If you are looking for a cheerful post, come back next week!

Really there is only one thing that I feel so strongly about that I could really say I HATE...

Brushing my kids teeth!

You are probably thinking - what's the big deal...suck it up and get over it! And you are right, I should, but every night it is the same ritual...



"Ella, Aynslea, brush your teeth," (ten seconds later)..."Ella, Aynslea, brush your teeth," (twenty seconds later) "Ella, Aynslea brush your teeth"...the reply "I did"


"That was too fast, do it again. Thatcher, Adelaide, come brush your teeth. Ella, Aynslea, did you floss?" "Let me smell your breath...okay, no, you have to do that again, did you remember to brush your tounge? Thatcher, did you clean out the sink?"

Thatcher - "That wasn't me"

"Yes it was, all of the toothpaste is in the sink, you need to brush your teeth again. Did you floss? Adelaide, I've only been brushing for five seconds, you need to hold your spit longer than that..."

And so it goes!

The biting the toothbrush, the dripping of spit, the I have to spit or I might die noises they make three seconds after I begin the brushing ritual. The foaming at the mouth, the hunk of toothpaste in the sink (that no one will claim or clean).


And then, as if it wasn't bad enough, when we go to the dentist it is almost inevitable that someone has cavities..."what, I've been brushing their teeth, how is that possible?"

"Well, they are all flossing cavities, so you need to be doing a better job with flossing"


"Flossing, really? I never flossed my teeth as a kid, and I never had a 'flossing cavity' until I was 30 something, so really, could someone explain that to me???


I figure 20 some teeth per kid x 5 kids - we should be able to get through baby teeth with fewer than 100 cavities - right???

Writing Just for Fun

I've been noticebly absent from the blogging world and although my life and camera have been full of blog worthy moments, I've found myself in quite a blog slump. I can't quite explain this bloggishness I've been feeling and it has spilled over into other areas of my life as well, but now that we are in July, and it has finally stopped raining, I am determined to conquer my blogression, catch up and move forward with gusto!

I am thrilled and excited to finally be shedding this blogers block I've had and as I turn this new chapter in of my bloggerhood, I recognize that more than just journaling and scrapbooking, I am really interested in writing. Therefore, I have decided to begin a writers group and I invite any local blog readers to join with me. If you have any interest in writing - or if you don't have any interest in writing, but you just like to hang out with me and other exceptional people, eat good food and have interesting conversations, then you are invited to join the group as well. My inspiration for this writing group is Tiffany. She is the funniest and best writer/blogger in the world and best of all, we are related (first cousins, once removed), so there is a slight possibility that I may have inherited some of the same awesome writing genes that she has. My hope is that with a LOT of practice I can even develop some real talent!!!

Tiffany has shared her guidelines for a good writing group here and since I trust her, I will be using her ideas freely. I have not yet decided on a day or time, so if you would like to give me your input, please feel free.

Adelaide & Gabs

BeStEsT FrIeNds in the whole wide world...These girls are practically inseperable! The other day when Gabs was playing with Celise, Adelaide said to me..."How come Gabs is being friends with her?" (As if there should be no one else but her!)

Gabrielle has always been such a good sister and friend to me and such a good auntie too! She is always willing to babysit for free and does so much to help me out! From the very beginning, she and Adelaide have been the best of friends, always cracking each other up, being silly or getting into trouble. Best of all, they are funny, and really what more could a mother want than kids who make her laugh...There have been MANY funny exchanges between them, and I wish I could remember them all, but here is one of my favorites...

Gabs: Adelaide, are you a little girl or a "bagel"? (Adelaide can say big girl, but it sounds so much like bagel that Gabrielle loves to ask her if she is a bagel.)

Adelaide: a bagel

G: What's Thatcher

A: Toast

In Which the Phair's Go Visiting and Get Into a Tight Place

You know that story where Winnie the Pooh visits Rabbit and eats too much lunch and then he is stuck half in and half out of Rabbits house? Okay, so I didn't actually get stuck, but I can assure you that if I had eaten a picnic and then gone back through the crack, I would have been stuck. This was a FAMILY hiking adventure, however the kids passed through the crack with several inches to spare on each side while I slowly scraped through sideways, sucking in my gut and wishing I knew how to suck in my girls. By the time I made it through, the kids must have started to be worried because they all came back to check on me. Thankfully I didn't rub a hole in my shirt, but it was a close one, let me tell you. Matt avoided the crack all together after attempting it with Celise it was apparent after just a couple steps that it wasn't going to work for her so he went around the long way and joined us on top.

Besides hiking (which as you can see we have such a fun time with) the KIDS went swimming...it is almost warm enough for me, but not quite...

We went to the COOLEST park with some of the best playground equipment I've ever seen...check it out here. (The camera was dead or I would have even more pics to share!)

We also went on a LONG Sunday Drive up to Pine Valley to see a church that is built like an upside down boat...unfortunately it was closed...all of the kids (except Ella) were asleep for the drive and woke up on the way back down wondering when we were going to get there. They didn't love our answer "Oh, we've been there and now we are heading back - didn't you have so much fun?"

Our adventures in St. George are such a pleasant escape from the daily grind - and the daily inversion, (ugh!) that we are tempted to move there...I keep telling Matt that if we did live there it would no longer be an escape, but so far he isn't convinced.

My Man

Okay, so I've been holding on to this post for 8 days now, hoping to get a picture of Matt, 'cuz, ya know, every good post needs a good picture...however I have given up and decided to post anyway - you know what he looks like, and someday, I might come back and add one in!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how important Matt is to me. It is something that I may say fairly often, but just like the "I love yous" said just before hanging up the phone, it doesn't always retain it's strength and meaning, so this blog post is all for you baby!

I love the way your eyes wrinkle when you smile
I love how you can make anyone feel at ease
I love how you lead our family
I love how you always make me laugh
I love how you listen to me
I love your attention to detail (except when you notice that I forgot to dust a windowsill...)
I love the way you schedule your time
I love your lists and your check marks
I love your pointy's - especially when you are nervous or stressed
I love your laugh when you are playing with the kids
I love that you always apologize - even when you don't think you were wrong.
I love your kindness
I love your desire to serve the Lord
I love that you sing in church
I love your willingness to help and serve whenever you can.
I love the example you set for our family
I love that you are honest
I love how you always get the bed warm for me
I love how you always snuggle with me- even though you are right on the edge of the bed and my feet are FREEZING!
I love how you wake up delirious in the middle of the night when you hear a noise
I love how you are so full of confidence
I love your strength
I love your courage
I love how you say what you want and you know what you need
I love and am amazed at your sense of direction - and your talent of knowing the best route based on traffic/time of day.
I love your generosity and willingness to help others, often more than is even known.
I love how you tease people until they laugh - or at least smile.
I love how you are always setting goals and striving to accomplish them.
I love how you are open and honest with everyone.
I love how you can always talk people into giving you a great deal
I love how our children look up to you and think you can do no wrong
I love that you are adventurous but safe
I love how you make everyone feel important
I love how you build relationships with everyone you meet
I love how you respect and appreciate me
I love how you honor the priesthood
I love how you support and strengthen me
I love how you believe in me and in our children
I love that you have high expectations
I love that you are understanding when your expectations aren't met
I love that you DON'T tell me when I am being crazy
I love that you love spending time with me and the kids

I LOVE YOU!!!

Happy Birthday Celise!!!!

Happy Birthday

To You,

Happy Birthday

To You

Happy Birthday

Dear Celise,

Happy Birthday

To

You!!!!!

And Many More....on Channel 1

My baby is growing up! I can't believe how big she suddenly seems now that she is walking. It really is hard to believe that a whole year has past. Celise was so happy on her birthday, just playing to the camera the whole time, which made it even more fun!

How To Make Something Out of NOTHING!

When we got to St. George last weekend, it was after midnight (we left 4 hours later than planned - shocker, I know!) So, the next morning when we were finally ready to get up it was around 10:00, and we were HUNGRY! I went to the the refrigerator and found...

(In case you can't tell, there are an assortment of condiments, syrup, whipping cream and expired milk).

I then opened the pantry and found...

(paper towels, pasta, chocolate milk, Kleenex, spaghetti sauce & oatmeal). Now, I could have sent Matt to the store and we may have enjoyed some scrumptious "Brunch" sometime an hour or more later, but, as I said earlier, WE WERE HUNGRY (read "on the verge of grumpy") and there was no time to loose (we sacrificed all of our "time to loose" by sleeping in). So, equipped with my fantastic memory (hopefully Ella will read this and know that I don't forget EVERYTHING) and my amazing culinary skills, I was able to produce a fabulous breakfast of....

Scones!

Which were enjoyed by all...

This breakfast of making something out of nothing felt like quite an accomplishment, however, as we all know, in life, making something out of nothing is not always so successful. So, my question to you all is, how do you know when you should make something and when you should just be glad that you have nothing?