President Hinckley

I have been meaning to write this post since late last night, but I haven't been able to think of anything meaningful enough to say, that others on other blogs haven't said better. But, nevertheless I really need to write about this most recent news.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints passed away last night at the ripe old age of 97. What a great man. That's the only thing that keeps going through my mind. He was truly an amazing and incredible man who did so much for the growth of the church, and touched so many people both in the church and out. He became the President of the church in 1995...my senior year of High School. He has been the prophet that I have known the most in my life, and I have really come to love and respect him for his wonderful spirit and character. What an example to all of us of the kind of person we should be.



I heard a story about him once that made me laugh. He exercised and lifted weights all the way into his old age. His family was in the other room one day while he was exercising, and they heard him say " This is terrible" Ha ha! That made me laugh! He was always full of humor.

While I am sure of the amazing reunion he is having in Heaven right now with his dear sweet wife, and many others who have gone on before him, he will be sadly missed here on earth.

On to a different note. Today Logan brought me his Book of Mormon so I could help him find the picture of Jesus in it. After I helped him find it, we talked about it for a bit, as well as the other pictures. He was so excited about his scriptures, and decided he wanted to teach the lesson for Family Home evening tonight. After dinner, we all gathered in the living room, and Logan asked me to put the primary songs cd in the cd player, so we could sing "I am a Child of God". He sat down on his little couch and said "start the music please". Yes sir! After we sang our song, he asked Avery to say the opening prayer. Daddy helped her, while she yelled and played with Mr. Potato Head's nose. We better teach her how to be more reverent!Once the prayer was over, Logan opened his scriptures to find the picture of Jesus. he turned the book so we could see it and pointed to the picture and said "This is Jesus." Then he closed the book. I guess that was his lesson! Daddy and I asked him a few questions about Jesus, like who is Jesus? (our brother) And where is Jesus?(in Heaven) And who is Jesus's father? (Heavenly Father) etc. All simple 3 year old answers of course. We then sang "I am Child of God" for the closing song again, and Logan asked daddy to say the prayer. After FHE was over, Logan still wanted to read his scriptures,so when it was bedtime, I read him the picture version of the Book of Mormon. He hasn't been too interested in this before now, but is acting really interested now all of a sudden. I think Primary is rubbing off on him in a very positive way! I love the sweet spirits that little children have. I watch Logan and how he is growing each day, and I am so amazed! He is so smart, and so sweet, and so funny. What a little personality! I definitely know he came to this earth with his little spirit and personality already there. I feel so overwhelmingly blessed to have him in our family. What a great responsibility I have as his mother to teach him soooo much! It does make me a little fearful about my abilities. Will I do enough? Could I do more?All I can do is my best.

Too much Mans and Girls

So, yesterday morning, Logan came in our room and climbed in bed with us. He was right in the middle, and he kept talking, so I told him it was time to get up and go potty. He told us he couldn't. He said, "I can't.I can't get out. There's too much mans and girls in your bed." Ha ha ha! That's funny. He is funny. That made me happy.

I had a pretty nice day yesterday. I started off the morning by having a Stampin' Up! Valentine's class at my house. I had 7 people come, and they each made 4 projects. Tony took the kids to the mall to return a jacket I bought Logan before Christmas, and then to play on the play area and have lunch. After everyone left, I was alone in my house for an hour an a half! I think the last time I was completely alone at home was last December right before Christmas when Tony and Logan flew out to Utah for Tony's brother's wedding, and I had to stay home because my doctor wouldn't let me fly since I was 6 weeks away from my due date with Avery.I was really sad I couldn't go.Sometimes I think I should have gone anyway, but I have a hard time going against doctor's advice for some reason.

After my family came home, they all took naps, so I went to my friend Sara's house who is an At Home America rep. She was having a customer appreciation sale, and I guiltily came home with a few new things! when I came home, the boys were still asleep, but Avery was waking up.They didn't even know I had left!

I got this nice clock to put on my mantle. I really like it! It just adds something. I also got this lovely cupcake stand! I am such a sucker for cupcakes these days. I have great plans for this little item. The first use will be for Avery's birthday on Saturday! How cute!And everything was at least 50% off, if not more!

This month we have started a baby-sitting swap with some friends. Last night was our second date this month! We haven't really gone on any dates for a LONG time. I didn't realize how much of a difference it makes! Our first date was a few weeks ago, and we went to see National Treasure, and got some dinner at Panda Express.I haven't eaten there since I worked at the mall in Indiana. It was good, and really hit the spot. Yum! Last night, we went out to dinner to celebrate Tony's birthday earlier this week. He wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse, but when we got there, there was about an hour and fifteen minute wait! No thank you! We finally ended up at Mimi's Cafe. I love that place. It makes me happy for some reason. I love the atmosphere, and the food is good too. I always get the same thing. The Petite Salad and soup. I had corn chowder and the Bleu Cheese and Walnut salad. It's my favorite! I think my favorite part is that it comes with a huge muffin! Last night I got banana chocolate chip. I couldn't eat it last night, I was so full, so I saved it and now I am eating it for breakfast!Yum! Anyway, enough about food. Tony and I had nice conversation, and after we came home and put the kids to bed, we played a few rounds of Skip-bo. Tony won both times. Overall, it was a really nice day, and I felt chipper and happy all day. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I had a morning free of catering to the needs of children, and could feel like a person, and not JUST a mom. And I got to spend some one on one time with Tony. That always makes me happy.And it was a beautiful , sunny, 50 degree day to top it off! Here is a theme song for my day.



Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Tony!

Today is Tony's birthday! He is the BIG 33! Yikes! We are getting old around here! I made hime some (non-homemade) cinnamon rolls to take to Seminary to share with his class. I am going to be making his favorite meal for his birthday dinner as well. Lasagna and apple pie. I am going to try a new lasagna recipe from Pioneer Woman Cooks. It is supposedly the Best Lasagna EVER, so I figured I better try it out. It calls for more meat than I prefer, and being the cheap-o that I am, I am only going to use 1 pound of the hamburger instead of 1 1/2 lbs. I don't think it will be missed. I am also making a scrumptious apple pie recipe again from Pioneer Woman.I love her blog. I love her fantastic pictures and step by step directions. It really makes it hard to NOT want to make her recipes. Anyway, this meal won't be the most figure friendly, but it's T's birthday, so it's acceptable!

I have to talk about Logan for a minute or two. Sunday was Logan's third week in Sunbeams at church. What an adjustment for these little kids who have just spent about 2 years in nursery, playing with toys and having fun for 2 hours at church, to having to sit still for 2 hours! Well, the first SUnday was NOT good. Logan hadn't slept well the night before, and was really tired, and ornery (I like the look of this word. It is funny), even before church. Our church is at 1:30p.m.!He had already had a few melt-downs before lunch! I went with his to sharingtime and stood in the back.I left close to the end becuase he looked like he was doing fine. Well, aparently he noticed I wasn't there anymore and had a break-down. They had to bring him to me. I took him to his daddy since I had Avery and I was busy doing stuff for Relief Society. I was hoping his daddy would take him back to class, but he didn't. That's how week one of sunbeams went. I guess by the end of their class, there was only one little girl left!

The next week, Tony went with Logan to primary. He stood in the back of sharing time, and Logan was very aware that he was there. When it was time to go to class, Tony told Logan he would just be outside his class in the hall. He stayed out there until almost the end, and Logan did just fine.

This past Sunday, Tony told Logan he would be outside in the hall during sharingtime. Logan did fine. When they went to class, Tony was still there so he saw him, but then once Logan was in his class, Tony went to Elder's Quorum. I went to pick Logan up from his class, and I was so proud of him! He said the closing prayer (he always wants to say the prayer at home, and does such a good job!) and he even tried to comfort a set of twins in his class who were sad for their mom. They were crying and Logan patted them and said, "It's o.k. Your mommy will come". What a turn-over in just a few weeks! I am so proud of my little guy! He is growing up so fast, and is such a sweet boy. I love him so much!



I watched my friend's girl's the other day for her, and took some pictures of them playing. They had a nice tea party for a while with Avery's musical teaset, and then all plopped on the couch to watch a movie. I think they were watching The Polar Express. Even Avery joined the couch potato club!









I will try to remember to take pictures tonight of Tony's birthday dinner. Logan wants to go to the "man balloon store" to get balloons for his "directions" so hopefully we can surprise daddy when he comes home from work!

Miss me?

Yeah, I know.I have heard. But really, I have not had anything worth blogging about over the past 10 days. I eve sat down to write one night and nothing. I had blogger's block I guess.

So, on to the excitement.

I hosted book group tonight. I made yummy Snickerdoodle muffins, and a Mediterranean style 7 layer dip. It was hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, green onion and feta cheese. I served it with normal tortilla chips, although pita chips, or even plain pitas would have been good too. It was actually tasty...and pretty healthy.

It snowed last night and it is COLD here today! I think currently it is 12 degrees. Brrrr! Avery kept crawling out of her pants today, and she wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get her sweater on, so there was a time when she was crawling around in only her onesie and socks. I went to pick her up after a while and her lips were blue! She was sooo cold! Poor thing!She didn't act too upset by it. She was just happily playing away! I promptly got her clothes on and went to put her down for her nap all wrapped nice and cozy in her warm blanket. She must have felt really cozy because she napped for 3 hours!

So, last night Logan was playing with this little cloth book that hangs from a bar over the bouncy seat. It crinkles when you touch it. Anyway, he was walking around telling us that it was his fight book. We had him explain, since we weren't sure what a fight book was. Well, apparently it is a magic book that makes kids who are fighting be nice.Don't ask me where he got that idea from! So I told him that maybe we could also use it for a whining book. Whenever Logan is whining,I will open the book, and "poof!" he is happy! He thought that was a funny idea, and it actually worked a few times!Kids are so silly!

Since I have mentioned Avery and Logan so far, I might as well include something about our third child. That would be the cat.We got her as a tiny kitten the Fall after we bought our little house in Indiana. We didn't have kids yet then. So, she is 5 years old. She might just be the dumbest cat ever! Her food and water dishes are down in the unfinished basement. Her large bag of cat food is on the floor right next to her food dishes. The bag of cat food is wide open. As of lately, the bag is almost empty, so it has been laying on its side. The bag is big enough that the cat could crawl into it if she wanted to. I think this cat would starve to death before helping herself to her own bag of food.Seriously! Do I really have to single-handedly feed every living thing in this house? Could not the cat actually take care of itself when necessary? Ok, I know I still have to get her water, but if she was that hungry, she could really very easily just help herself. The cats I had growing up would eat holes in the cat food bag to get to it.Weird, weird animal. She has a lot of other quirks about her too, but I will just complain about the one for now. The funny thing is that she really likes to crawl inside plastic shopping bags. She seeks them out if they are on the floor to crawl inside of. She won't crawl in a perfectly good bag of cat food however. Just an empty plastic Wal-Mart bag. Where's the fun in that?

On an end note, back to my sweet baby girl. She pulled herself up to standing on a little rocking chair today! She was soooo excited! She might just go straight from the army crawl to walking and skip the whole normal baby crawl completely.She's a cutie!

Alright. We'll see if I can think of anything more interesting for next time. I really should find some pictures to post too. That's always fun!

Favorite Things Part 1- Lip balm/gloss

I don't think I have ever made a list of all the things I love. I know in my head, but I often forget about things, so I think I want to have a nice list where they are all in one place. So, here goes.

Today's focus is Lipgloss,chapstick, lipbalm, lipstick, etc.-- I am addicted to anything you put on your lips...for hydration, moisturization, shininess, color, smell and taste. I have about a million different lip products, but never seem to find them when I need them. I feel like I am a pretty good judge of a good lip product. It can't be sticky. It also has to last a while. It can't make your lips feel worse afterwards than they did before you put it on in the first place. It has to smell and taste good too.

Some of my favorites are:

1.Origins Liquid Lip Color



What you see is super-high shine and incredible color. But what you get is a whole lot more. Rich Rice Bran Oil pampers. Aloe and Vitamin E soothe and smooth. And icy-cool Mint leaves your lips with a refreshing zing. Choose from a rainbow of gotta-have hues from red hot red and cool coral to pretty pink and glittery gold.* I love the transforming glaze...you can put it on over your lipstick, and it softens the color and leaves a shimmer.It's pretty.

2. Rimmel Sweet Jelly lipgloss



I like this because the color is really sheer, it smells good, and it isn't sticky. It is shiny, and it moisturizes pretty well.This is a great gloss to have if you don't have lipstick with you, and need to touch up. I really like it.

3. Burt's Bee's chapstick



Beeswax Lip Balm
Get naturally soft, healthy lips.
How it Works
This natural lip balm moisturizes lips with ingredients like ultra-emollient lanolin, coconut oil and sunflower oil, and seals in hydration with beeswax. You can use it on healthy lips for a little peppermint tingle. Take your pick of an old-fashioned yellow tin or a recycled plastic tube. No wonder it is our most popular product.

4.Rosebud Salve



This cult-favorite, multi-purpose lip balm soothes dry lips, calms and heals irritation, and soothes the sting of minor burns. Try dabbing on dry elbows or knees to condition, and relieve dryness. Also an excellent remedy for the treatment of diaper rash.

* I originally purchased this at Sephora It has a really nice soothing feeling to it. It smells good, and it is really versatile. I kept it in my diaper bag when Logan was a baby. It was great to use if he had a diaper rash, or if he had any chapped skin on his face. It is gentle and doesn't sting, so it is great for babies. I of course like it for me too. I did find a similar product at Bath & Body Works. It is called C.O. Bigelow's Rose Salve. I have tried them both, and there really isn't much difference at all.



I haven't tried this one yet, but I plan to!

C.O. Bigelow
Mentha Cinnamint Lip Shine



Our Cinnamon and Mint-infused lip balm provides a glossy high shine with a refreshing cooling sensation. Lips stay moist and protected while Cinnamon and Peppermint give breath long-lasting freshness.

5. MAC Viva Glam V Tinted Lipglass



I am listing this one as a favorite color. I love it because I can wear it by itself for a more sheer color, or over lipliner for more intense color. It smells good and lasts a long time. The only thing bad about it is that it is sticky. It isn't such a good thing to wear when it is windy outside...my hair gets stuck in it, yuck!But I still like it.

I also like all the Bonne Bell lipsmackers. I don't know what it is about them...the bright colors, the fun flavors...the fact that they have been around as long as I can remember.Anyway...anyone who knows me and happens to go shopping with me will attest to the fact that i am drawn to all things lipbalm. I can't help it. I love them!

Of course this list is not all...I could go on, but I don't want to search my house right now for all the ones I have. So, share your favorite lipbalms/gloss!

Happy New Year!

Wow. We have been a house full of sickies this holiday season. Here it is January 2 already, and still no sign of better health for us.

I am sure you remember it all started two weeks ago with Logan complaining about his ear. The next morning he woke up with a red, swollen, drippy eye, so to the doctor we went. He has gone through his 10 days of amoxicillin and 7 days for his eye drops, and while I suppose the ear infection and pink eye is gone, he has had a horrible cough since then. He naps everyday now, has had almost no appetite, and always looks and acts soooooo tired.On occasion his eye still gets a little crusty, although it no longer looks all red and sore like pink eye.

Avery, sweet girl, has also had a little bit of the goopy eyes, but they have never gotten full-blown pink looking like Logan's. She also has a runny nose and horrible cough, which has been keeping her (and the rest of us) up all night, and making it difficult for her to sleep during the day.

And, because we believe in sharing in this family, I too have developed many of the same symptoms as my chillins. I got the goopy eye. It comes and goes. I think it is over, and then I wake up again with a pink, goopy eye. I have a sore throat, my head has been congested, and I feel like it is heading to my chest, and have to cough on occasion. I am exhausted and would love to sleep all day and night, which is a no can happen with the sick kids.

Tony spent his whole holiday vacation helping to take care of us and not getting sleep himself in order to help the kids in the night and allow me to get a little more sleep, which was very appreciated, but unfortunately still not quite enough. He had to go back to work today. We miss him terribly already.

It is 12:20 in the afternoon, and Avery has been asleep for 2 1/2 hours so far, Logan just woke up from an almost 2 hour nap, and I also got a small hour long doze in. And it's only noon. I was going to try to take the kids back in to the pediatrician, but my eye is pink and scratchy today, and I can't put my contacts in, so I can't see to drive. Plus I feel horrible as well.

So, that's a little of what's been going on in our house, and how we ended the old year, and started the new. I do have a few "normal" things to post about, but will get to that later. For now, I am off to tend to the sickies in my house!

Happy New Year!