The Heavens Opened

"The heavens opened, and God said 'I hate you Alfalfa'." That's how I feel. I have been hit with the ugly stick... Sydney threw a sippi cup at my eye. I have a small bump, but really it's my acne break out and infantigo infection on my lower chin/lip that really make me wonder how Justin can stand to come home at night. To bad I don't have a camera, then you could all gawk in horror with me!

Shocker

I had to completely change my whole blog, so that you would notice this momentous occasion!
There a million reasons for my lack of blogging. I will give you a few reasons/excuses...

5. I still do not have a camera.
4. TV requires much less thought.
3. I have been running like chicken with head cut off.
2. I am sooooo freaking tired all the time.
drum roll...... although most of you already know.....
1. I am just shy of 19 weeks With child!

I am trying to decide whether of not I should catch you up on my years worth of happening or just let it all slide. I guess I will give you the "highlights" like a sports cast.

• Kyle played Soccer this fall, he was really good when he'd hustle and we learned that he absolutely loves to play.
• I flew to Cleveland to take care of my dad after his heart surgery took a turn for the worse, however he is doing remarkably well after all. He "lived" in the hospital for over a month - he was scheduled for one week - originally.
• Sydney is a riot. In every sense of the word. She is hilarious, she can be sweet, but mostly she is like living amidst a war zone. You really never know what your going to get!
• Justin had a birthday in Aug. and is 27, and in Oct. I became a whopin' 26. Really I want to gag when I think about it, I really cannot believe... However, I had a rockin' B-day.
• Justin is really busy. He works up on the mountain in the morning, attends school, and of course works his regular police hours. Ya, real fun!
• As for me, I am pregnant.... With a BOY. Super excited. Need name suggestions badly. We know this much of his name _____ William Zufelt. The last part is easy -really a no brainer!
• You may or may not know/remember, but when Sydney was in the womb she had a cyst on both sides of her brain. It took us by total surprise, and of course where super worried. Fortunately they dissolved before she was born. We had our ultrasound on Monday, and after being under the scope for a while, Justin mentioned that this baby had a cyst on his brain. Both the ultrasound tech and I looked at him shocked. Justin had remembered what it looked like with Sydney... needless to say the tech was shocked that he picked up on it, I was shocked because, well because! Long story short we will probably have several more ultrasounds to make sure everything is ok, but the odds are for sure in our favor.
• We changed out our front door, and boy has it transformed our house. When all the finish work is complete, I will "borrow" a camera and tell you more about it. Super duper excited!

Well it feels as though I have written a Christmas letter... all I can say now is "Jess get off my back!"

Ok, Ok....

Here I am guilt ridden. So now I blog. Pics will just have to come later! We left off with Syd's unblogged b-day. Not so soon after...

• Justin a bought a truck - he has been salivating over having a truck since that last one he sold, so that I could have a mini-van. Then....
• We completely finished our yard, cement, rock and all! Love it! Then...
• Justin bought a tent-trailer - Which we have taken camping twice thus far, and have loved it. Camping is whole new experience now. Then...
• (Leilani in a moment of weakness) Justin got a dog....
• Then I am a pissed off wife all the time.
• Now our yard is trashed, and there is crap the size of Jupiter all over the grass (or what is left of it.)
• Another time filler for us would be that Justin and I have decided to be foster parents. We feel so strongly that there are children that need our concern and love. We have been attending classes all throughout June. Supposedly two nights a week from 5;30 - 9:30, but because of our crazy schedule anyways, we have half the classes to make up this month. Can't wait to complete the certification, and see what is in store.
• In the mean time, our ward was split and also a whole new ward was created. The "Old Farm Ward". I am now in the new primary presidency, and the last two weeks of my life have been all "primary". It's all I(we) think about day and night. Organizing a primary from the ground up is no small task. Lots of fun, but tons of work.
• In addition, some of you may or may not know, but we (justin and i - just thought i'd clarify) have been hoping for another Zufelt baby. We haven't been trying too long, but in our "zufelt" time - it has been forever. If this is to much info for you than quit reading and move to the next bullet! I am more regular than the sun, never-ever late, and take forever to read + on a test. I was almost two weeks late, and for sure prego with all of my text book prego symptoms. but no + on a test. We were super excited, but several days ago I started my period. All sorts of confused I called my doc, and he said it was miscarriage. I was so taken back, because we have never had any problems in area ever before. So back to trying we go. However, I feel so lucky (and blessed) to have never had problems up until # 3. Only time will tell!
• Moving on - Justin is now on graves, and has for several weeks now been working on his days off up at Cedar Breaks for his internship. Needless to say we are super busy, and lately seem to all be super tired.
• update: Dog for free! German Pointer- trained hunting dog. great with kids. Want him gone yesterday!
• Oh ya, and last week Justin sold our couches on tradio (tradio junkie- he is). They sold way faster than he thought. We hadn't ordered or even looked at new couches, when he sold them. We have been sitting on the floor for one week. We have now ordered new couches through Justin's dad's company. Could be sitting on floor for months. Wanna come over and chill Asian style with us?

To lazy

To lazy to blog, yep that's me! I have a million events that I need to blog about ie. Syd's birthday. My computer doesn't have a spot for a photo card, and I blame it on that... In the time I wrote this though, I could have booted up the lap top. Hum....

Coupon humor

My latest obsession are coupons...It's all I do or think about. I have wanted to post a pic of my new pink binder, but thought that might be a little nerdy. My greatest excitement in life is Sunday morning when six news papers are at my door step, and Tuesday when the stores adds come out! I found this and thought it was all to true...

Open Letter To Husband's of "Couponers"This letter was given to me to submit by my dh:This is for husbands of women frequently referred to as “coupon ladies” or better yet this is for the husbands of women that have just discovered “couponing”. Here are some rules, hints, and suggestions:

1. “Couponers” have their own special communication/language that they use to communicate with each other. You will need to learn this language if you ever plan on having a conversation with your wife again. A small example of what your wife might say to you: “Honey, I went to Wags and BOGOed shaving cream which was a MM because it produced a RR. And then I went with my GC to Rite Aid and got the items that were FAR which turned into a MM as well. And then because I had some expiring ECBs went and got some of the MM items at CVS too. We really need to get some more ink for the computer so I can print more IPs.”I would translate that sentence but I got lost at the first BOGO.

2. Real men do indeed shave with pink razors if that is what was free or nearly free in the past few months. You will also find that your shaving cream now smells lightly floral and comes in light pink or green cans.

3. Your favorite foods will become a thing of the past as you learn to eat new and exotic foods. Some you will like. I never knew that ice cream from various manufacturers could taste so different, but I am willing to taste them. Some you won’t like. Kashi – it takes a special man to admit to liking twigs and sticks and this man does not.

4. Your soap now has green netting around the bar of soap so that it doesn’t slip out of your hand while showering or your body wash smells like cucumbers, coconut, melons, etc… I am not fond of the body wash that smells like a Moroccan massage parlor. When you are meeting up with your buds to work on a car you really do not want to smell like a Moroccan massage parlor. But you will learn to smile and hide the pain. Just gently tell her “Honey I think these would be a great item to donate to charity.”

5. You will find stockpiles of items in the least expected places. I went to the coat closet to find my work boots. On the floor instead of my boots were stacks and stacks of toilet paper. Ummm, do we really need to have enough toilet paper for the whole subdivision for the next year? According to my wife the answer is yes. Men, you will learn to respond by saying the following, “Of course dear, you are right.”

6. Your friends and family instead of coming over to watch a football game now come to shop at your home for groceries and green bottles of shampoo and conditioner.

7. You will learn not to disturb your wife on nights when the sales paper comes out. Especially if she has her “coupon binder” and is “matching up sales”. Hint: In the event of a fire – don’t bother grabbing the insurance papers, grab her coupon binder.

8. Do not even think of arranging anything on Sunday’s before or after church as she is busy hitting up the stores with coupons.

9. You will discover that your meek, mild and loving wife turns into a fire breathing creature you never knew existed if a cashier or store manager tells her that the reason she did not get her RR was because she used a coupon or that she can’t use a particular coupon. Pray hard if they accuse her of coupon fraud. If this occurs you will discover her speed dial #s 1-10, well none of them call you. They are reserved for the corporate headquarters of her favorite stores.

10. Never ever ask why she is bringing home 5 more tubes of toothpaste when you already have 100 plus tubes in the guest bedroom closet. Suffice it to say if she brought it home, just tell her what a fabulous shopper she is and how proud you are of her.

11. You will start to recognize other husbands of “coupon ladies”. Look at their lunch. Do they have children’s juice boxes as drinks, packs of starkist tuna (I do believe we have more tuna in the guest bedroom then our local grocery store has on their shelves.), small toothbrushes called Wisps, they smell slightly floral and there is a small handmade coupon good for BOGO kisses and hugs.There are many more things I could relate to you, but when it is all said and done you will discover she has saved you a lot of money and it seems to make her happy. And when she is happy …. So am I.
My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. ~Author Unknown

Square Foot Gardening

You may or may not know that I prefer a day in my yard, rather than a day in my house. I love yard work, and I love gardening. Last year my friend Krista introduced to me to the concept of "square foot gardening". It is not for everyone, but I love it. My yard is somewhat small, so it is vital that I use every square foot wisely. Hence the concept! We have two 3x6 boxes that are squared off by the foot, you'd be surprised by how much you can plant in one square foot, and it looks neat and organized. When my entire garden has sprouted I will post some pictures, plus I am excited about my new garden area along my rock wall! By accident tonight, I stunbled along this cool web site that helps you plan your garden, it's brilliant. I wish I had found this earlier, my drawings every spring are rudimentary compared to this simple and fast way. Check it out here, and give it a try! Also, I highly recommend Mel Bartholomew's book. It is my second bible!

If I only had a brain

Where has my brain gone? Here are my latest brain mishaps... Just barely loaded dirty dishes in the dishwasher, amongst a half-empty load of clean dishes, didn't notice until it was to late. Tonight I am headed back to Staples for my fourth time. Appearantly the right ink cartriage can not seem to make it home with me! Yesterday I received a phone call from Costa Vida. They had my wallet. I had misplaced my wallet so I thought somewhere around the house, and just thought I would find it some day! Come to find out I had left it two weeks earlier at the restaurant. Thanks Costa Vida! So if you want to call me while I'm out on the town - you can't. I don't have a cell-phone. Why? Because I have lost two cell phones since January! Ring Ring! I would tell you more of my mishaps, but I just can't seem to remember...

wonderful missionary experience

Today was such a wonderful day, I just thought I would share. I have a neighbor and friend that is not a member of our faith. She came to primary with me today, and helped me wrangle the kids as I taught the lesson. The lesson just so happened to be "the coming forth of the Book of Mormon." I showed the animated version of Joseph Smith and his First Vision. I know that it was such a wonderful precursor to her meeting with the sister missionaries tonight! After several months of trying to get all of our schedules together, tonight was such perfect timing. In addition to the Sisters, I invited my friend Shanette {whom served her mission in Italy} she was such a wonderful addition and made great comments. It went really well and she accepted the invitation to read the intro to the Book of Mormon. The missionaries also gave her a movie to watch which was the same thing from this morning only the adult-non animated version! After the missionaries left, she came back over and watched the movie with me. I could tell that she was so happy and felt the spirit, and accepted everything that she was taught tonight. Our Heavenly Father knows us and watches over us continually. He is very aware of my friend, and is working through many of us in our neighborhood to bring her to His gospel. I am thankful for this opportunity to bring missionaries into my home, and re solidify my love and understanding for the gospel. I can't wait until we meet again with them! I'll keep posting on progress!

Coupon Class

My friend Brooke whom I used to live by at Sunset Ridge, has offered to do a coupon class for any and every one. She is darling, and super fun! Spread the word. Bring a treat if you like. I'll see you there!

10 K Fun Run

It was amazing! My first run ever, but for sure not my last. Justin and I ran in the Zion Fun Run this Saturday, with Justin's mom, sister, a bunch of my friends, and his co-workers! If you know Justin at all you know that he is great runner, aka "the jack rabbit." I was sure that he would leave me in the dust but he didn't. He stuck with me the whole race, and we enjoyed the scenic views together. It was gorgeous as one can imagine. Funny story though, There were roughly 300 of us runners that were all shuttled up to beginning of the race. There were 4 port-a-potties, however. Just to be sure, I thought I should go. So I stood in line forever, they started the race, just as it was my turn in line (after 20 + min). I decided I would go ahead and run, so I started late - which stunk. However, we still passed a lot of people and came in at 65 min. Before the race, I was just hoping to finish the run 11/2hrs, however during the run I realized that I could make it in 1 hr. I was 5 minutes over, but I am still so happy! I couldn't have done so well without Justin. He really is my BF!{Above pic. So although I do have pooch just for the record, I had a pm3 player and apple in my pocket. Just thought I would clear that up and give my self the benefit of the doubt!!}

Yes Tammi, we ROCK!

Zion Vacation

After our "Fun Run" we spent some time up in Zion Park, hiking Emerald Pools!
It was so nice to be out doing something other than the "norm!" However, at the beginning of the hike Kyle fell and got a scrap on both knees. Kyle doesn't deal well with pain or blood so it made for a fun hike. He got lots of attention from others on the trail, and he greatly appreciated that!
I didn't get any of the great pics of the whole group like Papa Bo did, there was a ton of us! When we get those I will add them to this post!

Sydney never falls asleep with anyone. She fell asleep in cousin Gage's arms. The hike was just enough to do her in!

Couldn't resist taking this pic.

We were waiting for everyone to gather for our hike, but of course a movie was on. Thought it was pretty funny and telling!

(It's a Zufelt thing...)

Hippity Hoppity

> $2 Chore Cart

I found these pocket things at Target for a $1. I didn't know what to do with them, but I found this idea on a blog. Ran with it, and it works great! I purchased the green foam for 60 cents, already had the Velcro and paper. What a snap! He is a chore pro now, and loves to put a star on the chart! The great thing about Kyle is that a star is enough of a reward for him -for now. I am sure later on I will actually have to start handing out rewards with so many stars! My only problem is trying to get Sydney not write on it (which she has already). Next time you see these at Target, give it a try!
(Disclaimer: My spell checker, Shanette informed me that I am retarded! I seriously did not even notice that I had spelled "laundry" incorrectly. In my defense it was very late when I made it, and not even Justin noticed the error! Thanks Shanette for pointing out the obvious!)

The bane of my existence

You may not know

Disclaimer: This post is screwy. ARGG. I cannot get it to save the way I want. Obviously, I need to take a blog class! Have fun making sense out of this mess... Think of it as a puzzle!

Yes it is true, I'm a blog slacker. But for good reason. In order to put pics on my blog I have to use my dilapitated laptop. So you may not know that last month we went to West Virginia. My Grandma Roberts passed away at age 97, and on a whim we packed up and headed out. Justin had never met anybody from my dad's side of the family, since literally everybody other than my dad lives back East. No one knew Justin - or my kids for that matter. It was an amazing trip. All my brothers flew back as well, and most if us ended up on the some flight, which was realy crazy!

This was Kyle's lucky day, he was able to hang with the pilots!


















Can you believe! My Grandma and Grandpa Roberts were married in 1931.
My dad is also the only member of the church, so we are going to do their temple work for them. Can't wait for them to really be together forever!









Hum, wonder who she looks like?
Love this picture...It proves my argument that she is a total Zufelt!












Geography lesson: West Virginia and Ohio are separated by the Ohio river!


My uncle Bud's back porch is on the Ohio river. West Virginia is an amazing place - so historic, and gorgeous. Where we are standing is a Civil war monument.











West Virginia of course has an old historic district. Way cool, yet way spooky! The architecture is amazing. Sadly, the disitric is just now being preserved. Residents are moving in and restoring the old homes. The streets are amazing, brick layed, so reminincent of "My Fair Lady." Back then they very wealthy from all the booming industry. The houses are all massive mansions. I wish I would have taken a picture of the cemetary!

Another Geography lesson: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is only roughly five hrs. from W. Virginia.

Washington DC. is only another 1 1/2hrs. further, and NYC is only another hour from there...

We really really really wanted to go further. However, us being semi-responsible parents decided not to torture our children for our own sake, and opted for Gettysburg. We drove most the night, slept for a few hrs. in a hotel, toured Gettysburg most the day, then drove back to WV!

I love this plaque, because to often women of the war are forgotten. They really did endure so much.

It was crazy windy that day. I was atop a look out point, and I was literally being blown over!

You get the point.

We had lots of fun,

And we wore them out!

all is quiet

All is quiet on the Western Front! I have had a very strangely wonderful calm day. Justin took the kids shooting this morning. While he was out being super dad, I was able to get ready myself and have the house clean by 11 am! Then my wonderful friend took Kyle to the park, and Sydney is sleeping. It's days like these that help you get through all the rest. Oh the joy of a quiet clean house!

I really need to do some posting catch up...Can't wait to show what I have been up to lately. I love SPRING!

You're Invited

Here's the scoop... My friend Keri is a Pampered Chef consultant. In her first few minutes of consultant newness, I promised her that I would through a party! It has been a while now, but I have not forgotten my promise!
SOOOOO... if you would like to come to a party - YOU ARE ALL INVITED!
I invision it to be a Welcoming Spring party, for sure with yummy food.
Date: April 15 - weds
Place: My house
Time: 6:30

If you are not familiar with Pamered Chef products {Which I love} here are a few that I can't {cook} live without! Batter Bowl, Food Chopper, Garlic Press...

Spring Chick

We are going for pet attempt # 2. At Kyle's preschool they were able to watch baby chicks hatch, and then we got to bring all six home today! The grand plan is to raise chickens at my friends Caitlin's house. What a fun adventure this will be, glad she is along for the ride.

Happy Place

Come with me to a happy place.
A place where the snow isn't a foot deep in April.

Blog Head

Do you ever blog in your head? I do - all the time. If I were to post all the blogs in my head, my blog would have a post every ten minutes. I bet you are sighing a sigh of relief! All this past week I was "head-blogging" about the dag-gum weather.
Or about my crusade to get my house under control, by digging through every closet trying organize. Long story short, I have been away for a while, and I am recommiting my self to the blogging world, not just my "head-blog".

My life would suck

Have you heard Kelly Clarkson's new song?
LOVE LOVE LOVE...

Boy friend?

While running errands today.

Kyle: Mom, do you have a boy friend?
Mom: Yes.
Kyle: Who is it?
Mom: Daddy.
Kyle: Do you have another boy friend?
Mom: No! Mommy only loves daddy, I only love one guy, and he is my husband, Daddy.
Kyle: But you don't have another boy friend?
Mom: No, your supposed to have only person you love. That would be bad if you liked someone else.
{Silence}
Mom {inside her head): Where the heck did that come from?

I wonder when He comes again?

Driving home from school today.

Kyle: Mom, when is Jesus coming?
Mom: I don't know, nobody knows. I can't wait to see him though, it will be so neat. What do you think he will do when he comes?
{Silence}
Mom: I bet he will give you a big hug.
{Silence}
Kyle: Where will he live on this earth?
Mom: Uh. Maybe in a temple? Uh, Good question!

I love my little thought-provoking Kyle!

I wish a fish

The kids have been wanting a pet. On Valentine's Day I broke down, and we are now owners of four fish! Never mind that we are already on our second batch of fish. How many days has it been? See why I never wanted a pet? Thank goodness fish are so despensable.