Britt & Brett P

I know... it's been forever

2011-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Well I've been crazy busy and it doesn't seem to be letting up so I will quit waiting until I have time to do a good post and to catch up and just post this picture. We went 4 wheeling with Clint and Emily and their kids last weekend and it was a blast!! They were so nice and let me drive one of their 4 wheelers (even though I didn't really know what I was doing:D) But it was pretty much the most fun I had all summer. And speaking of summer, I can't wait for fall!! (yep, I've already started putting up fall decor, can't help it)
p.s. thanks for the picture Em!

Porch Fun

2011-07-21T06:40:00.001-07:00

My friend is having a wedding reception at her cute home so she let me makeover her front porch. I was super nervous to see if she would like what I did and I didn't let her see any of it until I was finished. It felt like Extreme Home Makeover on a much MUCH smaller scale. :) It was a blast, I got to shop and not spend my own money :). Here are some before and afters for fun.

Visit to Saren's House

2011-07-21T06:32:00.001-07:00

Lauri and her crew were in town so we spent a lot of time letting the cousins hang out and having plenty of girl talk. :D Saren invited us all down to her adorable home and we went for a walk to feed the ducks. It is so fun to see how big our crew is. The kids had a blast on their grand adventure. We didn't see too many ducks but it didn't matter. Sticks and snakes and snow in July = fun cousin memories. And going back to Saren's house for much needed snow cones and popsicles capped off a great visit. Thanks for having us Saren!

Straight Hair

2011-07-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

I know you've all wondered ... ;D

2011-07-11T08:18:00.001-07:00

Watching the Stadium of Fire Fireworks 2011

2011-07-04T06:45:00.001-07:00

We love going to our favorite spot to watch the fireworks every year. This year was extra fun because we had 3 aunts, 2 cousins and an uncle share it with us. In spite of the heat and glow chalk that didn't glow we still had a good time. Tucker made a tie out of glow sticks and Luka wore a crown. We ate junk food until we were sick and had a good time. The fireworks were beautiful this year- loved the waterfall ones. And of course, my favorite part, the jets flying over.

Freedom Festival Balloons 2011

2011-07-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

We love the balloons! Clay loves the American themed balloons, Luka loves anything with pink, and Tuck loved the Darth Vader balloon this year. There were a lot of Star Wars characters mingling in the crowd which was awesome. Getting your picture taken with a storm trooper?...super cool! :D And the highlight of our trip? - when Clay came out of the port-a-potty with a tooth in his hand. How many people lose a tooth in a port-a-potty? Yep.

2011-07-01T15:35:00.001-07:00

The Land of Liberty

by Author Unknown

I love my country's pine-clad hills,
Her thousand bright and gushing rills,
Her sunshine and her storms;
Her rough and rugged rocks, that rear
Their hoary heads high in the air
In wild, fantastic forms.

I love her rivers, deep and wide,
Those mighty streams that seaward glide
To seek the ocean's breast;
Her smiling fields, her pleasant vales,
Her shady dells, her flow'ry dales,
The haunts of peaceful rest.

I love her forests, dark and lone,
For there the wild bird's merry tone
I hear from morn till night;
And there are lovelier flowers, I ween,
Than e'er in Eastern lands were seen,
In varied colors bright.

Her forests and her valleys fair,
Her flowers that scent the morning air--
All have their charms for me;
But more I love my country's name,
Those words that echo deathless fame,
"The Land of Liberty."

2011-07-01T11:58:00.001-07:00

What is Success
Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and love much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the approval of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one’s self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived…
This is to have succeeded.

Sister Time

2011-06-30T05:47:00.000-07:00

Three sisters over at once! Yeah! And somehow when Saren left she was a redhead too :D.

Daily Adventures

2011-06-30T05:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves a pool party, even My Little Ponies :).

Strawberry Jam

2011-06-30T05:44:00.000-07:00

Is anything more satisfying than eating strawberry jam that you made yourself from berries you grew and picked? Yum!

We Are Moving!! :D...to our own slice of heaven.

2011-06-27T06:20:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we drove down to Salem on a whim to look at a house I found online. We immediately loved it. We went with our Realtor the next day to look at it and the rest is history. We took a leap of faith and put an offer on it even though our house hadn't sold yet. On Saturday we went back to look at it again and I only got more excited (which I wouldn't have thought possible:D). It is in beautiful Salem- pond town and city of peace. The house sits on nearly 2 acres and the main home was built in 1914. I am in love. It has water shares, fruit trees, a huge garden, a shop, a playhouse, an in ground trampoline, lots of big trees perfect for climbing and tree houses, a chicken coop, bunny pens, and plenty of room for horses, and just about anything else a couple of people longing for the country could possibly want. Goodbye modern subdivision and hello country living. It really is a dream come true for Brett and I. We feel so blessed and are so excited for our kids to grow up in such a beautiful place. Our own 'Little House.'

Everyone Loves a Parade

2011-06-27T06:09:00.001-07:00

Every year we go to the Lehi Round UP Celebration Parade. This year was extra special. Tucker and Clay got to be in the parade with our ward's float. The theme was Memories of Saturday Morning Cartoons and the float was an awesome Mystery Machine. Tucker was Wile E. Coyote and Clay was Bumblebee. It was so fun to sit and watch the parade and get to see them. It was also more fun this year because Bridget, Boston and Tagg came with us. I've never seen anyone more excited for a parade than Boston, "Aunt Brittany, look!" "Mom, look!", "Uncle Brett, look!" He was adorable. Thanks for coming with us guys! Lukie got to have a close encounter with Snow White who she met at Disney Land. Snow White was so sweet she picked Lukie right up and gave her a hug. Luka also loved all of the princesses in the parade and waved like crazy and blew kisses at them. I love watching a parade (when the flags go by I always get a little choked up), but this year was extra special. Hooray for summer!

Bursts of Sunshine

2011-06-24T17:15:00.001-07:00

BY LOUISE HURD

When you see a friend, be sure to smile;
The warmth will stay a long, long while.
And if you see a stranger, smile again.
He needs one as much as your best friend.
If he’s having a discouraging day,
Like wintertime when skies are gray,
Your little smile to him will be
Like bursts of sunshine, bright and free.
Then on a day when you feel blue,
Those bursts of sunshine will return to you,
As all the smiles you gave away
Come back to brighten up your day.

Summer is the Best!

2011-06-24T08:19:00.001-07:00

I love summer!! I love having my kids home all day and having a free schedule. I love our adventures together. I love that they pull faces and pose for pictures. I love that they like hanging out together. I love being a family.

Sometimes... YOU JUST NEED CHOCOLATE

2011-06-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

And if this is the only chocolate you can find, so be it! =D

Bella Bird at Walmart

2011-06-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I was at Walmart last night and saw this new line of clothes. They are awesome! Well done Walmart buyer. Think Downeast style at Walmart price.
Check it out at www.bellabird.com, but I think they are even more cute in real life. :)

Sisters

2011-06-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to post about sisters for a while. I have been blessed with 4 sisters and we are all really close and have a special bond. I also have a couple aunts who I like to claim as my sisters because I have looked up to them and wanted to be like them my whole life. I AM SO BLESSED.
"Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister." ~Alice Walker
"A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double." ~Toni Morrison
"What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?" ~Jenny DeVries
I am so grateful for my sisters!
(p.s. I'm a photo thief, I know ;D )

Hawaii Miniseries Part 4 -The end

2011-06-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

On this trip Brett and I really missed the kids. No really! Over and over we found ourselves saying, "The kids would love this!" We even took a picture of the restaurant sign with "pupu platter" listed because we knew the boys would think that was funny. We decided that next time we are definitely bringing the kids. I can't wait to explore Hawaii again with them!

Hawaii Miniseries Part 3 - Exploring

2011-06-18T07:47:00.001-07:00

It's fun to wander around and explore. We were able to ride on a glass bottom boat and see the coral and fish in the bay. When we arrived we saw a sign that the pools were open 24 hours. 24 hours?!! How did I not remember that. We woke up at 4 a.m. one morning and went down to the pools. It was just us and the cleaning guys. I was completely taken back to swimming in Grandmas pool with aunts, uncles and cousins as Brett and I raced under water, did handstands, and practiced floating. Another morning (not quite so early) we went down and just sat in the hot tub, sooo relaxing. And on our last day we did drive down into Kona where we came upon the rare and elusive Walmart :D.

Hawaii Miniseries Part 2- Beach!

2011-06-18T07:28:00.000-07:00

Our favorite thing that we learned on our last trip, is to get up early and explore the beach. It is easy to get up early because Hawaii is four hours behind, and you see hardly anyone. We were little kids again finding sea shells and exploring the tide pools. We saw quite a few sea turtles this trip and it was really cool to see their tracks on the beach.

Hawaii Miniseries Part 1 :D - Beautiful Hawaii

2011-06-18T07:02:00.001-07:00

Our trip to Hawaii was amazing and perfect. We went back to the big island to the same resort we went to last time. If you want to go to Hawaii to relax and feel spoiled then I highly recommend the Marriott Waikoloa Beach Resort. It is amazing. Last time we spent a couple days exploring the island. This time we stayed put pretty much the whole time. You can walk to the beach, walk to shopping and restaurants, walk to a little ABC grocery store with the best prices on souvenirs ;), and this year we even discovered a farmers market close by. The view from our room was amazing. An interesting thing was to see the tsunami damage from the Japanese earthquake. I have a before picture from our last trip and an after from this trip. It was so great to be in Hawaii again- the beautiful flowers everywhere, the birds, the flowery smell of the air, the sound of the ocean, the relaxing Hawaiian music everywhere- it was amazing.

Summer+ Cousins = Good Times

2011-06-11T07:13:00.001-07:00

Michael McLean Speaks to My Anxious Heart (a little bit personal, and definitely sappy post I know)

2011-06-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

Music has always touched my soul, and as I fight my battle with anxiety everyday, one of the best things I can do is listen to a little Michael McLean. I know, everyone knows his songs by heart right? But I feel like he must have had direct access to the words of my heart when he wrote some of his songs. When I feel small, alone, discouraged or like I just can't do it his songs honestly lift my spirit and calm my soul. Like "Stay With Me", heaven knows I have moments when it is clear that trusting the Lord is the only thing that will get me through. Or "Let it Go" which is what Brett wisely tells me all the time, after all, 'all that is worth saving is love ... if it's not love, simply let it go.' "A Distant Serenade" - 'be what only you can be, strengthen each other!' And I know from personal experience how much someone's inspired visit and words of comfort can mean when you feel overwhelmed, so "One Heart in the Right Place," speaks right to me. "Hold on the Light Will Come" is probably my favorite, it came to my head when I really needed to hear it:

"The message of this moment is so clear
And as certain as the rising of the sun
If your world is filled with darkness, doubt and fear
Just hold on, hold on, the light will come

Everyone who's ever tried and failed
Stands much taller when the victory's won
And those who've been in darkness for a while
Kneel much longer when the light has come.

It's a message every one of us must learn
That the answers never come without a fight
And when it seems you've struggled far too long
Just hold on, hold on, there will be light

Hold on. Hold on. the light will come.
If you feel trapped inside a never-ending night
If you've forgotten how it feels to feel the light
If you're half-crazy thinking you're the only one
who's afraid the light will never really come -
Just hold on. Hold on. The light will come!

The message of this moment is so clear
And as certain as the rising of the sun
If your world is filled with darkness, doubt and fear
Just hold on, hold on, the light will come."

When I saw him perform at EFY I remember liking his songs and feeling the spirit of them, but now I really feel them. I've lived them. And knowing that he has been diagnosed with clinical depression too really makes me feel the connection to his songs. Mostly I just love how listening to his music helps me remember what really matters in life, and that we are all just doing the best that we can. So much drama in life, but it will all work out, and "even when it's hard to find the words, your prayers are heard -you're not alone."

Cousin Buddies

2011-06-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

I took this picture a few weeks ago and it is a little blurry, but when I came across it in my pictures it made me smile and I had to post it. My kids love hanging out with their cousins and since they moved closer to us we've seen them a lot more. Bridget and I gab while they all run around in a pack having a blast. Bridget pointed out their little drive in theater to me and it was so cute we both snapped pictures. Cousin time rocks!

Zoo

2011-06-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to the zoo last Saturday and had sooo much fun! The kids had a ball looking at the new dinosaur exhibits and going to the bird show. And we didn't even have to take a stroller!;)

Our Baby Hawk Visitor

2011-06-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

For a couple of mornings last week we had a little visitor. I would open the curtain in the morning and he would be sitting there on the deck. He turned his head just a little to look at me a little defiantly sat there for a a while and then flew away. When he came back the next day I was hoping we have him visit more, but he hasn't come back. It was fun to see him though.

Cupcake #6 -Lemon Cream Cupcakes

2011-06-07T09:59:00.001-07:00

The Lemon Cream cupcakes we good, but not my favorite. I think I had high expectations because I love lemon so much. But they did have personality because I was running low on cupcake liners and used Halloween ones with skulls. Maybe I should have called them 'hard lemonade cupcakes'? :) Thanks heaven my friend brought me adorable new cupcake liners just in time for me to use when making oreo cupcakes for a BBQ with my family. Thanks Alicia!

Creative Clay

2011-06-07T09:57:00.001-07:00

We love to be creative at our house and sometimes the kids just amaze me with what they create. Clay came in to show me what he had made with bendaroos and I had to get a picture. I love that his scorpion has a bug on it's tail that it just killed ;).

How Boys Have Fun

2011-06-07T09:54:00.001-07:00

I think it is so funny that guys seem to equally like having their truck all detailed and clean, as well as completely covered in mud. :D

Shout Out to Moms of Babies and Toddlers

2011-05-26T17:48:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to watch my friend's baby today. He is such a doll and I love watching him. He is crawling really well now and I knew that, but I was unprepared for what that entailed. I have three children; I've been through crawling and walking three times, but I guess you forget. Babies are fast and they can grab more than you think they can;). I still loved watching him (he has the cutest grin!), but I gained a renewed appreciation for my family and friends who are in the 'baby or toddler stage' with their little ones. I won't take for granted that I can now go places without hauling a diaper bag with me, or that my kids can all walk themselves now. We rarely take a stroller anywhere, Luka walks with me at the store, they can all feed themselves. Little things but it's so nice. So I guess I'm enjoying that our little family is growing up. It's really fun. And besides, I still get to have time taking care of babies for friends and family; the best of both worlds,and now I appreciate it more. I think I am understanding a little bit why Grandparents always say Grandkids are the best; you get to enjoy the cutest little souls who come straight from heaven without the stress of being the parent. So thanks for sharing your little ones with me! And all mother's with little ones- Keep up the good work and know you are awesome!!

Fun With Ananda

2011-05-26T17:44:00.000-07:00

Brett surprised me last night with a babysitter so we could go to dinner for our anniversary. Ananda was sweet and came to watch our kids. She is amazing. She could totally just put a movie on and watch it with the kids the whole time and I would be more than happy. But she always does little activities and plays games with them. They are so spoiled by their aunt! This time she made patriotic paper airplanes with them. Thanks Ananda for a great night out!

Cupcake #5- Oreo Cupcakes

2011-05-26T17:40:00.001-07:00

These cupcakes were similar to the peanut butter ones. In the bottom of the cupcake is an Oreo. And the frosting is a vanilla butter cream with Oreo bits in it. The chocolate cake is a mix with sour cream added. Yum! Brett says it's his new favorite and I might have to agree (although the root beer float ones were so good I've made them twice now).

10 Years of Brett and Britt P.

2011-05-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary Baby! I love you forever and back!

Missed Pictures

2011-05-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Things I wish I had taken a picture of yesterday:
* Lukie's bare feet-she took her shoes off everywhere...the dentist, Walmart,etc.
* The boys scrubbing to get sharpie off the front porch
* Saren's hair before and after (very dramatic, and I love her new look!)
* All the hair from Saren's cut, it was my biggest mess yet :) we had a lot of fun!
* What a bathtub looks like when a bag of corn pops cereal is dumped into it.
* A close up of Tuck at his Space Derby for scouts (I did get a few pictures but not close up)
* The pictures of my latest cupcakes (off course I didn't make any so that could be difficult)
* Luka 'swimming' in the bathroom sink. It started out as hand washing then foot washing, she used lots of soap and plenty of water :).

What I'm glad I didn't get a picture of:
* My face at the dentist as I waited to get my two cavities filled. I had to wait a
while, which gave me plenty of time to get nervous about it. I'm surprised they
could even put the filling in with my nervous shaking ;).

p.s.Saren-thanks for being so patient and having fun with me yesterday!

Cupcakes #3 & #4

2011-05-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

So continuing in my cupcake-a-thon, my third try was a Pink Lemonade cupcake. Very yummy and a perfect BBQ cupcake I would say. It was very easy to make with a white cake and Pink lemonade concentrate (I forgot the red food coloring to make the cupcake pink, all well). Cupcake #4 was Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Not the best as far as presentation goes, but if your looking for a chocolate fix, this is the cupcake for you! Btw if you want to buy the book it may be interesting to note that so far these recipes have averaged a yield of 18 cupcakes (so they don't last very long :D). P.S these cupcakes are NOT helping me slim down for our trip like I wanted too ;) !

Cupcake #2- Rootbeer Float

2011-05-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

My second recipe attempt from the cupcake book. Yuuuuuummmm!

Crazy Hair Day

2011-05-19T15:25:00.001-07:00

Today was crazy hair day at school, and this morning Tucker informed me that I needed to "run to Great Clips and get some colored hair gel!" Fortunately he agreed to go with my use poster paint instead plan. Both of them chose purple. My cute little purple people eaters!

DI Love

2011-05-19T15:19:00.001-07:00

I was asked to give a little lesson for and enrichment activity on Home Decorating, emphasizing with decorating on a budget and colors. Well this happened this morning and I am still in full anxiety trauma mode so I won't go into too much detail except that I said waaayyy tooo much and way tooo little at the same time. Sigh. But anyhow, for part of my presentation I went to the DI yesterday trying to find a home decor display on a budget to use as an example. This is what I found. The total? -$12.75 for the table, runner, fruit, plate, and yes even the rocks. Not bad?

Kid's Day Party!

2011-05-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Clay told Brett and I that there should be a Kid's Day since there is a Mother's Day and Father's Day. Well we decided to surprise all the kids and hold a real Kid's Day party on Tuesday. I bought streamers and balloons and after school I told them that we were going to have a Kid's day party and they got to decorate. They had a blast sticking streamers and balloons everywhere. Tuck said, "I'm going to write about this in my journal!" Which of course made it all worth it. After dinner, we let them each empty a can of silly string (getting Mom with silly string is the funniest!!!). Then we had a pinata (a gift bag that we hit with a wooden spoon). And poppers with streamers. Then it was time for their Kid's Day present. They each got an umbrella and it was perfect timing because it hasn't stopped raining since ;). The kids loved it and it was sooo fun to surprise them -Kid's Day was a success!

Cupcake #1- Peanut Butter Cupcakes

2011-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day Brett bought me 101 Gourmet Cupcakes in 10 minutes. Today I tried my first recipe from it. It is written by Wendy Paul from here in Utah. So many talented people. Anyway they were super yummy. It was simple with a chocolate cake mix and peanut butter cups in each cupcake. The frosting is definitely the best part!

Peanut Butter Frosting:
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of powdered sugar
3 TBSP. Milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Yum! I will make more cupcakes from this book, for sure, because it was very simple and I need simple :).

Inevitable

2011-05-13T16:33:00.000-07:00

Lukie decided the other day that her dolls needed haircuts. I saw the pile of hair on the floor in her room before I saw her and I was REALLY worried that she had cut her own curls but fortunately she didn't. Poor Rapunzel, I guess Lukie wanted them all to have a more modern look. Except her two Fisher Price dolls who got nice mullets instead. And since we like Disney at our house and especially Toy Story and can't help but imagine one of her newly styled dolls telling the next new one, "You'll like Luka, she's an artist." :)

Silly Faces

2011-05-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Everyday when we pick up Tuck we wait for a few minutes in the car. Luka and Clay can get a little restless because 5 minutes of waiting is an eternity to a kid in a car. Yesterday I took a few pictures of my silly billys while we waited.

4 Wheeler Fun

2011-05-08T08:12:00.001-07:00

We took the kids out four wheeling west of Utah Lake for a little bit yesterday. They had a blast! It was so fun to watch them get so excited. I think mommy might want one :).

Just Another Manic Mom Day! .... Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

I wish I had the talent to make a super silly music video to this and post it on youtube but here you go anyway. Not terribly original, I know, but I hope it at least makes you smile ;). Happy Mother's Day!

Manic Mom Day
Six o’clock already,
I was just in the middle of a dream.
I was alone on the beach,
Where I didn’t have to do a thing.
But I’ve got to going,
Else the kids are going to be late.
These are the days
When you wish someone would bake you a cake.

It’s just another manic Mom Day.
I will rest someday,
but there’s no done day.
My I just want to run day.
It’s just another Manic Mom Day.

Have to get the kids up
Got to catch the bus by nine.
And if I pull the covers back,
They might get up in time.
Homework, cereal,
Backpack shoes and ready to go.
Get back here! Hug your Mom
She loves ya don”t ya know!

It’s just another manic Mom Day.
I will rest someday,
but there’s no done day.
My I just want to run day.
It’s just another Manic Mom Day.

All of my life
I’ll be a mom all my life
and I guess that’s okay (okay okay).
I’ll keep calm, carry on -
Clean cook shop hug, kiss and play.
I ask them in my best Mom voice,
“All right guys, who made that noise?!”
Time goes so fast..
Come on let’s have fun!

It’s just another manic Mom Day.
I will rest someday,
but there’s no done day.
My I just want to run day.
It’s just another Manic Mom Day.

Easter in Vernal

2011-05-05T10:35:00.001-07:00

We went to Vernal for Easter weekend. Brett's Mom did a fabulous egg hunt for the kids. They had sooo many eggs and were so excited. Afterwards when they were checking out their look Luka kept saying 'thank you' over and over. She had a lot of fun. She especially loved the bead necklaces from Grandma. We had yummy food, swam in the hotel pool, and got to visit with Great Grandma Giles too. It was a really good weekend.

Camera Trouble

2011-05-01T20:50:00.001-07:00

Well I was doing really well at posting but my efforts have been hampered by a malfunctioning camera. My new Nikon charges the battery right in the camera, but my cable has a short or something and of course it is a hard one to find so I have to order it -long story short, my camera is dead until I can charge it with a new cable (hopefully).

More anxiety at church (I know -really?)

2011-05-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

The worst thing for a person with social anxiety is when one of their made up things that could go wrong actually happens. I had to give the opening prayer in church today and stumbled over my words, tried too hard and ended up saying the wrong thing that may have some people questioning my arrogance? I am assured that I am overreacting but I almost couldn't finish because I knew immediately that I'd said the wrong thing. All well. And if you are reading this and are in my ward and don't know what I'm talking about, good!, maybe I got lucky and no one was paying attention. ;D If you can't laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at, eh?

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home...

2011-04-21T18:33:00.001-07:00

Brett comes home from California tonight, just two days, but we always miss him. We love Daddy!

More Disney Anxiety Advice

2011-04-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Earlier I posted bout how I get anxiety when I talk to people. Not really when I talk to them, but later when I think about what I've said and analyze the whole thing. Well on Sunday I was telling Brett about some anxiety I was having over a conversation I had with a friend. The hard part about my anxiety is that on some level I can see how silly I'm being, but it doesn't help me to stop thinking about it. Anyway, when we were having the conversation this little clip from "Beauty and the Beast" popped into my head: (sing along now :D)
"LeFou I'm afraid I've been thinking."
"A dangerous pastime."
"I know."
Just stop thinking about it! If only it was just that easy ;).

FYI: This is what a jar of red glitter looks like on a mudroom floor. :)

2011-04-20T06:35:00.001-07:00

Feeding Ducks With Aunt Saren

2011-04-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we went down to Provo to visit Saren at her cute house. She took us for a walk to the Provo River to feed the ducks. It was a lot of fun; Clay even had a duck eat bread right out of his hand. Thanks Saren!

St. George Vacation Part 4 The End

2011-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Enough pictures? ;) On our last day we went to Red Cliffs Recreation Area and hiked up a canyon with some cool waterfalls. It was AMAZING there and so beautiful. It was quite an adventure to begin with because you have to drive under the freeway through two tiny tunnels to even get there and then drive through the stream. The waterfalls on the sandstone were smooth and if it was warmer you could probably have a good time sliding down and swimming. There were some tricky spots to climb over and you have to cross the stream a few times (exciting!). The boys thought they were mountain goats and climbed all over ( on our vacation with all the hiking they only got stuck and needed help getting down twice which I thought was pretty good considering :D ). After Red Cliffs we headed back to town and visited Grandma Rasband again. She told Clay he could stay with her, jokingly, when he didn't want to go; well the poor guy took it seriously and started crying when we had to tell him he couldn't actually stay with grandma. He said that next time he is going to bring his dresser. He's so cute! Then it was time to go home. Back to the cold :( and the laundry. Hehe. It was a lot of fun. In fact I would rate our vacation as at least as fun as our Disney trip last fall. I miss the outdoors!

St. George Vacation Part 3

2011-04-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

We spent a lot of time at the park. We played tennis, blew bubbles, flew kites, and played on the playground. It was sooo much fun!

St. George Vacation Part 2

2011-04-14T08:15:00.001-07:00

On of the best parts of going on a vacation is eating out. Not having to cook for four days is awesome! And the hotel pool was super fun. Of course, since we don't get television at our house, the kids always love going to a hotel because they get to watch TV!! :)

St. George Vacation Part 1

2011-04-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

We went to St. George for Spring Break this week. We got home last night and I already want to go back. It was WARM!! :) On Sunday when we got there we went over to visit Brett's Grandma Rasband and had a good visit. On Monday the first leg of our adventure was a trip to Snow Canyon State Park. We had a lot of fun hiking around. We hiked down to a collapsed lava tube and then climbed down in it. It was really cool (and a little scary). I didn't get a picture because I left the camera in the car. Bummer. We ended up our day at some sand dunes. When we first got to the sand dunes I turned to Brett and said, "We'll never get them to leave." Well I was right. After they played and played and played it took major persuasion and the promise of swimming at the hotel to get anybody to leave. It was super fun. And when we got back to the car, Clay was lagging way behind. When he finally arrived we saw why. He had dug up a flower root and all and brought it to his mommy in his sock. What a cutie!

Zoom

2011-04-14T07:46:00.002-07:00

Lukie loves her new pink four wheeler. It is just a powerwheel ( huge discount on the floor model yeah!!), but it goes plenty fast. And of course she only drives it in the fast speed. I am pretty impressed with how well she can drive it and the best part of watching her ride it for the first time was definitly the perma grin. That girl did not stop grinning the whole time. :)

Okay.. I have anxiety, and I'm okay, maybe?

2011-04-08T21:44:00.000-07:00

It may be apparent but we love the movie "Tangled" at our house. You know the part after Rapunzel leaves the tower and then flip flops dramatically between "I'm so happy!" and "What have I done?". That pretty much describes the anxiety I feel everyday in life. I talk to someone on the phone or at the store and I think, "Wow, that went well, I have friends!" and then I go home and remember every little thing I've said until I pretty much invent something wrong that I've said and then think,"Oh no, they must think I'm so dumb!" I'll have a great day with my kids - then I think, "I'm the best Mommy ever!"; I get mad and yell- then I think, "I'm the worst Mommy ever!" Sometimes I feel so inspired and want to get out and help make the world better! and then I get out there and somehow make it all worse (aaggh, where's my hermit hole!?)? I think everybody on some level does this, especially women. I try to hold on to hope; some days are easier than others (sometimes it's foggy ;)). But Rapunzel finds optimism and it grows as she shares it with other people; so I'm going to hold onto that and say I'll keep pushing forward because I REALLY want to see those lanterns!

Do I ever miss my Durango?...

2011-04-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

... um, nope. And why should I when my Murano has this much trunk space and keeps my backside toasty on a cold day like today ;)? I know, I'm spoiled - but not as spoiled as the little girl with the pink four wheeler and the boy with the orange bike!

Potty Mouth

2011-04-08T21:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet adorable little girl..... has two big brothers. Now I don't know if that has anything to do with it, but Luka's favorite word right now is poop. Yep poop. And she loves to say it (and then burst into giggles of course). And I have to admit, it makes me laugh too which is probably why she still does it and then says things, with a proud smile like, "I say potty words!" ...I'm just gonna say she's really getting into the potty training ;).

FINALLY!!!!!!

2011-04-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

I am extremely proud to announce that I have officially graduated from diapers (hopefully). Lukie FINALLY has decided she is ready to be a big girl and we are now on day 3 of no accidents in the big girl panties. Hooray!! She had also announced that since she is a big girl she is ready for school. Now. Poor thing, she wants to go to school right away as in, "Mommy can you take me to school now?" How do I tell her she has to wait until fall for preschool when she is such a big girl right now :). I am so proud of you Luka. Doing the potty dance with you is one of my favorite things.

A New Favorite

2011-04-07T20:49:00.001-07:00

I like to order books for the kids on Amazon sometimes just for fun. We're kind of book junkies at our house :). This is one of the books that came today and is definitely one of my new favorites. I don't know which I liked better, the illustrations or the cute rhyming story. One thing is for certain I laughed and laughed. So cute! We will definitely be getting more 'llama llama' books.

More Rapunzel...

2011-04-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

Lukie's Rapunzel ponytail has lived up to the name of the movie and she has now taken to running around the house with toilet paper tucked into her shirt pretending, of course, that it is her hair. It is seriously depleting our supply! I had decided to try my hand at making yarn Rapunzel wigs to sell on etsy (if my little girl's obsession is any indication they should be a hot commodity, right? ). Well 2 yarn skeins, 1 pair of pantyhose, $7, one patient boy model (he held still better than Luka would have), and SEVERAL hours later I had a completed wig. By this time Luka had pretty much decided it was hers and since it took so much time anyway and the idea of making more is no longer appealing :), I decided she could have it. If I didn't have kids and a cat who love playing with yarn it might not have been such a bothersome project. I am pretty sure that the wig won't satisfy Luka for long because she doesn't seem happy unless the "hair" is dragging on the floor behind her. And I bet Rapunzel wishes she could hang up her hair at the end of the day like Lukie :D.

One Spoiled Cat

2011-04-06T13:15:00.001-07:00

So if you drive to Heber you've seen the house that has the "one spoiled dog" house. Well our Tommers is one spoiled cat. He has been eating my house plants! He ate the tips off of all my spider plant leaves. He started chewing on my ammarillis (sp?) which just barely grew leaves again finally. And the last straw that finally clued me in that my poor kitty has a vegetation deficiancy, was when Tom ate an entire leaf off of Tucker's cabbage plant he brought home. So today Lukie and I bought a planter and some vegetable plants. We planted them and put it downstairs for Tom. I, of course, hope that Tom will leave MY plants alone, but I'm sure I'm just encouraging him more. All well.

Random Explanation of A Normal Event in My Average Type Life

2011-04-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Aunt Santa was here and as we sat barefoot on the sidewalk with Luka, we were comparing toenail colors. I was telling Ananda how we have most every color because Luka loves to have her nails painted. So this morning when we painted her nails I decided to to document it with pictures. Lukie likes her nails painted at least once a week. I usually let her pick what color she wants (or make an encouraging suggestion if I would like it a certain color :D). Today she wanted blue. We've done rainbow, candy cane, flowers etc. It turns out that we currently have 25 shades of nail polish (silly since I almost never paint my fingernails and when I do it almost always either a whitish color or the black sparkly). I had to post the scowl picture too because even though Lukie has the best scowls ever, I don't have to many pictures of it. :)

Wait for it :)

2011-04-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

A few days ago Clay started talking about hair color and how he has 'dirty' blonde hair. He asked me what color my hair is with out all the color on it (who knows? :D). I told him that I didn't know for sure. At the time it was kind of a dark dirty blonde similar to his color because my attempt at brunette was fading (I have blonde highlights now (I know, how often can one person change their hair color right? ) so we all decided that I had dirty blonde hair too. When Clay brought it up the other day, Luka was there and we told her she had strawberry blonde hair. Which she loved of course, I am assuming because she LOVES Strawberry Shortcake and strawberries. But I didn't realize how well she had paid attention to that conversation until yesterday when Luka, Clay and I were sitting on my bed watching "Tangled" and out of the blue Luka said, "I have strawberry blonde hair. And you have 'GROSS' blonde hair Mom!" I don't know if she thinks my hair is actually dirty and so it must be gross, or if she just got the words mixed up. Either way I about died laughing it was so funny.

btw, I can't remember for sure how Clay would even know he has 'dirty blonde' hair? Maybe from one of the many hair discussions at our house as he has watched me dye or cut my hair and aunties hair so many times? Wow that was a long post to say a little thing!

My Rapunzel

2011-04-01T16:25:00.001-07:00

Lukie has been unrolling all of my ribbon and tying it around her neck and running around the house with it "flowing" behind her pretending to be Rapunzel, her favorite. Since it isn't very safe and for the sake of my ribbon, we decided to buy her a Rapunzel ponytail to wear and she loves it. I think she looks pretty cute too. We got a lot of smiles from admirers as we ran errands today (they must have all been so excited to see Rapunzel :) ).

Happenings

2011-04-01T16:22:00.000-07:00

For Luka

2011-03-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Lukie Lu

A poem for you
my daughter sweet,
Because I think
you're really neat.

Your bouncing curls
and dancing steps,
Bring smiles of glee
to all you've met.

You're sweet as punch
and quick as a whip,
From your twinkly toes
to your pouting lip.

We dance, we run,
we laugh, we cry.
I love you daughter.
I'm glad you're mine!

My Clay Clay

2011-03-21T17:39:00.000-07:00

My Clay Clay

Clay, your smile seems to have a way,
To brighten up the darkest day.
You give me hugs and kisses too;
Unsolicited, the whole day through.

Your thoughtful eyes and impish grin,
Could charm the angriest of women.
You're sweet, caring and funny too.
You love the ladies and the ladies love you.

Your energy seems to have no bounds.
You share all you have with those around.
You promise me you'll never leave,
And my Clay, I want to believe!

To Tucker

2011-03-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

TERRIFIC TUCKER

My handsome Tucker,
I admire you so!
I'm always amazed,
As I watch you grow.

Your tender heart
And powerful spirit,
Bless the lives
Of all who are near it.

You have potential
Like no-one has seen.
I trully believe
You can do anything!

You're my reading buddy-
My thoughtful friend.
I love you Tucker!,
Beyond the end!

My Baby Sister is Married

2011-03-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

My sweet little sister Saren got married on Saturday to Brandon, a really great guy. They are sooo cute together and love each other so much. It was a really windy day but was so fun to go and be at the temple with them. Love you Saren!

Antelope Island and the Fielding Garr Ranch .....Sooo Fun!

2011-01-30T14:22:00.001-08:00

Random Sampling From Our Camera going back to Oct. 2010

2011-01-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

So I have missed a lot of posts but here are a bunch of pictures from our camera that may give you an idea of what we've been up to. Thanks Amy :)

Parent Teacher Conference...

2010-10-08T13:50:00.001-07:00

... although they call them SEP's now. Anyway, this is how my conference with Clay's teacher went last night:
Mrs. C -"Clay is one of my best students. He is really helpful, always on task, and never any trouble."
Me (after waiting a moment for the '...but,' -"Really?"
Mrs. C (after reading the disbelief written all over my face) -"He is great! He's such a little genius. I just love having him. Do you have any questions or concerns?"
Me -"I guess not. ...wait, really?" :)

That little stinker! Don't get me wrong, I know Clay is very smart and he is very sweet. But he is also very VERY mischievous. I guess I should have asked Mrs. C how she channels Clay's obedient side - maybe next time.

And the cutie pie just sat there the whole time positivly beaming. It was like he was telling me, "Aren't you lucky to have such an angel for a son?" Yes Clay, I am. :D

Reflection's Time Again

2010-10-08T13:43:00.001-07:00

Tucker started his painting. He says he wants to enter all categories but we will see ('dance choreography,' 'film production' -probably not). I love his enthusiasm though.

Soccer Fun

2010-10-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday in the spring and fall we go to soccer games. It's silly to me that I am a soccer mom, driving them to practices and games, but we've had a blast watching them both improve their game and have fun with their teams. Go Ice Wolves! and Purple Dragons!

Picture Fun With Ananda

2010-10-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ananda!

That's Right... I'm 30

2010-09-13T12:39:00.001-07:00

Brett softened the blow by giving me 30 presents for my birthday. There are only 29 in the pile - number 30 is in the garage. It was like Christmas and the kids were so excited I thought they would fly away from waving their arms so much. Thanks Brett! You're the best!

P.S. . . . It's that time again :D

2010-09-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

Houses that I Love..

2010-09-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

I have looked at a LOT of houses as we've been selling and moving and selling again; and these are some of my favorites. I sometimes think, "Do these people know they are living my dream?" :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Luka!

2010-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Luka had a fun, if not crazy, 3rd birthday. After dropping big brothers at school it was just the two of us for a few hours. We went to the dinosaur museum in the evening. Grandma Lu came with Connor and Victoria. Tucker LOVES hanging out with my cousin Connor who is his age. Victoria is sooo grown-up and a super big sister! Saren brought her friend Brandon and it was nice to finally meet him. Then it was home for pizza and a party. When Boston came to the door, Luka heard his voice, dropped everything and RAN to the door saying, "It's my buddy Boston!" over and over. She LOVES her buddy Boston! Lots of presents and dinosaurs later I think it's safe to say that Luka had a fun birthday. Thanks everyone!!
P.S. Luka's cake was supposed to be a pink dinosaur but ended up looking a little familiar... I was dying laughing to myself as each of my sisters said, "That looks like Valcor," or "That's the dragon from 'Never Ending story'!". At least I got it to look like something :). Although, you guys, once I looked up Valcor, it really doesn't look that much like him.

Clay's First Day of Kindergarten

2010-09-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Clay's first day of Kindergarten started off well when we all walked (Dad came with us this time) to school. We had to wake up Luka to come- which seemed mean since it was her birthday but she loves riding in the stroller to school. I can't believe Clay is old enough for school! What a handsome guy. He posed for a picture with his friend Rylan from soccer who is also in his class (the cuties matched :)).

For Lauri (and Ananda too)

2010-08-31T15:59:00.000-07:00

Luka started her first dance class today. Luka loves only one thing as much as dinosaurs and that is dancing. EVERY time she hears music, she dances. She even started dancing during the closing hymn on Sunday. So I've been very excited for her dance class. I have to say that it was the most enjoyable 1/2 an hour I can remember. Seriously. I didn't stop smiling and laughing the entire time! I've never seen any of my kids have more fun than she did. And she is GOOD! Wow, she could imitate anything the teacher threw at them. She did NOT get it from me. I can't dance. But the genetics are there, right Ananda and Lauri? :) p.s. she only held still for a picture when Clay offered to pose with her (as her "handsome prince," he said).

Concours D'elegance

2010-08-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

We went to the Concours D'elegance car show at Thanksgiving Point today after soccer and had a lot of fun. It was held at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens and had mostly upscale luxury cars to celebrate 100 years of Jaguar. We had to tell the kids DON'T TOUCH! a lot but they still had fun. Especially when the owner of a new special edition Camaro(think hand-formed carbon fiber engine parts) actually let the kids get in and sit in the car for a picture. Brett liked the old swooping body Jags, and the kids favorites were a brand new orange Ferrari and a 1909 Heppmobile. I really fell in love with a HUGE red Cadillac convertible with fins that must have been 5 feet longer than our Durango. Wow! It was really nice to go to a car show in such a pretty setting (even though we were practically the only ones silly enough to bring their kids around so many expensive cars)

Dinosaurs!

2010-08-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Luka's absolute favorite things in the whole world are dinosaurs. She plays with dinosaurs every single day. She takes them to soccer or other car trips in her purse. She builds legos for them. The tries to feed them. They ride on Thomas trains. They play kitchen. No matter what she plays or does, her dinosaurs come too. Here she is having fun swimming . . . with her dinosaurs. Next week she is even having a dinosaur birthday. Cute little girl! :) (when she got tickets to trade in for toys at the Cache Valley Fun Park, she picked 3 dinosaurs :D )

Puppy Love

2010-08-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Luka has watched her big brothers play with Nate and Danny next door ever since she can remember, but this summer she realized that they have a little brother her age (almost exactly). She finally stopped calling him 'little Danny' and now whenever Matthew is around she follows him like a little puppy. They love to play together when big brothers have soccer practice. It's so fun to watch her grow up and be old enough to start making friends.

Christmas in August

2010-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

After church on Sunday I was exhausted and sat on the couch for a rest only to fall asleep (it must be genetic right Dad?) . While I napped Brett made stromboli, something really different and really REALLY good. The kids decided to get into the craft box and on their own made all sorts of Christmas creations. So when I woke up it really was like Christmas in August.

First Day of Third Grade

2010-08-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

Tucker started third grade today and I was a nervous wreck. Well I have been since Monday night at back to school night. I managed to keep it together until then. I know he tested off the charts but was putting him ahead to third grade the right thing to do? ( rhetorically speaking of course :) ). I know he'll do fine; in fact better than fine. As they lined up to go into class this morning I couldn't help but notice that he is still taller than most of his class. (I also couldn't help the tears that filled my eyes- I know, I'm pathetic). Just think, I get to do it all over again next week when Clay goes to Kindergarten. :D
p.s. Clay just came in and informed me there is nothing to do - he misses Tuck.

Fun!!

2010-08-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

I can now add 'tic tac' to the list of things I've had to pull out of my kids noses. They all do it, they all freak out big time, and they never do it again (at least I hope Luka follows the boys. . . unless of course they do do it again. hmmm ) sigh

Out in "Nature"

2010-08-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

We went up the canyon on Saturday to spend time in nature. We didn't learn our lesson from the previous Saturday when we visited Bridal Veil falls with a hundred other people. We drove up American Fork Canyon and stopped at a picnic area for a minute and the kids had fun exploring. Tuck insisted on wearing his explorer hat and bringing his survival guide and gave us great tips about eating stinging nettle and dandelions. Then we headed to Tibble Fork which was ridiculously busy. No parking was more than enough reason for us to head elsewhere. We went to Cascade Springs and were pleasantly surprised that there were only a few people there (which was funny because one of them was Tuck's old preschool teacher from almost 3 years ago and she recognized him). Anyway Tucker found out why Mom and Dad are ALWAYS saying "be careful" over and over again every time we go anywhere when he fell off of the boardwalk and into the mud. He kept saying that he wanted to clean off his shoes and was a little upset. Brett and I were just glad he couldn't see his back where all of the mud was. :) All in all it was a good trip and a nice break from the norm.
p.s. I guess we need some more mountains because these ones have reached their maximum occupancy.

Bear Lake

2010-07-21T21:01:00.000-07:00

We just returned from our annual family trip to Bear Lake and Logan. (yes, we skipped last year because of the trauma from the year before) We are always excited to be Cache Valley bound. We stay in a motel in Logan and then drive up the canyon to the Lake. The kids LOVE it. And it is our time to just be a family. Clay told us, "I want to live here!" Brett and I were definitely in agreement until he explained that he meant the motel and not necessarily Logan. :D Bear Lake was a blast as always. Any sunburn pain is soooo worth it. This trip we focused on just having fun. No stress allowed! We also went to the Cache Valley Fun Park which the kids L_O_V_E_D!!! (Although Brett said leaving was like leaving the gates of h@## and I agreed :) ) But the kids had a blast and bowling was fun even though, as Clay pointed out, we really only needed to bowl 5 frames. We wound up the trip with a visit to our favorite park, where the kids played monkey while the adults napped ... okay, I napped, Brett took this picture not 10 feet away from me and I never knew until we got home and I looked at the camera. Heading back to Lehi was awful, and I still am in the severely missing state of Cache Valley withdrawals.

One Year In

2010-07-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well, we are one year into selling our house. Six months with a realtor and six months by ourselves. Anyone want a 3400 sq. ft. rambler in Lehi? Only $263,000 :D. ....sigh

I Love My Garden

2010-07-21T20:46:00.000-07:00

Someday I will have my acre of land to plant rows and rows of corn, a whole field of 10 different kinds of pumpkins, and enough squash and other vegetables to feed an army. I just love growing stuff -is there anything more satisfying, really? I also love sharing gardening with my kids. They actually volunteer to help when it comes to gardening. Clay, who hates peas, actually ate them right up when I reminded him that he helped to shell them. :)

A few of the Fourth

2010-07-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

I didn't get very many pictures of the Fourth of July this year which is sad since it was THREE days of celebration. We tried to see the balloons and made it on time for once- only to watch them be inflated and then deflated, too much wind. All well, I think the kids still had fun, even though the fire sound wooshing into the balloons scared Luka. And she was not prepared for the Coke balloon to our left and the colorful balloon to our right to collide right over us as the both tipped over. (I wasn't prepared either or I would have taken better pictures :) ) I didn't get any pictures at Grandma's (sad) but we had a blast as always. Then we headed down to BYU, yet again risking the chance that some of Cougardom might rub off on the kids. Brett wore his Aggie shirt just to be safe :). Really we love watching the fireworks every year from the same spot by the fountain across from the bells every year. Repetition works well for my OCD :). My favorite part is still the jets flying over. And thanks everyone for coming to our impromtu BBQ and fireworks on Monday!

Summer Happenings

2010-07-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post with a couple things that have happened this summer. Clay completely wore out his old bike. We decided that since he has always had hand me downs and never his own brand new bike that we would buy one for him even thought it wasn't his birthday or Christmas, etc. He even got to pick and this is the one he wanted. He also lost his first tooth which was a long time coming as he had to watch the tooth fairy visit big brother over and over again. Luka shows us that when you are really tired you just crash - no matter where you are. She slept on the rug in front of the back door for a couple hours. Am I a bad Mom for leaving her there? :) You know what they say, "Let sleeping dogs lie?" - well the same applies to small children. And the picture of Tucker is in his new favorite reading spot - the front porch. His book of choice in this picture is the first Harry Potter; which at seven years old he finished in 3 days. Tucker I LOVE that you love reading like Mom!

Silly

2010-06-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

We were leaving this morning to go run a couple of errands and as we headed out the door I realized that we had all put on Navy Blue. It looked like we were going to get our picture taken so of course . . . I took a picture. (Really we were just all supporting in our AGGIE BLUE. :D )

Ananda's Photo Shoot With Luka

2010-06-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Ananda ever so kindly agreed to take some pictures of Lukie for me and even though I know how talented she is, I was blown away. To say the least. I had a really hard time picking some to post, there were sooo many great ones. Thanks Ananda! We both loved looking for 'the great valley' with you!

Swimming Fun

2010-06-15T15:58:00.001-07:00

We've only had the pool out twice this summer because it just hasn't been warm very much. But today we did and the kids a lot of fun as always (a little TOO much fun)! And the picture of the fruit in the bag? - Well that is about FORTY peaches and a handful of strawberries that won't make it to jam because Luka picked them this morning while she was outside. (She was outside with brothers because I was supposed to show the house, but of course they didn't show up )