Fancy Nancy

The girls are in love with foot baths.

I think we may have too many Fancy Nancy books.

It will be fun when they are older so we can go and get real pedicures.

(the girl on the left is Reese Barron)

We are running on lack of sleep around here.

I am really hoping that whatever it is bugging Lexi will PASS....SOON!

I'm tired, TJ is tired and poor Lexi is pooped.

(and my running partner I'm pretty sure is getting tired of me canceling on her)

Jade and Brightyn overnight....

The past couple days have not been exactly fun.

On Friday morning Tessa's girls are dropped off at my house.

Tessa and Ian were going on a weekend trip for work.

My job was to watch the kids all day Friday, Friday night and all day Saturday till about 9pm.

If you think having 5 kids all under 5 is easy...you are wrong.

Lexi screamed when I held Brightyn and vice versa.

Jade threw a fit about everything and stole every ones toys.

Chloe threw too many fits as well.

And it snowed so I couldn't even send them outside.

The night was awful.

I went to bed at 11.

woke up at 12:30 with Brightyn.

Never went back to bed after that.

Lexi woke up screaming.... from molars.

Jade woke up screaming....she wanted her mom.

Brightyn woke up screaming.....wanting a bottle.

Jade woke up screaming...wanting her mom.

Brightyn screaming...I rock her.

Lexi screaming...I let her

I spend the rest of the night sitting in my rocking chair holding Brightyn so at least she can sleep.

7:30 am everyone awake and the day starts.

The next day wasn't too too bad. Lexi did have a fever from teething (I'm hoping) and she laid on my shoulder all day (which made Brightyn sad that I couldn't hold her).

Instead of just enduring my trial, I should have tried to endure it well.

I was a beast and could have tried to make it a fun sleepover for the girls.

It did make me smile when Tallie last night told me she wanting some hugs and kisses...

as we were squeezing each other she said "Now that's what I'm talking about!!"

I couldn't stop laughing.

She stole my line.

I'm not usually the one to let others watch my kids. I always feel too bad. So I'm usually the one with a house full. I especially have never let Tessa watch all my girls. I feel like she already has so much on her plate. And I don't want to add to it.

But I think I want her to watch my 3 ALL day (while TJ and I go snowboarding) just to get a taste. Am i mean? Is that wrong? I think I should start cashing in. Instead of just watching every ones kids...actually start letting them watch mine.

I need a break too.

SOOO MUCH SNOW...

These pics are from awhile ago but I had to throw them in to remember all of the snow!

I want to remember Tallie and Chloe at this age FOREVER!!! This might sound clique' but I really do enjoy just watching them play. I love watching their imaginations run wild. I love the funny little things that come out of their mouths.

That is why I LOVE spring and summer. My FAVORITE thing to do is to be outside with my kids and watch them play and of course playing with them. I love that they love to be at home and want to be there. I hope they always will. I hope they always want to bring their friends over because I want to be apart of their lives and I want to experience their growing up "with" them. I hope our home will be a haven for them. A place they feel safe and loved. A soft place to fall when times get tough. And they will. But not now. Now we can just run carefree through the grass, trying not to trip on the 50 barbies that are hidden throughout.

Spring really can't get here quick enough. I mean it is spring but It definitely does not feel like it is.

I took the girls shopping today for sandals (not like they need them but I was feeling generous and I enjoy shopping for them every now and then since most of their clothes come from cousins) in any case I wanted to be ready for whenever the weather decided to turn warm.

I LOVE LOVE my little Lexi! She keeps me smiling and laughing.

She is getting much quicker at walking and is learning to go up and down the stairs.

She can say HI and wave

She loves to dance

and she is always saying UH HUH

She loves to give big open mouth kisses and love to snuggle.

My favorite thing is that when I rock her bed she puts her little arms around my neck and plays with my hair...every time

The other morning about 5am Lexi starts to cry. I let her thinking she will just go back to sleep. After like 20 min I give in and go rock her. After she falls asleep on my shoulder I lay her back down. She starts to cry. I go back to bed not wanted to stand for the next hour letting her sleep on me. She continues to cry, and cry and it goes on for an HOUR. I thought we were over this. She is back asleep and I go running. When I come back she doesn't wake up for another couple hours. Finally about 8 I hear her in her room. When I go to get her she is sitting in the middle of her room!!!! And here is what i think to have happened. After I layed her back down she got really upset and somehow fell out of her crib. And the reason for the hour long hard cry was because she was HURT (she had a bloody fat lip). Finally she exhausted herself and fell asleep on her floor. HOW SAD IS THAT?! Makes me feel like such a bad mom. At least I know she will not remember this. THANK GOODNESS

So I always thought that growing up and leaving high school meant that all of the drama, cliques and trying to fit in would disappear too. Turns out it doesn't. Lately I feel like I am right back in that scene trying to find some real friends. I'm lame and I know I should just get over it but its hard.

I have started running over the past year. A lot on my treadmill. I was always afraid to go outside because I didn't want to run into the big pack of serious runners that live in my neighborhood. But finally I ventured outside. Since TJ half the week does not have to be to work until about one o'clock I was able to go later in the morning when the large intimidating crew had already been. I mostly ran by myself but then my friend Becky started coming with me. Then one day I needed to go early to get a long run in before TJ had to leave for work. We ran into the group and got sucked into running with them. (or should I say behind them...they are ridiculously fast). It turned out okay and we started running with them about half the time. I should say that I know all these girls and I really like each one individually but its different when they all get together. Kinda like one big clique in high school that I am trying to be apart of. And they are nice girls. They let me in. But I don't feel like I am really in. I am just running to keep up (and I say that metaphorically too). Why is it so awkward? Why am I so awkward?

This morning my friend Becky Clayton and I went out running and as I walked home (after she went home) I came upon the running group. Me, Solo, and one big group. I wanted to crawl into a hole. It feels like they have dubbed running and that it's THEIR thing and that I learned it from them and that I need to go with them and run their routes at their speed.

CRAZY thing is I DO want to run with them so I can improve my time and speed so I can run some good races this summer. And running LONG distances like 11 miles and up is A LOT easier when you have a group to talk to. But I DON'T want to be viewed as PART of the group and have people feeling like I am feeling (I hear people talking). Making them feel like outsiders. Because it sucks. I guess this is what you get when half your neighborhood are marathon runners.

Like I say, I have made this a bigger deal than it should be. I just never thought I would have these friend issues after getting married and having kids. And it might be different if I didn't live in a neighborhood where there were so many girls my age and all of us stay at home moms.

I just needed to vent.

This past week TJs sister Heidi Richardson and her family have been in town from Arizona on their spring break. They always stay at The Canyons and ski for the week. On TJs day off we went up, dropped the girls off with Mona (she was visiting with Heidi since Heidi is Pregnant and not skiing) and TJ and I went SNOWBOARDING!! It was so fun! It's been like 2 years since I have been able to go and it felt like I had never missed a beat! There is just something about being in the snow covered mountains in the quiet and stillness. Plus it's even better when I get to be with my best friend. Next year we hope to bring the older girls up and start teaching them to board. It's gonna be cute. I hope that they love it so we can always go as a family.



While we were on the slopes, Tallie and Chloe were in heaven because they got to swimming with their cousins. Chloe was especially excited because she got to be reunited with her new BF James. Lexi again was a peach and slept like the whole time. It really was an AWESOME day!

After Grandma Lee's funeral Tj and I were able to stay and play in St. George. TJs parents were sooo nice to drive the girls back home and stay with them for a few days. I was really worried about having TJs parents drive them home because I know just how "fun" my kids can be in the car. I worried about their sanity. Turns out they all slept most of the way home. They never do that for me. Guess I should leave more often. While on our little getaway we went hiking in Zions a couple days (we REALLY wanted to do some of the bigger hikes since we had no children but those still had snow on them). None the less it was great and the waterfalls were beautiful because of all the snow melt.



There is a spot where for some reason people stop and pile rocks. So we did. I'm sure it has since washed away.










We also did some biking (but not a lot because it makes your bum REALLY sore if you don't do it very often). We did go to the sand dunes and ride around on the four wheelers. They make me really nervous. I can't even tell you how many times I have fallen off of them. My grandma Betty Jo had some and my crazy sister Tandy always was flipping us off, Tessa once fell down the mountain on one and I once flipped one on top of my friend Monica and I. There are better things I like to do. It was great to just hang out the two of us. We went to a movie one day, ate A LOT of good food (which I am paying for now). We sat by the warm fire and just enjoyed each others company. The weather was not as warm as we hoped but it was still GREAT! I love being OUTSIDE and enjoying what Heavenly Father has given us. If there is one thing I hope I can teach my girls is to appreciate nature and the beauty around us and to live it and LOVE it!

I was more than excited to see my girls when we came home and was sad when Lexi pushed me away and only wanted Grandma. It hurt my feeling a little. But I won her heart back in no time.

While we were down in St. George we of course had play a little MEXICAN DOMINOS!!!! It's probably my favorite game to play...maybe because I ALWAYS WIN!!!! I love playing with TJs dad especially because he is always out to "finally" beat me. Some people might say its a game of chance and all in the luck of the draw but I have to disagree and say its all SKILLS.

This is the kids game of choice: going up and down on the remote controlled recliner.

While we were there Chloe and James Richardson really CONNECTED! It was too cute. They became best buddies and just followed each other around the whole time. While we were all out to eat after the funeral Chloe kissed James on the lips because the older cousins told her that in order to have a boyfriend you have to kiss them. I guess Chloe wanted James forever because she didn't even hesitate. Chloe later told me that James really was her boyfriend and that he was really nice and that he didn't even hit or yell at her. At least she knows what she is looking for and hopefully she'll remember that when she starts dating. It was sad when it was time for the Richardsons to go. Chloe and Tallie both cried because all the cousins had left and we weren't leaving for another day. They wanted to leave and go home too so they didn't have to miss their friends and be all alone. Heidi told me later that 30 minutes before they got home James burst into tears and was begging her to turn around and go get Chloe. That almost brought a tear to my eyes. Kids are so sweet.

Eunice Maybelle Hutchinson Lee

This past week we went to Hurricane, Utah for T.J. Grandmas funeral. She was born on July 9, 1917 and died on February 27, 2011. This was one of the most spiritual and wonderful funerals I have ever been to. Eunice was not a member of the Church and I don't think many of the people who attended were either. But I would easily say that this funeral has invited people to learn about the Gospel and the plan of salvation. TJ conducted (or "officiated" as his dad would say) the service and he did a wonderful job. It was a beautiful day and it was so great to be with family who we don't get to see very often. I am so blessed to be apart of TJs family. I could not have been luckier. I just LOVE them!

T.J. Lee, Travis Lee, Tyler Shaw

Cousins: James Richardson, Sophie Garrett, Sam Garrett, Olivia Richardson, Chloe Lee, Tallie Lee

Sisters: Heather Haymore, Jamie Garrett, Megan Lee Shaw