Drum roll Please...

After an extremely complicated and technologically advanced number picking method, in which I laid in a lounge chair at the pool and gathered my children, and the neighbors children around me and said pick a number between one and seventeen (in which, I might add, the first number picked was eighteen...not too bright when they are waterlogged are they?) The official winner is...Number 10 April
Although I have to say, that the all time favorite (other than my birthday is weds...inside joke) is Amanda, because I know all about pouting 10 year olds who get self inflicted head wounds! She is the winner of a bottle of Advil tied with a cute ribbon.
I will get the stuff to everyone soon, I got home from the pool and was given a mysterious note from my neighbor that I had one hour to pack because I am going away for the night. Mysterious, because it is from My husband and he is supposedly in Montana for the week!
Details soon...
p.S. Thank you EVERYONE for the fantastic birthday reading, I loved hearing about all of your fun birthdays. That was the best present EVER!!!!

Happy Birthday to me

In honor of my birthday week, which, by the way, I am invoking my right to have a birthday WEEK instead of a day, I am having my very first, numero uno, happy birthday to me giveaway!
I just subbed in Bug's primary class, and the lesson was on sharing. Since I feel that I have been extremely blessed in my life, I am going to put this CTR 7 lesson into practice and share with you...but you have to share with me first!
I want to hear your favorite birthday memory...big or small. De-lurk, I'm always looking for fun new friends. And all of my fun old friends out there, you had better leave a comment...pretty please with sugar on top?! This is what I want for my birthday, to hear from all of you!
So what am I sharing with you?
a $25 Target Gift Card...my favorite place to roam...just be sure and like what you get or keep the receipt, because their return policy BITES! (but that's another post...which could be better guest written by my sister in law!)
The random drawing will be done by my children at noon on July 31st, and the winner posted here.
So what are you doing still reading this? Get to posting people!!!!

24th of July festivities

Let us in!!! We attempted to go to an ABBA impersonators concert with my whole family, which was free last year. This year it wasn't. For some manly reason, the guys were okay with not getting in, so we hung out at the park outside of the fence with a bunch of other cheapskates and heard the music for free. Here's Bug and cousins making friends with a girl on the "inside". (I bet her parents are thrilled they paid $10 for her to hang out at the fence the whole time) Notice the cute tutu's...yeah, we made them ourselves that afternoon!
hanging out on the outside with the UVU Wolverine and some random dog
Is this my man who tells other people how to be safe for a living HOLDING A FIREWORK IN HIS BARE HANDS???? yes it is.
This is what it's all about when you are 6 years old!
But it can be pretty cool at 13 also!

Chef Bug

Bug had quite the social life this past weekend, two birthday parties and going to grandma's to see her Ca. cousins. One of the parties she went to was a Ratatouille cooking party. Her friend's mom made all of the kids these cute aprons, they got chef's hats and mini spatulas. She came home with her own decorated cake in a cakebox. Cute party! Everytime I go into the kitchen to cook now she wants to help, but first has to get all geared up!

Happy Birthday mom!

Hey everyone! Sunday is my mom's b-day, and she's a pretty great lady! Do me a favor and head on over to her blog www.boyacktidbits.blogspot.com
and leave her a happy birthday message! It's just plain good karma! (and it will get you all warmed up for my birthday in a few weeks!)

sisterly love

We are in the process of consolidating our 4 girls into two bedrooms so my sister and her chidren can move in with us while my bro in law is in Iraq for a year. The basement isn't quite ready yet, so they are moving upstairs with us for a while.
As we were taking a walk last night, dramaqueen turned to me and said "mom, do you know what the best part about me moving in with dancingqueen is?"
No, what?"
"when she is having a sleepover...I can walk right in and ruin the whole party!" (insert self satisfied smile HERE)

Love at home, people, love at home
That is what our family is all about....

so I need to know...can you tie a knot in a cherry stem with your tongue? I found out tonight that Dan can. Aren't I the lucky one!

You need me to WHAT???

Have you ever had that thought that you will be having to do something that is not horrible, just not what you want to do? Then circumstances come up and you think you get out of it, but then the universe realigns and you end up doing it anyway? Yeah, me too. I have thought ever since we got on the bus after trek that I would be giving a talk about it. I even started putting it together in my head (don't mock me...I like to be prepared) Then we decided to go to Arizona for my awesome nephew's ordination. (and some pool time with my favorite roomie from college who I don't see nearly enough). Well, midway through the week, his ordination gets postponed. We thought about going somewhere else, but everything kind of fell thru. I knew that this was the Sunday for the trek talks, and knew I was in the clear, but still felt like I would be speaking, which is completly illogical. Sat evening, in the middle of Kung Fu Panda, Dan gets a phone call. He came back laughing. The Bishop needed someone to fill in, and since we were in town...
I saw our Bishop at a reception an hour or two later and asked if the ward would mind financing my chance to see the movie a second time, since I couldn't really concentrate on the whole second half. Actually, I have decided that this is the way to give talks. I don't stress about it all week and ruin everyone's good time. It was on a subject that was near and dear to my heart, so it was easy to prepare, and I'm pretty sure the Bishopric was just so glad to have speakers that they really didn't care if it was any good!!!!

What moms REALLY do when the kids are at camp

Dancingqueen left for camp with her buds for a week. It's pretty cool, because it is girls from all over the region, just in her age group. She will be home for the weekend, then leaves again on Weds for girl's camp. What is a grieving group of moms supposed to do? After all, We actually have to watch the younger kids again, no more free babysitter (I tell her I would pay her, but then she would have to pay for her own cell phone bill...!!) no more having someone fetch the bonbons while we sit and watch our "stories"... It's been a long week, I tell ya! so, a little therapy was in order...

SPA PEDICURES
(can you hear the angels singing ?????)


nothing says, "Firstborn, I miss you", like going out with your own buds to get a pedi. I think I can make it til Friday now!


Disclaimer I don't actually watch "stories'...just in case you were wondering!!!!! I have enough drama in real life...don't need to watch it on TV during the day!

Happy? 4th of July

We went to our hometown parade for the 4th. It was actually quite entertaining where we were sitting. We had a brawl almost break out right in front of us, then got flashed by the lady sitting in front of us when she went to adjust her camp chair and her shorts came all. the. way. down. HELLO! Then, the funniest thing ever, a Tuba player broke formation to say hi to his peeps (do tuba players have peeps? cause that would make him a tuba playa) A teenage groupie broke thru our little crowd to get a hug from him, and in their awkward excitement he NAILED her on the head with his tuba. It totally made a hollow ringing sound. Dan described it as the sound of her dignity hitting the ground...we couldn't stop laughing for like 10 minutes. In fact, I can't stop laughing now as I relive it in my head. It was Napoleon Dynamite awkward, which in turn made it that much funnier.

sweet nectar of the gods

This is a representation of what Dan takes pictures of when he has the camera during the parade. This, and every firetruck, hazmat truck and possible military vehicle.

So, halfway thru the parade we turn to find Crazygirl on all fours in the grass behind us, puking her brains out. Pack it up...we're going home!!!!!!!! We hung out at home for the rest of the day, with crazygirl napping, while daddy and the girls watched a marathon of Beach patrol. (like cops, only about lifeguards). Snore! After that family bonding we went to the fireworks at the city park, because crazygirl was feeling tons better. They were supposed to start at 10:30. (Supposed to being the key words, they didn't start until almost 11) At 9:45 I notice all of my girls are crashed. No one can ever accuse our family of being all night party animals

I wonder where they get it from...

4 days off and nowhere to go

We can't seem to make up our mind. We have 4 days off work...prime vacation time you might say. The problem is, half the nation also has the same 4 days off. We thought to go to Mt Rushmore and watch the fireworks in a truly patriotic fashion, but the website said 20,000 other people also have the same idea. Ummmm, can you see the traffic jam in THAT parking lot? Sorry, not worth the 10 hour drive, we'll go visit the stone cold presidents later in the summer thank you very much. Camping...now THAT would be fun. Oh, everyone else has the same idea? Sorry, our idea of camping is not to reach out of our tent to be able to knock on your tent's door. Maybe next weekend. Stay home and watch the hometown parade on the 4th? Our hometown parade people don't know how to say no...we have always left around the 3 hour mark, after hearing they are only about halfway done with the parade entries. (you think i'm kidding?) Fireworks, well, that is a long, sad story in our family, starting with the summer we were engaged, 15 years ago. We went to a park to watch the fireworks, spread out our blanket, amazed at the incredible spot we got. Low and behold, 2 hours later when they actually started, we realized why we got such a prime spot. The fireworks were behind the trees...we saw only the tips. On average, 6 of the 15 years, we have gotten the equivilant of that same ill-fated spot.
We are better off watching the fireworks from our front porch, although we don't get the heartpounding BOOM that makes it truly feel like the 4th of July to me.
I suggested that we can stay home and clean, but that went over like a rock. My next suggestion is to stay home, camp in the backyard(flush toilets, hot showers!!!) watch fireworks from the porch and carve the presidents out of sticks of butter. There. I've solved it. Everyone is happy. But what do you care? You are all at Mt Rushmore or camping!!!
Happy 4th of July everyone!