December 19, 2014

Mom VS Laundry and the Sniff Test


It all started when I fell behind in my laundry.

I know how much everyone LOVES to do laundry so, this will come as quite a shock. 

Deep breaths... chocolate... you okay now? The moment of horror has passed?

Okay then.

As I was saying, it all started when I fell behind with the laundry.

Realizing that the underwear drawers were looking pretty scarce, I put on my travel gear and climbed Mount Stinky-Clothes. Once I reached the peek, I was able to get one load of necessities going when I realized to my dismay, it also used up the last of my laundry soap.

This obviously called for a trip to the store.

Which I didn't get around to for another four days.

But eventually I did and armed with two new containers equaling 192 loads, I cautiously attempted to open the utility room door.

Which turned into shoving match. I finally won.

Huh, I was pleasantly surprised! It really wasn't as bad as I thought!

Weird considering that between the eight of us, no one had any clothes left, the towels were all missing, and I know I had had to change a few bed sheets.


Then I had everyone unload the large hampers in their bedrooms.

Oooooooooooohhhhhhh........ that's where it all was.


By the end of the day, the pile was reduced to a small-ish mound that actually fit into the allotted basket space.

Success!

And who did all the folding, you might ask?




Don't worry, I helped... a little.

Hubby always asks me why I don't make the kids wear certain articles of clothing more than just one day, like a pair of jeans or pajamas.

I do sometimes, but that requires "the sniff test".

This is something that was suspiciously left out of the mommy handbook.

I'm positive it's a conspiracy. No one tells you that someday you will have to choose between extra laundry and having to kill off one of your senses.

I am sure by the time I'm an empty-nester, my nasal passageways will be so damaged I won't be able to smell a thing!

At least they are worth it. 

If only I could trust them to do their own sniff tests!

But I feel confident that it would be a terrible, awful, no good, very bad game plan.

December 8, 2014

Jackson Turns One!


Our favorite little Jack-Jack turned one over three weeks ago!

*gasp* I know right?

It's always crazy to me how fast that first year of life goes by. So many changes happen.

In a lot of ways Jackson's first year seemed to creep slowly on as we dealt with his cranio, yet now that we have reached his first birthday, I'm sure I've only just blinked and he transformed from a newborn to a crazy, active, constantly moving, running, and purely delightful one-year old boy.


I simply cannot imagine our family without him. 

The older kids just adore him, even if Claira's love often manifests itself in what seems to him as torture.

Ah, toddler siblings.

It's amazing we survive them.

On Jackson's actual birthday, a sweet lady from our ward (church congregation) stopped by to bring him a plate of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

I know right? 

Everyone needs a friend like that.

See, I'm the kind of friend that will always be there to eat your treats for you while you are on a diet.

Someone has to be self-sacrificing like that.

You're welcome.


Jackson takes his first bite.....


Success!! He loves them!


I know this because after his third cookie I told him he needed to take a break.

He wasn't too happy with me.


The next day there was snow, lots of it. And it was FA-REEEEEZING!

Soooooo cold.

So instead of taking Jackson out into it, I brought some of the snow in for him!

Uh mom... what IS that??

Oooohh, coldness! What am I suppose to DO with this stuff?

Let's give it the ole' stick-it-in-the-mouth test. Hopefully they taste better than those stale cheerios I found on the floor.  Hmmm... not bad mom! 


That Saturday we drove up to my parents house for an early Thanksgiving/Jackson's birthday celebration!

My brother's wedding for the day before had been postponed, and since my siblings who had bought plane tickets couldn't cancel, we had a party anyway!

Well, after Jackson's nap we did.


Not long after the gut-filling dinner, my kids were just itching for Jackson to open his present brought by our cousins.

You know you're a bad mom when your cousin brings a gift for your child but you haven't gotten him one yet.

Epic fail.

At first Jackson wasn't sure what to think of all the attention. And what was with this big bag of paper that Savannah kept telling him to pull apart?


Ah ha!! The secret is revealed!

He love loved it!

And yes, he is super drooly. I suppose I would be too if I had half a mouth of teeth coming in all at once!


Who am I kidding. All you have to do it bring chocolate with in ten feet of me and I look like that.



Okay judge, before you pass a final verdict upon my super lame-o cake, allow me to offer up a defense!


Like a good mom getting a head start on things, I had baked the two round cakes the night before.

Once they had cooled I put an entire container of chocolate frosting between the two layers.

Okay... so maybe I was a bit generous with it, but who doesn't like frosting in the middle of the cake!?

Instead of taking the time to freeze the cake and put on a thin layer of icing before actually frosting it, I went ahead and gave myself permission to unload another container of frosting, this time vanilla. You know, for variety sake.

However, soon I noticed little brown swirls appearing in my pristine white frosting!

Oh hang it all. So out comes another container of frosting!

See, I kind of figured that if I just put the frosting on thick enough, I could hide the chocolate swirls.

Alas, my thinking was faulty and the more I tried to smooth and frost, the more the chocolate and vanilla swirled together.

Well, I might as well run with it.

I left it to set over-night. The next morning after getting out of the shower, I noticed little finger-dug holes in one side of the cake!

What!?

KIDS! WHO ATE THE FROSTING!?

Naturally, Not Me had done it.

Not Me is pretty naughty here at our house, always causing trouble and doing things they know they aren't suppose to do!

*sigh* I'm just not sure what to do with Not Me.


Well, I tried to smooth it out but since the frosting had dried, all I got a nice big messy mush-up of dried and soft frosting.


I just quit while I was behind after that.


I put the remaining half container of icing into a decorating bag and added some lame swirls to try and hide the mush-up spot a little.

Even if it looked really, really bad, a cake with three containers of frosting on it should taste good anyway right?


Jackson thought it was awesome!


Photobombed by Uncle Joel.

My dad was snapping pictures with one camera, my mom with another.



Joel you attention hog you!

Clapping after the song!


All the photo moments caught on video!



Jackson LOVES watching his birthday video!

And despite the fact that the cake was a failure to look upon, everyone loved it!

Especially the birthday boy.




JACK-JACK ATTACK!

December 1, 2014

Turkey and Cranberry Sauce


Have I mentioned before that my hubby comes from a family of nine kids? Since they are all married and have children, when they ALL get together there are about... 32 grand kids (with more on the way) under the age of 13 years old.

True story.

And even when they don't all get together, there are still plenty of littles to keep everyone on their toes.

For Thanksgiving this year we went over to the in-laws. There were only 20 of the grandkids there, but they all had a blast with each other.


Truly, they really do all get along extremely well!

Unless you steal Claira's ball.


You don't want to do that.

Eh heh... trust me.

Jackson thought a room full of never-ending bouncy balls was the greatest thing on earth.


I do the same thing when I see chocolate in the room.


I also do this when chocolate is involved.


 I guess Jackson and I both need to work on our sharing skills.



After a long day of playing hard, some of us went back to Grandma's house.

Tired of my hair being down, I twisted it up and stuck a pencil through it to make it stay.

My adorable little niece seemed to think that was the coolest thing she had ever seen. So she climbed up onto my lap and started handing me pencils.


Not too shabby!

I have so many hidden talents even I am amazed at myself!  


Oh that face! She's so adorable!


Who knew pencils in the hair was so dad-gum awesome!


Next time you are feeling down, try putting some colored pencils in your hair. It might just cheer you up!


The next morning there was some of this going on...


and some of this.


You know the boys are desperate for electronics when they play on a pink toddler toy.

But apparently if it makes noise and has a screen, that's good enough.


Once the kids were fed, we dressed them up and booted them out of the house!

Okay not really.

Well, maybe sort of.

It was surprisingly warm so the snow was pretty slushy, but the kids had a blast driving "Bob" around and getting rides.

Yes, "Bob".

Because people really do name their stuff.


I should name my pillow or something, just so I can be cool too.


Maybe my hairbrush can be "Wookie".


Bedtime is always crazy, chaotic, and takes a million "go to sleep!"s before it actually happens.


But eventually they succumb.


Saturday afternoon was also spent outside all day.

Even Jackson went for a little outing with dad, though it was too cold for him to stay out very long.


I know you can't tell, but he was practically telling that thing to "giddy-up!" he was so excited.


The older kids had become pretty brave in their sledding escapades and connected three sleds together.



It was awesome.



We got home Saturday evening and went about unloading what seemed to be half our house from the trailer, and getting everyone showered before bed.

Tired of everyone harping on me to give Jackson a haircut and claiming he looks like a girl, I gave him his first haircut that night.


I know he's adorable, but he looks like a big boy now and not my little baby!


I'm not ready for him to be a big boy yet!

*sniffle*
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