Happy Birthday

A little blog shout out,

for this sweet girl I work with.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LESLEE!

This was us on Halloween

{obviously we don't dress in capes on the daily... maybe we should}

we were Witches.

Les and I were the ONLY ones

working upstairs that day.

Don't worry,

we made the best of it.

I'm so glad that I get to work next to Les,

we are more alike then we ever knew.

We both know the most important things in life,

Dirty cokes,

and pens

lots and lots of pens!

I'm glad that I have been

able to get to know her a little bit better.

She is sweet,

and thoughtful.

She is a wonderful mother,

and always thinking about her family.

She listens when I need to vent,

and vents when I need to listen.

She helps me when I need it,

and doesn't laugh at my stupid questions.

She is smart,

and loves to write

and she is good at it too! 

{check out her running blog}



I hope that you have a  Happy Happy Birthday Leslee!

Thanks for being such a good friend!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

From us to you!

Nixon talked Santa's ear off.

I had to ask him to stop so I could get a pic.

Gwen....

Not a fan, obviously.

We will try again next year!

Wishing all a Merry Christmas!!

Snow Day

The other day,

it snowed

like a ton of snow.

Blake was out plowing,

the kids and I were staying in where

it is warm.

Miss Gweny,

Was running around the house

naked.

Butt naked.

She says

"Mom inna play in the snow"

So I opened the door,

just to see what she'd do.

She stands in the doorway for about

a minute and says,

"burr mom, cold toes I need socks."

I thought it was so funny

because she didn't care that

her little bum or hands

would be cold.

Just that her toes were.

To go on further with the story,

she came back wearing

a pair of Nixon's undies,

and two mismatched boots

minus the socks.

Such a silly silly girl!

Jammin' Friday

How incredibly awesome is this!! 

We have a house that does something similar just up the hill from us.

It is a holiday tradition for us to park in front

and watch the show. 

I hope you enjoy it too!

Innocence

Laughter...

The best cure for a hard day.

And it is amazing to me that my sweet 2 year old

knew that was just what I needed yesterday.

So many days,

I feel like I'm being pulled in so

many different directions.

I don't know which way I should go first.

Being stretched so thin.

That was my day yesterday.

So many requests

from so many people around me,

very little understanding 

No patience.

At bedtime,

reading and singing to my sweet daughter,

she did something to make me laugh.

I laughed, and she continued,

Growing more and more pronounced.

Then giggling until tears

poured from both our eyes.

The innocence of a child.

With the spirit of the Holy Ghost surrounding her.

Knowing what I needed most

to brighten my day

was a little silliness and a good dose of laughter.

Jammin' Friday

I don't know why but I love this song. 

I think it has such a good rhythm 

and it just makes me want to dance.

I especially love the sound of the accordion used. 

And the view in the video is spectacular!

Have a listen! 

Did you like it?   

My dear sweet Children

Once again linking up with Mama Kat and her writing workshop.

This week was so easy for me to choose.

3. Something your child did or said this week that made you smile.

Well let me start off by saying

that when Nixon first said this it made me cry.

I was having a bad day,

and for some lame reason

I was taking it out on everyone around me

which just happened to be my little family.

Nixon said to me

"mom, I love you even if your mean."

I couldn't believe it!

He told me I was mean!

How dare he!

But now looking back at it,

I was mean.

I was being a big selfish brat.

But I'm so so glad that Nixon knows

that he can tell me how he feels,
and is not afraid.
That we have that type of relationship.

Even if I bawled uncontrolably after his remark.

But even more.

I'm glad that he still loves me,

even when I am mean.

It means the world to me!

A few other sweet comments from my darling kids.

Gweny:

 as she is swinging our poor little Jingle Joe by the feet{elf on the shelf}

"MOMM! Look I found Joe!"

P.s. In case you don't know,

your not supposed to touch the elf on the shelf because he might loose his magic!

Whoops Sorry Joe,

We really hope you can come back tomorrow!

Gweny:

"Mom, I'm the big bad wolf.

I will huff and puff and blow your house down."

She is slightly obsessed with the 3 Little Pigs at the moment.

Nixon:

Sitting in church, leans over

and says {not so quietly}

"mom, I love you"

The lady in front of us turned around and said,

"oh that is just the sweetest"

Nixon:

Belching and burping

"Excuse me"

I said "Nixon, stop burping"

"But Mom, I said EXCUSE ME!

that makes it ok"

And the one that I will never forget,

although it was ages ago.

Nixon likes me to lay with him in bed for a little while

he's rubbing my face and my hair,

N: Mom you nice soft skin

Me: thanks buddy

N: Mom you have such pretty eyes

Me: Oh thank you.

N: Mom you have such awesome hair.

N: Mom you have such awesome all your body parts!

Leave it to a 5 year old to make you feel

the very best!

What funny things have your kids said that you won't ever forget.

Spiritual Thought Sunday

 I recently read a conference talk given by

President Thomas S. Monson.

I thought it fit perfectly with this Thanksgiving season.

Even though Thanksgiving has passed,

and the Christmas season is now quickly upon us

I am trying hard to be thankful all year round.

He spoke about how most often we take the

things that are most important to us for granted,

These are not worldly things,

these are usually those people who are closest

and most dear to us.

President Gordon B. Hinkley said

"When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arroance and conceit and egotism,

you walk with the spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you

and will bless your lives."

Thomas S. Monson said

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings,

but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love."

I hope that you will join with me in

showing sincere thanks year round.

I know I feel so much better

 when I count

the many blessings that God has given me.

And recognize how loved I am.

 You can read the talk here

it is amazing!

Jammin' Friday

In honor of Good ol' Turkey day

The Turkey song by Adam Sandler.

I think he is just plain funny,

and he comes up with some really unusual

and funny lyrics.

Have a listen and tell me your favorite part of the song!

Vacation

I had some vacation days left that I needed to use before the end of the year.

I took last week off to be home with my kids.

I learned a few things:

1. Paid vacation days are a great time to potty train a 2 year old
Which I'm proud to say is going pretty dang great!
And all it took was a penny gumball machine.

2. I didn't get to sleep in, not even for a minute.

3. I still don't clean my house even when I'm home for 5 days straight.

Plus, what's the point when kids are home
Destroying everything faster than you can clean it.

4. I can have dinner made by 3 o'clock every day

{my husband teases me relentlessly for that one}

5. I read an entire book during the short naptime hours.
"The Art of Racing in the Rain"
Good read {more about that later}

6. I find as many ways to get out of the house as humanly possible.

7. I Absolutly LOVE spending time with my kids,

snuggling in our jammies until right before dad gets home from work,

going to get a coke/slushie {in said jammies} at 9:30am, yes we have a problem.

I still have a few of those Vacation days left

to use before the end of the year.

I am looking forward to them.

8 Favorite Books

I decided to follow one of Mama Kat's writing prompts this week. 

If you haven't checked out her blog, 

every week she posts a writing prompt. 

They are pretty fun because she gives you 5 ideas 

of something to blog about. 

A little inspiration!

This week I chose to write about 8 books

that I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime. 

So I am just going to put down my favorites!

1. Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K Rowling

Harry Potter is my all time favorite! J.K. Rowling has a way of making 

a children's book totally appropriate for adults too!

And as much as I love the Harry Potter books,

The movies are completely amazing too!

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I was up through all hours of the night reading this book. 

Based during Nazi occupied Germany, 

a young girl whose mother and brother are killed 

go to live with foster parents.

They hide a Jewish man in their basement. 

He teaches the girl to read, 

and in her thirst for knowledge, she steals all the books she can find.

I absolutely LOVED the descriptions, 

they were so subtle, yet so vibrant.

A movie adaptation was released Nov 8th

and is on my list of movies to see!

3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

This was such an amazing book.

I'm slightly fascinated with history anyway, 

and although this was a work of fiction

many historical events were included.

11/22/63 is about a man who goes back in time 

to try and prevent the Kennedy assassination

and everything that happens 

in the world when the historical events 

are changed. 

It is 800+ pages, 

but I didn't once get bored or hoped that

it would hurry up and end. 

4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

One that I think should be read to every child. 

The story about a tree who loved a boy. 

The boy would come to the tree everyday. 

As he got older, 

he expected more of the tree. 

The tree loved him, so the tree gave and gave. 

A remarkable story about the act of giving, 

and showing love to those around us. 

5. The Host by Stephanie Meyer

This is not the MOST famous book that Stephanie Meyer has written, 

but it is also nothing like Twilight. 

This is a little hard to get into at first and understand, 

but believe me you will love it!

The world is invaded by other life forms

who take over the human brain and occupy the bodies. 

Melanie Stryder's brain is taken over

but she refused to give in. 

Such an exciting imaginative novel!

I think this is also a movie, 

which I haven't seen. 

Is it any good?

6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The thought of a child with cancer is heart wrenching to begin with, 

but this brought a whole new perspective. 

About wanting to be remembered in a life that is "a side effect of dying." 

I loved how Hazel saw the world around her. 

I loved that she fell in love.

 The kind of love that is so magical and real. 

Not typical 17 year old puppy love. 

And I loved all the charactera that John Green created.

Be warned, YOU WILL CRY!

7. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

An unlikely friendship 

evolved between a wealthy boy, 

and the servant's son. 

How he feels he must hide it, 

and how they learn to show their friendship and love.

I loved this book in so many ways. 

It was sad, and terrifying at the same time. 

Towards the end of the story, it describes the state Afganistan is in. 

It scares me, and breaks my heart that so many people have to deal with such terrible things.

8.The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book was so unusual, 

and unpredictable.

A Circus appears unexpectedly no one knows

when it will come, or how long it will stay

The story behind rivalry and

forbidden love.   

AND A BONUS #9

I couldn't leave this one out!

The Book of Mormon

You can read it all here for FREE! 

Those are some of my favorites! 

Have you read any? 

What are your favorites?

PLEASE SHARE!!!

Spiritual Thought Sunday

Take Time to Be Holy

Take time to be holy, speak oft with they Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God's children, help those who are weak, 

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek. 

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; 

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone. 

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; 

Thy friend in thy conduct His likeness shall see. 

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide; 

And run not before Him, whatever betide. 

In h\joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord, 

And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul, 

Each though and each motive beneath His control. 

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love, 

Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above. 

-William D. Longstaff

Jamin' Friday

Just a favorite dance jam at our house

"Harlem" by New Politics

Spiritual Thought Sunday

I'm super late on my Spritual Thought Sunday,

I've been having way to much fun

spending time with my kids.



Mosiah 4: 14-15

"And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another."

This scripture came up in my Sunday School Class on Sunday 

and I loved it!

It is such a great reminder that we need to learn

all that we can,

so we can teach our children

to do what is right.

I know that I need to work on being a better

example to my children.

I need to be better about letting

them see my pray,

and read my scriptures,

and make sure they know how

important it is to attend the temple.

My goal is to strive to teach my children these things

at a young age.

What will you do to teach your children to

"walk in the ways of truth?"

Motivation and Jammin' Friday

A coworker of mine shared this with everyone on our team.

I loved it and thought it was

great advice to help get us through our friday!

Highest vision

Look up from what you’re doing and look around for a minute. See what a beautiful world you’re in.

Take your mind off the problems for a moment, and focus on the positive possibilities. Consider how very much you are able to do.

Turn your attention for a while away from the worries and anxieties. Remind yourself of all your many blessings.

The direction of your focus is the direction your life will move. Let yourself move toward what is good, valuable, strong and true.

The things that fill your awareness are the things that will fill your life and your world. So expand your awareness beyond your own concerns and toward the best of what can be.

Look up and look confidently toward the highest vision you can imagine. The moment you do, you’re on your way there.

— Ralph Marston



I felt like this quote inspires us to strive to fulfill our potential and forget the negative things in life. I don't know why, but this song immediately popped into my head. Enjoy "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

**P.S.** It's a long weekend for me! I am thrilled to spend some much needed time snuggling my kids, and husband. I also plan on avoiding housework at all costs {as if that were an unusual thing to be doing}. I hope you do the same!  

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Winter Wonderful

I woke up to snow this morning.

It is not unusal to see snow this time of year in Utah.

Big huge flakes falling to the ground.

a few sticking,

mostly to the grass.

All I could think about was the

fact that I wore the wrong shoes to work today.

The snow was going

to seep into the sides of my flats,

and soak the hem of my pants.

At least I have a heater

under my desk to warm my toes,

and dry my hem.

My kids on the other hand were so excited.

Nixon kept asking

if he could play in it after school.

Gweny kept yelling,

"Mommy so much snow!"

There really wasn't that much snow,

just a sprinkling really.

One of the many reasons to

really love the fact that I am a mother, 

with small children 

who remind me daily about the important 

things in life. 

I wouldn't mind it one bit if this snow 

sticks around for a little while.

What is your favorite weather? 

Spiritual Thought Sunday

“Stop seeking out the storms

And enjoy more fully the sunlight.”

-Gordon B. Hinckley

I know that I myself need to take this into account

More often than I do.

I am one who seems to dwell on the negative.

That is something that I really need to work on in my life.

Focus on the “sunlight”

And not the negative.

I thought this quote was perfect for

The beginning of November.

I try to think of all my blessings throughout

The whole year.

But November is just a great reminder

For us to sit back and think of what we are thankful for.

Just a few things that I’m thankful for are:

**My amazing husband**.

He keeps me grounded, when I feel like the world is crumbling

Under my feet.

He is smart, fun, spiritual and knows how to keep m laughing.

**My kids**

They remind me of how life is supposed to be fun.

They teach me so much more

On a daily basis than I think I could ever teach them.

**My Job**

Even though I look forward to a day when I won’t

Have to work full time.

I am thankful that I am able to work

To help support my family.

**My family**

My family is so amazing.

I’m so thankful for my parents, and all they do for me.

I’m so thankful for my brothers and the men they have become.

I am also so grateful for my inlaws.

They are such amazing people.

**The Church**

I am thankful for the knowledge I have

Of a loving Heavenly Father

Who knows me…

Little ol’ me.

He knows my needs,

More than I know myself.

He is there for me

And will never leave me.

I am thankful for the atonement of

My savior Jesus Christ.

That he suffered on the cross for ME

That I may have the opportunity

to repent of my sins,

and live with my Heavenly Father again.

**My Trials**

I am thankful for my trials.

They helped shape me into who I’ve become.

They teach me to rely on my

Heavenly Father,

To trust him

And know that he loves me

What are some things that you are thankful for?

Please Share!



Happy Halloween

Halloween has never been my favorite holiday.

I've always been a bit of a "chicken."

I don't like Haunted Houses,

Or anything that scares me for that matter.

I've been to one Haunted House.

I cluched onto Blake's back,

and did not open my eyes, not for one second.

Best $20+ he's ever spent on me!

It is slightly more fun now that I have children to dress up,

and to see the excitement in their eyes

as they walk up and knock on the neighbors doors.

This is the first year that we have really taken

the kids Trick-or-treating.

They loved it!

Gweny was pretty nervous at first,

but she started getting to the point where she would cautiously

walk up and whisper "trick-or-treat."

Then say "thank you."

Here are a just a few pictures of them in their costumes.

I will post more,

probably next week.

Gweny was Dorothy, she did have a basket with Toto

that she made Daddy carry around for her.



Nixon was a Ninja.

He only wanted to be a Ninja because he

would get to carry nifty swords.

He did inform me that I needed to hang up

his costume nicely so he can wear it again next year.

Hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Jammin' Friday.... On Thursday

This weeks song was a no brainer to me.

1. It's Halloween.

2. All time best Halloween Song

3. Michael Jackson, need i say more.

Enjoy one of my Favs

THRILLER!

As a little girl, my dad taught me to love MJ just as much as he did.

When I was young I was terrified of this music video,

I would close my eyes,

until it got to the part where they would all dance.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the dancing.

Michael Jackson {in my eyes and I'm sure many others}

 is the greatest entertainer who ever lived.

My biggest dream growing up was

that one day I would attend a Michael Jackson Concert.

I guess that dream

will never come true, so this has to be the next best thing.

Who is your all time favorite artist?

Reminiscing...

 I have 7 of the most beautiful best friends a girl could ever ask for.

Not only are they beautiful from the outside,

if you had the chance to meet them

you'd agree they are more amazing on the inside.

We were all Cheerleaders together. Here is just a few of us in our WAY younger days. Back in Junior High. Man, time goes by too fast.

Then a few years later, Senior year of High School.

It's not that I don't get to see these girls still. For the most part we have been lucky and only 1 has moved away, and it's still in the same state, just a few hours drive.

But we make it a point to see each other on a semi regular basis.

And we still make sure to do crazy things while we are together.

Like try to set a timer on a camera, and can't quite get the hang of it so one of us turns into a "ghost."

Or jump off random steps, making sure to pull funny faces in the process.

I just want those "sisters" of mine to know how much I am truly grateful to have them in my life.

I don't know, to this day where I would be without them.

Or what kind of choices during those "wonderful" teenage years I would have made without them there guiding me along the right path.

Sure, we had our rough patches.

Especially during Cheerleading practices

 while we were forced to choreograph a halftime routine in just two days.

Or after Camp when we were so dead tired from staying up super late partying,

and working our butts off during the day,

and then having an excruciating practice the evening we got home.

When we all left in tears because we were just so dang tired.

Then after the practice, walking out to my car only to find melted gummy bears all over the front seat.

Who knew that gummy bears melted in the sun?

Well THEY DO! And they are a pain in the butt to clean up!

That only increased the tears on my part!

But I miss those days.

I miss seeing their beautiful faces at 6 am for early morning practice... every single day.

(As beautiful as a face can be at 6am, mine not so much!)

Looking back, it was all worth it.

And I am so glad to call those girls my friends!

Weekend fun

We had a fun weekend, spent with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Nancie.

Saturday, Grandma and I spent the majority of the day painting the bonus room,

While Grandpa spent some much needed time with the kids.

They haven’t seen each other for almost 2 weeks,

And both parties were having major withdrawals.

Papa and Gweny were pretty much inseparable.

They even took a nap together.

Papa had to leave while she was sleeping so I carefully picked her up and took her to her bed.

When she woke up from her nap,

I could hear her crying hysterically from the other room so I ran to get her.

She was crying for Papa and Ammy…

“Mama where is Papa? I need Papa! Ammy Ammy!”

It was the sweetest and saddest thing!

Later that night we met them in Syracuse for the Pumpkin Walk.

I think that it had been going on for a few days before,

Because many of the pumpkins were

Green and wilty.

The kids had so much fun.

There are some very creative people out in the world

When it comes to pumpkin decorating.

Gweny insisted on walking holding Papa’s hand,

And Nixon insisted on riding in the stroller with Grammy pushing him.

Sunday, we went there for dinner

My mom made homemade chicken noodle soup.

She also caramel apples,

The kind dipped in White chocolate

And cinnamon-sugar.

They were delectable.

After a few good apples,

Mom and I made some delicious homemade caramels

They are so easy!

I’ll post the recipe soon.

What are some of your Halloween Traditions?

Spiritual thought Sunday

John 13:34

"A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another;

as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

I love this scripture.

I think if more people lived the way John said, then this world would be a better place.

We wouldn't have to worry so much about ourselves,

or our children. 

Because there would be love all around us.  

This week, 

I am going to be more loving to those that I come across.

And hopefully my positive attitude

can make a difference,

big or small.

I especially want to show my family 

how much I love them,

and hope they know how much I appreciate

all they do for me, and teach me

every day.

How will you try to be more loving? 

Paradise



I have a nook,

I LOVE my nook!

I love having literally a million and a half

books at my fingertips.

I love that I can buy one and not have to go

anywhere to get it.

{My husband's favorite too}

But there is just something about a book.

An old fashioned paperback

{or hardback, I'm not picky}

book.

Mix that with a nice bubbly dirty coke

{have you heard of dirty cokes? if not your missing out!}

and a hot bubble bath on a chilly night.

My kind of paradise.

That is on my agenda for the evening!

What is your favorite thing to do when the weather turns colder?

**********************

P.S. I've read the Hunger Games, and seen the movie.
I just felt like I needed a little bit more Peeta in my life, so one to the second reading!

Jammin' Friday

I've decided to post some sort of song each week on Fridays.

This week I chose Katy Perry's Roar.

There are two reasons I chose this song.

1. My kids absolutely love it.

Whenever it comes on the radio they both start singing and dancing.

2. I heard an interview on the radio that Katy Perry

did on her inspiration for the song.

She said that you need to stand up for who you are,

and not let anyone tell you who to be.

That you should stand up to the biggest bully in the room,

even if that bully is yourself.

I know that most of the time we are

our own worst enemies.

If we don't stand up for ourselves,

and think positive thoughts about ourselves

how can we expect anyone else to.

So turn up the speakers,

grab a wooden spoon as a mic,

and dance.

Tell me what you think!