Yeah...Laptop!

WOW... Barry has always told me that he wanted a big family. I was asked to do an overnight babysitting job, which I excitedly accepted for some last minute christmas money. My husband ditched me for the night (with my permission) to have a guys' night so I have spent the entire day babysitting alone- Grayson- 16 months, And four other boys ages 13 months, 3 years old, 5-6 years old, and an 11 year old. There were a few moments through out the day where I actually believed I could handle such a big family... and others where I was ready to rip my hair out! Such as getting yelled at because the frosting I put on the gingerbread house was melting on its own accord while the 13 month old was pouring his bowl of cereal over the edge of his high chair onto the freshly cleaned rug. Right now however, is one of the moments I might believe I can handle a big family. The boys all went to sleep by nine, giving me time to browse the movies and pick out a classic "Feature films for families". Does anyone remember those??? I love them! So here I am sitting on this EXTREMELY comfortable couch, watching a good movie with a wireless internet laptop, and all the extra candy from the gingerbread house! At this moment... I think I could definitely handle a large family.

Let's see if I'm still saying that when I finally get enough umph to pick up the mangled roll of toilet paper twisted around every nook and cranny in this house!

The Scoop!

Alright, here is the scoop. On Saturday, Barry, my Dad, and a few friends met up at our house and installed our new WOOD FLOORS!!!!!! Our house is going to look AWESOME!!! It took them from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm to get it done, but WOW what a difference.

This past Monday, three men from my ward came over early in the morning and moved almost every thing in our apartment to the house. They were amazing! I couldn't believe how fast they got all the heavy stuff... I guess that's the power of the priesthood! hahaha! Anyway, we had also asked ward members to come at 5:30 that night to help us move. Only a few people were able to come, but we are sooooooooooooooo grateful to them! We got everything moved over to the house very non-stressfully. When we got to the house, we asked our knowledgeable friend to light the pilot light to our heater. He discovered that our gas wasn't even on. Barry had called the gas company two weeks ago and gave all of our information, switched everything to our name, etc. So needless to say, it was a little frustrating. We went to the gas place yesterday and they told him they had NO RECORD of his phone call. GRRRRR.... So now we have to pay a huge fee to get our gas turned back on even though it was their fault. So until Monday (their closest available date to warm us up) we are sleeping on an air mattress in the living room of my parents's house.

Yesterday, they laid our carpet, so we are calling this all a blessing! We now have most of the week to get all of our belongings situated before we move in! So MONDAY, we will OFFICIALLY be living in our first HOME!!!!!!!!! YAY!!! I can't wait! And the best news of all............ Barry and I have not fought once!!! Everyone kept laughing and telling us that doing a remodel will test our marriage. But thanks to my oh-so-calm husband, this has been a super smooth project! I still love him! Isn't that great?

I have more good news! My brother decided to come home and work during Christmas break so we have our FIXED computer back, but it won't be hooked up for another week! SHEESH! But I was able to squeeze in a moment on my parents computer to let you all know what's going on. I'm sorry I'm going to miss several blogs from the past few weeks, but I'll try to catch up eventually!!!

P.S. Can anyone believe that Christmas is ALREADY NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!! THis year flew by!

AHhhhh!

Hey everyone! I'm typing this from a friend's computer! I just thought Id let you know that my computer crashed about two weeks ago so my brother took the tower home with him to Texas so we won't be getting it back until Christmas! At least he fixed it for FREE!!! SO I apologize for not leaving comments on your blogs!!! But if you dont hear from me....... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Things I am excited for...

#1- This weekend is our last performances of "Lucky Stiff"! It's been a great run, but I'm ready to have my life back

#2- WE CLOSE ON OUR HOUSE THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy Smokes, I can't believe it!

#3- Saturday, the PRIVATE screening of Twilight!!!! Woo! Over 40 females getting steamed up over our favorite vampire Edward. What is better than that?

#4- My brother is coming to town! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AT LAST!

It's GOOD to be alive!

Alright, so while I have time in between performances, I thought I would just give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has come to see my show! I have felt so loved these last three days just seeing how many members have come to Lucky Stiff! I appreciate it so much!!! And for everyone else, The show has been going AWESOME!!! We have nearly sold out the last two nights, and the audiences have been laughing non-stop the entire show. Everyone has come to ask if I'll be directing again at the theatre... I hope so! This whole experience has been so Amazing! Ahhhh the blessings of living in a small town. I just don't know if I would get so many opportunities anywhere else! I'd also like to thank Priscilla for lending me her husband. Throwing this show together so fast was very time consuming, but it wouldn't have been nearly as good without your husband's talents... and lovely figure in a dress! hahahaha! THANK YOU!!! And don't forget, we still have one more weekend if you've missed the show! November 20,21, and 22nd! I LOVE YOU GUYS - Maria, Maren, Priscilla, anyone else I missed who reads my blog, YOU ARE THE BEST!!!

p.s. Elise and Christina, I know you'd come if you could so I thank you too!!

This blog isn't really for anyone. I have a friend who is working on a masters degree in Drama therapy. It's very fascinating and right now she is learning about the power of poetry. She was given the challenge of writing an "I Am" poem and then challenged her readers to do the same. I thought I'd try it... since it works as therapy and all. Here it is:

I AM:
I am artistic and passionate
I wonder where life is leading me
I hear music everywhere
I see my daydreams coming true
I want to be remembered
I am artistic and passionate

I pretend that not-knowing doesn’t scare me
I feel there may be a pot of gold at the end of all rainbows
I touch bright colored canvases
I worry about the world
I cry when I disappoint others
I am artistic and passionate

I understand my life is a series of choices
I say thank you for the blessings I have received
I dream that I’ll keep getting better
I try to make a difference
I hope I’ll achieve greatness
I am artistic and passionate

It is a very thought-provoking process, Thank you Anna for your insight. I just thought I'd post the outline in case anyone else wanted to take a few minutes to ponder their lives.

I AM:
I am (two special characteristics you have)
I wonder (something you are especially curious about)
I hear (an imaginary sound)
I see (an imaginary sight)
I want (an actual desire)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
I pretend (something you actually pretend to do)
I feel (a feeling about something imaginary)
I touch (an imaginary touch)
I worry (something that really bothers you)
I cry (something that makes you very sad)
I am (the first line of the poem repeated)
I understand (something you know is true)
I say (something you believe in)
I dream (something you actually dream about)
I try (something you really make an effort about)
I hope (something you actually hope for)
I am (first line of the poem repeated)

And that is it.

I keep telling myself... It's almost over....

Tonight is our very last dress rehearsal for the musical I have been directing, "Lucky Stiff". We have thrown this musical together in a remarkable amount of time... just five weeks. I honestly didn't think it was going to turn out since I had no stage manager, no tech crew, and only Mondays and Wednesdays to stage and choreograph all of the big numbers. But, as of last night I think we have a pretty darned good show. And I am very proud of myself, I have managed to keep my stress levels down pretty well this entire time. There have only been a few times when I have lost it... This past Friday when my entire flakey band quit on me without so much as an apology. Thank goodness I have a tried-and-true pianist who has accepted the challenge of carrying the show on her own. This past Friday as well, when two girls showed up to volunteer as stage managers and then tried to direct the show themselves. And today... I spent the entire morning painting a stupid sign for the show just to have Barry come home and point out that I painted the wrong name on it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
Don't be surprised to see me with bald patches all over, I might just rip out my hair!

My Bucket List.

My friend Emily just posted a bucket list blog. It made me think what might be on my bucket list so I thought I would copy her- Thanks Em! For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, a bucket list is a list of things you need to do before you kick the bucket (die).

1- Finish writing a musical
2-have it produced professionally (anywhere)
3- Ride a rollercoaster (This one just might not happen though)
4- Go camping at least once (I've never been)
5- Make it back to Broadway
6- Perform in a professional musical
7- Travel somewhere out of the country
8- serve a mission with Barry (I'm copying this one!)
9- Meet John and Rachel Ricks and Ryan and Michelle Ricks. (and all of their children)
10- own a big screen T.V. (haha)
11- Finish my bachelor's degree
12- Get my entire house clean and keep it that way (this one just might not happen either)

That's all that just popped into my head. But I'm gonna make this a tag, and tag EVERYONE! It's fun to plan out your life a little! What's your Bucket list?

Oh No!!!

Recently, our son has turned into the Mean kid. When he gets mad, he will throw things or hit us... or both. And yesterday I went to go talk to the apartment manager who owns a dog, and when I turned around to check on Grayson, he was throwing a pinecone at the Dog!!! Before I could get to him, he nailed that poor dog in the face. He threw two more pinecones at him before I took him inside. AND, yesterday he threw the biggest fit at Walmart because I wouldn't let him push the buttons on the keypad at the cash register. My mom told me that kids who feel the most loved and comfortable with their home surroundings end up being the brattiest. So how in the world do I fix this? Stop loving my child?!?! :) I'm just wondering where he picked up this behavior because I've never seen another child act like this around him, and we definitely never watch violent movies when he is awake... Hmmmm. And I thought they stayed perfect and sweet forever. haha

Pumpkin Time!!!

Our Family!!!

We decided Grayson might be a little too small to handle a sharp object, so we bought a couple packs of stickers from the dollar tree and let him go at it. He had a blast!

The Finished product

My Geeky Husband carved the symbol from "Zelda" haha! No one except my little brother (who is also a big geek) has recognized the symbol! But if you knew the symbol, you'd think he did a great job!

I carved Scooby Doo... Imagine that. It looks better in person but I'm happy with it!

TRUNK OR TREAT!

Wednesday night was our combined wards' Trunk-or-Treat Haloween party. Barry and I have been planning this day forever. Back in March or so, we decided that we were going to do a family theme. Originally we decided to be Chewbacca, Princess Leah and Hans Solo but we decided to stick with something a little cheaper. This year we were a Knight, Princess, and Dragon. It took me an hour to do my hair... but it was fun because it felt like prom all over again. And Grayson got his growl down pat, but he missed his afternoon nap so by the time the party rolled around, he was exhausted. He spent the whole party staring off into space with glazed over eyes. I chased him around the whole party just trying to get one good picture... I think we got a few decent ones. We are going to be getting professional pictures done in our costumes... haha! I can't wait! Anyway, even with a cranky tired Grayson, we still had a blast! The funniest part was when people still asked us what we were supposed to be. And several people thought Gray was T-Rex!!! Seriously people... a knight, princess, and T-Rex??? THat doesn't even make sense!!! But I thought the best costumes of the night were The Sullivans. There is a couple in our ward who has seven boys so she dressed up like Snow White, her husband was prince charming, and all the boys wore white beards and names of which of the seven dwarves they were! haha! I love Haloween!!! Barry and I have already started planning for next year's costumes!

Getting closer!

Haloween is one of those Holidays that I ABSOLUTELY love!!! If I had more money, I would replace all the decorations in my house with Haloween junk, but alas all we have is a vampire doormat from the dollar store, and a witch's hat I made for Relief Society. But, the best part about the holiday (Nope, it's not the candy!) is carving pumpkins! This year Grayson got to pick out his own pumpkin so we took him to "The Pumpkin Patch". A local church in town sells the nicest pumpkins, but at Highway Robbery prices. A normal-sized pumpkin is about $10 bucks. So we let Grayson wander around for about an hour while we snapped pictures and then left without buying anything. Thank goodness for Walmart! We got our pumpkins for $3.50. Anyway, we will be carving our pumpkins tonight after the ward party... YEAH FOR TRUNK-or-TREATING!!! I am so excited! So here are just a few pictures of Grayson at the pumpkin Patch.

Oh, P.S. If you are wondering why there is grass in Grayson's hair... It's because he was more interested in pulling up grass and throwing it, than he was the pumpkins.

Games

Barry and I have a very interesting marital quirk. We are extremely competitive at very stupid things. This goes far beyond the rock, paper, scissors game we instigate every poopy diaper or bed time. While we were dating, Barry and I would often compete in a little thing called "The Straw Game". The rules are this: Insert a straw in your mouth. Be the first one to get the opposite end in your nose. No hands allowed. It sounds outrageous and disgusting but we have introduced the game to hundreds of people and Barry usually comes off conqueror. Another competition would be what we call, "Block-etball". Grayson has a tub full of blocks which occassionally get dumped and left on our living room floor. For Block-etball we divide the blocks into two seperate and equal piles. The blocks tub gets placed across the room from where we are sitting, and then we both take turns launching the blocks into the tub, as if we are shooting a basket. Whoever makes the most shots, wins. But we usually end up dumping the tub back out and repeat the game. Barry usually wins this one too.

The other night, we were both clapping for some cute thing that Grayson did and it turned into "The Last Clap" game. We clapped and clapped, trying to be the last one to clap. After about ten minutes of this game, Grayson started joining in; staring at us bewildered and clapping. Finally, we agreed to let Grayson have the last clap so both of us would lose together. It was a hard forfeit, but Grayson won.

Two nights ago I raised my eyebrows up and down and Barry did it back to me. Then I did it again. He did it again. And then it morphed into who could raise their eyebrows up and down the longest. That game didn't last too long because we both burst out laughing.

There's also the "Bed Dance". I promise it's not as bad as it sounds. I get a little loopy if I stay up too late, and this loopyness produces the Bed Dance. It usually ends up with us about to fall asleep, and I call out, "Bed Dance" and we both start flopping around like fish. And of course, it turns into a competition to see who can flop around the longest. This game is highly efficient though, because it often leads to a quick shut eye.

And of course there are the regular games. We play Scrabble, Boggle, Yahtzee, Skipbo, and Phase Ten ALL the time! When we play one on one... we play for blood. And recently, I've finally achieved Barry status at Guitar Hero so it's actually challenging for him to play me. And sometimes I actually win!

What I'm trying to say, us Ricks are very strange people. Most of you non-families members, don't see this side of us, but it is there. We are extremely competitive... and it is what makes our marriage so great!

It's official.

Alright. Here is the news you have all been waiting for. Barry and I are BUYING A HOUSE!!! I apologize for those of you who have heard the story already but:

A few weeks ago, we got a letter stating that our apartment rent was being raised by $100 bucks. They have been updating all the empty apartments to these BEAUTIFUL tiled places, and our retro orange shag carpet, straight out of the seventies apartment rent would only be 20 dollars cheaper than the nice apartments, and they wouldn't even update ours. We, well I was extremely upset, so Barry, trying to cheer me up, took me to get hamburgers and icecream. We were driving around eating (and venting) when we drove past this cute little house on this cute little street.

One of the ladies in the musical I'm directing is a realtor, so we called her and she said she would meet us over at the house. She came right over, let us in, and we fell in love with the house. It's just two bedrooms but it has a lot of storage space and a HUGE back yard! We also found out that it is EXTREMELY Cheap, and with taxes, the mortgage payment is CHEAPER than our new rent. We prayed about it, went to the bank just to see if we could even qualify for a loan, and got approved for just the right amount! We both feel REALLY good about this decision, so we made an offer, got a counter-offer, re-counter offered, and the seller accepted our bid! AND, we are getting a new Stove out of it! haha! So, we are VERY VERY excited! The best part is my Extremely Worrying mother, said for some reason she also felt really good about our decision! That's a BIG DEAL! Sooooo... We signed the paperwork and now are in the process of closing.

The only bad part is that we have to wait until December 8 to move in!!! Fortunately, "winter" doesn't even start here until February, and ends in March! haha! So, BRING ON THE STRESS! We are MOVING to our FIRST home! YEAH!

And eat it too!

I've recently discovered that I really enjoy baking and decorating cakes. I've never taken a class so I can't do any of that amazing fancy stuff but I still enjoy experimenting with the frosting kit I just bought at my own yard sale! (We joined with three other families).

So here are my newest cakes:

And for the record, that pirate cake did not come from my imagination. That would be amazing! I got it from Familyfun.com... one of my favorite websites and magazines in the whole world! But I did make up the strawberry, german chocolate, caramel cake. Anyway, it's kind of nice that I can use this developing talent as a sort of service. I've been able to do a cake for a baby shower and two birthday parties. It's helped realize that there really are THOUSANDS of different ways we can serve others. I can't complain anymore that there aren't any opportunities for little ol' me to do service in little ol' Carlsbad. I just have to be creative!!!

For Maria.

My New Mexico Bug Story.

Last fall, we were leaving my parents house after dark. On the way home, we stopped at a stoplight and something caught my eye. I looked out the passenger side window, and sliding down the glass was a GIANT tarantula!!! I jumped out of my seat, screaming my head off... I went ballistic! Barry started swerving and yelling because he thought that a car was barrelling toward us. After realizing we were not about to die, Barry screamed, "WHAT!" And I frantically explained that there was a spider on my window.

I've never seen Barry so mad.

When we got home, I made him get out of the car, come around to my side, and thoroughly make sure the spider didn't miraculously stay on the car during our drive, just waiting for a chance to eat me.

Lucky for me, it was gone. But I wonder, HOW IN THE HECK DID A TARANTULA GET ON TOP OF MY CAR???!!?! My theory is that it dropped onto our roof from a tree we were parked under. Just think! It could have landed on my head!!!!!!!!!

Even after a year, I still have to check the roof (and the car handle) whenever we park there, just to make sure Tarantula's Family isn't seeking revenge. Shudder.

BRISINGR!

The Girls and I had the funnest time on the eve of "Breaking Dawn", the fourth book in the "Twilight" series, but it was just a Ladies night. So, my friend, Priscilla and I wanted to make sure our husbands got to partake in the Par-tay as well. Friday night was the release of "Brisingr", the third book in the Inheritance series. We met up at Priscilla's house and ate some "Saphira" Cake, then played games until our husbands left to buy their books. It was a blast! Here are a few pictures!

P.S. Please don't judge my dragon cake, the frosting melted because our apartment is so hot, so it looks rather gross and disgusting! We still ate it though, and it was good!

Every day...

Grayson no longer allows me to feed him. If I try, he just spits the food out until I hand him the spoon. I'm beginning to believe he got the Ricks' "stubborness" gene. This is very frustrating on the days where he is already dressed and I am planning on going somewhere after he eats. So we have this new tradition:

Every day, I strip Gray down to his skivies to eat. He makes a huge mess, and instead of cleaning him up I take him straight to the tub. Every day, Grayson poops in the tub. And every day, I remind myself to wait a few minutes before bathing him so he can do his business in a diaper. But, every day I forget and stick him right in the tub. They say people are supposed to learn from their mistakes.

I guess I'm just not one of those types of people.

What a week!

Before I start, let me add a little disclaimer... I am very close to "lady time" so I hope that might justify my actions that you will soon be reading.

A few days ago, I lost my car keys. Not only the car keys, but our house key, the mail key, the laundry key, and a few sentimental key chains. Needless to say, the keys were important. I was rushing to take Grayson to the doctor and I distinctly remembered putting the keys into the diaper bag, then we walked to the doctor's, and then we were given a ride home. Somewhere in that time, the keys disappeared.

Now, as you all know, this week has been horribly stressful, depressing, and difficult with Grayson's condition. My stress level was beyond red alert so the key incident was sending me into a nuclear melt down. For days I tore our apartment apart, I searched through the diaper bag a billion times, I checked the side walk to the office, called the doctor twice, all to no avail.

On the eve of a very particularly horrible day, Barry and I were just sitting in our living room and he casually reached his hand into the front pocket of the diaper bag and VOILA... pulled out the keys. He held them up to me excitedly... and I threw something at him. Grayson's binky went flying from my hand before I even realized what I was doing! It's a good thing I'm a terrible shot because it nearly grazed his face. He just stared at me, bewildered, and finally choked out, "WHAT'D YOU DO THAT FOR!"

I shouted back, "YOU FOUND THE KEYS!!!" Then I went to the bathroom and cried.

Isn't it sad, that men... our wonderful, amazing, adorable men, have to get stuck with such emotional nutcases? Fortunately for me, I didn't scar my husband too badly, because he still kissed me goodnight, happy as a clam. Or perhaps he was just being a typical male, and never even realized that I was upset. Either way, I have my keys back.

THE VERDICT.

Firstly, THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE for your comments, emails, phone calls, and prayers. I feel so loved! You are all such wonderful friends!

And secondly, I took Grayson to the doctor today. He has Herpes. As in, the form of the herpes virus that causes cold sores. The doctor said pretty much everyone has the virus, and Grayson probably got it from a shopping cart or something... A SHOPPING CART! CAN I BE ANY MORE DISGUSTED!!! But, apparently for babies, the first flare up of the virus is severely painful. (Symptoms include fever, swelling, redness, bleeding, etc. for all you new moms like me!) And apparently, we are "lucky" that Grayson doesn't have open sores in his mouth... just swelling and pain. We've been advised to stay quarantined from other children for a week. Grayson wasn't put on any medications, the doctor said we just have to let the virus run it's course and to wash our hands a lot. (That would have been nice to know six or so days ago!!!) I can't believe a "Cold sore Virus" is causing so much damage but I am soooooooooo grateful that it wasn't a life-threatening, mouth-eating disease or something!

I hope none of you were stress-ridden and worried all day just to find out Gray has a cold sore. Haha! But THANKS AGAIN FOR EVERYTHING!!!

I didn't sign on for this!

When you plan on having a baby, you prepare for what's to come. Before we even conceived, we knew we would be giving up our free time, giving up our late nights, we'd be changing poopy diapers, cleaning up puke, getting puked on, catching those fingers in the toilet... we knew we'd have to discipline, we'd have to put up with tantrums and screaming, crying, laughing, sadness, etc. But I didn't sign on for this! About five days ago, Grayson started a fever, it wasn't very high but he was cranky and pretty much slept through the whole day. The next day was the same thing. On the third day, I noticed that Grayson's top teeth looked unusually small. They were literally disappearing. His gums were so red and swollen, they had almost completely covered the top teeth. The next day, his bottom teeth started disappearing. He hasn't eaten for the entire week because his mouth hurts so bad, and today he bit into something and his gums basically split open and started gushing blood. Finally, we decided it was time to call the doctor. Unfortunately, they can't fit us in till tomorrow. I hate watching my poor baby suffer. It's not fair that we can't take their pain from them. Sigh. Please pray for my little guy. We still have so many hours to go till our visit tomorrow. :(

Welcome Home!!!

HELLO EVERYONE!!! We're back in Carlsbad and thoroughly exhausted from our super trip to Utah. It not only was amazing but it also marked the first year of our first child's birth. That's right, little baby Grayson turned one year old on August 14, 2008. I always made fun of these kinds of parents, but Barry and I threw Grayson a huge first birthday bash! They're never going to remember the party, so why throw one? I can't answer that question, but it was so much fun despite that little fact.

The party was Superhero themed (imagine that?). We invited all of our family (and some of Barry's high school buddies) to "Big Bear Park" in Sandy, and had a big Barbeque. We also invited everyone to dress in Superhero garb, and had a few people do so. After dinner, Grayson demolished his birthday cake, that the Amazingly talented sister-in-law, Kathy decorated for us. She also made coconut cupcakes and chocolate chip, oatmeal, pudding filled cupcakes for everyone else.

Then after that we opened presents, which were almost all superhero themed haha, and then we had a badminton competition to win a pair of Marvel Comic Pajama Pants. It was an awesome birthday!!!

I can't believe Grayson is one. I always knew this day would come, but I really can't believe it actually did. Grayson blows me away. He is such a good walker, he loves smiling and laughing, he's an unfortunately expert button pusher, and he gets closer to talking every day. The most frustrating part of growing up... fits. Grayson recently learned how to throw fits. He does the whole screaming, flailing, throw yourself down on the ground kind of fits. I didn't see this part of childhood coming till at least two years of age, but boy was I wrong. But even with the fits, we have such a great little boy. Happy Birthday Monkey!

Other parts of our vacation included eating at Rodizio's (THANKS OMA!), taking Grayson to the Hoggle Zoo, taking him to an aquarium, seeing the Draper temple, seeing our good friend Brady Flanigan perform at the off-broadway theatre, getting free dental work from Barry's dentist uncle, and we got to see an AMAZING show at the Hale Theatre (Big: the Musical). It was incredible. My one true regret (honestly) was I really REALLY wanted to see my college friend Sarah Fager. We were planning on visiting her the last day of our trip but ended up not able to go. I was so sad. I really wanted to see her adorable baby and her adorable self. Just know, when Barry and I move to Utah, I'll be visiting more often!!! haha!

Utah and stuff

Well, tomorrow we start our trek to Utah!!! I am so excited!!! Barry and I were paid for our "volunteer" work with the High School's musical last year (and NO, it wasn't "High School Musical"!!!) The amount they gave us was just enough for a there and back trip to Utah! Our journey will be twelve days long and I couldn't be more excited! The last time we went anywhere I was just five months pregnant, so a trip is well overdue! Grayson's Grandma Ricks has never met him, so she will be meeting him for the first time as he turns one! I can't believe an entire year has gone by!!! WOW! I feel like we just brought our son home, but here he is walking around and baby-talking to us all day long!

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is to apologize if I get behind on reading blogs. I don't know how much access (if any) I will have to a computer, so you may not hear from me in a long while. And on that note, I am sorely disappointed with all of you! Hardly anyone has written a blog in several weeks! What am I supposed to do while Grayson is sleeping if I don't have blogs to read?!?! CLEAN???! Yeah right!

SO I hope you all have a great two weeks! I will be blogging all about our trip and Grayson's birthday soon so come back and check on that! BYE!!!

"Clue" is over. I am sad. But not too sad. On our first week of performance, Grayson started puking all over the place, his temperature was bordering 104, and he was very comatose-esque. It was very frightening, and on top of that, my parents forgot to tell us that they were going out of town that very weekend for my dad's surgery. Boy, did that put us in a bind! It's not like we could leave our flu-ridden child with our friend's who have young children of their own! We frantically called all the older, empty-nesters in our ward and set Grayson up to babysat. That was the hardest part, leaving my sickly child to have fun performing. That was enough stress to be grateful the show is over.

But... The show was quite successful! It was a rather fluffy script, but the audiences (except for the devil audience on first weekend Saturday) really seemed to enjoy the show. I have missed performing m0re than anyone could ever know, so this was just what the doctor ordered! I also had several people tell me that I was their favorite character, or that mine and Barry's song was their favorite... so talk about a Self-esteem boost! It's kinda nice being a big fish in a little pond. Carlsbad is used to seeing the same old actors in the same old shows, so I think Barry and I were a breath of fresh air for this town. That's not supposed to sound cocky! Anyway, here are a few pictures... enjoy. And THANKS everyone who came (and those who wanted to come but were incapacitated with a sickly husband), I love you all!

Miss Scarlet and Mrs. White (the maid)

Colonel Mustard... an AWESOME actor!

It's me! Scarletta Vermicelli!
Mr. Green and his DANG toothpick, haha! It was so fun to play across from my Husband!
The End.

TWERD.

I learned a new word on Friday: Twerd... "Twilight Nerd".

Yes, I am one of the millions of girls smitten (or bitten) by Edward, an unrealistically gorgeous vampire. I fought the urge to read the series for two years, but when I finally jumped on the bandwagon, I was in love, and embarrassingly so. A person my age should not enjoy reading such a cheesy teenaged drama... little did I know I wasn't alone with this secret fantasy. Two women in my ward, two mothers, invited all the women in our wards to have a tee-shirt decorating competition, and wear our shirts to the midnight release party of the fourth book. I couldn't believe that other normal women were willing to leave their inhibitions (and dignity) behind and do something so ridiculously AWESOME! Well, it turned out to be a blast. As in, one of the funnest times I have had since we moved here. Thank you ladies and fellow Twilight Fans!

More Playground pictures

I couldn't fit these in that last blog... so here are some more playground pictures.

At the Park... again.

Barry and I decided that Grayson is finally old enough to crawl around a playground. On Sunday, we took him to the "Playground on the Pecos", to see how well he would manage. All three of us ended up having a blast climbing the giant playground together and going down the "large twirly slide" as it is so called. I LOVE MY FAMILY!

wow.

Live theatre is on a completely different plane than any other type of entertainment. You can't call "cut", or send the footage to an editor and make the performance perfect and pristine. Last night was a firm testament of this truth. As you all know, Barry and I are in "Clue: the Musical" which opened this last Thursday. I play Miss Scarlet and I wear a beautiful red satin knee-length dress. During this interrogation scene, I sort of fling my dress out before I sit down. Well, last night, I flung it a little too hard, and the dress went flying... high. The bottom of my dress flew up to about chest-level, and I looked out at the audience to see a group of old (as in ELDERLY) ladies freak out, and start laughing.

At that moment I knew.

I flashed the audience... bad.

Lovely. Black. Granny panties.

I am mortified.

To quote Professor Plum, "the audience sure got their money's worth."

Fortunately enough, my church's Young Adult group came the night before, and I didn't know a single person in the audience the night of my striptease... THANK GOODNESS!!! I believe it's time to invest in some biker shorts. And the worst part of it all is this night was the night we filmed it. Every single cast member will get a copy!!! Oh well, you gotta love live theatre!

YEAH!!! WOO!!! GOOD FOR ME!!!

I walked four miles today.

Good hair day!

GRAYSON HAS HAIR!!! We've waited for so long! Just recently, Grayson developed this little tuft of fluff on the top of his head. We were so excited the first day we noticed it that we gave him a mohawk and took him to Walmart so everyone could see his hair! And now it's posted so EVERYONE can see his hair! YEAH!