Beautiful

We took these beautiful photos at a local nature preserve. It's amazing. I never thought I'd see more lovely scenery than my beloved Rockies, but our loving Heavenly Father put beauty in the world everywhere. I am so lucky to have been able to partake of some on Monday. Aren't we so lucky to live in such a wonderful world? I'm just amazed! It's so great that we don't just have sunshine and blue skies every day. Variety keeps us hoping. We hope for the sunshine when we get the rain. I personally LOVE the thunderstorms. I have always loved storms. I love hearing that rumbling thunder and seeing the lightning ripping up the sky. The smell of rain hitting the dry earth... mmmmm. If it was all thunderstorms though, I'd get pretty bored. We're just so lucky we have a loving Father who was full of wisdom, knowing our needs and how to make our lives here on this earth enjoyable in many ways.

Goodbye my Olympic Friends!

I have sincerely enjoyed every minute of the Olympic games this year. The Chinese did a fabulous job sponsoring it. At least from everything I saw! That "Bird's Nest" was awesome and the "Water Cube"! I want to swim there!! I have watched the Olympics with my family as a youth and now as an adult with my kids. It always fills me with amazement. I look at their determination, their drive, their passion. I see their muscular bodies pushed to their limits. I love all the little side stories where you get to hear about the circumstances that brought them to these Olympic games. If I were a teary woman, I'd have shed quite a few this time around. It was amazing to watch, again. It always is and I love every minute of it. The Olympic anthem always fills my heart with such joy. I will miss staying up late to see Phelps, Johnson, May and Treanor... a million others... My favorite events this year were the Beach Volleyball, Gymnastics, Swimming and Diving. I think some small part of me always wishes I could have been an Olympic athlete. How cool would that be? My body will appreciate the extra sleep I can get now that I won't be staying up soooo late to see the events! I say a fond farewell to these amazing athletes.... I'll see you again: on billboards, cereal boxes, commercials, and magazine covers. Go make your millions. You earned it!

Is she deaf?!

It was a good day. Chris and I took a nice long bike ride this morning after putting the kids on the bus. We rode down some sandy backroad trails and then on the road back up into our neighborhood. I was dying! I hate how quickly you lose that feeling of fitness after being semi-inactive for a little while. It takes so long to get up to a good level and such a short time to lose it. Man! Anyways, after that, we went and ate lunch with the kids at their school. They tell us everyday how wonderful the food is there! We ate with them and it really wasn't too bad! They actually season the food here! Today's special was Taco Pizza and these yummy peanutty caramel cheerio bars. Mmmmm. Not bad. Jilli loves the chocolate milk! She always gets a cute little brown milk mustache. After lunching with the kids, we drove to the clinic to get hearing and vision screenings (a requirement here!) and get their immunizations updated on the state forms. It turns out that both Jess and Miah needed a second Chicken pox vaccine... ugh! Good thing Chris was there!!! Jeremiah did great but Jessica freaked out! Chris, the nurse and I had to hold her down while she was stuck with the shot. It was all over in less than a minute but Jess really thought the world was ending or something... Silly kid!!! I don't know why she can't just be cool with stuff! Jillian was very worried about Jess. It was just dumb. You would think she'd grow out of this whole freak-out thing... We stopped at the PX on the way home for some ice cream and I shopped around while they ate - avoidance is a great diet! I found some shirts on clearance and a new book to read. It was awesome. We drove home and got all the schoolwork done so the kids could go and play in the backyard. They invited some neighbors over to jump on the trampoline and soon ALL the neighborhood kids were over and their moms... So, I had to go out and be social. I guess I missed the good part though! I was inside cleaning up a big poopy explosion that Jillian blessed me with - can't wait till that girl catches the vision of potty training!! I went out and heard that one little girl in the neighborhood came out to play without her mom's permission. She is a very precocious little girl with way too much energy. Her mom began calling for her. My kids just watched this girl completely ignore her mother calling her with astonishment. One of the other moms was telling me that Jess turned to her and asked, "Is she deaf?" Jess just couldn't believe that she wasn't listening to her mom!! It gave them all a good laugh since they all know how crazy that little girl is. I guess there are lots of stories to tell about that little girl and her mother.... more for another day! I just loved that my kids were so shocked and amazed that this little girl didn't want to go and see what her mother needed! That wouldn't fly around here!! We live in a pretty close knit neighborhood and I'm pretty excited that the mom's are so hands on and watch their children so well. It's quite a change from our crazy old neighborhood! I don't miss that part at all!
I think I may go take some tylenol for my poor head... I'm getting pounded by some serious Guitar Hero. Chris and Matt Holmes are rocking out!! We have Matt for the night! Yay! Chris has a playmate! Well, I'm going to go crash on my bed with a book and some earplugs!! Ta ta!

Favorite Photos...

I finally got the photos downloaded from my camera! These are some of my favorites. (For more... again, family blog).


Monica came to visit me on Saturday!! She and the girls stayed overnight here with us and we had the best time. She was so awesome to come down here and be our first visitor!! We went and got pedicures and manicures, shopped at Bath and Body Works, laughed, ate boiled peanuts and laughed some more! We ate at a local restaurant that was AMAZING - (the Mellow Mushroom!!) and I hope she comes again soon so we can go grab some more delicious Hummus dip there! MMMMMM. Thank you Monica for coming to see us!!! You ROCK!

Chris brought me these gorgeous roses one day when I had nearly finished unpacking. He is such a sweetie! They totally made my day. Aren't you jealous!??


This photo is of 4 of my friends whom I left behind... Rose, Jessica, (me), Marcia and Marcie. Marcie sponsored a "Blue Without You" party for us one day for lunch. We got to eat some delicious food and chat with our friends. We miss you all so very much!!

This photo is of Jilli. We were walking up to the River Walk and we walked past this locked gate. Jilli thought this was the entrance and she was totally upset that we couldn't go in because she had been talking about going there all morning! She looked so cute standing there, rattling the knob... I just had to snap a photo!

Getting pulled over...

I know it's been a while.... (If you want to read about what I've been up to with the move - head over to my family blog!)
Ok. This morning, I woke up and got the kids up and ready for school. We loaded Jilli in the stroller and walked over to the bus stop. It usually comes around 7:48. At 8:00 I began to worry that it wasn't coming. We started to walk in the direction of the school and saw it coming down the street. Thinking we wouldn't make it back to our stop, we walked down to the next one at the corner of our street. The kids got on the bus and I stayed to chat with the other moms who live in our culdesac. They were going to walk together, so I joined them. We walked down the North Range Road. It starts out with a steep hill and there is no sidewalk (of course!) We walked facing traffic and when cars would come we'd step off to the side into the grass or sand. About 3 minutes down the hill, we were pulled over by a police car. Yep. We started laughing, and heard him say, "that we couldn't walk on this street!" Great. So. We turned around and started back up the hill. About 2 minutes later, he pulled up behind us again. We started getting worried that he had heard our jokes about getting a ticket for walking and was really going to give us one!! Instead, he said, "He was mistaken. We can walk on that road as long as we don't walk at night (this was at 8 am!!) and as long as we get off the road for coming cars (duh!!)" SO!!! We turned around and continued on our walk, laughing and joking about our great luck at getting pulled over twice by a police officer as we walked down the street!!! It was an awesome walk with 2 huge hills (hee hee!!) and about 4 miles long. I was sweating and loving it since I haven't been getting my exercise in with all that's been going on. No worries!! I'm getting back into the swing of things!
Chris is out back with the kids putting up the trampoline. I took some pictures... but can't download them yet. Hopefully Chris can hook me up with Picasa tonight. We get sort of distracted by the Olympics every night!! GO USA!!! Chris is such a great dad! He helped the kids with their homework after school. I get so annoyed with them when they can't follow the directions and just get it done... They have a lot of homework now too and it's really pretty hard stuff! Grrrr! It's funny, I'm sitting here typing this and listening to Dr. Phil while I wait for the local news to come on. It's a show on mothers who don't want to be mothers anymore... Talk about lame! These women are struggling so much with their divine role. I can't help but think - Where are their husbands?? They all say that they wish they could get a break and find a hobby that could take them away from their kids so they could get recharged... I am so lucky that Chris is so good at giving me that break! From the minute he gets home from work, he's the man. The kids go right to him for everything. I get to relax and make dinner, blog like I am now, watch TV... It's great! He takes care of the bedtime routine too and that is such a help. I love that he's such a hands-on dad. I know I'm very lucky! Love you Chris!!! I felt so bad for those poor mothers on TV who feel so overwhelmed. I know I have had times like that. When Jilli was born I didn't think I would survive having three children! My sweet sister is feeling some of that as she figures out how to juggle her new little one and the other older two! Hang in there Beck!! I definitely think that having a hobby and a hubby who cares are the two things that keep me sane as a mom.

Memories...

Here is fun game... leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if we haven't known each other for long, just anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. Its actually pretty funny. If you post I'll assume you're playing and come to your blog and leave a memory!! On your mark... get set.... blog your memories!!

My Wordle!

I took some quotes from Pride and Prejudice and put them in at Wordle! It was a lot of fun and you should all go and try it!!

Ahhhh. The Smell of Cardboard in the Morning!!

I woke up this morning to the lovely aroma of cardboard wafting through my home.... YUCK! Chris is lucky his allergies prevent him from smelling it. It was a bit odd getting up and maneuvering around boxes to get to the bathroom. For a moment I forgot where I was! 

The big truck is parked in front of our house, making it difficult for all of our neighbors to get down the street in their cars... Oh well, it won't be long now! I am again sitting here in my little corner of chaos surfing the internet and listening to the bantering music of Tom and Jerry at my feet as Jilli and Mi watch the classic cartoon. It is still so entertaining after all these years!

I am amazed at all the things I have seen and read on the internet. You can find anything and everything on here! I could never be bored again! It is quite uncomfortable sitting here today though. I'm missing my comfy computer chair! Perching on a bar stool does nothing for your back and booty...

We played the Wii Fit last night as a family... even Jilli!! It was so fun! Chris is the best at it... of course and he had a Wii Fit "age" that was actually younger than his true age!! Go Chris! The rest of us had ages well over our real age. Even Jilli! It was hilarious because she came up at age 14!! We had a good laugh over that! I guess she really needs to work on her fitness!

We went out to eat at our favorite restaurant one last time... We LOVE Logan's Roadhouse and the last time we were there Miah colored one of their coloring sheets and left it to be judged in the contest... Well, he WON!! He won a free kids meal! Yay! So, this time, Jess, Jilli and Miah colored like crazy on the contest sheets in hopes that they would win another free meal coupon! Luckily, they have a Logan's near our new home! The biggest reason we love this place is the peanuts - and you can throw the shells on the FLOOR! It's a big deal to my kids cause I'm such a clean freak! The food is great too though! They serve these really yummy rolls and butter... mmmmmmmmm. Ok. It must be getting close to lunch time, I'm getting hungry! Guess I'll go find some munchies!! I may be back later... 

Moving Day!

I'm sitting here watching my movers pack up all our belongings. Man, we have a lot of stuff! It's amazing to me how many things we accumulate as we go through this world. Most of it we could live without too. I have the essentials separated out so we can tow them in a Uhaul and that is pretty much all I really care about. I guess I care about my dear Hubby and the kids too. They're the most important. Moving really opens your eyes to what is REALLY important in your life. Although I don't recommend it!
Chris is chatting with them. He always talks with everyone. Jeremiah is a lot like him - easily making friends with just about anyone. It is so nice having him here to help out! We stayed up till 3 am finishing up stuff and playing our new Wii Fit!!! Yeah! We finally got one! We've been trying since May to find one. Every time we go to Walmart or Target, Chris walks straight to the electronics desk and asks if they have one. Yesterday, we ran to Walmart to grab a few things and he walked back to the electronics desk. I left him to go find the goods... I guess he asked a woman at the counter and she told him that she didn't think so... Then he saw the guy there that he usually asks and he said that they did!! (Dumb girl was probably saving it for herself - which may be contributing to the lack of them in the area...) He texted me a few minutes later saying that he had a Wii Fit! I didn't believe him (if you know my husband, you wouldn't either!!) but he came up behind me a few minutes later with a huge grin and a Wii Fit!!!! Yay!! We didn't get a chance to try it out until about 2 am... but it is awesome and I'm so excited to have my own little personal fitness helper! My man delivers! (He told me to say that...) It is amazing to me how hard it has been to find a stinkin' Wii Fit! Why can't they just fill the stores with them? Instead, they are being sold on Ebay for twice what you can pick them up for in the store. It's not like Nintendo is seeing the profits from those sales... Pretty lame. Oh well. At least we finally got one!! yee hee!!
The movers come in tomorrow to load up the truck and then we'll be here in this empty house for a few days before we head on down to our new home. I am hopeful that we will like our new digs and that we will have good neighbors. I know the kids are excited to make some new friends and start school there. I hate leaving all my dear friends here who have helped me through so much... but I guess it's easier now that we live in a time with emails and cell phones! I may even send some snail mail out to them!! I love getting mail and sending mail is almost as fun - especially when I hand made the card!!
The kids are playing at our friends home today. They have a little kitty named Walt and Jilli calls him Wall-E (his other name). It is so cute to hear her say "Waaaaalllleeeee". She just cracks me up. Jeremiah and Jilli got to go and play at another friend's home yesterday and really enjoyed that. They are just so bored here and I won't let them touch anything.... so THANKS to those sweet friends who are willing to take my bored children in!!
I think I'm going to need a nap today. I don't think I've stayed up till 3am for about 15 years.... and it is not a very smart thing to do the night before a move starts.... wow. Bring on the caffeine!! I'll post as I can...

Link Me!!

I know a lot of  you have a link to this blog on your blogs! Yeah! I hope you know I have  a "Family" blog also and it has a lot more pictures of the fam and snippets from our daily grind... It may be a bit more interesting to most of you who are just looking for updates on our little family! If you'd like to link to that as well... the address is: www.helloluggage.blogspot.com!! Thanks!!

Getting Love in the Mail

I love to get things in the mail. I love emails full of news, wedding and birth announcements, but I especially love cards and packages!!! Today my kids came running to me with two packages from my dear sister-in-law, Angela. She had filled them to the brim with so many fun things! She put tons of travel games and books, little doodads and doomahickies that kids just LOVE, water balloons, pencils, water guns, and lots of candy!! She always sends us the most amazing stuff!! It was awesome to feel the love oozing from the packages.
My dear sister, Rebecca, sends me a card every month, no matter what is going on in her life. I always feel so loved when I go out to the mailbox and see her name in the upper left of a little envelope. She also sends us packages full of lovin' goodness on occasion. She is so crafty and usually includes a bunch of cute paper craft samples and ideas that she has tried out lately. I have used her ideas on more than one occasion and it makes me feel so much closer to her when I get little cute things from her.
I don't know if they know how much it means to get LOVE in the mail... but I'm going to make sure they know it!!

I dare you...

I dare you to go to this website and push the button... Hee heee heeeheheheheh....
I did and I couldn't stop!!!

Moving

We are moving. Moving. Moving. I don't want to move. Move. Move. It seems that there is a never-ending list of things to do to get ready to move and I just don't want to do them. I don't want to leave my friends and my home here. We have been here for three and a half years... We have made so many wonderful friends. My home is just so - with everything where I want it. I am just being a dork today and having a blah blah blah moment. I know there are many positives to our move... but it seems at the moment that there are far more negatives. Ugh. I will enjoy the clean slate that our new place will offer. I like to decorate our walls and arrange furniture and organize things... it's so fun for me. I will make new friends and keep all my old ones... but I will just miss the physical contact with my friends here - my sisters from other mothers! I will miss seeing them at church and at the store. I will miss eating out with them. I guess I could become a whole new woman there and no one would ever guess! I could talk with a british accent - just for fun! I could wear all black and sit in the corner and be mysterious or wear all pink and blow bubbles while chomping a huge wad of pink gum! Wouldn't that be fun!? Hee hee!! I know how to get around here. I will miss being able to drive somewhere without consulting a map! I have a lot of things shooting around in my brain today... I will miss stamping with my Club women and enjoying the food and company we shared. I couldn't have asked for a better group of women to hang out with! I have been soooo very blessed here. I hope that I will be blessed with good friends and fun in our new home.... Ahhhhhhhh. Moving.

Mission: Impossible....

I really enjoyed the article that I posted about below. She touched on some very valid points. I was totally unaware of the whole issue with Sister Beck's talk from last October's General Conference. I personally LOVED her talk. I thought is was great. I think that people were too easily offended by her comments about perfection. Obviously NONE of us will reach perfection in this life!!! It is "mission: IMPOSSIBLE" and we need tech support from our Savior to get through!!! 'Mothers who know', to me, means mothers who have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. If you have a testimony, you want to do all of the things she spoke about to the best of your abilities!! How can you be offended when a sister stands up and gives us a standard to strive for? It made me want to be "mother who knows"! I felt bad that it had upset some women in the church enough that they got together and put their signatures to a "revised" edition of her speech. I just think that is lame... sorry if you put your name on it! But, you totally read too much into her words if you did!! Bottom line... strive to be your BEST and be a good example of a Woman of God!! Best is totally relative too. What is a Best for one is not necessarily a Best for me and I know that our Father in Heaven knows when we are giving our all. I don't do my very best every day... some days I just don't and it's all good. I try again the next day! Trying counts I think.
I am such a big fan of Sheri Dew. I have heard her speak many times and have a lot of her books. She just has an awesome way with words and she just fills them with the Spirit. I was so happy to be linked to her latest talk. I love all the things she had to say. I love that she is so encouraging and so empowering. I felt so motivated to do and be better after reading it. I hope that all of you who read it felt that way too. I think that we should always strive to be better. Who in this world doesn't need to be striving to be better!!? I know I have a long way to go... and I hear that Mission: Impossible music playing as I go.... Hee hee!

An Awesome Post for You to Read!!

I just read the  most awesome post and I just had to link you all to it!! Go here and read it!! It will take you a while, but it's sooooo worth it! Awesome! Tell me what you think!! I'm still reading it and will post later with my thoughts on the topic... hee hee!

Visited!

I was visited by my Visiting Teachers today! They stayed and chatted with me for nearly an hour. They commented on how darling my kids were and shared the monthly message with me. It was a beautiful message about our divine heritage. It is always good to hear the sweet thoughts that are a part of that little message each time. My favorite quote that she shared was from President Gordon B. Hinckley, "Our bodies are sacred. They were created in the image of God. They are marvelous, the crowning creation of Deity. No camera has ever matched the wonder of the human eye. No pump was ever built that could run so long and carry such heavy duty as the human heart. The ear and the brain constitute a miracle. . . . These, with others of our parts and organs, represent the divine, omnipotent genius of God" ("Be Ye Clean," Ensign, May 1996, 48). I love that thought!! Our bodies truly are miraculous in every way! How blessed we are.

It always amazes me how hard it is to get out and do visiting teaching each month. I have been the Visiting Teaching Coordinator for a long while now and the numbers for our ward are just so very sad each month! It reminds me of that little Primary song:

It shouldn't be hard to sit very still And think about Jesus, his cross on the hill, And all that he suffered and did for me; It shouldn't be hard to sit quietly. It shouldn't be hard, even though I am small, To think about Jesus, not hard at all.

I think of the miles He walked in the dust, And children he helped to love and to trust; It shouldn't be hard to sit tall in my seat, To listen politely, to quiet my feet. It shouldn't be hard, even though I am small, To think about Jesus, not hard at all.

Why can't we find the time in our busy lives and schedules to get out and visit with the sisters on our lists? It is not very hard and I know it is one way that we can be Christ's hands here on this earth. We must do it!! I love doing it and I haven't missed much in the 3 and a half years we have lived here. Being in a military ward, we are constantly changing the assignments... it makes it really difficult, but I have somehow found a way. I'm not the perfect Visiting Teacher... but I at least try to get in contact with my sisters each month.

I haven't been regularly visited until recently and it is amazing what regular visits can do for me! I don't have many needs. My home is well kept, my children well behaved, my health is good. I just sincerely look forward to talking! Actually having a captive audience in my home once a month is GREAT! Of course, I'm a much better listener than a talker... but it still fills my cup. I really look forward to those visits. If you haven't done your visiting teaching for July... GET OUT THERE AND DO IT!!

Lil' Miss

Don't you just wish you had this much sass!! Love her!!

10 Years Ago... a tag for you!

Ten years ago...
I was 22, newly married, newly mommied and living in Logan, Utah! I think I spent my days feeding Jess, changing Jess, feeding Jess, watching TV while feeding Jess, making food for Chris, feeding Jess... You know the drill!
Five Things on my TO DO List...
1-Make a hair appointment (still trying to decide if I want color again... or just a trim!)
2-Purchase 3 new blinds at Picerne (to replace some broken ones.)
3-Make potato salad, marinate chicken and bake cookies for tonight (having friends over!)
4-Add some more songs to my Playlist player...
5-Read an article my dad sent me entitled, "A Sense of the Sacred".
If I were a Billionaire...
Chris would leave the military. We would open up a Computer business/ Bookstore and work at it for FUN! I would buy a gorgeous eco-friendly home with CASH in Colorado! I would pay off ALL our debts and buy a Ford Mustang... and a Mini Cooper... and a Treadmill and a Wii Fit... and and and. I think I would pay off my parent's house, Chris' parent's house, my Grandma's house... I would go back to school and save money for the kids' missions and college. We would take that trip to Disney World we wanted... 6 times!! Heck, we might as well buy a condo there! We'd go to Portugal, England, Spain, France, Germany, Japan.... I hope I never become a billionaire - it's too much work thinking about how to spend it all!!!
Three bad habits I have...
I run my fingers through my hair all the time... and by doing this, I catch all the loose hairs and pull them out. I've done it since I was a kid... I try really hard not to do it now because it bothers Chris to find hair all around.
I can't ever relax if my house isn't just so. I think this is bad because of the relaxing part... not the cleaning part.
I start too many books at a time and sometimes never get around to finishing them!
Places I have lived...
Springville, Logan and Brigham City, UT
Richmond, TX (for a month)
Hepzibah, GA
Jobs I've had...
Pizza Hut cook
Copy chick (at a local copy shop)
Bookstore clerk (at a little shop in Springville)
Microchip tester
Clerk at Deseret Book
Stampin' Up! Demonstrator
Things Most People Don't Know about Me...
I am terrified of heights and falling and spiders. My dream job would be to be a Librarian. I know... but I LOVE organizing things and reading and the smell of books and the quiet... Ahhhhh! I have never been outside the United States. Ever. Not even Mexico or Canada. I don't like water unless it's 5 feet deep or less... I never take baths. Who wants to sit there in hot water and look at their own body! Ugh! Showers only for me! I love exclamation points!! And ellipsis... I collect lip-gloss and pens. I love frogs. I owned one once and his name was Denzel. He was so cute! Except for the part where I had to feed him LIVE crickets!

OK... so now I've done it! Let's see all of you do it too!!! Can't wait to read yours!

Keeping It Real!

I was tagged by Nicole ( http://sohfam.wordpress.com/ )to do this great little post! There was no cleaning in the taking of these pictures... No cheating here! I woke up early this morning (6:45!) to the dulcet tunes of the 82nd Choir being blasted over the loudspeakers.... grrrrr. Since I was up, I decided to do this post... Enjoy!

My Fridge

My Sink

A toilet

My bed... It's habit for me to make it right when I get up...

I tag... Monica, Daisy and Sugar!!!

Keeping It Real... continued!

Place I would like to go on Vacation.... Anyplace with Mountains!! (I think this is in Canada...)

What my kids are doing.... ahhhhh! Peaceful!

Self Portrait

Favorite Pair(s) of Shoes

My Closet... I love my big blue stability ball... but I hate that the kids play with it...
Yes.... I have lots of clothes!

Check This Out!!

My sister- in- law sent me a link to check out this great new airline!!!
Tell me what you think!! Hee hee!

Delicious Cleaning!

I don't want to sound like a cleaning commercial... but these cleaners are AMAZING!! Not only do they clean remarkably well, they smell fabulous!! My kitchen and bathrooms don't smell toxic! Yay! I ran out of toilet cleaner last week and my friend had given me some Mrs. Meyer's counter spray in Geranium scent, so I went out looking for some good smelling cleaners. I found some!!! I am a clean freak, as most of you know, and it is so nice to be able to have delicious smelling cleaners to do my daily routine with! They are also environmentally safe so I can help save our planet! Yay! They are a little more expensive, but just the aromas make it all worth it! You can buy all the Mrs. Meyer's cleaners (I like all the scents... but geranium is my fave!!) at her website: www.mrsmeyers.com and the Method cleaners (which smell like mint and eucalyptus!!!) are at Target I believe! Use up all your toxic, ucky cleaners and replace them with these yummy ones!!

My First Polish Pottery!!

My friend T has introduced me to the wonders of Polish Pottery!! It is so beautiful and useful! She has bought lots of it in Europe and her pattern of choice is a pretty daisy. I love the stars! If I were to pick a pattern it would have to involve stars. Well, T brought me this darling little salt and pepper set in a star pattern. I was just in awe!!! I love it!!! Thanks so much T!! LOVE them!!

May I?!

May is such a fun month! Spring still lingers a bit and summer hasn't come yet so the weather is lovely. I was outside today with Jillian and the sun felt sooooo good. I can't say that I like the warmth of the sun very often; I'm always hot, but it felt so nice today. I just finished posting a billion and one pictures over on my family blog... but I wanted to post a few of my favorites here. It has been a long month and especially the past few weeks! With my grandfather's passing, my trip home, Chris getting in a car accident, the move coming up... I feel that I've been twirled around and around and around and then shoved out into traffic and told to make my way safely across the street!!! It's a bit like the commercial that says, "Life comes at you fast...". Too fast sometimes!!
We went to pick up a rental van a few days ago and it has been so very nice to have 2 cars!! I feel free again! The rental is a Chevy Uplander and I really don't like it. For one thing, it stinks. Literally. I hate that smoked-in smell. Secondly, it just isn't my Toyota. I believe I have turned into a Toyota snob. I love my Sienna. Toyota knew what they were doing when they made that van! It has a place for EVERYTHING and it is comfortable and smooth... I just love it. I've been totally spoiled for anything else. It's been the best car we've ever bought.
Back to the pictures I posted... the first one just makes me laugh everytime I look at it! Jeremiah had the hat and scarf in his backpack through all the winter months. He took them out the other night and Jillian grabbed them up and wore them around the house all evening with her little flip flops clicking on the floor as she went. It was adorable. She never fails to make us laugh each and every day!
The second picture is of me and my brothers and sisters. The back row is me, Ben, Emily, Amy, and Rebecca. On the floor is Jake, Sarah and Sam. (James is missing from the photo because he's serving his mission in Mexico and loving every minute of it!) I love this picture because it felt like it had been so long since we took one and because we all look pretty darn good! I have such beautiful sisters and handsome brothers. Both Amy and Rebecca are expecting babies this summer. Boys! We have a lot of boys in our family. I have 2 of the 4 girls and Ben has the other 2. The rest (8?) are boysies. Lots of fun.
The third picture is of my grandfather's casket draped with an American flag. This photo is so meaningful to me. I love that I am a member of a church that teaches such beautiful things about life after death. I know that I will see my grandfather again. I know that he is in a beautiful and happy place with those ancestors who have gone before him. I know that he will be there to greet me when I eventually leave this earth. His funeral wasn't a sad occasion for me. I was initially upset at the news that he had gone, but then I was filled with so much peace knowing the truths of the gospel and the plan that Christ has given us. We will sure miss his sweet smiling face at all our family reunions. We'll miss having him pull up in a new car anxious for a bathroom break and some of Mom's fresh baked cookies! We'll miss his intelligent conversation and his great advice. His physical presence in our lives will be missed but his spiritual presence will never leave us. It was a sweet and special weekend for me to be able to share memories and remembrances of him with all my family. I will treasure those memories for always.
The last picture is of me and my brother, Ben. Ben always makes me laugh. He always has. I thought I was going to pee my pants at least twice as I would break into fits of laughter over something he said or did. We sat and played a dice game on Saturday night and he had us all laughing so hard. I don't even remember what got us going, but I know my stomach muscles were sooooo sore the next day! It seems that every time we get together as a family, laughter just pores out of all of us! All my brothers make me laugh. They just have a way about them. I love them all. It was definitely Joy and Rejoicing all around as we spent some time together. My grandfather always used to say that. Joy and rejoicing. As he would look around at his posterity, he would say it. He had a great posterity. He and my grandmother had 12 children who, in turn, had large families and it has just grown and grown. One of my cousin's brought her new little baby to the funeral and I think he made the 40th great grandchild. Pretty amazing.
Sorry if this post has dragged on or been a bit random... I think my thoughts are always a little crazy in the early evening. The genius doesn't come out till well past midnight... hee hee. Till then...

Monson's Wiggle!

Ok. I spent hours this morning trying to figure out how to get the little YouTube player thingy to come to my blog... but I failed. I even had my super savvy computer tech hubby try... but still no luck! So here is a LINK to the YouTube video I wanted to post...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTmft6wkNa4
It is the most adorable thing!!! You must watch it and tell me what you think!! Chris can do it! His just aren't as big as President Monson's... Hee hee! Ok, if you're not curious by now, you're crazy!!

Good Deeds and Gasoline!

I know. I haven't written for a week and 2 days and now I'm posting twice in one day! Wow! Well. I was sitting here thinking of all the fun things that I think about when I just sit and I thought I would blog about one of my thoughts! The other day, we were at the neighborhood center and I was exercising while Chris and the kids were watching a movie on their big screen TV. Well, that was the plan anyways... They ended up not having a cord to connect their TV to their DVD. Chris, being the amazing man that he is, told the woman in charge that he has billions (yes literally) of cables lying around at our home and could go and get one to make the TV and DVD work. He did so. Then he and the kids watched their movie. I finished my workout and we went home. A few days later, the manager of the neighborhood center called us and asked if we could come down and pick up a gift card for helping them with their TV/DVD!! Of course, he said, "YES!" and went and chose a gift card for 25$ of gas at a Shell gas station!! Yay! It was so unexpected to be rewarded for such a little thing! The only problem with our reward... is that we have no clue where to find a Shell gas station!! Isn't that always how it works!?! I am sitting here trying to rack my brain and remember if I've seen any Shell stations anywhere along any of the roads that we frequently travel. Man. It is nice to know that sometimes good deeds are rewarded in a timely enough manner that you actually remember doing the good deed! I don't know if any of you watched Oprah's Big Give tv show? I watched a few episodes and the finale. I was glad that the man that won was the man that I wanted to win. And it was nice that after giving and giving and giving across America, he was rewarded with more money - to Give! I loved that. I think that it should always happen like that - the givers should get more to give! Anyways... it's been on my mind... :)

I Just Wanna!!

I just read a post on my friend Terina's blog entitled, "I Just Don't Wanna!"(http://terinajlucyandrew.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-just-dont-wanna.html ) and it made me laugh so hard. I believe I am one of the person's she refers to who are "addicted to endorphins"... It inspires me to make a list now of 10 reasons why I wanna exercise!!
1 - I can do it anywhere!! Like in my living room with Deni and Total Body Workout, in my garage on my elliptical, walking the hills and byways of my neighborhood with Jilli in tow or riding my bicycle, also, at the neighborhood center, or at the track... the options are endless!
2 - Sometimes I can kick my kids while doing it! :)
3 - My kids are up early so I can start my day early and get exercise done so I can still accomplish a lot in my day.
4 - I always change it up so I don't get bored!
5 - We have had lots of rain which cools the air and makes it the perfect temperature for outdoor exercise!
6- It takes a lot of effort, but putting forth the effort makes me feel good!
7 - Exercising with a bunch of military spouses at the neighborhood center can be very entertaining. The more women who fill the gym, the more stories and gossip I hear. It's better than Oprah and All My Children combined! (Not to say I watch All My Children... it was the only soap opera title that popped in my head!)
8 - My husband LOVES the results of me exercising and what could be more motivating for me to get out and move!!
9 - But even better still... I love the results of me exercising! And so does Kohls, Downeast Basics, Shade Clothing, Gap, Walmart.... :)
10 - Exercise is always at least one item I can check off on my daily TO DO list!! :)
I hope you've found my list as entertaining as I found writing it!! (especially YOU Terina!!)

"Open the Freakin' Door!!!"

Yeah. I know that's a weird title for a post... but I just had to share the story! Jillian has had a rough time going to sleep since Chris returned. She always fussed a little, but now she fusses a lot.
Well, tonight, I had put her in her bed and gone to Jessica's room to listen as Chris read to the other two. We were all sitting there, getting into the story, when we heard Jilli screaming. Chris stopped reading and we all listened to hear what she was saying. She was screaming, "Open the freakin' door!!" Ok. We all busted out laughing. It was absolutely hilarious! Then I got thinking about where on earth she could have heard that word. Well, I must admit that it was from ME!! Yep. I say freakin' entirely too much. I think it just shows how much I have let my vocabulary lapse. At least she wasn't repeating any other of the choice words I have let slip out on occasion! I really need to watch what comes out of my mouth because obviously someone is listening!!

Happiness is...

Happiness is having my sweetie home safe again! Happiness is having Jilli say "Daddy do it." instead of "Mommie do it." Happiness is having someone to warm my cold feet on at night! Happiness is waking up next to someone you love every morning! Happiness is hearing Chris sing the kids to sleep each night. Happiness is having a pile of Army crap higher than me in my garage! Happiness is kisses... Man I missed them! Happiness is being together as a family once again! Happiness is trying to catch up on all the TV shows and movies he missed while he was away! (Thank goodness for DVR!) Happiness is... ME!!

I think that that just about sums up all that I've been feeling in these past few days since Chris got home! It feels like he never left. He's jumped right back into the swing of things and it has been just wonderful having him here again. So many things have changed and so many things will always stay the same. I just love that he can so easily slide right back into his role as husband and father. He's an amazing man and I love him!!

If you want to see more pictures of his homecoming... check out my family blog - in the links to your right...

Happy Spring!

Don't I just have the cutest kids EVER!?! I'm so lucky!
Jilli was playing with my camera and snapped this photo of me... Lovely eh?
And here I am with Jilli and the big old Dinosaur that she was too scared to stand next to so I had to pick her up and be in this lovely picture... My friend Terina is in the blue trying to get her daughter, Lucy, to stand with us... Ahhhhh. The joys of two year olds!

Going Out Like a Lion!

March is definitely going out like a lion! It has been drizzly and cold for 2 days now and will most likely continue to be for a few more! I don't mind the cooler temperatures but the rain (as much as we need it!) just makes me feel depressed! Chris is not on his way yet and I really wanted him to be!! I know that that is just the way things work... but I think it's pretty impossible to not get your hopes up! I got a call tonight from Mrs. W, Major W's wife. She runs our FRG (Family Readiness Group) and she does a horrendous job. We're supposed to have get-togethers at least every month... but I think we've had maybe one throughout the whole deployment. ONE! That is just lame. She called me to get my address so she could mail me an invitation to come to some event to be recognized for all I've done as a Key Caller through this year... I nearly laughed. I think that I have called down my phone roster maybe three or four times this year; just to check in with people... I guess I've done all that was required of me?? I don't think it's anything to get up and make a fuss over... I'm curious as to what the event will involve. Crazy Army hoopla... I'll probably get a big gold plaque - UGH!! Today, the kids helped me shred a huge stack of papers. I've been going through my filing cabinet and there were a lot of things in it that I really don't need to hang on to! It took us about 3 hours to shred everything. We filled three garbage sacks!! Jilli was having a ball playing in the paper bits! I have paper tracked all through the house tonight. But at least that job is done!! I just know I'm going to have nightmares tonight about some paper that I really really needed and I SHREDDED it!! AHHHH!! Oh well! Que Sera, Sera!!

Spring Break!

We are in the midst of our Spring Break week and I'm pleasantly surprised at how good my kids have been overall! Having them home is usually not something I enjoy. I like ME time and having them go off to school gives me plenty of time to myself, but we are really having a great time together this week. We have been to the new Library playground twice for several hours and today I took them to see "Horton Hears a Who"; which I just loved! I even took them shopping with me at Walmart today and we had no "gimme" moments or Jilli meltdowns! Yay! The lovely spring weather has been wonderful and the kids just LOVE being outside. I have even actually been able to finish making up all my birthday cards for the year! Yay!
I watched a really great movie last night called "Freedom Writers". (What would I do without Netflix!?!) It was excellent. I was amazed at the positive influence of the teacher in the lives of these inner city kids. It plays out like all the other 'teacher helping students realize their potential' movies, but I really enjoyed this one. (Possibly because she was an English teacher... I am a little biased when it comes to English teachers!) One thing she did, that I thought was great, was to have each student write daily in a journal. I know that I've posted on journal writing before... but it really does help you sort out all your feelings. I am amazed at how much better I feel about things that get me upset after I have written about them in my journal. I know I had an experience a few years ago that got me totally aggravated and I didn't feel like I could talk it out with anyone. I went up to my room and wrote all the things out that had gotten to me. After I finished, I sat and read through it all and it was amazingly therapeutic. I think writing is a excellent form of therapy. And it's cheap! I hope I can keep up with my journal writing because it has really made a difference in how I handle things in my life. Watch that movie for some positive reinforcement about the impact writing in a journal can make!
On another note... I've got to come up with some great ideas for our Visiting Teaching Conference coming up in May. My president really wants the focus to be on the basics of Visiting Teaching. Do any of you have any great ideas? Anything you've seen done that really stood out? Let me know! Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

Good News!

Sorry I have neglected my poor blog for a bit! I've been so busy this week! My house was completely neglected till Thursday night! I just wasn't home much during the day and then when I did get home, I was too tired to do much else but go on to bed! (Check out my family blog for more on what I've been up to...) I also babysat this week. Usually that is not my forte; but these babies were wonderful! The one little boy I had on Friday from 10 until 2 and he was a doll! His mom was at the Temple and I can't think of a better reason to babysit for someone! The baby girl I watched on Saturday night was also just great! I was so glad! Her mom and dad went out on a date. Her daddy just got home from Afghanistan (and worked with Chris!) so they were needing to get out alone. They went to a concert and I know they had a good time. It's hard for me to agree to watch someone's child when I have 3 of my own... but I was glad I did because they were surprisingly easy. They were both around 9 months old and that is such a fun age. I will definitely count these for my good deeds for the week! Hee hee.

My good news (thus the title for this post!) is that my sweetie will be home sooner than we thought! Yay! He also came up on orders for a teaching position back at Ft. Gordon! We'll be headed back down there at the end of the summer. It is very exciting to me because it means he won't deploy again for a while. Always good news! I am really and truly going to miss being here and all the wonderful, amazing women I have met and become friends with! I almost get weepy thinking about it, but then I remember that I don't cry and my eyes just dry right up! I know we will all stay in touch and I'm so glad I got into blogging so we can stay connected. I love the internet! How did we survive without it!!? Well, I must get to my nightly email to Chris! Love you all!

Recent Cards... part 2!

Here are the rest of the 5 for 5 cards... If you see anything you like or MUST have... Let me know!

Recent Cards!

Here are some recent cards I've made!! Soooo cute, right! I just had to share! The top two are from my Stamp Club. I love the circle card because we used glitter and it was SOOOOO sparkly and fun. The bottom two are from my 5 cards for 5 bucks class I did today! Very fun! I just love making cards! Wish you all could have been here creating with me!

Me and Driving

I can't remember exactly where we were going... oh! Monica and I were headed to the church for the project group on Tuesday morning and I was driving. I hadn't seen "Mica" (Jilli's nickname for her!) in a while so we were catching up on the latest and just laughing and talking... good times. Well, I was driving. I shouldn't drive and talk at the same time. Truly. I ran a red light. Yep. Now, I know this may be alarming to most of you... but it wasn't the least bit alarming to me! I sailed right through the red light (on Gruber, right where you exit the 82nd HQ compound) and didn't even bat an eye. Monica said, "You just ran a red light!!!" I said, "Oh, really??" I honestly hadn't even noticed. Yeah. I am so glad that my guardian angels were out there playing MP's and holding up the traffic. I looked back at the intersection and there were cars there.... They just hadn't decided to go yet - thankfully. Well, needless to say, I was quite a bit more careful for the rest of the day and week. I like to think that I can do two things at once... but sometimes I really wonder at my expertise in that area!! Have any of you ever had this happen to you? I can laugh about it now... but it was a little scary after the fact that morning.
Another thing that I wanted to ask you all... Have you ever seen a minivan, driven by a Mom with children, pulled over to receive a speeding ticket?? I have honestly NEVER seen a minivan driven by a mom and filled with kids pulled over. I have this theory that cops don't pull over minivans driven by women.... Let me know if you've seen this (or been one!!) My husband has been pulled over in our minivan. He was caught shaving! The cop thought he was talking on a cell phone (which is prohibited here on Post). He was given a warning and sent on his way. I'm just curious because I hope that it means that I can fudge a little on my speed, when I'm late for something and trying to get there quickly... Let me know what ya think!

Wonderful People

What a great day I have had! I was able to go to lunch with some friends today at Red Robin. I just love going to lunch with friends. There is just something about sitting together and chatting about life and the things we have in common, the struggles we have, the things that make us happy. It was very nice. After lunch, I went to Kohls and did some shopping. I love Kohls. They have fabulous clearance racks. I found four bright yellow, happy and soft towels for 4 bucks each (reg. 12!). I found a pair of jeans for 12 bucks, a swimsuit for Jilli on sale for 12, and a pink t-shirt for me for 6. Lastly, but not leastly, I found a darling pair of white canvas sling back shoes for me for summer! They were on sale and I just fell in love. Again, very nice to get out and find some good deals. This evening I had planned to meet some friends of ours and their families at Sports USA for dinner to celebrate Jeremiah's 8th birthday. Again, great friends, food, chatting about all sorts of things... just wonderful! My children were kept completely entertained through the incredible generosity of one of my friends who had an endless supply of quarters for all the arcade machines! I am so happy to know the people I know! I really believe that everything happens for a reason - even friendships! I was told once in a blessing that I would be blessed to associate with many wonderful people in my life... and it couldn't be more true!! Spending time with some of these wonderful people tonight was the perfect ending to my lovely day!!

Long Night!

I just had to post a picture, since I haven't for a while, and my choices were very slim... Aren't my toes so perty!? (Not as colorful as yours, Amberlyn!!) I was lucky enough to be able to go and get a pedicure last week with a friend of mine! Her hubby watched Jilli and it was a wonderful treat! It was only my second pedicure ever... and I always forget how ticklish my feet are!!! I had to totally focus on holding still, so the man could finish up! It was crazy.
Well, I'm sitting here today feeling completely unspiritual. I missed church today because Miah was up all night moaning and crying with an earache. Poor kid. I gave him Tylenol, didn't do a thing. I gave him a heating pad, little difference. I gave him Motrin after a couple hours, little better but still hurting. I pulled down my medicine box and started going through it just to see if I had anything more... I found some numbing drops!!!! Duh!! It's been so long since Mi has had trouble with his ears and I forgot that we had them! I dropped some in and sent him in to his bed. He was asleep in 10 minutes. AHHHHH. It was so nice to have him feeling better. He's such a tough kid and I know he was really hurting! He woke up this morning and has had no complaints, but I'm keeping him on Tylenol today. I'll have to take him to the Doc tomorrow. Fun stuff! Needless to say, I didn't wake up this morning and we missed attending church. It was also Daylight Savings and we lost an hour of sleep on top of me getting a lot less sleep than I usually get... I always feel bad about missing church. I enjoy going. Hearing the lessons and interacting with the members of our ward always lifts my spirits and I really need that each week. I've got the BYU channel on upstairs and down and I've listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and several Devotional addresses, Conference talks and other uplifting programs. I'm glad that we chose to get satellite so that we have this channel! I also plan on reading the lesson from the manual and reading to the kids from the Book of Mormon. I hope that doing that will fill my spiritual bucket today.
We were able to chat with Chris for a little while today. I love talking with him. I can't wait to get him home again! He keeps me laughing and I love that. He was eating a beef cup-o-noodles... his favorite snack and I just had to laugh at his choices for food. He's such a kid when he chooses what to eat! He loves spaghetti-o's, nuggets, mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, cereal... not too many veggies, and Kool-aid! I hope he can survive coming back to our more nutritious pantry and cupboards! I'm trying to keep healthy food on hand so I can't gain back any of the weight even if I eat everything in the cupboard!! Heeheehee.
Well, my house sounds a little too quiet! I'll try to write more later!

New Look!

Do you like my new look for the blog? I thought it was cute! It was free and surprisingly easy!! I may change it quite often! Check out her selection here: http://matiekay.blogspot.com/ and she gives you directions and everything! Painless!
This morning I woke up and had the hardest time getting out of my warm bed! It was actually cold in our house! I had forgotten to turn the heat back on last night!! It has been in the upper 60's here and we're definitely getting Spring Fever! I walked up to get the kids from school and let them play on the school playgrounds. They had a blast!! Of course, I forgot the camera.... but maybe we'll do that again today! Yay! Well, gotta go get them off to school!! Miah's being a slow poke.... again!

Sunday Nights

I don't know what it is about Sunday nights. I think they have to be my worst time of the whole week. My patience with the kids has worn extremely thin. The walls of our normally good sized home seem to close in a bit and I start to get claustrophobic. Our living room becomes an echo chamber for every little squeak and squeal to be magnified and rushed directly to my ears. Even laughter sounds too loud and intensely annoying. We try to watch quiet family movies on Sunday evening and eat popcorn, but that only takes up 90 minutes or so if we're lucky. Tonight we have watched a movie, played Sleeping Queens a bunch of times (love that game!) and raced to find the hidden CTR ring in the new Friend magazine... and it's only 5:30!!! We have two and a half more hours till bedtime!! UGH! I think that I pray more on Sunday evenings than at any other time. I pray for the kids to play nicely, for the damage to the furniture to be minimal and for something to get my mind off the slowly ticking secondhand!!
I guess I could write more in my blog and that may do the trick! I was reading in the new issue of the Ensign today - which I must say is GORGEOUS! I love the vellum cover over the beautiful picture of the Savior! I read the article written by President Hinckley and one thought really stood out to me:
"We know not all that lies ahead of us. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the Polar Star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.
In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.
He is the central focus of our worship. He is the Son of the living God, the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh. He is “risen from the dead, … the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is the Lord who shall come again “to reign on the earth over his people” (D&C 76:63; see also Micah 4:7; Revelation 11:15).
None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world."
Isn't that a beautiful quote!!?? President Hinckley had such a way with words. He was a wonderful prophet. I wished today that my shoes hadn't been filled with cement and I could have made it to the pulpit to bear my testimony. I wanted to share that I know that Jesus is our Savior too! I hate that I let fear keep me in my seat or keep my mouth shut so many times. It is something I need to work on. I did enjoy all our classes today and I was very glad that I had made the efforts to get up and get the kids up and ready. I will be so glad when Chris gets back. So glad in so many ways!
My dear little sister, Emily, is blessing her first little baby boy today and all my family has gone to her home to celebrate. They called me last night and I heard all the fun going on in the background! I miss being there with all of them on those special days! Emily's little boy, Corbin Lee, is adorable! I can't get enough pictures of him! It's always so fun to get another neice or nephew! I now have 9 with 2 more on the way!! It's so exciting! I just wish I could be there to snuggle little Corbi and smell that sweet baby smell! MMMMMM.
I joined Shelfari and Goodreads at the urging of friends... and I have been trying to get through the books on my nightstand: Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss (Yes, I'm still reading it Nicole!!! I'll get it back to you soon!), A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle (very deep), Enna Burning by Shannon Hale (the 2nd book in her series, following The Goose Girl), Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (thanks Terina!) and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks (I was given this for my birthday! Yay!) I am one of those odd people who has to be reading several things at once. I don't know why I need to have so many things jangling around in my head... but I do. It's funny but I tend to start a bunch of books and then one starts getting really good and I'll hurry up and finish it and then I'll start another to keep a bunch in the mix... I just love books. I want to read everything.... All at once!! I saw a show once that had a guy who could just flip through a book and it was read - I wouldn't mind that super-ability, if I was a super hero picking abilities... Ok. I can tell I'm beginning to ramble and look - it's now 6:03. Wow. Time flies when I'm having fun!