Today was a good day...

You know, sometimes it is hard being a mom. You have a million things that you want to do, but you have 3 little ones who need / want / crave your attention. Your house is always dirty. You'll get a room cleaned and move to the next, only to find that the kids have destroyed the room you just finished. Laundry is NEVER done. Beds never stay made. Not a day goes by without "MOM, he hit me!" When the husband gets home, the house is a disaster and the kids are dirty and you're ready to cry. Yep, sometimes it's hard.

But today, it was good. It seemed nice. The kids were relatively calm in the morning while watching Playhouse Disney (which I LOVE). I was able to get some dishes in the dishwasher and some laundry going. I got dressed and even got a shower! I even posted a blog about Robyn starting to crawl! I made some lunch and the kids didn't complain too much. They ate most of it. Not bad. Robyn started to get a little fussy, so I decided she needed to take a nap. Put her down and told the boys they were taking "quiet time" - they can nap or watch the movie that is on - either way, they HAVE to be quiet. While they were playing SuperHeros and watching Cars, I took a nap with Robyn. AWESOME! I got a nap in today! After naps / quiet time, we had snacks and I let the kids go outside and play. I took a blanket and just laid in the sun with Robyn and relaxed. We played for 2 hours. :) NICE. Then we went in and the boys colored while I got dinner ready. No fighting. Tanion ate all of his dinner. Archer at least tried it. Robyn ate peas and loved them. YUCK. :) They just went to bed with little fuss.

Tanion pulling a face on his bike with the bubble machine on the handles. :)

Archer in Lightning McQueen

Robyn sleeping on the blanket outside...

Today was a good day.

Heaven Help Me...

So it's starting to happen. The moment I have been dreading since I have been home with the kids and since Robyn has joined our little family.

Robyn is starting to crawl.

She's been trying for over a month now and each day I just watch her get a little bit bigger and a little stronger and a little more determined. And now... She can pull herself into a sitting position (though she's still not quite past falling over once she gets there). She can scoot backwards and in circles like a pro. And now, she is starting to hop and crawl forwards.

Sorry, I don't know how to rotate pictures! :)

Crap. This mom thing just got harder.

Video of MY Edward Dancing...

Ok, so I had to convince my friend of WHY I felt Neil Haskell was a good Edward. This dance pretty much explains it (if you ask me). It's sort of an Angel vs. Devil. I wish there was a close up on his face. And the man can just move without seeming like he's moving his feet... I don't know... That's why he's MY Edward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si3h9KrJdfw

Pictures of me...

I have had a few people ask me if I have any recent pictures of myself. That answer would be a NO. So, I decided to do the dorky MySpace thing and take some pictures of myself with my cell phone to show you all that I am still Mandy. :)

HOPE YOU ENJOYED! :)

MY Edward...

I have become a bit obsessive lately. Ok, well, I guess I always have been, but this time I was determined to find the guy who I was picturing as Edward while I read Twilight (not that I don't like Robert Pattinson, because I do!). I knew I had seen the "Edward in my head" before and I just had to remember WHERE! So this weekend I was flipping channels with my hubby and there he was.



His name is Neil Haskell. He was on "So You Think You Can Dance" last year. I thought he was cute, but he wasn't my favorite dancer... Anyway, that is a different topic for another blog. :) He is who I think of when I think of Edward. Yummy, right?

Just thought I would share. :)

I'm a mom... an excited mom...

This is TOTALLY a mom blog. :) All about Potty Training.... Pee, Poop, the whole shabang!

Tanion decided that he didn't want to potty train - though he showed interest at 18 months. We didn't push him. He decided on his own when he was almost 4 that he didn't want to be a "baby" anymore. YAY! So we worked with him and he was potty trained.

We have been suggesting to Archer since I started staying home that he should try and pee in the potty. NO interest whatsoever. Tanion started school and we told him that he could when he decided he was a big boy and could go to the potty. Again, no interest but every day he asked to go to school with Tanion. I decided that I needed to push it a little more if I was going to get it done before he was supposed to start school - in August. I already had him registered and paid the 1st month of tuition!

So on May 1st, I asked him if he wanted to go potty. Nope. Same as always. So I put a pullup on him. He threw SUCH a fit! He didn't want to even go that route. We took him to Walmart on Friday and he chose some Mickey Mouse underwear. Ok - he chose it. That means he will wear them. Right? Wrong. He thru a fit some more. Finally on Monday, I just put him in the underwear, showed him the little potty in the bathroom and told him that's where he needed to go pee. He peed in his underwear and I made him change it and put on new underwear. He decided to pee in the potty. YAY!!! And he would only have 2 more pee accidents. But for the life of me, he would not go poop. He pooped in his underwear the first day. I made him wash it out in the big toilet. He didn't like that too much, but seemed resigned to do it that way. So the next day, when he pooped in his underwear again, I told him that if he pooped in his underwear again that he was getting in the shower. This kid HATES the shower. I don't know if he didn't believe me or just didn't think about it, but when he pooped again, he was in the shower. I made him wash himself off and put new underwear on when he got out. I told him if he pooped again in his underwear, it was back in the shower.

He's pooped in the potty ever since.

YAY!! So I thought he would probably have night accidents. After all, Tanion still does. We put him in pullups at bedtime, but for over a week now, no accidents - day or night. I have 2 potty trained kids. Amazing. I don't think I would ever see this day come. It's a miracle.


Isn't he cute in his little boy McQueen underwear and snow boots? :)

My new obsession....

Earlier this year or late last year, Shandy (DarTanion's future wife and current babysitter) brought a book with her when she was watching the kids. She said it was the "best book" and that I should read it. It's name was "TWILIGHT"... When she started telling me about it, I made fun of her. A teenage vampire who falls in love with the new girl in town. Yep. She could read that - she is only 13. I think I'm a little to old for high school romance novels...

Then a few months later, her sister (my best friend Mandy) tells me that she is reading this book and that it's great. She doesn't read much, so that was weird... But she said that she really recommend it. She thinks I might enjoy it. I ask her the title and what it is about. Seriously? The vampire book again?

And Angie. She's the reason I am sane in Utah county. I love her. :) She asks me about the same book. "OK, I guess I'll have to read it" and I tell her about the others who have recommended it. She laughed and said it was the best book and she knew I would love it. Become addicted. Like her. Sure.... So she bought me the first book for my birthday. I looked at it a few times, but I was currently in the "self help" mode of reading material. Angie wouldn't let up. I see her about once a week and each week was - so have you read it yet and I would tell her no.

Finally, I decided to get Angie off my back. Jeremiah was going out of town Friday night so I thought I'd read a chapter or two before going to bed. Yeah... I read to page 110 and would have gone further except I noticed it was past midnight and I had to be up in the morning to take the boys to baseball. It would have to wait. Saturday I was only able to read 1 chapter before Jeremiah was ready for bed. Since Sunday was Mother's Day, I told him that i just wanted to read or sleep. That worked. I spent half the day in my bedroom reading. I finished Twilight.

So Monday I called Angie to tell her I LOVED IT - I didn't know why, but I did. She asked if I wanted the second book. HECK YES!!! So we met at McDonald's around 5pm Monday night, had ice cream and let the kids go nuts. We gushed over the books. I asked questions and she was happy to oblige my new "obsession". She gives me the second book in the series (New Moon) and I take it home.

I am afraid I wasn't much company or much of a wife and mom the last few days - reading EVERY second that I could. So um, yeah... It took me about 48 hours to finish the second book. I have to admit, my house is in shambles and I feel a little bad about it. But you know what? I want to read the next book. I don't really care about my house...

Sad... I resisted for so long...


So, if you haven't read it, I guess you would say that I kind of like it... Maybe. :)

Video of Robyn and the Hamburger

Well, it is by popular demand that I post this video. :) ENJOY!