Closing

Today was a big day for Drama Queen.

At 11:00, she and I opened the door to the title company and in less than an hour, she became a proud new homeowner!

It was pretty stressful for her, but they made it much easier by explaining the pages that needed explaining and mostly just shuffling through the rest. She can take possession on Wednesday after the loan funds, but she is still planning to do some pretty extensive remodeling before she actually moves in. The place needs paint and carpet for sure, and a few other minor repairs.

After we finished with the title company, we picked up Baby Doll and drove to Chick Fil A for a mini celebration and finished with a couple of other errands. Not bad for a day off from teaching, Drama Queen.

Abigail tries hard to be a good watch dog... maybe a little too hard...

I'm sure you will be hearing tons more about her new home in the next few weeks, so I will leave you with another pic of our new little Twizlet. She had her first doctor's appointment today and they pronounced her perfect (of course we already knew that).

Looking Beautiful

One of my favorite things on the planet is having someone do my hair for me. That's one of the reasons I love going out to SuperCuts for their free classes. But since I would be bald within a month or two if I went out every week for a class, I let my kids do my hair.

Drama Queen and Crafty love trying new braids; the more intricate, the better.

Baby Doll is into the bling. She loves getting out the box of clips and putting them all in my hair.

When it's just me, I wash it and pull a brush through it. It's not quite the same...

Cookie Day!

Today was it... time to pick up all the Girl Scout cookies from the warehouse. This year we had just over 4000 boxes of cookies and that meant 3 tall pallets. Thankfully my friends brought along a trailer to haul them all back to my house.

Slowly the girls from the troop have picked up their orders and the house is looking a little more reasonable. We didn't get any delivered. By the time the troop coolies were all collected, it was time to get ready for stake conference and by the time we got home it was after 9:00 pm.

Guess it will be a few days (weeks, months... who knows?) before we have our living room back. If you need a treat, you know where to find me. Otherwise, I will see you next week.

Teaching School

The Dog Walker stepped totally out of his comfort zone today. He taught his very first art class at the elementary school this morning. He was pretty stressed even though he has spent plenty of time preparing his powerpoint on Mo Willems. He didn't really relax until he began to read the stories to the kids. This group of third graders (that included Curly), love his voices!

I was so impressed with how he handled the kids. If he can just finish up school, he will be a great teacher some day.

Then tonight we went over to Teach and Twiz's apartment to have dinner with them and Twiz's parents. We took Grandpa and the Dog Walker with us so they could see baby Twizlet. I think the Dog Walker would have been content to just hold her all evening rather than share pizza and stories with us.

Now if he can just find a wife, he will be a great dad someday...

Bringing Home Baby

Teach brought home Twizlet from the hospital this morning. Not long after that I picked up Baby Doll from kindergarten and we loaded up their little puppy and some Tupperware deliveries and headed out. Most of the Tupperware went to Teach's school, so it was fairly close to her apartment. The ladies in the front office were so excited to see the pictures of the baby!

We stayed at the apartment for a little while while Abigail got used to this tiny human that was about to replace her in their household. So far, so good. They seem to like each other. Baby Doll was totally thrilled with the opportunity to hold Twizlet and then do some service for her big sister. She refolded some of the baby's clothes and did some other tasks she was assigned while I ran one last errand without her.

It has been a fun and rather exhausting day. I had a den meeting for the cubs, three parent/teacher conferences at the elementary school, groceries, dance runs, dinner and then my basketball game. I've been helping with homework, getting kids off to bed, and cleaning up since I got home around 9:30. At 1:00 AM, Teach sent me this cute pic of Twizlet sleeping. At least one of us is sleeping when she should be... I was on my way to Bossy's house to pick up a book the Dog Walker needed for an art class he is teaching tomorrow in Curly's class.

A Little Break

With all the excitement about our new little Twizlet, I forgot to tell you something. So on Saturday, Curly was messing around with his basketball and he came in, "Mom, my finger really hurts." I felt around on it a bit and told him we would give it the weekend and if it still bothered him I would take him to the doctor.

He grumbled about it a few times over the next couple of days and on Monday morning when we were at the museum, he was still upset, so when we got back I took him to the Urgent Care. I was pretty sure we had a break on our hands (hee hee, so punny, Drama Queen would love that!). Apparently so was the nurse because she sent him to X-ray without even seeing the doctor first.

It wasn't long before we had the positive results. The doc told Curly no sports for a few weeks, but that was like telling him not to breathe. The nurse covered his finger with this enormous splint that we changed for a finger cap when we got home. It's very similar to a couple of breaks I have had over the years with the tendon pulling out a small piece of bone. Fortunately, the bone is still attached at the bottom, so if he is careful it should heal in about a month.

He's still trying to decide if his mitt fits over it comfortably...

Say Hello to Little Twizlet!

Yesterday we were all planning to go to the museum when Teach texted me with, "Um... just kidding. We aren't going to come. The contractions are too strong. I don't want to get that far away from the hospital.:/"

As you know, we went anyway.

On our way home from the museum, I texted her again.

We have been at the hospital since noon. The doctor just called and said based on the reports they are going to keep me here, start me on medicine, break my water and have a baby tonight! 

The kids were so excited! But things were moving so slowly.  At 6:30 PM we headed out to see the new Batman Lego Movie with Crafty's free passes. I kept peeking at my phone inside my jacket, but nothing. 

We got the kids to bed and I pounded out a quick post with a teaser (that no one asked about!), and just before 1:00 AM I dropped into bed. 

At 4:30 AM the phone rang and I could hear my brand new granddaughter screaming in the background. She was so angry! And Teach was so happy...

 

And baby makes 3.

 We talked for about 5 minutes and then I sent her off to spend those first precious moments with her little one. Official stats: 8 lbs 5 oz, 19 1/2 inches long, and as you can see, tons of hair!

My sweetie and I got over there a little later this afternoon and got to hold her and inhale her straight-from-heaven sweetness. I will see if Teach and Twiz can update more later so you know everything. But tonight I believe they are getting some well-deserved rest. Maybe...

It could happen...

BYU's Museum of Art

The Dog Walker had to visit an art museum so we drove down to BYU this morning and spent a couple of hours wandering around the galleries. Teach and Twiz had planned to meet us down there, but it turns out they had other things to do...

There were so many beautiful paintings! But some of my favorites were the sculptures. They have the most amazing carved Last Supper and the model of the slave ship was heart-wrenching.

We left the museum around 2:00 and the kids were all hungry. When I went through my coupon pouch this morning, the only thing I had that would be quick happened to be a pile of Tesoro gift cards the kids had received for good grades. We set it in the GPS and drove to the nearest one. It turned out to be an extremely small convenience store so after circling the parking lot, we decided to move on to the next one. It was only marginally bigger, but the kids were so hungry by then it would have to do.

They were more than a little confused when I told them they had to choose something for lunch and I didn't want it to be just a candy bar. Other than that they had no criteria. They must have wandered the store 4 or 5 times trying to decide. (I felt the same way.) My choice finally became a bag of Smarfood popcorn and a lunchable. Kids chose chicken sandwiches, burritos, nachos, a variety of chips and drinks. I was surprised that treats were pretty minimal. Most of them just wanted real food.

As we left the store with our loot, Drama Queen commented, "Now I know why you and Dad always pack a cooler for vacations." Hopefully it was a good lesson for them that didn't cost much because it was all done with gift cards.

We missed Teach and Twiz on our little adventure, but as I mentioned before, they may or may not have driven to the hospital around noon today...

Happy Birthday, Burrito!

On Saturday, my cute grandson, Burrito, finally achieved the decade mark. I can't believe he is really 10 years old. Where did the time go?  When we started this blog he was almost 4. I'm so glad Bossy and I took the time to set up this chronicle of our lives so we can look back and see all the fun and crazy things we have done.

Like most typical boys, Burrito wanted corn dogs for his birthday dinner. In an effort to please everyone, Bossy and I decided on baked potatoes with all the fixings as a side dish. We also threw in salad, fresh pineapple, and some green beans just to make it a little more healthy. It seemed to go over well; at least no one complained.

Burrito is such a good kid. He was sweet and grateful about every gift he was given, even the half-eaten box of popcorn from Curly. Although my cute Curly knew how much Burrito enjoyed his popcorn at the Jazz game so he carefully tucked away the rest of his so he could give it to him today.

Beauty and The Beast found a quiet corner to cuddle.

Gamer had to leave for work before we got to cake, so Twiz lit the candles. Burrito was so funny, covering his own mouth so he didn't accidentally blow them out before they were all lit and the birthday song was over.

My sweetie left about 9:00 to run Prima Donna back to Ogden. We worked on cleaning up the party, reading scriptures, and getting kids to bed. Now the house is finally quiet. The Dog Walker is working on an assignment for school while I write this post and my sweetie just sneaked downstairs for a midnight snack. Love these happy family days.

A Little Bribery

Today was so nice.

I wasn't unproductive, but every once in a while I like to be able to choose what I do instead of having it thrust upon me. That's not entirely true of the day. I still had to finish up the tax search this morning, but by noon I finally had all the documents together and the Dog Walker took them to my tax friend.

My sweetie is building a bathroom in the basement for my dad and he got almost all the tile set in the shower today and the floor leveled so he can lay the floor tile on Monday. Since he is in such a confined area, he is limited on how much help he can use, but we did spend a couple of hours cleaning up the utility room and the food storage area to make it easier for him to work.

Teach's baby was due today, but nothing is happening yet. I'm guessing Monday or Tuesday. If she makes it all the way until her appointment on Thursday, I think they will schedule an induction, but we will just have to wait and see.

Sport went to a merit badge pow wow this morning and came home with yet another unfinished badge. I was so frustrated with the fact that he had almost a dozen merit badges mostly done that I bribed him. I know, it's so unlike me... I offered him a new pair of joggers if he could finish all three of the Citizenship badges before bedtime.

He can be bribed!

He groused around and complained a bit and then got started. Before 10:00 pm he had finished the last requirement! So proud of him! Even if it wasn't all self-motivated, he did the work by himself. He has nearly finished the ones he needs for his Eagle now. I think he has 3 left and they are all in various stages of completion.

Hmmm.... maybe he could use a new shirt to go with those joggers???

Another Friday

I hesitate to tell you that I spent almost the entire day getting ready for my tax appointment. It really shouldn't take that long! The appointment was at 8:00 and by 3:00, I was doing so well I decided to take a break... Scout and I drove out to the DMV to get new plates for this little beater car we got for Crafty.

Really, it's not that bad, but it looks like the same car Princess's old boyfriend used to drive, so every time I pull up to the house my mind immediately goes to "What's he doing here?" especially since he is still serving his mission in Minnesota for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I even decided I had time for groceries so we stopped at Sam's. The kids were very grateful to have milk again...

Sure love this guy!

Our tax appointment ran smoothly except for the hiccup about Prima Donna's school expenses. Her phone is broken and that makes it incredibly hard to get hold of her, but even without those final numbers, we should still be getting a nice refund. We celebrated by stopping at Red Robin for a late dinner before we went home.

Can I please have a few minutes to relax now?

From Taxes to Nuggets

I've spent a good part of my day working on my taxes. I don't love sorting paperwork since we have a couple of small business-type things as well as all the school expenses and stuff, but I do love it when my hard work reaps a nice refund for us.

When I haven't been camped out in my office, I was busy preparing for my cub scout meeting. I don't know why I get so stressed over that sort of thing. Really, it's ridiculous, they are only a half dozen small boys. Sport was even nice enough to bring one of his boxes full of Legos and that kept them entertained until it was time for us to pack up and go home.

Sport and I spent an hour at the middle school talking to his teachers at parent teacher conferences. He's an excellent student, so usually we just get to hear people say how amazing he is. That's pretty much what it was tonight. Then I picked up the girls from dance and we loaded up to take the kids to McDonald's for free chicken nuggets. It was this phone app from the game last night that if the Jazz stole 6 balls, then we could get a free 6pc nugget. The app was a bit difficult to download, but it finally worked and we were able to collect our prize.

I tried to play basketball tonight with my women's team, but I didn't do very well. In fact, Sport even asked me if I thought I would ever be too old to play with the women... you think maybe that's a hint?

Jazz 111, Portland 88

Jr Jazz basketball was officially over last Saturday, but our tickets to watch the real Jazz play were for tonight. I love being at the arena with all the people cheering for the Jazz.

When we first got the codes for the free seats, Bossy forwarded all of hers to me so we could all sit together. I redeemed them on Flash Seats and we found ourselves in section 137, row 14...the entire row, pretty much. We had 18 tickets although Teach and Twiz opted to stay home and finish up a few things before the baby comes and Gamer (who works nights), thought he better sleep. That made 15 of us total.

We carpooled down in two cars. My sweetie drove the big van with me and all the kids including Princess and the Frog. Bossy brought the other car with Sport. Grandpa stayed at his mission at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and then took Trax to the Arena.

The traffic was terrible and we ended up missing part of the first quarter, but the game was close and exciting for the first while. By the third quarter the game was a blow-out with the Utah Jazz eventually beating the Portland Trailblazers 111 - 88.

It was fun, and other than the cost to park, we didn't have to pay anything. They even gave each of us a box of popcorn and a drink! Definitely my kind of activity.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

You know I love holidays, and even though some of my kids complain about Valentine's Day, I still enjoy the traditions. The kids got their valentines ready last week during a slow moment which was nice, because this week has been pretty crazy. That meant last night we were able to focus on them finishing up their boxes to take to school. Baby Doll made one even though her class had already made sacks to carry their cards in at school.

Curly delivering a valentine to himself!

I was surprised when my sweetie took the day off. After we got the kids all settled in school and my car dropped at the mechanic's shop for new brakes, we went to breakfast at Kneaders. They have some amazing cinnamon french toast.

My sweetie did some quick little projects like fixing the kids' bikes and then I went over to the elementary school to help out with Curly's classroom party. I felt so spoiled to find out that my sweetie had been shopping while I was gone and he brought me some flowers and the makings of a delicious dinner that he insisted on preparing without any help from me.

Twiz could only stand one piece of asparagus long enough for me to snap the pic. Then he threw it at Teach's plate.

We folded laundry and I even managed to sneak in a short nap. I was a little sad that no one from the neighborhood came by with any valentines this year. Not that I was especially surprised by that. My kids didn't even want to give any beyond their school classes. I guess exchanging cards and treats with close friends is becoming a thing of days gone by.

Caveman Gamer

I knew Bossy had to work, so my sweetie included her family in our dinner plans as well as Teach and Twiz. They spent a few hours this morning at the hospital, but labor slowed and they were sent home. We are all hoping the little Twizlet will make her grand entrance into the world tomorrow, so much so that Teach played full court basketball with us tonight in an attempt to move things along. (It was a pretty slow game, but still fun to have her back on the floor with us.)

We hope you got a chance to spend your day with someone you love.

The Beast Celebrates His 30th Birthday

You know, when Bossy turned 32 toward the end of last year, I didn't feel old, but having my son turn 30 hit me kind of hard. Maybe it's just because now I have 2 that are in their 30s. I wouldn't change things though; it's so fun watching my kids grow up and start families of their own.

Beauty and The Beast have been working hard lately to get their house ready to put on the market so they can move to a more family-friendly area. Salt Lake County is growing and there are so many opportunities to sell right now that they decided it was time.

One of the problems that has plagued The Beast since he moved in was a leaky roof, but they have finally had that repaired and now there are just a few more minor things. I hope they decide to move closer to us. I would love a chance to spend more time with Beauty. Maybe she can remind me how to crochet...

But I digress...

I was telling you about the birthday party. All of the kids were here except for Prima Donna and Gamer. My sweetie spent hours make three different kinds of stir fry. I baked the cake, but Bossy wanted to show us her new decorating skills, so I let her finish it up. It was a fun evening with card games and visiting.

Happy birthday my oldest "son"shine. Love you forever.

Sweethearts Week

So glad our Sweethearts Week has finally come to a close. It's been a long and difficult week for all of us, but especially for Crafty as she tried to juggle her STAR Event competition and the duties of being a nominee.

Last week we had to provide pictures for the video they filmed on Friday morning. It was fun looking through her baby pictures. Then on Monday they were supposed to show the videos, but that didn't end up happening until Tuesday. On Tuesday morning she had to turn in her poster (remember that 3-hour project?). On Wednesday she was at her STAR Event competition. Thursday was supposed to be another lunchroom competition, but she was quite relieved when it was cancelled.

On Friday she had to turn in her cake for the auction, and then on Saturday was the actual dance and coronation. I'm not going to tell you all about the date since the girls promised to do that for me, but she did double with Princess and The Frog. Here's a couple of teaser pics for you.