Happy Holidays!

You can probably tell from the blog already that I am excited for the holidays. I have updated the songs too, the first is SO for my kids--they should be getting nuttin' for Christmas because they've been nothing but bad! I also threw Feliz Navidad on there just for Scott--still makes me laugh. Anywho . . .
We had a good Thanksgiving as usual, ate way too much which was surprisingly little. I didn't take big portions, it's just that we had 2 full thanksgivings and I had a Beto's breakfast burrito as my solace for lack of sleep and it all added up. This has been a tiring holiday for me, between all the call at work and of course 3 am wake up call on Black Friday I have just been trashed. Tonight I will get my first full night of sleep in 5 days, hopefully! Here is my fav pic from the day, I have the best 3 guys in the world! Speaking of that, Lowell again rocks! I was stuck at work so much Thanksgiving so Lowell stepped up and made the dishes I had committed to. He was running crazy while chasing the kids, getting a turkey ready, plus rolls rising, mashed potatoes made and a sweet potato casserole in the oven. And the topper for the week was his willingness to trek to Ikea for a Saturday only sale. They had a good price on a much wanted item by me but I was at work and he went and fought the crowds with the kids and got what I wanted. He is not a fan of any of that craziness and just did it because he loves me. Awww, I love my hunny!

A random shot thrown in just because I think it is so funny. Lately Carter will hang out in his room after he wakes up and line up his books in odd shapes. ????

I am so ADD today, this post is all over the place! Here is dinner (lunch) at the Penrods, my bubbys and cousin Hannah. This lasted all of 30 seconds and they were off jumping off of things, they are not big eaters.

After dinner with my family we had a few rounds of Robbie's Rock Band. The kiddos LOVED the drums, they kept fighting over turns and even occasionally hit the right one at the right time.

Rocker Carter

Drummer Davey

So Friday my mom, Hillary, and I ventured in the dark to the swarming mass of crazy shoppers on the freeway. I am on the freeway frequently in the middle of the night for my job so it is safe for me to say there was an unusual amount of cars on the road for 3 am! We used our strategy to go to the WalMart in Payson (less people around the store, but same number of items per store) though I think Springville may have been less busy. It was safe to say they were ALL very busy! We got there an hour before the sales were to start and the parking lot was pretty full already. But we found our items and we got everything we wanted without too much trouble. Some rocking deals too of course! The lines were insane but we were still out of there by 6. We next went to Kmart and got what we wanted there though their lines were so bad and checkers awful and disorganized. Lastly we hit Toys R Us but they were already out of what I wanted, so I mercifully avoided that line. The rest of Friday was fairly restful, we went to the Gardens (I know I said it was closed already and it is, they just open for Lehi family week) and the boys ran the whole way and then took a blessed nap.

Last night we went to see the holiday lights at Thanksgiving Point and to see the reindeer. The boys are crazy about Santa and I can't even figure out why. We don't really talk about it that much but they are all over it. I love it, the innocence of children and their blind faith.

Davis with reindeer antlers

A poor shot of the reindeers, we'll go again and I'll get a better shot. It's free to see the reindeer, so anyone interested head on up. Also Monday nights at the Emporium will feature Santa and a *free* photo. Be sure to watch for his "elf" my cutie sis Cyndel. If you want to spend a bit of money, I would certainly recommend the fudge and anything chocolate.

I have hit up a little more shopping here and there and am getting close to finishing up. I have a weird drive to just get it done each year so I can stop. I like to shop but I will just keep spending and spending unless I set limits. So I hurry and hit my limit on everyone and then stop looking at ads or searching websites. It's weird to think the holiday season has just started and I am already ready for it to be over. I think I better start spreading out the fun. Friday we will hopefully be going to see the lights at the zoo and celebrating Dutch Christmas.

Lastly for my "weekly sermon" :) I would recommend reading the article in December's Ensign on caffeine. Lowell would say I trying to rub it in that I was right, and well that is somewhat true. I researched caffeine a fair amount in college and was fascinated by some project Dr. O'Neill had going at BYU. There is evidence in mice that caffeine disrupts the body's natural pathway to detecting cancers. Concentration for humans is an issue, but it was enough for me to give it up for good. Caffeine does not cause the cancers, but it blocks the pathways already established to detect and remove faulty cells. The Ensign article doesn't speak to this danger but to many others that caffeine can cause. I am not judging anyone or saying you have to stop drinking your favorite beverage, but it never hurts to be informed and to remember all things in moderation. I would post a link, but it isn't on the website yet since it is not quite December.

Well I hope you are all feeling the joy of the season and remembering as always the reason for the season, may we all reflect on our thankfulness for each other and for our many blessings, the greatest of all being the Savior of the world.

The picture says it all . . .

Doesn't that face say a thousand words?? That has been our week, bumped and bruised but hanging in there. It's not as visible as it was in person, but Davey has a black eye. He was sliding down our slide out back, head first for some reason, and hit his Power Wheel which was just off to the side. It started with a little blue bump and spread. I guess the scratch on the side was from the same incident, but I didn't notice it until after nap that day. He also has a sore little nose from being sick and is wearing his BYU hoodie and is obviously upset by Saturday's game. I think Max Hall probably looks a little like this too. Man did he have a bad game. We'll still cheer for him next year and honestly and truly I am happy for the Utes. A BCS bowl would be good for our state and good for the whole conference. Bust the BCS and show those big schools Utah means business! Davis was spared watching the game, he was playing with his cousins while Lowell and I watched it at Chili's with my family. A nice outing other than the loss. The good news about the Penrods is that we bounce back! Check out this shot:

Still beat up, but we are happy!
And some Cutie Carter too. Sunday church went okay except Davis has been SO emotional as he has taken his steroids for the croup. It helped immensely with his breathing, but the drama was almost too much to handle. He has been very clingy to me, crying whenever I am not with him which is very odd for my little man. Sure we're best buds but I have always worked full time and he has been great with whoever he is with. He also has not been sleeping well at all, waking frequently and being hard to console. He varies from 'roid rage to cuddle bear to super super whiny. So happy he is done with that and still praying Carter doesn't get it. He has done great though he started coughing a little last night. They have both had a runny nose and I think that is independent of the croup. I was going to say it would be the first cold they haven't shared, but I don't want to jinx it, so I'm not saying it!
Carter in his Thanksgiving outfit, ready for church
Davis, and his fake smile and black eye
Such cutie boys! I think this one is going on some ornaments (artscow of course, 1.99 with shipping for a pic fired onto a porcelain ornament.)

So to go on with our great week Sunday night Lowell was working on our humidifier which didn't seem to be working when a burning odor came up through the vents. Then the furnace stopped working. Monday we had the furnace guy over and he says it will be $300 for a part to be replaced. So much for saving money, every time you put some away it gets eaten up. Part is in, turns out it didn't fix it so you'll need another part, now pushing $1000 or you can get a new furnace. He suggested new because ours was 10+ years old. That's strange I said, the house is only 6 years old. I guess either the builder or the people who owned the house before us put a used heater in. That's great. So we just went with the new furnace hoping for less troubles in the future. Can't get it until the next day though so day 2 without heat and we are getting chilly. Luckily we have had a lovely mild November and some extra blankets, footed PJs, and a space heater took care of us okay. Tuesday I went grocery shopping with the kids and my dad and it was horrible! I guess I shouldn't have combined 2 days of no nap and poor night time sleep, with steroid let down, with lunch and nap time. It was bad. I come home to the furnace guys thumping away and guess what, exhausted kids won't sleep again. It's getting pretty late and they are still at it and I still need a turkey so what does crazy me do? Take the kids to the store again! Hillary and Cyndel helped but it wasn't great. Hill and I took the boys to McD and they did okay except the lovely McD folks just plain forgot about us so it was a long time to eating and of course my impatient children thought playing outside in the drive thru would be more fun than the play place (????) but did NOT want to leave and made sure everyone there knew that. Finally home again to a warm and quiet house, so much to be thankful for! And I am a little ashamed to admit it, but this was one time we really needed it, I gave the munchkins some Benadryl and they knocked right out without a peep and slept in this morning. Today I am thankful for Benadryl! The last couple of days Davis has been begging to play golf, I don't know why, but Hill came with us to Trafalga today. I have a coupon (of course) so we played a round and played at the arcade for $8. The boys were actually quite good other than leaving even if they really have no clue about golf.

Carter with his tickets, woohoo!
What we spent the most time doing, throwing the ball in an opening and running to see where it went.
A short lived attempt at putting.

We had lunch with grandma and that brings us up to date! Seems like such a long week already and it is only Wednesday! But things are looking up, tomorrow I am taking a "by-day" on my diet and enjoying a truly fabulous eating holiday! I actually work from tonight all the way until we eat at noon tomorrow, but it will be worth it. We'll have a traditional thanksgiving complete with an always excellent turkey and my mother-in-law's pumpkin pie that no I will not eat and yes, they surprisingly have still allowed me to be in the family. Then we'll take a lovely nap and repeat with a less traditional steak dinner with my fam. Just for kicks I am throwing in the tradition with a turkey (my dad won't eat it) and sweet potatoes (most won't eat it, but this is Jessica's recipe from UVMOM and it is excellent!). That is a heck of a lot of food for one day. And I'll get a free turkey dinner from the hospital while I am on call, so I'll put that in the fridge and have it Saturday. The gift that keeps on giving.

Friday is the big day for us shoppers, Black Friday. I have been checking out the ads for weeks and am still finalizing my game plan, including secrets like going to the Payson WalMart and having WalMart match other ads, thus avoiding the big tickets items at that store. I also have 4 people in my arsenal this year so we can divide and conquer. Should be fun!

I just wanted to say that I am very thankful this year, even though I may not want to repeat this week. I am so so thankful for my Savior and that all this isn't meaningless, that families are forever and there is so much glory in store for us. I am thankful my Heavenly Father sent me to my family and to my husband and his family and that He sent us our boys. I am grateful we are all healthy and well and warm, much too well fed and comfortably clothed. I have some great old and new friends who all mean the world to me. I really don't have that many friends, so the ones I do have mean that much more. You uplift and carry me on tough days and bring a smile to my face even on great days. Far too many of you live far away but I still think of you almost daily and smile. I hope I can be the type of friend to you as you have been to me. You know who you are! (Hint: if you actually read this blog, it's probably you!). I am thankful today that a little guy we draw blood on frequently who was literally at death's door for his first birthday, got the liver transplant he so desperately needed. And it was because friends of theirs lost their daughter. It was a miracle she was a match and it just made my day today to know that sweet little guy will make it to his second birthday. I am thankful for my job and for the financial stability it provides my family. I used to be grateful we were debt-free (minus house and one car), dang new furnace, but I am grateful we had an emergency credit card and that my house is again warm. May god bless all of you this Thanksgiving holiday! Loves!

Here we go marching 2 by 2 hoorah hoorah! Year 3 video!

Alas I am sick of editing it, so this will have to do!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Croup strikes again!

Hi all!
Another busy week culminating with two trips to the doc in one day. Sigh. Our weekend went well, Saturday night Lowell went to dinner for his mom's b-day and I took the boys up to have dinner with my dad. Oh that reminds me of the best news! My dad will be released to home confinement this Wednesday! As with so many things involving his incarceration, this is not as easy as it sounds (he has to send in an intinerary for every day and can only go to the places on it, plus he has to call when he leaves, call when he gets there, check in at the half-way house twice a week . . .) but it is still a step in the right direction. January 6th he will be off home-confinement, he'll still have to check in with a probation officer but he won't have to call to go to the park down the street. The whole thing is still so ridiculous given the circumstances, but he is going to home confinement sooner than we had hoped so this is great news. He'll be home for all of Thanksgiving and Dutch Christmas and Christmas of course. Such a blessing! Anyway . . .Sunday we had cake at grandma's (the boys think it is a birthday every time we see grandma and it almost is, Lowell's fam has a lot of winter birthdays, lots of cake!). Tuesday we had lunch with my dad and tried out tennis, the boys seemed interested in it so we played a little. Here's some pics. Grandpa with Carter, it was a gorgeous day!

Davis, he is actually a decent hitter, he practiced the whole day before

Dirty face, but he loves sports!

Did I mention, love? He would not go for nap without his SpongeBob ball and racket.

The sad part of that day was Davis' voice started cracking and I knew something was up. We went to Smith's Marketplace that night. Here's my review for those who are local and interested in this newly opened store (it is off the Alpine Highway in Highland/Lehi somewhere in there). The grocery part was cool, very large and they had some great deals for the opening, 99 cent Grandma Sycamore bread, 99 cent eggs, 50 cents for Quaker rice cakes and cocoa . . .they have a little bistro too that looks quite cool, hot food served and a place to eat it. Also a Chinese kitchen that looked nicer than the one in AF. They also serve gelato which was fair, good for American ice cream, paled in comparison to Vivoli's in Florence (seriously it is worth the trip for the gelato, sure see the David and the Duomo while you are there, but get the gelato!). The bread looked good, plus they had a soup/salad bar, olive bar, and sushi bar. Pretty upscale for Smith's. Now the negatives, they pride themselves on being a one-stop shopping center but beyond the food items, I will not be shopping there. The clothes prices were much higher than I would pay (think $32 for footed PJs, $45 for Levi's-on sale!). The rest was only fair, not better than WalMart. The pharmacy and electronics was very small and not adequate. They only had one choice of cold medicine for my bub, the reason we went there in the first place. So check it out for the food, pass on the rest--my two cents! Tuesday night Davis got steadily worse and I spent a good part of the night awake with him while he struggled to breathe. Scariest thing in the world when your child can't breathe. We've been through croup before, about 18 months ago, so I was pretty sure that was what was going on during the night. We got an early appointment with Dr. Cornish (by the way, love him! If you're looking for a ped, he's the one!), and thankfully grandma took Carter. Yup, croup. Not too bad yet, we'll try oral steroids. Picked those up and we were on our way. Went to farm country late Wednesday thinking the cool air would help the bub plus he'd been asking to see the animals again--cute baby horse and cows right now! Got home and Davis became panicked because he couldn't breathe. He turned red and was coughing and choking and gasping. I hate croup! Got him in the shower to steam while we got another appointment. Of course then he was fine, thank goodness, but I was grateful Dr. Cornish didn't think I was making it up. He said he would be just as bad in 20 minutes if we wanted to wait. He was actually glad we brought him back in as he has seen kids die from croup--yikes! Anywho, long story longer Davey boy had a shot of steroids and a breathing treatment and slept so well through the night, though I still slept on the floor next to him, I am so stiff. So today we just tried to lay low, keeping Big D calm so he could breathe.

They love Mouse trap. Drives me nuts because it is not made for 3 year olds and I have to rebuild the dang thing every 2 minutes.

We painted ceramic bugs, these were the ones I mentioned before from Michael's $1 for both with the paint.

Davis playing Mario Kart on the wii (we played Elefun in the background as well)

Carter and our Christmas train, they love that too, it drives me nuts too!

Just a shot of my sicky. Aren't his eyes sad? I don't know if that is from tired or lack of oxygen, though he was satting at 96%. He was just so hoarse all day and got really wheezy and close to stridor again before nap. I was really contemplating another trip to the doc, but we did another steam treatment in the shower and he went down pretty well for nap. Funny thing before that, he was running around out of the shower with my bra wrapped around him saying, "I have tummies like mommmy!". He always talks about how I am big and strong pointing to my breasts. Funny kid, big yes, strong not so much.

Lowell says he woke up looking good from nap and I saw them a few minutes again and couldn't even hear him breathing, so hurray hopefully oral dose 4 or the steroids was the trick. Praying for a good night for my tired little man and that please please please my happy healthy Carter stays that way. Also sorry to the UVMOM gals who made it to play group without me. I was SO disappointed, but what can you do?

Okay, one last thing to my uberlong post (when are they not?). I have been debating this for a while and am interested in any input I can get. Last year the boys needed a lot of entertainment and we spent a fair amount of time having "preschool" lessons. This year they are doing so well playing on their own. I am thrilled they are learning to use their imaginations and playing so well together. My debate is how much should I allow them to have free time to play and explore (learning things like sharing, cause and effect, imagination expansion, etc) and how much should I pull them in to sit down and work on a lesson? They are just 3 and I think play is so important but there is also the part of me that wants them to read by 4 and be super ready for kindergarten. They will start school late, with October birthdays so even with us not doing preschool until next year, they will get 2 years of it. They know the alphabet but can only identify a handful of letters, they can count to 20, know colors but can't always match them and same for shapes. Carter is better than Davis with drawing, but Davis is more physically active as well, better with a bat/racket. I think part of the answer is learning through play concepts, I brought my deck of cards that has suggestions that do just that to look through and plan tonight. But what are your thoughts?

Well, back to work, thanks for sharing in my ramblings. Oh and be warned, I will be posting the boys year end video soon. I always make a book as you have seen but also a video montage. With 400 photos, this years' is 30 minutes long! I do really like the music I have picked this year though and just making it makes me cry every time! But do not feel like you have to sit and watch all that--that would be a lot to ask. I will post it just in case you do want to see it, but it is mostly for me (and the grandmas!). Okay, loves!

A time to be wary . . .and times to have fun.

So . . .I finally remembered my camera! Hooray! Okay, you weren't missing the pics that much but I hate getting behind because now I have lots to say. And not just about my silly little boys. There is so much going on in the world right now that has me on edge. If you don't live in California or Utah you may not be aware (or as aware) of the situation Proposition 8 in California is causing. Prop 8 recognizes marriage only between a man and a woman and was passed through the normal democratic process in California. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, of which I am a member, stood along with many other churches and organizations in support of this proposition. It turns out that the majority of funding for advertisements, etc for the bill was provided by church members (note, this is not the church, but rather its individual members standing up for what they believe in and donating as they choose). Now the church as a whole has come under attack by those who were against the bill. They have held demonstrations at the LA temple (even defiling a wall there) and here at temple square. They are planning another demonstration for tonight I believe. In addition to this, there is an organization that will send our prophet, President Monson, a post card for every one who donates money to try and repeal the bill. This infuriates me and I see it as an attack on a man that means a lot to me personally. I also found it interesting that these cowards do not post any online contact info, but there is an address and I am thinking of starting my own post card campaign. In addition to this, there have been envelopes with a white powder found in the LA temple and the Salt Lake temple. So far they look to be benign but it is nonetheless frightening. I think the worst thing of all with this situation are members who are fighting against the church and leaving it over this matter. Some have even speculated that enough members will leave the church over this that the church will "change its mind" and allow gay marriage. I am happy to stand up and say, that will never happen. The church is led by God and our prophet receives direct guidance from the Lord. Changes in doctrine will not occur based on the whims of society. Gay marriage is simply wrong. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and is the way intended for children to be brought into this world. Families are central to the plan of happiness and our entire existence. We believe families are forever and our sacred temples are part of that plan, where marriage are recognized for all eternity and not simply for time. We take marriage and family very seriously in our church and I can assure you that the church will not be changing its mind on this and that gay marriages will NEVER be performed in our temples regardless of laws or challenges to that fact. I am quite alarmed at this turn of events and reminded again that this is a sign of the times. We know that Christ will be returning to the Earth again and before that happens wickedness will abound and the church and its members will be prosecuted. I hate to be doom and gloom, but this Prop 8 thing certainly has me on guard. In addition to that, there was an interesting clip on the radio this morning. They were talking to an economist who predicted both the stock market crash in 1987 and the crash of this year and he has a bleak outlook for the next 4 years. He said these years will be some of the most difficult ever, rivaling the 1930s with unemployment, tax riots, and food shortages. I sure hope he is wrong, but again, it was a reminder to me to pay attention and make sure my food storage is up to date. It is unfortunately a time to be wary.

Okay, doom and gloom aside I'll get on to our week. Sunday we took a nice hike up to Bridal Veil Falls. The boys loved being out and we brought Max, one of our dogs, and of course he was thrilled. Here are some shots:
Davis throwing leaves at me. I don't know why, but I love shots of boys in just jeans. It was a little cold for it this day . . .I think I will try it again in a studio setting.
My bubs in front of the falls. You can just barely see that their sweatshirts are wet, this is from reaching in the water to grab rocks to throw back into the water. Who knows?
Carter throwing leaves at me
Davis smiling on a somewhat dreary day
Carter walking Max, both boys really enjoyed walking him by themselves.
Backing up a day, Saturday we went to the aquarium and then Lowell and I had a date lunch. We tried out the new Paradise Cafe in American Fork. I enjoyed it, though it was a little trendy and spendy. I recommend the cookies. Sunday we also played with my family as well as Saturday afternoon. Tuesday we had lunch with grandpa and Davis went to the dino museum with Lowell and Carter and I went shopping. We got a cake mix to make on Wednesday.

First. Here is another of Carter's drawings, he says this one is Uncle Robbie. I think he was generous with the hair ;).
Here are the bubs and the beaters. . .
Another "portrait", this one is Daddy
And more cake, they screamed when I put it in the oven--looks like they are going to be batter eaters like Lowell and I.
And finally, Carter asleep with his new "beew". That is their name for gun. He enjoyed this until he broke it! Santa has something a little better built in mind for him.

It seems like all I have done this week is work, it has been busy at work which is good for money but bad for sleep. We did go to Toys R Us last night to let the boys window shop a bit. I picked up a few things on sale and have gotten most everything else already taken care of. It's good to have something done and I have to say, the kids' gifts are at the top of the list. I have half of Lowell done and good ideas for the rest of the gifts I need to get. Waiting for the Black Friday sales to finalize. In light of current events I am trying to slim down my gifts, but I am bad at it, I love Christmas!

No real plans for the weekend since I will be working. I think that brings us up to date! Oh, I'll end with a little story Carter told me at the store the other day, he was flipping through a book and was "reading" it to me: "Once upon a time there was a monster and a duck. They said, Come in. Then they shut the door. They made Halloween pumpkins. It was scary." I love their little imaginations!

Addicted to Artscow

It is safe to say I am addicted to Artscow. Who knew I could spend so much on "free stuff"? I only pay shipping and it is such a good deal on what I am getting, but I have gotten A LOT. Anyway, with that in mind, here is the boys' year end photo book. I am happy with how it turned out, artcow has all the pages pre-made, such a cheaters way to scrapbook. Enjoy!
http://www.artscow.com/share/3jfu0c88fc79

I keep forgetting my camera . . .

So lame me keeps forgetting my camera as I run out the door to work. Yes, I only blog at work. No I don't even have the internet at home, we have chosen not to since we have well-screened access at work. I don't even upload my pics on the home computer, though I do keep them on a flash drive now. So hopefully tomorrow I will remember, the time right before work is always a little hairy. I have about an hour and a half to take a shower and get ready, make dinner, clean up (Lowell is saying Ha because this is usually what gets missed) and the biggest time consumer, actually get my kids asleep for nap. This takes an hour most days. Seems hardly worth it, but their attitude the rest of the day without the nap makes it crucial. Anyway, since I have no new pics I will save the post about what we have been up to for when I do. I stole this tag from my friend Scott's blog and will do it today instead. Also, since this is about my hubby, I will refer you to his new blog. Yes, Lowell now has his own blog though I am pretty sure he hasn't told anyone, enter his wife! He wanted to muse on fatherhood in the privacy of his own blog, so if you want to hear (read) his thoughts, head on over. It is http://spazmatic-lowell.blogspot.com . In case you didn't know, Lowell is quite funny. Anyway . . .


The Man in my Life

What's your husband's name? William Lowell Penrod
How long have you been married? 6 years, 2 months, 3 weeks (we got married close together Scott)
How long did you date? We met March 2001 and were married August 2002, so 17 months with 12 of them as an engaged couple. I was doing my internship and my parents asked us to wait a year (thinking maybe it would change our minds I guess, they couldn't have been more wrong and have since apologized).
How old is he? 30
Who eats more sweets? On a diet or not . . .we both like the sweets, I eat more candy and Lowell drinks more Soda.
Who said "I Love You" first? I did. Lowell made me. Stinker.
Who is taller? Lowell.
Who is smarter? Lowell would call this a "loaded question". Book smarts I may be ahead on though I think Lowell is very smart that way, but he definitely has more common sense than me.
Who does the laundry? Lowell, he rocks! He washes and I fold and put it away (or it builds for weeks at a time until I finally get around to it!).
Who pays the bills? We each have bills that we pay. We still have separate accounts, just works for us and we each are responsible each month for our own things.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Lowell.
Does he snore? Sometimes, apparently I do too but I don't buy it.
What does he do in his spare time? There is no spare time for the father of 3 year old twins. He does like to catch a movie once in a while though and play his Wii. Most of his "spare" time is spent working on the house or the yard.
Who mows the lawn? Lowell, I am allergic to grass (or as a neighbor would say, allergic to work.) We have a rider now so it's not so bad, except that he also Weed-Eats each week and mows the front with the push mower.
What is his favorite candy bar? Reese's cups
Who cooks dinner? Me. Lowell is a great help if I ask though. He is more of a stick to the recipe exactly kind of guy and I am the throw this in and see how it turns out one.
Who drives? Lowell drives when we are together, I make him nervous.
Who is the first to say they are wrong? Hmmm . . .we're both pretty stubborn, not sure we ever admit we were wrong, just make up and move on.
Who kissed who first? Lowell kissed me, our third date. I kept dropping hints for him to hold my hand, which he finally did and then kissed me that night to. He said holding my hand made him more nervous than kissing. Oh well, he's still good at it, that's what counts right?
Who asked who out first? We met on a blind date set up by my cousin.
Who wears the pants? We share the pants pretty evenly I think. We both work full-time and chase the munchkins full-time. It works well for us.
Does he say he loves you every day? Yes, and he always makes me laugh.

I tag Kristina, Kristen, and Jillian.

P.S. I keep forgetting, yes I really got the bulldozers for $1. I also got some cars and planes. They were on sale but check them out, it was a good deal. We also got little ceramic pieces to paint that were $1 with 2 pieces in the set and all the paint and brushes. The boys are going to give them away as "gifts"--just getting the idea mostly, if you are a recipient, don't feel obligated to keep it! And yes, the monkey did hit Carter in the head, but he was under the fence where he wasn't supposed to be.

A dark day and a couple of pretty good day

A couple of days off from work have been nice, although the days themselves haven't been fabulous. Tuesday the boys and I went to vote, they were pretty excited about it and also very well behaved (yes this is unusual). Granted they were strapped into their wagon, but still no melt downs. I wanted them to see me vote, so in 4 years I can tell them they were with me when we voted for the other guy. We then had lunch with my dad which was great. The McDonalds by the Provo Mall has the best play area. It had a musical area with a piano and guitar that played when you touched them and a piano slide. It also had the typical climb and slide area and a basketball set. Even better, my dad told me to sit and eat and he chased the munchkins. I am sure going to like having him around, and for much better reasons than that! He is working in Provo now and working toward home confinement, which is the same as now except he'll sleep at home, a vast improvement. He is getting release passes now because of his employment and will be making soup this weekend. Funny the things you miss, that is the thing he wants to do most, go shopping in a grocery store and cook. By Thanksgiving he should have a 12-24 hour pass, so he is cooking the dinner and by Christmas he should for sure be home. The boys' birthday and Halloween were kind of let downs, but there are shiny points ahead!
Anyway, Tuesday night it was too late for the zoo by the time the bubs were up from nap, so we went to the dino museum instead. Good times. Then the down side to the day, although not unexpected I was very disappointed, scared, disheartened, etc. to watch the election results. I am still rather anxious and depressed about the whole thing. I know there are varying views on the matter and everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but in my opinion this is a very dark day for America. When someone with very little experience, very questionable connections, and down-right scary plans for the country can be elected so easily, it makes me very sad. For the record, it is not a race thing for me. If McCain or any other official with political views similar to mine were black, Asian, hispanic, etc. I would vote for them based on their views and ambitions. My dislike (hate may not be too strong of a word) for Obama is not based on the color of his skin but rather what he has said, how he has acted, and what he has planned for my country. I love this country but I am pretty upset at 52% of its voters right now. And also for the record, although the electoral college made the race appear a "landslide", getting 52% of the vote is not a landslide. I am quite seriously reconsidering plans right now, Disney is on hold. Lowell is more optimistic than I am, but if half of what Obama, not to mention the completely Democrat, heaven help us, government has planned comes to pass, our economy which is already struggling will be in shambles so now is the time to buckle down and do what we can to ride out the storm. Not to mention the terrorist attacks I am expecting or a number of other backlashes from this turn of events. I am just so darn scared and upset. I cannot look at that man on the TV. I am back to Food Network all the time, I just can't face it right now. Time to get out of politics again! There are a couple of silver linings to my dark day. 1, Proposition 8 was passed in California, definitely a moral victory and 2, this puts Romney in a good position in 2012. Hard to see the light, but I will take what I can get. I'll just keep praying that God will save our great nation from itself. To console myself Tuesday night I had a scoop of low-fat, no sugar added ice cream and did a Dance Dance Revolution work out. I have to say the work out was more helpful.

Okay, 'nuff said about that. I have tried to keep politics out of the blog, this is about two mischievious little boys after all, but this is also my sounding board and a record for their future, so in light of historical preservation, there you go. There won't be much more discussion of this matter.
Onto happier things. Wednesday morning the boys and I finished their bulldozer project. These come in a little kit at Michael's for $1 and include all the wood, glue, paint, and paintbrush. I am going to go get some more. Here is the finished project, I guess they like black . . .

Also on Wednesday the monkeys had a dentist appointment, and silly me didn't bring my camera. I was afraid of being "that mom that takes pics of everything and then blogs about it". I should have just faced the fact that I could have a name tag that read that and brought it anyway. They did SO good. I was very proud of them, it is not often I get to be proud of their good behavior so I was loving it! They did their Xrays and full cleanings with no complaints, except for when we were leaving! They wanted to stay there and play with the toys and watch the movies. We go to a really fun office. Their teeth looked good too, a little tight but no cavities and the little spot of missing enamel Carter had last time is gone, so yeah! One funny thing, Davey boy was in the chair and the dental assistant put the water in his mouth to rinse the cleaning paste off. He just sat there and drank and drank, he wouldn't let her stop. Then when she was done and was rinsing and suctioning, every time she took one of the tools out, he would reach up and put it back in. All the time watching the show in the ceiling, just kind of nonchalantly reaching. We all laughed and I finally made him stop. I guess he likes the dental tools. We then played at the park (yep in the snow) and then I went to the UVMOM thanksgiving dinner preview. Always a blast to chat with you gals and rock out on Rock Band--thanks for the good eats and good company!
Today my mom took off so she could be home for a home inspector from the half-way house, they have to check for drugs, guns, whatever before he can come home. That wasn't until the afternoon, so this morning we fulfilled Davis's wish to go see the animals. I love the zoo in the winter. So quiet and the animals are so outgoing and easy to find since they are inside. Here's some shots.



Carter with Acara, they are close in age so I have enjoyed watching this little gal grow. I have a video of this later.

Is Davis as big as an Orangutan? Not yet.

The boys up close and personal with the monkeys. They got a little too close and this one hit Carter in the head. Time to back away from the fence I think.
Who's spoiled? The white alligators were half-off since the alligator just left our zoo and since they are so rare and the boys have seen him, I thought I'd get it. The tiger was cheap and was a reward since the train and carousel weren't running today.

Carter was a happy camper too. They ran and ran and then took a good nap. All in all a good day for me!

Here's a little video, the first is the boys singing Row, Row, Row your boat (I caught the tail end) in the boat in front of the old white alligator exhibit. The second is Carter and Acara, and the third Davis playing with the meerkats.

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Now I am just feeling hot and tired, not a good sign. I also have a stye that is driving me nuts, too much stress! I think some sicky is right around the corner and I better try and sleep it off. Wish me luck!

Crabby Patty

I was a crabby patty today. I have once again started my diet. Truthfully this happens every few months, though I don't ever recall officially ending a diet. Somehow I just creep back to old habits and amazingly after nearly a year of going to the gym twice a week I have managed to gain back the 5 lbs I lost. Hrmph! I still think there is some thyroid/hormone issues at play, but I will try again. The hormone issue means I cannot lose an ounce even with extensive exercise unless I stick to a pretty strict diet. Strict diets do not make me happy. So add together my munchkins getting up at 6:30 this morning (I know this is probably plenty of kids normal wake up time, but this little mommy is not a morning person and we usually do not get up until 8:30. Also take into account that the gremlins did not go to sleep until past 11), trying to entertain them many more hours than typical before the gym, running 5 miles there and having only eaten Slim Fast and I was just a joy! Top it off with a 14 hour shift after a heck of a long week last week (my call shift has been unusually busy, which adds up to some extra Christmas money but also one tired mom) and I am just peachy! I am just thinking back on the day, that my supervisor came to me with a concern on one of my analyzers that a test was not faring well comparatively to the other labs and I told him, well, tell them we just won't run them any more if they have a problem. I wonder if that was a bad answer on the day of my performance evaluation?? Does anyone else think it just feels weird to eat a lot of carrots and apples or have I been on a Snickers kick for too long? Maybe it's not a hormone thing after all . . .

Actually today hasn't been that bad. I am just laughing at myself and my self-pity. So this year we carved our pumpkins the day after Halloween. Just didn't seem to get it in the schedule any earlier. Can I just say those tiny little carving tools they give you are useless? I spent an hour on my pumpkin with my bent little knife cursing that I let Davis choose the spider while Carter just chose a face. Next year I am coming up with a better plan. Here were the results:
Davey's spider pumpkin, ignore the broken web pieces and the part where I was not paying attention to the "remove this portion" note.
Carter scooping the guts with the spoon, not such a fan of the slime. Poor Oscar needing a haircut in the background.
Here's Carter's pumpkin.
Carter laughing with Daddy while carving. Lowell was having it make puking noises as the seeds came out.

Davis would pull out the seeds with his hands, but he wasn't a big fan of it either.

Oh well, another year of pumpkins come and gone, but it was a very fun year and I love Halloween with 3 year olds. They can get away with marching right into everyone's house, commenting on what they are watching on TV, and then taking a handful of candy just to make a cute face at the candy-giver and get more. These stinks have the system down. Well, it was candy, and they are my kids.

In Utah the day after Halloween marks the beginning of Christmas music on the radio so the boys have been asking for "snowman" and "Jesus songs" instead of the typical repeat of a Baby Einstein DVD. Today they asked me if we could go to the church and see Santa, it is going to be a l o n g holiday season. I do love this time of year though and enjoy the music so I will just have to try and tide the enthusiasm for a while. Though I am learning Santa is a helpful person to have around when you want your children to behave or even potty train. I am working on "Santa only brings presents to little boys who wear underwear all the time". Worked today, they've got almost 2 months, it could happen!

Tomorrow we are going to try to go to the zoo, since after gym today Davis was insistant that he needed to go 'see the animals', we're also having lunch with my dad and making the trek to the elementary school next to us to vote. Wednesday is their dentist appointments and the UVMOM thanksgiving preview dinner, so yea for us! Well, have a good night all, I am going to go have an apple and a big glass of water. Sigh.

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so onto the inevitable Halloween post. Yes, I love Halloween and really do look forward to it almost as much as the boys. I went trick-or-treating until I was a senior in high school, just loved to go and would go to "take my little sisters". I gave it up in college and had a few dry years until the kids were born. The first year we stayed home :(, but it had a lot to do with the fact that they looked like this:

They were just released from the NICUs and were both on oxygen and heart monitors. Not so conducive to trick-or-treating. Max and Maddy were Darth Vader and Yoda in case you were wondering. But since then we have gone each year and every year they like it a little more. Saying I am a sweet tooth is an understatement, like my dad I have sweet teeth. The boys take after me in that regard and who wouldn't love free candy! Plus this year they have especially gotten into the "spooky-ness" of the day and seeing all the costumes, etc. It's just a fun age. As I mentioned before, we were the Mario Brothers family. Mario=Davis, Luigi=Carter, Wario=Lowell, and Princess Peach=Me!
We had a full day of fun. In the afternoon we went to my hospital's Halloween costume contest, just as something fun for the boys to do and because they love seeing people in costumes so much. Guess what? We won for the best small group! Woohoo for us, it has a $50 prize. I never would have guessed, but hey I'll take it! Then we had the typical Halloween, please let me get a picture in your full costume battle. The boys were done with their fake mustaches, but I did get these 2.

That'll do, I wrestled with them for quite some time to get a shot of both of them, but much bribing and pleading and tears led to only one pic and it isn't even worth posting. Oh well. They are darn cute in the 2 I got though . . .

We then went the Lowell's family's ward's (did you follow all the possessives?) trunk or treat. I wish they had these when I was a kid, what a way to clean up on the candy with minimal effort! We also got to see my nieces, who are such dolls, that's always a bonus.

Carter and Alivya, the flower

The boys with Hannah, the kitty

We then headed up to my mom's house for door to door trick or treating. I guess this is becoming a less popular way to go, but even though it takes longer, I prefer the original. There is something special about running from house to house, seeing all the decorations, and ringing the doorbell before saying trick or treat. There is just a feeling in the air, part excitement, part spooky, and part so hopped up on sugar it is ridiculous! Here are the boys at the beginning, racing to the next house.

And here they are at the end, dragging their way home, me carrying Davis' basket because it was too heavy. A funny note with this shot, at the house just previous to this Davis walked up the driveway as usual, but had his hat down as in this shot, the garage was black and he just walked smack right into it. At the time, it was so funny, I doubled over laughing after I made sure he was okay.

And finally the pay off, check out all that loot!

We'll be working through that for a while. Finally, I got some brief video of the boys I thought I would share. They were so silly and hyper, and also so tired, they are definitely harder to understand when they are tired. Also note that I do have a video camera that is just fine, but it is a hassle to upload from so you are stuck with the low quality video from my digital camera. Deal with it! ;p

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