Music makes the people come together

I have been really busy this week trying to finish my mom's quilt for her birthday which was yesterday. I have it completed to the point of needing the binding to be done. So she received her quilt and then i had to take it back home to finish it. I think i have done pretty good considering it is my second attempt at doing a quilt all by myself. When i finish i might post a picture of it. So i have decided to talk about the music my kids love to sing to and the songs that they have memorized. If anyone knows me real well then you knwo how much i have always loved music and how much money i spend on music (and movies for that matter). So naturally my kids have developed a love for music too and will tell me what they want to listen to in the car. Here is a list of what they love and request and know by heart.
Last dollar fly away-Tim Mcgraw
SOS-Jo bros
All you need it love/ Hey jude-Beatles
Bleeding love-Leona Lewis
Paper planes-MIA
Lollipop-Mika
Anything from Disney Movies
Anything from the pirate movie
Cobrastyle-Teddybears
The way I are-timbaland
Veggietales
Taylor Swift
Song for the Dumped-Ben Folds Five
Save a horse ride a cowboy-Big and Rich
No Air-Jordin sparks
Forever-chris brown
popular-wicked
Mary poppins Broadway
Anything from Mama Mia
HSM 1 and 2
Jack Johnson
CHRISTMAS MUSIC

I have a confession to make. I listened to some christmas music today. I wasn't feeling super great and the weather getting cooler makes me sad and i have found that listening to christmas songs lifts me up a little bit. You can't help but feel a little better when you listen to just one christmas song. I challenge you to do that if you are feeling down, give it shot and then you can thank me later. Love to all those music consumers out there, marci

Our Trip To Califorinia

Yeah, we made it all the way to california and back in one piece. Let me just say that in the middle of the night, the night we had come home, i started my period. And yesterday Tessa started teething again, this time her top FOUR teeth are coming through at all the same time. She has every symptom in the book, drooling, whining, runny poop, low fever, whining, runny nose, no sleep, oh and did i mention whining. Lucky for us this all happened after our vaca. Anyways here's a grazillion pictures that pretty much explains how the trip went. (sorry if you hate looking at pics) Here we go............


Flying was perfecto, the kids loved it and the baby slept on 3 of the 4 flights we had.

Here we are at the beach when we drove to san diego, we also ate at ghirardelli's. They have the most wonderful deserts there, oh heavenly chocolate.

Tessa somehow got herself under this chair and was eating food that had fallen from our dinner.

Here we are at disneyland, this is tessa's reaction to Pirates of the Carribean.

Meeting Mickey Mouse
In front of my favoritist castle in the whole wide world, thank you brenton for messing up my christmas card picture.
Meeting Winnie the Pooh

And this is what happens when you drive home from Disneyland. Brentons fav ride was Star Tours, Ky's fav ride was matterhorn and splash mountain, Tessa's fav ride was the carousel. We had a great time and I have told walter the next time we go we have to do a multi day pass because we didn't have enough time to ride everything and really enjoy ourselves. YEAH more time for me to be there, I know my husb does not feel the same way, too bad so sad hee hee.

Tessa at the beach, she truly is a beach baby. She didn't cry once about the sand bugging her and she kept taking off to the ocean and laughing at the water.

At sea world tessa's favorite exhibit was the penguins, she laughed the entire time we were wating them. Needless to say she came home with a squeeky penguin toy.
Brenton talked his father into sitting with him in the soak zone at the dolphin show. They showed up back at our dry seats within two minutes completely wet. Brenton did not want a picture taken. HA HA HA HA HA. This is something to remember.
This is Brenton and Kylee watching the surfers from the oceanside pier. That was an enjoyable night and walk. We got to see the sunset and it was beautiful. Brenton informed us that he thinks he could be a surfer. If only we lived in Cali...................

This is kylee at newport beach. She would always take off on her own and start doing her own thing in the sand.
Here is Brenton and Kylee at sea world in front of the shark teeth

Tessa eating sand at newport beach, how that child didn't poop sand i will never understand.

It feels good to be home and back into the swing of things. Pray for me to make it through four teeth at once! I can't help but want to go back to disneyland, that place has a strange pull to me. Love to all you disney loving freaks out there, marci

First Day of School

Well i now have two kids in school. Brenton has started 1st grade and is in school the full time and gets to eat lunch and have 2 Recesses. He is thrilled about that and so far has enjoyed his time at school. Kylee started kindergarten today and was so excited that she woke up at 7 am, she doesn't have to be to school until 12 pm. She was dressed and ready to go at 9 and continued to ask me how much longer til we go. When it was time to go and we pulled up to school she turned to me and said, "i don't think i can do this". And then she jumped out of the car and was fine. We had spoken to Brenton the night before and told him that he needed to pick up his sister tomorrow and walk home with her. Luckily as i was pulling out he was at recess and i called him over to remind him. Here is our convo. ME- Brenton (10 times) Brentons Friend-Brenton i think your mom is calling you Brenton- What do you want i just lost my swing Me- i just wanted to remind you to pick up your sister today after school (while i am saying this he kept turning around laughing and talking to his friends so i had to say it numerous times) Brenton-yeah we made that deal last night Me-oh good you remembered Brenton-mmm nooo not really can i go play with my friends now Me-yes, DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR SISTER Brenton(walking away)-yeah yeah i got it. I promptyly went home pulled tessa out of her car seat and said, "well it's just me and you now". Then i went and put her down for her nap and watched TV in peace. LOVE TO ALL THE FREE PEACE TIME MOMMIES EVERYWHERE.



Brenton on his first day of school
Kylee on her first day of school
Kylee's new backpack
My big baby who is walking now, woo hoo now i cant put her down anywhere because she just takes off.

Flying to Cali!!!!!

The big news is that we get to fly to California. Walter found tickets cheap enough to make it worth our money to fly. I am so excited no 2 day drive for us!!! Brenton is totally psyched and kylee is a little hesitant but i think she is excited too. I am somewhat worried as to how the baby will handle it. We have movie things for the kids to watch on the plane so they should be entertained well enough and it isn't a long flight. This is probably a perfect flight for a first time with kids since it is pretty quick. Although on our way back we have a 2 hour layover in Las Vegas where we switch planes, not really looking forward to that. I am so excited for my kids to experiance this, i didn't go on a plane until i was 14 years old and i had to go by myself, it was a little scary. I am kind of worried about how to pack stuff since there are so many restrictions on what you can put in your bags. AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! I like being able to pack a big shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, etc..... for everyone. If anyone has any hints as to go about this please let me know and any hints on what to do with a 10 month old on a plane i would really appreciate it.


Love to all those who are excited for the Ruf's to fly to Cali!!!!!!!!!! PS Tessa came down with the croup last night UGH!! I guess i should be thankful it is happening now and not right before the trip. Brenton starts first grade tomorrow, he is growing up fast. Marci

Shopping FINALLY

I finally got to go shopping and i really really loved it. Yes, i enjoy spending money on cute clothes for my kids. I am not ashamed to say that i love doing this, you may call me shallow, I don't care. I have been called many things and i just let it roll off my back or i answer back saying, " yes, i am and i don't feel bad about it". My mom gave me a bunch of stuff that she had ordered from gap online and just never bothered to take it back and it had been sitting there forever. So she told me if i took it back i could have the money for the kids to get new school clothes. This is the sweetest deal i have ever heard of so i jumped on it. Guess what it came to? $300, woo hoo!!!!! So today i took the kids to gateway and let them run in the fountains for awhile and then we went school shopping and here is what we came away with. THANK YOU MOM, I LOVE YOU TONS AND TONS!!!!



here is brentons stuff that he picked out, but i don't think he really cared that much

Here is kylee's stuff that she also picked out all on her own, and she is very picky!!! And here is baby girls stuff for the winter

So the only one i am sending love to today is my mom because she let me do this. Love To Mom and Grandma Kristy Metcalf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And yes kylee did end up with more than anyone else. I honestly don't know how that happened???

SoYou Think You Can Dance, Life Stinks

And another week has gone by with absolutely nothing happening. It is really hard to make stuff happen when you have no money, and i really mean no money. I can't go anywhere because we can't afford the gas and if i could go anywhere i have no money to pay for anything. So i am stuck in my house slowly losing my mind, the shining anyone? Summer will be over soon and i am already depressed. All i can think is that school is starting in 2 weeks which means that the cold weather is coming and that makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and start crying and screaming. This is why i need to move to California where the weather doesn't change as drastically.

So You think you can dance finale was last week and i am disgusted with the people of america. they do not know how to vote or somebodyelse would have won. i am so angry that i want to say i refuse to watch the show ever again but i know that i can't do that so i won't say that. Here is my two cents on what should have went down....



Mark i will forever have a crush on you and your dancing, i think you should have gone farther than you did.
Twitch, between you and joshua i wanted you to win sooooooo bad, you were awesome.
Will i believe that you should have won the competition hands down. you were the very best dancer out there, no one could say anything bad about you. Love your dancing!!!!!!!!

Kylee actually started doing the robot and some hip hop moves to the hymn music in church on sunday. That girl can find any reason to rock out and i love her for that. I didn't see anyone else trying to groove to the music except my baby girl who believes that one day she will be on that show. Love to all the dancers, shakers, and movers out there, Marci

how long til vacation, anti taggies

well not alot has gone on this week so i haven't really had anything to blog about. summer continues to be hot and my kids keep asking me how many days until we go to california. we don't go until september 5 or 6 (depending on whether we drive or fly, here's to hoping we can fly!!). we are all anxious for our summer vacation to disneyland, seaworld, and the ocean and swimming pools. we do this vacation every other year so our kids are getting pretty well rehearsed in disney and sea world. and they are still just as excited to go as if it were their first time. they truly are children that came from me. walter never went to disneyland until i took him, i am not sure he gets it, maybe it has to do with being a kid and making those memories then that attach you to disneyland. i don't know really all i know is that i love it just as much as my first memory of it. all i need to make it through disneyland is to have a constant flow of cold coke and i can keep going.

i do i have one thing to moan about and that is taggies, inc. apparently there is a blanket out there that has a patent on the little blanket with ribbons around it. yes, i had no idea there was a blanket like that, i have never seen it anywhere. i saw them made on etsy and thought hey i can make those and maybe earn a little extra money. well apparently they are crazy about their patent and have lawyers constantly looking for people making their own and selling them (which was me). i had two blankets on sale for like 8-10 dollars and they shut me down. guess how much they sell their's for $25 and they don't even look that cute, mine are so much better. anyways i was looking around and found some sites about them and i read a story about someone who was selling them and the taggies people were trying to get her to sell them one so they could sue her. how crazy is that? geez, i am some lowly stay at home mom trying to earn a few bucks and watch out, they will sue me!!! anyways just letting any other crafter out there know about this since i had no idea. there is my gripe for the week. DON'T BUY THE REAL TAGGIES, MAKE YOUR OWN OR I WILL GIVE YOU ONE SINCE I MADE A BUNCH!! much love, marci




i threw this in for a good laugh, we had been walking in vegas all day and the kids were wasted. yes, we take our kids to vegas (gasp) we have ruined them for life!!

Happy 24th of July (pioneer day)

Happy 24th of July to everyone. Our family loves to celebrate this day with big get togethers and then going to the big fireworks at Liberty Park. My kids are now able to handle the loud fireworks. Kylee actually never had a problem, it was Brenton, but he is now capable of enjoying himself. Brady, my 3 yr old nephew had a hard time. At first he asked Brenton for a hug but then he resorted to having his mom cover his ears. I have to say that the firework finale was the best one i have seen yet!!! Here are some pictures from our party.



This is my mom holding my cousins baby named Brenna and Tessa being held by my cousin Richard. Such cute baby 2nd cousins.
Here are the kids, Brenton, Kylee, and Brady
Richard and my brother Kyle
My mom and Tessa in their matching shirts!!


Happy pioneer day to those who actually know what the 24th of July is all about. Looking at all the people at the park and the way that they would talk to you and treat you made me feel like standing up and saying do you all know what this holiday is about? it has alot to do with mormons and treating eachother with kindness and respect!!! Love to all, Marci

Batman Mania

alright everyone, walter and i went to see the dark knight on saturday night and fell in love with batman all over again. this was so well done and all of the surprises and twists were fun. i encourage everyone to get out and see it ASAP. brenton was angry we went without him but walt and i thought it might be a bit much for a 7 year old, although i did tell him as soon as we have the dvd he gets to watch the motorcycle part.





i thought Heath did such an awesome job, wow i am completely amazed!!!

my absolute favorite part of the movie, i loved it when it flipped over on itself against the wall, YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is he not the most gorgeous batman ever? My friend Lisa who i saw it with said he wore the mask to much, he is too cute to cover up that face!!!! Love to all those movie going crazies out there because i understand your sickness, marci

Anger Mismanagement

okay so i have a confession to make and i am just curious as to how many other people are willing to admit that they feel this way too. when i get really angry inside i feel like i want to break something and it has to be loud. like i want to take my glass dishes outside and smash them on the cement. it kind of consumes me. i have been told to punch a pillow (that does nothing for me!). so now i have taken to throwing things when the crap hits the fan. i have broken two remotes and the picture below shows that our phone now has to be held together by a rubber band, but it still works just fine. one of the remotes was broken beyond repair but it was a really really old remote and i think the plastic was very brittle (yes i am justifying it a little). i have decided that i want my husband to take me to shoot some guns(i have never been and am curious to try it) and this may cure me of my high anxiety anger want to break something with a bang issue. we are not anti weapon in this house, you should see my sons weaponry of toys. it really doesn't worry me or bother me. thanks for reading my rant, marci

Family Movie Night

We have started to do a family movie night lately. It started because on sundays when it was just us hanging out we would get a little bored and decided to try this. Now our kids can't seem to get enough of it. We have watched The Pink Panther, Eragon, Camp Rock, and Hello Dolly so far. It has actually become quite enjoyable and turned into a nice quiet time. Here are some pictures.





And this is what happens every movie about 20 minutes into it, HEE HEE!!!!!

Tessa Pesta

It is official, Tessa is now the big Pesta. Now that she is able to get to where ever she wants to go and is also able to pull herself up anywhere, i have lost control of my 8 month old. Here are a few pictures of some of her pestiest moments.

She can now get into the recycling bin and pull out cans that have been thrown in there.

The minute i try to start doing a step exercise video i also have a pesta that has to be right under my feet.

And here is her favorite place to be, she loves to knock stuff into the tub, and if the toilet seat isn't down, her hands make it into the toilet water. Yes, very yucky!!!! Love to all those cute pesty babies out there, marci

Happy 4th of July

Well happy independence day to everyone out there who enjoys wearing their stars and stripes!!We had a very enjoyable day at my parents house with our own little fireworks show. Here are some pictures of what happened.

It was too early to light any fireworks so we watched a bunch of snakes growing until dark

Here is Molly and my dad and Tessa watching the fireworks in the front yard.

Brenton and Kylee enjoying fire, fire, fire, and smoke.

And this is the year that Brenton has officially turned into a pyro and had to light EVERYTHING!
with supervision of course.

Brenton is so proud of himself for being taught how to light stuff.

Here is a picture of my cute kids in their 4th of july outfits.

Cheer up Kyle it is all done and over with. Just Kidding he actually was really cute with the kids and i think enjoyed himself quite a bit too. I hope all of you had a great time being with family and friends, Love to all those proud to be an americans, marci