Simple Things

We have a road and a driveway! I know most of you are probably thinking that a house should come with a road...they should be a package deal....not always the case in the country. I never really thought much about roads until I didn't have one. Where we live the road was paved until about 1/4 th mile before our house. The other day I saw our neighbor outside talking to a bunch of guys and pointing at the road....could it be? Do they want to pave the road? I started picture smooth pavement...no more pot holes...my car wouldn't always be covered in dirt....the kids could ride their bikes and scooters. Before I knew it I was walking across the street to see what was going on. YES! The neighbors did want to pave a portion of the road. We ended up splitting the cost of the road and also paved our driveway. Evan was in heaven watching "the guys" build the road. Start to finish he was captivated by all their equipment and trucks. I can't even describe how wonderful it is. It's like in the movie Cars when they are all driving on the new road...it's so nice. Every time I drive down it I am so thankful. When we first moved here, I was so happy...I didn't think life could get and better..and then came our road...simple but wonderful.

Once There Was A Snowman...

What a surprise...we woke up to snow. Not just a light dusting, but actual snow. The kids were so excited, it was like Christmas. Of course the first thing they wanted to do was go outside...but what to dress them in? Then it hit me, a memory from my childhood. I was wearing bright blue rain boots and my mom was worried that the snow would fall in the top. Her solution...duct tape. She tucked my jeans in the top of my rain boots and taped around the top to seal them. Genius. I didn't have duct tape, but I found that plastic wrap was just as effective. Wes walked in while I was "wrapping" the kids and looked at me like I was crazy, but really I think he just wished he had come up with the idea first.

The kids had a blast. It was really Evan's first real experience with snow. The kids both built snowmen (of course Makayla's was a snowgirl complete with grass for her hair). I think my favorite thing about the snowmen was that they were made of equal parts of snow and leaves. It just amazes me how kids automatically know how to build a snowman, even snow challenged kids from California. It was so much fun watching Makayla and Evan play in the snow.

Just like the primary song, the snowmen slowly melted as the sun came out. But such is the fate of a Californian snowman. I would also like to note that once the kid's boots were removed their socks were nice and dry.

I Have A Confession

Hi my name is Tami and I am addicted to Diet Coke. It has been five days since my last drink. I love Diet Coke. What can I say...it's one of my favorite things. I know it's horrible for me. I am a pretty healthy person... I exercise and try to eat right, but despite several attempts to stop drinking soda, I always fail. I think they should make some kind of patch. I have my excuses... it helps when I have headaches, it's calorie free...blah, blah, blah. Well after the Ensign article I decided that I was done...no more Diet Coke. So I bought myself some caffeine free diet coke just to take the edge off. However, the last couple of days I have had bad headaches in the afternoon and I have been so tired... I know, I am in withdrawal. So this afternoon, Evan was taking a nap so I decided to turn a show on for Makayla so I could lay down (I am a great mother). About an hour later, Makayla wakes me up, "Mom come see what I did!" I look on the counter and she had made several puppets from her puppet kit. I am amazed she did it all by herself...of course her mom was passed out on the couch so what choice did she have. It's nice to see that things run so smoothly when I am checked out.

***Note to Bryan, Megan, and Mom: When you decided to give up your Diet Coke we can start a support group- We can call it DCJA (Diet Coke Junkies Anonymous). The first step is admitting you have a problem.

One Of Those Days

Today as turned into one of those days where you are not sure whether to scream, laugh, or cry at your situation. The day started out fine. I got Makayla up and off to school and Evan was in a surprisingly calm mood. Then everything went down hill. Wes had scheduled the direct TV guy to come between 9-11 am...he however decided to show up at 8 am when I was getting out of the shower. ( I thought that only happened on commercials) Later Evan and I had our Little Gym class which was alot of fun. After gym decided to go to In-N-Out for lunch. They just opened a brand new one right by us! I had just enough time to go through the drive thru before picking Makayla up at school. They gave me my food and as I was leaving I noticed they actually gave us the wrong food. Great! So I pulled into the parking lot, got Evan out of the car (defeating the purpose of going through a drive thru) and went and got our real order. After I got Makayla at school I headed home counting down the minutes to Evan's nap. When I got home, however I realized I didn't have my house key. I got out to look for the spare key my Mom had hidden. Meanwhile Makayla is jumpmg around because she has to go bathroom. I go back to the car to call my mom because I can't find where she hid the key. While I am on the phone, Makayla decides to unbuckle Evan. (big mistake) Of course I can't get hold of mom... I know big shocker (she is probably on the other line with Megan) So I get out of the car to look for the key again. Now here is the real kicker. When I shut the door and go to get Evan out, he hops up front and locks the door. So now I am locked out of the house and the car, one kid has to pee, and the other is jumping all around the car. Oh, but it's not over, Evan suddenly stops jumping and looks at me frozen. No, No, No!... He didn't...yes, yes he did...he peed all over the seat. Disgusted by his wet pants, he finally unlocks the door. By this time I finally get hold of my mom, find the key, and get inside he house. Evan is now napping, but I am just counting down until Wes gets home...tag you it! I am done!

Finally!

One of the reasons we bought this house is that there would be a a space for my flower room. However, after moving in my would be flower room became the dumping ground for random house supplies and construction materials. After having a couple of crazy busy flower months I was tired of tripping over paint cans and having to walk to garage for my flower supplies. The solution to my problem...Wes and and a couple of days off work...let the fun begin!

Before...

Messy...disorganized...and crowded

After...

We (yes, I am talking about you Wes) still have a little work to do, but it feels so good to have everything organized and in one place. I decided to to paint my table and self and eight cans of spray paint later.... perfect and bright!