Novalee is in first grade!

Last week Novalee became an official first grader! I have been so busy though trying to figure out Harley's preschool that I have had little time to myself. I will post her picture from the first day of school lately since Jason took the camera to work. I am having a hard time with her in school since 1st grade is so different then kindergarten. She is there all day. Well, she has only been there until about 1 because of testing but this week she stays until 3:15! I actually have parked a few times and watched her play at recess because she plays with the whole school not just her class now. My baby is growing up!

Jason - I love you!!!

Well today is my hunny's birthday!! I won't say how old he is but he is getting ancient (haha) I love him and I hope he knows that! I hope he had a great day today!!!

YIKES!

Yeah I am normal according to my last post I know. Anyways I have just been feeling kind of down lately. There is this wonderful lady in my ward who was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She has a 4 year old girl and was over here for Harley's birthday party. She has sat in the back row with us for the last 3 years at church. This just makes me so sad. She had surgery on Wednesday and they found it has spread to her lungs and her colon. The doctor said they got it all out with the surgery and hopefully the chemo will take care of the rest. How hard would that be just thinking that your life is suddenly so close to being over. It has all happened within 2 weeks. For some reason all this has brought back memories of a really hard time for me after my accident. When I get stressed out I get in this zone that I can't think so that has been what I have been doing alot (suprisingly I don't do it 24/7). I call it my survival mode. Like you all wanted to know my weirdness in case you didn't. Have fun!

I know I know I am just weird!

Ok I know I have only been in school for one semester, but I am so glad to have just turned in my last final and now I will be school free for one week!!! Its not long but now I can breath. I have just been feeling overwhelmed the last few weeks. Like it all has gone by in a daze. You know that feeling when you wake up from an afternoon nap and you just are kind of out of it? I have felt that way lately and I am just tired and drained. Just thought you ought to know. Well, I plan on going to bed now!! Before 10 that is a record for me.

Just another day in a weird family

Well, swimming lessons are done. In a way I am so happy because it is so much work to get everyone there and home especially considering my 6 year old is acting like a 16 year old lately. I am also somewhat sad because the kids love it and I am sure a lot of you might know the great feeling of watching your child have fun and smile.
Also after tomorrow, I am school free!! For about a week and a half though. Still, I am looking forward to the nice break. My friend and I are planning on doing something with our kids everyday so they can get out of the house.
I am still waiting to hear about Harley's preschool. I keep telling her they might have too many kids that want to be in the preschool and we should let the kids whose mommy can't stay home with them and the kids who don't go do all the fun things she does go first and then she can go next. If I can't get her in then I will have to pay $60 dollars a month. Thats not too fun especially considering in September Novalee is going to start dance classes.
I wish my life was more fun but maybe tomorrow.

SHOCKING NEWS!!

Yeah well suprise, surprise I think I have another terrible mom confession. Tonight I was sitting on the floor rocking Gunnar to sleep when a spider crawled out from under Jason's huge toolchest and ran at us. I freaked out, yelled at it to leave Gunnar alone and dropped Gunnar and started screaming. Then I killed the spider but still, Sad huh! I feel so terrible. Good thing it wasn't anything terrible. I have to question myself on what would happen if I was in a situation where I had to protect my kids. I always thought I would but I apparently I didn't. I am so dissappointed in myself that I can't protect my son from a spider. It crawled right past him and he started to cry because I screamed. I so hope he isn't traumatized by this.

Not about Josh Groban

Ok I had to do this survey that Steve had.

Series One: YOU

• Birth time: I think around 3:30 pm
  
• Last place you traveled: Real travel was to Disneyland in Oct
• Eye Color: Blue
• Nail Color: worn off pink
• Height: 5'9
• Zodiac Sign: Taurus
• SERIES TWO - DESCRIBE
• Your heritage: I have a mom and dad
• The shoes you wore today: Pink and gray Raiders sandals
• Your hair: Medium brown shoulder length
• Your weakness: My kids
• Your fears: Dying we all have to do it though!
• Your perfect pizza: Pepperoni, pineapple and jalepenos
• One thing you'd like to achieve: Getting sealed in the temple to my lovely family
• SERIES THREE - WHAT IS..
• Your most overused phrase on messenger:I don't use messenger
• Your thoughts first waking up: Lets get Jason off to work and then go back to sleep.
• Your current worry: Hoping Harley gets into the preschool across the street
• Your plans tomorrow: Swimming lessons then feeding the ducks
• Your best physical feature: Ask my other husband J.G
• Your greatest accomplishment!My kids
• SERIES FOUR - YOU PREFER
• Sunrise or sunset: Sunset
• Gore or horror: horror
• Eastsiiiide or wessssside: Please
• Stripes or polka dots! Both at the same time
• Money or fame: Money
• Planes or trains: Planes
• Metal or hardcore: Yuck neither
• Boxers or briefs: I wear boxers with my swimming suit
• Your life is: Going good
• Pools or hot tubs: Pools
• SERIES FiVE - DO YOU
• Cuss: Never!
• Do you think you've been in love: Yes
• Want to get married: I am married!
• Like to take baths: Depends
• Get motion sickness: Yes
• Like talking on the phone: Yes
• Like thunderstorms: Absolutely
• Play an instrument: I used to play the piano
• Workout: I try
• Like reading: Yes, I love to read.
• SERIES SIX - FAVORITES
• Kind of fruit: Peaches
• Music to fall asleep to: No music
• Time of the day: Depends what I am doing that day
• Feature in the opposite sex: Eyes
• Car: One that works
• Number:3
• Thing to do right before bed: Make sure the house is clean
• Thing to say when you're mad: Flip
• Era: 1600's Bring back the witch trials!
• Horror movie: Van Helsing
• Colors: Purple and Pink
• SERIES SEVEN - FUTURE
• Age you hope to be married: 12?
• Numbers & Names of Children: 17
• How do you want to die: In my sleep Where you want to go to college:I am going to UVSC right nowWhat do you want to be when you grow up: A mommy
• What country would you most like to visit:Disneyland!

Attack of the Rarrs!!

Thanksgiving Point - Dinosaur Museum

While Daddy bought tickets the kids found an awesome miniature circus to look at.

First we went to the 3-D movie and were almost attacked by dinosaurs. Gunnar liked it. The girls were scared! Gunnar was going to protect us and growled at the dinosaurs.


We got to dress up as sea turtles. Novalee was having a hard time because first we had to travel through space. Total darkness!!

Next we found a cave that luckily did not have any dinosaurs in it. Our mom said she saw some monsters but we didn't!

We got to play in the sand. Novalee didn't like to get dirty but, Harley and Gunnar loved it!

Novalee and Harley got to ride on a dinosaur statue. Gunnar was following behind growling!

We saw a nice spot to take another picture! (We took tons luckily we are not going to put them all online. It would take hours) A shark almost got us twice!!! I think the flash scared it away. Don't parents learn??

We saw a Wooly Mammoth. It was being attacked! It was also attacked the people!! Luckily we were ok!

Yucky I hate hot summers!

I am so ready for fall. Its too darn hot. We are doing swimming lessons and luckily Luzmarina came and took pictures for me since I am swimming with Gunnar. I am trying to talk Jason into coming to watch or swim with Gunnar. The girls love swimming lessons. They keep yelling at me across the pool to watch them. They are learning so much and having so much fun too. All Gunnar wants to do is play with his shark, so we paid $30 to have Gunnar play with a shark for 2 weeks.

Today we went to the Bean Museum and Gunnar was in heaven!! He got to see all sorts of animals (preserved) and he got to pet a live snake and lizard. He was crying because he wanted to take the snake home!! Novalee started to cry when the snake was down and started to yell "She put the snake on the floor! My feet are on the floor!" The snake was far away from her but she was somehow offended at the fact. Harley got to take a picture with the wolves since she has a things for wolves since we "saw them" at the zoo. I put that in quotes since she said her favorite thing at the zoo last year was the wolves but she never saw them. It was too hot so they were somewhere else. I don't know why but she talks about it still all the time.

We are hoping to go to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point next week. We have to see how our schedule is. I want to take Gunnar really bad because he is our dinosaur boy!

Other then that; Jason is getting ready to finish construction. It was a really hot summer and he is so glad he doesn't do that all the time. Dixon is waiting for him to start again. He got his blue truck licensed so he has also been working on that. We are both enjoying our Temple Prep class and can't wait for things to get going faster. We are very anxious and are planning some fun things for our family this coming fall.

I have been taking the kids to swimming lessons everyday at 9 and this last week I finally got the closets all clean. My life sounds so fun doesn't it?? My back doesn't hurt anymore from the sunburn it just has been itching like crazy. I am almost done with my classes for the summer so I have a bit of work to do to get ready for the finals. I was telling Novalee ghost stories when she took the picture. Cute isn't it? I don't like pictures of me.

Novalee is so excited for school to start. She has her teacher assigned. She has had her backpack ready since May. She is going to be in 1st grade and get to eat lunch in school. Novalee has become my little helper. Last night she helped me clean the house and do laundry before we went to bed. She also has chores now! She earns an allowance and keeps reminding me that since she is 6 she can do what she wants.

Harley hopefully will be at the preschool at Farrer (Novalee's elementary school) its a district preschool and there are only so many spots per elementary school. I hope everyone around here wants Headstart and that will leave spots for Farrer. If not I plan on putting her into the playgroup that teaches basic things. She earned a new bike by letting her hair grow out long. She was so excited and picked out a princess bike we took it out the next day and Novalee ended up having problems on her bike so now we have to wait for Daddy to fix Novalee's bike so we can ride again.

Gunnar is Gunnar. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. He keeps telling me no! His big thing is juice. We constantly have to have something cold to drink for him or he throws himself on the floor having a fit. He is still growling at everyone and everything. I also have a hard time telling him no but he, like my other kids, is just too cute! He also is very controlling! Tonight our grandma down the street (a lady in our ward) came by and he ran and hugged her and wouldn't let Novalee hug her. He kept pushing her away.

Well today I just so thankful. I have just been feeling kind of bad because things aren't how I want them to be. Like my yard looks terrible, I mow it but I don't have time for much more. My house is messy. I don't have perfect grades. I think I am going to end up with a C in my english class despite how hard I worked. I get my kids dress with their hair done all nice and 30 minutes later Harley will have her hair ties pulled out and lipstick on her shirt or Novalee will decide that I didn't do her hair nice and add ribbons, clips and who knows what to it. I just feel like I want things to be perfect and it never is. I never even have time half the time to do my hair if I am lucky enough to get a shower in. Then I get the mail and there is a article about how Satan tries to discourage us because we are not perfect. How wonderful is that? Don't you love when you troubles and prayers are answered in little ways like that? I do.

Oh my goodness, these last few days have been so busy! I don't even have time to sit and talk to Bonny! I know alot of it comes from me being a huge procrasinator. I had to stay up until midnight last night doing a paper. My other papers with the same length took me like an hour or so to do. This one took at least 8 hours to do and I am so drained! Once I finally got into bed. I had so much on my mind like how my lawn needed to be mowed. (I can't do that yet since I am still very sore from Tuesday. Weird isn't it. I was sunburned Tuesday out on Jordanelle but it is still very painful and being in the sun just heats it up. ) Jason told me to hire someone to do the lawn but I don't want to pay someone to do something that we can do if we just make ourselves do it.

I have to clean the house which looks totally disgusting. Jason was so frustrated last night because the kids kept getting into the no bake cookies while I was doing my paper and it had a huge mess so he cleaned the living room.

The kids have swimming lessons today at 9:00 which hopefully helps them to take a good nap before we go with my wonderful friend Luzmarina today. I am taking a mother-baby class with Gunnar since I knew there was no way he would sit and watch his sisters in the pool.

I still have a lot of math to do. Like 2 chapters!! Anyways despite all this stupid stuff that comes with life. I am very lucky because I have the best of things that come also. My kids are so wonderful and I am so lucky to have them. Jason is such a great husband and loves me even though I was too tired to get up and make him his lunch this morning =)

I know I know I have better things to do then to do this on my blog but we are killing time until the kids go to a friends house.





1. The phone rings, who do you want it to be? Jason, Oprah or Josh Groban (Bonny would be nice)





2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? No I stick it in the back of the van





3. If you had to kiss the last person you kissed again, would you? Yeah. Harley





4. Do you take compliments well?I have learned to accept how much everone practically worships me





5. Do you play Sudoku? I have......




6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness would you survive? Well I am sure some of the people that follow me would bring me stuff to protect me




7. If your house were on fire, what would be the first thing you would save? Me............I guess my kids too




8. Who do you text the most? I talk to myself does that count?

9. Why is Katrina Espinoza so wonderful? Well, if you buy my second autobiography (on sale $59.99) for under $60 you can try to discover my secret for being wonderful.

10. Favorite children’s book? I like reading the Dr. Seuss books to my kids but I have written some excellent books about me for children.




11. Eye color? Mine eyes are blue




12. How tall are you? 4'3"




13. If you could do it over again, start from scratch, would you? I have made many wrong choices but from some of those have come some wonderful things. I am not happy about everything I have ever done though.




14. Any secret admirers? Duh I have like 20 stalkers hanging out in my yard



15. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? A few months ago with Sarah. It was a lot of fun



16. Favorite ex..? Josh Groban



17. Where was the furthest place you traveled? Disneyland. I also camped out in Josh Groban's backyard once. He was trying to met me out there to kiss me (before I was married promise!) but with all the people that follow me he couldn't. We were in a "secret" relationship



18. Do you like mustard? Sure



19. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? Sleep



21. Do you miss anyone? Yes.



22. Can you do splits? Yes and flips



23. What movie do you want to see right now?Harry Potter 6 and7



24. What did you do for New Year’s Eve? Watched Polly Pocket. I had a blast.



25. Do you think The Grudge was crappy? Didn't see it I think. Was it about how everyone has a grudge against me for being so wonderful?



26. Do you own a camera phone? Nope.



27. Was your mom a cheerleader? Nope



28. What’s the last letter of your middle name? n



29. Are you hispanic? my hunny is, so that makes my kids but only one looks that way.



31. Do you like care bears? Harley loves Care Bears



32. What do you buy at the Movies? Popcorn and Soda



33. Do you know how to play poker?No



34. Do you wear your seatbelt?Yes.



35. What do you wear to sleep? My sleeper



36. Anything big ever happen in your CITY?I live in Provo that says it



37. Is your hair straight or curly?Frizzy



38. Is your tongue pierced?Yeah 8 times



39. Do you like Liver and Onions? Yes its my favorite



40. Do you like funny or serious people better? I like to watch people cry



41. Ever been to L.A.?No



42. Who is on your mind right now?Santa Claus and me



43.any plans 4 tonight? I am going to go make a sign saying I am homeless and I need food, then I will stand in front of Cafe Rio hoping for free food. (just kidding)



44. Whats your fav. song at the moment? Josh Groban's "Katrina is Wonderful"


45. Do you hate chocolate? I would hate it if my friends said they were nice and made me browines using chocolate laxatives and gave them to me. Good thing I helped make them for other people. (we were 16)




47. Are you a gullible person?No




49. If you could have any job what would it be? Josh Grobans wife, Mulan at Disneyland, a lawn mower girl, or a nanny like Mary Poppins because I want a flying umbrella




50. Are you easy to get along with?No I hit other people




51. What is your favorite time of day? Bedtime




52. Are you generally a happy person? No I am sad all the time because people follow me all the time and right now I think I hear voices in my head so I start hitting my head to get them to be quiet and then I get a headache.

Gunnar has been such a pill these last two weeks! Let me just say that. I have to go deal with a screaming 1 year old, well he will be 2 in October. I have a hard time being angry with this face. Having him "rar" as his way of talking makes it even worse. I had to tell him last night that Mommy doesn't like it when he hits her in the nose with his head. He looked at me, squinted his eyes and said "RAR!"

Happy Birthday Novalee!!

Well, it's over now, my baby is six years old. Isn't that sad? Novalee had a great with many presents. Alot was notebooks and stuff to write with. She is so special. I am so lucky to be her mommy. We went to Wingers on Tuesday for her birthday and she got her own Sundae and she just had so much fun that night when she was getting into bed she said, " Mommy, I had to best birthday ever." That was before the party.

Tonight after the party, the girls were playing in their room and Harley came out all mad. I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Mom can Novalee do whatever she wants?" I told her no that Novalee was lying. Novalee came back in and said, " Mom I can do whatever I want. I am 6 that means I am a grown up." Isn't that so cute?? Of course I told her no but, it was really cute.

Today just was one of those stupid blah days. I woke up at 5 because I had get Jason's lunch for work. He left at about 5:20 and I had to sit with Gunnar because he was just crying non stop this morning. While I was trying to get him back to sleep I had to tell Harley to go back to bed because even though its starting to get lighter outside she had to go back to bed. She didn't want to but I needed her to. So after about 30 minutes both kids are asleep. I fall asleep and wake up about 9 feeling like crap. I could smell something totally rank. It turns out it was Gunnar who was in my bed! Luckily he didn't leak out his diaper. So I get him changed, get all three kids breakfast and I discover that I am incredibly sick today. I didn't feel like doing anything all day so I just decided to get online and do some math. I dink around on the computer for about 30 minutes when I finally get to my math program and it tells me that I have an outdated program and I need to install another one!! So I try for like an hour constantly getting kicked offline and its not letting me finish a download. I had to bring my tower to my inlaws house last time (two months ago-- apparently long enough to outdate my program) I kept trying all day and when I am on the computer all day I feel so depressed. Yuck!!! So I can't do my homework. I have a birthday party in two days I won't have a van to get my things done to get ready for the party since Jason needs to get off work early the next two days. I have to go get Novalee's presents done. I have to get like party favors and things like that. I have to go to Harry Potter tomorrow. Plus make sure the cake is good and all that fun stuff. Jason is supposed to get off at 11:30 tomorrow be home by 12 then we have about 2 hours to get everything at the store for her party before we head up to SLC to go to the movies. Not to mention I feel like crap and my poor baby is so sick with a fever and runny poop. Sad. I don't want to ruin Novalee's big day but I feel like just staying in bed the next few days. I am trying to talk my honey into taking tomorrow off work but since he likes to pay bills he wants to work. Oh well can't complain. I so think Mom's need sick days. Sorry I am confusing but I am majorly stressed.

OK so according to Novalee this guy is going to be president some day. We saw him walking along BYU and so Novalee took his picture and said that. We had an awesome trip!

How my kids talk:

Novalee - "My mom is alive is yours?"

Harley - " Gunnar wanted me to wake him up to watch tv"

Gunnar - "rar rar rar rar rar dada rar rar rar rar rar" Translated "My sisters are fighting and I think they said a bad word. Dad is asleep rar dinosaurs."

The other Novalee and I had an amazing adventure we went on a long road trip to Cafe Rio. Its Mommy's new favorite town! Well here are some of the pictures. Novalee was an excellent photographer. We even saw a man that is going to be the president one day!!

I am so annoyed today! I live 2 blocks away from where the parade is going to be tomorrow and it is so crazy just people have been down with their blankets and stuff since Saturday. People areas taped off for them. Its stupid. I want to take the kids down but I don't want to deal with these stupid people a lot of them are from out of town too which doesn't seem right to me. It took like 10 minutes running to the store which is just down the street since people are just hanging out in the road. I just put this picture in because its what I feel like doing, not to Jason though. I love him.

At least the kids did the childrens parade on Saturday. Bonus for tonight though! I will see Bonny tomorrow!! I am so excited!!

Today we went "shopping" at Jason's aunt's house. She gives us all her daughter's handme downs and the clothes are always so cute. She likes Disney Princesses and Barbies just like my kids do so its perfect. Plus since she has so many clothes they all look so new because they were never worn. The kids also got a load of level reading which is really good since Novalee is getting so good at reading. The books are Barbie books which might make it more fun (hopefully)

Not much else is going on, I have a lot of homework I have to do like study for a final and finish a paper but, the super nintendo Super Mario RPG calls my name while the kids are snoozing. I am such a dork. In case you didn't already know. The girls and I take turns playing but since I am mean I take the paddle from them if they aren't doing good. I just tell them their turn is over and I will cry if I don't get my turn.

This has been such a busy summer. I finally got one class done. I got an A-. I have a paper due and I have a final this weekend.

Last Saturday was a childrens parade for Provo. It was so cute. Harley got tired after about a block because she was on her tricycle. We have to buy her a bike next week since she has earned it by letting her hair grow out. After she said she was too tired to go on, we found some friends on the side of the street, sat down by them and let the kids collect tons of candy. It was a fun day.

These pictures of the kids running is from our backyard. I was making them run instead of just swinging. It was fun but then Harley stopped since she wasn't winning.

I have more good news also. Next week we start the Temple Prep classes! I am so excited. I was about to cry when I found out ( Don't worry, I didn't embarrass myself that way, I waited until it was just Jason and I) I can't believe we are finally going to start.

Some more good news this week, Bonny will be coming on Tuesday night for a week. Unfortunately we don't get to see Junaid but, hopefully he will be coming down sometime later this year.

Novalee has a birthday next week on the 12th. She has a princess castle cake ordered. Its bigger then the last one because it has more toys. That is the only reason we buy cakes you know. My kids love the little figures that you get on top of cakes. Once Jason went and bought just the toys from different cakes for the kids. There is something that is kind of sad with her birthday this year. 2 of her friends are going to be out of state on her birthday so they can't come to her party. I also feel bad for her because she can't invite friends from school to her party since I don't know where any of them live and since its summer vacation I don't know how to get a hold of them.

I also plan on signing the kids up for swimming lessons in a few weeks. I forgot to do it earlier but I am sure I will be able to get the kids all in classes. Novalee and Harley will have their own classes but I think I will do the mother/baby one with Gunnar since he's too little for swimming lessons and I think he will have a fit if the girls get to swim and he doesn't. It is going to cost us $75 dollars for 2 weeks of classes for us! I am not liking the price but the kids love it so it will be worth it. I am going to see if we can get a discount since Jason has a free membership to the Rec Center through Dixon and since he works for Provo City doing Junior Jazz we might get a discount that way also. I have to call and see.

Well that is about it on what is going on with my wonderful life.