The Foley Family

update

2012-01-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on my kids

(for my benefit, mostly)

Nora:

Because she is my oldest, she has become extremely bossy. I have tried to avoid this, but she has taken on the role of being in charge. Sometimes being in charge is a good thing and benefits me greatly. She is wonderful at taking care of Clark and Lily and helping them complete tasks. She loves having others depend on her. She also loves know she is smarter than someone (we've had to work a lot on this).

Nora loves to read. She excells in reading and English at school. She is at a 4th grade reading level.

She is extremely good at math too but HATES it.

Nora is usually very considerate and loves to surprise people. She loves to make gifts for people, or clean a room for me without me knowing. She loves praise and will do anything to get it :)

Lily:

Lily is a ditz through and through. Oh how her blondness scares me. Lily loves to be silly. She loves to tell jokes and act like a goof. Her favorite thing to do is sing. She would sing all day if we let her. Lily does not have volume control in her head. She speaks loudly and has no idea how loud it really is. So, when she sings (like in a public bathroom), the whole store can hear her and everyone laughs.

Lily loves babies. She just loves to be around them. She thinks that every baby she sees likes her the best.

Lily is oblivious to rules. Within seconds of telling her not to do something, she has disobeyed.

Lily would much rather stay at home with me than go outside and play. She loves to play pretend at home and loves to take care of her stuffed animals.

Clark:

Clark is the ultimate Elmo lover. He won't go to sleep unless he has an Elmo toy in bed with him. He loves to sing the Elmo's World song. He loves to watch Sesame Street....but mostly the Elmo's World part.

Clark is a great sleeper. He takes great naps and sleeps well at night. He enjoys his nighttime routine of picking out the pajamas he wants to wear.

Clark loves taking baths and would stay in all day if we let him. His favorite person in the world is Lily. He loves to play with her and he mimics all the silly things she does.

Clark is very loving. He loves to give hugs and kisses. He loves to lay in bed with us and cuddle. He mostly loves to lay in bed with us and play Angry Birds.

He loves slides and hates swings. He loves dogs, even really big ones. He misses his big sister Emma and gives her a huge hug on visit days. He still has a huge crush on the neighbor girl, Ivy. He constantly asks to go over to her house.

Clark is a very spoiled little boy. We try to remember not to treat him differently, but it is very hard when he is our only boy and our last child!

habits

2012-01-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have a bad habit. This habit has been with me since I was very young. In fact, I don't remember being without this habit. I have tried several times to rid myself of this habit. I have been embarassed several times by this habit. When I see others with this habit, I feel an immediate bond with them. Only they understand this particular addiction.

I bite my nails. Sometimes I bite them so low, they bleed. I rip my nails apart. Michael wonders how I am not in pain all the time. The truth is, I am so used to them being destroyed, the pain does not phase me.

Recently, I met up with my friend. She is training to be a nail technician. She has helped me tremendously with this habit. We have put fake nails on continuously, to help me break this habit. A few times I have ripped the fake nails off and then began biting again. This last time, I was actually able to keep the fake nails on for a long time.

Last week I went to my friends house. We took the fake nails off and then she put gel polish on. Gel Polish is much thicker and doesn't break or crack.

This is a picture of my nails last week. This is the longest my nails have ever been! It has now been a week with the gel polish and I am still going strong. It is definitely hard.

The worst part is that I didn't realize that picking and biting my nails was a stress reliever for me. NOW, I have gained 5 pounds because I have resorted to snacking as my stress reliever instead. UGH!! I hope this is worth it :)

MLK Day

2012-01-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

When I woke this morning at 6 a.m. (Nora is an early riser even on Holidays), I decided today would be a lazy day.

We stayed in our pajamas, I read a book, the kids watched t.v. and played with toys. I even let them eat out of the kitchen. The house was a big mess, but everyone was relaxed and happy.

angry birds

2012-01-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

This is a typical morning. I am getting ready for the day, and Lily and Clark are playing Angry Birds on Michaels and my kindles. Clark doesn't really know how to play....but he spends a long time trying his hardest and it is the cutest thing!

Lily's beliefs

2012-01-16T12:28:00.001-07:00

While doing Lily's hair, she was playing with a compass. She asked me, "Mom, do you believe in compasses?"

"Yes Lily, I do. Do you?"

"Nope. They're not true."

clark's accomplishment

2012-01-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say that Clark no longer uses a binky! It was a few rough days.... but we all barrelled through. There were a few days without a nap, but now we are back on schedule and back to normal :)

All that's left is potty training. I hear it is hard to potty train boys, so I am going to wait as long as I can to start :)

sweet Mazie

2012-01-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

12 years ago, my mom drove me to the outskirts of Colorado City. There was a small house there and our main purpose was to choose out a new dog. A puppy. I had just graduated from high school, so I wasn't planning on staying at my parents house much longer....but I loved dogs and I was so excited.

I was the one who was able to pick which puppy we were going to buy. I picked out a sweet little girl puppy and drove her home.

As much as I wanted her to like me the best, she instantly became attatched to my younger brother. For 12 years now, they have been best friends. Even when he returned from his mission, she had not forgotten him.

Mazie died yesterday morning in my brothers arms. I can't help but cry about how wonderful she was. I will miss her!

resolutions...

2011-12-31T19:51:00.001-07:00

I am not the type to make New Years Resolutions every year. I don't like to set myself up for failure :) I know that is the wrong way to think, but I am just being honest here :) Michael would say that this cartoon would fit me perfectly:

I know I come off that way a lot and I am sorry to those who suffer because of my pride (especially Michael).

I do have a lot of things to work on.

My main goal this year is to relax and not care so much about insignificant things. I tend to make mountains out of a mole hills often and I am determined to keep them all mole hills :)

Here's to a wonderful New Year to everyone and hopefully you are more optomistic about accomplishing your goals than I am!!

new tradition

2011-12-24T19:59:00.001-07:00

We decided to start a new tradition this year for Christmas Eve. We built a fire (Michael did most the work) and we roasted hot dogs and marshmellows. It turned out better than we had planned. We ended up stinking the rest of the night, but it was well worth it.

santa visit

2011-12-24T19:56:00.000-07:00

The kids had another visit with santa. I thought these pictures turned out cute! Clark and Lily of course wouldn't go near him. So here are Emma and Nora:

birthday wishes

2011-12-24T10:18:00.001-07:00

M ine

I ntelligent

C rowd pleaser

H ilarious

A wful Dancer

E xcellent Father

L ucky

We love you Michael. Have the happiest of birthdays!

temple lights

2011-12-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to see the temple lights and nativity the other night. It is always such a joy to walk around the temple grounds with them and talk about the true meaning of Christmas. I also love going inside the visitors center and hearing all their questions as we look at pictures and displays.

pictures

2011-12-22T11:25:00.001-07:00

I found a few cute pictures on my phone that I don't want to lose. So, I am posting them on my blog so I can print them into a book someday.

getting over myself

2011-12-17T23:42:00.001-07:00

Today was a hard day. It was one of those days where I stay in my pajamas, lay in bed and cry. I don't know if others have those days, but I have them every now and then. At one point, Michael humbly told me that I need to stop focusing on the bad things in my life and start realizing how good I have it. One of his favorite things to tell me is "It could always be worse." I HATE when he tells me that. What he says is true, but that doesn't mean I am supposed to like hearing it :)

So, since I slept most the day, I was just now laying in bed unable to sleep. I decided to type a few things I am grateful for to help me open my eyes and get out of this slump.

1) I am grateful for the ability to cry. I know there are some who find it hard to cry....but not me. I can cry and I am grateful that I am able to have that emotional release.

2) I am grateful for honesty. It is a hard thing to find in people, but it is very refreshing when you know you can truly trust a person.

3) I am grateful for my husband and his ability to help me see the good in myself. He makes me feel important and I love him for it.

4) I am grateful for funny movies. Michael and I watched a very funny movie tonight and it really relaxed me.

5) Finally, I am grateful for my children. All three of them noticed how sad I was today and tried to cheer me up. They were surprisingly well behaved today and it made it much easier to feel blessed :)

wonderful Christmas present

2011-12-15T19:53:00.001-07:00

There are two houses being built by us. One is to the left and one is behind us. Lucky for us, the owner of the homes being built is in charge of building the walls. This means, we received 2 free walls today... a back wall and a side wall. I couldn't be more happy. We didn't get our side wall to be as long as we would like, but we still were able to get the majority of it put in...and completely free.

Isn't it beautiful?

new toys

2011-12-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

At Michaels work they had a competition. Whoever reached a certain amount of tasks by Decemeber 18th would recieve a free Kindle Fire. The first employee to reach the goal would recieve two Kindle Fires. I am super proud to say that Michael was the first one to accomplish it! So, Michael and I now both have a Kindle Fire and what am I doing? Instead of playing with it right now, I am blogging about it :)

Thanks Michael for being a hard worker!

gosh vs. goodness

2011-12-01T07:05:00.001-07:00

We've tried to have our kids say oh my goodness instead of oh my gosh. It's not that gosh is a bad word.....but sometimes when said too fast....it can be mistaken for another word (you know what I mean :)

Yesterday, while driving in the car, Lily began to yell out "Oh my gosh." because of something she saw. She stopped herself before she finished the word completely. She then turned to the window and quietly said to herself,
"I wish I wasn't a Foley, so I could say the word gosh."

gingerbread houses

2011-11-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

For our Young Women activity last night, we decortaed gingerbread houses. I took pictures of all the houses. One of them fell down before I took a picture of it.

Here they all are (mine is the first one):

make-up artists

2011-11-27T15:57:00.001-07:00

After buying the girls some small make-up kits, they spent quite awhile applying to each others faces.

They even put some on me (no picture :)

Clark and Michael just hung out to watch the artists at work.

Santa's lap

2011-11-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is Lily's first experience on Santas lap. She was pretty darn proud of herself. Now we just have Clark to convince that Santa is not a bad guy :)

hiking

2011-11-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

We took the kids for a small hike behind our house. It was great. They were amazed at how high we were. We could see so much of St. George. I love reminding myself of the beautiful place we live...and reminding the kids at the same time.

recommendation

2011-11-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

We took the girls to see the Muppet movie on Thanksgiving. I was going to skip it and stay home. I sure am glad that I didn't. I loved this movie. It was extremely well done. I recommend it to one and all!!

thanksgiving parade

2011-11-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

Lily's school had a small Thanksgiving parade.

They all dressed like turkeys

and sang a few Thanksgiving songs.

Isn't she a cute turkey?

3D glasses

2011-11-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Michael took the kids to Happy Feet the other night. As always, they kept their 3D glasses. That night was spent taking pictures of us wearing the glasses.

jubilee of trees 2011

2011-11-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

I took the girls to the Jubilee of Trees while

Clark and Michael rested at home.

The girls loved it, as usual.

They sat on Santas lap, got some candy,

got a toy and looked at some amazing trees.

school pictures

2011-11-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've had these pictures for a long time and

I am finally getting around to posting them.

Here are our 2011 school pictures:

Emma 2nd Grade:

Nora 1st Grade:

double the fun

2011-11-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am watching another 2 year old today. Usually her and Clark argue and fight constantly. Today has been quite pleasant (knock on wood). They were playing while I was getting ready for the day. Here are pictures of 2 things I found them doing:

1) They were both on top of the train set removing all the ornaments off our mini tree.

2) Tanner decided she needed to be the one to change Clarks diaper. She got everything ready to do it and was starting to put the diaper under his bum when I came in. Clark was so easy going about her telling him what to do :)

At least they are not fighting while messing everything up :)

twenty one

2011-11-15T07:18:00.001-07:00

I know it's pretty lame to celebrate
a dogs birthday,

but Jacks birthday is the same day as a

small anniversary of Michaels and mine....

so it was easy to remember :)

Happy 3rd birthday Jack!

locked in

2011-11-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

I was unloading the car and I decided to let Clark play in the car until I finished. I heard him playing with locks but I thought nothing of it. I closed the trunk when I was finished and then went to go get Clark. All the doors were locked (with the keys locking inside). I didn't even think to check before closing the trunk. Poor Clark was locked in the car. For awhile he continued to play, not knowing I was a little panicked.

After awhile of playing, he got up to the window and kept saying "out!" I kept trying to prompt him to push the lock buttons again. He pushed them, but it was always the 'lock' side. After about ten minutes....and right about the time I was going to call a locksmith, Clark pushed the 'unlock' side.

I'm glad it ended up teaching me a little thing or two :)

funny clark

2011-11-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

As we were driving home tonight,
the topic of baptism came up.

During the conversation Nora said

"You can either get baptized when you are
8 or when you are 12."

(she of course meant baptisms for the dead).

After I told the kids that in the temple

we are only baptized for people who are dead,

Clark loudly said, "EWWWWW."

We all had a good laugh.

This post is mostly for me to remember down the road :)

tmbg

2011-11-07T12:14:00.001-07:00

Michael and I were able to got to a They Might Be Giants concert over the weekend. I am not a huge fan, but I know their music and I knew Michael wanted me there with him.

We got there early enough to stand right by the stage. Michael met some guys who were standing by us....they talked for a long time about things that only nerds talk about :) Michael was in heaven!

I ended up going to the balcony half way through
because I am a loser :)

I am glad I was able to go to a concert of
Michaels favorite band.

Thanks Vanessa for planning it!

nail-do

2011-11-02T20:07:00.001-06:00

My friend is training to be a certified nail technician (if that is what they are called...). I was able to let her practice on my nails. It was a whole lot of fun to chat while getting my nails done. I love how they turned out!

Nora was on a date with her grandma that same afternoon. As I drove up to the nail place for my appointment, I noticed my moms car there. I walked in, and sure enough....they were both there getting their nails done. I had no idea they would be there. It was quite the funny coincidence. Noras nails turned out really cute.

pooped

2011-11-01T08:13:00.001-06:00

Poor Clark, Halloween wore him out!

I wish I were able to sleep whenever I wanted to :)

trunk or treat #3

2011-10-31T15:04:00.000-06:00

I took Lily and Clark to another trunk or treat. It was really short...but sweet. They got some candy, we got our pictures taken and Lily was able to pick out her very own pumpkin. 

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-30T19:45:00.000-06:00

What do you do when you are sick at home and the rest of the family is at church? Carve pumpkins, of course. That is what Michael did today. The smiley face pumpkin was done by Nora yesterday....but Michael did the Detroit one today. I am pretty impressed with his skills....although I really don't like the mess or the smell of carving pumpkins.

trunk or treat #2

2011-10-29T21:52:00.000-06:00

We had our ward trunk or treat tonight. The children had loads of fun. We had an older girl from our ward who wanted to take Clark around to each trunk....so Michael and I got to hang out together and pass out candy. We sure do like our ward!

monster party

2011-10-29T11:20:00.000-06:00

I have been planning a monster party for Clark for months. Michael is probably extremely glad it is over, so I will stop talking about it :) I love throwing parties, and I am glad this one went so well!

I am not very good at making cupcakes, but I sure did love making these.

All the monsters with the masks they made (and some monsters without their masks)

After a few games, Michael read them 2 monster stories. All the kids were mesmerized!

Thanks to all who came. It was a whole lot of fun!

parade #2

2011-10-29T11:03:00.000-06:00

Here are pictures of Nora in her costume and at her parade. She loves having us come to her school....she beems with pride to have family there to watch her. She was very cute! I am glad they do these parades.

parade #1

2011-10-28T07:31:00.000-06:00

Lily had her school parade. I didn't take photos, just filmed it....so here is her picture before she went to school. They sang a few songs and did a small parade. I was very short but very cute!

wonderful stranger

2011-10-27T11:03:00.001-06:00

I had Michael weed the backyard last night. It wasn't a fun job and I knew it. But Michael was willing to do it. Two lots down from us they are putting in a backyard and there was a man clearing up some rocks with a front loader (?). He saw Michael working by hand and instantly drove over and started clearing up all our weeds without saying a word. It took him all of ten minutes and then he drove away. Michael and I were so grateful! A huge job turned into a job well done by someone we didn't even know.

This is the after picture. I don't have a before picture....but our yard was really awful.

the sweet twos

2011-10-25T20:57:00.002-06:00

It was this time, on this day 2 years ago that I was induced. My doctor wasn't supposed to induce me for another day, but he gave me permission to come in the night before and let me have Clark right around midnight.

Clark is 2 tomorrow.
He is far from being in his terrible two's.

In fact, he is one of the sweetest kids I know.

Here are a few things about Clark:

His favorite thing in the whole world is Elmo
His best friend is Lily
He loves dogs of all sizes and calls them all "puppies".

He is a big eater. He eats a lot of food and he eats often.
He loves to sing
He loves to go for walks
He loves to play "baybah" (baseball) with his dad

His favorite shoes are Spongue Bob, Dora, Bubble Guppies and Diego
He loves to take baths, clip his nails and brush his teeth
He has a crush on a little girl named Ivy who lives across the street
His favorite foods are pizza, chicken nuggets, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, pancakes and fruit snacks

He loves to dance. He has just learned to move his arms in slow motion and it is the funniest thing to watch.
He is great at pretending he is a dog
He gives us a hug everytime we leave the room and return

He is the best two year old in the world.

trunk or treat #1

2011-10-25T13:03:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the blurry picture :(

We went to a business trunk or treat last night. Michael and I really didn't want to go but the kids begged....so we gave in. They had a lot of fun and got a lot of candy.

As you can tell from the picture, Clark was confused the whole time. He didn't understand the whole costume thing and although he loved getting candy, he was confused why people were giving it to him.

Overall, it was a fun night.

joyful photos

2011-10-23T21:41:00.002-06:00

Our wonderful neighbor took our photos again! I love getting new photos and these did not disappoint. She is so wonderful and easy to work with. Hire her....
318photography.com

Here are just a few of the many wonderful photos.

mommy/daughter date

2011-10-14T18:34:00.000-06:00

Lily and I were able to go alone to dinner tonight. It was great. She is a wonderful girl when she is one on one. She tells great stories. We went to Texas Roadhouse, one of our favorite restaurants. It is amazing how much cheaper it is when it is just me and one kid :)

Lily's favorite thing about Texas Roadhouse is their honey butter. She usually tries to eat it alone but we tell her no. Tonight I thought I would give in and let her eat it without the rolls. She was in heaven:

growing up

2011-10-10T19:51:00.000-06:00

When Michael had his very first business trip, Nora was 2 months old. This would be the first time that Michael and I would not see each other at least once a day since we started dating. I was a wreck. I cried hourly. I didn't have a cell phone back then, so it made it even worse on me.

Since then he has been on various business trips. Each business trip was hard on me. I usually would try my hardest to hold myself together....but I would always end up calling his phone while he was in flight and leave a message while blubbering.

This morning Michael left for a three day business trip. Surprisingly, I was very calm and very much okay with it. It has been a whole day now without one tear. I am proud of myself. I feel I am growing up in a sense. Yes, I still miss Michael and wish he were here, but I am more confident in myself and I don't feel I need to depend on him for everything, all the time.

p.s. the picture is of a door mat that I would LOVE to purchase. I find it very amusing :)

distraction

2011-10-07T18:01:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been driving with the kids safely buckled in the back of the car... Everything is going smoothly, the kids are happy and you are right on schedule to make it to your next destination.

Today I was there. I was doing just that....and then Clark dropped his binky. Of course, I had to get it for him.

I don't claim to be the best driver, but I am pretty darn good at double tasking while driving. It just so happens that this one time, while reaching for Clark's plug, the van swerved a little too far to the right. I ran straight into a curb at 40 miles an hour. I heard a sound that told me this hit was not a simple one. I pulled over, turned on my hazards and then decided to look at the damage.

This is not the actual picture. Our tire (brand new tire might I add) was almost ripped to shreds and the hub cap was also damaged. I almost cried. Michael and I have been trying so hard to pay off debt....and as soon as we get close to making a payment, something bad happens.

Luckily, a police officer was driving by while I was on the phone with Michael. He stopped, stayed and helped me.

It delayed my schedule...and stressed me out....but when I look back I have to be grateful that it wasn't worse. I mean seriously, worse things have happened to others who were distracted just like me.

prejudice

2011-10-04T12:34:00.000-06:00

Leave it to Lily to be difficult in every area. On our street she has 2 friends. Both of these friends are the same age as Lily and their birthdays are all within a few weeks of each other. I was so glad for Lily when these two families moved in.

Lily loves to go play at their houses and loves to invite them over to our house.....until recently. She has made up her mind that she is too good for them. Her excuses are that one is too "puffy" and the other is too "pink". I really wish I knew why these two things are reasons not to play with friends. Hopefully she grows out of this soon.....an attitude like this will not serve her well in the future.

a dose of gratitude

2011-10-04T10:43:00.002-06:00

I've had a major health problem for the last year or so.

Since we don't have medical insurance,
I avoided going to a doctor.

I decided to try everything myself to see if
I could fix the problem.

Every now and then, the symptoms would subside,

but it never went away completely.

After a year of trying to deal with the problem myself,

I decided to see a doctor. He prescribed me a drug.

I HATE pills.

I gag with the smallest of pills

and this particular pill was huge and tasted awful.

I stuck with the pills and luckily, they worked.

I feel a ton better and I am so grateful that

I realized I couldn't fix it myself.

I am also grateful for the great minds out there

who invented all the wonderful medicine.

I don't promote medicine for every problem,

but I am ever so grateful it fixed my problem.

conference buckets

2011-10-03T16:42:00.001-06:00

I am in deep love with this idea! How I wish I would have found this idea before conference yesterday. Oh well, I will definitely use it in April:

http://www.brownpaper--packages.com/2011/03/general-conference-treat-buckets.html

fan?

2011-10-02T19:31:00.000-06:00

I have become quite the Detroit Tigers fan.

There is not much I like about sports and so Michael is more surprised than anyone.

I watched my first full game last night and I have to say

I was entertained the whole time.

We watched another game today and I got so emotionally involved.

I kept glancing over at Michael.....

and I could see the pride in his face that I was enjoying it as much as him.

I almost cried last night when they lost.....

so hopefully they keep winning or I may have an emotional break down

unattended

2011-10-02T19:01:00.000-06:00

What happens when you leave your children unattended while watching conference?

They put nail polish on their face. Luckily it was no where else. They also had they polish remover opened....and luckily that was not swallowed.

This is what happens when Michael and I try to do the right thing :)

milestone

2011-09-27T08:40:00.001-06:00

It has been 2 1/2 months since I stopped drinking
Dr. Pepper (soda altogether).

I have finally lost 10 pounds.
It seems like it has taken forever....mostly because it has :)

I feel thinner, and I feel healthier.
I wish my clothes fit more loose,

but it is only 10 pounds and I need to be more patient.

goodly parents

2011-09-27T08:28:00.001-06:00

This picture is in Lily's room on her dresser.

It has been there since her 3rd birthday
(the day it was taken).

Lily has become quite the manipulator
(or at least tried to be one).

Whenever Michael or I have told her to do something she didn't want to do,
or told her to stop doing something....
she brings this picture into our room.

With a sad face, she tries her hardest to make us feel bad for what we have done to her. As she looks at the picture, she tells us things like...."Remember when we were happy?" or "I wish you guys were like you were in this picture." .

Although it is very clever of her, it doesn't work.

She still has to go to bed,
and then she is even more mad at us.

Last night she slept with this picture.

I don't think I am a bad parent....

but sometimes Lily has me questioning myself.

She is so convincing.

Best Friend

2011-09-26T14:48:00.000-06:00

For many years now, I have had several friends. For me, it is not hard to make friends. However, I have never been the type to have a best friend. This is NOT by choice. I've wanted a best friend.

When I met Michael, I was content. I had finally found a best friend. I thought that having Michael as a best friend would keep me satisfied.

I've been married to Michael now almost 8 years. I love hanging out with Michael....in fact he is still my favorite person around. However, as each year as gone by....and as we have moved to different neighborhoods, I have longed for a female best friend.

In each neighborhood, I have had friends, some better than others. But, I have never had the type of friendship where we go to lunch together, or have a girls night out, or go shopping together, or call each other on the phone and talk about anything and everything, or go to a chick flick together, or go get our hair or nails done. When I cry, or vent....the only person who hears about it is Michael. I am sure he wants a break :)

I wish I knew where I was going with this. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and wondering what I need to work on to become more likable or more fun.

If I never do find a best friend, at least I can say I was lucky enough to have Michael there for me. He is so good at supporting me and trying hard to understand my female brain.

brewster

2011-09-26T09:33:00.000-06:00

We took care of a dog for a few days over the weekend.

His name was Brewster.

He looked just like Jack but bigger and really fluffy.

Jack was in heaven! They played non stop.

When we took Brewster back to his owner,

Jack didn't know what to do with himself.

He was very lonely and sad. Poor guy.

It took him awhile to get back to his normal self.

Maybe we will get to watch Brewster again and they can reunite :)

thick hair

2011-09-18T17:45:00.001-06:00

I thought I would love having a child with thick curly hair. Turns out, I hate it....and she hates it too! It is so hard to comb through most of the time and it takes forever to wash.

I thought having it shorter would help,
but I love the look of her hair longer.
So, I just regret cutting it.

I decided to try thinning it out today.
After I was done thinning it out, I looked at the pile of hair...

This doesn't really show the amount of hair....but it was huge. Nora kept asking if she could see her haircut. After I was done, she looked at her hair and said "You didn't even do anything." Her hair looks the same, just much thinner....and hopefully easier to do.

date night

2011-09-17T19:26:00.001-06:00

You know you need a date when....

your kids plan one for you.

That is what happened last night.

The kids laid our clothes out for us (Sunday clothes).

Then they went down stairs as we changed
and told us to stay upstairs until they called for us.

After about ten minutes, they called us down.

As we were walking downstairs,
the kids were coming upstairs.

Nora asked Emma,
"Why do we need to go upstairs and leave them alone?"

Emma whispered back,
"So they can kiss and talk."

Downstairs, we found this:

They had the table set for us. They made Michael a PB&J sandwich and made me some cereal. They even left a note to the side of each of our meals:

It lasted all of 5 minutes before the kids came back downstairs.

But it was a fun date while it lasted :)

something new

2011-09-07T22:07:00.003-06:00

It was a quick decision.
I've been looking for a newer car for several months now.

I only had a few requirements.

1) Lots of space

2) Made within the last five years

3) Lots of space

4) Decently priced

5) Lots of space!

We lucked out. Here is our new car:

poor jack

2011-09-07T21:32:00.000-06:00

Our little dog has been quite sick today and it makes me so sad. He started throwing up in the middle of the night and continued through the afternoon (every few hours). He usually runs to the door to greet me when I come home, but today he just lays on the couch and sleeps. He is usually anxious for me to take him outside for walks, but today he slowly walks to the door with no excitement and hardly wants to leave the house.

I called the vet to get some advice. He told me it should pass in a few days. I sure hope it does, I hate seeing Jack this way.

change of plans

2011-08-31T08:23:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is Nora in a uniform. It was a quick change of plans. It happened within a couple of hours. We decided to switch Nora to George Washington Academy. Luckily they had a spot for her. We walked through the school yesterday (my second time). It seems to be the best thing for Nora.

She started this morning. She met her teacher and in tears walked around the class room. Her teacher was so nice to her and calmed her down quite a bit.

It was hard to walk away knowing how nervous she was....but I am confident she will do great and this will be a very good change.

preschool

2011-08-25T11:55:00.000-06:00

Lily had her first day of school today. She was so excited and that made me happy. This school was the same one she went to last year and her teacher is also her primary president. I love that it is in walking distance if I don't have a car.

I picked her up and she was so happy. She told me all about it and then she wanted to call her dad immediately to tell him.

She has been having a rough time with Nora gone all day, so I am glad she is finally doing something to pass some of the time.

injury

2011-08-23T13:44:00.000-06:00

(Caution, Disturbing Image Below)

We were walking into Biolife. Nora was hurrying inside because it was hot. She opened the heavy door without realizing that her foot was in its way. The door smashed in to her toe. She screamed. I saw the blood and noticed that it wasn't unrepairable. I decided to head inside to get a band aid from the nurse. This time, I opened the heavy door....and I opened it fast because Nora was bleeding and crying.

It was just our luck that the second time the door was to be opened, another child's foot was in the way. However, this injury was more than just a small stub. Lily screamed and almost fell to the floor. I picked her up and brought her inside to wash it off. After I washed it off, I got a clear shot of what had really happened.

The door not only cut the top of her toe....it also bent her toe nail all the way back. I had to take a deep breath because I hate blood. We covered it in paper towels and went to the Dr.

The Dr. had two options. One was to soak the toe nail in water for awhile and hope she could bend it back into place. The second option was to numb the toe and then cut off the damaged part once numb. She decided to try the soaking in the water first. It took awhile to convince Lily she had to do it. She was quite scared and in a lot of pain.

After some medication and some candy and some juice, Lily finally settled down and actually started acting drunk. It was really funny.

They were able to bend the nail back into place and then bandage it up. Lily is now walking around with a huge bandage on her toe and our family has vowed to never wear flip flops again. Okay, who am I kidding. We will just be more careful around doors and continue to wear flip flops.

lazy

2011-08-19T09:22:00.000-06:00

Although I find the pillow hilarious,

it hits very close to home.

My Wife

2011-08-16T12:19:00.002-06:00

Hi, this is Michael. Usually it is Bonnie who goes on this blog and dutifully posts news and photos of all things Foley. But I wanted to take a moment out of nowhere to talk about her because she never does. So here I go.

...Just for kicks and giggles.

I'm probably going to change the password again so she can't delete this post out of modesty. You're welcome internet.

Not to call Bonnie dumb, but there are a few things that are obvious to me and others that Bonnie doesn't notice.

Namely that Bonnie is kind, sensitive, quirky, mysterious, hilarious and gorgeous. So much so that I secretly feel guilty for proposing to her because she could have very obviously done much better. I just lie to her and say "Oh all guys are as disappointing as me." SHE MUST NEVER LEARN THE TRUTH.

I am proud of this woman. I'm proud of what she does and who she is. In daily life I think it's easy to just go through our routines and not stop and notice how good we have it. Well, because of Bonnie...

I have it good. I have it really, really good.

Thank You Bonnie. For Everything.

Love,
Your Lucky Husband

P.S.- I know what you're thinking, and no I'm not in trouble. :-)

1st grader

2011-08-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

Nora was more than ready to go to first grade. She is lucky enough to have some really good friends in her class. Her teacher is really nice and Nora really likes her. I'm so proud of her and how prepared she is. She will do great!!

visitor

2011-08-12T10:26:00.000-06:00

We had a visitor for a few hours yesterday and the girls are still talking about her.

Their cute cousin Rebekah came and Nora and Lily couldn't get enough of her.

forgiving

2011-08-11T16:03:00.000-06:00

Because I am not perfect, I sure am glad my kids are so forgiving. I try really hard not to get mad at them so often....but all three of them seem to be in a never ending annoying stage :) I am just so glad that they forget and forgive so easily, because I sure do love them!

vulture

2011-08-11T15:57:00.002-06:00

We saw three vultures eating a dead rabbit today.
The kids were in awe.

They asked me to take a picture
since they thought a vulture was a cool looking bird.

fashion show

2011-08-07T09:56:00.000-06:00

The mall had a back to school fashion show on Saturday. My mom asked if I would be a model for the store she works for. I had Nora join me on the stage. It took all of 30 seconds and then we were done. At least Nora can now say she was a model for a little while.

2011-08-06T12:13:00.001-06:00

I know this isn't the greatest picture. It doesn't show the faces of the people and it is kind of blurry and scratched. However, I love this photo. It means the world to me. This is my oldest brother helping my grandma down the stairs at a wedding reception. My brother passed a little over 5 years ago, and my grandma just passed.

I love having this picture of both of them together.

passed

2011-08-05T21:10:00.001-06:00

My grandmother passed peacefully late this afternoon. She will be deeply missed by many. I love my grandma and I am so glad she is finally with her husband, who died many years ago of cancer.

After awhile of crying, I decided to celebrate her by doing something she loved. We went to go get root beer floats. Grandma Jo loved root beer floats. She would rather have a root beer float than a full meal.

Here's to you grandma and the wonderful woman you were!

the fiesta of fun

2011-08-05T20:55:00.000-06:00

We won a 20 dollar gift card to Fiesta Fun last Saturday and decided to head that way today. We went on the go carts and had a blast. I had never been on them before and neither had my girls.

Poor Clark could only watch us enjoy ourselves.

He just kept wondering what all the screaming was about.

jokster

2011-08-05T20:43:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, Nora handed this picture to Michael:

After he looked at it she said, "Get it dad? Hot Dog? The dog is hot because he is in the sun." She thought she was very clever and we couldn't help but laugh.

Just to put on record today, so I don't forget....Lily said her favorite animal is a cocoon.

pat on the back

2011-08-04T20:58:00.001-06:00

Some may find it odd that I am posting about this, but I need to cheer myself on every now and then.

I have been sober now for 20 days. This is the longest I have ever gone without Dr. Pepper since I first tasted it. This may not seem like a big deal, however, this is a very big accomplishment for me.

My next habit to attack is biting my fingernails.

wall hanging

2011-08-02T12:59:00.000-06:00

I found this wall hanging online and I thought it would go perfect in the master bedroom. I was right. I got it, and I love it. Michael isn't too fond of it, but he doesn't care much about decor anyway :)

grandma jo

2011-07-31T20:22:00.000-06:00

My sweet Grandma Jo had a stroke yesterday morning. She has been living with my parents for many years now and my dad went in to her room in the morning and noticed something different about her but didn't realize it was a stroke. After a call to my Grandmas Dr, they decided to take her to the hospital to do some tests.

She has paralysis on one side of her body and her speech is slurred. Michael and I went to visit her last night and she looked so confused. She probably didn't even recognize who her son (my dad) was. Hopefully things start to improve for her. If not, I am glad to know that she has lived a wonderful 102 years.

3 hours

2011-07-29T13:44:00.001-06:00

3 hours. That is how long I spent at the mechanic today. I was told it was a one hour job. I should never believe mechanics. Also, I should never take kids with me. The kids did pretty good for the first hour....but the second and third hours were extremely rough (mostly on me).

600 dollars later, they fixed the problem(s).

Now our air conditioning works and we drove away nice and cold.

Clark was so tired, he ended up trying to sleep on the floor. I know it isn't the most sanitary place (notice his really dirty feet), but he was at least quiet for a few moments...and it made a great picture.

repairs

2011-07-26T12:51:00.000-06:00

Have you ever taken your car in to get repaired and then left (after playing a ton of money) and the problem is still not fixed? This seems to be the trend for our family vehicles. We have been in and out of the car repair place for our van and for Michael's scooter so many times, I am going crazy. We are going back again this afternoon for the van and Michael has pretty much given up on his scooter.

At least I got to spend my time there yesterday with this cute boy:

He was a joy to spend the few hours with! Hopefully things start to work out.

owl love

2011-07-25T14:53:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love this clock. It is so darn creative and so darn cute.

beating the heat

2011-07-22T13:16:00.001-06:00

We spent a good few hours at the splash pad yesterday. Clark is finally getting used to playing and splashing by himself, so we were able to spend more time. We went in the morning before it got too hot and I am glad we did. Then we went to Judds and the kids picked out some candies. Judds is their new favorite place :)

so old

2011-07-18T21:01:00.000-06:00

I took this picture of Nora today. I am amazed at how old she looks. She looks like she has a few freckles on her nose and cheeks....making me see more of myself in her. Gosh she is growing so fast.

six

2011-07-17T21:37:00.000-06:00

Nora's birthday isn't today, but I thought I would get a head start since tomorrow looks to be a busy day for me.

Today she told Michael "Daddy, I'm living a new life now." He asked what she meant and she said "Since I lost my tooth last night, I'm living a new life now."

Nora is an extremely quick learner. She is extremely bright and loves to learn new things. I love watching her read exceptionally well, and tell us about the things she is thinking and learning. She gets excited when she is able to show off her intelligence.

Nora is a performer. As long as she feels comfortable around the crowd she is in, she loves attention and will do anything to get it. She loves being silly and making people laugh. She loves acting and dancing and singing. But mostly she loves when people clap when she is done.

Nora is beautiful. I know I am biased because I am her mother, but even if I were not her mother I would find her gorgeous. She has beautiful skin, curly brown hair, big hazel eyes and a bright smile.

Nora is very particular about doing the right thing. She always asks questions like "Is that what Heavenly Father likes?" or "Is this healthy?" or "Is this modest. She even reminds me often of things I should be doing.

We love you Nora. Happy Happy Birthday to my oldest child.

museum

2011-07-16T22:15:00.001-06:00

First day on vacation was spent at a natural history museum.

The picture above isn't the greatest picture,

but Lily's expression had to be shared :)

Dear Tooth Fairy...

2011-07-16T21:16:00.004-06:00

I finally lost my first tooth and
I couldn't be more ecstatic.
Right now I am too excited to sleep,
but when I do finally get to sleep,
will you please take me tooth
and replace it with money?

Love, Nora

vacation

2011-07-16T18:56:00.000-06:00

This picture explains perfectly our vacation: exhausting. We had a ton of fun though!

poor Clark

2011-07-12T19:04:00.000-06:00

Poor Clark spends the majority of his day with girls. He is always trying to wear their clothes and shoes. Today he put on Nora's flower headband. These will be great pictures to show his future girlfriends :)

toy room

2011-07-12T17:53:00.000-06:00

I made this to go in the toy room:

four

2011-07-05T16:11:00.001-06:00

Today Lily is four.

--Lily is a singer through and through. She sings constantly and she usually sings loud. Her favorite time to sing is when she is going to the bathroom (even in the middle of the night). She knows a lot of songs and she has wonderful pitch.

-- Lily is great at sharing (most of the time). There is a considerable difference between her and Nora and their willingness to share. Even when she has been mistreated by someone, she is still anxious to share with them.

Lily is the queen of make believe. She makes many stories up hourly and goes into great detail. Sometimes I wonder if she really believes some of the stories she tells really happened.

Lily is a good big sister to Clark. She loves to take care of him, play with him and teach him things. She doesn't like being a younger sister and being told what to do....but she LOVES being an older sister and doing the telling. Clark adores her attention.

Happy Birthday Lily Jane. We Love You!

celebrations

2011-07-05T13:16:00.000-06:00

This last weekend was full of celebrations. Here are just a few pictures of the family doing fireworks. My camera didn't work well in the dark, so I only took a few.

one year

2011-07-02T22:43:00.000-06:00

It has been a year. We have each had a birthday here. We have shared each holiday with each other. We have started kindergarten, preschool, walking, soccer, climbing stairs, t-ball, new callings in church and new friendships here. We love it here. I am glad we chose this neighborhood. I love our house. I don't enjoy cleaning it, but I love it when it is clean :). It has been one year since we moved into this house and I am looking forward to many more.

sister teachings

2011-07-02T22:34:00.000-06:00

We went to cousin Eden's baptism this morning. Michael overheard Nora talking to Lily about baptism. He was able to take this picture of them without them knowing. I LOVE this picture. I wish the girls were always this nice and loving with each other.

mans best friend

2011-07-02T18:40:00.000-06:00

A year ago today, we brought the best dog in the world home. It seems weird that one year later we said farewell. A wonderful family just came to pick him up today. Our decision to give away Rufus was filled with tears. I won't go into detail on why....just know we are all very sad.

He is now living with a family in Salt Lake. They only have one child who is eight. The 8 year old boy will be a wonderful friend for Rufus and give him a loving home.

We love you Rufus. Be happy!

(yes, that is Lily behind Rufus in her underwear :)

anti gravity

2011-07-01T13:57:00.000-06:00

Since my whole family is in town this weekend, we decided to all try out the new place Anti Gravity just down the street from my parents house. It quite an amazing place. Great things for all different ages. All three kids had fun and all three were exhausted by the end.

(Lily wouldn't let me take her picture, but she was there.)

sand dunes

2011-07-01T13:48:00.000-06:00

I met my brother and his family at the sand dunes. We weren't there long, but long enough to have the kids covered in sand. Clark was miserable, but the girls had a great time.

fish on a stage

2011-06-30T13:08:00.001-06:00

My dad was able to get us some free tickets to go see The Little Mermaid. Not only were they free seats, they were GREAT seats. We were front and center. Nora has had Strep Throat since Sunday and we thought we might have to cancel her going. She was determined to go. She took a nap, took lots of medicine and luckily her fever was controlled for the evening.

We met some cousins there.

I loved watching all the kids and their excitement with all the special effects.

Nora kept looking at me and making sure I could see all the same cool things that she was seeing.

Although we didn't get home until midnight, Nora is still talking about everything she remembers. Thanks Granddaddy Stewart!

mistaken

2011-06-30T13:03:00.001-06:00

Sunday morning, Clark woke up with a swollen, red eye. He has had pink eye before and so we assumed that is what it was. We had left over medicine from the last time. So, we began his treatment. Wednesday night came along and his eye was getting worse. The eye drops weren't working at all. So, we took him to the doctor. The doctor said she would have thought it was pink eye at first glance too. However, it is not.

Looks like Clark has a sinus infection that has spread to his eye and his ear. To add to his discomfort, he has also caught Strep Throat from Nora and Michael.

With swollen tonsils, itchy eye, ear ache and a fever that has been as high as 104....this kid is miserable. Lets hope things look up for him soon.

a sick house

2011-06-26T09:50:00.001-06:00

102 degree fever:

Pink Eye:

Strep Throat:

ALL at the same time!

I am trying to be optimistic,

but our home is not a happy one right now.
( I would post a picture of Michael's throat on here,
but it will most likely make everyone who sees it sick.
It is pretty awful.)

j'adore

2011-06-25T22:28:00.000-06:00

I finished this project today and I love it. I put it right at the top of our stairs. I decided to put all of the kids infant pictures instead of pictures of them now. I love how it turned out. Now we just need to make sure Clark doesn't break any of it or mess it up.

HOT!!

2011-06-24T21:46:00.000-06:00

It has been a hot week. I have been watching two other girls for the last few days. We have been trying to find things to do that don't require us being outside in the heat. It has been hard. We've been to the McDonalds play place a few times. We've been to the mall. We've dressed up at home. The toys have been fought over for the last time. I am so glad it is the weekend. 5 children all under the age of 6 is hard work!

i love vinyl

2011-06-24T21:38:00.000-06:00

I've used vinyl lettering for years, since I first heard of it. I haven't gotten around to it in this house and I don't really know the reason why. We had a large mirror in our storage closet that we have had for a few years. I have been trying to figure out where to put it. I finally decided to combine my love for vinyl with my unused mirror. It worked splendidly!