Piece of CRAAAAAAAAP!

Many of you know that I loathe my Mazda MPV mini van. Hated it 1 month after we brought it home and had to put 1000 big ones into it. ANd since then, thousands of dollars more, 2 hit and runs and 1 accident in ALlentown where the guy hit me, and when the cops showed up, they arrested him for armed robbery that he did the night before. Needless to say, I didn't get any insurance money for that one, and so my bumber has been tweeked since. So...when we drove to Utah for Christmas it was not a comfortable ride. We have really outgrown this car, but i was trying to make it last until next year when Owen graduates and I can get my Land Cruiser. (payback for all the school he's put me through.) So, we are now in Long Beach for the New year, and right as we were about to leave, the transmission went out and it would cost 2300 bones to fix it. The car isn't even worth that! So, we rented a car, and now we have to figure out what to do car wise for me. I don't think I'm getting my Land Cruiser.

Four!!!

Drew when he was a wee one--yes, this is Drew,not Miles--I know my children are clones.
My little Drew celebrated his 4th birthday today! We started it off with the ward Christmas breakfast (one of the many disadvantages of having your birthday right before Christmas I guess.) Then we went to Lowes to do the weekly building project which the kids really enjoy doing on Saturdays. We went home and he opened his presents--among his favorites were his soccer ball and soccer net as to which he spent the remainder of the afternoon playing soccer in the backyard. (yes, it was in the 60's today!-Gotta love Vegas!) He also got one of those multi-cereal packs with all the sugar cereal.--you know, those little guys with froot loops, honey smacks, cocoa krispies and frosted flakes-that was a coveted gift! Then by his choice, we went to Mcdonalds for a happy meal and to play in the playland.(His favorite) and then to see "The Frog Prince".
It's hard to believe he is growing up so fast. Here are a few things about Drew that you gotta love.
1. He is the sweetest boy-so sensitive and he is my buddy and hopefully forever!
2. He is mister talkey talk.--The questions never stop!
3. He LOVES Little Miles and is always giving out kisses to him.
4. He really is the cutest thing ever with the cutest personality. -He was tagged by a talent scout not too long ago--she wants him to come in and do commercials for Macys.
5. He's really into Dinasour Train, Kryto the Superdog, and Calliou. He also loves a good bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and loves his Oreos. And he knows all 50 states in alphabetical order.
We love you Dewey! Happy 4th to you!

6 month Miles-stones

Today my little Miles is 6 months old. What a little Ham he is. Isn't he cute? He is defenitly the baby, and the hardest baby I've had.
#1 He refuses to take a bink--all 3 of my others have religiously until we have to call the binky fairy to come get it--but not Miles, he has tried 12 different types, and prefers the boob and sometimes the thumb.
2. He is a horrible sleeper--although he slept through the night 5 times in a row last week, which was a first and a miracle in itself, he has been the lightest and shortest sleeper.
3. He gags on baby food--the only thing he likes is a piece of banana or watermelon in his mesh feeder. Rice cereal and baby bananas and applesauce are for the birds.
4. He loves to be kissed and hugged.
5. He loves to take baths.
6. He adores Drew.
7. He's wearing 6-12 month clothes--but more closely 9-12 month. (he weighs 20 lbs easy!)
8. Mode of transportation--rolling.
9. Almost sitting by himself.
10. Spitting image of Maggie when she was a baby.
11. Nicknamed Milo and Melos by Owen and Drew calls him "Little Miles"
We sure do love our little Miles!

12 year celebration at the Venitian

Owen and I had our 1 week late celebration of our 12 years of marriage at the Venitian Hotel last night. (our actual anniversary was on the 6th, but Owen was OOT)
I have never been a fan of the whole Vegas scene, but I'm starting to discover some fun things to do at the different hotels. Our first adventure was a romantic gondola ride through the canals as our gondola driver sang italian opera to us.
kissing under the bridge for good luck
Then we went and had NY Deli sandwiches and chocolate cake--i didn't get a pic of that, but it was sure tasty! After dinner we did the unthinkable, and went to Madame Tussade's Wax Museum. We got some bang up pics and everyone looked very real--except Michael Jackson and it really felt like they were staring at you. I NEVER thought I'd ever go to a wax museum with Owen--so not his thing,but we actually had a really good time taking funny pics with all of them. When we got home I showed the kids the pics of all the movie stars we met, but it didn't fool Maggie--she said,"mom, your standing next to a bunch of plastic people." smart girl. Happy 12 to us!
Owen and Hef
me and my man!
good times with Cameron
Dental exam for Mr. Roker
Hey baby!

slightly embarrasing, but pretty dang funny!

I wasn't going to blog about this, but it's turned into the standing joke between Owen and I. A couple of weeks ago, Owen and i had our bedroom door locked. Yes, there is now a visual. OF course there is always someone banging on the door, and this time it was Maggie. She said, "what are you guys doing in there? Are you kissing naked and touching hair?" We about died laughing! Ok, so you know, we have NEVER been caught in the act, and for all I know, Maggie doesn't know about that stuff. So, when is it time to have the birds and the bees talk? They always say to get to your kids before they hear it at school. Could she have possibly already heard about it? She is in 3rd grade, but man, I think she's still way too young to hear about this stuff! I'm soooooo not ready for all this growing up stuff!

Drew's allergy update

If you care to read--i know it's long--Most everyone knows that my little Drew has multiple food allergies. He was first diagnosed at 11 months old, but they believe that he had them since birth. His list is long from milk, eggs, soy, nuts of all kinds and sesame. About a year and a half ago, he outgrew wheat and barley opening the door for good ol bread and cheerios. He has seen 4 different allergists now and this new one here in Vegas said on our first visit that there was a strong possibility that he may not be allergic to anything. He didn't believe the multiple skin tests he had and couldn't believe that he had never had a blood test which i guess is more accurate. I wasn't going to get my hopes up, because deep down I knew he really was allergic to all that stuff. After his blood test, we found out that yes, we were right, and that his peanut was off the charts. I guess normal levels are around 0.3 and he was 65. Most of the nuts were high, and his milk was 25 but his egg was 3. So, I was saddened for him..to think that he will probably never outgrow his peanut allergy and be able to taste the most delicious thing on the planet "reeses peanut butter cups"
Today we decided to do an egg challenge since his levels were pretty low.(we do this at the allergist office in case of emergency) The bad part is that i had to feed him straight eggs. The smell alone isn't very enticing. He had 3 bites of scrambeled eggs and then barfed all over the floor.--which then proceeded to a rash on his face. Well, so much for that! We gave him benadryl, and predisone, and in 2 weeks we will do a baked goods egg challenge which is basically like a cake or cookies with eggs. His allergist seems to think that he should be fine on this one. We shall see. For now, we'll stick to the usual..oatmeal, fruits and veggies. Drew is really a good sport with this thing--i guess it's because it's all he's known and so he's used to it. He never fights me on foods when he can't have them--he knows that they'll give him a stomach ache and it just isn't worth it.

I'm all Halloweened OUT!!!

This past week has been nuts o crazy! I'm so glad Halloween is over! Now all i have to do is figure out how I'm going to get rid of all that Halloween candy my kids got--there is NO WAY they are eating all of that! But, it is their most prized possession--they carry their bags around wherever they go, and they keep dumping it out, and counting, sorting it into catagories, and trading.
last Tuesday started out with Drew's party at school. He picked out his costume--he is a MEAN tiger.
Maggie had her school party on Wednesday--Maggie is all about blood and guts, so we had to do scary again(last year she was a skeleton, and the year before she was a vampire)--lets just say we wrapped her 4 different times, but she sure did get lots of compliments!
Audrey had her party on Thursday--we had a costume battle this year. She really wanted to be the vampire that Maggie was in 1st grade--except for they said no wigs or make up at school, plus the dress was a little big on her--I told her she would show up in an oversized black dress, and noone would know what she was--she comprimised with Dorothy-
And little Miles was my little superbaby! Isn't he the cutest!
I made these cute lollipop cookies for Maggies class and the school bake walk
We had the ward Trunk or treat, the school trunk or treat/carnival, and then to top it off, we went to Utah this weekend because the kids didn't have school on Friday or Monday(Nevada day-whatever that is) and we went to my moms ward trunk or treat and then went neighborhood trick or treating and saw this Joseph Smith pumpkin on one of the doorsteps
So, now we're home and the decorations are coming down and man am I glad! I told the kids next year it's going to be one trick or treating we do not need to do everything--they disagree.

Co-op? Pure Brilliance!

What is Co-op? Well, when I got to Vegas, the women in the ward asked me if I wanted to be in Co-op. Here's how it works: Everyone starts out with 30 tickets--half are 1 hour and half are 1/2 hour. Each day there are 2 different people signed up to baby-sit. one from 9-12, and 1 from 12-3. The person who is baby-sitting can decide how many she wants to baby-sit that day. You have the option to take your kids to her house for that time period. For every child you take over and for each hour that they are there, you give the babysitter a ticket. For example, if I took Drew to Shauna's house from 12-3, I would owe her 3 tickets. IF I took both my kids, i would owen her 6 tickets. And maybe i would only need her for 2 hours so then i would owe her 4. During this time frame, the babysitter feeds a good snack provided by her to the child so when mom comes to pick up, they don't have to go home and feed them.
This is true brilliance! Why did we not do this in Philly? No money needed, just equal trades. We have a 4 month calendar and there is someone everyday in the morning and afternoon. SO if you have a Dr.'s appt, or want to volunteer in your child's classroom, or maybe you want to go to the store --alone!!! OR maybe you just want some ME time and you go home and take a nap.--I've used it to clean my house before and i got it done sooo much faster! ANd if you're ever running out of tickets, you can just eamil everyone to see if someone doesn't want their shift because you need tickets! This really would have been a life saver in Philly! All those wic appointments and trips to the medicaid office--man this totally would have saved me!

Tough Love

As I sit here typing, it is 12:35 a.m., and I'm waiting for little Miles to fall asleep. He's been crying for almost an hour. He has been the HARDEST baby of mine to sleep through the night. He has only slept through the night twice. Yes, that's right--2 times in his 4 month existance. Which means, that I have not had good REM sleep in months--you have to count the months that i was up peeing when I was pregnant. My first 3 were champs. Slept through the night at 2 months--no sweat!--seriously, it was a piece of cake. Where have I gone wrong? This kid is the lightest sleeper, and when he sleeps, his one eye is half way open. The minute you lay him down, he starts shaking his head side to side to the point that he had rubbed the back of his head raw and it started bleeding the other day. He just can't settle.--So, I really think it is all my fault though. I, because of serious exhaustion over the last 4 months, don't feel like letting him cry himself to sleep. Every night around 2a.m., he cries, I go get him and put him in bed with Owen and I. Big mistake I know. I'm just too dang tired to feed him and put him back to bed. He usually falls asleep with his face pasted up against my boob.--I also realize that this is not safe either. So, tonight I'm not getting him. It is totally a comfort thing and he needs to learn to comfort himself. I can't go on like this anymore--I'm really starting to get grouchy. Shhhhh..I think he is asleep--it's a miracle. But...I bet you he's awake and crying in 1 hour.--Cross your fingers!--nope, I was wrong, he's still crying--i better go reassure him that I still love him and haven't abandoned him.

It was a classic!

I'm an Office fan, and Jim and Pams wedding was a classic. I even had to go check out youtube to see the real deal. Love the show!

35

Well, it's official, I'm half way to age 70. I've been out of highschool for 17 years, and married with children for 12 of those years. Man, the time goes by fast, and we're still in school--what is up with that???
Owen's parents and his brother and wife came up from Cali for the weekend. Owen cooked me an awesome dinner of Filet mignon with truffle sauce, baby white potatoes and green beans with pinenuts. If Owen has ever cooked for you, you know he's dang awesome! We topped it off with a delicious pineapple upsidedown cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.mmmm, my fav! It was great to have family help celebrate my 35 years. Owen's mom gave me a Barefoot COntessa cookbook and an awesome chopper from Williams n Sonoma, and some cashola. Owen gave me a gym membership, new gym clothes and and itunes gift card--I've been really hinting that it is time to hit the gym and get all this baby Phat off!-now there are no more excuses.
On my actual b-day which was the 30th for all of you who need to put it on your calendar to remember next year because you forgot this year. Since my b-day was on a Wednesday, Owen had to work and the girls went to shcool. So, my inlaws watched the boys while I shopped and had a pedicure. Olive Garden for dinner finished off the evening. Great B-day! Thanks Family!





just had to throw this one in of Miles cracking up at himself in the mirror.

The little man starts preschool

Could this be? Yes, my guy started preschool this week. He has been talking about it since last year, and was all ready to go when the girls started school. He was quite disappointed when he had to wait 2 extra weeks to start. But, the morning of, he was up early and all dressed. We had a hard time finding him a school that would work for the both of us. There wasn't anything close by, and it just wasn't worth the commute for me. There are several women in our ward that teach out of their homes, but unfortunately, they have terrier dogs which apparantly Drew is allergic to. We found Mrs. Kayla in another ward just up the street for me. She too has a dog, but he doesn't seem to bother Drew. So, now after several encounters with terriers, we know that it isn't the dog for us. And now I have 3 in school--man am I feeling old!

Cool Sneaks (thanks Lynette for the referral-Drew loves them!)

This was actually the 1st pic I took of Drew--shows his personality!
With his teacher Mrs. Kayla

I heart Recycling!

Just got our bins, and I'm so excited! Excited about recycling you say? Absolutely!--And, my bins were free!

School Dayz, Miles and a few randoms

The girls started school 2 weeks ago, and I'm just getting around to posting it. This is life with 4 kids now--a little nuts I guess. Between holding Miles all day--he likes to be held, and the overbearing amount of homework they give 3rd graders, i just can't keep up I guess.
The girls like school. (The name of their school is Bonner Elementary--can you believe it? I'm sure you can just hear my husband, "Yeah dude, I go to Boner, i mean Bonner." It's quite unfortunate.) It's nice to have them engaged in something to keep them out of my hair. Summer break was just was too long--don't gst me wrong, I love my kids, it was just a very busy, and exhausting summer with the move, a new baby, and starting a new career.
Maggie is in the 3rd grade, and Audrey started 1st. This is her first year that she has been gone full day, and I do miss making her peanut butter sandwiches after she comes home from school and Drew misses his afternoon playmate. Drew will start preschool next week though and can hardly wait. Then it will be just me and the babe--what will I do all day? oh, hold him! Ha!



Meanwhile, My little Miles just had his 3 month birthday.--Time really does go by fast--you're sad to let go of the newborn stage, but it's so exhausting that you really don't care that much anymore and are ready to feel normal.
1. Miles is allergic to milk, so I am on a dairy free diet.--don't get me started.
2. He has slept through the night twice.--really working on that one.
3. He won't take a binky--all my kids have been binky addicts and he just gags on it.--i keep trying to convince him that it could be his best friend-and
my savior.
4. He is a very light sleeper, so at our house it echos a lot and is generally noisy from all the fighting between #1 and #2--so he has 5-10 min power naps.--now you know why I've slacked on the blogging!
5. Owen calls him Milo, or Melos--long e. Now we have a Dewey and a Milo
Just started smiling --what a little ham he is!

Looking very surprised

The kids are always in his face, but he LOVES it!

Passed out after church

Tasty little hands!
Here are a few interesting things I've learned since living here in Vegas.
1. I guess I live in the mountains somewhat, because everytime I leave, or drive into Summerlin, I have to pop my ears.
2. I have gotten lost way too many times in my own development-why? Every house looks the same--there is no "turn left at the little blue house on the corner." They all have the same rooftops, the same pasty colored stucko, and the same landscape. I even sometimes don't know which is my own house!--Just open the garage door and then you'll know it's yours, or it's across the street from the fire hydrant.--these are things I tell myself in my mind.
3. It's still too hot here for me. I'm sorry, but we've been here a month and a half, and it's been over 100 everyday. For the love people!

Update--our weekend

We are alive in Vegas--finally all together again! It has been an adjustment climate wise that is--the heat is a bit overbearing, but people say that it does get better. ALl I can say is it better because my kids are tired of being cooped up in the house because it is too hot to play outside. Next week school starts--YEAH!!!--did I say that outloud?
The kids will mis thier next door neighbor good buddies who they played with EVERY SINGLE DAY this summer--Laurel, Ben, Megan and Jacob.

The day we left Utah, Miles was blessed by Owen.

M

He looks like he's waving in this pic, but I think he's tipping.
Miles is now 2 1/2 months and talking, smiling and looking so old. He's still a tank.

Owen had Thursday and Friday off ( if you've forgotten why we're in vegas-Owen just stared a 2 year pediatric dental residency at UNLV.--23 months to go--did I say that outloud too?) So we desereted the desert and headed to SOCAL. only 4 hours to his parents house. On Friday we took the kids to Knotts Berry farm--our free entertainment thanks to Owen's dad who always has tickets laying around. Maggie amazes me at how big she's getting. She rode all the big coasters and loved them. I still can't believe how tall she is and how old she's getting. She went on The supreme scream with me--they take you 300+ feet in the air and then drop you. She loved it--and I screamed the whole way down and wondered why I did that one!



On Saturday, Owen took me over to his old office and drilled my tooth that has been bothering me for months.--then had lunch with all his dentist friends which he misses greatly. Lets just say going back to school is not that glorious!--We then took the kids to Sunset beach and the kids really enjoyed the waves crashing into them.- An exhausting afternoon at the beach.
Miles first trip to the Ocean--taking a 2 month old to the beach really isn't very fun!




-Owen's cousin came down from Lake Elizabeth with her new baby who is 1 month younger than Miles--and a lot smaller, and we had dinner at the soup Plantation.

Owen, Miles and Lotus--thank goodness we don't have twins!

Then Sunday morning, our plans were to go to church, but we woke up to a dead cat and had to have a funeral. Owen even made him a headstone with a drummel. Wallace, you will be greatly missed.
Owen and his brother mane all of their animals with a last name--I think Penleg has something to do with the mama kitty getting her leg cought in a door. Wallace was around 20 when he passed.
After an awesome BBQ salmon dinner made by the master chef Owen, we headed back to Vegas--I have a feeling we will be making a lot of these trips.