AH HA!

Life is full of, as Oprah would put it, "Ah Ha" moments. Moments you see things like you've never seen them before. Sometimes its good, sometimes its not so good. Here are a few of our most recent "Ah Ha" moments...

Gavins dream job:If you ask Gavin what he would like to be when he grows up he will reply, "A mechanic!" If you see my face as he is saying this, you can see me thinking, "A mechanic??? REALLY?" I do understand that this dream has everything to do with his LOVE of old fashioned cars and his desire to buy one with his dad and fix it up, but really? The VanCott in me can't just let this go. I see this as a teaching moment. I see it as a critical moment when I can mold his future and expand his horizons...help him set the bar just a little higher... Anyway, I explained to him that AFTER he goes to college and picks his high paying career *of his choice*, he could be a mechanic as a hobby and THEN he would be able to fix up the really cool cars he is dreaming about........way too much reality for a 6 year old.

A few days went by and we were driving in the car. I am listening to the conversations going on between a 6 yr. old, a 5 yr. old and a 2 yr old--HYSTERICAL! Kesley says, "I think I want to be a mechanic when I grow up!" (She is quick to follow G in just about everything.)
Gavin sorta slumps his shoulders and says in a low, defeated voice, "Naa Kess. They done make much money."

Kesley and her first experience with Spaghetti-O's:I HATE Spaghetti-O's. I don't feed them to my kids, which I can see may be shocking for anyone who knows my cooking habits... Well, the kids went to Aunt Shannons house for the day and when lunch time hit, she grabbed the easiest thing to feed 8 hungry kids--Spaghetti-O's! Shannon said she watched Kesley take about 2 bites of her Spaghetti-O's and gagging said, "This is...YUCK!" Trying not to laugh, Shannon hears Naomi say, "We don't say it's YUCK. You have to say something good about it before you can say you don't like it!" (Hello VanCott rule #102!) Shannon really got a laugh when, after another attempt at a bite, Kesley said, "Um...Shannon? Um...can I be done....because this is..just....not...so...tasty."

Jenna really *sees* her mom:We were running from the pool back to Grandma Smith's bathroom for the UMPTEENTH time that day. Jenna could probably tell I was getting a little annoyed with all the bathroom trips. She takes her time and then yells, "MOM! I'm DONE!" (It's cute and annoying at the same time!) Anyway, I lean over to wipe her bum and she smiles really big and says, "YOU'RE MY MOM!" Then she grabbed both of my cheeks with her hands and said, "AND THIS IS YOUR FACE!!" It was so cute. She saw me as person and not just an appendage. It took me back to my own "Ah ha" moment when I really LOOKED at my own mother and saw her as a person...a time shortly after high school...with the help of an illegal substance...a long story for another day.

And finally, my own realization... A couple of weeks ago I got suckered into this info-mercial on T.V. Has anyone seen the one for a really amazing product called, "The SLIM and LIFT?" They make it look so AMAZING, you know, with...bamboo fibers and...extra lifting in all the right places. I was sold! I knew Brent would kill me so I hid in the laundry room to make the phone call. The conversation went something like this:

Lady: What size would you like?"
Me: "Hmmm....what size do I want to be or what size am I now? Ha Ha....(silence),... Anyhoo, do they run big or small?"
Lady: "Small."
Me: "Well I am a size...12 (cringe), so what would you suggest?"
Lady: "Let's see, that would be the XXL."
Me: "WHAT??? Did you say XXL?"
Lady: "I know it sounds bad, but that is the size they suggest."
Me: "Who is sizing these things? Do they WANT to make a sale? ...XXL??? Well....I am actually more of a size 10-12...(at least I was last November when I had lost 15 pounds--but that's what I am going to be again as soon as school starts and I can start running again...) Hmmm...I really don't think I would need an XXL..."
Lady: "They suggest an XL for a size 10, but it's up to you."
Me: "Why don't we try the XL. I am sure that will work just fine."

Well, it took two weeks to get here, but when I saw the package I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I tore open the box, ripped the UNI-TARD out of the wrapper and started to panic! That thing was SO SMALL it looked like it was the size of Kesley's tights! I am not exaggerating! I sat down and put both feet in and tried to pull it up...nothing. I stood up and tried to get a better angle and more pull...nothing. That thing wasn't going any higher than my knees! Grrrrrr.

So, I called the lady back.

Me: "Um...maybe I am more of a size 12-14...."

This week in pictures...

I had to open with the best photo of the week:

"I CAN DO IT MYSELF!!!"

We had a fun Ward playgroup up the canyon this week. Kesley had the attention of every 5 year old boy in the ward...welcome to the next 15 years of her life!

"Kesley and her Posse."

Gavin, on the other hand, was "King of the 3 Year Olds!" They followed him everywhere and this just happened to be the butterfly chase.Kesley obviously found my camera and went on her own photoshoot.

"ME" by Kesley

"Bones & Bones" by Kesley

"My Mom...why can't she loose 40 pounds and put on some makeup?" by Kesley
And finally, "Jenna & Paige." Jenna sure LUBS her Paige. These two had the best time dressing up and belting out 'Barie, Diamond Castle' songs! My baby is all grown up!

4th of July!!

Love the 4th of July.

In my mind there are certain things that must happen in order for the holiday to be complete. Hot air balloons, Grandpa Smiths breakfast extravaganza, Shannon & Duanes BBQ swim party and the firework show on the cement in front of the stadium. It's tradition! This year was so great, but I am feeling a little incomplete because we skipped the hot air balloons and missed Grandpa Smiths yummy 4th of July breakfast because they were out of town. Still fun--just not complete! We did make our own YUMMY strawberry & blueberry waffles and had a GREAT time at the BBQ!



My new tradition is a delightful little dessert I call the Patriotic Cream Cheese Delight. It's a guaranteed crowd pleaser & very festive if I do say so myself. Here is the recipe:
1 1/2 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
3 T melted butter
3 packages (8 oz) softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 Cups whipping cream (fresh)
2 packages (3 oz) raspberry jello
2 packages (10 oz) frozen raspberries
10-12 fresh strawberrys
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400
combine pretzels & butter in 9 x 13 baking pan
Bake approx. 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Layer 1: Beat 1/2 of the cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth & creamy. Fold in one cup of whip cream. Spoon over top of pretzels. (much easier if you spoon small spoonfuls so the pretzels stay in place.) Cool in fridge for a few minutes.

Layer 2: Boil 1 cup water and add jello. Stir till dissolved. Break up 1 package of partially thawed raspberries and add to jello. Chill until begins to thicken and then spread over Layer 1. Chill until set (about 15 min)

Repeat Layer 1

Repeat Layer 2

Spread whip cream over the top and decorate with strawberries and blueberries!

SOOOO Yummy!--and everything is 0 calories on the 4th of July...

A week of MIRACLES

Let me sum up my week of miracles:

Miracle #1 Brent came to ALL 3 DAYS of my family reunion. No begging or prodding. I know.

Miracle #2 I got to go Sunday School & Relief Society for the first time in almost 3 years! Nursery wasn't far from my mind though, and when they asked me to say the closing prayer, my mind couldn't seem to function on an adult prayer level. I found myself praying "that we...can...all...choose the right?" Totally embarrassing.

Miracle #3 Gavin & Kesley can suddenly swim! No floaties! Lots of scary watching, but no floaties!

Miracle #4 Jenna is POTTY-TRAINED! One entire week of no accidents and she even stays dry all night! I am officially DONE with diapers FOREVER!...or until Brent needs them and I can't afford a nurse...

Cute moments...

Tonight we took the kids to see "Night At The Museum." Ten seconds into it Jenna fell asleep. I sat there thinking what a waste to pay all that money just to have her sleep through it and me kill my back holding her (she is 35 pounds!). I decided to leave with her and get our money back while Brent stayed with the other 2--I know, cheap, but that was $15!! Of course, as soon as I got out to the car she woke up and was now delirious and VERY mad. I decided to take her back in the mall and just walk around while we waited.

The first store we walked into was a Claires Boutique. Jenna saw the earrings, bracelets and necklaces and was in HEAVEN. This little lady is OBSESSED with jewelery--she always has been. Last Sunday I changed my earrings for the first time in....forever, and she noticed within 5 minutes. For weeks now she has been asking me if she could get her ears pierced--she's not even 3 yet! How can she have such a strong opinion for things like this so young? I kept telling her it hurt a like a shot, but she didn't care, she knew she wanted earrings. Well, I figured we had saved at least half the price of the earrings by not going to the movie...and we did have all this time to burn...so today was her day! She did SO GOOD and didn't even cry. She also got to pick out a bracelet for being so brave. Here she is with her sparkly earrings, a wrist of pearls and diamonds (they came in a 3 pack) and an ice cream cone to boot.
I found the cutest note from Gavin this week. I swear this kid has the biggest heart!...too bad I was snappin at him while he was writing it...he was supposed to be practicing writing sentences and he kept asking me how to spell words and I kept saying, "S-O-U-N-D S-P-E-L-L! I know you can do this ONE thing on your own!" I love this kid. Kesley's ballet company is doing "Cinderella" this Saturday. (if anyone wants to go let me know and I will get you tickets) Kesley's class is only in one dance. She is a jeweler--which I'm not sure exactly how it fits into the story, but she looks cute! Since I can't record the actual performance, I tried to record the rehearsal--the girls were so stage shocked that they spent most of their 2 minutes staring at the big girl ballerinas. I guess that is what the rehearsal is for! They also made them all go into a circle which disappointed me because then I couldn't see her face. Who cares if she doesn't actually dance--I want to see her stand on stage and smile! Here is a video of the dance--it's taken from my camera, so it's not the best quality.

Feeling old...

Today I am having one of those days. You know the days when you realize life is whizzing by at breakneck speed and there are some things you will actually NEVER be able to do...and then your dead?

We went up to the airshow and watched the Air Force Thunderbirds roaring by in their amazing formations at 1000 miles per hour. We all loved the way it made our belly's rumble. I turned to Brent and said, "I'm going to go up to the recruiting desk and tell them I will sign up if they can tell me I have a good shot at actually flying one of those things!" I was kidding, of course, but when he replied with a, "Ha! They wouldn't even LET you sign up--you're too old!", I sorta stopped laughing...

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't ever become a Neurosurgeon, a Lawyer, a Major in the AirForce who gets to fly those incredible machines...along with a ka-billion other things...it was very depressing. You really do only have one shot at some things.

On the way home, Gavin overheard my conversation about some lady having knee surgery. He says:

Gavin: "Mom, she had KNEE surgery?"
Me: "Yes."
Gavin: "Knee or foot?"
Me: "Knee."
Gavin: "....What's a knee?"

Life is good.

Summer is here and in full swing!

I LOVE SUMMER! We have already had so much fun and we are only one week in!

We kicked things off last week with the zoo. I met an old friend from work there and we had a great time. As always, I didn't get many pictures--why do I even take a camera? Here is the ONE I did get....and yes, I am aware that Kesley's shirt is too small...and her shorts are too tight. Time for a new summer wardrobe! Last night was a big night. Gavin had his first T-Ball game and he did so good! It was such a riot to watch him dive onto the pile of his own teammates and try to steal the ball away from them! T-ball is pretty relaxed and SO FUN for all the kids. They do not play for points and everyone gets to hit every inning--I really liked that. Kesley had her first practice with her kick ball team and her first game is tomorrow night. She's such a smiley lady out there. It's going to be really fun to watch her!Jenna was in HEAVEN. Her nursery friend, Trace, was there. His dad coaches the team, so he will be there every game. Every Sunday, Jenna is excited to see Trace. She says, "I lub Trace. He's my guy." I'm pretty sure she has picked up on a few tricks from Gavin's *how to stock and smother* handbook. She played kickball with him and even shared her candy necklace. It's going to be fun to watch her this season too! This week our cousins, Bronx, Belle and Eva are visiting. We have been swimming up at Grandma and Grandpa Smiths a bunch and today we hit the Dinosaur Museum and petting zoo. My camera went dead--so here are a couple of the pics I did get. Can't wait to see Aunt Ambers pictures! Here is the clan, with Aunt Tiffy (Yay Tiffy is here this week too!!!) in front of a gigantic shark! They say it would have been 45-70 feet long! SCARY! Here are the kids digging for treasure--one of their favorite parts of the museum.I'm sad these are the only pictures I have. They are all pretty crappy--but I have to document for the scrapbook! This blog has been so good for me because I have NO short term memory. I had to sit here for 5 minutes and try to remember what we did on Monday...and what day was it today...I think I should be worried...