Football Cake

 

 

I did this same cupcake cake last year, but I think this one looks a little better. It's not as straight as the first one, but we were having a hard time fitting on the board I had, plus we took these pictures at the party, and we had a little slippage on the drive over. It is 105 cupcakes and the white writing says Royals and has each of the boys numbers on a cupcake. The biggest difference is I made ALL of the cupcakes this year! The boys loved it, and it was a lot of fun to make. I'm really behind in blogging so this was the easiest place to start :)

What I struggle With....

Originally this post was going to be one thing I struggle with, and then I thought why stop with just one. I struggle with so many things and I am so incredibly imperfect that I should just make a list. I'm sure my "fans" can come up with a much bigger list but this is the list for today.

* Saying "no" it's not in my vocabulary (unless you ask my kids) and I really need to learn to "Just say No"!! I don't have time, I'm super busy and I'm really, really, sorry I wish I could help you out, but NO!!!!

* Food...I LOVE food. I love all kinds of food. I love fast food and long wait food, and junk food and healthy food. I love it all and I really need to break up with it. But that is the problem, it's not like a crappy selfish friend that you can just cut out of your life. It's not a drug that I can get rid of and go to re-hab for. I have to have it to live and all, plus I have to feed my family so I can't just stop the crack from my life. So I struggle with balance obviously.

* Patience. I have none, for whining and stupid people, that's all.

* Guilt, lots and lots of guilt. Guilt about not spending more time with my kids. Guilt about food (weird) Guilt about not taking as many pictures of Delaney as I did of Mclayne. Guilt about not taking the time to blog about Delaney on her birthday like I did with the boys. Guilt about staying in contact with friends. Guilt about not doing my visiting teaching. Guilt, guilt guilt.

* But today...in particular I struggle with not being able to stand up for myself. Which if you know me probably sounds weird because it's not like people walk all over me or anything. But they do...trust me. It goes back to the "no" thing I act all big and bad, but it's all talk. When it comes right down to it, I'm a baby and would never actually say half the crap that is on my mind, and therefore people walk on me and then I gripe about it on my blog.

Ten Things I Love about You!

Mclayne turned 10 last week!!! TEN YEARS OLD!!!! An entire decade!!!! I can't even believe it. So in honor of his tenth birthday I am going to tell you 10 things I LOVE about him!

1. He cracks me up ALL the time, he is very witty for his age.

2. For a 10 year old he does what he is asked most of the time.

3. He teaches me how to be better.

4. He always wants to help.

5. He is respectful to adults.

6. He is nice to his friends.

7. He loves his family, especially his cousins.

8. His wild hair ;)

9. I love that he loves football.

10. I love that he bears his testimony almost every month.

Sorry this is late buddy, Happy Birthday. I love you very much and I am very very proud of what a fine young man you are becoming. Your dad and I hope to be the parents you deserve. Love, Mom

SHUT THE DOOR!!!

I have been yelling that all summer. Ever since we got central air I am insane when the door opens and is not shut within 3 seconds. Because as you know we are not air conditioning the entire outdoors.
If I had a nickel for every time I have said "Shut the Door" I would have plenty of money to pay that electric bill.

On Wednesday I ended up having the day off. That's right NO DAYCARE KIDS!! It is the first unscheduled day off I have had all summer, so we were going bowling with my sis-in-law Melinda and the cousins. We were all getting ready and I wanted to check my e-mail one last time before we took off so I sent Mclayne out to bring the garbage can in, and told Chandler to go with him and get the mail. As they were walking out the front door I said "don't let the door shut tight - you'll be locked out" this is why it is all my fault. I have been griping about the door all summer so Chandler did just what he was supposed to. He was shutting the door. Well when he heard me say not to let the door shut he turned around to grab the door and it slammed on his finger!!

I didn't know this initially I just heard the SCREAMING!!! I ran outside and there he was with his finger in his mouth and it was bleeding. I ran him in the house and ran his finger under the water and when I realized that the situation was way out of my realm of motherly expertise. (which includes band aid's and kisses) I wrapped the finger in a towel put some ice on it and proceeded to the insta-care.

I was so lucky in that Melinda was sweet enough to meet me at the dr's office and take the two other kids so I could focus on the writhing and screaming that was coming out of my sweet six year old.

Once at the dr's office they put some numbing goo on his finger and when he was a little more comfortable they took x-rays and told us that the tip of his finger was broken in several places.

Later that afternoon we were sent to an Orthopedic Surgeon who deadened the finger and let us know that Chandler had a compound fracture of his middle finger on his left hand. That's right internet friends "COMPOUND FRACTURE" you know bone sticking out!!!! So the dr put the bones back where they go (on the inside) and sewed it up and even sewed his nail back on, so the new nail would know where to go. 10 stitches total in that little finger. Then he got an awesome temporary blue cast. He only has his little thumb sticking out which makes many, I mean every daily task difficult for him.

He has been such a trooper and I am so proud of how brave he has been. I've actually had to tell him to settle down today, because he has been playing so hard.


I think this look says it all.. "Put that in your Juice Box and suck it"

Oh, Yeah- that's where they baptise the dead people.

The title for today's blog post was my favorite quote of this particular days outing. Last Thursday we had a reservation to go and see the Oquirrh Mountain LDS Temple before it is dedicated. We literally had about 10 reasons to not go on this particular day and some really great excuses to stay home. But the open house was only going through Saturday and we really wanted to take the kids.

We were 25 minutes late for our designated tour time, and while we were watching a short introductory film in a temporary tent the wind started to blow so hard that the bars it was constructed out of were creaking almost louder than the film. The line was REALLY LONG it took us and hour and a half to actually get in the temple so we stood in the blustery wind and the drops of rain. Waiting. Waiting to see the temple.

While we were in line there was a young guy in front of us who was there by himself and preparing to receive his own endowment in about a month and he had a lot of questions so Chris was able to answer them as we walked through.

The Temple is of course magnificent! It is beautiful and I loved the "retro" feel of the fabrics, wallpaper, and decor. There were a couple of "buffet" type chests that I swear were once in my grandma's house.
Chandlers favorite part of the temple was the baptismal font. As members of the church we use certain terms very flippantly, because we know what we are talking about. However, when we told Chandler that is where they do baptisms for the dead, before we could even explain he said very matter of fact " Oh, yeah, that's where they baptize the dead people." Like it was something he has seen every day. But for those of my readers who are not members the baptismal font in the temple is where vicarious baptisms are performed in behalf of deceased forebears. You can go here and read more if that is totally confusing, or you can ask me and I would be happy to answer your questions.

It was 10:45 p.m. before we left the temple to drive home and our kids hadn't had dinner yet, and were very tired and you would think they would have been unbearably irritable. But they weren't. There is such a peace you feel in the temple, that you can't help but feel it and be calm when you are there.

When we were walking to the car I asked "Even though you are starving and tired, was it worth it?" I heard a resounding YES! and Mclayne issued my second favorite quote of the day "That was a really special experience."

 

 

Sorry about the pics, my camera does not take very good night pictures.

For the Love of the Game

I love love love football. I don't ever remember a time in my life that I didn't love football. I remember going to my brothers' games and to their practices when I was 3!

I was a cheerleader :) at 3 of course. They taught me "rah rah ree, kick em in the knee, rah rah rass, kick em in the other knee" I think I had little pom poms and I LOVED it! I remember taking boys home after practice and the pads and the helmets and the dirty white pants, and I always loved it.

When I was 6 I discovered the NFL and I became a die hard Bears fan. They went to the Super Bowl that year. You remember, the Super Bowl Shuffle with Jim McMahon, and Walter Payton, (which is why we almost named Mclayne, Payton) the Fridge. You remember I know you do.

I remember watching Sunday afternoon football in our basement with my dad,the fire blazing and falling asleep on the couch.

As a young teen I went to my first BYU Football game and decided that was where it was at. (I have since learned it is NOT where it is at) But what Mormon girl in the 90's was not sure that they would marry Steve Young?

Now I have a 2 sons and a husband who love it too!! As much as I do? I'm not sure. But we all love it, we all have "our" teams, Chris is a Dolphins fan, Mclayne has been a Steelers fan as long as I can remember, and Chandler is a Dolphins, Steelers, and whom ever is playing the Patriots. (That's my boy)

I'm even on a Fantasy football league with 8 other men and only 1 other woman.

This is my favorite time of year, I think that on Friday night around 7 p.m. there is an actual smell in the air and it is the smell of high school football.

Here is where the problem lies, I HATE it!!!! I hate the stress the drama, the obnoxious parents who think THEIR kid is a rock star, and should therefore play all 11 positions at once. Yes I am now referring to Little League football. It is a total love hate relationship for me. I love football so much and I can't wait for it to be August every year, but honestly little league is taking the love out of it for me.

This is Chris's second year being an assistant coach and there is so much drama involved. I go to practice pretty much every night, not because I have to but because I am stuck home all day and it is an "out" for me to go hang out at the park, sit in my lawn chair, eat sunflower seeds, and just hang with some of the other parents. I say some because I don't sit with the "group" of parents I sit on the other end of the field where I don't have to hear parents criticize the coaching staff or the kids, or brag about how great their kid is. We all think our kids are rock stars, and they are!! But not all of them are going to the QB, a running back, wide receiver, or even the center. There are 22 positions that must be played at every football game and there are only a select few that are "rock star" positions. Every kid has a job to do and every kid has to do their job or nothing gets done.

So instead of trying to get your kid to be a rock star, teach them about personal responsibility for their position, and how to do their very best at where ever the coaches feel that they will reach their full potential. I can tell anyone from personal experience that some coaches are pieces of crap and have no business coaching little kids, and I can also tell you that there are some great guys out there, who may not know EVERYTHING there is to know about coaching or football, but they truly just want the boys on their team to have a positive learning experience.

I will get off my soapbox for today, however, I'm sure there will be more football posts to come.

note* we played our first game on Saturday and we got our butt's kicked, but none of the coaches freaked out, none of the parents freaked out, and the boys said they had fun. Isn't that what it SHOULD be about?

Here They are.....and there they go!

 

 

These are the puppies!!! I know it has taken me forever to get pics on here, but come on people. I'm Busy!! They are such a darling, cute, sweet, pain in my butt!! For those of you that don't know, these are custom AKC Purepred Dachshund puppies. We are hoping to find their forever families in the next three weeks or so, so if you know anyone that wants a darling chocolate treat send them our way. They are not free dogs though :) Puppies are not for everyone either. They are a lot of work and dachshunds need lots of attention but they will also be your best friend. Frankie and Henry (the mom and dad) are both chocolate dachshunds so they have chocolate names. We have Hugs, Twix, Cookies and Cream, Oreo, Milky way, and Almond Joy.