Flowers and Frills

The Big Oh-One

2008-07-21T11:56:00.006-06:00

Lacey turned one last Thursday, and of course as tradition dictates, I threw her a kickin' first birthday party. We invited the family over last night for dinner and some cake and ice cream complete with typical birthday festivities. So without further ado, here are the highlights...

The Birthday girl.

I will start with my favorite part. The traditional first birthday cake. This is the same cake pan that my mom used for my first birthday, and the same one I used for Lilia for her first birthday. Call it a family tradition. Mom made this same cake for all of us kids on our birthday, so when I got pregnant with Lil I got online and found the cake pan so I could continue the tradition. It takes me about 1 hour to cook it, 2 hours for it to cool, then about 4 hours to decorate it. All so we can cut it up and eat it in less than 30 minutes.

The cake:

We started the party out with dinner. Nothing special. Just spaghetti, fruit salad, breadsticks, and homemade rootbeer. After everyone ate dinner and the kids spent a decent amount of time playing at the park across the street, we gathered to watch Lacey open gifts. A few pics of her and I opening her gifts:

After presents, we sang to the birthday girl. She LOVED being the center of attention! Just check out that smile:

Then we gave her free reign on her cake. Unlike her sister, who refused to touch her cake, Lacey dug right in!

The damage to to cake. We let her play for a minute then took it away to start the carving of the cake...

We then gave Lacey a cupcake decorated for her by her big sister, and she proceeded to get that cake EVERYWHERE. It was GREAT! And of course a few pictures of the mess she made...

After a while we put a scoop of ice cream down on her tray. Before we could get her a spoon she decided her hands did the trick.

OH! Brain Freeze!

A picture of the happy, and well fed birthday girl:

And here we are, on our way to the tub:

After tub time she got to try out her new Ridin' Fun Car (Grandma and Grandpa W. bought it for her)

She seems to think that THIS is the proper way to ride it...

It was great to get the family together. We have a LOT of family. Including all the step siblings on Joes side, Lil and Lace have 32 aunts and uncle and somewhere around 26 cousins. We had most of them over last night as well as my cousin Ju, and a few neighbors. Lots of fun!

Now for something fun! Here is a picture of me and Lilia at 1 year with our cakes...

Lilia:

and me:

Mom's bad example...

2008-07-16T15:33:00.006-06:00

(This blog was inspired by a very similar situation that can be read about HERE.)

So, lately I find myself in that awfully awkward situation where Lilia chooses to either repeat me, or question me. Sadly, I am not the perfect mom, nor the perfect person, and I DO, on occasion, see the need to blurt out some choice expletives. Granted, they aren't THAT bad. I choose words such as "Crap", "Crap-tastic", or "Crapity Crapum's". There is the good ol, "Idiot!" or "Fudgecicles." Yeah- I know! Half of you are horified that I have such an AWFUL potty mouth, and the other half of you are laughing at my choice of verbage. To which I appologize, to both sides. Now on to the stories:

Every morning our dog alerts us that it is time to go for her morning constitutional by running at top speed from one end of the house (my bedroom) to the other (the front room). Well, about a month ago, that darn dog managed to take a wrong turn and ended up cornered in the girls room. She was moving too fast to stop and was faced with two choices, run into the box under Lil's bed, or JUMP on Lil's bed... WITH the sleeping Lil still in it! What did she choose? Yup- she jumped. This, of course, woke Lilia up. Lil pushed the dog off the bed and said (quite dramatically), "Crap!" Then she rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. I happened to be standing right outside her room and witnessed the whole ordeal. Lacey was there too. She was trying to crawl up my legs, and into my arms. She failed. Miserably. She DID, however, manage to fall over and land on her well padded rump. This, of course, made her start crying (probably in frustration). And that cry caused Lilia to sit BOLT UP RIGHT in bed and yell, "CRAP!" She then flung the covers off and got out of bed. Not the best start to her day, I guess... Joe, of course, thought this whole ordeal was funny. I totally sympathised with poor Lil. I don't like being forced awake either. He also was quick to point the finger from where she learned her new favorite word...

About two weeks ago I was driving along on my way home from Wherever, and found myself at a point in the road where one lane becomes two. At that same point in the road, the speed limit jumps from 55 to 65 mph. I was stuck behind this mega huge truck going about 40. So when the lane opened up, and he chose to move to the right lane, I decided to hit the left lane and ramp myself up to the proper speed! I was ALMOST out of his blind spot when for heaven-knows-why, he chose to move over into the left lane. I had two choices, swerve and hit oncoming traffic, or slam on my breaks and pray the person behind me is far enough back that they don't hit me. I chose the second option. (You can let go of the edge of your seats now, this story has a happy ending) As I slammed the breaks on, I honked my horn and yelled, "Idiot!" (Bet you can't see whats coming here...) Lilia then informed me that she was scared when the truck almost "hitted" us. I told her it scared me a bit too. She then asked, "Momma, whats an E-diot?" (Crap...) "Um, well, an idiot is someone who isn't driving well because they aren't paying attention to the other cars." She says, "Okay" and life goes on as usual. Well... A couple days later I was out driving toward Wherever, and found myself trying to reach a sippy cup (that will hopefully calm the screaming Lacey) while driving. I of course wasn't paying as much attention as I probably should have and realized a little too late that I should have my foot pressing down on the breaks. So I slammed on the breaks, and narrowly avoided the vehicle in front of me. Lil recognized that same lurching feeling of the breaks being slammed on, followed by the rocky feeling of the Antilock breaks kicking in, and said, "Momma, who was the idiot? You or them?" Now how am I supposed to answer that?!

I guess its not the end of the world that Lil has learned certain words from me. I mean, think about it... it could be a WHOLE lot worse. Besides, I truly believe that everyone needs a "go-to" word to help relieve the stress of a situation. And quite frankly, "Crap" just isn't that bad of a word.

And what would this blog be without a pic of my sassy, yet smart Little Monkey (This is one of the three pictures I took on our road trip last month).

All growed up!

2008-07-11T23:03:00.002-06:00

Lacey took her first steps this week! She took me completely by surprise. I had taken the girls to the park for lunch and was dealing with the typical "chase Lacey away from the dirt and bark" game. She has a bad habit of putting bark and dirt clods in her mouth, so everytime she approaches the bark (or dirt) I go pick her up and move her back to the picnic tables and grass. So thats what I did! I picked her up and moved her. And when I go to put her down I set her on her feet. As soon as I let go of her hands she slowly drops to the ground (kinda like she is melting) and crawls off. Well not this time! She stood there for a second, then started walking! She made it five steps before she finally lost her balance and landed on her hands and knees. It was so awesome! And I am glad to say that I have witnesses... there were three other women with their kids at the park, and all of us got the opportunity to witness Lacey's first steps. Joe was very jealous, but he did get her to repeat her performance later that night. I love my baby!

Guilt is an awful tool!

2008-07-11T22:54:00.003-06:00

So, someone sent me this today. And I must say that I like the basic message of it. Even if the story isn't true, which I would bet money is the case, it has a good message, and a good moral. Now here is the tricky part...

I would NEVER send this on to my friends, christian or not, believers or not. Why? Because of the last 2 minutes and 10 seconds of it. I HATE guilt trips. Had it ended at 3:20 I would have passed it on to all my friends, but no, it goes on for another 2 minutes guilting people into feeling bad for sending on jokes, and for not having the "courage" to stand up to those who don't share their beliefs.

So I guess all I really have to say here is that I believe, and I don't care who knows it. But I don't think it takes me sending this on to all my friends to say it. And I don't think anyone who reads this should feel guilted into sending it on to their friends.

If only I knew how to edit these videos, I would cut off the last two minutes and ten seconds and send it on its way back into cyberspace to be passed from one believer to the next...

So sad

2008-07-08T16:38:00.002-06:00

I just got back from a funeral. It was the most emotional funeral I have ever been to. I am pretty sure I cried more today than I did at my own father's funeral. Joe has a cousin who turned 46 late last year, and just after her birthday she got a REALLY BIG surprise. She found out she was pregnant. Her baby at the time was in 8th grade, and their oldest was on a mission. Well, she was way shocked and really had a hard time coming to term with having another baby, but eventually she started getting excited and started buying all new baby stuff. When we saw her at her baby shower she was so excited. They found out it was going to be a girl, and had chosen a name for her.

Well, last week she went in for her last appointment before her induction, they couldn't find the heartbeat. She was tangled in her umbilical cord. They took her right over to the hospital and started her labor, and she gave birth to a beautiful, 5 lb 13 oz baby girl, stillborn. They had the funeral for the baby today. It was so HARD! I was doing well at keeping my emotions in check until the hearse showed up and the Pall Bearers carried this tiny little white casket to the grave site. It was maybe 2 feet long at the most. Marcie (the mom) just broke down, and though she was crying I could see the peace she was feeling. I cried through the whole funeral. Every time I looked at the casket I could picture a tiny little baby. So much smaller than my baby. And then I would think of how devastated I would be if I had lost either of my girls. And that of course got me thinking about how close I have come recently to losing Lil. And how Lacey took so long to breath when she was born... I was a wreck. And I would stop looking at the coffin, and find myself focusing on Marcie, and how hard this has to be for her. She is such a pillar of strength! And I am so sorry that she has to be one... She is so good and so sweet, and she is so obviously hurting. Her husband got up at the end of the funeral and dedicated the grave. It was such a tender moment, and he was so sincere.

Afterwords a line began to form for people to give their condolences for the family. Joe and I waited our turn and though I tried SO HARD to not cry, the second I hugged Marcie we both just broke down. She just whispered, "I wanted her, I wanted her so badly..."

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life that helps to ease the pain of such awful moments as these. I know that Marcie and Chris are sad, but I also know that they are grateful for the pregnancy and the opportunity to bring that spirit a body. I know there is a lot of controversy about when the spirit enters the body, and though I am not sure anyone will ever know in this lifetime for sure, Our whole family believes that this sweet baby had a spirit, and that she served her purpose and has returned to her Heavenly Father.

A few quotes regarding this topic:
The question of whether stillborn children will be resurrected and belong to their parents in the hereafter is really the crux of the matter. This question is, as yet, impossible to answer with certainty. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith wrote that “there is no information given by revelation in regard to the status of stillborn children. However, I will express my personal opinion that we should have hope that these little ones will receive a resurrection and then belong to us.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:280.) He said nothing about miscarried children.

One issue involved is whether an unborn child in the mother’s womb is a living soul. The answer to that question may depend in part on the answer to another question—When does the spirit enter the body? On this second question some Church leaders have made comments. President Brigham Young said he believed that “when the mother feels life come to her infant it is the spirit entering the body.” (Journal of Discourses, 17:143.)

The message “The Origin of Man” issued by the First Presidency in 1909 stated: “The body of man enters upon its career as a tiny germ embryo, which becomes an infant, quickened at a certain stage by the spirit whose tabernacle it is, and the child, after being born, develops into a man.” (James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1970, 4:205.)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, referring to “The Origin of Man,” expressed his opinion that the message “appears to bear out the concept that the eternal spirit enters the body prior to a normal birth, and therefore that stillborn children will be resurrected.” (Mormon Doctrine, 2d ed., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, p. 768.)

The 4th...

2008-07-07T18:27:00.004-06:00

Yeah- this year we were way lax with our plans for the 4th of July. We spent the day doing our grocery shopping (lemme tell ya- Walmart on the 4th is a BAD IDEA). We then had my cousin up and she chose to hang out with us til it came time to go watch the fireworks show at the point of the mountain. When we got back from the fireworks show my cousin spent the night on our couch after her and I found ourselves up chatting til 1 in the morning. :) She stuck around most of Saturday too, and then we went to her place to go swimming. We followed that up with dinner at Spag Fac with my mom and brothers... All in all a very laid back weekend.

A couple pictures of Lilia showing off her super cute self in her super cute suit...

And of course Lacey- the first one is a great shot of her bling bling and her mohawk, and the second is her latest view of the world...

Lace

2008-07-01T08:23:00.004-06:00

So yesterday I noticed that my littlest rascal had some interesting marks on her leg. I should have taken a picture of it then, as it was a WHOLE lot more clear. As is, this morning the marks were nearly gone and I couldn't get the munchkin to hold still. But- what I found was that she had a full on set of teeth marks that looked suspiciously like Lil's mouth size. Upon further investigation it was revealed that Lil had indeed bitten her little sister on the leg. After a proper punishment (including me threatening to bite HER leg) she revealed her reasoning. It seems Lacey was trying to crawl away when Lil was trying to play with her and so Lilia bit her. The logic may not have been perfect but seeing as how she doesn't have MORE bite marks I must assume that after the bite Lacey stayed put.

Another interesting thing my mother and I discovered this last weekend is that my baby has not one nut TWO birthmarks. BOTH on her head. Lacey was born with a stork bite on the back of her neck right at the hair line. I had noticed it when she was about 2 days old, and its just as big now as it was the day she was born. I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. But this second birthmark... its fairly big, about half an inch wide and maybe an inch or two long... not really sure just how big it really is. The reason it took us so long to find it is because its in her HAIR! She has a white patch of hair on her head. Since her hair is so short, we had never noticed it before now! Due to the lack of hair she still struggles with, it was hard to take a picture of. But I sure tried! (Pay no attention to the laundry behind her head. At least its CLEAN laundry, right?!)

I hope you can spot it, though I won't be bummed if you can't seeing as how it took me nearly a year to spot it myself...

My Bad Girl Days...

2008-06-30T09:00:00.003-06:00

I KNOW I promised this story a while back, and though I got a very small response from people interested in hearing the story, who am I to withhold my best story from those that ARE interested just because I didn't get a lot of comments. Maybe I'll get lots of comments AFTER I post it! :)

MY THREE TICKETS:

I was 17 when I finally got my drivers license. Due to my wonderful older sisters and their horrible driving records my mother made it quite clear to me that if I so much as get a SINGLE ticket she would take my license away until I moved out. Needless to say I was a pretty careful driver. SO there was this bridge that connected my hometown to a slightly bigger city, and on either side of the bridge was well, NOTHING. The teeny tiny airport was off on one side but otherwise there was absolutely nothing but a small stream and lots of over grown plants and fields... The speed limit was 45 across the bridge. Most drivers went around 60. It was January 1st, and I had been out running errands for my mom. I had my two younger brothers in one of the back seats of my moms 12 SEATER VAN (We called her Vanna White- as in Van of White...). SO here I am, 5'4" about 95 pounds behind the wheel of a HUGE white van that was probably hanging pretty close to the ground seeing as how I was carrying a load of fire wood in the back. We had removed all but one seat to fit all the wood in. Talk about a kickin' new year, huh? Hauling wood and little brothers all over town. YAY. Well, I hit this bridge going well under the expected 60, but over the posted 45. And though I was not the fastest moving vehicle on the road, I WAS the one that the cop pulled over. When he stopped me he asked me if I knew why I was pulled over. I prolly should have said, No. But I didn't. I said, "I was speeding?" He said, "Yeah. You were going 52 in a 45." And of course in my head I am like, "WHAT? You pulled me over for 7 MPH!? Are ya kidding?!" Then he says, "BUT- thats not really why I pulled you over. Your tags are expired."
"Really, when did they expire?" I ask.
"December."
(In my head, "WHAT!? YESTERDAY?!")
"Oh." I respond.
"License and registration please."

So of course I pull out my license. But for the life of me I can't find any proof that I am insured. I had only had my license for a few weeks, and though I did show proof of my MOM'S insurance, OBVIOUSLY that wasn't enough. So the jerk wrote me three tickets.
1) Speeding (7 MPH over the limit)
2) Expired Tags (BY A DAY!)
3) No (proof of) insurance

I head on my way home, and am trying REALLY HARD not to cry. I just KNOW mom is gonna take my license away. Sure enough, when I got home I grabbed my mail on the way in and what do I find in the box? The new tags and proof that I am insured! This was just too much for me. I break down crying to my mom and tell her my sad story. She just laughed. OF course it wasn't my fault that the tags and insurance weren't updated yet, so she let me keep my license. Even though I did get the speeding ticket, she figured spending ALL DAY in traffic school was punishment enough. UGH! Hope that cop met his quota for January!

MY TWO WARRANTS

Joe and I were married in December of 2000. I was still 19 (for a couple months). When we got back from our honeymoon I went and got a new license with my married name. I had moved from my home state of California to here about 6 months before, but had held off getting a new license cause I knew I was getting married and figured I would wait for that. So thats what I did! I got my license (in UT back in the day, they printed the license up, right on the spot) complete with awful picture and new name. Well, a month or so later Joe and I went to State Farm to get car insurance on our "new" vehicle (Joe's dad gave us one of his cars). While I was at work Joe went to set up the insurance. The State Farm office happened to be located across the street from my work. So, Joe shows up at work, and says. "Um, we can't get insurance yet."
"Why?" I ask.
"Um, because there is a warrant out for your arrest..."
"WHAT?! Why? What for?!"
"They wouldn't say- they just said to call DMV."

So I did! Turns out that when I got my new license they didn't charge me enough for it, and they had sent me the remaining bill in the mail. I never got it. Seems our apartment complex FREQUENTLY doesn't get mail from DMV. When I didn't pay up in time, they put a warrant out for me. Yeah- so I cleared it up and paid over the phone. When I asked how much I owed, they answered, "5 dollars."

!?!?!?!?

About a week later I got a big bundle of mail from back home in CA. When I moved out of my moms house, she started collecting my mail for me and would occasionally put it all in a big envelope and mail it off to me in UT. This was one of those times. I started riffling through all the junk mail when I came across a very official piece of mail that most people DREAD. It was a jury summons. UCK! Luckily, here I was in UT and had a great excuse for not going to jury duty! So I opened it up and thats when I noticed that the summons was 3 MONTHS OLD! I was like, "Awww, CRAP!" So I get on the phone and call the courthouse back in my hometown. I explained that I had moved to UT around 7 months earlier and had just gotten my forwarded mail. The lady I talked to kinda laughed and said, "Its a good thing you called! I'll clear up the warrant for your arrest!"

Poor Joe had no idea he was marrying a wanted woman! :)

(A picture of me about a year after the tickets, but about a year before I got the warrants)

It's been a while!

2008-06-29T07:36:00.004-06:00

Boy how the summer flies by! This last month has been pretty busy for us. I haven't been to church in almost a month, and sadly, today will be no different. Fathers Day was great... I got Joe the game Acquire (its a favorite of his- one of the few he is even kind of interested in owning... he LOVED it!) and a tie with the girls pictures on it. It was so easy to make! I used THIS WEBSITE and just uploaded the pictures I wanted on the tie and VIOLA! Joe loves his tie! I missed church that day cause Lil had thrown up once the night before. Now she does this randomly every now and then... WE are thinking its a food reaction or allergy, but have yet to figure out what is causing it. Anyway- since church is at 9 in the morning, I didn't feel comfortable taking her to church until I KNEW whether she was REALLY sick and throwing up constantly or if it was another isolated incident where she empties her belly and then is fine. Turns out it was the latter. She was totally fine after she threw up. No fever, no yucky tummy ache, nothing. So we decided to go up and visit Grandpa (Joe's Dad) and wish him a Happy Fathers Day. Well, Joe and I really paid the price for that decision. All of his family had gotten together at his Dad's house, and everyone brought desserts to share. And, ANYONE who touched the peach pie got FOOD POISONING two days later! Joe had a full slice, I took a single bite of his pie... And sure enough, we both found ourselves wishing for a quick and painless death come Tuesday.

Now- to add to this, we were supposed to be leaving for vacation Wednesday! Not the best timing for food poisoning to rear its ugly head... We decided that if we felt well enough to NOT throw up or stop at every bathroom along the way we would still make the long drive to CA the next morning. Also, in case it was the flu (which I was CONVINCED it wasn't- ya never forget what food poisoning feels like) we wouldn't leave if either of the girls got sick. Well- Wednesday morning rolls around, and neither of us are interested in ever eating again, but we were holding down crackers and Gatorade just fine. SO- off to California we went! The good thing about traveling with food poisoning is that we saved a TON of money by NOT eating fast food! We packed food for the girls to eat, but neither of us were remotely interested in eating greasy hamburgers. I INSISTED that we stop at Jack In The Box around dinner time (Utah doesn't have Jack In The Box- so very sad!!!), but instead of my usual Sourdough Jack, I got a side salad :S It took us another 3 days before our appetites finally returned. But- at least we weren't nauseated anymore!

We had a ton of fun in CA. We took Lil to San Francisco (I guess we took Lacey too0 but she won't remember it...) She got to see some seals off the piers. She had a waffle cone of strawberry ice cream from Pier 39. We then headed up to Family Reunion to camp on the Russian River near Monte Rio. It was nice weather, and the camp ground was very well shaded. The girls did well in a tent, though Lacey was running a fever every night we were up there. She would be fine during the day, but for whatever reason, she would run a fever while she slept. :S Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it. We gave her Baby Motrin (which I always have on hand) but its not like I could just head on home, seeing as how HOME was 15 hours away... My kids are the queens of one symptom illnesses! She wasn't acting sick, she wasn't even fussy- just feverish at night...

(That first picture was a picture of my family at Reunion back when I was Lacey's age...)

Of course I took my camera on this trip, but didn't take ANY pictures. DOPE! Well, I did take a couple pictures of Lil in San Francisco. I just haven't gotten them out of the camera yet... Lil got to play in the ocean, she got to play in a river full of otters. She got REALLY REALLY dirty playing with my cousins kids... I wish I HAD taken a picture of her covered in dirt that first day- it was impressive! She looked like a raccoon! She had a blast, and was pretty well behaved for the drive too! (Thank goodness for portable DVD players!)

(And THIS second one is my family at Reunion when I was roughly Lil's age...)

Once we got home from the trip things got back to normal fairly quick. Last week I went swimming at my cousins with my two girls. And I learned an unbelievably scary lesson. The inner tubes with a seat sewn in are not necessarily safe. In fact they CAN be more dangerous than not having a floating device at all! Lil flipped over in her inner tube and got stuck under the water. I had Lacey in my arms, so I couldn't get to her very quickly. Luckily Julie managed to get to her and flip her back over. Lil was somewhat traumatized by the whole ordeal. As was I. I know its important for her to go back to the pool. I don't want her to be petrified of water, but at the same time I don't want to take her back! It really had me freaked out. I also know its important for her to talk it out, which I do encourage her to do, but its hard for me to listen to it knowing that me being inattentive for such a short period of time could have killed her! I assumed the inner tube would keep her safe, OBVIOUSLY I was VERY wrong. And I will say this, that inner tube is no longer in existence in this house! I am just very grateful that she is okay. Since the incident, she has mentioned time and again how Julie saved her (thank goodness!) and how Julie is her best friend (mine too!). She is such a great kid, and I am so thankful that I still have her here with me.

So I sit here writing this while missing yet another week of church. :( I currently have sinus issues, a cold, AND possibly pink eye. My eyes don't itch but they are awfully pink and I woke up this morning unable to open them. Yuck. I miss church :(

All in all, this month has been pretty eventful, and next month is shaping up to be pretty busy as well! Including a recipe exchange at my house on Wednesday night... Here's to a busy summer!

(You know- looking back at this post, it seems we have had a decent amount of illness this last month. Here is to hoping for a healthy remainder of the summer!)

Sun SHMUN!

2008-06-10T17:08:00.003-06:00

I have been spending more and more time out in the sun this last few weeks. As the weather has FINALLY warmed up, I have spent a great deal more time outside with my girls. It has been VERY nice to get out of the house. BUT- I have noticed that every time I spend a significant amount of time outside (meaning, more than the time it takes to grab the newspaper and mail) I end up with hives!

I am totally at a loss as to WHY I am covered in hives, but after talking to my mother I have come to some conclusions... It seems my father was photosensitive when he was about my age. Just all of a sudden, he would break out in hives every time he spent too much time out in the sun! The only real difference between my hives and his are that his would go away in a couple hours, and mine don't seem to be leaving. SO- either I recently have become allergic to the sun OR there is something blowing around in the air that I am allergic to. :S Oh JOY! This is gonna be a L-O-N-G Summer if I don't get these hives under control!

When I grow up...

2008-06-10T13:49:00.003-06:00

So what do you do when your child gives up before she even sets a goal? Lilia was watching a show on TV when a commercial came on and asked the viewers what they wanted to be when they grew up! So I posed the question to her again, "Lil! What do you want to be when you grow up?" Her response?

"Hmmm, when I grow up? Well, I wanna be... Um, when I grow up I want to be... Mom, I just want to grow up."

I eventually got her to tell me she wants to be a police man and a daddy when she grows up. SO the question is, which is worse? Not having a plan, or planning on a sex change?

Fathers Day ideas?

2008-06-06T08:56:00.003-06:00

So Fathers Day is approaching. Has anyone ever noticed that our poor husbands and fathers get nowhere NEAR the attention that us moms get? Its kinda not really fair! I mean, Joe is awesome! Much more so than I am! He deserves all kinds of attention! Did you know that Mothers Day is a flag holiday? (They suggest you fly your flags on certain holidays, and though Mothers Day is on that list, Fathers Day ISN'T!!)

Anyway- I am looking to get him an AWESOME Fathers Day gift, but am short on ideas. I already have half a gift for him. Its something I know he has been wanting, but it has been out of print for the last few years. I caught wind that it was becoming available next Saturday so I pre-ordered it and will be getting it here in about a week! BUT- the problem is that what I got him (which will no doubt make his day) cost me a grand total of about 30 bucks. His gift to me was totally amazing, and worth so much more than his gift is costing me. I want to do MORE for him, but don't know what I want... So my plea is that you may be able to help! Any suggestions for good, thoughtful, gifts for guys?

(OH, and the reason for not telling what the gift is on here is that Joe IS aware of this blog, and though he has NEVER checked it out YET, it would be just my luck that he would check it and see this blog before Fathers Day. I will let ya'll know what I bought him AFTER he has gotten it.)

What say you? Any suggestions?

Hmmm...

2008-06-03T08:23:00.002-06:00

Have you ever noticed that most people don't blog about being in a funk? I mean, unless they can put some sort of comical or positive spin on it, or have a point to make (like the post about being a mom) you don't read blogs about people who just aren't having the best of days...

Well that has been me as of late. My baby has been sick, and quite honestly, I am thinking I am dealing more with depression again. Ugh! Never a whole lot of fun where that is concerned. I am finding things bothering me and hurting my feelings easier than they used to. Then again, I have had a fall out with a certain old friend of mine, so maybe that has something to do with it all. All I know is that I am not feeling all that good lately, thus I haven't been doing my normal blogging. Sorry to keep all you loyal readers (all 3 of you!!) in the dark with whats up with me!

So yesterday we went swimming at my best friend and cousin's house. I didn't bring my camera, but she got a few good pictures of Lacey... she even blogged them. Go check it out HERE.

Lil has been a good girl lately. She has been so patient with not being able to go play at the park. It has been hard to tell her she can't go play because her sister was sick, but she took it well and stayed home without too much complaint. The good news is that Lacey is finally over her illness, and so we can spend more time outside again.

Lacey is growing up so fast. I miss the little baby, though I don't miss the separation anxiety! She seems to be outgrowing the need to be with mom constantly. Sunday, when given the choice between coming to me and going to Grandma, she chose Grandma to the sheer amazement of both me AND my mother!

Joe and I are doing well adjusting to his new job. He works pretty awesome hours, and he likes the job and the people. We are in the process of making a lot of changes in our finances... we may be refinancing our house, and we are cutting back on luxuries that we don't really need. We both feel this urgent need to be saving more money and getting our retirement in order. Its nice to finally be in a position where we can focus on it.

Hope everything is good with you all. I LOVE Google Reader! It makes keeping up on all your blogs so much easier! If you don't have it yet, go check it out!

I am such a sucker for these!

2008-05-30T07:59:00.003-06:00

Here's how to play: List 3 joys, 3 of your fears, 3 of your goals, 3 current obsessions/collections and 3 random, surprising facts about yourself. At the end of your post, tag 5 more people.

3 Joys
1. My family is my #1 Joy. I love my family!

2. Mail. Especially non-bill-like-mail. I love getting letter, and e-mails, and voice mail, and so on...

3. Being home with my kids. I love being a stay at home mom. It is so rewarding, and such an amazing opportunity.

3 Fears

1. My latest and greatest fear comes from a very disturbing dream/nightmare. I am scared to death of someone kidnapping my kid(s). I came very close to canceling our family vacation for fear that something would happen to Lilia on the trip...

2. Being alone. Not just left alone in a room or by myself for a few days, but really being alone. I like companionship and knowing that I have someone I can run to or call to just talk or ask questions or advice. I have recently learned to be more particular on who is on my list of people that I can do this with, and it has made me realize how very special my truest friends are. I can't begin to describe the crippling fear I feel at the thought of not having Joe in my life and not having my few close friends to confide in.

3. Death. Its not necessarily the after death part. Its the actual dieing part. That and what leads up to it. I am scared that I will die young and not get to see my grandchildren, I am also scared that I will outlive everyone in my family (meaning cousins, siblings, etc.) but most importantly I am scared of a long drawn out painful death.

3 Goals

1. To finish my MT training. I hate it, but I will continue just so I can prove I am not a total loser. I didn't spend a ridiculous amount of money on a training program just to turn around and drop it cause its not what I expected.

2. To be a more forgiving person. To be able to take a hit and not wish evilness on the person delivering the blow. To be able to turn the other cheek over and over again. I need to get better at this. I don't want to stoop to their level. Basically, I just wanna be more Christlike in this aspect.

3. To teach my children about the Gospel, and help them become spiritual giants. I want them to see me set a good example, and I would love for them to love the scriptures, and to love the Lord, and to love being at church and to feel the spirit and get excited to do temple work.

3 Current Obsessions/Collections.

1. Spring Cleaning.

2. So You Think You Can Dance- I LOVE this show!

3. Joe!

3 Random, Surprising Facts About Myself

1. I like painting rooms. Just not the ceilings...

2. I have an aversion to certain textured foods. I don't like biting into an onion (but I love onion powder), I hate tomatoes (but love ketchup and tomato based sauces and I even like tomato soup), I hate the crunch of bell pepper, and don't like jalapenos, and though I hate all those ingredients, my favorite snack food is chips and salsa... go figure!

3. Scary movies freak me out. Yet I can't seem to get enough of the thrillers. Some of my favorite movies of all time are spooky: The Forgotten, The Good Son, The Secret Window...

Ok, I tag Triscuit, Riah, Morgan W, Steven, and Janna! Ready? Go!

Finally, Joe has an excuse!

2008-05-25T15:54:00.002-06:00

Joe doesn't send me flowers. There is actually a very good reason for it, and I understand completely. He had two really awful experiences with buying me bouquets for our wedding reception and open house, and ever since then he has never been much for getting flowers. "And besides," as he would remind me, "flowers die- I don't want something dead to show how much I love you!" But it turns out there is a lot more behind his reasoning than I thought!

The reality of this job

2008-05-22T15:18:00.003-06:00

I read a blog today written by a good friend of mine. It was such a good blog that I now feel the need to pass it on to the rest of my friends. AnnaMarie is one of the most amazing women I know. She is Superwoman! Anyway, below is her blog, and though it is long it is well worth reading. If you don't feel the need to read the whole thing, just skip down to the BOLD part. Thats the part that really brings this blog home for me!

The reality of this job

About a month ago, my husband and I were out on date night. At that point I was about 7 months pregnant. He started telling me about his friend, a guy that he works with, and a conversation they had.

This friend had recently been teasing Dan about this "unplanned" baby and going to have 4 kids.Well, soon after, he found out his wife was unexpectedly pregnant with baby 4 :)

Fast forward the the conversation he was telling me about...He said he had come home, and his wife (keep in mind she is in the middle of that first trimester, sick and crazy tired stage) had left the house a mess. Things were everywhere. The counters were sticky. His daughter was wearing his sons clothes and it looked like nothing had been done all day. As my husband is telling me this, I know in my mind there have been days like that around here, and I am feeling for his wife. Well, his friend proceeds to tell him how angry he was. He says he got the kids together and spent the next 45 minutes cleaning it all up. By then he was so mad that he left and went for a drive, and wouldn't answer his wife's calls when she tried to reach him. He went on about how he KNOWS a woman should be able to keep an impeccable house at all times, he has a friend whose wife does it. He knows it is possible. It's her job. And on and on and on.

As my husband is telling me this, my blood is literally boiling! I know that whatever he spent those 45 minutes doing with the kids, she had likely done 15 times already that day, and he just so happened to walk in the house at the wrong moment. When you have 3 little kids, your house goes from clean to messy, back to clean, about 50 times throughout a day. His wife had said those same things, and he was just sure she was making excuses, that being a mom is NOT THAT HARD!

It still makes me mad thinking about the whole thing because each day, I find myself in some situation where I think, "Didnt I just do this? Didnt I just clean this up? Didnt I just tell them not to _____?" It's part of being a mom.

I'm totally at the nesting phase, and over the last few days, I have spent hour after hour, reorganizing and cleaning. Yesterday, the tiredness finally hit me after several days in a row of hard, physical work I shouldnt have been doing. I planned to take it a bit easy. I took the kids to Subway so that I wouldnt have to cook. I put them at the table to eat and I laid down for a moment. A few minutes later, Savanah came in and said she dropped her sandwich on the carpet and some mustard got on the floor. I used every cleaner I could think of and it didnt budge. There is now a nice yellow stain on the dining room carpet.

Not 5 minutes later, Mason came in and said he accidentally spilled the entire thing of strawberry milk on the carpet. He tried to clean it up, in his best 8 year old boy way, and I went out to help him out. I was able to get most of the pink out, but still, if you look closely enough, my dining room now also has a huge pink stain, not just a small yellow one.

An hour or so later, I was walking through the living room and stepped in something wet. I asked what the spot was, and the kids said they spilled milk. So I scrubbed that as well (this spot was maybe 2 feet from the others).

And just before bed, I walked into the kitchen and stuck to the floor. What was it this time? Grape soda.

So this morning I get up and Im ready to get back to nesting. I didnt get much done yesterday (I mean, I didnt make much progress since I was treading water all day). I notice first thing that the last spot on the floor still has an off color, so I scub that one again. And the other small ones on the living room floor that I had not known were there. Then I went about my cleaning/organzing/moving furniture madness.

As I am going through some of my piano music to put it away, I pull on one piece of music that is sitting on the piano and it is stuck, melted, if you will, to the piano. Someone has spilled something on my prized piano, not told me, and let the music sit in that wetness. No big deal that the music is now missing the last few measures, but the piano, that one Im not happy about. I have to try and get it off without using a harsh enough cleaner to damage the finish.

While Im doing that, I see there is another dark, large spot on the carpet that wasn't there before, so I let that soak in some cleaner while I figure out the piano issue.

That's it right? Well, I think in the last 24 hours, those are the only real things that happened, in addition to the usual cleaning, picking up, cleaning again, picking up again, washing dishes, cleaning them up etc, that is part of our every day.

I love being a mom and truth be told, I dont even mind the cleaning. Sometimes I enjoy it. It's a great stress reliever for me. I absolutely think that part of my job as a stay at home mom is to keep a clean, organized house for my children and my husband.

But let's be realistic here. It's not as easy it appears. If you come home and it looks exactly the same as it did when you left, it's not because nothing was done, it's because your wife worked hard enough to get it back to where it was in the first place :) The dishes didnt stay clean. Breakfast and lunch didnt clean up themselves. Your children did not maintain themselves all day long, getting themselves dressed, doing their chores without supervision, not getting into any trouble. What you see is not necessarily any reflection of what has actually gotten accomplished that day. While I clean, it's not what I am. What I am is a mother and that entails so much more than being just a housekeeper. The way my children turn out comes down to more than how things looked at 5:30 pm, and those things are not only time consuming, but absolutely imperative in the lives of my children.

Today I hugged.

Today I gave and got kisses.

Today I did someone's hair and painted someone's nails.

Today I read a book.

Today I held a child on my lap.

Today I tickled a giggly toddler.

Today I taught someone how to do something new.

Today I kept my cool when I wanted to scream.

Today I told them "it was okay" when inside I was frustrated.

Today I am taking them somewhere they have never been, to learn about something new.

Today, my children will know that nothing is more important to me than they are. They will know that my favorite hobby in life is being mommy. And they will know I love them when they are good, when they are bad, and when they dont listen to anything I say.

Today I will be a mother and I will be proud of that.

And that's the reality of this job.

And how do YOU feel about this?

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T16:50:00.002-06:00

Joe got me a NICE gift card to a day spa. AND- he DID hide it in a stack of papers in the kitchen. Love him!

It has been a great day. Joe has gone above and beyond to make my it a nice day. And it helps that the girls have been very well behaved today. We went to my MIL's this morning. Just got home, and now we are just relaxing around the house. Good times!

Happenings

2008-05-10T13:35:00.006-06:00

Lacey's Favorite Toy.

Lacey has recently found a favorite toy. She love playing with it. She just LOVES rolling it. She will climb to get to it, and just giggles away while it rolls.

Or should I say UNROLLS.

My kitchen helper.

A few weeks ago I was making rolls for dinner. I had actually triple booked myself that day, and found myself making dinner for my family, another family, and my inlaws who Joe had invited for dinner. SOOOO, I was making A LOT of rolls. I got the first batch to the point of cooking (while batch #2 was in the bread machine, being mixed) and walked away while the oven preheated. I don't remember what exactly I was doing, but whatever it was had me busy with Lacey. While dealing with Lacey I heard Lil making these spitting sounds over and over again... "PBBBTTT. PBBBTT. PBBBTTT..." Thinking nothing of it I went about my business. When the oven beeped to let me know it was preheated I walked into the kitchen and found THIS:

Turns out Lil had poked each and every roll and "deflated them" and accompanied each one with a "PBBTTT!" Darn kid! Yeah- the rest of the rolls I ended up making were rushed, and didn't taste as good as I was hoping. :S

Joe's smart move...

So my awesome possum, better than great husband has had the same exact look for as long as I have known him. With minor changes in the shape of his glasses, everything about him looks the same as when we met. His hair is the biggest factor. He has had this same haircut since high school. Basically, he found something that works for him, and he never ever changes it. Here is a few pictures to show what I mean...

Joe in Highschool (senior picture)

Joe and I about 3 years into marriage

Family shot about 2 years after the last one (you'll notice my hair is changed, but not Joe!)

So, you see, Joe hasn't ever really changed his hair. He just lets it grow a bit, then cuts it short, then it grows out and he cuts it short again... WELL- today, Joe decided to give himself his monthly (or so) hair cut, and he pulled the clippers out. He put the proper guard on, and shaved the top, then changed to a smaller guard and shaved the sides, then he stood up straight, and put his glasses back on to see that he had gotten it all, and noticed a chunk right in front on top that he had missed. So he too the clippers and lopped it off. THEN HE REALIZED HE HAD THE SHORTER GUARD ON FOR THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD... Ah hahahaha! So, the end result was the need to shave his whole head down to like quarter of an inch. I about died when I first saw it, I LOVE it! BUT- its very different for him, and he was pretty annoyed that he had done it in the first place. So, whats the damage?

Oh, and also for those of you in our neighborhood, Joe was worried that you all would think that he shaved his hair off to hide any evidence of aging (gray hair and receding hairline...). So if you see him be sure to ask if the new do is to hide the gray! LOL! I love him!

Lil's Favorite Babydoll.

So I am making dinner and hear Lil talking to her "baby" She is talking about buckling her into the babydoll stroller, and how she is goingto take her baby for a walk. I of course, assume she is referring to her babydoll. I go to check on the girls and see why exactly Lacey is being so quiet, and what do I see?

Yeah- Lacey was her baby. Lilia managed to pick Lacey up and put her in the babydoll stroller and then proceeded to wheel her around the house in it for the next half hour or so. Kids... whada ya gonna do, huh?

My Mother's Day Present

Lilia made me a gift at her preschool for Mothers Day. Only problem was, when she got home she decided she would rather give it to Daddy. :S Yeah. I feel really loved! :) Of course, Joe gets home and Lil gives it to him and says its for him for mothers day. He laughs and opens it. Inside was a flower she had made me as well as a paper they filled out naming my best qualities. I just feel the need to share them with you. (The bold part is Lil's answer)

My mom is special because she makes food for me.

I like it when my mom makes dinner.

My mom can do many things! I think she's best at Basketti and dinner.

My mom has a pretty smile! I like to make her smile by eating dinner.

My mom is as pretty as a princess.

My mom is smart! She even knows ______.

I think my kid is a bit fixated on dinner. What do YOU think? Now to be fair, I have really been struggling to get her to eat dinner lately. AND- if she does eat it really does make me happy... so she is pretty observant. Oh, and incidentally, I had made Spaghetti (basketti) for dinner that night. I rock!

My OTHER Mother's Day Present.

Later that night after the kids were in bed I mentioned to Joe that I really liked my Mother's Day present (I honestly didn't expect Joe to have remembered it, and I wasn't expecting much more than what Lil gave me). Well Joe looked at me and said, "Oh, you cleaned that up and found it did you?" To which my response was, "Huh?" He then said, "What are you talking about?!" And I told him I was talking about the letter from Lil, and what was HE talking about? And his response? "Well, nothing, never mind." :) Unfortunately for Joe, I have recently made a pact with myself not to pry, and not to figure my gifts out before they are given to me. (It worked for Christmas, for the first time since I met Joe he surprised me with a gift!) Well, because the gift is hidden, and can be found by cleaning something up, I have decided I am NOT cleaning until Sunday! Oh, and the reason for the pact is because Joe is terrible at keeping secrets and it is way too easy to work it out of him. In fact, I usually don't even try. He just kinda slips up and gives it away. So I really REALLY am putting forth some great effort to be surprised by gifts.

Oh, and have I ever mentioned that Lil looks SO DARN CUTE with curls?

Want proof?

And yes, she dressed herself with an inside out shirt... Independent kids are great, huh?

Crazy 8's

2008-05-02T13:49:00.004-06:00

8 Things...

8 things I’m passionate about

1. My kids
2. My husband
3. My family
4. My religion
5. My kids getting a good education
6. Family Vacations
7. Naptime (hehehe)
8. The importance of paying tithing

8 Songs I can listen to over and over again and never get sick of

1. If you could Hie to Kolob
2. Tarzan Soundtrack (The Disney cartoon)

3. Mask of Zorro Soundtrack
4. The Way- Fastball
5. Fingertips- TMBG
6. Grace Kelly- Mika
7. Fools Rush In- UB40 (yes- I prefer it over the original Elvis version)
8. Love Shack- B52's

8 books I’ve read

1. Book of Mormon
2. To Kill A Mockingbird- Harper Lee
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3. Receiving Answers to our Prayers- Gene R Cook
4. The BFG- Roald Dahl
5. Righteous Warriors- John Bytheway
6. The Alchemist- Paulo Coelho
7. The Giver- Lois Lowry

8. Standing for Something- Gordon B. Hinckley

8 Things I say often

1. Crap! (At least I assume thats where Lil learned it)
2. I love you.

3. Are ya kidding me? (Thanks, Katie- now I say it too!)
4. Is that how you ask nicely? (Teaching kids manners...)
5. Excuse me?
6. Nigh-night, Snuggle Puppy! (Saying goodnight to Lil)

7. Hiya Monster! (Thats how I greet Lacey)
8. Know what I mean? (I will admit, I say this WAY too often, know what I mean?)

8 Things that attract me to a friend

1. Honesty
2. Common ground
3. A sense of humor
4. They have to like me too... kinda important, that one!
5. Patience... heaven knows you'll need it with me!
6. Someone who really does know what I mean!
7. Never makes me feel like an idiot (at least not on purpose)
8. Someone who lifts me up instead of dragging me down.

8 Random things about me

1. I am left handed
2. I like to eat, eat, eat, apples and bananas... (crap, now that song is stuck in my head)

3. I love playin' the movie quote game... Not sure why, just do.
4. I hate singing alone, and an very self conscious about it... it took me 4 years before I could sing in front of my own husband... and thats just lullabies and the likes..
5. I prefer to sing harmony but only on songs that HAVE a harmony part. I can't STAND it when people make up their own harmony for songs with only a melody.
6. In my family I am the runt. A scrawny 5'4" with towering siblings ranging from 5'7" to 6'4"
7. In Joe's family, I am taller than average. All three of his sisters are shorter than I am. Joe is the tallest sibling at 5'6"
8. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a banker when I grew up. (How boring of a dream was THAT!?) And guess what? I was.

8 Things I want to do before I die

1. Be a grandma
2. Travel. Certain places in particular, but I just wanna go places I have never been before.
3. Have my dream house...
4. Watch my children get married in the temple
5. Watch my husband start a company and make it a success
6. Learn to enjoy cleaning, and exercising

7. Read a good book
8. Charity work

8 Things I’ve learned this past year

1. Life can throw you curve balls, and though it causes change, that change can be a good thing if you work at it enough.
2. Joe and I can work through anything, together.
3. My husband isn't perfect.
4. A difficult child just raises the bar for you to extend your love to. And yet, its still easy to do.
5. Lilia is a wonderful big sister, and a smart smart child.
6. My worst nightmares have nothing to do with me, and everything to do with my children and their welfare... A mothers love can be fierce.
7. Personal revelation is REAL, and can REALLY happen.
8. That I love my family more and more with each passing day.

The 8 People I want to do the 8’s

1. Katie
2. Triscuit
3. Riah
4. Heidi G.
5. Morgan C.
6. Morgan W.
7. Nikola
8. Twins

Ah, the ditz that I am...

2008-04-20T22:16:00.003-06:00

Alrighty- so there is something to be said for my ditzy-ness, and yesterday I topped myself.

Back story: Our sink has been leaking for about 2 weeks now, and the oh so amazing Joe has been too busy to fix it. UNTIL this weekend.

Joe woke up Saturday morning and disassembled our garbage disposal to find the source of the leak. Easy enough- we had a bad gasket. So we leave the disposal unassembled, and head out for our typical grocery shopping once the girls were awake and dressed. We stopped at Lowes on our way home and spent a good hour there looking for a gasket for the garbage disposal. Seriously- we looked FOREVER for this stupid gasket. We finally found it and were on our way home. By now it was approaching lunch time. We stopped at a favorite lunch time drive thru for some food, but Lil insisted she didn't want any- she wanted Mac and cheese at home. So whatever- I will make her some when we get home. Its easy mac, takes all of about 5 minutes to make. Yeah.

So we get home, and while Joe is putting the groceries away I start the easy mac... I dump the noodles in the bowl, get a measuring cup for the water and turn on the sink. Then I notice the sink has a stopper in it, and I think, "funny- I wonder who put that there" and I REMOVE IT. As you may have already guessed, this caused a whole lot of water to run through the garbage disposal and right out into our cupboard under the sink and all over the floor of the kitchen (and my feet). CRAPITY! I then spend the next 10 minutes completely emptying all the stuff from under our sink and drying up all the water on my kitchen floor and cabinet. When I finished I took the wet towels to the laundry, and took the mop outside to wring it out, and put everything back under the sink. I get that done and UGH! My hands are super dirty and totally gross. So what do I do? I turn on the kitchen sink to wash my hands... bet you can't guess what happened...

I can be such a DIP!

A picture of Joe as a baby... Very similar facial expression to the one he gave me when I got the kitchen all wet. AGAIN.

10 Things...

2008-04-16T22:46:00.003-06:00

I saw this idea on a friends blog, and of course, had to do it myself...

10 things about me that you may not already know:

1. I have this truly insane fear of being alone (on every level). I feel more safe with my two young kids at home with me, than I do alone. I know- that makes no sense, but thats me! I am also really afraid that Joe will die first. So. Not. Cool. He is not allowed to die first.

2. I hate cleaning (See last post). I clean because I like how a clean house feels, and I like the spirit in my home when the place is clean, but I do not enjoy the work in any way what-so-ever.

3. I talk with my hands. If you ever want me to shut up (which I am sure is often!), just bind my hands. I start stammering and can't think straight with them being forced to hold still. I know- I am so weird!

4. I have had Post Pardom Depression with both my kids (and still have it). BUT- unless you know me well you would never know it. I have such a peppy personality, usually, that when I am depressed, to most people I would just seem normal!

5. I am allergic to metal. Almost all metal almost anywhere. I have pierced ears and can't wear earrings cause it causes infections within a couple hours. I get a major rash every time I shave my legs, and necklaces and watches leave rashes too. No matter the quality of the metal, if it touches my skin I will get a rash. With one exception. 14 karat gold or higher quality metals are okay on my fingers, as long as the ring is not tight. If the ring fits properly, it will leave a rash too. I even used to get a rash from belt buckles and the back of the button on my jeans...

6. I was born and raised in California. And I don't know how to surf, have been on only enough boats to count on one hand, and I HATE swimming. Whats more- I can't tan worth a darn! I go from white to red than back again...

7. I talk a lot. I know it. You probably know it too, but did you know that I am SUPER self conscious about it? I hate that I talk so much. And I wish I could catch myself doing it and shut myself up, but I don't seem to realize it until its too late.

8. I am way close with my family. Not just my siblings, but my cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. I can honestly name almost all of my second cousins as well as my first cousins once removed, and I frequently eat lunch with my first cousin twice removed(that would mean her grandparents are my great great grandparents...), and her mother (my great grandfather's sister)!

9. I like painting. I think about the time I am done painting all the rooms in my house, I may just start over and work my way back through the house!

10. I have had two warrants out for my arrest in two states at the same time. I also got pulled over once in California and was given three tickets. Yet I have never been in jail and have a perfect driving record. If you REALLY wanna know more, leave me a message and I will blog about it soon... its late and I wanna go to bed! Night all!

A picture of me any my sisters WAY back in the day... I am the little bossy one...

Spring Fever?

2008-04-16T09:03:00.004-06:00

Well, I must be sick. It's decided. I am definitely not in my right mind. " Why?"
You ask? Well, because! I spent all of yesterday deep cleaning my house. I mean literally ALL DAY. And do you know how far I got? Through the kitchen. Yup- just the kitchen. I reorganized my kitchen cabinets, I cleaned the cabinet doors, I went through almost a whole container of Chlorox Disinfectant Wipes. I cleaned the walls, the doors, the oven, microwave, and dishwasher inside and out... I hand scrubbed the floor, but even more intensely, I scrubbed down the baseboards, and I am not just talking around the perimeter of the room, I got down and scrubbed off the baseboards under the cabinets... ewww. I really ought to do that more often. The reason this proves I am sick is that I HATE cleaning. I really do. I try my hardest to keep the floors, counters and other surfaces pretty clean and "baby safe" ( meaning clutter free, wiped down, vacuumed, swept, mopped, etc.) but in general I let Joe do most of the deep cleaning.

Today's to do? All the Laundry and both the bathrooms. Luckily my front room doesn't need cleaning because I had the carpets cleaned late last week which forced me to deep clean that room already. So yeah- bathrooms, bedrooms and the never ending stacks of laundry. I think I caught that pesky spring cleaning bug... Oh how I hate being sick! :S

Me as a baby- Proof that Lacey is my kid- see the resemblance???

Stubborn is a good word for her! Independant is another good one...

2008-04-10T09:02:00.004-06:00

Pam's version:
So last night was our Relief Society Birthday Party. I am on the Enrichment committee, so I helped plan, and decorate for it (amongst other things). Joe was running a bit late getting home last night, so I ended up taking both the girls with me to set up for the party. About 10 minutes after we got to the church Joe showed up to take Lil and Lacey home. It was about 5:45 or so.

Skip forward to the beginning of the party, at 6:30. A neighbor of mine (and Lil's preschool teacher), Tausha, showed up at the party and said, "I saw Lilia walking outside." I respond, "Oh, with Joe?" She said, "No. Just Lil." To which I respond, "Oh! Where was she?" "Across from the church trying to cross the street." I was like, WHAT!?! She then proceeded to tell me how she asked Lil if her mommy knew where she was. Lil's response? "I'm going to see mommy at the turch (that is how she pronounces church)" Tausha then asked, "Did you tell Daddy where you were going?" Lil hesitated to answer so Tausha asked, "Did you forget to tell Daddy?" And Lil replied "yeah..." So Tausha walked her the two blocks home.

Joe's version:
He gets to the church at 5:45 to pick up the kids and Lil doesn't want to leave. She says she wants to stay with momma. So to try and convince Lil that she doesn't want to stay Joe says (very sarcastically) "But you can't stay with momma, this party is for OOOOOLLLLLDDDD Ladies!"
Lilia: "I'm a lady too!"
Joe: "But you aren't an OLD lady you are a YOUNG lady..."
Lil: "No, I am old!"
Joe: "Nope- you are young, you don't want to stay with all the OLD ladies..."

This continues all the way home. Joe finally sits her down to watch a TV show while he finishes giving the dog her summer haircut (something I had started earlier that day). About half an hour later Lil's show ends and he goes to check on her. She isn't in the front room. She isn't in the kitchen. Or her bedroom. Or the garage. She isn't home. The little booger was probably headed toward the church. So he heads for the front door and opens it to find Lil and Tausha approaching the porch. Tausha said, "I asked if she asked Daddy if she could walk to the church." And Lil said, "AND YOU SAID YES, HUH DADDY?"

Poor Joe. I don't blame him. She usually sits quite content in front of the TV for half an hour. She is a very determined kid though. Just the other day she decided she was done playing at the park, and without telling me, she went back inside. I was totally freaking out looking for her in the neighborhood, and I ran inside to call Joe and there was Lil, watching the TV (Which she turned on herself). We had a nice little talk about telling Mom every time we want to go somewhere...

The perfect example of Lil's independence. I accidentally fell asleep a few months ago, and while I was snoozing Lil started a bath for herself. I woke up just in time to stop the water before it ran over the edge!

Pictures

2008-04-03T14:09:00.003-06:00

Lil was very proud of her work of art. Lace was glad to have some of her sisters attention!

The perfect picture of Lacey's favorite way to hold the pacifier...

Lil was trying to do pushups like daddy, so she took her shirt off and this is her proper pushup stance...

Easter dresses. Identical, in different colors...

More of the same, just some darn cute kids being, well... darn cute!

Lil was blowing bubbles on her sisters face. When asked why she was sitting on Lacey she very matter-of-factly said, "So she can't crawl away!"