Bishop Maseda~Bishop Braden Maseda

Today we went to church to watch the first session of conference (with children watching it from the comfort of your home is much easier). Well, after the first session the plan was to have a picnic, so we went to Rich's office, a.k.a. the bishop's office; Rich of course got pulled away, so Braden hopped in his chair and announced,

"I'm the bishop!"

Brooke after hearing the good news, pulls a chair up and puts the new bishop to work, exclaiming, "I have a problem!"

Bishop Maseda then asks the all important question, "What is your problem?"

Brooke explains, "I like to color, and I like to have fun." "I like the colors pink, purple, and white." (hmmmm, sounds like a tough problem to me :) ; I wish my problems were that easy)
Bishop Maseda contemplates the problem for a few seconds, hands Brooke a Book of Mormon off of the shelf from behind him, and tells her, "If you have a problem, read the scriptures." (sounds like good advice to me)

Date Night with Daddy

Once the children turn 2, they get to go on special outings with Rich. Last week Rich and Braden went to play golf, so this Friday it was Brooke's turn. Brooke of course took the opportunity to get all decked out; she wanted to fix her hair, pick out just the right princess dress for the occassion, and complete the look with a little jewelry, and we of course had to take some pictures of Miss Priss before her big night. She and Rich ended up going to get a bite to eat, attempting a round of putt-putt, and playing some arcade games. Brooke was in heaven! I'm glad that she had so much fun, and I am glad that just Braden and I got to spend time together (well plus Emma, she did sleep for some of the time). We ate supper, watched a movie, played 3 rounds of Candyland, and 2 rounds of Zingo. I think in the long run making time to spend one on one time with our cuties will be worth it; it makes them feel so special, and that alone makes it worth it!

She always has to throw in just a little attitude!

My Hard Working Goal Oriented Son

Braden has been eyeing these shoes for weeks now; he wanted to look at them every time we went to Wal-mart and begged to have a pair of his own. I got tired of explaining that his father and I had just bought shoes for him, and I finally thought, 'Hey, why can't he just earn the money himself.' So, I told Braden that if he really worked hard and could earn half of the money, Rich and I would supply the rest. Braden was so cute asking for job after job trying to earn money for his dream shoes; he weeded, he swept, he cleaned, and he weeded some more. Every night he would place his money neatly on his dresser and have Rich count it for him, in hopes that he finally reached his goal; it took a week, but he finally earned just enough. Today before heading to Ottawa Farms, we detoured to Wal-mart, so Braden could buy his long sought after shoes, which actually in the beginning were going to be Lightning McQueen shoes, then he thought maybe Sponge Bob shoes would be cool, but finally he decided that Spiderman shoes were the coolest!

Strawberry Picking

Today we went to Ottawa Farms to go strawberry picking. I have wanted to go for the last couple of weeks, but something always came up; we were determined that nothing would get in our way, but then it rained. At first, I thought all was lost, and that it was going to be another day of disappointment (the kids had been asking about strawberry picking all week); Rich however was determined that his woman and his cuties were going to get to go strawberry picking. Rich wasn't going to let a little rain foil our plans, and I am glad; when we got to the farm, there was already another crazy person picking strawberries, so we knew it was open. We unloaded everyone from the van and commenced picking; I also took turns taking pictures and video, safely under my little umbrella (I'm sure everyone thought I was nuts, but I figured, hey, we are already picking strawberries in the rain, how more nuts can you get). At first it was barely drizzling, but after picking two buckets full the rain was a little too much for the cuties, so we called it a day. Now I have a countless number of beautiful red strawberries drying on my paper towel lined counter and table, just waiting to be frozen; I can just taste the strawberry milkshakes now, ooooo or maybe strawberry muffins, the possibilities are endless, mmmmmm!

Isn't that sweet?!

Brooke was proud of all the strawberries she picked.

Notice the cool Backyardigans tattoo Braden is sporting on his arm (temporary of course).

Looking for that perfect strawberry.

Braden was freezing, skinny little cute thing.

Rich and the cuties

Another strawberry for Brooke

Brooke had a little falling incident in her rush to get to shelter.

Emma and I, wet, crazy hair, but pleased with the delicious strawberries we picked.

My Angry Baby

Most of the time Emma is a sweet, happy baby, but when she gets mad, she gets MAD!!!!!!!! Here are some pics from a couple of her meltdowns. I just have to laugh when I look at these pictures, but at the time I wanted to cry.

A Day in the Life of a Mama~the Carrie Mama

7:15 a.m. Rich wakes me up for couple prayer (Crud, is it really 7:15; I really need to set an alarm).

7:20 a.m. Rush to the kitchen, take out the cakes that were baked last night, and begin taking two round cakes and transforming them into a Lightning McQueen racetrack cake. (Why oh why didn't Braden just want cupcakes? Am I crazy to be doing this? Yes, I am crazy, but I love that boy like crazy, so the show and the cake creating must go on.)

7:45 a.m. Brooke wakes up. Take a short break from cake creating, give Brooke some cake to sample. (Okay not the healthiest breakfast in the world; one day isn't going to hurt, and I make sure she washes it down with some nutritious orange juice, I should get some mommy points for that, don't you think?!) Cake creating recommences.

8:00 a.m. Cake is completed, and now it is time to wake Braden up. Finally get Braden to open his eyes, return to kitchen to see how Brooke is fairing on her oh so healthy cake.

about 8:10 a.m. Get Emma out of her crib, put her in the highchair, and give her breakfast. ( a buffet of bananas, Cheerios, o.j. mixed with a little water, and of course just a tad of cake-can you guess what she sampled first?)

8:15 a.m. Go check on Braden's progress. (Yaaaa, he is almost dressed)

8:20 a.m. Take a few pictures of the cake and place in box for easy transportation to Braden's school.

8:25 a.m. Take Emma out of high chair and get her dressed. Tell Braden to put on his shoes. Lay out some clothes for Brooke.

8:30 a.m. Give Emma some toys to keep her busy. Tell Brooke to put on some shoes. Get Braden a sampling of cake and o.j. (I need to make sure he approves of course).

8:35 a.m. Clean up the icing, knives, green sugar, and other decorating paraphernalia.

8:40 a.m. Think as you look at the cake, he better appreciate this. (If I didn't love that little boy, I sure wouldn't go to all this trouble; he sure is worth it though)

8:42 a.m. Take a couple more pictures of the cake for good measure. (It will be a thing of the past in just a matter of hours.)

8:45 a.m. Look at the clock and realize that a shower will not be happening before taking Braden to school. (I better hurry and get him there on time then; if I am on time, I can just drive up to the school, and they will get him out. I sure don't want anyone seeing me like this.)

8:47 a.m. Rush like mad around the house grabbing the diaper bag, cell phone, car keys, and cute baby. Tell Miss Priss to put on her shoes unless she wants to be left. (That's right I pulled out the big guns right away, I don't have time to play; I DON'T want anyone seeing me like this, time is of the essence)

8:57 a.m. Finally have 3 cuties and all of my belongings in the car, back out of the driveway, and glance at the clock. (Good, I should make it just in time)

9:01 a.m. Pull up to Braden's school. (Yes, four minutes to spare, not bad for a non showered Mama) Rain begins (Even happier that I made it in time to not have to walk him to the door. What is worse than a not showered Mama? A wet not showered Mama. )

9:02 a.m. Head home taking the long way, need some calm Mama time before the day gets crazier. (And yes, it does get crazier)

9:12 a.m. Pull back into the driveway and unload the girls from the van.

9:13 a.m. Turn on Super Why for Brooke to watch and get Emma some toys and a few cheerios.

9:14 a.m. Blog just a little. (Hey, when you are thinking about something, you have to get it down before you forget it).

9:30 a.m. Finish blogging, look at the clock, see that it is almost 10, and high tail it to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready.

9:56 a.m. Finally showered, dressed, and a little makeup applied, time to load the car with the birthday goodies: plates, cake, Capri Suns, number 5 cake topper, and lighter.

10:00 a.m. Load up Cutie #1 in the car and tell Cutie #2 to get some shoes on, AGAIN! (Why did she take them off? To make me crazy, I just know it; okay maybe not, but at the moment that felt like her motivation.)

10:12 a.m. Arrive at Johnson's on 4th for my visiting teaching message for the month (meeting LaNae, Lorinda, Kim, and Julia to discuss April's message).

10:13 a.m. (still raining) Drag myself, Emma, Brooke, and my diaper bag in while attempting to cover us with the only umbrella I could find, Braden's golf umbrella that is only meant to cover his golf bag. (Laugh, it is okay; I'm sure we were quite the sight)

10:55 a.m. Announce that I have to go, because I need to get to Braden's school for his birthday party. (No, he is not turning 5 yet, but he will not be in school when he is; his teacher said we could do an early celebration.) Brooke then announces that she has to go potty. (the timing that kids have, do they take lessons?!)

10:56 a.m. Ask Lorinda to hold Emma for me as I rush like a mad woman to the bathroom; I'm sure it was the fastest pit stop Brooke has ever had. (I'm sure Nascar would be proud.)

10:57 a.m. Gather my belongings, including the girls, and begin to head outside. (still raining by the way) LaNae comes to my rescue and offers to help. (Bless you my child)

10:59 a.m. Kids are loaded up. LaNae offers to help again, and I take her up on the offer. (Here she comes to save the day!!!!!!! SUPER LANAE, SUPER LANAE!!!!!!!!!) LaNae hops in the van, and we head to Braden's school.

11:01 a.m. We pull up to Braden's school (still raining). I open the van door, run the cake in, the sweet amazing women at First Baptist rush to my aid (a decent umbrella and an extra set of hands), I run back to the car (now protected by a beautiful and glorious full size golf umbrella), grab the Capri Suns and other party paraphernalia, run back inside, drop goodies on the floor, rush back to the van, grab Brooke and run her inside, run back to van as LaNae is getting Emma out and taking her in, close the umbrella, get behind the wheel, park the van (trying to find the area with the least amount of puddles, not easy), again open the fantastic (and did I mention glorious) umbrella, get out of the van, lock the doors, head inside, close the umbrella, and sigh a sigh of relief (yes, at least part of the ordeal is over, now upstairs for the party).

about 11:10 Finally upstairs with everything, including one cute baby and one sassy princess. Walk into the classroom to see Braden's little face light up (yeah, it was all worth it).

11:15 Party commences: pass out Capri Suns, pass out plates, pass out forks, sing Happy Birthday, cut cake, and stand back and watch the fun. Braden was in heaven, and so was I. I heard, "Happy Birthday Braden!" "This cake is so good!" (I especially liked that one) "How did you make this cake?" "I like it." "Braden can I ...." "Braden...." "Braden...." Braden was the center of the world during that party, and I am glad that I got to be part of making that happen (even if I couldn't get that blasted green sugar to stick to the sides like I wanted to; I guess it is grass mixed with a little frosting, hey, I would eat it).

Here are some pictures from the party:

So are you tired yet?! I know I sure was!

a little after 12:00 p.m. Drop LaNae off at her car at Johnson's on 4th, drive home the long way again (in hopes Emma will fall asleep).

12:10 p.m. (rain finally stops) Pull into driveway. (YES, Emma fell asleep; I think I see a nap in my near future!)

12:20 p.m. Van is unloaded. Put Emma in her crib, change her diaper (while she is sleeping I may add, a sign of a true Mama Champion, I am the Champion! -can you hear the music playing?), and start warming up some leftover rigatoni.

12:35 p.m. Brooke, Braden, and I sit down to eat lunch. (Maybe I should say I ate; they were so full of cake, they only picked at their food)

1:10 p.m. Read books, sing songs, and put Braden and Brooke down for naps. Check something on the computer, okay a couple somethings.

1:35 p.m. Look at the clock and realize how late it is getting; run like crazy to the room, nap here I come!

about 2:00 p.m. Finally drift off to sleep; I have way too much on my mind. (Dream about a lion, a crocodile, and a hippo, all trying to hurt me in some way; what is that about?!)

3:45 p.m. Wake up from nap. (In case you are wondering, the fact that I even got a nap is a miracle, and the fact that it was able to last that long is also a miracle)

3:46 p.m. Get Emma out of her crib, only to discover that she has a odorous present waiting for me (gotta love generous giving children).

3:47 p.m. Exchange Emma's odorous present for a baby fresh one and get her a snack. Make sure Braden and Brooke are up; Brooke is still out like a light (I guess a few more minutes couldn't hurt anything).

3:50 p.m. Download the pictures from today onto the computer and begin editing.

4:20 p.m. Decide I need to get my butt off of the computer and decide what we are going to have for dinner (Rich will be home soon, and he has to be back at church at 6; I have to hustle).

4:25 p.m. I realize that I have forgotten to thaw out the chicken, so I go with plan B, breakfast for supper. (Pancakes, oj, and bacon sound good to me)

about 4:35 p.m. Rich arrives home; I begin cooking the pancakes (It appears my griddle pan didn't quite recover from a little Rich cooking incident a couple weeks ago, so my pancakes end up looking like lumberjack pancakes, too hard to explain).

4:50 p.m. Rich begins cooking the bacon.

5:00 p.m. Braden and Brooke begin setting the table. I realize that we don't have enough orange juice for everyone (I guess we drank most of it washing down that nutritious breakfast), so I asked Braden and Brooke if they wanted oj or a Capri Sun; I of course knew what their decision would be (SCORE! Rich and I loved sipping our oj while Braden and Brooke guzzled their Capri Suns)

about 5:45 p.m. Rich gathers his belongings and heads to church for interviews and basketball.

6:00 p.m. I pop in the movie Enchanted for the kids, edit some more pictures, and then clean the kitchen.

a little after 7:30 p.m. The girls take a bath followed shortly by Braden.

Okay, is anyone else tired? Let's sum this baby up. I took them out of the bath, they put on their pjs, brushed teeth, Rich came home, we read books, read scriptures, sang The Iron Rod (okay, Rich sang, and we attempted to follow along; I couldn't remember the words), said our family prayer, and said, "SURE LOVE YA!" (I'll have to explain later; it is something we do every night. All I will say is imagine a team putting all of their hands in together, chanting something, and raising their hands up at the same time, now imagine the Maseda family team doing the same thing and imagine us chanting SURE LOVE YA, you get the picture. We got the idea from Melissa and Tom; the kids love it!) After our bedtime routines and traditions, Braden and Brooke went to bed, and Rich got Emma to sleep, and now you guessed it, I am blogging about my crazy day; I think I earned it! I also think I earned another piece of that cake I slaved over; I'll worry about the calories another day!

Couple's Night at the Maseda Pad

This weekend Christina and Casey came to stay with us, and to commemorate this grand event and to celebrate that Traci was in town, we had a couple's night at our house. We had good food, good conversation, and had fun playing Moods. For those who have never played Moods before, let me give you a brief synopsis. The gist of it is that each player rolls a die to determine which emotion they will have to portray and then selects the phrase they must say while performing said emotion, hence the true humor and fun of the game. You laugh at yourself, you laugh at your teammate, you laugh at the other players, and you then attempt to guess what emotion they are portraying, which may sound easy to those Mood Novices, but au contraire, you must play the game to truly judge the difficulty. The game hinges on the performance of the players; I however made it easy for my fellow teammates as I dug deep within and acted:

Sleazy as I said, "I have an itch I can't reach!"



and later in the game acted:



Perky as I said, "My underwear is too tight!"

Here is a picture of my perky performance.

Are you thinking that I look a little more crazed than perky? Alas no, I was attempting perky; I guess I will never make it as a Hollywood actress. My husband and fellow teammate though may be able to make a little pocket change in Hollywood; when it was his turn, he rolled the die, and selected an emotion, and what was it you may ask. I guess you will just have to look for yourselves.


How scary is that?! When Braden saw the picture, he asked me if Rich was wearing a mask. "No, son, that is just your father acting CRAZED!" Due to our acting ability (I say that with great humility) and Rich's great guessing, we are now officially the reigning champs; I'm sure there is a rematch somewhere in our future, but we will see. We came, we saw, we acted like idiots, and we left the reigning Mood champs! It was a fun night and a fun weekend!

Public School, take it or LEAVE it?!

Right now I feel like leaving it! No, no, I am not planning to homeschool, at least not right now, but boy am I tempted! Monday I took Braden for his kindergarten registration, and to say I didn't leave with a feel good feeling would be an understatement. It started well enough, Braden and I excitedly walked up to the building ready to begin a new chapter in his life as a lifelong learner and soon to be kindergartner. I began to fill out the paperwork while we waited for Braden's turn to be tested (doesn't something seem wrong about testing a 4 year old). Anyway, it was finally Braden's turn, so off he went while I continued to fill out the papers. After about 10 minutes, they came to get me, and that is when it all began, my serious contemplation on the grand possibility of homeschooling. As soon as I walk in the room, they ask me if Braden is shy (did I mention Braden is in the room with us while they are labeling my child); my first thought was, 'Are you serious?! These are educators! Don't they know you are NOT supposed to label children?!!!!!!! Don't they also know that a child should NOT be within earshot when discussing them?!!!!!!!!' Though I was doubting their ability to educate my child, I answered their question. I informed them that yes, my child was shy (boy, do I HATE, HATE, HATE that word); I explained that he needs to feel comfortable in a situation before he opens up. They then began to discuss with me his test scores, which I guess were not up to par. Evidently he needed to score at least an 80, but he scored seventy something (I was having trouble trying not to tune them out, so I don't remember the exact number); they then explained that he would be placed in a smaller class in order to help get the one on one help he would need. They then go on to tell me that they couldn't get him to perform for them, due to his shyness (did I mention that I HATE that word). At this point, I think this was when I really started to get aggravated. I'm thinking, 'So you are telling me that my child is shy, and you are telling me that he wouldn't do anything for you?! Did you ever think he is uncomfortable answering questions for complete strangers? Did you ever think that having 3 adults in the room asking him questions would be a little scary for a four year old (that's right, 3, and I was not one of the 3, can you say INTIMIDATING)?! Did you ever think that maybe you don't have a true idea of what he is capable of, but you so quickly want to label him and stick him in a group?! Is my child going to be a child to this school or a number and a label? Are they going to treasure and cherish my child or stick labels on him that may possibly tear down his confidence? Are they going to try to box my child in with their opinions of what he is capable of, or is he going to get a teacher that will give him wings to fly?' Luckily, as the frustration and aggravation continued to boil up inside me, I maintained my temper and some decorum. I did however tell them that I did not want my child labeled. I informed them that I too had taught school, and I had witnessed children that were labeled and were never able to shake that label. I let them know that I DO NOT want that happening to my child! Before leaving the school, they decided to give me some more sage advice (in case you missed it, sage is dripping with sarcasm). "Try to make sure you don't answer for him. When someone asks him a question, make him answer. Earlier, when I said goodbye to him, he didn't say anything." (I am soooooo tempted to teach Braden to say in the future, when someone asks him if he is shy, "No, I just don't like you very much, so I don't want to talk to you."-of course I wouldn't do that, I am just VERY tempted) Finally, feeling a little let down and worried, Braden and I left the school. I had so wanted it to be a great experience, but instead I left feeling like it was me against the school system fighting for my son (Braden luckily only cared that he had gotten an awesome sticker). I kept thinking that I didn't want Braden being taught by people that couldn't recognize how wonderful he is; I also kept thinking how they didn't know anything, and I didn't appreciate them talking to me like I didn't know anything! Believe me, I do know about the educational system; I went to college, I have a degree in education, I have taught school, and I will fight everyday if I have to in order to insure that my son gets the best education possible, even if that does mean homeschooling in the future to make sure that happens. Braden is a wonderful, bright, imaginative, loving four year old, and if they need me to point that out to them, I will!