Hey There

I know! I've been so behind on blogging, I don't even know where to start....or where to find the time to even think about it. So, over the next few days I really plan on being caught up with everything from Yuba to softball tournaments. And can I mention that our front steps keep FALLING APART??? Yes, they are crumbling to pieces even as I write this. Everyday I go out there I find another piece of concrete that's crumbled off. Now the only things holding the hand railings are the screws that attach it to the house. Now that just plane sucks. I'll go take some pictures of it so you can all see what I'm talking about. Even though a lot of you know because you come to my house and can't count on the handrail for any kind of support. And all my neighbors hear me scream at my kids because the stand on the railing and I just know it's going to fall over with them on it. That stupid thing is my stress for today, sorry you all had to hear about it. Every corner where the rails were bolted down has crumbled away! last year it was only one side of it, but now both sides are gone. AARRGG!
This is the newest avalanche victim. Nothing supporting it now!

The Lake!

Friday night we FINALLY were able to go boating. I have been DYING to get out on the lake. Already this year we've had to cancel two boating trips because of the monsoons that we've been having here....NOT FUN. Steve and Jamie are so AWESOME to take us out! I have to say that I am way out of shape, because I am sore from the 5 minutes of skiing/wakeboarding that I did! Kip and Sier have always LOVED being on the boat, and they are starting to know how to run the boat...so they think. They have made huge progress since last year because they actually wanted to swim off the back of the boat! They have NEVER wanted to do that before. All of the adults just sat and watched in disbelief. Kip rode the knee board, and can't wait to do it next weekend at Yuba...so excited for that.

Swim Lessons

Kip took swimming lessons last year, and let me tell you he didn't learn nearly as much as I thought he did. This is the link for my post last summer about them.... http://phisterphamily.blogspot.com/2008/07/swimming-lessons.html

Anyway....if the truth be known, last year he really didn't learn anything. The teacher NEVER watched anything the kids did, the only thing he got any better at was hanging onto the wall. While he was of-track last time I signed him up at South Jordan Community Center...The teachers there are sooo much better. He can FINALLY swim! Which is a HUGE thing, because my kids for some reason are afraid of the water. They really are...don't let any of my posts fool you. When you see pictures of my kids on a tube, or skiing; you have NO idea how many bribes were made, and tears were shed. They do fine on a boat or on a beach, but to actually be in the water terrifies them. Kip does okay in a swimming pool, as long as he is in arms reach of either Mark or me. Sier will just sit on the step in a pool and not get in any deeper. Last year Kip finally has found faith in his life jacket, and will swim around in that at a pool. Actually, they are getting better at being around water, it's just the first 3 years of their life they HATE it. Siers favorite place on earth is Seven Peaks, so he must like water a little bit. And Kip has some kind of Thrill Seeker side to him because he will go down any water slide, and ride any roller coaster. So FINALLY my kids are enjoying the water! Sier started swimming lessons just the other day, and I'll post about that when he's done. ( he LOVES them).

So, way to go Kip...You've done an awesome job and I can't wait until August when you start the lessons again! (we're taking a break for summer time fun.)

White Sox

KIP'S DONE WITH MACHINE-PITCH!!! He did so awesome, and it was a lot of fun to watch. After one of the games he asked me..."Mom, what was I for?" I had no idea what he was asking me! Then he started telling me that he hears his dad after he plays softball say he was "2 FOR 3" or "3 FOR 3"....then I got it! He did really well...some games he hit every time, and others he missed a few. There were 3 or 4 games in a row where he didn't miss the ball.

He had a great coach again! The same one that he's had since t-ball!! Thanks Cory for being such a good coach...and sorry for probably being the biggest pain-in-the-butt parents on the team. We can't wait for next year when Mark can help Cory coach them in REAL BASEBALL! I can't believe we're done with year 4 in Riverton baseball and Kip will have to try out next year!

Cincinnati Reds

T-Ball is OVER!!!! Oh, so sad... I love watching my kids learn and participate in different activities. Mark is hanging up his hat in coaching T-Ball...a 4 year streak will get ya pretty worn out. I have to say, he has it down to a science though! Our team was BY FAR the most focused and organized team in the league this year, that's what 4 years of experience will do for you! Next year, it's off to bigger and better things (coach pitch).
Mark had his BFF cousin JR as his assistant coach since his daughter, Lauren, wanted to play. We had 3 girls on our team this year, and they were stinkin' cute. We were also lucky to have Conner, who is my cousins son, on our team as well! This year we had a fun team of kids...most of them knew each other and they all had a ton of fun together. Sier is so excited for Coach Pitch next year and loves Kip to pitch to him in the back yard.
So until next Spring...I can't wait....(for their hats to STOP pushing their ears down!)

I'm freakin' bald!

A lot of you have seen Sier in the past week, so you know this story. But for those of you who haven't seen him...let me explain.
My kids have needed haircuts in a bad way for the last few weeks. I only take them to get their haircut about once a year, and I do it the rest of the time...I admit that I'm too cheap to pay for haircuts when I can do them myself.
Well, Kip and Sier both knew that any day we would be cutting their hair because they kept telling me "Mom, I don't want you to buzz my hair." The were so clear that they didn't want buzzes. The night came to cut their hair, and we were on the back porch with Sier sitting on the stool and he saw my put the #1 on the clippers and he said "You better not be doing it bald"....We fought about it the whole time I was cutting his hair. Of course when Kip came out and saw it he had to make a big deal about it.
I finished Siers hair, and Kip was climbing up on the stool when we heard Sier SCREAMING from his room like a LITTLE GIRL..."WHAT THE FREAK DID YOU DO TO MY FREAKIN' HAIR?" It was hilarious! He threw a tamtrom for over an hour. He was crying, screaming, and rolling around. It was the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. And guess what? After a couple of hours he was over it...well, as soon as I told him that he has a good, round head for a buzz and Kip doesn't because his is flat. But Kip doesn't know that...so keep it on the DL (down low). (Dad, that means don't tell Kip he has a flat head, because I just know he'll cry about it, and then you'll have to deal with it!)
The whole thing was so funny to watch, I'm sure all the neighbors outside were peeing their pants listening to Sier yell at me while I was cutting Kips hair. I think everybody should see some movie of some of the drama. ENJOY!

Little Sahara

Last weekend we wanted to go boating so bad. About a month ago I "saved the date" on my father-in-laws calender so that we would go....but the weather just hasn't been good enough, and I didn't want to drag everybody along to be freezing cold just so I could get me fat butt in the water. So we went to plan B. What is plan B? Plan B is Marks favorite thing to do in the Spring and Fall....the SAND DUNES! Okay, really...we haven't been for about two years. Life changes when you have kids and have to sell all of your toys. Kip & Sier are the lucky ones who have a four wheeler at this house.
We drove down Friday night and came home Sunday afternoon. The weather was perfect...even though I was freezing when I woke up on Saturday morning. It was really everything you'd expect the Sand Dunes to be....hot, sandy, dusty, and fun. The kids had a fun time at Camp, but they loved riding around in the Ranger. We White Trashed it up a little bit, and zip-tied the big Hawaiian vinyl table cloth to the top of it to provide a little shade..... we got a lot of people looking at us, but don't knock it tell ya try it people, it was a huge lifesaver!
We made the best fire pit ever. We drove everywhere in search of just the right rocks...really it was just another excuse to go cruz around and waste a few hours. We also played "Name who Sings it". The first person who names who sings the song gets a point. It's a game Mark started playing a few years ago with some guys at work while they'd be listening to the radio. But, we forgot our radio, so we made up a different version of it (which I thought was a ton of fun, and I hope to play it more often while we're camping). So we had an ipod that we passed around, and the person had to sing along with the song, and the other people had to guess who sung it. Let me tell you it's nice that none of us could really sing! I'll never forget Jamie singing the Aerosmith song, or Jesse singing "I started these gangster hits". I think Jesse ended up winning.
Needless to say we had a good time, and everybody was safe. The four-wheelers ran, and the 5th wheel is the only way to go...I could live the rest of my life without sleeping in another tent at the Sand Dunes. Some other things I learned this weekend are....little boys don't mind putting their faces in the sand.... picnic tablecloths make great shades....pipes on a four wheeler can still burn your leg even if it doesn't actually touch you...."virgin" margaritas taste great....I have a very patient husband....Steven and Jamie actually do fight....you can make "sand angels" that look just as good as "snow angels"....we'll always have to wait for Kurt....and I have the most patient husband in the world. Thanks Jesse, Kurt, Jamie, Steven, Mark, Kip, and Sier for such a great time!

Kindergarten Program

Kip had his Kindergarten Program last week....and it was so cute. They did a "fashion show", and sang some songs. For the fashion show the kids got to wear whatever they wanted. Kip wore his Baseball Shirt. . .(if I was to do it again, he would have worn his whole uniform.) All his friends looked so cute all dressed up. The songs were hilarious!!! I have to show you some of the videos...I watch them all the time, and it's starting to make him mad because he thinks I am laughing AT him, not WITH him. I LOVE KIP!

GIVE AWAY!!

We all LOVE give aways! I know every time I see something that says free, or Give away I can't help but to check it out. So here's what I'm giving away. Please keep in mind that there are no returns, exchanges, refunds. But you can regift if you feel like you just can't take this gift. This gift comes in a pack of two. The gift requires some maintenance, okay...a lot of maintenance. You'd have to be patient with them while they are eating breakfast, especially if you need to be out the door in 10minutes, because just a simple bowl of cereal takes at least 15 minutes to eat. Lunch is easy, they would prefer cereal again, this time eating it in less than 2 minutes...BUT DON'T GIVE IN. For dinner they would like anything as long as it has Chicken or Rice, and is easy to pick out the things they don't like. They really would be happy if you would just give them icecream instead of any food. Sometimes I give in at breakfast time and give them the icecream....what's worse lucky charmes or Murtle Turtle icecream?? They usually snack between every meal....they love chocolate over any other snack. One is 2 years older than the other, so He has very good training. That doesn't mean he doesn't have any maintenance issues....he cries over everything. He likes to shove everything under his bed, or in his closet and claim that his room is "clean". He has never gone through growth spurts, simply because I don't think he's ever stopped growing. He loves to get new pants because within a week of having a new pair, you can bet there will be a whole in the knee. The little one loves to back talk. His favorite sayings are "Well, well, well," or "Blah, blah, blah." The younger one also talks in code. "Tormado" means "tornado". "wars" is "yours". And "lellow" is "yellow". If he says or does anything that makes the older one laugh, you can bet he'll be doing it again. He likes to eat his food in phases... never completing a meal at one sitting. It takes him an hour to eat a meal. Don't let any of that stop you though! They really need a good, loving home to develop in. You will be rewarded at the end of the day when they are in bed. They do sleep through the night, and they don't have any bathroom issues. The younger one does need assistance every once in a while pulling his pants up, or wiping. The older one enjoys reading, and playing video games. They both would play video games all day if you would allow it.
If you are interested in this FREE GIVEAWAY just let me know. I will pay for any shipping or transportation costs involved. I will also be willing to include all of their belongings.

Easter Bunny

I love Easter! I'm part of the band-wagon of people who associate it with being "summer" and let their kids were shorts, no matter what the weather is on Easter Sunday. (Luckily it was decent weather this year)
Our friends parents had a really fun Egg-Hunt they invited us to this year. It was nice to see people we haven't seen in YEARS, and to see Damien invite a GIRL!! (that makes it sound like he's Gay, but he really isn't. He's just 31 yrs old, and hasn't had a girlfriend in a while. And I've known him my whole life, so I can say what I want about it.) But she was super cute, super friendly, super easy to get along with, and super young...19!! ANYWAY BACK TO EASTER. Jane really outdid herself on the hunt, and the kids had so much fun during the hunt, and the food was really good.
I was lucky enough to NOT have to work on Sunday!! We had a super lazy morning. The kids managed to find there baskets and toys. Kip got "Guess Who Extra" and we've been playing ever since. Sier got a Starwars toy (surprise!) and he LOVES it. Mark made us a great breakfast, and I did nothing but get ready, and make rolls all morning long for my Moms Easter Egg hunt. Okay, now about the rolls....Marks Grandma makes REALLY good dinner rolls. I tried them around Christmas time for a family party, but our house wasn't very warm, so they didn't get to raise very long...needless to say they weren't very great. So of course I had to redeem myself and try them again. This time it worked...but I'll have to double the recipe so I can eat more than 2!! I've had to learn how to make them with my family, now I can make them for Marks.
The Easter Egg hunt at my moms was fun. They have a HUGE yard with lots of good hiding places. The kids start eyeing the eggs right when you get there, so they know where to go first. My dad went shopping to get everybody their own little special thing. He got my kids some shot-gun shells for their new shotgun....yes my 4 and 6 year old have their own shotgun, but that's a whole other post. He gave my other nephews "worm boxes" for when they go fishing. It was a fun party!
Okay....let me back up to Easter Morning. Mark got a call from his uncle, and we found out that his Aunt Shelly had a heart attack that night. We were worried about her all day. LUCKILY they were at the hospital when she went into Cardiac Arrest and they were able to take care of her. It's amazing...you never think that would happen to anybody you know, but it does. I'm so glad that she's okay. Hopefully she can come home from the hospital today. Mark and I went to see her on Sunday and she was in really good spirits, so that made us feel a lot better, we had been worrying all day.
Sunday night we went over to the Phisters house and played games with Marks brothers and Sister. The kids did ANOTHER egg hunt with grandma and got more fun things. I think my kids understand the basics to the meaning of Easter. I had to have a good talk with Sier about it because he thought it was Easter because the bunny's name is Easter. You know the Easter Bunny?? We've been calling him Easter for a few days because it is so funny! I hope everybody else had a great Easter. We are definitely blessed to have so many friends and family around to share the fun holidays with.