BarrowesinVegas

Family Reunions

2010-11-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

We had 2 family reunions to attend this past summer. I heart family reunions!

The first one was the Knight Family Reunion (Neldon's mom's side of the family) and it was held at a campground outside Kamas, Utah. Most people camped or stayed in trailers but we used the excuse of having a 3 week old baby so we got a hotel room in Park City. The theme was "The Amazing Race" and Neldon's mom Norma had some great events planned to entertain the troops. Great times were had by all!

Group area/Camp Fire Area

Rebekah and her cousin Anya--Hot chocolate duty

Rhett climbed every rock he could find

Austin entertained himself for hours on this bike-Thanks to whoever brought it!

Neldon's way to win the sack race-one sack on each leg

Jenny and Payton

The 2nd reunion was the 1st Sessions Family Reunion. We have decided to retrace our "roots" and go back to some of the places my family has lived. My brother Jeff planned the reunion and it centered around McCall, ID-where we lived when our family finally became complete (Lyndsey and Tim were born there). Jeff scored some great condos for the weekend. Neldon could not get enough time off so he got to fly to Boise-I got to drive with 4 kids (including a 7 week old baby) from Las Vegas. I split it into 2 days but by the time I got to Jeff's house, I didn't like my kids very much. I soon got over my drama and the rest of the weekend was a blast! We visited some of our old "haunts" from when we were little and told lots of great stories and memories, including a slide show of all of our pictures while we live there from 1978-1983. AWESOME! We rode the ski lift to the top of Brundage Mtn., picked wild huckleberries (YUM!!!), went swimming in Payette Lake, enjoyed a frozen treat from Ice Cream Alley, and a yummy dinner at Si Bueno's. Enjoy the pics!

Dad, Jeff and Tim hanging out at the condo

Rhett swimming in Payette Lake

Cousins at the beach

Ice Cream Alley=YUMMY!

10 Sessions Grandkids

Sessions Family 2010-On top of Brundage Mtn.

Rhett, Jenny, & Payton on the ski lift

Austin picking huckleberries

Like I said in the beginning of this post-I heart family reunions! Mainly because we have the best families ever!

4th of July

2010-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Neldon had to work so I loaded up the kids (yes, with a 3 week old baby) and drove to my parents in UT. The trip was actually very easy and only took 1 hour longer than usual. Success!!! My whole family (minus my little brother Tim) was there that weekend so it was tons of fun. Here are some pics.

Jeff bought a bunch of fireworks (sparklers, tanks, flowers, etc.) so he was the favorite of the kids. He also provided the Costco bucket of Cheeseballs-he is definitely in the lead for #1 uncle. The City of Ogden put on a great show for us too. We spent some time at a splash park and joined in on a neighborhood parade. Great weekend!

Another update...

2010-08-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Yikes, it has been since May 30th since we last posted anything and so much has happened since then. I would love to say that we have been so busy that I just can't get to it but that wouldn't be true. We have had a lot happen since then but there are no excuses.... So, here is a 3 month breakdown.

JUNE
The biggest news was the addition of baby #4 to our family. Payton McKay Barrowes arrived on June 14 at 4:52 pm and he weighed in at 8 lbs. 7 oz. and was 20 inches long. He has his own look but at the same time looks like the rest of the bunch. I got a little impatient and was induced. He was due on the 9th (I know, it is just a guess date but when that day comes and nothing happens, it gets a little frustrating) so I gave him a few extra days before forcing him out. I was a little selfish, though, because I didn't want him to share a birthday with me (6/12) :) All went well with the delivery, the epidural was in before anything hurt too much, and then we just sat around until show time. Here are some pics.

Thanks to my sister Lyndsey and her cute little boy Emmett for coming down and entertaining the troops while Payton was being born. Grandma Barrowes also came down for a week which helped out tons!!!

As if adding a baby to the family wasn't enough excitement/chaos for the week, I celebrated my 34th b-day (6/12), my cousin also got married (on 6/12) and my 94 year old grandpa decided he had been hanging out on earth long enough. He passed away about 8 hours after Payton was born. So, I then shared my 13th wedding anniversary with his funeral. Grandpa Seegmiller was the only grandpa I ever knew since my Grandpa Sessions passed way before my parents were married. He wasn't always the nicest guy but I do have great memories of him. I am lucky enough to be one of the oldest cousins which means that I actually spent time with him. He, well Grandma actually, would take us to the farm when grandpa was out there. We usually got in his way but we still loved going. Even though my kids were loud and crazy and got in his way, he always told me that I was a good mom. He told me many times that I was a peach. I guess that is a good thing. I'm glad grandma and grandpa can be together again and that grandpa is finally released from his earthly ailments. He will be missed.

Well, that is June. I have screaming kids so July and August will come later.

6-month update

2010-05-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

Pretty sad...it has been 6+ months since our last entry. I get annoyed when people don't update their blogs yet I can't seem to get to my own. I have to say that procrastination is one of my major strong points/down falls. I work best under pressure so that is why it is one of my strong points. You all know why it can be a down fall-things may not get done. And since I hope to have this baby any day now, I need room on my picture card. So, most recent to oldest since the 1st of the year.

MAY

Rhett's Preschool Graduation
Rhett attended Miss Lesly's preschool this year and he LOVED it. He went for 2.5 hours on Monday and Wednesday morning. There were 10 kids-8 boys and 2 girls. He made some great friends-too bad they won't go to the same kindergarten. Austin also loved it because it gave him some one on one time with Mommy. Here are some pictures of the graduate. He wasn't real thrilled with his hat.

Soccer Season Ends (YAY!)
Bekah and Rhett both played soccer again this spring. It was their 3rd season playing and they have improved so much. It was a little rough on me since Neldon works on Saturdays-especially when they had games at the same time at different fields and it was usually at Austin's nap time and my pregnant belly was getting bigger each week. Rhett channeled his inner Beckham each week and was a major scorer on his team. Bekah rocked it at defense/goalie.

APRIL

Girls' Weekend
So finally after almost 16 years, my group of girl friends from high school (minus Katy G.) got together for a much needed weekend of fun. We ate way too much, laughed way too much, stayed up way too late, and had so much fun. We need to make this an annual tradition! It was like we picked up where we left off all those years ago.

Easter in St. George
My parents were at my Grandpa's house is St. George over Easter weekend so I took the kids up there. We colored eggs, went on an Easter Egg Hunt at the park, and spent some great time with my 94 year old grandpa.

MARCH

Death Valley
Rebekah was on track break for a few weeks in March. After spending so much time at home with each other and going a little stir crazy, I decided we needed a little get away-even if it was just for 24 hours. My family used to go to Death Valley National Park (it was just a national monument then) when I was younger and since it is only 2 hours away from us and the kids had never been there, we got in the car and took off on an adventure. And the ghost town of Rhyolite was nearby, we started our morning out there.

JANUARY & FEBRUARY

I didn't take many pictures these months because my camera battery died and in the process of moving, I couldn't find the charger. We spend a lot of our time unpacking and trying to settle in. Neldon spent a lot of time digging up the old, dead plants in the yard and getting new ones planted. Some day, we will get grass in the backyard in place of all that nasty rock. We love our new house! Maybe someday I will do some before & after shots but not now. This post is long enough.

So, that pretty much covers it. Now I can make space on the memory card on my camera to make room for our baby brother. He is due to arrive on June 9th and boy am I ready (I think)!

Rebekah's Baptism Weekend

2009-11-18T17:58:00.001-08:00

Friday, October 9th was a very special day at our house. I know, it was over a month ago and I should have gotten around to this sooner. Rebekah turned 8 on Sept. 5th. This is a very special age in our household. At the age of 8, a child gets to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Most of you that read this blog already know that but just in case there is someone out there that doesn't. So, after shuffling dates and schedules around, Friday, October 9th was the chosen date. Lots of family came to town for the occasion (and the football game the next day) and lots of friends joined in too. It is a very exciting and proud moment for a parent to watch their child get baptized. We are so proud of Rebekah and her decision to enter the waters of baptism and become a member of the true church of Jesus Christ. She was excited for the day to come. At her interview with the bishop, he asked her if she was excited to be baptized. She responded "Yes". He then asked her how long she had been excited about her baptism. Her response, "Oh, ever since I first heard about it, 3 or 4 months ago." This got a chuckle out of all of us because we pretty much start talking about their baptism from the day they are born. Anyway, here are some pictures from that day. I think I have a pretty cute family!

Catch Up Post

2009-10-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Everyone keeps bugging me to get this thing updated. So, here will be your updates for August and September at the Barrowes household.

FLYING RATS

One day I was standing in my front doorway talking to a neighbor. There are always pigeons flying around, landing on our roof and making big messes-especially in the spring time when they are making their nests and laying eggs. Anyway, I turned around and looked in my living room and one of these stupid flying rats had walked right past me through the door and into my living room. YUK! It learned real quick to not mess with me and my broom.

SCHOOL ENDS, SCHOOL BEGINS

Rebekah finished 2nd Grade on August 7. She loved her teacher, Mrs. Ferriero. We had a 2 week "summer break" since we are on year round school and then she started
3rd Grade. I can't believe I have a 3rd grader! Rhett started preschool and he loves it. He wishes it was every day. So do I.

SEEGMILLER FAMILY REUNION

Every other year, my mom's family has a family reunion. A different sibling is in charge of it so it is always an adventure to see where we will end up and how we will spend our weekend. This year is it was over Labor Day weekend and it was at Spring Mountain Ranch in Northeastern UT. The family that planned it found an AWESOME lodge that could fit all of us (about 75 people ranging from Grandpa Seegmiller Age 94 to my niece Piper, Age 5 months). It was a blast! My family is RAD! Neldon couldn't come with me this time because of his schedule change at work so it was a long 9 hour drive for me and the kids but it went really well. We played games, chit-chatted till the wee hours of the morning, learned some family history (mostly from my dad's side, the Allreds. My grandma Sessions grew up in the Uintah Basin area), ate lots of food, and watched a killer BYU vs. Oklahoma football game. I need to steal some pictures that my family took because I really didn't take very many.

BIRTHDAYS

Rebekah turned 8 on Sept. 5. Austin turned 2 on Sept. 15. Neldon turned 39 on Sept. 27. September is our birthday month.
Rebekah had a Hannah Montana party. It was all rock star themed and I made her a guitar shaped cake. They watched the Hannah Montana movie that had just come out on DVD.

Austin had a train themed party. I made him a train cake. We just invited some friends over for dinner and let the kids run around. Then we opened presents and ate cake and ice cream. Austin stayed up late playing with his new train tracks. Finally he fell asleep on them.

Neldon didn't get a birthday party. He was at his parents' house so I was off the hook. He bought himself a new bike so I didn't even have to worry about buying him a gift. Next year will be the big 40 so we will go crazy then.

DOMESTIC GODDESS

Well, not really, but I felt that way for a couple of days. I got a killer deal on some produce so then I had to figure our what to do with it. It all got canned. 25 quarts of peaches, 14 quarts of pears, and 14 pints of salsa. MMMMM!

So, that catches you up through September.

Yellowstone

2009-07-31T10:16:00.001-07:00

We visited Yellowstone this past weekend while we were in Idaho. The day started off rainy and overcast. Jenny had only packed shorts & sandals for everyone and worried about being cold. But, by the end of the day, the sun came out and it was a beautiful day. We tried to do the whole park in one day. Most of the day was spent on the northern end looking at all of the waterfalls and mountains. I informed the kids that we were inside of a volcano and it really had them curious and confused. They couldn't figure out where the lava was. I love Yellowstone, but Rebekah thinks the thermal sites smell like daddy. What is that supposed to mean? The thing we heard the most from the kids was "oh no, not another waterfall." The kids thought the mudpots and geysers were more exciting. Regardless, we had fun, and the kids loved seeing all the animals (which I thought there was a lack of). We ended the day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Here are a few pictures:

Knight Family Reunion

2009-07-16T13:12:00.001-07:00

With Jenny spending the week at Girl's Camp, I had to do this one on my own. That was no small task.... Dad and three kids camping in the wild. This year, we were high in the mountains between Manti and Price, Utah. As always, it was fun, and the kids had a blast. The things they enjoy most, like playing in the dirt, no baths, & eating with your hands.. etc, are the same things that wear out their parents. But, hanging out with the family and cousins makes it more than worth it. Next year, it is my family's turn to plan the reunion. Between the rain, and chasing kids all weekend, I can say that I was worn out when this one was over. I am just now recovering from the weekend. Here are a few pictures:

Manti LDS Temple

Austin playing ball with Grandpa Barrowes

Rebekah and Hazel on the Quad

Cousins at play

July 4th

2009-07-16T13:00:00.001-07:00

Nothing special happened at our house on the 4th. It was the first time in ten years I have not worked the holiday, however, so that was nice. We woke up early Saturday (8 AM is early for me) to catch a parade, only to get there and find out that it was cancelled for budgetary reasons. So we ended up hanging out at the house doing pretty much nothing. We had a few fireworks to fire off that evening. Rebekah and her class put on a Independence Day show at school, and she did a great job.

How can you not love them?!!!!

2009-06-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days when you wonder what you were thinking when you decided to be a parent? I know you have all been there. Luckily, children do amazing things each day to remind us how much we love them and how lucky we are to be trusted with these sweet little spirits. Well, I didn't have a bad day today but there have been recently. I was just looking at some pictures and decided I had to post them - like I said, How can you not love them?!

Vacation !!!!

2009-06-10T12:06:00.000-07:00

For quite some time, Jenny and I have been planning our vacation to Colorado. It finally happened, and we just got home. It was a good time. Initially, we invited my parents, my sister Vanessa and her family, and the Able family, good friends of ours. Matt & Heather were the only ones to commit to it at that time, so we began planning. About two weeks before departure time, we found out my brother, Spencer, was going to be in the states from Hong Kong and wanted to come along. This re-ignited interest from Vanessa and Dave, as well as my mother and youngest brother, Bryce. Also tagging along was Daisy, our 13 year-old neighbor/babysitter. In all, we became a group of 23 (13 kids under ten, four of them 2 yrs old)

We found a great place to stay on Frying Pan Creek, near Basalt, Colorado. It is called Taylor Creek Cabins, and consisted of one large cabin, which we were able to reserve. By a stroke of luck, Spencer and Grandma Norma were able to get a smaller cabin in the same area due to a late cancellation. This gave us lots of room for kids to run, and beds for the adults. Kids got couches and floors for sleeping. It was a beautiful cabin, secluded, with a creek running through the property.

We packed a lot of events into a few days, and everyone had a good time. Some of the highlights included a bicycle ride along the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon, touring Glenwood Caverns, riding an Alpine slide, river rafting the Roaring Fork River, and a scenic drive to the Maroon Bells and over Independence Pass. Rebekah made her first attempt at river rafting, and by the end of the run, decided it was "boring." The guide did let her "drive" the boat a couple of times so I guess she is ready for some white water. Rhett tried his hand at fishing, but on his first cast, launched Matt's fishing pole into Frying Pan Creek, and that was the end of that. The kids ran & ran & ran and all had a good time, wearing out the grown-ups in the process. All in all, the trip was a success, and we are now experiencing the duldrums of a return to daily life - having all of the neighborhood kids show up by 10 am this morning to play.

Here are a few more pictures.

Austin.

2009-06-10T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just using this post to show a picture of our little jokester, Austin. He is a fun kid with lots of energy, but even this little guy eventually runs out of gas.

The day after

2009-05-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Jenny's surgery went well, and she is now recovering here at the house. She is not terribly comfortable, but is happy for the pain killers the doc prescribed for her. This will probably be her roughest day, and she is pretty sore. Our neighbors and friends have been a big help already.

Jenny's Surgery

2009-05-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today, Jenny will have a small and rather insignificant organ removed, her gall bladder. For such a small thing, it has caused her a good deal of pain of late. Her ultrasound revealed a few good sized stones, and the best option is just to take the thing out. It is a pretty minor surgery and she'll recover at home. Everyone wish her good luck.

In other news.... tomorrow, Rebekah and Rhett play their last soccer game till fall. This happens just in time, as temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees in the afternoon, and Rhett's game is at 2:30. Such is the life in Las Vegas. The kids don't mind that the season is over, as it means the beginning of swimming lessons. Rebekah has essentially reached fish status already, and is a very good swimmer. Rhett is moving along well, and I predict will be swimming the big pool from end to end by August. Austin is in a Mommy-kid class and enjoys it already.

That's about all for now.

Catching up --March & April

2009-05-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

With May already here, I'll catch you up on a few things that happened last month. One word would describe April 2009 -- BUSY. Three trips to Utah, soccer practice 3 times a week and games on the weekends, various activities at the rec center, a trip to the county fair, and an SUU Ballroom Dance Company Reunion (has it really been 12 years) have kept Jenny running full time. I have been busy studying and prepping for the promotional exam at work since January and am happy to say that process is complete as of yesterday, a huge relief.

Rhett and Rebekah have been busy playing soccer. Rebekah is getting pretty good at it and I hope she keeps playing down the road. She is less than fond of practicing, and frequently reminds me that she prefers swimming. The good news is that swimming classes start for her next week. Rhett is hilarious to watch when he plays soccer. At this stage, it is mostly a bunch of kids running around aimlessly with about half paying attention to the game and the rest picking dandelions, or waving to mom & dad on the sidelines. Last game, when Rhett was subbed in.... instead of running to the ball and getting involved, he did a running forward somersault, popped up on his feet, and struck a pose much like a gymnast does when sticking a landing. The parents watching the game all clapped, promting several repeats and not much soccer from Rhett for the rest of the day. He does enjoy his tumbling classes, and has already started swimming lessons, along with Austin who takes a class with Jenny.

Here are a few pictures from the previous month:

2009, the year of the breakdowns?

2009-04-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

So far, we have averaged one major breakdown/month since the beginning of this year. In January, it was our washing machine that went ka-put. In February, it was our microwave..... see the post below. Then in March, we got hit by a big one: The water heater went out and had to be replaced, and that was too big a job for even me. This month, we replaced the printer, another recent death in the household. What's next? Austin has already tossed one of our cordless phones in the toilet this month, and our DVD player is hanging by a thread. I'd say that we are fast running out of appliances to break, but that is tempting the gods of electronics to slap us down again.

New Family Photos!

2009-03-23T14:37:00.000-07:00

I finally got everyone dressed and ready for pictures. We went to Portrait Innovations. I love this place because the take soooooo many pictures. Our photographer took 127 shots. About 3/4 of them were no good but it ensured that we got some good ones. I ordered way too many so watch out, you may be getting a picture of my cute family whether you want one or not.

New Microwave

2009-03-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

The kids were asleep, Neldon was at work, and the house was all mine to enjoy some peace and quiet. I thought to myself, "Mmm, hot chocolate sure sounds good." So I go to my trusty microwave to heat some water and it sparked and died. What???!!!! I have to heat water on the stove??!! Who can live without a microwave?! This was a little sad because we have had the microwave for almost 12 years. It was the first thing we bought with our wedding money. Like I said, who can live without a microwave?! So the next day, I took the measurements and loaded up the boys and we went to Lowe's. I found a microwave, bought it and went home to plug it in. I hadn't paid attention to the depth of the cabinet. The microwave I bought was too deep to fit in the cut out in our cabinets. So I had to take it back. I looked at several stores and online and all of the microwaves were too big. Except for the little ones that look like they belong in a toy kitchen for little kids. Anyway, we decided to go for the over the range version instead. Neldon did a great job installing it and now I can enjoy my microwaved hot water again.

Let the games begin!!

2009-03-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

I finally paid attention and actually checked the soccer sign ups on time this year. Bekah and Rhett are both signed up and so far they love it. We had to miss their first games but they are ready for the game today. They were so excited to get their new gear that we had to put it all on and go to the park to practice. Austin was thrilled.

Ain't It True?!

2009-02-28T16:12:00.000-08:00

I found this while doing some blog stalking and found it to be quite hilarious.

Thinking of Having Kids?
Do this 15 step program first!

Lesson 1
1. Go to the grocery store.
2. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home.
4. Pick up the paper.
5. Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline.
2. Lack of patience.
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels.
4. Allowing their children to run wild.
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child'sbreast-feeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior. Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 3
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly. (Eat cold food with one hand for dinner)
2. At 10PM, put the bag gently down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
4. Set the alarm for 3AM.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and make a drink and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45AM.
7. Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4AM.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work(work hard and be productive)

Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 4
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 5
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning.

Lesson 6
1. Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
2. Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle .
3. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower .

Lesson 7
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle cheerios all over the floor, then smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 8
1. Get ready to go out.
2. Sit on the floor of your bathroom reading picture books for half an hour.
3. Go out the front door.
4. Come in again. Go out.
5. Come back in.
6. Go out again.
7. Walk down the front path.
8. Walk back up it.
9. Walk down it again.
10. Walk very slowly down the sidewalk for five minutes.
11. Stop, inspect minutely, and ask at least 6 questions about every cigarette butt, piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue, and dead insect along the way.
12. Retrace your steps.
13. Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbors come out and stare at you.
14. Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.

Lesson 9
Repeat everything you have learned at l east (if not more than) five times.

Lesson 10
Go to the local grocery store. Take with you the closest thing you can find to a preschool child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 11
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air. You are now ready to feed a nine- month-old baby.

Lesson 12
Learn the names of every character from Sesame Street , Barney, Disney, the Teletubbies, and Pokemon. Watch nothing else on TV but PBS, the Disney channel or Noggin for at least five years. (I know,you're thinking What's 'Noggin'?) Exactly the point.

Lesson 13
Move to the tropics. Find or make a compost pile. Dig down about halfway and stick your nose in it. Do this 3-5 times a day for at least two years.

Lesson 14
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly.(Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 15
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt- sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from Lesson 14 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

This is all very tongue in cheek; anyone who is parent will say 'it'sall worth it!' Share it with your friends, both those who do and don'thave kids. I guarantee they'll l get a chuckle out of it. Remember, a sense of humor is one of the most important things you'll need when you become a parent!

PAY IT FORWARD

2009-02-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Pay It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'PAY IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???

'Tis the season for GERMS

2009-01-18T17:09:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting, I just need to complain a little and get some sympathy from everyone in blogland. I hate being sick! But more important, I hate that moms get sick from taking care of sick kids! Rhett started with the sore throat, fever, and hacking up a lung. Then I got it, then Austin, and then Bekah. Rhett is feeling better but I still feel like crud because I waste all my energy taking care of the others. Luckily, Neldon was home for the past couple of days and that has helped a lot. He did all of the laundry this weekend and several loads of dishes. He pulled the night shift with the sick kids so that I could get some sleep and let me take naps each day. What a guy! I hate to think what I would feel like if he hadn't been around.

Anyway, we hope the nasty germs stay far from your house!

Holiday Happenings

2009-01-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is a little late. Everyone else in blogland has already posted about Christmas and New Year's and all of the excitement of the holidays. So, mine is old news but oh well. We had a great holiday season-it was busy and involved A LOT of family.

It started out with some of Neldon's family coming to town for the Las Vegas Bowl. We were hoping for a victory to finish off the season but that didn't happen :( Here is the group shot. Somehow we managed to still put smiles on our faces. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time with most of them because it seemed like they were all gone as quickly as they got here. At least we have football to get us all together!

Luckily, Aunt Brooksany got to stay an extra day or two and the kids had fun with her when it was time to decorate some yummy sugar cookies. Can you guess which ones Neldon decorated?

As soon as the Barrowes all left, it was time for the Sessions to show up. Poor Tim had gotten stranded in Chicago on his way home to SLC from visiting friends in NYC. It was quicker for him to come to LV instead of SLC, just having to get back into a car to drive down here the next day. The rest of the crew (minus Jeff''s family-we missed you guys) came on Christmas Eve afternoon. The people and the presents started showing up! It was beginning to look like Christmas had arrived. I had not put any presents out yet knowing that the kids would tear into them before they were supposed to. Aunt Lori read a story about a grumpy Santa as the kids decorated Santa's cookies. Our Christmas Eve traditions include yummy hogey sandwiches with the works, reading the Christmas story while Bekah does a puppet show with the "stuffed animal" nativity set we have, and opening new jammies before bedtime. Poor Neldon had to work and he missed out on all of the Christmas Eve fun. We missed him tons and are glad that Christmas will now fall on his days off for the next couple of years. Christmas morning came with tons of excitement. Santa brought our family a Wii and and several games and we are getting lots of practice. Anyone up for a tournament?!

It was fun to have everyone here but I was exhausted. Normally I am sad to put Christmas away but this year I couldn't get my house back to normal fast enough. It still took a whole week to get it done but all is well now. New Year's was uneventful-at least for me and the kids. Neldon got to work down on the Strip in all of the crazy excitement. I think I stayed up until 10-I know I watched the ball drop in Time Square-good enough for me. The next day was a beautiful day so we took the kids to the park. I don't mind not having snow-I love my my sunshine! School has now started back up and all is back to the normal level of chaos.

Anyway, we hope you all have a great 2009!

2008-12-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

SNOW !!!!

It's not often that we get to talk about the latest snowstorm in Las Vegas so when it dropped 8 inches this afternoon at our house, we got out there and lived it up. This picture represents the third time that we have had snow on our house/lawn in the ten years we have lived here.

As soon as he got a chance, Rhett was out making snow angels, throwing snowballs and working on a snowman.

Austin thought the snow looked cool, but after a few falls on the slippery ground, and cold hands, he'd had enough. We were lucky to get him to pose for this photo before hustling back inside.

It took me almost an hour and a half to drive into work tonight, making me wonder why the good folks of Las Vegas have no driving skills. Fortunately, the snow should melt and the weather be OK for the LV Bowl this Saturday, our fourth one in a row we'll attend. It will be cold, but I can handle that. Cold and super windy or cold and wet is another story...... Here is one last picture of our street and Rhett enjoying the snow.

My Rant

I guess this is just one more example of global warming at its best. When it is warmer than usual, blame global warming. If it is colder than usual, it is once again, the result of global warming. I guess I should have become a climatologist instead of a deck guard at the jail. I could have been a straight A student since it appears that every multiple choice question seems to have the same answer: Global warming. Don't get me wrong, we can always become more responsible with pollution and the impact we have on our environment. I just dislike the fear tactics and fanaticism associated with global warming. and it turns me off. The US can improve a lot, but China and other countries are far worse. Maybe we should spend some time shaming them in the world spotlight, then get back to imposing stringent standards on ours own country, far more than what our competitors have to meet. Quit scaring us, quit treating global warming like a religion in which we should simply accept the phenomenon as the fault of people, disregarding any evidence to the contrary. Lets get rational and talk about improving our world. No more scare tactics, stop strong arming companies, or hijacking the Supreme Court-- passing laws that environmentalists can't get past Congress, because they lack the numbers to pass them. Lets get intelligent conversation and debate on the subject (isn't that what the academic comminity is built around?), instead of simply demoninzing detractors and shunning them in the academic circles..... Maybe then we can make some progress in this arena. (deep breath).

If anyone is actually still reading, I feel better.

Rhett turns 4!

2008-12-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Rhett was so excited to open his card from Pops and get 4 of his very own dollars.

He has been asking for the Screaming Banchee from Cars for months.

Happy Birthday to my little Rhett-boy. He is so much fun and so excited about everything-especially Disney CARS! He would wake up every day and try to convince me it was time for his birthday. We invited some friends over for pizza and just let the kids run wild and play while we chit-chatted. Then came presents and cake. What a night!

I will never do another cake like this again. It turned out ok but it took me 2 hours and lots of frustration. No matter how much my kids want a cool cake-they are only going to get cupcakes from now on!

These are 2 of Rhett's best buddies, Samuel and Jared.

Done Traveling...

2008-11-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

Hello all blog stalkers! We are done traveling and had a great time. If I never see my orange suitcase again, it will be too soon. 4 weeks of living out of a suitcase, just coming home to do laundry and repack everything can wear a girl down. We visited lots of family and friends-thanks for letting us mooch off you guys! We just have to get through the BYU vs. Utah game tomorrow and we can breathe again. Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Hogle Zoo - Salt Lake City

Trick Or Treating - Superior, CO

BYU vs. CSU - Ft. Collins, CO

Visiting the Allen Family - Pueblo, CO

BYU vs. Air Force - Colorado Springs, CO

Grandpa's New Old Car

2008-10-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

We recently spent some time in UT hanging out with family and relaxing. My kids love their grandparents so much and they are so lucky to have such awesome grandparents. Thanks to both my parents and Neldon's parents for letting us mooch off you and trash your houses! We had a great time!

Anyway, Neldon's dad has had an ongoing project for as long as I have known him-I think it has been a project for a very long time. He has been working on restoring a 1936 (I think) Packard that he has had since high school to its original glory. It is a beautiful car! While we were hanging out with Grandpa Barrowes, he thought the kids would like a ride. The coolest thing about this car is that it has a rumble seat. Bekah and Rhett thought that it was pretty cool that Grandpa's car had a seat in the trunk. Ha Ha! So, he took them for a couple of rides around the block. He mention that they were the first kids to ride in the seat in about 30 years. Here are some pics!

Seattle/Vancouver Trip -- Finally

2008-09-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

I really thought I would do this sooner but obviously I haven't. Neldon has been bugging me to get this entry done but he should know by now that I only procrastinate more when I am getting nagged.

So, the first week of September we ditched the kids and went on vacation for a week. It did include the in-laws and a football game but it was still great. (Disclaimer in case they are reading...I have great in-laws and I don't mind having them on vacation with us.) Bekah stayed with our neighbor so she wouldn't miss any school. We took the boys to UT and they were passed between my sister and my parents.

We left Friday morning and flew to Seattle. It was Neldon, me, my sister Lyndsey and her husband Darin, and my mother-in-law, Norma. We got our car and headed to downtown. We joined a tour of the Seattle Underground (http://www.undergroundtour.com/). Then we walked down the waterfront and ended up at Pike's Market Place. (http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/). We met up with more of Neldon's family (Spencer, Brooksany, Steve, Lynelle, Nathan, Amanda, Logan, and Emily). Total count is now 13 people. We then hopped on the Duck Boats and got a land/water tour of Seattle. (http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/) I now know the difference between a house boat and a house barge. After a long day and a late dinner we parted ways for our hotel/lodging. Neldon, me, Lyndsey and Darin stayed with Juliana and her family-she was an exchange student that lived with my family 20 years ago in Idaho. She is like my 3rd sister. Here are some pics from the first day.

Day #2 - The main reason we were even in this part of the country. BYU vs. UW football game. (See Neldon's entry below) By this time, Neldon's dad had joined us. Along with some other friends making group total about 22 people.

Day#3 - Everyone kindof did their own things in the morning and then we met up in the afternoon at Snoqualmie Falls. http://www.snoqualmiefalls.com/ We then went back to Juliana's house for pizza and little more visiting before parting ways. Lynelle & Steve's family went back home to Portland and Lyndsey and Darin stayed with Juliana and the rest of us headed north to Vancouver, B.C, Canada.

Day #4 - Vancouver, B.C. Our group was now down to a managable number of 6 (Me, Neldon, his mom, dad, brother and sister). Spencer was our tour guide because he used to live there. We rented bikes and rode along the Pacific Ocean and through the rainforest of Stansbury Park. It was awesome! We ate a Dim Sum lunch at a restaraunt of Spencer's choice-let's say it was interesting, especially because I am not a real fan of fish. I refused the squid (see entry below about Neldon's birthday) but tried just about everything else. That night we tried frisby and dinner on the beach but it was a little windy and chilly so that didn't last long.

Day #5 Whistler, B.C. Sea to Sky Highway - We saw amazing scenery along the way, rode a gondola and ski lift to the top of a 7,000 ft. mountain, saw 2 bears and walked around the village. This is where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held. We ended the day back at sea level at a lighthouse watching the sunset on the city of Vancouver.

Day #6 - Vancouver, B.C. and Olympic National Park, Washington

We went to Capilano Suspension Bridge and Treetop Adventure. (http://www.capbridge.com/) This was definately an overpriced tourist trap but it was fun anyway. It felt a little like the Eewok adventure from Star Wars or maybe like Robin Hood. We then ditched Spencer at the airport and the rest of us drove back to the USA. We caught a ferry and drove around Olympic National Park.

I took way to many pictures but now I will just add them to my endless "Things to Scrapbook" list. It was an awesome trip!

Happy Birthday Neldon!

2008-09-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today is Neldon's birthday-#38. Neither one of us are real mushy people but I decided to do a shout out to my great husband anyway.

This time of year gets a little busy at our house-since we are totally consumed by BYU football. Being such a die hard fan does have at least one draw back. He doesn't really get to watch many other games because we are usually traveling back home after the game so he misses watching other games. This weekend was their BYE weekend so that meant no game. He was so excited to sit on the couch and watch game after game after game. What a way to spend his day, right?! Well, that isn't how it happened. His best friend Matt called and bought a house and they were moving this weekend and he really needed Neldon's help in the moving process. So, Neldon gave up his football filled birthday. What a guy!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie! We sure love you and all of the dorky things you do. Most of all, we appreciate all that you do for our family!

BYU vs Washington, from Seattle

2008-09-18T20:29:00.001-07:00

We had a great trip to the Northwest last week. Jenny will post a slideshow and report of everything we did, but I'll give a quick rundown of the football game. First, Husky Stadium is beautiful. The lake in the background makes this the most beautiful setting in college football. Lavell Edwards Stadium is gorgeous too, with Mount Timp in the background, but Husky is the best I've seen. Other nice stadiums include Alltel in Jacksonville on the bay, and the Rose Bowl was also very nice. I'm looking forward to checking out the Air Force and Colorado State stadiums later this season. Back to the football game.... It went back and forth, but in the end, the good guys won 28-27. We had a group of 22 people who all enjoyed the game and left happy. On Friday night, before the game, Darin and I snuck into Husky Stadium and snapped a few pictures of the helmet car they drive down the sideline after scores, and the turf, then fled from security. Good times.

Austin Turns 1 - how did that happen so fast?

2008-09-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

Today is Austin's 1st birthday. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. It seems like yesterday that I was complaining about being so uncomfortable and wanting to not be pregnant anymore. He is such a fun little boy. He loves to laugh and he loves to make others laugh. Do you think he might be the jokester of the family? Here are some of his latest pictures (about 2 weeks ago). We love you Austin!

Has it already been 7 years?!

2008-09-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bekah's 1st Birthday

So, this Friday is Bekah's 7th birthday. I can't believe how fast the last 7 years have gone by. Her due date was Aug. 30 but she had to be a little stubborn-I finally convinced the doctor to induce me a week later. So, Sept. 5 she made her entrance. Life is sure interesting when you have a daughter with a similar personality-let's just say there have bee a few battles along the way. BUT...we love our Bekah and all of the cute things she says and does. She is a great sister and loves her little brothers so much. Rhett gets so excited when it is time to go pick her up from school each day.

Since football season is now upon us, we are busy with traveling around following BYU football. This year, her birthday didn't "fit" into the football schedule so we decided to have her party a few weeks early on Aug. 16 (which happens to be my Grandma Sessions birthday-she would have been 92 if she was still with us). Since Bekah is part fish, she wanted to do a swimming party and luckily Aunt Joyce and Uncle Scott have a pool for us to use. So, she invited a few friends to go swimming and then we came back to our house for pizza, cupcakes, and icecream. She received a lot of great stuff from her friends and at the top of her wishlist was her own Ipod. So, Daddy delivered. Now she won't have to borrow ours all of the time. Now she walks around "plugged in" and ignoring us more than ever-is she already turning into a teenage?

Here are some pictures from the party. I had the camera at the pool but forgot to take pictures. We also decided to let Austin get some cake eating practice in since his 1st birthday is Sept. 15. He did pretty good!

Rebekah Loves to Swim

2008-08-12T02:20:00.000-07:00

Rebekah is becoming a very good swimmer. She can do most every stroke and enjoys her daily swimming lessons. As if those were not enough, when we visit Uncle Scott and family on Mondays for FHE, she usually goes straight to their pool for another dip before we start. On the weekends, we often take another visit in at the public pool, or at her friend Emilee's house. Rhett also enjoys swimming and by this time next year, will probably be able to swim without help. Here are a couple pictures of Rebekah learning to dive below and jumping off the high dive above. She turns 7 in about three weeks.

Football Baby !!!!

2008-08-01T19:05:00.002-07:00

Anyone who knows me knows I am crazy about most sports, but am especially fanatical about football. I love football at all levels; high school, college or pro. My pro team is the Chicago Bears-- who cause me more pain than joy most seasons. My big love is college football though, particularly my alma mater, BYU.

I have been to some great games and have lived through up and down seasons, so BYU's recent success has been especially sweet, given the dark years BYU fans had to endure from 2002-2005. The last two years, BYU has finished 11-2 with two MWC titles and LV Bowl wins.

Here are a few pictures from recent games.

2006 Las Vegas Bowl vs Oregon

The picture below is particularly funny. Last November, during the 2007 game between BYU and Utah, some fairly annoying Ute fans were sitting a row or two behind us. Considering how outnumbered they were at the time, they managed to be quite obnoxious.... especially for the minute or so they held the lead toward the end of the game. In the end, BYU pulled out a late win and, amidst our celebration, those guys slipped out in such a hurry, they left their blanket behind. Rest assured, we treated it with the utmost respect.... We dragged it on the ground to our car, then hitched it to the trailer hitch behind our car all the way home before throwing it in the garbage.

(from right to left: me, Alicia, Courtney, Spencer and Lowell (dad). Spencer was visiting all the way from Hong Kong for the weekend and did not leave disappointed.

2007 Las Vegas Bowl:

BYU football has provided the family a great excuse to get out and see some wonderful places as we follow the team around. We have been to Boston, Florida, Atlanta, Virginia, Notre Dame, Boise St, San Diego, Stanford, Reno, the Rose Bowl and LA Colisseum, New Mexico, and the Cotton Bowl to name a few (I am sure I forgot a couple). Notre Dame and the Univ of Virginia were my favorite campuses to see, both beautiful and filled with tradition. Boston was our favorite family vacation and Boston College has one of the finest settings around. My least favorite trips were USC, UCLA and Stanford. I must have issues with liberal Californians or something.

This year, we are planning to attend away games in UW (Seattle), Logan (Utah St), Air Force and Fort Collins, Colorado. I also will be at all six home games, and likely the Bowl game, whichever BYU ends up playing in.

GO Cougars !!!!

Knight Family Reunion

2008-07-22T08:07:00.001-07:00

Every summer, Neldon mom's side of the family meets for the Knight Family reunion. It is one of the things we look forward to the most during the summer. Truthfully, when we are enduring the 105+ degree summer days in Vegas, it doesn't take much to talk us into a trip into the high mountains. This year we camped at Emigration Campground, a few miles outside of Montpelier, Idaho. Highlights of the weekend included seeing relatives we don't often get to see, swimming in the mineral springs outsided of Preston, and Austin getting sick (see below). Neldon stayed in Utah the following week with Rhett (Jenny had to go back to the heat, homework, and a sick baby) and we had some pretty fun adventures, like going to the zoo, hiking around Brighton resort, and quite a few trips to the park. It was a fun trip, and here are a few pictures.

Austin's Rash

2008-07-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

While camping last week, Austin came down with a case of Tonsillitis. We got a prescription for amoxicillin and after one week, we began to notice a rash forming. It started to show up on Saturday afternoon and by Sunday morning, he looked like he does in the pictures. It looks like little Austin won't be getting any more ____-Cillin medications in his life. So far, he has not been affected by it much (knock on wood)..... no itching or crying. He is just glad to be rid of his sore throat. We'll post some pictures of our latest campout later, but here's the pictures of his rash.

My Birthday Campout

2008-06-25T13:48:00.001-07:00

So, I just had my 32nd birthday. Neldon asked me a few weeks before it what I wanted. I told him that I wanted to go camping and he looked at me like I was nuts. I wanted to go camping in the mountains and get dirty, roast marshmallows, and enjoy nature. So, that is what we did. It was a blast! We went to a campground in Cedar Canyon. It was beautiful during the day and freezing at night. Austin ended up in my sleeping bag with me which didn't make for a very comfortable sleep but that is ok. There was a stream running through the campground so the kids had tons of fun throwing rocks. Austin got mad that we wouldn't let him crawl around everywhere but he loved crawling around in the tent. He puts everything in his mouth-I think he sampled just about everything mother nature has to offer while we were there. Neldon was attempting to take a nap one afternoon and a hummingbird flew in the tent and couldn't get out. After about an hour, I had to shew it out with my hat. There also was a little nest right above out tent with a bunch of baby birds in it. Every time the mommy bird came with food, the little heads would pop up and chirp like crazy-it was just like on cartoons. We took our neighbor Daisy with us, she was big help in keeping the kids entertained while Neldon and I had to do stuff. I decided that I wanted to attempt making a dutch oven birthday cake-the pictures explain it all. So, when we got home, I went to the grocery store and bought myself a yummy birthday to enjoy-of course I shared!

Tag...You're It

2008-06-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

I love reading lists of things about other people-like when they have been tagged to tell about themselves. I like those little glimpses into their lives. I never fill them out myself, though.

But this time I am going to.

4 things I was doing 10 years ago...
1. graduating from college (Southern Utah University) with a degree in Accounting
2. getting ready to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary (June 19)
3. getting ready to move to Las Vegas
4. starting my career as an accountant

4 things I was doing 5 years ago...
1. still working as an accountant
2. trying to be a good mom to an almost 2 year old daughter with major attitude (still trying but now she is almost 7)
3. getting really addicted to scrapbooking
4. going to my sister Lyndsey's wedding (June 6) and my brother Jeff's wedding (June 26) Happy 5th Anniversay!

4 things I did yesterday...
1. took the kids to tumbling classes at the rec center
2. ate lunch at McDonald's-Yuk!
3. went to a Premier Designs Jewelry party at Diana's
4. went to the Post Office

4 things I watch
1. Disney Channel - Bekah (Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zach & Cody, High School Musical, etc.)
2. Nickelodian - Rhett(Dora, Diego, Backyardigans, etc)
3. American Idol- yeah David Cook!
4. Dancing with the Stars

Blame it on Indiana Jones

2008-05-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, Neldon and I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie. We decided to go see the matinee and save a few $$. We took Austin with us and Rhett went to the neighbors' house (we swap kids alot to make it easier to get things done (errands, grocery shopping, appts, etc.)) Just as I was walking out of the theater, I got a text. I opened it up and the caption said "CRAP!" This is what I saw.....

I busted up laughing! I called her back and this is what she said. "I left to go pick the girls (her daughter and Bekah) up from school and I left the boys (Rhett and her 2 little boys) home with Daisy (her 12 year old daughter). When I got back home, Rhett was crying and had a chunk of hair gone. He had found the clippers and said he needed a haircut." As a side note, the neighbor gives her boys frequent haircuts and she usually throws Rhett into the lineup. So, he knew what they were for. "Daisy said that by the time she got to him, the damage was already done." So, I borrowed her clippers to finish the job. It was all the way to the scalp so all we could do was buzz it completely. Here is the finished product....

And while we were at it, Austin needed a haircut too. He was getting a little shaggy around the ears so we took the #2 and buzzed him also. He was less than thrilled about it. Our neighbors probably wondered what was going on in our back yard with the kids screaming so much. So, now we have 2 little baldies. I can't believe how different Austin looks.

Debunking a Myth....

2008-05-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

For many years, my wife has been misrepresenting me. Often, I have heard her tell friends in passing that I am not that handy around the house. With this entry, I will set the record straight.

In the past month, I have completed the following jobs around the house:

** Repaired a broken diswasher

** Fixed and sturdied up the kitchen cabinets

** Installed a gate to the backyard (with locks)

** Installed a Security Door in the front (again, with locks)

** Disassembled and fixed severly plugged sinks in the master bathroom.

Sooooooooooo, I am no longer the un-handyman, but instead I will only answer to .... "the fixer."

Here are a few photos:

NKOTB

2008-05-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

So, one of our original posts was about Neldon and a buddy going to a Night Ranger concert and how it took them back in time. It was funny to watch the people in the audience be transported back to a day when they were younger (and not looking like 40 year olds thinking they were teenagers again.)

Well, yesterday New Kids On The Block performed together for the first time in 15 years on the Today show. I even set the Tivo so that I could watch. Neldon had to laugh at me when he came down the stairs and Hangin Tough was in the background and I was a little giddy. He was on his mission in Sweden during the biggest part of NKOTB so he missed out on a lot of the craze. Once again, the funny part was the crowd shots and the 28-35 year old women thinking and acting like they were teeny boppers again.

Oh the good ol'days-when posters hung on our closet doors and our jean jackets had a I "heart" Jordan pin.

Pedicures and Flowers

2008-04-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

So, there isn't much that can make a girl feel better than a pedicure and fresh flowers, right?! I have been wanting (and needing) a pedicure for a while. Sandle weather started a long time ago in Las Vegas. So, I took an hour or so the other day and went and got one. Boy, do my feet feel good-almost as smooth as Austin's cute little bum!

Our back yard is in full bloom right now (a little killer on the allergies) and the roses are so beautiful. Bekah wanted to give some to her teacher. So, this morning before school we went out and cut a couple stems. She was so excited to give them to her teacher that I think there might have been a little extra bounce in her step and she walked across the black top to line up :) When we got home, I decided to go cut my own bouquet. I deserve it, right?!

7 months old!

2008-04-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Austin has hit the 7 month mark. It is rotten how fast kids grow up. I love the snuggly newborn stage that doesn't last long enough. If I could change things, I would make that stage last about 6 months at least. Anyway, the week of Austin's 7-month "birthday", he got a tooth and decided it was time to sit up like a big kid. He has also learned that if he screams really loud, he will get attention from someone. At least he still loves his mommy the most-that is the best part of being a mom-the unconditional and constant love from a child!

He could sleep anywhere!

2008-04-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

Rhett is a typical 3 year old boy. He goes, and goes, and goes, and goes until he crashes. He always seems to crash in funny places. I swear this boy could sleep on a cold slab of cement in the dead of winter if he was tired enough. We have caught him is some funny positions. Here a few of them. He was so tired the other day that he laid down on the stairs and couldn't even finish the bread that he had just asked for.

High School Musical

2008-03-26T16:23:00.000-07:00

So Bekah is turning into a "tween". She told me a few weeks ago that her room is too babyish and she wants it to look different-she is 6 1/2 you know!. I asked her what she wanted to change it to and she said "High School Musical". She loves the movies and can't wait for #3 to come out this summer. She loves Zac Efron. She actually discovered him in the movie Hairspray and then when she figured out he was the kid in High School Musical, she was hooked. Anyway, we are making her earn her HSM bedroom by doing extra chores and stuff. Bribery works well with her. So far she has earned a decorative pillow and a fleece throw. She wants her entire bedroom to be HSM, even the walls need to be the bright crazy colors. So, we are taking it slow in hopes that we won't actually have to make it look like HSM blew up in her bedroom.

New scrapbook room

2008-03-25T14:24:00.000-07:00

So this has been a work in progress for a long time. My scrapbook stuff/supplies continue to outgrow the spaces I put it in. It first started out in our hall closet in a 3 drawer plastic cabinet with wheels. I would sit on the floor at the coffee table and scrapbook-killer on the back. I then moved it to some cabinets in our dining area. I would pull it out to work on it at the kitchen table but I hate the clean up part so there it would sit for weeks-dinner suffered alot at our house. Anyway, last year Neldon bought a gigantor desk to put the computer on-it was time to get the computer out in the open since the kids started wanting to use it. So, the desk in the third bedroom upstairs was now free for me to takeover.

We moved beds around and made this my "Scrapbook Room". I finally had a space where I could spread out and be creative. But, I just kept piling stuff in that room. I would go in there to organize it and just get overwhelmed. My Grandma Sessions used to have one of those cans with a springy snake shoved in it and whenever you opened the can the snake would spring out of it-well, this is what the room got like so I just kept the door shut.

Well, last week my sister Lori was here for a few days. She has a son that is Rhett's age so they entertained each other great. I made her make me work on the room. I wanted to paint it to get a fresh start. I wanted to do a golden (not lemony or sunny) yellow because the shelves and desk are brown and I thought they would go together nicely. Plus, yellow is a bright, cheery color and maybe it will be inspirational. So, we picked out two yellows, one a shade darker than the other to do an accent wall. Well, it wasn't quite what I pictured-it is very bright-but I do like it. It looked better once we got the furniture back in place.

The boys got excited and wanted to help. We told them that there weren't any extra paint brushes. Well, kids are not stupid. They dug through the stuff that I had moved out of the room and found some little foam brushes and said "We are ready to paint. We found little brushes just for us." Aren't they cute?! Rhett the Exhibitionist and Cohen the Picker.

Now I just have to put all of the little stuff away-that is the hard part. I want to get it done soon. I am going to do a scrap day on 4/5 with Jaime and Diana so I need to be able to find stuff.

3 year old boys-UGH!!!!!

2008-03-10T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, being the mom to a 3 year old boy is challenging. On Sunday morning, he decided to barf his pancakes up all over my couch. This morning, he was playing with a friend and they konked heads and it got Rhett just in the right spot to give him a bloody nose. All of the blood freeked him out so he wouldn't calm down. The bathroom looked like a murder scene. Add that to the non-stop cleaning of pee because he hasn't figured out the whole aiming technique yet, and I seem to be cleaning up a lot of body fluids from him. Add that to the constant tormenting of his brother and sister, always getting into stuff he shouldn't be, and all of the other things 3 year old boys do........UGH!

Good thing he is cute because that earns him points.

How old am I?

2008-02-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

On Friday, I enjoyed a blast from my past. One of my favorite rock bands as a kid, Night Ranger, was in town performing at the Green Valley Station. I took Jenny and an old friend, Matt Able with me to see them. Matt and I have seen them before, about 20 years ago in Hannibal, so this was kind of a fun moment to re-live our past. The three main members of the band are intact, with two of the original members no longer there. Overall, it was a fun show, the band played with a lot of energy, but was still showing its age a bit. They played all of our favorite songs, including a couple Matt, Mike Grimes, myself and a couple of other kids from the ward once mimicked in an air band contest at Youth Conference as kids. Good times and good memories. It does remind me how old I am though, as Jenny repeatedly poked fun at me and none of her friends had a clue who Night Ranger is. Seeing some of the "rockers" who were in the audience in their middle ages, yet still sporting 80's rock hairdo's was also funny. Yes, I am getting old.

Another funny (well, not really until it was over) story that recently happened to us: Not long ago, Jenny tried to sneak out of the house to make a run to the local Target and pick up a few miscellaneous items. Instead of opening the garage door and driving out in her car, which would alert the troops, she left out the front door and took my car instead. I was upstairs with Rebekah doing homework in her bedroom when Rhett came in room and asked me where mom was. I noncholantly told him that she had gone to Target. Rhett said OK and I heard him go down the stairs, and thought no more of it. After about ten minutes, I began to wonder where Rhett was as it was suddenly unusually quiet. I called his name a few times and got no answer, so made a quick run around the house and he was nowhere to be seen. I checked to see if he had crawled into Jenny's car (as he often does), but he was not there. Now, I was getting nervous. Often, Jenny walks with the kids over to Target, so I ran out and checked the road, then walked a little of the way, but did not see him. Now, I really was getting a little stressed. I called Jenny's cell as she walked in the door and told her the story. We checked the house room by room, and finally went back into the garage. We finally found Rhett curled up asleep in the little buggy we hook up to the bicycle sometimes. You could not see him from the direction I first passed by while checking the garage, but from the other way, he was easy to spot. Here is a picture we took of the little guy.

There is no way to describe the empty feeling you get when you can't locate a lost child. You feel panicked, scared, and completely helpless in those situations. Conversely, the relief you feel is just as hard explain. You can only understand when it has happened to you.

Pictures of the boys

2008-02-02T00:35:00.000-08:00

Jenny went out and got pictures of the boys today. I think they are a couple of cute little buggers, but I'll let you be the judge. The top is Rhett and Austin, the middle is just Rhett and the bottom is Austin. Jenny paid $117 for them and came home with a gazillion copies, so if you know us at all, you likely have one on the way.

Looks like we joining the blogger world

2008-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Well, here goes nothing.... Hopefully between Jenny and me we can keep this interesting enough to get a few views from family and friends.

More to come.