Proof We Still Exhist

There is no escaping the fact that I have been a terrible blogger. Although, I have been kick butt at posting on the food blog, so go check that out. (ironic that a pregnant person would be a good food blogger no?)

Usually when it's been a long time since I've blogged I just sort through my pictures and come up with inspiration for new posts. However, I haven't just been a terrible blogger, I've been a terrible picture taker as well... so lame. I did, however, happen upon these pictures that I did not take.

yep, that's Perry the Platypus.


dancing with buzz and woody


This one is my favorite.


yeah, my son sucks on his shirt... we're working on that.


I just noticed that this one has all 4 of our current (visible) boys.
(They happen to be the majority in this family... and growing)



poor girl got her bangs hacked by her mother...I'm so sorry.
(by the way, craft scissors are not a comparable substitute when you can't find your hair cutting scissors. Just look harder next time.)

Even the dog is still alive (I'm as surprised as you are)

I know this is completely vain, but my very favorite aspect of these candid shots my children took is the fact that my house is clean. Seriously. I had my own personal "WHAT?!" moment. It was almost as giddy of a feeling as when someone stops by unannounced at your house and it's clean. I swear these things never happen to me. And I do clean my house, I just never have proof. Now I do.

(But please don't stop by my house today... it would ruin my good opinion of myself.)

The Things I Post on Facebook

Seeing that I seem to be the most awful blog updater ever, here is an update on our lives via facebook status'... not nearly as exciting but at least I have something to document the last 3 months of our lives.

• Cooper: "Kam, who do you like better, me or Landon? ... I can draw a dinosaur." jan 4
  
• I think every dishwasher in this town hates me! jan 5
  
• (This one might be a little pg-13) I was changing Landon poopy bum this morning and I told him not to scratch (for obvious reasons) Cooper overheard and said "What mom? His bum itches." ... They must learn that response young. jan 6
  
• Yesterday at church Cooper used the etch-a-sketch to draw a floor plan of our basement. I was so proud. jan 10
  
• Landon (my youngest) told me yesterday that he didn't need to go poop in the potty because the poop in his diaper didn't smell bad, it smelled good... He would be wrong. jan 13
  
• I just saw someone at my door and my heart jumped into my stomach... I think it's probably time I picked up my house and got out of my pajamas. You know, so I didn't have to live in fear. jan 14
  
• When asked who forgot to flush the toilet this morning I was told "Blackbeard the Pirate." ... Those pirates, absolutely no manners. jan 15
  
• This morning I said to my son Landon "Landon, I love you so much, you make me so happy." His response to me: "Yep, my do." jan 18
  
• To say my dog has put on a little weight is putting it mildly. Our friend put it best yesterday when he said, "Your dog looks like a sheep." ...and he's right. jan 24
  
• Landon just came up to me completely out of the blue, "You know what mom? My love you." Being a mother is the best job in the whole world! Believe it. jan 28
  
• Landon just tried to use tape to take the "pokies" off my legs. When that didn't work he decided he would just cover them up with the tape. "There mom, this will make your pokies feel better" feb 3
  
• Cooper told me he didn't like me so he wasn't going to do anything for me. In one of my 'better mommy moments' I said "Then I guess I won't do anything for you... like make you lunch." To which he responded: "That's okay, I don't need you to make me lunch, I'll just eat grass." ...not sure that response was well thought out. feb 7
  
• "Look at my face. Does this look like an angry face to you?" - Cooper feb 8
  
• I'm eating a Reese's peanut butter heart for breakfast. (I'm working extra hard on my figure these days) feb 14
  
• "Mom! I didn't push him. I just moved him over nicely. Besides, he was all up in my grill!" - Cooper feb 15
  
• Today I walked into the bathroom to find 11 of my Pottery Barn catalogs in the sink under a steady flow of water... and my heart is sad. feb 20
  

(For the record, I couldn't bring myself to throw them away and good thing because once they dried they were all better. ...and I don't leave my Pottery Barn catalogs unattended in the bathroom anymore.)

• Next time I walk I should try to do it with a little more finesse, so as not to stub my baby toe on the furniture. Two days later and I still swagger like a pirate... feb 23
  
• I told my youngest he couldn't take another bath this morning and he said to me, "Mom! Get out of my house!" Wow, attitude much? and then a little later this morning: "Mom, I want you to get out of this house because we don't like you" ... thank you son. feb 28
  
• I just saran wrapped a mattress. That was a first. march 3
  
• "Mom, Cooper put chocolate chips in my underwear... Will you get them out for me Mom? I promise I won't eat the yucky parts." - Landon. ...Nice huh? march 8
  

Boys.

Today as I sat at the computer typing a blog post I glanced over at my boys. As I looked at them I heard a small whispering tell me to take a minute and just watch them. Absorb how much I love them. And so I did.

I watched them run around the house in their underwear.
I watched them do spin jumps off the furniture.
I watched them break dance on the carpet.
I watched them sit on each other's heads and laugh.
I watched them squirt the dog with the spray bottle.
I listened to them pound on the piano at alarmingly loud volumes.
I watched the youngest tip over the piano bench just to hear it crash.
I then watched him build a "dog kennel" out of the tipped over piano bench and a blanket.
I smiled at the oldest when he lifted a box of kleenex's over his head and said "Mom! Look how strong I am".
I watched the "buddies" play together.
I listened to them giggle as they each took turns saying the word poop.
I listened to them make farting noises with their mouths and then blame it on the dog.
I watched them crawl around on the floor as monsters, and then dogs, and then dragons.
I watched them run from one room to the next leaving chaos in their wake.
I smelled the little one as he walked by, completely oblivious to his stench.
I listened to their little voices singing an odd collection of songs mumbled together.
I listened to them squeal. I listening to them scream. I listened to them giggle. (all in rapid succession)
I listened to them imagine things like fire and destruction.
I watched them be up, down, left, right, and in between.
I watched the oldest take a break in his mayhem to hug the fat lazy dog laying on the floor.
I listened to them idolize their daddy, and their grandpa.
I watched them drive their tractors around on the carpet, the chair, the mom, and the dog.
I listened to the sound effects a tractor makes.

And then, when it was quite and I couldn't see them anymore, I got up to look for them. Just to see what they were doing.

I watched my boys smile today. It was the best 30 minutes of my day.

Cooper is My Favorite Sick Child...

Kami, well, she's a whiner. A serious whiner. It's "I don't feel good!" mope, mope, mope, whine, whine, whine, flop, flop, flop, and repeat. Over and over and over again. Constantly "I don't feel good! I don't feel good! I don't feel good!" Nope, definitely not my favorite sick person.

Landon, well, Landon just gets grouchy and ornery and kind of mean. (Surprise) I don't much like that either.

And Dexter, who is not my child and yet I feel like his mother: constantly scolding him and cleaning up his messes, well, Dexter is a puker. No mother likes a puker. Especially not this mother, and especially not dog puke.

But Cooper, oh Cooper that blessed child, is such an angel when he's sick. He cuddles his little fevered body onto the couch with a blanket and only occasionally asks for something in his sweet little gravely sick voice. Little things like a glass of water or more medicine. And, he lets me cuddle him.
There are no constant cries of "I do feel good!", no sickness induced irritability, and, heaven forbid, if he needs to puke his guts out he has the decency to get his body up and do it in the toilet.
Perfect sick child.
He is so adorably pleasant. When I ask him if he doesn't feel well he says things like "um, my throat 'probly' hurts." He just isn't a complainer.

Cooper's been sick for the past 2 days. But today he's better. As evident by the fact that he has pummeled his brother at least 10 times in the last hour. Literally, jumped on top of his brother... yep he's back. And, do you know what, as much as I love his adorable little sick body, I love his rambunctious crazy well body even more.

The Picture Window

The Picture Window - You need to read this.

I just read this today. She puts this truth so beautifully. My favorite line is at the end when she says "Take heart. He is ahead of you at this very moment, preparing a place for you. Be faithful...Trust me, you do not want to miss it."

I just wanted to share this and add my testimony to hers. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us and is mindful of us. He has a plan for us and we need to put our trust and faith in Him and that knowledge.

It reminds me of one of my favorite scriptures in 1 Nephi 17:13 "And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

I know this is true. I have witnessed it in my own life. It is not always easy, it's often scary and frustrating but if you put your faith in Him and believe that He loves you and is guiding your path, He will show you that He truly is.

And that is an awesome experience.

"Trust me, you do not want to miss it"

2010 in Facebook Statuses

January 2010. today I learned how to cut my own bangs. applause! _ someone put green dish soap in my glass of green koolaid... at least my mouth is clean. _ misses her snuggie. :( _ Happy Birthday little Landon man
February 2010. tax refund baby! _ Quandry of the day: why is it possible for other children to walk around with a bag of goldfish and not make a single mess. But the second my children get a hold of a bag of goldfish it is dumped on the floor (on purpose) and then they all take turns driving their tractors through it? Seriously. (this is a serious question) _ Sometimes there are days when everything keeps going wrong... and then you open your dishwasher and find out that 60% of the dishes never came clean and you feel like going Greek wedding on all your dishes. Yep, sometimes that happens. _ That is the trippy-est medication I have EVER taken. WOW.
March 2010. There is a price for this level of amazing... I'm sure I pay it later today. _ Happy Birthday to me!!! Come over for strawberry shortcake, it will be delish! _ My daughter just told me: "Mom, you should comb your hair everyday." ...It's about time someone told me that. _ YAY Jr. Miss!!! I am so proud of you girls! _ I'm sure this won't come as a surprise... but I've lost my phone... and I'm pretty sure it's on silent. _ My husband doesn't like beignets. WHAT?!! Who is he?
April 2010. Funny thing: My son thinks Nick Jr. is called "Junior Miss girls". "Mom! I want to play games on the puter" "What games do you want to play?" "Junior Miss girls." _ My daughter is SO beautiful!! _ FREE DIRT! If you load it up you can have it. Seriously. _ My heart aches for the temple. _ Yay rain. _ Loves the smell when the heater kicks on for the first time in a while. Smells like Christmas. _ Today 4 Pottery Barn catalogs came in the mail. 4. WHAT?! This is a wonderful day.
May 2010. If anything else "exciting" happens today I'm going to hyperventilate. pretty sure. _ I'm tired of being frustrated... time to gain better control over my emotions. _ My husband bought me an ipod for mother's day. AN IPOD!!! I think I'm going to fall over. _ Brandon Bowen is the most amazingly fantastic man on the face of the planet. _ gulp. :( _ My two year old knows how to eat the center out of a cinnamon roll. Fancy. _ My puppy will only "use the facilities" INSIDE. I'm not sure what your feelings are on the matter, but I know mine aren't pleasant.
June 2010. tired and dirty. _ My entire family is sick. sick. sick. Despite it being awful, I can't help but think that it is rather convenient. _ sod party!! _ it is official: my husband and I are freaking amazing! _ I just found out my son still fits in his summer clothes from last year. What a pleasant (and inexpensive) surprise. _ brr. _ yep. still brr. (but at least the weather got me out of having to put on a swimsuit in public) _ Should I rip up my carpets and finish my hard woods? AAGH!! I don't know what to do. _ gets serious satisfaction from having a clean kitchen. _ My son just scolded me for being naughty. _ Does anyone know how to fix/clean a digital camera or where I can take one to be fixed/cleaned?
July 2010. HAPPY BIRTHDAY COOPER BOWEN!! I love you lots and lots. _ P90x makes me want to cry. _ sitting around, waiting for paint to dry. _ I don't like paying bills. :( _ park city _ taking a break from our family vacation in Park City to take Cooper to the dentist for some serious (and seriously expensive) dental work.
August 2010. My husband is an amazing man. _ HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kameryn Grace! _ These colder mornings make me want to be amazing. _ Just so you know, the Lord blesses us when we pay our tithing. For reals. _ Let's just say changing my cell phone plan might not have been the best idea... bleck! _ I just shut my daughter's hand in the dishwasher... I'll except my mother of the year award now. _ Being amazing is exhausting. But, do you think if you're amazing long enough it just becomes a part of who you are? And because you don't have to work so hard at it anymore, you're not as exhausted? ... Do you think? _ Happy Anniversary to my hunky piece of man goodness!! _ Have you ever left bread to raise on the counter and then forgotten about it... until midnight? That might have just happened to me. Maybe.
September 2010. "Mom, when I grow up you're not going to be the boss of me anymore." - Kami (she really wants her own puppy) _ Conversation between my son Cooper and his cousin McKinley on the way home from church. McKinley: "I love Jesus" Cooper: "Yeah, Jesus is awesome! He can make anything!" _ Cooper: "Mom, how do moms and dads make their children safe from bad guys... I think maybe they have super powers." _ Cooper told me I'm going to be in great big trouble if I don't make him dinner food for breakfast... I'll take my chances. _ Cooper (my 4 year old) just moon walked across the living room floor. My happiness is complete. _ I love you Uncle Zea!
October 2010. Kami says to me this morning: "Mom, let's be pretty not ugly today okay?" ... okay. _ So sleepy I can't function... and it's only 7:30 (it sure feels like 2 am) _ Don't come to our house today, we're pretending we aren't home. _ I love my husband; such an amazing father.
November 2010. Happy Birthday to my husband! I love you old man. ;) _ Cooper asks me this morning "Mom, how come you have to give all your kisses to Daddy?" _ I am FINALLY painting my kid's room. Cooper walks in "Oh mom! This looks beautiful!" Just made my day. _ I have internet!!!! _ We put up some Christmas tress last night. Cooper was rather disappointed when he woke up super early this morning to see if Santa had come. Bummer.
December 2010. Leaving the back door wide open in the middle of winter is a very cost effective way to cut back on the heating bill. _ My dog ate a candy cane this morning. I guess we all could use a little Christmas.

Roasting Weinies

Today when I asked for some tums (heartburn has been brutal) Cooper asked me if I didn't feel good.

I told him, no, I didn't feel good.

He was very concerned as to why.

I told him that sometimes the baby in my stomach makes me feel sick.

He must be full of questions because he asked me how the baby was making me sick.


I tried to explain heartburn to my 4 year old:

"Well, the baby makes it feel like there is a fire or burning right here in my throat."
He thought about it for a while

"Well, maybe he's cooking food."


Best imagination ever.