Halloween 2009

Mariah playing at Aleigha's Halloween Party at school
Aleigha in her school parade. What a Rockstar!
Grandma and all the grandkids!

So, I figure that now is a good time to start blogging again. Today we celebrated Halloween. Actually, we have had it the last couple of days. It started on Thursday, when I let my girls skip school, and we went to Sandy to Brooklyn's old school and went to the parade there. It was so good to see Brooklyn getting to be around all her old friends. Then while the party was going on in my mom's class room, Kara and I took the babies and went over to my dads school to bring him balloons and lunch (although he paid...for lunch. Thanks Dad! Happy Birthday!) He loves showing off the babies when we go out there, and it is fun to watch him swell with pride. The next day, Friday, I was in charge of Aleigha's Kindergarten Party. It was the first party where I have been the coordinator for the class. I think that I would much rather be a helper, than the planner. It went well, and Mariah was such a good girl the whole time. She stayed back in the play kitchen and played with the fake silverware, and fake food the whole time. We never heard a peep out of her. Then on the real Halloween, which was Saturday this year, the girls and I hung out at home all day getting cleaning done. (well, at least I did...the verdicts out on their rooms.) Then Kenny got home and we went to our ward Chili and Pie Dinner and Trunk or treat. This was Mariah's first time trick-or-treating, and lets just say that she really got into it. She had a little pumpkin bucket for her candy, and she would not even let me hold on to it. She would walk with it in her little fairy costume and walk up to people who were handing out candy and then she would hold out the bucket. But she wouldn't let them put it in the bucket. She actually had to take it from their hand and drop it in her bucket by herself. Then if they were lucky, she would wave to them as she walked to the next car. At one car the man said, "Take whatever you would like." My little fairy took this as an invitation to take his bucket...what a goofball. After the trunk-or-treat, one of my neighbors and I took about 7 girls around the neighborhood while Kenny and Mariah stayed home. When I got home, I was greeted at the door by Mariah with lollipops open in each hand. It was so cute to see how excited Mariah was for her first Halloween, and she amazes us everyday with how oldshe is getting, and how smart. All in all, it was a good day, but I am glad that it only comes around once a year!

Still Alive and Kicking

Wow,  it's been a long time since I was able to sit down and write a post.  I'm not quite sure why it has taken so long though.  A lot of funny things have happened since I last wrote...the funniest being the following...A couple of weeks ago, Aleigha called out to me from the other room and said, "Mom, I know how to spell sleep."  I asked her how?  She said, "Z.Z.Z"  I told her not quite...so she tells me, "Z.Z.Z.Z"?  I left it at that and told her good job.  I asked her how she knew that and she said..."I learned it on the computer."  The next day she calls out to me from another room, and says, "Mom, I know how to spell Nemo.  N-E-M-O."  I said, "Great Job!  Where did you learn how to spell that?"  She said, from her perch on the toilet, "I read it on my underwear!"  What a nutcase!  

Another new thing for us since my last post is that Kenny has lost his job.  It's in the car sales industry and they just weren't busy enough, and he had been hired back and was the last one that had been hired back.  We are so lucky though, that we have our Mobile Detailing business to fall back on.  Kenny had actually been on the fence about quitting for awhile, his business traffic was picking up, but he wasn't having a lot of available time to detail, because of the fact that he had to be at the dealership all the time even though they weren't even busy.  This was a hard thing for us to have him gone all the time and not being able to make money.  Since he has not been working at the car dealership, we have seen a lot more of him.  It is so nice to have him with us for dinner and/or have him help with the kids.  

This past Saturday, April 11, we were able to walk as a family in the WalkMS 2009.  This was great to have Kenny with us for.  We were able to help raise money to find a cure for MS, a disease that has afflicted my little sister for a year now.  The most wonderful thing is that Brooklyn and Aleigha were so excited about doing the walk and about helping find a cure for their "Aunty Krista".   We were able to walk and raise money with a team of about 18, a team that we have named "Raisin' Dough for MS".  (I came up with the name a while ago and am so happy that we got to use it...YAY Me!)  We have decided that we are definitely going to be doing this walk for years to come, and would love to have the biggest team!  Anyone who would like to join with us to raise money is more than welcome to contact me for more information.

Anyways, one more new thing is our cute little puppy, Suga.  (pronounced Soon-ga)  This means "girl" in samoan.  She is a 10 week old Chocolate Lab that was given to my husband on his last day of work at the dealership from a past customer.  She is adorable.  (not so much at 2, 4, and 6 in the morning though).   It has been fun to see our daughters play with and learn how to care for a pet.  Brooklyn has especially been great with Suga.  She has mostly kept up on the poop clean up and is constantly playing with Suga and taking care of her.  I will try and post a picture later.

Hello again, Hello...

Been a long while since my last post. I guess once I started working, that I totally stopped writing. Anyways, it has been mostly nice since my last post. We went on a trip to San Diego, and had quite a fun time. The girls were the perfect age to enjoy Sea World. So we went there twice. The last time we went Brooklyn was about 3 1/2 years old and Aleigha was about 9 months old...so pretty close to Mariah's age. And it was enjoyable, but so much more this time! Brooklyn also has celebrated her 8th birthday! Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I have an 8-year-old daughter. That just doesn't seem possible to me. A lady from the ward came by to invite her to Activity Days, and I about fell over. My daughter shouldn't be that old already! Next thing you know, it's Young Women's, and then dating.....AAGGHHH!!! She has just recently done the math and realized that I had her at 18. So, she is asking Kenny why he says that she has to wait until she is 27 to be married. I told him..."Go ahead Dad...explain it!" Aleigha is still the same old Aleigha, making everybody laugh. She has been calling me "Toots!" lately. What a nerd! And cute little Mariah has finally gotten her first tooth. Yay! (Although, not yay for me...OUCH!!!" Still as cute as ever! I don't think that our little family could love that little girl any more! She has everyone wrapped around her little fingers!

A Day Off

So, I have decided that I kind of like my new schedule.  I work 3 days a week and get my "need to be productive" out of my system, and then I get to spend the rest of the week at home with my little sidekick and my beautiful Mariah.  Today has been really laid back.  I have pretty much just been hanging out with the girls.  I am thinking that tomorrow I should actually plan to get something done, but for today, I am going to do the bare minimum since Mariah got her shots yesterday and she is a little sad today.  Tell you one thing though...the tylenol I have given her has really helped her with an afternoon nap.  It has been kind of nice!  

Another Day, Another Dollar

So, today we had our first hiccup with me working.  Kenny had an excursion and an F-150 that he needed to get detailed for some anesthesiologist, and I needed to be at work.  I went into work and was about 20 minutes late because Brooklyn was extra slow getting ready this morning.  I told Kenny that I would try and come home early.  I got caught up in this project that I was doing and so by the time that I got home at about noon, he didn't really have time to get those 2 cars detailed by the time that he needed to be working his other job.  It kind of helps, though, that the 2 cars that he needed to detail are both at his dealership, so he picked up his bro and his cousin to help him out.  Needless to say, he was pissed at me, and I was a little bugged...it wasn't as if I was out shopping, or doing something stupid.  I was making a paycheck too...although it was probably about $40 less an hour than he would me detailing.  I hate when things like this come up because then it makes me second guess going back to work.

On a brighter note.  I took Mariah into the doctor today for her 6 month check up...although she is already over 7 months.  (we were lacking the insurance until this month.)  Anyways, she weighs in at 19 lbs. 1 oz.  and was 26 1/4 inches long.  She is 85% in both weight and head circumference, and 50% in height.  So essentially they are telling me that she is short and fat!  But hey, anyone that has seen her or held her could attest to that.  

I also have not made it back to the gym yet.  Yesterday and today Mariah was either eating, or up and ready to eat when it was time to go.  I am still sore enough from Monday that maybe I can still count that I went.  HA.  I wish!!!  

The New Me!

So, today was my first day of work.  I decided that since I was starting something new, that I would really start to change how I am.  Everybody that knows me knows that I have about 50 lbs. from the girls that I still need to lose.  YUCK!  I was blessed with only gaining about a 3 lb total with Mariah, so I need to take advantage of that blessing and start losing the other 2 kids weight.  So, I figure, okay...I will wake up early and go to the gym with my mom, and then go to work.  Well, after finally getting Mariah asleep (for good) at about 12:30 am, and waking up with her about 2 different times during the night, I woke up at 5:00 am to go to the gym.  I hop on the treadmill because that was really one of the few machines that were open.  I start walking, and increase the incline.  Then I would increase the speed, and then the incline.  I got to point about 30 minutes into it that I was walking at 3.5 speed and 15 on the incline.  I was seriously holding on to the top of the treadmill with both hands.  I finished having walked almost 3 miles in about 50 minutes.  Anyways, I get home, showered, and wake Brooke up and she gets up and gets ready.  Since I had gone to the gym, I passed up the sugary cereal, and ate something healthy, and not all that great.  I got to work, and was so productive.  I got everything that 1st grade had for me done with an hour to spare.  I really missed working as an aide.  I just love hearing the teachers talk about that they are so lucky to have gotten me to come back and work with them.  I ended up getting all my stuff done, and didn't stop working the whole 5 hours...and was pretty much on my feet most of that time.  MY LEGS AND BUTT ARE KILLING ME!!!!!  I am dying!  And then to make it worse, someone at the gym that I had subbed on their volleyball team a couple of weeks ago, saw me and asked if I could help their team out tonight.  I said of course, since I wouldn't want to let a chance to play volleyball go to waste, and now I am thinking...OH CRAP!  How am I going to jump!  Hopefully my uphill treadmill work will at least help me shape the area that is my rear end.  I need something that will actually hold my pants up.  Anyways, all in all my morning was good.  But I ruined all the work I had done up until lunch, when I snacked on 3 or 4 chocolate chip cookies.  Shoot!  Guess I'll have to go back to the gym again tomorrow!  Dang it!

Back to work!

So, as I wrote in my last post, that I may not be a stay at home mom for long...I am now employed.  The principal at my mom's school called and offered me another position as an aide.  I accepted, so starting Monday I will be working as an Aide at Brooklyn's school.  I will work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8-1, and then 2 hour on either Thursday or Friday.  It will depend on my babysitter for Thursday or Friday on when I actually work.  And we have worked it out so that Kenny will be able to be home with the girls the rest of the time.  I am excited, but to think of leaving my little baby at home that much, it kind of makes me sad.  It makes me sad to think that I may not be at home for Mariah's firsts.  She is just on the verge of crawling, and I may not be home for it.  At least Kenny will be home to see them.  

As far as the rest of our lives go.  It's going.  Not much has happened.  Aleigha is into this stage now where out of the blue she'll say, "Mom, it would suck to be...food, cause then people will eat you and then you have to stay in their stomachs."  She is so funny!  

In the early morning hours

So, I am sitting watching my cute baby Mariah playing with her toy on the floor. Making more noise than any little baby should at 8:30 in the morning. She seems to have recently found her voice and doesn't bat an eye at using it on full volume at anytime of any day. Last night I was up at the kitchen table reading the newspaper and my dad walked out and said, "Are you getting away from the crying?" I told him that she wasn't crying. She was literally yelling at the top of her lungs to get her dads attention when he was sitting right next to her on the bed watching tv. She was so cute last night. She slept for about an hour before Kenny got home, and then he walked into the room to change and she caught a glimpse of him, and there was no going to bed after that. It is so cute to see how my girls are so in love with their dad. Aleigha can't go to bed at night without wrestling with Kenny. She went from being my little angel to being daddy's little rebel. She is constantly calling him on his cell phone and leaving messages that sound very similar to the welcome message on his phone..."Hi Daddy. This is Aleigha. I'm sorry that I missed your call, but if you leave your name, number and a brief message, I will return your call as soon as possible. My phone number is ***-****. Have a great day. Bye Love you dad!" If anyone has ever gotten a message on their phone from Aleigha, they definitely know what I am talking about. I guess as I write this, I am sitting here feeling very grateful and blessed. Blessed that we live in the free country that we do, and are able to make our own choices. I have made some bad ones, but they always seem to work themselves out in the end. I am grateful that I have a husband that does it best to provide for our family. Not only financially, but spiritually and emotionally. I don't think that I could do it on my own. I am grateful especially that he works hard enough to enable me to stay at home with the kids. Thats not something that happens a lot these days, and it may not last too long. But to be able to be here with Mariah when she first wakes up in the morning and smiles like your the greatest thing in the world, that is priceless. And to get morning cuddles from Aleigha, when she finally rolls out of bed. They are the best...minus the morning breath that girl has! WOW! And even getting Brooklyn up and ready in the morning for school. She fights every minute of it, but inside, she loves school. In the early morning hours, she's sweet and very sarcastic. Just like her mama! I am thankful that my kids are all healthy. Looking at some of the struggles with health that have been going on in others lives, this is one that I am doubly grateful for. Anyways, enough droning on. I just had to get that off my chest, as I sit here in the early morning hours feeling grateful, and happy to get to be home with my girls.

As the day progresses...

I swear that as the day goes on Aleigha gets funnier.  I was at the kitchen table doing some stuff for my church calling.  I was cutting paper and Aleigha wanted the scraps.  So, we took all the little scraps and made a little paper chain so that Brooke and Aleigha can count down the days until my younger brother Adam gets home from his mission. (in 110 days, if you're wondering).  Well, she sees how long the chain is getting and says, "OH MY HECK!"  I asked her, "Oh your heck what?"  She turns to me and says, "Mom, will you say the bad word that rhymes with Oh my Heck...(meaning Oh my Hell!" )  I told her no, and she said, "Please mom, I'm begging you!"  And then a few minutes ago, I was working on something in the kitchen.  I see her taking tape off the counter and asked her what she was doing.  She said matter of factly, "You don't want to know."  A minute later she follows me in to the other room and says, "Mom, I think I have a cold in my nose."  I turn around and she has taped a big red fuzz ball on her nose!  She was right.  I didn't want to know! 

A New Day with Aleigha

So, I have decided that I could actually create a complete new blog and just keep it updated with Aleigha Antics.  Just a quick one this morning.  She started begging me to paint her nails and put this gross Bratz stuff in her hair to highlight her hair...purple.  She has constantly been bugging me about it for the last half hour.  Finally I turned to her and said, "Aleigha, do you know how to spell annoying?"  She didn't skip a beat when she responded, "A-L-E-I-G-H-A."  What a hoot.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the day brings, when she is already off to a good start already this morning!  

Another Funny Aleighism...

Let me set the scene for this one...I was cleaning up after dinner and my daughters got into a little fight. I told them that if they kept it up, then they would need to go get their pajamas on and get in bed. Well, Aleigha kept crying about it. Finally I told her to go get her pajamas on and get in bed. To this she cried to me and said, "Mom, it's no fair that you get to stay up as late as you want." To which I replied, " Aleigha, when you're a mom, you can stay up as late as you want!" She shut me up when she cried back to me, "But mom, I don't want to wait until I'm 50!" What a little bugger!!!!!

Funny Aleigha!

Okay, so I just have to write down a couple of funny things that Aleigha says.  She is so hilarious!  The other day I was sitting on the bed watching some tv since I had just gotten Mariah to sleep.  She walks into the room and tosses a book at me, and says, "The tv says that you are supposed to read to me for 20 minutes everyday."  So, we sat down and I read the book to her.  As soon as I finished, she turned and gave me a look and said, "Now, was that 20 minutes?"  Yesterday we had tickets to go to the open house of the new Draper LDS Temple.  She told me in the morning, "Mom, I think that I am so excited that I might pee my pants!"  (thankfully she didn't).  A couple of weeks ago, Brooklyn, Aleigha, Mariah and I were driving on the freeway to go to my friends Mary Kay party.  Brooklyn was naming off people that she was going to invite to her 8th birthday party in February.  Now, keep in mind Brooklyn and Aleigha are constantly at each others throats.  So, as Brooke is naming off all these names, Aleigha was saying, "You're not bugging me, you're not bugging me...you're still not bugging me."  Brooke just kept on naming names trying to annoy Aleigha.  Finally Aleigha turns to her and said, "Brooke.  If you say Brooke is stupid, Brooke is stupid, that would really bug me!"  That shut Brooke up immediately.  One more...this morning I was scrambling some eggs for Aleigha.  She had pushed a chair over to the stove and was sanding there watching me.  She looks at the eggs and says, "We should make some hard-boiled eggs to go with these, they would match!"  What a nerd.  What a joy to get to stay home with her all the time!!!  Lucky me!

My First Time...

Hi everyone.  So, I have never been one to blog, but with all the silly things that my kids do all the time, my sisters keep on telling me that I need to jump on the bandwagon.  So here goes nothing.  Hopefully I will be able to keep this updated and keep all of you laughing at the silly antics of Aleigha, Brooklyn and Mariah.