Mark and Michelle Bradford and girls

It has been a long time

2011-01-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well. It has been a very very long time. Unfortunately not alot has happened. (dang it) Birthdays, holidays and trips have all been a part of our lives.

August started another school year. Emily joined the ranks of being in the oldest grade in elementary school. The big 6th grade. She is enjoying being able to tell the younger grades what to do, how to do it and when to do it. (JK) She is really blossoming into a beautiful young lady. Kayla joined the ranks of 4th grade and is quite the math quiz. She is sailing right through school. She thoroughly enjoys it. Hannah is in 1st grade and LOVES it. She adjusted really well in going all day as well as her Mom. She loves to read and does very well in math. (She has to keep up with the older sisters and refuses to be out done.)

October brought another birthday for Hannah. I can't believe that she is 7. (almost 8 now) She is absolutely hilarious and keeps us laughing. She is very charming (and knows it), at times, too big for her britches. She is beautiful with her long blonde curls and has beautiful blue eyes.

December brought Emily her 12th birthday and the privilege of entering Young Womens. Wow is all I can say about it. She is taller than her Mom now (which really isn't tough to do) and is quite a beautiful young lady. She babysits and like do it. She is also a huge help around the house and is an awesome big sister.

Kayla will turn 10 February 1. Again....Wow. She is beautiful, as well. She is very loving and kind and is always looking for hugs. She has lots of friends and is always looking to play.

Mark just got back from a week long business trip to Seattle. He was missed in our home. We are glad he made it back safely. While he was there, Seattle received 5 inches of snow and just about shut the city down. (lightweights) He brought back t-shirts for his girls (including his main girl.....that would be Me) and they loved them. He is so thoughtful.

Well...this has been our life in a nutshell. not too exciting but enough to keep it interesting. Until next time........

Time Away

2010-06-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we traveled to Mount Pleasant to spend time at my cousin's cabin with my parents. What a lovely time. We were able to 4-wheel and enjoy each other's company. Squirrels and chipmunks were everywhere. They would come up to you and you could feed them right out of your hand and we saw several deer.

Saturday night, we went to Manti to see the Morman Miracle Pageant. It was spectacular. Mark has never seen the Manti Temple and he commented on how beautiful it was. The girls enjoyed every minute and the weather was fabulous. It is amazing how much the girls know about the gospel. It must be their great Primary teachers. The gospel is true, my friends. You can not watch the pageant and not feel the spirit.
Emily and Kayla are able to spend a couple of extra days with the grandparents. Hannah was not happy about this and still reminds me about it. Her time with come. I have enjoyed spending time with just Hannah. She has been my little friend. I can't wait for Em and Kay to get home. I miss them.
Enjoy summer why we can. It's over before you know it.

Hannah wants a twin brother

2010-04-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we were on our way to Hannah's soccer game and we stopped at McDonalds for a drink(best DC ever and for a buck..can't go wrong). We told the girls that we (Mark and I) were only getting drinks and no food. Kayla started to whine. Mark said to her, "Whining about it isn't going to change the fact that you are not getting anything." Hannah promptly said, "Yeah, I want a twin brother but that's not going to happen." Mark replied, "Yep, that ship has sailed." Hannah said, "Can that ship come back? " We thought we would die laughing.

Does Heavenly Father love Satan?

2010-03-30T13:55:00.000-07:00

The other day while waiting for school to let out so I could do my job, Hannah and I were talking about the gospel. I was asking questions like, "Does Heavenly Father love you more than me?" She said no, that Heavenly Father loves everyone the same. I thought that was good.....at least she is listening in Primary and at home. We continued our little conversation and then she asked, "Does Heavenly Father love Satan?" I was dumbfounded for a moment and chickening out said, "You know Hannah, that is a very good question. Lets talk to Dad about that." What 6 year old would ask such a question. We asked Dad later and we decided that Heavenly Father loves everyone including Satan but He is very sad about the choice that Satan made. She was satisfied with that answer.
Absolutely love my little Hannah.

Hannah's new language

2010-02-26T17:38:00.000-08:00

One morning this week, Hannah announced to me that she had learned a new language. I said,"Oh really? What is it?" I was thinking that she was talking about German due to the fact that Mark knows German and speaks German often to the girls. She sat at the counter with a big smile and very proudly said,"It's fartenese." I had to mop up the pee off the floor.

Car trouble

2010-02-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, I was coming home from Salt Lake and was stopped at the light at the off-ramp from I-15 to Antelope Drive. The light turned green and I pushed on the gas pedal and the van died. Fortunately the van started and I was able to get around the corner (out of the intersection luckily) and it died again and would not start. People were honking and no one would stop to help me. I knew that there would be a benefit working for the Syracuse Police. I called them and they put me in contact with Layton City who contacted the Highway Patrol. This is the kicker......I think I was old enough to be the MOTHER of the trooper that showed up. He was very kind and pushed me into the parking lot of Davis County Hospital. I can imagine the conversation that night when this nice trooper went home.... the 20 year old wife, "How was your day, honey?" The 22 year old trooper, "It was boring..I did help a little old lady with car trouble get her van out of traffic."

It was determined that the fuel pump was out on the van. It was replaced and back on the road the next day.

Kayla's Birthday

2010-02-06T22:03:00.001-08:00

Kayla celebrated her 9th birthday on Monday. Time passes by so fast. Kayla was very excited about her birthday this year. She said that this was her best birthday ever. She thanked us over and over for her gifts and for her party. She is so sweet and loving. She is our little "Brownie". She is the only one of our girls that has brown hair and she has hazel eyes. She is quite the beauty. She is doing very well in school. She is a whiz at math and is very creative with her art work. She loves to help when I make dinner. She is rather comical as well. We are very blessed to have her in our family. Love you, Kay.

Emily's Birthday

2009-12-25T21:58:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 21 was Emily's 11th birthday. Where has the time gone?? She has grown so much. She is taller than me which doesn't say much other than the fact that she is only 11. She has grown her hair long and she has bangs now which is new to her. Her hair has been one length for a couple of years now. She looks even more grown up. She is loving towards her sisters and takes good care of them. She is soft spoken, most of the time. She enjoys art and is very crafty. She enjoys playing soccer and is good at it. She loves small children and enjoys playing with them. She is a good and loving girl.

Emily received a stereo for her birthday and has played it every day. She can listen to her mp3 player, cd's or the radio. She was thrilled. She also received 3 shirts and a pair of boots.

We are very blessed to have Emily in our family.

Happy Birthday, Emily. We love you.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled that Christmas has come. I love getting ready for the holiday. The season is filled with joy and good tidings and I wish it would and could last all year.

About 2 months ago, I had the girls write a list of things that they would like for Christmas. I told them that they needed to write down three things that they really wanted. Emily asked, "Why only three?" I replied, "Would you rather receive three things that you really want or would you rather receive ten things that you could care less about?" She thought about it for a moment and then replied, "I think that I would like to have three things that I really want." Good girl. They received all the things they really wanted.

Emily received a Liv doll, a hair beader and a Taylor Swift cd that she can play on her new stereo that she received for her birthday. Kayla also received a Liv doll, a sleeping bag and a skateboard. Hannah also received a Liv doll, a sleeping bag and table and chairs. The table is also a whiteboard. All the girls loved their gifts. After the gifts were opened, (it took all of about 5 minutes), Mark received a text message from Santa saying that there was another gift that was too big to put under the tree. Santa had put this large gift in one of our storage rooms. The girls went on the hunt. They found it. It was Guitar Hero for the Wii. They were stoked. We got it hooked up and rocked out. Emily is quite the guitar player. It was impressive. We had a fun time.

We had a great Christmas and I am sad to have the day come to a close. We have enjoyed receiving Christmas cards and yummy neighbor treats. I have enjoyed baking and giving the goodies to friends.

We have been very blessed this holiday season. Thanks to all of those dear family and friends who have brighten our lives with friendship and love.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all.

Wow.....Long Time

2009-10-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. Alot has been going on so hang in there with me as I update you.

October 9th was Hannah's 6th birthday. I can't believe that my baby is 6. She is bright, full of fun and is very cute. At school, the student council announces birthdays for the day and on her birthday they announced her name. I asked her if she heard her name and she said, "Yeah, I heard "blah blah", Hannah Bradford, "blah blah blah". She is dang funny and always keeps us laughing. We are so grateful. We are very blessed to have her in our family.

We are done with soccer until the spring. It was hairy but we made it and got to see most of the games together. The girls are sad that soccer is over but are looking forward to the spring.

We went to St. George a couple of weeks ago and loved it. It was warm and sunny. My Dad plays softball in the Senior Olympics and we went down to see him play. Thanks to Mark's sister and brother in law, we didn't have to pay for a hotel room. Thanks guys, we appreciate it alot. Bless you.

We sold our red van that we have had for 8 years. Sad to see it go however we need a more economical vehicle. We haven't been able to find anything yet. It has been crazy trying to get everyone to where they need to be with only one car, but some how we have managed. I told Mark that I feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when Richard Gere sends her to buy a cocktail dress and no one helps her and she has all this money and is unable to spend it. Geez.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and catching up with us.

Yea!! I passed

2009-09-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

I am so very excited. I took the final mortgage loan officer exam and I passed!!! I am so glad to be done with the class. It took me an hour and a half to take the exam and I was all stressed out about it and it turns out that it was very easy. Now, all I need to do is submit for the license. My family has been very supportive and encouraging and I am very grateful to them. Shameless plug....if anyone needs a mortgage loan, let me know.

Birthday, Soccer, and On and On and On

2009-09-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Life lately has been rather hectic. Mark's birthday was a couple of weeks ago and we had 2 parties for him. One party was a friend party and the other was a family party complete with dinner for both. Crazy, crazy, crazy. The soccer chaos has begun and with back to back to back games. Mark and I have had to split up with one taking two of the girls and the other with one of the girls.
I have completed my 20 hour mortgage loan officer course and now need to take the "BIG" exam that takes 3 hours to complete. After the completion of the exam, I can apply for the license. I'm on the verge of insanity. The only thing that is keeping me sane is the 2 and a half hour morning break of having all the girls in school. It is very nice to have the house stay clean and having it quiet. I don't know what I will do once the chaos is over. Have another baby??? Just kidding!!!!!

Chaos

2009-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

What chaos is going on right now in the family. This week the girls started school. Yea!! Emily is in 5th grade, Kayla is in 3rd grade and Hannah will start kindergarten next week. Wow, what will I do?? Well, I started working on getting my mortgage loan officer license yesterday. It is a 20 hour course that has a three hour test after completion of the 20 hour course. One would think that after 10 plus years in the mortgage industry that this would be a cinch. Ah, no. Most of the info I do know but, wow, a lot of things have changed. I am also doing the crossing guard thing again. That is a cinch.
This week the girls are doing the "Future Falcettes" at Clearfield High. My niece Samantha is on the drill team at the high school and they do a fund raiser which boys and girls learn a dance and then they perform at the first high school football game at half time. The girls did this last year and had a blast. It is a lot of fun for their Dad and I to go and watch them.
Also, they all start soccer this Saturday. We haven't heard anything about Kayla's team yet but Emily and Hannah will overlap some of their games. They all play at different fields, too. I know.....what was I thinking??
Let the chaos begin!

Boating

2009-08-14T14:32:00.000-07:00

Our cute neighbors/friends asked us to go boating with them yesterday. Mark had to work so I took the girls and we went to Pineview Reservoir for the day. We had so much fun. The girls haven't been boating before so they were way excited. They spent most of the time in the water swimming and jumping off the boat. Emily got out of the water maybe three times all day. Kayla was pretty much the same way and Hannah got out a few more times. We had lunch on the beach. Kayla rode on a huge tube and was a real trooper and brave. The tube broke and no one else was able to ride it. It was a bummer. The girls slept all the way home and we nursed sunburns last night. We had a great fun.

St. George

2009-08-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

We took an opportunity to go to St. George last week thanks to Mark's awesome sister and brother-in-law (we love you guys). Mark's brother-in-law's family owns a condo down there and they let us use it. We left Thursday morning and arrived back home on Saturday night. It was a quick but great trip. We loved it. The weather was perfect. We went to the outlet stores (duh) and I love the Old Navy store down there. We ate at the In-N-Out burger (the absolute best burger hands down). The girls were dying to go swimming so we took them to the Green Valley Resort. They have 3 outdoor pools and 1 indoor pool which the girls played in the most. We had a great friend loan us her portable DVD player so the ride down wouldn't be too miserable for the girls. We are grateful for the opportunity for this quick but relaxing trip.

Anniversary Part 2

2009-08-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

For our anniversary, Mark surprised me by taking me to Park City on a little overnighter. It was great fun. He arranged for a babysitter for the girls (thanks Grandma and Grandpa Stratton) and we took off on Thursday evening. We stopped in Salt Lake and had dinner at Macaroni Grill and continued on to PC. We stayed at The Yarrow, very nice hotel. We just hung out which was very, very nice. We wanted to go to Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory but we didn't make it there. Love their carmel apples. Friday we spent the day at the outlets. Torture, torture, torture. Found a couple of bargins at Eddie Bauer (my favorite store ever). I haven't been up there for a while and did not know about a couple of new stores like Columbia Outfitters and Lucky Brand Jeans (my favorite).
It was nice not to hear or answer to the name "Mom" if but for a small moment but I missed it, too. It was great to see the girls come running out of the house when we arrived home. Love those girls of ours. Lucky to have this life of mine. Well, more like blessed.

Anniversary

2009-07-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

This Friday will be our 22nd anniversary. Wow. 22 years of marital bliss. Seriously. Total and complete bliss. Thanks Mark for 22 wonderful years. I wouldn't change my life with you for anything in the world. I think anyone who can remain with me for that long deserves a medal.

Now that the serious stuff is over we can talk candidly about the 22 years together and give you a glimpse into our life together (whether you want to or not.) I remember one Christmas, about 19 years ago, that Mark went by himself to get us a tree. Let's just say that he hasn't done it since. He came home with what he thought was a fantastic and beautiful tree. Needless to say, I DID NOT agree with his choice. I said to him, "That is the ugliest tree I have ever seen." He promptly picked it up and threw it out the front door into our front yard and that is where it stayed for a couple of days. We laugh about it now, but it wasn't funny then. Also I remember when we were just barely married and I was brave and I had to...lets say...toot. One would think that I would retire to the bathroom but it was late and I was already in bed and too lazy to get up. I tried very carefully to do it quietly. Not so fortunate. I tooted. Mark sat up in bed and said with all seriousness, "Was that a shotgun?!" I laughed so hard that it took a solid two minutes before I could tell him that it was me. We still laugh about it to this day.
I hope that you have enjoyed this little glimpse into our lives. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past years of my married life. We are very blessed to have 3 beautiful and bright girls. I hope that we are fortunate to have many many more years of happiness.
I love you Mark.

4th of July

2009-07-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July, everyone. Sorry it's late. Always a day late and a dollar short. Isn't everyone?? We had a great holiday. We had a BBQ with our neighbors and did fireworks. Most of our neighbors came. Our neighbors across the street were able to get a giant BBQ and we were able to BBQ all the meat at the same time. People brought salads and desserts. Mark and I made home-made ice cream. The best ever. It was great fun. The party was a great success. We will make it a tradition.

Sorry but I do need to complain. What is with these "pop-its"? They (manufactures) fill small white paper with gun powder and pebbles that pop when they hit the ground or a person. Then they market it to children. WHAT??? Hannah threw one at me and it popped when it hit my leg. It hurt. Then I caught Hannah popping one in her hand. She thought it was great fun. I'm sorry but gun powder, rocks and children???....great combination???....I think NOT. My Hannah loves the 4th of July. She asked me all last week about it. She loves the fireworks. I think she is a pyro.

Privacey?? What's that??

2009-06-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

I am always bombarded with questions by my lovely girls when.... 1) I am on the phone trying to have an adult conversation, 2) Talking with a neighbor/friend face to face or 3) Using the restroom (my personal favorite). They (every Mom) say that if you want your children's attention, do one of these things and you will have it. This is so very true. Every single time I get on the phone, the girls always find me and ask questions like, "Mom, can we have lunch?" or "what are we having for lunch/dinner?" It's 10 in the morning. Or, "Mom, I NEED to talk to you." What makes matters worse, is that they compete with each other for my attention or they compete with the person I am conversing with. But since the girls got out of school, my favorite one is, and it always happens when I am in the restroom.... "Mom, can we go to Lagoon today?" Are you kidding me??? Can't you wait one small, tiny moment so that I can do what I need to do before we start the questions??? Mom?, Mom?, Mom?. Sometimes, I don't answer hoping that they will give up and stop looking for me, but no such luck. I have always told them that I am changing my name and not telling anyone what it is. That will teach them. What I wouldn't give to get a little privacey.

The Rules

2009-06-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Mark finally let me in on the rules of our little contest. (See previous entry) The rules are very simple. Who ever loses the most percentage of body weight wins. We have until September 1 and I have a head start. Knowing Mark, he will catch up fast. Those dang men loose weight faster than us women, so I need a head start. I'm still getting up at 5 am (shocker....I'm even surprised) and walking. I think I have lost maybe a couple of pounds but I hate getting on the scale (we are not friends) to find out for sure. I know I will need to come September 1 but that is a few months away. (Maybe we'll be friends by then.) I will let you know the results of the contest. Stay tuned.

5 A.M.

2009-06-07T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have been getting up at 5 in the morning to walk with a couple of friends. It has been very good for my physical and mental state. However, 5 in the morning comes fast and I am exhausted. Before school was out, it was difficult to stay awake after I returned home about 30 to 40 minutes later. Now that school is out, I will be able to come home and go back to sleep at least for a little while. Mark and I have decided to have a contest about who can get in shape the fastest. If he loses, he has to take me out to dinner and to the new Twilight movie New Moon and he has to pretend that he likes it. He has not told me what he wants if I lose. I'm sure that it will be something about fly fishing or something like that. I went fly fishing with him once and I didn't like it. It was boring. So I have to win. Stay tuned for the results.

Revenge

2009-05-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

The other day Hannah was mad at Kayla for what I have no idea. Hannah wanted revenge. Kayla was in the bathroom right after their little tiff and Hannah took a bottle of water from the fridge and poured it by the bathroom door so that when Kayla came out of the bathroom she would slip and fall. Mark quickly put a stop to it before the disaster could take place. Mark then asked her what she was doing. Hannah said that she was getting revenge for whatever it was that Kayla had done to her. Mark explained to Hannah that it was not nice to take revenge out on her sister or anyone else for that matter. I have to admit, I laughed about it later. Remind me not to get on Hannah's bad side......ever.

What's happening.....not much

2009-05-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

A quick update on the goings on in our little corner of the world.
Emily had her last soccer game yesterday. She is a soccer fiend. She loves to play and is good at it. She is playing softball again this summer. It starts on Tuesday and she will play on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She loves to play ball as well. She is a natural athlete. Kayla is going to play soccer for the first time in August. She is very excited and it will interesting to see how she likes it. She has never played a sport so it should be interesting. Hannah is going to play soccer, as well, in August. She, too is excited. I'm sure that this will be a treat. She is a maniac. I'm not sure how we will get the girls to all the places they will need to be.....I know, I know, what was I thinking???
Not much in the way of my activities or Mark. Mark continues with bishopric duties and I continue with Relief Society duties which keeps us both busy and out of trouble. We love our callings and we love our ward. We have so many good friends and enjoy spending time with them. The girls have good friends and love going to primary.
We are thrilled that the weather has been warm and sunny. We like to be outside. We started our garden and have planted a couple of veggies. The girls are excited about this. Almost everyday they ask if we are planting more things. They will be really excited when the veggies start sprouting. I am not a big gardener and Mark is which I am glad about. I'm lazy about it. When I was growing up, we always had a huge garden and I hated weeding it.
We don't have any exciting summer plans. I guess we will just hang out and enjoy the warm weather. School will be over in a couple of weeks. Yeah. No more fighting to get the girls up and out the door for crossing and school. Double yeah.
I know....not much is happening but I hope you enjoyed reading this if you made it this far.

Twilight

2009-05-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little slow but I was finally talked into seeing Twilight. I have this aversion to vampires. (They freak me out. I know, I know they're not real but still freaky.) I absolutely loved it and have seen it 3 times. I even talked Mark into watching it with me. I tried to read the book but couldn't because the movie was so much better. I just finished reading New Moon and I am on a waiting list at the library to read Eclipse. I am hooked. So romantic and not as freaky as I had thought. I don't think that Robert Pattinson is all that nice looking but I could watch "Edward" over and over again. I know, pathetic. I found out in a magazine that I am old enough to be his.....Mother. Ugh.

Hannah watches too much TV

2009-04-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago while I was doing my Mom thing (crossing guard) Hannah put out her arms as to hug me and said to me, "Come here you chunk of love." Uh, come again? Where in the world.... I asked her where she had heard such a thing and she said, "Oh, I just made it up in my head." Yeah, right. Sounds like a Hannah Montana phrase. Then yesterday she said to Kayla, "You're young and naive." Oh man. Do I have my hands full or what? She is banned from watching TV FOREVER.

Grandmas are the best

2009-04-08T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today, Grandma Stratton took myself , my girls and the Stratton grandkids to The Living Planet Aquarium. It was a lot of fun. If you haven't been there, it is worth it. We saw sharks, manta rays, electric eels and lots of other slimy, gross things that swim and live in water. Some of the grandkids touched the manta rays. Yuck. I know better than to put my hand in water where slimy things swim. We then went to Wendy's and ate lunch. Grandmas are the best.

Wedgie

2009-03-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today, Hannah came upstairs crying. Her dad asked what was wrong. "Emily gave me a wedgie." Mark's quick response, "Give it back." Hannah quickly ran back down stairs and we heard her yell to Emily, "Emily, prepare for a wedgie!" The girls are growing up so prim and proper. What a lucky mother I am.

Manners-Gone with the wind

2009-03-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to be distasteful or disgusting, but since when did passing gas or burping become an acceptable form of communication? My girls think it is great fun when they do these gross activities. They laugh and giggle and are very proud of their accomplishments. They love to do it at the dinner table. It wasn't so long ago that while we were eating dinner and one of my poise daughter's, whom I thought I taught manners, tooted and said in a very loud and proud voice, "I just tooted!" I had it. I said to all of them, "I will never marry any of you off if you don't stop doing these gross things!" They all laughed and nothing has changed since. Just a couple of nights ago, I smelled something stinky. Kayla was standing by me and I said to her, "What stinks?" With a sheepish grin, she said, "I just tooted." Goll, doesn't manners count for anything? Granted, I have had to do these distasteful bodily functions but I don't think that it is any way acceptable to laugh or giggle or do it while other people are eating. I remember my wonderful mother telling me when I was young, to go into the bathroom when these bodily functions were necessary. I remember thinking, "I don't have to go to the bathroom." I now understand why.

Too Funny

2009-02-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

This blog was not meant to be all about Hannah. However, the girl is funny. Last Friday, we got home from going to Wal Mart and she said to me, "The boys that I see at Wal Mart think I am so attractive. They always stare at me." She then made the face. Her eyes got big and she did her best impression of how they stare at her. She did make it very clear to me that these are little boys that are there with their mothers. I thought that I was going to bust a gut.
There is no lack of self esteem on her part. I need to have a video and tape recording of her where ever she goes. She says the funniest things.

Yes, I opened the door

2009-01-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago at the dinner table, one of the girls, either Emily or Kayla, asked if a girl can be a bishop. Mark said that they couldn't. Then I said, "What do boys have that girls don't?" I opened a door so big that you could drive a Mac truck through it. What was I thinking? I was thinking that our girls were too innocent to think anything else but the word I was looking for which was the word priesthood. It was silent for a moment then Hannah said, "A weenie." At least she has a firm grasp on reality.

Kayla

2009-01-31T14:48:00.000-08:00

This entry is all about Kayla. Kayla's birthday is tomorrow, February 1. She will be 8 years old. She is very excited about it. Just a little bit about her big day, the day she was born.
She was born a poor lonely white child in Cottonwood Hospital at about 6:30 pm. She weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces after she peed on the doctor. Lucky him. She had dark hair and was beautiful. Mark wondered where she got the dark hair from and I said, "Hello, have you looked at me recently". Silly man. The day we brought her home, it was a day that it was below zero outside. We walked into the house and it was freezing. Mark checked out the furnace and found that it was not working and called our bishop because he knew about that kind of a thing. He told Mark how to fix it and fortunately it started to work.
Kayla loves to dance and sing and she has a beautiful voice. She is a very loving child and loves to curl up beside me or her dad on the couch. She loves to play and have a good time. She has a great sense of humor. She loves school and does well and she has lots of friends. She can be rather stubborn and has quite a temper.
She got her ears pierced today and she was very brave. She keeps looking in the mirror to see them. Her sisters picked out some earrings for her birthday which was rather sweet.
We are fortunate and blessed to have her in our family.

2008 gone 2009 upon us

2009-01-08T13:19:00.000-08:00

Well 2008 is long gone and 2009 is upon us. Why do we celebrate new years? Is is because we can't let go of the soon to be old year? Is it because we are excited about the new year? Is it because we want to set goals and the new year is the only time to do it? I'm not really sure. It might be all of the above. What I do know is that it seems that it is the same old thing but that I have to write 09 on my checks when I send out the bills.
I am glad that I was able to spend 2 whole weeks with Mark and the girls during Christmas. I am, however, very glad to have things back to normal. (As normal as they can be.) Emily and Kayla back to school. Mark back to work. The house stays clean and I don't have 50 questions throughout the day by Emily and Kayla or by Mark. Hannah pretty much keeps to herself and can play by herself. She doesn't need me to entertain her. I just put her in front of the TV.
About Hannah, I'm not sure where she gets her personality (certainly not from me) but she is hilarious. One day we were getting ready to go to crossing (I'm a crossing guard at the school--don't laugh-I'm a real Mom now) and she said to me, "Mom, I love you and not because you're a crossing guard." Thanks sweetie. I glad that I have more endearing qualities. I love those girls of mine. So lucky to have them.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope that the new year will find everyone happy and healthy. We are glad that you are our friends and family. Love to all.

Why?

2008-11-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

I would like to kill the dumb duck who came up with the "Why?" word. This word is used at least hundred times a day by the girls. "Why can't I go outside and jump on the tramp in the rain and 20 degree weather?" "Why can't I have candy just before dinner?" "Why can't I have ice cream for breakfast?" "Why do I need to wear shoes when it's raining?" "Why are we having that for dinner?" "Why do I need to take a bath/shower?" "Why can't we drink red juice in the family room with the new carpet?" "Why can't we jump on the new furniture?" Why why why. Example, today Emily came up stairs (Her room is now in the finished basement-Yeah) dressed in shorts, T-shirt and flip flops. "Emily," I said, "You can't wear that today." The dreaded "Why Mom?" Gee, let me think. It's 30 degrees outside, summer ended 3 months ago and because I said so. Any other questions? Maybe I'm too strict with the girls. Then again, I am a Mom.

Bedtime--A Three Ring Circus

2008-11-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Bedtime at our home is a complete out of control experience. At first you think that things will go smoothly. It starts out fairly normal. The girls brush their teeth. We have family prayer and we send their sweet little spirits to bed. Every night we think that maybe this night will be an exception to every other night and they will go to bed willingly and without complaint. Ahhh....not so. What are we thinking?? Tonight was no exception. I have never seen my children so hungry and thirsty than I do at bedtime. They could care less if they eat three meals a day but it is totally amazing that they all of a sudden become hungry and thirsty at straight up eight o'clock. Tonight for instance, Kayla came out for a glass of water. I haven't seen this child take so long to drink water. Normally she drinks it so fast that it escapes through the sides of her mouth. She then said to us in her best Johnny Carson voice, "Good night. Love you all." Then Emily came out and informed us that Kayla and Hannah were jumping off of the window seat onto the bed. Dad put a stop to that immediately. Then Emily came out again and said that Hannah won't be quiet so that she could go to sleep. Again Dad's turn. A few minutes later, Hannah came out and informed us that she wasn't tired and was not going to bed. We promptly sent her back to bed and she walked into the bedroom and informed her sisters, "They just don't understand us." It usually takes us a good hour sometimes longer to get everyone settled. This actually was an easy night. Bedtime--a three ring circus.

I want my adenoids back

2008-10-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today Hannah had surgery. She had a second set of tubes put in her ears and her adenoids out. She is doing very well. Per doctor's orders, she will have to stay indoors for a week. I'm sure that she will bouncing off the walls. She said something really funny. In recovery, I told her that I was there and she sat up and gave me a hug and then said to me in the saddest voice, "I want my adenoids back." Funny, funny girl.

Using KSL

2008-10-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a couch either for the new family room or for the playroom. I have looked every day on KSL and once in a great while I find something of interest. It is amazing to me what people are selling and how much they want for it. Last night I came across something that was funny. The ad at KSL stated that this sectional was "low grade leather". Now, to me this means not real leather and possible C R A P. I was thinking they might be asking less than $500. Guess how much they wanted for this "low grade leather"? $1500 bucks!! Some low grade leather. People, people people. It is totally crazy. I'm thinking that it will be awhile before any body will buy the "low grade leather" sectional.
Now we have used this service of KSL to sell and to buy things. It is awesome. In fact we just sold some left over electrical wire. Someone called and asked if it was used. Used??? I asked Mark if this is common for people to sell used wire. He said that it happens all the time. Needless to say, it wasn't used and the people bought it for $70 bucks. Not bad. I wonder what else I can sell?? I have some "low grade leather" as well.

Hannah is funny

2008-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) I was getting Hannah ready for church. I was helping her get her tights on which I despise. I had just pulled them up around her waist and she says to me "Mom, you got them in my nuts." I just about hit the floor laughing. I told her "Hannah, you don't have nuts." She then replied " Okay, then you got them in.........." She said nothing. I wasn't sure if she was trying to think of what she does have or what she doesn't have but I thought it was one of the funniest things that the child has ever uttered.

Hannah's birthday party

2008-10-17T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hannah had a friend birthday party today. She had 9 friends out of 10 come today which isn't a bad turn out. She got some great presents which she was more interested in than the fact that her friends were here. She did receive a Hannah Montana glue and glitter set of which I was thrilled to see come into our home just after receiving new carpet a week earlier. Already there is glue glitter stuck to my grandmother's plaid couch that I received after she passed away. Mark wanted to know who gave it to Hannah so that in return we could give back a truly heinous gift. (I'm not sure when we would do this but it's the thought that counts, right?)
Not to strip gears too quickly but our basement is almost finished. We have doors to hang and the vanity and the tile on the ceiling in the bathroom to finish but carpet and everything else is done. Thank you to all that is holy that it is done. I'm not sure what we will do on Saturdays and weeknights when it's totally complete. Our lives have revolved around the stupid basement. Now I can send the girls to the basement to play and I have SPACE.

Love love kiss kiss

Welcome Friends and Family

2008-10-16T14:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Mark, Michelle and girls blog. We are very excited to have you. I read my cute sister-in-law's blog and got hooked. Hopefully I can create some fun and interesting tidbits for all to read and enjoy. Later.