Christmas 2006

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We sure did around here! I will be back to post more soon!

P.S. Blogger was being a turd again, so to view this picture in a bigger format, click on the picture or click here.

30!

Eight years ago I started a new job that was in a way representing a new life for me. Unfortunately I hated it the first day. My mom convinced me that I should give it a few more days before I decided that I was going to leave. So I went back expecting the same thing as the first day. Little did I know that the man that I was going to marry was starting his new job that day in the office around the corner. For months we flirted, but every time he asked me out I would tell him no. For some reason I was a little scared. I really thought that he was out of my league. On December 9, 1998 we had our first date. It only took a few weeks and we knew that we were going to be together forever. We were later married on February 25, 2000.

With that short history said I want to express my love and my gratitude for my hubby and for all that he has done for me! He truly is an amazing person and has given me so much. I love him very much and I am very blessed to have him as my best friend, my hubby, and the father of my children. Happy Birthday sweetie! I love you!

P.S. 30 just sounds old, but you really aren't that old! Teasing you is just too fun!

A few funny quotes from my kids

"Mommy, did it tickle when Heavenly Father put the baby in your tummy?"

While the nice kid from the grocery store was helping me load my groceries little dude said " we almost bought the whole store but the cart was already too full."

When we drove past McDonald's little dude asked " Mom where is the farm at that Old McDonalds?"

No Santa this year!

I am pretty sure that there are many kids out there that have done this, and I am quite sure that their parents were just as mad as we were. I really hoped that it would never happen to us. It is very dissapointing!

So by the raise of hands, how many of you have had your kids find, open AND play with all their Christmas presents before Christmas?

I guess when I was little my mom and dad had planned a Christmas party that the entire family was invited to. They had all sent their presents early and they were all under our Christmas tree. My mom was cleaning and I got a little nosy. I guess that I opened ALL the gifts all by myself. From what I hear it was a really big mess! My mom was stuck on the phone with everyone trying to find out what they had been giving everyone so she could rewrap them. If you ask her, her resonse to me is that turn around is fair play.

I had all of my shopping done for the kids and I was very excited with what I had bought. I had a few problems with what I was going to buy for little dude, but when I decided on what to get him I was very excited! While staying at my parents house I thought that I had limited places to hide all their gifts. Well while we were having a family birthday party my little dude, princess and my neice found where I had hid them. When I saw the kids they had opened boxes, packages, everything! They were having a blast playing with them. I was SO MAD!

So now what do you say to a 3 year old and a 2 year old after they had just found the gifts that Santa was going to bring them? Well, I am not sure what we said was the smartest thing, but we told them that they were for someone else. We explained that Santa might not come now because they had been so bad. If they want him to come they need to write him a letter telling him that they were sorry and they will try really hard to be good. If they liked the toys that they saw they need to ask Santa for them.

I was sad because it took all the fun out of it for me. I wanted to be there when they saw all their cool new toys. I guess I should have known that this was going to happen some day. Turn around really is fair play.

A quick note

So we are done with the house and a lot of our stuff is moved in and in place. We are not staying there yet because I want to be a little more settled when we do start to stay there. I have one confession to make though. I didn't really ever take any before pictures of the house. We got started on it and I never really took a chance to do it. Then I wanted to take pictures before we put any of our stuff in it, but I didn't get a chance today to do that either, it was too crazy. So I will be taking some pictures of it tomorrow, but some of our stuff will be in the pictures. Oh well, it just makes it a little harder to see what was done to it. It looks amazing and I can't wait to show it off.

I also have to say thanks to my wonderful hubby and all his hard work on it. It will be nice to see him a little more now. And also to my parents and all that they have done for us. They have let us stay at their house, and my father has been there working very hard on it every single day. Also thanks to all the many family members and friends that have helped us. Without everyone we wouldn't have been able to do it!

Random Thoughts

Looks like our house is almost done enough to move into it. I can't wait to show all of you pictures of how it looks. It looks amazing! We just have to get a few more things done then start moving in. We were trying for Saturday, but I think that it will be more like the beginning of next weeks instead. I can't wait to get in and not be living out of boxes anymore. It will be nice to get on with our lives that doesn't include remodeling, or cleaning crazy lady funk, or packing. I think that my parents will be thrilled to get us out of thier hair too!

Christmas is getting closer and I still don't know what I am going to get little dude. We got him a new bike, and a new little dinosaur, and an Aguadoodle but other than that I really don't kow what else to get him. If anyone has any good ideas on what to get an almost 4 year old boy let me know.

My hubby starts at his new job on the 18 of this month. He went and met people at his branch the other day, and he seemed really excited. He says he is a little nervous though. I think that I would feel the same way too, it is a big responsibitity. I think that it will be pretty cool. His new branch is in a grocery store. No more grocery shopping for me. He can do it all before he leaves for work. His birthday is this month too. He will be turning 30. (hahaha)

When we get into our house my little princess says that she wants to learn how to use the potty. She says that she has to learn before Santa get here. Little dude was a quick learner, but I am still dredding teaching her. Oh well it will be nice to have it all done before the baby gets here. So stay tuned for the posts about how all I do is clean my floors, and stuff. This will be fun!

I had a dream last night that I was playing poker. I woke up all amped to play again. I miss our poker nights that we used to have with our firends (FYI our poker nights do not consist of any exchange of money. It is just for the fun of it, not for getting any gain.) Last year on New Years Eve we played all night long. It was so much fun, and it has been awhile since we played. Dreaming about it last night makes me want to get out the cards and chips. (If that isn't random enough for a random post of thoughts, I don't know what is.)

I think that we are getting closer to a name. I am still not sure yet though. We have had too much going on to really think more about it. It might be Jaxon, Tyson, Dylan, or Zander. I don't know though, we will have to see. I am still up to hearing more names, so pass them on if you have any.

Well happy Friday to all, and Happy Birthday to my sister. Have a great weekend!

News, and Shoes

Ok for the news first. My hubby had another job interview this morning for a Branch Manager position with the bank that he works for. They called him this afternoon and offered him the job! This is the promotion that he has been waiting for. I am excited for him and I am very proud of him. He will have to triple his commute to work every morning, but it isn't still too bad. It just goes from less than five minutes to a little over 15 minutes. This is great though! It is well deserved!

Now for the shoes part. My kids have managed to get every toy out and spread it all over thier room and my parent's basement. I have been trying to help them clean up, but it resulted in me doing all the work. Little dude started to help, but little princess was still pouting about it. So I started the threaten that I was going to call Santa and tell him that he doesn't need to bring any toys for her this year. To my suprise this didn't even faze her. Then I noticed that she had colored on one of her dolls face with a crayon. So then I had a little talk with her about respect for her toys. I told her that I was just going to throw all her toys away because she wouldn't take care of them. This too didn't faze her. She was still not picking anything up so I just said "ok I am calling Santa right now." I picked up the phone diled a number then pretented to tell Santa the she has been naughty to her toys and the she isn't picking them up so he shouldn't bring her anything this year. When I got off the phone she still didn't care. So I started to gather up her things and put them in a box to "throw them away" and still nothing. What finaly got to her is when I picked up her Dora shoes and put them in the box. You would not believe the cry she let out. "DON'T THROW AWAY MY SHOES!!" She was so upset. What makes me laugh is that she thinks that her dolls, her princess dress, her baby stroller, and other random things are going to the garbage. She also thinks that Santa isn't bringing anything to her this year. She could care less about that. What she really cares about are her shoes. Her dang shoes! I should be mad that it has been almost an hour now and the basement still isn't clean, but I just can't stop laughing about how upset she was that I was going to throw away her shoes. She is still crying about it and I haven't even throw them away yet. Oh the drama! I think this is why my mom said that I will be very happy that I am having another boy and not a girl.

Joseph

My mother has the really beautiful Christmas statue up on her mantle. It is of the Christ Child sitting in Mary's lap, while Joseph is holding a lantern and hovering over the two of them. I had briefly explained it to my little dude the other day when my mother first put it out. Last night while trying to calm him down before bed he wispered to me "Mommy, that is Baby Jesus and that is Joseph holding the light." I asked him who it holding Baby Jesus. "Mary" he said proudly. Then he sat staring at it for a few minutes then looked at me again and said "Maybe we should name our new baby Joseph."

What a moment it was for me to realize that at least something that I have said to him actually has sunk in. Even more than that though to realize the importance of it and give and actual suggestion to what we should name the baby. I was so proud of him, that it almost makes all of his tantrums seem not so bad.

While thinking about this today it has made me reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. While Santa is fun, and exciting, the events that took place so long ago in Bethleham changed the world. Our Savior was born on the earth to teach and guide us, to suffer of our sins, and then to die for us. How can Santa be more great than that? I hope that while the month goes on that I will be able to reflect more on the Birth of my Savior than on Santa. I pray that my children will feel the spirit of Christmas while teaching them of Jesus' birth.

I hope that we can all reflect on what is most important. While we are taught to give, lets remember what Christ would have us give. Most importantly let us remember what Christ has given to us. Feel of your Savior's love, then spread that love for everyone to feel.

I wish you all a very wonderful Christmas Season!

Monster Mommy

Ever since we have moved my little dude has been a nightmare. I hate to say this about my little guy, but I just don't know any other way to put it. Before I get into why he has been so horrible let me just say that I can understand!

I understand that when you move out of an environment that is the only one you know it is hard. Not to mention living in a temporary place until you can settle in somewhere. I can understand that it isn't any fun to have pretty much everything that you own in a box sitting in a garage. I know that having daddy gone all the time is hard, believe me I know! I understand that it is hard to leave what you know and start on something new is one of the most difficult things that you have to deal with. I guess what I don't understand is being 3 years old and having to be faced with this.

I think that it wouldn't be so bad to live with grandma and grandpa when you are 3. There is better food and better treats. There is more people to cuddle with and watch tv with. They even have some pretty fun toys that we don't have. Grandma and Grandpa are some pretty cool people, they are really cool to live with.

What I don't get is why does everything have to be a fight? When did a 3 year old become more intelligent than a 27 year old or even a 53 year old? At what point when mom is yelling her heart out to get you to just sit down and listen do you think that is funny? How many times do you have to sit in a time out before you realize that we mean business? Why do you not understand what the word stop means when you are being told to knock it off but you totally get it when you see a stop sign? How many times do I have to say something before you hear me and do what I ask of you? And mostly where in the world did you learn that hurting someone is ok?

I really have had it. I can not take any more back talking, yelling, not listening, hitting, bugging people just to get them worked up, and fits. I feel like I have turned into a Monster Mommy. I feel that I am no longer patient with them. I can not get a word to sink into him. I can not get him to settle down long enough to explain anything to him. I find myself yelling at him over almost everything. It is always a fight to get him to do anything. Even getting dressed is always an issue, not to mention the crap that we go through just to lay down and go to bed.

I am at a loss. Most would say that it is just a phase because of all the changes that he is going through. I really don't know what to think about it. He just isn't the same little guy anymore. I feel like I can't be happy around him because he frustrates me so bad.

There are times when I think that it is just me, hormonal, stressed me. Maybe I am too strict or too impatient. Maybe I am too controlling. Either way how does this come to an end so that we can have peace again? How do we stop it now so that we don't get stuck with any bad habbits? How do we not ruin our relationship between mother and son? How do I put away what he calls the Moster Mommy and be the Fun, Happy, Patient Mommy again?

Baby name game.

For those of you who read this blog that don't think that I am full of hate and judgemental, I need your help.

(FYI, I never wanted to hurt anyone. I never ment for my post about my sister in law to get that out of hand. I needed to vent and honestly that entire post was truly just out of love and frustration with the situation. Drug abluse is a difficult thing to deal with and it hurts many people along the way. I was hurt and needed to get out how I felt. I don't regret what I said, I just regreat the context in which it was taken. This is something that my family will get through in time. So to get past it and to not dwell on it and not expose the world to my family problems and arguments I have just deleted the entire post. So there you have it. Sorry guys I am not a fan of drama. But thanks to all for your wonderful thoughts and prayers. They will help her and help us all to cope with it. I had a long conversation with her on the phone and I have to say that I am proud of her and the steps that she is taking to get better.)

So onto what I need help with. Since we found out that we were pregnant we have been talking about baby names. We came up with a really cute girl name and have never been able to settle on a boy's name. Now we know that we are having a boy I feel a sense of urgency to find a name for him. I want to be able to call him something. I want to be able to feel like I am bonding with him when I can call him a name. We have come up with some many names but non of them seem right. I have been online looking at the year's most popular names and I am just not a fan of Jacob or Michael, or Joshua and Caden and stuff like that. Sorry if any of you like those names, but they just don't fit here.

So here is where I need your help. I want to hear what kind of names are out there. I want know what you guys would name your little boy. There isn't that many people that read my blog so maybe you guys can ask some of the people that read your blogs what they would name him. (This really isn't a cry out for more readers but if it helps me find a name then so be it. Just kidding. I just thought that it would be fun to have more help then the handful of people that read my blog.)

So if you have a name leave a comment or send me an email. I would love to hear some new names. And who knows maybe we will end up using on of your names.

I do have a little bit of criteria though. The name can't start with a W, B or H. It also can not be something like Caden, Brayden, Hayden, Jayden, or anything that is like that. I like somewhat unique names, but nothing too out there that the poor kid will have to pronounce his name to everyone his entire life. So let me know what you are thinking, put a link on your blog or just ask around, and maybe soon will will find the right name.

Let the game begin!

Let's talk about something nice now.

Sorry about the last post. I don't usually like to get that personal here, but I really needed to vent. Nothing really has changed with that whole situation, but I have decided that I just need to stay out of it. Protect my family when I need to, and just not dwell on her problems, and mostly not let myself be walked all over.

So moving on to other things. I am not really in the mood to make a lond detailed post about what is going on here, so I am just going to make a short list.

- I have a nasty cold today. I think that my head is going to explode, but at least it is Sunday and I can get lots of rest.

- My hubby got to feel the baby kick for the first time the other night! It was really cool.

- The next night I got to play a little game with the baby. I would poke him, he would poke me back. It was really cute and it totally made me laugh.

- My carpet is going to be installed tomorrow! YAY!

- The nasty tile was taken out of my new kitchen. I have never seen such a glorious site.

- Little dude has the entire week off school for Thanksgiving.

- I am very excited for the hollidays.

- I ordered all new decorations for my Christmas tree. They should be here next week. Now the tricky part is, is to see if we get to use them this year or not. Just kidding. We should be in our new house in a few weeks.

- The kids love staying with Grandma and Grandpa. Little dude even snuck upstairs last night to sleep with Grandpa. Very cute.

Well I think that is about it for now. I need to go get some rest. I wish you all a happy and spiritual Sunday!

The verdict is in!

Here is a picture of my little baby's face. The ultrasound took forever, the baby was positioned strange. It made it really hard to get very many good pictures. But the baby looks great, and very active! The baby measures the right size at 20w 1d. So my due date is still April 2nd.

So for those of you that thought that we were having a girl you are wrong. Sorry! It is a boy, and we are totally excited! We have NO CLUE what we are going to name him. We have been talking about boy names for months now and we just can't come up with one. If you have any suggestions let me know.

It was really fun to tell the kids. Little dude says he is happy and the he will share his toys. Princess just says "NO! I want a sister!" and "I already have a brother." I did eventually get her to say something good about it though. She is starting to be exctied that she will have 2 brothers.

So there you have it! It is has been a long day and I totally need a nap now. Hope the day is great for the rest of you!

Moved, and tired

So I have been sitting here for the last 20 minutes typing about all the progress that we have made on our new house. Even about having doubts about buying the house because of all the work that needed to be done. (It was really nasty!) I was talking about all the friends that the kids have made, and how I feel that when the house is all done, it will be a place that we can call home. Well, blogger lost it all! Dumb blogger. So know for know that my husband and my dad have been working really hard on the house and it is looking great! I can't wait for it to be all done. You will have to get the update of all that we have done on it later, I am tired of sitting here so I am not going to retype it.

Also just a fun little question. I find out what I am having next week. I am really excited and I have no guesses either way. I just want to know what all of you think I am having?

Today is a good day!

Most would think that today would be a good day because we closed on our house today. Some would think that today would be a good day because tomorrow is my birthday. Actually while all that is true too, the real reason why I think that today is a good day is because it is the first snowy day of the season.

I have always loved the snow. Even though I am really tired of it come spring, I get very excited for it's arrival in the fall. To me it is very calming and comforting. I love to watch it fall and make the earth look so clean and white. It is such a pretty contrast with the fall leaves on the trees. A fall, overcast and snowy day like today is the perfect kind of day!

If you don't live in Utah and don't get to experience the "Greatest Snow on Earth" like I do, go check out these pictures. They will make all of you jealous that you don't live here. (Thank you Rob for the link. It made the day even better.)

A new chapter in life.

In one week a new chapter will start in our lives. We will be moving out of this house and into my parents house for a few weeks. It is a scary thing. No, not moving in with my parents, that will be kind of fun. We signed the papers for this house to be built on our 1 year anniversary. We moved in young, with no kids and we were just at a very different place in life. In the last 5 years things have changed. We have 2 1/2 kids now. I am a stay at home mom. My husband is finally happy at his job and we have a lot more experience behind our belts now. It is hard to leave something where our lives pretty much began. This house represents us. Everything about this house is ours, what we wanted, what we started. Plus leaving all those awesome families in the neighborhood that we have grown so close to and have learned to love. We have so many good friends here. We have really felt a part of the neighborhood family and have seen other's family grow, and change for the better. I am scared. Am I justified?

The new life in our new house does excite me though. It is going to be fun to put our stamp on it by fixing it up the way we want. The more room will be awesome! The bigger yard to have a much bigger garden will be so much fun. I hope that the people that we will meet will accept us and who we are. I hope we can make as good of friends as we have here. Also the kids will be in a better school district. The best part is that with changes come blessings and joy. Right? Lets pray so, because if not we have made a mistake.

So for the next week I will be packing the rest of all my crap (and there is a ton of it) and trying to prepare myself for what is to come. I will try to post when I can, but it probably won't be very much. While we are staying at my parents we will be working hard on cleaning, fixing walls and the ceiling, and getting new carpet. When we get all moved in I promise a post of before and after pictures. Wish me luck!

Vaseline

In the last few months there has been an on going debate about what Vaseline is actually used for. We bought some a few years ago when my son was born. There was one purpose for buying it and that was because we were told to put it on his circumcision so it wouldn't stick to his diaper. I have a hard time believing that it is produced and sold for that reason alone, but that is all that it has ever been used for at our house. We have talked about it many times in the last few months because I have this huge bottle of it just sitting there, taking up space.

On the jar it says that it is actually used for a protectant against skin irritations and that it is good for a diaper rash. Hummm, I never knew that. Sounds like a good use I guess, but isn't that what Desitin and stuff is for. It also talks about it being used on chapped skin. Well I have lotion for that, I have used it as a last resort for chap stick. I still prefer the actual chap stick though. The last thing that it says that it is for is for lubricant. Well, honestly, never have had a need for that here either. So needless to say it is useless at our house.

Until tonight. My kids found a reason that it can be used. Such a good one in their eyes that they used up almost the entire jar. Now I bet you are thinking that it is a pretty good use if it takes up almost an entire jar in one night, right? Well, did you know that while in the bath it makes you water proof? Yea, guess it goes. It also makes the bath tub walls shower proof too, and the toilet and the floor and the walls. Yup you can splash all the water you want on it and the water just runs off! Pretty neat I guess until mom comes in and ruins all the fun. Who would have thought!

Just a note for moms, it makes the skin nice and soft, the toilet nice and greasy, the walls nice and sticky and the floor nice and slippery!

Changes

So I thought that I would give my blog a facelift like everyone else in the blogger world. I don't really know how to do stuff like this so I am still working out the bugs. So be patient with me and I will get it soon. I love it though! I was really tired of the green.

So we did sell our house and we will be moving in the next few weeks. We are really excited! Our new house needs a few coats of paint and new carpet and eventually a few new things, so it will be a little work. In the end it will be amazing. As I say the house just looks sad and needs a big hug. It has everything in it that we have wanted in a house. 4 bedrooms, 3 car garage, a big master bath, a fireplace, and a really big yard. When we get all settled in I will show some pictures.

Well I need to run and get little dude from school. I hope this week goes well for everyone!

Maybe it's a sign that he will grow up to fight fires.

Little dude has always loved trucks. He can pick out any kind of truck driving down the street. A flatbed truck, a dumper tuck, a garbage truck, a box truck, a cement truck and even a fire truck. The fire truck is his favorite. He gets so excited when he sees them, even more so when they have their lights on. For awhile I just thought that he was just a typical boy that loved trucks. Now I am not so sure that he is typical.

A few months ago I was getting ready to go somewhere. I told the kids that they needed to get their shoes on and after I brushed my teeth we would be leaving. In just a few minutes time when I was ready to go I couldn't find the kids. I looked everywhere! All over the house, even outside. I started to panic and started to walk down the street to see if they had walked down the street. Nothing. When I started to really worry, I heard princess giggle. I looked around and couldn't see her. Then I looked in my jeep and there they were, hiding in the jeep. I was mad at them because of the danger of playing in the car, it was a hot day. I opened the door to get them out and princess said that my little dude peed in the car. I looked at him and asked him if he had. He first lied and said no. Then I looked around. He had fire hosed the entire back seat of my jeep. It was EVERYWHERE! It looked like he had tried to put out a fire. It was on the floor, and the back seat, on the front seat, it was in the car seat, on the doors, and even in the cup holders. I WAS SO MAD! To say the least! I asked him again and he said that he needed to go and couldn't get out the door. Let's just say that there was a lot of anger on my part and a whole lot of explaining why it is isn't ok to play in the car and even more so why it isn't ok to pee in the car.

That was the first time he had practiced being a fireman. The other day was a little different, but still fits right in. Someone was coming to look at our house so I thought that I would take the kids to McDonalds to play. While there I was watching the kids play and kind of watching the other kids there too. (I love to people watch) There was this young boy that walked over to the door and started playing with it. Well this isn't just a door. It is an emergency door with the fire alarm on it. The more he played with it the more I was sure that he was going to pull it. I was looking at his mom like "you better keep an eye on your kid he is going to pull that fire alarm." Well his mom did come and get him away from the door so back to watching my own kids I go. Little dude came up to me to tell me that he was having fun. He talked for a second then went "Oh huh!" and turned and walked away. I saw where he was going and tried to jump up and grab him, but I was too late. He had pulled the fire alarm and it was ringing just as loud as can be. I WAS FUMING! I was also really embarrassed! It scared every little kid in there. They were all crying and running to their parents. And of course all the parents were looking at me with disgust, and think that I need to watch my own kids. We left before it was turned off. We had a long talk all the way home.

So I have a feeling that he might be a fireman when he grows up. Or maybe it is just that he likes to push buttons. He pushed the teller's panic police button at the bank once. He pulls fire alarms and pushes my buttons on a daily basis. Who knows. Either way this kid can get into some trouble.

It had me scared for a second.

I had my 2nd doctor's appointment today. It wasn't a big deal, just checking to make sure that everything is still going ok. When the doctor tried to find the baby's heartbeat, he couldn't find it. It started to scare me the more he looked for it. Finally he just decided to give me another ultrasound. He found it right away. It was strong, and the baby looked really good. It was moving around like crazy. I could see it move it's little hand up to it's head and rub it's head. It was amazing! It totally made my day!

Our house hasn't sold yet, but we have had a ton of people come and look through it. We have had three different people say they wanted to put in an offer, but we haven't seen anything. I am getting anxious for it to sell, but I need to learn to be patient. The more I think about our new house, the sooner I want to move and get this all done with. Oh well, when the time is right it will happen.

Well that is about it for now. Time to go take my afternoon nap!

A few funny things that my kids have said lately.

"Mommy is there a door that goes to space?"

"Do we have sticks in us to hold us up?"

"I will like your baby when it gets here."

While eating chicken for dinner princess bites her finger then she starts to cry that "The chicken bit my finger."

"My body is special that is why daddy is taking me to see race cars."

"Princesses don't have to go to school."

Updating

Sorry for being gone so much. Things started to get a little crazy around here. Little dude loves school and is learning so much. I can actually see a change in his behavior which is good. He seems to be a little nicer to his sister.

Princess loves to have time to play by herself or with mommy. It has been fun. We have never really had her and me time before. She always gets excited when little dude comes home though.

The hubby might be getting a promotion after all. They talked to him about it today and will find out in the next couple of weeks. I hope that it works out for his sake he deserves it!

We have also put our house up for sale. With a new baby coming we have decided that we need more room. We also have been here for 5 years and feel that the way that the market is going it is time to find something that we can be in until the kids are out of school. We did find something and we put an offer on. We found out today that they accepted our offer and the house is ours. Well, as long as our house sells first. There has been 5 different people look at it since Friday when we put it on the market. I hope it goes fast. We will see. In the mean time, it has been a little hard keeping the house spotless, but good for me. I will keep you all updated.

One final thing, I am feeling so much better! I am now 12 weeks along and I think that feeling sick is behind me. As long as I stay away from Spaghetti and Pizza! YUCK!

A letter to my "Little Dude"

My dear "Little Dude",

While watching you from across the room I can see how much you have learned and see how much you have grown in such a short time. I can't believe how fast the last 3 1/2 years have gone by.

I remember the first time I saw your face, I couldn't hold back the tears! You were so beautiful and so innocent. That moment changed my life forever. I couldn't believe you were mine. That I was going to take you home and do my very best to teach you everything that I know and more. It almost didn't seem real, but then I would take one look at you and see how much you look like your daddy and know that you were here to stay!

I am writing you a letter today because I saw something in your eyes today that I never want to forget! And I hope that someday you will be able to read this, then look in the mirror and see what I saw today. Putting it into words will be really hard for me to do because that will mean that I have to admit that you are not going to be little forever. I saw a little boy that for 3 1/2 years has been so dependent on his mommy and daddy that is now excited and eager for a new beginning with stepping into the world on your own and facing the challenges that are ahead. That is a big step for a 3 year old, but the excitement and confidence in your eyes would make anyone think that tomorrow morning you will be starting college or a new job. We all know your not, you are just starting Pre-school, but that is a big deal!

School can be challenging for many people. Some people take it for granted, and some people don't take it seriously at all and just don't care. I hope that this excitement that you have to learn and grow will never fade. I hope and pray that knowledge is always just as important to you as it is tonight.

Tonight your daddy made you a big promise. One that has a lot of meaning, and that will take you many years to understand. He gave you what is called a "Father's Blessing". In our church your daddy holds the priesthood and is able to give blessings. When you asked me why it was important I told you because in the blessing you get to hear what our Heavenly Father wants you to know. He blessed you that you will have fun learning, and that you will be kind and that those around you will be kind. He blessed you that you will learn and that you will grow and that you will feel the love of your family and your Heavenly Father always. What great blessings to have! I know that with your faith and with your love and hard work you will see the great importance of this wonderful Father's Blessing that daddy gave you. His big promise to you is that every year when you start school he will give you one. This will always help you to have more strength even when you feel that it is really hard.

I can't believe how fast you are growing up! Your daddy and I love you so much! I think that the only way you will ever truly know how much is the day that you will be able to watch your own kids grow. We are very proud of you and the things that you do everyday! You are a very loving little boy, with so much to give! Be strong! Know that your daddy and I are always here for you and no matter what happens we will always be by your side!

As you say to me every day " I love you so much and I think you are a cutie pie!"

Love, Mommy

Just a quick post.

I have a few minutes and I am feeling a little better so I thought that I better sit down and type something. My appointment went great! I am officially due April 2nd. That makes me about 10 weeks along.

I am starting to feel better and I have been able to do a few things. I shot a wedding Friday night and then another wedding and reception on Saturday. They went good, but wore me out. It is the most I have worked since I found out that I was pregnant. Thank goodness wedding season is almost over. Just a few more big weddings and then I can relax again. Dang I just feel lazy!

That is about all the time and thoughts that I have for now. Sorry nothing big and exciting, but I need to go entertain the kids before they start knocking down walls.

Yes, I am still alive. Kind of!

I am still here. I am still feeling pretty dang crappy! There are a few moments when I am feeling ok, but they quickly turn into moments where I am in tears again because I feel just that bad. Oh well, it is what I signed up for I guess.

My first appointment is tomorrow (Thursday) and I am really looking forward to it. I am excited to hear a heartbeat, find out when my real due date is, and mostly if there is anything that will help me feel better. This is a new doctor though. I have only seen him once a few months ago, so I am a little nervous. I had my other two kids with a doctor that I knew well, and that I really trusted. Going to someone new is a little hard for me. It will be at a different hospital, with different opinions and routines. I sure things will go ok though. I just have to learn to trust my instincts.

In non-pregnancy news my little dude starts Preschool next week. I am excited to go buy him his first backpack. He will feel so big and I am sure that we will hear all about him being a big boy now. I went to meet his teacher yesterday and I think that he is going to have a great year!

My little princess is convinced that since her brother is going to school she will be going too. Except she thinks that she is going to Princess school. When asked what you learn there she says "You learn about shoes, makeup, and painting toenails." Looks like she is a fashion guru in the making.

One last thought that is not related to anything or anyone~
Always be true and honest! Live your life in such a way that your integrity is NEVER questioned.

Maybe if I was throwing up I would feel better

When I was pregnant with my son and my daughter I never got sick. I never had morning sickness nor did I ever throw up. I always felt really lucky. Well now, I have been SO nauseous that I can't hardly do anything! It isn't just for a little while. I am so nauseous ALL the time. All day long and it keeps me up at night. I still haven't thrown up, but I almost wish that I would. If there is a chance that it will make me feel better, then I am ok with it! ANYTHING TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!

I feel really bad for my family. I feel that I have been so lazy. I can't make food because it makes it worse. Doing the dishes makes it really bad. I have been so tired that I haven't done much around the house either. It actually bring tears to my eyes to think that there could be a few more weeks or even months of this! I can't handle it and I don't know what is going to make me feel better.

I feel that my family has been suffering because of me. It makes me so sad when it is 2:30 in the afternoon and my kids are begging for lunch. Or that my husband comes home from work to a messy house, grumpy kids, a sick wife and has to think about something to make for dinner. He usually has to get them into bed too because I am sitting in the tub trying to feel at least ok. If I could just not be sick for a little while so that I can do some of things on my long list of demands I would feel better emotionally. I wouldn't beat myself up for feeling selfish. I wouldn't have to rely on my kids and hubby to do everything. I would feel that I can actually do something than feel sorry for myself.

Sorry for the depressing post, this has been really getting to me. Since there is nothing that I can do about it, I have to try to share my feelings and give it a chance that maybe I won't cry about it anymore.

My hat goes off to anyone that is violently ill while being pregnant! You are more of a trooper than I am.

High Alert

Here at our household we were on high alert all night last night. I am not sure that anyone got any real sleep. Well, I know for a fact that I didn't. For me it all started right before I went to bed. I opened up the pantry door and a mouse ran in front of me and across the kitchen floor. I screamed! My hubby and kids yell to me to tell them what was wrong. I told them that I saw a mouse and that it just startled me. Hubby set up a mouse trap, but little princess wanted to catch it for me to make me feel better. So the kids started asking questions about the mouse. We kept hearing things like "I don't want to go to bed, I don't want the mouse to come into my room." It took the kids a bit to settle down and realize that the mouse would not be going into their room.

There had been lightning and thunder all night and my little princess is so scared of it. She was having a hard time trying to sleep even though it had stopped. Both kids kept climbing into our bed to cuddle because they where scared. At about 2:30 I got up to go to the bathroom while my hubby put the kids back into their own beds. While I was in the bathroom I heard a "knock, knock, knock." I didn't think much of it because it was really soft so I thought that it was my hubby putting the kids back in their beds. But I heard it again. I got back into bed and my hubby said that he hadn't heard anything. So I tried to go back to sleep but I kept wondering what it was.

Just a few minutes after I got into bed we hear our garage door move! My hubby jumps out of bed and yells for me to get the police on the phone and he is going to go check things out. I WAS SO SCARED! Someone was breaking into our garage and kept knocking on the door! I totally thought that it was the idiot that stole my purse and was coming back for more. I thought that they were going to knock on the door and break in if no one answers. (Anything is possible when you think that you are being robbed and it is the middle of the night.) So my hubby runs down stairs and makes sure that all the doors are locked, while I call 9-1-1.

"9-1-1 what is your emergency?"

"Someone is knocking on our door and moving our garage up! I don't know if someone is breaking in!"

"What is your address we will get someone right over?"

I tell them the address while you can hear my hubby yelling downstairs.

"Who is there?"

No answer

"Who is there?"

Hears a mumble

"Who is it? Come to the front door!"

Meanwhile the dispatcher on the phone is listening to my hubby yelling thinking that there is a fight or something going on. Finally I hear my hubby yelling to me that it is Brian from across the street. He opens the door and starts talking to him. I tell the guy on the phone that is was the neighbor and that I think everything is ok.

"I think he was just trying to tell us that our garage door was open. Sorry, it really freaked me out!"

"That is ok, we get it all the time!"

Well, I guess that our neighbor had just got home from work and saw that we left our garage open. Another neighbor across the street had a car stolen from their garage just a few months ago. So Brian was worried that something was going to get stolen from our garage. He was trying to knock to not wake up our kids. But by us yelling and freaking out they were already awake!

So there you have it! Why we were on high alert all night. Every little sound and every little move woke me up and made me think that we were being robbed. And to top it off I could swear that I heard that dang mouse squeaking in the kitchen all night!

Gotta Flush

Most parents don't have to call poison control ever while their kids are young. Me however, I have called twice in the last year. The first time was when my little dude was playing in the back yard and ate one of those mushrooms growing in the grass. I thought that those things being poisonous was a myth. Guess what, it isn't! They are dangerous, but he didn't eat the kind that was. Thank goodness!

The second time that I had to call was last night. My kids wanted a treat. I told them no. So what did they do? Get into the Vitamin C bottle and ate half the bottle. We assume that they had about 30,000 ml of Vitamin C. That's a lot! The guy at poison control said that we needed to keep them awake (it was bed time) and flush out their systems. So until almost midnight we kept the kids awake trying to get them to drink as much as they can! Then the rest of the night I was up helping them pee!

One last thing you should go visit my new friend Becky and give her good wishes! She just found out that she is going to have a baby in April. Just like me! But they have been trying for a few years, so this is great news for them!

More pictures of my kids having a fun summer

I promised them and so here they are. You can check out the picture slide show of our trip to Idaho and also our trip to the Zoo here. I think the kids are having a fun summer, but I can feel it winding down. This makes me a little sad, but excited for the road ahead. The change of season brings lots of new changes. Our lives are going by fast, and the kids are getting bigger by the minute. I am so grateful that I have taken tons of pictures to help remember the times that we share together.

Things are going better this week. Other than smashing my finger in my cursed jeep's door, things are actually going great! My hubby and little princess have been feeling a little under the weather, but this makes for a few much needed lazy days for the whole family.

I am actually starting to notice that I am pregnant now. This sucks a little because I am maybe only 5 weeks along. I tried on two pairs of my jeans the other night and they didn't fit. This baby will be well padded if we are going to start this early. Also the other two times that I have been pregnant I haven't been able to eat one of my favorite foods, onions. They make me really nauseous. Well, I ate them yesterday and I was on the verge of throwing up the rest of the day. Also almost anything can bring tears to my eyes. Things ranging from a song on the radio, to something my kids have said or done to this story on the news. Yup it is going to be a long road if all this is going to start now.

Well good luck to all as your week goes on. We will be praying here for a quiet and calm week!

One of the worst days in history!

It all started when I had to go get the oil changed in my jeep this morning. I was the only customer in the entire building and they still took over an hour to get it done. This only made me mad because I had somewhere that I needed to be, and they totally made me miss it. Also the kids where bored and into everything there.
Then I had a quick few minutes to get home and get the kids some lunch before we headed out again. I was going to take the kids to their Aunt's house while I go and do a wedding shoot at the temple. I was running a little late, but was able to make up for missed time with little traffic across town. I was able to drop off the kids and make it to the temple in just enough time.
The bride and groom came out and it started to rain just as the pictures where starting. We where able to work our way through it and we got some really cute pictures. After we were done with the pictures, I went and got into my jeep. I then realized that the passenger side window had been shattered and my purse had been stolen. I started to freak out. I kept thinking that this couldn't be happening. About 5 years ago my car was stolen and it had my purse in it then too. It was a disaster then because they used checks and and credit cards before we could cancel the accounts. So all I could think about was that I was going to have to go through all that again, and the fact that my Ipod was in it too. *SAD, I just got it a few months ago* I started to cry. I didn't know what else to do. I was so mad. It is the worst feeling to be robbed.
Well, I ended up waiting around for the police for what seemed like forever. Really it was 2 hours. WAY too long in my book, but whatever, they have bad guys to catch right? The grounds keepers at the temple came and broke out the rest of the window and cleaned it all up so I could drive home.
On the ride home it took everything I had to not have a breakdown in the car. To make things worse, I sat in traffic on the freeway for about and hour and a half because the freeway had been just been closed down for a car accident. I guess that a semi truck rolled over and was blocking all the lanes. It made me miss my next meeting that I had this afternoon. I also found out on the ride home that the idiot that stole my purse did actually use my debit card at a gas station. I can barely afford my own gas let alone a thieves gas! I was even more furious! What a mess!
I was so stressed and so mad that I really thought that my head was going to explode. I had the worst headache and I was in the worst mood! When I went and got the kids they were being grumpy because they could tell that I was grumpy! They fought the entire rest of the ride home! I could not take it anymore!
I was a little worried to go to my sister's baby shower tonight because I was in such a rotten mood, but wouldn't you know that it is the exact thing that made me feel a little bit better.
I can look at it now and know that I am blessed. It could have been tons worse. I also know that something good will come out of it. These types of things always happen to me and something good always comes out of it. I am thankful for my loving family to help me smile and keep me focused on the good things in life. Without them I would be ready to kill the world right now!

Here we go again!

A new adventure is just starting! And all of you get to experience it with me! You will get to see a new side of mommy going crazy. You will get to truly see me go crazy! You will get to also experience joy with me. You may also laugh and cry with me! We will be welcoming a new little baby into our home sometime in April. So let this crazy out of control adventure begin!

We are really excited! It is a little different from the last time that I found out that I was pregnant. It was such a shock that it took a few days to really be excited. I usually hate being pregnant. I hate being out of control of my body and of my emotions. This time I am hoping that it is a little better, and that I can enjoy it a little more. It will be my last time being pregnant. No more for us, three is a good number.

So wish me luck because with two other young kids, things could get really interesting!

Oh yea and pictures from Idaho are coming soon. They were a little bit delayed because I wanted to share this good news with everyone.

Sleepy Peeing

My husband and I were laying in bed watching a little TV before we went to sleep last night. My little dude had been asleep for hours, but I started to hear his little sleepy shuffle. He shuffled into our room and headed strait for the bathroom. He gets up in the middle of the night almost every night to use our bathroom, but usually he comes in crying that he has to go pee. He turns on the light and crys again that he needs help. (He doesn't but I guess in the middle of the night anyone can be needy.) Then he usually wants to cuddle to put him back to sleep. Well last night he didn't do any of that. He just did his little sleepy shuffle into our bathroom, not saying a word. He dropped his drawers and started to pee. Then I noticed that he hadn't turned on the light. He was peeing in the dark. I was grateful that he was actually in the bathroom, but afraid of what I was going to find when he was done. The funny part about this story is that he was so sound asleep still that as he walked out of the bathroom he turned on the light and then went right to bed. My hubby and I where laughing so hard. Little kids should not be peeing in the dark. I have heard of little boys sleep peeing and going somewhere like in the boots that where in the hallway closet. (Yea Dad, all I could think about last night was that story.) I am very glad that he didn't do something like that. It is still funny that he didn't even wake up to go. Silly little dude.

Our trip to Idaho was tons of fun. I have some pictures that I will post soon. Maybe tomorrow. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Getting out of dodge!

Just so all of you know that there are TWO holidays in July! Independence day, and Pioneer Day. Ok so not everyone celebrates Pioneer Day, but it is a big holiday here in Utah. Living in Utah my entire life I sometimes forget that Pioneer Day isn't a national holiday. When we were making plans for going to my father in law's ranch this weekend IN IDAHO I actually asked my husband where we were going to see fireworks there. He looked at me like I was crazy, then said "Idaho doesn't celebrate the day the pioneers came to Utah, DUH!" I had to laugh, it so Utahn of me to think that any other state would celebrate a Utah state holiday. Oh boy!

Well since my husband works for a bank and gets bankers holiday's off, we have along weekend to play. He has taken off work today and we will be driving to Idaho to play on the boat, ride horses, ride on the 4 wheeler, and anything else that may come up.(Except for watching fireworks!) I can't wait! The 4 1/2 hour car ride might not be the best because the kids broke the portable dvd player. So wish me luck! And I would like to be the first to wish all of you a Happy Pioneer Day!

Doomed from Daybreak

We actually got off the couch today. It was the hottest day all year and I decide to actually try and get my house clean. Well, I put in a good effort anyway. If I didn't have to stop to get the stuck Geo Trax out of my little princess' hair, then to stop and see why the kids were covered in black ashes (it was from the fire pit in the back yard. They had it ALL over the place) Then I had to fix the broken window covering that my little princess broke. But wait that isn't it. After being covered in ash my little princess decides that she needed to get cleaned up. So she heads to her room and takes everything off! Including her diaper. The next thing I know little dude is yelling "MOM SHE PEED ON THE CARPET!" So I cleaned that up, and put her in her second bath of the day. Got her all cleaned up then a few hours later she dumped a pickle jar that was full of water (my son is trying to make his grow creatures grow) all over her clean clothes and all over the floor. My house would be really clean if it weren't for all the interruptions. I am not sure who had a worse day, her or me?

Somehow, I knew that when I caught a glimpse of the sun rising up over the mountains this morning, it was going to be the best my day was going to get. Too bad it was at 6:00 AM!

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Just a few thoughts

About a month ago I posted these pictures of my kids playing in the pool with their cousins. I got a really funny message from Silly Hilly "It's so funny to see those b/c when I think of Utah, I think of snooooow! Beautiful, white snow. :-)" She is right, Utah is known for all the awesome snow, but in the summer I remember that we are living in the desert. It doesn't usually get over 100, but the last few days it has been 102 or more. YUCK! It makes it really hard to do anything! My house is a mess because the last thing that I want to do is clean when it is freaking hot. I don't want to take the kids outside because it is too hot. I don't want to cook, so we have been eating nothing but junk. I feel that as a mother I have been really lazy. The kids have noticed, they have been SO bad. So if anyone has any fun summer activities please give me ideas! We can use them around here! The TV needs a rest.

Friday night we did take the kids camping for the night. It was really fun. We went with some people from our church. It was a really fun time. We even took the kids on a hike. They thought it was great, and they were so tired after that it made for a nice little break when they took a long nap.

In other news, my husband's great-grandma passed away. I know that she was really old, but I have some funny memories of her. She will be missed. We will be heading to Idaho next week for the funeral. We were planning on going anyway for a little vacation to the ranch. So I will be happy to be able to make it over to say good bye before she is buried, and have a little fun there too.

Well, we are heading off to some friend's house for a BBQ. I hope you all enjoy for extra hot Sunday!

Growing up

I don't remember ever really liking pink when I was younger. I don't remember wearing dresses except for on Sunday's but I hated it. When I went on my first date I had no makeup on and I wore a long t-shirt with really baggy pants. Not to mention the dog chain that I wore around my neck. When my mom and I shopped for my wedding dress I was looking for something that didn't have any bows, ruffles, flowers, lace, and heaven forbid if it "puffed" anywhere. One lady that was trying to help us even asked my mom if she ever put a bow in my hair because I was looking for something "not girly". My mom kindly said "no, because she never liked them." She is right! I have never really liked anything girly.

As I get older though, I find myself needing to look "girly" and wearing makeup, and even doing my hair. I do have pink in my wardrobe and I wear it often. I feel beautiful, like a woman. I even regret not taking better care of myself while growing up. I guess this is all about getting older and finding the real me. Not the "me" that thinks wearing baggy clothes and chains is the perfect way to express yourself. ( What does that even express??? Hummm?)

In the last 8 years I have been a little more open to trying new "girly" things. I feel that I have come a long way. No more chains, baggy clothes, I own a few pink shirts, and I even wear dresses. Some times even when I don't have to. There was one venture that I was a little scared to take. One that I have stayed clear of my entire life. Until last night. I would like to announce to the world (and those that know me best, because they will laugh) that I have now entered the "girly" world that I have been avoiding most of my life. Last night I bought my first pair of High Heel Shoes! Yes, I know, a really big step! (Ha! Ha! No pun intended!)

The best part about this experience isn't that they are extremely cute, or that I am finally a woman. It is the comment that my little dude said to me last night. I was trying to practice walking in them so if I was going to break my ankle it wasn't going to be in public! While pacing around the house I hear my 3 year old son say "See mommy, you CAN do it!" He is the best isn't he?

So congratulations to me for finally being a women and wanting to be girly!

Mazatlan Mexico Trip Part 2

Taking a Siesta,
originally uploaded by weeksphotos.

Well I was finaly able to put more pictures online from our trip. Go check out the slide show. Pretty much all of them are of us just playing in the water or hanging out on the beach. That is what we did most of the time. My feet got pretty beat up from a rope that got caught between my toes when a wave came in. It sucked, but hey I have cute flip flops on in the picture. I hope you all enjoy!

The 4th of July!

I hope that all of you had a fun, happy, sunny 4th of July! Our day was pretty good, but it rained for most of the day. So here is how we spent our afternoon.


The evening was great! We went to some friend's house and had a little BBQ in the rainy weather. Then played some really fun games inside. We were planing on going to see a firework show that was close by, but it was still raining. So we bought some to light at our friends house. The kids had a great time, and so did we.

My memories of the 4th of July have always been playing in the back yard while hamburgers cook on the grill, or of going to our cabin. Watching parades then going to the park for fireworks. I don't remember one time that it rained. For my kids sake (and the fact that it was fun) I hope that my kids remember the time that it poured rain all afternoon and mom and dad took them outside to dance and play in the puddles.

Where I am From

Thanks to 8 hours for the tip on this writing exercise. Everyone should try it. I caught myself thinking about things and people that I haven't thought of in a long time.

Where I am From.

I am from 5 cent slot machine, from Ironport and Cherry and Macintosh.
I am from Fruit trees in the back yard. Family snowmobiling trips and the smell of Sunday dinner

I am from the home grown pumpkins, wild roses and tulips in the front yard.

I am from singing “Tiny Angels” on Christmas eve and faithful and unwavering, from Aunt Clarece and two Uncle Rogers and Eckersell.

I am from the making meals for everyone and tickle attacks.

From remember who you are and your family is more important than your friends.

I am from Faithful Mormon falling away, then finding myself again.

I'm from West Jordan and Rigby, Omelets and corned beef hash.

From the Senator and Mortician that lived in a Funeral Home, the owning and fling an airplane, the married for over 60 years.

I am from the old boxes in my parents basement that look and smell old but make me very proud every time I see them.

Antenna Saga

The day after Thanksgiving last year, I had a family photo shoot for someone that my husband works with. We were going up the canyon to get pictures of them in the snow. (For a family that is from California, this was going to be pretty cool) We decided that since my husband knew the family he would take the kids sledding while I took pictures. It had been snowing there all night and there was about a foot and a half of fresh powder to play in. It was a fun photo shoot, but everyone was tired, wet and cold by the end of the afternoon. It was starting to snow too. We started packing up our gear in the jeep and getting the snow clothes off of the kids. In the few minutes that it took to get little dude undressed and in his car seat, my little princess climbed into the front seat and locked the door right after we had closed it. This was not good since the keys were sitting in the cup holder so they wouldn't get lost in the snow.
Do you ever have moments in your life where time really does stand still and you think to yourself, that really didn't just happen? Then it hits you like a ton of bricks that your kids are now locked in the car by themselves. While you are standing out in the cold, up a canyon, it is getting dark, and starting to snow pretty dang hard. What a moment! We kept trying to get her to unlock the doors, but she didn't understand. Every time we would yell through the window to "push up" she would laugh and wave like it was some sort of game. We tried everything to get into the car. There really wasn't many people in the canyon at this point because no one is crazy enough in Utah to hang out in a small canyon when it is snowing pretty hard and getting dark. The family that I had just taken their pictures did stay and try to help, but we were still clueless as to what to do. About an hour or more after endless tries, someone had the idea to take the antenna off of the jeep and see if we could pry the door open enough to get it in there and unlock the door. It sounded like a good idea so we found a tool, and went for it. I think that after a half an hour and very close to a nervous break down I said something to my husband that went something like "If we can't get the blankety-blank thing open soon, we are going to call the police to get our kids out of there." About five minutes after saying that about 3 cops show up and right as they were pulling up "CLICK" the door came unlocked! What a blessing! As we were leaving we actually saw about 7 cops coming up the canyon. I still have no idea how they knew that we were up there, or who called, but Utah doesn't take the safety of kids lightly.
Since that day we have been driving around with a VERY bent antenna on our jeep. Every time I see it I think that it is totally funny because I can picture this innocent face smiling and waving through the window and laughing that mommy and daddy were locked out.
The saga of our antenna isn't over yet though. A few weeks ago we were in a drive through car wash, and the spinner thing got caught on the antenna (which before then has been bent back a little so it didn't look too bad). It pulled up the fender and bent the antenna even more before the car wash stopped. We got out and couldn't believe that had just happened. We made a complaint with the place that we were at. They said that they will have to look into it and get back with us because the sign says that no jeeps are allowed in the car wash and that you are supposed to take off your antenna before going in. WHAT THE...! This didn't make me very happy to hear, it sounds ridiculous. Well the did get back to us and said they might fix it and to get some estimates on how much it will cost them to fix it. So we did that. It is going to cost over $500.00 to fix! Crazy huh!?
Good thing that the whole car wash thing happened. If I had to pay for a new antenna on my own I would have to kill my little princess instead of laugh every time I think about her locking us out.

Girls. Girls. Girls. oh and two more Girls

I hosted a baby shower at my house last night. It was for a friend that already has two girls, but she is having twins, girls. Lots of girls. It was really fun, we had about 20 ladies come so it was really nice to sit outside and visit.

Hosting anything really makes me tired. There is always so much to do. You wouldn't believe what I can get done in a short amount of time though. In one hour, I vacuumed my floors, swept and mopped my floors, did a load of dishes, put out balloons, got dressed, put make up on, did my hair, set out chairs, wrapped a gift, and made rice crispy treats. It was a lot of work but really worth it! I told my husband that I am so tired that I am going to do nothing today. So he better not complain if he comes home and I am still in my pj's sitting on the couch.

In other news, my little dude is doing awesome in his swimming lessons. I found out that he gets to move onto the next class. This is great since he had to repeat his last class. He is so full of energy and always wants to be outside. Which is fine with me. Anything to not have him run a muck inside.

My little princess is really jealous that she isn't in swimming lessons, but loves to go and watch. She loves to play outside too, but she gets more dirty than her brother. I think the she just likes the bath. One thing about her lately is that she has been learning how to sing more songs. She was singing at the store the other day and some lady stopped just to tell her she was singing a beautiful song. It was really funny. She can sing her ABC's really well though.

My husband has been working really hard. At work and at home. He is always busy, but has a little helper everywhere he goes. Little Dude love to be like daddy and do what daddy does. We are trying to find time to go camping so that we can have some more fun family time. He has worked really hard in the yard to make is as beautiful as it is, and we got a lot of compliments on it last night! Thanks for all your hard work hubby!

With me I am trying to figure out if I want and can afford a new camera. I don't mind the one that I have, but I have really been wanting a Canon 30D lately. I love the pictures that I have taken with it, I think that it works better for the way that I take pictures. It is about double of what my camera is worth though. It is a big investment, but I think that it will take my talent to a new level. We will have to see though.

And for the birds, (I just have to add this because I think that it is funny) As some of you may or may not know, I have two birds. Pavo, which mean turkey in Spanish, and Pollo, which means chicken in Spanish. Yes our birds are called chicken and turkey. They have been put through a lot in the past. But I think that the kids are trying to make up for it. The other day I found that one of the kids had tried to feed them a chicken nugget. Every time I think that someone is trying to feed my bird Chicken, chicken it makes me laugh. Is it wrong to feed a chicken chicken? Ha Ha Ha (dumb story, but really I think that it is funny!)

Mazatlan, Mexico Trip Part 1

Mexico was a blast! After the crazy year that we had last year we really needed some time to be alone and have a good time. We went with our friends that just had a baby and really needed some time alone too. They are like family to us and are always really good company. We all had an awesome time.

I want to share stories and pictures so I will give you the story and you will have to check out the slide show to see the pictures.

As soon as we got there we had to go swimming in the ocean. It was fun, I haven't been in to the ocean since I was a little kid. The water was surprisingly warm, and tastes really nasty! We worked up an appetite so we got dressed and headed to Senior Frogs for dinner. What a fun place! They made all of us these insane balloon hats. The waiter took our picture, you can tell that we were having a great time already.

The next day we went on a tour of the resort that we were staying at. It sounds really boring, but we got to eat breakfast in a really neat restaurant that had a great view of the beach. And they gave us some free tickets for activities. The place that we stayed was really nice. It was right on the beach, and every meal you would eat outside. Our room was nicer than my house. It had a balcony that over looked the ocean (see view in slide show) with a hot tub on it. The room actually had two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a sauna, a kitchen, a dining room, and a family room with a huge flat screen TV. Really, I could have lived there! They had two pools that were so much fun! We decided that we liked swimming at night so we would go out there and jump off the rock cliff and go down the water slide when all the kids were gone.

We pretty much just played in the water the rest of that afternoon. I don't have very many pictures of that because we went body boarding, kayaking, and jet skiing. It was blast! That night we decided to hit the town and do a little shopping. We had to take these taxis around that really are no bigger than a golf cart. They are fun, but I am convinced that there isn't a single rule in driving there. SCARY!

On Sunday we took a boat tour. We went around Stone Island that had pirate caves in it. It was really neat, but the best part was just around the corner. When we started heading to the island that we were going to spend the day at, the captain saw some dolphins jumping out of the water. I have always loved dolphins. This was something that I have wanted to see my entire life. The captain wanted to get a little closer so he went a little off the path so that we could see them. Well, we sure did get to see them! There were about 20 in the front of the boat where we could see them, then there were tons more on each side of the boat. They swam with us a really long time. They were jumping out of the water and it looked like they were trying to play. It was a really neat thing to see. It made me sea sick though. So the rest of the day my stomach was a little upset, but I was still able to enjoy the private beach that we sailed out to. I even tried snorkeling. That was actually pretty cool. We some some really pretty coral and fish.

After the boat ride I was really beat! I was sore from jet skiing the day before and still a little sick to my stomach. So my friend and I went and got a massage. Can I just say that everyone needs to get a massage on vacation! It was so nice and relaxing. Which made me want to just sleep when we got back. Even though our room was really nice and I could have stayed there the entire time, I also wanted to get out. But before we went to dinner we had to check out the breath taking sunset from our balcony. Wow!

Well, I better rap it up for the first part of our trip. I have more stories and pictures, but it might have to wait. I used up all my space on flickr. Stay tuned for more fun.

Tired

We got back in town from Mazatlan, Mexico late last night. I am pretty tired so I am not going to post anything about the trip until another day. I just thought I would let you all know where I have been. I haven't dropped off the planet or anything. I was just getting some much needed vacationing time with my hubby. I can't wait to share with you all the fun things that we did and saw. Oh lets not forget the pictures! We got some really fun pictures! So check back in a couple days and I will have something to share.

A fun day for the kids

Today was a very fun day. The kids went swimming in the back yard while I babysat my nieces. They had a picnic and had some nice summer treats. Check out the slide show of all the fun pictures of them playing.

As a Child?

My father found this and called me just to share it with me. He says that it reminds him of me. It is pretty funny, and exactly how I feel! So I have to share it with you guys.

As a Child?
By Sterling D. Allan

Now that I have a child of my own, sometimes I have to wonder about the scriptures that say we should "become as a child, meek, submissive..."What kind of children are we talking about? That doesn't describe my little 8.5-month-old guy. He's always into mischief, and does not comprehend the word "no." I wouldn't characterize him as "submissive," not in the least. Meek? Nah, I don't think so. He has an independent streak that wont quit. So when the Lord says we are to become as a child, does it mean we are to throw temper tantrums, hit each other, grab things away from one another, pull one prank after another, be oblivious to logic or reasoning, poop in our pants, burp at will, throw our food all over the place, leave messes everywhere we go, indiscriminately rip pages out of important books, clog the sewer with toilet paper, pull flowers up by their roots, wine and cry until we get our way (and your guess is as good as mine as to what that may actually be). Just what did the Lord have in mind? Becoming as a child doesn't sound very hard; in fact it sounds like a lot of fun -- until Dad comes home!

Here I am!

It has been forever since I have posted. I actually haven't been all that busy, I just haven't known what to write. So today, I am just going to post random things.

My little dude's soccer games are over. I am really proud of him, and happy that he had so much fun. I will post pictures soon I promise. He did get a little trophy that he sleeps with every night. Silly kid. He started swimming lessons the other day, and LOVES it! He wants to go everyday!

My little lady has been more sassy than ever. She is living up to every moment of being two. She loves to be barefoot and playing outside. She loves dirt, being naked and anything sticky. Not always at the same time, but it has happened before. She can't stay clean for longer than about 20 minutes. I asked her tonight after her bath if she likes to be clean or dirty. She quickly said dirty! Not a surprise. We have broken her of the binky and we are so proud of her. It has been more than a month, and she is doing great! She doesn't even ask for it anymore! After we get back from Mexico we will start potty training her. She is so ready when she tells me every time that she goes, and I even catch her sitting on the potty all by herself. Oh have I mentioned that she is VERY independent? Yea, she thinks she will be well on her way to getting a job and moving out at the age of 5.

We have been working really hard in the yard. It is now all done. We put a patio in front of the pond so we can sit out there and enjoy it! It looks really nice, and kudos to the husband for his hard work and really long hours.

Speaking of the husband, he has been asked to apply for a position at work that will be giving him a promotion. I am very proud of him. He works hard, and deserves it! It isn't a guarantee so I hope that he gets the job. No more working on Saturdays, and LOTS more money!

As for me, I am on cloud nine tonight. I went on a photo shoot today, that was lots of fun, and the pictures turned out awesome! It was a great location and I got to use the insane new lens! (I love that thing!) I am also getting very excited for my trip to Mexico. Only a few more weeks! It will be a blast, and I really can't wait!

Well that is what is going on with all of us! I hope that I didn't bore all of you! I promise a good post coming up. I have been working on a list of silly things that my kids say part 2! I wonder where they get some of these things!

Summertime Fun

Summertime Fun,
originally uploaded by weeksphotos.

Well, I thought that it was about time to post some more pictures. With all the wedding and family pictures that I have been doing, I forget to take some of my kids. On Saturday I was hanging out with my friend that I do all the wedding photography with and we were playing with her new lens. (Check out this insane new lens that she got!) We got some great pictures of my kids. They were playing really hard so it was really fun to stand back (with this lens you can get WAY back) and snap a few shots while they play.

I have updated my flickr account with some new pictures so you can go check it out. There are a few of my Mother's Day gifts and what the BIG hole in my back yard turned out to be. (Remember the bobcat getting stuck? Oh yea, who can forget!)

Oh yay!

I just thought I would share a little bit of info that I found out last night. This made me so happy! Chris Daughtry that just got kicked off of American Idol might be the lead singer in the band Fuel! This is very cool news! I love Chris and I love Fuel! See we all knew that he would come out on top! Way to go Chris!

Facing a big fear and almost dying - kind of

They other day I had to go to the dentist to have some work done. This is never fun since I have had a fear of the dentist for as long as I can remember. I have been going to the same dentist my entire life. He is a great guy and a great dentist. This time I decided that I was going to see a new dentist because he was closer and also because he is a newer dentist. I have been having some pain on one of my teeth for over three years that my other dentist couldn't explain. I figured it was time to maybe see if a dentist with new technology could find something wrong. Well he did, and I had to have a 3 hour appointment to fix it. All last week, I was really scared. I really hate the dentist, but I knew that I needed to get it done. My husband kept telling me that I should get the nitrous oxide gas to help me feel better about it. I hadn't had it since I was a kid so I thought that he had a good point. So I get there on Wednesday totally scared, but excited to know that the nitrous was going to make it all better.

The nurse gets me all hooked up with a movie (Harry Potter 4) with the ear phones and the goggles to protect my eyes, and the nitrous over my nose. She turns on the gas to get me a little less scared for the shots that are to come. She leaves me to sit and breath in this stuff and to give me a few minutes to settle down. When she came back in I was so high. I have never done drugs before, but I must say that I now understand why people do them. (That was a really bad comment, but very true.) I told the dentist, just joking around might I add, that he needs to alert my husband that there is a problem if I start asking to come in once a week. I was feeling great! My kids were at the sitter, I was laying there high as a kite, and I was watching Harry Potter without any interruptions. It was great. I even started to feel a little sleepy.

They put that crazy rubber thing in my mouth and were off to work. I even started off to sleep. I was in between sleep and drugged and I started to have a dream. I was floating through some clouds, kind of playing around and having a good time. I saw this great big white light that I thought would be fun to float over to. So off I went. Well, I really wasn't asleep yet so I totally thought that I was dying. So I force myself to open my eyes and come back to life. Then I realize that the big white light I was following was not the tunnel into heaven. It was the big bright light that they shine right onto your face. Being in a half normal, altered state of mind, I was a little realived that I was dead, but I was starting to have a panic attack anyway. I was a little TOO high at this point. The nurse noticed and then told me she was going to turn down the gas.

Still drugged I sat there totally afraid to go to sleep. So I did everything that I could to try to stay awake. I don't remember what the dentist and the nurse was talking about, but I remember trying to laugh. I heard what they said and I thought to myself "did they really just say that?" Then I started to think about my "near death experience" and all that crap that I had on my face and I started to get all claustrophobic. As a kid I used to have really bad problems with being claustrophobic. And here it was again. I stated to have another panic attack. I am sure that the dentist thought that I was nuts, but I was really feeling it. The room also started to spin and I was getting really sick. So they let me sit up and breath oxygen. Oh what a relief! I wasn't going to die!

So after all that and four hours later, I was able to leave. I still hate then dentist and my mouth is really sore still, but I learned something about myself that day. I would make a really bad drug addict.

Hope

I am very sad that Chris got voted off of American Idol last night. I have hope for him though. I bet he will be making a record before we know it! Just like Simon said that even though he got voted off doesn't mean that he lost. And yes he was better than Katharine.

Now I don't know who should win. I guess maybe Taylor, that boy can sing. He is a little quarky though so I don't know. Just because Chris is gone doesn't mean that I have to stop watching it. There are only two more weeks left, not too long for the impatient.

Praise to the Man.

I remember back when I was in high school, I used to drive my family crazy by sitting in my room and listening to music all hours of the day. My favorite was to turn on some slow music and lay on my bed just before I went to sleep. I loved the thoughts that would come into my head from the different types of music. Today, while I sit at my computer to process the hundreds of pictures that I have taken lately, my collection of Jack Johnson is playing. It has caused me to think more deeply into all that is going on in my life. So what do I do with all these thoughts now? Well, I blog about them of course!
There has been a lot going on lately. Not just with how busy I have been, but with more personal things. Things that I have reached clear down into my soul and pulled out feelings that have been put away for a while. I am not going to get into details about those things (They are just things that the internet just doesn't need to know right now. Sorry friends.) but they are things that cause me to reflect on the past and my future. I feel that I am always doing this. Maybe it is normal, maybe not. Either way, it helps to evalute all that is going on in this little heart of mine. Make sure that it is still working, let alone working with my brain. Here is one thing that has been on my mind that I just don't say enough. So here it is.

My husband makes me feel like a queen. He takes care of me, he listens to me, he loves me. He will walk up to give me a hug while I am doing my hair, or while doing the dishes. He kisses me on the cheek every morning while I am still asleep when he leaves for the gym before the sun comes up. He doesn't get mad when he comes home from work and the house is a mess, dinner isn't fully made and all I want to do is rest on the couch. He understands that I have had a rough day and that I need a break. When things get really bad and I am extra grumpy he gives me the money and time go shopping or go get a pedicure. He comes home from grocery shopping with my favorite Little Debbie chocolate brownies, and doesn't mind too much when I eat the entire box. He holds me tight and plays with my hair every night before he goes to sleep. He is the most amazing man that I will ever know. I am so glad that we both started our jobs at Snowbird the same week back in 1998 so that I could get to know him. So that we could fall in love, get married, have a home, start a family and live forever in love. I am very grateful for him and all that he does, and all that he has accomplished. I couldn't ask for a better partner in crime.

We have grown up together. We have grown stronger together. We have grown a little bit apart then back together again. We have grown spiritually together. We have become so much. He is my best friend. Today, I want to sing his praises. I want him to know how much I love him. How much I long for him when he is gone, and get all gitty when he comes back home. I want him to know that I think that our time together is never long enough. That I look to him for my strength most days. I want him to know that I love the spirit that he brings into our home. Most of all, I want him to know that I love the way that he makes me feel.

I love you hubby! You are the best thing that has ever happend to me. Without you, I would have nothing!

System Overload.

I know that I have said this a hundred times, but I have been so busy. It has come to the point where I need to evaluate what I am doing and see if it is all worth it. I came to the conclusion that teaching guitar lessons isn't really worth it. It actually isn't really all that fun anymore. (The teaching that is.) It has been more of a hassle than anything else and I think that my students deserve more than that. So I quit. It was really hard to tell my students that I wouldn't be teaching any more. I feel bad, but I have to do what is good for me. I think that it is best for them too though. They need someone that is truly dedicated to it so they can get the best experience out of it.

I feel better now. I feel that I am a little less stressed. I love everything else that I am doing right now, so I think that I have elimiated all that I can. This summer is going to be WAY more busy than last summer with photography and I can't wait. My little dude will be starting swimming lessons in June right after soccer gets over. We are planing a few camping trips and trips to Idaho to the in-law's ranch for some much needed family down time. Then I am going to Mexico in a month and I think that after I get home I will be refreshed and ready to handle anything! Oh I can't wait!

Snowy days bring wonderful blessings.

It has snowed on almost every imposrtant day in my life. Two years ago this day was no exception. It was a wonderful 80 degrees the day before. I went to lunch with some work friends, and barely did anything at work. That night I dropped my little dude off at my sister's house to spend the night. Why you ask? Because I was going to have a baby! My little princess was born 2 years ago today. It was a shocker that it snowed that day. It was the only day out of the week that it was less than nice outside. I was thrilled though.

Lets jump back about 6 months. I had gone into my family doctor for something that had NOTHING to do with being pregnant. Actually at this point I had no idea I was pregnant. I had just stopped nursing my little dude and was taking birth control, there was no way that I was going to be pregnant. The doctor was doing all sorts of tests that day. He gave me a perscription and sent me on my way. That night at about 9:00 I got a phone call. It was my doctor. The first thing that he tells me is that I needed to sit down. My first though was, oh crap! I have cancer! Well the doctor continues to tell me that after I left his office that day he had a feeling that he needed to do a pregnancy test. He did one and it was positive. Good thing I was sitting down! What a complete shock! I had no idea. Aparantly I was almost 3 months along. Even more of a shock.

That night after putting my little dude to bed my husband and I sat on the couch and cried for about 4 hours. This sounds really extreme, but let me just explain. My little dude was only about 5 months old. You can do the math, but I will help a little. That meant that they were going to be 14 months apart. I was not sure that I was ready for that. It was really hard adjusting to motherhood. My husband was having a hard time as well. With adjusting to fatherhood and motherhood. Not only that he had just been laid off from his job a few moths before. We didn't have very much money and had only one car. I had just started a new job and wasn't sure if the insurance would cover the pregnancy because it was a pre-exsisting condition. So many things where going trough our heads that all we knew at that point was just to cry.

Well, on April 28th 2004 our little princess joined our lives, and changed them forever. She has been a blessing in so many ways. I realized so many things about myself and so many things about life all because of having her. I had post partum depression after having her and that was a struggle, but again another blessing. She has made me a stronger person, she has made our family stronger. I look at her every day and am so proud of all that she is learning, all that so does. I was scared for her to come into this world, all for my own selfish reasons. The Lord had another path for me. I took it, and I have been very blessed and I wouldn't have had it any other way!

Happy Birthday little princess! I love you with all my heart! Keep your spirit strong, and keep your mind healthy and clean! Remember who you are and where you came from. You have changed your mommy's life, I feel that you have the ability to have a stong impact on this world! You are an amazing little girl, please don't ever grow up and try to change that! With much love, Mommy.

The short version of my week.

It seems like it is really hard to post these days. I feel like since the weather is warmer now I have a million more things to add to my list of things to do. It is great though, exactly what I have been waiting for all winter long.

I am officially a soccer mom, minus the mini van. My little dude started soccer on Saturday. He has been waiting for weeks to play, so he was really excited that it was really here. His team lost, but he still had so much fun. He liked trying to tackle the kids that were in his way. I kept telling him that he has to go for the ball not the kids. I did have to laugh though when he took down the biggest kid on the other team. I asked him why he did that and he said because he couldn't see the ball. We need to work with him a little more on his sportsmanship. What do you expect from a team of a bunch of 3 year olds though? There were a few times that he came to the sidelines to ask me if he was being good playing soccer. I loved it! He can't wait to play again on Tuesday. Pictures will be coming, he looks so grown up in his jersey.

It has officially started. Wedding season. What a crazy season it will be too. We are very busy with photography. It is great though. I love the practice and I love doing them. Most of the time anyway. I had two photo shoots this weekend and another one tonight. I have a wedding almost every weekend for the next couple of months. It will keep me very busy.

On Saturday I shot the 50th anniversary party for my husbands grandparents. It was fun. I love to hear of people being married for so long. It will be neat to make it to my 50th anniversary. It was great to meet more of his family too. People that I haven't seen in years, people that I have never met before. There was a lot of hard work, and effort that went into that party and it was fun. The kids had a hard time not being able to play outside when it was so nice and warm, so that made it a little hard. They sure did sleep great that night though.

Another thing that happened this last week is that I started a job. Well kind of. It is for a huge children's clothing store, and I will only be working once a month. Just to help with floor sets and stuff. I am really only doing it to get the discount and to buy my kids cute clothes. It was really fun to start and I can't wait to keep doing it. It is a great outlet to relieve some builded stress. I got the kids some great summer clothes too.

This is my life, boring I know. But between being a stay at home mom with two kids, teaching guitar lessons 3 days a week, soccer 3 days a week, photography every weekend, cub scouts, and working my new job, I really have a lot going on. Life is busy, but I wouldn't ask for it any other way!