We're expecting!

Well......sort of! We have some cute little birds who have decided to make a nest in our hanging flowers. I checked the nest a few days ago and there were 3 little eggs but today I looked and there were 5!

I should probably forewarn that mother bird....she'll proabably have all boys since that seems to be the trend in the Starnes home!

Cabela's

There are a few places in the world where I feel totally and completely OUT of my element. For example....if you were to ask me to walk on into the "Hot Topic" store in the mall or ask me to go out to "Hooter's" for lunch...I would probably feel just a bit uncomfortable.

Another store where I feel this way would have to be Cabela's. It is a hard thing to admit coming from the girl who was raised in good old Idaho. Why do I feel this way? Well lets see:

Reason #1:I have never even HELD a gun

Reason #2: I tried fishing once and my pole was dragged into the lake on my very first cast

Reason #3: Camping for me can only consist of one maybe two nights tops and I have to have an airbed, a fan going, and the car HAS to be parked right outside of the tent in case I get too cold

Reason #4: I accidentally killed my brother's hamster (his name was MC Hamster) when I was little and after that traumatizing experience I vowed never to harm another animal as long as I lived

Even though I feel this way about Cabela's I decided to take the boys over there to see the fish and the animals. They absolutely LOVED it! And guess what?? I did find something that I was very interested in...the homemade fudge in the back of the store! YUMM!

Weekend Warriors!!

Wow...what a weekend! We started off Saturday morning with Nate going for a long bike ride. (He's really getting into road biking as of late) He has already lost about 16 pounds in the last month because of if. (O yeah...and he said it was okay if I posted that!) I'm so proud of him!

After he got home we packed up the family and headed over to Veteran's Park for the annual Great Strides CF Walk. (Cystic Fibrosis) What a FUN family experience. A friend who serves in Young Women's with me has 2 boys who suffer from CF. What a trial they have been dealt. The boys take over 25 pills a day and have to get hooked up to this machine every day for an hour and a half that shakes their chests to loosen up the mucus that accumulates. We met up with many friends in our ward who were there volunteering and supporting the walk. We had so much fun! There were games for the kids, music provided by all of these elderly people from the local retirement home (absolutely HILARIOUS), a raffle and more. We walked for 2 miles along the greenbelt with kids in tow...it was such a great time!

This last picture is of the old person band. The oldest member was 97 years old! I think I will book them for Nate's 30th birthday coming up this August....haha. Just kidding hon!

After the walk we raced home and cleaned up the house to get ready for my mom's birthday! We met over at Louie's for dinner and then came over to our house for games and cake and ice cream. Nat and Robby and Grandma came too and we had fun playing the name game (good game idea Kristina...thank you!). So...Happy Birthday again Mom! I am so lucky to have you in my life! I couldn't raise these 3 boys without you!

We were all pretty tired by the end of the day and had a hard time getting up Sunday morning. Church comes all too early at 8:30AM!

A day at home

Being busy makes me happy. I like being on the go and taking the boys lots of different places. We love going to parks, playing with friends, going to museums the zoo....etc. Today I decided we would have a low key day where we just hung out in our PJs until noon and cleaned the house and attacked the mountain of laundry I have been looking at for the past 4 days.
Being at home all day is VERY hard for me. Its obviously hard for Parker as well. The kid is driving me NUTS!
All within the course of 3 hours he managed to:

Pull out EVERY single blanket/towel/sheet in the linen closet (TWICE mind you)
Pour a whole canister of oatmeal on the kitchen floor
Find some scissors and cut HOLES in the sides of Landon's pack and play
Pee in the garbage can in his bathroom

I am going to kill this kid. We are NOT staying home all day tomorrow.

Memorial Day

Landon's middle name is Cooper...he is named after my Great-Grandpa Clive Cooper Johnson. My G-Grandpa was an amazing man. Not only was he a great husband and father but he was very, VERY proud to be an American. He was injured while serving our country and he earned a purple heart becuase of it. He was also very involved with the Department of Veteran Affairs throughout his entire life. I always knew that Memorial Day was an important day to him. Grandma and Grandpa Johnson were ALWAYS out visiting graves on Memorial Day. I can't help but think about him on all patriotic holidays (Memorial, 4th of July, 24th of July, Veteran's Day...etc.) I love him and miss him but am so grateful for the example he has set for our entire family and for the appreciation he instilled in us for those who serve and have served.

Memorial Day Sonnet
by Garrison Keillor
We’re here to honor those who went to war
Who did not wish to die, but did die, grievously,
In eighteen sixty-one and in two-thousand four
Though they were peaceable as you or me.
Young and innocent, they knew nothing of horror—
Singers and athletes, and all in all well-bred.
Their sergeants, mercifully, made them into warriors,
And at the end, they were moving straight ahead.
As we look at these headstones, row on row on row,
Let us see them as they were, laughing and joking,
On that bright irreverent morning long ago.
And once more, let our hearts be broken.
God have mercy on them for their heroic gift.
May we live the good lives they would have lived.

TTA- One word

Answer the following with only one word.
1. Where is your cell phone? ....................purse
2. Your significant other?.......................work
3. Your hair?....................................appointment
4. Your mother? .................................fun
5. Your father?..................................humble
6. Your favorite thing?..........................ring
7. Your dream last night?........................exhausting
8. Your favorite drink...........................Dr. Pepper
9. Your dream/goal?..............................order
10. The room you're in?..........................office
11. Your children?.....................................crazy
12. Your fear?...................................economy
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years...........here
14. Where were you last night?...................running
15. What you're not?.............................fit
16. Muffins......................................Costco
17. One of your wish list items?.................Expedition
18. Where you grew up?...........................Sandy
19. What you read last........................surprising
20. What are you wearing?........................jeans
21. Your TV?.....................................basketball
22. Your pets?...................................fish
23. Your computer? ..............................outlet
24. Your life?...................................great
25. Your mood?...................................upbeat
26. Missing someone?.............................brother
27. Your car?....................................dirty
28. Something you're not wearing?................earrings
29. Favorite Store?..............................Target
30. Your summer?.................................busy
31. Like someone?................................duh
32. Your favorite color?.........................brown
33. Last time you laughed........................today
34. Last time you cried?.........................April

Our evening up at the lake

The last few days it has FINALLY felt like summer around here! (Of course...its supposed to dip back into the 70's later this week.) We took advantage of the wonderful weather this weekend and headed up to the lake. The temp outside was 90 but the water temp is still only 63. You can see the shocked expressions of Nate and Jason in the pictures as they were sliding into the water! Brrr! We went in the evening to avoid the crowds. We also wanted to try out the new lights on the tower. We'll be partying late into the evening at Lake Powell now! Dallin had a blast...Parker cried because he was scared...Landon was just confused...Nate sprained his knee wakeboarding...and I just enjoyed the boat ride!

Roaring Springs....here we come!

Nothing quite compares to living in CA next to the ocean and enjoying the beach all summer long.... BUT,if you live in Idaho, you still need a way to cool off! After much deliberation Nate gave me the okay go buy Roaring Springs passes this year! I am so excited! There aren't too many things to do around here when the temperature goes up into the 90's so now I know where I'll be spending the HOT summer days! Thank you my dear....you are the BEST!

Soccer

Things just get too crazy around here! I haven't even posted one picture of Dallin or Parker playing soccer and the season is over this Saturday. So...here are a couple:

Dallin played for the "Tiger sharks." He had a great season and even scored a few goals! Nate helped out as an assistant coach.

Parker played for the "tots" program so he didn't really have a game. They mostly just did some fun drills and knocked over cones. He thought it was pretty darn cool nonetheless!

The POOL issue

Its quite amazing to me that I have gone as long as I have without blogging about the major "issue" that has been bothering me for months. Today they actually started digging so I guess I will just go ahead a vent a little becuase its time to move on.

To make a long story short.......we picked out lot out over a year ago for a particular reason. We wanted to watch our boys play at the park from our front porch. I fell in love with the view from our house and so that is why I INSISTED that this was going to be the home for us.

When we chose our lot we knew that a swimming pool was going to be going in the neighborhood but we were told over and OVER again that the pool would be on the OTHER side of the park. When the sales people told us this and when we SAW the picture of the pool on the other side of the neighborhood on the lot sales sheet we never once questioned it.

After we built our house...paid a higher price for the lot mind you...and moved in....we found out the pool was going to be going right IN FRONT of our house.

Nate and I were both furious. (As were MANY of our immediate neighbors) We had been misled from the get go. Nate did a lot of research and we thought about filing a law suit. Lets be honest though...we just don't have the money to fund a big law suit....and we still run the chance of losing and then owing thousands in attorney fees.

Nate has made peace with everything but I am still mad. People can be so sneaky and dishonest and it just infuriates me.

So...today they broke ground and I guess I have to get used to the idea. I am trying to think positively about the whole situation so here are some good reasons a pool will be going in 20 feet from my house:

1. We are told our home value will increase...maybe it will increase enough to cover the amount we have already lost from the recession.

2. The pool will be close enough to "feel" like it is in our front yard but I won't have to be the one cleaning it and taking care of it.

3. It will be our own "personal" pool. I am envisioning putting the boys to bed and bringing over the monitor since we are only a few feet away.

4. We won't even need to bring over towels because we can just run home and hop right into the shower since we live so close.

5. Pools in Boise are only open for about 3 months so I won't have to worry about increased noise and traffic the other 9 months of the year.

6. I guess we could save a little money on water through the summer. I could just take the boys across the street to bathe every day. (haha)

Honestly...there are some positives to the situation...it just wasn't what I signed up for and it takes me a little longer to get over things then my husband. I'm working on it though......

80's Prom night

So Saturday night was the big PROM night! We had 10 couples deck out in their radical DI and Goodwill outfits. We have such fun friends! I just LOVE it! I wore this ugly black dress with the sleeves that go from under the armpit to about halfway down my dress. I was referred to as the "flying squirrel" all night. I wore some lovely smurf blue tights and a blue belt. I also found some high heeled jelly shoes at Savers. Nate had some white pleated pants and a peach IZOD shirt and the lovely grey blazer with the arms rolled up. The best part of his outfit was his authentic Varnet sunglasses with the chums. (My moms old pair!) Most of the guys grew mustaches for the dance as well. Nate opted not to...he figured the bosses at work wouldn't be too thrilled about it. Anyway..the whole evening was so much FUN!! There were 3 REAL proms going on in Boise on that night and so it was so absolutely HILARIOUS watching the high school kids expressions when they saw us! We ate at Asiago's (yummy!) for dinner and we were the topic of many conversations going on throughout the restaurant to say the least!

After dinner we walked over to the Big Easy for the dance. As soon as we walked up to the doors people started cheering and clapping for us! Mind you...most people take this prom seriously and rent tuxes and wear fancy dresses. We took prom pictures (stay tuned for those) and danced the night away! We were busting out the running man, roger rabbit, and sprinkler moves! One of the girls in our group (Jen....the one in the bright blue dress) was asked to come up on stage and dance for us!

After the dance we went to the store to get some Red Bull and then we went over to the Jen and Jason's for the "after party." We played games and slow danced. Nate burned about 3 hours worth of 80's music so we listed to it the whole night. A bodacious night was had by all!

Happy 7 years to us!

It is hard to believe we have been married for 7 years already. That is almost 1/4 of my lifetime!
Nate...even though I was very young and probably quite immature when we decided to get married I was obviously wise beyond my years becuase marrying you was the best decision I have EVER made! Happy Anniversary my eternal buddy....I love you VERY much!

TTA-Why I love being a MOM

I love to watch each one of my children learn and grow in their own time, and in their own way.

I love that a little bit of knowledge goes a long way in impressing my kids. For example, if I can make a pirate ship out of Legos, I'm the smartest mom in the world!

I love that I can spend an entire day playing outside, coloring, reading books or building castles, and it is a wise investment of my time.

I love that I always have SOMETHING to talk about. Poop and spit-up are invaluable topics of conversation.

I love that I am adored in a way that can't be explained. That feeling when your baby reaches up to touch your face for the first time - magic.

I love that I get to buy cute clothes without the guilt; cause I'm not shopping for MYSELF.

I love that I have lost my jaded outlook as my kids see things for the first time. Snow used to be a driving problem. Now it’s actually fluffy frozen water falling from the sky....and its time to make a snow man!

I love having a home full of laughter.

I love that with my kids no matter how bad I think the day went, the next day is brand new–a do-over. I can start all over at being a perfect Mom every day and they keep giving me the chance.

I love the UNKNOWN–I am a person who usually likes to have things planned out, but when you’re mom, you never what your kids will do or say. There is something beautiful and fun about having no idea what to expect next!

I love being a mom because it is where I feel the most dependent on Heavenly Father. It is such a roller coaster ride and I CAN'T do it by myself!

I love the slobbery kisses, high fives and the way too short snuggle sessions!

Yikes...I should probably stop here! Nate keeps calling me to come downstairs and watch the Jazz/Lakers game. A little in home rivalry keeps the marriage interesting! (Go Jazz!)

Mom Tag!

Here we go:

1.Typically, what time do you wake up?
Now that all 3 kids are sleeping through the night....8:00am. It is WONDERFUL!

2. On a good night, what time are your kids in bed?
7:30...they are really good at going to bed on time. (except for when Parker takes an afternoon nap...different story)


3. How long have you been a mommy?
5 years 8 months 15 days


4. How old were you when you became a mom?
21


5. What is your favorite kids T.V show?
I like Curious George.


6. What is your least favorite kids T.V. show?
Tella Tubbies and Barney.... o yeah...and that Boo Bah show. SO annoying.


7. What is your favorite chore?
vacuuming. I am addicted.


8. . What is your favorite meal to cook?
Swedish Pancakes. Because everyone eats them and NO ONE complains!


9.What meal do you cook most often?
Probably anything Mexican....enchiladas, tacos, bean burritos


10. What is your kids favorite meal?
cheese pizza and root beer.

11. What is your favorite thing your husband does with your kids?
I love to watch him coach Dallin and Parker's teams. My all time favorite is when he shows up in his suit and helps coach...SO cute.

12. What are 5 things that make you smile about being a mom?
1. kisses and hugs
2. little boy prayers ("bless us to not hit each other...bless we won't bite one another"
3. Landon laughs.
4. Notes that Dallin throws down the stair case. They say things like...."I love you mommy" or "Will you please play a game with me?"
5. Parker putting his "deodorant" on in the morning. (An empty one)

13. If you could take your kids anywhere, where would it be?
I want to take them to Sea World and Disney Land SO bad. Dallin was so little when we lived in CA and he didn't appreciate it like he would now!

14. When was the last time you went out without your kids?
I don't remember BUT I do know that we will be going out this weekend BOTH Friday and Saturday without them! Woo Hoo! (Anniversary and Adult Prom...fun weekend!)

15. What is your favorite pastime/activity to do with your kids?
We love to play outside at the park right across the street from our house. We seriously play out there almost EVERY single day.

16. Name one thing you said you would never say as a mother?“You better stop crying or I will give you something to cry about."

17. Name one thing you do, that your own mom did?I go around and pick things up with my feet. I totally remember my mom doing that when I was little.

18. What is your favorite quality your mom has? She is FUN and compassionate.

19. What is your favorite kids book? I love "Are you my Mother?"

20. What is your favorite advice for new moms? DO NOT play developmental derby with others. Honestly...every kid develops at their own pace and just because your kid isn't crawling by six months or talking by 18 months...it doesn't mean something is wrong.

21. What is your most heartbreaking moment as a mom? I remember feeling REALLY overwhelmed after Landon was born. I was tired and I felt like I would be stuck in my house forever becuase there was no way I was ever going anywhere with all 3 boys. I had a breakdown on the way home from Landon's first Dr. appointment. Luckily those feelings didn't last too long.

22. What is your most joyful moment being a mom? There are way too many joyful moments....there are moments every day that I find great joy in.

23. When was the last time you told your kids, “I Love You."
Tonight...when I tucked them in to bed.

I'm tagging any mom out there who wants to do it!

Birthday Fun!

We had such a fun day celebrating Lando the mando yesterday. We met Grandma for lunch over at Chuck E Cheese. The boys always love an excuse to go over there. Chuck was especially sweet with him. All of the kids were swarming all around and he got down on his knees so Landon could touch his face. When daddy got home we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit in the back yard. Then we let Landon have at his cake. It was a great day!