Tales of the CRAZIES

Apt living

2012-01-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

We are living in an apt complex for the next few month and here are some of the interesting things I'm learning.

Pros:
1. The boys think we are living in a Hotel because there is a pool and hot tub
2. Very own playground
3. No yard work
4. Interesting neighbors
5. Lots of cultural variety
6. Cheaper rent
7. All the kids call me maam' ( because I am the only adult watching the kids at the park)
8. Lots of opportunity to do missionary work. Humble souls everywhere.
9. Kids get lots of attention. They are the only blue eyed kids here.
10. Learned to hang a fleece blanket over my windows at night to block out the security lights and extra noise. how white trash is that. When in rome...

Cons:
1. Smoking habits. Everyone smokes a ton. Cigarettes or marijuana or pipes or flavored cigarettes. If people would stop smoking they might have more money to get out of these apartments. Did you know that smoke can seep through walls, ceilings and air ducts? It can.
2. Spitting. Post pubescent men feeling the need to spit into the bushes. (I do not let my kids near the bushes)
3. Alcohol. Why would adults drink beers in the middle of the day and all afternoon. Its not a holiday or any celebration what so ever. If people would stop drinking they might have more money to get out of these apts. Or maybe get a job...
4. Cat fights. I am not a yeller. I do not understand why 2 adults would need to scream out their issues at 2 am in front of the complex. I did feel like I was watching a jerry springer episode out my window.
5. 15 or so unsupervised kids all afternoon. The parents kick them out of their apts after school so they hang out by the playground. they are 3-13 years old. I'm just waiting for someone to get hurt or stolen.
6. Parking my Expedition in a garage meant for a Honda Accord. I've already scratched the car twice. Stupid garage.
7. Old windows. On our first night Scott said, "aren't you going to close the windows?" I replied. "They are."
8. Walking miles with groceries from parking to my corner apts. It is helping me buy less items because I know I will have to carry them.
9. Walking miles to take out the trash. Let be honest. Scott does this one.
10. The people in my ward are very hesitant to come visit because of the interesting environment.

2011-12-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

This year has been crazy. Props to all of you who are organized and got Christmas cards out. Lets face it. If I haven't sent them by now, I will never get around to doing it. But I did have great intentions.

Merry Christmas from the Vance's

My kid is the red head with the tie. Can't miss him.

i forgot

2011-10-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten how much of the day it takes to feed an infant. In addition to nursing, feeding baby food is ridiculously time consuming. That's not including the cleanup of the babies face, hands, hair, high chair, mom's shirt and sometimes mom's pants too. Yep the process pretty much takes up the majority of my day. Good thing she is so cute.

Brothers

2011-10-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

So this past week has been horrible. Sick children, no sleep for mom, kids staying home from school, constant bickering. When the kids are awake, they are grouchy and I am grouchy from lack of sleep. I even considered changing the name of my blog to "my kids are driving me nuts.blogspot" or "reasons i am grateful for birth control". Scott thought that might be a little harsh. Then today the stars aligned for me everyone took a nap at the same time. Wonder of wonders, miracles of miracles. So this picture is to remind me of the good moments of motherhood and my prayers to have them more often. Or at least realize the good moments.

TKD

2011-09-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

If I had extra resources and extra hours in the day I would love to have my kids be 100% involved in martial arts. Take a look at the pictures and the determination on those faces.

Doesn't this face just say it all!

Pictures are worth a thousand words. The boys loved every minute of their trial of Tae Kwon Doe. What little boy doesn't like to yell and run and punch and kick, and not get into trouble when they do so. Who knows maybe they can be the next "karate kid".

Revenge

2011-08-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Its been 5 days of over 100 degree heat. We are pretty housebound. Parks are too hot. Pools are too hot and no shade and my kids are driving me nuts. Having three young kids is harder than I bargained for. So today while watering my shriveled plants I unleashed my frustration of the past 5 exhausting days. I unleashed my frustration with a garden hose. I am amazed how satisfying it was to spray my children with a hose. The best parental therapy I've come across to date. The kids were laughing the entire time, even when I got their faces. It was great. We will probably make this a regular occurrence.

Clone Trooper

2011-08-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

I'm desperate to find things to do to keep the crazies busy during the last very hot summer days. So one day, I came up with this. Its a clone trooper. Be impressed. The gun is a stick covered in white duct tape. The Armor is that tube that comes out from a dryer to let the hot air out. I spray painted it white and added tape to the ends, to make it soft. Last but not least, the helmet is cardstock with a hairband taped on to make it a mask. I'm pretty impressed with myself. The crazies thought I was the coolest mom ever.

Preschool Graduation

2011-08-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Now that school is about to start, I thought I should post about Carson's preschool. He had the coolest teacher, Mrs. Fuji. Look how proud he is.

Way to go Carson. Now you'll be in school for the rest of your life.

mixed messages

2011-08-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Should I be concerned that my boy really likes "shiny chapstick"? I'm not really that worried but this moment was too cute it needed to be captured on film.

The Odd Couple

2011-08-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

I love how creative my boys are. Check this out. Who would have thought lobsters can attack knights. I'm not sure who won the battle. I'm pretty sure it was the lobsters.

trek

2011-08-02T15:51:00.000-07:00

The LDS faith is sometimes described as a "peculiar people". Well even among those people my hubby and I are considered "crazy". We voluntarily agreed to go on a pioneer trek for 3 days with our 5 month old daughter. I thought it would be a very "authentic" experience, and it was.

This is our pioneer family. We represented a real pioneer family who was pregnant and the couple came by handcart, they had their baby on the trail and everyone made it to the Salt Lake Valley. Likewise we too made it through our trials and all survived for the better.

We pulled and pushed handcarts. We barely made it up testimony mountain.

We did everything very authentic except our sleeping arrangements, we had a tent for our little family. Mj did great. She was carried for 3 days and thought she was in baby heaven. She did spit up in my sleeping bag though. I would go again in a second.

I'm not a fan of really long posts, so I'll keep this one brief. We had an amazing experience and I'd be happy to tell anyone about it. The pioneer were amazing individuals I hope I can be like them.

Techno toys

2011-07-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Ipad is a very cool techno device, that can do many things, however, we have found a new app. Grandma app. The Ipad can now replace grandma reading bedtime stories. Its a sad sad day for grandmas. Don't worry grandma Jean and Janny, we will still skype with you online.

p.s. We do not own this coveted ipad. Atleast not yet.

4th

2011-07-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

Family Picture

2011-06-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

We finally have a family picture worth sharing and putting in a frame on our wall. Everyone is almost looking at the camera, and we are all kind of smiling. After 5 years we now have a picture that will do.

Blessing day

2011-06-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

It was McKayla's blessing day. Her extended family came from Utah, Idaho, and California to show their support and love.

I had a spiritual experience watching her surrounded by a circle of the Priesthood. She was safe and protected from all the evil influences of the world. Just like we can be kept safe as we surround ourselves in the mantle of the spirit. I hope this was a maternal premonition that she will stay close to the Lord throughout her life.

Hard Life

2011-06-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

It must be hard to be 5 months old. So many demands, so many things to do. She's just exhausted.

Hunter

2011-06-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

My husband is a hunter, yet while we live here its been a sacrifice for him, not being able to go. So to substitute his desire he traded down from deer and elk to varmints and rabbits that terrorize Grandpa's yard and garden. No worries, I won't be mounting this on our wall. It becomes coyote food. We leave it out on a special rock, and the coyotes come and eat it at night.

Roses

2011-06-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Is this a calander picture or some nursery advertisement?

Nope, its a rose that I grew and my hubby captured on film. Impressive huh. I'm proud of myself. Its amazing what a little fertilizer can do. Even when I'm not changing diapers I'm still dealing with poo, I never would have imagined my life turned into this. :)

Last Day of Mom School

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

This was the last day of mom school. Z for zoo and "zee end" Look at those faces concetrating. One of the best parenting decisions I have participated in thus far of my mom career was mom school. We got together 2x a week with these four little boys.

On our last day I hosted an alphabet egg hunt. With a different letter on each egg. Do these boys look excited or what?

They all ended up with full bags and a knowledge of the alphabet.

I'm a Bad Mother

2011-05-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

So after a great time at Sea World, I was feeling like a great mom. We got out of the house and had an adventure. Then I was humbled. Look at these little hands.

I put sunscreen on everyone, hats were worn, MJ was in the carrier all day with a hat, I thought we were all covered. I forgot about her hands, they were hanging out in the sun all day. She ended up blistering and peeling. Poor little girl with the bad mother.

Sea World

2011-05-31T08:01:00.000-07:00

We have passes to Sea World this year. These are some of the highlights:

Giant Groupers

Starfish

Stingrays

Dolphins

and of coarse Shamu

Easter pt 2

2011-05-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

For Easter this year we may have gone a little overboard. We only had five children yet we ended up with over 300 eggs. You know you have too many eggs when the children pick and choose which eggs they want. It was a great day.

Easter pt 1

2011-05-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great time coloring eggs this year. We taught dad the eggs in bowls tradition. Mj did not enjoy it very much as seen below. But it was fun spending time with Grandpa.

Timeout

2011-04-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've changed my timeout spot. Sitting on the floor in the corner wasn't enough, so my Hubby came up with this nose in the corner idea. Genius right. They hate it, so it works great. My hubby is a genius.

California Girls

2011-03-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

First trip to the beach. Mj was like happy and cheerful for the first half hour.

Then she was like this, the rest of the trip. Gotta love the beach.

Everyone else loved the trip. The beach in March is a great daytrip

R is for Robot and Race

2011-03-20T19:43:00.000-07:00

At preschool this week we learned about the letter R. R is for Race. Look at those boys run. This is Kenny, Samuel, Carson, and Cooper.

Sideways leaps

Giant steps

R is also for robots. The boys made these today at mom school too.

Shots

2011-03-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Look at that poor little leg. MJ was very brave for her 2 month old shots.

Now the older kids did not fair so well. Carson went in for shots to register for kindergarten. Picture this: He starts yelling when we go into the office. "I don't want shots" Then the nurse brings over the tray with the needles on it and he completely loses it. Yelling and screaming, tears running down his face. I am telling him to be brave and he says "I'm not brave, I don't want shots." So I grab his arm and restrain him and he is screaming at the top of his lungs. Cooper starts to cry because his brother is in pain and McKayla is asleep in her chair. I leave the doctor's office with two children crying and carrying a car seat. It was a miserable and exhausting afternoon.

2011-03-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from one Irish gal.

MJ at 2 months

A weekend in review

2011-01-14T16:23:00.000-08:00

This is Cooper all night Friday with 45 minuets intervals into the bathroom.

This is me on Friday night, at 39 weeks pregnant, having contractions, just like every other night this month. (while helping Cooper).

This is what happened Saturday morning at 11:04. We made it to the hospital by 10:35. And it was a new record. 30 minutes. Natural childbirth, again. I'm still not an advocate of natural childbirth and would recommend to anyone to go for the drugs.

This is McKayla. She is 7lbs 5 oz. A perfect little girl.

This is her introduction to the world and her brothers.

Welcome to the world little one.

Best Christmas Presents Ever

2010-12-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

In order for the boys to let me give them haircuts, I had to explain that it would be a present for Dad. They took that explanation literally. They were the giggliest, wiggliest, best presents under our tree.

Christmas PR

2010-12-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

To keep up my holiday PR activities at the nursing home, we went caroling. I invited my sister. She was also in the Christmas spirit and brought along 15 of her children's closest friends.

The audience was obviously riveted by our performance.

Christmas Pirates

2010-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

There is a story about Christmas Pirates and the Cannibal Santa. The Pirate captain (the one with the peg leg) has to rescue his crew from being eaten on Christmas eve by the giant in the red suit. It is my boys new favorite Christmas story.

So, being the rockstar mom that I am, we made our own pirate gingerbread crew. This one is the Captain and Carson's favorite. It was also the first one he ate.

Cooper stayed with the traditional Christmas shapes. It took much less creative effort on my part to decorate a tree.

We made a huge mess, like all successful mommy bonding moments requires, and had a great time. I haven't decided if this will become a tradition or not. It did take a huge amount of effort.

Danger Zone

2010-12-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Whenever there is a quiet lull, I know something must be wrong. Now that Cooper is potty trained he thinks it is very cool to use mom's potty. This day he went in and didn't come out. Dad noticed it was very quiet and his parent sensors went on high alert. This is what we found. We really had to hold back the laughter because of the potentially dangerous situation this could be. However Cooper was having a grand time spinning around and around and laughing.

2010-12-21T14:38:00.000-08:00

And the Shepherds were sore afraid.

Merry Christmas from the Crazies.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-15T19:39:00.000-08:00

Look at those faces. This is what Christmas is all about.

Winter in CA

2010-12-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

There are many negative things about living in California, liberal politics, pollution, traffic, and gangs. However there is also something wonderful about living here. This is what we do in the winter.

It almost makes it worth living here.

Child Labor

2010-12-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

There is a reason that child labor is not allowed in the United States. It is less effective labor.

My sweet boys want to help with everything so they helped with my craft night by sanding blocks. Dad was quality control and pretty much re-sanded everything the boys sanded.

Then they wanted to help paint their room. While I was painting trim they filled in the blanks. Once again, they had a great time, but mom and dad repainted everything they touched. Child labor is less effective. What are those other countries thinking.

Cheaters

2010-12-07T18:59:00.000-08:00

I hosted a preschool party the other day and discovered something about my children.

Carson will try and try to "win" the donut from the string. Being completely honest.

Cooper on the other hand has learned to Cheat. How does a three year old learn the Cheat? Within 15 seconds he grabbed the donut and took a bite. Should I be concerned?

I'm pretty sure he cheated at bobbing for apples to, I just don't have any proof.

Birthday

2010-11-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Having a birthday on a holiday is lame. I don't care what anyone says, the birthday is never as important as the Holiday. This year was different for two reasons. First, being really pregnant on my 30th birthday really limits the things my family can do to make the day special. Second, my husband is not about to be out done by my negative attitude. So he provided a birthday breakfast.

The boys made me princess for a day, complete with a tiara and bling. The boys insisted I wear the crown all day, even at the Thanksgiving diner. When I tried to take it off, they both asked, "What are you doing, queens have to wear crowns." So the tiara stayed on all day. Thanks boys for making me feel special.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

HOW! Happy Thanksgiving from Indian Brave Squanto

Pumpkins

2010-11-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

My husband is a great pumpkin carver. I have always stayed with the traditional triangle faces. This year my boys picked out pretty easy face designs. Since Dad helps carve the boys pumpkins I figured it was my year to become an expert carver. So I did the haunted house. Be impressed. It took me the entire time to make one pumpkin while Dad did two pumpkins and the cleanup.

They always look cooler with the lights off.

Halloween/ PR

2010-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

For Halloween, I brought my preschool class to the nursing home for Trick or Treating. Talk about great PR. I should really start a PR company.

The residents all had balloons and candy, the kids all practiced saying Trick or Treat it was a great time had by all. My boys were a knight and buzz light year.

First Shooting Lesson

2010-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

This might seem a bit premature, considering Carson is only 4, however, look at the next picture for verification.

Have you ever seen two happier boys.
\

Scott started shooting at age 6 so this is no surprise. FYI, Carson is only allowed to practice when dad it their holding and targeting the Bebe gun. I'm not completely irresponsible:)

Update

2010-10-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

I added four posts to cover the last 2 months. I needed to do some catching up.

Cousin Craziness

2010-10-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is my family. Not extended family, just siblings their spouses and children. There were 27 of us there and we were still missing 4. It must mean I am getting old to be one on the Aunts at a family reunion.

These are the crazy cousins. Most of whom range from age 2 - 5 with a few older exceptions.

My kid is the one with the the biggest mouth.

Here he is again, with another big grin.

These are the other two belong to me. They are avid fisherman. At least on vacation. Poor Carson, sat there for 3 hours and didn't catch a single fish. How do you explain luck to a four year old? He was in tears by the time we left.

Very full day

2010-10-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

We went to Beaver, Utah for a family reunion recently. I know what you must be thinking, What in the world is there to do in Beaver? I was thinking the same thing. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised. Here are some Family pics by a lake we went fishing at.

What follows is what we did during the course on ONE day.

Scott was a cowboy and barrel raced with the best of them.

Taught the boys how to throw a lasso.

Carson thought it was more fun to be the caught than to actually throw the rope.

Watched a family rodeo, (and no, the rest of my family are not cow folk, so it was very entertaining)

Ate lots of Grandma's beef jerky.

Canoed.

Rode Horses. Yee- haw.

Not pictured things included taking a hay ride, climbing up a rock mountain wall (Cooper climbed it at age 2 1/2, I was amazed). Look for things in a hay stack. Went shooting. Took my niece to fire her first gun, it was a proud aunt moment. Realized that I was the best target shooter of the group. Watch out Wyatt Earp. Did archery. Realized that I was not the best archery shot. Scott worked me. Went back to camp and sat around a campfire. It was a very full day.

2010-10-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

Cooper's big day. He's 3. We went to Grandma Janny's to celebrate. He wanted a bug party

Look at this cool bug cake. He must a cool mom to make such a cool bug cake.

Here is the loot.

I love you Cooper-bug. I'm so proud of you, big boy. Way to go turning 3. You are growing up way to fast.

Whale Watching

2010-09-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

One of the cool thing to do in California is go whale watching. I've now been 4 times. This time we saw blue whales. Just like this one.

Ok, well not exactly like that, more like this...

But it was still cool and the boys had a great time.

Cooper kept asking when we would see a killer whale. He was pacified by the dolphins, so I got out of taking him to Alaska in the near future.

Anniversary

2010-08-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

This is the before...

This is seven years after. I Love You more now than ever babe. Happy Anniversary.

Grandpa's treasures

2010-08-25T09:05:00.000-07:00

The boys earned money with help from Grandpa. I figured I could suggest a cheap toy and save the rest for birthdays or Christmas. Carson would not hear of it. He had his heart set on this spaceship. It cost exactly the amount he earned. How do you tell a little boy who has earned his own money that he can't buy what he wants?

As you can see I couldn't figure out a way to say no. The boys are like their mother. They have the talent to pick out the most expensive things in a store.

Swim Lessons

2010-08-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Swim lessons are amazing. As soon as someone other than mom gives swimming directions the kids actually listen. Take a look at this.

Big arms and breathing all by himself. Carson I'm so proud.

Cooper was a pro. Under the water, no fear, he even touched the bottom. My favorite part was his face when he tried to close his mouth while swimming.

Skiing

2010-08-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is my rock star husband reliving his high school past time. If he wasn't snow skiing he wished he could be water skiing.

He looks great huh. This is the rest of us. The boys had a great time tubing. We hit a whopping 5 miles per hour. Thumbs up Dad. I did go skiing too but we have no pictures to document it. Why is it, that there are usually never pictures of the mom?

Yee-Haw!!

2010-08-12T20:19:00.000-07:00

There’s nothing better for a mans soul than being outside on a Horse.

Howdy Partner. Ride ‘em Cowboy. Giddy up.

Jet Ski Day

2010-08-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

Jet ski day in Idaho. I'm still catching up on my Idaho posts.

Grandma Jean gone wild.

Carson and Cooper gone wild, Summer 2010.

We really need a dog.

2010-08-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

This is what people do who are desperate for a dog. They take sheep for a walk. We really need a dog.

She made me do it.

2010-07-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, my wife did make me catch a chicken so Cooper could pet it.

But look how happy he is. It was so worth it.

Grandview

2010-07-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Grandma Field and "Grandpa" Howard in Grandview. This was the best pit stop on our long 18 hour drive to McCall.

Boys and their tractors. Uncle Howard letting the boys drive his brand new tractor. This is a family tradition.

They start this tradition as young boys, in fact Scott actually rode this exact same small tractor as a boy.

Hard Working Men

2010-07-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

These are my Hard working men. And for the first time ever, I didn't have to redo the chore after they did it. Way to go boys.

Camping Prep

2010-07-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

The boys are very excited to go to Idaho and go camping so we had some practice rounds cooking hot dogs in the back yard fire pit.

Home Depot

2010-07-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

On the First and Third Saturdays of each month all Home Depots everywhere host a free work project. The boys can use hammers and screwdrivers to build a new project. We look forward to it every month. Here they are working hard and focusing.

Finished product. Three happy hard working men. Thanks Robert and Angelisa for introducing this tradition to us.

The Lone Ranger

2010-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

We found the original black and white episodes of "The Lone Ranger". Did you know that this is him...

Ok, well one of these cowboys is him. But to my kids, they are both him. This is Grandpa Phil, aka the Lone Ranger. During the shows the boys would say, "Look, there is Grandpa Phil" Its a greats show. Bad guys, gun fights, the good cowboy always wins.

These are my Lone Rangers. They played cowboys the rest of the day. Here's to you Grandpa Phil.

Chance of a lifetime

2010-05-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

In every family you have a wild one. In my family it happens to be my mom. For 35 years she has wanted to go on a photo safari and feed the animals at the wild animal park. Her 58th birthday was last week and it was time to unleash the cougar within her. (copywrite of this paragraph and pic belong to my sister Joy. She has a knack for saying just the right thing.)

Mom decided to take her favorite child with her. (me of coarse) and there we are, all introspective.

Oh wait, these guys came along to. Joy, Mike, Carly, Mom, and Mom's favorite. I don't know why parents say there aren't favorites. Everyone knows its me. :)

If you ever wanted to know exactly how close you come to the animals on these tours, this is how close.

It was a great day. I should have stuck with my elementary dream of being a zoo veterinarian. I'm already a pro. As long as someone else preps all the food and does all the clean up.

This picture is your reward for making it to the end of this entry. This is the best picture of the day. I call it. La Lengua.

Beach

2010-04-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

Look at this picture, it almost looks romantic. Lets just pretend it was for a minute...

At the beach a sunset... still romantic...

Back to reality, crazy children are the fastest way possible to sabotage any lovie moment.

Back to romance....

This is Gma Jean. She is single. She loves long walks on the beach. Reading books by firelight. Christmas lights in the snow. She is a return missionary. She is looking for men from the ages of 25 to 70. She is going to kill me for posting this, but no worries her children are all grown and are not a hindrance to romance.

Feel the love Gma Jean.

Fun with Grandma Jean

2010-04-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

In the eyes of children....

This is my Grandma Jean. She is from Idaho. That is where Santa lives with all the snow. She came to visit in March. Mom's need to go to time out for slacking with this blog.

San Diego zoo with Grandma Jean.

Reading with Gma Jean, she has way more patience for reading than mom. Gma Jean would even read the long books with lots of words.

Picking citrus with both my Grandma's. They gave me lots of oranges to take home. I threw some at brother.

Cooper getting squished by an elephant. look at that drama. Don't worry he lived.

I love Gma Jean.

Fisherman

2010-04-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

This is one of my hubby's favorite fatherhood moments. Just sitting back watching his boys fishing. Just like his dad used to do with him. Granted there was no actual fish caught or taken home, it was the thrill of the cast and the sense of accomplishment of watching his sons in the great outdoors. Men have odd moments of parenthood bliss.

Grandma Jeanne was there to make sure to the boys learned just how Grandpa Phil would have taught them. I bet he was smiling from heaven.

Way to go boys, you just made your dad's day.

Easter

2010-04-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Looking through for all the goodies

Cooper's favorite find "The Snail"

Carson on the hunt.

Surprise visit from the Easter Bunny. All in all a great day.

2010-03-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

Look at that great big pile of dirt.

And its free dirt. You just have to shovel it yourself.

What's the catch? Nothing is ever free right. Well this is kind of like recycled dirt.

This is why its free. Its manure. GROSS!!! My husband is still trying to make me more of a country girl. Lets be honest, just because it's old poop doesn't mean its dirt. It's still poop. I better get huge wife points for shoveling poop.

old snow day post

2010-03-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

The same time it rained at our house, it was snowing up in the mountains. So my mountain man husband was itching to get out and play in it. Most people stay inside, read a book with a cup of hot chocolate, but not my mountain man.

Action shot... It is only ok to throw snowballs at DAD. When the boys saw the snow they asked, "Are we in idaho?"

You know you live in southern California if you use a boogie board to go sledding.

old update post rainy days

2010-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

I love little boys.

I love big boys too.

and they love the rain.

We figured everything would get wet anyway, so why where sock and shoes.

Way to go dad! Thanks for creating a dad/son moment. You are the coolest dad around.

it snowed in hell

2010-02-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows my husband, will know that he is not fond of living in California. So this blog is dedicated to him. The other day it hailed as part of a heavy rain storm. I heard this phrase coming from the front door. "Look honey, it is snowing in Hell." I guess Hell has finally frozen over and we are still living in California.

daddy's helpers

2010-02-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

The best way to teach a child to work, is to work along side him.

Granted, it does take twice as long to complete the project and clean up after the children, but there was a parenting moment in there somewhere.

Kissing

2010-02-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

At what age does mother affection come taboo? This is my two year old. He is convinced that I am "his woman!!"

This is what is does in front of Dad to mark is territory. Notice the vice like grip he has on my head. He will stay like this, until Dad comes over and says "Hey, that's my woman!" and tickles him. Sometimes for a whole minute. My face is wet all over by the time he's done, but its worth my son still liking kissing his mom.

Carson's Birthday

2010-02-15T18:55:00.000-08:00

My little baby in now 4. Who thought I would ever be old enough to have a 4 year old child. The original plan was to go to a pirate shaped playground and let 9 boys and 1 girl run a muck outside. We were rained out. Thank goodness for the Chruch gym. Happy Birthday Carson!!!!

Appreciate the tablescape. Just take a last minute craft, beach towel, boat and waa-laa. Totally looks planned.

The birthday boy is in the middle, with the hat. He's looking at his treasure chest cake, made by dad.

After attacking the pirated dressed punching bag, jumping on it, sitting on it. It survived. I was counting on the party to break it, but alas, it is the gift that keeps on giving. Once again, thanks grandpa.

Rainy Day part 2

2010-01-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

Today I had a fond memory from my childhood. My mom used to make homemade play dough. There were 6 of us kids, so the batches were huge. I didn't think anything of this memory until today. I was making the same play dough recipe and the smell hit me. The smell of salt, flour and alum. It is not necessarily a pleasant smell, but today it was a great reminiscent smell. Thanks goes out to my mother who taught me how to make play dough and pass this memory on to my children. You are the greatest mom in the world. I love you.

The recipe is as follows for anyone who is interested.

2 cups flour

2 cups water

2 T oil

2 T powdered alum

1 cup salt

2 T vanilla (this is an improvement for the smell sency 20 years ago)
food coloring

Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of dry mashed potatoes. Remove from heat, let cool enough to knead. Add vanilla and food coloring while Kneading. The dough can be separated to make different colors. Store in ziploc bags in fridge, can last a long time without drying out.

Rainy Days

2010-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

It's been raining for days and my indoor activity creativity is at its peak of greatness. The balloons are bad guys and the heros are the guys with the swords. This activity lasted for the good part of an hour.

Things I learned this Christmas

2010-01-02T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is a list of things I didn't expect to learn this Christmas. Some were great learning experiences, others I could live without.

1. If you buy 3 gallons of Eggnog, my family can and will drink 3 gallons of Eggnog.

2. Helmets look great at age 2. They are still cute, not dorky.

3. Marines will give a toddler a dead bait fish, regardless of the parents wishes. Pee-yew!

4. Hunters will always be hunters. Even it they are electronic deer.

5. 2 red headed children the same age, is asking for trouble.

6. Grandpa's obnoxious large gift is the children's all-time favorite. Thanks Grandpa.

Post for Grandmothers

2010-01-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

This is for all the relatives who wanted to be here for Christmas.

Christmas Eve "Living" Nativity Tradition.

Joseph and a Shepard

Loving embrace between Mary and Joseph.

Christmas Morning

Santa was great. The kids loved everything.
Carson is a Rock Star, He rode his bicycle like a pro.

Naughty Children

2009-12-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

Notice anything strange about this tree? It is December 23 and there are no presents. Why?

Because Santa found out that the boys is this house were being naughty. He came during nap time and took all the presents away. Children BEWARE, this could happen to you. The only way to earn them back is by listening to mom and doing what she asks without whining.

Has anyone else noticed that the closer it gets to Christmas the naughtier children become?

christmas cheer

2009-12-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

How much would you pay for Christmas cheer? For faces covered in hot chocolate and wide smiles?

Well the people on this street pay an extra $1000 a month on their electric bill. Not to mentions the security guards and storage fees. There is a street here where every house is decked out like the Grunewald's Christmas vacation. Like 30 houses all in a row. It's amazing.

I'd say their expense is worth it :) , especially because it only cost me about 2 gallons of gas to get there. Thanks for the Christmas cheer.

Good Helpers

2009-12-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

How many boys does it take to set up a christmas tree?

One and three quarters.

How many boys does it take to change the doorknob?

One and three quarters.
The boys want to do everything with their dad. The days he is home, they are his shadow. Needless to say, not much gets done those days. I was very impressed the door knob actually got changed. Way to go dad. And your three quarters helpers.

catching up...birthday

2009-12-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

Most people try to limit their food intake a few days before Thanksgiving. Not this family. We decided to stretch our stomachs to the max with seafood. We went to Red Lobster for my Birthday lunch. The boys kept asking for more shrimp. They are their mothers children. I love shrimp. And I discovered, we all have a healthy appetite for crab legs too.

The waiter was nice enough to let us pet a lobster. We were the only ones in the restaurant so he was excited to have someone to work for. My sweet hubby left a generous tip.

Camping

2009-11-17T14:28:00.001-08:00

I have fond memories of camping. Marshmallows for dinner, hot chocolate for breakfast. A nice warm fire and cozy tent. Generally a peaceful fun experience....

Now as a parent I realize MY CAMPING MEMORIES ARE DISTORTED. Who is the person that makes the fire... parents, who makes breakfast and the hot chocolate.... parents. Who gets up in the middle of the night for potty runs... parents. Who doesn't sleep at all because they have children inside their sleeping bag to keep them warm.... parents. Who might need to buy a new air mattress because of the craziness that happened in the tent... parents.

Camping as a parent STINKS!!! I would like to publicly apologize to my parent for all the times we went camping. I realize now that is was not the peaceful, easy vacation experience. Its work all the freaking time.
This video captures the chaos of the weekend...

Rabbit

2009-11-04T19:20:00.000-08:00

Notice any resemblance....

Carson wanted a snack, so I told him to find something. This is what he came back with, an entire head of lettuce.

He was nice enough to share. Then he finished the entire lettuce

Every last bite. Just like a rabbit. I've never met a toddler who likes lettuce. Carson you are unique. I sure love you.

And the winner is...

2009-11-02T14:58:00.000-08:00

A knight, a dragon, supermom

and John Wayne.

I learned two things about my husband this Halloween. First, he has a great John Wayne impression and second, he carves awesome pumpkins. For a holiday he doesn't like, he sure contributed to it this year. Thanks honey. Feel the Love. :)

Birthday

2009-11-01T10:21:00.000-08:00

Cooper's Birthday was earlier this month. Better late than never to post about it.

I was thinking of going to grandma's house for General Conference and opening presents to keep the boys busy. No party, no cake, he's only two - he'll never remember. Than my sweet husband said No Way. So on the way to Grandma's we stopped at Alberson's and found the really neat cake. It was even better because it required no effort from me.

He loved the cake, or atleast the frosting.

His favorite present was the Cowboy outfit from Grandma Jean. Grandma Jean is a smart woman, so she sent 2 outfits, one for each boy. Thanks Grandma Jean and Hppy Birthday to Cooper.

Halloween All Month Long

2009-10-28T10:49:00.001-07:00

We are having touble deciding on a Halloween costume. These are some of the options.

A cowboy...

Dragon and Knight...

Tatoo Artist... (this was a self created costume)

or Pirates...

Everyday it is something new. I never new boys enjoy dress up every bit as much as girls do. Three days left to decide... Any suggestions?

A Real Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Usually during October, we city folks go to a pretend pumpkin patch. It is set up in the Mall parking lot, with lots of straw and giant blow up carnival type rides. There are pumpkins everywhere and all of them way over priced. The past 4 years we have gone to the parking lot pumpkin patch, snapped a few photos of the boys by pumpkins and called it a good autumn experience. This year we went back to Scott's roots. A real farm with real pumpkins still in the dirt.

During our trip to Idaho, we went to Grandview and got in touch with our inner rural selves. I probably shouldn't say "our", I should say Scott's and the boys inner rural selves.

We all had a great time. Did you know you could eat corn right off the stalk, without cooking it. It was delish.

Vance boys in there natural habitat. Don't they fit in well?

Rainy Day

2009-10-14T11:40:00.001-07:00

Today I feel like I have deprived my children. They woke up to the first rainfall of the year and said, "Mom what's that?". On the way to Dad's work, they were very excited about the windshield wipers and as soon as we got home at 7:15am they had to go outside and walk in the rain. They were outside for an hour. We have already been through pajamas, and two pair of clothes. This is what it looks like for a child to see rain for the first time.

Gross

2009-10-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

So maybe its been 5 years since we have clean our carpets. And you might notice, that the spot in the corner where the mattress was, is still clean. This is the before...

This is the after...

Amazing the difference a carpet cleaning will do. The $37 on the rug doctor and cleaning products were totally worth it.

Catching up

2009-10-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

I'm just catching up on the last few weeks. September flew by and so did my blogging time. Enjoy.

Last day at the water park

2009-09-30T08:24:00.000-07:00

Good bye Water Park. We all had major accomplishments this year.

Mom wore her hat all summer, so not to encourage skin cancer or more freckles.

Dad came to the park 3 times. He got his money's worth out of his season pass.

Carson wasn't afraid of the big kid slides. He was a pro by the end of the summer.

Cooper didn't run away from mom this year. He also conquered the Mushroom. Way to go family.

This is the proof of conquering the mushroom.

Where did he learn this.

2009-09-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

This must be another inheritated trait. He has never seen Scott or myself do this, where in the world did he learn this?

It must be from my brothers. All of my childhood they would drink like this, even from the gallons of milk. This must be a Craig inherited trait. He wasn't even embarrased when he got caught. Oh Brother!!!

Old Man

2009-09-28T08:55:00.001-07:00

Who would have ever though I would be married to such an old man. Happy Birthday Babe. 32 and still kicking.

Vance Trance

2009-09-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

My hubby goes into a "zone" or "trance" when he watches a show he is interested in. Football games, action movies, ect. I thought this was a learned behavior but this picture below proves other wise. It is a genetic characteristic of all the Vances. Cousins from three families all have the same "trance". Funny huh.

This is the rest of the gang. It had been almost four years since we were all together. I would expound on our trip but, "What happens in Idaho stays in Idaho". :)

Airport Excitement

2009-09-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

The boys were very excited about their time in the airport. Besides the actual time in the airplane, the airport was very entertaining.

Plane craziness

2009-09-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

This is the boys first plane ride. We went to Idaho. They were a little excited. Me being the genius I am brought along their toy planes to imatate all the real planes. The boys couldn't have been happier.

Then during the flight the newness wore off and we were left entertain them. Notice Scott's and my smile are a little forced. We were pooped. He is a video of the craziness that lasted all day. I do not think we will fly again as a family for a long time.

war romance

2009-09-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

Remember those stories or movies where the soldier says "This is my last night before I ship out..." Then the couple would run off and get married before he left for war. Kind of romantic huh.

Well, this war time romance still happens today. Yesterday my brother got married at the county courthouse giving the family half a day's notice.

He leaves for his third deployment on Friday and his sweet girlfriend of 2 years agreed to marry him. Way to go Mike, she is a keeper. Welcome to the family Yvonne. Wartime romance still exists.

Cool easy mom craft

2009-09-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

OK so i didn't make this idea up, but I'm still taking credit for how well it turned out. Using colored construction paper and cool whip, you can create an afternoon of finger painting.

And its non-toxic to eat the art supplies. In fact, its encouraged.

Its one of those easy things that makes you feel like a good mom, for coming up with something clever for the crazies to do.

I've been robbed

2009-09-02T12:41:00.001-07:00

This looks like a normal backyard right... Wrong. There used to be two bicycles hanging upside from the rafters. They were locked to each other, than locked to the pole.

We went to San Diego for a Day, to escape the smoke from the fires and when we came home we were missing $1700 worth of top of the line bikes. The jerks were nice enough to leave the cut chain behind.

Scott bought me this beauty for Christmas 2 years ago. Some days I hate living in California.

Carson was trying to be sympathetic, he offered, "Dad, you can ride my bike to work. I'll share". That was the only thing positive that came out of the whole day. Stupid California hooligans.

1st Lisa, Chapter 1

2009-08-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

I, Lisa having been born of goodly parents. Who provided a lifestyle of adventure and travel. To whom I am eternally indebted with gratitude and thanksgiving do here make a record of my proceedings in the lands southward, (Guatemala).

And it came to pass that giants were upon the land, who wore a bright manner of fine twined linen that could be seen for miles around.

And we traveled in the wilderness for many hours.

Whereupon we found abundant wildlife, that brought fear into the hearts of men.

And it came to pass that we came upon a land of desolation, covered with pottery shards and ruins. There were no people to be found up the face of the whole land. I found all manner of buildings, of stone and cement made with curious workmanship.

And now it came to pass that in the eight month of the two thousandth and ninth year we came upon a temple.

And behold, a man of god was brought into this land and climbed upon the walls thereof.

And declared repentance upon the people or they would be destroyed.

Many would not listen because their dehydration and high temperatures. They would rather lay on the cold floors than gather round the temple grounds.

And it came to pass that they were thrown out from the city and the temple grounds and were caused to remain in the wilderness the remainder of their days.

And it came to pass that the man of god was carried away to a promised land (Belize). The remainder of their days were spent in peace and happiness with laughter and lots of scuba diving.