Birthday Party~

Ok so we had a little party for Adalee's 1st Birthday! I know, I know she is only 1 and has no idea if we have a party or not but it was more for me then for her! We had a bunch of friends and family come over to help us celebrate. We first let the kids run around in the backyard and play on the slip-n-slide. They had a lot of fun! (as you can see!)

Even Adalee got in on the fun! She hung out with Matt and had a ball!

Before eveyone got there I got out some fun party necklaces and Adalee got so excited! She imediatly went over and put them all on! She is such a girl!

I couldn't even get her to take them off to put her swim suit on!

This is my attemps at a fun cake for her. I tried to make a little lady bug for her (she has pink and brown ladybugs in her room!)Its not great but she still liked it!


Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate! We love having such great friends and family close by! We really are so blessed to have such great people in our lives! We say it often and we mean it! We love you guys!

Adalee is 1!!!!!!!

Adalee, From the very beginning you have stolen our hearts! You are a sweet girl with a quick smile! I have loved to watch you grow into the fun little(almost) toddler you are. You are so happy and silly and love your daddy and brother. I love getting you up from your nap and having you giddy to see me ( or to get out of bed but i think its me) On your first birthday I want you to know how much we all love you! So far in life you can crawl, stand on your own, feed yourself (sort of) you say Dada and mama and tatu but I don't think you really know what those mean yet. You love to climb on anything you can find. You like to drive your brothers cars and make sounds for them. You have the brightest blue eyes and adorable smile that make people in the grocery stores stop me to talk to you. Thank you for coming to our family! We love you so much!

Love, Your mama!

Let Freedom Ring!

I love this awesome country! Sometimes I wonder with the government we have and the leaders of this country making choices that I don't agree with but i still love this country. I loved in a country with socialized medicine and don't want that, I have visited places where the government is corrupt and has lost a lot of control and I don't want that, and I know that even with all the "stuff" going on I don't like this is still a blessed country. We sang the national anthem yesterday in church and I had tears come to my eyes. What a great song to remind up of all that has com into making and keeping this country free. Free to choose, free to live, free to speak and free to worship. We are free to raise our children how we want to, free to defend our home and family. My sister has a brother in law that just arrived in Afganastan and he has been sending letters telling about the conditions there and what they are having to live with and endure. I am so grateful for those who are willing to leave their home and family to defend our country and those that cannot defend themselves. SO with that I just want to day!

I am so thankful for the beautiful land in which I live! And I truly hope that God will continue to Bless America!

Get Real!

OK So my sister and I were talking today about how women need to get more real with each other! We all struggle with different things everyday! We have good days and bad days but we keep them to ourselves! We need to share these parts of ourselves, we need to know we are not alone in this. I am sure most of you know several women that you see and just think, "Man they really have it all together, their house is always clean, they always look amazing, their kids are well behaved and quiet and nothing seems to frazzle them." I am sure that there is something about them that is not always perfect! We all have those things.

I for one have many things! Now I am not saying whoa is me or that my life is hard (it certainly could be harder) but I am saying I am a real mom that lives in a real, usually not clean house who on most days has something smeared on my shoulder or pant leg. I love stopping by a friends house in the afternoon and seeing that they too are still in their PJ's! Or talking to a friend and hearing them admit to taking some kind of medication that helps them be a better wife and mother. Or having another admit that they don't really like their 11year old today! I love it when we can talk about struggles we are having with our kids and the things we are trying so that our child will not sound his siren type cry that can be heard from across Costco! WE ARE REAL PEOPLE WITH REAL LIVES AND REAL STRUGGLES! We need to embrace these and help each other realize that we are not alone in this. We have each other! We need to stop comparing ourselves to others and start embracing the people that we are at our best and worse! We all have those days when our husband gets home and we grab our keys and holler GOOD LUCK as we walk out the door. ( We also have the days when life is Really really good and we wouldn't change a thing! I love relishing in the fact that this is real life! Not some Mormon mommy blog where our house looks AMAZING all the time, there is fresh baked bread or cookies coming out of the oven everyday and our children are perfectly well behaved scriptoriun who can teach Gospel Doctrine with the best of them.

I am glad there are some moms out there that do seem to have it all together! I am glad for the ideas they share with us of how to make our lives better and I am so glad there are beautiful women who inspire and encourage us to be the best we can! BUT I am so glad for the people in my life who are real!!!! Thank you and Keep on Keepin on!!!! I LOVE YOU GIRLS!!!!

what we have been up to!

Here are some pictures of what we have been up to lately! Totally random and not really in order but that's how life goes right?

This is tolsons new favorite thing. He loves to do the dishes! He is actually pretty good at it now. It does use a lot more water then when I do them but hey I guess he is having fun learning how to clean! Can't argue with that!
Adalee's new talent is that she can pull herself up to standing and loves to do it. She is still learning how to sit back down without falling but hey its a work in progress!

She also loves to crawl into things. She is trying to get the plug/cord that is behind this little table.

She also loves to be under the coffee table. She will crawl all over under there and likes to do zerberts on the bottom shelf while lying on her belly! Funny girl!!!

Ok he looks really really skinny here but he is sucking it in ( I promise I do feed him). He was washing the car and showing me his muscles! what a hunk!!! Love this boy!

And yes we got snow at our house a few weeks ago! This is the view from our front yard of the park. You can't even see the mountains in the back because they were all white. So fun! Tolson said that it really was winter because it snowed! He keeps asking if it is going to snow again!

Adalee keeps making this smunchy face and I love it! most of the time she will have one eye closed more then the other so she looks like a pirate! She is so happy all the time and does a pretty good job of keeping up with her brother!

Two very sharp teeth!!!!

I love these cute kids and love being a mom! There really is nothing I would rather be doing then be home with my kids! I love them so much and am so blessed!

8 wonderful years!

OK so I don't have any pictures from our wedding on my computer so I guess this will have to do. 8 years ago today Jason and I were married in the Mesa Temple. The day before Jason was so sick and was not sure he was going to make it(to the wedding). I was a little worried but we got him up to mesa and hoped for the best. The next morning we went to the Temple, took pictures (best idea ever) and got married at noon. I don't remember a lot about that crazy day but I do remember the feelings I had as I knew I would be with this man I loved forever. We had a fun reception that night and danced and laughed like kids. Spent a wonderful week up in the snowy mountains and began our life together. Now 8 years and three kids later we are even more in love and still make each other laugh.

Thank you Jason for 8 amazing years. You really do make my life the wonderfulness that it is!

I LOVE YOU!

Funk!

WARNING* I am venting!!! read at your own risk!

OK so lately I have been feeling in a funk. both physically and mentally. I am so done with the post pregnancy body of mine. I can't fit my clothes, I really don't like the way my body looks right now and don't get me started on the roll of bread dough I am carrying around on my middle. My skin is being funky (who sold us the lie that acne is only for the teenage years) I get headaches all the time and I am just tired. I try to exercise and feel like it is doing nothing for me. I just feel like some days I am sinking into this place where I am not happy! I do realize I am so blessed and should be so happy but really I just get grumpy and frustrated when I think about me. I feel stuck with my body I feel stuck with my life and I feel like I am not making any progress. I know I will be fine. I am just in a funk and I know this will pass too but oh how annoying it is to be in it. ugh! I just want to scream and cry and run and have a little pity party and then feel better but I know those things won't make me feel better. Not really sure what the solution is yet but I will keep looking.

I am sorry to vent but I guess I just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening!

Gratitude!

Ok so today in church there were several talks about gratitude. I realized that I have gotten out of the habit of posting my list! so I am going to try to get back into it! I really appreciated the talks. They were very uplifting and to make it even better, I had a sweet baby girl asleep in my arms. So here we go

I am grateful for Tax returns and hard work! with these two things we have been able to pay off ALL of our debt! The only thing we own money on right now is our house! we had collected a small amount in debt over several years and I was tired of having to pay so much interest on it and having another bill hanging over us so we made a goal to pay it off as quickly as possible. so we snowballed our debt (taking the smallest amount and paying the most we could on that one until it was gone then going on to the next and doing the same) It was great. within a few months we had paid off one card and then with selling the piano and a few things we paid off another and then yesterday we paid off the last of it! and now we are FREE FROM DEBT! And if at all possible we will never go back!

Second I am grateful for talents and ambition. Yesterday I started a project that I was a little unsure about. I am attempting to recover the bench swing in the back yard. we got it as a gift several years ago and the fabric on it was really thin so it did not take long for it to rip and fall apart. So when Joann's had a big sale on outdoor canvas I got a bunch and am now trying to re make the bench and top cover/canopy for the swing. I am not an experienced seamstress so this is all guessing but my mother did teach me a few things about sewing and I have made a few cute things that turned out pretty well so I am hoping that this will work too!

I am so grateful for good friends. We have spent time with friends a lot the last few weekends and I love it. I must say I am missing Jessica and Tolson is really missing his Brady (as he says it) today when we woke up to snow he asked me if it snowed all over the world last night. I told him I didn't know but it snowed by our house. He then said well it snowed at Brady's house too! I am sure it did! He loves and missed him. In this I must also include my sister as she is my best friend. I am so glad she is close by so we can spend time together and so that our kids can play too! I just really am so grateful for the good people I have in my life! I can't imagine what life would be like without good friends!!!

and last (for now) I am grateful for Sunday afternoon naps! In fact I am going to go take one right now! Enjoy your Sunday! ( I know I will)

Boogers and Babies!

First I would just like to say... I love the exclamation point! Its my favorite thing to use at the end of a sentence! I use it all the time while texting! and if you notice most of the titles on my blog posts end with it too!!!! its just makes everything so much happier!(in my mind anyway!)

So on to boogers and babies! Right now I have both, I have boogers stuffed inside my head and I have a baby that has boogers coming out of her head! (I also have a little boy with boogers but that's a whole nother blog post) I really don't like having a stuffy nose but even worse is having a baby that has a stuffy nose, can't breath, can't eat well, can't sleep well and sounds like an old smoker, and there is not a whole lot I can do for her. She hates getting her nose even touched so trying to get her to let me wipe, suck, spray or even smear off is a huge challenge! and two days into it she got an ear infection! I hate when babies are sick! Hate, Hate, Hate it! Lets just hope it is short lived and that we are all back to our Booger free selves soon!

Finished flowers!

ok so here are some very non professional pictures of the finished flowers. I am so excited about these. I am on the hunt now for some pearls and beads to put in the center of some to make them a little more elegant. Now I just need to get a bunch more finished and get to selling them. I have a few more done (some beautiful white ones(they are my favorite)) but I don't have pictures of them. anyway I hope you like! If you want to buy some or have me make you something specific just let me know!

WAHOOOOO!!!!

Debt Free!!!!!

Ok so this is a little bit to exciting for me not to share. We are not quite there yet but I got a check in the mail today for $1200 for selling our Piano (I am still a little sad about that)! We are so close to being Debt free! I am fully confident that if we are smart with our Tax return this year we can accomplish this goal! Its hard not to spend the tax return on fun things but if we can get rid of this last little bit of debt it will feel sooo good! Of course we don't have our house paid of but to be Debt free is so rare these days. Most Americans spend more then they make every year! Last year I read the book The Total Money Makeover and it totally changed my outlook on money! I have not perfected the system but we are working on making it work for our family! Its a great book and a great system for making your life more financially secure! Its not about making money but about using the money you make wisely! You should totally check it out!

Anyway I was so excited when I got the mail today and the feeling of being that much closer to a goal is very very fun!

Crafty Me and Blog hopping

Ok so lately I have been in a very crafty mood, not quite sure why but non the less I am. So I have been doing a lot of crafty blog hopping. I am not really a crafty person by nature. I can craft but have a hard time coming up with ideas on my own. So I love that there are so many crafty people out there willing to share their talent. I have so many crafty blogs that I go to all the time to find fun new ideas. Here are a few of the things I have ben doing lately.

I discovered these silk flowers and have been dying to try them. My sister and I get together this week and had so much fun. these were just from some scraps of fabric we had on hand. I can't wait to go to Joanns and find more. Think of the possibilities!!!!!!! These arn't all put together yet, just layed on top of each other but they will be soo cute when they are done.

Ok so this one is not really crafty but fun. I have a powder room downstairs in my house that is the main bathroom for guests. I sort of copied this idea from a friend but I am going to decorate this bathroom for all the holidays! I just think it is a fun space and I can do fun things with it. so for Valentines day I hung some sun sparkely hearts from the ceiling. I try to buy one new little thing for decorating my house (for each holiday) every year. This year I made this -->

It was an idea I was for a Christmas ribbon tree and I thought "Hey I could do one for every holiday if I wanted" I thought it turned out very cute. pretty cheap and easy too!
So now it sits on my fun plant shelf in my entryway.

Like I said I am not really a true crafter but I try and sometimes it works!! I am making some really cute leggings out of knee-high socks for Adalee so when I get them all done I will post those too! Its so fun having a little girl I can make things for! Sorry Tolson but there really isn't as much cute boy stuff out there!

I would love to know what crafty blogs/sites you guys follow or get your ideas from!!!

Tolson the Photographer

Here are some fun pictures that Tolson has taken lately! nothing fabulous but he has been loving taking pictures of anything and everything as you can see. So I just thought I would share! Life from the perspective of a 4 year old!

I have a Question!!!

Ok so my little man has started into the question phase. I have heard of this phase in a child's life and even had small doses of it but have never REALLY experienced it. Tolson has entered that phase. Jason has been working a LOT this week (as of the end of the day Thursday he has worked 58 hours and will probably work two more full (10 hour) days before the week is out) Soooo I have been at home with my children a lot this week. So we have been going on walks and playing/working in the backyard, cooking, cleaning, etc. tolson has been very curious about everything. For example we will be in the back yard and he will ask "What is Dirt? Where does it come from? Why is it different then this dirt? " So I answer and then he will ask " what are you doing?" (this seems to be the questions of the day) followed by "Why?" I try to answer the best I can and explain thing so he can understand them. I am really glad he is learning things and wants to know about everything... but sometimes at the end of the day when you have had no other adult contact and your 4 year old has been asking questions all day and following you around asking the same thing over and over... well lets just say I was a little exasperated!!!
Well Last night Jason was home for dinner and tolson was starting in on his questions. Jason kept saying ok take two bites and then you can ask another question. I was just laughing! Now you know how I feel! I know its a phase and he is learning and I am so glad! He is such a cute little boy! and I love that I can be home with him and be the one to answer his questions!

Fresh Start!

Ok so I am not one for New years resolutions, it seems like you are just setting yourself up for failure. I do however believe in a fresh start. There are goals that I write that I accomplish and some that are a work in progress... for years. So even though I think resolutions are not for me, I do think I will set some goals for the coming year (years in some cases). January just seems like a good time to do this. When I was in school I would do this in May too when summer would begin. It just seems like with all the Holidays, life just gets crazy and normal everyday life gets put on the back burner for a while. Well now it is time to get back into a schedule and why not make some much needed changes to that schedule. So here goes! Here are 11 things I would like to do in 2011!!!!

1. Have at least one fun outing, trip, special day with my family every month. Making memories is very important to me and I hope that with camping trips or trips to the Mt's or the zoo or to see cousins will become fun memories for my kids and help us to build strong relationships. I think learning and laughing together is so much more important then stuff! I would rather go camping then buy my kids new toys. I hope they will agree!

2. Get up early! Read my scriptures and/or Ensign article, exercise, shower put my tennies on and get my day going. There are a lot of things encompassed in this one. I love to sleep! but I need to get my day going. I also need to be better about reading my scriptures. I know that if I exercise in the morning then I will get it done. I am NOT going to make a weight loss goal but I do want to get healthier and have more energy to play with my kids. I also want to start my day with the spirit! My family is so important to me and If I can be my best self then I can be the best mom/wife for them too!

3. Have a date night at least 2 times a month. We are not in a place where I can say every week. The money for a babysitter and then going to do something and eating is just not in the budget right now. I know I can be creative and do a lot of no or low cost dates but with two kids its harder to just drop them off at the in laws. but I know its important so I am sure we can figure out 2 times a month!

4. Buy a new(er) car. We have been wanting a new car for a while and I am afraid we will need one soon. Jason's favorite thing to do is look at cars, on line, while driving by, anytime. For a date a few months ago I took him out to test drive cars. That's all we did and it was so fun. So this year we will make it happen!

5. Have FHE every week! We are pretty good about doing this but I want to make sure that we really do it! planned lesson and all! I just got a new calling where I will be preparing a lesson every week for kids about his age. So I think I can use that as our lesson and have fun activities to go with it already ready! I know its kind of cheating but I am sure it still counts. I am sure there will be times when we will have to do something else and that is OK with me. I just want them to be real and make sure our kids know that it is important to us.

6. Budget! Budget! Budget!!! This one should have been right after the car goal. I do the books in our house and the budget. This is definitely something I need to get better at. This past few years we have made a scary amount of money (bad scary not good scary) and yet we have survived. (Tithing works!!!) That has not been fun or easy and will not change any time soon I am sure but I know we really are blessed. I think about the families in other countries that make as much per year as we do in a month. I thank Heavenly Father every day for our wealth and blessings. But I can do better. So this year I am going to make and stick to a strict budget every month. I want a new car (since I will be the one driving it) and this is how we are going to do it. I also want to pay mostly cash for the new car!!!!! Wouldn't that be fun!!!!!

7. Finish the backyard. We have been in our house for 5 years and still have a lot of dirt in the backyard. Jason has done a lot of work on this and I know it is hard for him! I haven't helped much because I know he can do it sooo much better then I can so I just stay out of the way. But this year I am going to get in there and help him. I may not do it perfectly but I can help. when its done it will be AWESOME!! ( by the way this was on the list last year too!)

8. Be better at scheduling. If I want to accomplish some of the things on this list I am going to have to be better at scheduling. I think this will also help me sleep better at night. Some nights I lay there thinking about all the things I have to get done the next day. If I have them written down and scheduled then I wont have to worry so much right?

9. Cook good, yummy, healthy food for my family! I like to cook and I like to try new things. the problem is I like carbs and a lot of them! I love pasta, bread, cookies, sweets, treats and most things that are not good for me. So along with cooking I want to try new recipes once a week and find healthy ones that work for us! If you have any good ones please feel free to send them my way!!!

10. Exercise at least three days a week! I know I mentioned this one in the get up early one but I feel it needs its own goal. Being a mom is the best job in the world but it can wear on you sometimes. I need some me time every once in a while and exercise is great for that. There is a gym opening just up the street and it is cheap. If I can get a new babysitting gig I will join. Then I can have the me time I need, be healthier and have more energy!

11. This one sadly was on the list last year but... GET A FREAKIN JOB WITH BP!!!! I can't believe this was on my list last year and is still not done!!!! I promise if this is not done by the end of the year we will have moved on to something else!!! There is not much we can do to move this one forward but pray and be patient! ITS BEEN ALMOST 2 YEARS!!!!!!! but we feel it is the right thing for us so we are sticking to it! Lets just hope it comes sooner then later!!!

So that's all! I am going to print this up and post it on my bathroom mirror so I can re-read them often. I hope that the new year find you all well and healthy and setting new goals for yourselves. I will do my best to report in on how things are going! Good luck with you and yours! I hope your new year is full of hope, health, love and laughter!