Moments in Time with the Ahlstroms

Is It September???

2010-09-21T10:55:00.006-06:00

I am such a sad blogger these days...I'm sure you've all given up on me. We were crazy busy this summer traveling to see family in Cali and Idaho. We had the Daniels swing by to see us here in Colorado for a day. It wasn't hard to keep kids and myself busy with baseball, craft shows, jewelery making and other activities.

I haven't even mentioned teaching preschool! I got some wild hair to teach preschool this Fall so Carter could be in my class. It has been such fun but also so much work! The children are a delight and I am so glad I can use my teaching skills and be home with my two younger ones. I will be posting some of their cool little projects soon.

In the midst of it all our little Eva girl has been growing up so fast. I don't know what is is about the last baby, but I would just like her to slow down a bit so I can enjoy all of her ages and stages!! She babbles about everything! Ben says that she sounds like she's saying Yabba Dabba Doo all the time. She for sure can say momma and dada...the most important words of course! She is a climbing machine just like Carter. She can go up stairs in 1 minute flat and is trying desperately to run before she learns to walk! Here are just a few pics of the last few weeks!

4th of July 2010

2010-07-05T00:57:00.007-06:00

We had a great time last night (July 3rd) at the Stadium of Fire in Provo at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Carrie Underwood was the featured performer and put on a good show, including a great job singing the national anthem. In my non-expert opinion, doing a quality rendition of the national anthem is one mark of a good artist in our country. Here are two videos. You can't see Carrie Underwood due to the lack of zoom on my droid, but the sound is pretty good. The Air Force F-16 flyover was awesome, combined with the fireworks and roar of the crowd! The lead pilot then came on the big screen TVs via a cockpit cam and said he and the pilots had all been scouts, with 3 of them being being eagle scouts. You can see some of the 260 scouts who received their eagle awards in what was billed as the largest eagle court of honor in history. The concert was great and we had a fun time with our two oldest boys, but another highlight was unexpectedly running into good friends Greg and Jennifer and their children.

April Antics

2010-05-09T21:56:00.010-06:00

So many events, so little time to blog about them. April was a busy month for us as we filled it with field trips, soccer games, a craft fair and a yard sale.

My friend Jennifer and I decided to sell jewelry, decorated clipboards and hair flowers at our very first craft fair held at a local Charter school here in town. I wish I had taken pictures of our little booth. It was lots of work, but also lots of fun as we traded our stuff for cool things the other vendors were selling towards the end of the day. We decided to name our little boutique after Evita...our favorite "Fancy Girl."Our goal is to sell some of our creations on etsy. We just need to make enough stuff to actually sell on our on- line "Fancy Girl Boutique." Below is a mother's charm with kid's birthstones dangling from the bottom.

Ethan has been doing so well in first grade this year. He has really developed as a writer. He is always looking for opportunities to write little notes for the family. Tonight we found this note on the toilet in his bathroom. Ben an I had to seriously LAUGH OUT LOUD! As a teacher, I want to accentuate the positive...note the use of punctuation, capital letters, vowels, stretching himself to write challenging words etc. As a mother, I thought..."Oh crap...he's clogged the toilet again." I love my boys...they always keep it interesting.

Update on March Madness

2010-03-21T22:18:00.006-06:00

So, I planned to send this update last week, but you know how it goes. We had an eventful couple of weeks. Ethan played his last two basketball games and did a great job. While we were watching BYU lose to Kansas State last night he said he wanted to play for BYU one day. (not because they lost the game of course, but maybe he figured he could do better) In his game on the 13th, he bonked heads with another kid and had to put an ice pack on his forehead for a while, but then he went back in in the 2nd half. Then, a couple of hours after we got home I was working in the basement when Alec ran downstairs to say that I needed to come outside quick because Ethan had wrecked on his bike and was bleeding. It was actually Alec's old bike that he was trying out. Anyway, I went outside to find Ethan Spread out on the grass crying by the sidewalk. I asked him what happened and where it hurt (although looking at him it was obvious) and he said he skidded his face on the cement. So, it wasn't a good day for his face.

Also that week, while on the topic of holes in one's head, Eva got her ears pierced. She looks very cute!

This past Saturday, the 20th, was another busy day. Due to the snowstorm, Alec's 1st soccer game was canceled, but we still had Ethan's final basketball game and Alec's pinewood derby. Alec and I had a good time working on his car this year, and hoped that he would finish near the top. But, he finished 9th out of 16 I think, so that's not bad, and he wasn't bummed. Alec had a lot of fun the night before making the sour cream shamrock-shaped cookies we took for refreshments. Here's a picture of his car. It's the yellow one that kind of looks like the Arrow of Light. Notice the observer hiding in the background. Sister Bartholomew, the stake primary president, did a great job keeping things running.

Wanna Save a Buck?

2010-02-24T14:55:00.004-07:00

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I sure get tired of looking at the same old things in my house. The last couple of weeks it's been my curtains. I was sick of the gold color and thought of how i'd really like to change them. That was until I started pricing curtains that are 120" long. UGHH! So I came up with this fabulous idea to dye my gold velvet curtains brown. I was too chicken to dye them in my washing machine at the risk of ruining my machine, So I took them to the laundromat, paid $4.00 and dyed them in those machines. The results...incredible. They turned out this really nice milky chocolate brown and I love them!! So, I have a new look in my family room and saved a buck or shall I say $100 bucks.

Evita, la Chica Bonita

2010-02-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Oatmeal Festival 2010

2010-01-11T21:14:00.005-07:00

My family and I showed up last Saturday morning to walk the Quaker Oats festival 5K race in Lafayette, but then everyone else ran and we didn't want to be the only walkers so we ran too. What a great way to kick off our new year's resolution to get in shape!

The weather was great and the snow made everything beautiful. There were about 1000 runners and a health fair that we checked out at the end. We were all kind of sore on Sunday, but it was worth it.

Eva's Blessing Day

2009-12-25T20:39:00.002-07:00

We're a little late posting this, but three weeks ago we named and blessed Eva in Church. We had both Ben's and Claudia's parents in attendance, along with Claudia's sister Veronica and brother Hernan. Eva looked beautiful in her white dress. We had a wonderful time visiting with our families over the weekend and were sorry to see Ben's parents head back to Idaho on Monday. It was great to have them here and look forward to seeing them again soon. Claudia's parents are with us through the holidays, so we are not through enjoying our time with them. Lots of attention for our special girl Eva!

"Firsts" with Eva

2009-11-08T17:46:00.004-07:00

Our new and precious little Eva has sprung into our world bringing us immense joy and love beyond measure. She was born 2 weeks ago today on October 25th at 1:11 in the morning weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 oz (our smallest baby to date.)

She has been such a surprise to us, beginning when we learned we were pregnant. Ben and I have listed all of the "firsts" we're experiencing with our new little love. We thought we'd share some with you.

First child to...
1. be a girl.
2. be born in Colorado
3. give me migraine headaches during pregnancy.
4. weigh less than 9 lbs.
5. weigh less than 8 lbs. (yes, she's dinky)
6. wear pink clothes, and hair bows.
7. not be allowed siblings visits in the hospital(due to the swine flu policy)
8. not need a circumcision
9. stop breathing at birth
10. spend time in the NICU
11. wear newborn diapers
12. wear newborn clothes
13. need a bilirubin light for 5 days straight at home. Ugh!

That being said, we are loving our new baby girl to pieces and can hardly believe she is part of our family.

The Family that Vomits Together...Stays Together

2009-10-20T11:01:00.004-06:00

No kidding...One after another the stomach bug got us all in one week. Beginning with Carter...then onto me 2 days later...then Ethan and Alec a day after that...and finally Ben on the last day.

Unfortunately for me, I was the one who landed in the hospital with dehydration and horrible contractions. All that effort at 3 in the morning and an IV (which I detest) to pump me with fluids. Surely, I will leave here with a baby and it will all be worth it. WRONG. As soon as they re-hydrated me and the baby's racing heart rate slowed down...they sent me home...to wallow in my misery. I hope to have better news in my next post!

The Mouse Strikes Again

2009-10-20T10:26:00.003-06:00

This time, he swiped his brothers NEW PACK of Trident Gum and swallowed 17 pieces at 10pm on Saturday night! Then, he conveniently left all of the wrappers on his book shelf for us to count when we checked to see if he had gone to bed. Two days later, he threw up. Was it the gum... or a stomach bug? We'll never know.

When the Cat's Away...

2009-10-06T22:12:00.003-06:00

the mouse (with a huge mouth) will eat the 1lb block of cheese. That same little mouse will be smart enough to put it back in the tupperware, walk into the office and say to me "I was HUNGRY for some cheese."

Made Out Like a Bandit

2009-09-28T09:29:00.007-06:00

Last Thursday I truly felt "the love" of many local friends here in Firestone. Just when I thought I didn't "need" anything... I was literally "showered" with the most darling GIRL clothes and other homemade with love "goodies" for our new little baby girl. All thanks to a dear friend (and several helpers) who put their own busy lives aside and insisted that they host a party for our new little nameless pumpkin. Along with the delicious food and a copy of Where the Wild Things Are, dedicated with little notes for the baby...my guests wrote down some suggested names for our little one. The following are those suggestions...some more INTERESTING than others.
Feel free to vote for your favorite.

Eve, Tasha, Jane, Olivia, Mary Jane, Samantha, Madonna, Tessa, Claire, Lauren, Chloe, Brooke, Andrea, Lexie, Angalee, Ava, Eva, Elise, Nadine, Loralie, Aubrey, Audra Ann, Savanah, Clarice, Camille, Teya, Mable, Reese, Thelma, Kim Su Chang.

I will admit...I needed some love that week. This fourth pregnancy has by far been the most physically challenging for me. I don't know if it's my age, the fact that I am chasing a three year old Tazmanain devil for most of the day...or the bulging and exceedingly painful varicose vein in my groin. It's been a long 9 months so far. Well, I'm almost there...I know I'm on the downhill slope now and EAGERLY looking forward to meeting out little "Miracle."

Thanks to all who were able to make it to the party and several who let me know that they couldn't be there...I still felt your kindness and support. I was so elated with all of the beautiful "girly" gifts, that I set them up on my couch for my family to look at the whole weekend. (My husband thinks I'm a dork) Eventually, we needed a place to sit...so my sis helped me hang my "stash" on our new little PINK hangers. SO EXCITING!!!

School, Anniversary & Birthday Time

2009-09-10T10:23:00.007-06:00

Time sure passes quickly when your racing around trying to do everything and be everywhere...and lug around a 30 lb. belly at the same time. So here is a brief recap on August and Sept.
First day of school is always a treat for the boys.(and me)

Happy Anniversary Benji!..August 29th, 1997... 12 years and counting. I remember the hot and windy day as my family and I drove to the San Diego Temple in a black stretch limo eagerly waiting to marry Ben. He remembers our limo doing an illegal U turn the middle of the 5 freeway during lunchtime traffic as we couldn't find the restaurant for our luncheon. It goes quickly when you are married to your best friend. Who would have guessed that I could be so lucky to marry a kind and loving patient man who accepts me for all of my shortcomings, honors his priesthood and is a terrific example to me and our children.

Our first born baby is growin'up!! God knew we'd miss out somewhere...so he gave us Carter (mini Alec) to do it all over again!! ( hard to believe but this picture is of Alec on his 1st birthday)Happy 10th Birthday Alec! Pizza, bowling with friends and ice cream at the park. What more could a kid ask for??? We love you so much!!

You Know Belly's Big When...

2009-08-14T09:34:00.008-06:00

1. You walk up the stairs and can barely catch your breath at the top of 12 stairs.
2. You get more "mystery stains" on your shirt than food in your mouth.

3. Your husband says,"Your belly looks more like a watermelon than a basketball now"
4. A lady at the Butterfly Pavillion elbows you in the gut as she's trying to put on her backpack.
5. You begin the infamous and unattractive "preggo waddle."
6. People at Costco look at your stomach first, then gradually move up to your face to address you.
7. Your belly serves as a convenient "shelf" for your water bottle or M&M's.

8.Your profile now looks like Snoopy's.
9. Your 3 year old walks by and says"Move Out of the way...JUMBO!" When asked, "Who is Jumbo?" He responds...an elephant.
10. Your belly jiggles like Santa's when you laugh.

(Never thought I'd post my jiggling belly...but it's my 4th and last baby... I gotta document this madness before I forget)I just can't imagine getting bigger...but I know I will...10 weeks and counting. UGHHH!

The 4th in Idaho Falls

2009-07-31T09:40:00.010-06:00

My wonderful sister's-in-law hosted a double baby shower for Annalise and I. We knew ours was a girl and just learned that hers is a girl too!! GIRL POWER! The "stash" on the floor is hers and mine is on the other side of the room!

Ben and I visited the Rexburg Temple...BEAUTIFUL... and did some overdue Templework for my grandfather and sealed him to my grandmother who passed away about 8 years ago.

We went to the zoo with our cute little "Chick" friends from Pocatello. Thanks for meeting us Rachel!!

We celebrated Ethan's "REAL" 6th birthday with the family at Grandma Ahlstrom's house with our Arizona cousins.

Summer Update-Christmas in June

2009-07-10T09:25:00.008-06:00

I feel like school just got out last week and we finally have a week to STAY HOME!!

June was a whirlwind for us as we decided to make memories with our boys instead of buying them stuff and things as we usually do at Christmas. Sometime in February I got this wild hair to go on a cruise as a family. Well we finally went to Jamaica and Grand Cayman for a week and I recommend it to anyone who is considering a cruise.

As a result of our experience, I've compiled a short list of do's and don'ts for any future cruisers.

DO
1. get on the boat as early as possible before departure, or you will feel like you are on Ellis Island, trying to pass all of your physicals to get into AMERICA!

2. take appropriate clothes for the cruise...my poor mother must have thought she was going to Alaska (again) and brought all kinds of long sleeves and pants!!

3. send your kids to the KIDS CLUB every chance you get. They think they are going to this fabulous party every day to learn the Electric Slide and all sorts of other cool things. When in fact, you're the ones having the fabulous party WITHOUT THEM.

4.Indulge in all of the YUMMY FOOD and forget about the scale for a week. NO ONE is going to serve you lobster and fancy soups and desserts when you get home.

5. Go on the earliest excursion possible or you will be sitting there BAKING in the hot sun waiting for your 10:30 tour to begin while everyone else has left to go swim with the dolphins.

DON'T

6. Feel bad about dumpin' the kids at the kid's club, you'll get over it after a few minutes.

7. Lose your 9 year old kid on the ship the first few minutes you get on board. It's hard enough to find your way around without being in PANIC MODE!!!

8. Take AMERICAN EXPRESS. Jamaican beaches don't take it. Take your VISA, it's everywhere you want to be!

9. Be afraid of kissing a stingray, kinda feels like kissing a GIANT slimy mushroom. Now, I will have 7 years of good luck...according to my tour guide.

10. Don't leave the gift shop on Grand Cayman island without your 9 year old...as the ship is preparing to depart!! You will be traumatized for several hours after that.

Do photograph the DARLING towel animals on your bed every evening.

Do take water shoes for the Jamaican beaches. Our feet were getting cut up with rocks as we posed for this picture as our water shoes sat on the ship.

Do invite your parents to join you..if you like them. Mine are pretty cool.

Send the kids to the space alien parties, they will have a blast!!

This Christmas, instead of presents, the kids will get a power point slide show of our Cruise. We'll see how that goes over!

And the Gender is...

2009-06-11T08:45:00.004-06:00

The moment couldn't come soon enough for Ben and I... as well as about 20 of our close relatives and friends. On Tuesday morning Ben, my sister Veronica, Alec, Ethan and I drove to Denver to see our little bean "close up and personal." I had mentally prepared myself to hear the news that he would be healthy and growing at a healthy and perfect rate.

Minutes after walking into the ultrasound room, the tech asked me in a nonchalant way if I wanted to know the gender. After eagerly saying "YES!" She proceeded to tell me that I could call in my family and she began the scan. In times past, the tech had taken all of the routine and necessary pictures and at the very end of the scan told us that we were having a boy and showed us his little boy parts to prove what she already knew for sure. This time was MUCH different. Basically,she took one or two measurements of the head, squished my stomach some more and moved the scanner around and said in her monotone nonchalant voice, "It's a girl."

We all had to pick up our jaws off the floor as the tears streamed down my face. Then, Ben proceeded to ask with a big cautious smile on his face, "So, how sure are you?" Again, she looked at him like he was a goofball and said, "100%. See those two little white lines, that's the labia." Enough said.

We had never seen "that part" before so of course it was all foreign to us. My sister's first words were, "I can't believe it...I can't believe it!! Followed by, "Time to get rid of all that baby boy clothes. Let's have a yard sale this weekend!! Alec of course was less than thrilled as he said, "Now you have to spend a bunch of money on clothes!" Ethan said, "I knew it...I knew it...because you had headaches and girls give their mom's headaches." Needless to say, we are ELATED to welcome a daughter into our family. And I'm HAPPY to buy all new stuff for our new little princess.

We Found Our Missing Mariachi Band

2009-05-21T19:35:00.004-06:00

Many moons ago, 12 years to be exact, Ben and I were married in the San Diego Temple. After the wedding, we had a ring exchange ceremony and a reception to share our joy with our families and all of my non-mormon relatives. My dad had ordered a keg of beer for the "drinkin" relatives and a Mariachi band to entertain our guests for the evening (traditional Mexican custom).

As luck would have it, neither showed up to our reception. Last week, my sis-in-law finally found our missing band on the streets of San Diego waiting for public transportation to give them a lift to someone else's wedding.

One More Makes Four

2009-05-16T09:09:00.004-06:00

After struggling with fertility issues with our last two boys, I had decided to hang my hat and be content with the three beautiful boys that God had sent me. So, you can imagine my surprise when I learned we were expecting a little peanut a few months ago.

It took me a while to actually believe it. But after 2 ultrasounds,I feel that I can believe our little miracle is true. Initially, I was really concerned about Down's Syndrome because of my age and my brother has Down's. Once I accepted that I was okay with whatever card I was dealt, I felt better. After some recent bloodwork and genetic testing, my odds are pretty good that the baby is fine. We are excited and looking forward to finding out if we will add to our little baseball team or if I will share my throne with a little princess. Either way, we can't lose.

Carter Finds the Egg

2009-04-26T17:19:00.004-06:00

One of the treats of having my sister move to Colorado is that she brought her 2 chihuahuas, Pepa Dog and Chalupa and her Labrador, Coco. They visit often and our boys love the dogs. The part I love the best is that after a few hours they leave, my boys got their "dog" fix and I don't have to buy them food or scoop their poop!

In this episode, my sister hid an Easter egg on Coco's collar just waiting to see if any of the kids noticed. Carter finds it in the first thirty seconds of the video, so unless you've never seen kids running around the house hunting for Easter eggs...don't feel obligated to watch the rest of the video.

MARCH MADNESS

2009-04-01T09:57:00.005-06:00

Maybe if I was into basketball, this entry would be about something else. However, this is March Madness Ahlstrom Style. Carter has become the family computer nerd. He wakes up at 6:30 EVERY morning, blankie around his neck-Superman style and goes straight to the laptop to play PBS computer games. He's not even 3 years old yet!

Then there was our early beginning to Spring Break with a traditional Spring snowstorm. Notice my snowbunnies striking a pose. Not so bad...as a result, I didn't have to go to work either.

My sister made the big move from California...Mini Cooper and all! I'm so happy she's finally here!!!

If I don't go, I won't need glasses right? WRONG! New glasses after 14 years of not seeing the eye doctor! The benefits of aging!

Whittling chip badge for our new "Bear."

Carter "POT" ty training in front of the tv. He loved the cushy seat to watch tv, but never actually did "the deed" after sitting there for a couple of hours.

Ethan, the abominable snowboy in the "Snow Cave."

Ethan doing math problems while painting our newly finished garage.

Good Times, we'll see what April has in store for us!

Dinner Conversations

2009-03-18T05:21:00.003-06:00

About twice a week I feel under appreciated by my boys when it comes to my efforts in fixing dinner. So, I pull out a simple meal like grilled cheese sandwiches or hot dogs etc. On this particular evening, I realized it was 5:00 and I hadn't defrosted anything yet. So I asked the boys if they would rather have Spaghettios or Ravioli (from a can). Of course, Ethan chose one and Alec the other. After I added the broccoli and bread with butter in an attempt to make the meal semi-appealing, Ethan gave me the sweetest compliment. I think.

Ethan: Mom, this dinner totally tastes better than it looks!!

Alec: Yea, mine too!

Claudia: Thanks guys. I will have to open a can of Spaghettios more often.

Gotta Get Away?

2009-03-01T19:06:00.003-07:00

Go to a resort town. Ben and I of course love to ski. But even if you don't, there's lots to do as you walk around and explore a new place with your spouse and remember why you even married each other. This trip was actually our first ski trip without children. (Thanks to my kind and loving sister who was in town) And let me tell you, it feels good... to focus on your spouse instead of breaking up fights, taking a different child to the bathroom after every run, and trying to talk Ethan into liking skiing.

Oh and did I mention the shopping?? Outlets galore in Silverthorne. The first night, Ben trudged through about 6 stores with me because I forgot to pack my pajamas. So of course, I had to go find some at the Outlet Mall. The next night, after skiing all day, Ben gracefully declined to go shopping with me and opted instead to soak in the hot tub. I hit another 6 or so stores and returned to the hotel with bags and bags of stuff. All great deals...of course.

Later we hit an authentic Mexican Restaurant and had some yummy food. All the while I was missing my kids, but realizing that if they were there, they'd either be complaining that they were starving and going to DIE at any moment, or saying yuck to the food they were just served. Even so, we missed them. The next morning we drove home and gladly welcomed the hugs and kissed we received from our FAVORITE little boys.

Ben's Favorite You Tube Video

2009-02-14T15:56:00.008-07:00

Ben did not vote for Obama. However, when he saw this spoof on YouTube, he couldn't stop singing the song...which of course is a spoof on Beyonce's Single Ladies Video. Then, we watched some other Single Ladies Spoofs on YouTube. Too Funny!

"I'm Goin' Ridin' on the Ski Train of Love...."

2009-01-27T18:42:00.007-07:00

Oh wait, I think the song is "Freeway of Love" so, just forget about my trendy title. Unfortunately, some of us had more fun than others.

It was actually more like the "ski train of HORROR" for our little Ethan who not only lost his ski instructor but developed a fever while in the ski school, skipped lunch and slept on a bench for 3 hours in the lodge until his ski class was over. Only to have a horrible cough and act like he was going to vomit at any moment. Yes, all of that excitement and it cost us $105.00! Just for the dang ski school! I should have been his instructor, at least I wouldn't have lost him.

But wait, it gets better, on the way home on the "ski train of Trauma", he accidentally got himself stuck in the bathroom and no one realized it until I heard the screaming and crying from the bathroom and ran down the corridor and shoved the door open only to find my terrorized little boy.

As I said, some of us had more fun than others. I just hope that my poor child is not scarred for life.
Before

During

After

Ethan, the Experimental Scientist

2009-01-23T14:45:00.006-07:00

Ethan:"Mom did you know that if you weigh yourself... then go potty...then weigh yourself again...you weigh less.

"Watch me...I weigh 46.6"

(pees in the toilet)

"Now I weigh 46.2, so pee and poop have weight, isn't that cool?? You should try it,"

Claudia:"Yes Ethan, that is very cool!, I think I should go potty more often"

Garage Finish Part 1

2009-01-10T11:39:00.004-07:00

As with most new homes, the third stall of our garage was unfinished when we bought this house. 2 years later, after some prompting and comments from my parents like, "Why didn't you builder finish your garage?" and "So, why haven't YOU done it?" We decided to bite the bullet and buy the stuff and take advantage of my dad's "free labor" to get it going the last week of 2008. We had the whole garage textured when Ben and my dad finished the drywall....next will be the painting...my favorite part...NOT!!!

Merry Christmas to All...And to All a Good Night

2008-12-30T18:45:00.005-07:00

Santa gave the boys a group gift that they all enjoyed until Ben deflated it while they were inside and it scared Carter half to death!

Poor little Carter James received the 24 hr. stomach flu complete with vomit and diarrhea

I'm guessing that little note means Merry Christmas...I'll have to ask Alec

There's nothing like getting matching slippers and a shirt just like your Father-in-Law. Oh well, nobody seemed to mind.

Oh yea, then there was the issue of the UNINVITED Christmas mouse in the pantry. We never saw the little stinker, buy it took my dad and Ben 2 hours to empty, vacuum and re-arrange the entire pantry after we found one dropping on each shelf!

We finally made some traditional pork tamales, chicken tamales and Jalapeno and cheese tamales and they turned out quite good considering it was my first time making them.

Yes!! Christmas is over. I was getting tired of all of the package shaking and Alec telling me that he wondered if "so-called Santa" was going to put anything in his stocking. It is so sad when kids realize Santa is mom and dad and then they feel obligated to tell everyone including the younger siblings that Santa is a sham. Oh well, I guess it is what it is. We will do our best to keep Santa alive for Ethan and Carter while we can.

The good part was that all of my immediate family came out from California to spend the holiday with us. It was the first time they have ever come to our home for Christmas and I hope it won't be the last given all of the little disasters that happened while they were here!

Annalise Gets Hitched

2008-12-09T14:45:00.010-07:00

Mr. and Mrs. Kimball Lewis

Carter "Playing Dead" for grandpa at the reception

Kissin cousins

I got really lucky when I married into Ben's family. They all genuinely love and support each other. His wonderful sister Annalise married an equally wonderful man last week. Welcome to the familia Captain Lewis.

We drove to Utah for what seemed like an eternity...got lost in Orem, then in Pleasant Grove...then finally arrived at the home we were staying at...THEN got ready for the reception and finally made it 10 hours after leaving Colorado!!!

It was a nightmare to get there, but we had a fabulous time once we arrived! We enjoyed visiting with all of the relatives, listened to Alec play a few tunes on a Baby Grand and gave Ben's parents a much deserved minivan for Christmas (it was a group gift from all of the Ahlstrom kids). Good times.

First Snow of the Season

2008-11-29T14:17:00.005-07:00

Our first snow of the season hit last night on Friday, November 28th. And it was... in Alec's words, "Light, but good enough for some nice snowballs." Notice in the video how Alec is grooming his baby brother in the fine art of how to throw snowballs at your dad!

Happy Birthday to My Sis and Me

2008-11-27T20:37:00.003-07:00

I have had the luxury of sharing my birthday with my sister for the last 36 years. She is here in town visiting me for the holiday season. And no, we are not twins...we were born three years apart on November 25th. My mom says it wasn't rigged...but with c- sections, you never know. We are Turkey girls, but we like it! And despite looking younger than me...she is my older sister. My parents and brother have been here as well and we have enjoyed some delicious mexican food...thanks to my mom who thinks throwing together some chile rellenos is "no big deal." I think I've gained 8 lbs. in 8 days!!!

Thanksgiving...Maxine Style

2008-11-17T22:01:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving With Maxine

Ra Ra... Ra Ra Ra... GO COUGARS!

2008-11-06T20:13:00.006-07:00

Last weekend we had the chance to go to a true "nail biter" football game where BYU played CSU in Ft. Collins. They would score...then we would score...then they would score...and we would score! The game was total insanity. Being the football fanatic that I am, (not) I managed to bite off my stubby little nails even shorter than they already are. To my surprise, I actually paid attention to the game the entire time!

Thankfully, the cougs pulled through in the last few seconds of the game and BYU survived to play another football game! The best part was celebrating as we slapped all of the players hands as they ran around the field after the game. One of the players was even nice enough to pick up and hand me my sunglasses that had fallen onto the field. Good times with some great friends!!

Maybe I Won't Teach After All

2008-10-30T14:26:00.004-06:00

I substitute taught yesterday for the first time in 4th grade here in town. All was going well until it was time to line up after recess and this lovely boy from another class asked me who I was.

"My Name is Mrs. Ahlstrom," I said.

How old are you? he said.

How old do you think I am? I replied.

"50?" He said.

"I look pretty good for being 50...don't you think?"

This is dedicated to the lovely punk kid who thought I was 50.

What Did You Learn at School Today, Ethan?

2008-10-28T15:22:00.008-06:00

A day in the life of a Kindergartner...

Today, as I do everyday, I asked Ethan what he learned in school. Most days, he simply says,"I don't know...I can't remember." Today, however, he had 2 bowls of Lucky Charms cereal in the morning and somehow remembered everything.

"I learned about decomposers. The first decomposer is a worm and the second
decomposer is a cockroach. They eat leaves, banana peels, orange peels, other bugs, and sticks. The worm has no eyes, a light sensor, a huge mouth, no legs and five hearts. All of the worms in the whole world are boys and every worm in the whole world is a girl. They are all boys and girls at the same time!"

"Cockroaches feel scaly, smooth and a little bumpy. Every cockroach in the whole world is not a boy. Some are girls and some are boys. Both of the decomposers eat their dead friends to turn them back into dirt for new plants to grow."

"Ethan, that's a lot of information. Can I write down everything you told me today about worms and cockroaches?"

"Yea, I better sit next to you in case you forget something that I told you."

Basement Finish Part 3-Finally!

2008-10-27T10:37:00.003-06:00

One toy room, bathroom and closet down....1000 sq.feet to go. Stay tuned in 2009 for the rest of the work. YUCK. Oh yea, don't look too closely at the closet. We still need to build the shelves for all the TOYS!

The Last of the Ahlstrom Garden

2008-10-20T21:21:00.004-06:00

Last week we picked the last of our garden. I could totally do a VISA-like commercial about it. It cost way more to organize than the few veggies we harvested during the season, but we're hoping to get it planted sooner in the season next year, before all of our green tomatoes freeze!

Retaining Wall stones- $300
soil, vermiculite, manure- $100
Whiskey Barrel Planters- $50
Home grown vegetables- Priceless

Notice our mini watermelons that never had a chance. Alec wanted to play baseball with them and our mini cantelopes too. I said,"NO! I just want to look at them a little longer before we throw them away."

Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live

2008-10-19T20:07:00.005-06:00

Here's a link to a couple of video clips of Sarah Palin on Saturday night live. The link opens in Yahoo, and you'll probably have to click on the 'Read Full Article' button to see the 2nd clip, which is of a rap song. Pretty funny stuff.

I LOVE THE 80's

2008-10-11T18:22:00.025-06:00

Yes, our highly anticipated(by me) 80's party finally happened and we had a totally trippin' time. I regret that many of you couldn't make it, but we will do it again some time and the rest of you BETTER come. Words can't describe the "FRESH" people that showed up to party, so I will have to just share some pics.The food was incredible, I loved the bacon wrapped Jalapeno's and cream cheese. YUM!! Thanks to whoever brought those.

This shot is of many of the sexy chicas that wanted to strike a pose. A few of the others were in the kitchen having some chili.

Next, we had the 80's bride and the 80's prom Queen struttin' their stuff.

Eileen and Tony, the High School sweethearts, showed up with matching hickies they worked on prior to coming to the party. Then, there was Tasha with her brooch and "Talking Heads" style shoulder pads.

I want to give a shout out to my friend Trent who was our freakin' awesome DJ for the night. I even learned how to scratch( yes, I literally scratched up Trent's vinyl records). I thought I did pretty good until, of course he told me to go away.

Then there's the 80's snow boarder that showed up with Cindy. Isn't he FINE!

Allie brought her Back to the Future Michael J. Fox look alike. Except he didn't show us his Calvin Klein's.

Michelle and Adam did some serious booty shakin' and Adam showed off his SHORT SHORTS.

Stephanie's date was this fine rocker dude that I've never seen before.

Notice the Fresh Prince of Firestone with Sam who went all out to carve lines in hair for the evening.

Ben did manage to capture a few grainy videos with his Blackberry.
So, I apologize for the crappy quality...but I bet the dancers are grateful for the grainy images!
Notice Adam in the last video... his footloose kicking lasted about three seconds when he realized he was being recorded. That's alright we got ya anyway. Good Times.

Toilet Training gone Awry!!

2008-10-10T09:02:00.003-06:00

Easier said than done. I tried the Allie Thornbrue method of potty training Carter James two nights ago. We set up a stock pot, put a liner in it and a potty seat on top of that in the kitchen. Carter sat on it for 2 seconds, said, "psssss.....all done" got up and ran away. Well a few minutes later, he wanted to be funny and put the seat on his head and wandered around the house making funny faces.

About a minute after that, he ran over to me frantically crying because he'd gotten his head stuck IN THE TOILET SEAT!!Im not talkin' on the crown of his head. I mean totally through and around his neck stuck!!!( Sorry we have no pics of that...too much drama going on)How he did that?? Who knows. Carter finds a way to do all kinds of crazy stuff.

The other two boys tried yanking it in all directions as I yelled for Ben to come and help us. I admit, I was yelling and laughing out loud at the same time. I then said, "Do I need to call the Fire Dept?" Ben finally got nervous...shooed us all away and gently squeezed his head and ears out of the toilet seat. After a big hug from mommy, and a deep breath Carter finally said, "Potty seat stuck my head no more."

So Long Summer

2008-10-06T20:49:00.002-06:00

Since we completely and totally busted our digital camera by dropping it one time too many, I can only resort to pictures taken last month.

Funny how some beautiful things on this earth take absolutely no effort at all. This sunflower plant was a volunteer under my bird feeder last summer and this summer, the flowers returned more beautifully than the first time. I had to cut them so I could admire them in my kitchen before they died. Tonight, we will get our first frost of the season. So long summer, hello warm soup, beautiful leaves and crispy cool nights. I love Autumn.

Carterism's

2008-09-28T17:55:00.003-06:00

Now that Ethan is in Kindergarten, I don't have as much time to hear his creative comments and views on life. And given that Carter is speaking more and more each day, he comes up with the funniest things. The other day for example, he told me that he wanted a p-p butter sandwich.

Yesterday, as I was getting ready to go to a church broadcast for women, Cater was in the bathroom with me when I started to touch up my nail polish and he said "I have some?" Okay, I said. I pulled out a light pink nail polish and painted his toe nails. He was so proud and left the bathroom running telling me he was going to "show daddy!"

A few minutes later, he returned as I had just put on my bra. He proceeded to point to my chest and said "pop those?" I said, "Pop what?" He said, "Pop those balloons." So, even my two year old has my number with my padded bras.

Time to Catch up

2008-09-21T18:18:00.005-06:00

As you can all tell by my previous post, I was out of commission for a little while and I was lucky to just function as a mother during the day, so I could hardly keep up with my families antics.

Last week Ben took Ethan to a BYU football game and had a great time in some cool box seats. The cougars defeated UCLA 59-0. They were happy to go and spend some quality time with Ben's sisters Sara and Annalise and his brother Robert and soon to be brother in law, Kimball.

This past weekend, we enjoyed a quick visit from our Iowa friends Laura and Jordan Graff a their four boys Taylor, Aaron,Ethan and Joseph.

My boys enjoyed ditching school and we took them all to the Denver zoo and the Downtown Aquarium. Unfortunately for me, I forgot to take my camera to the zoo, so you will have to settle for pictures of the boys brushing their teeth together. Haa Haa.

What A Pain in the Chest!

2008-09-08T08:12:00.003-06:00

I took Claudia to the ER on Friday. Since Monday she'd been having pains in her chest and back, along with a headache. She's also been pretty fatigued. When you call the dr. to get an appointment because you're having chest pain, they won't make an appointment, but tell you to go to the ER. So I left work and took her to the hospital in Loveland. The got us into a room right away and did a bunch of tests and asked a bunch of questions.

Finally we were able to go home after about 4 hours. The ruled out anything serious--no heart attack or blood clot issues. The dr. said he didn't have a diagnosis for sure, but that the two most likely conditions were pluracy and west nile virus. In both cases, you can only treat the pain, etc. and wait for it to pass. The most likely of the two is pluracy, which is an inflammation of the plura lining between the lungs and the ribs, and can take 4-6 weeks to clear up. The dr. thinks it may have been caused by the minerals in the hot springs pools we were in last weekend in Glenwood Springs.

So she's just taking some pain killers and hoping it will go away soon. She feels various levels of pain when she breathes and moves, so just about all the time. Although it is uncomfortable for her when the drugs wear off, at least it's not a serious life threatening condition.

Ben

Happy Birthday to Alec!!!

2008-09-04T09:20:00.004-06:00

Just over nine years ago today...my due date for having our first baby came and went and my jumbo child had no desire to come out into the world. My stomach grew bigger and bigger and still no baby. When I was six days overdue, I went to the doctor where I clearly remember him giving me an ultrasound and telling me that his head was measuring that of a 10 lb. baby...but that the ultrasounds aren't always accurate. Then I recall the Dr. squeezing my belly and saying..."It feels like a 9 pounder to me."

Wow, we thought... 9 pounds is huge. I weighed 8 lbs. at birth and Ben was only 6 lbs. So, of course we were overwhelmed, but up to the challenge. The next day, Sept. 3 1999, my labor was induced with some serious drugs. I remember the day like it was yesterday when I was awakened in the middle of the night with the most excruciating pains I had ever felt in my whole life. After 4 hours of pushing and no success, the doctor prepped me for a c-section. That afternoon I said a prayer in my heart that I would live through the tiresome and painful event.

Just before the c-section, we gave it one last effort to have the baby. The doctor wedged him out with the help of a vacuum and forceps. When his jumbo body was placed on my chest, I felt this slippery enormous child for a brief moment before he was whisked away to be weighed and measured. Again, I remember the language like it was yesterday. Upon placing my boy on the weight scale the nurse laughed and said, " 11.7 lbs. ...You didn't have a baby!...you had a Toddler! Haa!! Haa!!" Recovery from that delivery was nothing to laugh about. Trust me.

Nevertheless, I really believe that high birth weight helped him to have excellent health and be a very mature baby (if there is such a thing). We called him Bubba for the first few years... not because he was chubby, but because he was huge. Our Bishop joked that it was due to being born in Iowa. "Iowa just grows them big," he said. I think it was due to the "Teacher potlucks" I was enjoying every Friday near the end of the school year when I taught first grade.

We had the privilege of having Alec to ourselves for 4 years before Ethan was born and enjoyed every minute of it. Now of course, we enjoy all three of them but we especially enjoy how well the all get along and what a great job Alec does of caring for his little brothers. We love you Bubba!

Diarrhea Greens

2008-08-26T11:20:00.006-06:00

What do you get when you cross a precocious two year old and two bottles of kid mouthwash???

Give Up??? Four RUNNY diarrhea diapers the next morning that don't smell like mouthwash.

Right about now, you must be thinking..."That Claudia doesn't watch her kids. Poor little Carter finds all of the dangerous stuff because she's not watching."

Well, the truth is that we put the little critter to bed and after he thinks we are asleep, he sneaks out of his room...into the hallway bathroom and finds every possible thing he can drink and eat. It doesn't help that the other two boys left their mouthwash sitting on the bathroom counter. The only way I did find out was when he walked into my bedroom and approached my side of the bed where I was causally reading a book. He approached me with a green tinted tissue he was cleaning his mouth with and said, "Yucky drink!" I bolted into action and ran to the bathroom where I found both bottle of mouthwash with the lids off, sitting on the toilet lid!!

Good Times.

Back to School

2008-08-18T12:32:00.005-06:00

Our boys couldn't be more different!!!

Alec was totally dressed including socks and shoes and breakfast by 7am this morning ready for his first day of fourth grade. He stood around watching cartoons for about an hour and a half.

My conversation with Ethan on the other hand went like this...

8:00am Claudia: "Hey buddy, it's time to get up and get ready for your first day of kindergarten."

Ethan: (rolls around on the bed) "UGGGHH" Oh, yea...I guess I was so excited that I forgot."

Carter on the other hand, thought he was going to kindergarten...he eased his way into Ethan's class and got a book from the shelf, sat on the carpet and started thumbing through it as if he was at the public library. I was tempted to leave him...just to see if the teacher would even notice him. But, Ben eventually dragged him out kicking and screaming..."My Alec....My Ethan...My brothers...find them!!!!!"

My Little Lizard

2008-08-13T18:24:00.004-06:00

My little Carter is such a little lizard. Some days I can find him lying in the sandbox in 90 degree heat playing with his tractors. Other days, I find him belly down lying across a giant boulder in the neighbors yard just contemplating the meaning of life. Yesterday, I caught him on our living room floor once again.. lying under a sun lit window just pondering the meaning of life or plotting another scheme to get into trouble...I'm guessing it's the latter.

Ten Days Till School Starts...but who's counting

2008-08-07T17:30:00.008-06:00

It's all fun and games until someone starts crying...of course! Carter totally got smashed at the end of the stair ride and started crying...but I quickly threw the camera down and rescued him.

P.S. Thanks for the slide down the stair idea...BRIGIT!!!

Crafty Moments

2008-08-03T19:50:00.003-06:00

Once in a while, I need to distract myself from the day to day chores and other responsibilities. The last few weeks I've been trying to keep up with laundry from our frequent trips to Idaho this summer. I figure the dirty clothes isn't going to go anywhere, so in between loads I've pulled out my sewing machine, ignored my kids and did something that I like to do instead of something that I have to do. I'll include pics of some little bags I made for some little friends and my $4.80 cent dress. Well, I guess that's just the fabric. Realistically it's my hundred dollar dress because it took me 5 hrs of energy and effort to make. Am I happy with it...yes. Will I do it again...I don't think so. I never knew that sewing a sleeve could be so complicated!!!

The Devil Wears Diapers

2008-07-22T16:36:00.010-06:00

I really do try my best to watch my kids at all times...but it just so happens that whenever I try to take a shower or get dressed or make dinner, my little Carter finds all of the stuff he's supposed to stay away from. Believe me when I say that these photos are only the things he's gotten into THIS WEEK!!!

1. The entire bottle of syrup dumped in his bowl...notice there's no pancakes.

2. Aquaphilic cream for dry skin all over himself, his brothers and my sliding glass door.

3. Mascara all over his eyelids, eyebrows and upper lip. (Trying to get the Mexican mustache going)I had to go Visiting Teaching at that very moment and took him with me just like that!!

4. He cannot kick the bottle. I insisted that his bottle was "all gone" and he found it, and insisted that I pour the milk from his sippy into the bottle. When I told him there was no top for the bottle, he chose to chug it anyway.Add Imagersor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_DGBFSuIhXxA/SIZpDiUNSFI/AAAAAAAAAds/a1-xY37kAjc/s320/P1020945.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225979927082125394" />
Add Image//bp0.blogger.com/_DGBFSuIhXxA/SIZnT6z5fBI/AAAAAAAAAdc/zRBBdNiNbts/s320/P1020945.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225978009512147986" />

5. Acrobatics all over the furniture...Two year old's shouldn't be that coordinated!

He is such a little Devil! But of course, I have to snap a picture before I act upset and say, "SHAME SHAME Carter James!!

I Want My Shrimp With Tails!!! Live!

2008-07-20T07:45:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I Want My Shrimp With Tails!!!

2008-07-16T09:13:00.009-06:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, my "devils" are back to normal. There is this nightly event when Ethan cries about everything that is served for dinner and Carter ends up with more dinner on the table and the floor than in his mouth...then there is Alec who is there to bully and encourage the others to continue in their antics!!! In this episode, I actually had the camera nearby to capture a typical dinner at our home.

It all began with a trip to Costco yesterday morning...I saw the frozen shrimp and thought to myself..."We haven't had shrimp in a long time...I bet my family would really be excited and enjoy this dinner tonight. They will just love me for the delicious dinner I am going to fix for them. I will make a homemade butter and parmesan creme sauce and add some of their favorite vegetables..."

Boy was I wrong... I need to quit dreaming! Here is just a taste of the drama beginning with Ethan..."I only like my shrimp with the TAILS on them!! blah...blah...blah" I have a video of the drama unfolding...but I'm having trouble getting it to upload. Jolayne...I need your help!!

Whirlwind Idaho Trip

2008-07-16T08:59:00.004-06:00

We just returned...AGAIN...from a trip to Idaho. Ben's sweet grandma Paterson passed away just two days after we returned the last time, so Ben, Carter and I returned for the funeral. She was such a wonderful lady and example of kindness and beauty to us all. We will miss her and her sweet smiles.

Our kind and gracious friends here in town watched our boys for the weekend and of course were "ANGELS"...ate all of their dinner...brushed their teeth without complaining...etc. The day after we returned they regressed to being the "DEVILS" they usually are for me. Isn't that convenient. I need to send them away more often. While in Idaho, we stayed with Ben's cousin Trevor and his beautiful family... Mariah, Sidney and Brynlee. we were treated to delicious breakfasts and great visiting!! Thanks so much!

4th of July Highlights

2008-07-08T10:24:00.012-06:00

As some of you may know, we traveled to Idaho Falls the week of the 4th. We had the
best time ever. So, to spare you all the verbage I will keep it brief!! By the way, the pictures are in no particular order.

Top 10 fun things we did on the week of the 4th!

10. I was able to see my dear friend Rachel Zaugg and her beautiful daughters that recently moved to the Pocatello area and we were able to see our cute little cousins Elisa, Juliana and Jake!

9. We went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and went on an Alpine slide and took a boat trip on Jenny lake to see the beautiful falls there.

8. Ethan celebrated his 5th birthday! His grandma made him an adorable car cake and Ethan decided that now that he was 5 he was going to stop wetting his pants! Cross your fingers!!

7. Alec went fishing with Ben and caught a fish!!!! FINALLY!!

6. Ben and I and several other relatives ran the Firecracker 5K. Once again Ben smoked me without even trying... but I did improve my time to 32 minutes.

5. Carter went swimming in Aunt Joan's pond...fully clothed!!

4. Carter ate five pieces of Orbit gum when Ben put him to bed and had minty smelling diahrhea the next morning! (I opted to not include a picture of that mess!)

3. We visited Ben's Grandma and Grandpa Peterson. Grandma is in hospice care.

2. We had a fabulous dinner with Ben's two best buddies from high school and their families.

1. ANNALISE (Ben's sister)GOT ENGAGED!!!! YA HOO!!!! I can't think of anyone more deserving of a fabulous future!! Welcome to the family, Kimball!!

Happy Birthday to Ben!!

2008-07-08T10:04:00.005-06:00

My favorite pookie celebrated his 38th birthday yesterday!! He was impressed that I made him two cakes... a white layer cake and a chocolate heart shaped cake. I'm so lucky, that it doesn't take much to impress Ben!!

Ben's claim to fame is that he was born on 7-7-70. He turned 7 on 7-7-77 and last year he turned 37 on 07-07-07. Leave it to a statistician to have such an interesting date for a birthday.

As a side note, I noticed that Nicole Kidman had a baby on Ben's birthday which was on Monday...and they named the baby Sunday. Too Funny!

Hanging Out With the "BAG" Ladies

2008-06-25T08:31:00.002-06:00

I recently took a class from my friend Alison on how to make these cute little bags. A few of my friends couldn't make it to the class, so they asked me to teach them how to make these simple purses. We had a good time and as you can see they all had great results. Let me know if you'd like to learn and I'll teach you too!

Basement Finish Part 2

2008-06-23T14:55:00.003-06:00

Our drywall guy did a pretty good job. All except for the fact that he left his van in front of our house all week and our neighbors have started asking if he is working through the night!! Not exactly. He asked us if he could leave it here with all of his tools till he starts his new job in the area next week!

I Found My Widgits!!

2008-06-23T14:52:00.002-06:00

Actually, My dear friend Jolayne did. That savy little tech girl! Thanks. Now I have Ethan's little funnies back and the latest about why he hates Sundays!

I Lost All My Widgits!

2008-06-20T14:30:00.002-06:00

I tried to change my template last night and accidentally deleted all of my "Widgits"
(My side bar with all of my contacts and Ethan's funny little sayings.) :(
If you don't see your name on the friends list, please comment on my lameness and I will add you to my list I am such a dork!!

Ben has Lasik Surgery...Finally!

2008-06-18T22:24:00.004-06:00

This morning, Ben finally had the Lasik surgery we have been talking about for 10 years. He was finally able to retire the contacts he has worn for the last 22 years. Yeah!! He has researched various clinics in the area for about two months and finally settled on a place in Longmont called Eye Care Center of Northern Colorado.

The morning went pretty smoothly, in fact too smoothly for me. Our neighbors watched our kids for the morning and I thought I was going to have all this time to go to Einsteins Bagels, flip through books at Borders and go shopping at Kohl's all by myself. Well, I made it as far as Einstein's and through the front door at Kohl's before I looked at my watch and realized I had to be back at the Lasik clinic to pick up Ben!! So much for that time to myself I was eagerly anticipating. I think the whole procedure took 10 minutes. Needless to say, Ben ended up waiting for me to return to pick him up.

Here is Ben with his cool goggles and our feisty little Carter who refused to take a nap at 1:00 pm so he fell fell asleep watching Bob the Builder from 4-6:30pm this evening. How convenient Carter!

Basement Finish Part 1

2008-06-15T20:41:00.003-06:00

I will heed Jolayne's suggestion and post some pictures of our basement project.
Last month, I started my new position as general contractor to finish our basement. We are finishing a toy room and bathroom and large closet. I have the luxury of overseeing the project as well as hiring the sub contractors and doing some of the work. My dad helped us out quite a bit when he was here last month. Yesterday, Ben and I worked on some electrical and I insulated 2 walls. I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself, even though I was all itchy and scratchy. The bathroom vanity sitting in the middle of the room will eventually go in the bathroom. Stay tuned for installment #2 after drywall next week.

Zonked Out Tiger and Spiderman

2008-06-15T20:25:00.005-06:00

Last night, we went to AMGEN'S Summer Party at Boondocks Fun center in North Glen. Everything was free for 5 hrs. So, you can imagine the party that our kids had at the arcade and racecars and water bumber boats. Near the end of the night, the boys decided to have their faces painted. They looked so cool, you'd think they received special powers with their face paint because they were so wild. Well, the animals had to go to sleep at some point,so we snapped this picture because they refused to wash their faces before bed. They asked if they could wear their faces to church..."No, I don't think so," I said. "I think you might be a bit distracting."

The Pooping Cat War Is On!

2008-06-06T12:40:00.005-06:00

Okay, Ben and I have been dealing with the neighbors pooping cats for a year now. First, it was the sandbox now it is the grass!!! We tried to approach them about it last year and they denied it was their cats and said that there were other neighborhood cats that must be doing the deed. So, we invested in a $75 cat sprinkler that senses motion then sprays the little sucker. Well, it was great fun watching the cats walk along the retaining wall and get blasted by the sprinkler, as they looked around frantically to see who had caught them.

Now, we enter another chapter, the little buggers are pooping in my grass!!! When I witnessed it happen, I wanted to grab my shovel, scoop it up and throw it at my neighbors back door. My dad made me keep my cool and reinforced what the police officer had recommended..."take a picture to document the act." Later that day, as my parents were counting the number of stones we need to finish surrounding our garden...my dad stepped in it!!! Then he wanted to take a shovel and throw it at the neighbors back door!! So, I told him to keep his cool. The next morning, I caught the cat pooping and got a picture of it!! Oh , the JOY!! I gave it to our police officer and she confronted the neighbors with it. Of course they denied it until the cop showed her the pictures and threatened her with a fine.

For the last two days, I haven't seen the cat's out at all. Let's hope it stays that way. I'm really not a cat hater. What I dislike is scooping my neighbors cat poop so my kids don't step in it!!

Bolder Boulder 2008

2008-05-29T16:49:00.003-06:00

We did it!!! My family and I finally completed our goal of running the Bolder Boulder. Ben did great and could have easily left us behind with his long gazelle-like skinny legs and long stride. He hardly trained at all and he finished in 1 hr and 10 minutes, and still had time to take a potty break and eat chocolate covered strawberries on the side of the road. What's up with that????

My cousin Claudia and her boyfriend lake finished in 1 hr 5 minutes. My mom and busted our butts, stopped for water break and finished in 1 hr 16 minutes.

Our friends Jenny and Steve Desmond beat the whole pack of us in 1 hr and 5 minutes.

My sweet brother, Hernan was our one man cheering section in the stadium!! Thanks, Hernan!!

My dad was kind enough to ride on side streets on Ben's bike to take photographs of us and document our adventure.

Finally, on our way to the car, we ran into the Colorado Rapids mascot and posed for a picture! The best part was, that 2 nights earlier, our team "Chivas USA" (the striped shirts we were wearing) had just beat the Rapids in a soccer game in Denver!! And that fuzzy big raccoon posed with us anyway.

Would we do it again? You bet!!! Let me know if you want to join us for next year's race!! We start training next week!!

Winding Down the School Year

2008-05-24T18:49:00.009-06:00

As the school year draws to a close, Alec and Ethan are eager to get their summer started and I am wondering what the heck I'm gonna do with them day in and day out. My parents and brother are here for another week so, I can survive that long. Then we will start swim lessons and baseball a week after that. Okay, that will get us through till mid summer. I suppose we can do the summer reading program at the library too. I think I can...I think I can....

Alec concluded the school year with a piano recital. He was first on the program and I think he was relieved to get it over with. Great job Alec!!!

Ethan and 7 of his good preschool buddies graduated from preschool last weekend. The children had a blast enjoying the food and play set at our friend Caiden's house. In the fall, he's off to Kindergarten. Let's hope he has stopped wetting his pants by then!

Ethan tells it like it is...

2008-05-14T20:02:00.003-06:00

The other day as I was showering in our bathroom with a clear shower door, Ethan walked into the bathroom and proceeded to make one of his usual interesting observations. "Mom, your bottom is jiggley and big." "Oh Ethan, you're funny," I said with a giggle. "No I'm not, he replied...I'm serious."

Run Grandma Run!

2008-05-12T09:48:00.004-06:00

This blog is a tribute to my mother Martha and the inspiration she has given me to be healthy, kind, loving and supportive. My mother is the female version of Forest Gump. About a year and a half ago she started exercising at a gym and joined a dance group for seniors called "Sassy Gals" and joined a running club! She trained for several races and continually got second place in her age category, 65. She said that she just wanted to win a first prize medal and she'd stop running...not...she has placed first in her age category for the last 3 races she's run. 5 and 10K's And she ran the LA Marathon the first week in March and ran 26.2 miles in 7 hours!!! She's amazing. I felt like a big loser after she told me this, so I invited her and my dad to come out for the Bolder Boulder and suggested we could run it together. Of course, she agreed to come so Ben and I are about to get smoked in two weeks by a 65 year old grandma!! I have been training 3 times a week and the best I've done is 4 1/2 miles. Yikes, I'm in trouble!!

More Pics from California

2008-05-03T20:19:00.002-06:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

I'm Goin Back to Cali...

2008-05-03T19:13:00.004-06:00

Actually, we just returned from Cali...where we visited my parents and brother and sister for a week. My brother turned 30 and had a big birthday bash complete with a youth mariachi band, a regular band, and "ballet folklorico" mexican dancers who performed for us. My mom even performed at the party with her "Sassy Gals" old lady dance group. For those of you who aren't aware, my brother has Down's Syndrome and he really felt special that we were all there along with 200 family friends to celebrate at his party with him.

Then we were onto the typical California visits to the beach and Disneyland. Carter made himself at home lying in the beautiful sunshine at the beach. He acted like he was working on a tan. (As if he needs one) The water was freezing cold, but the other two boys had fun just running from the waves breaking on the sand. We daydreamed about how nice it would be to live on the beach in one of those beautiful homes in Newport. Then the million dollar price tags set in and we got over that dream!! The boys had a blast with their Aunt and Uncle Tristan who live on a man made lake and took us all out on their boat for a ride. My parents are the best for hosting us and enduring my crazy boys for a week. Good times!

I Should have a Colonoscopy more Often

2008-04-22T07:49:00.003-06:00

Not really. It took me forever to drink the nasty prep drink and felt like I would vomit after every gulp. Then it was followed by horrible abdominal cramping and you can imagine the rest. I did manage to lose 2 pounds in one night...but gained it back the next day after I had lunch. Dang it!

On a positive note, as Tami mentioned it was like having colonics, flush out my colon to be healthy...no thanks...I think I'll be unhealthy in a colon kind of way. They found a bunch of hemmeroids and told me to eat more fiber. Okay, I can handle that. Then there's my sweet visiting teachers who watched my screaming kids and sent a yummy soup dinner that hit the spot. Recovery actually went quite well... thanks to great friends and a dear husband who helped me out. I can't complain...not that much anyway.

Can you say COLONOSCOPY???

2008-04-17T15:31:00.004-06:00

Lucky me... I get to have my second colonoscopy tomorrow. And I'm only 35!! What's up with that?? I'm telling ya ..bearing children ruins your body...inside and out. I don't think it's anything serious, but my doctor wanted to be sure. Of course, she's not the one that gets a camera in her bottom either. Oh well...it is what it is. Maybe I'll get lucky and lose 5 pounds or something?? Hey I can wish right?? Now for the perplexing question...Does Lipton Onion soup count as a clear liquid lunch? It's kinda murky and has those little onion pieces in it. Later tonight I get to enjoy a clear liquid dinner. What is that supposed to be? Then guzzle a gallon or two of laxative. FUN! Wish me luck.

Ethan Helps with the Laundry

2008-04-11T10:45:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Ethan asked if he could help me do the laundry. "Sure," I said, eager to teach my son the basics of starting a load of laundry. He put most of the light colored clothes in the machine when he turns and casually says to me..."Mom, do you want to put your boobs in the wash?" I quickly turned and said,"WHAT did you say???" "I said... Do you want to put your boobs in the wash?" as he pointed to my bras on the laundry room floor. "Honey,those are called bras," I said with a smile on my face.
"So do you want to wash them or not?" he said. "Yes, please," I said,"throw the BRAS in the machine." Apparently, my son knows my secret...that the only boobs I have are the padded ones that get washed in the laundry.

Spring Break Slugs

2008-04-08T20:15:00.005-06:00

Last week we took the trek out to Iowa to visit some friends we left behind and put a sign on some land we'd like to sell. I'd like to say our boys enjoyed the beautiful scenery...but there's not much you can say about Nebraska scenery if you know what I mean. So, they spent the majority of the 12 hour trip either sleeping or glued to the new DVD player we had installed just before leaving. Enjoy the pics of our little slugs that never even blinked during the countless hours of Dora the Explorer and The Wiggles.

To make matters worse, we misplaced our camera and later found it in our luggage. Thus, the grainy dark photographs of our dear friends, the Graffs. We are working on recruiting them out to Colorado to live next year. They have four adorable boys and we enjoyed many great times with them as well as other great friends while we were out there.

What's Grosser than Gross?

2008-04-08T20:06:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Carter picked up what he thought was a treat off the carpet in the family room. He walked over to us took it our of his mouth and said, "Yucky!" I picked it up off the couch and smelled it. It was HAMSTER POOP!!! How in the world did hamster poop get on our carpet? Well, a couple of weeks ago, our hamster, Nemo Macaroni, escaped out of Ben's hands as he was holding the little critter on the couch. An hour later we finally caught him and put him back in his cage. Well he must have left us an unwanted treat behind the couch because Carter found it and decided to taste it!! I have a feeling he won't be tasting brown little nuggets any longer!!

Pinewood Derby Fanatics

2008-03-24T15:13:00.002-06:00

Wow, I had no idea this scout thing was such a big deal!! The leaders don't mess around with this event complete with digital timing and race car like bulletin board results on a big screen for all to see. My goodness!!!The dads worked really hard on the beautiful cars. I think they are reliving their childhood in scouts. Alec enjoyed making his Hedgehog Havoc car complete with pointy toothpicks all over the top. The boys all had a great time despite most of them not winning anything.

Frito Bandito Strikes Again

2008-03-13T11:55:00.002-06:00

What do you get when you cross a busy little toddler and Maybeline Great Lash Mascara...Frito Bandito.

When the cat has bronchitis...the mice will play

2008-03-03T13:34:00.005-07:00

So much for staying healthy this season

2008-02-29T08:56:00.004-07:00

Lucky me there is no school today and I get to stay home with my three little crazies. And to make my day even better, I am going to the doctor to find out why I have this nagging pain in my chest. Just a few days ago, I was sharing with someone that my family had escaped the flu bug and all of the other illnesses that are going around. And as luck would have it, the next day my nose started running and I began to cough and hack. As I was lying in bed last night complaining about the chest pain, Ben offered to take me to the emergency room. "You're not having a heart attack are you? he said." "No," I said. "While heart disease is the number one killer of women...I'm not dying quite yet. It's probably something stupid like indigestion. Can you get me some TUMS? But, If I don't roll out of bed in the morning, you can take me to the hospital." Well, I lived through the night, but it still pains my chest to breathe and I'm gonna go to the doctor to make sure I'm not dying. We have plans to go to the temple tonight, but I don't think I should go if I'm going to contaminate everyone there.

Carter's Top 10

2008-02-22T11:04:00.005-07:00

Top ten weird things that Carter likes to do

10. Iron Clothes
9. Dump cornstarch all over himself
8. Eat lotion and bite candles
7. Walk around on his tippy toes (Ahlstrom gene)
6. Rub the corner of a silk blanket under his nose
5. Bat his arms like a chicken when he dances in his high chair
4. Call everything with whiskers a "meow" including our hamsters
3. Bite the lids off of my mousse and hairspray bottles
2. Chase the vacuum, hug it and laugh
1. Pull knives out of the dishwasher and run around with them

I don't know what happened to my sweet little baby that sat and smiled all day.
I guess I do know...he learned to walk and then run.

He is such a funny little character, I can only imagine what will come out of his mouth then he starts to speak more clearly.

Listen Up Napoleon Fans

2008-02-16T08:40:00.003-07:00

This cool tune was on my buddy Amy's site. I thought the locals would like it.

Ethan's Buddies

2008-02-15T11:16:00.002-07:00

Ethan is probably the most dramatically inclined of our three boys. The other day he pushed a scooter to the office where I was working and proceeded to tell me that his "buddies" had taught themselves how to drive. The one in the front drives and steers, the middle buddy has the license and decides if they are in driving mode or flying mode and the last one drinks gas and toots the gas out of his bottom to make the scooter go fast.

Carter James...Caught in the Act

2008-02-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

Carter always finds the time to sneak away from the rest of the family and do his little deeds. Ben has been asking me how his office gets so destroyed during the day. When he comes home from work, his office looks as if it has been hit by a small tornado. This tornado works quickly and quietly. He couldn't believe me when I told him his sweet little Carter was behind all the damage. I needed some proof. Well, here it is. Caught in the act!

But wait there's more... A few days ago, I was upstairs taking a shower. As I got dressed, I could hear Carter singing downstairs. "As long as I can hear him," I thought, "he is staying out of trouble." Boy was I wrong. He was singing alright... because he had locked himself in the bathroom and was merrily unrolling every inch of toilet paper off the roll! Imagine...all that toilet paper and he still didn't wipe his runny nose.

Living Legends

2008-02-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a chance to host two college students from BYU who belong to the Living Legends dance group at the University. Ethan was so overwhelmed by the performance, as we sat in the car getting ready to drive home, he told me that he couldn't remember how to put on his seatbelt because he couldn't stop thinking about the Indian Hoop dancers. While we truly enjoyed their performance, I think that they enjoyed the antics of our crazy boys even more over the weekend. On Sunday, Mario and Joseph (college students) had the rude awakening of helping out in our 150 kid Primary group. I suckered them into helping with several classes. Between the nose pickers and the chatty little girls...I don't think that they will ever want to return again. We had such a fun time with these guys over the weekend, I wanted to adopt them as older brothers for our impressionable little boys. They were each so humble and charming, I hope they keep in touch with us and send us their graduation and wedding announcements when they pick that lucky girl.

Ethan Meets the Tree at Breckenridge

2008-01-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, we had the opportunity to travel to Breckenridge Ski Resort on a Charter bus with a large group from Ben's work. Unfortunately, shortly after getting off the first lift and doing an awesome job skiing down a hill, Ethan had a close encounter with a tree. He was less than excited about Ben picking the bark out of his lip, and trying to clean the blood off of his nose and cheek with a used Kleenex. But, after a free ride down the hill from the emergency guy on the snowmobile...he settled into a nap at the lodge on my lap. Poor baby, I thought he would be traumatized for life. Not so, after he awoke, he ate a hot dog, fries, a bag of M&M's and was ready to hit the slopes again. Thankfully, it was time to catch the bus and we told him we'd try it again next time. Now he says that he's gonna show that tree who's the boss and the best!! He's gonna come down the hill with a chainsaw and cut all the trees down!

From the mouth of a four year old

2008-01-16T10:02:00.001-07:00

Just after eating his blueberry pancakes this morning, Ethan found the perfect title for me. He said, "Mom, you're just like a butler...whenever we ask for stuff and say please...you give it to us." "That's right Ethan, " I said. "I am like the butler, but butlers are boys...and I am a girl so I would be the maid."

Last Christmas

2008-01-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

Yummy (and easy) Chili Recipe

2008-01-11T23:44:00.000-07:00

1lb. ground turkey or beef
Brown with 1/3 c. chopped onion & garlic salt

Then add :

2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 can mexican style chili beans
1 chopped bell pepper

Simmer in a slow cooker for an hour or two. Serve with grated cheese & tortilla chips or cornbread.

FHE at the Johnson's

2008-01-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

We had a great time Monday night for family home evening at the Johnson's home. We all liked looking at the stuffed animals on display in their living room. Br. Johnson really has a talent. Carter liked the ducks, Ethan liked the mountain lions, and Alec liked the bears. Claudia's cousin Claudia said afterward it was wierd being around all those dead animals. Even Carter was a bit disturbed at the huge stuffed animals that didn't move. Claudia, of course, thought it was a fascinating to teach the boys that these animals all have spirits that have moved on to heaven.

Trip to Copper Mountain

2008-01-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our recent trip to Copper Mountain. We had a great time. Now, when I say great time, know that I'm not denying that there were lots of falls on our butts, and the snow was packed, hard. Claudia, Alec, and I tried our hand at snowboarding, while Ethan went with skis. If we could do it over, we'd have at least Claudia or I on skis instead of a board in order to better help Ethan. We know Ethan was ready to go after lunch because when we made one more run after we finished eating, well, let's just say he was a bit emotional the whole way down, making it not a fun run for Claudia. He liked the ride up on the chair lift though. Alec did too, until he got partially squished between the chair and the support pole while trying to incorrectly get off the lift. What can we say, it was his first time. Ethan and I were riding two chairs behind he and Claudia. I thought I was going to lose my oldest boy right there. But, no blood, no problem. He strapped on his board and soon enough was racing down the mountain. And then the chair lift operator started the lift up again. Sound familiar, veteran skiiers?

One reason that we picked Dec. 15th at Copper Mountain was that it was Scouts friends and family day, which meant that we got lift tickets for $25/person, which was a screaming deal. And, Ethan wasn't old enough to require a ticket, so we spent a whopping $75 on tickets, and about that much on rentals. I know, it's still a lot more than the $13.50 dad said he spent on a lift ticket a number of years ago to ski at Sun Valley, but that was a while ago. Sorry dad. It looks like the lift tickets there are now $79, the same as resorts here in Colorado. Although our next trip will be to Breckenridge in a couple of weeks, I think we'll likely go back to Copper Mountain at some point. The resort seemed like an exciting place and the people were friendly. Many of the employees were from Latin America, since it is summer break down there. We said hi to a couple of people from Peru. As a side note, fifth graders ski free in Colorado, so hopefully that perk is still in effect when Alec and Ethan are of age.