My Week Away

I left Marc alone with the girls last week for 5 days while I went to my company's annual National Sales Meeting in Orlando. It was the longest I've ever been away from Chloe - I left on Tuesday and returned on Sunday. It was a LONG work week. Boy am I glad to be home. Getting up at 5 AM EST (3 MST) really wore me down. I turned into a zombie yesterday after I got home. Thank you Marc for giving me one more day off - I slept for 11 hours! I won't blog about the meeting in order to stay in compliance with the company's Blog policy :) But I will tell you that Marc did an amazing job while I was gone. He took the girls to 7-Peaks one day and brought them home happy and sunburn free! It looks like they had a blast. Chloe is now officially a Daddy's Girl. I always knew that was the case since her first word was Da-da...... I'm so lucky to have such a great family!

SJP

I am a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker. I'm also a huge fan of (and still watch) SATC - even though it is extremely naughty. I was watching TV tonight and saw the commercial for Covet, her new perfume. I was surprised by it at first; but after rewinding the DVR and watching it 4 times then searching online for a website for the perfume, I realized her marketing scheme is pure genious. Her crazy eyes at the end draw you in. It was also very Carrie-esque the way she kicked in a window wearing Christian Louboutin shoes (the Manolo's of today). Always fashionable. Love it!

Update: I found the commercial on YouTube!

Lila-isms

A rhyme she says when picking between 2 things: "Bubblegum, bubble gum, in my hand, how many pieces is there left?"

When telling me how much she loves me before bed: "I love you as hot as a hot llama." (she means lava!)

An occassional good morning greeting: "Good morning chick-a-dee!"

Right now her favorite movie is High School Musical. She sings along to every word, but only when she thinks I'm not watching :)

Lila is a sweetie pie - I love her so much!

Happy Birthday Marc!

You are best husband and Dad anyone could ask for - I love you :*

Cabin Pics

The Cabin - Part 1

We went to the cabin a couple of weeks ago and I have been meaning to post about it for a while. I think I just needed some recovery time! We had a great time getting together with everyone, but there is really only one word that can describe the trip - HOT. It just wouldn't cool down! Marc took this picture of our rear-view mirror in Boise just before we headed into the mountains.

I actually enjoy road trips. Marc always thinks I'm crazy because I can sit quietly and do nothing for hours. I like watching the scenery change from the city, to the country, to the desert, to the mountains. I always like to look at the little farm houses with tidy lawns and big green trees in the front yards, but are surrounded with fields of grain as far as you can see. They look so out of place! Maybe one day I'll make Marc stop so I can take a picture of my favorite one.

On Sunday, we went to church in Stanley, Idaho. Behind the pulpit was a huge window that showcased the Sawtooth Mountains - it made it hard to concentrate on what the speakers were saying.

The guys left for their annual hike on Monday and left the women to fend for themselves with the kids. Lynne did a great job of getting together projects for the kids to do. Marc took our camera with him on his hike, so I don't have any pictures of the fun things we did. If you want to head over to Paige's site, you can see some pictures there. Luckily, they returned on Wednesday afternoon, just in time to celebrate Anna's birthday!

I wore a bandanna for pretty much the entire trip for a couple of reasons; 1: it kept my hair clean(er), 2: it kept my head from getting sunburned, and 3: my Dad forced me to wear one every time we went camping when I was little and now it just doesn't feel right without it. I decided to pass the tradition along and make Lila wear one for a little while.


We went over to a lake to go swimming and have a picnic one day. It was a blast - even with the altercation with the campground host. Eric caught a frog and the kids were thrilled Marc, Eric and Todd all got into the water with the kids.

Chloe loved to be outside. I had to watch her VERY closely though - anything she could get into her mouth went there. Ants, leaves, dirt, twigs, you name it, she probably ate it.

The hot springs were a highlight (as always). I'm so glad the cousins had a chance to hang out and get to know each other better. Thanks again to everyone for making it a great trip!

Why I Shop at Midnight (of course)

I had one of the worst shopping experiences of my life a couple of days ago. It confirmed the reason why I prefer to shop at midnight without my kids or distractions. We desperately needed TP after Lila and her friends flushed my last 2 rolls down the toilet in one day. Everyone knows you can't go to Walmart for one thing, so I filled my cart with the mandatory $70 worth of items and went to check out. After waiting in line for 30 minutes and (of course) after the checker had finished scanning the last item in my cart, I realized I didn't have my wallet. I remembered there was a checkbook in the truck and I begged the checker to let me pay with a check without ID. She told me she would accept the check as long as the check didn't say it required ID on the front. So I packed the girls back into the cart. Lila screamed at the top of her lungs because she couldn't take her new Lip Smackers lip gloss with her. I ran out to the truck as fast as I could since everyone was waiting, grabbed the checkbook and ran back into the store. The checker ran my check and (of course) the computer stopped the check saying that it required ID. So I had no choice but to go home and get my wallet. The checker told me she would save my order on a receipt she printed and all I would have to do is pay when I got back. I fought the scream fest from Lila when she had to put the Lip Smacker back into the bag...again. I hurried home, grabbed my wallet and went right back to the store. I'm sure the greeter gave me a double take as a rushed past him for the 3rd time in an hour or so. Everyone shot me dirty looks as I cut in line to pay for the full cart still sitting next to the checker. When she scanned the receipt, the computer stated (of course) that the order had been deleted. The checker looked at me with sad little eyes and said we would have to start over again. By this point, I'm positive sweat was pouring down my face and my hair was sticking straight up on top of my head. Then (of course) the checker told me that I had to get back in line because I couldn't cut in front of all those people still giving me dirty looks. I almost curled up into a ball on the floor. But I didn't and I went to the back of the line. 35 minutes later, I was the proud owner of toilet paper. I used it to wipe my tears away :) But I'll never forget my wallet again!

Turkey and Rice? yuk

Best 4th of July Yet

We had a great day today! We started the day off by going to the parade in Provo. Thankfully, Todd stayed up all night long and saved us a great spot on University Ave - on a couch he bought at DI for $15.



My favorite part of the morning was watching the guy across the street play the Star Spangled Banner from his rooftop. He got a standing ovation from the crowd.



Lila loved the parade, especially the "princesses". (if Miss Santaquin and Miss Payson count as princesses!)







After the parade, we went to lunch at Jason's Deli with my mom, my bro, Ed and Todd. Chloe made a new best friend after Ryan gave her an empty ice cream cone to chew on.



After lunch, we went to Wal-Mart and bought a kiddie pool to play in. Chloe didn't like the cold water much, but Lila and the neighboorhood girls sure had fun in it! We brought over the next door neighbors slip-and-slide and played in the sun for a couple of hours.

We did fireworks after the sun went down with Mom, Ryan, Joe, Helen,
Warrik and the Murdoch's.









It was about 10:30 by the time we finished and Lila was getting a little loopy. Here she is with her new goggles on and a cane!



Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone had a great day too.

Sunday Activity

Last Sunday we got cabin fever and decided to go up the canyon to Bridal Veil Falls for a walk. Lila jumped right into the cold water at the bottom of the falls (without fear) and climbed onto a rock. It was too COLD for me, even in the 90 degree weather, but it sure was beautiful!

My Incredibly Talented Husband

Marc is a morning person....I am not. I woke on Saturday morning to music playing in the garage and the sound of a saw cutting wood. Marc had gone to Home Depot, bought wood and created a new shelf in my garage before I had even thought about getting out of bed! Wow. I love the extra storage space - and I love you honey!

BBQ Time!

Summer is in full swing and we have been to enough BBQ's to prove it! We had a great time on Friday night at a "non-company sponsored department party" for Marc's work. It was a lot of fun! There were 17 kids there and they kept each other busy! Mark Lay's house was the perfect set up for everyone to visit and for the kids to play.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

You're my favorite little bro - love ya!

Greatest Invention EVER

At 9:55 PM tonight, I had a sleepy 4 year old and a sleeping 6 month old in the car. Wouldn't you know - I remember that I need a gallon of milk. Unfortunately, my husband was gone on a scout camp-out for the night but I knew the milk couldn't wait. I could already hear the screams coming from Lila when I tell her we are out of milk and she can't have a glass with breakfast. The thought of getting the girls out of the car in their sleepy state made my stomach hurt - the thought of wandering through Wal-Mart made my stomach hurt worse. It will take at least 30 minutes to get the milk and through the check-out line. I happen to be in Orem leaving my mom's house and I remembered a new store that opened on 1600 north - a drive-through market! It was like the clouds parted and a rainbow shined directly on my car. I hurried over there (just a 2 minute drive) hoping I would get there before they closed at 10 PM. A cheerful teenager greeted me at the door of the drive-in and handed me a menu - a wonderful menu with things such as milk, bread, eggs, salad, lunch meat, frozen pizzas and 1/2 gallons of ice cream listed. Looking at the menu made me remember a couple of items I was missing at home. I quickly rattled my list off to the girl because I was afraid she would be mad I pulled up right at closing time. She scurried into the store and came back 30 seconds later with all of my items, which she promptly put into my trunk. I handed her my debit card and we were done in under 3 minutes! I made it home before 10:15 with both of my girls still asleep - hooray!!

I am so incredibly happy with my experience that I wrote a haiku:

Seasons, oh great store
You have saved my sanity
Please build one near-by

Pet Peeve....

Why must every child in the neighborhood come to my house to use the bathroom? I mean, they live 50 feet away - don't they want to go use their own personal bathrooms??? (No..... no, they don't.) Lila always comes flying in the door at 100 miles/hour and uses her own potty. I know she must not use the neighbors bathroom unless she goes 2-3 times an hour. I can't possibly be the only mother on earth who can't stand this.... can I???

Families Can Be Together Forever

Yesterday, we had our beautiful Lila Bug sealed to us in the Mt Timpanogos Temple. She was so cute in her white dress - and her eyes were sparkling!! It was one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. Thank you to all the family and friends who were able to share this special moment with us.

My Sweet Chloe

A couple of days ago, Chloe was determined not to take a nap. (Which is really unusual for her) So I put her in her high chair so she could watch me clean in the living room and kitchen. She got really quiet very quickly and I found her propped against her puppy toy, fast asleep.

For Sally

Thanks Sal! I've never been tagged either. :)

The last person you sent a card to: Lynn Wardle, our attorney, for his arduous work on Lila's adoption case! (I stole the word arduous from Marc - I had no idea it meant difficult and tiring. Now you know too!)

What I ate for lunch today: Tomato soup, 1/2 turkey sandwich and water.

Something I just learned: You can make homemade mozzarella cheese from curd in about 10 minutes. You do it by putting the curd in hot water and stretching it like taffy - who knew? Thanks Michael Chiarello!

My favorite song this year: Picking a favorite song is hard for me.....I'll go with any song off of Nelly Furtado's Loose album. No Hay Igual is a hot dance track, but I don't understand one word!

The last book I read: The South Beach Diet....

What I'm wearing right now: Comfy black gaucho pants & Marc's SportCenter t-shirt. Happy Monday!

Last phone call I made: To my Mom. I just barely checked the caller ID and saw she called yesterday....oops! I'm still not used to having a home phone.

Inside, I don't feel very different from when I was: In high school. Outside is a different story!!

Last restaurant I ate at: Los Hermanos with the Kepo'o clan

My favorite tv shows are: Usually Desperate Housewives, 24 & Grey's Anatomy but since they are reruns now, I pick So You Think You Can Dance! (sorry Sal, I had to modify this question slightly as I couldn't pick just one favorite!)

I tag Paige!

Owen Daniel Parkinson

Happy birthday to Owen Daniel Parkinson! Rhianna gave birth to baby Owen on June 3rd (just one day late - hooray!) He is so tiny and perfect. He looks like a ceramic baby doll you would collect and keep in a glass case :) They don't stay small for very long, so enjoy him! I'm sure I'll be over several times in the next few weeks to "give Rhianna a break"..... or just to steal her tiny baby for an hour.

Congratulations Parkinson Family!

Lila Blaser

Yesterday we went to court and finalized the adoption of Lila by Marc! She is now officially Lila B :) I was a little intimidated by the whole thing - it was so formal. Marc and I both had to be questioned on the witness stand. But Lynn (our attorney) was so nice and the Judge was good too. He even allowed us to break the rules and take a picture together. It was great to have our family there to support us. Thanks to Mom K, Mom & Dad B and Todd for coming!