Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for black friday sales at Kohl's. And I hope that tomorrow I will be thankful that all of the clothes I hid at Kohls's to purchase at 4 AM will still be there! Off to bed now...

Future surgeon?

He's got good knife skills, and bow-fighting skills...

Here's what is happening in our neck of the woods.

The pumpkin patch with Ian's preschool class!

It was cold. It was wet. It was very muddy.
Of course the boys loved it!

Enjoy the word vomit!

I have trouble being concise with my thoughts on paper. ("yes, we know" thought the blog audience in unison)

I remember learning to write persuasive essays in high school. Begin with the opening paragraph, state your idea, point, side, this has a name right? What was that called? Thesis! Right? Anyway, as I recall, after stating your thesis (this just feels right, am I right?) one should then construct three paragraphs that would support your thesis. The persuasive essay should end with a re-statement of the thesis in a conclusive manner.

It was usually pretty hard to sum up what I had to say into that essay form.

I enjoy writing, I can go on for days when I write. Talking, or should I say chatting, usually doesn't come as easy to me unless I know the person really well. Nick get's to hear A LOT of my chatting, so does my family and a few other people. If you read this blog you have probably been victim to some of my chats.

On the flip side, spur-of-the-moment-when-it-counts-talking such as bearing my testimony or commenting in church or a public function, usually leaves me in a fuddled mess. I trip over words, I forget things I want to say, I say something that really annoys myself, I leave awkward pauses, and so on...

So, here is my point. I like leaving comments on your blogs. In fact I like it so much that I usually write a lot. I mean, do you really care that I once bought a Rainbow vacuum cleaner for $2000, then cried a lot, then returned it the next day?

In all this self-discovery I have learned that I like to censor what I say, which is why I enjoy writing. It can all be proof-read, changed if need be, and CENSORED! I don't know what kind of person that makes me. Guarded? Fake? I would also to think that it's just because I am considerate. Nobody really enjoys word vomit do they?

Questions: Do you enjoy censoring yourself? Which do you enjoy more, writing or talking?

Please, judge me!

So, I haven't gotten around to getting my kids vaccinated for the H1N1 thing or the regular flu. Well, Simon had a half flu vaccination, but I never made it into the peds office for the other half. I have decided it's because of two reasons:

I'm Lazy. And I'm anxious.

Well, maybe not lazy (definitely anxious!), but I just hate the hype that surrounds the whole H1N1 vaccination. (Like I said, anxious!) Apparently there was a clinic last Saturday at our local really-big-round-building. We intended to go take our kids, really we did. But Saturday got the best of us and we made pancakes, danced in our PJ's, did some mild reconnaissance for Halloween decorations (which consist of a strand of 10 glowing pumpkin lights, really that's I've collected over the years? I AM a terrible mother!), Basically we had our first full day as a family in a really really long time and it was a really great!

That still leaves us with no H1N1 vaccinations, and are there even any flu shots available now? So, I guess it's just good hand washing for us, keeping our germs to ourselves if we are sick, and maybe a mild case of something.

Am I a terrible mother? Am I the only one out there who hates the idea of waiting in line for a vaccination that I don't know if I really trust? Am I the only one that thinks that even if I go to all the trouble of getting the flu shots/mist/whatever it is that we will probably get something equally as bad, because I have three kids and...we always get sick?

Go ahead, I really want to know your opinion on the matter, what's your stand?

And another un-related but completely judgable question, am I the only one in my neighborhood who really really thought the world was ending the other morning? (Sunday morning at around 4 AM) Which, by-the-way induced some soul searching on my part, and MAN I cannot die any time soon!

Happy Crazy Hair Day !

Nine years!

Today is our 9th anniversary, I'm feeling philosophical so please indulge me for a moment. Alright, I want you to look closely at the people in the picture for a moment. (click on it to enlarge)

_______________________________________________________

Did you look? You may have noticed the state of confusion amongst the crowd. I see this as a symbol of a happy marriage. Everyone is looking around in different places with very different thoughts running through their heads.(Cortanie, what were YOU thinking?!?)

Nick and I on the other hand are focused on the same thing, we are examining our rings together, the symbol of our marriage, the symbol of eternity. We are happy, we are sublimely unaware of the chaos that surrounds us.

The crowd is waiting, unsure of where to look, what to expect, or when to smile and act happy. Nick and I don't want to look at anything else except for each other and don't really care what to expect because whatever it is , we can do it together. In this picture we were thinking of that moment and that moment only, while standing outside of the place where we were sealed for eternity!

This is my goal, to enjoy each moment to the fullest while still remembering the big picture. The eternal picture. Nick is a good example to me, he is a pro at this. Thank goodness I have him to learn, grow, and experience life with!

Happy Anniversary Nick, I love you!!!

Ps, why wouldn't they let us do this in the temple? :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LAuhUp8Uh8

Shoes...

Lovely ladies, can I have you?

Be kind to your web footed friends.

Oh do I have a story for you dear reader(s)!

Last Friday I had the unique opportunity to do some "freelance" work for a local event planning company, Global Events Partners. The event I was working was an annual meeting for the Truevalue Company employees and retailers. I have done this sort of thing before, I get to meet a lot of interesting people from around the world, and I get to act all professional and helpful. It is sort of like an acting gig in a way, I get to be completely different then I am in real life, where professional and helpful rarely enter my vocabulary. :)

So, here I am, all ready to be professional and helpful. I even had on lipstick.

I was given my assignment for the evening: assisting one of the performing groups for the evening. The performing group I was in charge of: The International Children s Choir. Now, some of you may have heard of this choir, they are a popular children s choir from Salt Lake City. Let me just say that I loved them all! They were dressed in authentic costumes from all around the world, ages ranging from about 6 years to what looked like 15 or 16 year old teenagers. You all know I am a fan of singing, and children s choirs and such. The director, Dr. Kathy Sorensen was very kind, talented, and delightfully scatterbrained (in my opinion, a sign of a real musician). I loved them!

That being said, let me explain my first impression upon meeting the choir, specifically Dr. Sorensen. We exchanged greetings and shook hands. I explained that I would be her go-to girl for the evening, helping her and the choir with whatever they needed. She began to say that she needed me to help her cue up a series of CD tracks so that the choir could sing along with them when she reached behind her to unzip her duffel bag. I was expecting her to pull out the CD's we were currently discussing, but as she unzipped I realized that the duffel bag was full of something....like a goose. A real Goose. A Goose named Eliza Snow. A Goose named Eliza Snow that had a red cloth diaper and patriotic cape on and lives with Dr. Sorensen.

Oh, and did I mention that Eliza sings with the choir? She does.

So, Dr. Sorensen and I casually finished discussing the order or songs etc. while Eliza honked and "sang" at some of the 5,000 people milling about the performance area. Dr. Sorensen mentioned that she would like Eliza's two numbers with the choir to sandwich a large African medley, so that she could have ample time to do Eliza's costume change. COSTUME CHANGE! At this point I had to remind myself that this was real and not a dream, I felt a little dizzy and was trying not to giggle.

So, the performance ensued and it was very fun! I played DJ, while the children sang, danced, and puppeted their little hearts out. Eliza was spot on, and the crowd just ate it all up! The only snag of the evening was when I didn't cut the CD before the recorded applause blared over the speakers. They forgave me.

As I sit here and type this, I wonder what I learned or took away from this event?

1. A goose can be a domesticated pet. I didn't say should be, but can be.
2. Singing is fun, children s choir should be fun.
3. Just when you think you know what to expect from life, it goes and hands you Eliza the goose dressed as big bird. Enough Said.

Mom, look at me!

I posted over here today.
Check it out!

Kindergarten and being selfish. In that order.

Woah! Not sure how the Andy-Warhol-like coloring happened but it like it!

Here is what a well-adjusted kindergartner looks like. Pretty sweet huh?

There were no tears and no hesitation, just a happy boy off on his merry way. Nick actually took Gabe to his first day of kindergarten, he had the day off and I tend to be a blubbering mess when these things occur. I was a blubbering mess at home (suprisingly) for only a short moment, but mostly I am excited for Gabe. He has a great teacher and a great friend in his class, Sam. He has made friends with Akazia, Cutler, Carter, Kaleo, Collin, and Ammon. He is learning how to write the "school way" (only capitalizing the first letter, not all the letters in a word) which has been hard for him, but as long as he knows he can write his way on his artwork at home he is fine.

Anyway, Gabe loves school and school loves Gabe. Today he got to pick a prize out of the treasure chest because he had filled his chart with positive marks. (I wanted to type plusses, because that is what they are but spell check does not like it, how does one spell plusses anyway?)

I like kindergarten too, here's why: I get to read while Ian and Simon nap. Divine!

So far I have read:
The Last Lecture (Oh my, so good!)
To Kill A Mockingbird (always love it)
The Persian Pickle Club (highly recommend - depression era but not depressing. Go figure!)
Gift from the Sea (beautiful)
Fablehaven: Grip of the shadow plague (3rd book, and entertaining)
The Picture of Dorian Grey (didn't finish, got sick of all the selfish characters)
Frankenstein (thoroughly enjoyed and cried over)
The Secret Life of Bees (enjoyable)
The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society (so good, loved it, read it!)
next up is The life of Pi for book club


Did I ever mention that I love to read? I do. When I was younger my cousin Katie and I would have reading sleepovers. Another story for another day, but yes we were nerds. I have not had time for it in the last 5 years, but now... NOW I am making up for it in spades!



Ian is in preschool, a little neighborhood one in which we moms are taking turns teaching at our respective houses (aka joyschool without the joyschool curriculum). He adores it and has learned so many new things. I love hearing him sing "Here we are together together together. Here we are together at our preschool day. There's Ian and Cameron and.....so on and so forth. You know the tune right? It's cute.

Simon, well he has taken to speaking in short sentences such as: "turn it on" "ready, set, go" and "NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOO". He is asserting himself lately, in a loud screechy sort of way, but we still love him and he's unbelievably cute.

All in all, we are well adjusted to this new life.

Oh, and by the way, Nick is awesome! Isn't he always though? I mean for crying out loud, he currently has 100 more friends than me on face book. Of course he is awesome!

Because I am naturally a (very) competitive person, I chalk this up to all that time I spend with my nose in books. While I made book friends, Nick made real friends. Or maybe it is because I post updates like, "today was a good day" or "today was an over-the-moon day". You know it's only because I'm reading good books right?

I want to leave you with this thought: is there anything better than curling up on the couch with a blanket (snuggie, yes I own one) and a good book for two hours of uninterrupted reading time listening to the chorus of a fall thunderstorm? Probably, but it made my day today.

One talented girl!

Check out this blouse that was HAND MADE! I wish I had the time and patience, not to mention skill to sew like that!

linkity-link-link

What a beautiful day we had on Saturday, congratulations Heidi and Collin!

Here is my favorite photo from the wedding, totally candid of course.


Now, link over to Dana Willis Photography to see some more!
What a happy day!

Hungry anyone?

If you are easily offended by my sarcastic humor, please don't read this post!

Whenever I talk to someone about my children ( translation: most every adult conversation I have) one of the things that I ALWAYS get asked is, "Are you going to try for a girl?" Now, I am sure that I have asked this question a time or two myself so please know that this post is in good humor. Really, even if you've asked me this question I probably still like you.

That question, although many intelligent people ask it, makes me silently laugh at the inquisitor. Didn't they get the memo? It's not exactly a recreation sport, making babies (well...never mind) each time you "try successfully" the end result is a pregnancy. The odds are that you end up with a boy...or girl. Okay, so I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that unless you invest in this, or this, it's a 50% chance.

I definitely understand why people would want to choose the gender of their baby. Don't knock it 'till you try it right? Personally I've always thought that this is the one thing I did not need to control, that there is a bigger picture here that I don't need to know worry about. That means a lot coming from a bit of a control freak.

What is the point of my post you ask? Well in the past few days I got a little bit baby hungry. Then I remembered this post and thought I just might try a bit of family balancing myself. Every picture of that swaddling tutorial just get's better and better!

In case you were wondering, I love my three sons and wouldn't change a thing even if I could. And yes, the baby hunger will pass. Reality with three kids helps see to that. Just be forewarned, if you are going to be having a baby girl in the near future, I might just have to make you some awesome swaddling blankets, and then swaddle your baby. But only if she's cute. :)


PS - If you have asked me this question, really I am just teasing, REALLY!

Won't someone think of the children?

Where are pics of my kids you might ask?
Well there are a lot of them to post, we have been busy indeed this summer. However I am basically lazy, and don't feel like cropping and resizing then downloading them at the moment so instead you get to hear what is new in our lives:

Nick - Maybe you have heard that Associated Food Stores recently bought out 36 Albertsons grocery stores across Utah? No?!? Well surprise, they did. Nick is currently brainstorming ideas for a new line of corporate stores. Two of his logo designs are in the running, so you may as well call us grocery royalty. (tongue in cheek, but really it is pretty cool) First comes the name, second comes breathing new life and a new image into the stores (logo etc.), third comes replacing EVERYTHING in each store that has the Albertsons logo on it. Yes, he will be busy for the next few months. Overtime here we come...

Emily - Good thing for the overtime because I took the rest of the year off from teaching. Yes you read that right, YEAR off. Honestly I don't know if I will be going back. I love being home with my kids, really really love it. I am sublimely happy.

Gabe - Two weeks till kindergarten! This boy is beyond ready, he been reading for a little while and recently acquired the skill of sounding out words that mommy and daddy spell to each other. (You know what I'm talking about right? If you are a parent you do!) It is all so exciting, we already bought school shoes, sketchers, because as Gabe persisted "They let your feet breathe mom" (darn you marketing specialists).

Ian - Also recently obtained a new pair of sketchers that also allow his feet to breathe. Really, this kid has had very few new things in his life, so I broke down and bought him some sketchers. Ian is ever so tan, with an awesome white butt. Ian is becoming quite the little chef/taste tester. Today at my friend Sarah's house, she was making a banana cream pie and Ian walked right up to the counter and stole several banana slices, ran away cause I called him naughty, then came back to lick the bowl (without being invited). He just flashed his smile and giggled and all was forgiven, I am worried about what that kid will get away with when he is a teenager!

Simon - Is a bulldog. He walks kinda like one, and he certainly guards his territory like one. He is really a sweet boy, but man he knows how to defend himself and anything he is interested in. He will be in nursery in one week, and I am a little worried about the welfare of the other children. On the flip side, Simon is still so cuddly and lovey. He gives the best hugs after a nap or in the morning. He recently has started saying 3 word sentences. His first was "I see you" while playing peek-a-boo. Yesterday he walked over to my radio and turned it on, then said "turn it on". He really loves to lay by Ian and say the names of his brothers over and over. He really couldn't get more cool.

In a nutshell, we are good.

Hope you are too.

Running...

I like it.

Deciding against the lemon-aid and enjoying the lemons

Summer has been good to us.

Usually for me it is crazy and full of lots of summer camps and HARD WORK (with meager compensation) and my schedule is always in a state of limbo. Every year I find myself in August wondering where the summer has gone and feeling guilty that I spent most of it with other people's kids.

Not this year.

In the beginning of July I was "temporarily" laid-off from my teaching job. After a short identity crisis, I feel I have made the best of a bad situation (the only bad thing being the lack of $$) and really enjoyed all the fruits summer has to offer.
The boys and I have had lots of fun learning new things (swim lessons, making watermelon slushees, how to catch ants for an ant farm, synchronized swimming) and LOTS of hanging out with lots of our favorite people.

Now I find myself at the end of July, wondering why I ever wasted my time with a job? Was I really contributing to the economic stability of our family (just a bit) or was I simply contributing to my ego (maybe a lot).

Hmmmm....

I have a lot to think about before September, when I am supposed to start teaching again.

Animals noises we heard today at the zoo...

From a rather nasty animal with a permed mullett (said in very loud tones to her young offspring)

"Why are you banging on the @#%$ glass, what are you stupid? If I were that gorilla I would stick up my butt and #$% right in your direction. " (I didn't even hear any banging on the glass before this occurred)

It went on, but I quickly directed my brood in another direction of the zoo.

Then, later on at the Asian highlands, an older version of the same animal (while yelling into her cell phone)

"I don't know why you bothered to send me to collection on that bill, I paid it the very day that you sent it to collection......I don't even live at that place any more so good luck trying to find me." (Really? Could we not have that conversation in a better location?)

It also goes on, but we distracted ourselves with the wonderful gift shop on the other side of the exhibit.

Lessons I can learn from today: Treat my children as I would like to be treated and pay my bills.

*****If you haven't read the book "Scream Free Parenting" by Hal Edward Runkel and you have children, you should read it! The title sounds a little weird, but it is a really good book, here is the tagline from the inside cover:

• Focus on yourself
• Calm yourself down
• Grow yourself up

Heaven knows I would have liked to ignore the "do not feed the animals" sign and chucked a copy of this book toward the first "animal".

Dear Ian

Ian,

Three years ago you became a part of our family. You were two weeks early and certainly in a hurry to get here, we barely made it to the hospital! That night was the most frightening but exhilarating time I can remember, but as soon as you were born everything was just so calm. You were a beautiful and very peaceful baby.

Since then you have made me smile every day. You know just how to make your presence known, but you also enjoy your time with your thoughts and imagination. There isn't much that doesn't make you smile and giggle. We call you "Happy-go-lucky".

I just want you to know that I love you, and I'm glad that I'm lucky enough to be called your mom. Happy Birthday! Now go and eat your Cho-co-late cake.

Love,

Mommy

This is on my mind today.
Love it.

Things I thought I would NEVER post about...

Let it be known that when I woke up on Monday, June 9th 2009 I:

a) was not really interested in things outside of earth's polluted atmosphere, save anything pertaining to my eternal salvation. Sorry non-planet Pluto, whatever you are.

b) turn into a blubbering baby (really, ask Nick) at the mere thought of being in an enclosed space tighter than say...my closet.

c) after watching the movie Wall-E, decided that if it came down to either staying on a dying planet Earth or blasting off to space on a giant-space-cruise-ship, I would take my chances as a garbage collector.

d) have NEVER watched an episode of Star Trek in my life. I vaguely recall watching parts of that movie with the Borg in it and being unimpressed.

Last night I saw Star Trek. Oh what a difference one day makes!
I would gladly dedicate life and limb for the cause of the Federation.

Oh, and in a rather interesting coincidence, earlier that day the boys and I went to the Clark Planetarium. Did you know that they have some pretty cool exhibits in the lobby? The best part, they are all FREE! (Unless of course you count the trip down the promenade to Old Navy in which I bought some new jeans and flip flops.) Brianna took some great pictures as I was without my camera, check HERE in a few months, she will probably post them on her blog. :)

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, here is what Gabe would like his wedding cake to look like.



Now go see Star Trek!
It is, in fact, the logical thing to do.

Walkie Talkie

Recently I attempted to explain to Gabe and Ian how our Heavenly Father speaks to us. I tried to explain that he communicates through the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy Ghost speaks to our spirit which lives inside of our body and when he is telling us something is good we feel really good inside, warm and cozy...yeah it was a pretty deep topic for bedtime. You know, they listened very intently and they were satisfied with the idea of it.

Today Gabe and Simon both had appointments with the Pediatrician, my brother John babysat Ian for me because the appt. was during his afternoon nap. While giving John babysitting instructions earlier, I explained to John that Ian liked a pre-nap story, but he could make it up so it didn't have to be long. On the way to the Doctor, Gabe said to me, "Mom, I am going to ask Jesus what Ian is doing right not"
I said OK and stifled a laugh,(c'mon it was out of the blue and a little weird) then Gabe proceeded to say a prayer in which he asked what Ian was doing right now. After a few moments Gabe said, "Mom, John is reading a book to Ian before his nap". So, a bit curious I asked how Gabe knew that. Gabe said that the Holy Ghost told him, not in his heart, but had said it to him. In a scratchy voice, like a growl.

Later, when we got back home, John told me that he had read Ian a book before his nap, which was pretty much right after we had left for the Doctor. Instead of telling Ian a story they had read a book, which apparently Gabe knew through his communication with Heavenly Father. Simple as that.

Here I am, thinking as a a parent I am supposed to teach my children what I know to be true. I think that I have had it all backwards, they are here to teach me.
I need to listen.

Stop calling me!

Most days I get at least 3 to 4 phone calls from various credit card consolidation companies or some other company that wants to help me refinance my mortgage. I usually say "I'm not interested" and hang up, sometimes I just hang up. Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to put that little mortgage lender to work and find out what exactly they can do for us.

Bur first, a little background: Nick and I bought our town home in the spring of 2007, literally months before the real-estate bubble in Utah burst. As a result, we have lost a considerable amount of equity in our property, I know it bites. Anyhoo, refinancing to get a better interest rate is very appealing to us, but we realistically knew that we would never be able to do so. Why didn't that memo get sent along with our information to all these dumb companies!

Back to the story: I sat on the phone with a woman who insisted that the federal bailout was meant to help people like me. She took some info and pushed her search button and then after a brief pause said...it looks like we cannot help you because your mortgage is through your credit union (yeah the stable one that is not in trouble right now) instead of Fanny Mae or Freddie Mac. ARRGH! So basically what she was saying was that since we are somewhat responsible consumers and decided to go with our conservative credit union for our mortgage, we would be cut exactly NO slack. Figures. Crappy recession, I hate you!

Randomly, I love this little clip.

The truth hurts, but can be really funny too!

Gotcha!

Eventually I plan on posting LOTS of pictures from our awesome trip to Phoenix. But as you fellow bloggers know, that involves lots of resizing of pictures, loading them, arranging them and so on. So, until I get at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted me-time (yes, when Hell freezes over) here is some fun random stuff to watch.

The first one is the final result of the day's filming. The second film was a brave attempt that did not quite work, you will see what I mean. By the way, these were filmed in the beginning of March.

Coming Soon!

It's been a crazy past couple of weeks in our household. I want to post all about it, when I get a chance. Stay tuned!

Wicked!

It was awesome! Thanks Sheila!!!

Look what a 5 year old can do!

Happy Birthday Gabe! I think this is gonna be your best year ever!

Something very girly!

I am in LOVE with these shoes.



Oh, and by the way, they are on sale for only $179.00. Can I justify buying them?
(Click here if you need proof)
The pair with the orange bow is also very cute!

An interesting perspective...

I guess I would have to call myself a fan of the Stephanie Meyer novels. Yes you know the ones. I would not classify myself as a hard-core Twilight Fan, but I did read them and I did enjoy them.

Once I was introduced to Edward, I distinctly remember feeling as if my husband, who I usually adore, just didn't quite measure up to Edward. Who could really? I mean there's that whole "undead" thing, oh and he's incredibly romantic, smart, rich, sparkly...

After I finished the series, there was a distinct detox period where my brain had to come away from the vampire world and again accept the life that is mine. Again, what can compete!?!

Now, almost a year later, I cannot help understand and possibly even agree with the author of THIS article.

What do you guys think?

Anxiously awaiting summer

Dear Summer,

I miss your burning beauty.

Every yellow scorched blade of grass, every T-ball game spent in the dry dusty diamond, every lawnmower waking my kids from slumber, every holiday highlighted with food and fireworks.

Where have you been?

I know we left on bad terms last year. I was tired of messy, sweaty feet and fingers. I'd had quite enough of sticky faces and sandy shoes. I was fed up to here with high gas prices (ugh) and working too much. I know these things weren't really your fault, you were simply a victim of circumstance. You on the other hand, were very generous with your triple digit days. I know I said I hated them, but what I wouldn't do for scorching heat right now...please forgive me!

I realize that the sibling rivalry you have going on with Winter is a touchy subject, but if it motivates you, Winter is giving you a run for your money!

Please please please make your home in my backyard very soon!

Love,
Emily
















Some pig!

"This is that fresh, that fresh feeling..."

One of my favorite things is growing my hair long and then chopping it off.

Actually, Cortanie chopped my hair.

She also made me a blonde bombshell.

I LOVE it, and I feel pretty hot!

Nick agrees.


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Happy 1st Birthday Simon!!!

Bring on the Cake!


On February 14, 2008 our family received the most wonderful Valentine's gift possible. A beautiful and healthy baby, whom we named Simon Richard Jacobs.

Since that day, our lives have been enriched with his sweet smiles, warm hugs, and silly faces. I never imagined that a third boy would balance our family so perfectly! Simon has such a unique personality, he is mellow and happy, but is not afraid to let us know how he is feeling. Simon can already make a terribly authentic lion growl (AKA Demon baby), and can hold his own in a jedi light-saber battle against his two older brothers. Not bad for only one year! We have all enjoyed getting to know Simon this past year, and I know that we all cannot wait to see him continue to grow and learn!

In celebration of this momentous occasion, we invited all of our family to join us for a party, on Valentines Day no less! If we impeded upon anyone's romantic plans for the evening, they sure didn't let on, we all had a great time.


Check out the Loot!


Poor Simon just getting over a cold, he was not quite himself tonight until he tasted the cake!


Keeping the 4 and 2 year old away was not much fun, handcuffs would have worked!

A birthday message from the Gabe and the Ian

A case of the gout

Actually it is not Gout we all are suffering from here, but the nasty cold that all of the S L Valley has passed around. We just got over it a few days ago and then there was the flu...hopefully it is a quick virus?

I will post about sweet Simon and his 1st birthday very soon!

Ian the great!

So, potty-training Ian has been anything and everything but simple. We began working on it around Thanksgiving and he was doing pretty well. After Christmas Ian totally regressed and refused to even go near the potty. He even went so far as to bring me one of Simon's diapers and laid down so that I could put it on him saying, " I just want to wear a diaper Mom." At that point I just backed off completely.

And cried a little too.

It was the best thing I could have done! (the backing-off part) Apparently, backing off for a couple of weeks did a world of good because he has now gone almost two days peeing and even pooping in the potty. He still cries a little when he poops, it seems to scare him a little. But it is getting better every time!

If you too have found yourself are in the midst of a potty-training nightmare, then let me share with you some of the things that seem to be working for Ian.

First, find a role-model. I enlisted Gabe. Every time I take Ian to the potty, which is every hour or so, Gabe comes with and also uses it. Bingo! I should have thought of this sooner, Ian pretty much mimics every word and movement that Gabe makes all day long. In order to get Gabe on board, I had to resort to bribery which leads me to...

Reward System! I am usually not a fan of this, I believe that the sense of accomplishment should suffice as a reward in most cases Blah Blah Blah. This works for Ian!!! I created a sticker chart with ten boxes on it. Each time Ian goes in the potty and has a dry pull-up or underpants he gets to put a sticker on the chart. If he forgets or get's lazy (this sound harsh but believe me, Ian just sometime is lazy about it) and has an accident, no big deal but he looses a sticker. When he completes the chart he gets a present from Mommy and Daddy ( think: dollar store special). I believe this also really works because Gabe has a sticker chart too, but his is for staying in bed all night long and not coming into Mommy and Daddy's room 3 times per night. This also has worked like a charm!

Finally, potty treats. Hey it works for dogs, must work for humans too right? After Ian successfully remembers to keep himself dry and pee in the potty, he get's two fruit snacks. Not whole packages, just two little snacks. He actually hasn't even gotten through an entire little package yet because sometimes we forget to get the treat, but it always serves as great motivation to try on the potty. Gabe also gets a potty treat, yeah you better believe he's milkin' this situation! We also celebrate every little drop that goes into the potty, high fives and dancing bring for lots of giggles and excitement!

I am hoping that if I can keep this up consistently for at least two weeks, it will become habit for Ian mentally and physically. I not asking for much here, just one boy in diapers!

Sticker chart, $1.00

Fruit Snacks, $2.00

Dollar store toys, well...$1.00

A Potty trained 2 year old? PRICELESS! (oh, and about $10 less per week in pull-ups!)

Just wondering...

So I fell off the blog-wagon as of late and was wondering if anyone cares if I get back on or not? Leave me a comment...

A funny story...

I enjoy Fast and Testimony very much. I especially enjoy Fast and Testimony when something like this happens.

Last Sunday, a little boy got up to bear his testimony. It went a little something like this:
I love wrestling with my dad, I love it when Santa brings me toys, I love playing with my new matchbox racing set, and I love Jesus and my family.

During said testimony, Gabe looked up at Nick and said loudly,
"Well there's something you don't hear every day!"

He had everyone within 3 pews trying to contain their laughter.