moments with ME

Are We Not All Mothers -Sheri L. Dew

2011-06-05T21:48:00.003-05:00

(bold is merely personal emphasis)

"Have you ever wondered why prophets have taught the doctrine of motherhood—and it is doctrine—again and again? I have. I have thought long and hard about the work of women of God. And I have wrestled with what the doctrine of motherhood means for all of us. This issue has driven me to my knees, to the scriptures, and to the temple—all of which teach an ennobling doctrine regarding our most crucial role as women. It is a doctrine about which we must be clear if we hope to stand “steadfast and immovable”regarding the issues that swirl around our gender. For Satan has declared war on motherhood. He knows that those who rock the cradle can rock his earthly empire. And he knows that without righteous mothers loving and leading the next generation, the kingdom of God will fail."

"When we understand the magnitude of motherhood, it becomes clear why prophets have been so protective of woman’s most sacred role. While we tend to equate motherhood solely with maternity, in the Lord’s language, the word mother has layers of meaning. Of all the words they could have chosen to define her role and her essence, both God the Father and Adam called Eve “the mother of all living”—and they did so before she ever bore a child. Like Eve, our motherhood began before we were born. Just as worthy men were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality,righteous women were endowed premortally with the privilege of motherhood.Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as

women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our Father gave us."

"President Gordon B. Hinckley stated that “God planted within women something divine.”That something is the gift and the gifts of motherhood. Elder Matthew Cowley taught that 'men have to have something given to them [in mortality] to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. [They] are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls … and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children.'"

"Motherhood is not what was left over after our Father blessed His sons with priesthood ordination. It was the most ennobling endowment He could give His daughters, a sacred trust that gave women an unparalleled role in helping His children keep their second estate. As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. declared, motherhood is 'as divinely called, as eternally important in its place as the Priesthood itself.'"

"Nevertheless, the subject of motherhood is a very tender one, for it evokes some of our greatest joys and heartaches. This has been so from the beginning. Eve was “glad” after the Fall, realizing she otherwise 'never should have had seed.'And yet, imagine her anguish over Cain and Abel. Some mothers experience pain because of the children they have borne; others feel pain because they do not bear children here. About this Elder John A. Widtsoe was explicit: 'Women who through no fault of their own cannot exercise the gift of motherhood directly, may do so vicariously.'"

"For reasons known to the Lord, some women are required to wait to have children. This delay is not easy for any righteous woman. But the Lord’s timetable for each of us does not negate our nature. Some of us, then, must simply find other ways to mother. And all around us are those who need to be loved and led."

"Eve set the pattern. In addition to bearing children, she mothered all of mankind when she made the most courageous decision any woman has ever made and with Adam opened the way for us to progress. She set an example of womanhood for men to respect and women to follow, modeling the characteristics with which we as women have been endowed: heroic faith, a keen sensitivity to the Spirit, an abhorrence of evil, and complete selflessness. Like the Savior, 'who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,'Eve, for the joy of helping initiate the human family, endured the Fall. She loved us enough to help lead us."

"As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation. How will our young women learn to live as women of God unless they see what women of God look like, meaning what we wear, watch, and read; how we fill our time and our minds; how we face temptation and uncertainty; where we find true joy; and why modesty and femininity are hallmarks of righteous women? How will our young men learn to value women of God if we don’t show them the virtue of our virtues?"

"Every one of us has an overarching obligation to model righteous womanhood because our youth may not see it anywhere else. Every sister in Relief Society, which is the most significant community of women on this side of the veil, is responsible to help our young women make a joyful transition into Relief Society. This means our friendship with them must begin long before they turn 18. Every one of us can mother someone—beginning, of course, with the children in our own families but extending far beyond. Every one of us can show by word and by deed that the work of women in the Lord’s kingdom is magnificent and holy. I repeat: We are all mothers in Israel, and our calling is to love and help lead the rising generation through the dangerous streets of mortality."

"Few of us will reach our potential without the nurturing of both the mother who bore us and the mothers who bear with us. I was thrilled recently to see one of my youth leaders for the first time in years. As a teenager who had absolutely no self-confidence, I always sidled up to this woman because she would put her arm around me and say, 'You are just the best girl!' She loved me, so I let her lead me. How many young men and women are desperate for your love and leadership? Dowe fully realize that our influence as mothers in Israel is irreplaceable and eternal?"

"When I was growing up, it was not uncommon for Mother to wake me in the middle of the night and say, 'Sheri, take your pillow and go downstairs.' I knew what that meant. It meant a tornado was coming, and I was instantly afraid. But then Mother would say, 'Sheri, everything will be OK.' Her words always calmed me. Today, decades later, when life seems overwhelming or frightening, I call Mother and wait for her to say, 'Everything will be OK.'"

"Recent horrifying events in the United States have underscored the fact that we live in a world of uncertainty. Never has there been a greater need for righteous mothers—mothers who bless their children with a sense of safety, security, and confidence about the future, mothers who teach their children where to find peace and truth and that the power of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the power of the adversary. Every time we build the faith or reinforce the nobility of a young woman or man, every time we love or lead anyone even one small step along the path, we are true to our endowment and calling as mothers and in the process we build the kingdom of God. No woman who understands the gospel would ever think that any other work is more important or would ever say, 'I am just a mother,' for mothers heal the souls of men."

"Look around. Who needs you and your influence? If we really want to make a difference, it will happen as we mother those we have borne and those we are willing to bear with. If we will stay right with our youth—meaning, if we will love them—in most cases they will stay right with us—meaning, they will let us lead them."

"As mothers in Israel, we are the Lord’s secret weapon. Our influence comes from a divine endowment that has been in place from the beginning. In the premortal world, when our Father described our role, I wonder if we didn’t stand in wide-eyed wonder that He would bless us with a sacred trust so central to His plan and that He would endow us with gifts so vital to the loving and leading of His children. I wonder if we shouted for joyat least in part because of the ennobling stature He gave us in His kingdom. The world won’t tell you that, but the Spirit will."

"We just can’t let the Lord down. And if the day comes when we are the only women on earth who find nobility and divinity in motherhood, so be it. For mother is the word that will define a righteous woman made perfect in the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, a woman who has qualified for eternal increase in posterity, wisdom, joy, and influence."

"I know, I absolutely know, that these doctrines about our divine role are true, and that when understood they bring peace and purpose to all women. My dear sisters, whom I love more than I know how to express, will you rise to the challenge of being mothers in these perilous times, though doing so may test the last ounce of your endurance and courage and faith? Will you stand steadfast and immovable as a mother in Israel and a woman of God? Our Father and His Only Begotten Son have given us a sacred stewardship and a holy crown in their kingdom. May we rejoice in it. And may we be worthy of Their trust. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

A Special Day

2011-06-01T21:37:00.007-05:00

I was, in spite of my usual self, 15 minutes early as I pulled out of the drive.

We get there with PLENTY of time to spare.
So I assume.
I'm lugging a diaper bag, another heavy bag holding our incredibly ancient video camera and a 10 month old on my hip.
I was the crazy lady rushing through the parking lot pleading with her 3 yr. old.
At first I was playful. Joyful, even! :)
"Hussle Muscle!"
"I'm gonna beat you!"
"Pick up those feet!"
"Marching. Marching. We Are Marching!"
You get the idea.
And then as the weight of my load and the sun mercilessly beginning to cook me, causing me to sweat buckets and lose my "perfectly coifed hair", my catchy tunes and phrases went from kind and patient plees to ugly threats.
{imagine my teeth clenched} "Joshua. James. If you do not hurry up and get up here and walk by me I am going to be SO mad at you."
"Jooooosh! Ruuuuun! Uggghhhh!"
"Coooooome! Ooooooooon!"
It didn't matter.
The back row had 3 empty seats waiting for us.

I will tell you briefly the tender moment between a son & his Mother.

I spot him immediately.
He patiently scans the large room.
Not ever assuming that his loving Mother would be late to his own graduation and she'd be standing on the chairs in the VERY BACK ROW!
Finally. Our eyes meet.
I want to shout his name. I'm waving my arms and my flags (aka: flabby arms) are whippin' like crazy. I'm smiling as BIG as I can, hoping he can read my face and everything I WISH I could scream across to him.
"I love you, son. Mommy is SO proud of you. You are wonderful & beautiful. Oh! I love you!"
But all I can do is smile huge and wave, standing on the chairs in the back row.
Have I mentioned yet that I'm on the BACK ROW!?

And then I see it. He reads my face. I know he does. I can FEEL it!
He very tenderly but excitedly begins blowing his precious, priceless kisses straight at me!
Those same kisses that he's promised to save for only me until he marries!
Seriously folks.
I am not ashamed to tell you that right then and there,
standing on those teeny tiny wobbly chairs in the BACK ROW of that small cafeteria,
a sound came out of my throat and I began to cry.
Me. Crying. In a room full of people. I was mortified and yet I didn't care at all!
(It's another story for another time but he recently added his Mama to "The List!")

The little celebrities sang some songs, their names were called by their loving teachers, they shook their principal's hand and received their Kindergarten Graduation Diplomas.

I was a bonafide member of the paparazzi today as the flahes from our point & shoot cameras competed for "NUMBER ONE FAN/PARENT" status!

My little celebrity with Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Flores.
I haven't determined if the "Angry Joshy" in this shot is a continuation of the mean mommy threats in the parking lot, or because I demanded he stop what he was doing and smile for a camera. I'm thinking it was probably both.
But who are we kidding? When aren't Joshy's settings on a low simmer?
As her, self-proclaimed, protector Jaxon proudly escorted Luci Jo everywhere.
He introduced her to anyone and everyone who would care to listen long enough,
as "my sweet baby sister Luci." {pronounced woo-see}

Then we appropriately celebrated by ditching school early, a miniature couponing trip* and playing for a good 2 hours at Chik-fil-A with one another!
Joshy cheered up! Apparently all he needed was some hugs, attention and food!
Home and responsibility was demanding my attention so we bid farewell to our little private play quarters and headed home.

It all went downhill from there.
The boys were being such ... such ... BOYS!
Growling! Punching! Fighting! Snarling! Biting! Kicking! Teasing! Wrestling!

After everyone, including myself, was tired of listening to me yell and whine about my boys being boys we ended up outside.
We stayed there until Eric came home.

Ahhhh. Join me as I sigh. Relief.

A Special Day, indeed.

*In case you cared, and I know most of you don't, but I don't really care, it's my blog and I can brag if I want to ...
I scored 2 FREE full-size Banana Boat Sunscreens! It really WAS a magically special day!

2011-05-17T13:37:00.002-05:00

This particular day it was raining.
It was beautiful. Cool & Clean.I love the rain. We were on our way to the store.
I turned on Tchaikovsky's classics for the short ride.
I parked. Turned off the car and said, "Alright! Everyone unbuckle!"
I turn around to find the boys both sleeping and Luci smiling back at me happily. We stayed in that parking lot for 45 minutes that day.
The boys napped peacefully,
Luci and I played in the front seats and enjoyed the sounds of the rain accompanied by the sweet sounds of classical music.
I love classical music.

a taste-test

2011-05-14T17:48:00.004-05:00

I spot a dead, dried-up, squished snake in the road yesterday.
I excitedly call the boys over, knowing they'll love it.
They did.
We talk about what happened to it.
Where are it's parent's? Was it poisonous? Boy or Girl? That sorta thing.
I explain that this could be their similar fates if they don't start looking for cars when crossing the street!!
I go back to visiting with our neighbor and ask the boys to please not touch the dead, dried-up, squished snake ... or ELSE!
They laugh.
My kids so don't take me seriously.
I turn my head and before I've resumed the conversation Jaxon yells,
"Mom! Oh! My! Gosh! The dead snake tastes just like COW!"
Yes. Yes, he did.
Oh! My! Gosh! is right!
Eeeeeeeeewwwwwwww!!

My little taste-tester son didn't have to beg too hard or long to get me to help him make cookies tonight.
He's happily eating his portioned dough from his spoon when he says to me,
Mom! Oh! My! Gosh! This cookie dough tastes just like ... like ... like YOU!"
I laugh.
"Oh really. I taste like cookie dough. How do you know?"
"Well let me see."
He licks my arm.
Great.
"Yep. You taste just like cookie dough, Mom."

I'm really not that surprised.

I was Spoiled

2011-05-13T15:36:00.010-05:00

How many times have I said this:
Eric is a WAY better stay-at-home-mother than I am!
I walked in the door from a 9 day vacation, visiting my FABULOUS BFF and her FABULOUS children and equally FABULOUS husband,(more on this later)

to a smell which is foreign to my senses.
CLEAN AND LEMON-SCENTED!

I was also welcomed home with various cards & signs decorated with t-rex dinosaurs and pteranodons!

A little birdie told Eric that I was shopping for a pair of must-have nude pumps to add to my suffering wardrobe.

I mean, let's be honest. What color doesn't go with nude? Nude pumps can be worn with any color. Red, Pink, White, Black, Navy, Brown, Green, etc.

Much to my amazement, I had 3 pairs of shoes carefully selected for me to choose from, laying out on the table. So fun, right!?
Unfortunately none of them worked. :(
I felt like a hooker in all of them. Truthfully!
I suppose I'm just not meant to feel cute and sexy anymore. My time has passed.
I'm, sadly, more comfortable in ballet flats, plain boring black stilettos or flip-flops. Seriously.
It's so sad.

He also surprised me with a huge dry erase board complete with cleaner and several markers, for our homeschooling efforts this summer. SO excited!

Then Mother's Day was just a few days later and I was spoiled with hand painted rocks,
more cards, a one-night romantic get-away, an awesome cook book

and a TIMEX heart monitor watch.

Eric went above-and-beyond this year, covering all the bases to ensure our mini-reunion and my mother's day weekend were most memorable! To someone else this may seem small and anti-climactic, but for me it was wonderful and I was SO spoiled!

Tri-6

2011-04-16T14:30:00.003-05:00

Well this weekend marked the beginning of the end of Tri-6 at Parker University with 9 Finals in:

Clinic

Advanced Clinical Diagnosis

Bone Pathology

Physiotherapy

Activator Methods

Chiropractic Philosophy

Chiropractic Business

Communications

Emergency Care

This Trimester had it's usual challenging courses, but throw in the mix Clinic Entrance exam for Outpatient. Started student clinic. Classes started in the morning at 7 a.m. and the Clinic closed at 7 p.m. EVERY.DAY. and the National Boards Part II were in March. So ... I don't know who is anticipating this upcoming break with more excitement & joy ... Me or Eric. I'll let you decide!

In An Effort

2011-04-10T21:58:00.006-05:00

In an effort to follow the counsel of my husband and "exercise my left brain", (try, as i did, to restrain from eye-rolling) I am making a list. I am writing. I am journaling. It's boring, but it's my list. (whatever. it's supposed to help.)

We all go through phases. Some last longer than others.

My children used to refuse praying aloud. As a family, at bed-time, over meals ... it was always a challenge. And I was sad and worried about it.

Well ... I've gotta say ... "be careful what you PRAY for!" Right now we're going through the "lets-fight-over-who-prays" phase.

A whole different kind of challenge.

Their prayers are actually really genuine and quite funny.

Examples: "pwease bwess mommy to not make bad choices."

"pwease bwess daddy to not bwake his weg again."

"fank you fo' baby wuci. we wuv her."

"pwease help joshie to not bite."

and of course: "pwease bwess unca spencer on his mission."

Luci is crawling all over the place. Babbling. Drooling. Pulling herself up on things. And getting too old, too smart, too fast. And her beautiful, curly dark brown hair can all fit into one single little pony-tail on the top of her sweet little head.

The strawberries here are HUGE and YUMMY and CHEAP!

I crave zucchini. Weird, I know.

But seriously, just before bed last night, I slowly sliced and ate an entire zucchini one cut at a time. I am SO my Father. (Don't tell him I said that.) ;)

I moved from 5 lb. to 8 lb. weights in my biceps/triceps workout. Don't Laugh.

I love the scriptures, specifically Jacob, right now. I love the Ensign. I loved conference. I loved sacrament meeting today. I loved Sunday School. I loved Relief Society. I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Eric's "break" is just around the corner. I confidently speak for EVERYone in this family when I say, "Oh, sweet relief."

2011-03-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

It serves it's purpose as exercise, time with friends, and some serious clear-your-head time.

Eric's been playing Church ball weekly since before forever. I love it, encourage him and try not to grumble when he's away for that additional hour or so. I understand his passion and he always comes home red, sweaty and mildly giddy!

The team he played with was moving their way through the Stake Basketball tournament. (Later we learned that they WON the whole Tournament! YAY! LC1st Ward!) I'll spare you the play-by-play because I'm not smooth like that. He went up to "tip a ball" and came down hard on an everted foot. He heard a pop and fell to the floor. Lots of Pain. He immediately started diagnosing himself with a popped tendon or torn ligament then later with a severe ankle sprain. He was carried off the court and given a large bag of ice and a couple ibuprofren.

The next few days proved to be quite difficult with 3 days of tests for his *National Boards and a very painful injury. The Deweys came to the rescue with crutches for him to get around easier.

He absolutely could put NO pressure or weight on the foot without extreme discomfort.

After many priesthood blessings he made it through the tests.

Monday he had X-rays. The X-rays showed a broken fibula and "jacked up" ankle. Eric will be annoyed with the lack of all medical terms, but I don't really care. He was shocked. I was shocked. So NOW what?

Tuesday was the ER.

Wednesday was the Orthopedic Specialist.

Thursday was the surgery.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday was the rest and recovery.

Monday was back to school.

Warning: Do Not Google broken fibula. It gives me the heeby-jeebies!

So in the long and short of things:

Eric got hurt. Bad. A man, who though fit and active his whole life, and who never so much as sprained an ankle or popped a knuckle, broke. his. leg.

You never ever know when this beautiful life will throw you a curve ball. He has not complained once. He is so positive. He is so trusting of his Father in Heaven. He is so faithful. Even when I'm not quite sure how we're going to get through. Eric leads our family far out in front, holding a shining light for us to follow ... even on crutches!

If it's possible I love him even MORE!

I am so grateful for the love, support, help and encouragement, prayers and faith of family, neighbors and friends!

*The purpose of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners is to establish and maintain uniform high standards of excellence in the chiropractic profession and chiropractic education, primarily but not exclusively by preparing and administering to qualified applicants examinations of superior quality, whereby those legal agencies which govern the practice of chiropractic within each state and other countries may accept, at their discretion, those individuals who have successfully completed any part of the examinations of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, and by providing test and measurement services to the chiropractic profession in all areas of demonstrated need, and to advance the chiropractic profession when in the best interests of the corporation and chiropractic testing.

Bad Mood

2011-03-11T09:49:00.008-06:00

I'm coughing.
Jaxon's coughing.
Joshy's coughing.

Luci's coughing.
Eric is happy, healthy and wise.
But not here.
Board Reviews all weekend.
Again.
He walks in the door and exerts all of his energy just to stay awake.

He fails miserably. I feel bad for him. Luci doesn't.
She thinks it's funny.

Luci woke up this morning with her eyes glued shut.
I've never seen anything like it.
A warm wash cloth and warm bath did the trick.

She ate.
She laid on me and
She's sleeping again.
Where was Joshy while I took 10 minutes to feed and hold Luci?
Oh, don't worry.
Opening the box of strawberries and
biting the tops of of each one and
throwing the rest on the UNMOPPED kitchen floor.

Eeeeewwwwww. But It's okay. I'm used to it.
This is what my couch looked like yesterday.

And the day before that.

Seriously. It's okay.
I'm used to it by now.
But it DOES put me in a bad mood.
And then he goes and builds a genius spider robot thingy.

Best toy ever. Trio Building Blocks.

So, I took a MUSCLE BLAST class the other night.
Great workout. It's exactly what it sounds like.
A 60 minute class that blasts every single muscle in your body!
Seriously. It was awesome. It hurt like the dickens.
What does that even mean?
Anyway, I'm SO sore today.
Why does it take my body almost 2 days to feel the hurt?

I'm at a frustrating stage.
Somewhere in between Post-pregnancy and Pre-fit.
Maternity clothes are far too big on me right now.
But the clothes I Love and want to be wearing are far too small on me right now.
So I'm stuck wearing Pajamas or jeans that are too tight
or tops that hug the wrong places.
I'd rather just be pregnant again or skinny, like, NOW!
Why does it take my body TWO MONTHS of solid work-outs to be in my clothes?

Postponed Trips to see my family put me in a bad mood.
Clothes that don't fit put me in a bad mood.
1/2 eaten strawberries on the kitchen floor puts me in a bad mood.
Being sick and sick kids put me in a bad mood.
Ketchup all over my couch puts me in a bad mood.
Board Reviews put me in a bad mood.
Never seeing my husband and feeling like roommates puts me in a bad mood.
"No use crying over Spilled Milk."
??? WHO CAME UP WITH THAT ???
... it makes me cry.

Spoiled Much?

2011-02-25T12:33:00.003-06:00

Look at the trust and admiration:

I have nothing to do with this supportive and helpful attitude that Jaxon exhibits when near his sister, Luci.
When he sees her struggling to crawl, hold a bottle, pick up a puff, reach her blankie, he is there to rescue her and she knows it!
She will hollar and whine and fuss and squeal
until her big brother gives her what she wants.
And he always does.
He's a sucker for her.
Oh dear.
Spoiled Much?

Hello, Sunshine! Goodbye, Yellow! {TUTORIAL}

2011-02-23T13:45:00.017-06:00

Like a ray of sunshine streaming in through the clouds,
a little yellow - on furniture, accessories or nature -
brightens the outlook of an entire room or ensemble.

I mean, what bathroom is complete without the lovable yellow rubber ducky?

The Queen of England is even rumored to have one!

And who doesn't want to snuggle up and read a book on this happy chair?

Or enjoy a vase full of tulipy sunshine?
{made that word up. are you impressed yet?}

Or own these stone & pearl studded bangles from India?

Sorry I got a little carried away when googling yellow!

One instance where yellow can be an unwelcome sight
- not to mention poopy diapers, even though I just did,
sorry for the mental image, but it's my reality around here -
is when TEETH are yellowed!
All together now ... "Eeeeewwww!"

In an effort not to embarrass any family members or friends
I've chosen to work on an image of a beautiful celebrity in one of her not-so-fine moments, including the hideously pink lipstick!

1st open the photo you want to work with and
Zoom into the mouth area.
That was simple enough.

Next using your Lasso Tool, loosely select the yellow area.
This does not need to be perfect. Don't stress.

Now we're going to Feather our selection
by right clicking inside the dotted lines.
Feathering allows you to select an image, or a portion of an image,
in this case, yellow teeth,
and soften the edges with a slightly hazy, blending effect, as opposed to a hard edge.
Set your Feather Radius at,
depending on your image, anywhere from 3 - 5 pixels.

Once we've selected and feathered the area
create an Adjustment Layer by clicking on the 1/2 moon
in your Layers Palette and select Hue/Saturation.

Now under the Edit options, select ... take a wild guess ...
YELLOW!
Then drag the Saturation bar clear down to ZERO.
I didn't get a picture of it, but after looking at the finished image
with the saturation set to zero it looked a little unnatural,
so I bumped the yellow saturation up a little to something like 14.

Then select Master under the Edit settings in Hue/Saturation
and pull the Lightness bar up to where it looks good to you.
In this case I kept it around the 20's.

Click OK.
Zoom Out.
Deselect if you must by pressing Ctrl+D

And there you have it. No whitening strips were used and you get a
natural looking whiter smile in just a few seconds.
Now go find some embarrassing images of your family and friends and whiten their smiles for them. Go ahead. I dare ya! They'll thank you for it later. I promise!

Unmotivated No More

2011-02-23T08:14:00.006-06:00

I shared this embarrassing image with my BFF a few weeks ago because she's pretty cool like that and doesn't mind looking at and analyzing my gross belly fat with me. And because I wanted to make myself accountable to the state of things. The state of things being that I am slowly and consistently blowing up!

Well call me "unmotivated no more" because
I put this down:

to climb up here:

to dust these off:

to go to the GYM!

Where for the last 2 days I have enjoyed, yes ENJOYED,
a small 1 hr work out including a little cardio and a little weight training.
A small miracle considering my hiney hasn't seen any exercise,
outside of chasing children around and walks to the mailbox,
since I was sick and newly pregnant with Lu back in November 2009!

Slow & Steady wins the race.
I want to LOVE myself again and intend on doing the work.
We'll see what comes of it.
Wish me Luck!

15 minutes

2011-02-22T16:09:00.004-06:00

If someone would have told me that the 1st 15 minutes home would have resulted in me almost having a nervous break-down and my son yelling at me from the top of the stairs, "And you're the meanest Mom EVER!" I would have just stayed home and asked someone else to pick him up from school instead.

Here's how it all went down, 'case you cared.
I ask the boys if they'd like to help me make Choc. Chip cookies, 'cause I'm cool like that! ;)
They're happy to oblige and jump in with full enthusiasm.
Shortly after we'd gotten started Luci begins crying, wailing actually. Of course.
I shove a strawberry in her mesh teether and hope she'll calm down.
She does. Phew. Back to the boys.

Josh - "Wuss dis Mom?"
Me - "This is the brown sugar."
Jaxon "That's not sugar. This is sugar." (pointing at the white sugar.)
Me - "You're right Jaxon, that is also sugar. It's called white sugar because it's white and this here is brown sugar because it's brown."
Jaxon - "You're wrong. It's not sugar. Can I taste some."
Me - "I'm not wrong. It is sugar and please don't argue with me, son. And no you may not taste it right now. Help me make these cookies and then you can try the cookie dough. Mmmmmmm."
Jaxon - "I'm not arguing I'm jus telling you you're wrong."
Me - "You're arguing right now. Please just stop."
Jaxon - "I'm not arguing wiff you. Can I have a treat?"
Me - "Jaxon, please leave my kitchen. You are still arguing and it's making me mad. You may not have a treat."
Jaxon - (walking out of the kitchen and with a thick attitude) "It's not your kitchen it's our family's kitchen."
Me - (volume increasing) "Jaxon! Get. Out. of the. Kitchen. and Go. To. Your. Room."
Jaxon - "I'm not in the kitchen. I'm in the living room."
Me - "GO TO YOUR ROOM!"

Luci rolls off the couch.
Why did I put her on the COUCH?!
She's crying.
I'm crying.
Jaxon's crying and stomping up the stairs.
He turns and yells, "And you're the meanest Mom EVER!"
I comfort Lu and go back to Joshy and the dough only to find that he was happily helping me by adding the entire bottle of vanilla to the dough.

I'm about ready to have a nervous break-down folks.
Oh and I burned the 1st batch of cookies.
I need another 15 minutes to cool down.

One a.m. Valentine

2011-02-11T01:01:00.006-06:00

What do YOU do at 1 a.m.?
Well I'm normally attempting sleep.
But Not Tonight.

I'm baking.
Why, you ask?

You see, it's my baby's Valentine's Day Party at school tomorrow.
I call him "my baby" because, well, he's my 1st born.
Because he loves dinosaurs so much,
he HAD to give his own personal drawings away to his friends as valentines.
Because I love him so much that I can't hardly stand it.
Because he says things like, "you're so pretty mom", clear. out of. the blue.
(And I'm usually so far from pretty you'd jump a couple feet backward if you rang the door bell and I answered.)
And he kisses me on the lips still!
Sometimes too passionately. {laugh}
I love it!

I digress.

My lip kissing, 1st born, 5 year old and I made these
at the last minute, right before bedtime tonight.

He dictated. I acted as scribe. And these were my favorites.

"You are so really really super pretty", "You are the really bestest friend in the whole wide world" and "I like to play at school and follow rules with you."
That last one was a kindergartners attempt with reversed psychology.
He's giving it to a friend who, allegedly, struggles with obedience at school. {laugh}

Eric & I were unable to suppress the laughter when he got to a certain friend's valentine.
He asked me to write,
"You are so super cool! You are my friend! And you are NOT fat!
But maybe just a little. But it's okay."
I, of course, only wrote the 1st two lines.

I love him because he's sympathetic and honest.

I was up at 1 a.m. making these for the kiddos to decorate at the party.

Happy Valentines Day.

Oh. I almost forgot.

And you are NOT fat!

What we do and a Tutorial

2011-02-04T20:40:00.009-06:00

I was inspired to share my 1st EVER tutorial on this blog, after my good friend Heather called and asked for some tips. I thoroughly enjoy playing around on Photoshop and although I really don't know anything at all, I'm learning and Photoshop truly is my playground!

Do you like the "burned edge" effect as much as I do?
If so, let's learn how to do this together! It's SIMPLE! Don't be scared.

1st open the photo you want to work with.
Then click on the 1/2 moon and select Layers to create an adjustment layer.
(For Photoshop CS2 users, select Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Curves.)

Now click on the white dot on the output level bar and drag it all the way down until the output reads 15'ish. Click "OK".

Now you have a nice black film over your original photo.
Next, click on the Rectangular Marquee Tool and drag a dotted rectangle just inside the border of your original photo.

Now, Photoshop CS2 users click "Ctrl - Backspace"
(or Command - Backspace for Mac users.) Leaving you with a thin black rectangle around the border of your original photo.
For you Elements users, it's a little trickier, but more fun I think.
Click on your brush tool and make sure your foreground color
is BLACK (000000).
Now paint away the selected rectangle until it's completely gone.
Also leaving you with a thin rectangle border.
Once you're done painting (or hitting backspace) hit "Ctrl - D", deselecting your rectangle selection.

Now go to Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur and bump it up as high as it will go, around 250.

And what you're left with is an incredibly blurry frame which gives it a nice subtle "burned edge" effect, which I love!

And if you think it's still too strong, it's an adjustment layer that can be adjusted by bumping the opacity level down until you get it at the strength you like. I liked it at full strength!

Have fun burning your edges. I'm addicted. You'll soon see evidence ...

........................................................................

Being "in" last week wasn't all that horrible. In fact, it was REALLY quite nice!
You see, I was kept perfectly safe.

Oh! Didn't I tell you? I was locked in with velociraptors and t-rex dinosaurs!
My own personal body guard meat-eaters!

We were busy at times and other times just plain lazy.
And for the 1st time in a long time the "we" consisted of ALL FIVE OF US!
It was great! We tackled big & small projects, crafts and games,

watched lots of movies and took an unusual number of naps,
baked and ate junk food,
played hide-n-seek and basketball, did some cleaning and no cleaning at all.
Runny noses, coughs and ear infections have plagued our family for far too long now.

I won't even GO into the philosophies on medicine and homoeopathic treatments and the countless debates that occur here on a DAILY basis,
and no, I do not exaggerate!

I can't say that I'm surprised that my daughter, who shares 1/2 of my genes and 1/2 of her Father's genes, would develop the infamous "Choate Cough".
If you're not familiar with this cough it is commonly described as a guttural, loud, dramatic, gagging, coarse reflex that not only promotes fear in those standing in close proximity, but an instinctive urge to run away as far and as fast as you can!
What can I say? Like Father Like Daughter?
Joshy is never dressed. Seriously. He hates clothes. He has no modesty and is very proud of his naked little self. If I let him he would be naked for the rest of all time, I am sure of it!
But I can't stand pee-pees flying around all the time so as my sweet Mother would say "choose your battles." Well, I'm losing this one, Mom.
The best we can do is a t-shirt! So, if you come to visit, be prepared for flying pee-pees.

To prove my nudity problem point further, this is what the floor in the downstairs 1/2 bath looks like 2.7 seconds after we walked in the door from church.
Now to train the little dinosaurs to pick UP after themselves!

Mormon Mommy

2011-01-27T00:21:00.005-06:00

A friend of mine shared an article with me, anticipating that I'd enjoy reading it.
And I did.

I gladly read the article by Emily Matchar. She calls herself a “childless overeducated atheist feminist” who ashamedly confesses to being obsessed with reading "Mormon Mommy Blogs." She admitted to being addicted and very reluctantly used the word “uplifiting” to describe them.

The article was quite thought-provoking for me and has put me in a good mood and all around, ironically, happier attitude about my career as a housewife/mother-of-three. While the stereotypes suggested in the article were a bit too generalized for me, what stood out to me the most was how she characterized "us" by our happiness! What a compliment! I know all of "us" are unique in our backgrounds, priorities, and we have our differences in education & family life, but "we", and maybe I'm being guilty of generalizing as well, but "we", as Latter-day Saint Mommy bloggers do share a similar search for truth, happiness, enlightenment, intellectualism, honesty and love. Those quests come through in blog posts about child-raising, husbands, children, family life, home-decorating, recipes, chocolate chip cookies, friends, vacations, more children and, yes, sometimes even cupcake baking. Or sometimes about something completely different.

So when I read this article that payed a little tribute to what we try to create day in and day out, I have to believe I am doing something right.

We all are. Good on ya!

*words and thoughts adapted from SEVERAL other sources, too many to site, to form my own. thank you.*

Count Me In!!

2011-01-25T22:17:00.004-06:00

Tonight ... Sick neighbors meant a perfect excuse to make
a butt-load of yummy chicken and other goodness.
Since celebrating TK & soon-to-be-here-baby-Shelbi,
I have eaten this yummy chicken and other goodness 4 times!
I think it's safe to say "I'm addicted!"

Eric made a deal with me tonight. And you know how I love a good deal.
"I'll do the dishes if you iron my clothes for tomorrow???"
DONE! SOLD! COUNT ME IN!
How many other ways are there
to agree to getting out of my LEAST favorite chore?

I'm planning my trip to Reno as I fill out a case history for Jax, Josh & Lu
so they can be treated by their intern/DAD,
at the Student Clinic at Parker tomorrow.
Very cool.
I forgot all the ER visits Jax had in a 6 month window in 2007!

It's been crazy-busy 'round these parts. Verging on hectic.
But trying to keep things together.
Joshy's watching lots of DinoSquad and Lu cries all the time now.

Teething possibly?
She often gives up and passes out in her bumbo. Poor sweet thang!
Jaxon is reading and writing! Eric & I can no longer communicate
by spelling words like "park" or "cookies" or "bed" without Jaxon piping up.
Never thought I'd say this,
but he is BY FAR the easiest thing on my plate right now!
"Five" is SO fun! Still wild and crazy, but fun!

But seriously, Reno can't come quick enough.

A New Leaf

2011-01-18T12:02:00.012-06:00

Alright, so this may be mildly inappropriate for some of you.
A picture of my son ...
in a private moment.

But it's a HUGE DEAL around here!
My oldest son has continuously struggled with
independence and other things of that nature
including confidence, sportsmanlike conduct, etc.
but he's turned a corner recently!
He's becoming more & more independent,
admiring what is good and sincerely striving to
"be big" and "do good."
I'm so grateful and just SO proud of him!
(we'll see what tomorrow holds.)
He not only had the foresight
to take a magazine in there with him,
he even wiped his own butt!!
(and used the rest of the ONLY roll in the house. ha!
and we had company. so embarrassing!)

She is most certainly growing up and I'm not encouraging this at all.
She's trying to crawl and I'm still trying to swaddle her.
She's on the move. And I just don't like it.

And, sadly, sitting up. Again, this was not encouraged by me.

I couldn't find her or Eric the other night
and when I did, much to my horror & delight,
they were nestled away in the closet
folding, sorting, tossing, organizing
and "widdle-baby-wuci" sat there perfectly content on the floor watching.

So now she insists on sitting and I let her.
'Cause it is pretty darn cute. I'll admit.

Speaking of "folding, sorting, tossing, organizing"

That's all i do these days. But I love it.
I'm turning over a new leaf.
It feels SO good.

You see ...

I have a weakness. A major one.
And one that not everyone has to see or know about.
I can take my weakness and go about my life,
getting things done, being happy and productive, etc.
I can even go to bed with it at night and NO one,
other than the people I live with, has to know.
It doesn't hurt anyone but me, and the people I live with.
I am SO completely unorganized. And I keep almost EVERYthing!
I'm learning to be the boss of me and my stuff
and have control over it.

For Once!

Send me good vibes and wish me lots of luck

that I can maintain.
That's the key afterall.
Isn't it?

Disclaimer:
(no i'm not a nasty hoarder with cat feces
and years of dirty diapers in the corner.
so don't worry too long and hard about it.
you can still come visit me and there's no weird smells.
i just typed that and then laughed out loud.
'cause there actually might be a weird smell. you never know.
joshy could've just peed all over the place. it does happen. i won't lie.)

And speaking of Joshy.

Isn't he sweet? At one week old.

My Mother laughed at me when I told her I was even organizing and editing
all of my digital pictures on the computer since 2002.
No more red-eye people!! Not in ONE picture that's in my possession!!
Oh. And one more thing ...
Did I mention I was happy!?

(picture taken by joshy. my little pro.)

moments in my journal

2011-01-12T23:19:00.006-06:00

every time we talk it's for almost 3 hours.
i love her so much. why can't we be neighbors?
jamee's pregnant again. YAY!YAY!YAY!
but she is sick.
sick.
sick. :(
i LONG to be there with her. helping her.
she came and helped me when i was miserable and pregnant.
i want to be there. playing with her kids. reading to them.
helping with homework. getting them to school.
etc. etc. etc. but i can't.
'nuff said. it's too much.

it's been a long time coming, but we're all healthy here.
our 'break' wasn't a break at all. finally no one has a fever.
no one is throwing up. no one has diarrhea. no one is SICK!
(knock on wood.)

eric started tri6 this week. seriously? i can't believe it.
he says he loves it. i'm SO glad.
he’s so busy though. never home before 8.
he is so handsome. i love him so much.
NO.
i'm not gushing and i know that was random. he's just so great!
he walks in the door and LITERALLY kisses and hugs tightly
the first person he sees and promptly finds the other three
people in the house waiting to be kissed and hugged.
tonight luci got his attention 1st.
she was fussing in her bumbo
because i left the room to put the laundry away.
oh heavens. she's so spoiled.

i've been on the phone ALL DAY LONG. For THREE DAYS!
paying bills. and checking references.
trying to find new tenants for our little home.
it's no longer 'our little home'.
now it's just a headache inducing, management!
1st chance we get we are selling that place.

i'm so behind on all my responsibilities.
projects.
my calling.
my friendships.
my relationships.
i still have CHRISTMAS gifts on my counter.
one of my good friends just moved and i didn't even get to say GOODBYE! L
i really need to get it together. seriously. and i’m ashamed.
it's ridiculous.

luci's not sleeping the best these days.
she's so daggum cute but she makes me so.tired.
although, she is the happiest little girl. always smiling and laughing.
she has a “blow-out” EVERY.DAY. i count on it now.

she fusses only for attention and food. i love it. i love her.
but COME.ON.

joshy and i are little buddies again.
he's trying to RE-potty train. thanks goodness.
he has improved immensely this week.
is that a weird comment? oh well. he really has improved! and

i am SO happy!

luci's charms

2010-12-08T12:53:00.003-06:00

seriously.
for shame.
the only time i feel the need to sit and give time to my blog/journal is when it's HARD
& i feel like complaining!!
sick kids.potty-training AGAIN.finals.broken christmas ornaments.3 hrs. of broken-up sleep.
{deep breath}
so instead...i will absorb the beauty of luci
and thrill in the joy of having a 5 month old baby girl
who gives these little charms of gratification all.day.long.

Ever heard of CHUK?

2010-11-09T20:37:00.004-06:00

Strange, little things get me all excited!
Like, free samples in the mail & unexpected emails!
I'm involved in a silly little recipe exchange and
I've been getting emails with awesome recipes all day long.
I LOVE it!
It's great, especially when the ones you get are new & different & YUMMY!

Several years ago,
back when we were young & thin & only had one,
not so little, newborn baby;

we were invited to eat dinner with a kind family.
They served the most delicious,
most unusual,
most tasty,
most fun dinner I've ever had.

Truly.
At least that's how I remember it.

Well after years of passing this sister in the halls at church,
with promises to call and get the recipe,
and NEVER following through (shame on me),
the wait is finally over ...
this sweet sister emailed me her recipe and
I am so excited!

I intend on making it just as soon as I can.

Oh dear. Another promise.

SOUP

1-Saute:

1 onion—finely chopped

1 c. celery—finely chopped

2-Add:

8 c. chicken stock

1 t. pepper

1/2 c. green, red, or yellow pepper

1 t. ginger

2 t. salt

1/2 t. curry powder

1/4 c. soy sauce

1 c. rice (uncooked)

3-4 c. turkey (or chicken)—diced

3-Cook until rice and veggies are done.

SALAD

4-Finely dice, chop, slice all desired salad ingredients:

Iceberg lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, mushrooms, peppers, cabbage, zucchini, etc.

5-Make individual salads, then pour a scoop of hot soup over each salad.
It’s good. It's different. It's fun.

{be an instrument}

2010-11-07T23:52:00.002-06:00

he is SO my son

2010-10-25T15:50:00.002-05:00

he came home from school

sat down and started eating out of a big bag of cereal.

i don't like it.

but whatever.

he's sitting there for 5 ot 10 minutes eating from this bag.

then he yells for me.

"mom. will you take this bag away from me?"

"i guess. but why don't you just put it away?"

"because mom. i just need you to take it away from me. i keep EATING out of it."

then it occurred to me. he can't stop.

oh son.

"i TOTALLY know the feeling jack. it's so yummy. you're not hungry but you just can't stop."

"yeah. now could you please take it away now mom?"

"yes of course."

then i hid it in the cabinets.

SO funny!

i feel the same way about COOKIES

or things that have CREAM CHEESE in it

or CHOCOLATE CAKE!! :)

he is SO my son.

What's Been Goin' On This Week

2010-10-23T21:19:00.010-05:00

i love sleep. but this is so weird.
hear me out.
i have these strange bursts of energy LATE at night.
when i should be taking full advantage of having no children awake
and sleeping myself i end up
. sweeping . doing laundry . organizing . CLEANING .
don't get me wrong. i love knowing that i'm being slightly productive
but why does it have to be at midnight or 1 in the morning?
what's with all the late night energy?

i have so many projects. i really need to have a project/craft night at my house again soon.

i learned how to make bows. like ... GOOD bows! i'm so excited.

i have something like 15 pairs of socks i'm needing to turn into babylegs leg warmers

jamee's bday was in SEPTEMBER and i still haven't even started her drapes

i miss my brother

. luci got a bumbo . it's so great .

she dresses halloweeny everyday

. jaxon was sick this week . missed 2 days of school . i was sick all week . it was awful .
. joshy turned 3 . joshy throws fits & tantrums around 5 million times a day .

. joshy eats 5 million oranges everyday . so he got oranges as one of his presents .
. it was his favorite . love him .

. after vitmain overdoses and an antibiotic i felt better .

. went to a halloween party . i dressed up . eric dressed up . shana dressed up . it was fun .

. eric makes luci laugh all the time . i love it .

. OU lost . Very Sad . But Eric is still smiling 'cause he's super cool that way :)

i literally cannot stop eating these
. if you make them you will become addicted . you've been warned .

She Laughs!

2010-10-20T22:22:00.003-05:00

It's Beautiful!

I want to win the prize

2010-10-18T22:08:00.003-05:00

So ... what's my order?
I want to win the prize.
I'm losing everyday.
I'm behind more and more everyday.
I can't catch up.
I'm so overwhelmed.
Do you ever feel that way?
I want to run & shout "wait for me life! i'm coming! wait! wait!"
What, where and who are my priorities?
What's my order?
"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order;
for it is not requisite that a [woman] should run faster than [she] has strength.
And again, it is expedient that [she] should be diligent,
that thereby [she] might win the prize;
therefore, all things must be done in order."

-Mosiah 4:27

Look. Good News.

She sucks her thumb.

It's so stinkin' cute.

And I get to sleep longer! :)

i love my life. it's so hard. i'm so tired.

2010-10-06T08:51:00.004-05:00

last night i fed my neighbors dinner.

it was fun.

pancakes. eggs. bacon. oj.

the kids were running in and out. eating here and there. playing. it was loud.
yummy and chaotic. the way i like it.

shana was super helpful holding luci.

cutting pancakes. cleaning the dishes, etc.
but i was a single parent. eric had a study group.

i put the boys to bed @ 7:00!!! i HAD to.

the crying and fighting had reached it's max.

we were all tapped out.

i had a couple girliefriends over after the kids went to sleep.

it was fun and i was so looking forward to it.

we CRAFTED!!

shana helped me rearrange the living room.

i LOVE rearranging!

everybody left :(

Shana and i stayed up to clean and ended up visiting until 1:15'ish.

I had to get ready for bed. (remove clothing. remove eye make up)

I told Shana, "i'm so tired. i just wanna crawl in bed fall asleep and seriously never wake up.
but i know that if i get in bed i'll wake up eric and he'll wanna ....'

I climb in quietly.

sho'nuf ... *wink*

so now it's 1:45'ish and he's wide awake and wants to know all about my day...

happy to oblige. i love to talk. :)

footsteps on the stairs. i'm SO glad eric's awake.

he escorts joshy back to bed.

now it's 2:30'ish, ej has finally fallen asleep and i feel guilty for not having read my scriptures.

i seriously need the blessings right now.

so i go out into the living room to find the ensign.

i read like 9 words and i swear my eyes are already heavy.

i shut off the light. roll over. snuggle down. and i'm out.

oh it's bliss.

2:45'ish

Luci starts to stir.

I haven't fed her in a few hours.

it's time.

Now it's a little after 3.

Luci's back asleep in her own bed.

I crawl back into my bed and at the same time i'm pulling the blanket up to my chin ...

I can hear footsteps on the stairs. again!

seriously?!

joshy wants 'twinkle twinkle'

i carry him up the stairs. sing. say 'night night, stay in bed, i love you, i'll see you in the morning.'

i'm in bed again.

whew. i'm sleeping.

i feel a kiss on my forehead.

a whispered, 'i love you.'

somewhere in the back of my mind, i have a hazy understanding that my husband is leaving for school and kissing me goodbye.

what time is it? i don't even care. i'm sleeping.

i wake up to my bedroom door creaking open.

it's 4:32.

i slept? must have. doesn't matter. i'm awake now.

jaxons by my bed.

'mommy i'm scared'

i CARRY. yes carry my huge 5 yr old up the stairs, turn on a light in the closet for him.

sing a song. and say 'night night. stay in bed. i love you. i'll see you in the morning.'

i walk downstairs.

i'm tired.

but surprising very awake.

why??????

i crawl into bed.

next thing i know.

i hear crying.

luci.

i look at the clock.

it's 5:15'ish.

i must've slept again.

yay!!

i feed her.

i don't think i could possibly walk the 6 steps required of me to get out of my bed and put her in her own bed

i keep her with me. eric's gone. she's so beautiful. i'm delirious.

i'm asleep again. oh i love it.

dang.

i hear my phone ringing.

who's calling me??? ugh.

i look at it.

"ALARM! WAKE UP JAXON!"

It's 6:30.

What the crap! Forget it! I am NOT getting up!

Snooze button.

"ALARM! WAKE UP JAXON!"

It's 6:50. I can't hit snooze anymore. what's the point?

I reluctantly, OH so reluctantly, climb up the stairs and wake up my son.

He wakes up and says, 'mommy. stop whispering. i can't hear anything you're saying.'

i say, 'son. i'm trying to not wake your brother.ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh.'

i look over and joshy's rubbing his big blue eyes

'good morning joshy.'

i make a lunch, assist in cleaning 'buggies' from little pearly whites, water down bed head and send my son off to school.

i'm eating a chocolate and oats fiber bar.

Mmmmmm...

Joshy's watching cartoons.

I can hear Luci fussing from my bedroom.

here i go.

volunteering at 10:30.

picking up jaxon at 12:30.

then parent teacher conference at 2:15

then IKEA here we come.

I love my life.

It's so hard.

i'm so tired.

A Birthday.OU wins.and a little Spirituality

2010-10-04T10:56:00.012-05:00

I am officially 1 year older.
I love it!
Luci got her ear's pierced.
I cried.

My sisters were my rock.

We had yummy cheap Mexican.
Taco Cabana.
and played outside in the beautiful crispy cool weather.
Well, by 'play', I mean Jaxon played games on Eric's phone.
I took pictures of Luci.

And Joshy and Eric practiced their tackling moves.

Eric & Brent (our awesome neighbor) proudly support their schools
4 out of the 7 days a week with various apparell including but not limited to:
T-shirts with corresponding ball caps.

Speaking of which...
OU beat Texas!
That's right!
And guess what?...
The Jaussis came.
I bonded with my friend.
We all appropriately wore Crimson.

We ate fried food until our stomachs hurt.
(including pb&j, snickers, corn dogs, chocolate & alligator)
And brainwashed our children to throw
"down with the longhorns" hand gestures
and yell "BOOOOMER!" in a crowded street
to get the coveted "SOOOONER!" response.
All the fun was followed up by a relaxing day at home,
working alongside Heather & Steve in the kitchen for breakfast, lunch & dinner,
(i've never eaten so much food in all my life)
and enjoying conference, a little UKRANIAN church history and much needed naps!!
I LOVE my birthday!

whiney wannas

2010-09-22T22:20:00.010-05:00

i wanna be skinny like this again

i wanna decorate

i wanna do the same treatment we did to shan's end tables on my computer desk

i wanna be pampered

i wanna find the time to write spencer

i wanna maid

i wanna day where joshy doesn't make a HUGE mess every 10 minutes

i wanna hug joshy and tell him i'm sorry for getting mad every 10 minutes today

i wanna stop time from moving forward ... she's getting too big

i wanna stop time so i can have longer than a 2 minute conversation with my best friend

i wanna have magic
and then learn a spell that will eliminate all ants off the face of the earth
for the rest of all time

i wanna throw the phone in the trash

i wanna finish my book

i wanna have energy or just not be tired

better yet

i wanna use that magic from earlier and make it so
i never. have to. sleep. again.

Expectations

2010-09-17T07:40:00.008-05:00

Eric called it an argument 'cause I got loud.

I called it a discussion 'cause I always get loud.

Jaxon says, "Daddy stop fighting with Mommy",

even though I'm the one yelling.

Poor Eric.

So in an effort to get more people on "my side" I thought I'd share.

{kidding}

What's the difference between:

Eric says that we don't have High Expectations for our children.
Our's are only Normal.

I say we have High Expectations for them. If we didn't, we're failing as parents.

So what's the difference and definition of Normal, High & Unrealistic,

and how do you find what's right for your family and be on the same side?

He says a Normal to High Expectation is
expecting straight A's through their entire education.

I say that's a High to Unrealistic Expectation.

He says a High Expectation is them sitting reverently, arms folded,
never making a sound & listening to the speakers
during the entire one hour duration of Sacrament Mtg.

I say that's an Unrealistic Expectation at FIVE & THREE!!

He says a Normal Expectation is that our kids
not have a "g.friend" or "b.friend" before either;

a) the boys' missions or

b) luci is 20!

I say that's a High Expectation.

A good one, but it is High.

(She's just so darn cute, I had to show you!)

He says a Normal Expectation is for Jaxon to
never get into any sort of trouble at school.

I say that's a High Expectation.

He says a High Expectation would be expecting them to
"start" for their college's football teams and then later play in NFL,
and get huge sponsors such as Gatorade, NIKE, and Hanes!!!

I say it's Unrealistic.

(Okay, so I made that last one up, but you get the point!!)

I wanna be a good Mom.
I want to be the kind of parent
that teaches my children that anything is possible, because it really is.
I want their goals to be set high throughout their life.
And I look forward to watching them reach those goals and live their dreams.
I believe we have High Expectations for our children.

Or are they Normal.

Or are they simply Unrealistic.

And how do I tell the difference?

A Baby Blessing

2010-09-11T11:54:00.016-05:00

Our sweet baby girl,

You are just so sweet

And that crooked smile of yours knocks us off our feet

Our little Luci Jo,

We just can't get enough

How much of you do we need to fill us up?

We can't imagine what it'd be like

Living each day in this life without you

All our hearts are filled with you

(pictures taken by Raschelle Dewey)

Your Blessing Day

Four Generations

Priesthood

Great Grandparents

BOTH sets of Grandparents

(I don't even know why we try to take family pictures)

Aunt TK & Aunt Shan

Our Friends

(Steve & Heather Jaussi; Ian & Raschelle Dewey)

It may have seemed insignificant or anti-climactic to some
but for your Dad & I it was a significant and special event.
So many people that we love in the same room brought an incredible spirit.
It's hard to believe with that many family & friends present at your blessing
there were STILL so many others we missed.
The blessing was beautifully delivered by your Dad.
I was actually able to hear it and focus on what was being said!
I'll never forget it!

And it was your Uncle Spencer's 1st baby blessing he was able to participate in
before leaving on his mission only 3 days later!

You lucky girl!!

LoveLoveLove You,

Mom

xoxo

Made With Love on Sale

2010-08-31T08:24:00.004-05:00

Because I love her and because her stuff is AWESOME!

Click HERE!

SURPRISE!!!!

2010-08-25T14:49:00.002-05:00

We were just about to leave the house to pick-up Jack yesterday

when the door bell rang.
I ran to get it thinking it was the neighbor kids.

I squealed with delight when I opened the door to my gorgeous blonde beauty of a sister
and her cutie-pa-tootey wild animal of a son!

She never puts Luci down and I LOVE having her here!

Kindergarten Boy

2010-08-24T11:14:00.003-05:00

He started school this morning

And he seemed so very small.

As I walked there beside him

In the Kindergarten hall.

And as he took his place beside

the others in the class,

I realized how all too soon

Those first few years can pass.

Remembering, I saw him as

He first learned how to walk.

I never will forget the sounds

When he began to talk.

This little boy so much absorbed

In learning how to write.

It seems as though he must have grown

To boyhood overnight.

(baby jack 2005)

LOVE THIS!

2010-08-21T18:34:00.002-05:00

I had 3 choices:

A) Be highly offended
B) Ignore it
C) Exclaim, "That's AWESOME!" and take a picture with it.

(If this is true ... Oh dear! I could be in trouble!)

I Love the attempt at tact in saying in other words,
"We don't want your children in our stores!
So keep them home!"

I am fortunate, for now, that for the most part I can take my kids with me anywhere I go.
They usually listen and obey, as long as I make it entertaining for them on some level.

For instance I'll try to play a game with them.
I'll tell the boys, "Find something with stripes in this aisle. GO!"
or "Now I need you to find something Green! GO!" or "Find a number 3!"

You get the idea.

And when that gets old, Jack usually rides on the bottom rack of a shopping cart,
pretending to steer a giant ship
and Joshy climbs up in front of me and pretends to help me push.
They're only allowed to bring 1 toy with them when we go anywhere.
It's just easier that way.

They're not beggars. YET!
So asking for toys or candies or whatever else children beg for isn't a problem.
If they do ask I just politely say,
"I know that's SO cool! I love it! I would want it, too, if I were you.
This time we're not going to get it, though, okay?"

Now don't get me wrong.
We DEFINITELY have our days when running errands is a
PAIN in the 'you-know-what'!
Either they can't control the fighting
or they're running up and down the aisles ignoring my pleas to 'STAY BY ME!'
(Yes, we are THOSE people sometimes.)

The best thing for me to do in that situation is to stop whatever it is I'm doing
and get the heck outta there!!
(with my children, of course!!) :)
It shocks them so much, they're scared to death of what's coming,
that they usually shut it down pretty quick!
There's nothing worse than trying to get the shopping done with disobedient kids.

You know what? Come to think of it ...
The BEST way for me to get ANYthing done outside the home is

Leaving them with Dad!!
Works every time!!

Fighting!

2010-08-18T17:05:00.008-05:00

My children seem to constantly fuss and fight.
Do yours?

I've taken on the endless role of referee.
Have you?

I crave peace and harmony?
Do you?

AM I ALONE!?
Am I doing something wrong?

Bill Cosby once said,
"You aren't really a parent until you've had your second child."
Parents of one child won't really understand this.
Parents of two or more children will relate to this statement immediately.
Was he was referring to the seemingly constant bickering and fighting between siblings? Maybe!

I know that sibling rivalries are common
but just knowing that doesn't make finding the solution to the problem any easier.
It is SO unpleasant that at this moment
I feel as though my head might literally spin off!!

It's become a daily struggle in our, otherwise peaceful and fun, home.

How do I teach my boys that they must learn to coexist together and,
hopefully, form a close relationship with each other!?
How do I teach them that it is absolutely unacceptable to MURDER one another!?
How do I deal with all of the FIGHTING?

(rare happy moment together)

I know what my job is. I know what my role is. I am a Mother.

And as a Mother, I know that EVERY, yes every, day there are countless teaching and learning opportunities with my children.
And this is one experience that rears it's ugly head EVERY, yes every, single day!
Oh excuse me. Did I say "day"?
I meant HOUR!

HELP!

Getting a hold of things ... or not!

2010-07-28T19:10:00.007-05:00

Three Kids ... check

Three kids crying at the same time ... check

Emptied dishwasher ... check

Planning son's 5th birthday party ... still working on it

Sink full of dirty dishes ... check

Crying by myself, to my mom, sister or Jamee at least once a day ... check

Folded laundry ... check

(although the folded laundry stresses me out more than the basket full of clean clothes 'cause now I have to conquer putting them AWAY!)

Boys mischievously learning to take advantage of me nursing ... check

Forgetting my husband's 29th birthday ... check

(I know, I feel awful about it. He left the house @ 4 a.m. and won't get home until after 11 p.m.)

Learning to accessorize a baby girl ... still working on it

Potty training 3 year old ... check

Threatening, grounding, spanking and sticking boys in time-out, what feels like, ALL DAY LONG ... check

Trying to teach 2 little boys what 'i promise i'll never ...', 'i'm sorry' and 'i'm NOT smothering my sister' means ... failing miserably

Wearing jeans again ... check

Looking 6 months pregnant still ... check

Eating all day long, even when I'm not hungry ... check

(maybe that's why I still look pregnant)

No more cracked, blistered and bleeding ... check

(WOO-HOO!!!)

Falling in Love with my funny girl ... check

Missing Eric ... check check!

She's Here!

2010-07-22T20:09:00.004-05:00

Friday, July 16th, 2010

7 lbs. 5 oz.

19 in

Tons of dark hair

Big blue eyes

Dark skin

Skinny & little

SO sweet

Perfect

Mom is good

Tired and soar

But good

I have a daughter!!

(details later)

2010-07-12T17:30:00.004-05:00

BEFORE:

Ugly & Stained ... Outdated & Drab

AFTER

Trendy & Cute ... Clean & Stylish

(8 hours later)

Still Pregnant

2010-07-10T22:44:00.004-05:00

It's July 10th @ 11:00 p.m.

Still no Baby.

Still very Pregnant.

No Changes.

Very very sad, frustrated, impatient, READY!

My Mother came to be with me this week. She cooked and cleaned and sewed and played. She cried with me when I cried and peed her pants laughing with me when I laughed. She put my boys to bed almost every night and sang them very strange songs, which they loved! I'm so glad she was here! I just wish I could've had the baby while I had my Mother.

But look what WE were busy doing all week ...

The To Do List and other Negatives

2010-06-22T08:25:00.008-05:00

It just keeps getting longer and longer...

I keep the air conditioner low at night, close all the other vents so the cool air is only in our room, a fan by my bed turned on full blast and the ceiling fan going at it's highest speed and yet I woke up last night 3 different times SWEATING and feeling almost FEVERISH 'cause I was so hot!! I just want to SLEEEEEP!!!!!!

There is so much I could do today to give myself that sense of accomplishment by putting little check marks next to my ever growing To-Do list.

But to be quite honest with you I don't wanna finish the laundry, mop the floors, clean the toilets, organize my crap for a garage sale, wrap Kim's wedding present, deliver my thank-yous, drop off a late b-day present, water my flowers, go get that house-warming gift for a friend, put on make-up or organize the nursery.

All I wanna do is relax and waste away by a pool and watch my kids play, laugh, smile, run and PLAY!

Everything hurts, head to toe. I just want to have this baby. I feel strangely bored and lonely. I want the energy and motivation required of me to get the things done that need to be done. I hate dragging my kids around to run my boring errands and clean the house, all the while I'm expecting them to be perfectly behaved.

The guilt was so thick yesterday. I pulled out the paint and a puzzle and sat down with my boys to do something fun. We built a dinosaur and painted him green.

OH MY GOSH! It was harder work than it was fun. They enjoyed it for all of 10 minutes and then I spent the next 2 hours cleaning up the mess and cranky cranky.

2010-06-15T10:23:00.002-05:00

Please Come Back

I really don't know what it was
That caused our fight that day.
I only know how sad I felt when you turned and walked away.

You gave me such a scornful look
Walked out and slammed the door.
You said, "I'm leaving here for good
And I'll return no more."

Now, I don't mind the things you said
Your utter lack of tact.
I just don't think that is the way
A [four] year old should act.

-Grandma Connie Boyd

My son said something very hurtful to me the other day. I was so stunned all I knew to do was cry and cry and cry. I wish I could've been stronger and taught him not to say such things in the heat of the moment. The sanity eventually came back and we were able to have that conversation. I'm still not sure he understands completely, but we'll keep trying. Next time I think I'll be more like Grandma Connie and not let the words hurt me.

2010-06-07T17:08:00.002-05:00

Don't be bored. So many of you are experts in this field ... I am not. But I'm still excited!!
I've been out of the couponing thing for SO long.
It feels good to get back into it.

Today's Damage:

1 CASE (5 reams) Bright White Multi-Use Paper
1 500-sheet ream of Copyplus Paper
Olay total Effects Body Wash
Ivory Bar Soap 10 pk.
Dove Body Mist
Colgate Max-fresh Toothpaste
Hot Pink NYC Nail Polish
3 pk Rolaids Muti-Symptom
Strawberry Shortcake Nexcare Bandaids
Scrubbing Bubbles Extend-a-Clean Power Spayer & Refill
2 Lysol Wipes
Johnson's Baby Lotion
Johnson's Baby Wash
Large Bag of Pamper's Wipes
3 boxes of Kellogg's cereal
2 boxes of Kashi cereal
Neutrogena Fash Wash, Neutrogena Face Scrub & Neutrogena Face Bar
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Sneak Preview Set
Cascade Dishwasher Detergent Powder
Dawn Dish Liquid
Bayer Aspririn
Bengay Pain Relief Massage

TOTAL $18.46

and 2 exhausted children in sugar induced commas

(after 2 rebates of $12 & $5.49)

Oh, It's Good News!

2010-05-26T21:09:00.005-05:00

I got a Dyson!
I got a Dyson!
I got a Dyson!
Hey Hey Hey Hey!
(yes, i am in love. i've been waiting for SO long)

I have been recently inspired.

My Mother has been sewing on this machine since she was 14 years old.
Bought with her own money. Made adorable matching outfits for me and my sisters when we were young.
Made more than her fair share of bridesmaids & prom dresses.
Some of her earliest memories of me she says are when she would lay a blanket at her feet with me on it and I'd sit for hours, play quietly and watch her sew.
Then later as I grew, I'd sit up beside her and push all of her pins deep down into her pin cushion.
Well that very machine and pin cushion has been at MY kitchen table, with MY children's chubby fingers pushing MY pins deep down into that very same pin cushion!
I love the way things come full circle.

I've been hard at work covering my very 1st pillow, hemming up and sewing shower curtains and drapes!
It's a great feeling working on something, patiently measuring, cutting, pinning & sewing,
then seeing & enjoying the beautiful outcome of all your hard work!

2010-05-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

Simple Joys

2010-05-14T22:00:00.003-05:00

It's been overcast

I've been sleepy & soar

Small things bring me Joy.

A morning phone call from my Mother or a friend.

The "Guess What? I love you!" game with my kids.

A nap.

Having great neighbors.

Seeing old friends.

Grocery shopping with no children.

An e-mail.

My Man, but more importantly,

My Man with a power drill ...

Finally a finished project ...

Treats such as:

Cheetos Puffs or

Frosted Mini Wheats or
Raspberry Sherbet topped with frozen raspberries ...
A good book.

Tylenol PM or Benadryl

(giving me more than 2 hours of sleep at night)

What were some of your simple joys today?

JUNE 30th

2010-05-11T10:29:00.001-05:00

Have a minute and a 1/2 to spare?

Watch this and this get excited!

Work Work Work

2010-05-10T16:34:00.004-05:00

Mother's Day weekend was definitely a memorable one.

Joshua ran a fever and Eric fell asleep tending him.
My Father is suffering with a possible broken foot, and he fell asleep watching golf.
My brother, Spencer, took a nap 'cause he's 18 and can.
My Mother and I worked together in the yard, pruning, potting & planting while the men napped. We ran errands and did major grocery shopping for Sunday dinner.

Jack was stuck this way for several minutes,
laughing hysterically before he asked for help to get down.

He was our source of entertainment.

I LOVE this stage!

I really lived

2010-05-06T11:29:00.004-05:00

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car,
wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed,
and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels
from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt
from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails
from helping to weed some one's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks
and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
-Marjorie Pay Hinckley

So I didn't exactly weed a friend's garden,
but I did get dirt under my fingernails from planting beautiful flowers in my window planters!
Today I really lived!

All Is Well

2010-05-05T07:49:00.006-05:00

*The normal aches and pains that accompany a pregnancy.
*The burden of moving from a 3rd story apartment building into a 2 story duplex.
*The anxiety of arranging & coordinating a ward camp-out the same night of the move.
*The discontent emotion that comes when things aren't as they "should" be.

Leaking showers
Broken Cabinets
Leaking tear-ducts that won't turn off at my command

*The overwhelming irritation when the power is lost in a storm
and you can't find your flashlights because they're packed somewhere in the garage.
*The difficult conversation I had to have with the Owner/Property Manager
where I had to get stern.
*A morning of melt-downs, lost patience and eventually bad behavior
when getting a child ready for school.
(MY bad behavior)

Shouting and clapping my hands to be heard over the tantrum
Forcing his mouth open and brushing his teeth for him

*The relief that comes when my very own Mr. Choate, i.e. Chiropractic Student,
can "work" on me to relieve some of my aches & pains.
*The reassurance that comes when progress is being made
and I might be able to park in my new garage today.
*Happy to have the ward camp-out behind me.
*The lesson learned that not everything can or should go my way,
and the small bits of peace that accompanied many prayers.
*The excitement from the children that we had lights again,
and the overwhelming feeling of gratitude for something as simple & spoiling as electricity.
*A child who, though I was mad,
still wanted me to hug & hold him before he left for school.
*A child who forgave me, once again.
*The satisfaction of finally being able to say what needed to be said,
and then being compensated for the 'inconvenience.'
*A very overdue sigh-of-relief when the plumber announces, "Your bathroom is ready.
All is well!"

A Memorable Weekend

2010-04-29T20:49:00.008-05:00

Our wild and wise mothers joined us for a "Mother/Daughter Best Friends" weekend ...
(Cindy, Jamee, Kelly, Mindy)

It was unforgettable for more than the reasons I will share.

We stayed in a nice hotel in downtown Dallas.
And yes, some of us even jumped on the beds! ...

We laughed at ourselves all weekend long...

We spent all our money on good food,

and made strangers take our pictures ...
And it certainly wasn't long enough.

All I wanted

2010-04-12T11:23:00.003-05:00

was a yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, made with my strawberry freezer jam.
I didn't even notice the mess I had made until my children pointed out to me,
"Mommy, you're very messy."

EASTER 2010

2010-04-06T18:13:00.002-05:00

Aren't we cool? Me & my sloppy, dirty & sugar induced crankiness, kindred?

How many families can say their Easter pictures turned out THIS GOOD!?

p.s. just in case one didn't pick up on it; i'm being extremely sarcastic.

Different Perspecitves with children

2010-04-05T19:57:00.010-05:00

Jaxon was commenting on our "big beautiful green Earth."
(where he comes up with these phrases, I'll never know.)
I tried to teach him a gospel principal;
"Heavenly Father sent us here to enjoy this beautiful place and to be happy!"
He tried to teach me that it was indeed "giant green aliens that sent him here to be happy!"

Joshy cracked eggs and lovingly smoothed them into the carpet ... AGAIN!!
When I complained to my Mother about it she said laughed.
I said, "what's so funny?"
She said through giggles, "Get a blow dryer, put the settings on HIGH HEAT and make the boys eat some scrambled eggs for dinner!!"
She made me laugh and I dearly needed to laugh!

Eric wanted to boys to recite a scripture (John 17:3) and eventually memorize it.
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
Jaxon dutifully repeated every line word for word.
At ever pause for Joshy to repeat the words he yelled, "No! I want i'cream!"
Instead of getting mad, I thought to myself, 'ya know what? me too!'
We closed with a prayer, (which Joshua refused to fold his arms for) and made an ice cream run!!

Joshua also had diarrhea today and smeared that into the carpet as well.
Dirty carpets and rental carpet cleaners are common things one would find in our household.
Eric had finally had enough and we finally invested in our VERY OWN carpet cleaner!!
Spend a little more in the beginning to save a lot in the end.

And the capstone to our different perspectives today was a comment Jaxon made SEVERAL weeks ago about my ever growing tummy and protruding belly button.

He noticed the small bump through my clothes and with a very concerned and excited expression on his face, he clasped my ever large belly with both hands, looking straight at my belly button and exclaimed,
"OH MOMMY! You finally found your penis!"

Thank you, son.
As if I wasn't already self conscious about so many OTHER things right now! ;)

Unprovoked, Jaxon explained something very important to me. He said that his heart feels happy when he makes good choices and it feels sad when he makes bad choices.

Sigh of relief.

Everyday needs to be a day of learning to see things from a different perspective!

"motherhood is a sanctifying experience"

2010-03-25T19:33:00.010-05:00

Discipline

From my 1st day on the job of Motherhood, one of my main concerns, topics of conversation,
pleadings through prayer and then later challenges with both my boys,
has been how to properly, succesfully and lovingly discipline.

And if you know anything about me, you know that I am constantly seeking others advice,
practicing new techniques and whining about it all the time!

For I dearly love to whine! ;)

Jaxon, a few days old

Jaxon, 18 months old

(when it ALL began)

Joshua, a few days old

Joshua, 18 months old

Asking Jane: The Brilliant Mother of Eleven saving my life one answer at a time

When I read her most recent post on discipline, it touched & immediately softened my heart.
I know I'm not going to be perfect. I will mess up consistently and every day,
but I AM going to take a new approach. My number one goal has changed.
It can no longer be expecting perfection, but rather my focus must be
to "preseve and strengthen [my] relationship" with each of my children.

LOVE

2010-03-12T22:33:00.004-06:00

a good friend of mine shared this blog with me and
i'm so glad she did
an incredible, brave, beautiful family
i saw this
it inspired me
i had to make my own

I have achy, sore feet

2010-03-10T18:10:00.004-06:00

If it's not nailed down,
I'm eating it.
I can't stop eating.
I'm not even hungry.
Oh My!
I miss working out.
I have achy, sore feet and sticky floors.
I've hand mopped and yet they're STILL sticky.
What the HECK is on my floors!?
I have dried playdough in my carpets.
I have heartburn and indigestion.
I made cookie dough today because ... well I just wanted to.
I FINALLY did the dishes.
It's been piling up for 2 days.
I hate doing the dishes.
I slept in the guest bedroom last night because with both my kids,
a husband and me ... it's just too many people.
I slept like a log.
I'm sleeping in the guest bedroom again tonight!
We went to the park, took off our shoes, rolled up our jeans
and walked through the filthy muddy water for over an hour.
I haven't felt mud between my toes in SOoooo long.
It was nice on my achy, sore feet.

And This Is How I Celebrate!

2010-03-02T15:33:00.003-06:00

YUMMY GOODNESS!!

The Boys Have an Announcement to Make

2010-03-01T13:47:00.008-06:00

"It's a ..."

Due July 18th, 2010

2010-02-25T13:22:00.008-06:00

Yesterday is History

Tomorrow is a Mystery

Today is a Gift

And that is why it is called The Present

The last several days haven't exactly been my proudest.
(I feel like I'm always saying that.)

Everyone else's problems are bigger than mine.
What do I have to complain about?
Well, the truth is, I realized (again) today that my problems,
though small by other's standards, are still mine.
I wouldn't want anyone else's and they probably wouldn't ask for mine.

I'm digging myself back up out of this place,
with a little more courage, a lot of help,
some more strength, and a little more hope.

(a picture of Josh.
because well, he just makes me so darn crazy and happy all at the same time.)

A Letter From My Mother

2010-02-23T17:53:00.007-06:00

Dear Family and Friends,

Today marks a big day for me and my younger brother Tod.
Ten years ago today Tod gave me one of his kidneys!
I cannot believe how time flies and I am 10 yrs older.
I cannot express enough appreciation to all of you who have supported our family
and prayed for my health over the years.
I have been healthy and sassy these past 10 yrs and a grandmother to 6 beautiful grandchildren.
And have added 3 sons to our family that started out with only 6 of us. Wow! I am one blessed gal.

This last year my donated kidney has gone through some bumps and trials and is beginning to wear out.
It was recommended by my Doctors and transplant clinic in Omaha that I needed to consider getting on the National Transplant List and work with a local facility here in Oklahoma.
I hate having to change my doctor.
But I am in the process of scoping out a good one and getting accepted here, locally, in Oklahoma City.
I have stayed positive with the help of my dear husband and children.
They have continued to love and support me in this decision.
Please continue to pray for my continued health and the health of my brother Tod who so unselfishly gave me the gift of life. I love you my brother!

All will be well...and I truly believe that the Lord is watching over me.
I feel at peace and feel pretty good most of the time.
My symptoms at times is just fatigue and achy muscles.
But heck...this old body of mine is getting old!
Much love to you all....I will keep you posted in my progress!

Happy Anniversary to the "Son" (nickname for the kidney)
Love,
Kelly

(My Mother & I on my wedding day)
"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."
-- Abraham Lincoln

I have Blue Eyes!

2010-02-19T09:12:00.005-06:00

I have no cute story to share.
No reason to post this picture of Jack, but I couldn't resist. I had to share ...
LOOK AT THOSE EYES!!

Jaxon is very proud of his blue eyes.
He'll even introduce himself with his full name, age and eye color! Ha!

Love this boy!

(picture taken by Raschelle Dewey)

TWO MOMS IN THE KITCHEN

2010-02-18T06:59:00.007-06:00

When I don't know how to do something, I don't stop until I can figure it out.
Or ... I just "Google" it and see if someone else has already figured it out
and hope they have a tutorial for the rest of us! :) Ha!

I made a blog button for some friends who have this great Food Blog.

http://twomomsinthekitchen.blogspot.com/
I wanted others to be able to "Grab Their Button" and post it to their blogs, if they so desired.
Well, after a few hours of research, mess-ups and start overs.

I DID IT! And here's the final product. YAY!

GRAB THEIR BUTTON IN THE SIDEBAR!

Mmmm ... Chocolate Cake! DISCLAIMER ... these pictures do NOT appear appetizing!

2010-02-17T12:19:00.007-06:00

Cake

2 c sugar

1 3/4 c flour

1 c cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 packet Hot Cocoa mix

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/2 c vegetable oil

3 tsp vanilla

1 c boiling water

1 c chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 2 round baking pans

Combine dry ingredients.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat 2 minutes.

Stir in boiling water. (batter will thin)

Add chocolate chips.

Pour into pans.

Bake 35 mins. or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool in pans 10 mins.

Remove from pans and lightly wrap in saran wrap.

Cool on wire racks completely. Frost!

Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

Let children rake their fingers through it!

Oh my!

Frosting

1/2 c melted butter

2/3 c Cocoa

2 c powdered sugar

1/3 c milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 container store bought chocolate frosting

Mix cocoa and melted butter.

Add powdered sugar and milk

Beat to spread consistency.

Stir in container frosting.

Add more milk if needed.

Stir in vanilla.

Voila!

No more fuss of Dirty Dishes

2010-02-13T18:30:00.005-06:00

Thank God for dirty dishes;

they have a tale to tell;

while others may go hungry,

we're eating very well.

With home and health and happiness,

I shouldn't want to fuss;

and by the stack of evidence,

God's been very good to us!

A Random night at home alone...

2010-02-10T21:18:00.004-06:00

I'm SICK of cleaning this up, so I didn't:

This is what we had for dinner:

(Yummy scrambled eggs and cheese, with toast and natural honey. Mmmmm)

We're loving our yummy water out of this:

(Thanks Grammie! I'm already tired of cleaning up puddles.)

I cleaned all the contents that were sitting and nasty in this:

(Don't judge! I didn't clean the sink itself. I'm not perfect!!)

I'm reading these:

(Jamee can read 3 books at once. WHAT!? I've learned 1 is plenty for me!)

Haven't worn anything but mascara in days:

(Red swollen eyes with dark circles is the real me I suppose.)

It's a Contest!

2010-02-08T16:33:00.002-06:00

I need a new Title/Header for my blog!

The "Mindy & Eric Choate Family" title

is SO OVER!

Please comment with any ideas.

You WIN if I choose your entry!

The winner will win a special .... i dunno ...

TREAT!!

Thanks, in advance, for your creative ideas and for participating in my pathetic contest.

2009 review in pictures

2010-01-30T10:12:00.011-06:00

SLEEPING IN 2009

CHRISTMAS 2009

BIRTHDAYS 2009

MAMA & PAPA VISITS OF 2009

SISTERS 2009

FRIENDS VISITS IN 2009

COUSINS VISITS OF 2009

CRUISING IN 2009

Playtime!

2010-01-28T17:28:00.005-06:00

I always tease that I should stand in line for the dishonor of being deemed 'worst mother ever.'

Sometimes my kids drive me nuts.

Somtimes I yell.

Sometimes I'm impatient.

I don't feed them organic fruits and vegetables everyday.

Sometimes I give them what they want
when they're throwing a fit.

I know.

I need counseling, right?

;)

Well, today was one of the BEST days EVER!!

Jaxon, Josh and I went to lunch with a friend from Jaxon's school.

Getting out of the house.

Great!

Then he had 2 of his best buddies over for playtime.

I'll tell you what ... I got more done in those few hours than I have all week!!

My kids played, got along, were entertained, ATE, and left me totally ALONE!!

Is it awful that the last part made me so happy?

My children really struggle with independence, for whatever reason.

So, quite frankly, to have them not asking me to do

anything & everything for them was really nice.

I loved watching Jaxon explore his imagination, share, laugh at jokes,

button his own pants, etc.

because he was watching his friends "be big"!

I Love play-dates!

Don't you!?

Nothing Like It

2010-01-26T21:12:00.002-06:00

Of ALL the places EJ and I could've chosen to settle for our 3 year "stint" in Texas,
I thank my lucky stars to be here; to have the women here as my friends!
I have been lifted up, couseled, laughed and cried;

I've grown and learned much with and by them.

I genuinely look forward to Girl's Nights in all it's forms.

There really is nothing else like it!

(and I am MOST grateful for a husband who understands the need and value of sisterhood
and encourages me in the pursuit of continuing to cultivate these relationships.

Thank you, honey!)

Lee Jeans

2010-01-24T14:21:00.002-06:00

I won a free pair of jeans!

Free!

Valued @ $49!

FREE!

They are so cute and fit GREAT!
Did I mention they were FREE!?
You can often find me wasting time by browsing one of my favorite websites Hip2Save.

Well, all the time wasting proved valuable a few days ago when a FedEx package came for me! You can imagine my cries of surprise and happiness
when I pulled out these adorable pair of jeans!

Hip2Save posted this promotion on Facebook.

For the 1st (however many) new fans Lee got on Facebook
they would receive a pair of jeans.

I figured it was a long shot, but what the heck.

Well ... you know the rest!! WooWoo!!

Keep blog hopping for those deals ladies.
You never know what or when you might win!

Dear Sons

2009-12-16T21:58:00.010-06:00

Dear Josh,

Thank you for your patience, sweetness and independence.

Your smiles, giggles, sticky kisses and

sweet little words of 'tank too', 'pweese',

'yo wikum' and 'i wuv you' bring me wonderful moments of joy.

I can't imagine my world with out you in it.

You're such a big helper and so forgiving. I love you, Joshy!

Love, Mommy xoxo

Dear Jack,

I'm sorry I've been sick lately.

I'm sorry we haven't played 'hide-n-go-steet' or

'red light, green light'. I've missed pretending to be explorers in your tent.

Thank you for getting your own drinks and

remembering to wipe your butt all by yourself.

I'm so proud of you!

Tonight when you wanted to be the Mother

and I be the 'JackJack'

you reminded me of some of the nice things I do and say,

so thank you, son. I love you!

You make me happy EVERY single day!

Love,

Mom xxoo

Like Father Like Son

2009-12-03T10:28:00.003-06:00

If you know anything about Eric
you know that he can and will fall asleep
anywhere and on anything,
including but not limited to
a rock or a pair of boots.

I think this little man is following in his Father's footsteps,
wouldn't you say?

A Spotlight of Sorts

2009-11-22T17:54:00.003-06:00

Wanna learn more about my Sister, Shana Revell?

Well then check this out-

HERE!!

2009-11-17T23:31:00.002-06:00

Chic Boutique is being featured among several leading vendors in Norman tomorrow!
I'm so excited for them! If you can, go check them out at the Holiday Bazaar!

what i do for fun

2009-11-17T23:16:00.004-06:00

this is what i love to do.

a year ago

2009-11-17T09:46:00.010-06:00

i remember this same time last year. joshy was still sweet and easy. jaxon was still difficult but fun. eric and i were celebrating 5 years of marriage. we were preparing to sell our house and make the big move.

suddenly we found ourselves with out an income and no work. i remember feeling frightened. i knew we'd be okay, i just couldn't see how. i remember being surrounded by people with good jobs, making good money and feeling so left behind in the 'blessings' department.

it was a defining point in my life.

i don't remember when things turned around as far as my perspective goes, but all i know is it did. i grew up. i took a deep breath and realized that i'd give up any job, any dollar amount, any car, any home or any other luxury i enjoy to have the husband i've had for 5 years or the children i have, no matter how crazy!

how lost was I?

granted, our trials weren't sickness or disease, death or any other kind of serious loss, but they were ours and i remember learning to be grateful for those specific trials, because i could feel myself changing ... growing.

i remember standing before my family and friends expressing my love and gratitude for them and giving thanks for what i was and for the circumstances Heavenly Father had given me for my personal journey in this life, to learn and grow.

now this year as i count my blessings, we're no better off financially, but my life is rich with blessings including things that may seem funny to you or repetitive but they're mine!
a strong family. a devoted, hard-working & faithful husband. beautiful and healthy children. old & new friends who love and support. parties. a gym membership. photoshop. free long distance. coupons. the internet. febreeze. my dvr. the library. dark chocolate. email. the ability to cook. and so much more ...

what are you thankful for? what makes you rich?

2009-10-23T14:15:00.002-05:00

10 year class reunion

My date was the hotty on the far right end!

NEW FAVORITES

2009-10-21T18:41:00.008-05:00

1. Don't judge me, but I love Joy Behar. Yes I know, she is an outspoken liberal. But I love hearing what she'll say next. It's interesting to me to talk to and listen to people who don't agree with me all the time. I love her on The View and on The Joy Behar Show. Crazy, I know!!!

2. Bakerella is fast becoming one of my favorite sites!
"The site focuses on fun and easy baking. It’s a place to explore recipes, desserts, decorating and even photography with a few giveaways sprinkled in along the way. You’ll find ideas for cupcake pops (a Bakerella creation), cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and more. You may even find yourself smiling from all the sweetness."

3. Ghiradelli's Dark Chocolate with Caramel Squares is my new favorite treat. I eat them far too many times a day! It's yumminess delivers the perfect balance of dark chocolate and a rich caramely surprise center.

4. I never knew how COOL this place was. I left spending only $35 and with 2 great new outfits! Yay! And a brand new pair of New Balance shoes for only $30! Double Yays all around! Are you a maxxinista?

5. New Moon's Release Date, the sequel to Twilight, is November 20, 2009!!!
Need I say MORE!?

6. I heard about Jennie-O lean turkey from the hit show The Biggest Loser (another favorite of mine.) Eric & I love it! Swapping turkey with traditional protein provides a healthier alternative for all your family meals. All JENNIE-O TURKEY is raised without added hormones and steroids.

http://www.jennieo.com/about/ads/turkeywrestling.aspx <--hilarious
http://www.jennieo.com/about/ads/fatherson.aspx <--super sweet/inspriing

7. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE & DANCING WITH THE STARS
Love these shows. I live vicariously through their amazing talents & watching dance makes me feel happy! :) I even CRY sometimes. I know! What's that about?!

8. I was introduced to this site by JackJack's pre-k teacher. Zac Browser was designed to offer a pleasant, rewarding and secure experience. Children sing, play and discover the best that the Internet has to offer with only a few clicks of the mouse. I love the security features and it's TOTALLY free!! Zac Browser is software that allows your child to access games (a lot of games) activities (based on diverse interests) along with videos (that allow a stimulating experience and encourages children to talk). All games, activities and videos are specifically chosen for their positive effect on children suffering from autism.

9. UGLIES . PRETTIES . SPECIALS . EXTRAS . by Scott Westerfeld

I'm currently on the 3 volume of the highly acclaimed UGLIES series. I'm normally not one for sci-fi adventure, but these books have kept me interested and thinking. Very bubbly!

10. I love make-up. Hate having to wear it but I can't complain when the transformation from reality to made-up is quite different. MAC make-up has made it fun to get all dolled up again!

11. Dinosaur Train is my boys' new favorite show! “Dinosaur Train is the perfect marriage of the two things 3-6 year olds love the most — trains and dinosaurs. Ever since I saw my son put a toy dinosaur on board a toy train, I wanted to create a series that would take that interest and get kids excited about life sciences and natural history,” said Bartlett, the creator. PBS kids, weekdays

12. CARDIGANS are my new favorite fall accessory! Can't complete an outfit without one! Hiding all that's begging to be hidden and adding flair to any ensemble. They can be worn a 100 different ways. Love them!

13. Having trouble navigating Adobe Photoshop? Try Picnik!! What is Picnik? Picnik is photo editing awesomeness, online, in your browser. It's the easiest way on the Web to fix underexposed photos, remove red-eye, or apply effects to your photos. What can I do with Picnik?

Pretty much everything! They've got amazing Editing tools that can fix just about anything that could possibly go wrong with a photograph. A bunch of the editing tools are one-click fixes, including auto- fix, colors, and red-eye. And the others, like rotate, crop, resize, and sharpening, can be controlled with easy-to-use sliders. VERY cool! New fav!

that lost feeling

2009-10-09T07:01:00.003-05:00

there are a few things that when lost, cause me to feel so lost.

example 1: camera

when i can't capture jaxon sneaking to pick his nose, i feel lost.

when i made a yummy lunch and i want to post the recipe to bore the whole world with, but what's a post with out a picture?

i feel lost.

what to do? what to do?

2009-10-04T13:13:00.005-05:00

I'm not one to be able to sit for an extended period of time
in my pajamas and NOT eat something! I mean, who does that?
I've been on a mission, as some of you know, to eat better and work out more.
I'm quite pleased w/ my decision to ignore Joshy's cotton-candy shouting at me,
and go for the more healthy, more organic choice for dessert for this afternoon.
(don not be fooled by this common place appearance,

this is no ordinary decision. last night i shamefully ate two very large handfuls of
this sugary, feathery, blue stuff.)
Eric says I'm shaming the word dessert by calling it that.
He says it's something to be had @ breakfast. I disagree. What do YOU think?

Organic Vanilla Yogurt topped w/ crushed granola & an assortment of frozen mixed berries.
Sweetened w/ organic, raw, unprocessed honey from Spanish Springs, Nevada,
with a dollup of frozen whipping cream to finish it off. Oh Heaven!

After devouring this divine design of a DESSERT,
we made sock puppets to entertain the children during conference.

This distraction worked quite well for some time.
All you need is a magic marker & an old abandoned sock that's been waiting around to find it's match and VOILA, you've got yourself a personal entertainer for your kids,
(or your wonderful husband, if he's a giant kid at heart! and i know mine isn't the only one!)

my day

2009-10-02T21:51:00.009-05:00

My butt is SO soar! I need a massage therapist.

The workout yesterday KILLED me.

But ... (no pun intended)
Today was a good day. I love being busy.
Caught up w/ some friends. Love that!

Put make-up on today for the 1st time in DAYS!
Picked up a happier and more obedient child from school.

Returned a book I finished. (finally!)

Didn't realize it was story time @ the library.

"lucky" We stayed.

It was all about dinosaurs! PERFECT!

Ate @ Chick-fil-a with my boys, with my birthday money.
Got some groceries.

Cleaned my kitchen & did a few loads of laundry
while solving all of life's problems with Jamee and reminding ourselves that we're amazing!

Made order forms & other marketing material for MWL.
Love Photoshop

Hung out w/ the fam.
Opened ALL our windows!
Mailed a gift.
Huge accomplishment considering I tend to fall into the:
"i-never-get-around-to-it" category for good intentions.
Spent $12 @ Walgreens. Came home w/:

2 tubes of L'Oreal mascara . . . . . 4 toothbrushes

Gillette Fusion MVP Razor . . . . . Gillette Shave Gel

Venus Razor . . . . . Sheer Lotion

4 cans of Pringles . . . . . Puffs Tissue

Now I'm going to watch City Lights (1931) w/ Charlie Chaplin himself. Seriously!

He's fascinated by her

2009-09-29T17:50:00.004-05:00

When she's getting ready he can't take his eyes of her .

He even holds the mirror for her.

Picks out her jewelry.

Follows her around.

I hope his adoring habits follow him into adulthood

and he loves his wife this much.

I'm In Love

2009-09-29T15:40:00.006-05:00

Amy Butler

OH MY GOSH!

2009-09-16T19:11:00.002-05:00

A GREAT way to spend 2 1/2 minutes of your time...

I totally 'yoinked' this from my awesome cousin.

Thanks Kris!

FIRE ANTS

2009-09-16T13:44:00.010-05:00

My sweet little guy, Joshy, was attacked by fire ants @ the park yesterday.

Long story short.

He came screaming.

His hand was COVERED.

Instant welts, redness & swelling.

Cold water & soap was instant relief.

Tylenol & Benadryl.

Good night's sleep.

Woke up to a chubby hand covered in painful looking blisters.

Counted close to 60 soars!

He's been biting his arm, hand & fingers all day.

At lunch this is how he coped w/ the fiery, itchy owies.

Independence

2009-09-14T21:31:00.006-05:00

I'm so frustrated.

When does the independence come?
(and please, spare me the, 'oh just wait, he'll want nothing to do with you when he's older' nonsense.)

I'm talking about right here.

Right now.

Today.

I expected so much once school started.

Maybe JackJack would want to be more independent.

Be like the other kids in his class.

Wipe his own butt.

Get a drink of water.

Put on his own underwear.

Get himself dressed.

Zip his own backpack.

Pick up his own toys.

Sing his own songs.

Say his own prayers.

I know. I know. What are Mothers for
if not to be there to help do those things?
I get that.
What frustrates me is my children CAN
and are perfectly CAPABLE of doing
much of these things on their own,
but they simply REFUSE!!
They have literally NO independence.

Jaxon absolutely refuses to even take the stairs
w/o holding my hand.

Nor will he brush his teeth on his own.

So what am I supposed to do?

Just allow his teeth to ROT?!
Joshua KNOWS how to get his own drink of water.

We've made it as SIMPLE as possible for him,

yet he'll whine and complain and
WAIT until he has help to do it.

I'm so frustrated.

So tonight, I'd had enough.

'experiment with some independence',
I thought to myself.

Bed Time.
We read from the scriptures
& looked at the scripture pictures.

Things are going well.

Time for prayer,
Jaxon was called on to say it.
He was so excited.
He knelt down, folded his arms and said,
'help me now.'
I said,
'how do we start our prayers, jack?'

Jaxon: 'i don't know. you say it.'

Mindy: 'jaxon. you know how to say it.
how do we begin?'

After several seconds of silence,

Jaxon: 'I can't!'

Mindy: 'Yes! Yes you can, son! Try!

Jaxon murmurs: 'dear.'

Mindy: 'good. then what?'

Jaxon: 'HELP ME! YOU SAY IT!'

Mindy: 'Jaxon. Try. I'm right here to help.
But you must try.'

Jaxon: 'I CAN'T!
IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST AMEN!
Sing me a song, Mommy.'

Joshy chimes in,
'I want song. I no want pray.'

I said,
'I will sing songs after we pray.
But someone HAS to pray.'

In unison,
'I want song!'

I ignore their whiny pleas.
Mindy: 'Joshy, not yet.
We have to pray first.
Jaxon, PLEASE, will you please just pray.
I know you can do it.
I KNOW you know how.
Start with Dear Heavenly Father.'

Jaxon: 'No. Mommy sing.'

Mindy: 'Nope. No prayers. No songs. Goodnight.
I love you both. Stay in your beds.
Sing your own songs. Say your own prayers.
GOODNIGHT!'

Then I shut the door behind me.

Eric and I looked at each other and said,
'what are we doing wrong?'

What ARE we doing wrong?

Mascara, Puddles, Printers & Hysterics

2009-09-12T12:32:00.007-05:00

I'm learning how not to take things so seriously concerning my kids and the "bad" things they do.
Like jumping in muddy puddles with nice clothes on,
or ruining a new tube of waterproof
not-exactly-the-cheap-stuff-mascara.

Don't worry.
It's not like I'm planning on just letting
my kids just run-rampid.

I do want them to understand
when they've done something wrong,

but sometimes I think I go a little over board

w/ the guilt trip 'n all that.

I'm going to laugh w/ them more.

And when they shove cars and small cows
and horses into our new printer,

instead of freaking out and throwing them on the bed

to sit and think about what they've done

I'm going to take a deep breath

and see the teachable moment and not the

"now I must discipline you harshly
or you will never learn" moment.

Jaxon & I talked about this most recent incident
just a few minutes ago.

He said,
"i'm so sorry you got mad at me for your printer mommy.
i'm just SO very sorry."

He later explained he just wanted
to print pictures of cows & horses.
Oh my.

I suppose I could've just calmly asked him
what was going on,

given him a consequence still,

but avoided all the hysterics, huh?

I have a lot of learning and repenting to do!

Do I not?

HAM & CHEESE BRAID

2009-09-04T19:13:00.005-05:00

A HUGE hit in my household!
and SO easy

This recipe is taken from Fabulessly Frugal. This is a great freezer recipe.

1 loaf Rhodes bread dough
1 cube butter or margarine (I use 1/3 of the butter mixture).
1 envelope hidden valley ranch mix
3/4 lb. thinly sliced ham
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

TO PREPARE: Roll bread dough out into a rectangular shape so its approx. 1/2 inch thick. Combine margarine and ranch mix (I use 1/3 of what the recipe calls for). Spread about 5 TBS of mixture on the rectangle. Layer ham and cheese down the center of the rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips along each side of the dough (even numbers on each side). Starting at the bottom, take each piece, cross and twist. (braid!) Continue criss-crossing until your pizza is braided. Brush remaining butter/ranch mixture over top. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Wrap loaf with plastic wrap and then foil if you want to freeze it for later. If you are cooking it right away, place braid on greased baking sheet or stone. (P.S. - it was easier for me to roll out the dough and then pick it up and place it on a couple overlapping pieces of plastic wrap so I can then move it from the counter to the baking sheet or wrap it up to freeze.)

To prepare after freezing: Thaw overnight. Place in fridge as is if you wish to cook it on the foil. If you do not wish to cook it on the foil unwrap it and place on lightly greased baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap. Let thaw overnight. A couple of hours before you are ready to bake place it on the counter to continue to thaw and begin to rise.

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Before it went into the oven this is what MINE looked like.

p.s. Don't judge me for my nasty pans!

Not home 24 hours!

2009-09-01T19:58:00.006-05:00

Eric should be a "stay-at-home-DAD".
He's so much better at the job than I am!

The house was SPOTLESS when I got home.
I haven't even been home 24 hours and
I've already burned lunch, my dirty laundry
and shoes are everywhere,
the house is a mess. Jaxon took his milk in the living room,
'cause I let him. Eric accidentally kicked it over.
He said, 'that's against the rules.' I said, 'oh yeah.'
I think messes follow me. I asked Eric if he was annoyed.
He's just happy I'm home; messy or not.
I'm so blessed!

1st day back at the gym since Aug. 7th!
Yes, I've been gone almost that long!
It's crazy! I'm starting all over, setting goals.
Going to be sexy by Christmas! Woot Woot!

Can't wait for the weekend! We will have 14 people here
for the OUvs.BYU game/Labor Day weekend! SO EXCITED!

BOOMER SOONER!

"my angel sister"

2009-08-29T17:46:00.023-05:00

I want to talk about this, but I just don't know if there are words, really.
This is on my mind, because I'm here with her.

I've known her as long as I can remember.
As a matter of a fact my earliest, most painful memory was when I watched her family drive away in that green minivan for Tennessee.

We were instant "soul sisters". Best friends. I am who I am today in part because she is apart of my life.
She's inspiring.
Honest.
Righteous.
Beautiful & Strong.
Everyone needs a Jamee Lee.

Let me just tell you a little bit about mine...
She's always looking to have a good time
and in the most creative ways.
She's super strong, healthy and athletic.

She is and has been and always will be apart of every important part of my life.

When she's sick and pregnant she still looks beautiful and will pose for any picture.
She refuses to miss out on any of the fun.
In fact, she IS the fun!

- 2005-2006

She'll drop 60 lbs. after 6 months of having her 1st baby
& travel to support me on my wedding day!

-2003

She'll convince you that putting toothpaste on your zits makes them go away.
We dreamt together, made fools of ourselves side by side and gained our testimonies together.

-1995
-1993

She opened her life up to me, just after being newly married, so I could come and have my own life changing experiences and I've never been the same for it. I will be forever grateful for that summer.

-2002-2002

She can shoot a perfect target and look sexy doing it.

Her husband's tough, but she's even tougher being the wife of a cop.

When her car won't start before church, she'll load her kids on the back of her bike, put shorts on under her dress AND get there in time to hear her husband speak in sacrament meeting.

4 days after surgery she'll blare Michael Buble and dance with her husband in the kitchen.

When she finds her children on the roof she joins them instead of scolding them.

She can not only pull off red lipstick but there is no one who can do it better!

She is my "angel sister", My best friend.

-2009

Jaxon's 1st Day of School

2009-08-25T11:27:00.006-05:00

Jaxon had his 1st day of school today @ Stephens Elementary. He started out the day with his favorite breakfast, a donut with frosting & sprinkles. He got ready, took some pictures & then off to school. Josh also wanted to be involved in the process, so he grabbed his backpack as well. I asked several times about his thoughts, but he had very little to comment. When he got to school, he excitedly went to his class. The first assignment was to write his name, & I don't know what he did after that. When I picked him up, I asked him how his day was. He stated that he had fun & that he made some friends, but nothing about anything he learned. I asked him about the alphabet, numbers, etc., and he just concurred. Overall, he liked it, but was ready to come home. [Disclaimer: just to let everyone know, this is Eric, not Mindy, that's why it lacks creativity, info, etc....Sorry, I didn't realize that this would be one my duties while she was gone ;)]

Day 9!

2009-08-09T22:41:00.004-05:00

First birthday in Primary!

Came home with birthday wishes, cards, smiles
and a delicious green sucker!

I wonder what tomorrow will hold?...

Side note: We're comin' to Norman!
Get ready! Here we come!

Day 7&8!

2009-08-08T18:13:00.006-05:00

Day 7: Joshy lost the memory card for the camera.

Day 8 was Great:Joshy FOUND the memory card.
Jaxon swam & ate cupcakes with his friends.

They brought presents.

He can't stop talking about it.

He's so grateful. I'm so grateful.
They're the bestest friends he's ever had.

He and his pal even share the same name.

I hope this gratitude attitude lasts into his teen years.

Now we have pictures.

Day 6!

2009-08-06T23:47:00.004-05:00

Registered my big man for pre-k today.

Can hardly believe it. So pumped.
Need 'school clothes' now. Can't be naked in public.
Made this post before midnight. Jaxon's still awake.
The kid fell asleep shortly after his cousins left
and was dead to the world for hours.
I need a sleep Doctor.
For me and my 4 yr. old.
School is going to be a rude awakening for this lil' champ.

Advice, anyone?

Day 5!

2009-08-05T18:24:00.003-05:00

He's growing impatient.
10 days is a long time to wait for a child.
1/2 there!

Jaxon smashed his head on the door handle tonight.

He said, while sucking in air between each word,

"i need a band-aid! i cried like a baby, mom!"

(hence the band-aid above his eye )

2009-08-04T22:48:00.005-05:00

Tarakay & I tried out a new recipe tonight!
Yummy freshness!
Let me just share:

My kitchen was a mess but it was so worth it!

Thank you Tyler Florence

Mexican Tortilla Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium white onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1 quart gluten-free chicken stock, store bought
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for pan-frying
8 corn tortillas, cut into 1/8-inch-thick strips
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from gluten-free deli-roasted chicken)
2 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese, optional
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
1 lime, cut in wedges, for serving

Place a stockpot over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapenos, and tomatoes; cook, stirring for 15 minutes until the vegetables are cooked down and pulpy. Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1-inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, add the tortilla strips in batches and fry until they are crisp on all sides. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.

Ladle the hot soup into 4 soup bowls and put a pile of shredded chicken on top of each. Top with the diced avocado and fried tortilla strips (and cheese if using). Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Day 4!

2009-08-04T22:45:00.003-05:00

All tuckered out after a long and fun "day four!"

Day 3!

2009-08-03T22:17:00.003-05:00

Brayden, Sharlee Kay, baby Luke
and Aunt TK arrived today!
We've been so busy having fun and catching up
we almost forgot "day three!"
Heaven Forbid!

Day 2!

2009-08-02T11:16:00.001-05:00