Boston Said...

Tonight when we were coming in from our night out to eat at 4 different restaurants -Chick Fil A for Gage, 2 Free Personal Pan Pizzas from Pizza Hut for T and B, Mom and Dad wanted Panera, and had to use 2 Free Ice Cream Cone coupons from Sonic - Boston said, as he handed me the rest of his personal pizza, "Please do not put this in the freezer. I don't like it cold. Could you put it in the hotter?" Do we have a hotter? And, since when did I put leftover pizza in the freezer? If it wouldn't spoil the food, I would much rather store our leftovers in the hotter instead of having to reheat everything. Good thoughts Boss.

Sassy Apron Swap

On my list of the million things to do, this one just got checked off. My apron was sent by Zane this morning and I am happy to see it take flight. I had a great time figuring out the fabric, trying to figure out the style of the person I was making it for, making my pattern original, and adding the final details. All in all, I am satisfied although I still think it needed some jumbo ric rac on the bottom in an amazing color and all I have left is brown. I couldn't get it in time, so I had to let that dream fly away. I just hope the girl getting it likes it and doesn't examine the stitches too closely (oops!).

Frozen Land

We are frozen here. The ice came yesterday, so the kids came home early. When the freezing rain came, I thought it was rather piddly and the kids came home for nothing. But, by that evening when I went out to get the mail, I was a believer. Today they are home because of the ice and althought it's quite cold, it is rather beautiful.

Tag

I forgot that I was tagged, but then when I read Jamie's latest entry, it all came back to me....Tagged by Melissa...

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: If you want to know the truth, there have been a few that I have split the Be/Frie st/ends charm with over the years. But, I have many dear friends now, that the best title seems silly. Oh, but Zane is the best and all the others are dear.
C-Cake or Pie: Actually, like bread pudding or cream cakes.
D- Day of Choice: Thursday. It's like the day when I think...I can make it to the weekend, but the weekend hasn't started yet so I still have something to look forward to.
E- Essential Item (s): childrens' schedules, Sunday naps, hot baths, & hot chocolate (even in the summer)
F- Favorite Color: red and turquoise
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Gummy bears, but only Harbo brand
H- Hometown: San Diego, Cali
I- Indulgence(s): Starbucks hot chocolate, Graeter's Coconut Chip, good hair cuts, and good jeans that fit.
J- January or July: Only July. I have to have the sun more than the grey.
K-Kids: 9 yr. boy, 6 yr. boy, 3 yr. boy, 1 yr. girl
M- Marriage Date: May 3, 1996
N- Number of Siblings: 3 sisters and 4 brothers
O- Oranges or Apples: gala apples
P- Phobias or Fears: mice, big crowds, heights
Q- Quote(s): I am looking for the one the fits me to a tee.
R- Reason To Smile: going on a date, my kids (especially when they wake up from a good nap), a trip in the future, figuring something creative out, a sunny day
S- Season: Fall
T- Tag Six: Jellie, Tanya, Karyn, Jenny L., Kelly White, and Cheryl
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I like to break dance
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Bring on the meat!
W- Worst Habit: I bite my nails - only sometimes people. And believe me, I have overcome some worse ones.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: a salad (any) and soup from Panera
Z: Zodiac: Capricorn

Cuties, Costumes, Cousins, Cakes, Cards, & Coons

Zane's family has been in town all weekend to spend time with each other and to bless Joel's new baby, Shane.
- We've had a yummy Valentine's Dinner here on Thursday, complete with cherry lime-ades and chocolate covered strawberries. I wanted to put a photo of the cake again because I miss it, but you will just have to refer to the previous post because I couldn't fit it on the collage.
- The boys love having their cousins to play with, especially Gage and Austin. They love to growl at each other. Austin was growling at me as I took this photo!
- Grandma Julie and Papa Ross sent the kids these sewn cards that were filled with Valentines candy. Gage thought he was so cool to get his own package of Sugar Free Jelly Bellies.
- Today I found Boston using the scissors on this Huggies Box. I told him to be careful and thought he was just having a great time cutting something up that was on its way to the trash. Soon he came in to my room sporting his new costume. That kid always surprises me.
- The photo of the coon is for you dad. Yes, we live in Kentucky and yes, we do have racoons living under our house. We could hear this little girl (I've been told it's a girl) under our crawl space swinging from the pipes for awhile. Zane set out a trap Friday night and she was in it Saturday morning. Just for all you animal lovers - she was taken to a new neighborhood. Watch out - it could be yours! Sorry that we didn't make a coon skin cap for you dad.
- And yes, another photo of Mallory. Zane asked me if I have more photos of Mallory in her first year than I have of all the boys combined. I plead the fifth on that one.

Valentines Dinner and a Grand Finale - Kentucky Butter Cake

Can it get any better than something called Butter Cake? I don't think so! The traditional Valentines dinner was wonderful, but the Butter Cake was a great surprise. I had this heart bundt pan that of course, I got 50% off last year at the Target right after V day, so I had to use it. But, what to make...what to make? That's when you go to All Recipes and check out all the bundt cakes recipes that have like a million stars and have been reviewed by a gazillion readers. That's where I got this one and I agree with those gazillions. Sooooo good. Thought I would share and hope you Valentines Days had grand finales as well.

Happy Valentines Day

We love you all!

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!