More to follow!

For 21 weeks we have been waiting to see if my boys are observant enough to notice the huge protrusion sicking out of the front of my stomach. I am pretty sure that everyone knows that I have indeed found myself knocked up again. Well, my boys did not figure it out, apparently I always look swollen. We wanted to wait to tell them while I tried to decide if I am crazy for having another baby. We waited so long that we figured we would take them to the "big ultrasound." Actually our ultrasounds are a little anti-climatic. My ob does them. I am pretty sure he has the first ultrasound machine built. He can see all the things he needs to see, all the things that are important. In the grand scheme of things, the gender is not part of the important part. I agree wholeheartedly. That being said, I always really really want to know whether we are having a boy or a girl. This time, I was a little worried that maybe we would have both. Yikes! Well, we will not be having twins. We will be having one baby towards the end of September. If I were guessing, I would guess September 23rd to be precise. Thank goodness for planned cesareans. My doctor, bless his heart, THINKS we are having another boy. Hunter and Remi are completely stoked. Remi emphatically told me that he didn't ever want another sister. He could be right. Bentley might be all the girl this family can handle. Although I have decided that I am joining the ranks of neurotic women that bear children close to 18 months apart, for now, I am okay with it. Neurosis suits me.

Spring is finally here!

This picture is taken of a tree in our yard. I just love it. We live in an old house with a fully established yard. The woman that lived here for years and years had quite the green thumb. I am so excited to spend the summer with trees and flowers. We are so lucky to be here.

Indoctrination?

Here is the million dollar question for the day: Do we indoctrinate our children? On the one had it is obvious that we do. This is not always pejoratively done. We tell our children the same things over and over again. We teach them by repetition. I take my children to church every week. They are taught pretty much the same things over and over again. The young women recite a theme each Sunday. Most Catholics can recite The Holy Rosary. What I am referring to in the negative side of indoctrination. Do we expect them to never question the "doctrine" they learn? Specifically I am referring to things like having elementary students stand every day and pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. My 4 year old can recite this pledge. He has learned it in his first year of preschool. He cannot recognize any of the letters of the alphabet, but he can recite a 31 word pledge. Don't get me wrong here. I am not upset by this, although some of you may know my thoughts on this "pledge." However, I do find it interesting that this is one of the first things we teach our children. I understand that my children attend state schools sponsored by the government. It makes sense that a government sponsored school would want to encourage the values of it's government. What doesn't make sense to me is that it is almost socially unacceptable to not recite the pledge. Sure you have your people that disagree with the "Under God" part. It is okay for them. But, what about everyone else? Although this rant appears to have gone absolutely no where, I still want to know: Is it indoctrination to have our tiny children learn and recite the Pledge of Allegiance over and over again?

sidenote: I feel that I must put a disclaimer with this post as some of my previous posts have caused some hurt feelings unintentionally. I do not aim my posts at anyone in particular. This post does not mean that I am "unAmerican." I understand what a wonderful thing it is to live in this country. I support our soldiers. blah blah blah. Basically if you are going to be offended, go away. No one is making you read this.

Warning: Highly Flammable!

Have you ever really looked at a package of tortillas? I have been examining ours to find the warning label about tortillas being a flammable material. I am considering writing the Mission Tortilla company and requesting that people be warned. Caution!!! Highly flammable material. Do not expose directly to the microwave for longer than 5 minutes. Do not throw into a heat source for too long. It will start on fire!

A couple of crucial points to this tale. 1. We live right next to my parents. 2. Next to corndogs, tortillas are a main staple in our family. 3. I always heat them up for about 15 seconds to make them easier to roll.

The other day, I ran over to my dads house to grab sometime that now is completely unremembered. I left Remi home watching the television. He is, after all, almost 4 years old. I was running 20 feet away, no big deal. My dad engaged me in some sort of distracting conversation. (Yes, I am blaming him, it is a lot easier.) I returned home to find smoke billowing out of my closed front door. Hysterical, thinking that our possessed computer had finally exploded, I ran into the house. I found Remi standing in front of the microwave in a hypnotic trance. The microwave was running. It said 18:24. I have no idea how long it had been running but smoke filled my entire house. I shut it off and turned around expecting my sweet little 3 year old to be scared watching all the smoke. He, still in a trance says, "Mom, when you put tortillas in the microwave for a loooonnnng (stretching his arms wide for effect) time, it makes fire. Fire makes smoke. It is awesome!" Awesome? Are you kidding me? I have tried everything to get the smell of burnt tortillas and cinnamon (I boiled a bowl of cinnamon water for 10 minute increments for about 40 minutes. Not my finest moment.) out of my microwave. Rather than take responsibility for my actions, or lack there of, by leaving a toddler unattended, I have decided that it is the Mission Tortilla company that needs to be punished for the smell and taste I have endured for 3 weeks. They need to warn everyone. Tortillas are highly flammable. Now you know.

Heath on Saturday Night Live Dream

This guy Heath is pretty funny. Click on the link to see him on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tejcriley&view=videos

He would love to get on Saturday Night Live. SNL has to be my all time favorite program. I am very passionate about it. I found Heath on Suzanne Calton's blog. He does some great impressions. If you think he is funny, pass the word along. I'm sure he would appreciate it. Funny people like to make people laugh even when they are not present to see it.

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Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
-..W. H. Auden

Presidential Inauguration

On Tuesday Hunter came home from school in a huff. "Mom, did you watch the news today?" I say, "Yeah, why?" He rolls his eyes, "Mom, you know what I mean, did you watch today or not?" I laugh, "Yeah, why?" Getting visibly frustrated, "Mom didn't you see Barack Obama. They had a huge parade." "Yeah," I say, "I saw it. So, why was everybody making such a big deal about Barack Obama?" This time his eyes literally rolled out of his head, "Because mom, duh, he is (pause for effect) the 44th President of the United States! Why did you think everyone was making such a big deal?"

The 5K

December was a pretty crummy month for me. I kept getting the stomach flu, weird. Anyhow, between that and the snow I really didn't run a whole lot. I was planning on running last weekend in the St. George Half Marathon. I decided to just do the 5K instead. My girlfriend Tiff has been kind enough to run with me. She went down too. It was so funny. I am pretty sure, it was my worst run of all time. Tiff has legs that go on forever. I kept up with her for the first 2 miles, but had to let her get a few minutes ahead of me in the third (more about that later). Anyhow, there I am running along, passing some people, while others pass me. I had about 5 people tell me what a good job I was doing. It struck me as kind of strange, being how they were running right along side of me. If I was doing good, then so were they. I thought about it later and realized that they were impressed to see a big girl. I forget sometimes that I am overweight. How is that possible? I had to laugh. "Way to go chubby!"

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Dinner Party Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

My kids

Right now, at this very moment, I am loving my children. I am going to quickly put up a couple of pictures of them before those good feelings are gone.

Hunter will be 7 this month. He loves to be the star of the show and thinks that cameras were invented specifically with him in mind. He is actually really starting to be fun. I think 1st grade suits him well.


Remi is a breed all his own. He will be 4 in February. We call him Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He is either the best boy or the worst, nothing in between. He wears this hoodie almost all of the time, and always with the hood on. He said, "MOM! Don't take my hood off, do you want my hair to blow away?!"

Bentley is our baby. She will be one in January. She always lays like this. She was laying like this before she could even roll over. Strange, but she likes it. I was so nervous to have a girl. We even thought the doctor was wrong when he told us her gender. Much to my surprise, I have enjoyed her. She is definitely a brat, but I think we will keep her. The hospital will not accept returns. I know, we tried with Remi.

The fat girls unite

For most of my adult life I have been overweight. There is an acceptance process that one goes through when they become fat. First step is denial. People say things like, "I am just bloated." "It's just baby fat." "My clothes shrunk." Excuses can run the gamete. The second step is trying to hide it. Wearing sweats, t-shirts, baggy clothes. There are usually a few more steps in the middle including crash diets, yo-yo weight loss and gain. Some of the signs during this phase include, but are not limited to: tears for no reason other than the fact that the peanut butter is gone; bizarre of lame excuses for new bulges; uncharacteristic mood swings or personality changes. Exercising like a crazy person, only to lay on the couch for the week following said workout. Skipping the salad bar and heading straight to the desert table. This sign signifies that the cycle is almost complete and your loved one is about to become an official fatty. Well, lucky for me, I am way past that part. I have been official for quite some time now. Part of acceptance for me was buying plus sized clothing. This was the most difficult part of my transformation. There is an amazing thing that happens in department store when you move past the intimate apparel, through juniors, around misses, and into no mans land. The styles inevitably change. The clothing industry in general has been under the misguided notion that only 70 year old women are fat. You know the ones I am talking about. The lady with an embroidered leaf on her shirt, or maybe a picture of Tigger. Yeah, those women have it made. They can find clothes anywhere they please. But your average 20 something chubby has to look really hard. Imagine my delight when I find the one store that doesn't cater to old fat women. Lane Bryant. Glory be and hallelujah. I was so happy that I got a credit card. They have stylish clothes that are specifically designed for the horizontally challenged. It is amazing. Beautiful clothes for big beautiful girls. Wonderful. I was ecstatic, when I went shopping for new jeans a couple of weeks ago, to discover that my working out and eating healthy is finally paying off. I am currently wearing a size 4. Yup that's right. All 225 pounds of me fit into a size 4. Granted it is all tall, but still a size 4. After shopping, while eating my daily dose of chocolate I realized something. How can I wear a size 20 one day and a 4 the next? Oh, the manufactures of Lane Bryant clothing have redone the sizing. In an effort to make large women feel better, and desire to spend more money, they have claimed their own sizes. The fat girls united and claimed back the single digits. Move over skinny girls, I don't think there is enough room for both of us!

Just not feeling it

So, this morning, so far, I have accomplished nothing. I sit here at the computer at 11:00 AM in my pajamas reading blogs, looking at pictures, and just wasting time. I have been blogging now for over 3 years. Through those years I have posted several different times with different subjects, photos, thoughts, etc. Lately, I am just not feeling it. I really enjoy stalking various people through their blogs, but I just don't want to stalk mine anymore. It is not just blogging either. I am not in the mood to do much except sit on my butt and watch the clock waiting for Stephen to come home from work. Stephen keeps wanting me to write about different experiences I have had lately: I changed that alternator in our van. I finally made the perfect chocolate cake, well not perfect but pretty damn good. Our children's latest attempt to drive my soul into the fortress of hell. The list goes on but really, I'm just not feeling it. Normally I could go on and on about some useless thing. Like the fact that 90% of the population has an "innie" belly button. Sorry Angelica, I always knew you were weird. But, I just don't feel it. I don't feel like me. What's up with that?

Tag, I guess

Note: During the making of this post a child was nearly killed. Actually the near death came after. While typing about my lovely husband, his #2, el diablo was eating blueberry muffins on my nice duvet cover. I am freakin out here. He is such a shit!



My sister-in-law April tagged me to write about Stephen. I
don't know why I have struggled with wanting to do this, but I have. Of course I love my husband and think he is the bomb. But, I am a little uncomfortable getting all mushy out loud. But, I will try.

*Where did you meet? We met sledding on "TV" hill in Oak City. My friend Angelica and I had been dropped off by her dad. (We were both still 15 unfortunately) He failed to mention to her mom that we changed the location of our days events from the sand dunes to TV hill. She did not know where to find us at the end of the day. We had showed up to hang out with Angelica's soon to be beau, who shall remain nameless. Well, Mr Knight in Shining armor got cold and left us up there by ourselves to wait it out. Stephen could not leave two mildly attractive girls to freeze to death in the dark. He stayed with us until her dad came and got us. He started a fire to show off his mad scouting skills. Wow, we were certainly impressed. Come to think of it, Angelica why in the crap did you date "leave us in the cold?" He was a bum! Okay that is not really fair. He was a cute bum. I forgive you.

*How long did you date before you were married? Well, we started dating pretty much immediately there after. That was January 1997. We got married December 16, 2000. Stephen took a break from me for about 2 years to serve an LDS mission. We wrote back and forth as much as you can when one lives in the jungles of the Philippines. He came home Oct. 12 and we were married two months later.

*How long have you been married? Almost 8 years.

*What is your favorite feature of his? His big blue eyes.

*What is your favorite quality of his? His mad scouting skills! Actually, he is really likable. It amazes me how many people like me. I guess he does not tick people off like I do. He is just so nice. He does bed time with the kids every night. He gets them all ready, says prays with them, and puts them down, every night without fail. I can't hardly do it when he is not around.

*Does he have a nickname for you? He calls me by my middle name, Marie.

*Does he have a favorite color? Utah Ute red.

*What is his favorite food? Ughh, I actually have never really thought about it. He likes whatever I make. I know he loves Mexican food though. Honestly, who doesn't?

*What is his favorite sport? Football. During football season very few channels work on our dish when Stephen is watching the games.

*When and where was your first kiss? Hold on to your hats. We were at a dance on Valentines Day in 1997. We were arm in arm swaying to the music our faces all nuzzled into one another. He was breathing really heavy on my neck, ooh la la then he planted one on me. Right there in the middle of the dance floor where everyone could see. I almost died.

*What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? As a couple, what does that mean? Oh time, without children. We usually rent a movie and I fall asleep. We used to be a lot more exciting. We would rock climb, hike, golf, snow board (on my honeymoon even) but now we don't do much together that does not involve sleeping.

*Do you have any children? 3 - Hunter, Remi, Bentley

*Does he have a hidden talent? Cooking. I guess it is not that hidden for anyone that knows us. But he is the cook in our family. In fact I used to be in a supper club. We met once a month, had dinner, then exchanged recipes for the entree we brought. I never had a recipe to give because Stephen, or Angie a couple of times, made my contribution.

*How old is he? 29

*Who said I love you first? Probably him, he is such a sap.

*What is his favorite type of music? Rock n Roll baby! (Metallica, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin)

*What do you admire most about him? I admire how forgiving he is. He never holds onto anything. He just forgives and forgets. He puts up with a lot from me, and he never complains, as far as I know. He is just a darn winner! He is definitely a keeper.

So, I guess now I need to tag someone else to continue the chase. I tag Angelica, Brooke, and Angie.

It's rude not to

Well, I haven't written for a while. Truth be told, I haven't had much to say. Rural America is treating me good. For those of you who haven't had the distinct pleasure of visiting my home town, let me explain a little bit about it to you. It sits in a valley about 100 miles wide. There are about 3000 people in Delta itself. There are several smaller communities that surround Delta. One of the smaller towns is called Oak City. My husband Stephen actually grew up there. I think it was settled by two or three different families and then expanded slightly after that. Everyone is pretty much related, with the expection of my in-laws, of course.

Well one thing I think is so funny about Oak City is that everyone waves to one another. I am not exaggerating when I say EVERYONE. Maybe it is a town law. I don't know, but I find it particularly funny. I asked Stephen why this is so. He said, "Everyone waves because it is rude not too." Granted there are probably only 200 or 300 people that live in this little wonder, so the odds of knowing all occupants are pretty good. But still, somehow someone must have passed a waving law. Maybe it is like the good samaritan law on Seinfield. I haven't had the guts to test the limits, I always smile and wave back, no matter what. I had to laugh this morning on my way to my in-laws home. I saw this huge truck pulling a horse trailer full of horses. I was prepared for the waving rule, so I looked the driver right in the face. She was turning and had a cell phone to her ear. I figured that cell phone and trailers had to be among the expections to apply to always waving. One shouldn't have to wave if he or she is chatting on the phone while pulling a trailer. Rule #275 after the rule about not having to wave if the driver is trying to hand a toddler a sippy while changing the music from AM 700 to something without static. (Good luck with that!) Anyway, so I figure there is no way this lady is waving, right? Wrong, she waved. Not just a hand up and down wave. She actual moved her wrist. Keep in mind she was turning right onto the highway, pulling a horse trailer full of horses and talking on the cell phone. Obviously she had no choice. Because, after all it is rude not to.

I whine because that's what I do.

Today I was chatting on the phone with a friend. We were discussing whether or not she was whiny. She has experienced some turbulence in her life recently and has been trying to share her feelings without sounding whiny. Is it possible to complain, without whining? I have been contemplating this. I complain about my children, but I am thankful to have them. I whine to any one that will listen about my latest upset. What is the difference? Why do I whine? The other night I had a tender moment that I have considered sharing. My 3 year old niece stayed with us for about 10 days. She was excellent! I did not realize that 3 years old could listen and do as they are told until she was here. Anyhow, every night we did our "bedtime routine" and got everyone bathed and dressed for bed. I was gathering the wet towels and lotion to put away, when one by one each of the kids gave me a kiss on the cheek. As I walked away, I could feel the wetness that they had left behind. Now, normally I would have some snide comment about slobbery slime or something like that. As I felt that wetness, I was suddenly glad that I was a mom and glad that someone wanted to kiss me goodnight. Strange I know, given all the whining I do, but I really am glad to be a mom. Over the last year, I have noticed my maternal instincts kicking in (yes I realize that my oldest will be seven years soon, better late than never right?) and I have felt closer to not only my children but other children as well. I love it when my friends kids are happy to see me. It makes me feel so good.

Why when I have all these wonderful experiences do I whine about life? Because it is what I do. I whine, I complain, I bitch, I moan. It is not my favorite part of my personality. In fact, it is probably one of my worst traits.

I want to know, who likes to whine? What do you have to complain about? What is really bugging you today? Today, I hate doing dishes. Not having a dishwasher is really grating on my nerves. I am complaining because I can. What about you?

My hero

Angelica tagged everyone who reads her blog to post about someone in their life that is a real hero. Now, you may or may not have noticed that I do not do tags. I don't know what my aversion is to them. I always enjoy reading other people's tags. Anyhow, I am taking on this tag because it is not about me. It is about my friend Mi'Chelle Millward Larsen. She is definitely my hero. I met Meeshie while attending Snow College. She was in my social psych class. I was newly married, newly pregnant and crazy! I don't remember what first attracted us to one another but we became friends. Meesh is the best friend that anyone could ask for. I have never met anyone else that radiates so much love. I have had other friends that I have loved as much as I love her, but I am not sure I can say that I have had any that have loved me as much.

Speak now!

Typically in years gone by I always asked people if they were okay with me adding a link on my blog to theirs. Or, I have waited until I received a request from them to add a link on my page. Links have come and gone from this blog. I am never quite sure what link adding etiquette is. In the recent months I have discovered a large amount of friends that blog. I can't keep track of what is or isn't out there. If you want me to add a link on my blog, let me know.

Daily Affirmation

I deserve good things. I am entitled to my share of happiness. I refuse to beat myself up. I am an attractive person. I am fun to be with. I'm going to do a terrific show today! And I'm gonna help people! Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!

We're Moving!

Well folks, you heard it from the horses mouth, so to speak. We are moving to Delta. Crazy I know, moving to that Hell-forsaken land. What can I say? I want to be by my momma. For those of you unaware, Stephen and I both grew up in the Delta area. His parents and mine are there. We have quickly packed up our things, encouraging those we love to run around like chickens with no heads, and we are moving this weekend. School starts on Monday. Unfortunately, Stephen will have to remain working in Provo and commute during the week until other arrangements can be made. In the mean time, "We are moving on up to the 'westside' and it looks like we're gonna get some cream from the pie
Right, right!"

Believe It!

I want you to close your eyes and use your brain for a moment with me. Think of a girl that weighs about 230 pounds. She has a few kids, has a good size front butt, not too bad legs. A slight double chin, regular size ankles. Can you see her in your minds? She is about 5"6'. Does that help? Okay now that you have your big girl in your mind. Dress her in athletic wear down to the shoes. How does she look? A little out of place, maybe, but dress her anyway. She might need two sport bras to help wield the beasts. There you go. So, now you have your chubby girl in running clothes, ready to go. What are you going to do with her? No, don't give her a donut, she obviously doesn't need it. I have an idea. Let's drive her to Bryce Canyon and have her run 13.1 miles. NO, you say? Oh yes, I say. She can do it. She has been running since May and she can do it. Perhaps she will place 356th overall out of about 1000 people, 92th in her age group with a finishing time of 2:35:08.8. Crazy idea, I know, but if this big girl can do it, so can you!

Photo Op.

These boys may want to kill each other half the time, but they will always pause for a nice photo shot. This was taken on Friday at Bryce Canyon National Park. They fought the entire way down and back. It was horrible.





It took us almost 6 hours to get home. I am glad that they are boys!






I added this just in case you thought the previous post was farse!