because these bike rides aren't going away. At the end of our bike ride it started raining and so I put the kids in the car and went to the gym. I did this cool pilates class where you use machines. Wow! I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I keep promising myself everyday that I'm going to eat good and be healthy. So, I got home from the gym and ate 4 (count them) 4 of BJ's famous chocolate chip cookies!!!! I have zero self control. Anyways, there's always tomorrow!!! Ha!Ha! So, we have already been to our neighborhood pool and eaten 2 full packages of popcycles--summer is in full swing. All we need is lightening bugs and all will be well. Happy Summer everyone! I am going to follow suit and copy my sister -in- laws blog with 3 things I'm grateful for today.
1) 4 healthy kids that could cry through a morning bike ride
2) A gym where I can go and spend some time on this body of mine
3) BJ's chocolate chippers!!!!! They never get old!!!

Monday, Monday!

Well, today I am grateful for our health. A week and a half ago I got strep thoat and Influenza. I was sooo sick. I spent 4 days in bed and then Cardon got it. He is just getting his appetite back but didn't go to school for 4 days. Poor guy! Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers that no one else will get it although Amelia did wake up this morning with a little cough but now seems to be fine. Who knows! Anyway, I am also grateful for BJ. He took care of me while I was sick and did such great job. I love him! Today, is Presidents Day and so the kids are home. I need to remember to spend time playing with them since I often get caught up with cleaning and such. At lunch we played "3 things I love about you". I went around the table and told each of my kids 3 things that I love about them. You should have seen there little smiling faces when it was their turn. I have such good, happy kids. At Brinly's ballet class I had the opportunity to visit with a mom about some of my beliefs. It turned out that she had all these questions but felt awkward asking me and I find that I am nervous to share things because I don't want people to think that I'm only talking to them because I want to convert them to my beliefs. Anyway, it was refreshing to be open about my beliefs and have her appreciate my openess. What a great day!

Life at the moment

Today was a beautiful, blustery day. It's January 28, 2008 and it was 60 degrees today. Last week it was a freezing 4 degrees. It's amazing how increasing temperatures can increase your spirits. The kids didn't even wear their coats. It just felt wonderful. Last night we found out that our prophet President Hinckley passed away. I was just so happy and grateful for all of the service he gave to our church. I laid in bed last night thinking of how great that reunion had to be with the savior, Joseph Smith and of course not lastly--his wife Marjorie. What a great moment! We celebrated him today for Family Home Evening. The kids helped me make a cake and we learned about the prophets-why we have them and who will be the next prophet. BJ taught the lesson and did a great job and I have to say that President Hinckley would have thought my cake was one of the moistest he'd tasted. I hope he liked chocolate cake with chocolate frosting! Anyway, Cardon is going to be 8 in April and so will be baptized. This is a big deal and very exciting for him. He is a great kid except that he is going through a whiney stage that is nearly killing me right now. Brinly is in Kindergarten and so is going through a huge learning year. She is reading and doing very well and is having a great time making friends. She is a big help (really a second mom in the house). She loves to take care of her younger siblings and for the most part they love her help. When I am upset at Amelia she runs to Brinly to take care of her. It's pretty funny. Amelia is as sassy as ever. She brings a tremedous amount of humor to our family. Tonight as BJ was teaching his lesson about Pres. Hinckley she just kept telling every one that he is dead and then would fall down on the floor and play dead. You can't help but just laugh! She will be 3 in March. Jace is an angel baby. He is 13 months old now and as cute as ever. His hair has gone blond and he has huge blue eyes. He loves to laugh and cuddle and is a pure joy to be around. BJ is loving his job. It has turned out to be a bigger endevor than he expected but he says he's up to the challenge. He works for a construction company and is doing training on a software program. I am just treading water. I feel so busy all of the time. The kids have ballet/tap, gymnastics and basketball and so I am in the car a lot. It's always work to balance cleaning the house, playing with the kids, making meals, running errands, doing my church callings, and doing my hobbies like book club, knitting, exercising, etc. I love being a mom and I wouldn't trade it for the world but it is definately a busy life. Anyway, that is our family in a nut shell. It's going to be fun to continue this journal. It will answer important questions like "Will Cardon stop the incessant whining?" or "Will Amelia ever get potty trained?" I can't wait to discover the answers myself!!