Oh, Turkey Day

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. Mine was good. I had the grand opportunity to cook my FIRST turkey. My neighbor was going to fry it but I couldn't find any oil. I checked everywhere, and Sierra Vista was completely sold out of peanut oil.

If you have never touch a turkey, it's well.... gross. I found you can't really work with a turkey with out getting in there and touching it all over. I have decided that Steve can forever be in charge of the turkey. I don't like touching it.

However.... I did a do a pretty good job. I put it in a brine over night. And made a huge mess getting it out and getting it ready and stuff. I put onions, oranges, green peppers, garlic and lemon juice. Weird I know, but it was good.

Look how pretty.....

I thought I was doing so good ready to give myself a huge pat on the back when it was pointed out to me that I left the bag of giblets in. I pulled the neck out, and I knew there was suppose to be a heart and liver and stuff, I looked and looked but I didn't really know what I was looking for and totally missed it. I guess that's why they make the bag bake proof.

Yup, there it is, the bag of giblets.

Along with the turkey I made some green beans. Just fresh green beans, I think green bean casserole is gross. (sorry to all who like it) And I made some mashed cauliflower. It was really good. I should have blended it to make it smoother, but other than that, it fooled all the kids who ate it like mashed potatoes. I also made a pumpkin pie. My neighbor made all the other fixings that come with Thanksgiving.

I had good food and good company. The boys were great (most of the time) We talked about what were are thankful for and James was thankful for "chilie, because it's yummy." Tommy on the other hand.... I asked Tommy what he was thankful for and he said, "I'm not thankful today" What to you say to that? (Back to the drawing board on teaching gratitude.)

Later that night we watched "Happy Thanksgiving Charlie Brown" it's a totally classic. I love the Charlie Brown holidays and I love sharing those with the boys.

Last but not least....dun, dun, dunnnnn. Here is a front view of my new hair cut. I did take pictures of the front of my new do earier, but I looked stoned (I wasn't) so I took another one myself.
(I hope you can see it.)

So there you go.

Drastic Measures!

So last night and this morning was pretty crappy. And the day progressed to get worse. In the words of James... 'It was a disappointing day.' Well I already had an appointment set up at my friend's house to cut there hair. They were looking pretty shaggy. I was planning on just getting a trim. Well after my bad morning I decided that I needed a change, so I went for a big change.

And 6 inches later....

I really like it. It's different, and I'm getting use to it. So what did I learn from this..... When you're having a bad day stay away from anyone with scissors....unless they really know what they are doing.

Have a great Thanksgiving

A weekend with the Grandparents

My parents flew in for a weekend to visit with the boys and I. The boys were so excited and James kept saying, "Mom, I love my grandparents." And boy did they ever.

They came in on Friday, and we just hung out at home. Saturday I borrowed my neighbor's 4-wheelers (thanks neighbors!!) and we went out and played in the dirt.

The boys had so much fun. I had Tommy and James on with me and Tim sat between grandma and grandpa.
I took Captain with us and I though about leaving him with the car, but he acted like he wanted to go, so he ran along with us. I must say that I was really impressed with him. He kept up the whole time, even when we sped up and were going fast on the flat areas. (and even found time to pee along the way)
James and grandpa with some "hang 10" signs (I think) My dad...boy do I love him, he always finds something new to teach the boys. This trip was to reinforce the "lets show everyone what you are chewing" (I'll spare you the pictures of chewed up granola bars) I guess that's what grandpas are for, teaching all the things that a mom wouldn't.

Here we have Tommy pouting. He got in trouble for touching the buttons on the quad. So he sat quietly and pouted and got into the corner as much as he could. Grandpa told the boys that if they touched the buttons that the quad would blow up. So maybe Tommy thought this would be the last time he would see the quad.

Here is the boys and I. They are eating once again in this picture (because I never feed my children) We decided to pack up after we saw two groups of homeless men having bbq's, and quiet a few random people out in the desert walking around. And I have to say that although it was a little chilly in the morning, it was a beautiful 76 degrees by the time we got out. It was a great day for 4-wheeling.

For dinner we went to Pistol Pete's Pizza, the boys had a great time playing the games. They really liked skeball, even though they were really bad at it. They got really excited just to get it up to the top and into the little place that takes the balls but doesn't give any points. All said and done they made a whooping 47 tickets and with that each boy was able to get a prize....SMARTIES!!! (it took them an hour and a half and $8 to get three things (one each) of Smarties.....but hey, it's all about having fun right....)

Sunday we went to Church and Tommy did a great job of keeping Grandpa awake, and Grandma got to learn just how much personal space Tommy doesn't have when he spent 10 minutes just kissing her neck and laying on her.

Monday we went to Tombstone. You can't be all the way down here and not go to "The Town to Tough to Die" (and FYI everything down here opens at 10:00, not 9:00)

Tim looking at the horses... I guess he needed a different view to figure this out. James was really funny, we were looking in some of the shop windows and we see some ceramic horses. This is the conversation

James: Look, these are cowboys

Grandma: No, I they look like horses to me

James: No, I think they are cowboys

Grandma: Oh, how do you know that.

James: Because I speak Italian.

What do you say to that? We were laughing to much to really say anything.

One of the shops had a skeleton in the doorway. I wanted to get a picture of the boys standing near it. This is the best I got, do you see the fear in James' eyes. After we were done the lady in the store flipped a switch to make the skeleton dance. James would have nothing to do with it after that. We walked in a bunch of stores and the boys did really (surprisingly)good with keeping there hands in there pockets. (Tim had to be carried)

Here is Grandpa with the boys.

It was so much fun having Grandma and Grandpa come and visit. We sent them back home to Utah and the below freezing weather. (I'm sure they will think of our sunshine often this winter)We love you and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Nothing is happening.

I've been busy these past couple days. My parents are coming to visit, so that means mad cleaning for me. But nothing to out of the ordinary has been going on. So I'm just going to share some random things... oh, I bet you are excited....
*I went shopping on Monday and I have to say that I was SO proud of myself!!! I got $459 worth of groceries for $268!!! That's $191 in savings!! Can you believe it? There was a major sale at Fry's so I totally stocked up.
*Here in Arizona we don't do daylight savings, I really don't care one way or the other just one less thing for me to think about. But... the boys live by the light of the sun and so with the sun coming up a little later that means they wake me up later. Which would be a good thing but that is how I know when to get up. "Get an alarm clock you say" Well I have one. Tommy was playing with it and the alarm is set to go off at MIDNIGHT. I've tried to unplug it I've pushed the buttons and I can't fix it. So now it's just sitting there. I figure better to have three little alarm clocks waking me up in the morning (at what ever time they wonder in) than to have the alarm going off in the middle of the night.
*Our first bike casualty happen on Sunday. We were trying to get into the car and Tim was messing around and ended up putting James' scooter behind the car. (yes, the new scooter he got for his party 2 days before) Now normally I wouldn't even think of buying another scooter, (the rule is if you brake it oh, well) but... this wasn't James' fault, and he only had the scooter two days. James was so heart broken!! He had waited and waited for the scooter, and then it got ran over. So, because it was Tim's fault and James has promised to put it away at the end of everyday. (And fortunately for me, the scooter was still on sale and I had another $5 off coupon)
*The days here are still sunny. We put on long sleeves in the morning, and by the afternoon, the boys are in short sleeves, and sandals. That's the god thing about living in Arizona. We get summer 10 months of the year.

Here are some funny quotes from the boys...
I've killed like 8 fish, and after the last one that died, well Tim has been walking around saying "Poor fish died"
Along those lines of just saying stuff... you might remember this post well James has been telling EVERYBODY that "Mom, broke the tires" (thanks James)
James has been insisting that he and Tommy are twins. He says stuff like "Tommy I love you, that's why we are twins" Tommy plays along, except when he gets mad or doesn't want to play anymore then Tommy says "I'm not your twin any more."
A couple other funny things from James...."Mom, do stars grow up to be moons?"
I telling Tim to stop torturing a bug that was outside (even thought bugs were created to be played with by little boys) and James asks, "What is torturing?"
And one last one from James, "Mom, I have to go to the dentist, my nose is hot."

See noting going on. Maybe in a couple days I'll have something more exciting.

Toys for all ages

When we found out that our first child was going to be a boy what do you think went through Steve's head? "Our last name will continue?" "I now have a buddy to go camping with?" "Ha, now we out number the girls in the family?" "Great.... in 7 years I won't have to mow the lawn any more?" No, no, no, and no. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the first thought that goes through a father's head with his first son will be..."Bring on the TOYS!"

Steve was so excited that our first was going to be a boy and was rather disappointed when I wouldn't let him buy action figures when James was 6 months old. He saw great father son bonding time, and I saw potential choking hazard.

See when our men grow up they don't really. And all of them look forward to teaching their boys all about GI Joe and He-Man. That's why having a boy is so great, they get to buy all the toys that they a) had great memories with b) never got or c) blew-up, buried, lite on fire, or in any other way they destroyed and wish they hadn't. I think the eyes of our men get just as big as those of the sons when the paper comes off the gift that is a classic toy.

James got a set of Kinex for his birthday, and today I sat down with James and helped him put together a cement mixer. I was so fun, and I understand why the husbands enjoy it so much. As I was sitting with James, and Tommy and Tim were helping to find the right piece, or building with other Legos I got a little sad. Steve should be here for this. This should have been his moment. This was something he was looking forward too. Being able to play with things that he loved as a child and show his son how to work it. So this moment is for you, Steve.

Don't worry Sweetie, I foresee many buckets of Kinex in our future, and 3 boys that are going to need your help to build something huge. As for the action figures...bring them on.

P is for Party

We celebrated James' Birthday today. His birthday not for a couple weeks yet, but poor James always gets jipped on his birthday. (more on that another time) Having it early was a good thing because the weather was great!! Now this is the first "real" party that I have thrown for the boys, so I was pretty nervous. But I think it went well.

PREP

I made cupcakes for the party. (Easier to take outside) Look how great they look!

James wanted a "Hot Wheels" birthday so one of the activities that we did was painting cars. Here is the cars sitting nicely before craziness happens.

I made some cars out of boxes for a game of Red Light/Green Light and here they are all lined up ready to go.

And here are the cupcakes again. I know you're thinking "why are we seeing the cupcakes again?" Actually this is only half the cupcakes.... the DOG ate the other half!!!!!!!!! (it totally deserved 9 exclamation points) I was wrapping presents with Tommy and Tim, I heard a noise and then I saw Captain running out. I turn and look and HALF of the cupcakes are gone!!! I go outside and of the 8+ cupcakes that he had eaten there was only one wrapper that was on the ground, AND I was missing a candle! Oh, I was so mad! I grabbed Captain by the scruff of the neck and drug him inside. Tim is crying because Captain is in trouble. Now I'm plagued with what to with the dog. I can't have him in the house (Chocolate cake and this dog just ends in a mess) and I can't have him in the backyard because that is where we are going to be. So I tied him up on the side of the house. My great friend and neighbor was a huge help as I was having a meltdown. Priscilla made another batch of cupcakes for me and brought them over before we sang to James.

What is a birthday party with out a crisis of some sort??


PARTY
Here are the boys painting the cars. This actually was a big hit. And after I got the spilled paint cleaned up (Thanks Tommy) it was really fun.
We had english muffins pizzas for lunch. I think all the kids just liked playing with the food and eating the cheese.

Here is where it got fun. Here are the "cars" that I made, the boys all had a great time with these. It was funny watching all the boys trying to run in the boxes (especially when they tip over)
Here is James fun running down the grass.

And Tommy having a great time. He was so funny to watch because the box was almost bigger than him.

James in a box. (to bad they are to small to put the kids in.... I'm sure Steve could use the company)

James blowing out his candles, he had help from every boy that was there. You can see the white ones that Priscilla made, and the dark one that I did. It was going to say "Hot Wheels" but that was before the Captain incident.

Tim enjoying a cupcake. And you can see that he also enjoyed painting. I don't know how he always manages to paint his face.

PLAY
In the end it didn't really matter what I had planned the boys just liked playing together. Note to self... don't work so hard on the games.... just let them play.

And last but certainly not least...

PRESENTS!!

Again he had lots of help with this. James has some great friends and they were all willing to make sure that James got all of those presents open.

He got a scooter (from us) which he has loved and is getting really good at it.

He got a helmet (from us) that he didn't want to take off. And walkie talkies which he and Tommy loves.

Some Hulk hands. James likes these but we had to have a talk about not hitting the brothers we'll see how well these go over. He also got a transformer (from the brothers) and a set of Kinexs

And he got a Pogo Ball. Do you remember these? I do and I loved them!! James is working on getting better at this.

It was a fun day. It's a good thing that birthdays come around only once a year. I can't believe that I have a 5 year old! (At least in a couple weeks). It's been hard to let go of him as a toddler and see him as a boy, but it's been a great journey so far. Happy (early) Birthday James. I love you!

Baby Proof

You know when you are pregnant with your first child you go though the motions of baby proofing your home because we all know that your 3 week old baby is going to stick his finger in the electrical outlet, and be opening all the cupboard doors. But baby proofing should really be called toddler proofing. And because I know I'm not the only one I'm going to share my (what I think is practical) toddler proofing to keeping our home safe.

First we have the stool in the sink. The stool is used so the boys can reach the sink to wash their hands, but Tim likes to just play in the water and play with the tooth brushes, and tooth paste. Making a huge mess. So the less he can reach the less mess we have (at least with the tooth paste)

Next we have the lock at the top of the door to lock the kids out... uh, I mean to lock the door so the kids can't get out.

I don't need a fancy door stop or anything. I just throw a blanket over the top of the door to keep any fingers from getting smashed.

So Tim really likes to play with water. So the easy way to fix that is to take the handle off. Tim is quite clever... I opened the plug one night after his bath. Well Tim didn't want to get out so he closed the plug and turned the water back on. Then the next morning I woke up to Tim turning the bath water on and off. Quick fix... take the handle off.

Baby gates can get expensive so next best option.... Just screw a board into the wall.

James has an odd habit. After he pees, he likes to put some toilet paper in the toilet... still attached to the roll. He'll flush the toilet and watch the paper spin off the roll. So easy fix to that is to just take it off the dispenser. The joys of boys and the fascination with the bathroom. (So if ever you come to my house (and you're a girl) you'll have to grab a roll as you go into the bathroom)

After our old TV broke we got a new one. One day we were all playing and a toy was thrown and hit the TV, the next day Steve came home with a large piece of plexi glass to put in front of it. I have to say... people laughed... oh, they did. Yeah until our neighbor saved up... bought a new TV and three days later their son walked by with a broom and hit there TV, yeah they weren't laughing at our plexi glass after that.

There you go, there is my "real world" toddler proofing.

Here's what I've done?...(What about you?)

I was blog stalking (I'll admit it...) and I found this. (and I've forgotten where I found this but if it's from you, you can totally take credit) I thought it was really intresting list and thought I would share it. Read through the list and the things that I have done are in bold. Caution.... it's going to make you think to yourself...."Am I living life to the fullest?"

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't (should I admit this?!?!)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie(Does self-made work?)
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn’t need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (Does mini-golf count?)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo’s David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone’s life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter’s Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik’s cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on a friend's blog today.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Perfect Pomegranate Day

The other day I was grocery shopping with Tommy and Tim, while we were picking out some fruit Tommy picked up a pomegranate and asked what it was. I told him it was a pomegranate and that it was a funny fruit that you have to crack open to eat. I decided to buy a couple and take a walk down memory lane with the boys.

When I was growing up I lived for a couple years in a little town between St.George and Las Vegas called Logendale. We lived on Anazazi and this street really didn't believe in fences. Well they did but it reall was only to keep any lifestock in. The kids ran through all the yards playing up and down the street. Right next to us was the Hatch family. And not only did they have a basketball court and horses in the backyard there was also pomegranate bushes. I'm sure every neighbor kid got scolled from Jolene for picking the pomegranates. The rule was you can pick them if they were cracked open but NOT before. So as we walked through the their yard to get to the bus stop we'ld stop to check the bush and then again when we got home, usually finding a couple that were cracked.

Eatting this fruit totally takes me back to that and I thought I would share it with the boys.
They were really unsure about eatting it

Once Tim got a taste of it he didn't want to put it down. And he really didn't care about the seeds. Can you see that bright red juice dripping down his hands.

Tommy thought spitting out the seeds was so fun. Later he was planting the seeds to grow more pomegranates. (He was rather disapointed when he woke up the next morning and there were no pomegranates)

James is usaully aprehensive about trying new things but again the idea of spitting seeds was what drew him in. I got "cool" points for being able to spit more than one seed at a time.

It was a great afternoon and I love shareing moments like these with the boys. It has (finally)started to turn cold, so this was a great way to end our summer.

I (we) Voted!!

Did you???