johnny and kate

goodbye!

2008-11-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

ok, so i have a new blog. i am no longer posting to this blog. the new address is nordstromgirlalexis.blogspot or click here. tommy and i recently got divorced, but will remain friends so the kids can have a healthy relationship with the both of us. the kids and myself are doing well, and will remain in our current house. this chapter in my life has come to an end, but i am glad for lessons learned and look forward with faith that life will be better........

congratulations austin and morgan!

2008-10-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

austin and morgan got married on september 29. my parents threw them a little open house on saturday to celebrate. we are so lucky to welcome her into our family! i love you guys!
me, vaness, and johnny
my cute parents
me and austin

it was so fun to see the family all together and meet morgan's family. my parents did such a good job with the decorations

i can't believe we all grew up!

us with grandma chy

morgan and kate. her new niece. they got married in hawaii so they were all tan and beautiful

how cute, and they didn't even smash the cake in each others' face
the girls

travi's party

2008-10-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

last weekend we went to travi's birthday party. i kinda feel bad i didn't take one of the kids with him, but here are some fun ones on the teeter-totter.

johnny got pretty cranky and tired, but how cute!

happy birthday to me

2008-10-02T07:14:00.000-07:00

i turned 28 this week, and my family came over on sunday for birthday cake. we had a fun time with the kids and "daisy dog" (kate calls her).my mom made my favorite cake. (the better than almost-anything betty crocker recipe- see below)
johnny had to take a turn blowing out the candle
mimi with the kids
kate enjoyed it!

cake recipe
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® German chocolate cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs as called for on cake mix box
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 jar (16 to 17 oz) caramel, butterscotch or fudge topping
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup granulated or powdered sugar
1 cup toffee bits
1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Generously grease bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with shortening.
2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Pour into pan.
3. Bake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan. Cool 15 minutes.
4. With handle of wooden spoon, poke top of warm cake every 1/2 inch. Drizzle milk evenly over top of cake; let stand until milk has been absorbed into cake.
5. Drizzle with caramel topping. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Cover; refrigerate about 2 hours or until chilled.
6. In chilled large bowl, beat whipping cream and sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream over top of cake. Sprinkle with toffee bits. Store covered in refrigerator.

kate fashion

2008-09-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

vanessa sent me these pictures from kate's birthday party. i couldn't resist putting them up with those poses!

morgan's bachelorette party

2008-09-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

on saturday we had a fun family girl's night out for morgan. she is less than a week away from marrying austin in hawaii. we wanted to do a special bachelorette dinner for her and it was a great time. we went to brio at town square. after we went to mac and got some makeup, and morgan got to spend her victoria's secret giftcards she received at dinner. my mom told her she had to model all the "flannel pajamas" she would be buying. morgan's face was priceless.
kaila had her play a game where she had to guess answers about austin, and for every wrong answer she had to put a marshmallow in her mouth. lets just say it's a good thing kaila brought a jumbo sized bag :)

the whole group. we had such a good time

johnny's first day of school

2008-09-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

how is it possible that my little brand-new baby is three and going to pre-school??? i don't get it. where does the time go? although it is sad to see them grow up, it is so much fun. he has been so cute lately. i wanted to write down a few cute things he has said lately.

when ever i get dressed for work or church he says, "mommy you look so cute"

when christine picked him up from school, he turned to kate and said " i missed you kate!"

every morning when he wakes up, the first thing he says is "mommy, i woke up dry! i sleep good"

he keeps talking about disneyland, so i let him look it up online. so now every day he goes to the computer and says, "mom, i need to go to disney dot com"

i just got out a few halloween decorations and he is obsessed with this candle that looks like a candy corn. he spent the night at my parents house last weekend and he packed it in his suitcase! i got a halloween magazine in the mail with a bunch of costumes and candy in it, and he sleeps next to it. every night before bed he says "read my halloween book" so we lay there and flip through the pages.

he is doing great in school so far and he loves his teacher. he is so proud to be a "big boy".

happy birthday kate!

2008-09-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

on august 30 we celebrated kate's second birthday. the sunstrums had a fun family party for her the week before, and then the mitchell's did a family party on sunday. mommy made, what else, cupcakes.....she has gotten so sweet and sassy over the last year. her personality has really started to develop. she is so full of energy and so much fun! she got some new clothes, and a few fun play things. and thanks vanessa for "baby's first pair of true religion jeans" ummm, i don't even own true religion jeans.

kate was so darling when she opened her gifts. she said "OH MY GOSH" when she lifted out each item. it was a crack up.

daddy bought kate a cute dora car (which has been the center of many many sibling rivalry)

and he also got her a tinkerbell princess dress. what a cutie!

town square

2008-08-27T21:04:00.000-07:00

on saturday we went to town square with nicole, patrick, and kennedy. we did a little shopping, ate dinner, and let the kids run around the play area. and happy birthday to nicole!
johnny got soaked!

kate, as usual, was terrified of the spraying water. she stuck to the bouncy bug and went to town.

it was great weather and a lot of fun!

daisy

2008-08-27T20:56:00.000-07:00

james and kaila just got a little doggie named dasiy. the kids had a fun time playing with her (after the 30 minutes of running around screaming because they were so scared)

more baby kennedy

2008-08-18T14:36:00.000-07:00

this week tommy's mom was in town, and it was really good to see her. the kids had fun with "baby ken" kate usually calls her.

the secret garden

2008-08-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

christine just downloaded all the pictures she has taken of the kids and i was going through them and just about died when i saw this one. she was so cute and took them down to the secret garden at the mirage. they loved it! she is such a great babysitter!

2008 paul mitchell hair show

2008-08-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

last weekend i got to go to the annual paul mitchell gathering with angie. i used to go every year until johnny came early three years ago and i missed it by 2 days. so this was my first time back in 4 years! i had such a good time with her. we stayed at the palazzo, and the show was there at the venetian. it was so motivating seeing everybody at the hair show and doing hands-on classes really refreshed my desire for doing hair. and i love being apart of such a great company that gives back. paul mitchell is always helping, donating, and sponsoring. they just came out with a new blow dryer and flat iron too that i will be getting soon. i love that with everything i buy i am a part of a bigger picture that ultimately is trying to change the world.....

at the show there is always a party on monday night. this year it was an 80's night- if you couldn't tell!

look at those hot outfits!

the best was the walk of shame from the car to the party where people looked at us like we were crazy!

i'm in love!

2008-07-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

tonight the kids and i went over to nicole and patrick's to hold the baby for the first time. she is so cute and sweet and such a good baby. she slept the entire time i was there and when we tried to feed her, she would close her mouth so tight and reject the bottle. it was hilarious. she needs her beauty rest i guess. the kids were so happy to finally meet her. johnny said "she got out?"
meaning out of nicole's tummy. and then i told him they were cousins and he got right down in her face and said "hi cousin". he was cute with her. kate was so hyper around her. she was like "baby!" "baby nose, baby eyes, baby ears, oh" and pointing in her face. she made the same little devilishly cute laugh she does when you give her her blankie at night. i think she wanted to eat her up.

this one is hilarious

johnny was softer than kate. he was asking to sleep over with kennedy.

kate was so excited, we thought she was going to hurt kennedy because she was like jumping up and down and aggressively kissing her. so cute though

finally she opened her eyes after 2 hours. so beautiful

i am so glad she is finally here and i can't wait for all the fun times ahead

happy birthday johnny!

2008-07-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

today was johnny's 3rd birthday! i can't believe how fast the time has flown by! this morning he woke up to a mickey mouse balloon and a chocolate sprinkled doughnut and some coloring books and a new outfit. he was so cute when he saw all of his stuff. lately he has been so good when it comes to manners, and he says thank you for everything.

christine had the kids today and made his birthday special for him. after work our families met up at chuck e cheese for some pizza and cake. it was a simple party but we all had such a good time. we decided to do a smaller party so it didn't get too crazy and it was nice because we could really just focus on johnny and kate.

baby kennedy is here!

2008-07-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

nicole and patrick welcomed beautiful kennedy nicole flynn this morning. she was born at 7:28 on 7/28- how cool! she was 6 lbs 11 oz and 18 and 1/2" long. nicole and patrick shortly after arriving at the hospital

my kids call her "baby keddy"
i love my new little niece!

ever heard of watching your kid?

2008-07-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

"i only left her alone for a second" says tommy. really? i didn't know kids could paint their entire body with lipstick in one second. when he picked me up from work ( dead battery in car, don't ask) she was full on pink. i said "did you get into mommy's makeup?" she just looked me in the eye and said "no".

this was AFTER he wiped most of it off

10 year reunion

2008-07-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

i seriously cannot believe it has been ten years since high school! i remember discussing this day with my girlfriends pretty much the day we got out of high school. you feel like the ten year reunion might as well be the hundred year reunion because it feels that far away. but then all of a sudden that day has come and gone. it is a little scary how fast time flies! it was such a fun weekend, and i'm sad it's over.
we had a girl's night on friday at macayo's, just like old times! it was so funny how it felt like no time had passed. we were laughing and sharing old memories all night. the group still looks great if you ask me!
day two started out with a family picnic. it was so funny that all of our kids were now playing together! it was sooo hot outside. we didn't stay too long, but it was great to see what our kids all looked like.

saturday night was at angel park. it was a nice dinner and cupcakes ( thanks brian)! it was such a blast seeing people and getting all dressed up and feeling grown up! i wish my friends all lived here so we could go out more often!
aww, i'm so glad tiff decided to come.

i had an extra ticket because tommy had to conveniently get our coldplay tickets the exact same time the reunion started. i joined him later for an amazing concert. it was such a great night.

johhny is potty- trained!

2008-07-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Start Potty Training Your Child This Friday...Be Done Sunday!

http://www.3daypottytraining.com/
while i was at my grandma's birthday party in california last month, my cousin kim told me about this 3 day potty training e-book that will change your life! so, i started potty training johnny on saturday. now, i have to preface by saying he was starting to be "mostly" trained.... i was too scared to put him down or leave the house without a diaper. but in this lady's approach, she has you literally throw all diapers, pull-ups, back-up emergency diapers AWAY. so far so good. not one accident! he woke up dry from naps and from all night. i am so proud! i know he will probably have an accident here or there, but what a relief to know it's possible! so if anybody is in the potty-training stage (she suggests 22 months) you MUST get her book!

hamburger cupcakes

2008-07-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

check out these cupcakes from whole foods. they are supposed to be little hamburgers! it was pretty scary to take a bite, but they were ok. super funny!

jesse

2008-07-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

i love them. not as much as matt and shayne, but i do love them. to my surprise, i was so sad for jason. she really did a number on these men! they like FELL for her. like can you imagine having 3 men want to marry you over a 2 month time frame? i have been such a fan of the show since season 1, and every time i watch, i can't help but get a little depressed when they finally get to say i love you and say they'll live happily ever after because i'm a little jealous! isn't new love the best? if only we could stay so giddy...... but then if you think about it, how many couples from the show actually stay together? like 2. so, although we aren't in the bahamas riding horseback on the beach, or staring into each other's eyes while natasha beddingfield serenades us, we have to give ourselves some credit for making it work in the real world. and that's what really counts.....

happy 4th of july!

2008-07-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

this year for the 4th, we did things a little different. in the past we have gone to boulder city in the morning to watch the parade, but tommy was out of town. he spent the weekend in monterrey on a golf trip with his grandparents and the kennedy's. so nicole and the kids and i went over to my parents' house for swimming and a barbecue during the day. grandpa mert and johnny
kate playing around. she is the crazy one who will just jump in the pool. johnny is very cautious.
kate after she enjoyed an ice cream sandwich

spent after 3 hours in the pool. they were out within 3 minutes on the way home.

after we went home and napped, we got ready and went up to boulder city in the evening for the fireworks show. it was one of the best i have been to. i think this will be a new tradition!

kate and johnny both started screaming and crying when the fireworks started. finally i set kate in the stroller and the only way she wouldn't cry was if she was facing backwards. this is her frowny face that she made the whole time. it was so funny watching her because she had her back to the fireworks the whole time. every once in a while she would peek over her shoulder to see. but only for a second.

patrick, and nicole ready to pop
hmmm, what's going on?

we finally got kate out of the stroller and she was ok laying on the blanket. she must have felt like the fireworks couldn't get her if she stayed low.....
although his expression looks petrified, he was actually smiling. he was being so brave... as long as he clung to patrick's leg for dear life. by the end he said "fireworks can't get me! i yike them!"

san diego- part five

2008-07-03T22:38:00.001-07:00

the final day of the trip was spent at sea world. it was the kids' first time there and they seemed to like it. it was pretty hot that day, so i was glad when we got to leave. kate did pretty well. she got a little antsy waiting for the shows to start and made friends with everybody sitting around us. even taking popcorn from the kid behind us! johnny was his usual scared self. he was scared of #1. shamu (even though he didn't even know who shamu was. once we told him we were going to go see shamu he said " no i scared of him") #2. happy feet. he cried in the penguin exhibit. in his defense it was pretty dark in there. #3. had a melt down watching the 4d elmo show. he wouldn't put the glasses on and when the water splashed from the chairs he lost it. it was so sad yet so cute. we had such a fun weekend in san diego that we really didn't want to leave. we can't wait to go back again next year! the three stooges
tommy feeding the sea lions. gross.

waiting for shamu to come out. we sat in the "soak zone" hoping to get a little relief from the heat but no such luck. not one splash.

san diego- part four

2008-07-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

after the pool we all went down to the beach in carlsbad, got some pizza and watched the sun set. it was a nice end to the day. johnny watching the sun go bye-bye
sisters

mommy and kate
the whole family minus one. austin and morgan went to disneyland that day

san diego- part three

2008-07-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

the hotel we stayed at was called la costa. it was like my favorite place ever. i want to go back every year. the second part of the second day was spent at the pool. they had so many pools to choose from, including water slides! they had a really great kids area to splash around and even a water slide for the little ones.
how fun! except i went once and was done. too fast for me!

the best picture ever! vanessa took this one of dad going down the slide.... mert made quite a splash!
vanessa and me at the hot tub that evening. natalie tanner came up and met us and we soaked our feet and had a great time catching up!

james taking kate down the kiddie slide

daddy taking johnny down the kiddie slide. after that johnny was brave and went about fifty more times on his own. he got in trouble a few times from the lifeguard for #1. going head first down the slide and #2. throwing the non-slip mat at the top of the slide down the slide. he really does take after his father!

san diego- part two

2008-07-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

the second day of the trip started out so fun! we got up early and drove down PCH to admire the view of the coast line. the kids had never seen the ocean before, so it was fun to see their reactions to everything. johnny calls it "tiki beach" because of an episode of the backyardigans. we ended up in la jolla, which was really nice. it wasn't too crowded and the weather was perfect.kate didn't know how to walk in the sand. when i set her down she just stood there frozen. it took her a few minutes to actually take a step. it was hilarious!
this was a cute picture of johnny and vanessa. she was burying his feet. he loved it. he was scared of the ocean. he cried a little. he is literally scared of everything. but i think it's cute!
kate was our little water baby. she couldn't get enough of the water. tommy played in the water with her the entire time.

this was really funny. i bought johnny a little squeaky shark and he was running around playing with it. well, when he set it down to try going in the water, sea gulls swooped down and one started pecking at it, and put it in his mouth and started to fly away with it! then like 20 more sea gulls flew over to check it out. i was yelling at tommy to go get it from the stupid birds, but he was (how do i say this nicely?) afraid! i wonder where johnny gets it from??? so, i got up and ran over there, but by this time the birds realized the shark wasn't a real fish so they kind-of didn't want it anymore. the people sitting by us couldn't believe it either!

johnny showing off his "tattoon" (he calls it) of mickey mouse that i drew on him that morning.

kate's fancy pedicure.
baywatch babe

san diego- part one

2008-07-03T20:11:00.001-07:00

happy birthday grandma chy! the first day of our weekend was spent driving to cali and then having about 20 minutes to get ready to go to my grandma's 80th birthday party in carlsbad. the hotel got the reservations mixed up so it took a while to get right. my mother with all her management skills handled it, and they put us in upgraded rooms, so it worked out. the party was at the church and it my entire family came! every one of the kids and grand kids showed up, so it was kind-of a family reunion as well. one thing we did was let go of 80 pink balloons in the sky to represent all the years of her life and all the wonderful things she has done. me, kaila, kate

vanessa, mom, grandma, me

james.... wearing kate's bow. hot stuff!

had to put a more masculine picture of my brother in there

after the party we all went to dinner. austin and morgan entertained johnny with a balloon

awww. like the 5th picture we have taken together since we have been married.

kate around the house

2008-06-26T21:56:00.000-07:00

kate's little personality is really starting to come out. she is becoming more independent, yet if anybody else is around, she wont let me out of her sight. she'll walk up to me and say "hi mommy!" and rest her little head on my leg. she is really sweet sometimes! she can be feisty,though. if i am standing too close to her while she is doing something, (such as taking a drink from my water bottle), she'll say "no move". today while i was cleaning the kitchen, she insisted on helping me when i was wiping off the pantry door. "no my do it" she said. so i let her. might as well train 'em young, right?

another thing is she is always obsessed with the phone. whenever i am on the phone she says "talk, talk, talk..." until i let her talk. sometimes if i have a client on the phone and am unable to let her talk she has quite the melt down. she has this little hot pink toy phone and she carries it around and has conversations on it. today it went something like this : "hi cole! yeah.... pool.... uh huh..... yeah...." and she pauses in between words to "hear" the questions.

nicole's baby shower

2008-06-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

today was nicole's baby shower, and we had it at my parents house. they did a great job decorating and made yummy chicken salad. thanks to the other family members that also helped out with food and stuff! we decorated with fabric and plates that had pink and white polka-dots, so i had these cupcakes made to match. she did an excellent job with them! nicole got some awesome gifts for little baby kennedy and she looked so pretty in pink! we can't wait until she's finally here! nicole opening presents

the crowd watching her open presents

the view from upstairs

happy birthday mimi!

2008-06-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

yesterday we went to my mom's work at southwest gas to say "happy birthday" to her. she is mimi to the kids because when johnny was a baby, my mom decided she didn't want to be called "grandma" and went with "grammy". ( a younger, more hip version of the word grandma) so, when she was trying to get johnny to say "grammy", he couldn't say it right and out came "mimi". and after saying "mimi" a few times we decided it was actually really cute and it has been mimi ever since. the kids were a hit at the office, johnny did his booty shakin' dance, sang happy birthday, and invited everybody to chuck-e-cheese about 20 times. kate had fun playing with all mimi's fun stuff in her office.

johnny brought her a mickey mouse balloon, but didn't want to actually GIVE it to her!

i want to be just like mimi when i grow up.......
she's just like mimi... all girl, (note the pink sparkly mouse) but knows how to take charge!

office supplies are so much fun!

my little baby is becoming a boy

2008-06-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

johnny is at such a great age. he is ready to be a little person and do things on his own. he really makes me laugh on a daily basis. lately he has a new dance where he sticks his butt out and sings "shake your booty"! and let me tell you, the boy has rhythm. he is still potty training... a few accidents here and there, but i'm not quite ready to take the plunge and leave the house without a diaper on. he has been picking out his own outfits lately and the other day family was coming over and he was so excited, so he went upstairs and got some clothes on. his outfit consisted of the following: a tom brady jersey, pink shorts, bart simpson socks, and black church shoes. he pretty much had all of his bases covered. don't ya think? and for the next picture... i hope i'm not the worst mom for posting a naked picture of my kid, but i can't stop laughing at it! sometimes after he goes on the potty, he'll just hang out naked for a minute until i tell him to put his clothes on. he's already a total boy because he can't stop touching his you-know-what. well, i gave him these pirate stickers he found in his room, and the next thing i know........
hmmm, what a good place to put stickers!

kennedy's room

2008-06-09T22:28:00.000-07:00

over the weekend i had the pleasure of helping out with nicole's nursery project. she had a few teacher friends, me, and her hubby patrick and his friend working round the clock (just kidding) to help get it done. the picture up top is her bedding. it's called miss ladybug's garden, so one of her friends painted these cute flowers, ladybug and butterfly on the wall to match. i wish i could say that i did it because it is so dang cute! but, at least i helped a little for my new baby niece's room......

cold weiners

2008-06-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

ok, so this is a weird post, but i need some opinions. johnny has been sneaking into the fridge and getting hot dogs out when i'm not looking. and by the time i notice what is going on, he's already eating it. he eats the hot dog cold! he might as well be eating dirt in my opinion,but is it really fine? i know the hot dogs are fully cooked before packaging, so is it just the cold factor that grosses me out? when i take it away and microwave it he cries and doesn't want it anymore. so, should i just let him eat his oscar mayer wiener cold?

summer fun

2008-06-07T15:26:00.000-07:00

today while we were at target, i decided to get the kids a fun little pool for the summer. it has a cute little slide that sprays water and i'm sure will give the kids many hours of splashing around in the backyard over the next few months. johnny has already figured out how to move the slide out of the pool and aim the sprayer at kate.

kate thought the water was a little too cold today and preferred to be on the sidelines riding the car around. until johnny soaked her.

a little adjusting

2008-06-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

johnny has had a tough time adjusting to the new "souse"(he calls it). the first night we spent the night, he kept saying "i wanna go home" and i said "we are home" and he said "no, home!" it made me feel sad because i thought he would love a bigger house with more room for his toys, but especially a yard to run around! but i guess kids have a harder time breaking routines. we have been here a few weeks now and almost every day he says he wants to go to the "old house". the downstairs is all tile so they ride bikes all over the place. the only other issues we are having are #1. the kids keep chucking their toys over the railing to the downstairs. quite a mess. #2. johnny keeps chucking his toys over the back wall. our house backs up to a busy street, but there are plants and trees and stuff by the sidewalk. i noticed the toys were back in our yard the other day, so i was pleased that the groundskeeper guys figured they were ours and threw them back over.

we moved!

2008-06-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

ok, so i'm finally posting again. we moved this last month up to summerlin. and we had a bug guy come so we only see dead roaches here. the internet wasn't hooked up for a few days, and then i wanted to take a picture of the new house, but oh well. we got the keys at the beginning of may, and the movers came two weeks later. we think we are going to like the new ward. we actually know a few people. and are way excited to be 5 minutes from work.

i am afraid

2008-05-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

well, i have to work in the morning and yet i am sitting at the computer refusing to go to bed. why, you ask? i'll tell you why. story: today i had to wash kate's crib sheets for the third time in 2 days as a result of forgetting to put bottoms on her before bed and waking up to naked girl with pee sheets. (poop the other day, but that was on vanessa's watch while she babysat for me) anyway, i put her blankets and sheets in a pile by the washer and would wait until the current load was done before washing them. when i picked up one of the sheets in the pile an hour later a roach appeared suddenly and was crawling around on the cute pink blanket. i screamed and threw it down and stood there waiting. waiting for any sudden moves. a few minutes later i ran downstairs to find my trusty raid, got a shoe, and headed back up. i carefully picked up, with two fingers, each sheet ready to attack, but i never saw him. i thought maybe he was still hidden in one of the sheets so i turned the washer to the hot cycle, to kill him a little extra than just warm water. but, after the cycle was done there were no remains. i wasn't convinced i had really killed him. the night went on and later the kids went to bed and i was folding the laundry on my bed and i had a feeling to go check on johnny and make sure the roach wasn't lurking around his room. i walked around his dark room only lit by the hall light and as i walked out there it was!! the nasty roach was crawling across the floor right in front of me! i wanted to get the raid but there wasn't enough time. i had to act fast. i ran in my room, got a shoe, turned on johnny's light and i saw him. whack! whack! it was done. i scooped him up in some toilet paper and threw him in the trash bag. however, how do i know that was the same one from today? was there more? what if i wouldn't have gone to check on johnny? what if he would have crawled on him in the night? i hate, hate roaches. why? why do they exist? the whole day i kept getting the chills and i have itched my head and body about a hundred times. i think i will have to sleep with the light on because roaches like the dark. i'm too afraid to go to bed!

yeah it's shayne!

2008-05-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

i am so happy matt picked her. i would marry her.

mother's day

2008-05-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

mother's day is tomorrow and i just wanted to write down a few thoughts i had about my mother and being a mother. i am usually the type to buy a "funny card" for every occasion, so those i love don't get a chance to hear how much i truly love and appreciate them. not until i became a mother did i really understand the unconditional love one could have for another person. i didn't understand why my parents would ever worry about me, whether it was dealing with friends in school, grades, jobs, even road trips with my friends. and i didn't understand just how much of a better person having a child makes you want to be. i am very thankful to have had a mother that taught me right from wrong (even though i didn't always make the right decisions), and a mother that has shown her love and support when i needed it most. my mom is always so great about taking charge and doing what needs to be done, so when i felt like i couldn't even put one foot in front of the other, she picked me up and kept me going. my mom is the most beautiful mom in the world. her face just beams every time, which is often, she gets told we look like sisters. and my mom is cool. she knows how to dress cute, smell good, decorate the house beautifully, and still managed to raise 4 kids while working a hard job full time. she doesn't need the credit to validate herself, but she doesn't get enough of it. i hope that one day i will be as successful as her in my marriage, career, spirituality, and motherhood. i love you mom. and i love you johnny and kate for making me feel like the luckiest person alive to have been blessed with the two most wonderful kids ever. i am so blessed to have such beautiful, healthy, good kids. and sometimes i put things in perspective and think, if heavenly father loves us more than we can even comprehend, and i know how much i love my children, it feels really good to know we are loved even more than we'll ever know by our heavenly father.
my mom asked me for a few pictures of the kids for mother's day so i took these in the backyard today and wanted to share. happy mother's day!

the last post

2008-05-07T21:01:00.001-07:00

gee, i wonder who wrote that?

Tommy

2008-05-07T00:52:00.000-07:00

My husband Tommy is the greatest!

disneyland

2008-05-03T20:11:00.000-07:00

on thursday we went to disneyland! it was the kids' second time there, and they did great. we wanted to go during the week so it wasn't so crowded and it paid off. we didn't have to wait long for any rides, which made it easier with four kids there. johnny had a little melt down the second time we tried to go on pirates, so i had to take him out of line and buy him a sucker so he could calm down. the day went by too fast. we can't wait to go back. how cute of tommy and johnny while watching the parade!
johnny fell asleep at the end of the day while he was eating a sucker

first time throwing a penny into a fountain
look at those chubby legs
the boys on dumbo

michael and johnny hand in hand
on the train
johnny was so excited to see mickey mouse. when we got into the room he slowly said "hi mickey" with such a happy tone. when i picked him up to take the picture, he grabbed mickey by the nose and pushed him away. he loved mickey, he just wanted to be a comfortable distance away from him.

angels game

2008-05-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

this week we took a quick trip to anaheim with our friends nick and jessica, and the kids. we drove up wednesday afternoon and went to an angels game. the kids did pretty good, besides the occasional touching of the people in front of us. they danced when the music came on, ate hot dogs and cotton candy and they loved the fireworks at the end.

sesame street live

2008-04-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

while i was gone, tommy decided to take the kids
to see sesame street live "when elmo grows up".
he said they had a blast. johnny was scared at first,
but was dancing by the end. and he had to keep
chasing kate because she wanted to run up
on stage! they both got a souvenir, and thank
goodness nicole went with, because i don't know
how he could have done it alone.

weekend away

2008-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

well, over the weekend i got to go visit one of my best friends angie in manhattan beach california. i went by myself (thanks tommy for watching the kids) on saturday afternoon and came home sunday night. when i got there we went to rodeo drive and we ended up buying matching white watches that we had both been looking for. then we waited in line for 45 minutes to get sprinkles cupcakes. and seriously, it was worth it. the chocolate peanut-butter cupcake was pretty much the best thing i have ever tasted. that night we went to see baby mama. it was a crack up. crazy to think that i was almost somebody's baby mama!

the next day we went to nordstrom, bought new clothes and shoes, and ate at the cafe. then we went to mac and bought some of the new dazzleglass lip glosses. the last thing on my list was to try pinkberry. so we stood in line for about 20 minutes there and it was well worth it,too. i got strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple on mine and it was soooo good. wish we had one here. it was so much fun just spending time with one of my best friends, and it was great to see her family, too. so basically the weekend revolved around shopping and eating. what we do best.

Tagged by Jessica. 55 Questions!

2008-04-18T23:47:00.000-07:00

1. Song that always makes you sad? You were always on my mind by Willie Nelson.
2.Last person you argued with? Tommy.
3. Last thing you bought? Shoes from Nordstrom.com
4. One of your stuffed animals' names as a kid? Sally. She came with a nightgown I got for Christmas and she was wearing a matching one. But I wasn't really attached to her, I liked barbies better.
5. Did you ever own at one time own a Michael Jackson Cd? No, I owned the "black or white" cassette.
6. Favorite day of the week? Thursday, because it's one of my days off, there's good television on Thurs nights, and then you have the whole weekend ahead to look forward to.
7. Did you take Piano lessons? Yes, from Karen DeLaPaz. I had to ride my bike there, so I hated going.
8. Most frequent song played? Lately, the "Low,Low,Low"song by Flo Rida. The kids seriously know the words and sing along and I think it's hilarious!
9. T.V. show you secretly enjoy? The Hills. Oh to be young and rich and thin....
10. Favorite scents? Angel perfume, amber, the smell of rain, coconut scented sun-tan oil (it reminds me of wet-n-wild).
11. Date someone older or younger? Both!
12. One place you could travel right now? Anywhere that I could do nothing while getting a tan.
13. Favorite time of the day? Sunrise. Although I only see it a few times a year!
14. Do you know all the words to the national anthem? Hello, I am American.... Yes!
15. Something you're wearing right now? My favorite article of clothing ever- jeans!
16. Jobs you've had? Various babysitting jobs, baskin-robbins for 2 weeks (got fired), Old Navy, telemarketing in Utah for two weeks (thanks for the rides Jessica), Hogi-Yogi in Utah (gained 15 lbs), receptionist at Talk-Talk salon, hair dresser at Karizma Salon, RoBeign salon, Vintage salon, Belle Cheveux salon.
17. Did you go to your high school prom? Yes, with Frank 99
18. Perfect time to wake up? 8:30.
19. Perfect time to go to bed? 10:00 to feel good the next day. 1 or 2 if I'm on the computer or talking on the phone.
20. Favorite soda? Coke Zero!
21. Ever been in a car accident? Oh boy, yes... a single-car accident! I was first pregnant and had a little hormonal road rage and a car was honking at me, so I looked over and flipped them off and got instant karma when i plowed right into the center concrete, knocking over a stop sign, and straddling the median in my little audi TT. The airbags deployed and everything.
22. Closer to mom or dad...or neither? It depends on the day. But close with both.
23. Who would you want on a deserted island with you? All my friends and family.
24. Have you been bungee jumping? Hell No! I can hardly look down when I am upstairs. However, I did go on a hot-air balloon ride in high school. That was so scary.
25. Favorite ice cream flavor? caramel-pretzel or peanut butter cup
26. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school? no, I love cleaning out my closet. It's like my favorite thing to get rid of things I don't wear so I can buy new stuff.
27. Did you play high school sports? 9th grade basketball team. I think our team won a whopping three games the entire season.
28. Were you ever in a school talent show? No, just in the orchestra.
29. What are you allergic to? I think I'm allergic to perfume. Although I still wear it every day. I just sneeze constantly when I do.
30. Have you watched sex and the city? Yes, after I watch it I start to narrate my life in my head as if I were writing it like Carrie. I kind-of pretend somebody is watching. Weird, huh.
31. Fun place you lived? King Henry apartments in Provo.
32. Do you shampoo first in the shower or soap? I shampoo so I can get the conditioner on a soon as possible so it can be in my hair the whole shower.
33. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste? I don't know why anybody would care how I brush my teeth.
35. Have you ever gambled at a casino? Oh yes. One night I won back me and Sheria's lost money ($200) by playing $25 hands of blackjack. And one night James and I were convinced we were going to hit the random jackpot that was due to hit anytime at Green Valley Ranch so we played penny slots for like 3 hours.
36. Have you thrown up on a plane? I have thrown up like 3 times in my life, and a plane wasn't one of them. But, after a long flight back from Hawaii, the little fat boy sitting next to me barfed as we were landing.
37. Have you thrown up in a car? No, but Tommy barfed in a nordstrom bag in the back seat of my car once.
38. Favorite cartoon as a kid? He-Man!
39. Favorite childhood tv show? Wheel of Fortune with Gram and Gramp, or Full House
40. Who was your first roommate? Joleen, at the dorms at BYU.
41. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time? no comment
42. What was your first car? hmmm, well I didn't even get my license till I was 19, but then I bought my mom's BMW 3 series hatchback.
43. What was the last movie you saw? August Rush
44. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown? 17, and not soon enough. (no offense mom and dad, but we all know everybody felt the same way)
45. Who was your first grade teacher? I can't remember his name. Mr. Syverstien I think.
46. Where did you go on your first airplane ride? Cali when I was like 4
47. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with? I never snuck out. I was too afraid.
48. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends with them? Toni Longo. Nope, have no idea where she is.
49. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day? Nicole or Mary Jane
50. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid? Jaimie Parker's
51. What is the first thing you do in the morning? pee (gross but true)
52. What were some concerts you have attended? No Doubt and Cake, Counting Crows, the Cranberries, 311, Gloria Estefan, the Offspring, Everclear, Moby, Coldplay twice, Rascall Flatts twice, Michael Buble, John Mayer twice, Phil Collins, Dido, Sting, 98 degrees, Britney Spears, James Taylor, Stix (not my choice), Dave Matthews Band, Yellowcard, Keith Urban and the Wreckers, Lionel Ritchie (me and tommy's first real date)
53. First tattoo or piercing? ears. And tattoo....Jamie Zobrist gave me a lip-liner tattoo, and it hurt like Hell!
54. First celebrity crush? Fred Savage
55. question from jason....1.Don't you ever get sick of reading blogs? No2.Why don't you read a book or something? I would rather read blogs. (Um, I don't know what the real question is supposed to be but I like Jessica's answer so I'm keeping it the way it is)

chuck-e-cheese

2008-04-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

we took the kids to chuck-e-cheese to celebrate johnny sleeping in his very own big boy bed every night this week. he has no problem taking a nap in his bed, but he has been scared to sleep alone at night. christine took the kids to target the other day and bought these cute curious george wall decals to stick all over the wall and johnny called them his friends. he was so excited to sleep in his bed with his friends on the wall. (and the hall light on all night) although mommy has enjoyed johhny in bed with her every night (um, i know that's bad) but it's time to have a normal sleeping arrangement. next it will be potty training...... oh boy.

engagement!

2008-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

congratulations to my brother austin and his new fiance morgan! they got engaged on saturday afternoon out at lake las vegas. they have been dating about a year and our family just loves her. she will make a great sister-in-law and aunt to the kids. we love you guys!

mark my words...

2008-04-12T13:24:00.000-07:00

i will NEVER get another sand box. not only do the kids get covered in sand every time they go out back (and immediately need a bath), they throw it at each other, at the house, and in the house (on my new treadmill). today, however, topped it all off. johnny came to me and said "wash hands". he is such a clean boy. he is always wanting to wash his hands, and if he spills on himself he has to take off all his clothes and change. so, i noticed he had caked on sand all over his hands, and as we were washing them off, it wreaked of poop. i thought it was his diaper, but i realized it was his hands. we were scrubbing and scrubbing, but the smell wouldn't leave. i knew what it was. i went outside and sure enough- cat poop. and we don't even have a damn cat. so, i am throwing it away forever. so one day if the kids ever ask for another sand box, i will say "hell no" and tell them the story of the day their sandbox became a litter box.

riley's party

2008-04-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

saturday afternoon we went to mike and carly's to hang out and eat. this was a picture i took of tommy and johnny.

touch a truck

2008-04-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

on saturday we went to the orleans with helen and kevin hanley to "touch-a-truck" . they had every type of truck you can imagine. a tow truck, a police car, fire truck, crane, school bus, even a helicopter. the kids could climb up in the cabin and honk the horns and play around. it was very loud, but a great time. kate was a real trooper. she just sat back in her stroller and soaked up the sun. (oh, and the first picture, kate's face looks really blotchy, but she had allergies or something because it was constant eye-watering)

mr. mom

2008-04-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

today while i was at work, something big happened. tommy made dinner! this was only the second time this has happened in like a year ( or two) and the other time had something to do with hamburger helper. well, tonight he made a meat loaf. cook book and all. it was actually delicious. and, to top it off, he cleaned up and did the dinner dishes. it was very nice of him.

cute hair!

2008-04-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

i just have to say that i love my job. i am seriously so lucky to be able to be a hair stylist. i have had 3 people call or text me in the last week just to say that they love what i did, and thank me for doing a good job. there aren't many careers out there where you make somebody feel good about themselves and you actually get recognition for your hard work. i really appreciate when people take the time to say thanks. when i wake up in the morning i am actually happy to get ready and go to work. and i work with a bunch of cute girls so i stay motivated to dress cute and wear fun makeup and have cute hair. and speaking of cute hair, i just had mine cute last week and i absolutely love it. heather did a great job.

mmmm, cupcakes

2008-03-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

are you kidding me?

white chocolate caramel!seriously!

here are a few cute cupcakes from a really cool blog cupcakes take the cake. i love going to different cupcake places and trying things out. i was looking for some ideas for cupcakes i am making for tiffany's baby shower when i came across these. i didn't find any baby shower cupcakes yet, but i have a few ideas, so we'll see...... this will be one of many a tribute to cupcakes

it's a what?

2008-03-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

last month when my sister-in-law nicole went to find out the sex of her baby, the doctor told her he was 80% sure it was a boy, which i knew for sure would be a boy. so the last 5 weeks they have been picking a name, and we are planning her shower and just thinking boy boy boy. boy were we all shocked when yesterday nicole and patrick were at the appointment and the ultra sound tech said "it's a girl"! what? what? i still can't get over it. however, this is very exciting news for baby kate, because now she'll have a little cousin to play barbies with. yeah!

good job tommy!

2008-03-26T23:29:00.000-07:00

so yesterday i was talking to tommy on the phone and he told me he had a surprise for me. after a few guesses i gave up and we hung up the phone until i would see the surprise later. well time went on and after i got home from work he called and said he would be late. really late. at 9:00 he finally let me in on the surprise and it was a new car! i was shocked!! although his lease is up next month, i still wasn't expecting it quite yet. but the nicest thing is he got the car for me to drive, and he will just drive my car now. he got me a ford explorer eddie bauer edition. and the best part is it seats 7! i love it and i'm so happy to finally have my first SUV. good job babe! thanks alot!

2008-03-24T00:24:00.000-07:00

so there is a little taste of just how good the holiday decor at the mitchell's looks. i wish i took a picture of the dinner table. they had robin's egg blue-colored plates with brown trim, brown bird's nest napkin holders with little eggs in them, even bird salt and pepper shakers. it looked way too pretty to eat on.

and look at the little easter princess.

happy easter!

2008-03-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

too much sugar

i found it!

it was so exciting this morning waiting for the children to wake up and see what the easter bunny brought. they had a blast opening their easter baskets. johnny's famous "oh by gosh" was the reaction to every piece of candy he pulled out.

2008-03-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

we went to baby tripp's first birthday party today and the theme was pirates of the caribbean. so we put these cute pirate tattoos on the kids' arms to be festive. the party was a great time and it was kate's first time in a bouncy house. she loved it.

coloring eggs

2008-03-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

our works of art

easter cupcakes

2008-03-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

mmmmm. so i was up till midnight frosting cupcakes to take to work tomorrow. but i love cupcakes and holiday time is the one time to justify indulging! i love to make the mini cupcakes. then, after you have like four, it's really like one regular cupcake and you don't even feel bad...

today

2008-03-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

no explanation needed

easter photo shoot

2008-03-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

that was kate squeezing the poor baby chick.

ok, here are the proofs from our easter photo shoot. we took them with tricia young. she is so great!

try not to fall asleep reading this post

2008-03-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

hmmm. life has been kinda boring the past few weeks so i have had nothing to write about. the other day tommy took the kids to the shark reef at mandalay bay while i went to lunch with one of my best friends natalie tanner. it was great to see her and catch up. she is the one person who always laughs at all my jokes. the kids had a great time seeing all the fishies. i'm not sure what they liked better-- the sharks or the lunch after. johnny says "fun sharks, fun hot dog". he has a favorite instrument. that would be the harmonica. i'm really sad that it broke today (not). and with spring in the air we are having fun outside and mommy has been doing a little too much online shopping for everybody's spring/summer wardrobes. tommy has us watching the new series on hbo, john adams. it's amazing how much i don't know my american history. sad. but i do know my american idol. go brooke and david a!

crappy day

2008-03-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

today was a crappy day. first, i didn't sleep at all last night because my nose was so stuffed up that i couldn't breathe and my throat hurt so it was hard to swallow. then, i had to wake up and go straight to dr. swainston's office where i got an iud put in. ouch!!!! i was in pain. then i got to take a nap while the kids did so that was good. but then when we were watching american idol, johnny started throwing things around. diapers, toys, etc. we kept telling him no, but he wasn't really listening. i was really paying attention to ryan seacrest announcing the final guy to be sent home when something came flying at my face. it was a level. i hung a picture up the other day and left the level down and boy do i regret it. the edge hit the upper corner of my nose by my eye and it actually started bleeding. i think i will have a black eye tomorrow. getting hit in the face with a level hurts. and although the wound looks small, it still hurts. ok, i'm done with my pity party.

one year ago... easter

2008-03-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

well, as easter is only weeks away, i wanted to put a few pictures up from last year to remind the three people who read my blog what the kids looked like at this time last year. kate could barely sit up, and johnny's hair was a lot shorter. my favorite thing is getting see's candy "for the children" and then deciding they can't have all that sugar. james got johnny that little bunny with a basketball, so i thought i'd put him in the montage. a little shout out to uncle james. the next picture is of the gi-normous bunnies my mom got the kids that are still taking up about half of kate's closet space. they will make their brief appearance this easter and then go back to their closet home until kate realizes she is scared of the bunnies coming out of the closet at night and eating her. then they might bless another child's life when we give them to d.i.. finally, i have to give props to mert and kate for their always amazing decorating skills. their house puts everybody else's to shame. there you see the larger-than-my-children easter eggs and basket that goes on the front porch each year. that is pretty much the one thing in their home that my kids are allowed to touch.

tommy

2008-03-01T17:41:00.000-08:00

tommy is such a good daddy. and he loves his baby kate. when i go to the salon he says "can i take her in and show everybody?" i think it's cute. he probably loves her so much because she looks like him, has his same build, and acts like him. her favorite word is yea. and we all know tommy is a yes man. her new thing is getting on top of the table. and then i hear uh.. uh... and i look over and she's hanging off the edge. i'll have to post a picture of that. but my point is, she is a crazy girl and has no fear. i wouldn't say tommy has no fear though. we share a fear of aliens. and he's afraid of max, well almost all dogs for that matter, the challenger, and needles.

the district

2008-03-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

we have had such a good time taking the kids to the district at green valley ranch on saturday nights. we usually meet friends and grab a bite to eat and walk around. the kids love to see the doggies walking around and they run around on the grass with tommy. we went a few weeks ago with jessica and it was so cute seeing johnny and michael help push the stroller. poor jessica was so patient! johnny loved baby bella. he kept saying "hold it", so we let him hold her. i can't wait for his new cousin to come!

raarh!

2008-02-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

johnny is working on his scary face

daddy's girl

2008-02-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

mini-me

2008-02-18T22:11:00.000-08:00

i had to laugh because johnny is in this "i can do it by myself" stage, and he was trying to put a shirt on and take it back off. he got it stuck and he was running around the kitchen saying "help! help!"

don't get your back waxed

2008-02-17T00:18:00.000-08:00

i think tommy would not really love the fact that i put these pictures up, but i figure nobody will see this. (especially not him because he thinks blogs are stupid) but if somebody does let me give you a little advice. don't get your back waxed! he wasn't even that hairy, but he gets bored i think at the salon and came home with a fresh smooth hairless back. well, like the next day he was itching like mad and asked me to see if there were any bumps on his back. that was the understatement of the year.

2008-02-17T00:10:00.000-08:00

so i can't get enough of jon and kate plus 8, and no i didn't name my kids after the show. but johnny thinks it's really neat that a show is the same name as him and his sister so he always asks to watch jon and kate. what really caught his attention was when she was putting her kids in time out and his eyes got all big and he said "time out?" i have a difficult time taking two kids out in public so i can not imagine 6 johnnys running around.....

san francisco

2008-02-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

so tommy surprised me for our anniver-sary and took me on a trip to san francisco. i was really shocked. it was very unexpected. we had a great time playing tourist. my favorite was going to alcatraz and doing a little bay cruise that told the history of the city. also going to ghirardelli square both days!

2008-02-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

these were my favorite pictures i took in san fran. we seriously walked forever!!! i took a picture on our long trek uphill of this house. it's purple. i would love to live in a purple house. it was my favorite. it was really cool being able to really see the city even though i felt like i was on the biggest loser. i had to like stop and take breaks!

my valentines

2008-02-16T16:40:00.000-08:00

johnny

2008-02-16T01:08:00.000-08:00

johnny is my cutie pie. he is wearing a tie that my parents gave him because his favorite ride at disneyland is pirates of the carribean, and this tie has little pirate things on it like a treasure chest, a parrot, and a little map thingy. i love his curls. this particular day was funny because i bribed him to go to nursery because they had snacks. so he was excited for "nacks" he calls them. but the next week when we pulled up to church he realized where we were and said "no mommy, no nacks, no nusry"

kate's first steps

2008-02-16T00:48:00.000-08:00

katers took her first steps this december and hasn't slowed down since. she's our crazy girl.

i am obsessed with cupcakes

2008-02-16T00:31:00.000-08:00

anybody that knows me well knows how much i love cupcakes. my most favorite ever is magnolia bakery in new york. my favorite place. mmmmmm.