San Diego

We left Blanding on June 20th and drove all day to get to my parents house by that evening.Here are some highlights from our stay in San Diego.



Here is Logan on his jet ski in the pool!



Here is grandpa with Logan and cousin Kellen. They had so much fun together!



We went to the beach one day, and Logan and cousin Brynn had soooo much fun playing in the water. This was both of their first experience playing in the ocean. They had tons of fun!



Tony took Logan swimming every day,and sometimes several times a day while he was there. Logan inherited this fun swimsuit from Kellen. Logan referred to it as his "big tummy superman suit" It has padding in the top half, so it makes him look pretty buff. It's funny, but he loves it. he prefers this one over his shark suit.



Grandma and Avery. How cute! My mom and my sister had a fetish about putting bows on Avery's head every day. While I do like bows, I don't usually put them on her every day, so grandma and Aunt Kristy came to the cute rescue.




I think this picture of grandpa and Avery is so sweet! It makes me so happy.




Cousin Tawni held Avery in the jacuzzi for me so I could take Logan swimming in the big pool. Avery loved the pool! She was happy as can be!



California makes Avery happy! And everyone else too. We had a really nice time visiting grandma and grandpa, and seeing cousins, and playing in the pool!

I am so annoyed

So, I may have mentioned in previous posts that Tony gave me an Mp3 player for my birthday. It came in very handy on our trip. I downloaded some audiobooks to listen to. Anyway, the book I listened to on the trip was Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.So, yesterday, I downloaded New Moon, which is the next book in the series. I was so excited to start listening to it, that I went to bed early. That's not normal for me. Anyway, after listening to it for about an hour and a half, I was very confused at what was going on. I felt like I had missed a huge chunk. Well, after some fiddling around with my player, I realized what the problem was. My audiobook had downloaded to the music section on my player which I happened to have programmed to shuffle. So, my chapters were playing in random order.I think the first 2 or 3 were actually in order, but after that, i was so lost. I just gave up! I am going to have to start over almost. I feel so dumb! Anyway, just thought I would share my really bright moment!

Blanding Highlights

Here are some pictures of the time we spent in Blanding.



Here is cowboy Logan riding "Chip". I am so surprised that he was actually willing to ride! He is sometimes afraid of animals up close. He had a great time. Uncle Dave led him around.





We had our family pictures taken up on the mountain after they had finished branding, so all the men had to clean up the "mountain man" way. Here is Tony shaving in the great outdoors.




We went to the Dinosaur museum in Blanding one day. I don't know who is more ferocious...Logan, or the dinosaur! Poor Logan had so much fun on this trip, that he didn't get much sleep. See the tired eyes?



Grandma Black was so smart one day. She moved the trampoline under the tree in the shade, and put the sprinkler under it. Then all the grandkids put on their swimsuits and jumped. Logan had such a good time. I think he was on the trampoline almost all day every day while in Blanding!





This one is of Aunt Marlene and cousin Tanya reading stories with Avery. It was so cute to see Avery really enjoying the story.She loves her cousins!




Look what Logan found on the sidewalk in front of Grandma and Grandpa Black's house! He was sure not to get too close though!

Hooray for Food!

Yeah! We are having great food success in our house, and I am very excited.

Avery is eating solid food really, really well. She gobbles it up so good, and doesn't even make faces or shudder! Logan shuddered at everything when he started eating solids. He still is a bit particular about his food choices.Well, last week, we managed to convince Logan to eat some rice, and he did it willingly! He hasn't eaten rice since he was like 18 months maybe.And tonight, believe it or not, he actually ate ham! I think I might pass out from shock! he has only eaten chicken and bacon up until now. We told him the ham was bacon ham. He pretty willingly tried it, and decided he liked it so much that he ate more! I am so excited! I have been getting so tired of him not eating the things I make for dinner. I am hoping this means we are well on our way to the child eating dinner like a normal kid.

And back to Avery. She has now eaten applesauce, pears, rice cereal, oatmeal, squash and sweet potatoes. She wasn't as fond of the squash, but she did eat half the jar. She eats full jars of all the rest though. She is a good eater!

Hooray for food!

Pottermania

I finished Harry Potter this morning. What a great series! J.K. Rowling is very clever and creative. And very, very rich too! I just read a comment from another blog about how cool it is that so many people all over the world(and such a wide variety) have all been reading the same book this week-end. That is really cool if you think about it. And the fact that on average (this is from my own view) most books are about 200 pages, and this one was 800! And still it could be read in just a day or two (with lack of sleep and getting very little else done)Truly amazing!

And now a look back to when my Pottermania began. It was the summer of 2000, and I was on tour with the BYU Folk Dance Team in New Zealand and Australia. We were on the bus so much driving from performance site to performance site that we would get really bored. Most people had brought a book or two with them, and then we would just pass the books around to read. I had a Nancy Drew book with me (I know, so grown up!)My friend Melanie happened to have the first Harry Potter. I hadn't had any desire to see what all the fuss was about, but for lack of anything better to do, I decided it couldn't hurt. It looked like a quick read. Well, when I finished that book, i could not wait to find out what happened next, so I bought the second and third books in New Zealand. Needless to say, Pottermania spread really quickly throughout our team. When we got home later that summer, the fourth book came out. Of course we had to go get it right away!What torture it has been to have to wait over the past 7 years for the rest of them! It is finally over though, and it has been a great ride.

Family Picture

 

This is the picture we had taken up on the mountain in Blanding. We had all been up there for the round-up, and all the guys had to semi clean up using the water jugs so they would look presentable for the pictures! I wish my kids had nice faces, but what can you expect from them? It's a good thing you can't see up close, because I bet you might spot dirt hiding in places on Tony and Logan!

5 Things....

I was tagged by my friend Whitney. I know I have yet to blog about my trip, or anything else for that matter, but I felt compelled to do this. Priorities, priorities!

Five things I was doing 10 years ago

1. Folk Dancing lots and lots. I was getting ready to perform at the Pioneer Day Sesquicentennial Celebration at BYU. (I had to keep this one the same as Whitney!)
2. Working at Sea World during the summer when home from school.
3. I had just finished my sophomore year at BYU as an English major. (that didn't last long!)
4. I lived in my cute little blue house on 300 East in Provo.
5. My roommate Sharon and I were hanging out with my cousin Steve and his roommates doing crazy things like going to Nutty Putty cave,the hot pots, and walking on the green pipe in Provo Canyon at midnight.(what was I thinking?????)

My To-Do List today

1. Go to our ward Mommy and Me playgroup at the play area at the mall.
2. Do laundry.
3. Do the dishes and tidy up a bit.
4. Take care of some Enrichment stuff for my church calling.
5. Not much else to be honest!

Snacks I enjoy

1. Edamame lately! I can't stop eating the darn things!
2. Quaker mini cheddar cheese rice cakes
3. cookies of any kind
4. chips and salsa
5. anything and dip (fruit and dip, veggies and dip, chips and dip, etc.)

Songs I know the Lyrics to

1. songs from the Celtic Woman CD (it's in my van currently)
2. Carrie Underwood "Jesus take the wheel"
3. "On my own" from Les Mis
4. Twinkle Twinkle Little star (it's Logan's favorite at the moment)
5. Come thou fount (I love this song!)

Things I would Buy if I was a Millionaire

1. I would take Tony to Spain, and I would love to go back to the British Isles
2. My dream house
3. new furniture for my new house
4. a new wardrobe
5. fun things for my kids

Bad Habits

1. I chew my nails
2. lazy
3. Critical of my body and what I look like
4. Not nearly as clean and tidy as I would like to be
5. Snacking on treats instead of healthy things
* I just kept 2-5 the same as Whitney. It's exactly me to a T, it is scary!

Things I would never wear again

1. peach lipstick
2. overalls
3. scrunchies
4. I can't think of anything else (not implying that my style is perfect or ever was, I just can't think right now)

Things I like to do

1. read
2. sing
3. make cards
4. Chat with friends and family
5. Hug and kiss my children's sweet little cheeks!

Favorite Toys

1. The laptop-my brother says I need computer rehab cause I am online all the time
2. Mp3 player-I am getting hooked on audiobooks! It keeps me on the treadmill!
3. My stamp stuff
4. My Kitchenaid mixer
5. My sewing machine (although I haven't used it much, I still think it is cool)

People I tag:

1. Heather
2. Christy
3. Linnea
4. Lark
5. Maren

Diagnosis please

O.k. I need to throw this out there in blog land for any experienced mother/child care-giver expert person, or anyone else for that matter.

What would you say the reason is for:

1. A 5 1/2 month old baby waking up in the middle of the night when they haven't done that since they were born.

2. The same 5 1/2 month old baby being fussy all the time when they haven't been this way EVER.

3. Again, said baby always wanting to be held, but still crying, fussing, wriggling, and grabbing/pulling my hair?

4. Also not napping as well as normal, or waking up too early only to be coaxed back to sleep?

My original thought was that she is hungry. I am nursing, but she just started on solids, so I am wondering if she is not getting enough when nursing anymore?She doesn't nurse as long as she used to at each feeding, but seems like she wants to eat more often. I don't want to get her started on bad habits that will be hard to break later (like not sleeping well, and wanting to eat in the middle of the night.)

Could it be a growth spurt? At this age when she has already been going every 4 hours between feedings and about 11 hours at night, could she all of a sudden really need to eat so much more often?

I mentioned this to my mom who suggested teething. Hmmm...??? Logan got his first tooth at around 7 1/2 months. Would she really be two months earlier? He was a pretty easy teether though, so I guess I am not sure what to look for if she is having more of a rough time with it.

So...any advice, suggestions, or other assumptions? I would appreciate any comments so i am not forced to give my baby to the neighbors. Along with her 3 year old brother who has also been driving me NUTS with his whining since we returned from our vacation. It has been a week now since we got home. I would have thought he would have been over it by now. Maybe I am just an ignorant mother who has no idea what's in store for her and has only been somewhat lucky and fortunate up until now. Or maybe I just need more patience.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig!

Well, we are back! I don't know how happy I am about that to be honest.While living out of suitcases is a bit tiring, as is the lack of naps and a consistent schedule for the wee ones, it is nice to be free from the stresses of everyday life. I almost felt the weight of things settle back on my shoulders when I walked back in the door last night. How sad when I don't feel relief in my own home.

So, before I post about our adventures, I wanted to post about some interesting vacation observations.

1. Why is it that there are always shoes in the middle of the road? And only one shoe not both? It is something that I notice all the time and it is so bewildering to me. Who throws their shoes out of the car? And why? Or do they fall out when the occupants open the door? But why would they open the door in the middle of the freeway? And there are shoes everywhere in the road! Really...have you noticed? And also, why are there always shoes hanging from telephone wires? Come on people! Stop throwing your shoes everywhere!

2. Hotels are wonderful places. Especially nice ones. I think Logan would prefer to live in a hotel. He likes the swimming pool and the breakfast. Too bad Logan's blue blankie got left behind in Cheyenne. But the nice hotel people will be sending it in the mail. Can we make it until it arrives? It sure made the trip home a tough one with all the whining about " my bwue bwanket!"

3. Three things I wish they had where I live.
1.) IKEA
2.) Trader Joe's
3.) Bajio's Mexican Restaurant (Yummy-o!)

4.) Long car trips really aren't so bad with a mini-van. I have to say I traveled quite comfortably.And the kids were really good (with a few incidents here and there as expected)

5.)Logan can get tired enough to fall asleep while eating dinner, in the jacuzzi, and even while watching fireworks.

6.) There is a huge difference between lightly salted Edamame (yum!) and plain Edamame (yuck!)

7.) Did you know there are such things as deep fried avocados? And...a fried chicken sandwich with Krispy Kreme donuts for the bun. We went to the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, and those were some of the lovely food items available. My mom and I did try the fried avocados (pretty tasty dipped in ranch) but NOT the Krispy kreme chicken sandwich.

8.) Relaxing music can make a huge difference in a whiny child (or adult for that matter). We listened to this CD in the car when Logan was having a fit, and it calmed home down pretty quick. It was amazing. He said "This pretty music makes me happy like this!" And then he proceeded to sing "do do, do do" and move his head back and forth. Happy guy.Happy parents.

9.) Apparently, and I won't correct the sweet boy, but I look like Anne Hathaway to Logan. We were watching "The Devil Wears Prada" in the hotel, and Logan looked up from jumping on the bed to say "That's you! That's you mommy!" What a precious, darling boy.

10.) I tend to have more energy on vacation. Now that I am home I am exhausted!

I will post about our trip later once I get the pictures off the camera!

Vacation fun!

I am not able to post any photos yet, but wanted to take a second to write about our vacation so far. We have been having a great time!

The drive was not so bad. Logan was really good. Avery and I both came down with a cold,so she was more fussy than usual for her sweet self. It was sad.I was also deaf in my left ear from Denver all the way to Blanding. So annoying. As soon as we got to Tony's parents house, Tony unloaded the van, and then took Logan up on the mountain to camp with his family. I stayed at the house with Avery, along with Tony's sister Jody and her little girl Macy. We drove up the next morning.Logan had a blast! He had so much fun playing with all his cousins, and getting oh so very dirty. I almost didn't recognize the kid! He got to ride a horse, and he even rode on the four wheeler with Tony to help herd the cows into the corral when it came time to brand. He was quite the cowboy.

After the round-up, we hung out at Tony's parents house, and Logan spent almost all day long jumping on the trampoline. He also ran through the sprinklers and had a great time...as long as Uncle Andy's dog Ruby was nowhere to be seen.

We left Blanding on Wednesday and drove all day to San Diego. The kids were both really good for the long drive, and I was very proud of them.

My sister Kristy and her family have been in California as well. Logan got to play with half of his cousins here as well.We went to the beach, and Logan played in the water and found some shells. We also went to the beach at night with my family for a cook-out. Tony took Logan swimming almost every day, and Tony got a very nice sunburn as a souvenir of his trip. We had a chance to go to the temple as well, which was very nice, and long overdue! Tony flew back home Sunday, and we will be without him until next Tuesday when he will meet us to help drive home.For now we are just relaxing and hanging out at Grandma's house and having a fun time.

I will post more later along with pictures!

Happy Anniversary to us!

I thought I would update a bit before I leave on our great cross-country adventure.Tomorrow is my last full day to get ready for our trip. We plan to leave in the afternoon on Wednesday.I still have several errands to run, some laundry to do, and finish packing. Craziness.

So, yesterday I sang in church. It was a last minute thing, but it was an easy arrangement of my favorite song, so it wasn't hard to prepare for. I was just a bit nervous since it was my first musical debut in our new ward (besides choir). O.k., there were actually 3 of us, but still. We sang Sally DeFord's arrangement of "Come Thou Fount". Did I mention how much I love this song? It was especially beautiful because we had a violin and an oboe as well. So pretty. It gave me chills. I would have loved just listening to them. Anyway, I think it went pretty well.Glad it's over.

So, this morning we had an appointment to take our van to get serviced. Tony was supposed to meet me at the car place after his dr. appointment. I ran around like crazy trying to get me ready, and gather up some supplies to prepare for the card class I am going to teach while at my mom's house. They told us it would be about 2 hours, so I figured I would wait, so I wanted something to do. Well, Logan didn't wake up until after 8, and so I hurried and got him dressed, and made him toast to eat in the car. I loaded him and all my stuff, then woke up Avery to put her in the car. I finally got us all loaded by around 8:40, only to discover that the battery was dead. Arggghhh! So, I unloaded everyone, and Logan was crying beause he wanted to go, and I was mad because I had woken up Avery and I knew she wouldn't go back to sleep. I had to call the car place and tell them i was coming later, and then I had to call the doctor's office to tell Tony that I needed him to come home to jump the van. Anyway, it all worked out in the end. It was my fault that the battery was dead however, so I can't blame that on anyone but myself.

Last night I was trying to figure out stuff on my new mp3 player. I discovered that the Kansas libraries have free downloads of audio books and cd's. You have to "check" them out, so if they are already "checked" out, you have to place a hold just like you would if it was an actual book. Of course the books I wanted were all checked out. Anwyay...I was trying to download some audio books to listen to on our trip. Well, then I told Tony that I needed a cable to plug the mp3 player into the van. He told me he had one so I was really excited to try it out. Tony, Logan and I all went out and sat in the van and listened to music from my mp3 player in the van.I happened to turn on the reading lights for Tony to read the manual for the stereo system. He and Logan went in after a while, but I stayed and listened for a while. Silly, I know. Well, I forgot to turn off the reading lights, hence the dead battery this morning.Duh!

And another note. Today is our 8th wedding anniversary. We didn't do a single thing to celebrate other than say "Happy anniversary". Sad, I know. We are planning on going out to dinner when in San Diego so my parents can baby-sit. That will be really nice. There was just too much to think about with getting ready for our trip, that we didn't even try to squeeze in our anniversary. All I have to say is that by year 10, we better be able to celebrate in style. I will give us one more year of blah anniversaries, but by #10, it better be good. Like a trip somewhere, or maybe even a wedding band to go with my ring. I didn't want one at first, but now I think I do. I want lots of sparkle.Ok. 2 more years. I can wait.

Doctor visits

Today both kids had a doctor appointment. Avery went for her 4 month, and Logan went for his 3 year. Both kids had shots. Logan was sooooo brave! He didn't even cry! I was very proud of him. So here are the stats:

Logan weighed 31 pounds and is 37 inches long. 50% for height, and 80% for weight.
Avery weighed 13 lbs. 10 oz. which is 60% for weight, 26 inches long which was 97% for length, and her head is in the 95%. When Logan was 4 months old he weighed 16 lbs.6 oz, and was 27 inches long.Anyway...it is fun to see how they have grown, and to compare them as well.

We leave on our trip next Wednesday, so I have a lot of planning and preparing to do before then! Yikes! Can I get it all done in time? I need to get my haircut, go shopping for some clothes for me, and new shoes for Logan, and get the van serviced.And then figure out how to pack everything.Such fun! I have lots of movies for Logan to watch, but I need to figure out good snacks for the road. I am all for suggestions of any good trips for cross country drives!We will take a cooler, and hopefully stuff for sandwiches, etc. so we don't have to eat out too much. Anyway...it will be an adventure!

FREE PIANO!!!!

Yeah! I am so excited! My fetish with Craigslist has paid off. I got us another free piano. You can't beat that. We had a free piano in Indiana, but gave it to some friends when we moved. I have been wanting to find another one for our new house, but we just didn't have it in the budget right now. I have found some pianos for sale for a few hundred dollars that I thought we could do a bit down the road, but Sunday night I saw this one for free! It is in decent shape, and for free I couldn't complain! It turned out just right because Tony's cousin happened to come into town last night and had a truck. So we just needed one more guy from the ward to help, and we moved in our new piano! My dear husband has had quite a bit of experience moving pianos, and our neighbor had a dolly and some ramp thingy's to wheel it off the truck onto our door step, so it was a breeze! Ha! I say that as I watched three men turning red and dripping sweat. It will need a tuning eventually, but it sounds much better than our last one! It looks a bit better too. I figure with Logan playing it, it doesn't have to be in the best of shape. We can always pass it on and buy a nicer one some day if we want.

Catch-up !

Avery Noelle , age 3 months

Logan Frost, age 3 years

Logan and Avery, May 2007

So May was a big month for us. I turned 30 on May 4th, Avery turned 3 months on May 2nd, and Logan turned 3 years on May 20. I finally took the kids to get their pictures taken a few weeks ago. It's so much fun to see my cute kids together in a picture! I love it! I have their pictures hanging on the wall above the fireplace, and after they are in bed at night, I sit on the couch and look at their pictures and they make me happy. They are such sweet little people! I love them so much.

Here is the tricycle Logan got for his birthday. His daddy wanted to get him a good tricycle, and not a plastic one. I happened to find this all-terrain tricycle on Craigslist. It was a really good deal, so we got it. It is a bit too big for Logan still, but he will grow into it and be able to ride it for a long time. The bummer is that he can't ride it by himself. He needs help because when he tries to steer, then he can't reach the pedals. He was very excited about it though, and he loves it.

We are also planning our vacation for the summer. It will be fun, but we will be doing a LOT of driving! We are leaving June 13th and driving from here to Blanding. We will be there for about 4 or 5 days. We will be there for the round-up, so Tony and Logan get to be cowboys. Tony's whole family will be there, so we will get to see everyone and Logan can play with all his cousins. He will have a blast! Plus everyone will get to meet Avery. Only Tony's parents have seen her so far. After we leave Blanding, we are driving to El Cajon (San Diego) to be with my family. My sister and her family will also be visiting from Idaho, so it will be my parents,brother, sister and I all together. That will be 4 cousins for Logan to play with. We are thinking of trying to go to Disneyland with the whole family. Tony will also get to go to a Padre game. Tony will fly back to KC on Saturday or Sunday the 23 or 24th. I will stay with my family until the end of June. My brother that lives in California is planning on moving to Cedar City the first of July, so I will drive up when he goes. My parents will probably drive with us so I will have help. After Cedar, I will have to drive to SLC by myself with the kids. I am hoping I can handle 4 hours alone! I will visit my best friend Heidi who lives in Woods Cross. She will have a brand new baby, so I will get to see him! Tony will fly into SLC on July 3rd, and then we will drive up to Idaho Falls to see my other brother, my sister again, my grandma, and my grandpa. We will be in Idaho for the 4th of July, and then we will make the long drive home that week-end to get home by the 8th. And after that I won't want to drive anywhere again for a LONG time! So that is the plan! Sounds crazy, I know, but at least I will get to see everyone in both families. I mapquested it and it will be over 4,000 miles of driving!

So, hopefully I am caught up now. We did have some computer issues as well, so it was hard for me to get online as frequently as I do. We are all fixed now, so I am back!

I have been tagged

My friend Vicki tagged me to do a meme listing 7 random things about myself. It is always hard for me to think of things to say in these types of things but I will give it a shot.

1. When I was little I wanted to be a scientist. I hate math! That career will definitely NOT work!

2. I was a Barbie addict. I think I played Barbies until I was 13 or something like that. I even would hide in my closet to play with them in the middle of the night when I had friends sleep over, or even with my sister to play with them so my parents wouldn't hear us.

3. I have a minor in Folk Dance.

4. I got a $500 tip once when I worked at Sea World. It was from a tour I helped give to Saudi Arabian royalty.

5. When I was in elementary school, my fifth grade teacher told me I should be a diver. We had year round school and would go to the pool at the HS down the road sometimes. Considering that I don't tan and was (and still am) very self-conscious in a swimsuit, I steered clear of something that would require wearing a bathing suit all the time.

6. I love jelly-belly jelly beans.

7. I hate mopping the floors.

Ok. That was hard. I hope those things were random enough. If anyone knows anything random about me that they can think of, I would love to know! Leave me a comment!

But now I have to tag 7 people, and this is also hard. I will tag you, but won't feel bad if you don't play.

Heather, Amiee, Whitney, Andrea, Kenzi, Lark, and Kris.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day! Not only do I get to be grateful for my mother, but I get to be grateful for being a mother! I love my two sweet children! I am so proud of them, and how precious they are. I feel so lucky to have such beautiful, wonderful kids. It is so much fun to see who they are! I mentioned to Tony today that I loved seeing what my children are like after always wondering my whole life what they would be like. I told him I was so glad they were cute, and asked him if he was glad to finally see what his kids were like. Apparently boys don't wonder about that kind of thing. He said he didn't ever wonder what his kids would be like. How could you not? I don't think that's a "girly" thing to think about at all? Do you? Anyway...whatever. It just thrills me to pieces to see my very own, very cute children in real life. I love them so much!

Tony made me breakfast this morning. I don't think the kids really helped, but it's their presence that matters! We had bacon, eggs, and blueberry pancakes. Yummy! You have to snatch your bacon rather fast however or Logan might eat it all. He could eat the whole package of bacon if we let him I bet. He loves it. I guess that is a good thing, considering the only other meat he will eat is chicken...as in chicken nuggets. Not that either method of preparing the meat is healthy, but it's protein, right?

I also got to sleep in a bit after breakfast, so that was nice. Nice if you can sleep listening to Logan pounding on the bedroom door yelling" Mommy, let me in! Let me in Mommy!" No, I didn't lock the door. Our bedroom door tends to stick a bit, so it can be a little hard to open...especially if you are only 3. Oh well. I just layed there trying to sleep and thinking I was lucky that my son loved me so much.

After church, we went over to our friends house for dinner. It was really nice to not have to make dinner, and to get a chance to visit as well. Logan didn't get a nap again today, so once we got home, Igot him ready for bed and he was asleep before 7:30. That was soooo nice! It was a nice Mother's Day.
Yesterday we went to a children's farm that's near our house. Logan had a great time milking the cow. He said he was a cowboy. He kept going "whoosh, whoosh" as he was milking. Funny kid. He must really be his daddy's son, and his grandpa's grandson. He has the cow milking gene. Tony' has milked cows, and my dad milked cows. My mom's parents had milk cows for a long time too. What a funny kid. We almost couldn't get him away from the fake cow! He was so excited to milk the cow!

Logan has a little "girl" friend named Sarah. He always talks about Sarah, and how she is his friend. Well, Sarah's mom told me that Sarah had already decided she was going to marry another little boy from church. Well, today she told me that Sarah told her she wasn't going to marry Jacob anymore. She was going to marry Logan. Go Logan! I guess we better refine his potty skills before then!

Birthday RAK's

I am just now getting around to posting these fun Birthday RAK's I received! Sorry it has taken so long! I loved getting them, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness of the senders! Feel free to visit their blogs by clicking on their names!

This one is from Simone from the SCS Blogger RAK group. Thank you Simone!

This one is from Nancy also from the SCS Blogger RAK group. I love the colors on this one!

This one is from Angie. SCS name Renski. She is just on the SCS RAK group, not the blogger group.

Fun Stuff

So, I have been addicted to the internet lately. I have a fascination with coming across really great websites that are full of ideas and neat things. Since I have embarked on the journey of motherhood, stay at home mom, homemaker, Enrichment leader (for church), and Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I have found myself looking for helpful tips, ideas, and suggestions for how to be the best I can be in all those areas, and maybe even to find new areas to grow in. I have mentioned a few sites before, but i will compile all the fun new places I like to visit here in this post.

(These are not numbered in any particular order)

1. www.menus4moms.com This is my new way of meal planning for my family. It is really quick and easy as far as printing up the grocery list, checking what I already have, and then going to the store. I then know that I have everything I need to make 5 dinner meals for the upcoming week. I cn usually make it stretch becuase we often have leftovers, so I can get through a whole 7 day week for sure. It has helped me save money on groceries, and we have been trying new things, so it has been great.

2. www.splitcoaststampers.com As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, this website has been a wonderful resource! I get all sort of ideas and help for my business, or for anything else I might need some creative inspiration for. Love it! But beware...if you enjoy this kind of thing, you will get sucked into it and might possibly spend hours perusing the galleries and forums. Just a warning!

3. http://deseretbook.com/mormon-life/curric/archive?area_id=7 This is awesome if you are in a bind about what to do for Family Home Evening. I have seen FHE packets and kits to buy, but this is free to download, and very cute. It is perfect for young children too. You could make your own FHE booklet with these, and color the pages, or whatever. Such a great resource! I had to share!

4. http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ I recently came across this site. I haven't ordered anything from it yet, but it looks promising, so I decided to add it to my favorites for future reference. I am sure it will come in handy.

5.http://www.fontifier.com/ Now this is really cool. I haven't done this yet either, but it is on my list. Just think how cool it would be to have a font of your very own handwriting! You could even do this for your kids at different ages to document their writing. I am visioning handwritten cards and letters minus the crampy hand! How nice!

6. http://www.flavorshare.com/ This website was created and shared with me by some friends we met in Indiana. It is so much fun! I had to share. I love recipes!

7.http://www.jennysmith.net/search-lds-activities.php?ActivityID=43 This site is very helpful for any chuch calling. I never come up with my own ideas, so i always need to get them from someone else.

That's all I can think of right now. If you have any really fun, cool, useful websites to share with me, please do! I am always tying to find new things to visit!

My Roly Poly

My baby is already reaching her milestones! She rolled over tonight! She has been working on it for a week now. She started rolling onto her side last Thursday, and tonight she made it all the way over onto her tummy! I am so excited! She has managed to be able to spin herself in a circle, and it has been fun to watch her working so hard to accomplish these things. I totally didn't have my camera, or else I would have a picture to post. I will have it out tomorrow so I can document her achievement for sure! I love these proud mommy moments!

On to the other child. I thought Logan was napping this afternoon when I heard some noises upstairs. I went up to see what it was and found Logan trying to climb up on the potty by himself. Now I would have been really proud of him if he wasn't using it as an excuse to get out of bed. But at least I know he is perfectly capable of going potty on his own, and I was proud of him. I can't believe how big he is getting! He will be 3 in just over a week!

Well, we have all been a bunch of sickies around here this week, so we are trying to get better. I hate being sick! And it is even worse when your family is sick too. I hope it doesn't last long!

Pouring Rain and Birthday Fun

These are just some pictures of our backyard being flooded! It has been storming pretty good since late last night, and now our backyard is one big puddle. There is a creek that runs behind our house, and a drainage ditch as well that runs into the creek. Before church today I was in Avery's room getting her dressed and happened to look out the window. I saw the big pools of water in the trees and at first just thought it was a puddle. The closer I looked, and the more I looked I realized how high the water in the dithc and creek were, and that it was overflowing the banks in some places. This is way cool. Kind of exciting! Our house isn't that close, so I am not too worried about our house flooding, but if you noticed, there is a picture of the pipe from the sump pump draining. Our sump pump has been spouting out tons of water every few minutes it seems. I am glad it is working! If it quit working on us, we would be in big trouble! Anyway...before dinner I put on my flip flops and waded my way through the muck to take these pictures. It was fun. It was really pretty in a crazy, wet kind of way.

Here is the beautiful birthday cake my visiting teacher brought me. I was going to take it to my mommy/daughter night at my friends house to share, but I caught Logan taking one of the candles out, licking it, then putting it back on the cake, so I decided I better not share such a thing with non-family members. I am not sure how many of the other candles he had done the same thing too when I wasn't watching!

I had a really fun time at our girl's night. There were 6 of us "big" girls, and about 10 little kids. We had some yummy food, and nice conversation. The first girl left at 9 because she had to go pick up her husband from the airport. The next few girls left around 10:30. There were 3 of us left at this point and we had a good discussion until about 12:30 when one of the girls left. I ended up staying and talking to Hillary (whose house it was at) until 2:30! Avery was sound asleep in the swing, and Hillary had to feed her baby at about 2 a.m. anyway (plus her little girl woke up a few times after 12 anyway, so she was up. There is nothing as therapeutic as some really good girl talk. I think we both really needed that, even though we haven't quite recovered from our late night! It was fun.

So that was my birthday week-end. I had a nice birthday, and now I need to try to act like the 30 year old that I am! I guess it is time to grow up. I will start tomorrow.(Well, we will sure try anyway!)

Trip to Archivers!

So I made my first visit to Archivers today. My friend Cherisse works there so I told her I would come visit her while she was working. It was also a nice get-away for a few hours.

I came home with some lovely treasures. The item I went there for specifically was primas. I am finally discovering the need for these sweet little flowers. I got the bottle of mixed colors, because I couldn't narrow it down! I saw so many cute things! I also got some cute pink and green chipboard letters that I thought I would use to make an altered lunch tin for Avery's room with her name on it. I then got myself another color of Stickles. I now have diamonds and lime green. I also had heard about the Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust pens, so I had to get a pack of those. I also got this really cool glue pen. It is so cool! It is a fine tip just like a ball point pen, so you can write very fine and use it with glitter, or whatever. Really cool.

The best find of the day was this. Two things I love combined in one magazine! Are you kidding me? It is totally awesome! Now I can look at recipes AND paper crafts, all at the same time. Someone was very clever when they thought of this. Seriously awesome.

Well, that' all for now.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!

I was going to wait until later to post so I could have some pictures to include, but a good friend was waiting for me to post so she could comment. SO here I am! Pictures will have to wait until later!

I am officially no longer in my 20's today. Yikes. Not sure how I feel about that. We all went out to breakfast this morning to Cracker Barrell. Yum! I love going out for breakfast! After that, I took Logan and Avery to the park for our Mommy and Me play group. Tony and Logan gave me an Mp3 player (yippee!) so after lunch and the kids were down for naps I prceeded to try and figure it out. My eyes got too droopy, so I took a little nap! Before that however, my VT'er came by and brought me a cake! How nice! I can't remember how long it has been since I have had a real birthday cake. I was so excited!

Tonight is the father/sons campout, and Tony is taking Logan, so I am taking Avery over to a friends house for a mommy/daughter night. It should be lots of fun! When is it not fun to get together with friends, eat, and socialize? I am almost always up for that!

Logan is eyeing my cake, so I better go share with him! I will post pictures later! Happy birthday to me!

Motherhood

This post is a bit more serious than most. Just to let you know what you are in for before proceeding.

I read the other day in my Woman's Day magazine an article titled Motherhood in 2007. This got me thinking a lot about being a mother, and the views of society about the role of women...especially mothers, and even more about stay at home moms. I have had this on my mind a lot over the past 3 years, and I know I have friends who have also been struggling to find their worth as a stay at home mom. I know many mothers lose their identity and sense of self when they embark down the road of wife and mother. There are a lot of roles to fill, and it is easy to lose track of who you were before becoming a wife and mother.When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, the only easy answer for me was to be a mom. I never had any passion, or interest or desire to have a profession or career. In college I changed my major 5 times before settling on a course of study that would help me in that path. I worked full-time before having children and pretty much hated it. It was a way to bring home a pay-check, but I never had a sense of satisfaction with what I was doing. I knew that working full-time in the "corporate" world was not for me. It wasn't who I was.The reality of what being a stay at home mom entailed of course hit shortly after I quit work to stay home with my son. While I was relieved to be out of the brown-nosing politics of retail management, I soon fell into the monotony of my days as a mom, and began to miss the intellectual and social stimulation I got when I was working. I had to find other avenues to make myself feel valued and important. I know that being a mother is the most important job there is, and that you are the most important person to your children, but it is hard to see that sometimes. I have spent every day since then trying to find a way to balance myself and create a new definition of who I am, and feeling pleased and happy with that definition.

I have discovered stamping, card making, scrapbooking ( a little bit) and paper crafts as a way to feel a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator when my son was 9 months old as a way to have a new hobby and creative outlet. I have also enjoyed making new recipes, and recently began trying to learn to sew. There are so many rewards to being a mother and having the sweet little spirits in my home, that I wouldn't trade it for the world! After they are in bed at night, I find myself thinking about them, and their cute smiles, funny things they said or did, and just remembering their hugs and kisses. Even on days when I feel like I am not happy with who I am, and I just want to quit. I could never actually quit. I love them too much! It has just been hard for me to embrace motherhood whole heartedly while maintaining my old self. I still have to redefine myself and find comfort and peace with that new definition. It is an ongoing search, but I hope that one day I will find it and be happy with it. The search is on....

Popcorn Head

This is what happens when I am busy on the phone and the computer and not paying attention to Logan. Yum. What a silly kid! I look over at him and there he is with two bowls on his head and the popcorn all over the floor. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother vacuuming? I guess when the floor looks nice and clean, it is too tempting to mess it up again? Anyway. I had to laugh and hurried and grabbed my camera. I really wonder what was going on inside his head when he thought to stack the bowls on top of his head. He was just in his own little popcorn world. Oh to be 3! Or almost 3!

Piston Cups

We have been working on potty training the last few days a bit more seriously. Logan is wearing pull-ups, and I have been setting the timer for every 30 minutes. If he goes potty without having gotten "Lightning McQueen" wet, he gets a piece of candy. He has been really really good about going each time, and not throwing a fit about it. When the timer goes off, I tell him it's time to go potty, and we go. I have to pull his pants down for him because for some reason he becomes Mr. Can't Do It Himself when we get in the bathroom. Anyway...tonight at the dinner table I said something about going potty (I know...nice dinner conversation) and he got really excited all of a sudden. He climbed down from his chair and went to the bathroom, shut the door and locked it, and told me to go away. I stood outside the door to listen. I heard him working on taking his pants and pull-up off, and then the next thing I heard was him going potty, then the toilet flushed and out he came! I was so proud of him, I was laughing and cheering and clapping and so was Tony. It made him so excited that he started jumping up and down and then proceeded to start running laps around the house (all this with no pants on since he hasn't learned how to put them back on). One big success on the long journey ahead, but so far I am proud of my little buddy. I can't believe how big he is getting. It's so fun to see the person he is becoming. Now if anyone has any tips or tricks for getting him to go #2 in the potty, send them my way!

A funny thing.... The pull-ups have Lightning McQueen on them. There are little piston cups that disappear when they get wet. At first I was calling them trophy's, and telling Logan not to get the trophy's wet. Then I remembered they were called Piston Cups, so I said "Don't go pee pee on the piston cups" and for some reason had to laugh. I wonder if the people who designed these pull-ups were thinking they were so funny making the piston cups the things that indicate if they had been pee'd on. Since I mentioned them, now Logan is always asking about the piston cups. It is funny.

So, I learned another piece of the missing cozy coupe puzzle. I talked to my neighbor and she said that she saw it in the next cul-de-sac over. When she realized it was the same car, she loaded it up in her car and brought it back for Logan. So that's how it returned, but still no clue how it got to the next street.

Now I have to throw in a blurb about Avery. It looks like she is trying to roll over. I just sat by her on the floor and watched her trying to roll over so she could see herself better in the mirror on her playmat. DoI have a little narcissist in my future? She has also become very fascinated to her hands. She will just lay there and stare at her hand, and move her fingers, and turn it around and around. It is so cute to watch her. She is 12 weeks old today! How the time flies!

Things I Love

This might be an ongoing post, because I am sure I will be continually thinking of things to add.

Today was a rainy day. Lately I have been paranoid and frightened of stormy days because of the possibility of tornados. Today I actually enjoyed it. I used to love thunder storms and rainy days, so it was nice to feel that sense of enjoyment today. I did have some friends and their kids over today, so perhaps I enjoyed it more because of the company and the socialization. After having a house full of kids (8 of them) and friends for about 5 hours, the three of us had some peace and quiet. It was 3 p.m. by this point and I didn't want to bother with putting Logan down for a nap, so I just let him sit on the couch to watch tv. After I fed Avery, I layed her down on her playmat on the floor and I was doing some other things. I had given Logan a blanket, and a little while later, I looked over and he was sound asleep. Avery was just content on the floor, and pretty soon, I noticed she had fallen asleep. So, I sat here in my living room watching my two kids sleeping peacefully while the rain was falling outside. For some reason it was the most wonderful moment, and I wished I could have bottled it up! My heart was so full of joy and love and gratitude. It made me feel very content and happy. I love my children so much! They are so sweet.

After Tony got home, I went to get the mail. My mailbox is halfway up the street, so it isn't just a quick trip to the curb to the mailbox. It was raining lightly at this point, and I just felt such happiness and peace breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the raindrops as I walked. If I would have been dressed a bit better, I might have kept walking, it was so pleasant. When I got back to my driveway, I had a sudden urge to go splashing in the puddles. Of course, I felt a bit silly, seeing that I will be 30 in a week, so I just slipped my flipflop off and stuck my foot in the water. It was cold, but it felt good. It made me happy.

I was watching American Idol tonight, and listening to all the performances and realizing (I really already knew this) that music makes me happy. I love it! I listened to Carrie Underwood sing "I'll Stand By You", and Josh Groban sing "You Raise me Up" and I felt so happy! I love how music makes me feel. I can always change my mood by listening to music. If I could, I would have music playing all the time at full blast, and sing along at the top of my lungs, because that makes me happy. I don't know if it would make anyone else happy though, so I will have to refrain from that. But I really love music.

I also love dance. I love dancing myself, and I love to watch people dancing. I love watching "Dancing with the Stars" for a few different reasons. I love watching the professional dancers and how good they are. I know how much hard work goes into perfecting something like that, so I appreciate what they do. It makes me miss dancing soooo much. I loved performing, and rehearsing. I loved just dancing for the stress relief it was for me. It was such an escape, and I believe that helped me to deal with stress so well in High School and college. It was my outlet and my escape. Not to mention that it kept me in shape! And it was how I met my husband, so of course it is meaningful to me! I also love watching the people who are on the show who have never danced before and have to dedicate themselves to learning something so foreign to them. It is awesome to see them grow to appreciate it, and to become good at something they had never done before. It just reaffirms that anyone can accomplish something if they put their mind to it, and work at it. I know there are people out there who believe that they aren't "dancers" or they aren't this, or that, but you can do anything you put your mind to and work at. You just have to give it a try, and believe in yourself. You may not become perfect, but anyone can develop skills and talents. You will never know if you can or can't do something if you don't try. Plus I love watching people grow to love dance, like I do. I really wish I could find an adult dance class to take. That has been my lifelong passion, and I don't feel 100% like myself because I don't do it anymore. It has been 6 years since I have taken a dance class, or performed. I had been dancing since I was 3,basically non-stop and it has been hard to re-define myself without that in my "description".

That's all for tonight. I love sleep, and don't get enough of it, so I better go attempt to get some! Feel free to comment on some things that you love. Or better yet...start your own blog post about the things you love.

The Case of the Disappearing Car

We happen to live in a cul-de-sac with several other children who range in ages from almost 3 months to 6 years. Out of 10 kids, all are boys except 3. Avery( 11 weeks today), Reece (10 months?) and Gracie (6 yrs.) are the only girls, and obviously the two babies don't play outside. Well, we didn't have any outside toys for Logan and the neighbors felt bad for him, so our one neighbor gave him the Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. You know the one...they are in abundance everywhere. The little red/orange and yellow car that you drive with your feet like the Flintstones. (see above picture) It was her niece's who had outgrown it and they were wanting to get rid of it anyway. It was very nice of her, and Logan loves it. We kept it in the basement for Logan to ride during the winter, and now he gets to play outside.

The other night (Monday to be exact) we left the car outside on the front lawn. When I was heading up to bed around 11 p.m. or so, I walked past the front window and happened to look outside and see the car on the lawn. I wondered if I should go put it in the garage, but in the end decided it would be ok. The neighbor kids leave toys out all the time, and we live in a pretty nice neighborhood. Well, the next morning when I came downstairs, I looked out and noticed the car was gone. I just assumed Tony had put the car in the garage when he left for work. This was probably around 7 or 7:30 a.m. Well, later on in the day I realized that the car wasn't in the garage after all. Tony said he didn't notice it that morning when he left for work. I was thinking that one of the neighbors probably saw it and put it in their garage for the night. The kids toys are always getting passed around from house to house. Wednesday night I had a meeting, so when i left with the baby, Tony was outside playing with Logan, so I told him to ask the neighbors if they happened to get the car. They didn't have it. They were really surprised to hear that it got stolen, since their kids leave toys out all the time. Anyway...it was a mystery. The neighbor lady who had given it to us in the first place said she would get Logan another one. Her mom had like 4 of them for her grandkids who were all too big. She is a very nice neighbor.

This morning I was pulling out of the garage and I saw the little car on our doorstep. I thought that the neighbor had brought over the new one for Logan, so I went to go put it in the garage before I left. Lo and behold...it was the same car! The one we had originally! Where on earth did it go? How did it come back? It's a mystery! The reason I know it is the same one, is because it says Summer on the back. That was the previous owners name I guess. I am very confused. My neighbor wasn't home today for me to ask her about it, so I can't wait to see what she says. Anyway...I am glad Logan has his car back. He was walking around the garage the other day going "Car...where are you?" And he told me all sad like "I"m so sorry. I drived that car everyday." That just broke my heart! What a sweet little guy.

When we were able to go play tonight, he drove his car down the driveway and when he went over the bump at the bottom, he yelled "ka-chow!" I think he is happy to have his car back.

P.S. No matter what I do, I cannot get this post to have a space between the paragraphs, or even indent. Sorry!

Friends

I have been thinking a lot lately about friends. Since I have recently moved, I have had to get acquainted with new people, and try to establish good relationships. I haven't felt like it has been too difficult. The girls in my ward at church have all been really friendly and nice. I have felt welcome, which is nice. There is always the period of adjustment, where you get a bit more settled and comfortable and then you can really get a feel for who everyone is, and what they are like. I like to observe people, and after a while I feel like I understand their personalities. It is at this point that you tend to decide who you mesh the best with, and then establish your close circle of friends. I am not implying being cliquey (is that how it is spelled?), but I am sure you all know what I mean. There are certain people that everyone feels more of a bond with, more comfortable with,have more in common with, etc. In each new place that I go, I often wonder who will become my close circle of friends.

Maybe I am too much like Anne (Anne of Green Gables) when I think about finding a kindred spirit. I know that I have wonderful friends, and enjoy doing things with them, but have I ever really found a kindred spirit? I want to find a friend who I enjoy being with, talking to, and doing things with. I would love to find a friend who enjoys doing the same things I do, so I have someone to do them with. I can think of friends in the past places I have lived that fit the bill pretty darn close. I miss those friends, but am glad that I can keep in touch with them. There are friends I have had that I have lost touch with, and that makes me sad. Friends are very important to me.

I have a friend I would have to say is my closest friend. We have known each other since we were about 1 year old.We have been through a lot together, and have been around for each other for a lot of momentous occasions. I love her dearly, and am so glad we have stayed friends for this long. I don't know what I would do if we ever lost touch. I can't see it happening ever, and I am glad about that. We can talk to each other about anything and everything,and be completely honest with each other. When we talk, it's almost as if no time has passed since we have talked last. I love that I can be totally myself with her, and know that she won't judge me, or change her opinion of me if I am behaving poorly. We can cry on each other's shoulder and rejoice together in our successes. The bad thing is we don't live near each other! I get to see her maybe once a year if I am lucky. I wish we could be closer. The funny thing is how different we are. Honestly, I don't really know what we have in common besides our memories. She was always the outgoing, bubbly one when we were growing up, and I was the shy, self-conscious one. She would talk to boys for me because I was too scared. I was the dancer, she was the pianist. We both enjoyed singing, and had quite a run of performing together for all kinds of events in High School. She sang soprano, and I sang alto. It's funny that I sing soprano now. She is 5'2" and I am 5'6". She went to Ricks (now known as BYU-Idaho) then the Universtiy of Utah, while I went to Brigham Young University. We actually did both end up getting similar degrees. We dated the same people even on a few occassions. And she ended up marrying one of them!

I am not sure why I am writing about this. I have just been thinking a lot about my friends (most of who don't live near me) and wondering how my friendships will develop in my new area. I wish I could take all my closest friends from over the years, and put them all together in the same place as me, and I would be sooo happy! I hope that I have been as good of a friend to them as they have been to me.

The journey has begun...

...or the adventure perhaps? We are officially embarking down the potty training road. I have been working with Logan for almost a year off and on. Back in Indiana I bought him a little potty seat. I would sit him on it every now and then. He was actually really good about it, and would go when I put him on it. I decided not to pursue it too much until after we moved so we could be settled in our new house first. Then, I was pregnant and never felt very motivated to crack down and get serious about it. I really wanted to have him trained before the baby was born,but that didn't happen. Here we are, one month away from Logan's third birthday, and I have to buckle down and get this kid trained!

So, this morning I decided to try a new approach. I had been having him sit to go, so I thought we would see if he could try standing up. I said "Logan, do you want to go shoot in the potty like daddy?" That got his attention and he was actually excited about it. So he stood on the stool, and I told him to shoot in the potty. Sure enough he did it! he was really excited about this new way, and so was I. I gave him the choice of wearing a diaper or his underpants, and he chose the underpants. I then took him to go shoot in the potty about every 20 minutes or so, and he was willing and excited to go every time. We gave high-fives, and I gave him some candy a few times after he went. I was good enough to get him there in time each time, and he didn't have any accidents. When it was nap time, I put him in a diaper, and gave him a break for a while. We started up again after he woke up and he wanted to show daddy how he could shoot in the potty. Again he chose to wear his underwear instead of a diaper. We played outside for a while and came in once to go shoot in the potty, and then when we came back inside, we went to go potty and then got a diaper on for bedtime. He was even starting to try and put his own pants on by himself which he hasn't done before. I hope this feeling of being a big boy lasts.

There is one thing we need to work on though. Before you read any further, I am warning you all that this may be TMI (too much info), so stop reading if you don't want to know. Now that I have peaked your curiosity, I will preface this by saying that I am recording this for posterity's sake. I am sure one day down the road, Logan will want to know what kinds of things he did when he was little, and this way I will be able to tell him.As well as his future wife. It may not be anything too shocking for any other potty training mom out there. Let me know if I am not alone. When he dribbled a bit down his leg, he stuck his finger in it and then.....guess what he did? He put it in his mouth! Sicko sick sick sick! No matter how much I kept telling him that we don't eat our pee pee, he kept doing it. I am so disgusted. This is definitely a fun adventure. I hope it is over soon!

I apologize for the disgusting-ness. Moms don't have a lot of other things to talk about except diapers, poop, snot, spit-up, etc. Oh the lives we lead.

I want a makeover

I really really want a makeover. I want to have someone (who is really cool) give me a new hairdo, new makeup regime, and pick me out some new clothes. I want to look really cute and stylish. I don't feel like I know how to look good anymore. I am in a mommy rut. Big time! I look back at pictures of me pre-children, and like what I see. I don't like what I see now. It's very depressing. I know the grass is always greener, but I feel like I would just feel better about myself if I felt more confident. Of course there is a lot I need to do to make this all happen, and that's why it is so depressing. I can do it myself, but it will take a lot of hard work, and discipline. How badly do I want it? Really really badly.

I will be turning 30 in just a few weeks (May 4th) and I don't want to enter my 30's as a big blob. So, my goal for my 30th year is to get out of my mommy rut, and get a makeover. By myself, yes, but nonetheless, a transformation of some kind.

I went walking this morning with our new walking group and now have a pedometer. My ankles and shins feel sore already! I am way out of shape! I just need to keep it up, and get into a habit of walking. It's so good for you in so many ways. And it's easy and free.

Holy cow! I was just re-reading this post and it hit me that I will be 30! I am speechless. I don't even know what to say. 30. Hmmm.....

And on a different note, April is Autism Awareness month. My friend Christy has a son with Autism, and she talks about it on her blog. Go check it out, leave a comment about how you heard about her blog (from me of course) and maybe you can win a prize!

Up till 1:30 a.m.!

Nope, it wasn't because of the kids! I was up late working on this beauty! It is an altered altoid tin and mini accordian album to fit inside! Isn't it sooo pickin cute? I had to make this sample to take to my Relief Society enrichment planning meeting tonight to show as a possible project for our Super Saturday. This might be a bit more elaborate with all the embellishments, but I got a bit carried away. I can tone it down for a Super Saturday project if we decide to do it. Now I need to figure out what pictures to put in it. I kinda like it all by itself though. I just like to look at it over and over. I get so pleased with myself when I finish a project like this and see how cute it turned out. You can see more photos in my SCS gallery. I never would have imagined I could make something like this 5 years ago! I didn't even know how to make cards! Now look at how far I have come. I am even a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! It's amazing what you can accomplish if you just work at it. I don't ever like to hear people say they aren't crafty, because they can be if they try. Trust me...I know!

This brings me to another topic on craftiness. I grew up with a wonderful mom who could sew anything for us...from dance costumes, to Halloween costumes, to Christmas stockings, Easter baskets, Quiet books, church tote bags, blankets, etc. She tried so hard to teach me to sew, and she did help me make a dress, a skirt, and a few tied quilts for boys I was dating. I just couldn't ever catch the desire to really learn though. Fast forward to November 2006. Just 5 months ago, I all of a sudden had an intense desire to purchase a sewing machine and start making things. Baby things to be exact. Blankets and burp cloths to be exact. Those are pretty much straight lines. I also wanted to make a quiet book. A little more complex. I managed to make my first baby blanket and burp cloth for a gift for my friend Gigi who was due a week before me with a little girl.

While I know this was far from perfect, I was proud of myself for making it. It was such an accomplishment for me! I never did make one for my own baby, but I will.

So, the other day I get a package in the mail. Or rather Avery did. It was a baby gift from Gigi.

It is a darling rag quilt! Now I feel a bit embarrassed by my horendous sewing job, but nevertheless, I am inspired now to learn to make a rag quilt. I used to have the mind set that this was way too hard for me to do, but now I am thinking it can be done! Also, a while back I boxed up about a million old t-shirts from High School and college and other things that I coulodn't bear to throw away, but obviously don't wear anymore. I came up with the brilliant idea of turning them into a t-shirt quilt! Now how clever am I? Apparently not very, because someone else came up with the idea first. I just hadn't heard of one before. So, now that I am feeling like my domestic goddess has been unleashed, I want to make a t-shirt quilt as well. I found some info online with directions.

And, last but not least. My very next project I want to attempt is a baby sling. I had been looking at this website to possibly order one, but now feel inspired to make my own. We shall see!

Well, that's my crafting desire for the future anyhow. May the craftiness be with you!

Easter!

My sister sent Avery an Easter dress to match her little girl Brynn. Brynn is 3. She is just 4 months older than Logan. I wish we could have actually been together for Easter. I had my sister email me a picture of Brynn in her dress so I could post the matching cousins on my blog! They are so cute! Avery loves wearing dresses. She holds the skirt like she is a princess. I think she knows she is pretty in a dress. The only thing I have discovered about cute dresses on babies is that it makes them slippery. It's so hard to hold them!

We had a nice Easter. Tony's family didn't really celebrate Easter with the Easter bunny. Mine did. So it is hard to get Tony excited about that aspect of the holiday. It makes it hard for me to be the only one to prepare and impart the excitement to Logan. I know Easter is more about the Savior and the Atonement and Resurrection, but I think you can teach the true meaning of Easter, and still enjoy the secular aspect of it. We do it at Christmas, why not be able to seperate it now as well? I have made it a point for the Easter Bunny to include some church related items in the Easter baskets to help us remember. This year I received this book in my basket. We also got The Testaments DVD. Logan got The Scripture Scouts and the picture version of The Book of Mormon. We listened to The Scripture Scouts when we were little and we loved them! I hope he does too. Of course there were also plastic eggs full of candy and some other little toys for Logan. All in all, I think he was happy with his Easter.

For dinner I made the usual ham. I made it in the crockpot again,and I am totally sold on this method. It is soooo easy, and the ham is sooo yummy. It is really tender, and just falls apart. I had a 4 or 5 pound half ham with no bone. I just plopped it in the crockpot and turned it on low for 8-10 hours. You don't need to add anything else to it. Really, you should all try it. You will love it this way.

I also made red potatoes with a lemon dill butter, roasted asparagus, and glazed carrots. It was a pretty simple meal, but so good. I was happy. I will share the recipes for the carrots and asparagus.

Glazed Carrots

1 bag baby carrots

2 Tbls. butter

2 Tbls. brown sugar

2 Tbls. orange juice

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the carrots; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally.

Roasted Asparagus

1-2 ibs. asparagus, washed and ends trimmed

2 Tbls. olive oil

1-2 Tbls. soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix oil and soy sauce and pour onto baking sheet with edges. Roll asparagus in the oil mixture to coat. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

* I actually have another recipe that is similar. Instead of soy sauce it uses balsamic vinegar. It also has 1 tsp. minced garlic. This one says to cook at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. I used the soy sauce for Easter dinner, but still included the garlic. It is sooo good, and I will always cook asparagus this way from now on.Yummy!

So, that was my yummy Easter dinner. Too bad Logan didn't eat any of it. He had a banana. Poor kid. he doesn't know what he is missing!

Here is a picture of Logan and Avery together Sunday afternoon. Avery was not in her dress anymore, and Logan wouldn't smile normal for the camera, so this is the best I could get of my two kids together on Easter.

I am on a mission

I have to collect all of these Happy Meal toys! My mom called me the other day all excited about them and told me I had to go get Avery a Happy Meal. She kept going on and on about how cute they are. And since I do live in Kansas, I just must have them. So far I have four of the 8. I have the lion, the tin man, the wicked witch of the west and the wicked witch of the east. I still need Dorothy, the scarecrow, Glinda the good witch, and someone named Daisy. Do you remember Daisy in the Wizard of Oz? Was she a munchkin? I have no clue, but I still need her! Anyway...I am terrified I won't get them all before they are gone. I learned that you can buy the Happy Meal toy for like $1 or something without having to get the actual happy meal. So, if anyone happens to get any of the ones I am missing, let me know! I might need you to go get extras for me! The good thing is there are McDonald's on like every corner where I live. But I was in Wal-Mart last night and the McD's inside said they were all sold out! Yikes!

I think we will be eating a lot of Happy Meals!

*** Update!!! I just got two more! I now have the scarecrow and Daisy Munchkin. I just need Dorothy and Glinda and I am good to go!

My Playlist

I have become addicted to this playlist thing! It is soooo much fun finding songs. My playlist is soooo random, but every song brings back a memory of a different time in my life. You will have to push play yourself to start it. I hope you all find a song that takes you back as well! Enjoy! And leave me a comment on any of the songs on here...I would love to know if we share any of the same memories!

Logan, oh Logan...you crack me up!

So, I unfortunately didn't get much out of General Conference today. Logan was possessed by the "scream at the top of your lungs" bug. Everything he needed to say required being said at top volume. It was insane. Besides that, he seemed really, really hyper. Between being annoyed with him for being so crazy, we also had to laugh at him because he was so pickin funny!

He decided to put on several performances while standing on the fireplace. "I am a Child of God" was one of the favorites. " Lead me guide me....Teach me all that ho must do " He also performed "Pabbacake, pabbacake, baker's man". That was funny. Pabbacake!

After he had stripped himself of his clothing,he informed me that he had a tummy button.

The other day, Tony had gone upstairs and Logan was not happy with that. He went running after him yelling"Daddy, come back! I want to play with you, cause you are my pet!"

Even though I barely heard a word of conference, I have felt an extreme amount of love and pride in my children. I have just been marveling at Logan's personality, and how he is developing. It's so fun to watch him grow, and learn, and see how he understands things. And Avery of course is growing like weed! She is already 8 weeks old! She is so sweet, and such a good baby. I love to just sit and talk to her, and hear her goo and coo and smile so big! I was doing this last night, and Logan decided to talk to her too. In the process, Avery started to drool a bit down her chin. Logan said "uh oh, mommy she's dripping."

Children are such a blessing. Even though there are times that don't seem like it, I know that my children have definitely brightened my life. I laugh every day because of them, and smile all the time. Who couldn't be happy when tiny arms wrap around your neck and little juicy kisses are planted on your cheek? And when you say " I love you" and you hear "I wuv you" back. It's so sweet!

I love my family, and I am grateful for them each and every day. It is such a comfort to me to know that families are forever, and we can be together with our loved ones for eternity. At this Easter time of year, it is nice to reflect on the Savior's Atonement, and the blessings it brings to our lives.