How many kids?

I asked Ember this week how many kids she wants when she grows up, and she said six. We were talking about our families and Ben joined the conversation. He said he wanted a hundred kids, and Ember yelled "I'm not marrying you!"

Ears Pierced

Ember got her ears pierced today, and she handled it very well! I tried to prepare her for the experience, and she knew it wasn't going to tickle. The worst part is between ears, when you know what it feels like and you know you have to do it one more time. She cried a little bit, but she got over it quickly. Ben actually cried more than she did, it always bothers him when his sisters are in pain. Ember asked me why she didn't get her ears pierced when she was a baby like a lot of other girls she knows, and I explained to her that I wanted to wait until she was responsible enough to take care of it herself. It's also a priviledge she earned, not an entitlement she was born with. Now she's asking about makeup... she's growing up too fast!

Why I have a dog

I followed Emily's advice and went to Google and typed in 'screaming frogs.' I found so much unbelievably funny stuff, but this video made me laugh so hard I cried. This video did scare my chihuahua, though... this cat would eat her alive.

Ballet Recital

Thanks to Denise & Catalina for coming to the recital, it meant a lot to Ember and I. She did fantastic in both tap and ballet, but her favorite was dancing as "Rapunzel" in her beautiful purple costume, her favorite color. We're very proud of Ember and all her hard work.

Ballet Recital

Ember's ballet recital is Friday night, May 16 at 6:30 pm. We'd love it if anybody can come! Admission is $2 for kids, $3 for adults, $12 for families. Come see our beautiful ballerina dressed up as Rapunzel showing off what she's learned this year.

Nacho Libre

There's a scene from Nacho Libre where Nacho is going to visit someone with the flu. The front door is opened by a very wrinkled, weathered woman. We were watching this movie at Daren & Cindy's house and as soon as that door opened Ben shouted, "eeeewwwwww!!!" We laughed more at Ben that we did at the movie!

Computer Girl

This is where I found Grace when I got up this morning! That's MY usual spot, sitting on the end of the couch with my laptop. She's turning into me! It's a good reminder that the kids watch everything I do and copy it.

Dum Dum!

Grace's favorite line from the movie "Night at the Museum" is from the Easter Island statue; You dum dum, give me gum gum." She says it to me all the time. What a silly girl!

I know my letters!

Grace didn't like being corrected while saying her ABC's, but she kept skipping the letter 'N'. She was shouting, "I know my letters!" but by the time we got out the camera, she had stopped shouting.

Women's Conference

BYU Women's Conference was this past weekend, and it was amazing! I have to say it was the best year ever. We stayed in the dorms on campus this year, which took out a lot of driving time, and it was just like a grown-up sleepover. Amazingly we did actually get some sleep! The classes were uplifting and inspiring, especially the closing session on Friday afternoon. Our speaker, announced last minute, was the new prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. You could feel the spirit and the power of his calling the moment he walked into the room. He gave a blessing to all the women in attendance, and I would assume all the women of the church, to have peace, and to find joy in the journey. He also counseled us to never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. It was a wonderful opportunity to sit at the feet of a latter day prophet and hear his counsel. I hope more sisters can come next year, even if it's just for the slumber party! I love you guys!

Top 5....

*Top 5 pet peeves:
rude drivers, interrupting me when I’m speaking, chewing with your mouth open, mothers who buy their kids toys and candy to make them be quiet in the store, and whenever one of my kids pulls the bookmark out of my books.

*Last 5 jobs I've had:
Police Records Specialist, Airline Reservation Agent, Hotel Reservation Agent, Restaurant assistant manager… and that may be it, besides one really short three month stay at Taco Bell; it was all I could handle.

*5 places I've lived:
Only two places my whole life; Mesa, Arizona, Flagstaff Arizona, and then back to Mesa again. I’m a sunshine baby, snow is not for me.

*5 things you may not know about me:
I spend hours playing Settlers of Catan online, I play the piano and violin and sing, I have four thousand freckles (give or take a few), I color my hair, and I am addicted to shoes.

*5 things I love to eat:
chocolate, ramen salad, seven layer bean dip, chips and salsa from Rosa’s, rice-a-roni.

*5 minutes ago I was...
Telling the puppy to stop biting the baby.

*5 hours ago I was...
Playing Super Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo (from 1985!) with my kids.

*5 days ago I was...
Cleaning my house before the Home Teachers arrived.

*5 months ago I was...
Lamenting my 32^nd birthday, and the fact that my husband didn’t think it was a big enough deal to warrant a gift.

*5 years ago I was...
The mother of two kids and still in my twenties.

*5 items out of place in my house:
can I list 5 items that ARE in place in my house? I like it all out where I can see it, that way I know what I have. (I am actually the biggest neat freak who likes to organize things to death, but I have three kids who strongly oppose my ideas).

*5 books I've read and enjoyed over the last year:
I re-read all my Patricia Cornwell books, Finding personal meaning in the Temple, Harry Potter book 7 (again), Black Beauty (reading out loud to the kids), and The Peacegiver.

*5 smells I love:
cinnamon rolls, grape children’s shampoo, baking bread, Macaroni Grill (just walk through the door and tell me you don’t get hungry), and my husband’s “just out of the shower” smell. It’s not just one thing, it’s the combination.

*5 flowers I think are beautiful:
Tulips, lilies, daisies, roses, and daffodils

* 5 embarrassing moments:
kissing the boy I had a crush on (now my husband) on the cheek at a truth-or-dare party, falling down in the parking lot of my high school and scraping my cheek on the asphalt, tripping in church because I wanted to wear REALLY high heels, laughing so hard I peed a little while I was on a date… ok, that last one’s worth at least two.

* 5 places I'd love to visit:
England, Alaska, Hawaii, Spain, and France.

*5 good memories:
Getting engaged at sunset at Fountain Hills and having my husband catch the whole thing on film, the birth of our three children, eating popsicles in the back yard in the summertime and trying to finish before a single drop melts onto my hand, the first time I tasted a Pazookie from Oregano’s (which is a dessert for just one person, by the way, not two), the first time my husband kissed me when we were sitting in the grass of my front yard after a date, at 2 o’clock in the morning.

Beautiful Ballerina

Ember is a beautiful ballerina. She loves her dance classes, and I love that she is learning balance, discipline and coordination.

Language Lessons

Austin overheard Ben talking to Grace in the basement this week, and he said to her "Grace, what the hell?" Austin went downstairs and pulled Ben aside and explained to Ben that hell is a bad word. Ben replied: "Dad, I didn't say hell! I said what the hell!" Funny boy.

General Conference

For General Conference weekend we decided to have a 'C' themed day, starting with a Conference Campout. We set up the tent in the living room with the door facing the TV, or facing the prophet, just like the Nephites did when King Benjamin spoke to them. We wore our Comfy Clothes, had our Conference Coloring packets, and ate only 'C' foods all day. For breakfast it was Cereal and Cinnamon Rolls, lunch was Cheese Crisps and Carrots, and Dinner was Crock pot Cream Cheese Chicken and Corn. Snacks were Cookies, Chips, Crackers, and Chocolate milk. It was such a fun weekend, our kids looked forward to conference for the first time. They may not remember anything from the talks, but they will remember how they felt.

New Trampoline!

We bought a trampoline for the kids this week and surprised them by setting it up without their knowledge. They couldn't believe we would get them such a fun surprise without it being a holiday. Ember thought it was an April Fool's gift! I told them that sometimes parents do great things for their kids just because they love them, and not because it's their birthday or Christmas. What a concept.