Salt Chaser!

Now I don't think I am too different from a lot of other women out there but then again maybe I am all alone in this?! I am an enjoyer (I know that is not a word) of things of the sweet nature, especially freshly baked cookies, brownies, cake, those sorts of things. My only trouble is that when I eat something sweet I then need a "Salt chaser", you know something to curb the sweet, so I will turn to a cracker or something. Thus causing a problem, because you see once I have a salt chaser I am then craving the sweet again so I have to follow the salt with sweet creating a vortex, and I am stuck going back and forth! Last night in a moment or two of weakness I found my self with one hand with peanut M&M's and the other with a few Cheez-It's (reduced fat of course) first eating the sugar, then as if forced by nature the cheez-it in all it's salt glory! It's a terrible place to find your self, so with all the will power I could muster I took a large drink of water hoping to cleanse my pal'ate in turn removing myself from the vortex of cellulite ! Once in a safe zone I began thinking of how there are very few treats that join these to opposite yet complimentary tastes, and then as if a heavenly choir sang I remembered one of my most favorite things of all time, THE CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL!!! This delightful treat was created with perfection and women like me in mind! Thank you, OH great maker of the Chocolate covered pretzel!

So here is where I need your help! I have made some in the past but never as well as I know some of you can, so I need to know what brand of chocolate is best and then my favorite are the ones with caramel first and then white chocolate, so HELP me with this longing and provide me with some steps of how to make them!! Thanks in advance!!

Today is also my awesome nephew Carson's 5th Birthday!! Happy Birthday Buddy! Love you!!

Sunday Scripture "Hope"

Today in Relief Society the lesson was on Hope and some of the discussion was on not losing hope and I realized as I pondered about the Hopes that I have that perhaps to my husbands annoyance I am a pretty optimistic or hopeful person! I try to look on the bright side of things the best that I can and this latest trial that has been presented to us I just have kept the faith and the hope that the Lord will take care of us. I believe that we are often tested to see how we will respond to the test. Will we falter and lose our footing or will we hold fast and find higher ground? I then opened my scriptures to D&C 18:17 & 19 and read

"Behold, you have my gospel before you, and my rock, and my salvation."
"And if you have not faith, hope, and charity, you can do nothing."

May the New Year before us bring us hope of the things to come, that we might know that through Jesus Christ we have all the hope we could ever need.

Happy Sunday

Christmas 2008

Well this year we had a wonderful Christmas! Our children were kind enough to sleep in until 7 before coming to wake us up!! Then we all headed to the living room to see what Santa brought and my kids must have had more good days than bad because Santa was good to them! Lexi got her disired Ipod shuffle in pink, Grace recieved her new bike and James is a the proud owner of a tonka truck push/ride thing.

I decided this year to do something homemade for everyone in the house so the sewing machine stayed warm with 9 blankets & 2 aprons in just 3 days!! I made two blankets for each child, one for Jimmy, my Dad and Em then I made my Mom and Lexi an Apron. With the budget being low and the wish to give of my time and from my heart I figured it was a good way to go.

Jimmy got creative and filled a mini-accordian file with index cards turned coupons! Each one gives me something fun, like a massage or laundry service from sorting to putting away, an itunes gift card, a girls night out, and my favorite, I get to revoke some of his game time (Jimmy enjoys a computer game)!!! He has really been working hard on his romantic side so I wanted to report his latest efforts to all those that gave such great ideas and suggestions to my "Romeo, Romeo?" post!

So after a lovely breakfast (Thanks Mom) we played for a bit and then packed up and headed to Cedar City, Utah. I think we hit a hurricane on our way up with 50mph winds, sleet, rain, snow and icy roads to boot!! I did most of the driving since my husband so kindly announced as he drove down the freeway that he wasn't able to see the road in the dark! We promptly pulled over and I took the weel. It was a slow drive but we made it to our awesome hotel, it was a great gift from my friend Mari, she hooked us up at the Holiday Inn for not too much doe and it was perfect!!

The next day we got all dressed in snow appropriate attire and found a hill (thanks again Mari) and spent quite some time enjoying some wind in our faces as we sped down on our new sled! It was the first for the girls and Grace was not gonna waste it, she aimed at every jump she could while Lexi needed a little push the first few times down! James even got a few rides with Daddy and I felt like a kid again as I took my fair share of trips down the embankment! Then there was some pizza and some blizzards and some time just enjoying each other. I even got some time in the gym alone!! It was great! A much needed boost to our spirits after a tough few weeks! We got home today so now I have to post some pics oh and the one with me and the kids in our pj's is because we were all wearing sock monkey pj's :)!!

Oh yeah and Jimmy and Grace held up a few stores while we were there, thus the need for the ski mask!! :)

James 11 Months

Well not only is tonight Christmas Eve but my baby boy is 11 months old!! He is such a good boy! Some quick stats

1. 20lbs 5oz(25%, which is very different for me, my girls were never on the small side)
2. 7 teeth (number 8 is peeking)
3. 27 1/2 inches tall
4. He can stand on his own but still prefers crawling to trying to walk
5. James has the greatest smile that melts my heart!
6 He loves his Grandma and Grandpa & Aunt Emily
7. He waves at everyone and everything, birds, mail man, the bus driver
8. He does not like cheerios but he loves just about any other food we put in front of him
9. I gave him a little tiny trim but not enough to save it or anything.
10. HE LOVES MUSIC!! Especially opera or great vocals!!

Merry Christmas!!

This is the morning after our big snow! I love that it stayed around for a little while!

Sunday Scripture & Christmas Sunday Pic

(my shot of the chocolate fountain)

So today in Gospel Doctrine (the little that I managed to listen to due to a tired baby) they were discussing the books of Ether and Moroni and I came in about chapter 3 of Moroni as they were discussing the Sacrament prayers and then moved to Chapter 5, 6 & 7. This part of the scriptures talks about how those that were and are believers in Christ will know about the difference between good and evil.

In Moroni 7:3 it says "Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven."

The teacher then asked what the phrase "peaceable followers of Christ" means and I loved the answers that came, one said "Not forced" one said "Without constant questioning" another said "able to provide peace" my initial thought was those that follow Christ and thus have peace in knowing truth. We discussed how now a days so many people are fearful, fearful of how the world seems to be turning, fearful of what is to come, fearful of the unknown and that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints should not be fearful for we know that everything will be OK.

I remember growing up and hearing that as the Latter Days come that things that are evil will look good and things that are good will look evil and I was always confused by that. I thought "How could that be, how could people see evil for good" and now more than ever I see the evidence of that. I have seen the Church be attacked for standing for our beliefs and as the media twists and turns everything it touches the world seems to be more and more confused. The line between right and wrong is being blurred and people who never thought they would be found in their weaknesses, have.

(Not mine, I wish)

We then read Moroni 7:11-12 which says "For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water, neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil.
Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually."

I love this scripture because it is a reminder to me to stay strong in my faith so that I will know the difference between right and wrong and be blessed to stand strong in a world of ever fading morals and scrutinty. All of Chapter 7 is great and I highly recommend taking a moment to read it and if you do I would love to hear all of your thoughts on it! I love the gospel and the people within because everyone has a different perspective and they seem to add to mine and not detract.

(Mine)

Flashback Friday! Old School!!

So with it being very close to Christmas we have been discussing Christmas's past and when I came across these pictures from High School I decided that I had to share! In High School I was part of an amazing group called Expressions and during the Christmas season we had a ton of performances, 50 in 21 days or something crazy like that! I think we all got sick at one point or another, we spent days out of school performing for office parties, the elderly and sometimes just caroling through Hotels. At the time after singing some of those songs over and over and over I thought I would never want to hear them again but quite the opposite, instead I am excited to hear them because it reminds me of one of the most amazing times of my life! I still remain good friends with quite a few of these AWESOME people! Isn't that the true gift of the season is our family and friends! For our family this year it has been made ever more apparant what the true meaning of Christmas is, we are together, we have a roof over our heads (Thanks Mom & Dad) we have full bellies (some too full, butt shh don't tell me, I consider it my "in-house" food storage) we have our health and anything else is a bonus!! Love to you all and thanks for being so good to us!!!


Oh and Liz in full disclosure c'mon look at my Christmas Sweater!! Would someone trying to hide anything post that!!? :) Love ya

Thanks & A Winter Wonderland!

I really want to thank all of you that left such great comments on my last post! I must tell you that the prayers and or thoughts that were on our behalf have been extremely uplifting! I have felt them for sure and I know that Jimmy has too! If you wouldn't mind continuing to keep us in your prayers that would be wonderful as everything can help at this point! We love and appreciate our friends so much, we feel blessed!

Today for the first time that I remember in the time that I have lived here (since 1985) we had a SUPER snow day! We woke up and there was snow on all the mountains surrounding the valley so I took the girls and went for a quick ride to get some pictures. Then this afternoon as the white spread across the sky and the snow began to fall and fall and fall and fall! I think it is still falling now as I am typing! Well Sarah and I decided to get some shots of the snow on the temple so I got some of that also! I posted several on my photo blog but here is a sneak peak!

".....and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

This night I have a heavy heart, my sweet husband called with the news this afternoon that he no longer has a job. While the thoughts of what and how and where are all there, most of my focus is on Jimmy and how this turn of events is effecting him and his spirit. He is a good man who has always wanted nothing more than to provide for his family and here he finds himself powerless. We know the Lord is watching over us and that whatever is to come will be ok. We have each other and there is nothing more important than that. I love him and pray that for his sake the Lord might take this burden sooner than later from his shoulders but we trust in our Heavenly Father that His will be done.



Matthew 11:28
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

6 Years of Wedded Bliss!!

Well today is our 6th Wedding Anniversary! It feels like it should be longer because we have known each other for 21 years and because at times being married to me is like being drug behind a car by a neck tie (Poor Jimmy)!! Anyway I thought I would list the top 6 reasons I married Jimmy and the top 6 reasons I am still married to Jimmy!

Then
6. He asked me
5. He offered to move to Vegas from Colorado to make it easier on Lexi
4. He was smart (still is)
3. He loved my Lexi
2. He was kind
1. He loved me!

Now
6. He is tall and can reach stuff that I can't
5. He helps me with laundry and cleaning
4. He has given me my precious babies and loves them!!
3. He works so hard for our family
2. He makes me belly laugh and I love his laugh
1. He loves me more than I thought anyone could and his sweet smile!!



"Sunday Scripture" will return next week due to Anniversary Post!

Romeo, Romeo!?

The other day I was having a discussion with a friend and we were talking about men, and I commented on how I think there are two types of men in the world. Now this is generally, I know that there are always exceptions to the rules but stay with me on this for a minute!

Type 1
The kind of guy that is great at doing "ROMANTIC" things.

Type 2
The kind of guy that seems to lack that "ROMANTIC" gene.

"Romantic" is in parenthesis's because romance is subjective and there are different levels and types of romantic gestures but for the purpose of this post I am talking about the Love letter writing, flower bringing, sensitive, creative in all things "Hollywood" romance type.

Now my husband brings romance by doing very helpful things like,laundry, and cleaning up after dinner or helping with the kids. He is so good at those things and I am very grateful for that. On the other hand the whole rose peddles in a warm bath or writing a love song is kind of out of his element. He does know that it is not one of his strong points though and he recently asked me how he can learn to know about that stuff. I told him the only answer I could think of "Google it."

So what type are you married to and what are some ideas that can get Jimmy's juices flowing in that department? He promised to read the suggestions and try some and then we will give you an update on how it goes!

Couldn't Help Myself!

This morning I was able to do family pictures for my very good friends John & Marissa and my future daughter-in-law Sarah! I just loved this one and had to share!!

 

Oh my gosh!

Oh my GOSH I saw this and couldn't stop laughing and yet I wanted to cry at the same time!!! Poor thing!!

Best Man Ruins Wedding - watch more funny videos

30? Not Me!!!

Well last night I was asked by someone working a survey how old I am and it was like my mouth couldn't form the word, I stumbled over it, it sounded like "Thir thir thir, twenty-nine?" but I think the question behind it gave me away. I don't think I ever thought I would be 30, I mean that was something for my parents or the girls that baby sat me, but not me. There is something about 30 that screams adult, as in if you mess up when you are in your 30's there is more of "You should have known better" but if you are in your 20's people are like "Well you were young and.....". So here it is 30, do I feel 30 (however that is supposed to feel)? No, I still think of my self as being young and vibrant and silly!! Now, I know some will say 30 is young and compared to 70, it is, but this is my blog and if I want to say that it is time for my husband to make sure that all is in order for my funeral, then I can. I mean the next step is Social Security checks and Depends, it is a slippery slope into old age, one day you wake up and the first thing you have to do is put your teeth in. In all seriousness though, 30 is that age for me that brings mortality close because me getting older means my parents are getting older and the thought of me getting to an age when they won't be around is more than I can contemplate. I know they aren't walking with canes, in fact my parents are in better shape than I am, but after losing my Aunt this past summer and watching my cousins mourn their Mom it became too real that one day that could be me if the 2nd Coming doesn't come first.

I remember when I was really little thinking there was no way I would live to see 80 because for sure Christ would come again and I would be "Twinkled" or something painless like that. Here I am 30 and there isn't a thing I can do about it.



The UP SIDE

Since I presented all the ways that make 30 tough for me I thought I would also present the positive side.

I like being 30 because I feel more me, and I am OK with that. I tend to care less about what others think, I like what I like and so what. I am grateful to be done with the brain dead stage and being able to say "Well, I was young and dumb" or "Back in the day, we were so much more respectful to adults than teenagers today" or "I remember when the price of Gas was .99 cents" (It was the summer I graduated). Finally I love that being the third born in my family is paying off because no matter how old I get my sisters will be older!! :)

I am excited for what my 30's will bring!

I will have a child that will be old enough to baby sit in just two short years!!

I look forward to being my physical best, I look at my friends that have reached this before me and they look more amazing now than ever before. So my goal is to get my booty back into shape!!!

I love all the new interests that appeal to my creative side, sewing, cooking, things that add to my domestic self.

I look forward to adding to our family (Not now but sometime in my 30's)

I feel that I am much more mellow than when I was 18, 22, 24, 26 OK so last week but still more mellow. :) No I really am much more mellow, I was quite the fire cracker as a young whipper snapper.

Anyway there are lots of things that are great that are ahead for me and I can't wait, OK well I can wait but I am excited none the less!! GO 30??!!

The Evans & Biglers

Recently I have done some family pictures and it is always fun! I love seeing how unique each family is and watching the adults try to tame their children or get them to smile!! I hope I am not ruining their Christmas pictures but I wanted to post a picture from each family and then there are more on my photography blog!! To the Evans and Biglers I really enjoyed my days with you, thanks for letting me capture a moment in time for you families!!

Sunday Scripture

So the scripture for today is my favorite scripture of all time! It needs a background story though to explain why. When I was about 14 I went to see John Bytheway, he was speaking for a youth morning side and I was going with my friend Marissa. Now this was pre-married John and he talked about dating and things that girls should do to keep them selves pure while dating and he gave the following advice. He told us girls to either have it memorized or bring our scriptures along with us on our dates and if the boy leans in to kiss or hug on us we should whip out this scripture and read it loud!

Mosiah 13:3

"Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time."

Now I have thought back on this scripture many times and it has helped me in more than one instance. It was easy for me to remember this scripture and the way it was presented made it stick out in my mind. I used it more than once while serving in the Young Women's presidency and Lexi already knows all about it! I would love to hear some of your favorite scriptures and why. I am all about marking my scriptures up.

To find more great things from John Bytheway go here

Changing My Name!

"Mom, she took my paper!"
"Mom, will you get me Colla (chocolate) milk?"
"Mom, can I call a friend?"
"Mom, she hit me!"
"Mom, can I have ice cream?"
"Mom, do I have to clean my room?"
"Mom, she ate my eraser!"
"Mom, Sissy won't help me get my shoes on!"
"Mom, can I please have ice cream?"
"Mom, she spit at me!"
"Mom, why can't I call a friend?"
"Mom, you are so mean!"
"Mom, GET ME COLLA MILK!!"
"Mom, I want a show!"
"Mom, when can I call a friend?"
"Mom, can I sleep in your bed?"
"Mom, please please please can I have ice cream?"
"Mom, can I just walk over to their house then?"
"Mom, she is gonna punch me!"
"Mom, your not my friend anymore!"
"Mom, GET ME A SHOW!"
"MOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!"
"MOM!!!!!"
"MOM!!!!!!!!!"

"Mommy..........I love you."

On second thought I kinda like the sound of it, maybe I will keep it.

Flashback Friday In A Flash!

Well this is a quick one because I am limited on time but I found that amazing picture of Mary, OK OK I know I can't fool you guys it's not really Mary, although I know she was young when she had baby Jesus but perhaps not that young and probably wasn't in a house, and there were most likely not any cameras around but anyway this would be me dressed up as Mary. We did this several years in a row and for some reason they always let me be Mary, I think my name helped a bit. The little boy was our friend Brett Boren and we still actually keep in contact with their family to this day. Well with it being December and Christmas fast approaching I thought it was appropriate to post this picture. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season so far and that maybe this year we can all be a little more like a child in remembering the true meaning of Christmas!! Love to you all!!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!

I had to post today because it is a huge day for our Grace!! Today was her first day of Pre-School! We have been working since May to get her into this program and here 7 months later after evaluations and meetings and transfers and shots and registration and bus schedules and more meetings I would do it all over again for this sweet girl that I love so much.

She was so excited as we picked out her backpack and I let her choose anyone she wanted, she chose this one because I tell her that she has cupcakes in her arm pits so I have to check them (I love cupcakes and I love even more to tickle my children).

I have been a bit nervous because Grace has had struggles and I wasn't sure how the children would treat her. You see when we go to the park Grace will bring buckets and shovels and other toys so that the kids will want to play with her. She often gets teased because she can't say some words very clearly and so she uses the toys as a buffer. Well I nearly lost it this morning when she walked onto the play ground two little girls went over and took her hands and they began running around together. Grace saw me behind the fence and came over and asked if I would take her picture with her "new friends"! I managed to keep it together until I got to the car. My sweet baby is growing up and I am so proud of her.

Forgive me for the just woke up look.

Check List!

So this week I have had a mile long list of things to get done or do, and I have been quite excited to have been getting them checked off! I have only a few big things left to do before I will feel the weight off my shoulders totally, at least for a minute anyway.

• Get Grace Immunization Shots- CHECK
  
• Get Grace Registered for school- CHECK
• Get Grace's bus schedual- CHECK
• Have Grace's hair cut- CHECK
  

• Get new outfit for Grace- CHECK
  
• Get my haircut- CHECK
  
• Take Evan's family Pictures- CHECK
  
• Edit Evan's family pictures- CHECK
  
• Go to PTA meeting- CHECK
  
• Finish 1 & a 1/2 aprons for winners
• Get finished aprons and blanket sent to winners- CHECK
  
• Write Christmas Letter
• Design Add for School T-shirt- CHECK
  
• Get Christmas Letters Sent out
• Finish Kids blankets for Christmas-CHECK
• Finish other sewing projects
• Start Training for 1/2 Marathon (or maybe just a mile fun run :) )- CHECK
  
• Get Lexi to Eye Appointment- CHECK
  
• Pick up Lexi's new glasses (Long story will blog later)- CHECK
  
• Get Grace to Eye Appointment- CHECK
  
• Make sure James is fed during all of this!- CHECK
• Help my sister Emily with her school assignment- CHECK
  
• Last but not least BREATHE!!! (Although my Mom has always taught me that breathing is not important, so maybe that can wait)

Sunday Scripture

Well I decided to today that I would attempt a new addition to my posts! Sunday Scripture, I thought it would be a great way for me to remember some of the scriptures that help me. Last night we were fortunate to have the missionaries for dinner. They were your average missionaries by all appearances but the spirit that remained in the house when they left was unlike anytime I remember in the past. They shared a scripture with us before they left from Mosiah (One of my favorite books), it was

Mosiah 24:14

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage: and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God do visit my people in their afflictions."

This particular scripture is in the context of Alma and his people as they are in bondage to the Lamanites. Now the interesting thing is that before they were in bondage to the Lamanites they were doing quite well, they were prospering and building a nice city and being pretty good people. They had wished that Alma would be there King but Alma knew that was not what the Lord wanted so he led them as a High Priest teaching them of the gospel. Well the Lord decided to chasten them and "trieth their patience and their faith" and allowed the Lamanites to surround their city and when Alma and his people realized they were surrounded by this mighty army they prayed to Heavenly Father that their lives would be spared and the Lord did allow their lives to be spared but they were still taken into bondage by the Lamanites but rather than them being bitter and upset for being taken bondage they showed their gratitude to the Lord for sparing their lives by praying. Now while the Lord allowed them to be put into bondage he did ease their burdens and gave them strength to endure them.


I love this because it shows what a loving Heavenly Father we have, He knows enough to test us and try us but while at the same time making them lightened because He loves us. He allows us to make the choice that when we are in rough times to either pray to him for help and guidance or will we choose to lean on our "own understanding".

For me right now and I believe many others these times are very trying, and I know that while I am being tested the Lord has made these burdens lighter through family, friends, visiting teachers, the scriptures and a sweet reminder from an Elder who is on the Lords errand and was led by the spirit to read that scripture to us.

I hope to include more scripture with my blogging, so perhaps we can learn them better together or maybe you can share scripture and stories from your life that would help me.

Happy Sunday

THANKS & GIVING!!

Well as it is officially Thanksgiving I decided that a post giving thanks would be appropriate!! This year seems to be going much faster than anticipated and it also seems that the older I get I find myself saying that EVERY YEAR! I have much to be appreciative for and no where near the words to express it but I will try.

I am blessed and grateful for my Husband and his job, grateful that he has a job in these slow times and blessed that he works so hard for our family. He is good to me and loves me and lifts me up when holding the world up seems too heavy.

Alexis, she is such a great girl. Her heart is pure gold and would defend her entire family to the death if needed! I love watching how doing what's right comes very instinctively for her, I am grateful for that and hope that it will stay with her always!

Grace, aww my Grace, yes that little girl has me totally amazed by her! I am grateful for her humor and her sweet singing. She brings added spice to our family and I am so proud to be her Mom.

James, my little man, he melts my heart with that smile of his. I am grateful for his patience and quiet presence, he brings a great deal of peace to our family. He waited a long time to come to our family and the Lords timing, as always, was impeccable!!


I am grateful for the county we live in, regardless of who might be elected to office (still working through that). We do have so many freedoms and even more men and women who are willing to fight for them.

I am grateful for the gospel and all that it allows me to understand and to know that the things I don't understand can be lived in faith.

I am grateful for all my extended family, Mom, Dad, Janna, Alyssa, Jack, Emily, Chet, Dave, Amy, Carli, Carson, Ethan, (my side) & Bonnie, Mark, Danny, Rachel, Sara, Anna, Will and baby Will (Jimmy's side). Of course there are a million other family members that I feel grateful for as well but that list is really long.

Last but not least I feel so grateful for this blogging world, for those that allow me to know you better and for those that think I am worth their time to read about me and get to know me. I hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day, LOVE TO YOU!!

James 10 Months!!

My little man is 10 months and I can't hardly believe it! Pretty soon his first birthday will be here and the next thing I know it he will be leaving on his mission!! These are just some of the milestones that he is reaching!

He has seven teeth and uses them VERY WELL!!

He pulls himself up to just about everything and has started to climb them!

He loves to wave and clap!

James LOVES music, he will sing to the radio or at church or to any music that speaks to him.

He has begun to help get himself dressed by putting his arms through the arm holes in his shirts.

He mimics all sorts of noises like sneezes and coughing.

James likes to fake cough just to be silly

He is happy most of the time with lots of smiles!

He loves his Daddy to put him to sleep at night.

He seems to be getting closer and closer to walking but finds crawling much faster at this point!

His favorite foods are bananas, apples, green beans, pirates booty, Ritz crackers, rice, or anything that we are eating!

Climbing the stairs or getting into the dog food is on the top of his to do list.

James enjoys the bath, he will use the wash cloth to get a drink by dunking it under the water and then sucking on it to get the water out.

OUTRAGE!!

I am totally OUTRAGED by something I found out today! Let me give the back story first, my sister Janna recently took her son out of public school and has been teaching him from home, their story and reasons are here, well while things for Ethan have been much improved being at home, this week they found out that the Teacher whom had been teaching Ethan was fired, (she was one of the reasons they took Ethan out in the first place) she was fired for HITTING a child in her class, a KINDERGARTNER! While that in it self is outrageous the most horrific thing to me is that after the school fired her, a little known law in Arizona actually makes it legal for a teacher to hit a student, so the school was forced to rehire the teacher and she was actually put back into the same classroom!!!! This just makes me so upset I could spit!! If there are any of you that are now living in the state of Arizona I would hope that there were be a way to write letters to your state leaders asking for change in this law!

As I have discovered in my quest to get Grace in a program we as parents have to be looking out for our children and their education, we can't expect someone else to be the watchdog! WE must be involved in their classrooms and with the school as a whole! For me that has come in the form of serving on the PTA board at Lexi's school so that she can attend a better school and it allows me to know many of the teachers at her school and familiar with the administration. I will do an entire separate blog to talk about our work to get Grace into Pre-School, I guess this to me is a reminder that I can not be complacent and that I must continue to be very involved because it is important.

I am grateful that my sister and brother-in-law followed the promptings to have Ethan taken out of her class and yet sad for those that are still in it!

Happy Birthday Honey

Well you turned the big 30 finally today so now I get to have payback for all the old man jokes you have given me over the past 6 months. You might want to get your glasses to read this..JK. Anyways I am so happy to have you in my life. Although I am not always the nicest person or the most fun to be around I am glad you let me stay by your side. I love you more than anything in this world and would do anything for you and hope you know that. Your happiness is the most important to me. I know I was a slacker and probably should've planned ahead for your party a little more but I did try. But anyways I hope I made up for it with your birthday dinner at the melting pot. I had a lot of fun and we really do need to go out more without our children ;) I hope we have many more wonderful years together and hope you stay by my side. I love you honey bunny HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Love Jimmy

DISCOMBOBULATED!

Totally and utterly a mess! That has been my brain for the last several weeks, maybe months or even years perhaps but for the purpose of this post we will go with a shorter length of time. I have been meaning to blog and wanting to blog and yet my thinker seems to be on vacation or something and was unkind enough to leave my body in the real world.

Here I am with some time to write instead of sew and all I can think about is how I should be sewing since all the children are asleep and Jimmy and I went for a nice long walk. I must say that my new obsession with sewing fills a need to be creative and create, it allows me to relax and think of nothing but the fabric in front of me and listen to the lull of the machine. The aprons for the winners are coming along quite nicely and I am excited for you girls to get them. I am also sewing up some Christmas gifts and a few other projects are in the works as well.

We have done so much and I have yet to scratch the surface of the last few months so I will attempt to list just a few of the happenings with us as a family.

1. We are staying with my parents for now, our move to Colorado seems to be on an extended hold as things have changed with Jimmy's job here and potential job and school there.

2. Jimmy has had successful Daddy/Daughter dates with each of the girls over the last couple weeks.

3. We had a week long visit with my nephew Ethan, it was great to see the cousins get to play and be silly.

4. Grace and James have both had colds and were so sweet to pass it along to Mommy so as I type I have a tissue plugged up my nose to keep it from running.

5. I am so very close to the BIG 30 and thinking I really need to color my hair to cover some of the grays, it has been way too long.

6. Lexi has switched classrooms at school going from Mrs. Wright's class to Ms. Hite's class due to some very disruptive classmates and an undesirable track.

7. Jimmy sat on a Jury for the last week and the best part is knowing that he is safe for a few years.

8. I finally changed the name on my social security card after nearly 6 years of marriage, and let me tell you there are some very interesting people at the social security office, so many friends to choose from!

9. Started a fabric exchange club with two very awesome fellow sew obsessed friends and hoping there is maybe a few others that want to join us!?

10. Mostly I have been trying to revel in the small, yet important steps my children are making

Lexi is becoming more independent by the minute, we chopped her hair off and it's like it aged her a few years.

Grace is on a great sleep routine, going to bed every night at 8 pm sometimes earlier and we are working on getting her into a pre-school offered through the district

James is advancing everyday, he is a sweet and happy boy and he makes my days so fun and full.

AND THE WINNERS ARE.............

The winner of the Quilt is Jamie from Kansas City!!!! Yay I hope you will love it!


Now I ended up picking a few extras to win an Apron cause I was so excited!

The Winners of Aprons are

Jodi from Nebraska

Tanya from Texas

Jessi from Vegas

&

Heather from Virginia!!

The Winners were chosen by random drawing and don't worry for those that didn't win, I had so much fun doing this one that I am planning another one before Christmas so keep a look out!! Thanks for all those that entered it was fun to pull some of you out of the wood works!

Now for those that won an apron send me an Email to marylinkelley@gmail.com to tell me the colors you would like in an apron and your shipping address so I can send them to you.

Jamie send me an email just giving me your address and I will get the quilt to you soon!! :)

Oh and I almost forgot, once you receive your prize take a picture with it and then post it on your blog!!

LAST CALL!

So I will be announcing the winner of the quilt TOMORROW so hurry and get in your comments before midnight tonight!! Ok so if you get it in before I wake up in the morning then it counts too! Good luck and I am so excited!

The Dork In Me!!

I think that deep down we are all part Dork, yes, mine is a little closer to the surface than most but I tend to save it for family and close friends. Now I have small displays of dork isms everyday, you know, like going upstairs to get something and then forgetting so I go back down stairs, remember and then head back up stairs, sometimes repeating the process multiple times before finally doing or getting whatever it was. Well a few weekends ago I had an entire day of them so let me tell you a little bit about it.

Most Saturday Mornings we try to clean as a family so that then we can spend the rest of the day doing something fun, well as Jimmy was vacuuming on the upstairs landing I was carrying things up and down the stairs and on a return trip up the stairs I was almost to the top when I was going a little too fast and I tripped, I tried to catch myself before falling, which didn't work and I ended up at Jimmy's heels in a face plant, he turned around to find me on the floor laughing. I stayed there for a moment and then found my way to my feet again making an attempt to regain some dignity.

Well then later Jimmy had taken Lexi for a Daddy/Daughter date (blog about it later) and it was just Grace and I cleaning out my car (James is sleeping) I decided the outside could also use a good washing. So after soaping it all up and beginning the rinsing process I picked up the hose (with a high pressure nozzle) and pulled back on the handle only to spray myself directly in the face, yes ladies and gentlemen it was backwards in my hand. I stood there somewhat shocked and completely soaked and began to laugh, Grace looks at me and says "Are you kiddin me?" then I look up to see my mother standing there staring at me as I dripped, asking me what had happened as she handed me a towel. I dried myself off and finished the car making sure to hold the hose in the correct position. The rest of the day was filled with lost keys, smashed fingers, you name it, it was a long day of being a Dork!

Getting older has made me much better about laughing in these moments, where in my younger days I would have been so embarrassed I would have cried or hid or both. I try to roll with the punches a bit more, no pun intended. This past General Conference Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke about learning to laugh. He told a story about his daughter who was going on a blind date and when a man showed up to the house they figured it was her date even though he looked a little older than anticipated, well after introducing him to the family they got into the car and just sat there and then finally the daughter got out of the car, returned inside to inform her sister that he was there to pick her up to babysit! That story brought me to a belly laugh, he said that as a family they still laugh about it as they did when it happened and that made me realize that I need to laugh at myself more and not take things so seriously. So here's to all of us that are a in touch with our "DORK"!!

I Just can't Wait!

So I have to blog about some other things but don't worry there is still time to enter the Give Away if you haven't already! I just have so many other things that need to be blogged or they will be forgotten!! Going back a bit we had a GREAT Halloween, there was the usual Ward party and then on Halloween Day we hit the pumpkin patch per Kelley tradition! We were a bit late this year so we missed the pony rides and petting zoo but we still had fun. That night we had originally planned on attending a friends ward party but decided to trick or treat in the Orchards (a neighborhood close by) instead. Well I stayed in the car feeding James and Jimmy took the girls to a few houses then we came back to the house and made some yummy treats and then it was time for bed! It was a great night, I love just being together making memories! The best part for me were the girls costumes, I decided that I would make the costumes this year, in past years I just buy them but I was feeling ambitious and found some fun ideas online so what the heck! Lexi was a "Bad school picture" and Grace was "A fairy God-mother", James well he was the product of a Mom spending all the time on making older sister costumes that I never made it out to buy or make one for him, but he won't remember, right? So here are a few pictures from Halloween 2008!

James was lucky enough to have a pumpkin hat that his Grammy Bonnie made and sent to us! Thanks, he looks so cute in it!! Oh and the yummy treats were an idea I got from my friend Tiffany several months ago and they are a favorite around our house!