Cleaned up.

The 

Dusty....

         Dusty....

                  Dusty 

Mess.....

                           Is finally!!!!!

CLEAN!

Thanks boys!!

Math=Death

I really debated whether I should put a picture of some math stuff, or a picture of me shooting myself in the head on this post!  I figured that I would go the nicer route, even thought a gun to the head would be the perfect representation of how I feel right now.

I just finished teaching Makenna how to divide.  It only took THREE HOURS!  Really, three hours.  You may be wondering how it could possibly take tree hours, and I get that.  That was exactly what I was wondering as well.  But it did.

Makenna is artsy.  She loves to read, sing, imagine, draw, and all of that.  But math and spelling, well they just don't click.  I feel bad for her, but honestly, I feel worse for me.  Jerk, I know.

So we sit down to divide, and she acts like she has never seen it before, even though we just did this last week.  This is not uncommon.  So, I help her with 10 problems, then 20, and then think, "OK I bet she gets it even though she acts like she doesn't" so I have her give one a try.  (At this point we are an hour into this adventure I call death)  I give her a problem.  She looks at it with a blank stare.  I ask her what the first step is.  She doesn't know.

At this point I am pulling out my hair, frustrated, and past the point of being able to help.  Just then Steve walks in.  He looks at me, looks at her, looks at the math page and says, "Brandi, you need to walk away.  Just walk away and I will help her."  For a second I was relieved and wished him luck.  Next thing I know he walks her through a problem (just as I did 8 million times) and then he writes down this problem:

                              2/45435920760932457345

I LOST IT!  "What in the  ______ is that?  Are you crazy?  She doesn't get 2/35 and you are giving her that monster?  _______ NO!  Don't confuse her.  Don't erase what I just taught her.  My life is _____ right now, don't you see that?"  At this point I am crying and screaming and he is laughing and trying to hug me.  Can you say math induced meltdown?

He feels that she can do the problem, and while doing it learn to divide.  They spend about 30 minutes on the problem.  They finish, and VOILA, she looks at the next problem like it is the first division problem she has ever seen.  Suddenly he got me.

To make a long boring story shorter, she finally got it (YEAH)!  Only because we finally did the problem 2/35 about 50 times.  Really, 50 times.  I think that we will both always remember that 2/35 =17r1.  Once I quit changing the numbers and doing the same problem over and over she understood.  That is just how her mind needed to learn.  Wish I knew that three hours ago, but oh well.  Man, these artsy brains work in mysterious ways.  If this keeps up I am taking her to a tutor!

Love ya Kenna!  What is 2/35?  Ha ha ha!

Sheetrockers we are not!

Steve and I had a BRILLIANT idea...  

Together we have accomplished some pretty amazing things.  Things that I looked at after we did them, and thought, "WOW, we are pretty cool!"  We have built things, fixed things, we even redid the electrical work on an entire house.  IT SUCKED!  Fishing wires is not for me.  And now I know that sheet rocking is not either.

Here is how it played out.  We walked down into our 2,000 square foot basement with 9 foot ceilings a few weeks ago.  There was sheetrock stacked everywhere.  It was a totally hopeless feeling for me.  BUT, I had faith in us and our abilities.

We choose a corner and decided that we would start there.  It was a bathroom, so the sheets would be smaller on the ceiling which would make it easier to hold.  Steve set up a ladder for me and went a picked up one of the sheets that was measured and cut to size.  He handed my end to me.  Instantly, I crapped my pants.  It was SO heavy.  Seriously, so heavy.  But I managed to lift it above my head.  My arms started to burn just trying to get it into place, which I didn't do very well.  Finally we got it kind of where it needed to be and Steve started to try to screw it in and hold his end.  

While he was trying to hold his end and screw up the stuff I was screaming loudly! "It hurts!  Hurry... OH MY GOSH, I can't hold it.  Hurry!  I might die!" And when I wasn't screaming I was moaning and groaning.  Finally the first piece was up.  My arms felt like butter.  I felt like I had just been in a weight lifting competition, and lifted so much that I probably won, but nearly died.  You know that feeling?

Steve gave me a little speech on being tough and holding it with my HEAD!  Yes, my head!  "Ummm, OK, I will try that.  Hopefully I will not get brain damage!"  I said still acting pretty tough.  Then he started to cut out the light hole the way that he had seen the pro's do it.  I don't mean to be rude... but it didn't work out very well for him.  I took one look at it and said, "WOW, what happened there?"  I guess that wasn't what he wanted to hear.  He mumbled something and gave me a look.  Not a nice look.

Then came the second piece.  He handed it to me and instant pain hit my weak little arms.  But I got it up there and tried to hold it with my head.  That hurt too, so I then tried to hold it with my back.  IT WORKED!  However, once the piece was up, we stepped back to admire our work, and decided that it had too big of a gap (thanks to me, woops)!  Steve had a look of despair and sat down.  That was not like him, so I just sat there and didn't speak.  That was almost as hard as holding the sheetrock.  I always have something to say!

He said, "I am going to call someone, OK?  This will take us a year at this rate!"  He felt like a failure, I felt TONS of relief, but sad for my bank account.  I handed him the phone.

A few days later Oscar and his pal arrived.  They grabbed their first sheet and each held it with one hand and had it up in maybe 30 seconds.  The whole place was done in two days.  They acted like it weighed one pound.  It was amazing.  I turned to Steve like any good wife would and said, "You are kind of a loser.  I mean, I know what is wrong with me, but what is your excuse???"  

He laughed. 

 I am proud of Oscar and his guys.  They have done a great job, way better than we could have done.  I could have been buff at the end of all that, but I am OK with my weakness.  My house is now sheetrocked and mudded and super dusty.  I wonder if Steve will call a cleaning lady next?  After all my arms still hurt!

About car seats.

The other day I was talking to my sister about car seats.  We were trying to figure out when our kids would be able to ride without one, and exactly what the laws are these days.

We figured out that based on today's laws, they had lots of time left to ride in a car seat, and that they may never be able to get out if the laws continue to get stricter.  Based on Utah law, Makenna should still be in a car seat (she is 10), and that she may in fact have to bring her booster on her first date!  It was kind of funny to think that when we were kids we would lay on the floor of the car and drive to California, we never even considered that we should buckle up!

The law states that a child should ride in a car seat until they are 4'9" and 80 pounds!  And, they should ride in the back seat until they are 15.

Here is what that means to me:  I am only 5'3", which means that if they keep adding a few inches each year, I may need to soon ride in a booster seat.  If that happens, Steve has vowed to trade me in for a taller woman (rude!).  If that happens I am going to feel like a complete fool.  Here's why:

For the first time I would feel crammed in my car.  My head would hit the ceiling, but my feet would not reach the peddles.  I would not go anywhere because I would have quite a complex pulling up to a girls night out in my booster seat...

...especially when I tried to get out of the car and it was stuck to my booty!

I mean seriously!  What are these people thinking?  Then there is the issue of riding in the back seat until 15 years old.  Isn't that when they get their learners permit?  So after 15 years of being a back seat driver, you welcome your child into not only the front seat... but the drivers seat?

 "Well, today two big things happen son!  You get to move into the front seat, AND start to drive!"

 That seems strange!  

What was even stranger is that I left the booster in the front seat of my car, and Steve drove in it!  His head was bent and he could barely move... but off he went.  I think I am ready to trade him in.  WHAT A FOOL!

The building is BUILT!

Carbon County Search and Rescue Building

Built by Steve

Steve LOVED working in Price and building this amazing search and rescue building.  He loved the people, and the project, and put his all into it.  He is one dedicated guy!  He hopes to go back to Price around June and build a Senior Center.  He is really excited about it.


These are just a few pictures of it, but it is a really nice building and I think it turned out GREAT!  Good job babe!

Weekend Getaway.

This weekend we were lucky enough to escape the cold and smog and head out to a friends cabin.  The weather was amazing, and we had the best time.  Here are just a few of the fun things we did.

Makenna stuck on her 4 wheeler (crying and honking the horn) and Nick and Blain pulling her out! 

Matt and Tasha in a snowball fight gone bad!

Coren taking Dad for a spin

Carson and Kenna working on driving alone

Getting pulled on the tube!  SO much fun!

Isaac taking the kids on the ride of their lives.  CRAZY!

Shooting

Um, I am NOT a good shooter!

The girls!

Hanging out on our ride

The kids had so much fun together

We had such a great time.  It is so nice to get away in the winter!  Thanks everyone for a great weekend!

You will survive!

In the last year we have lost many (OK all) of our pets.  Yesterday our last pet, our little red fish, finally died.  It has been struggling for a while now.  It now lives in the sewer.  R.I.P!

I thought about my horrible track record with pets... the one where they all die.  I can't seem to keep things alive.  In the last 10 years I have been able to keep just 4 things alive (and I guess myself too), and that would be these beauties....

Carosn 5 years, Kenna 10 years, Coren 4 years, and in the front row our only living plant of 4 years.  Sadly... each of these living things has been either dead several times and come back to life (that would be the plant), or nearly dead (the kids). Yes, the plant looks pretty thin and not so healthy, but look at those cute kids.  

I'd say I am doing a fine job!

Oh and ignore the tape on their faces.  It doesn't look as funny in the picture as it looked in real life!

Pee-Wee Herman. I love you!

It is hard to find the words that express how much I love this movie.  I think that this movie was by far my favorite movie when I was a kid.  (I also loved "My Girl" and "Pretty Woman")  The other day I came across this movie, and I nearly crapped my pants.  I was so excited.  I knew that my kids had to see it, and I knew that they would fall in love with it just like I did when I was a kid.

Sunday night we all sat in front of the TV for the big event.  I cannot remember the last time I was so excited to watch a movie.  Sad I know.

It started out with his cute little house, and his cool kitchen that makes his breakfast.  The whole time I was one of those annoying people pointing out each cool thing, just so that no-one missed anything!

Soon his bike was unveiled and we all went crazy!  Well, most of us.  Well, OK I went crazy.  Soon, I started to realize that poor PEE-WEE is a WAC job, and I was a little ashamed that I love him so much, just not ashamed enough to quit watching.

Things got scary when I started to notice that PEE-WEE and I have some similarities in the way that we act and the things we do.  I started to think that I may have based some of my life off this movie.  For example:  I also tape my kids faces... you know, tape their nose up so that they look like a pig and then tape wrinkles on them.  Stuff like that.  I also noticed that I kind of act creepy like him, and get all excited over the dumbest stuff (like this movie).  Sadly during this movie I was mimicking his laugh (HA HA- HA HA!) you know the laugh!  He eats with really big silverware, and I like to eat with kids silverware.  He thinks his bike is cool, and so do I!  He wears a bow tie, and I can tie a bow.  He holds intense meetings in his basement, and I have a basement.  He has a lot of friends, and I do too!  His friends kind of hate him because he is mean to them... and you get the point.

In conclusion to this weird post...( where was I going with this thing????) My kids loved the show.  Steve loved it and suggested that we watch Big Top PEE-WEE next.  I came away afraid and curled up in a ball and cried for my Mommy.  Honestly, it is very scary to know that a movie such as this impacted you life so drastically!

At least I wasn't so impacted by Pretty Woman that I became a hooker (although, she did have a rich and happy ending)!  Maybe hooking (is that what you call it?  Hooking?) isn't such a bad thing after all!?!  Come to think of it, I did meet Steve on State Street and he did slip me $50 bucks after our first date.  I just thought he was a generous guy.   KIDDING!

I know you are but what am I.... I know you are but what am I... 

~That is from the show, just in case your life was so sad that you never saw it!~

Giveaways!

Everyone should check out my friend Tasha's blog (By the way, I just found out that Tasha tried to revive a bird with a McDonalds straw.  The CPR broke its ribs and killed it... WOOPS)!

She is doing a bunch of really cool giveaways, like scentsy, layers clothing, and more.  Check it out!

Tasha's blog here!

I won!

OK, for the first time ever in the history of my blog I have won an award.  The scrap award.  Tasha from the amazing blog full of deals and giveaways "Catch the drift with Mama Snow" has given me this award.  I am not really sure what it is, but I am honored all the same.  Scrap= silly crap... well at least that is my take on it.  She had some poetic way of putting it, but let's face it, I think that I won because this blog is a little out there.

So, here goes... 10 honest things about me!  As always, you may want to be sitting down to read this.

1- I was totally freaked out earlier because there was this weird noise in Makenna's room.  I seriously thought that my house was possessed by ghosts (because the fish in there is dying.  I thought either the angels or devil had come to get its spirit).  Turns out it was a poster falling off the wall.  PHEW!

2-  I used to work at Lagoon in the games department.  My job was to convince people that they could make a basket in a hoop that was about 1/4 inch bigger than the ball.  Sadly, I took a lot of peoples money that year!

3-  I am slightly (well pretty) psychic.  I will start to think of someone and go to call them, and next thing I know my phone is ringing and they are calling me.  It is amazing!  Too bad I can't use my psychic abilities for something more useful!

4-  I hate the water.  I hate to be in a lake.  I am always worried that a shark or something will eat me.

5-  Lately I am pretty obsessed with deals.  In fact, I buy stuff just because it is a good deal, even if I don't need it.  The good news is that I get a lot of good deals.

6-  I am anti deodorant.  Well at least anti anti-perspirant.  It poisons your body, but I guess if it is worth it to you, than go for it.  I just would rather stink a little than die, but that's just me.  PS- I don't stink.  If I do I put on deodorant.  I am not a complete freak!

7-  When I was growing up I wanted to Manage a fancy hotel in New York.  I had my glamorous life all planned out.  I lived in a nice penthouse with my cat.  Now... I am the maid at a little house in Riverton.  Funny how life does this to us!

8-  I have a friend whose cat was dying.  She did CPR on it.  Once it was revived, she took it to the vet and got it an IV.  $200 later the cat had to be put to sleep because it suffered brain damage (she said it walked crooked).  I almost wonder if the cats owner has brain damage too (j/k, she knows I love her).  By the way, she kind of hated the cat.  AND, I also have a friend who pooped her pants in Harmons... but I can't say her name, she would DIE!

9-  I had a terrible year in 1st grade.  My teacher told me that if I ever cut my pretty hair she would kill me!  I was so scared the whole year and hated school.  In second grade I cut my hair off!

10-  I am the family hair cutter.  With exception of my own.  I would never do that to myself!! Anyways, I have NO training, but they all let me cut their hair (and their ears and necks sometimes...oops!)  I even cut my Mom's hair recently, let's just say that she wears a lot of hats now.

So, there you have it.  Some things about little old me.  I would like to thank you all for this prestigious award (I mean Tasha...) it was an honor!

I think I am supposed to give this award to some other people.  So...

1- Hilary, Rachel, Shari, and Kim

2- Ann and Song

3- Mandy (sorry)

4- Brooke

You have all just won the silly crap award!  Congrats!

The boys reading

Carson reading a book!

Coren reading a book!

Here are a couple of links to the boys reading a book.  (one book lasts two minutes and one lasts one minute)

Beauty Queen

Finally, at age 10 Makenna is starting to be the girly girl she has worked to hard to NOT become.  She has insisted for years that she is a tom boy, and doesn't care about much more than sports.  While this was a little funny, I played along.  And waited.  I knew that it couldn't last forever.

This year she has started to care about clothes (FINALLY!  YEAH!) and just this past while has started to wear perfumes and care about her hair.  She came home Sunday night and pointed out how silky her hair was and explained that she had purchased a new shampoo called Sunsilk.  She explained how it was the greatest thing ever.  As she was telling me this, I couldn't help but noticed that he eyebrows looked strange.  Upon closer examination, I noticed that her eyebrows, what was left of them, were patchy and strange looking.  I asked her what had happened, and she explained that she had cut them with toenail clippers!!!

So needless to say, if you see Makenna around just ignore that.  I have explained that before any changes can be made in the future regarding hair removal, hair coloring or cutting, makeup, and anything else that might be questionable to ask for help!

Kids!

Happy New Year!

2009 has arrived, and let me just say that it arrived in style.  Already, I have a good feeling about this year.

Right now most people are starting their diets, failing their diets, at the gym, eating healthy, being nicer, and doing whatever else people do after setting "New Year Resolutions."  Well, as for me, I have decided that I refuse to resolute!  I decided that I am actually pretty against it and that it is kind of a dumb thing.

Why do we wait until January 1st to make ourselves better and to start doing things that we know we should be doing all along?  Instead of saying, "As on January 1st I am going to start to eat healthier (this is what I said on probably November 1st as I was eating a pan of pumpkin bars, and then continued to pig out for two months... my last two months of food freedom)!"  Wouldn't it make more sense to say, "WOW, I am a P.I.G!  I just ate a whole damn pan of pumpkin bars.  There is nothing good about that.  As of TODAY, I am going to eat healthier!"

So my new thing is this:  I am going to set goals, not resolutions, and not just on the 1st but everyday.  Let's face it, we can't really be perfect for a whole year, or in my case even a whole day, so I think I will re-evaluate my weakness daily and try to fix them. 

Here are my goals for now.  I am hoping to carry them out, but no promises!

Eat healthier.  This family has a sugar addiction (yes, Steve Mtn. Dew is sugar) and so we are going to add some healthy food in with all that crap.  Already Carson is having some noticeable differences and or that I pat myself on the back!  

Not deceive my husband.  OK, so I tore off the part of the mayo label that says it is light, I guess that is kind of deceiving.  Unfortunately I was busted.  In my defense, I bought the light on accident, and when I noticed my mistake, I tried to fix it.  What he doesn't know won't hurt him , right?  P.S. Steve... you had light other times and never noticed, SO THERE!  No more light foods, I GET IT!

Finish the basement.  We are well on our way.  On New Years weekend we completed this lovely cold storage room.  We took a big concrete rectangle and made this masterpiece.  I threw quite the fit when I had to caulk it all (who has to caulk a cold storage?... Oh wait, my husband is a perfectionist NAZI, so I do!) and he made fun of me, and I think even created a little more work for me (that is just a theory) but I did it.  And it looks pretty good.  We haven't done the floor yet, but apparently it isn't "time" for that yet.

Organize, clean, prepare, and do well with a get rich quick scheme.  Those are just a few things that I am throwing around as possible goals.  I am not really ready to commit to anything yet.

Hey, if there is ever an emergency, come over for cereal and Pringles.  We also have a limited supply of green beans and soda.  We only have two rolls of toilet paper, so there will be a ration of 3 squares per person.  Sorry!  Or you could bring your own "BYOTP!"

Oh yeah... Happy New Year!  2009 will be fine!

HA HA HA HA!

This is for sure going to make you laugh!

The Band:

On Drums... Carson Johns

On Guitar... Jackson Gorringe

On Vocals... Carson Cline

Let me just say that when I heard this from the kitchen, I had tears running down my face!

Sledding.

I admit that when I first saw this gigantic sledding hill I nearly peed my pants.  However, one of my jobs as Mother is to act brave to keep my kids from fear.  To my surprise, they kids all jumped on the sleds and took off.  For a second I thought I was off the hook, that maybe I would indeed live to see another day.  No such luck.  Kenna got me on the back of her sled (yes, the back, the 10 year old was in control... oh wait, there is no control on a sled, which is exactly why I was scared for my life).  I put on my brave face, stalled for a minute by acting like I didn't fit on the sled or that I couldn't figure out where to hold on, and then she figured me out and sent us down the HILL OF DEATH!  I screamed so loud, especially when we started to spin backwards, and especially when it seemed like the hill was ending and we were still going FULL SPEED AHEAD!  But we did it, lived, and did it some more!

Carson found a creative way to get himself down the hill when all of the sleds were in use.  He went fast too!
Kenna took Emily for a ride.  I was VERY happy to see that she was as scared as me, and happy to hear that she screams as loud as me.
I think that Coren's face was frozen.  Doesn't it look that way?  He was so red and cold, but loved it.  He even carried two snowballs all the way up the hill just to throw them at DAD!  It was so cute, and he thought he was the funniest kid ever!
We had a great day sledding.  Too bad you can't sled in July it would be so much warmer!!  I am really proud of all of the daredevils in this family, and even prouder of me:  THE WIMP!