My 5 Guys & Me

Funny Favorites

1-14-14

Says Bear to us the other day, "Can I wear underwear to bed?"

Dad: "I don't know. We'll think about it."

Bear (with a big grin on his face): "Don't think about it. Just say yes!!"

10/31/12
Says Connor today as he's looking for his Halloween bucket, "Where's my butt? Mom, where's my butt??"

7/21/12
One of C's favorite things to do, lately, is walk around singing, "Happy Daaaaaaay!" "Happy Daaaaaaay!"

1-20-12
Tonight at dinner, I told Scottie that I needed to have the blue storage tub that he'd been using for his toys. He got this shocked look on his face and then said, "But, where am I gonna keep my yarn? And how am I gonna be able to crochet!"

9-28-11
Today, I was in the bathroom doing my hair while Toady used the toilet. My hair was piled up on top of my head in sections while I curled it. Gavin looked at me and told me that I should wear my hair like that on Sunday because I was so beautiful. "In fact, I don't know anybody that's more beautiful than you. Or nicer. Except Jesus."

9/11/11
Connor found a dead (but unbloodied) mouse on our porch, courtesy of Sly I'm sure, and was SOOO proud to bring it in and present it to the family. It startled me to see my baby holding a big, fat mouse in his hand, so I screamed, which set off Scott, which set off Braden, all of which terrified poor, unsuspecting Connor. After it was all over, Brandon & I got a really good laugh out of it!

8-22-11
After roasting hot dogs up in the canyon tonight, we came home to roast marshmallows over the candle. Brandon turned off the lights so the kids could more fully appreciate the light given off by the candle. He expected oohs and ahhs of appreciation, but instead, Scott, in his cute little way, said, "Oh, that is just a wonderful sight!"

7-1-11
While up on the rooftop watching the fireworks tonight, Gavin says, "Mom, if that was me exploding, that would probably just hurt."

6-20-11
This morning, Gavin said to me and Brandon, "Dad, you know when you and Mom and Scott and everybody was sleeping? There was some bad guys here . . . I took them out."
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B has had a hard time during one of the kids ball games throwing the ball soft enough. He throws pretty hard and ends up hurting people. So, this morning, when they asked if they could play the ball game, I reminded him to throw the ball soft.

His response? "Mom, there's a logical explanation for why I throw hard. I'm tougher than the rest of them."

5-29-11
Today we were visiting a cemetery when we saw a headstone with the name Bladen on it. Says Braden, "Hey! That must be my great-grandfather . . . in . . . law. See? Braden . . . Bladen. We're only one letter different!"

5-26-11
Says Scottie to me today, "Mom, I need new shoes. My laces are in love with coming untied."

4-23-11
Today while we were at Brandon's parents house, we excused the boys to the park that's just down the street. A little while later, Gavin comes running in saying that Braden was stuck on top of the monkey bars.

As Brandon & Gavin are walking out the door to "save" Braden, I hear Gavin say, "Hurry, Dad! I don't want my best buddy to die."

4-14-11
This morning, each of the boys wanted to cuddle with me on the couch before school. B got ready really quickly and came and cuddled with me.

Scott, who was anxious to be on time for school because of a class party they're working towards, came up to tell us it was time to go. I told him to comb his hair and grab his backpack and then we'd go.

B then commented to me, "I'm all ready."

I responded, "No you're not."

B: "Huh? Yes I am. How am I not ready?"

Me: "You don't have your backpack on."

B, sighing: "Mom, do you really think I'm going to wear my backpack when I'm in the middle of a cuddle session?"

4-10-11
This is not funny, really, but I wanted to post it anyway. Today, Brandon & I both had to be at the church for a couple of hours - me for choir practice, and Brandon for Bishop's appointments. We left Scott & B at home since the church is back behind our house.

When I got home, I walked into the living room to find balloons all over and notes from the two boys saying that they love us. They had set up chairs in the living room for each of us, had placed napkins out and got the cookies out for us to have a picnic. It was super cute!

3/27/11
Brandon walked out of the kitchen this morning after getting the boys breakfast. Toad follows him out, stomps into Connor's room and says, in an upset, whiny voice, "Dad, are you getting ready to not get me any milk?"
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This afternoon at lunch:

Scott, "Mom, Gavin keeps calling me Barbie."

Gavin, "Well, it's just 'cause I want a sister."

3/22/11
Today before school, it was Scott's turn to say family prayer. It's also the science fair at school today. So, he prayed, in part, "Please bless me on my science project, and that I don't have a nervous breakdown."

3/14/11
When I take Gavin to school in the afternoons, he'll get out of the car and call to me, "I love you a million gallons, Mom!"

Today, he got out of the car and said, "I love you a million gallons, Mom. Plus 100,000 gallons!"
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Says Gavin, "I need my old coat. And, my old coat kiiiinda fits, but that's okay, 'cause I'm not gonna grow outside. 'Cause it's cold. And kinda dark."

Me, "So, when it's cold and dark outside, you don't grow?"

G, "Yeah, 'cause my body isn't waked up." *pause* "But, my face is waked up!"

3/6/11
Today in Primary, the kids were asked, "How do you be nice?" Gavin raised his hand and when called on, he responded, "By not walking around everybody and tell them that you're the best."

2/19/11
Says Toady, when he saw the bowl of grated cheese, "I'm gonna dump some cheese down my throat!"

2/4/11
So, Toady says to me tonight, "Mom, did you know about my girlfriend?"

Me: "No."

T: "Yeah. I've got a girlfriend."

Me: "Who is it?"

T: "Lisa." (our neighbor)

Me: "So, why is Lisa your girlfriend?" (Wondering what he's heard that has made him get a girlfriend.)

T: "Well, I was gonna choose Sarah, but somestimes she's mean to me, so I choosed Lisa instead."

2/1/11
We've been working with my 2 year old nephew to talk a little better and more clear. So, I was changing his diaper today and said, "Dallin, say, 'Love you.'"

In the clearest little voice, he says, "Love Me!"

1/28/11
From my 6 year old nephew:

"Renee, does Connor still eat milk from, like, those things in your tummy?"

"Yep, he does."

"Well, I think he wants some right now."

"Well, he doesn't get any right now. I only feed him that way morning and night."

"It's morning!"

"No, like as soon as he wakes up in the morning and right before bedtime."

"Oh. Well, how does it work?"

"Well, when mommies have babies, their bodies are made to make milk that their babies can drink."

"Cool! I wanna see it in action!"

1/27/11
Tonight we were eating dinner (chicken stew) and Brandon remarked that it was good. Says Gavin, "I don't think it's good. It tastes like a bee in the middle of a hair piece."

12/31/10
We told Gavin to go get dressed to go to Grandma's house for our New Year's Eve party. He came back a few minutes later dressed in plaid shorts, a red t-shirt, and his (moon) snow boots.

All I could do was sit there with laugh.

Says G, "Well, isn't it awesome?"

11/25/10
Yesterday, after Thanksgiving dinner, the family was playing basketball in the church gym. My niece, Rachel, came up to Gavin and said, "Gavin you rock at basketball!"

Says G, "I know. I'm a master!"
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A little while later, Rachel asked Gavin, "Are you a master at basketball?"

Says, G, "Yeah. But you guys are superstars!"

10/24/10
This morning when I got in the van to go to church, Gavin remarked, "It smells bea-u-tiful in here. And it's called Mom."

B came back with, "Gavin, it's called perfume. He-lllloo."

10/11/10
Part of Gavin's prayer at dinner time tonight:

"Please bless that Connor can learn to say good words (pause) like (pause) yah, and um, giddy-up."
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Today at Gavin's SEP with his Kindergarten teacher, his teacher told us a Gavin funny.

Says G, "Um, Mrs. ___________, I've sorted these attributes by color and size. Is that okay?"

10/3/10
Part of Gavin's prayer at bedtime after General Conference the other night:

G: Thank you that we could listen to Pres. Obama and his helpers today . . .

Dad: Gavin, it's Pres. Monson.

G: Oh, I mean, Pres. . . .

D: Monson . . .

G: Pres. O'Monson and his helpers . . .

9/18/10
So, the other day, my sisters kids were talking about their names and how they all have some sort of religious reference. Rachel from the Bible, Jared from the Book of Mormon, Spencer after our prophet Spencer W. Kimball, Dallin after Elder Oaks, and also his grandpa Jay.

Well, Tanner was feeling a little left out. "Tanner's not in the scriptures anywhere," he said.

Piped up his older brother, "Yes you are Tanner."

"No sir. My name is not in the scriptures anywhere," says T.

"Uh-huh," says Jared. "You are in the scriptures. You know? The brother of Jared?"

8/7/10
Tonight, we were coming home from Whiterocks Canyon where we had a dinner with the family when Gavin asked how fast we were going. Brandon responded that we were going about 35 mph.

Then says G - "If you go 35 miles uh hour, your seat feels like fur. You know, like if you sit on something furry? And, you should never tackle a bulldog."

8/4/10
Today, Brandon & I were outside hanging clothes on the clothesline when we heard Gavin call out, "Guys, there's a dandy legs over here. And it's gonna bite me and eat me up for dinner."

When we asked him again what kind of spider it was, he said, "A long dandy legs!"

7/6/10
Yesterday, Scott wanted to learn how to sew on a button, so I taught him how. Since then, he has sewn a total of eight buttons onto a scrap piece of fabric.

Today, after seeing Scott sewing on buttons, B wanted to learn how. So, I'm teaching him, too. I helped him with the first button, and then he started jumping around saying, "I did it. I did it!"

6/28/10
We brought my nephew, Spencer, home with us to stay for a week. Last night, after our Sunday family movie night, we sat down to read the scriptures before bed. I was sitting fairly close to the arm of the couch, and Spencer wormed his way in next to me and said, "I don't care if I'm squished, 'cause I want to sit by you and Connor."
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This morning, he was eating his breakfast while I was checking my email and he came in and said, "Nee, can you save the rest of the Raisin Bran for when the rest of my family comes up next week? 'Cause it says it has fiber in it, and my brother needs fiber, so that would be a good cereal for him."

6/19/10
We went swimming at the hotel pool while we were in Salt Lake, and Braden kept doing belly-flops. So, Gavin came over to me (where I was soaking in the hot tub), and said, "Mom, wanna see me do a folly-flop?"

5/17/10
I heard a joke this morning that kids just love:

"Dr., my bum is broken."

"What? Your bum is broken?"

"Yeah, my bum is broken. It has a crack in it!"

5/9/10
Last night, Brandon was playing Monkey in the Middle with the boys. He threw the ball to Gavin so that he could play too. Scott stood there for a moment, and then said to Brandon, in a very matter-of-fact voice, "Dad, do you know what you just did? You dis-involved me."

5/4/10
Tonight, the boys were jumping on the trampoline when I heard Gavin start to cry. He came in and when I asked him what was wrong, he responded (all while hysterically crying), "Braden's murdering me!"

So, I asked him what he meant, and he said, "You know. Like fighting."
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Last night at about 3:00 am, Gavin came into our room to sleep because he was scared. Well, tonight, he was explaining that he was scared of dragonflies and spiders. (Me too, Toady.)

So, we talked a bit about dragonflies, and then he said (as he holds up his finger and thumb in a tiny circle), "And, you know Mom, that baby dragonflies are like this puny. Isn't that really puny-ish?"

4/27/10
The power went out tonight for a few seconds, and the first thing Scott said when he ran out of his room was, "Dad, did you pay the electricity bill?"

4/2/10
Scott opened up a b-day present that my parents sent up - a model of a Blackbird airplane. As he tore the last bit of paper off, his mouth dropped open, then he cried out, "I'm so gonna enjoy this, prob'ly."

4/2/10
Gavin always confuses the word "pour" with "spill." For example: "Will you spill me some milk please?"

3/29/10
I noticed the other day that Scott doesn't say "I have" during conversations. Instead, it's always, "I've." Ex: "I've a new classmate" or "I've a new game that I made up." It's pretty cute!

3/16/10
I called to Gavin today and said, "Toady, I'm gonna beat you up."

He replied, "Yay! Beating me up is fun!"

**Please note, this "beating up" is really just wrestling and is all fun. No little people are hurt during this activity.**

2/22/10
Tonight during FHE, we were telling each other what we appreciated about each person. When Scott got to what he appreciated about B he said, "I appreciate Braden because he has a great knowledge of weirdness!

2/17/10
Last night, my sister called me with a funny story. Her daughter, 12 years old, came up to her and asked her if she knew who Davy Crockett was. "Yes" was the answer. Then she asked, "Mom, was Davy Crockett really popular when you were younger?"

Come to find out, my niece had Davy Crockett mixed up with someone else - she thought he was a singer that was popular when my sister was young!
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The other day, Gavin was helping me bathe Connor when he said, "Mom, I know what Connor is thinking."

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "What's he thinking."

G says, "He's looking up at you and thinking, 'Boy, she's pretty special.'"

1/26/10
Scott & I were mourning the death of Champ, my brother's dog (aka the family dog), and I was remarking that Champ was always so calm and dependable. Scott replied, "Yeah, he was like me. I'm not a normal boy. I'm calm."

1/14/10
My kids got Charades Jr. from their cousins for Christmas, and it's become one of their favorite games. They were playing the other day with Brandon, and it was B's turn to act. He laid down on the couch, looking at the ceiling, with his mouth wide open.

Gavin's guess: "Um, drinking from the ceiling??" (The action was "going to the dentist.")

And, then my favorite. B's turn to act again. He sits down on the floor, and gets a big grin on his face.

Gavin's guess? "Um, are you cheesing?" DING, DING, DING!!! (The action was "getting your picture taken.") Too cute!

1/4/10
Yesterday, as my sister and her family were getting ready to leave, my nephews asked Brandon if he could slam dunk a basketball. We had the standard lowered so the boys can make baskets, so Brandon responded that when it was low like that he could dunk it. So, they asked him to dunk it, and when he did, they cheered.

His response? "Oh yeah! I'm a manly man!"

12/27/09
Tonight, Brandon asked Gavin several times not to touch Braden's helicopter that he got for Christmas. When he wouldn't listen and Brandon go after him, Gavin replied, "But, Dad, I can't. My obedience ran away!"

12/1/09
A day after we brought Connor home from the hospital, Gavin was giving him kisses, then looked up at me and asked, "Mom, now that the baby is borned, can Santa come?"
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We were driving home from my in-laws after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and Gavin was just talking away. We were laughing at something he said, and Brandon told him, "Gavin, you're a character."

Gavin replied, "A character's like carrots, and I'm not a carrot."

11/12/09
Gavin asked me this morning when we were coming home from the hospital with Connor. When I responded that it wouldn't be until probably tomorrow, he said, "Oh, so I guess I'll have to live here without a mom."

11/10/09
On Saturay, I invited my mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law to a local craft holiday show. B asked me when Grandma was going to come pick us up, and I told him in about 15 minutes. Then, he asked where we were going. When I told him, this was his response: "So, you're going out to be girls again??"
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B is really big into sports lately - but mostly football. He had come home from "football practice" (some of the neighbor kids getting together to play) and was so excited to tell his dad about some of the plays during the game.

Then, he said, "Dad, you really gotta' get me hooked up with some sports! Really!"

10/28/09
Gavin was talking on the phone with his dad this morning and Brandon asked him, "So, Gavin, how's your life?" (See the Funny Favorite on 10/12/09 for why he asked that.)

Gavin replied, "Well, it's kind of huwt."

10/23/09
Gavin's supposed to eating his dinner, but he's in singing right now. "I wish that I could fly! I wish that I could fly! I wish that I could fly, fly, fly! I'd go up high in the sky, and then I could blow my whistle - ph, ph, ph . . . " (Imagine blowing on a whistle where the ball doesn't move.)

10/20/09
Says G: Mom, you know what? I got too much endergy. Do you know why? 'Cause I got too much food in my belly and down to my toes, and I got too much endergy.
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Gavin was in the tub this afternoon playing with two boats - a red one and a blue one. All of a sudden, he says, "Mom, I wish my legs were blue, and my head and arms and stuff was red."

10/12/09
Brandon called me this morning from school and after we had finished talking, Gavin wanted to talk to Daddy. So, he gets on the phone and says, "Hi, Daddy. So, how's your life?"
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Gavin wanted to take a picture of me with my tongue out this morning. When I stuck my tongue out at him, he put the camera up to his face, then said, "Wow! You're doing good!"

10/6/09
This morning on the way to school, the boys were noticing the frost on the rooftops and the grass. Gavin knew what he was talking about, but didn't know what the frost was called, so he called it "frice."
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A few days ago, we went to the tennis courts to watch Brandon & his brother play a match. Gavin and I were playing around, poking and tickling each other. I looked at him and said, "Gavin, I'm gonna beat you up!"

His reply?? "Oh yeah, Mom. Bring it on!!"
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We went down to Salt Lake the other day to do some last minute baby shopping. We couldn't find sitters for all of the boys, so we took them with us. We were explaining something to them, when Gavin said, "I know. You don't have to tell me. I know everything."

Who says that teenagers know everything? Apparantely, so do 4 year olds!

9/16/09
G: Mom, am I still four?

Mom: Yes.

G: Well, I have a lot of food in my tummy, so I think I'm seven.
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Says Gavin, "Mom, when the baby gets borned, like all the way borned, and Santa comes, I hope he brings me a tuba, and a walk-a-le-le (ukelele) for Braden!

8/23/09
Brandon opened up a can of Spaghetti-O's tonight for the boys to try for dinner. Gavin kept asking what it smelled like and Brandon replied that it smelled like spaghetti. Gavin said that he wanted to smell it, so he leaned down and sniffed.

Then, he sat back, wrinkled up his nose and said, "Ew. That smells like dog food!"

Says Brandon, "You don't even know what dog food smells like," Gavin changed his statement to, "Oh, yeah, actuully, it smells like cat food!"

8/10/09
One of the boys favorite snacks is cinnamon toast. Gavin isn't sure what to call my cinnamon/sugar mix, so when he wanted a cinnamon toast the other day, he asked me if I could put sparkles on his toast!

3/24/09
Tonight, Gavin was bouncing around instead of sitting still at the table and eating his dinner. I got fed up with it, so finally said, "Gavin, sit still or I'm going to tie you to the chair with a rope."

His response????"Okay, Mom!!! Tie me to the chair!"

Then, when I didn't/wouldn't tie him to the chair, he got MAD at me! "Mom, I said tie me to the chair! NOW!"

Cute little stinker.

3/16/09
Today, Gavin was sitting on my lap giving me kisses. Then, he got a mischievous look in his eyes . . . and LICKED me!! Yuck! So, I got him off my lap and told him I was done playing, and that we don't lick people.He sat there for a minute looking at me, and then said, "Well, Mom, will you lick me?"
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Gavin asked to feel my forehead today, so I let him and asked if I was sick. He replied, "Yep, you have a feber, and you go like this - *cough, cough*"Brandon was sitting at the computer, so I told Gavin to tell Dad what was wrong with me, so he said, "Dad, Mom has a feber and she goes *cough, cough* like that. But she won't die!"

2/24/09
Last night, I bought Gavin some workbooks to help him learn his letter, number, shapes . . . The older boys saw them this morning, and went and dug out their workbooks. They said that they were doing research.

So, as I was taking the boys to school this morning, Gavin was looking at his book and said, "'Ccording to my research . . . mumble, mumble, mumble . . ."

Then Braden said, "That's makes sense, Gavin, 'cause according to my research, pizza, popcorn, and peas are good for you. But, not pie - no way!! Pie's not good for you. And cookies - not so much."

2/23/09
Gavin's new favorite sayings are, "If you say so" and "Would ya look at that?"

2/22/09
Last night, Brandon & I went in to check on the kids before we went to bed. As we were laying an extra blanket on Gavin, he woke up, looked around, and then said, very sleepily, "Dad, don't be right there!"

2/20/09
This morning, I showed Gavin that he can hang his coat up in the "new" coat closet, and his response was, "Okay! I can hang my coat up. This is gonna be amazing!"

2/19/09
Gavin was helping Brandon fix the closet in the hallway today, and they were talking about how nice it was to have a helper and what a good helper Gavin is.

Gavin then said, "Yeah, I'm you'w helpe! And, we're emenies, huh, Dad?"

Brandon says, "What? We're enemies?"

G says, "Yeah. We're emenies. You know, that shoots the bad guys?"
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A few minutes after the "emenies" statement, Brandon was drilling some boards into the wall to make a coat hanger for the boys. The drill slipped (or something) and Brandon said, "Oh, geez."

"Yeah, oh geez," says Gavin! "I wish I didn't dood that."

2/9/09
At school, the boys are learning some dances in their PE class - Scott a cha-cha (sort of), and B a waltz. I asked them if they wanted to go to their Dance Night, and they both said, "NO!" B then went on to say, "I hate dancing. It's like getting married."
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A few minutes after B's declaration of hating dancing, I kissed Brandon. The boys covered their eyes saying, "Ew!" So, I said something along the lines of, "What? It's just a kiss." Brandon went on with other terms to describe kissing - smooching, macking, making out, lip smacking . . .

Poor Scottie was apparantely just absolutely grossed out, and yelled, "Would you stop saying those things?"

1/16/09
Tonight, Brandon & I were talking about the Jordin Sparks song called "God Loves Ugly." The boys overheard us, and said, "God Loves Ugly????"

So, I was explaining that the song means that no matter what you look like - tall or short, really, really pretty, or not so pretty, thin or big - God loves everybody.

Braden heard the "thin or big" part and said, "Oh, you mean big, like a when blowfish puffs up??? That kind of big?"

1/13/09
When Gavin needs help wiping his bottom, he'll call us - "Mom, I'm done." Or, "Dad, I'm done."

So, today, he called me, "Mom, I'm done."

I went in to help him out, and when I walked in, he said, "Actually, I am'nt done!"

1/12/09
Tonight, when Brandon asked Gavin to go to the bathroom before bedtime, Gavin replied with, "I don't want to."

Says Brandon, "Gavin, go in and go potty, right now!

Says Gavin, "I alweady did . . . last night!!!"
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We signed the older boys up for tumbling, and tonight was their first night. The teacher asked Scott what his name was.

So, Scott replied, "Scott Garrett Shaffer."

Says the teacher, "Oh, Scott Garrett Shaffer. Ok."

Says Scottie, "You can just call me Scott if you want to!"

12/25/08
Every gift that Braden opened this morning that he approved of, was followed by him saying, "Suh-weet!!"
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This morning, when Gavin saw the Go, Diego, Go scooter that Santa brought him, he looked at it, in disgust, and said, "That's not what I wanted!
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Santa brought a guitar for Scottie - just what he's been wanting. We were recording the boys, and Brandon asked Scott what Santa had brought him. Scott replied, in an almost reverential voice, "I got a guitar. It's very special to me!"
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We've been fighting the stomach flu at our house for the past couple of weeks, and last night it was Scott's turn.

So, last night, we were getting ready to read the Christmas story in Luke, and "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and he said in this sad, little voice, "Mom, I don't think I'm going to be able to celebrate anything tomorrow!"

12/22/08
A couple of weeks ago, Braden and Gavin got out our pop beads and made me some necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings - you name it, they made it. As Gavin was putting a bracelet around my wrist, he said, "Mom, we're dectorationing you! You're all dectorated!"

12/8/08
When Gavin is hungry or thirsty, he'll come up to me or Brandon and say, "I'm hungwy of some bwead." Or, "I'm thiwsty of some wat-uh!"

We've tried saying back to him, "Oh, you're thirsty FOR some water," and he just says back, "Yes, I'm thiwsty OF some wat-uh!"

12/7/08
This evening, Gavin was helping me make some mac 'n' cheese for the boys, and he wanted to stir it all up. So, I gave him the spoon and went to call the boys for dinner. As I walked away, I heard Gavin take a BIG breath, and then say, "Ok, here goes nothin'!!"

11/24/08
Gavin fell down this morning as we were getting out of the van, so I scooped him up to carry him inside. As I was walking, he says, "Mom, ow! You're hurting myself."

11/17/08
This was back in September, but it's just too cute not to put on my funny favorites! Enjoy, again!

Says Gavin as we're walking up the stairs, his hands full of toys: "Mom can you scratch my bum? No, not there! Right here. Yeah, right there. Ahh, thanks Mom."

Me (laughing): "You're welcome!!"

Him: "That was bery nice of you to scratch my bum!"

11/13/08
Says Gavin, "Bwaden, you'we the "S" word!"

Braden gasps, 'cause he knows to call someone Stupid is wrong.

Says Gavin, "What? I didn't say Stupid! *GASP* Oops!"
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On our trip to Yellowstone this summer, as we're driving through Newton, UT:

Says Braden, "Look at the beautiful field, Mom! That looks like a nice place to have a war! Mom, is that where the people of Newton have their wars?"

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Seriously????

It's IMPOSSIBLE to find a maternity skirt. DI, Ross, Shopko, Classifieds - none of them have maternity skirts. My denim one is still wearable - but very uncomfortable because of the seam that runs along the bottom of my stomach. It's tight, and it hurts.

On the other hand, I have a nice black skirt that fits and is very comfortable. The problem? No shoes. My feet are so swollen right now that none of my shoes fit. I could, of course, just wear flip-flops, but on top of feeling uncomfortable wearing flip-flops in church, I imagine it'll be cold(er) by the time I have my little one and flip-flops won't be appropriate anymore.

I thought it would be easier to find a larger skirt than it would be to find some shoes that fit. Oh, skirts are around (rarely) - Motherhood Maternity - but I can't justify spending $30+ for something that I'll wear 6 or 7 times. *sigh* I've looked for maternity patterns, too, but more often than not, they're 60's styles and, um, unsightly. (Sorry, Mom!!!) :) So, I'm stuck.

Anybody have any seriously awesome ideas to get me through these last 6 or 7 weeks? Oh, and I don't like maternity dresses because I just look like an elephant in them - or, as my sweet oldest son put (when I was pregnant with Gavin): You don't look like an elephant, Mom. (Me, thinking, "Oh, how sweet." Then, he continues:) You look like a hippopotamus!

HELP!!!!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

3, 2, 1 . . .

3 very LONG hours,

2 VERY sore feet,

1 VERY TIRED momma . . .

. . . 18 quarts of yummy peaches!

Monday, September 21, 2009

We're home from the hospital

Yesterday "Daaaaadd. I'm waiting for my lunch!

We're home and Gavin's doing great! We had a total of 3 1/2 hours in the hospital (much better than Primary Children's, although, we do LOVE Primary!) They checked us all in, then had us wait for a few minutes before they took us back. They then checked his temperature, his oxygen level in his blood, got him some surgery jammies, then took us back to the children's room - their pre-op and post-op room, not a play room.

Daddy & Gavin after checking in

Even though we got him up early, and he'd had NO breakfast, he was like this all morning.

Getting his temperature taken

He wasn't too sure about this oxygen monitor

We changed Gavin into his surgery jammies (although he refused to wear the cap - I don't blame him), and then waited for a little bit. A nurse came in to finalize things and realized that his b-day was wrong. Even though the hospital had called us last Monday to make sure everything was correct. It was wrong then, too, so I corrected them and supposedly they changed it. It was correct on some things, and wrong on others. *sigh*

Waiting for his turn in surgery

Anyway, the anesthesiologist came in, we signed his release form, and then they were ready to take him. No Verced or anything. You could tell he was getting nervous with all these people hovering around telling him it was time to go away from Mom & Dad. (We explained everything last night, but he was still a bit nervous.)

The nurse picked him up, though, and he was allowed to take his blanket and Jackson (his dog) back with him. He protested, but the nurse asked about Jackson, and that was that. He was fine. I admit, I had tears in my eyes. That's just what mom's do.

I also realized at this point, that (as Brandon put it) "Gavin has been through more in life than I have." I've never had general anesthesia. When I had my wisdom teeth out, I was fully awake. Just epidurals with labor. But, no general anesthesia! I don't know that I'm sorry! :)

Mommy & Gavin

So, I checked my email and read for a bit, and he was done! The dr. came in about 25 minutes after they had taken him to say he was done and in recovery. He said his tonsils were huge and nasty, and that he had found some (sorry for the visual) green pus on his adenoids which indicated a chronic infection. Which, to me, is ironic since he always seems to be the healthiest of all of us.

Anyway, he was brought back in and was silently crying, but the nurse put him in my arms so I could rock him. Brandon brought his laptop so we started Disney's Chip and Dale for him and he was content. We sat there for about 45 minutes, then they had him walk around for a bit to check his dizziness, then they sent us home.

Watching Chip 'n' Dale

I had to go to the bathroom after about 30 minutes of holding him, so had Brandon switch me places. When I came back, this is how I found him!

Kind of loopy after his walk

He's doing really well right now - he ate some oatmeal and is holding it down, his throat doesn't hurt yet (although I'm sure it will), and he's in good spirits. His brothers just got home from spending the night at Grandma's and he was happy to see them, but especially happy to see the smiley face balloon that Grandma brought him!

Thank you, again, for all your thoughts and prayers - we really do appreciate it. Now with the rest of Brandon's "day off" he's going to pick our ripe peaches (they keep falling right now and bruising when they hit the ground, and we've been SO busy that we haven't had a chance to pick them yet), then after peach picking, he'll be working on the yard so that we can get our grass planted before the first frost! Lots to do! Thank you again! We love you all.

~~~~UPDATE~~~~

So, after his breakfast of oatmeal at 11:30 - 12:00, Gavin started to get really cold. I have a mattress warmer on my bed, so I went and laid him down on my bed, turned the warmer on, and piled him up with blankets. He fell asleep, waking only once when I went in to check on him, and slept until 3:30 when I woke him up. By that point, he was really hurting, so we gave him some fresh peaches to eat, along with his Lortab. He rested in my arms for a bit (even letting me get a 20 minute catnap), and is now downstairs watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Brandon had to run to Home Depot a few minutes ago to get some stuff for the yard, and Gavin was just heartbroken that he couldn't go with Daddy. You can tell he's really not feeling well right now - as we expected! Thanks again for all the prayers.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Thoughts and prayers, please?

So, I don't have time to talk about TOFW right now, but I did want to post a quick post. Gavin is going in for surgery tomorrow morning (we have to be at the hospital at 6:45), and while it's a routine surgery (he's getting his tonsils and adenoids out), I'm still a little nervous.

Scott had already been through several surgeries at four years of age, but each kid is different. I'm worried that they're going to go to take Gavin out of my arms and he's gonna flip out. That'll just make it harder for me! I'm emotional enough with this pregnancy (I've cried everyday this last week - not sad crying, just pregnant, emotional crying), so this might be hard tomorrow. I'll try and update when I can. Thanks!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Update - baby and TOFW

Okay, my friend Jen reminded me that I needed to update. The boys did the dishes the night I was having contractions, and while they slowed down, they were still there. The next morning, they were gone, but I had a couple more that day and was INCREDIBLY swollen. I made sure to drink plenty of water the next day and was okay, but woke up in the middle of the night last night with BAD cramps. Like muscle and period cramps at the same time. OUCH! But, only a couple of contractions today, and baby is still very active, so for the time being I'm just taking it easy. Like, going up to TOFW.

And, as far as that (TOFW) goes, let me just say this: After listening to the presenters tonight, I'm more sure than ever that my Heavenly Father loves me. Me - Renee. I know this without a doubt. I'm still learning about the principles of the church, and the scriptures, and what it means to be a follower of Christ, but I have no doubt about His love for me. I'm also learning to appreciate Brandon more, and the love that HE has for me. My cup runneth o'er tonight, and I'm so looking forward to tomorrow!

Oh, and BTW, Michael McLean invited me to send him an MP3 recording of me singing for him to listen to. Now I just have to decide what to sing, and how to get it onto an MP3!

TOFW - Time Out For Women

So, back in April my sister and I were trying to arrange to go to BYU Women's Conference together. She was able to go, but unfortunately, the days that I would be gone, Brandon had to be at school - there was no way he could take the days off. So, she went without me, and thoroughly enjoyed the conference.

Then, a couple of months ago, I got my monthly flier from Deseret Book. Inside was a little excerpt about Time Out For Women - a yearly event in places around the country that is, well, a time out for women. I told Brandon how much I would love to be able to go this year. One of the events is here at the University, with one of my favorite people in the world - Emily Watts. Money wouldn't allow for tickets, though, because of our summer projects (garage, baby's room, yard work . . .). So, I sighed inwardly (okay, maybe it was audible) and put it out of my mind for another year.

Fast forward a few weeks when I emailed Emily about a Christmas program that she had helped me put together a few years ago. We emailed back and forth a few times, and then she asked me if I would like a complimentary ticket to TOFW, including lunch on Saturday with the presenters!!! Um, yes!!!

So, in just a few hours, I will be off to the university - no kids climbing on and off my lap (a lap I don't really have anymore), no kids asking when the meeting will be over, or fighting over the copies of the Friend in our church bag, or telling me halfway through a meeting that they "HAVE TO GO, MOM!!!"

I get to sit and listen to Michael McLean perform, and Emily Watts speak and sooth my soul as a mommy, as well as several other incredible people. I'm so looking forward to this timeout, and Brandon is being so awesome in letting me go and taking care of the kids tonight, and all day tomorrow while I'm gone.

Thank you, Emily, for this wonderful time out for me. Thank you, Brandon, for letting me go and refill my cup. I'm so looking forward to this! Now, I just have to get the laundry done before I go. Wish me luck!

Fresh peaches

Have I ever told you, my readers, just how much I LOVE to go out in my backyard in the fall and pick a fresh peach off the tree for breakfast? MMMMM! Love it!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Lots of contractions . . .

So, today, I ran some errands (note: NOT strenuous errands - I wandered around the library for a bit, then ran to the grocery store to pick up a few items like butter, chocolate chips, eggs - ooh, sounds like cookies.) Hmm - I digress. Sorry.

Anyway, while in the middle of Walmart, I started having contractions (maybe that's my problem - Walmart.) A couple of them were really strong - like sharp strong. They've continued throughout the rest of the day, occasionally backing off when I rest.

When I got up to fix dinner, they started up again - every 2 1/2 to 3 minutes apart. Yikes! I've tried to stay off my feet the rest of the evening, but even still, I'm having contractions. I'm starting to wonder if this little guy might want to come early. Hmm.

Monday, September 14, 2009

I did it again

I cut my hair - short. It was constantly in a pony tail, and hadn't been cut for several months, so it was time. I love it!

Cute, cute (at least, I think so - so does Brandon)

Gavin wanted to take a picture of me with his trucks!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Announcing the arrival of . . .

. . . my newest niece!! My sister-in-law had her "surprise" baby yesterday (they didn't find out the gender of this one), and she's a doll. 8 lbs. 2 oz and 20 inches long. They named her Brielle Jade!

Congrats, and welcome to the world Brielle!

Brielle Jade

Isn't she cute??

Friday, September 4, 2009

All things space . . .

So, a few weeks ago as we were leaving church, Scott asked me a question about some obscure nebula or solar system in space. Of course, I had no idea what he was talking about, so I told him to ask Brandon. So, he did. Brandon's face lit up when Scott asked him, and then he and Scott walked out of church with their heads together like two little school boys planning their next adventure! They talked all the way home, and as soon as they were home, they both headed to the computer to check out space stuff. Pictures, facts - known/obscure - and all things relating to space.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. Brandon was at the church while Bishop was meeting with members of the ward (Brandon's the ex. secretary, so he gets to be there on those nights), when a ward member walked in. They got talking about space, and it turns out that her husband is a big space fan. He's got a few telescopes, and they regularly attend star parties. So, she invited us to have one of our own at their house.

We went over the next night to our "star party" and were able to see Jupiter with four of its moons lined up right next to it. It was pretty cool. We also looked at the moon, and then the boys were able to look at a nebula that our neighbor found. All in all, it was a fun night! Sly even followed us over to their house to be part of the fun. He ended up hiding from a tiny little kitten that was wandering the neighborhood. Scaredy cat!

A pretty close view of what we saw that night of Jupiter and four of its moons

The next Saturday, the St. R.S. presidency (which I'm a part of) put on a clothing swap in the stake, so I was gone for most of the day. Brandon noticed that our neighbors were having a yard sale, so they wandered over to check things out. Scott found a telescope and REALLY wanted it. So, for $5, they bought it. They came home, and then Brandon just walked around the yard taking pictures of their fun! (B got a small telescope for Christmas last year, so the two older boys each have one of their own.)

When I got home from the clothing swap, Scott kept pulling me outside to "look at this" or "check this out." It was so fun to see his little face lighting up with excitement over this telescope and the fun things he could do with it! Unfortunately, it's either been cloudy or smoky enough up here that we haven't been able to take it his telescope outside and look at Jupiter again. One of these days we will, though! Enjoy the pictures!

B setting up his telescope

Scott - hmm, what should I look at next?

B checking off his list of things to look at

Scott checking off his checklist

Scott's checklist

B's checklist

Scott focusing on the wood grain in the deck

B checking out the lilac bush leaves

The boys - working

Cute Scott

Cute B

Gavin, waiting for "his boys" to be done with their "work" so they can play with him again!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Need help with the baby's name!!!

Okay, serious input is wanted here. We had a name (almost for sure) picked out, and now it's kind of not being my favorite anymore. *sigh* So, give me some ideas for a baby boys name. Please! Oh, and for me, personally, for naming my kids, I don't like old-fashioned names (i.e. Bill, or Joseph, or Nicholas . . .) So, throw some names out there for me! Contemporary, unusual, popular, new-fangled, cool, preppy, nerdy . . . You get the idea! Thank you!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Stitches . . . again (with pictures)

This time it was B. He was out riding his bike when he heard a loud pop. He thought it might be his tire, so he hit his brakes, got off his bike by flipping his leg onto the opposite pedal and hopped off, then his bike tipped over and his head hit the end part of his hand grips on the handle bar!

Brandon & I were inside and we heard this horrendous scream right before the front door opened. He ran inside and was dripping blood all over the front entryway. I grabbed some cotton balls to push to his head, then walked him into the bathroom. As soon as I saw the cut, I knew we'd have to go get stitches. His pedi's office was already closed (that ALWAYS seems to happen to us), so he & I headed off the to the Instacare while Brandon took Scott and Gavin to Pack Meeting.

A close-up

Poor guy - he was really hurting at this point

They got us in pretty quickly, then put some Lydocaine on his cut to numb it up. While it was numbing, they brought in a little portable DVD player and let him watch "Night at the Museum." He was quite happy about that. They changed the Lydocaine a couple of times, then the dr. came in to start the stitches.

Kickin' back watching his movie

They irrigated the cut to clean it off, then wiped off the excess blood. The dr. told him that it wasn't supposed to hurt, and that if it did, B was to let him know. He put the first stitch in and B was hurting, so they stopped to give him a little shot to finish numbing it up. After that, he was good. He kept very still when he was supposed to, so he didn't have to be wrapped onto the bed like Gavin was, and four stitches later, he was done!

Right before the dr. started doing the stitches

During the stitches - he was pretty relaxed here, but didn't fall asleep

He's feeling quite good right now, although when the Lydocaine wears off, I think he'll probably have a good headache. His favorite part? Well, you might say the movie. Brandon & I did. But, if you did, you're wrong. The Lydocaine made his head numb and cold. When the dr. put the shot in his eyebrow to finish numbing, he said that it might burn a bit as it was going. That was B's favorite part. His head was cold, so it warmed his head up quite nicely so he was comfortable!

So, we have to go back in five days to have the stitches taken out, and he'll have quite a fun scar to show off. Now all of the kids have had stitches - Scott's hand (multiple times), B's forehead, and Gavin's lip. And we're just adding another boy to the mix. *sigh*

Heaven help me!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Rescheduled Toady's surgery

So, Brandon got our new insurance packet and after looking things over (deductibles, my maternity stuff . . .) we decided to postpone Toady's surgery, and get everything in that we can in the same school year. So, his surgery is now on September 21st instead of this coming Monday!

I'm still looking for ideas for good movies to watch with him - oldies, cartoons, non-cartoons . . . :) I just won a Disney's Chip and Dale classics off of eBay, and I'm so looking forward to it! I grew up with Chip and Dale, and I'm sure Gavin will love them too! :)

Friday, August 21, 2009

Haner for the baby's name?

Okay, so I posted this a few days ago, but then posted other things right after it, so it got kind of buried, and only had one response! (Love ya', Jen!) But, I thought it deserved a repost, so here goes!

A couple of months ago, Brandon & I went to Borders to check out some baby names books. We sat down to peruse them and Brandon came across a section in one book on how to make up your own name.

For example, if you want a strong sounding name, you start with this (these) letters, or if you want a masculine name, you use these letters, if you want an athletic name . . .

So, we started playing around with the letters to make up names, and Brandon came up with the name Haner. We sat there and laughed so hard at this name, that it has become a family joke. Anytime we need to laugh, one of us will just say, "Haner."

Anyway, fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. It had been a stressful day, and I was a bit perturbed with Brandon, the boys, life, etc . . . when we got a phone call. Wanna know the name on the caller id?

Steve Haner.

It must be a sign. Oh, and we don't know anybody by the name of Steve Haner.

And, just for the record, we WON'T be naming the baby Haner.

Not even the middle name.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Scott's first Day Camp

So, since Scott turned eight and he became a scout, he got to go to the Day Camp this year. He was SO excited, and was talking about it weeks before the event. The boys had to be at the church at 7:30 in the morning, so Brandon & I got up early with little Scottie to help him get ready. I made lunch for he and Brandon (Brandon went with him), and then sent them off!

When they got home, Scottie was just beaming! It was so fun to listen to him tell me all about his day, the things he had won, earned, or bought, and the activities that he got to participate in. He went to bed with a big smile on his face 'cause he was so happy!

Promontory Point & the Spiral Jetty

So, for one of our day get-aways this summer we decided to head to Promontory Point where the Golden Spike was driven in to finish the Transcontinental Railroad. The day we decided to go they had a re-enactment of the event, plus, we got in free! Bonus!

Part of the re-enactment

One of the engines "whooshing" its steam

All of the groups during the re-enactment

It was raining and cold, so Scott was hiding in his jacket

Watching the re-enactment in the rain

After we watched the re-enactment we went inside the museum and watched a demonstration on the use of the bayonet. At the end the presentation, Braden hobbled over and told me that his toenail was falling off. (A week or two before that, he was running outside and fell and scraped up his toe pretty badly. We had just been waiting for the toenail to fall off.) It started bleeding, so we sat there until everyone left, then Brandon went in search of a bandaid while I took our little Swiss Army knife scissors and trimmed the rest of it off.

After that, we saw that people were climbing right up next to the engines, so we went back outside and took some pictures next to the engines. We couldn't get in them, but we got some good pictures up close.

Up close to the engine

B next to one engine - these engines are HUGE!!

My sweetheart

We noticed the sand on the track, and decided it must be for traction when they need it

Follow the gold tube up - the top of that is the sand "bucket"

B trying to pull the engine - he must not have had his Wheaties this morning!

By then, everybody was freezing, so we loaded back up in the truck and headed out to the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake. We had overheard a museum worker telling someone else that you had to have 4-wheel drive to get out there, as it was a bumpy ride. And it was. Very bumpy.

But, we made it out there, saw the jetty, picked up some cool pieces of salt, and then it started to rain. So, we hiked through the rain back up to the truck, where I realized that my feet were quite sore. So, I took off my sandals and found that my feet were really swollen. The marks from my sandals stayed on my feet for another couple of hours before fading. Yikes!

The Spiral jetty

Gavin & Brandon posing - G insisted on wearing his swim suit even though we told him it would be cold

Standing on the jetty looking out at the lake - you can see how wet Scott's jacket was

The sandal marks on my feet

As we left, we were looking out the window at the lake, and saw this HUGE ball out in a drained part of the lake. So, Brandon & Scott headed out to investigate. They decided that it was probably an old, rusted out anchor that was used to anchor a boat dock at some point.

The anchor

Scott investigating the ball

All in all, we had a lot of fun, even if it was cold and rainy! If you ever get a chance you should come out this way and check out Promontory Point, and if it's warm, head to the lake to play in the salt, then head our way for a visit! My door's open!