My window frame...

Okay, remember that window frame I got at the antique place awhile ago? Well, I've been working on it. I think I"m finally finished, for the most part...I still have some tweaking to do. I can't think of what to put in the glass in the middle. I was going to wait until after the baby is born, and put a family picture in it. The pictures on this are all removable. I will probably only put black and white photos on here, but since I don't have access to all my photos here, the ones I had will have to do for now. So, if you can think of any ideas for this...let me know. Oh, the brown is cork board, the silver is of course a magnetic board, and the red square is paper that I put over a magnetic board. Just in case you were wondering...

Congratulations!

I keep forgetting to post that my brother is getting married! He is engaged to Maria! YEA! We are all really excited for them! They plan on getting married in a VERY small ceremony next Spring/Summer. Kyle thought the whole thing was hilarious! I told him Michael asked Maria to marry him, and Kyle kept saying, "What did she say?" So, I made Kyle call and ask Michael what the outcome was. When Kyle was finished, he handed me the phone, covered the mouthpiece, and said, "SHE SAID YES!" When Troy got home that night, that was the big news. He told Troy, "Mike asked Maria to marry him, and guess what? She said yes! Can you believe it?" Like it was some miracle...which, knowing Michael, it kinda is...Maria's great! (Just kidding, Mike is too!) Maria and Kristin share a birthday! (May 4) Anyways, Congrats Michael and Maria! My kids are anxious to act up at your wedding! :)

Kyle's Heely's

Okay, Kyle's Heely's came in the mail today - courtesty of Birthday #6 and Grammy and Papa (Peterson). He was so excited. We laced them up and tried to figure them out. Then, I sent him into the kitchen. He does not get it. I was thinking we should have gotten a size larger, because by the time he figures them out, he will have outgrown them. Jake can't wait for them to be his. They don't have them in smaller sizes, so Jake got ousted. So, after watching him in the kitchen, I told him he couldn't take them outside until Troy gets home. I am NOT going to the ER by myself. Here they are:

They make him a few inches taller...we'll have to make sure he (or Jake) wears them the next time we go to Disneyland.

Recovered...

Hi! Just so everyone doesn't think I'm crazy, I recovered from my bad weekend. The maids came this morning, I received my boxes last night, and I have my van. I even had a Dr. Appt. today, and found out that I can still travel up to 36 weeks, so I can go on a house hunting trip the beginning of November with my Docs permission! WOO HOO! Also, I am going to be induced on November 27th. YEA! Anyways, I think I'm going to make it until Friday...

How many more days until Troy gets home?

Hello...we have had an interesting weekend. My mom left early Friday morning...everything has gone downhill since then! My kids were probably the worst they've ever been in Sacrament on Sunday. So bad, that when a passer-by at church said, "Hi, how are you doing?" I burst into tears and had a breakdown. I don't even know her name. I was so embarrassed. What an idiot I am. I'm blaming it on being pregnant. She did invite me and the kids to her house for a playdate, so at least I got myself and the kids a "sympathy" friend. The real reason I took the kids to church, was because I knew it would be my only free 2 hours away from them until Troy gets home Friday night. Since I don't have friends, Visiting Teachers, Delilas is out of town, and the only babysitter I know moved back to Utah, I was desperate for alone time. I still don't know if it was worth the hour of utter torcher that Sacrament Meeting was. I honestly could not tell you what one of the three topics was about. So, that was Sunday. Today has been just as bad. I woke up at 5:45a.m. because the truck with our stuff was suppossed to be delivered at 6:00am. (The stuff I went to Utah to pack up.) Well, at 7:05 the driver called and said he was 1/2 hour away. I told him to come at 8:30 cause I had to go pick up our van in Manassas (where Troy works, 30 miles away). Well, he called at 10, and got stopped at a weigh station. Before they would let the truck leave the weigh station, he had to have repairs made on his truck. So, I've just been waiting for him to call all day. So, I have my van! WOO HOO! But, no storage stuff...:( So, I came home, got ready for the maid. I never know when they come, I just wash all the linens and have to pick up for them. Honestly, having a maid is not all it's cracked up to be. That is huge coming from my mouth, too! I have wanted a maid forever! Anyways, it's now 7:11pm. The maids haven't shown up today...yet...Oh, while I was typing this, the driver of our stuff called, it's on its way. So, I have a picked up, but messy house...no sheets on the beds...it's almost bedtime...and being so short and pregnant...I HATE MAKING BEDS! It takes me forever! So, I'm grouchy! Nothing has gone right today. I also got into a fight with Kyle's school. They wanted a signed lease agreement proving we live at our address...I tried telling them we don't have one, and I gave them paperwork from Troy's work...but they were adamant. So, for those of you who know me well, know that I got pretty beasty...it's probably a good thing we're only here until December... (I'm still irritated about the whole physical thing...quickly: the school requires a "special" form be filled out. Well, Dr's offices charge $10-$20 just to fill out the form, on top of co-pays...it's so dumb!) So, now that I've griped...I'll move on...except for the maids...they'll hear from me tomorrow! :)

Grammy comes for a visit...

My mom came to visit us since Troy was out of town, and she hadn't seen the kids in awhile. She has never been to Washington DC, so we tried to do as much as we could in the 3 days she was here!

We headed out for a day long road trip, and stopped in Gettysburg, Hershey, and Intercourse (Amish Country). After this day, I could not wait for my van to arrive here(it will be here Monday!)! My kids are going to kill each other all squished in the back of our little rental car! I think the kids favorite part was Amish Country. There was a playground we stopped at where they rode motorized tractors (why motorized in Amish Country...I have no idea...). We got some ice cream, and walked around the shops. They had a bakery where you could buy gingerbread men and decorate them. They have a nice grammy who lets them do things like that! Their favorite part had to be the cow. There was a wooden cow that they made fake functional udders (or gudders if you're Kyle) for the kids to try. They would have sat there for an hour. They were all enthralled!

I also happened to snap this picture of Kyle that I love. Well, I would love it more if it wasn't his fake smile...but he has been so anti-pictures lately, I'll take this one! He looks really different to me in this picture...I don't know if it's that he looks old, or that he needs his haircut...Cute though! On the way home, we drove by the DC Temple (with a detour through downtown Baltimore, MD, cause I got lost...surpise, surpise...). We stopped and took pictures. By this point in time my kids were filthy, ornery, and hungry. Kristin refused to sit by the boys. She just wanted to be by the pink flowers. She is so difficult...

We took a Duck Tour in DC. You ride this old army truck that drives right into the water and go down the river...then, drive out and downtown...The water part was pretty boring, and it was when the kids all fell asleep, but I learned some interesting facts of DC. As we got out of the Potomac River, the driver handed us all quakers. That was the kids favorite part!

In the Natural History Museum...We had a great time while she was here. The kids went swimming and impressed her with their swimming abilities...or floatie wearing abilities...she took Kyle Birthday shopping too. He wants Heely's...why, because he watches too much tv probably...So, we went to a sporting goods store to get some, and they didn't have them in his size. On the way home he was arguing (I know, you're thinking...Kyle doesn't argue...) about that being the only store that sales them. I told him it wasn't and that we would go to a different store after naps. He said: "Mom, You just need to look up the dot com of it!" My mom left this morning, and I have 1 week until Troy gets home...It's gonna be a long week!

Sunday Happenings...

Okay, Troy left this morning. I got the kids ready for church, and off we went. They were surprisingly good. A few weeks ago, we got the boys new church clothes. Jake has been asking for me to take a picture of him, so I got around to it this morning. My kids are beyond posing...I get what I get, and I happily take it! We just finished dinner. I have 2 more hours to kill until bedtime! I think we'll watch a movie, then ice cream, then a bath...I will have survived my first day! (If all goes as planned, that is!)

Morning from hell...whoops, I said it again!

This is what I get for doing the dishes this morning. I was doing the dishes, and called for Kristin. She came down the stairs...PURPLE! I about died! I went up the stairs and saw her handprints and footprints all over! I followed them, and they went into my work closet. We sell acrylic paints. We have purple and chocolate right now. They WERE up high. I'm still trying to figure out how she got them. And, they were completely sealed! She had to unscrew the top, and puncture a whole in the seal. Not to mention, she got 2 bottles open! After I tried to clean up as much as I could, I ran to the grocery store to rent a rug doctor. They just happened to be on sale for $14.99 this week! So, after renting the upholstery connections (which didn't work), it cost me $18.87 . So, my pregnant body lugged this stupid machine up 37 stairs and I spent 2 hours cleaning this up. Did I tell you it's only 10:15a.m.? I still can't get the paint off the wall. Any ideas? I was thinking Vodka. I know toll painters use it to remove the last coat of acrylic paint. But, I don't know who is going to sell a pregnant woman, with 3 kids in tow, a bottle of vodka...the sad part is, I'm sure nobody would have any problems doing it! So, if you know of any ideas that don't involve hard liquor, please let me know! Erin, looks like I'll revise the store...no more purple paint! So, if this is a preview of what is to come while Troy's out of town for the next 2 weeks...I'm in for it! Did I mention, yesterday she got ahold of the green sharpie and had colored all over her legs and a different wall What am I to do with her? I don' t remember the boys ever doing things like this. They weren't into art supplies...

Our purple OOMPA LOOMPA. I was so mad at her! I made her stay in the shower until I had tried to clean up as much as I could.














Before the Rug Doctor...and after the Rug Doctor...

Another DC Outing...

Today we went downtown to meet Delilas (Troy's Aunt). She had orthodontist appointments for her kids, and I had to work around naptimes, so we didn't see each other for very long, but my kids were excited to see their cousins anyways! Today we went to the National Museum of Natural History. This time the parking wasn't so easy. We didn't get there as early, and I drove around for 40 minutes looking for a spot. I finally found one, but the parking meter had been knocked over, and the actual meter was not attached. So, I couldn't put money in, but after 40 minutes, I didn't care if I got a ticket. We walked through the Sculpture Garden to get to the Museum. I thought it was wierd. Nothing that impressed me...I guess I don't have an eye for abstract art.

This picture is of a huge stuff elelphant in the rotunda of the building. We got there, and I had the kids sit down to take the picture. Do you see those birds on the branches? They're stuffed too, and then they had sound effects like the birds were alive. Kristin sat still for only 2 seconds, and then ran toward me. She was sure that the birds were going to get her!

They had a huge Mammal Section where they had pretty much a stuffed animal of every type of mammal. The crazy thing is the positions that they put them in. They're not just standing there. They have a mountain lion grabbing a bird with one paw, and the bird has it's wings spread out. It's very life-like. Kristin and Jake thought the bear was the best!

We also went to the rock and mineral section and saw the Hope Diamond. Naturally, Kyle didn't believe me that it was the biggest and nicest diamond in the world. I don't know everything, didn't you know? I was surpised at how much the kids enjoyed the rocks. For all of you in Oregon, apparently there are tons of "column" rocks near Mt. St. Helens. They showed pictures of them and had a small sample, but they looked really cool. You should go check them out! They also had a lot of meteors too. I was saving the best for last...the dinosaurs. It was a mistake. By this time, the kids were hungry, tired, and bored of a museum. The kids are in front of a dinosaur fossil pretending that they're dinosaurs. Silly kids. So, we said goodbye to family, and headed to the car to eat our lunch on the way home...which, since we don't have a cooler, it was zuchini bread I made yesterday, grapes, and bottled water. It was good though!

Kyle's Lost Tooth!

I pulled out Kyle's tooth today. It had been loose since I went to Chicago. (Almost a month now.) I kept asking him to let me pull it, and he was too scared...I think it started bugging him (that or he's money hungry), because he asked me to pull it tonight after we went swimming. Troy freaked out. He said the only teeth anyone has ever pulled were his wisdom teeth, and it was painful. I told Troy almost all of my teeth had been pulled out by my Grandpa with his handkerchief! I survived! Anyways, I did it. No tears, not a lot of blood...THANK HEAVENS! Kyle has a hard time with blood! He did great! He's so excited! We sent the tooth fairy an email letting her know to check under his pillow tonight. (We told Kyle when mom's go to the hospital to have babies, they get a list of email addresses and phone numbers of Santa, The Easter Bunny, and The Tooth Fairy...to keep them informed, and all...) Anyways...that was our eventful day! I'm going to try to post that water fountain picture again...let's see if it works...it's not...wierd...I'll work on it...

Downtown DC

Today we headed downtown. They finished preserving the "Star Spangled Banner" (the flag Francis Scott Keys saw while writing the Star Spangled Banner) in the Museum of American History (Smithsonian) and decided that now the building wasn't safe enough for it to hang in, so they are renovating the Museum of American History on Sept. 5 and it won't be finished until 2008, so we wanted to head down there and see it. It was amazingly easy to drive downtown, and free parking! Can't beat that! We parked between the White House and the Washington Monument and went and saw the white house. Here is a picture where you will see the photography talent of some Americans...ridiculous! If we just wanted a photo of the White House, we could have taken it ourselves...oh well...MORON!

In order to tour the White House now, it has to be set up through your Congressman. CRAZY! We then walked over to the Museum of American History. We saw the Star Spangled Banner in the preservation room (not allowed to take pics) and then they had this Science Center. Inside, they had a Kids Hands On. The kids had to be over 5 to even enter the room, so Troy took Kyle, and me and the other kids went walking around! I took Kristin and Jake down to the Cafe where we ate grapes and cheetos. They loved it! Then we went up a few floors to try to find the mormon sundial. I couldn't find it, but we found a buffalo. Jake and Kristin were too scared to turn their backs on it, so this was the only picture I could get of them! It was so easy going downtown, we decided we'll go down every week (about a 20 minute drive) and see something new. The kids really want to see the Dinosaur Museum. (Museum of Natural History). There was also this CRAZY water fountain. I took a picture of it, but blogger isn't letting me upload it for some reason. I will keep trying, but keep in mind, it is less than 1 block from the White House. I told Troy you would have to pay me a million dollars to take a drink from it! That, or I would have to literally be so thirsty I was close to death! YEA! I got it. Dumb thing...I've been trying all night! Isn't it gross?

Home again...

Well, I just got back from Utah. My 3 day trip was a good one. Other than the sorting out of storage (the sole purpose of me going there). I would never wish that on anyone! When I got home, the kids asked who I saw, so I was running down the list of people, and they were really jealous! My nephew, Daxton, was sure not happy to see me by myself! The look on his face when he asked his mom, "Where are the other ones?" was priceless! Zackary - next door neighbor from Oregon - reacted quite the same! It was fun though! I got to hang out with my cousins! We went and saw John Tucker Must Die, which was pretty funny! I was at the theatre with my cousins: Erin, Kara, Damon, and Ian. They range in age from 8th grade to 21 yrs - and then there's me...old and pregnant! It was fun though! They're great people! I also managed to get a pedicure with my sister-in-law Raquel. I hung out with my dad quite a bit...I went and previewed houses for my mom. Allisun and I started a few craft projects...but due to my short time there (and a request for cilantro) it didn't get finished! I hate that! Oh well, next time? Thank heavens my flight came home on Wednesday night and not Thursday morning! That would have been miserable! I feel for any mom traveling that day with her kids! On the plane home, I sat next to this mom who had a 14 month old with her. Nobody wanted to sit by her, so I volunteered...I told her I was quite used to it! People can be so rude to mom's while traveling! So, FYI - smile at mom's on planes...not the sarcastic smiles either...I think people forget how hard it is, and have no patience! I'm not really looking forward to my flight back to Utah with a 3 week old baby, and my 3 kids! I'm really going to get the funny looks, and I'm sure my favorite comment: "My, you've got your hands full!" When you have one kid, the comment is always, "how cute!" with two kids it's always, "oh, 2 boys, how fun" with three it is both..."well, you've finally got your girl"(like that means you're done now) and "my you've got your hands full". Do these people really need to comment at all? I don't even want to know what it is with 4. My patience is wearing thin with dumb people. I guess living in Utah, you can't get too many comments? Please tell me I'm right...Oh, I'm posting my favorite picture of Kristin...lately, anyways. If you wonder why I don't have cute pictures of the boys, it's because they're past "being cute" now. I have to catch them off guard if I want a cute picture of them...and frankly, I haven't had the time to try...So, here's Kristin modeling some new "school" clothes.

Eating lunch at the water park

Kyle's Finally Doing It...

Swimming, that is! He's such a chicken, it's taken him forever, even though Troy and I have known he could do it for a long time. Tonight, he was all over the deep end! We only go to the pool every day! It's about time! Now, of course, Jake wants to follow in his footsteps...we'll see how that goes!

Kyle-ism: Yesterday at the pool, Kyle came up to me giggling, and said, "Mom, I see a guy wearing a girls bathing suit!" I quickly looked over, noticed a man wearing a speedo, and hurried and shushed Kyle. I told him I would explain to him later about it! Well, of course, Kyle kept begging to know why on earth a guy would wear that (hmmm...don't we all wonder that?). When we got home, I told him that he was from out of our country, and that it was probably normal in his country (WHY? Do people in other country's not have mirrors? IT'S SO GROSS!!!). We told him when we see guys like that, we all giggle on the inside! He things it's great!

On Wednesday, we went to a different water park. (I know, we're addicted!) I met Kari and Garrett there, along with a few girls she knows. The kids loved it! They even had a carousel the kids could ride after swimming was said and done! The swimming ended a little early due to a child "pooping" in the pool. Thank heavens it wasn't one of mine!

We decided to go to a Water Park in Manassas yesterday. We spent a little over 4 hours there. It cost us $60 for the family for the day (that included lunch). The kids were in heaven. We finally took them to do something that they enjoyed! Kyle had no fear. He wanted to go down all the huge slides. He was allowed to as long as he had a life jacket on. This was his first try. He's so tiny, the tube got away from him a bit! They had this awesome kids area. Kristin and Jake were in heaven. Jake loved the slides, Kristin hated them. They had these little pool areas with geysers that Kristin played with. She made friends with other little girls her age and they splashed each other.
There was also a lazy river. That was Troy and my favorite part. We slathered on the sunscreen and all came away unscathed for the day! This morning, the kids asked if we were going back to the water park today. NO WAY! Too much sun and it was a LONG day! Kari invited me to go to a different water park tomorrow. Troy works, so I'll probably take the kids again...
I had a doctor appointment this morning. My doctor said I couldn't fly after 32 weeks. (SO DUMB!) That means I'm going to miss Amy's wedding. I am really irritated about it! Oh well. (What the doctor doesn't know won't hurt them?) I'm just waiting to hear back from our realtor about when would be the best time to come for a house hunting trip...off to the library!