What am I going to do with that kid? :)

I was just chatting with McKay and told him I couldn't read him a story just now because it was time for mommy to exercise. He told me that he wanted to exercise because he wanted big, big muscles and that he didn't have any yet. Not wanting him to be in the way of my workout (i.e. getting hurt on the treadmill), I told him when he gets big like a daddy he'll have really big muscles. His reply? "Yeah, when i get big like a daddy I can workout naked!"

Umm.....

After digging a little deeper, I realized he meant without a shirt on. I then informed him that while some boys exercise without shirts, they always where shorts.

What can I say? The kid keeps me laughing!

In Full Swing

It's that time of year again. I believe as of tonight I am an official tax widow. I guess that's not too bad considering it's already March. We have a lot of home improvement projects planned, but if I can't do them, some of them will have to go on hold for a couple of months. Say, how hard is it to replace the bathroom faucet??

I did start painting the house tonight. We decided it would be the easiest way to clean up McKay's "art." A whole pencil box of crayons was dumped in the trash and the only other crayons are way up out of reach (hopefully). All writing instruments are now used under careful supervision.

Tax season isn't so hard now that we live in the land of the north. It's still cold outside here versus St. George where I was ready to go dig in the dirt by now. It gives me a few more weeks to work on my projects without Jeff getting in the way. (Like some of the home improvement ones) I'm hoping to tackle the kitchen and get it organized. My 1970's split is suffering from severe lack of storage space, so I'm thinking it's about time to organize, purge, and whatever else you do. :)

Aren't random thoughts great? I think they're my favorite posts to read. I"m just sorry they don't flow better, but I'm tired and am not willing to wake up enough to try. :) Until I have something better to post, here is my cute Sophie and her "make mine a double" day. She came into my room and showed me this and laughed and laughed about it. And I thought we were closer to getting rid of that thing.

Disneyland Part 2

Ok-it's been awhile since I made a Disneyland post. We went in November, posted once, and never wrote about it again. Until today that is.

Before we left, I wanted to make the kids some autograph books. I'd heard about different ideas various crafty friends and done and seen some of them. I ended up combining 3 ideas. This is what I got:

Inside I wanted places for the characters to sign (the whole purpose of the book). I also wanted a place to put pictures. I thought it might make my efforts a little more worthwhile if they got something more than just signatures.

The books were a hit at Disneyland. I even had a few cast members ask where I had bought them. Today when I actually (finally) put the pictures in, the kids were beyond excited. They have been talking Disney ever since-which rides they loved, which they will never go on again, and all the great people they met.

Once There Was a Snowman Tall, Tall, Tall

In the sun he melted small, small, small.

I have been loving having the temperatures rising and had to laugh when I went outside with the kids and saw the remains of our snowman!

We have spent so much more time outdoors lately. We've spent several days coloring on the driveway and riding bikes and racing cars down the driveway-one advantage to a sloped driveway! I even got most of the Christmas lights down! Jeff should be able to get the rest down on Saturday when a little more snow has melted. The kids are super excited for spring. If you ask Lyndsi when spring will be here she'll tell you, "It's right around the corner!" They can't wait for trips to St. George, swimming, and camping. I'm just glad I can get away with a jacket now instead of a coat! Here's some pictures from Presidents' Day:

Grandma and McKay drawing puffy white clouds.

Lyndsi and one of our flowers we drew to encourage spring to come!

Question of the Day

What do you do when your kids are driving you crazy? Besides having my house torn upside down to get the carpets cleaned (wouldn't that be cool if you could really hang furniture from the ceiling for things like that?), I decided it was high time to get McKay's art work off the walls. Those of you who've been here know I'm talking about more than merely taking a piece of paper down. No, McKay's art work is applied directly to the wall. I spent an hour scrubbing the wall with only partial success and then (bless his heart) found several nicks in the walls from "driving" his cars. I finally gave up and decided it would be better if mom just threw the crayons away, locked up anything else you can write with, and repaint the walls. Dad's going to Hawaii soon. It just might happen...

(File photo McKay and his art)

St.George

I though I had managed to escape the annual longing (aka homesickness) for St. George that usually hits this time of year. Despite all the snow, I felt good. I was really feeling at home. Then this morning I was leaving Target and BAM! It hit. Fortunatley, it's not a severe case like the last 2 years, but honestly I do miss it there. 365 days of pure blue skies and deliciously warm sunshine. Red rocks and green trees. Seriously, when I first started school there back in 98 (gulp) I thought to myself, "I am living in a rainbow!" It may sound a little cheesy, but if you know me at all, it fits.

Part of this was brought on by a visit this weekend from our good friends, Wendy and Jeremy. I've known Wendy since we started college (French class) and Jeremy almost as long. When we had kids we traded babysitting frequently and worked and played together as well. Jeff and Jeremy clicked right off the bat and have been good friends since I introduced them. Really, these people are more like family than friends.

Some of it was brought on by memories of other friends and neighbors. Emily, Amy, and Erika and I used to look forward to a new year because it meant birthday season!!! The four of us would go out to dinner, maybe a movie and spoil the birthday girl with presents. Randi and Krystal were the best next-door neighbors ever, something I miss up here. We had kids the same age who loved playing together and we'd sit and visit for hours while they played.

Really, I'm very sentimental (in case you didn't pick up on that) and even shopping can trigger homesickness. I love going to Target, especially the one in the District. It reminds me of shopping in St. George. If I'm really homesick, I can almost imagine I'm there. Maybe heading to Michaels or the dollar store next. Pathetic. I know.

Quite the Story Teller

While we were on our way home from swimming lessons this morning, McKay asked if I wanted to hear his story (an oft asked question around here). Here's his story (roughly):

"There were spooky scary skeletons and it got darker and darker and darker. And the Jesus came and it got lighter. Then Jesus had to go to church as fast as he could. And then church was over and He was sad because he had to leave the church. And then the angel came and asked 'what's the problem?' Then the spooky scary skeletons came and killed Jesus and the angel and the hearts were broken." (I think in the end the skeletons were killed when Jesus and the angel came back to life if I remember right.)

For a little boy who cannot sit still to save his life, he has sure absorbed a lot! He may have gotten some details off, but I'm thinking he's starting to grasp the concepts a lot better than I ever gave him credit for!