Is it just me?

Or is the sky a little bluer today, the grass a little greener, are the birds singing in your neighborhood? Is it not just a fan-freakin'-tastic day??

I'm walking on sunshine. Oooo-oooo. I'm walking on sunshine. Oooo-oooo. And it's startin' to feel good!!

I love the first day of school!!
The kids were all excited to go---their excitement doesn't hold a candle to my own---but, I am so happy they were all happy to be off and away.

Let's have a little run down of what I've accomplished so far. Oh, and I am far from done. Far from it.

• Cleaned the kitchen (i know, i do that every day. i'm still counting it)
• Swept and mopped
• Cleaned the kids bathroom
• Cleaned my bathroom
• Wiped down all the doors, door knobs, and door jams
• Reorgan-sized and refolded everything in the linen closet (a summer of fort making takes a toll)
• Cleaned and organ-sized Audrey's room
• Cleaned and organ-sized the girls room
• Wiped down all the shelves in the pantry
• Been thoroughly entertained by Grant
• Enjoyed a delish grilled cheese and fresh from the garden tomato sandwich

I am a cleaning machine to be reckoned with. I am woman here me roar! Nothing makes me happier than cleaning. Weird, but true. Cleaning uninterrupted and not having everything undone with in moments is pure heaven in my book. That and fresh from the oven ooey gooey chocolatey goodness, in almost any form. Those two things. Just love 'em.

Lest I sound like a mother who doesn't adore the fruit of her loins....let me say, in my defense, this has not been a normal summer. Life has not been 'normal' for a while around here. I'm gonna be honest here and say that it is a sometimes daily battle just to keep on keepin' on with a smile. Well, I'm smiling today!

I do adore my little peeps. I even got choked up saying good bye to them this morning. Don't forget we had a lot of changes this year--I sent Adam to middle school, Audrey to intermediate school and Elsie to first grade this year. That's a big deal. And it was kinda hard to walk away from my sweet little Elsie-girl.

I did get over it pretty quickly though.

Oh, and p.s. how happy am I that I still have Grant D-lish with me. I am WAY too young to have All the kiddos in school.

They're happy.
I'm happy.
Let's just say it like it is.
School is a win/win situation for every one involved.

Correction.

Stop the presses!
I know you all are planning you whole life around the parents back to school party.
I've got some news....
Please do not freak out.
It has not been canceled.
It has been postponed.
The hostess with the mostest, our lovely Sarah is a no-can-do this Friday.
Soooo, we are going to do it next Friday, August 21st, at 8:30 pm. at the Weston's.

Be there or be...well, or don't be there.

If nothing else it should be entertaining.
And by entertaining I mean hilarious watching a slew of adults running around the neighborhood playing a game that was clearly designed for teenagers.

T minus Three.

That's right friends, only three more fun filled days of summer left.
Not that I'm counting or anything.
Just thought I'd throw that little tidbit of information out there.
I mean, I'm sure there are mothers out there who are excited about it.
~Not me.~
You certainly wouldn't catch me smiling to myself randomly these days.
I'm definitely not planning a cleaning extravaganza beginning Thursday morning.
There is no way we are having an adult back to school party Friday night.
(it's surely not an adult fugitive game starting at the Weston's at 9:00 with an open invite to all.)
In fact, I get teary eyed just thinking about the thoughts of school starting.
Yeah, there are probably mothers out there who just love the idea of things like
structure and routine.
CrAzY Ladies.
Me?
I live for chaos!
Why else would I have had 5 children?

Okay, it might be because when Mike and I reproduce we create these things.

Can I help it if they are the most fantastic 5 children the universe has to offer?

Not really.

...And because every once in a while we all head out to the backyard and have a grand ole time together.

The Fact of the Matter is...

Well, it's several things actually.

• If I don't stop making cookies and brownies I am going to weigh 400 lbs. Can I help it if my awesome baking abilities bring such joy to me and my family? No.

• Audrey's Bake and Buy is helping me well on my way to 400 lbs. Seriously, her baking business is good for her, trouble for me! Those no bake cookies are mighty tasty and I am awfully weak.

• I really need to get over my complete hatred of running in this heat. It's hot. Get over it. Not running is not helping me get ready for the Vegas Ragnar. It is also not helping me to not weigh 400 lbs.

• I do not understand why Grant (and all my other children at this age) feel the need to rise and shine at 5:30 in the AM. And I really, really don't understand why he is still adorable to me at such an hour. Let us not forget that I am a morning person, I just like to wake up on my own terms....even if my terms are only 15 minutes after his. ;o)

• I do not have TV recording abilities, SYTYCD starts at 7:00--mother of five not off duty by this point in time. Okay, so there is the possibility that I complete all my mom jobs during commercials. "Hurry Grant, tell everyone good night. Let's read your story, (I then skip 4 out of every 5 pages) all right, let's say your prayers, quick quick, jump in bed, night night, I love you!" All this happens in the span of about 90 seconds. There's also a chance that Elsie reads to me during commercials. That goes something like this, "All right Elsie, let's read (I mute during commercial. I am good like that). Good job, sound that one out, does the picture give you a clue? Your doing great, keep going...okay---WAIT---sshhh, ssshhh, ssshhh my show is back on." My Wednesday night mothering skills are Top Notch! Good thing for me it doesn't start until 8:00 on Thursdays.

• We are on the home stretch summer wise. How did summer come and (almost) go all ready? Less than two weeks until my little minions go back. Honestly, amazing! And, I will admit my complete and total freak outs of "GET THESE CHILDREN OUT OF HERE! I WANT MY SPACE BACK!" have been kept to a minimum. I'll go ahead and pat myself on the back now.

All right, so there ya go. You now know all the random crap that is rattling around in my head. I know, you may be slightly disappointed. Here you thought I was some sort of rocket scientist and we could solve world hunger if we could just get inside my head.
Well, we can't.
You will just have to get over it.


*You're all good with the fact that I am slightly crazy, right? I mean, that's part of my charm, isn't it?*

just a little FYI.

I miss Mike.

We are no strangers to spending time apart. He has worked out of town numerous times over the course of our marriage. I have taken many a trip to my moms without him. He has been on more scout camps then I would care to count.

And yet, I still miss him.

Here's the thing, we have no communication what so ever. That is not so strange, we never do over scout camp. But, I don't normally stay in town. I guess I never realized how much easier being away and preoccupied makes this particular week of the summer.

We have a fairly traditional system around here. I take care of the house and the kids and everything that goes along with it. That's my job. And I like it that way. I might be a little neurotic about how I like things, so it's best if I get to be in charge. I guess what I am saying is that physically it's not all that big of a deal to have him gone.

But mentally and emotionally he completely takes care of me. Like I said, I tend to venture into the realm of neurotic- he deals with all my craziness like a dream. And he makes me laugh- a lot. Laugh out loud, laugh in disgust, he laughs with me, he laughs at me, all that good stuff. That man is absolutely one of a kind. He tells me all the time how boring my life would be without him.

He is positively 110 percent correct.

My Main Squeeze

is spending his birthday 'on top of the world'
and could not be happier about it.
Mike is on scout camp-a 50 miler- in the Uinta's this week.
Today they will be climbing and conquering Kings Peak.
Mike has done it before, but he was still so excited to take these boys
and how lucky am I that 'these boys' include my own son.
p.s.
I waited A LOT of years for that.

I won't bore you all with 38 reasons why me loves him like I do.

A few years ago for Valentine's Day I made him an 'I love you because...' jar with 100 reasons
when Adam saw it he chuckled and said,
You really came up with 100, Mom? WoW!!

Life without Mike would be....well,
incredibly boring
to say the least.
Yup, I am one lucky girl.

So
Happy Birthday, Mikey!
Where ever you are.
:o)

Your a good man, Charlie Brown.

Meet Oscar.

Our new dog.

And Mike's new best friend.
I'm not joking, the man is in love.

Because,
- seriously-
how can you not love a face like this?

Plus Audrey has already trained him so amazingly well that she felt she needed to video document it.
They have worked especially hard on the "Sit...." and "Stay....." part.
Yup, she's practically the dog whisperer.
No worries, I already know she's crazy.

~Here's Da Scoop~
Once upon a time there was a little boy named Mikey.
He grew up to be, well...pretty much...just a big boy.
{Personally, I still like to call him Mikey.}
Anyhoo, this little boy never had a dog.
:o(
But, if he did...
it would have been a Boxer.
Because--Hello?-- who doesn't know that Boxers are the coolest dogs ever?!?
So,
This little boy grew up and married me...
Apparently the biggest softy on the planet.
How do we know this?
There are a million reasons.
And I do mean at least a million.
One of the latest happens to be named Oscar.

What's a girl to do when the love of her life finds the dog of his dreams for the cost of free and someone else has already dealt with the dreaded-albeit incredibly cute-puppy stage?
She caves.


Now,
are you curious to know what reason one million and one is?
I'll give you a hint....
He's named Nelson.
His name comes from whence he hales.
As in, the 'Nelson' homestead.
Can you believe this darling little thing
(I'm referring to the kitten, not the boy--although he would of been happy to live in the old barn too.)
was living in the old barn on my parents farm?
It was a crying shame, I tell ya.
A crying shame.
and
I am the biggest softy on the planet.


Don'cha kinda wish you had me for a wife and/or Mother?

Cr-EYE-ckee!

Them's some big Tomatas

So, pretty much up to this point in my life all I have successfully grown is children.
Not any more, my friends, not any more.
Can you even believe the size of those plants?
(and can you tell how excited mike is to pose for me? what? i needed a reference point)
The St. George sun has been good to us.
:o)

We have cherry tomatoes coming out our ears.
And I quite like it.

It took me over 10 years to embrace the planting season here.
I know. Sad that I waited so long, right?
My little Cache Valley brain could not wrap itself around the idea
of planting anything in February.

Can't wait for next year to roll around now that we know what we are actually capable of.

Grow your self a garden.
It's a good thing.

My Girl, Goose.

Want to know why I feel sorry for all you poor saps that aren't her family?

You may never get to experience first hand how crazy-funny she really is.
(She rarely gives a public showing)

Happy Birthday to my sweet Goosey.
She is all things kind and thoughtful.
With just enough insanity thrown in the mix
to make her one of the
most witty and entertaining
kids I have ever seen.
:o)

I think I feel a crafty moment coming on.

Audrey came into the kitchen:
Look at what I made. What do you think of my paper chain, Mom? It's my count down to school! I just cannot wait for school to start! I mean, I am insanely excited!! Do you even know what I'm talking about?!? Can you even imagine how excited I am???

Yes, Dear.
Yes, I think I can.
In fact, I might just go make my own paper chain right now.

*Andrea, I may have just found the perfect summer craft for enrichment. ;)