THE PRYOR FAMILY

After School Dirt

2012-01-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

What they do in the backyard is very important ...

I only say that because they constantly tell me, "Mom, what we're doing is very important."

So I try not to ask a lot of questions ... and just let them do their work.

Their very important work.

I just can't stress enough how very important it is.

Okay ... maybe sometimes I have to ask questions.

"Hey girls, how very important is this apple right here?"

Three Things On A Monday

2012-01-30T10:09:00.000-08:00

1.) She’s calling me “Lor” these days. When she needs something, instead of saying, “Mom!”, she says, “Hey Lor!” It’s weird. It’s weird because only my really close friends and family call me “Lor" ... I didn't realize we were there yet ... but apparently we are.

2.) I was ~~in a rush~~ spacing out this morning and accidentally took Jared’s One A Day instead of mine. I realized this as I was putting the cap back on. At first I panicked … but then I thought, so what if my voice drops an octave and I start growing a prostate? My new prostate is gonna be crazy healthy!

3.) My birthday’s coming up in a few weeks … and what I’d really like is a clear flask to hold my jelly beans in when I’m out about town. I can’t keep toting them around in a Ziploc bag like some cavewoman. They deserve better than that.

I’ve done a little research and I think this is the flask for me ... excuse me, the flask for us, my jelly beans and I. It’s durable, it's classy ... it says, “Yes, I have a problem” … “Yes, it’s very serious” … "Yes, those are jelly beans" ... “By the way, do you want one?”

Sunday Night Antics

2012-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

The Little Sister I Never Had ...

2012-01-28T17:28:00.000-08:00

I always wanted a little sister ... I mean, other than my little sister Jenny (or Jeff ... whatever ... I'm so mean.)

Here's Jenny when she was younger ... (see, I can't even stop myself.)

Anyway, I always wanted a little sister ... and if I could have hand picked one myself, if it were that simple ... I would have picked this gal right here ... Bre!

I've known her ever since she was a little tadpole. I ADORE HER! She's kind and smart and witty and beautiful ... and she loves my kids SO much, she squishes their faces whenever she see's them ...

... I mean really squishes their faces! Face squishers are top notch in my book!

Here's Bre when she was younger. Sickeningly adorable ...

Oh, and there's Jenny again ... (eye roll.)

The fact that Jenny and I have such a good relationship at this point in life is truly a wonder to me. (Notice Jenny's holding my sister Amy's hand and not mine? No hard feelings. Really. None.)

(Sigh) ... I wish Bre were here.

Guilt

2012-01-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Just so you know, the perks they'll enjoy after being ignored for an entire week will be unquantifiable.

We'll start with the park every day this week ... and go from there.

While I Was Reading

2012-01-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last week I finally read these. All three. One week. I'm surprised it took me as long as it did, they were that good ... but it's probably time for me to pay attention to my kids again. Probably.

It's not that I ignore my kids when I'm in the middle of a good book(s) ... I just don't look at them a whole lot or respond to them when they call my name, that's all.

I mean, I still meet their basic needs ... keep them alive and everything, but that's about where it ends.

Which means they can basically get away with anything while I'm turning pages, like watching Tangled four times a day and having popcorn for lunch ...

... or playing hockey in the house, providing they still follow the House Rules: No high sticking. No body checking. No trash talking Strawberry Shortcake ... (it's not her fault you're so bad at hockey!)

They look taller to me this week ... both of them do.

Hmmm. Must have happened while I was reading.

Monday Stuff On A Tuesday

2012-01-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

Saturday

2012-01-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Of No Importance, Really

2012-01-13T11:52:00.000-08:00

I thought Friday would never get here ... it's just been one of those weeks.

Avery finally went back to school today. She insisted on bringing this picture with her, to give to her teacher. And even though every fiber of my being wanted to stop her, and not just because of the grammar errors, or the fact that I don't particularly like cats (or kitty's, same thing.) I'll just say it. If I were a teacher, and one of my students gave this to me ... I would be totally weirded out.

Prrrrrrrrrrr.

Then again, who am I to judge? Just the other day I drew up something frighteningly similar ...

Things are good though ...

Wait, what I mean is ... our weather's garbage and our grapefruit tree's a fruitless piece of junk!

But other than that, things are good.

(Lesson Learned: No Weather Talk + No Grapefruit Talk = Health & Happiness)

Also, about that remote control helium shark balloon thingy ...

We're deflating him this weekend and taking a small break from his general freakiness.

Rehabilitating

2012-01-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

They play under the kitchen table because there's literally nowhere else to play in our house. ;)

So, as a general rule, I require at least a 24 hour puke-free window before I'll even consider sending Avery back to school ... and even then, I do so with extreme caution ...

We've been burned before ...

We're moving in the right direction though ... we're approaching that 24 hour mark where buckets and towels have been replaced with hope and a renewed sense of ... something?

They parked their Magic Carpet at the top of the staircase so they could refuel it with beet juice ...

... in case it wasn't totally obvious what they're doing up there (it wasn't to me, i mean, at first.)

Note To Self

2012-01-09T10:44:00.000-08:00

In the future, why don’t you NOT do any blog posts about how great your weather is, your prize-winning grapefruit tree or the fact that you don’t have many complaints these days …

… and keep in mind that the Universe has a wicked sense of humor.

*Since I have a couple of couch-bound kids today and I have nothing but time on my hands … here are a few of my New Year’s resolutions, in no particular order …
...
1.) Stop blogging when you’re bored.
2.) Stop blogging about good weather.
3.) Stop blogging about grapefruit.
4.) Stop blogging when you have no complaints.
5.) Sing louder in Church … there are worse things in life than being tone deaf.
6.) Learn how to sew.
7.) Cut back on Starburst Jelly Beans … no more than a bag a week, tops.
8.) Stop obsessing over Adele.
9.) When people call you out for not paying attention to what they’re saying, stop responding, “Oh, I’m sorry, I was just thinking about Adele.”
10.) Find a doctor who specializes in Bunion Surgery, make an appointment, cancel that appointment … because when is it ever a good time to have someone remove part of your foot and realign the bone? I’ll tell you when. Never!
11.) Stop thinking about Adele.
12.) Take fewer pictures.
13.) Try to take few pictures.
14.) Stop wearing your t-shirts inside out, you’re almost 35.
15.) Sign up for a race of some sort. A 5 K? A half-marathon? Train for it … but ultimately, don’t run it.
16.) Stop tweezing your gray hairs and just go get it colored.
17.) Try not to snort when you laugh.
18.) Try harder not to snort when you laugh.
19.) Stop buying zip-up hooded sweatshirts. You have one in every color. You’re good.
20.) Stop comparing your husband to Bear Grylls or Adam Richman (or Adele.)

These are just a few off the top of my gray-haired head. If I wasn’t listening to Adele right now, I could probably think of a few more ... but I can't … I'm too busy.

Unseasonable

2012-01-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

We're currently enjoying some pretty amazing weather over here ...

The kind of weather where you could easily get away with wearing just your sister's hat and a diaper, if you were so inclined ...

And Gil, our grapefruit tree ...

... is almost ready to be harvested. We think? We hope? We're actually not sure? I just wanted to sound knowledgeable in things related to citrus fruit. The truth is, this is new for us. Gil has never really 'produced' before. That's just a term we citrus farmers use, "produced" ... because I'm a farmer now. I farm.

Yeah, I can't say we have many complaints over here.

Happy Friday!

Flashback Friday: Killer Attitude

2012-01-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

Whenever I feel irritated with Anistyn for managing to sabotage perfectly good photo opportunities with her killer attitude, like this one ...

or this one ...

... or this one ...

... or this one.

Whenever I feel that irritation setting in ... I try to remember that I once had a killer attitude myself.

Family

2012-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

Look who came to visit ...

Jared's parents and his brother and family came down to ring in the New Year with us. They could not have picked a better time too, the weather has been gorgeous!

...

Here are a few pictures from our New Year's Eve hike.

That's my sister-in-law and I and a couple of random kids standing at the bottom of Ice Box Canyon, freezing to death.

I really didn't take very many pictures from the visit ... which is unusual for me. I'm trying to learn how to just chill a little bit with the camera, enjoy the moment and the time we get to spend with people ... and not be all up in everyone's face all the time. That said, here are a few sweet moments I did capture ...

Addison and Anistyn and "The Unreciprocated Hug" ...

High Fives ...

Post-bath cuddling with Grandpa ...

You're in luck though ... because even though "I" didn't take very many pictures ... Avery did. She got ahold of our camera and here are a few that I think you'll enjoy ...

And we'll end with that one ... because I dig it SO MUCH!

Happy New Year everyone!

Christmassy Pictures And Stuff

2011-12-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

My favorite ornament ... or "orgament", if you're Ashy ...

Decorating the tree ...

Avery can make a gingerbread house with her eyes closed. Anistyn could probably eat one with her eyes closed ...

"Mom, my hot chocolate tastes like dirt." Thanks for the feedback Ashy. I'll be sure to tell Williams-Sonoma.

Candy Cane Milkshakes on Christmas Eve ... a Pryor Family tradition.

Santa Tracking ...

Checking out Santa's spread ...

Sampling Santa's spread ... "Oh No She Didn't!"

Christmas Eve ... when not a creature was stirring, FINALLY.

Christmas morning ... Avery is overwhelmed, Anistyn is moved to tears, Ashy is still trying to fix her pant legs (she hates it when they ride, especially on Christmas morning) ...

Anistyn remains at her post until she can fully assess the situation ...

Situation Fully Assessed.

Still getting use to the big shark in the room ... literally. Avery asked Santa for this remote control shark blimp thingy ... 'thingy' being the operative word.

It's been an adjustment ... for some more than others.

"You guys all see that shark, right? The one hovering over my head? Am I even safe here anymore?"

Reading the note that Santa left, which I'm sure is just a formality. "Dude, he likeded our cookies!!!" ~Ashy Pryor

Our neighbors gave us this little ditty before they moved away ... which just goes to show you, that one man's trash is another man's weird flashing candy cane sign in their family room on Christmas morning.

Wardrobe change ...

Playing with the lovers from Tangled ...

Flying ... Remote-Controlling ... Whatever ... Don't bother talking to her, she won't respond.

Jackpot.

And then I opened a 2 pound bag of jelly beans that my mother-in-law gifted me ... and I pretty much stopped taking pictures for the rest of the day, you know, so I could really focus on my jelly beans ...

But Merry Christmas from our impractical gifts to yours ...

We Just Wanted To Feel Cold On Christmas Eve ....

2011-12-24T17:07:00.000-08:00

... is that so wrong?

In Ashy's defense, she had a really small breakfast.

The first of many wipe-outs for Miss Avery ...

No worries.

She always manages to get back up and lick the snow off her face.

Meanwhile, Anistyn's behind me throwing snow in her face ...

... and surprise-surprise,

... she doesn't like it.

Jared finally talks Ashy into going it alone ...

He says, "Everything will be fine."

"Sledding is SO fun."

"It's perfectly safe."

"ASHY!!! WATCH OUT FOR THAT STUMP!"

"Ohhhhhhhh Fuuuuudddddggggggeeeee."

And she's OKAY!

World's Worst Snowball Maker.

Avery stays busy with her "Snow Projects" ...

She denies any accusations that she looks cold ...

Anistyn agrees to sled, but only if she doesn't have to look ...

Jared somehow manages to talk Ashy into another run ...

This time, more fun, less tragic.

Avery's making snow angels. And no, she's NOT cold. Would you please stop asking?

Jared plays "Tip The Two-Year Old" with Anistyn ...

Afterward, a disgruntled Anistyn stomps over to me and tells me that snow is highly overrated.

Her sisters do not agree with that statement.

Anistyn and I hang it up, head back to Big Blue and spend the rest of the afternoon watching everyone else sled in the comfort of our pj's, with the heat on high ...

That whole bit about wanting to feel cold on Christmas Eve? Yeah, nevermind.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Flashback Friday: What's Mine Is Yours

2011-12-23T11:54:00.000-08:00

I'm not exactly sure when this is happening during the night? Who invites who? How much sleep they're actually getting? Or why on Earth anyone would want to share a twin size bed when they could have their own?

But it's happening ... more often than not.

As usual, it's always hard to find fault with things I was just as guilty of when I was their age.

Boom!

2011-12-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

Like any mom, I choose my battles. Sitting on Santa's lap is a battle I refuse to fight. This is the last picture we've taken with Santa. Avery, 16 months old, December 2005. Since then, even the idea of sitting on Santa's lap has been known to cause tears, major anxiety, and sometimes, if we're lucky, dry heaving. So we just don't go there. Case closed.

And then today, the unthinkable. We were at the mall, and I was feeling a little crazy so I just threw it out there. "So, do you guys like, wanna see Santa or whatever?" And they said, and I quote, "Kind of."

So, this is what a Santa picture looks like when your kids "kind of" want to see him ...

No offense girls, but I "kind of" don't know what to do with this 5 x 7 ... ???

Because It Was Free ...

2011-12-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

Jared made us sit through the Holly Jolly Holiday Show that we happened upon while Christmas shopping on Saturday afternoon ...

Which looked like this ...

And this ...

And just when we thought we couldn't possibly feel any more uncomfortable in our front row seats ... a little bit of this.

Anistyn's facial expression speaks volumes. "Can we go now? Please?"

How do you recover from a show like this?

With leaves.

Lots and lots of leaves.

Hopefully, if everything works out, they'll barely even remember the Holly Jolly Holiday Show.

About Your Christmas Card ...

2011-12-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

Just know that THIS is the picture I really wanted to send you. I feel it most accurately represents how our family looks 99% of the time. Jared said, "No." He said, "Nothing kills the Christmas Spirit like a kid with their finger up their nose." I disagree. But whatever.

So, we sent you this totally unrealistic picture of our family instead.

Seriously, I don't even know who those people are.

Flashback Friday: Santa Picture

2011-12-16T10:54:00.000-08:00

First of all, if I could just have that coat back ... all of my problems would be solved. I miss it like an old friend. Second of all, my little brother wasn't always so paranoid. Only on Monday's and Wednesday's and Friday's and sometimes the weekends and sometimes when taking a Santa picture at the top of the Space Needle, particularly when there's a stuffed deer head under the Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas from 1981!

Because Next Year, It Probably Won't Sound Nearly As Cute ...

2011-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

* And next year she'll probably be like, "Dude, don't video me when I'm not wearing any pants!"

Maui

2011-12-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

We left Thanksgiving Day and met up with everyone on my side of the family in Maui, to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday! A very good time was had by all! And now ... pictures galore!

Familiarizing ourselves with the beach ...

At the Luau ...

Avery danced table-side almost the entire Luau ...

Some of the higher-ups took notice and invited her on stage for the final hula dance of the night ...

An invitation she took very seriously ...

She was amazing ... her hula moves were out of this world!

Introducing, 'The Girl With Zero Inhibitions' ...

And this is how 'The Girl With Zero Inhibitions' snorkels ...

Per my request ...

In Lahaina, climbing the tree we weren't supposed to climb ...

In agreement that Hawaiian ants look 10 times more relaxed than ants from the Mainland.

Mind blowing.

Plate lunches ...

Best.Shaved.Ice.Ever.

His:

Pineapple, Mango, and Coconut.

Mine:

Coconut with coconut with coconut with coconut with coconut with coconut ...

Anistyn's lollipop stick doubles as a magic wand ...which she uses to boss people around, namely, cousin Sam.

Water-sliders, in order of speed and general recklessness ...

My Dad

Avery

My Mom

Anistyn

And our last and least impressive water-slider, Ashy.

Coming down the slide at about a half a mile an hour, in a life jacket, with her entourage ... a spotter, a catcher, and a sister who has her back ... and yet STILL, completely filled with fear!

*Sorry, Jared and I came down the waterslide too fast to be photographed. I mean, wicked fast! :)

Happy again ...

Ashy developed a horrible cough half way through the trip, and was keeping everyone awake at night ... so we made her a bed in the bathtub ... which actually made her feel really special, and not abused and neglected, like we had originally thought it would.

Bee Mario visits Ka'annapali!

My new favorite sequence of pictures ...

I said, "Hey guys! Look over here for a second."

I love my little brother!

I love him way more than Sam loves the taste of salt water.

Recently added to the list of "Birds I'm Afraid Of" ...

Jared took Avery paddle boarding ...

and swimming ...

Cliff jumping off Black Rock (which we were not supposed to be doing, but hey, those kids were climbing that tree they weren't supposed to be climbing, sooooo ... )

Jumping with my sister ...

Jumping with my brother ...

Jumping with my Jared (who I kind of think has a death wish) ...

'The Guy With A Death Wish' ... father of 'The Girl With Zero Inhibitions'

Lovebirds

More Lovebirds

Lovebirds with grandkids ...

Some DS playing, on the beach, at sunset ... for little people who keep forgetting we're in Hawaii.

One last song request from the ladies, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" ... and a little hula/free style dancing before bed ...

And then we said goodbye.

In Case You Ever Fly With Us

2011-12-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

You Should Know ...

~ I hate flying. Hate it. Not because I haven’t done it enough. I have. Done it. A lot. And I still hate it. It scares me to death. Jared says it’s because I’m silly and still believe in the “Illusion of Control” … and when I fly, I have to accept the fact that I have zero control over our plane falling from the sky and dying a horrible death. It’s like I said, I hate flying.

~ 5 minutes into the flight, Jared will casually slip on a headset and insist on listening to Air Traffic Control for the duration of the flight ... so I’ll be the one wrestling three kids, handing out snacks and coloring books and incidentally only half-listening when Jared says we’re about to hit some really bad turbulence that may or may not knock over the small cup of ice cubes I’m nervously chewing away on.

~ One of your possible flying companions, also the least attractive sleeper and loudest snoring 4 year-old you’ve ever met! However, if you do end up sitting next to her, good news, she won’t ask you to take her to the bathroom (bladder of steel) … but she will steal your tiny bag of pretzels (pretzel lover.)

~ Another one of your possible flying companions … if you’re sitting in front of her, she will try to touch the back of your head 100+ times during the flight … 200+ times if you’re bald … 300+ times if you accidentally made eye contact with her … in her mind, an open invitation.

~ I will not, under any circumstances, recline my seat. I can’t do it. I won’t. Even if the person in front of me reclined their seat and I’m sandwiched between two strangers and I have a squirmy 2 year-old on my lap and I’m out of ice cubes and the pilot (and my husband) just announced that things are about to get VERY bumpy … I still won’t. No judgment to those who recline their seats, it’s perfectly normal and acceptable and even healthy in most cases … BUT, reclining my seat on an airplane basically feels like I just sat down in someone else’s lap … or stuck my hair in their face … or intentionally and knowingly moved their tray table that extra inch or two closer than they really wanted it to be, and now they're miserable and they hate me and if our plane DOES go down, and it might … they’ll purposely block the aisle so I can’t escape my own fiery death.

~ I hate flying.

~ I really, really do.

(We just got back from Hawaii … I’ll post pictures soon … right now I just really want to focus on how much I hate flying.)

For Which I Am So Thankful ...

2011-11-23T10:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Night Homework With Adele

2011-11-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

She’s been singing for the past hour …. straight … no stopping … just the chorus though … only the chorus … over and over and over and over and over again. My girl is in the zone, there’s no question. I know what you're thinking ... "Sooooo, um, how's Avery doing in school this year?" =)

Seven

2011-11-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

We pulled into Vegas 7 years ago today ... on a rainy Friday night in November.

I was really nervous about moving here, for a lot of reasons.

Mainly, I was nervous about raising a family here.

I'm not nervous anymore.

Not even a little.

We had no idea what to expect when we moved here.

We thought we'd live here maybe a year or two ... tops.

We were wrong.

We're actually wrong quite a bit.

It doesn't matter though.

We're happy.

There is so much beauty to be found here in Vegas ...

... you just have to look for it.

We've seen some incredible things and have met some incredible people in the 7 years we've lived here.

It has been unexpectedly pleasant.

Besides ... life will always be what you make of it.

Today's highlight, the frog we practically sent into cardiac arrest while our girls hovered over it arguing, "You touch it!", "No YOU touch it!", "No YOU touch it!" Look at him sweating over their indecision. Take your time ladies ... I don't think he's going anywhere.

"It's Too Cold To Blog"

2011-11-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

Or so I was told ... by her.

Halloween

2011-10-31T23:54:00.000-07:00

Ultimately, you pick a costume that's going to help you get the job done. Nevermind that you don’t even know what that job is. Nevermind that you wore that costume last year or that the stripes don't really flatter your two year-old figure. Bottom line, you correctly sense that something exciting is about to go down … and you're not going to miss it!

You see that Bee right there?

She out trick-or-treated her older sisters tonight ... walked over a mile, carrying her own pale, doing ALL of the knocking for our family ... all the while, oblivious to the massive amounts of candy she was receiving. She'd knock on a door, say "Ker Treat" or "Happy Treat", depending on the mood, and then walk away completely satisfied. It's just a coincidence that people kept dropping individually wrapped goodies into her bucket when her back was turned.

Our Trick-or-Treaters ...

Show me "scary" ladies ...

You too, Bee ...

Okay Anistyn, fake a sugar-coma ...

And a quick picture as we're hitting the pavement ...

I can't emphasize enough how impressive our Bee was tonight, like she was born to trick-or treat.

All that candy ... it belongs to the Bee.

Ironically, our top earning trick-or-treater is also the only one in our family who still needs help opening a Fun Size bag of M & M's ...

... and also the only one in our family who is not allowed to man the door when fellow trick-or-treaters come knocking ... because there was a little confusion over the whole, "To Give Is To Receive" thing ...

The Bee has skills though ... undeniable skills ... but maybe that's obvious by the way she juggles three lollipops in one sticky little hand ...

Tonight was awesome! The girls did great ... all of them. But Jared and I are mostly concerned with making sure no piece of candy is carried off without a sincere "thank you" ... and they succeeded in that. They make us so proud.

I mean usually.

Usually, they make us so proud.

Happy Halloween!

The Reality Is ...

2011-10-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

... if ever there were some sort of emergency, and the Pryor family had to flee by foot ...

... we would be in very serious trouble.

Very, very serious trouble.

Actually ... very, very, very serious trouble.

Hold up ... another break.

Ashy says she's so sad we're hiking, her heart is hurting ... (chest pains, burning sensation, etc.)

Pictures from another torturous trail ...

They hate us.

I think we'll hike next weekend too. :)

Flashback Friday: Favorite Costume

2011-10-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

My all-time favorite Halloween costume, no question ... the year I went as Wonder Woman.

The moment I slipped into that plastic jumpsuit and secured the world's most uncomfortable mask to my 4 year-old face ... I was, without a doubt, the most powerful woman in the universe.

The look I was going for. I know ... I nailed it.

Also, I would bet my life that underneath that magnificant costume ... I was wearing these.

Overly Involved In The Process

2011-10-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

The Carving of 2011

Getting a closer look ...

The girls call this stuff "Cheese Guts" ... ??? ... always have.

Jared and Avery go over the blueprint she drew up for our pumpkin's face ... "Wait, is that a piercing?"

And a little drama, of course ... because people tend to pout when you deny them a steak knife ...

... or worse, when you tell them they can't eat the Cheese Guts.

She said, and I quote, "This is the worst carving I've ever been to!"

"Hey! No more pictures!"

Oh my! I actually think she's serious.

Knew It

2011-10-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

I walked into Anistyn's room this morning, and the first thing she said was ... "Poo."

That's when I knew today was going to be a good day.

Check this out ... Jared taught her how to play dead.

Questions Avery asked me this morning, before I finally begged her to just play her DS until it was time to leave for school ...

1.) Mom, how many furlongs am I?

2.) Can we move closer to the equator?

3.) Mom, since you won't let us buy a dog, can we rent one?

4.) Julian's parents think Halloween is evil. Is Halloween evil Mom?

But nevermind all that ... I'm taking this one to the grocery store in a few minutes ... as is.

Will that be weird for me?

Not really. Considering last week we almost went like this.

Have a weird day! :)

A Million October's Ago

2011-10-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

My memory is a little hazy, but I think ...

... my Dad is on the phone with the President. It’s important, hence, the fire hat. My older sister is wrist-deep in pumpkin guts, throwing caution to the wind not to mention her puffy white shirt. I’m happy because my mom is just about to give me a Ginsu Knife and let me start carving away with my stubby, yet surprisingly dexterous three-year-old hands. My little brother just wet himself … again. He’s so funny. Jeff always get’s sooooo nervous when Dad’s talking to the President, Amy’s about to ruin a puffy shirt, and I’m entrusted with a weapon. I’ve never understood it?

Documenting Firsts

2011-10-16T08:11:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to their very first concert yesterday (sort of) ...

They saw Imagine Dragons at the Bite of Las Vegas ... and loved it! They danced like nobody was watching, sang along to all of their songs, and offered up a heartfelt "Nooooooooooo!" when the lead singer mentioned that they would be playing their final song for the afternoon.

My first concert was the New Kids On The Block at the Puyallup Fair ...

I've stopped keeping track of the many different ways my girls are cooler than me.

Exploring Our Options Here At Hand-Me-Down Central

2011-10-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'll take that as a definite "maybe" on the purple dragon costume.

It will go down as the most commonly used phrase in our house during the month of October ...

"Well, there's always the purple dragon costume."

So true.

This poor costume has seen a Halloween ...

or two ...

or three ...

or four ...

Why not make it an even five?

A lot of miles on this costume. A lot of miles.

Because We Don't Own A Pet ...

2011-10-10T21:07:00.000-07:00

... naturally, we take our kids to PETSMART once a month, so they can admire all the animals they can't have ... and to temporarily suppress the guilt I feel for us not owning a pet, or being anywhere near ready to own a pet, or even being willing to talk about owning a pet.

We went tonight. It was ... typical.
...

You know when you take your kids to PETSMART and you're looking at goldfish and you see a few slightly decomposed ones laying at the bottom of the tank and your kids ask you if those fish are sleeping and then there's a long pause and you have to decide whether you're going to lie to your kids or tell them the truth and you decide to tell them the truth and then two of your three girls start crying and everyone in the store is looking at you? Yeah, I hate it when that happens.

While looking at cats tonight (my least favorite thing to do in PETSMART, second to watching a dog I don't even know tremble through an awkward haircut) ... they have those nametag things on the outside of each cat's cage ... a get-to-know-you type thing ... stats and what not. One of the cat's we were looking at tonight, Rosie ... her tag read as follows:
...

"I have extra toes!!! I like everyone, even children too. I am currently healing a bite wound on the back of my tail. I would thrive the most as an only cat."

Hmmmmmmmmmm?

Also, Anistyn picked out her kennel tonight.
Christmas is coming!

And finally, when we got home from PETSMART ... Jared suggested I Google "blobfish", and we all had a good laugh at their expense ...

See you next month PETSMART!

Over At The Patch

2011-10-08T17:59:00.000-07:00

It went like this ...

Within the first 30 seconds of arriving at Gilcrease Orchards ...

"I see one!"

"Let's get it!"

"Before it takes off!"

"Niiiiiiice!"

"I got it."

"Hey guys, I got it!"

"It's gorgeous!"

"Let's bounce."

We stayed though ... not that she didn't pick a good one. She did. It's just ... you know ... the way that pumpkin was just throwing itself at her ... I don't know ... I kind of felt like she could do better.

Other notables from today ...

45 minutes later ... Anistyn still doesn't get why we're here, or why nobody bothered to comb her hair this morning.

Ashy, feeling romantic about her selection.

The Pumpkin Pickers

"Do you mind if I sit? I still don't get why we're here."

And ... just to prove that we were all there.

See?

Saturday At 8 am

2011-10-08T17:12:00.000-07:00

All of our windows are open. Nobody is dressed.

We're building bridges out of couch cushions ...

Girls are screaming. The Smurfs are on in the background ...

Jared's making us smoothies ...

We're not sure what we're going to do today ...

We'll talk about it as soon as Anistyn gets her cushion in just the right place.

I will miss this when it's gone. All of this.

These are truly the best times.

St. George

2011-10-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

The End.

The Little People Are Clean

2011-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

I was actually talking about these Little People ...

... but these one's are clean too.

Oh my goodness! Where are my manners? Let me introduce you to some Little People ...

That's Sally ... she just had a baby ... but maybe that's implied.

Sally's baby, Maggie ... projectile vomits ... like, all the time ... best to keep your distance.

Sally's other baby, Pearl ... very close in age to Maggie, some would say too close ... so close that it doesn't even make sense ... but whatever, we don't judge.

That's Gary. He works in the produce section at Smith's ... but at night ... he's a pirate. No biggie.

That's Carl ... he carries around that over-sized key just so you'll ask him what kind of car he drives.

And Mary ... the crossing guard over at Avery's school ... she's pleasant ... unless you try and touch her little red flag, or stare at her little red flag, or even think too long about her little red flag ... so just don't.

Did we have a popsicle with our bath this morning? I don't know. Why? What did you hear?

It was actually a really great bubble bath ...

... until it wasn't.

And then it was over.

Flashback Friday: My Mom, Then And Now

2011-09-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

I realize it's not Friday yet. I'm admittedly spacey these days ... but not that spacey.

Then ... and by then, I mean 1979 ...

Now ... and by now, I mean yesterday ...

My Mom left this morning ... back to Seattle. She was suppose to leave Monday morning (along with my Dad), but she decided to change her flight and stay a few extra days, because she's so in to us.

I'll keep this short ... I've already had a good cry this morning ... and I feel like I'm just one, really depressing Sarah McLachlan song away from having another ... and my kids freak out when I cry ... and then they cry ... and then I cry harder. It never ends well.

But my Mom ... I miss her already.

She just makes everything better ... everything. She always has ...

... and I thought that staring at this picture of her would cheer me up, but I think I'll just go cry now.

The Birthday Girl ... (Pictures From Yesterday)

2011-09-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

The Birthday Girl!

The Birthday Girl and her peeps ...

The Birthday Girl taking a break ...

The Birthday Girl not in the mood to take a picture ...

The Birthday Girl and her dad, building a Birthday Girl Dam ...

The Birthday Girl's cute grandparents ...

The Birthday Girl's crazy sister ...

The Birthday Girl's wimpy sister ...

The Birthday Girl loving the rain ...

The Birthday Girl hating the hail ...

The Birthday Girl and her peeps calling it quits ...

The Birthday Girl sizing up her mom's frozen custard ...

The Birthday Girl's sister who just wants to spin in her twirly chair ...

The Birthday Girl's other sister who feels the exact same way ...

The Birthday Girl literally jumping for joy post-custard ...

The Birthday Girl slightly dissatisfied with her horse ...

Satisfied ...

Not satisfied ...

Satisfied ...

Carousel-er-ers (?) ...

The Birthday Girl, after three carousel rides, ready to be done ...

The Birthday Girl suggesting we check out West Elm ...

The Birthday Girl's Gumpa, trying to get us kicked out of West Elm ...

The Birthday Girl, after dam-building, and rain, and hail, and custard, and carousel rides ... just taking a quiet moment to herself.

"Planking"

2011-09-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

"Planking" is an activity consisting of lying face down in an unusual or incongruous location. The hands must touch the sides of the body and having a photograph of the participant taken and posted on the internet is an integral part of the game.

Ridiculous!

We would never.

... still working on mastering the Art of Planking ...

Happy Friday!

Two Years Ago Today

2011-09-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

I remember it so well.

I was two days away from my scheduled C-section with Anistyn. I opened my pantry door to grab a box of cereal ... and ants! Everywhere. Ants. It had happened overnight. Jared had forgotten to close a bag of shredded coconut, and they found it. Oh, did they find it! Without hesitation, I took EVERYTHING out of the pantry, wiped away all the ants ... and then proceeded to re-paint the shelves and walls of our entire pantry ... to get rid of their trail, or their tracks, or whatever it was that would make them think they were welcome in our pantry. Then I called our pest guy, explained the situation, and the psychotic state that I was in ... and he was standing at our door an hour later. I was very pregnant ... I was very crazy ... and two days later I was very dilated ... so much that my doctor was shocked that I hadn't already gone into labor. He asked me what I had been up to ... "Ohhhh, just, you know, the usual deranged nesting type stuff."

But two days after the ant fiasco ... there she was!

And two years after the ant fiasco ... here she is!

I still waste an inordinate amount of time wishing everything could just stand still for a minute ... so I could savor this ... drink up every last drop ... but I've come to realize how impossible that is ... so I let it just wash right over me ... and smile ... and maybe do a blog post so that one day I'll be able to remember that right now, Anistyn's favorite thing to say is, "Anistyn! No!"

She's turning 2 on Saturday. She doesn't really need my help as much as she used to ... and she doesn't need your help either, so if you would kindly remove your hand from her left cheek ...

She's feisty ... and stubborn ... and screams so loud that I've made an appointment with an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor because something is seriously wrong with my right ear ... I think it's broken.

But when she's not too busy screaming, or running in the opposite direction that you're wanting her to go ... she's irresistibly sweet ...

... and every single day I feel blessed beyond belief to have her in our family.

Wasting Water For The Sake Of Strengthening A Sisterhood

2011-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

Picture Day

2011-09-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today is picture day at Avery's school. She's been practicing her smile all morning.

Heaven help us.

...

Picture Day could go so many different ways. My guess is that it will either go South, Sideways ... or just plain Bad.

....

Introducing the Ghosts of Picture Day's Past

....

Kindergarten 2009

Kindergarten re-takes 2009

1st Grade 2010

1st Grade re-takes 2010

Wish us luck!!!

I've Got Nothin'

2011-09-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is what it's like these days ... every time I sit down at the computer to try and post something ... honestly, I've got nothin'. I don't know what my problem is ... things have been weird though, ever since I stopped wearing pants and started sucking my thumb again.

Speaking of weird ... September is weird. It's a weird month. I've always thought this. I can't decide whether I like it or not. If September where a condiment, it would definitely be some sort of 'secret sauce' ... and those are usually hit or miss with me. Yeah, I just don't know? If you're looking for a more uplifting take on September ... ask Avery ... odds are she thinks September is the most wonderful-est, beautiful-est, best-est month there ever was! (... but she would say the same thing about February if September wasn't listening ... and you know as well as I do, February STINKS!)

It rained for several days last week ... it was bliss. When it stopped, naturally, the kids wanted to get right back to business in the backyard. The problem ... it was only in the upper 80s last week.

This is the approximate depth that I'm willing to fill up the pool when it's only in the upper 80s ... about an inch or two. That's all I can do for you kids. That's all you get. It's freaking cold out here. Take it or leave it.

Oh, I do have some news ... Jared and I upgraded our cell phones last week ... nothing fancy, still don't have a data plan or anything 2011 like that. I told Dan, my AT & T sales rep, "Ideally, we'd like to stay as far behind the times as possible. Now what do you have for me Dan?"

My old cell phone ...

I'm kidding.

My REAL old cell phone ...

My new cell phone ...

My dream cell phone ... which I'm only interested in because it doubles as a toothpick.

The new cell phones will be good though. In the past, it's taken me up to 30 minutes to send a text message. I'm looking to cut that time in half ... now that I have a full keyboard on my phone ... so when I send that one text message that I do, you know, every month or so ... I'll be able to just bust it right out in a quick 15 ... easy peasy.

Here's a picture of Jared LOVING his new cell phone ... (he usually looks at me the exact same way right before he tells me how much he LOVES me.)

And here's a picture of me LOVING sharing my milkshake with Anistyn. I love sharing drinks with my kids ... I really do. It's so tender ... so special. Milkshakes in particular ... when I get to watch my sweet offspring suck ice cream up my straw, then watch that EXACT SAME ice cream come back down my straw ... only now mixed with tons of saliva and other hidden treasures I had foolishly thought would have been digested by now. Where do I sign!!??

We were able to catch up with some old friends on Saturday night ... friends that used to live in Vegas, but moved to Utah and now we never see them because Utah may as well be Rhode Island for as often as we get up there. I love this family dearly ... and laugh so hard whenever we're around them. I swore ... SWORE to my friend that I wouldn't post a picture of her on our blog ... but we never talked about me posting 'part' of a picture of her on our blog ... so that's what I'll do. Here's 'part' of my good friend "Sallie" (... drop the S and insert sunshine and rainbows to fill in the rest of the picture ... and there you have it ... there you have HER. I love her!)

Sallie's husband took this picture of us in parting ... which, we've taken A LOT of bad family pictures this year ... but I think, yeah, I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite ...

And now, a series of unfortunate events ...

It's like I said ... I've got nothin'.

A Quick Read

2011-09-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T20:04:00.000-07:00

Alone Again ... Naturally

2011-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Avery started school on Monday ... which is a good thing, because she's been dreaming about her first day of 2nd grade ever since her last day of 1st grade.

We'll miss having her around during the day ... especially Ashy.

Avery has a way of making everything a little more exciting ... even an 'ant problem' ... exciting!

Anistyn isn't quite as exciting. Don't get me wrong, she's cool ... it's just, she's primarily interested in two things ... her thumb and her blanket ... sooooooooo, yeah.

Anyway, this week we'll be taking our mind off Avery's absence over at the park ...

...

... or trying to, anyway.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

2011-08-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, the girls really didn't want to hike today ... something about hating it? So we didn't. Instead, we just went for a super long walk up in the mountains that happened to have an elevation gain ... totally not the same thing.

"Well ... as long as it's not hiking ... I'll go."

We've never not hiked Fletcher Canyon before ... it was gorgeous!

And I would never tell her this, but Avery's getting really good at not hiking.

Anistyn takes a load off. She's tired. Other people have been carrying her for a long time now.

This is where Ashy expresses concern that what we're doing feels an awful lot like hiking. And then she chases that thought with a Cheeto, and we never revisit the subject.

This is the part of the hike where out of nowhere, Avery starts singing "Stop, Hey What's That Sound" and doesn't stop for 30 minutes. It's true. Ask Jared.

And the part of the hike where Jared starts taking pictures of me from behind ...

And the part of the hike where I kindly ask for my camera back ...

The end of the trail ... no, literally ... it just kind of ended.

So we swallowed a cracker whole, to mark the occasion.

And then, a tiny miracle. A Labrador Retriever arrived on the scene.

Avery took over from here.

If there could just be a Labrador Retriever at the end of every trail, I think we'd hike (or not hike) a lot more often.

(His name is Boomer ... he's 7 1/2 ... and he loves his fans!)

Flashback Friday: My Dad, In Golden Oldies

2011-08-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

I found this picture while we were up in Seattle last month ... and I've been in love with it ever since. That's my Grandpa and Grandma, holding my Aunt and Uncle ... and down there on the bottom, wearing the midriff and training pants, that's my Dad! Potty-trained by 1951, not that he would ever brag about it.

I love, and I mean LOVE looking at old, black and white pictures from when my parents were young. They're so beautiful to me ... so classic. My dad was a preemie, 4 lbs 12 oz ...

He enjoyed bathing in the sink ...

Assisted walking ...

And apparently had trouble staying seated in his highchair.

He was a goofy looking kid ... but who wasn't?

In high school, he placed 2nd in the state of Washington for pole vaulting ...

He earned his degree from DeVry Institute of Technology ...

Served in the Navy ...

And married his sweetheart, my Mom.

My Dad ... without a doubt the coolest cat there ever was!

Have I Ever Mentioned How Much Our Kids Love To Hike?

2011-08-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

They LOVE it! Absolutely.Love.It. Look at those faces!

If I had to guess who had the most fun today? Avery. I would say Avery. No question.

Just a few pictures from a hike that some of us did not enjoy ...

I don't know? It seems like an awful lot of trouble we went through today, just so Anistyn could snort a Dandelion at high altitude ...

... and not even a good one at that.

While Everyone Else's Daughter Is Reading Fancy Nancy Books ...

2011-08-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

My daughter is reading this ...

And last night, after I put Anistyn to sleep ... I walked into Avery's bedroom just in time to hear her reading this critical part of the story, out loud, and crystal clear ...

I love her ... and love that she's so obsessed with animals and interested in all the little details ... but I'd be lying if I said I didn't worry that some nights, she drifts off to sleep with Tasmanian Devil anal glands being the last thought rolling through her little 7 year-old head.

Summer Break: Two Weeks Left

2011-08-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

We're winding down over here ... I can feel it.

106 degrees and breezy ... it's actually surprisingly comfortable ... so is forgoing your swimsuit and just opting for the swim-diaper.

Off the record, I don't think Belle should be laying out ... just my opinion.

So, they like to play this game where Ashy kinks the hose and then waits for Avery to stick the hose near her face ... then Ashy let's go. It's a game reserved for highly intelligent people ...

... and it never get's old.

And this one ...

... you can splash her all day long if you want.

She actually prefers it.

Here's to making these last two weeks count!