Gotta love the surveys!

I don't blog a lot because I feel like I don't have anything that interesting to blog about, but I read this fun survey on Deb's blog and I love the surveys!

What is your current obsession?
Scrapbooking and scrapbook blogs. I've been wanting to scrapbook all the time lately but I'm in such a creative lull. So I've been reading scrapbook blogs especially Elizabeth Kartchner's. She's a local scrapper (from Provo) that's published in all sorts of magazines and I'm obsessed with her. I know that's weird but she's totally cute and so creative- I LOVE reading her blog.

What do you hate the most that everybody else seems to love?
The Twilight movie- uggghhhhh!!! The worst movie of all time- I seriously can't believe they made it so cheezy and that people LIKED it! It was horrible. (I'm also with Deb on the Harry Potter thing- I don't hate it but can't get into it.)

What are you wearing today?
My cute jeans with rhinestones on the butt (totally cowgirl). I like them- they make me look skinny. Oh and a red t shirt and flip flops- pretty casual for work but I can't make myself get too dressed up in the summer, it's SO HOT!

What's for dinner?
I'm terrible- my poor kids had yogurt, a bagel with a gallon of raspberry cream cheese (that they spread on themselves) and an eggo waffle. I was too tired to argue today and that's what they picked. I had 2 eggo waffles smothered in butter and syrup. So healthy, I know!

What would you eat for your last meal?
Man, I'm not really a food person but I guess some sort of chicken and pasta meal with garlic bread and Dr. Pepper. Mmmmm, Dr. Pepper- I haven't had any in so long since caffeine reaks havoc on my body, but if I'm dying (I'm guessing that's why I'm having my last meal), who cares?

What's the last thing you bought?
A windsheild.

What are you listening to right now?
So You Think You Can Dance on the TV and the neighborhood kiddos playing Indiana Jones outside.

What do you think of the person that tagged you?
Technically I didn't get tagged but Deb said if I read her survey on her blog, I was tagged. SOOO, I think Deb is just the coolest, cutest thing ever who is cooler and more creative than she gives herself credit for.

If you could have a house, fully paid for, and totally furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I'm not sure. I'd love to live in Hawaii or somewhere on the Mediterranean but in reality, I think I'd like to stay around here- close to my family and friends. But it would be Riverdale for sure- I love it here, being so close to anything I need but far enough away that it's not noisy and I can take the back roads to not deal with traffic. And I love being so close to the river- when we ride down there, there is like a 15 degree difference in temperature- it's so nice! Okay, I'm getting off the subject so I'm done.

What is one of your hobbies?
Scrapbooking- I love it. I used to love shopping but now we're on a strict budget and for my own sanity, I try to stay away from the mall.

What are 3 things that annoy you most?
Deb covered a couple of mine (litterers and smoking moms) so now I get to pick some others:
1. Annoying children who haven't been taught any manners and demand whatever they want and cry/squeal when they don't get it. And they never listen and just do their own thing constantly. I know my kids aren't angels (far from it) but I feel like I've taught them to be polite and share and not be total hellians. (This is something I'm dealing with RIGHT now and I'm going insane!)
2. Drivers who don't know what they're doing!!! I live by 3 roundabouts and it's surprising how many people don't know how to use them. I'm an angry driver so I notice (and hate) when people don't know what they're doing and are nervous. I think they need to be a LOT stricter when passing people on their driving tests and people over like 60 or so should have to take it every year!!! I'm sorry, I know I'll be there one day too but most of the people doing dumb things on the road are older people.
3. Idleness and laziness. I just can't even get started on that one- it could go on and on and on.... But I will say that I mean in my home life and in our country.

What is your favorite color?
I don't really have a favorite but I LOVE teal right now.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your wardrobe?
Right this second it is a pink LOVE t shirt that I got from AE for $3. And I really love my old (seriously, OLD) JCrew flip flops.

What is your dream job?
An archeaologist. Not digging up dinosaur bones (that's different), digging up ancient civilizations. That stuff fascinates me! It's not really a family job though, so right now I would love to be a full time soccer mom. That's what I think about the most.

Describe your personal style.
I don't think I really have a style. I sometimes try to copy cute ensembles that I see. I guess people would say I was kind of preppy? Usually I'm pretty comfy casual.

What are you going to do after this?
Get after my kids for not getting in their jammies like they're supposed to and then get my tired self ready for bed.

What is your favorite "happy hour" at Sonic?
I don't know what that is either.

What inspires you?
Elizabeth Kartchner's blog and Scrapbook.com. When I'm having a hard time creating, I flip through either of these websites for ideas.

Who was the last person you kissed?
Zachary and Karter goodnight.

What are you currently reading?
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It is such a good book! I'm actually reading it for the 2nd time. I have a hard time finding books that I can get really into. I had lent it out to someone else and when they gave it back and we started talking about it, I decided to read it again. And it's definitely not a waste of time.

What delighted you most today?
That my windshield only cost $50. That's pretty sad, it hasn't been a very good day.

By what criteria do you judge a person?
I too, try not to judge but Deb's right- we all do it. I only judge a person on their looks like if they don't take care of themselves. I guess I'd say I judge on personality too. I can't stand arrogant, snobby or rude people- I just don't even want to be around them. I can't stand people who won't admit when they're wrong or take responsibility for their own actions. I don't like when people are so negative (which is me sometimes) all the time- I don't understand how people can live life that way. I probably also judge people on their intelligence. I'm sure there's more that I can't think of right now- lately I've kind of been one of those negative people.

-THE END- Thanks for reading all about me!

Swimming lessons (June 2009)

So, it's been a while since we've actually done swimming lessons but I haven't had time to upload pictures, etc.
Anyway, when I first told the boys we were doing swim lessons neither of them wanted to. But from the minute they got in the water, they couldn't get enough! I was so surprised at how well they did. They used to be pretty weary of the water, but not anymore! They did awesome! They didn't hesitate to go under the water or float on their backs and they had so much fun!

This is the boys at the pool with their new friend Sam :
Zachary is such a silly boy and looked hilarious in his goggles:The poor kids were shivering everytime they got out of the water. Here's Karter trying to keep warm:

So, from day one they were begging to jump off the diving board. At the end of the two weeks they finally got to. Karter was the first one to volunteer but when he got up there, he got a little nervous. So he was up there for a bit but finally jumped off and loved it! (I would've posted the video of him jumping off but it was three minutes long.) A few other boys went and then it was Zachary's turn. He walked up there, looked around for a second and then jumped! He missed the floaty and gave me a tiny heart attack but when he popped up out of the water he had a huge grin on his face! In my mind, it happened a lot slower than it actually did when I watched the video:

I loved being able take my little fishies to swim lessons- it gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to be a soccer mom like I want to. And they had SO much fun and love the water now!

A benefit and a night with Kalai

On Saturday Rich and I went to a party at his boss' house. Every year they have a pool opening party on the weekend of their anniversary. This year they decided to do it a little different. Brian Cardall (the guy who was killed by police men with tasers) was a relative of Alex (Dick's boss) so they had a benefit for his wife Anna, who has a two year old daughter and a baby due in September. I kept thinking we really can't afford to be donating money on our strict budget, but then I'd think of how tough it would be to be suddenly left alone to raise two kids. So, we went in our swimming suits all ready to hit the pool to celebrate summer. Not 10 minutes after we got there, it started to rain. And about 10 minutes later, it started to POUR! It got crazy cold and we all had to gather in their breezeway (between the house and the garage) and huddle and talk and occasionally dash out to the taco stand that they'd rented to get a yummy, authentic taco.
At 9:00, Kalai showed up with his gear and luckily it had just stopped raining! What luck- but it was still super chilly. Anyhow, I'd heard of this guy but never heard his music. He was pretty cool- kind of a laid back Jack Johnson-y reggae type. His wiki page describes him as urban vintage. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalai) He was born in Hawaii and raised in Alaska and was a pretty funny dude. He spent probably 5 to 10 minutes tuning his guitar between songs and entertained us with comedy. It was pretty awesome being up close and kind of personal with him.
At 11:30, after I'd been wondering what the neighbors were thinking, the cops showed up to break up the party. I think they were surprised that is wasn't just the stereo at a raging party and they commented on how good he sounded. But still, they had to do their job and Kalai was "broken up by the volume brigade" as he said.
We would've loved to have stayed and hung out with this guy but I was exhausted and freezing (because it was supposed to be summer so I was wearing shorts and a T) and we had to get up to do our yard sale super early so we took off. But it was a pretty cool evening with a pretty cool guy. You should check him out-

Rich is an awesome dad because...

**He is a get-down-on-the-floor-and-play kind of dad. The boys LOVE to play with dad!
**He plays hide n' seek with the boys (which is a bit difficult in our little apartment, but they always manage to have a blast).
**He comes up with the funnest things to play- like the time I caught them playing Duck, Duck, Goose on and around the couch.
**He is an excellent cook and encourages the kids to try new things- especially healthy stuff.
**He carries the boys "backwards" (upside down) and "like a baby" (hanging in the towel after the bath). The kids beg for it daily.
**He reads to the boys every night before bedtime, sometimes in different accents. It cracks me up and the kids love it.
**He was eager to teach the boys how to ride without training wheels when they asked and they accomplished it in one night! And he loves to take them on bike rides, around the neighborhood or the mile long trek down to the dirt hills.
**He does shadow puppet shows at night when the kids are in bed from the light of the lamp. They ask for this often.
**He'll go out and play catch with Zachary and golf with Karter whenever they want.
**He never hesitates to have boys' night in when I need a girls' night out. (This is probably my FAVORITE!)
**They all love to snuggle on the couch- be it Saturday morning cartoons (yes, Dick likes them as much as the kids) or movie night on the weekends. I caught this cute moment a few Saturdays ago:
I know sometimes I have my moments of irritation with him, but he is probably one of the best dads my two boys could ever ask for and we love him very much!

Happy Father's Day Rich!!

Blog #2

Here's my new blog to post my fave layouts and some cutsie little projects. If you wanna take a look, here's the link:

http://creationsbywendym.blogspot.com/

RUN

Okay, so Dick made fun of me for taking a picture of my shoes but it's kind of hard to take a picture of me running (plus, that would be kinda scary!) and that's what this post is about. Running has become such a big part of my life and I love it! I'm past the hard part and up to 2 1/2 miles a night. It's gotten to the point where it's not excruciating anymore and I feel GOOD afterwards! Every once in a while I get lazy and have to talk myself into actually going, but when I do, I'm glad. I always feel good when I'm done and I'm about ready to up the anty a little. Maybe 3 miles?
Tonight I almost didn't go because of the rain, but did and it felt so good. I didn't get as hot, therefore, I felt better. And I have my power songs that seriously help a ton! I've noticed that I run faster to some songs more than others. And thanks to a recommendation from Ash, tonight I listened to Paramore and ran faster than I ever have before. They are great! It kinda made it fun. You know how sometimes when you're listening to a song in a store or something and you kind of walk to the beat? Well, I ran to the beat. I know that sounds lame, but it helps to get your mind off of how tired you are.
Anyhow, my goals are to run a marathon next year (a FULL one), fit into my old pants and capris (not that old either, only like from last year), look good in a swimming suit this summer, and of course to get in shape! As of tonight I've lost 3 pounds. I know that's not a ton and your body flucuates anyway but I've also lost 4% body fat!! Woo hoo! And I can totally see a difference in my butt (still working on the love handles). It looks good, you should check it out next time you see me. :)
I'm excited that I'm finally seeing some results! I just hope I can keep it up!

Goodbye Kindergarten: Congrats Karter!!

I never thought I'd say this, but I can't believe how fast my baby is growing up! This year has flown by! (And I'm sure the summer will too and then he'll be in 1st grade!)
Karter graduated Kindergarten on Thursday, May 22nd. The daycare really went all out- they had caps and gowns and everything. All the little kids looked so cute! They did their cute little walk down the aisle to the graduation song and then stood in a group on the stage. It was hilarious to watch the kids try to stand still and be quiet.... meaning that they didn't. Then the said the Pledge of Allegiance and sang the National Anthem (I'm surprised they can still do that in school). It was so awesome! That song gives me the chills everytime I hear it and to hear these kids sing it was even cooler.
Then they sang this cute little alphabet song where with each letter they said something that started with it and did the action and/or sound. For E was elephant, of course, and Karter's elephant sound stood out- he does it so cute. I wish I would've gotten it on camera. Then they had each kid come to the mic and say what their favorite thing about Kindergarten was. Karter's was learning money and farm animals. Then they handed out the "diplomas" and now's it's official! My baby is not in Kindergarten anymore!
I'm shocked at how fast time is flying- but not sad (yet). With Karter, each new thing has been so exciting for all of us. Next year he'll be a 1st grader at Riverdale Elementary. I want summer to drag on as long as possible but I'm sure it'll fly by and the next school year will be here in no time.



Karter with his "girlfriend" Harley (on the left) and a few other kids in their cool caps and gowns.

Karter getting his diploma and shaking everyone's hands. It's so cute to see kids do such grown up stuff like this. I thought he looked so handsome in his white shirt and tie with the cap and gown.
CONGRATULATIONS KARTER!!! I LOVE YOU!!