Spicey Spencer

Spencer was taking a nap. In his bedroom. In the basement. Totally asleep, zonked!! I know this for sure because I was sitting on the edge of his bed scratching his back and singing until he started to snore. Then I scratched the back a tad bit longer, just for good measure. He was wasted.

I'm not really sure how long that lasted, but about 45 minutes later I entered the basement to this waste...
1 bottle of parsley flakes
2 bottles of beef bouillon
1 bottle of chicken bouillon
2 bottles of cinnamon
1 bottle of garlic powder
2 bottles of black pepper
1 bottle of chopped onion

Sweet. Spicey. Just the way I love my basement to smell. And when I'm killing myself on the treadmill tonight, I have a feeling I'm going to crave some chicken noodle soup...

The Nativity...a la Spencer

We LOVE our Fisher-Price Nativity set...thanks, Lorene!! Here is what it is supposed to look like:
The next 3 pictures are Spencer's interpretation...basically, he isn't very fond of the "butterfly" being on top of the stable. He much prefers to have the blessed event heralded by the sheep, wiseman, or cow!

Hieroglyphics

(the girls' room)
interpretation: "if you jump on the bed mom will whack you!"

(by the basement door)
interpretation: "there's lots of trees outside"

(Gracie's dresser)
interpretation: "too many clothes"

(the kitchen table)
interpretation: "dinner tonight was about 2 stars"

(the bathroom door)
interpretation: "I love the way mom decorated the bathroom"

(the arm of the couch)
interpretation: "this way to the toys"

(hallway)
interpretation: "i was starting to draw a star but then mom walked up"

Missing Baby

ATTENTION!!

Someone has taken my sweet, mellow, cuddly baby girl and replaced her with a bigger, sassy, independent version...No Fair!!

Mother

Dear Mom,

Happy Birthday to you! Do they have birthday parties in heaven? I like to think they do...after all, it's a place of happiness and parties are SO happy!

If you were here we'd probably be gorging ourselves on hot & spicy chicken from Chinese Chef, followed by some Grasshoppers and milk...yummy! I'll have some for you!

If you were here we'd laugh at the kids being silly on the floor, then we'd take a quiet walk around the neighborhood and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Remember the gorgeous trees at the church across the street? They're still gorgeous...

If you were here we'd come back inside for some Postum and funny talk around the table and laugh until we wet our pants. Wonder how our old friend "Hose B" is doing?! Then you'd play the piano with your beautiful fingers and we'd all sing along...but mostly we'd listen to your angelic voice.

If you were here you'd snuggle up with the girls on the couch and read "Little House on the Prairie" and put their hair in pink rollers--and you'd be careful to never brush too hard.

If you were here you'd sit on the porch steps with the boys and tell them stories about "when you were a little boy"...and let them bring snakes and lizards and bugs inside. :)

If you were here you would cuddle the babies and sing them "Wee Baby Moon" while you kissed them in that super-soft spot just in front of their ears. You would tell them they were the sweetest babies ever, and you'd mean it.

Did you ever know that Dad gave me your jacket? I wear it every fall, just a time or two...and in the left pocket are treasures...a cough drop, a toothpick, and a kleenex. :) Thanks for leaving them for me!!

Sometimes I feel cheated that I only got to call you "Mom" for 23 years...but then I remind myself to feel blessed that I get to call you "Mother" for eternity!

I love you, Mama. Happy Birthday!
Love, Amy

Overrated

If you have enough conversations with me, you'll hear this phrase more than once..."It's overrated!". What might I be referring to, you ask? Things like this:

1. A clean house
2. A college education
3. Home-cooked meals
4. Being popular
5. Being thin
6. Kids in matching clothes
7. Folded laundry
8. Dusting
9. Vacations
10. Bedtimes
11. Drinking water
12. Knowing how to play the piano
13. The beach
14. Working out
15. Whole grains
16. Cleaning behind your ears
17. Being on time to church
18. Savings accounts
19. Making the bed
20. Dancing in the rain

...Just to name a few!

My Kind of Pet

Joe's class did a "class store" last week...Joe and his partner decided to make and sell Pet Rocks! Awesome! Joe worked hard and had a lot of fun making his rocks, he would have made 100 more if he had time. I told him he could make them for Christmas presents this year and that seemed to satisfy him. :) I like that rat rock better than the real thing...think he'd be happy with a dog rock?

Happiness

Isn't she just a doll?! Don't you just wanna eat her? I do...all the time!! Here are a few of my favorite Ellie sayings as of the last week or two:

1. Yep
2. Nope
3. Taylor Swift
4. Potty
5. I'm Pretty

Of course her vocabulary extends beyond this, but these are her latest (and cutest)...she's quite a jabbery girl and sometimes she will have very lengthy and animated conversations with me. I love it!!

Wouldn't you just love your life if you could wake up to her adorableness every day? :) Ah, my Ellie!!

Today

I am totally ADD...

I sit down to pay some bills, I get up to get some stamps, and suddenly I'm sorting through the grocery ads next to the stamps. Next thing you know, I'm making a shopping list, when I check to see if I'm out of vegetable oil. Oo-la-la! I see brownie mix--now I'm making brownies! I get tired of watching the oven so I go watch PBS cartoons while I fold some laundry. The glare from the bathroom light is bugging me so I get up to turn it off. Towels and dirty clothes on the bathroom floor get on my nerves so I clean them up. Under the pile I find Joe's football cleats, so I take them to his room, where I find the phone I left there earlier while I was putting clothes away. I see I missed some calls so I return them.

Sometimes I can go a whole day and not complete a single task. Beat that!!

My Cavity-Free Home

I have always taken a slight amount of pride in how much toothpaste we go through at our house. I mean, really, my kids brush so often and so well that their breath is always fresh and their cute, tiny teeth sparkle from a mile away. At least, that's what I have led myself to believe as about every 3rd morning I am summoned to the hall bathroom because "somebody used all the toothpaste!". Naturally, I could hardly assume anything contrary to a dentist's dream being lived out in my very own bathroom.

The last several days, however, I have been forced to accept that the slime on their biters might be for real. As I was coming to grips with this gross truth, I found an unlikely ally: my home. It told on those kids!! Want a list of all the places I have found toothpaste goo? Here ya go...

1. Carpet on the stairs

2. Underneath kitchen chairs

3. Walls (in nearly every room)

4. Door of the pantry (?)

5. Backpacks

6. Doorknobs

7. Computer keyboard

8. Ellie's pillow (another ?)

So I'm psyching myself up for the dentist visit in 2 weeks that will confirm my worst fears: my children have cavity-ridden mouths.

My one consolation? No decay found in the carpet, chairs, walls, doors, backpacks, keyboard, or pillows! Whew...that was close!

BACON

Dear Turkey Bacon,

You are NOT real bacon! Real bacon is, by definition, delicious and fatty and from a PIG. You are not delicious, not fatty, and you are from a TURKEY! You are not welcome in my kitchen anymore...please pack your fake self and go find some health-concious, no-regard-for-taste family to live with. Thank you.

Best Regards,
The Mom of a family that places high value on DELICIOUSNESS

Reading Log H*@#@&%# !!

Here's one drawback to school being back in session: READING LOGS...I don't like them one single bit! They make my head hurt and I'm in a constant state of guilt over not filling them out regularly. The truth? I usually end up writing down a whole month's worth of stories (that we have read, I just don't remember on which days and for how long) the morning the log is due. Or, I forget about it entirely and give my child extra dessert when they come home sad that they were the only kid in their class to miss lunch bunch. I'm a lame mom!

This might be the part where I ask for advice...you know, some put-it-out-there question like "How do you keep track of your child's reading?". But I don't want advice (unless you really do have something cool) because I can tell you right now it won't work. :) I'm just waiting out the years of reading log HECK!

Wa-la!

So here is the promised post with pictures...I know it's this morning instead of last night, but are you really gonna freak about it? Really?

The first picture is, of course, the first day of school. All 3 of the kids are at the same school this year and that makes me all kinds of happy! :) First of all, they can look out for each other on the bus...I will spare you my bus issues--nothing has ever happened but I still have some personal hang-ups. The really great thing about one school, though, is ONE schedule! Everyone is out of the door and back in the door at the same time. There is only one Open House, one Fall Festival, one Book Fair...it simplifies a mom's life in countless, blessed ways!!

The bottom picture was taken just a few weeks ago to send to Grandma Cluff and Grandma Dee...I am officially the world's worst picture-sender and was losing sleep over my guilt, so one day I just plopped the kids down together and snapped this shot to send off to the grandmas we love SO MUCH!!

So there you have my post!

For Reals...

Okay, this may sound familiar...but I am ready to get back to consistent blogging! I just spent the last hour reading blogs of people I love and decided I have no more excuses. It's true that Dave has my camera (again) but I'm not going to let that stop me anymore! :)

So here's a really quick update...school is back in session! Dave is taking 2 classes and working part-time at St. John's Hospital in the therapy area. Joseph is playing football again, Aubrey is doing soccer. Gracie loves kindergarten, Spencer is a wild-thang and Ellie is balls of fun! I am babysitting 4 other kids...it has it's challenges but it's been a blessing for us and is the only way Dave can go back to school so I'm grateful for it!

Whew...this time I am SERIOUS about getting on here more often!! I'll post with pics TONIGHT, pinky promise!

Late-Night Confession

It's almost 11:00pm...all of my children are asleep. Sound blissful? Yep, except that I have a confession: Joseph is sleeping on the family room floor, Aubrey is sleeping on the loveseat, Gracie is sleeping on the sofa, Spencer is sleeping in my bed, and Ellie is (surprisingly) in her crib. Why are 4 of my 5 kiddies not in their own beds, you ask?! Well, there is a perfectly good explanation...I HATE putting sheets on beds!!! Seriously, I love the feeling of slipping into fresh sheets, it is so relaxing and peaceful. But putting them on is a task that I loathe. So I strategically plan "wash bedding day" when I know I will be gone at night...Enrichmet, Young Women's, grocery shopping--tonight happened to be a visit to the cemetery to see Amanda. This way, Dave gets the task. :) Brilliant, no? Except tonight he didn't do it, and now he's out at a movie and I am resolved not to break my oathe of putting on sheets. So...there my babies lie...they do each have a pillow and blanket, though.

The Making of a Superhero

Mom: "SPENCER!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Spencer: "Sorry, Mom. I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm sorry."

Mom: "Why did you do that, Spence? You know we only write on PAPER!"

Spencer: "I was making a Superhero, Mom. I'm making me a Superhero!"

I only laugh to keep from crying...oh yeah, that's a Sharpie.

THE INEVITABLE HAS HAPPENED

Sad day for me!! Actually, yesterday was the sad day...I was released from my beloved calling as Young Women's President. I have served there for 2 1/2 years, and eventhough I know there is no calling that lasts forever (I mean, not in a ward)...it is hard to let go! I love those girls SO much! I know I fell short in so many areas and constantly felt like I was letting them down, but they were so forgiving and patient and I really believe they know how deeply I love them. I know none of the Young Women read my blog, but I'm still gonna say it...I LOVE YOU, GIRLS!! I will miss the laughing, the crying, the sleepless nights and crazy Sundays. I will miss (sorta) smelly camp and total exhaustion after Youth Conference! But mostly, I will miss your sweet smiling faces and your wisdom and your touching testimonies...you have made my life special and the last 29 months will always hold a special place in my heart!

And also, I had the best counselors and secretary I could have ever asked for...thanks, Angelita and Crissi and Sunny! You were rock solid support in a calling I never really believed I could do, I love you mucho!

I was a crying mess yesterday and I will probably shed a tear or two over the next couple of days and weeks...but who would actually expect anything different from me? :)

Anyone else realize that I have posted without photos AGAIN?! Yikes, I've got to get my hands on that camera...

The Story of My Life

Hi! My name is Amy and I am the creator/owner of this blog...just in case any of you forgot who I was! ha ha I really have been meaning to get back at this blogging thing for about 2 weeks now, but I never have my camera when I think about it. This morning I am in a blogging mood and have decided that it's okay to post without pictures! So my next post will be "pictures only" to make up for it, but I decided it was high time I just put something up here!

This is a BUSY time of year! Next week is the last week of school...not sure how I feel about that right now! I love my children dearly, but a WHOLE SUMMER?! I just need to think of more things to do with them to keep the fighting and death-threats to a minimum. For now we are all wrapped up in the end-0f-year stuff like talent shows and field trips and graduation programs. Lots of fun but crazy too! Aubrey and Gracie both wanted to do summer school, that will take up a month! Joe opted to just have a lazy summer...which he thinks means lots of video games and exploring in the woods. I think it means lots of help with chores and younger siblings. :) I'll let ya know how that power struggle goes...probably some compromising will be in order!

I haven't posted about this but I have taken on a couple of daycare kids. Two girls, 4 and 3, they are sisters. Cute girls, we love them to pieces and they have fit right in with our family. Their mom's work schedule is crazy, they spend about 60 hours a week with us! It just sort of happened, but it has been a blessing to us and will be even more helpful when Dave starts school full-time!

We had our house for sale for about a month, but I made Dave take it off the market...it was too hard to keep picture-perfect all the time!! I have so much respect for anyone that has their house for sale, it is not an easy thing! And in my defense...the first week we were up was Spring Break so I had 9 kids all day long. I felt like I was going crazy, it was just too much for me at the time. It was hard to admit that, but once we took the sign out of the yard I was nice again. :) I like a clean house, don't get me wrong...but clean enough to live in and clean enough to show are two VERY different things!

We had all my family in town for Mother's Day weekend--except Ben and Ashley. We missed you guys!! Marlise finally brought her sweet baby Gordon home for us to see, he is so yummy! Lissa and Marianne are staying all this week to play and it's been a blast...and we are waiting on pins and needles for Karman to have her baby!

So there's lots going on...I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg, but hey...I did put up a new post!! Hopefully that has pacified my loyal follower(s)...if I even have any left after all this time! :) Watch for pictures of my cute and growing kids soon!!

Checking In

This isn't really a real post...I'm just checking in to make sure all my faithful followers (you know who you are, but I don't!) know that we ARE still alive and very much kicking!! I do realize that if my blog were a pet, it would have died and gone to heaven by now, leaving me to face some pretty nasty charges...but alas, my neglect hasn't done any real harm, hallelujah!!

So we have just been very busy and beyond stressed and running like crazies around here...hence my title, "Crazy Beautiful Life". I just don't have any documentation of the BEAUTIFUL part because in the midst of the CRAZY I haven't scooped up the camera! But LIFE is going on and we are happy and blessed and some day--hopefully sooner than later--I will post again with some photos and real news about our birthdays and springtime and moving and children. :) For now, this small assurance will have to do...we are here!

Hubby Tag

So this is a fun little "tag" all about my super terrific husband! I LOVE getting to talk about him!

1. Where did you meet your husband?

At my house for a movie night, senior year of high school--Spring Break!

2. How long did you date before you got married?

Well, we knew each other 3 1/2 years, "dated" for about a year.

3. How long have you been married?

We'll hit 10 years in September!! WOW!!

4. What does he do that surprises you?

Sends me cute emails or text messages.

5. What is your favorite feature of his?

All of them! I think he is one handsome dude!

6. What is his best quality?

Too many to have a "best"...but I would say one of the huge ones is that he is very kind and compassionate. He can't stand to see someone who needs help and not help them...most of them time I love that about him.

7. Does he have a nickname for you?

My Amy--I know that's not a real nickname, but it's the best I've got!

8. What is his favorite food?

Just about anything homemade! And anything he can put cayenne pepper on. :)

9. What is his favorite sport?

Track. More specifically, marathons!!

10. When and where did you first kiss?

Behind Aaron and Shannon's house, February 15, 1999.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?

Window shopping for furniture and home decor. Looking at houses!! Taking walks...with no kids. :)

12. Do you have any children?

A few...5, to be exact. Joseph, Aubrey, Gracie, Spencer, and Ellie

13. Does he have any hidden talents?

LOTS!! But if I told you what they were, they wouldn't be hidden anymore, would they?

14. How old is he?

Almost 32...and in denial!

15. Who said I love you first?

I don't really remember...probably me.

16. What is his favorite music?

Paul Simon, STING, Coldplay, Enya (yuck), MoTab

17. What do you admire most about him?

His honesty...he will ALWAYS do the right thing!

18. What is his favorite color?

Blue

19. Will he read this?

No, probably not. But he is in the room as I'm tying so I'm telling him about some if it. :)

20. I tag...

All ya'll!!

What a Hoot!

Last week I made some carrott sticks for a snack. I told Spencer to eat some and pretend he was a bunny..."No, Mom! I'm not a bunny, I'm Buzz Lightyear!". The next thing I know, he's feeding carrotts to the stuffed bunny...

Spencer LOVES to try on shoes...especially boots! These are Lilly's, he wore them around all day! I especially love that he has no pants on. That's my boy!

I know all these posts dedicated to Spencer's little antics might make it appear that he is the favorite. I don't know what I could say to prove otherwise...you'll probably just have to take my word for it. He is such a funny kid!! We get hours upon hours of laughs and giggles from him, we are so glad to have him in our family! Truly, every family needs a Spencer! Here's some of the funny things he has said/done in the last 24 hours...

Yesterday Gracie had gotten into some gum in my room that she wasn't supposed to have. Dave caught her and made her spit it out in the toilet. A little while later, Dave notices that Spence is chewing some gum...and his shirt sleeve is soaking wet! Nice...

This morning he was jumping around on our bed and being really silly. I asked him, "Spence, where did such a silly kid come from?". His reply? "From your bed!"...uh, that's sort of true, I guess! Little punk!

HILARIOUS!!

Okay, when I was at BYU one of my favorite columns in the Daily Universe was "Snide Remarks" by funnyman Eric Snider. I had totally forgotten about him and all the chuckles I got out of his material until I stumbled on his website!! He is still around and as funny as ever! And as I am a "Twilight" fan, I found this particular post of his SO FUNNY! It's a must-read, so check out the link! http://www.ericdsnider.com/snide/my-rejected-twilight-screenplay/

Did you laugh your socks off? :)

2009 Does Exist

So I do believe this is my first post sans photos! Here's how it goes...we had a New Year's party with some friends, loads of fun and laughter and much good food was consumed! Now, over a week later, I find that I am the only party-attendee that did not take a single picture that evening! I guess when I host a party I only have my mind on one thing...food! :) ha ha So eventhough I don't have pictures to prove it, we did ring in the new year with much fun! If you need hard evidence, check out Janessa's blog or Sunny's blog. And probably even Karman's blog! Happy 2009!!