Az-Mile-Stones

It's A Big Day At The Stone House!

2010-07-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook created with Smilebox

Spring…I think

2010-05-16T15:43:00.001-07:00

Nature can be cruel. For the last two months she’s been teasing us with new growth, warm weather, signs of wildlife, plants on sale at Home Depot. Then, she mercilessly dumps 4 feet of snow… and laughs. *sigh*

Well, I think it is FINALLY over. I think.

It’s supposed to be 80 degrees tomorrow. It couldn’t possibly snow after that, could it? Never mind, don’t answer that. Don’t get me wrong; I’d take this any day over 120 degrees. But let’s call a spade a spade, shall we? Do not call it Spring, with promises of baby bunnies, flowers and butterflies when it is really just an extension of Winter, with a token day of warmth thrown in here and there. I’m just sayin’.

A few weeks ago, when we thought it was Spring, we grew some butterflies. We bought a butterfly garden, then sent away for our larvae. They arrived as tiny little caterpillars which doubled in size every day for about 10 days. One day I came downstairs to find most of our 10 baby butterflies encased in their pupas. Isn’t nature wonderful? I tried to talk Jacob into documenting the progress and sharing it at school. He was not interested. I can’t believe I didn’t even take one picture of the journey.

Once they were all cozy in their little cocoons we transferred them to the butterfly garden. 10 days later, Voila! Beautiful butterflies! We kept them for a few days in the enclosure, feeding them sugar water on artificial flower petals, but the weather was deceptively warm, and since butterflies only have about a 3 week lifespan (which I neglected to tell my children), I decided it would be best to set them free while they were still alive.

Speaking of the cruelty of nature, one of our sweet little butterflies emerged with deformed wings. She was never able to fly. It broke my heart to watch her struggle to take flight with her tiny shriveled wings. But, I digress.

We had a few days of decent weather after our butterfly release, and I like to think they spent those days happily mating and laying hundreds of tiny butterfly eggs before nature killed them dead with frost and freezing rain. Farewell beautiful creatures! Hello Sprinter! (Spring/Winter)

Freebies 2 Deals

2010-03-11T00:49:00.001-07:00

Okay, if you’re reading this, and you have not already done so, go here and sign up for email updates on tons of crazy good deals, freebies, money saving tips, giveaways and more! You’ll be so glad you did. And, by the way, if you sign up for any of the giveaways, mention you were referred by me and if you get picked we will both win! YAY! www.freebies2deals.com

A Royal Wedding

2010-02-20T10:56:00.001-07:00

Jacob decided he and Vivian should have a Prince and Princess wedding. Don’t you love their outfits? Jacob orchestrated the whole thing. I was the royal photographer, and later the “lawyer.” “The lawyer?” I asked. “Yes Mom, you know, the one who marries people.” Hmmm, okay. These pictures are priceless. I can’t wait to put these in his wedding video collage!

It was hard for me to hold the camera still, I was laughing so hard!

Vivian wasn’t too keen on the whole “kiss the bride” thing, but Jacob insisted this was a very important part of the wedding.

We even had a Cinderella moment.

Here comes the bride!

I now pronounce you man and wife!

Time for the reception! The dancing was awesome!

I just love weddings, and I love being the royal photographer!

This is a repost from a couple years ago

2010-02-05T20:24:00.001-07:00

I thought this was worth reposting because I often find myself feeling this way. I hope it reminds you of your divine calling.

Healing Balm For My Soul

A great friend sent this to me. She will never know how much I needed it right now. Thank you Jules!

If you're a mom, this will hit home.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going . she's going . she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it." And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Kathleen B. Morgan
390 Brushy Ridge Road
New Canaan, CT 06840

Just Some Cute Pics & an Update

2010-01-31T17:02:00.001-07:00

It’s been a really long time since I posted anything! In my defense, I’ve been a little busy moving. Still, it’s no excuse. This whole unpacking thing is taking far longer than I ever anticipated. Grrrrrrrrr.

I think we finally have a handle on the main level. We just have a few more pictures to hang, and a few more boxes to shuffle. The upstairs, well, that’s a different story.

Can I just say, I am ready for Spring! I’m over all this mud and snow. We have never seen our yard. We have seen pictures of it in the Summer time, but I am itching to get out there and get my hands on it! I guess the fact that we can’t be outside will force us to finish the inside first.

I’ve been trying to get some pictures of Vivian for a cute baby contest on Live with Regis and Kelly. It’s for Parenting Magazine. The grand prize is a $250,000 scholarship. I also entered Vivi and Jacob in Parenting Magazine’s model search. So the following pictures are a result of trying to get some decent shots. I’ve come to the conclusion that I NEED to learn Photoshop. I was going to sign up for a class, but not knowing what Rich and Karen’s schedules will be in the next few weeks, I decided against it. Maybe next term.

This is Vivi’s mad face. Whenever I take her picture, she starts dictating what kind of shot I should take next. She’ll say “Mama, I do mad face.” or “Mama, I see my tongue.” She is so funny!

What a ham!

Well, there you have it! My kids are such shrinking violets.

I am going to start blogging more. At least, that’s my plan. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas From The Stones!

2009-12-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Jacob's Soccer Team

2009-09-09T22:24:00.007-07:00

I obviously have a lot of blogging to catch up on. I’ve been a little out of sorts since turning our life upside down and moving to Utah.

One of the first things I did was sign Jacob up for the city soccer league. He was in HEAVEN! He scored a goal in his first game.

It was such a kick to watch all these little 4 and 5-year-olds running up and down the field, trying to get a piece of the ball, even if it meant steam rolling their own team mates!

Jacob definitely has some great kicking skills. Now all we have to do is get him to RUN FAST!

I LOVE this picture. Click on it so you can see their faces. It cracks me up!

Here is Jacob lining up to score a goal. I love the goalie's face.

Look at how tiny they are. SO CUTE!!! Jacob was a giant compared to a lot of these kids.
Nice kick Jacob!

Jacob loved being the goalie, but most of the time he was swinging from the top of the goal, or staring at airplanes and the like.

There were more than a few injuries, and Jacob was convinced they were intentional because “the other team just wants us to lose!”

Yeah! High five Coach George! Great job buddy!

We Are Moving to Utah...

2009-07-02T20:52:00.002-07:00

In one week! Holy cow, I'm freaking out! I'm super happy, because this is what we've wanted for a long time, but it is insanely short notice, and I'm completely overwhelmed with the task ahead. Rich has to start on July 13th. So, we're going to pack light, go on up, then I'll come back at the beginning to middle of August to take care of things here. I'll have to purge, pack, clean, paint, fix, and ready the house for renting. Then, I'll have to find renters. YIKES!!! I really want to curl up into the fetal position and cry.

I have so many emotions running through my heart and mind at this point. I'm excited our dream is finally coming true, but scared of all the uncertainty and unknown. I'm overwhelmed, and a little terrified of having to do almost everything in regards to the house on my own. I'm worried about taking a pay cut, and the standard of living we will have to adapt to. But, I'm overjoyed that I will be closer to my parents, and that we will be able to enroll Jacob into the school of our dreams.

I've never experienced so much internal turmoil. I know everything will be okay. I know there will be a lot of people to help me. But, it doesn't lessen the knot in my stomach, or the sadness I feel at leaving our wonderful ward, and good friends and family here.

We have loved living here in Surprise, and could not have asked for a better ward. I'm certain there is not a better ward in the entire church! I'm so grateful for modern technology, and the way it makes the world a little bit smaller. Knowing this makes the sadness of leaving a little less.

So, on to the new chapter in our life. On to renew old friendships, and reunite with distant loved ones. Heavenly Father really does work in mysterious ways.

Thanks Amanda!!!

2009-06-17T16:14:00.004-07:00

Amanda Avalos took these darling pictures for us. Vivian, of course, was NOT cooperative. We spent an hour and a half chasing her all over the park. It's a good thing Amanda wore her running shoes!

You're amazing Amanda!

I Need To Find A Home

2009-05-18T13:17:00.007-07:00

For these guys...

And this guy.

Meet Scout!

He is playful and adventurous. He is also a cuddler. He was the first one to venture out of the bed, and he loves to explore. He's got a lot of spunk!

Meet Princess!

She is sweet and cuddly. She loves to play with her siblings. I think she has a beautiful face!

Meet Ollie!
He's a little cutie. He has white "socks" on his back feet. He loves to romp around and tackle his brother and sister. He's also a cuddler.

Meet Jordan!

Isn't he a little cutie? He is also a cuddler. He needs a good home. He is well trained. he cooks (he owns his own Kitchen Aid) and cleans. He has a nicer wardrobe than I do. He is a returned missionary. He owns his own business. He has had years of training from his mom and sisters. He is well groomed. He has a boat. He loves to travel. He loves his mother. He is 26. He's a good boy!

He is free to a cute, loving girl.

Pinewood Derby Here We Come!

2009-05-15T16:41:00.005-07:00

Our ward is having a Ward Pinewood Derby today. Everyone can participate, so naturally, we thought it would be fun for our little man to join the race.He wanted a golden car, so we spray painted it gold, then I free handed the flames. I'm thinking I should apply for a job at West Coast Customs. What do you think?

For some unknown reason, he wanted his car to have the number 9 on it. We tried to get him to do a number 1, or number 5 (because he is 5 years old). He said he needs a higher number, but could not explain why that was so important. I used a scrapbooking rub-on number. Cool, huh?

Have you seen that commercial with the little boy who makes his own car for the pinewood derby? His car is very basic. When he gets to the race he sees that all the other boys' cars are all tricked out, and he looks a little concerned. You hear his dad talking about how he told him just to do his best and have fun.

We've been having this discussion with Jacob all day long. He is so competitive, and gets really upset when he doesn't win. He's obsessed with being #1. We keep going over how the Pinewood Derby is all about having fun, and congratulating the people who win. We explained that all the kids want to win, but not everyone can. We are happy for the winners, and excited that we got to participate. His response: Yeah, but I'm going to win because my car's the fastest.

*sigh*

I'll keep repeating my mantra to him, and pray that he exercises good sportsmanship. But, as the dad says at the end of the commercial, as his son takes home the trophy; "winning isn't bad either."

I'll post an update on the outcome of the derby.

*Update*

Well, our awesome car did not do as well as we had hoped. He came in 3rd in the first heat, and 6th (last) in the second heat.

Though he was a little disapointed, he took it like a champ and was happy to have raced. His only comment was "all the other kids' cars are faster. Mine is just a slow poke."

We've learned form our mistakes, and next year I think we'll go for a little more streamline design. It was a great time!

Thanks Aunt Kim! Thanks Grandma!

2009-05-09T00:38:00.006-07:00

Aunt Kim came to stay with us for a week so she could play with us, and help our mamma. She got up early with Viv so Mamma could sleep a little. She made us breakfast, and played outside. Aunt Kim and Vivi spent a lot of quality time in the back yard because they got locked out! We ate at Macayo's a lot, cause that's Aunt Kim's favorite. They don't have Macayo's in Idaho, where she lives.

Each night, when I say my prayers, I thank Heavenly Father that Aunt Kim could come and stay with us for a while. We miss her!

When are you coming to see me again Aunt Kim? We are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house in a couple of weeks so my mamma can go see the doctor there. Wanna come play with us?

Grandma came to stay with us too. Mamme needs a lot of help lateley wrangling Vivi and me. Grandma read us stories, and played games. She took good care of us so mamma could get some rest. Grandma even cleaned my room, and Vivi's room and organized everything! Mamma says now that my room is all cleaned, we can decorate it with rocket ships, and glow in the dark stars! Grandma is the best!

Grandma, We're coming to stay with you and Grandpa for a couple of weeks! Can we go to the dinosaur museum and the aquarium? Can we make cookies and play in the water?

We can't wait to see you!

The Fashionable Miss Vivian

2009-05-08T15:33:00.002-07:00

This may be my favorite outfit ever! She is so her own person.

Just Plain Silly

2009-05-02T15:37:00.012-07:00

This is Going to be sort of a catch-up post for the long distance fam. Lots of pictures!

I think this pic is SO indicative of Vivi's personality right now. The terrible twos are in full swing. She is so defiant, and WILL NOT be contained. Pose for a picture? Forget about it! Be nice to her brother? Rarely. Do you see her trying to get away from Jacob as he tries to hold her hand outside the Mesa Temple? *sigh*

This was going to be such a cute picture...
Except Vivian wouldn't sit still for even a second. Jacob gave it his best shot, but to no avail.

Ah, then there's Easter. Do you think I could get a decent shot of them together? Not a chance. I did, however, get this shot of Vivian with her binkie in her mouth and a jump rope in her ear.

This is an "I'm not going to cooperate at all" pose.

At least the little man is somewhat cooperative. He looked so cute in his bright Easter colors.

I do love this pic. I love how Vivi is looking up to her big brother. I need to find a better blank background spot... or take the picture down when I have them pose. I wanted to take some photos outside, but that would have been a disaster with Vivian. As evidenced in some of the pics below, if there is a speck of mud anywhere, she will find it!

Ah, here we go again.

We found several of these little surprises in our Easter eggs. Jacob, who does not like egg yolks, was not impressed.

He was impressed with his chocolate bunny, and the fact that mom actually let him eat some of it BEFORE breakfast!

The spoils of the day! Vivi got a Tinkerbell outfit from the Easter bunny.

A princess costume, and chocolate! It doesn't get much better than that for Viv.

Jacob loves to take self potraits.

Vivan is OBSESSED with this sweater and hat. It's 95 degrees outside and she insists on wearing them... overtop of her heavy winter jammies, which she also insists on wearing.

The hat again.

I think this is my favorite ensemble. She has her own sense of style!

Then there's the sidewalk chalk. The sidewalk has to be covered with water so she can smear the chalk all over everything, especially herself. You'll notice she is decked out in half of a princess costume.

What did I tell you about the mud?

I suppose I would pay good money for this type of mud bath at a fancy spa. Crazy baby!

She must get the crazy from her brother. Here he is pretending to be a monkey.

He even had to eat a banana, which is not really his favorite, to prove his point.

Her Royal Highness, princess Vivian!

Even a princess needs to swing sometimes.

I should take all my pictures while they are in the Mustang. It's the only time Vivi will sit still next to Jacob!

I got this pic before Viv picked up her lunch and ran away.

Everything's all good if you've got your binkie.

Jacob came downstairs in this tux which he wore for his Uncle Robert's wedding two years ago. He says it's his tap dancing outfit. I really wish he had a top hat. We were all treated to a little ditty.

So, there it is. It's pretty much a day in the life of the Stone clan. There is never a shortage of entertainment, concerts, messes... uh, I mean artwork, drama, kisses, hugs, "I wuff you Mama," and hopefully nap time!

What Would Simon Say?

2009-03-26T00:48:00.005-07:00

Future American Idol? You be the judge...

Simon: (say it with a British accent) "Absolutely the best performance of the night."

Randy: "Dawg, that was HOT!"

Kara: "You are such an amazing artist! You took that song and made it your own!"

Paula: (with a dazed look on her face, speaking like she has a mouth full of peanut butter) "Is the sky purple? Oh look, budder but-but-butterflies. You are such a shiny star. I love you!" This comment takes her a full 10 minutes to spit out.

I wish Jacob would come out of his shell. It's so hard to get him to express himself. And in case you were wondering, Jacob did improv those two songs, and yes, that is Rich in the background providing the guitar track. My family is so talented! Jacob gets his dance moves from me.

Tune in tomorrow. I'm hoping I get voted off. Or at least sent on a weekend getaway... At a spa. A quiet one. ("You Had a Bad Day" is playing in the background).

I'm Forcing Myself To Post

2009-03-24T14:38:00.004-07:00

I have a lot to post about, but I just don't have the motivation. However, I'm tired, as I'm sure you are, of looking at the same thing every time I open my blog. So, here we go.

Jacob's 2 Wheeler

Jacob has been saying for some time that he wanted us to take the training wheels off his bike, but we felt he just hadn't had enough practice. Then, Darla told me about this ingenious invention called the Balance Buddy (shown here) that attaches to the back wheel where the training wheels once were. You hold the handle while they ride. Presto! No back aches, no falling over of the bike. Jacob was riding by himself in a matter of 20 minutes. It gave him confidence and stability. We took the Balance Buddy off of the bike the next day. He is riding like a pro. I highly recommend this little tool. I got mine on Amazon for $17.99.

He is super proud of himself, as are we. I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Next, he'll be starting kindergarten *sob,* losing teeth, and exercising his independence. I am finding it hard to catch my breath right now. Why can't I just stop time?

Wendy DeWitt Update

2009-02-27T02:07:00.002-07:00

If you want to see the first segment Wendy did on BYU, you can watch it on BYUTV's website. Below is a comment that was on Wendy's blog from viewer services at BYU.

We always appreciate hearing from those interested in our station and its programs.To rewatch the episode with Wendy DeWitt, go to www.byu.tv and click on "February 23" and on 7:00 PM. It will come up with the Living Essentials episode and you can just watch it right there.
I hope this is helpful to you!
Sincerely,Catherine
Viewer Services BYU Television

I Am Inspired!

2009-02-25T01:09:00.006-07:00

I know many of you have heard her, but, for those of you who have not been to a class presented by Wendy DeWitt, you're in luck! Someone has video taped her class and put it on youtube in 9 segments, totaling about an hour. I know, you may be thinking it's absurd to sit and watch youtube for an hour, but trust me, once you watch the first segment, you will not be able to stop yourself from watching the rest. It will change the way you think about, and approach food storage forever! She is a genius, and she is funny!

I finally feel like I could actually do this whole food storage thing. I've been buying food, but I have no idea what I have, or what to do with it (other than the 2 year supply of peanut butter I have accumulated). Wendy has the most brilliant, simple system for calculating, buying, and keeping an inventory of your food storage, and it's all food your family loves to eat. I can't believe I never knew any of this before now! Why didn't someone tell me? (Alice, Wendy's daughter-in-law, is laughing at me right now) Go to Wendy's blog where you can download her all-inclusive booklet. It will tell you everything you need to know, gives you recipes and tips, and has a copy of the master shopping list you will create. Brilliant!

She has done 3 segments for Living Essentials on BYUTV. The first segment aired a couple days ago. They will replay it on March 14th at 4am (set your DVR!). The next segment will air on March 30th at 7pm. The last segment is yet to be announced. If you go to the Living Essentials website, you can get more info, and you can even purchase a DVD of the episode.

Here is the first home video segment on Youtube. If you look to the right of the screen you will see the rest of the 9 segments.

I hope this will inspire and help you, as it has me. We can help each other by alerting everyone to good sales on common items, sharing foodsavers and canners (I have a foodsaver), creating a group order for solar ovens, sharing recipes, etc.

Now, if anyone has any brilliant food storage space ideas, I'm all ears!

Not Actually Tagged

2009-02-21T11:36:00.004-07:00

I was not officially tagged, but I've seen this on two other blogs with an open invitation, so, here it is. Go to your picture files. Open the 6th folder, and the 6th picture. Post it on your blog and tell the storyof the picture. then tag 6 people.

This is Vivian. She likes to swing on the bar of the swing set and act like a monkey, complete with ooohh ooohh, ahhhh ahhhh sounds. She is so funny!

She takes after her brother.

Crazy Monkeys!

Now I tag Kodie, Kim, Natalie, Heather, Alice, and Danell

Beautiful Women

2009-02-17T11:43:00.003-07:00

My sister-in-law sent this to me today. I thought it was very poignant. I'm sure some of you will receive it in an e mail as well. It's circulating.

The e mail says Audrey Hepburn wrote this poem, and that it was read at her funeral. According to truthor fiction.com, that is not true. It's actually written by Sam Levinson, whom Audrey Hepburn liked to quote. Even so, it's a beautiful poem, and a great reminder.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.

A Study In Contrasts

2009-02-04T10:53:00.006-07:00

Here's our little princess, Vivian. She LOVES shoes. She is so obscessed with them, if you're not careful, she'll knock you down and take the shoes right off your feet!

She was very excited to receive several pair of princess shoes for Christmas, along with a princess crown, and jewelery, which she calls her "pretties." Yesterday, she pranced around the house all day wearing her pretties, sipping from her princess tea set, and reigning like a little dictator. What Princess Vivi wants, Princess Vivi gets! (or she'll throw a royal tantrum).

Viv also LOVES to play outside. Much to my dismay, here is what I found the little princess wearing after playing out in the "garden." I didn't have the presence of mind to take a picture while she was still in them.

How can such a little princess love to get so dirty? Jacob HATES to get dirty, and he's a boy!

These were brand new pants, and I feared they would not come clean. I mean, just look at that mud! Miraculously, they still look new after a good washing.

Speaking of laundry, Can I just say I LOVE BLEACH! I love how fresh and clean everything looks and smells! I think my biggest pet peeve in life is that icky sour smell that grows in damp things, then ruins everything it touches, including your hands. It makes me gag! I usually use wet paper towels, or Lysol wipes to clean my counters because I can't stand the thought of a germy, mildew smelling dish cloth. No matter how many times I beg, plead, threaten, throw away sour smelling towels, this stinky phenomenon continues to haunt me. I think it's a pretty simple concept; damp + warm = MILDEW! I've found a method of washing that does a pretty good job of getting the smell out, but it involves several steps, and soaking, and I just don't have time for that. Which is why I have decided that from now on, every towel, rag, dishcloth, and washcloth I buy will be pure white, therefore, allowing me to bleach the heck out of it at the first sign of stinkiness. *GASP!* White towels with children and a husband??? You bet! Bleach will take care of that!

Take a look at this laundry! (I'll spare you the shots of the underwear, although they are sparkley white!) I wish you could smell these socks. It makes me want to run through a meadow singing! If all my laundry looked like this, I would gladly do laundry every single day. This is my kind of aromatherapy.

If I thought I could get away with dressing my family in pure white all the time, I would do it! (except for me because I don't want to look as wide as a house! But I'm not the problem here).

I wish someone would invent an air freshener that was called "just bleached, pure white deliciousness." Or better yet, a Fabreez-like spray that I could dowse my entire house in. Don't give me any of that tropical misty rainforesty garbage. I want REAL bleachy clean!

I Respectfully Request

2009-01-30T23:06:00.002-07:00

This is not meant to offend anyone, but, I implore you, if you have a blog, please remove the word verification from your comment page! It's not a huge deal, but really kind of annoying. If you're concerned you're going to get spammers leaving comments on your blog, just go to your settings tab and click the box to make your blog inaccessible to search engines. I did this, then, I went to the two biggest search engines and typed in very specific things about my blog. It did not bring up my blog. I even typed in my full blog address. MSN Live Search could not find anything. Google, because Blogger is a Google application, brought up my blog, but you would have to know my blog address in the first place to be able to do that. Anyways, my point is, I don't think you have to worry about random spam comments on your blog, so PLEASE remove word verification!

Hugs and Kisses!

Kendra

I Need Some Insight

2009-01-28T23:56:00.004-07:00

I am faced with a dilema. We were pretty positive we would be living in Utah by the time Jacob started kindergarten. We knew where he would be going to school, and that was partof the reason we wanted to move up there so badly. I always said, if we were not in Utah by the time he started school, I would home school. Well, needless to say, with my recent health issues, I don't think home schooling is going to be an option for me.

This is where the insight is needed. I think our best options are going to be Paradise Education Center, or Rosefield. Before I go over to these schools to talk with the administration, I'd like to hear everything I can about YOUR experiences with these schools. I want to know about their philosophies, approach to discipline, specifics about your experiences with the kindergarten teachers, classroom sizes, special programs, attitude of the other students and parents, and any other information you think would be helpful. I'm feeling really stressed out about all of this.

Thanks for your input!

"Comin' On Stronger Than Ever Before!"

2009-01-15T21:59:00.005-07:00

Jacob is really into Alvin and the Chipmunks lately. Not the new, really stupid live action, computer generated one, but the real honest to goodness chipmunks of MY childhood. He likes to sing along, and sometimes pretends he is a chipmunk by playing the toy electric guitar, and making up songs to sing while playing.

Yesterday, Jacob seemed to be having a bit of a rough day. He was grumpy. Rich asked me if I would like to go out on an impromptu date to a little hole in the wall Chinese place we used to go to over in Peoria, but by the time we got ready to go, I decided maybe what Jacob needed was just some time alone, with Mommy and Daddy, as his grumpiness was pretty uncharacteristic for him. After a little coaxing, he agreed to come. As soon as we were seated in this very small dining room, to my horror, Jacob declares "I don't want to eat here. I don't like Chinese guys!" I looked around me quickly to see if we were about to exiled from the restaurant, then had the "we are all children of Heavenly Father" talk with him. Where on Earth he came up with this dislike of "Chinese guys," I'll never know. My sister says we should be on that public service announcement that says "Children are not born with hate, they learn it." I swear. I love Chinese people! I've never said an unkind word about my Asian brothers and sisters.

Fairly certain that our hosts had not heard my unruly child's declaration, I convinced him he was going to love the sesame chicken with WHITE rice. We have been trying to eat really healthy lately, so I thought he'd be excited about the white rice. Well, much to my dismay, a date with Mommy and Daddy was not what he needed. It seems going to bed at 7:30 was the cure for his ills.

The next morning when I awoke, Vivian was also awake, but was talking happily to herself in her crib. I decided to take advantage of the moment and grab a quick shower. I told Jacob to listen for her, and if she began to cry, to go into her room and play with her until I got there. When I got out of the shower, Vivi was still talking to herself, and Jacob was out in the loft singing to himself. I recognized immediately what he was singing, because, like many of you, I am a child of the 80's, and can still sing the theme song from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Here is what I heard (sing the theme song in your head: "We're the chipmunks! Alvin, Simon, Theodore! Dute. Dute. Doo, doo, doo dute!") Jacob's version: "We're the Chipmunks! Save the Chinese ever, evermore!" I kid you not! I was laughing so hard as he decided to take his show on the road and go into Vivi's room and sing it for her. I guess, not only are the Chinese also children of God, but apparently they need saving as well; from what, I'm not sure, but Jacob has a newfound sensitivity to them.

Then there's Miss Vivian.

Yesterday, it seemed as if she just woke up and said “today, I’m going to talk about my feelings.” I started up the stairs to help Jacob get ready for school. Vivian was following behind me, but after she made it up a couple of stairs, she stopped, threw her little arms down in desperation, and said “Mama! I mad!” I said “you’re mad?” and she said with a sad little whine “uh-huh.” She would not tell me what she was mad about though. Later, she climbed up next to me on the couch, lay down and said “I sad.” To which I replied “don’t be a sad baby!” “Be happy!” she exclaimed. After her nap, when I lifted her up in the air above my head, she grabbed my arms and, with wide eyes said “I scared.” She also told me she was “sirsy” (thirsty). It wouldn’t be so amazing, except she’s never said any of these things before. She just chose to save them all up for one day when she was particularly moody. Now, it’s like the flood gates have opened and there is no limit to her vocabulary. It’s so darn cute!

Christmas At Our House

2008-12-26T22:47:00.008-07:00

"You Better Watch Out..."

"You Better Not Cry..."

"You Better Not Pout, I'm Telling You Why!"

"Santa Clause Is Coming To Town!"

We had a pretty fantastic Christmas around here. Despite the tears, Vivi was excited about the big man, and he was good to her.

Jacob made out like a bandit! Between Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles, Mom & Dad, Sister, friends, and don't forget Santa!

That is a pure, unadulterated, genuine, Christmas smile! I wish I could get him to smile like that every time I take his picture!

The expression on Vivi's face is indicative of how I felt all day. Kind of in a daze from lack of sleep, and completely overwhelmed at the thought of finding places for all the new toys to reside.

Vivi received a little bathtub to bathe her babies in. She promptly chucked the baby on the floor and climbed in herself.

And the big Ta-Da! Jacob received his long coveted Power Wheels Mustang from Santa. (Eat your heart out Aunt Kim!)

He has been taking Viv for spins around the neighborhood. They crank up the radio and wave to all their peeps.

Rich had to work at 5am on Christmas, so Santa came to our house later in the day. In the meantime, Grandpa Stone, and Selma, took us to breakfast at the Wigwam resort. It was very yummy!

They had a little Santa's village set up outside on the lawn, so we stopped and took pictures of the kids.

Of course they had to sit in Santa's chair!

It was a wonderful day, and we hope you all had a merry Christmas too!

I've Been Living In A Cave

2008-12-23T00:51:00.002-07:00

Have you heard of Priscilla Ahn? I hadn't until today. (I don't get out much) Her voice is so pure and clear. I thought I'd post this sweet song. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas To You!

2008-12-19T11:07:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Where I've Been

2008-12-06T10:42:00.006-07:00

It's been a while, I know. A lot has been going on lately. I'll start with me.

After I had Vivian, I never really got my strength back, and my joints were really sore and weak. I attributed it to post partum fatigue and weight. I began changing my diet, and teaching aerobics again 5 - 6 days a week. Instead of losing weight and feeling better, I kept gaining weight. I was so tired all the time, there were days I felt I could not even get off the couch. My poor kids learned to watch a lot of the Backyardigans. I finally had to quit teaching aerobics because I couldn't get through a whole class without feeling dizzy and weak. My blood sugars were out of control and my joints kept getting weaker and more painful. I just kept blaming it all on my weight. This all went on for 18 months. Frustrated, I finally went to talk to my doctor about drastic weight loss options. I felt like I had to do something to save what was left of my body. He advised that we try to figure out what was causing the weight gain. He ran scores of tests, including MRI's & CT scans. To make a long story short, I have Cushing's Syndrome. It's a metabolic disorder which causes your body to produce too much cortisol, causing all of my afore mentioned symptoms. The MRI's also revealed I have a severe chonic sinus infection and a lump on my liver called a hepatic adenoma.

It's nice to finally know what the heck is wrong with me, but it's worrisome at the same time. There are not a lot of options to treat Cushing's Syndrome. We are trying one medication right now, but I have not really noticed a difference yet. It's not a long term solution because it can cause liver irritation. Nice. It's so frustrating when I think about all the hard work I put in trying to lose weight for the last 18 months, just to gain more weight. It's a little daunting to feel like I'm back, not just at square one, but more like at square negative five. I've kind of given up on the weight loss thing. I know that's not a great attitude, but I feel tired.

Anyway, that's where I've been.

We have been trying to move to Utah. Rich has been going through the hiring process with SLCPD. He has been approved and placed on the hiring list. We thought we were going to be moving in January, but they ended up only hiring a few officers. They have been sort of stringing us along for a couple of months, saying thigs like they planned to hire him, but not giving us any official offer. We had to sort of assume we were moving, without actually packing or planning. It was very frustrating. We just found out at the beginning of this week that it was a no go. The next openings will be in June. I'm both dissapointed and relieved. I was completely freaked out at the thought of trying to purge, pack and move my whole house in about 4 weeks, with Christmas in the middle of it. Yikes! All while dealing with all this medical stuff. Needless to say, we've been traveling back and forth to Utah a lot lately.

So, that's why there have been no blog posts. Probably a lot more than you wanted to know, but I figured I better record it for posterity.

On a happier note, here are some cute pics of the kids!

On our way to see the lights at Temple Square

We had an early Christmas at Grandma & Grandpa's house with all the family who were there for Thanksgiving

The perfect Thanksgiving Turkey, prepared by yours truley. Eat your heart out Martha Stewart!

Jacob on the day of the Primary Program. He was so proud of himslef!

Sometimes they're so nice to each other!

Our Last Trip to Utah

2008-10-13T10:32:00.008-07:00

We love to go visit Grandma and Grandpa! It's always just what I need to recharge.

Mom and I went out for some girl's time at Dear Lizzy, a sweet little boutique with a lunch counter. It's the perfect spot for a girly girl luncheon.

Mostly, we just lounged...
ate yummy food...
Hung out with Grandpa...

And Grandma...

Spent lots of time at Thanksgiving Point...

Enoyed the cooler weather...

Communed with the animals...

Vivi tried to kiss the baby turkeys...

Jacob hung out with his brothers...

We all had a great time!

We're off to Grandma and Grandpa's house again this week! Woohoo!

Daddy Came Home For A Visit!

2008-10-08T11:39:00.003-07:00

Daddy got to come home for a minute today! He forgot his cell phone, a vital tool for police work (and for staying in touch with the most important person in his life!)

This is a rare treat, and the kids were so excited to get to see the patrol car up close and personal! What a great daddy!

Daddy's showing Jacob how the police computer works. Jacob was so impressed!
Vivi was not.

We love you Daddy!

Back to work!

The Tale Of The Mysterious Corn Stalk

2008-10-07T12:24:00.006-07:00

"What's that growing in the middle of the back yard?" Jacob asked. "Why, it's corn!" Mommy exclaimed. "I'll cut it down." Daddy declared. "No!" shouted Jacob. "Oh Honey, let's let it grow and see what happens. It will be Jacob's little experiment." Mommy said. Grumbling, Daddy protests that it's directly in front of the back door, and right in the middle of his yard, but with some gentle persuasion from Mommy, agrees to let it live. We theorize that the seeds must have been deposited there by the birds, and since we had been on vacation, had the chance to grow without being mowed down. So, they grew...

And grew...
And Daddy tried to cut them down, but Mommy saved them, and they grew...
What the heck are they growing? Neighborhood children came from far and wide to marvel at this strange phenomenon growing in the middle of the city. We don't see any ears. We don't see any kernels. Grandpa advises that it will never grow any ears or kernels. Still, they grew, until...
Daddy had had enough of trying to mow and trim around it...
So, he chopped it down, and dug it out...

The children despaired...

Mommy shook all the bugs off of it...

Now it adorns our front porch as a lovely harvest decoration, and still we wonder; what the heck is this thing? What were we growing? Was it corn at all? It certainly looks like corn stalks. But, where are the ears? Why is it only 3 feet tall? What are those strange things growing out of the top? What creature deposited it there? These are the questions that linger where the hole is in our green green lawn.

I Rescued A Cat From A Tree - True Story

2008-10-07T10:20:00.002-07:00

I really did rescue the cat! She was stuck up in the Elm tree in our back yard. She's been hanging around our house a lot lately, and my kids LOVE her.

Our kitty ran away several months ago, and Jacob has been heart broken ever since. This kitty, whom Jacob has named Maggie, but whose real name, according to the little neighbor girl who owns her, is Betty. Jacob decided he could call her Beggy. I think she likes our house better because there is food here, and, according to the neighbor, they don't have any cat food at their house.

Anyway, back to the the rescue! Jacob heard the kitty crying in the tree. He yelled "Mom, call the fire department!" Then, he pulled the slide over to try to reach her himself, all the while, Vivi was standing at the base of the tree screaming because she wanted the kitty, and it was not coming down! I kept telling Jacob the kitty would find her way down, and he needed to come in and finish his breakfast because he was late for school. He was pretty adamant that we needed to call the fire department. So, finally, I went out there to check on the cat, and realized she was, in fact, stuck. She was crying and looking for a way out. It didn't help that the dog was standing at the bottom of the tree barking at her, and Vivi was crying hysterically! So, being the super mom that I am, I climbed up on top of the slide and (took some pictures of the cat) gently untangled her from the tree and brought her down. I got the thumbs up from Jacob and squeals of delight from Vivi. Rich said I should get a medal. Jacob said it should be a gold medal. I think that's a really great idea. Best mom in the world/cat rescuer extraordinaire!

Jacob was 25 minutes late for school. Hmmm. Maybe just a silver medal.

Just an Update

2008-10-02T10:00:00.003-07:00

She's quite the tech savvy baby! Vivian continues to amaze us with her sophistication every day!

Speaking of amazing me, I was tickling her yesterday, and I noticed she has molars! She has not been fussy, had a fever, or any other indication of teething. It's amazing! Jacob was the same way with most of his teeth, but we definitly knew when he was getting his molars. We totally lucked out in the teething department! I guess that's to make up for the collic.

Jacob just keeps growing and growing. He loves school, especially the field trips! He is so affectionate and loving. He loves to have us snuggle with him when he goes to bed. I have been trying to get him to go to bed on his own, so we made a star chart. He gets a star every time he goes to bed, in his own bed, and sleeps there all night. When he gets all his stars we will take him to Chuck E. Cheese. The other night he informed me he does not want any more stars on his chart and we can take it down. He wants Daddy to snuggle with him in his bed. I'm out of ideas.

Puppet Theater Field Trip!

2008-08-22T14:27:00.006-07:00

vWe went with Jacob's preschool class to the Great Arizona Puppet Theater yesterday. It was so much fun! They did the story of The Little Red Hen. Mrs. Luna has been reading the story to the children in class.

Doesn't the little man look so grown up? I look at him lately, and I'm realizing he is really starting to look like a big boy. It breaks my heart a little bit.

Daddy stopped by in his patrol car! The kids were so excited, and Jacob was very proud to tell them all his daddy is a police officer! Rich was a total rock star among the preschool set! The kids got to sit in the car and check everything out. It was great! Thanks Officer Dad!

The Naughty Corner

2008-08-18T21:50:00.004-07:00

Vivian has developed the charming habit of throwing little tantrums. Today, she was ripping up a book so Rich took it away from her. She got so angry she sarted throwing things and hitting inanimate objects while grunting. Then, she started to cry because she just didn't know what to do with all that rage! I tried to comfort her. I put my arms out to hold her and she took a swing at me, grunted and ran out of the room. Rich, and I, of course, laughed quietly. When she came back into the room, she was still mad, and continued to kick things. When she bent down and hit the cord for the computer, I said "you are being a naughty baby! Go to the naughty corner." Of course I was just talking, as most mothers do, to their babies, as if they understand everything we say. To my utter astonishment, she went directly to the "naughty corner" (where Jacob spends a fair amount of time), and put her little hands on the wall and stuck her nose in the corner! I almost died laughing! I had no idea she even understood what the naughty corner was, or that she should stand there with her nose in the corner. The funny thing is, it worked! She was much nicer after the 5 seconds she spent there.

A little later, she came back into the room, throwing another tantrum over my taking the phone away from her. I decided to test my luck and I said, "go to the naughty corner." She went straight there and put her nose in the corner. After about 3 seconds, she turned and babbled something at me, as if she was trying to explain herself. Then, she turned back into the corner, waited a few seconds more, turned around, dropped her little arms to her sides, bowed her head and walked over to me and gave me a hug. I was again, dumbfounded.

It is scary how much she understands! We were just watching one of President Monson's conference talks yesterday, in which he quoted Brigham Young; "Never do anything that you wouldn't want to see your children do." I am going to have to be really careful about what we say around Vivi. She obviously "gets it."

Memories of Us

2008-08-01T17:07:00.001-07:00

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Some Pics From Our Trip To Utah

2008-08-01T14:59:00.007-07:00

It's been long awaited. You've been asking. Here it is. I don't know what my problem is. I'm so tired all the time and I feel completely unmotivated to do anything, including blogging. I think a lot of it has to do with relentless computer problems. But enough excuses. Here are a bunch of pictures from our trip to Utah. We spent three glorious weeks there. It's so wonderful to just hang out with my family. I miss them so much!

We had a picnic up in American Fork Canyon. I was paranoid about the rushing river and managed to instill a sufficient amount of paranoia into Jacob, as well. He panicked every time someone took a step near the river.

Jacob, & cousin, Andy, had a great time together!

We love to go to Thanksgiving Point and wander through the gardens.

I just love how Vivi is posing here. She was refusing to let me take her picture, and for some reason, was afraid to stand next to any flowers.
I love this pictures of Vivi & Daddy. She adores her Da-Da!
"I found the door! The door to the garden!"

Jacob, & Cousin, Blake. It's so fun to be with cousins!

Jacob is ready for the pool!

Noah's Ark Splash Pad at Thanksgiving Point. Vivi wasn't sure how she felt about the cold water!

Face painting and crafts at the Dinosaur museum. Grandma's house is the BEST!

Jacob's Preschool Graduation

2008-06-01T23:28:00.002-07:00

Jacob had his Preschool Graduation on Vivi's Birthday.

It was so adorable! He got his little diploma. His class sang a few songs they had been working on, including one with sign language. He recited his Purple Cow poem in front of everyone. He did such a great job!

This is his teacher Mrs Luna. He is really going to miss her over the Summer! Fortunately for us, he will be in her preschool again next year.

The kids all celebrated with a rousing limbo line! Party time!

We are so proud of Jacob and all his accomplishments this year! He is so smart, and learned so much from Mrs Luna. He can write all his letters and numbers, He can write his own first and last name all by himself! He is starting to read. He can sound out many words already! He understands a lot of difficult concepts such as recognizing patterns, the days of the week, including the order they go in, the result of mixing certain colors together, cause and effect, certain aspects of the solar system, the inner workings of a grocery store, how plants grow from seeds, memorization, and much more!

I love this little man so much! I am in awe of him quite frequently. He's growing up too quickly though! How do I make it stop?

Princess Vivian

2008-06-01T23:02:00.003-07:00

I had to put these pictures on my blog of Vivi's pretty princess dress.

I LOVE dressing her up!She is such a little angel. (Except for when she's running from me while I'm trying to take her picture. Good thing I have mad photography skills!)

I got this dress at a yard sale for ONE DOLLAR! I totally rock!

Vivi's 1st Birthday!

2008-06-01T21:28:00.009-07:00

The Birthday Princess!

I can't beleive my baby is a year old! Where does the time go?
Vivi had a marvelous time at her first big birthday bash! She was all decked out in her party dress and accessories!

The decorations were all princess pink and purple.
She was super excited for the cake Mommy made for her!
I wanted to post a video here of the cake eating, but Blogger won't let me upload anything larger than 100 MB, and unfortunately those files are about twice that size.

She wasted no time digging in.

We were all super excited to eat the yummy funfetti cupcakes!

She loved all her presents!

She loved the cards too!
She was rockin' her birthday outfits! (Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!)
Aunt Karen gave her a Backyardigans bike. She absolutely LOVES it! She jumped right on that thing and started rockin'. Now she stands up on the seat like she's Evil Kinevil or something. We call her "stunt baby!"

Ugh, errr I mean, Ahhhh, Summer...

2008-05-29T16:06:00.009-07:00

I'm pretty sure there's nothing cuter than this picture of my bathing beauties! No, I did not plan their coordinating outfits. Jacob happened to be wearing a hand-me-down suit from one of his cousins, and Vivi was wearing a suit Grandma and Aunt Kodie gave her when she was born. I didn't notice the kiddos matched until I started taking pictures. This was Vivi's first sun bathing experience. She was NOT a fan of the cold water, but she sure loved running around in her "fwimming poot" as my little sister, Kathryn, used to call it.

Sadly, my kid's sun exposure has to be limited because the poor little things inherited my albino skin. I buy spf 70 sun screen for the whole family. Someone remind me again why we live here in the "Valley of the Sun?" Actually, the weather has been really lovely so far this year, but I fear all of that is over for the next 4 or 5 months. I don't do well in the heat. I get sun burned sitting in the shade. I'm not joking.

Jacob started swimming lessons this week, and let me just tell you, it's been traumatic to say the least. It's a good thing his instructor is a strong woman because Jacob has kicked, screamed bloody murder, clawed, flailed, clung, and cried to the point of exhaustion for both of them. I know it will get better. It was slightly better today. It's just a matter of overcomming his intense fear of water deeper than 18 inches. It's hard to watch though. I hope everyone comes out of this experience stronger for it. I know Jacob's teacher will have killer arms at the end of the whole thing!

Is it long distance to Heaven?

2008-05-18T21:51:00.003-07:00

So today Jacob asks "Mommy, what is Jesus' phone number? I want to call him and tell him to come down and stay at our house." Man, I love that kid!

During dinner he starts firing the questions at me. "Mommy, what is faith?" As soon as I explained that to his satisfaction, it was "Mommy, what does death mean?" And then the kicker; "Mommy, what does a broken heart mean?" He seemed content with my explanations and went on singing to himself and eating dinner. He watched a DVD of the story of Jesus about three times today. He also loves the animated story of Lazarus. I'm sure these are the source of his questions. He acts so much like an adult that I forget sometimes that he is essentially a baby. He is still trying to grasp the meaning and context of things. I feel so guilty when I get impatient with him, because I know what a special little boy he is. I know how strong his spirit is, and I need to be doing everything in my power to nurture his perfect little soul. I heard a saying once, "Remember who he is and treat him accordingly." In the daily struggle to make sure his physical needs are met, I sometimes lose focus of the magnificence of his sweet spirit. Why is it so hard to keep that perspective? I have been so blessed with my babies. I just want to give them everything they need to realize their awesome potential.

Drumroll Please!

2008-05-15T15:39:00.014-07:00

Well, you've been asking for it! It's finally here! A brand spankin' new post! Please try to contain your excitement.

I won't go into a long diatribe about my absence. Suffice it to say computers are evil. "tech support" is the spawn of SATAN, and my life has been a little crazy. There, now that we are all caught up I can move on.

So, Vivi is about to turn ONE YEAR OLD!!! I can't even believe it myself. Where on earth has this year gone? It seems a blur. All of a sudden, she's this little person, with her own personality and ATTITUDE! She is all about the sass. I can't imagine where she gets that from! By the way, click on the pictures to enlarge them so you can see her curly hair!

For the benefit of Grandma & Grandpa Ruzicka, and all the aunts, uncles, and cousins, here is some video of our little birthday girl.

In other news, Jacob will be graduating from his first year of pre school on Vivi's birthday. I can't believe how much he has learned this year! He can write the entire alphabet, and his first and last name. He is starting to read, he can count to 100, he can write most of his numbers without any assistance, and much much more! He memorized a poem that he got to recite in front of his class. It's adorable. I'll video it and post it soon. As soon as school is out, he will begin swimming lessons. That's a relief to me. I felt like a really bad mom when I didn't sign him up last year.

The picture on the left is on his first day of school. The one on the right was taken a few days ago. He is growing up so fast!

Well, I feel better now that I have posted something. It's been nagging at me for a couple of months! Hopefully I can keep it up. Don't even get me started on the computer situation!

Long Overdue

2008-03-12T22:55:00.005-07:00

Okay, I've been getting complaints about my blog truancy. If there are any of you out there who still check my blog, this is a token posting to let you know I'm still here. And even though, with the current infuriating state of my desk top computer, it takes me about an hour to upload any photos to my blog, I will do my best to apease you. Hopefully my laptop will be repaired soon and I will return to full blog fellowship.

So, Vivi has been pulling all kinds of funny faces lately. She is cracking me up. She's a little fire cracker! She is in to everything, and climbing on everything. I have to watch her like a hawk!

She is laughing in this picture. This is her newest face. She does this little forced laugh, scrunches up her nose, squints her eyes and inhales & exhales really loudly. We all just crack up every time she does it. She loves it when we sing "Five Little Ducks," and pulls this face every time we get to the part when the "little ducks come waddling back."

You can see her little "toofins" in this picture. She has not complained once about her teeth. She has not had a fever, or fussiness of any kind. Jacob was the same way. I think my kids must have a really high pain tolerance.

Speaking of Jacob, He gave his first talk in Primary this week. He was so proud of himself. So much so, that he kept blowing into the microphone because it made the kids laugh. He did do a really great job, despite the blowing, and received several compliments afterward. Shy, he is not.

So, that's a super quick update. Gee, it only took me 35 minutes to upload the pictures this time! Woohoo! Maybe I'll start blogging twice a month now. In the meantime, I'll keep praying that my laptop comes back to me soon. *sniff sniff*

MIA & RSV

2008-02-08T14:31:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true. I've been MIA for a while. My poor sweet baby has RSV. This is one of the hardest and scariest things I've ever been through! Watching your baby struggle to breathe is very stressful. If you have ever been through this yourself, you know how scary and exhausting it is. Vivi could not sleep because she would go into these wracking coughing fits. We have spent several long, sleepless nights walking the floor with her. I think I was running on pure adrenalin for a while. I was so sleep deprived, my whole body would just vibrate. We ended up taking her to the ER on Sunday. She was having such a hard time breathing we were afraid she had pneumonia. The chest X-rays were clear so they sent us home to continue the breathing treatments on our own.

Monay, she seemed to turn a corner and her energy level increased. I'm happy to say she is sleeping better now too. She has improved a little each day since then, although, she still won't eat very much. Her little lip has a crack in it. I think partly from not getting enough fluids, and partly because we are constanly wiping her nose. I have tried everything to get fluids in her. I bought her two new sippy cups, juice, pedialyte, water, plain formula, flavored formula. She just won't drink unless she gets to the point of starvation and then she'll finally gulp down a bottle of formula mixed with fruit and rice cereal.

Yesterday, Jacob woke up screaming that his ear hurt. He has a really high pain tolerance, so I knew he probably had an ear infection. I took him to the doctor and sure enough, a very bad ear infection. The rest of the day was pretty miserable for him, as he was burning up with fever. He slept for about 16 hours.

So, sorry for the travel log, but that has been my life for the last week and a half. I hope yours has been a little less eventful!

One highlight though is Jacob has started calling me mother. It just melts my heart every time he says it. Only, when he says it, it sounds like "muhzer."

Today he said,

"Muhzer, would you like to change you clothes and take me for a drive in our car? We could have a little race."

Or,

"Muhzer? Muuhhhhzerrrrrrr! Muhzer? Where are you Muhzer?"

And, whith a little whimper,

"Muhzer, I'm not feeling good. Will you hold me?"

I just die every time he says it. I hope he continues to call me Muhzer for a long time.

Our Beloved Prophet

2008-01-30T00:55:00.000-07:00

When I think of President Gordon B. Hinckley, I am filled with gratitude for his life and his example. When I contemplate his passing, I am saddened by the void I feel, but also stirred to remember the things he taught me, the blessings of the temple, and of education and humanitarian aid he brought to remote areas of the world. His admonition to read the Book of Mormon, to reach out to my neighbors, and to be a better follower of Christ. I realize how much I need to do, how far I need to go to become more like my savior.

President Hinckley inspired us all to have hope, to be better, to be prepared both temporally and spiritually. Even in his passing he reminds us to stand a little taller, and cast off the things of the world. I love and miss him.

Field Trip!

2008-01-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Field Trip To Fry's

The little man went on a field trip with his preschool class to the grocery store. They were given the VIP tour, and experienced all the wonder that is the meat department lobster case. He loves to see the lobsters whenever we go to the store. This time he got to pet one! (If he only knew)

The cute little girl at his side is his girlfriend, Kiki.

Of course, the favorite department for all the kids was the BAKERY! They were shown the big bread slicer and then given fresh slices of bread. They even took all the kids back behind the counter to watch the baker decorate a cake! They were enthralled.

At the in-store coffee counter, they were given hot chocolate with whipped cream. Nothin' better than a hot cup o' cocoa with your pals.

I'll NEVER be able to take Jacob to the store again. He's going to think he should get the royal treatment every time! They were given cheese and pretzels at the deli, and apple slices in the produce department.

To wrap it all up they were given a balloon and a bag full of surprises. They also enjoyed cupcakes afterward.

A great time was had by all. Even Vivi enjoyed the experience! Thank you Mrs. Luna & Mrs. Darla. And thank you Fry's!

A Blessing

2008-01-23T11:18:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to teach Jacob about earning money, saving money and paying tithing. It's going really well. We have been giving him extra jobs to do around the house so he can earn money. We made him three banks out of empty peanut butter jars (we have more than a few of those!), one for tithing, one for his mission fund (savings), and one for spending. He is saving up to buy a Spider Man bike he wants. It's so great to watch the little wheels in his head turning as he grasps the concept of work and earning. I think he is gaining a better appreciation for Daddy and the money he earns. The first time we told him he would be giving his tithing to the Bishop, he was a little upset. "But I don't want to give it to him! It's not his money!" We then explained that it was Heavenly Father's money, and all the things tithing money is used for, like the song books, and the temple. He felt better about that, and was excited to hand Bishop Rolfe his tithing envelope with 4 shiney dimes in it.

We had a garage sale last Saturday. I promised him that whatever toys he sold, he could have the money. THAT was a slightly more difficult concept to grasp. He just could not bear to part with all the little trinkets he hadn't seen in a year (NO, he is not my child AT ALL). In the end he let go and he made $15! We sat down on the floor and counted up all of his money and then divided it into his banks. Once again, he ran to find Bishop Rolfe after Sacrament Meeting. I'm so proud of him and his willingness to follow the teachings of his parents and the Lord.

He decorated his little banks with stickers. His bike bank is covered with all sorts of random things. But his mission bank has missionary stickers. He loves to show it to people. He is trying to save up quite a lot of money for his mission because he has informed us that accompanying him will be Daddy and Jesus.

Jacob's First Tithing

A Day Of Adventure!

2008-01-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Friday, we took the family to McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. We had such a blast, we stayed for three and a half hours! Jacob, of course was enthralled and wanted to go back the second we pulled out of the parking lot. What a great place!

Jacob loves train tracks. He kept pretending he was a train running up and down the tracks.

Vivi had a lot of fun watching her brother run around. She also loved all the bright colors!This boy loves his trains!

Aunt Karen and Aunt Kodie enjoyed the day with us too. We loved having Aunt Kodie visit from Virginia. Come back soon!!!

Thrifty Ice Cream is the BEST! Mommy had Chocolate Malted Crunch. Jacob had Bubble Gum.

What time is it? TIME FOR ANOTHER TRAIN RIDE!

Remember, train safety is improtant! Jacob will tell you that.

Kodie and Vivi spend a little time in jail in the old western town.

Jacob, doin' time. I think I'll install one of these in my house!

The little man was so fascinated with all the model trains. They have a massive setup there, and Jacob wants to know when he can join the train club.

The antique carousel was enchanting. Jacob's horse was, of course, the fastest! Good thing Aunt Kodie was there to keep him astride.

Vivi loved the carousel too. Mommy got dizzy trying to pose for the camera. Don't laugh. That carousel was spinning at warp speed!

Jacob discovered the wonder of the roller slide. I was paranoid. The roller slide and I have history. We go waaaaaayyyyyy back. It's not a pleasant history. Perhaps I'll elaborate someday when I recover from the emotional trauma.

Vivi sure loves Aunt Kodie, and misses her terribly!

After our lovely outing at the park, we had dinner at Chompie's. YUMMMMM! We brought home several amazing desserts from their incredible bakery. I had the most amazing corned beef sandwich. I actually had a dream about the corned beef that night. Sad, I know. If Chompie's wasn't on the other side of the world you'd better believe I would have been there for lunch the next day. I forgot to take pictures at Chompie's because I was too busy eating. HA!

After our successful family outing, we decided to designate one day a month as family outing day. It will be a day when we throw caution to the wind, forget about chores, errands and whathaveyou, and just explore the valley in search of good clean family fun. I welcome your suggestions.

Our Multi-Cultural Family

2007-12-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

This evening, as Jacob's cousins were leaving our house, they shouted out "Merry Christmas!" To which Jacob responded "Happy Hanukkah!" I love that kid! Actually, We are of Jewish descent. My paternal grandfather migrated with his family from Czechoslovakia when he was a boy. They, of course, were Jewish. I have always wanted to understand more of my Jewish heritage and celebrate some of the Jewish holidays, especially Hanukkah. Well, this year I got a chance to do that. Our dear friend Selma, invited us over for a Hanukkah lunch with her family. It was so wonderful! We ate latke (I hope I spelled that right. They are potato pancakes.) and donuts. Where have these traditions been all my life! We also had chicken and fruit. Selma, and her son, Sherwin, explained the origins of Hanukkah and the meanings of each hanukkah tradition. It was really cool.

Jacob learned how to play with a dredle and got to bring one home.

Selma gave each of my children Hanukkah presents. She is so thoughtful!

We ended the party by singing traditional Hanukkah songs. Thank You Selma!

Of course, we are also very excited about Christmas! Jacob can talk of nothing else, and has changed his mind several times about what he wants Santa to bring him (arghhhh!) This is really the first year he understands the whole Santa concept, so he's pretty excited! This is an excellent leverage point for a mother. Thanks to "The Polar Express," he understands how Santa can see all the naughty little boys, and Jacob is terrified of being on "the naughty list." I don't know what I'm going to do when Christmas is over!

This is Vivi's first Christmas, so that makes it really special. I can't wait until Christmas morning! I think this might be the first year of our marriage when I don't have any clue what Rich got me. He cannot keep a secret, or plan a surprise to save his life. So, I'm excited to be surprised!

My parents and brother and sister, and possibly another sister and her children will all be coming here the day after Christmas, and I am delerious with excitement! I get so homesick on holidays. My family has so many great traditions, and always a house full of people. It will be wonderful to have everyone here!

So, here's to traditions, old and new, and here's to a happy Hanukkah, a merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

Family Pictures...Take Two!

2007-12-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

Finally! I was able to upload some of our family pictures. I know Heather put a bunch on her blog, but I wanted to share some here too! Thanks Heather!

I've Been Tagged!

2007-12-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Jaime tagged me, so here goes! By the way, can anyone tell me why there is no letter V?

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friends: Rich, my family, Anne, Julie, Courtney.
C- Cake or Pie: Pie. I'm not a real cake lover, although I do love homemade yellow cake with homemade chocolate buttercream frosting. YUM!
D- Day of choice: Sunday. It really is a day of rest for me.
E- Essential Item: TV
F- Favorite Color: periwinkle
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears
H- Hometown: Born in Boise, raised in Mesa and Highland, UT.
I- Indulgence(s): Sleeping, Pedicures, Chick Flicks, Shopping, Chocolate.
J- January or July: January. I can't stand the heat!
K- Kids: One very precocious 4 year old boy, and one sweet 6 month old baby girl.
L- Life is Incomplete Without: Family.
M- Marriage Date: Sept. 6, 2002.
N- Number of Siblings: ELEVEN.
O- Oranges or Apples: Oooh, that's a tough one. I love both. Fuji apples, and sweet navel oranges. I recently discovered Cuties (california clementines). Wow. If you have not tried them, I highly recommend it!
P- Phobias or Fears: House fires, Losing my husband in the line of duty, Losing my parents.
Q- Quotes: "Whether you treat someone with love and respect depends not upon who they are, but who you are." (thanks Heather!)
R- Reason To Smile: My children's laughter, A love letter from my hubby, My family coming to visit.
T- Tag Three: Heather G, Teri, Jesika.
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I love to decorate with bargains. I LOVE to go to garage sales. A large percentage of the furniture and decor in my home was purchased at garage sales.
W- Worst Habit: Procrastinating.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Bread. Cheese. Soup.
Z- Zodiac: Libra

We Elfed Ourselves!

2007-12-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

Click here to check us out! This is HILARIOUS!

What's Your Elf Name?

2007-12-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Christine's blog. So cute!

Kendra's Elf Name

Your Elf Name Is...

Happy Mc Flurry

What's" Your Elf Name?

Rich's Elf Name

Your Elf Name Is...

Sassy Hot Chocolate

What's Your Elf Name?

Jacob's Elf Name

Your Elf Name Is...

Spicy Twinkle Wink

What's" Your Elf Name?

Vivi's Elf Name

Your Elf Name Is...

Giggles Twinkle Wink

What's" Your Elf Name?

Family Pictures!

2007-12-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

I am sooooooooooooo frustrated! I have been trying for weeks to upload some of our AWESOME new family pictures, done by the amazing Heather Ives, and no matter what I do they will not load! You'll notice on my left sidebar, the picture of Jacob is one I took because none of the shots Heather took of Jacob will load. ARRRRRGH! For some reason these three pictures worked. So Here are 3 of MANY beautiful shots Heather did for us. I'll continue working on it. If you have any tips let me know!

This Was Written For Me

2007-12-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

If you have not read President Hinckley's article in the Ensign this month, you should. My friend, Heather G, had the link on her blog. Thanks Heather! I really needed to hear this today. As I read it, Jacob is upstairs thowing a huge tantrum. We've been having a few issues lately, and I've been struggling with how to handle them.

Here are a couple quotes from the article. Please take a minute to read the whole thing!
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=0f6920da30286110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=true

Behold your little ones. Pray with them. Pray for them and bless them. The world into which they are moving is a complex and difficult world. They will run into heavy seas of adversity. They will need all the strength and all the faith you can give them while they are yet near you. And they will also need a greater strength which comes of a higher power. They must do more than go along with what they find. They must lift the world, and the only levers they will have are the example of their own lives and the powers of persuasion that will come of their testimonies and their knowledge of the things of God. They will need the help of the Lord. While they are young, pray with them that they may come to know that source of strength which shall then always be available in every hour of need.

E. T. Sullivan once wrote these interesting words: “When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home and of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies.”1

Rainy Day

2007-12-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love rainy days! It makes me want to curl up on the couch and watch a good chick flick in my jammies. I love how clean everything seems after a good rain storm.

I got a new camera on Black Friday and I wanted to test out some of it's features. I was inspired by the rain so I took some shots. I also used a little editing. Here are some of the results.

I love the bird feeder and the colors of the flowers in this picture. It reminds me of Spring.

I realize some of these may seem a little cheesey, but I like the way they turned out. I'm not claiming to be a professional or anything!

This Pretty Much Says It All

2007-11-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

This picture pretty much sums up how I feel after a week on "vacation."

You know that "if I ever see those shoes I walked all over Disneyland in ever again I'll break out in a cold sweat" feeling? Combine that with extreme sleep deprivation, and the allergies that hit me like a Mac Truck the second we crossed the Arizona state line and you'll have a pretty acurate idea of the utter coma I'm in this week. I think I'm looking forward to going to Utah this weekend. If I could put a coherent thought together in my allergy induced haze I'm sure I would already have my bags packed. Oh wait, they're ARE packed! That's right. I have not unpacked from Disneyland yet. Come to think of it, I have not unpacked from my first trip to Utah. I just added stuff to the suitcases for California. I've litterally been living out of a suitcase for a month.

I am excited to go to Utah and be with my family for the holiday. It's so hard to be away from them. It's also nice to go up to the cold weather, where all the nasty allergens DIE in the WINTER! I don't think we are ever going to see winter here.

We had a blast in California. Jacob absolutely LOVED Sea World and Disneyland. Sadly, when I downloaded my camera, I realized I did not take that many pictures at Disneyland. I'm trying to gather the photos the rest of my family took *hint hint.*

Jacob had such a great time feeding and petting the dolphins and sting rays. He LOVES Sea World! My niece has some great pics of Jacob in front of Shamu's tank, with the whales looking right at him. As soon as I get those I'll post them. Disneyland pictures coming soon.

First Things First

2007-11-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, we have to do a blog candy re-do. One of the winners was not a local. Christine is still a winner, but I have randomly selected another name, and the big winner is...
Jesika! Congratulations! Give me a call to set up your appointment. (You too Christine!)

Waaaaaa-hay-hay Too Long

2007-11-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! It's been FOREVER since I have posted anything. I've been gone almost the entire month, and we are leaving again this friday for Thanksgiving in Utah. I have so much to catch up on! Trip to Utah, Halloween, Trip to Disneyland and Sea World etc. etc. But, we just rolled in from California and I am BEAT! So, I will start posting tomorrow. I promise!

Drum Roll Please!

2007-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

And the winners are...

Christine and Kelly!

Call or email me and we'll schedule your appointment.

Thanks for playing everyone. Keep telling your friends about my services. It may be possible for you to earn discounts and free services for yourself by referring others!

Beautiful Blog Candy!

2007-10-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is my first offering of Blog Candy! So here it is ladies;

Go to my waxing blog and leave a comment with your own name in it. Next, tell all your friends to go to the blog and leave a comment with their own name and your name in it. You get one entry for yourself and one for every person you refer who leaves me a comment. Your friend will also get one entry for themself and then can refer people as well. I'll randomly select two winners on Wednesday, October 24th. Your prize? Either a waxing service of $15 or less, or a manicure. You chose! Obviously you need to live in the area to win.

The more people you tell, the more chances you have to win, so spread the word!

Good Luck!

I am Elinor! Who are you?

2007-10-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Larisa's blog. Cute! Give it a try.

Take the Quiz here!

Boring Blog Challenge

2007-10-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

I have total blogger's block. I have not been inspired to write or post anything. No cute pictures of the kids. No funny phrases from Jacob. My mind is a complete blank. I need to get inspired. Maybe I should try to leave the house more. I did take some pictures of Vivi's first big girl bath. And while everything is covered, I don't post pictures like that on the internet. Safety first.

I'm having the same block with scrapping. This block has been haunting me for weeks. All my stuff is sitting there on the dining room table, and I just stare at it, not knowing what to do. I think I intimidate myself. I set my expectations too high and then I don't want to try. I need some kind of jump start, but I'm not really sure what that would be.

Okay, so now that you are bored out of your mind, here is your challenge. Tell me what you do to get yourself out of a funk. How do you get inspired? Where does your creativity come from? HELP!!!

Seriously, Not Okay!

2007-10-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's no secret that I really despise Oprah. Some of you feel the same way I do. I think she has a lot of influence over a lot of women, but grossly misuses that influence. Frankly, I think she's an idiot. However, I think she does some good things as well. Unfortunately, this is one of the increasingly frequent times she has misused her platform. I just signed up for this petition about a show that recently aired on Oprah and thought you would want to take action on this as well. Even if you don't care about Oprah, we should all care about the influence of the so called "experts" who tout their "wisdom" on shows like this and make it seem perfectly acceptable. Our culture is influenced by these people when they are given a platform an a show like Oprah, because so many women adore her and trust her. She just needs to get the message that with her influence comes responsibility. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, even if you couldn't care less about Oprah, take a second to sign this petition telling her that this type of programming is irresponsible and detrimental. You never know. She might listen if enough people sign it.

http://www.lightedcandle.org/oprah.asp

I do know something about the lighted candle organization. It does a lot of anti-pornography work.

The Best Present Ever!

2007-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Rich gave me some really nice gifts. I got a covered swing for the back yard,
and a plane ticket to go home to be with my family for my brother, Josh's, birthday. Rich also made me dinner on Sunday and it was yummy.

Jacob was so cute. He was very excited for my birthday because birthdays always mean cake. He woke up very early that morning and came into our room. He climbed up on the bed, snuggled up to me and whispered "Is it your birthday yet?" He talked about it all day long. He kept running up to me and giving me hugs, yelling "Happy Birthday Mama!" The best part of the day was when he came into my room and handed me a little bunch of flowers he had picked in the back yard. He threw his little arms around me and kissed me and said "I picked these flowers for you, they are so beautiful! They are your favorite color pink! I LOVE you Mommy. Happy birthday!"

Those flowers meant so much to me because they came from his little heart. He was so excited to show them to me, and now continues to pick them for me because he saw how happy they made me. His love is so pure and sincere. It really is the thought that counts. All the money in the world, all the shiney new toys can never compare to the thoughtful sincerety of a tiny handful of "my favorite color pink."

My New Found Love

2007-10-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

I could not get that song from the Old Navy commercial out of my head. So I googled it and found the artist who sings it. Her name is Ingrid Michaelson. I'm loving her! Here is an "unplugged" version of her song The Way I Am.

Well, Here They Are!

2007-10-02T23:25:00.000-07:00

I promised to post a few pictures of our wedding clear back when I posted "8 Things About My Marriage"

Anyway, As you can read, I felt it was a total disaster, but the pictures paint a different story. Here they are!

Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Merideth Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure

2007-09-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

Did you watch The Office last night? Oh my goodness! Still laughing! "your cat is in a better place now. Oh, and that place is your freezer."

BooMama has some excellent commentary. Check her out! http://boomama.net/?p=1625

I Just Have To Say...

2007-09-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

Have any of you watched Kid Nation? Oh my goodness. This show is hilarious! The kids are amazing. It's so interesting to watch the dynamic, and see the skills all these kids bring to the table. One of the boys just instructed all the other kids on how to slaughter chickens! 9 year olds emerge as leaders. There are natural nurturers, motivators, troublemakers. Kids really are smarter and more intuitive than we realize. These kids are completely on their own, with no adults, to run their own town. They are quite resourceful. In the first episode they won a reward. They had the choice between a TV or outhouses. They actually chose the outhouses! You should check it out. Wednesday nights on CBS.
Kid Nation on CBS

When You Become A Mother

2007-09-26T12:32:00.000-07:00

My Niece sent this to me today. Boy, do I relate to these statements!

1. You finally stop to smell the roses, because your baby is in your arms and wants to smell them.

2. Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.

3. The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.

4. You respect your old body ... finally.

5. You respect your parents and love them in a new way.

6. You find that your baby's pain feels much worse than your own.

7. You believe once again in the things you believed in as a child.

8. You lose touch with the people in your life whom you should have banished years ago.

9. Your heart breaks much more easily.

10. You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.

11. Every day is a surprise .

12. Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)

13. You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

14. You become a morning person.

15. Your love becomes limitless, a superhuman power.

16. You discover how much there is to say about one tooth.

17. You finally realize that true joy doesn't come from material wealth.

18. You now know where the sun comes from.

19. You'd rather buy a plastic tricycle than those shoes that you've been dying to have.

20. You realize that although sticky, lollipops have magical powers.

21. You don't mind going to bed at 9 p.m. on Friday night.

22. Silence? What's that?

23. You realize that the 15 pounds you can't seem to get rid of are totally worth having.

24. You discover an inner strength you never thought you had.

25. You no longer rely on a clock — your baby now sets your schedule.

26. You give parents with a screaming child an ''I-know-the-feeling'' look instead of a ''Can't-they-shut-him-up?'' one.

27. Your dog — who used to be your ''baby'' — becomes just a dog.

28. You take the time for one more hug and kiss even if it means you'll be late.

29. You learn that taking a shower is a luxury.

30. You realize that you can love a complete stranger

Another Peaceful Sunday

2007-09-23T22:00:00.001-07:00

Church was great today! Jacob behaved in Sacrament Meeting. He also bore his testimony in Primary. Any chance he gets to speak into the microphone, he's all over it. Every time we saw him in the hallways he was walking quietly with his arms folded. Maybe we are getting through to him afterall. Vivian is really doing a lot better. The only minor hiccup was when her bottle turned upside down in the diaper bag and drained completely. Not cool. Everything was literally floating in the bottom, including my wallet. YUCK!

It was a pretty relaxing day. I took a short nap. I don't know about you, but when I am really sleep deprived and then take a short nap, I feel worse afterward. I'm really looking forward to going to bed!

This is going to be a really busy week. Mostly because we are having family pictures taken by the amazingly talented Heather Ives, and I am OCD about preparing for it. I need to find the perfect outfit that will attempt to hide all my "body issues." I need to find outfits for the rest of the family, and this is no small feat when you're married to Mr. picky! I have to get a haircut, give Jacob & Rich a haircut, spruce up the yard (we're going to take some pictures outside), clean the inside of the house because we will take some inside as well. I'm talking about washing the spots off the couch, fingerprints off the coffee tables & walls etc. Yikes! When I type it all out it seems like a lot more than I thought! I better get busy. (See, I told you I am OCD).

Jacob is Hilarious! The stuff that comes out of his mouth is priceless! I wish I had a recorder that is constantly on because Jacob is constantly on. As we walked out of church today, he looked down on the ground at the emblem painted on the handicapped parking space and said "Look Mom, that says go potty!" I could not stop laughing the whole way home. I'm not sure if he thought that because the figure is sitting down, or becuase he sees the emblem on the bathroom door. I am constanty fascinated and entertained by the way his little mind works. His imagination is brilliant! We went over to my Father-In-Law's house after church. He has a den with a half wall in it. Jacob went into the den, stood in the "window" and said "welcome to my grocery store. I'm the grocery store man. How can I help you today?" I got to order my imaginary groceries over the wall. Then I had to be the grocery store man. Jacob ordered a big green apple, then pulled his imaginary money from his pocket. Tonight we were in the backyard and he pulled out his toy police "motorcycle." I had to be Officer Mommy and he, of course, was officer Jacob. Officer Aunt Karen was near by as well. I "called" him on the radio to come get a cat out of a tree. Then he called me for backup because there was a cricket in his way. I said why don't you arrest him and take him to jail? He told me that the cricket was too big and would break his patrol car. We had to call in Officer Daddy for backup.

We were trying to get him to take a nap today so we could take a nap too. I said "you have two choices. (I use the two choices thing a lot) You can lay down with Mommy and Daddy, or you can go lay down in your own bed." His reply; "Hmmm, you have two choices. Lay down with Mommy & Daddy, or stay up." He likes to present his own choices if the ones I give him don't suit him. He is so amazing. When I take a step back for a moment and just watch him, I truly marvel at this little person. He is so smart. So charismatic and friendly. Quite witty, as it turns out. We are so blessed.

Makin' Cookies 'N Such

2007-09-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jacob and Aunt Karen, made cookies together. These are, without question, the best "chocolate chip" cookies I have ever tasted! Even better than the cookies is the dough. I have to say that I am not a huge cookie dough eater. But man, I almost like the dough better than the baked cookies in this case! It may be the huge quantity of butter in the recipe, but nevertheless, A-MA-ZING!

Here is the recipe:

Red's ultimate M&M's cookies

2 sticks of butter (don't you dare use margerine!)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 12 oz package mini M&M's candy

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl cream butter & sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine dry ingredients. blend with creamed mixture. Stir in M&M's. drop by heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are slightly browned and centers are still soft. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight container.

Healing Balm For My Soul

2007-09-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

A great friend sent this to me. She will never know how much I needed it right now. Thank you Jules!

If you're a mom, this will hit home.

I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?" Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I'm invisible. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going . she's going . she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."
And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.
When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Kathleen B. Morgan
390 Brushy Ridge Road
New Canaan, CT 06840

Utah Vacation

2007-09-20T11:03:00.000-07:00

I had to start off with this pic of Jacob and Rich playing yesterday. Jacob is really into Clifford The Big Red Dog right now. He was pretending Daddy was Clifford and he was Emily Elizabeth. He kept yelling "Full speed ahead!" while pointing his little finger & telling Rich he needed to go faster. He cracks me up!

Well, here are the promised pics of Thanksgiving Point. That place, to me, is like Heaven on Earth. The pictures really don't do it justice. When I lived there I had a season pass and could go almost every day. It's so peacefull and beautiful.
This is the door to the Secret Garden where Rich and I got engaged.

Jacob and Mommy sitting in the Secret Garden.
Jacob loved the water in the Secret Garden.

The colors were all amazing!

Jacob on the Monet Bridge.
Mommy and Vivi by the water.

Vivi and Grandma resting on the grass. Our little family on the Spanish Step Fountains.

I'm ready to go back! We had an awesome time! Thanks Mom and Dad.

Just a quick post

2007-09-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

It's been forever!
We've been on vacation in Utah at Grandma & Grandpa's house. We loved every second of it and wish we could have stayed much longer. Jacob is so good in the car. I wish I could say the same for Vivi.

We did so many fun things! We went to the Utah State Fair, which was a blast. I love the fair in Utah. It has such a hometown feel to it. It's not scary like the fair is in Phoenix.

Jacob had a blast. He literally ran onto the rides as fast as he could for four hours.

We, of course, ate the obligatory fair food and loved every bite! Corndogs and funnel cake. OH YEAH! AMAZING.

We went to Thanksgiving Point. I love it there so much! We took some really cute pictures of the kids and Grandma. Jacob and Rich went to the BYU Bookstore to buy T-shirts and other football gear. Then they went to the Creamery and then drove throught the Canyon and over the Alpine Loop. Jacob loves the canyon, and loves to play in the stream up there. Last time we went, Rich took him up to Timpanogas Cave. Maybe he'll be outdoorsy, despite his mother!

We stopped and had dinner with Adrian, Danell and Cal Reeder in St. George. It's so great to see them. We miss you guys so much!

I know this is a really boring post, but I wanted to put something up before I went to bed so you would know I was still alive. I'll post some of the pics from Thanksgiving Point tomorrow. Here's a teaser...

Score One For Mom!

2007-09-05T22:42:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to cook and eat healthier. Scratch that. I've been WANTING to try to and cook and eat healthier. So, today I decided to make a real dinner because Rich was actually home. Usually during the week he works at night and Jacob, Karen and I eat whatever. Jacob, especially, worries me. It is nearly impossible to get him to eat anything other than PB&J, scrambled eggs, the occasional corn dog, and pretty much anything that is a carbohydrate or SUGAR. So, in my new found determination to whip my family into nutritional shape, I decided to cook fish, wild rice, green beans and salad. I thought there would be no way Jacob would eat this dinner. Even with things he likes, he usually takes two or three bites and then asks "Can I be done?" Meal time has become like negotiations on Wall Street.
Jacob: "Can I be done?"
Mom: "You haven't eaten anything!"
Jacob: "But, can I be done?"
Mom: "No! Eat your dinner!"
one or two bites later
Jacob: "Can I be done?"
Mom: "Take three more bites of your sandwich and then you can be done."
Three tiny nibbles later
Jacob: "Can I be done?"
Mom: (I'm wearing down at this point)"Those were teeny tiny bites! You need to take BIG bites! Take two more big bites and you can be done."
Two relatively big bites later
Jacob: "Can I be done?"
Mom: "Okay, fine." (I'm worried I'll give him food issues later in life if I force him to eat)
Jacob: (Sliding off his chair) "Can I have a cookie?"

So, you see why I was skeptical at the success of tonight's dinner. Well, I am so proud to report that after considerable coaxing and threatening, Jacob actually tried his fish and LOVED IT! He ate fish, green beans and a little rice (and a dinner roll with jelly), all the while making comments like, "Great job guys." and "This really IS delish!" Giving us the thumbs up. There's nothing so beautiful as an empty plate when you are the mother of a very picky 3 year old!

*********************************************************************************

Kids At Play
Here are just a few cute pictures of my kids at play.

Jacob and his friend Ben. They are darling together. They really love each other.

Vivi is starting to enjoy her toys. She is just learning how to control her hands and make them grab things and bring them to her mouth.

Jacob loves this new show on PBS called "Super Why." It's about these little kids who are reading super heros. Today, he wanted to be a Super Reader and insisted I pin a blanket to his shirt for his super cape.

Well, my house may be a wreck. I may be exhausted. But at least my three year old loves fish, loves to read, and thinks I am the best mom in the whole world. My family ate a healthy dinner tonight. My baby is sleeping (woohoo!) and I get to do it all again tomorrow!

I've been tagged

2007-08-31T12:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, Jaime tagged me so I'll play along too.

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is super short:

L. Lousy at being organized. I desperately want to be organized. I just can't seem to make it happen! I blame it on the fact that my house has NO STORAGE SPACE. But I'll admit (don't tell my husband) that I am a world class pack rat!

E. Everyone's friend. I like to think that I am pretty friendly. I'm not always as outgoing as I should be. I don't know why. I'm not really a shy person. I need to work on putting myself out there more. I love to be around people. I love being invited to things (even if I can't always go). I miss the social days of my 20's.

E. Eating. Boy, I'm starting to sound like an addict with the whole food thing. I just love to cook and eat. I love to eat out. I enjoy the art of cooking and creating. It's an outlet for me, a medium, if you will. I come from a family who loves to cook. We have a family cookbook my mom compliled several years ago. Everyone in the family, aunts, uncles, grandma, brothers, sisters, everyone, contributed recipes. It's one of my most prized possesions!

Okay, I tag Heather G., AnneMarie, Britt, Toni & Lolly

Just getting around to it

2007-08-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

Everyone else has already done this, so I guess it's my turn.

Jobs I've had:
1. Sample girl in grocery stores
2. Political Phone bank director
3. Credit card collections agent
4. Dance/ voice teacher/ Owner of studio
5. Bread maker
6. Nail technition/ Skin care specialist
7. Mom
(There are several more, but I'll stop there)

Getaways:
1. Kauai on our honeymoon
2. Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France & Italy all in one whirlwind trip!
3. All the SoCal locations, including Catalina Island
4. New York
5. DC
6. St Louis
7. Philadelphia
8. Mexico

Movies I put on repeat:
1. Emma
2. The Fugitive
3. Sabrina (the new one)
4. Steel Magnolias
5. Cars (I have no choice)
6. Napoleon Dynamite
7. These are representations of hundreds of movies I could easily put on repeat

Guilty Pleasures:
1. Golden Oreos & milk
2. Afternoon naps
3. Evening TV (my husband works at night)
4. Food Network

Places I've lived:
1. Boise, ID
2. Mesa, AZ
3. Payson, UT
4. Highland, UT
5. Peoria, AZ
6. Surprise, AZ
(Texas & California if you count my mission)

Places I've been on holidays:
1. The homestead (Mom & Dad's house)
2. Once, my whole family went out of town on Thanksgiving, but I had to stay home alone because I couldn't take time off from work. Not fun.
3. We are always home with family on holidays.
4. I experienced all the holidays on my mission, including one Christmas. That was really cool.

Favorite foods:
I could fill up an entire blog with this one!
1. Chocolate
2. Peanut butter
3. Mexican
4. Italian
5. Good BREAD (I am a breadaholic) If we go to Outback, I would rather eat thier bread than have dessert!
6. Homemade comfort food
7. Broccoli
8. Soup
I could go on and on and on and on!

Okay, if you're reading this, and you have not taken this quiz, it's your turn!

A funny pregnancy story

2007-08-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Amie tagged us all on her blog to share funny preggo stories. Okay, at the time I did not think this was funny. It still stings a bit. I guess I'm still in shock over it. Here goes.

When I am pregnant I get freakishly huge. Let's face it. I'm not a tall person. There just isn't anywhere for a 9 pound baby and 57 gallons of water to go except out in all directions! Near the end of my pregnancy with Jacob I used to get all sorts of, what people thought were witty comments, like, "are you having triplets?" Our bishop at the time loved to ask me with a chuckle if I was having quadruplets. Total strangers would stop me in the store to ask me how many babies I was having and if I was over due. This started at about 7 months. I always wished I was quick witted and mean so I could really zing 'em with a response like, "at least I'll be normal again in a couple of months, What's your excuse?" See, I can think of all kinds of mean things to say 4 years later.

I experienced the same insensitivity during my pregnancy with Vivi. At about 6 months people in the grocery store would say "you look like you're about to pop!" Gee. Thanks. That's only about the 10th time I've heard that today. Near the end of Vivi's pregnancy I was at the hospital for some tests and a hospital employee stopped dead in her tracks, across the waiting room from me, and litterally yelled, while pointing at me "Oh my gosh! There has to be at least three babies in there!" When I assured her there was only one, she had the audacity to say "Are you SURE?" Again, several months later, a plethora of stinging replies come to mind.

But the kicker are the two comments which will be etched in my mind forever. Near the end of my pregnancy with Jacob, a lady in my ward, who was the Stake Primaray President, stopped in the foyer, pointed at me and said "You must have horrific stretch marks! Your stomach must look like someone just took their fingernails and scratched it all up!" (while she demonstrated on her own stomach). I was HORRIFIED. Then, a couple weeks later, she stopped me in the hall and asked "how much longer do you have?" When I replied that I still had two weeks to go she retorted "It is hard to believe that someone THAT BIG still has two weeks to go!" I was so hurt and so upset that, if had could have shot lazer beams out of my eyes, that woman would have had no head left after Relief Society. I glared at the back of her head the entire time. I just wanted to get out of there and go home so badly. I cried all day. I did not go back to church until Jacob was about a month old.

It amazes me that women who should know better say the rudest, most insensitive things to pregnant women. It's like, if you're pregnant, your body becomes fair game for TOTAL STRANGERS to touch and comment upon. Ever had your belly rubbed in the bra isle at Wal Mart? I have. CRAZY! If someone did this to you when you were not pregnant you would call the police!

Wow, I guess the whole thing still hurts more than I realized. It's good to let it all out.

My daily giggle

2007-08-28T12:27:00.000-07:00

I was blog surfing and found this woman's blog. She is TOO FUNNY! I thought I would link a few of my very favorite posts of hers. You will fall in love with this good ol' southern girl. I can totally relate to her tales of motherhood. Oh yes I can!

http://boomama.net/?p=1542 She shoots, she scores!

http://boomama.net/?p=1544 I've had days like this!

http://boomama.net/?p=1472 The best political commentary I've heard in a LONG time!

Have we turned a corner?

2007-08-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Vivian was perfect at church today! It's been a better week
all around. She turned three months old on Wednesday and that was the magical day the colic stopped. It is so wierd how that happens! The exact same thing happened with Jacob. She is much happier now, therefore, so am I.

I was so excited to put this outfit on her. I love it! The picture does not do it justice though. It's a little smocked sundress with a short sleeved cardigan. She even had a little baby bling on. She has a tiny little bracelet. I LOVE having a little girl to play dress up with.

Jacob was also better at church today. Well, at least they didn't take him out of class and bring him to me. If any of you would like to comment on his behavior in Primary, I'd like to know. We try to work with him throughout the week on specific areas of concern.

I love this picture. You can just sense that they are going to be great friends and playmates. At least I like to think so.

Jacob is a good big brother. He loves Vivi. However, last night he was trying to make her laugh and he scared her. She started crying and now, whenever he is making a lot of noise (which is more often than not) she starts crying. (sigh)

At least I didn't need Oxygen!

2007-08-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

I went back to teaching aerobics on Monday. After being pretty much sedentary for about 7 months, I thought it might be a little scetchy. I had the paramedics on standby. To my surprise, I did quite well. Sweating profusely? Yes. Wheazing wildly? Pretty much. Seeing stars? Off and on. But I think overall I did really well. I am now teaching Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I have not been able to move, or walk very well this week. I have pain in muscles I forgot I had! It's getting better though. I'm hoping the weight loss gods will smile down on me and grant my wish to be a size 2. Hey, a girl's gotta dream.

Here are some of the stalwarts.

Looking good Lyn!

Betsy

2007-08-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

My friend got a new Boston Terrier puppy. They named her Betsy. Now if you know me very well, you know I am not a dog lover. I'm not a dog hater, but I am not a fan of slobbering, shedding, smelling, tracking in who knows what, etc. However, that being said, I think I am in love with her puppy! This is probably the cutest puppy I have ever seen. She is so sweet. Apparantly, BT's are supposed to be one of the best family-with-small-children dogs there are. They are really good with kids and they are really loving and happy. My sister has one named Fields. Everyone loves Fields, and he knows it.

8 Things About My Marriage

2007-08-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

My friend Amie had this on her blog and tagged all of us. So, here goes.

1. Where did you meet your husband?
LDSSingles.com. I'm serious. His picture on his profile was HOT! I was impressed that he was a police officer (boy, has my perception of police officers changed since then!) I emailed him first. He says he joined just because his friend's girlfriend convinced him to. He met a few wierdos. When I emailed him he decided to write back because he figured since I was in Utah, and he was in Phoenix, we would never have to meet. He felt safe. Of course, once he got to know me he couldn't wait to meet me! We emailed and talked on the phone for a year before we met face to face. We both knew by then that if we saw each other and there were physical sparks we would get married. We were already in love intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. I think it was the perfect courtship because we had to focus on getting to know each other. You talk about a lot of different topics when you talk for 3-4 hours every day for a year.

2. What was the first thing you said to your husband?
Hmm. Well, I think in my first email to him I said something like "I grew up in Mesa" or something like that. I'll have to go back and look at those emails. When we met in person for the first time I was so nervous that I probably just had a silly smile on my face & we hugged. When we got in his car he asked me if he could hold my hand. SO CUTE!

3. Where was your first kiss/first date?
After he picked me up we went out to lunch at the Cheesecake factory, then over to his parent's house to meet them. Then we went shopping at Albertsons and bought groceries. We rented Legally Blond & Unbreakable. We went to his new house. As soon as we walked in the door, we stood in the kitchen and he kissed me. He asked me first. (how cute is that!) then he made me dinner and we "watched" the movies. I stayed at his house for the weekend, and he stayed at his parent's.

4. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement?
Well, we wrote & called for a year. We met face to face in February, got engaged in April and were married in September. So, I guess by Mormon standards that was a long courtship.

5. Where did you get engaged?
I knew he was going to officially ask me because our whole courtship was long distance. I had flown to Phoenix and we picked out a ring. Then he flew to SLC to pop the question. We had planned to go to dinner in Salt Lake and then go to Temple Square. I assumed he was going to do it then. Let me just back up and say that I had always told my best friend & sister that I wanted to be proposed to in the Secret Garden at Thanksgiving Point, but I never told Rich that.
I took him out to the gardens that afternoon because it is probably my favorite spot on earth. We walked all around and when we got into the Secret Garden and sat down on the benches, he pulled out the ring and proposed! I was astonished. I didn't even know he had the ring with him. He said he wanted to take care of me the rest of my life and that he would always be there for me. It was like a fairy tale. Later he said he had planned to ask me at Temple Square, but when we were in the Secret Garden he just had this prompting to do it then. And the rest is history!

6. Where did you get married?
Mount Timpanogas Utah Temple. SUCH a beautiful temple! It was raining when we went in, but the rain had stopped by the time we came out. We have some cute pictures with an umbrella.

7. How did the reception go?
In the end, it was exquisit. It was not what I had planned though. A wonderful friend had volunteered her magnificent house and ginormous backyard with about an acre of grass, a stream, & a pool. I had rented the most beautiful, ornate, brown wrought iron backdrop,(it looked like a big iron gate), tall free standing candle holders, centerpieces, and cake table surround that you have ever seen. I had a huge flower arrangement and candles to float in the pool. I rented amazing organza tablecloths for all the tables, which were to be covered with pink rose petals and a wrough iron hurricane candle holder, with flowers around the bottom of it. (my colors were shades of creamy pink and champaigne) The whole thing was supposed to be amazing. I had emailed the weather man from channel 4 long before we set the date and he informed me that based on the last 75 years, there was about a 20% chance of rain on that day. I felt pretty good about my odds. Tragically, as we were setting everything up for the reception, an all out typhoon hit with no warning. I have never seen rain like that in Utah before or since. Litterally a freak of nature! It picked up large glass vases and threw them across the yard. Flowers, tablecloths, chairs, candles, everything was being blown and drenched. Everyone, including the bride, was grabbing things trying to save them. By the time I made it into the house I was drenched, hair was wet and nasty, make up all cried off. I bawled and bawled. People tried to make me feel better, but it just made it worse. I was late to my own reception as I tried to put myself back together and stop crying. In the end, we moved a few pieces of the ironwork into the house and had our line in fron of her beautiful baby grand piano. Her house was amazing and her decor matched the style I was going for for the wedding. It was very swanky. I was just bitterly dissapointed that it wasn't the way I had planned. We didn't get to use the tablecloths, centerpieces, silver punch bowls or backdrop. People always tell me it's good luck to have rain on your wedding day. I have no idea where people got that crazy idea. a lifetime of planning and dreaming down the drain does not seem like good luck to me! I'll have to scan some of the pictures and put them on my blog.

8. How was the honeymoon?
On our wedding night we stayed at the Grand America Hotel in SLC. AMAZING HOTEL! The next night we stayed at the quality inn. LOL! They had a "honeymoon sweet" and it was pretty nice. Then we packed up a moving van with all my stuff and I moved to Arizona with my new husband. We had a reception at our house in Peoria and then we went to Kauai for a week. It was so awesome!

So there you have it. The whole story! Probably a lot more than you wanted to know. I think it's an awesome story though. We will celebrate our 5th anniversary on September 6th. In a way it seems like a lifetime, and in a way it seems like the blink of an eye.

All Grown Up

2007-08-22T00:32:00.001-07:00

My baby started preschool today. He was so excited and I was excited for him. He wanted to ride the school bus. I tried to explain to him that the school bus does not go to his preschool, but he informed me that I was wrong. I said "let's pretend our van is a school bus." He said it couldn't be a bus because it doesn't have a stop sign on the side. I suggested we make one out of construction paper and stick it to the side of the van. He thought that was a great idea, but we ran out of time because, as usual, it took him almost an hour to eat his breakfast. Maybe we can do that on Thursday. He loved his first day of school. He made lots of new friends. I'm just glad he can get out of the house and have something to do. I've been feeling really badly for him since the baby was born because so much of my time is occupied with her. Also, it's been so hot that he can't really play outside very much. So, he's been cooped up in the house a lot and I think it's been taking a toll on both of us. Preschool will be really good for him. I'm hoping it will help him learn to sit quietly and listen, thus improving the behavior in Primary situation.

He loves his teacher, Miss Luna. She is very patient and positive and he responds well to her. They have a lot of fun field trips planned for the year. I'm looking forward to seeing him develop a little more socially. Okay, who am I kidding. If he were any more social we'd have to keep him locked in his room. I just meant that I think being in this type of classroom setting and having to listen to a teacher, instead of his parents will be really good for him.

Where Does He Come Up With This Stuff?

2007-08-21T23:57:00.000-07:00

Jacob told us today that he wants to be a Brazillian soccer player. Are you kidding me?! Not just a soccer player, but a Brazillian soccer player. I have no idea where this child came from, but he's so cute I can hardly stand it!

He is a great little soccer player. Unfortunately he inherited my ultra white, super sun sensitive skin. Do you think he could pass for a Brazillian? You be the judge.

Curly Top

2007-08-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

Rich says I am "making her hair do this," but I am not.

Her hair really is very curly when it's wet. Now it's starting to stay curly even when it's dry.

I didn't put anything in it, despite Rich's accusations. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her! (okay, really for me)

How Nerdy Are You?

2007-08-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

Take this test to see how nerdy you are! I scored an 8. I really think I would have liked to have scored a little higher. Oh well, what are you gonna do? I was cracking up at some of the questions though. Give it a try. Let me know what you scored.

My Little Chef

2007-08-19T21:57:00.000-07:00

My son is in love with Rachel Ray. If you ask him who his favorite person on TV is, he'll tell you "Rachel Ray!" It's not unusual to hear things come out of his mouth like "Mom, this peanut butter & sangwich is delish!" or "YUMMO!" We have a box of Ritz crackers with her picture on the box, so those are Rachel Ray crackers. "Mom, I want Rachel Ray crackers with peanut butter!" I do not make it a point to watch Rachel Ray, but occasionally I will watch 30 minute meals if there is nothing better on. But, Jacob loves her.

The other day I took him with me to the grocery store. We were walking through the produce section and jacob pointed and yelled "look Mom, Chives! They are DE-LISH!" I was astounded. How does my three year old know what chives are? I rarely use them. I've certainly never said look Jacob, these are chives. Hopefully Jacob will become a famous chef someday!

Crazy Day, Peacefull Night

2007-08-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well, today was not one of the better days we've had. We left church early beacuse Vivi was crying uncontrollably, and Jacob could not seem to sit still and be reverent in Primary. He got a new teacher today, bless her heart, and I think she might ask to be released. He did everything he could today to try my patience, until I sent him to bed. I went in to check on him and his dad and this is what I saw.

My heart melted and I found myself cherrishing the moment. I could feel the stress melting away. It really is a good thing he is so adorable and sweet!

A NIght Out

2007-08-18T23:05:00.000-07:00

We went to Outback Steakhouse tonight with my father-in-law. I really needed to get out of the house, as I feel like a shut in lately. I refuse to go anywhere by myself with both kids while Vivi is still colicky. Dinner was yummy, and as usual, I ate too much. Amazingly, Vivian was quiet the whole time. Sadly I can't say the same for Jacob. I don't know why it is so hard for him to sit in his chair and eat his dinner. Overall, it was a nice time, and I didn't have to fix dinner, which is the best part!

We ran into Heather and Dave Ives there. I just have to say that they are some of my favorite people. They are so genuine and generous. I look up to Heather in so many ways. As a mother, Relief Society President, a friend, and photographer. She is truly an example of an amazing woman. I love you Heather!

Here is a picture I took of Vivi today. I wanted you to see how sweet she is when she smiles. I'm looking forward to more smiles and less tears.

Sunday Best

2007-08-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I wanted to get a picture of Vivi in her cute yellow dress. Jacob insisted we buy that dress the day we found out we were having a girl. Vivi was hysterical and I tried everything to get her to smile, but I think these pictures are darling.

I'm going to go ahead and say that Vivian does not appreciate church yet, therefore, it is hard for me to appreciate it at the moment. I end up spending the majority of the time in the mother's room with her. She is still super colicky and it has been extremely stressful. Some days I feel like I'm going to go insane. She is three months old now, so it should start to subside soon. I pray for that daily. Nevertheless, she is a doll and we love her to pieces. It breaks my heart to see her in pain.

Little Baby Tootsies

2007-08-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

Vivian loves it when we kiss her toes and the bottom of her feel. She always squeels with a big open mouthed grin. Those toes are so yummy!

Oh, those cheeks!

2007-08-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

We have been in love with Vivi's cheeks since the first time we saw them in the womb! You can't help but kiss them over and over every time you pick her up.

Jacob likes to squeeze them and I always say, "look at those chubby cheeks." to which he says "yes, look at her Chuck E Cheeses Mom!"

Our Little Angels

2007-08-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

Today Jacob had his little friend, Ethan, over to play. Ethan is about a year younger than Jacob. When he arrived Jacob asked him if he would like to go upstairs and see his Thomas the Train humidifier, to which Ethan responded,

"Huh?" Jacob's response - "DO-YOU-WANT-TO-GO-UPSTAIRS-AND-AND-SEE-MY-THOMAS-HUMIDIFIER???" As if Ethan couldn't understand english. I was laughing so hard. It was quite comical watching Jacob mimic the parental role as he gave Ethan direction that sounded oh so familiar. Like "Ethan, close the door. You're letting all the cold air out!" At least I know he DOES hear me!

Vivian is getting cuter by the day. My favorite time with her is first thing in the morning, after she eats. She looks up and smiles and squeels and coo's, as if to say "good morning mommy!" I think she is already working her girly magic on her daddy. He's pretty smitten with her.

Our Baby Angel.