Obsessions

Those who know me well know that every now and then I get obsessed over trivial things. I wish these obsessions were somewhat useful, like those who must wash their hands 30 times a day or repeatedly check certain objects to make sure they are organized in a perfect line or look at their stove over and over to make sure it isn't on. Nope, not me. The good things is, generally my obsessions fade away over time. Here are some examples of my obsessions:

NKOTB & Tom Cruise - My walls were lined with pictures of them as a pre-teen. I collected every teen mag I could find, carefully cut out the pictures and taped them to my wall or put them in a photo album. I still have the photo album...I can't seem to part with it.

Billy Bob Thornton - Don't ask.

Vanilla Coke and Lemonheads - Generally not together, but definitely an option. All throughout high school I always had a bag of lemonheads. Did you know they make Lemonhead jaw breakers that are about the size of a quarter? Heavenly. And when Vanilla Coke came out I had to have at least one can a day (I admit, probably more.) If my metabolism hadn't slowed down to the pace of a snail I would still consume these daily. For now they are rare treats. And that's ok.

Okay, I have a confession...when Titanic came out I saw the movie 13 times in the theater. And I cried every time. I think I dragged everyone I knew to the movies just so I could see it again. And again. And again. You get the picture.

Aprons. This is a recent obsession...as is blogging. I have 13 aprons hanging in my kitchen, with 2 more cut out and ready sew up. And 10 more ideas in my head that I can't wait to make. And blogging. I'm sure most of you have experienced the addiction to blogging. It comes and goes, but especially in the beginning, it was an obsession.


Okay, so here is the point of this whole post...right now, my obsession would be the Twilight series. Last year, while getting my hair done, my friend Chelsea asked me if I had read the books. I told her I had not and she explained that they were about vampires, but it wasn't like a stereotypical vampire book and they were so good. Well, vampires really aren't my preferred genre, so I had no intention of reading the books. Then it seemed like that was all people talked about; Twilight this and Twilight that and "Oh Edward!" Then I really didn't want to read the books. Around Christmas time I had to spend the day in the hospital and wanted to take some reading so I went to the bookstore and Twilight was there...in my face. So I begrudgingly purchased it (I was curious to see what all the hullabaloo was about). And started reading it. And couldn't put it down. I finished it quickly and sent Kevin to get the second book, New Moon. And finished it. And then sent Kevin back again to get the third book, Eclipse. I finished all three in a weekend. Yes, I became obsessed. So, why am I telling you all this? Well, the 4th book, Breaking Dawn, is coming out THIS SATURDAY! I decided to read the first three again, to prepare for it. I started three weeks ago and barely finished the third book tonight. It takes a lot longer to read with three rugrats. :) I will be buying it on Saturday, but since we are blessing Gavin this weekend and will have family in town, I probably won't be able to get to it until Monday. So next week if you see my kids running amuck, hair disheveled, glazed looks in their eyes, chocolate running down their chins it will probably be because I will be playing Disney movies all day and setting out a smorgasborg of junk food to keep them happy while I read my book. (Just kidding...really!)

7 Week Stats

Today Gavin went to the doctor and this is what we found:

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz

Height: 22 inches

Health: perfect!

Bright-eyed! We still aren't sure what color his eyes will turn. They are just really dark right now. There are hints of both blue and brown and maybe even green.
This week it seems like he's woken up. He looks us in the eyes and responds to our voices a lot more than before. He seems to be observing things a lot more now. He loves staring at the pictures on the wall and he watches Cade and Myla run in circles. He is smiling now, as well and it just melts my heart to see him smile.

"Feet"-ure Photo

Dontcha just wanna kiss 'em?

Summer Fun!

Here are some of the fun things we've been up to this summer:

We made fun visors together. The kids loved putting the stickers on to spell their names. Cade did his all on his own. He even knew what colors he wanted and what ones he didn't want.
Myla saying, "See Mom!" with her cute little lisp on the s, so it sounds more like, "Thsee Mom!"
The Gav-Man

What do mom's do to get away and hang out with the girls? Play Bunko, of course. Here is my fabulous Bunko group. It was good to get back into it. I missed June because I had the Gav-man. This last time I came in last place, but ironically ended up with the prize I wanted!

Abbey (wearing the Sassy Pants hat), Maren, Chelsea

Sara, Rachel, Anna, Stephenie

Beka, Jen (the hostess this month), and Nicki (subbed for Dawn and Stacey who we missed!)

After 5 weeks of being stuck in the house during the day I decided it was time to take the kids out. Where did we go? Joanns, of course. Yes, I'm crazy. I swear there is a silent message at Joann's that only kids can hear that tells them to make their moms miserable as soon as they walk through the doors. But I really wanted to pick up some fabric to sew up some burpers and receiving blankets for Gavin. So, I did what any mother would do...bribed them with slushies from Sonic if they were good.

Taking the three kids out for the first time.

They were great! We went right to Sonic and got drinks.

Last week my mom watched Gavin and we went to the Tempe Splash park for the first time this summer. We lived there last summer and we've really missed it.

Cade running through the sprinkler.

Myla getting her feet wet.

The Buchanans joined us for this trip. I didn't get any pictures of James--he was havingn too much fun to hold still. The kids are snacking on their "dog bones."

Cade sliding.

Myla sliding. I had to sit at the bottom of this slide and catch her because she would shoot off about 3 feet and land pretty hard on her bum.

Last Friday we saw The Dark Knight. We traded babysitting with the Haws so we could all see it that day. I got the morning shift while Jared and Nicki saw the movie.

Overall the kids get along wonderfully...until you throw trains into the mix. I pulled out the train tracks and they did great for about 5 minutes. Here they are even letting Rachel have some fun and play with the tracks. But then someone wants someone else's trains and it all goes downhill. Life is so much more peaceful with preschoolers when Thomas and Friends sleep nicely in their train sheds...safely out of reach.
" Cheeeeese Mommy!"
Me and Rachel. Isn't she a cutie?!
Connor playing so nicely.

To end this really long post is a picture of Cade with his mittens. Cade is getting tired of the heat (he has a lot of his dad in him!). He told us that he wanted to go to the snow and see Aiden (his cousin in Utah).
He wore his mittens around all day and wouldn't take them off, even though it was 108 degrees outside! I guess it was wishful thinking. :)

Memories

I got this from Kerry and thought it looked fun! Those who take a peek at my blog, just follow these instructions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember! If we're only blogging friends, write about a post that is the most memorable for you.

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll be sure to write one about you...!

3. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. And please do this on your page, too, so we can all share in the fun times together. :)

Oh Good Grief!

Tonight, as I was driving home from a training I needed to attend, I was planning that I would get home, put the kids in bed, get Gavin to sleep and read a book or cuddle up with Kevin and watch the latest movie we just got from Netflix. Well, Cade and Myla had different plans for us. I was talking on the phone to my sister upstairs when I hear, "Christie! Get off the phone and get down here." I walk downstairs and before I get to the last step a distinctive, familiar smell hits me and I instantly know why Kevin had that irritated, trying-to-keep-his-cool tone to his voice. I get to the kid's bathroom and this is what I see:

Myla and Cade covered in diaper rash cream. We thought they were in bed. We were wrong. (Notice how Cade even took off his PJ bottoms so he could rub it on his legs? And I love that "I'm so busted!" look on his face.)
All that is left of the poor, helpless tube of Desitin.
Anyone who has tried to clean diaper rash cream off knows that you have to have lots of soap and you have to put lots of elbow grease into it. It took forever and seemed to just smear around. So while poor Gavin screamed his head off in his swing, Kevin and I got to clean up the kids, their beds and bedding and the carpet.

Maybe tomorrow, after the diaper rash cream smell wears off of us, Kevin and I will get to cuddle and watch that movie. :)

Tagged

Tagged by Heather:

What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was 20 years old and living in Flagstaff going to NAU. One of the best times of my life! I lived with 3 awesome roommates and worked at the NAU Speech and Hearing Clinic. Although I didn't have any hot boyfriend I did have a secret crush on my Math professor. :)

5 Things on my To-Do list:

1. Finish the laundry! I've been working on this weeks for 4 days.

2. Teach Myla her colors and start Cade on putting letters together to read.

3. Do the monthly RS report.

4. Study scriptures

5. Get into a routine.

5 Snacks I Enjoy:

1. Watermelon

2. Chili Cheese Fritos

3. Salsa Sunflower Seeds (although they may be called jalepeno hot sunflower seeds now)

4. Almonds

5. Homemade cookies

5 Places I have lived: (earliest to most recent)

1. Mesa, AZ (where I was born and where I am now)

2. Flagstaff, AZ

3. Coconut Creek, FL
4. Key West, FL

5. Homestead, FL

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?

Cry, then laugh, then cry again. :) There are so many things I would do. I started to list all of them and then realized I'd be here all night. Other than all of the "pay off debt, buy a bigger house, donate to charity, give to family, go get my Master's degree" stuff that everyone else would do too, I'd say buy me a beautiful Audi.

I LOVE Audi. Any Audi will do. The Audi website has a cool "Build an Audi" feature where you can build your ideal Audi. This is mine, the Audi TT Coupe (it comes as a roadster as well, with a convertible top..I'd definitely take one of those too!). I really love black Audis, but this ocean blue color caught my eye. Complete with Fine Nappa leather seats, the full audio package including navigation and ipod interface, and high performance tires (along with other fun options), this baby would run me $51,875.00. That's all. But hey, we're dreaming I'm a billionaire, right?

So that's my selfish "If I had a billion dollars" wish.

What are 5 jobs I have had?

1. Burger King

2. YMCA child care

3. NAU Speech and Hearing Clinic secretary

4. Sequoia Charter School (library aide, dean of students, substitute teacher, HS English teacher)

5. IQ Abacus English teacher

I tag anyone that would like to do this. Have fun!

A Good Day

Sheesh, it's been a while since I've really updated what we've been up to lately. I thought I'd catch up a bit.

The 4th of July was a lot of fun. We had a BBQ with the Webbs and had a great time. My dad has been working on this train for about 6 months. He built it from scratch and he did a great job. It's three cars (Kevin will be detailing them later with Thomas, Princess and Bob the Builder stuff on them) that are pulled by the four wheeler. The grandkids and my dad were so excited to take them out on their maiden voyage...or whatever it is you call a train's first run. Here are some cute pics (I stole these from Nicki and Jamie, I left my camera there):

All Aboard! My Dad even had a train whistle on his quad.
Everyone is loving it!
It was like a carnival ride. Cade still talks about it. It was a great 4th of July.

Things around the house are slowly getting back to normal. It has been a rough 5 weeks. My c-section incision is finally on the mend. Several spots opened up on the incision after I got home from the hospital. Just a couple of days ago another hole opened up. I've been seeing the doctor every week, cleaning it at least twice a day, have been on antibiotics to prevent infection and have been trying to take it really easy (hard to do with 3 kids!). Luckily there has been no infection. Kevin and my sister Nicki have been wonderful helping with Cade and Myla. All I have to say is anyone who thinks having a c-section is the easy way to have a baby...well, think again. There is no easy way to have a baby. There are pros and cons to having a baby both ways, and there is always potential for complications. Having a healthy pregnancy, a healthy baby and a healthy recovery really are miracles and ones that I will never take for granted again. Here is our little perfect Gavin:

Cade and Myla just adore Gavin. Every time Gavin cries they both announce it at the top of their lungs and if I don't drop what I'm doing right that second and run to pick up Gavin then they are there to "make him feel better." Usually this involves trying to shove the pacifier in his mouth or rocking the bassinet so hard I'm afraid he'll fly out. But it's sweet to see them so concerned about him.
I told my doctor last week that the only time I am able to leave the house is to see him, and although I adore my doctor, I need a little bit more of a life. He told me to start getting back into my routine. So even though I am not healed completely yet, I have the go-ahead to start doing stuff again! Yay! This morning Cade, Myla and I dragged out the little pool and slide and played outside until it got too hot.
Cade going down the slide.
Myla saying, "Hi Mommy!" in her really high, squeaky voice that I love. Gavin wanting to join in on the fun. Okay, really he just wants me to hold him. He is such a cuddle-bug and loves to be held. My favorite thing he does right now is when I hold him on my shoulder he always finds a way to scoot his little head underneath my chin. He loves to be held like that. Such a sweetie.
Splashing each other is so much fun...until it's not and then we cry. Okay, we're friends again.

For Family Home Evening we took the kids to see Wall-E. Really, I wasn't too excited about seeing it. Another robot movie? C'mon. But everyone I talk to who has seen it raves about it. And Cade has been walking around saying "Wall-e" in that robot voice, so we went. And it was so cute! The kids enjoyed it and Gavin slept through the whole movie.

It's been a good day.