Red Hair and Coconuts

Halle said to me today:

"Guess what color I want my hair next?"

Me- "What?"

Halle- "Red."

Me- "Oh Halle, what are we going to do with you girl?"

Halle- "I don't know. Maybe take me to Hawaii and buy me coconut drinks and stuff."

Oh man, she cracks me up. The things her little mind is thinking.....

Weeds, Dirt, and Rocks....Oh My!

I'm embarrassed to say it, but we have been the white trash yard on the block for the last 3 years. This year, we HAD to do something about it. So we've been weeding and shoveling rock for the past few days. And the results are fabulous! (If I do say so myself.)

Before, really I should have taken a picture before I a trimmed the bushes. They were OUT OF CONTROL. I don't claim to have done the best job, but they look 1000 times better. Just you wait neighbors, it's only going to get better!

All of these stormy skies made my job of weeding MUCH easier. Thank you rain, even though you have prevented my kids from being able to play at the park, you have been appreciated for something.

Piles of weeds and lots of slivers later, I vowed to buy myself a pair of gardening gloves. (But it's looking better, isn't it?)

Time for some pretties on the porch. This is first year that these pots have had something other than weeds growing in them to welcome my visitors. I LOVE them and can't help but sneak a peek out the window every time I walk by. (Note to self: DON'T forget to water the pretty little geraniums on the front step.)

We loved the rock ground cover we had in our old house so much. But I.F. doesn't sell it anywhere. So we rented a dump trailer and made a day trip jaunt to Boise and back to buy our beloved rock.
Thank you Miki and Jennifer for a spur of the moment VERY quick lunch. It was ever so tasty and made my whole 11 hour round trip very worth it.

Back breaking work. But look at all the help we have. Seriously, Alyssa and Halle have helped haul just about as much rock and dirt (in their little wheelbarrow) as Jarom and I have. They've been good little worker bees.

Isn't it pretty?! We're not done yet, still one more flower bed to go, but seeing the improvement is such a great motivator.

Having a Son

When I was pregnant with Carter, I remember walking through a craft store with my two girls in tow. We were pointing out every pretty and frilly thing to each other. We were all so excited about everything we saw. I got a knot in my stomach about being pregnant with a boy. What would he do when we went to the craft store? What would I talk about with him? How could I possibly have as much fun with a boy as I did with my girls? Well, I am SO grateful I got my son. And we have plenty to talk about. Suddenly things are "cool" (not pretty) and sports are "awesome". I still love painting my nails and looking at flowers with my daughters, but a whole new world has been opened up to me with a son.

I am so excited for Carter to play tee-ball. Even buying his baseball mitt was fun for me. (And for those of you who know me, know that sports (and certainly sports equipment) are not my thing.) Anyway, tonight was his first practice and I can't wait until a game. Let's just hope he understands the idea of rules.

Go Carter Go!!!

While Carter practiced, we played on the playground. Good times were had by all.

The Weekend Randomness

We've been busy doing a lot of nothing lately. Well, except for the yard work, which included a day trip to Boise and back, but that's another blog all in itself. So here's a few pictures from over the weekend.

Miley Cyress AND Hannah Montana on stage at the same time. (Check out that awesome music stand they made. I think it's genius!)

The fans got a little crazy!

I can't believe it was only a year ago I took a picture of the price of gas in So. Cal., thinking it was so outrageous then. Now I'm wishing for those prices. So sad! And actually we saw regular as high as $4.09 on our trip to Boise. (More on that later.)

Such a classic shot of Kate. No undies, giving you the "what you think you're doing" glare, while making a giant mess. Ahhh....we love this girl.

We visited the graves of Jarom's grandfather and great-grandparents, a few aunts and uncles (greats included) and a cousin, my grandfather, great grandparents and uncles, and also my older brother (who was still born). The best part of all of this is that they are all in the very same cemetery. I wish I would have had my camera out when Carter laid down on a grave of a stranger and made a snow angel in the grass. I know it was totally disrespectful, and I made him get up immediately, but it really was quite hilarious. I think if some cute little kid came and made a "grass angel" on my grave, it would make me smile.

And finally we enjoyed a bbq at my folk's house and made the most of the rain.


Hope you all had a great LONG weekend!!

Sugar Cookies

Are they REALLY worth the mess?


I'm beginning to think NOT.


Okay, I guess they are.

Becky's Words

American Idol ended last night with Big David as the top dog! (Or should I say dawg?) Anyway, since I posted about the start of the show, I have to post results. Way to go Becky for picking the winner in your top three!! (I didn't even include Big David Cook. I thought he sang way too flat and would be cremated in the beginning. Guess there's a lot to say for having amazing stage presence.) I just have to copy and paste Becky's assessment of it all because they are my thoughts exactly and she did such a great job wording everything. (Hope you don't mind Bec.)

"the american idol finale was AMAZING! i love watching a program full of musical performances. great entertainment!

*as much as i complained about members of the top 12, it was fun to see them all again! yes, even kristy lee and jason castro. (Me- LOVE him!)
*i can't wait for so you think you can dance to start.
*careful paula. you are going to fall out of that dress.
*what is jordan sparks wearing? that's too bad.
*the jonas brothers are overrated.
*one republic sang owen's favorite song! i will have to let owen watch this tomorrow. he'll love singing and dancing along. and he actually does know some of the words. except for he likes to sneak "i'm sorry" into parts of the chorus too. such a cutie!
*BLAKE! blake lewis is SOOO cute! (Me-Wish he would have performed; MISS him.)
*those pips are TOO entertaining. ben stiller kills me. love that guy! (Me- How about Jack Black? Don't you all think Jeremy should enter an impressionist contest. I think I laughed harder imagining Jeremy doing all those moves than I did at Jack Black.)
*why can't i have thighs like carrie underwood. man, she looked great! emily-can you make my hair look like her's? too bad she sang my least favorite song. oh well.
*david archuletta already has a commercial!? GO DAVID!
*david cook sure was on fire tonight! maybe he can win this thing tonight.
*george micheal sure looks old. strange. (Me- What does he have over his eyes? Did he just have lasik surgery?)

here come the results...and it's...ugh...i'm so sad this is over...holy cow, simon is apologizing...okay...and it's...DAVID...DAVID...DAVID...COOK! holy moly! i love it! from bar tender to millionaire.

HOORAH! can't wait for january! gosh...what a great show!"

Great words Becky, couldn't have said it better myself.

Funny for My Mom

This one is really a funny for my side of the family, and probably won't make sense to anyone else, but feel free to laugh if you want. (Nothing is better than a good laugh.)

Kate just walked in and said, "I need a pickle."

Me- "You need a pickle?"

Kate- "Ya...(pathetic voice) I need a pickle at Grammy's house."

LOLLLL!!!!!!!

(My mom keeps a jar of opened pickles on her counter at all times because she eats them so much.)

Schools Out for the Summer!

It's the last day of school for my kids today. Woo-Hoo! Time to start sleeping in. I have ALWAYS been a late riser and these early school days are tough on me. I have 2 early rise children so hopefully they'll cooperate a little bit and let me get at least another hour of sleep now, but I'm not holding my breath.


Yesterday I redeemed my Valentine's day gift from Jarom, and went to the spa for a massage and pedicure. (My sister-in-law, Becky, joined me for the pedicure and then lunch.) It was a great time! (THANK YOU Jarom, it was wonderful!) I figured I better do something to get all geared up for the craziness summer seems to bring.

Now if it would just get warm enough to feel like summer break, we'd be good to go.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

To one of the greatest uncles around: We love you and wish you a VERY happy day! Thanks for always being so willing to help us out, take us to the pet store, and play with us. Can't wait to see you tonight.

Mermaids and Firefox

Today Carter asked me to log onto Webkinz for him. For some reason I can't get it to come up on Internet Explorer. So I told him it wasn't working. Then he said, "Mom, you just need to open Firefox."

Me- "I don't even know what that is Carter."

Carter (as he's pointing to where on the computer I should click)- "See you just click here. That's Firefox."

Sure enough, Firefox worked and he knew EXACTLY which program it was. He's a boy after his father's heart. And I am so glad that my 4 year old can help me with my computer I-D-10-T errors.


Also, tonight Kate handed me a seashell and asked me if I could hear the ocean. I told her yes and tried to hand the shell back to her. Then she said, "No you talk a Little Mermaid. You say hi." Then she took it and pretended to talk on her seashell cell phone (I guess you could say a "shell phone". Hardy-har-har, I'm so funny.) to the Little Mermaid.

ADORABLE!!!!

Picnic in the Park

Alyssa- "Mom, can we go for a bike ride to the park and have a picnic?

Me (nice voice)- "Sure, why not?"

Me (nice voice)- "Everyone look at me and smile."

Me (still nice voice)- "Everyone has to keep looking at me. Let's try that again."

Me (a bit annoyed) - "Carter look at mom. Kate-Kate look at me!"

Me (desperately pleading)- "PLEASE don't look anywhere but at me!"

Me (VERY agitated)- "Alyssa! Good grief! You're the biggest one here!"

Me (practically yelling)- "CARTER! KATE! EVERYONE say we love bike rides!"

Me (sighing and exhausted)- "Good enough. Go play."

Boiled Lobster Lady

It's official, summer is on it's way. I got my first burn of the season today. (I apologize for the above picture. It's the best I could get.) Yep, it's been nice here this week. Today I helped with Field Day at the school and came home looking like a boiled lobster. I'm not complaining. I'm glad that the weather was actually warm and nice enough to give me a toasty complexion. Bring on summer!

Also at Field Day, Kate lost a brand new pair of shoes. I searched the entire playground for them, but they were nowhere to be found. And Carter got his first official scolding from a playground duty for throwing rocks. (I just hid my head and gave him the look of death afterwards.) He was playing with Bailey and Alyssa and kept throwing rocks. After his scolding, Bailey was so angry at the duty for being so harsh. She said, "Sheesh, he's only 4! She could have just told him nicely. Not a lecture with the "look at me!" He doesn't know the rules." It was SO cute. She's just like a protective older sister. She is certainly part of the family.

I-Spy

Today I took Carter and Kate for a bike ride and the entire time Carter played I-Spy with me. Let me tell you, he's a tricky player. His hints go something like this, "Mom, I spy something green. And it's grass. Can you guess it?"

Me: "Hmmmm....that's tough, but I'm going to guess grass."

Carter: "You're right! You're good at dis game."

Indoor Playground

Me: "What in the world?!"

Carter: "I was just making a playground mom. It's just fun."

Me: "Okay stand there so I can take your picture then let's clean up."

Carter: "Are you going to put this on your bwog?"

(Notice how he's holding a wet rag to his bonked head? I don't think his playground was as kid friendly as he thought it would be.)

And then I just can't resist posting a picture of Kate's beautiful curls. I know she needs a haircut, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to bring myself to actually cutting these beauties off. At least I have a picture for when the time actually comes.

Happy Late Mother's Day

Things I've learned as a mother:

1. Don't ever share a drink with a kid, especially if it has a straw. (Chunks, enough said.)

2. If you run over a bag of lettuce with a shopping cart it explodes and sounds like a gun shot.

3. Bubbles can come OUT of toilets

4. Magnetix are really fun toys.

5. Tubs overflow and water comes through light fixtures in ceilings.

6. Bed time is the best time of day. (Well actually not bed time, but the time right AFTER bed time when everyone is accounted for and asleep.)

7. Grocery shopping with kids is near impossible.

8. Gum bought and paid for can still be scanned by the self scanner at a completley different store.

9. Shaving your legs is a luxury.

10. Pooped on, peed on, puked on clothes, can still be worn for a full day.

11. Bra shopping with kids is near impossible.

12. Dirty faces, snotty noses, and unfixed hair at the store is OKAY.

13. If you tell a child to stay clean, it's an instant invitation to get dirty.

14. Kids can melt your heart just by a look on their face.

15. Being a mom is the best thing in the whole world.

My mom made this neat 4 generation picture for me for Christmas. I thought Mother's Day was an appropriate time to post it. (Sorry about the flash glare.)

And a big thank you to my wonderful hubby who gave me the coolest printer ever for my Mother's Day gift. It can print up to 13x19 photo lab quality prints (edge to edge, no trimming needed) and it's going to be lots of fun for me to play with.

E.L.E.N.A.

I was named after my great-grandmother, Daisy Eleana (yep, she spelled it differently). I often have my name mispronounced; it's always been that way. And I've grown so accustomed to it that I hardly notice when people say it wrong. Since some of you don't actually "know" me, have never talked to me in person, and have never heard me say my name, I thought it might be fun for me to tell you all how I say it.

I get called anything from Alaina to Ellen and everything in between. But I pronounce my name "L" (as in L,M,N,O,P) "E" (as in A,B,C,D,E) "nuh". It's not difficult really, but hardly anyone gets it correctly. (And don't feel bad if you're one that doesn't. I honestly sat down and tried to think of how you each say my name and I don't have a clue.)

Do any of you get called something other than your name?

Little Truman G

It's a cousins' party! And on a school night too. Why?????


Because little 6 lb. 13 oz. Truman entered the world today!!
I so badly wanted to name my next little boy Truman, but since there's not going to be one, I am so glad somebody used the awesome name! I can't wait to hold this little guy.

Halle's 1st Grade Program

Last night was Halle's class program. It was so cute and the kids all did a great job. This year the class has been learning about the world so the program took us "around the world". We enjoyed lots of songs and a slide show of pictures from the year. (We even enjoyed seeing Jonnie and Rachel in a few.) Some of the lines that a couple of 3rd graders delivered were amazing. (Tons of numbers and countries and such.) I don't even think I could have memorized all of it. Mrs Ball continues to amaze me, I love her to death and can't imagine a better teacher for Halle.
Halle did an excellent job of sitting still and straight, in her pose of choice, during the entire program.

Ashley, Taylor, Halle, and Jordyn. Aren't they cutest little bunch of 1st graders ever?

Put some umph in it.

Halle watched American Idol with me last night. David Cook was singing his second song and had just gotten to the "guts" of the piece. Halle said, "I really liked it when he put the umph in it." I kind of giggled, (but had to agree) and then she said, "Mrs Ball gave us a B on our umph for our program today. We've got to get more umph." It was SO cute. Tonight is the performance of that program and I can't wait to see the "umph".

And just another funny from Carter. Today he asked, "Mom guess how tall I am?" I said, "How tall?" And he said, "5 minutes and a half tall!" Seems like in 5 minutes he will be all tall and grown. What a cute kid he is.

Scaredy Cat

So, Jennifer P. has posted yet another hilarious post that I had to copy. It's all about things she's afraid of (moths being one of the top items) and I got such a great laugh out of it, I thought I would share my ridiculous fears for all of you to laugh at. I also am kind of using this post as a journal entry so feel free to skip the details if you want.


#1 SPIDERS- Uggghhhhh.....I HATE them and hobos are at the top of the hate list. (Even posting this picture made me sick to my stomach. ) I can handle almost all types of insects, but not spiders. And don't even ask me to step on one. I physically CAN NOT do it. I would rather stick a jar on top if it and wait for someone else to get it. Of course getting close enough to stick the jar on is a scene within itself. I scream/hyperventilate the entire time. I even scream when I vacuum them up. And it makes me feel better to scream while I do it, so leave me alone.



#2 Aliens-

The most ridiculous thing about this fear is that I honestly don't believe in their existence. (Not that I don't believe in life on other planets, but I don't think that they are freaky weird alien looking things.) But it is a sad fact, I've been afraid of aliens since I was very little. I think Close Encounters might have set things off for me. Every once in a while when I am alone outside at night, I get that creepy feeling that something is watching me and I run as FAST as I can to get inside, cause I just KNOW its an imaginary alien waiting to get me.

#3 Buffalo (Bison, whatever)-My family goes to Yellowstone National Park every year and for as long as I can remember I have been afraid of the buffalo. I think all the stories of people being gored and such has made an impression on my mind. I am getting better and can actually think straight when I get near one (probably because mommy mode clicks on and I fear for my kids), but I still get that gut wrenching belly drop feeling whenever one is near.

#4 Gorillas-
This one is actually a fear that I have finally conquered. I used to have a reoccurring nightmare about gorillas with red glowing eyes that would try to get me. Apparently when I was about 2 my cousin jumped out at me wearing a gorilla mask and it scarred me for life. I think I was almost more afraid of gorillas than I am of spiders. Not even baby gorillas were cute to me (and for animal loving me, that's saying a lot).

When I was 14 I was at a zoo and got talked into going into the great apes display by some boy that I had a crush on. I went in and quickly walked past the gorilla display and went straight to the orangutans. However, there was a HUGE crowd in front of the gorillas and I kept hearing a loud boom and then the crowd would gasp, scream, laugh, etc. I just HAD to see what was going on. So I carefully crept to the very edge of the cage and leaned on the farthest pane of glass to get a glimpse of the gorilla inside.

He was in the center of the cage staring at the crowd with the meanest eyes I had ever seen. Then a man from the crowd pounded on the glass to make the gorilla mad and without skipping a beat the gorilla bounded to the window and beat the glass as hard as it could. The kicker is that it chose the far window I was leaning on to beat on. I felt the glass bend, the gorilla hit it so hard. I don't think there has been a time in my life where I have been more scared. I flew to the back wall (seriously I don't think my feet touched the ground) and froze and instantly started sobbing. I couldn't even talk about the stupid incident for several years without crying.

Then one day I started to feel really sorry for the gorilla. All those people staring at it and teasing it, he had no choice but to try to defend himself. I started watching documentaries about them and finally I wasn't afraid of them. The nightmares stopped and now I think they are beautiful creatures. (But don't ask me to come face to face with one without bullet proof glass between us.)

*Now that you've gotten a good laugh at me, I would love to hear your fears (and maybe laugh a little at you too). ;)

Golden Spike National Historic Site

I am a sucker for a National Park/Site. (Probably inherited from my folks.) I've always wanted to visit Golden Spike every time I drove past the sign on my way to Salt Lake, so this weekend on the way home we did it. It was a bit of a drive to get to it, but I am glad we did. It really was quite interesting. (And I got one more souvenir ornament for my Christmas tree.)

The steam engine preparing to go. As soon as it shot off, it scared poor little Eli right out of his diaper!

Halle got to be the volunteer to tell the engine it was safe to go. She raised her arm up high and yelled "high ball". Apparently if the ball (I'm not sure exactly what "the ball" is.) was high that meant it was safe, if the ball was low that meant it wasn't safe. These "balls" were at the stations and told the trains if it was safe or not to approach the station.

All of us (including the Ben's) standing on the actual place of the golden spike. Did you know there were actually 4 comemerative spikes used? A silver, a lower quality gold spike, a blended iron/silver/gold spike, and of course the golden spike.

The story goes that 4 railroad ties had to be replaced before souvenir seekers left it alone.

The last tie laid connecting the East to the West by rail.

Salt Lake

We enjoyed a very full weekend in Salt Lake this past weekend. We went down to celebrate Payson's baptism and did many fun things. Sorry to all our UT friends (Angela, Julie, Batemans, etc) we would have LOVED to visit, but this trip just didn't allow time. But we thought about you!

No need to bring a pack-n-play to the hotel, just use the bottom drawer for a bed. Clean up is a lot more easy this way too. (Seriously, she slept here and LOVED it. Crazy kid.)

The three other bugs in a rug squished together in one bed. (These kids certainly have Manwaring blood in them.)

We enjoyed a picnic at the park after Payson's baptism. The kids played for 6 hours straight while the adults lounged on the grass. It was WONDERFUL!

This tree provided HOURS of entertainment.

Kate LOVES to pick dandelions. She'll pick EVERYONE she sees. Maybe I won't need to spray my yard this year, she'll take care of it for me.

Micah is out of the hospital. He still gets tired very easily and is still experiencing some joint pain. He will undergo another echo this week which will tell us more, but he is much better than last week. Thank goodness!


We also enjoyed a full day at Hogle Zoo.

We enjoyed watching and eating old fashion Salt Water Taffy with salt straight from the great Salt Lake itself.

We even got to see Aunt Natalie who was in UT for Women's Conference.

The flowers on Temple Square were beautiful.

Reflection pool