The Ballard Bunch

This is a couple of hours early, but I didn't want to neglect a little tribute post with all of the "busy-ness" tomorrow will bring.

Happy 27th Birthday to my amazing husband. We all love you so much!

Like Daughter, Like Mother (at least like me in 1984).
What a good little sport she is!

I know, maybe a little scandalous. But really, how could I not post this picture?

Backstory: Tatum takes the clothes off of everything...Barbies (and Ken, apparently), Baby Dolls, Dora, Tinkerbell...you name it. I've heard that this is something they all do at this age - and I hope it is - otherwise, I'd need to start being a little concerned.



Today we found her innocently playing "daddy riding the horse". I honestly haven't laughed this hard in a loooooooooooooong time. How was she to know that the corrupt adults would see it any differently than she would?

Sweet thing.

Whew! The last few weeks have gone by so quickly. My brother is in town visiting and it's just totally slipped my mind that I haven't blogged in a couple of weeks. Here are a few pics to catch you all up: This is Hayden in the tutu I made for her months ago (Tatum's got one, too). Neither of the girls were interested until now. And now, they wear them all the time (at home, to the grocery store, lunch at McDonald's - you name it). What Tatum wants, Hayden wants now, too so I get double tutu-ers. Mom, Jeff, Shanna and I took all of the kids to the Utah State Fair a couple of weeks ago. Tatum LOVED all the rides! We bought the older kids (and Jeff!) wristbands so they could ride without the hassle of "I need more tickets!" and it worked like a charm. Jeff rode with them on everything he could and we only had one freak-out - Shantell on the big ship that swings back and forth and gets really high. Poor thing cried the whole ride. Other than that, incident free.

Not much else, really. Friday night we were up late tp'ing Karen's house (Saturday was her 30th birthday - payback) and didn't get home until 2am. Karen's got pictures so I'll see if I can post something soon.

Saturday Shanna and I went to my ward's "Souper Saturday" and made some cute Thanksgiving crafts (I'll post pictures soon). We were really pressed for time, but ended up getting everything done and left with a couple of fun extras at the "new to you" swap.

After that we both headed over to the Southtowne Expo Center for the "What a Woman Wants" BUNCO tourney and did surprisingly well. Shanna ended up in the finals as a top scorer and I ended up in the finals as a low scorer (the reward for both). Shanna won to prize for scoring in the finals (again) and I won for low score (again). I guess our luck was consistent the whole day, which doesn't happen often. I ended up having to roll off with other low scorers to find the tournament "loser" and rolled the lowest number and was out of competition. But, don't you think that it would make sense to have the lowest scorer win with the lowest roll? Just a thought! :) We had a fun day none-the-less. Shanna even walked away with a gift certificate for a free facial.

Later that night we went to Scott and Karen's house for a surprise get-together to celebrate Karen's birthday. After a late night of fun, we all headed home - only to have to stop and help Shanna with a flat tire a few blocks away from Karen's house. Poor Shanna - she's had that happen a few times since I've known her. Luckily, Beau's really good at a tire change.

Now, it's Sunday morning and we've accidentally slept in until 10:30. Missed church, but I secretly needed the long rest - it's been awhile that I've been able to do that. Thanks Mom and Jeff!

And now, we'll end with video of Tatum. She's addicted to Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" It's a nice change from Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack". Lovely, I'm sure - but she's so darn cute! It's a little long, enjoy...

Tatum is continually making me laugh. Yesterday she came out in the following outfit and told me she was "daddy".





When you ask her what daddy's say, she shakes her finger and says, "No, No, No!" Maybe we need to be more careful of that word around our house? :)

These are seriously my latest favorite thing!



I have been ordering so many lately that it only seemed appropriate that I have a party of my own. I'm even considering selling them, just to have easier access. I'm addicted.

What?
Scentsy Open House

When?
Saturday, September 15th
10:00 am - Noon

Where?
My House (West Jordan, Utah)
(If you need my address or directions, please let me know!)

If you are unable to attend, but still want to order items, please let me know and I'll make sure to get your order processed on the day of the open house! The online catalog can be found at the link above and I have samples of all of the scents for you to smell. Beware - there are a TON.

These really are great products - I'm an avid buyer myself and plan to order a few for Christmas gifts this year! Why not start early, right?

If you have any questions, please let me know. And don't forget to bring friends - the more the merrier!

Something fun that a few friends have done. Had some time tonight and thought I'd write. I'm a poet, and I know it. Enjoy!

1) Birth Control – It does not work! Okay, well at least not for some of us. 1% of us to be exact. Yep, you’re reading this correctly – I’m pregnant again! At first, honestly, a bit freaked out by it all. But, as I’ve gone through these last couple of months with a secret between my husband and I, I’ve come to terms with the fact that if I still get preggos while doing everything I can (short of abstinence) to not be, this baby needs to be here for a reason not of my own.

And the kicker? Same due date as Tatum – March 19th. Here we go again!

(I wonder how many people will skip over this entirely and not catch the news?)

2) “Newborn” Tights - They NEVER fit right. I have yet to find a pair that I love and that doesn’t gap all over the place. A major plus would be one with a shaped foot – I love kid tights with a heel. If anyone knows of where to get them, lets post it for all. Hayden’s still got the skinniest legs ever and I fear I’m going to have a problem again this fall/winter. And, depending if we keep following suit, we may have another girl to dress come March, so this problem may be never ending for me.

3) People Who Don’t Properly Obey Traffic Etiquette – I know, granny, that you may think you are being nice by stopping when you don’t have a stop sign and signaling those of us that do to “go ahead’, but it really screws with the flow and causes more trouble than it’s worth. Thanks in advance, but please move along.

4) Pads – I said it and you’ve all thought it. I’m already having the dread of the post-birth hoorah of mother-sized pads and mesh undies. Ugh.

5) Cleaning Toilets – I hate this chore. I can do most anything else with minimal complaint, but *ew*.

6) Dog Hair – I’ve never had a dog before, so this is relatively new to me. I don’t care how many times I sweep, vacuum and dust – we always have an abundance of Emmit hair in our house. It’s beginning to take its toll on my patience.

7) ”I Can’t” – The older I get, the more I’m learning to appreciate the ability we all have to be creative, innovative and ingenious. Martha, who? If you see something you really want, try and figure out a way to either get it or create it yourself. You’d be surprised at the things you can do!

8) Unrealistic Expectations – You all know one. If you don’t know one, you are one. The mom’s who can do it all – keep a clean house; tidy, witty, intelligent children; an immaculate garden (or a garden at all), major church calling responsibility, a large circle of friends and subsequent lunches and play dates, dinner on the table, kids to bed at a reasonable hour, etc. I try, but really – who of us out there can do all of that every day? I’m trying to train my husband to really appreciate it if I’ve showered and put make-up on – that should be his first indication that I’m not entirely too overwhelmed. All other days, need no comment. I am a work in progress, after all!

9) People Who Don’t Watch Their Children – Every blog I’ve read so far with this themed post has the same item somewhere on their list, and for good reason. I have a neighbor with a daughter about the same age as Tatum. She roams the neighborhood all day alone. I’ve seen her blocks away from home at times and worry for her safety. She’s come to my house asking to swim and I feel bad turning her away, but I can’t take on that responsibility without her mother around (if it were someone I knew well, might be a different story). I know her mom hates me because I send her home, but it scares me. And now, she asks for Tate to come over and play. I just can’t do it! Call me crazy, but if you aren’t watching your kids, you sure as hell aren’t going to watch mine. I’m sorry if that makes you ignore me when I say hello, but that’s the way it’s going to be.

Oh, and McDonald’s moms – I’ve posted my experiences about this before.

10) Loud Music on Blogs – I hope this doesn’t offend anyone – I promise that even if you have loud music, I still blog-stalk you. I just get irritated when I’ve got my own music playing while a surf and something loud and contradicting comes over what’s already playing. I prefer the option to turn it on or off, but that’s just me. Still love you, Bloggers! Don’t hate! Just a personal preference.