Pray for the Caterpillar!

Pray for this poor caterpillar! If you don't know what I'm talking about--refer to my previous post about the snail! If you're wondering what Hayes and Ty are doing with their jackets, backpacks and swords??? They were pretending to be ninjas when they came across the caterpillar. Scotty is in his usual attire...underwear!

Pablo the Pet Snail

Yesterday morning, after my boys got ready for school they disappeared outside and I became curious when they became very quiet, which is generally a sign they're up to NO GOOD! So, I went to check things out and to my pleasant surprise I saw them sitting around the table looking very intently at something. Whenever I see my boys huddled outside they've usually discovered some poor living/breathing organism, which quickly becomes their next victim--most likely a bug of some sort, spider, or lizard that has fallen prey to their curiosity. Sure enough, I walk over and they're all infatuated with a little snail. As I watch them, they are treating it all pet-like by letting it crawl up and down their arms, leaving a trail of slime in it's path. They even named it Pablo and I thought it was sweet enough to run in and grab my camera to capture this endearing moment of my little boys and their new pet, Pablo. In one picture it looks like Scotty is even trying to give it a butterfly kiss on it's little shell...(SIGH) my sweet little boys!!!

Their attention spans are still in the very early stages of development and they quickly grew tired of Pablo and ran into the house and off they went to school....

......OR SO I THOUGHT!!! This is where it all went very, very wrong! I went upstairs to change Caroline's diaper just as the boys came in the house and apparently they had brought the snail in. They put three cups in the freezer, one with just water, one with Pablo and an orange peel and one with some charcoal from the fire pit. We've been working on a science project for Hayes where we've been putting clay in various places to see how it reacts differently to hot and cold temperatures. Thankfully...they didn't figure out a way to expose the snail to heat and just to the cold. Maybe...they were going to try to bbq Pablo with the charcoal, but water and our freezer were much more accessible than fire. WHEW!

DISCLAIMER: THERE WERE NO SLIMY CREATURES INJURED IN THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION OF THIS BLOG POST! After my gruesome discovery, I set the living/breathing (or whatever it is snails do to exist) Pablo free in the backyard!

I think the orange peel is an act of compassion....you know, so the snail doesn't starve as he is dying a slow, cold, lonely death. WHAT... do you think my children are complete heathens???

Friend Test

My cute Utah bunco friends sent this to me...
Put an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Answer the 30 questions at the end send it to your friends (including me) or post it on your blog. This is for your entire life!

(x ) Gone on a blind date

( x ) Skipped school

( x ) Watched someone die
(x ) Been to Canada

(x) Been to Mexico

(x ) Been to Florida

( x ) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost

(x) Been on the opposite side of the country

(x ) Been to Washington , DC

(x) Swam in the ocean

(x ) Cried yourself to sleep

(x) Played cops and robbers

(x) Recently colored with crayons

( ) Sang Karaoke

( )Paid for a meal with coins only?

(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?

(X) Made prank phone calls?

(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue

(x ) Danced in the rain

( x ) Written a letter to Santa Claus

(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe

( ) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about

(x) Blown bubbles

( x) Gone ice-skating

( x ) Been skinny dipping outdoors

(x) Gone to the movies

(x) Got a speeding ticket

1. Any nickname? Poopsy Doopsy
2. Favorite Drink? Diet Dr. Pepper
3. Mother's name? Sonia
4. Tattoo? no
5. Body Piercing? ears and my belly button, but I took it out a few weeks later and it was BEFORE the Prophet said NO BODY PIERCING--it was a DUMB whim -- it HURT and it got infected! I did use to have great abs though...(sigh)
6. How much do you love your job? LOVE IT!
7. Birthplace? UT
8. Favorite vacation? Anywhere I haven't been yet....
9. Ever been to Africa ? I so wish!
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Sad to say, but yes
11. Ever been on TV? no, I'm so insignificant
12. Ever steal any traffic sign? yes (I grew up in a small town--who didn't???)
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes--NOT MY FAULT!
14. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 doors
15. Favorite salad dressing? Hidden Valley Ranch (light)
16. Favorite pie? peach
17. Favorite number? 7
18 Favorite Movie? French Kiss
19 Favorite holiday ? Christmas
20. Favorite Dessert? a GOOD peach cobbler
21. Favorite food? depends on what mood I'm in
22. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
23. Favorite brand of body wash? Aveeno
24. Favorite toothpaste? Crest (NOT the kind with baking soda! BLECH!)
25. Favorite smell? depends on if I'm pregnant...which I'm not, so right now it's Scentsy Peach Cobbler Cinnamon!
26. What do you do to relax? read, listen to Celtic music, play on my laptop, yoga, drink herbal tea...oh, how I love to relax--I feel so relaxed just thinking about it!!!!
28. How do you see yourself in 10 years? perfectly toned legs, tight bottom, rock hard abs--this may require some cosmetic enhancements! We can all have goals...RIGHT?!?!?!
29. Furthest place you will send this message? Utah I think???
30. Who will respond to this the fastest? ????
31. Who won't bother to respond? that's up to you!



Consider yourselves tagged...I will be checking your blogs!

Happy Halloween!

Dianne the clown (my costume is padded :), Caroline is Lil' Bo Peep, Scott the stegosaurus (thanks Emily--we've really used this costume over the last five years;) Hayes is Pharaoh (Ra to be exact), and Ty is a skeleton.
OMG(goodness) I love this Lil' Bo Peep!

Ty LOVED having his face painted!

All my boys have worn this darling costume (THANKS again Em ;).

She is the cutest EVER!

Look at these smokin' hot mamas...oh, and Scott Kimball and......our smokin' hot hubbies!!!

Brother, Bishop, Dr. Michael Quinn (I NEVER KNOW WHAT TO CALL HIM!) Caroline, McKenna and squishable, adorable little Crew.

THANKS CARA & JOE for letting us sugar crash at your house! We had such a great time hanging out on Halloween night with great friends and of course, eating yummy candy, root-beer floats and drinking diet coke! We really love our friends and our neighborhood! Thanks everyone for making such a GHOULISH evening so SPOOKTACULAR! Muahahahahaha!

Lobster BBQ at Laguna Beach

Scott pushing Caroline on the swings...what a great big bro!
My FABULOUS cousin Paul Jr. (he'll forever be referred to in all of my blog posts as "FABULOUS Paul") bbq-ing the best lobster I've EVER had!

We're soooo ready to eat!

Such a great spot with the playground, tables and gorgeous view!

Chris, my Mom and Uncle Paul

I love this picture of Ty.....

I wish we would've been looking at our camera....

My Mom....I still can't believe she's with us! She's been in remission (leukemia) for two years.

We had such a great day with my family at the beach! My Mom, Uncle Paul and Aunt Gaye were all in town. My cousins FABULOUS Paul, Brad, Tyler and their families all live in Southern California too. FABULOUS Paul arranged this spectacular bbq--he's definitely my favorite cousin!!! Sorry other cousins...bbq lobster for me on a gorgeous beach and you'll be in the running again for my fav cousin, but only if it's delicious...and I highly doubt anyone can even come close! I LOVE lobster (after living in Boston and Seattle I KNOW what good lobster tastes like....THIS WAS GOOOOOD LOBSTER! FABULOUS Paul trapped them all, so they were SUPER FRESH and he cooked them up right on the beach....it is without a doubt, my favorite memory so far.....good times with family on an absolutely gorgeous beach AND yummy lobster!!! It truly doesn't get any better than this......

Hayes IS our STAR STUDENT!

Look at this handsome and very sweet little man! He's growing up so fast and he's the bravest, smartest and kindest second grader I know. He was chosen as the very first Star Student of the week in his class. His teacher, Mrs. Johnson, tells me all the time how much she adores Hayes and what a good, smart boy he is. He's adapted very well in his new school, he loves eating school lunch with his friends and he even joined the running club--he's a super, fast runner! We are so proud of our Hayes and the example he is to Tyler, Scotty and Caroline.....and his parents! I love to watch their faces when he walks into the room....they really brighten up, or they have a fearful look if they're playing with one of his toys, especially his Legos! He's my first, he's my helper and he's special.....

My name is Hayes Shoff.

My birthday is December 25, 2000.

The place I was born is Boston, MA.

My favorite food is spaghetti and cake.

My favorite thing to do is play Lego.

My favorite place to go is Lego Land.

My favorite T.V. show is Bionicles.

My pet is NONE. =(

The people in my family are Mom, Dad, Tyler, Scott, Caroline.

Some things I don't like are cheese and milk.

I AM A STAR STUDENT! WILLIAM HAYES SHOFF (named after my great-grandpa).

YES ON PROPOSITION 8

Hey all of my blogging friends,
I have just added a banner for Prop. 8 to my blog. Please support the cause and add one to yours too! It is super easy, just click on my banner and it will take you to the site and you copy and paste it just like all of the other gadgets (it's under the heading "take action" then "downloads").
If you'd like more information please go to http://www.protectmarriage.com/, or I would love to email you a letter Chris wrote with our thoughts on it.
Please support the sanctity of marriage and pray that Proposition 8 will pass!
Thanks for your help!!!

New Pictures from La Jolla Cove

Remember when I posted some pics about a month ago from our great day at La Jolla Cove? I mentioned in the post that my favorite memory of the beach was when we went kayaking, snorkeling and boarding with my cousin, but I was so sad because I didn't have my camera that day. My AWESOME cousin Paul just emailed me these pictures...it was seriously the most fun we've had out here yet.

We have another beach day planned with Paul & family, my Mom, my Aunt Gay and Uncle Paul, my cousins Tyler, Brad and their families this Saturday...so I'm sure I will be posting some fun pics from that too. THANKS PAUL YOU'RE THE BEST!!!!

Every Girl is Crazy About a Sharp Dressed Man--In Glasses!

No, I'm not talking about my hot, sexy hubby. However, he does dress very nice and he has more shoes than I do...he hates it when I say that! (heehee) Anyway, I'm talking about Hayes! He looks so handsome in his Quicksilver shirts and plaid shorts, it's all he'll wear and I have to admit I think he's the most handsome, best dressed kid in his class (admit it...every mom thinks that about her own child!). Jolie, (Hayes' classmate) will most definitely agree with me! Whenever she sees him she gets all giggly and I didn't know someone could turn that shade of red! She apparently teases him relentlessly throughout the day and today, she even brought him a necklace, it was actually pretty cool too. He LOVES the attention...NOT that he'd admit it, he says that she makes him crazy! Deep down in Hayes' sweet, tender little heart, I think he's grateful for her adoration....he has been really homesick for Utah and he misses his friends! I think having a little groupie has helped him feel a little more confident around his guy friends and at his new school! She was the first to notice his new haircut...and also the first to notice his new glasses....and that is what this post is really about, my Hayes had to get glasses...

It all started when I received a phone call from Nurse Cathy (the school-nurse). She told me Hayes' teacher sent him down to see her for an eye test because he couldn't see the whiteboard (the first time I told this story I said chalkboard and Hayes quickly corrected me and said, "Mom, we don't use a chalkboard....only at church!"--WHATEVER!). It turned out his eyes are kind of bad and we quickly got him an eye exam and voila...here are some pics of him having his first eye exam and his new glasses. I probably spent way too much on them, but it is really hard to find cool, boy glasses, but these are very bendy so hopefully, they will last awhile. I think they are decent and definitely the best of what little selection they had! I looked online and found some really cool ones, but of course, they weren't available at our Doctor's office and would take several weeks to order! He was really struggling to see in class, so we decided to go with the quicker option. I like them and I think he looks older and so very, very much like his dad!

Yes, I am a Flip-Flopper!

Do you ever feel like a flip-flopper as a parent? I swear those wish-washy, change your stand on the big issues every five minutes, politicians have NOTHING on me. I had the funniest (and frustrating) experience with Scotty yesterday when we went to pick up Hayes and Ty from school. The process alone, of picking them up, can be can be very frustrating! The school doesn't have a decent parking lot (it's off limits to parents before and after school), or even a circular driveway so I have to park my gigantic car in a parking lot at a park almost a block away, in a space big enough for a small sedan, or if available on the street by the park (which is on a pretty steep hill). Then, I walk into the school and pick-up Ty in front of his classroom (it's all-day Kindergarten and they require a parent/guardian and NOT a sibling to pick them up). Then, I go get Hayes across the campus, and then walk up the hill to my car. The whole process takes about 45-60 minutes depending on where I can find a parking spot.

The experience with Scotty consisted of me, pretty much begging him to walk instead of hauling out the HUGE double stroller...he was insisting on the stroller because he didn't want to walk up that hill, and I certainly didn't want to push the stroller up that hill, yet again (he currently weighs in at thirty two pounds, Caroline at twenty-eight pounds and the stroller around 17 pounds). I'm not lazy, but the whole process is exhausting! I told Scotty that he's such a big boy--big boys can walk--they don't need to be pushed in the stroller--I'd let him run through the little patch of woods on the walk back to our car---he could walk on the little stone fence and I'd hold his hand so he wouldn't fall--best of all he would get to be a big boy like Hayes and Ty, and so once I'd convinced him that he is in fact, big enough...he walked. Woo-hoo, I WON! Thank goodness, I mean look at him, he's so cute and funny...it makes it very hard to say to no to him!

Then....after picking up the kids, making our way up the hill, loading in the car, getting everyone in their appropriate seating restraints, Scotty, decides since he is so big and can walk instead of ride in the stroller.... it is now time to use a seat belt instead of his car seat. He's just a few pounds away from a booster and so I explained to him he is surely big enough to walk...but not quite big enough for the seat belt. Then...his little face turned all red, he had "that tone" in his voice that meant serious business and told me in no uncertain terms, "Mom, my head is getting so high (I think he meant tall), you just told me I am big enough to walk...I AM BIG ENOUGH FOR MY SEAT BELT!" When did he become so logical? He's only three!!! So needless to say, I stuck to my flip-flopping parenting style (yes, you're big enough, wait...no, you're not big enough) and he remained in his car seat all the way home.

I do try to be consistent with most issues, but there are times when I, like our current government need a little wiggle room. I echo the Gerber commercial when it says something along the lines of, "These are wobbly times in a wobbly world".

The Lovely Park!

Today, I took my kids to the park. Parks are so good for little boys with lots of energy! After school my kids were so crazy we had to do something besides play Star Wars on the furniture.

We have the best park on our street and during the summer we went there almost every day. Since school started, my kids have been going through withdrawals and have begged me to take them to the park...they really love it and we've made lots of memories there.

Scotty discovered it's much easier to go tinkle on the lawn rather than to walk all the way to the bathroom--he says, "why not all the dogs do it", and Caroline went down the slide for the first time--ALL BY HERSELF! Ty learned to ride his razor scooter and Hayes hit his first home run during one of our family baseball games. Whenever family came to visit over the summer, we would always end up at the park, since our house is so small and also, my kids made friends with some of the local kids while I made friends with their nannies!

I LOVED saying, "Nope, I'm not the nanny, I'm the Mommy". Funny thing...I now have a nanny that helps me out a little during the week. She's a darling girl from our Ward named Kaitlyn. Now I can volunteer in my kid's classrooms, get my hair done, and grocery shop. Chris and I even get to go on a date once a week--THANK YOU KAITLYN and THANK YOU nanny friends for helping me see that I could use a little help!

I took a few pictures at the park today(they aren't fabulous...I took them with my cell). We are moving next weekend and we are really going to miss our lovely park.....

Great Day at La Jolla Cove

Hayes, Scotty, Mommy, Ty
Hayes, Ty, Scotty looking in a tide pool
Mommy, Caroline (BAD HAIR DAY MOMMY!!!)
I wonder what they are thinking about....
I just know my boys are going to try this at home!

We went to one of our favorite places today called La Jolla Cove. They say it is one of the most photographed beaches because it is so beautiful and also because there is so much to do. There's kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, tide pools, seal beach, and of course laying on the beach doing nothing but soaking up the sun (except when you have four kids under the age of seven--NO LYING AROUND ALLOWED!)
We met my cousin Paul Cook and his family at this beach about a month ago and he brought his kayak, snorkeling equipment and all the beach gear you can imagine. It is one of my favorite memories so far (THANK YOU PAUL!!!) You can take the kayaks right through some of the caves....it is amazing! I wished I would've had my camera that day, but thankfully I had it today....

Way Too Much T.V.!!!

You know your kids have been watching way too much T.V. when they pipe up with ad blurbs in everyday conversation!
When Ty got home from school he hopped up on the couch and took of his shoes and socks. His feet were covered with white fuzzies from his brand new socks and he looked up at me and said, "Mom, what a mess...we definitely need some Oxy Clean to take care of this".
Over the summer when we weren't sitting around watching television, we'd try to go to the beach as much as possible! One time on the way to the beach, we decided to stop and get Subway sandwiches and when I drove into the parking lot Tyler--who doesn't read yet-- yelled out "SUBWAY EAT FLESH" then Hayes couldn't resist correcting him with "SUBWAY EAT FRESH". Ty informed him we'd have to immediately turn the car around and go home to turn on the television and prove that it is in fact, "SUBWAY EAT FLESH".
Tyler asked me the other night when he was helping me set the table by filling the cups with ice water, "Mom, why can't we drink carp-i-cana instead of water", and when I asked him what carp-i-cana is, he simply said, "Mom, it's orange juice!". I concluded that he was talking about Tropicana.
In my defense, it has been a really long summer. The kids have been out of school since the end of April because of our move to Cali. So when I was tired of playing mommy, referee and tour guide at the same time...we'd watch a little television. Hopefully, now that they are back in school they will spend more time reading books!

Scotty Started Preschool

He can't contain his excitement!
Mr. Brave walking all by himself.
Apparently, he wore his backpack all day and wouldn't take it off.