Peace & Quiet???

These 2 words don't always go together. Jesse took Kelsi&Kaitlyn up north over memorial day weekend. He played in a softball tournament and the girls really wanted to go. He is such a good sport and very willingly took them. They were so excited to be with their dad. I knew I would miss them terribly so I kept saying, "are you sure?" "you're gonna miss me" "it's 4 days until you see me again." Saying this didn't work. So then I said, "hey! I'll take you to get your toes painted." "we can go to the movies!"...nothing. They really wanted to go with their dad. So me and Kendi had lots of bonding fun together. There was definitely a lot to get done and I am grateful for the chance to catch up! But it was way too quiet around here. My house is more peaceful when I hear my girls playing and I know that my husband is home with me. So it was quiet, but I wouldn't say peaceful.

But I got a lot done...painted some cabinets, watched 4 movies; juno, 27 dresses, catch & release (loved them!) and p.s. I love you (hated it). I went shopping and tried not to worry about my girlies. Jess did a great job -they came home in one piece!

{is anyone thinking Target right now?}

American Idol Upset!

Did anyone else predict David Cook? I would have bet money on Archuletta. I will just buy both of their CD's...plus my own personal fave Carly Smithson. Anyone want to go to the top 10 tour? I've never wanted to go to one before, but I am totally there this year!!! (Val & Bre, you better invite me :)!! This has been my favorite season by far. And what a great finale! It will stay on my TIVO forever!!! I will watch Archuletta sing with One Republic anytime!!! And of course, Carrie Underwood. My all time favorite winner. She is stunningly beautiful with an amazing voice!! I still think she could've worn a skirt under that jacket! haha

We had a fun little AI party over here. Jesse's fam came over and brought a few friends. Of course Kelsi & Kaitlyn got in on the fun too. They had a little pajama party and danced around the house. I love that they are growing up into some fun little gals :) I think Jesse even enjoyed it! Maybe it was just the food though!

School Year Celebration '08

Kelsi had her end of the year program on Wednesday. It was fantastic! Of course I would leave my camera at home. I took it out of my purse to check the battery and left it on the table!! But luckily I had my video camera, I just can't transfer video from a cassette tape! Bummer! They sang some really fun songs and entertained us all! They learned the hula dance (miss peggy loves hawaii and they spend a month learning about it). They recited pages from a book and each had a part. It was fun helping Kelsi memorize her part about a "lady that wrings out the paper and hangs up the news". I think every preschool teacher is amazing for doing what they do. So much time and effort goes into every single preschool day! I am so grateful for Kelsi's teacher Peggy Nielsen. I am also glad that I was the last person on the waiting list that got in! She is like a grandma to these kids. Genuinely loves each one of them and got teared up just talking about them during thier program. She is so fun and makes preschool ALL about THEM! Kelsi has learned so much and has had so much fun! It's definitely been more about FUN than homework. Kaitlyn missed her cut off by one day but I will be able to "sneak" her in :) She will enjoy Miss Peggy for 2 years and I am thrilled for her. So instead of posting pics from the program, here are some random pics from throughout the year. Thanks Miss Peggy!!

Preschool Burnout

I'm a little nervous now for Kelsi to start Kindergarten. No, not because I will miss her so much or that she is growing up too fast. It's because I will actually have to schedule in homework time and reading time (and it will actually count!) I feel like I have "senioritis" towards preschool! Preschool didn't stress me out. She did her homework fine we read the quota of books each day. She learned what she needed to learn and much more. And I was still a total slacker. I definitely didn't make much of an effort to play every file folder game that she brought home. (some are still on the desk needing to be cut out!) I hardly ever went over the flashcards even. Whatever, it's preschool. It's not like I care if she is the "smartest" but I want her to have good homework habits. It's up to me to create those habits and I guess it starts in Kidergarten. It's way more fun to just play!

I am so ready for summer!

It makes me wonder what all you mom's feel like with older kids in school. Are you looking forward to summer? Or is it, "dang, my kids are home all day long!" I feel like my life is changing forever this coming August 11th! I know it sounds so dramatic :)

Happy Mother's Day

Being a mom is hard! Being a good mom is even harder! Feeling like you are a great mom is the hardest of all. There is an enormous burden of pressure on us to be "perfect". This mother's day, I hope everyone realizes how wonderful and blessed we are and how magnificent being a mom is.

I love being a mom! It is the most rewarding calling of my life! I am so blessed to have three beautiful girls that I know will be my best friends. It's scary to think of what it will be like in 10 or 20 years. You just hope and pray that you do your best so that your kids will stay close to the Gospel and to you.

The greatest gift for me on Mother's Day would be to have all of my children get along and be so super happy all day! I would be in heaven!!! Lately it seems as if I am a referee more than a mother. Constantly breaking up battles between the two girls; who stole the others shoe? - she bit me, pinched me, pulled my hair, etc.... -" I don't want to watch Wow Wow Wubsy, I want to watch Max & Ruby!" - Ugggh. That's why I love this song so much. Sometimes that mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand...(a really good music video by the way, it made me cry - i tend to be a cry o holic sometimes though :)

Does it really matter? We are all happy, safe and healthy. What more could I ask for?

Happy Mother's Day to all of you fantastic mom's out there!!!! We are superheroes!

Happy Mom Day!

Before I was a Mom

Author Unknown

Before I was a Mom -I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on - Pooped on - Spit on - Chewed on, or Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and My thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests...or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom -I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known The warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Mui Bien!

We ate these fabulous enchiladas at our last enrichment night. They are sooo good! I made them for cinco de mayo yesterday and they were a hit! Just thought I would share...I have become quite food obsessed lately and love to cook! I think it's because of this fab blog called Picky Palate. Check it out! I made the best snickerdoodles...seriously! Then I made the black & white chippers from Paradise Bakery. They tasted the same! I love knowing a recipe will turn out! I have yet to make anything from picky palate that hasn't! Here is the recipe for the yummy enchiladas...they have cream cheese in them! Oh my! I have to say though that I used corn tortillas. It was my first time actually boiling chicken and frying tortillas! Usually I use canned chkn and use chkn broth for the tortillas.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
6 chicken breasts- bone in and with skin
2 cloves garlic- minced
½ cube of butter
2 {4oz.} cans diced green chilies
2 ½ cups yellow onion-diced
1 large red bell pepper- diced
4 {3oz.} pkgs. Cream cheese-cubed
4 cups grated Monterey jack cheese- divided
Oil
25 flour tortillas {salad plate size}
1 ½ cups water
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1. Place the chicken breasts into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked through.
{About 20 Minutes} Remove from water and set aside to cool. When cooled, remove skin and discard bones. Shred all breast meat and set aside.
2. In a fry pan put enough oil to fry tortillas and turn heat to medium. When oil is hot, dip each tortilla and turn once until tortilla is limp. About 4 seconds per side. Drain well on paper towels.
3. Heat butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add green chilies, onions, red peppers, and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes until well combined. Reduce heat just a little. Add the cubed cream cheese and 2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese. Stir constantly so cheeses won’t stick. As the cheeses melt, slowly add water until well combined. Stir in sour cream and continue stirring. Turn heat to low. Add shredded chicken and mix well. Remove pan from heat.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a very large baking pan OR 2-9x13 inch pans. Spoon filling down the center of each tortilla. {About a heaping ¼ cup per tortilla} Roll up and place in pan {or pans} seam side down. Repeat until all tortillas are filled. Top enchiladas with remaining 2 cups of cheese. {You can add more cheese if you like.} Evenly pour cream over top of enchiladas. Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes until golden and the center enchilada of pan is hot. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!!

Let's Play Music

Kelsi had her first "recital" for her Let's Play Music class tonight. It's the first & only "thing" I have her in at the moment so it was exciting for us (me). She told me afterward that "when people clap for me my stomach freaks out" haha! I love little kid langauge.

Basically, this year, they learned some pretty cool songs and how to play with bells. She knows what a major/minor scale is and how to keep a beat. She'll be musically smarter than me pretty soon. I have to say that when I first signed her up I was wishing she was in dance instead. I had to attend the class every other week and that got old fast. But it was quality time spent with JUST my Kels. (That's what I would tell myself :0) Now it's something that all my girls will have the chance to do and I am loving it.

TuTu Cute!

We got our family pics taken last week and these are a couple of sneek peeks that we got to see. I can't wait to see them all! My cuz Lindsay made these tutus for my girls: Check out TuTu Heaven, they are SWEET!

Of course, as I always say, pictures lie! Taking family pics is not my favorite thing to do. Luckily, we don't do it very often! (with a professional photog anyway)

I had to drag my three girls to the mall 3 separate times (poor things) to get coordinating outfits. It was nightmarish, I won't do it again!

Kaitlyn wasn't cooperating very well - She is my "jeans" girl and refuses to wear anything but jeans everyday. When all of hers get dirty she will wear Kelsi's 5T's. Thank goodness for adjustable waists! I love her personality though and really don't care how she expresses herself. I had to bribe her with icecream to put the tutu on - she finally relented. After she put it on she crossed her arms and looked pretty upset about it :) Can't wait to see that one!

Kelsi loves the camera and loves to pose. Kennedy is just the happiest thing and did awesome too. My props to Pied Piper Photographer Lindsey Silsby. She does awesome with the editing and color of each picture. I love how she captures the personalities of my kids as well. She never told them to smile or how to pose - she just let them do their own thing.