Growing Up!!

Little man has lost two more teeth. The 2nd being yesterday and the other one last week. Look at how cute he is without those two front teeth. Adorable huh? He has now lost 5 teeth. And I am loving this gummy look.

Conference Weekend

I love General Conference, and I cannot wait for April when we get to hear from our beloved Prophet and other leaders again. I am always sad when Sunday Afternoon session comes. I enjoy every minute of conference. This year was one of the first years we didn't watch it with friends or family at all. It was just our family and it was quiet and nice. There were many talks that stuck out to me. I particularly loved Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk, Good, Better, Best. I gave been contemplating how I am spending my time everyday. Is it good? better? or best? Are there things I can do better? Of course! Last week I had decided to read the Book of Mormon in two months, so about nine pages each day. And I hadn't been doing as great of a job as I would have liked to. I was getting it done but it was feeling more like a burden, I had other things I wanted to do. I quickly realized that I need to change my priorities and that it belongs in the BEST category. And I am going to set aside more time for my personal scripture study and do my best to do the BEST with my time.


I also loved Sister Beck's talk. It helps me to know what I am doing is important. I want to be a Mother that Knows. Being a Mother is the most important thing I can be doing with my time. I have many other things I do with it, but my role as Mom is what really matters and what should always be my first priority. It is nice to hear and to know that being Mom matters more than anything else.


President Hinckley, I seriously love him. I loved hearing him speak about the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of it. When he speaks the Spirit is so strong and bears witness of the truthfulness of what he says there is no doubt that it is true. I know that as I study it more my testimony will grow stronger of it and I will be able to share what I hold dear to my heart.


President Eyring.. is that weird to hear?? That is who Randy had chosen.. he is so smart! I love him humbleness and the sweetness about him. I loved his talk on the importance of journaling the Hand of God in our life. How often His hands our in our life and we fail to recognize it properly. I will try to do better and make notice of this more. When I take time to notice I see it all around me. From when I had shingles and my Mom coming over so willingly and serving me by taking care of my kids and home. To the sweet note I received from a friend that made me feel like I matter. The Lord inspires us to do good, are we always listening and willing to be His Hands?


President Monson.. I love him. He has been my favorite for years. He reminds me of my Late Grandfather, and has since I was a small child. There is something about him that just draws me to him. I loved the talk about his friend who died in World War II and how he shared the story and this boys mother was listening to General Conference. You never know when or how your life will make a difference to someone else.

Conference was uplifting and wonderful. I always enjoy it and look forward to it. I can't wait for the November Ensign so I can indulge myself in all of the great talks and also for April, when I get to hear them again.

Cookies X 6

While eating lunch today I looked at my Craisin bag and saw a recipe for Oatmeal Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies. I thought it sounded great! And since I purchased a cute cookie jar last week while at Kohl's I thought I should fill it with these wonderful morsels of goodness. I decided I should do a double batch so the cookie jar would be nice and full, and I would feel nice and domestic and Super Mommyish... not sure that is a word.. but I am going with it!


I started and things were going well.. until I realized that I had but 2 tablespoons of baking soda in, not the required 2 teaspoons. I figured it would be okay and proceeded to bake a pan. And put another one in the oven. I tasted my first cookie about 3 minutes into cooking the other pan. Holy nasty. Bitter, soda, salty, nasty cookie. It was awful.

I called my Mom.. she suggested adding the recipe again, making it a triple recipe so I figured it was worth the shot. Yeah.. it didn't work. The dough was yucky. I then called the baking extraordinaire Jeni. Love Jeni, she is great. And not only is she a great person she is the BEST cook I know. Seriously wonderful and the person I knew would know what to do with my situation. I called her and explained I what was going on and she assured me this kind of stuff happens.. and then she said I needed to do the recipe 3Xs more to get it to the right amount for the soda. Yes you read that right 3 times more. So my doubled recipe was now going to be 6Xs the original. That is now 2 pounds of butter. Lots of other ingredients and lots of work. I looked at it and thought about chucking it all and going to the store and filling my cookie jar.. but I couldn't. I am a pretty good cook. And I am always up for a challenge so I decided I could do this.

I already had my Kitchen-Aid mixer maxed out to capacity with the dough I had already mixed up. I got out another bowl and my hand mixer and started in. Slowly it started coming together. Little Miss decided it would be good to turn the mixer on while the mixer was sitting up right and send dough everywhere and there was a big mess. Thankfully after I quickly told her to turn it off I realized she just wanted to help and got down gave her a hug and told her it was okay. And promised to let her help when there was something she could do. I should have taken a picture once all of the dough was mixed.. it was a HUGE pile of dough. I am talking massive and overwhelming. But the dough finally tasted really good. I decided I could bake a batch and see how they turned out.. and to my pleasure they tasted good. So I kept going until I had baked 200 cookies and decided I could freeze the rest. Yes I still had lots of cookie dough left over. Probably the amount I was originally wanting.. so next time I decide to make cookies they are already done! Woo hoo!!

We decided that since it was Monday FHE night that we would deliver cookies to friends of ours. And ended up giving away close to 100 cookies tonight. The kids loved it and we now have a perfectly full cookie jar waiting for little hands to reach in and get their yummy treat. My short baking session turned into hours of baking. But the kids learned it is nice to do things for others and that it made them feel good inside. I don't plan on mixing up that many cookies again. I think I will leave that for Mrs. Fields.

You should look!

At my photo blog.. especially if you are a certain someone.
That's all.

The Truth..

I know why I got shingles. At least I am pretty darn sure I do. They say stress brings them on.. who is "they" you ask, the Dr's, People, Google. Let me explain September. September 1st, I had a wedding to shoot alone.. my first one alone. It was a very busy and fun, long day. And then I had the editing that I had to do. And I got it done and back to the people 5 days later.. yes I am crazy. September 6th, bridal portraits. September 7th, 2 weddings. Yes you read that right. Two weddings, one day. Thankfully Misty came and worked with me all. day. long. And then we stayed up going over who is proofing what and got everything organized. September 11th, family photo shoot, Lupus Support Group Meeting I am in charge of that no one came to.. and the I had HFPE to go to. I went and left shortly after, I was tired and just needed to go home. And the rest of that week I was editing, being Mom, volunteering at Little Man's school, trying to keep up on the house, laundry, cooking, driving kids in the carpool and going every which a way non-stop, and busting my Butt to get the Lupus Walk off of the ground. Friday, the 14th came and I felt something weird on my back but decided to ignore it. Saturday came the 15th and they itched more. I went to my walk had the event go off successfully, came home and showed Randy my bumps. He made me go to the Dr and I was diagnosed with Shingles. I wanted to believe it wasn't really stressed related. But seriously, that much in 15 short days it will give anyone shingles. And I am doing the walk again next year, but not with 5 shoots within two weeks of it. That was insane. That is the truth as to why I ended up with shingles.. I love to be crazy busy. It keeps things exciting. Evidently my body doesn't want me that busy or stressed again.

What's your personality?

I saw this on Kim's Blog, so I joined in. This is what I have tested as everytime I have taken any sort of test. When I was in college and met with a counselor for what to be when I "grow up" they had me do a test and I am an ENFP through and through. So no suprise. And I think it fits me pretty well in some aspects. Others.. not as much lol! Join in and let me know what you are!

You Are An ENFP

The Inspirer You love being around people, and you are deeply committed to your friends.You are also unconventional, irreverent, and unimpressed by authority and rules.Incredibly perceptive, you can usually sense if someone has hidden motives.You use lots of colorful language and expressions. You're quite the storyteller! In love, you are quite the charmer. And you are definitely willing to risk your heart.You often don't follow through with your flirting or professed feelings. And you do break a lot of hearts. At work, you are driven but not a workaholic. You just always seem to enjoy what you do.You would make an excellent entrepreneur, politician, or journalist. How you see yourself: compassionate, unselfish, and understanding When other people don't get you, they see you as: gushy, emotional, and unfocused

What's" Your Personality Type?

Monkey Bar Star!

Little Man is growing up. Faster, and faster. He is learning how to do new things. He is always excited when he accomplishes new things and is racing to tell us about his newest feat. He recently mastered the Monkey Bars while I was out of commission, so Randy being the great Dad captured the moment. Little Man has been wanting to do Monkey Bars since we bought our first swing set over two years ago. He is pleased with his new found ability. I loved Monkey Bars when I was a kid so it is fun to see my kids enjoy things I loved just as much. Good job Little Man!

Woman to Woman: Facing your parenting fears

Woman to Woman: Facing your parenting fears

I remember when I first found out I was pregnant with Little Man, I was ecstatic! Seriously ecstatic. I was going to be a Mom, life was going to be perfect. Then I thought about it more, analyzed it, and I realized I knew nothing. I didn't like to change diapers. I didn't love everyone elses kids. They thought of changing a diaper had me gagging and ready to throw up at any moment. What was I doing? And then there was the whole getting the baby out of me. Holy scary!

He came out and things went quite smoothly. And then in the wee hours of the morning I got to change my first diaper of my son. I took off his diaper, and he peed, and pooped the yucky black meconium. He peed and it hit him in his face, it was a mess. I paged a nurse since I needed new clothes for him and new bedding. I was afraid to tell them he peed in his face because I thought they would tell me what a bad Mom I was. But they asked and I sheepishly told them yes, and they laughed and said oh the joys of a boy! She reassured me things were okay and it was just fine.

I haven't had a lot of fears with raising my kids, besides them growing up in such a wicked world. I want to raise righteous children who love the Lord, who are hard workers, and kind. I pray that I am doing enough to help them and teach them.

My biggest fear I have had with my kids involves what other people say about me as a Mother, and about my children. When I hear things that are hurtful and mean said about my parenting, or about my children I fear that somehow it might be true, or will be. And I fight that much harder to keep it from ever being true. But the words haunt me. My biggest fear as a Mother is that they might be true and I don't know it. It crushes me when I hear things said about me or my children. It makes me whole body hurt. And I wonder why things that are hurtful would be said if there wasn't truth. But Randy is great to remind me it isn't true and I am a good mother, and my children are wonderful children of mine. Children who are very much like their Mother and Father. Children who make me laugh, who help me to remember the days when I was little. Children who make me feel complete, and who I would never change, and I love the way they are. The are perfect.

Leave a comment, and join in on the fun! Go to Lei and Morning Glory and leave your link!

Drug Free and Proud to Be!

Today is my first day not on pain pills. I am so glad to be "here" again and not feeling half crazy. I seriously hate the feeling of being out of it, and I have no idea why anyone would EVER do that for fun. YUCK! My shingles are scabbing up nicely. The pain is dulling significantly. I took a couple of Advil today and it kept things at bay. Little Man came home today and said, "Are you better or still sick." I said, "Better!" He got excited and said, "I knew it! You are better, that's great Mom!" Always nice when they are enthused that Mom is back to the land of the living.

So a couple of thank yous. To all of my wonderful friends who called to check in and offered to run errands and help out. Thanks! It made my day to feel so loved. Sorry for the groggy drugged state and anything I might have said that was inappropriate. The filter was OFF. Thanks Randy for being so great and picking up what I wasn't able to do. For being so kind and just your wonderful, awesome self! Seriously it was a great relief to not have to worry about everything. And thanks to my Mom, who is the BEST MOM EVER!!!!! Seriously, even Randy agrees! She came over and cleaned, did laundry, took care of Little Miss, took care of me, and was just wonderful! It is nice to feel loved, and to feel so important.

This week I am laying low.. getting all I need to get done, and just making sure my body is whole and rested. Then next week life will go into full swing and all the craziness I thrive on will be back!

I'm Here..

Alive.. but drugged. Here is my update.
Valtrex- Seems to be working. The shingles look better. It does however upset my stomach, and it is now making me puke. Yippee!
Pain Meds- Working great. They are keeping me nice and tired. In a weird drugged state (which I absolutely hate.. why would anyone want to feel like this on purpose.?? YUCK!) My filter is turned off when I am on them.. so I will keep this short.
Shingles- They hurt. A lot more than I thought they would. They itch too. But I think they are getting better.
Thankfully I have an awesome Mommy who has been helping out.. and a great husband who is encouraging my resting so I am better sooner rather than later.
And.. I learned some new photoshop stuff. I dreamed about it all night. It was weird.
That's all.

A Walker, Dentures, Blue Hair..

And I would be complete. I am feeling old. Really old. What would make me feel so old? Saturday afternoon, after my wonderful Lupus Walk, I went to the Doctor. I had found these weird spots on my back. When Randy looked at them he informed me I was going to the Dr. After waiting for 1 hour to see the Dr, I was diagnosed with Shingles. I wasn't sure what to do, so I said All I need is blue hair, a walker and dentures and I am set. And I started laughing. We had to go through a process of figuring out what to give me and how to adjust my other medicines, but I ended up with Valtrex. I was like ummm.. I have seen the commercials for that drug.. it is for herpes.. those other kind of herpes. I don't have herpes. I learned that Shingles is a form of herpes, so are Chicken Pox. Home I went with my Valtrex. And then I informed my friends that I was going to be home for a while since I was now 80.

Today I called my Rheumy to follow up with him and he said I needed some pain pills. This hurts.. more than I ever thought it would. My Mom and I go to pick up my meds and I get this bottle and I was like this is huge for pain meds. Normally when you get pain meds you get 20-30 pills tops. When I looked at the bottle I started laughing. It is one of the largest prescription bottles I have seen. Guess how many pills I got? 120. Evidently this is supposed to hurt a lot.. and for a while. Sounds like fun huh? I am really hoping to not need them that long. I despise the drugged feeling. But I do enjoy being able to sleep. And Randy will like me having sound sleep and not trying to smother him in my sleep. Evidently I couldn't get comfy and I put my pillow over his face the other night and he woke up gasping for air. Oops!

For the next little bit it looks like I am going to be hanging out at home. Hopefully these blasted things will go away quickly. But if not.. I will enjoy the week of rest after my last two crazy weeks. Enjoy the down time and the chance to catch up on some much needed rest.

Success!!

It has been a long day. A very long day. It started before the sun was even up. It has been a great day though.

I needed to leave by 6:30AM to get everything accomplished today for the Lupus Walk. Thankfully Allison was more than willing to accompany me and we headed off to get Ice and Bagels and go start the set up . I was anxious and praying that there would be more than 20 people there. We were there before Kathy and Bob got there, so we arranged tables, unloaded food, put water on ice, and anything else we could come up with. Bob and Kathy arrived and we got started on more things.. wonderful signs Allison made! Thank you very much. Laying more stuff out and just getting all of the final details readay. My parents arrived and my Dad and I positioned our main sign and managed to get it to hold still despite all the wind. Thank you water bottles!

People slowly arrived at 8:45 and from then on. And then a group came from Target. And they said more were coming. I figured they would have 10-15 people, but I was wrong. They had 80 people sign up. Not all of them came but they had at least 50 people. It was amazing. And I am incredibly grateful that they would give of their time and come support our cause!

We had a great DJ, Big B from one of my favorite radio stations. He did great! He was enthused and was a wonderful support and did a great job promoting our walk. He even let me be on the radio a few times! What's not to love about that?

We ended up with 93 people who walked our walk.. a few people didn't walk so I think we had 100 there. Which I am thrilled about. For our first walk, our first event here, that is a true success. Our raffle was great! We had wonderful prizes and I don't think I could have asked for things to go better. We had fun! We earned money for the Lupus Foundation! And we helped to Raise Awareness about a Not-So-Fun Disease. I am proud of the community. Proud of my wonderful friends who came, Tiff, Marianne, Jen, Carrie, Allison, Jenni and many more! Proud of my family and their efforts! Thankful to my family and friends for their great support and willingness to be there! I am looking forward to next year and to having an even bigger success! We can help to find a cure, find new drugs and raise awarness as to what Lupus really is. Thank you to all who donated.

I had to pick her up.. being 10 inches tall it was just too tempting! We had to get more pictures this year to go with last years and all of our other pics of us together. I didn't get pics with my kids or other friends and family.. oops! It was busy!

Lupus Walk Tomorrow!

I am so excited that the Walk is tomorrow! This has been a busy stressful time, but it has all come together. If you haven't donated and would like to please click here. I am excited about the great prizes we have and I am optimistic that we will have a great turn out. I have had great friends and family who have supported me throughout this. Thank you to each of you! I cannot wait to tell all of the details from our success tomorrow. Each dollar donated is so greatly appreciated. It all helps towards finding new medicines for Lupus, and hopefully one day a cure. I am so grateful to each of you who have donated, you have no idea how much I truly appreciate it. Thank you! Have a great day! And I hope to see a few of you there!

Do you Remember?

September 11, 2001.. It started out like a normal day for me. I got up and got ready for work. I was leaving our condo.. going over a speed bump and waving at an elderly guy in our complex and I heard on the radio a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. It was about 6:15 AM here. I thought it was weird but I pictured a little tiny plane, (two seater size). Not a BIG commercial plane. I drove to the lab, where I worked not thinking much about it. Strange things happen. I was six months pregnant with Little Man and he was very active that morning. I got into work and we turned the radio on like always and there was more on.. It wasn't just a small airplane, it was a big one. It wasn't anything like I had originally though it was. And then another plane had hit the other tower. I still didn't grasp the magnitude of it.

That day we were glued to the radio listening to every detail, and asking patients as they came in if they had heard anything knew. We couldn't believe that something like this had happened. That terrorists were so boldly attacking our home.. the land that we loved. I heard about the Pentagon and the flight in Pennsylvania. It shocked me. It terrified me. How could something like this happen. I was off work shortly after 2:00 and I drove to my parents and talked to them. The Mall was closed, schools were closed, people were home watching the TV. I watched for the first time video of the towers falling. A horrific image.. I watched in horror thinking this cannot really be happening. Why would anyone do this? So many innocent people dying. I looked at my stomach.. and wondered about bringing a child into a world like this.

That night I had a prenatal water aerobics class.. I went and the teacher asked us how we were doing. It was the first time I had thought about it. Before that I was just numb and shocked.. and slowly the tears came. I realized I was scared. I had no idea what the future would hold. I was floored that people would do such horrible hurtful things. We talked about the fears we had.. and how we wished this was just a bad dream. My heart hurt for the families who had lost their loved ones.

I watched daily as people were slowly found and rescued. Some families rejoiced while others mourned. It was tragic. It was all I could do to not sit and stare at the TV. It was a bad movie that I just couldn't turn off.. I wanted to know each detail, I wanted people to be safe for great miracles to happen. I wanted it to go away.

9/11 forever changed me. It changed how I view our country, and my patriotism. In 2004 I went to New York City with my family. I saw several firemen and police officers. I told one of them thank you for all he did, and my eyes welled up with tears. What so many of them have done is not forgotten it is not in vain. Many sacrificed their lives to try and save others. They are heroes. Whenever I hear the National Anthem tears come to my eyes, and I truly think of what that great song means. I am proud that I am an American. I am proud to live where I can worship God how I want, where I can have Freedom of Speech, where people have fought for my Freedom. I haven't forgotten those who died on that terrible day. Many families mourn their loved ones today. I mourn with them. And I pray that they have peace and know that their loved ones will forever be remembered.

May we never forget. May we always believe. May we unite and be stronger.

Three Weeks and Counting!

I have posted several times that I am chairing up a Lupus Walk, the Mad Hatter Walk and Roll. We are down to three weeks and a couple of days until the walk. I am so excited.. yet feeling scared and overwhelmed. I have put a lot of time and effort into this and I am praying that is the success I have envisioned. I am going to leave this post at the top of my blog until after the walk. I am hoping to raise at least $1000 for the Lupus Foundation. And I am calling out all of my faithful blog readers for help. Pass the word on to everyone you know, or if you would be so kind blog about it with a link back to my page or my First Giving Site where you can donate safe online it is tax deductible and it goes towards a great cause.
So go here, tell everyone about my page, and if you would like join me in my walk, raise money and come walk September 15th with me!

First Day of Preschool!!

Wow, Little Miss is in Preschool. She had her first day today and was absolutely thrilled to go. She could not wait to go to Little Man's old Preschool. She was so excited and just giddy to go. I let her wear part of her new school clothes.. and she is just tickled! So what does this mean for me? It means two days a week I don't have kids with me. It is weird.. it is slightly eerie.. I am not really sure what to think. But I do think that next year, it just might kill me. I am not THAT OLD yet.

The End of Summer!

In honor of my 200th Post on my BLOG I am posting a picture of me in my swimsuit. Yep.. you all get to see me in my swimsuit. Excited? Scared? Nervous? Wondering if I am on crack?

Every summer we swim a lot. And every summer we get pictures of us jumping off of the diving board and doing crazy things. It is tradition. We swam today and I realized I didn't have any of those pictures this year from the pool. We had them from boating, and from camping but no pool pictures. So I decided today was probably my last chance and I had better jump all over it. So here are our latest crazy jump pictures.

I cannot believe that it is September. We have had a busy summer. We played with friends, we camped, we boated, Randy learned to wakeboard, so did I! We had a chance to do some great family things.. we went to Silverwood.. which I have never blogged about. The pictures come to think of it are still on my other camera. Today was our last hoorah for summer.

Ballet!

We have a Ballerina in our midst. Little Miss started her very first day of Ballet today. She is absolutely thrilled. All morning she asked if it was time to go. Finally I told her it was time to get ready.. off she went shrieking and squealing in pure Little Miss fashion. She shrieked in a shrill noise, Ballet, Ballet, I am so excited, Ballet! I love that she is this excited to go. I love her zest for life and new things, it is contagious. She did a great job today at Ballet and cannot wait to go back next week. Little Man went today and was excited to watch her and tell me all about the great things Little Miss was doing. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from today. She is my Diva. Enjoy!

Kindergarten!!

Today was Little Man's first day of school, and not pre-school, real school. Kindergarten. He was so excited and a little nervous to go. It was a short day just introducing him the class room and stuff. And then he will go for a full day. I am not sure what to feel, excitement, or sadness? A little of both I suspect.

He has two teachers one for English and one for Spanish... he is going to a dual language Kindergarten. He is so excited to learn Spanish. I signed up to volunteer in his classroom every week, and I am so excited to have a chance to be involved in what is going on. He is excited that Mom is going to come once a week.. I won't be cool forever might as well enjoy it now! I signed up to be the classroom photographer also.. that was a no brainer for me. And I even signed up for the PTA! I remember my Mom coming into my class when I was a kid, it was one of my favorite things. We have a few days of rest and then Friday we start in full swing. I don't feel old enough to have a Kindergartner. I thought I would be wise by now. Instead I feel like I have many questions about what I am doing.

I can't believe my Little Man has grown so quickly. It seems like just yesterday I was pregnant with him. The days keep getting faster. Enjoy the pictures of Little Man doing his crazy Ninja moves.. being a goof, and being Little Man.

And I Will Cherish You.

For the rest of my life.. I will be your Wife!! Eight years ago I married Prince Charming. The Man of my Dreams. I am the luckiest girl alive. Married to the best man in the UNIVERSE! I was thinking about it and realizing how quickly the time has passed. I still remember the first time I laid eyes on him. I was at a fireside with another guy.. and I met him. I thought he was pretty smokin' hot. And that next week I went to institute and I wasn't sure which class to go to. He showed up and said come with me to D&C and I said sure. And I went. A month later we went to a fireside together and he kissed me that night. And let me tell you.. I went in didn't say a word and thought I could kiss him for the rest of my life. Two months later we were engaged, and 4 months after that we were married. Just seven months after first laying eyes on this man I was his wife. Head over feet in love and thrilled with every minute! And guess what? I still am! We exchanged gifts a couple of weeks ago.. we were both too giddy to show the other one what we bought for them. I sold his old GPS unit and bought him a newer, better GPS unit for all of his geocaching. He has been positively thrilled with it.. or so he says. And he.. well he rocked it. Seriously rocked it. I got a blue bag.. with a blue box inside that was tied with a pretty white ribbon. I opened it and found the most beautiful necklace to go with my beautiful birthday bracelet. You remember that right? Just one more piece of the set.. the earrings and my set will be complete. Any guesses what Christmas might bring! He totally spoiled me. We celebrated on Friday going out and having time to ourselves. He is out of town for business until Wednesday. I miss him. But we get to celebrate everyday all year long.

Okay.. if you don't want to hear me gush anymore.. stop reading now! But if you want to know how I really feel.. continue on.

I love you Randy.. more than yesterday less than tomorrow. You are my world. You make me complete. I am better because of you. I enjoy each day with you.. the laughter and joy you feel my life with. The broken brownie pan we can laugh about, the silly things you do. The help that you are. The compassion you have for me and your willingness to help whenever you see I need it.. and even before I know I need it. The way you have made me laugh more.. even when I don't want to. You have lightened my heart, made my life complete. I love the father you are to our children, and the example you are. The way you know how to make me laugh when I try my hardest not to. You have shown me how to truly love and to give my full self. I am better because I know you, because you are in my life. You support me in all my crazy hair brained ideas, and in my crazy jump in two feet and over commit because I believe I can do it all. You are there when I can't sleep because I realize I am complete overwhelmed and you help me to see the picture and that I can do it.. to step back and look at one thing at a time. I love the way you love me.. the way you show it, and the joy bring into my life. I love you, you are my eternal sweetheart. Happy 8th Anniversary.

Photography.. it makes me better.

One of the many reasons I am a better Mother, and Wife because of my camera.

This was supposed to be dessert. Yummy gooey brownies fresh out of the oven.. and dropped on my floor. My freshly clean floor that you could eat off of.. and I would if glass wasn't through out it. I grabbed my camera asked Randy to jump in, but he kindly declined. He burned his hand and dropped them.. it is okay. It happens. No one was hurt.. and well I don't have to run tonight. So it is all good.

Nice Matters Award!

Angela has awarded me the Nice Matters Award! Thanks for such a sweet, kind and well NICE award! Angela has such a nice upbeat blog and it is always full of encouragement. You need to check it out!

I appreciate all of my MOF's and IRL friends that stop by my blog and check out what is going on. Leave a comment when you are here so I know you stopped by!

Here are my Choices for the Nice Matters Award.

Display this on your blog and sidebar with honor!

Emily- EmLousia

Alicia- Growing Spuds---No Small Potatoes

Shelah- Hitting the Ground Running

Sara- Sara is always right

Alli- Raising Boys

Marianne- The Bloxham Bunch

Randy- Random Rantings of Randy

Misty- My Inner Aria

Now go pick some people you think deserve it!

Home!

I had a quick and very fun trip to Las Vegas this week.. and I went all by myself. I was able to see some great friends, and had some terrific photo shoots... the reason behind the trip. I will get pictures up in the next week on the other blog.



I hung out with Charlotte and her fiance and sweet little boy. We visited caught up and just had a great time! And I got to meet Elizabeth and she was just so much fun! Nothing like getting to visit with good girlfriends and catch up on life. It was just great!



I was able to shop.. and eat good food. I went with my friend Jenni to the Luxor.. I wanted to go up the Inclinator.. (Elevator that goes at an angle). But you had to have a room key. I kindly asked someone to hole the elevator and jumped on with them. Jenni and I went up the Inclinator.. and got off at the top. And neither one wanted to get back on. We were sick. Motion sick. The view was awesome... but then we had to get back on... I wasn't looking forward to it at all. We went down and I decided I am content to never stay there because I never want to go on the Inclinator again.



I was able to relax and enjoy great company and just have a nice time. I was excited to get back home to see my kids.. and go to their Soccer Game just in time. I missed Randy and was so excited to be with him again. I did enjoy my trip and look forward to going back to Vegas in November for the wedding!

4th Of July.. the Camping Trip

For the 4th of July my siblings and their families flew in.. drove and we all got together for a week of camping. For some it was a not as nice hotel.. for others a lodge, motorhome, and for the brave a tent. We were amongst the brave.. we camped for 5 nights at the gorgeous Wallowa Lake. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I have been meaning to blog this because it was truly a wonderful family reunion/vacation. We were able to do things together as a family, and also have time for each family to have their own time.

We played in the lake daily. We took our labs, Sage and Izzy and they were wonderful! They loved swimming in the lake and the kids all had fun getting to play with them. We rode the Tram to the top of Mt. Howard and hiked up there. We rode horses, go-carts, bumper boats. We ate ice-cream and yummy snacks. We played games. We petted deer, and chipmunks, and other friendly rodents. We rented peddle boats, and motor boats. The kids rode bikes and enjoyed being covered in dirt 24/7. I enjoyed getting to see my brothers who I don't get to see that often. I enjoyed the time with my wonderful Sister-in-Laws, who are wonderful talented women. We didn't have cell phone, TV, computers, or anything that normally distracts us from our family. It was wonderful to have time to just spend as a family. To enjoy one another's company without all of the distractions of everyday life. Randy and I decided this is something we should do more often. It was one of my most favorite family vacations I have ever had. We were able to spend time together and have a wonderful time!

Here are a few of my favorite of hundreds of pictures. For some reason it starts in the middle.. I have no clue why. Scroll to the top to see all of the pictures. You don't want to miss one! lol.

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

4:45 AM

For the last 3 years we have not had a next door neighbor on both sides of us. We have consistently had a vacant lot next door, in the previous house and in this one. We actually really like it. Last week though.. that all began to change. The broke ground on the lot next door. And construction has begun. We were under the impression that you couldn't start being noisy doing it all until 7:00 AM.. early but manageable. 4:45 AM we heard noise. I thought it was a bad dream.. but then realized it was the workers on the house next door. The concrete truck pouring cement for the foundation. What is wrong with people? Seriously. Do they not get that we need to sleep. They were off to a new job by 7:15 AM. I know they are busy.. but we need our sleep. My kids don't need to be woke up at that insane time. They need there sleep even more than I do. I need them to have their sleep. There has got to be a law against this. It just seems wrong.

My advice for the day.. if you are going to do noisy projects in the AM, do it after 7.. mowing your lawn before then will certainly tick your neighbors off.. along with hammering anything. Hopefully this was a great error on their part.. It was dark.. maybe they couldn't tell what time it really was.

4 for a Month...

And I am just now blogging her birthday. I am so slow.. I know.

Randy took the day off to help Little Miss truly celebrate her birthday.. and to help me with her party. She had a great day.. waking up and getting some new clothes. And then anxiously passing the time swinging as she waited for her party to begin.

Her friends arrived and the played outside for a while, and Randy went to the garage to put together the secret surprise for her! We made fun crafts, visors and door hangers. We used glitter glue and foam pieces and the kids had a great time. They ate pizza and giggled like crazy. Little Man decided the garage was a better spot for him rather than hang around with a bunch of GIRLS. Little Miss however was loving having so many little girls around..and finally not all of Little Man's friends around.

We had cake.. Delicious Cherry Chip cupcakes with Pink Cherry Frosting.. she was in HEAVEN! They devoured every morsel.

And then off to the gifts. She received many wonderful girly gifts much to her delight. And then she received a package of dishes from her brother. She looked around and said I don't have a kitchen I don't need dishes. (All she had asked for for her birthday was a kitchen.) We could see the disappointment in her face. So we led the kids outside and into the garage where she found a great present waiting for her. Just what she had asked for a kitchen, with a BBQ on the other side so her big cool brother would play with her. Because it wasn't just girly... Boys can BBQ it is cool. She was so thrilled! And so were we. Especially her Daddy who had worked so hard on getting it put together. Her birthday was wonderful! We enjoyed every minute and I still can't believe my Princess is 4.

State Special Olympics 2007.. The Swim Meet

Sadly this happened the first weekend in June.. and it is almost July and I am just now blogging about it. Life has been busy busy.

We arrived for opening ceremonies at Mc Chord Air Force Base. Walking in there and seeing all of the athletes there was an amazing Spirit. It was overwhelming.

I loved seeing the soldiers standing their with the flags and so still. I asked if I could take their picture and it was fun to see them make sure everything was just so. And then there was the Flag.. which represents our freedom. I was truly overwhelmed with emotion. I meant to blog about this on the 4th of July, but I was gone and didn't. Since September 11th, 2001.. I have a new found appreciation for this great country I live in. How grateful I am to live in the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave. I am grateful for the men and women who serve in our military. Who lay down their lives to protect our country. I cannot hear the Star Spangled Banner and not have tears in my eyes. I am truly grateful to live in the USA. To have these great freedoms bestowed upon us. Being on the Air Force Base and seeing all of the many soldiers my heart was overwhelmed with gratitude. And then seeing the great kids in Special Olympics the tears came. And I had such an overwhelming feeling of love. Love that our Heavenly Father has for us. And Love that He has for each of those there with a disability of some sort. They are such great Children of His. And for those that raise them and were entrusted with their sweet spirits... and for the love He has for each of us. What a true blessing.

The evening continued with Opening Ceremonies.. each team was announced as they walked in. They were positively thrilled to be there. It was a great event to watch.

The next morning we went to watch the swim meet. My sister was among the younger of the athletes. She did a great job in her first race. Then the second and third I think she got scared.. no one is really sure. She swam part way on the 2nd and on the 3rd decided it really wasn't for her and didn't get in. Oh well.. she will do more another year. It is great to go and watch everyone cheering one another on. With excitement and vigor. To see them uplifting one another and the true joy. They are truly excited for one another and for the successes. I think a great lesson can be learned watching the athletes. It was a feeling I won't forget. A feeling of love and gratitude. And I really think if you ever have the chance to attend a Special Olympics event of any kind you should. You will be a better person because of it.

Occupied...

It's not that I don't want to blog more.. update more. It's that I have things occupying my time. From my photo shoots which keep me busy.. Reading Harry Potter 7. My wonderful delightful kids.. soccer games, swimming, being Mom.. and running around on fun little trips.


And waiting no patiently for UPS. I LOVE it when I get a call from them saying I need to sign for a package and they tell me it will arrive between 8AM-7PM. I gee.. all day. Thanks dude.


But I waited not-so-patiently and finally my flash for my camera came. Yeah I am so excited.. And then the next day my new lens came. So I am busy playing with those.

And then there is the Lupus Walk... I am working on it. And just not really sure how this is going to all pull together.. but hopefully it will. I am crossing my fingers and everything else I can possibly cross that it will go smoothly. I think I like the chaos and the spreading myself thin or something.. because I am certainly good at it. I will get updates up soon.. I promise.

ER X 2

ER visits.. they always happen in the wee hours of the night. When you really should be sleeping but instead you are driving to the Hospital and signing your kids in. Hoping that it won't be an eternal visit and that you will be "lucky" and quickly out of the ER and back home to catch a few Zzz's... But that rarely happens. We went to the ER early early Monday morning.. and if that wasn't lucky enough we went back 12 hours later. Yes that is right two ER visits in 12 hours. For the same kid. Jealous? Everyone should be.

Poor Little Miss has croup. Not fun. She started with the horrible breathing and coughing and she couldn't catch her breath. After hours there they sent us home. As the day progressed she got worse again. I finally called the Dr, who told me to go back to the ER. Seriously in the day? Who does that? Apparently very few people. I got there and no one else was in the waiting room. Apparently night time is the hot time. A lot of people were that in the middle of the night, but we skipped ahead of them all because of her breathing. (Side note if you must go to the ER, breathing issues get you a proceed to GO pass.) She had her treatments and he sent us home with the strict orders if she is worse bring her back. Night time came and I really thought I would be making yet another trek down there in less than 24 hours. But she slept through the wheezing and her breathing was not nearly as labored as it had been. I got more sleep than the night before.. but I woke often to check on my sleeping princess. She is hoarse and has a cute little raspy voice, but I think she is on the mend... finally.

On a side note.. I realize I have neglected to blog about a few neat events from the past two months.. that will be quickly rectified in the next week. I know people are DYING to see all of the pictures and the fun things that we have been doing. So don't put too much on hold.. but check back soon.

Woman to Woman: Keeping you marriage alive

"Whether you've been married for 38 years, 8 years or are a newlywed, you've probably picked up a few of the keys to a happy marriage, one which is nurturing and continues to grow. Maybe your marriage has struggled, but you've found a road back to each other and have insights for those in similar situations. What would you say are the three most key elements in your marriage that keep the romance alive and the heart aflutter? "

In just a few weeks we will celebrate our 8th Anniversary. I can hardly believe that I have been married to this wonderful man for 8 years. It has flown by so quickly but somethings seem like ages ago. I feel as if I have known him forever. I gush about Randy a lot. I am head over feet in love with him. I never knew I would love someone this much. I never knew that marriage would be so joyful day in and day out.

Rule number 1 in our marriage if you are going to fight, fight naked. This rule is harder as our kids our older and no quite to the age to really be unsupervised, but it does work well. Who can be that mad when you are naked?

This rule also applies to keeping the "romance alive" in our marriage. For obvious reasons.

Another thing we do is get away at least once a year for a few nights away. Last year it was Las Vegas, this year it is Las Vegas again. Cheap flights and lots of fun! I book our tickets then my stomach churns.. and goes into knots. Do I really want to leave the kids for 4 night? Can I handle it? What if the plane crashes and I die? What if, what if, what if????? Thankful my wonderful husband kindly says dear, book the kids tickets they can come. And I come to my senses before any such thing happens, and we go enjoy our time and remember life before kids. And remember how much joy they bring to us. And the unity they bring to us. And yeah it keeps the romance alive, and it just keeps us closer and connected.

We don't go to bed angry, we talk about it. Sometimes we talk until 2AM, but we get on the same page and are 100% okay. It is important to talk about what is wrong rather than just ignoring it. And the small things really don't matter. We are both learning still to let things roll off. If it doesn't matter in the eternal scheme of things it really doesn't matter. This is something I really try to live by.. but there are those moments that well.. I don't. But each day I try to do better.

We laugh.. a lot. We joke we have fun. We know how much fun it is to laugh together. To love together, to be together. We try not to be too serious.. light heartedness and laughter keep us going and more and more in love.

Join in! Leave a comment and leave link at Mr. Linky at Morning Glory's and Lei's blogs.

THROUGH THEIR EYES AFRICA

Go to the through their eyes africa blog at: Through Their Eyes Africa Be a part of history! Today I am participating in the first ever“blogathon” to raise funds for the Through Their Eyes Africa project. Please go to their blog and give generously today. You can make a difference to some of the neediest people on earth in a very unique way, and we need your help. This project will be sending a group of well known photographers into a remote part of Africa that has not received any help yet. The photographers will be mentoring young adults on how to take pictures so that we can get a look at their society “through their eyes”. The funds raised from this project will go right back to the needs of these people. So, please go now and give at www.throughtheireyesafrica.typepad.com . They need your donations to make this happen. Remember, what you give will make a difference in the lives of some of the neediest people on earth. Be a part of history. Be part of the solution. Thank you for your generosity.

This is a great way to make a difference.. to help those in need. I hope that we can all unite together for a great cause.

Thanks Jessica Claire for putting this out there for so many people and helping to bring awareness.

Attack of the Stamps

Need I say more?

Woman To Woman: "Share an important quote and what it means to you."

One of my favorite quotes is "Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." -Gordon B. Hinckley

I have this quote above my pantry. I love it. It applies to many things in my life. I apply to raising my children. I shouldn't just endure everyday with them, I should enjoy them. Enjoy my kids in each of the fun busy stages they are in. Not quickly wish it away and count down until each week is over and the weekend is here. We should have joy in our posterirty. We should enjoy our kids. Take a minute to enjoy the simple things.. pretend we are in hot lava.. be silly. That is what being a kid is about. Looking back my best memories are when my Mom was a kid with us playing and having fun. She enjoyed us!

A big reason it is above my pantry is to remind me to enjoy my food. I have had issues which I have talked about in the past. The Lord wants us to enjoy our food, savor it. Not be obsessed with every bite making it a chore. It reminds me to enjoy a good meal, not to count the calories of everything. Life is not meant to be so focused on all of the details, and in our society it is and it honestly makes me sick anymore. People cutting, stuffing, dieting, doing all these things to look happy, and not enjoying who they are, and the great people that Heavenly Father has made them to be. A friend of mine once said will you really be happy if you lose those 5lbs. I thought about it.. a lot. Probably not. I am happy being me. I am who the Lord created, I enjoy my body now. Not just endure it. I am stretched and squished in all sorts of new ways, and I am freaking hot. I enjoy the way I look. I am uniquely me.

We need to enjoy the times with our spouse, the quiet moments where we can just be together. Not endure the years of marriage. Marriage is a wonderful and beautiful thing. The Lord didn't give us marriage to torture us for years. He gave it to us so we could enjoy it. Enjoy the companionship and to be blessed throughout the eternities. I enjoy each day with Randy. The fun and laughter he brings into our home. He helps me to not be serious and to realize it if it doesn't matter in the eternal scheme of things it really doesn't matter. I don't have to endure any day with him! I am blessed to enjoy each and every day with him.

I truly believe that Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured. It is my motto, my mantra if you will. Enjoy it. It goes so quickly and is a great gift.

Join in and read others! Leave your link at Lei and Morning Glory's blogs!

Goodbye 3...

Today is Little Miss is 3. The last day she is 3. She will never be 3 again. She is my last 3 year old. Tomorrow she will be 4. I can hardly believe that she is almost 4! How did that happen? Where has the time went? Truthfully, I am a little sad.. a little excited.. a little bit of everything.

I realized the other night in the middle of the night when I do my deep really random totally me thinking, that she has 14 months until she starts Kindergarten. Now I know some people would be jumping up and down. But I am not. I have even contemplated no preschool, which my husband quickly vetoed because he says it will be good for her... (it will right?) I have one year left of having her home and then my kids will both be in school everyday. How did this happen so quickly? I still remember four years ago going the the hospital with my head hurting and having them tell me to lay on my left side, lights off and to not move. My blood pressure was sky rocketing higher and higher and my kidneys were failing slowly. I had gained 15lbs in one week.. I was no a pretty sight. I even had one friend tell me Lee, you look fatter every day. Gee.. thanks. I had no idea what my future would behold.

Little Miss year of 3.. let's look at the highlights.. or read about them.

She finished speech therapy. What a huge accomplishment, and something that I am so incredibly proud of. Seriously proud.

She attended preschool for three months, then because her speech was SO GOOD she got "kicked out" okay she didn't qualify anymore, but the kicked out makes me giggle. What a great accomplishment.

She learned to pump on her swing. All by herself. I am jumping for joy on this one! It just happened a couple of weeks ago, but she will now go outside and swing for HOURS. And she loves it, as long as it is the yellow one!

She can ride a bike.. with training wheels. But I think with some practice those will be off this summer. She doesn't need them too much and seems to balance quite well on the two wheels.

She is now a Sunbeam in Church.. she loves it!

She is my faithful reminder to make sure we have scriptures as a family every night. It is a great example.

She knows her ABC's and 123's! Hooray! What a great feat!

She can spell her name.

These are some of the great things she has learned this year. We are so proud of our Little Miss. She is such a joy, to all she meets. I am excited to see what four brings for her. But I am praying that times slows down. That this year will feel like the last four. That four will be just as great as three.

GO Look!

The pictures are up.
Go to the other blog to check them out! I am thrilled with them.. and hope they are too.

A Daughter's First Love, a Son's First Hero.

The title sums up my post.

I married the most awesome guy in the world. I wanted to marry him after the first kiss way back in 1999. I knew he would be an amazing husband and Dad. Little did I know what a tremendous Dad he would be. Randy is the LOVE OF MY LIFE. In case you haven't gotten that from my previous posts.

My kids adore their Dad. He adores them as much as they do him. Randy is the Dad to get down and play and wrestle with them. He is the rock of our home. When the kids are scared Daddy is their to comfort them. I am so proud of the great Dad that he is. The kindness he shows and the gentleness with our little princess when she is having a 'day'.

He is an example of a righteous priesthood holder for little man. Showing him the way to be a great father and husband.

Randy I love you, not only for who you are but for who you help me to become. You make our family complete.

It's My Blog.

I can brag if I want to. Because this blog is about me. It is MY blog. You know how I was so excited to go take the pictures, now I cannot wait to edit all of them. I have previewed a couple quickly, and I must say. I rocked it. Seriously rocked it. I am quite proud of myself. Yeah I could be modest, and say they are just okay, but I really believe they are better than okay. I think they are freaking rad! Yeah, I said rad on my blog. That is how much I rocked it.
Now you can go back to your lives.. I will quit bragging.. for now. Just wait until the pictures are up though... on the other blog though. Then.. I might just brag again.

Excited!

I am so excited! Tonight I am taking engagement pictures. I am working with a great couple, who are just so fun. I am so excited to go out tonight and I am hoping that the winds will die down and I will get the shots I am envisioning. I have been scouting out the perfect places, and thinking of all of the fun things we can do with them! Wish me luck! It is going to be fun! And be on the look for some new pictures! **doing the happy dance as I not so patiently wait for time to pass!**

Woman To Woman: "Having the latest baby everything"

"There is such a variety of baby products available in stores that it can be overwhelming. Add to that the pressure you often feel from your peers to have the latest and greatest of baby equipment. Add to that still the bombardment of products that promise to make your baby smarter, faster. When you want to be hip AND have those things that make mommying a little easier, how do you keep from breaking the budget?For those women who are past the child-raising stage, do you have difficulty with these pressures in wanting to provide the "goodies" for the grandchildren? Do you see them as a hindrance towards a child's natural ability to develop? What were some ways that you were able to achieve similar benefits without all the bells and whistles?"

I remember when I found out we were expecting Little Man. I was thrilled. And then I started pouring over the baby websites. What was my baby going to have. The best I could buy him. He was my baby after all and you only want your kids to have THE BEST. Right? Or so I thought.

I remember searching high and low for the perfect stroller car seat set. It had to match and it couldn't just be a cheap one, it needed to be nice, have bigger wheels and just look cool. I was 21 when he was born, I was still hip. I remember my Mom laughing that I wanted all of this matching stuff. She told me it didn't matter and to buy nice things on sale. I scoffed at this advice. This was my child, my offspring, he was growing in my belly. I wasn't going to buy something that I deemed mediocre. I bought my stroller and car seat that matched and was beyond proud of them. They were a nice blue and khaki plaid. Something that looked cool still.. I felt like he would be the hippest baby. I was proud of our choice, okay my choice. Randy was just glad it wasn't covered in Winnie the Pooh or something equally as dreadful. It was used by both children. A worth while investment, but I still giggle that I had to have a certain print. And that some just wouldn't do. It is incredibly silly and makes me just laugh now. What was I thinking? That really mattered to me then?

I had a boppy, actually I had two. One that my wonderful Sister-in-Law made me. She took hers apart to figure out how to make one for me. I loved it. And another that I entered to win online, and heck I did. I was shocked I won it.. but guess how much time I had been spending online looking for the perfect baby stuff.

I had a diaper genie, that was a gift, otherwise I would have never ever bought one. I am not a huge fan. I think two Wal-Mart bags work just as well, and heck they are basically free.

My crib set, I made it. It was simple, and I used it for both of my kids. It had animals on it and leopard print, and the alphabet. What is not to love. I was sure my son would be learning while looking at it. Did you know all he did was poop, pee, and puke on it. Really.. it doesn't matter what it looks like. They don't care, it is purely for you.

I have watched my kids grow and learn. I have wanted the cool new learning things. But when it comes down to it they play with them for a while. But they are quite content playing with blocks, wooden blocks that Grandpa made. The little things, the details that I thought mattered, that I barely remember now. And in a few more years they won't even cross my mind. There are things far more important than having the latest baby or kid everything. My kids are growing far to quickly for my taste. (All though you might find a day where I wish it would just speed up and be done with.) The little details are just that details. The perfect toy that your kid breaks no less than one week after buying you realize they are just as happy playing hot lava in the living room with blankets and a few basic toys. The big expensive toys and baby things and all of the new hoop-la.. really not necessary. We didn't have them. We are successful, smart, and *gasp* normal functioning people. We don't need therapy for being so deprived.

I see our culture and this constant we NEED more, not just want, but our wants our becoming NEEDS. We need to be clothed, we need to be fed, we need to be sheltered. We need so little but want so much. I want my children to be appreciative of all they get. At times I worry they think they are entitled to certain things, I do not ever want them to feel like that. I work on it. I want them to work to get things they want, not just have them handed to them. I think we as a society need to do that. I am working on defining my needs from my wants. I need much less than I want. But don't we all.

Now go check out Lei and Morning Glory and join in. Leave a link leave a comment and enjoy your day!

Life is just busy..

I realize it has been a few weeks now since I have taken the time to blog. It isn't that I don't want to. I get blogger block. Serious blogger block.

What am I doing right now? Working on the Mad Hatter Lupus Walk, that I am chairing.. I am in desperate need of a committee to help me. Right now I am the committee. I have 3 months until the walk. Do I have any takers? I am so excited to do something to raise awareness and to raise funds for Lupus. It is a primarily a woman's disease and there is so little out there! I want to help, to make a difference. I am not going to stand by idly and wish there was something different. I want to get out there and help. So if you have some extra time, I would love you forever and ever.

I am doing more photography stuff.. did I mention I got to shoot a wedding with a friend for her brother? I did. And it was so much fun.

Kids have started swimming, and soccer is starting soon. I am a soccer Mom, always on the go. I seriously love it though. When my kids are busy they are happy.. and so am I!

And I have had my dates and alone time with the wonderful Randy.

And last but not least I have had just all of the normal busyness of being The Mom. It isn't that I don't want to blog. The topics are not coming to me. Or I think of one but quickly forget. I am going to work on that.. in my spare time.