There is no going back now.

This morning I was eating a graham cracker with chocolate frosting on it. I'll admit it wasn't the healthiest snack, but it was good. Clara was eating just a plain ol' graham cracker and came over to see what I had. I gave her a bite and she quickly figured that I had been holding out on her.

After her nap she brought me the package of crackers. I handed her one and began to walk away. She chased me down and started grunting and jumping up and down. She then pulled me over to the silverware drawer and pointed. I knew what she wanted, I just wanted to make her work a little bit for it. I then opened the refrigerator, pulled out the can of frosting and showed it to her. She was so excited! I put a small amount on the cracker and sent her on her way.

About 5 minutes later I grabbed some laundry and was heading up stairs. She was standing at the top covered in a chocolate foo-man-cho.

As you know, I collect pictures of her covered in messes, so I had to take advantage of the opportunity and shoot away.

Some things never change.

I took this picture of Thomas almost 2 years ago. It is one of my favorites, but now I have a new favorite...

Thomas found a huge green worm today. I sacrificed some old spinach so the friendly annelid could have a nice, large home. Thomas was in awe of the little fellow.

Then it died about 3 hours later.

2/4

It's been a rough couple days around here. The last time I posted I was able to fill you in on the start of everything - the dreaded stomach flu that Clara had. I had my fingers crossed that it was something that she ate, but deep down, I knew. Thursday she was recovering and by Friday I had pretty much put everything behind us. I figured it had been 48 hours and nobody else had gotten sick. For sure we were out of the woods.

Friday I spent the whole day cleaning. My friend from college was coming to visit on Saturday. I hadn't seen her in 10 years and I was really excited. She was going to stay with me over night and we were going to have a great time reminiscing about the old 'tute days. Steve even had tickets to Barry Manalow (I am such a manaloonie - but don't tell anyone) that someone was going to give him if we wanted to go.

Then in the middle of the night, it hit. I woke up trying to convince myself that the only reason I didn't feel well was because I had eaten the double scoop B&R sundae. I got up and spent the rest of the night grateful that I had cleaned all my toilets the day before. It was rough. I was so weak the next morning I had to have Steve call and tell her she couldn't come. I was so sad.

So here it is Sunday night (I guess really Monday morning) and I am just waiting. There are still 2 people in this house who haven't gotten it. I figure if we can get through Tomorrow, we might be safe. Wish us luck.

Random thoughts while my pizza that I shouldn't be eating is cooling.

1. It is really nice to hang out all day in a house dress. Mind you it is a sassy dress I bought from the Target clearance rack. However, when I wore it the first time Steve asked me why I couldn't have left it on the rack at Target. Maybe it's not as sassy as I thought, but it is comfortable.

2. If you give your baby too many m&m's and then she pukes them up while you are visiting teaching (only the 27th - dang I'm good) and you get a frantic call from your husband telling you to hurry home because he needs your help and then when you get home you realize that you are out of Resolve and he runs to the store to get some and you don't go upstairs because you are a sympathy puker, the up-chucked chocolate will stain your carpet. Just so you know.

3. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a husband who doesn't bat an eye at barf and tells me to stay away while he takes care of it.

4. Never cut your hair on a bad hair day combined with PMS.

5. I'm having a contest today to see how many loads of laundry I can get done. That is why I am in my house dress - then there is no temptation to leave the house.

Sentences you never thought you would hear. Vol. II

"Mom, when I am fiver I won't pick my nose."

fiver: \ˈfī-vər\ adj. To be five and bigger simultaneously.

Yellow

I love, LOve, LOVE natural lighting for pictures. Yesterday evening, Clara was eating a yellow cupcake in her highchair next to the window. I was noticing the lighting levels and decided to pull my favorite toy out and see what kind of pictures I could get.

I can't decide if I like it better in black and white or color.

This next picture wasn't an experiment, this was what she did as soon as I set her free. This girl loves the dirt.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcake Would-be Tutorial

Today was Thomas' preschool graduation. We had a lovely swim party and BBQ over at one of the homes . I was in charge of bringing the dessert. I wanted to bring something fun and "summer-y" so I decided I would made ice cream cone cupcakes.

When I was growing up, the lady across the street from us made these for her daughters birthday party at the skating rink. I thought they were sooo cool - not really good - but pretty darn spiffy. I went online and found instructions. You were supposed to bake the batter in the cones - which is how I remembered them. When I was reading the instructions it said to bake them the day you were going to eat them, or else the cones would get soggy - which is how I remember them.

Thomas and I were up at 6:15 this morning and ready to make our cupcakes. I had the batter made and all the cones inside the muffin pan. I couldn't remember the amount of batter to put in the cones (I know myself very well and know I tend to over do things, I knew I would over fill the cones and I would have a mess on my hands.) so I jumped online and typed in ice cream cone cupcakes in google and came up with an entirely different cupcake - one that was bigger and better. Plus, I didn't have to bake the cupcakes in the cones, I could bake them in normal muffin tins.

So here it goes...

1. Fill the bottom of 12 ice cream cones with candy.

2. Frost the tops of your cupcake and then place them upside-down on top of the cone. I had to break off the edges of my cupcakes because they were too big (see - I over fill things!).

3. Frost the entire cupcake.

Seems to be going well, wouldn't you say. Then this happened.

4. Do NOT place the cupcakes back into the tin and think that you will be able to transport them...anywhere...like even the other counter that is only 5 feet away.

5. If you do think you can move them on a tray, or anything else, this is what you will end up with.

6. Then, if you have a little person, they will be beyond thrilled that cupcakes are all over the table and free for the taking.

7. After the cupcakes are obliterated, you will then need to run to the store and buy over-priced cupcakes.

Here is the lone survivor.

(Can you tell how tired my child is? He was up way too early and spent a couple hours swimming in the heat. It is 4:00 pm as I am typing this, and he still hasn't fallen asleep! )

Sentences you never thought you would hear.

"Mom, what happened to my toe nails I left under Dad's pillow?"

Look what I did...

Notice the drool on the car seat strap? He was OUT.

We were just driving home from a very busy day, when all of a sudden it got really, really quiet. I was having a conversation with Thomas and then all of a sudden...nothing. I don't remember the last time BOTH kids fell asleep on the way home, but I guess when you run your kids ragged in the blistering (I really shouldn't call May's heat blistering - I know the worst is yet to come) heat this is what happens.

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If you would like to attempt to do this to your kids, here's the plan...

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1. Have the kids' Granddad over the night before to play with them. Keep both of them up way past their bed time.

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2. The baby is a given - usually they will wake up on their own. However, wake up the 4 year-old before he has had a chance to sleep a full 12 hours.

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3. Feed each child a quick breakfast, get them dressed and then run out the door.

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4. Run countless errands where you have to get them in and out of car seats and take them in and out of stores.

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5. Drive across town to meet Dad at the hospital he works at for the company picnic. Add an Aunt and Granddad into the picture to run the kids around the pond.

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6. After the kids are wiped out from the picnic, then take them to an outdoor mall. Let them run around in the sun, drink smoothies, and play with the dogs that are everywhere. It may be a good idea to complete your returns before they start running around and having a taste of freedom (speaking from experience).

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7. You know it will be time to go when the older child asks if it is time to go home.

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8. Start on your 35 mile drive home, turn off the radio and wait...it will happen.

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I think I hear my cool leather couch calling my name. Mama needs a nap!

I love it when...

This little guy comes up to me and gives me a big kiss and says...

"That was a Don Lockwood kiss for ya, Mom."

Rendition by Clara

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Up came the sun and dried up all the rain.

So the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Really?

This morning I was sleeping - very deeply mind you - when Thomas came into our room. It was only 7 am, way too early for him. I was laying on my back with my arms above my head. This is how he woke me...

Thomas: OH MY GOSH! Mom! You have some hair on your arm-pit.

Me: What? (remember, I was still kind of sleeping) THOMAS...why aren't you in bed?

Thomas: Mom, you need to go buy Smooth Away.

I always thought it was strange that there would be a commercial for Smooth Away during The Wonder Pets (the episode we have TIVO'd). I now see how brilliant these ad executives are. Just get the kids buy into their products, and sooner or later they will get their parents to buy what they are pushing. I always knew they did it with toys and sugar cereals, now they are moving on to beauty aids for moms. Brilliant!

(Disclaimer: I had just shaved 2 days ago - It wasn't that bad!)

(PS - I have actually wanted to try these. Has anyone out there used them before? Do they actually work?)

We finally did it.

We actually left our kids for the weekend and went on a mini-vacation all by ourselves. We had such a fantastic time. A few months ago I found out that one of our favorite comedians, Brian Regan, was going to be playing at Tuacahn. We have been looking forward to this weekend for a couple months now, and anticipating what it would be like to be all by ourselves for longer than 3 hours.

We left Saturday morning and took the quick drive up to St. George, UT. The drive was great, we were able to talk to one-another and actually have a conversation. There was no crying in the car and nobody asking us when we were going to get there.

We started out by doing a session at the St. George Temple. It was so nice to be able to be there together.

After the temple session, we headed over to Smith's to do what we have always talked about doing once we were going to be away from Thomas for a night. We bought every single thing that we have missed since Thomas has been diagnosed with a peanut allergy. We don't keep ANYTHING with nuts or nut by-products in our house. Do you have any idea how much you miss peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches when you can't have them? I know I am going to be so mad at myself tomorrow when I get on the scale, but who cares. I had a PB&J for the first time in 3 years and it was sooooo good.

We went back to our hotel and got some suggestions for dinner. We really wanted to go get sushi, so we settled on a place called Benja. This restaurant was a Thai and Sushi place. The Pad Thai was good, but the sushi was nasty. I think we didn't like it is because we have a favorite place that we go in town and nothing seems compare. There were also a few weird things about the place. 1. The sushi chefs were women, and one wasn't even Asian. 2. There was a polygamist couple eating at the sushi bar. Both of those things seemed odd to me.

After dinner we went over to the show.

Brian Regan was so stinking funny. I don't think my cheek bones have ached that much - ever.

Not only was the show great, the scenery was beautiful. The show was in the outdoor amphitheater in Snow Canyon.

We came back to the hotel after the show and made a little midnight snack. I didn't even realize we had bought reduced fat peanut butter until I posted this picture. If anyone is wondering...I would have never even noticed, it tasted just fine to me.

Then I got to do something that I haven't done since January 20, 2005. I slept in without worrying one bit if one of the kids were going to wake up.

We had a great morning, played around town and then started for home. We were trying to decide where to stop and get lunch, but both of us decided that we didn't want anything but another one of these...

So the car became our make-shift kitchen and I whipped us up a couple of these bad boys.

We made it home by early afternoon and I was able to spend the remainder of my Mothers Day with my babies.

What more could a mother want?

Happy Mothers Day!

For my Bestest BFF

I have the best friend a girl could ask for. Amy and I (yes, we have the same name) met in high school and have stuck around each other for the past 18 years. We have been there for each other for pretty much everything life can throw at you...new boyfriends, breakups, marriages, births, and deaths. Both of us are the only girls in our families, so we kind of adopted one another as sisters. I love her and don't know what I would do without her.

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Yesterday she reminded me of why she is the greatest.

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First of all, around midnight I was up waiting for the Old Navy coupons to reset (I do have other things to do at midnight, but I was waiting for my floors to dry because late at night is the only time you can wash them without dirty little feet following behind the mop). I sent her a quick email that said "Are you waiting for coupons too?" and within minutes I had a response. I knew she was up doing the same thing. Not only was she up, she found the coveted $60 off $100 purchase and made sure she emailed me one before they were all found.

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Later on in the afternoon, she brought her son by to play with Thomas. She also made sure she brought the box of clothes that she had just ordered that didn't fit. She wanted to see if I liked any of them before she sent them back. She also wanted to make sure I had the same lovely experience of trying to squeeze a body that had birthed and nursed babies into skirts and tops that were meant for girls who hadn't.

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Then around 7 pm these beautiful flowers were delivered to my door with simple note that said "glad were friends."

Thanks, Amy. I am glad we're friends, too.

Clara was beyond thrilled with them. She kept smelling them and saying "Mmmmmm." and "oh, wow!"

Because the house is a disaster....

Things have been busy around here lately. I have meant to post some stuff, but it is amazing how 2 small children, laundry, cooking, cleaning, and life get in the way. Right now my house is a disaster, and I have some aprons to sew for mothers day, plus a plethora of other things to get done, so I figured this was the perfect time to sit down and update the blog.

I have slacked on blogging, but I have taken pictures and actually uploaded them to the computer. I don't know why I haven't been able to just sit and post. However, it is getting hot here (91 degrees as I type - yuck!), which means we are not going to be leaving the house much. Come summertime, we get our errands done early in the morning and try to be home by 10 am. I think I will have a lot more time to blog, clean, and sew over the next few months.

So, in no particular order - a whole week in one post.

We celebrated Steve's birthday on Monday. Can you believe I fit 39 candles on a six-inch B&R ice cream cake? Guess what? These cakes aren't like normal ones. If you leave them out, they will melt. Not to mention all this fire didn't do much to keep the thing too chilly. We had a nice day as a family. We were able to sleep in, hang out around the house, and then went for a birthday dinner of Duck Tacos and Shrimp Kabobs at Sammy's .

This little girl is a menace. I don't even feel bad about writing that. She screams like her hair is on fire ALL THE TIME, and it is LOUD. I can't even count the number of times Steve and I have made comment about how Thomas was such a "chilled out" toddler compared to her. They say not to compare your children, but I can't help but compare. She is adorable, lovable and kissable. She will walk up to us, throw her arms around us and love on us like she hasn't seen us for a year. Then will turn on you within a matter of seconds and scream like a banshee. I think this is what they call mood swings. I just didn't expect them for another 10 years or so.

One of her favorite things to do is find clothes that don't belong to her and put them on. On this particular day she found a pair of boxer shorts and was insistent on wearing them. How is a 17-month-old insistent? She hands the thing she wants to you to help her with, jumps up and down, grunts, screams, and then throws herself on the floor and cries until she gets her way. When she brings me clothes, I am fine helping her out. However, with pretty much everything else I let her tantrum run it's course.

So the other day the kids were being quit. I knew they were up to no good, so I went on the hunt for them. I found them both in my office going through the drawer where I keep all of Thomas' preschool papers and projects. They had come across the C is for Cookie page. I stood in the hallway and heard this.

Thomas: Go ahead, Clara, lick it...

Clara: Mmmmmm, followed by a jibber jabber.

Thomas: Is it good?

Clara: She nods her head yes.

Thomas then took the paper and started eating the cookies off the page. You can see where the causality was. At this point I put a stop to it. This project was done the third week of preschool - that was 7 months ago! Gross.

Thomas is a big boy. He likes to do things by himself, including getting dressed. Last week he came downstairs in these nice pants. What? You've never seen Capri's for 4-year-old boys? All you need to do is put a pair of your daughters pants into your sons drawer and... Voilà!! You have a nice pair of boys' Capri's with pink stitching. I told him that they were Clara's pants and he didn't care. He was just happy to have picked out his own clothes. I guess this will teach me to be more careful when putting their clothes away.