A New Favorite Tradition

So I've decided that having a pre-made gingerbread house kit is the way to go! A few years back, we tried to make a fake gingerbread house out of graham crackers and well.....it didn't turn out so good. This year the house went together great and the kids had a great time snitching the candy and frosting and we had a wonderful time. Much more enjoyable when you don't have to worry about the roof caving in!

Internet, Pop-ups, and Viruses Oh My!

My poor computer has been having some difficulties as of late. A few months ago I kept getting kicked out of different programs and we were having pop-up ads all the time. So we purchased Cyber Defender to clean and protect our computer from all the nasties that were out there. Just in the last little while, my computer has been even worse. It now talks to me. About every hour or so it'll tell me, "Congratulations! You have been selected to win a free laptop computer." Or Nintendo Wii, or cell phone...the message changes from day to day. This is getting really annoying.

So I ran our Cyber Defender scan again to check for viruses and it was fine. Nothing to report...my computer was as clean as a whistle. I then ran a free scan of Norton Security. Umm, it reported that I have not 1 but 143 viruses, and 53 heuristics (whatever those are!) Yeah, I'm not surprised. My computer was acting funny. So much for our crappy purchase of Cyber Defender. It was a complete waste of 45 bucks. Can I get my money back! :-) I miss my trusty, old virus free computer. Feel good inside if you are virus free because it sure is a pain when you're not!

Josh's Baptism

We made it! My oldest is baptized! It was a rough, crazy day getting there though. First thing that morning, Ethan woke up coughing. Then he starts to throw up. I can't really take him to a baptism with him throwing up all over the place. I was stressing because what was I supposed to do? I couldn't stay home with him. I started calling around to the young women in the ward. I really hated doing this because who really wants to come over and be exposed to throwing up germs? But I call...and call...and call. No one is home or they had other plans. After all, I was calling last minute and it was a Saturday night. I'm getting frantic since it's 3:00 and we have to leave at 5:00. Ryan was out with Josh doing a little Daddy/son bonding and when he got home I told him that I couldn't find a babysitter. I think that he was a little annoyed since that was my only task for the day. But he took charge and within 5 minutes he had our next door neighbor, one of his priests, come over and stay with Ethan while we went.

Next, during the babysitter saga, Abby decided that she wanted to get into my make-up. I have this lip stick that is supposed to stain your lips so it doesn't rub off while you eat and drink. Well Abby applied it to her face. Great! I scrubbed and scrubbed. It wouldn't come off. So, she looked very lovely at the baptism.

We had talked to Josh about getting baptized and he said that he was a little nervous about how deep the water was. We told him it was like a big bathtub. Nice and warm and not too deep, plus Daddy would be in there with him so he'd be just fine. Apparently, the water wasn't nice and warm. It was cold! Ryan took a step in and was afraid that Josh wouldn't follow! :-) But he did and I was so proud of him. We had warned Josh that Satan would try his hardest to make things go wrong so that he wouldn't want to get baptized. And let me tell you, things definitely didn't go as planned, but we made it through. What a day to remember.

Oh crap

For Joshua's baptism, Ryan and I wanted to give Josh his own set of scriptures. I drove Ryan into work so that I could have the car to make the 45 minute trip into Dallas to the one and only LDS bookstore around. I selected, engraved, bought and brought the new purchase home. I was excited to give them to Josh tomorrow so I opened them up again to look at them. Something doesn't look right but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then a few seconds later, I realize that the engraving lady forgot to put the "b" in our last name. Crap! It reads Joshua R. Campell. Now I know that I didn't write it wrong on the little slip of paper, she just messed up. But how did I not catch that at the store? Don't I know how my own last name should look? I just glanced at it breifly at the store while I was paying for it. Man, now I'm going to have to take them back. Will they make me buy a whole new set? How can I prove to them that I spelled my name right and they were at fault? I'm stressing. I hope that they don't give me any trouble. So much for the great baptism present. "Here you go Josh. Your very own scriptures. But you can't really have them because I have to take them back." Argh.

Chit Chat

I, unfortunately, had to make a trip to the dentists office this morning to get some cavities filled. Not a real exciting way to start off the day. Now my question is this. Why does the dentist always insist on making small talk? (And this isn't just a one sided conversation.) He's asking me questions. Well, how am I supposed to answer when I have about 5 things sticking inside my mouth...fingers, suction tubes, drills, mirrors. I mean, the best that I could do is answer uh huh and maybe nod my head, but doesn't that just complicate things? I mean what if my head bobbing causes him to accidentally drill the wrong tooth? With a hole there he's going to have to fill it and you know that he's going to charge ME for it. I think in dental school they teach them about making sure to ask the patient all kinds of questions because they get a good laugh out of us when we try to answer. Thus the chit chat. It's all about amusement.

Tis the Season

It's officially the Christmas season. I bought my first Christmas present today. No, I didn't get up at an insane hour and hit the stores on Black Friday. I'm to lazy for that...but I did get online and shop in my PJs. That, I'm willing to do. Much nicer. Most of my sisters are well into their shopping (probably almost done) and I'm just getting started. Yikes. I better get a move on.

On another note, we had five houses on our street that had Christmas lights already turned on this last week. I wonder how many will join the ranks to light up our neighborhood now that Thanksgiving is over. I would love to add lights to our house. It makes it so fun for the kids. I figure that Ryan won't do it so if I want it done, I'll have to do it myself. Lucky for me, there isn't any snow to have to worry about so it shouldn't be any big deal. I guess the big deal is shoveling out the money to buy the lights in the first place. Maybe it won't happen after all. I guess we'll see!

Happy shopping and decorating!

For This I Am Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I sit down and think of the many things that I am thankful for, I am amazed at how truly blessed I am.

*First, I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He is so good to me and the calm in my worry filled life. He is a great father, especially since the kids are growing up and wanting to go out and play more with him. I love how he teaches them gospel principles just around the dinner table while we are eating. It reminds me of my own Dad and how much I love and miss him.

*I am thankful for my 4 beautiful children. I think that I take for granted how perfect they came into the world.

*I'm thankful for my family far away from here. You don't realize how much you love and appreciate them until you are far away. I treasure all of my memories and traditions that I had growing up. I'm also thankful to Ryan's family for making him who he is today! Such a wonderful son can only come from wonderful parents.

*I am thankful that Ryan has a job. I am thankful that he dutifully goes everyday even though he doesn't like it that much. He does it for us. For that I am thankful.

This list could go on to include even the smallest of things. But I wanted you to know that I am truly thankful to be alive, to have the gospel and know from whom all of my blessings came.

An Expirence Tag

This is a fun tag! I got this from a friend. She said that her life was pretty boring, but in comparison to mine, her's is much more exciting. Just copy and paste the entire list below and put the ones you have done/experienced in bold. Hopefully, your list will have a little more bold than mine!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain-it was a hike and it wasn't like all the way to the top or anything...
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (I can sing a solo, but am too afraid to sing karaoke...)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I've also been the recipient of this too...there are still nice strangers around)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I tried once and passed out. How pathetic am I?)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt (I've helped tie a quite but It wasn't mine)
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (does a scooter count?...oh, and I wasn't going very fast)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Happiness A Little Early

I was getting excited thinking that with Abby mostly potty trained, I would only have one in diapers. That would save money on our grocery bill! However she has decided that she doesn't really want to go potty in the toilet anymore and would rather just go wherever she happens to be at the time. The past three days have been awful! I've been running the wash constantly because we're going through so many outfits. I guess the funness (is that a word?) has worn off. I'm trying not to get frustrated but oh my heck! The bright side is that she never goes poopy in her pants. That always makes it in the potty and she doesn't even tell me that she has to go, she just does! So we take the good with the bad and try to be a nice Mommy when she pees on the carpet just 30 seconds after I have asked her if she needs to go. I hate potty training!

Showin' some Dimples

Yep, Kaden's got some dimples like his Mommy....but it's big brother Josh that can make him smile. He smiles a little for me (refer to top picture), but he was all out smiles and coos for Josh in the second shot. What's up with that? Maybe he knows that he and Josh will be best buds in the coming years!

Doin' the Spike

There isn't much explanation or fun story to go along with these pictures. I just thought that the kids looked funny with their hair stickin' straight up so I thought I would snag a picture. You know that some people go to great lengths to get their hair to look like this....hairspray, gel etc. My kids just run their heads on the tramp and there you have it. Spike Heads!

Playin' T-ball at the Park

Here are some cute pictures of the kids playing at the park for Josh's birthday. They love to get out and play, especially if Mom and Dad are out there with them. Josh and Ethan are pretty good hitters. Abby just loved chasing the ball. And Kaden...well, he must have been bored because he just slept the whole time :-)

Happy Birthday Joshua

I can't believe that my baby boy is 8 years old! Golly, 8 seems so old. This year for his birthday he got a digital camera. He's been asking for one for quite a while. I can tell that he's growing up by the things that he's been asking for for his birthday. We had a great day. I took cupcakes up to the school for his class and joined him for lunch. He was very excited about that. Then after school we went and got some food and had a picnic lunch at the park and played T-ball. Then the real party started...we opened presents had a great cake and flopped into bed. It was a fun filled day. I hope Josh had a great birthday. He's my special boy!

Thank goodness for Sesame Street

This past weekend we (everyone minus Ethan) were all sick and throwing up. Can I just say how thankful I am for Sesame Street! Abby loves it. Abby likes to get into trouble when I'm not paying close attention to her so this allowed me to veg on the couch and sleep off and on for like 4 hours straight. Thank goodness that I had that many episodes on my TiVo. I guess it helped that she was feeling sick herself. I hate being sick. I usually don't get sick that often so when I do, it's awful. Thank goodness it was only a 24 thing and we're back running. Got to run some cupcakes over to Josh's class for his birthday!

It's Finally Gone

Ethan finally lost his first tooth! He's been waiting and waiting. It's been wiggly for a while, but he's a lot more patient than Josh and let it come out when it was ready. Josh has yanked out teeth at the slightest wiggle and as a result, he has many holes in his smile that the teeth haven't grown in yet.

Ethan put his tooth on the counter and yesterday it was gone. My guess is that it fell on the floor, and of course I choose that day of all days to sweep. Luckily the tooth fairy knows that he lost a tooth and Ethan raked in some money anyway! :-)

My New Favorite Quote

I got this quote from a friend. It fits my household perfectly.

"Cleaning the house while the children are growing is like shoveling the walks...while it's still snowing!"

Such a Waste

Abby is all into her candy....just not eating it. She wants me to get her Halloween bucket down, then she proceeds to open everything (until I stop her) and take one bite or lick then throw the rest away. I've been finding candy, and let's not forget about all the wrappers, all over the place. I think some parents might be pleased that their kids weren't eating so much candy, but when I see her throwing a perfectly good candy bar away, I just have to cringe! What a waste. At least I didn't buy it. I thought the way that Abby lined up all the suckers was very artistic! She must have been taste testing. A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Trick or Treat

This was at our ward's trunk or treat on Thursday. The 1st counselor in our bishopric is a vet and so we had our party in the barn out back behind the animal hospital. The young men put on a spook ally in one of the stalls and Josh braved it and went it all alone. He was doing ninja kicks on all the boys...until the chain saw man came out....then he got a little nervous. I was proud. Ethan wouldn't go in.
This is my little pumpkin. He wasn't too happy about getting his picture taken. He was hungry and not thrilled with me that I was making him pose.

Is Ethan into super heros or what? Batman this year. Spiderman last year and the year before that, he was Superman. Gee wiz! What's next? Ironman? The Incredible Hulk?
Joshua the black ninja! I guess this was a pretty popular costume this year. There were 3 ninja's in Josh's class this year. I commented to Josh that his cousin Brandon was also a ninja and he got a kick out of that. He's been running around for days making ninja sounds and doing all kinds of cool kicks. Pretty serious stuff!
Abby the little ballerina! I was lucky enough not to have to buy Abby a costume. Our neighbor from Challis had given us this little outfit a because her daughter had outgrown it. I'm glad that I remembered that I had it. It turned out great. Yeah! I love not having to buy costumes! Borrowing or reusing is the way to go! She had a great time trick or treating. Of course, I enjoyed eating all of her candy that had nuts. Yum!

The new math

One quiet toddler + one side tracked mother = a very big mess

This isn't just a one time deal. This is just about every time. Maybe I should get off the computer and start checking up on my daughter every now and then. But it'll be your loss. No more blogging from Mary. I should get a nanny. Nope, then life would be too boring. I'll take the messes with my kids. They are sweet even when they pour out all of the baby formula on the floor, color all over themselves with pen and get dressed in Kaden's clothes. They make life fun!

Photo Shoot

I had to post these pictures because Abby is so dang cute! I was trying to get a good picture for my new header and these are the ones that I got. Say cheese!

Opposites Attract

Picture this: Last night when Ryan went to sleep, he turned on the fan in our room, slept only in his garments and was half under the covers and half on top of the covers. I, on the other hand, slept with socks, long exercise pants, and an extra sweatshirt. I also had put an extra blanket on my side of the bed and was curled up tight under my covers. What is up with that? We might have to invest in a duel electric blanket so I can keep my side toasty warm with Ryan's side not even turned on. What a funny pair we make!

The New Header

Okay, let me just tell you how LONG it took me to make this darn new header. It took all day. At one point I had even given up on it, but happened to show Ryan what I had created and he helped me transfer my word document into a jpeg file. I'm giddy that we got it to work and it turned out so cute. Hooray for smart, computer literate husbands! We're a good team. I make it look cute, he makes it practical so I can post it!

Who's Child is This?

Josh really likes snakes. I'm not sure where that came from. Certainly not from my side of the family. This is his pet webkinz snake Stripy. Of all the stuffed animals to chose from, he picks that one.
I let Josh use my markers this particular night and he drew this very colorful snake.
I've never seen a kid bring home so many snake books from the library. Sometimes he brings home 2 or 3 at a time. They are really gross with lots of close up detailed pictures of all kinds of snakes and their thousands of babies. Yuck.

Abby's New Craze

We have started the dreaded potty training (for real...not just the do it when it's convenient for us). Abby is actually doing quite well....with one exception. She had decided that she wants to strip completely naked when she goes potty. She stripped for the babysitter last night. I caught her jumping on the trampoline naked. And best of all, she stripped while I was mowing the front lawn and she came out to find me. I'm having a hard time keeping clothes on the little one! Hey, I'll take a naked child every now and then for potty training progress!

"Josh, mouse, dead, funny"

This is our little dead mouse. How he ended up dead is unfortunate. The story is as follows:

After our camp out, I was in charge of clearing out the tent. I would throw everything outside in a pile and Ryan and the kids would pick it up and take it to the van. Ryan was juggling several different things, including our pillows, when he decided that he needed to rearrange his load. As he was switching the pillows from one hand to the other, he noticed something small fly off the pillow and land on the ground. He wasn't quite sure what it was but noticed that it was scurrying away. Josh had a stick with him and in one fast swoop, he smacked the mouse and killed it. Now, this mouse is tiny. And mice can really move! I'm not sure how Josh was able to kill that thing in one shot.

Now Abby seemed to think that this was very funny. For days now, she's been telling me "Josh, mouse, dead, funny!" I'm not thinking that it was all that funny. I immediately came home and washed all the pillowcases. Yuck. To even think that a mouse has been scurrying on my pillow gives me the willies.

This poor little mouse was already dead, but Ethan needed to make sure. I guess he wanted part of the action too.

So, that's our story. Next time you talk to Abby, ask her about the mouse. She thinks it's great!

A Camping We Will Go

I love Texas (well okay just fall, winter and springtime.) It's October and we're still warm enough in the evening to go camping. This last summer Ryan and I decided that we wanted to do more things together as a family so we bought a tent, sleeping bags and some other camping gear. We made plans to go but something always came up and we couldn't go after all.

We camped at Lake Ray Roberts State Park. It's only about 40 minutes away from home so it was a nice place to camp. However it did take us a little longer than 40 minutes to get there...we got a little lost. We took off the wrong exit and drove all the way around the lake before we found the right place. Because we started off a tad late, plus the longer drive we ended up putting the tent up in the dark. Luckily our tent is fairly simple to put up and we put it up in the backyard so we knew what we were doing.

Abby loved being outside. Her favorite thing was throwing rocks into the lake. The boys tried to skip rocks with Ryan. I tried to skip the rocks and failed miserably. The boys also loved "roughing it" by going potty in the bushes. There was a outhouse type restroom just down the path but they got their kicks by being "one" with nature.

We all had a good time. I think we're planning on another trip in a few weeks. This next time around we'll get brave and make tin foil dinners and attempt a dutch oven cobbler. Never made one of those before. I guess I better learn how to cure my dutch oven!

I Couldn't Believe It

I never thought that I would see the day that gas would drop under 3 bucks! Just a few months ago we were over 4 dollars a gallon. I saw this and immediately had to snap a picture to make everyone jealous! Yay for falling gas prices...not so much for the crapy economy that is making the oil prices fall, but at least cheaper gas is a silver lining to all the panic and uncertainty right? To be honest though, I'm not all that panicked. Should I be?

Markers and Quiet Time

Abby has been having quiet time. It's basically having a nap all sweetened up so it doesn't sound so bad. I tell her she can sleep, read or play with her toys but she has to stay in her bedroom. Not that she has a choice...I've put a child lock on the door so she can't get out. I know, sounds mean doesn't it? So today, Abby was playing nicely so after an hour went to get her out. I opened the door and discovered Abby's lovely art work. I'm not sure how the marker ended up in her room, but she had a great time. No wonder she played so quietly!

I was worried about getting the marker off the wall and carpet, but it came off really easy. I recently bought Don Aslett's Perky Spot cleaner and it works WONDERS on my carpet. I would suggest that everyone should get some. It's oh so fabulous!!! The website is www.cleanreport.com if you're at all interested.

So I guess from now on I'm going to have to take a double check of Abby's room before I leave her unattended in there. She's already unloaded her dresser, pulled out all the wipes and now the marker art work. At least I was smart enough to take out the diaper rash cream and the lotions before I let her at it!

10 Things I've Learned

It's been 1 year that we've lived here. It's strange that it goes by so fast. Here are10 things that I've learned since living here in Texas.

1-People here don't speak with as much southern accent as I thought
2-They do say ya'll and ma'am a lot though
3-Texans are very proud of their state. They even sculpt flower beds in the shape of Texas! I've seen stepping stones too. Can you even imagine Utah shaped stepping stones in your garden?
4-I hate bermuda grass
5-The winters are lovely
6-The summers are not so lovely
7-You can actually trick-or-treat in your Halloween costume and not have it covered up with a coat
8-You could get totally lost without a GPS. There are no mountains to help with sense of direction
9-A two day trek with kids to see Grandma and Grandpa isn't all that fun
10- I really miss my family. Lots and lots. Thank goodness for blogs and email to keep me updated with news and family pictures.

Smart Ethan

So I had this grand idea. The kids had been wild because I had been on the computer and not really paying attention to what they were doing. Clothes and toys were scattered around the house everywhere. I told the kids that we were going to have a treasure hunt and everyone got their own basket. I hid some treats in various spots and told the kids that they had to pick up everything that belonged to them and put it in the basket and in the process they were to look for the hidden treats. I thought this was a fabulous idea. The kids were scurrying around the house until they found their treats. Then Ethan clued in... "Hey this is isn't a game. You're making us CLEAN!" I thought I was being so clever. I'm not so sure Ethan will like this game if we ever play it again. :-)

4 Peas in a Pod

Yesterday after church, Josh and Ethan decided that they were going to help take care of Abby and Kaden while I was making dinner. They made a bed for all of them so I had to snap a picture. Ah, I love it when they all play together nicely and are not hitting, biting or kicking each other. Sadly I have to admit that even Kaden has been hit because Abby wasn't liking the fact that I was feeding him and not reading to her. Usually though she is very loving of her little brother. I cerish the good moments when they come!

I've been Tagged

Ok-Let's give this a whirl
5 fears, 5 joys, 5 obsessions/collections, 5 surprising facts about you. Tag 5 people.

5 Fears:
Fire
Driving in heavy snow/rain/fog - especially at night
That someone in my family will die or get seriously hurt
Driving someplace where I've never been before
The dentist

5 Joys:
Ryan
My sweet kids
Singing
A clean house
The gospel

5 Obsessions/Collections
Chocolate
I obsess about how young I am for having 4 kids. Stupid huh!
We seem to collect exercise equipment that we don't ever use.
I obsess about being in the correct lane when driving like a mile before the exit
Reading

5 Surprising facts about me:
I'm super cheap
I've never been pulled over for speeding!
I HATE making phone calls (even to order pizza)
I've never been to a live session of General Conference
I hate making decisions. "Whatever is easiest" is my motto.

I Tag....Okay, everyone who I would tag has already been tagged.

My Pretty Girl

I had been out. I had Kaden and Ethan with me and I left Abby and Josh in the loving care of Daddy. He calls it babysitting. You can't call it babysitting when they are your own children I tell him! Anyway, we were in the checkout line at Walmart when I get a call from Ryan asking where the camera is. I told him and hung up not thinking anything about it. That should have clued me in right there. Whenever Ryan needs the camera, somebody must of done something bad, and so he needs to document the affair. (Does anyone remember the boys eating butter while Ryan was "babysitting"?) We come home to find that Abby had gotten into my make-up and had applied it to herself. I think she did a fairly good job for a two year old. She had the mascara near her eyes and the blush on her cheeks...then she just sort of spread everything else around. I guess I shouldn't leave Ryan in charge of Abby while BYU is playing on TV. He's a little less watchful! And on a side note, so you don't think that Ryan is awful, on my watch yesterday she got into my make-up again. She's a sneaky little one. Either she's shadowing me or getting into trouble on her own. She never is just playing nicely by herself. She requires 24/7 watching! Enjoy the pictures!