A few more pics from the trip... :)

2nd Cousin Mattea

6 month old Baby Rachel

Sammy with Great Grandma Gen (Nathanael just wasn't cooperating!)

Our Trip to Utah...

We made a super quick (almost last minute) trip to Utah for conference and to see a few family members (we couldn't see everyone) but here are a few highlights and stories...I'll add more when we get home...

We had to wait until after Thad's class on Thursday night, and also get the cars switched (Thad and his dad fixed the clutch, brakes, and alternator in the Maxima, and then bought new tires and had them aligned) so we couldn't load the car up until all that was done. We finally left at 2 am and Sammy, the stinker who had been asleep, decided that he'd stay up too, and didn't sleep at all until his nap the next day at like 10:30...

We stopped in St. George to get gas and breakfast and let the kids run around...it was fun even though when we walked into McDonald's I had a little culture shock because there were so many white people there (LOL). We went to a park and Thad napped and they played on the toys. After that we jumped back on the road and they both crashed! Phew! We finally arrived in Utah about 2:30 pm that afternoon! Friday we just played with the cousins a bunch and hung out.

Saturday morning Becky (Thad's sis) and I headed down for the Saturday Morning session of conference. I never cease to be amazed at the feeling that I get when the prophet walks into the room. The room gets super silent all of a sudden but you can just feel it before you can even see him...it's so awesome! :) It was a wonderful session and I was so excited about President Monson's announcement of the new temples. They'll be in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; the greater Kansas City area; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Rome, Italy.

After conference we drove back and hung out with the kiddos until the boys (Thad and his brother Chris) went to the priesthood session at the Conference Center. Jana (Chris' wife) and I took the kids to the "Mormon Mall" to shop the girl's sales. I ended up winning a tie in the drawing! Woo hoo! We'll have to pick it up before we leave tomorrow...

Sunday we watched/listened to conference, visited my Grandma Gen in SLC, kind of celebrated Nate's 1st bday (it is today) and then visited my cousin Jamie and her family in Pleasant Grove. Sammy loved it there--she has a girl and twin boys that are 4 and they have some neat toys!

We'll head home tomorrow so that I can go to work on Tuesday...my kids are in the hands of a trusty substitute teacher... we'll leave about 3 pm tomorrow--I hope the drive is easier than it was on the way here!

New Blog - More Tips and Tricks

I started a side blog today that has nothing to do with the boys...just me and my computer nuances. It's called More Tips and Tricks and I want to post the quick and easy shortcuts to making your computing and blogging easier! :) I added one post today inspired by Jenny! Check it out when you have time...I hope to make it fun and useful! :)

Grandmas and Grandpas...

Here are two pictures that I received on my phone while I was at school today. I admit they made my afternoon but left me a little jealous and looking forward (in a weird way) to being grandparents. It will be fun when you just get to play with them but don't have to parent them. :) Oh yeah, and the retired part sounds fun too!

Enjoy the pics of my two princes!
Sammy -35 months
Nathan - 11 months

Free Admission to Disneyland (or Disneyworld) on your Birthday in 2009!

Just a quick post because I think that this is fun! Disneyland is offering free admission to either of their parks on your birthday in 2009--you have to register and then bring your ID or birth certificate on your bday but I think that this is great. And if you're an annual passholder they give you a gift card to spend in the park! Woo hoo! Anyway. Hopefully we'll still be able to get passes then! (Hey, I can hope can't I? Our passes run out in January and Thad doesn't think that we can buy them again because we'll have to buy a third one since Sammy won't be able to go in for free anymore!) Anyway. Here is the link to register!

A Little Bit of Sunshine :)

I love to see kids dance and this was no exception! Nate made my afternoon when I looked over and I saw him rockin' out to the Fridge Farm! Definitely one of my favorite kid's toys (although I don't love picking up the animals off the floor when he pulls them off ;) it's still worth it!)

Here are some other cute Nathan pictures from this week....First, Sammy shared his chocolate pudding with him (with no help from mom) and this was the result!

And, he wants to climb and then stand on top of everything! I looked over and saw him on this stool the other day and look at the smile he gave me, "Look at me mom! I did it!"

Hangin' in there...

Today I realized that I haven't blogged since before school started and I better sit down and do it! So, here it is. School started last week and tomorrow I'll have been with my new kids for 5 school days. They seem like a nice bunch of kids :) although I'm already too nice to my Spanish II Honors kids already I think that it will be a good year. Compared to last year (when my classes were teeming at the edges they were so full) I have small classes. All three of my Spanish IIH classes are under 30! And my Spanish ICP are at 35. That means a lot in terms of times spent grading! I think that I have 30 less students overall than last year! Woo hoo!

At home things are okay. The boys tire me out by the end of the day and I am sometimes not super enthused to be the neighborhood mom to get water for all of the boys (we only have one girl on our whole block) while trying to make sure that Nathan doesn't eat the chalk they're drawing with or climb up on Sammy's bike (he's determined that he is big enough to sit/ride on it but he's barely able to stand up to it) Phew. Sammy's still testing the nap/nighttime waters and being a punk although it is getting a little easier. Most nights are just till 9 or so instead of 10 now. He's acting better during the day and not hitting and being totally disobedient.

Thad is almost finished with the AC just in time for it to be fall! LOL. No, it will be so nice to have a heater this year! Last year we used a space heater in the boys' room and then just bundled up in our room until I had Nate then we bought another space heater to keep him warm in our room! Now if we could only afford to run it ;)

All in all things are okay. I am doing my normal "I stress out too much" with the kids and I am still trying to figure out this mom thing. It will be nice when we're finally done, done
with the house and I don't have to clean up construction mess along with toys, dishes, diapers, spilled food/water, as well as my own mess. Maybe then I could actually invite someone over, have a place for them to sit and even a place to eat and play without an "excuse our mess while we remodel" sign! :) The house really is becoming a beautiful home and I am very proud of it, dust and all, and can't wait to show it off. And Thad has become quite the handyman too! I better get back to cleaning up...it's getting late and time is short! Until the next time...