Turning 2

The Great Thing About Turning 2:
It's ALL about the cupcake!!

We love you Rachel. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Farewell to Summer

Well, today's the day I get back to bloggin'! I know you're excited, I am too. Instead of making this post a 4 hour read catching up on the last..um...few...months, I will make a Top Ten list so you only have to read the highlights. We both win, right? Well then, it's settled!

10. The Boys Started School.

Yesterday was a little bitter-sweet to me. We've had a fun summer and I like having all my babies with me under one roof...but let's face it, it was time to part ways! I realize that it appears from this picture that I have not abandoned my "matching" propensity, but it really is just a happy coincidence that all three are color-coordinated. Tyler is starting 5th grade, Adam 4th and Jason 2nd. What good boys!

9. I'm a Runner
It's been one of those things that I've wanted to get back into for the last 10 years or so, but just couldn't quite get up the courage, if that makes any sense. I started training for a 5K last Spring and ran it with my neighborhood friends and I was hooked! I have ran 3 more races since including the Provo half-marathon and hope to continue to run. It makes me happy.

8. Hannah Solidified Her "Diva" Status
Hannah's dance recital was so cute and Hannah has decided the spotlight is a pretty great place to be! She really enjoys singing, and dancing and is so theatrical about everything. She lights up a room with her big personality and I can't imagine our family without her!

7. Tyler and Adam Conquered Another Pinewood Derby!

I'm still intrigued by the whole Pinewood Derby "phenomenon" and cannot figure out for the life of me why on earth it matters so much that my children not lose this annual "Who's Dad Cares the Most" competition. Apparently, Dad cares about Hannah, too.
...why else would he wear this hideous...er...lovely tie Hannah made for him at preschool to church on Father's Day?

6. Cade and I took a Much Needed Vacation.
2 days in San Diego, 2 days in Aneheim. No kids. Need I say more?

5. We Went to our First Air Show
We went with our friends - the Remingtons, Childs and Kealamakias. It was fun, but unfortunately the Thunderbirds performed last...about 90 minutes after my kids ran out of steam and had to go home. Bummer!
Next year, we'll come at the end!

4. We Decided Kaysville is a Pretty Great Place to Spend the 4th of July.
We get to WALK to the parade from our house, and the kids collect obscene amounts of salt water taffy and merchandise (stuffed animals, bead necklaces and neckties...yes, neckties!) Fireworks, too, are just a hop, skip and a jump away from our front door. We may never leave this blessed town simply for the fun-factor on this one day.
...Our cousins agree!

3. Our kids are definitely on "the straight and narrow"! (are YOURS?)

...AND holding to the the iron rod! We toured the Church History Museum this summer and couldn't resist this photo-op. Should I be concerned about Hannah's one-foot-on-one-foot-off stance? Hmmmm..."plant BOTH feet, children!"

2. I have a few friends now.

...and they're pretty great!

1. This is What we Did Most of the Summer

Jodi took the picture and told me it was "blog-worthy" (even though those white legs definitely aren't!) Thanks for inviting us swimming a lot..oh yeah...and teaching my daughter how to swim (no more floaties for Hannah!)

Goodbye Summer. We'll miss you!!

Check THIS out.

Today is shaping up to be a pretty good day! I am at my computer looking out the window at THIS:

Clear blue skies, majestic white-peaked mountains
(and as an added bonus, 4 of my neighbors backyards!)

It's a beautiful and dare I say warm day (that's relative, of course), and my sister and I might even head over to the mall with our youngsters in celebration. It all depends on how much I can get done in the next couple of hours, thanks to THIS:

Don't get me wrong, I love her to death and she's cute as a bug, but she's at that stage where she's only happy in my arms or under my feet . Here she is at the bottom of the stairs with her crocodile tears because I had to run and get my camera out of my purse for 2 seconds and I chose not to take her with. Girls sure know how to whip up the tears in a hurry, sheesh.

I've successfully sent THESE off to school:

Here are the boys a couple of weeks ago in Wayne County Utah, doing some
field research with their dad for Tyler's upcoming county project at school. They are such good boys and I just love it when they get along, which fortunately is most of the time.

Thank goodness for THIS:

Here's Hannah "helping" me at a Pretty Petal boutique last Saturday in Sandy. Hannah has been such a sweetheart lately. She's becoming so capable and caring, and she's almost always happy and enthusiastic about whatever we're doing. I will miss her companionship when I'm not the center of her universe anymore. Why do they have to grow up? I'm loving this stage!

And on the very rare occasion, thank goodness for THIS...

Last week I discovered Rachel sprawled out on the floor watching television. Her normal attention span for T.V. is about 5 seconds and that's with me holding her, so imagine my surprise!

I probably should be doing THIS...

There's even a sink-ful to replace 'em!

Or THIS...

Why does it never end?

Or even THIS...

Believe it or not I am actually developing a relationship with my
elliptical machine of all things.
The love may even outweigh the hate at this stage (did I just type that?)

Instead I blog.
Because I feel like it.
For once.

Confessions of a Mom-aholic

On Wednesday night I celebrated the fact that my husband was not out of town for a change, by leaving him with the kids and having a girls' night with my little sis. We first went to California Pizza Kitchen downtown and had a delicious dinner that I had spent all day starving myself for. Then we hit a few stores at the Gateway that I am either not cool enough for (Anthropologie) or apparently not slutty enough for (Wet Seal). Good times! Then it was off to the movies. We saw "Confessions of a Shopoholic" which was pretty good I have to admit. We snapped these photos in the theater before the movie started. These were the best we could do (you should have seen the out-takes...scary). As you can see, we even traded seats to see if that would help our cause (to get the very best picture of the both of us). It really didn't. We pigged out on candy (smuggled in, of course) and for the first time in quite a while I didn't feel like the beleaguered, overwhelmed, distracted mother of five that I am. I have found that when I take a time-out from the daily grind for even a few hours, I feel renewed, invigorated, better. Many thanks to Suz for being there for me. Many thanks to Cade for being a great and supportive husband to me. The best part of the night had to be coming home to a clean house that I didn't have to clean and sleeping kids that I didn't have to put to bed. Not only that, Cade had helped Tyler study for his spelling test and read scriptures with the kids (our new goal that is really really hard to do consistently). Maybe the weight of the world (or at least this household) isn't entirely on my shoulders after all!

I'm Baaaack!

Not that anyone actually navigates over to my blog anymore after my ridiculous 2+ month hiatus, but for the one or two of you who haven't totally given up on me, I'm back and you don't have to look at my "Happy Holidays" background anymore...I fast-forwarded to "Retro Spring". Nice.

If we must play the blame game, and I do feel we must...I blame Old Man Winter. Yes, Old Man Winter hates me, he's out to get me. It's his fault I stopped blogging...and cooking...and cleaning...and cracking a smile. I hate that guy! He left me alone for the 8 years we lived in Arizona and I almost forgot about him, too. Last year we moved from the in-laws house to our own and so the elation from that transition carried me through until Spring and I was able to give to give Old Man the "cold shoulder" so to speak. This year he's been my constant companion since about mid-November. I've tried to combat him, really I have...with my dear hubby's help. In an effort to keep me constantly warm, my birthday/Christmas presents consisted of:

• a space heater - that really warm one from Costco! I cart it around the house with me.
• an electric mattress pad - I just preheat the bed every night so I don't have to do "snow-angels" under my covers for 10 minutes.
• lot's of hoodies and sweats so my bare skin doesn't ever have to come in contact with Old Man Winter.
• really good snow boots so my little piggies will never be chilled on the rare occasion that I venture outdoors.
• an electric blanket that I returned to Target because I thought it was overkill. I'm now re-thinking that decision.
• Other items that I've put to good use this winter: our fireplace (I don't even look at the gas bill, not that it would stop me!), my hot cocoa machine (thanks Lorena) and last but not least, my jet tub.

Have I forgotten anything?

This morning I woke up and decided today was the day to "get over it" and snub Old Man Winter once and for all by returning to my normal activites. As I walked down the stairs, humming a tune, I glanced outside to discover a blanket of fresh snow and flakes the size of...really big snowflakes! It's now 11:00 a.m. and they're still coming down fast and furious, but I don't care because I'm BLOGGING! Ha! Ha! Take that, Old Man Winter. Even you can't stop me. I may not have taken any pictures since December to blog about and my memory card may be lost (isn't that ironic?), preventing me from taking any pictures anytime soon. My 18 month-old may be permanently latched onto my leg, whining pathetically as I type away. Yes, my computer may be on it's last leg, shutting down for no reason in the middle of my post so soon after conquering a "trojan virus" (sounds ominous), but by gar I will persevere to the end or at least until I've pressed "publish post". I owe it to my devoted reader(s?)

For those who have been wondering what you've missed during Seeley Winter Hiatus '09 the answer is...unfortunately not much! I will catch up soon...baby steps. Now if you don't mind I'm going to show Old Man Winter who's boss by attending to my personal hygiene and maybe even fixing the girls some yummy lunch. I feel stronger already.

Hurry Spring. (Pleeeease)

A Holiday Potpourri

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last post? Hmmm...so it has!

Well, I guess I'd better hurry and get a post up on my poor blog before I get sucked into all the momentum of Christmas and become crazed and incoherent like I do every year. Here are a few things we've been up to as of late:Cade returned from Ireland - hooray! He was able to see lots of gorgeous scenery like this while he was there. Cool, huh?

(FYI and totally off-subject, my tooth is feeling just fine now thanks to a root canal that took place just hours after publishing my last post. Thanks Dr. Jacobsen, for taking away my extreme physical pain for a small fortune. It was so worth it!)

3 words: Viva La Coldplay! (What an incredible concert). Cade and I both love Coldplay and it was great to sing along to all the songs and rock out like a couple of idiotic teenagers. Aaahhh!

Jason started basketball. He's by far the shortest kid on the whole team, as half of them are a grade older. But of course Jason sees that as a challenge and plays even more competetively. That kid is brutal out there and when he does something awesome, he casually glances over at us with his cute little half-smile, which we are inclined to return two-fold.

Hannah had her first dance recital of all time. She was a train-wreck at both dress rehearsals, hanging on my leg and other such nonsense so I was obviously very concerned she wouldn't be able to make it through the performance with me (and my leg) out in the audience. That's where bribery comes in. I let her pick out a cute little make-up set at Walmart for her to have AFTER her performance. I told her that if she felt compelled to hang on my leg, we would have to return the present. It worked! She was all confidence and smiles up there on the stage...what a little diva! Here she is in her skimpy-little-costume-that-I-had-no-control-over. Enough said. She also had a cute and modest Cindy Lou Who costume she wore for her Grinch song "Where Are You Christmas?" (Like the hairdo?) That was so precious and I was beaming with pride the whole time. She hasn't stopped talking about her recital so I'm hopeful that her jitters are a thing of the past now.

This may not be blog-worthy to you, but I miraculously configured Rachel's hair into little pig tails the other day. I only did it that one day because they were a lot of trouble and came out easily, but someday soon these cute little piggies will be a regular occurrence.

Is it just me or is this girl flippin' cute? She was even saying "cheese" at the time, that's how confident she felt about her adorableness. My little Santa Momma!

I finally got a around to this old thing. I mean, it's the perfect size...if you're a little person, which I am not. I really need a new tree but there's always something I need more than a dang Christmas tree and I never seem to have mutiple hundreds of dollars burning a whole in my pocket...so there it is in all of it's six-foot (that's being generous) glory!

Other Items of Blog-Worthiness, But Alas, No Photo Documentation:

1. Thanksgiving Dinner. It was lovely...thanks for asking.
2. Adam and his new braces...and headgear..and palate expander. (Now you know why a new Christmas tree is out of the question this year!)
3. Making chocolates with my mom. We had some great mother/daughter bonding, and the chocolates taste delicious but they're not very pretty like Grandma Peterson's, so I've made the difficult decision to not give them as neighbor gifts this year and eat them for myself. We may try again and if they don't turn out I'll eat those too, and so on, and so on.

Today: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The GOOD:

• For once I got the garbage can out to the curb BEFORE the garbage truck came by this morning...and I wasn't running...or barefoot...or bra-less.
• Someone returned my garbage can back to it's spot before I did. I think it was Bro. Zobell. Thanks, man.
  
• I paid less than 2 bucks a gallon for gas today for the first time in ages. Hooray!!
• The sun was shining and it was warm - not Arizona-in-November-warm, but warm nonetheless.
• Cade's having a great time in Ireland - other than the fact that his lovely wife is not there to accompany him, of course. He sent us an e-mail with lots of cool pictures which we poured over for Family Home Evening (Thanks babe, for getting me out of planning a lesson!)
  
• I got a good chuckle out of Adam and Jason's keyboarding "practice" earlier tonight. I felt compelled to copy and paste what they typed: JASON POOPOLAST NIGHT I POOPED IN MY PANTS. Aren't boys the best!
• I ate about 15 pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today. Mmmm.

The BAD:

• I have this tooth that is seriously KILLING me. It's been bothering me off and one for a while but today the pain is definitely "on". It's been incessant and throbbing all day except for the 2 or so hours of relief that my 3 Tylenol/2 Motrin cocktail provided. I need to have another root canal done on this poor bugger, but I'm trying to wait until January so insurance will cover it. Think I'll make it?
• My hair. I hate it. Today especially.
• Cade's in Ireland. The ratio of adults to children here is 5:1. I'm the lucky "1".
• I'm out of whole milk for Rachel. Sorry squirt...today it's 1% or bust!
• Have I mentioned that my tooth hurts?
• I ate about 15 pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today. Oh dear....

The UGLY:

• Rachel has "blown out" of every diaper I have put her in today. That's a less-gross way of saying "diarrhea." I can dress her up, but I can definitely NOT take her out.
  
• Tyler has "refunded" every meal he's eaten today. That's a less-gross way of saying "barf". At one point this was only classified as "bad". It got "ugly" when I came downstairs and discovered Tyler's puddles-O'-vomit (that's for you in Ireland, Cade) trailing from the family room to the bathroom (he never actually made it INTO the bathroom), one of which I stepped in. Jessica, we could've used your Barf Training Video at Family Home Evening tonight. Maybe Tyler would have made it to the bathroom sooner and I wouldn't have cursed. On the bright side, after using a gallon of Pine-Sol, my kitchen tile is cleaner than it's ever been!
• I feel like Tom Hanks on Castaway, tortured by tooth pain so severe he takes matters into his own hands. If I run out of Tylenol/Motrin, so help me...
• I ate about 15 pumpkin chocolate chip cookies today. YIKES!!

Tomorrow's Forecast? More good, less bad and hopefully NO more ugly...at least until Cade gets back.

Happy Halloween!

Tyler - 1 Decade Old!

My first-born has hit the double-digits - Aaahhhh! The big one-oh...10! We started out the special day with his favorite breakfast of scones. Tyler loves scones . He doesn't love school but he had to go anyway, which was okay because he was spotlighted in his class all week long. I made a poster about him to display in his classroom. It looked like this: I went into his class later that week to tell some things about Tyler. He had asked me to bring our new bunny rabbits to show everyone. I didn't really want to haul the bunnies over to the school along with Hannah and Rachel. I asked him if it was really important for him to show the bunnies or would he rather bring his sisters instead. He thought for a minute then chose...his sisters! What a sweet boy - his love for his sisters never ceases to amaze me. He is a natural caretaker and that's a pretty good quality to have if you ask me. I told his class all about the funny things he did as a baby and all the reasons why Tyler's so awesome. After school, four of Tyler friends came home with him and we all went mini-golfing at Cherry Hill. Here are the birthday guests: Aunt Dorrie, Bekkah, Aunt Marcie and Ava joined us there for the festivities, too. They actually enjoy the whole birthday scene instead of just pretending...CRAZY! We came back to the house for pizza and ice cream and green cupcakes (Tyler's choice). The party wouldn't be complete without a few wacky gifts/photo ops! Looking good, T! Hannah was pretty adorable too, don't you think? The day was a success...mission complete. Happy Birthday Tyler!

Tagged! - Chapters 3-7

So it's Halloween, and I REALLY want to be able to blog about Halloween and show you how adorable my kids look. I also really want to blog about Tyler's B-day last week (for heaven's sake!) but I can't because I'm too far behind on my "Tagged!" blog. So here's Chapters 3-7 ...CONDENSED!

3. I have a totally irrational fear of being eaten by a shark.
I think I will go ahead and blame my parents for this one - letting me watch "Jaws" at too young of an age. Yup, it's their fault for sure. I remember having nightmares about sharks all through my childhood. They'd start out harmless enough...lets say a family drive out in the country. Well the countryside would somehow turn into the oceanside, and the car would drive off a cliff and into the ocean and everyone would be able to get out but me and I would get eaten by a shark. Every time. Inevitably. I even had nightmares about killer whales being released in public swimming pools unbeknownst to all the poor pool patrons, and of course everyone made it out but me. These nightmares had lasting repurcussions on my daily life. Swimming pools were difficult. Lakes were treacherous. Oceans were out of the question. Oceans still are...hate 'em. There are sharks in there and they want ME. So I guess living in Utah is a pretty safe bet when you are terrified of sharks...phew!

4. I'm a Kindergarten teacher who never went to Kindergarten.
My students always got a kick out of me telling them that. My family moved from Utah to Alberta, Canada when I was 5 years old. It was the summer before I was to start Kindergarten. When we got to Canada, my parents were informed that because the school deadlines were different there, I would be the oldest Kindergartner in my class. My parents were given the option to send me to Kindergarten as planned or bump me up to first grade to be with the children closer to my age. I met both teachers and decided I wanted to be in Kindergarten because she was much prettier than the first grade teacher. However, my parents overruled me and sent me to first grade...I mean "grade 1" (that's how they say it in Canada, eh!) It was never a problem until we moved back to the United States a few years later and I instantly became the youngest in my grade. I kinda hated being the last in my grade to graduate from Primary, drive, date, you name it. I kinda loved starting college at 17, though, so I guess it all evens out. It occurred to me when I got my first teaching job that I was in Kindergarten for the first time...at the ripe old age of 22! I would tell my students that they would have to help teach me the fundamentals of Kindergarten like staying in the lines and cutting with scissors since I had missed that. They would laugh and laugh at silly Mrs. Seeley. 5 year-olds are so good for my ego!


5. I look at my hands when I type and play the piano.
...and I don't think it has anything to do with skipping Kindergarten, OKAY? I took many years of piano lessons as well as years of "keyboarding" in middle school and I still, for the life of me, cannot not look at my hands! I gave up on the piano thing a long time ago, but I type all the time. It's very aggravating. Because I have to always look at my hands, I am not a very fast typist either, which stinks. Somehow I made it through college just fine and I get by now, too, just not as good as the rest of y'all. I am sure it is a learning disability of some sort that has yet to be diagnosed. Until then, I will go on feeling inadequate...it's fine. (Am I completely alone in this? Is there ANYONE else out there who still looks at their hands when they type? Anyone?)


6. I am REALLY good at word games.
Well, maybe just above average, but still. I must speak out about my above average abilities in the word game department because I happen to be married to one of the smartest guys in the world (he could totally BURY you at Trivial Pursuit). This guy knows more about everything and nothing than anyone. He just knows stuff. Frankly, I love that about him. He's like the flesh and blood version of Wikipedia. I'm not kidding. He's going to make us a million dollars on Jeopardy, but that's an entirely different post! Anyway, I discovered early in our marriage that I was better at word games than Cade. What a revelation that was! I could beat him at Scrabble and Boggle like 75% of the time...and I still can. I think it sorta bugs him...or maybe he just pretends it bugs him so I can feel even prouder of my word game prowess. I love words. I love word games. Forget Trivial Pursuit, let's play Scrabble!


7. My most embarassing moment.
What tag would be complete without an embarassing moment thrown in! I was a junior in high school. I lived very close to the school...a stone's throw. The fastest way to get to and from school was by cutting through a vacant lot, hopping a chain link fence and walking across the football field and into the school. That's the way everyone in my neighborhood did it, including me. The only time I walked the long way to/from school was if I was wearing a dress or skirt so as to avoid the chain link fence climbing. Well, one autumn day I was in a hurry to get home after school. I had on a "mini-skirt" (a popular fashion in the early 1990's) that day, but decided I could handle the fence, mini-skirt and all! I had my friend Tara with me who volunteered to "shield" me should I be any less than discreet during my fence-hop. I climbed up the fence until I could swing my legs around and perched myself on the top of the fence. As I jumped off the fence, the bottom of my skirt caught on something. I landed with both feet on the ground - unfortunately my skirt was yanked all the way up, still snagged on the fence! I stood there mortified as my "friend" Tara laughed her head off. I couldn't un-snag myself without Tara hoisting me up. She made her way over the fence and lifted me up and I became free and quickly pulled my skirt down. Unfortunately the damage had been done. As I turned around to face the school and see if anyone had witnessed my horrendous little peep-show, I realized that the entire Alta High football team had witnessed my horrendous little peep-show. They even gave me a round of applause (eat your heart out Marilyn Monroe!) I must have been as red as a tomato - I would have cried but they probably would have just clapped harder so I just turned and ran home (I should have curtsied). Needless to say, I never tried hopping the fence in a skirt after that. I'm scarred for life.


The End.

Tagged! - Chapter 2

Okay, so this probably won't we an actual "chapter" like my last post (because it's almost bedtime) and yes, I realize I didn't keep my word about posting for seven days straight...sorry. On with the show.


#2 I love almost any recipe with a special ingredient, especially if that special ingredient is sour cream.



I thought my mom was INSANE when I first saw her dump sour cream in her sugar cookie dough. SICK! But when I finally got up the nerve to taste 'em, they were delicious and I knew it was all because of the special ingredient...sour cream! Special indeed. Now I specifically look for recipes with sour cream in it and I'm almost never disappointed. I don't know what it is about sour cream in stuff - I'm no food scientist, but I'm pretty sure there is some chemical reaction that occurs and transforms any recipe from ordinary to exraordinary in a single dollup! From cookies and cakes to soups and casseroles, you really can't go wrong with sour cream. It's the special-est.

Now, sour cream isn't the only special ingredient I love, although it is probably my most favorite. Another is soda pop. I've used it to slow cook meet, I've added it to cobblers and most recently in making my friend Jill's to-die-for apple dumplings that I've made twice in the past 5 days and literally close my eyes and go to heaven for a few minutes while eating. I'll never look at a can of Sprite the same way again. I'm in awe.

Now , I could go on and on but I won't. Have you any special ingredients that I need to know about. Do tell!! In the meantime, here are a couple of "special ingredient" recipes to try...if you DARE!


White Chili
1 lb. diced chicken
1 medium onion, chopped
1Tbs. oil
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. oregano
cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cans white beans, drained
1 can chicken broth
2 cans (4oz.) diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil. Add beans, green chilies, chicken broth & seasonings; bring to boil. Reduce heat and
simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve with sliced olives, shredded
cheese, and tortilla chips (Hint of Lime Tostitos are my favorite!)


Apple Dumplings

4 granny smith apples peeled, cored and cut into quarters

2 cans pillsbury cresent rolls

2 sticks butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1/2 - 1 can moutain dew, gingerale or sprite

cinnamon

Roll up each apple quarter in a crescent roll and place side by side in a buttered 13 x 9 pan. Melt butter. BARELY (and this is the secret) BARLEY stir in the sugar and vanilla. Don't let the sugar dissolve. Just stir till combined - but BARELY :) Pour over apples. Then pour your soda around the edges of the pan. Bake for 40 min at 350 until pretty and brown on top. Cool for 15-20 min and enjoy!!!!

Tagged! - Chapter 1

I've been TAGGED by two different people (Thanks Monica and Suzanne!) so I guess I'll humor the both of you and enlighten the world with this post wherein I will attempt to share 7 interesting/weird facts about myself. Here goes...AHEM...

1. I am Obsessed with Sleep

(Sadly, I can find absolutely no photo documentation of me sleeping. Troubling, really. I'll have to add that to Cade's "to do" list...take pictures of me sleeping for the blog!)

I think I love to sleep more than most people. When I pull those covers back each night and climb into my bed, I'm almost giddy with anticipation and I easily slide into unconsciousness with an immense feeling of joy and satisfaction. Love it. Waking up, however, is the bane of my existence, so no, I am definitely not a morning person. Cade tells me that when I'm pregnant I whimper in my sleep like a puppy. He finally figured out that it was because I had to go to the bathroom (again, like a puppy) but truly DID NOT want to have to wake up and go so he started rolling me out of bed and making me go whenever I'd start up with the whimpering.
Every day when I wake up I feel like I am dead or dying. I convince myself that I am definitely sleep deprived and VOW that I will make time for a nap that day, which really only happens about 5% of the time. I used to nap almost every day when life wasn't so chaotic and I only had a couple of small children - they were on a strict schedule and always napped at the same time. Once they were down, I would frantically tidy the house (I can't sleep if the house isn't tidy...otherwise I feel irresponsible and lazy), take the phone off the hook...and sleep. They say you can't "make up" sleep if you lose a few hours one day, but I beg to differ!! I always make up lost sleep, it drives me crazy if I don't. I need about eight hours of sleep to feel happy and productive throughout the day - if I'm at six or seven you can "rest" assured I will find a way to make up that lost hour or two. Sundays are Hog Heaven for me. I LOVE early morning church because it means I get a longer nap. And the best part is that we as Latter-Day Saints are actually encouraged to sleep on Sundays - it's keeping the Sabbath Day perfectly holy and I'm confident that I am being blessed immeasurably for it.
Thankfully Cade's completely opposite of me. 5 hours of sleep is plenty for him so he's quite accommodating toward my borderline-psychotic need for sleep. I'm usually in bed by 11 p.m. each night and sleep as late as I possibly can and still make breakfast and get the kids ready for school. There's no early morning scripture study or early-bird workouts at the gym for me. Nope...not if it cuts into my "sleepin' time". Tyler actually listed "sleeping" as my favorite hobby during a Mother's Day Newlywed Game-type activity at church. Everyone laughed. "Silly Tyler," they all thought "kids say the darndest things!" Little did they know he was right on the money! It's okay. Other moms quilt, read, scrapbook, and paint. I sleep...and I'll keep on sleeping. It's how I roll.

Okay, so Fun Fact #1 was so long that I've decided to drag my "Tag" out into 7 separate posts. Hopefully I can do one each day for a week...between naps, of course!