Can I back track a little?

Wow! I used to blog ALL THE TIME! I never seem to make the time anymore. I watch way too much tv and so I've decided that I need a wireless laptop so i can be on the computer and watch tv at the same time. Some good multi-tasking I say.
Valentines is never a big deal at our home. I do try to make the kids a valentine and give them a little candy, and something cute to go with it. Audrey couldn't believe that OWen and I were leaving for Reno on Valentines day. She thought we were bailing out on the hoilday and I quickly reminded her that us celebrating Valentines alone was perfect!


Owen and I drove 7 LONG hours to Reno to check out a practice. The drive from Vegas to Reno has got to be the longest drive ever! There is nothing except for 3 sleepy towns and I mean sleepy! I couldn't believe people existed here! The largest town was TOnopah and well this old motel sums up this city.
Reno was...well, lets just say I didn't get the warm and fuzzy vibes while I was there. Instead I was disappointed, and I even cried at the Fuddruckers. We left a day early and I think Owen was frusterated with me after that trip cause I made such a quick judgement about it. What can I say? It just wasn't where I wanted to spend the rest of my life.
Part 2--like Father like Son.
Drew has taken on Owen's green thumb. Here he is perfecting the art of bonsai! I think Owen was in heaven to see that his boy was interested in plants.


Part 3-Basketball
Maggie played on a city league this year. Her team was the lakers and she was 1 of 6 girls in the whole league. I would defenitly say she's was the most improved player. It was pretty painful in the beginning, but she caught on, and got so much better. She even scored a basket in one of the last games. Overall, she had a lot of fun and I'm glad that there are no more Saturday games since we are now in baseball season for Drew and are at the field every Sat morning.


Part 4--Miles
This kid is a busy body! He is into everything he shouldn't be into.--especially the computer button--turn on, turn off, turn on etc.--same thing with the printer. The gate doesn't work, he can tear it down. We have to keep all doors closed, or he will destroy the other kids rooms. And heaven for bid that he gets in the bathroom! He will destroy the carpet with green toothpaste and pink body wash in about 5 minutes. He gets in trouble at the gym day care and church nursery for hitting. He is a bully. I've seen him on many occasions just walk up to random children and wak them across the face for no reason. I swear we don't abuse him. He rarely gets a spankin. I think it's his survival mode at home being the youngest of 4. He loves to go on bike rides, and eat with his fireman hat on. That is when he eats. He rarely eats. ANd he loves to play in the sink. Anything water and he is there. He is the kissist child ever! He kisses me about 50 times a day--just randomly too. on the leg, the arm and the face, but his favorite is on the lips! Nothing says a good smooch like an almost 2 year old smackin you on the lips with a snotty nose! We love him! Last night we took the kids to see a movie and we left Miles with a sitter. Owen felt so bad neglecting him. It just isn't the same without Miles. Except at a movie--i would be the one wrestling with him--not OWen.




Part 4--Audrey
Smarty pants Audrey has recieved several awards this year. This was for the Principles award. Her teacher even sent me an email that said that she really deserved it! She is most of the time pretty pleasant and easy going. I'm sooooooo glad my kids are doing well in school.
Part 5--Drew
He just stared playing T-ball and loves it! I haven't taken any pics yet, but he was required to get a cup. He had the giggles about that one. He is READING! He is doing great! He can read Hop on Pop all by himself and is about to start GO DOg Go. He will be so ready for kindergarten. He is still my little sweetheart. He has a thing for me, and most of the time will do anything to make me happy. He is a great cleaner! Here he is at his preschool fieldtrip to petland with one of the birds on his shoulder.
Part 6--Disneyland
As it says above on the Valentine that we took the kids to Disneyland. And like we all haven't seen enough pics of Disney to last us a lifetime right? Well, too bad, it's my blog so I'm posting pics. But just a couple. We are lucky to have Owens parents live so close to Disney. They watched Miles for us on the first day while we went to California Adventure, and then we took him to the Land on the 2nd day. I think 2 parks 2 days in a row would have been too much for miles. Owen and I felt like yuppies without him. We had no stroller for the first time ever! It was actually kind of nice cause we just went from ride to ride. But theres something to be said about taking your sweet 22 month old on It's a small world. Priceless!




Part 7--Maggie turns 10!
Maggie celebrated her 10th birthday on March 9th! Can you believe it? 10 years? That is nuts! We said no parties this year, but we did kidnapp her from school and took her to lunch--just her. Owen met us down on the strip at Serendipity. It was a nice warm day and I think she enjoyed the fact that is was just her. She had a BLT and Owen and I shared our favorite turkey and Brie sandwich. Of course with the best sweet potatoe fries ever. Do you know what is Maggies favorite thing to eat? Sweet Potatoes with brown suger! And of course fried oreo sundae for dessert! Holy crap! The calories! That night we opened presents and had cupcakes. We love our Maggie! She is a beautiful, creative girl! Still as bossy as ever and is always writing plays, stories and trying to organize shows to perform. Still wants to be an actress when she grows up.







Above are some paper flowers I made to decorate the room for her birthday.
Last part ---Washington/Oregon
Here we are at some gorgeous falls near Seattle the day we flew in. I can't remember the name of them casue I was still drugged from taking 2 dramamine right before we flew. I was passed out all day--Owen couldn't revive me. But I do remember the falls were amazing!
Owen and I went to Yakima Washington for a job interview with the indian health service cor. It actually isn't a bad deal considering the loan repayment and extra ammenties you get with the job. The problem is living in Yakima. I guess I have just lived in too many big cities, that going to a small town would be difficult for me. I had a really hard time seeing myself there. It was pretty and all, but I guess I didn't get that warm fuzzy feeling there either. I think if our kids were younger, then it would be doable for a couple of years, but to get a lot of our loans payed back, we'd have to give 6 years and that would still leave us with 100k to pay. Maggie would be 16 by the time we were done, and I don't see myself packing up then. I think Yakima would end up being our home for--ever. And I just don't see that nor do I want that. I feel like we could do just as well somewhere we really want to be. (Still awaiting job situation in Denver) So we drove to the Oregon coast with the rest of our time and Man, I was so tempted to suck up the rain just so I could live there. Owen and I immediatly fell in love. That place is amazinly gorgeous! But....it did rain, and rain, and rain. That is why it is so gorgeous! i think it would be a great vacation spot. We stayed in Lincoln beach and our room overlooked the ocean. We were literally feet from the water. If there was a tsunami, we would be toast. At night we'd look out our window, and it was somewhat frighteneing to see the dark water that lay in front of us. The next day we drove all the way up the ORegon coast to Seattle to fly home. So, so beautiful! OWen was in heaven and said the beaches buried SOCALS beaches in a heartbeat. He was sold and was ready to pack up and move to one of these small beach towns. The best was Arcadia beach. ANd i was disappointed with Astoria. Thought it would be amazing like I remember from the movie "Kindergarten Cop", but it was kind of old and rundown. I think we'll vacation there in July or August though. March was a bit chilly.
This was the view from our room

This sign was encouraging after what just happened in Japan. Right?
This was right after a sneaker wave came and soaked me from the shins down. Little stinker wave.
Arcadia Beach

The light at the end of the tunnel

Well, it's here. I can see the light. In 4 short months, Owen will graduate from his residency as a Pediatric Dentist. Something he has wanted since his 2nd year of dental school. It's hard to believe that we have finally made it. 13 1/2 years of marriage, 4 great kids, all of undergrad, all of dental school, a GPR, 1 year apart and 2 years of Pedo school. Soon....I will finally be able to buy my first home. One that I can paint the walls if I want to, instead of looking at the ol drab white color. One that I can dig up the backyard and have my own garden. And heck if we want a dog and a trampoline, we will get it because it will be ours! (sore spot right now since our current landlords won't let us have either because it will ruin the grass.)
So what's next for the Sanders? Well, you guessed it! We still don't know, as Owen and I are probably the most indecisive people out there. I think more me. Owen wants to work in an underprivlidged area and make peanuts, while I'm thinking lets go for the big bucks! I feel like I've put in my time, and really the only reason I agreed that OWen could do this program was because I knew the money would be better and we would be able to give our children things that we never had.--Not to mention retire early so we can go on missions. Owen--well he loves to work with kids, and this has been his dream for a long time. So he doesn't care. All he knows is that he doesn't want to work in some dental mill where they are in and out so fast that you can't remember who had what done, and then coming home so exhausted that he doesn't want to spend time with his own kids, he just wants to veg. (his current moonlighting job is like that and he doesn't enjoy it.)
So, maybe in 4 months we'll be packed up ready to go somewhere else. Maybe not. Maybe we won't have found that perfect place that doesn't exhist. I think I've had a vivid imagination about what life will be like when we're all done, so because we haven't found that dream place where there are mountains, small streams, a big house, lots of LDS kids to play with, make lots of money, and suburban near an ocean without grey winters--I know, I have high expectations and I know this place doesn't exist, but a girl can dream right?
For now, we went to Reno. Thumbs down. Owen gave me the silent treatment for a few days because he felt like I made a judgement of Reno in 2 hours and was ready to go home. It just didn't feel right
In 2 weeks we'll be off to Yakima WA. That's right--small town, grey winters, and I don't know what else, but I'm thinking theres not much there. But..I have a dear mission comp that lives there and loves it. It's a 2 year indian health cor for loan repayment.
He's also applied for one in Chatanooga TN.--You don't even want to know what's going through my head right now.
We still have Austin, and Colorado that are not ruled out yet either.
The good news is that if we haven't made our minds up by June, Owen can stay here in Vegas working for Absolute, so we'll still have a paycheck.
Looking back on the last 4 years has been interesting. Our first year out of dental school was rough. We lived in Allentown PA which was a gorgeous little town with so much outdoor beauty. It was a hard depressing year for me I think because I was expecting more than a very tight budget coming out of dental school. Especially since we had friends who worked for Comfort dental and were making a killing. I thought, "that should be me, but it's not." Everything that could have goine wrong did while we were there. Our car was stolen right out of our driveway, we had a sewage flood in our basement, we had the landlords from HELL, we had a fire, and we lived from paycheck to paycheck. But deep down, Owen really wanted to to pedo, and I don't think he would have gotten in unless he did this GPR.
After Allentown, Owen was offered a position for the pedo residency for the following year. knowing that he would be back in a school situation the following year we decided to live apart to pay off debt so we could go back to school. Owen could only practice in CA at the time, and there was no room to live with his parents, so I lived in Utah with the kids and my pregnant self, while Owen worked full time in CA and would visit everyother weekend. And I thought Allentown was depressing? That year living in the basment of my moms house with my 3 kids and being pregnant all alone was one of the hardest times of my life. But I knew that it had to be done so we could survive another 2 years.
So now in Vegas at UNLV life isn't too bad. Yes, Owen is busy. He just got finished being chief which took a lot of extra time. He has moonlighted every Saturday to compensate for the stab in the back UNLV gave us 4 weeks before the program began. "oh, and sorry we can't pay you that 45k each year you are here. you will get 35k for the 2 years and we will also need 60k in tuition. sorry for the change in plans." what do you do at that point? drop out? I don't think so. It's way too competitive to get in. So you suck it up and know that you will pay it off...... someday.
Saturdays are not easy days for me. I have the kids all day. FOr a while it was a lot of boredom, fights, messes and whining. But now they're in basball, basketball, and gymnastics. So our Saturdays consist of ME and ME only going to games and classes. at the end of the day, I've accomplished nothing at home,and somedays I feel sorry for myself that I don't have Owen to help me out--cause dragging Drew and especially Miles to all of this is more of the challenge than being gone all day. I enjoy cheering my kids on, I don't enjoy chasing Miles onto the basketball court because he's interfering with the game. Not to mention the many snacks and toys I have to pack up to keep him happy which usually doesn't help since he's so mischevious.
But, I can't complain the past 4 months, Owen usually has Fridays off. We bike with the kids to the park, go out to lunch and we'll even get a babysitter and go out by ourselves--we do that a lot.
I guess I can say that I survived! It was rough, but it will be worth it and I made it. These last 2 years have been better because I always manage to take time out for myself. I love my kids, but I have to have "me" time so I can function from day to day. I think it makes me a better mom. 4 kids can send you to the cleaners very quickly if you can't keep sane. So I always get my daily gym fix, whether it be during the day,or late at night. It's such a destresser. I have my bunco group once a month, and great friends. Love having Angie near by even though we don't see each other as often as I'd like. She's a great friend.
So more to come in the next couple of months I hope. Staying in Vegas isn't on the plan. As much as I LOVE the winters here, my ward, my kids friends, and the major ammenties here, I do not like the dreadful summers here, nor do I like desert life. 10 4 for now. update later.

25 things you don't know about me--pass it on!

Yes, this is a tag I got from someone and I tag anyone who even blogs anymore or anyone who reads my blog--I know it is few. ahem..Maria, Laura, Melinda, Cathie, Mary, Tamar, Lynette, Alyssa, Michelle. ANd you have to do it, or I'll kick your butt! It's a picture tag--go to flickr to get some pics!
1. When I was 20, I waited tables at Brick Oven Restuarant in Provo Utah.--The worlds best pizza!
2. I love to sing, and I love to dance! Too bad I suck at both of them.
3. I actually really enjoy exercising.--I get a rush out of it. Unfortunately, I love to eat too, which is why I'm so fat.
4. My favorite song to run to is "Read my Mind" by the Killers.
5. I prefer sugary candy over Chocolate and pasteries--especially anything gummy
6. Right now I'm dreaming of traveling. I can't wait until I can take some cool vacations to Greece and somewhere tropical.--I have never vacationed outside of the U.S.
7. My first job was an EKG technician when I was 17. I was so lucky to get that job, and it got my foot in the door to many other jobs at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center--telemetry/IMC secretary, OR Secretary/Mother Baby Nurse and then Labor and Delivery nurse.
8.My mom wouldn't let me get my ears pierced, so when I was 18 I took a trip to Seattle with my friends and they took me over to the mall to get it done.My mom wasn't happy when I came home.
9. I LOVE ASPARAGUS!
10. When I was young I was a huge Wham fan! Wham, Bam, I am your man!
11. The lullaby I sing to my kids is "LA, LA LU" from Lady and the Tramp. My boys love it.
12. I have been watching Days of our Lives since I was 11.--my friend got me hooked. Don't get me wrong, I don't watch this EVERYDAY--well, now that I have DVR, I just record it and fast forward through alll the boring parts, so I'm not technically watching an hour long soap everyday.--glad we cleared that up!
13. my favorite Christmas song is Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella.
14. I lived at the "Riv" in Provo when I was in college. I made out with a lot of boys. It was a fun time!
15. I also jumped off the roof of the apartment complex into the pool. That was stupid, but I thought it was so fun and cool at the time.
16. I served a mission in the Harrisburg Pennsylvania mission. I also met Owen there. We served in the York Zone together. Can you find us?
17. My biggest pet peeve is when people eat with their mouths open.
18. My celebrity crush right now is Bradley Cooper! Baby! Check out those eyes! Did you know he's from Fort Washington PA?
19. I want to have one more baby, but just can't get myself to that point again--I can barely keep up with the 4 I have.

20. If I could live in another era, it would be the 40's. I love big band music.
21. I would call myself indecisive, and a procrastinator.--which is probably why we haven't decided on where we want to live. I think Owen is the same way.
22. When I was 5, I stuck my hand in between the escalator handrail at ZCMI in Orem Utah. My mom dropped my little brother whom she was holding to try and pull my hand out. Luckily all i got was a bad pinch and not an amputation.
23. I Love Lionel Richie's love songs.
24. I played soccer at Timpview High school and was on the very first soccer team for UVCC--now called UVU. We got our butts kicked by BYU
25. I am a huge multi-tasker! I can brush my teeth, text and pee all at the same time!