Us lately

So I haven't blogged in awhile. I wish I had some awesome excuse but the truth is, I'm just really really tired. Three months of getting up all night is starting to take it's toll. After the kids are in bed (way too late because it's summer) I think about walking downstairs to blog and I can't get off the couch. I'm too tired to walk across the room and pick up the tv remote...tired. I would tell you more about how tired I am but as Ashley always says, "Tired gets no respect."

Plus, I have totally overbooked my kids. What else is new? We do swimming lessons, gymnastics, sports camp, piano lessons and the gym. I can't say no to anything and because I was so afraid of them being bored--I spend my days driving them from thing to thing and yelling at them to "get in the damn car!"


I love watching Sammie at our poor man's gymnastics--it brings out the stage mom in me--she's a natural.

This little butterball is my car seat baby:


I think back to how lovingly I cared for my first baby Luke. The whole day was about him. We had a routine where he got bathed in the morning, rubbed down with lotion, we read books, napped, etc etc.

Buster is lucky to get a "mexi-shower" every three days or so. That is where I put him under the running water in the kitchen sink and shampoo his hair. Then it's back in the swing or the bouncer and then the car seat. Poor kid. Yes, he's totally fat. Once the hair goes, party's over. Good thing I have a huge crush on him.

When we are home, I'm usually picking up messes and the kids are sneaking downstairs to watch iCarly (a total big kid show.) I've given in to it.

So that's where I've been folks. I'm livin' the dream. Did anyone watch the Men Tell All? I was too tired. What did I miss? Did I mention how tired I am....

Team Frank

I know half of America is ready to crucify Frank right now. But I don't think he was dishonest and I don't think he was a coward. I'm just relieved to finally know why he couldn't commit to Ali. The mystery to me is why he spent the first half of the season so obsessed with Ali and so concerned every time another guy went out with her. Next thing we know, Ali is falling in love with him and he's not so sure about her.

This is what I love about the show--it's real life folks. I have to hand it to Frank though--I'm glad he figured this out now, instead of after she gave him the final rose. I was a little embarassed for Ali in how hard she took the news. Her pity party on the beach with Chris Harrison was a little hard to watch.

Of course Frank wasn't going to tell Ali about Rachel or Danielle or whatever the heck her name was earlier in the season. He kept thinking that as things progressed with Ali, his feelings for his ex would go away. I side with Frank on this one. Its not as if he was dating his ex on the sly during the show like Justin or Ed from last season.

The interesting thing about the situation is that clearly, Ali had already chosen Frank in her head. That's why she took it so hard. The question now is--Will she choose on of these other guys? Is either one marriage material?


Of course Roberto is not ugly--not one little bit--but once again, does the dude even have a personality? I'm still not sure.

What about Chris? I like Chris. He is a stand up guy. But if she picks him, she might as well pack her bags for Cape Cod because he ain't never leaving home. In fact, she can just plan to spend every holiday and every waking minute right there at his dad's house with his brothers and their wives. I love a man that loves his family but in this case, it scares me a bit.

Let's talk about Ali's clothes. My favorite swimsuit was the one she wore with Chris--the navy and white one with the white skirt and little sweater over the top. I loved the dress she wore on her romantic evening date with Roberto. I hated the outfit Ali wore on her evening date with Chris--basically a tie-dyed tank with sweats. However, in all honestly, when I went to Kauai with Sam last year, I basically wore the same kind of stuff out to dinner every night and I never even bothered to wear make-up. I was in complete vacation mode. (That Sam's a lucky guy!) I also hated the mu mu Ali wore at the faux rose ceremony.

Speaking of the rose ceremony. Do you think the producers made Ali still have it just to fill the time? I thought it was interesting that Ali didn't tell the other guys that Frank left her for his ex. She said he had unfinished business at home implying it was something shady.

I don't know who she's going to pick now. I could kind of see her not pick either guy a la Brad Womack (best bachelor ever.) In the end, I guess I think she will pick Roberto even though I would rather see her with Chris. To be honest, I've lost interest now that Frank is gone. I think they had the most chemistry. We're off to Bora Bora to meet the fam. I refuse to watch the Men Tell All unless next Monday rolls around and I'm completely desperate.

I'll Miss You Kirk

I saw it coming but it didn't make it any easier. I knew Ali was sending Kirk home tonight. I know I'm the only one but I liked Kirk--cute, funny, quirky Kirk. His relationship with his mom was so sweet. I hope my boys love me that much. But like I said before, once Ali got a look at Kirk's dad and realized that would be the face she would be looking at in 20 years, she bailed. Were you all as disgusted as I was when Kirk's dad actually opened up that freezer!! Can you believe they keep treats in there too! And what about Kirk's stepmother's voice? Sheesh.

I was so relieved that the producers didn't make any of the families do dumb stuff like they usually do. Remember the bird funeral? Or the actor who played some one's dad or Gia's mom reading the taro cards? So awkward.

Wasn't Chris' dad sweet? I think I want Sam to give me a Dennis bracelet for our anniversary that says "Love is the only reality" or whatever that quote was. I really liked Chris' family but I'm not loving Chris. He bores me and he isn't funny. But he does love his dead mother. He's the next to go.

Oh Roberto. How hot was he in his uni? But c'mon Ali--you've got to stop fake laughing around him. I'm convinced now more than ever that Roberto is just a pretty face. Roberto's dad didn't' think Ali was good enough for Roberto. He kept talking about Roberto's "big dreams" and I couldn't help but remember that Roberto currently sells insurance....not that there's anything wrong with that!

Frank. We all know Ali likes Frank the best. She is pretty obvious about it. From his brown sweater, I'm convinced Frank manages a Banana Republic in some mall in Chicago. Once again, that's okay, but he is always talking about how he is a screenwriter. I really liked Frank's parents but I don't like how wishy washy he is. I want him to be crazy about Ali and sure that she is the one--at least Chris and Kirk seemed completely sure about her. I'm going to be so bugged in Tahiti when Frank turns into a drama queen. We all know it's coming from the previews.

Did you like Ali's pink dress at the rose ceremony? I like the rosettes but it felt a little like a 90's prom dress to me.

So we're off to Tahiti...the fantasy suites...Roberto in a swimsuit....I can't wait!

Simple Pleasures

Each of these things have made me happy this week:

My McDonald's just remodeled their drive-thru--two lanes folks! I'm lovin' it. The drive-thru lady is still making a fuss over Buster--What can I say? I'm a regular.

Wipeout--Second best show on tv right now. My two-year-old loves this show as much as my husband....big balls.


I stumbled onto a huge sale at Gap the other day. I bought Ryan the cutest outfit. Watching him strut around the house in it made me and Sam laugh.




Lindsey Lohan got sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating her probation. She cried in court. hahahaha.



Watching highlight clips of the Running of the Bulls in Spain. I love seeing middle aged American men (with mid-life crises) getting trampled by Bulls. It's weird that only men do this stuff..hmmm..


Re-discovering the joy of running--I've finally started running again after about a year off. I worked out at the gym during this pregnancy but didn't run . The other night, I had to keep looking over my shoulder to see if I was towing a couple of jet skis. It was scary how winded I was but it felt good to be out running again. I like being outside by myself with good tunes.

Sam bought me the most beautiful pair of tall black boots at the Nordstrom pre-sale. He just doesn't know it yet. Thanks Sam--we will call them my Mother's day gift 2012 since I've pretty much mortgaged out every other holiday between and now and then.

Not my exact boots but you get the idea.

Luke and Sammie started piano lessons. My parents gave us their old piano and I love to hear my kids playing it. I can't wait to see if they really take off like I did....I basically did a sight reading lesson every week for eight years.

That there is an R.V. This baby has been parked outside my neighbor's house all week. I came this close to hitting it every time I backed out of my drive-way. Every time I looked at it, I imagined that Uncle Eddie had come to stay and it made me happy.

Drumstick ice-cream cones. A friend brought my kids these when I had Buster. I've been hopelessly addicted ever since. Tonight, I accidently ate three. I can't figure out why I'm not losing any weight...

I'm Kind of a Big Deal

Me in better days

Just in case you can't get enough of me here, I am guest blogging on Marta Writes today.

You know how Oprah always asks celebrities at what moment they realized they had "made it?" And most say it is right now sitting on your couch Oprah...well, I felt like I had "made it" being asked to write a post for Marta's hugely popular blog. Her blog is happy and colorful and full of great information and inspiration.

She is doing a "How To" series featuring guest bloggers. My post is "How to Survive Swimsuite Season." Check it out here!

Our Fourth of July

This year our Fourth was pretty low-key. It wasn't nearly as exciting as last year's Red, White Trash and Blue Fourth of July.

Remember how Easter fell on General Conference Sunday and none of us Mormons knew when to dress our kids in their Easter clothes? That's kind of how it felt having the Fourth of July fall on a Sunday. Nobody in Utah really knew when to celebrate so it kind of got stretched over three days.

My family did all of our celebrating on Saturday morning. We woke up early and went to the East Millcreek parade. It is the perfect small town parade where the floats are small and kids ride bikes and throw candy. The best part is, you don't have to get there early to get a seat. My kids usually ride a float in this parade but since my Grandpa Poole (who makes the floats every year) passed away a few months ago, we just went to watch. Being at the parade really made me miss my Grandpa.


Sam had already ran 15 miles that morning...I hadn't.



My kids got more candy than they do at Halloween (yes, that is a guy walking his dog in the parade--I told you it was small-town!):


After the parade, we went to Kneaders for breakfast. If you haven't been there for their all-you-can-eat chunky cinnamon french toast, you haven't lived. They serve it with fresh strawberries and cream and it is to die for. I never go out for breakfast so this felt very decadent to me.


My only complaint is that Kneaders has started doing what the OG has done for years with their bottomless salad and bread sticks--You ask for more, and they bring you one more tiny slice. You ask for more again, and they bring you one more tiny slice. If I have to ask for more 15 times, I don't think they should be able to call it "All-you-can-eat." They obviously don't want you asking for more. Drives me crazy! Luckily, the diet coke was flowing and I was able to drink to my heart's content.

We came home and Sam and I both spent the rest of the day trying to sneak off to bed for a nap without the other one noticing. He won.

We're Down to Four!

I don't have a lot to say about tonight's episode. I know. Rarely am I at a loss for words. Maybe it's that they finished the show with Jake and Vienna and I'm still in shock at what a complete ass Jake is. I'm sorry to use that word on my blog. I honestly can't think of another word to describe him. Could you believe he yelled at Sausage on national tv?


I swore I wouldn't watch the Jake and Vienna special--I didn't want to give those people another minute of my time. And then I did. I got sucked in. I just couldn't believe the hatred and animosity between them. They haven't been together that long. But I have to say Sausage won this one in my book. Jake scares the crap out of me.

On to happier things: Ali made the right decision tonight! Hooray that Ty is going home. At least he was classy as he made his exit.

I really like the four guys that are left. To me, Frank and Kirk have the most connection with Ali. You can tell Ali just adores Frank. And Kirk is so real. At least the guy talks about real stuff. I love Roberto (have I mentioned how hot he is?!) but he just flirts with Ali. I never hear the guy talk about anything meaningful or about real life. It bugs me.

Of course, I still like Chris but could he have driven any slower on the scooter? I know he loves his dead mother but at some point he has to stop talking about her and start talking about other stuff or their relationship is never going to go anywhere. I did love the bracelet he gave Ali. That was sweet.

Did you see the preview of the hometown dates? Is Kirk's dad a carbon copy of him or what? It is uncanny. The funny thing is--my cute Grandpa Poole that I just talked about in my last post had a taxidermy room in his basement exactly like Kirk's dad's. It was so scary.


I predict that poor Kirk is going home next week because Ali just got a glimpse of what Kirk will look like in 20 years and it ain't pretty.

Is Ali putting on weight? I should be the last person to bring this up but I think she is...at least she's human.

We're off to the hometown dates.

Blessing Day

We blessed baby Mitchell today:


It was a really nice, relaxing day. Unfortunately, Mitchell has gotten completely fat. Luckily, he still has his hair, but when that goes, it's all over. The funny thing is, he put on all this weight in the last two weeks. I took this picture of him in his outfit two weeks ago:


Here he was yesterday!


We attempted to get a family picture. We took about 45 shots and this one was the best we could get. They were all horrible. I don't even know why I try:


My cute parents (notice how I did them a solid and took the picture from above):


The blessing was nice. We named him Mitchell Harold after my Grandpa Poole. I loved that we blessed him on the Fourth of July because my grandpa was a war hero and he loved this country so much.

The funny thing was, I had a really awkward moment with our stake president on the way out of the chapel. He congratulated me and I wasn't sure if we were going to hug or shake hands (I've known him for a long time.) I was holding the baby and sort of leaned in and he put his arm out and I ended up patting his stomach. Very embarrassing for me!

My mom flew home from helping Ashley with her collapsed lung in order to be here for the blessing. She is flying out again tonight to go back to help Ashley again. My mom has a tradition of buying the babies their blessing outfits and getting the babies dressed in them on their blessing day:


Sam talked me out of having anyone over after the blessing. I have to admit, I felt guilty not doing it but Sam just convinced me that new moms shouldn't have to go to all that work when they are not even sleeping through the night and no one cares anyway. So we didn't and it was such a relief to just sit and enjoy the blessing and not rush home to put out the spread!


This is my favorite picture of the day--Ryan insisted on holding the baby--very funny: