Month of Gratitude, Post 9

I'm Grateful for good books to read. I've been so busy the last little while that I haven't been making time to read and I started reading a new series this weekend and reading is just so enjoyable!

Month of Gratitude, Post 8

Grateful to be able to help out with the Art Program for Charity's class at school. It's fun getting to watch the kids be excited about Art!

Month of Gratitude, Post 7

Today I am grateful for school because my girls love it so much! It is so wonderful for me as a Mom that they love going and get excited about learning new things.

Month of Gratitude, Post 6

Today I am thankful for a warm bed to sleep in at night! Now if only I could use it more often!

Month of Gratitude Day 5

Today I am Thankful for being able to go to Pow Wow, where I learned about an awesome free program called Gimp that is like Photoshop, only free! Yay! I've been without a program for creating images for a while now and I've been missing it a lot!

Month of Gratitude #4

Deals on printing pictures from online! As deals have been going on throughout the year I've been getting pictures and I'm finally going to be caught up with all my pictures! This week I worked on finally getting them all in the albums. The girls LOVE going through and looking at the pictures - even Rebecca.

Month of Gratitude #3

I'm grateful for the technology we have today! As I was going through pictures today it made me appreciate it even more!

Month of Gratitude 2

Today I am grateful for my wonderful husband who I would be lost without!

Month of Thanks

This year I again want to do the Month of Thanks Posts and share something every day that I am thankful for.

So, today I'm going to say I'm thankful for answered prayers! Dennis woke me up at 5 this morning because he couldn't find the key to the car. We have only 1 key to the car. So, he either needed to take the van (which wouldn't work because I needed it today) or I was going to need to drive him to the meeting point for the van pool, which would require taking 3 little kids out in the cold cold morning. But after a quick prayer we found the keys! Right outside the front door on the porch! The morning after Halloween! I don't know when they got dropped there or how they had been missed but there they were!

Getting Behind!

With school being busy and everything going on I've really neglected my blog the last month. I'ts my goal this week to try and get it updated! A lot happened and there is a lot to share!

Charity and her Minnow

I was helping Charity finish a worksheet she brought home from school. She had a list of letters and had to write the letter that came after it. She got to l and was insisting that p came after l, because when you sing the alphabet is h, i, j, k, l, minnow, p. And since minnow isn't a letter P was next! LOL!

I Know Where My God Was

Author Unknown

How many of us have heard that question, "Where was your God when the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were attacked?" Well, I know where my God was the morning of September 11, 2001, and He was very busy.

He was trying to discourage anyone from taking these flights. Those four flights could have held over 1000 passengers and there were only 266 aboard. On one of the flights he was giving strength to passengers to try to overtake the hijackers.

He was on four commercial flights giving terrified passengers the ability to stay calm. Not one of the family members who were called by a loved one on one of the hijacked planes said that passengers were screaming in the background.

He was busy trying to create obstacles for employees at the World Trade Center. After all, only around 20,000 were at the towers when the first jet hit. Since the buildings held over 50,000 workers, this was a miracle in itself. How many of the people who were employed at the World Trade Center told the media that they were late for work or they had traffic delays.

He was holding up two 110 story buildings so that two-thirds of the workers could get out. I was so amazed that the top of the towers didn't topple when the jets impacted. And when they did fall, they fell inward. God didn't allow them to topple over, as many more lives would have been lost.

And when the buildings went down, my God picked up almost 6,000 of his children and carried them home with him. Reassuring his frightened children that the worst was over and the best was yet to come.

He sat down and cried that 19 of his children could have so much hate in their hearts. That they didn't choose him, and now they are lost forever.

He sent his children that are best trained for this disaster and had them save the few that were still alive, but unable to help themselves. And then sent many others to help in any way they were needed.

He still isn't finished though, He held the loved ones that were left behind in His arms. He comforts them daily. His other children are given the strength to reach out to them and help them in any way they can.

And I believe He will continue to help us in what is to come. He will give the people in charge of this great nation the strength and the wisdom to do the right thing. He would never leave us in our time of need.

So, when anyone asks, "Where was your God on September 11th?", you can say "Everywhere!" And yes, although this is without a doubt the worst thing I have seen in my life, I see God's miracles in every bit of it.

**************************************************************************************************************************

I read this in the year following September 11 and I'm posting it today in Honor of the 10th Anniversary. May we never forget.

9 Year Anniversary!

Today Dennis and I celebrate our 9 Year Wedding Anniversary! Wow, how the years have flown by. I put together an I Love You Basket for Dennis and included a list of 101 ways I Love him. Here it is:

101 Reasons I Love You

1. I love that you cook dinner.
2. I love that you are such a wonderful Father.
3. I love that you make me smile.
4. I love that you such a sweet person.
5. I love how kind you are.
6. I love that you treat me like a Princess.
7. I love that you love me no matter what.
8. I love you because I know I can count on you.
9. I love that you love to surprise me.
10. I love that you help me feel financially secure.
11. I love that you love to play games.
12. I love that you love to spend time with me.
13. I love that you rough house with the girls.
14. I love that you listen to me.
15. I love that you’re a good son.
16. I love that you help out around the house.
17. I love that your faith and dedication inspires me.
18. I love that you because of how much you care for others.
19. I love how much you love your family.
20. I love that you because you spoil me.
21. I love that we love spending time together.
22. I love that we love playing games together.
23. I love that you feed me chocolate.
24. I love the way you love me..
25. I love that you give me hugs and kisses.
26. I love that you buy me flowers.
27. I love that your girls love you.
28. I love the way you look at me.
29. I love your smile when you’re happy.
30. I love your thoughtfulness.
31. I love that you would do anything to make me happy.
32. I love how we can always count on one another.
33. I love getting back rubs from you.
34. I love cuddling with you.

35. I love your sense of humor.
36. I love that you try to make others laugh.
37. I love the thought of growing old with you.
38. I love how you’re willing to go shopping for me.
39. I love you because you put up with me.
40. I love you because you make me feel safe.
41. I love that you let me put my feet on you and don’t complain... too much
42. I love that you still like to hold hands.
43. I love you because you open my door for me.
44. I love you because you watch chick flicks with me.
45. I love you because you make me feel beautiful.
46. I love how much we miss each other when we’re apart.
47. I love that you kill spiders for me.
48. And that you set your favorites free, outside.
49. I love that you remember our Anniversary.
50. I love that you remember my Birthday.
51. I love that you dress up for Halloween with me.
52. I love how you let me be myself.
53. I love you because you don’t expect me to be perfect.
54. I love that you put up with my nagging about chores.
55. I love you because you get along with my family.
56. I love you because your are just wonderful.
57. I love you because you have given me 3 wonderful children.
58. I love that you always kiss me goodbye.
59. I love how you always kiss me hello.
60. I love snuggling with you.
61. I love that you help me see the other side to things.
62. I love that you keep a clear head under pressure.
63. I love you because you make me feel wanted.
64. I love the sense of peace I get when we’re together.
65. I love talking with you.
66. I love how you love spending time together as a family.

67. I love that you are a romantic at heart.
68. I love how romantic you can be.
69. I love that we’re the most important people to each other.
70. I love how I can’t imagine my life with out you in it.
71. I love how you are constantly trying to be better.
72. I love that you can say you’re sorry.
73. I love how you don’t mind too much if the house is a mess.
74. I love your taste in jewelry.
75. I love that your favorite thing to do is spend time with me.
76. I love that my favorite thing to do is spend time with you.
77. I love that Heavenly Father brought us together.
78. I love that you picked me.
79. I love you because of how much we’ve grown together.
80. I love the way you hold me.
81. I love how we feel right together.
82. I love that you tell me every day that you love me.
83. I love how you believe in me.
84. I love your love notes.
85. I love how forgiving you are.
86. I love how you have a hard time keeping surprises a secret.
87. I love spending Holidays with you.
88. I love you because I can never get enough time with you.
89. I love that you can never get enough time with me.
90. I love that you stay up late to spend a little more time with me.

91. I love that you like computers as much as I do.
92. I love that you like video games as much as I do.
93. I love you for loving our daughters so much.
94. I love how you sometimes text me just to say hi.
95. I love that we have similar goals for life.
96. I love that you want to go on a mission one day together.
97. I love you because I need to.
98. I love you because I choose to.
99. I love you because I want to.
100. I love how easy this list was to write because 101 things to love about you don’t even begin to scratch the surface of how amazing you are.
101. I love YOU.

Danielle & Being Sick

So, last Monday after we came home from the Zoo Danielle started running a fever, I thought maybe it was from heat exhaustion or something. The next day she seemed fine. Then on Wednesday night I think it was she started running a fever again and off and on it's been since then. She was also crankier than usual, wanted to be carried and babied more, seemed more tired. I attributed the tiredness and off sleep schedule over the last week from remnants from when her cousins were here because their sleeping and schedules and everything were practically non-existent and all messed up for a few weeks, and I attributed the crankiness and wanting to be carried to some of that as well. Well, Tuesday night once again she was running a fever in the middle of the night. Then Wednesday morning at swim lessons she refused to get in the water and was just unhappy and cranky and I'd had enough so I decided to take her to see the doctor, plus her dental work is next Tuesday (which she needs to be put under for) and I figured if something was going on we needed to get it resolved before then. So, I called and set up an appointment.

It turns out that she has walking pneumonia :( My poor girl! I had no idea what could be going on but pneumonia or any form of it was so far away from even being considered :( She now on a good strong antibiotic and then we'll be taking her back in on Monday to get her cleared for her dental work on Tuesday. My poor girl. I feel so bad for her. I really hope she gets feeling better quickly!

Family Visiting

Isn't it great when family comes to visit? We had a fun surprise this year! The week before Laura's annual trip up here my Aunt Marilyn called Mom and Dad and told them she was coming for a visit! And it turned out it was going to be while Laura was here! (She couldn't have planned a better time if she'd meant to :) The girls and I spent some time at Mom and Dads and then they all came here for a few days during the visit. It was so great getting to see her and catch up. We hadn't seen her for a lot of years and she'd never met Dennis. She brought pictures to show us and I showed her lots of pictures (ha, getting all those printed recently had been a wonderful idea!). We hope to see you again soon Aunt Marilyn!

I'm not sure who Mom and Dad looked forward to more, Aunt Marilyn or Laura! Laura came the weekend before Aunt Marilyn did and we went down and met her in Cedar City and stayed the night there and visited Zion National Park the next day. It was a lot of fun! Dennis and I are thinking we definitely need to go back sometime when it's a bit cooler!

Charity had so much fun playing with her cousins. Laura's kids just love Charity. Poor Danielle though was left out a lot since they only wanted to play with Charity but hopefully that'll change within a few years. Luckily, she didn't mind this trip. She just went off and did her own thing. She had Grandma and Grandpa to entertain her though :) She sure does love her grandparents!

It was sad to see them go at the end of the trip, always is, but at the same time it was a bit nice to get back to normal life at the same time. The house certainly was a lot quieter after they left! Almost too quiet! And the kids really do miss their cousins! I've decided it was a good thing I signed them up for swimming lessons the last two weeks of July so they'll have something to occupy them!

4th of July and Fireworks

In Utah, some aerial fireworks were made legal this year and while we didn't buy any to shoot off (though I wish we had! Maybe for the 24th.... hmmm....) setting off fireworks and watching them from the front yard was a lot of fun this year! It was so cool to be able to watch out over the neighborhood as the fireworks went off and to see so many without having to go somewhere! Though, we do have a good view of a couple different fireworks displays where we live, but these were closer which was a lot more fun!

Rapunzel

One last post for the day and then I'm done, for another month or so :), I promise! lol! Charity LOVES Rapunzel. She makes up stories about her and talk about her a lot and it's really cute, except for when she starts telling me that I'm not her Mommy, Rapunzel is... But so anyway, Charity went to a birthday party this week that had a Rapunzel theme and at the party they painted, since Rapunzel loves to paint. Her friends' Mom told me that Charity kept telling them she was an artist. As for just about any 5 years old drawing, an explanation is a helpful thing. For those of who have seen the movie, you'll love it; for those of you who haven't, I'll explain in a minute. So, here is the picture she painted:

That's Rapunzel standing with her flower, and the Orange thing is the door to the lights. (Why did she think she needed a door? I don't know) And all the white things are the lights! And she came up with this idea all on her own! I am so impressed!

Now for those who haven't seen the movie, Rapunzel is a princess that was kidnapped by an evil witch when she was a baby for her magic hair. Every year on her birthday the kingdom she was kidnapped from releases lanterns thousands of paper lanterns up into the sky. And Rapunzel grew up seeing the lanterns every year on her birthday and dreamed of getting to see the "lights" one day close up. Which is why she ends up leaving her tower and .... yeah, you'll have to watch the movie for more but the lights play a key role.

Anyway, I'm impressed with my little artist :)

A Little Update on Us

It seems I haven't been very good at blogging lately, of course, it's hard to type while holding a baby! Though I have so many pictures from the last few months that I haven't gotten a chance to post. Perhaps I should make it my goal for July to get caught up with blogging? LOL. We'll see how that goes!

We're all very excited around here because Laura and her kids are coming to visit and they'll be here tomorrow!!! Yay!!! Charity keeps asking when Aurora is going to get here and she's been counting down the days.

Other than that, we've been working on getting the side of our house ready to put in a fence, though now it looks like that may not happen until next year because the neighbors want to postpone it. We needed to move our stone path over a bit so all of those are pulled up and it's just dirt now so I need to get that done. We also have some bushes in the front yard that need pulled up and replaced cuz they died (I didn't like those ones anyway), and a lot of weeding needs to be done in the next few weeks! It's such a busy time of year now that it's started to warm up and isn't raining constantly. Yeah, who knew April's showers would come the end of May and in June? lol! It's been nice to delay the heat for a while though, but hopefully it sticks around for a while. The garden needs it!

That's right, I also started a garden! It's not very big just 4x8 feet but it's a start and we'll see how it goes. The lettuce needs to start being picked and replanted and then there are some pea pods on our pea plants already! Yay!!! My melons finally sprouted (I planted some watermelon and some cantaloupe, we'll see if they eventually take over, but I worried for quite a while they weren't going to make it. My carrots are growing like weeds, but my corn hasn't done so well, I only had 3 sprout, 1 died almost immediately and a second one seems to have died as well, then the neighbors cat dug up the 3rd! But I've replanted him so we'll see if he makes it but even then, we won't have any corn with only 1 stalk.

That cat LOVES to use my garden as a litter box and it's driving me crazy! The carrots I planted in 3 nice rows and he's messed in that side so much that they are all over the place! Some lettuce came up in between the beans and I've got a melon in the midst of the lettuce! Grrrr!

In other news we ended up moving the bedrooms around a bit. We set the loft bed back up, but we put it in Rebecca's room with the queen bed and then moved the crib in the girls' room with one twin bed so now Charity is in that room and the pink and purple room is Danielle's and Rebecca's. They actually go to bed a lot better when they are in separate rooms.

Hmmm, what else has happened? Oh, I finally got our family pictures hung up on the wall over the stairs in the Kitchen!!! Yay! Ok, I mean I got Dennis to do it :) He doesn't like holes in the wall, so I make him put them there... ha ha ha ha! I'll try to take pictures and post, I'm so excited about it! But I do need to get some pictures in the frames still.

Well, the kids are fighting and driving me nuts so I guess I'd better go wrangle them and make them behave. I have so much stuff I need to get done around the house to get ready for visitors!

9 Months!

Rebecca is now 9 months old! Where has the time gone!?! They fly by so quickly when they are this little. And I can't believe how big she has gotten. She has her 9 month well child check-up on Friday so I'll be able to post her stats after that.

She is crawling now and honestly I expect her to start trying to walk in the next few weeks. She took her first assisted steps a little over a week ago and she's finally figuring out that she can go places if she wants to. Though Mommy is not too thrilled with that! Her favorite things to play with are the dirt in my potted plants and my dried flowers that I keep in a basket! Well, I taught the other girls to leave those things alone so I'm hoping I can do the same with Rebecca. But oh, it's going to be a wild ride! I'd forgotten how much fun they are when they start getting into everything!

Cleaning and Kids Responsibilities

I've found when it comes to cleaning around the house that when I have it in my head to get a specific chore done, I can't stand to let the girls help me. I just don't have the patience to deal with little kids' "help". Though, Charity LOVES to help around the house, she LOVES it. BUT it has to be something she wants to do

I came across this blog the other day called Mother of All Jobs that talked about a fun way to do chores and to get the whole family involved. I tried this out with the girls and they LOVE it! They actually ASK if they can play the cleaning game. Of course, now that pbskids.org is a reward for the cleaning game, I think they're really asking to play that and just have to wait until they draw it :) LOL, except that today in playing they didn't mention it once! Because the girls are younger, whenever one pulls a Reward, I let both do the reward, except for pbskids.org, only the one who pulled the reward gets to play while the other gets to watch and they each only get that one once. Today when Danielle pulled out Get a Treat, Charity had pulled out Do the Dishes. I let Charity choose if she wanted to get a treat or to do the dishes, and guess which one she chose? Do the dishes. Seriously! That's my little girl.

Here are some other links to Games you can do to help make Chores for your family fun:

The Chore Game

The Chore Board

Swab the Deck (or World of Housecraft)

The Endless Chore Game

Age Appropriate Chores

So many fun ways to get the entire family involved with doing chores! We also have a chore chart where they have chores they are responsible for every day such as make their beds and brush their teeth and help with dishes and once they earn enough stickers on that chart they get a reward. All in all, this system is seeming to work wonders for us! And I'm able to change my mindset and let them help!

Zumba Frustrations

Have you heard of Zumba? My local gym has classes and it's the one that I try not to miss because it is so much fun! I LOVE Zumba! However, I almost walked out 1/2 way through yesterday because I was frustrated so badly! Since school let out the Zumba class seems to have almost tripled in size and there is not a lot of room. Last week I was a little late to class because Becca had a blow out diaper on the way to the gym that I had to take care of once we got there and I jumped into a spot that looked plenty big enough but the girl behind me kept crowding up and making me feel like I'd imposed on her space and I felt bad! Then when my friend who had been behind this same girl was complaining about how cramped it was back there because this girl was constantly in front of her I wondered how that could be since she was constantly right behind me, or cramming up right next to me and I was sure there'd been enough space! So I was worried it was my fault and felt bad.

Yesterday confirmed that it was NOT my fault. I was to class early and I had stood in front of my friend and we were talking and just as class was about the begin this girl was standing right next to me, and I mean right next. Now for Zumba, you need a little bit of room for dancing because we kick and swing our arms and move around a bit. Well, through out the course of the next hour I came to realize that this girl must have no spatial awareness at all! Because she was all over the place, she'd be right next to me then in the row in front of her and just all over the place. It was so frustrating. There were times where at the beginning of a song I'd be standing in my spot and once again she would come and stand just in front and to the side of me, way too close. Agh! At one point, I even moved to the line in front of us because she was back and there was room up there to move and that didn't help either. If she was standing right near me (and I mean right near me, definitely inside my bubble) then she was standing halfway between the two lines and just all over the place. It was so frustrating. Next week, I'm moving somewhere else in the room and letting some one else deal with her.

ETA: Sorry if this post sounds a little bit harsh. It was just that frustrating that I almost left the class rather than deal with it and Zumba is the thing that I LOVE at the gym. It's my #1 reason for going.

Rebecca is crawling!

Rebecca is crawling! It's a cute little half army half real crawl thing but she is now mobile! I knew she was getting close, it was just a matter of her getting everything moving at the right time and with the right force but I don't know if I'm ready for this! Although, maybe she'll be happier with more mobility! As it is, she loves to be held constantly. Well, we'll see how it goes and see how long it takes for her to decide to walk!

Danielle crawled the earliest (a little before 7 months) but didn't walk until 10 1/2; where as Charity didn't crawl until around 8 1/2 and then she was walking at 9 1/2 so we'll see what Rebecca decides to do!

Happy Birthday to Me!

It's My Birthday and I'll cry if I want to... cry if I want to... You would cry too if...

Ok, so I didn't cry, it was a great Birthday!

On Wednesday, I had a "Pride & Prejudice Party" and had some friends come over to watch the good Pride and Prejudice movie with me (The 6 hour one with Colin Firth). It was a lot of fun! Created a lot of work since we ended up having 12 or so kids here all 5 and under but I wouldn't change it! It was so much fun, good friends, good food, good conversation!

Then on Thursday for my birthday I had Dennis get me a chocolate chip cake from Taco Bell/KFC. I know but they are soooo yummy! He decided to add gummy worms to the top to make it extra pretty, lol! I've gotta admit by the time we get to my birthday, lol, we are all birthdayed out, so it was pretty low key. But I do have to wonder if Dennis is ever going to remember how old I am :) He got it wrong again this year, that's ok though, I don't mind being younger :)

Happy Birthday Charity!

Happy Birthday Charity! You're 5 years old! And I know how excited you are to start Kindergarten this fall! Where has the time gone? It seems just yesterday that you were a baby yourself and now you've gotten so big and have 2 younger sisters. You've become such a big girl, it seems over night! The things you do amaze us all the time! This year has been a wonderful year filled with learning and laughter. There were some tears shed along the way.

Today was her last day of school and since it was her birthday, her birthday party at school as well. She was so excited! It was so cute! And her teacher, Miss Tara, told me what a pleasure it's been having Charity in class. She's such a sweet girl and been so good for her. So, for their birthday party, you bring in a poster about them and treats to share with the class. Charity's poster turned out so cute! I put my favorite baby picture of her, as well as a relatively recent big one, and then a bunch from the last year and a couple from other times. And then we wrote some of her "favorites" in purple, of course. :) It was fun.

Charity's Birth Story

Happy Birthday Danielle!

Happy 3rd Birthday to my Little Firecracker Danielle! We Love You! It's amazing how much you have grown and changed in the last 3 years. While you're still a bit tiny for a 3-year old, (but you soooo make up for it!) you've grown and changed so much! You are such a good sister. You love to share with Charity and you love to take care of your baby sister, Rebecca. Your father and I are so proud of the girl you are growing up to be and we know you'll grow up to be an amazing, accomplished woman!

You just LOVE to sing! Your singing leader in nursery is constantly telling us how much she enjoys your enthusiasm and your love of music. You are always right up there ready to sing your heart out! And you love to sing at home as well. I think one of your favorite songs is Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree but I know that you love so many others as well. And you are so good at saying your prayers! Sometimes it seems a little too good because you're already done praying for dinner before anyone else has even gotten ready to pray!

Recent Pictures:

If you want to see a Baby Picture of Danielle just click the link. Wasn't she a cute little thing! Though, she was the biggest of my 3!

Here is Danielle's Birth Story. What an experience that was!

Post #20

Somewhere You'd Love to Travel.

Need I say more?

Post #19

A Picture of a Letter

Dennis wrote me this letter when we were dating. I loved it then, I love it now! And I'm keeping it forever! :)

Charity and the Monsters

So, this morning when Danielle didn't want to eat breakfast, Charity told her if she didn't eat then the monsters would eat her all gone.

I told her, "Don't tell Danielle that monsters are going to eat her, that's not nice. Would you like for Danielle to tell you that monsters are going to eat you?"

To which she told Danielle, "Don't worry Danielle, I'll protect you from the monsters."

I guess that at least is better... lol!

The Busy Month of May

So, here's a rough showing of what our month of May is going to look like... May is so busy around here!

1st - Birthday party for niece

3rd - Charity's Preschool Pictures

5th - Relief Society Activity

7th - Day Trip to Logan to celebrate my Dad's birthday, Mother's Day, and possibly Danielle's birthday

8th - Mother's Day

12th - Danielle's Birthday!

13th - Charity's Preschool Field Trip to Hogle Zoo

14th - Spirit of Excellence Dinner for D's work

18th - Charity's Birthday! Charity's Last day of school

20th - Charity's Preschool Graduation

26th - My Birthday!

30th - Memorial Day

And we have yet to figure out/decide what we are going to be doing about celebrating birthdays when and where! And I very possibly could be missing a few things that we have to do this month that I'm not thinking of! Such a busy month for us!!! I have a feeling that May is going to be a busy month for a long long time... :)

Post #18

A Picture of Your Biggest Insecurity

I'm not sure I can think of a picture for this one. One of my biggest insecurities is afraid others think badly of me. I don't know if it stems from being teased as a kid or what. But I'm always afraid of showing weakness or vulnerability and that others might have a reason to look down on me. So, what picture works for that? lol. This was really hard for me to admit! But I have realized as I've gotten older that I'm not the only one, I think a lot of people feel this way and I believe that knowledge is what's helped me to open up some and not be as shy as I used to be!

Post #17

A Picture of Something that has Made a Huge Impact on Your Life Recently

There's not many things that can have a bigger impact on your life than a baby! And what a sweet beautiful one she is!

Post #16

A Picture of Someone Who Inspires You

I had a hard time thinking of someone who inspires you. I considered my Mom because she inspires everybody, but I just did a post of her. I considered my twin because with the struggles she's been through the last few years and the attitude and perspective she has now is inspiring, but I did one with her in it already as well. Same thing goes for Sam. So, who was there? I can't think of any celebrities or high profile figures that truly inspire me. I have some wonderful friends who are inspirations to me but then I settled on someone who as a boy changed the course of History. He truly wanted to know what was right and because of that he saw Heavenly Father, he was visited by Angels, he translated the writings on the Gold Plates to the Book of Mormon, and he established The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Without Joseph Smith I would have a completely different life than I do today, and it's truly inspiring the things he did, and went through while alive. He inspires me!

Post #15

A Picture of Something You Want to Do Before You Die

I want to travel the world!

Post #14

A Picture of Someone You Could Never Imagine Your Life Without

How many times I mentioned Dennis? lol. So I figured for this one I would include a picture of those who gave me life! :) (This is Mom and Dad holding Rebecca the day we blessed her.

Charity and her naming things

So, Charity will come up with names for things and that's what they're called she thinks. Such as, Granola Bars, they are not granola bars around this house, they are Candy Bars. Now, I'm sure there have been people out there who have heard me when we're leaving the gym or going somewhere and getting into the van asking my kids if they want a candy bar and I'm sure they're thinking how NOT a good idea that is but little do they know it's not some unhealthy treat for them, lol.

Anyway, so today we had a play date at a friend's house and Charity tells me when we get home that she got a "hot spot." Ok, what is a hot spot? Well, she got a friction burn on her knee (I assume from the trampoline, but she can't remember). That's what her "hot spot" is! Quite an ingenious name I think!

I'll to try to remember to share more of the funny things my kids say and come up with because these are the things I know I'm gonna regret if I forget!

Post #13

A Picture of Your Favorite Band or Artist

I don't really have a favorite so I picked 2 that I could think of off the top of my head :)

Sara Evans

Sugarland

Post #12

A Picture of Something You Love

Something that I absolutely LOVE is how romantic Dennis can be. There are times that he buys me flowers, just to buy me flowers, or he'll clean the house to surprise me, or he'll pull me into a slow dance in the kitchen. So, here's a picture of what he did for me one Valentine's Day:

Post #11

A Picture of Something You Hate

And No, I don't hate me. I hate being pregnant! I hate it, hate it, hate it! So, here's a cute photo of me the last time I was pregnant, lol.

Post #9

A Picture of the Person Who has Gotten you Through the Most

I decided I had a picture of Laura, I needed a picture of the bestest friend in the whole world. I don't know where I'd be without you Sam! (This is a picture of her and her hubby that I stole from her blog :)

Post #8

A Picture That Makes You Laugh

As some of you know, Danielle is notorious for occasionally falling asleep in the funniest places. During our trip last year in July, she wedged herself behind the couch for a nap...

Post #7

I thought about this one for days and couldn't come up with something more important than this so I guess you get to see another lovely picture of my family :) There are things I own that I would be devastated if I lost (I considered posting a picture of my external hard drive that I back up all my pictures on, lol) but even that led back to family, and just about anything else can be replaced. So here you go, My Most Treasured Item:

Post #6

A Picture of a Person you'd Love to Trade Places With For a Day

I can't think of anyone I'd want to trade places with.

Post #5

A Picture of Your Favorite Memory

I've said it before I'm not very good at a picking a single "favorite" anything. So, I'm hoping these photos will illustrate what most of my favorite memories include:

Post #4

A Picture of a Habit you wish you didn't have:

Is it terrible that I can't think of one? I could possibly say internet, laptop or tv. I do waste a bit too much time on them sometimes. Throw facebook in there, Dennis says I spend way too much time on it (but he considers any time I spend on the computer, including blogging as "facebooking") but while a bit more moderation would be better I don't wish I didn't. Ahh, I know. But I don't have a picture and I'm NOT taking one! The habit I wish I didn't have was not cleaning up after dinner! We tend to leave dishes and such on the table after dinner at night and then I have to clean it up the next morning! Though, we actually have started getting better about making sure dishes are taken to the sink after dinner. But there you go, my dirty little habit :)

Week of Easter Activities

I'm posting this so that I don't have to go hunting for it next year like I did this year! Last year we did the traditional supper that would have been served during Jesus' life but this year since I'm not pregnant and have more energy I'm going to try to have us do an activity each day this week related to Easter!

Here are a couple of sites I'm getting my ideas from:

Sugar Doodle, Our Week Long Easter Experience

Christianity Today, Easter Activities

So here are my plans:

Sunday: Palm Sunday, Discuss Easter and Love for Each Other

Picture: Triumphal Entry

Scripture: Mark 11:1-10

Do an "LOA table" (Love One Another Table/Board/Wall). Set up an area where people can write compliments and notes to other members of the family that would then be shared out loud with everyone Easter Morning.

Monday: Color Easter Eggs, talk about meaning of Easter, Resurrection Eggs

Tuesday: Discuss Service & Easter

Picture: Jesus Washing Disciples Feet

Scripture: John 13:1-30

For Dinner have everyone serve someone else their dinner. Discuss ways that Jesus served others and ways that others served Jesus.

Wednesday: (refer to Sugardoodle link)

Picture: The Last Supper

Luke 22:13-15

We're going to have a supper that would have been served in Jesus time. Such as Raisins, unleavened bread, hard boiled eggs, berries, salad greens with vinegar dressing, olives, grape juice, and lamb if I can find it otherwise some good steak. We'll season it and marinate it with olive oil (1tbs), garlic (1 clove) and salt and pepper. We'll make a picnic out of it and use our fingers. If I get around to it, we might even dress up in sheets and stuff :)

Unleavened Bread Recipe

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine in a bowl: 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking soda. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in 2/3 cup buttermilk. Mix in one egg and two cups flour. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into several pieces and roll out very thin on a floured board (if not rolled out thin, it will have the consistency of heavy bread). Lay sheet of dough on ungreased flat baking pans. Prick with a fork Cut into 4-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Thursday: Garden of Gethsemane and the Plan of Salvation

Picture: Garden of Gethsemane

Scripture: Mark 14:12-21

Friday: Discuss Jesus Sacrifice, the Crucifixion

Picture: The Crucifixion

Sripture: John 19

Saturday: Did Jesus Really live again?

Picture: Empty Tomb

Activity: Easter Story Cookies

Scripture: Luke 23:56

Sunday (Easter): Traditional Easter Celebration + Big Empty Easter Eggs and Discuss the Empty Tomb and eat our Easter Story Cookies and read together the LOA Board. Display Easter Pictures

Post #3

A Picture of the Cast From Your Favorite Show:

I'm not sure I have a "favorite" show but this is one of my favorites, Bones:

Post #2

A Picture of You and the Person you have been closest to the longest:

Well, I guess there is no contest for this one since we started this mortal journey together:

Post #1

A Picture of Yourself with 15 Facts:

1 - I'm married to the love of my life.

2 - I have 3 beautiful children

3 - Like most mothers, it makes me sad and happy to see my children get older!

4 - I'm going to try to grow a garden this year

5 - I'm 27, almost 28 years old

6 - I have an identical twin!

7 - I consider Preston, ID my hometown but grew up in several different places including West Virginia and Washington (state)

8 - I love being a stay at home Mom but sometimes consider getting a job outside the home just to get a break from my kids occasionally

9 - I love to read.

10 - I love to watch movies and tv

11 - It drives me crazy to have a messy house, but I'd much rather read or play with my kids than clean!

12 - My most favorite thing to do is spend time with Dennis, doing anything.

13 - I drive a minivan, never thought I'd like driving a minivan, let alone LOVE driving a minivan

14 - I want to go to Yellowstone this summer.

15 - I wish a day had 48 hours in it instead of 24!!! With never enough time to get anything done, extra time would definitely be helpful!

Working on it....

So, jut a little update from us. Any time I get to spend sitting down in front of the computer tends to include a baby in my arms so it's just been difficult to post lately. I really need to find the time though so I can record those memories I want to remember since I use this as a journal of sorts. I even laid in bed awake for a little while thinking about it after Charity woke me (of course I couldn't post then because I was nursing a baby! lol

I wanted to include a cute thing that Charity said to me this morning, when she woke up at 6am! She asked to watch a movie and I told her no, to go back to sleep and she told me something like But I had a bright idea to wake up! I guess you can't argue with that logic!

We went to a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt last night and the girls had so much fun! I took some pictures that I'll have to post later. They had some special shiny eggs that if the kids found and turned in they got a prize. It was such a fun idea! Charity found one and Danielle found two! LOL, Charity started off picky at the egg hunt, she was halfway across the field and only had 2 eggs! She caught on though. Some of the eggs had rings in them, I think those were some of the girls favorites!

I'll try to post more later!

Been Busy Around Here

Ok, so I had figured that I would have been able to post about our trip and get ready for a new blogging challenge by April so I had published but postponed the challenge until the last day of March... Well, here it is April 2, I haven't got to post about the trip yet and I'm so not ready for the challenge yet either! LOL! Life has been busy around here getting back to normal life after our trip and Rebecca has been into a hold me/entertain me mode that's taken up a lot of time! So, I promise to post about it and get started on the Challenge ASAP!

(BTW, Thank you so much Aunt Kay for sending me the ring and things that I left at your house! I was so so so so HAPPY when you found it! I had just been devastated thinking I had lost it, so once again Thank You!!!)

Another Challenge!

(We'll see if I can complete this one!)

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with 15 facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of a habit you wish you didnt have.
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity
Day 19 - A picture of a letter
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change
Day 25 - A picture of your day
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Questioning Character

So, as parents we have to make choices everyday that concern our kids. A lot of the choices we make, we make because it is what is in the best interest of our child and/or family, but some of the choices we make because they are in the best interest for us. Those are the choices we may look at and consider our selfish choices. They're the choices we stress over for a long time about did I really make the right choice? Should I have chosen X or Y instead of Z? Was it too selfish of me to coose that?

Ok, so where am I going with this? Well. we all hear and/or say all the time that we would do anything for our children. You see in movies and shows where parents push the kid out of the way so they get hurt instead or something along those lines. Now, I know I love my kids, I hope my kids know I love them. But I'll admit it, I'm good at making those selfish choices sometimes and I've wondered "What would *I* really do in a situation like that?" I got my answer last week. Now, don't worry, it was nothing too dire and no one got hurt but it still answered my question.

I was in Arizona visiting Laura and we went and visited an old friend from High School who owns a pool. I had Rebecca in the pool, who wasn't loving it so much, when Charity trying to be funny on a floatie device decided to "pretend" to slip out of it and call for help, only problem was she got herself into a situation where she couldn't get back on. So, I decided to go over and save her. We were in the shallow end of the pool and I'd been doing my best to make sure my kids didn't go to the deep end since I wouldn't be able to get over to them easily while holding the baby. So, I head over to where she is. Well, as I took a step off the stair I'd been on while holding Rebecca, down we went. Down Down Down. I hadn't realized the pool was already deep at this point.

So, what were my first thoughts as my baby and I became submerged in the pool? They were about Rebecca. Get her up out of the water and safe. Make sure she was OK, and then check on Charity. Not for a moment did I think about me until I knew my kids were safe.

Made me very happy later when I was thinking about it to realize that yes, in our day to day lives I may occasionally make that selfish choice but when it really matters, I put my kids first. And honestly, what good parent doesn't stress over a choice they view as selfish (even though we all need to make those choices occasionally), we wouldn't be good parents if we didn't worry about how our choices affect our children.

How Many Have You Seen?

Supposedly if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are over 270 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own blog and paste it in a new post. Then, put X's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number. Have fun!

() Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
() Grease 2
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
() Blazing Saddles
Total This Group: 4

(x) The Neverending Story
(x) The Neverending Story II
(x) The Neverending Story III
() Airplane
(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Willow
() Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
Total so far:11

() Saw
() Saw II
() Saw III
() Saw IV
() Saw V
() White Noise
() White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
Total So Far: 13

(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
() Scream 3
(x) I Know What You Did Last Summer
(x) I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
() The Shining
() Candyman
() Stand By Me
Total So Far: 19

() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 19

(x) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
(x) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
(x) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
(x) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
(x) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
(x) The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
(x) Finding Nemo
Total so far: 28

(x) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far:34

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
() King Pin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
Total so far:41

() Joe Dirt
(x) King Kong
(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
(x) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Halloween
() Surviving X-MAS
Total so far:48

() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
(x) The Ring
() The Ring 2
(x) Flubber
(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
(x) Ghost Ship
Total so far: 54

() From Hell
(x) Hellboy
() Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
Total so far:57

(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Remember the Titans
()Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far:61

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Ocean's Thirteen
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremacy
(x) Bourne Ultimatum
Total so far:67

(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Pretty in Pink
() Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator
() Predator II
(x) The Princess and the Frog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far:75

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
(x) Darkness Falls
() Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
(x) My Boss's Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
Total so far: 81

(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
(x) Rush Hour 3
() Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
(x) Event Horizon
Total so far:87

(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
() Big Trouble in Little China
() The Terminator
() The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
(x) X-Men
(x) X-2
(x) X-Men:The Last Stand
Total so far:93

(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Spider-Man 3
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(X) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
Total so far:100


() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
(x) Shrek the Third
() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
Total so far:106


(x) The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
() Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-Year-Old Virgin
(x) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(x) The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(x) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Total so far:111

(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
(x) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
() Love and Basketball
() Hostel
() Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
Total so far:116


(x) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
() American History X
() Three
() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
Total so far:120

(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
() High Tension
() Club Dread
(x) The Incredible Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Total so far:125


(x) 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
(x) Kingdom of Heaven
() The Hills Have Eyes
Total so far:129

() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far:135

() Re-Animator
() Army of Darkness
(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Ghost Town
Total so far:138

(x) Red Dragon
() Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
(x) Wall-E
(x) Batman Begins
(x) The Dark Knight
(x) The Prestige
(x) Cars
() Gone With The Wind
(x) Top Gun

145, out of this list of movies!