Interesting Article

It seems I've taken over as the family blogger...not quite sure how I feel about that. But I read an interesting article on Yahoo that popped up on their homepage. It's all about habits of happy moms. Good reading for all you moms, good reading for your husbands. Just don't expect him to help you accomplish all those things without giving him an explicit list of how...anyone who's ever been married knows that mind-reading is not a gift, it's a complete hoax.

Piano Lessons

So I guess it's just ageless DNA at work, but my kids LOVE music. Aaron has really shown a desire and knack for playing the piano so I found an AC adapter for our old keyboard and pulled out the old Alfred Piano Method. Below is a video of my newest little Mozart:


Aaron continues to fly through the book. Last week, his "lesson" consisted of him playing me the songs I had assigned, followed by the next three songs, which he decided to learn because I had been out of town on work and he didn't want to wait until I got home. Next up: learning to read the staff.

General Update

For all you "How I Met Your Mother" fans who read this blog (which is probably just Tara and I), you should be saluting each other by the title of "General Update." For the rest of you, if you receive said salute, just know you're missing out on a really funny show.

So big news in the Jones household...it's almost Halloween and there's still no snow!!! I talked to my parents today and was notified that there was snow with 50 mph wind gusts in the weather forecast for Rexburg. Not sure about the rest of you, but I have a pretty good idea of what my own personal Purgatory would look like were I to opt out of the whole Plan of Salvation deal. Sorry, Rexburg.

In other news, we had parent/teacher conference two weeks ago. Turns out that both Ian and Aaron know how to read and write. The real shocker is that Ian is extremely well behaved, except for when he's talking too much. (No, I did not mix up the names of my boys.) Aaron is also well-behaved, he just likes to lolly-gag (which, I believe, is the technical and scientific term for "too much like your father"). They're both doing well and have enjoyed the first few months of school. Plenty of new friends, teachers are nice and boys even get to see each other at recess sometimes.

Everything is pretty quiet at the moment. I'm still working (and surfing), though I wish I were doing more of each (that darned learning curve). Tara has found a fun group of mommies here in Newbury Park, most of whom are in our ward. Most days are spent watching extra kids or dropping ours off. Melina's even starting to adjust to it a little. Slowly but surely we're nudging her towards that big 1-year jump-off point where we start to retain our personal space a little more. (Not much, mind you, but every little bit seems like a county mile at this point.)

Below are some pictures I took of Melina being herself, which is to say, just as crazy as the rest of my kids.

Here's a quick summary of how our summer looked. Lots of fun. Best part is the boys can now practice YEAR ROUND!!!! (I think Tara's pretty excited at the prospect of sending them outside year round without worry of Child Services. *KIDDING*) Also, this video was on my phone (which started a 48-hour death march yesterday - we now have limited time together, necessitating getting all the videos and pics off of it). So I can't vouch for the quality. But the videos go up, none the less. And I think they're missing audio because of the conversion.

As a side note, they have both started taking my skateboard out, luging down the hill skeleton-style, so they can practice their pop-ups on the move. I'd grab a vid of that, but it would probably TKO my phone.

And for those keeping score, that's Brad - 2, picture-taking-devices - 0. I'm doing my best Ray Bradbury impression on digital media for the good of humanity. (Bragging rights to the first one to get the literary reference.)

First Day Of School

So today was kind of momentous: first day at the new school, and Ian started kindergarten. We're a little anxious about Ian and how he'll handle sitting in class all day without hitting anyone. We're also dreading the call home about an "accident" and a change of clothes. We'll see how it goes. But Tara's pretty excited to be home all morning long with just the girls.

The other kids in the picture are a family in our ward that we've become friends with. They walked out of their house as we were walking past and their little girl Patricia is in Ian's class. He seemed pretty excited to already know someone on the first day of school. We saw several other

families from church that live in the area (not all in our ward), which was kind of fun. California isn't considered one of those conservative-values states, so it's nice walking into a new school seeing people of similar values there. While I'm sure there are families of other faiths with similar values (NP is pretty conservative itself), I just haven't met any of them yet - good thing we've got Boosters (PTA) as a chance to get to know them! (Yes, Tara's already signed "us" up for some class activities and "fun"-draisers.)

California Cars

We were driving to Callie's a few weeks back and we pulled up behind one of the local cruisers in our neighborhood...a bright yellow Lotus Elise. Not sure why you would adorn such a nice car with such a horrible spoiler, but I guess money's not an issue if you own a Lotus.

And in case any of you are wondering, I'm WAAAAAAAAY out of my tax bracket here. This picture was taken while driving either my 2000 Toyota Sienna minivan or my 1996 Civic, both of which are paid off and still run. Seriously, I was pretty happy in my previous post about how excited I was to get a used surfboard on craigslist. But at least I can take my kids on a surfboard, right?

(BTW...Aaron stood up the other day on the Anderson at Mondos. He's pretty excited to get out and try it again. Pretty soon he'll be joining us on those family dawn patrols when everyone's in town. Maybe he can join Brayden and Owen on the Jr Jones Pro Circuit.)

My new board!

So I wasn't planning on buying a new surfboard AT ALL this year. Yeah, I had hoped, but it was more wishful thinking. And then, this nice girl named Kirsten down in West Hollywood decided to deliver me Christmas early at a PHENOMENAL price. Gotta love Craigslist.

For those interested, it's a 9' 6" pintail, knifey rails and a nice little rocker in the nose allowing for late take-offs. The board turns super smooth and is pretty fast. The color is a lot prettier than the picture - it's a really light green, almost a mint cream color. And Dad, yes you can try it out but you'll buy me a new one if you ding it.

BTW...this picture was taken with my camera phone. Until Tara picks a new camera, that's all we'll be posting for the next little bit.

So, you may have noticed...no pictures in awhile. That's because Brad broke my camera...again. I'm kind of having withdrawals without it. I'm afraid if I don't actually document what we're doing we must not be doing anything. Well, that's not really true.

We did make it to Silverstrand and I'm not a huge fan. Part of it may be that I didn't like the whole trek with the kids by myself. Parking was limited, the walk was pretty far, and the beach break scared me with the kids. Needless to say, we didn't stay long.

At the beginning of August, I went to Indiana with just my girls. I had so much fun with my sisters and my nieces. I can't believe Taylor's going to college! Despite the humidity, I loved being there and talking to my sisters, hanging out with my grown up nieces, and eating from Sara's lovely garden! I'm sure a few more weeks and Melina would've let me put her down:P I'm pretty sure my boys enjoyed a break from mommy, a dodgers game, and just hanging out with their laid back daddy. Thanks mom for taking a picture!

We also went to Zuma a couple weeks ago. It's always great to see Uncle Chris and Aunt Lu, and Kristen and Josh were there, and Justin, and Gabby, and their new baby Liam, and Chels and Dave were in town, and Callie amazingly brought her clan all on her own and my brother and his wife even showed up. I'm finding here in California someone is always in town. It's great because it gives us an excuse to get together.

Honestly, although I love discovering new things here, I can't wait until school starts. I'm counting down the days until I can go grocery shopping during the day without 4 kids. It is exhausting to go to a store and have to say no and stop touching things and please stay next to me that many times. School starts late here date-wise (to me)-not until Sept 1. Also, time-wise, early 8:15 am! No more 9am school. I hope I can get ready early enough:) I'm excited and nervous for Ian to be in school for 5 hours. That's a big difference from 2 1/2 hrs two days a week. The first few weeks may be rough.

Hopefully, I will have pictures again someday... or else Melina will be one of those last children who say their parents never took pictures by the time they got to her...

The Adventure Continues...

So a couple of weeks ago my sister and brother were in town so we headed to the Getty Museum. It was cool and great hanging out with the fam, but not really a kid place. They did have a small kids area plus an amazing rolling hill, but the security guard kept having to come tell me to keep my kids away from the water. What can I say we love fountains. Plus, we have discovered the Janns Mall Fountains which you can run through-not quite as spectacular as Gateway's fountains (SLC), but pretty good!

My mom took us to the Sylmar Wildlife Learning Center last week and the kids had a blast. The macaws said hello to us, we were introduced to Walter the porcupine (who modeled for Over the Hedge), and the kids touched four year old tortoises which were smaller than our hands and pretty cute actually. Overall, fun trip and we all learned something:)

Still on my list of things to do before the kids go back to school are:

Temescal Gateway Park, and Bennet Honey Farm

Stay tuned for more adventures.

Birthdays

June 21st we celebrated Ian's 5th birthday. I still can't believe he is 5. We had a Pokemon theme and he had a big party. He had cousins, aunts and uncles and mema and tutu man. This smile pretty much says everything about Ian. He is a crazy ball of energy, but he is so cuddly and lovable too. He plays hard sometimes, but he is also very protective of his family.

June 29th Lani turned 3 years old. We had a Care Bear party with a princess cake and celebrated with different cousins, a different set of aunts and uncles, and mema and tutu man. We love parties! I have a tradition of taking diapers away when my kids turn 3 years old (with some training beforehand). I was a little unsure of how this would go since I tried it with her a couple months ago and it didn't quite work. I guess she just needed more time because she is doing great now! She is such a doll. She loves to help mommy, sometimes even disciplining her brothers.

Today, July 5, Melina turned 8months. I haven't blogged about her in awhile so I wanted to give a little update. Melina has been crawling for a couple weeks now. Currently, she not only crawls pretty fast, but she is pulling herself up on chairs. We keep looking for a walker for her, but by the time we find one she'll probably be walking. She's 2-3 months ahead of the rest of my kids. She's definitely trying to keep up. Either that or she is trying to catch me to pick her back up. She's been through a lot of changes with moving and meeting new people so she's a little nervous around people and wants to be held by me most of the time. She grabs at everything and gets the best smile and little laugh in anticipation of food. It's the cutest!

California Adventure

I call this the California Adventure because even though we live here now, it still seems like we are on vacation (especially with the amount of family coming and going and well, Brad working from home). I told Brad that since we live here we are actually going to go out and explore this state of his. So we've been doing alot of exploring.

.I guess Mondos isn't really exploring since we end up here every year, but I did realize I've got to get a little bit better at my "get ready for the beach routine" since apparently we will be going alot. And, maybe I'll have to get over the don't get sand on everything mentality.

We also hiked to Paradise Falls. It wasn't exactly Paradise, but good job kids for walking about 3 miles and good job Dakota (our friend/cousin) for carrying Lani a good bit of the time.

Last week we joined Callie and her kids on their fieldtrip to Leo Carillo. This was very cool and a perfect day for a trip to the beach (sadly, we didn't take bathing suits). The kids saw all kinds of sea creatures and had a blast. Owen's ability to touch anything has really encouraged my kids to be a little braver.

Today we went to the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade. I didn't take pictures, but imagine my kids in front of a pier with a ferris wheel in the background or crowded around a bunch of street performers. Aaron actually won an overpriced game and I got a sincere "thank you for bringing me here mommy." This was preceded by a "why did you bring me here to the beach without my bathing suit and why do I have to wear a sweatshirt that is too big for me?"

All in all, I think that is a good start for our adventure. Hopefully, we can take a day off before we check out Silverstrand Beach on Thursday:)

We Made It!

We made it to California and are finally together as a family again. A little over a week ago, we drove from Utah through the night. Brad was already here so my friend generously offered to drive with me. I'm not sure she knew what she was getting into, but it actually went really well. The kids eventually fell asleep and we listened to a lot of Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.
So far things are going really well. Brad did a good job picking out a house for us. I love the area. It's pretty easy for me to find my way around, there are lots of parks, and lots of kids (in the primary at least). I've been a little preoccupied unpacking and registering my car (it was up in May and I was a little busy...), and we've been doing a lot of visiting family... so I will post pictures soon...maybe...

1st Grade Assembly

Aaron's 1st Grade Assembly was today. I thought the songs were so cute and I like that they did some sign in one of them. It's so hard to believe that he is finishing the first grade. He's getting into the years I actually remember some of. I have to admit I got a little teary eyed thinking about how grown up he is.

Fancy Nancy

So, my niece wanted a Fancy Nancy tea party for her 2nd birthday. I decided it was time Lani had a princess dress. She was so fun. She even said she wanted red lips like me so I dabbed a little lipstick on. The party was so cute. Zoe had bracelets and stick on earrings and crowns for everyone. Arie, my 4 year old niece told the boys they had to dress handsome...so they wore their Iron Man and Wolverine costumes.

6 months

Melina is 6 months now. She weighs a little over 15 lbs, so about the same as where Lani was at at this age, but nowhere near the boys. She's in the 33 percentile which seems low to me considering her chunkiness. She is such a happy girl, but she does like to be held a lot. I can put her down alot in the morning after she first wakes up (maybe she's just used to it-the get everybody ready routine), but by dinner she's done with having to be last for my attention. She's starting to sleep really well at night-up once, sometimes twice at night, but naptimes still aren't consistent or over an hour. Maybe someday when we have a real schedule, she'll figure one out. None of my other babies had to be carted around so much. She's starting to make real baby sounds, mostly ba ba. I love it. She is the most precious little thing.

Ian's Preschool

So Ian had a little Art Show at his preschool. They sang songs, then we got to walk around the room and look at all their art projects for the last few months. It was really cool and Ian was really excited Daddy was in town to see it.

I am an island...

That's how I feel.

I am an island surrounded by phrases like "Ian is hurting me" and "umph" (this is what Ian says when I tell him he shouldn't do something) and "it was an accident". In the last week or so I've been smacked with a rope (by Ian) and my foot has been stepped on (by Ian's shoe). Sometimes as soon as I leave a room where the kids are playing or getting dressed, someone starts crying (usually because Ian hit them). I sigh, roll my eyes, and turn around to go yell a little bit. Then, I feel bad for yelling, then 15 min later I do it again. I try to tell myself there are women before me who have had it much worse, but sometimes it doesn't help. So I go eat some chocolate. And I feel better for a little bit. Then, I run out of junk food and I don't want to take kids to the store so I snack on marshmellows. Gross. This and my baby weight compels me to go running (I had this idea that I would be skinny when Brad came back, ha, ha). Luckily, if I can get the kids all in bed by 8:30 (average twice a week with soccer now) I can go running.

So, two more days until Brad comes for the weekend. I am counting down. At the same time, I'm thinking, then four more weeks of this! Yes, we are crazy.

Soccer

So this is us at Soccer games this morning. My brother and his wife came to cheer on the boys and help out with the kids. As we sat on a blanket snacking and enjoying the weather laughing at kindergarteners trip over each other, my brother made the comment that this is what Saturday mornings should always be like. Growing up in a soccer family I had to agree. It brought back some fun memories and it is so much more entertaining at this age! I may feel differently soon. Ian has practice Tues nights, Aaron has practice Wed nights, and they have games Thursday AND Saturdays (usually at about the same time at different fields). The clips are for Brad, wish you were here.

Ian starts out on the left (number 5) and works his way down the field. Of course when he kicks the ball, the camera doesn't catch it. I veer upwards so I can look away from the camera and actually see it. Oops. Brad-Stanton down the street was on the opposing team this week:)

Aaron (also number 5) kicks the ball at about the same time I press record so you this is right after that moment:)

Fun time!

California Spring Break

We sent Brad off to California by spending Spring Break there. We had a lot of fun and it made me wonder just a little bit why we are waiting to all move down there. Then I remembered we were staying in other people's houses.

We had a great time with Mema, Tutu Man, Ben and Mariela who are getting also moving to Woodland Hills. The kids played outside (with no chance of snow) and followed Boone (the dog) around everywhere. My mom hosted the annual easter egg hunt and the kids gorged themselves on candy as always.

We also had a great time at Callie's where Brad quickly made himself at home. The kids played at the park, made jetpacks out of cereal boxes (great idea Jessi), and kept each other awake:) After driving around for a bit and looking at neighborhoods I'm feeling a little more comfortable with our moving plans and I'm glad we are choosing Newbury Park.

For my birthday, my mom sent Brad and I on a dinner/dance cruise. It was very cool and I had a blast. The dinner was great, the view was fantastic, and I forced Brad to dance. Great birthday present! It was a great break from the kids too!

My dad helped me drive down (Brad drove his own car by himself) and my mom helped me drive back up and we stayed in the same great hotel both times. The kids loved the pool even though it was still a little chilly.

We're sad to be without Brad, but we are glad to be home and ready to pack up to be with him again!

Crazy Whirlwind

Well, things are happening so fast now that I can't keep track of them, much less blog about them. First of all, Ian learned to ride his bike without training wheels! Yeah. I'm so proud of him. He literally got on and took off. I had a video, but sadly I can't find it.

Aaron also had another birthday! Happy 7th Birthday Aaron! He had a bakugan party complete with battle training and an obstacle course thanks to Brad. They scavenged for battle gear and opened presents. We still can't believe he's 7 years old although he acts much older. He is so responsible, he is such a great help to me. Sometimes it amazes me how thoughtful he can be.

Yesterday Lani, Ian, Melina, and I braved the free day at the Children's Museum. If you are afraid of your kids running away, a free day is not a good idea. It was so crowded I kept wondering if it was some kind of fire hazard. After an hour and a half of holding my kids close and sneaking in front of others so they could actually do something, I'd had enough and we enjoyed the beautiful weather by the fountain. Eating lunch and watching Lani and Ian "fight" the water made me think about how much I am actually going to miss a few things about Utah. Oh yeah, Brad will be starting work in Sunny California April 1st. We'll be here until Aaron's done with school in June (can we say crazy?).

So, yeah, we don't like snow, but I have to say I am going to miss the fountain, how easy it is to maneuver downtown, and the area we currently live in. Aaron has made such great friends here and I love my friends here! I've never really had girls' nights until this past year and I have to say it has been wonderful. Callie, I'm so glad you are in California otherwise I might be having second thoughts:) Spencer, I know you just bought a house, but you should consider California, too...

My New Hobby...

Spending money. Well, that's how it feels right now. I'm trying to clip coupons and shop the deals. If you want to check out my journey to a savings account blog go to:diarypennypincher.blogspot.com. You may find helpful hints or you may decide I am not saving more, but spending more. I'm still trying to decide which one it really is:)

Jones House

Melina started on rice cereal. Guess what? She's a pro. My kids sure do love food and they get these great squeezable rolls. It is wonderful!

Fort time again! Brad camped out with the scouts last weekend. After a night by myself I was counting down the minutes until Brad walked through the door so I could run some errands almost by myself (Melina is an extension of myself for awhile longer). This is what I came home to. I love that Brad plays with the kids.


By the way, Melina is smiling here, but don't let her fool you. She knows she is the baby of 4 because she hates walks! Everyone else loved them, but she screams. I hold her for a block and she is silent, I put her in the stroller and she screams. We compromise and I alternate holding and pushing every block.

Despite the brief snow Friday morning, we are loving the warmer weather!

Teacup pig

We have all agreed-Aaron, Ian, Lani, and me. We want a teacup pig!

Presidents Day

So, for Presidents Day, I was so excited to get out of the house (the kids have been sick with RSV) only to finally notice the rain. Despite that, all in all we did have a pretty good day. Brad let me sleep in and took the kids to the grocery store for cinnamon rolls and smoothie ingredients. Yum. I've been wanting Brad to change the kids' intertubes for their bikes ever since the snow melted and Aaron had some great dad time learning about the process (inside of course because even the garage is too cold for Brad). Rain doesn't keep my kids indoors and when I brought out bubbles, Ian wanted them outside. We even went out to the mall because none of my jeans fit me right. It was interesting watching Brad with four kids while I tried on jeans, but it makes me love him more that he would make the sacrifice bringing them just so he could give me his opinion. (Of course now I have to return them because they are already loose; the weight is coming off slowly, but surely.) The best part to me was later that night when we played duck duck goose. Sometimes there are rare moments when I watch my kids and I just can't stop laughing. Ian is new to this game and thinks he has to run around the circle and through the kitchen and back. Lani has no idea what she's doing and just runs through the kitchen and sits down in an open space even if she is "it." It really is the funniest thing. Anyway, it was a great day, no pressure to get things done or go anywhere, and I finally have a little more energy to keep up with my kids!

Brad's Post #2

Hope you all enjoyed my last post (the "Avatar" post) - I know I sure did. Anyway, I received an email from a friend at work with a link to a YouTube video from a band called Shallow Day; I've taken the opportunity to link to the video below. If you have ever read any of the Twilight books or are married to someone who has, this is a *MUST*-watch. Enjoy!

Anyone seen Avatar?

Because apparently Lani has. Tara and I were upstairs getting ready for the morning. Turns out Lani was downstairs getting her inner Na'vi on with the water colors.

Harry Potty Extravaganza

So, we've been reading Harry Potter every night to the boys. Brad calls it Harry Potty and they still laugh every time. Aaron loves it and hangs on every word. Ian is put to sleep by it and thinks it's cool because someone stays with them for a little while longer. So, we finished the first book and decided they had to see the movie (in the afternoon so it wouldn't be so scary). Brad refashioned his Halloween hat into a sorting hat and we sorted them, made them wear their robes, gave them wands (red licorice), and every flavor jelly beans (mike and ikes). Aaron loved it and kept yelling out, I remember this part (which shows me he really did understand a lot). Ian got a little bored. Lani was a lot bored and actually peed on the futon (we're off and on in undies now). All in all it was a really fun activity. We have started the second book so maybe by the end Ian will think it's cool too.

My Girls

First, finally...pigtails. Kind of. Lani is 2 1/2 years old and people ask me if I cut her hair. Of course not. She just still doesn't have much. But it is getting longer and today I got pigtails. She's so darn cute.

And because I got a good picture, here's one of Melina, too. For about 15 min. every few hours I can put her down in her swing until she cries to be held again. So, here's her in her swing, smiling.

By request...

Okay, Holly and Jana, (and anyone else looking for a good homemade bbq sauce) here is the sauce I made the other night-it's actually Betty Crocker's recipe-

Smoky Barbecue Sauce
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c water (I never add this)
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons white vinegar (I actually use apple cider vinegar)
2 teaspoons celery seed (I don't keep this around so I don't add it)
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (mmmm)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper sauce (you can add more for a little more spicy)

Heat all ingredients to boiling in 1-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 min, stirring occasionally.
OR
Throw everything together. (Double ingredients because it's also great on top of rice.) Pour onto whatever meat you are baking (I've tried chicken and pork ribs, my favorite). Cook in the oven for however long you normally cook your meat:)

Christmas

I kind of skipped over Christmas so here's a little rewind. Most of my family was in town and that was so fun. I wish I'd taken pictures, but I didn't get the new camera until after Christmas. We did manage to get one of Melina in her blessing dress, Brad's work had Santa visit with the kids, and I took a couple with the old camera of the kids opening presents. The kids made out great as always. Thank you family! But I'm glad they are back in school and can no longer play the Wii nonstop.