The Many Faces of Carli

More spring storms!

The clouds were incredible this morning as the storm rolled in. It's still going strong, but the dark clouds are gone. I just thought the sky was really amazing so I had to take some pics!

A couple Meganisms :)

Sometimes she just says the cutest things!

A couple weeks ago:
At the car dealership when we bought our van we were waiting in the kid room. It had murals on the walls of animals and such and we were playing "I Spy" with Megan. I spied something pink with tennis shoes (a flamingo). She looked around for a minute and pointed to it. I asked her what it was and she thought for a minute with a very thought-provoking face and said, "It's a paflingo!" Hee, hee!

A few days after that:
She comes in the house panting after running around outside and starts running up the stairs, but stops halfway up and says, "I hear my heart beeping." :) LOL! I love it.

Here's another that she's done for a long time:
There's a song we sing at church in Primary called "I Love to See the Temple" and here are the words (with the one she always says wrong):
I love to see the temple
I'm going there someday
To feel the Holy Spirit
To listen and to pray
For the temple is the house of God
A place of love and beauty
I'll prepare myself while I am yum (young) :)
This is my sacred (sometimes she says 'secret') duty.

This one cracked me up:
Noodle fight between me and Megan (the noodle used for swimming, not eating).
Megan stops. "Did you hear that gas?"
Mom. " No."
Megan. "It was from me!"
Mom LOL!!!!

What a character she is!

Musings

Last night we had a fun BBQ with a couple families in our ward. The food was yummy and we all had a blast. It as a great reason to get the house cleaned up. Now my goal is to keep the house clean until we leave! That will be the hard part with all the kids home now that it's summer. We spend the morning at Let's Jump with our playgroup. I was hosting and hoped we could swim this morning, but of course, the rain came as right on time to move our playing indoors. Oh well. The weekend looks beautiful so we're planning on swimming Thursday at a friend's neighborhood pool and then Friday here. We're having a little party for Megan's 5th birthday this weekend so she can celebrate her birthday before we leave for Utah. We're going to celebrate with family on her actual birthday, June 11. She's very excited about that! The rain is continuing so we're all inside, watching Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Brandon's playing his Gameboy. Fun, eh?

Cuppy Cake Song

This is the cutest thing ever. :) Thanks for finding it again, Dad!

Dancing daughters!

Kate and Megan jam to music

Girl time is heavenly

I had a really fun night last night (and a late one at that and yes, it's early Saturday morning and I'm awake)! Ben went to play b-ball at the stake center this morning, so there wasn't much chance for me to sleep in. That's ok, I would have felt guilty anyway. Plus, it never would have happened...

So my friend, Katrina, had a little get-together for her birthday last night. We had games to play, but we all ended up just talking the night away (until 2:45 when we gave in and left) and eating yummy food. It is so nice to feel like I have friends here. We've been here for 7 months now and I've so missed all the friends I had down in Austin. What an amazing support group we had down there. I'm beginning to feel that here. It's not the same, but it's good!

Today we are cleaning the house! Sound fun? ;)

Jane Austen

Take the Quiz here!

Evening of fun

Tonight we decided to take the kids out to eat as a reward for a great year. It was yummy and the kids did great. I'm so proud of them! They worked hard all year and we even moved in the middle of it. They were brave and jumped right into a new school and did so well. Brandon just finished 2nd grade was placed into the gifted and talented program for next year. He's such a math wiz and just retains concepts so easily. He's my sweet boy and I love to snuggle and read stories with him. He has a beautiful smile and loves to make his sisters laugh. Kate completed 1st grade. She's a beautiful bubbly 7 yr old! She loves to help everyone she can and is a great helper for me with Carli. She's an awesome reader and is very creative in her art. She's a joy. I can't believe they are growing up so fast.

Summer begins!

Today is the last day of school. Let the craziness begin! No, it really won't be that bad. I am so happy to have a neighborhood pool just down the street that I can take the kids to any time. The kids are so excited to have an extended break. We have about 3 weeks extra time this summer because the school year is being pushed back. In the fall, though, Brandon will be in 3rd grade, Kate in 2nd, and Megan in kindergarten! I will have 3 kids in school and only 1 at home. Anyway, in a couple of weeks we are excited to make our trek up to Utah to be with all of our family. We have some run reunions going on at Snowbird and Zion National Park. Then Ben will have to fly home to work and the kids and I are going to hang out at Grandpa and Grandma's house taking swimming lessons, going for hikes, picnics, movies, and just having fun. It's a big bummer that Ben won't be able to stay with us. I am very glad that he can spend the first 2 weeks with us, though. Hopefully the drive will be ok. We just bought a van! We traded in our lovely '99 Windstar and got an '03 Odyssey. It's white and has gray leather interior, power sliding doors, and a built-in DVD player. The seats are nice and roomy and comfy and the kids love driving in it. It used to be the favorite thing to ride in Daddy's car instead of the van, but now they always want to be in the van! LOL!

Lst night was Brandon's first Scout Pack Meeting. I had to be at my Faith in God activity night down the hall, but Ben was able to be in there. They did a Regatta so Brandon had to make the boat. Slacker parents didn't get around to helping him until Wednesday morning. I forgot to help him glue the sail onto the dowel so when he tried to blow it in the race the sail just kept flipping around. We'll know better next time! Here's a pic of our little scout:

Well, I just found out Ben is on his way home from work not feeling well so I'll sign off now. Hopefully he can sleep it off.

The simple joys

Little things like an ice cream make kids so happy. I need to remember that. It really is the basic and simple things in this life that bring us happiness.

What a whiner

I'm apologizing for my big long whiney post on Sunday. Now I am refreshed and in a better mood and I'm sorry I wrote some of it, but I'm not going to delete it because I need it to stay there for my sake and remind me of what a great life I have. My kids are happy doing all that they do, my hubby has an awesome job that makes our life possible, and I have absolutely nothing to complain about except for mood swings. ;) Plus, now that Ben's schedule is back to weekdays from 9-6 I will be getting some much needed girl time coming up. I think we even have a date planned! I'm also so looking forward to our family vacation coming up in a couple weeks. It's so hard to live so far from our families, but these times we are together are all the sweeter!

It feels so good!

To have a clean laundry room! I have never taken the time since we moved into this house (Oct. '06) to really give the laundry room (one of my favorite rooms because it's so huge) a good cleaning and organizing session. It looks awesome! I think I'm even inspired to paint. :) I got a throw rug to go in front of the washer that is blue, green, and yellow. I would love to paint the walls a creamy sunny yellow color and paint some flowers around by the ceiling. I need to get a bench for the kids to sit on to put their shoes on, but for now, at least the floor is uncluttered, swept, the dryer cleared off, and everything else up on shelves. Yay!

Here's an "after" pic. Sorry, I was not going to take pictures of how it was before. :)

Here are my plans for the laundry room besides the painting: Install cupboards above the washer and dryer instead of just the shelf that's there; Along the back wall we want to install shelving for food storage; On the left side there I would like to have little cubbies for the kids to put their things and also a countertop to fold clothes onto. Someday...

Happy Birthday Grandma!

This picture was taken last summer on my Grandma Johnson's couch. From left to right is Brandon, Kate, Grandma, Megan, me, and Carli. Today is my grandmother's 89th birthday. Wow. Can you imagine all that she's lived through in 89 years? She is a fabulous and strong woman whom I admire and love so much. She raised 5 children, losing one at the age of 12 from leukemia from the fallout of nuclear tests that blew into Southern Utah. She's the best pianist I will ever know. She's a wonderful Grandma. She has 19 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren with more to come eventually. She married my grandfather and I think it was 3 days later he left for war and didn't return for 3 years. When he came home he walked right by her to see if she would notice him, but she did not even recognize him! How hard that must have been to marry, be alone for the next 3 years, and not even recognize your husband when he returned. My grandpa passes away after years of illnesses and health difficulties after choosing to stop the dialysis. He was gone a few days later. I'll post more about him in a couple of weeks when we celebrate what would have been his 92nd (I think) birthday. I am excited to spend time again with my grandma this summer when we take our yearly trek to southern Utah from Texas. What a wonderful woman she is!

Things I love

Reading
Taking pictures of my kiddos
My husband, Ben
Brandon
Kate
Megan
Carli
MyFamily.com
Bubble baths
Chocolate
Good movies
Jane Austen novels and movies
Popcorn
Family vacations
Utah (most of my fam lives there)
Summer days at the pool
Fruit smoothies
The Gospel (http://www.lds.org or http://www.mormon.org)
Finishing something (this is one of my weaknesses)
Anything strawberry
Giggles and kisses from my kids
Sweet hugs just because
Dates with Ben
Bedtime stories with my kids
Meganisms (I'll post some of these)
Church history
Friends
Picnics in the mountains
Memories of my Grandpa Johnson
Big breakfasts
Mashed potatoes (actually, any kind of potato)
Music
Newborn babies (especially mine)
Singing
Parties
Art (I need to "brush up" on my skills)
When my dad calls just to share something interesting with me
Talking to my mom on the phone
Going out with my sister to a movie or something
Walks on cool evenings
Seeing my kids smile
My husband's blue eyes
My husband playing the piano
Getting flowers from my husband
A good hair day
Seeing my brother's succeed in what they are doing
Ice cream
Brownie Sundaes
Rootbeer floats
A beautiful garden (need to learn how to do that!)

I'm sure I'll think of more, but that's it for now...I really need to get my girls to bed!

Worn Out

These past couple of days have me completely worn out. At least I've gotten a bit of a tan and some more freckles from it all! Yesterday was field day at Brandon and Kate's elementary school. We headed to the school at 9 am and got to witness the teachers having their 15 minutes of fame by hula-hooping and tp wrapping and then the kids got to run the high school track and do the Cha-Cha-Shuffle (or something like that). It was way cute. Then Ben headed to work and I headed home about 10:30 to put Carli down for a nap. Carli wakes up, we have lunch, and I head back to the school for the rest of field day. They were now doing the fun little relays and stations with each of the classes. There was hula-hooping, jump-roping, snowball relay, tennis balls in a bucket relay, sidewalk chalk drawing, and a bounce house. The kids had a blast and we all got a lot of sun. I got a lot of great pics, too. I'll post them once I figure out how to get through the network to the downstairs computer and post them through this computer. For now you'll just have to believe me. :)

After field day I brought all the kids home and we headed to the pool I had promised them pool time Thursday, but we ended up not going, so we spent a good hour there before Megan's kickball game. Ran home after the pool, dressed everyone, fed them and headed down to the kickball field (which is a good 25 minutes away during rush hour--one reason I do not want to do kickball again). Thankfully, Megan's games only last about 40 minutes and we were home by 8 or so. Carli went right to bed and then it was movie night. The kids have been watching Night at the Museum every weekend since it came out so last night was no exception. I wasn't really in the mood so I hung out downstairs on the computer. I was very out of it and basically wallowing in self pity. Having Ben work the late shift has been, let's just say, not so great for our relationship. I am so worked up all day dealing with kids, sports, homework, messes, tantrums, kids' friends, dinner, more messes, bedtime, that by the time he gets home I'm in a bad mood and hardly even talk to him. I'm exhausted by 10 (when he gets home) and usually fall asleep watching the news and even though we decided together for him to take this shift for a few weeks, I feel upset at him for having to work like that, which is so not fair. I feel horrible for feeling that way. I really don't want to complain. He works so hard and has a really great job. I feel like I have just been pulled to the breaking point with all this. I have had no breaks at all. I belong to an awesome book club and Mavens group (just a group of friends who get together for a fun evening once a month) and haven't been able to attend any of that. That time to me is so so so important so I can get in some girl chat time, some treats, and just some time to rejuvenate myself. I always come home with a smile on my face and a spring in my step from one of these outings. I also have not had a date with Ben in a very long time. Oh, we went to the Josh Groban concert in March (my Christmas present from last year) and that was really really great, but that's been it. I need some more time with him. Right now I feel like all I do is mom stuff--not a bash on motherhood because that's my purpose--but mom's need some time without the kids, away from the messes and tantrums, to just feel like a woman and have fun. Ok, off of that tangent...

Today has been insane as well. Started out at the kickball field again at 8:45 this morning. Megan had her last game as a Butterfly and then Kate had a game that started at 10:30. Ben left the fields at 10 to head to work for his last day on this shift (YAY!) and then Kate's game started at 10:30. It didn't end until 12:30 or so and then she decided she wanted to go to a teammate's birthday party today, which she had previously said she didn't want to go to, so I had to make room for that in the afternoon. We ran home, ate lunch, and got Brandon ready for his baseball game, then headed to the store to get the birthday present. Ran home, wrapped it and filled the water bottle for Brandon and then dropped him off at 2:45 at the baseball field for his warm-up before the game. Then drove over to McDonald's and dropped Kate at the birthday party, which started at 3. Got there shortly after 3, talked to the grandma of the girl to let her know I couldn't stay and drove back to the baseball field to watch what I could of Brandon's game. Watched for 45 minutes and then headed back to get Kate from the party. She, thankfully, came right away and I didn't have to fight with her, and went back to see the end of Brandon's game. Brandon did well, but they lost. He got a good hit, though! Went home after the baseball game and the kids wanted to go back to the pool. Quick change and we were back at the pool. I got some cute pics of them today. I'll work on posting those, too. At 6:15 we came back home and figured out some dinner, put Carli to bed, and the kids watched Hercules. I, for some reason, decided to start a blog in that time so here I am. It's now 9:39 pm and they are still not in bed. Bad mommy...at least Ben is hom a little early. :) (Chanting in my head...it's not his fault...it's not his fault...it's not his fault...)

OK, gotta run for now. I'm sorry this feels very down, but I'm kind of in that mood...maybe it's just pms...

Ok, now for the good stuff.

First post!

Well, let's see how this goes!