West Coast Hendersons

Henderson Family Reunion Summed Up

2010-08-23T15:48:00.001-07:00

Here is the rest of the family reunion in NC for your enjoyment:

You gotta love Will

Hmmm, another suspect of where Avril’s bladder infection came from…

My favorite Mommy/Daughter moment

Girls Night Out

Ya, I’m still working on mine…

We were so lucky to be a part of this special day. Ryan and Karla had their little man Manny sealed to them.

And Russ and Aimee had their little sweethart Savannah sealed to them.

It was an AWESOME Reunion.

Carolina Beach

2010-08-22T22:00:00.001-07:00

So I got a bit behind on my blogging. AGAIN!

Here are pictures of the fun two days we spent at the beach.

Ray feeding the birds

Some surfing shot of the bros.

Ray stuck with boogie boarding…

Ahhh, all the girl cousins (minus Jordan & Alina)

Hmmm, I wonder where Avril’s bladder infection came from???

All the boy cousins (minus baby Graham)

Playing catch on the beach

GORGEOUS SMILES!

The Henderson Sister in laws

Ya, it was a great day!

Let The Games Begin!!

2010-07-26T16:39:00.001-07:00

We kick started the family reunion with a family Olympics on the front lawn.

Ryan was the “Cool Uncle” of the day. Somehow his job of mowing the lawn turned into being the Tractor Model with the kids.

Thanks Ryan!

And of course there always needs to be a Nerdy Uncle…

The kids were drenched before the games even started!

Uncle Rich gave everyone a tutorial on how to use the marshmallow shooters.

First the kiddos gave it a go…

Then the Sister in laws gave it a try…

(I tried to hide the fact that I’m half pirate)

Next it was the Brothers turn to give it a shot

Various techniques were tried…

The women were very impressed by it all…

and soon the targets became each other.

Next up were the water balloon games…

Did I mention that this family is EXTREMELY competitive??

It makes me chuckle even now remembering all of the couples whispering different strategies around the kiddie pool.

This was my favorite moment caught on camera. It is of Ryan and his sweet wife Karla. She was laughing so hard she went down. So Ryan leaves her to make sure he gets his balloon!

Who knew Ron is part pirate too!

Ray and I setting a new resolve to win the next game.

Next up was the ball toss.

Then we had a good Ol’ fashion three legged race!

We made it about 1 step before we hit the ground!

What an awesome day it was!

Whew! And that was just the morning festivities!

Henderson Family Reunion 2010

2010-07-22T18:20:00.001-07:00

We just got back from an AMAZING family reunion in North Carolina. I am going to steal my sister-in-law Karla’s idea and post about the reunion 1 day at a time because there was too much fun to write about in 1 post.

Here we are at the airport waiting to fly to NC to see cousins that we haven’t seen in 3 1/2 years!

I was stoked that we are finally at the stage where the kids were able to sit in a row ALL BY THEMSELVES on the plane! Ray and I actually got to sit next to each other!

Well, it was really because this little man needed 2 on 1 defense!

After a full day of flying, we finally made it to Raleigh.

(Benny meeting his cousin for the first time)

It always amazes me how everyone just “clicks” right away as if no time had passed at all.

As soon as we got there, all 18 of the cousins formed one big band of kids and I swear I never saw my kids again! Their routine was, trampoline, run through the house, Wii, get jars for bug catching, repeat.

John and Carolyn are remodeling their house and so the brothers helped get things in order before the reunion officially kicked off.

Ryan and Randall working hard to make sure we had light. I am not sure where Ray was……...probably in the bathroom!

Carine and Randall cooked up some delicious NC pulled pork.

The rest of us hung out chatting, excited for the upcoming week.

My sweet sister in laws Karla and Carine. (I am not sure who the muppet is in the back)

Who knew that an old curtain rod would provide hours of entertainment for a mob of kids?

Whew, and that was all before the reunion even started!

The Newest Henderson

2010-06-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

As if 4 kids isn't enough, we decided to throw another girl into the mix

And by "we" I mean ME. About a month ago I picked up Will from school and thought it would be fun to visit the Animal Shelter. It was just supposed to be a quick visit, until I came across her...

Ray then got a call that went something like this:

Me: Hi Ray......I am at the animal shelter right now....

Ray: Oh no, what did you find....

Me: I found the PERFECT little puppy for our family. I know she will be great. I promise to take full responsibility for her. (I basically had one breathy run on sentence for about 2 minutes straight)

Ray: She sounds great. Bring her home.

And that is just what I did. I brought her home to a place where she is being loved up!

Maybe a little more than she would like.

Summer is here!

2010-06-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here. And with Summer comes playing outside, and with playing outside comes critters!

The first day of summer last year bulldozed me over! I was in the kitchen ALL DAY fixing various snacks, sandwiches, drinks, etc! Toys were flying everywhere and I was refereeing fights every 3 seconds.

This summer I wised up a bit and started "The Henderson Family Camp".

Sounds pretty cool huh?

Ya, the kids think it is pretty cool too.

Want to know a secret?

"Henderson Family Camp" is really just a schedule!

Shhhhhh

Every day the kids wake up, have breakfast, do chores, pack a lunch, and then we hit a different park each day.

We definitely have some happy campers this summer!

Happy Hippie Day

2010-04-19T22:39:00.001-07:00

Benny had his first "Hippie Day" on Friday. He has no idea what a "hippie" is. That is why I was able to get away with having him wear this crazy wig with a blue head band. Some how it all kind of worked.

Happy Hippie Day!

Our Gingerbread Temple

2010-04-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

Every year on Christmas Eve we make a gingerbread house from a kit. This year while we were hanging out at Costco (one of our family's favorite past times) we saw this ENORMOUS gingerbread house that you could buy at the typical Costco price of about $100. I said to my family, "I bet we could make that ourselves at home". This then started the talk of all the different cool gingerbread houses we could make. Which then lead us to the idea of building a gingerbread temple.

As soon as that was said, I could see Ray's eyes light up with ideas.

Once we got home plans were drawn (Ray's plans are in the middle, Benny's are in red, and Hannah's is on the left),

and the model was built.

Avril was hopped up on sugar before we even started!

We found a great recipe online for gingerbread dough, then cut it out according to Ray's model.

Then we got to the fun part of decorating!

We all had our own areas to decorate.

Benny and Hannah's side

Hannah's goldfish pond

Benny's Missionaries

Aww, Ray made a gingerbread family in a garden. haha

The front was mainly decorated by Ray and I with Will and Avril squirting/eating the icing

Ok, so we we took more pictures of this thing than some of our children at birth!

Our gingerbread temple just before we ate it!

My Lovey...

2010-04-14T09:58:00.000-07:00

A few months ago as Ray was leaving for work, instead of the normal "I love you" we say everyday he said, "Ok Sara, Lovey" in a very Thurston Howell the third sort of way. We both cracked up for a minute before he was on his way.

Then later that day I got a text from Ray ending with, "Bye, Lovey" I laughed again at how silly that was.

Over the next few days, we kept saying it with a laugh.

Then we just started saying it.

And that is how we somehow replaced "I love you" with "Lovey".

I will post later on how we ended up looking like we were on "Little House on the Prairie"

ST. Patricks Day

2010-04-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

ST. Patrick's Day is taken very seriously around here.

It's a day where wearing over sized hats, and pins claiming to be Irish is normal.

Benny and Will planned this surprise under their hats for days.

But the one thing that matters most is the Leprechaun trap.

(photo of the Leprechaun trap for 2009)

Each year the process for the perfect Leprechaun trap starts weeks in advance. Plans are drawn, talked about over dinner, changes are made to the plans and so on. Each year the Leprechauns make it into our house, turn the milk green, knock over a few things, and knocks the Leprechaun's trap over. Last year Benny vowed that enough was enough and the year 2010 would be the year he actually caught those sneaky Leprechauns!

Did he succeed?

Well, let's just say that there is a Leprechaun running around in only his underwear!

The trap caught the Leprechaun by the clothes and the only way for him to free himself was to crawl out of them. hee hee

After seeing the Leprechaun clothes Hannah said, "I thought that they were a lot smaller than that!"

Happy Anniversary!

2010-01-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

On December 23, 2009 Ray and I celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary! To celebrate we thought it would be fun to fish out the old wedding dress from the garage and recreate some of our wedding pictures.

The Bride with the classic hand to face pose.

Hannah needed a picture with the Bride.

And in order to make the re-enactment as accurate as possible we of course had to get Ray some hair!

As soon as I was getting the last of my "get up" on I said to Ray, "watch someone is going to ring the doorbell right now to carol us" And just then the doorbell rang! It was our friends dropping off some christmas treats! I hid in the hall, too embarrassed to come out. I called them after to explain why I couldn't come to the door, and then I had to explain that I wasn't PSYCHO!

Happy Anniversary Ray! From your only slightly psycho wife!

Oh the Joys of the Season....

2009-10-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Can you guess the fun we have been having at our house this week?

Yep, we have been hit with a sickness that has made it's way through the family.
It all started with Hannah reaching a fever high of 103.5.

Then she shared the love with Avril...

Who then shared it with me. (I had Ray take this picture and was horrified when I saw it, so I had him take several more until I realized that was just how I look right now!)

Next was Ray's turn. Will's theory that he has told EVERYONE is that mommy slept too close to daddy so she got him sick. (thanks for throwing me under the bus) Although in my picture I do look like I have been thrown under a bus.

Up next we have Benny. I think by the time he got sick he was happy. He wanted to join in the fun activities of drinking as much soda as you want while laying around watching TV.

The only one who hasn't been hit with this is Will. I think he is ready to join the ranks though. He is a little tired of being the one making toast for everyone!

Spoken Like a True Mom...

2009-10-06T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have OFFICIALLY become a true Mom...

The other day I was feeling frustrated,unsupported and basically sorry for myself. The house was a complete disaster with breakfast plates all over the table, toilets with pee splattered all over them (don't even get me started!), little projects here and there scattered throughout the house, and me steaming that I had to clean up every one's messes. So finally by dinner time I couldn't take it anymore. I had the family captive, and my frustration boiled over into a full on "Mom Rant". The kids sat quietly while I went on and on about everyone needing to pitch in and help clean up their messes. I then said, "Do you guys want mommy to go crazy??" The kids just started at me.

Ray then said, "OK, I think the kids are officially freaked out now." (That made me smile. )

After dinner, Ray and I were cleaning up in the kitchen when I started laughing.

Me: That was such a classic mom rant wasn't it?

Ray: Oh ya. That brought me back to my childhood.

Me: I know! That is the kind of thing we made fun of my mom for! Now I am totally doing it!!

How do you work this Blog thing again???

2009-10-05T12:59:00.001-07:00

Wow, has it really been over 4 Months since my last post???

It is kind of interesting that the minute school got out, I stopped blogging....

HMMMMM, how could that be???

Oh ya, because I now had to entertain 4 kids all day long!!!

In the beginning of the summer Ray would get a phone call at work every few days that would go like this:

Ray: Hey Cutie.

Me: Do you know we have four kids?

Ray: huh?

Me: Really, do you know that we have FOUR KIDS??

Ray: Uh, ya...

Me: No, we REALLY have FOUR KIDS. All at home, right now...

And so the summer went.

None the less, it was a wonderful summer.

Self Proclaimed Mom of the Year!

2009-06-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I looked out the window, and to my surprise I saw HUNDREDS of white butterflies flying all around our front yard.

"Kids!" I yelled. "Come quick and look, there are TONS of butterflies flying around our yard!" We all clamored on the boys bed and pressed our faces to the window to see.

"Come on, lets go outside and play with them!" Everyone ran to the front door. As soon as I opened the door the phone rang. "I will be out in a second" I told the kids.

While I am chatting on the phone, I look out the window to watch the kids playing with the butterflies. "huh, those don't really look like butterflies" I think to myself. "Hey, can I call you back? I asked my friend.

As I walked outside, it started to dawn on me that these things that my kids are running through and have all over them and are in their hair are not butterflies at all. No, not butterflies, but a
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Swarm of Termites!

Ya, that's right.

I had my kids go and play in a swarm of termites.

I am totally Mother of the year....

My Birthday Stationary

2009-05-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ray and I were married just before my birthday. So you can imagine my excitement of getting my first birthday gift from my new husband. When Ray asked me what I wanted for my Birthday I simply told him, "some new stationary would be great."

I couldn't wait to see what kind of stationary Ray would pick for me. I was so excited to get stationary with my newly married name on it!

I wondered if he would pick something more fun,

Or a little more sophisticated.

Or just something really pretty.

.Well, this is the stationary I got from Ray:

That's right. A pad of paper with kittens on it!

I found it amongst our desk things the other day. When I showed it to Ray he said, "I can't believe you still have that?" To which I replied, "I can't believe I still have it either, because you know I was dying to write all of my friends to show off my new stationary!" We both busted up laughing.

I'm Back!

2009-05-24T17:26:00.001-07:00

Wow! I cannot believe that it has been two months since I last blogged! Well, a lot has changed in the pass couple of months.

Stay tuned this week to see what the Henderson family has been up to. I promise it will include compelling posts like, "Did Sara ever lose any weight?" ...........

And stories of Ray's first Birthday gift to Sara. "Was it a hit, or a scrambling last minute attempt to find something to wrap?"...........We will see......

You will also enjoy posts on Sara's mental state dealing with a house on the market and four kids. (Ray I am telling my side and sticking to it!)

You will find out if we indeed missed our flight to Argentina because our passports never came in the mail.......

So check back this week for the nail biting posts........

See ya soon....

Back to Blogging

2009-03-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

We have had our house on the market for 4 months now. And for four months I have been reliving the same day over and over again, just like the movie "Groundhog Day"

Every day I wake up, get the kids off to school, make my list of things that need to get done. Then the phone rings. My heart drops. It's a realtor. (yippee) They want to know if they can come over with a client to see the house. (I look around at the morning mess) "Sure" I say. Looking just like Bill Murray in this picture. Then I hang up the phone and run around the house like mad stashing stuff anywhere that it can't be seen. The next part of the day is spent finding stashed bills and laundry. Then the kids come home from school. Homework. Dinner. Bedtime. Start over.

The only thing I can't do in this cycle of reliving the same day is this...That would be awesome. I would totally know what it feels like to be Ray. Eating anything without a sign of it on my body. Lucky, Lucky...

No No VaVa

2009-01-22T20:51:00.000-08:00

This is the face I get every time I tell Avril no.

Ya, she already knows how to play the innocent baby role pretty well.

And, it works....

Choosing Hope Over Fear

2009-01-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

I have always feared bangs ever since my mom cut some for me in fourth grade that were about 2 inches long. But no more! Yesterday I chose hope!

Hope that I wouldn't look like an idiot. And Hope won.....kind of....

Besides, I thought I might fit in a little better in Utah now. I think I just need to learn how to use a can of hairspray.

New Missionary Tactic

2009-01-19T19:38:00.000-08:00

The other day Benny came home and said, "Mommy, you would be so proud of me. I was a missionary at school today! I told a boy that Heavenly Father is real!" I then replied, "Benny, that's great! How did you tell him?" This is where I made the mistake. I should have just left it alone and never asked any details of the story. Then I could have told this wonderful story of Benny spreading the gospel at school.

Here is the real story according to Benny:

I was playing basketball with Jayden and I kept knocking the ball out of his hands so that I could throw the ball. Jayden got really mad at me and said that if I do that again he will never play with me EVER! So I told him that Heavenly Father is real and that He is really mad at Jayden for saying that to me.

Do you think the missionaries should start using this angle?

The things we will miss.....

2009-01-15T20:12:00.000-08:00

As you can see, we LOVE In-N-Out burger

Could there be a better burger in Utah?

Need a good laugh?

2009-01-12T19:27:00.000-08:00

Yearbook yourself.
There are no words....just giggles

A Little Catching Up

2009-01-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

I will start with our Thanksgiving weekend

We started the food fest with cinnamon rolls. Needless to say, we were stuffed before Thanksgiving dinner even started!

Next we had the First Annual Henderson Family Wii Fit Turkey Bowl
We competed in five different events Do I even need to say who won??
Then, we got the kids all cleaned up

And we were ready to eat

Did I mention that we just ordered our dinner from Safeway this year? (Sorry Mom and Dad! I better not even mention the paper plates. I don't think my dad could take it!)

A fun time was had by all none the less!
Happy VERY belated Thanksgiving!

The More the Merrier Right?

2009-01-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

It all started with this toy dog. Hannah wanted it for Christmas mainly because of a LAME commercial with the happy girl and her "pet" dog. What the commercial neglected to show was

This

And

This

We just knew that if we shelled out 175 bucks for this dog, it would break in about three days because of someone trying to ride it, or take a bath with it.

But it got us thinking...........what if we pulled off a HUGE surprise and got the kids one of these

That's right. A REAL cat!
So Ray and I went to the pound about two weeks before Christmas and picked up this sly guy.

The workers at the pound said that it would be better if we got two of them so that they can play together. (I am sure there was no ulterior motive in that comment) Either way we were suckered and also picked up this little gal.

The cats stayed a secret all the way up until Christmas day!

The kids just LOVE them

We can't wait to see all the wonderful lessons our kids will learn from being pet owners.

Where have I been?

2009-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

So things got a little crazy lately and my blog has suffered for it....

We have just been letting it all hang out..

Hmmm, maybe this is where the stomach flu came from?

So much to tell....where do I start?

How about this, a post a day Monday through Friday all January. (I love how I act like their are people out there biting their nails waiting for the next post to appear, when really this is all to help soothe my blogging guilt!)

Regardless of the reason, I am doing it!

See you tomorrow!

The Pied Piper

2008-12-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Every year Ray brings his guitars, banjo, and mandolins into the kids classes.

(I swear Avril was right behind me when I was taking this picture, but now I can see where she got ink all over her face from)

He teaches them a little bit about each instrument.

Then they all rock out to the kids requests.

The word has gotten out about Ray and his musical talent. The principal of the school has requested that he do an assembly! This kind of makes us laugh because an assembly when I was growing up was a HUGE deal. And whoever was holding the assembly was just plain AWESOME. It makes me smile to think that is how Ray is viewed through these children's eyes.

Especially our kids

To My Little Helpers

2008-11-18T21:20:00.000-08:00

Thank you Avril and Will, for being so thoughtful in helping me keep the house clean for potential buyers coming to look at our house. Will, the extra touch you gave the house by throwing all the shoes we own all over the place, just before we walked out the door was genius. And the way you thoroughly spray the toilet and wall with pee is amazing.

Avril, you have such a great eye for the details. Like the way you spread ashes from our wood stove all over the floor and chaise lounge to give the room extra flare really touched my heart. You always seem to know when someone is coming the way you give your room that "stinky diaper" smell 10 minutes before they arrive. Just breathtaking. (literally)

Thanks for all of your help!

Hugs, kisses, and lots of love,

Mommy

Our Halloween

2008-11-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

Benny was Captain Jack Sparrow for Halloween. (I don't think he has ever even seen the movie)

Hannah was a witch for the second year in a row. (Don't you just love it when they want a costume repeat)

Will was Buzz Lightyear. This is his preschool parade. (Ray was very excited to be a part of it)

Our Trick or Treating crew. (Will couldn't wait to start busting open his candy)

Hannah and Benny trying to pose before school.

Avril getting the hang of getting "free candy" from every house.

This is at our ward party. I was the Sunmaid Raisin Lady, and Ray was none other than the J0lly Green Giant. All of the adults knew who he was right away, but the kids had no clue. Their guesses where: a head of lettuce, broccoli....... pretty much any green vegetable.

(I told Ray not to drink that night!)

And so it begins..........

2008-11-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is all so surreal to me.

I just wonder if we had photographs of what was actually happening in the scriptures, would it look like this?

Did it feel like this?

Was the hate this strong?

On Saturday, I had to walk with Hannah through this protest to take her to a birthday party in downtown Santa Rosa. The hate that filled the air was indescribable. We walked past signs that read, "Utah, keep out of my family" and "Latter Day Liers" and my personal favorite, "No more Mr. Gay Guy!" I kept thinking, "What if I told someone here that I was Mormon." I honestly think I wouldn't be safe. It was the weirdest feeling. And yet, at the same time I felt total peace. I came home and researched the words of our prophet and apostles on this subject and found this quote by one of my favorite apostles Boyd. K. Packer from a General Conference talk given in 2005, it read:

We live in a day when the age-old standards of morality, marriage, home, and family suffer defeat after defeat in courts and councils, in parliaments and classrooms. Our happiness depends upon living those very standards.

The Apostle Paul prophesied that in our day, these last days, men would be “disobedient to parents, … without natural affection, … despisers of those that are good, … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:2–4).

And he warned: “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13). He was right. Nevertheless, when I think of the future, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of positive optimism.

President Hinckley in a Conference talk given in 2001 said:

Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.

Reassuring words like these from our leaders about these times are endless.

Sigh......... I feel so much better.......

Rock Band Party

2008-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

We recently had a rock band party

And can I just say....

WE ROCKED!!!!!

We had enough couples to split up into 4 bands to compete against each other.

Two boy bands against two girl bands.

As you can see Ray (aka Barry Manilow) took the competition very seriously.

Our all girl band was totally rockin! Jeanie, as you can see, was awesome on vocals and Emily shredded it up as lead guitar!

Heather worked the drums.

Jeanie again getting crazy on the vocals

Jason, Matt and me ROCKIN OUT to Metallica. (they tried their best to keep the song going despite my vocals)

Me rocking out to none other than the Beastie Boys. (those guys just bring out the crazy in me!)

It was an AWESOME night!

The fourth child

2008-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Being the fourth child definitely has it's perks

You get to lounge around in a stroller drinking OJ straight up!

You get front row seats at the Library magic show

You get to experience brain freeze before you can even walk.

(Your Grandma is SO proud!)

You get more love than you can handle.

You get to tag along to every birthday party your siblings go to, and you even get to eat the cake!

You get to be a ragamuffin all day and still be cute.

And your parents don't even Freak out when your first words are:

Sponge Bob Square Pants

You Go VAVA!

**If asked who lives in a pineapple under the sea she belts out Spa Ba Spa Pa. When we put her down for a nap the other day she was singing the intro song as loud as she could over and over. We are SO proud!

Our Mii's

2008-11-11T22:39:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to make sure to document our Mii characters from our Wii. They just crack me up!

Vava Lou

Will with his sly smile

Benny Roo Hoo

Hannah Marie (she made sure she had make-up on)

Sara B

Raymond

We even made the grandparents some characters:

My Dad

My Mom (Hannah picked out everything for my mom and made sure that she had sunglasses on)

Granny

And Pa.

Ray and I are in constant competition, trying to beat each others scores. I will work all afternoon trying to beat one of his records with the kids cheering me on. Only to have Ray walk in the door and beat all of my scores in 5 minutes! I swear he doesn't go to work, but just goes to a friends house to practice the Wii all day!

No Toys???? No problem!

2008-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

We packed up almost all of the kids toys to help de-clutter the house, and to make it easier to keep it clean. I get asked all the time, "What do your kids do without their toys?"

Well, let's take a look:

They play in the rain for hours on end

There is no fighting over who gets what toy, because their is plenty of rain for everyone!

Even VaVa gets her share of the fun!

Pillowcase races has become a new sport to play.

And a basket has become the latest hat for playing dress up.

So, when asked, "Don't your kids miss their toys?"

Not one bit!

Hugs from the grocery store

2008-11-09T19:11:00.001-08:00

Whenever I take Will grocery shopping we always have to make a stop at the blood pressure machine for his "hug". As soon as we round the corner where this machine is, he starts asking over and over, "Mom, can I get my hug now? Mom can I get my hug?"

My question is: Do people really use this machine to seriously check their blood pressure?

Did I mention that we are moving to Utah??

2008-10-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read right. We are in fact moving to Utah.

We are EXTREMELY excited to be moving close to family and friends.

Today is the first day our house is on the market.

I had no idea the amount of work it takes to put a house on the market. I was up at one in the morning planting flowers in our front yard with a spoon!! I kept thinking, "If someone drives by right now, they are totally going to think that I am on crack!"

Ray and I finally crashed at 4 in the morning only to wake up at 7 to get the kids ready for school. And what am I doing when I FINALLY get a chance to rest?? That's right BLOGGING. I have my priorities straight! (but I think I might got lay down now)

Sweet little Avril??

2008-10-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today Ray came in the kitchen looking for some cookies. Here is our conversation:

Me: What are you looking for?

Ray: The cookies...

Me: We don't have any cookies.

Ray: Yes we do, Avril just gave me some.

Me: We don't have any cookies, I threw them away last night.

Ray: AVRIL!

**Need I remind you what Avril thinks is her snack bar?

Just call Ray George Costanza...

It's always fun for everyone when granny and pa come!

2008-10-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

Granny and Pa came to visit for Hannah's baptism.

What a wonderful time we had with them.

The kids had so much fun hanging out with them.

It was over 100 degrees while they visited, so slurpees were a staple item of the day.

Our morning went so smoothly with them around, that there was actually time to read a book before school!

Avril enjoyed having someone to watch her favorite shows with.

We even got a clean and organized garage out of their visit. This is the before picture. I will post the after when I get a chance. It is an amazing transformation. I am sure that John and Carolyn were a little sore the next day! Thank you sooooooo much. I still can't believe the difference!

Thank you so much for taking the time to come and see us!

We love you so much!

EXCELSIOR!!!!

2008-09-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

To my wonderful father on his 60th Birthday:

My dad lives his life by various sayings, quotes, motto's, etc. The Benton family motto is EXCELSIOR. It means always climbing ever higher. As a kid I remember running out the door, pumping my fist in the air saying, "EXCELSIOR, always climbing ever higher!" I loved it.

Another one of my dad's sayings is, "It's the hard that makes it great!" And my dad truly lives by this saying. He would always buy these complicated kites that took FOREVER to put together. All of the various pieces of the kite would be spread across the beach and don't even get me started on the tails. Yet these are the memories I hold so dear to my heart. Sitting on the beach, talking with my dad, sorting through the different kite pieces, untangling and rolling up 6 kite tails. So dad, you are right, it is the hard that makes it great!

Another saying is, "The Benton's always do their best!" I am sure that is why my parents were called to serve a Mission and sacrifice so much. Because Benton's always do their best!

My dad will always greet you with a big smile along with a "HEY!" and a thumbs up or finger point. In this picture he decided to go with both.

Both of my parents took us to so many wonderful vacations. They are the only reason I can say thatI have been anywhere.

Happy 60th Birthday Dad!

Thank you for all that you have taught me dad. I try to live by it everyday!

I love you!

If you want to wish my dad a Happy 60th just click HERE.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-09-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

My mom is a special lady. She can wear a goofy hat and still look great....

She can go to a Broadway show...

then hang with the "locals" afterwards...

She is a mom who can be silly...

yet still stop to smell the roses...

She is a Mom who's hugs are endless....

Happy Birthday Mom!

I love you!

If you want to wish my mom a happy birthday, just click HERE.

Meet Curly Top...

2008-08-15T20:55:00.000-07:00

A.K.A. VaVa Lou

We have never had a kid with such curls

We are just used to hair that no matter how we cut it.....

we get the dumb and dumber look.

Why I love where we live.....

2008-08-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

I love where we live because you can plant anything,

it grows like mad,

then gets whipped up into fresh pesto pasta for lunch.

I feel cool for one fleeting moment, kind of like I am Rachel Ray.

Then Will calls from the bathroom, "Mommy, I need my poopie wiped from my bum"

And then there was one.....

2008-08-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

I am sure you have all been dying to know what has become of our beloved Chicks.

Well, about a month ago we woke up to one crowing at 5:30 in the morning. (and yes, our neighbor was knocking on our door in her bathrobe as soon as she heard the noise) So it turned out our little chickie was actually a rooster, so off he went to the local farm store.

Then the next morning we woke up to another one crowing at 5:30 a.m. and that one turned out to be a rooster so off he went to the local farm store.

Then the other morning on our way out the door to church, I noticed a bunch of chicken feathers scattered across our lawn. I just knew one of our hens had been taken in the night by an animal. And sure enough, when we checked there was only one there. Then later that night, some friends of ours stopped by and said they saw the funniest thing on their walk. A random chicken walking down the street! We were like, "that's our chicken!" And sure enough, it turned out to be our Flo. So now our chickens have gone to stay at a friends house until we can figure out what to do with them. They keep escaping our yard and I don't want them to get hurt.

VaVa Lou

2008-08-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Avril's personal snack bar

That's right, this morning I found Avril walking around gnawing on a piece of chicken. I took it from her and threw it away. Then 5 minutes later I see her gnawing on the same piece of chicken!

But I am not too worried about it, at least she washes her hands afterward in her own personal sink.

Our Everyday

2008-08-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our everyday

Where having gravel delivered by a cool truck...

deserves a moment of respectful awe from the boys as they watch.

An everyday where our front yard is one young geologists place to explore

a place where trees are climbed

and hose attachments are the toys of choice

a place where my uncombed "mom hair" makes it's appearance

where the skie's are blue.

EVERYDAY.

I am just glad this is NOT part of our everyday!

A Trip to the Dentist

2008-08-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

Going to the Dentist is something I just hate to do. I know that new cavities are going to be found REGARDLESS of how much we brush and floss our kids teeth. I don't think I went to the dentist until I was at least 12 and I don't ever remember flossing my teeth at age 2! Do my kids really have cavities, or is this lady smiling because she is sucking hundreds of dollars from us every 6 months and we just have to sit back and take it...

Avril had a great time in the waiting room. Despite all of the great toys there were to play with, she managed to find an old, brown apple core to suck on. GREAT! Now we are probably going to have to see our doctor next week, who also is probably smiling about how much money she has sucked out of us....

My daily inner dialog...

2008-07-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Maureen sent me this video. It PERFECTLY shows my inner dialog with myself EVERYDAY I try to eat healthy. This was just too funny not to share!

Foggy Mountain Breakdown......

2008-07-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Henderson Style

Even though we are on the West Coast, Ray makes sure that his southern roots stay alive.

He has taught the kids the bass line on the piano to "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" so that the whole family can join in the fun.

I think he just got sick of playing the banjo by himself...

Happy Fourth of July!!

2008-07-06T23:38:00.001-07:00

We kicked off the 4th of July with good ol' red, white, and blue waffles. We use this trick for every holiday. The kids think it is just amazing.

Then we started a new 4th of July tradition.

Basically one person stands out on the sidewalk and dances some sort of jig while the rest of the family throws poppers at their feet. It was very entertaining. I would have to say Ray won this year. What can I say, he's got the "jimmy legs".

Happy Birthday Va Va Lou!!

2008-07-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Avril turned 1 the end of June

Thanks to Auntie Brooke she celebrated it like a princess complete with cupcakes and a tiara.

Too sweet!

I'm still here

2008-06-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

My camera ran out of batteries on Monday so this is the only shot I got of the day. I can't keep clothes on these two. Will has burnt buns from running around all day naked.

Will and Tess have an on again off again friendship. First thing in the morning Tess will say, "I no like Weeel" Then by mid morning they are friends, then after lunch they are best friends. Then it's time for Tessie's nap and the whole process starts over again when she wakes up. But no worries, by dinner time they are best friends again....that is until morning... :)

Benny and Luke spent hours finding potato bugs and feeding the ants goldfish.

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by for dinner. They took Benny and Luke back to Park City for a sleep over. Luke was so excited he ran upstairs and packed his whole drawer of clothes.

Avril showed off by walking this car all around the deck. (I can't figure out how to turn off the underline, Brooke has an awesome iMac and I am a little slow on the uptake)

Tess was content to snuggle with grandpa the whole time.

Honestly, this has been a lot of fun! Aaron and Brooke, thanks so much for letting me watch your kids. They are each so sweet. I am so happy to be able to get to know them better.

And about the chair, I tried to glue it back together, but I don't think it will work....sorry :) It was pretty funny. The chair just totally collapsed from underneath me and I fell flat on my behind! I couldn't stand back up I was laughing so hard. Hannah has the same chair at home and when she saw what had happened she said, "Mom, you are not allowed to sit on my chair at home." funny stuff

7 kids Day one

2008-06-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

We are here in Utah to spend the last two weeks with my parents before they leave for their mission to Argentina

Hannah and Chloe had their last sleep over for three years at the Park City house. I can't say anymore, I just don't want to start crying......

I have the privilege of watching Aaron and Brooke's 3 kids for a few days while I am here. I have been excited to see what life would be like with 7 kids. Lets just say if you have read the book, "If you give a mouse a cookie" you know exactly what life is like with 7 kids.

My first goal of the day was getting little Tessie to like me.

No problem a little guacamole and chips couldn't solve.

Next, Hannah and Chloe made a very detailed schedule for us to follow. Here are the 1:00 relay races

Followed by prizes

Next was 2:00 lego hour. Luke made sure I knew that he was VERY good at legos. He actually amazed me how he knew what every little piece from his lego box went to, and on which occasion he had gotten them. Smart guy!

Then came 3:00 "free choice" hour. They all chose to "rest".

Did you know that it takes a whole loaf of bread to feed 7 kids cinnamon toast? (Don't worry, Luke was happy as soon as I trimmed the crust off)

This is when the night got a little crazy. Hannah and Chloe came inside saying they had laughed so hard they peed their pants. (a little suspicious I know) Once I got them in the shower, then EVERYONE wanted to take a shower. Soon there were naked kids running around everywhere. It worked out well though, we just got everyone ready for bed.

At 9:30 p.m. I was feeling pretty proud of myself that everyone was in their rooms and the house was quiet. That was until the cat starting puking on the carpet, and I broke Brooke's computer chair while chatting with Ray on Skype!

I am so embarrassed! Sorry Brooke, I will totally buy you a new chair!

Aaron and Brooke,
I hope you guys are having a great time in Europe. You have awesome kids! I was just telling Ray that I think we could have more kids, no problem. Ray says to tell you guys, "thanks alot"

The lock

2008-06-09T19:59:00.000-07:00

What happens if you don't lock the fridge 100% of the time?

Nothing we haven't seen before

Apparently Will thought the remote was a hot dog...

Will number 2??

2008-05-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Will has a new apprentice

He has trained her well to look cute and take the fall for any mischief

When I happened upon this scene,Will was nowhere to be found, yet his footprints were everywhere.

Nice try buddy.

Tell me, is it normal in anyone else's house to walk into a room full of dirt thrown everywhere, or frozen raspberries squished all over a bed, or walking outside to find all of your newly budding peaches picked from a tree and scattered everywhere, or finding poop in the backyard (of the human kind), or finding staples in your hardwood floor, or finding a whole bottle of lemon juice spilled on your stone tile creating a permanent white stain, or having your son running around all day with a shirt you think is chocolate stained only to find out it's poop all over him,........is this normal??????? Because these things are an everyday occurrence around here and all of them come from one little guy. (can you see why my blog has been sitting for awhile?)

Benny's first sleep over

2008-05-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

Benny had his first sleep over at our house with his friend Angela.

They had a great time. There was a lot of talk about boyfriends and girlfriends, but we have taught Benny to just say, "I can be your boyfriend after my mission." That seems to help change the subject, for the moment.....

In the morning I tried to be the cool mom and make Mickey Mouse pancakes and act like it's something we just do every Saturday morning, I even whipped out the china tea cups. (that is a whole other blog, something to do with Will, all of our cups disappearing, and one day realizing he had been throwing them all away so now all we have is our china cups) Anyways...

They ate about 2 bites. But I know inside they thought I was soooo cool......

Community Spring Clean

2008-05-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday our community had a "Spring clean" where we basically cleared away over grown bushes and trees from a walking trail.

Ray definitely helped by making sure even the tall guys could take a nice Sunday stroll without having to duck from the branches. Way to go Ray!!

And as always, Will grabbed the nearest abandoned tool and got right to work.

We felt our hard work earned us a stop at 7-11 for some slurpees

Even Avril got her very own. Awwww her first brain freeze...

Well, maybe she isn't quite ready to handle her own slurpee

But you gotta start teaching them sometime!

Grandma and Grandpa visit

2008-05-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

We never know what to expect when Grandma and Grandpa come rolling in to town.

We just know that we are going to have fun from morning till night!

We celebrated Ray's birthday.
My parents very carefully lit every candle, only to have Will blow them out. I guess it's kind of obvious that was going to happen looking at this picture.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the visit.

We loved every minute of it!

I just can't.......

2008-04-25T11:21:00.001-07:00

I am deferring my weigh day to next week. My parents just visited and if any of you know my family, you know that the words Benton and food are synonymous. I just couldn't bear to see what the scale would tell me today so I just decided to skip it. (I can do that right?)

For some reason this is not allowing me to post pictures. We had a great time with my parents and I will post the pictures as soon as this silly site lets me.

Happy Birthday Will!

2008-04-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Will is now 3 years old!

Look at him trying to play it cool for the picture.

We went all out and got a nice frozen pizza. It is actually "road kill pizza". I had put the pizza on top of the car while we were loading the groceries. Once we got out on the road we heard a bump on top of the car. As we looked back, we saw the pizza flying off the back of the car and into the road. Now, if you know Ray, you know that he LOVES pizza. I start to say, "Oh well, I can grab another one later" When all of the sudden Ray says, "No, we can save it!" and he pulls a quick U-turn. He then jumps out of the car and waves an oncoming truck to a stop and runs out and grabs the pizza. The kids thought it was pretty awesome. I just hoped nobody we know saw......

Avril was especially happy that she got her own piece of pizza. A 9 month old can have pizza right?

Yipee Skipee

2008-04-18T13:55:00.000-07:00

-1 lb

and I couldn't be happier!

Our Chickies

2008-04-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I saw that baby chicks were for sale on craigslist....so I went and bought four!

Meet Shadow, Flo, Smokey, and Sunny. All I have to do now is build a coop for these guys in the backyard and we will be all set.......

What was I thinking????

p.s. please don't tell our neighbor.....for some reason I think she might not like the idea...

Weekly results

2008-04-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

-0

This week was out of my control. I stopped short of starving myself, but mother nature had other plans and paid me my monthly visit. What can you do.....

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea......

2008-04-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea that SpongeBob Squarepants was banned from so many houses.

Am I a terrible mom because this cute little sponge makes his way into our house daily?

Should I be worried that Will exclaims, "MMMMMM Krabby Patties!" whenever we have hamburgers?

ShouldI feel guilty that at least once a week at the dinner table we all try to do our best Spongebob laugh and Patrick impersonation? (Benny does a mean impersonation of the laugh and Ray always wins for the best Patrick)

Is it terrible that I can be found on the couch cracking up at this little sponges funny antics with my kids?

Should I no longer be proud that Benny can impersonate this episode of SpongeBob dancing so well?

Is it so wrong that Will has never said the word pineapple? To him it is "Sponge Bob's house"

Is this absorbent and yellow and porous little guy really that bad?

Weigh in Report

2008-04-07T20:54:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks, my Friday got away from me. Then all thoughts of my blog were lost due to my excitement for General Conference this weekend. What an amazing conference it was. Elder Ballard is now my favorite apostle.

I feel silly even jumping from the subject of conference to the subject of losing weight. But here it is.

-1 lb

I am stepping up my game this week. I am pledging a 3 lb week. It will happen. I am so sick of this 1 lb business.

My Boys

2008-03-28T22:36:00.000-07:00

Should I be worried?

How about now?

Will may have gotten more of Grandpa Benton's genes than I thought.

Ready to start again

2008-03-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am back from my two week break, ready to continue with my eating goals. I am happy to report that I held my ground over Spring Break. Check back next Friday for my weekly report!

What can I say?

2008-03-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Will is so thoughtful

Just when I thought I had nothing really to blog about

Will comes to the rescue

Thanks Will.......

You really saved the day

The List

2008-03-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

So the other day, I am listening to a radio show while folding clothes. The hosts are reading two top ten lists. Apparently, 1000 women in Britain were polled on the correlation between a man's name and his "size" (if you know what I mean). The first list contains the names of men who are , how do I put this.... perceived to be on the large side. The second list is names of men who are perceived to be on the small side.

So, I am lazily listening while folding clothes, not really thinking much of these lists either way.

The large list starts getting read.... again, not really paying much attention.

#10 Dan

#9 Richard

#8 Andy

#7 Chris

#6 Robert

#5 Mark

#4 James

#3 Steve

#2 Paul

And the # 1 name on the "BIG" list is....

DAVE

I am slightly amused at this list and just keep folding clothes.

Now the "small" list gets read:

#10 Nick

# 9 Dennis

# 8 Barry

#7 Josh

#6 Jeremy

#5 Keith

# 4 Frank

# 3 Nigel

# 2 Brian

At this point the hosts of the show stop for a moment and question whether they really should say the number one name that women correlate with a "small package". They don't want to offend any of their listeners. My interest is now peaked a little and I am glad that they decide that they have to read it.

The number one name that is correlated with "falling short in that department" is.....

RAY

I just busted up laughing.....

Results

2008-03-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just add that last post right back on. I think I know the cause of why I am up this week, FOOD!I am taking next week off for spring break. So my next weigh in isn't until the 28th. I just need to have a mental break from this. Hopefully it won't put me too far behind!

Results for the week

2008-03-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

-1

I am happy to have a loss this week, but one pound a week is a little slower than I would like. I know that I need to also count fat grams to speed up the process. But why mess with something that is working right??

I went to my massage therapist this week, ( by that I mean the lady at the massage school a block away from us) and while she was massaging me she was like, "wow, you have really lost a lot of weight, it is so much easier to work on your back now". So, was she saying I had a ton of back fat????

The Wig

2008-03-05T13:40:00.001-08:00

This is what Ray wore into work the other day.

Some people couldn't even look at him because they thought he was serious.

I am SO glad he wasn't.

Every Prayer Counts

2008-03-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law Erika has recently had surgery to remove a low grade tumor from the side of her brain. Doctors expect a full recovery. It is just the recovering part that is proving difficult on her and her family. If you could keep them in your prayers tonight that would be wonderful. I know that every prayer counts!

We love you guys!

The results are finally in....

2008-03-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

-1

Our internet has been out since Thursday night. I am sure you have all been biting your nails waiting for the results. It was girl scout cookie week. That is all I have to say....

The Money Shot

2008-02-26T20:23:00.000-08:00

So Benny and Will got a hold of the camera.

I had no idea that they had used it.

They were pretty sneaky about it.

They actually put it back in its place

With no trace of any mischief

Some of the pictures were pretty good

But the fact that Benny and Will were collaborating together on something "naughty" is a little unsettling

There is no telling what these two could do if they team up

Especially Will, you can just tell he is going to go places in life

Vava Loves her Sissy

2008-02-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

What would I do without Hannah?

My typical oldest child. She makes toast for the boys in the morning, and entertains Avril while I make dinner. She is so underpaid through her allowance....

Our dreams

2008-02-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

Ray and I are very similar in so many ways, yet so VERY VERY different.

For example, last night I dreamt that Ray was in love with another woman.

Last night Ray dreamt that he was called to be the next prophet.

Mission Presidents

2008-02-23T10:05:00.000-08:00

My parents have been called to be Mission Presidents of the Buenos Aires West Mission in Argentina! We are so excited for them. I just don't think it has sunk in yet that they are going to be gone for 3 years. I just have to focus on how blessed the people are in Argentina to have my parents helping to spread the gospel in their country. We love you guys and are so proud of you!

Friday = Weigh Day YAY!!...not really

2008-02-22T23:59:00.000-08:00

-3 lbs

So, basically I am back to where I was two weeks ago, or was that three?? -12 lbs. I just can't help myself when there is anything salty in the house. It just calls my name. ALL DAY LONG it calls my name.......

The Christmas Card

2008-02-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

This was the Christmas card you were suppose to get

This just wasn't our year for a Christmas card. I can't really say why, but it just never happened. I made the list of everyone it was supposed to go to, I even bought the cards. I just never sat down and got it all put together. So of course I thought we would send out a New Year's card....that obviously didn't happen. So now that Valentines has come and gone, I am going to officially admit to myself that a card just isn't going to happen.

There, I said it. I feel much better now........

Does that include HER?????

2008-02-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

So we have this neighbor to the right of us, who has made it known several times that she isn't exactly thrilled to be living next to a family of six. Four of those being rambunctious kiddies. She actually had problems with us even before we moved in. When Ray would work over here at night hammering inside, she would knock on the door at 10:00 pm and tell him that he needed to stop because it was too loud. So we honored her request. Then when we moved in, she would knock on our door at 2:00 in the afternoon and tell me that the kids were playing in the yard too loudly. She wanted to know if we could work out a schedule of when the kids would play in the yard. I kindly told her that would be impossible and we left it at that. Then a few weeks later she came over at 8:30 pm to tell us she could hear our kids playing in their bedrooms! This time she caught Ray after a long days work...and there was no filter. (don't worry, no profanity. But no niceties either) We hadn't heard from her since.........

until yesterday. Her latest request is for me to work out a laundry schedule with her, because apparently the smell of our clean laundry drying in the dryer gives her a headache. She wants to know when she can open her window and not smell our CLEAN laundry. (keep in mind this lady smokes) At this request I let out a deep sigh and just said, " there is no way I can tell you when I am going to be doing laundry. Sometimes we are doing it at 2:00 a.m. if our kids are sick" Her reply was, " I know a normal family only has a little bit of laundry to do and only does it one or two days a week, but you guys are different." I just kind of stared at her with a slight smile on my face. By that, she realized a schedule is not going to happen and went inside.

I have been thinking alot about this situation. My first reaction is that this lady has "issues" and it is perfectly fine to ignore her request. But the more I think about it, the question comes to mind if this is who Jesus was talking about in Matthew 22:39 when he says, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself?" Is it really HER He is talking about? Isn't Jesus talking about the nice widower Ann who lives on our left, who we happily take fresh baked cookies to, and check on when the power goes out. Or Becky and Bill who live on her left, who always take a minute or two to play catch with Benny and Will before speeding off in their red VW bug? Or Robbi and Conrad who live to their left, who I can call any morning and have Hannah catch a ride with them to school. Or even the lesbian couple who live across from us, who work on their front lawn in skin tight, jean cut-off shorts every Saturday. Isn't that who Jesus is talking about. He can't mean our neighbor and her crazy requests. And if He does, what does that mean I should do in this situation?

The conclusion I have come to is this:

I think it would be fine to ignore her request. She is a little bit irrational. But I also think their is a higher road to take, and that would be to treat her as though I do love her, and to consider her needs the same way I would of a family member that I truly do love. And if a family member was sensitive to smell, I would switch to scent free laundry detergent.

What are your thoughts?

Yikes.....

2008-02-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Yeah, you read right. I was actually very good this week. honest! I even started exercising, but I am not about to claim that I gained 3 lbs of muscle.

We did go out for sushi last night, so I am hoping that part of this is from the soy sauce??? (you know, too much salt causes water retention....it's possible right?) Well, I am going to claim that as the cause and stay in my delusional world and just work for better results next week.

To My Valentine.....

2008-02-13T19:46:00.000-08:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.....

I love that you have a million pictures of you "dunking" in your high school scrapbook

I love that you like to match me

I love that you still make this face at least 3 times a day

I love that you do things with me, even if you really don't like it

I love that you can hang out with my brothers

I love that you throw up after every time you water ski

I love that you let me be me

I love that you have the same clothes 10 years later

I love that you dress up for Halloween

I love that you knew it was time to shave your head

I love that you love your mom

I love that you tell people you are glad I didn't really know you while you were in a band so that I could love you for you and not for being the lead singer of Spivey's Corner

I love that you are my Valentine

Do our kids look related to each other??

2008-02-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Hannah

Benton

William

Avril

I look at other families at church and all of their kids look so much alike. Each of their babies are like cookie cutters of each other. I keep getting questioned at the grocery store if all of these kids are mine. I am not sure if it is because of the number of kids running around me, or their looks. What do you think??

The Power is out AGAIN???

2008-02-09T10:19:00.000-08:00

With all of these rainstorms here in Cali, our power has gone out a few times now.

It is always fun at first to eat Carls Jr by candle light. (Doesn't Ray look so pious by candlelight?)

Then Ray builds a fire in our wood stove that we always intended on getting rid of. (don't let the flash fool you, it's only the fire giving us light) We all just sat around the fire while Hannah and Ray played songs on the piano. It's amazing to me how convenient and complicated power makes our lives at the same time.

Then we decided it would be fun to all sleep in the same room. After Ray dragged our mattresses and blankets out to the family room, the power came on 5 minutes later.

Let's just say it wasn't a good week.....

2008-02-08T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, that is a goose egg. As in ZERO lbs lost!

It started with an innocent day off for a little super bowl food and that turned into taking Monday off, which turned into taking Tuesday off which lead to a half day of dieting on Wednesday. Finally by Thursday I panicked when I realized that I had to weigh the next day. But it was too little too late. So, to get me back on track I am pledging to lose at least 2 lbs by next week.

I have to admit, this is getting hard! It was all fun and games the first two weeks, but now I keep wondering when am I ever going to feel satisfied after eating a meal? I am always still HUNGRY!

Get out and VOTE!

2008-02-05T14:51:00.001-08:00

I don't want to tell you who to vote for

JUST

VOTE!

Week 3 of Healthy Eating

2008-02-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Our power has been out today because of the rainstorms here in Cali. I am sure you all have been anxiously waiting to know my results for this week. (I know, I know, I am sure that is not the case, butI have to tell myself that lots of people will be checking the blog on Friday. That is the only way I can stay away from eating ice cream endlessly all day. ) I seem to have hit a steady groove. This week's results are:

-2 lbs

I am not sure how next week will go. I plan on totally pigging out on chips, dips, treats, etc. on Sunday. I plan on making every single recipe that I salivated over while watching the food network shows on super bowl appetizers. (and we aren't even having anyone over) hee hee

The Man of the House

2008-01-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

Our Sunday's lately aren't as smooth as one would hope. With Ray on the High Council he is only in our ward once a month. Which leaves me to be the frazzled single mom with four kids. Church goes just as you would expect. Sippy cups flying, kids crying, and me smiling on the outside, but freaking out on the inside.

This last Sunday had been a particularly trying day at church. And it was pouring rain when church let out. When we pulled up in the driveway all of the kids hopped out of the car and went running inside leaving all of the car doors open. My calls to them to come back and shut the car doors went unheard. While I am sitting there in the car having a pity party for myself, I see Benny coming back to help. He shut the car doors, then came around to my door and opened it for me and even unbuckled my seat belt. I told him how proud I was of him and what a great job he was doing as being the "big man in the house" while Ray was gone.

And of course the person to thank for that is Ray. What a great example he is to our sons. On that note, it might be time for Ray to tell Benny that he is a little to old for the one piece PJ's.

Weigh day already?????

2008-01-25T08:53:00.000-08:00

The honeymoon is over. This week was brutal. Every half eaten peanut butter sandwich left over from the kids called my name. Every nibbled on granola bar left on the counter looked like Thanksgiving dinner. My body just wanted food of any kind in any form. Did I resist enough for a weight loss this week????
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-2 lbs

Whew! I was a little worried I wouldn't make it!

(And I honestly wouldn't have if it wasn't for this blog)

On to week three!

The Basketball Game

2008-01-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday Ray had to ref a young men's basketball game. I was so sick, so Ray kindly offered to take ALL THREE kids with him. It probably goes without saying that it was kind of a disaster.

Will was CRAZY. He ran all over the place. Ray ended up having to hold him while running up and down the court for about 3/4 of the game. At one point Will ran across the court causing a boy to slide out of the way trying to avoid knocking him over. Another time in the game the whistle is blown and all of the players stop. Ray looks at the other ref and says, "What's the call?" The other ref says, "I didn't blow the whistle, you did" Just then they see Will stuffing a whistle back in the bag and running off. That sneaky little Will. I am sure he is going to be banned from the court before he ever steps foot on it as a player.

(this picture of Will has nothing to do with this blog subject really, it is just such a funny picture to me so I posted it. He is in a lion costume for an 18 month old!)

It's Weigh Day

2008-01-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Today I faced the scale and I was a little shocked!

This week I lost.......
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-8 lbs

Crazy I know! I am not doing a crash diet either. Just good old fashion calorie counting. I have 1800 a day. (I had to add calories because I am still nursing). And that is about it. My body must just be ready to get rid of this stuff!

Thanks for all of your support. The pressure of having to post this today was very motivating!

25 LB Challenge

2008-01-11T11:17:00.000-08:00

Yay, don't you love it when you get pictures back where you thought you looked so cute only to see an insane postpartum stomach? Well, Avril is 6 months old and it is time for me to do something.

Starting today I am issuing myself a 25 lb weight loss challenge and to motivate me I am going to post my weekly weight loss results on my blog. Weigh in day will be every Friday. So you can check on Fridays to see whether I have gained or lost weight that week. And yes, I will be totally honest. My goal is 25 lbs by the summer time.

I asked Ray if I could join him at the gym on his lunch break. I said, "now be totally honest, would that bug you" Here is his reply, "Ya, one day a week would be awesome, I mean if it was every day that might be a little much" We both busted up laughing. I totally understand the need for guy time.

In the past Ray and I have worked out together consistently and it was fun, but I think I didn't follow guy protocol in the gym. One time Ray looked like he had pulled a muscle in his shoulder and I was like, "Oh did that hurt, let me rub it" he then jerked back like, "whoa, don't baby me right now" It was pretty funny.

Christmas vacation

2008-01-02T19:55:00.001-08:00

We went to Utah for Christmas this year. Here are a few of the highlights...

Will wearing Hannah's hand me down snow clothes

Sledding

Chinese dinner Christmas Eve (a Benton family tradition)

Ray finally getting proof that his "fortress of solitude" exists

Yes, our kids are Brady Bunch lovers....I mean they like to wear robes

Building snow tunnels

We had such a great time visiting family and friends. And we dearly missed family we were not with.

Merry Christmas!!

Avril's first haircut

2007-12-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

I knew it was time to give Avril a haircut when I took her over to a friends house and as soon as my friend opened the door she just busted up laughing at Avril's "comb over". I guess as a mom you just don't see it.

Avril before

and after, much better!

Poor Avril, the other day she spit up an M&M shell. Of course you know who is the one who fed it to her right? (Who is very much in need of a haircut looking at this picture)

Well I thought Will had fed her an M&M too. Until about two days later when I saw where M&M's fall while I eat them. That's right... they fall right down my shirt to the very spot where Avril eats! So embarrassing..........

Back to the subject of hair, Benny has started combing his own hair. Have you ever seen the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry gets his hair cut??? Well, now you don't have too...

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

We started the holiday with a Thanksgiving craft day

The day ended with four turkeys

Next we baked and baked.

Whenever I have the kids help me bake, they always insist on wearing these silly baking hats that came with Hannah's Easy Bake Oven.

Sorry Ray, I am sure you were unaware of the boys baking attire. But what can I say, they LOVE IT!

After the big feast, which somehow we have no picture of, we had movie night. And every night since then too!

The next day we got out all of our Christmas boxes and opened them while listening to Harry Conick Jr.'s When My Heart Finds Christmas, and 'N Sync's Home for Christmas. Yes you read right, you should check it out. Especially "O Holy Night". You will become an instant fan.

Will made sure he got his picture with the boxes too.

Then off to the store to pick out this year's ornament for each of the kids.

And last but not least, we put up our Christmas tree we lovingly call "Polly"........ as in polymer, as in plastic, as in fake. The kids love Polly. I kept hearing Benny say, "I just love Polly. I just want to give her a kiss." And so he did. About a million times.......

And that was our lovely Thanksgiving weekend.

The Cowboy

2007-11-13T18:32:00.000-08:00

Watch out ladies......there is a new sheriff in town!

Or maybe a new village person, one of the two!

He definitely got his sweet moves from his dad

Trick or Treating

2007-11-07T15:28:00.001-08:00

This is the morning of Halloween. Hannah and Benny both popped out of bed and immediately dressed in their costumes.

Will, not quite grasping the concept of Halloween, came running out of his room sans diaper. (or maybe he totally gets the concept and he just wanted to dress as a flasher)

What I love best about Benny's red power ranger costume is the bow in the back. It just brought a smile to my face every time I saw it.

Here is a picture of Will when he realized that people were handing out free candy!

What a fun Halloween it was!

My Puerto Rican Grandma

2007-11-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

The other night I had just gotten home and needed to grab something really quick from our house to take to someone. When I went back outside there was a black cat sitting on the hood of our car so I went back inside. I plopped on the couch next to Ray. Here is our conversation:

Ray: What happened? Didn't you need to go somewhere?

Me: Ya, but when I got out to the car, there was a black cat on the hood. Isn't that a bad omen on the eve of Halloween? I don't think I should go out tonight.

Ray: Who are you??

Since then I have been laughing at myself and thinking about where do my superstitions come from? I didn't have to think to long about that. You see, I am a quarter Puerto Rican. Which my brother Brad would say we are quartaricans.

We grew up living only a few blocks from my Grandma. And I guess her superstitions found their way into the back of my head.

For example:

- whenever my kids are opening umbrellas in the house I cringe and tell them they need to stop.

-I make sure to side step any ladders in my path

-And whenever I get my hair cut at a salon, I am too chicken to ask for my hair that has been cut so that I can dispose of it properly like my Grandma always taught me. Why you might ask? So they don't make a voodoo doll with it of course!

The Disney Cruise

2007-10-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the Disney cruise. I have to say, it was pretty fun!

Will trying to play it cool with Cindy and Snow

Hannah and Chloe sporting the Benton Cruise gear

The view of the ship from Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.

Hannah and Chloe morphed into teenagers on the trip.

Avril getting her share of the sun on the beach.

What a handsome guy!

The dolphins were a little scared of ray. They wouldn't get too close to him.

All cleaned up for formal night

Ray doing what he does best. Entertaining the kids!

Pirate night with Captain Jack Sparrow

What a memorable vacation it was! Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

The Drill Accident

2007-10-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Ray was working late Saturday night on the house installing our shower door. All of the sudden I heard him kind of moaning, "ow ooh ooh ooh aw!" I walked in and saw blood all over the floor leading to where Ray was washing his hand. Basically what happened was while Ray was drilling a hole through the door, the drill bit broke causing the drill to jump and drill right through Ray's middle finger. He said it was pretty crazy seeing the drill through the other side. He had to actually reverse the drill to get it out of his finger! But he is fine. Luckily, the drill missed the bone and any nerves or soft tissue.

The thing I love about Ray is how easily he sees the good in things. As he was walking out the door to the emergency room he said, " I am so blessed. This could have been so much worse".

Then, when he got home from the hospital at 1:00 a.m. he actually finished the shower door!

I just love that guy!