What I Want to Be When I Grow Up

Today Andy and Ashley were discussing their future plans. I think I changed my plans a million times growing up. I was going to mention one of them but decided not to. Another was being a nurse that takes care of the babies in the nursery at the hospital(which still sounds fun). So here we go:

Jakob: a paleontologist and a basketball player. Apparently he'll hunt for dinosaur bones on the off-season. And hey, he's a pretty good little ball player!

Andy: a substitute teacher and a soccer coach. Why set goals high right? He knew just what he wants... I asked what he'd do when he's not subsituting. He said he'd watch tv and sleep...

Ashley: A cowgirl and an astronaut and she'd have ponies. Oh and a ballerina. So I decided she'll be a dancing space cowgirl... easy right?

And Gavin? Yeah, Gavin wants to be a princess... we'll work on that one.

Which leads me into my next thing. I already tested the waters on facebook and not a lot of my neighbors check my blog(I think) but I decided to ask anyway. MY dream job that has been my dream for years is to have a bookstore. I LOVED You've Got Mail not for the story(although I loved that too) but because of her bookstore. I even had a name picked out and everything while watching the movie with my cousins.

SO I'm having a poll. Do you think a bookstore (with a copy center attached) would do well in the Lehi-ish area? Meaning, is it something you've wanted that we don't have? The poll is on the side bar. Check it out please!

Thanks so much! And watch out for dancing space cowgirls. :)

My New Hobby

About 2 years ago Steve let me get an artist's easel and paints from Costco with the promise that I'd use it. Well, 2 years later I finally got a chance, a room and a bit of time of my own to try it out. I decided to try the watercolors first since it seems a little more forgiving. What do I know?

So it started out as a cool picture from Thanksgiving Point I'd taken during the summer:

I decided that the whole thing might be a little hard with water colors so I decided to cut out the hills and the sky, etc and just concentrate on the stream which was my favorite part... Well, after learning how to REALLY watercolor(gotta love the internet), I managed to get the grass to look okay and the water to look like water... but I still didn't have it right and by that time it was rather late.

It must have still looked okay because Andy asked if I'd won it in a contest...

Anyway so on to tonight. I decided that I WAS going to make the rocks and trees look right. The painting had other things in mind however. I decided there was just too much green and not enough anything else so I pulled a Bob Ross and added some "happy little trees". Those were fun! I've decided we're destined to live in the woods somewhere because Jakob and I for some reason both love to draw and paint pictures of the mountains and forests. Anyway, after all that babbling, here is my finished project - until I decide I want to add something else. Oh and those brown things are a rabbit and a squirrel. The deer died a painful death in a nice white blur now considered a green bush(which covered the white blur). :)

My Baby's 1st Tooth!

Okay, so I wish I had a picture of his first tooth but as its small and he's still trying to get the other one too, there's no way he's letting me get a picture of his mouth!! So I'll just show this picture instead. Ethan had been playing with this toy until he got his toy keys. It slid down his chest and landed next to his mouth where he promptly chomped down on it - while still playing with his keys!

Ethan popped out a tooth on February 3rd(I'm a little behind...) and Mommy CHEERED and probably cried just a little. It took SO long for that little tooth to come out and for 3 days he'd had a fever! I felt so bad for him and couldn't do anything!

He's also clapping and loves to laugh and clap when you say yay... And when he's filling his drawers- gross but I'm totally serious!! Hopefully this means early potty training...

He's working on the crawling part and will stretch as far forward as he can without actually moving his knees. He'll roll to get something he wants if he's in an especially adventurous mood...

On to Gavin. He's quite the talker and has been for a while. My favorite sayings have come from the last couple days. He went up behind Ethan and gave him a big hug and said "you're my best friend!" Talk about giving Mom something to tear up about. :) It was so sweet!

Another one was when Ashley and Andy were playing Chutes and Ladders and he wanted to play. He came in said "I NEVER get to play" Yes, he is 2 1/2 !!! He's said many other whacky things but those have just cracked me up.

I would say more about each child but then what would I do for Christmas cards? I'll leave the rest for a little later. :)

Pictures of Ethan and Ashley

Its really late but I got these pictures from my friend that she took this last week and they were so cute I just had to share them!!! These were taken in my house and they turned out so cute! I had a really hard time getting them down to just these few but she did a great getting it all ready to print! What little cuties I have. :) Enjoy!

Pay It Forward

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought it would be fun--Here's how it works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first 3 comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

Tagged...

Wow, lots of tags. Okay, actually just two. Or three. So here we go.

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
1. I'm sore from playing basketball. Which I only get to do once or twice a week.
2. I don't like exercise unless its running up and down a court or riding a bike. Or swimming... wait...
3. I was born without a thyroid. Cool in some ways(white teeth!), not so cool in others. But we deal. :)
4. I have 5 kids all under 7. And no twins
5. I grew up on a farm and LOVED it. Still do :)
6. I can be VERY insecure
7. I love to bake. I'm still learning and love to try new things.
8. Steve and I had the same favorite books in 2nd grade! And the same pjs. and I have a baby dress that matches a baby shirt of his...
9. I love to eat all kinds of foods. And Steve and I love to try new restaurants to try new things.
10. I would LOVE to be a meteorologist(now if I could spell it). I enjoy watching the weather.
11. I have never been out of the country!
12. I love to watch all the same TV shows my kids watch. Except Yo Gabba Gabba. I totally draw the line there! But generally if its on Disney, I watch it too
13. I CHEERED the day that I got the calling to be a Relief Society teacher - I only hope that everyone else is happy too. :)
14. Hanson has been one of my favorite groups since they came out. And yes I still like them. Hey, give them another chance!
15. I am a terrible clutter person. I'm okay with throwing things out but horrible with setting things everywhere - and am unlucky enough to pass it on!
16. I love to help my kids with homework.
17. I LOVE LOVE LOVE books. I could read all day and be perfectly happy.
18. I can remember birthdays from a lot of my high school classmates - and some phone numbers from them too. Too bad I forget half of what I need to do right now!
19. I lifeguarded and taught swimming lessons for YEARS. I loved the lessons, didn't like the lifeguarding so much. A short attention span and guarding 100's of lives don't mesh. But I never did have anyone need saving so that's a relief!
20. I have always wanted to go on a cruise and to Walt Disney World. I haven't done either.
21. I love to make people happy. Always have! BUT it also conflicts with my being bossy so sometimes the happy part doesn't happen.
22. I love to watch the Food Network with my family. Its fun to see all the fun things they can make. One day it would be fun to be a pastry chef.
23.I love playing sports with my ward. Everyone is awesome to work with and instead of snide remarks and rude things being said, I feel built up and important. Its a good feeling! And makes me want to play better.
24. My mom and dad got to be balloon handlers for the Macy's Day Parade holding Mr Potato Head a few years ago. Because of that, we got to have Thanksgiving Dinner 2 days before Christmas with my family!
25. I LOVE to sing and dance with my kids but won't dance if anyone else(including Steve) is around!

Tags: Anyone one that reads this. :) There. I did it.

Random Pictures of January

As I sat staring at this blank blog page, I tried to think of what I wanted to post... I could talk about my now clean office - but I forgot to take a before and after shot. Plus no one wants to see the before shot anyway!

So I decided that I would just show pictures that were taken during the month of January. Maybe I can come up with some resolutions from it...

Like, I will try to keep all scissors, pencils, crayons, flesh markers, makeup, etc out of the reach of kids unless I'm sitting right next to them.

I will teach my children manners at the table. Here, they're being good. Usually they're fighting us with the burps and the giggles and the yells and the socks on the table...

I will appreciate in the beauty in everything. Look at the beautiful crystals formed over the snow from the dense fog we've had!

I will try to score as many baskets as my son does in his games! And be a good support to each of my children in everything they love to do - we're coming up on THREE of my children playing sports this year! Ashley made the deadline for teeball by one day and we're so excited!

I WILL get better at sleeping when my little one sleeps. And since the blog of that wonderful night last week, he has slept through the night! YES!!!

I will keep Gavin in BOY's clothes instead of taking pictures when he decides he wants to wear Dora swimming suits or princess shoes or clips in his hair...

We will try to do as many things as we can as a family. This was last week at the Aquarium in Sandy. Since we went, Gavin has begged to "go see the fishies!" every day. That, and they have begged to go visit our friends that moved away EVERY minute since we were there last Friday!

Its crazy to think that January is already almost done but we've kept very busy and had a lot of fun! Hey, that rhymed. Now to start with one of my resolutions and take a nap while Ethan sleeps - oh wait, time to pick up the boys! So goes another day. :)

Its a Good Thing You're Cute!!!

Look at the face at the top of my blog. Such a sweet, adorable, hilarious little boy. However, with lack of sleep, any little face can seem a little more well, NOT cute. :)


Yesterday I decided I'd be a good mommy and take the bumper pads off the crib like you're supposed to at 3 months or so. Whatever 'expert' decided that 3 months was a good age either has a sense of humor or doesn't have children because after a while they learn to ROLL. And Ethan decided to roll right into the edge of the crib. So as I walked down the hallway at 1:00 in the morning all I saw was 2 legs sticking out of the bars of the crib and a screaming face looking at me accusingly.


So on went the bumper pads as he watched and cried, looking up at the mobile waiting for it to play music. I turned it on and he started laughing and talking - bad sign at 1 in the morning... I picked him up thinking that feeding him with the lights off while I typed on the computer would help him sleep. NOPE


So now he's laughing, talking and trying to grab my fingers. Yeah, not a sleepy boy. I tried tylenol because right now he's a drool bug trying to get those first four teeth in (yeah, all at once!). He liked chewing on the bottle but still didn't help him sleep. So now its going on 2:15 or so. I'd been falling asleep on the computer for the last 2 hours(yeah the math doesn't add up but trust me, its right) so finally I gave in and plopped him in his crib. Bad move.


So while I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed I heard him screaming for mommy. All my other kids were sleeping through the night and crying themselves to sleep at oh, 2 months. Ethan? No way. Too many things to do and see. So finally I dragged myself into his room, picked him up and put him in bed with me. After smacking me in the face about 3 times he FINALLY drifted off only to wake up 3 hours later wanting to eat. And then 1/2 hour later. And then another 1/2 hour later - which was punctuated with Jakob trying to get his siblings to SHHHHH so mommy could sleep. Steve got home from work and also tried to let me sleep... WASN'T HAPPENING.


What was little Ethan's response to all this? To stare at me with big blue eyes and touch my face. And of course my heart melted and all was right with the world. Anyone want to know why babies are so cute? To let their mommies make it through one more sleep deprived day!!!


Now I may sound like I'm complaining(because, well, I am) but I just have to say I've done it with five different children now and I wouldn't go back. Why? Because of the sweet smile, the touch of their hand on your face and the look of adoration that they give only you as their mommy even when they're at their most miserable! Now if I can just remember that tonight as we start it all over again(Oh, I hope not!).

Ashley's new 'do

You'd think after flour on my floor, marker on my walls(and now carpet) and many other things, I'd remember to be careful where I set things...

Last Wednesday we were getting ready to cut my boys' hair and trim Ashley's. I got the hair cutting kit down and set the scissors next to it before running in my bathroom to grab a comb. The two bathrooms are about 20 feet away from each other.... maybe less.

I came back and noticed a lock of hair laying on the toilet seat. Oh MAN! I could deal with that. Not too bad - until I started combing through her hair to get ready to trim.... and more and more and more hair was coming off! We're talking a good 3 inches of hair! I decided just to trim and see what I could do with it later.

Well, when I got my hair cut a few days later, I had my hairdresser look at her hair to see what could be done... not much! So we decided to do a little bob and it turned out SO CUTE!! It fits her well. She was excited for the first few hours but that night she asked if she could have her long hair back... Nope, sorry Ashley! Gotta wait for it to grow back! I wish I'd gotten pictures of the hair she'd cut but oh well. We have the after photo at least. Best part? While I was trying to fix her hair, Gavin grabbed the scissors and tried to cut his hair! Luckily it was right in front of me so I could stop it. Ah, kids...

New Years Eve

This year we got to brave the weather and head to Idaho. After both of my sisters had to fight the snowdrifts to get home only 2 days before we headed there, I was a little worried. But the day we left was GORGEOUS and the roads were dry except for a few wetter areas. But no ice or snow drifts!

We had a fun time playing at my sister's house the morning of New Year's Eve. The kids played, we talked and then refereed when it was needed.

This is my Aunt Jennie. I had the opportunity to go up and visit my Grandma and visit with her and Jennie for an hour or so. I was fun to see them. I got to help make dinner and wash the dishes, etc for her. That may seem silly that I was so excited but 1. I have ALWAYS loved doing dishes at my Grandma's house for her and 2. It brought back so many memories because she has the same dishes and cups that she did when I was a little girl! Everything was in the same place and it was fun to help out.

After that, we headed off to my brother's house for New Years Eve. We had LOTS of food and fun. Everything was so good and it was nice to relax and hang out with my brother and sister and their families and let the kids play.

Gavin knew where the good stuff was! He loved to climb up(along with every other kid there!) and enjoy the crackers and dips and the other yummy stuff. Did I mention the food was good? :)

Ethan fell asleep around 9:00 and didn't wake up until I took him home at 12:30!! It was nice that he could sleep so well. Even with 15 or so cousins running around. :)

I was upstairs waiting for my mom and dad to get home(they had another activity they had to be to but spent an hour with us at my brother's first) and when I finally went down to go to bed, this is what I found. Everyone was asleep with the light on! So I figured it was a good time to get a picture. Sleep on my little ones! And big one...

I was sad when it ended and it was time to leave because we enjoyed our time there. We had a yummy New Years Day dinner with the family and helped my mom and dad take down their Christmas decorations(first time in 9 years I've been there to put them up and take them down in the same year!). We watched No Reservations which my dad was a good little chick flick. :) Not sure what that meant but hey, it was!

We were going to leave a little later on Friday or possibly Saturday but my dad saw the nastiness of the storm headed our way and told us to take off. We quickly packed and headed out. These pictures were taken on a highway we used instead of going over Sweetzer(5600 ft or so). It was raining like mad where we were but would have been nasty going up and over! The clouds and snow were so pretty and I loved the drive! Except for the nice potholes at the beginning... but we got over those and enjoyed the rest of the trip.