Christmas Vacation in Idaho!!!

We spent our week of Christmas fun in Idaho with Matt's family. It has been a while since we have spent all of Christmas with just one side of the Family. Wait. . .oh that's right we have never been with just one side of the family. We have always done the "go to one family and then leave mid party to make the 3 hour drive to see the other family." This year my family was spending Christmas in Ohio with my brother Cameron and his family. We celebrated Christmas two Sundays before with that side of the family and then they all took off. The weekend before we headed to Idaho to start the fun. We started the party Sunday with the Clinger family party, then Monday night with the Ottersberg family party, and the fun just kept going. We enjoyed seeing family we hadn't been with in a while.

We spent the two nights leading up to Christmas helping "Santa" assemble the fun stuff. All Sammie wanted for Christmas was "Food for her babies" so that is what she got. Santa brought Sammie a Kitchen with lots of fun food. She was over the moon. She kept making food for us all day long. Oh she also got DORA shoes and will not take them off.



Eston got a basketball stand and loved shooting hoops but had to stand on someones legs to do it. He thought he was pretty special. He was more excited to just be with everyone and kept trying to figure out how to open the gifts. It was fun to watch him this year.



We have been trying to figure out why anybody bought them presents when they were completely happy with the wrapping paper and the boxes. That entertained them for about an hour or two.



We enjoyed our Christmas in Idaho so much we stayed two extra days and kept the party going.

More Christmas Fun!!

So Along with all the fun we had with Christmas in Idaho. One night Matt's mom decided that everyone needed a foot massage and soak from her. Sammie took the first honors. She had never had one of these and thought if she ever were a princess it was now.



So the foot massage entailed the following services. A foot soak with bath salts for aroma therapy, hot rocks on the bottom, a foot rub while soaking, she put lotion on our legs and feet with an additional massage, and then wrapped to keep warm at the end. As she finished up each persons massage she thanked them for coming and said that we were each entitled to a piece of cheesecake for an after massage treat. She was quiet professional. Matt took his turn and couldn't stop laughing for a few reasons. The first was because his size 14 feet didn't fit completely into the tub that was being used. So he had to adjust and B was because he is so ticklish he just couldn't stop. I think he enjoyed it. I might be able to talk him into going to a SPA for our anniversary next week.

ZOO Lights!!!

We thought that it would be fun to take the kids to see the Lights at the Hogle Zoo. The kids love the Zoo and the love lights. Zoo + Lights = fun (right?) Not so much. We got there early so it wouldn't be quite as cold or crowded. We had mass amounts of blankets, hats, gloves, coats, and treats. Sammie was so excited when we walked through the front gate. And then 3..2...1.. (wait for it) she started to cry and I don't mean a little cry it was a full blown melt down. Anyway we started through the zoo and the whole time Sammie is crying and I am trying to calm her down which usually isn't too hard. By the time we are as far from the front gates as we possibly could be, I realized that Sammie had wet her pants and everything was wet. No wonder the girl was screaming. However as I mentioned leaving she would cry harder. So I managed to get in one family picture before leaving.



We headed up to the gate and left, but not before Eston started in on the chorus. The two of them cried the whole way home as if the world had ended. Yes, we all lived but what was thought to have been a fun family tradition for the future has turned into one more thing on the list of things that we won't even discuss for another 10 years. (Hope the zoo is still doing it then.)
Oh, the coolest part was the 3-D glasses that we bought. That was almost worth the whole ordeal. When you put them on it makes any light, even the moon, into a snowman. So cool. I am supposed to buy about 20 pair for my mother-in-law. It made for lots of fun on Christmas Eve.

i made this. . .

So I have to show off this cute project I did. I say this because I took sewing lessons when I was 9 for about 6 months. After which I lost it (Sewing is not like riding a bike, you don't remember.)
I didn't touch a sewing machine for about16 years after that. I only started to sew again because my sweet mother-in-law(I mean Santa) bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. That was about 3 years ago. I thought I can't let a gift go to waste. So I learned how to make quilts and man I can make one mean quilt. (When I say one I mean I only know how to make one kind.) That is until 2 days ago.

Now that you have my sewing biography I will continue on with the story. Two days ago I was blog surfing, as I so enjoy doing, when I happened across my friend Katie's blog ("Clark and Katie" on my list) when I saw this cute dress that she made out of one of her husbands shirts. I thought that looks easy and I get to mutilate clothing, (always fun) in the process. From there she had a link to another blog site with step by step instructions. Whoever manages that site bought her brain at the same store I did. She had visuals and detailed step by step instructions. It was AMAZING!!! So here it is. I did this myself with no one else sewing with me (I did have to make a few calls to a good friend (who puts up with that stuff). And YEAH!!!





If anyone is up to the easy challenge I can tell you exactly where to find this. You to can by a PRO SEWER PERSON!!!

OH ALSO DONN"T FORGET TO LOOK AT MY CHRISTMAS CARD. It's below this.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Family picture frustrations

It doesn't matter what we do, but I don't think that it is in the cards for us to get a good family picture this year. My last post in Nov. turned out to be a work of art as you can see. I think it was borderline Picasso. And now. Our Camera is dumb. That is all that I can say about that. We took this picture which turned out descent however, our camera made it really pixelated (is that a word.) And there is only so many times that you can drag your family out and expect them to be happy about it. With that and too many other Christmas projects (will post pics later, maybe) we aren't going to be sending out cards this year. (Still leave us on you list, we will send next year.)
So MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Consider this our Christmas card.

Matt just finished his Master's in May in Architecture and works in Downtown Salt Lake City with a great Firm. I am in Primary and crazy busy with my kids, other peoples kids, and trying to convince myself that I am crafty (still out for debate.) Samantha and Eston are each others best friends. They are always reading each other books and wrestling with each other. That is when Sammie isn't parading around the house in her Princess dress and Eston isn't making the animal noises as he roams around (we still don't know which animal is which, unless he starts raising his arm. Then we know that he is imitating an Elephant.)

I hope this finds everyone well and that you all enjoy your Holidays!!!

The Clingers

Not Much To Say

I don't have much to say but I got chewed out for not posting since Thanksgiving. You would think it has been longer than two or three weeks. So I guess I will just tell you about the kids. Sammie is getting really excited for Christmas. She went and sat on Santa's Lap with a little caution. When asked what she wants for Christmas from Santa she gives two different answers "Food for my dollies" or "Munch (lunch) for my babies" Same thing so I guess will have to see what happens. Santa is going to have to get creative with this request. Her current over used phrases are, "I na no" (I don't know), "In a lilla (little) bit" and my personal favorite is " I'm sorry Mommy, I ninn't mean to" I don't know where she picked that one up but she says it with no sincerity at all. I have to try not to laugh. Oh, and since we are still having Potty training accidents I have a new phrase I started to use with her. I'll say, "Sammie, do you see the pretty princesses on your panties? When you wet your pants you get the princesses all wet and then you make the Princesses cry." This worked for about 3 days, after which Sammie's reply back was, "Oh, I made the Princesses cry, see Mom. They are sad." However she keeps wetting. Oh well. It was a shot in the dark.

Here is a picture since a blog isn't as fun without pictures.




This was right after their bath, they kept saying cheese, so I went and got the camera.

Thanksgiving Miracle!!!

YES!!! My Baby cooked this beautiful Turkey. I have to show off because whenever something like this is created in our kitchen it usually is because Matt was in charge and he has yet to ever cook something that didn't just get your taste buds watering. I hope to one day aspire to becoming his an apprentice but Matt is so unpredictable I never know what to do.

So yes it was a Thanksgiving Miracle at our house. The pies turned out, and everybody made something they had never done before and yet, it tasted amazing. I am still amazed that we were able to do it with out Jana. (She is my Aunt that is an amazing cook.) This is the first year we haven't done it with them. We spent Thanksgiving at my parents house with all of my siblings (minus the Ohio clan). And we made it through. It was kind of fun. The day after we went and spent the evening with Matt's family taking family pictures. We snapped a few of our small family, and wouldn't you guess none of them turned out. The best one looks like this. . .


Sammie looked the best. You Go Girl!!!
I won't show you the others because that would be spoiling the Christmas cards that Matt's parents want to send out. This picture you can barely make anything out of.
After pictures we went and hung out at Temple Square and looked at the lights. It was sooo cold that Matt and Sammie kept trying to warm their noses with their tongues.



For everyone who humored me on my last post, THANKS!!! It was kind of fun. Thanks for being good sports. Now I have to start focusing on Christmas. I have yet to start buying any gifts for my kids or anyone else for that matter. I never know what to do. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Hint Hint, to anyone in my family or Matt's family that we might end up drawing names for.

If You Are Reading This......

Okay, so my friend did this experiment that got me thinking and now I would like to try. So here it is....

I am VERY CURIOUS to know who is reading this blog. How did you find me? Do you stop by to read my blogs often or is this the first time, please post a comment. 90% of the time I feel like I am blogging purely for my benefit and once in a blue moon people or reading this. As Amy said in her blog "If I get 3 comments, I'll know that I'm not one of those "popular" blogs that even strangers and the strangers of strangers flock to :)" I think it would be fun for all of us to get an idea of how many people actually see our posts. So, if you are reading this, please quickly comment.

Thanks for your help, plus I also need some new blogs to look at. Thanks

TAGGED!!!

TAGGED!

I have tried to avoid tagging at all costs unless my name was actually listed below. If it said everyone I would ignore it. Apparently my sister-in-law doesn't know enough boring facts about me. Here I go!!!

Job's I've had:

Sandwich maker (Cutler's sandwiches)
Lagoon Campground staff
EFY counselor
Hostess at Lonestar Steakhouse
Copy Center Girl at USU
Glorified Babysitter
Intern at Primary Children's Medical Center Behavioral Unit
Nordstrom in Men's shoes
Psych Tech at UofU Neuropsychiatric Institute
Coordinator for at Risk Youth in Foster Care


Movie I could watch over and over again:
I don't think that I have one. I could however say that I could watch "The Office" DVD.

Places I've lived:
West Jordan, Utah
Rexburg, Idaho
Centerville, Utah
Logan, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah

Favorite TV shows:
Private Practice
The Unit
The Office
Grey's Anatomy
How I met your Mother
Brothers and Sisters
(I know I need to cut back on a few)

Places I've been on Vacation:

DisneyLand
San Francisco, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Cleveland, Ohio
Chicago, IL
Europe ( Belgium, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, London)
San Diego, CA
Spokane, WA
Montana
Do you want me to keep going?


Favortie food:
Japanese, Sushi
Cheesecake Factory ( One just opened in Utah, YEAH!!)

Places I'd like to be:
On Vacation
Anywhere, I just like to get out of my house and be on errands
Rome
anywhere with Matt with NO kids

Tagging:
No ONE

Daddy/daughter - Mother/son

Eston and I were able to go back and see beautiful San Diego in all of its burnt glory. We went to San Diego for my friends wedding, and got to see crispy scenery while there. It was kind of humorous because at one point (about a week before her wedding) I was told that her luncheon site had possibly burned down and that Michelle and her future in-laws had been evacuated. I thought this has got to be a wedding nightmare.

Eston and I had a lot of fun together. He did really well on the flight and made friends with everyone in the airport and everywhere else for that matter. It was a lot of fun having one-on-one time with him without his sister overshadowing him. I got to know a lot more about his personality than I usually do. Eston became obsessed with cats or "hats" as he referred to them all weekend. Aside from the fact that I had Eston with me, it was great being able to just hang out with the Michelle and Jenny and do whatever we wanted.

On the flip side, Matt and Sammie had quite the adventure as well. Sammie tried to have a sleepover at Lindsays house which apparently failed and ended up with Matt getting a 3 am wake-up call. Sammie woke-up and said OKAY I am ready to see my dad. And that ended it. They went to the ZOO and as Sammie would say "We have a party Mom. . .okay?" She apparently is completley potty-trained when with Matt but not for me. We had 4 accidents upon my return. All in all we had a lot of fun.

Halloween

It has taken me a while to get Halloween pictures from this year posted, but better late than never. Sammie and Eston were supposed to be Cowboy and Cowgirl together. However a few days before Halloween when we tried to go to a Halloween party Sammie boycotted her costume and demanded that she be a Princess in a pink dress with a crown and a wand. Apparently I didn't have much more to imagine, Sammie pretty much described the whole outfit. So we had last minute costume planning. That is the last time I pick out something she is to wear without consulting her first. Eston was a cowboy and he looked DANG CUTE!!! He was in love with his costume and would clunk around in his boots like he owned the place. Sammie would just twirl everywhere she went. We had a lot of fun this year.

HALLOWEEN FLASHBACK

Halloween Flashback of my kids on Halloween!!! I know they are really young still, but I thought that they looked really cute when I was looking at old pictures.

Here is Sammie's first Halloween. She was 5 1/2 months old. She was dressed like a ladybug and Halloween happened to be the first day that Sammie started to crawl. Little did we know that we would have to kids by the next Halloween.


Sammie was a fairy this year. However she wouldn't stand still enough to get a picture from the front. She finally figured out that if you say Trick-or-Treat, people give you treats. She was so excited she was telling other kids Trick-or-Treat. Eston was only 2 1/2 months old but he made a very good looking Vampire.



We are excited for this year. The kids are going to be CowGirl and CowBoy. They are wearing Matt and their Aunt Kim's costume from when they were little kids. Eston is just excited to look like his sister and she just wants the treats.

The Week of no KIDS!!!

I just have to say I didn't think it would be as hard as it was to walk away from my children for 4 days. I CRIED LIKE A BABY as I drove away. But I also have to say that it was a GREAT 4 days!!! It was nice not having to worry about dirty diapers and little girls wetting their pants. Matt and I had an amazing weekend together and it did great things for strengthening our relationship. And to think we found piece among 147 youth bouncing of the walls and full of sugar and overloaded hormones. We had a great time. We stayed up in Aspen Grove for 3 days for the Utah RYLA conference. RYLA is put on by the ROTARY CLUB for youth who show great leadership skills.



Matt and I were facilitators for a group of 8 youth. We ate with them, danced with them, cheered with them, and yes slept in the same cabins as them. I would have to say that I slept better there than I do at home with my kids and I only got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep each night. We had a great group and enjoyed getting to know each of the participants I would say that they taught us a lot as well. Oh and Matt got to be Santa Claus this year and it is only October. It was pretty funny.



On another note the kids had a party. We took them up to Idaho on the Friday before we abandoned them. We went to Matt's brother's mission homecoming address. After which Matt left and I stayed a few extra days. While in Idaho I learned to ride a Harley. Yes, I rode a motorcycle. I can't turn really well and I can't stop that great either but I did drive it on my own. I have a lot more to learn.



After I left Idaho crying, the kids didn't even realize I was gone. They played dress up, made cookies, picked out pumpkins, and had the undivided attention of their Grandparents, one Aunt, and three uncles. They had a party. When they returned home to us on Saturday night. Sammie could not stop laughing she was so excited, but Eston wanted nothing to do with us. He wouldn't let go of Grandma. Apparently he was going to show us he who was boss and would teach us a lesson for leaving them. We were so excited to have them back. I love them to death, but I think Matt and I might have to do this again sometime, it was refreshing and give us our second wind. I appreciate everything a lot more.

Jeeping it / Sugarplum fairies

About a week ago Matt decided to take the kids for the day while I worked on the Primary program with our ward. They left about 8:00 in the morning. The kids had barely opened their eyes and I didn't see them again until around 4:00 in the afternoon. Matt had met up with some other people with off 4 wheel drive on their vehicles and decided to go 4 wheeling through the back of the mountains. They started in Farmington and ended somewhere in Bountiful. Matt said the kids were great and loved the bumpy road. However, there is nothing like a mother. Half way through the trip they stopped for lunch at a campground and Sammie about lost it. She couldn't believe that they would go camping with out mom. Frankly, I can't believe he would go 4 wheeling without me. They had a lot of fun and the jeep was dirty enough to prove it.


Matt is going to kill me for posting these beautiful pictures. But this is what you get when the oldest of your two kids is a girl and the boy doesn't know better. My Sugar plum Fairies, are Princesses. I don't know what the technical term for it is. The kids danced all morning in costume until Sammie didn't want to share anymore.



Eston is kind of cute, however his dad would say that is not manly.

Cows and Argentina

We had a busy weekend but had a blast. Our weekend started out by taking the kids camping...you heard that correctly. We did go camping during the middle of a cold spell in the Idaho and Utah area. We took the kids up to a place called the City of Rocks in Idaho. We have now graduated from tenting it in Grandma's backyard to sleeping with the Coyotes. Yep, we heard Coyotes about 100 yards from our tent or closer and it was great. Sammie acted as if we had been keeping her in a cage the past two years. As soon as we were out of the car Sammie ran around loose for the next 20 hours. We had a lot of open range near our tent and at one point Sammie heard some cows mooing. She immediately yelled to them over and over saying" I hear you cows, I'm coming" and took of running quite aways. Eston wasn't quite so sure about the dirt. Of course he just thought it was food and tried to shove it into his mouth by the handfuls. We did however have an awesome adventure.



We then headed to Idaho to greet Matt's brother Tony home from his mission. He served in Argentina. We had a great time with his family and was so excited to see Tony. When he left on his mission Sammie was only 4 months old and Eston obviously wasn't here yet. Tony was so amazed by the changes in the too and I can tell that he is excited to be able to spend more time with them now. We were able to hear many great stories and watch all the siblings interact. Dallas, Braden, and Grandpa Leland went to pick him up. They returned with soccer jerseys for the whole family. It was kind of fun to were them together. We look forward to going up for Tony's homecoming.

Random Clinger moments. . . .

We have had a quite a busy month, but nothing that I felt was entertaining to anyone else. I'll share anyway. I am way to much of a clean freak sometimes that it is hard for me to let my kids get messy. I did however finally get the courage up to let Sammie help me make some bread. Which was surprisingly not as painful as I had thought it would be. We had a lot of fun, and I think I can let her cook more often. It was hard giving up some of that control.
Samantha is quite the diva these days. She is always copying what I am doing, what I am wearing, she tells you how she wants her hair and what colors of hair accessories she wants with it, and lets not even talk about the clothes. But she is also very loving and always good when you need a hug or kiss. She even tried to help me out the other day by changing Eston's diaper. I told her I didn't quite need that much help.
I have been also taking a cake decorating class, so that when I made my kids birthday cakes they could be proud of them and get excited for me to make them, instead of asking for a store bought one. Really, I don't think I am ready for the big bucks to come in over my master pieces, but I did make one the other day dedicated to Matt's Architecture firm. Matt said I was the hit of the office and one guy even offered to marry me. Apparently he forgot quickly that I was already taken. It's not anything amazing and I did misspell Architect (apparently there is no h toward the end). But here it is. . . . .

TADA!!!!!!! I will be taking orders later. . . . .
That about covers it. We are waiting for the long awaited return of Elder Tony Clinger (Matt's brother.) He comes home next week and we are all very excited. Tony left when Samantha was 4 months old and will come home to 2 1/2 year old Sammie and 13 month old Eston. Weird. I guess that's a mormon family for ya.

MY BABY IS ONE!!!

My little boy turned one this passed week. I can't believe it went by that fast. He is the funniest kid he knows, and is always moving somewhere. It was a very busy day and that is in part to having his cousin Christine born on his birthday. He also shares with his aunt Lindsay. August 18th is definately becoming a crowded day, but we love the parties.


Eston is so adorable. My little boy has a huge heart and will great anyone with a big hug. He is always so excited to see Sammie, Matt, or I whenever we enter a room. We had a fun party. Eston was able to watch his cousin, sister, and second-cousins, open all of his gifts. He was more excited to be in the hustle of all the other kids he just wanted to watch. He was a little slow for the birthday mark and decided to start walking on his own 2 days after. He can go a whole hour walking back and forth between Matt and I and he thinks it is a game. Eston is quite the Daddy's boy. He rushes to Matt's side whenever he even senses that he is near. I do have to admit that it is a nice break since every other word out of his sister's mouth is mom. Her favorite phrase is " I want my mommy!!" As a birthday present Eston was able to have his helmut off. He now only has to where it at bedtime. I love it because I can now cuddle with him and kiss his soft white hair. I look forward to the next year and how much he will be able to learn in that short time span.

Just Kidding about the Potty!!!

So. . . .we didn't get to potty train this week. Sammie and Eston came down with Ear infections and colds on the morning we were to begin the fun. I wasn't about to battle that beast with a sick kid and another one on the side. So I think this is a task that might be left to the wayside for another month or two until I have time again. I do appreciate all the advice and pep talks. I will refer to them later.

POTTY POWER

Okay!!! This is the whole part of parenthood that I have been dreading. I can deal with snotty noses, dirty diapers, being thrown up on, even having diapers blow-out on me. Really, I can!!! What I don't think I can deal with is POTTY TRAINING!!! The time has arrived, I think!!! I am 99% sure that Sammie is ready for this. However that 9 months of pregnancy and the last two years of diapers has still not prepared me for the storm. I am open to any advice one would feel inclined to offer. I am starting on Monday and hoping we have it down, somewhat, by Thursday. I have a whole new repsect for mothers who have gone before me in this endeavor.

Sammie wants to be ready but we will see. She is as stubborn as both of her parents and this is going to require all my tricks at one time.She may look sweet, but really she is a force to be reckoned with. I'm just hoping we both make it out alive.

TEXAN ADVENTURE

We had a fun weekend. My cousins from Texas are visiting in Utah for a few weeks and we got to spend a couple days with them. Hayden came to the BEES baseball game with us on Thursday night and then spent the night at our place. The next day we meet up with McCall and Tye and spent the afternoon at the Gateway. We all went to DINOSAURS 3-D and then I took the McCall and Sammie to play in the fountains. We finished the night with bowling before we headed back to Gram and Grandpa Burke's house for a high-powered basketball game. We had tons of fun with them. The fun didn't end there, oh no, McCall came back to our house and had a sleepover with Sammie in our front room. Sammie just thought that was the coolest thing ever. She did however keep referring to McCall as Jordan. I have no clue why. Sammie kept following McCall around and wanting to do everything that McCall would do. Sammie was beside herself with excitement. McCall was a good sport. We enjoyed spending time with the Texan Clan and always look forward to hanging out with them.

Camping in Grandma and Grandpa Clinger's backyard

We had a busy time in Idaho this past weekend. Matt had his 10 year class reunion and had tons of activities planned for that. We really wanted to go camping this summer with the kids, but because of Eston's helmut, it wasn't a good idea to take him out in the heat and the dirt. We improvised and camped in Grandma and Grandpa Clinger's backyard. We set up the tent and had a great BBQ that night. Braden is in the pic with Matt and the kids. After some of the high school reunion festivities we went back and decided it was time to get in the tent. Sammie had her flashlight and harmonica and was ready to sleep. I just have to say that it was an interesting experience. The next morning Grandma cooked sausage and pancakes out by our tent. We got the whole camping experience catered to us. Sammie liked camping so much that the next night Grandpa Dallas set up his one man tent in the office and Sammie camped inside. That girl loves the outdoors like her mom. Matt said we are in trouble.

4th of July Weekend at Bear Lake

Matt and I spent the weekend with the kids up at Bear Lake with the rest of the Family. It was great to be able to relax and enjoy each others company. It seems like summer is so busy for us. There is always something fun going on and I am the type of person who has to be doing it all. Matt's parents joined us for a day at the Lake along with the Quist and Staples family who stayed for the weekend. Sammie was being a diva out in the water she felt she needed to sun bath in the inner tube. She is quite the princess when it comes to anything big.

We then drove on to Idaho for Matt's cousins wedding. It was out doors and beautiful. We spent the fourth in Idaho with both sides of Matt's family eating lots of good food as they like to do. We arrived home to Salt Lake just in time for the big 4th of July fireworks show at Sugarhouse park. The kids were in the zone by the time we left the park. Sammie's new favorite word is FIREWORTS!!!! (she can't say her k sounds)

So be patient while I get this site up and running I am going to have to piece it together a little at a time since we don't have internet at our house