flying

I'm sitting at my computer listening (via baby monitor) to Sarah & Emma playing in the baby's room; unaware that the monitor is on, they are sweetly exchanging in ideas and dialogue and giggling and it's warming my heart!

This past Saturday Gene had some fun of his own redeeming the gift certificate that I gave him for Father's Day: a Discovery flight. For an hour you get to take a private lesson and then sit in the pilot's seat to fly an airplane with an instructor. He had a blast! He couldn't fly over our house (restricted air space) but he did get to fly over his mom's house, and even called her so that she could come out and wave. Gene said he has no idea how he's going to top this come Mother's Day. Oh, I'm sure I'll have some ideas to help him out....overnight girls retreat sounds pretty good, day spa, hmmm....

Pilot Gene

hangin' loose

Take off

the SL valley below

Gene's mom's house

dude! an unfortunate event

Something terrible happened to me recently. I lost all the info on my PDA. Including journal entries about my kids! I'm talking info from the past 18 months! And, NO, sadly, I had not backed it up during that time. I don't know why--testing fate? Stupid? Busy? All of the above? I know it was in part due to the fact that our computer has been hanging on by duct tape (literally), and I just didn't want to bother with it. I cried for a solid hour or two and slept poorly all night long the day it happened. Since then I've been busy pouring over old calendars, photos, videos, school folders, doctors notes, this blog, etc. to try to remember certain events, cute sayings, daily occurrences... that have been erased. I used to be so much more organized in my life, I used to be better than this, I used to regard myself a historian of sorts...what the hell happened?

• Lesson #1 learned: Never keep all journal info in only one source. Record the same event in a couple different places.

• Lesson #2 learned: Back up and print OFTEN! (stupid, stupid, stupid!)

• Lesson #3 learned: Brag more about my kids; to Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents and this blog, so that they can help me remember and record.

So, because of this event, I've decided to dedicate each Thursday (baring we're on vacation or something) to my kids, and I'm calling it Three Pints Thursday--since I have 3 little ones. There is a silver lining to this cloud and that is "Dude! We got a DELL!" And a very nice one at that! Something about an Intel Core 2 Duo processor with other upgrades. So now I will be taking all that history that I'll be gathering; journals, photo's, videos and all and burning it to discs. And possibly distributing copies far and wide in case of a future mishap. Hmmm....Christmas card cd's?

happy fourth of july

I love that this time of year brings out the patriotism in people, including myself. I am so incredibly thankful and proud to be an American. Don't get me wrong, I like Lee Greenwood's song "Proud to be an American", but for some reason this song struck a cord with me; who would've thought Taylor Hicks would come through?!

With all that's wrong in this country at times, I still wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I believe that there was a Divine hand guiding our founding fathers in establishing this country, it's rights and liberties. I also believe that, though things might get worse before they get better, it will be that same Divine hand that saves this country and it's constitution. This time of year also reminds me that people are inherently more good than bad. Thanks to all the people in my little world who love liberty more than life.

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.

Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

- General George S. Patton

entering my jazz phase

I love all kinds of music, but usually not all at the same time. Each year I seem to go through different phases; 80's pop, jazz, country, folk, soulful boy-bands and even Broadway musicals. I have my favorites in each genre: HoJo, Erasure, Harry, Sinatra, Tim McGraw, James Taylor, BoyzIIMen, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (featuring Donny Osmond, of course).

When I'm feeling very mellow there's nothing better than my Natalie Merchant Tigerlilly CD. For cleaning the house it's Alanis Morisette Jagged little pill. Usually this time of year (coming upon the fourth of July) I start my country/patriotic phase--completely subconsciously.

However a couple weeks ago my girlfriend, Rosann, and I attended a Harry Connick Jr. concert and it has thrown me into a serious jazz phase (which usually happens around Christmas time for some reason). I can't get enough of this song! I had so much fun at the concert with Rosann, and I can't thank you enough, girlfriend, for coming along. Even though it would've been way more fun in a city that actually moved to the rhythm, instead of sitting still properly tapping our toes. I was really impressed with his band and I loved the sax players, but my favorite band instrument is still the snare drum. Of course, my fav favorites are Harry's 3 pianos and his smooth crooner voice!

oh, my aching back

The new IKEA opened today just 15-20 minutes from my house. I took my kids and my Mom (who visited Sweden last year) to the grand opening (click the link for pics & video of the Draper opening). We arrived as the doors were opening.....and 45 minutes later we actually got INSIDE the store. Country, I should say; this place could have it's own zip code! The line wrapped around the 310,000 sq. foot building and zig-zagged back and forth about a dozen times. It was very packed inside, yet I have to say everything ran as smoothly as a well oiled machine! They should be proud.

I bought a few small things--a throw for my couch, some closet organizers & a soap dish (I plan on returning with Gene to buy the large things), and we ate at the restaurant--YUM! My kids did pretty good for 6.5 hours. Emma freaked out over a paper cut, and I had to take a nursing break occasionally for Morgan, and Sarah had fun at the play-land, but all-in-all I won't be taking my kids back there any time soon!

I am so stinkin' tired and sore...I hope I can move tomorrow!

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cinco de mayo

This past week dragged on and on, in part due to a cold that turned into Bronchitis and Laryngitis, and in part due to extreme weather conditions; hot one day and snowing the next. (If Gene knows what's good for him he'll get us some central air SOON! Swamp AC's just don't cut it!)

I watched a lot of TV and enjoyed my Must See NBC Thursday-- except no 30 Rock? What the heck? And (as I told my friend Jamie) loved Scrubs and commiserated with Turk & Carla's problem. *sob* So I was looking for any little pick-me-up and Cinco de Mayo was the ticket! We haven't eaten at Cafe Rio in a long time, but I had earned a free meal, so we piled the kids in the van. As soon as we left our neighborhood Emma started crying that she had left her "toy of the day" at home (you know how kids get attached to something and want to carry it with them everywhere they go--that's Emma). We tried telling her that it would be waiting for her at home, but after many sobs and more than half way there, we turned around and went back home to get her toys. Below are the "before" and "after" pictures. There's no way we could've enjoyed our dinner amidst sobs. The weather was so NOT festive--rain, sleet, snow and winds. Would've much rather had the mid 80 degree temperatures that we had last weekend.

sad and missing her cinderella rings

reunited with her cinderella rings & happy again

Little miss Morgan looking up at the camera phone

Yummy quesadilla, barbacoa & enchiladas!!!

adding and subtracting

At only 6 weeks of age little miss Morgan has a stinkin' cold. Poor baby can hardly breathe at times. I've been sleeping her in the bouncy seat at an incline, using a humidifier and saline drops and using the suction bulb thingy. I took her into the pediatrician Friday and thankfully her lungs are good and she hasn't had a fever (knock on wood). Talk about sleepless nights--oi vay! But usually she sleeps very well and is one very mild mannered baby.

And get this, she weighed 13 lbs 5 oz! I'm so glad that she is the one packing on the pounds instead of me now (incidentally I've lost 26 lbs--can I get a hallelujah sista?)!

little miss Morgan asleep in her car seat

(the only time she'd hold still)

Just a little bit of trivia FYI: a woman's brain shrinks 8% during pregnancy and does not return to normal size until 6 months post-partum. I read that excerpt from a book titled The Female Brain. So, just so you know, if I start blogging about stupid stuff or sounding stupid...I have an excuse now! ;)

the week in pictures of sarah 4/14

We are currently in the process of shopping for a new computer; this one is slowly falling apart. I don't even want to spend the time to download photos or software knowing that we'll have to do it all again next week. However, I did manage to take some pics with Gene's cell phone of the activities that keep us (and Sarah) busy.

Gene signed Sarah up for Tae Kwon Do (Korean martial arts) about a month ago. She loves it. Sarah has always moved to the rhythm of her own drum; unlike most girls her age who want to take dance (like I did at her age) or gymnastics, she wanted to take Karate. But, given that Karate was too expensive, and that Gene lived in Korea & can speak Korean, Tae Kwon Do was the right choice.

Sarah "little dragon" proud of herself that she earned her yellow belt

Sarah's Tae Kwon Do class facing the black-belt judges

(back of Sarah in center of pic)

Sarah standing in front of the class & judges passing off her kicks & blocks

(standing in center of pic)

Also, a couple of weeks ago, we signed Sarah up for Jr. soccer, mainly because her best friends are on the team. At first she was a little nervous, but she ended up loving it and wants to continue playing soccer until she's "a teenager". At the first game Sarah made the first (and only) goal for her team to win 1-0.

Go Sarah!

I love this picture

just arrived

Welcome our new addition:

Morgan Dawn

born Feb. 26

weighing 8 lbs. 14 oz.

Mommy & Morgan

Feeling a little pain; pre-epidural

Little miss Morgan is more than a pound larger than my last two kids. I also have a funky tailbone that would not flatten out, so my doctor had to use forceps. My epidural had worn off in the pelvic region so I was able to feel pretty much everything, as far as the crowning & pulling went. Ouch! But, I only pushed for about 40 minutes and was in labor a total of 3 hours (having arrived at the hospital already dilated to 6). Still, no complaints--she's beautiful and healthy. Gene & I are officially out numbered--let the juggling begin!

Our three girls!

Emma, Morgan & Sarah

because i'm bored

Two weekends ago we attended a birthday/swimming party for Sarah's cousins Madysen & Annie (who are moving in a couple weeks to Austin, Texas). :(

Here are some cute pics from the swimming pool. I tried to get the girls together, but it was so loud I could hardly hear myself, let alone expect them to hear me. It was a really nice pool and they had lots of fun.

Sarah heading up the stairs.

Sarah smiling for the camera, Emma over her shoulder (r).

Emma trying to resist scratching her eczema.

Daddy playing with his girls.

(They don't make a swimming suit big enough for this preggy!)

anticipation

This is starting to get depressing. Or, at least, very boring! Still no baby yet, though I am dilated 3 cm and 50% effaced. And that was at my last appointment last week, so I might (thinking optimistically here) actually be dilated even more now. ???.....

We have everything ready...and waiting...and waiting. Anymore waiting and things will no longer be ready. I'm referring to the cleanliness of my house. One can only keep a house "ready-for-baby-clean" for so long, before one has to clean again.

I guess it's just as well, my OB is out of town until Tuesday anyway.

Update: February 22,

Today my OB said that I'm dilated 4 cm and 60% effaced, and then he NOT so gently stripped the membranes (irritated the cervix). He expects me to go into labor sometime this weekend, and wants me to call him Saturday morning. Keep your fingers crossed!

And, on the name front, we are back to square one. Gene doesn't want Lynn as a middle name (he has a bad association w/ a Lynn from his childhood) and I'm not as crazy about Sophia as I thought I'd be. I still like Morgan though. Ugh!...

superbowl weekend

The location: my brother's house in Logan, UT. The date: February 3-4, 2007. The event: The XLI Superbowl (Bears vs. Colts).

It's one of the most anticipated weekends of the year for our family! Every year we make the trek to Logan and stay all weekend playing games, games, games and eating food, food, food. This year I debated even going given that I'm 9 months pregnant--the thought of going into labor 2 hours away from home didn't sound fun. It's a testament to how fun the party is that, barring severe contractions, I'd still go.

Sarah & Emma: "Are we there yet?"

Saturday we hit some factory stores and then the adults went out to dinner while all the munchkins stayed home being watched by our very capable teenage nieces. After dinner we headed to the elementary school, where Laura works, for some black-light volleyball. I wish I could've played--I love volleyball! I sat out and watched everyone else play and have fun, that is until my poor niece sprained her ankle. Ouch! We took that opportunity to go back and put the kids to bed.

Me, Laura & Felicia outside the restaurant Saturday. (Cheryl was off buying yarn on a bet that she couldn't do it in under 10 minutes...I still owe you that $5...show off.) ;)

The next morning we attended Don's ward, and heard my other bro, Jeff, bare a beautiful testimony. After church there was a group attitude of "let the games begin!" Here's where it gets really fun! My brother, Don, puts so much time, money & energy into these games. Last year it was "American Idol". Two years ago it was "Fear Factor". This year we played "Deal or No Deal". Sarah and her six cousins were the models, with Jeff as "Howie" and Don as "the banker". Each family got a turn to play for "the million" (ie: a $25 gift card to Best Buy). Unfortunately, each family knocked out the million within the first six cases.

L to R: Chelsea, Madysen, Annie, Sarah modeling & Cheryl (playing)

L to R: Jessica, Alyssa, Chelsea, Madysen & Annie modeling (Lysette out of modeling due to her sprained ankle)

Don also provides a questionnaire for each person to fill out with fun questions about the superbowl, like: What company will sponsor the first commercial after kickoff? What color outfit will Prince wear? Which team will make the first touchdown? etc. Whoever gets the most questions right by the end of the game wins a prize. Also, we play 100-square, with signatures in each square & numbers drawn out and assigned before the game begins. Whoever matches the numbers at score changes and quarter scores gets some big prizes. It makes watching the superbowl so much fun even for the little ones! This year we didn't win any quarter prizes, but that's okay because last year we won 3 out of the 4 quarters!

Felicia cooking up a storm of her famous egg rolls.

We had a blast! Thanks, Don & Laura, for yet another great weekend and opportunity for all of us to do some sibling bonding! We love you!

daddy daughter dance '07

Last Friday Gene took Sarah to their second annual Daddy Daughter Valentines Dance. It's a non-secular dance for the whole community (girls 3-18 and their dad's), and many of our friends from our homeschooling group attend. Sarah was looking forward to it all week and Gene sure delivered! He gave her a rose (and Emma too--even though Emma will be three in only a few days, we decided it might be better for her to stay home this year) and got dressed up in shirt & tie and took her to IHOP for dinner. Sarah wanted to wear pink with her hair down this year.



Gene said the turn out was just as big as last year, but they opened up another room so it wasn't so stuffy. They also had craft booths & a balloon artist this year.

Gene & Sarah at home

(on the right you'll see a glimpse of my family heirloom piano that we just inherited)

"Super Daddy" with his girls

(Emma pouting a bit that she's not going to the dance)

Before everyone arrived at the dance (Sarah in the middle wearing pink)

Sarah and her friend twirling...

Junie (from our HS group) and Sarah giving Valentine hugs! :)

As I tucked Sarah into bed that night I asked her if she had a good time. This is our conversation...

Sarah: "Oh yes! It was sooo romantic Mom! They played Aladdin & Mary Poppins music while Daddy & I danced. Have you ever had a romantic date like that with Daddy?"

Me: "Actually yes. Daddy took me to a very nice hotel just a couple weeks ago, remember?"

Sarah: "But did you guys have pink cookies with sprinkles and a disco ball?"

Me: "Well, no."

Sarah: "Well, we did--have cookies with sprinkles and a disco ball that was super sparkly!"

Me: "Oh my! It sounds like your date tops them all!"

Sarah: "Mom, it was the BEST! I love Daddy!"

Ugggh! My heart could just burst on days like this. Love, love, love.....

off to a good start

Well, the holidays have come & gone without any pics--sorry. Lots of video, but it's always one thing or the other. We did have family over on Christmas Eve for dinner and a movie, and we had a blast at my sister's house on New Year's Eve for a party--complete with strobe light and fog machine and loud music. Good times!

The weekend of January 12th Gene and I checked into the Grand America Hotel. Gene had won the Romance Package which included a night's stay in the executive suite, dinner credit, spa and valet parking. This is the same hotel that the President stayed at when he visited, and our only 5-star hotel. Can I just say that the service was impeccable. At check-in we were greeted by the concierge holding a silver tray with bottled water and warm cookies. Around every turn a staff member greeted us by name. It was a little creepy, but kind of felt like royalty. Anywho, our dinner was great and the breakfast was fabulous and our hotel room was...WOW! We stayed up til 2am just enjoying our surroundings and ordering room service. It was a lot of fun and very "romantic". Thanks sweetie!

The front lobby at the Grand America Hotel.

Waiting for us in the sitting room of our suite was this personalized letter, roses & a plate of white chocolate swans filled with berries & truffles.

The view from the sitting room looking into the bedroom. I loved their color scheme!

The view (NE) from our 16th floor balcony.

Looking through the vanity/dressing room into the marble bathroom.

That's me taking the picture and Gene watching TV.

Of course the best part of the entire stay is that it was FREE! Oh,... and being with my hubby (haha). :) The next week we celebrated my birthday--kind of a bitter-sweet day for me. For some reason the thought of turning another year older while being pregnant gave me an emotional breakdown for a moment. I'm so feeling old and fat right now! And actually I've only gained 18 pounds with this pregnancy. The due date being February 19th, it could be any day now--post Superbowl party please! No name yet, but we have narrowed it down to two... weigh in with your opinion:

Sophia Lynn or Morgan Lynn???

*blogger is having problems uploading pictures...more to come...

christmas stuff and updates

Sorry I've been so lame about posting. I'm either physically tired or brain dead lately and just can't seem to muster up the energy to update this blog. Sadly another side effect of being tired is that I haven't taken advantage of the many photo ops that we've had, so hence I have very few pics to post. Shortly after the Art Co-op ended here at my house the girls and I came down with a head cold; mine went to my chest and turned into bronchitis. The good news is that we are better now. We've enjoyed a homeschool Christmas craft day (complete with hot cocoa and cookies), a homeschool fieldtrip to the Nutcracker ballet and a family trip to Midway, UT to visit the Creche exhibits and Swiss days gingerbread house displays/silent auction.

This one was my favorite! The entire thing is edible, made with gingerbread and royal frosting. Last I saw it was going for $750 dollars!

We let Sarah take some pictures of some nativity exhibits, but they turned out a little too blurry. It was fascinating to see over 900 displays from all over the world. The smallest nativity scene was whittled on top of a match-stick, and you needed a magnifying glass to view it. There was one made from mud & dung from the Congo, and another made from the volcanic ashes of Mt. Saint Helen's. There were nativities carved from olive wood from Israel, and ones hand painted on eggs from Asia; all very incredible.

Last Friday we had our ward Christmas party and Primary program in which Sarah sang (songs that I didn't even recognize). Then the next day we visited Santa and two of his eight reindeer. Only Santa left promptly at 3:00 leaving half the line stranded & feeling like we were on his "naughty" list. So we will have to make another attempt to see him at the mall or somewhere.

I've also had my doctor check-up. My blood pressure was better than it's been a couple times before-yay! And I'm measuring (both with the tape and the ultrasound) earlier than my original due date. So now I'm "due" February 20-something. Emma's birthday (she'll turn three) is February 11th. I think it's going to be close! We still don't have a name picked out. Seriously, this is where I could use some help!!! I like names that end with an "a" (long or short sound) or a consonant, and I try to stay away from "e, ie, ey" sounds -given that our last name ends in that. Any suggestions?

middle aged man

Remember the part in the movie where Mr. Incredible puts his back out? Ironically that is the condition Gene is in currently --so I think the title fits him even more. :)



My hubby, Gene, is having his 38th birthday today. He is very incredible in many ways to me and to our girls! He has a seemingly endless supply of energy to play with our kids and let them romp all over him -and they luv him for it! He is also willing to try almost anything to make me happy, which can be difficult at times (I admit it), and I'm grateful for his efforts. He loves nothing more than to see our family unit happy!

Happy Birthday!

halloween fun

My children are nestled all snug in their beds, while mounds of candy dance in their tummies.

Halloween is officially over (unless some kids knocks on our door at eleven o'clock tonight). I can't believe how fast this month has flown by. I wanted to make a few more crafts and dip caramel apples, but have been under the weather and now the season is past. I guess there's always next year.

Sarah was a purple unicorn. She wanted to be a Pegasus, but I couldn't bring myself to cut the horn off a perfectly good costume (and apparently that's the only difference between a unicorn and a Pegasus--that and "life saving" powers). Emma was a pink flamingo (the same costume I made for Sarah when she was two years old--and I plan on making this baby get good use out of it as well). Emma would knock on the doors and say "tweet tweet, trick or treat", and was SOOO excited to have so much candy to herself, she just kept saying all night "Ooooo, mine!" :)

Front view of Emma holding up her goods.

Side view of Emma in her pink flamingo costume while at Aunt Felicia's house.

Sarah the purple unicorn holding up her goods: about 5 lbs. of candy!

So, when it comes to dealing with the Halloween candy from here on out what's best? Let them eat as much as they want and get it over with/get rid of it quickly...or restrict their eating to only a few pieces a day/making it last. Not for the sake of "savoring" the candy, but what do I try to avoid...dental cavities or tummy aches. I've heard it's best for the teeth to let them eat it quickly, but of course that would lead to nights of vomit clean-up. Ick! And we've already "been there, done that"!

In the past I've done my share of stashing bits away (for a future movie night) when they were asleep, but Sarah is getting old enough now to notice when something is missing. Suggestions?

long lost photos

Some pics from the last 5 months...

This is a "before" picture of Emma's tooth back in May. Her tooth actually grew in like this, but it slowly started to affect the nerve, so we decided to get her dental surgery to prevent anymore decay.

This is very early in the morning at the hospital. I think she is so adorable in her little hospital gown, though I never want to see her in another one again!

This is Emma's cute little mug a couple days after her dental surgery (her gums were a little swollen still). This procedure has made a big difference in her eating & speaking.

At the end of August Sarah fell off her cousin's top bunk-bed, while asleep, and smacked her forehead on a table below and needed 6 stitches. This is after she had to endure the *numbing needle* and, obviously, a terrible night's sleep.

This is after our second trip to the doctor and, after finding out that her stitches couldn't come out yet, I decided to take them to Leatherby's ice cream shop. That cheered them up!

I just love this picture of Emma! (at least now she can sink her teeth into some cold without it hurting.)

**Blogger won't let me download anymore for now, so I'll post the before & after of our basement later, as well as the ultrasound pics we just got.**