Silly Amber

Today when I got home from exercising, I walked in to find Amber naked as a jaybird with the exception of a pair of crazy socks and Dora shoes placed on the wrong feet. It turns out out she had woken up, taken off her diapers, put on a pair of underwear and peed in them within a matter of 15 minutes. Ah, potty training! Since some of my friends have recently begun the process, I thought I'd give it a try. We got the underwear, sat on the toilet for an hour and drank lots of liquids. I must admit that it worked, but what a time committment. If I don't have the proper time to devote, Amber just sits on the potty, scrunches up her face like she's concentrating really hard and then says "It's not wookin mom." :) I guess we'll wait until summer to get serious.

Mother/Daughter Night

Bethany is pretty new to Achievement Days. Friday night she went to her second activity which was a "Getting to Know You" night for the girls and their moms. We played a game that was based on the old Newlywed Game. The host asked either the mom or the daughter a question and then the other had to guess how her daughter or mom would answer. Here's how we did.

What is your daughter's favorite color? J - red, B - red :)
What is your mom's favorite song? J - Love Story, B - I have no idea. :(
Where would your daughter want to live someday? J - Utah, B - New York :(
Where was your mom born? J - California, B - California :)
If your daughter could be anyone in the world, who would she be? J - Selena Gomez, B - Selena Gomez :)
Is your mom an outdoor or an indoor person? J - outdoor, B - indoor (To be fair, Bethany is right, but I thought she'd be thinking about baseball season.)
Where is your daughter's favorite vacation spot? J - Blanding or Monticello, B - Utah/Blanding (We were the only ones who didn't say Disneyland or Disneyworld. Do we know how to party or what?)
What would your mom have named you if you had been a boy? J - Weston, B - no clue
What is your daughter's favorite store? J - Target, B - Target (she put Smith's at first but then changed it. Again, this family knows how to have a good time.)
Where did your mom meet your dad? J - at high school in English class, B - Right here in America (They actually gave us a match for that, if you can believe it.)
What is your daughter's favorite sport? J - soccer, B - Soccer :)

So, we got 7 answers correct. The Madsens took the title with 9, but they've known each other for three and a half years longer so we think our performance was quite respectable. We will be studying before next year's event though. That's right ladies! You're going down!

Can I go?

Amber is at an age where she is not fun to take out in public. I've almost lost her at the store, at a baseball game, at church - you name it. Nowhere is safe. So, she gets left at home - a lot. Since usually either Sam, Chad or Aaron is home during the afternoons, I just don't take her to run errands. I can tell that she is starting to get a little cabin fever though because anytime Grandma tries to leave, she throws herself at her mercy and says, "I need my Grandma. Wanna go Grandma's car!" When Bethany and Miranda were packing up for a sleepover at Grandma's, Amber came down with her pillow and a pair of pajamas. (Consequently, she got her first very own sleepover a few nights later.) Anyway, when she came up to me with her bag of crayons and asked me, "Can I go?" for the second time this afternoon, I couldn't resist strapping her into her carseat and taking her with me to drop Aaron off at and pick Bethany up from their respective practices. I ask you, could you resist this face?

Aunt Sandra & Uncle Roy

Here is a picture of the road to my Aunt Sandra's house. Aunt Sandra and Uncle Roy were here this week and we had a lot of fun (so much, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures while they were here. Darn!) Aunt Sandra is not actually my aunt. She is my dad's first cousin. She lives in the country outside a small town in Mississippi where her mother and my grandmother grew up. When my dad was little, he and Sandra and their siblings were like peas in a pod. My grandmother moved to southern Utah when she married my grandpa and she was the only sibling to live away from Mississippi. So, each year, my dad's family would pack up the car with kids, suitcases and bologna sandwiches and head for the south. This trip was the Hurst family's highlight of the year. Dad always told me that as soon as they crossed the Mississippi River, my grandmother's southern accent would magically return. He also told me that as soon as he and his brother and sisters got to their grandmother's house, they would take off with their cousins and not see their parents again until the end of the trip. I don't know if that's true, but I do know that they always had a great time. When I was little, my dad picked up the tradition and we travelled to Mississippi almost every year. Oh the fun we had. There were trees everywhere and at first it bothered me not to be able to see the horizon. But as you can see, the beauty and greenery made it all worthwhile. We swam, picked blackberries & mulberries, had fish fries, played Atari and just made all kinds of mischief with our cousins, who we thought were they coolest kids in the world. We especially loved to visit Aunt Sandra and Uncle Roy and their family. Aunt Sandra is a woman of many talents. She is the most wonderful cook in the world. Her biscuits, cinnamon rolls, cream cheese pound cake, coconut cake and just about anything else she makes is the stuff of dreams. Aunt Sandra used to give us perms, make us dresses, wallpaper our bedroom - pretty much any project we asked her to do. Her daughter Allison says that her dad still thinks her mom is totally the bomb and I have to say that he is right. She brings fun with her wherever she goes. When she was here this week, she tried to teach me how to make the darling hair bows that she has perfected. I'm not sure how good a student I was, but it didn't matter because she just made my girls bows in every color that I asked for. If any of you have seen the girls at church, you will have seen Sandra's handywork. Thanks for everything Aunt Sandra. We love you guys!

And Meanwhile at White Sands...

While the girls were hunting eggs, going to birthday parties, and watching the season finale of Friday Night Lights, the boys were at White sands, camping, sledding and having a great time.

sledding down ...and heading back up again.
Aaron, Ryan & Garret - fabulous 11 year old scouts.

Chad watching the fun from the top of the dunes.

As fun as snowboarding and a lot less cold!

Easter Egg Hunt!

Amber thinks this holiday is pretty great!

It didn't take her long at all to get into the thrill of the hunt!

Bethany and her loot!
Miranda and her cousin Collin
Let the sugar overload begin!
Every year we have a La Cueva Ward Easter Egg Hunt. It's loads of fun. Thanks for organizing it Amber.

Where has the time gone?

Time has gotten away from me, I think. Last night, Chad was pitching to kids who are as tall as me. Actually, he's almost as tall as me. I can't believe it. There are no more tears or tantrums when he walks a batter, just a steely look of determination. I am so proud. Mrs. Jensen, our piano teacher, told me Tuesday that she'd like him to start learning "Maple Leaf Rag" - the hard version. I can't play that. When did my baby get so old? When did I stop having to wrestle him to the ground to get him to practice his piano? I'm going to go hold Amber while she'll still let me.

Happy Birthday Jane!

Jane is the best little sister that you could ever ask for. She was always the sweet Hurst girl while I was the bossy, mouthy one. She is always everyone's favorite. But that's okay, because I love her just as much as they all do. When we were little, I always picked on Jane, but I could always talk her out of tattle telling on me because she is just that kind (and I am just that manipulative:)). Jane was forever playing with Rebecca and Emily and fixing their hair. Consequently, they adore her too. As we got older, she just got nicer. In college, her roommates loved her, my roommates loved her, and my father-in-law thought that if Sam was smart, he would have dumped me and gone out with her.:) He was probably right. Jane came and lived with us in Seattle when Aaron was a baby. She mowed our lawn, babysat and made me teriyaki chicken and homemade tamales that would make your mouth melt. I don't know what we would have done without her. Aaron absolutely adored her. He always wanted her when he was sick and has probably thrown up on her at least 10 times. Jane has her own little boy now and is a great mom and a woman of many talents. She's a great cook, a fabulous quilter and she puts my photo albums together for me every year. Who could ask for a better sister. I love you, Scoob! Check out Jane's slideshow to your left.

She shoots, she scores!

Miranda scored her first soccer goal on Saturday. She said she couldn't do it. She said it was too hard. But look at her now! Go Power Princess!

Quote of the Day

"I don't think staying calm helps the situation at all." - me commenting to Sam that nothing I do gets Chad out of his negative moods. He thought it was hilarious and should go on the blog.