Who is this kid?

Boise weather is so crazy. On Monday it was around 80 degrees and today it's probably 60 degrees. I won't complain as I know it could get worse. I wouldn't be surprised if it snows this weekend. My visiting teaching partner invited myself and the sisters we teach over to her house on Monday to play on a new water slide they bought- it was so fun! I felt so bad for Trey because I could tell he was uncomfortably hot- he had a rash from who knows what and was itching like crazy. Lael, my partner, cuts her little boys hair so on a whim I asked her if she would cut Trey's. She did and WOW! I hardly recognized my own child- hair really does make a difference. He looks adorable! He will be much cooler this summer and his hair was getting out of control. Quinn didn't like it because he thought it made Trey look too grown up- I guess we're both having to come to terms with our "baby" getting older. Nursery, trips to Grandma and Grandpa's w/o mom and now a big boy haircut. What next?

Where does the time go?

Quinn took Trey and Quincy to Blackfoot with him this weekend so I had a lot of free time on my hands. I unapologetically spent most of the time watching movies and reading books. Reece and I did spend several hours playing Phase 10 so don't think he was totally neglected. As I was cleaning out some old stuff I found my Stephen Covey planner- entries were from the year 2003. I can't believe it- 5 years ago. This planner had motivational quotes at the top each page and in the back it had this Act, Plan and Discover Activity that you were supposed to fill out in hopes of achieving your full potential. Anyways, it was interesting to look back at where I was 5 years ago versus today. I am happy to report that I did achieve some of my goals- that was a nice surprise to realize. I rediscovered a quote that I thought was profound and wanted to share. Unfortunately I didn't write the author's name down along with the quote, sorry.

"If you keep thinking what you are thinking you will keep doing what you are doing and keep getting what you are getting".- Very simple yet so profound. Our thoughts are so powerful.
Here's to positive thinking.....

Should he stay or should he go?

Quinn is taking a trip to Blackfoot, Idaho, this weekend, to visit his parents and he really wants to take Quincy and Trey with him. Letting Quincy go is an easy decision- Sinara girlfriend! BUT Trey......he is too little to be without his mummy, isn't he? Can Quinn really care for and sustain him for 3 days without me? I can already hear the comments, what about the Grandparents- they will help. Quinn's parents are 82. Granted they are in good health and fairly active for their age BUT they are no match for a 4 year old AND an 18 month old, are they? I guess Irene knows a little about children- she had 10 of her own and has managed to survive 35 grandchildren and I think 12 great grandchildren. Then you say, why aren't you going with them? Well Reece and I are staying behind because 1. Reece can't miss anymore school and 2. I have prior committments for the weekend. So let's weigh the pro's and cons
pro's- i'll have a quiet house to myself, for the most part, for three days. my quiet house will stay clean, for the most part, for three days. i can finish some painting without worrying about little curious hands wanting to help and finally....absence makes the heart grow fonder, right????My children will gain a greater appreciation for me and I for them in their abscence- surely!
um let's see- now the cons- trey and quincy will survive and i will be left feeling, well, i guess i will be left feeling a little like i'm NOT indispensable and that's a hard feeling to come to terms with.

I guess I'll go pack Trey's bag and write out a detailed day to day instruction manual for Quinn.

Nursery, already???

Now that I am up and running with our new digital camera I am going blog crazy. It's so empowering to know how to download the pictures all by myself. And thanks to Marne- i now know how to actually manipulate the pics on my blog. Anyway, Trey went to nursery for his first official time on Sunday. I had mixed emotions. He's my baby so it was hard to see him walk into that room with all those other "big" kids. BUT since I teach gospel doctrine and Quinn works every other Sunday, it was nice not to have to worry about Trey during class. He did just great. I think it helps that he has older siblings and that he goes to the gym daycare on a daily basis. Don't be jealous of his Flaxseed, omega-3 spinach chips he's chomping on for a snack. They are actually pretty tasty. Food was our major concern regarding Trey and nursery. We just have to pack him a little allergen free snack and all is well.

What's for Dinner

My friend, Selina, and I are becoming masters at preparing freezer meals. We both hate to cook but still want our families to eat a healthy dinner thus freezer meals are our solution to appeasing everyone. This is our fourth attempt and we love it. We each walked away with 40 dinners. We spent $196 and about 7 hours of our time. That includes shopping, prepping, cooking, packaging and cleaning. Some of our dinners include: chicken teriyaki, spaghetti, tator tot casserole, 2x4 soup, taco meat, bbq meatballs......and the list goes on. Selina has not confessed this truth but I feel confident enough to speak for both of us..... The best part of freezer meals is all the fun we experience! REALLY! I have included some photos to help you, the reader, experience some of our fun.

Can you really deny the joy of digging your hands through raw meat? ABSOLUTELY!!! We both hated every second of handling the raw meat- all 60 pounds of it (including chicken, hamburger and pork loin).

Of course during the middle of all the cooking, Quincy needed her hair combed for preschool. You can't really tell in this picture so let me describe the events.....Trey is trying to pull himself up on on me using my apron strings, Quincy is crying because she HATES her hair brushed and Bella (Selina's daughter) is staring at us in disbelief. Like I said, FUN TIMES.

Of course we each had our pepsi's to help us cope. Notice my little 12 ounce can sitting so contained on the counter- Of course Selina had to have her 32 ounce fountain drink. Now what do you suppose happened to that 32 ounces of black liquid?

Yup, you guessed it. It was only a matter of time. Look closely and you will see that Selina is not about to let any of that Pepsi go to waste. (note the straw in her hands).

At the end of the day we both had a freezer packed full of yummy meals to feed our family. It was all worth it.

We decided to take our family on a fun filled vacation to sunny Southern California. We bought three day passes to Disneyland and as part of a Disney promotion we received two extra days free admission. 5 days at Disneyland. We also were able to spend a few nights with our friends, the Meldrums and one day at the beach. We had fun, fun, fun. By the end of the 6th day we were ready to come home. This is a post of random pictures from our trip. Enjoy.