Rebecca is 5!

Rebecca turned 5 a little over a week ago. We were on our ward campout, so she had to wait for her birthday door until Monday morning. Her cousins spent the night that night and helped her tear everything off, including the paper before we could get a picture. Oh, well! At least we can see the remains of the paper on the ground.


Rebecca and Anson both love scooters, so we decided to get one for Rebecca's birthday. She LOVES it. That is one of the biggest understatements I have ever made. She wants to ride it ALL the time. She was gracious enough to let her cousins take a turn on Monday morning. Just shows how good she is at sharing since she wasn't allowed to ride it on Sunday.

We also got her a watch which she wore for about one evening. She has been telling us for a long time how she should have a watch since everyone has one except for her and Katie and Katie is only a baby. Anson had gotten one when he was really into the Incredibles. It was about the only thing I could find at the time with Dash on it. So we got her a pink butterfly watch with the hands on it so she can learn to actually tell time the old-fashioned way. She really isn't that interested in actually wearing it though. Go figure...

Katie "got" her some pajamas for her birthday.

Anson "got" her the Mickey and the Beanstalk movie.

I bought Rebecca this "cupcake" for her to blow out the candles on her birthday. I was going to make a big fancy cake for her party and didn't feel like I needed to make two or have a bunch of leftover cake. Unfortunately, the frosting was DISGUSTING! It tasted like dye. GROSS! At least it looked pretty. I don't suggest buying one of these at Fry's.

Puffy Legs and Tahoe

I guess its time for another post. All those that have been so jealous of my bony ankles and slim calves can now rest easy. They are no longer the things of beauty that they once were. Yesterday my feet, legs, wrists, fingers, etc. started swelling. I have been lucky enough to avoid this kind of fun for just over 5 years. I didn't swell with Anson or Katie - just Rebecca and this new one. I am grateful for the break though!

I finally had to take off my wedding ring today. And that was a job, believe me! I hope it doesn't get lost...

On another note, we just got back from a wonderful week in South Lake Tahoe, CA. It is a VERY long drive out there (it took us 14 hours, but the GPS says it should only take 12 - I think thats what happens when you have to stop all the time with 3 kids in the car). My family, the Tollefsens accompanied us on this vacation.

We left Aaron, my dad, and brothers Seth and Conner at the junction to Yosemite National Park on our way up to Tahoe. My mom joined the kids and I in our car and drove the rest of the way to the hotel last Friday (July 10).

On Saturday, the boys went on a difficult hike up Half Dome. It is a gruelling 18 mile hike that is very steep. The whole point of the hike is to get to the top of Half Dome which you climb by using cables in the side of the rock. You need shoes with good grips and gloves to haul yourself up with your arms. My dad and Aaron went to the top while Seth and Conner waited below. They weren't too keen on possibly getting tired and falling to their deaths below. I don't blame them. You wouldn't catch me relying on my arms for dear life!

My mom and I took the kids to a children's museum in Carson City, NV. It was really fun for the kids. I was able to chill in a chair and observe them. My legs were killing me for some reason. Kind of weird when I had just been sitting the whole day before, but there you have it. That evening was spent worrying about the boys. They didn't get down off the mountain and call us until after 9 PM.

We went to church on Sunday and apparently helped increase the numbers of the ward quite significantly. There were a lot of members on vacation that week I guess. We also took a drive down the the lake and collected a few of the many "treasures" that the kids found throughout the week - including pinecones, rocks, and sticks. Unfortunately, I don't think they were all left in CA...

Aaron and I rented a motor boat on Monday and took Rebecca and Anson out on the lake. They were terrified of going fast at first, but we eventually got Aaron to take it fast but not uncomfortably fast and they were really enjoying it by the end of the ride. We had a picnic on-board the boat and enjoyed seeing all of the different kinds of boats around. These included a big paddle boat (picture Mark Twain type of river boat), sailboats, kayaks, and other motor boats. The lake is so gorgous and we had a great time enjoying the nature and beauty around us.

Later that night we went to Camp Richardson for FHE. We made hamburgers on the beach of the lake while the kids made a sand castle and threw rocks into the lake. Katie entertained herself by chasing geese and eating dirt. Yummy! We had a lesson on some of the pioneers in my family in honor of Pioneer Day coming up.

I took the kids down to the kids room to make some sand art projects on Tuesday. Anson made a dog picture and Rebecca did a cat one. Then they each made a picture using glue and colored sand. I must admit that I pretty much did Anson's though. He did hold the glue bottle and help me hold the sand shaker for a little while though.

We went to Carson City again to see the railroad museum, which happened to be closed due to budget cuts, even though it was supposed to be open. The Nevada State museum was also closed, so my mom and brothers went back to the children's museum and Aaron, my dad, Becca, Anson, and I went to a coin shop. We saw some of the coins that were minted in the old Carson City mint before it was closed. Aaron found some coins to buy to add to his collection too. He started his coin collection when he was younger due to his grandfather that started him out on it - and even gave him some pretty cool coins to start with.

Tuesday night Aaron and I went out with my parents to a steakhouse on the lake for a date night/dinner. After dinner we had carmel apples at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Yum!

Aaron worked all day Wednesday (he was working throughout the other days too. He probably got 5 - 5 1/2 full work days in counting the driving days. Luckily he could join us for a lot of fun activites anyway!). I took the kids down to paint ceramic magnets in the morning in the kid's activity room. Rebecca painted a butterfly and Anson painted a fish. They had glitter and sealer put on them when they were dry. Turned out really cute! Anson broke his while playing with it later though. Very upset about that!

My family and the kids and I went up to Northstar at Tahoe (about an hour to an hour and a half away) to ride the $5 gondola. It was $30 where we were staying. When we got there, we found out it was closed until the next day! Luckily we had a fun time having a picnic and letting the kids play in the sandbox and playing tetherball up there. Rebecca went back with my family. They stopped at Emerald Bay and went on a hike where they saw a waterfall and an old "castle" that was built by a rich lady on the lake in the 1920's or something. It was pretty cool from what I hear.

Aaron and I went to Harry Potter that night for the 9:15 showing. I thought it was kind of scary, but I enjoyed it. We were lucky to get in. It was the last showing of the night, and there were only 15 tickets left after we bought ours. There was quite a line behind us too. I hope not too many people were disappointed!

On Thursday the whole crew of us went on a river rafting trip down the Truckee River. It is a slow moving river (at least the 4 miles we were on) for the most part. There were a few rapids that were a little scary, but it was pretty tame and fun. I was worried about Katie, but she was so good and stayed still on my lap or someone else's lap the whole time. I got out and walked down the bike path for a little while because I was getting tired of sitting. I took Katie with me, and I think she appreciated the break too.

After rafting, Aaron and the kids and I went back to Northstar at Tahoe and rode the gondola. It was really pretty and fun to go to the top of the mountain. We topped it all off with ice cream after we got back to the bottom of the mountain. Also to remember - we went to a really good Pizza place there that had great breadsticks. Note to self - stop by if we are ever there again.

Thursday night we played games with my family and I did laundry and started packing up.

Friday we packed up and drove to Sequoia National Forest. We saw the giant forest and walked the path to the General Sherman tree. I started walking back up the path while Aaron and the kids walked the path with other trees of note on it. While walking that path, they saw a black bear walk right by them, probably 25 feet away. Aaron got a good picture of it. We also saw a buck and doe deer (at different times) and a fox in Sequoia National Forest. Good place to spot wildlife I guess!

We finally drove home Saturday, and got home about 8 PM. It was a great trip, but I'm glad to get back to my house and my bed!

30 Weeks

I am finally 30 weeks along with this pregnancy. For a while there I forgot I was pregnant a lot of the time. It all had to do with the auction I was in charge of... Glad that's over, but not so glad that I remember ALL the time that I'm pregnant now.

I'm mostly tired of being tired. I guess it would probably help to try to go to sleep earlier. I usually find that even when I try to go to sleep earlier I can't fall asleep for hours anyway. By staying up I get the time I need to be alone and exhaust myself so much that I don't have too much trouble falling asleep.

Biggest problem is the exhaustion during the day. I have been taking naps BOTH times that Katie does these days. Anson and Rebecca are really good about letting me get a rest. They will play with toys, play doh, look at books, or occassionally watch a movie. Recently they have been watching the scripture stories on DVD. They are the same as the stories in the illustrated scripture stories that the church puts out, but a person reads the words while showing the still picture on the screen. They watch those as part of their personal scripture study.

My headaches are SO much better. I guess I don't have much to complain about except the tiredness and feeling HUGE! I'm pretty sure I wasn't this big with any of the other three. Last week I was measuring right on schedule though, so it's probably just me feeling big and forgetting what it was like before.

Glasses? - I don't think so!

I found out a year or two ago that I have very messed up vision. One eye is near-sighted, while the other is far-sighted. I couldn't tell you which one is which though! Since I was having severe headaches earlier this year (like January, February, and March - everyday!), I decided to look into the vision again and see if glasses might help my headaches. I got my prescription, ordered my kid-size Hannah Montana brand glasses (I guess the women's size glasses were too big for my face), and started wearing the glasses.

It was really wierd and hard to wear them for the first day or two. Then I couldn't not wear them. My vision was all skewed when I didn't have them on. Then they started irritating my nose and ears. I was so done with that! Unfortunately, it didn't seem I would be able to stop wearing them now that I had started. What had I done?!?

Finally Aaron told me just to try not wearing them for a day or two (kind of hard if you have to drive anywhere - not seeing well on the road is NOT a good thing!). So I waited for a day when I wasn't doing much and did it. I stopped wearing the glasses, and I'm really glad I did. I don't think my headaches were connected with my eyes. My eyes compensate for each other. I use one more for reading and such, and the other more when I drive. It all works out. And I don't have the irritating glasses to wear all the time anymore. Hooray!

Xtreme Play

Xtreme Play (a bounce house facility in Mesa) is hosting a fundraiser for my mother-in-law on Thursday from 5-9 PM. Just mention that you are there for the fundraiser and you get a special price of $6.75/child. Children ages 1-12 can bounce to their heart's content! My kids went in March and LOVED it. They didn't want to leave, even after a full 2 hours! We only got them to leave because they were closing for the night. They were so tired, but very happy children on the way home. So come on out if you can make it! (Your kids will love you for it!)

Address: 1455 S. Stapley Dr. #12 Mesa, AZ (NE Corner of US-60 and Stapley)

Price: $6.75/child

Socks are REQUIRED

See the flyer for additional information.

Plays and Father's Day Highlights

Friday night's date was pretty fun. Texas Roadhouse was delicious - though I'm not sure if I finished even half of my food! The play started out a little rocky for me. April Ann and her brother and sisters had never seen a man before, and they suddenly see 2 on the same day. Needless to say they are all pretty awkward and hickish during the first half. The second half of the play had more of a story, more tension, and more of a cute love story, so by the end I felt it was a worthwhile evening. I probably wouldn't see the play again, but I did enjoy it.

Aaron and Rebecca had a great time at Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Saturday night. I curled Rebecca's hair, she wore her necklace she got at the Dentist, and she wore her black dress with sparkles and a bow. She looked so cute and was so excited to go with daddy. She bought ice cream for Aaron and herself (she insisted!) at McDonalds before the play, and Aaron bought her a kid's snack pack during intermission. The only disappointment was that Ethan and Tyler were gone by the time she got back so she felt like she missed out on playtime with friends. We'll have to have them over to play again soon!

Father's Day was a great day.

Highlight #1: I made blender waffles w/ ice cream, scrambled eggs, sausage, and orange juice for breakfast. Surprisingly, everything got done at the same time so we were able to take a nice hot plate of food to Aaron for breakfast. Doesn't usually happen that way, does it? I'm not a big fan of hot breakfasts, but Aaron loves it. I've learned how to make eggs just for him. Now thats true love right there, isn't it?

Highlight #2: Aaron had to go on his "treasure hunts" to find his Father's Day gifts from the kids. They each made Aaron a "Daddy's Helper" card and did 4 little things for him - like give him a hug, a kiss, sing a song, give a foot massage, etc. Even Anson sang his song.

Highlight #3: Chicken Salad Pitas. I got a recipe off of Allrecipes.com for a chicken salad. Its not a creamy one at all. It just has a bunch of vegetables and chicken mixed together, then you are supposed to put an oriental dressing on it and serve it in pitas or over a bed of lettuce. I put the dressing on it, but it was a bit spicy, so next time I think we'll just use ranch!

Musicals!

I love musicals. Aaron arranged a fun date night with some of his customers and his co-worker for this Friday night. We are going to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, then to a play at Hale Center Theatre called April Ann. Doesn't sound that exciting to me, but you don't usually go wrong with a musical as far as I'm concerned! I guess the founders of the Hale Center Theatres wrote the play years ago and it is supposedly pretty popular at their theatres. I'll find out on Friday!

Aaron is taking Rebecca to another musical on Saturday night for their date. They are going to Gammage's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I'm babysitting some neighbor boys while they go, so that will at least keep Anson busy! I'll probably have my whole house sparkling by the time they get back that night. I love having kids over to play (at least kids that are old enough to play with my kids somewhat autonomously). I seriously get so much done when everyone is playing so nicely together!

I also bought our tickets to Wicked tonight. We are going on Thursday, July 23. Kind of crazy that we couldn't find a good Friday or Saturday night to go! It had to be a Thursday or we wouldn't have made it. I'm really excited for it!

Dinner/Auction Results!

Wow, its really been a long time since I have written anything. Just FYI, the dinner/auction was a HUGE success! Thank you, thank you to everyone that helped out in any way or that came to the event. Our goal was $5800 - 1 month's worth of medicine for Aaron's mother. We ended up making over $7000!

This event is really the main reason I haven't done any blogging. I was so busy with it! I really didn't know how much work goes into something like this. Aaron and I spent over 40 hours gathering donations. We had somewhere between 120 -150 items at the auction, most of which Aaron and I pounded the streets for ourselves. I was REALLY terrified to ask for donations at first, but by the end it was kind of fun. We dedicated quite a few date nights and Saturdays to getting donations, and luckily it was worth it! It would have been nice to have had more help getting the donations though.

The week before the auction, I stayed up from 9:00 PM - between 1:00AM and 3:00 AM every night getting the auction ready. It was a huge job! I had to redo the bid sheets after they were all done because we decided to change how the bidding took place, so that took up a lot of time.

Plus, I had to take care of 3 children in the middle of all this! Plus being pregnant, and you have a not-so-happy camper. Its times like this that I am really grateful that my kids like to watch movies. Usually I don't appreciate that fact. I don't let them do it much normally, but lets just say that they saw WAY more than they should have that week!

Needless to say, I was already exhausted when it was actually time for the dinner/auction! I didn't have anywhere near enough help at the event, so I seriously felt insane that night. Thank goodness for my sister-in-law Maria who helped me with everything. She even got her in-laws to help! I couldn't have survived the night without her help. I'm sure her in-laws think I'm a crazy person though!

I'm really glad it is over (though I have learned a ton of things to do next time - if there is a next time)!