Allison's Song

Allison wanted to sing one too, so here it is.

I'm a pretty, pretty princess.
I have a scooter, I'll ride it to the end of the rainbow,
and maybe, maybe, and maybe, maybe
I'll find some scooters
or gold
or find a precious box with a necklace
with a swirl on the necklace
or maybe, maybe a bucket full of jewels
or maybe stinky laundry
Ohhh.... maybe.
Video games on the computer
playing is good, and singing and talking
and playing jokes, okes, okes,
Sending cards are fun too
Oh, yeah, it's July and my friend moved away.
I can't believe it, now I only have one friend, she has a dog and it bit me, bit me, bit me.
I have a little brother and he is so sweet, so sweet, so sweet
and his name is Josh Carl Carter.
My name is ... Allison.

Manda's Impromptu Song

to a tune she's made up all on her own.

I'm riding, riding, riding on my scooter.
I'm riding, riding, riding on my bike... or my tricycle.
I can, I can, I can dooooo... whatever I want.
I can ride on a rainbow, or slide on a rainbow, or look at a rainbow
I can, I can, get dressed for school.
I can fly, fly, I can fly on an airplane
or fly like a bird
like anything I want.
I can doooo... anything I want.
I can do a puzzle... I'm gonna do a puzzle - YEAH!
I love to do computers, I can watch TV, watch TV, watch TV, watch TV
I can, I can...
la la la la
I love how my mother sings, I love how my mother sings when I love you but the reason is, the reason is, I can't even talk, I can't even sing,
I'm just kidding, I can talk.

Quotes...

Amanda: Mom, I know why Heavenly Father gave us houses.
Mom: Oh? Why's that?
Amanda: So we wouldn't be hot and have to sleep in the garden.

So true.


Allison: Mommy, do you want some of those green bags? They keep your food fresh for lots of days! (My girls are completly sucked in by commercials like this. Manda totally wants me to get Aquaglobes.)


Allison, to Daddy, as he's struggling holding everybody: Daddy, it's FUN having three kids, huh!

Do I have blog stalkers?

Well, I think we ALL know the answer to that one. It would be nice, however, if some of you would share your own blog addresses so I can stalk you too! Cousins, long-lost acquaintances, aunts, hairstylists... you know who you are!

My Cabin Fund

Just spent a short weekend up north at the Carter cabin and thankfully got out of the heat for a bit. Saw fireworks in Payson on Friday night, dodging the rain, then spent Saturday in Forest Lakes - first, at their annual 4th Celebration - (which in the past we remembered as being quaint and charming, with fun games and bouncy castles for the kids - this year, we just felt ripped off - ha! Ask Nick about the dirty second-hand stuffed animal game.) - then hung out at the Davis cabin and let the kids play with cousins. Thanks much to the Davis family for letting us crash their party - my girls love going to, and I quote, "the house with all the girls"! Witnessed a way-intense hail storm, then loaded up and went to see fireworks in Heber. Once again, a fantastic firework show - and the weather couldn't have been more perfect!

We got a little idea to have the girls sell glow-in-the-dark stuff, so I bought some at the dollar store before leaving (Mind you, not really enough to feel bad if the venture flopped). The girls loaded up a little wagon of Josh's with bracelets and went around yelling "TWO BRACELETS FOR ONE DOLLAR!" and actually sold a couple dozen. Funny! It must have been the ultimate cute factor they've got going on. They put their money right back into the glow market, however, and bought some light-up swords. We'll definitely have to get a little more serious about this business venture next year - and maybe get enough to pay for my gas bill for the trip!

This trip renewed the whole discussion of possibly buying a lot up north to someday build a cabin on - - I guess if we're going to be in Phoenix for the long term, this would be a good thing! I'm taking a lead from Ashlee and writing these down, so I can hopefully realize this dream someday... maybe something like one of these...


These are the things I will be enjoying in our future cabin retreat:

Pine trees as tall as can be offering plenty of shade.
A one-level cabin, or doors at the top and bottom of the stairs.
Big, covered porch with kid-safe railing to let kids roam free.
Wood floors.
Fireplace with mantle to cozy up in front of on snowy winter days.
At least 3 bedrooms with doors to take undisturbed naps. Aaaah...
A laundry room with storage.
A large great room, with kitchen, dining, and lounge space all in one to facilitate entertaining.
Another "kid" play room, separate from the adult space. Possibly upstairs?
Endless board and card games.
A playset I build myself, in addition to, or possibly attached to, a tree house.
My very own hammock.

Isn't this a great place? You should come visit. Just give me 10 years to get it built first. Oh, and if you could contribute to my "cabin fund" that would help too.

The Fabulous Flag-a-licious Fourth of July Freedom Breakfast

Well, I actually took my camera, but didn't break it out - too busy! (Hmmm... that's happening more and more lately!) On Friday morning we hosted our ward's pancake breakfast at the church. It was a little simpler this year, yet I'm still very pleased with the results! We had about 85 people there, which I thought was fantastic considering all of my usual go-to-families were out of town, and the fact that we barely advertised this year! Breakfast included scrambled eggs with cheese, salsa, sausage, bacon, pancakes, both buttermilk and maple syrup, berries, whipped cream, OJ and milk. The scouts presented the flag (but we still couldn't hear them, maybe we'll move it outside again next year) and we did a sing-a-long (how to get people motivated to sing next year? Hmmm...) Nick acted as MC with the cheesy patriotic jokes and such, and then we did the trivia again with the corny prizes. Not many knew the questions this time - perhaps I used up all the well-known stuff last year, and these were too obscure?? Anyway - thanks to all who attended, and helped out. Brenda and Don you were WONDERFUL! And can I tell you how handy Rachel is to have around? Oh, and all her cool party supplies and ideas? Love it!

I'm starting to like making these crossword puzzles!
And note to self for next year:
15 pounds of pancake mix
2.5 pounds of shredded cheese
About 75 eggs
2-3 cups of salsa MAX
The pre-cooked bacon was easy but WAY greasy.
People like bacon more than sausage, apparently.
And people like the link sausage WAY more than the patties. We need about 120 links next time.
6 gallons of orange juice
3 gallons of milk
2 squirty whipped creams
6 pints of raspberries (these were the most popular)
1 pound blueberries
1 flat of strawberries
Buttermilk syrup was a hit
And for goodness sakes remember the BUTTER!

So appropriate for this house...

I am Cinderella, who are you??

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?