Time off!

Sorry I've been MIA lately! I've been taking some much needed time off from a few things, but it's been GREAT. Haven't even looked at any blogs in weeks and it's been four weeks since I've been on Facebook. Occasionally I've commented on something, but I mainly get on to check events or grab a picture. Facebook just takes up so much of my time and I know it's my own fault, so it really is nice being off there, makes me realize how much time I do waste on there! I was able to clean and organize most of the rooms in my house and it feels great! Still making myself keep up on all of it, but I'll get there ;) There hasn't been a whole lot that's happened while I've been away though, sad to say! There's only one thing really worth mentioning.

It was about two weeks ago, I was on my way to work a crossing guard shift in the morning and I brought the kids with me. We were driving over the viaduct by our house and traffic had backed up near the top of it, so I had stopped. The car behind us didn't see we had stopped though and rear-ended us. I was so completely stressed that morning and the kids were stressing me out too, so add being rear-ended to all that and I was crying and freaking out. I made sure the kids were ok, then got out of the car and was just freaking out about everything to the other driver. Looking back now, I laugh at how I acted, I must have looked like a psycho to that poor guy LOL. We pulled over to a nearby church parking lot and I again made sure the kids were ok (poor Anna was crying as well and was scared, but I keep reassuring her everything was ok), then I got out and surveyed the damage. There was a nice lady who had pulled over with us to make sure we were all ok, then gave us her number in case we needed anything and left. I called her later that day and thanked her for her kindness and thoughtfulness, she really was sweet :). Anyway, a cop came and got our police report and luckily Jared hadn't left for work yet, so I had called him to come down and help. I was just shaking as I filled out the paperwork, it was just a shock. Usually when I have to stop suddenly like that, I look in my rearview mirror to make sure the person behind me is paying attention. This was the one time I didn't do that and now, whenever I even slow down, I'm looking in the mirror to make sure the driver is watching! lol.

We had some damage done to our bumper, the other guy's car was damaged pretty good, and even though it wasn't damaged a lot, we still decided to file a claim with the other guy's insurance to get the car fixed because we'd still be driving that car around for a while and would have to deal with it if we didn't fix it. Well, this all happened Thursday the 13th and that following Monday, we had turned in our car to get fixed and got in a rental. That rental car was SWEET. 2011 Ford Explorer with all the bells and whistles, it was SO nice :). It was only supposed to take two days, MAYBE three, to get our car fixed and we ended up having that rental car for a week! We just got our car back this past Monday, two days ago. They kept having problems finding parts for our car, so it just took a lot longer. That was fine by me, I loved driving that car! And now I'm having to get re-used to driving our own car! lol. I do love our car though. Anyway, I'll stop talking about it now, we're all doing fine from it and have our fixed car back :).

I had the kids pictures taken last week at Kiddie Kandids. They are just little balls of energy, going NON-STOP, seriously. But we did get some really cute photos of them, I'm excited to pick them up next week :). I typically never go to Kiddie Kandids anymore because of how pricey they are (the last time I went was December 2008!), but they sent me an email with a deal of a free session, $30 in free product/prints and 20% off the rest of my order...how could I refuse?? ;)

My sister and her hubby found out what they are having and I am SOO stoked!! They are having a little boy!! They wanted a boy and I couldn't be happier for them, he is going to be so freaking adorable!! :)

Nothing else is really going on at the moment. This weekend and a few days next week are going to be hectic, but we'll survive as we always do and have a good time while we're at it! :) Aiden turns THREE next Thursday the 3, in about a week....I can't believe my little baby will be three!! Time flies by so fast it's not even funny. Really can't believe it's been three years since I last had a baby and brought our sweet boy into the world. We are so happy and complete with him here though, love him to pieces!! My nephew just so happened to be born on the same day as Aiden, a year later, and he and his family are coming up from Arizona next week, I'm so excited! Because they'll be here during the boys' birthdays, we decided to do a combined party for them at Boondock's (where my sister works), it'll be so fun! We just invited family members and a couple friends who live close-by, but I'm excited, the boys will have a blast!

Anyway, I'll end on that note and try to keep up a little better. TTFN!

Beautiful Arizona

Last week I had the great opportunity to fly to Arizona and visit my brother and his family. Jared stayed home with the kids so I was able to go by myself, sure was a nice break!! ;) And if you don't know it already, I LOVE Arizona, even with it's freaking hot temperatures, it's just so wonderful there, love it :) I was only there a few short days, but they were great! I was home with my sis in law and her two kids most the time, but that was so fine with me! I got to cuddle my new little nephew a ton, I loved it :) And whenever I wasn't cuddling him, I was playing with my other cute nephew, he is a crack-up!! I also took him swimming one morning, it was fun! And so beautiful!! The weather there of course is scorching hot, but that makes the pool water just perfect for swimming, loved it! I love those two adorable little boys and I miss them already! It was nice to spend time with my brother and sis in law too, they are always fun to just hang out with :). Before I left, my sis in law took me to a store she loves, of which I fell in love with as well!! The store is called Charming Charlie....it's full of tons of jewelry and other accessories! They have purses, shoes, clothes, etc. as well, it is one fantastic place :) I was there looking around for at least an hour and could have looked around for another hour! There's so much to look at, love that place!! Sure wish they had an online store, but then again, that could be bad for me! ;) They really are decently priced too. I got a small purse and a ring/bracelet set for Anna and I bought myself a cute necklace and some sparkly high heel shoes, they are fantastic :).

Anyway, so my trip really was great. Wish it could have lasted longer, but the time I did have there I really enjoyed! We had turbulence the whole flight home, weren't even allowed to take our seatbelts off!, but I tried to keep myself distracted most the time by reading a book. It mostly worked ;) Back home now with my own cute family and it's good to see them again! But....I am already anxious to see my brother and his family again when they visit next month!! :)

"I'm going to be married!"

I seriously have the cutest little girl in the world :). She just put on her Tinkerbell pajama shirt and a dress skirt (over top of her other clothes) and she came up to me and said, "Look mom!" and was struttin' her stuff. I said how pretty she looked, then she nodded her head and said, "I'm going to be married!" I said oh really? She nodded again and said, "I'm going to marry, I'm older now!" Then she proceeded to show me how much older she was and put up five fingers for five years old (which she has been saying how old she is lately ;)). I said, "You're five, huh?" She nodded again and said, "Yep! I'm older now and I'm going to be married in the temple!" Seriously, how much cuter can she get?? I love the things she says, I really need to write them down more often! Lately she's been so interested in getting married and in Jared's and mine wedding pictures and we tell her that we were married in the temple and she loves it and is so interested in it! I just love it :) I just gave her a big hug and kiss and laughed at how adorable she is :)

So many great, and one no so great, things!!

Wow, has it really been a month since I last wrote on here?! I do apologize, I've tried to do better and now I've had a lapse! There have been so many things going on the past few weeks, it's been fantastic!! There are times where I do like to stay a little busy ;)

First off, on August 5th, my cute *not-so-little-anymore!* cousin got married!! I still can't believe it, but I am soo ecstatic for her! She was a gorgeous bride and her new hubby really seems like a great guy, they look perfect for each other :). Jared and I were able to go to the luncheon and that was great. There were a lot of extended family members that came from out of town and it was SO great to see all of them!! I love my family so much, they are awesome :). The reception was beautiful and we all had a great time. At some point, we had a lot of the little kids shut in the nursery room just running around LOL, but hey, it worked! ;) And yes, there were a few adults in there with them! Anyway, it was all so great and I'm so happy for both of them! Congrats Steve and Chantel!!

On that same day, at the very same time my cousin was getting married in the temple, my brother and his wife welcomed their new little son into their lives!! :) I could hardly hold back the excitement when I received the news. We knew she would be induced that morning, but a few hours before that was supposed to happen, she went into labor on her own! Greyson Blake Jensen was born at 8:32 a.m. and weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. (LITTLE guy!!) and was 20 1/2 inches. He is absolutely ADORABLE and I can't wait to meet him in person!! They live in Arizona, but thank goodness for Skype so I was able to see him that way!! :) I couldn't be more happy for them! Take a look for yourself, isn't he ADORABLE?! Love his red hair! :) Congrats Nick and Lindsey!!

I feel so lucky...I get to go see them in a few weeks!! :D Jared suggested that maybe just me could take a small trip down there and visit them, so I'll fly down there and stay with them for a few days, I am SO excited!! Jared has that whole week off that I'm going, so he'll stay home with the kids for the few days I'm gone. It'll be so great to see my brother, sis-in-law, their almost 2 year old son Bronson, and now their new addition Greyson!! I seriously can't wait, I'm just STOKED :)

Another piece of great news came a few weeks ago....my sister and her hubby are finally expecting a little one of their own!! :D They've waited so long and deserve to finally have a lil peanut of their own, I am SOOO excited and happy for them!! My sister is going to look so freaking cute pregnant! She's going to be one of those prego ladies who only gains weight in the belly and no where else, I'm so jealous of that!! But really, I can't express how happy I am for her, it's just so AWESOME!! Congrats Jeff and Melesa!!! :)

About a week ago, Thursday the 11th, I went to a sort of baby/birthday get together for my cousin Tara. We went to California Pizza Kitchen and had a great time! She had some of her family there, including her mom and sister, and my sister was there too. We now know that she was for sure in labor during that whole night, pretty funny! I rode home with her after dinner and kept making sure she was ok because she kept having intense contractions, just like during dinner! The next day, Friday the 12th, her sweet little baby boy was born! He has a mound of adorable blonde hair and he is such a major cutie! Looks so much like his older brother. Welcome to the world Kort Barnes and congrats to Troy and Tara!! :)

The not-so-exciting news that happened the same day of the dinner for my cousin was that our car died :P. It had died earlier in the week, but we got a new battery for it the next day and it worked fine until Thursday. I was going to go swimming with the kids at my dad's place before the dinner and once I got to his house, the car just died. Luckily there's a friend of ours who is a mechanic of sorts and was able to fix it for us. We found out it was the alternator so luckily he was able to fix it for a fraction of the price of a mechanic at a shop. So by Saturday afternoon, we had it fixed and goin' again, but man was it a headache of a week not having a working car for most of the week!! So glad that is all over with....for now.

One more piece of great news! Anna was accepted into the Title 1 preschool for our district and I couldn't be more excited about it!! It's truly a blessing for us and Anna is also so excited to start school! We went out that night she was accepted and she picked out a backpack...Tinkerbell of course ;). I cannot believe my little girl will be starting preschool...I've gotten teary-eyed about it and I'm sure will cry once school actually starts. She's growing up so much, can't time stand still for just a little bit longer?? Unfortunately, I made the mistake of planning my AZ trip the same day she starts preschool, but I figure it might be for the best. I'll be able to go to the orientation the day before I leave, but I have SOO much anxiety as well about her going that it'll probably be good to have Jared take her on her first day. Then when I start taking her to school, she'll already be used to it (mostly) so it won't be so hard on me or her. I really am excited for her though, preschool really will be such a good experience for her, I hope it all goes well and that she is able to learn what she needs to and get the social interaction we all crave for her and that she wants as well :). My little girl is just growing up!!

So you see, we've had a few exciting, and not so exciting!, events happen the past few weeks and it really has been SO great, I've loved every minute of it :). Well, except for when the car died that is! Next step.....my birthday, preschool starts, my fun trip, and other holidays and birthdays after that! So stay tuned....:)

YUM

This week I've been wanting a good ol' BLT. It just sounded so nice, so crunchy. So I made it to the store today to get some bacon.....but guess what else I wanted on top? Fresh, sliced avocado!!! Seriously, that just made the sandwich. Avocados may not have a whole lot of flavor plain like that, but they're still so smooth on the sandwich and give some good creamy texture to a very crunchy meal. My gosh I fell in love, it tasted SOO delish. I highly recommend it the next time you make yourself a BLT :).

Happy Holiday Weekend!

Jared was able to get four days off this past weekend for the fourth of July, it was fantastic!! From our last post, you see that one of those days was spent doing family pictures and going to the zoo. We didn't really do anything Saturday, til nighttime. Then we went to his parent's house to do some fireworks. The kids watched them, but covered their ears almost the whole time. Anna's done so much better with them this year, she kept saying afterwards how much she loved fireworks! Aiden liked them, but only if his ears were covered and he was sitting in someone's lap! ;) We had fun with those though, even did some of those aerial fireworks!

On Sunday, Jared's whole family was in town (his sisters go to school in Idaho and his brother lives in Provo), so it was great seeing all of them and playing games with them, we truly have a blast!! :) Monday was a fun-filled day. We went to a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Boy Scout's (so yummy!!) and afterwards went to the Clearfield parade. The breakfast was in the Macey's parking lot and the parade on the street right next to it, so we just walked over there and watched the parade, it was fun! Anna had a blast collecting the candy they threw. We went to the breakfast and parade with a couple of Jared's cousins and their spouses and his sister, we really enjoy spending time with his family :). That night, we went to Traverse Mountain (in Lehi) to my friend's parent's house and enjoyed a delicious barbeque and some good quality hang out time :). Then later that evening, we walked down the road and sat to watch the Thanksgiving Point fireworks, it was great! My friend has a 3 year old boy and he and Anna just played and played all night, they were so cute together! As usual, Aiden was kind of the third wheel and I felt bad, but he still had a blast. We also had fun with lots of glowsticks and making different things. I just wore some attached to my earrings, but Anna had glasses and a few bracelets, she loved it! My friend's sister and her fiancee went all out with their awesome designs, we loved it :) All in all, I'd say it was a very enjoyable holiday and weekend, we always love it when Jared has time off from work! We hope you all enjoyed your fourth of July as well and continue to remember those men and women who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice so much for our country and our freedoms we enjoy!! I love America!! :)

Here are some pictures both from the zoo and from fireworks, just made a quick collage, so enjoy! :) Click on the picture to see it bigger.

Gorillas, tigers and giraffes, oh my!

As you can guess by the title, we went to the zoo today! First time we've been to the Hogle Zoo as a family and we loved it :). First things first though....
This morning we had family pictures taken by a friend of mine who did a great job! I got a sneak peek of a few of the pictures and I already know I'm going to love them :). We went to the Bountiful Tabernacle and had them taken there, then we went across the street to get some taken by an old door....well, poor little Anna got stung by a wasp that was living by that door! :( We all felt so bad for her, she was just screaming and crying, poor thing. None of us have ever been stung by anything before, so I just felt so bad for her, can't imagine the pain for such a little girl! It was no one's fault, but we all felt bad just the same. After I put a bandaid on her though, she said she was better....thank goodness for bandaids ;). We quickly wrapped up our session after that and headed off to the zoo.
We got there and of course the place was already packed, but we still had a great time. The kids really enjoyed seeing all of the different animals and I of course enjoyed seeing my favorite animal....the tigers :). Not really sure what it is I like about them, but they're my favorite! They're so regal looking....I don't know, I just like them! We ended up staying there about three hours, there's so much to see and do! We went on the train ride, which the kids LOVED, and we went on the carousel, which they loved too! Not sure when we would go again, but we really did enjoy it. Of course it was really hot outside and we had brought water bottles with us, but we reached a point where it just got too hot and we had to leave, I seriously thought I almost got a heat stroke, I still have a headache from it! But we're home now and trying to relax from our busy, yet fun day!

I can finally feel summer!!!

It is SO nice to finally have summer here!! I don't care how hot it gets, it's SO nice to finally go outside without wearing long sleeve shirts or a jacket, it's so warm and wonderful out, I just LOVE it! The one bad thing this past week has been the dang cotton trees....holy cow!! There are quite a few of them just down the street and last week they started blowing away in the breeze...one morning when we got up, I seriously thought it had snowed, then realized it was that cotton crap. I've had really bad allergies ever since then, it's awful! I've never had allergies this bad before, it's nuts. But I have to still be grateful for this beautiful weather!! I'm not sure that we really had a Spring this year, I think it went from winter to summer. But the warm weather has finally come and is going to stay and I am SO happy about that!! Time to get out the swimsuits and sprinklers and let the kids play outdoors!!

Flooding......yuck

So, this past week we experienced our first flood in our home. It happened in the basement and it has NOT been fun one bit. We had to take out all the carpet and hang it in the backyard to dry, then suck up all the water and all that stuff. We have a storage area under the stairs that of course had some water in there, so the stuff on the floor in there got wet, that was SO not fun. Anna's room is downstairs and she's the one who informed us of the water, she came upstairs and told Jared that there was a puddle down there. ;) So, that also meant that Anna had to move into Aiden's room until we got the carpet back in. They have never shared a room, except if we're on vacation or at Grandma and Grandpa's house, so it was very difficult to have them share for a few nights. But we survived it all! The carpet got re-layed two days ago, so it's been great having that back in. We finally put Anna's bed back in her room last night too. She really wasn't happy about it, she said she liked sharing a room with Aiden. We told her we were sorry, but it was time for her to go back to her own room. Then she said the funniest thing while Jared was putting her to bed last night:

Anna: Daddy, I like sleeping in Aiden's room.
Jared: I know you do, but you have to sleep in your room now.
Anna: Well, I hope the floor gets wet again!

Oh man I just laughed when Jared told me that, she really says the funniest things sometimes!! :) But man I hope the floor doesn't get wet again, I do not want to go through this again, it sucks! And for those of you who have gone through it, I empathize with you, it's just horrible! BUT I'm really trying to look on the bright side of things. One good thing that happened was that now I'm able to get the stuff rearranged downstairs! I kept telling Jared I wanted to through all the toys downstairs and get everything reorganized. Well, now I'm forced to do it and it really has been a great excuse! ;) It's going to be a fresh start for the basement and I'm very happy about that. Another plus is that now our carpet is all clean! We rented a shampooer and cleaned the carpet so it looks great now! :) I guess we can always see some sort of bright side with every situation.......well, mostly :)

YUM!!

These are some of THE BEST muffins in the entire world and if you haven't tried them yet, DO IT NOW!! The name suits them well, meaning they are kind of flaky/light when you eat them.....the calories differ from the name ;) But really, they are so freaking delicious I can't even begin to tell you! I made some the other day and they were just as awesome as I remembered....and easy to make too! I don't make them very often because we don't usually eat them all and they pack a lot of calories, so it's a beautiful treat when I do make them :). Try them for yourself and let me know what you think!! :)
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Feather-Light-Muffins

Spring?

Spring has been a topic as of late that many people wonder if it even exists here in Utah. I wonder the same thing! Today is a day that proves it's trying its hardest to get here, I just wish it would get here NOW! To say we've had crazy weather the past few weeks is an understatement. I do understand, however, that this is Utah....the weather is crazy and unpredictable! Because of this weather, I took the kids on a spontaneous vacation to Vegas for a few days with a friend of mine and her daughter. The weather was GORGEOUS and I wanted to stay much, much longer...but lack of expenses made us leave. It was definitely nice to get away for a few days and soak up some lovely sun and good weather. But it is Vegas, so of course we had lots of fun too ;)
With today being the way it is, it REALLY makes me crave nice weather consistently!! We'll see if that actually happens....probably not....but one can hope! This past week I've been doing a little spring cleaning and it's been very nice. Granted, my house still isn't exactly where I want it to be, but it's getting there! I really want spring to get here and STAY! Being able to send the kids outdoors to play is really nice and I know they enjoy it too. We have a walking path behind our house and with the weather getting nicer, we've seen a lot more traffic on the path and it's actually quite fun sometimes just to sit and watch as people walk/run/bike on by :). I WELCOME SPRING WITH BIG OPEN ARMS, PLEASE COME AND STAY!!!! :)

Such imaginations!

You know what I LOVE? My kids' imaginations! Of course, Aiden loves to copy Anna in lots of ways and she is his #1 example, but they each have their own adorable personalities and I love it! Anna has, of course, a more developed imagination than Aiden, but he's learning and seeing the things he comes up with, gosh he's a hoot! He really cracks me up! Anna is such a sweetie, her imagination has really taken off! She came up to me this afternoon and said, "Do you want to play with me?" I said sure! I asked her what we should play and she said, "Let's play Anna says!" Oh gosh it was adorable! Obviously it's her version of Simon Says, so we played a round of that game and I just loved it, she knew just what she was doing! We didn't play it exactly like the original game, but I still loved it! I love watching their imaginations grow and they use them so often every day and it's such a joy to see! I also teach them things I used to play as a kid in hopes it will develop their playing skills and imagination even more and so far it really has! I love watching Anna talk to Aiden and tell him "how it is" and teach him so much, they are absolutely adorable together, she is the best big sister! Sure love my adorable, imaginative kids!! ;)

Funny moment

I think we all have something happen in our lives that is both sad and funny at the same time. Well, that happened a couple nights ago. Nothing huge, but still funny and sad at the same time. We had just gotten the kids out of their bath and they were walking around with their towels on. Lately, we've had to quickly put Aiden's diaper on right away, otherwise he'll pee on the floor. So we did that, thinking he hadn't peed anywhere. Then poor little Anna went running into the kitchen and totally slipped and fell on the floor! At first I thought it was because she was still wet, but nope! There was a big puddle of pee on the kitchen floor. It was seriously like one of those scenes from a movie where a kid falls in some other kid's vomit or something (like in Cheaper by the Dozen). So at first, I asked if she was ok, then started to clean it up. We had to give her another quick bath because, well, she had pee all over her! Then, as I got her dressed afterwards, I just started laughing! After all, she DID slip in a puddle of pee, I just thought it was funny! I made sure she wasn't really hurt, but was just laughing at the same time! See what I mean? It's a sad sort of funny ;).

A favorite!!

Hey y'all,
I just HAD to tell you about this website that I just LOVE!! I hope you'll check it out, I know you won't regret it!! ;) It's called Swagbucks and it's free and awesome! This is how it works: You download the Swagbucks toolbar and use their search engine in place of the one you already use. Every so often, you'll earn Swagbucks (digital dollars) when you search for stuff and when you earn enough bucks, you can trade them in for free prizes! I just started doing this a month or so ago and I've already claimed a $5 e-gift card for amazon.com! I'm going to keep doing that and saving the gift cards so I can use them for Christmas and hopefully I'll have enough saved up that I can pay for most or even all of my Christmas gifts!! It's seriously awesome! I know I sound like an advertisement or something, but really, it is SO awesome!! And who doesn't love getting free stuff?! Anyway, I really hope you'll at least check it out and if you could, PLEASE sign up through the link I posted so I can have you as a referral! Sign up and refer more people so you can get even more Swagbucks! I just love it!! Here's the link: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/StefG
Hopefully that works, I can't tell since it just shows my account! You'll have to copy and paste it too since I can't even post a freakin' link on here!! Seriously, can't figure out this dang blog stuff. If it doesn't work, let me know and I'll post a new link! Thanks guys, I KNOW you won't regret it, especially since it's free!! :)

Vegas Vegas Vegas!!!!

So, I again won't attempt to post pictures here because every time I've tried to in the past, it's been a HEADACHE. But I will say how WONDERFUL our trip to Vegas was!! It was just Jared and I, the kids stayed at his parent's house....HUGE thank you to them for watching them, I know it wasn't easy!!
This was a much needed break for Jared and I. Get away from "reality" for a few days, away from the kids, away from work/housework, etc. A time for us to really reconnect! We left Monday the 7th and came back Thursday the 10th, so we were there roughly four days and three nights. It truly was FANTASTIC. We stayed at the Stratosphere in one of their newly remodeled rooms, it was SOO nice! I would definitely stay in one of those rooms again. Before we checked into our hotel though, we went and visited my sister in law and her two kids, it was GREAT to see them!! My brother moved to Vegas in October and the rest of his fam joined him down there last month and they had lived just a couple miles from us here, so we've missed them and it was GREAT to see them again! I have such an ADORABLE niece and nephew from them ;) Besides that, we didn't do much our first night there. Jared went to the top of the Stratosphere and I stayed in our room because I wasn't feeling well.
Our second day there, we went to Madame Tussaud's wax museum and it was so much fun! I loved that we could interact and pose with all the replicas there, I had a fun time with it ;). After that, we went to the shops at the Venetian to look around, but once we stepped inside, a lady kinda cornered us and we were lurred with free tickets and spa vouchers to do a freakin' timeshare presentation. Seriously, WORST five hours of my life, total HELL. There was some stupid discrepency with how much Jared made at work for us to even qualify to hear the presentation. Really?! It was ridiculous. So it took us FOREVER and we will never EVER do that again, especially since we lost the spa vouchers!! :( But we did see the Criss Angel show that night which ended up being pretty good and very funny. Not worth the crap we went through at the presentation though!
On Wednesday, we took it kinda easy and just went shopping around a bit. Went to M&M's World and the Coke store and lazed about in a strip mall for about an hour and just relaxed. We also went to the Bellagio to check out a pattiserie we had heard about in the newspaper the Sunday before we left, it's called the Jean-Philippe Patisserie. BEST. PASTRY. SHOP. EVER. I crave their stuff every day now!! I got this Trio Chocolate Cheesecake there that I seriously had a love affair with. Had to have been THE BEST dessert I've ever had, it was amazing!! ;) I was bummed when we got home to find out they didn't ship any of their cakes.....dang it! That night we went to the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur....AWESOME dinner and show, I really loved it!! They get the crowd SO into it and you can yell and scream and get all rowdy and it was a FANTASTIC show!! You eat with your hands which is quite fun and they do all sorts of jousting and sword fighting and all that, it really was SO much fun!!
The next morning, sadly we left. I really REALLY enjoyed our time there and I know Jared did too. We were of course happy to see the kids again and they were ecstatic to see us, but it really was a wonderful vacation :).

I am READY!

So, I try to look on the bright side with many things, but there is at least one thing I just won't be optimistic about.......SNOW! I detest it, can't stand it and, sad to say, I really do find it disgusting. There just isn't anything I like about it! I think I tend to get a little depressed in the wintertime, which is probably why I'm such a hermit during this season, because of the cold and snow. That leads me to say that I am READY for spring!!
We were teased a lot the past few weeks with some really pretty, warm days that felt like spring was on its way, then BAM! We get hit with a couple more snowstorms. NOT cool. I am READY for the kids to be able to go play outside without having to bundle them up completely and have them come back inside with their wet snow clothes. I am READY for warm days where we don't always have to wear a coat when we go outside. I am READY for the kids to play at the park on equipment that won't freeze their hands and butts off! I am READY to take out the sprinklers and swimming pool for the kids to play in and enjoy! I am READY to lay out in the sun and enjoy the warmth while the kids play. I am READY for this cold and snow to be GONE!! C'mon spring, stop teasing us and make your appearance already!! Then I'll be one VERY HAPPY lady :).

GRATEFUL GRATEFUL GRATEFUL

Have you ever really STOPPED and taken the time to think of the things you're grateful for? I'm not talking about just around Thanksgiving time either. We are SOOO rich in our lifestyles, it's easy to take advantage of it or wish there were something else we could have. In our lives, we're upgrading, wanting more, wanting better, it's just our nature.
Last night, I was watching a certain show. There was a scene that showed people who lived in this tiny town in Guatemala, about 300 people lived in this tiny town. It was basically a place in the middle of nowhere. You had to hike a mountain more than 3 miles to get there from the next nearest town, takes about two hours to get there on foot. You can only get there on foot or by helicopter, which means these people rarely get outsiders/visitors and don't have much. They don't even have running water or electricity. THINK ABOUT THAT.
There are probably things in our life that we wish were better. There are gadgets and clothes that we really want. We want to take trips and do fun recreational activities. And yet there are people in our world that don't have the things we take for granted. What would you do if you didn't have running water or electricity? Do you think you could live like that? These people have no other choice.
We turn on a light switch and the light comes on. We take showers and run the dishwasher like any other old routine. We can even usually afford to pay the bills that come with such utilities. We have apartments, houses, cars and goodness knows what other luxuries. Even this computer I'm typing on is using electricity! I grew up living with all these things we take for granted and some people don't even know what it's like to use stuff like that.
Just watching that short segment last night made me think of all the wonderful things I have in my life and made me once again grateful for all the LUXURIES I do have. We are rich in so many ways, even if we don't feel that way. How do you think those people would act if they came into our homes today? I think they would be overwhelmed, they would look at us like we were kings and queens. That's the way we should feel everyday because we truly are rich and we should be grateful for all those things we take for granted. I know I am!! :)

Oh yes, I do!!

Yes, I do believe in a higher power!! Otherwise I'm not sure the kids and I would have made it safe to our destinations today! The wind was, and still is!, howling outside. Those gusts were pretty scary in some areas! We left to meet a friend for lunch and once I got on the freeway, I knew I'd have to REALLY stay focused on the road, even more than I already do! What was I doing on the way down there? Praying my heart out!! ;) I just wanted to make it safe to our destination, which thankfully we did. I credit it to a higher power for looking out for us, I can't help but do that! I know He has a hand in everything we do, so I thank Him for keeping us safe! On the way back home, I was praying again that we would make it home safely. We were getting close to our exit when I spotted a truck ahead of us, a couple lanes over, not semi-size, about half the size maybe. Well, the trailer in the back was just SWAYING big time, it made me SO nervous!! I was just praying, praying that the truck wouldn't toppler over and crash and that we would be safe, it really was leaning so bad! Luckily, we made it to our exit and our house safe and sound. Weather like this sure makes me anxious, but I'm so glad we made it safe, and I do give many thanks to my Father in Heaven for helping us!! I still might have to reconsider going anywhere the next time the windy weather is this bad.....;)

The Power of LAUGHING

Have you ever really taken the time to notice how GOOD it feels to laugh? I think I underestimated its power in our world. The other night wasn't a particularly great night for me. I was tired, ready for the kids to go to bed, done with the day. Earlier in the day, Anna and I played with a couple of her dolls together for quite a while. It was fun at first, but then I got bored and stopped playing. That night after dinner, Anna wanted to play with the dolls again. So we sat on the couch and at first, I honestly did NOT want to play again, I just wasn't in the mood. I felt bad by that, but I did promise her that after dinner we could play.

After a minute or two, Anna made her doll sneeze on mine. I threw my doll in the air as if the sneeze had affected the doll so much that it threw her in the air. She just LAUGHED! So we did it again and again, over and over. I hadn't heard Anna LAUGH SO HARD in quite a while, so of course it had me laughing too! We kept doing it over and over because I loved hearing and watching Anna laugh so hard at it! And because I was laughing too, of course it put me in a better mood and we continued playing with the dolls and Anna making hers sneeze ;). That day, it was the power of laughter that brought me out of my bad mood, I think it's more powerful than we give it credit for ;).

Just a little something I've been thinking about today:
"When you feel like you don't fit in, it means you were born to stand out."

Take time and think about that and apply it to your own lives :).

Mommy, don't take my eye out!

Poor Anna was hit with pink eye in both eyes this week, I feel so bad for her. She's been more tired, more miserable, and her eyes look awful and red. It's also made for a partially cranky child as well, I don't blame her! Aiden has been sick with a cold for almost a week now too, he's definitely been more cranky and whiny, poor kid. I REALLY hope they get better soon, having sick kids is no fun! BUT, who says having sick kids means there's no humor? ;)
We were at Jared's parent's house on Sunday for the typical Sunday dinner, when I asked Anna to come into the bathroom so I could wipe her eyes, since they were starting to look a little goopey. She came into the bathroom, very reluctantly, and was saying "But mommy, I don't want to take my eye out!" I was stunned, I thought what in the world?? And I said, "Anna, I'm not going to take your eye out, I'm just going to wipe it clean." She didn't believe me at first and kept saying don't take my eye out! She finally let me clean it and all was well. Needless to say, I and Jared's mom and sister were laughing when we were done, I kept wondering where in the world she heard something like that from??
Well, the goopiness didn't go away and her eyes got more and more red, so I called the doctor's office this morning and made an appt. to take Anna in and get her eyes checked. Of course, once she found out we were going to the dr's, she started panicking saying she didn't want the doctor to take her eye out! I got her in the car and she started crying and kept saying the whole way there that she didn't want to see the doctor and didn't want the doctor to take her eye out. I kept trying to explain to her what would happen at the doctor's office, but she just didn't get it! When we saw the doctor, she explained to Anna that she wouldn't take her eye out and that, in fact, she didn't have to touch her eyes at all, that she already saw what she needed to see, and that was that! Anna got her sucker at the end of the visit and was SO happy the doctor didn't take her eye out and kept telling me so the whole way home. It was so funny yet so sad at the same time! I still wonder where on earth an idea like that came from.......oh the things kids say!

The Little Things

Having two small kids of my own, I've realized that it's the little things in life that really matter. We have a beautiful home, Jared has a great job, we have two cars, we have food, blankets, etc. We have all of our necessities in life, but it's not the big things that really count in the long run. Making the little things count is what makes such a big difference in our lives. The other day the kids and I were kinda bored, it was just another stay-at-home day. So what did we do? We sat at the kitchen table and colored. Doing something simple like that was so much fun! Not only did it make me feel like a kid again, but it helped my children's creativity grow. Anna can write her "A's", so we were able to practice that some more as well. Just sitting there coloring with two of the most important people in my life was priceless. We'll definitely do more coloring in the future ;)
As I write this, my kids have taken all the pillows and cushions off the couch. Typically in the past, I'd get really irritated and tell them to put them all back. But now I've realized, what's the big deal? Sure it'll be nice one day to have couches with cushions that are attached, but right now my kids are bouncing around the living room, trying to stay on the pillows and cushions. What does it remind you of? For me, it reminds me of when I was a kid and the floor was volcano lava and you had to do everything possible not to touch the floor or you would die! Remember doing that? My kids, in some form, are doing the same stuff I did as a kid, and so I just let them play :) Something little like that is what makes a big deal in the long run, because if I remember doing that as a kid, maybe they will too :)
Earlier this week, we had a small snow storm, plenty of snow had accumulated. What did Anna want to do?? Play in the snow! Now, if you know me, you know that I DETEST the snow. There isn't ONE thing I like about it. Yes, I know I live in Utah where it's always inevitable ;). Last weekend, I had bought Anna some snow boots, mittens and a hat, because she didn't have any yet, and I told her she could finally play in the snow when it snows again. Of course it just HAD to snow a few days later. She woke up Jared and I in the morning and was bursting with joy that it had snowed! I had her wait until after lunchtime to go since it was still snowing a lot outside. It stopped after lunchtime so I got her all bundled up and sent her out into the backyard to play in the snow. Boy, was she EXCITED! She kept saying she couldn't wait to play in the snow. What did she do in the snow? She just picked it up and threw it in the air. My poor kids are so deprived of playing in the snow ;). She played out there for about a half hour before coming inside (and taking two potty breaks, oy), but as I watched her play, I really was once again reminded of the little things, and how I remember playing in the snow when I was a kid. I just sat at the kitchen table, looking out the sliding glass door at my daughter happily playing in the snow. I had dreaded it because I didn't like the snow and didn't want to have to deal with my kids in the snow, but it turned out so great, I remembered it's not about me, it's about them. Watching Anna joyfully play in the snow like that was priceless, it made me so happy to see her so happy. My kids are creating memories and I'm helping them do that. I feel so honored to have such a pleasure as that in life :)
As you can tell, my life kinda revolves around my kids, since I'm with them ALL the time, but that's ok with me. I love them with all my heart and enjoy doing the little things in life with them. They teach me so much and definitely one thing I've learned is to slow down and enjoy the little things in life :)

Here we go!

If you haven't figured it out by now, I do a horrible job keeping up on this blog. Our lives aren't very exciting, so I don't really have much to update on which is why I never do. I think that's something I need to work on. I know for every post I do, I don't have to include pictures for (thank goodness since putting pictures on here is just a hassle!! If someone knows an easy way to do it, tell me!!), so I think I want to try and just write, just update on anything. No I won't tell you what we ate that day or anything like that, but it'd be nice to update on my kids at least, since they are freaking adorable ;). We'll see how it goes, but I'll at least try! Also, if anyone can give me tips on doing my blog (like Lindsey for example!!! ;)), PLEASE do!

ANNA~
Oh my Anna, what a stubborn joy she is. Almost a year ago, she was potty trained for almost a month at least. She did excellent with it. Then we moved to our house and she lapsed. I tried so hard for days to keep her on track, but she had just given up and after doing so many loads of laundry, I gave up too. I figured I'd just wait til she was completely ready, til she wanted to do it. Then the New Year rolled around and I thought I'd give it a try again, it became my New Year's resolution. What a pleasant surprise when the first Monday of the month rolled around and Anna decided to literally potty train herself! I wasn't going to start til the week after, when I didn't have plans and I would stay home all week. That Monday she just started going by herself all day. Tuesday was the same. I thought maybe it was a fluke, so I kept her in a diaper still, even though she was dry all day both days! Wednesday she was still in a diaper because we made a trip to Provo to visit family, so that day wasn't so great because we were out and about. But on Thursday, it was back to what she did before. She stayed dry all day. I couldn't believe she was doing it! So I gave in and put panties on her, which she looks so cute in HAHA, and she did great! She's had a few accidents since then, but has otherwise been totally potty trained and I couldn't be happier about it!! She still doesn't stay dry through the night, we're working on that, but she still does so excellent. I'm thrilled to say the least!!! That's my stubborn girl, do things when she wants to ;) Since that was my original resolution, I'm going to make another one to do better with this blog. More posted below. Other than the potty stuff, she is doing so great. We enrolled her in a dance/tumble combo class at a nearby arts academy and she loves it. She doesn't always listen to the teacher, kinda runs around and does what she wants, but she's been getting MUCH better with that and has been learning some great stuff! The classes at that place are small so there's more one on one attention between the teacher and the students. On average there are about 5-6 girls in Anna's class, so it's nice. She loves her dance class :) We just celebrated her 4th birthday last week, I can't believe she's 4 already!! Some days when I look at her, I want to cry thinking of how big she's gotten and how fast it all goes. She's such a sweetie and is learning and growing so much, I love her sooo much :). She uses her imagination A LOT and oh my word I love it!! Some of the things she comes up with....WOW. She can really crack me up sometimes with the things she does and says, I just love that girl :). Tomorrow we're getting her a "big girl" bed, an actual twin size bed, and she's so excited for it. My gosh she's getting big....it's so bittersweet. I love my princess!!

AIDEN~
Oh what to say about that adorable boy?? He's been learning, exploring and watching a lot! Anna is his role model, he does what she does and goes where she goes. They play a lot together and he looks up to her so much, it's so cute :). He has officially been weaned off his binky and I'm so glad that's done! It took a few months, but he no longer has it and probably hardly remembers it. He still has his blanket he sleeps with, but that's totally fine with me. I love how much he loves his blanket, it's cute :). He climbs on everything and gets into everything and oh how it tries my patience sometimes!! Lately his getting into the fridge stuff has been driving me absolutely crazy. We've had two fridge locks on the door and they've both broken, but I finally went and got another one yesterday because I just couldn't take it anymore. Yesterday morning he spilled a pitcher of juice all over the couch and floor, it was so awful. The morning before that, Anna spilled a pitcher of juice on the kitchen floor. Granted, she can still open the lock and get in the fridge, but she doesn't do it as much as Aiden. Thank goodness for child locks :). With Anna getting her new twin bed tomorrow, that means transitioning Aiden to the toddler bed that Anna's using....oh boy that'll be interesting! Anna did it just fine and she didn't have her binky either. So I'm hoping it'll go the same way for Aiden...I have a feeling it might be a little more difficult though, wish us luck!! Aiden is just getting so so big, I still can't believe he's over 2 years old already! He's still my little baby and I love him to pieces :).

We have to do the bed switching around because............you sure you ready for it??..............yes, we're expecting, believe it or not! All our talk about not having another baby was false. We didn't expect this, but it's happened anyway!
Ok guys, seriously, did you really think that was true?? HAHA. I only said it because so many, SO MANY, people tease us about having another baby and if I ever say I'm tired or have a headache, people tease me and say I'm pregnant. I'll set the record straight....I'm not pregnant, I don't plan on becoming pregnant, we don't plan in the future of becoming pregnant, so I'll just let you all know that now if you don't already! ;) We're so happy with our two kids and feel so blessed to have them, don't get me wrong on that, we just don't plan on adding to the clan, we're happy with our family as it is now :).

Jared and I are the same, nothing going on with us! We're still nursery leaders in our ward and although I've loved doing it overall, it can get a little tedious some weeks. Anna started Sunbeams this year, HOLY COW!!!, and thankfully is doing so well with it. Aiden is still in nursery with us and after his first two weeks in nursery is when Jared and I got called into the nursery. So basically he's been in nursery with us from the beginning when he first went. The first two weeks he went, I stayed in there with him to help transition him. So it'll be hard when we get released because we're not sure how Aiden will handle it! Hopefully he'll get used to it pretty quick ;). Jared still works for the Post Office in Bountiful and I still stay home with the kids and although I can get really bored some days, I still love it and feel so blessed that I get to stay home with them :). I'm going to try and make this a happy, uplifting blog. I need something like that to keep me happy in my everyday doings, so that's what this will be, or what I'll try to make it be :). I also do have a resolution to lose some weight this year, but c'mon, how many people have made that a resolution? So I'll have two resolutions, with this blog being my main one ;). That's our happy life in a "nutshell", hopefully more to come soon :).