3 School is out, so it's officially summer, RIGHT?

This summer, I will:

• have 0 weeds in my flowerbeds
• get 1 great tan
• be active/exercise 2 times a day
• use up 3 Logan aquatic center punch passes
• do 4 step class without missing a beat
• easily bike 5 miles w/ girls in the trailer
• land 6 full jump 180's across the wake
• make 7 batches of strawberry jam
• make 8 batches of bread
• go to 9 movies
  
• loose my last 10 pounds weight
• do at least 11 blog posts a month
  
• read 12 new books
  

This summer, I won't:

• work too many hours
• stress about boat gas $$
• try to keep shoes on my girls
• have dinner at a set time
  

This summers agenda:

• pressure cooker class
• reunion at my parent's home
• camping with the girls ?
• Nate's Thursday softball games
  
• wakeboarding every week
  
• trips to the zoo
• days at the park
• sprinklers in the backyard

In other news:
This morning I got up earlier than I have in months and went the a 6am STEP AROBICS class. It has been 5 years since I've done step arobics, but I was pleasantly surprised I didn't make a complete FOOL of myself...I was able to stay standing the whole time ;). No really, it felt pretty good to move my body! (the ENDORPHINES are still pumping) Kylie's birthday woke me up to the fact that I can't use the "I JUST HAD A BABY" excuse for ignoring my body anymore. Its hight time I respect myself enough to make an honest effort to get back in shape. Thanks MAREN for giving me a kick in the pants I needed. I might not be game for a half marathon, but something is better than nothing. Now I just have to decide if WEIGHT WATCHERS is part of my plan, too.


In case you were wondering:
Nate & Dirk just left an hour ago to go plant the PUMPKIN PATCH. Its a bit later in the month than usual, but the rain held us off. With any luck the recent moisture will help the seeds SPROUT. Last year was too dry and they really struggled. So, much as I hate to say it out loud, I hope we get a bit more RAIN over the weekend...Sunday would be perfect. LOL

UPDATE: I guess the farm got more rain last night than we did here in town. It was too wet, so planting pumpkins is postponed.

2 I want to slurp my blog to blurp

At Nate's softball game tonight I chatted with an old friend & she told me about a website she has used to print her blog as a book, complete with digital scrapbook pages included! I came right home and check it out for myself. SO COOL!!!! Its called BLURB. Their software is free to download and use. Its available for Mac and PC, plus is works well is most blog services such as BLOGGER! It can "slurp" your blog (upload it into their program, complete with photos & text) and uses it as a first draft of your book. From there you can edit, remove, and add text & photos. Click HERE to go to there demo video. They aren't exactly what I'd call cheap, but they are reasonable and seem VERY high quality. My friend made a family "yearbook" and then is having several copies printed; one for her and one for each of her kids. I really like that idea. I figure if you include the price of photo printing, supplies, and an album cover, this is about the same cost as traditional scrapbooking. The really bonus comes in the amount of time it would save, especially doing duplicates! Now, I'm not ready to give up traditional scrap'n, but this definitely deserves a trial run.

0 From one extreme to another

The day has been a roller coaster weather-wise! We had quite a rain storm around 3am, but it turned into a bright sunny day. Here's a picture of some of the neighborhood kids on the Ballard's tramp. I love that they didn't assemble the tall part of the legs, so that it is just over ONE foot tall. The little kids can get on & off without any help. Plus, I don't have to worry about they falling off. Allie frequently helps Kylie on and the both have a blast. Even though Kylie isn't walking, she jumps with her right knee & left foot...always the same!
While the kids were down for naps the storm clouds rolled back in. It was downright chilly when
Daddy's 7pm softball game started. I bundled up the girls:
off came the shorts & tank tops,
on went the sweatshirts & pants.
We braved the raindrops to cheer our team on to victory.
The won 18-10 we Nate on the pitcher's mound.
GO TEAM!

(Allie didn't want her picture taken, but the rain coat was too cute)

1 Getting dirty

Today I planted annual flowers in my beds. Mostly I just got petunias, marigolds, & allysum, but I did try a few new things. Kylie enjoyed snacking on the rocks, dirt, & flowers.

I still need to find a perennial to climb the lattice under the girls' window. I'm thinking about a climbing rose.

Last year I transplanted a few strawberry plants as a boarder around the 2-level bed to the right of the sidewalk. Now they have completely taken over. I didn't have the heart to rip them out, so I guess I'll be making LOTS of jam this summer.

Note: the next morning my wrists (especially the right) are so sore from all that planting.

0 Neighborhood Park

Yesterday we took our first bike ride to the park. The girls LOVE to swing & I love to get out of the house.



Allie is starting to get the idea behind "pumping" on the swing, but for the most part she just wants "great big papa bear" pushes.




Kylie is all squeals in the swing. She jabbers & giggles. What a cute grin. Oh, that is a rock she is sucking on. She carried it around all evening & YES {cross my name off for'mother of the year'} I let her put that 'choking hazard' in her mouth.

0 Biking for Three

Now that the rain has finally stopped, I was able to get my bike down & hook up the trailer. Allie keeps telling me she really likes the bumps. I can really tell that the girls have grown over the winter...they are harder to pull. Between pulling the girls and mowing the lawn with a kid on my back, I am constantly reminded of how out-of-shape I am.

I better considering all of this FREE workouts.

0 Cut Lawn...check!

• Challenge: mow lawn while tending Kylie
• Solutions: strap Kylie to back

Walking around the yard for an hour in the sun with an extra 25 pounds sure makes me sweat, but on the bright side I'm getting a workout while keeping track of my crawling kid.
* Allie wanted to be just like mom...ah!

3 Twilight Feedback, please

Last night Aunt Rosie asked be why I like the Twilight books so much.
She said she'd looked at them but didn't think she could get into them.

So I am asking you why you like the Twilight Saga!
PLEASE leave me comments!!!

Here's what I've come up with so far:

As you all know, I am a binge reader & love to read just for the sake of reading, but I didn't read these books till long after the bandwagon was loaded. I really didn't think I could get into books about vampires (I tried a different vampire series years ago), so I kept putting them off myself. When I finally gave in & started reading I found that Stephanie hooked me with her well writing characters. Somehow the vampire stuff didn't seem that far fetched (LOL) in the first book. I will say that in the second & third books, New Moon & Eclipse, the fantasy aspect did get a bit more outlandish, but by then I captured by the characters & their relationships. I know that some of you did not enjoy Bella's struggle to choice between Edward & Jacob in the Eclipse, but I really related. So, I have to say that it is the characters that I love so much in this saga.

What about you?

3 Paid Day Off

Over the weekend & today (Memorial Day) I've worked on a few scrapbook layouts. Its been months since I scraped! It was so fun to play!!!

1 Cute Cousins

Saturday actually turned out to be quite a nice day, as long as you wore a sweater, so I took the girls to the park to stall nap time. After we'd been there for 20 min, we were surprised to see Aunt Maho & the cousins pulled up. What fun!

I just had to share this picture of Kylie with her cousin Mika. Even though she is almost 9 months older, but two will be in the same school grade.

The both loved to swing and didn't seem bothered by sharing, which is good since there is only one baby swing at our neighborhood park.

0 Tractor Shuffle

Friday night we did the TRACTOR SHUFFLE for family together time. Nate had an old car on his trailer that need to be dropped off at the farm, with the help of Grandpa Eldon's yellow tractor, so he could pick up his Green John Deer from another job site.

Allie was thrilled to ride with Daddy on the tractor, while I drove the work truck & loaded trailer down the narrow, pothole littered canal road.

When all tractors were taken care of, we still made a stop for Nate to bid a garden till job. We are so greatful that work has continued to come in.

*poor Kylie has 3 new teeth, but still more pushing through. She has been a trooper!

Here are some new pictures of the progress on the shop/shed, especially for Uncle Troy!

3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my BLOG!

One year ago today I started this little blog. I have to say I'm quite proud of myself. I don't think I ever thought I'd stick with it for so long (in fact I was mostly just posting baby picture of Kylie for family out of town), but it has turned into something I quite enjoy. There is something quite satisfying in looking back at what you've accomplished, experienced, or just plain endured. My blog might not be a traditional journal, but it is the best personal/family record I have ever kept. Thanks for your support!!! Here's to recording even more of my/our life during the coming year!

1 Creative outlet

I'm currently a leader in our ward's "Activity Day" program, which involves girls ages 8-12. We get together about twice a month and in June we will have the annual Father-Daughter party. This year we are playing water-kickball and eating pizza (weather permitting). Tomorrow the girls are putting together the invitations for their dads. I came up with this design this afternoon & cut out all the little parts for 30 invitations on my Cricut using the DoodleCharms cartridge. I tried to keep it simple & only use my scraps.

PS - Kylie is still drooling & screaming today. Come on teeth, give us all a reprieve!

1 A glum day

Today was just as cold and rainy as predicted: grey, dreary, and windy.
For the first time in weeks, we were trapped in the house.

Kylie must be teething again, because our happy girls has been fussing and crying for two days. She won't eat, won't sleep; doesn't want to be held or put down.
Poor Kylie!

Something wonderful happened today amidst the rain, Allie feel asleep on the couch just after noon, of her own free will. Nothing like this has EVER happened! In fact, she did it again in the car on a little drive after dinner. (well after Nate & I had dinner, both the girls are on hunger strike)

I took the photos above on our little evening drive out in the country. Allie fell asleep even though Kylie was screaming the entire time. Below are pictures of the site of Grandpa Eldon's new shop/shed on his Amalga farm, just 7 miles from here. They are getting ready to pour the foundation.

We also swung by Newton Reservoir, our favorite summer hang-out. The water is high, so hopefully the weather will cooperate so that we can be wakeboarding in a week or two.

2 SUMMER's HERE! (today anyway)

We've been L-O-V-I-N-G the heat!
It has been in the 80's for a few days, but now the weather man is forcasting a 30 degree temperature drop, thunder storms, and perhaps even SNOW!!!
So today we soaked up the summer weather to the fullest.
We had a picnic lunch in the backyard & ran through the sprinklers.

Girls' lunch: Apple slices, bananas, vienna sausages
My lunch: turkey/cheese on wheat

3 RE-evaluating my blog

For months you've read all my complaining about working too much to post, but it's been 2 weeks since the semester ended and I've almost been paid less attention to my blog since my workload was cut in half. (of course I have read 8 600+ page books in the past 2 weeks...that is a post to come)

Anyway, I've thought a lot about why I started this little blog in the first place and if I wanted to continue. I've come to the conclusion that I really do like it & want to keep it up. I want my focus to be more on the little things that my kids do & seemingly insignificant everyday things that would get forgotten otherwise. Sure, I still want to post about Birthdays and Weddings, but mostly I don't want to forget the little things before I have a chance to scrapbook them...like this moment at my Mom's house last week when Kylie investigated the Christmas Cactus.

So, I guess this week (since I'm NOT reading a book), I will attempt to post some of what I missing these past few weeks and then hopefully post nearly everyday. I'll re-evaluate in a few weeks.

PS- In 4 days it will have been a YEAR since I started this whole blog experiment! It was so much fun today to go back and look at the pictures and journaling a year ago...when Kylie was just born - Today she turned ONE!

0 Kylie turns ONE!

WOW!

I can't believe my baby is ONE year old. Time sure does fly. It was such a hot day today, we had cake outside. It wasn't much of a party; just us and Grandma & Grandpa Schwartz.

At first Kylie wasn't sure about the cake. She kept trying to shake the frosting off her hands. Once she got a taste of the cake underneath the frosting, she dove in.

Allie actually took a HUGE bit out of the candle thinking it was candy. Silly girl.

1 A day with the Cousins

The Details

• WHO:
• Sarah with Allie & Kylie Schwartz
• Maren with Bailey, Emma, & Kate Stafford
• Abby with Laura, & Eden Beattie
  

• WHAT:
• Lunch @ Layton's Olive Garden, yes we took all SEVEN little girls
• No pictures, sorry we tried
• this is the last time we do it
  
• Play @ park while the babies & pregnant Abby nap
  
• Run through sprinklers @ Abby's house
• Tree House Children's Museum in Ogden

• WHY:
• Maren was up to do a ModBe party for Abby
• We love to be together
• Just Because
  

• WHEN:
• Friday, May 16th

Allie

Laura - - Emma - - Katie

- Bailey -

Laura & Emma - - Allie, Bailey, & Katie

Kylie would race to Abby's garden EVERY time I'd put her down.
She was determined to eat the dirt!

Emma & Allie loved the watering cans.


The Whole Crew: all 10 girls
we were only missing our youngest sister, Ellen
If you didn't know, Abby is expecting a BOY this September!!!
The first in our family (other than marriage)!

Kylie's favorite parts were the DRUMS and teh FISH tank

Creating Kites at the Museum


There were so many dress ups in all different theme rooms.

Abby was always finding a place to sit.

Aunt Julie gave my girls these cute outfits for their birthdays this month.