Help!

So, what good is a blog if I can't get out my crazies and ask for advice?! I am FREAKING out over...preschool! I know I know, it's just preschool but the preschool monster has been gnawing on my leg since I was pregnant with Quinton! So, here are my rattlers, in no particular order.
Clinton, Utah.
I take it back, this is totally in order so far! #1 reason for sure! I'll sum it up while trying to spare some feelings like this..
-I had less culture shock moving to London than to Clinton, Utah.
-A fruit vendor tried to buy me for 40 camels in Jerusalem. This was less offensive, and way more funny!, than some of the comments I get in Clinton, Utah.
So, needless to say, Ive had a hard time finding somewhere I feel comfortable to even leave my son, to say nothing of the horror I feel about what they might actually say to him.
I grew up in the bubble people. In Utah county it seemed like there was a preschool in every neighborhood. I could find a preschool I liked in Provo by the end of the afternoon. And yes I see the irony in longing for happy valley when all I did was plot how to get out.
I keep trying to say what I mean in trying to explain the preschools I have toured for a million miles around and realize what a freakin snob I look like when I read what I write so I delete it and start over. But all I can say is how a mom feels about her kids doesn't include the worry about being politically correct, (at least not for me) and for me it is only about Evans correct. I have seen firsthand the importance of diversity and, dare I say, tolerance. The world would be a boring place if it didn't include all sorts of different people from different walks of life and probably everyones family generations include the best and the worst of it all- money and power as well as extreme poverty etc but this isn't about any of that. It's about my little family unit and about me trying to find a...PRESCHOOL. One tiny facet of life. I just really don't want to screw it up. So, in that spirit and after hopefully making myself seem less horrific, IN MY EXPERIENCE of looking for a good preschool here, I found myself constantly picturing that kid who comes to school smellin like last weeks breakfast in dirty too small clothes with no shoe laces and a black eye (not an actual person I remember and my heart truly breaks for those poor kids who have it so rough! I swear I have a heart to break!!)Except these preschools pupils were all that kid. And the teachers, OH the teachers. At one place when I inquired about the curriculum the teacher replied that she didn't know about the electrical wiring in the school. OK, I know I'm a snob. I know it. I am not making a judgement on every person in Davis County, I am an obsessive, over-protective, perfection seeking quack but what I want to quack about the most is my kids educations. Please don't take this as my take on the caste system, I really am just talking about preschool and the trouble I have encountered on my pursuit for a most likely unachievable perfection!
So, anyways, the whole point of my ranting and raving is that I need advice about schools. Did you send your kids to preschool for 2 years if they miss the deadline for kindergarten? Do you worry about your kids getting to elementary TOO prepared? Whats up with Charter schools and Challenger and if you do choose a school like Challenger do you have to go that route all through school? Do you worry if the public school system is adequate? Have you had any good or bad experiences? HELP the madwoman! I'm flippin out!

Book Club!

Hey, I just wanted to share my new obsession-books! I found out that I can harness my nutty A.D.D. energy with brain excersize and not just running all over the place like a chicken with her head cut off! I love to read and I'm way OCD about it, I have to finish the book asap or else! I bet I have read 10 books this month already. Nic calls my books my boyfriends, which is silly because he knows good and well that my boyfriend is Jonathan Rhys Meyers from the Tudors! Anyways, go to goodreads.com and join the club! I wanna know what you are reading so I can copy you!

Why I used old pictures for my Christmas Cards...

 

For those of you who don't already know, my worst hairstylist nightmare happened. No, not a bad perm; not even frizzy fried off bangs....worse.

 

That's right...my boys found Nic's hair buzzers. Quinn buzzed right down the middle like a balding old man and Haydie just got his right in front. Needless to say, Mom was not happy! These were just bare blades people, like NO hair at all left behind! Hayden looked like he just stepped out of a halocaust picture. My neighbors and my sister bring their kids to me when they cut their own hair and I have always wondered why the mom freaks out that bad! Its just hair! After all, I have had at least 50 new do's this year! It will grow back, right? But, right on que, I flipped out! Nic calls them his little 300 warriors from that movie because they always run around in their undies and they have no hair.... and they are warriors!!

 

 

Here's my boys with their self inflicted buzzed heads. Quinns is growing in pretty fast but that Haydie...pure halocaust. Talk about what goes around comes around. I made fun of those moms freakin out and now here I am! Serves me right I suppose and like I always tell those girls who wont cut their hair because their husband wont "let" them....ITS YOUR HAIR! If the boys want a buzz, I guess I better just give them one or else....

As close as I will ever get to mailing out Christmas Cards!

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! We love you!
Nic, Karen, Quinton and Hayden
ps, I know it's tiny but look at the picture of Haydie with Santa...he HATES Santa! He looks like he is saying- hands off fat boy! Haydie wants nothing to do with the whole Santa thing! He seems to feel violated by a big fat guy busting down his chimney uninvited. After all, Santa IS a stranger! He's like, "mom, can santa REALLY see me? My no like Santa. My no like Santa's boots" We saw a freaky lookin Santa at the mall that looked like they pulled him out of the dumpster out back and plopped him on Santas chair. Haydie has never been the same, and apparently Santa had way bad boots! He is ok with the reindeer landing here but only if it's on the driveway (no driving on the roof!) and I got him to agree to let Santa leave his gifts on the front porch! And absolutely no cookies and milk for the fat boy either, just carrots for the reindeer! Where do they get this stuff?!

Drama, Drama, Drama!

Here are a couple of pix of our little sweethearts on Halloween! Haydie had surgery the day before so it was a bit iffy but we pulled it off and had a great time with our families and neighbors!










Here's just a couple of pix of the boys on the first snow of the year! We were so excited it came early this year! the boys would play out there all day!


Where to begin...well, we have had a crazy buzy summer and a ton of fun! the most recent terrifying experience was on the day before Halloween when Hayden got his teeth fixed FINALLY! We are a little bitter about the situation surrounding the accident that caused all this tooth mayhem but we are so glad our little Haydie bug is doing better now. He still looks like he is in costume for jim carrey's Grinch movie. He looks exactly like a who. his face is so swollen from his lips to his eyes! Its pretty sad, poor boy! but he was very very brave! other than that, we have just been hanging around the parks and pools when the weather was good and now we are preparing for a long winters nap!

Come one, come all!

Mommy's little Haydie bug!

It's that time of year again! We are having our traditional birthday carnival for Hayden! It's on the 5th of July, so I can't resist doing something over the top! Face painting, games and prizes, cotton candy...just your typical 2 year old birthday! If you are going to be anywhere near Layton, send me your email so I can send you an evite....the more the merrier!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

Quinn's first superglued stitches! And a rockin mohawk!

We love Summer!

Poor Haydie bonked his head again! And yes, I know he shouldn't have a bottle still!

Haydie swimmin in Grandpa's hot tub! We love Grandpa's house!

"Mom, did you see me swim? Pretty cool huh!"


Don't be mad! I swear I have more good reasons for not blogging forever! Ummmm, Nic beats me. Ya, all the time, it's real serious. Fine, I just suck at blogging!!
Lets see...last you heard, Quinn's head was busted open and Hayden was missin teeth! My superglued slice is lookin nice these days! Hayden hasn't lost any more teeth...yet! That boy is fearless!
Fearless seems to be the theme of the summer around here! Quinn just learned to jump off the diving board! He takes his little noodle thing and goes off over and over again! He loves to swim and would stay in the pool all day every day!
Hayden doesn't like the pool as much, but he loves my parents hot tub! It's not as big so he just jumps all around and blows bubbles. Needless to say, I love summer! The boys are old enough to do things without me a little more so I can get a few things done around this house! They love to play on the swings and in the huge sandbox my dad made them! They play out back all morning and out front all afternoon! I still won't let them ride their 4wheelers until Nic gets home, but they don't seem to even care! Nic and I are going away this weekend for my birthday and I'm like, oh man, I have to miss Saturday with the kids! Thats the best! But, on the other hand, I have not seen a movie for like a year and I have no cute clothes and could really use some uninterrupted sleep! So, Nic insists that we movie marathon on Friday and shop all day Saturday! Poor me! I'm excited to see Indiana Jones since he has been my crush since like 3rd grade!