Love Me Some Girls Night!

Last night was our monthly girls night, and was I ever ready for it! It was Summer's month and she chose to go out to eat at Southeast Asian Cuisine...it's this new Chinese restaurant in the Ranches. It was SOOOOOOOOOOOO good! I was thoroughly impressed! I had the chicken lettuce wraps and they are to die for! I would even go as far as to say that they were almost as good as PF Chang's! There were 10 of us there (I think) and we just had a blast! You should have heard this conversation! We talked about everything from pregnancy to parenting and from Tami's "infected appendages" nursing stories to S - E - X (spelled out by Summer...because she couldn't bring herself to say it in a public place)! Yes...it was FABULOUS dinner conversation!

After dinner, we went back to Summer's house and watched American Idol...at which time we learned that Trish is planning to wear all black until Sanjaya is voted off. Then we played Apples to Apples...at which time we learned that Dr. Suess is more "earthy" than the ocean (I'm still bitter about that one...the ocean is like 80% of the earth's surface, but whatever), and that electricity was more "influential" than Abraham Lincoln (again, still bitter...Abe Lincoln changed the course of our great nation...but somehow, in a group of all women...the ability to blow dry our hair and nuke our dinner in the microwave won out...go figure). We finished playing at around 9:30, but none of us wanted to go home...so we stayed and talked some more. This time we talked about kids, the 5 Love Languages (a book that I WILL read at some point so that I can return it to Tami sometime before the next century), and my husband's hot butt (I'm not sure how we got on that last one, but I remember that I gave everyone permission to check it out for themselves...did someone spike my diet coke?)

Anyway, we finally gave the Michaelson's their house back and left around 11:00! It was such a fun night! Next month, we're going to get scalp massages! Who's in? --Lindsay

Fun with Fondue!

Who doesn't love a good fondue party? We have become HUGE fondue fans lately! My sister gave us a nice fondue set for Christmas and we have put it to good use! We've done a couple parties just in the last month! Yesterday, we did one with my entire family (well, except my parents who were flying back from a week-long rendezvous to Fiji--rough life, eh?) The entire Swenson clan came, plus Kristin and her new man, Dan (more on him in a minute). Anyway, we had a blast! We decided to just do two courses this time...a main course and a dessert. For our main course, we did steak and tempura vegetables fondued in oil. The tempura vegetables are my favorite! We go out to eat at Jasmine a lot with Mike's work (it's a really nice sushi restaurant in Salt Lake). Obviously, being the seafood loather that I am (especially when it's not cooked), I usually end up ordering the teriyaki chicken and then have to put up with the mockery from Mike's boss all night (he's Chinese). Anyway, we were at Jasmine one night and I was looking for an appetizer that didn't involve something from the sea and I discovered tempura vegetables! They are vegetables that are battered in this delicious batter and then fried in peanut oil. Dip them in a little soy sauce and they are scrumptious! So, back to the Fondue party, we decided to try our hand at our own tempura vegetables! We used zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and, my favorite, onions (tempura onions make the BEST onions rings you will ever eat!) It was awesome! I wish I had taken some pictures at that point, but I was too busy stuffing my face!

After dinner, we sat down and digested a little bit and then it was on to dessert! What better way to wash down some steak and veggies then with a little chocolate! We dipped strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, graham crackers and brownies! I was on cloud nine!

At this point, my parents showed up, fresh from the airport, and made us all jealous with their tales of paradise. This also gave my dad a chance to size up Dan (Kristin's man). And, guess what? I think he passed! He seems like a really nice guy! He's 23, from New Jersey, majoring in business, went to Alaska on his mission, and he plays on Utah State's rugby team. You can't see it in this picture, but he had a big chunk of skin missing on the side of his face and a massive bruise on his arm from his game the day before! (Or at least that's what he told us, but we all know that Kristin just beat him up--just kidding, love you Kristin!). Anyway, rugby is a very interesting sport! Why would anyone WILLINGLY play that game? It's just a bunch of boys legally beating each other to death! If someone came up to you and said, "Hey...do you want to go out on this field and beat the crap out of each other just for fun?" you would think they were crazy! But, throw a ball into the mix and call it a game and all the sudden, it's fun! Really...I will never understand! Anyway, USU is playing BYU in a few weeks down in Provo, so we're all going to go down there to watch him play...although, I did warn him that I might show up in all my BYU garb, just to give him a hard time!

Anyway, everyone finally cleared out of here around 11:00 pm, so I'd say the party was a success! How could it not be? We had 12 awesome people and enough cholesterol to clog our arteries for weeks! --Lindsay

Three Friends + Diet Coke - The "Important Stuff" = A Really Great Time!

Everyone who knows me knows that I love Diet Coke! Actually, love may not be a strong enough word...I ADORE Diet Coke! Regular Diet Coke, Cherry Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Vanilla Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lemon, Diet Black Cherry and Vanilla Coke, etc. Yes...I sound just like Bubba from Forrest Gump...well, except his fascination was shrimp and mine is Diet Coke.

On another note, (totally unrelated) I remember being a little girl at my grandma's house. She and her friends would get together almost every morning and have coffee together. They would sit around her kitchen table and just chat about kids, vacations, cleaning techniques, etc. Well, actually, I don't remember what they talked about...all I remember was that they really cared about each other and that they took time out of everyday to sit down and just focus on their friendship.

On another totally unrelated note, I make "to do" lists every morning...and I make sure that I accomplish everything on them...even if it kills me! (Those of you who know me well, know all about my "to do" lists). I will work until 11:30 at night sometimes just to make sure that I accomplish everything I wanted to do that day. Yes, it's a little OCD...well, okay it's a lot OCD. But, it's me and it's what I do.

Okay, now you're all probably wondering what diet coke, my grandma's coffee and my "to do" list have to do with each other. Let me tell you about yesterday, and you'll understand...

I had a gizillion things on my plate! I had housework, projects, & primary stuff coming out of my ears...plus, I was trying to get ready to go to the Primary Open House downtown that evening with my presidency! On top of all this, I had six little boys between the ages of 3 and 6 playing at my house.

Then the doorbell rang. "Oh, who could this be and what do they want?" I thought, almost annoyed. I opened the door...it was Summer. Summer is my 2nd counselor. She had come over to pick up her boys who were playing at my house. But, then we started talking and talking...and talking some more. Then the phone rang, it was Tami. Tami is my 1st counselor and neighbor (she's also a Diet Coke lover). I told her Summer was over. She said, "Oh, are you just sitting around drinking diet coke?" I said, "Well, we're sitting around...but we haven't whipped out the diet cokes yet. If you want to come over, we will!" About 30 seconds later, there was a knock at the door.

The three of us sat around, drinking diet coke and talking about nothing for almost two hours! While our combined 9 children (8 of which are boys) ran like wild animals through the house. The point of this story is...I didn't get any of my "important" stuff done...my carpet didn't get vacuumed, my sheets didn't get put back on my bed, my folded clothes didn't get put away, my nails didn't get painted, and my primary phone calls weren't made. But what I came to realize was that sometimes the "important" stuff isn't really all that important! Fifty years from now, no one will remember that my house was a mess or that the color of my toe nails didn't match my outfit that night. But, maybe Tami or Summer or one of our kids will remember (just like I remember my grandma's coffee mornings), that we decided that life isn't all about housework and phone calls...sometimes it's just about sitting down with a couple of friends and drinking a diet coke! --Lindsay

Motherhood is DEFINATELY a Blue-Collar Job

I have decided that our society is totally deceitful when it comes to motherhood. Before I had children, I really truly thought that motherhood would be blissful 24/7. I would have these children who would obey my every command, never spill their food (or throw it), and clean their rooms all by themselves just because they wanted to. Honestly...this is what I thought my life would be like. Why? Because when I was little, I (like most little girls) played with dolls. (This is the part where society becomes dishonest.) We give our girls little dolls that sleep when you want them to go to sleep, eat when you want them to eat, and they NEVER cry, have a poopy diaper, or throw up at 2:00 am! I was fabulous at this kind of mothering...in fact, I would go as far as to say that I pretty much ROCKED at it! However, as I quickly found out...motherhood is not a pretty job.

As a friend once put it (when I found out I was pregnant with Connor), "Welcome to the world of bugs, boogers and pee on the wall". Over the past 4 1/2 years, I have experienced every single one of these joyous experiences. One of my boys is always picking up a bug or two. Thanks to primary & nursery, I have had my fair share of boogers this winter. And, due to Connor's lack of aim, I deal with pee on the wall regularly. However, as I came to realize yesterday...there is a HUGE difference between pee on the WALL and pee on my LEG. Let me explain...

Yesterday was a preschool day. So, of course my boys wanted to sleep in. Here's how it always goes at our house...if there is a day where we don't have anything going on and there is a chance that I might be able to sleep in, my boys wake up at the BUTT CRACK OF DAWN...however, if it is a preschool day (when I would like everyone to wake up early), my boys decide it's a good day to sleep in!?! Does this make sense to anybody? Anyway, so I'm going through my usual routine of prying Connor out of his blissful slumber and trying to shove him into the bathroom for our daily scrubbing. While he's undressing (almost unconsciously), I go get Aiden out of bed and bring him to the bathroom too. I am standing in between the toilet and the bathtub getting Aiden out of his pajamas when I feel a little tinkle on my leg. I look at the faucet, thinking that it's just doing something weird...nope...just fine. I look at the shower head to see if it has somehow come on...nope...it's off. Then I realize the stream is not coming from the bathtub side...it's coming from the toilet side. I turn around to see that Connor (still in his semi-comatose state) has lost his aim, and is now marking my leg as if he were a dog and my leg a fire hydrant!

This was not in the manual...no one told me that being a mother included having pee dripping down my leg! My DOLLS never did anything like this! Why hasn't Mattel or Playschool come up with some new dolls that show little girls what motherhood is really like? They could have "Colic Chloe" that cries until 3:00 in the morning, "Food Fight Franny" that comes with bite-sized hot dogs she can throw at her brother, or "Pee-On-Your-Leg Peter" that follows in Connor's footsteps! I think these dolls would be a great service to all mothers-to-be. They could also be given to teenagers to serve as a method of birth control too!

Motherhood has to be one of the dirtiest jobs on this planet. Think about it...we are chefs, maids, butlers, playground referees, therapists and nurses all rolled into one...and we don't even get union benefits! --Lindsay

New Season...New Style

This has been a week of change at the Storrs' household. Nothing big, but even small things become exhilirating in a dull life like ours!

The first change was a small one. I decided that Aiden was too big for his crib. He's already "climbed" out of it twice...allowing his head and the nearby rocking chair to become great friends! So, I came to the conclusion that Aiden needed a "big boy bed"...sort of. We transformed his crib into a toddler bed. Here are the before and afters:

Now, he'll be able to get out of bed without causing permanent brain damage...hopefully (you never know, he IS Mike's child)! But, that's another post for another day...I'll just tell you that if there is a way to injure one's self...Mike will find it!

The second change, was a little bit bigger...at least for me. I cut all my hair off! Well, not all of it (I didn't pull a Britney or anything), but I did chop off about 3 or 4 inches...and that can be a traumatic experience for a girl! My hair hasn't been this short since I lived in Louisiana. But, I was ready for a little change, modification, or "hair revolution"...whatever you want to call it. It's spring...and I wanted something fun! Here are the before and afters:

So, what do you think? Good, bad, ugly, totally hot and you can't keep your eyes off of me? :) --Lindsay

Wrestle Mania...Storrs Style

Welcome to an average evening at the Storrs' home! The moment Mike walks through the door, a wrestling match begins. Here's how it goes...Mike opens the garage door...Connor hears the door open...this sound somehow triggers a caveman-like response in his brain (probably due to the fact that he's been cooped up with a woman and baby all day) that says, "It's time to brawl"...he runs to the door and attacks Mike...Mike propagates the caveman-like attitude and tackles Connor to the floor...next thing I know, they're rolling around my front room like wild animals, not caring what they smack into or shatter...I go running into the room and call for an end to this barbaric manner (usually more concerned about my furniture than my family).

I get a brief break at dinner. Everyone usually acts fairly human and civilized for a few minutes. However, the second everyone is done and the kitchen is cleaned up...the WWE returns to our house...this time to the family room. Usually, by this time, Aiden (probably feeling a little left out of this sub-human male-bonding activity) has decided to get in on the battle. He stands there watching from a distance, and when the time is just right, he makes his move...by sitting on top of the steamroller which is Mike and Connor. This action usually stops the wrestling for a brief second while Mike and Connor laugh at Aiden...however, moments later...they're back at it...this time in a 2 v. 1 wrestling match as the two "Davids" attempt to take down their "Goliath". This commotion goes on until bathtime when I finally pry the testosterone apart.

When everyone is in bed, I pull out the toenail polish or scrapbooking...and re-establish my home to the estrogen sanctuary that it should be...until they wake up the next morning. --Lindsay

My Marvelous Men!

Okay...I have debated whether or not to write this post for the past 24 hours because I kind of feel like I'm bragging. However, I'm bragging about my husband and sons...which is okay every once in awhile, right? Right...so here's a few stories from the past few days.

Well, it all started on Wednesday night. It was girls night! Some of the gals in the neighborhood get together once a month to do something fun (without husbands or kids). While I was gone, Connor started to miss me. He asked Mike if he could call me. This is how our conversation went:

Connor: Mom, I miss you when you're at girls night!

Me: I miss you too, but I will come kiss you goodnight when I get home and I'll see you all day tomorrow.

Connor (through muffled tears): Okay...Mom, I hope you have fun at girls night.

Me: I will. You have fun with Daddy.

Connor (again, through tears that he's trying to hold back): Okay, I love you! Goodbye!

Then the next morning, I was getting ready for the day in my bathroom when Connor walked in.

Connor: Hi Mom...how was your girls night?

Me: It was great! How was your night with Dad?

Connor: Good! (Then a two or three second pause) Wow Mom! You look GREAT today!

Me: Well, thanks!

I just thought it was so sweet that his first thought when he woke up in the morning wasn't to eat or watch cartoons, but to make sure I had a good time at my girls night and to pay me a compliment! He is a very thoughtful little boy most the time. He loves to tell everyone how much he loves them, and he pays compliments to people all the time...and when I tell you the next story, you'll understand where he gets it from.

I went out to lunch with my mom and one of my sisters yesterday. While we were together, my mom told me something that almost made me cry (and I don't cry much). She told me a story that happened when they had been at our house a few weeks earlier. I had left the room for a minute to go get something and while I was gone, Mike said to my mom, completely out of the blue, "I LOVE your daughter so much!" Now that just melted my heart. Mike is one of those people that tells you about 497 times a day that he loves you. Every time he leaves (even to run a quick errand), at the end of every phone conversation, when he wakes up and when he goes to sleep, etc...he says, "I love you"...but, I just thought it was so sweet that he not only tells me that he loves me, but he tells other people too! Anyway, this is getting sappy, so let's move on!

Aiden, on the other hand, has brought me back down to earth. Today, I was showing him little toy animals and telling him what they were. I would say an animal's name and he would repeat it back to me to the best of his ability. When we had gone through a few of them, I went back and pointed to each one asking him what it was. He was doing pretty good at first, but when we got to the cow, he said, "Mom". Then, I went on to the elephant and he said, "Mom" and last but not least, when we got to the pig, he said, "Mom". We went through all the animals several times, but every time we came to the cow, elephant and pig, he would say "Mom!" Just what a mom wants...to be described as a cow, elephant and pig! --Lindsay