Saturday night

Saturday night I could be found doing this.....

Cuddling under a blanket with an adorable girl,

next to a fire.

"Relaxing" in the hot tub with four water loving kids.

I miss my date nights with Steve, but this will do.

Yes, this was nice!

There she goes again

Happy Thanksgiving!

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some. --Charles Dickens

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:
Sunsets, happy children, laughter, my camera, flannel sheets, Donny winning DWTStars, Diet coke, my health, nature, gerber daisys (they make me smile), fire in the fireplace, pancakes and bacon on cold days, living in this great country, funny shows/movies, the tile floor in my kitchen, dancing to tween music with my children, wonderful school teachers, temple ordinances and blessings, knowledge of my God, and his son Jesus Christ, freedom of religion (even though I believe this right is slowly disappearing), when people come together to do the right thing in a nondiscriminatory fashion, service, my kids walking group, and most of all this thanksgiving I am grateful to be a mom to such a wonderful family. It is a dream come true!

That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

Alma 34:38

Funny mistake

Luke was invited to a birthday party Monday night. (In Draper, at rush hour, on a school night, for an undetermined amount of time!) Needless to say I am thankful for great neighbors who drove him down for me. Thank you!


The kids had a blast at Boondocks. They picked out prizes with the tickets they won. Luke picked out what he thought was a toy cell phone. On the car ride home he opened it to see that it was a eyeshadow kit. I think he got some slack from his friends, but as always he was a good sport.

It arrived early

Although Rachel does not turn two for another couple weeks, the terrible two's have arrived with a vengance!

She can move faster than I, and create messes faster than I can keep up.

On Friday I did not know if I would survive.

She painted my bedspread with red paint, stuck new rolls of toilet paper in the toilet, unrolled toilet paper, tries to brush her teeth and gets soaked and manages to soak the bathroom while at it. Her favorite task is moving stools around the house to her convience, so that she can get into even more spaces.

I just finished the whole terrible two's with Peter. I did not get enough of a break. Here we go again.

Most times, the good outweighs the bad. If it didn't I would need extensive counseling!

Won't you be my neighbor?

I live in a great neighborhood. Mature tree's, charming houses, friendly neighbors, mountain views, sidewalks, and a stip of neighborhood shops. Our older neighbors remember when there was a Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Shop, a 7-11, and gas station. All here on Stratford!

I also love that we have elderly neighbors. It gives my children the opportunity to learn respect and how to serve them. Luke was spoted getting off his bike and helping a lady bag her leaves. Wonderful!

Our families new favorite is the local pizzeria and coffee shop. Of course we go for the pizza, and it is SO yummy. The best part is we can walk. I am sure when my kids grow up they will remember this wonderful memory we are creating.

Luke's primary teacher is the local artist featured this month at the cafe. She described our neighborhood, as our very own Mr. Rogers town. I know he would be proud.

*On the corner you can see the local lawn care and nursery shop. When I was in high school we would take the sign that said "Pansy's for Sale" and put it on my friend Adams door step, who lived a couple houses down. Oh, he would be mad, but that was his nickname (pansy) and it was fun!

Daddy is going to be mad!

Today was the last straw. Rachel had syrup stuck in her hair-again. (My kids like syrup on their eggs and to dip the bacon in.) I am sick of her hair getting food in it. Last week I took her on a run. When I put her in the jogger, I handed her a sucker. The sucker keeps her quiet and gives me a nice relaxing run. Except on this day it was really windy. So her hair was completely stuck to the sucker and all over her face.

Today I made the appointment, even without my husbands consent. He is very attached to this little girl, and loves her locks. What is it with men and girls/women with long hair?

Rachel's mom is so mean. Making her get a hair cut when she is sick.

I wish I could see my husbands face when he looks at these pictures. The whole idea of this post was the shock factor.

Now I think someone else needs a haircut. Max. Poor dog. Very shaggy.

However grooming him is quite the expense.

Simple Gratitudes of the Day

It is the season of Gratitude.

Today I am thankful for....

-an awesome gym teacher who inspires me to do better each day.

-my kids excitement over my decision that I would drive them to school.

-the fact that I can actually walk on my foot....today.

-running through crunchy Fall leaves.

-Peter going up to the Christmas display at the grocery store. It was a wrapped display that looked like a red chimney. "I will huff and I will puff and I will blow your house down. Nope, it did not work Mom." He thought it was one of the 3 little pigs houses. You probably figured that much out, huh?

-Peter not being able to figure out how to rip toilet paper. I walked in on him cutting out sections with scissors. "I am using lissors to cut, since I don't know how."

-The chilly weather. I can keep my groceries in the car a little longer without having to unload them.

-Sammy finding out her baby is ALIVE! Will her and EJ ever get together?

"Mom, look at me!"

"Are you happy mom?"

'"No!"

"Are you happy mom?"

"No, you just hit Rachel!"

"So, are you happy?"

"I will be happy when you start being nice."

"OK, I will be nice. Are you happy now mom?"

This kid is very concerned about my happiness.

We go through a similar Q & A many times a day.

My life...

How handsome is this dude?

I love having him around. He is really good at killing mice with a shovel, scooping them up and throwing them away, and discarding an apple bag that had been discovered by mice and contained potential hantavirus. Mom just hates those chores, and Luke comes to my rescue every time.

This is his new bike, that he purchased with his own money. It seems as though not many kids ride bikes like they use to. I love that Luke enjoys this truly childhood activity.

*

Then there is my Maggie. This is her returning home from a long day at school. She has had a horrible cough, which drains her. She looks exhausted, but still has enough energy to greet Max.

*

Yesterday at the checkout stand I grabbed some Lindor Truffles..they are yummy. The cashier asked if I wanted them in my purse? Well of course. Then we got to my Diet Coke. Yes that also stays with me. Then he rang up the box of Zingers and handed them to me. What? I gave him a hard time. "Well I just thought you wanted them in your purse too."

Lets get this straight......

Yes!!!!

NO!!!!

Really?

Glamour magazine just released the Woman of the Year edition of their magazine. My question to them is "Really?"

Yes, their are some fantastic women on the list, no doubt about it. But some of the women make me raise an eyebrow. It is not that these women are not qualified, but because of their actions to situations this is not the time/year for them to be honored.

I first saw this story on the Today Show where they interviewed many of the honorees. It was Ms. Serena Williams who caught my attention. Oh how quickly stars are forgiven of their actions. Was it not just at this past US Open when Serena burst into an outrage. This is hardly woman-like demeanor. They even asked Serena about the recent soccer video featuring a New Mexico woman's soccer player, who was exhibiting rough/cat-like play. Williams defended the violent player! My point exactly on why she should not be a "Woman of the Year."

Next on my list, is the First Lady of California. Her husband signs a law that prohibits drivers from texting or talking on the phone while driving. Apparently she is above the law since she is a Kennedy and does philanthropic work. Again great lady, wrong year.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling. This story intrigued me as much as it did all of America. I majored in journalism in college and think that a job like theirs would be incredible. But they broke the law. I am sure of it. They knowingly went where they shouldn't have to get the story. And that they did. The two women put themselves at risk, not to mention the two countries relations. Then my government has to find a way, wasting valuable time, energy and effort to get them home. I would rather my government work on bigger issues that affect law-abiding citizens.

Rhianna? I love her music, think she is a beautiful woman. I guess that makes her woman of the year.

So what does make a woman of the year? Glamour got it half right, with women like Marissa Mayer, and Maya Angelou. Why weren't all the women they choose as uplifting and exemplary as these?

If I were an editor at this magazine I would argue that the everyday hardworking woman should be honored. The woman who serves her country, the woman who teaches school children, a donor, one that makes sacrifices, a mentor, a woman whose small actions affect the future of our society.

I have heard enough crap about how great celebrities are. I love the Dove ad campaign, so does the rest of America. It is a successful campaign because it features everyday women. Lets stop rewarding people for their money, looks, name and status and most of all stupidity.

Highlights

Thanks to both sets of parents Steve and I were able to escape away this weekend for some much needed time alone. I feel like a new mom. Ready to hug my children patiently. I realized that we are such a close knit family. Poor Peter kept opening Grandma's front door looking for us to come home. Maggie prayed that next time we would take her with us. Oh, but how I cherished this time alone with my husband. The highlights of the trip was taking in all of the scenery. After a long hike we enjoyed lunch at an apple orchard in Springdale. A cute little shop with healthy food, where we ordered a sandwich and enjoyed it on the lawn of the orchard. My only complaint about the little shop was they did not have Diet Coke. Which leads to my next highlight, or maybe it's a lowlight.

I needed my Coke so we stopped at a Maverick in Hurricane or Laverkin (we are in disagreement about what town we were in) but in all honesty is there a difference? The man in front of me was taking his own sweet time, and then made a comment about my drink of choice. "I can't drink that stuff, it gives me the brown stuff...you know, the runs."

I high tailed it out of that store, no arguing with the clerk even though she over charged me.

This hike in Leeds (above) is very cool. We have tried to find it before (but in the Summer heat) thanks to a friend we made it this time. Thanks Natalie. I would love to try it again in the Spring when the water is running down the wash and is fresh. This is the point where you need to use the rope and cut out hand/foot grips.

Snow Canyon @Sunset

We made very efficient use out of our time. Not a minute wasted. We did everything we cannot do when kids are in tow. I loved this relaxing stroll through Snow Canyon at the end of the day.

Observation Point

Unfortunatly for me, no half marathon this weekend. With this foot injury and the way I push myself, I would be on crutches for some time--no doubt about it.

We still came down to Southern Utah. It is beautiful this time of year. Today we went into Zions. We hiked Observation Point. Every corner turned was another "Awe" moment. Such incredible views. That is Angels Landing over my shoulder, we could hear some moron playing a trumpet on it.

We forgot to bring a backpack on this trip. We scanned Target for the cheepest backpack we could find. This is what we bought.

A Dora backpack. "Backpack...backpack!" I heard a lot of snickers from people. I wish someone would have just said, "Awesome backpack." Because it is, and now I have a gift for Rachel.

The picture below is the view from the top of our hike. Look at the path of yellow trees linning the Virgin river. I am convinced that this is the best season to visit Zion.

I was proud of Steve for hiking a steep 8 miles. He was proud of me for not freaking out about the drop offs. Yeah, there were some steep drop offs, but honestly I had to concentrate harder when using the out house at the base of the trail. Pure concentration so as not to loose my breakfast-whoo whee, it stunk!

Beauty is....

This was the theme for reflections at my children's school--"Beauty is....."

Luke was eager to enter the contest using his new camera. This was his entry.

I love it. I love the idea. Love that it fits his personality.

I wish him luck.

Yesterday was election day.

I proudly and patriotically placed my vote.

The seat for city council in our district was up for re-election.

This morning we found out (the woman I supported) lost by

only 9 votes to the incumbent.

This happened a few years back as well. A neighbor lost by 6 votes.

I wish more people would vote.

Teeth are "Fall"ing out!

Good thing the tooth fairy woke up at 5:00 this morning. Good thing she remembered that a special someone lost a tooth the day before. Good thing her accomplice had cash. Good thing the accomplice did not get mad while the tooth fairy was asking a million questions at such an early hour.

Such a happy go lucky girl.

I was playing around with photoshop yesterday. I am a beginner. You may start to see watermarks on my pictures. Not because I am some expert photographer, but because I have beautiful children who I don't want to see end up on some billboard in Russia. Basically don't mess with my kids.

The day after..

Lots of candy

+

random costumes laying around

+

sugar rush

+

waking up early due to DLSavings

=

The day after Halloween at our house!