Another Plea for Help

Okay, so I admit, I am your needy, high maintenance friend. I am in need of your help yet again. At this time of year when everybody is focusing on their New Year's Resolutions, I am on a journey. I am hoping it won't take me far since I am on a journey to find myself. I know who I am as a wife and a mother. I really do enjoy these duties, but cooking and cleaning is only fun for so long. I know this post will probably sound selfish but I am trying to find things I enjoy for me to make me a better wife and mother. I don't like to list New Year's Resolutions per se, I would rather call mine goals. I seem to forget resolutions but goals are easier for me to reach and not drop after a month or so.

I really want to find things that I enjoy and make me happy, besides being a wife and mother. I know that I love to shop but that gets me into financial trouble. I know that I love to eat but that also gets me into trouble (never being able to lose weight). I love exercising and am trying to find/make time in the day so I can do it each and every day. I feel much better when I get my work out in. I have set a goal to run a 1/2 marathon by my 35th birthday and since the one I want to run is in August, I am starting to train for it now. I enjoy reading but by the time I get time to read my brain is so fried I can barely see what I'm reading. I want to find other things that make me happy so I don't just vegge on the couch in front of the tv every night once I get the kids to bed.

My question for you is what do you enjoy doing for yourself?? When you are all alone, what is the thing you do for you?? If you could do anything in the world, what would it be? Thanks in advance for your help! I couldn't do what I do without the love and support of my wonderful friends and family!

The True Meaning of Christmas

So I will admit that lately I have been feeling sorry for myself and ornery and depressed. It's hard enough when I feel like this, but for it to happen at Christmas time makes me even more depressed. I am a person who LOVES Christmas. I love the smells, the lights, the decorations, the shopping, the gift giving, etc., etc. It is really weird, and difficult for me not to have the Christmas spirit. Sunday I was whining and complaining to one of my friends about the 'funk' that I find myself in. She was very sweet and listened and offered some advice and help. I went home grateful that she listened. It made me feel a little better. Monday morning while I was making Ally eggs I looked out my kitchen window and saw this friend's car pull up in front of my house. I have to admit that I was very excited to see her (I always love spending time with her) but I was also feeling really, REALLY guilty that she was coming over. Knowing her, I figured she would be dropping off a 'treat' of some sort (she brought me a super sweet 'anti-anxiety' care package when Jim went to Australia a few months back). Boy was I surprised when she got out of her car all bundled up in her winter coat, hats, boots and gloves and pulled out her snow shovel. I ran to the door to protest. She promptly told me that she was here to not only shovel my snow but after she was done she was coming in for hot chocolate and would then be helping me put up my tree. I was extremely surprised and tried and tried to talk her out of it. I love doing for other people but I confess that I do not accept help very often or very well. She would hear none of my protesting and quickly set to work. She then came in and helped me put my tree up and 'fluff' the limbs. She even helped me start on my lights which was the part I was dreading most. I am extremely picky about my lights, each branch has to have lights on it. Thankfully, she is the same way and was very understanding about my pickiness (in fact, the section she worked on looked so much better than mine that I took mine apart later and fixed it).

I quickly learned that her service was part of the true meaning of Christmas. The fact that she would drop her list of things to do that day to come help out her ornery, selfish friend meant so much to me. Even though I still don't have the Christmas spirit I usually do, this act of kindness definitely lifted my mood and helped get me one step closer.

So, to you my dear friends and family, I now pose a question. What do you do to get you in the Christmas spirit?? I have tried the music, the decorations, the smells, even some Christmas movies, so I am looking for anything right now. One thing I haven't done is service and that is something I am working on. But, if you have any ideas, let me know.

Also, I am looking for ideas on how you teach your kids the true meaning of Christmas. I really want my kids to learn this year that Christmas is about so much more than Santa coming and the gifts he brings. We have done service for people the past few years which has been great learning experiences for the kids, but what else do you do?? I look forward to hearing some of your traditions. Thanks for your help in trying to get me out of my 'funk.'

No Longer the Neighborhood Scrooges

We have lived in our house for eight years now and only one year did we attempt to hang Christmas lights outside. The reason it was only one year is because with Jim's schedule he can only do it after dark in the freezing cold. The year we attempted to hang lights the ground was already icy so the ladder slipped out from under Jim twice. He got them halfway up and decided to finish another night before frostbite set in. Well, before he could finish, a wind came through and blew half of the stands of light off the house. We officially gave up after that! Two years ago I had a guy come give me a quote on what it would cost to have him hang our lights but couldn't afford him. We had come to the conclusion, and informed the kids that we would just be the neighborhood scrooges when it came to outside lights. This year Jim decided he was tired of being called 'Scrooge' so he and a guy from our ward spent Wednesday night hanging lights. It looks great!!! And the kids love it. Ally kept running out barefoot to look at the lights.



Doesn't it look great?? Now I just need to get the spirit, motivation, energy, or whatever it is to get the tree up and decorated. Maybe tomorrow. If only I could convince the kids (and myself) that Santa will still come even if we don't have a tree.

Family Pictures

Once again we got together with Jim's family the day after Thanksgiving for family pictures. I really do enjoy this tradition because it's the only way I get updated family pictures. We went to Murray park again this year because there are so many different places to get great pictures. It was freezing this year. The kids didn't seem to mind since they were running around playing with their cousins but we sure noticed. Jim was trying everything to keep poor Vanessa warm



Yes, she is in the coat with him



After we were done with all the pictures we needed her in, he took her up to the car to keep her warm.

Even though it was cold I have to say that I was pleased with many of the pictures. Here are my faves...







And last but not least, one of the entire family

Black Friday Shopping

For the last few years I have gotten up in the middle of the night to join the crowds and crowds of people fighting over those oh so coveted deals for Christmas. Last year I went with my sweet friend Gigi and had tons of fun. We made plans to go again this year and even tried talking another friend into being crazy with us but she came up with some crazy excuse about her husband having to work and her needing to be at home with her kids ;) (just kidding Liz, you were missed though). Thanksgiving night I started debating back and forth whether the deals were really worth it this year. When my alarm went off at 3 a.m. I was still trying to decide if I REALLY wanted to go or if I wanted to stay in my warm, cozy bed for more sleep. The craziness for deals won out so I got up and joined Gigi. We went to the Wal-mart in Springville this year. I have to say, they had it managed much better this year. For the big, popular items they had lines and gave out tickets to the first people there. So much nicer than watching people push and shove and try to steal from each other like last year. For the big items they just gave you a paper with the UPC code on it so you could pay for it and then take the receipt to the garden center to pick it up. That way you could shop for the smaller things without trying to cart around a big box. This worked really well for the Barbie Jeep I ended up getting for Ally. I was glad I didn't have to try and figure out how to cart that box around especially since I could barely walk through the aisles and zillions and zillions of people. My overflowing cart made it difficult enough. When we were almost finished Gigi told me to come down an aisle with her. As I was turning around the front end of my cart bumped into a Barbie display and knocked a bunch of Barbies all over the floor. I was so embarrassed. I started cleaning them up even though all the workers told me they would get them picked up. I figured it was my mess, the least I could do was clean it up. And what was my dear, sweet friend Gigi doing while I was cleaning up? Was she helping? No, of course not. She was laughing and laughing and reaching for her camera. Here is the evidence of my mess.....



I had told her that I didn't want to see the picture on Facebook or her blog but since she didn't listen to me and posted it BOTH places, I figured I can laugh at myself too. It really was quite funny! Just my luck!!

After all this we decided we had enough and went and hid in the baby section for a while just to get away from all the people. The lines were so long we figured we'd be there for a while anyways. It also gave us a chance to look through what we had grabbed and 'weed' out the not so necessary items. It was amazing how much we both ended up giving back. I was very, very happy I went because not only did I have fun, but I got all but two items on my list. I just have a few items and stocking stuffers to get and then I am done!! Definitely worth the lack of sleep! Although, it was much harder this year to recover from the few hours of sleep I got. Must mean I am getting old!

More Pics from Vanessa's Blessing

I got a disk from Jim's family with some more pictures from Vanessa's blessing so I thought I'd share.

Rolls

For Jim's family Thanksgiving is all about the pies but for me, growing up, Thanksgiving was all about Grandma's rolls. My grandma's rolls are DELICIOUS!!! One of the things I miss about having Thanksgiving family with my family. I have wanted to try making rolls for a while now but because of the fear of ruining them I have talked myself out of it time and time again. Ever since we have been having Thanksgiving with the immediate Marks family (minus aunt, uncle and cousins) the rolls have been store bought. Don't get me wrong, I like store bought rolls, they just aren't Thanksgiving to me. This year I decided I would be in charge of the rolls. I was hoping to get a practice run in before Thanksgiving Day but since life is crazy I never got a chance. I woke up Thursday morning ready to make rolls but quite nervous they wouldn't work out. I quickly realized I didn't have any powdered milk or enough flour so I quickly raced down to Albertson's. I got the dough all made and in a bowl to raise. I got the dough rolled into rolls and put on cookie sheets to raise again. My first batch I cooked a little long but they were still okay. To make sure they were yummy I took one and split it between me, Andrew and Ally. I thought it was good, Ally said it was yummy and Andrew gave me a thumbs up with a nod. I took that as a good sign. I'm guessing Jim's family felt the same way because I have been given the task of bringing rolls again next year. SUCCESS!!
I just love when things turn out the way you imagine them in your head!

Pie Day

Jim's family is pie crazy for Thanksgiving!! It is something I would never have believed if I hadn't experienced it for myself. Every year they spend at least one sometimes even two days before Thanksgiving making pies. Yes, it does take days to make as many pies as we have each year for Thanksgiving. They make multiple flavors and multiple pies for many of those flavors. Personally, I don't understand it. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy pie, but when there are more pies than people at your Thanksgiving, I think that's a little bit much ;). This year the list of pies was:

Pumpkin (12)
Black Bottom (5)
Peach
Blueberry
Blackberry
Apple
Coconut Cream (2)
Lemon Cream
Banana Cream
Chocolate Silk
Chocolate Mousse (2)
Apple Dumplings
Mince Meat (4)

Jim's dad and his sister Dorothy make all the crusts and do most of the work on the fillings. They really do make delicious pies!! This year Ally even joined in the fun and made her own blackberry pie.




She was so excited and couldn't wait to eat it. Thanksgiving she ate the top crust and some of the filling and she finished the rest of it the next day.



If she keeps going the way she is, she'll be a good little cook. She loves making her own things and luckily for her, her aunt Dorothy has the patience her own mother is lacking to help her make these things.


Just a few pics to show some of the pies that were made and enjoyed this Thanksgiving. I'm grateful Jim's dad and sister enjoy making the pies and are willing to put so much time and effort so we can all sit back and eat to our heart's content. They are the best!

Hall Closet

I debated back and forth about whether or not to post this. The truth of the matter is that I am embarrassed by it. I then determined that those of you who know me, know that I am far from perfect so you really should not be shocked. So, here goes. My house has an AMAZING hall closet. It is really, REALLY big!! One of the things I loved about it when we came looking at the house, especially since I was coming from a townhouse with a one foot wide linen closet. I couldn't wait to utilize this closet and to be able to use the space wisely. Well, as the years have gone by and we have accumulated more and more, the hall closet has become more of a dumping ground. My sister Kelly always teases me and calls me Monica from 'Friends' because my house is (usually) clean but that hall closet has become such a pig sty. See for yourselves....



Now you can see why I am embarrassed by this post. (The sad thing is that I took that picture AFTER I had started working on cleaning it.)

Sunday while Jim's family was here Andrew and Steven were looking for something in my hall closet and 1/4 of the mess was out in the middle of my hall. My sister-in-law Laurie saw the inside of the closet (something I don't let many people do) and being the sweet, sweet person she is, volunteered to come help me clean and organize it. Since she was here from Oregon for only a week, I told her no, that's not the way she wants to spend her vacation. She said that she would love to, she loves organizing stuff. I told her if she had time one day maybe we could do it and let it drop. A little while later she asked me what I was doing the next day. Not knowing why, I told her the truth, absolutely nothing. She said she'd be over to help with the closet. After several failed attempts at trying to talk her out of it (not because I didn't want the help but because I didn't want her to have to do that on her vacation) I caved. Monday she, Dave and two of her kids came over. Not only did she come to help clean, she also brought stuff to make us dinner that night. She is amazing!! Laurie really is one of those people who can do it all. Cook, clean, organize, makes beautiful cakes (she made our wedding cake), jewelry, knits, etc., etc. And to top it all off, she is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I have ever met!! They got to our house about noon and 'operation hall closet' quickly began. She told me we needed three piles; things to keep, things to donate, and things to throw away. After creating our piles we started a list of how to organize the things and what to get to help me organize the closet and keep it that way. We then took a trip to Wal-mart for bins, drawers, etc. After just over 8 (yes, I said 8) hours we were finished. I have to say I LOVE MY CLOSET!!!! Even my kids love it. They can actually find things to color with and do projects with. It's amazing!! Here is what it looks like now....



Amazing, isn't it?? I honestly can't believe it is the same closet. It is so nice to have everything in its place and to actually be able to find something without having to tear everything apart. I am so, SO happy!!! The only bad thing is, now I have the organizing bug and I want to tear the rest of my house apart. I just have to take it one project at a time. I made a nice, BIG, looooong list to work from. I'm so grateful that Laurie was willing to sacrifice a day of her vacation to help me out. She is the BEST!!!

Vanessa's Blessing

Every year Jim's brother and his family drive from Oregon to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with the family. It is always a great week of movies, games, delicious food and fun! This year we decided to take advantage of them being here and bless Vanessa at the same time. It was a little difficult getting it arranged and scheduled because my parents decided to leave for Houston the same Sunday we wanted to bless her and it was our ward's ward conference so we were told we couldn't do it during Sacrament but we could do it our house. It was a hard decision to make because we really wanted to do it with Dave and Laurie here because we rarely get to share these events with them but if we did it at our house my parents wouldn't be able to be here for it. After much deliberation and back and forth, we decided to bless Vanessa yesterday at our house. We missed my parents but it was a perfect day. She was surrounded by all her family and friends who love her so much! Jim gave her a beautiful blessing and then we were able to enjoy yummy food (thanks to Ellison who made the yummy meat and everybody else who brought delicious salads and apple crisp)and just hanging out and visiting. The kids had so much fun playing with each other and the dogs who also visited.

It's days like yesterday that make me so grateful that I have the Gospel in my life. I'm so thankful that I am married to a worthy man who holds the priesthood and can perform these special blessings. I am so grateful for our fabulous families and friends who do everything they can to share these special occasions with us. It is days like this that make me miss those family members who cannot be with us. I really felt the loss of my Nana yesterday because this is the first of my kids' blessings she has missed. It was really hard not having her here with us but I do know she was with us in spirit. Although Nana and Papa were not here to celebrate this day with us I am so thankful I still have my Grandma and Grandpa Stay who were able to join us. My kids love my grandparents in fact Ally calls my grandma 'greatest grandma' (her way of saying great-grandma). I am so glad that they have not only their grandparents but great-grandparents to influence their lives.



I love having our families so close by to make these occasions so special. It's also so nice to have such wonderful friends who have become family to us.



I love all my kids' cousins and the relationship they have with each of them. Jim's sister's boys are quite a bit older than my kids but they are always willing to play with them and they are always so sweet and kind to my kids. Even though we only see Dave's kids once, maybe twice a year you'd think the kids are always together. They all get along so well. Later in the night Andrew, Liam and Steven created a tower out of blocks. They were so proud of themselves because it was taller than them.



It was a fabulous day!!! Thanks to everyone who made it great!

Vanessa is Three Months Old

Wow! Vanessa is three months old today. I can't believe it!! She is such an amazing baby and a blessing to our family. I love her so much! I am enjoying each and every second with her. I feel guilty because I didn't enjoy Andrew and Ally at this stage as much. Don't get me wrong, I loved them and was so happy to have them, but I just didn't enjoy everything like I am with Vanessa. I even enjoy my alone time with her in the middle of the night when it happens, which isn't very often anymore. It doesn't even cross my mind that I am tired or that I will be tired during the day. I don't know if it's because I am older (definitely not wiser) or if it's the drugs. Yes, I am one of the lucky ones that suffers from postpartum but this time I was smart and got on medication during my pregnancy. Whatever it is, I am just so glad I am enjoying motherhood so much! Vanessa is a very happy baby. She loves to coo and talk and she loves attention from anyone. She loves to smile and has a very beautiful smile! She loves her brother and sister and is very loved by them. I am still having to constantly tell them to stop smothering her because they are always in her face and giving her kisses. I'm glad they love her so much. It's fun to watch them interact with her.

For her three month birthday she caught a cold, at least that's what I'm hoping it is. She hasn't had any fever but is really congested. Even though she can hardly breathe she is still so happy. It's amazing. I love her and I am so glad Heavenly Father felt he could trust me enough to mother this amazing angel. I'm glad He has blessed me with my three wonderful angels. I only hope and pray (and cross all my fingers and toes) I can be the Mom He wants me to be and help these three grow up to become the things they were destined to be. I am so grateful to be a Mom and that I am so blessed to be a Mom to the wonderful, fabulous kids I have!

Happy Veteran's Day

Today as I was driving to pick up Ally from preschool I was looking at all the flags in people's yards and I couldn't help feeling extremely patriotic. I realized how much I love our flag and love seeing it. I love all that it stands for. I am so grateful I get to live in this country where I can be free to choose my religion, free to speak my mind, and have more than I can ever want or need. I am so grateful my kids don't have to live in a country wrought with war and they don't have to live in fear of bombs or men with guns outside our door.

Today I am very, VERY grateful for all the men and women who are willing to risk their lives so me and my kids can live the peaceful lives we live. I am thankful for their parents, wives, husbands and kids who are there to love and support their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers while they are dedicating their time to protect me and my family.

Last night while the kids and I were eating dinner I looked over and saw Jim's empty chair, which was empty because he hadn't made it home from work yet and I started getting upset. I was frustrated that it was another dinner with just me and the kids. I was feeling sorry for myself because with his commute and travel schedule there are many times I feel like I am alone in parenting my kids. This morning I got my 'wake up' message. I was watching 'Good Things Utah' and Reagan Leadbetter read an e-mail her husband sent his employees regarding Veteran's day. It really hit me hard when he talked about those people who have left and are going to have to leave their families to go to Iraq or Afghanistan. These families will be having many dinners with an empty chair at their table so I can enjoy all the things I do. Wives and husbands will be 'single parenting' for at least a year, maybe more for me and my family. They will be closely watching the news dreading being the one that gets the call about their family member being killed while protecting me, my family and all the things we take for granted. I am truly grateful for the sacrifice so many people are willing to make for people like me who they have never met and will likely never meet. They truly are better people than I am. I am so glad we have this one day a year to remember them and all they do for us, even though I feel we should be being grateful to them each and every day.

Halloween

Every year we go out and visit the grandparents on Halloween. The kids love trick-or-treating at their houses and showing off their costumes. This year we added Aunt Dorothy to our houses to visit. Ally really wanted to see her since she was dressed up as Dorothy this year. It was so fun to go visit all of them. Another reason I am so grateful we live so close to family - makes the holidays even more special. It was really fun to visit Dorothy because she just got a new dog that made the perfect Toto for Ally. Yes, if I was a more creative Mom I would have made Vanessa into Toto but I'm not, so she was a pumpkin and Max made a super cute Toto and was more fun for Ally anyways.






Even Andrew wanted a picture with Max.

We came home and went out trick or treating. Jim stayed home with Vanessa while I took Andrew and Ally around the neighborhood. I think I liked it better when they were a little younger because this year they wanted to keep going and going. They were really excited when we found a few homes that gave out big candy bars. I finally convinced them it was time to go home since it was getting cold and dark and we still hadn't had dinner. They had a really fun time this year and it was fun to see how excited they both were about going to each house. I know that I need to enjoy the trick or treating now because there will come a time that they don't want to go out with their mom.

Andrew's School Party

Andrew's school doesn't have the 'traditional' Halloween party. They have what they call a 'History Fair.' Each grade dresses up as something from the time they are learning about when Halloween comes. This year his class was learning about the War of 1812. There were quite a few things he could have been but he really, REALLY wanted to be an Indian. For those of you who know me, you know that I am far from creative. I buy my kids costumes every year. We had already bought him a $40 Star Wars something or other (yes, I let them pick out their own, and no, I don't always know what his is) so I really didn't want to go buy another costume for him to wear for one day. He told me the morning before the party that if I couldn't come up with anything, that's fine, he just wouldn't dress up. I just couldn't disappoint my sweet boy so I put a plea out on Facebook and my dear, sweet, wonderful friend Kelly answered my cries! After school we invaded her house, which she was trying to get ready for book club that night (that's when you know you have a true friend, she's willing to put her cleaning aside and help you not only come up with a costume idea, but put it together too.) to get to work on a costume. She had an old couch cover that was made out of tan micro-suede so we cut that and tacky taped it into a vest. We cut a strip for a head band that I could glue feathers to, yes I figured I could handle that. The next morning Andrew got dressed for school and....



Success!!! I think it turned out great! And the best part, he was happy with it. I know that you are thinking that a seven year old boy would be happy with anything, but no, not my son. He is extremely picky. I don't buy him anything unless he is with me because he won't wear it if he doesn't like it. Sooooo, thank you, THANK YOU Kelly for helping me make his school costume a success because had it been left up to me, he would have been in a brown paper bag vest, if anything at all. I'm so glad I have such wonderful friends who are so willing to help my kids out when their creativity deprived mom just can't fill their expectations. I really don't know what I'd do without all of you!

Preschool Halloween Party

Today was Ally's preschool Halloween party. She has been soooo excited for it and talking about it for two weeks. Her teachers are super cute and always have the cutest ideas for activities and crafts. Today was no exception. They made their own trick-or-treat bags and got to go trick-or-treating around the preschool to fill it. They also made mummys out of cans. Super cute! She had a really fun time and is even more excited for Halloween and all the treats. Hmmm, I feel another dentist appointment coming.



She of course had to do many different poses for the pictures.

Dentist Appointment

Ally had to have a couple cavities filled on Monday. Because of how she acted when they were trying to clean her teeth, the dentist suggested she be sedated for the work. We got to the dentist office bright and early Monday morning. Since we had to do this with Andrew I knew what to expect. They have them drink their 'sleepy medicine' which Ally took very well. Then we went out to the waiting room to wait for it to work it's magic. She was playing with the trains when I noticed she started tripping a little bit. She then sat on my lap to read books and watch Monsters vs. Aliens. And then, she was out. We took her back in the room and they started on her teeth. The dentist filled the cavity on the one side and then left the room to give her jaw a break and see some other patients. When he came back he informed me that the other tooth that needed to be filled had infection so bad it had gone down into the bone so he would need to pull the tooth and put in a spacer. I was a little nervous because Ally had started to stir when the dentist was with the other patients. She did amazing! He pulled the tooth and put in the spacer and she didn't even budge. They gave her the tooth and put us in a recovery room. She was quite mean coming out of the sedation. She just wanted to go home but had to have some water and a Popsicle before we could leave. All in all it wasn't too bad. Much better then when we did it with Andrew. He never fully went out and kept trying to fight the work. It's so hard to see your kids 'drugged' up and out of it. Thankfully Ally mostly slept and didn't try to fight the medicine. She was really happy the next morning when she woke up and found that the tooth fairy had come and brought her $2.50. She was in our room before 7 a.m. telling us all about the two dollars and 'penny' the tooth fairy had left her. At least the tooth fairy visited, made it all worth it and better.

Pirate Island

For Fall Break I wanted to do something new and fun with the kids. We decided to try that new Pirate Island in Orem. My kids are HUGE Chuck-E-Cheese fans but I just couldn't gag down there pizza another time. Kelly and her kids, my parents, and Dorothy all joined us for this new adventure.

If you haven't yet been to Pirate Island I suggest you try it. The ambiance is sooo much fun! They did an amazing job decorating that place. The kids loved seeing all the piratey things but when the ship's cannons started shooting (just smoke shooting out of the cannons with background noise) Ally got a little scared. The food was really good and since we went for lunch, priced reasonably too. The service was a little slow but we just chalked it up to Fall Break and poor staff planning on their part. Even though it was slow service, our waiter was fabulous!! The staff is all dressed up and we even saw Captain Jack Sparrow wandering aimlessly around the place (seriously, the guy who was dressed up as Captain Jack did an amazing job! He played the part very well (at least I hope he was acting)).

After lunch we all went into the game room. It's not as large as Chuck-E-Cheese but it still offers plenty of games and activities to keep the kids entertained for a long, LONG time. They have a game that resembles the Price is Right wheel. Kelly and I, being so mature and all, had to try it, even though it cost six tokens each time we figured the kids had enough tokens to last for a little while. We each took a turn with little luck and then Ally wanted to try. After explaining how many tokens it took and trying to talk her out of it, I finally caved (those of you who really know Ally know that I really didn't have a chance to begin with). She put in her tokens and started the wheel. And then, JACKPOT!! She won 1,000 tickets - the most you can win on that game. The tickets kept coming and coming and coming. The staff even had to come refill the machine. All that kept running through my head was I'm taking this girl to Vegas (kidding) and Crap! I can imagine all the junk she is going to 'purchase' with those tickets - Jim is going to kill me.

Here she is with some of her tickets.



Notice that I said some, this is when the staff was refilling the machine.

She finally got tired of carrying them around and passed them off to grandpa to carry.



We decided that after that winning we were done. Grandpa started feeding the tickets into the machine



And here she is with all of her junk, oops, I mean loot.



She actually didn't do too bad in picking other than the slime she had to get. The good news about that is she opened it up at Grandma's house (thankfully outside) and it exploded all over her and the back patio. She was screaming because it was 'slimy' on her. We got her and the patio cleaned up and the slime went in the garbage.

It was a really fun place, one that I will be going back to visit soon. Oh, by the way, if you noticed that Andrew isn't in these pictures, it's because they were all taken after Ally's winnings and he was too busy pouting because she won more tickets then he did. Even though he had over 200 tickets himself. Way too competitive for me.

Corbelly's Fun

Kelly and I took the kids on our annual Cornbelly's outing. It was really windy and a little cold the day we went but the kids could do what they wanted, when they wanted so they had a lot of fun. The favorites were once again the slides, giant trampolines and princess stuff (Ally's favorite, Andrew got bored quickly in the princess area). The kids enjoyed running from activity to activity and wanted to try everything. It really was a lot of fun again this year.





The kids decided to bury Andrew with corn (like you do with sand) but got bored very quickly. This is as far as they got...



Even I went down the slide (with Phin)



I am laughing so hard because we flew right off the end of the slide and I smacked my bum on the ground. So fun!

And, you can't leave Cornbelly's without pictures in the GIANT rocking chair



The kids had fun getting creative in posing



(even Andrew which surprised me)



It was a really fun night. I hope we can keep it an annual tradition.

More Ally Modeling

Ally had her preschool pictures the other day so we got her all dolled up for school. I wanted to get a few pictures of her before she went to school which she of course loved. She once again had to pose and pose. Here are just a couple of the pictures we got. (I'm sure you are getting sick of my model Ally but as her mom and someone who hates getting pictures taken, it's fun to see her enjoy it so much - so bare with me).

Two Months Old

Wow! Where does time go? I can't believe that Vanessa is already two months old. It's amazing to me how quickly they grow. We had her two month check up on Monday and she is 11 lbs. and 21 1/2 in. long. She is healthy and growing and developing the way she is supposed to which makes her mom very happy.

Vanessa is such a fun, happy baby. She is sleeping 7-8 hours a night (yes, I know that I am very, VERY lucky). She has started smiling and loves to smile at everybody. She has started a cute smile where she smiles at you and turns her head slightly like she is being bashful. She is still overly loved by her brother and sister who are constantly giving her hugs and kisses. She loves them both very much and will just smile upon hearing their voices. Vanessa is a great baby. We are so grateful we are blessed and have her in our family.

Breast Cancer Awareness

I'm sure all of you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Many of you may not know that it is near and dear to my heart because I lost one of my dearest friends to breast cancer five years ago.

Vickie was first diagnosed when she found a lump in her breast. She had it removed and biopsied and it was cancer. The doctors started her on chemotherapy. Chemo was extremely hard on her. They started giving her medication to help and she would "go to the Bahamas" for about 10 days. That was her way of saying that she would sleep straight through those days after chemo. After chemo she started radiation which was much easier on her. She even came back to work during radiation. In October she was given a clean bill of health. In February/March she started having back pain. They told her it was her sciatic and started her on physical therapy. Not much longer she started getting really tired and couldn't keep food down. They found an ulcerated tumor in her stomach. Once tested, it too proved to be cancerous. She went in for surgery and they found her stomach cavity was full of tumors. She decided then that she was not going to try and fight it, chemo was too much for her to face to only extend her life by a few months. She then had a seizure and they found tumors in her brain. Vickie passed away on June 9, 2004. She told me as she was going through all of this that if anything good came out of her situation it would be for all the women who knew her to get their yearly check ups. She had gone nine years without going to the doctor. And since with breast cancer early detection is best chances are if they had found it earlier, it wouldn't have spread so much. Vickie was an angel here on Earth. She was the sweetest person in the world who was willing to do anything for anybody! She is truly missed!

So, my plea to all my friends and family is to please, please, PLEASE go for your yearly check ups, etc. I really hope that no one else in my life is touched by this terrible disease but if they have to be that it's detected early.

Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life

Today is Jim's 35th birthday but since he is in the land down under, we don't get to celebrate it with him. Plus, he is convinced that since he flew over the international dateline and went from October 6 to October 8, he gets to stay 34 for one more year. Is that how it works???

Even though he is skipping out on his day, it is October 7 here in Utah so I still want to celebrate him. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that he and I have been together for only 12 1/2 years. I really can't remember my life without him. We have had our share of ups and downs but we weather the storm and come out stronger together in the end.

Jim is such an amazing Dad who his kids love very much, which is evident every day when he comes home from work and they run (no matter where there are in the house or outside) yelling 'Daddy's home, Daddy's home. They love spending time with him whether it's at BYU games, playing, reading books, or just relaxing and watching TV. Last night Andrew was talking about the BYU/Florida State game and how much fun he had with his Dad and he said "it was the best day of my life so far." I know it was because of the way he acted after they got home. They stopped and got pizza on the way home and Jim let him go downstairs and eat with him (our rule is the kids don't eat anywhere except the kitchen). Andrew was so excited. He sat and grilled Jim with his many questions about sports, etc. The next day was Sunday and he sat and watched TV with Jim again and when it came time for lunch, he wanted to eat downstairs with his dad. Ally loves him so much too. Every day she has to give him a big hug and kiss before he can leave the house for work. She is very, very upset on the mornings he leaves before she wakes up. One morning she heard the front door close and came running out of her room and right out the front door. I found her in the driveway crying watching his carpool drive away. It's always sad for all of us when he has to go out of town, he is very missed.

He is an amazing man and I am grateful every day that I am so lucky to be married to him. I appreciate his patience, kindness and love. Happy birthday babe! I love you!

Happy Birthday Nana

Today was my Nana's 87th birthday and the six month anniversary of her passing. A part of me still can't believe she is gone. Most of the time I think that I just haven't seen her for a while like when she would go stay with my uncle in California but then when I am driving out to Provo it hits me that all that is there is her empty house. My Nana was such an amazing woman. She had the biggest heart!! She was more like a mom to me than a grandmother. I loved sleeping over at their house and every time we went to Lake Powell, etc. I always drove down with her and Papa. She was such a great example to me and taught me so many things but the thing I think she taught me most was unselfish love. She was always there for us, anytime we needed her and never, EVER complained about it. Whether it was to go to lunch or dinner or babysit or just sit and talk, she was always right there when needed. I love and miss her so much. It's times like this that make me so grateful for the gospel in my life and the knowledge that I will see her again and get to be with her for Eternity.

Nana started a tradition after my Papa died two years ago. On his birthday we got together for dinner and would let go of balloons. My kids always say that we are sending the balloons to him in heaven. Tonight we got together at the cemetery and sent balloons to Nana. Even though it was a little cold, it was still really nice to be there to celebrate this amazing woman who touched the loves of everyone who met her. We then went back to my mom's house for soup and the Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes (my mom even got candles for the kids to blow out). It was a great night!! I just wish Nana was there to celebrate with us.



Ally and Elle holding hands "with Jesus." I know I probably shouldn't have let them but it was just too cute, I had to get a picture.