Neil Diamond Night AI

Neil Diamond! One of the most recognizable voices in the industry --honestly, how many of you can tell it's him immediately just from the sound of his voice? And it's a good voice, that. He was great with the contestants and I loved his advice to them all. I was kind of pleased to see that Neil Diamond Night wasn't too shabby. He's a fabulous song writer and I think the contestants chose good songs. Here's my take:

Paula was what? Drunk? Seriously, how could she assume Jason sang twice? She was so confused and it was so embarrassing. And awkward. Worse? She called Syesha "Brooke" after Syesha's second song. We rewound the show twice just to make sure...poor Paula. She really is a ditz!

Jason Castro:
First song -- Not bad at the chorus. I felt the vibe. But the verses were awful. He looked good, though. The only thing I kept thinking is this "Jason, Jason, Jason. Where are you, man?"
Second song -- Closer, but no dice. He had the vulnerability back, but the notes weren't great --and his ending? Not good. He shouldn't have sung it. But this was still better than the first song.

David Cook:
First song --Wasn't as great as I thought it was going to be...he was kind of boring, actually.
Second song --Awesome. I loved this one! I told Brandon I would buy that single, but Brandon didn't think it was much better than the first song. I liked it, though and loved his falsetto transition into the soft "main theme" again (did that make sense?). I even found myself thinking he was pretty rock-starish/hot stuff, too. Spot on, David!

Brooke White:
First song --Way too low of a key. I understand she did that so she could go crazy at the end and sing higher, but...I was disappointed. I wanted her to sing the crazy stuff more --I wish she would have sung the chorus 3 times and just done 1 quick verse. But I know that doesn't really work in a song. I was proud of her confidence, though! She seemed happier. Much happier. And that's the Brooke I love!
Second song --I don't care what Simon said, it was fabulous!! It was the Carly-Simon-Carol-King Brooke that was back and I was so impressed. That song was perfect for her and she sang it so well. Brooke is back! Hooray!

David Archuleta:
First song -- Pretty darned good, I'd say. It wasn't my favorite rendition of that song, but he still did a good job. I sang along with him (or was it just the back-up singer and the brass I was singing with), but that mostly had to do with the song itself.
Second song -- He cracked on a couple of notes, but he did great! In fact, he's consistently great, which solidifies my thoughts that he's gonna win the whole enchilada. I'll say it again: David is young, good-looking, boyish/innocent, and reaches every demographic. He's gonna win, people.

Syesha Mercado:
(First of all, how is it that I could have been spelling her name wrong for 12 weeks?! And nobody told me!? I feel dumb now.)
First song -- Incredible. I loved it! She did such a good job and I had two thoughts: One --David A. has now got himself some real competition! and Two --She is the only one that has consistently improved with each passing week. She just keeps getting better and better; something that Kristy Lee Cook actually did, too. The other contestants have been consistently good, but I wouldn't say they've improved like Syesha has...
Second Song --Very "Broadway" (of course!), but that her strength now, and she knows it. I thought the song was very fun and she did a great job on it, but it wasn't as memorable or strong as her first song.

Last thoughts:
It was a weird format, not judging the first song and then going right into the second songs --like when Brooke ran from her "interview" with Ryan over to the piano to sing. It was kind of disconcerting, but at the same time, I liked that fresh/raw/realistic part to it. I think the producers were wise in choosing this type of format because it makes the TV audience feel like they are at the show and not just watching it from home, you know? And aside from Paula's total lack of brains, I liked how the judges popped off their thoughts after the first songs. Simon was hilarious! He didn't have one good thing to say after that first round and I just laughed so hard. Didn't necessarily agree with him, but I still thought it was funny.

Who should go home?
Jason. Sorry, buddy! But it's time.

Who will go home?
David A., because I am positive he will win. And the universe is always against me.

What did you think?

Let me tell you about what I've been doing...

...but first, what do you think of the colors? And top photo? I changed them because every once in a while, one needs change. And I've had so many changes in my life recently that I thought, "Why not?" [If you think it's ugly, though, just say "Ummm...it's interesting, Cheryl..." and that will suffice.]

Change is inevitable, I know this. And sometimes, I long for change --you know, the good kind. The increased awareness, the repentance of sin; not to mention getting through potty training or a long night of sickness. But recently, I've noticed that the changes in my life are leaving me little time to blog about the day-to-day grind. Let's walk through what I did from 10:30PM last night until now:

I finished my weight loss post and posted it; Brandon was still up doing important financial/paper/whatever-we-gotta-do type stuff. When we finally got into bed just sighing with relief for sleep, #4 decided to cry. I went in to comfort him (he's across the hall from our room). Calmed him down; I went back to bed. Three minutes later, #4 cried again. I gave him some water. Three minutes later, he cried again...and again...and I was so confused. He wasn't sick, he wasn't cold, he wasn't too warm, his binky was in his mouth. I checked his diaper, I checked over his body. Nothing. But every 3-5 minutes, he would cry. I thought perhaps it was a nightmare, but he woke up more than once (fully awake), and it sounded like a pain cry --one that would subside and then swell again. Exhausted, I was tempted just to let him cry, but I sat and thought about it. The next time he cried, I checked his gums --his back molars. Lo and behold, one had come in and the other was very swollen. A-ha! I broke out the Motrin, held him until it kicked in, and he slept the rest of the night.

Brandon was gone by 6AM to play basketball; I got up to do laundry. I know! Doesn't that sound nutso!? Laundry at 6AM?! After a cruddy night? Yeah, well, whilst-a-helpin' #4 throughout the night, I checked #3 for any potty accidents. See, it was his first night without a pull-up. I knew he wasn't ready, but I had forgotten to buy more pull-ups. I discovered, to my non-surprise, that he had wet the bed and hadn't even woken up. But I was too tired to wake him up, pull him out of bed, hose him down, wash the sheets, blah, blah, blah...and he has a plastic sheet on his mattress. So I did what any other tired mother would do with a child who didn't realize he was covered and pee and was sleeping soundly --I let him sleep. But! I knew he had no underwear for the morning (he just peed in his last pair. I'm nothing if I'm not prepared, you know), thus the getting up early to do laundry.

So, I'm up, I do laundry, clean up, get #1's lunch ready, get breakfast ready (cereal and milk take a lot of effort to prepare!), and finish some other tasks. Like blogging. Important stuff! As the children woke up, I fed them, helped them get dressed, made sure #1 finished her homework, had her do some practice tests for the big 1st grade testing next week (stupid testing), gave #3 and #4 (he had to be included) a bath, and did more laundry. Brandon came home in time to fix my Blasted phone lines (that keep going out on me) and do some other technological things for me, but then he was off to work. Then it was socks, shoes, jackets, get-in-the-car! seat belts, and taking #1 to school. Getting back, it was find a "v" picture for #2's preschool, where's-the-back-pack?, put #4 in the back carrier, walk #2 to preschool, come home, clean up breakfast, put #4 down for a nap, shower, help #3 with his snack ("what are you doing on the counter?") and then sit down to change my blog "look." And then write this post.

This is my life. The life I rarely have time to write about anymore because of all the other changes I've made in my life. There was the move, the weight loss, Brandon's new job, and although that looks like a small list, we all know what just "the move" can include. Oh, yes, it includes a lot! I was hoping to be unpacked and stress-free by now, but come on, that's not realistic is it? Nope. It doesn't help that I try to go out and do fun stuff whenever I can, either (go figure). So, I'm trying to breathe and be happy with the stress. The weather is gorgeous, my kids are healthy and happy...what more can I want?

Well, dear reader, there is one more thing I want (okay, there's several things, but this post is already too long). I want to be published! Oh, how I want to be published. So, yesterday, I spent the bulk of afternoon revising my children's stories and finished writing another one. I found some more publishing companies that will accept unsolicited manuscripts, so I'm getting ready to submit again. This is big for me, since I haven't been focused on writing since January. And I've already been rejected twice. Ah, well! To succeed, one must be willing to fail. Wish me luck!

How I Lost The Weight: Part III

Okay, dear reader, you have the desire. You got rid of the junk in your house. You bought good foods (or better). Now let's talk about exercise (the details of what I actually do everyday will be in Part IV. Sorry!).

[Once again, please do not take what Cheryl says as professional advice. Your personal physician person's advice should always trump whatever Cheryl has to say about anything related to weight loss. Why? Because it just makes sense. And I won't be held liable if you ignore your doctor. That is all.]

Yep! Exercise! Unfortunately, you can't skip the food part and run over here to exercise expecting to lose weight. 80% of what you do has to be food. 20% of it is exercise. Put 'em together and whaddya get? A fab bod you want to continue to take care of, my friend. 100% of pure joy! Or somethin' like that anyway...

"But Cheryl!" you whine, "I don't know what to do for exercise! What do I do!?"

Luckily, there are a lot of options for a lot of situations. And it's a good thing, too, because we're not as lucky as those who came before us. Back in the day, you just lived your life on the farm/ranch and that's how you got your exercise. You worked. Hard. There was no sitting in front of the television or driving to school. But now? We've got blogging and TV; cars and telephones. Then there's grocery stores and cubicles. We have to exercise, people. We don't really have a choice, you know. It's either become a professional athlete or farm. I'm sure there might be other professions that will get you out and about, but we can't all be professional spelunkers. Most of us are SAHM's, or working mothers who sit down all day.

Before I get into these options, though, let's talk about what exercise can do for us. First, it burns fat. Well, sign me up! Anybody else got some extra fat encasing their bodies? Second, it gets our oxygen flowing and our blood pumping. This is good for many reasons:

1. It increases your heart rate; so good for the heart! The heart is a muscle and it wants to be worked. Not over-worked, mind you, but just worked. No need to push it to heart attack levels!
2. It spreads those awesome endorphins. You know how you feel AFTER you exercise? Yes! It's awesome! The energy, the positive energy, flowing through your body --it feels great! But it's the starting and getting through it that gives us the trouble...
3. Your oxygen intake and lung capacity increases. No, serious! I'm not sure if this is professionally "correct" info, but take it from this woman with exercise/allergy-induced asthma. The more I exercise, the better I breathe --even when I'm done exercising. It seriously helps my lungs!
4. My Cardiologist (when I had a cardiologist --I know, it sounds weird. Someday I'll tell you all about my former heart problems. Just know they are "former"!) told me that if every person would just walk outside for 45 minutes, four days a week, all diseases like heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, etc. would no longer be epidemics. People would literally live longer and healthier lives. And he would be out of a job.

Now, third, exercise (the weight training kind) will help increase bone and muscle mass, which is so important if you are a woman. Very important. Have you seen those commercials for osteoporosis meds? Weight training will help prevent osteoporosis, and that is so important for a woman to know! We are the prime candidates for bone loss (and heart disease, btw). And finally, fourth, exercise (cardio and weight training) will give you an amazing body! For example, I was weight training for about three months while I was living in California. (Lanette was our awesome instructor, btw). I only lost 3 pounds one of those months, but I dropped an entire dress size. Let me repeat that: I lost 3 pounds, but dropped an entire dress size! One pound of muscle and one pound of fat weigh the same (duh), but one pound of muscle looks so much better because it's so dense. Imagine a pound of popcorn. Now imagine a pound of kernels. Which one would you rather have under your skin? Exactly.

Okay, so exercise is great. We know it's important. So, let's go back to the question: What can we do? What can we realistically do to get exercise into our lives? Here are some ideas:

1. Walk. Put on your shoes, and go out the door. You could walk for 15 minutes, or 30 minutes. Push yourself and walk for an hour! You can do one mile, two miles, or 6 miles. Go with your headset on or walk with a friend. Go at 6AM, 9AM, or on your lunch break. Go at 4PM, after dinner, or 9PM. Just GO.
2. Run. Same as walking, except more intense. Train for a 5K, 10K, or a marathon! Or just run for fun. Slow jogging is just as good for you as fast running (well, you might have to slow jog longer). Just make sure you have some good shoes that fit correctly.
3. Ride a Bike. Same as walking and running, but you can go further. Ride to work, ride with the kids, ride for the pleasure.
4. Treadmill/Stationary Bike/Elliptical Machine: If you have one, take the clothes off of it, and use it. Put it in a room where you will actually use it. Put a TV in front of it, talk on the phone while you use it, listen to music while using it. Start off with 20 minutes a day and raise it until you're doing an hour a day. Can't stomach getting up early? Do it during nap time. Can't stomach doing it while the children are around? Do it when they go to bed. Just make the time!
5. Join a gym. You could join a huge chain, or something small, like Curves. You can sign up for classes, or just use the machines. Stop there on your way to work. Go at 6AM. Stop there on your way home from work (my mom goes to Curves after she's done teaching school for the day). Go at midnight. Big plus with the gyms? You can do cardio and weight training at the same place, and they have all the equipment. Plus showers. If you like to shower with strangers. Which, hey, if that's your thing, then...ummm...whatever...
6. DVD's and Videos: I have used these and they can be good. Our X-Box has a program that basically gives you a personal trainer. She takes you through differing workouts based on your needs. It's pretty cool! (I should start using it again) Use videos like Kick-boxing, Tae-Bo (remember those?), aerobics, step-aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, etc. etc. There is nothing wrong with using these. If they get you off the couch and into a sweat, then do it! There are some great weigh training videos out there you can find; and if you don't have hand weights? Use canned goods! I know some of you have food storage out there. Also, I know some TV stations have aerobics on their programming (PBS, perhaps?). Find one!
7. Dance Classes. Who says you have to exercise only by what's deemed "exercise"? Go dancing! Sign up for Ballroom, hip-hop, tap, or jazz. A friend of mine does Jazzercise.
8. Sports. Sign up with an adult league in your area. Basketball, Soccer, Baseball/Softball, Volleyball, Football, Ultimate Frisbee, etc. There's got to be something, somewhere. Go re-live high school or do something you've always wanted to do! Not only will the exercise be good for you, but you'll meet new people and have fun!
9. Hiking. Goes with walking/running. Perhaps it won't work for an everyday thing, but it might be good for weekends.
10. Baby Boot Camp. My awesome friend, Lindsay, not only plays in an adult soccer league, but she also does Baby Boot Camp. That girl was so healthy! These classes are intense, but the good news? Baby gets to come!

Please remember, though, that the best work-outs include cardio and weight training. I used to think that I could just run everyday and I'd be fine. But I have found out (by weight training) that you need both. You absolutely need both! One way would be to run 3 times a week and weight train 2 times a week. And also, please remember to warm up and cool down. It sounds lame, but your body needs it! It really does. It needs to build up warm muscles before you work them hard, and it needs you to stretch them after you've worked them hard. If you want more info about this, please read here and here.

Now, what about the excuses? Trust you me, I know what those include. I know, because I have used them all. Every. Single. One. (Too tired, too old, too sad, too happy, too busy, too depressed, too fat, too skinny, too apathetic, too short, too tall, too poor, too lonely, too forgetful). And I'm actually using them now. That's right, the move has thrown off my groove, and I no longer have the self-motivation (other than the intense longing to get out and do it). So today, I recommitted myself to start again. I'm going to get going. What about you? Will you get going? And if you do, How? What? When? and Where?

P.S. That wasn't rhetorical, dear reader. Seriously, will you get going? And if you do, How/What/When/Where? Tell me about it! Give me all your info and your ideas. What has worked for you in the past? What works for you now? In the future?

Catch-Up Photos and The Puke is Over!

#1's birthday was last Monday:

My parents came to visit last week, and on Friday, my sister came down from SLC with her boys to join the fun. Luckily, #4 only puked once on Friday. Unfortunately, it was right when we arrived at the park --all over his car seat. Yuck. We thought the worst was over, but while we were at Chili's for dinner, he had diarrhea about 4 times. I was so tired of the sickness! He had been puking/pooping for 4 days straight, but I knew it was a virus because his fever didn't last. So I asked Brandon, my dad, and BIL to give #4 a blessing. It was hard for him to sit still and he wasn't sure why they were touching his head, but it worked, dear reader. All the sickness stopped and hasn't returned. That just solidified my testimony of the Priesthood. I am so grateful to have it in my home!
Here are some pictures of the Park (there were hundreds of tulips in bloom; it was such a nice surprise!):

Coming Up: How I Lost The Weight: Part III!

Spotlight Sunday: By the lbs

*Spotlight Sunday is a weekly blog post dedicated to one person that has inspired me to be a better person. This will include people I have known all my life, met recently, and/or know only through blogging. If you want to be a part of Spotlight Sunday, then just be patient! I'll get to you, I promise. :)

Who is By the lbs?
She is a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, reader, writer, and all-around fabulous person!

How Do I Know By the lbs?
A while back, I held my first give-a-way! (and incidentally, it's been my only one. Hmmm...I better do another one, soon...). She was one of the winners (lucky girl), and so we emailed each other to exchange info. Well, we discovered that we had a lot in common. A lot. Almost too much, really. This turned into an emailing frenzy, and we wrote each other an average of about 8 emails a day. Or more. Remember this post about the phone call to a new blogging friend that lasted almost 4 hours? Yep. By the lbs. One could say that we've...connected. Now we are buddies. And no, we've never met. Officially --in person, I mean. But that doesn't mean I don't love the girl! I've never met Jamie J, or Amanda, or several other women whom I've grown to appreciate and love, so it's all good. But one day, I know we'll meet. Because I'm just too cool for her NOT to meet me. Or something like that. :)

What is it about By the lbs that inspires me?

1. By the lbs has the most amazing wit. She's sharp as a whip and is always ready to crack a joke. Her ability to quote almost every movie and show she's ever seen blows my mind, too. How does she know all this stuff? I laugh at every blog post she writes (well, maybe not the super serious ones), and her ability to capture the random, the crazy, and the fun in her life leaves me in complete awe. Oh, to have her brain!
2. Her writing talent just astounds me. She has such a great talent for the written word, which really goes along with her sharp wit. Her paragraphs are perfect, her sentences are complete. She knows when to wax poetic and when to simplify. Her word choices are thrilling (yes, you heard me, Thrilling!) and she's good at description. So good, in fact, that it's easy to know when she's kidding and when she's serious. That is a very hard feat, dear reader, to let your audience know your intentions without letting them know your intentions. Am I envious of By the lbs' ability to write? Oh, yes. Do I cry about it? Only sometimes. But mostly, I just use her as an example I should emulate.
3. By the lbs is a great mother and wife. Oh, yes! She has four bright children and it's obvious that they have been raised by a wonderful mother. Of course, I say this only from observing her writing and our limited exchange, but that doesn't mean I can't tell. She cares so deeply about her children, and yet she's willing to let them be independent (a woman after my own heart, you know!). When she talks about her relationship with her hubby, I know they have a great marriage. I've learned from her examples of how to be a better mother and wife. She may scoff at me, but it is true, dear reader. So true!
4. She is a very well rounded person. She has good taste in movies, music, food, and books --but she's not limited to just one genre or type. She dabbles in art and music, as well as the written word, and I've been a grateful recipient of some of these talents. Since I'm the biggest fan of Moderation in All Things (it's my mantra), this skill she has of being well-rounded fills me with even more admiration.
5. She's a fabulous friend. Her emails and phone calls always brighten my day, and she knows just what to say to make me feel better. Her concern is genuine, and her validation is wonderful. Of course, it does help that we have so much personality in common, but at the same time, I know she's a good friend just because she's a good friend. I'm sure there are more bloggers out there that are starting to realize this about her. She's fab! I hope you all get a chance to know her better.

You're the best, By the lbs! Yes, yes, you are...

If you want to read some past Spotlight Sundays, please go here, here, and here.

Mother's Day Give-a-way Photo Contest (Suh-Weet!)

[Thanks to Summer for the head's up!]

5 Minutes for Mom is holding a fabulous give-a-way! And the grand prize? $1,000.00. No, I am not kidding. The best part? (besides the fab money, of course), is that it's a photo contest on motherhood. What does motherhood mean to you? Capture it in a photo and enter!

Here is my entry:

Each of my children's distinct personalities are shown through this picture. #1 and her addicting optimism; #2 and her need for the dramatic; #3 and his clownish tendencies; #4 and his observing eye. My motherhood is represented in this photo through these amazing personalities and also by reminding me that no matter where we go, they will always be a part of me. Continually connected to me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Plus, the view just rocks!

Go enter in your own photo! And let me know if you do, because I'd love to see your pictures (and check out the competition, of course, Ha!)

Stop punishing the victims! Oh, and some puke...

The whole polygamy thing is just whacked. My opinion? Give the kids back to their mothers and arrest all the fathers. Who are they trying to punish? Obviously, they want to punish the victims, since the women and children they are trying to save are the ones suffering far worse now...seriously, it's so dumb.

My friend, Seth, has written a fabulous blog post about America's disgust with Mormons and their history of polygamy. It's awesome. I wish I had written it myself. Go check it out.
---------------------------------------------------------

#4 has the same bug #2 had last week. But his stomach is not like iron --luckily #1 and #3 have the iron stomachs. Yes, dear reader, I have been up all night and running around all day doing laundry, cleaning carpets and floors --I just hope the puking stops soon. What's amazing, though, is my awesome skillz at recognizing the pre-puke sound. I seriously rock at catching puke now. And I change clothes and clean it up without even batting an eye. I'm either getting really good at this, or I'm just too tired to care.
--------------------------------------------------

I might be AWOL for a few days whilst the parents are-a-visitn'. But watch for Spotlight Sunday and How I Lost the Weight: Part III.

I must live in a Hole!

How did I not know about Leona Lewis? Huh?! Where have I been? That girl was amazing. Seriously, she was astounding and I think she's better than Mariah Carey. In fact, I read an article tonight where Mariah states that Leona doesn't sound like her --and I would agree. She's better than you, Mariah! Sorry, but it's true. When she started singing, I was kind of "okay, whatever", but by the time she hit the chorus? Wowzahs! I'm a fan.

Okay, now to other parts of the show. It was so refreshing to hear them speak so candidly about the contestants! Having Andrew Lloyd Weber up there, talking about Brooke's mistake; Randy's admittance that Broadway music is hard and should be respected (Right on, Dawg!); Ryan speaking with the contestants about what they sang, why they chose the song, etc.; and finally, seeing the contestants' reactions backstage when Sayesha was in the bottom two.

And holy cow! Carly and Sayesha? After last night?! I was just as surprised as Brooke, and she looked just miserable. Miserable! It was as if she wanted to go home. Again. I'm seriously hoping this slaps some sense into her and hopefully she can just have some fun here on out. I mean, come on! Have some fun! Don't be so serious! But then again --when she did have fun, she was kind of dorky. Ah, that Brooke. So much to analyze, and no time!

But I was glad to see Carly leave over Sayesha, if only for the fact that Sayesha was amazing last night. Carly has always kind of bothered me, too, but I'm looking forward to what type of album she'll come up with. Might be interesting! I hope it sells more than 300 copies this time...

[Oh, and the Ford video? Crazy-zany fun. Kind of weird, but still fun.]

How can I have this much stress already?

Lest you people think my life is all charmed and what-not, with my fab photos of my awesome hikes and my upbeat posts about losin' loads of weight, I have here, for your viewing pleasure, a list of things stressing me out to the max:

• My awesome parents are coming tomorrow night and the house is still in disarray.
• Our cat thinks it's important to mark his territory here in the basement. We've already cleaned it once, so he made sure to mark it again. Luckily there are web forums discussing this problem and I'm breaking out the oranges ASAP.
• This dang weather is making me angry. It's almost May, people, and what, we finally have a high of 65 degrees today? What is this, Utah or something?!?! Oh, yeah...darn it...
• I still have the entire office to unpack. Papers to rifle through. My books are in 30 boxes. How can I survive without access to my books? And when do I have time to do this?
• We haven't even started on our master bedroom, yet. Our boxes of clothes and dressers and our bed are all in different rooms in the house. We're sleeping on our mattress on the floor. Rah, rah.
• Brandon is gone on business. It's okay during the day, but in the evening it's just not any fun without him.
• I'm still trying to figure out a routine. #1 starts school at 8:40AM, an entire hour later than she did in CA. #2 only has preschool twice a week, rather than 3 times a week --and I haven't started piano lessons, yet. Oh! If those near me need a piano teacher, I'm starting next week. Or the next. And I need to find some kind of activities for the kiddos. Like dance, or choir, or sports. Perhaps I should look into it. Yes, that's another thing. I need to look into stuff like that for the kids.
• I need to fix the phone, the trash cans (our renter's got rid of my recycle and green waste cans and got two more garbage cans. I'm so angry! How can I recycle without my recycle can!?), take down more wallpaper, clean the bathrooms, finish folding laundry, do the dishes, get the guest room ready for the parental units, make a dr. appointment for #4 (a well visit), read my book for book club, start on my 3rd weight post, clean the kitchen desk, dream about new appliances, and go outside and walk around before I go absolutely crazy.

Other than that, life is...okay. Could be better, but man, it sure could be worse! And all I can say is thank goodness for blogging, Jane Austen movies, and baby hugs.

How I Lost The Weight: Part II

Before I begin this post, I'd just like to say that Brandon has made LIFETIME! That's right folks, he maintained his goal weight for Six Weeks and is now a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers!! What does that mean? Well, it means he can go to as many meetings as he wants, weigh in every week, use the online tools, etc. and not pay a dime. He only has to stay within 2 pounds of his goal weight (for the rest of his life) and weigh in once a month to keep this Lifetime membership. I think that's a fab incentive, don't you?

So, the desire is there. You are fat, or unhealthy, or fat and unhealthy, and you know you need to do something! Like some of you said on Part I, getting the desire takes time! And sometimes, you know you are serious about it, but it still takes a couple of months before you can psyche yourself up for the plunge. Believe you me --I know this. It always took me months (or years) before I just did it. And this is the second time I got serious about it. And I have no doubt I may have to get serious about it for the rest of my life. Because you know where I end up when I'm not serious about it? Here. In the Before picture. Obviously, because if I could look like the After picture without any effort, then why would I need to be serious about it?

Okay, Desire is done. Now, how in the world do you start? Most people would tell you that exercise is the place to start. I would disagree with them.

[We Interrupt this blog post to warn you that everything Cheryl says is her own opinion and should never, ever, ever take the place of your own personal physician-person. This is because if you do what she says, fail, and then want to sue her, she will have all her bases covered. Thank you. Now back to the previously scheduled blog post...]

I would disagree with them because exercise is the easy part. No! Seriously! Stop laughing! It is! Exercising is the easy part! I promise you that it is...It's the eating that is hard. Think about it for a minute. Let's say you start walking with a friend each day for 30 minutes. How hard is it to walk with a good friend each day? Don't you look forward to the conversation? The fresh air? Okay, now let's think about that plate of brownies. Or cookies. Or loaf of homemade bread with butter. How hard is it to say no to a second slice? Or cookie? Or brownie? Huh???

Exercise, my friend, is the easy part.
But we don't start with easy with Cheryl. We start the hard way, because once the hard way becomes easy, then it's no longer hard, and how in the world can anyone argue with that amazingly intelligent logic?! I know, I know. You can be amazed now.

Okay, but seriously, let's talk food. Because food is important. We already established that our bodies have to have food to survive. We need food to be alive, right? But our bodies don't need too much food, nor too little food. They need the right amounts of food. They need calories, carbs, fats, salts, sugars, vitamins, minerals, and lots of water. The trick is to give our bodies the correct amounts of all of those things. And besides majoring in dietetics, or calculus (to count all those calories), or English (to read the food labels), how does one figure out what to eat?? It's so confusing! So much food! So little time to read, count, and major in Dietetics (good for you, Julie, btw, for doing so!).

How did I do it? I joined Weight Watchers. Honest, I know, you're gonna be sick of hearing about WW before you're done reading these weight loss posts. But that's what I did, and you asked me what I did, did you not? You did. Anyway, I joined WW and they taught me how to figure out what was good for me. Without infringing on any copyright laws, here's the gist of what I learned:
Each day, your body needs 6 glasses of water. You need 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. You need 2 dairy servings (unless you are nursing, then make it 3!), and you need 2 servings of oil (1). Please notice no mention of meat, although it's obvious you need proteins of a varying kid. You also need to keep to the limit of what your body needs, food-wise. You've all heard of the points, right? Yeah, well, the points rock. Why do they rock? Because they take out the guess-work and calculus. For example, while I was nursing #4, I got to eat around 38 points a day. This was because I was nursing, I was a woman, I was on my feet a lot of the day (being a mom), and I was fat. Now, however, I only get 24 points a day. This is because I no longer nurse and I'm no longer fat. The happy news, though, is that you get 35 extra points for the entire week! So, if you have one big meal out on Friday? Use the 35 points for that and you'll still lose weight. Or, distribute them throughout the week (giving me 28 points a day), and you'll still lose weight. I like these points because it's easy to figure out what to eat. Of course, if you don't like to count anything, you could just do the WW Core program. That is just a huge list of food you can eat; but you have to teach yourself to understand your hunger signals and be careful of portions. Some people rock at this. I am not one of those people. If I wasn't limited as to number, I would eat the whole plate. And the table. I need me some points!

Some of you (like bythelbs) wanted details. Like, what do I eat? How does it work? What do I actually do each day? Well, dear reader people, you're gonna have to wait for the next post. I know! I'm so mean! But we have to get some housecleaning out of the way first. Remember what I said about education? Well, consider this the prep course. You can't skip the prep course and go straight to advanced! I know you're smart, but sheesh! You're not that smart. (Cue the nervous laughter).

Okay, so to begin thinking about food, you need to replace what you have with good stuff. See, here's the kicker: You cannot have crap in your house. My main mantra during these last nine months was this:
"If it's not in your house, then it won't go in your mouth."
So true! Let's say you have potato chips in your home. And cookies. And crackers. And fruit snacks. "They're for the kids!" you justify to yourself. But who eats them when the kids aren't looking? Who eats the rest of the brownies? The cookies? The cake? Who sneaks the candy? The chips? The crackers? Yeah, you know who --YOU! So, stop fooling yourself! Here's what I did to stop eating all that junk food:
I threw it away.
I'm not kidding. Throw. It. Away. If you feel really bad for wasting it, take it to a local food bank. Or give it to the neighbors. Or the dog. I don't care who, but just get rid of it!! And then here's the next step:
Don't buy any more.
I'm still not kidding. Don't buy it. Don't even look at it. If you buy it, you will eat it. If YOU BUY IT, YOU WILL EAT IT! And who's gonna be happy about that? Hmmm? Your thighs? I don't think so. It's gonna be Joe Schmoe down at Corporate Food Place laughing with glee that America keeps getting fatter and spending money on his products. Honest-to-goodness, you don't have to buy junk. You may think you need to, but you don't. And your budget will actually thank you for it, too!
"But, Cheryl!" you whine, "what did you replace the junk with? What am I supposed to buy? How do I do this?!" It's actually not as hard as it sounds. Here's what I did:

I began by replacing all breads and pastas with 100% whole wheat products. Whole wheat tortillas. Whole wheat bread. Whole wheat pastas. And no, not the "whole grain" kind --100% whole wheat. My kids didn't react well at first, but they soon developed a taste for them, since they didn't have a choice! (cue the evil laughter). In fact, they don't really remember the white stuff. I think.
I also started buying more fruit and veggies. Fresh, frozen, and canned. Mostly fresh and frozen, though. Apples, bananas, and mandarin oranges are always in our home. On the counter. Carrots, broccoli, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, bagged salad, and onions are always in our fridge, and we use them almost daily. I refuse to let them go bad (like we all do, right? Yeah, I know we do!) and think of ways to incorporate them. Frozen peas, beans, and a variety of vegetable blends grace my freezer. Frozen fruit, too, for smoothies (which happen rarely around here, unfortunately) and baking (yeah, so the fruit stays frozen a lot. I'm no Martha!). I've also switched all our dairies. Skim or 1% milk for all of us (except #4 gets whole milk), light cheeses (sometimes regular shredded for the kids), fat free sour cream, fat free dressings, fat free cream cheese (when I use it), and light or fat free yogurts. Okay, yeah, I get go-gurt for the kiddies. But I don't really like those, so it's not a big deal.
Our snacks have changed a lot, too. I refuse to buy fruit snacks now. It's just sugar that looks like fruit. Even if it has fruit juice in it, it's still sugar. My kids snack on these things (what I have in the pantry right now): graham crackers, ritz crackers (those are mostly for #4), Quaker chewy granola bars, Crisps dehydrated fruit, Goldfish crackers (I'm a sucker, still!), and Craisins. If the kids want a snack, they can choose any of these things, apples, bananas, oranges, or string cheese.
Brandon hates to just drink water for the sake of drinking water, so the one area we do splurge on is Crystal Lite. It's 0 points and still gives us our water! And tastes yummers.
For desserts? We don't really have many. In fact, if a cookie, brownie, or cake enters our home it's because A. someone had a birthday, or B. someone else gave them to us. Seriously, we don't eat the sweets. Why? Because I will inhale them. Why? Hello?! Didn't you listen? I have no self-control! And if it's in the house...yep...it's in my mouth! But we do have fat free ice-cream or fat free frozen yogurt with fat free whipped topping every night. Every. Night. And we still lost weight, you know. Obviously. :)

That's all for now. I will get into more details about what I eat each day (specifics) in the next weight loss post. Also, look for one about Exercising! And learning to say No!

Okay, your turn. What small changes have you made in your grocery purchases to help you on your way to successful weight loss?

Broadway Idol

Before I begin my critique of tonight's show, you need to know, dear reader, that I adore Broadway. I'm not an expert of Broadway, but I love musicals! Having Andrew Lloyd Weber as a guest "judge" was such a treat! An amazing treat! He's a musical genius, and I was very excited to have him on the show.

Here are my thoughts:

Sayesha Mercado: It was no surprise to me that she did so well. Sayesha is an actress, and doing a musical piece was obviously heaven on earth for her! There were a few parts that were off, but she did a fabulous job. It was fun, flashy, and nice on the ears --okay, and eyes. As Simon said, she looked great! (yeah, he said sexy, and he was right!).
Jason Castro: I was upset with his performance. It was way too timid. And what was up with that "I'm so scared to sing this song!" thing?! Come on! It's too far into the competition to have no confidence. And even if you have no confidence, you fake it, boy! You act confident and then you'll be confident! The problem was that "Memory" could have been awesome for him. It had a nice slow melody --and he could have really done a great job. I'm starting to realize that like other competitors, Jason doesn't do well with new music. He does great with stuff he's learned over the years (nobody can tell me he didn't do "Hallelujah" or "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" before, because it's obvious he knew them well), but what about new stuff? I was just so disappointed, because I saw the potential for this performance to be great. And he started great...and then...slowly...died...like the cat in the song! Wait, does she die eventually?
Carly Smithson: Again, she was thiiiis close with me. So close! I thought she was smart to go all rock n' roll and she did a great job. But the yelling thing at the end...? So bothersome to me. I did think the T-shirt she pulled out after Simon's words to her was just hilarious. That was funny!
David Archuleta: Surprisingly, I totally agreed with Simon. It was a good performance, nice and controlled, fun with the R&B take on "Think of Me", but at the same time, it just didn't do it for me. It was too...forgettable. It felt like Elevator Music to me. It did! But that doesn't mean David still didn't blow it out, nor change my prediction that he'll win the whole enchilada.
Brooke White: When she asked them to start over again, I about wet my pants. Wha?! How could she do that?! That type of stuff gets you kicked out of Hollywood week! I told Brandon "She's going home tomorrow because of that", but then I sat and listened. I don't care what Randy, Paula, or Simon said about her performance --I don't think it was strain in her voice, I honestly think it was emotion. It was so beautiful! Seriously, for the first time this season, Brooke gave me goosebumps. I loved it. Loved it. If she had not forgotten the lyric at the beginning, then it would have been perfect, and the judges wouldn't have thought it was about the mess-up in the beginning. I was really proud of her and her dress was amazing. I think this was one of my favorite Brooke performances. Many may disagree, but I still think she was amazing.
David Cook: Eh. I loved about 2/3 of it. When he hit the first high note, I was all "Yeah!! go, go, go!" It was really great! But then...at the end...I don't know. It bothered me. As a musician. Here he was, singing all sweetly, good crescendos and decrescendos, and then this sweet ending to...POW!!! Here-have-a-really-big-note-ending-on-a-different-chord-rather-than-tonic! That just bugged. The contrast was too startling and I think it took away from what he had previously done. But, like I said, the first 2/3 of it was really good.

Who do I think should go home?
Carly, because I don't like her.
Jason, because he was being all weird again.
Brooke, because she lost the lyric and even though I agree with Simon (about how she didn't really have a choice but to start over), Paula was right. You don't do that. You don't forget the lyric when you only have one shot.

Who will go home?
No idea!

What did you think?

How I Lost The Weight: Part I

So, you want to lose weight, eh? Well, people, you've come to the right place! Just for the record, though, this is not going to become a blog on weight loss. Nor do I claim to have any expertise in the area other than my own experience. Please do not take my words over the word of your own personal physician, alrighty? Good. Just makin' sure we're clear.

The question I have been/am constantly asked is this: "What did you and Brandon do to lose so much weight?" Well, the pathway to weight loss is pretty hard. I'm sure many of you have tried to lose weight at one point in your life. Am I right, dear reader? Whether you succeeded or failed, you know what it takes. And it takes a lot. Oh, does it take a lot. A lot of what, you might ask? Well, it takes a lot of everything, really. Here are a few examples of things I needed to have to get myself going. Perhaps you might need them, too...?

First: The Desire.
Oh, sure, you may constantly say to your friends "Man, I need to lose 20 pounds!" or joke around with your family about your increasing size and appetite. I know, because I joked about it. I complained about it. I tried to pretend that being fat didn't bother me. Plenty of happy people are fat! So, I was happy, dang it! At least that's what I told myself. Over and over and over as I ate that entire pan of brownies. Yeah, I dreamed about being thin again. I dreamed about having energy and confidence. But I didn't truly have the desire. What became the difference? There were several reasons. One was that I hit my peak --I was bigger/fatter than I had been while pregnant. Bigger than my biggest while pregnant. How could I weigh more than I ever had in my life? What did I do wrong? The answer, dear reader (one of them, anyway), was that I didn't have the desire. I didn't have the desire to change my life and fix the problem. I was so focused on how much I hated my body --so focused, that I couldn't see a way out. So, I did something strange. I invited my Aunt Carrie to come visit me and show me how to dress. She was my "personal shopper" for a week, and we found amazing things! Clothing that fit (even if it was size 18-20) and clothing that flattered. For the first time in years, I felt pretty again. Some would say, "What the? How does that help you to lose weight?" Well, for the first time in 9 years or so, I saw that I had beauty. I was beautiful even while I was "fat". I had to overcome my own insecurities about my looks and my body before I could finally take control. When I finally had that love for me, my desire for weight loss grew and grew.

During this time, Brandon was steadily gaining weight himself. I'll have him do a guest post soon on his own weight loss journey, but for now, just know that he finally hit the same point I had --How in the world did we get so big? What can we do to stop it? The desire had come in a full force --the joking stopped. The complaining stopped. We realized we really needed to do something, or we'd continue on the same path and end up in a place where the desire could fade.

Second: A Partner
I have no self-motivation. Honest. When it comes to doing things on my own just for the sake of doing things on my own, I'm quite pathetic. I love accountability (hmmm...this could be a reason I like the Church) and I have to be accountable to somebody in order to do great things. Like this blog. If you people didn't read my blog and stopped commenting? Well, first I'd bawl my eyes out and be depressed for months, but I would probably slowly stop blogging. I need you, understand? I NEED YOU!!
Okay...ahem...anyway...
Without this self-motivation, I tend to fail. That's why it's important for me to have a walking buddy and a running buddy --or a group of women expecting me to exercise. I also need someone helping me through the whole eating process.

About 2 years ago, I joined Weight Watchers with my friend, Jill. She and I were walking/running buddies, and until I got pregnant with #4, I had lost 15 pounds! It was great. But I couldn't have done it without her, because she was my only support. Now, I don't want to harp on Brandon, since he's the best in the west, but he was not very supportive 2 years ago. I had to make 3 separate meals each night (kids, him, me) and he just kind of laughed at me. So, without Jill's support, I would have failed, people. Failed! And technically, I did, although I blame #4 (haha!).
But this time it was different. I had no one to exercise with consistently (although, Camellia, I loved our walks and talks! I truly did!), and no one to do WW with --I was alone. One would think that could motivate me, though, right? Ah, no. You overestimate my abilities, dear reader. I remember the day with clarity when Brandon said: "I think we should join Weight Watchers together."
HALLELUJAH!
I signed us up immediately! See, I have no self-motivation, but it doesn't take too much to get me going. I don't fight it, people! I ain't a hater.

So, we started doing the WW program together. We got the passes that let us use the online tools (Brandon's favorite part) and go to the meetings. We started weighing in at different times and on different days, but we were doing the program and watching out for each other.

That's the best part! On days when I am tempted to over-eat, Brandon calls me on it. When Brandon reaches for more of something, I can swat his arm and remind him not to do it. It's so nice having this type of support! OH! That reminds me, too --we've saved loads of money supporting each other. How? Well, we eat less (duh). Plus, when we eat out, we usually share an entree (almost every time). That saves some dough! And some fat. :)

Also, for those thinking about WW (no, they didn't pay me to advertise for them, dang it!), they can be your support system. Those meetings are awesome! The support is just incredible. If you don't believe me, ask Lanette!

Third: Diets Don't Work
It's no surprise that I like Weight Watchers. I've followed the program twice now, and I know it works. My mother followed the program 8 years ago and lost 40 pounds in 4 months, and has kept it off. I have several friends who have been successful with Weight Watchers. So, I like it. But that doesn't mean other programs don't work. Or diets. I mean, how many of you have gone on a diet? And lost weight? For sure, you did! Of course you lost weight! But, what happened when you stopped dieting?
Yeah, that's the problem.
Diets don't work long term. They never have and they never will. To achieve real weight loss it's gotta be more than just changing habits for a few months. You have to change your habits for the rest of your life. If any of you people are like me, you will have to watch what you eat forever. Well, until death. And hopefully that's a long time!

But how do you learn what to do to change your habits? Where do you get the education? There are all kinds of places that explain they know what's best for our bodies. Remember the Atkin's diet? SouthBeach? Liquid? Yeah...not necessarily the best education for your average person trying to lose poundage.

Education is key, and you have to know the right stuff. To get you started, here's something I learned about food:
You need it. Starving yourself is silly, because then your body believes it's starving (hey, wait a minute, that sounds too logical), and then it holds onto fat reserves. But what kind of food do you need? Well, just go read this. Most bodies need the following:

• Whole grains. 100% whole wheat pasta and breads. They are the best!
• Water.
• Fruits and Vegetables and lots of 'em. The more colorful, the better!
• Dairy. My fave is yogurt.
• Lean meats or proteins --beans are fab, and lean chicken rocks.
• Healthy oils --olive is great, but you can use other kinds.

This is just to get you started on thinking about it. I'll actually share with you what I eat most days to give you a better tangible idea. But that will have to be in my next blog post.

[And please know --this is about me. So, if you hate milk, that's fine --but I love it, so I won't apologize for lovin' it. Also, if you're a vegetarian, that's fine, too. I'm lovin' me some vegetarians! But I eat meat, so that'll be a part of my posts. I just don't want any of my posts to get all "you must eat this or die" on me, you know? We cool? Good. I only say this because I know it can be controversial subject, and I don't need that here on my blog. Thanks!]

I hope this helps some of you out there. If you are thinking about losing weight, I really encourage you to do it. I'm hoping to share with you some success stories, soon. Jolene has been working her tail off (literally! Ha!) and has made amazing progress. My friends from the St. George post, A and B (okay, what the heck, her name is Ann, okay? ANN!) lost loads of weight, too. And I already mentioned my mother...I may have to do a success story post!

But now it's your turn to share. Dear readers, if you have lost weight, please share with us how you got started. If you could, please keep the details of exercise and food for the next post, though. Use this one to share your thoughts about how you got to the point where you finally felt the desire to do something about losing the weight. How did you get there? What has/had inspired you to get started?

Happy Birthday, Number One!

#1 was born on April 21, 2001, after 13 hours of labor. I had spent the 2nd BYU Reading Day (Friday, April 20th, 2001) waiting to go into labor. All day I waited. Nothing happened. So, we invited some friends over. Minutes before they arrived, POP! My water broke and I burst into tears. It wasn't supposed to be that way! But luckily for me, it meant she had to be born. It was my easiest labor (epidural from beginning to end), but most confusing, since obviously, it was my first! She had the most amazing hair --dark and thick --and the feelings I had seeing my first child were just overwhelming. Within seconds, we named her --and I felt so blessed.
Luckily for us, she arrived on the weekend. Yep, it was good because we both had finals that week! I finished up my last two finals on Wednesday, and Brandon and I graduated on Friday! #1 was 6 days old.
Now, 7 years later, she is my greatest asset. She's the best helper, the best peacemaker, and the best daughter anyone could ask for. She's smart (not braggin'!), talented (you should see her draw!), and has one of the strongest testimonies of the Gospel I have ever seen. We butt heads a lot --but that's due to the fact that we think and feel alike. It's frustrating at times, but I wouldn't change it for anything. She's a part of me, you know? I love her the way she is, and I know her dad does, too. :)
Happy Birthday, #1! We love you so much.

St. George and Good Friends

I had promised all of you a blog post about what I did to lose 39 pounds in 9 months (for those of you who don't think 39 pounds in 9 months is that big of a deal, go have 4 children, nurse them all, and then we can have a discussion about what a big deal is, okay? Hoo-ee! Yeah, I'm not bitter, just sayin'.). I promised you secrets and successes, food and failures. I know I did. And I'm going to keep my promise. But there's only one problem.

I'm not sharing it now. Doh!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm going to (in fact, I probably will do it right after this post. Or early tomorrow morning. Because I know how much you love early morning blog posts!), but there's just one thing I have to blog about first. My trip to St. George! It was splendiferous! Wonderful! And I have pictures!
So, please forgive me for One, not blogging about weight stuff, and Two, skipping Spotlight Sunday one more time. I promise it won't be the last time I do something like this. Because I'm kind of flaky. And lazy. And a tad selfish on my own blog. I know, it's weird.

Okay, here's a re-cap of our weekend, but first! A history lesson (ooh! I love history!):
We have these amazing, amazing friends. We'll call them the "C" family (for anonymity's sake), and the couple is "A" and "B" (no, I'm not making this up). Okay, so Brandon and I met A and B in college. They were newlyweds like us and we enjoyed our fun, although limited, association with them. Then we had #1. 3 weeks later they had a baby girl. Then, about 2 years later, they had a baby boy. 3 weeks after their boy was born, we had #2. 18 months after that we had a #3. 10 months after our #3, they had a girl. Two years later, we had #4. Six months after that, they had a girl. And there you have us! 4 kids each, all very close to the same ages.
It gets better.
We bought a house in Provo when #1 was a baby. Two years later, we run into the C family at church. Turns out A's brother was leaving on a mission from our ward. What? We moved into her ward?! How cool!
It gets better.
We soon find out that we bought B's house. The home he was raised in. His house.
Freaky, eh?
So, we reconnected those many years ago. Time and distance, moves and jobs, phone calls and double dates, etc. occurred and we've stayed really close friends. In fact, they are a major portion of our inspiration for the weight loss, you know. "A" lost 40 pounds and "B" lost 95! They now live in the SLC valley. Hooray! We moved back to Utah Valley (same house, for those who don't read my blogs often enough, and yes, that would still be B's previous home). Hooray! We can play. So, there's the history.
Anyways, the C family invited us down to St. George --they had some free hotel stays (long story) and invited us along. What? Go play in St. George only two weeks after having moved?! Fo' Shizzle!
We left Friday afternoon and we caravaned down. One stop in the thriving metropolis of Beaver for dinner; got to the hotel just in time to say "Sorry, kids, it's too late to swim."

Saturday was spent in Zion's. We woke late, had a nice late breakfast, and got to Zion's around 11:30AM. It was a gorgeous day! We went to the museum, ate some lunch, took the shuttle to Zion's Lodge and got ready for a hike. B has been to Zion's a lot, so he picked a great hike. We went to the Emerald Pools. We had 3 kids strapped to backs (A, B, and me --ha! That rhymed!), and 5 walking. We knew #2 would not --WOULD NOT --like to hike, but we gave her little choice. We didn't think it would be too long, but we ended up convincing ourselves to do the entire loop (2.6 miles). With eight children. Yeah...had we known...well, anyway, it wasn't always easy. But boy, was it worth it! We hiked to the beautiful pools, saw some amazingly spectacular views, felt the wind (and sand) in our faces, and had a great time. Super sore afterwards, but it was so worth it.
One sad thing, though. #2 and #1 got sick before we left for St. George --but they were well medicated for the hike. No complaints from #1 until the end; and she had bad shoes. #2 complained the entire way. But she complains when we walk to church (less than 2 blocks).
The hike took us a long time. We started around 1PM and didn't finish until 4:30PM. We were a tad slow. Oh! And the comments we got! Holy cow! We were in Utah, and still, people were staring at us like we were nutso. At one point, B, A, and I were walking with 7 of the kids --Brandon was back-a-ways with #3 (he had to go to the loo), and the stares were even worse. Suddenly B realized why and said "Hey, guys? Let's wait for Brandon so everyone will stop thinking we're polygamists." Too funny!

After the long hike, we took the kids to dinner in St. George and let them swim at the hotel for a while. The best part was bedtime (personally, that's always my favorite time of day with small children), because we had two sets of adjoining rooms. We'd put the baby monitor in our kids' room and then hang out in A and B's room; their kids were right next to them. Anyway, par-tay time! Well, as party-like as four exhausted parents can be.

Sunday (yesterday), we headed to the St. George Temple, went to the visitor's center and had a testimony meeting on the Temple grounds. It was short (our children have short attention spans), but it was very lovely. After lunch and park-time, we said our good-bye's. Brandon and I headed to Hurricane with our kids to visit my cousin and her family; the C family headed back north. The cousin visit was wonderful, but too short. We had to get back to Provo at a decent hour, because by golly, I needed to blog! Oh, I mean...no...ahem...#1 had school today. Yeah, that's it.
Fab weekend! Loved it! We totally bought a pass to all the National Parks (whilst-a-kicking ourselves for not buying one in Yosemite) so we can do more exciting vacay's with the kiddies this year. You know, I've never seen the Grand Canyon before...I wonder what we're doing next weekend...
Okay, here are pictures (and this time you can click them to make them bigger. I promise!) and a nice little video:

The People:



The Places:



The Video: