We are lucky to have lots of guests at the house this week: Amy and Rob, Brooklyn, Alyssa, Ashley, Hunter, Jessica and Jaxon, and Grandma and Grandpa Clark. We spent several days decorating, cleaning, making beds, folding towels, and excitedly gearing up for the hours of madness and delight that inevitably brew when we all get together. Sadly, though, we also noted the arrival of our not-so-welcome house guest, Sickness, who plagues us with its presence every year from October to June, and sometimes even pops up unannounced for a weekend stay in July or August. If you are related to a child under the age of six, you certainly know of whom I'm speaking and I'd wager Sickness has even made a place for itself in your home, too.
Thanks to this annoying visitor, Amber, Karli, and Rex's stellar sleeping habits have been upended, and we are yet again facing three kids in the bed with us each night. As if it weren't bad enough to have a few gunky, runny noses sliming our pillowcases, there are also twelve flailing limbs, convulsing involuntarily with every cough and sniff, that disrupt the twenty-three-or-so minutes of sleep Adam and I get between episodes of crying by one or more of our poor, miserable kids. Needless to say, these wonderful moments create poor, miserable parents who can't cope with the daytime symptoms of children's colds. Thus, our great friend Sickness plunges us into a cycle of whining, yelling, crying, nose blowing, not eating, not sleeping, and bothering all of our patient and gracious guests who are tolerating the ruckus with remarkable kindness and understanding.
Our wonderful friends (the Larsons) blessed their adorable little baby today. We have not seen them for a month and a half, so we excitedly began preparing for the ride to Grantsville early on Saturday to be sure we made it on time to the nine o'clock meeting. The car was packed carefully with snacks, sippy cups, toys, blankies, and plenty of diapers, and I dodged a humongous mess in the kitchen (caused by a major faucet malfunction/replacement) to make some cinnamon rolls to contribute to the post-blessing feast (gotta love Mormonism, huh!?). While I baked, Amber woke up first (around 12:30 a.m.), but Adam valiantly tucked her back into bed and assured her she'd be fine. Ten minutes later, Karli woke up and spent the next three hours, yes...that's right...three hours, whining, "Mommy, hold me" and reaching up to me as I removed dough from the racks and coils after my too-small bowl failed to contain the burgeoning yeasty mass that rose magnificently in the oven. Since multi-tasking is one of my talents that motherhood has magnified, I formed the rolls and baked each of the three pans using only one hand and held a sobbing, sniffing Karli with the other. Once the rolls were frosted and wrapped securely for the journey ahead, the two of us headed upstairs to catch two hours of sleep before the Sunday activities commenced.
Upon realizing that I had snoozed through my alarm clock for an hour, I jumped into the shower and promptly awoke everyone to get ready to go. At 8:00 a.m., we were out the door (only 15 minutes behind schedule, which isn't too bad when Sickness is along for the ride). Rex's car seat was malfunctioning, Amber had green snot all the way down her face, and Karli was yet again whining and screaming because she wanted me to hold her. Finally, when we were all secure in the car, we backed up to the accompaniment of loud grinding and flopping noise coming from our rear tire. It looked fine, so we headed down the road. Five minutes later, Amber (I need Sarah Palin to say "Bless her heart" right now) notified us that she had an accident in her car seat. If you haven't read any of my previous posts, an "accident" is one of major proportions involving bodily waste. Since I had packed everything in the car except a portable shower, a washing machine, and a change of clothes, we had no choice but to turn around and head home. Can I just tell everyone right now that Sickness is no longer welcome at the Clark home? I've had it!
I couldn't even call Leslie to tell her we couldn't make the blessing because I was crying too hard, and then the girls started crying, and then Rex started crying, and Adam wasn't crying, but he was uttering some choice phrases. Finally we were all back inside the house, warming up and cleaning up (did I mention it snowed five inches last night?), and everyone enjoyed some yummy cinnamon rolls for breakfast. It is great to have family that is so understanding and helpful, because they all diffused our anxiety to the point that we could function enough to put the kids down for early naps. My nieces are great with the kids and they make me so excited to have "big girls" who can help me like they do. Now, I just need to find a way to give Sickness the boot and resolve to have a blast with our out-of-town family members despite our horrifically whiny kids, and I think the rest of this week will go swimmingly. After all, what can be worse than the last two days (knock on wood for me, please!)?
Sunday, October 12, 2008
52 Hours of Hell and Happiness
Monday, October 6, 2008
Any Takers?
I received a delightfully funky flyer in the mail on Saturday inviting me to the annual Ya-Ya Sisterhood gathering at Thanksgiving Point on October 18th. It looks like it will be a hoot, and I'm wondering if any of you have attended in the past. If so, is it worth going? I must say that I am thoroughly excited to dress up in crazy regalia, decorate a lantern for the contest, and head on down to Emporium (one of my favorite shops) to view the spectacle that is hundreds of housewives decked to the nines. If anyone is interested in going together, I'd love to have a companion or two or ten. Check out the Ya Ya Sisterhood Gathering website and let me know if you want to attend conmiga.
UPDATE: I went in to Emporium today and aside from seeing about a million amazing things I want for my bedroom and kitchen, I found out that all Halloween/Fall decor will be 40% off during the Ya Ya event, and Christmas decor will be 25% off. They are having the Glitter Toes ladies there as well as food from Melting Pot (come on, Amy!). It will be great fun and I'm for sure going!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Eight Things
I was tagged by Elaine. This post is fun for me because I can hardly ever choose one favorite thing.
8 TV shows I love to watch- Project Runway, Ace of Cakes, The Shield, Dr. 90210, America's Next Top Model, Top Chef, Top Design, Red Eye
8 things I did yesterday- Did the dishes, watched conference, decorated for Halloween, changed lots of diapers, cooked hamburgers, played with Ryker and Stephanie, sat in the hot tub, hung out with Adam
8 things I'm looking forward to- Rex's blessing, pay day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the day after the Bar exam (in February), California in March, eventually buying our own house
8 things on my wish lists- a vacation with Adam, to be out of debt, a Corvette Stingray (shiny red, of course!), 2 extra hours in each day specifically for my workout time, a new wardrobe, a total-body lift/tuck/straightening/ehnancement by a top surgeon, a great job for Adam, a cute house in the mountains
8 people I'm tagging-Jessica, Stephanie L., Stephanie C., Kacey, Tiffany, Maren, Amy, Kallie
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sass-A-Frass
Amber loves gum, and is usually very good not to take it out of her mouth, leave it anywhere but the trash can, and spit it out before she goes to sleep. This morning, though, I found a lump of pink ABC gum embedded in the bottom of her hair. Since she's been needing a hair cut for quite a while, I asked her if I could do the honors. She thought about it for a minute and said, "Sure. I don't want to have long hair like Kinzi's any more...I want to have short hair like LuLu!" (She was referring to two of my adorable nieces.) I trimmed her hair and here are the darling results:
Sure Was a Crappy Day
Hello, I'm Phyllis Neffler
Adam and I got called to be the den leaders of the Bears in Cub Scouts, which means that once a week, three times a month, I'm going to have three eight-year-old boys come to my house and expect to be entertained by activities that don't involve pink, sparkly dress-up clothes or painted toenails. Whatever will we do? All I can say is I'm thrilled that Adam is my partner in this endeavor...otherwise, those poor boys' parents might have a thing or two to say to the Primary president. :)
I am actually really excited for this calling; maybe now I'll find out what boys like to do and how to respond to their gross humor and seemingly ridiculous antics so that when Rex is eight years old, I won't be encouraging him to do something utterly feminine like donning a Giorgio backpack and smashing his way through the underbrush with a tennis racquet.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Ravenous Rex
He sucked his fingers clean after every bite, which was cute but annoying because he wouldn't take them out of his mouth once the cereal disappeared down the hatch.
Finally he learned that he could get more food faster if he removed his fist from his mouth. This kid takes after his cousin Hunter...he loves to eat (obviously; just look at those chubby arms)!
ExZOOberance
Amber, Karli, and I met Stephanie, Gracie, Cooper, Emily, Will, and Tate at Hogle Zoo on Friday. It was fun to have a "girls' day out" (Adam kindly watched Rex) and enjoy the wonderful weather and fun animals. The girls had a blast seeing the creatures and I liked meeting a new friend and spending some time with my cool sister-in-law.
Karli, Cooper, Gracie, Amber...my kind of zoo animals.
We watched the bird show and it was great! We saw lots of interesting and talented birds, but the bald eagle was my favorite.
Now that we know Rex will drink formula from a bottle, I think the girls and I will have to do a little more playing. Shopping, anyone?!
Adam Clark, Esquire
It's official...I am now the proud wife of a Juris Doctor. I already feel smarter, and I'm only the groupie! Adam's diploma came in the mail on Wednesday and it's a magnificent sight to behold (at 16x20 inches, it couldn't be more imposing). I am so proud of Adam's grand achievement and think he is the very best husband and dad ever. Way to go, Adam!
Adam is thinking about pursuing a career in litigation, and, because I love the movie so much, I have to quote Cher from "Clueless": "My daddy is a litigator, which means he charges $500 an hour to argue with people. He argues with me for free, though, because I'm his daughter." Maybe someday the big bucks will roll in, we can pay off our seemingly interminable loans, and I can have my elective total-body reconstructive surgery so I'll look as good as Cher. :)
I'm Old School
I remember the first time I played with Legos; I was three and at our neighbor, Susan Anderson's house. She had a gigantic Rubbermaid tub full of them, and the only thing more spectacular than stacking the millions of plastic blocks into a tower that touched the ceiling was the glorious and melodic sound of each piece spilling out of that monstrous tub onto the carpet. I played with those Legos for hours on end and was always sad when I had to clean them up and go home. I think the main reason for my dismay was that it took what seemed like forever to pick up every single Lego.
I was delighted to find a similar tub brimming with Legos in the closet of the cowgirl room (the adorable room where Amber and Karli sleep). Adam suggested Lego play as a reward for the non-whiners (which are increasingly fewer and farther between these days), so after dinner we headed upstairs and slid the enormous container to the middle of the room. I couldn't hide my nostalgic excitement when I removed the lid, carefully tipped the tub onto its side, and relived that magical symphony of sight and sound as all the Legos tumbled out onto the floor. Amber and Karli were more excited about finding different colors, shapes, and Micro Machines among the Legos than actually constructing things, but Adam and I had a grand time making cars with passengers, a little red house, an airplane, a bridge, and a few other abstract structures. One thing is for sure...Legos rock!
Amber sneakily tried to destroy the house I built.
The clean-up process was as bad as I remembered. Just like before, it took FOREVER!
It was fun to see the girls build little towers and take them apart, even if they were only interested for a few minutes.
Amber and Karli each found a Micro Machine car and have been carrying them around for days. I used to love the commercials for these vehicles with the yelling pro-wrestler. I don't know why I loved them so much...I guess I have problems. A toy-filled memory lane is a great place to visit once in a while; it's loads of fun, even if I do feel ancient when my kids play with the toys I used to love.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Amusing Confusion
Amber was playing with my sisters, Marianne and Angela, on Sunday when Angela suddenly grabbed Amber and told her she was a vampire who would suck her blood (beyond scary...I know). Amber squealed and ran away. Later that day, Marianne did the same thing to her, and the next time we were all together, Amber said, "Mom, what do the firefighters do?" to which I replied, "They save us from fires." She said, "No. I mean, what do they do to us when they suck our blood, like Mar and Ang?" She had confused the word "vampire" with "firefighter" and still gets them mixed up. Every time Amber sees my sisters, she screams, "Get away from me, firefighters!" It's adorable and hilarious.
Friday, September 19, 2008
The ABCs of Me
A-Attached or Single: Attached
B-Best Friend: Adam
C-Cake or Pie: Cake
D-Day: Friday
E-Essential Item: Computer
F-Favorite Color: Right now it's brown, but I love lots of colors
G-Gummi bears or gummi worms: worms
H-Hometown: Alpine, Utah
I-Indulgences: Ice cream, expensive hair products, MAC makeup, and sexy shoes
J-January or July: Definitely July
K-Kids: Amber, Karli and Rex
L-Life is incomplete without: My family
M-Marriage Date: April 25, 2002
N-Number of Siblings: 5 (4 sisters and 1 brother)
O-Oranges or Apples: Both
P-Phobias or Fears: Being followed
Q-Quote: “Whatever you are, be a good one." -Abraham Lincoln
R-Reason to Smile: I live a charmed life
S-Season: Autumn
T-Tag: Kathrine, Stephanie L., Stephanie C., Christina, Liz
U-Unknown fact about me: I love to eat stale marshmallows
V-Vacation destination of choice: Switzerland
W-Worst Habit: Wasting time on the computer
X-X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds
Y-your favorite food: Hot homemade bread
Z-Zodiac Sign: Cancer
Eatin' Like Hobos
Yesterday we got a hankerin' for some tin foil dinners, so Adam dug out the overgrown fire pit, I bundled up a few potatoes and carrots with ground beef and onion soup mix, and we trekked down the terraced yard to enjoy one of the finest outdoor meals I can imagine.
They were obviously a big hit!
Here are the bundles of delectable hobo fare; they smelled fantastic and we couldn't wait to bust out the juicy, smokey goodness.
Amber and Karli loved the beef, and they even had enough courage to eat a few of the veggies. Adam said, "Isn't it funny that the girls eat veggies when Dad cooks them?" To which I replied, "That's great. Dad can cook dinner every night!" He laughed and humbly declined (typical). The dinners tasted even better than I thought they would and for about three seconds, I contemplated forsaking my kitchen for a campfire to be able to eat this kind of food for every meal. Don't worry though, I came to my senses when I saw a bug crawling down Adam's cheek as he took his first bite. I'm way too domesticated for regularly-scheduled campfire cuisine.
The tin foil dinners were a great success...and that's all she wrote.
A Validation of My Theory
Ever since Amber started eating baby food in a high chair, I've thought about how wonderful it would be to build a house that had gently sloped cement floors with a central drain in every room, thus requiring only a hose and maybe a scuba mask to produce a pristine dwelling despite habitation by toddlers. Sweet potatoes, rice, red popsicles, chili, blueberry yogurt and Play Dough have been mercilessly mashed into the carpet and walls over and over despite my best efforts to drape every porous surface within flinging distance in dishtowels, sheets, and even a shower curtain. An experience today reaffirmed my genius in such an idea.Karli sneakily transferred the contents of twenty mini-containers of Play Dough into a 24-ounce cup full of cold water and let it stew just long enough to morph into a slimy, gelatinous batch of goo that, if you've never experienced this atrocity for yourself, is nearly impossible to remove from any surface, and flung it around the entire kitchen. Seven paper towels, a bucket, a mop, and a timeout later, I was convinced I needed my cement floors and drain so I could hose everything down pool-deck style.
I'm thrilled that my brother-in-law is skilled in the cement floor arena because as soon as we pay off our law school loans, I'm enlisting him in my battle against indelible food stains, finger paint, and soggy masses of modeling compound (although, by the time that debt is paid, my cement floors may be handy for my grandchildren and not my own kids). Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Great Day
Saturday was a blast! Upon waking, the girls donned their princess gear and headed outside to help Adam clean the pool and get it all ready for winter (boo hoo hoo), and I took Rex outside to supervise. I have utterly enjoyed living free from creepy neighbors who notice every, single thing we do, but the culmination of my appreciation for fenced-in, single-family property came when I needed to feed Rex and could do it on the swing in the wonderfully private backyard. Adam makes a great pool boy, too (no, he didn't wear a sparkly thong a la Legally Blonde, but nonetheless...), and after he finished, we all headed over to the trampoline for some bouncing. Rex loved it and Amber and Karli got a big kick out of hearing him gasp after an extra-high jump.
After exploring in the yard for a bit, the girls found an adorable, fat, fuzzy, yellow caterpillar and insisted on adopting it. We made it a nice home in a food storage container and watched it wiggle and climb while we enjoyed our lunch of Hebrew National Fat-Free hot dogs (the best...and only kind of hot dogs I'll eat), green apple slices dipped in caramel, and vanilla yogurt with bananas and almonds. Then the kiddos went down for naps and I had two hours to shower and get ready before our friends arrived for dinner.
Ryan Hanvey and his wife, Kim, and James and Amy Thomas and their kids came over for a barbecue which ended up as a kitchen party (we ran out of propane while heating the grill; thank heavens for electric griddles!) with tons of yummy food and great conversation. J.J., Hannah, Mariah, Amber, and Karli all loved the treats Ryan and Kim brought for them and had a fantastic time swimming. Despite the chilly air, the water was warm and we all loved seeing Hanvey's crazy dives that really impressed and inspired the little kids.
Once the excitement died down and our company went home, Adam, Amber, Karli, Rex and I snuggled up under a big quilt on the porch swing and enjoyed the starry, cold night. It was a wonderful end to a great day in a gorgeous place. I love living here!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My Favorite Season Has Arrived
I'm a lucky girl for a lot of reasons, but one on the top of my list today is that I've been able to experience the change from summer to fall twice this year. A week before we left Michigan, the air cooled down, the sunlight changed (my favorite characteristic of early fall), and football started. Woohoo! Chalk it up to my years as a cheerleader...I still get so excited when I hear a drumline or the crunch of pads or a cannon booming after a touchdown. I'll watch any football game, but college gridiron is my ultimate entertainment choice from August 28th until New Year's Day. Go Utes!
Now that we're in Utah, I've seen it again. I love the mild weather, especially in the evening when it's almost cool enough for a jacket (it makes for great running), and a campfire does wonders to enhance the ambiance of early-fall twilight. Add to this list the wonderful bounty of fall fruits and veggies, and I am truly a happy girl! I always know fall is on its way to Utah when the Black-Eyed Susans bloom in the yard in Alpine. They're one of my favorite flowers and I'm thrilled to be able to enjoy them all season long!
Bottoms Up
Amber and Karli preferred to sleep with their bums in the air for several months, and I think it's adorable that Rex does, too. They have such cute little bottoms and they look like snuggly peanuts in this modified fetal position. I just love it!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
A Nostalgic Tribute to Mr. Victorio
Every once in a while, my inner Martha calls to me, begging to escape from captivity to take on a ridiculously involved, lengthy, and complex homemaking project. Today I let it out for a few hours when I noticed the box of tiny, homegrown apples on the counter were about to go bad, and ended up having a delightfully reflective moment on a childhood memory that is dear to me.
My Grandparents Rydalch had four apple trees in their yard in Rexburg, and every year, my mom and siblings and I picked and gathered and hauled all the apples into the kitchen for a marathon applesauce-making session. I loved the smell of the cooking apples, and thought the old Victorio Strainer was an ingenious machine. Just how did that hunk of metal know how to separate the fruit from the peel and extract the yummy, juicy pulp from whatever went into it? The entire experience, though painstaking and sometimes way too long for a bunch of rowdy kids, was a sure and charming indicator that fall had arrived and that by putting forth a little effort, we'd have delicious applesauce to eat all winter long.
So, while enjoying this great memory, I washed the little apples and decided to make some homemade applesauce, inspired by my ever-industrious mom and by Grandma Joan, a dear friend in Michigan who makes her own scrumptious variety as well. But since plain, old applesauce is just plain, old applesauce, I entertained a whim and decided to roast the apples instead of boiling them (Alton Brown has taught me well...water doesn't bring any flavor to the party). I was quite nervous to see the results, but went for it anyway. I set up the same, old Victorio Strainer that belongs to my Grandma Rydalch and went to town. A few minutes later, I had three jars of beautiful, pink applesauce with the wonderfully sweet, tart, and earthy flavor that can't be reproduced in a factory. The process was not as horrid as I imagined it could be and the results are grand! Here are my roasted apples, complete with a drizzle of olive oil. The two may sound like a strange combination, but it actually is a quite harmonious flavor pairing.
If this thing isn't old school, I don't know what is. I believe it can officially be considered an antique.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
New 'Do, Volume II
I finally took a well-needed trip to the hairstylist and got a brand new hairdo, so here are Karli and I modeling together. Amber said, "Oh, mom, you look cute like Leslie Larson!" and I was utterly flattered (Leslie Larson is adorable). I feel like a million bucks and love, love, love to get my haircut because I always feel like I lose 50 pounds. The 4.5 hour session in the styling chair was well worth it (yes, I do have a TON of hair) and I couldn't be happier to be blonde again, because, like, blondes really do have totally so much more fun (I'm popping my gum and twirling my hair)!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
New 'Do
Karli got a new hairdo and it's so darling! She probably looked at herself in the mirror a hundred times yesterday to admire her cute little bangs. She kept saying, "Loot mommy, I pitty lite a pincess!" She's a cutie!
