My Life on the POT!!

It seems this is my lot in life! The potty! I've been trying to teach Winni about "privacy" in hopes that she will realize she can go potty without me. Well, the other day it started to set in. She begged me to come with her to the potty. She told me I needed to sit on the tub while she did her thing. Then, as soon as I sat down she looked at me and said, "MOMMY!! GET OUT!! I NEED PRIVACY!" Ahhhhh....what a nice girl!

Then, that same day Trae begged me to let him sit on the little potty while Winni was on the big potty. He does this often, but nothing happens. He has watched Winni enough that he knows "something" is supposed to happen there. Well, just after I stood up to get ready for the "clean up" part of this visit, Trae started to tinkle! woo hoo! I jumped and helped him with his "aim" and he did a really good job! He did it again the next day. We had a big celebration afterward complete with gummy worms and cheering! I think we might be on to something! What will I do with only 1 child in diapers?!?!?

Dr's Orders

So, with Winni's iron being low I have been experimenting with "sneaky cooking." What you do is make puree's of spinach and broccoli or spinach and blueberries or yams and carrots or cauliflower or white beans and something else. So, I made all these purees and have been sneaking them into recipes. Like the yams and carrot blend goes great in spaghetti sauce. Nearly untraceable. The cauliflower mixture in boxed mac n cheese was very Sidney Bristow. Julie experienced an ALMOST overwhelming urge to ralph when she tried the spinach and blueberry combination in my brownies. (I'm going to have to work really hard before any of my family tries my baking again! dangit!!)Sneaking the spinach and broccoli mixture underneath the PB on a PB&J didn't go undetected, because "mom, that is NOT jelly!" However, she still ate it. But, when I tried to sneak that same mixture in with her eggs, she was no fool. My mom was trying to convince her that she needed to eat the "green eggs" so that she could grow big and strong. I guess lately we have been using the excuse that "the dr says you need to eat this" a little too much because her response was "Grandma, the Dr didn't say 'eat green eggs!'" She is just too smart for her own good! However, in her defense, my dad tasted the green eggs and said they were awful!

My BABY is growing up!!

He was so happy Wednesday when I retired the baby swing and pulled out the jumper!! woo hoo!!!



Yes, Winni got her moves from her MOM!

For SALE!!

Well, the house is For Sale!! Can you believe it?? My wish came true and those "old people" didn't buy it! I know, I'm evil, but they actually found a home that works better for them, so here we are...

WOW! Quite the statement. I'm not sure why we haven't received any phone calls. I mean, it's been up for 2 days now. Even the neighbors are starting to notice the sign! :)

Maybe when we are serious we will actually put a sign in the yard! But why rush it!?!? I think my parents are just testing the water. Any takers??

Just to clear up any confusion...It's the house that is for sale! Not the soldier flag or any of the children living inside. Just the house!

Lately, Winni has been telling me she doesn't like her bed. She would much rather sleep in my bed, or on her floor. The other night we had a talk about her sleeping my bed. I asked her where Daddy will sleep when he gets home if she is in my bed? She let me know he can sleep in her (toddler) bed. Or better yet, we could just get him his own bed! I explained to her that I don't think he would like that very much! After looking at me with puppy dog eyes and sobbing to me for a minute, she told me that I'm mean! End of Winni sleeping in my bed and end of conversation.

Last night, as usual, I had a hard time getting her to stay in her bed. I told her that if she didn't stay in her bed I was going to go find mean mommy! Well, when I didn't hear from her for a while I went to go and check on her, and this is what I found...



Luckily Trae was already asleep when she climbed in, otherwise he would have protested! Oh, and isn't his bedding so cute?!? His mom is so crafty!

44 YEARS

And they've still got their charm!!



HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!! We love you!!

Ummmm....OK

Not sure this is true, but...

What You Really Think Of Your Friends

Grady is your soulmate. You truly love Walter. You consider Eli your true friend. You know that Winni is always thinking of you. You'll remember Dad for the rest of your life. You secretly think Brooke is creative, charming, and a bit too dramatic at times. You secretly think that Trae is colorful, impulsive, and a total risk taker. You secretly think that Trent is loyal and trustworthy to you. And that Trent changes lovers faster than underwear. You secretly think Jarvis is shy and nonconfrontational. And that Jarvis has a hidden internet romance.

What Do You Think of Your Friends?

Lucky for Julie, I don't think Trent changes his underwear much!! :)

Shopping is EVIL!!

Why is it that we never have enough?!? I go shopping for one thing, say a white shirt, but while shopping for that white shirt I find some cute pants. So, to go with those cute pants, I'll need some fab shoes! What's the deal?? Luckily, for my husband, I refuse to pay full price for anything. However, sometimes that means I shop more than I should because of a "sale", because it's Ross, so it's OK! Well, it's not!! Tonight I went to Nordstrom Rack to find a cute skirt because I feel like I dress like a slob when I go to church. I don't own any dresses, just skirts, and I never iron them!! Totally gross! I know! So tonight I went looking for a skirt. I didn't find any I really liked, but I did find some cute pants for only $20! I also found this cute tank top I can wear as either a cover up over my swimsuit, or with a cute shirt underneath, or even as an undershirt with cute lacy stuff on the bottom. AWESOME! Well, now I seem to think I need some colorful shade shirts to go under it. Oh yeah, and a cute swimsuit. Last week while at Steve & Barry's I found a cute mini skirt for the beach! I also found a cute hoodie shirt and decided that I need a swimsuit with red bottoms so I can look cute at the beach in my new hoodie shirt, ya know, for when I take the mini skirt off, but am not ready to commit to the water, or going around in just my suit. Which brings me to my next dilemma...the twins don't "ahem" like they should. They are either squished into submission or sagging. It also doesn't help when I go into the dressing room to try stuff on and find that I forgot to put myself back together after the last time I nursed Grady! So now I either need some reconstructive surgery or an amazing bra. While I'm at it, I might as well get a tummy tuck too, but drastic measures should probably wait until I'm done having kids. So I go the amazing bra route, but I'm sure once I go into VS I'll find some other miracle that promises to lift and enhance. Walter should really take my credit card and my van away! At least until he graduates!! Why is it so hard?!? Why is shopping so evil?? And I still need a skirt!

Where's Winni??

So, this morning Trae woke up at 4 AM crying. I went in and told him to lay down, nice and lovingly, of course!! He did! I looked over to check on Winni and she was missing!! I didn't remember climbing over her to get out of my bed, but I thought I should check there, too. I did and she wasn't there! We got home from Manti late last night, so I had a few different piles of things on my floor. As I got closer, I realized one of those "piles" was a pile of Winni!! As I thought back to my sleep earlier in the night I vaguely remembered her climbing into my bed. Well, apparently she had fallen out, crawled into a ball, and went back to sleep! Good Girl!! Don't wake mommy with your pain! Just roll over and we'll assess the damage in the morning!

Oh yes, and it looks like the talk I gave in Primary a few weeks ago wasn't as bad as I thought! I get to whisper a scripture into the microphone next week while Winni makes faces at the other children! Maybe if I prep her now she will actually say something! :)

Winni has been getting really good at recognizing numbers. If you ask her what her favorite letter is she will tell you it is the number R! OK, so she might still be a little confused, but we are working on it. On the way to Manti last night she noticed the Y on the mountain for BYU in Provo. She was so excited that the letter Y was on the mountain. Then, as we drove through Ephraim, she noticed the S on the mountain for Snow College. She said, "look mommy, an S!" Then, with wide eyes she was catching on to this great new idea of the alphabet on the mountain. She started looking around and shouted "where's the R?" Now, I need to find an R on a mountain somewhere! Anybody have an R on a mountain I could show my sweet Winni?!?

Manti Mormon Miracle Pageant

Tonight, after celebrating my mom's 65th birthday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!, in Manti at my sister Becky's house, we headed on over to Temple Hill to watch The Mormon Miracle Pageant. The city of Manti puts on this pageant every year. They have been doing this for as long as I can remember. I've got the show memorized! This time I really wasn't excited to take my 3 little ones to a mosquito infested audience to watch a 2 hour show that started at 930 PM. But, I went anyway. And I'm so glad I did. For some reason, this time was so special!! I really enjoyed it. Luckily Trae and Grady fell asleep before it started, and Winni fell asleep within the 1st 1/2 hour. So NICE! But the thing that hit me the most is that The Book of Mormon is TRUE! I already knew that, but it made me want to go home and read it all night long. I felt like it was being introduced to me for the 1st time. It was amazing! I even found myself crying during the production. The things that Joseph went through to get this book to us. The true stories that lie within the pages of turmoil & heartache over disobedience and greed, along with the joy & rejoicing of faithful servants. It was all so perfect! It also helped me to realize that I am not doing enough to prove myself worthy. I want the angels to sing when I return home to my Savior! What a wonderful night. What a choice experience. And what timing! I realized even more that I need to get my priorities in order. I need to spend more time with my kids, teaching them about Christ. I need to know more for myself! And, I need to live it! I know I belong to the True and Living Church! I belong!

So, I'm trying the new blogroll. As you can see on the side panel, the blogs I frequent are listed. It also has on there the last time they posted! Woo hoo!! So, if you find yourself on the bottom of the list, know that you are slacking!!

An OAF!?!

Today's trivia...What the crap is an Oaf?? Well, I looked it up.

Oaf: n: an awkward stupid person
syn: lout, clod, STUMBLEBUM, goon, lubber, lummox, lump, gawk

Well, now that most of you are confused as to my new fascination with such a wonderful word, let me explain.

I once played rec soccer! ONCE! OK, maybe twice. I'll put it right out there, I wasn't all that good. However, I was hoping that after giving birth to 3 children, I might have somehow acquired some skills. Turns out I might not have. But that didn't stop me from joining Julie's old lady soccer team for some fun exercise. Last night was our first game. Our team is the S factor. I thought it meant we were sexy or something. Turns out, in my case, the S is for Stumblebum! For the first half of the game I was goalie. I was awesome! Nothing got past me! Luckily I had some great defenders so not much got to me, either. I didn't exactly have any shin guards, but in my defense I was told we were old ladies having fun...not mean girls kicking other girls in the shins. So, anyway, I was goalie so that I wouldn't get kicked in the shins. For the 2nd half they brought me out of my safe zone. Whew! It was a lot of running, but I wasn't going to let these girls beat me! I was in there fighting for the ball! (It might not have looked like it to those watching, but this is my story on my blog! In my mind I was a monster!) As I was up against some girl she said, as I got the ball away from her, "get off of me you OAF!!" AHHH!!! I ran a few steps, turned back and looked at her in shock! Then I turned to my teammates and said, with a sad face, "she called me a oaf!" I thought it was so funny!! I still can't find a picture of an oaf, but if I could I would totally have it right here! A lot of comments went through my head, but I refrained. And, at the end of the game she apologized. And, if I was a nice girl, I would have just accepted her apology and moved on, and not blogged about it. But, "It's too late to apologize!"



OK I forgave her. Mostly because I think she was afraid of me, and I probably did look like an oaf!!

A Buggy Built for 2!

We found the attachments for the buggy which were strategically placed in the attic! Winni feels like a princess! And Grady, he probably feels a little invaded!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

To all the Father's in our lives who didn't get to see us on Father's Day! I could also put it, to all the Walter's in our lives who didn't get to see us on Father's Day! Either way...we love you so much!! Here is a recap of how we celebrated how grateful we are to have you in our lives!

We went to church "Walter style"! (I say Walter style because he always tells me to not fight the kids over what they are to wear. So I didn't!) After we got dressed, I asked the kids to get socks and shoes on. Here is what they came up with. I was going to wear my tall boots, so I needed some thicker socks. I got my own socks, but Trae decided I should wear my heels. Wha La!!



In primary they made these cute little Tie cookies for their dads! I was so excited!! I took a picture to send to Walter...



Then I talked to him online and let him watch me enjoy his cookie!



I got a little carried away, and ate both of them! OOOps!! So, I sent one of the bookmarks to Walter and let my dad have the other. Only, when I gave my dad the other bookmark, it was still attached to the bag the cookie was once in. BUSTED! Oh Dad, I'm saving you the calories!!



When we got home from church the aroma in the house made me want to lick the walls!! Luckily I contained myself and licked this instead!



Hahahaha OK, I didn't really lick the fat off of the brisket, but I wouldn't blame anyone if they got a little carried away. This was my first time making brisket and it was sooooo goood!! I used The Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe. I would totally do it again! However, I think a 10 lb brisket for 4 people was a little bit too much!

And, of course, at church all the Primary kids got up and sang to their dads and grandpas. I was only able to get Winni to go up there if I went up there. She was willing to stand there, but not willing to sing. However, she sang for me when we got home...ENJOY!!

Sorry about the nudity! I didn't want her to get jelly all over her pretty dress!

Well, today was another trip to Primary Children's Medical Center for Winni. We had to get her Iron checked again. For the last 3 months I have been giving her iron supplements and she has seemed to be doing better with night terrors and growing. So, I thought we were golden. Turns out I'm not so smart! "Normal" iron range is 7-100 something or other. The something or other doesn't really matter to me, since we are on the low end. Healthy is above 50. When we checked her back in February she was 25, and after 3 months we are at a whopping....18! What the?!? So, here we go again. Do you think she would notice if I put spinach and steak in everything she consumed? "No no no Winni, that's not spinach in your ice cream, it's sheets of chocolate. mmmmm yummm!!" Or maybe I can trick her into taking some myrtle! Either way, I need to be sneaky!

Adventure Days

My sister Julie and I were in "command" of Adventure Days this last Tuesday! The theme we chose was Military Boot Camp. With Walter gone, we have access to all of his leftover uniforms without having to ask permission, so we were set! We spent ALL morning filling up water balloons. My fingers were killing me by the time I was done with the 200+ I was given to fill. My parents thought I was up to my illegal shenanigans again! But I wasn't. I was just planning to torment unsuspecting victims. Anyway, everyone got to the park at 10 and the fun began.



After getting all of our camo face paint on...



We were ready to get started!

We started off with a flag ceremony of sorts. We had all the kids stand and do the Pledge of Allegiance. Then we talked about people in the military. Everybody who knew someone in the military raised their hand. It was great to see how proud they were to raise their hand saying that they knew someone that cool! After the Pledge we taught them some a cadence we had made up. It went like this...

I don't know but I've been told
(for some reason, they ALWAYS have to start this way!)
My mom sure is looking old!

She tells me to clean my room
I tell her to get the broom

If I want to go to Disneyland
I better lend a helping hand

It's summer so let's have some fun
Scream out loud when we get to 1

5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 AHHHHHH

It was awesome! Then we split into 3 groups. We had Boot Camp, Injured Soldier, and Technicals.

Boot Camp



First they had to Army crawl to the playground. Then the older kids had to climb the slide while the little kids did some things on the ground. They were timed and they loved it! I didn't get to see this drill in action because I was in charge of...

Technicals

Every member of the Armed Forces needs a Dog Tag! I really should have taken a picture of the final product, but here they are in the process of...



And of course, we need to know how to assemble a grenade...



Promptly followed by eating it. Mmmmm....yummmm....grenades taste soooo good!

Injured Soldier

At this station the troops had to show their camaraderie as they put on the uniform,



dodged through trees and helped an injured soldier by wrapping their wound and helping them to safety

However, I think this little one might have been kicked out for public nudity!

Then we rounded up the troops to congratulate them on their graduation from Boot Camp. We shouted our cadences one more time as their moms stood on the side so proud. During the last verse, we started the countdown. 5*4*3*2*1 Ahhhhh!!! And Ahhhh it was as the mom unloaded their super soakers onto their kids!



At which point the kids fully understood the motto, always be prepared. Little did they, or their mom's know, that we had their backs with 450 water balloons ready and waiting. It was an all out water war!



The tote behind Cannon was 1 of 4 water balloon holders. I think everybody won! It was so fun!!

We LOVE Signing Time! My kids have learned so much from Alex and Leah! However, I don't remember them teaching this sign...



Hmmmm....what could my Trae be telling me?



Direct translation...."MOM! I want some eggs!" We believe in free speech at our house, followed by discipline....and more grocery shopping!

I know HIM!!

So, I have a friend named Brooke! Brooke is the tall dark haired girl with the perfect body that you hate. Well, I love her, but you would hate her! Anyway, Brooke married Charley. Which brings me to my claim to fame....Brooke married Charley! hahaha This is Charley



Isn't he cute! Too bad you can't see the wranglers! But wait, you can! Tonight at 8 on NBC, that's channel 5 for us SLC Utards, he is one of the top 12 on...



Oh yes, and Taylor Swift will be performing also. So, pull out your chaps and your Pace Picante Sauce and some line dances and watch Charley tonight! YES, I'M THAT COOL!!

mmmmm......

I miss my hunny!! Love you BABE!

Calling All Super Readers!!

To the BOOK CLUB! OK, not really! But I do have a "super big problem!" Mom & Dad have decided to sale the house. (is that the right context of sale? does anybody know how to use these 2 words correctly?!? sale/sell ahhhhh!!!!) However, the buyers are an older couple with no kids at home. HELLO!! This is not what I had planned. I understand that I don't get to choose who buys the house, but I can try to mix it up a bit! My plan is this. I'm telling ALL of you that the house is up for sale, sorta. If you know of any young families who would like to live in Murray have we got the house for you!! So, come and buy my childhood home, so that the fun in the Peterson house can continue. Oh, and if the "older couple" finds out my evil ways, no offense. I'm just selfish! :)

What Time Is It?

Whenever we make PB&J for lunch, we sing. Even when we don't, we sing. Because we love singing this song! I found this little banana a few years ago when I had to do a presentation in my Public Speaking class at SLCC. My topic was "The History of Peanut Butter!" And, of course, where would PB be without the J? So, I played this little song while we enjoyed PB&J's. It was awesome! Now if you come to my house on a PB&J day, you will definitely enjoy what you see! It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time!!!

Re-inventing Dinner, One Tubby at a Time!

Well, the word got out that my parents MIGHT be selling the house. Some neighbors came over last night asking if they could buy it! HOLY CRAP!! Kind of exciting, but not exactly the young family I had dreamed about. Anyway, they got to witness what just might be my best idea yet. After dinner I put my kids in the tub. They didn't eat much dinner, and I was still hungry, so while I sat there watching them play in the tub I ate more pizza. They told me they were still hungry, so I shared. They sat there, NAKED, in the tub eating pizza! And, they ate more than they usually do. Which is so awesome!! It also makes for much easier clean up and less stains on their clothes. I think I'm on to something!!

"Hey David A., will you sign my Sacrament Meeting Program?!?"

Wouldn't it be so cool if David Archuleta could come to church without psycho fans infiltrating the chapel after the closing prayer?!? Yeah, I was hoping that wouldn't happen either. But it did!

Sore Looooooser!

I hate losing!! Well, really I usually don't care. But when I dress up as ugly as I can, and I do my ugly dance, I want to win. Right now, I'm losing to Lightening. So, being as un-biased as you can (I'll know you didn't vote for me!), go to the dance-off and vote for your favorite ugly dancer. And remember, Granny Berb loves you and I know where you live!!