Best Mom Ever...

Now that I have a daughter that can (sort-of) tell time, I have to resort to much sneakier methods of trickery. You'll note that it is just after six o'clock in the evening. You should also note that all of my girls are down to bed for the night. And have been for 45 minutes. Yup. Early, I know. I'd just had it tonight. I couldn't take one more minute of the people. Just one of those afternoons. So I tell them it's almost bedtime. "Look guys, it's dark outside!" (The only time that's it's a benefit that it gets dark by 4:30...) Smarty pants Brooke looks at the clock and notices that it's not eight. So I changed the clocks. All of them. By two and a half hours. What can I say... I was desperate! I can also say that it worked. Off they all trooped to bed and here I am, finally in peace. Just better not forget to change the clocks before it's time for Tom to go work in the morning. He might be mad to get to work at 3:45am...

Quote of the Day:
Alyssa (a five-year-old daughter of one of our really good friends): "You and Shelby look the same. " (we have similar hair cuts these days...)
April: "Oh yeah?"
Alyssa: "Yeah. You both look like witches."

Elder Russell M. Nielson will be at our Stake Conference today. Good thing I'm in the choir. At least I'll get a good seat...

3 am...

It's three in the morning. And I'm feeding Sam. We haven't done this since she was 7 weeks old. Hmmmm... I wonder which of my standard excuses apply? Teething? Growth spurt? Cold, since her daddy put her to bed with no pants? (No complaints here, he did bedtime. I was at the gym...) Perhaps she's just a baby? Good thing she's getting cuter every day!

Almost 4 months old!

6 years of wonder

From six pounds... to fifty

A lot of hair... to a really lot of hair

A diaper... to panties

Laying in one place... to never sitting still

No teeth... to tooth fairy heaven

Crying and cooing... to non-stop singing and chattering

Only child... to the best sister ever

Joy of her mother's heart - from birth to eternity

Love you Brooke!

Blow out the candles!

I am insanely proud of this cake!

Daddy made it home in time for some of the party

New shirt from Gram Samoa

You know you love your child when you are willing to invent a "Kiss the Bibble" game and then finger paint it because all of your paint brushes are lost in the packing and storing horror that happens when your house is for sale...

My Nemesis...

Let's begin this tale of woe and deceit with the understanding that in all reality, I am an excellent cook. Really. I recently made lasagna, bread sticks, and apple pie (all from scratch) for Tom's grandma. Not a ruined dish in the bunch. Delicious meal, all around. But... if you ask me to make macaroni and cheese I will quake in fear. My face will break out in a sweat and Tom will run for the nearest McDonald's. Really. This is a direct quote from one of Tom's answers in the newly-dead game. "I don't know where she gets her macaroni and cheese, but it looks like it comes from the morgue." Really. The morgue. Tonight, there was another battle in the kitchen. I'm not sure who won. The battle or the war. It all began when I dumped the sauce packet in the boiling water... An ominous sign to be sure. Then I accidentally dumped ALL of the noodles into the sink while trying to drain them. Did I mention the sink wasn't totally clean? So I start another batch. I scrape all the noodles that look cleanish into a bowl. Really. (My children have amazing immune systems...) Noodles are cooked and mixed up. Maybe 2/3 of the first batch survived. Add the butter. After I drop it on the floor. After it hit the cupboard on the way down. Pick it up. Drop it on the hot burner. Decide it doesn't actually need butter. Add the milk. And the cheese packets. Oddly enough, it tastes a little... odd. Luckily enough, the girls don't care. Enjoy your meal ladies!

Quote of the day -

"Our new president's name is Broccoli Bama? -Brooke

Better than rutabaga, I suppose...

Did you know that it is possible to stand in line from 7:10pm until 9:45pm, just to vote? And to make it more fun, you should always take four tired children with you... Then have Alix and Sam both fall asleep on your shoulder... For an hour and a half. (my arms are finally un-numb enough to type...) Tom had Erin asleep on his shoulder and Brooke was a sweetie and scooted along in a chair that a nice lady found for her. The bonus was, when you are the last voters in the state to cast your ballot, you get to be on the news! It's true. We're rockstars! Thank goodness I wasn't wearing sweats and spit-upy shirt! But we did our civic duty. Even though McCain had conceded two hours before we voted. (Nice to know my vote counted there!)