Hey, Andrea, It's Your Birthday!

Well, yesterday was the BIG day! I'm officially in my mid-30's (according to my husband)--meaning, I'm 34! Yippee!!!

I was awoken at 7 am with Evan yelling "Happy Birthday Daddy!" It's all about his dad with that kid! Then the other boys came bouncing in the room with a handful of cards (my favorite part of the morning) and with what they thought was my birthday present...If Rob were ever to really get me a vacuum for my birthday (without me specifically asking for it) he'd better turn around and run! Our previous vacuum exploded a few days before so we picked up The Incredible Hulk the night before (yes, we did name our vacuum)! Best feature--the clean/dirty light to help guide my boys. Maybe if it's the vacuum questioning their idea of clean, they won't get so grumpy. Maybe...

Really, my b-day present was the beautiful laptop (Tyjar Evanna--yes, it too has a name) that I'm using right now and that has been constantly glued to my finger tips ever since I received it 2 weeks ago. Between photo editing, blogging, digi scrapping, downloading freebies, e-mailing and just plain old surfing, this gal is always in sight! Did you know that I even got cubital tunnel syndrome from resting my elbow on the desk for too long?? What a loser am I! Now I just relax on the couch without my elbow propped up. Still a loser!

P.S. My kids are being taken care of (by me) just in case there were any who wondered. I may have named my new laptop after them, but they still are what's most important to me...

So, we had lunch at On the Border (I was craving for some Guacamole Live) and then for dinner we had the yummy chocolate cherry cake that Rob and the boys made me. Yes, cake for dinner. In the evening I chopped my hair off (so much for growing it out--I'm the worst at that) and bought some new make-up--so it'll now be a "new me" at age 34!

Oh, darn...we ran out of candles!

Visitors Welcome...

Please meet Cheeto...his friends Frito and Dorito were not around for this picture (the boys named our friendly critters last year). Cheeto and his pals are on my last nerve! It wasn't like our deck furniture was awesome or anything, but at least you could sit on it. They've been ripping it apart and taking the stuffing somewhere...what do you think they're doing with it??And not only has our furniture gone to pot, check out our garden. With all this rain, it's grown into a jungle!! Not that I'm complaining. We'll have tomatoes and peas to feast on all summer!But somebody or should I say something has been eating a little earlier then I'd like. We haven't gotten a single strawberry yet because a thief is amongst us! Originally, I thought it was Evan sneaking a snack, but I have a hunch that it's the baby bunnies I've seen hopping around. Time to cage things up, I guess!
And we have a new front porch visitor, too. Maria the Moth took off after the tornadoes passed a few weeks ago, but this sweet bird built her nest over night and finally moved in today. Every time I'd try and move in close for a picture, she'd fly off and chirp away--probably hoping I wouldn't steal her precious eggs (which I assume are in the nest now, but I'm giving her some space right now).
Oh, but wait...these critters seem to now be invading the inside of our home! Someone sneaked into the present drawer and unraveled all of the ribbon, then turned it into a tangled mess and dragged it around the house with her.But this little critter is too cute to get annoyed at (well, at least for right now, anyways)!!

Am I lazy or a wimp?

Last summer, my neighbor invited us to go swimming with them several times. And each time I kindly declined. Thought process being that it would be just TOO stressful taking a new baby, a toddler who hated water and two pretty self sufficient in the water children to the pool. Didn't sound like a good time to me. So instead, we did not venture too far from home last summer. (And did I really want my new neighbor to see the crazy, stressed out me just yet??)

Now that she knows I'm not one to handle the stress of four children too well, I was surprised that she still invited us to go with them this past Friday.

"What are you doing today?"

"Um, we've got great plans--taking the kids for a walk to McD's for lunch."

"Do you want to go swimming with us? We can grab McDonalds on the way." (I could sense the hesitation in her voice). "Are you up for it yet?"

Being that the pool wasn't too far away (and we could get home quickly if it turned into a disaster), I reluctantly agreed and threw myself into the next 15 most stressful minutes ever. Typically the pool bag is ready to go, but this was our first water outing of the season. Evan didn't want to go. Anna wanted all the attention and NOW. The boys wanted every dusty hidden pool toy that we own which for some reason they seem to remember, even though they have rarely been used. I was ready to just decline the offer again. But somehow the preparations were completed and off we went...

...AND we survived. Thankfully, Anna enjoys the water!! Evan, not so much. But he was content playing poolside. Tyler and Jared had a great time with Nicholas and Taylor and thankfully, Diane remembered her camera...

This is how I expected the whole outing to go...lucky for me this was only a brief outburst on Evan's part.

Ev was pretty content shooting everyone with the water gun the whole entire time.

Wink, wink...no poolside laying out for this water babe! Anna loved playing in the pool.

Jared needs to freshen up his swimming skills, but he had a blast.

Tyler even took a few dives off the diving board.

To Routine or Not To Routine...That is the Question

I knew one day that the insistence of having my kids on a "schedule/routine" would come back to bite me in the butt!

It seems that last summer went very smoothly, but maybe this is my aging mind playing tricks on me...this summer, not so smoothly!

I decided to not rush into making a summer schedule for my kids and kind of play it out this year, see how the days were going, but after 2 days of just chilling all hell broke loose! So I quickly came up with a schedule--trying to meet everyone's needs (i.e. Tyler is an early riser, Jared likes to sleep in, Mom doesn't like being woken up, ...). Well, the first morning led to all 4 kids having a major meltdown by 10 am. Tyler couldn't get all his work done "right away" because it would wake everyone up. Jared slept in and wasn't near ready to go at the right time. Evan had to use the potty before playing in the basement. Anna had to tag along to the quiet library. Pretty much, my flexible schedule was too flexible. Uggghh...I've created monsters!!!

How do I help my kids to find that balance? Tyler needs to relax a bit. Jared needs to not be so relaxed about everything. Maybe I'll get it right by the time Evan and Anna figure it all out!

Oh...and my breakdown...came after returning from the library with 4 overtired, cranky, moody kids...I hate routines!

Anna and the Ants

A week ago my husband mentioned something about making sure "the kids don't get it." Honestly, I forgot all about it, until today. Surely, if I forgot, wouldn't they??? Nope.

As Jared and a friend were playing in the backyard, Anna ventured over to the back door to watch them. I was only a few feet away (on the computer, of course) and could hear her knocking on the door and babbling away. A few minutes later, I turn around to see her licking away on the ant trap that Rob had hidden behind the blinds. Oh crap! I forgot all about it! All of the "poison" and the dead ants swimming in the poison were on her face, her hands, her clothes, the floor--oh dear! I quickly washed of her hands and face as I grabbed the phone to call Poison Control (which we have a magnet for on the fridge because the Kunz Family has had to make this phone call before). Thankfully, Laurie said this kind of ant bait was not harmful in small doses. I was instructed to give her a drink and watch for vomiting. So seems like Anna is in the clear!!

I didn't think to snap a picture of the dead ants and goo all over Anna, but a few minutes later, she was off to play Hide and Seek with Evan and her shoes and I got a cute picture of her being caught. She hid under the desk and kept peeking around the corner to see if Evan was coming. When she saw him, she burst into a fit of giggles. Very cute.And speaking of cuteness...I tried to so hard to get a video of Anna trying to march around while singing the Imperial March (but instead of "DumDumDum"...it was "GaGaGa"). She was keeping with the music, too. Maybe we have a music prodigy on our hands?? She could only be so lucky because if she's hoping for Rob and I's genes to help her out...she's screwed!

5 Great Things

1. Tyler! I had a pleasant yet shocking surprise this morning when I walked in the boys room...I was expecting a disaster area, but found a "Mom clean" room! Shock of a lifetime. Tyler had woken up early and cleaned up the whole room! You'd think it was Mother's Day. And just when I thought I was failing in teaching my children--and I do take credit for Tyler's ability to know what "clean" means! But he did it all on his own!!!! I think it's finally sinking in!2. Jared! He is officially now a first grader and Mom got a bit weepy when he came home from his very last day of school. He pulled off all S+ on his report card (and shout out to Tyler--he did,too) and finally brought home all of his writings that his teacher has been raving about. Here is just a sampling of this creative boys mind. Jared has taken the side of the wolf in The 3 Little Pigs...3. Evan! We had his IEP on Wednesday and I am just amazed when I look back to September. He had only a handful of words, wouldn't even say baby or milk (Anna is starting to say these words now and that puts it all in perspective) and now he won't stop talking! I love hearing him express himself. I've just been waiting for this moment because he is such a funny boy, he just didn't know how to communicate his thoughts! He's catching up quickly and next year he'll have speech therapy 3x/week for help with articulation. And check out this sleepy boy that fell asleep this afternoon in the basement (and now it's 9:30 pm and he's STILL awake)! Grrrr....
4. Anna! She took her first few steps a few weeks ago, but now we have officially declared her as "walking"! Once she walked 5 feet across the room and it was captured on video, then it was "official." Now she hopefully will start choosing walking over crawling so her cute clothes won't get ruined so quickly! I didn't do all that fun shopping for nothing! Here's Anna's walking proof for your viewing pleasure!

5. Rob! I hope he has a great Father's Day. He has worked his cute little booty off this past week--at work and at home. I've had a hard week with the kids and he has relieved me so I could attend school activities, meetings and go shopping without little ones in tow. He also has been doing a fabulous job at beautifying our yard. He dug out rocks to prep for planting some lilacs, raspberries and more blackberries. He has been seeding and watering and we actually have grass! The flower beds are looking great (hopefully this week we'll get some color in them.)
The kids are so lucky to have the Greatest Dad on Earth! This is a scrapbook layout I did in honor of him for Father's Day.

My Wild Child

A month ago, I posted a crazy picture of Jared jumping off the ottoman and I couldn't wait to get my Photoshop Elements to come up with a fitting tribute to my wild child! Here's what I did! The quote is very fitting for Jared! I've been enjoying playing around with this program and learning all the cool things that can be done with it. I can only imagine what my very talented designer brother Joel would come up with. He is the King of Photoshop!

Now, I've just got to get used to my new early birthday present...more to come soon!

Heat Advisory

Well, any normal person would probably stay inside during a heat advisory (Hobbs not included), but we thought it was the perfect opportunity for the kids to have a fun day in the water.

Jared picked out a triple racer slip n' slide.

I filled up some water balloons.

We stocked up on Popsicles and lemonade.

Rob hunted down the sprinklers.

Friends were invited.

Sunscreen was slathered all over the kids.

Even Anna joined in on the fun for her first summer water day!

Tyler proclaimed the day as his "most favorite Saturday ever!"

"On your marks, get set, GO!!!"

"Water, water balloons, Popsicle...HEAVEN!!"

Anna warmed up quickly to her new swimming pool!

The Water Wars

While no one was looking Anna drank everyone's lemonade--most of it spilled all over her, but it was great cup practice!

Caught in the act--now she was sneaking the carrots!

Deal of the Day

So on Thursday, I went for a walk the kiddos. It was my first day feeling good in awhile. I'd dropped a few pounds from being sick and my stomach had shrunk from not eating. No better time then now to start my summer exercise regime! (My new gym opens in a few weeks--I can't wait!)

We walked to the grocery store to get them a snack (my way to bribe them while sitting in the stroller). While at the store, I noticed the Strawberry Chex cereal was .99! Score! This has been a new family favorite--sugar content is lower and it still has flavor, so the kids enjoy it. I also saw that Chocolate Honey Comb was also on sale--2/$3--and they were big boxes, lower sugar also (my rule is 10g or less)! This was my lucky day!! Now I just had to get them home!

Our InStep double jogger has served us well over the past 5 years. It's a little beat up, but it's also been very well used! Now it serves as a shopping cart! I was able to fit 8 boxes of cereal in the bottom of the stroller!! The milk would have to wait, though!

Tarnished and Varnished

There is nothing like a callused, peeling, and dried out foot to make you realize "I need a break!"

I was overjoyed and giddy as soon as the countdown to "the first pedicure of the season" began. Thursday evening could not come soon enough!

Now, having the self-proclaimed "most ticklish feet ever", you'd think I wouldn't enjoy this so much, but I do! I remember getting a gift card several years ago from Emily for my b-day to get a pedicure and I was really nervous--thinking I'd kick someone, or pee my pants or strain a muscle from being so tense. But it never happened, instead I only cringe and jerk a bit! And it's ALL worth it in the end! My feet can't be used as sandpaper anymore and I won't be embarrassed now if anyone sees my toes!

And I loved the name of my polish--Tarnished and Varnished. Couldn't have been more perfect. The name alone sold me!

Looking forward to the next one already--probably sometime around the 4th of July--seems to be a tradition!!

Holy Crap-oly, that's HUGE!

The boys were OVER excited this morning when they found this giant of a bug on our front porch! I wasn't."Oh, my, what a pretty butterfly." (Really what I was thinking...that thing is freaking huge and it looks ready to explode, and why isn't it moving? How long is that thing going to be around? How will I get rid of it, if it doesn't leave?...I could have cared less about it's novelty, as you can tell.)

My thoughts were rudely interrupt...

"It's not a butterfly, Mom, it's a moth." (In that "duh, what planet did you come from" voice).

Then Jared continued to spew out his insect knowledge--"I did just learn about bugs at school, you know."
This "moth" made me curious and since "she" wasn't going anywhere, I thought I'd try and get to know her a little bit better, figure out who she is. Google and Wikipedia helped me out. I think I figured it out. If you happen to be reading this still and you are a moth expert, let me know what you think.

The Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus) is a member of the Saturniidae family, or giant silk moths. It is a tan colored moth, with an average wingspan of 6 inches (15 cm). The most notable feature of the moth is its large, purplish eyespots on its two hindwings. The eye spots are where it gets its name – from the Greek myth of the Cyclops Polyphemus. The caterpillar of the Polyphemus moth can eat 86,000 times its weight at emergence in a little less than two months.pic and description from Wikipedia

Like I said, this girl is HUGE! I hope she'll show us her mighty 6 inch wingspan. We could only be so lucky!

I, personally, prefer this beauty made by my Evan! Less intimidating, more colorful, won't fly out at me and scare me to death, and easy to dispose of...


And in case I have peaked your moth interest, check out these cool moths. You know, the moth is the new butterfly!

http://ltmms.blogspot.com/2007/10/neatorama-blog-archive-worlds-weirdest_18.html

SICK-O

There is nothing like being sick to throw a wrench in your plans. Not like I had grand plans this week, but I'd prefer to do just about anything over puking my guts out all day. Today I am on the mend. I can actually sit up--now that's a start!

A few going ons from the Kunz house:

I finally bit the bullet and learned how to can food!! I think this is some kind of rite of passage for LDS woman. Many thanks to LeeAnn for her persistence. I've always wanted to start a food storage, but it all seemed so overwhelming. It still does seem overwhelming, but you have to start somewhere, right? And if there ever is an emergency or my hubby were to lose his job, at least we'll have some rice to eat! I canned over 200 pounds of rice that should stay good for 30+ years and I started on some sugar. We also stocked up on our salt and honey. And like Tamee said, if for any reason to do it, it's for that "peace of mind."
On Saturday, we finally bought some bushes, plants, flowers for the front flower bed. In between severe thunderstorm and tornado watches, Rob was able to plant and mulch just about everything. He also cleared out the gutters again because our back stairwell started flooding. While he was up on the roof, he encouraged Tyler to climb up and was able to get Jared up to the top of the ladder, but he was too scared to climb on the roof. I'm not too sure how I feel about this climbing adventure, but I have to trust Rob that he would not put the boys in any danger...