Happy Birthday Kika!

You don't look a day over 19. Thanks for inviting us to your party!

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

My Kitchen Floor

Chloe's cute footprints....on my floor...along with her breakfast....Sigh.....

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

Flashback Friday

I've been working on scanning all of my old pictures, so I thought it would be fun to start doing Flashback Friday (like a few other blogs I've seen) and sharing some of my old memories.

Nes - remember when we took off to California on a whim and ended up staying for a week? We were crazy...but it was one of the funnest times I've had! What were we thinking packing shorts and tank tops in December??? I can't believe we made it from LA to Vegas in time for the New Year - and we even got a parking space!!! By the time we got home, I was SO tired I think I slept for a whole day.

Top of the Stratosphere

Huntington Beach

Madame Tussaud's wax museum was so much fun!!!

Universal Studios

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Marilyn!

Happy New Year from the Vegas Strip!

The Audacity

I'm not usually one to talk politics, but after seeing this video I felt it was important to post it for everyone to see. Do we really want a president who refuses to put his hand over his heart during the national anthem or wear an American flag pin? A man who is willing to lift the ban on meeting with terrorist leaders and wants to sit down with them to talk face to face? I don't..... The list goes on and on. The video is 10 minutes long, but take the time to watch the entire thing. It's eye opening.

Gang o' Strollers

I've started walking in the mornings with some other ladies from the ward and we are slowly turning into a stroller gang! There are usually 7 - 9 of us and I'm sure we are a funny sight to see. It's been a really nice way to get to know some of the sisters better.

And The Cat Came Back...

There is a strange cat that keeps scratching on Max's window and I'm not sure what to do about it... I think it is a stray, but I'm not sure. I had this great idea to run up the stairs and try to catch it when I heard it scratching today, but then I thought "What would I do with it?" I'm deathly allergic to cats and I hate them anyway. But I don't want it scratching on the window anymore!! Any ideas from all you resourceful people out there??

Max's Blessing Day

Max had a great blessing day. Marc did a really good job with the blessing. We were lucky to be able to share the day with Max's Great Grandma Bonney who was in town from Florida. He looked so cute in a blessing outfit made by Lynne. Thank you to everyone who helped share our special day!

Lila's Preschool Graduation

I can't believe what a big deal they make out of everything these days.... I don't remember doing anything like this when I left preschool! They sang songs about all of the things they learned - days of the week, months of the year, the planets, "Leo the Lion", the "splish-splash" dance and lots more! They also received a certificate and a trophy because they also did gymnastics. Lila was cute and I'm proud of her for the work she did in class. She's going to be my overachiever! Lila made some good friends during the year. She will miss seeing them. The little boy in the last picture is Tiago. I think he is Lila's first "crush", but she won't admit to it! :)

More Precious Max Pictures

My Sweet Boys

Thanks Shyla - I love all of the pictures!! (More to come...)

C'mon Jazz....

Marc and I are lucky enough to go to our 3rd game of the playoffs tonight. And the JAZZ MUST WIN! GO JAZZ!!

NKOTB Forever

New Kids On The Block are coming to Salt Lake City on November 15th - Marc, get ready for the greatest concert you've ever attended.....

Sesame Street

I used to love Sesame Street when I was little. I remember watching it all the time and I remember quite a few of the songs and skits still. Who can forget Teeny Little Super Guy, the "People In Your Neighborhood" song, and C is for Cookie? Classics. A couple of nights ago, Max decided to pull an all nighter and we were up from 1:30-4. That's when I rediscovered Sesame Street! Why is it not on during the day while my kids are up??? All this time they've been watching crap like Yo Gabba Gabba... I set my DVR to record Sesame Street every day so they can watch it in the mornings. It's even entertaining for me because I get to watch the old clips I used to love and I now actually get the "adult" humor hidden in each skit. They even had an episode of A's Anatomy on today - it was hilarious!

My Munchkins

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

7 Weeks Old Tomorrow

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

Fun At The Park

Chloe has no fear! She climbs EVERYTHING!







Lila made some friends and started a game of baseball.

Something to Brighten Your Monday

The Fan

Marc has been bugging me to pick out a ceiling fan for our bedroom for over a year now. And I finally did it! :) Marc worked hard on getting it installed on Saturday and it looks great! It will also feel great once it starts to heat up outside. Thanks for being such a great handy man Marc!

Happy Birthday Doug

Today is my friend Doug Carter's birthday. He would have been 26 years old, but he passed away on May 15th, 1998.

For his present, I made a donation to the Yellow Ribbon Project. The program is working to give troubled teens a way to ask for help when they just don't know how to. You can read more about the project and how you can help by clicking the link to their web page.

Mom's Day

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, 'It's okay honey, Mommy's here.'

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors.

And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars. And that when their kids asked, 'Did you see me, Mom?' they could say, 'Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world,' and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making
babies. And for all the (grand)mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read 'Goodnight, Moon' twice a night for a year. And then read it again, 'Just one more time.'

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before
they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little
voice calls 'Mom?' in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college -- or have their own families.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches, assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14 year olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers
of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time?

Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache she feels when she watches her son or daughter disappear
down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes her from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put her hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when she just wants to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in her home?

Or the need to flee from wherever she is and hug her child when she hears news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation... And for mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers. Single mothers and married mothers. Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us...

(Thanks Amy for sending me this. I'm not sure who wrote it, but I think we can all find something we relate to here!)

Turning Coal Into Diamonds

My friend Rhianna invited me to watch her sister-in law's dance company (The Diamond Dance Company) perform at an Enrichment activity on Thursday and I'm so glad she did. We received a program when we got there and on the back it said, “It is meant for us to have trials and sorrows. Through the atonement of Jesus Christ, every piece of coal in our lives can be refined into diamonds and place on our heavenly crowns.” The performance was about being a woman and the trials we go through, as well as the blessings and rewards we will receive from those trials. Each of the performers shared a personal experience they have had as a mother/sister/daughter/wife/friend and tied it into a song or dance number. It wasn't our ward or a ward of anyone we knew, so I hope they didn't think I was a crazy person as I sat there crying during the entire performance. Don't get me wrong, I love being a woman - a wife and a mother. But do I doubt my abilities and wonder what in the world I've gotten myself into from time to time? You bet. A couple of weeks ago, I was running late and Lila needed to leave for school in the next few minutes. I fixed Lila a big glass of chocolate milk to drink before we left and ran upstairs with Max to change his diaper since I had heard him fill it from across the room. Lila promptly knocked the entire glass over, spilling it on her and all over the floor. I sat Max in his crib, screaming, while I started mopping up the mess and Lila changed her clothes. Where was Chloe during the fiasco? She was just quietly unrolling the entire roll of toilet paper in the bathroom and started shredding it when the unrolling was done. I went into the pantry on the verge of tears and closed the door behind me. I thought, “I can’t. I can’t do this…” But I did. The chocolate milk was mopped (but still sticky until I scrubbed it 2 days later), the toilet paper was picked up (and thrown away because I was too lazy to try and save it), Max’s diaper was changed (twice) and Lila made it to school (late). It wasn’t done perfectly….but I’m not perfect. And it’s nice to know that I’m not alone. One of my favorite stories from the night was about a woman who got frustrated and ended up kicking the wall and putting a hole in it. Initially she covered it up but when her friend stopped by, she showed her the hole and told her what had happened. Instead of judging her or thinking she was out of her mind, her friend laughed with her. Later in the day, the friend brought a pan of brownies over with a hole carefully cut out of the middle. Talk about turning coal into diamonds! :)

Go Jazz!

At the game....

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

Hee Hee

Your son Rip is on line toot???? When I heard that, I laughed so hard I cried....

Happy Birthday David!

Yow-za!

Here's a great monologue from Ellen. She feels the same way I do about David...