Ashley's Back to School To Do List

With school and new babies just around the corner, I have a ginormous to do list. Can you say, busy?

Pick up Chan's football equipment (2 a days start Monday)

Register 4 kids at 4 different schools on 4 different days...

Yearly checkups for 4 kids on 2 different days

Take Chan and Hunter for new glasses and contacts

Meet with counselors at Chan and Hunter's schools (Chan is gonna retake Spanish and Hunter doesn't want to do Athletics)

Plan Amy's baby shower

Help plan Kelli's baby shower dinner

Shop for school supplies and school uniforms for 4 kids

Return my mom's luggage

Take my friend Val her computer

Go get baby shower invites, address and mail

Send thank you notes to the family in Utah

Child Support court, again...

Possibly meet Chandler's grandma, Christelle

Take Coco to the vet to get fixed

Dermatologist for my skin problem

All of this in addition to normal cooking, cleaning, errands, bills, laundry, etc. I really need an assistant. Or a sister wife. Just kidding. Seriously though, I am sure more things will come up. Whatever will I do? Breath Ash, you can do it...

National Lampoon's Myersville Vacation

Well, as promised I am doing THE POST about our "vacation". I am waiting on some pics from my sister in law to be emailed to me and my card reader broke, so I can't download any. But, as soon as I get some pics I will post them. We had a pretty amazing time and just to be with family made my year. It has been anywhere from 11 to 13 years since I have seen my siblings and they have spouses and children I have never even met. We had plenty of highs, lows, and drama. So, here goes:

The Highs

1. Having lunch at Mcgrath's and going to The Living Planet Aquarium with my brother Ken. I couldn't believe he was sitting across from me for reals. And, I forgive him for spilling a large ice cold Dr Pepper on my leg.
2. Seeing my brother Jason and meeting his wife Cadette and their daughters Skylar, Makayla, and Riley. Sweet and beautiful family. We spent a ton of time with Jason and his girls. He has turned into a pretty amazing husband and father. Who woulda thunk it?
3. Driving through gorgeous Provo Canyon. We saw moose, streams, deer, and a giant fire up in the mountains. Absolutely breathtaking!
4. Seeing Jeremy and meeting his wife Denise and their kiddos, Christoper and Alexandra. Jeremy is so freaking hilarious, especially now that he dresses like a mountain man and has a full beard.
5. Just being in Utah during Pioneer Day. The spirit there was amazing. The museums were so neat. The films we saw were so touching. I am so blessed and proud to be a member of the LDS church.
6. Getting to spend all day Saturday with 4 of my brothers. We went to my sister in law's family cabin up in the mountains. The cabin was built in 1904 and was so neat. Nestled in the mountains among trees, complete with a stream. We ate and talked while the kids played games on the grass, tubed in the stream, and went swinging on the coolest (tallest) tree swing ever.
7. Getting to spend so much time with Jon and the kids.
8. Being able to absorb so much church history.
9. Not having to cook or clean for a week. Thank you family for feeding us and thank you to the cleaning staff at the Holiday Inn Express.
10. Making it there and back in one piece.

The Drama

1. Seeing my sister Julie. She is not in a good place in life at all. I will not elaborate, if you know me you know the situation. Pray for her....
2. The trailer. Dragging. Heavy. Nuisance. Expensive.
3. Our hotel toilet overflowing. Thanks Hunter.
4. Not seeing much of my brother Ken. Not getting to meet 6 of Julie's kids. Sadness.
5. My niece Mary cussing me out. No worries. I can cuss people out way better than her.
6. My brother Jason accidentally shooting a hole in his roof with a shotgun...
7. Not enough time to spend with family.
8. Chloe throwing the most GIANT tantrum ever. I thought the cops were gonna come. Or the very least we would be thrown out of our hotel.
9. All the farting. Seriously, who knew?
10. The driving almost killed us. So freaking long and far. Nothing to see but road. We drove in 10 to 12 hour stretches. Once we started hallucinating we knew it was time to rest.
11. Hayden getting stuck in the water on a pile of rocks in the stream. Scary. I have never heard him cry so hard.
12. Hunter falling from the tree swing. He looked like a rag doll. I was afraid to look at him after the fall. His legs look like raw meat. Scary stuff.
13. Getting back to normal. Missing my brothers and sister. Thinking we should move there. Am I freaking crazy?
14. Driving home with tears on my face and a lump in my throat. I don't think that feeling will ever go away.
So, there you have it. It was crazy and fun and memorable. I can't wait to do it again. I love my family so much. The past week was a blast! I am sure I will remember more. Like fry sauce and Chloe eating so much dessert on her birthday she almost barfed in the bushes. As soon as I think of more, I am so posting.

Whew!

We are back in Texas. We made it home safe and sound. I have lots to tell and not many pictures to show. I spent so much time talking and laughing that the camera was forgotten. I am kind of bummed about it, but oh well. The memories will be in my heart and mind forever. We are only slightly exhausted, and the entire family slept until noon today. I will get on and do a thicker meatier post later. I have unpacking and laundry to do today. Plus, lots of crap to fix around here. My dogs ate parts off of our pool pump and ants have invaded my pantry. I need to water the grass and fill the pool. The fish bowls are cloudy. There's stinky leftovers in the frig. And, my poor van. Jon has taken her to get the tires rotated, the oil changed, and a much deserved bubble bath and wax. So, I'll be back on later. I know you can't wait...

Looks like we made it...

Whew! We are EXHAUSTED! We left our house at 4:30 Tuesday, 4 hours later than we wanted and the chaos immediately began. Fighting over tv's, fighting over seats, trailer had the wrong kind of hitch, and we had to make a deposit at the bank...Which I had to do on foot, since the trailer wouldn't fit under the awning. Anyway, we are here and it was such a loooong drive. We got on the road good at 6:00 in the evening and ate dinner in Amarillo at 9. Then we made the executive decision that we would drive til we couldn't drive no more. We stopped a few times for gas and ended up driving all freaking night! We finally threw in the towel in Gallup, New Mexico at 6 in the morning. Where we slept at the grossest hotel ever until 10:30. We barely got out the door before checkout at 11, after which we had a greasy Denny's breakfast. Back to the van we went. Driving, driving, and more driving. We somehow got off of our original plan of Texas, New Mexico, then Utah, and ended up in Colorado briefly. Anyway, long story short we are in Sandy, Utah. Bathed, fed, and tired and fixing to hit the hay. Other than a few teeny issues, the kids were amazing.

Points of interest:

the adjustment to the altitude was odd
Hunter farted 143 times
we saw rabbits, snakes, prairie dogs, and deer... big shocker huh?
Super 8 motels are GROSS
Hilton Garden Inns are much nicer
Chan is homesick already

All packed... and somewhere to go!!!!

Wow, what an ordeal! I have finally finished packing and cleaning my entire house! I still need to tie up a few loose ends, like a pedicure. Not sure if I am an over-packer or what? But, it seems like we are taking a TON of stuff. Here's what we are taking:

my scriptures
8 outfits x 4 boys = 32 outfits
12 outfits x 2 girls = 24 outfits
4 pairs of shoes x 4 boys = 16 pairs of shoes
8 pairs of shoes x 2 girls = 16 pairs of shoes
24 pairs of socks
more clean underwear than you can count (you know what they say...)
2 laptops
4 Ipods
4 walkie talkies
binoculars
24 DVD's
car DVD player
portable DVD player
4 cell phones + chargers
navigation system
PSP
makeup
straightening iron, hair products, and hair dryer
GIANT first aid kit
6 towels
4 bathing suits
1 acoustic guitar
3 BMX bikes
3 helmets
racing gear (clothes, gloves, pads, and clip shoes)
snacks and a loaded ice chest
toiletries (perfume and lotion included)
games (dominos, cards, handheld guitar hero)
coloring books and crayons
2 purses
jewelry
2 cameras
1 video camera
4 blankets and 4 pillows
air bed and pump
canopy and 6 lawn chairs
6 human beings

All squeezed into an 8x4 U-Haul trailer pulled by a 2008 Honda Odyssey minivan. So, what do you think? Am I missing anything? Don't laugh if you see us dragging the ground...

Quilt Giveaway!!

I came across this post from Miss Sarah about a quilt giveaway. And man, is it a gorgeous quilt! What are you waiting for? Head on over to the Old Red Barn Co. for your chance to win this BEAUTIFUL quilt!! You can get there by clicking the above link or the graphic in the upper right hand corner. Good luck!! If YOU win, will you share?

**thanks Sarah**

Can you repeat that please?

Chloe came in tattling to me that Hayden said the "P" word. So, I thank her for keeping me informed and go have a mommy-son talk with Hayden about his salty language.

me: Hayden, did you say a bad word? The "P" word?

Hayden: sorta?

me: how come punkin? That's not a nice word to say.

Hayden: I was telling Chloe about a cartoon character on Disney channel.

me: Oh really, what character?

Hayden: This guy named "Flat Tub Puss".

me: do you mean Platypus?

Hayden: yes mom, his name is Perry the Flat Tub Puss.

me: oh, okay Perry the Platypus!

Hayden: yep!

me: all right, nevermind, I was just wondering...

And then I covered my mouth and laughed so hard I almost cried.