bowling...

We went bowling yesterday with my parents and sister's fam. It was busy, so we just let the kids bowl. They had a blast. Zane was so excited anytime a pin was knocked down, didn't matter if you just got one. Too cute. Andrew (5) was quite the bowler, however, he probably didn't have the best form (he literally tossed the ball). We did have a couple of pins come back at us down the lane, which was a giggle. We were keeping the bowling alley workers busy with all the problems we kept causing on our lane. Zach (7) had quite a few straight ones, he probably didn't even need the bumpers. Madison (9) was the high score! They all did really well, those bumpers sure help. They all scored higher than my average low score bowling game of 50ish.

Go Zane!

Those crazy pins!

christmas morning...

Happy Holidays! Zane got some Planet Heroes, moon sand, and art supplies with an easel. Lily got a fun toy train, some cute clothes, and a fabulous wooden rocking horse. Abi got a new camera, and John got new scriptures and a tool set. Zane's favorite was probably playing with Lily's presents. Lily's favorite was definitely the wrapping paper. We all got way too much stuff I'm sure. The kids are definitely spoiled.

new floors...

For Christmas, my parents got us TILE in our kitchen (only we had to do it!). With mucho help from my brother in law...we got it done, just in time for Christmas Eve. It is wonderful. Yay! (soon to come, pics of the newly re-landscaped front yard - no more ugly bushes!)

Picture of beginning removing the old linoleum. The only way we were successful in doing this is with a 4" razor blade scraper. First you score the linoleum in approx. 4x6 inch pieces with a box cutter. Then you put down a towel and pour boiling hot water over top. Wait a few minutes, then scrap up with the razor scraper. A TON of work.

Here is the first couple rows of tile. After scraping up the linoleum, there is still a lot of glue and backing left. You have to repeat the boiling water/towel and razor scraper process again to get that stuff up.

All finished!

merry christmas...

We visited Santa yesterday. Zane was soooo excited. He couldn't wait to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. He told him he wanted a Light Sketcher. Hopefully Santa knows what the heck that is! Lily wasn't quite sure what to think of Santa. She looked at him, and then back at me, then back at him, then made a big "I'm going to freak out if you don't pick me up right this second" face. It's great.

power of prayer...

Today we had to venture to Lowes for a new water heater. Always a good time when you have to replace stuff in your house. After purchasing the water heater and loading it in the car (with the kids too), I realized that I had misplaced the only key to the car. Now I had it to open up the car and trunk, etc., so it couldn't have gone far. After searching and searching with no luck, John started to say a prayer to himself. He got the distinct impression to have Zane say it. As Zane was finishing up his prayer, I started to pray to myself as well. As soon as Zane finished (before I was done) I had the immediate impression to look in the back pocket of the front seat. In my mind, I started to dismiss that it could possibly be there, but looked anyways. Of course it was there. It was a great teaching moment for Zane and definitely a humbling and faith affirming moment for us.

playdoh creations...

We received a bucket of homemade playdoh (great gift idea!) for christmas from a neighbor. Zane of course, loves it. It's been a little while since we've gotten playdoh out. It used to be mostly just smushing all the colors together and making pancakes and balls. I guess, since the last time he played with it, his skills have advanced. I love these "alien snowmen with antennae". Notice the eyes, they are great!

happy birthday john...

Happy Birthday to YOU!

In the style of Maurice Sendak's Little Critter Book "Just For You":

We wanted to make your birthday happy, so we made this cake just for you.

But it looked like crap.

WE LOVE YOU!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

Ok not really, but it sure isn't summer anymore. I love rain, and it seems to have been raining a lot the past couple weeks. Love it. This week has been a crazy one, and really...I don't have a clue how I'm going to get the stuff done in the next couple of weeks that I want to. Santa visits, christmas pictures, going to the lights at Tuacahn, finishing painting the house, baking baking and more baking, christmas cards, holiday parties, the last bit of christmas shopping. Seriously, the holidays are way too stressful. Not to mention, I get bad mommy of the week award. Apparently, Lily can roll from back to front. I found that out the bad way. Right off the bed onto the floor while she was asleep. She's fine and the bump is gone. Oh, and I'm fine too. Ack. Enjoy some of the latest pictures.

more funny...

Yesterday before John left for work, he got Zane some toast with butter. I came out of my bedroom when he left and saw Zane standing there with something blue on his toast. Me: "What is that blue stuff on your toast?" Zane: "Sprinkles!" He got up on the counter and into the cake decorating stuff to put blue sprinkles on his toast. Funny, but ew.

We were driving in the car yesterday and he said "Mom, I can see Australia!" I said "Oh really, wow" and he said "I have REALLY big eyes so I can see Australia, Canada, Russia, China, and Phoenix!" Haha!

cold number three...

While we are all now enjoying cold number three of the winter season, I thought I would share some more of Zane's latest sayings.

I was spending some time with him the other day doing some craft-y type stuff. He said to me "Mom, why did you name me Zane..." I was thinking "hmm" and he finished "and not Secret Agent?" HAHAHA!

Today he was helping make some juice, and said "Look, I'm a chef!" Don't ask me how he even knows that word or what it means.

We went to the store today to get birthday presents for John from him and Lily. We got John a toy remote helicopter from Zane (yes John really does want one, Zane didn't just pick out something HE wants). I kept telling him over and over that it was a "secret" and we can't tell him. I explained that it was like one of his Little Critter books, Just A Secret, where critter makes something for his mom and then hides it until her birthday. So, he said "I'm going to hide it under my bed". So, we picked up John for lunch right after the store, and he immediately says "Dad, Dad, we got you a present!!!" I was worried he was going to slip, so I reminded him, it's a surprise, we don't want to tell him what it is. A minute later, "Dad, can we play with your helicopter?" He has such a great memory, but yet so not.

happy thanksgiving...

We had a good short trip up to salt lake for thanksgiving. I love to get out once in awhile, but I sure hate coming home. It's that I don't like "getting back in the groove" of things. My house is a mess. I have a humONgous pile of laundry. Zane really has a hard time coming down from it all too. We tend to have a lot more meltdowns for about a week or so.

On a good note: I did get my tree up, and almost all my christmas shopping is done (that's not saying much, I don't have many gifts to buy - nor money to buy them with). Here's a slideshow of pics from our trip ; including Discovery Gateway in salt lake, and one of Lily sleeping on the bed in the hotel with her legs in the air. So funny.

for john...

Go Red Raiders!
Tech beat 4th ranked Oklahoma on Saturday. HA HA BCS!

zane's talk...

Ok so I wrote this today for Zane's talk in primary on Sunday. I was going to have him just hold pictures and tell what he was thankful for and why, etc. As I made the list (that he told me) I decided that it would be easier for him to be able to recite something, so I wrote this poem. It's lame, but I'm proud of myself anyways. It's not toooo cheesy for someone who never writes stuff and wrote it in one day, right?

I Am Thankful

My Heavenly Father loves me
Of this I can be sure
He's blessed me with so many things
That I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my body,
food, and for the clothes I wear.
I am trying to be healthy
to show Him that I care.

I am thankful for the Earth,
the planets, moon, and stars.
For games and toys, and for my house,
Even my parent's car.

I am thankful for the animals,
For mountains, flowers, and trees;
For school, my teachers, and my friends,
But most of all my family.

I am thankful for the prophets,
The scriptures, and the temple.
And although it's sometimes hard,
Giving thanks is very simple

I can show my Heavenly Father
That I appreciate these things;
By choosing right, and serving Him,
Giving thanks for my blessings.

(oh yeah, and I should say - this is copyrighted by Abi Collins, so noone can steal it, not that anyone would want to)

really cool...

I just wanted to tell you that I found a new (to me) thing to waste a WHOLE lot of time on when on the computer. I know I am probably a loser, and this has been around forever. It's part of Google Earth. If you haven't used Google Earth yet, download it here: http://earth.google.com. In Google Earth's latest version, you can click on View > Switch to Sky. This picture is of the farthest known galaxy, 13 billion light years away. Seriously. All I have to say is WOW. I can't wait to show Zane the moon, stars, planets and galaxies. It's so awesome.

my piano player...

Here's a little thing we like to call Zane and a few of the latest things he plays on the piano. (I apologize for the boring-ness, yes that's a word John).

Notes: Zane loves "minor" and "major", obsessed with it actually. I didn't teach him any of those songs, including Fur Elise and Moonlight Sonata, he has just listened to me play them. He made up his own ending to the Fur Elise that he plays. John says he "might" have shown him how to make Wheels on the Bus into minor, but he's not sure. Zane has since made many songs into "minor songs", including I Am A Child of God -- interesting. He also made up the song at the end, complete with words..."what does the sun say, what does the rainbow say." I just thought I needed to keep a record of this kid's career. He's going places -- just not sure where sometimes!

Happy Halloween...

A few notes about the pictures:
I bought Lily the pink leopard as her costume originally. Zane changed his mind a lot about what he wanted to be. First it was peter pan, then an alien, then a caterpillar. While he was in his alien phase, I bought Lily's costume. When he changed to caterpillar, I looked for costumes for him on ebay. I ran across the adorable baby caterpillar costume, and had to have it! So, she had two costumes.

If you noticed, Zane had a green face for one picture, but not the other. He was dying for me to paint his face green, however, that only lasted 5 minutes. It really "bugged" him so we washed it off. haha, bugged.

Obsessed...

I just finished the 3rd in the Twilight series of books. I read all 3 in under a week. It's an understatment to say that I'm obsessed. It's a series about a teenage girl, Bella, who falls in love with a vampire, Edward. They are written by a mormon girl, Stephenie Meyer. Get obsessed...visit: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com. I'm going through withdrawals...

surfer baby...

Lily doesn't really hold her head up with her arms much. She does it like this. Hilarious! She looks like a surfer dude!

We have cereal...yum!

Lily had her first taste of baby cereal today. We found a whole grain brown rice cereal which she apparently loved. She just dove right in with her whole face! Cute!

Moms who know...

I just wanted to link to this awesome talk from the LDS Church General Conference that made me renew my committment to my family. I really don't need anything else in my life but my family, and I don't need to be focusing my time or energy anywhere else. It is sometimes trying and thankless, but also the most important, worthwhile, and fulfilling job I will ever have.

LDS Relief Society Pres. Julie Beck talk

Grateful...

So, you may or may not know about the "drama" I had with Zane's preschool teacher last year, but here is a short version. On the LAST DAY of preschool last year , his teacher told me she thought that he wasn't listening and wasn't "mature" enough for her 4 year old class. Yes, she waited until the last day (which is pretty late to try and get him in somewhere else btw). Whatever. I told her that Zane had learned all the songs, nursery rhymes, and all the letter sounds from her class. She said to me "Oh, really? I guess he is listening." DUH! Anyways if she just wants kids that will sit at a table all day and do worksheets (way too much for any 4 year old), it's not right for Zane, and she's not right for Zane.

So, I have to say HOW GRATEFUL I am that we have him in his new preschool! His teacher said to me today "Zane is REALLY smart. I just can't believe the questions he asks, it is very unusual for a boy his age". She said she only gets a couple of kids each semester like that. She said she can just see him constantly thinking.

I was so happy I just wanted to cry. Woohoo! A teacher that really appreciates him. A teacher that really has taken the time to get to know him and see him for the amazing kid he really is. Yay!

4 months old

Lily had her 4 month appt. today. She's actually 4 1/2 months. She is 27 inches tall, and 17 pounds! Wow.

The Dr. loves to see her. He doesn't get to see many chubby babies lately. He said she is one of his only babies in the 90+%. He kept saying "are you sure she only eats breastmilk". Also "aww, she has back fat" and "even her feet are chubby". Hahaha!

We love our michelin man baby girl.

Perfectionist...

So when I went to pick Zane up from preschool today, he was sitting down at a table with the teacher while she was "helping" him finish a project. He was cutting something out with scissors. He is still not perfect with scissors (what 4 year old is?) but he has this inate perfectionist that just comes out.

The teacher said to me, "yeah this is his third one, he's a little bit of a perfectionist". Ha, tell me something I don't know. Then she says, "and he gets easily frustrated, that's going to be hard for him when he gets in school." HAHA. Really, tell me something I don't know. She says "I told him it's just practice, that he doesn't have to be able to cut right on the lines." Yes, but this is Zane. Zane won't color because he knows he can't color in the lines. So, he prefers to just not do it at all because it wouldn't be acceptable to him.

This is the kid that when they roasted hot dogs at preschool, couldn't eat his because it was "Frickin' burned". His words, not mine.

We have to turn this power into good....what a job we have ahead of us...

our crew

My junk food vacuum I call Zane...

Ok, so I don't buy junk food crap very often, and this is why....

Zane. He loves loves yogurt. Few weeks ago, I bought an 8 count package of "yogurt slurpy innertubes", otherwise known as Gogurts, down at the Walmart. By the end of the day, all gone. No kidding, he ate all 8. He really isn't that unsupervised - which means he can eat really fast.

Well about a week later, I caved to his whining at the store and bought some Zingers (twinkies covered in frosting...really healthy). It was morning and Zane was buggin buggin buggin for one. I told him he could have one after lunch. So, he has ONE after lunch. Somehow by dinner time, he has eaten 5 more! Yes, 6 Zingers in one day. Can you say sugar rush?

Today (about 2 weeks after the Zingers incident) - I bought a pack of pop-tarts. Now, honestly, I bought these for me. Lately I have not been getting to breakfast, so I thought at least I could grab one of them, and it would be SOMETHING (ok maybe nothing is better). I purposely hid them so he wouldn't see them, because I know of this problem he has with impulse control. But I ended up making one in his sight, so I had to give him one. I thought I hid them again well enough, but apparently not. The pack of 8 is now down to 1. So that means he ate 6 pop-tarts today. Yup, 6. SICK!

I'm afraid I need to put a lock on the pantry and fridge.

More from the one-liner master

Ok, so yesterday Zane was with us at our church choir practice. After it was over, he went over to the pianist and was playing songs for her (fur elise...yes he can play the first part of that...and his "major and minor scales" - i have an amazing 4 year old I know).
Our pianist is a sweet 80+ year old woman. When he was done playing with her, he touched her arm and said "You are FLOPPY". HAHAHAHA.
I was on my way out the door when I heard this and just LAUGHED my HEAD off the whole way down the hall.

Baby Lily

Our baby girl born 5.31.07. 7 lbs. 13 oz. 21 in. What a doll!

Just a little excited...

I keep telling myself I need to remember to write this stuff down.. and I just remembered this one..
We had a family reunion a month or so ago for John's family. At the reunion all the kids go together to put on a "play" for the parents. At the beginning all the kids were supposed to go up to the microphone, say their name, and what part they were playing. It's Zane turn (one never knows what he will say... ) ... he says "My name is Zane, and I love my grandpa John!" Way cute..
So as the play progresses.. he of course is trying to be the center of attention. Standing out in the center of the action, looking out at the audience, the whole time. Then all of a sudden he blurts out "I'm just a little excited!!!" HAHAHAHA. Everyone cracked up.
This is our new favorite phrase for Zane... "he's just a little excited"

More Zane-isms...

So this past week...
Zane went over to the baby and *sniffed* her. I asked him what he was doing, and he said "She smells like RAINBOWS!" Way cute.
Zane was playing around with some old little girl hair clips I have, and wanted me to put them in my hair. I decorated my bangs and front of my hair with about 10-15 clips. He then looked at me and said "Mom, you look like a garden!" Ha!
Zane's fish Sienna died this past week. He asked me if he was going to be resurrected. I told him yes, and he said "will she be resurrected at our house?" Occasionally he will continue to ask if she is resurrected yet.
We have tried to explain to Zane about "stranger danger". He thinks it is ok for him to constantly answer the front door. Whether or not I am right there. I have come into the front room with people standing in my house before, when I didn't even know the doorbell had rung. We have told him that we don't want someone to take him away from us, and John has said that we don't want a "kidnapper" to take him. So he says "What does the kidnapper look like?" "What kind of car does he have?" too funny! (if you don't know Zane, he is OBSESSED with cars). Somehow this is all lost on him...we better keep a good eye on him!

Odyssey and Sienna...

It is almost Zane's 4th birthday, and since the arrival of his baby sister is coming right around the same time, we decided to get him his big birthday present early. He loves animals and has desperately wanted a pet forever, so we decided to start out with fish.
We have the tank all set up and now have two new gourami fish. We asked Zane what he wanted to name them. He pointed to one and said, this one is Odyssey and pointed to the other, this is Sienna.
Sound like cool names? Yes. But did you know that they are both models of Mini-vans, and Zane is absolutely obsessed with cars. He knows probably 25+ models of cars by sight and points them all out while driving (including the entire 2007 Toyota lineup - thanks to a brochure that we got after doing a test drive - and I'm not exaggerating, he knows them ALL). At least he didn't name the fish - Yaris Liftback and Caravan.

Baby girl collins - mom at 32 w 5 d