My little musician

I heard Max turn on the stereo in the living room, with classical music blarring. So I came out to turn it down a little, since it was loud. I just didn't expect to see him sitting on the living room chair, looking very serious. I don't know if it was turned up too high and scared him, so he retreated to the chair, or if my little music lover just has exceptional taste!

I've started a new blog: Come follow my crafting adventures on my new blog. Find me at: creativeirony.com.

Memorial Day

Yesterday we went up to my great-grandma Jensen's. She just turned 99. For lunch, she was in her kitchen making us all grilled-cheese sandwhiches! She almost makes me hope I'll live that long. She is starting to show her age a little, but she is still spry and aware when she's feeling good. Although she did burn the sandwhiches, poor lady! While everyone else went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Stephens' graves, I stayed home to help her. Mostly I was scraping burnt sandwhiches.

It was so good to just go and visit with her. I wish I knew exactly how to describe her. She is a worry-wart, but sweet as can be. She won't let you pay for anything and gets exasperated if you offer. She is fiercly independent and loyal. She told us this story yesterday. After my great-grandpa died, she had a boyfriend who used to take her out on drives. Well, he asked her to marry him and she said she wouldn't marry anyone even if his hair grew in locks of gold!

I think it's just amazing that my boys will have photos with their great-great grandma and that they may even remember her.


My niece Madolin and I. She was born on her great-great grandma's 99th birthday and named Madolin Jane after her.


My sister, Melissa, playing with her daughter


My mom and my youngest, Maxton


My great-grandma

I've started a new blog: Come follow my crafting adventures on my new blog. Find me at: creativeirony.com.

We had such a fun day today

First we took the boys to see "Robots" at the dollar movies. Xander had so much fun, and Maxton fell asleep on my lap because he wouldn't take a nap this morning. At the fight scene at the end, Xander was sitting in his seat throwing punches at the air! He loves robots. We have a little toy robot and the other day Xander found it and said, "Oh my goodness! A robot!" which had me laughing for a while. Anyway, Xander also had popcorn for lunch.

Then we went up the canyon, intending to go to Bridal Veil Falls. However, the trail up there was closed and David said he remembered there had been a mud slide. So we stayed at Nunn's park and let the boys throw pebbles into the river and get very, very dirty. Maxton had one side of his face almost black from rubbing his hands across it. I was so sad I forgot my camera. I've got to stop doing that! The river was really swift and full, so I had to put my mommy worries and active imagination on hold. We watched them every second and I ended up having a good time. It's so nice to get out in nature and feel the peace it brings. The mountains are so beautiful.

Then we headed over to my mom's house for a while. Maxton kept asking for "Hyro" and wouldn't accept that he was taking a nap. Jay finially went down and woke Hyrum up, and off we headed to Chuck E. Cheese. We had Hyrum ride in our car and Max went with Jay and Melissa. The boys love to ride in different cars. When we got to Chuck E's, Hyrum kept calling it "Yucky Cheese" which was hilarious! My mom still calls it Chunky Cheese, which sounds disgusting. David and I ended up using most of the tokens, because Xander spent most of his time in the ball pit, and only used a few. Maxton was too scared to go in without Grandma, so she took him on the rides. I played Skeeball about a million times, and I'm slowly getting better. We ended up with 465 tickets and bought Xander and Max some sidewalk chalk and play dough, which are both novelties in our house. Xander thought the playdough was so cool, and David would make him snowmen, to which he would ask, "Squash?" and then squish them to bits. He also loved making snakes and saying, "Sssss-nake."

Hopefully I can add some photos when I get a chance. Melissa was smart and brought her camera.

I've started a new blog: Come follow my crafting adventures on my new blog. Find me at: creativeirony.com.

Scrapbook Musings

Well, Tammy and I sent off the stamps to be made yesterday. I'm really sort of in shock that Green Grass Stamps will really be. I love the stamps designs though, and I can't WAIT to get my hands on them and start creating. It should just be a few weeks now. Soon I'm going to start contacting web sites about carrying our stamps. I've also been working on the "girl" sheet, which will be too cute. I'm going to have to borrow some photos to do those layouts once we get the stamps. We're also going to come out with a "boy" sheet too, which will be really, really fun to use on all my pages. And who knows, maybe I'll have my own girl to scrapbook soon. (Speaking of which, we find out on Wednesday if this is a boy or a girl!)

On a related note, I've been thinking a lot about my scrapbooking lately. I was putting up some layouts on 2Peas, layouts that I thought were my best, and not one of them was made in the last 3-4 months. That is so depressing. Somehow I feel like I've lost my muse. In trying to get better and better, I've gotten WORSE! I've also started to worry about "catching up" with my photos, and that's just making it worse as well. My layout times have gone way, way down, which would be fine if quality didn't go with it. Maybe it's just because of all the pressure from design teams, etc. Or maybe because the boys are more demanding than they used to be? Or maybe I'm just sick of it? It has gotten to be a job instead of a hobby. I think I'm just going to tell myself that I can spend as long as I want on a layout, and stop putting so much pressure on myself. I'm going to try it tonight. I love scrapping and I don't want to lose my love of the hobby, but I also would like to be one of the best, you know?

I'll post my results when I finish.

I've started a new blog: Come follow my crafting adventures on my new blog. Find me at: creativeirony.com.

I am not going to do laundry again.

I am not going to do laundry again. We are just going to wear stuff once, then throw it away.
I've been doing laundry all day. First off, I hauled four loads down to the laundry facilities (about a block away) with Xander while Max was asleep. I put the quarters in, then started the machines. I forgot the soap. No way to stop the machines. So I literally RUN home, with Xander in the stroller, grab the soap, run back. Did I mention it was $2 a wash??? It's too late. Let machines run without soap (they are front loading and lock). Come back later after David drops off some more quarters. He leaves again for his second job. Start machines (this time with both boys and soap). Then come back (still with both boys), change laundry. Go back again (both boys come again). Fold laundry while I'm there. Boys "help" by putting socks in the trash. Fish out socks. Max won't leave the dryer doors open. Xander starts this too, smacks Maxton in the head. Crying. Somehow manage to get us, the four loads and the stroller back to the bottom of the stairs. Boys will not come up the stairs. Run one basket up, then run down (luckily they were occupied by playing under the stairs). Convince Xander to go up stairs, Max will not budge. Take basket of laundry out of stroller, put stroller away under stairs, grab Max, throw him in the basket on top of the folded laundry, go up two flights of stairs. Get Max out of the basket. Now they will not come inside. I threaten, bribe, cajole. Nope. Put basket on couch. Grab boys and march them inside. Then I managed to get both baskets to our bed where they will be safe. Now I am eating a huge bowl of ice cream and ignoring my children.

I've started a new blog: Come follow my crafting adventures on my new blog. Find me at: creativeirony.com.