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NOW. 

well played monday...well played.

Today involved the following (among other slightly less annoying things):

• 3am wake up call. 
• Finding my phone in the trash (ridiculously, it was my bad)
• Not showering until 4pm because our bathroom was being re-plumbed (thus the water was off all day)

I shouldn't blame Monday, this sounds about right for any day of the week.

PEACE.

the best valentine's day ever.

I had my own little Valentine's making sweatshop going on for the whole week Dave was gone. It was a perfect quiet activity at the end of the day when I thought for certain my nerves and exhaustion would lead to some sort of headline news story. 

We even made cookies for neighbors and friends....with pink frosting in cute little heart bags. See, I really do try people. I really do. 

Then Pres got sick. On Valentine's Day. Has anyone ever missed their Valentine's school party? I have, when I was 5, so I knew his pain. Poor little dude. 

Can't have one without the other...

So we spent V-day in our jammies, watching movies and eating all of the treats we made for others.  Cuz I'm not handing those bad boys out. "Happy Valentine's Day. Here's some flu cookies".

I also snuck Mr. Aller's Valentine and treats into his bag before he left for Chile. He really is the luckiest dude on the planet. 

From the bottom of my heart, babe.

January is such a B.

Whelp, that sucked. I swear every January I think "I can beat this, it's just January. I can be better than January.  Be better than January, Sarah....". But it always sneak attacks with some ridiculous blow to the gut, and I end up flat on my face.

This year, it was 2+ weeks of daytime highs in the teens. THE TEENS (and I don't want to hear anything from you people where that's normal. Because it's not normal here). Another laser eye surgery, and Dave being out of town....like, in Morocco out of town, and just a whole lot of other crap.

Honestly though, if this January had a daytime high of 75 degrees and a little fairy came by with a million dollars and a maid on a daily basis, I would still begrudge this month (only probably a lot less). There's just something about it. And yes, I have a SAD light. But that's a story for another day.

I'm not sure why, but this picture pretty much sums up how I feel. 

That girl so gets me. 

Viva la Februrary!

it's a heat wave y'all!

Starting this weekend. You know you're jealous. 

Kill me. 

Also, if you know me at all, my survival of the past 3 weeks of below freezing temps deserves a few gold medals. Or 20. 

Day 1 of Dave's "90 Day Fit Challenge"

I'd say it's going pretty well.

lessons learned.

Only one lesson this week. You're not awesome unless you watch this episode of Shark Tank. The guy on the right. Yup, that's my brother in law (Dave's brother Jared). And for those that haven't seen the show before, Jared is not swimming in a tank of sharks...per his mother, Kathy's, assumption.

The episode airs tonight in a little bit. I intended to post this earlier today. Much like I intended to shower before 6pm, and maybe eat lunch. So go turn on your tubes. Now. 

Watch it y'all.

Shark Tank Season 4 episode 13 airs tonight Friday, Jan 11 2013 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Meet Gary.

We call him Geergie, but that's a story for another day. He also happens to be my father in law. We love him for so many reasons. One such is this....

He buys jeans, and never washes them. When they get so disgusting/smelly/stiff that they are unwearable, he pitches them and buys new ones. Why does he do this?

"Because after you wash them, they just don't fit the same".

I'll be monitoring your pants washing progress with my new sidebar counter.
Carry on Geergie. Carry on.

And then there were 3.....

I've had many a dear friend and relative call over the past few weeks, timidly asking "So.....are you ok?". Seeing as though Sandra is now 2 months old and I have not had any sort of relations with the outside world since she was born (so it seems). In short, she is great. We are great.

I'm am slowly...slowly resurfacing from my mountains of laundry, breastfeeding adventures, hormone influxes and my very best friend....sleep deprivation. Which, if you know me at all, the latter and I do not, I repeat, do not get along in the very least. My poor husband and kids.

I'm not going to lie...the first 2 weeks were an absolute beast. I think it was a combo of 3 kids, delivery recovery, horrible baby blues (which I've never had before), and a million other things. It's been hard, really hard. But after week 2 things started to come together and now I think I have a handle on things. There are a few things I always forget:

• Sarah is not a newborn person. Thank heavens for books.
• Newborns are tiny, squishy, delicate things, and caring for one causes me high anxiety.
• Breastfeeding - It's a lot of work, and I'm starting to hate it. 
• Getting out the door to go anywhere will require approximately 8 hours of "getting ready"
• I really do not want to know how the amount of caffeine I'm consuming will affect my life expectancy and/or brain function. 

But I dare say, she is the cutest 2 month old on the block. 

Happy 2 months love!

pet stroller vs. child leash

Ok - has anyone seen these? Dog strollers? I've now officially seen 3...one on a walk, and the other 2 in stores. WHAT? I do understand that pets are important. But do you have to take your dog to Target? Have to? Cuz you are pushing your dog in a dog stroller and stuff in a regular stroller. Two strollers lady. But maybe Target is your dog's favorite store. What do I know?

Also, isn't the purpose of taking a dog on a walk, to exercise the dog? I hear strollers are a really good workout.

Also, also, if I had the choice to push two carts, one with kids, and one with stuff, or go solo to the store, I would most definitely choose to go shopping alone. With just me, myself and I pushing uno cart. Just sayin'

On the flip side, there are pet accessories for children. The oh so controversial "child leash". Honestly, as a parent of young kids, there's no debate. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Judge me all you want. At least I will know where my kid is at all times. That is if we ever make it somewhere insanely crowded - like Disneyland. For now, a cart and my eagle eye has sufficed.

And people will judge. Modern Family says so....

lessons learned.....pool etiquette.

It's the end of summer, and we spent a good portion of our 99 degree days by water - pools, sprinklers, lakes etc. (I wish I could list beaches....sigh). Every time I go, specifically to public pools, I find that I'm asking myself...WHY. Maybe it's because I spent a lot of years on swim team, coaching swim team, teaching swimming lessons and lifeguarding. But seriously people, I don't think it's just me.

• If you wear a white shirt over your swimsuit, it's basically like you're not wearing a shirt at all. So just wear your suit like a normal person.
• I've had to escort several youngsters to the front office because they were lost. How sad is that? I'm sorry, your TWO YEAR OLD who can't swim has been out of your sight for a good 15 minutes and you have no idea?
• Scout leaders. Probably not a good idea for your scouts to pass off diving in 5 FEET OF WATER. 
• Ladies. I'll say it again. Just because you can wear a bikini, does not mean that you should. 
• Moms that go down those teeny, tiny slides with your kid on your lap. Really? You can't just hold their hand and walk along side the slide? You have to wait in line with all the other 2 year olds?
• Lady in my water aerobics class (yes, I've been going...what else are you supposed to do at 37 weeks along?)....A bra and WHITE T-SHIRT (again!) is not a swimsuit. And I know she has a suit cuz I've seen her wear it. 
• And finally, at least for my own gag reflex, do not drink the pool water. I understand little ones that don't know any better, but I've seen plenty of older kids that should know better guzzling it. Ug. It pains me to even write it. 

RIP SUMMER.
It was a good one...

"it's a perfect time to panic!"

Remember me? Yeah, I don't really either.

• Our summer of insanity is coming to a close. 
• And then I realized I have only a few weeks left until we are a family of 5. What the?
• And now the panic has set in. 

Please tell me it's all going to be ok. 

What happens if I have to go to the store?

again, with the bieber

You GUYS. It happened. I actually heard a Justin Bieber Song on the radio. I believe it was called "Boyfriend". And I wanted to like it. I really, really did. But....It. Was. Awful. The words, the music, and what seems to be some sort of bird of prey calling in the background. No. Just awful. It just makes the phenomenon even worse.

Also, my son has decided to do his own hair, which uncannily looks like the Beibster. Sigh. That's all I got for today. My life is so exciting......

AMERICA!!

The 4th of JULY....I love this holiday. We didn't get many pictures, cuz it was a super busy day. And because I'm tired folks. Super, super tired. 

Celebrating freedom usually involves large quantities of meat (t'was delicious Mom)...

....and fire on a stick.... 

...and terror from said fire on a stick...

...and waiting in a large dark field for super huge fireworks to start. Also, all the other kids waiting had glow sticks, which I wanted to purchase, but Dave made fun of me because "what 4 year olds go to raves?". You should have seen the glow stick pandemonium on that field. Easily 1 million glow sticks. One kid, who was not particularly impressed with PGs flashlight, took pity on our poor Charlie Brown and gave him a glow bracelet... 

...and even more terror when the super huge fireworks started (sorry it's blurry). I should have known better - the birthday cupcake was a good indicator that 4th of July might be with worst day of Ell's life. 

Happy Birthday America!

PS. My dad, bro and Dave were there too. It really was a great day. 

Here's to you Shafers.

A few weeks ago. The Shafers came through town on their way to Portland. Its been what, 4+ years since they moved away? Which is way too long to go without seeing them, let alone meeting their little ones for the first time. We love them so much, we even agreed to spend part of the day on BYU campus...a place the Allers avoid like the plague.

Addy and Ells are a few months apart. I can tell they are going to be best friends, and already planning on rooming together at Taylor Hall. But I'd like to see you try to have a better time than your moms ladies, just try.....(Also - Addy totally stole one of those watches, so BYU may or may not have a place for her in fall 2028).

We purchased some Chocolate Cinnabears, walked around BYU, chatted at our place, then indulged at Cafe Rio. It was blessed, and felt like they never left. And since we didn't get very many pics while they were here, here are a few from back in the day.....

 Extreme Croquette-ing

 Halloween-ing

 Birthday Partying (Doug's, correct? It was probably his sweet 16 or something)

 And visiting us when PG was in the NICU. 

And this was the only pic I could find of just Jack and me (isn't that the name of a movie? It should be. Only I feel like it may involve Robin Williams, which is super annoying).
We were caravanning to go camping in Moab. As you can see, so far, so good.  March 2001, I believe......Oh Dunlop and Doughty - you have no idea.

June 2012

We've come a long ways Jack...Good to have you on the West coast again.

Yo-Yo Ma ain't Yo Mama....

When Dave returned from his travels, we spent a few days in SLC - just the 2 of us. Sounds super romantic right? Whelp, we were both near complete exhaustion.....I kid you not. Here's an example.

For lunch on one of the days, we went here. (It's spectacular, BTW). On the way there was this sign at an intersection.

What did my comatose brain read? (Wait for it....)

Not Yo-Yo Ma's BBQ

As in the famous cellist. Then I spouted off a slur of nonsensical questions to Dave. "Wait, is he too good for BBQ?"...."Or, does he not like it?"...."Is it a cultural thing?"...."Does he suck at cooking BBQ?"...."Do the owners not like Yo-Yo Ma?"...."Such an odd name for a restaurant". So on an so forth.

I'm not joking.

I'd like to point out that Dave is lucky to be married to a girl that can even make such a reference. A girl who's brain simply rejects poor english/grammar/ridiculous restaurant names and instead replaces them with sophisticated cultural references. Just sayin'

The rest of our childless stay was pretty much filled with enough sleep, food and bad movies to get a bear through 2 winters. You may think we're old and boring, and......you're probably right.

This was the only other picture I took all weekend. 

An awesome little breakfast place by Liberty Park. Also - this photo documents that when forced by his pregnant, grumpy wife, Dave will consume breakfast food. Seriously, it's the best genre of foods. Who doesn't like breakfast food?

Viva french toast! And also, Yo-Yo Ma......

Wait. It's June?

I'm not going to lie, the past 2 months have been crazy town. But we're alive and well. There was our 9th Anniversary (NINTH people), the birth of a new niece in May, and new nephew in early June, a trip to LA without children, Dave being gone for a month, then Dave returning from his month of globetrotting (I don't really want to talk about the in-between...ever), my parents visiting twice, a Hoopes family reunion and 2 very dear college friends traveling briefly through town. And I finally shook whatever alien disease that was plaguing my body.

Also, remember when I had 2 kids and am now 7, (SEVEN) months along with the third? That will complicate things a bit. Things like getting anywhere on time, and speaking in coherent sentences.

Also, also. I have pregnancy insomnia. It happened with my other children, and is currently happening with the one that's baking. It's real, and exhausting. 5 or less hours of sleep a night will make you crazy. Or the very least, incredibly cranky. I feel the need to wear a sign to explain my behavior.

So, our house has been a hotel, maybe a Bed and Breakfast is more accurate. But there's been a lot of dinner cooking involved, so maybe its more like a "Dinner and Bed", (cuz we all know I'm not going to get up early and make your sorry a$$ breakfast). But I will say it's been a blast. Happy Wednesday y'all!

catch up. Mother's Day and "The Lou" part deux.

Mother's Day and Ells b-day fell on the same day this year. We already did a family day before Dave left, but you have to do something on the day of...right? Since I knew Dave would be gone, I planned a low key day accordingly. B-day ice cream for Ells (she's not a cake girl) and pre-made meals, so I didn't have to do too much cooking on Mother's Day. I thought it would be a sad day without Dave, but it ended up being really great, and very relaxing with just our little family of 3 (+1 via FaceTime). 

Birthday Pancake. 2!

FaceTiming with Dad over lunch.

Playing with one of her gifts....a bubble machine.

Cuz blowing your own bubbles is for suckers.

We sure do love you Ells! 2 years has gone by fast.

lessons learned.

Zofran (see previous post). You're the first thing I'm looting from a pharmacy when the Zombie apocalypse happens. That, and maybe some Percocet. Yeah, that should do it. 

Bribery. Its definitely growing on me. Mom=1. PG=0

Sleeping in the basement. Fun for kids. Miserable for mom. Luckily it was only for one night. When did I become this old? (again, see previous post).

You know you're seriously exhausted when you plan on spending your free night shoe shopping and instead settle for a Sudoku book and Parks and Rec. Sheesh. 

Preschool graduation: much more satisfying and less tedious when your kid is not the one screaming "MOM I WANT YOU!" from the stage.  

I have spent years avoiding the purchase of this. 

Its dangerous. It got the best of me this week. I'll let you guess about how many day(s) 1 jar lasted.....

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY PEEPS!

Uggggg.

I wish I had time to write about Ells b-day part deux. Or taking PG to the Avengers in his Ironman costume.  Or our trip to LA. Or anything really. But instead I got, what my dr. is quite certain is....food poisoning. Which involved the children only getting mildly sick, for like.....a half a day, and me being the sickest I've ever been. EVER. And then having to go to the hospital for fluids because "girrrrrl be trippin" due to dehydration, then having whatever is plaguing me go on.......for 5 days. Thank the heavens for Zofran and babysitters (due to my husband being across the globe). Seriously, bless you kind souls.

Anywho. Updates will resume shortly.

Oh and the AC died the other day....it was 90 out. Right in the middle of all the hoopla. Which involves things like babies waking up at 6am drenched in sweat and moving kid's beds to the basement. No biggie when you're running on Powerade and delirium. But nothin' I can't handle without a slight mental breakdown. Right? Right.

Onward and upward folks. Onward and upward.