Running in place

Do you ever feel like you're running around but not really getting anywhere? That's how I've felt lately. I feel like I've been so busy but I have nothing concrete to show for it. We returned from our month long stay in Panaca a couple of weeks ago and things have been so busy. I have about 12 loads of laundry that I've washed but never folded. Every room in my house could be considered a national disaster. Our Christmas decorations are 1/4 of the way done and my Christmas shopping hasn't even been considered. I'm kind of in a spastic phase where I keep jumping from one major project to the next, meanwhile nothing is really getting finished (I'm not pregnant if that's what you're thinking). I'm just in an ADD mode I guess. I've committed to having a productive week next week which always sounds good until Monday comes around. Anyways, I thought I would share a few pictures from the month of November since I've been falling down on my blogging job as well. P.S. I do have a husband, but he has a "no picture on my blog" rule!

While in Panaca we took several journeys to Cedar City to get some much needed entertainment.
Picture 1: Isaac eating his favorite meal, Applebees steak (random I know)
Picture 2: While at McD's in Cedar Ronald McDonald made an appearance. Ava wanted nothing to do with him.
Me and Isaac before our trip to Pine Valley (it's 1 hr from Panaca) and Ava hanging out at the cabin

Jackson, Isaac, and Lora at Thanksgiving

Matthew's brother, his wife, and two of their kids.

Ryan and Ava...two little dolls.

Streaker!

HELP! I cannot keep Ava dressed. She takes her clothes off 20 times a day, no matter the weather. And the worst part is she takes her diaper off regardless of the contents. I am literally going CRAZY! As I type this post, she is screaming in time out! My Mom says it's paybacks because I was the same way when I was little. Thanks for the support Mom! Don't you just love when your Mother gets joy out of watching you suffer! Just joking Mom, I love you. But seriously, I need suggestions!

It's not to early is it...?

to start using Santa Claus threats with your kids. Maybe I'm a cruel mother, but yesterday I found myself using the good old "you know who's making their list don't you?" line with Isaac. I never thought I would be the kind of Mom to use threats and bribes. But hey, you have to admit they work pretty well. I just hope I'm not jumping the gun. I don't want the effectiveness to wear off before the Holidays.

Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year. We have gone to the Pumpkin Patch twice, made Halloween cookies, carmel apples, carved pumpkins, went to Halloween parties and finally finished with trick or treating. On Thursday night we carved pumpkins with my parents and then they took off to Pine Valley for the weekend (smart people). Tonight we went to Matthew's house for dinner. We had homemade chili, cornbread, mummy hot dogs and root beer. His Mom always makes the Holidays so fun. We topped the night off with trick or treating. I love the holidays. I think they keep life fun. Happy Halloween!

Carving pumpkins, my personal favorite!
Isaac chose to be Spiderman for the 2nd year in a row! At least we saved some money!

Our niece Ryan with her Dad. What a cute little ladybug!Some of the kids (Spencer, Lora, Isaac, and Jackson) gathering loot!

This is how we found Ava after she became suspiciously quiet in the wagon while trick or treating!

TOP 10

I wanted to be positive and share the top ten reasons for living in a rural city even though I'm not sure it's for me.

10. You spend a lot more time doing what your kids want to do (ie: playing games etc.) Hold on...is this a good thing JJ!
9. Slower pace of life and I mean s..l..o..w
8. It's quiet (even in the middle of the day, except Ava has disturbed the peace numerous times)
7. Everyone waves and says hello (and stare at you because they know your not from there)
6. I don't spend any money (even the occasional trip to 7-11 is not possible)
5. I can't ever say I'm bored (what else could I be doing)
4. No late night trips to the store when our kids should really be in bed (unless we want to travel to Cedar 96 miles away)
3. I cook dinner every night (it's either that or starve)
2. I'm not putting my kids in and out of the car 20 times a day (we don't go very many places)
1. Nobody cares that we have packaging tape holding Matthew's truck windows up

Just joking on a few of those! I have to say I have actually enjoyed living a totally different life than I'm used to, though I think I might go stir-crazy if it was permanent. Over the last week I have come to the conclusion that small town life is either in your blood or not. And although I can really see the benefits of a slower, less distracting life, you just can't take the city out of this girl!

Rural Nevada, Ready or Not

Matthew is back and we are now on to our next adventure. For medical school, Matthew is required to do a month long rural rotation. Originally we were scheduled to do this rotation in Boulder City, Nevada but that was obviously too good to be true. So we got our new assignment to go to Caliente, Nevada. The school called to let us know we could stay in a trailer on the hospital grounds. Matthew thought this sounded like a great idea. I on the other hand wasn't thrilled with the idea. I wanted Matthew to check the place out before taking our kids down there, but he continually reassured me that it would be fine. His confidence in situation was strong... until a few days later when he was notified that the trailer had been condemned!!! It must have been mother's intuition. Thankfully a really nice family in Panaca (about 15 min. away) has offered to let us stay in their detached apartment. We leave tomorrow after church and I have literally packed everything but the kitchen sink. I have never been to that part of Nevada, but something tells me I am going to have to get creative when it comes to keeping my kids busy. Wish me luck!

The Countdown Begins!

Matthew has been gone for 10 days! We only have 3 days left and WE ARE READY to have him back!!! On top of having him gone it has been a rough couple of weeks. First Isaac came down with croup, then I got sick, and finally 1 week ago Ava was diagnosed with RSV. My sanity has been preserved by my parents who have let us stay with them for the last week and a half! Thanks Mom and Dad for all you are and all you do! As for us, we are SLOWLY recovering and really ready to have our family unit back. To Matthew we say...We miss your hugs and kisses, your infamous bear and bunny traps, your laugh, and most of all...YOU! Hang in there! We Love you!Tonight the kids painted a poster for Dad. We can't wait to see you on Friday!

Shout Out to Cleveland!

Matthew left on Sunday for 12 days to go to Cleveland, Ohio for an away rotation. We miss him already and wanted to share a few pictures of what we did for FHE last night. I'll apologize early to the rest of you for the abundance of kid pictures over the next 12 days! Isaac and Ava at the pumpkin patch.
Ava posing for the picture.

Isaac hitting the post...he won an enormous blow up alien.

THREE?

Is the statement true "if you can have 3 kids you can have 10?"
Lately I have been mulling over when to have baby #3. There are some days when I think, "Yeah I could do 3." Then there are those days when the house is a mess, I'm a mess, nothing seems to be going well and the thought of having a 3rd sends me into a panic. For me, going from no kids to 1 was a lot harder than going from 1 to 2. However, #3 strike me as a much bigger adjustment. I know that this decision will ultimately be made through much prayer to my Heavenly Father but I just wanted to throw the question out and see what you think.

Girls of 98

Tonight we went to ClaimJumpers for our own Class of 98 reunion since the Basic High School one was cancelled. I have to say that I had more fun tonight than I have had in ages. I laughed until my stomach muscles ached. Just to recap for Holly, Sara, Mindy and Callie I enjoyed our discussions on anything and everything but here are just a few...

1. Sara and Mindy's UFC fight
2. Holly's moves in Rhiannon's Mom's Van
3. Callie and her "rap" courtesy of Dawn Hutsler (I swear you have the best memory)
4. Multiple experiences on a treadmill (Sara and 24 hour fitness and Holly)
5. My mental block (until tonight) of going to a swimming party and having my bright pink underwear held up for the world to see.

You girls are the best! It was so fun to talk about the good old days and reconnect with such great people. I'm so glad that after all these years we can get together and pick up like 10 years hasn't past. I'm sure next time we go to Claim Jumpers there will be a picture of the five of us saying "Do let them enter!" Hey, who cares if multiple people had to move because of us and we asked strangers to take pictures with 4 cameras, we had a blast!
P.S. Thank you to my wonderful hubby for watching the kids from 4:00 p.m. on and being happy to do it for me. I love you, your the best!

A little fishing, a little cougars, a lot of fun!

On Thursday we went with Matthew's brother Shaun and his wife Carilynn to spend a few days at the cabin in Pine Valley. Then on Saturday we drove all the way to Provo to watch BYU cream UCLA (Go Cougars) and then back to the cabin all in the same day. I don't recommend the drive, but we had a blast! I haven't been to a BYU game since I was pregnant with Isaac and living in Springville. It was so fun to go to the game and be back in our old stomping grounds. Ava, Jackson, and Isaac working together to catch a fish.
Isaac and Matthew on the bank of the Pine Valley reservoir
Cougar Stadium...Go BYU! (picture compliments of Isaac)
Some of the family, Jackson, Shaun, Rebecca (who kept ditching my photo ops), Derek, and their friends.
Isaac, me and Jackson taking it all in.

TAGGED/ 8's

Melessa Cooley tagged me, so here goes nothing!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch:

Dateline
48 Hour Mystery
Bachelor
What Not To Wear
24 (If it ever comes back)
John and Kate Plus Eight
Monk
Biggest Loser

8 Favorite Restaurants:

Cafe Rio
Viva Michoachan
Tacones
Fudruckers
PF Changs
Olive Garden-Soup Salad & Breadsticks (old faithful)
Ottavios (Utah)
Brick Oven (Utah)

8 Things that happened yesterday:

Reluctantly got out of bed (Ava is getting up early these days)
Went to Target
Picked Isaac and Jackson up from pre-school
Worked on Isaac's reading
Watched an episode of What Not to Wear
Ate dinner with my parents
Visited Brin and Melissa at their new house
Put the kids to Bed

8 Things I look forward to:

Matthew being done with school
Ava consistently sleeping through the night
Eventually having another baby
Feeling like we're totally settled
Fall season
Getting on a regular exercise routine
Having a fully decorated house (ie: Curtains that actually touch the floor)
A bigger car (we're growing out of ours)

8 Things I love about fall

(it was suppose to be summer but I changed it):

Halloween costumes
Carving pumpkins with the kids
Trick or treating
Thanksgiving meal
Fall decorations
Cooler weather
Smell of fall candles
Changing colors

8 Things on My Wish list:

Money to finish decorating my house
More energy
A Maid
For my kids to always love eachother
To be done with school
Student Loans to disappear
Trip to Disneyland
For my kids to grow up to be great people

8 People I'm Tagging:

Callie
Tiffney
Nicole
Lacey
Holly
Sara
Mindy
Rebecca

What a Mom Would Say in 24 Hours

I tried to download this youtube video, but I am not computer savvy enough. I put in this link instead. Watch this, it is hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxT5NwQUtVM

School Days

Today was Isaac's first day of preschool for the new year. I am lucky because he loves school and hasn't fought me to go a single day (he went last year too). I probably just jinxed myself :)Isaac and Ava ready to go!
Pre-game celebration...Isaac picked Panda Express (or Panda Bear as he would say) for a special lunch. Got to love that cheezer!
The traditional car picture. I have this same picture from last year so I thought I would keep up on traditions.
Post-game celebration...Golden Spoon. Isaac definately milked me for all I'm worth today!

Pine Valley Get Away

Last weekend Matthew, me and the kids went up to hang out in Pine Valley. It is such a great place to visit and get a change from the usual routines of life. When we are there we just relax and live life in the slow lane. As you will be able to tell from the pictures, nobody gets dressed, nobody puts on makeup, in fact no one even really gets their hair combed. Sometimes you just need those days! After the weekend, Matthew had to go back to work and Callie came up with her three adorable kids after a Lamoreaux family reunion to visit for a few days. We were a little outnumbered-me and Callie against five kiddos, but we had a blast!
Isaac and Ava catching a "big fish" (as Ava would say) with their Daddy. The group...Grace, JJ, Ava, and Isaac.
Callie and Ava in the creek.
Who's holding who? Gibson 6 months, Ava 20 months.
Grace and JJ posing for a picture.
I hate this picture of me but what do you do? I already warned you there is no getting ready!

One of Those Days

If you can't tell from the picture, Ava is crying. This kind of sums up our day. Kids crying, lots of fighting, missing shoes, all mixed with a long list of things to get done. I'm sure all you Moms can relate. This afternoon, I made an executive decision and decided to set up a "movie theatre" and watch Tarzan. I love all my days, even the crazy ones like today. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Gibson Family Pictures

The entire Gibson family...25 to be exact!
Ava with her girl cousins
Grandma and Grandpa with all 11 grandchildren. This was a challenge to get!
The Gibson grandsons (except Michael who was sick).

More Fun in the Sun

Today we met my gorgeous friend/neighbor Nicole and her daughter Madison at our community pool. We had a great time just visiting and catching a few much needed rays (as you can tell from the picture of my white legs). Thanks Nicole for meeting me on short notice!

Insomnia!

For the last couple of weeks I have experienced random bouts of insomnia. Last week I went to bed as usual, however at 3:00 in the morning I was wide awake. I stayed in bed trying to convince myself to fall asleep and finally gave up and got out of bed at 4:00 a.m.. I needed to be up by 7:00 to get ready for Isaac's soccer game, so I just threw in the towel and stayed up. Anyways, I am now battling another case of insomnia tonight. My entire family has been in bed for hours and I know I should be in bed too. But I can't stand just laying in bed, so for now I'm up. Even though I'd rather be doing this...

Black Mountain Pool

Today we met Tiffney, Callie, and Melissa Cooley at Black Mountain Pool. The kids had a blast! Isaac never stopped moving and Ava was jumping in the pool face first. There's nothing better than waking up, throwing on swimsuits and relaxing at the pool. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention, wear the kids out and take a long nap?