Book Tag

Amanda tagged me.

Here it is: Pick up the nearest book.

Turn to page 123

Post the fifth sentence

Tag 5 friends.

The book I had closest to me is one of my favorites. It's actually one of my text books from a family finance class I took at BYU. It's called "Making the Most of Your Money" by Jane Bryant Quinn (a financial genius & one of my personal heroes). Anyway, I reread this book about once every five years just to make sure we are on the right path as far as our finances are concerned. I totally recommend this book! If you have questions about if you're saving enough money for retirement, or if you have enough life/disability insurance, or where to invest your money and when in order to get the highest return, or any other financial question...this is the book to get!

Okay, so here's the fifth sentence on page 123. This chapter is actually about wills & giving someone your power of attorney (not exactly the most exciting chapter in the book)...

"The person who holds your power of attorney could, theoretically, exercise it at any time, even if you're healthy."

Who knew?!? Guess you should only give it to someone you completely trust! You learn something new everyday!

Okay, so I'm tagging Heidi Christensen, Ashlee Swenson, Jackie Kitchen, Jessica Bangerter, & Melanie Young. Happy reading girls! Don't hate me!!! --Lindsay

A Flick, Good Food & Great Friends

Girls night was SO much fun this month! My friend, Amanda, was in charge and she chose to do dinner and a movie. We met at her house and decided to go see the movie "Penelope". It's about a girl that's born into a very rich family that has a curse placed upon it. The curse said that the first girl to be born into the family would have the face of a pig. The curse would only be removed when one of their own kind could love and accept her the way she was. It stars Christina Ricci, Reese Witherspoon & James McAvoy (whom Karin is apparently quite the fan of). It was a really cute movie & I think we all really enjoyed it!

Afterwards, we went to Chili's for dinner. And, yes, once again, I forgot to take a picture! When we sat down, I asked the girls to remind me when we got our food to have a picture taken. But, apparently, we all forgot! Because here I am blogging without a picture (what's new, right?) Oh well! It was so much fun! I love going out to dinner with friends! It's a combination of two of my favorite things...food & friends! We chatted for almost two hours while pigging out! It was so much fun & I think we all had a great time. I'm sure our husbands know we all had a good time too...since we didn't get home until almost 11:00! --Lindsay

Easter Weekend '08

Easter Weekend was a fun one for us this year! It started out for the boys on Friday night when they spent the evening learning the art of gardening from Poppy. Mike and I left the boys with my parents while we ran to a session at the temple. Poppy was planning to work in the garden, so the boys went out to "help" him. I think my dad has gone soft in his old age. Let me explain...(and I think my sister, Ashlee, has talked about this on her blog before, so you may have already heard it). My dad is meticulous about his yard. I basically grew up in a garden similar to those at Temple Square and Thanksgiving Point. When I was little, my sisters and I would ask my dad if we could do jobs in the yard to earn money. Most fathers would jump at the chance to have their kids mow the lawn or pull weeds or plant flowers. Not my dad. That would be a little too risky to let a nine-year-old loose in his precious garden, so instead he would let us pick up rocks. Yes...that's right...we could pick up rocks (for 1/2 a penny each). That's all he would let us do. So, you can imagine my surprise when I got back that night and learned that my dad had let the boys make "roads" in the dirt with dumptrucks, then fill the roads in with water to make "rivers", and dig holes wherever they wanted. Yes, my father has turned into a big softy when it comes to his grandkids. But, the boys had a blast and were sad to go home.

The next morning was the Easter egg hunt put on by the city that we live in. But I don't know if it can accurately be described as a "hunt"... it's more like an Easter egg "grab". The park where it was held was divided into squares by age. In the middle of the squares, millions of eggs were just scattered. When the firetruck blew it's horn, thousands of kids rushed into their respective squares and grabbed as fast as they could. I think Connor had forgotten that the purpose of an Easter egg hunt was to actually PICK UP the eggs. He ran past several of them without bending down to get them. I just laughed on the sidelines. It was all over about 25 seconds after it started. Connor only got 2 eggs, but Aiden (who is well versed in the art of defending one's turf...thanks to being a younger brother) came back with about 12. Luckily, he was nice enough to share with his older brother and everyone ended up happy!

Later that day, we colored our own Easter eggs. Aiden, luckily for the rest of us and for the sake of my house, was not interested in this tradition and went off to do something else. The rest of us colored a dozen eggs. I've read on many of my friends' blogs that they hate this tradition because they hate hard-boiled eggs...and it's basically just throwing money down the drain. If this is the case in your house, bring those hard-boiled eggs over to us because we absolutely LOVE them! In fact, we eat them as snacks year round, so we'll be happy to take them off your hands!

The next day was Easter! Our church this year is at 9:00 am, so when the boys woke up, they found a note from the Easter Bunny. It said that he had run out of time overnight and was going to come back to hide our eggs and candy while we were at church...but only if the boys were reverent and obeyed their teachers. Sounds to me like the "Easter Bunny" was looking for an excuse to get out of going to Elders Quorum or something...hum. But, this is an idea that I recommend the Easter Bunny do each and every year. The boys were pretty darn awesome at church and if they ever forgot for a minute or two, all they needed was a quick reminder about the promised egg hunt and they became reverent again. Well, as guarenteed, when we got home the backyard was full of yummy treats. The boys had a blast finding them all...and the Easter Bunny OBVIOUSLY had a great time hiding them as they were in some of the most obscure places I've ever seen. It was a lot of fun!

Later that evening, my entire family (except Kristin and Dan who were "too busy" to come down... that's engaged-talk for "making out") came over to our house for Easter dinner. We started out the evening with yet another egg hunt...this one provided by Nana and Poppy. The boys and their cousins once again had a blast! After the egg hunt, we sat down to a fabulous dinner. My mom had made the traditional Easter dinner the previous Sunday when Kristin and Dan were in town, so our dinner was a little different from most Easter dinners. Mike made a really yummy pork loin roast with mushroom gravy. It was delicious!!! We also feasted on mashed potatoes, asparagus, green salad & rolls...with brownies & ice cream for dessert. It was so delicious and everyone had a good time I think.

Yesterday, Mike's parents came down to celebrate Easter. I forgot to take pictures, but we went to Southeast Asian Cuisine (it's a really yummy Chinese restaurant by our house) for dinner. It was a really fun night and we're glad they were able to come down. It was a fun end to a great weekend! We all had a blast...for all FOUR days of it!

For me, Easter Weekend was a bittersweet one. "Sweet" in that I hit my four-month mark on the pregnancy calender.
"Bitter" in that I had to finally give in and put my normal clothes away in exchange for the dreaded maternity clothes. Boo...Hiss! Anyway, Mike thinks that instead of putting up a "baby countdown calender" on our blog that constantly reminds me that I have 1,592 days left (or at least that's how it seems), I should put up a new picture of my ever-expanding belly each month instead. I, for reasons unbeknownst to me, agreed to the idea. So, here's my "four month" picture. We'll see if I'm brave enough to continue doing this all the way through. I usually get really funny toward the end of my pregnancy about having my picture taken. I know I'm bizarre...I have no problem putting my mug on television when I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant, but I refuse to have a STILL picture taken. I think it's because TV comes and goes. Once it's over, it's over (well, not so much anymore thanks to DVRs and youtube), but a photograph sticks around FOREVER!!! So, we'll see how brave I am a few months from now! Wish me (and the double chin I tend to develop during pregnancy) good luck!!! --Lindsay

Heaven Help Mothers of Boys

This is an email that my friend, Alicia, sent to me. I laughed so hard that I almost peed my pants, so I thought I would pass it along so you guys could enjoy it too. If you have boys, you will totally understand this. If you have girls, consider yourself lucky...

Images you will most likely see at some point while raising boys...

And you also find out interesting things when you have sons, like...

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.

3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room. !

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin , TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

Heaven help me!!! I'm going to have THREE of them (well, FOUR of them if you count Mike)! --Lindsay

Aiden's Vote

Aiden took this picture... that's why it's upside down. Anyway, this is a dialogue I had with Aiden a few days ago, right after we found out that our new baby was another boy...

Me: Aiden, are you excited to have a little brother?

Aiden: No...I hate it!

Me: Oh, did you want a little sister?

Aiden: No...hate it too.

Me: Well, if you don't want a baby brother or baby sister, what do you want?

Aiden: (after thinking for a second) Aiden want a DOGGY! (Big grin on his face) --Lindsay

Just What This Family Needs...More Testosterone!

It's another BOY for the Storrs' family...and here is the proof! (His bum is off to the left, the two little things poking off to the right are his legs, and that "thing" in the middle...well, I think you can figure that out yourself!) We went in for my checkup ultrasound today (everything seems to be slowly healing, by the way) and Robyn, the tech, said, "Should we see if we can tell you what you're having?" I didn't think she'd be able to since I'm only 16/17 weeks, but she found the you-know-what right away and said, "Are you sure you want to know what you're having?" (She knows we already have two boys.) When she said that, we both knew it was another bug-loving, booger-picking, peeing-on-the-wall little boy. But, to tell you the truth, we actually already knew he was a boy...even before he was conceived! Let me tell you how...

I have a friend named Summer. She had four boys before she finally got a little girl on the 5th try. Right before she had Naomi, I asked her what she did differently to get a girl. She said, "Honestly...I just prayed about it. I said 'Heavenly Father. I know there's a girl up there for me and I'm ready for her whenever you're ready to send her to me.'" I went home that night and told Mike the story. We were thinking about trying to have a baby...so we decided to do the same thing Summer had done. We both prayed separately from one another. When I was praying, I started to ask for a girl...but then I couldn't bring myself to do it. It just didn't feel right. So, instead, I just prayed for a healthy baby. Mike and I came back together a few minutes later & I was surprised when he said, "I'm sorry hun, but I couldn't do it. I just didn't feel like I should ask for a girl." I told him that the exact same thing had happened to me...so we pretty much KNEW that we were in for boy #3. But, of course, you always have that little inkling of hope until the moment when you hear those fateful words from the ultrasound tech. I cried (I've cried with all my boys) and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't just a little bit disappointed (sorry baby boy #3...when you read this someday). But, as I drove home, I kind of started to get excited about the idea. And here are my reasons why...

1) We have a really cute name picked out...Cohen Richard Storrs. "Richard" is Mike's dad's name. He is seriously one of the most loving, Christlike people I have ever met...so I'm pretty excited to give my son his name. Cohen is kind of our own little name-creation...well sort of. It's a Hebrew name...and is usually a last name, but we liked it as a first. You'll laugh when I tell you this, but we got the idea from the OC...you know, that stupid teeny bopper, remake of 90210 show that was on FOX until it was cancelled last year. Anyway, for those of you who weren't addicted, the main family on the show had the last name Cohen. Their teenage son was named Seth Cohen, but all his friends just called him "Cohen". We both liked how it sounded as a first name, and it soon became our favorite. So, I'm really excited about his name. I like how it's different, but not totally bizarre sounding.

2) Hey, my kid is going to be one of the best-dressed kids on the block! Not only does he get all his brothers' clothes, but his two cousins' as well. Ashlee, my sister, has two little boys too and we always share clothes with each other...that way, our kids have massive wardrobes for cheap! So, Cohen will have the best of Connor, the best of Gavin, the best of Aiden & the best of Tyler...all in one closet! I won't have to buy a single thing...but I probably will anyway! (By the way, what are the chances of a family of 3 girls/0 boys producing 5 grandsons/0 granddaughters? If any of you mathematicians want to try to figure it out...I'd love to know the answer!)

3) Aiden and Cohen (although three years apart) will only be two years apart in school...so hopefully, they'll become good friends.

4) I have some great ideas for the nursery...coming this summer to a theatre near you...so stay tuned for that.

5) We make darn cute boys...if I may say so myself...so we're just adding to the "beautiful boy population". It's a hard job...but someone's got to do it!

6) And, if all that weren't enough, I get to join Amanda, Kelli, Mindy & Chantele in the "Cool Girls have All Boys Club". It's very exclusive...obviously. Summer was a member/president of it until November, but the second Naomi was born...she was kicked out. :)

So, yes, as much as I hate to admit it...there are a lot of perks to having baby boy #3 & I am very excited. Welcome to the family Cohen! We're so excited to meet you in August!!! --Lindsay

Rebuilding the Titanic

So...what did YOU do for your Friday night? A movie, dinner...a party perhaps? Well, the Storrs' family is apparently WAY above that boring, mundane stuff! For our "thrilling" Friday night activity, we rebuilt the Titanic (or at least a 3D puzzle of it). Yes, yes...I know you are all pea-green with envy. I would envy myself if I were in your shoes. I know what you're asking yourself, "How can so much fun be contained into one little Friday night?!? Is it even legal for one family to have such amusement?" Well, to answer your burning questions...yes, it is possible to contain such entertainment into one night & no, it is not illegal to do so...it's difficult, but not totally impossible. Let me explain how we ended up with such a pleasurable start to our weekend...

The other night, the boys were being babysat at my parents' house. When I came back to pick them up, I found Connor holding a large box in his hands saying, "Mom! Poppy says we can take this home and do it with Daddy!" My eyes scanned the box...it looked vaguely familiar. I saw the words "Titanic", "3D puzzle" & "398 pieces" written across the front. Then it registered what it was...a present given to me during my "I'm-so-in-love-with-Leo-DeCaprio-even-when-he's-a-frozen-corpse" days of the late-90s. Apparently, Connor had found the puzzle earlier that night. He had asked my dad (or Poppy as the kids call him) if they could put it together. My dad, being the "generous" poppy that he is, told Connor that rather than putting it together that night...Connor could take it home to enjoy the experience with his loving parents. What a charitable gesture! I couldn't BELIEVE that Poppy would give up the chance to put together a 398-piece 3D puzzle for the sake of some precious "parent/child bonding time"! Quite the benevolent gesture if you ask me!

So, we took the puzzle home. For the next 24 hours, Connor repeatedly asked me when Daddy was going to be home. I told him 5:30. "How long is that?" he asked. "17 Spongebob episodes...same as it was five minutes ago!" (Yes--we measure time in "Spongebob episodes" at our house. Sad...but true!) Finally, I got so irritated that I told him I would just build the puzzle with him, to which he replied, "You can't build a boat puzzle...you're a girl!" Apparently, I'll have to have the "feminist talk" with my son at some point to teach him that girls are actually the superior sex, but I decided that if a little male-chauvinism would get me out of putting that ridiculous puzzle together...it was worth it.

Mike got home at 5:36 (I remember because Connor was asking me about his ETA every five SECONDS at this point). Connor ran to the door, box in hand, and presented it to Mike. Mike, being the more Celestial being of the two of us in this marriage, took the box and said, "Awesome! We better get started!" I sat down on the couch smugly and watched them get to work...thinking about the fact that the Titanic broke into two pieces...not 398...and that if the puzzle builders really wanted it to be the kind of replica they were boasting it to be, they would have made it a two-piece puzzle. A few hours later, Mike & Connor had finished their male-bonding experience...and they were pretty darn proud of their little creation! In fact, they were so proud that I don't think either of them will EVER let me take it apart and put it back in the box.

So, that was our exciting Friday night. If any of you ever get bored of the same ol' dinner and a movie each weekend, I'll try to talk Connor into letting you borrow this amusing past time. Then YOU too can experience the bliss of rebuilding all 398-pieces of this sunken treasure. --Lindsay

Happy Birthday Great-Grandpa Judkins!

Mike's Grandpa Judkins just turned 88-years-old! To celebrate, his entire extended family (well 30 of them) had a big birthday party! Grandpa Judkins wanted to go to one of his favorite restaurants...Maddox's. It's a steak house in Brigham City. I had never been there...in fact, I had never even heard of it. But apparently everyone else (and their dog) has! The food was delicious! I had the filet mignon and it was to die for. Mike had the prime rib and he is still raving about it today! But, my favorite thing I had there was the rolls & raspberry butter! When we sat down, we each had a little plate in front of us that had two little scoops of butter...one cream color; one pink. When I asked what the pink stuff was, I think everyone gasped! Apparently, the raspberry butter is just as famous as the restaurant itself! But, after one bite of it...I knew exactly why! It was awesome! So, I totally recommend it if you ever find yourself in Box Elder County! Good choice Grandpa J! I was quite impressed! I'm impressed when Grandpa Judkins picks ANY restaurant that isn't considered by senior citizens as a "fine dining buffet establishment". If you let him pick the restaurant, you know that 9 times out of 10 you will end up at either Sizzler or Golden Corral. (Of course Mike is always okay with both these choices...he's pretty much an old-man-in-the-making!) So, there you find yourself in the buffet line at Sizzler with your two rambunctious little boys (yelling what food they want and especially what food they DON'T want) while all the old people look on in disgust. You know they're all thinking, "What are those young'uns doing on our turf? We come here for some peace and quiet and our "senior citizens early bird discount" and they bring those THINGS in here to disrupt our tranquility!" Of course there's always one little old lady who comes up and says, "Don't worry dear! I remember what it's like to have little children around. Of course it was half a century ago and my mind doesn't work as well as it once did...but if I recall correctly, a good whippin' always shaped my children right up!" Yes, yes...dinner at the Sizzler is always a treat! Anyway, back to Grandpa Judkins...

We just think Grandpa Judkins is the greatest! He is the only surviving grandparent out of both Mike & my families. He is a Layton farm boy through and through...and can still be found working out on his farm from time to time (against his doctor's orders). He's always cracking jokes and saying the funniest things! In fact, last night he said, "I'm not old...I'm actually still pretty young! In fact, I was thinking of asking some of the ladies in my ward out on dates (then he paused)...but then I decided their husbands probably wouldn't like that very much so I guess I won't!" Haha! He cracks us up! Every time I see him he says, "Hey Lindsay! I saw ya on the TV the other day...I think it was Wednesday." If I say something like, "Oh, but I didn't work on Wednesday." He'll respond with, "Hum...no...I know I saw ya on Wednesday! Maybe you forgot!" You just have to smile and say, "Yep Grandpa...maybe I did!" He is so funny! Anyway, so a big happy birthday to Grandpa Judkins! We think you are one very cool 88-year-old! --Lindsay, Mike, Connor & Aiden