The Mighty Lunds

Due to circumstances out of my control....

2011-07-19T17:08:00.001-07:00

This is Raleigh and Kaci Lund's old and retired blog.

Our blog that is current and up to date has been forced to go private. If you are interested in viewing it, please email me at randklund@gmail.com

Brains and good looks too...

2010-02-22T06:54:00.000-08:00

Please indulge me, I took 20 pictures and couldn't stop posting them.

She's probably going to be a genius. And I say this because while she was playing her baby game, she also managed to somehow open up two new tabs, did a little online shopping and sent an email. Is it possible to love someone so much it hurts?

I'm thinkin' I could use some help

2010-02-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

I am not a materialistic person. The last pair of jeans I bought for myself was in January 2007. I know this because my marriage had just ended and I felt like I deserved them. I will buy a shirt every now and then (to wear with those jeans) if it's under $10. One time I found a bin with t-shirts in it at Albertson's and I got 10 shirts for $10. Man, that was a great day and Raleigh hasn't stopped teasing me about it since. Every time I wear one of them... he's all... "I like your shirt, where'd ya get it... Albertson's?" OH... and I was forced to buy stupid maternity clothes last year... but does that count-- really? because wearing them made me cry most of the time. So... no, it doesn't.

And the other problem is I kinda hate shopping. Well, for myself that is. I am the person who says "so and so has outgrown his or her pants. I will run to the mall and get them a new pair" and then I run to the mall sort of in a frenzy and find pants as fast as I can, hopefully at the first store I enter and hopefully on sale and then I run back to the car. I don't have time for shopping and it frustrates me.

Well, on our honeymoon, we did some shopping because Raleigh made me. I found a to die for skirt that I just had to have and it was DIRT cheap and then I found the perfect shoes. They were $30 and THEN they were 30% off of that. I couldn't believe it. I almost wept when I saw them. How could anyone leave them on the shelf for so long that they became 30% off? Well I couldn't. I rescued them from the Honolulu Nordstrom Rack, an island where clearly no one has ANY taste in shoes. I snatched them up. And held them close to me. Oh my gosh they are the cutest shoes I have ever seen. I love them.

And I have NEVER worn them.

If they were black, I would literally wear them every single day. However, they are blue. They are a wonderful shade of blue. It is a beautiful color. In my opinion. But to the makers of skirts and shirts everywhere-- seemingly not a beautiful color or something. Because it's almost been two years since the purchase and I have yet to find ANYTHING worthy to wear with them. I have found several-- slutty like prom dressy-- dresses. I found a cleavage revealing blouse and honestly if I had some cleavage I would have bought it. But sadly...

And so, ladies... and I guess you gents could join in too if you want to... I need you to look around when you are shopping. I challenge you to find a cute, modest skirt for me to wear with these gems. Summer is fast approaching. And IF I can manage not to get knocked up before then, I would love to finally get the chance to don my gay apparel. I am getting desperate. I am shopping challenged. I have a few talents, but that is not one of them. Ask anyone. And a fashion show I am definitely not. So help a girl out, if you can. I'd appreciate it.

I know my legs are white. But if you will excuse me, I was as big as a whale last summer and tanning/wearing a bathing suit/going outside unless absolutely necessary was not really high up on my list of priorities.

Another quick one to St. G

2010-02-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to comp days, we were able to take a little vaca to St. George. We started off the festivities at Garrett's baseball game. I thought I was going to watch a bunch of little boys play some little kid baseball... I was wrong. These kids are GOOD. Like really good. Garrett was recruited to play on this all star team. They look like baseball players and they play like baseball players. I was very impressed.

It was 60 degrees. But her head was cold.

We decorated Valentine's Day cookies. And beautifully I might add while the boys golfed. Ask my dad to go on and on about Raleigh's drive over the green on hole #7 with a sand wedge... cuz he will. He is so proud.

Happy Valentine's Day to me. I got a beautiful bouquet of perfect red roses and two pounds of See's Candy and Raleigh got a much needed and much earned massage.
She is so ready to walk.

But she will have better hand to eye coordination if she crawls first and I simply NEED MORE TIME!! So, we aren't as diligent as we should be in teaching her. Poor girl.

Sis discovered her voice on this trip. If all of the attention wasn't on her, she would scream. She yelled practically the entire time. At the restaurant, in Sacrament Meeting and in her sleep. It was actually pretty cute. Here are a few snapshots of the outbursting.
Oh... And she also spits now. Such a lady.

Because of the Parade of Homes, the town is a populatory nightmare. There are 2 million too many people here. Just going to the store is a traffic disaster. Forget eating out. So we went to Chuck A Rama. "Because Raleigh loves buffets". And I want everyone to notice the squash on his plate. I tried not to make a big deal out of it, but that is huge.

We had a H.E.L.L of a good time as always.

Thanks for the hospitality.

If a picture is worth a thousand words....

2010-02-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

Then I really don't need to go on and on.... For days... Right?

Traditions..... Traditions

2010-02-08T08:12:00.000-08:00

We hosted our second annual Superbowl party in the Lund Theater. We were so excited this year because the Colts were playing. I had to start cooking the meat 2 days before the party and as you can see Little Bit was a huge help.

We aren't gambling... why would you think we were gambling.

The spread: Cafe Rio Pork (I bought the recipe from a lady in a back alley in Salt Lake)
Spanish Rice, Black Beans, Cafe Rio Dressing (that Lindsay sold her soul to get) and Chips and for dessert... Grandma Shauna's Brownies that they will serve in Heaven and now I can't eat for a week because I gained 10 pounds eating them.

All the kids made homemade pizzas upstairs and then played hide and seek

Poor Brayden was sick. Brian told him he looked like death. I think if his hair was shorter he wouldn't look so ill.

The group photo

Lincoln and Ethan kicked it on Brayden's bed and watched High School Musical

Brian and Tierra wore their Denver jerseys in protest. And Brian and Shauna were the only Saints lovers...whatever.
It was a really fun night even though Peyton forgot to show up for the game.
Maybe next year... sigh

Mama says "Crazy is as crazy does"

2010-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

So it's official. I have lost my mind.
I have tried for years to joke it off. That way I can do bizarre things but seem like I am still with it because I am aware of my craziness and I have pre-warned everyone.

In my defense (and trust me I need one) I do in fact have several children, who go this way and that at all hours of the day. And each of them think they are my favorite and each of them think that they are the center of the universe and so I must drop everything and cater to their every whim. And I try to.

I do work full time.

And I think I may have a few spazzy post pregnancy hormones that have taken up permanent residency and are refusing to leave.

And maybe I should try to blame it on any one of those things. So as to avoid the expense and the embarrassment of my husband or my mother having me committed to the loony bin.

But on Friday night as I was making dinner, I realized that I had forgotten to purchase a major part of the meal. And so in a frenzy, I ran to the store and bought the item and raced back before the entire meal was a total loss. And I parked my car in the garage, put the door down, went inside, finished dinner, fed the baby, did a load of laundry and all the while, my car was in the garage RUNNING. Yep, filling up our home with I am sure carbon monoxide gasses, not to mention wasting gasoline.

Who does that?? Who gets out of the car and doesn't notice that it is on? Who can't hear that the car is on? Who can't see the lights are still on. Who can't hear it while she is in the kitchen cooking?

A freaking lunatic... that's who.

Poor Raleigh. He just grabbed me and hugged me and stroked my hair and told me I'd be okay someday. And then made a secret call to the State Hospital to see if they had any openings. I will see you all in three to five.

A Surprise Visit

2010-01-30T18:29:00.000-08:00

On Thursday as I was pulling into the garage from work, I got a text from Sara. We used to work together at Southwest Center Behavioral Health in St. George. " Hi, Lady, I'm in Lehi. Are you at work?" It said. "No, but can I meet you somewhere?" "Surely, we just pulled into Rumbis" So, I changed my clothes, grabbed the baby and I was off.

When I arrived, I was so happy to see that Teresa, who was my old boss was with her. These two girls were a very big part of my life during a rough time. Every day I would vent and or cry and or seek advice from them.

Teresa hired me one week after I had walked out on my job with the sickest and most dysfunctional company in the entire world. I was a wreck. Do you have any idea how bad a job must be for a single mom with four children to flip her boss off and walk out? Pretty indescribably horrible and so I was jobless and scared and she literally saved my life.

And Sara... oh man Sara... everyday this girl was there for me. She was there when Raleigh moved away. She was my lifesaver at Heaton Ranch, which was the Summer Camp we had to be counselors at (and I thought I was going to die because I DON'T DO CAMPS or BUGS or DIRT) She even babysat the kids so we could go get married. I owe her so much.

I was so excited to see them and get all caught up on their lives. It was the greatest surprise.
This is Sara and she is going to kill me for putting this picture of her on my blog, but this is her compassionate face. I saw it ALL THE TIME. Isn't it a cute face?She's also going to kill me for this one too, but I am so proud of her beautiful teeth. She just got her braces off three weeks ago and she hasn't even blogged about them yet. So I will.

Thanks girls for taking the time to stop and eat right by my house so I could join you and feel so happy. I miss you both.

Hey Grandpa Russ

2010-01-27T20:13:00.000-08:00

You made my day with the message you left me. And I want to thank you for it. I am sorry that I was making Rice Krispie Treats in the kitchen and I couldn't hear my phone. I am very excited to watch Peyton with Peyton. What a difference a year makes... Just when I thought I couldn't be happier, I am. And what a WAAAAAYYY better Super Bowl this one will be. Anyway, I wanted you and mostly my family to know that I have a great father in law who checks in on me from time to time and reminds me of all the blessings that I have. That way they won't worry about me being up here as much.

Sunday Recap

2010-01-24T20:21:00.000-08:00

It wasn't a very eventful week. Which to be honest is just fine with me. Eventful weeks just may be the death of me. But here it is anyway... our boring week in review.

Monday, if you will remember was a holiday. Which equates to four kids and a baby being home all day, eating everything in sight, making messes that they never intended to clean up in every room and non stop... and you think I am kidding... but literally non stop fighting. I worked for part of the day and left strict instructions that no one was to kill or mame another child or there would be trouble. Upon returning, I found the house to still be standing, Morgan had bite marks on one of her arms and Quin was missing 47 hairs, but otherwise all was well and we considered the day a success.

Tuesday was a work day for me. I began at 5 and I was all alone in the warehouse because all of my coworkers were doing overnights. And so I plugged in the Touch and blared the best of the 80s all day long. That night, I made a crappy dinner as I do every Tuesday because Raleigh closes on Tuesday nights and dropped the teenies off at YM/YW and settled in to watch my favorite show, The Good Wife. But once again it was a rerun and so I fell asleep at 9:03.

Wednesday is our date day. So we ventured up North. We ate some yummy Mexican Food and I got my hair colored thankfully. Our ward is so far undefeated in Church Ball and my super hot husband is the best and not to mention sexiest player on the team, so he went to get the W and I got caught up on household chores, helped everyone with homework and tried not to yell too much. Another successful day. Wednesdays are once again my favorite.

Thursday, the girls and I ran errands and left "Little Bit" with Brayden. He is a cute boy, but lacks tremendously in babysitting skills. So while he and his stinky friends were killing bad guys on whatever game they were playing, she steamrolled herself off the bed. Right before their eyes. BAM on the floor she went landing ever so gently on her NOSE. She, as she should have started screaming, inconsolably and Brayden being the ridiculously sensitive lad he is started sobbing as well. He called me hysterically bawling and I couldn't understand a word he was saying... so, I of course imagined the worst and drove 106 miles an hour toward home, honking, swearing and flipping the people off who wouldn't get out of my way. She of course was sleeping when I got home and Brayden was in the corner rocking back and forth. Poor kid. He'll probably never be the same.

But she is fine. And back to her ever happy self. All five of my kids have rolled themselves to near death. I went into the mother's room at church and one of the other mothers in there goes "oh looks like she got it on the nose too" And I looked over and her baby had a big scab on his nose. "Fell off the couch" she said. Then the other girl goes "my 2 year old dropped mine" and her daughter looked like she'd been beat to hell. Sooooo.... it happens to the best of us.

Friday, the girls started gymnastics. Morgan sees this as a stepping stone to her ultimate goal of being a professional cheerleader. And Allie will just do whatever I tell her to do. I am trying to channel her....... energy. So the class is from 4 to 5. And it was like 4:35. And Allie's teacher is so fun and he's helping them do assisted back handsprings. And Allie goes " I think I can do that by myself" And he goes "No, it's your first day" and she goes "Let me try please?" He looks over at me like... should I? I nodded because it's Allie and first of all she can do anything she sets her mind to do and second, she ISN'T going to give up until you let her do it. So he does and... well.... the girl can do them, so it seems. After 35 minutes in the Gym. I don't know what to say.

Saturday we BOTH had the day off. So we went to YUM Chick Fil A for lunch and went to see Avatar in 3D. Maybe could have been a good movie if I hadn't been so sick from those STUPID glasses. And if my baby hadn't been TALKING through the whole thing forcing me to stand up in the hallway while the theater spun around in swift circles. The car ride home only exacerbated the whole illness and I came home and had to sleep it off. What a fun time I am.

And finally Sunday, we went to church. Watched Manning and Collie kick some BUTT and land themselves a position in the SuperBowl. Watched Brett lose to the STUPID Saints. (Which by the way they are NOT) but someone is on their side with all their STUPID overtime field goals. And then finished off the week with the "Great to be 8" fireside in preparation for Allie's baptism.

All in all a good and very LOW KEY week. Hope you had a good one too.

Spouse Quiz

2010-01-16T15:41:00.000-08:00

What was the last thing your spouse said to you?
R- "I love you more!"
K - "Want me to change your background"

What is your spouse's nickname?
R - Sweetness
K - I call him Hotstuff when I write him notes, I call him Lover when I text him.

What is your favorite thing your spouse wears?
R - Her Sports Bra
K - His new Doc Martens, they're his sex signal. Hot damn! (He wears them 4 times a week...)

Where did you meet?

R - Best Buy
K - Best Buy

Who said "I love you" first?
R - She did
K - I did on Cedar Mountain on a windy evening.

Who spends more money?
R - I do
K - Raleigh

What is your spouse's best physical feature?
R - Her cute, little legs.
K - His hot booty!

Does your spouse snore?
R - Occasionally, but just for a minute
K - No, but sometimes he talks.

Who is more affectionate?
R - Me
K - He is very affectionate and I love it!

What is "your song"?
R - Rascal Flatts - Bless the broken road.
K - See above

What do you love most about your spouse?
R - How she makes me feel like I'm the most important thing in the world to her.
K - He takes good care of me, he is very selfless and he makes me laugh every day.

What is your most funny memory?
R - When she was driving us home from lunch and turned the wrong way down a one way street and almost ended our lives by a huge dump truck.
K - We ordered Chili's to-go and ate it on Cedar Mountain and he had to eat mashed potatoes with his hands because they left out the silverware.

What was your most tender moment?
R - Getting married in the "Tunnel of Love" of course...
K - When Peyton was born and he said with tears in his eyes "she is so cute and perfect!"

What is your favorite thing to do with your spouse?
R - Having sexual relations, duh!
K - I just LOVE being with him, I don't care what we do!

What makes you proud of your spouse?
R - How she is loved by everyone
K - He is such a genuinely good person, he is very obedient and hard working.

What is your spouse's greatest talent?
R - Being a amazing mom and wonderful wife.
K - He is very atheletic, he is good at every sport. He is also a VERY GOOD DAD.

What is your wish for your future?
R - To continue to love her more than yesterday.
K - To be sealed in the Temple.

Total Randomness...super sorry

2010-01-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

I very rarely have a moment of peace and quiet to think. I basically get 15 minutes on the way to work, then I am in the midst of non stop chatter for 8 hours. Then I get 15 minutes on the way home to be followed by non stop chaos.

Anyway... I had some very random thoughts today and I have a few questions for anyone brave enough to answer...

1. Does anyone know what the heck "amp" means on blogger? Some people leave comments and it will say something like "So n so" and "amp'blah blah blah". Why does it say that? And who would want their names to say that? Why don't they change it?

2. Does anyone know if there is a "Diet Coke Patch"? I really need one. It is really almost an addiction. I was thinking that maybe I might ask those who love me to stage an intervention on my behalf. But truthfully, it makes my day to have one. I am so happy the entire time I am drinking it and I would simply consider my life less fulfilled if I had to give it up. But I fear I may grow kidney stones or something because of lack of water and overabundance of syrup. Can that happen?

3. Why do my kids hate each other? They fight all day long about the dumbest things. Each one of them has a sensitive area and the other three will push that button until the victimized child snaps and a knock down, drag out brawl ensues. I have seen fights like that on "COPS"... but for crying out loud, those people are on drugs or have diminished mental capacities. I am the most easy going, non confrontational person on the planet... where have these children come from? I am just saying that one of these days one of these lunatics are really going to do some damage to one of their equally insane siblings and I want the record to reflect that I had nothing to do with it.

4. What the hell is going on with my hair? I used to have really great hair. It was shiny and beautiful and it laid down all nicely. And I move to Northern Utah and have a baby and now I look like I have just walked through a static electricity farm all the time. Nothing I try is working. I have tried new shampoos, new conditioners, gels, mousses, praying... What if I didn't wash my hair for 4 or 5 days and it got all greasy... would that help?

5. Why are Rappers rich? Really? Are they really talented and I am just missing it? So what... they rhyme to a beat. What is so hard about that? Give me a topic and I could come up with a clever rhyme in 30 seconds, but I promise you no one is going to pay for me to get a 14 karat grill. Or at the very least a car big enough to drive all of my bickering children around at the same time.

6. How do babies know that you go from a standing position to a sitting position when you are holding them? Why is it a crime to sit down? Why can't I kill two birds with one stone... loving my baby while relaxing a little? How come I have to STAND UP and rock back and forth and bounce and throw my back out? Why is it that I happily allow a 5 month old to rule me? And be the boss of me?

And finally...
7. When is this tight clothes fashion nightmare going to go away? I need the enormous styles of the 80s to come back. I need to wear an over sized sweater with my high waisted, pegged jeans tucked into my ridiculously large jazzersize socks topped off with my Reebok High Tops with Velcro. SEXXXXYYYYY. I am tired of sucking in my stomach. It hurts.

And that is all

Who are you?

2010-01-14T07:32:00.001-08:00

"Oh... Hey you startled me."

"I was just talking to this little girl here."

"You are the cutest baby I have ever seen. Want to be friends?"

Like it or not... it's just how it is

2010-01-11T11:02:00.001-08:00

I have decided the trick to thinking that you are doing alright in this life is to set really low expectations for yourself.

Case in Point: If you set a goal to get one load of laundry done a day, that is an accomplishable goal. Never mind that at least 5 or 6 loads are piled up in the laundry room and are spilling over onto the floor and your son has at least 17 pairs of dirty jeans on the floor of his bedroom and your daughter informs you that she has a bag that is the size of Rhode Island in the spare bedroom that is filled with clothes that need to be washed that she BROUGHT BACK FROM OREGON..... 3 months ago. Never mind that.......

If you set a goal to clean out your car on the fourth Saturday of every month.... that is when you should clean out your car. That is the goal you have set. That is all that you are requiring of yourself. Never mind the crunching under your shoes. Just keep referring the children to the car when they can't find their shoes, DS, coats, hair clips, gloves, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And be glad that all of that crap isn't cluttering up your house.

If you set a goal to hang up all the clothes on the floor of your closet by the Spring Thaw, don't knock yourself out doing that today... you have a good 2 1/2 months to get that done. Never mind that you spend 20 minutes a day searching for your work shirt or your left black boot. And that everything you wear is wrinkled beyond belief... Never mind that.... it's part of your charm.

If you made up your mind that you were only going to cook one meal a day, then cook one meal a day. Never mind that the children are eating raw noodles and ice for lunch. You have set a goal. You must stick to it. Those ingrates complain about everything you make anyway. And they need to be grateful for those noodles. Some kids don't even get noodles.

So today I will say to myself (and any other overwhelmed mothers out there...) Don't beat yourself up for not accomplishing all that needs to be accomplished. You have set goals and you are meeting expectations. You managed to get the holiday decor dismantled and put away by golly. You are a winner Kaci Jo. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

You can run, but you can't hide

2010-01-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

A bunch of my buddies asked Raleigh to play dodgeball with them and his super lame wife tagged along and took pictures. How embarrassing for him.

Oh man... I pity the foolHe doesn't mess around Winward (aka my boss) is the self proclaimed dodgeball god. Good form Em, glad you could make it even though it cost ya a Cold Stone (right Jen?)

I swear he is the cutest boy alive

I know... Right?

2010-01-05T19:29:00.001-08:00

I'd like to thank my husband, who has been a huge support to me over the past couple of days and to my children who sat at the bar and cheered me on saying "you can do it, Mom." And to the Betty Crocker Corporation for making it Super Moist.

I think it is a darling GIGANTIC cupcake. And if you will excuse me, I will now take a moment to point out that we are ONLY on the 5th day of the YEAR and already I have set and CONQUERED my New Year's Resolution. I tackled it head on. I looked fear right in the face and said "poo poo fear, I can and will create culinary perfection, by George." I have taken back the family honor. And I will twirl around in a celebratory fashion.

Thank you, Thank you

Now someone find me a GIGANTIC fork!!!

The Big Top Cupcake

2010-01-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

Here is what they claim their Big Top Cupcake will look like after you follow the directions meticulously as I did. I was meticulous to say the least. I watched over it with giddy anticipation. "Oh... the joy this will bring our family," I thought. I will be the talk of the neighborhood.

Here is what my Big Top Cupcake looked like.

Damn the Big Top Cupcake inventors. They lured me in with their promises that I could make a cupcake that is 25 percent larger than a typical cupcake and I thought "now, that looks as easy as pie, I can do that" and I ran down to the local gadget store and spent $21.87 of my hard earned cash on it, knowing that the three piece rubber contraption only cost the Big Top people .67 cents to make.
But if I could bake an enormous cupcake it would be worth every cent.

And THIS??? is what I produced.

Well... 2010 is a new year. And I am no longer content with mediocrity. I will pursue this endeavor with unwavering determination until I produce a Big Top Cupcake that is equal to or better than those "seen on TV". This is my New Year's Resolution. And I can't think of a better one than that. Just you hang on to your seat... a cupcake worth bragging about will be the center of one of my posts very soon or I will consider this year a complete and total failure.

At the very least we had fun eating it and it tasted delicioso, if you closed your eyes. Look at my cute husband, he is so happy.

24 hours in St. George

2010-01-01T17:10:00.000-08:00

We don't get any time off during the holidays. So we finagled our days off to have two in a row at the same time and flew down to ring in the New Year with the Fam.
This was Peyton's first time at Papa and Nana's housePeyton loves PapaKami's Birthday is on December 31st. It's a really great birthday... the whole world celebrates with you.Nana made quite a feast.Oh... everyone should have a Pink SnuggieMe and Ral at the Olive Garden on the 1st day of 2010Kori and RussKami and BrentSuch a mighty fine group

It was a delightful day. A high of 50 feels much different than

what we are used to in the Great White North

Here we are watching Raleigh hang Papa and Nana's new TV

There she is... she's a beautyThe best part was watching Papa and Nana freaking out because Ral had to cut

holes in their wallsThe Hang Test. What strong studs they areIt was a very busy day. But so much fun

And now we are back to reality.

Happy New Year

Meet the Four Month Old Phenom

2009-12-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Most babies roll over at four months My baby waves and says "HI"
She sits up and cheers for Manning and Collie

She takes a little break to regain strength
She poses and looks adorable

She looks adorable some more...

AND THEN.......

She stands up......

AND FREAKIN' WALKS

I swear on my life, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe me either

Christmas Fun

2009-12-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Our second annual Christmas Eve Tradition is to go to Wingers and then venture to the Lund's for dessert. Here is Grandma and Spencer (aka "the dark secret") with Little Bit
Best Friends or Worst Enemies these two

Waitin' for Wings

Grandpa and Grandma brought a carload of gifts that we open on Christmas Eve. Along with the ceremonial opening of the PJs

Baby's First Christmas

Spencer and Britt

OHHHHHHH...... Santa Came

Christmas Morning

"I am in wrapping paper heaven"

All he asked for was clothes which means he's growing up

Christmas Night

Prime Rib dinner at Lindsay's

Spencer and Dax

Visiting

Another successful Christmas under our belts. And YEEEE HAWWWW the holiday shopping season is over.

For the love of Liza... I hate technology

2009-12-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

My husband, bless his heart is so cute. He thinks I need all the newest gadgets and gizmo's. For every birthday/holiday/anniversary he inundates me with the most recent wonder that Best Buy has to offer saying... "you just need this new ______ (whatever). Your old one is as old as you and although it is in perfect working condition and is PAID FOR, I bought you this" (here is where you plug in all the fancy words, Ipod Touch, IPhone, Ihome, video camera, Netflix, Blu Ray, Home Theater Projector and the list goes on and on).

WELL... To be a good blogger, you have to be smarter than the top of the line SLR your husband bought for you for Christmas. And sadly, I am not. I have never claimed to be and to be honest with you never will be. And so until he gets home and is able to give me a two hour tutorial on how not only turn the thing on but also to get my dag gum pictures from my camera to my computer, you will just have to imagine in your minds what our Holiday Festivities looked like.

Sorry I was born in the 70s and lack the desire to read the manual. Until then, hope yours was Merry and Bright.

Sigh

2009-12-20T05:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent THE ENTIRE day with Allie. I mean the entire day. She woke me up at the crack of dawn on my only day off this week to ask me what she should wear to go build a snowman. Then I made the ghastly mistake of taking her shopping with me, and she NEVER once stopped talking. But she really does say hysterical things. 1. She says "mom, it would just make my day if you would help me find my ipod." 2. She has made my old scripture set... hers and so yesterday she spent around 40 minutes reading them. So, I am a little impressed by that and so I say to her "you've been reading a while, what are you learning?" She says "Um... I, I, I don't know, I just don't get it. There are a lot of ye's." ( and she shrugs her shoulders) and then she goes "but there is one part that says JEW" and then she laughs hysterically like that is a BIG typographical joke. 3. I say "Allie, go brush your teeth and when you are done, I want to check them" and she says "now, why would you want to start doing that?" I say "I want to make sure you are doing a good job. And she says "Well, in that case, I will need you to buy me a toothbrush... I haven't been able to find mine for 4 days" OH MY HELL!!! I just may be the world's worst mother.

Then (and this is the best story of all) I FINALLY bought her a Santa hat after 4 days of her asking me to (literally non stop 4 days of asking). And the next day she wore it to school along with her red sweat pants and matching sweatshirt and Brayden's black church belt around her waist accompanied by her Napoleon Dynamite snow boots and a cotton ball beard. Yep, I promise you. It's not a lie.

You really do just have to find the humor in it all... or you could absolutely lose your ever lovin' mind.

It's beginning to feel a little like Christmas

2009-12-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

We attempted to try to take Family Pictures for the Christmas Card. The camera was on a tripod. It was 30 degrees below zero and Allie "accidentally" fell into a pond. But we might have been slightly successful. This isn't the one we chose by the way.
Oh my goodness. How cute is she?

Feelin' love on a waterlogged porch swing
Grandpa

Raleigh's mom did this to him when he was a baby and so he passed on the tradition. We all sang "must be Santa" while he dressed her up.

Who has a big red cherry nose?

Who has black boots and a suit of red?

Who has a beard that's snowy white?

Who has a red hat on his head?

Or something like that. I had never heard the song until last night. But it is a cute little tradition and she is the cutest Santa there is.

Sometimes they "JUST KNOW"

2009-12-12T14:29:00.000-08:00

When I was a girl growing up and living with my parents... they just knew stuff. Call it the spirit, call it parental intuition, call it whatever you like... but they just knew what was going on. I would walk in the door from a date, I wouldn't even say a word and my mom would say "oh no, what happened?" She "just knew".

I drove a 1976 Volkswagen bug. It was the cutest car in the high school parking lot, but the dang thing had a broken gas gage and so I would run out of gas at least once a week. (For my 17th birthday I got 4 gas cans from 4 different friends, no lie, ask anyone) One night on my way home from my friends house (who incidentally lived in the scary Orange Groves out in the middle of nowhere) in the pouring rain at MIDNIGHT, I ran out of gas. This was before cell phones. And I promise you, I only had to sit there for 15 minutes and here comes my dad. He "just knew".

So 18 months ago, I moved up here to Northern Utah. I haven't even for one day regretted that decision, however I do from time to time miss my family. It is hard to be the only one living away. I miss the realness and goodness of my sisters and how they are focused on all the right things and aren't catty and fake and superficial like most girls are. I am grateful for the true and genuine love and support of my parents to both me and Raleigh and ALL of our children. I miss those brothers too, they make me laugh. It is hard not to get to do all the fun things we used to do when we lived there. It is hard not to have them right around the corner when I need them. And I really needed them last week.

So, just as they used to when I was young (or maybe because Raleigh called them) they "just knew" to call me and say that they were coming up. "We're just coming up for the day" they said. And while they were here my dad "just knew" to give me the greatest dad hug and tell me he loved me and my mom "just knew" to sit and watch TV with me and get caught up on our lives. It was what I needed. I didn't have to tell them how I'd been feeling... they "just knew". Sometimes you just need to hang out with people that you know FOR SURE love you. I got to do that this week and it was so nice. Thanks for just knowing and acting on it.

It's Christmas Time Again

2009-12-10T07:10:00.000-08:00

At the high school level, you have to get all fancy for school performances. Here is James Bond Jr. all gussied up and ready to play us a few Christmas Tunes with the help of a couple of his Symphony Buddies and his Baritone Saxophone (which by the way is bigger than him)
He thinks he's pretty sexy. I'm torn between wanting him to be able to wear this to every concert and dance between now and his senior year AND wanting him to grow much, much taller. I spent an arm and a leg on it, but that height thing is a very big deal. And actually is a factor in him landing a date to those dances so...

We were there an hour early so we could get a good seat. So we snapped a few of Miss Serious in her warm winter suit.

And then we treated the kiddies to a fine dinner following the festivities. What?? We have posters of Ronald Mc Diz at all the nice restaurants up here in Northern Utah. Don't judge us... it's what the kid wanted.

P.S. Man they are a good band. The difference between high school and junior high is unbelievable. I could actually tell what song they were playing this year. I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Kaci... wherever you are

2009-12-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

You know how sometimes you have those days where you are kind of contemplative and it's semi-destructive, semi-constructive. And you think: I wish I'd done that differently or I wish I'd chosen that road instead of the one I did. I'd be so much more and have so much more to offer... or why did I waste so much time doing this or that.

So when I do this (and maybe I'm the only person that does it) I try to take stock in what I do have and what I have done and how I can change one or two things to make me better. After all, isn't that what this is all about?

And as I was pondering, I concluded that in reality, I am exactly where I thought I'd be familywise I am happily married, I have a million healthy kids and I own a home. (which as a young girl was all I ever wanted for myself) so YEAH ME!! But, I am not where I thought I'd be spiritually or mentally or emotionally or professionally. SO SAD!!!

WELL... Yesterday at work, as we VERY OFTEN do, we had some down time and my friend says to me... "Ever Googled yourself?" I said "No, nothing would come up and I'd be depressed"... She did it anyway... Well Kaci Lund... and I haven't been her very long so that was okay. And just as I suspected... NOTHING. But what did come up may have changed my thinking momentarily... or hopefully forever... but you know me.

A blog of a girl somewhere in California with my same name came up. She has to be only in her late 20s at the most. She is LDS, very LDS. And she has 6 kids under the age of 8. (Like that would be me with Allie as my oldest and 5 younger than her.) And here is the kicker... she is battling cancer. She talks about how she is EXHAUSTED and sooooooo sick and how she has to force herself to get up every day and take care of these little babies and love them and be everything for them. And she has to put her horrific disease aside while she bathes them and feeds them and nurtures them. And her entire day revolves around them. She reads to them and plays with them and cleans the house for them. And throws up blood quietly so they won't hear her and be scared.

Man, I am hopelessly pathetic. Here I boo hoo about all my petty crap and try and feel sorry for me and wish I was this or that. And there are people out there with real problems and struggles. So, I decided, thanks to my new idol, Kaci and thanks to what could only be the spirit guiding me (because for the life of me, I cannot find her blog anymore) I had a life changing awakening. And I will try very hard to be grateful for who I am and what I have and who I have and where I am and how I feel. And STOP obsessing over the stupidest unimportant life drama. I will change what I can. Drop what I can't do anything about. And thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings he has given me.

And I will pray for Kaci in California because that girl could use a prayer or two. What a sweet daughter of our Heavenly Father. What a person to look up to. Wherever you are... MY thoughts and prayers and complete adoration are with you.

Sooooooooo Bigggggggg

2009-12-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

My friend, Kaedee told me about the Bumbo. Four kids and NO BUMBO? How did I do it? She thinks she is one of the big kids now. Greatest invention ever.
I was thinking the other day, how sorry I feel for all those first time moms out there who don't have 8 extra arms. These little arms (and occasionally the brother's too, when he decides to join us) are so helpful to me all day long. And make this mothering thing so much easier.

And I cannot even begin to tell you the joy this little spirit has brought to all of our lives.

Miss spoiled little princess will be the center of it all until she is at least 15 with all of these big sisters around to tell her she is the cutest girl in the world and put make up on her and polish her toenails and take her shopping....

I love em all

When I count my blessings... I count him twice

2009-12-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

There are honestly very few things in this world that bring me more joy than staying up until the WEE hours of the morning having the best husband and wife talk in the history of husband and wife talks. I am the most in love girl in the world. And HE is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.

Scrooge McAngry is in the House

2009-11-27T16:30:00.001-08:00

Happy Black Friday to all. I am feeling euphoric and borderline giddy that this horrific day is over and my 3 to 1 shift flew by and I only had to yell at 3 people and only a dozen or so people made me mad and from this day forward until December 24th, I will have to be okay with receiving an occasional beautifully written and highly anticipated and hoped for text from my seemingly non existent husband who (for the next four weeks) will be married to Best Buy. Don't worry Hotstuff, I will show your daughter pictures of you so she won't forget what you look like. BAH HUMBUG!!! I freakin' hate the holidays.

However, in trying to find the proverbial silver lining in all of this... I have a beautiful home to decorate, a gigantic Christmas Tree to trim, 5 healthy children, a Super Sexy husband to sleep next to, double ovens to cook sweet treats in, a well paying job, a zippy little car that slides delightfully on the ice, lots of malls to choose from, supportive family members to vent to... and a partridge in a pear tree.

I really am VERY happy. I just like to play this "feel sorry for me" role from time to time, so I can see how many friends I have. Love to you all.

Two New Friends

2009-11-23T07:33:00.000-08:00

Peyton is all strapped in and ready to go to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Sunday Dinner

This one is a special one because she will meet Uncle Courtney and his son, Dean (Deano. DJ) for the first time.

This is DJ. Who had an unfortunate accident, but we think it makes him look tough
Dax and DJ. Who will be lifelong pals. They are only a month apart in age. I cracked up at this picture... it looks like they are both drunk.
Three of the Four Lund kids with their babies. Spencer's daughter is due in February. Two boys and Two girls born 13 months apart. How fun for the grandparents who thought they'd only have ONE grandchild at one time. Now they have 5 real and 4 step in only 18 months. Pretty good reproduction.
Can you see Dax? He's holding Peyton's hand. I like your teddy bear, Grandpa (he must have felt left out by not getting one of those babies on his lap)

All three of them were crying. We distracted PJ with a toy, Dax got a wooden spoon and DJ just wanted to go eat. But it's true that good looking grandparents have good looking grandbabies.

It sure was another fun Sunday Night Dinner.

SOS... I can hear it wiggling in the wall

2009-11-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

HELP ME SOMEONE PLEASE!!!! My husband is working 90 hour work weeks now until Christmas and there is a mouse in our house. A sick brown mouse with a 6 inch tail and hauntavirus. And I will be confined to the upstairs from now until it's sick brown mousy neck is snapped under a wire trap. I just HATE animals in my house. Hairy critters of any kind belong OUTSIDE.

The other night our bedroom got really hot. So Raleigh opened the doors to outside which isn't the smartest thing to do when you live on a golf course. Anywho, in the middle of the night sometime, all of the sudden, without warning a stupid cat tried to jump into bed with us. ON MY SIDE, of course. I then had a small coronary and couldn't get back to sleep for over an hour. And Raleigh couldn't even stand up straight he was laughing so hard. Luckily, our bed is REALLY high up and it couldn't make it up to the top. But it scratched to heck out of the side of our mattress. Oh... I cannot express my supreme hatred for felines. They are the stupidest pet anyone could have. But now I really hate them.

I don't blame them for wanting to come in. It smells nice. And Allie has a four week supply of food under her bed, but I just want the beasts of the four legged variety to realize their place in this world. NOT IN MY HOUSE.

And that is all

Sometimes good prevails

2009-11-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, Brayden's long board, that he got for Christmas last year, went missing. He was afraid to tell me, so on the side he searched and searched for it. But finally came to the conclusion that it was just gone. The very next day, ironically and completely out of the blue, the neighborhood trouble maker/kid in our ward that we banned from our house for looking at porn on our computer/emo/girl pants wearing/probably going to end up in prison... came up to Bray at school and said (as he's laughing hysterically) "me and my friends stole your board." Brayden goes "give it back, that cost me $150.00" The kid goes "can't, loser, we thrashed it" And then he walked away laughing louder. Like he is some sort of Bad A. (Come on... everyone knows emo dudes are not Bad A's)

So Brayden comes home from school and tells me the sad tale and this is where I jumped in. As you all know I am non confrontational and try and stay out of all kid issues. But I did call the kid's dad and brought him up to speed on the delinquent ways of his precious son, to which he was apologetic and promised help... but in reality was NO help at all. Because I think he is at a loss at what to do with this kid and is overwhelmed by what could be in his future and I really do feel sorry for the man. So I didn't press the issue and chalked the whole thing up to a sad twist of fate and a lesson that Brayden needed to learn about taking better care of his things.

So Brayden, who has about 900 friends and some of them are big and mean set out to make this kid's life a living hell. (Granted not the best way to retaliate, but they are in fact in high school, and so we will give them some slack). And so B finds himself in the Principal's office 2 or 3 times facing Emo and his not - so - scary mother requesting that he back off and "stop being mean to her little boy." Which I think he did, but I can't vouch for the big, mean friends. And the whole time I'm going "Brayden, drop it, leave the stupid kid alone, it's your fault for leaving your board where they could get it anyway, you're going to get into trouble... blah blah blah.... super wimpy mom stuff.

Fast forward to Thursday night. B notices a policeman parked on our street. So he goes up to his car and knocks on the window. He says "This may not be police worthy, but my long board was stolen a month ago and I know who did it" Well, let me tell you that Officer Raines, of Eagle Mountain Law Enforcement had never had such an exciting case and was beyond thrilled that we had given him something to work on for the next couple of days and three hours later had rounded up the THREE boys responsible for the theft (one of them living in Pleasant Grove). He paid a friendly little visit to all of them and their shocked parents and consequently, I now have three boys bringing me $20 a week for the next three weeks, so that we can buy a new board.

I am pleased to report that all is well now in the life of Brayden Koenig, skater extraordinaire, who will soon be the proud owner of a brand new long board replacing his old, not in the greatest condition model. And I think he is the cutest boy there is and if he would just pull up his pants and stop wearing THAT BEENIE, I could be 100% happy. Thanks Officer Raines. You should get Crime Fighter of the Month.

Danny

2009-11-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

Danny was the dirtiest boy on his street
None of the neighborhood kids could compete
He rolled in the dirt, filled his pockets with rocks
and stained every inch of his brand new socks

Every night just before bed
Danny's mother would scrub him from his feet to his head
She'd clean out his ears and wipe out his nose
And scratch between every single one of his toes

And Danny would cry and wiggle and wail
Yet he would be clean, every night without fail
Then on came the pjs that smelled way to good
If he could put a stop to this madness, he would

Meanwhile, as Danny lay clean in his bed
He got a delightful idea in his head
I could put my foot down, I could simply say "no"
I'm almost 5 now, I have rights don't ya know

So the next day when mom called him in from outside
Danny felt there was no reason to hide
He walked into the house with his hands on his hips
And waited for the words to come out of her lips

"It's time to get clean, It's time for the soap"
But Danny just smirked and then boldly said "NOPE"
Then he turned up his nose and gave his hand a quick wave
And said "for your information, I'm refusing to bathe."

"There will be no more scrubbing and wiping, no sir
And I won't be brushing my teeth, for sure
You're not getting any more water on me
For the rest of my life, I will be soap free"

And mom, who was tired of all of the fight
And all of the kicking and screaming at night
And tuckered from being so strict and so stern
Decided that Danny had a lesson to learn

"Okay son," she said with an inside smile
"You can stay dirty if you want for a while
I will not put any more pressure on you
Don't take a bath... if you don't want to "

So Danny set out determined to play
Harder and messier than all other days
He ran and he jumped and he started to sweat
And he was as dirty as a young boy could get

And day after day and the one after that
The mud piled up on his clothes and his hat
His face was so dirty, he made dirty kids proud
He was followed around by a dust filled cloud

But Danny wasn't as happy as he thought he would be
There were some problems with his little plan, you see
He hated to admit where he had gone wrong
But this adventure was lasting too long

"Mom," he said with a soft timid voice
"I know you know all about little boys
I am as miserable as I ever could be
Could you figure out what could be wrong with me?"

"For some strange reason, I itch everywhere
and it feels like my teeth are covered with hair
Everything I eat tastes exactly like dirt
And my black fingernails are starting to hurt

My bed is filled up with two inches of sand
I have dried up bug guts all over my hand
My friends say that I am starting to smell
And that doesn't make a guy feel very well

I am coming to you for a bit of advice
If you could help me, that sure would be nice
I am trying to think of what I can do
To solve all my problems in a minute or two

"Well Danny" said mom again with a smile
"I know what to do, but it might take a while
If you want, I can fix you, and fix you up right
And I think that you will feel all better tonight"

So they scrubbed and wiped in every place
And managed to get all the dirt off his face
They even clipped all ten nails on his toes
And that little boy smelled just like a rose

Then Danny, poor Danny admitted defeat
For he realized that bath time made him complete
It had become part of his day, his daily routine
Because his mom showed her love, by making him clean

Kaci Lund
2004

I just LOVE Happy Babies...

2009-11-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

I LOVE babies who are for PEACE
I LOVE babies who refuse to smile sometimes

I LOVE babies that crack themselves up

I LOVE babies who discover themselves in the mirror

I LOVE babies who have the cutest faces

I LOVE babies who love their tongues I LOVE babies who are as bald as cue balls

I LOVE babies who have discovered their hands

I simply LOVE THIS baby.

And together... we make a family

2009-11-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

Raleigh at THREE months
Plus Kaci at THREE months

Made the world's most adorable THREE month old

who....
coincidentally looks NOTHING like her brother...

Brayden at THREE months.

But is the spittin' image of these three...

Quincey at THREE months

Allie at THREE months AND Morgan at FOUR months

WEIRD

Moustache Mania

2009-11-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

When I was a teenager and I found myself bogged down with the weight of the world that seems to fall on teenagers, especially girls, I used to say to myself... I can't wait until I am an adult. Things will be so much easier when I am an adult. I will have an endless supply of money. I will not be afraid to do things. I will be able to drive myself anywhere. I will not have to ask anyone if I can go places or do things. And nothing will bother me.

I will not worry if someone doesn't like me. I will not care if I don't have the latest fashions. I will of course fit in no matter where I am. And I will no longer have to succumb to the never ending battle of peer pressure. I will NOT do things that are out of my character to get friends. I will NOT do things to my body that make me look different just because everyone else is doing it. And if I no longer need to do these things, neither will my friends, or family members or my SPOUSE.

Then why, someone please tell me, why has my husband found it necessary to follow the crowd in his later years? Why is it that some crazy person at work got some cockamamie idea and threw it out there, and all the boys in their dimwittedness (that boys often fall prey to) decided collectively to look as ridiculous as they possibly could all the way until BLACK FRIDAY?

"It will form a male bond", they say. "It's called male camaraderie". And we will sell better and get more business if we fill our store with men who look like child molesters and slimy womanizers.

And so why is it that every morning I have to wake up to the STACHE? I have the cutest husband there is. I enjoy looking at his cute clean shaven face. I enjoy going places with him looking cute. But from now until November 28th, I am going to have to alter my lifestyle so that I can live comfortably with the new entente that has decided to join our household. I am going to have to go everywhere by myself now. I am going to have to sleep towards the right side, looking at the wall and I will have to avoid any eye contact when we are talking to each other because I just know that my eyes will have no other choice than to wander downward and then I won't hear a thing the guy is saying because THAT THING will be all I can focus on.

Peer pressure in it's worst form has come upon us. We have given into it. And it is shaming our family. I'm sorry mom, but he didn't tell me this could be a possibility when he was breaking down his pros and cons before we got married. And, damn it, there is nothing I can do about it now. I am in this thing DEEP. And I am pretty sure that I unfortunately said "I do" to richer or poorer, sickness and health, and stache or no stache. That night was a blur, but I think I did.

And so without further adieu.... I will introduce the newest member of our household...

Wait for it....

Wait for it...

AHHHHHHHH..... And there it is

SOOOOOOOOOOO SEXY!!!

Happy Birthday B-ray

2009-11-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

Happiest of Birthdays to my favorite son. We had such a fun day today. We took him to Tucanos for dinner, we went to the mall and he bought a new skateboard, we went to Best Buy and he bought a hard drive for his X-box (for some reason, I have yet to understand, but he and Raleigh seem to think he needs one) and then we came home and jammed on Beatles Rock Band all night. I don't know if he had fun, kickin' it with the folks, but I sure had a great night.

I can't believe he is this old. And even better, I can't believe that he is this awesome. I love him with all my heart. I am truly blessed to be his mother. I love you!!

Giving Thanks

2009-11-05T15:15:00.000-08:00

I had an opportunity to pause last night and reflect on my life a little. I have had quite a week. I won't go into the details, but it was a little rough. I try not to let on when things are getting to me, it's a very bad habit that I had to form in my past life, but now that I can feel free to let it all out so-to-speak, I don't. Consequently, I bottle everything up and the pressure builds and then WHAM the top blows off and everything explodes all over the kitchen.

So that happened last night. MELT DOWN... And unfortunately it happened on the night of B's band concert, Q's Young Women in Excellence and M's back to school night. I couldn't be in three places at once (yep, you guessed it all three things started at 7). How could I choose which event to attend? I was going to try to pull it off, but I was no where near at my best and at my best I would need to be. Quite frankly, I was just plain exhausted and really just wanted to go to bed.

Luckily my sis called me at 4:00 and said "hey I'm in town, can I come over?" And there it was... my excuse for just staying home and relaxing and breathing and not having to choose between the kids. (This is somewhat of a public confession... letting the world know I was not a great mom last night) but... my conversation with my over-the-top amazingly, unbelievably wonderful husband and my super funny, down-to-earth, saving my life sister, caused me to be grateful for so many things.

1. I am married to the best man in the World. Who tells me he loves me every single day and
means it and shows it.
2. I have a great family (who know me better than I know my self) and love me anyway
3. My kids are so darling and are also forgiving of all of my shortcomings
4. I have been given 5 of the best gifts our Heavenly Father can give a woman
5. I have the greatest job and I love it.
6. I have a warm and loving and spirit filled home
7. I feel safe and secure
8. I have enough energy and a healthy body to do all that I need to do each day
9. I have the gospel in my life to guide me
10. I have the freedom and support to do and be anything I want

And so I am a new woman today... trying ever so much not to be bogged down with the trivia of the world for the time being. I am as tired as HELL and thanks to the physical perplexities of the week I am down 5 pounds and am comfortably zipped up into my second favorite pair of BKEs, and I am happy I am me and am giving thanks for all that I have been blessed with.

And finally....

2009-11-01T13:35:00.001-08:00

And it's over... until next year

First half of day 2

2009-10-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

First we began with a family photo

and then...

Breakfast with a Witch at Gardner Village

LucindaEveryone but the photographer, GrandpaMorgan's favorite, Talulah Spellbottom

The whole Witchy Gang

Let the madness begin

2009-10-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Day ONE of Halloween fun. I just (don't) LOVE this holiday. It's too much work. It's only the 30th and look at what we've gone through already. But they really do look cute. Gotta love the school parade
My helper. Most days are easier because of Quin

Raleigh in the FREEZING cold, out on the deck, burning rags for the MUMMY costume that he is in charge of... I know nothing about mummies or vampires or anything scary. I like cute costumes. He'll love that I posted this. A thrown together costume for a Birthday Party I totally forgot about and her real costume wasn't ready yet. Poor girl had to wake up at 5:00 to curl her hair. Hate to see what her wedding day will be like.
I saw this one going differently in my mind. But still pretty cute considering I am slowly loosing it. Lookin' a little less BOYISH this year, but still no where near a girl.

Stay tuned for the second day of the Lund/Koenig Halloween Bash 2009

A day in the life...

2009-10-28T07:34:00.001-07:00

This day was going to be complicated. Raleigh and I both had to work at 6 in the morning. We have this little baby you know. We have Allie's Halloween Choir Concert this evening. And Kaci and Quin were invited to Girl's Night Out.

Here's how it goes... "a day in the life of the complicated"Here we are at 4:15 am. All dressed and ready to go on our journey to Aunt Lindsay's. This is a big day for Peyton, her first time going to a babysitter. Lindsay is the most diligent mother. She knows all the rules and follows them. I knew that my baby was in the best hands. I was going to take a picture, but that's rude to do to a person at 5:00 in the morning.

I am prepping for the trucks. We get two a day. I off load them, reload them and do all the paperwork after they leave. Then I receive all the product and get everything ready for the truck team to come and put everything out on the floor.

This is what I do at work. It's a very physically demanding job. It's a boy's job. A girl really shouldn't be doing it... especially a pregnant girl. But I love it. I love it every single day. Somedays I can't believe they pay me to come and have so much fun.

My work day was over... and I go to get in my car to drive back up to Salt Lake to pick up my little baby and walk out to a white out. It took me twice as long to get there as it normally would and I drove very slowly behind someone who looked like they knew what they were doing so I wouldn't spin off into a ditch and make this day even more complicated.

Quincey and me in the car at 4:30 pm getting set to drive in the blizzard to meet the girls

We ate at a cute little place called the DODO in SugarHouse. The food was delicious and we all chose different things so we could sample.

Then it was off to Kingbury Hall to watch Odessey Dance and Thriller. I even know someone who was one of the dancers, so I tried to watch her the most.

This is what our group looked like to the right. Lindsay, Shauna, Me and Quincey.

This is what our group looked like to the left. Sandy, Chelsea and Makenzie

Keep in mind while we were hootin' it up in Salt Lake, Raleigh is back home videoing the Halloween Choir Concert, taking the 4 remaining kids to McDonalds, helping with homework, putting finishing touches on Halloween Costumes and holding down the fort. Everyone should know that I LOVE HIM!!!

And this is how I felt as I stumbled into bed, kissed my sweet baby and my smokin' hot husband and tried to catch up on a few ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. So that I could be all refreshed and ready to start it all over again.

Thank you Lindsay and Shauna for giving us the opportunity to see something that we will never forget. We had such a fun night.

Thank heaven for little girls

2009-10-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

We have a six bedroom house. And five kids for the first time since we have lived here. So a big HUGE massive moving around is currently taking place. We have had weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. We have had hair pulling, back biting (literally) kicking and punching. Each delightful daughter plead her case for why they should get this room or that and Raleigh and I were the Supreme Court Justices.

On Sunday night after much pondering and praying, the big announcement was made and each girl learned her fate. After a few door slams, a stomping down the stairs and two "that's not fair's"... the moving began. No three LITTLE girls should have this much stuff. I am guessing that we will all be settled in this time next year judging by how slow everyone is going. Raleigh's job is to break up all the fights. My job is to go around and shut all the doors to the rooms so that we can pretend that "what we can't see isn't really there." But denying it doesn't make it go away. And I am quickly losing my mind. Quincey loses focus for 36 minutes of every hour by stopping to check her facebook or straighten her hair or text someone.
Or take a teenagery nap.

Or polish her toenails.

Morgan, who is a very hard worker and really does know how to clean, has taken on the challenge with a positive attitude, but she brought triple the boxes home from Portland that she left here with and so I just keep walking by her room to look at what appears to be NO PROGRESS to wish her good luck. I have no idea where she is going to put it all.
And Allie... oh sweet Allie... she is such a victim of circumstance. She will sleep wherever we tell her to and put her clothes wherever we say... she gets no vote and has no say and as long as she can watch Spongebob just before bedtime, she doesn't really care where she is.

What chaos! I need a bubble bath and a massage.

Peyton's first Jazz game!

2009-10-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

One of the skills necessary to be married to Raleigh is the ability to receive a text at 3pm that says "we're going to the Jazz game tonight, be ready by 6".

And ready we were in my D-Will shirt that was purchased last year pre-pregnancy, luckily it fit!

Dad's with babies in front-packs get lots of attention!

Peyton has become a big sports fan in her two months here on earth.

Watching the Jazz in a club suite with all-you-can-eat treats isn't too bad for your first game!

If you love them...set them free

2009-10-15T09:26:00.001-07:00

My little Morgan Stanley... She had her own ideas. She thought that she knew a thing or two. She has a face full of freckles and crooked teeth and I still have to remind her to pick up her shoes but the girl is a 21 year old in a 10 year old body. And so off she went, to Portland. She had a few experiences, got some knowledge, learned some lessons and came back to me. Hopefully, a little wiser. Time will tell.

Was it easy to let both of them go away from me? Are you kidding? But my thought was... go... learn for yourself where you belong... but make sure it's the right decision. It's hard to be children of divorce. I can't imagine what that must feel like. I haven't lived with my parents for over 20 years and I could break out in hives trying to comprehend the burden of choosing which one I'd live with if all of the sudden, without warning I had to choose. And imagining one of them being alone could literally kill me. But at some point a decision had to be made.

I felt my Heavenly Father with me as I put both of my daughters on planes at different times and sent them off to make adult-like decisions at very young ages. I tried to prepare myself for the fact that they might not come back. And I would just have to try and go on with my life. I know there were people out there wondering if I had lost my mind or what kind of heartless mother just gives up their daughters. But the spirit whispered to me that this is what I needed to do so that they would know for themselves and never question the decision because I forced THEM to make it without any coaxing from me. And then I was blessed with an overwhelming calming feeling on a daily basis that everything was going to be okay if I could just be patient.

And here they both are... for now. So last night I tip toed downstairs and sat on the end of my little girl's bed and listened to her breathing. And felt my heart nearly bursting with gratitude that I let her go and she, with all of her free agency and her 21 year old spirit came back to me and is right where she belongs...

LUND party of 7? When all is said and done it will be a good thing... I swear. A very chaotic, loud, energetic, messy, bank account draining, laughter filled, love overflowing good thing.

A beautiful day for a blessing

2009-10-11T15:26:00.001-07:00

We began the day very bright and early.

Peyton was all cozy sleeping on dad's side of the bed. We had to wake her up to take a bath. But she must have known it was a special day because she was all smiles and was so cooperative.

Getting ready
I fell in love with him a little more today. Look at how super cute he is.
Raleigh gives the most beautiful blessings. He says the greatest things and with such emotion. I am so grateful for him and the blessing that he is to me.

During the blessing, I hear that my little baby woke up with wide eyes and stared at her dad as if to say "thank you dad for being so wonderful and for saying such nice words to me." Both grandpas had their eyes open and were watching her. What a sweet little girl.

Nana surprised us with a "heart attack" on the front lawn.
Some of the Little Women and some silly boys
Grandma Shauna and Lindsay looking angelic
We felt so supported by wonderful family and friends. Thanks to everyone who woke up so early and drove many miles to help make this day special.

Grandpa- Tell us a story

2009-10-10T14:53:00.001-07:00

Every Sunday, we load up our car with wild talking, sometimes fighting, hopefully sleeping children and drive over the river and through the woods to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner. We look forward to it all week. We try to guess what Grandma has made and how the table will be decorated this week. We love our cousins. It is a house full of people and chatter and getting all caught up. Here are some cute pictures of our most recent visit.

Here let me help you with that binky. I am much older and I know how to work these things

Has anyone ever wondered what Raleigh looked like when he was younger? There is his twin. It's so weird how sometimes nephews look exactly like uncles.

Chelsea... I have super cute pictures of the three kids that I wanted to post and I will respect your desire to be private. But dang they are cute.

Love... Love... Love

2009-10-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Babies in Pettys... Oh my gosh... There's nothing cuter... She's too die for... And she looks just like her DAD.

Go Cougs

2009-10-03T11:46:00.000-07:00

We spent Friday night at BYU. It's true. Raleigh and Russ. I've got photos to prove it.

Look at her. Could she be any cuter? Or more well behaved? Or warmer? I think not!

What's New??

2009-10-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Raleigh continues to be and will most likely forever remain the "most in love with his daughter" dad in the history of dads
Brayden wants everyone to know that the other guy looks a heck of a lot worse.
Quincey is a fashionista with a brand new camera and an A in photography.

Morgan lasted 4 1/2 months in Portland and is packing up her suitcase as we speak. October 19th will mark the day the Lund's officially have 5 children in the house.Allie is all signed up for the Pony Express Talent Show. Anyone wanna come watch the yodeling sensation do her thing on stage? We'll be in the back row under the chairs.

And finally, Peyton wakes up every morning cuter than the day before. Not to mention smarter, happier, stronger and more loved.

And I am thankful for all my blessings and am so grateful that with each passing day life just keeps getting better and better.

Tagged.... Dang it!

2009-09-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

So Karen tagged me. And not only did she just casually challenge me to do this, but she straight up called me out. This is called "Honest Scraps" which equates to 10 things about yourself that you are being honest and coming clean about. So... here it is... Confessions of a LUNATIC!!!

1. I am very self conscious about my body. I do alright in clothes. But I look ridiculous in a bathing suit and HORRIFYING naked. Can everyone please appreciate the daily hell I experience at having a SEE THROUGH SHOWER? I have had to alter my shower times to coincide with Raleigh's work schedule. I have to know his schedule in advance so that I know when I can and when I cannot jump into the glass cube of truth. And he can NEVER come home early. If he's going to come home early, he has to call ahead and let me know. Imagine if you will, how beside myself I must have been for the past 10 months... well, don't worry... I chose to subject myself to the dangerous conditions of my kid's sick down stairs bathroom shower with a door with a lock on it from time to time rather than take a chance on being caught looking like THAT. And yep, in case you were wondering... I am a "lights off lover." It took about 4 months of marriage for me to let him see me naked and even then it was in stages. Sorry, but it's the way it is. No one should have to look at that.

2. I am a nervous wreck most of the time. I have a pretty calm exterior. And to the common man, I appear normal and in control. But I am a ball of pent up, raging, unbelievable stress on the inside. I worry about everything. Also because of some of my past experiences I force myself to see the worst case scenario of most events. That way, I am not blind sided. I am prepared for anything. Ask me the percentage of times my worst case scenarios have happened? Okay... like 2% but I was ready for whatever!! And then when "whatever" doesn't happen (98% of the time) I am so relieved. But because of this condition of nervousness we will now be able to move nicely into my #3.

3. I have massive IBS. It rears it's ugly head in stressful times. It is a debilitating illness. Like life altering. Don't know what it is? Google it. I'm not going to go into the specifics. But damn it. It is not a fun thing to have.

4. I am horrible at math. I am not my dad's daughter when it comes to math. I can't even help my 5th grader with her math homework. I had to go on the 5 year plan at BYU and take a language to graduate because I couldn't pass bone head Math 110. Hola, mi nombre es Kaci y I sucko at matho.

5. I talk to myself when I am alone. I say things like "what shall I make for dinner?" and "don't forget to go to parent teacher conference at 3:00" I think the reason is, I don't like to be alone which is probably why I have 400 kids and a full time job. But on the rare occasion that I do find my self alone with myself, I talk to myself... and I am pretty funny.

6. I am very clumsy. I fall nearly everyday. I fell down my stairs 8 times while I was pregnant. I fall like 3 times a week at work. I trip every single day on NOTHING. I just trip. And I am never without a bruise somewhere on my body from walking into things. Like big things... like walls. I shouldn't be carrying a baby around with me. EVER. Oh well, the other 4 survived. She will too.

7. I swear A LOT. When we were little and we lived in La La Land with Jim and Nance, we were not allowed to say anything. Not even fart. My mom made up cutesy little girl words for all embarrassing bodily functions. I felt guilty one time when I said that horrible word at school. So when I broke away from home, that is how I rebelled. I developed a potty mouth. Some of my friends would sneak out at night with boys, some tried drinking or drugs... I say the D word. What can I say?

8. I feel like I have to point out all of my flaws to people before they notice them for themselves. I don't want anyone to think for one second that I do things or look a certain way and am clueless about it. I think that if I make you aware that I have stretch marks all over my legs or that I am a mediocre cook, you won't have to worry about telling me. As a result of this... I cannot take a compliment either. If you compliment me, nine times out of ten I won't believe you and ten times out of ten I will counter it with a "thank you, but have you noticed this HUGE zit on my nose?" It's a self centered sickness and I really am trying to overcome it.

9. I over analyze everything. I cannot just experience an experience. I have to analyze the hell out of it and spend hours wondering "why he said that" or "what made her act like that." And I usually blame myself. If someone around me is acting weird, instead of asking them what's wrong, I try to figure out what I have done or said that's made them mad. So consequently, I am an incorrect assumer. I make up reasons for people's behavior. I assume incorrectly people's feelings about me. I am afraid to ask what's really going through their head because I don't want to know the answer, so I try and figure it out. And naturally the worst case scenario comes into play here BIG TIME. Wow... one of my degrees is in Psychology. Good thing I work at Best Buy.

10. I am obsessed with my husband. I really really love him a lot. I really really consider myself one of the luckiest wives in the world. He is such a genuinely good person with wonderful goals and hopes and dreams. He is selfless. He is honest. He is sexy. He is an amazing dad. I love to be with him. I hate it that we don't get very much time together. And so my heart leaps when he texts me. I get a big smile on my face when I hear the garage door opening. I love how affectionate he is. I love that he touches me all the time and tells me the sweetest things. He makes me feel so good about myself everyday. He makes me laugh everyday. He is my reason for loving my life again. He makes me want to be better. He loves me no matter what I do or say or think. He accepts all my flaws and even loves some of them. I am absolutely obsessed with him. I would do anything for him. What a wonderful way to feel about your husband.

I consider myself to be a "trainwreck" most of the time. But I balance it with a pretty good sense of humor and I am a very loyal friend. Thanks for this Karen... it feels good to get it out.

The Rivalry Is On

2009-09-26T14:32:00.001-07:00

Help !!!
i am typing this message with my pudgy little fingers to anyone who will listen.

please someone come and help me.

they are nuts.

dad wakes up first thing Saturday morning and puts this nasty red shirt on me.

and then mom watches him pull out of the garage to go to the louisville game
and she runs like a crazy person and puts me in BYU pink????
these headbands and bows are gigantic
and my neck hurts trying to support the weight of them.

i just want to sit in my little vibrating chair in an outfit with a kitty on it.
what is going on here? i am so stuck in the middle.
someone come quick and get me out of here. i didn't sign up for this.

i am exhausted

-Peyton

What the Heck?? Another TEENAGER???

2009-09-21T14:33:00.001-07:00

My little Quinners is 13.

Never in my wildest dreams on this day 13 years ago did I imagine that she would be as beautiful and helpful and well behaved and kind and loving and did I mention helpful??? How in the world did I survive an entire year without her? I can't imagine what "new baby" life would be like without her. She is a second mom, my second set of arms, my shopping buddy, the friend I need so much, my fashion consultant and comic relief. She takes Raleigh's jokes at her expense perfectly and never lets me down with having a constantly messy room. She loves her cell phone and her mascara and is as self centered as a 13 year old girl should be. She is my most spiritual child and works very hard on her Personal Progress, camp certifications and never misses church or activity nights. She is already 2 inches taller than me, her feet are a size bigger than mine and she is always digging in my closet for clothes. Which I suppose is flattering. I sure do love her and cannot express the overabundance of joy I feel that she is living with me again.

Happy Birthday Quincey
Thank you for all you do and who you are.

"Those who plant, believe God will make it grow"

2009-09-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

In Allie's class in April, they were learning about seeds. She brought home a poster board and we had to buy several kinds of seeds and glue them on the board and write the names of them and she drew pictures of what the growing process looked like.

She asked if we could plant the extra seeds left in the envelopes in the back yard. "Oh Als," I said "I am not a planter. I kill things. I promise if we plant something, it won't grow." She was so disappointed in me and my lack of confidence. She asked repeatedly for days. My answer was the same.

Finally she asked Raleigh. He jumped on board immediately. He is so "half glass full" all the time and ALWAYS thinks that every thing will work out. "Go choose which ones you'd like to plant and we will put them here" he said, pointing to a delightfully shady and perfect spot under the window.

She chose pumpkins. The timing was perfect. The package said for October pumpkins you need to plant in late April, early May. Which it was. Well, here we are nearing the end of September and the weather is cooling and the harvest decor is coming out of storage and BY GOLLY we have 8 HOME GROWN pumpkins to put on our porch this year.

Way to go you two. You planted and believed Heavenly Father would help them to grow and he sure did. And "Negative Nelly" has once again learned her lesson... with Raleigh, nothing is impossible. You better be careful or you just may turn me into an optimist. What would that be like?

Little ole Lady Hoo

2009-09-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

It should not come as a surprise to anyone, because I have never claimed to be otherwise, but I am not at all computer savvy. When I was in school, the screens were green and a little box blinked and we were taught some program called DOS, I think and it was ineffective. And so having said that, I wish I was... savvy that is... so that I could figure out how to put the video of Allie YODELING on this blog... because it is freakin' hilarious. And you would laugh your head off watching it. And then it would make what I am about to tell you like 10 times funnier... (Yes, funnier is a word. Webster said so. )

But the "little hustler" made $9.00 going door to door yesterday yodeling for the neighbors. And the not so bright people of Eagle Mountain actually ran to their purses and dug in the bottoms and found nickles and dimes and in some cases quarters and paid the girl to stand on their porches with her hands folded in front of her to vacillate between her head voice and chest voice at the top of her lungs. And now she is richer than me.

So, I was thinking I would get an old guitar case from a pawn shop somewhere and open the thing at the entrance of the BYU game on Saturday and have HOOTIN ANNIE ALLISON (with her front teeth missing) yodel her little heart out and treat us all to an Outback special afterward. If you are planning on attending the game, bring some dollars and contribute to the Lund family dinner. We deserve it, since we can no longer show our faces in the neighborhood anymore.

I am pretty sure the difference between people who are financially successful in this world and ordinary poor people like me lies solely in our willingness to show next to no shame in an effort to make a buck. You go girl... you have perfected a talent that only 4 other people on this earth possess. Get yourself some Lederhosen and knee socks and move to the Swiss Alps. The chances of you being the Tiger Woods of Yodeling are practically a sure thing.

Little Boy Blue come blow your horn

2009-09-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Oh... my cute little Brayden. My favorite son. We used to be best friends until he turned all teenagery on me and started liking girls and video games and hanging out with his stinky friends. He is super sensitive and has to be, I guess, with 4 sisters. AND... he wanted a talent.

We knew he was amazing at video game playing because he spent hours and hours perfecting that. We knew that sports might not be his thing. And so when he came home in the 6th grade and said "I'd like to be in the school band," I was so overwhelmed with excitement I ran straight to to local music store to pick up an instrument. He wanted to play the sax. I think mostly because it is almost the biggest instrument one can play and he wouldn't appear so little?? The only thing I knew about the sax was Kenny G played that instrument and we all know how super cool Kenny G is. Not to mention... foxy.

I rented a tenor sax for $26.00 a month, thinking this would last a month or two. He took it out of the case and within 10 minutes was playing song I could recognize. His band teacher, Mr. Winslow was nothing short of a musical genius and taught him correct timing and pushed him to practice and really challenged him. And at every parent teacher conference told me that he was really talented and could be really good.

Fast forward to the 9th grade. A FRESHMAN playing tenor sax in the junior and senior orchestra just nailed his proficiency exam with a 96/100... landing him the position of SECOND CHAIR, and stunning his new teacher and juniors and seniors who are wondering who this kid in the Corn Pops shirt is and are trying to find out if he is the instructor's son or something.

Sadly, I must confess... I haven't paid much attention to his saxophone playing. I attend all his concerts and take photos and tell him that I totally heard him above everyone else, but I didn't know that I was supposed to be bragging about him. He is just so quiet and so..."don't fuss over me too much" that I just didn't know. But today I will. My under the radar son, with next to no fashion sense and a tendency to be on the high end of the LAZY SCALE is with very little effort, in my opinion, the second best musician in the Westlake High School Orchestra. And let's face it, he is WAAAAAY hotter than that Kenny G fellow. So get with it boy... get rich and buy your mama a mansion.

Here you go, Mom

2009-09-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Sara and Jen...

2009-09-02T11:46:00.001-07:00

Just a little note to my sweet friends, Sara and Jen. Thank you for your FB comments. I hope you know that my little tyrant wasn't directed in any way in your direction. The reason for my creating an FB account in the first place was stupid and I have honestly had nothing but bad feelings about it since. I agree with my husband and my sister now WHOLEHEARTEDLY... it is a stupid and potentially hurtful, not to mention sneaky way for people to keep in touch and I would never want to be guilty of that and so I will no longer support it. I would rather keep in touch with both of you on my blog anyway. So keep visiting. You know I love both of you like sisters... the two blonde sisters I never had. Jen, come and see me anytime, I have the blues and could sure use a "pick me up" reminiscent luncheon with my favorite roomie. And Sara, don't you just wish I still worked there, cuz you know I'd be telling you the whole story huh?? Oh my gosh, I miss you!!

Aren't Doctors Wonderful??

2009-08-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to my two week post delivery doctor's appointment. My doctor and I have a great relationship and so we sat and talked for about a half hour about a variety of subjects. I asked him "if I came in to your office in two years and said I wanted to have another baby would you tell me I am crazy." He said "NOT YOU!!! You are healthier and in better shape than half of my 20 year olds. And I would love to work with you again" I said "but I will be almost 40 years old" and he said "yes, in a 25 year old body. So let's keep that option open for a while and see what pans out over the next two years"

Then he said "I have something to tell you now that we know that you and your baby are PERFECT." "Okay" I said. He goes "the week that your baby was born, we lost three full term babies. Their mom's came in in full blown labor and when the monitor was placed on them , there was no sound, no heartbeat, the babies were born dead at 40 weeks. Two were cord wraps like yours and one was unexplained."

Then he said "I don't know why your baby's heart rate dropped at the exact second that we placed the Doppler on you. Because if you will remember, there were incredible fluctuations. Why at that exact moment?? I can't explain why we heard what we heard, when we heard it. If we hadn't though, and I would have sent you on your merry way that day, your baby would have died. What I do know however is that without a doubt in my mind, your baby is supposed to be here and someone, somewhere loves both of you very much and was watching out for you that day and made timing perfect. I don't ever want you to forget that. Because three mothers were not that lucky."

So... to all of us who love our little PJ... let's remember together that she is a blessing to us and we need to never forget all of the wonderful days we will get to spend with her. And if you get a second... offer up a simple prayer on behalf of the three families in Murray, Utah who didn't get to bring their sweet babies home in their arms and be with them and feel their spirit in their homes.

And thank you Dr. Rappleye for being a very diligent doctor and giving us the chance to have a perfectly healthy and happy baby to love. Today I am grateful for doctors, who sometimes are right in tune with our heavenly father.

AAAHHHHHHHHHH......

2009-08-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday Dinner... A new cousin, a good cry and my daddy... what more could a girl ask for??

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

2009-08-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a minute and thank a few people who have really gone above and beyond. First, my mom and dad. Not only did they drive up here once in the middle of the night to see the birth of the baby, but then they went home to help my sisters get their kids off to the first day of school and then they drove back up. They searched our area grocery stores for hours to find the perfect meals. Then they cooked and cooked for hours. Dad fixed our garbage disposal and probably a few other things. He and Raleigh were able to play a very much deserved 9 holes. And he ripped probably 20 of my stitches out making me laugh. Mom did no less than 45 loads of laundry, got out all the stains, folded at least 19,000 pairs of socks and kept up on my medication schedule. They also helped me get my kids off to school. It was so fun to have them here and such a big help.

I wanted to thank Russ and Shauna and Lindsay for being a huge support at the hospital and for coming to visit us several times during our waaaaay tooooo long 4 day stay and for bringing treats. Every time they came my spirits were lifted. I also want to thank Russ for coming over with pizza to welcome the big kids home. That was a very thoughtful gesture.

And finally, I want to thank my very hard working, very caring and sensitive husband for all you have done while I am recovering. I know you feel like you are doing all the work and for that I am sorry. Thank you for coming to the emergency room with me and for making jokes and helping me not be scared. I am a very lucky wife.

Mia Hamm??? Is that you???

2009-08-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've thought extensively about this and I cannot come up with an answer. I don't get how some kids become what they become and there is no logic behind it. Let's take Allie for instance... she is the fourth child of probably the most laid back mother in the history of mothers. She hasn't been required to do much of anything in her life, she doesn't have a chore chart, she pretty much gets whatever she wants and yet she is the most headstrong little girl there is. I did not raise her to be headstrong. I haven't really fostered an environment where one would find it necessary to fine tune their argumentative skills in order to survive. I choose my battles and I only choose about 2 to 3 a week... because let's face it... I am exhausted most of the time and I simply don't care if you wear shoes when you play outside or eat all of the food on your plate. Surely she's picked up on this by now... but yet for some reason, yet to be determined, she argues about EVERYTHING.

Then there is this unexplainable competitive, athletic, natural born chick-jock thing she's got going on. She was born to probably the two most unathletic people on earth. Her mother hasn't gone a week in her entire life without tripping or falling. Throw a ball in the mix and forget it. And for some reason there my little girl is out on the soccer field scoring 2 goals in 1 1/2 minutes, running around like she owns the place. She can play forward, she is the best goalie, she plays defense, she is better than all the boys. The only thing she isn't good at is LOSING. And I just don't get it. Where did she come from? She looks like an athlete, she is an athlete, she will be an athlete for the rest of her life. It is her talent... it is her calling... she is a hands on her hips, cute legged, red faced, sweaty, spitting sunflower seeds in the grass... JOCK. And I will admit it is so fun to have the entire sidelines screaming your daughter's name as she runs down the field.

I also will say... I feel sorry for the referee that makes a bad call in her direction because the poor man has absolutely no idea what he is up against. The poor person has no idea that she will argue with him with unwavering determination with no possibility of an end until he has no choice but to eject her and have her physically removed from the field kicking and screaming. Wait... wait a minute... now that I think about it... I think I know what it is... I seem to remember this happened to my sister a time or two on the basketball court. I seem to remember that this sounds almost exactly like my sister. I think if you lined the two of them up the resemblance would be uncanny. That is it... mystery solved!!!

Kami....... come and get your daughter, she is here at my house and missing you.

Everything Peyton...

2009-08-18T09:34:00.000-07:00

There is nothing better than being the parents to the perfect baby. We could not be more in love!!! And it gets better with each passing day.

Get Ready... she's the cutest baby in the world

2009-08-16T09:34:00.000-07:00

If there is anything consistent in this life it is change. Just when you think you've got a plan, and you are prepared... WHAM... change!! And our job is to adapt to it and roll with it because dang it we really are NOT in charge. So my scheduled Friday morning induction was all planned. I had a cleaning schedule, I had some more packing to do, I had some more things to buy, I was going to eat some good meals with just Raleigh and no kids, I had to shave in several areas and buy good smelling lotions and I had 2 good days to do all of this.

I just had to zip up to SLC for a quick doctor's appointment. So there I am on the table, undressed from the waist down and Doctor Rappleye comes in as usual... happy and whistling. I am happy, baby was happily kicking. He turns the doppler on, places it on my stomach and NOTHING. No sound. Then there was a sound. Not the usual heartbeat sound but 6 beats in a 25 second period. Then Rapp goes "oh baby... don't you do this to me" and then he starts pushing on my stomach very forcefully. Then he sits me up and says "go straight to the hospital and I will meet you there with your chart."

So I drive my self over there. Talking to Raleigh the whole time, who was at work and closing that night to make it worse. I could hear panic in his voice and I knew he was walking really fast. And even though I knew it was serious, I was very calm.

They hooked me up to a monitor and she sounded really good. With an occasional dip of course but followed up by an excelleration which the nurse said was good. Not too long after I'd been there Raleigh and Shauna walked in and I felt so much better. As they were arriving, we got word that Rapp was going to start me and we'd have a baby tonight. "I'm not ready... I don't have any socks, I don't have my things, my bedding is at home in the washing machine, my house isn't clean..." Shauna, in true Shauna Fashion starts fixing all my problems. Off to Nordstrom she goes to buy cute socks, stopping at Build a Bear... to Build a Bear, arranging for Russ to stop by our house and pick up everything we own the whole time telling me everything was going to be alright and telling Raleigh to massage me, hold my hand, telling the nurses to come check me, telling everyone in the room to talk quietly, telling Lindsay to give me a head massage, she even made sure the anesthesologist wasn't scaring me with all of his medical talking. It was all about me and I couldn't have done it without her. Mom and Dad were on their way from St. George all was at that point going well.

We laid there, watched a movie, laughed, planned and no dilating was happening, significant dips in heartbeat could be heard and the nurses had worried looks. The thought was that the cord was wrapped around our baby's neck and with every contraction her heart would almost stop.

Mom and Dad arrived at 11:30, I think, and the situation was getting a little scary. So at 1:30, the decision to have a C-section, to save our baby's life, was made and in what seemed like a dream off we went to the OR. Half hour later I could hear my sweet baby crying and I was crying and Raleigh was crying and she was perfect... and it was over.

Raleigh watched the entire procedure and was more than facinated by it which was a relief to me since I was overwhelmed with the guilt of robbing him out of a traditional birth. He promises he is okay with it. I think he must be because there is not a dad on this earth that loves their daughter more than him. I know that one of these days I will get to hold her.

Anyway... in an attempt to not make this story any longer... I will introduce the most beautiful baby in the world... Peyton Jo Lund.

Here we are thinking everything was fine and a normal birth was going to take place in a little while. See we are happy and care free and not too worried.

WHAM!!! CHANGE!!!

WHAM!!! EVERYTHING CHANGES!!!

I mean.... seriously....you've got to be joking

2009-08-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

2 months, I've been looking. On line, in stores, on line some more. I carry my swatches wherever I go. I can't sleep at night. I was in a panic, I only have 9 (well really only 8 days). How could I possibly bring a new baby home to a darling nursery with no quilt? I just couldn't if I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror.

On Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment and on the way home, really in an effort to get out of traffic I stopped at the Quilt Shop. It was 5:55 and they were closing at 6:00. I walked in "I know you're closing" I say "but here are the colors of my baby's room, do you have anything that will work?" The cute little old lady winks at me... "only the perfect anything" she says "AND it's on CLEARANCE." Because I am crying over everything currently, I didn't disappoint myself and burst into tears. "Thank you, Thank you" I say sobbing and rubbing it on my face. "I am a good mom, I am a good mom" And so today I will go back and buy every matching item they have. And oh my gosh, you would die over the accessories. Oh bring on the little girl, I am officially ready. And I can scratch one more emotionally inspiring thing off my list

Hey Mom, I made that lamp. It is soooo much better in person. But blood, sweat and tears went into it. Okay... no blood. But I did sweat on the couch while I was making it and Raleigh had to turn the air conditioner up and turn on the fan. I then once or twice I shed a couple of tears in frustration and a couple of swear words came out. But it's pretty cute. Not as cute as the wall of course, but not too shabby for a girl who can't even TIE HER OWN SHOES.

Countdown...

2009-07-28T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ya know 17 days really isn't that long. Especially when you think that you will be asleep for 1/3 of it and you will be working for 1/3 of it. Which really only leaves a girl about 5 1/2 days to clean her house, pack a bag, find and purchase bedding that matches a very difficult color scheme, pack up a daughter for girl's camp, pack up 3 kids for a week in Portland, clean out her car, register at the hospital, get her toe nails polished, find really cute socks to wear with the gown that ties in the back so at least her FEET look cute in the stirrups and get mom up here from St. George. Not to mention... find cute baby announcements, finish the lamp for the baby's room, make "it's a girl" goodies, and find a good bra.

I just LOVE scheduled inductions and doctors that go out of town 4 days before your due date. I just love pitocin and only 4 hours of labor instead of 24. I just love knowing exactly when it will be and being totally prepared. I just love getting to spend the entire week before with just my husband and NO kids.

August 14, 2009
A good day to have a baby don't ya think?

It's all good...

2009-07-25T13:51:00.000-07:00

So we got to get another look at our baby on Thursday. She is happily floating in the the perfect amount of amniotic fluid. She is exactly as big as she is supposed to be. Her arrival date is the same as it has always been. She is estimated to weigh nearly 6 1/2 pounds. She is folded in half which we all know is her favorite position. Her little butt is tucked ever so uncomfortably under my right rib cage making it impossible for me to get a good breath or to sleep laying down. She played with her hand and rubbed her eyes and practiced opening and closing her mouth. In other words... she continues to be perfect.

I am trying not to worry about the photos that were taken that made her look like she had a massively over sized CHIN and I think that we probably shouldn't mention the girly area photo that makes me blush when I look at it and will be really great blackmail in 16 years. My sister says those late ultrasound photos are always distorted. And since Kori is one of the smartest people I know and is in the medical profession, I will trust her. But if that chin is really that big... I am blaming Raleigh. Those Lund genes are very dominant.

I am also sad to say that there may be a little brainwashing plan in place. Oh... I have some work ahead of me. I can't have a Ute loving daughter. I already lost my son to that no good institution.

They came... they filled up the basement... they left

2009-07-20T17:06:00.000-07:00

The entire fam damly showed up on Friday night. Everyone that is except Russ and Morgan. It is the greatest thing in the world to have a basement with a huge room so that you can say to 8 unruly kids... everyone grab a blanket and a pillow and go downstairs and shut the door and be quiet. Yeah right, look at them.

On Saturday morning all 15 of us got all gussied up for an entire day at Seven Peaks. Most of us took full advantage of the slides, but some of us floated around and around in the lazy river and got completely fried on only one side of her body. Which later, was evened out by putting a big ole gut in the hole of a raft. GENIUS!

Here are the girls looking ever so amazingly HOT. Mom was complaining how she hasn't taken a picture with the three of us in a very long while and so naturally, she chose the time when we were looking our very best. At least there was no pinata anywhere in sight.

Quincey has anxiety about almost everything and yet she does stuff like this. I just don't get it.

They clean up pretty well. Brayden will want me to mention that Quin had on very high heels.

We had such a great, short time together. Our last summer hurrah. Next event... The baby blessing. We will all be much cooler then and at least one of us will be less weighty. Can't wait.

Sometime during the day, Raleigh got a call that the crib was ready to be picked up and so on the way home, we threw that in the back of Papa's truck and it took Raleigh all of 8 minutes to set it up. It is so darling.

Baby update... "Little Bit" is really just that... she has decided to stop growing for some reason. The doctor says it is either because she is just going to be a little tiny baby or because I am losing amniotic fluid. In any case, I have to have another ultrasound to determine if we are just taking a break from growing or if I need to be on BED REST. (Yeah, right like that will happen.) The diagnosis for now is drink lots of water. That I can do. No more Diet Dr. Pepper for now. Damn it!!! How will I get through the day?

Boys will BEE boys

2009-07-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

Be Adventurous

Be Swift

Be Brave

Be Cautious

Be Accurate

Be Sure you have Fire Insurance

What else would you do if you had 4 beehives in the eaves of your house and you were just sitting around doing nothing with your brother in law?

On top of everything else... the guy can paint

2009-07-13T15:48:00.000-07:00

It's a bizarre and foreign experience for me to be pregnant and actually have my husband be excited about it. It boggles my mind when he says... "hey, wanna spend MY day off shopping for baby clothes? Or a stroller/car seat? Or cute little knit headbands with big flowers and bows?"

"We don't have to" I say. "I bet you can think of at least 20 other activities you'd rather do today" "No way, Jose" is the reply. "I have been looking forward to this all my life" he says and then I melt into a puddle of mush on the floor. I am just used to doing all that getting ready for a new baby stuff by myself.

So imagine my complete surprise when one day we had a conversation that went something like this...

R- I only have 12 weeks to get the baby's room painted.

K- Yes 12 weeks (I say behind a magazine, so he can't see me smiling at his cuteness)

R- I need for you to pick the color

K- Um.... pink???

R- Naturally, but which one? I have several swatches here, (that at some earlier point he'd picked up from the local paint store) which one do you like best?

K- That "melony" one

R- Me too-- that is the color I would choose. What is a good accent color?

K- Um..... (you know me and decisions) um.... um.... brown?

R- Yes! Yes! Like this one here? (out comes a delightful little brown colored swatch)

K- Very complimentary (I say, indulging the little game)

R- And now for a third?

K- EEEE Gad, Ral. Three colors?

R- Yes.... I have plans

K- Light green, I guess.

R- LLLIIIKKKKEEE this one? (again the perfect color)

K- Yep, just like that one. What is your plan?

R- 3 walls in the melon color. And an accent wall...... WITH AN ARGYLE PATTERN. ( and the excitement on his face was unbelievable.) I have been researching on line... I know exactly how to do it and I have to get started if I am going to finish in time.

K- Oh sweetheart... (I say trying not to burst his bubble) that will be so hard. Diamonds are geometrically difficult shapes. This will involve math, and precision and stencilling for crying out loud. It will be an overwhelming task. You will get all frustrated. It takes a lot of patience and if the lines aren't perfect, it will look very..... well...... not good. And I don't want to come home from work to find you throwing little tiny brushes all over the house and yelling obscenities.

R- I am a very patient person. I am good at math. I don't yell obscenities or throw things. I have a few skills you know. I would like to give this a shot.

K- Okay, but the second you lose your temper, and you will, as painting is a temper losing stimulant, I will shut this thing down and ALL four walls will be that cute melon color. Okay?

R- Okay, ye of little faith... but you are going to be so proud of me. Just watch.

So over the course of the next 5 days, I watched that boring wall transform into the most beautiful wall of argyle that I have ever seen. Perfectly painted lines. Perfectly stenciled dashes (which were done with a stencil that he made himself because he couldn't find one he liked at any of the craft stores he went to) A perfectly perfectly painted baby's room and we don't even have the darling crib in there yet. Done by a perfectly perfect painter. Who is going to be the perfectly perfect daddy to this little girl. She will be dizzy with all the shapes in her room and will be mesmerized by the vibrance of the color. But, how could she not love it? And how can I not brag to everyone I know about the little known painting genius that lives right here in my house? Seriously... he is the greatest of my treasures.

I helped a little bit here and there.

He began by offering a prayer to the Argyle Gods. Oh bless me God of Geometry, Goddess of Diamonds and Princess of Blue Tape.

The final photo to come as soon a the crib arrives and the bedding is found... Um yeah... we are going to try and get everything to match. Wish us luck.

P.S. HE DIDN'T EVEN LOSE HIS TEMPER ONE TIME. NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT

Looking Forward...

2009-07-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am stealing an idea from my mom's blog. I thought it was cute. She asked her readers to share what they are looking forward to and so... so shall I.

1. Of course and without a doubt I am looking forward to the birth of our little daughter the most. I can't wait to see what a combination of Raleigh and me looks like. I can't wait to see the look on his face when he holds her for the first time. I can't wait to watch him change her diaper, comfort her when she is upset and sleep with her on his chest. I am NOT looking forward to the actual birth however. Not that I am not by now a TOTAL pro, and needles and pain don't scare me and I know exactly what to expect and I don't think there will be any surprises, but I am to say the very least... 1000% LESS than thrilled to be in "that" embarrassingly vulnerable state, with it all hanging out. As if to say... here it is the sickest and grossest part of me, take a look strange doctor and several nurses and fairly new husband. Just take a gander at this and then just try and wipe that image from your mind.

2. I am looking forward to football season, Saturday afternoon games, Sunday night games, Bowl games, lots of weekend visits from St. George BYU fans, the smell of Fall in the air, cool crisp breezes blowing through my open windows and friendly competition and a few side bets with my husband. I need a massage or two, come on Cougs... don't let me down again this year.

3. I am looking forward to school starting. Not that this summer has been too bad, but I enjoy the routine of kids coming and going with a purpose. I like the stability of homework before dinner, baths by 8:30, in bed by 9:00 and NOT HAVING TO ENTERTAIN their uncreative minds on a daily basis and feel the guilt that "this summer vacation sucks and there is NOTHING to do" I like being able to say "nope, it's a school night" and having some quiet hours to myself. OH MAN... I am forgetting that I will have a newborn huh? What is that like again? I have forgotten. AAARRRGGGHHH.

4. I am looking forward to another perfect year of complete and total marital bliss, strengthening our family, Sunday night dinners, holiday traditions, little vacations, millions of laughs, losing 35 pounds, fitting into my jeans again (if the stars align and all the praying works) eating spicy foods, ketchup, salad dressing, Chex Mix and all things yummy without backlash and a healthy and happy baby.

5. And of course, spiritual events in our not too distant future that mean way too much to me to talk about publicly. That will be the best part of all.

What a great future I have ahead of me. Who would have ever thought that I would EVER say those words or think those thoughts? What a great time to be me.

What are you looking forward to???

A perfect Fourth of July

2009-07-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

I am five or six weeks away from having my baby. It is starting to be all miserable all the time. I have kankles and I can't sleep and I AM HOT. I am so happy that this Fourth of July blessed me with nice, cool cloud cover. We started the day at the West Jordan Parade. Grama Shauna was a witch on the Gardner Village float and she was darling. Complete with her sassy red boots. We were there with Lindsay, Grandpa, Court and all the kiddies.

We then met at Geckos for lunch. The food was delish and filling. And despite our going so far as to hide our checks under our plates, Russ and Shauna bought our lunch.

Then we went back home and met up with Russ and Kori who were in town as they are every Independence Day. They helped us make cookies and Kori told the funniest joke I have heard in a long time and I still laugh every now and then.

Then the 10, yes I said 10 of us went up to Murray for a backyard BBQ. There was enough food for 400 people. Again we were blessed with cloud cover and perfect weather. The kids and the dads played all sorts of games on the grass and the rest of us talked.

Then we went to the junior high to watch a magnificent fireworks show. I think we all had a really great day. Thank you Lunds for showing my sister and her family what a wonderful family I get to be a part of. It was a delight to introduce them to all of you.

My Prodigy

2009-07-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

Just take a look at my cute son. I wish I could say that he got his good looks from me, but he looks just like his dad's side. I donated the quick wit and dynamic personality and I paid what seems like a million dollars for those teeth which makes him a COMPLETE PACKAGE. Wait until he is 16. I am so glad that his hygiene habits are lacking because I could really be in some trouble. Keep not showering babe... at least until you are safely on your mission.

Happy Happy Birthday Allie Dear...

2009-06-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

Oh my little Alsko!! What would we do without you? You keep us on our toes. You are smarter than any 7 year old we know. You are good at everything you try or you keep trying until you are good at it. You are sassy and bossy and totally overwhelming. I think that you should be a defense attorney when you grow up because you could argue an untrue point so well, that the person you are arguing with is so totally confused and bewildered they have no choice but to believe you.

"Yes... Allie" they say (not even knowing why) "I do believe you are correct that St. George is NO WHERE near Utah. I don't know why I ever thought that is was." "You are right... there is NO WAY you could drive that many hours and still be in the same state." "What in the world was I thinking?"

You are completely unfocused, unless the focus in on you and then THERE IS NO DEVIATION. But... no one is better than you at LEGOs. No girl is cuter. You are my most animated child and have the greatest personality. I am so glad that you have decided to be a girl again and wear pink sometimes. I can't wait for you to be a teenager. Please promise that you will come visit Raleigh and me in the "Nut House" from time to time and fill us in on all of your accomplishments.

Happy Birthday Allison Kate. I just love you!!!

Brothers...

2009-06-30T15:45:00.000-07:00

I never had a brother. I have great sisters, but I think the three of us would agree that we missed out by not having boys in our house growing up. My friends with brothers would tell me how lucky I was because brothers are stinky and gross and they beat sisters up and they are mean for no reason. But, secretly I wanted that. Consequently, I just love boys. My best friends growing up were boys. Boys are just easier to be friends with. There is no drama. They are loyal. They tell you how it is and they don't get offended. They are mysterious and strange. They don't take life too seriously and they make it so much more fun.

Girls, on the other hand are LAME. Show me a girl, that says she's your friend and I will show you someone who will stab you in the back the second you turn around. There is no worse sound to me than a bunch of cackling women at a restaurant having lunch. "Oh your shoes are so stinkin' cute" "Oh I love your purse" "Oh you are so skinny" blah blah blah, lies lies lies. They really just can't wait for you to leave so that they can rip you to shreds. I only trust my sisters, they are just like me, they don't talk FAKE to me, they get me and they don't talk about me behind my back. But I digress.

I have several brothers in law. (And a fabulous sister in law.) They are all very good looking and very sweet to me and I am lucky. And I hope he doesn't mind, but my "brother" Court has really impressed me and I want him to know that I admire him for the good boy he is and for how hard he is trying. And for how hard he works to keep our country safe. And for sacrifices that he makes in order to keep his priorities straight. And even though circumstances aren't perfect, he maintains a positive attitude and has such humorous outlook on things. And Sunday was a great day and I am glad that we got to be a part of it and witness the joy and happiness on your face.

So, to those "brothers" who aren't really brothers, but I like to pretend that you are... it sure is fun to say I have you and get to hang with you from time to time because not one of you are stinky or gross or mean. And so far I haven't even been beaten up once.

Happy Birthday Hotstuff

2009-06-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

Please join me in wishing Raleigh the Happiest of Birthdays.

I can't even begin to tell you how Raleigh has made me the happiest girl in the whole entire world. I am married to the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful, caring, sensitive, understanding, patient, gentle, sexy, talented, best smelling, humble and funniest person on the planet. Not to mention... he is the best kisser and on several occasions just the sight of him has made me weak. He has done more for us in the last year than some men do for their families in a lifetime and if I live to be 200 years old, I will never be able to thank him enough. He is strong where I am weak and he always knows just what to say to make me feel all the way better. He has filled in all of the cracks in my life and made me a much better person. I want to thank his parents for teaching him how to treat a woman and how to be a hard worker and a good father and a healthy, stable, clear thinking and respectful person. I am so lucky that I get to be with him every day and be a part of his life. I love you and will love you forever and ever!!!

Just because...

2009-06-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

I like this picture and I think he's pretty dang cute!!!!!

A tale as old as time

2009-06-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

For Family Home Evening this week, we were able to go up to the Murray Park Amphitheater and see Beauty and the Beast. The whole family was there and we passed treats and Baby Dax back and forth and sang along. We loved it because it was a little chilly, but under the blankets was perfect. What a fun night and what a talented city Murray is.

Day by day in Newport Beach

2009-06-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

And so it begins...

Friday... we started the California Adventure with a pit stop to our favorite restaurant in Corona... Miguels. We were all tired and very anxious to get to our rooms to relax.

Here we are at the Newport Coast Marriott Resort. It is absolutely beautiful. The grounds, the rooms and the pools are unbelievable. Every morning it is overcast and then about noon, it burns off and it's never been over 75 degrees. We started by getting settled. We shared a room with the Hydes. And mom and dad and Kam and Brent are in a room down the hall.

Saturday...
The boys woke up at the crack of dawn and headed to the golf course... of course. Don't they look cute in their collared shirts and NO DENIM??? Their tee time was 11:15 and they wrapped it up at 6:00. Which would be the longest golf game in history right??? At 6:00, we got a text from Raleigh, informing us that the Angel's game that we thought started at 7:05 really started at 6:05... so since the boys were still on the golf course, Kami and I were shopping and the rest of the group was lounging at the resort... one can only imagine the chaos that happened as we grabbed cameras, hoodies, children, tickets, baseball gloves etc and made a mad dash for the stadium. We had a great time eating food that was WAY too expensive and watching the Angel's hit WAY too many home runs.

Sunday...
We woke up early and found a ward in a building right across the street from the Newport Temple. The ward was huge and completely filled to capacity. It is so wonderful that it feels the same wherever you are in the world. The best part of the meeting were the 9 year old sisters that sang a musical number. They had the most beautiful voices and I bawled through the rest of the speakers. I don't know why... but they really touched me. Sunday night we ventured Northward to attempt to have a nice dinner. However, that didn't materialize and quite frankly was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life and I started crying AGAIN and poor Raleigh did his best to make me comfortable and happy and probably wondered once or twice... "who in the world am I married to?" I don't lose it very often, but I sure did this time. It's quite a story. And certainly NOT the highlight of the trip.

Monday...
Was our One Year Anniversary. I will first start off by saying that it was the most perfect one year anniversary that a girl could ask for. We spent the day at the beach. I got a rice crispy treat. Raleigh took me to Flemings (a very expensive and classy restaurant in Fashion Island) with the most delicious food and then... he and I came back and watched the video he made of our first year together and I bawled my head off AGAIN... There were very significant parts that meant THE WORLD to me (whether he knew they would have the impact they did or not) he included all the right pictures and ALL THE RIGHT WORDING. He is the best husband on the planet. I am a very lucky girl.

Tuesday...
We left for Disneyland at 7:30 am. We saved a BOATLOAD of money on tickets because Brent has a few connections and we spent the day doing what you do at Disneyland. (Unless of course, you are pregnant) then you sit on a lot of benches and watch a lot of really weird people. But we really had a very fun time as you can see.

Goodbye Morgan

2009-05-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

As you may or may not know, this summer I am trading daughters. Quincey is coming back to me after what will be exactly a year away and Morgan is going to try a year in Portland. I am so happy to get Quin back, but today was hard. It's hard to pack up your daughter's room and cram everything she owns into two huge suitcases. It's hard to drive her to the airport and put her on the plane when she is so small. I am going to miss her freckles and her cute little crooked teeth. Somedays, it is really hard to be a mom.

Today is my 38th birthday. I share a birthday with my niece, Savanna and Aunt Sandy. And traditionally, my birthdays are not good. I usually end up working. One year Brayden broke his ankle and I spent the day in the hospital. One year, no one remembered. Last year, I spent the whole day crying because I had just been with Raleigh, but had to leave him in Orem as I drove back down to St. George by myself and I thought my heart would burst. Anyway.... today, the shear fact that I woke up and didn't have to go to work was enough to make it one of my best so far, but I also got a multitude of phone calls and my mom paid tribute to me on her blog and I had a family dinner with Raleigh's family and I spent the day with my favorite boy in Park City spending a truck load of money... And my little girl made it to Portland safely... This was my best birthday ever. And if I can get my hands on a white cupcake with butter cream frosting, I might even go so far as to say it was perfect. And it's about time, dang it.

There it is... PERFECTION!!!

A little publicity for my "sis"

2009-05-25T15:11:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself in Northern Utah and in need of a good "hair girl" who just happens to have also been blessed with the gift of gab and will soon be your best friend... click on the Lindsay at Hair Candy Link under my friends and family for great deals and prices.

Somedays... you just need to vent... ya know?

2009-05-14T15:47:00.001-07:00

To steal a quote from my sister... "It's all fun and games until someone gets pregnant."

Isn't this the truth. I have been trying to figure out why our Heavenly Father in his infinite wisdom has made this experience so ridiculous. When we all die and move on to the heavens above, I hope that we have a big recap meeting where we critique the MORTAL EXPERIENCE and what we liked and disliked about it etc. I will raise my hand very high and say "I enjoyed the mountains of Northern Utah and chocolate but what in the world was the purpose of requiring your sweet daughters who delightfully volunteered to sacrifice EVERY square inch of their bodies to bring precious spirits on to the earth to endure no less than 16 weeks of feeling like poo poo, constipation, unexplained weight gain, uncontrollable emotions, baby hic-ups at 2:00 am, leg cramps, braxton hicks contractions, an overall losing of one's mind, diarrhea, heartburn, bizarre cravings, the feeling of a near stomach explosion, getting kicked in the liver and or spleen whichever or maybe both, not to mention the ribs, back aches, snoring, inability to breathe, brown splotches everywhere, blood tests, acne, night sweats, gas, overwhelming exhaustion, bloating, water retention, never ending trips to the bathroom and complete and utter unsexiness?" While your sons, bless em, feel great.... sure they feel helpless.... but dang it, they feel great. And they look great too.

Don't get me wrong... I am thrilled beyond belief to be having this baby but for the love of Pete, just one day of relief is all I ask. I swear, there was a time in my life when I had some dignity, a time when I felt good about myself, but that time is gone. And there isn't any promise that it will come back. And we haven't even done the horrifying delivery room thing yet. That is certain to bring a story or two.

And so I will now quote my POOR husband, who is confused at what has happened to his fairly new wife and who just yesterday, attempting to be loving and empathetic muttered.... "my goodness, Sweetheart, you are falling apart before my eyes."

Yes my dear, I know and IT IS NOT MY FAULT!!!! And as soon as I can, I will get what I assume will be a decent explanation, or I fear the eternities may experience a female uprising that could go on for a very long time... we women are not only self sacrificers and are as tough as nails but let's face it, as a gender we are MAJOR grudge holders and don't forget when we have been wronged very easily. So while all the men sit there looking and feeling great all I can say is it could be really bad if there isn't a "smooth things over" plan in place. And that plan better be good and it better involve chocolate.

We can laugh... NOW.

2009-05-07T16:39:00.001-07:00

For the most part, I have considered myself a lucky mother in the area of injuries with my kids. We have had no broken bones and last year, not one of us made a trip to the doctor for anything.
Enter 2009...

Allie had a little growth on her hand. I thought the procedure would be a quick in and out, easy deal. I made the appointment with our favorite St. George doctor, Scott, who fixes EVERYTHING. Little did I know the ordeal would take 30 minutes and 10 shots and an ace bandage for heavens sake. She was so brave to watch the entire thing and only shed a few tears... Nana, on the other hand, who went with us was curled up in a ball in the corner. And hasn't been the same since.

Here is Morgan, with strep throat and super gross germs in the midst of Swine Flu Season. She was not happy to wear this beautiful mask, which I think brings out her eyes. But at the very least, we didn't have to smell her super bad breath. Sorry Mo, but it's the truth. Everyone knows throat ailments cause nasty halitosis.

And finally... let's not leave Quincey out! Quin has lots and lots of skills... coordination is not one of them however. One time at Target she tripped twice, fell once and knocked 3 things off the shelf. Anyway... for some reason, she tried her hand at SNOWBOARDING. And as you can see, the good doctors had to transport her and her blown out knee down the mountain on a sled. Look at the looky loo in the background. "What's going on over there?" he's wondering.

And then there's Brayden, who ditched school three weeks ago to go long boarding with his buddies and ate 17 yards of asphalt. Serves him right, I say. But he had some delicious road rash and what might have been a sprained wrist. No pic for that one though because he tried to hide it from me so he wouldn't get caught. What a guy.

I was thinking maybe we should all just stay home for a while and sit quietly on the couch. What d' ya think?

One year ago...

2009-04-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, I went to lunch with the love of my life at a little burger joint near his house. I only had an hour. I picked at my chicken crispers and tried to act as normal and in control as possible. But, I was wrenching inside and was fighting back a river of tears. After lunch, I dropped him off at his apartment and out in front of his place was a tiny Uhaul filled to the top and his little red car hitched up to the back and I kissed him and said good bye thinking it may be the last time I would ever see him. How I ever pulled out of that parking lot, I will never know.

He had recently been transferred to the Orem store. It was a great opportunity that he couldn't pass up and who was I to hold him back. I told him to go and see how it felt to be without me. If it felt okay, I would stay in St George and he would stay in Orem and we would move on with our lives without each other. It would be easier that way. I would just never see him again and I would somehow have to figure out how I'd survive knowing that the best thing that had ever happened to me was over. I knew that if that was what was meant to be, I would be okay. But it didn't stop me from sobbing my heart out all the way back to work.

When I got back to the office, there was my sweet, Sara with encouraging words and a huge bear hug. "Go look on your desk" she said with a sly grin. There on the corner, bigger than life, were 24 of the most perfect light pink roses encircled in baby's breath and a massive bow. He must have spent $200 on them. The card read "real fairy tales have no ending, I will see you on June 13th." That was the deadline I had given him to choose a life with me or without me. He'd already decided before he even left and a quick phone call confirmed that in every second of his spare time, he would be arranging for me to join him up North. On June 15th, with a much larger Uhaul filled to the top, waiting to make a journey up North, I married the love of my life and began a new chapter.

As I sit here today... a year later... never in my wildest dreams could I ever have imagined that it could be this perfect. I never thought I could be this happy. I never thought that I could be this in love. I never thought that I would look so forward to my future. Real fairy tales do come true and what an amazing tale it has been. Thank you for finding me and being brave enough to love me. And I just have to say that I will love you forever. And ever.

There it is...

2009-04-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

As requested there she is... and as you all know... WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO... not to mention 3 SUMMER months and a lot of water retention... Stay tuned for the exciting finale.

What could be better than Bridal Veil Falls???

2009-04-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

There really isn't anything more spectacular than Provo Canyon on a beautiful Spring Sunday. What a delightful way to feel the spirit and love of our Heavenly Father. And there just couldn't be a better way to spend your Sabbath day than to go with people you love to enjoy nature in it's nearly perfect form. What a fun day we had.

P.S. Don't worry about Brayden... he's okay. He's just at that age where asking him to take a picture is a NEVER ENDING joke and he couldn't possibly be serious for one second.

Simple Reminders

2009-04-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

On Monday I woke up covered in blood. A shocking event in itself, but completely impossible to take when you are only 22 weeks pregnant. I sat there for a minute pondering the reasons because in my VAST pregnancy experience, I have never experienced THIS... It could be placenta previa? OR placenta abruption? Either way... a 22 week little girl would not be able to survive. My sweet little baby that I am falling in love with more and more each day because she has the cutest personality and keeps me company with her kicking and squirming ALL day long.

I immediately began cursing myself... "why are you soooooo old?" "why are you putting a baby at risk by being pregnant at this ridiculous age?" I said a quick prayer. "Thy will be done..." I said, "but, please don't do this to us. We will love her and be so good to her and we are great parents and some little babies don't get great parents. But we are and she needs us. And I love him soooooo much and can probably only give him one... let me please give him one."

The thought came into my mind. Calm down, go lay down and let her tell you she is okay. I ran into the bathroom where Raleigh was. " I am bleeding" I said "and we need to see if she is moving." He stood at the side of the bed with his hand on my stomach and one minute later, she starting moving like she always does. We were so relieved. Because we knew something was wrong with me, but she was for now... fine. All day long I monitored movements talked to the doctor and took it easy.

And now that it is Friday we, of course know that everything is all good, but for a minute there it might not have been and I had the opportunity to come to know that even though this pregnancy is kicking my butt and I haven't had the best attitude because I have felt pretty crappy for the last 4 months, I know that this is what I want more than anything in the world and we are the luckiest parents because our Heavenly Father has given us the opportunity to raise one of his most precious daughters. So everyday, I will be sure to get on my knees and thank Him for this blessing. Sometimes He will send us simple trials to remind us to be grateful for the wonderful gifts He gives us each day. This one I will never forget.

Easter

2009-04-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring to everyone!!

It began on Saturday, which was very cold and rainy. We attended two HUGE Easter Egg Hunts and collected more plastic, candy filled eggs than any family knows what to do with.

Then on Sunday, which was the most beautiful day that we have had in a very long time, we got to eat the most delicious food at the Gardner Village, Gathering Place Easter Brunch. Most of the Lunds were there minus Courtney (where are you Court???) We miss you!

Further evidence that it was a beautiful day. Look at that blue sky and those vivid colors.

The Best part of the whole day. Aren't they sweet??? Yeah, Morgan... Thanks for wearing your seatbelt, even if it is cutting off your circulation

Happyhour......Somewhere..... this post is for you!

2009-04-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

I got pulled over on Saturday for going 61 in a 45 (and did I mention, it was a construction zone no less) which would have been an easy $250.00 in the back pockets of the Bluffdale Utah police department. Who quite frankly could use the money more than any city in the state. (And did I mention that I ALSO GAVE HIM THE REGISTRATION FORM FOR THE WRONG CAR with my old name on it) And my 6 year old wasn't in her booster seat. And a plethora of other violations were going on including but not limited to the fact that I was driving what some people may view as the city dump.

And yet for some completely unknown reason... either due to the fact that I stuck my big ole preger belly out as far as I possibly could or whether I pulled off the best "California Girl" flirting job of all time... I got off WITH A WARNING.

Old Lead Foot did it again. I just thought you'd want to know.

To whom it may concern...

2009-04-07T10:10:00.001-07:00

If there is one thing that I have learned in my relatively short time here on this earth, it's that every story has two sides. And historically, the side that generally gets told is the side coming from the person with the biggest mouth. Leaving the quieter, less confrontational, less in High School person with a decision to make. Either they can yell more loudly than the first and defend themselves or they can just hope that those people considering themselves true friends and family will care enough and be courteous enough to ask for the quieter version of things. Because they know the person and they know the nature of her personality... There simply MUST be an explanation.

And so I say to those of you who obviously care a little bit because you are here visiting my blog-- if you have been told or have read something about me in the last week that causes a question of my moral character to come into your mind...PLEASE come talk to ME!!! Because I tend to be a bit on the shy and timid side of SELF DEFENSE and I tend not to want to attract attention to myself at all costs. And because you know me... you must know that I am anything but malicious or psycho so please consider the possibility that I just may have a story of my own to tell. And when all is said and done you may even find yourself amused and giggling at the hypocrisy of the whole saga.

But please oh please whether you decide to draw your own conclusions based only on hearing one pathetic side OR whether you decide to get to the bottom of things by hearing both versions... leave my darling husband out of this because anyone who professes to know him (I mean holy cow... even my family, who have only known him for what??? 15 months at the most...) know without a shadow of a doubt that BLOGGER, in particular "certain" BLOGSPOTS would be the very last thing he would be interested in looking at on the web. Some people REALLY need to get over themselves. For crying out loud... I have to BEG him to look at our blog and he is the subject of almost every entry. Anyone who thought for one second that he logged onto the the Internet and BLOGGED should be really embarrassed because you really don't know him at all. Next time, before you call someone out on something, you should really do more investigating. And he'll take his apology in the form of a text or an email.

So... fiance's, wherever you are, you can TOTALLY relax. Back yourself away from your keyboard because I can assure you that you are the ONLY man interested in your girl. (You might take some comfort in knowing that he wasn't even interested in her when he was supposed to be and he certainly isn't NOW). It's me and me alone who is interested in the talents, beauty and class that she possesses. Or maybe I am just plain nosey just as much as all the people, including HER, who visit my blog on a daily basis and read my stories and don't leave comments and have every right to do so because we all knew when we chose to "toot our own horns" on the World Wide Web we ran the risk of catching the attention and maybe impressing people that we both know and don't know. And maybe even gain an unintended fan or two. I am proud of the friends I have made through blogging. And I am proud of the blogs I choose to follow, those women help me to be a better person.

But to the reader of this particular blog... if you have ever visited a site of someone who you didn't know but who completely impressed you because they are simply impressive and caused you to want to know more about them and drew you in with their personality or spirit put yourself in the same boat as me.

And whatever you choose to call me, and however you choose to label me and however you choose to publicly hurt or embarrass me, I can promise that never at any time did my interest in any blog intend to pose a threat!!! Believe whatever you want to about me, try to convince others of it too, if you must. But if you could possibly grow up for just a second and try very hard to get out of high school and pause to let yourself consider another alternative, you could simply just choose to be flattered. It is a good thing to know that others admire you for the person that you are. Ultimately, isn't that why we start blogs and exaggerate the events in our lives in the first place?

She's a She and She is Crazy

2009-03-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have given birth to 4 children. All of whom, I have been told by their teachers are above average intellectually. However, all 4 can at almost any time, and do on nearly a daily basis, demonstrate impaired judgement in certain areas (ie: cleanliness, decision making and time management just to name a few.) Which has led me to a conclusion over the years as I shake my head in disbelief... All 4 of them are clearly nuts.
Now... I have several flaws but up to this point, I have been unwilling to accept that I had a part in the insanity. I have blamed it solely on their other parent. It just made sense to do so.

But on Wednesday, we went to our 20 week ultrasound. We were excited to see the movements of our new little one, who by the way is still a GIRL. I imagined that she would be laying there and maybe kick a time or two, maybe wave... imagine my surprise when she grabbed the back of her knees with her hands and pulled her legs straight up over her head and flexed her feet. And with her body completely folded in half, she held that position for 5 to 7 minutes.

And so... sadly I am forced to arrive at the only conclusion that I can arrive at... that the WACKINESS is definitely coming from ME. Two different dads, same nutty behavior. And now I don't know what to expect from her. I was hoping against all hope to get a level headed, clear thinking child. One that would be calm and would think her actions through... like her dad. But based on what I saw, it would appear that LOONY seems to be the dominant trait. And so I will apologize to the world now, I have added yet another crazy person to the population. And we will have to spend the next 18 years trying our best to straighten her out before we completely release her into the world.

I have the raddest photo of the event however the hospital wanted $500 to publish it anywhere but on the cd they gave us... so if you are ever here, just ask and we will project it up on the wall for you. That would be 102 inches of pure gold entertainment.

2009-03-16T10:05:00.000-07:00

I love taking trips with Raleigh.

Here is why...

1. I love the way he sits in the car when he drives. I can't describe it- it's just sexy.

2. I love how he searches on line for days for the best deals.

3. I love how organized his bags are and how he INSISTS on carrying EVERYTHING!

4. Plus, he is so fun and spontaneous, a real kick in the pants and is always happy and he makes me laugh at least 3000 times a day.

But... taking trips with Raleigh and ALLIE... Not quite as fun.

He still looks sexy when he drives, but the sexiness is broken up by lots of mirror glances

to the back seat and even more turning around to yell.

He still hunts for deals but who cares how great the room is or how magnificent the deal

was when the room itself is the very bane of your existence. And all you hear the entire time you are in there is whining and or crying and all you can watch on the television is Spongebob or Hannah Montana.

His bags are still immaculately packed but it is the only clean thing on the entire trip

the room and the car look like tornado victims.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

So...here are my suggestions should you ever find yourself needing to go to Idaho Falls for three days... with a 6 year old...

1. Make sure that the "indoor pool" is really indoors and not outdoors and filled to the top with ice.

2. Drop your husband off at work so that you have access to the car. And then go to the rad mall.

3. Don't ever think it is a good idea to keep a 6 year old with A.D.D. cooped up in a motel room with a "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Marathon as the entertainment.

4. Revisit your old college days either before or after the ENTIRE campus renovation, so that you have a chance of recognizing even one part.

5. Maybe leave the 6 year old at home with the older brother and the borrowed dog.

Not saying that I didn't have a good time... because I enjoyed all 16 hours that she was sleeping and that one time when she accidentally locked herself out of the room without the key... ("I'm sorry sweetheart" I say... "I couldn't even hear you knocking" )

Sorry to disappoint you Als, but that was your last adventure with the folks for a while

But honestly in case you were wondering, the highlight of the trip had to be Raleigh with Allie's new and very tiny hat on, up on the bed, dancing like the gayest of the Village People. I wet my pants and then I nearly went into labor I was laughing so hard. I love taking trips with RALEIGH and that's the very reason why...

PS: Yes, I am painfully aware that my face... well let's be honest... my entire body... is bloated beyond belief and making me nearly unrecognizable. What can a girl do? The pounds just happen in spite of my every effort. Please don't judge me. And certainly don't point it out to me or I will be forced to buy a pinata in mid July and make you ALL watch.

Sunday Six

2009-03-08T15:13:00.002-07:00

This week I am grateful for...

1. My very wiggly baby finally moved up off my bladder.
2. I almost had 5 full days free from the teenagery nightmare that my NINE year old has been beating me down with on a daily basis for the last three weeks.
3. My Best Buy Services jacket with my name embroidered on it that I ordered on December 8th finally arrived just in time for 50 degree weather.
4. I fixed our broken dryer by myself by unhooking and reattaching several gadgets and gizmos and the clothes actually dry and the house hasn't even burned down.
5. Even though Phoenix was one of my most memorial vacations and I remember that I had the best time there and we were there exactly a year ago today. And as I was there, having a marvelous time... I, in ABSOLUTELY NO WAY imagined that I would be where I am today in the marital and "motherly" state that I am in. And so I will simply say that I am so glad that it is this year and not last year because this year is SOOOOO much better.
6. And finally... but maybe most important of all...food just may be starting to taste good again.

Rockettes in Training

2009-03-01T17:46:00.000-08:00

Everyone please stop, take a moment to relish the thought of Allie asking to be signed up for cheer this year and actually going to practices and actually performing and actually wearing PINK and letting me put big bows in her hair. Morgan of course (who WILL be a cheerleader someday because she is a natural) was the best one. She is really a joy to watch. She is on the beat, she exaggerates the moves and shakes her bootie. What cute little blonde girls they are. And as you all know, I am a technical genius, NO MATTER what I did to those pictures, they wouldn't work. They just want to be crooked. Sorry

2009-02-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

And that cute little face with the sweetest little turned down mouth is....

A sweet little...

Girl...

For those of you keeping track that is 1 boy and 4 girls.... and a girl for the totally athletic, totally sportsy, totally overwhelmed with women Raleigh Lund who promises he couldn't be happier. It's a good thing he can tie the perfect bow because he'll need to. Just look at that face. Is she the cutest baby you have ever seen or what??

2009-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

If the size of the bouquet of flowers your husband gives to you on Valentines Day is any indication of how much he loves you, then my husband loves me ALOT!! If anyone is counting... there are 24 in there. I hope that your Valentines Day is your best ever.

Love to you all.

Hold on... The old Kaci is back...fingers crossed

2009-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

What a delightful and delicious day!!!

1. I had a wonderful Two Egg Breakfast and All You Can Eat Pancakes with my sweet, supportive, super hot, sexy Sweetheart.

2. Our baby has THE CUTEST heartbeat anyone has ever heard and "HE" (as we are all calling him, although no one knows for sure) is a littler zipper. He is here and there exploring and swimming and growing up so fast. Now the fun begins. Come on girls, you know the joys the second trimester brings. I do believe they are beginning. And Raleigh will remember what it feels like to have a wife again.

3. On a scale from 1 to 10, I am an 11 as far as freedom from nausea and gagging and all over pukiness goes. Please all of you who wake up every day and feel normal... take a second to pause and consider this one of your greatest daily blessings.

4. I am home alone to clean my entire house before Quin comes tomorrow. So I will rock the 80s as loud as I can and will most likely do at least 3 reminiscent dances from the old days in my kitchen. Oh Kam, I wish you were here, we could break it down.

5. "The Little Curse" is back in my life. It's been gone from me for... oh 15 or so weeks. Only 8 people will get this, but this is the greatest thing since the invention of the wheel. I don't know how long it will stick around but I am not going to lie... I wept a little with joy. You don't know what this did for me. Could this be a sign of better days ahead? I think so.

And with that I will rise and enjoy the blessing of this day for it truly is one of my best in a long ole time. Just had to share....

25 random things about me...

2009-02-06T16:48:00.001-08:00

1. I sweep my kitchen every day and leave the pile in a corner somewhere instead of putting it in a dust pan and throwing it away. My thought is "I will add to this later" and then I don't. It drives Raleigh up the wall.

2. I have the worst laugh. It gets more and more horrible the pregnanter I get. But when I really get going, usually at something I've said and I am cracking myself up, it is the most amazing laugh you have ever heard. Super embarrassing.

3. I have a super messy closet. I throw my clothes on the floor cuz I am usually rushing. Then in a couple of days I go "where the heck is my white shirt?" And it is on the floor all wrinkled. And I wear it anyway. Sorry mom.

4. I am very conscious about the way I smell. So I take at least 2 showers a day and wear lots of lotion. If I think I don't smell good I am in the worst mood and I avoid people.

5. I have never thrown up. Well, I think I did once when I was 5 and it must have really sucked because I have never done it since. 5 pregnancies and at least 15,000 dry heaves, but no puke has escaped my lips. And hopefully never will. Because if I ever do... I won't know what to do and I will probably blow chunks all over creation.

6. I have to wear full on outfits to bed. I have a fear that my house will catch on fire in the middle of the night and I will be out in the street in my undies. So I wear matching outfits with socks. Just in case.

7. I am NOT a girly girl. I HATE those big grandma purses that all those fashionistas carry. In fact, they infuriate me. What in the world do you girls have in there? And how do you ever find your keys? No one should need that much stuff at the grocery store. I hate earrings, bracelets, make up and accessories. I hardly do my hair and I honestly could care less how I look. I am sorry. Give me 10 minutes, a pair of jeans and big chunky shoes and I am good to go.

8. I love to watch every sport, but baseball. I love the Olympics, March Madness, football season from August to January, The Masters, The Jazz and anything Raleigh is playing.

9. I am really funny. At least I think I am. I tell the best embellished stories and I just love to be with funny people.

10. I dream almost every night. I have the best dreams. Sometimes I dream about someone and I wake up mad at them (Raleigh) and I am mad at them for the whole day. And they don't know why. And they haven't done anything. One time I wore my uniform to school on a day we weren't performing because I had dreamt we were. Very VERY vivid and entertaining dreams.

11. I can yodel. Not very well, but I can do it and very loudly in my car on the way to work when it's dark. Don't ask me to do it for you... I won't.

12. I am afraid of the dark. I have night lights all over my house. I get very afraid in my garage when I leave for work. I always think there are scary robber men in my house ready to pounce on me.

13. I don't like cheese. Of any kind. I don't like sour cream either or frankly anything white. I get it from my mom. But it tastes like that stomach bile you sometimes burp up. It is a very yucky food.

14. I can't make decisions if other people are involved. If I am by myself I can function normally, but if someone else's happiness depends on my decision (ie. where should we eat?) I can't do it and usually refuse. And if someone forces me, I get very agitated and then mad.

15. I rebel at stupid rules. I am a very obedient person usually. I follow most rules. But if someone makes up a stupid one and there doesn't seem to be a valid reason behind it, I am the biggest rebel. For instance... not wearing jeans material to church (which was a stupid rule in our stake at one time), I wore that Jeans skirt every week for a month. When did my relationship with my savior have anything to do with my clothing? Sorry mom.

16. My big toe is very tickly. It always has been. NO ONE can touch it. It bothers me if my shoes touch it. I can't clip my toenails without going insane. If someone holds me down and touches it, I freak out and accidentally hurt them with my thrashing. Raleigh calls it my "circus toe." Feet are just gross anyway. That is enough on that.

17. I have worn the same watch for like 10 years. I spent $5.00 on it at Walmart. It is the greatest of my treasures. I can shower with it. It has a light, so I can see the time in the dark. It tells the date too. It is in every picture I have taken in the last decade. I took it off when I married Raleigh and they made me take it off when I had Allie, but that is it. It makes people angry. But I love it.

18. I don't watch TV. I don't have issues with it, I just have other things to do and I can't sit still very long.

19. I love drinking soda with a straw. I am the happiest person when I have a soda in my car cup holder with a big fat straw.

20. I never know how much money I have. I am afraid to look. So I just have a rough estimate and faith that I have enough. But don't you worry, I don't like to spend money either it makes me crazy. So... So far it hasn't been an issue.

21. I am a germ freak. I hate sick people. I always open the door on the left because I think most people are right handed and don't touch the left one as much. I avoid shopping carts as much as possible and I hold my breath in bathrooms.

22. I can't drive with music on. It makes me nervous. You really have to focus when your are a fast and shifty driver.

23. I do everything very fast. I eat fast, clean fast, walk fast drive fast and talk fast. I am also very fidgety and can't sit still. I wiggle my legs all around and I move my feet in bed. I think it's because I know I have a million things to do and I need to get going. It's hard for me to be sick and have to sit still. Only 2 more weeks to go.

24. I care way too much about what people think about me. I would be devastated if I thought or heard someone didn't like me.

25. I am pretty romantic. I love hearing other people's love stories and I love when a couple really loves each other. I like to cuddle and touch and be lovey. And I love when Raleigh says mushy things to me and calls me Honey and Sweety. He is very mushy. It is absolutely my favorite thing in the world.

There mom, just because I want to be just like you. It took me 3 hours. But here is my list.

Okay... Totally FOR RUDE

2009-02-04T06:49:00.001-08:00

This post is for you...

Jen Matsu
Wendy Moran
Lynetta Clare
Lisa Brown
Charlotte
And all you other non-comment leaving visitors

Is is soooooo hard to say "hey, Kac...I visited your blog today."

You know all there is to know about me and my life and my cute hubby and my kids and my craziness? I have done my part to keep you informed. Just a little note to say you care is all that I am asking for. Just a little "what's up?" It's not that hard.

That is all I am going to say about that...

Love, Kaci

A Super Superbowl

2009-02-01T22:13:00.001-08:00

We had a great night with all of Raleigh's old High School pals and families. Some of them I had met, some were new. It was really fun and the food was amazing. Dale, we will never forget your singing... who knew??? Out of the six guys that came, four of the wives were pregnant in different stages. That was sure fun to sit and compare stories and vent to people who just get it. Although the stupid team won, it was a good time in the Lund Theater. Let's do it again soon.