Someone upstairs trusts me.

I have SO many pictures and stories to post, but I need to find time time get to it. But I did want to sit down and post this thought.

Yesterday at church I received a new calling. I am not the Young Woman's Secretary. I am so excited! I love serving the Young Women, but I would like to direct you to a post that I wrote a few months ago after this 16 year old girl's brother committed suicide. I expressed feelings of being able relate to these girls or not. They are faced with some pretty serious challenges and I fear that I just can' t relate and feel how they are feeling and maybe miss an opportunity to help.

I feel today that someone upstairs must really trust that I can handle this new calling and that somehow I can find a way to connect with them. They are in a very delicate time in their lives and this is the time that anyone can make one small difference. I have been trusted to help them to feel the spirit and be there for them.

My goal is to just try my hardest to help them in any way that I can,. Even if I don't know how they feel, I can help turn their hearts and thoughts to a man that if he can trust me, then he can help anyone.

I have been tagged!

I know, I know! It has been FOREVER since I have been in the blogging world. The kids are keeping me pretty busy! (More on that later.) When I was able to get on the computer yesterday I noticed that my dear friend mommyoffour had tagged me to write 8 things about me that are odd or unknown. I spent all night thinking about it and here is my list.

#1 Some people know this about me, some don't. I really, really, really like to play poker. I love to watch it on tv and I love the poker nights that we have with our friends. I don't play for money, we just have a poker chip set and we play until someone wins. For the record, I don't like to gamble, I just like the game.

#2 When I was in High School I really wanted to be radio DJ. So I applied to be an intern at a local radio station. I got the internship and worked for them the entire 3 years of high school. I have some pretty great memories of working for them. I got asked out on a date by the lead singer for 7 Mary 3. I hung out with 80's rocker band Queensryce for 3 days. I even have a shoe box full of concert ticket stubs. It was a great experience working for them.

#3 When I am hanging up the clean clothes I have a strange talent for picking out the exact number of hangers I need without having to count. I actually shock myself every time.

#4 When I was little I was hanging my head out the car window and hit my front teeth on the window. My teeth fell out and I was missing my 4 front teeth for about 3 years.

#5 When I am cleaning the house I always turn my ipod onto Johnny Cash. I sing really loud while I clean and the kids dance all over the house too. Despite all the rock and roll that I have been known to listen too over the years, Johnny Cash is my favorite artist to listen to.

#6 I am obsessive about the phone. I can't just let the phone ring without answering it. I want to know who is calling and what they wanted if my hubby answers the phone. As soon as I walk in the door I check my messages and the caller ID.

#7 I love to shop at Kohl's. This is my favorite store. Every time I go in I can find a cart full of things to buy. I would even consider this an addiction (I think that my hubby would be willing to vouch for that too). My entire wardrobe is from there and so is my hubby's and my kids.

#8 I hate scrap booking. I gave it a good, honest try but I am really bad at it. For that I hate it. I would much rather put the pictures in a picture album. I like arts and crafts, but I can't scrapbook to save my life.

Well there you have it. Hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me writing it. Now I guess I need to tag 8 of my blogger friends but I can only think of 5 that haven't done it already.

wonder woman
alison in wonderland
katkat
Suzanne from Happy Chaos
Gretchen from Party of Four

Family Pictures

Now that Mother's Day is over I can finally post these pictures. We had them taken at the end of April for our mothers for Mother's Day. I just have to say thanks to my friend Holly for doing such a fantastic job, and for being so patient with us!

Blessing Day

It has been too long since I have posted. There are so many things that are keeping me busy. I have been meaning to post these pictures for some time now. On May 6th was little man's blessing day. It was such a beautiful day! It was so much fun to have family over, and he just looked so dang handsome in his outfit that his aunt made him. (Thanks Sis!)

I can't believe how big he is getting! He is smiling so much now and I love it! What a cute little guy!


He is giving me a silly look in this picture, but I still think that he looks cute. It is one of the better ones actually of the entire outfit.

Little dude popped in while taking the pictures. I love how much they look alike.

I love this picture. I just think that he has the most perfect lips.

This corduroy vest is my favorite! I just had to take this picture!

Saying Goodbye to the Mistress

For the last year this has been my hubby's other lady! Well today we say goodbye for tomorrow she will being taking care of another man! Farewell and good luck!

Happy Birthday Little Princess!

My little Princess turned 3 yesterday. Here are some fun pictures of her special day.

Every birthday my kids put me to the test with my cake decorating skills. (or lack there of.) She wanted Strawberry Shortcake, and I delivered the best I could.


Here she is showing off some of her birthday gifts. See why we call her Princess? She also got her ears pierced. I will have to take a better picture and post that another day.

I can't belive that she is 3! Time just goes by way too fast! Happy Birthday little lady!

Little Dude riding his bike!

Little Dude learned how to ride his bike today without training wheels! He just got his bike for Christmas then today wanted to try it without the training wheels. The very first time he got on it he took off! This kid is fearless! He has been practicing all day! He is doing great! Here are a few pictures.



Here he is just about to take off.
There he goes! A natural if you ask me!

Dad still was running by his side just to make sure he was going to be ok! They had so much fun!

Just because he is cute!

Loaded

This post is going to be loaded with pictures and with info from the last couple of days!

To start off, I took the Little Man to his 2 week appointment. He is growing great! He is now 8lbs and 4 ozs. Also is 21 inches long! He is pretty close to the same size that his older brother was when he was born! It is crazy to think! He is a REALLY good baby and we feel REALLY blessed! He wakes up to eat every 2-3 hours (except last night, he went 5 hours!) but as soon as he is done he goes back to sleep. It is so nice! The other night about about 2:30 I was sitting on the couch feeding him and Little Dude woke up and came and sat next to me. We sat there and talked while the baby ate. When he was all done, Little Dude wanted to hold him and sing him a song. He held him softly and quietly sang "A, B, C, D..." it was really cute!

We enrolled Little Dude and his cousin in soccer. Their first game with this Saturday. It was so much fun! Little Dude is much better than he was last year, and his cousin is learning. They both seemed to have had a really fun time!

Also on Saturday my hubby came home with 40 lbs of fresh strawberries! I was shocked! He wanted to make jelly, I wanted chocolate covered strawberries. After MANY hours we ended up with TONS of both! 41 jars of jelly, a freezer filled with frozen ones, and a counter covered in chocolate covered ones! I was in heaven! A little tired of making jelly (hubby made most of it though) but we can now say that we have a 5 year supply of strawberry jelly!

We were given a swing set from a friend of my hubby's. It needed a few things done to it, but we got it up this weekend. The kids LOVE it! After eating the chocolate covered strawberries, the kids headed out to play, and have pretty much been there ever since (except for sleeping and school of course.). Check out the pictures of them that I added to this slide show! I am very excited to have this now! It has been so fun for them!

#2 in the Trio

This is just so I don't feel like I am leaving anyone out. Check out the slideshow of my little Princess (but she doesn't seem so little anymore.)playing in the yard this morning. What a cutie!

Wise advice from Daddy.

This wise advice was given to the baby the other night from his loving daddy

"If you can do everything in life half as good as you can poop, you will be a very successful man!"

Gotta love it!

Happy ONE week old Little Man!

I have been wanting to share these pictures of our our little man. (I think that is what I have decided to call him here on this blog) Our computer was having issues again, but my sweet husband got it all working again. They are MUCH better pictures than the last ones that I posted. I finally got time to take some nice ones. So go check out the slide show here and enjoy!

We are all doing well! Sleeping when we can, and just enjoying the time that we have together while daddy is home with us too! He goes back to work on Monday and I am starting to get a little nervous.

The two older kids are doing great with their brother, but they are still acting a little strange. I expected some change in them though, this is a big deal in their lives. All in all if we can keep them from escaping down the street while I am trying to feed the baby, we will survive.

Sometime when I get more time to write, I want to try and document what has happened in the past week. That might have to wait until the middle of the night when everyone but me is asleep!

The cutest little guy on the planet!

Here he is!!!!!

Born March 28th 2007

at 1:31 pm

7 lbs 15 ozs

19 3/4 inches

We are home now and doing well! We are also very happy that our little guy has finally joined our family! When I am not typing with one hand I will write more details, but I wanted to show him off. You can check out a few snap shots of him here.

Thanks for all the awesome emails and well wishes!

Impatient

The kids are at my sisters spending the night. My laundry is done, folded and put away. My dishes are done. My house has never been so clean in my life. You would think that I am really tired even considering that it is after 11 pm. I'm not though. I have no desire to sleep. I am very anxious for 6:30 to come so we can head to the hospital to have our little guy. I truly am the most impatient person in the world!

I really should take advantage of this moment. It is the last night in a REALLY long time that I will be able to get some sleep. I am sure that it won't happen though, I am way too excited.

So next time I post (which will probably be after Friday when I get home) I will have a new little gift in my arms. What a joy it will be too!

Wish me luck!

Pregnancy Report - for those who care.

Since today is Monday and I had my last doctor's appointment today, I thought that I would give my last pregnancy report.

The doc says everything looks great! I still feel pretty good so I wasn't expecting anything less. This last week I didn't loose any weight and I didn't gain any. I was very happy to hear that. That just means less that I have to worry about in the next few months. This did spark a question though. I was expecting to gain weight because of the baby getting bigger, so I asked the doctor about how much does he think the baby weighs. He says that going by the ultrasound from last week, and how he feels like a pretty small baby, that he will guess just a little over 7lbs. I was excited, I don't think that I could handle a big baby again.

He thinks that I will make it to Wednesday to be induced. I kind of expected that since it is supposed to snow on Wednesday*. Even though I could have had him induce me today I am happy to wait the extra two days just for my grandma.

Well anyway, that is all the news I have. Boring, sorry! In a few days I will be able to post pictures of the little guy and stuff. Then this blog will pick up a bit.

Have a great week!


* For those of you that don't know, I have always said that every day that a major event happens in my life, it snows. My wedding day, the birth of my kids, and a number of other things. Even if it is 70 + degrees the day before it still ends up snowing.

All the money in the world wouldn't make me want to go back.

I was just saying to my husband last night that all the money in the world wouldn't make me want to go back to being a teenager. It is such a hard time. There are some things that I think could have been handled differently. But if I went back and changed them it would make me a different person today. I kind of like who I am today, so in reality, I wouldn't really want to change anything.

In my church I currently teach the Young Woman group. It is an awesome group and it is so fun to try to relate to them. So full of energy and life. So full of possibilities and joy. Even though it has only been a few months, I have really been able to get into the calling, and just really enjoy it.

After church today the reality of what these young women are faced with every day really hit home. Let's back up a bit to a few months ago when a mother of a girl in my class had a baby. Due to complications, 4 weeks after the baby was born the mother died. I was heart broken for the family. Even for the young 15 year old girl that was now facing life without her mother. I didn't know the family very well since I am new to the neighborhood, but I just couldn't shake my feelings of sorrow for this girl in my class. How hard would it be to be her age and loose her mother?

Today at church I found out that another girl that is in my class (she just turned 16) lost her 17 year old brother on Thursday. Unfortunately he committed suicide, so this was no ordinary circumstance. One that is hard to find comfort in I am sure. When signing a card for her I just didn't know what to say. I am sure that there isn't anything at this point that is going to make the pain any less, that is going to answer all the questions, that will make it seem like it will be ok. All I could think of to say was that the Lord is watching over her, and that there are people, including myself to be there for her no matter what it was that she needed.

I came home flooded with emotions and thoughts of the trials that the girls in my class are faced with every day. Not only is the world getting tougher to live in and getting harder to stay on the straight and narrow path, but these girls are faced with the loss of dear loved ones. They aren't only going through life with the same trials as all young kids, but they are doing it with a sorrowful heart. I can't imagine how I would do it. I want to get close to these girls, and be able to relate to them. But how, when I have no idea how they feel?

I wish that you could shelter kids, and even young adults from painful things in the world. It never gets easy to deal with, but when so young, it seems that it would be much harder. I wish the very best for the two young girls in my class and all those around that have been effected. I hope in time that they, and even myself, will find comfort and know how to be able to deal with pain, sorrow and loss. I guess my words were meant for me too. The Lord is watching over all of us.

Me in a Meme

Since I can't think of anything else to post that doesn't have to do with me being pregnant, or the arrival of our new little guy, I thought I would steal this meme from a fellow blogger Silly Hilly. I thought it would be fun to do, but some of the questions are really really dumb so I am leaving them out. Sorry, but hopefully you still enjoy the ones I do answer.

1. How old would you be in 10 months? 28

2. Do you think you'll be married by then? I never plan on not being married.

3. What do you look forward to most in the next 3 months? Having my baby, going on little summer trips, being outside.

4. Who was the last person you called? My brother in law.

5. Who was the last person to call you? My sister.

6. Do you prefer to call or text? Call.

7. Do you have any pets? I have a bird named Pollo.

8. What were you doing at 12am last night? Trying to sleep. It was very unsuccessful!

9. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Very happily married.

10. When is the last time you saw your mom? Monday night when she watched my kids for me. Thanks again mom!

12. How many states have you lived in?1

13. How many cities/towns have you lived in? 3

14. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? bare feet.

15. Are you a social person? I like to meet new people, but as I get older I tend to be more shy.

16. What was the last thing you ate? A snickers. Yummy!

17. What is your favorite ice cream? Any kind that isn't mint.

18. What is your favorite dessert? My grandma's homemade Pecan Pie.

20. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry

24. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone? I would rather sleep with my hubby, but since I can't sleep well in our bed lately I usually end up on the couch.

26. Do you know how to play poker? I sure do! I love playing poker, but not for money just with the chips. I would like to think that I am getting pretty good at it too.

27. Do you like to cuddle? I usually love it, it is really hard to though when everything makes you hurt. It is hard to turn down a cuddle from my kids.

28. Have you ever been to Canada? Twice. Vancouver, and Niagara Falls

29. Do you eat out or at home more often? Home, unless it is the weekend.

30. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? Nope, but my sister's is 3 days before mine.

32. Do you speak any other languages? I have watched Dora enough that you would think that I would know Spanish by now, but I don't.

33. Have you ever gotten stitches? Yup.

34. Have you ever been in an ambulance? Thankfully no.

35. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? As fun as it is to be on the beach, I can't stand the salt water, so a pool.

36. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle, I get really claustrophobic.

37. Do you know how to drive a stick shift? Yes, I love driving a stick. I feel like I have more control.

38. What is your favorite thing to spend money on? Pretty much anything for my kids.

39. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? If my wedding ring would fit right now, then I would say yes. Maybe in a few weeks it will fit again.

40. Whats your favorite T.V. show? The Hills, American Idol, Paradise City (I like reality t.v. ok.)

42. Who is the funniest person you know? My husband the walking joke book. He woke me up in the middle of the night a few weeks ago just to tell me a joke.

45. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? No

46. What is the color of your bedroom walls? Arabian Sand

52. Next movie you're going to see? I am really hoping that it will be Blades of Glory.

53. Can you change the oil on a car? Sure, I know where Jiffy Lube is.

54. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes, but non of them have shown up on my record. Thank heavens for traffic school.

Ok I know they were really dumb and even some of my answers have to do with being pregnant, but I tired. Have a great weekend!

P.S. only 4 more days!

Pretty Funny!

A new blogger friend stopped by to say hi, and sent me a little email. So naturally I had to go check out her blog. It looks like it is relatively new, but with reading her posts, I can't wait for more.

Check out this post, it had me laughing out loud. Very well written, and so many can relate!

Let's all welcome her into the blogging world!

The Monday Review

So it looks like all I can ever think to post these days is pregnancy stuff. Sorry guys this will be over soon and you won't have to hear about my doctor's appointments and stuff. But for now that is about all that you are going to get.

I went to my doctor's appointment today. There was a mix of happy things and stressful things to report. First the happy. I lost 2lbs in the last week! I was thrilled about this, but I am not sure if my doctor was. Also I am now dilated to a 2 and 75% thin. Just enough to get me started on the 28th so I am not even worried about that at all. I think that when the storm blows through in the next few days things will change a little bit. They say that stormy weather helps. We will see.

Next the stressful. My blood pressure was just a little bit high. Nothing to worry about though, just annoying. Also I have a rash that is driving me crazy. I guess that it is very common when you are this far along. I remember getting it a little on my tummy just before little dude was born, but this is much worse. I have it all over my tummy and on both arms. Oh well, I can be a walking freak just as long as it only last for the 9 more days that I have left.

Then there is the really stressful. In the last week I have been having a little trouble feeling the baby move again. He is moving, but nothing close to the 10 - 12 kicks an hour. So I just thought that I would see what my doctor had to say about it, so I let him know today. He didn't act too worried but just enough to have me scheduled for an ultra sound and a stress test right away. So I called my hubby and down the stairs I went to have a little look at the little guy to see if things are ok. Things are actually pretty good. The mystery to not being able to feel him move very much is a combination of two things. He is really squished. (I kind of expected that.) The other is that I have more amniotic fluid than normal. So the way that the doctor put it is that he is swimming in there. Every time he moves I can't feel it because of the extra fluid. That was really comforting to know. So as long as I can still feel him move every now and then I am not going to worry. He looks great in there!

In fact, I finally got to see his face in the ultra sound today. Before he was facing the wrong way so I didn't get to see it. But today we got a really good shot. It was so clear! It was almost looking at a black and white picture. We got a few to bring home, I will have to see if I can scan them and get them posted. I am happy to report that this kid has big cheeks and big lips just like his older brother. The ultra sound tech even checked to see if he had hair, and she said there was some! I got to see him move his lips and his eyebrows. He is weighing in at approximately 6 lbs 12 oz. Lets just hope that he doesn't get too much bigger. I don't want another 8lb 5 oz baby, it was a little tough. It was AMAZING to see him! So different than at 20 weeks!

Even though it was a little stressful we passed the non stress test, and now we are just waiting for the 28th (or sooner) for his arrival. Seeing his face today totally made my week, and I have a feeling that because of my excitement the next 9 days are going to go by really slow! I feel great still, that is a bonus!

Feeling a little too great!

Here I am 1 week and 4 days (or so) until I have a baby and you would think that I would be miserable. I'm not, and I can't believe it! I have so much energy that one walk a day doesn't seem to cut it. I have been spending most of my time outside playing with the kids (we are all so sun burnt) and just doing things to keep us occupied. I have even been sleeping better! It is great! My back doesn't hurt as much, my hips don't hurt as much, and my legs are feeling a little less jumpy.

They say that most people get more energy before they have the baby, but I have never felt this great being this pregnant before. It is strange though, I am not really all that concerned with going into labor right now. I am not really to the point of having the "get this baby out of me now" attitude yet. There have been 2 people that were due after me already have their babies and I find myself only a little jealous.

I do feel bad for my friend (Yay I have a new friend in my new neighborhood!) that is due tomorrow. She goes on a walk with me every day, and still nothing. I hope for her sake that she has him soon, she is so ready! Maybe I will have to take her a special treat tomorrow just to get her mind off of it for a few minutes.

So anyway, I feel great and I am loving it! It makes it so much easier to look at the next week or so with a little happiness and not misery! I can't wait to hold my little guy and get him here, but I am very glad that I can feel good enough to keep on going for a little longer.

***** UPDATE*****
My friend had her baby this morning. Right on her due date! I am so excited for her. Now I am a little jealous, but I still know that my time will be soon. Congrats to her and her family!

My Grandma and me!

This is a picture of me and my grandma taken many, many years ago! (Aren't I cute?) My dad sent this picture to me tonight and it got me thinking about my grandma and I thought that I would share. This is the grandma that might share a birthday with my little boy if he can hold out until the 28th. There is a very special bond that my grandma and I share, and this is proof that it has gone back many years!

I am actually named after my grandma. I am not going to share what our names are, but I will say that they are so close, that when written I almost think that it is repeating the name twice. Who knew that when I was named after her that our lives would be very similar. Who knew that she would have so much influence on me.

When I was in high school I moved into an apartment with a friend. It was one of those things where my parents said that "while under our house, you will obey our rules" and I took it very literally. While living there, one of the few people that I felt I wasn't being judged by was my grandma. She called ALL the time just to talk. In fact I think that she knows more about me and what happened in that time than anyone else does. We were able to open up to each other, and I really felt like I could share all of my secrets with her. It was crazy to hear of some stories of her life. It truly seemed like I was reliving parts of hers. We talked once a week, and every time we would talk I would feel so safe, and so much better. She never gave up hope for me, and never once did I feel like I was judged or that I couldn't trust her.

Fast forward a few years, and we still talk every single Wednesday. Just to say "Hi" or "I love you." There have been times that when she is having a hard time, I am the only one that she will answer the phone for. She sends me letters, and gifts just to make me laugh. We truly have a connection that is pretty great!

In two weeks is her birthday. It happens to be on a Wednesday (our special day). I couldn't think of a greater gift to give her than a great-grandchild to share her birthday. She means so much to me. I am grateful for her love and for her laughter, for her prayers and her support! I hope that this little guy (or even me for that matter) can hang out until then. I know that I don't even have to try to be her favorite, but if he is born on her birthday I think that it would be pretty set into stone that I am!

If you ever read this grandma, please know that I love you very much!

Just another Manic Monday

Now that song is going to be stuck in everyone's head. You're welcome! Today was a bit of a busy day. Little dude had a field trip to a new children's museum here in Salt Lake. I really didn't want to go with them so my hubby took part of the day off work to take him. They had a really good time! What a good dad to take the day off to spend it with a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds and their mom's! Little dude was really excited to spend time with his daddy, and do something fun!

I had another doctor's appointment. Things are still looking good! He checked things out and I am dilated now to a 1 1/2 and 70% thin so he said that he will induce me on the 28th! He made the appointment and so we are all set! If the baby doesn't come on his own by then then we will be at the hospital bright and early on the 28th! I am super excited! We will see if I make it to then though. I have had tons of pretty hard contractions every day. The walks are really helping I think. I still have a few more weeks, so I can't get too excited!

We are still going for walks every day and we are all really enjoying it! It has been so nice here that it is hard to not want to be outside! Little dude played outside with all his friends for hours today! It was great! Tomorrow it is supposed to be about 68 degrees! You can count on us playing out there again tomorrow!

On the other hand Saturday night was date night at our house. Daddy took little princess to the Utah Jazz basketball game, and she had a BLAST! She came home so hyper and so happy! So while they were gone I thought it would be fun just to spend time with the little dude alone. We went to dinner and went and rented How to Eat Fried Worms. (Typical boy movie!) We popped popcorn and watched the movie, then cuddled in my bed and watched the news until daddy and princess got home. When they got home the had surprised us with a milk shake! So we all sat in my bed at 10:30 and ate our milk shakes! What a great night for all of us!

Well that is about all the info that is exciting at our house! Have a great week everyone!

Spring Fever

It has been getting warmer here lately, and we have all been getting spring fever. Every day we have been going for a walk just to get outside (also in hopes it will help put me in labor). Today daddy came home from work a little early so we were playing in our NASTY back yard. Daddy was actually trying to clean it up a little, but the kids were playing. We never got a chance to clean up all the leaves in the yard before the snow came. So daddy tried to put them into a pile today. Wouldn't you know that as soon as they were in the pile the kids jumped right in. They got so dirty, but it really was fun! Even if it wasn't the sunniest of days it was still pretty warm and we all really enjoyed being outside.

Here are some pictures of the day. To view the slide show go here. Don't forget to check out princess' new self hair cut, and my *fat belly.

*Please note that this is REALLY brave of me to post a picture of me pregnant. Enjoy it now because you will never get another chance to see it again!

Bad Mommy

I will admit, I have been a bad Mommy lately. My kids have been rotten and who is to blame? Mommy! What have they done you ask? The better question would be what haven't they done. Lets see here. There was the time that little princess colored all over her bed, the wall, her princess kitchen, and her closet door. Oh and then the next day all over her brother's sheets. Then there was the time the other day that she somehow found my fabric paint that was hidden in a box in the basement. Yea, she ruined an entire outfit with it.

Then there is the fact that she unwrapped about 14 bars of soap and put them into the bath tub. Unrolled and entire roll of toilet paper all over the bathroom floor, and used almost all the new liquid hand soap in one afternoon. Oh and painted the bathroom mirror with lotion. The bathroom is a very bad place for her to be.

There is also the fact that she got her brother's scissors and cut her own hair. She was pretty proud of that until she saw mommy flip out about it. She then put herself in a time out and cried how sorry she was.

We can also add to the list getting into the fridge and eating 6 things of string cheese in 20 minutes, hiding bread crumb in the entertainment center, filling all her princess dishes with water, and liquid candy spray.

Actually, when I say my kids are being bad, what I guess I really mean is little princess. She has been the one to do all these things. It has even been in the last 2 weeks.

Why do I blame this all on myself? Well, I am 8 months pregnant. My back hurts, my hips hurt, my tail bone hurts, my feet are swollen, and my sciatic nerve hurts. I have heart burn, and I have to pee every 20 minutes. Not to mention the fact that it has been about 2 weeks since the last time that I got more than 4 hours of sleep at night. I AM TIRED AND WORN OUT! All I even want to do is rest. Because of that, my kids are feeling left out and neglected. If I could just get my lazy butt off the couch then maybe she wouldn't be into everything. Honestly though, I am doing the best that I can. I really have been trying to keep this house under control. I think that we are all just going to have to adjust.

Even though I know that is all my fault I still called my mom to see what to do. I can't deal with myself as a 3 year old so I had to go to someone who actually did. (She is just like me, unfortunately.) Her advice was to get her an art isle. She obviously likes art! I think that my mom was trying to be funny, but she might be right.

I fear the bigger problem has yet to come. When the baby is here I am betting on her rebelling big time. How in the world do people do it?

Wouldn't you know!

I just recently received and email from a friend in my old neighborhood saying to go check out her blog. I was thrilled to know that she had a blog since I miss her and her family so much now that we moved. Well to my surprise I found many other friends that had blogs too! This has completely made my week! I hope that some come and check things out here so I can welcome all of them! What a fun blogging world this is!

Doctor's Appointment.

Today I had another doctor's appointment. Everything is still looking good. The baby has started to move down a bit more, but I have not dilated any more. I still have a few more weeks until I am worried about that though. As normal as everything is, there was still a big shocker at my appointment though. As some of you know, I had been seeing a different doctor for the first 6 or 7 months of this pregnancy. I found out that my old doctor accepted my insurance again, so I switched back to him. I made the switch for many reasons but the biggest one is just the fact that I can totally trust him, and he is an amazing doctor. I really just wanted him to deliver this baby, as he had with my other two. I was so excited when I saw him the first time, and to be honest he was excited to see me as well.

When I get into the exam room today the nurse hands me a letter and said that I should read about some of the changes that my doctor has made. So I sit down and the very first paragraph almost has me in tears. It says that he has made the decision to not deliver any babies effective April 1st. It really hit me. Not just because it was a little bit of a shocker but I kept thinking "I just switched to him so HE could be the one to deliver this baby. My due date is April 2ND. One day off. If I go to my due date he wouldn't be able to deliver my baby!" I was also thinking of the MANY people that I know that see him as well. My cousin for one, that is due with her baby a few weeks after me. She is really sad about it!

So when the nurse came in (The doctor had been called to the ER for an emergency) I asked her what am I supposed to do? In the end she promised me that he will not let me go to my due date just so I don't have to have another doctor deliver me. I feel very lucky and totally excited! Here was my guarantee that I will not go over due! Not only for my selfish reasons, but because he wants to so that my baby will be born before he no longer delivers babies. So we talked about being induced on March 28Th, my grandma's birthday, and even though she couldn't schedule it, it looks like that will be that date to be induced. I will find out for sure next Monday, but I was assured that there wouldn't be any problems!

So I feel bad for everyone I know that is pregnant and sees the same doctor, but the entire practice has some REALLY good doctors. They will be in good hands still. And since this is my last pregnancy I can still see him for gynecology stuff! Lucky me!

Can I get a bowl of caffeinated ice cream with extra sugar on top?

Now I know that a bowl of caffeinated ice cream with extra sugar on top doesn't sound good, but i think that it might help me out a bit. Last night just after dinner I realized that it had been a really long time since I had felt the baby move. When I say a long time I mean that I couldn't remember when I had last felt him move. So I thought that I would have a bowl of ice cream and a glass of sprite. After I laid down and just waited. Well an hour and 30 minutes later still nothing. I started to get really worried. So I called the on call doctor.

When he called me back about 30 minutes later (now two hours past the time that I had started to worry, and still no movement) he said that it would be best to go into Labor and Delivery and just get things checked out. So I get the kids out of bed (it was about 10:00 or later) and head to my parents' house to drop them off. (My parents are the best! Thanks Mom and Dad!) My husband and dad gave me a blessing before we headed off to the hospital and that calmed me down quite a bit.

My parents live less than 10 minutes away from us and the hospital is literally in between our houses, but it was snowing like crazy outside. We got there in no time still and they got me all hooked up. The second they found his heart beat, I took a really deep breath of relief! It was the most comforting feeling ever! Still there wasn't much movement at all though. So while laying there I started to tell the nurse that I have been having lots of Braxton Hicks Contractions too. She just kind of said "Yea I can see that, we will keep an eye on it for a little bit."

Then I felt it! He moved a really big move. I thought, "Oh sure! Wait until I panic and go to the hospital to move!" but I was really happy to feel it anyway! I was instructed to push the button every time I felt him move. It was almost like he wouldn't stop after that point. Everything was fine.

Then we realized that my Braxton Hicks were VERY regular, like every few minutes regular. Not lasting long and not strong at all, but it was a little strange that they were so regular. She checked me and I hadn't dilated any more so she just thought that it was because of it snowing outside. (I guess that makes women contract. Hummm, interesting!)

Then the baby moved a really big move again. This time though, the monitor stopped picking up his heart beat. The nurse came in and was trying to find it. Nothing. I start to panic a little. So she started to feel were the baby was, and just realized that he had moved to the face up position. She looked at me and said "There is why you are having a hard time feeling him move! When the baby is face up it is much harder to feel his movements." She got his heartbeat again, and I took another deep breath.

I was able to come home a little later, and everything is ok. He is nestled in the face up position and I keep getting worried that I can't feel him. Then he will move a little, and I feel better. That is why I want the caffeinated ice cream with the extra sugar. Maybe if I keep him hyped up on that he will move more, and I will worry less!

Ok, Ok, Ok Here's the Birthday Cake - The Lightning McQueen Birthday Cake.

Looks like I have a few people that want to see my master piece. (Ha ha ha!) Don't laugh! I am not a cake decorator, but I do have fun with it. I erased little dude's name out of the middle, but it looked really cool! I used fruit roll ups and letter cookie cutters to cut out the letters of his name. It was a great idea on my mom's part. The trees are also fruit roll ups and pretzels. The race track is made out of crushed oreos. Yummy!

Just incase you can't tell this is the dirt race track that Doc and McQueen race on. I had enough problems finding the cars, I wasn't going to complain when I couldn't get a Doc car.

Happy Valen-birth-sary! (And other stuff too)

There has been a lot going on in this past week. So Happy late Valentines Day to the world. Happy late 4th Birthday to my little Dude and Happy late Anniversary to my hubby! All this has happened in the last week or so! Crazy!

Valentines Day was great! The kids had a blast with it! So did I actually I got a really cool new Ipod! It is even Hot Pink! I love having one again! My last one was stolen in August when my car was broken into. Just for fun who can guess what artist I listen to the most? It might be a little hard, so I will give a hint. The artist isn't young, but he's got rhythm.

Little Dude's birthday was really fun too! I got his cake all done, and he LOVED it! I was a little proud of it too! He got all sorts of Lightning McQueen stuff, he was really excited! I think he most excited about his Sprite that we gave him! Silly kid!

Sunday was our 7th wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner on Saturday night! It was so much fun to just spend some time with him. We really needed that! I had a great time even taking the long road home so we could listen to some tunes and just talk! It was great! I can't believe that it has been 7 years. The time has gone by really really fast! I have the best husband in the world! I am very proud of him, and very blessed to have him in my life! I love you honey!

The other news is that I had my doctor's appointment today. The baby and I are looking good! only 5 more weeks until my due date, but the doctor says that he will induce me a week early if I want him too. I would be crazy to tell him no. I had my Group B test done today so they also checked me. Looks like this show is just beginning. I have dilated to a 1 and am about 40% thin. The baby is still up pretty high though, so it will still be a while if he chooses to come on his own. Still I was excited that something is happening!

Well I wish you all a very happy week!

Lightning McQueen Birthday Cake

When you promise a little boy that you are going to make a race track cake with Lightning McQueen on it for his birthday, you can't go back on your word no matter what! Not even if you can't find a Lightning McQueen car for the top of the cake. Now you could try to hunt down the lady that purchased ALL the Lightning McQueen cars at Wal Mart and see if you can buy one from her, but come on this is impossible. You could continue to drive from store to store all night until you find one, but after looking at many stores and they are out too you have to wonder if there is any in the entire state of Utah. So instead I dreamt all night long about the lack of Lightning McQueen car for his birthday cake. Every time I would close my eyes I would hear "Kachow!" or "I am faster than fast! I am Lightning McQueen!" and see that bright red car staring at me. Then I would see the tears streaming down my little dude's face when I told him there are no more Lightning McQueen cars any were and that we will have to do something else. This dream sequence kept coming all night. I got NO SLEEP!

When I woke up my dear mother said that I could use the little Lightning McQueen cars that she bought for him for his birthday to put on the cake! Just as long as he knows it is from Grandma and Grandpa! Awesome! Problem solved! Now I just have to make the dang cake! Wish me luck!


****** UPDATE*******
For those of you that are looking to see the actual cake, check it out here.

Entertainment from a 4 year old.

The other day I had my two kids at Wal Mart getting Valentines stuff. They were in the cart and fighting like crazy. I wanted to leave so bad, but I knew that I didn't have any other time to get what I needed. While clenching my teeth and walking through the store and a man came on the over head intercom and said something. I really have no idea what he said, but what my son said was something that I will never forget.

Right after the guy finished on the intercom my little dude looked strait up at the ceiling. Then very seriously looked me in the face and asked. "Was that Heavenly Father?" I kind of laughed and just said no. Then he asked me "Was it Jesus then?" Right then a lady that was walking by heard him ask me this and just started to laugh. I couldn't stop laughing either. In fact every time I think about it, it makes me laugh. What a funny kid.

How would it be to think that you hear the Lord talking to you over an intercom at Wal Mart. Hahaha.

The entertainment doesn't stop there though. When I was putting him into the bath this morning he was really upset, and wouldn't sit in the water. I asked him what was wrong and he said that the water softener doesn't work. I asked why would he think that. (By the way we just got a new one.) He said "Because I am still skinny." I guess maybe he thought that it was going to fatten him up a bit. Still a funny story to tell all his future girl friends.

I hope your kids are entertaining you too this week!

A sad day for Salt Lake City

Last night the world of many families in the Salt Lake Valley was changed forever. Some being witnesses, some being victims themselves, some by the pure shock. This story was breaking news last night in Utah, and this morning it was breaking news all over the country. What a sad, sad thing.

It blows my mind away that someone could be so distraught with their lives that they would be willing to take the lives of many other people. This is something that I will never be able to understand. All I can do is pray for those involved.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17124042/?GT1=9033

Info

- Little Princess is doing AWESOME still with potty training. She has made a new record in our family! It took little dude about 3 days to get it, it took princess about a day 1/2. She is so proud of herself and so am I! It is really nice to not change diapers. (it gives me a 7 week break)

- I had my doctor's appointment today. I can't believe how fast time is going. I go again in 2 weeks, then every week after that! CRAZY! He says he will induce me a week early so I am looking forward to that! My grand-mother's birthday is on the 28th of March so I am hoping for that day to have him. Everything looks normal and ok. I didn't even gain any weight! I have official permission to eat all the Little Debbie brownies I want to. (permission given from my hubby.

- My hubby is having a hard time with some things at work, and has been asked to work more hours. This makes me sad, but we will all make it through.

- Little dude is really getting antsy for spring. The weather has been nicer her lately and now asks to go play outside more and more. I can't wait until it is warmer and I will want to go out there with him.

- We did our taxes and I just have one thing to say about it "$!$!$!$!$!$!$!$!" It is a good one this year!

- We still need so many things for the baby. I can't wait to just have it all ready. I got all little dude's old stuff out and princess had to feel everything. It was really funny! I can't wait to see the kids with him when he gets here! I can't wait to hold him either! Somewhere other than my tummy anyway!

A quick update

Today is the big day with potty training. She is doing great! We started after we took her brother to the sitter, so we are only a couple of hours into it. The first time she went after I took of her diaper was in her room all over some books. (Now those get to be thrown away!) I was a little discouraged at first, but then she started to surprise me. She has gone 5 other times and all of them have been in the potty. NO ACCIDENTS! I am sure there will be more to come, but she did just go potty without me around. SHE WENT ALL BY HERSELF!! I am the master of potty training! Ok not really, she was just really ready!

I will check back in later. Thanks for all the good wishes!



*Before I could even publish this she went one more time. So make that 6 times total, 2 times without me. What a good girl!

Let the Potty Training begin.

My little princess needs to be potty trained. It is something that I have been meaning to work on for the last 6 months, but there has just been so much going on in the last 6 months that it has been hard to get to. But now I have to do it! I only have 8 weeks left until I have a little baby, and who knows how long it will take me to get to it if I wait.

So Thursday we begin. I have made her little charts, and have talked it up as much as I can. It only took little dude 3 days to learn, so I am hoping that it goes just as well with her. So wish me luck! At least this time I have hard wood floors to clean instead of carpet. That will be much nicer!

An Alphabet Meme

KatKat from No Diet Coke for Mommy wants me to do the letter "G". I'm supposed to name ten things I "love" that start with the letter G. It was pretty hard but here is my go at it. If you want to play, let me know and I will send you a letter.

1. Green. Almost every room in my house is decorated with the color green.

2. Gifts. Not really in the form of being tied up with bow and stuff (however those are fun too.) But I love to give gifts. Also I love the gifts of photography, playing music, being a mother, a wife, and all the other wonderful gifts that I have been given.

3. Growing. I feel that I grow every day! Physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I am very grateful for all that I learn every day. Even for my growing belly because that means that I am carring a healthy baby boy.

4. Ghost stories. Even though I get really scared, I still love to hear them.

5. Giggles. I can get the giggles pretty easily. Some of the greatest times in my life started because of the giggles. Not only that, but hearing my kids giggle is the true sound of happiness.

6. Going fast. This is something that some don't know about me. I love drag racing! I love cars!

7. Going out. I love to go out with my hubby. We don't get to do it very often, but I love the time that we can spend together alone.

8. Guitars. I have been playing the guitar for a long time. I love the soft peaceful sound of an acoustic guitar.

9. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. I eat one several times a week! Put a little mayo and some pickles on it and you have the best sandwich on the planet! No this is not a pregnant thing. I have been eating them like that since I was a kid.

10. Grandparents! My kids love their grandparents, but also I have some of the best grandparents. One of which calls me every week just to tell me that she loves me and that she is thinking of me. Another that has taught me how to do so many things like sewing, cooking, canning, and gardening. You can really learn a lot from your grandparents!

My email address

I know that most don't care about this, but I had a request for it. So here it is pittakgr@hotmail.com

My House Part 4 - The hallway bathroom

Here is my hallway bathroom. It was hard to get a good picture, but this is the best that I could do. The laundry room is in here too. We have talked about moving it down stairs many times, but after having a very sick family it was really handy to have the washer and dryer in the bathroom.

This room didn't need too much. Mostly cleaning. It had linoleum that was really dirty. I think that it was supposed to be white, but it was more a dark grey almost black. Just like the rest of the house. NASTY!

So here is what we did:

- Put in tile on the floor.

- New toilet seat.

- Fixed the drain in the bath tub

- Paint

There are some things that we would still like to do to it. One is put in a new faucet in the sink. It is white now, and I really like the silver ones. Also we want a new light fixture, cabinets and a counter top. There are cigarette burns on the counter top that irritate me every time I see them. For now I think that it looks so much better than it did, and the rest will come in time.

Pregnancy news

I haven't really talked tons lately about me being pregnant. I thought that I would write a few things about it for those that care. Also for me to look back on someday and remember this time.

First of all I did end up going back to my old doctor. This was a hard decision for me to make for some reason. I didn't want to cause myself any more stress in my life it was going to be a pain. Every time I would drive pass the hospital (which is less than 5 minutes away) where my old doctor was I would have the feeling that I needed to switch back to him. So I did it and I am very glad that I followed my heart.

Things are going ok though. I have had some really bad problems with my sciatic nerve, and some back pain, but it seems this week I might be ok, there hasn't been much pain. Sleeping sucks though. I have entered the stage where I can't get comfy, and it is a big process to change positions. I work through it though.

At every doctor's appointment that I have had in the last few months my blood pressure has been a little bit high, and I have had a trace of protein in my urine. These are signs of toxemia, but they are not too concerned about it yet. It is however the same way that it all started when I was pregnant with my little dude. I ended up being put on bed rest for 6 weeks until he was born. It was not fun at all. But for right now they are just going to watch it and I am just going to keep myself healthy and pray every day that I don't get it with this little guy too.

I feel huge! I have gained 20 lbs. (OUCH!) and I feel bigger and bigger every day. Oh well, it is all part of the game right? This little guy is one active kid too. He loves to kick and kick and kick right as I lay down to go to sleep. There have been some nights that he has kept me up for hours just by moving and kicking. Typical little boy!

We did decide on a name for him. Just like my other kids I won't call him by name here on my blog. I will have to come up with a cute nick name. I will tell you this though, as much as I liked all the names that were suggested here, we have decided on something else. I am excited and it seems to fit so perfect!

I can't believe that I have 10 weeks left. Actually a little less. The time has gone by really fast! I have been wanting to get things ready for him, but there is just so much stuff that I need to do. You would think that with him being my 3rd kid I would have everything, but nope. Oh well, it is fun to buy him his own stuff.

Well that is it for now. Hopefully things go really smooth for the next ten weeks. And maybe I will give another update in a few more weeks.

Birthday Gifts

I think that Christmas did something to Little Dude. He got to ask for anything that he wanted (that didn't mean that he was going to get it) he got to write a letter to Santa, then on Christmas morning he was surprised with most that he asked for.

Well, his birthday is next month and he can't stop talking about what he wants. The funny thing about it is that he thinks he needs to write a letter to me- Mommy to ask for what he wants. I thought that I should share his list with you so I can prove just how silly he is.

#1 He really wants a Mater to go with his Lightning McQueen car. (this one is actually pretty normal)

#2 He keeps asking for soda. Yes I mean a drink. He wants Sprite.

#3 He wants snow. When I told him that I had no control over that he assured me that all I needed to do was go outside with a shovel. All he wants to do is paint it.

At least he isn't getting to greedy yet. For right now there is only three things, but the things that he is asking for are worth writing down. If any more come up I will be sure to post it.

Holy Poop!

I hear that there is a nation wide epidemic where people are getting really sick. Severe throwing up, diarrhea, high fever the works. One hospital here in Utah has had over 1000 reported cases in their ER of people with these problems just since the beginning of December. I guess it is also VERY contagious and will last up to two weeks! Well I am here today to tell you that we have done our part with this, and I wish for it to never return again!

This last week has been nothing but helping the kids throw up/poop then cleaning up the mess, then doing a load of messy laundry. Then repeat every minute through out the day. They have been really sick. I can't believe that their little bodies could produce so much "stuff" even when they refuse to eat or drink anything. I thought we would be one of those families having a trip to the ER too. Luckily I think that we are on the tail end of it though. It really has been a mess!

So that is why I don't have a new picture of my house for you yet. No one wants to see the mess that has become of my house this last week. So next we I will continue with the pictures. I hope everyone else has had a better than us! Happy weekend!

My House Part 3 - Living Room

Looks like my hubby was able to get my computer fixed. I hope that it lasts and that we don't have any more problems.

So here is my living room. Don't laugh, I haven't done much decorating yet. I can promise you that it looks way better than the turquoise that was in there before. The neighbors used to complain that the blue room would light up the entire street at night. It was just that bad. There was a major change to the room that I am SO glad that we did. On the was separating the room from the rest of the house had a big opening. It would have been right above the couch. It made it so you could stand at the front door and see into the family room, dining room and into the kitchen. We framed it and filled it all in. It looks amazing! You would never know that there was an opening there. (Thanks Dad for your awesome sheet rock work!)

Here is the small list of what we did in this room

- Filled in the wall

- Painted

- Added new light switches, plugs, and heater vents.

- Took off the tinting on the windows

- Took down the chair rail

- Took out nasty old tile at the front door and replaced it with new.


I think sometime soon, there will be someone here to refinish the hardwood. When the idiots were installing our carpet, they cut the padding on the hardwood floor and scratched it up pretty bad. We were really mad. So they are coming to fix it soon. :(

Well, that is about it! It looks pretty boring. We really need to get couch covers and some things hung up on the wall, but hey that is easy to do someday!

Issues

My computer is having issues. Well actually it is a little more than an issue, the hard drive has called it quits. I hope that it will be fixed soon, but until then please don't forget about me. I am still around and trying to check on my friends when I can. I will be back to posting more pictures of my house when everything gets working again.

I am hoping that my luck lately isn't a sign of how the new year is going to be. Our Jeep is in the shop and will cost us an arm to fix. We might not even get it back until the middle of next week. Also our water softner doesn't work. I am a little peeved at this because this is something that was not disclosed at the sale of the house. That will cost us another arm and maybe a leg to fix. Then there is the computer. Who knows how many limbs might be lost on that one. Maybe none, but it is still a bugger.

On a brighter note though, the kids have been angels lately. I think that being in the new house has helped them in being a little more stable. It has been really nice. I am waiting though for the unleashing of the mosters any moment.

One last thing. I am thinking that I might actually change doctors. The doctor that I have been seeing this entire pregnancy has been a new one. My old doctor didn't accept my insurance, but as of the beginning of October, he does again. There really isn't anything wrong with my new doctor, I just know more about the old one. The question is though, how much of a pain is it going to be to change doctors when I only have 2 1/2 months left. Oh well I guess I just need to follow my gut.

Well, I will return soon. Hope everyone is well!

My house part 2 - Family Room

To view the full set of our house pictures go here.

I had a request to do the family room next, so here it is. This room was a big job! The crazy lady that lived here wad strange taste in decorating. So before I list what we did to this room I have to explain what it looked like before.

This room had really dark brown faux-paint on the walls, with a crown molding that only went across half the wall. It was really ugly. Around the fire place was a really strange grayish/blue tile. Then on the back door it had a stain glass like covering on it. I actually pulled that off one of the first times I was here after we moved in. The room was really dark with the colors that she had and also because the only light in the room was one above the fireplace. It was a designer's nightmare.

So here is what we did:

- Took the crown molding off. Crazy people glued it on so we had to repair the wall after we took it off.

- Took off the tile around the fire place and replaced it with the tile that we laid in the kitchen and at the front door. (you will see that later)

- Added can lighting in the ceiling to add more light.

- Replaced the window in the back door with the window that has the blinds inside it.

- Replaced the blinds on the window.

- Cleaned and painted the plant shelf. My hubby found pills all lined up behind the molding up there. What an interesting place to hide your drugs.

- Did lots of repairs to the walls, and then painted them the Arabian Sand color that goes throughout the house.

- Added all new light switches, plugs and heater vents.

Now for what's to come:
- Some time soon my hubby and father in law are going to build us a mantle for the fireplace.

- There isn't a glass covering on the fireplace. We will sometime get one. It looks like there once was one, but with their anger problems it might have been broken in a fight. Who knows.

So that completes this room. It is my favorite room in the house! It is comfy and really open. They really did a good job in here. When this room was done it made the entire house look like a very different house.

My house part 1 - Kids Rooms

Here we are, my 100th post! I thought that it would be cool to start a series of posts on my house. I have been wanting to share what we have done on the house and doing one post per room seemed like the best idea. I want to be able to share pictures and also detail what was done in each room.

So here we will start with the kids rooms. You may see the pictures bigger here if you want.

Now for the info. There are 3 kids rooms. I decided to not photograph the third because it is still full of stuff that we need to put away. It had the same work done on it so I thought just showing the two would be ok. Here is a list of things that were done on it.

- We had to start by cleaning out everything that she left. Why do people leave their crap when they move???

- Then we had to remove the carpet. It was nasty, and full of who knows what kinds of germs. It also smelled like cigarette smoke. This had to be removed with gloves and respirators. They did drugs in the house so we were not going to take our chances with the "unknown".

- We also threw away the blinds on the windows.

- Then we removed all the light switches and plugs. I don't think they washed their hands the entire 9 years they lived here so they were black and sticky.

- Once everything was out we had to paint the floors, walls, and ceiling with Kills. This a paint primer that seals the sheet rock and wood. It helps with bacteria, stains and also the smell of smoke. In some rooms this was done with more than one coat.

- When it all smelled better we painted the walls with a two tone paint. White for the trim and Arabian Sand for the walls. They looked a little pink for the first week so we were scared. It is actually a light brown for those that can't tell, and we love it!

- We had new carpet and pad installed.

- Some rooms needed new doors.

- Added new heater vents, light switches and plugs and we were done here.

It's the dumb little things.

It is the dumb little things like this that make me really happy!

http://www.chrisdaughtryfans.com/getthecd.html

A Tribute to the year 2006

I saw this over at alisonwonderland and thought that I would fill out this survey about the year 2006.

1. Where did you ring in 2006? At home playing poker with some friends.

2. What was your status on Valentine's Day? Married with children.

3. Were you in school anytime this year? No.

4. How did you earn your keep? Wedding photography, but that isn't a full time job. So I guess in order for my hubby to want to keep me around I had to take care of the kids and the house. ;)
5. Did you ever have to go to the hospital? Nope.

6. Did you ever encounter the police? Unfortunatly when my jeep was broken into and my purse was stollen.

7. Where did you go on vacation? The big one was to Mazatlan, Mexico. We also went to Idaho a few times.

8. What did you purchase that was over $500? Oh man do I have to list it all? Well there was my hubby's motorcycle, our new house, remodeling the new house, my trip to Mexico, my new camera, and beds for the kids. That is about all that I can think of right now, but I do think that is enough.

9. Did you know anybody who got married? I am willing to bet that I attended more weddings this last year than most have in 10 years combined. Almost all of them I didn't know though. But I did have a few cousins get married and also a few friends.

10. Did you know anybody who passed away? One of my mom's dear friends just died before Christmas, then there were lots of people in my old neighborhood that lost babies before they were born.

11. Did you run into anybody you graduated high school with? Since I live pretty close to where I graduated I run into people all the time that I graduated high school with.

12. Did you move anywhere? Yup!

13. What sporting events did you go to? Little dude's soccer games in the spring.

14. What concerts did you go to? None that I can think of.

15. Are you registered to vote? Yes.

16. If so, did you do your patriotic duty on November 7? No, I am really lazy when it comes to voting.

17. Where do you live now? Salt Lake County, Utah

18. Describe your birthday. Packed all day, then got take out for dinner.

19. What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2006? I have two, the first is let my husband buy a motorcycle. The other is got pregnant. After the last one I swore I was never going to do it again, but I knew that our family wasn't done yet.

20. What is one thing you regretted this year? I look back and feel that I could have been less lazy. I could have kept up the house better and taken the kids out more often to do fun things.

21. What's something you learned about yourself? That being in control isn't always the best place to be. If things don't happen the way that I planned them to be, the world isn't over. Also trying to guess what the future holds is setting myself up for failure.

22. Any new additions to your family? I had two nephews that were born in 2006, and will be adding one more to our own family in April.

23. What was your best month? This is a hard one, because there were so many good months. We have been very blessed this year so it is hard to reflect on one event and say it is better than the rest.

24. What from pop culture will you remember 2006 by? The year that Chris Daughtry should have won American Idol. Even though Taylor Hicks deserved it too, Chris shouldn't have been booted off.