happy holidays :)

...to post or not to post...

...our christmas card...

I'm tired...
we are finishing our basement...
had a scare with gestational diabetes, which turned out better than expected in the end, thank goodness...
bigger this pregnancy than with any other...
uncomfortable...
busy...
chasing around the busiest kid on earth...who also happens to be very much a mommies-girl...and can throw a tantrum like no other one year old (except her twin cousin!)
did I mention tired...
how in the world do you catch up on house work???

but...
I am, finally, in my third trimester, done with morning sickness for the most part!
I am loving that oh-so-stink'n cute mommies girl
I am feeling pretty good overall,
I am feeling like this pregnancy has gone much faster than the others (despite the whole second-trimester morning sickness bit)
I am in the waiting game now, just wait, grow, and baby will finally come in a couple of months,
I am loving the joy of the kids this Christmas season as they understand things a lot better than they ever have before...
The kids still love me, despite it all, amazing, and tell me so...can you beat that?
well,
I am, very much in love with a guy who does ANYthing for me, and EVERYthing for his family, and somehow gets it ALL done...endless energy? endurance? whatever it is...I like him!

...so, okay, I'll make a card...and post it!

we have fun...

Happy Halloween!

 ...we got together with the cousins and did the whole set! so cute!

...getting in the mind-set...

I love fall...and the coming of the holidays...I haven't been in the "mind-set" for too much these days...

 ...sure I dragged the costumes out...and the girls are loving it...

...but I've mainly been in the survival mode...and getting in the mind-set to actually have a baby boy around this place come march...wow...really?

...love it!

I have a very talented cousin doing work in baby designs right out of Scotland...you can catch her shop by clicking the link on the side for JoyNevada LittleOnes...these designs are so unique!

In the beginning...

...day one...

of read the Old and New Testiment

of the King James version of the

Bible

in one year...

I'm going to doing weekly

brief posts on facebook.

Then a final review on my

Goodreads account...

join me on facebook if you are in...

competition...motivation...inspiration...?

i want to read the Bible in a year!

Old and New Testiment.

King James Version.

Anyone else want to join?

For motivation? for competition?

we can reward ourselves at the end?

I want to speed read it

My sis-in-law will read it with a student manual

read it however you want!

Any other ideas?

I was thinking Sept. 11, 2010- Sept. 11, 2011

excellence...

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.

Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.
-Micheal J. Fox

...it occurred to me after reading this quote, that in Church the Young Woman celebrate Personal Progress goals they have achieved or are working towards in an event called:

Young Women in Excellence.

Not Young Women in Perfection.

I hope that...instead of trying to make my daughters be Perfect...

I can teach my daughters to reach for Excellence
in all they do in this life.

personality...

...she's got it!

competition

...so I taught a Sunday School lesson about the Book of Mormon, and challenged everyone to re-read it like President Hinckley did a few years back...and I took the challenge myself...with a little help from hubby. he set us up a little competition. he gave us about two months to re-read it and for a reward we would go out to dinner. if one of us did NOT read it by that time, they had to bring a PB&J to dinner and watch the other enjoy their meal!

...well, we did it! I got about half way through the 530 some pages with two days left and sped-read the rest in two days...awesome! I do believe it's a true book... in my "GoodReads" (see link on side) you can read more of my thoughts on reading it this time around...

but there is something to reading an informational book all the way through in a short amount of time...

I might just start with the Bible (King James Version) next...from Old Testament through New to the end...what an adventure this would be!

the power of moms...

...here I am once again promoting a cause I can believe in: the power of moms and supporting a mom who is doing her best to promote the cause as well. click here for her link. One idea I just got from her site was the "say yes" challenge, how often can you tell your kids yes and see what happens...or...if you want peace in the home...get laryngitis...haha, so true!!

events...

...remembering...

...and first break...

yes...

"God doesn't give children with disabilities to strong people: He gives them to ordinary, everyday people, then He helps the parents to grow stronger through the journey. Raising a child with special needs doesn't TAKE a special family, it MAKES a special family." Author unknown

congrats grads!

it's that time of year again!

this is a VERY COOL graduate lei at Pioneer Party

what do YOU give your teachers to thank them for all their hard work???

I need ideas :)

"be still...

...and know that I am God." (psalms 46:10). there have been several times in my life when I have made this scripture my "theme" to help me get through whatever I was going through...in church today we talked about how we receive personal revelation for our lives and for our kids...for me:
in the shower.
chopping veggies.
doing the dishes.
on my hands and knees cleaning.
driving with the radio off.
all of these with the radio off.
turn off the noise and be 'still.'
keep my hands doing something that doesn't require my mind...
just myself, and my thoughts...
and the 'thoughts' come pouring in...
answers to my prayers come pouring in...

deals to meals!

I love local business...this is my shout out to a great blog/website that I have been a member of for some months now. they find the best of the best deals at all the grocery stores...then you can make your own personalized shopping list...and they tell you if you want to build a food storage, how much for each person, shelf life, etc etc...they also plan meals for the week and give you the shopping list if you want to follow that...I think it's a fantastic service...they aren't coupon oriented, so if you use coupons you are getting an even better deal, but that's why I liked them, cause I don't use coupons. I shop by the deal only, and plan my meals around those BEST deals...so I always save money! check them out by clicking! plus, they have some awesome free giveaways! so if you DO sign up, tell them who sent you (me) and I get entered into their giveaway, AND YOU get entered into their giveaway!

happy mothers day...

to everyone who "mothers" ...

I don't know how to do these videos, to see this full size on You Tube click here...an incredible mother's survival story, here is her blog...

are clowns scarey???

...what do YOU say? cause here at our house, we don't think they are scarey! in fact, they are friends! we had a special guest visit and this is one clown who spends his life doing good. Chip has travelled the world as a nurse, but most importantly as a clown! he is always willing to help anyone from people with disabilities to orphans: Marie's Children Chip is always willing to answer questions, just ask for an email address!

...at first, this is as close as the kids would get...but after some time, they were good buddies...

the subtle, oh so important milestones...

...when she called me "mom" for the first time...

even if she was over 2 years old when it happened...

...when she told me for the first time "I'm hungry" or "can I have a snack?" because she felt hungry

...when she asked me for the first time "mom, will you play with me"

...or even better, "mom, can I play with my friend?"

...first time she put a spoon on her head and pretended it was a hat

...when I asked her at 4 and a half years old: "where are you going?" and she told me "I'm going potty"

...the first time she asked "will you help me, please?"

...when she told me the other day, "we look at what we are pointing at." and I didn't tell her that!

...when she said "mom, we don't say the word stupid." and she came up with that on her own: haha!

...when she asked today "mom, do you have your chapstick?" because she realized her lips needed it!!!

...I notice these things kiddo

...and I get so excited

...you are you

...you are so unique
...innocent and good

...I love to watch you learn

...I love to teach you in your way

...hand over hand

...over and over again

...then you get it

...and you excel

...this is your way

...dedicated to kids who learn this way

and their moms who notice the subtle,

oh so important, milestones...

mundane monday...

"what is it?" something fun to do on Mondays? Okay!

the reason we started this new blog was so that the cousins who live in different states can do an activity "together" and share it...to keep in touch...today was the first day and my girls continued throughout the day asking if their cousin was doing all the things they were doing: "is Meg eating watermelon now?" "is Meg going outside?" "is Meg going for a drive?"

cute...

...this baby has the cutest little belly button...

we go a little crazy...

...these are the matchies of just one trip!

touring...

...spring is here!

...visiting GREAT-grandpa...

Arizona!


Disneyland!

...ballet lessons...

the bunny, the bunny...

...things went a lot better than last year...
...in fact, this year I wasn't even going to bother, but the girls started asking to see him, and M told me, "I'm bigger now so I will give the Easter Bunny a big hug and a delicious carrot." she was true to her word...



Happy Spring!

He Lives

He Lives

teaching about butterflies...

...my little girl came home from school with this...I think it is SO clever...

fake it 'till you make it

after a conversation with my sister, I wanted to remember:
*there aren't grumpy people: there are people who decide to BE grumpy
*there aren't angry people: there are people who decide to BE angry
*there aren't happy people: there are people who decide to BE happy
*there aren't confident people: there are people who decide to BE confident
*there aren't patient people: there are people who decide to BE patient
*there aren't faithful people: there are people who decide to BE faithful
*there aren't ...
*there is only what we decide to BE...

EAT!

Baby H's version of the sign for EAT...sign language is normally quiet, right but when she signs EAT, she's so determined that I can hear it!
(just hope she doesn't hurt herself)

...craft night...

...growth charts!

diaper dance...

...how easy is it to get these kiddos to hold still for one good picture?!?!?!
...three out of the five 2009 grandbabies...

little doll...

lily tomlin...haha

you better believe it...

...this kid's hair has refused to grow

(daddy didn't have any hair until he was three!

she is almost three)...

...it has no style...

...sometimes I use gel on it...

that's pretty cute...

...today we cut and styled it..

pixie style...

..."like Tinkerbell," I told her, "like Pixie Hollow."

"You better believe it." She replies...

...this kid cracks me up...

...I thought she was saying something she'd heard from Jungle Book...

...maybe, maybe not...