Yeah, it's time for an update....

I guess it is time for me to start blogging again. It's sad that I don't even visit my own blog because, like my mom commented on the previous post, "it makes me cry." Yeah, that is why this blog has sat in silence for many months. I guess I should get 'back on the horse' and start to live a normal blogger's life (whatever that means).
So, enjoy this random photo and come back later this week, or whenever, for an update on the happenings and crazy antics of the Lee Family!

A slideshow tribute to Jake

">

A friend of mine put this slideshow together as a tribute to Jake. It's beautiful!

SFC Glen Jacob Whetten 19 March 1978 - 12 March 2010

I am saddened by the loss of my brother, Jake. He served our country well. We are very proud to call him our brother and friend. You can honor his life by visitin his blog and posting a comment.
SFC Glen Jacob Whetten

Looking forward or looking back?

How is it that on Thursday and Friday I want, so badly, for the weekend to come (sooner) and on Sunday I am begging for the new week to start? I am so silly.

Oh my, I turn my head for one second....

What a mess, again! This time the twins were very quiet and kept their mischievous behavior under their hat. I never heard a thing! Sarah came and got me later on in the afternoon to reveal what she had discovered: holes and art work created by Joe and Mary. What can I say? 2 words: padded room.

Candy Planes

I've mentioned before that Sam loves scouts. He looks forward to scouts every Tuesday afternoon. On Tuesday, he came home with a cute candy airplane he made out Lifesavers, candy, gum and beads. Last week he came home with a toothbrush head wrapped with a wire that made 'feet' and a tiny motor hooked to a tiny battery. It was a robot bug. Aren't his scout leaders so creative?

Joe and Mary

Hello!

Rain + Dirt = MUD!

It rained yesterday. It rained and it poured and it rained some more. On the bright side: the grass is a bright and beautiful green! On the down side: muddy areas not covered by grass attract the dirt-loving mind of a 3 year-old. In my case, two of them.
This is what happens when I turn my back, to clean the kitchen floor (how dare I think I can get something done?), and take my focus off of Joe and Mary: They dig in the non-grassy (muddy areas) part of the backyard. Rookie mistake, shame on me, I should have known better.
They love to dig in the dirt. This time, not only did they dig in the dirt/mud, they collected said mud into a bucket and 'washed' Joe's fire truck. The truck, their hands and feet and clothes were covered in mud! They also 'swept' the porch with the mud using a play (indoor) mop. UGH! Welcome, Monday!

Sunday is a day of.....

Certainly and definitely not REST. Sunday is usually an all out battle for control. In the Lee house, it's four kids against two adults.
Round one: Getting the kids ready for church. Usually starts of with, "Is it church day?" Followed by, "I don't want to go to church" or "I don't want a bath/shower!"
Round two: Keeping the kids quiet during church. Anyone who sits within 8 rows of us can hear Joe say, "I don't like this kind of food!" when the bread and water is passed. He also says, "I don't want to be reverent!" You may also be able to hear my loud SIGH and Mike's frustrated and audible GROAN.
Round three: At home, trying to keep things calm so we can pretend the 'day of rest' is observed. The house is always at it's messiest: every toy and book out on the floor. I have a Sunday cleaning ritual (no rest involved).
RESULT: Knock-out. Kids: 1 Parents: 0

Man, that due can play the flute!

Now: It's late afternoon on Friday, the kids are restless and I am trying to cook dinner and clean the house at the same time. It can be done, although, yelling is (always) involved.
Much Earlier: The day started off like any other day...wake up, dress, eat, take the kids to school, teach aqua, pick up kids, blah, blah, blah. Sorry...I know that sounds a bit ungrateful for the many wonderful things that I have and enjoy on a daily basis. My tude will change as soon as Mike gets home.
Earlier: After Sam got home from school, we spent most of the afternoon picking oranges and the most awesome house ever. They have an entire park in their backyard, not to mention a way cool pool and tons of grass to run around on. I came home with 3bags FULL of the best oranges in the world. Jealous?
Earlier and Now: I have an itch to go out and do something - dinner, a movie, window shop, shop for-real, whatever, but I don't want to leave the house. Sigh. Stretch. Sigh again. I think I will just stay home and hang out with the hubby and kids.
I decided to cook the kids a lazy dinner consisting of corn dogs and bagel bites. They were happy, I felt guilty. I didn't even cut them an apple or offer them any veggies on the side. Oh, ketchup counts, right?
Mike and I will eat chicken, broccoli and salad (same dinner almost every night). Then we will watch a little TV, put the kids to bed at 7, put Sam to bed at 8, then watch TV until we are ready for bed (usually 9 o'clock sharp). Consistent or routine?
Now: listening to M.U.- The best of Jethrol Tull. Love the flute. I wonder if that guy was teased as a young lad. Making my yummy granola.

My 4:00pm break

I know this sounds totally lame and uneducated and everything in the realm of, well, lazy, but, I have to admit that I look forward to 4:00pm every weekday. It's the one thing that I do to keep sane. A world outside of my 'now' world, a time I take for myself, a little time away from the kids. This is what I do: I go and hide in my room and watch Inside Edition. Totally trash TV but I love it.
The kids are yelling, their homework isn't finished, the house is a mess and there is lots of work to be done. It can wait. It's starting.....

Three Cheers for Grandma!

I came home last week to find four coloring books and four boxes of crayons on my counter. They were put there by my mom, while I was out, for my kids to enjoy. And enjoy they did! It was quiet in my house for, like, 20 minutes. It was so nice. Thanks, MOM!


Oh - I did apologize to my mom for the horrid smell she had to endure when she entered my house. I told her that I cleaned out my fridge and threw the rotten 'left overs' away but hadn't washed out the containers. WHEEEEWEEE! It was smelly; and that is being kind. I told her I hope the smell didn't bother her. She said she didn't even notice. Aren't moms sweet?!

What's that behind us?

It's the Declaration of Independence! Yes, it is...look again. An official copy is currently on tour, visiting a few select U.S. cities, and Phoenix is one of them. With only one hour and 15 minutes remaining (at the time of this posting), I will tell you that it is a one-day-only showing, today, Saturday, February 20th. Go, run, now...1700 W. Washington, Phoenix. Anyway....
We took the whole gang and spent 2 hours in line, waiting and waiting and waiting. And waiting and waiting and waiting. It was worth it.

No more song embedded in a slideshow!

Can you say YEAH! I dreaded logging onto my own blog because I didn't want to hear that silly song that was embedded into one of my slideshows! I finally figured out how to delete it. And delete it, I did!
I am so much happier now. I might even post more often.
In celebrate of this lovely event, Mike is going to take me out tonight for a nice dinner, some dancing and a movie. Not really. We will attend our ward's adult Valentine's Day Formal dinner and dance and then skip out early to meet some friends at a movie. I am really excited. I know it sounds cheesy, that Valentine's Day movie looks really cute. I will post later to let you know if it's a thumbs-up (puts me in the mood) or a thumbs-down (sorry honey, not tonight).
Here are some more pics of the kids. Sam at his first Blue and Gold banquet and Sarah with her new hair cut.

it's hard to get on the computer and post. I can surf in much less time.

It's true. I've been on the computer enough times this past month that I should have updated this blog. Instead, I did what was easy and fast: I checked my email, a few other blogs, FB and then logged off. Lazy, I know.
So here it is in a nutshell....
I turned 35 years-old (uh), Sam got his Bobcat at his first Blue and Gold Banquet, Sarah learned to roller blade. Those are just the highlights. The low lights are: I turned 35 years-old and the twins are still not potty trained. I feel like the twins will learn to potty train at the same time I grow into diapers from old age. (Let's hope that doesn't happen)
All-in-all January was a good month. Although, we had a few rainy days (seemed like record-braking) that kept us indoors and caused the kids to go wild from cabin fever. We also spent a long weekend up in St Johns and joined Mike's family in celebrating his grandma's 90th birthday.

Time flies when you're having fun

It's already the middle to-the-end (?) of January 2010 and I have nothing to show for it. Oh, wait, my Christmas tree is down and packed away. Other than that, the house and kids are exactly the same as they were in 2009: loud and messy.