The Funny Farm

How Pathetic...

2011-07-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't been on here for so long, I couldn't remember how to "add a gadget"! I guess I will have to spend a few days getting reaquainted with blogger before I actually post something! It's facebooks fault. :)

2010-01-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

2009-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

This year we decided to try our hand at carmel apples since we had a healthy harvest from grandma donna's red delicious tree. I think the kids had a good time. It was fun to see what they came up with.

2009-10-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sophie

2009-10-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Xander and Nic

2009-10-30T11:01:00.000-07:00

Adia and Kaden

Happy Halloweenie!!

2009-10-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd better geta postin again.
Check out this "music video" I made!

I crack myself up!!

2009-10-15T12:02:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

.Strawberries and Krispie Kreme.

2009-06-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went to Utah county last week. Whenever we visit Happy Valley, one of our favorite things to do is to stop by Krispie Kreme to see if they are giving away hot donuts!! (Missy, I laughed when I read your blog that morning- you are right, it is a GREAT field trip!) I don't think Sophie had been in a while, she was so delighted watching the donuts go through the maze, cook, then get iced! The kids did come up with a plan for the next time we go- I am to take all of our dressups so that they can keep going back in- undetected!

I am looking for any great strawberry recipes you may have hiding in your recipe boxes or stashed away in cookbooks on your cupboards. Adia spent the other morning picking strawberries and ended up with two HUGE bowls FULL of strawberries. I am a bit limited when it comes to cooking with strawberries, my repertoire consists of strawberry shortcake, strawberry jam, strawberry smoothies, and freezing strawberries. I NEEP HELP!

You know it's a great day when....

2009-06-04T09:52:00.001-07:00

You get a mani.....

AND A PEDI....

Thanks Soph.

Have you seen it????!!!

2009-06-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=58185785

My friend Christina said it right when she said, "17 didn't look like THAT when we were 17!"

YOU'RE INVITED!

2009-05-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a lame-o. Anyway. I am having a bday party for Nic tomorrow (FRIDAY, MAY 29th). I have little invites printed (sorta) and will be running them around in the morning. Anywho... everyone is invited it will be from 1 pm til 2:15 ish. Have the kids come in their swimming suits, sunscreen, bring a towel and I'll have some water for them to play in and some cake (well, I'm not promising anything) at this point I may just throw cereal at them all. If moms want to stay and witness the madness that is my life- well bring a lawn chair, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the show! I could probably use the help! (okay, lets just say if you're bringing more than one child- you should totally stay) I swear, if I ever get my act together... well let's just say that I would be AMAZING! :)

I am also hosting a "enjoy your last precious hours before the kids are out of school for summer" breakfast. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3rd. 9(ish)am-til we have to pick up kids. It is a potluck... I will provide paper goods... and something else... again, not promising anything. If you will be attending, please let me know here and tell us what you will bring. Ideas.... cereal, cinnamon rolls, hashbrowns, eggs, fruit, a couple gallons of milk or OJ.... I'm planning on Missy bringing something fabulous (no pressure or anything). IF YOU DON'T HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOL- YOU ARE STILL INVITED! I'm an equal opportunity partier. Call your neighbors, I'm not making phone calls because there are too many of you!!!!!! IF IT IS RAINING- WE WILL BE CANCELLING! Oh and bring your lawn chairs. I'm sure I've forgotten something..... check back k?

Love ya all!
Your pathetic friend,
Layla

strawberry/ raspberry starts

2009-05-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

If anyone is looking for starts- CALL ME! We have a ton and are going to thin them out today. My home phone isn't working so call me on my cell. (435) 650-2321.

Mother's Day 1K (2009)

2009-05-24T07:08:00.000-07:00

All my mom wanted for mother's day (and her birhday) was for us to come down for a visit, so because I'm a giver, we headed on down to Price. It just so happened the the college (CEU) was sponsoring a 1k fun run/walk to raise awareness for the foster care program in the area this weekend. We began at the peace gardens and walked up to the park where there were activities set up for kids. They bounced in the play house, made crafts, played carnival games, and enjoyed the rootbeer floats that were donated by the local A&W.

Really.

2009-04-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Papa gets Nic ready for church.

Look closely... did you notice his "belt". That's right... electrical tape. I honestly didn't notice it until we got to church. I looked down and did a double take- then I looked at Jesse and said, "You better hope he doesn't need to use the bathroom today!"

I think that he did this so that I would stop complaining that he doesn't help me on Sunday mornings.

Craft it forward 2009

2009-04-30T06:58:00.001-07:00

I have fun friends, who also have fun friends. When I saw this post on Heidi's blog- I thought it would be fun to do! Now... just know that if you are the lucky recipient of what I will "craft" for you, it may not be anything spectacular. I am really not a crafter, despite my best efforts.

Here's how it works.

The first three people to type "Layla is the craftiest in the land!" in the comments on this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and give the same offer to the first three commenter's who will also craft it forward.

Here are my contingencies: (I am mostly borrowing these from Heidi and her friend posted- but I'm adding a few of my own!)
1. I make no guarantee that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done this year.
4. You have no clue what it's going to be.
5. I reserve the right to make something extremely strange.
6. You must post a picture of what you win when you get it.

WHO'S IN?!?

Making jam with Bophie

2009-04-24T19:32:00.001-07:00

Hey there all! Happy Arbor Day. I hope that you all had a great day planting trees and all that jazz! Bophie and I spent the morning making freezer jam!! We are heading down to Price in a couple of weeks for my mom's birthday and mother's day and since we normally get strawberries 2-3 weeks before they do- sophie and I thought that we would make a little treat for grandmas and uncle chuck. sophie hates jam. so i was a little surprized that she even wanted any part of this- but she insisted that she do it herself.

She added the pectin and stirred, and stirred, and stirred her little arm off for 3 mins at a time!
The amazing part is that 3 minutes was perfect for her. It wasn't so long that she complained- but it was long enough that it made her feel as if she had accomplished something. (Which she most certainly did!)

She made 4 batches of strawberry jam. By the end of it she honestly could have done everything completely by herself, but... seeng that she is only 3... I had to help a little (and I mean only a little because that was all she'd let me do!)

It was so much fun to watch her deliver some of her jam to our neighbors- she would squeal and giggle and they told her thank you.

She was so proud of herself!

Thanks Gina!

2009-04-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

See the neat trick Gina taught Xander

Big Helper

2009-04-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

I know that every baby who lives in a house with a dishwasher does this. However, having as many kids as I do... I sometimes forget to take pleasure in the silly things that my baby does. Like most babies, Xander is facsinated with forks, spoons, and sharp knives.
I had been getting really annoyed by my little helper man. Unloading and loading the dishwasher was taking FOREVER. Our little dance consisted of me taking him into the front room only for him to crawl as quickly as he could back to the dishwasher. So when he crawled up on the dishwasher door and demanded my admiration... I grabbed the camera and swooned for a bit.

No Mom... this isn't funny.

2009-04-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

My mom, on occasion, takes pleasure in the things that my children do to me. She revels in the fact that Adia cannot seem to find the clothes hamper, that Kaden can't seem to figure out how the bathroom door closes, or that Nic gets sick of his brother's alarm clock and "plugs it out". This is one she'll absolutely enjoy... since grocery shopping with Nic, Sophie, and Xander is such a fun experience, I often times have to resort to bribery (hey! There's not one of you out there who hasn't done this before! Ü). This day I had gotten them a candy bar because they were "not awful" in the store. As we're driving home, Nic (who has gotten in the habit of tattling on everyone), starts complaining that Sophie's hands are a mess. I thought that the Twix bar had melted a little because of the weather and that she probably had just a spot or two on her. Not so... when we made it to a stop light, I turned around to find that she had taken the candy bar in her hands and was attempting to sculpt something out of it. It was all over and my blood started to boil- I yelled at you to eat it all and DO IT NOW!! When we got home this is what I saw as I opened the back door of the car. I am only glad that I took a minute to take some pictures of this little mishap... because although I was angry before... I'll have to admit it was pretty funny (but don't tell my mom!)

Mother of the Year and the Day from &$@#

2009-04-01T03:26:00.000-07:00

For all of you fine mother's who think that you are going to be the recipient of this year's trophy... let me tell ya- you ain't got nothin on me! Let me tell you about our day...

Yesterday was Adia's birthday. She really is easy to please. She thought it would be fun to have breakfast in bed and her requests were simple- bacon, eggs, toast, and if I had time, maybe orange julius. I had everything- this really wasn't a big deal. When I finally made it to bed, I told myself that I would need to be up by 6:15 to get her breakfast done and the show on the road. 7:00 comes and I bolt out of bed- tripping over everything as I go. I am cooking as quickly as I can- I get EVERYTHING finished in about 10 mins and I go into her room to find her crying. She looks up at me and says "I've been up since 6:30... I thought you had forgotten about me." (Nice one Layla).

So off the kids go to school. I begin working on the girl scout cookie money deposit (thanks again Chan for your help) and before I know it- it's time to go pick up Nic. I run to Willard to get him- and realize I hadn't gotten Adia's bday treat for school. We run up to Kents (which is at the far northern end of town- so it takes about 15 mins to get there- and before you ask... the donuts there don't have eggs- so kids with allergies can eat them). We run them by the school- I then realize that I have to go get somethings for Kaden at the Scout office in Ogden (25 mins the other direction). I buy Nic and Sophie a corndog and away we go... the whole time I am trying to plan for the rest of the day... piano lessons, deposit, cub scout of the year interview, dinner, cake, bday presents... I'm feeling pretty good with my plan. (HA! That should have been my first clue...)

We make it back from Ogden in time for me to get the deposit reworked. I get in Gina's van- (which is another very funny side story in and of itself). I pick up the kids, get everything and everyone loaded up and head into Brigham again (2nd time). I drop off the kids at piano lessons and venture off to the bank only to realize that I had forgotten my purse. Normally this wouldn't be a huge problem except for the fact that I had to open an account to deposit troop money in AND I had to go pick up items for Adia's dinner and "party". So we come all the way home, grab the purse, and go back to Brigham (3rd time). We go to the bank- luckily the large deposit worked out but then I have to open the othe account- and as we all know- it takes a little time. Nic, Sophie, and Xander really were great considering they had been in the car the entire day- I did not realize, however, what we looked like. I don't think I had run a brush thru Sophie's hair in two days- it was hanging in her face. Her face was a mess. The dress she was wearing was too small for her and she had two different shoes on (one that was red and sparkly and the other was brown). She was taking pictures with my camera phone of all the men that walked by and then her sucker that the nice teller lady gave her. Nic, I noticed, is in desperate need of a haircut. He atleast had clothes on that matched- but he has went thru a growth spurt of his own and his pants were a little too short. The baby and I? We won't even go there. While I'm noticing the labors of my fantastic mothering... the nice man finishes up the account, we make the deposit, and head off to the grocery store.

It's now about 4:35. I figure that this is fine... Jesse was going to pick up the kids from piano and I'd just meet them at home. We grab what we need at the store in 5 mins and we make it home right around 5:00. Yay! My brother Chuck has come up from SL to celebrate with us! I come in and ask Jesse where the kids are... he says, "I'm not sure where they went." I ask, "Are they at Gina's? We need to get Kaden ready for his interview." Then it dawns on me.. so I ask "DID YOU PICK THE KIDS UP FROM PIANO?" to which he replies "I thought you would do it since you were out and about." Are you serious?! We had discussed this. (you can imagine what was said and thought- I'm still a little sensitive because of breakfast...) Sweet Chuck loads me in his car and we go back to Brigham (fourth time) and pick up the kids (who by the way had been waiting for an HOUR!) We make it home by 5:35 and I tell Kaden he has ten mins before we leave for his interview- so he needs to hurry. We frantically get ready (remember what I looked like before... I wasn't happy). Now keep in mind that I hadn't been home all day... Adia's bday cake hadn't gotten made nor presents wrapped. We load up and head back to Brigham (fifth time) . Kaden does a great job at his interview... and we hurry home to get dinner cooking to find that Chuck and the girls have made the cake (a red velvet cake from scratch).

THANK HEAVEN UNCLE CHUCK SHOWED UP!!! Chuck takes Adia shopping for a little bit.. we're able to pull dinner together, wrap gifts, and frost the cake. Dinner was late... and the "party" later but I belive that I was able to salvage what little dignity I had left and show Adia how special she is to us.

Now about that trophy.... you'll need to mail it to me because I'm certainly NOT driving into Brigham to pick it up!!!

Freeze Dried Food Storage

2009-03-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Gina called me last night telling me about a freeze dried food storage line... anyway, the gal who sells it will be up this way on Thursday night. If you are interested in learning about it- give Gina a call. I will edit this message when I have more information.

Girl Scout Cookies

2009-03-06T10:12:00.000-08:00

Girl Scout Cookies will be here tonight!

If you CANNOT wait until Saturday or Monday- come on over and we'll get you taken care of!

FREE SHIPPING from Oriental Trading

2009-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Oriental Trading is offering free shipping on all orders TODAY ONLY (Feb 23). If you are looking for stuffers of any kind... today may be the day to get them! They also have a bunch of things on clearance. This is great for Christmas, bday parties... anything!

Little Man is officially on the move!

2009-02-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. Xander is crawling. He has been dragging himself, throwing himself, and scooting himself from "point A" to "point B" for about a month and a half now. This morning however... he decided that he wanted Kaden's light saber (yes, he's ours) and he just crawled right to it. The funniest part is that he has this funny, bouncy, quick crawl.

I wish I had a video camera- it's a hoot to watch.

He also got his first tooth this weekend.

We Heart Valentine's Day! (2)

2009-02-16T09:16:00.000-08:00

Our family is, more than anything, built on traditions. One of the traditions our kids love is our Valnetine's Day dinner. We began this when our two oldest children will itty bitty. Adia couldn't even have been two. The menu has transformed during the years... it began with me making an elaborate dinner for Jesse and I (the kids would just eat whatever was around). We did this for years until we moved up here. The kids were a bit older and picky eaters. I had spent the entire day cooking- making chocolate dipped stawberries, jello jigglers, chicken alfredo... and when we sat down to eat there was nothing but complaints. If I remember right, the night ended with me in tears and vowing that I would NEVER do that again. We then started getting the heart shaped pizzas- but now that you have to wait in line for 2 hours just to get one, we don't do that anymore (which is fine with me). I think the kids like the idea of a candlelit dinner more than what's on the table to eat anyway. Lucky for us, Jesse is a fantastic cook. Really. If you've never eaten with us when he's been at the stove- you are missing out on something delightful. The kids love his homemade pizzas so he volunteered to cook for me this year. He made the kids the standard pepperoni pizza and for me... he made a grilled chicken pizza. It had white garlic sauce, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, and bacon bits. It was so pretty that I had to take a picture of it!

The kids have now started adding their own ideas to the night. We tell each other what we love about the others (courtesy of Adia). The boys love Italian sodas! Sophie likes to dip the strawberries- and lick the chocolate OFF of her strawberry. Jesse and I? We just love that the kids have a great time and know that we love them.

I have been blessed with a wonderful family.
I am such a lucky girl.. and I know it!

2 mins ago...

2009-02-13T08:58:00.001-08:00

Where's Sophie? She was just here. Hmmm... what is this on her bed?

Nice, it's Sophie hiding under her blanket- caking on makeup...Wait til her Papa sees this one! Ü

We HEART Valentine's Day! (1)

2009-02-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

We love to make Valentine's Day boxes. I know that it is sort of a silly thing... it all stems from my elementary school years. I had a friend who would bring these elaborate, beautiful boxes to school every year and I would just envy her (and her box). I remember one year she had made this darling puppy dog out of an oatmeal container and socks- some 20 years later... I still remember that silly thing. Don't get me wrong- I was creative too...I once made a pop machine! Ü This year, Jesse got in on the act! He came home with this idea to use some of the food storage cans we have around the house. It started with a simple idea for these little monsters which took on a life of their own. We ended up finding fur to put on them- they actually turned out really well.

Kaden was a little disappointed though- he wanted to make a Star Wars X-Wing fighter plane- maybe next year.

In case you're interested...

2009-02-02T16:26:00.001-08:00

I have a cannery time that I am not going to be able to make it to.
It is February 4th at 1:30 p.m. They are canning Chicken Noodle Soup.
If you would like this time, please let me know by tomorrow. Otherwise I will call and cancel.

Also I was listening to the radio this morning and heard about a skating rink in Logan- some of you from here might be familiar with it... it is on 3rd West and Center. Anyway- if they don't get enough people out to it this year, it may be the last year they open it. It is FREE and open from 2-10 pm Mon thru Fri. I didn't catch the time for Saturday. They don't have concessions or rental skates- but they said you could just scoot with your shoes if you didn't have your own skates. I just hate to see things like this close. I loved skating on our little towns "rink". So there you go... a fun FREE family night out!

Bobcat

2009-01-31T11:33:00.000-08:00

Yay for Kaden! He earned his Bobcat at this month's pack meeting. He loves being a scout! He especially loves the "watermelon cheer"! Mom loves it because she can get him to clean his room AnD finish ALL of his supper. Way to go buddy!

Work it... work it girl!

2009-01-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

Sophie's grandma sent her a brand new princess shirt (and a bunch of fun stuff from the fiesta bowl) in the mail today. She was so excited! Grandma wanted a picture- well that was all it took. She tore off the shirt she was wearing and put this one on and the modeling session began. She posed and posed.. I started thinking about fun pics to put on a collage so I told her to make a kissy face to which she said "I hate taking pictures"... yeah right.

Christmas Revisited

2009-01-28T11:39:00.002-08:00

Mom... these are for you.

Thanks Chantell for putting up with all my questions this morning! I finally got it! Yay me!

Master of Distraction

2009-01-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

I love this kid... honestly. I can name a thousand great things about him. He is trustworthy, sensitive, and smart. He is happy- not only that- but he has the funnest personality. He finds humor in situations that most people wouldn't. I really could go on and on and on.

He does not, however, like to work.

Now, let me be clear in my intentions for posting this. I normally steer clear of things that would embarrass my kids. So I do hope that anyone reading this will not take liberty with this story and make my little guy feel bad. It is just a cute story that I would like to remember... and that's all.

So with that in mind... I have been noticing for a few months that when we start chores every day he is M.I.A.! I have found him here and there... and would get after him to get back to work. I soon began to see a pattern emerging. Everytime I'd call the kids to come work... he would very quietly head to the bathroom. I'd holler at him to get back to work- but what am I supposed to do when he's doing his business (he'd gotten pretty good at this- he'd vary the bathroom entry time so that I wasn't watching.... sometimes before chores started, sometimes in the middle, and other times at the end). This has been going on for a while- it's been the running joke with the kids and myself. The other day Jesse came home early and we were doing chores- he asked where Kaden was. We replied (in unison mind you...) "There's work to be done... he's probably in the bathroom." We all laughed.. ha ha ha. Jesse has been on shift master duty a few times since then and the other night we were talking and he says,"I thought you were joking the other day when you said he always was in the bathroom when there's work to do- but it's ALL THE TIME!" to which I replied, "Either that... or he's really regular!"

Needless to say... bathroom breaks are not permitted during chore duty anymore.

2:30 a.m.

2009-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

Atleast he's happy!

THIS SATURDAY!!!!

2009-01-15T14:28:00.000-08:00

Need I say more!!! Ü

Blonde moments...

2009-01-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

We have been working on Kaden's Wolf Badge for Cub Scouts a lot lately. This morning we took a few minutes to go over a some things.... I asked the kids what the word "historical" meant. Adia answered, "it's when something is really funny". "Historical" not "hysterical" sweetie. (It really was hysterical.)

Then we're at church and Nic is sitting on my lap and I do what most mommy's do... I reach down to smell his hair. I sat there for a minute thinking I recognized the smell- then it dawned on me. I leaned over and asked what Jesse had put on their hair. He said, "the mousse that was in our bathroom." Turns out Oil of Olay makes a new lotion that is in the form of mousse. I had gotten a bottle of it when I bought my regular lotion. So all my boys have super shiny hair. It is most certainly not dry.

Confessions of the sLeEp DePrIvEd.

2009-01-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

I have uncovered a conspiracy within the walls of my own home. I am led to believe that an experiment has been unleashed on me. I am convinced that the scientist and his offspring have decided to see how long the matriarch can go without sleep. I cannot be sure what their motives are other than to kill me....slowly. I AM SO TIRED!!!!!

I haven't really had a good night's sleep in a little over a decade. Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. There was a brief stint before I got pregnant with Xander that was blissful... but I try not to think about it because it depresses me.

I will say that Xander has been the best baby by far. He slept pretty well until he got an ear infection at about 4 months. So I decided that I would try to sleep training. I haven't tried it up until now because his crib is in our room, and it can sometimes be a mess with Jesse having to get up before the break of dawn to go to work. (Now before someone pipes off and says something about the baby in our room.... we don't have a finished basement. There are 7 of us on one floor. The girls share, the boys share, there isn't anywhere else to put him yet.)

I've been putting him down awake for his naps and he has been falling asleep just fine. I decided last night to try it all out over night. We were doing just fine until Jesse started flopping like a fish. Everytime that Jesse would move it would wake us both up. BUT.... Xander didn't cry at all. (Yea) Instead, in the silence you would hear "scratch, scratch, scratch". He was scratching the bumper in his crib looking for me (it sounded like a little mouse). Still no crying (Yea) Pretty soon, "swish, swish, swish" (he was kicking his chubby little legs around) Then silence. Jesse would flop and it would start all over again. This little dance went on for hours with Xander adding his cute little "plsb, giggle, pslb" sounds. It was precious, except I was so irritated at the time. About 3 am I decided that I wasn't about to get any sleep so I went and watched Leno instead (channel 5 @ 3am- if anyone is interested). Xander realized I wasn't in the room, and started crying.... he was WIDE awake by then. I went back to bed when Jesse got up at 5. Got up with the kids at 6:30ish to get them ready for school. Bada Bing, Bada Bang... here we are.

Xander got up about 8:15 and I gave him the what for... but tell me ladies,

How do you get mad at a face like this?

Thanks Miss! I love Uncle Jay

2009-01-06T08:51:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of Uncle Jay, you are in for a treat!Personally, I love him. I think he is fantastic. My friend Melissa sent this to me and I couldn't quit laughing.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!

http://www.unclejayexplains.com/media/UJ%2012-22-08.wmv/

My addiction.

2008-12-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. I have become a little bit of a "facebook" junkie... although I have loved finding people from the past, that's not the part I'm drawn to. I have aquired an addiction to the game "PathWords". It reminds me of "Boggle" except the board keeps moving as you find words- forming new words. I have learned much about myself while playing this game. The most important lesson is that I'm really not the sharpest knife in the crayon box! Ü he he. Hear me out. I was playing late the other night and as I was mindlessly clicking away... it occurred to me that the only words that I could find were curse words. Now, I don't fancy myself a swearing kind of gal. I try hard to limit cursing to only when it's necessary- kids writing on the wall with sharpies, dropping the baby on his head.... but I'll tell you what I was finding those words left and right- even the mother word!

I suppose that my New Year's Resolution is to limit PathWords.

D@*! Game!
(Darn game people...darn)

7 Hours

2008-12-24T15:57:00.001-08:00

7 Hours till Christmas.... wahoooo!

Birthday Boy!

2008-12-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my "Lobster" (no, that's not weird if you watch Friends).

So Jesse is our kissable today... and I thought that it would be fun if we had a bunch of Hollywood beauties kiss him for his birthday. So please choose your favorite "hottie" and plant one on him!

Cookie Monster wouldn't stand a chance...

2008-12-15T07:16:00.001-08:00

Chan.. look what I did!! For any of you who know of my baking skills... you'll know I don't have any. I can cook relatively well. Baking is a different story. So last night we decided to try and make Chantell's Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were beautiful. Nic was so excited for his mom to make him some cookies that he just stood at the oven with the light on. He would watch the timer and let me know when it was about time to eat them. Thanks for the recipe! You made our night!

Naughty Little Elves

2008-12-12T09:19:00.001-08:00

Before I get started on this story... please leave some kisses for Adia (AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG). She is so heartbroken. Her bestest little friend is moving today (all the way to MA). She is having a hard time. Please help me out and give her some words of encouragement. I wish it wasn't so hard on her.

I love these kids. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard!

Today was the little elf party for the kindergarteners. Emily came over this morning with her cute little Santa hat (she was so cute). Nic, who doesn't typically dressup, decides he wants to do something too. So I tell him that I have these little Santa suits in the dressup tub downstairs. We go down and he gets them and takes them to his room to put them on (complaining the entire time about how stupid he was going to look. I wasn't forcing him to do anything- he just likes to complain) So he comes out with a "HO, HO, HO!" and he says, "I'm the naughty little elf who stole Santa's suit." Emily adds, "Yeah, and you put it in the dryer and shrunk it." So they go into his room and I hear them laughing and they come out to tell me that they are playing "elf-es-es" (that's how Nic says it). They do a little dance and Nic says, "Well, we better go check on Santa." To which Emily says to me "Yeah, we tied Santa up and threw him in the closet."

So they go back into Nic's room for a little while and come back out and Emily makes the announcement..."Layla, we decided just to knock him out so that he'd sleep through all of it." Nic laughs and says, "Come on Emily, lets go put bombs in the presents!"

I don't think Santa will be bringing them anything this year! Ü

Although... I did hear that Santa has decided to change the elves hats after hearing about what these two were up to. So don't be surprised when you see all the elves wearing these pretty soon.

Holiday Open House

2008-12-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

My attempt at getting in the Christmas Spirit. Ü

2008-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial?
I think I prefer real. (don't tell Jesse)
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually the day after thanksgiving-but not this year!
4. When do you take the tree down?
Feburary Ü I actually have some lights up in the kitchen still..
(I was pregnant last year... give me a break!)
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yes
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Menudo cassette tape (j/k)
I loved my Cabbage Patch Kids
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Inlaws
8. Easiest person to buy for?
The kids
9. Do you have a nativity scene ?
Finally. Just got one this year! Wahoo!
This is my fav gift this year.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards ?
People still do that?
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I don't want to talk about it.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Elf, The Christmas Story, and Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas ?
January
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Who wrote this... I already told you, I won't admit to anything.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Mom's chicken noodle soup
16. Lights on the tree?
Yes
17. Favorite Christmas songs ?
Mary Did You Know
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay @ home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Dasher Dancer Prancer Vixen Comet Cupid Donner Blitzen
- and Rudolph reindeer. (okay, so I copied this)
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
So early Christmas morning that it may as well be Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Christmas songs in October.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Fruit Loops and Gingerbread Cookies.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner ?
Jesse's Ravioli on Christmas Eve.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
For the kids to find Christmas in their hearts.

I tag all of you.
(Annie, I'm gonna get the pictures up, I promise)

I also love hearing about different Christmas traditions, please share those here!

Kissables

2008-12-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

Alright so everyday, we'll have someone new to kiss... it may be you. (I totally have pics of all of ya... it was my camera they used at the Fall Fesitival! Wahahahah.) Make sure to look at the bottom of this blog everyday and see if we kiss ya! SWAK!

Another week down!! Ü

2008-12-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Time is just flying over here at our house! We had another big week with Kaden turning 8 and his baptism and Xander's blessing on Saturday. I just thought some of you may like to see some pics from that day.

Love my boys

2008-12-03T10:36:00.000-08:00

I'll tell you what... you know that you are doing something right when your boys will put down the PS2 controllers and play "Pretty Pretty Princess" with their little sister. What good boys!

Also wanted to know if anyone is interested in ordering stocking stuffers from Oriental Trading. I think that if we got enough people we could get a bunch of stuff for $5-$10 a family. Let me know.

Yankee

2008-11-30T14:18:00.001-08:00

I hope that you all had a fantastic Turkey Day! We made the jouney down to see our families this year. It was a nice time. There was lots of great food and no one was injured- so I would call it a success! I didn't even have to go do the whole "morning after Thanksgiving shopping"by myself! Yes, I am "one of those." I am not so much the one who will wait in line for hours (although Rachel and I love to do that together!) as I am the gal who sits in the car and laughs at everyone else, then goes in when it's safe. Anywho... I was able to convince my mom, sister, aunt, and cousin that they needed to experience it just once- just to say they did it. My sister comes to get me and is telling me all about her adventures from that morning- she had went with one of her friends and her family who are die hards (lined up @ 3:30). This is "the event" of the year for them- in fact they have strategy (dang good strategy too!) So my sister (Joni) starts to tell me about this guy who, has been dubbed "Yankee" because he wears a Yankee coat every year. He is supposedly quite the shopping sportsman- the family she was with can't stand him- they talk smack back and forth, have almost punched him out...you know the kind. So they are giving Joni all the details of how he will start stretching about 1/2 hour before- Joni said she looked over and sure enough there was Yankee starting his leg lunges, next came the windmills- all to warm up those able muscles. My family gets there about 10 til and the line was huge. I'd never seen anything like it- Joni goes and joins her friends in line and we wait in the car. The managers approach the doors, Yankee is jumping higher, alternates streching each arm, the doors open and everyone rushes the door. We wait for a safe time to pass and decide to go in. I look down into the trees and tell my cousin, Rudi, to grab the cart that is right there so I won't have to carry Xander any further than I have to. So she and my aunt go down to it and say... "Um Layla? I think this belongs to someone" We look in it and realize that we are about to steal some homeless guys cart- it had cookies and all sorts of "stuff" in it (yum... breakfast). By time we get into the store- it's just hysterics and gridlock. We run into a family friend who has like 20 of the portable dvd players. She apparently got mad at the people who were grabbing and pushing behind her and so she scooped them all into her basket. She was then giving them away like Halloween candy to anyone who asked her where she had gotten them. I didn't make it to the back of the store but I heard that Yankee had a bunch of the xbox bundles and was "negotiating" with others in the back. As for me... I got the $10 push toy I came to get and had a blast.

What a week!

2008-11-23T21:58:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't think you cared (tears welling up...) I thought I'd better get this on the blog before Miss goes all "cougat" on me. Her and all her "fancy book words." Ü (no wonder I don't understand any of the verification words... you have to have a PhD- hehehe)

See what happened was- I sat down to give a loving tribute to the past week's festivities only to discover that I was plum worn out. (If my grandma was reading this she would now be singing "the ol gray mare, she ain't what she used to be..." No she's not Grandma!) So just know that I am going to post whatever I can get finished before I have to put Xander to bed- then I'll finish the rest later.! So here we go again...

Kids to bed- check

Husband to bed- check

Camera with fun pictures- check

Creativity and wit- well, three out of four is pretty good, right?

Alrighty then... It has been a crazy week! It only gets worse from here- birthdays, holidays, everyday life. It is probably a good thing that there is so much to do, this time of year really isn't my favorite. Anyway, we had such a great and busy week. So I thought that I would sit down and share some of my favorite things that happened in the last few days.

Monday- After Gina's birthday party, I came home and decided to take a little time to finish up the decorations for our Girl Scout Troop's Christmas Tree. I made a mess (anyone who has crafted with me, or been around me really, knows that I am not the tidiest crafter- but this stuff was EVERYWHERE) I ended up staying up until 1 am redoing our "milkshakes". They turned out really cute, even if they did look more like snocones. Ü

Tuesday- I don't really remember- but I know I was busy... what did I do? I'll think about it...

Wednesday- CHUCK E CHEESE! This was the highlight of the kid's week. They had such a great time. It was the perfect day to go. We were the only school district out that day so it wasn't crowded at all. The "magic ticket man" kept throwing tickets to the kids. It was funny to watch the older kids (mainly the boys) follow this guy around. They are pretty bright kids- they knew what to do! The only problem we really had was that Sophie DID NOT like Chuck E Cheese. He would come close and she would just scream!!

Later that night we had to finish our Reflections projects. We decided to make waterglobes this year- we used shrinky dinks and modeling clay- they turned out well.

Thursday- (I'll come back to this-I'll have to spend a little time here)

Friday- I tried and tried to recoop from the night. I didn't get to sleep until 3 am and had to get kids up and off to school- I am totally NOT complaining- I would do it a thousand times over! (I'm an old lady with 5 kids- what is left for me to be crazy about, really?) Gina and Rachel helped me get a few decorations finished up for the tree. Later in the evening I took Adia and a couple of cuties from our troop to the Girl Scout Fall Festival. Troops were asked to decorate a tree to be auctioned off and procedes given to the senior center. The theme we were given was "Imagine if..." so our troop decided to run with the idea" Imagine if... all the snowflakes were candy bars and milkshakes" (gotta love Barney) Our tree was DARLING! The girls did a great job.

Twilight

2008-11-22T15:16:00.001-08:00

Thought you all would get a kick out of my blogs "new look".Ü

2008-11-18T21:51:00.001-08:00

What did we start?! Ü

Chuck E Cheese

2008-11-18T13:57:00.000-08:00

If anyone is interested there are a few of us going to Chuck E Cheese for our day off of school. My clan will be there about 11ish. If you need details, give me a call. (This is not an exclusive outing- anyone is welcome!!)

Happy Birthday Ni Ni!

2008-11-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

WE LOVE NI NI!!

Today was Gina's b-day- so Sophie and I decided to make her a cake.

Not just ANY cake mind you.. a unicorn cake. (Note: this wasn't ALL Sophie's idea- I thought "if you're gonna make a cake, then MAKE A CAKE!" Ü) Sophie did pick out the colors though! Although I've gotta tell ya... my ego was a little bruised today. I typically love making birthday cakes. My kids really just go crazy thinking of ideas for Jesse and I to make them. Jesse is fantastic at decorating with piping- I am the kind of gal who will just mold the cake into what I want it to be. For a while I was a little afraid I'd lost my touch. Ü Gina had come over to visit during the day when I was just getting the cake cut and beginning to frost it. When I told her that we were making her a unicorn cake, she just kinda stood there and looked at it for a while and said... "I don't mean anything by this... but I'm just not seeing a unicorn." She thought it looked like a pink "Nemo". I won't even tell you what Jesse thought it looked like at first-I am proud to say that it TOTALLY looked like a unicorn in the end. Everyone loved it- especially our friend Madison. It was so cute to watch her bend over and grab the mane with her teeth!!

This is the mermaid cake I made for Sophie's bday. She loved it!

Disney Deal

2008-11-14T09:31:00.000-08:00

For anyone interested... Disney dressups are 50% off right now. Go to http://www.disneyshopping.com/. Make sure to check the sizes though. Many only have a couple of sizes left. By the way... I love a bargain, so if you find any, please let me know about them!

Rancid Chicken

2008-11-07T13:18:00.000-08:00

I really should give up chicken all together. Here's another chicken encounter I'd like to share with you...

So yesterday wasn't the best day of my life. I was tired, it had been a long night (and day). I could feel that I had a cold coming on, but as every woman knows- that is not an allowable excuse for us to "take a night off" and I decide that I will make lettuce wraps for my family with the chicken that I had just bought from WalMart (I know, I know). So I get the marinade all ready and pull the chicken out of the fridge, slice the plastic open with my knife and threw it in the sink just as quick. I smell it a few hundred times in disbelief and I check the expiration date to make sure I hadn't read it wrong when I bought it... Nope. Should still be good for atleast another couple of days. I'm a little upset now, not only because I can't get the blasted smell off my hands or out of my nostrils, but I really wanted lettuce wraps!!! I decide to make our favorite standby meal (pancakes and waffles). Thankfully, my congestion worsened and I couldn't smell the chicken, but my head was throbbing and my ears pounding. It is now around 7pm and I head to WalMart with my rancid chicken. (Yes, they do take it back... I know this because this isn't the first time that I have bought chicken from there that has done this... some people never learn.) As a walk through the door, my congestion breaks and whewwww! I swear the chicken smelled worse than before. The cute little greeter man has to hand write the ticket because the computer is out (go figure). He keeps dropping his pen, I keep picking it up, my head is now screaming at me in anger. I stand there for about 10 minutes- my senses hoping to escape me... FINALLY I get over to the customer service lady who (before I am even to the counter starts to ask what that smell is...)

For those of you who care... I did get my money back.

I think we'll try those lettuce wraps again tonight.

Twilight

2008-11-04T16:06:00.000-08:00

The local movie theater IS doing a midnight showing of Twilight. Tickets go on sale tomorrow. I'm not sure if I am going to be able to go... so I'm hoping that someone will take mercy on me and get me a ticket. Ü If you want more details, give me a call.

Nicolai

2008-11-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

Funny, funny, funny kid. He's at the breakfast table this morning and starts singing "Baa Baa Blacksheep." Now, having been his preschool teacher last year- I know that he was taught the correct way to sing it. However... here are his lyric: "Baa Baa Blacksheep have you any wool?
Yes sir, Yes sir, 3 bags full.
One for the Master, one for the lame,
one for the little kid who lives down the drain."
I thought he was joking and asked him what he was doing and he just said, singing it like you taught me. I think he needs his ears cleaned out.

Chicken Catastrophe

2008-11-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am getting soggy bloggy brain. I came home tonight and got dinner going. I thought to myself, "Self, you have a little bit of time, why don't you go down and get on the computer for a few minutes?" I wanted to check out Missy Moo's (aka Ruby Red) turkey day count down cuteness. So I came down and got on her blog and noticed her way cute sticker family. I wanted one! I clicked on the family and began building my own. It was great fun! Jesse has a chef hat on... Nic came down and helped me get all the rest of the family taken care of. He loved it. Then the fire alarm went off. I had forgotten all about the chicken cooking on the stove- totally burned the one side! Instead of just throwing it out like a normal person, I proceeded to pull the burnt side off and put it into my casserole. You would think that it would have been fine. Wrong. The burnt taste had went completely through the chicken. Totally nasty.

One more for tonight

2008-11-02T21:03:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you all know how sad I am about Joaquin Phoenix's "retirement". {tears swelling up} I have loved him since "Space Camp" (I'll bet most of you didn't know he was in that movie. Probably because he went by Leaf Phoenix at that time- bet you didn't know that either...{nose blowing sound}) I haven't been this sad since a few weeks ago when they killed Warwick Brown off of CSI. I have to go now. {SOB}

Halloween

2008-11-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

I really don't mind Halloween. Don't get me wrong... it's a holiday that is going to cost me an arm and a leg in dental bills in a few months. I was just telling Jesse the other day that Halloween was so much fun for us as a kid. I grew up in a very small town in Kansas and the local businesses would encourage the elementary school kids to make Halloween posters that would be displayed in their windows. They would send home a note and tell you where yours would be and you would walk the stores downtown and look for it. (They'd give out prizes. I never won. The high school art teacher's son would always win though. Deservingly so too, Tyler was fantastic.) The school would also have a Halloween parade- not like the parades now. We actually paraded down main street in our little plastic costumes. Do any of you remember those? They slipped on over your head and tied on the sides. They came with a plastic mask that would scratch your face all up if it didn't suffocate you first. (I was usually Barbie) You couldn't even see out of the eye slits and you'd spend the whole night tripping over anything that got in your way. Those were the days....

I'm Baaack

2008-10-30T09:54:00.001-07:00

It has been forever since I have written. A year I think. Last year, around this time, I thought I had come down with the flu. I had, it was just the nine month flu. SO... a year and a new baby later... we're going to give this blogging stuff another go.

Baby Xander is 3 months old now... he is sweet and happy. And just kissable.

Get Elfed...

2007-12-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

OH MY!

This has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen!! My aunt sent this to me today and I haven't stopped laughing. The elves are my kids!! Check it out! I think you can make your own. Although I am not sure how. Thank you for making my day Jayne! Ü

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1194966691

Making Pitesa

2007-12-03T11:16:00.000-08:00

Roll the dough out paper thin, spread walnut mixture,

sprinkle with sugar-lots of sugar.

Roll into a log and cut into loaves.

2007-12-03T11:09:00.000-08:00

The finished product!

Pitesa

2007-12-03T10:40:00.000-08:00

One of our holiday tradtions is making pitesa. It is a very yummy sweet bread with a walnut filling. It takes a while to make. I had never heard of it before I married Jesse. I know that I have never been able to find a recipe online before (so I'm going to post it in case there is anyone who may want it. Jesse's Grandma Fawn made it every year with his mother, Kathy. Grandma Kathy is very good to keep this tradition going. We look forward to it every year.

Pitesa

Dough ingredients

1 dozen eggs (room temp)

1 C. sugar

2 yeast cakes (1 yeast cake = 2 1/4 tsp)

1 pint milk

3 squares butter

pinch of salt

Enough Flour to knead.

DOUGH: Warm milk and dissolve yeast, set aside. Whisk eggs, add remaining ingredients one at a time ( sugar, yeast & milk, butter, salt, flour) Dough should not be too stiff but not sticky. Much like a cinnamon roll dough. Let dough rise once until very light.

Filling ingredients

3 1/2 C milk

3 C sugar

3 lbs ground walnuts

3 squares butter

FILLING: Boil milk and sugar for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add ground walnuts, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Next, add 3 squares of butter- mix well. Set aside to cool for a while. it whould be slightly warm so that it is easier to spread.

Preheat oven to 275. Roll and stretch dough until paper thin. (We usually put a sheet on the kitchen table and stretch the dough to the edges.) Spread walnut mixutre on dough so that it is completely covered. Sprinkle with granulated sugar (over the entire dough) Roll dough into a log. Cut dough into loaf sizes and place in greased bread pans. Let rise for 20 additional minutes. Bake at 275 for first 1/2 hour and then at 250 for 1 1/2 hours.

Make Up

2007-11-28T18:42:00.001-08:00

I am just wondering if this is really how Sophie thinks I put on eyeliner... I wish I wouldn't have washed off a majority of it before the picture- I wasn't thinking.

Reflections

2007-11-28T18:33:00.001-08:00

Adia just placed in the top 5 in two categories in the Reflections program at her school (Music and Photography).

She wrote the cutest song- if I can figure out how to upload it I will later. We are so proud of her. Bright, beautiful, funny... how did we get so lucky?

Nic

2007-11-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get the hang of this... I'm thinking I may have figured out how to put pictures on! So here is my Nicky. We took our preschool to a museum about a month or so ago... I had forgotten that I had these pictures of Nic. I told him he looked just like his dad in that lab coat! Boy would it be nice to have a doctor in the family! Ü

My TV Star

2007-11-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this link will work- but my guy (Kaden) is the one in the red shirt (with a spiderman symbol on it). You can't miss him if you watch the video feed. If you look at the picture at the bottom you can see him too!

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=2190510

If anyone is wanting to help this family, you can donate at any Zion's Bank under the "Rachel Moss Fund".

Just for you Heather... Ü

2007-11-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

You must know that I think a lot of someone when I'm willing to totally get out of my comfort zone for them... anyway Heather called the other day and tried to convince me that I should do this blog stuff. I told her I would- so here I am. All alone. At the computer. Not sure what to say.... (long pause for effect Ü) Hmmm.