Am I a Bad Mother?

It's funny. The entire time the kids are off at school, I miss them. I long for them to be with me. Then they get home. Then I wish school lasted for a few more hours! It's chaos the moment they walk through the door. They are all bickering with each other. "Tristan pushed me in a snow bank!" "Well, she pulled my hair!" Meanwhile, Zach looks like the Abominable Snowman and is tracking snow all over the house. Then it's "The Great Snack Debate." There is never what the kids want in the house. (Mostly because when I do buy treats and snacks, they will sneak into it at all hours and it will be gone within a day or two. -That's why I locked the pantry in Las Vegas!) So they push and shove around Mom's small kitchen until everybody is cross and nobody is satisfied. Then it's time for homework who nobody needs help with... that is, unless there is something I am trying to do, then they need me every 2 minutes! Ack! Calgon, take me away!!!

I'm Getting Dizzy

The house is ours again. I'm not nearly as excited this time as I was last time. Don't get me wrong, I am still thrilled to be getting the house. It's still a great house. I guess the excitement has just deflated a bit. This time, the other side's Realtor made sure he talked to BOTH of the parties who are selling the house. That should make the sale a little more permanent. *fingers crossed* Thanks to everybody who was praying and thinking good thoughts for us. You're the best!

Sellers Stink

So we got a call from our Realtor yesterday. Apparently, the sellers are going through a divorce and one agreed to our offer and the other (after the offer had been accepted) said no! So they're going back on their acceptance. The ex-wife wants more. You know, it really steams me. If we go back on our agreement, the seller gets to keep our earnest money. What do we get when they go back? Nada. I was so irritated, I couldn't sleep last night. We re-offered, so now it's a waiting game. Again. I hate buying houses. I hate people who drag us into their ugly divorce. Okay, hate is a strong word. I don't let my kids use it and I shouldn't use it either. But I am frustrated with the whole thing. I'll keep you posted.
*sigh*

I Joined

I'm on Facebook. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm having fun! So, if you too are on Facebook, look me up!

It's Ours!

We got a call from our Realtor this morning. The house is ours! We are so excited. We close at the end of March. We wanted to wait that long so that we would have plenty of time to get our affairs in order. Not to mention, we are watching Mom and Dad's house and it would be uncool for us to just bail on them. Also, the closing is "early" enough that we have lots of time to move in at our leisure. What a switch for us, no rush-rush to get everything in and unpacked. We drove by the house today to see where it is in relation to the INL's bus route. It's a little farther than Ty has to walk right now, but it's not too far. It's also pretty close to the Ammon City pool. I used to go there when I was a kid. How fun that we live so close. I was going to post some more of the pictures here, but then Ty reminded me that there is also a video of the house. It shows most of the house in that. Oh! And in answer to Rebecca's question, there is plenty of room for company, so come on over for a nice, long visit!

More On the House

Well, the guy didn't care for our offer, so he made a counter offer. We didn't like the counter offer, so we just made a counter-counter offer today. I hope he takes it cuz it's our final offer. I really hope he takes the offer. I have already pictured myself in the house. I don't want to have to mourn this one and start looking again! So, I guess we'll know by tomorrow night if we're getting the house.
I promise. If we get the house, I will take pictures and post them all here. The pictures the owner put in the MLS are less than stellar. In face, I wasn't even all that interested in the house because the pictures didn't do it justice. Seeing it in person changed my mind. Man, I hope we get this house!!! The house is over in Ammon. It's on Cabellero for those of you who know the area. (I personally didn't know the name of that street untill we looked at the house!) If you're going into town from the intersection of Ammon-Lincoln and 17th, it's the first street on the left. Does that clear it up? LOL I am terrible with directions!
So everyone, please think happy thoughts for us!!!
I hope we get the house.
I hope we get the house.
I hope we get the house.

We Made an Offer

A couple of weeks ago, we started looking at houses. After the major disappointment with the other one, I tried to curb my enthusiasm. It's amazing how different people make their houses look in the pictures than the way they look in person. Let's just say, you can hide a lot with a camera. Anyway, after several homes, we had it narrowed down to two that we liked. We just had one more to go look at before we called it a day. That's when we found it. THE house.It's an older home. Older than we had planned on buying, but it just felt like home. It was weird, the minute we walked through the front door, we knew it was the one.You can't tell from the picture, but the kitchen and dining area are nice and big. They are perfect for entertaining. The cabinets need updating, but that hutch is built in. The rooms are all nice and big. We'll have plenty of room to spread out.I love the pergola in the back yard. The whole back yard is great. Because it's an older home, the trees in the yard are nice and mature. It's beautiful.
The only complaint I have is that the master bathroom has no bathtub. Only a shower. Ty thinks it would be easy to put in a tub at some point in the future, and since he did his grandma's shower, I think he could do it.
We put in an offer today. Now it's just a waiting game. We gave them until Friday at 6pm to either accept, decline, or counter. So, please send good vibes our way!

Church Ain't Just For Prayin'

It's for playin', too!
Richard has the keys to the Menan Stake Center, so he got permission and one night, we all headed over to the church for a night of craziness. The kids brought a bike, a scooter, a skateboard, football, giant bowling set, and a bouncy ball. The adults brought food, CD's, and DVD's. We had a ton of fun just going crazy in the gym.
We played Horse, touch football, and kickball. The kids raced around the gym on the bike and scooter, which was so nice cuz with all the snow outside, the wheeled toys haven't been getting much use.
Ty rocketed the kids across the gym on the skateboard.
Notice Samantha's hair safely tucked into her ski hat?
We set up tables in the Relief Society room and had a tasty dinner of chili, leftover turkey, and lots of homemade salsa. (My BIL makes the BEST salsa!!!) Then, Richard got the projector out of the library and the men set it up so the kids could watch their DVD's projected on the wall just like at the movies. Then, the grown ups played Rummy and Yahtzee Turbo in the Relief Society room. It was a very fun night. We did a very similar thing last year. I think this just might have to be a tradition!!!

Yahtzee!

One of the most popular gifts this Christmas was a game my parents gave us. Yahtzee Turbo. The first game was played Christmas afternoon and there was a game going almost constantly after that. The game says 2-4 players, but we had as many as 7 playing at one time. Each player gets 5 cards with different dice combinations on them; full house, small and large straights, and 3 or 4 of a kind. The object of the game is to roll the exact combination shown on your top card before the "Big Die" times out. The first person to get rid of all their cards wins. It's a little tricky though, cuz if you don't get your combination in time, the "Big Die" can tell you to simply pass the dice to the next player, or draw 2 more cards, and many other options. The "Big Die" got yelled at quite a bit over the first week in it's life with the Jones family. We played it so much, the color is already wearing off the corners of the dice! It is a very fun game and it's great, cuz even the little kids could play. Much family fun!!!

Christmas Morning

I know, Christmas was two weeks ago. I actually got chastised by my mother today for not doing this sooner. Sorry, Mom!
We told the kids that they were not to get up until 7am. We did not want to hear their voices until 7am. However, Richard started "Ho! Ho! Ho!"-ing at 6:30, so that's when we got up. Our family got a Wii system with me getting Wii Fit and each of the kids getting a game from Santa. We were all very excited about that. We started with everybody taking turns opening their presents so that we could all ooh and aah over their gifts. However, by the time we were about half-way through, it was more of a free-for-all.
The kids were all pleased with their gifts. Tristan's favorite was the boots and bindings for his snowboard. Samantha's was her Littlest Pet Shop Tail Waggin Fitness Center. Zach was really excited about his GeoTrax Fly By Bridge, that is, until he found out that the plane wasn't included. (Mommy should really read the fine print!) There was alot of squealing and hugging. Samantha usually being the most enthusiastic. Mayzee was pretty excited about her rope toy. As you can see from that picture. Everybody go ta good laugh from watching her writhe in pleasure.
After gift giving time was over, we all enjoyed a tasty egg casserole dish that Pam had made for breakfast. Then I snuck upstairs for a nice little Christmas Nap. All in all, it was a great Christmas.

More of a Nightmare

Ty and I have been looking at houses online for the past several months. The plan was to keep our eye on the market and then get serious around March/April. However, the home I have always dreamed of came on the market. The outside is literally the home I see when I close my eyes and dream. We just had to check it out.
So, on Saturday, we got together with the Realtor to take a gander at my dream house. However, that dream quickly turned into a nightmare. The siding had several cracks, but those can be easily fixed (according to Ty.) The lady who owns the house really has a thing for wallpaper and wallpaper boarders. she also had two little Downs Syndrome boys who really like to peel said wallpaper and boarders. The hardwood floor in the kitchen had been mopped in places so much that the finish had come off. All of the walls had holes in them. And all the rooms were teeny tiny. Much smaller than the pictures made them seem.
So, I guess it's back to the drawing board.Maybe another "dream home" will come on the market and this time, my dreams will come true.

My Wish List

Here is my selfish wish list.
1. I wish that my kids could understand just how much I love them.
2. I wish that I could see myself the way Ty sees me.
3. I wish I enjoyed cleaning.
4. I wish that Tristan didn't struggle so much with his ADD.
5. I wish I didn't have to take so many pills.
6. I hope that my kids have more self-confidence than I do.
7. I wish I could hear the thoughts that go through my dog's head.
8. I wish I could remember my Heavenly Parents.
9. I wish I had a housekeeper. (then I wouldn't have to wish for #3!)
10. I wish I were in my own home.
11. I wish I had all my own stuff.
12. I wish my hair were naturally curly.
13. I wish my nails didn't break off so easily.
14. I hope my husband continues to love his job.
15. I hope to make friendships that last forever.
16. I hope my kids can be happy and healthy and free.
17. I wish my house in Las Vegas would spontaneously sell itself.
18. I hope all your wishes come true.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Grandma Tolman had her 89th birthday on Christmas Eve. The whole family went over to her house to wish her a happy birthday. She was so tickled to have so much of her family close for her special day.
There were so many people in her house, there was no place to sit. She just smiled and smiled. She said several times that there is nothing better than family. She got misty a few times when she thought about Grandpa Tolman and her family that couldn't be there, but then she would just start beaming again.
She blew out all the candles on her cake, so I guess she gets her wish.
I hope her 90th year is as great as her 89th. We love you Grandma Tolman!

Fun With Static

Tristan insisted on wearing this Santa hat every time we were over to Ty's parents' house. The kids all got a kick out of what happened whenever it came off.
Science is fun!

Minor Surgery

Just 3 days before Christmas, Tristan went into hospital for some minor surgery. He had a hernia that the doctor believes he may have had for several years. Maybe since he was 5. He thinks the hernia was aggrivated by football this summer.
Poor kid couldn't have anything to eat after midnight and his surgery wasn't until after noon. He was starving by the time we checked in. His pre-op nurse cracked us up. She kept talking to Tristan like he was 2. She used a baby voice and kept saying things like, "Remember, we always need to wash our hands, don't we?" and "Wow! You're almost 85 pounds, you big, big boy." You should have seen the look on Tristan's face.
After he had changed into his gown and right before he was taken into surgery, one of the surgical nurses came in to check things out. It was so weird, cuz it was a guy I went to school with, Nathan Seedall. It was strange to turn my son over to a guy who had been such a goofball in high school. The surgery lasted about an hour. When he came out of surgery, the first thing he said was, "Bacon." I guess he's not one of those people who gets nauseous from anesthesia. The surgery was a success and he was ready to start playing the next day. We had to remind him to slow down several times and there were a few times when he was walking like an old man and asking for Ibuprofen. I suppose that's better than laying around, whining and complaining for a week! He's such a strong kid.