You say it's your birthday....

Happy Birthday to the best sister a girl could ever ask for! (in case you're confused about who's who, she's the blonder, bluer-eyed, thinner, dimpled one in the picture)

Sorry, Suz, I'm really gonna embarrass you on this one!! Ahem!! Little Suzanne was born approximately 31 years ago. She was the chubbiest baby you've ever seen...I'm talkin' Michelin Man rolls, here! She was the smiliest little thing ever, too! She shed the rolls after a year or so, but fortunately the smile on her face has never left. She's one of the few naturally happy, optimistic, fun, kind-hearted, easy-going people I've ever met. And if God wasn't generous enough, He also made her beautiful, funny, musically talented, fashionable, and very organized to name just a few. Yep, she can do it all, but you might not ever know that about her because she's so unassuming and humble which makes her even more wonderful! Yes, she's been blessed all right, but I have been more so for having her as a sister and being on the receiving end of her talents and wonderful-ness every day! Love ya, Suz...Happy Happy Birthday!!

Birthdays Frighten Me (...and now I know why)

Today is Adam's 8th Birthday-Hooray Adam. Congratulations on being a new number - wow. Okay, so birthdays cause me a lot of anxiety and I don't know why! To me it is just a lot of fuss for no good reason and lately I find myself doing the least possible amount of birthday "stuff" that I can get away with and still be considered a good mom/wife/friend. March is a particularly stressful month for me because many people that I love were born in March - dumb luck that! I don't know what the big deal with birthdays is, but I've been playing along for many years...in fact, I played along today, too, as I threw my boy the birthday party he always dreamed of (fortunately, he did not dream all that big - whew!) However, I dreaded it all week. I've lost sleep over it. Now it's over and I am breathing a huge sigh of relief. I decided to document the event for posterity because I'm 99.9% sure I never want to do that again!

The party started at six o'clock and went until ten o'clock. We called it a "late-over" party since we don't do sleepovers. Adam's 7 wild and crazy friends showed up right on time and the evening began with pizza and plenty of soda which marked the first of several courses of sugar...what was I thinking!!
After pizza, I gave each kid a can of silly string and sent them outside to do as much damage as they could, and they didn't disappoint! Meanwhile, I scrambled to clean up dinner and get the table ready for birthday cake festivities.
After the kids came in we played a few fun games, one involving a lot of dollar store presents and a pair of dice (thanks Angie!) and the other involving a pair of dice and a bunch of candy bars (thanks Suz). The kids had a lot of fun, but they were SO HYPER (you thought the phrase "bouncing off the walls" was a figure of speech? Believe me, it's not!) Maybe giving them more candy had something to do with their heightened rowdiness...hmm.
Next, on to the ice cream cake from Dairy Queen. Adam actually wanted an Oreo Pizza from Dominos, but apparently they don't sell them anymore so this was our much more delicious "Plan B".
Then it was back outside with everyone so I could clean up the cake mess and prepare for present opening and more games (at this point I'm wondering why on earth I am hosting a four hour birthday party, especially with my fear of birthdays...I have issues!)
Finally, the part I had been waiting for all night...movie time!! I put on Bee Movie and sent the kids downstairs and stocked them with plenty of popcorn and lemonade (sugar-free, ha-ha kids!) They enjoyed watching the movie while trading Pokemon cards, experiencing occasional bouts of rambunctious behavior, but all-in-all it was good-times. Dare I call it a "success?" Well, when I asked my nephew Logan, one of the party-goers, if it was the best party ever, he said "I don't know yet, because I have another birthday party to go to tomorrow." So, I guess the jury is still out on that one! Happy Birthday, Adam! I need sleep now...

Whodunnit?

Contrary to the photo, Jason was in an unusually sour mood this morning and was doing a lot of sulking and complaining in the car. As we got home, Jason got out of the car and stormed into the house. I thought I was out of earshot when I sarcastically commented/asked, "Who peed in your Cheerios?" and immediately regretted it as I caught a glimpse of Hannah. Her eyes were as big as saucers, and was obviously absorbing the implications of this very bizarre question. After what seemed like an eternity (but was actually only about 1.2 seconds) she stated with all the conviction she could muster "Mom, I think Rachel did."

Here's the alleged suspect:

Yeah...she looks guilty!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from the Seeley Clan! Yes, there is a lot of sugar coursing through our veins this morning, due to a couple of "productive" easter egg hunts yesterday and a family party that was 75% dessert (hey, I'm not complaining!):
This morning, surprisingly, the only traces of sugar in their baskets were some bubble gum, an orange soda, and a small token "chocolate flavored" bunny (I'm not sure what that means but I'm certain Cade does not approve!). Here's how the kids made out:
I was impressed that the boys started a discussion this morning about Easter and why we celebrate it. Thankfully, they know more than I've taught them and that makes me happy. I am continually grateful for their simple yet profound understanding of the gospel and their desire to live it. In that way, they teach me too. Thanks, guys!

I found a great quote the other day as I was perusing the Ensign. I so miss President Hinckley and when I read this quote I almost cried - not only because I could picture him saying those words, but because his words never fail to lift and comfort me even now.

"In sunshine and in shadow, we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, March 2008)

Simple, yet profound. I will be thinking about those words today as I enjoy the rest of this beautiful holiday. Happy Easter!

Cade’s Rules on Food

I started mentally formulating this list when I was nine or ten years old. It all started when my family and I were at some family function at my Aunt Kenna’s house in Orem, Utah. Kenna had made some brownies and cookies that looked pretty good from across the room. I went over, picked up a brownie and took a bite. What did I find in the brownie? Chocolate chips? Caramel? Mint filling? NO! I found zucchini and nuts!!! Man, was I ever freaked-out. Since that day I have been adding to my “list” and verbally sharing it with friends and family whenever I felt it necessary (which is pretty often). Today at work, someone asked me if I wanted some “delicious” banana bread. I politely declined their invitation. Their response was something to the effect of “but it’s so good, here you have to try it”. I had been pushed too far and had to fill them in on my hard and fast rules. I feel that it is now time to codify these rules so that they may be ratified by a two-thirds majority of both houses of Congress and become the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. These rules are so well known in my family, that my niece, Ashlie, made this “delicious” pie just for me this past Thanksgiving.
It contained all sorts of rule-breaking items in it and was topped off with a sacrilegious U. Needless to say, I didn’t partake.

So, without further delay, here are the rules!

Rule 1. Absolutely no vegetables in dessert - no exceptions (don't even bring up pumpkin pie or carrot cake).

Rule 2. No Zucchini in anything!!!

Rule 3. No hot dogs. I am no fan of “gut bombs”, as anyone who knows me can attest. If you want to know what hot dogs are made out of, just go to Blockbuster and rent The Great Outdoors. The last time I ate a hot dog was in 1992 while on my mission in Louisiana. That night I threw up. This rule will never be broken.

Rule 4. Absolutely no raisins, bananas, prunes or dates alone or in anything - no exceptions. These “foods” should never be eaten by anyone, ever. What did that poor little grape do to deserve its fate of being dried out into a wrinkly little nugget of nastiness?

Rule 5. No nuts in anything (this rule may be broken occasionally, like Almond M&M's, Snickers bars, etc.). I will gladly eat a handful of peanuts or almonds (mmm… honey roasted), just not IN almost anything.

Rule 6. No fruit in bread (one exception – blueberry muffins). I can still hear some of you bringing up banana bread, but, in case you have forgotten, I ask you to read the beginning of this post for clarification

Rule 7. No semi-sweet chocolate chips - ever. Nothing is worse than biting into a delicious-looking chocolate chip cookie and instead of yummy milk chocolate chips; you get that bitter taste of semi-sweet chocolate. And yes, I am aware of Nestle Tollhouse cookies and they are not any good.




Rule 8. Sugar is king. No NutraSweet, saccharin, Splenda, etc. Nothing but the real thing, baby. Stacy makes Crystal Light lemonade and says that it tastes just like real lemonade. If it tasted just like real lemonade they wouldn’t have named it Crystal Light. Same with Diet Coke, Coke Zero, etc. If they were as good as Coke, they would be called Coke and I would be a lot thinner. Say, that reminds me. Sugar and caffeine do not cause all of the world’s problems. My mother is a firm believer in this false theory and I could not disagree more. When I was in high school my mom would preach this to me continually. One time I sprained my ankle very badly playing basketball. On the way to the hospital (I had gone to the emergency room so many times I could drive there with my eyes closed) my mom said it was because I had too much sugar and caffeine in my body. I replied that the reason I sprained my ankle was that I had played without my high-top basketball shoes. You decide who was right. To this day, both of us still stand firmly behind our positions.

Rule 9. No coconut. The only exception to this is fried ice cream, although it is way better when made with crushed corn flakes instead of coconut. Is there any worse candy bar than Mounds or Almond Joy? When I was a kid, I remember that I always felt “ripped-off” if someone gave me either of these candy bars on Halloween. Trust me, the bottom of my Halloween bags contained many uneaten Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars. In fact, if the people who currently own our old house in Richfield were to look way back in the corner of the closet in my bedroom, they may still find some of these items stuffed back there.

Rule 10. Fake cheese (Kraft singles, Velveeta, etc.) is not even close to as good as real cheese. Anything that is called “pasteurized process cheese food” is not as good as real cheese. Enough said. It is an insult to us in the USA that fake cheese is named American cheese. I hope everyone is as upset about this as I am. I am continually amazed/disgusted when my wife and children choose fake cheese over real cheese. My kids call it "squishy" cheese. Does anyone really want to eat anything that is "squishy"? I don't think so

I hope that you have enjoyed my rules and welcome any comments. I may have forgotten one or more rules that I have stated in the past, so please, remind me of them so that I may add them to my list. Until next time, down with zucchini.

I have a problem...

I'll admit it...I have a problem. I like to match my kids...okay...there, I said it! When my second child, Adam, was born, and I bought Tyler and Adam matching outfits for the first time, something happened inside of me and I have been fighting the urge to match my kids ever since!!
Maybe it's because my mom always dressed me and my two older sisters alike and everyone always said "oh, how cute...are they TRIPLETS?" which I delighted in because I was clearly the youngest of the three. Maybe it's because I've always fantasized about having twins and dressing them exactly alike. I'm not really sure why I like to dress my kids alike, and perhaps I'll never know. I do know this, Cade strongly dislikes it (maybe THAT'S why I do it!) He used to just think it was cheesy and obnoxious, but now that I have 5 kids there are obvious financial repercussions associated with buying 5 of the exact same thing! I decided to document my "problem" with a few pictures:

It all started with matching Tyler and Adam on Sundays for Church only...

Matching them on the other 6 days of the week soon followed suit...

The problem quickly escalated with the birth of our third son, Jason. Now it's 3 white tees, 3 pairs of camo shorts...you get the idea.

I matched their outerwear...

...AND their underwear!

How cute is that..."Are they TRIPLETS?!"

Here is the only form of matching that Cade approves of...sports uniforms!

Sometimes I compromise and get them different colors of the same shirt...
but it's just not the same!!

Having a girl took my game to a whole new level - the challenge now was making Hannah match the boys without compromising her feminity. So fun!!

I can count on about two fingers how many times Cade's allowed us to match as an entire family...this was a happy day for me! Sorry Cade!

The only thing better than matching boys? Matching GIRLS, of course!! I know I have a problem, but for the record, I hope I'm never cured.
(p.s. the Easter dresses have been purchased...YIPPEE!)

The "p" word...project!

I used to be a project person, but I've avoided them at all cost for the past year. What was I doing all year, you ask?? I was growing a baby which I swear my body is allergic to doing. On top of that we were trying to sell a house, pack up our family and our life and head north to Utah for Cade's new job. After living with Cade's parents for 4 months while we tried to sell our Arizona house, we gave up and found renters instead! As a result, we decided to rent ourselves so as not to have to juggle more than one mortgage in a crazy market. We found this very cute house in Kaysville, Utah.
It suits our family very well and we hope to buy it at the end of the year if all goes well. There's plenty of room here for us and all our stuff. It's within short walking distance to the school, it's across the street from the church, and there are parks and a fishing pond just down the street. The neighborhood is filled with cute and rambunctious kids like my own, so it's practically perfect...practically! While the inside of the house is a little bland and outdated, the owner must have decided to REALLY make up for it with this room which sleeps all of the boys...YIKES!! I have dubbed it the lemon & lime sherbet room, and I firmly believe that walls should not ever be the same color as ice cream flavors! So, believe it or not Stace ventured warily back into "project world" for a day to do something about these walls. With the guarded permission of the home owner to paint (how could I make it any worse??), I was ready to go. Luckily I have a sister who LOVES projects and has made them her life's work. Not only is she always doing a home project on her own home, which is beautiful, she is constantly volunteering to help neighbors, friends and family members do theirs. She loves making rooms look better and mine was no exception! I bought the paint and supplies needed plus a big bag of Smarties to keep the kids at bay all day long so we could work, and we did. It took very little money and time (1/2 day) which is why it was so much fun. Here's the after picture I know you've been waiting for...

Aaaahhhh...much better!! What was the boys' reaction? They, of course, preferred the sherbet...big surprise. I just need a few accessories and, according to Cade, a huge blue "Y" in the middle of the wall and I'll be done. Thanks for your help, Suz!!! On to the next project...maybe not!

Happy Birthday, Cade!

I've been away from my computer for a while and as a result my blogging has suffered immensely, but hopefully I can make up for lost time in the near future! It's almost midnight so I have a little time left on this day, March 13th, to brag about my husband on his 36th birthday (NO that's not a type-o, he's really 36!!) I have been blessed to have known Cade for the last 15 of those 36 years, and the other 21 I just wish I did! Cade is smart, funny, fearless, capable, caring, crazy, loyal, handsome, hard-working, and smart (he's at least twice as smart as me, so I figured I should mention it twice!) I love you Cade - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (...and goodnight)