Ah, yes, and one more thing...

iT's a GirL!!!

I made the ultrasound tech check three times, so I'm planning on it! We are beyond thrilled...even Tony who was pretty durn sure it was a boy is so happy as well. Sorry honey, once in a great while even you are mistaken :) She would NOT hold still, she was doing somersaults the whole time (hence the, "please check one more time??!!" from me) & when we told Tony's sister that she said, "Well, sounds like a Tony-baby." If she has his sunny disposition in combination with that crazy energy, I say bring it on! The boys have gradually accepted the fact that there are not "10-tuplets" in there, but only one sweet baby sister & now they both talk to my tummy in cute, quiet tones on a regular basis. I love my life.

Q: Do trampolines fly? A: They do in Rexburg wind!

I mean, the radio said "wind advisory," but I didn't think that included a "watch out, your tramp might blow through your trees, over the 4 ft barbed wire fence & a few hundred yards away!" You learn something new about this little place every day. The boys were so sad, they jump on it with Tony all the time, but our landlord thinks maybe he can help us unbend the couple of poles that are skiwampus. We shall see. Until then, watch out you Rexburg-trampoline-owners! You might want to be like our next-door neighbors who now have their tramp tied to their fence!!

Birthday Celebrations

The boys' b-day is on the 7th & mine is on the 9th, so some years it's more of a combined effort, which is what it was this year. We opened their presents & had "their dinner" on their b-day & then did the cake & real celebrating on my b-day, that Saturday. This is the picture of elation when they received their Legos.

This is the aforementioned "birthday dinner," and oh, wow, what a feast it was. They've always both LOVED garden beets (we grow them every year in our little garden & they never tire of them). But recently, out of the blue, being the clever 6-now-7-year-olds that they are, decided that maybe it would be delicious on homemade...hamburgers?? They both get to choose a couple of meals each month and the last couple months the newly-invented "Beet Burgers" have been on the menu. So, of course that's what they wanted for their birthday feast, along with "not homemade macaroni & cheese, Mommy, the stuff from the box!" You see, this is the first time in their lives I've ever bought it in the box, and oh boy, they thought heaven had arrived...in a box. Go figure. The cutest part is that Jaydon-boy is pointing at me (in the picture above). He said he did that because I was the one to make it all for them. Oh, I sure love my wild cats!

This is the treasure chest cake that we ate with family & friends on my birthday that Saturday. I have to admit, I was pretty worried about making it, but you stuff enough chocolate coins & candy necklaces in something (surrounded by graham cracker dirt & chocolate rocks) and really, you can't go wrong. And if you look really close you can see their shirts say "My Mom Rocks!" Isn't that the greatest present ever? To myself? :) I admit, I HAD to buy them when I saw them at Kohl's (pick up yours today to adorn your darling tots!).

This is the Tautphaus Zoo we attended with seven adorable children (assorted relatives & friends, all under the age of 7). Really, we were quite fortunate that we only lost one of them...twice. Sorry Dina! Luckily the 3 year-old in question made friends with the flamingos & a lovely park guide until we came running breathlessly up.


And, to top it all off, after all the festivities and fun, the most favoritest part was when the boys received their bug catchers--from the ever-prestigious dollar store.

Creativity abounds!

Gotta love those faces!


Creation a'la popsicle sticks

Tony surprised the boys one Saturday morning (and me) by randomly taking the boys on a "Secret Mission" all over Sugar City (& to Millhollow for a secret agent treat). He had a bunch of clues that ultimately led to the treasure (a small pile of Legos at his Mom's house). They had to dress the part (hence the weapons & positions of the "agents" in the picture) & he even woke them up by playing "Secret Agent Man" on their cd player in their bedroom. It was SO awesome! I love my creative husband!!!!!!!!!!!

The Greens

We love our Greens! Here we are a seeming short time ago eating all green (except for the shamrock-shaped biscuits). And, in the background you may see my accident hair. I've had blonde highlights for awhile & decided to try & go back to my now-darker-than-it-ever-has-been-hair-color (my hair lady said I have lots of different colors in my hair, but we were just trying to pick the darkest one to make it all uniform so I wouldn't have to get highlights every other month). Weeeelll, let's just say I am NOT so very fond of this color on me, but it taught me one very important thing--I'm grateful to have a husband who loves me no matter how bad the "hair accident" is. Hooray for Tony.