Sugar coma

Is anyone else feeling disgusting about all the crap they have ingested over the past week with all the Halloween festivities? Candy corn. Twix bars. Cream cheese frosting. You name eat and chances are I've eaten it over the past few days. I should have just saved myself the trouble and applied them all directly to the thighs and buttocks. Why is it that food=fun. If we're eating good food we're having a great time, right? Well today I put all the cookies, treats, junk in big ziplocs and put it in the freezer. (My mother is always in the back of my head telling me "Don't you dare through that away! That is wasteful!") So I just freeze it and forget it.

Funny Story:

Sunday night, after having a dinner of a sugar cookie, Hallie's left over butterfinger and an E.L. Fudge, I hunkered down at my computer in an almost sugar coma. In the background I can hear little 2 1/2 year old Hallie saying, "Dooooon't chuch it! Dooooon't chuch it! It YUUUUUCKY!" To which Gracie responded, "What is it Hallie." Hallie said, "It poop on da flowa. (floor)" I was still kind of zoned out and then it clicks what they are talking about. I run over and sure enough, there is something brown on the carpet. Chocolate, perhaps? I bend down to sniff. NOPE. Hallie was right. So for the next 5 minutes I'm scrubbing with a hot, wet rag and scrubbin bubbles. Again I overhear my two oldest talking about how mom is cleaning up the poop. I hear Lizzie, my 8 year old, say so matter-of-factly..."Yeah I saw that earlier today. Pretty gross, huh?" Boy, did I fail in teaching my children that when they see a brown blob on the carpet that does not look or smell like chocolate, they need to inform their mother. So, apparently 8 years too late, my four children got a lesson on general hygiene from their half-comatose from sugar, Mom.

Two peas in a pod

Time has never gone faster than since the twins were born. They have brought a whole new meaning to "busy" in my life. Now that they are 2 1/2 and beginning to do much more for themselves (get a snack from the pantry, putting on shoes, etc) I'm able to sit back more and see what fun little miracles they are in our family. They make me laugh every day as they chat with each other about Nanny and Papaw, Duke or poops.

I've realized lately how much they've changed me as a mother, too. With my first two I was so worried about doing everything right on time. Bottle gone by 1 year old; Potty trained by 2 years old; Getting rid of the binkie by 2 years old. With the twins and hang on to any and everything that makes life a little simpler and easier. Binkies? Still got 'em. Diapers? Still wearing them. And I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt over either. Sometimes you just do what keeps you and your family sane and don't feel the need to offer apologies. We, women, need to realize that life is just too fast and too short to load ourselves down with guilt for all the petty things in life. Just live. Just enjoy. Just relax.

Fall has arrived

I love this time of year. I'm always reminded of my youth when I walk to the mailbox and feel the light breeze, hear the rustling of the leaves and feel the slight chill in the air. It reminds of school supplies, football games, apple pies and home. I miss home all the time, but especially in the fall. Before the girls started school we had a ritual of going home every October for an entire month while Craig was off hunting. I've missed that trip terribly the past two years. Maybe next year the babies will be big enough that I will attempt to fly with all of them. But for now we'll pass the time with making caramel apples, burning cinnamon candles and cuddling up with my 4 cozy kiddos for movies and hot chocolate. Doesn't get much better than this.

Utah Relay Marathon

Our new neighbor organizes a few runs a year. This year he gave a portion of the proceeds from the Utah Relay Marathon to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. It was a great day. We are so grateful to have such a loyal group of supporters for everything CF related. (We'd be so lonely at these events without you guys!!) Our five man team consisted of Jenny, Brooke, Doug, Dave and Josh who each ran 5.2 miles, together completing a marathon!



There was also a 1 mile fun run that the kids and I did. I was really proud of the girls in their first run. They only had to walk for a couple of minutes out of the mile. Good job, kiddos!!



We raised a total of $1,800 for CF that day. Thanks to everyone that helped out!!

Check out my new site!

My new site is complete. Hallelujah. You can visit is at www.loraelizabethstampedjewelry.com You can also see us on one of my favorite sites for the next few weeks. If you've never been to this site. GO NOW! www.giveawaytoday.com

Lessons in life

Today we got a phone call from the gym the girls take gymnastics from. The lady said that Lizzie was advancing to the next level. Happy. Gracie, however, wasn't quite ready and would need to stay in her current level until she could pass off all the skills. Sad.

When the girls came home from school I told Lizzie the news. She was ecstatic at first, but upon seeing Gracie drop to the floor and sob, her own face fell. She dropped to her knees and hugged her little sis and told her to work hard so they could be together again.

Gracie laid on the floor crying for a while. Nothing we could say or do was helping. She was determined to never go back. We were determined to teach her that we don't just "quit" when we get discouraged. It was so heart-breaking to see her so sad. Having the girls so close has been a blessing in many ways but hard to see the younger compare herself to the older in their school work, activities and whatever else.

How do YOU handle to situation when one sibling achieves and another doesn't and it causes hard feelings? I could use some advice, here.

Funny, funny girls.

Today we were driving down the freeway. Babies were content in the back seat, I was singing along to the music in the front seat and the big girls were talking each other's ears off in the way-back seat. As I turned on the air to cool them off, I overheard their random conversation and turned down my music to eavesdrop a little easier.

Lizzie: "Oooh. That cool air feels so good."

Gracie: "Yeah it does. It is drying my sweaty armpits right up."

Lizzie: "I saw a girl throw-up on the playground today. It looked like peanut butter."

Gracie: "Mmmmm....My armpits smell like hot chicken nuggets."

So happy that those sweaty little girls are mine. Love 'em to pieces.