Don't Mock the Fanny Pack!!!

So, we took our little family to Disneyland. When we told our kids we were going they flipped out! Our Zack (he's 11) actually cried, he was so excited! We drove to St. George, Utah last Saturday and stayed in a hotel. Then drove the rest of the way Sunday. The kids were so anxious! Zack was seriously giddy as we rode in the bus over to Disneyland. We had so much fun!  Zack and Max rode everything at least once. Matthew rode some stuff, then decided he doesn't like the feeling he gets in his tummy when the ride has ups and downs. After that we couldn't get him to try anything unless it was so tame that even Gracie could ride it. I am so proud of him though because he actually ended up trying most everything the last day or 2 that we were there. I know he was scared but at least he tried it! His most favorite ride was Star Tours. They have changed that ride and I like it so much better than I used to. Mainly because it didn't make me sick like it used to. Zack's favorites were Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Max's favorites were The Tower of Terror, Goofy's Sky School (basically the Wild Mouse), The Matterhorn, and Space Mountain. Apparently he's our biggest dare devil. Gracie's favorites were Winnie the Pooh and Buzz Lightyear. When she saw Minnie Mouse she gave her a big hug! It was simply adorable! Unfortunately our bag was stolen off of our stroller and it had the camera in it so we don't have that picture to share. The bag also had my cell phone, Matthew's Epi Pen, his inhaler, my cute little lipstick case Brian surprised me with a few weeks ago, my Clinique lipstick (my mom gets free makeup bags and makeup when she buys stuff at Macey's and she has given them to me a few times. The lipstick that was stolen was THE most perfect lipstick EVER!), my most favorite charcoal gray cardigan-ish thing that I got at Charlotte Russe and that I take EVERYWHERE, Gracie's cute little Minnie Mouse ears we had just bought for her at Disneyland that day. I usually wear a fanny pack when we go to Disneyland, with all of my most important things in it but Brian was making fun of me so I didn't. I caved to peer pressure. It may not be fashionable but certainly smarter and ultimately better!!!  :)   Basically that experience left me feeling stupid, violated, vulnerable, and scared. We figured people were watching the Tiki Room, waiting for someone they could rob. After that I was terrified that if there were people watching so they can steal from you then there could be people watching so they could steal kids. So then I was even more protective of them than I had been before. Other than that part of the trip, we all had a wonderful time! It was so wonderful to just spend time together as a family. It had been about 6 years since we had been on vacation so it was much needed and much appreciated!!! The kids handled the 10 hour drive there and 10 hours back better than we imagined. It was pretty touch and go a few times but for the most part they did well. The car looks HORRIBLE after spending 20 hours in our van. Nasty! We all loved the opportunity to spend so much time with Brian when he didn't have to work! We felt very grown up because it was the first time we've ever been on vacation with just our little family. I had a lot of guilt about going on vacation instead of putting that money in a savings account, until I saw pure joy written on each of my children's, and on Brian's faces when we were in Disneyland. Then, I made peace with our decision. It was priceless!!! I was telling one of my friends about my guilt over it and she said that sometimes you have to spend money to make memories. Her children are starting to leave the house and she has the perspective of a parent with children in their teens and one on a mission. Brian said, you know we only have about 7 years left to be able to take trips with just us and all of our children. Zack will be going on a mission, then comes college, and marriage. It makes me sad to think about how quickly my babies are all growing. It makes me really want to change my perspective. I've just been so wrapped up in trying to get from day to day, week to week, month to month that I forgot about the big picture. And so much time is just....gone. I want the next 7 years to be the most wonderful 7 years we can possibly imagine. I just want to savor this time. Every minute! Of all the things I don't want to look back on with regret, the very limited time I have to raise my children and spend precious time with them, building memories, is at the top of the list! What a blessing! What a gift! To be the mother of 4 fabulously amazing children...truly a gift!!!

I can't stand it when...

*I can't stand it when my kids throw tantrums. OOHHH I just burns me up!
*I can't stand it when Gracie screams and freaks out every time I fix her hair!
*I can't stand it when my kids fight me about doing their homework!
*I can't stand it when my kids ask for a toy or treat or something EVERY time we go to a store!
*I can't stand it when my kids take their shoes off and spill sand all over the house!
*I can't stand it when my kids sass me! That really drives me up the wall!
*I can't stand it when Gracie and Max get food all over themselves when they eat! Seriously, you can give each of them 1 M&M...just 1...and they get it all over themselves!
*I can't stand it when my kids drink my can of Cherry Coke when I'm not looking and I come back for a drink and it's empty!
*I can't stand it when my kids dig in my purse and steal my gum or my pens!
*I can't stand it when my kids don't do what I ask them the first time I ask them in a super nice, lovely tone of voice so after the 3rd or 4th time I ask them I have to yell or talk in my very firm and not so lovely voice and THEN they do what I ask!
*I can't stand it when my kids don't put their shoes in their closets when they take them off and we have to frantically search the house looking for the missing shoes before school or church! Or they can't find their retainer or their backpack or their jacket!
*I can't stand it when my kids can't seem to find the garbage can EVER!!
*I ESPECIALLY can't stand the fact that they get all of this bad behavior from ME!!! Every time something like this occurs in our house I have a flashback to when I was a kid and I know that I absolutely, positively deserve to have to deal with every.single.bit of it! I am amazed that my mother is still sane!!! And I can testify that 'The Mother's Curse' really works!

What we've been up to lately...

Holy smokes!!! I cannot believe how incredibly crazy my life has been for the last month!! I was so totally looking forward to school starting. I envisioned finally having a  super clean house. Daily naps with my sweet little Gracie. Taking her to story time at the library. Being able to go visiting teaching. Having dinner on the table by 6:00 every night. Staying in my sweats or pjs all day long. And Bonbons...lots and lots of Bonbons!!!

BUT...

Life has only become BUSIER since school started. It's been fun though most of the time. Here are some of the highlights...

-We were finally able to get the kids some back to school clothes. We went up to Utah County the Saturday before Labor Day. It was a great day!

-I found a darling little full size, picket fence bed frame last year for Gracie at a yard sale for 10 bucks! It's painted pink. I'm thinking about painting it white. I don't know. A couple of weeks ago I found a full size headboard and foot board and frame at D.I. for $25. Max has been borrowing a bed of my parents for the past year. We decided to get Matty and Max bunk beds and since I found those bed frames for Zack and Gracie we needed to buy 2 full size mattresses and box springs. Max and Matty's room has been such a mess so it will really help to have  bunks and free up so much room in there. And the nice thing is that they can be separate twin beds if we want them to be some day. The best part though was that Brian went online and found a set of bunk beds for $159 and a few days later Brian wanted to look at them before they came and they had upped the price to $219. I love it when we get a great deal when we buy stuff! Our poor table had had it too. My mom gave us her table when she got a new one like 5 or 6 years ago. We've moved like a zillion times since we got it from them. It was stored in a storage with all of our stuff and I accidentally fell and landed on one of the chairs and broke it while looking for something else. Another time I was looking for stuff I fell and landed on a leg of the table and it just couldn't handle the weight of my "fluffiness" and buckled under the immense pressure.  :)   Brian fixed it. Like 3 times. Aaaaand it broke again a few weeks ago when I was tying to move it over when I was vacuuming. Oh how I LoVe having carpet under the table!!! It's like a dream come true with 4 kids! ;)   Anyhoo, we had been looking for a table for a long time but they all cost a fortune. I checked D.I. all the time for another table or chairs. We stopped by Sam's when we were up there and guess what we found...the most perfect table! It can be a square, and it has a built in leaf that folds out to a make the table rectangular and it comes with 8 chairs. And the price was great! So...I've been very busy trying to take out the old furniture and help put together the new furniture and reorganize the rooms. It's a great feeling to know that our kids have clothes and shoes to wear and their own beds to sleep in. I had some mixed emotions about getting rid of the crib and knowing that I will never need to use one again. But Gracie's room is very cute now and she LOVES her big girl bed so much!

-Zack ran for student council this year and he won! Last year he ran as well and lost so I am very proud of him for trying again and for doing so well! I am so happy that he has adjusted so well through all the moves we've subjected the poor kid to. He is truly amazing!!!

-I had an appointment Thursday of last week because I was having strangeness in my breasteses area.  Well, the doctor told me that basically she had eliminated all of the possibilities of what my problem might be except CANCER...S-C-A-R-Y!!! So she wanted me to have a mammogram which I had yesterday. It wasn't painful at all for the first batch of pictures that she took. However, after the radiologist looked at the results and wanted more pictures, closer up pictures, to determined whether the spots that showed up on the pics were simply tissue or something to be concerned with, I thought my boobs were being pinched off! OUCHY WAWA!!! So, after my boobs were pinched off, they looked at the pictures and it turned out that it was just tissue. THANK GOODNESS!!! HUGE AMOUNTS OF RELIEF!!! And if you are afraid of a mammogram...don't be!! I'm feeling so blessed today! Both because I don't have cancer AND because I am not a mammogram lady that has to touch and configure other people's boobs all day! I am so truly grateful for people who are willing to do things like that to help people!!!

-And guess WHAT... We're going to Disneyland. We haven't been on a real vacation since Zack was 5 and Matthew was like 18 months old. Our kids are at perfect ages to really have a great time! The kids are positively giddy with excitement! It is great to see them so excited about something. We usually don't do anything or go anywhere fun. I just can't wait!!!