Scooby, Scooby Doo, where are you?

So, Karter has always gotten really into whatever movie he's watching.... like dressing up and acting/talking like the characters. And lately both of my kids have been totally obsessed with Scooby Doo. They LOVE it! The following phrases are heard repeatedly in our house:

"Zoiks!"
"Like, can I have some Scooby snacks?"
"Let's go Scoob," said by Karter.
"Let's go Shag," said by Zachary.
"Daphne, can I have some Scooby snacks?" Or "You look like Daphne, we should change your name to Daphne." Said by either boy which I totally take as a compliment because Daphne's hot! :)
"Like, do I have to be in charge of the map?" I'm not sure what this one means.
There are many others, and most sentences uttered by Karter start with the word "like".

Anyhow, I love it even though I get some looks when we're out in public. And I love having my cute, creative little boys. Who would have ever thought I'd live with Shaggy and Scooby Doo?

September is National Sewing Month!

So Ashley and I were talking about what a coincidence (and how cool) it is that me, Deb, Mel and she all got interested and so excited about sewing right around the same time. I've been wanting to make skirts like crazy, Deb's been sewing some adorable quilts and cute lil' animals, Mel's been making Ben's Wild Thing costume for Halloween and Ash is not far behind with her ties. Today I went to JoAnn's to purchase some sewing supplies for my awesome new sewing machine (an early Christmas gift from my generous mother-in-law who is excited that I'm becoming Holly Homemaker) and there was a great big sign stating that September is National Sewing Month. I immediately texted Ash to tell her that must be the reason! It has to be! Subconsiously we all knew it, I'm sure of it. :)
Anyhow, I'm so excited to get busy creating. I'm a bit short on cash right now so I stole some material from my mom who has a whole bureau full that will never be used. Some of it's a little old school (not in a good way) but I figure I gotta practice on something. And there's some pretty cool retro stuff that will soon be a skirt or something.
Here is my shiny new machine in all it's glory:
I haven't named her yet. Perhaps because there's not a cool story to go along with it like Deb's machine. But soon....

I have to tell the cute little story of how this came to be my machine. Kathleen (my MIL) was so excited to find out that I wanted to sew- probably because I'm always asking her to make Karter's costumes and fix our clothes. So she asked if she could get me one for Christmas- OF COURSE!!! Thursday night they came down to babysit while Rich and I went to parent/teacher conference and when we got back the kids were jumping up and down like crazy. I looked at my little craft corner and there was a big bump covered up with Zach's ball blanket. The boys couldn't even wait for me to put my stuff down. Karter made me close my eyes and he lead me to the table while Zach pulled the blanket off. Ta-da!! They have been just as excited as (or more than) me about the machine. Karter already has a list of costumes he wants me to make and Zachary insists on pushing on the pedal constantly (this will cease- it's a new rule not to touch it whatsoever). So I went and bought some supplies so I can start creating and also a cool carrier so we can have our sewing parties!! :) And my cute sister-in-law brought me a bunch of patterns today so I can get started. I can't wait!!!

Trout & Berries in Paradise

Ah, this is Paradise!

No really, this is Rich's grandma's house in Paradise, Utah (up near Logan).

It's such a cute, cozy little house and I love it!

Last Saturday (08/29/09), we went to Trout & Berry Days with the Merrill fam. We had a lot of fun. The kids got to catch trout with their bare hands to try to win a prize. And they got to keep (and eat!) the one they caught. Zachary was really gung-ho and jumped right in to try to catch one. It's tricky though and he needed a little help from Dad, but he got one!

Karter was a little weary about touching them. When you bring them out of the water they try to breath so he thought they were trying to bite him! So Dad helped him too and they got one with a tag which meant he won a prize! He was so excited about his hat and root beer!
They were so excited about their fish! But the poor things were not doing too well in the small plastic bag that was provided, so Dad took them back to Grandma's to clean and gut them to eat for dinner.

Rich's dad talked me into jumping in for the mom's round. The grand prize was a nights' stay at The Anniversay Inn- that's what got me in there! Dick taught me the trick to catching them and when they blew the whistle I jumped in! It was actually a little disturbing to have those slimy little things touching my legs but I endured. I caught about 30 fish but did not get the prize. :(

You have to get cotton candy at a carnival and it's even better when it's the size of your head!

They both got extremely sticky but cotton candy is always worth it!

And of course there was the big, rainbow, blow-up slide. The kids spent forever on this thing. Which was cool, because we got to sit and rest and eat yummy, $1 pizza.

Head first! Zach's always been the dare devil.

I don't think they really understood this one but they waited a long time in line and had fun trying!

Zachary was barely tall enough to put on the vest.

Dick signed up for the pie eating contest. I told him to play dirty if he had to since the prize was a case of some delicious, local jam. I thought he was golden since he's kind of a pig at home :), but he didn't even come close. But he said the pie was good!

This ride made me dizzy just watching but they had a blast.

Afterwards, we went back to Grandma's to hang out and rest. We don't get to see Grandma Pearce very often but we love her!!

It was a long, hot day and we were all very tired by the end of it. But we had a GREAT time in Paradise with the trout and berries!

Zachary 6/26/09

"Mom, when we go boating, we need to take our underwear hats."

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-