Snow Day

By late last night we knew that school was going to be cancelled today. It was coming down hard and it was beautiful. I was excited for the boys to be able to get out there and play the next day. Well, we did get a Snow Day, but freezing rain came in the middle of the night and turned the snow to slush. That doesn't stop boys who don't see the white stuff too often. The boys along with our neighbor, Tanner, made a sledding path in his backyard, jumped on a snowy trampoline, and had a slush fight. Gage just enjoyed picking up chunks of ice and throwing them. Notice his red hands. Where are his gloves mama? Snow Days every once in awhile are a good thing!

Mallory Misses Jelly

Yesterday Mallory said, "Jelly" a few times and when I showed her a picture of Aunt Jelly she said it some more. So, now she has 4 words in her repertoire -"dada", "Gagey", "dia"(she's bilingual), and "Jelly." I catch her saying "mama" sometimes, but as soon as I point that out to her she looks at me and quickly says, "dada." It's like she doesn't want me to know there is more going on in her head than I need to otherwise she might be accountable for more. I might just start drilling her on all vocab and that just wouldn't be fun. Well, Aunt Jelly (Jennilee) you have made it on her list. You are special! But, we already knew that.

Font

My handwriting font is available here. Now you can all forge notes from me. This will be quite handy for my kids as they get older (don't tell them). I would have loved to have had my mom's for many school "projects." Intead I just had to practice and practice her handwriting!

Handmade by Mom

One of the projects that got done was my new diaper bag. I would love to say that I made it, but I just picked out the fabric and my mom put it all together. She sent the pattern home with me, so I want to attempt it next. I love it and can't wait to transfer my stuff in to it. Pattern link here.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Here are just a few things I learned or realized after being with my family this weekend:
1. My mom is a great cook. I didn't realize this growing up or appreciate it. She can whip up good stuff easily and quickly.
2. I don't want to be pregnant again any time soon. My little sister, Jennilee, is in her first trimester and she is SICK. It brought back all those feelings of being pregnant and I remember really NOT liking it! Although, for others, this pregancy thing is wonderful. I am so excited to be an aunt and so excited for Jennilee and Logan.
3. We need a JoAnn's here. My mom has one down the street and I think I went there at least 3 times. Why don't we have one here?
4. I wish my kids lived by ALL of their cousins. I am thankful that we have cousins as close as Cincinnati and we need to get together with them more often. It is great to see them play with their cousins when we get them together.
5. I have turned in to a "Wicked" fan. Okay, I haven't seen the play, but the music is great. At first I acted as though it was lame because my mom and sister were listening to it a lot, but it is great music and now I want to see the show. Anyone up for traveling to see it any time soon?
6. I want to move all the states between Kentucky and Cali somewhere else. Sorry Utah and Arizona, but I need to be closer to my family and I am not moving away from Kentucky and they aren't moving out of California. This is the most logical solution. Wouldn't you agree?
7. Benadryl does not work on my kids when flying - repeat - does not work.
8. Refering to #7 - Just ignore people flying with you who ask you if you have tried Benadryl when your child is screaming for an hour on the plane. Many people had great suggestions for me. But, I guess when I finally gave up so did she and she was out just a few minutes later. Whew!
9. It can be warmer in Kentucky in February than it is in San Diego even if it is only for 12 hours. We had a shivering 60 while KY was 67! Crazy.
10. I do love San Diego, but while telling someone in my parent's ward about Kentucky and why I love it made me realize that it is my home and I am very glad to be here.

Sister's Weekend

Today is a rainy day in San Diego, which is unusual, but nice. I have been here since late Thursday night and I came with Mallory and Gage. It is a Girl's Weekend with the sisters and sister in laws. We had plans to go to Time Out for Women, but with the passing of President Hinckley and his funeral being on the Saturday of Time Out, they postponed it until May. But, we were all still coming and have been having so much fun. I am truly my REAL self around these girls and my mom. We shopped at the Outlets on Friday and went to a quilting shop for fabric. Yesterday it was lunch at CPK and we just laughed and laughed. My dad was home watching Mallory, Gage, and their 2 cousins. Last night we made fondue (just the chocolate) and my mom taught me how to knit. I took a knitting class about 2 years ago and never got it so I have had a complex about ever getting it. I have come over that hump and now, it's time to conquer something else. Of course, I still need to make my knitting look better, but I can make the yarn work with the needles and that's big. My sister in law has been trying to get a purse made and some of the others are picking out the fabric for aprons to make. We have decided that we need to do this again soon and make it longer and get more projects done. I still have IKEA to hit, I need to eat at IN N OUT (sorry Zane), and have a Beef N Bun shake to drink (funny name -amazing shakes)before I feel like I can turn around and go home. These are some of the essential to-dos when I come home. Well, the sun should be out tomorrow and the weather man said it's time to break out the bar-b-ques this week here in San Diego, so I might choose to never return. Most likely I will be on that plane headed back to Louisville on Wednesday because I do miss the other 3 boys! I have heard that their time together in Louisville hasn't been too shabby either with video rentals and eating out. Boys weekends are a good thing too!

Gage's New Thing

One day in the car Boston said, "mom?" And I guess I took too long to respond because by the time I did, his response was, "never mind." Gage thought that was hilarious. He quickly repeated what Boston said and as he said, "never mind," he cracked himself up. So, for about 3 weeks now, it's "mom..mom..mom.." and as I respond, he quickly says, "never mind." He even calls me Traci sometimes and it tricks me because I always fall for it and say "what?" Then, last night in the middle of the night, he came to the side of my bed and was hitting my arm saying,"mom..mom." When I finally said, "what," I couldn't hear his response. So I said, "what" again. Finally, in a tiny soft voice I heard, "never mind" and a laugh. Okay, it's funny, but not as funny in the middle of the night. Of course, when I woke up this morning and remembered it, it was a lot funnier.

Pinewood Derby, Birthday Celebration, and Gifts from Grandma

Pinewood Derby results are in....it was a silver medal for Trevor's fast looking car. His car did great and tied for first and lost in a raceoff to a car that looked like an army tank. That tank was some fierce competition. He did get an award for the "FASTEST LOOKING CAR." In the end, Trevor and Zane had a great time designing and adding the final touches (rocket boosters) on to make it look as fast as it was.


Mallory got to dig in to cake Friday night and wasn't too sure if it was "her thing!" She did it slowly and happily at first, but eventually didn't like the idea of being all sticky and dirty. I thought it was cute, but eventually gave in and got her out and gave her a bath. Happy First Birthday!



We got a package in the mail on Friday and it was from Grandma Julie. She sent hats that she made for the boys and Mallory's birthday present. All were handmade goodies that we are so thankful for. The hats fit perfect and should really help on those cold mornings at the bus stop. The gift for Mallory was opened last night and it a beautiful quilt perfect for a little girl. The colors are so sweet and I can't believe how tiny the squares in it are. Way to go mom!

Quick Taco Seasoning

A few months back I was making tacos and I went to pour in the seasoning mix and realized it was chili mix and I didn't have any taco seasoning anywhere. I happened to be talking to my mom on the phone while all of this was happening and she gave me this great seasoning mix for tacos that is supposed to be like Taco Bells. Well, I can't really compare the two, but in all honesty it is the best I have ever tried. Zane requests it once a week and I use it as my back up when I haven't planned anything and it's almost 5 pm because I have all these ingredients on hand (except the cayenne pepper and I just add black pepper). Plus, even if you don't have tortillas you can put it in a bowl with sour cream, cheese, black beans, and salsa and it's pretty darn good. We had these tonight and it reminded me that I needed to share the recipe.

Taco Seasoning
-seasons 1 lb. of ground meat-
1 T. flour
1 T. corn starch
1 T. dried minced onion
1 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 onion salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. sugar

Combine and store in an air tight container
To make taco meat, brown 1 lb. ground meat in skillet; drain. Add seasoning mix and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat ans simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Can A Year Really Go This Fast?

I never thought Mallory would be a year old, but she made it and so did we. Even though it sped by a lot has changed in a year - mostly my thoughts on girls:

1. Girls have accessories - whether it be barrettes, head bands, or just ruffles on their jeans. I didn't realize this was another world and that I would give in to it.

2. Mallie looks like a girl now, but for the first few weeks of her life, I thought I still had a boy. She looked like all three of the boys when they were newborns and besides the evidence in the diaper change, I still wasn't quite sure this was a girl.

3. I can't tell if it's because she is the baby of the family or because she is a girl, but she loves to be held and talked to ALL the time. Okay, that's not too hard for me to do - talk - but I run out of things to say to a baby who doesn't talk back.

4. I love a girl more than I thought I would. I didn't think that I wouldn't love her, only that it might take more effor than it has. I do love her not any more than the boys, but I am grateful for the chance to love a girl.

I'm Done...I think

If you have ever been to my house, I change the decorations and posistioning of my furniture about once a month, if not more often. I figure that if I can't remodel, I might as well change things up. Not that I really want to remodel, but I always have these fantastic ideas in my head that I can't quite fulfill because of time (maybe money as well). Well, I guess my blog is another place that I find that I can be creative and change up. I am leaving this header and not changing it unitl at least after Valentines Day - (notice the Valentines theme). So, don't get confused thinking you've come to wrong blog - it's the Underwoods, only different!

Tonight's Lesson

As a follow up to my last entry...right before bed we had a little lesson with the boys. Zane took a hanger that we keep in their closet (for situations like that of the other night) and bent it straight and demonstrated how they could stick it in the hole of the doorknob and "pop" the lock. This will do until the lock is swtiched. For the boys - lesson learned. Plus, Boston prayed in family prayer that he would be helped in using a walkie talkie if he ever got locked in again. Too bad we don't have walkie talkies!

How My Boys Bond - Chapter 1

Last night Trevor decided to sleep in the room with Boston and Gage. Gage continually came out and when he didn't come out to our room, he locked the door of the room which would lock them in since the lock was reversed - that was a result of Boston's terrible two's that had never been changed back! I finally went in there one last time (of course, it's always one last time) and told Gage not to come and out to stop locking the door. It was getting really late and they needed to be asleep. I went to my room thinking all was well because I didn't hear from them. Zane finally checked on them about 9:45 and thought they were all asleep. Suddenly, he heard a little whimper.."we're just babies...we're just babies...Trevor locked us in and me and Boston and Trevor are just babies....I have to wait until the sun comes up...I want the sun to come up so I can get out..." It was Gage! He wasn't alseep. He was whimpering in his covers because Trevor had locked them all in so that they wouldn't come out and bother us anymore. Gage told us his version and I felt bad that we hadn't checked on them earlier and hadn't unlocked the door before they all fell asleep. Well.. I thought that it was sad, but didn't know the real story until the boys got up for school this morning...

I told the boys what Gage was saying and Boston said, "yeah, we were locked in and when you are locked in and have to go to the bathroom, you just have to go out the window." I thought, "what?" They had just gone to the bathroom right before bed and I knew they didn't have to go. I asked him what he was talking about and he and Trevor told me that when they realized they were locked in they were a bit scared. Trevor had them all say a prayer that we would come and unlock it soon. Then, they all went and sat in the closet for a bit (I'm not sure what that would accomplish) and then Gage and Boston peed out the window. Trevor said, "don't worry mom, we lifted the window high enough and there was plenty of room." Boston said, "yeah, I didn't even hit the bushes, only the dirt." So, it was basically like a 20 minute game of Survivor - less the wilderness, lack of food and water, and competition. As crazy as it sounds, I think they bonded. In Trevor's defense - he realized what he had done right after he locked it and knew he couldn't fix it until we came to get them out. He told me he calmed them all down and got them all to sleep - most of them anyway.

I think Gage was a little scarred from the experience because at 4 am he ran in to my room and said, "mom, guess what?" As I said, "what," he yelled, "never mind," and ran away. That is his newest thing, but at 4 am? What was he thinking and why was he up. He must have been tossing and turning because of his WILD experience perhaps? Who knows. But, if this is what it takes for my boys to work together then just maybe...Actually, Zane is reversing the lock back to it's original state today!

Aren't These So Cool?

The answer is YES. My friend, Melissa, made these for me for my bday and I am so grateful for her creativity. Now, I just might look fashionable while I am trying to figure out how to use this new camera I got for Christmas. Just might. She made the pincushion by looking at another one that was made for her. Now that's the kind of brain I want.

All She Wants To Do Is Stand

Mallory is not happy laying about anymore. Of course, she is nearly one and shouldn't be happy laying about. But, she still army crawls, so I know she is not on the fast track to walking. But, as of the last few days all she wants to do is stand. It's that kind of standing where she thinks she is stronger or steadier than she is because she keeps falling down and along the way bumps her chin on what she was holding on to. I can't stop her, so just cross your fingers that she gets steadier.

Old Navy Sale

It's that time when Old Navy has everything 50% off the clearance price! I stumbled on it on Saturday night and the cashier said it was ending Sunday. But, I went in today for a return and it was still going on and so I asked. The cashier said they got an email that extended it until this Thursday. It was awesome. The most I paid for anthing was $5 and I got socks for .24 cents. They had winter coats for $10 for kids. Well worth your time!

4 Years Later

Can a project this small take 4 years? It can for me. I cut these out of felt and sewed these 4 years ago planning on decorating T's room with them. I think they look better in his new room anyhow. It's sports themed with vintage sports posters and these colors. So, all's well that ends well.

Me and Richard Simmons

I have decided I need music. I think that I forgot that I even like music because I forget to turn it on. But, when I do, I am like a whole different person. I don't have an IPod, which I know...makes me so LAME. But, eventually I will. I have decided that I am going to turn on my favorite music around 3 or 4 or maybe even 5pm (you know - that hard time of the day when kids are tired, you are tired, and you aren't sure when you husband might walk through the door for some relief) and just dance. I might even look like Richard Simmons with his "Dancing to the Oldies" because I plan on getting in shape this way. What could be better - music and the benefit of exercise to go with it. Try it! It really works for the spirit and the shape. It might even make you feel like you are a real person who has an opinion and who was maybe even cool in the day (and secretly thinks they might be now). I even have it playing now and I just might be COOL.

Sassy Apron Swap

I am excited about this swap I just entered. I am a bit scared because I just made my first aprons this Christmas, but I am hooked on aprons and this was just too much fun to pass up. Plus, I could sew a few between now and March to make sure at least one turns out cute! Check it out - sassyapronswap.blogspot.com

Coupons Anyone?

This is a bit silly, but I got 6 extra Michaels ads in my paper on Sunday and there is a 50% off coupon in each for one item good until this Sat. If you want one, come and get one.