MeRrY ChRiStMaS FrOm ThE pUgMiReS

We Love you all and hope that Christmas brings all the desires of your heart!!! With Love from Mark, Beth Kyle and Brody xxx

not a pretty picture!

I have never been an animal lover! I once had a goldfish, but he commit sucide within a couple of weeks in my care! I woke up to find him lifeless and stiff on my bedroom carpet. I guess he couldnt take it anymore, and ended it, by jumping out of his "never-been-changed" fish bowl. It was a sad discovery, and I mourned for about 10 minutes! My sister reminded me that there are plenty more fish in the sea, but that chapter of my life was over! I didnt care for the responsability.
Many years later, an impulsive weak moment, brought us an adorable puppy, that grew to be an obnoxious, loud, whyning dog. It was a decision that I instantly regretted. A few months later, we saw a notice informing us of puppies that cost only $10! I have never been able to resist a bargain! so, (once again) impulsively we brought another cute little puppy home. Within days, we had 2 obnoxious, attention-starved, highly annoying very LOUD dogs, taking over our backyard, eating our stuff, and pooping it out everywhere! We were not making friends very quickly in that neighbourhood! One "sad" day, both of our dogs decided that they too, were unhappy with the care we were providing for them, and they took off running. Mark and his brother searched everywhere, but they were gone! I tried my best "sad face" for Mark, but it was hard to hide my relief!
Mark is of the opinion, that every family needs a dog, to be considered as a "real" family! and so we decided impulsively to try our luck with a labrador. We brought her home, the beautiful little puppy! But within a week she was obnoxious too! I am just not a dog person I guess! But once again, our little "maggie" was unsatisfied and took to the road! Mark was particularly sad about losing maggie, because she was such a "good dog". I didnt agree.
We had a dog-free year or two, when the impusion to get a dog raised its head again! I either have a terrable memory, or I am too spontanious, or I am just plain crazy, but we brought home a sweet little beagle, we named her chloe. We have now had Chloe for over 2 years, which is definately a record for us! I don't hate her, but "like" would still be too strong a word.
Our friends were going a way for a while and asked us to dog-sit for them. (They obviously are unaware of our dog keeping history) So right now, we have.... One un-neutered female doggy, and two un-neutered male doggies! You can imagine the party in our back yard! It has been quite an education, and quite frankly, I dont know where to look!! One thing is for sure, Chloe is not the innocent little pup we thought she was! I am going to have to make an appointment for her to see the bishop!!! I have informed my friends that if pregnancy occurs, they will be responsable to take care of EVERYTHING! We have 4 lawyers in our family, and we are not afraid to use them!

send me your blog pages!!!!

I beautified my blog-page, and lost all my links in the process!! please email me your blog addresses so I can keep up-to date with you all!! I love you all
from bethy xxxxx

I am still full from thanksgiving dinner!!!!!

I have lived in america for nearly 5 years now. I get asked questions on a daily basis, some of my favorites are........ these are the responses I would like to give (but never do!)



1.Did you learn english when you moved over here? no comprehend?

2.Do you have color tv over there? nope we still shovel coal into the back of our black and white tvs!

3.I bet you think our hospitals are amazing? hmmm I think they are expensive!

4. I bet you're enjoying living in freedom now! because I lived in captivity in scotland?

5. do you celebrate 4th of july? independance from the uk? I am from the UK!

6.do you prefer to be called english or irish? Emmm.... SCOTTISH please!!!!

7. Do you know my great Uncle Alfred once removed, He is from Scotland? No I dont know him, or your great aunt Mabel or even your grandad Bert the 4th. dont know any of them!

8. Does this sound like a scottish accent? Not in the slightest!

9. do you celebrate thanksgiving in scotland? and the answer is ...no we do not celebrate thanksgiving in scotland, but to be honest with you, it is a holiday that I have had no trouble embracing!! anything that requires eating all day long, is defiately something I want to be part of!! and I think I do it like a full blood american!!! Thanksgiving was great!


ps dont be offended fellow americanos, I love you to bits!!!




Last weekend Mark and I drove to the cabin with the boys. It was soo c-c-c-old, We bundled up nice and warm. The cabin looks so pretty and we had a lot of fun together. The famous crying face!

CuTe LiTtLe BrOdY

Brody is 16 months and still can't walk! He crawls around wherever he needs to go, and the rest of the time he gets carried around by me. I am enjoying getting to keep him as a baby as long as I can! Although he can't walk, he can totally talk! He says whatever we ask him to say (we dont let him say "poo-poo" words) and honestly, nobody believes me about this, but.. he can sing!! He sings full songs and they are totally on tune and everything! he can sing twinkle twinkle, sunbeams, child of god, and little einsteins. but the catch is.... he wont perform for anyone but me and mark, mark is my witness that we have a musical genius in our family! watch this space because Brody is going to be a star!!!

FuNnY LiTtLe KyLe!

Kyle is really turning into a little man! He likes to keep us all in check! Lately he has been concerned with peoples choice of words. He is constantly listening out for "naughty" words. Like... "Oh man, dang it, or crap" (I was even told off for saying "thats cute!") kyle will gasp and exclaim horrified, "you said a bad word!" He is always telling brody off for his baby babble which can sometimes sound a little like "poo-poo" Kyle feels like it is his calling in life to make sure that no offensive words are spoken!

A few weeks ago, I was talking to Kyles pre-school teacher, and she said to me that he was the only child in the class that had never been asked to sit on the time-out chair. I was so proud of him, that I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. Last week when I was driving him home from school, he proudly told me, " mommy I got to sit on the time out chair!!" He was VERY pleased with himself!!!

Kyle really is such a good boy, I am so glad that he is my oldest child, because he is such a good example to his little brother. He is very sensitive and always wants to make sure everyone is happy (especially his mum) The other day I gave him a bowl of ice-cream, and he said... "mommy you are such a good cooker! I lub ICE-CREAM!" It was dreyers, but it still made me feel good!! I do love my special little boys!!!

So you see.......... we are a Happy family!

don't mess with me!

oh dear!

Jades mom invited me to her house for a halloween party. So me and kyle went along. It was obvious that I was the only member there, (and kyle but I dont know if he counts) but anyway someone had rented a limo for all the kids to have a ride in. (some people over here have too much money) and jades mum shouted.."who wants to go in the limo?" and I was like..."definately me!!" so I got into the limo with kyle, and about 10 more kids ranging from age 8 to about 13 climbed in too. Then there was some commotion about needing an adult in there to supervise. and jades mum said..."its ok... beth is in there!! so they slammed the door shut and the driver took off. I was surrounded by all these kids that were completely out of control, then they started picking up wine glasses that were full of drinks, and I stood up and said as firm as I could.. "nobody drink anything" but nobody listened to my squeek so I shrivelled back into my seat and whispered in kyles ear..."dont you drink anything!" the kids were soo obnoxious , they kept shouting to the driver, "WE WANT MUSIC! WE WANT MUSIC!!! chant chant I hated them all!!! so anyway I am still as pathetic as ever. why is my family so rubbish in these situations? anyway it turned out that the alcohol was actually martinelli!! PHEW hahha it was horrable! anyway to top the evening off, kyle did a huge poop in his nappy, and of course this would be the day I didnt bring a spare nappy for him, so I took him in the bathroom, and started the process, the poop could not even be called a poop! it did not resemble anything brown or firm, it was however, green and liquidy, so much so that it had seeped out in all directions. And his "bumbum" (as kyle says) was red raw!! he cried as I tried my best to clean him with the wipes (that i found in a drawer) I then rummaged across a first aid box and thought.."hmm I bet there will be something soothing in here"... and sure enough, there was a bottle of aloe vera after-sun lotion. So I generously squeezed the solution on to his throbbing area, when he let out an almighty SCREAM!!! he was now SCREAMING at the top of his lungs!! Ok so I started with the stingy wipes again trying to wash off the offending lotion!! I dressed him and got out of there as fast as we could!! twas not a fun night for me (or kyle)

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN FrOm ThE pUgMiReS

We had so much fun at trunk or treat.
Kyle was dressed as his fave superhero..."the FLASH" Kyle wanted to wear his costume soo much that it had holes in it before

he even got to party in it!

We dressed brody up as a vampire because... 1. we hadnt bought him anything in time, 2. it was really easy to throw together. 3. It was free, 4. he has a natural widows peak in his hairline 5. he BITES like a vampire 6. I love edward cullan!

I dont really know what mark was meant to be, but I think he secretly enjoyed having a full head of hair for the night! and I was an angel (for obvious reasons) It was fun to see everyone dressed up!

I am an old granny

I just turned 29 !! I can't believe how old I am getting! Its not funny!
I am going through a midlife crisis!!! anyway so...... it was my birthday, and mark was soo amazing to me. He got off work for the day, and let me stay in bed while he gave the boys breakfast and got them both dressed. then he gave me some pressies, an ipod deck thingy, and giftcard, and a new singstar game. Then we went to the mall, and we got to have lunch at my fave restaurant which is.. firebird grill. I got a new necklace and a top. and we let kyle "build a bear" We let him choose whichever bear he wanted, and he managed to pick the ugliest thing in there! I was trying to steer him in the direction of the cute brown puppy, or the fluffy bear, but nope, he wanted the nasty green dragon type thing. and he didnt stop there, he dressed it in a hideous superman outfit! it looks ridiculous, and it cost us $30!!! I had a brilliant idea, but it came on too late. I was thinking it would have been a good idea, if we had kyle bring all his dummies (pacifiers) to build a bear workshop, and have him bury them in his bear, then they can sew it up with them inside. I know, its brilliant!!! but I didnt think about it until we were leaving the shop! and I am not paying $30 for another one, so we will have to put up with our overgrown baby for a few more months I think! anyway, yep so birthday evening, everyone came to my house and we have chips and salsa (which by the way, I made myself ) and we had ice cream birthday cake! we played singstar all night!! it was the best birthday EVER!!

anna and richard

A few weeks ago...... My sister anna came to visit me in arizona, She brought her boyfriend Richard with her. It was really nice to finally get to know him a bit. He is very polite and friendly, and Anna just seemed so relaxed and happy with him. I am soo glad because anna has been through a divorce and has had a terrable time throughout the past while. It has been lovely to be able to be around her and see for myself how happy Richard makes her. While they were here visiting me, They decided to get married impulsively in the phoenix courthouse. At first I thought they were joking around, but when I realised they were serious and they explained their reasoning behind it, it made perfect sense. My parents agreed that this was for the best. Due to previously being sealed, Anna and Richard were not able to be sealed at this time. So me and mark got to be part of their special day, which was an honour! The day before they were to be married, We all went to chandler mall, We spent the day there, getting dresses, shoes, a suit etc for richard, he even got a ring there. I LOVE chandler mall! We got our nails painted too. It was a really nice day, and anna found a beautiful dress!

The next day was the big day! Anna looked sooo beautiful, we met them down at the courthouse. Me, Mark, Kyle and Brody made up the entire congration. It was very simply done, and the judge pronounced them man and wife. (I never understand why they dont say.. "husband and wife") Mark and I were the witnesses. It was very special to be able to be such a big part of their day. Quite often I feel as though I miss out on so many of my family occasions, being so far away. This made it all worth it! After the ceremony, we all went out for a lovely steak, in a really fancy restaurant. It was soo good! It was a day I will always remember, and I feel priviliged to have been a part of. I dont think I have ever seen Anna as happy as she is now, and I wish her and Richard all the best in their adventures together. p.s kyle and Brody looked soo handsome in their kilts xxxxx

meet jade.......

I have a new job! I look after sweet little jade full-time! She is 10 months old and is really sweet and chubby. I am getting a bit of a girly fix having her around. I cant help but put piggy -tails in her hair and cute little dresses. Boys really are quite boring to dress, its a case of.. checkered or striped shirt. yawn! My sister-in-law has just started a boutique, and she is working on a whole line for boys too, which I think will be brill. check out her website http://www.fancypantsbowtique.com/ she makes everything herself!!

poor brody

OK I am finally able to move on from Brody's bad haircut!





I am going to show you some pics of my boy

first pic, is before any shaving began, look how sweet he is




The MONK!






Then cheryl tried to fix it for us, and it looked alot better. here is my wee Brody Glen with his big boy haircut!
I hated it at first, but to be honest, it has kind of grown on me, He looks so grown-up! He still can't walk though! 14 1/2 months old.
Love my wee pal! He is so different from Kyle, Brody gets really mad, and bites us all! and throws his head down on the floor in his raging temper tantrums!





anyway, so we shaved kyles head too, so they can both look like thugs!




My poor baby looks like a
monk!!!

Brody has very thick hair, and most of the time it looks kind of scruffy, but he is soo cute, I love his crazy hair. I decided to give in to Mark, and began trimming Brodys hair. I got it looking pretty good, when Mark decided he wanted it shorter, and completely shaved the whole back off!!! he left a big mop on the top!! My baby looked exactly like A MONK!!! I started crying, and banned Mark from ever touching either of the boys hair EVER again!!! but of course we couldnt leave poor brody looking like a monk, so I reluctantly let mark try to blend the rest of the hair, which kept getting shorter and shorter!! anyway.... long story short... my baby now looks like a missionary gone wrong!!! I am very very sad about it!!! will post pictures when I can see the funny side (which might be never)

brody and the couch

we got this couch on craigslist, and it was the bargain of the century!! we love it! but it was slightly worn on one of the arms, and brody has continued to scratch and pick at the worn patch until it made a little hole. He now enjoys trying to make the hole bigger and bigger!!! Does anyone know how to fix a leather hole, or stop a baby ripping it? all suggestions are welcome!

california here we come................

The Funnest Day EVER!!!

I have ALWAYS wanted to go to california. I have lived in america for nearly 5 years, and nope... never been to california, which is 6 hours away from where we live. On friday morning, we decided we would go! sooo when Mark got home from work, we left for disneyland!! (we like to be impulsive!) We got an amazing deal on a hotel, which was just 1 mile away from disneyland. Kyle and Brody enjoyed looking out the window because we were up so high. The next morning we set off nice and early (8.30am) for our adventure. It was raining and chilly, (a strange concept to our arizona accustomed skin) but we were all excited.

Disneyland was fun, we got to go on lots of rides together, kyle especially loved the buzz lightyear ride, because he got to shoot monsters with a lazer gun! Mark was playing to win that game, even though his competion was his 2 year old son!

Now, as most of you know, I am all about the food! But it is with deep regret that I report.... my raging tastebuds were left unsatisfied and disappointed. Marks wallet felt the same way!

Kyle and Brody had alot of fun, and it was definately worth it. The highlight for the boys was when we got to watch a live show with playhouse disney! Just to make you aware... this is kyle absolutle favourite tv show!! He watches it EVERY morning, and he LOVES bear in the blue house, and jojos circus and all the rest. Kyle watched in stunned amazement, with his 2 fingers in his mouth (which we have discovered he does when he is overwhelmed with delight) Bro-bro danced and clapped his hands!

Recently I broke my foot, and it is feeling alot better, but after a whole day of walking around in my pumas, I really wished I had ignored the doctor and wore my trusty flip flops (they just make sense!) and they certainly air things out, if you know what I mean? When we eventually found our car, the first thing I did was take off my shoes, and Mark said...."wooooo do you have athletes foot?" Just to be clear, I dont have athletes foot! I am CERTAINLY not an athlete by any means. What I do have, however is.. smelly foot! Mark was not looking forward to the 6 hour drive home, with my feet on board!! Kyle and Brody were knocked out before we pulled out of the parking lot. "before we reversed out of the car park," (for all my scottish readers)

I dont know if it was attributed to the long tiring day, or the fact that I had removed my shoes, but non-the-less, both boys slept soundly the whole way home!

night night Brody

and kyle (no pic) xx

new washing machine

I have 7 minutes to quickly update!!

As you all know we have been trying to potty train kyle, you can imagine out washing pile!!! there are piles of his clothes and towels and I even think there is a rug in there somewhere!! he has been wee'ing EVERYWHERE! I finally gave up and he is back in his trusty nappy!!! I am a rubbish mum (I know!) anyway last weekend our dryer died, it was a slow death that had been coming for a while, We had been anticipating it for a while which softened the blow somewhat! We were not expecting the sudden death of his twin brother "washing machine!" We are still in a state of shock! We didnt even have time to grieve for our beloved drier, I take comfort in the fact that they will have each other now!! heheheehhe anyway we got a new washer and dryer this morning and I am soo happy!! Its amazing how fast I have got over the loss of my twins!! hehehehhe

potty training

Butter would'nt melt in his mouth..............

Yes its that time!! I have finally decided to socialize my boy! Kyle is almost 3 now and still sucks a dummy (pacifier) carries around a sippy cup and has a bulging diaper (nappy). He attends a montessori pre-school, where he is required to empty his bladder frequently in the bathroom provided. All of kyles peers have mastered the art of controlling their bladders, and although he is older than many of them, Kyle clearly has not! It is very interesting to me, that this fact does not appear to embarrass him or even phase him in the slightest. He will have mature discussions, (and even arguments) all the while filling his ever sagging nappy. I close my eyes sometimes and imagine my little red head boy all grown up, with a full grown beard, waddling up to collect his law degree certificate, with hs supersize pamper on!
anyway so we are going for it!!! I told kyle that he could have a present if he stayed dry ALL DAY! he said he wanted a new superman t-shirt. So we had a deal, kyle was soo good, he stayed dry ALL morning, doing all his wee wees in his potty. Even when we went to visit Cheryl, we took our special potty with us, and he did great! Kyles cousin Lani (who has nearly perfect control of her bladder) decided that she wanted to try kyles potty too. which resulted in another argument of course. Kyle continued to do his business in his little potty for the rest of the afternoon. staying dry for a consecutive 9 hours! I believe he might get that superman t-shirt after-all....
Jill came round to check out Marks latest project, and we were chatting, when I noticed Kyles tell tail triangle, it was a darker shade than the rest of his trousers. urggg he was doing soo well! It was then that I saw it! A suspicious looking lump down one of his trouser legs, I silently hoped that it could perhaps be a toy or something that he put down his pants, but the waft that accompanied the lump, filled the room with a pungent stench, that singed the hairs in my nostrils. It was a smell that not even a mother could love! and all the while I was concerned about his bladder problems, I forgot to acknowledge his bowels. It is going to be a long hard training process!!! anyone want to borrow a 2 year old for a couple of weeks?

apparently I need to update this thing.........

Mark has been working DEAD hard on our house, he has put up panalling in our bedroom and painted the room pale blue, it looks soo pretty, and it actually gives the illusion that it is cool in my house (which is just an illusion) There is definately something wrong with our air conditioning, and I am not liking it. all of our pillows have huge wet patches where our sweaty little heads have been. My ac thingy says it is 74 degrees, but he is definately lieing!!

Anyway, Mark always has a lunch meeting with his work every thursday, They always get to go to good places like... fuddruckers, mattas, etc etc. I am always jealous of marks thursday luncheons, and to top it off, when he comes home, he is sooo full that he doesnt even want to look at what I dragged together for dinner. Sooo yesterday I decided that I too, was going to indulge in something special. I (of course) had my 2 little buddies with me. We decided to go to "oregenos" (highly recommended by mary) I am happy to report that I had a very enjoyable lunchtime experience. I was some-what surprised with my findings, since previous meals out with my offspring have resulted in........ screaming fits, food being thrown, messes, whyning, drinks being spilled, jumping on chairs, tables etc. which is usually why we pay mariana $20 so we can enjoy a meal without having to appologize to several people, including... The hostess, the server, the customers in the booth behind us, and infront and lets be honest.... any table within ear distance of us (which is most tables).
Yesterday I had my little monsters all by myself, and they were angels! I decided to put up some of my tips. When I follow these rules, I dont have to appologize quite as much!

1. order kids meal when you order your drink
2. order your meal
3. when you meal comes ask for a box, order dessert and ask for the bill
4. Throw as much food down your throat as fast as you can. put the rest in the box
5. Slow down and enjoy dessert (strangely enough, I have never EVER had to coach "2 more bites" ) with chocolate chip PAZOOKIES (again recommended by mary)
6. Pay bill & tip with cash
7. get the hell out of there! (thats not a bad word in scotland)

I had such a nice lunch (slightly more rushed than I would have liked) But nobody asked to be re-seated this time. we are getting better!!!

my lovely, beautiful, sweet sister pauline xxx

Has she shrunk or are these mighty large scrippies?

Look how lovely she is............

she is working hard in temple square, and I am so so proud of her!!

superdad

Mark is the best dad in the world! Brody and Kyle absolutely worship him!! They put up with me during the day, but they light up when daddy comes home!!!! Mark recently turned 30, thats a scary birthday, but Mark really didnt seem to mind, I know I am going to freak out when its my turn!!! gulp! anyway just wanted to pay tribute to my special husband, who is such a good person and amazing dad. I love you markie xx

sweet brody

Brody is the sweetest little baby on the planet! He loves to eat, and he loves to dance. He thinks he can talk, and he will have massive conversations with whoever will listen to him! Brody cant understand why nobody wants to play with him at 4 o' clock in the morning! I love you Bro-bro xx

the funny things kyle has been saying lately..

kyle has taken a keen interest in drawing, i usually find his artwork on furniture, walls or the floor. I recently bought kyle some paints, which he enjoyed for most of this afternoon. thankfully, he wasnt too bad, and kept the paint strictly for his picture (and his arms and tummy) anyway... this evening as i was trying to get kyle ready for bed, he started asking to paint again, and i said no kyle, its time for bed. and he started whyning even louder ( i really need to learn how to spell the word whyning because it is the only word that really explains his high pitched whails and demands!!) anyway, I told kyle..." no kyle, you can paint again when you wake up, and he looked at me and said.. " but I already awake!" hahahha how could i argue with that????





ok another funny little thing......... I HATE CRICKETS!!!!!!

We just moved house recently, and the new house is having a HUGE problem with crickets!!! they are disgusting little things that jump around everywhere making an obnoxious clicking sound and I HATE them!!!!!! I was showing my disgust whilst squashing it with marks shoe. I said to kyle.... "I hate these crickets!!" he looked at me with big eyes and said.... "you just like horses and cows?





need to start wrting this stuff down!!!

I want to try and keep track of the funny things kyle has starting saying these days.............

the other day we were at the mall, and kyle was getting really grumpy and tired, and he was whyning and moaning like crazy, so i told him if he was really good we could go to the playground for a bit, but i just needed to go to 1 more shop. kyle wasnt too happy about this and he started whyning again, so i told him to be good and we would go to the playground next. so we went into victorias secret, and kyle was trying overly hard to pretend he was in a pleasent mood, he picked up a bra and said..... "you like this boobs mummy? or you like the red boobs?" it was soo funny and cute hahahahahha I love that boy!!!

i am so so proud of kyle ........

Kyle recently started pre-school, He LOVES it! It is a montessori school so he gets to do a lot of things all by himself, He got to make his own lunch yesterday, and he thought that was the coolest thing ever! He seems to have passed through the "terrable 2" stage, and he is just the sweetest nicest little boy I have ever known! We love you to bits kyle xxxx

ok here goes...................

Well me and Mark are enjoying life in arizona where the heat melts the skin off your bones! We just moved house recently, we have been enjoying re-decorating and mark has done sooo many cool things to it! He is amazing! We have 2 adorable boys, kyle and brody.
Kyle is almost 3, he is very clever, funny, cute and soo sensative, he loves to make sure everyone is happy, he is always looking out for his baby brother and his mummy. but his best friend in the whole world is.. mawk! Kyle recently started pre-school and he is loving it!
Brody is our chubby little baby, he is 13 months, and has just started to crawl, he is not interested in trying to walk, he way prefers to be carried around and snuggled. He loves to play peek-a-boo he is sooo cute! I am so lucky to have such beautiful boys!
We also have a dog named chloe, who, (I am sure) hates us, I would hate my owners if i was made to stay outside in the blazing sun day in day out. (marks defense) "she has water"