Presenting the Zimmer-snow-man Family

Over ten inches of snow has dumped on us today. Pretty, yes. But after shoveling our unnecessarily long driveway, a complete pain in my butt. Literally. Of course I fell. This is only natural. Of course I don't work out, so my entire body is ready to fall off. Of course we only have the plastic Wal-Mart special snow shovel that is basically useless. Of course, when I pulled the Jeep out of the garage to pick up Allen it got stuck in the driveway even after all my efforts. Of course, I need some chocolate and there is none in my house.

The kids and I did manage to make our family into snowpeople. I really wanted to go into detail.....give them hair, boobs, dress them appropriately, etc., but the kids were already having a meltdown so I was forced to finish prematurely. Stinking kids.

Play Date

Since I am still sick and thus a completely boring mom, I decided to take the kids on a play date. We met up with my girlfriend Karly and her kiddos at Kid Junction which is a totally cute kids playplace about 30 minutes away. I love places where the kids are confined and can run wild and that is what is expected of them. We all had a blast.

There was an area with a giant Lite-Brite. That was fun! Next to that were giant Legos. I enjoyed this area.

There was a Pizzeria where the kids got to make their own pizzas and then serve them.

Ryder was the cook and Linley the eater.

There was also a Post Office.
Grandma's attic full of dress-up clothing.

A humongous two-level enclosed jungle gym that was definitely Ryder's favorite spot, and then a miniature one for the miniature kids.

A Veterinary Hospital


There was also a grocery store and an arcade area. It was the perfect way to spend the morning. Now I think I deserve a nap.

Valentine's Play Group Party

The Friday before Valentine's Day was our Play Group Valentine Party at Lisa's home. It was so much fun and the kids loved it.

That is my son sitting quietly listening to a story. This one has to go down in history.

I am sick now and taking sympathy comments.

My Valentine Treat

I got a knock on the door this afternoon, and this is what greeted me.

I opened the box and found these. Most definitely the most delicious cream puff concoctions I have ever tasted. And I do consider myself a cream puff connoisseur. Well, a dessert connoisseur in general.

Allen scheduled them a couple weeks ago to be delivered to me today so I would having something sweet to celebrate my Valentine's day while he was away at work. Of course, he is home sick, so it was doubly sweet. Thanks baby! This is one of the many reasons I can't stop loving you.

My mom always did a phenomenal job with holidays. On Valentine's day we would wake up to a new outfit and disgusting amount of chocolate and candy. Dinner always had a Valentine theme. I have the best memories of Valentine's because of her. While I didn't buy the kids presents, I really wanted to capture some of my mom's enthusiasm to share with them. So, the kids woke up to these goodies after their naps.

Happy Valentine's Day sexy man!! You are the best friend and hubster and daddy and other things that are inappropriate to write on a blog that a girl could ask for! I love you for Eternity!!

My Candy Heart

I copied the quiz off of Holly's blog and had to post my results because they are hilarious. Pretty accurate for the dating days. Allen, you must read this...you will get a laugh. And don't worry, my heart has been fully penetrated, which sounds a bit dirty, but is suppose to sound sweet.

Your Candy Heart Says "Get Real"

You're a bit of a cynic when it comes to love. You don't lose your head, and hardly anyone penetrates your heart. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: is all about the person you're seeing (with no mentions of v-day!) Your flirting style: honest and even slightly sarcastic What turns you off: romantic expectations and "greeting card" holidays Why you're hot: you don't just play hard to get - you are hard to get

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Cookies Conclusion

This afternoon we were able to finish what we sought out to do yesterday! That would be the knife and bowl of frosting, and a guilty face.



The not-yet-eaten finished product.

Hells Bells

*Update: Allen is home sleeping. They discharged him around 12:30am which I will count as a blessing. The blizzarding weather kept people in their homes that night, which left the ER sparce. A neighbor graciously came to house so I could be with Allen at the hospital. That was very nice. The diagnosis is a severe flu strain and stomach virus. He had a high fever upon entrance to the ER with extreme abdominal pain, nausea and dehydration. They hooked him up to an IV and pumped him full of liquids, morphine, and phenergen. After that, he was pretty happy. The CT scan showed there was no appendicitis, so in the end, it was all good news. Sort of. He still has to get over this nastiness, and Ryder woke up in the middle of the night feverish and with cough. Lovely.

Seriously, there is something terribly wrong about this day, and no matter what I try to do to improve it, something worse occurs. Let's begin.

Tuesdays a girl in my ward watches the kids for a couple hours so I can run errands or shop (ok, the purpose is to get things done...I choose to use it unwisely at the mall) and then I watch her kids on Thursdays. For this reason, I love Tuesdays. Except that the next five Tuesdays are full of doctor and dentist appointments, starting today with Linley's 18-month well baby check-up. So, there goes my free hours. To make matters worse, Allen stayed home from work sick today. That part is bad, but instead of dropping off Ryder at my girlfriend's, I just left him at home with his father. Easy enough. Linley's appointment went great. 78th percentile for weight, 98th percentile for height, 54th percentile for head circumference. Small head= my child. All is well. Got two shots. Didn't even cry for a second. Excellent.

Come home. Feed the kids lunch, and put them down for naps. I need two free hours since mentally this is what Tuesdays are suppose to provide for me. Naturally, Linley sleeps for 40 minutes, and Ryder for none.

Still, I tell myself, just a few more hours, and then I get to take the kids into Jersey City to go to a Valentine's party at Mistie's. I am most excited for this event, as are the children. And remember, Allen is home sick, meaning I have to keep my active, bored children quiet. Ha! My hours could not have gone by slower. Before I put the kids to bed at noon, I noticed it was snowing. Brushed it aside, and persevered. At two I looked outside to see inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing, hard. Check the weather. Winter advisory in affect. Watch the news. Says it is snowing too hard for plows to keep up, don't drive if you don't have to. Crap. There goes my afternoon's saving grace. So I scrap the party. In an effort to make it up to my obnoxious non-napping and probably non-deserving children, we make sugar cookie dough and put in the fridge with the intention of baking, frosting and decorating later in the afternoon. Then we make homemade hot chocolate, and sip ourselves into chocolate oblivion. Linley had three full sippy cups. I love that girl.

(I left my camera at a friends house, so these are courtesy of my phone...sorry they suck)Next we bundle up and head outside to enjoy the weather that has put the kabosh on my afternoon excitement. The snow was so blissful. Soft and powdery, so much so it was impossible to make a snowball and thus, a snowman. The kids were once again in heaven. And so was I. It felt good to get out of the house.
Since building a snowman was not an option, we brought out the beach toys and built ourselves a snowcastle. It was pretty fabulous

After nearly two hours outside, I get a phone call from my mommy-in-law on my cell telling me I need to take Allen to the ER. Crap, I forgot about the man. The kids and I were in having too much fun. So, we run into the house, unbundle up, and head to the hospital. By this time (4:30) it is seriously blizzarding outside. What is normally a five minute drive took twenty. We waited with Allen in the ER for two hours, then the kids got hungry so I brought them home. Allen just called (8:30) to say he is scheduled for a CT scan at 10:15. My poor man. All of it just sucks.
My day is so far from over. And tomorrow is going to be no different. Piece of crap.

Ryder Says

Yesterday before we left for dinner at a friend's house, Allen was serenading us on the guitar. Ryder was not content with the selections and asked for some rock and roll. I grabbed the opportunity for a teaching moment and replied, "Ryder we don't listen to rock and roll on Sundays." Before I could get into the crux of my teaching, Ryder replied, "Oh, you're right mom. Dad can only play rock and roll on dark days." Teaching moment lost.

I've Been Tagged....

I've been tagged by Amy and Jess, and here is how this one works.
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the question about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 other people and posts there names. And then leaves a message on their blog letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog to get the directions.

What I was doing 10 years ago...
I was 16, a junior in high school, and still living in California. I was driving the silver bullet (my sexy '89 Dodge Caravan). I spent most of my free time with Amanda, Scott and Derek and I had my first boyfriend . I busted out my journal for this one and have to include the entry. It was written in December of '98 so it is a little vague on the details but still enjoyable (I will maintain the same emphasis as in my journal). "Brian and I started dating in March. Our first date was a group date and I am pretty sure I was suppose to go out with his younger brother but he showed up instead. This made me really excited because he was a really hot SENIOR. A couple weeks later we had our first kiss. I was totally nervous and I am pretty sure I nailed his chin instead of his lips. How EMBARRASSING!!!" How cute is that?? I was such a sweet, shy, scared little 16 year old. If only that had lasted a little longer. By 17 kissing boys was more of a hobby, like shoe shopping- Something I thoroughly enjoyed, and felt the need to get a new pair often. Luckily for me (and my father who feared his daughter may never settle down) it only took a few years before I found my Jimmy Choo among the sea of Steve Madden's and never needed to shop again (okay, so obviously the analogy stops working there, because while I did find Mr. Perfect, I will never stop needing a new pair of shoes.).

5 Things on My To-Do List Today
1. Get the kids Valentine's all ready.
2. Take the kids to their Valentine Party
3. Fold the Laundry
4. Scrub the house down (on Friday's I allow my OCD to take over)
5. Make a yummy dinner

3 Bad Habits I Have
1. I lack patience
2. I am an incessant shopper
3. I talk way too much way too fast

Places I Have Lived
Indiana: Indianapolis
California: 3 homes in Salinas, 1 summer in Granite Bay
Georgia: Conyers
Utah: Provo (DT, Liberty Square, a house down the street from Lib Square, a basement on Center, and Monaco Court), my grandpa's house in Orem.
Texas: an apartment and a rental house in Corpus Christi, our first real house in Dallas
New Jersey: our apartment at Port Liberte in Jersey City, and our shagadelic sixities home in Summit

Things Most People Don't Know About Me
I could really leave this blank
I am a lip gloss and mascara junkie.
I succeeded in not purchasing anything for myself in January.
I am scared to be in a room of all girls. Females freak me out.
Even though I HATE McCain, I think I will have to vote for him because I really need the Bush tax cuts made permanent and I think pulling out of Iraq would be devastating (this is a very depressing admission for me because I really want to vote for Hillary out of spite).
I am a music junkie. I always have some sort of music playing (specific genres for my specific moods). It makes my days happier.

I tag: Maile, Mistie, Naomi, Holly and Kim

My Great Escape

I went to bed depressed. I woke up depressed. I spent the day depressed. McClinton and Suckabee really threw a wrench in the future of the Republican party with all of their crap and back-door deals and sliminess. There is a knot in my tummy that won't go away. The one that says that if Mitt can't pull off what he has already been written off to do, I am at a complete loss for who I think could successfully run this country. I honestly don't have a clue, because I am confident there is no one. I may have an ulcer by November if this does not improve.

Linley is finally all better, so I escaped my depression by spending the afternoon with Maile and her cute kids at the Liberty Science Center. It was just what I needed. The kids were able to run wild and enjoy themselves, and I was able to sit and vent and have adult conversation with my girlfriend. So thanks Maile-it was perfect, and I absolutely love talking politics with you!! And the fact that it was 65 degrees certainly helped lift my spirits as well.







There is an unbalanced amount of Linley pictures in this batch. I realize that. Ryder doesn't hold still. Well, Linley doesn't either, but she likes the camera a lot more that her brother who was completely captivated by everything he saw and touched.

Go Vote

Unless you're not voting for Romney. Then please stay home.

Sort of Snow Day

We got about a half an inch of snow this morning. We have had nearly no snow at all this winter. This makes most of me happy. However, the part of me that insisted that I buy the children snow suits against the hubsters better judgments was really hoping for some snow. So, when we saw the little dusting this morning, we got bundled up and headed out. I was tempted to wait until Linley was down for her nap, since she is ill, but she was so cutely excited, I couldn't leave her out. Now as she is lying comatose in her bed, I am pretty confident I will be winning no mother of the year awards. Sad.

Ryder working on our snowman. Snowperson as he called it. So politically correct my son is.
Making a snow angel...it was snowing in his eyes. I think that is funny.
Ryder and his "snowperson."

Mission use of snowbibs: accomplished (and worth every penny Allen...you should have seen them out there. They were both in heaven!!)