A Sister, A Sally, and A Secret

Alia turned 5 months on the 19th and like always I'm late in posting about it. Here are a couple of off the wall pictures that shows her fun little personality.

This is a really blurry picture but I wanted to show you how much hair she has lost. She really looks like a baby that has a toupee on top and still bald around the sides and back.

She has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. I think she has stronger abs than I do. She seriously want to be able to sit up all by herself.

Brody LOVES his sister,

and isn't so gentle with her,

and makes her apprehensive every time he's around.

Today we went over to Kurt's aunt and uncles house where their boy, Brendan, had showed us Salamander's he caught. I was very intrigued so I had to blog about it.

I recently read The Secret. Ever read it? I've always wanted to read it because there was a big to do about it but didn't get around to it till just barely. If you've never read it basically is about how you can control your destiny by radiating brain waves into the universe, telling it what you want. Sounds weird but the just of the book was actually good. It said that you need to be thankful for what you have, give a little to charity, and think positively. If you wake up and say it's going to be a bad day, then you're going to have a bad day and instead of saying, "Don't get wet" you would say "Stay dry" Is that a bad example? Anyways I didn't fully believe it could work but I didn't think it would hurt to try and what's the worst that could happen thinking positively?

Well after being positive for a couple of days, and trying to change my thinking, this came in the mail. A flyer for Robert's Crafts Customer Appreciation Day.

With a grand prize of a screen printing machine priced at $250. I sent positive brain waves into the air, saying that I was going to win instead of I want to win, and I knew, SERIOUSLY KNEW, I was going to win. We went to Robert's I put my name in for the drawing along with Kurt's and guess who won? KURT!! Hahahaha!!

As we were driving there I kept telling him I was going to win. I just knew it! He thought I was a loony so when his name was called he was in shock! My screaming in the store, amongst all the people, there was a lot, kinda woke him up. He was still dumbfounded when we left but I was so excited I kept punching the air, too excited to contain myself.

So now I'm a believer of most of that stupid book. I still don't believe in some things it says like thinking positively can get me the perfect parking stall but hey maybe that's why I never get it!

;)

Home Run!!

This morning I woke up by Kurtis' alarm clock going off. Another day where I have to step up to the plate. Kurt leaves for work around 7:30 am and gets home around 7:30 pm. When he gets home we run around like chickens with their heads cut off, with things to do before we go to bed.

I have been loving it!

I think it's because I have to... be all that I can be? No but really like I said I have to step up. Yesterday Drew had soccer practice so I needed to get up with Kurt, we also needed to take our car into the shop so we he drove our car while I followed in Cherie's, which we have been borrowing all summer, picked him up after dropping off our car and then took him to work. Then we went to Drew's soccer practice, dropped a book of at a friends, went and did a little shopping at Walmart, made dinner, and then went and picked Kurt back up from work. Now I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but when you have three kids, one still in an infant car seat that you have to lug around, it's not the easiest thing to do. That was the first time I've been to the store with three kids by myself. I felt very good about myself after that! Then we came home, ate dinner had our nightly rituals and still the kids didn't get in bed till 9:30 just because we were crunched for time.

But it feels good to be busy!

While Kurt and I had our small measure of quiet time he was telling me about his day. Like I said Kurt is learning to make buckets. He will technically be training for a year because there is so much he has to learn. Look under your plastic cups or some plastic container. Go ahead and look. You'll see a bunch of pictures, maybe clocks, numbers, symbols, Kurt is learning what all that stuff means. Then look in the middle of the underside of the cup. Is there like a little indentation? He knows what makes that and way. I actually don't remember so I can't tell you but it's interesting all the things he is learning. He has to take nine different buckets at one time and measure the width, length, circumference, amount of dye in the bucket. Then he has take take it and fill it up with water, drop it and see if it leaks, breaks, shatters, then takes a machine that puts pressure on it to see if it withstands a certain amount of pressure. Then he pokes holes in it to see if it'll crack or just pour water out of the wound. If it cracks, how far does it crack down. He was telling me SO much more that I can't remember but it's amazing how much one person has to put in just to make one bucket. With all that said, so far he likes his job and I'm really enjoying mine more!

But who knows? It's only the first week and for some reason we have been and will remain to be super busy for a little while. Kurt started work, the deer hunt started, get the car fixed, we had friends come and visit, friends leaving, friends moving back, Drew playing soccer and starting Head Start soon, sister's coming back, appointments, wedding, birthday, friends having a baby, needing to order things, fulfilling our callings, getting the dog fixed - that may not be HUGE but the line for the discounted clinic starts lining up at 5:00 am! - and in the mix of all this we have to remember to eat healthy, take naps, keep the house clean, get exercise, have fun, and wipe our butts!

I couldn't have asked for more!

It Was A Boydful Day!

We had one of the best Sunday nights in a long time because the Boyd Family came to visit!! We lived in TVA together while Mary and Kurtis went to school at BYUH. They dropped in Sunday night, stayed in a hotel, and we were able to have them the entire day on Monday.

The kids had so much fun playing in the yard, playing hide-and-go-seek, catching grass hoppers and just being kids. Drew and Brody were so happy to have good friends to play with. It was so cute seeing Drew and Jacob play and Drew laughing so hard. Then Brody and Jacob be little boys together. Seth, Eli, and Jacob are such big boys now! It amazes me how much kids grow in a year.

Alia was being such a good baby. I think she was grateful to have other faces looking at her besides her mom.

After lazily passing the time in our front yard we went to the Boyd's hotel and swam in the indoor pool and jacuzzi. The kids had so much fun they didn't want to get out. We hung out in the hotel room waiting for Kurtis to get off of his first day of work so we could go eat dinner. The kids were getting restless so Shane got them food to hold them over and make them happy.

It worked.

As soon as Kurtis got home we went to eat at Wingers! These two had a little connection going on. When we were swimming Shane sat out, held Alia the entire time and got her to sleep. Something she doesn't do very often without a swing or car.

Elijah

Seth and Drew

Mary and Jacob

an idiot I picked off the street

and Brody

Not pictured: Noelle

After we were done eating we weren't ready to say goodbye yet so we went back to the Boyd's hotel to hang out for a little bit longer. We had the kids sit in pictures for us and here Mary had asked who wanted to hold the baby.

Eli was the lucky winner

Look how cute these kids are!

but Seth

and Jacob got a chance. I swear it was like he was holding his girlfriend here.

After we left and as we were driving home I was fighting back the tears, complaining how we need friends like the Boyd's here. Where you don't need to be doing a lot, just hanging out and enough is said. Kurt and I started talking and laughing about our sleepover we had with them while living in TVA and the nights out I had with the girls... we miss it all. So anytime we have a chance to see someone from BYUH we take it. Now that I think about it we don't want friends like the Boyd's, we want them! We had SO much fun guys and we were so happy you stopped to say hi!

Who knew Kurt's first day of work, an 11 hour shift, could be this fun for me?

Go Blue Lightning and Black Thunder!

Drew had her first soccer game today. Her team name is Blue Lightning and her cousin Case's team is Black Thunder who's game we saw after Drew's.

The first half of the game consisted of girls making goals for the opposite team, the ball being dribbled the wrong way and a lot of confused faces. Drew, I have to say, had the biggest confused face of them all. Instead of looking at the ball she would look at us. A couple of times she just ran around where the other girls were, not knowing where the ball was.

We didn't get it. We had been practicing with her since we signed her up. Kurt's motto that he taught her was,

"BE MEAN!"

but everything we had said and coached her on previously had gone to the back of her head.

It was then her turn to sit out and let her other team members play. As she sat on my lap on the side lines she could see from a different perspective what she was supposed to do. As soon as it was her turn to go back in she dominated!

And scored a goal!!

We stayed after Drew's game to watch Case's. He was having a hard time. He cried for a little bit and sat out for a little more and then as soon as he was able to hold him mom's hand he did great!

And scored a goal!!

I think they are now ready for their next game!

A Date With My Deer

Yesterday a friend of ours offered to watch Drew and Brody while Kurt and I went on a lunch date to celebrate him getting a job. I think we've stretched this job celebration as far as it can go. We stopped to get gas.

Then we headed over to DI to look for something Kurt could rig into an arrow holder of sorts for the archery hunt. It was nice not having all of our kids because that meant I could go in the store too instead of having to wait in the car.

I'm always interested by all this knick knack crap. Who did it belong to? Who would actually have had this in their house? This pig though was cute.

I love when we take Alia places in her car seat with a blanket over her to block the sun, she always seems to peak out and find me.

After smelling the dust off of ancient junk that should just be thrown away, we went to eat at

A Cafe Rio knock off, if you didn't know.

When we got home Kurt wanted to get in his gettup and practice once more before the hunt started. The archery deer and spike elk hunt started today. Can you find him?

I bet you can't find Drew either! She loves doing everything her dad does. She ran up to me yesterday and said, "Daddy's gonna get a deer and we're going to EAT HIM!" The last part was seriously savaged. Disgusting. I don't know what we're going to do with her!

60 yards away

I'm amazed how accurate he is. I can't even see his target deer.

And while we're on the subject of hunting for survival check this book out. Saw this movie edited and loved it and I just finished reading it for my book club.