Blog? What's a blog?

I'm a huge blog slacker lately. So here is what's going on in our little world lately. This is going to be a kind of random blog entry so prepare yourself!

Spring is hideously busy and now that I have some down time, I have immersed myself in projects that have been screaming at me for months now. I've organized our food storage room. I've started to reorganize my office. I've pulled pictures out so I can buy frames and actually put them on the wall. I've lived here for almost 4 years, maybe I should decorate? Plus, a thousand other little things that I've already forgotten about that have been done. I feel so accomplished!

I'm starting to mourn the loss of Carson going from a little kid to a "big" kid. He is on his last month of preschool ever and I'm so sad about it! His teachers are wonderful and I wish they could all just come with him to kindergarten in August. But on the upside of things, he is now big enough to do all the cool big kids stuff. I love that he is always willing to help out with the chores and helping dad in the shop. While I will mourn the loss of his "babyhood", I welcome the next stages in his life. Kindergarten, here we come!

Caleb is busy as ever! Sports, friends and going to the dunes. That's his life. I would like to think that his family ranks somewhere on that list! I guess we take him to the dunes so we have a place as well, haha! I'm kidding, he is a sweet kid who has a soft spot for his family :) He got a concussion yesterday so I'm his indentured slave today and I'm guessing for the rest of the week. He has been doing pretty well despite the fact that his head really, really hurts. But kids are resilient and Caleb is tough so I'm sure that he will get over it in no time and be back to his busy life. He is just finishing up 4th grade right now. I can't believe that I will have a kid in 5th grade in August! Time has flown way to fast for me. We also just finished up his spring soccer season and it was amazing. Our little team has grown up! They are all tough, seasoned players now and it's been an absolute blast to watch them play this spring. We will be going to the Utah Summer Games in June and I know they will do well.

Allan and I are keeping busy too. We have tried to enjoy every second of raising our boys because someday they will grow up and leave. I try to block that thought from my head often, refusing to believe that it will ever happen. They are going to be like Peter Pan and stay little forever, right?!

We have spent lots of time at the dunes this past year. Allan and the boys love to ride and I love that I can take naps or read often when we are there. At least we all can enjoy ourselves while we are there. Plus, the sand rail is only a little scary for me so I actually go on rides when we're there. And I only freak out a little bit when Allan goes up the hills, no more screaming and crying for me! OK, maybe a little bit of screaming but the rail is so loud that no one hears me anyway.

In other sad news, on March 28th, Allan's sister Malinda passed away because of her lifelong health problems. It's been a really tough loss for our family. It still seems very surreal, that she's going to call me up and then we'll go hang out. She left behind 2 beautiful daughters who were her world. Caleb was really close to his Aunt Malinda and is still very sad. He came out of his room the other day crying. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that he had been watching our old home movies and that Malinda was in them a lot and that he missed her so much. But I know that one day we'll see her again and that she'll greet us with that big, beautiful Malinda smile and all will be well.

Even though this last year has been touched with loss and tragedy, all in all, life is still good. We are still happy, healthy and blessed. My kids are amazing and I love them so much. They make everyday worth living! I'm married to the worlds greatest husband. Allan is the best dad in the world too. I consider myself one of the luckiest women in the world!!

January was fan-freaking-tastic.

If you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm that I was using in my title. For the most part, January sucked. But we did have a few fun days here and there.

For New Years, we went to Dumont Sand Dunes for a quick family vacation. Of course, family vacations are never a vacation for me. But everyone else had a good time. :)

For the first time ever, I pulled a trailer loaded with toys down. I did pretty good until...

Whoops!! I buried it in the sand. But I didn't wreck it or anything so that's a plus.

We finally got to take the sand rail out to play. That thing is fast!! I can't believe how it handles in the sand, it is amazing. I'm not an adrenaline junkie or anything, I'm basically the opposite of an adrenaline junkie (yes, I'm a total chicken) but I LOVED the sand rail. I think Allan and I are the only ones who are big fans of the sand rail. Everyone else preferred the 4 wheelers and the Rhino.

Allan and me in the sand rail. Notice the wheels were coming up off the ground. I was probably yelling at him to slow down.

Carson and Kenzi in the Rhino. Kenzi drives the Rhino better than I do. She's a dune junkie like Allan. So are Caleb and Carson. I guess in runs in the family...
Caleb tearing it up on the 400. He made a friend at the sand dunes and all they did was ride from the second breakfast was over, until daylight was done. They had a blast!

Then, on our last day at the dunes, the sand rail broke. So it ended up here...

so that I could tow it home. I wasn't too thrilled at the prospect of pulling the sand rail home but I managed to make it home in one piece.

When we were coming home from the dunes, I had a sore throat. It was sore but not overly sore, so in typical mom fashion, I ignored it. I ignored it for 4 days until it was so bad that I couldn't swallow anymore and I couldn't sleep. So I drag my sick self into Instacare (love the one on Sunset!!) and find out that I have strep throat. The Dr. didn't even wait for the results of the throat swab (glad I paid 39.00 for that!) and then gave me a choice: 10 days of antibiotics or a penicillin shot in the bum. I chose the shot and let me tell you, the shot HURTS!! So if your kiddos ever have to get one, be sympathetic because they really do suck.

So, I thought that after getting that painful shot, I would miraculously feel better. MMMM, not so much. I was horribly sick for a total of 16 days. I lost my voice, I lost 5 nights of sleep (because if you can't swallow, you can't sleep), my house looked and smelled BAD, and I was miserable. So if you're keeping count, I've have lost over a month to being sick since November. It's all very lame.

Then I went on a quick girls trip to my friend Natalie's house. It was a much needed break from reality so my sanity would stay in place! We had a blast, as usual. It went way too fast and I'm looking forward to the next one!

I got home from Nat's house and got some kind of stomach bug that made me nauseated and my stomach hurt. The best way to describe it is it was like having morning sickness without the hormonal outburst that I was so prone to. And no, I'm not pregnant. So I was down for an additional 3 or 4 days with that lovely sickness. Lame, lame, lame.

And on that note, January ended. So here's hoping that 2010 is a GREAT year that will bring many good times and lots of good memories.

Oh and just because I like these, here are a few more pictures:

This is what the laundry looks like after spending a week at the dunes.

So blessed...

I have to get serious for a minute but don't worry, it won't last long, I'm not a very serious person!

I'm so blessed in my life right now, even though health wise I'm not feeling my best and Carson is sick too.

Since I've gotten into Facebook, I've gotten to hear about all the trials***(see note at the bottom) in my friends lives. For instance, a gal that I knew in high school has got to be one of the toughest people I know! Her husband was in a motorcycle accident (not his fault, a car hit him) this year and they've been trying to recover from that. Then she finds out her dad has cancer. Then she has a miscarriage. HOLY CRAP!! If that was me they would have to put me in a padded room because I would have lost it! Or my other dear friends who are struggling in their marriages, or with their families, or with depression, or with health problems, or with WHATEVER!! But its these same people who are the most amazing, telling about the blessings in their lives, pulling through with a smile on their face and the eagerness to help out their family and friends. WOW!! What an awesome example of how to live your life. YOU ROCK!!

I heard a saying that goes something like this "If everyone put all our problems in a pile, we would quickly take ours back." Seriously, isn't that so true? I mean, I know how to deal with my problems most of the time because they usually stem from the same source: family. Now this doesn't mean my entire family, just a few select people who chose to whine, be unhappy and somehow manage to try to find reasons that its my fault. Its all very annoying but not tragic in any way (which I'm grateful for!!) because when I calm down, after all the inevitable drama that comes with it, I know its their crap and not mine.

I'm blessed with a happy marriage, the best kids a mom could ask for, healthy kids, health in general, good parents, awesome friends, an amazing ward who knows that I'm crazy but likes me anyway, great neighbors that more than cancel out the psycho ones, getting to traveling all over the place. The list could go on and on but I'll stop for now.

So if you've got a minute, count your blessings.


***DISCLAIMER!! I love that I hear about all the happy stuff too. AND I promise that I'm not thinking that you are whining! You are just being real and I love it! Fake people drive me crazy so keep it real and keep it coming~!!***

I believe....

~I believe everything happens for a reason because God doesn't make mistakes.

~I believe Diet Pepsi is an important part of the food pyramid.

~I believe my house doesn't have to be perfectly clean everyday.

~I believe you should go crazy and decorate your house for every holiday because it makes life more fun.

~I believe that kids should play in the dirt and should not have to be cleaned up immediately.

~I believe the CHI is the best invention ever for hair.

And speaking of hair:

~I believe that I will never know the true color of my hair.

~I believe in true love, soul mates and happily ever after.

~I believe boys are smelly and they like it that way.

~I believe making the bed is a waste of time.

~I believe that we have the cutest dog ever born.

~I believe people should mind their own business unless they're invited to join in on the problem.

~I believe that life is what you make of it and happiness is a choice, not something that just happens.

~I believe I have the coolest friends and that sometimes friends are way better than family.

~I believe that you should travel all over, just so you can say you've been there.

~I believe fireplaces are the best way to warm you up when you're cold.

~I believe that kids should play with play-doh, even after you find it in their bed the next day.

~I believe there are days it's OK to wear your pajama's until its time to change into clean pajama's.

~I believe preschool was the best thing ever invented.

~I believe modern medicine ROCKS!

~I believe teachers should make what celebrities make. I mean, what has Paris Hilton done for kids to earn all that money?

~I believe that our government is broken on both sides. And its getting worse and worse every day.

~I believe no one should ever ridicule someone because of their beliefs, as long as their beliefs aren't hurting anyone.

~I believe cheese cake is the answer to all my problems.

~I believe if my microwave broke, my kids could starve.

~I believe someone should invent disposable clothes to cut back on laundry.

~I believe that I have the best kids and husband a woman could ever ask for.

What do you believe in? Share with me by commenting or blogging it. If you blog it, let me know so I can go check it out.

***Thanks Crazymamaof6 for this fabulous idea!***

Finally! I can breathe...

We have just gone nonstop here at the Goeser house. There have been birthday parties (Grandma Henrie, Carson and me), a preschool graduation, several trips out of town, Utah Summer Games, a soccer party, combined with other daily activities that I won't bother to list because they are redundant!!

This is Carsons preschool graduation. Now I never took Carson for a shy kid but it seems he has stage fright....Notice the empty chair in the front. That's where Carson SHOULD be sitting.


Here he is, hiding out by the A/C unit. There was NO WAY he was going up there. Trust me, I tried bribing him with all sorts of stuff. He didn't even budge for a new game for his DS!
This is his graduation certificate. He wouldn't even go up and get it. So I did. Crazy kid! He just cracks me up!

This is Carsons 4th birthday party. We had a water party. We borrowed one of those huge water slides because there was no way I was watching ten 4 year olds in the pool.

These are my birthday cards and one of my presents. I had to have a picture of it before I opened it because Allan wrapped it up in some old mail and electrical tape. My husband cracks me up!

This is my other present. He wrapped it up in a blanket and handed it to me. I felt very loved on my birthday. My family made a big deal out of the whole day. Not that I'm getting any older or anything...

These are from the Utah Summer Games. Our boys had a heartbreaking loss of the bronze medal. They lost 3-4 in double overtime. But they played their hardest and we are so proud of them! I love our team, we have the best kids AND parents. All of the boys are friends and all of the parents are too.

This is the boys waiting to start the game. Caleb is #19 and he plays midfield. Caleb scored 2 goals which is so cool! We are so proud of him!
They boys trying to get a goal. They work really well as a team. Their coaches are training them to work as a team. Our boys can actually pass which is pretty unusual at this age. Most kids are still pretty individual players at this age but not our boys! They play like they are ready to play for Real Salt Lake! This is the coaches meeting with boys. Kasey Cottam(brown coat) is their coach and he is so great with the boys. He's not one of those coaches who screams and yells at the boys. He is a VERY patient coach and the boys respect him a ton.

This is Caleb marking up getting ready to steal the ball. It cracks me up that he is at least a head shorter than every kid! But I tell him the bigger they are, the harder they fall! Caleb is really good at stealing the ball away and getting it up field so they can score. He's not afraid to get in and take the ball!

Cooper. He is the official team mascot. Cooper loves to chase soccer balls and the Summer Games were like torture to him! He had to be on a leash and we wouldn't let him go get the soccer balls! We are just so mean...And yes, we gave him a green mohawk!

This was our first game we played in the Summer Games against Vernal. We won 4-1. The boys played like rockstars!

We also won our next game against Slash 4-1. Slash has always been the team to beat. We had never beaten them until Summer Games. Slash is in our Snow Canyon soccer club so we really do think they are awesome. But still, it felt good to beat them. Our next game was against Cedar and we lost by one. It was a bummer because we had just beat Cedar a few weeks before that. Our next game was against Real Azteca. These boys are just brutal. They play dirty and their parents encourage it. I honestly can't stand this team and hope our boys never have to play them again. They are big cheaters, they have been thrown out of a league for trying to play boys that are older than what the division allows. Needless to say, we lost against this team. But we have beat them before so I know our boys are better! They only win because they cheat and that's not how kids should be taught. Our last game we played was against Dixie Fire. This team is a really good team, we haven't beaten them yet! This was our medal game. We beat out 4 other teams to get there. Our boys played so great! But we had some tough breaks. We were leading by 2 points most of the game but we got a direct penalty kick in the goal box and so they scored. The other point happened because the ball bounced off one of our boys foot and went in the goal. The poor kid was so upset but hey, CRAP HAPPENS! So they got 2 lucky goals which sucks. But at the end of the day, our boys could hold their heads high because they played AWESOME. SC IVINS RULES!!

At the end of it all, I was exhausted! So were the boys. These are pictures of the boys taken right after all the craziness! Caleb is asleep on the family room floor. Cooper was asleep too but he woke up when I went for the camera. He didn't move though! Funny dog! He had found a warm body and he wasn't about to move!

Carson fell asleep at the dinner table. One minute he was throwing a fit that he didn't want to eat dinner, the next minute he was sound asleep! He is at my favorite age. I love 4.

It has been a pretty eventful and I prefer it this way! We have a bunch of other things planned for the summer too. We are taking a trip to St. Anthony Sand Dunes in Idaho. We will stay there for 3 days and then go to Yellowstone for 3 days. Caleb has summer camp next week. I have a Girls Trip planned. Then we have Allans birthday. Hopefully we will be helping my mom move back to Utah too, which thrills me to no end! My boys are sooo excited to have Grammy and Grandpa back! Keep your fingers crossed for us! It has been great summer so far!

MIA for a while. But here is an update of the fam and all things related.

Let's see, where to start?

Well, last year for Valentines day we bought a motor home. We used it a few times and found that it was just too small for us. So in September we sold it to a very sweet retired couple and it was absolutely perfect for them. Any who, guess what we got?

Personally, I think we should find a better way to spend our time in February then driving all over the country. Maybe next year. But hey, this trailer is here to stay, its awesome. Its a 32 foot Weekend Warrior toy hauler. We got a smokin' deal, we paid about half of what its worth. Even better, Allan and I got to drive to California and back all by ourselves and actually have a real conversation and everything. It was pretty fabulous.

And Valentines was particularly great because we celebrated it early and then I left town to have a quick scrapbook getaway with my friends Nat and Heidi. My niece Stacha came with me too. I dropped off my broken laptop to Nat's hubby Jesse, who is going to fix it and make it all better. I actually used some of my abundant scrapbook collection too, which is an added bonus. Too bad the weather sucked and we had to come home on Sunday instead of Monday.

And speaking of Valentines, here are our projects this year.

The 40 Valentines that I made this year. It was much easier after the kids were in bed and I finished them by myself. My boys just don't get the concept of crafts. They really are just like Allan. I guess my craftiness will never get passed on to anyone in my family!

The close up of my craftiness. Not as cute as I wanted them to be but they are just going to get thrown away, right?

The brownies Carson just had to have for preschool. I made them cuter with a cookie cutter. I really wanted to do cookies but I got vetoed. After all, they are for Carson, not me. I ate the cut out parts. YUM!

YAY! Mom did something right! Carson did help with the cookie cutter so maybe all hope is not lost on the craftiness gene yet.

And now, some random pictures of the kids!

And here are some pictures that I got from Carson's preschool. LOVE THEM!!

And finally, what in the heck would cause a praying mantis to do this?

Answer: A bunch of 3 and 4 year old preschoolers poking and prodding the poor thing to death!

Oh and by the way, Caleb passed his hearing test. He had a cold and they think that's why he didn't pass. WHEW! I also took Caleb to the orthodontist today and he definitely needs braces. He has an interesting set of problems and we will find out more at his next appointment. I'm hoping it doesn't get too expensive! His ortho doesn't think it should be too big of a deal so I'm not going to stress unless I have to!