It's a Miracle!

It has actually been an eventful last few weeks, in a way. I just haven't felt like sitting down to blog about it for some reason, but now it is time.

It is official folks.

After almost two years of battling the potty, we are FINALLY pull-up FREE! Woo-Hoo! I am seriously so excited there are no words to describe it. Logan has been working on potty training since he turned 2. Last summer, when we drove out to Utah he was actually very close to being completely trained. We did keep him in pull-ups still, but he managed to stay dry in between pit stops on the drive. We never had to make any special stops for him either. Of course we let our attention to the subject slip when visiting family, due to the many distractions and lack of our regular daily routine. Here we are, almost a year later, and about 1 month until the little dude turns 4 and we have reached a potty training success! Hallelujah!

Our most serious concern was the #2 part of potty business. Logan would not go in the potty for anything. He was fine to go #1 in the potty, but the other was a different story. After consulting with several fellow mothers in the matter, one solution to try was to put Logan in a cold shower/bath if he messed his pants. I decided I was tired of buying and changing pull-ups, so we went pull-up free except at bedtime, and I had about 2 weeks of poop everywhere, all day. I have never done so much laundry, and I don't think Logan has ever been so clean from all the showers!I did feel pretty awful making him have a cold shower and hearing him scream about it.I was really wondering if this method was doing any good, or just making the matter worse. We had a week where I think he was so afraid of getting a cold shower, that he held it in. Of course this caused serious problems, and it was a pretty rough week. I felt like we were in the bathroom all the time.The one good thing about this was that he actually started telling me he had to go, and wanted to sit on the potty! So, I guess it had to get worse before it got better. After his little system got cleaned out, and he figured out it really isn't so bad after all to go on the potty, he has been going on his own, with no help or coaxing from us!I am so happy with my little buddy, and very proud of him for finally trying to be grown up.

We had been telling Logan for a long time that if he went in the potty, he would get a prize. He wanted a "bouncy ball". You know those balls with the handle that you sit on and bounce around on? That's what he calls them. So I bought one, and kept it upstairs in the closet to persuade him to go. It didn't work. He knew he would get it if he went, but he still never went. I think I have had that bouncy ball since August!So of course, during our rough week, when he went on the potty for the first time, I got him his long awaited bouncy ball...hoping that would encourage him to keep going. I would take it away if he chose not to go in the potty, and then give it back when he did go. I really only had to take it away about twice I think.



When we were finally pull-up free, and sleeping in big boy underwear and going on the potty all the time, we decided to take Logan to Toys R Us and let him choose his "potty prize".It was really funny. We wandered around the store and looked at all the options. He got excitd about a few things, so we put them in the cart so he could have a few things to choose from. The very first thing he saw and got excited about was a stuffed, animated Pablo from the Backyardigans. He went right up to it and grabbed the box and said "Oh, here it is! I'll take it!" Ha ha! It was funny! Then daddy came and started showing him different options, so he changed his mind. In the end, he had it narrowed down to a set of musical instruments (a tambourine, triangle, and two shaker things with bells), and a magician's costume. After much deliberation, he chose the magician's costume. Funny, huh? But ok! If that's what you want! We told him he could put the instruments on his birthday list.




We have only had to take away the ball AND magician's costume once, otherwise he has been accident free for a week! Woo-Hoo! It's about darn time!We are so proud of our big boy! Happy Day!

So, the lesson I have learned from potty training our first child is this: I will NOT go the pull-up route the next time around. Avery is going straight from diapers to underpants and she will like it! Ha ha! I will let you know how that idea goes in about a year or so!

Speaking of Avery...she is really starting to work on walking! She should be walking on her own fairly soon!I am going to say in about a month she will be walking by herself. That's my guess. We'll see how that goes too! Logan was 14 months when he started walking, and Avery is almost 14 1/2 months old right now. She has been pretty close with Logan on other milestones...like crawling and first teeth too, so I am sure it will be any day now! I can't believe how fast she has grown!

50 Things about ME!

My sister-in-law Amber tagged me for this one! I am not sure I can think of 50 things about myself...that's a lot! But I will give it a shot!

1. I LOVE Jelly Belly jelly beans and salt water taffy.
2. I have a horrible habit of staying up WAY too late.
3. I took piano lessons for about 6 years and can't really play.
4. I also took french for 2 yrs. in HS and 3 semesters in college and can't speak it.
5. I thought about becoming lifeguard certified in HS.
6. I worked at Sea World during the summers in college.
7. I got a $500 tip.
8. I got a 73 page letter from a boy in HS. (It was on lined notebook paper too!)
9. I ran track for about 3 days my freshman year in HS.I was a sprinter.
10. My all-time favorite movies are Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea.
11. I wanted to be Anne.
12. I played Barbies until I was like 13. Stop laughing. I was very imaginative!
13. I have a fetish with good smelling things...lotion, perfume, candles, room fresheners, even good smelling laundry soap, dish soap and dryer sheets.
14. I also have a strange attraction to all things in the lip gloss family...chapstick, lip balm, gloss, lipstick. You can never have enough I say!
15. I love to perform on stage...dance, theater (although it's been a LONG time for that one) singing,etc. and I don't mind speaking in public.
16. I was very shy when I was growing up. Looking back now, I think I was more self-conscious than shy. I was always afraid of what people would think of me and what I said, so I didn't talk a lot to people I didn't know well.
17. If I knew you well, I talked a lot.
18. I love to socialize now, and I am always up for girl's night out!
19. I love to read.
20. I love to dance...although I really haven't since I graduated college, and it makes me sad. I feel like a part of me is missing.
21. I love to sing. I wish I was better. I would love to take voice lessons again.
22. Music makes me happy.
23. I have two children...a boy and a girl, and they are cuter than I ever imagined my children would be!
24. I have seen Les Miserables 5 times (San Diego twice, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, London)
25. I have been to an Oingo Boingo concert.
26. I loved unicorns and fairies when I was little.
27. My bedroom growing up was so pink, that you could see a pink glow coming from my room.
28. I have always had a cat at some point in my life.
29. I was attacked at BYU. Thankfully nothing really happened to me, but he did rape a girl a week later.That was the scariest thing to ever happen to me.
30. I hate mushrooms and seafood.
31. I like to read cookbooks and recipe blogs.
32. I love chips and salsa...and any mexican food for that matter.
33. I have a Bachelor's degree in Marriage,Family and Human Development from BYU with a Folk Dance minor.
34. I met my husband on the Folk Dance Team at BYU. We were friends for 2 years before we started dating.
35. Once we started dating, we were engaged in about a month and a half. When it's right, it is right!
36. I traveled to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales while on the Folk Dance Team.
37. I performed at Epcot at Disney World for 2 weeks also while on the Folk Dance Team.
38. I ran my cousins car off the road near McCammon Idaho with my roommate Sharon.We made my cousin a cake with toy cars to re-enact the scene!
39. I "stole" my best friend's (ex)boyfriend for HS prom, and she stole my (ex) boyfriend and married him, so we are even.
40. I lost my youngest brother in a four wheeler accident right after Logan was born.
41. My life hasn't been the same since. (maybe that combined with motherhood!)
42. I consider myself a California Girl, even though I am as pale as they come, and can't get a tan to save my life!)
43. I am very emotional and cry at everything.
44. I saw the movie Titanic in the movie theater about 8 times.
45. I plan to top that number when Twilight comes out in December, even if I have to go by myself!
46. Friendships are very important to me, and I miss all the wonderful friends I have made over the years.
47. I really like where I live in Kansas, but I miss my family horribly and wish I lived closer.
48. I like to make cards, and I host a monthly card exchange.If anyone wants to join, let me know!
49. My sweet husband mops the floors and cleans the bathrooms for me! He's the best!
50. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...always have been, always will be.

Ok, now that I have spent all day coming up with these things, I still don't know if it is a true representation of who I am. I could probably keep going, now that I have been thinking about it! But I won't. If you need any further explanation or details, feel free to comment!

Avery's 1 year pictures

 

I finally got Avery's 1 year pictures taken...now that she just turned 14 months old!I can't believe how horrible I have gotten! With Logan, I practically took him ON his whatever month birthday to get his pictures taken. Poor Avery...if I am already slipping this much with my second child, I really feel bad for the rest to come along!

I am sooooo happy with how her pictures turned out! I made Tony and Logan come with me so they could help with getting her to smile. It worked like a charm! I sat on the floor near her to help her stay put, and then daddy and brother stood near the photographer and made faces, and stuff to get her to look at them and smile. So, if you see the pictures with her tongue out, it is because she was copying her daddy who was sticking his tongue out at her!

There were so many good ones this time, that I decided to share them all! Enjoy her cuteness!

Operation Raincoat

I need your help! I am on a mission to find a camouflage raincoat for Logan. I saw some camo raincoats in the infant/toddler section of my local Super Wal-Mart, but they only had one left in a size 2T, and I need either a 4 or 5T! I just bought Logan some camo galoshes at Target, so he really needs the coat to match! If any of you are planning on hitting your local Wal-Mart soon, would you be willing to check and see if they have any? They may be on clearance at this point.

Here is the info:

George camo raincoat
UPC # 6 60469 05614
$9.86
I need a size 4T or 5T!

I will totally pay you back for the cost as well as shipping as well as be eternally grateful forever and ever! And of course I will probably throw in a nice thank you something as well!

Oh the things a mother will do for her child!

Thank You all!

Photo update

This little blue couch was one of the best investments I made when Logan was little. It has gotten much use...not only from Logan, but from any other little kids who might be over. Even Avery has been taking advantage of it! The Easter Bunny did bring my little miss one of her own, but I don't have a picture of it yet. Anyway...it makes for a very good napping place, as you can see from the above pictures! It's so cute!



Logan is so silly these days! He came walking in to the kitchen the other day all proud of himself because he was wearing Avery's pajama pants.Crazy kid!I can't believe they fit him!



Logan was being creative one day and came downstairs wearing Avery's changing table pad on his back. He informed me that he was being a ninja turtle.



Hello there. Meet Farmer Buckethead everyone. And please tell me why the shirt is always MIA when Logan dons other costume paraphernalia? He cracks me up!

He also came up with a very creative/imaginative game the other day that I had to get on video. I can't figure out how to get the clip actually on my blog, but here is a link to watch it.





Avery has become very interested in feeding herself these days, and it isn't always pretty! Sometimes I am a good mom and let her enjoy herself and develop her fine motor skills, and sometimes the tyrannical, controlling mother steps in and insists on feeding her so there is no mess involved. Obviously this was oone of the good mom times. I just didn't want to hear her scream...it is NOT a pretty sound.

Last Saturday, we hosted an easter egg hunt at our house for some friends and their kids. We have a pretty good sized yard, and it seemed like the obvious way to put it to good use. We had 4 families over for a potluck lunch, and then had the kids go find their eggs. We had 11 kids and 10 adults. We had yummy food,good company, and the kids had a great time finding eggs. Two of the kids went hog wild and ended up with like 20 eggs. This was just fine though, because some of the younger kids were perfectly happy with the first few they had found, and had to be encouraged and helped to find more. I think on average each kid ended up with around 10 eggs each.I was too busy being a hostess to get tons of pictures...I always forget about taking them when I am caught up in the moment, but I did manage to get a few of my kids.





I am getting very excited for the spring to pop up and stick around for a while! I need some sunshine and warm days to get me out of my winter slump! I can tell it's right around the corner!

Rainy Day

So, yesterday I had many things planned for my Monday. I was going to run to the bank to deposit some checks, drop a check off at a friend's (for my ticket for the Stephenie Meyer Book tour in May!), go to Aldi's for milk, and take Avery to get her very belated 12 month pictures taken at Target.

I woke up to the sound of rain pouring on my roof, the rumble of thunder booming in the distance, and the occasional flash of lightning. That just sealed the lazy deal. I wasn't going anywhere or doing anything today. Nope, not a thing! Nada! Zippo! Or Zero, as Logan says lately. I stayed in my pj's until noon, only to change into something not much different...comfy pants and a hoodie! Logan is wearing sweats, and Avery, I am ashamed to say is still in her pj's. We have all had naps, and basically spent the day being ultra lazy. I have a really hard time being productive on days like this.

I have a few things I really like to do on rainy days. One is stay in bed, but that isn't much of an option with children. Another thing I enjoy doing is reading a book, but I just finished the book I was reading for book group, and don't have any others to start right now. I usually feel inspired to bake something, which I haven't done yet, but the day isn't over yet, either! I LOVE to light candles and listen to what I call "rainy day" music. My rainy day music of choice is the soundtrack for "The Last of the Mohicans".(scroll down for music clips) So, right now the kids are having an aftenoon snack of goldfish crackers and water, while I am listening to my "rainy day" music and blogging.

I am ashamed to say I have nothing planned for St. Patrick's Day. I am not even wearing green. I did buy Lucky Charms cereal for breakfast, which I didn't even get to eat since I ran out of milk. Logan had some, and Avery had a bowl of it dried for a snack, and quickly discovered she preferred the marshmallows! There was a game on the back of the cereal box that I cut out for Logan and I to play. It uses the marshmallow pieces for the game pieces. Anyway...we were playing on the floor, and had a hard time keeping our pieces from being devoured from Avery as she came crawling along to attack our markers! It was funny, and luckily, Logan got a kick out of it and laughed about it instead of having a fit.

So, I am off now to finish enjoying my rainy day music.

Do you have any fun "rainy day" things you like to do? If you have "rainy day" music too, let me know what it is! I might have to try something new!

Blanding trip

Well, now that I have been home a few days, and have gotten some things out of the way, I can finally post about our trip to Utah.

Tony's parents got called to serve a mission for our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). They got called to the Ghana Cape Coast Mission. The funny thing is, they won't ever be serving in Ghana. They will be in a little country called Benin.It is entirely french speaking, so Mom gets to learn french!Won't that be fun! Anyway,we were able to go home for their farewell. It was so fun to be with the family. Logan had a blast playing with his cousins. It is so hard when we have to leave. It makes me feel so sad for him that he has to come back home to live like a little hermit child. Logan has so many boy cousins, and they tend to get along really well. Here at home, Logan's closest friends are girls, so it was fun for him to get to be with the boys, and do boy things.



Here is a picture of almost all the grandkids. Avery was napping, so she missed out. And I think baby Garrett was missing as well as Megan. We were lucky to be there for Tony's sister Jody's baby's blessing as well.





One of Logan's favorite things to do is get teased by Uncle Andy. He found Logan a new time-out spot while we were there! All in fun, of course.I had to get pictures. Avery even let Uncle Andy carry her around everywhere, but of course I didn't get pictures of that! I am so glad Logan has Uncle Andy. It makes me sad that he doesn't have his Uncle Derrick too. My brother would have been just as fun as Uncle Andy, so he could have had 2 fun uncles! I miss my brother, especially in times like this when I realize my kids won't get to know him. He was a great brother, and a great uncle.




Of course, Logan spent time doing his faavorite thing...jumping...on the trampoline! He was out there for almost all afternoon after church and dinner. He was having a blast. He even was tolerant of the dog Ruby, jumping up on the picnic table to sit by him. He must have been really distracted by all the fun for that not to bother him! On Saturday night, while at a big extended family dinner, Logan had an accident. He was outside and got scared of the dogs, and while he was backing away in terror, he fell over the tricycle and hurt his ear pretty bad. It was all red and it was even bleeding a bit in one spot.Poor guy. I wish he would get over his fear of dogs. When you ask him why dogs are scary, he says "that because they lick you and I don't want to be licked." Okee dokee.




I can't forget pictures of Avery. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera out much, and when I tried to take her picture, she would come after me, so this is what I would get. I did manage to catch her stealing baby Garrett's bottle though!

Before I end my post, I must mention the friends I was able to sneak in visits with on our way to and from the airport. When we flew in on Friday, we were able to meet my friend Heidi and her family for lunch at Training Table. It's always fun to see her if only for an hour or so! On our way home Monday, we met Heather and her little girl Alexa, who is Logan's age for lunch at McDonald's. We met there so the kids could play. It was helpful for Logan to get some energy out after being in the car for almost 5 hours, and before we were to get on the airplane. The kids were very good on the plane. It was Avery's very first flight! Logan is a pretty seasoned traveler, and loves airplanes. Tony actually held Avery on both flights. That was a nice break for me. She is so wiggly, I think my arms would have been tired. I was able to get some reading in of the book I am reading for book group. Overall, the trip went very smoothly, and it was definitely nice to see and spend time with family. Again, it makes me sad when we have to come home. I really hate being so far away from family!

Enrichment night success!

I better write about my enrichment night last week. I haven't had a chance to do much since then, because we were in Utah for the week-end. I am home now, and trying to cross things off my list of things to do.


( By the time I got to the refreshment table, there wasn't as many cupcakes left, but you get the idea.)

I have to say that the evening was FANTASTIC! I am so proud of all the women who worked so hard and put in the time to practice for this program. We had a few rough spots along the way, and some frustrations too, but in the end it was perfect. The music was beautiful, the words were touching, and I know the spirit was there so strong. A friend of mine was so worried about her performance because she says she always botches it when she performs. The night of the program, she nailed it. It was perfect!I was so proud of her! All the songs were perfect, especially the choir numbers we were so worried about. It was the best they had ever been that night.

While I didn't have any major parts in the program, I did have a few chances to step in for people when needed. At our rehearsal the night before, I got to fill in for a girl who had to get home early. She was singing the song called "Hold On" with another girl, and I filled in for her so the other girl could get her practice, and so we could continue on with the timing of the program. It was really scary, but fun! I haven't had a solo like that for a long time! I also filled in for the first part of the program on the actual performance night for one of the narrators who had a last minute doctor appointment and was running late. And, I guess I also had my choir directing debut when the choir director had to be out of town for a funeral the week-end of a big practice. Boy that was an experience, and I really really appreciate choir directors now. What a tough job! Anyway...I did sing with the choir,so I sat up on the stand with everyone during the program. It was so neat to look out at the faces of everyone there, and not recognize a lot of them! We extended the invitation for this evening to the Young Women, Activity Day girls, and any other friends, neighbors and family. We had a great turnout!


( I know this picture is dark, but it really shows how great of a turnout we had!)

After the program, we moved into the cultural hall for refreshments of cupcakes, ice cream and punch. I made a really yummy recipe for Cookies and Cream cupcakes. Too bad I didn't get any! I will have to make them again another time. We had enough tables and chairs set up for 50 people, and had more than that, so people were sitting on the ground along the wall, standing in groups, or had extra chairs in circles to chat. It was so much fun to see everyone really visiting and enjoying themselves. I think the punch got refilled about 4 times, and we ended up with close to 2 dozen cupcakes left at the end of the night. The ice cream didn't last long however!

I was so truly appreciative of the women who participated in the program, from singing solos, to playing the piano, organ or cello, to narrating, or just being a choir member. It couldn't have happened without each and every one of them, and I am really so grateful! I will always be. I usually try to write thank you notes to everyone who helps with enrichment nights, but I felt like these women needed something more than just a note. I decided to be "crafty" and make them a nice gift that they can keep and hopefully remember the experience by. I made some vinyl lettered blocks. I couldn't think of a quote from the program that I liked enough, but I came across this other saying, and I really liked it. I made 24 of these blocks, and I also had yellow sunflowers and red gerber daisies as well as these pink and orange flowers. If I were to make something like this again, I have ideas of how to make them a bit better, but otherwise, I think they turned out really cute.



Overall, it was a great evening, but I am glad it is over! Now it's on to planning the next activity!

Dr. Pepper Cupcakes

For those of you who read my post a while back about my caffeinated beverage indulgence, you may find this amusing. I came across this recipe, and I might just have to make them! It might be a very good way to use this interesting drink. And, while I don't really have an occasion to make them for, I may just have to do it. Just because. It just seems like the right thing to do.Ha ha! And you may or may not also know about my latest cupcake obsession.So it just makes that much more sense. They do look kind of cute and tasty, don't they?



You can go HERE for the recipe.

I will post about my latest adventures soon!

Enrichment Program and nerves!

I have been unusually nervous and stressed about the enrichment program I am heading up for next week's Relief Society enrichment night. I took on the reasonably big task of putting together a program called "Sisters of Light" by Jenny Phillips. It is a really beautiful program consisting of 6 songs, and narration. Since March is the Relief Society's birthday, this program is perfect since it talks about the beginning of the RS program, and focuses on women in general. It really will be a beautiful program and I know the evening will go well, but I can't help worrying about little organizational details.

We have had a few rehearsals recently where I have been able to hear the solos, and they are all so pretty. I love how each woman singing has their own unique voice, and it just adds so much to the overall feel of the program.It really helps emphasize how we are all so different, yet we are all the same.

Anyway...I might just be dealing with a constant upset stomach until after next Wednesday. Hopefully once it is over I can relax! I am really looking forward to the evening, don't get me wrong. I guess I am just starting to feel the pressure! Ahhh!

I'm Cute, I'm Cute!

Ha! I finally found a super easy, really cute way to customize my blog! I am very happy! I love it! I hope you all enjoy it, and anyone with google reader better check it out for real to appreciate the change!

I have to thank Lindsay for asking for help on her own blog, which is where I learned what to do for mine! Thanks Linds!

Avery's 1st Birthday

I finally uploaded pictures from my camera so I can post them! I realized that I haven't taken many pictures lately. I took quite a few for Avery's birthday, but they didn't all turn out very well. I only took a few pictures of the kids in the car at the rest stop on our lovely trip through Wyoming. I never got my camera out while visiting my family! How lame is that? You know, sometimes there is just so much going on, that taking pictures is the last thing on my mind. Actually, I did take pictures with my mom's camera at the cemetary, but I am sure I will never see them. So, without further ado, let's talk about Avery's birthday!



Here is the birthday girl in her chair with her balloons and cupcake. I made banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Sadly, this girl hardly touched it! She stuck her fingers in the frosting and licked them, but wouldn't eat her cupcake. I think it is partly my fault. We ate dinner first, so she was probably full!

She is such a cute one year old. Here vocabulary these days consists of every variation of "daddy" there is...dada...da-ee, daddy, ah-da, etc. Mama has not made it into her day to day vocab yet. She has said it, but won't on a regular basis for some reason. The last few days she has started saying "uh-oh" as well. Usually in relation to dropping her binky. She has her two bottom teeth, and her four top teeth, and she is finally crawling like a normal baby, and pulls herself up on everything within reach. I think she really wants to walk, and she is starting to try, but it will probably be a while still. Logan didn't walk till he was 14 months, so if she is on a similar schedule, she has a few months to go! Logan helped Avery open all her presents, and both of them had a great time playing with them all for the evening. I think for a one year old, it was a fantastic birthday! We are so glad we have her sweet little self in our family! Happy Birthday little one!

The End-of our trip that is!

Ok, I better rap this up! It has stretched out long enough!

We left IF around 6 p.m. Sunday evening. Traveling was actually quite good, and we had no problems at all. We got really drowsy around 11 or so, and ended up stopping in Rawlins for the night. It was soooo windy! Yuck! we got a decent night's sleep, and got back on the road the next morning by around 8 a.m. Not too far outside of Rawlins, the weather turned cloudy and started to snow. I was hopeful it would only be for a bit, and that the rest of the trip wouldn't be like this! That would have been another miserable day in the car! We were lucky, and while we went throuogh the occasional snowy patch in Wyoming, once we hit Nebraska, the skies were clear as were the roads, so we made good time the rest of the day! I did have to drive for quite a while once we hit better weather. Tony needed a break, and he also had a conference call that he wanted to try to be on as long as we had cell phone coverage. After stopping for a potty break,we went through the drive-through at Wendy's, and I decided yet again, that another pick me was was required. I decided to get what I think seems to be the most popular caffeinated beverage among women anyhow...at least I knew that was what most people ordered when I worked in a restaurant...so I got a diet coke. So sorry again to all you fans. I just don't see what tastes good about it? I have decided I must really not be a cola fan at all.Sorry. I tried, I really did. It served its purpose however and kept me alert enough to keep driving!

We finally made it home around 8:30, only to walk in to the house and be greeted by a hideously high-pitched beeping, coming from all the smoke detectors in our house, it seemed. Sadly to say, we haven't changed the batteries in our alarms since we moved in, so it took some trial and error and quite a while of effort to finally figure out how to turn the horrendous noise off! I left the kids in the van in the garage, so it wouldn't hurt their ears. Once that was taken care of, the kidlets were put right to bed, and we were happy to be home, safe and sound!

Stay tuned for another travel adventure next month! Tony's parents got their mission call to Ghana, and so we will be heading out to Utah for the farewell in just a few more weeks. We will be flying this time into SLC, and then renting a car to drive the rest of the way. Fun times, fun times!

I will be sure to finally get my pictures from my camera, so i can post about Avery's birthday! Poor thing, getting pushed to the side by more important travel reports!

Part 2- Funeral

So, to continue my week-end adventure, we get to my brother's house close to 9:30 on Friday night. Avery was a pill, and continued to be one the entire week-end! She screamed and cried at everyone who even looked at her. My SIL, who is deemed "the baby whisperer" didn't even cut it. She only wanted me. I was so frustrated with her! I was really excited to have her meet the family now that she is a bigger girl, and she wouldn't even go to any of them. My dad managed to woo her for a bit, and she ended up falling asleep on him, so they had a nice nap together. But once she woke up, she was yelling like a banshee again!

Logan on the other hand, didn't take long to warm up, and before I knew it he was running around playing with his cousins, having a grand old time!

The funeral was Saturday morning at 11:00 a.m. Since the viewing was cancelled the night before, a lot more people came through before the funeral. We didn't get the actual funeral started until almost 11:45! My aunts did a really nice job telling the life sketch, and there were some musical numbers, and my dad spoke about my grandpa being his hero. That made me teary. My dad always does a good job giving talks I think.

On a side note, I felt really bad for my parents this week-end. My dad had worked really hard all last year to earn a trip to the Bahamas for work. They left Sat. Feb 2 to go to the Cove Atlantis.Their trip was to last a week. They were to fly back home the next Saturday, the 9th. My grandpa passed away early in the morning of Tuesday the 5th. I know that the passing of a loved one never comes at a convenient time, but I was really hoping that he would hold on until my parents got back from their trip. My aunts and uncle went ahead and scheduled the funeral for Saturday, knowing that my parents were out of the country, and making the assumption that they could get back easily. It wasn't easy for them to arrange to leave their trip early. I feel bad that besides the grief that came with the news, it was an added stress and burden for them to have to figure out how to arrange to get home earlier than planned.I wish it could have worked out to let them stay for the full trip, and have the funeral a few days later. But oh well. They were able to make a flight home, where they got in about midnight Thursday night, and immediately hopped in their car to drive to Cedar City to meet my brother and his family, and then carpool with them to IF. They weren't able to get much sleep over the course of about 3 days.I was so sad for them, even if it was nice to see them.

My grandpa served in World War II. He was a sniper, I knew that growing up, but he rarely talked about it. I remember a few times where he would show us his "treasures" that he got while in Germany...a hand carved wooden box, a gold ring, coins, medals, etc. A lot of things I think he got from pilfering abandoned buildings. I know he wasn't too proud of that fact.I am sure the memories of the war haunted him throughout his life. I am sure he has told bits and pieces to various kids and grandkids, but never the whole story to anyone. We kept trying to get him to write his "memoirs", "life story" etc, or at least get stuff on videotape. I don't think he ever did. He griped and complained about it everytime it was mentioned. It was just this past week-end that I heard for the first time (at least that I remember) that he served in the 63rd infantry division. Also known as the "Blood and Fire" division. He helped liberate concentration camps.I am truly proud of my grandpa. I wish I had known these things about him sooner.He was very humble, though, which is why he never made a big deal about his service in the war.What a hero he was to many people, and my dad reiterated that in his talk...that he was my dad's hero. My dad was born after my grandpa had been drafted. I think he saw my dad when he was about 2 months old or so, and then not again until the war was over, and my dad was over 2 years old. My dad has memories of walking through the streets of Salt Lake City following his dad, in uniform, dragging a duffle bag when he got home. My dad has always had memories of things from when he was really little! That was our favorite thing when we were young... to have my dad tell us stories about when he was a little boy.

They did have military rites at the gravesite, with a 21 gun salute. They presented the flag they had on the coffin to my dad, since he was the oldest child. I know that meant a lot to my dad.

I went with my sister to the cemetary, and left Tony and the kids back at the church. Logan fell asleep at the end of the funeral, and was sleeping on the couch in the foyer. It was cold and snowy outside too, so it was better to leave them inside.

After the funeral and luncheon, we went back to my brother's house to relax for a bit. My long-time (since we were 1 year old!) friend Heidi happened to be heading back to SLC from Rexburg, and was able to stop by for a short visit. It was so nice to see her, if only for a few minutes. After that, we headed up to Rexburg to meet my sister and her family at Bahio's for dinner. Yum. I love that place. I wish they had one here. Then we spent the night at her house in St. Anthony. Logan had so much fun playing with his cousin Brynn. She is only 4 months older than him, so they get
along really well. I wish we could see them more often.

Sunday was the Rexburg Temple dedication, so I stayed and watched my niece and nephew while my sister and BIL went to their session. Tony wasn't feeling well, so he took a 3 hour nap while I entertained children, and made lunch. After lunch,and after they got back, we all went back down to my brother's house to visit a bit more with my parents and other brother before they left to drive back to Cedar City. My mom passed out our souvenirs from their trip, and some Valentine's for the kids. Tony decided we should also head out Sunday evening to avoid some bad weather that was expected across Wyoming. We got on the road around 6 p.m. to head back.

I HATE Wyoming...and other such tales part 1

Let me begin my post by saying I HATE Wyoming. I LOATHE Wyoming, and I will always have bitter, unhappy, horrible thoughts of Wyoming. No offense Ginger.I am sure the part of Wyoming you are from is much more desireable and much less a part of the State of the Devil than the part I drove through. What part are you from again? Anyway...now on to the story.

We left our humble abode around 5 p.m. Thursday evening to drive to Idaho for my grandpa's funeral.I was a bit tired from my day of preparations, and since Tony needed to be on his laptop doing some work, I had to drive. I did something I don't normally do. I purchased mysef a caffeineated beverage to perk me up a bit. Since I am unfamiliar with the caffeineated beverage world, I opted for a drink that sounded like it would have a fun flavor to it. I got a diet Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper. Not very good. I really and truly think that caffeineated soft drinks have WAY more carbonation in them than normal sodas. I couldn't taste a thing for all the bubbles. I know why I am not a pop drinker.Anyway...about 2 hours after starting my beverage, I had to go to the bathroom soooooo bad I couldn't stand it! (please excuse my potty talk)I was really and truly so close to wetting my pants, and you better believe my relief when a rest stop was spotted! After this initial situation,traveling was fine,the weather was fine, the roads were fine, but around 11 p.m. MST, we had become weary, and stopped in a lovely Nebraska town called Ogalalla for the night.

After a not so great night of sleep, due to the children, we were on the road again by 7 a.m. I didn't learn my lesson the first time, and decided I needed some assistance in the alert department again, and purchased another caffeineated beverage. I remember my friend Christy talking about her beverage of choice being Wild Cherry Pepsi. I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Absolutely nothing! It was horrible! I couldn't even drink it all. I am sorry to all of you devoted fans out there, but I do not get it.It was blech! And I still had to stop frequently for potty breaks!Traveling was decent, the weather was decent with the exception being the wind. I think I saw at least 4 or 5 truck trailors that had blown over on the side of the road. Scary! Along with the wind, came snow blowing across the road as well, which did make it slower going than normal, but altogether not too horrible.

We pulled off the road at a rest stop just a short ways outside of Rawlins. When we pulled off, we noticed a semi had jack-knifed right across the on ramp back to I-80. What???? How on earth were we supposed to get back on the freeway? Well, we took turns running like mad through the wind to use the restrooms, and when it was my turn, I met a lady who was from Cedar City, and we were talking when a man came into the building. He informed us that I-80 was closed from Rawlins all the way to the Utah state line. Oh no, oh no, oh no, no, no! How on earth was I supposed to get to Idaho now, and what were we going to do? Were we going to have to hang out at this rest stop until the road opened again? Who knew how long that would be? I ran back to the car and informed Tony of the latest development. We did have his laptop, but couldn't get a signal to get online, so we called Tony's dad and he called us back later after he had looked at some possible options. In the end, we decided to take a detour, and head off from Rawlins on 287 up to Muddy Gap, then over almost to Lander, where we cut off on 28 down through South Pass and Farson.

It was windy and the snow would blow across the road in patches, but traveling went well. I was calling my brother Scott in Idaho back and forth when my cell phone had service to let him know how things were going, and get updated info from him about our route. When we first turned onto 28 to start heading back down, my brother informed me that 30, which was the route we were supposed to be heading for to take us into Idaho, was closed. Arrghh! We were going to have to head BACK down to I-80 since they had re-opened some of it, and head through Evanston into Utah, and THEN back up I-15 to Idaho! Are you kidding me???? He told me to call a number when I got to Farson to talk to a person who could tell me about the road closures, etc. We kept on trucking. At several points on 28, the snow was blowing so much across the road and all around, that I felt as if we were driving through the clouds! If I wasn't scared out of my mind, I would have liked to stop and take a picture. That is if we could see the road to pull over on. I certainly didn't want to end up off the road in this blasted state!

I really gained an intense appreciation for what the pioneers went through, since we were awfully close to Martin's Cove, and we drove through South Pass where the wagon trains crossed. I can only imagine their horrified thoughts about where they were, and why on earth they were there! I certainly felt that way and I was in a well-heated, comfortable mini van with lots of food and water, blankets, pillows, a cell phone (ok, no coverage), a laptop (again, no coverage), a DVD player, an Mp3 player, and plenty of magazines to keep me entertained. I cannot for the life of me imagine being outside walking in that horrid wind and snow, in freezing temperatures with the land having nothing to shelter them from it.It makes it even worse to imagine trying to protect my children from that as well! I was scared to death of sliding, being blown, or simply running off the road and being stuck in my well heated, comfortable mini van with lots of food and water (see above)with my children and not knowing the outcome.I would have probably had to wait a few hours for help. How long did the pioneers have to wait for help? Weeks? I can't even begin to comprehend!

Anyway...we finally made it to Farson where I called the number my brother gave me. The lady told me that 30 was open, and I-80 was now open in both directions again. Nice! So, from here I took over the driving. I continued down 28, and things seemed to go fairly well, with the occasional patch of blowing snow, but so far so good. It was after I had turned onto 372 heading towards 189, that things got bad. They got very, very bad.I drove into a big black wall of clouds, and with the blowing snow, and the darkness all around me, I could barely see a few feet in front of me, and I was scared out of my mind! I was seriously so terrified! I kept praying and praying that the road would at least clear enough for me to see where I was going. I could handle that. I could really handle any of it, as long as I had breaks in the wind, and had the road be clear for me to keep going.By the time I came to the intersection of 189 where we were to turn to head down to Kemmerer where we would hit 30, the weather had cleared a bit, and Tony got out to switch with me. As soon as I sat down in the passenger seat, I was shaking pretty bad, and felt the urge to throw up, pass out, and cry all at once. It took a while for my pulse to slow back down, and for me to feel calm again. Tony had some yuck to drive in too, but it didn't seem as bad as what I had driven through.I was very surprised they had reopened that road.

These pictures are some I got off the internet, since I was too terrified to let go of the "oh shoot" handle to climb in the back of the van to get my camera. These are pretty darn close to what it looked like for most of our driving on Friday afternoon. The one picture of the landscape without the road was even better than what I experienced.Meaning better conditions. I couldn't even see the land at all under the billowing, blowing clouds...I mean snow.








The rest of the drive went a lot smoother. We did get some snow once we got into Idaho and went through Montpelier and Soda Springs, but once we hit I-15, it was a breeze! We were anticipating getting there around 6-ish, and ended up getting there after 9! The viewing was supposed to be at 7 p.m., but it ended up being cancelled due to the roads around the church building. I guess I lucked out that I didn't miss that!

Needless to day that after being in the car for over 13 hours in not ideal conditons, we were exhausted when we got there, and went straight to my brother Scott's house instead of driving the extra 45 minutes to my sister's house. We just couldn't stand being in the car any longer! It was pretty funny. When we first got to the outskirts of Idaho Falls, we saw a billboard that said something like this:

Idaho Falls

You made it! Wasn't it worth the wait?

And there were pictures of people jumping in the air. It was hilarious!But I sure felt that way after our trip!

Update

I have so much to post about, and no time right now. I even had a post all written and ready to go on Monday, but events have come to pass that ar more important right now.

My Grandpa passed away early Tuesday morning. I knew it was coming, but it is still sad when it does. He is with my grandma and my brother now, and that is wonderful. I know he is so happy, and at peace, and free from the complications that come with an old, worn-out, sick body. My grandpa was so special. There is no one like him, and I have so many wonderful memories of him throughout my life.

I am making arrangements to drive out to Idaho for the funeral. It will be a fast trip, which I am sad about. If there was a way that I could stay longer to visit my family, I would love it!17 1/2 hours of driving with kids, in the middle of winter across I-80 is not exactly the most pleasant sounding trip, and it does worry me a bit. All I can do is pray things will go smoothly, so we can get there safely.

Hopefully when I get back I will be able to post about Avery's birthday from last Saturday. She is a big one-year old now!I can't believe how time flies!

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!