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...

Garlic?

I guess I'm garlic.... What spice are you? Take the test by clicking on the link below!

You Are Garlic

Of all the spice types, you are the most universally loved. You get long with pretty much everyone, and you leave a lasting impression. You adapt yourself well to situations. You can fit in or stand out, depending on what you're called on to do. What Spice Are You?

Testing Blogger Mobile...

Sent from my sweet, pink Blackberry Pearl

Freedom

Chloe LOVES to be outside. Every time the front door opens, she makes a run for it and tries to get out. It was such a nice day today and we were able to spend some time playing in the yard. Lila went to the park with the neighbors, so Chloe was happy to have some Mommy time drawing with chalk. We also went and got a slushie from Sonic. You can't beat 1/2 price happy hour drinks - they are the best!

Unattended For Seconds...

The Graduate

Marc "officially" graduated on Friday. It was so great to watch him walk - I'm so proud of him! Lila was also feeling proud. During the ceremony she said "I have tears. But I think they are happy tears!" She's such a cute, sensitive girl.

I haven't quite gotten a hold of the mother of 3 thing yet. I made a wrong decision in thinking I was prepared to walk across the UVSC parking lot alone with my kids. I had Max in his carrier, Chloe on her monkey "leash" (don't judge me...) and Lila walking. It took us almost an hour to go from one end of the parking lot to the other. I also had 2 people stop me and ask me if I was ok.... I won't be doing that again! The blossoms on all the trees were pretty though!!

My Top Albums

I stole this idea from Megan Coffman... Thanks Meg! :) You pick and list your top albums from 1990 - present. I told Megan that I could probably list my favorite albums starting with 1985, but I won't!! I could also probably list 3 or 4 albums for each year. I love music - I couldn't function without it. I have a sweet set up at home too. Marc installed an "under the cabinet" CD player for me last year for Mother's Day. It's actually a huge 5 disc CD player and the tower sits under the cabinet, but the speakers are on top of the fridge. My iPod is connected to it, so I listen to music all day while I'm cleaning or making dinner. Anyway...here are my picks. I don't know if they would be my picks today for the best album for the year, but it's definitely what I was listening to at the time.

1990 - New Kids On The Block, Step By Step

1991 - Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation

1992 - En Vogue - Funky Divas

1993 - Boyz II Men , Cooleyhighharmony

1994 - Janet Jackson, janet.

1995 - TLC, CrazySexyCool

1996 - Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill

1997 - Diddy, No Way Out

1998 - K-Ci & Jojo, Love Always

Honorary pick goes to Def Leppard, Greatest Hits because I listened to it so much even though it came out in 1995...

1999 - Usher, My Way



2000 - Jennifer Lopez, J. Lo

2001 - Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor

2002 - Justin Timberlake, Justified



2003 - Britney Spears, In The Zone

2004 - Maroon 5, Songs About Jane

2005 - Black Eyed Peas, Monkey Business

2006 - Nelly Furtado, Loose

2007 - Fergie, The Dutchess

2008 - Still to be determined... :)

Aging Gracefully? Nope!

I used to think I would decide to age gracefully when it was my time. I quickly figured out this will not be the case after all. While I was drying my hair, I noticed a stubborn hair that kept popping straight up. Upon further inspection, I found that it was (gasp!) gray!!! I yanked it out of my head and frantically started combing through my hair to find any other offenders. I didn't find any. But I realized the top 2 inches of it was brown and the bottom was gray. Is that normal? I've never seen a “Nice and Easy” commercial where a gray haired person was talking about the dreaded day their hair turned brown.... Could it be hormones? Stress?

The Fastest Way to Travel

My Cute Girls

To Pee or Not To Pee (In The Potty)

That is the question.... Chloe has been bringing me a new diaper every time she needs a change and I wonder if it is time to try and potty train her. I don't know if I have the time and energy to do it right now, especially with a new baby. But I also don't want to discourage her if she is ready. HELP! Any advice out there from you veteran moms? She is only 16 months old… (but she thinks she is 16 years old). Is that too soon?

Hostile Anniversary Takeover!!!!

This is a secret admirer of Cammi's...hacking in to say how much I love her and adore her! She is the best! Her husband is so lucky to have her. I'll bet he doesn't know what he would do without her. He truly has "married outside of his species."
143 381
--champ
Just look how hot she is!

Please, all you readers out there, join with me in telling Cammi how awesome she is. Don't be shy, post away! Cammi is the greatest!

How Observant Are You?

Happy Anniversary!

3 years....3 kids....and a whole lot more! The last few years have been the greatest and it is all thanks to the love of my life, Marc. Here is a schmoopy video for him, but what's a good schmoopy video if you can't share it with everyone?!? I love you more than I can say, hon! Thanks for being you :*

Wisdom from Lila

Lila said this quote in about one breath today while we were eating lunch. Don't kids just crack you up??

"Everyone is the same. Except for their eyes, their nose, their hair and their body. Did you know that boys have hair in their nose? Ew. Cows don't stand up like people. They stay on four legs and the girl cows have straight hair like me. But I have curly hair. I have to go potty."

Snipity Snip

After talking about it for weeks, I finally did it. I chopped my hair off.

I'll have Marc take a better picture of me later. My self portraits always look blurry.

Hello World

Yawn

Favorite New Toy

Marc, who is the king of sneaky and of spoiling me, bought me a "Happy Birthday" present for Max and gave this to me just hours after I had him. Of course, he bought it a month ago thinking I was going to go into labor and kept it a secret the whole time. I LOVE IT! It is my new favorite toy. It is the Blackberry Pearl, in pink of course. You may start getting random emails from me...I'm looking for any reason to use my phone!

Worth It All

I just can't get enough of Max. I could hold him all day and all night. (And I do right now since he isn't sleeping very well....) And you can see why…doesn’t he look so cuddly?? The night before he was born, I was talking to Marc's Dad Ed about how amazing it is for your love to stretch and grow as your family gets bigger. I told him it was hard to imagine that you can love another person with all your heart, but as soon as Max was here it would be hard to remember what life was like before he got here. And that was the truth! Lila and Chloe have been so good with him. Lila has taken on the big sister role perfectly. She has been a great help with holding him and also helping Chloe when my hands are full. I was a little worried about Chloe since she’s too little to understand what happened, but she has so much love to give. She loves to pat him on the head and give him hugs and kisses. Marc has also been the best husband ever. He has not only taken great care of me, but he has taken care of the girls, no questions asked. I know he has to be tired too, but he hasn’t shown any signs or complained at all!

No, I did not go into labor on my own. I completely wimped out. I called the doctors office on Wednesday at 4:30 PM (the 26th) and asked if they could induce me the next morning. Lucky for me, the hospital didn’t have any inductions scheduled, so they fit me right in! It must have been meant to be. I was told on average the American Fork hospital has 7-9 inductions a day! It was nice to have a plan instead of waiting on pins and needles for something to happen. We had to be at the hospital at 7 AM, so we took Lila and Chloe up to my in-laws house that night. I didn’t sleep very well and I actually woke up at 5:30 with cramps and contractions. I don’t know if it was the anxiety of going to the hospital or if I was really going into labor! We got the hospital at 7 and they got me going right away with a drip of Pitocin. I wanted to wait until I was “uncomfortable” to get my epidural, but I’m sure my uncomfortable was minor compared to real labor pains. The anesthesiologist came in and poked me in the back about 100 times with his finger trying to find my epidural space. That hurt more than the contractions I was having. After he put the catheter in, he told me he was giving me a “Cadillac Dose” to start me off. It sounded good to me at first, but then I started to feel really weird. I was pretty much numb up to my chest. I had never felt that way with the other 2 epidurals I’ve had. The nurse then called the anesthesiologist back into the room to give me some ephedrine because my blood pressure had dropped too low. I didn’t realize something was wrong until then. I’m glad the monitors knew because I don’t know if I would have been able to say anything at that point. It felt like I was frozen in place. Thankfully, the ephedrine worked but I felt really shaky afterward. But I didn’t feel any pain! That was the plan…right?? Not too long after that, it was time to push. I only pushed for 14 minutes, but it felt like an eternity!!! I was really concentrated on getting Max here, so I didn’t really notice that EVERY SINGLE NURSE on duty happened to be in the room. I think Marc counted 10. Since I was the only patient there, everyone wanted to help/watch! I was thankful to have some quiet moments alone with Marc and Max afterward.

And this is the end result of all the waiting and madness…it was worth it!

Thanks Mom for all the help you gave me during labor and afterwards with the girls and house stuff. (And for putting up with me for a week before hand) It was also nice to come home to a spotless house. My mother-in-law Lynne and Aunt Barbara cleaned everything top to bottom. I cried…partially because they saw my dirty floors that haven’t been scrubbed for a month, but mostly because the dirty floors were scrubbed. Thank you!!