Watch out Nancy Pelosi...Sadie is on her way!

So last night, we were watching the President's speech on the economy etc. The older kids were in bed so it was just me, Rob and Sadie. After a few minutes of it being on, Sadie took a real interest in it. She would walk right up to the TV and watch. I think all of the clapping (which I find SO annoying) was fascinating to her. After a few minutes, she went and sat on her little chair, but continued to watch. Rob and I about died laughing when all of the sudden, the next time they cheered for the President and stood up, so did Sadie! She did this over and over like she was watching a parade. I honestly think she was more in tune with the speech than Joe Biden. She just looked like our own future Speaker of the House. So watch out Nancy Pelosi, Sadie Peacock is on her way!

Such a happy little future government official! Who wouldn't vote for her?
Standing up and cheering!

As you can see, she was up close and personal to the TV with the President on it and cheering away. Just like everyone else.

Apparently, she didn't approve of everything Obama said. I think she disagrees with some of his stimulus package. (This is Sadie's latest - "grumpy face"). Sorry, Barrack, you can't win 'em all!

Random Photos

Just a few random pictures...

Here are my 3 crazy girls in the tub. I love my jetted tub for myself. There is nothing like it. But I have to say that one of the definite perks of that tub is that I can fit all 3 girls in it. It's like my own "kid washing machine". Just add dirty kids, pour in some soap, turn on the jets and bubbles, and POOF! You have clean kids!

I should also make note that this is the day I decided to chop off the twins' hair. I was so tired of the long tangled hair every day, so after school one day, I chopped about 6 inches of each of them. They love it and I love it!
Cayden had his 3rd grade culminating event last week. His class has been studying Native America and they went ALL out. They have worked for weeks on projects and had a complete art gallery. In this picture, Cayden is wearing his Native America mask, his necklace, and apron. They also had made small woven blankets, peace pipes, cave drawings, and all sorts of other things. Each child acted as a personal "Guide" for their parent. And in typical Cayden fashion, he was SO excited and enthusiastic about it.

Cayden and his AWESOME 3rd grade teacher - Ms Andersen. She is such a great teacher!

Mommy Moments

Another round of Mommy Moments. Nothing monumental to report, just the norms of every day life.
Cayden is still "in love". Apparently, this is something going around his class...kind of like the flu. He had his culminating event for his 3rd grade class this week. They have been studying Native America and did a bunch of really cool projects, songs, etc. They had an "art gallery" with all of the work they had done. Each child was a "tour guide" for their parents and took them through and told them about each thing. Cayden was in the height of his glory! He knew every little fact about everything. He reminds me SO much of Rob when he is doing things like this - he gets so passionate and excited to share what he has learned...just like his dad. It is uncanny. He continues to have a little more of an attitude than I would like so we are working on that and his temper. Ashlee is doing much better at school. After I visited the school a few weeks back, helped them initiate a new reward program, etc. she has been a ton better. She really is a smart little girl and amazes me with how much she knows. She is reading really well and did great on her habitats oral report on Prairie Dogs. She has had a really hard time with me being released as the primary president. She leaves me pictures, stuffed animals, etc. and is telling me frequently that she is sorry and sad I'm not the primary president any more. Who knows what that means in Ashlee's mind. McKell also did great on her habitat report on the prairie dog. She is doing super at school and has beautiful penmanship and loves to read. She is our little mommy and helps me a lot. Sadie keeps us all laughing and on our toes. She has quite a little attitude and is SO loud. She will vocalize when she is not happy about something. She has become quite a climber lately - climbing on the table, benches, open dishwasher, etc. None of my kids have been quite as into climbing as Sadie. She is a sweet little baby and love to give hugs and say "awwww" when she does. She waves good-bye and can point to most of the parts on her body. She is my big helper and helps me unload the dishwasher every morning. She hands me a dish at a time and won't take a step towards me, just leans as far as she can and grunts like she is lifting the heaviest item in the world. She cracks us up. She is getting 2 molars and 2 eye teeth right now. OUCH! She took me for an adventure today by pulling my Scentsy warmer off the piano, spilling red cinnamon wax all over her hair, the wall, the carpet, and the piano. My biggest concern was her hair and scalp. Fortunately, the wax wasn't hot enough to burn her, but it did set up in her hair and scalp. After a few different attempts, I tried a warm blow dryer and comb and was able to get it out. I'm still trying to figure out the walls, carpet, piano, etc. Baby #5, which we now know is a boy, is doing great. He is moving all over and growing well. We are excited to start getting our "boy stuff" out again. It has been 9 years since we've had a baby boy, so this seems kind of strange and new. I am hoping to be coming out of the sick stage. I am still taking my Zofran each night, but trying to not take it during the day. I just really need to have some energy and not be sick. I have so much to do! My back unfortunately has started to act up - I know this is because the baby is getting bigger. So, that's the mommy moments for this week.

BOY

Myspace Graphics

It's a boy!

We had our ultrasound this morning and were thrilled beyond words to hear that IT IS A BOY! Everything looks great - his heart, his brain, his spine, etc. He is measuring great and was moving all over the place. This baby likes to "lay low"...literally! He apparently thinks my bladder is his own personal pillow. I have never carried any of my babies so low, so it is very strange. I have decided that no matter how many times you see that ultrasound of your babies, it never gets old. It was just amazing to see how developed he is, to see him moving, etc. It made it all the more real. Of course Cayden, is over the moon excited. He announced at breakfast this morning, "I'm just tell all of you that if this is another girl, I am staying in my room for the rest of the time!" We are happy to announce that Cayden won't be staying in his room until July. The girls are also excited. Ashlee's comment was, "Well, I hope Sadie and our new baby brother don't fight like me and Cayden." Yes, Ashlee, we all are hoping for that! So, here are some pictures for today:

This is a profile of his cute little face. (His head on the right - he is looking up.) You can see his little arm and hand up by his face.
Yep, it is a BOY!

That is one of his little arms and hands.

Those are his legs and feet.

Get your guesses in...

I can't believe it, but it is already time for our routine ultrasound! We are halfway already...aagh!

Do you think it is a boy or a girl? Get your guesses in before Thursday morning. While you're at it, please throw in some name ideas while you're guessing.

Happy Valentines Day...then and now...

I hope Cammie doesn't mind, but I am stealing her idea and doing a look back on Valentines of years past. It has been fun to see how our family (and we) have changed over the many years of Valentines. This is the 13th Valentines that Rob and I have been together. On our first Valentines, we weren't yet officially engaged, although we called the temple the day after Valentines to schedule it. That year, we were at USU and totally in love. We both placed an ad in the Aggie newspaper with Valentines wishes. (Back then, Rob referred to me as his "HMC - High Maintenance Chick". I simply called him "Rod") Rob actually gave me a fake plastic gold ring that night which was just so romantic! :o)

A lot has changed since that first Valentines together at Utah State. Here's a few glimpses back...

2000

We lived in Boise and had our first child. Cayden was only 3 months old so he came along with us to the ward Valentines dance. (Yeah, we look HOT!)

2002

I LOVE this picture of me and my sweet little Cayden. This was the "calm before the storm" of the twins. I was 3 month away from giving birth to our twins and was on strict orders to relax and sit and be off my feet as much as possible. So Cayden and I spent a lot of time together hanging out in the recliner and snuggling. I cherish these times with him.

2003

This is Ashlee & McKell's first Valentines. Poor things were both sick. Rob brought them home a little Valentine's balloon. They were only 9 months old.

Same year - Cayden age 32004

This is a Family Home Evening lesson that we did for Valentines. They each had their own headband that they had made. Ashlee had just had her double eye surgery and was doing great. They were all so fun and happy.

This is the same year at Rob's brother's wedding.2006
This was Valentines in our new home in Utah. The girls were 3 and Cayden was 5. They had a great time decorating sugar cookies.

2007

2008

Making cookies...and quite a mess!

This year was Sadie's first Valentines. She was just 6 months old and as you can see, Daddy's little Valentine.
2009

Which brings us to this year. We had a great Valentines Day. We actually had my niece's birthday party here during the day. That evening, we went to Chilis as a family and then came home to Valentines surprises!

Rob is tough to buy for on Valentines because he doesn't like chocolate. But he LOVES cheesecake. He was a happy camper when he got his Valentines Cheesecake...and was nice enough to share with the rest of us.

Rob surprised me with flowers and a really sweet card. At the end, it had a little note asking me to "pick one" - a marquis cut or a round cut for my wedding ring. (I lost my original stone a few years ago on the beach in CA and haven't had a ring ever since. He has called a few jewelers and it looks like I may finally get a new ring!)

Our cute girls with their flowers from Daddy. Rob gives them flowers each year which I think is so sweet. Cayden loved helping him give them out.

Ashlee

Little Sadie with her first flowers from Daddy. (Last year she was still too young...probably would have just eaten them!)

Our handsome flower delivery men.
McKell
The whole crew with their Valentines "loot". They got Valentines stuffed animals from Mom and Dad as well as treats and Valentines from both sets of Grandparents, their cousins from Wyoming, and Aunt Jenny's family who lives in England.

It was another wonderful Valentines Day!

His wife AND his girlfriend...

So, I just had to jot this one down. I just returned from an adventurous trip to Costco with my 4 kids in tow. It looks more like a florist shop than Costco today with Valentine's tomorrow. There are bouquets of flowers everywhere and it seems everyone is buying some. So as we sat and ate our frozen yogurt before leaving, the kids observed how many people were leaving with flowers. They said that we should go buy flowers for Dad for Valentines Day. I explained that Dad, like most men, wasn't a big fan of flowers on Valentines Day. I pointed out to them that most of the people leaving with flowers were men, buying them for their wives. They thought it was cool seeing the different colors, bouquets, etc. Then a man came walking by with two huge bouquets. McKell says to the other kids, rather non chalantly, "Hmmm...must be for his wife AND his girlfriend." I about spit chocolate yogurt out my nose as I watched the other 2 just kind of nod their heads in agreement. I said, "Uh, no. Hello!" They were very perplexed and seemed confused as to why that assessment wasn't okay. I explained to them that it was never good for a man to have a wife AND a girlfriend, to which they all said, "Why?" (At this point, I am speechless and thinking I very well may have failed my children as a mother! How could they not know this instinctively?) I explained that when a man and a woman get married, that they are only supposed to love each other, not other men or women. Before I really thought about it, I blurted out, "Would you guys like it if Daddy had a girlfriend?" to which they all, in unison and with eyes as bright as Christmas morning, shouted, "YES!" (Again, I am thinking I have failed at my job as a mother....not only do they not have basic morals, they now want a second mother!) They thought this whole thing was quite comical. I told them, "Fine, you want a new Mommy? You've got it! I'll let Daddy know that he should start looking for a new girlfriend who can be your new mommy." That seemed to jar them a bit. Then, the little darlings expressed to me that they didn't want a NEW mommy, they just thought it would be cool to have a second mommy. Cayden could tell I wasn't convinced and said, "Mom, we just thought it would be cool for Daddy to have a girlfriend that could come to our house and clean and cook and do all the work so you could just relax and be our mom and play." Hmm...now, THAT is something worth thinking about. I called Rob immediately and proposed it. He now thinks I am more insane than before. I just think he doesn't want to have to buy Valentines flowers for his wife AND his girlfriend.

Valentines Baking

I love Valentines Day. Ever since I was little, I have enjoyed this holiday. I think one of the reasons is because it means that hopefully spring is just around the corner...hopefully. As a child, I have some great Valentine memories. Making those lovely Valentine boxes every year to take to school, decorating Valentines to take to class, cinnamon hearts, etc. One of my favorite memories was "kicking Valentines." We would take Valentines to our friends or family's house, leave them on the front door and kick the door or knock and run. I'm not sure what the point was, but it was fun. I thought everyone did this for Valentines - kind of like Trick or Treating. But apparently not. Another Neilson tradition that apparently nobody else did. Too bad, I still do it with my own kids!

I also loved doing sugar cookies. So, to keep tradition, we made Valentines Sugar Cookies last night. Just me and my girls, including Sadie who was so happy to be sitting at the bar like a big girl with her own mini rolling pin and dough.

The Final Product

Today, it was time to do my treats for the kids school teachers, primary teachers, scout leaders, etc. I hadn't done these for a while, but they turned out really cute. You basically make a normal recipe of Rice Krispie Treats. I add red food coloring for fun. Then, you press them into a Tupperware funnel and dump them out and they are the shape of a Hershey Kiss! I wrapped them in plastic wrap and then made little "Hershey tags" of my own and wrapped them in foil. Just a fun little Valentine's gift.

Here's what they look like right out of the funnel mold.

And here is the final product wrapped in foil and a little tag attached.

The alien we call Cayden...

So, somewhere out of the blue, a stranger has come into my home. He looks a lot like my 9 year old son, Cayden. He sounds like him, laughs like him, etc. but there is something strangely different. It seems like out of the blue, some cosmic change has occured and my son is like a different person. I am not joking about the overnight change. One day he was his happy usual self and out of the blue, he has an attitude the size of Texas. We have tried to analyze it, talk to him, etc. but nothing. Finally, last week, I came to the end of my rope. He and I had a serious sit down. I asked him what was going on, why he was acting this way, etc. He told me, "Mom, you know, I'm not a kid any more." Uh, okay, what are you then? "I am a teenager." HA HA! Okay, so we had a chat about what that meant and that at age 9, he was nowhere near being a teenager. He has been dressing different after school, doing the "peace" sign, etc. and it is really tripping me out! That same day after school, he seemed to be a little less filled with attitude. I asked him again what was going on. He finally announced to me that plain and simple, he is in love. (I should be nominated for a freaking Oscar by the way for keeping a straight face through ALL of this!) I asked him what he meant. He told me that he was in love. He saw a girl at a wedding recently and fell in love with her. He didn't get to talk to her or anything so it probably "won't work out." But there is another girl in his class that he is in love with. (He is telling me this by the way, amidst eating 2 Vitamin C, a bunch of grapes and carrots, and exercising....no, I am not kidding. Apparently he needs to "bulk up" for love.) He then informs me that he will most likely be going on a date. I assured him, he would not be until he was older. He asked if that meant when he was 10? Ha, not even close, buddy! So, we broke through that wall and are doing much better. He still is acting like an alien child, but the attitude is gone. I guess he is focusing fully on being in love. He is downright giddy about it. I am so not ready for this!

I did have a very proud moment with him yesterday. He is reading "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and came to me yesterday very distraught. He said that he loved this book but that there were some words in it that he knew weren't right like "the 'a word', and the Lord's name in vein". I told him I would look at the rest of the book and see if it was okay to read. Meanwhile, he drafts a full blown letter all on his own to the author of the book saying that some of the language in his book is "inaproput" (inappropriate) and if he doesn't stop writing books with bad language, that he won't read them any more. He did the whole thing on his own with no prompting from me and I was quite proud. My little activist for good!

Finally, last night, when I came to bed, there was a note on my bed from him. It reads:
"Mom, I am sorry that you are sick. I think that must be the last straw for you. Is it? (circle yes or no). Anyway, I hope you are better tomorrow. But wait...just to let you remember, because you really forget, I have scouts. I hope I don't have any homework on Wednesday. Finally I can catch up on some other work. Tomorrow is a bery busy day so you better get your sleep. Good night. I love you. Sincerely, Cayden."

I guess I'll keep him...even if he is an alien.

Released

So, it is official, I was released on Sunday from my calling as the primary president of our ward. I was dreading this day for a long time because I have truly loved my calling. I love the kids in our ward and will miss being with them each week. They are awesome kids...ALL of them! It has been a huge emotional roller coaster the past week and I am still trying to recover. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am VERY sentimental, attached, etc. I am awful at change and horrible at endings and good-byes. So, this release has pretty much tapped into everything I struggle with. I was just hoping I could be like the General Authorities and stay in until I die. But, alas, that isn't how it works. I was really confused because a lot of friends and people in the ward etc. have made the comment that I must be really "relieved" or "excited" about the break. I kind of look at them like they are a little crazy. But Rob really put it into perspective last night. I was telling him how odd I thought it was the people thought I would be relieved. He assured me that it wasn't the other people who were odd, but it was me. What? He explained that most people after serving for over 2 years with a primary of close to 200 children and pouring everything into it, WOULD be relieved and happy to finally have a break. He pointed out that I am very much the exception to the rule. I guess he is right. I guess most people might be relieved. I kind of wish I was, then it wouldn't be so difficult. In addition, of course, it doesn't help that I am pregnant, have been so sick every day, etc. which has already put my emotions very close to the surface. I did a lot of crying this past week, mostly in private. After the bishopric left our home after releasing me, I told Rob I was going upstairs to go to the bathroom. My sweet husband, who knows me all to well said, "Are you just going to go up there and cry? I know you are. Please don't." He was right, but I'm a girl and I have to get these thigns out of my system. Rob, in typical fashion, has been incredibly understanding, supportive, loving, and kind. He has let me vent, he has let me cry on his shoulder, and he has listened and listened and listened to the rantings of an emotional wife. He deserves a prize. So, that is the update there. I know I will move on. I know I will have other things to do in the church. But I will never ever forget the wonderful times I have had in this primary. I have learned more with the children of this ward, then any adult classes I have been in. I will miss the true and pure spirit in primary. I will miss the hugs and the smiles and the hilarious comments from the kids. I will miss the music so much. That is one of my favorite parts. I am eternally grateful for this opportunity I have had and I hope that the Lord is pleased with what I have done.

Too many fairies?

So Rob and I are having a discussion. This year, I wanted to start something new for Valentines. I got the idea from my gal pal and sis in law Juliann. It is the Valentines Fairy. Her kids told my kids about it last year and we've been obligated ever since (Thanks Juliann! You can flutter your cute little butt out here tonight with Valentines magic for my kids!) So I told Rob about it. To add an extra twist (and quite frankly get something out of it for myself) I decided that they had to earn their surprises from the Valentines Fairy. They had to show love and service to each other each day or the fairy would leave no surprise. It has worked wonderfully today. All I have to say is, "Is that showing love?" We have willingly switched seats at dinner, we have shared candy, we have drawn pictures for each other, etc. I tell you, it is a freaking love fest on day one of the Valentines Fairy debut.

Cayden's response when he saw the note from the fairy this morning? "Uh, Mom, I don't think so. I know who this really is." We quickly had a one-on-one in the laundry room where I quickly reminded him that he didn't have to believe in anything, but whether it is a real fairy or not, he still better show love and service etc. because whether it is a fairy or me, he still wants the treats, right? He quickly caught on and swore to keep his opinions to himself. I can guarantee he'll be the first one looking for his surprise in the morning.

So, here comes the "discussion". I tell Rob about this and was quite proud of my idea. His response? "Why does it always have to be a fairy?" I guess I see his point. We already have the tooth fairy and at our house we have the cleaning fairy (she comes once a week on random days. If their rooms are clean, she leaves them a treat. If not, she just leaves a feather on their bed. Again, it is a great incentive and actually works for us.) So, I guess Rob has a point. We are a little fairy overloaded here at the Peacock home. But what else do you do? Easter already took the darn bunny and it's not like I can reinvent a big jolly fat man riding in a sleigh to bring Valentines joy. I thought of the "Valentine's Gnome" but that just gets confusing. We already have a leprechaun come at St Patrick's Day which is a lot like a gnome. So, much to Rob's dismay, we are sticking with the fairy.

Yes, I am a Mormon woman...

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I'm sure it will be shocking to some and bring downright horror to others. So....here goes. I am a Morman woman and I do NOT own a Crock pot. There. I said it. (Giving a minute for the gasping and shrieking to stop.) I am not kidding when I say that this statement is usually met with complete shock and confusion. I hear comments like, "What!? How do you cook without a Crock pot!?" "Have you EVER even tried it? Once you do, you will be hooked for sure!" "There is just NOTHING like a roast cooked in a Crock pot. The meat just falls apart in your mouth!" I have decided I could walk into a room of my fellow Mormon women and proclaim, "I have no temple recommend, I'm an alcoholic, and I smoke weed." and that would be met with less shock than "I don't own a Crock pot." I'm waiting for it to become one of the temple recommend questions.

I love going to church meetings when we are planning a dinner for something. Inevitably, because this is a group of Mormons, something will need to be done in a Crock pot. This is when I get to make my infamous statement about not owning one. It's almost become fun to see the reaction. Rob has even gotten in on it. Just last weekend he was at a scout meeting planning the Blue and Gold Banquet. The decided menu was pulled-pork sandwiches, which require what? Yep, a Crock pot. This time it was Rob's turn to get to tell the room full of Mormon women that we wouldn't be able to help with the meat because we don't own one. (Which, by the way is a definite perk in a crock pot free world - you get out of a lot of food assignments!) I think Rob thought I was exaggerating in the past. He walked through the door after his meeting and said, "I'm supposed to tell you that we need to buy a Crock pot. Does that make any sense to you?" I had to chuckle a bit and explain the "Crock pot phenomenon" to my poor confused husband.

Just for the record, I grew up in a home and somehow my mother managed to feed 9 healthy children and never used a Crock pot. She is an amazing cook and somehow did it all with no crock pot. I vaguely remember her owning one when I was growing up and it sat nicely on our kitchen counter. I think she used it to store recipes and gum in. Rob and I actually got a Crock pot for our wedding. It was either re-gifted or returned. I since have succummbed to the pressure and purchased 2 or 3 Crock pots over the years. They remain in the box and I end up taking them back. I just don't get it. I used to have an easy out by blaming it on the clean up factor, but wouldn't you know that someone has come up with Crock pot liners so there is no good excuse now...it probably was a Mormon woman who came up with that idea.

So, I will continue on in my Crock pot free life. I can say that I make a mean pot roast...in my oven - in my Magnelite Roaster just like my mom. It is tender and juicy and some might even say it rivals a Crock pot....GASP!