This is such a Washington thing to do!!!

Apparently you haven't fully lived in Washington until you have been "hot tub hopping" in the rain. Or so, the young women tell me. I am currently the Laurel Advisor in our ward, and I live in a fairly affluent neighborhood, to put it mildly. Everyone is very nice, but they have very large homes, and most of them have hot tubs. So, for our Wednesday night activity, the girls wanted to hit all of the hot tubs while it was raining, and make pizza from scratch. We actually only made it to one house, but it was still really fun. I love being in Young Women's because it gives me an excuse to act like a teenager again. They are great girls, and even though I am still getting to know them, I love them already.


The President, Kelli, Courtney, Jessica, and Katrina. (Alberta didn't feel like swimming, so she took the picture.)

Oh, if I only had the body of a 16 year old again. How would it be?

Teaching Moments

I have been kind of freaking out, because it's almost February, and I still don't know where to send Taylee for preschool in the fall. The competition is so crazy up here, and it is so darn expensive. Lately, I have been thinking that I am a stay-at-home mom, and I can teach her exactly what she would learn in preschool. We have been working on her letters and numbers, and today she learned how to write the letter T, for Taylee. Although she loves this learning time, I have come to realize I just might not be the right teacher for her. She goofs off with me, and doesn't really listen to what I so dearly want her to learn. I realize now, why my mom didn't just teach us kids to play the piano, when she gave lessons to everyone else in the neighborhood. She sent us to learn from someone else, because she knew we would take it more seriously. (Of course, there are certain things that a mom should only be teaching.) So, I'm back to freaking out, and searching for the perfect preschool. Ugh!!

On another note, check out the stairs to our playroom/office. They are a little precarious, to say the least. I have had numerous nightmares about the kids breaking their necks, especially climbing down. Rohne used to be perfectly fine coming down on his own, with me standing from afar. However, the past couple of weeks, he has developed a phobia, and will just scream for us until we physically hold him, and carry him down. Today, I witnessed Taylee calmly, and patiently teaching Rohne how to climb down. She showed him exactly where to place his hands and feet, and told him there was no reason to be scared. He did it by himself multiple times after that. What a great big sister! It still brings tears to my eyes. So, in conclusion, we are all teachers, but not always the right ones, and we have to keep our eyes open for those precious teaching moments, when we learn the very most!

I've been Book Tagged by Kricket!

The rules are as follows:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages)

2. Open the book to page 123

3. Find the fifth sentence

4. Post the next 5 sentences

5. Tag 5 people

I am very into Shannon Hale right now, and am almost done with her book, "Enna Burning."

The mare neighed sleepily, and Enna stopped to hold her neck and breathe into her mane. It felt so good to have a companion. And the horse was such a brave, patient creature to go out into the cold night world, risking the invisible drone of arrows and spears.

"I'm brave too," Enna thought gently, feeling like a little girl in need of comfort.

I tag Natali, Holly, (who still hasn't done the last one) Aubri, Collette, and Monique.

Oh, my Aching Head!!

I know, it's that time of year again! The kids got their first major sickness this past week. They have had minor colds this season, but nothing major. I actually have felt quite lucky. Starting on Wednesday, Rohne got a really high fever, although he was acting pretty fine. It broke that night, and didn't really come back. However, Thursday, Tay woke us up at 5:00 am crying with a 104 degree fever. She was pretty bad that whole day. We finally got her fever to break that night also, and it didn't come back. When we took Rohne to Children's for his monthly check-up and blood test, the Dr. said that February is generally the sickest month for kids. So, good luck to all fellow mothers. I hope you get through it unscathed!!

Aspiring to Great Heights

So, we found out that Rohne wants to be a great rock climber like his Uncle Bryce. This is his favorite place to be lately. He has the boots and everything. I guess we'll just have to get him some North Face climbing clothes, and he'll be set.

What a great poser!

Oh, wouldn't it be nice?

Wouldn't it be nice if I always had a clean house? Ya know those women who are immaculate housekeepers, and never even seem to have to work at it? (No offense to those of you who are, I admire you.) I have never been one of those people. Especially since I've had kids, clutter just seems to build upon clutter, until I have no choice but to clean it up. It seems like I am always running around like a mad woman trying to make my house look presentable, when Jake unexpectedly invites friends over. I am, in fact, doing that right now. My kids have been sick the past few days, and I am a basket case. It would save me a lot of time, stress, and energy, if I would just pick it up when it gets messy. But. . . it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Wish me luck!

Mom's latest "Gem"

Not wanting to embarass my wonderful mother, I just had to brag about, and show everyone her latest creation. My mother is so talented, and loves making things beautiful with her hands. She has a passion for all kinds of purses, and fell in love with the Juicy Couture "Daydreamer." Of course, it is very spendy, so she decided to make one. And, in the course of making it, she also decided that it would make a wonderful diaper bag for my sister, Holly, who is having a baby boy any day now. She only had to make a few minor adjustments to make it baby ready. It turned out beautiful!! If you went to the Juicy site, and looked up this purse, it looks almost exactly like them. I am so proud of her, and know that my sister will feel honored to use this. I am currently trying to talk my mom into selling her handmade creations online. I know she could be successful. What do you think? Great job, Mom! I really am proud of you.

Small Correction

Jake would like it noted that Rohne actually thought that my black boots were pirate boots. He wanted me to write that.

The Boy Loves Shoes!!!

I hate to admit it, but I've never been much of a shoe girl. I'm always barefoot, and spent most of my childhood outdoors with no shoes on. My feet have paid for this, but it's not really something I care about. Just give me a pair of flip flops to slip on before I go outside, and I'm set. I hate spending money on shoes, and only shop for them when I have to. I do love to buy Taylee shoes though. Anways, Jake told me that I had terrible shoes, (he loves to buy shoes) so I decided I would use some of my Christmas money, and buy some new ones. Not that I'm giving up the flip flops. Anyways, Rohne has definitely inherited his Dad's love for shoes. He is always trying on my shoes, Taylee's shoes, and Jake's shoes. I guess he found out that mine fit him the best, and he can walk the best in them. He will sometimes go through like 5 or 6 different pairs a day, and they aren't always matching. Don't get me wrong, he is all boy. What can I say? The boy loves shoes!!

One of the pairs of boots I bought when Natali was here. He searches in my closet to find them. He really likes the brown ones that are on the floor in this picture too.

He actually walked really well in them. They were all the way up to his bum.

These rain boots are his favorite, because he can get them on all by himself.

These are my $7.00 jewels I found at DSW. Natali wore them when she was here, so Rohne thinks that they are hers. Every time he or I put them on, he says "Nani's shoes." So cute! I tried to actually give them to her, but she wouldn't take them.

Another one of Taylee's silly dress-up days. This dress is way too little, and when she turns around you get quite a shot of her panties!!

The Greatest Sister Ever!!!

I truly love all 3 of my wonderful sisters. But. . . in the form of a wonderful New Year's surprise, Natali truly jumped through the hoop to become the greatest sister ever. (That is until someone else comes to Seattle)!

I had a good Christmas, although, as mentioned before, I brutally missed my family. One night, I was feeling very sorry for myself, and through my tears, Jake told me he had a surprise that would make me all better. He was supposed to wait until the next day, but Jake is the worst secret keeper ever. Anyways, he told me that Natali and Bryce would be here tomorrow night at 11:30 p.m. I continued sobbing, although happy sobs now escaped my mouth. In order to spare myself disappointment, I have learned that when it comes to my family visiting, I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. So, I didn't really believe it until I actually picked them up at SeaTac airport. They were able to stay for 4 whole days, and it was complete bliss. We didn't do a whole lot, but we all enjoyed being with each other. Nat and I took some fun shopping excursions, and caught up on some much needed sister, and girl time. The boys played ping pong, watched boy movies, and moved big furniture and stuff. After the kids were in bed at night, we would play games (of which SCUM was a favorite), and just chat until 1:00 or 2:00 am. Of course, we forgot to take our camera along most of the time, so I don't have much to show for this monumental event. Thanks again, Nat, for being such a great sister, and giving me the best present ever. I love you!!!


Taylee loved having Natali around, and especially loved brushing her long, black hair. Of course, Aunt Nat was happy to oblige.

Two of a kind.

The boys playing board games.

Did I mention how much Taylee loved having her around?

They both still talk about Bryce and Natali, and Taylee won't let me forget how I promised her we would go on an airplane to see them one day.

Blogging Hiatus

Hello all my beloved, and loyal blog readers. Although I know there aren't many. I am on a temporary blogging hiatus. We are having definite computer problems, and we actually haven't even had a computer, or internet for the past couple of weeks. Oh, how I miss all of the modern conveniences!! I hope to be back soon. But farewell for now, at least for a little while.