First Week of Spring Break

Friday, March 20 was the first Official day of Spring. And what a better way to start Spring then by giving all the elementary students a two week Spring Break. Hooray! Of course, living in Arizona, Spring has been in full force for a while now. Trees blossoming, new leaves growing, bees humming, and hundreds of butterflies in the front yard each morning. My citrus trees all have blossoms and one of apple trees has a baby apple growing. It's absolutely beautiful.

With Spring comes Baseball season. I signed up my three big kids for Little League this season. Yep, that was dumb. But it's my first year doing it, so I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into. Haha! I figured one practice and one game each week times three. And all games held at the same fields. Turned out to be two practices and two games a week times three, with games held at many different fields. Haha. Fortunately, Hubby can help with carpool during the week.

Saturday, March 21 was Little League Baseball Opening Ceremonies. There are four divisions in our League: T-Ball, Minor B, Minor A, and Majors. And within each division are 8 - 10 teams. All the kids were dressed out in full uniform. They looked great!

Joe #1 Yankees ~ T-Ball

Anne #10 Cardinals ~ Minor B

Rose #9 Diamondbacks ~ Minor A
(when did they change from purple to maroon??)

Later that day, they each played their first baseball game. They had so much fun playing. My kids aren't very good right now, but they are having fun and steadily improving.

I forgot the camera for Joe's and Rose's first games, but I was able to get one of Anne. She played right field. I didn't want another picture of her back, so I called her name. This is the picture that resulted. ;)

Sunday, March 22 we had Stake Conference. I ended up taking BabyCakes out after thirty minutes. Not because he was super fussy, but because my tailbone was aching! Sheesh. I know that mine is almost fully healed now, but sitting in hard metal chairs for two hours is not a good idea. The speakers were our Stake President, the Mission Pres and his wife, the Temple Pres and his wife, and a General Authority. I didn't catch his name or which group he belonged to, but I really enjoyed his talk. Very uplifting and inspiring.
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Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the kids and I had fun being bums, watching loads of movies, making cookies and bread, going bowling, playing at parks, riding bikes and skates, and practicing baseball.
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Thursday, March 26, Hubby took off work and we drove to Legoland. It was a long drive. Followed by a long wait in the car to pay for parking before we could enter the park. BabyCakes chose this time to vomit. Yep. It was great. Long drives and cheesy-peanut butter crackers do not mix. And for some strange reason, I packed two extra onesies but no extra pants. Oops. We left his vomity clothes on top of the van. We didn't want them sitting inside the van all day. No one wanted to drive home in a vomity smelling vehicle. :(

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We started out with the Sea Life Aquarium, which is part of Legoland. The kids really enjoyed seeing such a variety of sea creatures mixed in with Legos.
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BabyCakes checking out the fish sans pants


I laughed out loud when I saw the Volvo Driving School. Hubby asked what I was laughing about, but no way was I going admit to thinking about Twilight while at Legoland. I laughed even harder when I saw a Volvo Mini-Van made of Legos. I was just imagining Edward driving a van around and what Emmet would say about it. Shh. Don't tell my husband!!! Hahahaha.


There were two sides. Junior Driving for ages 3 - 5 and regular Driving for ages 6 - 13. Joe, age five, was an expert driver. The other little kids kept crashing into walls. Not Joe. He didn't crash once, even thought several times other kids almost took him out. He just maneuvered around them and kept going. Talk about a smooth driver.

Rose driving on the wrong side of the road. It's hard to concentrate on driving when your Dad is yelling at you to look at him so he can take your picture. ;)


Anne was a little easier for Hubby to snap a picture of because she was stopped at a red light.



Anne, Joe & Rose waiting for a ride.

Legoland also had a water play area. The three older kids had worn their swimsuits under their clothes. When we reached the water area, they quickly stripped down and were completely soaked with five minutes. It was hilarious! BabyCakes slept through most of the crazy water fun. And with all the water shooting everywhere, I kept my camera safely tucked away. So no pictures of the water escapades.

After an hour, we rounded up the kids. Joe was freezing! I tried to strip him out of his wet swim stuff, but he wouldn't let me. Instead he ran to the bathroom, turned on the hand-dryer, then stood underneath it. Trying to blow himself dry and warm. Haha! It only took him a minute to realize his idea wasn't working. Then he let me strip him and put him in his warm, dry clothes.

I don't know how it happened, but somehow I was the one riding the roller coasters with the three older kids while Hubby entertained BabyCakes. Luckily, Legoland's coasters were geared toward younger kids, so I didn't get sick. Haha. Hubby took a few pictures to document our crazy fun.

Joe, Rose, Anne & I riding a Roller Coaster.

Us hanging on for dear life.

It was a blast. We drove back home that night. We stopped in Alpine for dinner. Alpine is GORGEOUS!! Pine trees and mountains. Mmmm. I love that. We are for sure going back there to hike around and explore.

Friday, March 27, we spent the whole morning being bums and recuperating from Legoland. Hubby headed to work after lunch. The kids and I were reading when I got a phone call from my Mom. Her Dad, my Grandpa, passed away. He was 92 years old. I was sad to hear the news, but mostly I was sad for my Mom. She was crying when she called me and she hardly ever cries. The Funeral will be next week. My kids and I were planning on visiting my parents and grandparents next week anyways. Now Hubby will come too.

I'm sad about my Grandpa passing, but I'm also kind of relieved. He has "almost" died so many times during the last fifteen years. His body just wasn't working right anymore. Nor was his mind. It's actually kind of ironic that my children knew him as a man who couldn't remember from one moment to the next. Because the man I knew growing up was smart as a whip. You couldn't put anything past him. Haha. He was always reading and leaning. Always working hard and always kind. Even when he couldn't remember very well, he was always kind and just laughed about not being able to remember. And the best thing about him...his eyes twinkled when he laughed or smiled. I'm going to miss him.

Saturday, March 28, brought more baseball games for Joe and Anne and brought another rehearsal for Hubby.

Joe playing Catcher! His job was to catch the ball then put it back on the "tee".

Saturday we also received news the Hubby's best friend has been in the hospital since Wednesday with chest pains. He had an angiogram Saturday morning. And is now scheduled to have triple bypass surgery on Monday. Yikes! Hubby and I are fasting for him. If everything goes well, he will only be in the hospital for another week and then on bed rest for a couple of months.

But hey, we've got kids, so we can't stay depressed for long. Saturday afternoon we took the kids to see Race to Witch Mountain and then out to dinner.

So far our Spring Break has been quite thrilling. I wonder what will happen next week...

LOST and Amazed!

**Spoilers. Do NOT read until you've watched tonight's episode.**



1. Holy Crap! Sayid shot Ben! I can't believe it! I mean, yeah, I wanted Ben dead. But Holy Crap! Sayid shot the KID Ben. Kid Ben that just got beat up by his dad for bringing Sayid food. Kid Ben that just risked his neck busting Sayid out of his cell. Freaking KID BEN!! Oh man. I just cannot get over that. I was hoping that John or Sun would do something about Ben. Not Sayid! Not Kid Ben! Oh man. Oh man. I really feel sorry for Kid Ben. What a lousy day. :(


I'm not positive that Kid Ben is really dead. Sayid only shot him once (and just in his chest) before running off into the jungle. I think Kid Ben might still make it. After all, John got shot and he didn't die... Oh man. I know it will shock you, but I'm kinda hoping that Kid Ben is still alive. It just doesn't seem right for him to die that way. He was just a Kid. Yes, I know he grows up to be a manipulative man with no morals, but couldn't they have just kicked him off the island? Or couldn't Sayid kill Kid Ben's crappy dad and then raise Kid Ben to Choose The Right?? Something? Anything? I knew this show would make me root for Ben again!!! I KNEW IT!!! I was guarding myself against it, but then they had Kid Ben show up. Who can root against Kid Ben? No one, that's who! Aaargh! :S

And if Kid Ben is dead, What happens to everyone's future? Every single person on that island was affected by Kid Ben and/or Grown-up Ben's actions. Will that all be moot now? Will someone else do the dirty deeds? And did Ben ever really talk to Jacob? What I mean is, did Ben really ever listen to Jacob? Or was he always out on his own? Hmmm. Remember Ben getting mad at John 'cause Jacob asked John for help. Maybe Jacob was asking for help because Ben was not really taking orders, but manipulating everything and everyone for his own purposes. Hmmm.


2. I'm pretty ticked at Sawyer. I can't believe that he would risk Sayid like that, just so he could keep his "happy Dharma life". Sayid saved their toushies so many times after the first plane crash. I thought Sawyer would be a little more loyal or at the very least, a little more innovative in his attempt to free Sayid. Sheesh. I also did not appreciate Ben's manipulation of Sayid. First, in killing all of Widmore's associates; Second, just dropping Sayid when all the men were dead; and Third, popping back into Sayid's life to tell him about Hurley. Grrr.

3. The woman bounty hunter who took Sayid down is AWESOME! I loved how she kicked him and took him down in under a minute. It was very entertaining to watch. I wonder if they'll end up together, romantically, in the end... Hmmm. Something to consider. ;)

4. I'm still waiting for the story behind all of Ben's injuries when he boarded the plane. Did Ben kill Penny? Did Ben kill Charlie? Did Ben kill Desmond? I sure hope not. If that's the case, then I will feel a teeny bit better about Sayid killing Kid Ben. But only a teeny bit.

5. So, we all know that Kate came back for Sawyer. I think it's funny how surprised she is to find him shacked up with Juliet. Umm. Wasn't she shacking up with Jack for a while there? Yeah, I'm pretty sure she was. Haha. I don't think Sawyer would take to kindly to that fact. And I don't think Jack is too willing to give Kate up yet. That is a fight in the making.

6. I really, really hate Kid Ben's dad. He's just a jerk. He's an arrogant, hateful man. And that is all. I see no redeeming qualities in him. At all. I'm sorry that his wife died giving birth to their son, but seriously! Taking it on Kid Ben. That is a line that should never have been crossed. Never. Ever!

7. I love that Juliet came out and said, "It's over, isn't it?" I felt that she was referring to their relationship as well as their way of life with Dharma. I love that she didn't just hem and haw and pretend like there was nothing going on. She said it straight to Sawyer's face. And she said it in a way that gave Sawyer an out. Juliet has class. Loads and Loads of class. I hope the Lost writers aren't making me fall in love with her because they're planning on killing her off down the road and want the audience to be completely devastated when it happens. Cause I will. Be devastated, that is. And I will probably cry and cry and cry. *sigh* I hope she doesn't die. :(

8. That is all I have to say. I am now very depressed thinking about poor Kid Ben and his crappy dad, poor Sayid the killing-machine, poor Juliet might die at any moment, and poor, poor Desmond, Penny & Charlie. *sigh*

I'm pretty sure I'm going to have some Lost-related nightmares tonight. :(

Paint and Random Thoughts

We moved into our new house November 1st. The walls were all a very neutral off-white color. What with moving, dealing with Thanksgiving & Christmas, me getting sick on and off, getting kids settled in school, and a host of other excuses that I will not bore you with, the walls stayed that color...Until now.

For two months I have debated which color to paint each room. It may seem trivial to some, but for me it is a BIG decision. To help with the decision process, two great sisters in my ward lent me their color-sample collections. For one full month, I would just sit in each room holding different colors up to the walls, the carpet, the ceilings, and the cupboards, trying to gauge which color would work. At the end of the month, I had my colors narrowed down.

Then I painted large swatches of the color in each room. I sat looking at the colors on my walls for another month. And then I KNEW. I knew which colors I was going to use. Of course, then I got sick again. Psh. I am SO sick and tired of being sick and tired. Oh well.

Today I was feeling good and energized. And look what I accomplished.

Sarah's Kitchen

I painted my entire kitchen RED! Hahaha! My mom and husband and sisters are currently dropping dead from amazement. I am such a blue person. (hence the name - Sarah Blue!) I've never done anything red. But I really, really wanted it in my kitchen. When we were looking at homes I saw one decorated like this and instantly loved it. And now my kitchen looks so great!

This type of red requires two coats. I pushed hard to get it all prepped today and the first coat on. I needed to get the first coat done today so that it could dry overnight and be ready for the second coat tomorrow. It's hard to paint when you've got a baby that insists you hold him the entire time you are painting. It's also hard to paint when your five-year old son keeps trying to "help". It's even more difficult when your daughters only have a half-day of school and insist that they are old enough to help and that "you never let them do anything" and "always say 'no'" whenever they ask you any type of question. :S

I finished up my first coat after I put the kids in bed. While I was standing on the top wrung of my ladder painting (yes, the one you're not supposed to stand on), my brain started to go a little screwy. And I started thinking some really random and weird things. Things that I will now share with you:

"This red looks really great. I love the way paint smells. *inhale deeply* If I ever become famous I think I'm going to do crazy stuff on purpose. Yeah. Crazy stuff. And I'll pull faces at the cameras. Haha! Just like Nancy Face! Yeah. That would be hilarious. OH! I should totally take crazy pictures and then sell them to the National Enquirer. Yeah. Because if I have a friend that has cancer and they can't afford to pay for their chemotherapy, then I can have them take a picture of me picking my nose or something dumb and then they could sell it and then they would have money for their cancer stuff. Yeah. That would be so funny. Haha! Oh wait. I don't think I want any pictures of my picking my nose out there. That's kind of gross. And I don't think I could live that down. Huh.

"Oh! I know. The National Enquirer loves pictures of people kissing other people. I could totally kiss some other guy and take a picture of it. Yeah. That would be hilarious. And I bet I could make a bunch of money from that. Haha. But wait. What if my Bishop sees that. Wow. I wonder if he would still give me a temple recommend. Oh man. He'd probably have to call me in for an interview and to tell me off for kissing some other guy. But I'd totally explain the whole thing to him. And then he would totally laugh with me. Yeah. Me and my Bishop would totally be laughing about the National Enquirer and all the crazy-stalker paparazzi and how I made money off of them for my sick friend with cancer and the National Enquirer doesn't even know that I used them. Yeah. My Bishop would totally laugh about that with me.

"I wonder what would happen if you were married to your Bishop. How do you get your recommend then? Do you have to go in for an interview? Or can you just roll over in bed one night and say, 'Honey, I need a new temple recommend.' Huh. I wonder if he would just start asking you the questions while you were still in bed. That would be kind of awkward. He'd probably want to be more formal about it. Sheesh. I hope my husband is never a Bishop. That would be weird to be sleeping with my Bishop. I wonder if I'd have to start calling him Bishop Blue. Or if I could still call him Hubby. He better not get all sanctimonious or anything. That would really tick me off. But I guess if he saw pictures of me kissing some other guy he might get ticked off too. Huh. I guess I better not do that. I guess I'll have to think of another way to make money for my friend with cancer."

On and on went my crazy thoughts until I finally finished painting. I wasn't so loopy once I got off the ladder. I guess my brain functions better when my feet are firmly on the ground. And for the record, I do not currently have any friends with cancer. I'm just planning for the future. "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." ;)

LOST Review

Usually after watching Lost, I'm left with more questions than answers. Last night's episode did the opposite. Hooray! Several questions that I had were answered.

1. First I have to say that Frank Rocks!! He was calm and cool even when his plane was falling out of the sky. He avoided the mountains, avoided the ocean, and was able to land the plane. Too bad the brakes weren't working. :S It seems that the only casualty was the co-pilot. This is going to sound callous, but for Lost one death is pretty tame! I figured there would be several deaths associated with the plane crash.

2. Hurley is still Hurley. I got a kick out of his reaction when told that they were in 1977. "Um...what?" And then later when the new recruits are going to have their picture taken, "Namaste what?" He's so clueless about what's going on. I'm actually happy about that. He's such a sweet soul and I don't want him having a break-down.

3. Poor Jin. Here he thought his wife was safe. But no. Now he's going to be worried about her and searching for her. He's such an intense guy. The way he turned on Sayid. Wow! Sayid looked very scared that Jin would actually shoot him. And that's saying a lot, because we all know that Sayid isn't easily phased.

4. Speaking of Sayid, Yikes! I don't know what LeFleur/Sawyer has up his sleeve, but judging from the previews for next week, I'm worried that it won't matter. Did everyone catch that? There was just a flash of Sayid's face and a voice over of him saying, "Now I know what I have to do here." I'm a little worried because the last thing Sayid saw was a young Ben. WOW! You know that James, Jin, and Juliet must all know that Ben is there. And we all know that Farady won't want them messing with the timeline, but still. Can't they do something about that boy?! While he is still a boy. And not a super-manipulative killer. Please. Someone? Anyone?

5. Well, at least Sun had enough guts to not believe Ben and do something about it. I was a little confused when I saw Ben pop up on screen walking about. Last time we saw him, he was out cold in the "infirmary" with John looking at him. Remember me hoping that John would do something about Ben, but not fully believing that he will. Thank goodness for Sun! I love that she just whacked him across the head with an oar. Hallelujah! Someone is finally turning the tables on Ben. I hope it lasts.

6. I like Jack. I really do. But the man gets on my nerves at times. And this episode was one of them. Don't you love that after three years away, he thinks he's going to be in charge of the group. That he balks at James directions. That he thinks there needs to be a group vote on whether or not they'll pose as new recuits for the Dharma Initiative. And don't you think it's hilarious that he goes to confront James about his plans, even though he's been gone three years and has no idea what is going on with anyone anywhere. I especially enjoyed that James has fully embraced the leadership role. And I LOVED that he put Jack in his place. It's about time someone did!! I just hope Jack doesn't go off on his own and do something stupid. Don't try to deny it. You know Jack would. It would be completely true to form. Please Jack! Don't do anything stupid. Just listen to James and get over your namby-pamby feelings of jealousy and competition. Please!

7. I appreciate that James and Juliet stuck together. For now. The looks he was giving to Kate have me nervous. He still has feelings for her. After listening to Amy's comments, we now know that James and Juliet are more like a married couple than just casual partners. My heart broke a little for Juliet when Amy asked her when she and Jim were going to have a baby. The look on Juliet's face. Ooh! I was so sad for her. But so far, James is staying true. I hope the trend wil continue. His character has matured so much during the three years with Dharma. It's great to see because we all knew he had it in him.

8. Where are Rose and Bernard??? Seriously. Has anyone seen them? I hope they didn't die in the initial time travel shoot-out. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I really liked that little couple. They were so loyal to each other. And even when they bickered, you knew that they loved each other more than anything. I'm crossing my fingers that they are alright and hopefully just hanging out with Richard and the others.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode. What did you think??

Our Little Leprechaun Friend

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To celebrate the day, I'm going to tell you about Anne's little leprechaun friend. Anne is my seven-year old daughter. She is in first grade. In her class is a little boy named Matthew and he is a leprechaun.

I first heard about Matthew in January. Anne raced home from the bus, so excited to tell me the news. In her most solemn voice she proclaimed, "Matthew is a real live leprechaun."

Me: How do you know he's a real leprechaun?

Anne: He told me.

Me: How does he know?

Anne: His Mom told him.

Me: Really??

Anne: Yes. He is a real live leprechaun. Except he doesn't have a pot of gold yet. But he is a leprechaun anyways.

Me: Huh.

Anne: He is! And he is my friend. I have a friend who is a leprechaun. I am so lucky!!

Me: Huh. Well, I'm glad you have a new friend.

Anne: Yeah. Me too. (then she sighs in contentment.)

I started watching for this leprechaun boy. It turns out he lives just down the street and rides the bus with my daughter. And I have to tell you, when I saw him I understood why his Mom told him he's a leprechaun.

1. He has beautiful red hair. Like a good leprechaun should.

2. He has cute little freckles on his cute little nose. Like a good leprechaun should.

3. He has a bubbly personality. Like a good leprechaun should.

4. His favorite color is green. Which is the color every leprechaun wears.

5. And the most convincing attribute of all...He is at least a foot shorter than any other first-grader I saw. Really! A Foot!

This last trait is even more exaggerated when he stands next to my daughter. Anne is a good 18 inches taller than him. The first time I saw them together I thought, "How funny for a leprechaun and a giant to be friends!"

The best part is today is St. Patrick's day and Anne is convinced that we have to do something special for Matthew. You know, because it's his day and all. ;)

Crazy Times!

I've had so much going on the past few weeks. Here's a quick rundown:

*Dash the Dog got his boy stuff removed by the Vet. He had stitches and a cone head and wasn't allowed outside without supervision. Let's just say, he went potty (#1 & #2) in my house multiple times. Thank goodness for my wet vac.

*My five-year old son vomited during Sacrament. I, fortunately, was walking the halls with the BabyCakes, so the boy didn't vomit on me. He got his dad and the floor under the pew instead. Again, thank goodness for my wet vac.

*The Hubby got strep throat. Then he gave it to me. Mine was a worse case. Thank goodness for the nice doctor who gave me antibiotics in pink liquid form. That was much easier to swallow.

*My three big kids started Little League Baseball. And the three coaches all decided to schedule their first practice at the same time...in different parts of the city. Yikes! Thank goodness Hubby got off work early. We divided and conquered.

*I've been designated as "Team Mom" for Annie's team. Thank goodness I had mad secretary skills, so all the forms, phone calls, and fund raiser stuff will be easy-peasy.

*Hubby auditioned for and was cast in a local production of "Into the Woods". He is playing Cinderella's Prince (who basically kisses every girl he can find) and the Wolf (who eats the two ladies the Prince doesn't kiss). I plan on sitting in the front row and catcalling every time his character comes onto stage. It will be tons on fun. If you want to join me, the play will run at the end of June. Meanwhile, he has practices twice a week until then. Thank goodness that I was the one wanting him to do this. Otherwise I might get a little resentful of all his time away. But as it is, I'm thrilled! I always wanted to see him in this play. AND in this role! Hooray for me and wish fulfillment! ;)

*Annie, age 7, had her orthodontic appliance removed. She is so excited. Now she can eat almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, popcorn, pizza crust, hard candy, sticky candy, gum, carrot sticks, celery sticks, french bread, apples (without having to slice it first), and many other hard and sticky items. Thank goodness she can eat trail mix again.

*I finished an online class through Mesa Community College. It was a Personal and Family Finance class. Thank goodness because that class was boring! Mainly because I figured out finances many years ago so the entire textbook was just a review. But I'm now one step closer to getting my FACS teaching certificate.

*Dash the Dog had his stitches removed yesterday from aforementioned surgery. As soon as we got home he proceeded to vomit. And vomit. And vomit some more. It was just little bits at a time, but still. Eeew! Thank goodness for my wet vac!

*At one of the baseball practices, one that I had driven to myself with all my kids in tow, I got hit in my left forearm with a baseball. It hurt. Bad. I left the field to get a drink. One second I was standing by the water cooler, next second I was laying down fifteen feet away. Huh. And as I turned over there were lots of people staring at me. Turns out I fainted and was out for about a minute. Another parent called 911 and I was soon surrounded by paramedics. Wow. They were fast. They were also not impressed that I couldn't remember how I got from point A to point B. But I did remember my address, name, telephone number, and even the date. Thank goodness I could deny their insistence to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Phew! Cause I'm not sure how much of that "ride" my insurance would have covered. I called Hubby to come get me instead.

*I still felt woozy for the next day. My doctor ordered some lab work. I had to give six large vials of blood. Thank goodness the phlebotomist was a master needle sticker. I barely felt it. And by the way, after she removed all the blood, I felt great. Really, really great! For the whole rest of the day! Huh. It seems that all I needed was a some good old-fashioned blood letting. Maybe I should invest in medical leeches. You know. Just in case I feel faint in the future. ;)

Asteroid Alert

One of my favorite sites is The Park Bench. This site is chock full of news and information regarding some of my favorite topics. ;)

On Thursday, she had a bit of disturbing news to share. Actually, I think it's pretty cool! That is why I'm sharing it with YOU!

She referenced an article at Gizmodo . I'm following it up with an article from Space.com. There are several other articles referencing this news item, so without further ado:

On Monday, March 2, 2009, an asteroid about 35 meters wide flew past Earth. The asteroid was closest to Earth at 8:40 am ET and passed a mere 60,000 to 72,000 km away from Earth!

Different sites are reporting different statistics, but they all agree that there was an asteroid. And that the asteroid was very close to earth.

Isn't that Awesome!! I wish I would have known. I would have broken out my telescope to watch it. Usually they burn up in space, so you don't get to see them unless you have a super-telescope. But something that large and that close...I'm sure my telescope would have picked that out. *sigh* I'll just have to wait for the next one. :(