Photo of the week

Have I mentioned before that I hate hot chocolate? Love the taste but hate the side effects!

Another white t-shirt bites the dust!

He's comin' to town!

The girls got to see Santa at the primary party. Yes! Now we don't have to make the trek to the long lines at the Mall. When Santa came in and the kids started lining up to sit on his lap all three girls got in line but it didn't take long for Chandler to bail out. "I don't like Santa" is what she told me and we couldn't talk her into going even with her sisters there. She was very content to sit and eat cookies while everyone else sat on his lap. We watched the Polar Express the other day and she kep saying "Santa is grumpy". (It is a pretty wierd looking santa) She's said it a few times since so I knew there was no way she was going to actually sit on his lap. So I guess there won't be a picture of a terrified screaming Averett girl sitting on Santas lap this year. Here are the big girls though.

Thanksgiving

For some reason if I don't post often I start to feel really guilty so I guess I will recap our long weekend just to make myself feel better. I don't have any pictures though. I am also trying to put off bathing the dog. I don't like that job and he really stinks. This year we spent Thanksgiving with my family. We use to try going to both but it was such a hassle and we never got to relax and enjoy the day so the last few years we have tried alternating. We left on Wednesday night and came home on Sunday night. We kinda take over my moms house when we go to Salem. Usually about 5 minutes after we arrive, the house looks like a tornado hit it so thank you to mom and dad and Jamie for putting up with us for so long. Especially since our little 4 legged friend joined us this time. I hope Sadie gets over it.
Thanksgiving dinner was so good. I could actually just eat all the side dishes and never miss the turkey. My grandma was able to join us and it was great to see her. At almost 92 It's hard for her to get out of the house even if it is just around the corner, so I'm glad she could come. Greg even stayed most of the weekend. He did leave one night to go help a friend but I think even he had a relaxing weekend. Of course Friday we did our traditional black Friday shopping. We don't join all the crazies at the crack of dawn but wait till they're done and always find pretty much everything we need. On Saturday we went to the craft fair they have in Spanish Fork every year and then went to a movie. We even fit a few hairdo's in and started my moms Christmas decorating and then it was time to come home. It was a good weekend. Now we start the craziness of the Christmas holiday. We got our decorations all up and if we can keep the dog from eating the tree and the decorations it will be a miracle. I was so proud of him for about 5 seconds this morning. I let him sleep on his little bed in the laundry room instead of his crate and he didn't poop or pee but as I was taking him outside I stopped to get a bowl down for Gracie's breakfast he immediately went to living room carpet and peed. My fault for not taking him right outside. He is getting a lot better but I'm not sure if it's him or if I'm just getting better at watching him and taking him out more often. The crate training went pretty well until we went to Salem and no one could stand to let him stay in it. Thank goodness the weather has been good since we're spending so much time outside. He is such a wuss. When it's cold he won't go out willingly. Hopefully he will be totally house trained by the time the weather gets ugly. I hope everyones Thanksgiving was as great as ours was!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

5 years ago today Hayden Kristine Averett was born! I can't believe it's gone so fast. It seems like not that long ago I was posting that she was turning 4. She is so excited for her birthday and has been counting down the days for about 3 weeks now. We decided to hold off on a friends party for one more year, which she was surprisingly okay with. We usually let them choose where they want to eat for their birthday and she chose Olive Garden a couple of weeks ago and I'm not sure who is more excited, Hayden or her parents. We will celebrating with a family party on sunday for anyone who is interested in some Highschool Musical cake and ice cream.

I can't believe what a gift Hayden is to our family. Everyday is a new adventure and it is usually an entertaining one. It is rare that Hayden isn't singing at the top of her lungs or dancing with all her might. I'm not sure if she can walk a straight line without bouncing or twirling. One of her favorite things to do is put on talent shows or performances of some sort at home. That girl is destined to be the next Hannah Montana! We love her so much and wish her the Happiest 5th Birthday ever!!!

More Flash-

Well it's been a week since Flash came to live with us. I still am not sure what I've gotten myself into. Needless to say, the house training isn't going great. It's a good thing he's so stinkin' cute or otherwise he would have been out the door the morning after we got him. I can't complain too much because it was my big idea. The girls have been asking for a dog for a while and when I saw some on KSL.com that were in Kamas, I mentioned it to Greg and he didn't adamantly oppose so I decided to go for it. Why didn't I do it at the beginning of the summer? It's a little chilly to be standing outside waiting for him to do his business. And I do have to stand out there with him or he climbs the stairs to come back in and then can't get back down. We have to carry him out because #1 he can't go down the stairs yet and #2 he doesn't like the cold either and when you open the door he runs the other way. Greg says he feels just like Rosco P. Coltrain as he's packing him outside (he better not start calling me Boss Hog). I feel like I'm staring at his butt all the time to see if he's pooping or peeing or just sitting. Chandler LOVES him. She sits on the floor and puts her arm around his head like in a head lock and she says "he wuvs me", and she calls him baby boy. Hayden likes him but only if he isn't interfering with whatever she's doing at the moment. And Gracie will touch him with 2 fingers and then immediately wash her hands. It's been an experience so far. Not sure if I would do it again but when I was growing up, I had the same dog for like 18 years. Mutley was another member of our family. We even had family portraits with her one year and she was totally smiling along with the rest of us (I'd post a picture but although Mutley looked cute It was not one of my best). I want my kids to be able to experience a pet like that. They've always been pretty frightened of animals because they just haven't been around them that much and it's sort of bugged me. I hope they will grow to love Flash or at least tolerate him. I just wish we could flash-forward a couple of months and get past this 'crappy' stage. I've got to go now. I think I smell a turd. Here are some more pictures.

He loves the girls too. Hayden left for dance the other day and he sat and whined by the door.

He's taken over the bean bag and when he's not shut in the mud room that's where he is. He's pretty lazy which is good. He fits right in.

Hello Flash- Goodbye clean carpet!

I wanted to quickly post some pictures of the newest and possibly the last male member of our family. These are for you Jamie. I'm still trying to get a really good shot but these will do for now. His name is Flash (for you Dukes of Hazzard fans you'll understand-coo coo!) Greg said if he had to get that kind of dog he got to name it so the girls didn't even get a chance which is good because his name probably would have ended up being sparkles. I'm not even going to start complaining about poop or pee all over because it's pointless. I'm already picking out the new carpet for when he is house trained though. If he lives that long. What on earth was I thinking?!

My little snow angel

Well one is at school, one is napping, that leaves poor Hayden to entertain herself. She can be a total couch potato most days so I'm glad there is something other than TV that will entertain her for a while even if it means work for me. We haven't gotten all of our snow clothes out yet this season so it took a little digging but we outfitted her good enough to keep warm for a little bit. She's been itching to get out in the snow since the first snowflake first fell then melted immediately. Today she was lucky enough to get some snow that is sticking around. Notice nothing matches. Poor middle child. She has on a cousins purple hand-me-down pants that are a little snug, her sisters pink and black hand-me-down boots that are a little too big, and her own brown coat and hat that doesn't fit well over her messy buns. I know it's not a fashion show in our own yard, I just remember how bad I hated hand-me-downs! Luckily she still thinks it's cool to wear something that use to be her big sisters. How long do you think that Will last? I've got to go find something for a snowman nose because we're out of carrots again and all we have is a soggy cucumber. Last year it was a stalk of celery and they just wont forget about it. And I better make sure we have hot chocolate because we all know that you can't build a snowman and not go in for hot cocoa.The finished product.And the finished product.

Happy Halloween!

Well it has been a busy week for sure. With all the Halloween celebrating and the Dance performance with it's dress rehearsal and my part time gig babysitting on Monday and Tuesday, it sure flew by. We got off to a bad start Sunday night with Chandler throwing up all over our bed right as we had fallen asleep. Talk about a rude awakening. If that isn't motivation enough for us to get her sleeping in her own bed, I'm not sure what is. So Monday I didn't dare babysit and get my friends kids sick too so it was a pretty mellow Monday for a change. That night we had our annual Averett family Halloween party at Gramma Dixies. She always goes all out for the kids. We're all suppose to dress up but this year Addison was the only fun one. He made an awesome Mr. Incredible. We had yummy food, including maggot stew cooked inside a pumpkin, and even yummier treats. (Have you tasted Dixie's sugar cookies? Mmmm! My fave!) Then all the kids carved their pumpkins with a lot of help from the parents, and the prize for the best pumpkin was handed out. Guess what! It was like a 20 way tie and everyone got an envelope from Gramma.

Then Tuesday after babysitting, we had dress rehearsal for the dance show and didn't get home till later and even Hayden kept saying what a long day it had been. Wednesday was Hayden's preschool party and she had to dress up. I should have been that cute mom who sends homemade treats for the class but I just couldn't fit it in this year. That night was the actual Dance show and this year they did 2 separate performances to accommodate all the people who come to watch. It's hard to have a big event in a small town unless it's a football or basketball game. Of course the girls biggest fans came all the way up to see them dance like they always do. Grandpa Joe, Grandma Linda, Aunt Jamie, Ally, and Cooper. The girls are always so excited to see them all and we appreciate them running up for such a quick show.

Thursday was a total waste of a day and we didn't do anything, including getting dressed for the day. Chandler and I stayed in our pj's all day long and prayed nobody stopped by. Then came today. Halloween! Gracie had her party at school and got to dress up for the second half of the day. She chose to be a ballerina (which I'm not sure why, she's that once a week) Hayden was so excited all day. She kept asking if it was Halloween yet and I kept telling her yes it's Halloween but we can't get dressed until the house is clean and Gracie and Daddy get home. So when Greg walked through the door she says "dad's home time to change". We like to go the trunk or treat at the stake center. They get more than enough candy and you pretty much run into everyone you know. Hayden was the first to say trick-or-treat at every car and Chandler was not sure at all about it. There were some pretty scary costumes and so I packed her and did all the work. Then we left and went to Gramma Dixie's for more treats and homemade caramels.(Yummy! My fave!) Then we came home and ran around with a sugar high until Chandler tripped and landed super hard face first on the hard wood floor. I was afraid her teeth had gone through her top lip and she would need stitches from the amount of blood, which totally freaked her out, but I think it's just a small cut and a really fat lip. I think it will be pretty sore for a couple days but nothing that an otter pop can't fix.

Here is Gracie witch. She thought if she wore her hat cocked to the side she looked like a "punk witch".

Hayden was Belle. It looked kinda dorky with a long sleeved shirt and leggins underneath but I hate to buy a costume and then cover it up with a coat. What's the point of that?

Then there's our little penguin Chandler. This was Hayden's costume from when she was 2. Thank goodness she was excited to wear it. Call me tight but I hate spending money on something they'll wear once. That excludes princess costumes of course, because we have a princess costume on constantly at our house and we've now almost completed our collection of princesses dresses. So that's our busy week in a nutshell. I hope the next few are a little less hectic. I think we all could use a little break before the holiday rush hits us smack in the face. Happy Halloween everyone!

Tag!

So I guess I got tagged for the first time! Thanks a lot Maryanne! Hmmmm 6 random things about myself.

1- I hate things touching my nose. Snowflakes are bad but people are the worse.

2- I'm a night owl. I like staying up late then of course like to sleep in but it's pretty hard with kids that have to get up for school. I wish I was a morning person but I'm far from it.

3- I was a "jock" and super shy in high school and didn't date or go to any dances. Boys or girls choice. Man if I could do that all over again.

4- I was a total tomboy growing up. That probably explains why I didn't date. I loved camping, riding horses or playing ball. Hated barbies then, and still do and that's what my girly girls love doing. I've dressed more barbies in the last 7 years then I ever did as a kid.

5- I think I'm addicted to my computer. I love the Internet and especially blog-stalking.

6- This is a family thing but we (meaning the Beddoes' because Greg would never) put raspberry jam on our grilled cheese sandwiches and peanut butter (with syrup) on our pancakes and french toast. Don't knock it till you try it!

There it is. Random enough. Now I get to tag 6 people. Mmmmm. Billie Jo, Jamie, Neina, Aleena, Addison and Mindi. Can't wait to see how random everyone else is.

Now we're cookin!

Yay! We finally fixed our oven. In case you didn't know, we've been without our oven for the last 3 or so months which really sucks because we've only had it for about 3 years. The stove top still worked but the oven was kaput! I was in the middle of baking cookies one day and it made this really horrible noise like something from the movies when they bring Frankenstein to life. Then it started smoking and then it was dead. (If you ask my dad it was all the cobwebs inside burning up) I was scared to death thinking it was going to be a super expensive repair so we waited a while till we had some extra money. But after talking to my mother in law who has fixed her oven many times we decided it was probably the heating coil. I was getting really annoyed at not being able to use it so I bit the bullet and I called and ordered one and was relieved to find out it was only a $50 part but of course it was on back order and ended up taking about a month to come in. Apparently it is pretty common for the heating coil to go our. (News to me but i guess I did grow up with gas appliances) So when we took it apart It was obviously burned up because it looked like a giant used up sparkler and it was broken into 3 pieces. Anyway we replaced that, turned it on, and still no heat. Great. $50 down the drain. So we called in a professional to come check it out. We (Greg) had a pretty good idea that the next step was the control board so we asked the repair guy to bring one with him which of course he couldn't until he confirmed that's what it really was because It was a special order part and couldn't be returned blah blah blah! Cha-Ching! Another $75 just for the Maytag man to look at it and say "yup it's the control board". We said okay order the part and we'll put it in. Cha-Ching $225 bucks! So after $350 dollars or so we are finally operational. (I found a new one on line for $389 but I won't even go there!) Everyone has put in their order for what they want. Greg wanted home-made pizza, Hayden wants meatloaf and Gracie wants cookies. I however just want someone else to do the cooking.
Now is the part of the post where I complain about Maytag appliances. Since we moved into our house 3 years ago we've fixed the dishwasher twice, the microwave has been overhauled twice then finally replaced with a new non Maytag one and now the oven has been overhauled. I guess we're being punished for not buying the extra warranty but when you're starting out with all new appliances and by the time you buy the dishwasher, microwave, stove, fridge, washer and dryer, we just couldn't afford the extra warranty on 6 new appliances. That's the whole reason we went with Maytag in the first place is because we thought it was a better brand and was suppose to be quality merchandise. We couldn't buy the most expensive models but they were mid-grade at least! One salesman even told us we didn't need a warranty because if something were to go wrong it would probably be in the first year or not at all and it would still be covered with the basic warranty. Well come to find out 3 years later, like so many other big companies Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool who owns other big names like Amana, Magic Chef, Jenn-Air, etc, and so all their parts are basically the same. So if you buy a Maytag it may as well be a Whirlpool or a Jenn-Air. One repair guy told us they just basically interchange parts anyway. I've definitely learned my lesson and although I'm sure there are great Maytag appliances we didn't get them. They just don't make things like they use to. My parents had the very first microwave they bough for at least25 years and the only thing that ever got replaced on it was the handle that opened the door! Phew! I feel better now. I guess I'll go bake some cookies and get over it finally! (Well maybe after I write a letter to the Maytag Corporation) And the next house we build we will be researching the appliances and definitely buying the warranty!!!!

Cutest girls!

Well this weekend was fall break ( I guess really only for Gracie) but we didn't do one fun thing. We didn't go to any pumpkin patches or corn mazes or weekend getaways. How boring can one family be! Greg was shipping cows this weekend so he was tied up for a couple days and the girls and I just hung out and slept in. The one thing we did do was get pictures of the girls. It was a dance fund-raiser and we got family pictures done not even a year ago so I didn't think we needed the whole fam again. (Truthfully I just didn't want to be in them. I hate pictures of me) Last time in all the fuss trying to get Chandler to cooperate we didn't get one of the three girls together so I definitely wanted to get one this year along with each individual girl. Needless to say the big girls don't have a problem in front of the camera and I thought this year would be better with Chandler being another year older. Not. She was a stinker of course and we were lucky to get one or two okay shots of her by herself. She wouldn't even cooperate with her sisters sitting right next to her. We had to call in reinforcements and get Billie Jo and Mia to come down and help us and even bribe her with lollipops. I guess it will have to do though because if she acts this way in a familiar place like the neighbors dance studio, there's no way she will humor us in someplace like kiddie kandids. Here's a peek.Although they all turned out OK this is one of my favorites. It pretty much sums up life at our house. Someone is usually crying and everyone else is trying to figure out what the heck is wrong.

girls, girls, girls

I got some cute pictures of the girls playing outside with the neighbors the other day so I though I would post them. I made them go outside and play because they're not going to get the chance for too much longer with cold weather quickly approaching. We are so lucky that our neighbors have 3 little girls about the same age as ours. They don't always get along but most of the time they have a ball.

Ellie and GracieTess and Hayden

Mia and Chandler

It's really comforting to know that in about 8-10 years when the hormones in our house start to really peak we won't be alone. Tim and Billie Jo will be in the exact same boat and a couple years ahead in fact so they can give us really good advice on how to handle teenage girls.

We've been doing swim lessons for the past few saturdays also and I though I would throw in some pictures.

Girls weekend-

Over the weekend, the girls and I went and stayed in Salem. We haven't been down in a while and now that we'll be doing swim lessons for the next 6 Saturdays, I figured we'd better get down there. Greg was vaccinating calves and helping his dad bring cows down off the hill on Saturday and Sunday anyway so it was a good time to go. We don't get down there as much as we use to. With 3 kids it's gotten harder to pick up and leave for a couple nights. Packing for 4 is a real pain and especially when I forget something major like someones underwear (usually mine) or even worse, a stuffed animal!!! When we are there though the girls have a ball. My parents and my older sister live next door to each other so we don't just visit grandma and grandpa we visit the whole fam-damily! This weekend however, all the boys were hunting so it was just the girls! We didn't do anything too exciting. We couldn't talk anyone into babysitting so the big girls could catch a movie but we did get to go bummin' for a while till the BYU game started then grandma deserted us. Then we went out to eat at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants and Jamie and I made some cute headbands and flower clips for the girls hair. On Sunday we got to visit with my Grandma Maida, We try to see her every time we are down because she loves to see the girls. She's over 90 and is still so sharp. Sometimes it takes her a minute but she seems to remember all the kids names. My parents live just around the corner from her so it's always fun to walk down to Grandma Maida's. After that we went and "stole" some peaches. My uncle planted peach trees years ago so in the summer we go "steal" them. We don't really steal them because we have permission but it's sort of become a tradition to steal peaches from Uncle Shirl. Unfortunately my uncle died a while ago so although I have many memories of my uncle, "stealing peaches" is one I share with my kids. Sometimes we'll be in the grocery store and see the peaches and one of the girls will say something about getting ours from Uncle Shirl. I wish I was more ambitious and would bottle some but I'm just not there yet.

So when we left Salem we headed home to Francis where the big round-up was over and Grandma Dixie and Andrea had prepared yet another feast for the cowboys. Whenever they move the cows or haul hay or do anything that requires extra helpers, Dixie wont let them leave with an empty stomach. She goes all out with dinner and dessert and she invites their spouses too. I'm not sure how she does it because she's never sure how many mouths will come or even what time to expect them ( you know how cowboys are) As always it was awesome. Thanks Gramma Dix it was Yum-O. It's plain to see why they're always able to get so many helpers. I think the cowboys outnumbered the cows this time! Anyhoo- It was a busy but fun weekend and now that my two days of babysitting are over I can catch my breath and get some stuff done around my house..... maybe later.