52 Card Pickup

Have you ever played the game "52 Card Pickup"? It's the silly joke-of-a-game where the shuffler takes the entire deck of cards and flips them into the air and all the little kids pick the cards up as fast as they can. Fun right? NOT.

So we've been on a 2 month "52 card pickup" blogging hiatus. Between laundry, holidays, dishes, weddings, birthdays, shopping, traveling over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house and back, church calling craziness, being sick ALL STINKIN' WINTER, and everything else - the proverbial "cards" of our life here in Vernal have all been flipped in the air and we're trying to pick them up. Excuse us for our absence. Work with us as we play catch up. Scroll down the blog page as we try to document things in chronological order. And stay tuned for a boat load of posts and pics. We're back.

Health Challenge

Our insurance company is AWESOME. They have a fitness program that issues challenges every 2 months. If you and your spouse complete each challenge for the entire year then they will SEND YOU A CHECK FOR $400!!! Okay I'm not a very good new years resolution keeper - being fit has never been something I'm motivated to do - I love to sleep! But if FITNESS isn't enough of a motivator, $400 IS!! BUT this first challenge has been a DOOZY. EXERCISE 30 MIN A DAY FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK - AND - NO SUGAR. PERIOD. We can eat things like jam and honey - but we can't have dessert things. We have to replace soda with water and we have to replace things like candy, cookies, and other sweet things with fruit and vegetables. I can't believe how ADDICTED to sugar I had become - especially over the holidays! The first week nearly did me in - but now 1 month into the challenge - I really don't crave the sweet stuff anymore. Oh sure there is a night here and there when we've put the kids to bed and would LOVE to reach for a bowl of chocolate ice cream or cookies and milk. But instead we've had fresh fruit smoothies or a small bowl of wheat chex. Amazingly enough neither Paul nor I have missed sugar as much as we thought we would and we both feel SO MUCH BETTER!!

The second part of the challenge - exercise - really HAS been a challenge for me. Unfortunately running after a 3 yr. old and a 1 yr. old doesn't count as exercise (I beg to differ). I really thought I didn't have enough energy to workout after taking care of the kids and the house - but I was wrong. Working out has helped me to feel SO MUCH BETTER. I'm less sore and stiff at the end of the day. I feel better about myself. I really hated working out before. I hate going to the gym. I can't run on our elyptical when the kids are awake because of little fingers, but when they sleep (which is rarely at the same time) I want to sleep too!

I found that by breaking up the routine and doing new things each day - it's doable. I started recording aerobics and yoga on TV and doing them with the kids. THEY LOVE IT! Rachel jumps up and down in jumping jacks with me when I'm doing aerobics and Ben climbs on me when I'm trying to fold myself into a pretzel during yoga - not much of a help but hilariously funny. Every day Rachel wakes up and says, "C'mon Mom time to exercise!"

What more motivation could you ask for? ($400 helps too.)

cousins Cousins COUSINS!!

Welcome to the world BABY TYLER!! Trevor and Rachel welcomed their little bundle of joy, Tyler Clay Watts, into their family Jan. 23 - Uncle B's birthday! He weighed in at a grand 8 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21 in. long. Here are a couple pirated photos - thanks Trev.

We talked on the web cam with them on Sunday and my Rachel has been talking about her new cousin ever since. "Mom TOMORROW we can talk to Trev and Rachel and Baby Tyler on the compooter again K?!"

Welcome to the world little guy. We can't wait to see you in the spring! Oh and Happy Birthday Trev!

PRIMARY!!

My baby is a BIG GIRL!! I can't believe I have a child old enough to be in primary! It feels like yesterday when we FINALLY got her used to going to nursery...wait I think it WAS yesterday...

Rachel is the youngest in her class, just making the Jan. 1 deadline with a Dec. 22 birthday. Most of the kids her age that she plays with won't be in primary till next year. But Rachel was ready. She has a hard time with chaos, and 15 little kids running around the nursery screaming and grabbing and crying = chaos. She likes adult supervision. She like constructive activities. She's good at sitting still and listening to stories (for a certain amount of time - she IS 3 ya know). She likes being around kids in smaller numbers and having a little more adult interaction. She LOVES to sing and has been able to hear pitch and carry a tune since she was 1. Sunbeams is TOTALLY her cup o' tea. And as you can tell she loved every minute of it.

I sat at the back of the chapel for a few minutes as she sat on the front pew with her new sunbeam class and her new sunbeam teacher; with her arms folded tightly and her legs dangling above the floor. Once she looked back and saw me and put her little hand up by her face making a little waving motion. It's okay Mom, I'm a big girl now. You don't have to watch through the door in the nursery to see if I'm the one crying. You can go to your Sunday school class. I'm going to go learn about Jesus and about being a child of God and about how to choose the right. I love you. I wanted desperately to go with her. I wanted to watch her sing. I wanted to watch her learn and grow. Are there times you DESPERATELY wish you could just shrink down to be a fly on a wall and watch your kids in their assorted activities - school, soccer, dance, primary, playing with their little brother in their room and giggling their hearts out?

I wish.

Thanksgiving and Sports

BYU-UTAH GAME

One word- SCOREBOARD.

THANKSGIVING
Unfortunately we had our camera on so much during the wedding that we didn't catch any Thanksgiving festivities. But we had a wonderful dinner at my Grandma Watts's house. It was great to be there with the whole family again - I think that's the first time I've seen them all since her funeral. It was one last hurrah at the house before they try to sell it. It was a bittersweet event as we all sat and reminisced holidays past with Grandma humming random tunes in the kitchen. Then it was back to Ammy and Papa's house for movies and yummy finger food like crackers with cheese and wild Alaskan salmon, fruit, and other yummy fattening things.


JAZZ GAME

That weekend we met up with some of the Gardners again for a night at the Jazz game.



I slept through the 3rd quarter. I know I'm pathetic - but when you're sitting in the nose bleeds...


plus the Jazz always seem to LOSE when I'm there. I guess I just shouldn't go anymore - don't worry my feelings aren't hurt. No really we DID have a fun time - especially when we went out for ice cream at Gateway afterwards. YUM.

Bowling Balls and Wedding Bells

The big day is finally here! After planning and shopping and sizing and altering and picking and choosing and stressing and lots and lots and LOTS of Ibuprofen the big day for Paul's lil' sis Julianne had finally come. The Gardner home was BUZZING with excitement and anticipation. Last minute preparation accumulated in small puddles all over the house. The family gathered together from all over for this happy event - and Julianne?...had to take a final. YUCK!! I can NOT think of anything worse than having to take a final the day before my wedding. But she did it! And afterwards met us at the BYU bowling lanes to make one more fun family memory as "Julianne Gardner". This was a stress relieving measure - an attempt to bring the family together, forget anything wedding, and just let go and have fun. And it was. On lane 1 - the "Big Kids" Kent/Kristin, Alicia, Paul/Natalie, Aaron, Juli, and Nate. On lane 2 Grandma and Grandpa and the grand kids Bella, Rachel, Harry, and Benja.

I have such funny video I want to show but I don't know how to compress the file to make it small enough to download! ARGH I HATE BEING COMPUTER ILLITERATE! Can anyone help me in this matter? Anyone?

After bowling we went home for pizza, candied apples courtesy of ROCKY MOUNTAIN CHOCOLATE FACTORY (if you haven't tried one of these babies you are seriously missing out) and a final "run through" and individual schedule making for each car in the morning. Julianne looked beautifully exhausted. Her mind was on eternity and her body was on autopilot. Juli went to bed and the rest of the kids stayed up way too late laughing and playing. Good memories.

The next day was like a scene out of "Father of the Bride". The house bustled with busyness. Getting kids fed, bathed, dressed, primped - and praying they wouldn't mess up their hair/faces/clothes between here and the reception took all morning.

Last minute store runs for earrings, different sizes of dresses, and dry cleaning had sweet Kristin running more than athletes in the Boston city marathon. Way to go girl. We won't say how fast it's possible to drive on I-15 because, well, we just won't say. BUT we made it. That's what counts. All of us, together at the temple, to witness what PURE JOY looks like. In case you're wondering what pure joy looks like scroll down....

coming out of the temple

Daddy's little girl

The whole Gardner Clan

HUGZZZZ!

AWE!!

Grandpa's giggly red heads

Kent, Kris, Bella, Harry

all the nieces and nephews=good birth control for the new couple?

party time!

the boys wanting to join the band

all tuckered out - thanks aunt leece!

Our happy family.

What a great day. We love you Jewels and Matt and are so proud of you for making this wonderful jump into eternity. Good Luck in your new life and here's to many more wonderful family moments!

Why are MOM's the Bad Guys?

Tonight was a normal night - give the kids a bath, get them in their jammies, rock-paper-scissors to see which parent puts which child to bed...you know the drill. So I put Benny to bed and Rachel is still dancing around the living room in her p.j.'s. Paul tries to coax her into bed by using the whole "you have to go to bed so you can wake up and do so many fun things" trick - you know the one parents pull to get their kids to bed on Christmas Eve? Here's how the conversation went:
Paul: Rachy do you know it's almost December?
Rachel: It is?
Paul: Yes and do you know what is IN December? Rachel's BIRTHDAY is in December and CHRISTMAS is in December and we get to have a special Birthday cake and lots of PRESENTS!
Rachel: *GASP*
Paul: So that's why we have to go to bed right now so that when we wake up...(a long pause as he realizes his mistake - because Christmas in 2 year old time is still eternities away)...so that when we wake up tomorrow will be MONDAY and do you know what we do on MONDAY?
Rachel: *GASP* No WHAT?
Paul: We have SPECIAL FAMILY HOME EVENING!! SO let's go tell Mom.

Rachel runs into the kitchen and yells "MOM DO YOU KNOW WHAT TOMORROW IS?"
Me: No what is it honey?
Rachel: It's CHRISTMAS AND WE GET PRESENTS AND BIRTHDAY CAKE!!
Me: Good one hon. "Well Honey ACTUALLY Christmas is in December and tomorrow isn't December yet - but we will have a fun family home evening!
Rachel: NO MOM TOMORROW IS CHRISTMAS AND BIRTHDAY - DADDY SAID!

Paul comes into the kitchen and I say, "Way to go Dad, now what?" He picks her up and gently strokes her head and she cries out with crocodile tears streaming down her face,

"DADDY - MOMMY HATES CHRISTMAS!!!!!!"

Paul proceeds to laugh his head off and I become the bad guy. Alright. We'll have Christmas tomorrow. Santa you up for that? Any one want some egg nog? Come to the Gardner's because tomorrow's Christmas.

We finally talked her into putting up Christmas lights on the house tomorrow and going to the store to look at some fun things that she could write a letter to Santa about...maybe we'll have our "Christmas Story from Luke" FHE a little early this year...or maybe she'll forget the whole thing.

As I listened to Paul tuck Rachel into bed I heard my sweet husband try to redeem himself...and me,
Paul: Rachy NO ONE LOVES Christmas more than your mother!
Rachy: No Daddy, Mommy HATES December!

Anyone have an extra Grinch costume they want to lend me?

Garden Park Ward Pics

This is the art work of VAL - my photog. Am I cool because I actually have a photographer? I don't know - but the truth is I DO have a real photographer because as of now I will go to no one else but her. I think you can see why...

Family

Rachel

Benja

Mommy and Daddy

Candids

 

The thing that is so wonderful about Val is that she has the ability to protray my family like that when the kids are acting like this...

...of course a little bribery never hurt! (thanks Ammy)

Thanks Val! (contact her now to set up an appointment!)

To see our first shore excursion scroll DOWWWWN

IT'S A SNOWFLAKE!

This morning Rachel dressed up like this...

...because outside it looked like this...

Rachel looked out the window and shrieked, "MOM LOOK THERE'S A SNOWFLAKE!!" Yeah Honey there are LOTS of them! *sigh*


All that excitement and cold made Ben all tuckered out.

Amen brotha.