Windows

Having all the kids in school.... minus one..... I have a little more time on my hands, and how I choose to spend it, well.... that's for me to decide!!
So, my cleaning lady told me when she came to my house a month or so ago that I needed to buy more windex. I went to the store that weekend and came home with some "Glass Plus" with Jet Dry. I felt good about my purchase as I had saved nearly 30 cents on this brand. I put it with my cleaning supplies feeling she would be pleased that I had purchased this item in a timely manor.
The next week when she came, I was not at home. But when I came home there was a little note left for me that said "glass plus is unacceptable". Basically she told me that it was not worth the few extra cents in savings for all of the extra work the non-windex requires. Well, I know that some people have loyalty to things that they love and cannot do without, so, again I go to the store (that weekend... I am feeling great about my timeliness) and find some windex... I grabbed the first one I saw that said Windex. The next week I actually get a call on my cell phone, She told me I had grabbed the wrong kind of Windex. I had picked up a multi-surface and this one does not leave things as bright as the Windex window cleaner does. She tells me that I need to pick it up immediately or she won't do my windows/mirrors this week- it is not worth her time or effort! So, I find some window cleaning windex and rush it home! Whew... it is the right kind!!
Now... since my kids are in school and I am finding time to do all sorts of things.... And, Well, I have 3 large windows all right next to each other, and I have 3 different kinds of window cleaners. I decided that I would try a little experiment. fun?!! Oh yes!! And I'll have Fun Fun Fun till my kiddies take the school bus home-
So, I timed the time it took to clean each window, I used only one paper towell per window and here are the results:
1. Glass plus cleaner: 55 seconds
2. Windex Multi-surface: 50 seconds
3. Windex for windows only: 46 seconds.

Time to me was very comparable... we have 29 windows, and not all are as large as the ones I cleaned, so I guess it would take a few extra minutes to do all the windows in the house.
HOWEVER- when I looked at the windows side by side in the bright sun, the multi-surface was a TITCH more cloudy. The Glass plus maybe was a teeney bit more smudgy than the Windex- and the Windex window did look very pretty.
So, is it worth it? Was it worth it? I am on the fence with my decision. I don't think that I would have noticed the cloudiness or smudginess if I had not been diligently examining the windows. They all looked good to me!

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Isn't he handsome, folks? I am one lucky lady.



This past week, my wonderful Husband had a birthday. We had one heck of a celebration for him. On Friday we got a sitter (2, actually) for the kids and we WENT OUT! We went to this Chic little Sushi bar. It was totally trendy and hip. There were chains hung from the ceiling, white flowing material and lights everywhere. It was awesome. We had a small group of friends with us (well, 14) and we had a great time. I am not the biggest fan of sushi- but hey, it wasn't my birthday, now was it? So, we got the "all you can eat sushi" and we went all out. I even tried a few things like eel that I normally wouldn't try. But it was my hubby's birthday and it made him so happy to stuff things that I don't normally care for in my face. I did put my foot down when it came to the salmon eggs... I mean, YUCK!! It was a fun night and we had a great time! Then on Saturday we had a pool party and barbecue with friends at the house. The kids had a great time with dad and our friends. On Sunday we took a day off from celebrating. Then on Monday, his ACTUAL birthday, we went out to lunch with his staff- they made him a cake, also. We went on a birthday hike and swim also. So we had 3 fun days of celebrations. He deserved them.
Here are the top 20 things that I have learned about my hubby in the past 9 years:
1. He is a great father.
2. He is a great husband.
3. He is a wonderful son.
4. He is a super brother.
5. He is a good looking- does this count? I mean, I didn't have to learn this about him... I just knew it from the first moment that I laid eyes on him... He is HOT).
6. He is happy almost all the time. (even in the morning)
7. He believes in me all the time.
8. He encourages the kids and believes in them.
9. He is a motivator.
10. He is a great communicator... if you ask him the right questions- just kidding, he really is.
11. He is funny. (looking... hahaha, that was for you, sweetie)
12. He is considerate and kind.
13. He is brave- especially when I need him to come out to the car when I get home late at night because I am too scared to walk in alone.
14. He is thoughtful.
15. He is a little too much of a thrill seeker, at times (in my opinion.. you know what I mean honey... slow down on the dang quads).
16. He is a researcher. (he knows what I mean, it never stops)
17. He loves the Savior.
18. He LOVES his mamma (his pappa too, but he is a classic "momma's boy").
19. He is a planner.
20. He is trusting.. he would rather trust and be burned, than not trust anyone.
There is a lot more, but this will do for now- there are many birthdays yet to come.
I love you honey, I am the luckiest gal I know (of course I do live in a small town... hahaha, again, that was for you honey). You are the light of my life and I enjoy every moment (except the early morning ones :) that I get to spend with you. Happy 31st!!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

First day of school pictures with friends.
Cami... ready to go to school. She is excited that she gets to go 5 days a week, this year. Last year she was only doing 2 days. She feels so grown up.
Gloria and her good friend.
Gloria At school with her friend.
"mini-me"
Here we are, ready to walk out the door to school. Daddy gets to come with us on the first day.

Wow!! It's that time of the year... last year, I cried. This year, nope. I gave a little whoopee!! Now, don't get me wrong- I LOVE my kids. I love spending time with them. They are genuinely good kids. Very obedient and helpful. I love them. However,I am excited to get back into some sort of routine. Summer has been Crazy, and out of control. I can't handle chaos. Really, I can't. I am also excited to have special one on one time with my baby. She has never had this luxury. She has always had siblings home with her. Well, this week... she was introduced to time alone with mom. We have had so much fun so far!! And... wait for it... when she naps- SO DO I!!! Someday she will start sleeping through the night, and when she does, I probably won't need a nap, but until then- I will enjoy my nap time.
All 3 of the kids love love love love love school. They all enjoyed their friends, their new teachers and the projects that they are already doing in school. It makes me happy to know that they are so happy there.

They are growing up so quickly. They are all just the best kids.
Gloria is almost 7. She is my big helper. She will take all of the kids into her room and keep them entertained for hours, literally! She loves to help and carry the baby around. She likes to practice being a mom. This summer one of her goals was to learn to do the splitz... and she did it!! She also learned to do a cartwheel. She read 6 chapter books and countless books to her siblings. She really improved her diving and learned a few new swimming strokes.
Grayson is more than ready for Kindergarden. He reads, writes, does math and is very social. He asks all sorts of intellectual questions.. why is the sky blue? how does the car turn hot air into cold air? What makes our eyes different colors? How do all the cars know how fast to go? and so many others.. his mind is always working. He really excelled in his swimming this summer. He is diving and can swim underwater from one end of the pool to the other. He started Karate this summer and loves it. He is such a great big brother. Olivia thinks of him as her personal teddy bear, and he loves it.
Cami is miss personality. she loves people and she loves routine. This summer she really took an interest in cooking. She spent a lot of time in the kitchen with me. She loves to read... she can sit on the couch for an hour and read to herself. She is also officially banned from any sort of writing instrument at home. I had to hide all of the markers, chalk, pens and crayons in our home. I have never had to do this with any other child. she has been grounded from coloring so many times this summer. Travis and I joke that someday she will be an artist and then we can frame all of the furniture she has decorated.
It was a great summer... we have all grown and had fun... now, it's back to school for another great year!!

King Snake

we found this pretty little thing while we were cleaning out the garage this weekend. She is a super sweet and mellow snake. She is a KING SNAKE. Around here, we love King snakes, they like to eat rattle snakes. So, we let the kids play with her for a while and then released her into our front yard. They wanted to keep her as a pet in the house.... HA!!! I told them that she would be too cooped up and sad indoors, but she could be their special "outdoor" pet! Hopefully she is busy right now hunting down some rattlers!

Fun Summer

Here we are, singing and just plain old having fun... what was the song? "EveryBody Loves KungFu fighting"... it went with the name of our group "The KICKBOXING girls", not too original, but hey, I am not too creative!!
In the picture below, Look for the wet spot on the ground. My honey is too smart to be fooled!!
Here are some of the palm trees that we are learning to cut.

This summer has been a fun one. We have loved swimming all day nearly every day. We have learned how to cut palm trees (not an easy task when they are soooo tall), learned a lot about hot tub/pool maintenance, learned about gardening, did a lot of traveling and enjoyed spending time with friends and family.
One fun thing about the community that we live in is "Friday Nights at the Lake". It is done every Friday evening during the Summer. It is a free event where you go to the lake (hence the name) and listen to music and eat food. We love to do this. This year they asked my husband to sponsor one of the Fridays... he agreed. Here are some pictures of our "Friday night at the lake". The host tried to play a prank on Travis. He tried to get Travis to hold a water balloon over his head and then someone was going to pop it from behind.... my hubby caught on to the trick and was spared... they also had him sing some karaoke... a few of my friends and I got up and did a little singing, also (the t-shirt say's "Coarsegold Dental"- I am wearing it for my hubby and for no other reason..... yikes). It was a very successful event. We had a lot of fun, and no one got wet!!

Super Fun Cousins

Here Travis is helping Cami slide from one rock to another. Holly is waiting to catch her in the next pool.
Travis was enjoying his refreshing dip in thepool under the waterfall.Here is the gang in one of the pools in the rock.
Here are my cousins helping all the kids climb to the top of the rocks.
The kids are ready to slide in the good ole train style!
I had a hard time keeping Liv in my arms... she wanted to get involved in the fun with all the rest of the kids.

My Aunt and Uncle and 2 of their kids came up to California and did some camping at Bass Lake. They have been coming up to Bass Lake for years ( I think she said for the past 40 years they have done it every summer). So, while they were here they went to our church (they have known our ward longer than we have... ), we had them come to our home, and they showed us around Bass Lake. Although we have been to Bass Lake SEVERAL times.... we had never before seen these "waterfalls"- I call them "rock falls". We had such a great time. The rocks have these natural pools that lead from one rock to another. When they tried to climb out of one of the pools to go again it was super slippery. We had to be really careful. Even Liv wanted to get involved. It was a lot of fun!! The kids LOVED LOVED LOVED spending time with cousins and Cami kept asking Holly to come and live with us. She cried when Holly left. She kept saying, please come and live here. It was probably because we told her and her sister that we would GLADLY have them come live with us and be our nannies. They were AWESOME and just so darn fun. We are so glad to have such a fun family.

Bass Lake

We love water. We are fortunate enough to have several bodies of water near our home. I think that our favorite is Bass Lake. We always enjoy going to Bass Lake. The scenery is breath taking, the water temperature is perfect, and more often than not, and the weather is usually not too hot. On this specific occasion, the weather was perfect, the water was warm and clear. Our Cousin Tay was here with us. We took Liv's playpen and she got a good nap while daddy and the kids were out enjoying the lake. While Liv and I were under a shade tent, she kept trying to crawl off the floor covering to play in the sand. I kept running after her to bring her back onto the covering. Eventually Travis came up from the water to join me and asked why I kept bringing Olivia back to the tent. He thought that I should let her play in the sand. I told him that she would EAT the sand, he said- so? Eventually she will get her fill and then she will be done. HMMMM, suppose she gets sick? But he thougth that she would be fine. I laughed inside because it is such a perfect example of the difference in our parenting. He likes to let the kids do things and learn from her mistakes and I like to protect them. I think that the mix of our styles has worked out well. I did let her crawl around in the sand. she did taste the sand a few times, and there was A LOT of sand in her diaper, but otherwise, all went well.



Tay was so great to let me play with her hair while she was here. I love the blog of the story of a princess and her hair. The link is on the side of my blog. I am always inspired by the way she does hair, so Tay let me experiment a few times. Thanks Tay!!

print your bog

I have had a few people ask me about how I print my blog. I go to "blog2print.com" and print it off once yearly!! My kids love having a hard bound book with pictures and stories of all that we do each year!!

Do you rinse before you wash?

We do!!- Well, Livvy does!

Here Comes Trouble

Here is Liv.... climbing up the stairs!!! She laughs and laughs while I lunge and try to save her, all day long!!!
Here is what my little girl LOVES to do in her spare time....