Surprise My Pet!!

This Wednesday Zachary is turning 18!!! And usually for his birthday he doesn't really want to do anything for it. He has always told me he just isn't into a party so he hasn't had one in years!
But this year was going to be different! Cause his girlfriend Lauren just wasn't having none of that!
She decided she wanted to throw a surprise party for him. She was so sweet about it because she told me that since it was a big year for him, turning 18 and all it was very important. One he would always remember and she wanted to make sure that when he thought back to this year he would remember how many people really love him! Her entire goal was to make him feel special and loved! She is such a sweetie!
So I agreed to help her throw a surprise party with some of his closest friends.And then it started looking like about 30 people, then 50 people and by the end we were looking at about 70!!! Holy crap!

Tonight was the party and when Zach first walked into the party he was TOTALLY surprised! Seriously! We pulled it off! AWESOME!! I still can't believe that we pulled this one off!

Lauren and her girlfriends made a giant cake out of cardboard boxes.

The they had this inside~ Abe .......

Oh yeah..And Jake!!! I wasn't really getting what they were planning on doing! Not yet anyhow!

So they sat Zach down on a chair as soon as he got there and they put some music on. And Abe and Jake jumped out of the cake.

And...ummm....danced??

OH.MY.HELL!!!!

Wrong on so many levels. Seriously! But...seriously hilarious. (i was kinda embarrassed laughing my butt off like i did) Jake stole the show for sure!! Makes you wonder if he's had some prior experience there! Haha!

These boys crack me up! They have all been such good friends for the past four years and they are all great kids!

They are crazy and all but they are good kids. I am grateful for that!

Tony and I left shortly after the ummm...cake dance!

And I am so pleased that the party was a huge success! Tons of food, tons of good friends, Karaoke ( you shoulda heard them boys singing!), swimming, etc! The kids were having a great time and I am certain that without a doubt that exactly what Lauren wanted for Zachary has happened! He will look back with fond memories of his 18th birthday and know he had so many friends and family that loved him and were happy to be able to share that day with him!

And Lauren! Thanks sweetheart! We love you!

April Fool's Sucka!

Tony and I decided we needed to get a car for the teens to drive to help me out a little.
We looked and looked for just the right car. We wanted a good deal and a car that would last. We didn't really care what the car looked like. It just had to run good and for us to get it at a good price.
Zachary and Rachelle had ideas though. A jeep. A bronco. A truck. No girlie cars. Nothin wimpy. Cmon mom...everyone eles is driving something cool!
We showed them older accords, camry's,etc. And they would insist it wasn't good enough. So then I started threatening to buy them a Yugo (if I could find one! Plus it was always a dream of mine to buy one and TRICK IT OUT! You know can see it!!)or a sidekick, or somethin they'd really complain about!
But then we found a truck. A awesome truck. It was a salvage title. But it was perfectly restored. AND!only 38k miles! We took it to our mechanic and he told us if we decided not to buy it to let him know and he would buy it! It was in great shape mechanically. Plus~It was a smokin deal!
So we told the kids we were gonna buy it. And life was good. They were happy!
And on the day we went to pick up the truck the dealer found they hadn't finished the paperwork for the DMV. So they gave us a loaner car till they had the truck ready the next day!

So that night the kids came running out to meet us in the driveway to see their new truck! We told them we had rethought it and decided to buy something less expensive and the dealer gave us a killer deal on this little blue number! Plus it was blue! Mesquite Blue! You know like their school colors! So they could show everyone they have awesome school spirit!
Rachelle kept saying over and over "are you serious?" She said it was the worst day of her life.She had tears in her eyes!
And Zach? He said "great this car will go great with my vagina!" He also texted to Rachelle and his friends "I am livid mad in my own little world"
Imagine the fun Tony and I had for a while. Then the fun had to end and we were able to tell them APRIL FOOLS DAY SUCKA!!!!!

Love, Love it when I get them! Haha!

Mi Amore

For Valentine's day this year Zachary decided he and Lauren were going to make a special dinner together to celebrate!

She makes fabulous cookies,and brownies but she says she doesn't know how to cook. So they went online and looked up a recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo and then went shopping for everything. I gave them some ideas to tweak the recipe and I showed them

how to make some homemade french bread to go with it!

They were so cute cooking together! She is such a sweet girl.

Their dinner turned out fabulous and they were so pleased! It was fun to watch them together!

Homecoming 2009

Zachary finally decided to go to a homecoming this year. He took his girlfriend Lauren. I was so bummed cause we were out of town camping! I missed seeing them and taking pictures. I sent my camera with Lauren to make sure I got some but it is just not the same as being there and watching the kids getting ready to leave.

He went with his best friend RJ, and Mac,and Tommy. They are so funny. They decided to buy matching Vans and hats to go with their outfits. Zach had a yellow hat he bought also but decided not to wear it.

It was cute but a little over the top with all that Yellow. He and Lauren were so odd getting ready. They actually went shopping together for her dress and then his clothes. Who does that at that age?

They are a cute couple. I really like her. They had a great time and I am still sad at having missed it! Zach kept going back and forth about whether he was going to go or not so we went ahead with our camping trip.

I'll have to plan better next year and make sure we are home so I don't miss out on seeing them off!

How Do We Keep Them Safe?

It seems like some days I am on it. With the kids, house, It seems like everything just goes right. And then there are those days from hell. I can't seem to keep on top of it. Yesterday was SO one of those days! Want to know how it began? When Hannah left for school I dead bolted the front door. And then went back into my room where the little ones were. Bailey woke up and was crying about her head hurting and her neck hurting. I didn't even think twice when Ethan got out of bed and went into the other room. I was trying to comfort Bailey. But then I heard Hannah screaming my name a few minutes later. Apparently Ethan now knows how to unlock the dead bolt. And he escaped. And walked. All the way to the park! The kids at the bus stop pointed out the little boy who was climbing on the slide and Hannah freaked! She ran him home and gave me the surprise! What the crap? And so the day began.... Followed with him spraying tilex all over himself and the floor. Which of course them smell makes me puke and puke and puke. And can you say scary all over again? Nice, first escaping to the park, next getting into the chemicals. And I SWEAR I do watch him. I'm thinking I need a dog leash attached to him that I hold all day. Cause he got into the toilet too. And then after I gave him his second bath of the day I got him dressed again and then went into my room to put the movie Bolt on for the girls. And when I came out of the room guess what??? He was gone again. No where to be found. Not in the back yard. Not in the toilet. Not upstairs. So I am RUNNING to the park. (ouch) and he ends up not being there! I go home crying hysterically and am ready to call 911 when he comes strolling out of the garage with no diaper on (he likes to take it off and wipe poop on me or the walls as soon as he craps his diaper!) Not sure where he was. Tony thinks maybe he was hiding behind the trash cans. He also likes to open the freezer and sit in it. Or climb up and get the salt out to dump on the counters or climb up on top of the bunk beds and jump like superman. Or turn on the water in the back yard so he can make mud. He loves playing in the mud.He is crazy. Wild crazy unlike any kid I have ever had. Some days I am running and running just trying to keep him out of trouble and safe! Kids and especially this one can be exhausting! They run me ragged. And I worry about them. Can I keep them safe? Physically? Spiritually?It's a balancing act and some days it feels like I am failing miserably. I wonder why I can't be more on top of it. Do a better job. Protect them more.
And it's not just my lil ones. It's the bigger ones too. They don't always make the best choices. And it makes me feel like I am failing miserably.I can't seem to protect them.
I have been crazy worried about Zach. He has a girlfriend that I am not wild about. She texts him pictures of herself in skimpy bikinis, and her language is bad and she is ALL over him. I am sure she is a nice girl, she just doesn't have the same standards as we do. And he is really into her. They have been going out for several months and my worries have only increased. He has seemed to pull away from family and church and I feel like I am losing him somehow. Like Ethan I am terrified I am not able to keep him safe.
So I have come to the conclusion at this point the only thing I can do is to simply get down on my knees and beg for help. And hope for some tender mercy. And just when I am at the end of my rope like I was yesterday, I sometimes find that mercy and a little relief.
Like when I picked up my teens after school yesterday. They asked how my day was and how I was feeling. I told them about Ethan's adventures and they laughed and laughed. Then Zach asked me if it would be OK if he went to the Easter pageant at the temple with his friend Jordan and this girl Lauren. (NOT the girlfriend!)Now Lauren is a girl from church that he has had a crush on forever. And they have been good friends. She went on the trek with him last year and he told me how neat it was to talk to her about the feelings he felt on the trek and how it was such a spiritual experience. I think she is the first person who has been able to touch his heart on that level.She is proud of her religion and not afraid to voice it.The past few weeks he and Lauren have been hanging out and he is happier. And more kind to his family. And I have felt a softening in him.And yesterday as he was telling me about the pageant he said it might be fun if dad and I come with them. And then I wondered who this kid was and where did he put my kid?
And I felt my eyes well up with tears. And I felt like I am not in this alone. I felt like some of my prayers were being answered and that maybe it is not always up to me alone to protect my kids.
And somehow I didn't feel like such a crap mom anymore. And I knew I could face tomorrow better with a little more prayer and maybe some duct tape too.

He's finally Met His Match!

Zach had a sad tale to tell tonight. Seems there is a girl at school who is mentally retarded and is in a wheelchair. He thought she didn't like him but he wasn't sure and he didn't know why.
Well today there was no question about her feelings for him. She tried to run him over with her wheelchair and told him "Move it Fat A$$!!"
He was speechless!
He wanted me to be sympathetic. He was embarrassed.Unfortunately I laughed.
I guess he's finally met his match!

52 Blessings Project~Week 40

This Week I Am Grateful For~ Willing Workers!
We started to move some of our big stuff into the home! I have brought almost all of my kitchen over, and set up my bathrooms and laundry room and I was anxious to get more stuff moved in! I just didn't want to wait a whole nother week! So, to appease me, Tony rented a moving van and Zachary, Rachelle, and Tony moved a ton of stuff over! We now have our patio table, outdoor love seat,and chairs, our kitchen table, living room sofa, family room sofa and love seats and all our decorative tables there!! It is looking like a home!
I feel a sense of relief and peace every time I walk into that home! I feel it is a huge relief and blessing!
So..walking into my home, seeing all our stuff, having it look like our home..all of this because my husband and kids were willing (with a smile even) to make me happy and bust some of this out!
For that I am very grateful!
Thanks family for working so hard! It means so much to me!! You rock!

Zach, Zach, Zach!

Handsome boy isn't he? I have almost no current pictures of him. He hates me to take them! Whenever I try he yells at me and tells me No way you probably want to blog it! Then he will say I'll let you know if I take a dump so you can post that! Nice Zach! I think my penchant for sarcasm has not been a good influence!
I only have football pictures because they take a ton of the team during the games so I can grab them! This one is from last nights game. We won ~yeah! 42 to 14. Seeing it was one of those Whoa moments! He looks so much older to me for some reason. He is definitely more of a butt head lately. I'm not sure I'm going to come out of parenting this boy through the teenage years intact! He is so moody, argumentative and basically drives me crazy. He can be the sweetest, kind thing and then WHAM~butthead! So, is this just teenagebuttholeitis and there is a end in sight eventually or has my sweet boy turned into a turd and that's just how it is? I thought only girls were this moody! Sheesh!
He tires me out!

Football Fever!

It's here! Football has officially begun. Thursday night was our first game of the season against Desert Ridge High school. Here's Zachary #70!

I forget how intense it can be watching the games! I tend to embarrass my family with all my yelling an carrying on!

This game was no exception. I was really getting worked up over this one! We did score the first touchdown but not as easily or as quickly as I would have liked! It was too intense! I watch Zach like a hawk watching as he makes a good block and worrying he is going to get hurt and laugh when he is pissed yelling at Sterling to quit being a girl and make the block! (his words after the game, I just saw him screamin at him during it!)

During the first few plays of the last quarter the other team scored and we were behind. I was angry with some crap calls by the referee, and frustrated with a turnover and some missed catches! I was getting really worked up when I saw one of our best players (and one of Zach's best friends) Gerald lying on the ground, and not getting up.

It was awful to watch. He was kicking his legs, but not getting up.

We watched as the team paramedics worked on him, and then a ambulance came. They worked on him for a good twenty minutes. They had to start a IV, and after a bit were able to transfer him and take him away.

The boys were really upset. One of them threw up on the sidelines!

Gerald had broke his arm clean in several places and it was laying in weird abnormal ways. Zach said it looked like a creepy snake!

Wow, when the game started again I have to say I wasn't as excited, or upset over a bad call, or even mad when we didn't win the game. I was just hoping Gerald was OK, and glad that Zachary had a game without getting hurt!

I love football, and watching him play, but boy, this is my biggest fear! Injuries! We have had a few close calls, but his injuries were always minor and he healed OK!

I guess it's just a part of the game!

Anyhow, we are looking for a rubber arm to have the team sign and are going to bring some treats to Gerald in the hospital.

Zach was pretty upset at the game, but he is over it. Already talking about next Thursday's game and the teams strategy with Tony, and today is nothin but college football on the TV.Life moves on, and the love of football prevails!

I guess football fever has begun!

Football Fun!

Yeah!!! Football season is here again! We love football around here. Going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the games on the big screens, having friends over to watch the games, Super bowl parties, and the best part? Going to Zachary's games!

Zach has played football for 7 years now! When he started I was so worried he wouldn't be able to handle getting hit. I thought what if he isn't tuff enough! Boy~ Was I wrong. He took to it like a duck to water! He actually likes it!

Zachary is playing again this year for Mesquite High and tonight they had their annual jersey night. All the players families come and the boys have a scrimmage game. First the freshman, then the JV, then the Varsity.

Even though it was freakin hot outside (110) it was fun to watch! I bought Bailey and Grace a lollipop, some water, and some pompoms to keep them busy! It did the trick! They had a great time even though they were sweatin like pigs!

After the game all the players lined up on the field and their parents stood on the other side of the field. When they called your sons name, you came on the field and presented him with his jersey. Zach was cracking up when he saw the girls waving pompoms at him from across the field. He had to point them out to his friends. Nice, a sweet side to teenage butthole itis!

We had a great time and it has gotten me really excited for all the games to start!

Funny Or Not?

Zachary found this T shirt and wants me to buy it for school. My husband thinks it's sacrilegious.I'm not sure. It's funny. Good Message right? Ok, I know it's kind of a joke, but I love the Jesus is my homie Tshirts too!

So what do you think? Appropriate or not? Do you think he'd get in trouble at school?

Oh and when I was posting this he wanted to know if I wanted to take a picture of him crapping and post it too since I was so obsessed with blogging! Nice eh?

Absence Makes My Heart Grow Fonder

Many years ago We took one of our children to the pediatrician. We were afraid they had ADHD.After a lengthy exam the Dr had a diagnosis for us. He sat us down and said I'm afraid I have some bad news. I know what the problem is and it's not good! We were so worried. What could it be?? Something worse than what we thought? Was is some grave illness? Well the doctor explained that although the condition is awful, it is not rare. He then leaned in and said your child suffers from...teenage buttholeitis!!!
Oh my gosh! We laughed our butts off!
Dr Lofgren told us there was nothing wrong with this child they were just being a bratty teenager!
Well over time that has been how we describe our teenagers...suffering from teenage buttholeitis!
I find myself feeling overwhelmed sometimes and I get frustrated with my kids easily. I think I fail to recognize the good in them sometimes and I focus on what is frustrating me at the moment!
About two weeks ago we had some people from church come over and extend a invitation to Zachary to attend scout camp. Zachary has refused to go to scouts for years now. He hated it! Brother Allen promised Zach if he agreed to go they could get him caught up and on track to receive his eagle scout. Cool huh? Zach was hesitant to go but eventually gave in and decided to go.
He has been gone since Monday and I find myself missing that little bugger since he has been gone! I want to make sure when he returns I let him know I appreciate who he is!
I have been thinking what a good boy he truly is! When I assign the kids their weekly jobs he may complain and give me a hard time at first but then wham~ he busts it out! He does a amazing job too! He had the kitchen before he left and I would wake up to find my kitchen sparkling! He knows I love to have my kitchen clean and so when I am having a hard day he has this little twinkle in his eye and the cutest smile after he does a amazing job and then comes to me to see how I like the job he did!
He has a compassionate side to him but he doesn't like you to point it out! He has NEVER liked attention drawn to him that way!
I have observed some of my friends kids who are a similar age and I can't help but think how lucky I am! Zachary has his teenage butthole moments, however he is a amazing kid. I think Heavenly Father has given me the kids he has as a blessing to me ! They are so good! I expect so much out of my kids and for the most part they arise to the occasion!
Anyhow, I have been thinking about my boy, wondering if he is having a good time, and have been thinking how much I love that kid! I hope he is having a good time and I am so glad he made the decision to go!
When I think about these things it encourages me to be a more patient mom. To express my love to them more, and to make sure they know how grateful we are as parents for all they do to contribute to our family!
Oh~ If he sees this post he is going to be pissed! He HATES it when I talk about him ESPECIALLY on THE BLOG!!
How do you think he is gonna like that I posted that pic of him being weird?? I just had to...It is so Zachary! He is always goofing around!

Aren't Kids Funny?

Great laughs..My kids just keep em coming today. Just two of the gems they shared with me. Bailey~She told me she did the greatest trick today and I didn't even see it! You see she snuck outside when I wasn't looking got butt naked and went in the front yard and pooped for everyone to see! Yes we have reached a whole new level around here folks. I think our neighbors love us.
Zachary~ I took him driving to practice for his permit next week and we stopped at the Circle K. There was a skinny little guy with a tall blond girl. He kept going on and on how a guy like that could get a girl like her. When they came out of the store Zach got a good look at her face and said "Oh that explains it! She's a butter face" What?? He then decided he had to "School" me cause I am so not with it. A butter face is a girl who is smoking hot everywhere but her (butter) face! Nice..
I feel so old Ü

Getting Ready To Leave

When we were dropping off Zach and Rachelle today I was struck with such a feeling of gratitude for this wonderful ward that we are a part of. The kids in our ward are such good kids. I was so worried for my kids before we moved here, and I can now see that being here is an answer to my prayers.I might have had a hard time leaving my home and I might be having a hard time adjusting to living in the desert, but I can't deny this is where my family needs to be.

I am so excited for them to be able to a part of this fun adventure! Rachelle said she just hopes she's not eaten by a bear. I agree.

Pioneer Trek

This morning I dropped Rachelle and Zachary off at the church for the trek. Strange, but I was feeling sad seeing them go. I thought for sure I would be singing Ding dong the kids are gone the wicked kids are gone!!Hmm. interesting.I guess I really do love them!

The bishop had come over a few weeks ago and asked them if they would go. Up to that point, they were adamant they were not going to go.Well, he worked is magic, and now here they are.

It has been fun seeing them begin to get excited as they got ready. Zachary's attitude sure changed when he found out a girl he likes was also going to be coming on the trek. Oh to be young again!