A New Me...

Or at least a new haircut! Thanks Grammie Billie!

Too Busy Having Fun To Blog!

Geesh, a girl goes a few days without posting on her blog and you'd think the world had ended! Sorry about the lack in pics lately, but we have been out enjoying the wonderful weather. I wanted to share a few snapshots of our trip to Lagoon on Friday. OP had to work, but us girls had a grand ole' time...

Remember this post from last year? Here's the girls after riding Rattlesnake Rapids again- wet, again, and Piper is, once again, unhappy about it.

Marissa and my mommy going under the waterfall.... that water was cold!

Here's another updated-pic from last year. They are on the same airplane ride, but not getting along very well. On this ride, both girls had to pull up on a joystick to go up, or push down to go, well, down. They couldn't quite agree on which way to go (notice Adi's fist in the first pic and Piper screaming in the second).

Here's Porter-Bear gazing wishfully at the girls as they got onto a ride...

Katelynn screamed everytime Marissa took her off of a ride.

Adi's favorite thing was the water fountain that she got to play in and she was also the reining Wac-A-Mole champion.

Enjoying ice cream cones from Pioneer Village (Buckway Family Tradition).

Thanks to Porter's intolerance of milk, he got to have an icee, rather than a cone.

Porter on the train (the only ride other than the Merry-Go-Round he got to ride on).

And enjoying some cotton candy before we left for home.

Adventures In...

I started this blog to keep in touch with the family in Utah whom we didn't see very often. Now that we have moved to Utah, I now blog to keep in touch with the fam & friends who were left behind! I like sharing all the great (and not so great) things my kids do, so here is a little segment I like to call "Adventures In...". Today I am highlighting Porter while he eats a popsicle.

Would you like to know why both dogs follow Porter around?

Now he is on the hunt for another one!

He was screaming at that moment.

How To Get Professional Pictures Taken of a One Year Old

If anyone figures out how to do that without getting a headache, please let me know.

He Rocks!

I'm sure that all of you with children who have watched the Disney Channel sometime in the last three months have heard of their latest movie Camp Rock. Well, as I posted before, the girls didn't quite make it through the whole movie, so thanks to the magic of DVR, they were watching it this afternoon after naps. This part was playing:



Porter-Boy, who is just not interested in TV at all (where did I get this kid?), stopped all his busy-ness when the last song came on. After staring at the movie for a minute, he started doing a little rocking himself. After the song ended, he stopped looked a little confused, then started screaming. I, being the strict mother that I am, gave in to his cries and started the song over.

Luckily, he became more interested in the stairs than the show after that.



Please forgive me for his lack of attire. He had just enjoyed a messy treat which he got all over his nice, white shirt (why do I buy white?), so he was stripped of it and set loose. He also has a half-worn off Incredible Hulk Tatoo on his chest. Fun stuff!

Well Hello There, Cadet Merrill!

The day has finally come! After five different tests (including a polygraph), tons and tons and tons of paperwork, and three months of waiting, OP is finally starting his training! We had to spend a small fortune on his shoes, shirts, pants, etc. that are required by the corrections academy, but he has now left to go be trained on how to get bad guys to behave (or whatever it is they are taught).

Moved....

My new favorite show to watch at night after I put the kiddies to bed is Glen Beck. I think it is a little torturous for OP since I get so fired-up about the stuff he talks about! Anywho, if you have ever seen him, heard of him, or even if you haven't, this will move you (at least it did me)!



Here is one of my favorite things that Glen Beck has said:

"To be a conservative is, in my definition, is somebody that believes in the power of the individual, somebody that believes, please let me make my decisions, that I have a right to succeed and not be penalized for it. I have a right to fail and have no one run to me if I don't want them to run to me. A conservative believes I have a right to manage my family, I have a right to discipline my family in the way I see fit, as long as it is not criminal. A conservative believes I have the right to worship God, I have a right to worship the God of my understanding, and I do not have the right to jam my version of God down anybody else's throat or my version of no God down anybody's throat. A conservative believes live and let live. That's what a conservative believes. A conservative believes in the smallest amount of government, the smallest government you can get without anarchy. That's what a conservative believes."

I'm not trying to shove my political point of view down anyone's throat, but this is what I believe (in case you were wondering)!

Chuck E Cheesey Kind of Day

Adi and Piper have ben asking to go to the wonderful Chuck E Cheese for months now and I finally caved. We had gotten a coupon in the newspaper for a large pizza, 2 soft drinks and 20 tokens for $16, and I figured that that is a pretty darn good price.

It wasn't so bad. The hardest part was juggling Porter, two cups of coins, my bag and my camera in my arms, but somehow I managed!

We also bought Adi some more clothes for school here and here and picked up some bling for the girls here (don't you love their 10 for &10 table?).

We visited Grandma B where the girls showed off their new stuff and picked "peas" from a bush (they were actually seed pods which Pipes wanted me to take home and cook for dinner).

By the time we left Gma's, it was already 4:30 and I didn't feel much like cooking! So we went to Walmart and got their Pick 3 Bucket from the Deli for dinner. We didn't get home till 5:30 and not a single one of my kiddies had had a nap yet. Can you imagine how tired we all were? But the night was not yet over...

I had promised the girls about 3 months ago that on the night Camp Rock debuted, they could stay up to watch it. Well, of course it was on yesterday and not until 9 o'clock. Seriously.

The kiddies got to run in the sprinklers after dinner (unheard of), took a bath and Porter Boy went to bed. The girls did a "Camp Rock Craft"....



Made popcorn....

And fell asleep about twenty minutes into the movie...


I ended up staying up to not only watch Camp Rock in it's entireity, but also Wizards of Waverly Place. Hey, I love Disney shows, what can I say?

Silly me, I thought that after the big, long, tiring day yesterday, the kiddies would sleep in this morning.

I got my wake-up call at 5:45.

So. Not. Fair.

Why the Tears, Lil' Man?

Porter likes loud things.

Like airplanes, trucks and vacuums. Or a leaf blower.

My mom was using one this afternoon to clean-up the backyard, but she just wouldn't stop moving it around so that Porter could properly investigate it.

This really upset My Boy. He really wanted to check it out.

Thus the waterworks.

A Hot Day, For Utah That Is...

It's funny, even when it is a hot day here, the water still comes out ice cold from the hose. Unlike Arizona, where the water comes out hot. Anyway, so this pool was cold- like sticking your feet into a glass of ice water. The girls wanted to swim so bad, though, that they tried their very hardest to ignore the cold. Notice how nothing above their waste actually got wet :)



Porter was the smart one who refused to get himself wet at all. Instead he stirred the water with his shovel.

I started getting a little, ummm, bored sitting outside so I started snapping pics of me with the kids.


The moral of the story: I missed AZ where the water would have been warm so that all three of the kids would have been swimming in th pool and I probably would be in there also.

At least I missed it until I called my friend Ayami and found out that it was 113 degrees there yesterday. I think I can learn to like Utah's summers!

Happy Day!

Happy Birthday to my MIL Sharon! Hope your day is wonderful!

Interesting Story...

So, on Saturday, the kids and I were ditched by OP while he went riding with his cousin Jason. We got over it quickly though, and had a fun day. We went to Wheeler Historic Farm (more to come on that one), over to the mall, ate lunch at Del Tacos, then went to Aunt Leanne's to check on the horses (also more to come).

Anywho, while we were at the mall, the girls begged to ride the carousel (which, by the way, Porter is deathly afraid of). We got on, buckled up and were waiting for the ride to start. Suddenly a man (a little rough looking) came running up to me.

"Are these your girls?" He had a big "redneck" accent.

"Uh, yeah." I was standing in front of them, holding Porter (who was screaming) on his horse. I turned around to check and make sure that they weren't doing anything wrong.

"They are so cute, I just had to tell you!"

"Ummm, thanks?" I was a little confused. Why was he talking to me?

"I saw them over there just a talking and it just makes me so happy to see little twins, and so cute! I just had to come tell ya."

I was getting a little creeped out, but I forced a smile on my lips. "Well, thank you."

He then leaned over the bar and started handing the girls something. I was in a little bit of a difficult situation since I was supporting a little boy who was loosing it on a giant wooden horse while some strange man was giving my daughters something.

"Ummm, what is that?" I am still trying my hardest to be polite.

"Here's some silver dollars for the cute little girls!" And then he was gone.

Yeah, just a little bit wierd.

And I was just a little scared.

I kept checking behind me until we left the parking lot to make sure that there was no fan of Adi and Piper's following us (it may sound a little paranoid, but hey, I'm a mom). We were in the clear.

I guess I should just take it as a compliment and move on, but those coins are still making me nervous... maybe I am a little crazy.

So Lucky

To have this guy as a hubby and as my kiddo's Daddy!

Happy Father's Day!!

That's the Night That The Lights Went Out In Utah

I was in the middle of making Teriyake Chicken and Ham Fried Rice the other night when the power flicked off. Great. It was pushing dinner time, and suddenly the girls got incredibly restless. So I told them to go dress up like rockstars.

Minutes ticked by, and still no power. I thus made an executive decision: Chik-Fil-A for dinner... yes!!

And yes, I let the girls go looking like this:

Hmmm, I Don't Know...

I tried out this little thing that tells you who you are just by typing in your name. I know, I know that it really isn't true, but it is still kinda fun!

What Courtney Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's" Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Some of these are true, others are just plain not. Number one, I am NOT A LUCKY PERSON! Bad things just have a tendency of happening to me. Well, they do.

In fact, I fell down the stairs today. Yep- fell straight on my behind and just tripped on a little piece of air.

Orrin did however agree with the "you are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble" part.

What do you think?

To the Graduate!

It's a little late, but I wanted to say congrats to my lil' sis who just graduated from nursing school last month! Good job, Whit, I knew you'd do it (did I mention that she graduated with honors? She is so smart).

Good luck on the NCLEX- although you aren't going to need it!

Dancing Queen

Our new cousin Vanessa (the one whom OP got all dressed-up for their wedding) gave the girls the best present ever: front row seats to her dance recital. This was no small-fry dance company either, and it wasn't your average performance. Ever heard of Clayton Productions? Hopefuly I can ge the girls into them this fall (I think I have a connection, seeing how it's Vanessa's dad who owns it).

Singing and dancing; Piper was in heaven! I captured her groovin' to the performance, and boy, was she into it! She kept asking if she could get down and dance...

I tried to get Adi on camera too, but she kept covering the lens, the little fart. She sat next to OP and Eli with the exact same expression on her face that they had on theirs. But if I asked her if she was enjoying herself, she'd roll her baby blues and say, "Yes!" So much attitude for such a tiny little body.

Here's a clip of Vanessa singing her solo- she rocked! Piper is now completely enamoured with her- Vanessa is her own celebrity.

Thanks Vanessa for the fun night and thanks Mom for the babysitting service (we couldn't very well have taken Porter, now could we)!

I Am Feeding My Addiction, But

I got two new books last night! I had a giftcard to Barnes and Noble left from my birthday (and we all know what a miracle it is that I've hung onto it this long), so OP watched the kids after our nightly routine last night and I snuck off into a little world of my own.

The problem with B&N is that their are just too many choices! I finally settled on two books that I have been wanting to read for a while now, and they both were located on the "teen summer read" table. I know, I know, but Twilight is also a teen book!

Anyway, I got this book:

Ella Enchanted- and so far it is way different than the movie (which I love).

And I got:

Forever in Jeans- I started reading the series way before the movie came out, and I just love the way that Ann Brashares writes!

So now I am off into Frell, I gotta get some reading in before the kiddies wake up!

We Believe...

For all of you who know us well, you know that we have our nightly routine (I dig routines). Every night after dinner, OP bathes the kiddos while I do dishes(or hide out downstairs till I hear him get the kids out), then they brush their teeth, comb their hair, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Then we head into the bedroom and do scripture study, sing songs, say family prayers, Orrin then excuses himself to play a little WOW while I read two stories to the girls (and P.G. if his attention span holds out).

Recently we have added a new item to the routine: learning the Articles of Faith. I know, it's a big undertaking! Surprisingly, this has been going pretty well. Here, check it out for yourself:

I asked the girls to say their favorite Article, and while Adi's was obvious, Piper's was a wee bit meshed-up!

And here is a clip of Porter playing King of the Polly Pocket Container and telling his Mommy to get "Out" because he knew I was going to be pulling him off soon:

Ya gotta love these kids.

Or at least I do!

Bouncy, Bouncy

One of the funnest places that the girls and I have discovered since moving to Utah has been The Kid Barn- it is a place that is full of all of those fun blow-up slides and jumping-thingys. For only $7 a kid (not exactly cheap, but not too bad) they can bounce and slide their little hearts out.

It was rainy here today and OP didn't have any work so the kids and I dragged him here.

Porter didn't find the place fun at all. He didn't like the big slides, he didn't like his sister's being "eaten" by them, and he especially didn't like it when Daddy took him down one of the slides.

He warmed up enough to them that he stopped screaming everytime one of us touched one. OP was really disappointed that he wouldn't go with him, since Porter was his ticket to looking justified in playing on them. I finally convinced him to just do it already and go down!

So now I don't know who had more fun: the girls or Orrin...

Find of the Week!

You can get this kit for free if you play a little hunting game here... It's a little confusing, but it's a huge kit, so keep trying!

Wanna Share?