I found...

....another CRUSTY sock today. Honestly. Will it ever end?

Just Keepin' It Real--Part 4

Okay, so I just couldn't resist posting this picture. Lander was trying to show me how I should lift weights. It was hilarious. The sad part is that I probably make that same face!

Just Keepin' It Real--Part 3

Years of piano lessons & I feel like I can hardly play. Plus, I really want a new piano. It's already picked out; an ebony, tiny little baby grand. It's totally gorgeous! I feel like I need to be able to justify the expense and I have decided to honor my parents' sacrifice & get practicing on my little keyboard. (I probably should've dusted, but then that wouldn't be real now would it?) My skills are slowly returning, and I have found an added bonus. My creativity really improves after my practice sessions which is really helping my book come along. Who would've guessed?

A Day in Our Life

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

7:10 am: hit snooze (is it possible to be exhausted after 9 hours of sleep?)

7:20 am: (okay, okay! I'm up.) go wake up kids. find Lander coloring in the bathroom.

7:30 am: finally drag Jake out of bed (it seems like I'm not the only one who didn't get enough sleep last night)

7:40 am: breakfast & scriptures

7:47 am: Hurry! Hurry! The bus is coming! (Jake: "Mom, why do you always yell?", Mom: "This isn't yelling, want to hear yelling?" :))

7:50 am: phone starts ringing...and ringing...and ringing (good thing I am good at multi-tasking)

8:40 am: dentist calls, canceling today's appointments. disconnect phone, jump in shower

8:55 am: (whoops, didn't turn off cell phone.) answer another frantic call.

9:00 am: visiting teachers show up (who would've thought they'd actually be on time?--dang it!)

10:15 am: visiting teachers leave. fix lunch for Lander. (wouldn't want him to starve)

10:30 am: start working on book.

10:32 am: phone rings.

10:40 am: phone rings.

10:42 am: "Mom, I'm bleeding"

10:53 am: phone rings. disconnect phone again.

11:00 am: Lander braves frigid wind to wait for bus. watch Lander so stranger doesn't steal him.

11:22 am: bus arrives.

11:25 am: phone rings. (are you serious???)

11:49 am: back to writing.

12:25 pm: realize I didn't get breakfast (no wonder I feel faint)

12:37 pm: back to writing. (if I hurry, I might get a cat nap in)

2:42 pm: "Mom! We're home!" (crap, it's that time already? I guess I don't get a nap, but I did get 1800 words written, woohoo!)

3:02 pm: boys' friends arrive

3:35 pm: scouts? we have scouts?

3:40 pm: quickly sew on scout patch (that should've been sewn on 3 weeks ago)

4:10 pm: just kidding, no scouts

4:15 pm: "Can we play with moon sand?"

.

things on my to-do list that didn't get done...yet:

clean up moon sand

vacuum

mop

make bread

go for walk

make dinner

.

things that weren't on my to-do list that got done today:

talked to 4 friends that I haven't spoken to in ages

found out that Josherboy will get home early (double woohoo!)

...well, that about sums it up!...

Just Keepin' It Real--Part 2

This is what I found in Lander's backpack--crispy old socks that he took off during school after jumping in puddles. I have found these everywhere, in the garage, in the closet, even in his dresser. Gross. And then he asks me where his socks are.

Happy Birthday Alan!

We celebrated Alan's 26th birthday on Tuesday night. It was a lot of fun! Heather treated us to beef enchiladas & Spanish rice followed with a chocolate cake. Yummy!

Heather lights all 26 candles, but not before most of them melted. That's okay. We fed the waxy peices to Josh & Alan. They didn't mind.

Just Keepin' It Real--Part 1 (aka Confessions of a Siesta-aholic)

I have never been an exercise guru. I try to be active, but you won't catch me with a gym membership. The thought of sweating it out around a bunch of strangers makes me start to panic. I have noticed that over the past couple of years that age, "trying to be active" and, quite possibly, my love of siestas have caught up with me. I am soft. I am flabby. I have CCL! What is the world coming to?

I started lifting weights a few months ago, nothing major, just 2 or 3 times a week, 30 minutes or so. I am starting to feel a difference. I no longer wave in the breeze with Relief Society arms, but I am still such a wimp. You can see the picture of my bench press. I am up to a whopping 60 pounds. (Wow, did I just admit that?) Muscles and me just don't seem to jive. Maybe I should just go for the long and lean....except I'm not long, and as for lean...well, it's a good thought anyway.

Just Keepin' It Real

I realized that a lot of my posts are about the fun things we do, places we go, vacations, etc & my blog needs a bit of a reality check. So over the next few weeks, I will do my "Just Keepin' It Real" posts. Little bits from our lives in an effort to, well, keep things real. And here it goes...

Old Town Cartagena

Josh will have to add names to places later...but in the meantime, here are a few pictures of the old town & fort in Cartagena.

Josh & Dan

feeding the local wildlife

scuba diving

The boys headed out for a little scuba adventure (and consequently, Josh's hyperventilation attack) off the coast of Cartagena. They made 2 dives, one though a sunken ship, and it only cost $70! Josh said the water was crystal clear.

Dan the Man

Cartagena, Colombia

Josh spent last week in Cartagena, Colombia visiting our friends. He didn't bring me a crocodile, but I did get an emerald out of the deal, my compensation for not being able to go. Woohoo!

He made a quick stop over in Bogota where he was able to visit his aunt & uncle, Tom & Colleen C. (Tom is the MTC President in Bogota), but he forgot to get a picture!

Josh, Em, & DanDan & Em's NeighborhoodLDS Church Catholic Church

HELP!!!

"I want my mommy!" Just kidding. Baby Travis was just ready for his nap while his mommy & daddy are on a, ahem, "date", and I couldn't resist getting a crying picture. Now he is sound asleep in my arms. What a sweetie!

only in Rexburg

...does a conversation go something like this:

"Mom! It's hot as summer out here!" Jake shouts as he strips down to his t-shirt.

It is breezy and 45 degrees outside, but the snow is gone & strangely enough, I am starting to sweat too. So we all tie our jackets around our waists, because we definitely wouldn't want to get overheated, and continue our walk/scooter ride. After all, who would want to waste such a beautiful day?

Quote of the Day

"Mom, you really are fun. I thought it was just Dad that was fun."
-Jake, age 8

a few firsts

Here are a few of our "firsts" that happened during this past week:

* Lander eats a marble
* Dixie finds -- & is forced to retrieve -- the marble
* Jake reads his first no-picture novel, 340 pages!

* Josh hyperventilates -- and no it wasn't because of Dixie

* Dixie is introduced to Da Pineapple Grill's "Eleena's Speciality", a tantalizing sushi roll that is literally good enough to kill over

* Josh, sadly, watches an iguana killing

* Jake gives an oral book report -- on Tigers

* Lander & Jake get a paying job, filling bird feeders for Grams