Can I Have Some Grandpa's Juice?

Let me tell you a little bit about my dad. He is a character. You know the fruit drink mix from the cannery? Well, he mixes a gallon of that stuff up almost every day when we are visiting. The funny thing about it is that he adds way more water than he is supposed to and it results in a very weak, watered-down version that nobody likes but him. This drink has been dubbed "Grandpa's Juice" and the kids love to have it when we're here. The last few times we've been here, they didn't have any so it was somewhat disappointing for Maddie & Cole. In anticipation of our latest visit though, Dad made sure he had some on hand and informed the kids that they could have Grandpa's Juice when they got here. I think they were more excited about the Grandpa's Juice than anything else...they even talked about it on the drive. Sure enough, within ten minutes of us getting here on Friday, Madlyn & Cole were in the kitchen with Grandpa, mixing up a gallon of his special brew. Mmmm, good stuff.

Last week we went to Jeff's work party, where the kids got to visit with Santa Claus and he even gave them an early present! It was a lot of fun and our Santa experiences just keep getting better every year...Madlyn is so excited about it, Cole was hesitant but did OK, and Cade, well...the picture speaks for itself.





I'm busily trying to finish up the last of our Christmas preparations (while playing nursemaid to sick children - Maddie & Cole both have fevers) and we're looking forward to a fun couple of weeks! This Sunday we're doing our LeCheminant Christmas Eve dinner & program early since Jeff's parents are leaving on Monday; Monday - Thursday will be spent here - we're trying to start some fun family traditions of our own; and then we're heading up to Clay Springs on Friday for my Grandma's Annual Christmas party, the weekend, and New Year's Eve celebrations. We hope you all have a fantastic Christmas holiday!!

Favorite Christmas Tradition

My great-grandmother Melissa Davis passed away right after Christmas when I was 18. My favorite Christmas tradition began lots of years before that (I'm not sure when it started) and still continues today. Grandma Davis was bedridden for as long as I can remember. I think I remember seeing her not in bed one time in my entire life, although I believe she became bedridden when I was a young girl. She lived with my great-aunt Alice, who so unselfishly took care of her for those many years. Almost every Sunday, our family would make the 1/2 mile walk down to Grandma Davis' to sing for her and visit. I can still remember her soft, tender voice and her sweet smile. One vivid memory for me is one Tuesday night, my parents were leaving to go to a meeting and they told my sister and me that it would be great if we could go visit Grandma & Alice. I think I was about 12 or 13 and my sister 2 years younger than me, so we were a little nervous about going by ourselves. But the thing that really bothered us was that it was dark, cold, and really windy. In the small town where I grew up, there weren't very many street lights and not very many houses even to light our way. Well, it was a challenge for us but we decided to head out on our own...it definitely put meaning to the term 'dark and stormy night'. We walked as fast as we could to get there, pulling our jackets tight around our shoulders, and bracing our bodies against the wind. I will never forget the feelings I had as Aunt Alice opened the door and the light streamed out into the night, and as we walked into that tiny, warm house. I don't remember what we talked about or even if they were happy to see us (although I'm sure they appreciated the visit) but I will always remember that it didn't seem so cold and dark as we trudged back up the hill to our house that night.

Anyways, I digress. At some point, my family started making a huge Christmas breakfast and taking it to Grandma & Aunt Alice on Christmas morning. It seems like I was almost always involved in taking the plates loaded with food and getting the opportunity to visit with them for a few minutes. Then we'd go home and enjoy our meal as a family, and in later years, my grandparents started joining us every year for breakfast. I got to go with my dad right before Grandma passed away and I don't think she ate anything that year. She wasn't doing well and we knew it wouldn't be long. Well, Grandma did pass away shortly after that, early in the year of 2000. But my parents continue to take breakfast to Aunt Alice and we still have my grandparents over too. It has become probably my favorite tradition, one that I am going to miss this year since we are staying here at our own home for Christmas (a first in our marriage). I guess I'll have to make a big breakfast anyway...does anyone want to come?

Prayer

So Cole has just recently learned how to say prayers all by himself, without any help. It is really fun to listen to what he says and it is always amazing to hear what he is thinking about, as well as Madlyn when she prays. And as you can suppose though, sometimes the prayers get a little repetitious. Sometimes Cole's prayers consist of opening, being thankful for the food, and then closing. Most often the kids say the blessings on our meals and we as parents say the morning & evening family prayers but sometimes they will get a turn at this. Well, Cole was saying our family prayer this morning and hear is an excerpt: "Thankful for the food...(pause)...not the food." I love how he caught this so quickly and it made me realize that he really does think about what he is saying.

Christmas Recital

On Wednesday night, my two music classes performed their first ever recital at my house. It was a first for me, as well as most of the kids. I thought it turned out quite well and was pleased at how well these children did. Here's the group all together when we finished; aren't they cute?


Here's a shot of my two singing elves: Maddie & Cole had a lot of fun (at least I hope) and did such a great job!

Hopefully next time I'll be a little more seasoned as a music teacher and it will be even better!!

New Bundle of Joy

Just wanted to say a quick congrats to my brother Colbran & his wife Stefanie, who gave birth to their 3rd child on Monday. Easton Cole joined Allison and Brooklyne and we are so excited for them!! Easton has had a rough life so far but is doing better every day. He was born 2 weeks early (8 lbs. - can you imagine if he went to 40 weeks?) and his lungs weren't quite ready yet so he was on a respirator until late Monday night. Stef says he looks good and is slowly getting weaned off of the oxygen. I wish I had a picture to post but since they live in Hurricane, UT and the hospital is in Las Vegas, NV they haven't been able to email any yet. He is a cutie though - I saw a picture on my sister-in-law's phone (I know, I'm a generation behind and don't even have a cell phone). Easton, you're in our thoughts & prayers and we can't wait to meet you!!! Love you guys!

Tag...I'm it!

For the first time ever, I've been tagged! And I'm actually pretty excited about it - thanks, Nicole! This one involves listing 6 interesting things about myself; are there even that many? I'll give it a try:

I went to culinary school for a semester. During my first semester at Ricks, I studied culinary arts. I took a Bakery class, Food Prep class, Food Sanitation class, and worked at the R Bakery. It was actually a lot of fun and I loved the people that I went to school with, but I changed my major for two reasons: I was going to be cooking for the rest of my life and I wanted to get a degree in something that I wouldn't naturally have to use forever; and the social life of a culinary arts major isn't the greatest (I think there were 3 guys in the whole program)! I am extremely grateful though, for the experiences I had and the things that I learned...although I'm sure Jeff wonders where all of the knowledge & skills I gained are! I am still obsessed with food though and love to bake and make food from scratch...good food makes any occasion better.

I played Cinderella in my high school's production of the musical. I really LOVED it and honestly wish that I could do more performing. My dream (beyond being a wife & mother) was to be an opera singer (I wanted to be Eponine in Les Miserables) and I used to really think that I had the ability but have since realized that it probably wasn't the most realistic dream for me. I think I am much better suited to teaching my little music class that I do for some of the kids in the neighborhood. These kids are so cute and while it is definitely a stretch for me (I've never been comfortable teaching anything), I really love it.

My maiden name is the same as my mother-in-law's. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'll never forget the look on Jeff's face when I told him what my last name was (I knew he was disappointed and we had only just met :)) but since I know quite a bit of my family's history, I was pretty sure that we weren't related on my dad's Davis side. I made sure I quizzed him about his family as far back as he knew though, because I have some Welsh Davis ancestors on my mom's side and figured that if we were related, it would be there. I knew from what he told me (and later his mom) that if there was a connection, it wasn't close enough to worry about. Sure enough, at our wedding luncheon (after the wedding), my maternal grandfather got to talking with my mother-in-law's sisters and found that we really are related. Uh-oh...actually, it's pretty far back and I'm sure a lot of people are just as closely related but just the fact that we know about it is kind of weird. Haha.

You wouldn't know it to look at me or my house, but I am a perfectionist. Things either get done perfectly or not at all at my house, and unfortunately 'not at all' happens way too frequently. Thus, I live in a never-ending state of guilt because I am not the perfect wife and mother that I would like to be. In theory, I know that I should lower my expectations a little bit and maybe I wouldn't get so overwhelmed but I really feel like I should be able to be those things, if I just tried a little harder. Maybe someday....

I always think that my house stinks and I'm frantic to fix it. Although my house is fairly clean and I empty the trash often, there is always something that stinks to me. I don't like lighting a candle just to mask a bad smell so I run through my house emptying trash cans, running the disposal in the kitchen, pouring Bleach in toilets, cleaning any possible dirty dish culprit, washing towels, spraying Febreze, etc. until the stench has been eliminated...and then I light the candle. Maybe you've heard me apologize for my stinky house...I think I must have a sensitive nose because no one else claims to smell anything (or maybe they're just being nice).

I love words and writing. I think the reason why I love to blog is it gives me a creative outlet for some of my thoughts...I definitely don't do it for the pictures (I'm terrible at taking pics). I am almost constantly arranging and rearranging words in my mind so that they sound good. I don't ever post a blog without rehearsing it in my mind for a few days before because I want it to be just perfect (see #4 above). That would explain why I don't post very often; there's just not enough time in my day for perfection in that area. I also love writing & office supplies. I could spend hours at OfficeMax or Staples just looking at all the cool pencils, pens, and paper that are there. Oh, but a pencil isn't a pencil unless it is a real wood #2 pencil, ya gotta love 'em.

Well, that's about it. Probably not the most interesting post you've ever read, but maybe it will give you a little insight into who I am. Thanks for reading. Oh yeah, and I tag...Katharine, Belle (when you're done with your thesis), Milla, and Mom (that means you have to start a blog)!!

I Take it All Back

In a previous post, I mentioned that I like to tease my wonderfully talented and smart husband about being a nerd. I often tell him that he is a nerd in the sense that he is academically inclined, without all the negative stereotypes that come from the word. Yesterday I came across a blog post with the subject of 'why geeks make the best dads'. I was laughing when I read it because it sounded somewhat familiar. When I read the comments, almost every wife said that her geek husband is an engineer of some sort; must not be coincidence that my "nerd" husband is a civil engineer. I decided that I, too wanted to post a tribute to my husband because he really is the best dad and husband ever. In order to be completely correct in my use of the word, I decided to look up 'nerd' in the dictionary. This is what Merriam-Webster gave me: nerd: an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially: one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits. I TAKE IT ALL BACK.

While Jeff is, without a doubt, smart and devoted to intellectual pursuits (I don't know if I would say slavishly devoted, but he is devoted), he is definitely not unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept. I will give the example of our first "real" date together (we had met on a blind date the week before). When Jeff called me to ask me out, one of the first things he did was ask me how my brother's soccer game was. I had completely forgotten that I had told him I was going to it and I was very surprised that he had remembered. That was the very beginning of my realization that this man is very real and genuinely interested in the people around him. Jeff makes friends easily and people love to be around him. Socially inept? I don't think so.

While getting ready for this first date, I worried about whether I should wear a belt because I felt that Jeff was the kind of guy who would want a girl to wear a belt. But, I am definitely more casual than that and didn't want to misrepresent myself as a belt-wearing girl when I really am not one. :) I opted to wear the belt and honestly, I don't think Jeff even noticed. Needless to say, Jeff always dresses nicely and "in style". The thing about Jeff though, is that he doesn't dress for others and isn't into what's trendy or hip,and yet he always manages to look great; I really love that about him.

When I saw Jeff walk across my window before getting to the front door on that first date night, I saw how cute he really is. Cute doesn't do him justice though; from the beginning I have always thought that Jeff had a distinguished, polished, very handsome look and there is no room for any unattractiveness in there at all. So there.

So, honey, I take it all back. I will never call you a nerd again. I love your brilliant brain and your uncanny ability to solve problems, but I also LOVE your athleticism and your handiness (he really can build or fix anything), your playfulness and teasing (really, I do), your devotion to our family, your awesome capabilities as a father, and the tender, sensitive, and caring part of you. Thanks for being the world to me. I love you.

A New Look

So I accidentally changed the layout of my blog...I was checking out some of the templates and none of them seemed to fit my character as well as what I already have (boring as it is, yes). But apparently I saved one that I was looking at...what do you think? Jeff told me it looks really GIRLIE and so I'm not sure if he likes it. I'm not the girliest girl if you know what I mean so pink usually isn't my color, although it is definitely growing on me. Maybe I'll stick with this look for a while.......

My Little Scientist

I love that Jeff has taken so many classes in math & science because he is constantly teaching our kids and exposing them to technical terms at such a young age. For instance, he often asks them if they know what the cosine of theta is or what shearing or buckling means. It is funny but I also think it is good for them. Tonight was another good example of this. Jeff was looking at a text book from college (yea, I know...I always tease him for being a nerd) and Madlyn came up and was asking him questions. He started talking to her about an object's mass. He then introduced the concept of weight and how weight is dependent upon an object's mass, as well as the gravitational pull upon that object. Madlyn: "What's gravity, Dad?" Jeff, being the good teacher that he is, didn't just answer her question, but had an object lesson ready. He grabbed a ball and asked her what would happen if he threw the ball in the air. Madlyn: "It would fall....(the light clicked) oh yea. Gravity. I totally already know what that is." Haha. Smart girl. I'm pretty excited to be going through this stage with Madlyn; she is learning so much and is so excited about it. She has her dad's curiosity and is always asking me to, "tell me all about it, Mom." I am especially excited that she is learning to spell and read a little since that is my claimed expertise (or at least my love). Speaking of, we watched Akeelah and the Bee the other night and I was wishing that I had studied more for the spelling bees when I was younger like my dad wanted me to (although I know I wouldn't have done quite so well as Akeelah did). Needless to say, my desire to learn new words has been rekindled. My favorite word that I've most recently learned is 'quotidian'. Maybe my new goal will provide some diversion from the otherwise quotidian events that are my life :)

Overheard...

If you were visiting our house last night (actually my in-laws' house; we spent the night - long story), this is what you would have overheard:

Mom (me): Come here, please Cole. It's time to get your jammies on.
Cole: Ruff, ruff. (on hands & knees and scooting forward)
Mom: Here puppy, puppy. Come get your jammies on. (whistle, whistle)
Puppy : Ruff, ruff.
Madlyn: Here, Dog. You need to come into the closet and have a time out. Mom, the dog is not behaving so he needs a time out, he can't get his jammies on.
Mom: OK, one minute time out and then it's time for jammies....(minute ticks by with scattered ruffs and scoldings by Madlyn, the apparent dog-trainer)
Here, puppy puppy. Now it's time for prayers. (more whistling and kissing sounds)
Puppy: Ruff, ruff.
Madlyn: Here, Dog. Follow me.

anyways, you get the picture. I really never thought I would resort to calling my children like I would a dog, but I guess whatever works, huh?

My cute boy

It is not often that I get my sweet Cole boy all to myself. There is almost always one of the other two kids around. Well, yesterday I had accomplished the almost impossible task of getting all three children down for a nap at the same time...only to have Cole wake up a little prematurely. I had been relaxing on the couch with a little TV so I let him join me for a few minutes. Something happened on the screen that was apparently funny (I don't even remember what it was) because Cole started laughing and said, "That was funny." I chuckled and said, "Really? I just think you're cute, Cole." He responded with, "No. I think you're cute, Mom." So I said it again, "I think you're cute, Cole." "I think you're cute, Mom." (I really just wanted to hear him say it again). Cole actually speaks very well for his age and I absolutely love what comes out of his mouth (usually - he can be a pill sometimes). One of my favorites is when I ask him to do something, ie. get in his carseat, and he comes back with, "I'm going to go play ball, MOM." I just can't help but love him!

To the Birthday Boy...

Tuesday, September 4 marked Jeff's 28th birthday and we had a fun day! Jeff had requested blueberry pie for his special dessert so I bravely made one for the very first time. I found a recipe on the internet for a sour cream blueberry pie and it actually turned out very well. Jeff's parents came over for dinner and a little party, as well as Michael & Christina, our neighbors down the street. It was a fun night and I wasn't good at all at taking pictures, but did manage to get pictures of Jeff's birthday presents after he put them together and before they moved to their spots in the garage (I think we need a bigger garage - Jeff is getting quite the collection)!


a router table from Jeff's parents...now Jeff can make picture frames & such much more easily

a shop vac from me

We had a great day & I hope that Jeff did too...I love you, Jeff!! Happy Birthday!

Labor Day

Below are some pictures from our fun, fun weekend in Cedar City! We had a blast with Christian, Tamara, & crew! We hardly saw Madlyn for the 3 days; she was busy with Macy & Anna. They had so much fun trading clothes, making cell phones out of paper, as well as a doorway sign for their new Girls Club (no boys allowed!). They were so cute!! James & Cole hit it off pretty well and by the end were playing together like best buds. While Kate & Cade are roughly the same size, the 8 months' difference in age prevented them bonding too well. But it was fun taking pictures of them (we think they have some similarities in looks). Jeff & Christian worked a little on the backyard fence and Tamara & I chatted it up in the kitchen, while Tamara turned out delicious food every few hours! (We also enjoyed Domino's pizza and Dairy Queen blizzards, courtesy of the LeCheminants - thanks!)

We were also lucky enough to get to see Colbran & Stef at their home in Washington, as well as my parents, Buchanan & Ariann, Quinton, Stanton, & Lincoln. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures...they would have been good too. The boys would have loved pictures of them shoveling rocks, I'm sure. Colbran & Stefanie treated us to yummy pizza & breadsticks from The Pizza Factory (the breadsticks were sooooo good) and my mom provided dessert of cheesecake, Oreo pie, and ice cream sandwiches. OK, can you tell I enjoyed the food of the weekend??

Thanks to the LeCheminant & Davis families for your hospitality and love. We loved spending time with you and only wish we could have hung out more. Love you guys!

Labor Day Weekend

The Day of the Tomatoes

There are a few things in my life as a homemaker that give me a tremendous amount of satisfaction. Baking bread and making pumpkin rolls are high on the list. There is nothing like sitting back after a few hours of mess & work and seeing your creation, perfect and untouched. Today, I added another to my list. Canning. Yes, I canned tomatoes for the first time as an adult person and definitely the first time by myself (well, not really...I had to call my mom & sister for moral support & some guidance). I really am so excited. I plan to do some more tomatoes this week, and hopefully some peaches soon if I can find a good deal, and next...who knows? The canning possibilities are endless.
P.S. Thanks to my mom for lending me her steam canner & to my mother-in-law for the use of the jars. I'm so excited to get my own equipment soon; I just wanted to make sure that I would actually use it if I went out and bought it...I think I will. Yay! I'm so excited!

At Home in the Mountains

Last week, my kids & I hopped in the car and spent a few glorious days in the mountains with my family. As I was driving into town, the temperature was 62 degrees and on my way out of town 5 days later, 74 degrees. I don't think it got much hotter than that the whole week - it was great! Here are the top 5 reasons why I loved this trip with my family:

5) the weather was amazing; we got to experience an awesome rainstorm on Monday afternoon
4) the smell; I miss the smell of the trees there, especially when it's wet
3) reading; I read 4 books, including one of my all-time favorites, Pride and Prejudice
2) chatting with my parents on a whole range of topics such as finances, canning, food storage, parenting, etc.
1) just being with my family: washing dishes with Quinton, watching Buchanan make Mexican suckers for the kids, watching Food Network with Stanton, playing ball with Grandpa, Grandma, & the kids, seeing Lincoln in his new football uniform, hearing some exciting news from Buchanan & Ariann, and watching my children LOVE being with their uncles & grandparents

The only downfall to the week was not being able to have Jeff with us; he was faithfully putting in his time at Atwell-Hicks in Florence. We really missed him and were so happy to be home again (there really is no place like home), but the kids are already looking forward to their next trip to the mountains.

I am so not cool...

I have come to the realization that I am no longer "cool". Maybe I should have realized this a little sooner (perhaps when I told my Achievement Day girls that they should come to the next activity. "Be here, or be square", I said...I should have been able to at least get the cheesy saying right. One of the girls just looked at me and said, "Isn't it be THERE or be square?"). Anyways, this is what has been on my mind the past couple of days: I am not cool and my life is not very exciting. These thoughts prompted some soul-searching on my part. Who am I really and what do I have to offer to those around me? Why isn't my life exciting...or is it? After pondering who I am and what makes me special, here are a few things that I came up with:

1) I LOVE chocolate chip cookies and I LOVE the chocolate chip cookies that I make. Almost everyone that knows me well knows that I make them anytime someone comes over to my house and have been doing it since I was young. In fact, Jeff worked with a high school friend of mine for a summer and we had him & his wife over one night. I was making chocolate chip cookies and he said, "Don't you always make cookies? It seems like I remember you always making cookies." Yes, I always make cookies.
2) I just got a new piano bench for my birthday. Jeff began refinishing my parents' old piano for me 5 years ago, and it is just in its finishing phases (we took a few years off when we moved to Flagstaff and couldn't take it with us). I absolutely LOVE it!! I love watching my kids get up to the piano and play; it makes me feel like a real mom. I love listening to the music as I do my chores throughout the day...I hope our home is always filled with good music.
3)I have never been very creative or decorative at all, but I just learned how to crochet a cute border on blankets & have already given one as a baby gift. I am so excited about this new skill that was passed on to me from my grandma; not only is it fun but I feel like I'm keeping up at least one tradition of the good women in my family. I also successfully designed (after copying & combining different ideas) and sewed a cute set of valance curtains for my kitchen windows. This is an accomplishment for me on at least two levels. Not only am I not known for my creativity, but I also am not known for my tenacity. If I can't do something well and quickly the first time, I usually don't try, try again. So I was pretty proud of myself for sticking with something that was not only very tedious & time-consuming, but not instinctively easy for me. They also turned out much better than I imagined.
4)I LOVE being a wife...maybe it's because Jeff is so easy on me and doesn't demand or expect perfection from me, but it really is so fun. While I have many improvements to make in this area, I love to do things for and with Jeff. He is such a fun person and I am so happy to have him in my life. He helps me not take myself too seriously and to enjoy the simple pleasures in our life. And he makes me laugh. You should have seen him the other night doing a TaeBo workout for the first time (he indulged me - he would rather go running). I know he was exaggerating his lack of coordination but it still made me laugh; I don't really don't know how the man can look so good on the basketball court with those coordination skills :) I love you, Jeff...you are the world to me!
5)I have three beautiful, amazing children that I love SOOO much! It is so exciting to watch them grow and learn, and I love learning how to be a good parent. I could talk forever about all the great things I get to observe and experience being a mother, suffice it to say that they teach me so much and bring me so much joy. Plus, they make me laugh too.
6)I try so hard to be good. I am so far away from perfect, but I don't know anyone who wants to be a goody-goody as badly as I do. You may laugh because obviously I am not there yet, but I really do try. I love doing good things and teaching my children the Gospel; every day I am "trying a little harder to be a little better".
7)I don't like to run at all, but I really REALLY wish that I did.
8)I have recently discovered the joys of shopping for a bargain.
9)I really want to buy a pressure canner; I just learned how to can chicken and I'm starting to get obsessed with food storage.
10)I really like to write...I don't take the time to sit down and do it very often, but sentences run through my mind like crazy and I rearrange them and rearrange them until they sound good enough to be put onto paper (they rarely get there).
11)I really really DISLIKE pets and would never get one on my own, but I am now considering the possibility of getting a chocolate lab puppy for my kids...what do you think? It would only be an outside pet.
12)I love FAMILY. I have 7 siblings that are fantastic and I love to be with them and talk to them and they inspire me to be better. I also can't help but love the spouses that they have chosen so far - I'm so lucky. My parents are AMAZING and I'm so blessed to have been raised by them. My in-laws are equally amazing and I can't believe how lucky I am to be married into such a great family. I have learned so much from them and love spending time with them as well.
13)I talk too much. Even now, in writing, I can't seem to stop myself. Sometimes I do have what I call "thinking days", where I don't talk a lot (drives people close to me crazy because they think I'm upset) but when I get excited about something, it's hard for me to stop.

I guess the moral of the story is that after thinking a lot about who I am, I came up with this one main idea: I am a person with a few weird quirks, but basically I am a good person who tries hard to be good and who has much to be thankful for. My life is exciting because it is full of the people that I love and I really wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world. I guess that is pretty cool.

and they lived happily ever after

A little over 2 weeks ago, my little (not so little anymore) brother got married in the Snowflake Arizona Temple. Buchanan & Ariann were a beautiful couple and it was such a wonderful day. I was so happy that I had been able to be a little bit involved in some of the planning and dreaming, but especially glad that I could be there on that special day in the temple. In my opinion, there isn't anything better than being in the temple with your family and this was no exception. It was beautiful!! They were so cute and in love, but I don't think I have ever seen a more nervous-looking couple; it was funny. They got over that quickly and I think married life is going great for them. I talked to my brother the other night and I could tell he was so proud of his new wife when he told me how she had fixed up their little home for them...so fun! I know they will be happy together and I'm so excited to have a new sister added to our family! Love you guys!

Camping and S'mores

I think it has been a good month since we had our first camping trip as a family. We found a good deal on some camping gear and decided to put it to good use. So we made sure we had everything we needed, including the ingredients for the must-have treat of camping trips: s'mores, and set out on our camping adventure...in our living room. It worked out great for everyone. Dad & the kids were glad to be able to go camping (even if it was cheater-style), Mom didn't have to do all the hard work that goes into a camping trip, and the baby got to sleep in his own bed. I had gotten a s'mores maker for my birthday last year and had not yet used it, so we pulled it out for its inaugural run...it is awesome! Here are some cool pics; we had a great time!

I have some cute pictures and stories to tell but haven't had the time....but I just wanted to share this quick anecdote while I have a second. Yesterday, Cole escaped down the street to our neighbor's house and when I finally caught up to him, I didn't say anything. I just grabbed his hand and we started walking home. A few steps down the street and he said, "Hi Mommy. Nice to see you." I was cracking up...not exactly the words I expected to hear from my 2-year-old escapee. Haha.

Carrabba's...mmm, mmm, good

So Jeff & I went to Carrabba's Italian Grill last night for our anniversary. Neither of us had been there before but had heard great reviews from my brother and Jeff's boss Greg, so we thought we'd give it a try. As we were being seated, the hostess asked if we had been there and we said no. Later, while we were enjoying our hot bread with the yummy olive oil & spices, the owner of the restaurant came to welcome us and give us a plate of zucchini fries on the house. In response to his question, we told him that our 6-year anniversary and some referrals from Jeff's boss had brought us in. We then enjoyed the most delicious Italian food I have ever eaten: the zucchini was so good that I could have just stopped there, but I also had a minestrone soup that was to die for and Pollo Rosa Maria, which was grilled chicken breast "stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto, topped with mushrooms and a basil lemon butter sauce." Seriously, it was sooo good. Jeff enjoyed his favorite classic, lasagne, and it was delectable as well.

Throughout the meal, I dreamed of owning my own Italian restaurant someday...Camilla, do you want to go partners? At the end of the meal, our very friendly and efficient server Gordon brought us dessert and we were serenaded by the Carrabba's staff. He then told us that our meal had been taken care of and to enjoy our evening. Wow - we were blown away! We are definitely coming here again, we said.

As we were leaving, we found the owner to say thank you and found that Jeff's boss Greg had called earlier to let him know we were coming and to take care of us - wasn't that thoughtful? We also chatted with Gordon who, we found out, graduated from Mountain View High School just one year earlier than Jeff. What a small world.

On our way home, we stopped at Home Depot right next door, and as we were perusing the tools, Jeff said, "Oh no. We forgot to leave a tip." I was horrified. We had enjoyed a wonderful evening and Gordon had been so good to us...so we went back and I apologized to the hostess and asked if she would please give our tip to Gordon for us...good save! I couldn't believe we had forgotten and I was so glad that Jeff remembered in enough time.

Anyways, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Carrabba's...if you like Italian food, I give it my full recommendation.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

At the risk of getting all mushy & gushy and making you all uncomfortable, I will keep this one simple and short :) It has been six amazing years being married to my wonderful husband and I know that it will only keep getting better! Jeff, you are great and I love you. Happy Anniversary to us!!

P.S. Don't worry, I'm saving the mush & gush for Jeff - he likes that kind of stuff :) :)

I wish I had a picture...

It was six years ago, but it is still funny. I am laughing now just thinking about it. May had been perfect weather that year, right up to the week of the 20th...then it got super hot. In fact, I saw on the news today that May 24th, 2001 holds the record for the highest heat on that day: a whopping 109 degrees. It was not the best time for the air conditioning in your apartment to be broken. But it was. And I will never forget my sweet mom, sister, and 3 good friends staying in that toastin' apartment with me the night before I got married. Jeff & I had opted to wait until after the wedding to call the landlord about the air conditioning...after all, I had slept there a few nights the week before, and it was just fine. That was, of course, before Mother Nature warmed things up a bit.

OK, so picture this. My mom is laying on top of my bed, no covers, with the ceiling fan on its highest speed, sweating. My sister Camilla, friends Danielle and Mardi, and I are sprawled out on the couch and floor in the living room. But I think my most favorite thing to remember is friend Jamie lying on the floor with a small oscillating fan blowing right into her face. I think she may have been so close that she was actually touching the fan. And she stayed there in that position all night long. We were a sorry sight.

Well, thank you girls, for your constant love and support, even when things got a little hot and sticky.

On Growing Up

I should have listened to you, Mom, when you told me not to 'wish my life away'.

Growing up, I was always wishing for the next stage in my life to come, and knew that life would be much better when I was 12 and in Young Women's, 14 and could go to Stake Dances, 16 and driving & dating, when I was 18 and in college, and then when I was married. Birthdays were a huge deal to me; I counted down for months before (and I'm pretty sure I was quite annoying about it). My mom used to tell me that I should enjoy where I was now and that I would get older soon enough. Mom, you were right. Now I am nearing my 26th birthday (aaah!) and wishing that I could still say that I am in my early 20's. I know that some of you may wonder what in the world I'm complaining about - 26 is still young, I know. But I am just realizing that the world is beginning to spin a whole lot faster than it used to, and that maybe I want it to slow down for a minute. 'Cause like my mom used to say, "there's no use rushing." Let me share with you a few events that happened this week to prompt these thoughts.

On Sunday, Jeff took the head rest out of Cadeson's carseat because he is getting so big. I didn't even notice that it was gone - he just fits so well in there. I realized that even though I just recently began putting him in size 3-6 month clothes, I need to begin the transition into size 6-9 month soon. (Technically, a baby fits into 6-9 month clothes when he weighs 16.5 lbs....Cade was 15.5 lbs 2 weeks ago and he seems much bigger already). I have always said that my babies don't stay babies long enough, and I am really feeling that with Cade. He is no longer a newborn; he is loving life and exploring the world. And isn't he so cute?

Cole got his first major haircut on Saturday. He had gotten a haircut early in the year, but even though an inch and a half had been taken off, it was hardly noticeable. Saturday, Jeff persuaded me that it was time to cut off the beautiful curls....a very bittersweet time for me. Cole looks like such a big rough 'n tough boy now and I love that, but I will miss the look of the sweet little boy that was. Cole is growing up oh, so quickly, and it is so much fun. He is learning his ABC's (with the help of his big sister) and loves trucks, airplanes, helicopters, motorcylces...basically anything that makes sound and moves. We have been going to the home improvement stores a lot lately and he just loves it. Last night he kept telling me that we went to the store in Mamu's (Michael) truck and looked at wood. What a boy!

Madlyn had her first tumbling performance on Tuesday and she was definitely the little star of the class! She followed instructions very well and wasn't shy about doing her routine at all. It was so much fun to watch her and we were so proud of her accomplishments. I can't believe that my baby girl is so grown up that she is doing this kind of stuff already!! Madlyn is writing her alphabet now and learning to spell. She even wrote a thank you note by herself the other day (with me telling her how to spell the words) - I couldn't believe it! She is quite independent and bright; it is so rewarding to watch her learn and experience new things. She has even begun reading her scriptures on her own, because she learned in Primary that she should have personal scripture study every day. She reads them silently though (doesn't want my help) so I'm not sure how much she is really getting out of her studies!!

We celebrated my younger brother Buchanan's birthday on Tuesday and he turned 22 - I can't believe that one of the 'little boys' is 22 and getting married this summer. We talked about how the older siblings are approaching 30, as well as my very own husband. And even though we have a couple of years until this happens, I am bracing myself already. It seems like now I want time to stop so that I can enjoy this wonderful time of my life, so that I can play more with my kids while they are young, so that Jeff & I can do more fun things while our bodies still work :), so I can learn to be a better person. I have too many things I need to learn, much more patience and humility to develop, more testimony to gain, and more faithfulness to practice; I just can't afford to get older.

I have come to the conclusion that life is not stopping for me and that I better enjoy it while I've got it. I've decided to treasure the everydays in my life, to spend more quality time with my children, to not watch as much TV, to go on more dates with my amazing husband, to strive to make each day better than the last, and to be a better person today than I was yesterday.

Comforts of Home

I love the small town.

Or maybe it's the way I was raised in the small town. Either way, I was able to go back to the small town where I grew up for a quick trip last weekend and I was reminded of how much I love the simplicity of life there; or again, maybe it's just the way things were at my house.

My parents got Dish Network a couple of months ago and those of you who know my parents will be surprised. I know all of us kids were when the announcement was made. (why wasn't this done 10 years ago when I lived at home and could enjoy it more?) I'm not sure what I expected on my first visit since this technological addition, but I was very pleased and a little bit amused at what I found. Apparently, this is what happens on Friday nights: the lineup of movies playing is announced, interest is expressed in particular ones, and then an informal vote of sorts is taken before it is decided which movie will be watched. Interestingly enough, Mom, Dad, & 14-year-old Lincoln all had similar tastes and it wasn't the controversy one might expect from such a group. I laughed inside when I realized we would be watching "The Magnificent Seven" and "Shenandoah", two movies that I had never heard of before (and I'm married to movie-guru Jeff - go figure). I'm sure I have to explain that "The Magnificent Seven" is an old western that pulled together a strong group of actors (the only one I recognized was Yul Brynner) that played a group of seven men who, from what I could tell, saved a small town from a group of thieves & bandits. I actually enjoyed "Shenandoah", as it had one of my all-time favorite actors, Jimmy Stewart, who played a widower in Virginia during the Civil War who tried in vain to keep his large family & farm uninvolved with the war. It turned out to be quite sad, but inspiring. Needless to say, I was relieved to find that my parents were using their Dish Network to watch old movies and race horses, instead of the other junk that can be found everywhere we look.

Some other reasons I enjoyed my weekend at home:
chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that my mom made
going to Dairy Queen to visit Uncle Stanton at work (OK, we got ice cream too!)
hanging out with my little brothers and watching them play with my kids
hoping that Uncle Quinton's mission call would come (it didn't)
helping my mom in the kitchen
checking out the stock market with my dad
snow, hail, sleet, and rain all on the same day
watching my dad take care of my mom (he did all the dishes while I was there)
feeling the love and comfort that is there - in the home I grew up in

I love you, Mom, Dad, Quinton, Stanton, & Lincoln! Thanks for a fun weekend!

Pirate Laundresses (addendum)

I failed to mention the most humorous part of my interchanges with Madlyn as we folded the clothes yesterday. As I was saying, "Aargh, matey" Madlyn was saying, "Aargh, lady". She misheard what I was saying and it didn't matter how often I looked at her and emphasized the 'm' at the beginning of the word, she continued to say it wrong. It was hard not to laugh at this cute little 'lady' of a pirate.

Aaargh, matey!

Madlyn was helping me fold clothes this afternoon (she is such a big helper) and she said that we were pirates folding clothes. Thus began the silly talk, "aargh, matey, hand me that shirt", etc. etc. It was wonderful to spend a few precious moments with my sweet girl as we worked together. (And she does such a great job of folding, I love it!) And to quote her, "It is fun working together."

Reminiscing

Forgive me while I reminisce a little about the past. My mind has been drawn to an event that happened just over four years ago, April 10, 2003. Actually, it all began in September 2002 when I discovered I was pregnant with our first child. Although Jeff & I had been praying for a baby, I was immediately scared. What in the world had I done? I wasn't sure that I was quite ready to accept the challenge of parenthood, but we were at the point of no return...I was going to be a mom. I had a relatively easy pregnancy, despite a few bladder and kidney infections that just wouldn't leave me alone (something I have learned to accept as a normal part of my pregnancies) and the due date, April 4, loomed closer. I had my bags for the hospital packed a good 4 weeks before then, just in case. I went grocery shopping and cleaned the house for the last time about 3 times; we just kept on eating and messing the place up. I read everything I could get my hands on about labor & delivery and how to tell if you are really in labor. April 4, a Friday, came and went and I was scheduled for an induction on Wednesday, April 9. I did not sleep the night of the 8th and woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for the call from the hospital. A phone call interrupted my shower and on the other end of the line a voice said, "Are you ready to have a baby?" My voice replied in the affirmative, although my mind was thinking, "I don't think I can do this."

We checked in at 7:30 and got hooked up to the pitocin drip a couple of hours later (I think someone forgot about us). Jeff & I watched TV, chatted with some visitors, slept, and even worked on a test for Jeff's math class for HOURS while nothing much seemed to be happening. At approximately 8:30 at night, Dr. Layton stopped by to break my bag of waters. Immediately, the tiny contractions I had been having began to hurt. I was told that if I thought I wanted an epidural, I should probably get it now, as the anesthesiologist was right down the hall and who knew if I would be able to get one after he left for the night. I opted for the drugs. I knew that I would probably be laboring all night (I was only dilated to a 3 at this point) and I thought that it would be in our best interest if I could rest.

Rest alluded me that night. From 7-11 pm I had a silly nurse who kept saying that the monitor was reading my contractions upside down (not quite sure how that happens) and she kept trying to fix it. She was very friendly and fun though and we were amused. At 11, a new nurse came in, fixed whatever the problem was (I still don't think there really was a problem) and we began the long night together. Soon though, it became apparent that the baby was not handling the stress of the contractions too well. The doctor was in and out checking monitors until he came in once and stopped the pitocin and replaced it with a drug to stop contractions. The baby's heart rate had dropped dramatically and it wasn't looking good. I signed all the papers for a C-section and watched in amazement as the doctor and nurse argued about whether or not we should proceed in that direction. The nurse was ready to pull me into the operating room, while Dr. Layton thought we could still have the baby naturally. I was scared to death of a C-section and trusted the doc's opinion. Within a few minutes, the heart rate stabilized and I was placed on pitocin again. A short time later, the doctor came rushing in again to find that I had jumped from a dilation of 4 cm to 8 cm. 20 minutes later, at 3:00 am, I was ready to push. The nurse told me that we would probably have a baby at 4:30 and inside of me, I knew she was wrong. I was going to work so hard and have that baby a lot sooner than that. It turns out she was right. After an hour and a half of the most exhausting work I have ever done, Madlyn Hope entered this world at 4:34 am, weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz., and screaming her head off.

As I looked at the wriggling, crying baby that was placed on my chest, I was overwhelmed. I wasn't quite sure what to think. This baby was crying and I was the one everyone expected to comfort her. I was terrified, yet so excited and grateful at the same time. I had prayed for this beautiful baby and here she was, lying in my arms.

What an adventure the last 4 years have been with my beautiful baby girl. My now 4-year-old daughter sits on my lap as I type this and when I'm done, we will spend the day coloring and painting, playing pretend, reading books, and laughing together. As I looked at my baby girl that early morning in the hospital, nobody could have prepared me for the difficult challenges that lay ahead for us. I wouldn't have dreamed that we would struggle with major sleep issues for at least a year, and that it would still be a challenge today. Nobody could have told me how strong-willed she would be and that I would have to constantly remind myself that "I am the mom. I have to make the rules." But I also could have never been prepared for the huge amounts of joy she has brought to our lives. Madlyn is a tender-hearted, loving child, full of energy and zest for life. Anyone that has heard her laugh knows that it is the most contagious laugh in the world. She sings, dances, tells us stories, and entertains us all day long...and if we let her, into the night. Madlyn takes care of her little brothers and is always concerned about their happiness; if she gets something, she makes sure that Cole has the same privilege. She is our little sweetheart.

Long gone is the screaming baby who just didn't like being trapped in that tiny body; in her place is a bright and beautiful little girl, one who looks so cute riding her bike with her helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads on. One who doesn't like me to pick her clothes or do her hair, but always manages to look cute. A little girl who loves to learn about Jesus and wants to do what is right. It truly is my greatest pleasure to be by her side as she grows up. I love being her mom.

What's in a name?

I've been thinking a lot about names lately, especially last names. I have always loved the last name I was born with. And while it is in no way unique or unusual, I always felt that my last name was special and I was always proud to bear my father's name. I loved introducing myself to people who knew my parents; I was loved and accepted many places because of the good reputation of my wonderful dad and mom. Despite my adoration for my last name, I yearned for the day when it would change. I have always thought that getting married and taking my husband's name would be the ultimate in romance. I tried on many last names (which girl doesn't test the name of every guy she likes with hers?) and none seemed to fit very well with mine. I resigned myself to the fact that I would probably fall in love and have to wear an awful-sounding name that just didn't fit quite right for the rest of eternity. Lucky for me, I fell in love with the perfect guy with the most perfect name for me. From the day that I met him, I wanted his last name to be mine. After we were married though, I began to worry. I no longer had my parents' name to give me good graces everywhere I went and I didn't know if I would be able to make it on my own. But...I soon found that I had been given a name with the same honor of my previous name. My in-laws are great people and the reputation of my new last name precedes me in many circles; I love it! And the cool thing is, I still get to claim my maiden name and I haven't lost a thing. I know that I will always be my parents' daughter, no matter what last name I am wearing; I have only gained a new and wonderful layer of who I am. Taking my husband's name as my own has given me a sense of belonging to him and with him forever. I love feeling that while I am my own person and very capable of taking care of myself, I don't have to. I have someone to ride this rollercoaster of life with, to plan and dream and sometimes struggle, but to always love and cherish. Now, I know that most girls aren't as lucky as me to find such a cool name, but I still feel that no matter what name you inherit in marriage, it is still the ultimate in romance. And to my sister-in-law who will be changing her name next week, I know how much you love your last name now and it may be a little hard to let go, but I truly feel that embracing your new husband's name and making it yours will be a symbolic gesture of accepting him wholeheartedly into your life and soul. I love you and I know that you and your new name will live happily ever after.

Baby smiles, tumbling, and clean sheet day

Baby Cade has been smiling a lot more lately and I actually had a pretty good photo opportunity yesterday. He is such a pleasant baby and we really love having him around.

Madlyn went to her first tumbling class on Tuesday. She was a little worried (it was actually her first any kind of class) but she loved it. I didn't stay and watch because my little entourage (me and the boys) was a bit distracting for Madlyn and the other kids, but Suzy said she did great. When we got home, Madlyn showed me her 'donkey kicks', 'froggie jumps', and 'bridge falling down'. She was amazing. I'm so happy that she had fun and very excited to watch her learn more. Madlyn's big question after the class was this: "Why do boys do tumbling too?"

Aahh...Who doesn't love climbing into a cozy bed with cool, clean sheets? Yesterday was that wonderful day of days, Clean Sheet Day, and it felt so wonderful to climb into my bed after a long, tiring day of caring for children, cleaning, laundry, Achievement Days, and visiting teaching (note to reader: I didn't mention cooking - I can't be perfect). And since Cole has not been highlighted yet in this post, I will mention that he got to share in the joy of my fresh clean sheets when he woke up at 5:45 am and climbed into bed with me (I don't usually approve of co-sleeping, but since I had two boys awake and a husband leaving for work, I didn't have many options). It was definitely a treasure to have him cuddle with me this morning.

An evening away

Thank goodness for Relief Society and a wonderful husband! Tonight my ward celebrated the birthday of the Relief Society (165 years, I think) and my amazing husband was so supportive about my attendance, even though it meant a babysitting gig for him that involved our oldest 2, as well as the neighbor's 2 young boys. I felt a little guilty about leaving him with all that, but I was so grateful for the opportunity to go. I loved the adult female conversation (a rare commodity these days), the laughs, and the ice cream sundae at the end (but who wouldn't love that?). And while I was only there for just over an hour, it gave me the extra boost that I needed to keep pressing on. Thanks Jeff!

My simple pleasures

Although there have been some detours and unexpected twists along the way, my life to this point has been fairly predictable. I have always aspired to be a grown-up wife and mother and here I am, wife to a wonderful husband and mother to three darling children. While I am living my dream life, I have realized that the things that matter most to me are different than I thought they would be. As a young girl and teenager, I imagined a fairy tale existence with my over-the-top romantic husband who would bring me flowers on a regular basis and surprise me with candlelight dinners on special occasions. I knew that my children would always be perfectly dressed, well-behaved, and eternally charming (they would definitely never have runny noses and I would most definitely never wipe their noses with the bottom of my T-shirt).
My life as a wife and a mother has changed some of my views and reality has been settling in. But I have learned that I wouldn't trade my life for anything, and that while most of my pleasures could be called simple, they are treasures to me. Reality is that I have a wonderful, amazing, thoughtful, and practical husband who thinks that buying flowers is a waste of money and doesn't have any interest in candlelight. Instead, he lets me sleep in and never complains when I don't make him breakfast or lunch (which is, unfortunately, almost every day). He comes home from work and instead of eating and immediately leaving me again with 3 children while he goes home teaching, he invites the older 2 to go with him so that I can relax and put the baby to sleep. He surprises me on Saturday mornings with my kitchen table moved and him on his hands & knees mopping, just because he knows that I want to get it done but can't do it by myself. Reality is getting cozy with him on the couch after the kids have gone to bed and watching some episodes of Reba that we've been trying to watch for 2 weeks, only to barely get through 1/2 of the first episode before dozing off to sleep. I love you, honey.
With a brand new baby recently added to our family, my dreams of having spotless, well-behaved children is fading further into the sunset. Some days we barely get out of our pajamas and get our hair combed, but every day is special and sweet. Some of the simple pleasures I enjoy with my children are: watching my newborn baby drift off to sleep in his own bed, after nights of not sleeping anywhere but my arms; seeing the delight on my 20-month old son's eyes when I say, "sure do love ya" and listening to him say "Mommy...silly"; watching my almost-4 year old daughter do a somersault without hands (almost a front flip) and listening to her telling me that "Some mommies have jobs. Mom, you should get a job and Dad could stay home with us. What do you want to be? You could be a doctor...you could be a builder...Mom, what do you want to be?" Madlyn, the only job I ever want is to be your mom.
My life as a wife and mother is busy and hectic and sometimes very, very difficult. But I am right where I want to be and I hope you can enjoy reading about the pleasures that I experience every single day.