Fathers and Sons, Girls' Night Out

Friday night was the Fathers and Sons camp out for the boys, and girls' night out for the girls. Kent took the boys after school. They did whatever guys do when they camp that night, and then went shooting on the way home. On Saturday morning Natalie and I went to pick up the co-op food, got Dunkin' Donuts and then I made guacamole.

Here's the new tent that Kent got at Costco. It sleeps 8 people, but I doubt that our whole family will ever sleep in it. Justin setting up to shoot.
Trevor takes his aim.

Drew walked around with the ear muffs (???) to drown out the loud snaps of the gun.

Bailey DeTemple, Natalie and I went to see the new Hannah Montana movie. The Savages were going to come with us, but they were all sick so they didn't make it. After the movie we went to dinner at Applebee's. (Sorry for the poor picture quality. I used my camera phone because I sent the digital camera with Kent.)

Cole Dog

Last night our dog, Cole, started having a really hard time breathing. He was lying around and not looking up at us. We told the kids that we thought tonight was our last night with him, and Kent and I started crying, as did Justin and Trevor. Natalie started laughing at all of us because we were crying. Then I explained what I meant, and the next time I looked at her I realized she was crying too. The only one who didn't cry was Drew. He just said to us that Cole was "goin' get him's new body wif Heavenly Father", and then he looked at just like, "Duh." We then had a great FHE about the Plan of Salvation, and then spent the rest of the evening petting Cole and talking to him. We expected him to pass during the night. This morning when we woke up he was still here, but his breathing was still really labored.

One of the few pictures from last night that Cole was not lying down on his side. He LIVED for people to pet him. If you petted him once, he would not let you stop.

One of Cole's favorite things was ice cream. We didn't know this until we lived with Grandpa Duane for a few months while our current house was being completed. Cole was too weak to eat from the bowl last night so I gave him some on a spoon.

Trevor was only able to stay outside for a few minutes. He took this very hard.

This morning after I got the kids got off to school Kent and I took him to the vet (Kent had to pick him up and carry him... not easy as he weighs almost 100 pounds). They were really nice, talked to us and told us what was going to happen. They made a clay paw print for us to keep, and then they put him down. We were right there next to Cole, and the doctor was very kind, and sat on the floor right next to Cole too. It was very peaceful, and Cole didn't feel any pain. Of course that didn't stop us from crying.

We've had Cole since May 1997. We got him when Justin was just a baby. He was a great dog. He had a great disposition, let the kids climb all over him, pull his ears and tail, and never once bit anyone. We're sure going to miss him.

I think Smokey (our miniature schnauzer) is going to miss him too. They were good buddies. He stayed right by Cole all morning. He growled at Kent and tried to bite him when he went to pick Cole up to take him to the vet. I let him smell my hands when we came home so he could smell the Cole was gone. He's crying right now, and doing his patrol to find Cole.

New Family Photos

After church today I decided to snap photos of everyone in their Sunday outfits. I just bought Natalie the cutest little sundress earlier in the week, and it was so cute. I really wanted to curl her hair in ringlets, but she just wanted very loose curls so it didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to. Oh well. She still looked darling. My red hibiscus flowers are in full bloom right now so I thought that it would be a great backdrop. Unfortunately my grass is kind of brown. I think we might need to reseed.

Natalie in her cute little dress.
Here I am. I didn't want to include any pictures of me because with the steroid injections I've had everything is out of control- my hormones, my acne and now my weight. I haven't actually gained any weight, but I look fuller in the face and tummy. It usually goes away in a month or two, but it's taken longer this time. Makes me feel like a fat cow, but as long as it goes away all is well.

Kent and Drew. He's Dad's buddy right now.

Justin in one of his cool guy poses. I'm so glad I got a picture of him smiling. He has to get 6 teeth pulled on Tuesday, so I hope he'll still smile after that!

My little Trev Man. He talked to us after church the whole way home about what he learned in class.

My boys being silly.

My boys doing a nice pose. Drew was reluctant to do a "nice" pose. Seriously, is he not the cutest kid? I love him!

Here is one of my red hibiscus.

Here's one of the newest hibiscus. I think it's got the most beautiful flowers. It opens up every day, and then closes up at night. Usually the other 2 open too, but they didn't today. Probably because of the 100 degree temp we had.

Tween angst

I have so much more empathy for my mother than I ever did before. I simply did not recognize that boys, too, go through the horrible, I mean, fun, tween stage. Being the oldest of 6, 5 of us being girls, I'm sure that we had more emotional outbursts than Justin has. He is still such a sweet boy, but he's now starting to say and do things that he never did before. And his body is starting to change. Yikes! My only brother was waaaaaaaaaaaay down the line at #5, so I wasn't living in the same house when he was going through all that. I don't know what to tell Justin so I tell him to talk to Kent.
I'm prepared to talk to Natalie about the joys of being a woman, of dealing with those monthly trials (before, during and after each cycle) and bras. Well, we're already talking bras because she is, and always has been, obsessed with my bras. (Ask Jennifer and Bailey DeTemple and anyone else who was near the Kohl's dressing room last year at this time... something about my "big, blue bra" coupled with hysterical giggling/laughter. I may have even posted about it.)
Boys, though, not so much. What changes do they go through? Do I really want/need to know? That's what dads are for, right? I have noticed that he's changing. He used to look like a boy, but now he's starting to look so much more mature. How is it possible that in 4 1/2 short months I will be the mother of a teenager? I'm too young!

Plumbing Problems

Ugh! I hate those! On Wednesday night I went to get the dish soap out so I could wash some bowls that were too big for the dishwasher. When I lifted it up I noticed that the bottle was dripping water. Wait, what? It's not supposed to be wet. So I looked down and realized that the entire cabinet was filled with 1/8" - 1/4" of standing water. That freaked me out a little bit so I quickly pulled everything out and put towels in to soak up all the extra water. The dishwasher was running, but we just it a couple months ago, and the technicians installed it so I hoped that wasn't the problem. I watched the hoses and there wasn't any water coming from anywhere. Then I ran the water from the faucet and within a few seconds it was dripping from the bottom of the disposal. The pipes were all fine, no dripping anywhere. All the connections seemed secure. Since Kent was still out of town I put a bowl to catch the water until he could come. We ended up getting a new disposal, and it seems to be a lot better. Kent started to install it last night, but we didn't have plumber's putty so we had to wait until the store was open this morning. It's all done now, and the leaks seems to be gone. I've got a bowl under the disposal again just in case we didn't fix it. Boy, am I glad for a husband that knows how to fix things. We're both pretty handy, and it saves a ton of money, and a lot of time.

Trevor's honesty

Today I had a craving for guacamole. I've actually had it for a few weeks, but didn't do anything about it until today. I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients. I came home, cut everything up, and when the boys came home from school, they both said, "Oh! Are you making salsa?!" I told them I was using some of the same ingredients as salsa, but I was making guacamole. That earned me a look of confusion from both boys, and raised eyebrows. I explained that I would be adding avocados, and their expressions turned from confusion to disgust. (I've taught them that fish is disgusting, and Kent has taught them that tomatoes, avocados and pickles are gross. I guess we're even!)
Anyway, a while later I was stirring everything together, and Trevor came in to sneak a peek. He wrinkled his nose and told me, "Wow. That looks disgusting." I said, "Well, thanks for telling me that" with a little eye roll. He said, "Well, it might not taste disgusting. It might just look disgusting." I told him he wasn't helping himself by saying anything more. He continued to watch me stir it. Then I tasted it to see what I needed to add to it. He asked if he could try it, and then he said, "Oh. This is really good. It looks really nasty, but it tastes really good. Good job, Mom."
Leave it to Trevor. He's so honest. If you ever want to know what he thinks just ask. He'll tell you. He's also (brutally) honest about how people look in their clothes. If you think you look fat/bad/other, ask him, and he'll tell you straight out. Others might lie or beat around the bush, but Trevor sure won't! Don't believe me? Ask him for yourself! But you've been warned! LOL!

200th post- Dedicated to Kent

My 200th post... Wow. I'm blogging a lot more than I used to. I thought it would be a good time to put a little plug-in for Kent. He has been Dallas all week for his company's fiscal year kick-off. We weren't sure if he was going to get a ticket there or not because they were doing layoffs, and didn't make anything official. Nothing better than letting your employees wonder if they're still going to have a job or not, right?
Apparently (Kent must have forgotten to tell me), Kent was nominated for the President's Club. The sales person Kent supports gets the highest sales in the company annually, and always gets an award from the President's Club. It usually comes with a trip and a gift. Last year's trip was and all expenses paid trip for 2 to Hawaii for a week. 14 sales people won a place in the Club this year, and 8 non-sales people won. Kent was among the 8 non-sales people that won. He got a cool Apple MacBook (yay! we'll finally have an Apple in the house!), some Godiva truffles, and a paper to fill out to send something to the spouse. The company president isn't sure if there's going to be enough money to do a trip this year, I'm hoping they'll find it somewhere (maybe the pres's bonus).
Kent was also gone last week. He and some of his friends from his younger days (he's known at least some of them since elementary school) went on their annual guys' trip. This year they went to Forest Lakes again. They took their quads, rode all day, camped at night and did whatever it is that guys do. Oh, it snowed on them too. I told him the weather report so he took 2 sleeping bags and a tent. He was the only one who didn't get wet I think. Here are some of the pictures from their trip...

I love water pictures so I had to include this. Thanks to Steve for taking pictures!
Left to right- Kent Noorda, Wes Lueck, Jason Sanders, Tim Maddock, Steve Thomas

Kent and Tim trying to warm up by the fire. Kent is not a fan of the snow or being cold. I imagine he was thinking how jealous I would be when I learned that they got snow.

Wes (I think), Tim and Kent. I really have no idea what they're doing there... although I do have a pretty creative mind, and some funny ideas...

Here's a picture of the area where they stayed. So pretty. I love the snow.

Drew's preschool Easter party

Drew's Easter party was last Thursday. For him when there's a change in the normal routine he has a little freak out session, and shuts down. This day was no different. I doubt we'll ever be able to get him to a school party on time. Different day, different time, different routine... not good things for his psyche yet, I guess!Drew insisted on riding his bike the entire way to and from the party. It took him an hour to decide that he would actually go to the party, and then I had to follow along the side of the road in Kent's Honda. The only problem was that the front two windows of his car don't work so I had to open the back two windows and the sun roof and yell to him when he should cross the road. It was so embarrassing! (Not him riding... me driving Kent's car like that.) A picture of the little boys. They decorated their Easter bags, then went across the street as a group to hunt for their eggs.Drew found all sorts of eggs in good hiding places. He LOVED going on the hunt!Me and my baby Drew. He wanted to have me follow him and take pictures while he went on the hunt. I love this kid- quirks and all!
Natalie joined us at the end of the party. I tried to snap a picture of her, but she tried running away. I still managed to snap one. Like the cool tights?!

Completed Blankets

Yay! They're done. I finished both Natalie and Drew's blankets in the last few days. Here are pictures of Natalie's new blanket. So fun! She wanted pink for the back, and a print for the front. She chose a print with little Scotties on it. I think she thought they were schnauzers like our dog Smokey. While she was at school I finished sewing the binding around the blanket, then washed and dried it. She LOVES it!

A small update on Drew's blanket

On Thursday morning I took Justin to a doctor's appointment. Kent stayed home to work a bit to help me out because Drew was still asleep. He had fallen asleep on the family room floor at some point during the night or very early morning. Justin had forgotten something at home so before I took him back to school we stopped at home. I stayed in the car, and my FIL Duane stopped by. I told him about Drew not using his new blanket because it was "itchy". I told him that if Drew wouldn't use it I'd give it to someone else because I spent enough time on it that I didn't want to give it away to just anyone. After our little conversation Duane went inside, grabbed a handful of my chocolate chip cookies (the recipe is on my craft blog if you want it), and said hi to Drew, who had woken up while Justin and I were at the doctor's office. Then he left with a handful of cookies, and continued on his walk. When I came back from dropping Justin off I went inside and told Drew that if he really couldn't use the blanket because it was itchy that we could give it to Grandpa Duane or Justin because they would use it. Drew looked at me like I had just turned green and sprouted a second head, and then said, "No, Mom! It's my blankie. I gonna sweep with it tonight!" And he did. And he's sleeping with it again tonight. I guess it's not so itchy after all!

Pilates or Yoga? That is the question...

Last night I did pilates. And I played a little baseball out front with Justin. I really love playing baseball/softball. I played on fast pitch city league softball teams for several seasons, and when I was in YW. My old ward in Chandler also played women's softball, so I was thrilled whenever the season rolled around. My position for my city league was usually shortstop, but I occasionally was pitcher catcher, 1st base or left field. I could do any of the bases, but they weren't as much fun as shortstop. I guess I didn't really play baseball, but I did keep hitting the ball and had Justin chase down the balls. The wind was blowing pretty good, so depending on the way the wind blew he might not have to run too far. When I was done hitting the wiffle balls for Justin I went inside to do pilates. Natalie joined me. At several points during the workout I thought, "Dear Lord, why am I doing this? I think I'm going to die. Please don't let me cry or cuss in front of the kids!" Then this morning I thought the same thing... only when I would lift my arms, stand up, sit down, turn, bend down or reach up. It hurt in my bad SI joint, my back, my abs from top to bottom, and in my upper arms. Mostly it just hurt in my bad SI joint and lower back so I didn't really notice the other pains as much. I'm not sure if the pain in the joint and back was caused by hitting the ball or the pilates. When I figure it out I'll probably avoid that one.
Anyway... tonight I tried yoga. It was right up my alley. I do several of these poses already in my daily stretching routine. I felt totally relaxed when I was done. Now I just have to see how I feel in the morning. I don't really expect to hurt, though, because this was so relaxing. I'm thinking I can do either of these things every day and see if it helps relieve my back pain. Hopefully something will work!

Drew's Completed Blanket

Natalie, Rylie and Drew played while I was sewing the binding onto the quilt. They made popcorn mixed with Flaming Hot Cheetos and ice cubes. By the time it was all done (and I made them throw it out) it looked like... well, I'm sure you can imagine. Not pretty, but they sure had fun making it!

I finally finished it today. Yay! Drew was so excited, and loved wrapping himself up in it this afternoon. When it was bedtime he was excited to sleep with it. Then he started complaining. When he doesn't want to wear a particular shirt he'll say it itches. Today we had to try on 3 different shirts before we found one that didn't itch. If he would have told anyone which shirt he wanted to wear it would have been so much easier. But I guess it's more fun for us to bring him several shirts, and then have him say that they itch so he can't wear them. Anyway, tonight at bedtime he started saying he couldn't use his new blanket because it itches. Ugh! Now what am I going to do? At least it looks cute...Mom, I'm sure you'll be disappointed, but I don't pin when I sew. I hate it. It takes so much time to put them in, then you have to remove them as you go along, it's just a pain. (That's part of the reason I can't make clothing. I'm real good at hemming, though!)

See how happy I am to be done?!

Drew checks out his blanket for the first time.

It passes muster. (This is his new expression for the camera when he's happy or excited.)

After I was done with the blanket I got to fold the laundry. I won't let anyone else do it. I don't even like anyone to touch it after I've had surgery. Seriously. It has to be just so. If someone does it (cough *Mom* cough), I have to dump the baskets out and redo them. I sure hope I never break a hand. My laundry OCD would probably give me fits!

Natalie and Rylie were playing some game with the little Easter chicks they made. They put them in the really large eggs and I really couldn't follow what they were saying. They had a fun time, though.

Pilates anyone?

I decided that I wanted to try something new with my workouts. My neurosurgeon has wanted me to do the elliptical machine at the gym. I tried it once, and the pain in my back was so intense immediately after I got on it I thought I was going to fall on the ground and cry. (Not something I really care to do in a public setting.) So I quickly eliminated that from my workout repertoire. He also suggested the treadmill... no running, but walking or light jogging. I was doing that until I started having problems with my SI joint. Then it was back to the recumbent bicycle. No biggie. I could do my cardio there, and then move on to the weights. After a while, though, it got boring so I decided to try out another of his suggestions... pilates. I am going to start tonight. My sister Amy says it's very relaxing. I hope so. I haven't done it before, only know that Madonna does it and she looks pretty awesome. I don't know how similar it is to yoga, but I think there might be some similarities. I took a yoga class at the gym once, but I can't do it again. I must far too immature. Everyone kept passing gas, and I couldn't stifle all my giggles. The teacher shot me a look after my second or third snicker. I just couldn't help myself. At least if I do that while I'm doing pilates I'll be doing it in the privacy of my own home... We'll see how it goes!

That darn dollar store!

There is a new dollar store across the street. I hate that place! My kids love going there with their friends and blowing some of their money. When it's only a dollar or two I don't mind so much. Yesterday Trevor went with some of his birthday money, and came back $23.05 poorer. (He made sure I knew the exact amount he spent, down to the cent.) Oh! My! Gosh! What the heck?! He was so proud of himself. He bought something for everyone in the family, a few things for himself, dropped a few small things off with some neighbors and didn't feel at all bad about losing all that money. Ugh! That store is of the devil! I told him he isn't allowed to go back until the end of summer, and even then it has to be with one of us (Kent or myself).
BTW, I am holding onto the rest of his birthday money so he won't be able to go back to the store and the rest of his money. I am just sick. I know that we've taught him better money management skills.
For those of you out-of-staters, the high is going to be 92 today. Yuck! I hate the heat. Please send some of your cool weather and rain our way!

Conference Weekend

Saturday was Trevor's birthday (as I mentioned in a previous post), so we used our DVR to record both sessions of Conference. It's the only problem with his birthday being when it is. Conference is usually the weekend after his birthday, and he's got a couple of friends with birthdays 2 days before his so they end up having their parties on the previous weekend... then we're stuck with Conference weekend. What can you do? I finished tying Drew's new blanket on Saturday night. Yay! So glad that's done, but now I have to start Natalie's. There has got to be an easier solution to tying a quilt. Until then I'll do it the way I've always done it. I also have to sew the binding on. Yuck. I hate that part! :-)
I couldn't sleep on Saturday night so I slept in a bit on Sunday. We watched the morning conference when I woke up, took a quick break for lunch and then watched afternoon conference. Trevor kept saying that it was really interesting, and not at all boring "like it used to be." I think that both he and Justin got a lot more out of it with the notes I made them take. I felt it was especially important because Justin holds the priesthood now. I took notes and started on another baby blanket. I'm on the second row now, and it's going so much faster than the other ones. One of these days I'm sure I'll be able to whip them out.
Today I took Trevor in for his 10 year well check. He's down in the weight percentage wise, and up a bit in height. He's grown about 6 inches this last year. Wow! Everything else is good. When Natalie got home from school we ran all of our errands. They loved it because I let them each get a new book, and I got one for the older boys. The author of the book was at their school last week, but he sold out of his books so I got them one from the bookstore because they wanted to have one.
Well, I've gotta run. I have to pick the boys up from school, take Justin to physical therapy, and then get Natalie ready for ballet. So fun!

A party and a blanket- updated with pictures

The birthday boy with his cake

So this year we did Trevor's party a week after his actual birthday. He went to his friend Marcos' party last Saturday (Trevor's actual birthday), and we did his this Saturday. He chose to have his party at Climbmax Gym in Tempe so they could go rock climbing. (I didn't realize how naughty that name could be until we were walking in.) I had a heck of a time trying to find things for the gift bags that went along with the theme. I finally ended up finding Pop Rocks, water bottles, energy drink packets and then some candy because I couldn't find anything else.

Kent helping Brandon E. get ready to climb.Natalie was getting nowhere fast without any shoes, but she sure tried!Melia and SydneyJustin as he reaches the top of the wall he climbed.

A few of his friends were total monkeys, and scaled the walls like it was second nature to them. Allan, who was belaying for them, issued a challenge. He said whoever got up to the top the wall fastest would get a dollar. Two of Trevor's friends went up so fast that I was sure they wouldn't be beaten (27.1 and 26.3 seconds). Then Trevor went up and was up in 16.3 seconds. I had no idea he could do it so fast. My youngest sister Katie, her ex boyfriend John and Kent also belayed. I took pictures as best I could.

Kent getting trained while the others had already started climbing.

Allan all set up to belay.

Kent decided to try climbing.

The kids got hungry about 1 1/2 hours after we started and ate 3 large pizzas in record time. We practically had to make them stay in long enough to eat cake. Then they went out to climb some more before Trevor could open his presents. I guess they really liked climbing.

I had to include this picture of Melia and the guy who worked there. He carried her around like this for so long. It was hilarious.

I got to sit down when not snapping pictures.

After the party we came home, and I got back to work on Drew's blanket. I finished tying it last night. All I need to do is take it off the frame and add the binding to the edge. He's very excited. Natalie is waiting very (im)patiently for her blanket too. Since Drew's birthday is first I finished his first. I think I can finish tying Natalie's blanket today if I get started in the next couple hours. She will be thrilled for a while, and I can take the blanket she's been using and get rid of it. It's my old blanket that has completely fallen apart, with no hope of saving... I'm gonna miss that thing! It has been well-loved.