Oh what a night . . .

So, this past week has been really hectic for Brandon at work. One thing after another, after another, and when it seems that things are slowing down, something else is thrown in his lap. So, he came home from work yesterday and told me he wanted us to go for a drive so he could relax. So, we packed up the kids in the truck, picked up some fried chicken from Smith's and headed up Logan canyon.

We were headed towards Old Ephraims grave. I know, that sounds weird. Let me explain: Old Ephraim was a HUGE bear - standing almost 10 feet tall - that was terrorizing farmers and eating their cattle and sheep in the early 1900's. A man named Frank Clark decided to track him down. He followed him for 20 some-odd years before he was finally able to track him down and kill him. Old Ephraim is the stuff legends are made of. There's a statue up there standing over his grave where Frank Clark killed him.

So, we were going up there. Brandon had to be back by 6:45 for some appointments at the church, so we ate in the truck so we wouldn't have to stop and pull out dinner on the way. (Good stuff, by the way.) Anyway, we were in the canyon and off on the road where Old Ephraim was killed when . . . the truck died. We tried to start it again, but it wouldn't start. We had a full tank of gas, it wasn't over heated, the gauges were fine, no fuses were blown, everything was connected where it was supposed to connected . . . There was no logical reason why the truck wouldn't start.

So, Brandon put the truck in neutral, and backed up (yes, I said backed up) down this little pot-holed, gravely, mountain road. We got a ways back, but he stopped because not having power brakes is a bit stressful. So, as we were sitting there, some motorcyclists come along and ask if they can help. We asked them to follow us down to a place where we could get the truck turned around. So, we continued backing up until Brandon saw a place, and then whipped the truck back into it. He tried starting the truck again - and it started. We said thanks to the two guys, and got started back towards home.

But, then, the truck died - again. Only this time, it wouldn't start going again. So, we coasted down the mountin and made it almost to the highway before the truck wouldn't roll anymore. So, we let the kids get out of the truck and climb the hill and play around in the dirt. Another motorcylist came riding up and asked if we needed help. Turns out, he's getting his degree in aviation mechanics, so he knows a whole lot.

He & Brandon tinkered around on various parts of the engine for a bit, before the guy climbed under the truck, pulled the fuel line off and let it drain. He suspects that the fuel line was clogged. Anyway, after that, we managed to get the truck started, only to have it die again. James, our helper, had to get back to Logan for a class, but offered to call Brandon's parents and have them come get us. We agreed.

We figured they'd be there in no more than an hour. So, we got the kids back in the truck as it was getting dark and cold. We sang primary songs, told them the story of Old Ephraim, and I made up a funny story for them about a 3-horned unicorn, a dragon named Darcy, and essence of lollidop used by the Snaffer mother to make cookies for their three kids, Stott, Traden, and Smavin. (Notice the similarities between my kids names? Funny how that happens!!)

Anyway, an hour and a half went by, it's pitch black outside and there were still no parents there to rescue us. We were getting worried and the boys were getting scared by then. So, we prayed. Ten minutes later, the truck started, and we were able to limp home. By then, Brandon's dad was lost in the canyon, so Brandon turned around and took the van and went looking for his dad. He finally got ahold of his dad who had just come out of the canyon (there's no cell reception in the canyon), and come to find out, James had accidently told Brandon's dad the wrong turn-off point, so he ended up driving right past us.

So, needless to say, Brandon didn't make it back to the church for Bishop's appointments, and we didn't get home until after bedtime. Brandon's relaxing evening wasn't as relaxing as he had hoped, (although, despite it all, he still had fun) but I had a great time. It was fun to watch the kids slide down the mountainside on their bums and get totally brown and covered in dirt. I LOVE being outside and with my family, and no matter how stressed he his, my hubby is still WAY cute!!

What's for breakfast?

I was getting Gavin some breakfast this morning and turned around to see this. It was so cute I had to take a picture!

Sorry this one's blurry - but it totally catches the spirit of Gavin

Crazy Hair Day

Braden doesn't like to do Crazy Hair Day, but when I suggested spraying their hair a different color, he was stoked!! Gavin, of course, doesn't go to school, but when he saw the boys this morning, he came upstairs and said, "Mom, I want my hair painted, too!" I think the title and the pictures say it all!

Braden

Scott

Gavin

My three Crazy boys!

This last one is of me that Brandon took at the Dr's this morning when I went to get a cortisone shot in my hip. Aren't I pretty???

No boys allowed . . . for now!!

So, this past weekend, some friends and I got together for a girls weekend out. I left Logan on Friday afternoon and drove down to Thanksgiving Point, where Val got us an awesome room at the Marriott! Two double beds, a fold-out couch, and a sitting area with a couch a couple of chairs, and a computer desk with free internet access.

So, we met up with Amber (Val and Amber are fellow Hi-Liter's like myself), and did some browsing at the Boutique at Thanksgiving Point. There was a ton of stuff there - most of it really expensive - but fun to look at anyway. Then, Amber & I treated Val to dinner for her birthday at La Vigna - an Italian restaurant in American Fork. It was REALLY good. Well, mine was. I ordered Linguini Alfredo with grilled chicken. De-lis-ious!!! It was so yummy. But, Val ordered the chef's special of grilled steak and pasta with a mushroom sauce, but took a couple bites of it and decided it was gross. And, Val is the least picky person in the world. So, she asked our waiter if she could have the Linguini Alfredo as well, and was much happier with it.

After that, we went to see a 3D movie on the Mammoth Screen! The only 3D anything I've ever seen was from the cereal boxes with the free red and blue paper glasses enclosed. So, this was pretty awesome. We watched a show about various sea creatures - it was pretty cool to see dolphins swimming right at us!! Gotta' love the glasses!

Then, we went to Cornbelly's and wandered through the David Archuletta maze. We chose to do phase 1 (shorter than phase 2), and was handed a sheet of paper that would help us get through the maze. We were supposed to find clues in the maze, and then find the answer off the paper, but we never even found the first clue.

We found number 10 first, which was the last one, and we were done! So, we dived back into the maze and wandered around some more looking for the first clue, but ended up criss-crossing all over both phases. After another little while of wandering around, we finally decided to call it quits! The picture says it all.

After that (you thought we were done for the night, didn't you?? Not even close!) we went back to the hotel and swam and soaked in the hot tub for 2 1/2 hours. Until 12:30 pm. We talked about high school, and old friends, and musicals, and having more babies . . . Oh, and potty training. Any mom that reads this will understand the need to ask other mom about potty training ideas! Sorry, no swimming pictures - even though Val looked so cute in her swimming suit and her little 7 month pregnant belly!

When we had our fill of the water, we went back to our room and played games, ate munchies, did facials, talked some more, and finally went to bed at 3:30.

Val laid in bed and quoted some of Lincoln's (and her's) favorite bedtime stories. Goodnight Moon, and Happy Birthday Moon. So, we finally drifted off to sleep about 4:00. I didn't sleep well, despite the comfortable bed, because my hair was still wet from our swim (it still wasn't dry when we woke up in the morning). But, I eventually did get to sleep and slept well after that. We woke up at 9:41 to a baby crying, and rushed downstairs before they closed the continental breakfast - waffles, cereal, sausage/egg muffins, juice, hot chocolate, bagels, yogurt . . . it was all yummy! Not that I ate all of that, 'cause I didn't. But, I definitely got full!

Then we rushed back to our room to get ready for our pedicures. Val found an awesome place in Sugarhouse called the O2 spa. They give you oxygen with aromatherapy while they do their services. We opted for the O2 and pedicures. They started with Amber because she needed to get home to feed her cute little bug, Brent. Val was worked on at the same time, and I was last. Since Amber had to rush off, she got the hours worth of O2, but because I had to wait, they gave me and Val two hours worth for the one hour price! I chose Citrus something or other. It was quite nice.

And the pedicure - all I'll say is that my feet feel awesome - even several days later. The callouses are not rough anymore and I can wear my shoes without hurting!

After the spa, Val & I grabbed lunch at Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill. We both ordered a burrito - hers with chicken, and mine with steak. They were HUGE, and SO good! Then we met Amber at the mall, and wandered around and closed our weekend off with ice cream, caramel apples, and chocolate dipped cheesecake from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Brandon loves cheesecake, so I'm going to try the chocolate dipped stuff sometime next week. It should be good!

I had a hard time getting home that night as I was so tired. I almost pulled over to grab a quick nap, but instead turned the air from warm to really cold, and turned up some music that I could sing along with. I kept looking for interesting things, and made it home just fine! When I pulled into the garage, this is what was waiting for me! My boys are so sweet!

Anyway, thanks again Val & Amber! It was so much fun, and I'm looking forward to next year. Hopefully next year we can go somewhere that April, Jen, and Janna can come too! And maybe do a three day, two night thing, too! :)

B-day party . . . Surprise

So, we went out to my moms house for our UEA weekend - otherwise known as "fall break." All of my siblings and I had planned a surprise b-day party for my mom. Now, my mom is kind of silly. Months ago, she told me that she wanted to have a surprise birthday party. She even had it planned down to the games we'd play, and the food we'd eat for dinner. So, we just rolled with that. Now, she knew that we'd all be there that weekend, but thanks to Anne Marie and Shanna, she didn't suspect a thing. Anne Marie suggested having everybody up for dinner on Sunday before we left to go home. Mom suggested that we change it to Saturday (her birthday) so that we could play most of the day. Our plan was to have it on Friday.

Shanna (my SIL), and MaKelle, Gabby, and Rachel (my nieces) took my mom out to lunch while the rest of us decorated the house and got games and gifts ready. The adults all pitched in and bought mom some new doors for her newly remodeled living room. When she came in she was completely surprised! It was a lot of fun. We took family pictures (which I'll get off of Brandon's laptop when I get a chance), carved pumpkins, decorated cupcakes, ate sloppy joes for dinner, then had a cupcake walk (for the grandkids) for dessert. It was a lot of fun!

The only downside? 'Cause, there's got to be a downside, right? Scott was sick. He said that he didn't feel well on our drive on Thursday (four hours in the car can make anyone sick). He did have a slight fever, so we gave him some Motrin and sent him to bed. By the next morning, Friday the day of the party, he was throwing up and had a fever of at least 101. Poor kid was such a trooper, though, through pictures and pumkin carving. He carved his own pumpkin all by himself - no help, no picture to copy.

He was fine the next morning, but by Saturday night, Braden was sick. I was up with him at 4:30 in the morning - for an hour - and he had a temp. of 103.5 . . . with medicine and a cool rag on him. Sunday morning, he still had a temp of 103.5 with med's, so we put him in a lukewarm tub to cool him off. That didn't work, so Brandon, my dad, and my brother gave him a blessing. We packed everything up after that, and just drove home. It was nice to get home early in the afternoon instead of late at night. By the next day, he was well enough to go to school, but then Gavin got hit with the fever. And, he threw up once. Yikes! Not the best weekend for my kids, but it was fun to visit with family!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Parent Teacher Conference & UEA

So, last night was PTC for the boys. They're both doing so well! B's doing great, although he does love to chat sometimes in class. But, when asked, he quickly gets back on task. He's behind on spelling, but they two tests they've given the 1st graders start easy with words like "man, cat, ship . . ." and go all the way up to "inconsistencies." Yikes! I think it's used for the whole school K - 5th. But, they do that so they can see if the kids are hearing sounds inside of the big words, and can figure out endings and stuff like that.

Scott is also doing well, although he (and the entire 2nd grade) is behind in math. The average score of the 2nd grade in their addition and subtraction facts is 26% and 18%!! Yikes. He also has trouble with comprehension of the stories that he reads, even though he can read well. But, all in all, he's doing so well!

Way to go, Scott & Braden!!!

And, Gavin . . . well, he's obviously not in school, but he's doing well, too. He loves to help me around the house ("I bacuum for you, Mom") and loves his brothers, Daddy, and his kitties! And, we're going out to my mom's house for our UEA break! It's her b-day, and I think we're all getting together on Sunday for dinner for a party of sorts for her! It should be fun to have the whole family there for dinner - it's been a while!

A sad time for me

Tonight, I was in cooking dinner, and helping Braden with his homework. When he had finished, he asked if he could go outside and play some more. (Note that it's cold, the wind is blowing, and it's threatening to rain.) He's been fighting a cold, so I told him no, but that he could go downstairs and fold his clothes that I had washed for him. He started off on a rampage, yelling and growling and getting all in a huff, and then he dropped this bombshell . . .

"I don't like you, Mom."

I just wanted to cry so hard. We've all said that at one point or another to each other, but in jest - i.e. "I don't like you . . . I love you." But, he was so serious and mad at me when he said that, and it just hurt to hear it. What happened to my sweet, innocent boy who loved to cuddle with mom, and rub his nose on mine, and give me the most awesome hugs? He's growing up - he's in 1st grade, after all - and it breaks my heart at times. He's not with me all the time anymore, and even when he is, he's to the point that he'd rather play with his friends than me. I don't want him to grow up. Can't he just stay small forever?

Can we say SPOILED??

Today, Gavin was in my bedroom laying on my bed. When I went in, I found that he had wrapped Sly up in my blanket, and Sly looked as content as . . . well, a cat!

Wait . . . what's wrong with this picture??

Yes, people, those are my cats - in the tub. They love the tub, but not for the reason that you or I love the tub. They will wait until someone gets out of the shower or the tub, and they will then hop in and lick up all of the water off the tub floor. They'll then go to the faucet, and lick up each drip of water that drops. Silly kitties!

Mint Oreo

Reading the title of this post, you probably all think that I'm writing about my favorite dessert. Alas, for you, it's not true. I do love Mint Oreos, but I'm not writing about the cookie today. I'm writing about our entryway.

We painted it green a couple of months ago, and while I loved the color, it wasn't right for an entryway, plus, it didn't match or flow with our front room. So, after talking to my mother-in-law, LaRean, we decided to paint it the same color as our front room. Chocolate Sparkle. While we were stirring it up, the paint seriously looked yummy enough to eat!

Anyway, as I was painting the brown over the green, Brandon remarked that this could be our Mint Oreo room because of the colors. So, I told him to go take pictures. Now that it's all painted and we've got pictures up, it's SO much better. We love it. Eventually we'll replace the floor with either a laminate tile look, or tile itself. Hopefully next summer. We'll see.