We Start Young here in Vegas!

Nixon's Night of Bar Training

Nate & I went to a magic show at a hotel on the strip with some friends. Nate & Adam had razzed the hostess when she sat us, so Adam got picked to be helpful in the show. We had been joking before the show about some things- like faking being hypnotized and how we could figure out magic tricks. So we laughed really hard when Adam was on stage and after the first trick the magician asked him if he had ever been hypnotized.

Bellagio Botanical Gardens after the show- It was decorated for Chinese New Year. There was a cute mouse made out of flowers behind us.

My New Valentine

From Nate

He suprised me with a chihuahua puppy when he came home from work today. She is so sweet. We have not yet thought of a name. Although Krew & Matix like the name "Pear" This name was thought of on their own in their little minds. Our other puppy is a Yorkie named Mocha, so I have been trying to think of something that sounds good with her name.

P.S. Mocha does not yet like our new little puppy!

Krew's Homemade Valentine's & Party

Krew & I made his Valentine's handouts the night before his party. We used KitKats, glitter and lots of glue! He had a lot of late night fun with mom.

On Valentine's Day I went to Krew's school to help with his party- Such a cute class. The kids loved that I was Krew's mom. A couple of them remembered that I usually have baby Nixon with me when I pick Krew up from school, so they asked where he was (with my sister).

They cut foil out to look like little "kisses" Mrs. Toth wrote cute little notes on white ribbon to be the paper coming out of the kiss.

Krew was so excited about his box of candy Valentines and he was suprisingly very willing to share these with Matix.

Valentine's Cookies

Before & After

Tuesday night I cooked a bunch of sugar cookies because Wednesday the boys and I were going to have a fun time decorating these with a couple of friends and their kids. As fate would have it . . . I had just finished rolling out all of cookies and baking them when at 12:30 in the morning Matix started throwing up! I thought (and hoped) at first that he had just eaten too much junk food that day. Two hours later he was done throwing up and I realized he had a touch of some sickness. To my dismay I reluctantly called my girl friends in the morning and cancelled.

The boys & I decorated on our own the next morning. What a fun mess this was. Red food dye is so dangerous! We stained a couple of items in the decorating process, but oh well.

My parents sent of this fun cookie bouquet for Valentine's Day. The cookies were so yummy! This year we ate cookies for breakfat, lunch & dinner for a couple of days.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Decorating:

There is Beauty all around when there's love at Home . . .

Nixon's New Toy

Nixon has out grown his swing- with a seat belt on he can flip himself out onto the floor- so I got him a jumperoo. And he loved it.
I put him in it and he bounced and giggled.

Go Girl!

Nate came home from work with this drink. He was at the gas station and thought of me when he saw it. I don't know how sugar free could really be energetic but it has plenty of other additions instead.

I have kept it in my fridge for an emergency. One of these days I will put it to good use!

Until I will just keep the little cute pink can in my fridge.

Jam Packed Friday

Friday was a crazy day! I did not wake up expecting the non stop activities of the day.
This is how it went:

7:43 Wake up (realized I didn't hear my 7 am alarm)- Got dress and out the door
7:50 Drive to doctor's office
8:35 Walk in 5 min. late for appointment
8:45 See doctor for Krew
9:30 Drive home
10:08 Relief Socitey Presidency Meeting at my house (suppose to start at 10 am)
12:15 Meeting ends- Lunch starts for my kids
1:00 Drive to lab to get Krew's blood work draw (oh so fun!)
2:00 Blood draw done
2:15 Target (bribery toy for Krew )
3:00 Nurse crying baby in parking lot
3:20 Grocery Store (forgot that I was taking salad with dinner to a ward member)
4:00 Drive home to assemble salad
4:13 Start salad & change outfit
4:45 Drop off salad
5:00 Take kids to my sister to babysit
5:12 Nate's office (grab license & credit card- we had tickets for a 6 pm show & he was still in meetings & tickets were at will call under his name)
5:15 Drive to Fremont Street- 4 Queens Hotel- with traffic & construction detours this was a mess!
6:10 Walk into "Marriage can be Murder" Dinner show- Audience interactive!
8:30 Drive to pick up my boys from my sister
9:30 Return home from a very long day!

The Reason for our doctor visit?!

Sores & a rash like this are covering Krew's whole body-

both arms, legs, back, tummy & face!

And they itch and hurt him. I noticed them a few weeks ago and thought it might be a reaction to our laundry soap. That was my only guess because no one else in the house has any of these. He saw a doctor last week that confirmed that suspicion. Yet these sores weren't getting better. I made an appointment with another doctor and he gave me a prescription for an ointment. He wanted blood work done to make sure there weren't any undetected infections. The doctor has not called me about the blood work yet- which is a good sign. He said he waould call on Saturday if the blood work was abnormal. The ointment has helped but it will still take some time to clear. We will probably be cutting milk out of his diet. That might be the allergy causing this.

Grocery Shopping

This is Nixon's favorite position to ride in his carseat for the moment. He is pretty alertand wants to be in the action. Every time I placed him in his seat he flipped around to watch what was going on. He has also fallen out of his swing today (luckily not his carseat!) because he rolled himself out. I put the tray on and thought that would be enough to keep him in without the seat belt. Wrong! I felt horrible but he gets pounded on by his brothers so he didn't cry once I picked him up. He is getting so big. He turns 6 months this week and it's sad. I can't believe he is that old already. Nixon has started to scoot around this week- Making him mobile. I find him under beds and chairs. He can get to something, but he can't always get out of a corner. I find him fussing with red marks on his head. He can go forward but not in reverse yet.

We love him! He is such a happy boy... all smiles.

Cookies!

Our family has a favorite cookie recipe that we make at least once a week.

Nate's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream:
2 sticks soft butter
½ c. brown sugar
1 c. sugar

Add:
2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

2 c. flour
2 c. oatmeal
1 sm. pkg. Chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 10 min.

6 Things About Me

Meg tagged me a very long time ago and I am finally doing it!

Here are some things about me

01. I am a night owl. I do not like mornings at all and it takes me a while to wake up and be nice in the mornings. I usually get up around 9 and any earlier than that is so early.
02. I do not like chocolate. I prefer fruit desserts or my favorite bread pudding. And for candy anything sour.
03. I hate wearing jeans. I would wear a skirt over anything- except my pajamas. I have a couple of pairs from Anthropologie that I wouldn't minding ironing and wearing out- but they would still look like pjs!
04. I take bubble baths almost nightly. In fact thinking about it makes me want to stop this blog and go take one.
05. My favorite color is black- not depressingly so. I just think everything looks better in black, just a little classier.
06. I (and Nate) like to sleep with our kids. They are like live little teddy bears that just snuggle up to us at night.

President Hinckley Has Passed Away

President Hinckley passed way this evening-At the age of 97. I am happy that he gets to see his dear wife. He will always be a prophet that I remember fondly. He was such a happy prophet. I remember being at the Conference Center when he gave his talk on the 6Be's-

Be Grateful
Be Smart
Be Clean
Be True
Be Humble
Be Prayerful

I have read and enjoyed many of his books. The number of temples built has increased. Many of us read the Book of Mormon as part of President Hinckley's challenge.

“Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
-President Hinckley

Flu!

So the cabin was a fun weekend, but once Monday hit I was sick! I rarely get sick so I thought this would blow over in a day or so. I had a headache all Monday which I thought was an altitude problem. Monday night it turned into a stomach ache and migraine and Advil was not kicking in. I took a bath and felt like I was going to pass out. I had a prescription of Zpac called in and expected to wake up Tuesday a lot better. But was worse. I went into my doctor and got an IV and went back to bed with the diagnoses of influenza and a sinus inflection. Everything hurt and nothing I did would ease the pain- headaches, double ear ache, super sore throat, a cough that made it really hard to breathe, stomach aches, back and chest pain, I was freezing but under blankets I was sweating from the fevers . . . Wednesday no better. Thursday another IV and by Friday I wanted to die. My boys woke up sick and I was certain if they got what I had they would be in the hospital because that is where I wanted to be. I was having one of those days where I was thinking "If this ever ends I will..." which is funny to think about now because it is obvious that it would end just a matter of time. Friday my doctor gave me a shot of steroids to help recovery. I hadn't eaten since Monday so nursing my baby was hard. And after the shot I had to stop nursing for 2 days because he could not have the steroids- This now ruined his life even more while he was sick. I had a milk supply pumped but he did not want a bottle from me when I had what he really wanted. I now see the end of the tunnel. My boys were only sick for 1 or 2 days and I am reaching the end of my aliments. I am back to being "mom" but we are still doing family nap time in the middle of the day. I think my energy supply will take a little while to get back. Thank goodness for Nate- he took time off work to run the house- and my mom also took my boys a lot. I do not know how else the past week would have been possible. Next year the flu shot is a strong possibility.

Cabin Trip

We spent Martin Luther King Weekend at a Cabin in Duck Creek with some friends. The boys had a blast. Nate put his snowboard to good use once again this season. Krew & Matix had fun in the snow just walking around and throwing it at each other. Matix loved riding the 4 wheeler and snow mobiles, but Krew is not such a thrill seeker and whined the whole time he was on one.

Matix climbed up onto a snow bank. Once he started walking on it he kept sinking, so he gave up and started crawling to get off the snow. It was amusing! But smart kid to crawl. That put an end to the sinking problem. I am glad he was smart enough because it would have been humorous if I crawled out to get him in my pajamas. I definitely would have sunk!

Krew & Matix learned how to play Guitar Hero. This game is addicting. I spent one of the days learning how the game worked and then challenged Nate to battle after he got home from the slopes. Thinking I could wow him with my coordination. He won one & I won two. However, he will still claim I cheated to make his case.

The New Year

My 2008 Goals

1. Understand the purpose that God has for my life
Daily Scripture Study and Prayer & Journal

Limit T.V. to 1 hour a day

Read lessons for Sunday School

FHE each Monday

Do Visiting Teaching Monthly

Read Ensign monthly

Go to the Temple monthly

Memorize the Proclamation to the Family

Memorize Scriptures and The Articles of Faith

Be Humble and Positive

Strive to do Better, Be happy with Where I am at

2. Educate my Children

Teach Krew & Matix: Colors, numbers, letters, This Year’s Primary Songs & Read

Scripture Stories
3. House completely put together

Clutter free and Organized

Baby proofed and Deep cleaned

Rooms Decorate
4. Body Back to Pre-baby Shape

Toned, 18- 19 % body fat

Exercise: Cardio 3-5 Times per Week , Lift 2-3 Times per Week

Yoga 1 Time per Week

Do 1 Triatholon Race

Eat A Clean Diet: No soda, refined sugar, fried food, Drink 4 Liters a Day

Cook Dinner- Eat out less often
5. Work toward finishing my Nutrition degree

Finish generals

Apptitude test
6. Record a CD of Church Harp Music

1 Song Ready a Month

Perform Monthly
7. Learn to Ride and Jump Horses

Be able to tack up a horse on my own

Do 1 Competition
8. Be Money Smart

No Credit Card balances

Start Savings: Personal, Family, Retirement

UNLV vs. BYU!

We have a friend who works for the company that makes the jerseys for sports teams- like UNLV. For Christmas he had jerseys made for our boys. Krew & Matix love them. Their numbers on the back represent their ages for the season. They wore their jerserys for the first time to the game against BYU. And surprisingly UNLV is playing decent so far this season.

Brotherly Love

Happy Halloween !?

Matix, Aunt Summer & Krew

I finally found a Halloween picture off my mom's camera. I realized after the holiday that I had not taken any photos of my kids this Halloween. I might put them in their costumes and take one. They still play in their costumes. In fact, Matix was in his this morning when I took Krew to school. Walking in everyone was smiling at him- He truly was a super hero today.

Bikram Yoga

Bikram Yoga is a style of yoga created by Bikram Choudhury. He claims his style is the only true hatha yoga practiced in the West. It's a series of 26 yoga postures called asanas and two breathing exercises performed in a 100F room during a 90 minute period. The heat loosens the muscles, helps to prevent injury and makes you sweat excessively, leeching out toxins. And for some reason I find this to be enjoyable! I usually do dread going, but I go because when I am done I feel great. For Christmas Nate gave me a year membership to the studio I have been going to. I am excited to go more often.

Eyes in the Back of Your Head

Little Brothers are so great to have around!

Thank you Brandon for adding eyes to Nixon's head with Sharpie.

How Our House Celebrated Christmas

I finally put Christmas away! It took about three weeks to slowly get it up and 1 1/2 days to get down. My house now feels empty.

Christmas Elf

Thanksgiving Dare

Thanksgiving Dinner was with Nate's family this year. His brother Greg & wife Kristy were hosting at their house- Kristy's parents joined us too. After dinner, somehow the topic turned to a dare. The pool looked cold and money was getting placed (we were up to an easy $60) on Gary (Kristy's dad & triathlete) to see if he would jump in the pool. Then I joined into the conversation saying I would jump in- so now the bet is who can stay in the longest. I was not expecting to stay in long but at least give Gary a run for his money. He was not going to make money that easily. I know we checked the water temp, but I forgot what it was at. We both jumped in one after another by going down the slide. Going down the slide I was wondering what I was thinking. Surprisingly though after the initial shock of the water- it wasn't bad! We ended up making a truce and splitting the pot of $70. I spent my money on Starbucks.

Rachael Ray!

Matix was trying to get warm- Nixon was strapped to me.

A little bit before Christmas I took Matix & Nixon to stand in the cold weather (rare for us but very true). Why?! Because their crazy mom had a ticket to have Rachael Ray sign her new cookbook that had just been released. There was Chicken Noodle Soup & Hot Chocolate making the rounds though! The store had employees serving that to everyone waiting.

The book signing was at Williams Sonoma & they were only letting a few people in at a time to see her. It was exciting & fun to see her. She looks like she does on T.V.- not better, not worse. Sometimes when people see celebrities in person they say they look shorter, fatter, prettier, etc. Rachael was just a pretty and she was sitting so I'm not sure about the height thing. She had had a long day and her wrist was hurting from signing so she wasn't to social. If fact the store had been threatening to cancel the book signing because of her wrists.

Our White Christmas

We drove up to Bountiful & Park City after Christmas to play in the snow. I gave Nate a new snowboard and boots for Christmas so he wanted to try them out. Our boys had so much fun. It wasn't until we were driving home that I realized I had forgotten to take pictures while we were playing with snow!