Bailey's First Talk!

Today Bailey gave a talk in primary at church! It was her first time. She was so dang excited to be asked to do it! She told me how she was going to get to sit on the stand and when she was finished she was going to even get a sticker! I guess she has been paying attention somewhat!
Tony practiced with her probably about 20 times. At first he would whisper in her ear what to say and she would try to say it at the same time as him so you couldn't understand what she was saying. That's the reason for practicing so much! Well, he thought he worked it out, but when giving her talk you could only understand about every fourth word....MMMM..Adam and Eve..MMM...The Earth....MMM...My family etc.. So funny! Nice try Tony~maybe next time! I think she still did a great job and I was so proud of her!
I love how much she enjoys going to church! Now if we can only keep that enthusiasm through her teen years!!

Look At Those Curls!

Ethan's hair has really been growing alot lately.It's kind of wild, but I can't bring myself to give it a trim! Look at those curls! I love it! He and Grace are rockin the same look!
Zach's hair was straight as a baby, so I am not sure at what point I am going to need to cut Ethan's. What do you think? Keep the hair long and preserve the curls or risk it and trim it?? What if it doesn't grow back curly?? Sad!
Oh,Hey, how do you like his Cheetos mouth? They are a new found treat for him and his fav food! Now Grace is gonna have some competition over the bag! She has actually been known to hide a bag and snack on it for days!Do you think they get that from me??

52 Blessings Project ~Week 26

This Week I Am Grateful For~ Friends~ Old And New!!









How could I possibly not choose this as my blessing this week? I feel so grateful and blessed right now for the wonderful friends in my life!
Before I left for Utah, I received a email. I was so shocked when I saw it was from my best friend Claudia from high school! She is the funnest, sweetest person you will ever meet! She had googled my name and came across my blog! Wow! Guess what?? She lives right here in Chandler! Less than 15 min. away! I am so excited to be able to reconnect with her. We spoke on the phone before I left, and it felt as if we just picked up right where we left off!
I have decided that is a sign of a true friendship. It felt that way going back to Utah. It seemed as if I had never left. We just picked up exactly where we left off!
There is something so comforting about girlfriends. They make me laugh, let me cry, they accept my quirky ( and sometimes shocking...sorry ladies about THAT story at lunch!!!HEE!!HEE!!)sense of humor, they help me see my faults in a positive way that just motivates me to be better, and they help to build up both me and my testimony! My girls~They just get it!!
I have started to make friends here lately and am enjoying it so much! I am so looking forward to getting to know each of them better!
I feel as if my bucket has been filled. This past week was restorative for the soul!
I feel refreshed and ready to be home with my little ones and be the best mom I can be!
Thanks Ladies for being there for me, loving me, making me laugh, accepting me!
There is nothing in the world like a great friendship and for that I am truly grateful!!

PS.....Corrine...Thank you so much for everything! I love you to pieces and am so grateful to be blessed to call you my friend!!!

Just a Reminder For Myself!

Well, this past week while visiting in Utah, I found myself being surprised by so many things that I had not realized how much I loved them until I had moved away here! I did not truly appreciate where I was at the moment!

The following pics are things I wish I had embraced as the blessing they were!

This first picture is the winds blowing like crazy! It sounds so fabulous to hear the wind blowing through hundreds of trees! I love the way the leaves looked as if they were dancing in the wind. It feels so good to be outside with the wind on your face, and hear the wind in the trees! Love, Love it!

This next picture is the view from our backyard. If you were standing on the deck, you had an unobstructed view of the mountains! Sometimes in the fall Tony and I would sit on the deck and look at all the beautiful fall colors when the leaves had changed! The air would be crisp, and the view was amazing. It was so nice.

This next photo is a fishing hole Tony and I used to fish weekly. It was in Big Cottonwood Canyon and it was only about a 15 minute drive from our house to this spot! It was so amazing there. We saw snakes (yikes), Deer, and Moose while fishing! We would bring our chairs and a lunch and spend hours there. I can't believe there were days that I would complain I didn't want to go! What I would give to be able to pack up and go to a fishing spot like that now! Beautiful!

This next Picture is just one of the river. I was surprised when I turned on the faucet and the water was so, so cold it actually hurts! It's so cold from the snow runoff in the river. I forgot how I loved the ice cold water right from the sink!!

This photo is me in front of the Silver Fork Lodge in Big Cottonwood Canyon. We would take the kids up there for a yummy cup of hot chocolate after fishing sometimes to warm us up. It was so good! Tony and I would go up there sometimes and order a hot apple crisp to share. It is the best I've ever had.

The lodge has a delightful patio outside and I would go there with girlfriends or my in laws for lunch! I miss the Silver Fork!

This last picture is a kind of strange thing I loved when living in Utah, but I did love it! I don't know if you can see in this picture but there are white specks blowing in the air. It is cotton from the cottonwood trees! It would blow into every ones yards and gardens and most people I knew hated it when the cotton was on, but I loved the way it looked floating in the air!

I was actually surprised at times when I would think to myself OOOHH I love this why didn't I appreciate it more when I lived here???

Soo, this post is just a reminder for myself to take a moment daily and acknowledge the beauty and blessings around me. I want to be present in the moment and acknowledge the good now!

Bloom Where You're Planted!

Corrine is a avid Gardner. These are some photos of her flowers in her front yard! I Love, Love, Love gardens and flowers!
When I lived here she would give me starts of her flowers for my garden. It was wonderful to see the small flower bloom into a big beautiful bush.
One of my favorite flowers is a Johnny Jump ups. They are the first picture here! Every year Corrine would give me some start ups of her Johnny Jump ups. They are so hardy that they reseed and she is having to pull them out of her grass and beds that she doesn't want them in.
Each year for some reason, my Johnny jump ups would die! Then a few weeks later, I would find some growing in the rocks or out in the middle of the lawn as if to mock me!! It drove me crazy, yet I loved it, I loved the flowers and the digging in the dirt.
I was sharing with Corrine my thoughts on my Post cultivating happiness and she shared with me a cute story of her garden.
She has a rose bush that she has had for five years now. Each year she prunes the bush, she fertilizes it, she waters it carefully... She has such high hopes for this little bush. And each year the darn thing produced just one bud. One small pink bud!
She has struggled with the decision whether to pull the bush out or to give it time. Maybe one more year! She has faith this little bush will produce some beautiful buds eventually.
Well, this past month she walked out to her garden and her was shocked when she saw six huge, unbelievable gorgeous blooms! She said the buds were so amazing and the fragrance was divine! Her patience, and care had paid off finally!
She then told me she sees me as her garden.. I just need to have faith, put forth the effort, and bloom where I am planted!
thanks for the advice Corrine! It is a great analogy and I am taking it to heart!

Greeting Old Friends!

Yesterday Corrine had a luncheon for me with all of my girlfriends here! it was so much fun.
We had a picture of everyone but for some reason it didn't work, so here are a few that did.
The women that came were Carolee, Robyn, Susan,Corrine, Julee, and myself! Corrine made chicken salad on homemade herb rolls and croissants, fruit salad, a tossed salad with mandarin oranges, and sugared walnuts, and for dessert fresh strawberry crepes! Oh my gosh.. Delicious...
The pictures are of me and Carolee, Robyn and Carolee, and the amazing food!
What a boost for me. Great food and even better company!
Life is so good!

I Think we've Done Some Damage!

Tony asked me to post while here so here goes. Hope it doesn't get me in trouble! Today we went up to Park City. It was so much fun! we went out to lunch then we headed over to the outlet mall! Oh My gosh... we went BUTT WILD! It was so stinking fun! Children's place had the cutest clothes for 2.99 and 3.99!! I just had to get about two of everything. Ok, maybe not that much, but we did make a good dent in my budget!
I love this little mermaid outfit for the girls at Gymboree. How cute, sock, bows, the works!
I also had to get this cute dress for the girls cause it has a matching dress for their babies! Lovin it!
Well, as you can see, we did some damage, but it was fabulous!
As for tomorrow..Can't wait!!!! We're having a luncheon with all my friends here, then after we are going to get my hair done by Larissa! She is amazing and I haven't had my hair done in over a stinking year!!Wooo hooo... Oh Yeah!
Missing my kids so much! Who would've thought! I will appreciate them so much more when I get to hug them again! I even kind of missed having 3 kids in bed with me at night! Crazy!

And I Am Off!

If you were to talk to my kids they would tell you how much I love Napoleon Dynamite's mad dancing skills! I have promised them if the ward ever has a talent show I am going to buy some vote for Pedro shirts for us and we are going to perform the dance. A real crowd pleaser for sure! We could probably even win! Anyhow I do love to dance when I am happy. It is a horrible embarrassment for my older ones when their friends are over!Well, I am so excited to be going so today I am doing the Napoleon dance Only I am probably hotter than he is when doing it! Too bad I can't video tape myself for you, so instead here is a clip of Napoleon himself, and you can just imagine me instead!And I am off!! Yeah!!!

Bon Voyage!

Last night as I was getting ready for my trip Bailey and Grace came upstairs to help me pack. Bailey was folding my clothes and putting them in the suitcase for me and she even packed a small bag for my friends. She put some toys in it for them and when I told her they were too old for toys she went and got some necklaces of hers. She told me she is so happy I get to go see my friends and they are going to love the necklaces! Bailey, I think you are right~ They will love the necklaces!

Bailey wanted to know if she could come with me and when I told her no she went and climbed in my suitcase and told me tough..she was coming anyway. She was going to hide in the suitcase and no one would know she was there! Grace of course had to get into the action! I had to get a picture of my silly girls giving me a hard time!

I am going to miss my funny girls...just not too much though:)

52 Blessings Project~ Week 25

This week I am grateful ~for air conditioning in my car!!

Tony and I were driving down the freeway yesterday when we had a blowout. Our tire was obliterated. I'm not sure if we hit something or what.

According to our car temperature gage it was 118 degrees outside. Not happy here...

We pulled over and got everything out to change the tire but couldn't get the lug nut off. It was just too tight. We finally decided enough was enough after about 15 minutes in the sweltering sun. We got back in the car turned up the air conditioning and called roadside service. The temperature gage was by then reading 128 degrees. I guess from the radiant heat of the freeway. Our car was not producing very cold air anymore and it was getting uncomfortable!After an hour of waiting in the car the roadside service finally arrived.

They had a heck of a time getting the lug nut off but after another half an hour it was changed and we were on our way!

Sweet relief! The air cooled and we went to find the biggest diet coke available in a convenience store for me!

As we were driving to the store, I was hot, and moody thinking how much that whole situation sucked. We came to a stop light and next to us was a truck with their windows down. The drivers side had a little fan blowing on her! I laughed and told Tony, I guess things could have been worse!

See... perspective...Even though the tire blowing sucked, at least we were blessed to have air conditioning to help us while waiting!

Air conditioning a very good blessing!

Under construction

I am trying out new designs and am not very good at it, so ignore the hot mess going on till I figure it out!

Smart Habit Saturday ~Week 4

Week #4 update~

Well, plugging along still, but didn't do as well as last week. Tony was out of town, and I am feeling hormonal, so I just wasn't as on track as I had hoped! It was about suvival and sanity...

I worry if I don't do it everyday, how am I going to establish the routines? I guess I am just going to focus on doing what I can for now and hope I can do better next week!


We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit~ Aristotle

She's Done It Again!

I think Bailey has made it her mission in life to test me. Either that or she is hell bent on being a hairstylist when she grows up!
Last week I came into my room to find hair on my floor and Bailey hiding in my closet. I coaxed her out to find she had given herself a haircut! Fortunately, it's not too bad, just looks like she has layers in her hair.
Well, tonight I was in my room talking with Tony on the bed and I noticed Bailey and Grace were awfully quite, so I looked over at them to see what was going on. I found bailey cutting Grace's hair! I grabbed the camera, and yelled at them as I was taking a picture! I think I scared the crap out of them!
Anyhow here is grace rockin horrid short bangs. Nice...At least it's not a mullet right??

Cultivating a Attitude of Happiness

Kind of a interesting day today for me. I was reading crazymamas blog today and she was saying she has started taking medication for depression. It really struck a cord with me because I had recently started medication myself and have struggled with the decision to do so! I have just really had a hard time feeling normal, upbeat and on top of things.
Anyhow, I read a comment on her blog that brought me to another blog ~Confessions of a unbalanced woman ~and I found quote from a article written by President Gordon B Hinkley from 1992 called If Thou Art Faithful~
"No woman can afford to demean herself, to belittle herself, to downgrade her abilities or her capacities. Let each be faithful to the great, divine attributes that are within her." Divine attributes?? Hmmm? I have those??
Isn't it interesting as women how we tend to be so hard on ourselves? This quote struck right to the heart of what I have been going over in my mind.
I have been getting ready to leave on a trip to visit my friends, Corrine, Carolee, and Robin on Monday I have been thinking how excited I am to be able to visit with my dear friends!
I was remembering late night trips to TGIFridays, women's retreats to the mountains, and late late night talks with laughter and tears. Oh my gosh how I miss those!
Somehow I have lost a bit of my easy going, fun attitude! I have alienated myself from friends and kind of turned into myself.
I have had the hardest time putting myself out there and making new friends here.I think I feel self conscious that I am not as good at keeping up my house, I am not as fit, as wealthy,as good of a parent etc, etc...so, keeping with my line of thought today, this quote was just so appropriate for Me! I was grateful to have read it.
She went on to talk about how Pres Hinkley was saying we need to Cultivate a attitude of Happiness.Isn't that interesting. Don't just be happy, cultivate it. We have to work on it.
Food for thought for me definitely! Something I can use on my journey of trying to better myself lately.I think sometimes it is hard to remember we are of divine worth Ya know?
Ok~enough rambling for now...

Happy Days Are Here Again!

The Potty training dilemma….to train or not to train……that is my question ~for now anyhow.
I just hate when you are out in public, like the park for instance and the ever all knowing mommy decides to engage you in a conversation about the joys of potty training. I personally think she is just looking for a opening to pontificate about their perfectly trained potty genius . I guess she just needed a chance to puff up that ego one more time! I just love the blank stares I get when I tell them well, I’m not potty training right now actually .We’ve adopted the child self guided method.( Ok, I’m not sure this method really exists, but it sounded good!) Ummm she asks, so you’re not doing anything? Of course we are silly! We’re waiting for our child to guide us! Doesn’t she realize I’d rather go to a proctologist than have to potty train another child?
Anyhow, I have mixed feelings about potty training. On one hand I hate poopy diapers, the outrageous cost of having three children in diapers, and the creative wrestling I do in order to catch the buggers to actually get the diapers on them. But~ on the other hand potty training produces unnecessary heart palpitations, do I want to have to buy a book, a creepy little doll, a singing toilet, a chart etc? Diapers may not be thrifty but neither are all the potty training paraphernalia. Also what about the stress of worrying that the wrong move in this process is going to produce a lifetime of counseling? And do I want to spend half of my day in the bathroom? So much to think about.
Hmmm three children in four years I’m walking that tightrope we called sanity right now as it is and it could go either way at this point!
Ok, after all that I do have some good news to report! Apparently our child self guided method is a success! (I’m thinking of writing a book on it!)
Bailey has just gotten out of diapers for good~ Even at night! And Grace has started to go on the toilet all by herself! Now she is naked most of the day, but I would be too if I could get away with it! So I guess that is ok with me! She won’t let me help her and I certainly can’t mention it, but she IS doing it, so AHHH The sweet smell of success! ( or no smell!) And I don’t even have to do anything!
Sooo ladies where do you stand on the nasty little debate of potty training? Do you begin at the ripe old age of 18 months or do you preserve what little of your sanity is left and wait it out? And for how long?
I like mom’s advice. It’s all good as long as they are potty trained and finished with their bottles by the time they enter kindergarten. Mom I guess you were right!