A pet without the poo.

I was on the hunt for these blasted Zhu Zhu pets for almost 2 months... oh, how they haunted my dreams! Well, finally last Tuesday, Santa got us 3! Yep, all 3. (my Santa is a guy with brown hair who happens to work downtown near a ToysRus in Sugarhouse where there are a lot less kids than up here in suburbia, so he was actually able to get these much sought after toys).

So to anyone who thought I was a complete psycho for trying so hard to get these, here they are in their glory, and I dare you to say they are not cute!

Don't mind my really dorky comentary, the fact that I forgot that I was filming... twice, and all the yelling in the background! Sean always says "it's not Christmas until someone is crying".

Christmas lights

It was cold and crowded, and our husbands (could they possibly be brothers?) were being ornery, but Nellie and I and our kids prevailed and didn't let them bring us down! We brought hot chocolate and the girls that that was fabuloso. Phoebe refused to wear her gloves and her hands were completely frozen. (little kids are not the smartest!) As soon as she saw the Christus (is that how you spells it?) statue all she wanted was to "see Jesus". But when we got in there the line was insanely long, so we decided to not wait, and Phoebe started crying "I want to see Jesus, I want to see Jesus". Maybe she's in need of some repentance. It was kind of funny and cute all wrapped in one. We decided we are going to try and go in the springtime when it's not so crowded or cold. We can do everything and bask in the nice weather, plus we can enjoy the tulips. Good plan indeed.

Phyllis, the Nutty Bar & garments Granny

Sean's grandma passed away a couple weeks ago and I have really wanted to blog about it, but when I was in the right mood to write about her. Oh, how I loved Grandma Lingwall! I didn't think I would still get choked up just typing about her, but I am. She felt like my own flesh and blood Grandma from the very start. I think my love for her came first from seeing how much Sean loved her. She and his Grandpa Edward , really his name was Karl, but all I ever heard Grandma call him was Eddie or Edward.(where Sean gets his middle name... oh and there's also that sexy vampire). They both meant the world to Sean. When Sean moved here from Georgia, which also turned into when we started dating, he lived with them until we got married.

I still remember the first time I came to Sunday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Lingwalls; Grandpa was ecstatic that I was a redhead and broke out the polaroid. (hey I wonder where that picture is? I would like it) Grandma acted like I was already one of the family and I had never felt so welcomed and accepted in my life. (keep in mind Sean and I had only been dating maybe a month)

Grandma was so thoughtful and good at remembering every single person in the family's birthday. She always got me garments (well, she got us all garments). What an awesome present though. It's one of those things I always need, but never make a trip to go get them. I'm lazy and wait until mine are almost see-thru... mormon lingerie, i call them. She even got me the right size too. She also remembered how I said I loved Grasshopper cookies one time, long ago, and sure enough I got a package of them along with my garments and 10 bucks every year! She was no cheap Granny.

She was also known as the Nutty Bar Grandma at our house and kept our pantry stocked. Sean ate lunch and visited her 2-3 times a week and she was always sending him home with goodie bags for the girls... and some for me too. (he has missed her incredibly... she fed her "boy" well). When we told Faye she had died, first she bawled, which made me and Sean cry even more... but then she said "Now we'll never get Nutty Bars again"... the things kids think of, but it made us laugh through our tears.

You may say i'm morbid, but I love funerals. I really do. You get to learn things about a person you never knew. Amazing things, funny things, and just regular things. I had no idea Grandma played the piano. I had no idea if it weren't for her, her children wouldn't have ended up such wonderful singers. (Sean's family has some really, really amazing singers). She hated her picute taken and usually always had a scoul on her face in them. I also found out a couple of years ago that she hated her name. One of Seans cousins gave their little girl Phyllis as a middle name and grandma said "Why would anyone want to use that as a name?" She was also funny, but most of all, she was a really good person. What a thing to live up to.

I'm so happy I got to know her and call her Grandma.

Phyll in her prime: it looks like she didn't like to smile for the camera back then either. I think she's beatiful old or young.

i'm crafty, I get around, I'm crafty, i'm always down...

I've been somewhat crafty this month and here is my swag, though most of them are not finished in the pictures:
This is the picture I did at Ginger's, but it still needs to be sanded and then stained and they look so pretty! love it. Happy Birthday to me.

I made this for a friend

These were my "sister" gifts for, you guessed it, my sisters (natural born and in law and foster) They aren't sanded yet either so they looked better when finished.

"He's cool, he's hot...."

Last Wednesday was Faye's school choir concert. She did a great job on her songs and the concert was only an hour. I was SO glad to not have to sit through something terribly long. The first 15 minutes was the 7th and 8th grade band and they were pretty good for beginners, but 15 minutes was defintely long enough. (sorry to parents whose kids are in band... Sean was one one of those kids too). There was an older choir who was really good singing last and they did this Santa Fever song with the lights off, glow bracelets and flashlights... it was like a Floyd Laser light show. The lyrics were a bit weird too... "he's cool, he's hot... I got that Santa Fever..." WHAT? i didn't know Santa was either of those things.

Oh, and Faye had dentist appt number 2 today. She totally freaked out again. ugh.

Cynical or Opionated?

Why is it when I share my opinion do people call me cynical? I guess I'm not someone who thinks everything is wonderful and fluffy and full of cheese. Though, I do think myself an optimist. Maybe a realistic optimist would be the term for me, but an optimist nonetheless. I'm sorry, but I don't do phony.

*and yes... as I was typing the below mentioned debacle of monday, i was laughing my head off. I need a little excitement now and again.

I want to be, to be... a dentist!

Monday, monday, can't trust that day. This day will not soon be forgotten, and why I almost never take kids anywhere. First, Faye had to go to the dentist to get 4 cavities filled. This is the first time she's had any and she has 8! So today they did one half, the other half will be next week. 2 of the cavaties were really bad and they ended up having to put crowns (or little silver caps, not real crowns) on them. I thought she would be nervous, but I didn't anticipate her wigging out! She was a nervous wreck and kept thinking she couldn't breath. I think she's a mouth breather like me, so trying to just breath through her nose (especially with a thing on it pumping her full of candy cane scented gas) added to her "episode". Luckily one of the assistants was really good and talked her through it. I was totally stressed out the whole time. I think my butt cheeks were clenched for 40 minutes straight. (I should have buns of steel now)

Then.... off to Sams club, where I discovered I HATE old people. Okay, not all of them, but raunchy ones. I let Faye come with us to let the numbing wear off and to eat lunch (good old $1.50 Hot dog combo) since she missed it at school. Rounding a corner, with a cart full of diapers, wipes, rolls, all large items, I almost ran over a little girl. I quickly apologized and said, "OH, I'm sorry" to which her nasty grandmother gave me a dirty look and "hmphed" at me. It took me a second to realize how rude she was, so she was about 15 feet away before I said "I said I was sorry, you don't need to act like such a wench!" Yes, i said it, and I'm not sorry. I mean somone does something on accident, apologizes and then gets that treatment. Um no, I ain't gonna take it.

Off to eating our dogs N soda. You konw how you're totally crammed into those crappy little picnic tables, which just happens to be in the middle of a warehouse, not some fancy place, right? Faye was nicely throwing away all our garbage for me, when the pleasant old man sitting behind her gets up, turns around and says to her "Stop getting up and down, you keep bumping me every time you do". Nice. I was so taken abake I didn't even know how to respond. I asked Faye is she did in fact bump him. she said yes, she did. I decided on this one to take the high road and ignore him. I did though remind her if she bumped someone she needed to apoligize. Then getting ready to leave; Phoebe spills my drink all over the floor. Seriously?! I quickly cleaned up what I could and Faye told someone there was spill. When we got into the car I yelled "I freakin hate old people!" to which Daphne said, "yeah, but not our grandma's and grandpa's huh?" So I had to quickly clarify I don't "hate" anyone and that I was just mad that "those" old people at the store were very rude.

After dropping Faye off at school, back to the dentist for Daff. She did awesome. She only got one filling and didn't even need a shot. She's the brave one. It didn't even phase her. If only she was the one with 8 and Faye with 1. While waiting for Daphne, phoebe, for some weird reason, kept whining and saying "No look at my teeth!" She hasn't even been to a dentist, yet i'm thinking she'll repeat Faye's antics when the time comes.

After the second trip to the Dentist I had to run (well, drive, really) a couple errands/christmas shop; Ross, grocery store and then Hobby Lobby. I got my ribbon and was headed out of the door when I decided to go past the trees. We were passing a nativity scene for your front lawn, (you know, those big cheesy ones?) and Daphne asked were the baby Jesus was. I didn't know, but we both wondered why there was a basketball there in his place. I turned to look at a tree and from behind heard Daphne say something like "bounce the ball...." and CRASH! @#&$@*. The ball didn't bounce. It shattered. It was a resin piggy bank.

I need a nap.

Not the gum drop buttons!

We finally got our gingerbread house made today and it was a blast, lemme tell you. Faye was good as usual, Daff kept sneaking and eating the candy, and Phoebe got fired from the job. I had to keep remind myself that it's for the kids and it doesn't have to look perfect. There was a little yelling, then I simmered down and we had fun.

Cheerio my wee lil lass

I'm feeling anything but cheery today. I decided on this new background for Christmas because it was just that; cheery. I've been a bit on the raunchy side lately and i'm a little embarrassed to admit it. Even with Christmas coming and as much as that makes me happy, i've just been in a funky mood. I think it's working retail. And possibly not getting enough sleep. You see my friends, I work at Kohl's part time and though I mostly work the ad set (which is the team who changes all the signs in the store to reflect that of the sale... which there is one every other day at Kohls, seriously) I also said I would learn the registers and do whatever else since Sean doesn't work fridays. I thought "why not?" hmmm, i'll tell ya why not, it is ruining a little of the Christmas spirit for me. I'm already a little sick of Christmas music since it started the day after Halloween, and people are so consumed with "stuff" it's sad. I got the priveledge of working black friday, which I do normally shop on (mostly for the crazy people watching and of course some of the dealios). Working that day and seeing how people can act, over stupid stuff they don't need anyway, twas sad.

I'm also always tired partly due to working late hours and also due to my obsession with not being able to stop reading once I start. I'm currently reading a series about 2 sisters in 18th century Scotland. They are both in love with the same guy, who just happens to be their cousin and drama ensues from hence forth. The books have the gayest of names though, so I was not sure about reading them. The first was called Thorn in my Heart, the one I am reading now is called Fair is the Rose, and the last (which Sean endlessly makes fun of) is so dorkishly called Whence Came a Prince. I know, I know, but "judge not lest ye be judged"... eh, eh? The story is also from the Bible. It's the story of Leah and Rachel, which I am not familiar with at all. Though the writer obviously added to it and put them in 18th century Scotland. It's very good though, it's very much full of love and faith most of us could never imagine. Their morals make me feel like a slacker. Almost everything they do and say revolves around God or is in his name, etc. 'Tis interesting to say the least. Did I mention you also are almost reading a different language? She uses all the scottish dialect and even has a dictionary at the end of the book to refer to, which would have been great to know when I read they first book. Really though you can figure out what things mean within the context (unless you're an idiot, of course). I keep finding myself thinking the way they speak. Anyone else do that? I remember when I was reading all the Harry Potters I did the same thing as well, I believe I even wrote a blog or two and ended many o' sentences with a question. As the British do. What a nerd I am. Anyway, if you are looking for a good read I think they are very good.

On that note of nerdiness... I went to the midnight showing of New Moon with my mother in law, 2 sisters in law, 4 of my sisters, 3 of my neices, some of their friends, and my friends Jessica and Michelle. It was fun and all the eye candy was good, even if it does make me a pedophile! We also went to Z Teja's before for some good eatin! I don't believe i'll be doing a midnight showing again, since I didn't get home and to bed until 4 in the morning. That's just too late for any sane person.

Pictures of the bonny lasses:

Poo poo ON the potty

Should I be mad or glad? Glad that she listened to me and LITERALLY pooped on the potty, or mad because she literally pooped ON the potty?

I just had given them a bath in my bathtub because they think it's fun because it's big and has jets, (though Phoebe's afraid of them). I was blow drying Feebs hair and just before that had her sit on the potty to make sure she didn't pee on the floor (little did I know pee was the least of my problems). While i was doing that Daphne was dancing naked on the toilet so she could see herself in the mirror. Next it was Daff's turn for the blow dry and Phoebe copied her and was dancing naked on the toilet. Well... while blow drying I smelled something stinky... I turn it off and over walks Phoebe. I say "Did you poop somewhere?" she says "On the potty". How could I be mad when it was so funny and she was so proud of herself?

I think I'll be clarifying and from now on saying "poo poo IN the potty".

Oh well, she's cute and an avid reader:

If I were KING of the foreeeeest.

I never posted our kids pictures from Halloween because I couldn't find that memory card. Well, found it, and let the story begin; We went to Toys R us for a trick or treat thinga ma bob, they got some pretty awesome treat bags (and though we already have some I took them anyway). They also got random things like basketball cards, fake tattoos and stickers. Daff got a Deron Williams and a Spud Webb. Remember how short he was and he was awesome! (He was only 5'7!) Then we went over to a used car place that was doing a trunk or treat, them providing all the candy. I know what you're thinking "hmmm, shady" right? I said that to my friend too, but it was actually good, they gave out Mikly Way Midnights!

We then went out to my moms (and dads) so she could see the kids in their costumes and so we could get our tradiontal popcorn ball (they were good too, I ate 3 of them) and then I took the kids trick or treating by myself while Sean went to the Ute game. Loser. Kidding. I really didn't care, after going around our block and the next cul-del-sac they had enough and just wanted to go home and eat some candy.
When we got home they ate their Dortios and had Capri suns (someone gave that stuff out) and I let them have a couple pieces of candy before we settled in for a movie. Watcher in the Woods. Have you seen this movie as of late? It's pretty freaky! We watched it while trick or treaters were coming and going so it took a little of the edge off. I was suprised they even slept through the night with no nightmares and no one (daphne!) getting into our beds.

It's now not even a week past Halloween and the candy is almost gone. I think I just might have eaten as much as the girls. I'm waiting to go into a sugar coma. I've been chowing it down like a mad woman. I even have a cavity right now, but I know to just not chew on that side. I'm sure by Saturday we will only have a few pieces left. pathetic!

8 kids!?! Blasphemy!

2 nights ago while eating dinner we got on the subject of another baby (why I don't know, since it's not at all possible at this point, since we already nipped that one in the bud). I asked if they wanted another baby (not that we let our kids make those kinds of desicions) but just to see what they said.
Faye: "No, babies are boring"
Daff: "Yea, we jusy like 2 year olds"
Faye: "Yea, Phoebe is fun because she can do stuff. Babies just lay there and cry. AND that would be a lot of kids. (in a whisper) Nellie has a lot of kids huh?
Daff: "yea"
Me: "They only have 5. What about April? She has 4?
Faye: "Well Nellie has like Chloe and Keenan and Finlay and Quinn and Axel!"
Me: "I think she wants another kid too, so she would have 6."
gasps!
me: "Dad's family had 6 kids and guess what? Mine had 8."
double GASPS!!!
Daff: "that's too many kids!"

The dreaded Diane!

I forgot to ever post this:


We were going shopping a week ago with the girls and they asked where we were going. Sean said "Well, you girls have been bad lately so we decided to trade with another family who has 3 boys".
Faye: "Are you kidding?"
Daphne: "NOOOOOOO! I don't want to go"
Me: "i'm sorry, but we are just going to try it out for a while and see if we like boys better. Plus you have been really naughty lately."
More moaning and crying.
Faye: "But mom, what if they don't like my name and they name me Diane or something?"



a few days later:

"Mom, can I have a peach"

"no, it's only 10 in the morning, wait for lunch"

"Jesus want's me to be healthy MOM!"
-daphne

Adult Halloween partay!

We had a lot of fun and I almost peed my pants!

Happy 7th Faye

Faye turned 7 today and she is sick as a dog. Saturday was her party and she had her cousins and a friend sleep over. I did a scavenger hunt around the neighborhood that was quite lame, but they thought it was great. I really just wanted my girls to be able to wear their costumes more than just Halloween night in the dark. Our ward canceled it's trunk or treat, and though i'm not fond of them, at least it's something for the kids to get to dress up and have fun in their costumes.

Ella and Chloe's moms are kinda dumb and forgot to send costumes for their daughters, hence the get-ups those two girls are in. They just ran-sacked our dress up clothes. Result; Ella-wizard, Chloe-tutu head girl. We had pizza, cake and ice cream, and Faye got WAY too many presents. She got a new dress/leggings outfit from Grandma Pat that is so cute, but straight outta the 80's. She also got Pollyanna from G & G Lingwall. Sean and I watched it yesterday afternoon while the girls were upstairs playing. Wow! i'm a nerd, cuz I almost cried.

She is a gracious gift-getter and said thank you to everyone (at least I got a good-mom point for that). She also got a LIV doll from Charlotte which is one of the things she wanted for Christmas and said "Now I don't need one for Christmas mom. It's Katie and I wanted Sophie, but that's ok." She's still getting Sophie for Christmas because:
a. I just bought it last week and
b. she's a nice girl who says things like that.

I love this girl more than words. She is a sweet girl, but can also be an airhead. She is a good big sister and also mean at times, but quick to apologize. She is also honest and when something happens, she will almost always tell me the truth, even if it implicates her. She is super anal and always likes her room to be clean and is often heard saying "How about we play in your room Daff..."