williams family

necklace love

2012-02-16T18:05:00.000-07:00

i apologize for the self portrait. sometimes you just have to do it.

my sister gave me this necklace for my birthday back in december. i love it. i've been wearing it all the time lately. i'm sure it would be easy to make. string, two different styles of beads and fabric between the beads. i actually might give it a try...

thank you, laura!

valentines

2012-02-15T17:27:00.001-07:00

we didn't do too much to celebrate valentine's day. dinner at home with the kids, little chocolate treats and a heart shaped cake. simple.

however, i received a few little surprises the day before valentine's day.

mark bought me this five year journal. my friend lisa has one and i've been coveting it from the moment she told us about it. mark hunted one down for me on amazon and it showed up on my doorstep on monday. it's awesome. the inside looks like this...

you can write a few lines about your day for five years in a row. smart, right? i've really enjoyed it so far.

also on monday, i received another little present when i checked the mail. a few weeks ago i won a blog contest on THIS here blog. amy is mark's cousin's wife. she is adorable! her blog is pretty great. check it out when you have a minute. her recipes are killer. trust me. here are my winnings...

valentine pillow slipcovers. aren't they so cute? i am so thrilled to have them!

i hope you all had a great valentine's day with your loved ones as well!

a good life

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

my favorite day in hawaii.

a few years ago i put together a little list about me. a list of what makes me happy, grateful and strengthened. as i was looking back through my blog the other day, i ran across that post and thought maybe i should put together a more updated list.

it's been nice to take the time to think about all the things that make me the person i am.

sometimes life doesn't really let me dwell on those things as much as i should amid the bills, errands, lack of sleep, laundry, never ending cleaning and so on.

here's my list:

i laugh the hardest while playing games with my siblings. it gets silly. it's one of the rare times my guard comes all the way down.

i am grateful to be a mother to a smart and caring boy, an independent and stylish girl and an over the top funny baby girl.

i am blessed to be in a home i love. a home that gives me space, comfort and warmth.

i am fulfilled when i am creative. crafts, organization and baking. i find me through these things.

i am strengthened by my knowledge of the atonement of christ.

i am proud that i taught myself how to run. running and i are not friends. never will be. however, completing a few 5Ks was a pretty great feeling for this non-runner.

i am comfortably ME in the warmth of the sun, sitting by some kind of water (the beach is the best but a pool will do), with a pile of magazines and a cold soda at arm's reach.

i love cuddling up to a warm husband and chatting at the end of the day. truly my favorite thing ever.

i wish i owned a little bakery with a bookstore attached. mark could introduce his favorite books to new readers. i could bake to my little heart's content. it's all very charming in my head.

i'm glad i'm getting older. life can be hard but it can also be oh so sweet. the small moments of happiness are actually what makes life wonderful. age helps you realize this.

and i'm happy because of all of these things.

the old post can be found here.

you know it's love

2012-01-17T16:00:00.001-07:00

when a cute boy posts something like this on your facebook page, you know it's love. especially when you know that cute boy rolls his eyes at showing facebook affection every other day of his life.

this has been on repeat for most of the day today.

it's my new favorite song.

the cute boy has always been and will always be my favorite.

ps. you can ignore all the random pictures on the video...unless you love that kind of thing. enjoy!

a cute discovery

2012-01-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

it's nice to turn on my phone and find a cute picture of my girls.

usually i find blurry pictures of the floor. they are way cuter than my floor. just sayin.

cookies and happiness

2012-01-12T20:05:00.001-07:00

i've been making a lot of cookies this week. they're supposed to be curing my grumpy mood. i don't think the cookies got the memo. but they sure do taste yummy nonetheless!

don't worry, this grumpy mood is on it's way out. life isn't fun when you're grumpy. being happy is much more pleasant. i'm sure this is common knowledge but i guess i'm a slow learner.

thanks to the following grumpy mood killers i think i'll be fine.

izzy sings 'mary had a little lamb' in the sweetest little voice.

a good husband who says, "i will have patience with you for as long as you need." ps. my reply to that was to yell, "i'm not being THAT difficult!" yeah, not cool. but mark is very cool for letting me just work through whatever it is that's going on.

playing basketball with ethan. he got a new ball and a jazz jersey for christmas. yeah, he's gonna be a hoops star, i'm calling it now.

olivia is pretending that she's repulsed by justin bieber but i think she's secretly in love. i remember that. new kids on the block, anyone? i totally understand this girl way more than she thinks.

grey's anatomy. parks and recreation. awesome shows. i'm also about to start watching friday night lights for the second time. that show is television at it's best. these shows warm my heart.

friends. i have some of the best. just sayin. i include my siblings and siblings by marriage in this mix. i love hanging out with that little crew. laughter dominates our gatherings. little mission brother is missed. but he's doing one heck of a job. that makes me happy.

working from home on fridays. me in my pjs just working away while izzy plays. it's appreciated. i'm a stay-at-home mom who's temporarily playing full-time working woman. being home is being me.

see, this grumpy mood can't last too long with all of this goodness hanging around.

i'm sure of it.

a beautiful day for a wedding

2012-01-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

brigham and amy are officially married. yahoo! it was such a beautiful day for it too! it's january and in the 50s? unreal. but we'll take it!

i couldn't be more thrilled for brig and amy! they make a great little pair and their future holds a lot of happiness. i just know it.

let me set the scene for you. sealing was held at 230pm at the provo temple. amy is from that area and had always wanted to be sealed there. today was only the sealing...the reception is tomorrow. so here are a few pics that i took with my phone at the temple (my phone camera is working better than my real camera so it'll have to do for now). enjoy the randomness.

the happy couple. i loved all of the lace on amy's dress.

an action shot. and the real photographer's arm. oops.

my brother evan, my grandma pat and my mark. we couldn't really escape the sun for most of these pics.

my cute sister laura and her husband steve. don't they look thoughtful? i think they are smiling for a different photographer.

now this is rare - a decent pic of us together. someone's eyes are usually closed. or mark's talking. this one is a keeper.

these are my girls. l to r: jess (married to evan), rachel (married to cam), me and laura. we're all looking at different photographers, can ya tell? and poor jess had the sun right in her face...

this is the reaction you get when mark tells jess that she needs to suck in her tummy. she's six months pregnant.

ev and jess at the family dinner after the temple. ev always did love the camera! aren't they cute?

this pic is really random but i love cam's face. priceless.

and there you have it. i loved every minute. and we get to do it all over again tomorrow at the reception. bring it on!

sometimes

2012-01-03T11:19:00.000-07:00

fuzzy phone pic

sometimes it's nice to sleep in.

to have lazy mornings.

to walk around target with three happy kids and no cart.

to let those three happy kids pick out something fun to buy just because and not really have anything specific on the 'to buy' list.

sometimes it's also nice to sit at the sonic drive in and eat corn dogs and tater tots and diet vanilla coke (the coke part is for mom only).

and sometimes it's nice to end that happy day with a bowling date night, a cute husband and completely fun friends. sometimes days like that are just awesome.

oh thirty two

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

yep, it was my birthday yesterday. thirty two. wow.

i have to get my license renewed today. i remember when i got it, looking at the expiration date and thinking,"i'll be 32 when i need a new one. i can't even imagine being in my thirties." it seemed too far away.

well, here i am.

to be honest, i never feared leaving my twenties and i don't think i'll dislike leaving my thirties when the time comes. twenties brought mark, babies and lots of changes. and while life still changes daily, my thirties have brought fun older kids, a stronger marriage and more time to do things for me. i love all of the growth and learning and confidence that comes with age. getting older seems like a blessing, not a loss. i'm only two years into my thirties, of course, but if they've gone this well so far i look forward to whatever else they might hold in store.

here's to thirty two!

ps. the striped shirt is thrifted from DI. $3.

holiday greetings

2011-12-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

i made a last minute attempt to put together a family christmas card but it didn't quite work out. i'll try to pull myself together a little better next year and get those cards out. i really love all of the cards we've received. we have some great friends and family!

in the place of that card, here are a few pics from our christmas celebrations.

after church. the older kids made amazing time changing back into their pjs.

ethan and liv waiting for presents to be passed out

cousins, missing little will and lexy.

some of the fam gathered for presents

we had a really nice christmas. we hope you did too!

my two little ladies

2011-12-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

i didn't get the memo to make a silly face.

pictures were all taken with only the light from the tree. it's a little dark. but added the the fun of the evening.

those moments when you're sitting on the floor with your two girls on a sunday evening just chatting and being silly are good moments. hopefully, as they continue to get older and too cool for mom, we'll still be able to have those moments. my girls are pretty great. being their mom is pretty great too.

q&a 2011

2011-12-09T14:33:00.001-07:00

disney. nov. 2011.

it's been almost two years since i've officially interviewed my kids. although, being their mom, i think i hear about all of these things on a daily basis. my kids like to talk. they get it from their dad...and i mean that in the nicest possible way. izzy wasn't included last time since she was still a sweet little babe. she is always highly entertaining. and she didn't disappoint today.

here we go...

ethan (9):

1. favorite food? your orange chicken.

2. favorite book? book of mormon reader.

3. if you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be? bahamas

4. what's your favorite thing to do with dad? go see movies.

5. what do you want to be when you grow up? architect.

6. if you could choose one thing to buy yourself, what would it be? xbox360.

olivia (7):

1. favorite food? turkey sandwich made with leftover thanksgiving turkey.

2. favorite book? if you give a dog a bone...

3. if you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be? disneyland again!

4. what's your favorite thing to do with dad? rough house.

5. what do you want to be when you grow up? a vet

6. if you could choose one thing to buy yourself, what would it be? a blue ds

izzy (3):

1. favorite food? chicken from mcdonalds.

2. favorite book? dora the explorer.

3. if you could spend one day anywhere, where would it be? the bathroom. (she turns to olivia and bursts into laughter). answer #2: harmons (grocery store). she likes their carts that look like cars and i hardly ever go there so it's a real treat for her when we do go.

4. what's your favorite thing to do with dad? play the piano.

5. what do you want to be when you grow up? i just want to watch other people work. (said with a very serious face)

6. if you could choose one thing to buy yourself, what would it be? a pink ds.

you can totally see their personalities in the answers. olivia might be my mini me in appearance but ethan totally has my personality. i love that. olivia is a bit more adventurous. she and mark have a lot in common. and izzy is just silly. her nickname lately has been dizzy izzy because she has so much energy and personality...it'll make you dizzy!

my kids are pretty dang awesome.

the old q&a can be found here.

the traced hand

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

izzy has been drawing a lot lately. she's always asking for paper and crayons. sometimes she asks for a pen. usually that's because the older kids are doing their homework and she tries to copy them. she'll ask me how to spell things and then make little scribble marks on her paper. i've at least been successful at getting her to write her name the correct way.

however, her very favorite thing to do is trace her hand. i find papers all over the house of her little (and sometimes really exaggerated) hand.

recently i found her hand tracing on more than just paper.

yep, that's my light colored rocker with her hand on it.

i was in the shower when she decided to have a little drawing time. when i came out, she was so excited to show me what she had drawn. she was quite proud of herself.

i just laughed.

i couldn't bring myself to yell at her. don't get me wrong, she was punished. and she's not allowed near anything that doesn't say "washable crayon" these days.

mark found some awesome cleaner at work (the perk of him working at a place that makes those kind of chemicals) and was able to completely remove the hand.

oh my sweet izzy.

my second turkey

2011-12-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

mark and i went bowling on friday for date night. actually, we started the night with crown burger for dinner. yum! crown burger and bowling...pretty much a great night out! oh, and frozen yogurt after bowling. can't forget the dessert! yum again!

but i'm getting off track...

we went bowling.

and this happened for only the second time in my entire life...

i had three strikes in a row! a turkey, if you will. i'm not a great bowler so this is a big deal.

mark still beat me.

but he never managed to get a turkey!

looks like christmas at our house

2011-12-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

i finally set up a few christmas decorations. thanksgiving was super busy and i just needed a small break to recover before diving into the christmas season. but it's here now. i love it. i'm considering leaving the tree up all year. i can't get enough of just staring at the lights at night, in the quiet after the kiddos hit the hay. and it takes up the space under the window that i've had a hard time filling with some sort of decor...if i'm being honest! yep, i really do love this time of year.

my grandma shirley always gets the kids these singing toys. izzy turns all three of them on at the same time. not sure how much longer these are going to be out of storage...

the advent calendar my grandma pat made for me and my siblings. it's old. but it still does the trick and i love it.

my mom bought me this set a few years ago. simple and beautiful.

love gold at christmas...or anytime. i'm thinking my mirrors need to be dressed up in one way or another all year.

i made those blocks last year with my mom, sister and sister-in-law. the trees my mom had when we were little. its great to have so many christmas items now that i had growing up.

someday i'll have a tree that i can really decorate the way i would like but for now i think it's great to let the kids take over. the ornaments are colored balls that they picked out from target when they were little. no breakables. they get a kick out of decorating "their" tree.

a little thrifted dress

2011-11-30T16:27:00.002-07:00

i'm really intrigued by people who thrift shop. you know, the ones who can walk into a thrift store and come out with a creative and cute outfit. or, like my husband, have the patience to look over every book and find some pretty great classics.

so i thought i would put myself to the test.

i've redone furniture in the past. i still need to post those pics, don't i?

now i'm onto clothes.

i started at kid to kid looking for clothes for, well, my kids. they have some great stuff! my brother's girlfriend works there so it's fun to go in and chat it up with nicole while i dig through the clothes for some gems. i'll try to post pics of the kids in their outfits as the clothes are worn.
first up, izzy in her cute little dress.

dress: $5. tights: $2 target. boots: handed down from her cousin.

doesn't she make the cutest little model?

i spent some time at my local DI today and walked away with three tops. $12. i'm pretty happy with myself. i think i have a new addiction. at least it's relatively cheap, right?

birthday letters

2011-11-28T16:41:00.001-07:00

sorry about the quality. i really really really need a new camera.

my dad's birthday is this week. friday to be exact. he and mom are in hawaii for two weeks to celebrate, not only his birthday, but also their anniversary that was last sunday. i know, he leads a hard life! he's a lucky man indeed.

after thanksgiving dinner on thursday (which was glorious, by the way), all the family gathered in the living room and asked my dad to join us. he had no idea we were giving him his birthday present early. he sat down in the rocker and we handed him a stack of envelopes wrapped up in twine. in the envelopes were letters that i've been gathering over the last month or so from those close to my dad - family and friends from all different areas of his life. i think he ended up with about 30 letters. it was fun to watch him open them and relive some of those memories. most were funny memories. a few he couldn't finish reading because they made him cry...in a good way, we're told. he's becoming rather sentimental in his "old" age.

that dad of mine is a pretty good guy, if i do say so myself.

cousins

2011-11-22T07:00:00.001-07:00

tessa and olivia

ethan and beckham

my sister and i each have three kids. they don't line up exactly in age but they get along so well. izzy is constantly saying how much she loves her cousin beckham (he's about 9 months older).

saturday was beckham's birthday.

the party was at chuck e cheese.

the kids were in heaven.

i'm grateful that our families live close enough to each other that they are able to spend happy moments like that together.

little lexy

2011-11-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

this is little lexy ray.

she belongs to my little brother cam and his wife rachel. and she's only about five weeks old. i was able to babysit her a few days ago while her parents had a fun date night. i held her and she slept. it was pretty great. i'll take an opportunity to snuggle a new baby anytime.

breaking dawn at midnight

2011-11-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

hi. my name is emily and i'm addicted to the twilight saga.

the books kept me entertained while constantly (it feels constant sometimes, doesn't it?) nursing a newborn. the movies have made for fun, late nights out and a reason to swoon over robert pattinson. yes indeed. you better believe i'm team edward!

breaking dawn opened at midnight last night.

yep, i saw it.

it was awesome. yes, awesome.

even the super awkward sex scenes and wolves talking to each other like they're scooby-doo. the movies get better as they go. i'm looking forward to part two.

winter swimming

2011-11-17T16:06:00.001-07:00

we went swimming over at the rec center with some friends. the water was warm, the kids loved it and it wore them out. i think we'll be taking advantage of winter swimming more often.

i promise i won't get carried away with the polaroid app

izzy loved the pink goggles

izzy calls gretta her best friend. aren't they cute?

the older kids wouldn't hold still long enough for me to take decent pictures. and izzy pretty much loves any opportunity to have a picture taken.

thanksgiving tree

2011-11-15T17:24:00.001-07:00

i really like my new polaroid app

guess i took the picture the wrong way here. oops.

i love projects that include materials that i already have around my house. the thanksgiving tree was that kind of project! each of us took at least one paper dollie and wrote down what we're thankful for in our lives. izzy drew some doodles and every time we ask her what they are she says something different. they've represented toys, her family and candy. all good things to be grateful for, i suppose!

its in the lyrics

2011-11-14T16:39:00.002-07:00

the last couple of weeks i've been listening to this song on repeat. it doesn't get old. i think i've listened to it five times already today. the lyrics get me every time. they say exactly how i feel about the last couple years of my (our) life.

i'm gonna get personal for a minute. it's my blog, right?

the last three years have been difficult. i think i've said that before. as a result of some of these difficulties, my personal beliefs and my marriage have taken a hit. there's ups and downs in life but for a while i (we) was (were) on a downward dive that was starting to get too difficult for me (us) to pull myself (ourselves) back up. i throw "us" and we" in there because a strong marriage takes two people, right?

you're darn tootin!

but before i lead you to believe that we are still in this downward dive, let me assure you that we are not. thanks to some very hard work, special people and overwhelming blessings, we are on our way back up. it's pretty dang great. life is good now. and we're still working on it. always will be. that's the way life is.

so this song says exactly how i feel.

lyrics:

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

And our love is pastured such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn
(my favorite part)

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a final mess but it's left me so empty
It's always darkest before the dawn

Oh woah, oh woah...

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark and right at my throat
Cause looking for heaven, for the devil in me
Looking for heaven, for the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh woaaah

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh woah

i'm letting go of the devil on my back. all these past issues are disappearing for me (us). the visual of shaking it out/off is awesome. so if you see me dancing around more (which for your sake i hope you don't, coordination isn't my strong suit), you'll know what i'm actually doing.

shaking it out.

brigham & amy

2011-11-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

thanks for letting me use some of your pictures, amy!

my brother, brigham, is getting married in january. he met amy though my parents. yep, they did it again. my mom set up laura and steve as well. she is quite the little matchmaker! my parents were having dinner at outback steakhouse, where amy was their waitress, and they got her number for brigham because they immediately thought the two of them would get along so well. they were right! january 4 is the big day. i'm excited for them and look forward to getting to know amy better. she has amazing taste in clothes. just sayin. some fun shopping days may be in the near future.

izzy meets some crazy characters

2011-11-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

izzy wanted a picture with just about every disney character. and we made it happen! while mark or i were off with the older kids on a ride izzy was just a bit too short for (like an inch!), we found characters in the park for her to take pictures with. it actually worked out perfectly every time.

here's her character photo gallery

jesse from toy story

tigger

eeyore

buzz lightyear

pooh bear

sully from monsters, inc

ariel

sleeping beauty

belle

mickey mouse, of course! her number one picture request.

minnie mouse. her number two picture request. liv was back from her ride in time to hop into the picture as well.

happy memories

2011-11-07T19:42:00.003-07:00

we're all wearing our "1st visit" buttons

you know those moments that you wish you could freeze in time because they were so wonderful and happy and precious?

our entire trip to disneyland was just like that.

well, okay, not the part where we got rear-ended by an old lady and now have a huge hole in the side of the car.

everything else exceeded our expectations.

i mean, come on, you know you're having a good time when it's just as hard to pull mark away from the park as it is the kids. poor guy. he could have happily spent a fourth day there.

really, it was that great.

things that make this girl smile

2011-10-28T10:12:00.001-06:00

(found on pinterest)

so life can be annoying, right? we all can relate. there's something almost everyday that we wish we didn't have to deal with or that we could ignore. but there's also great things that happen everyday, something that makes us smile. i've been trying to concentrate on those things more. life really is good. and here's a few things that are making me smile.

first, i've discovered two new blogs. for the love and the daybook. have you heard of them? click on the names and check it out for yourself. i love their ability to find cute thrift store outfits. i actually really envy this ability. i'm working on it though. but do you know how much patience you have to have to sift through all those racks of clothes to find the gems? anyway, back to the point...these blogs make me smile. i like their sense of self and sense of style. they dress the way i aspire to. they spend the amount of money on clothes that seems ideal (pennies!). and sarah's short hair style on the for the love blog...holy cow...it's amazing. someday i might have to just go for a style like that. i imagine it would be a freeing feeling.

hot chocolate. i can't get enough of it these days. my house gets pretty chilly at night, and in an attempt to save the heater from being on too much, i just bundle up and have myself some hot chocolate. mint chocolate, to be exact. it makes me smile.

okay, back to the discussion on clothes. i found these boots on pinterest and now i'm on a quest to find some. i've never been a huge fan of boots but...come on...these are just darling. boots, layers, scarves. yep, fall clothing makes me smile.

i'm back to going to the gym on a regular basis. i canceled my membership a while ago because i just didn't have the time to go and i was wasting money on something i didn't use. well, a few pounds later, i'm back to the gym. i've made it a priority again. it's the me time i need sometimes. i feel happy after i go. here's a little secret - gold's gym has opened mini gyms that they call gold's gym express. it's a condensed version of the real deal...and it has a condensed price. $10 a month for the gym? sure thing! it has everything i need in a gym. and that makes me smile.

izzy has started making up songs. i look forward to hearing her latest hits everyday. they range from, "i love cheese, I love cheese, oh yeah!" to "hello kitty's cute, hello kitty's cute, oh yeah!" there's always an "oh yeah" in there somewhere. she's pretty dang cute, if i do say so myself.

oh this man. he's my favorite. period.

rise and shout

2011-10-01T12:25:00.001-06:00

and that we did! ethan and i were able to go to the byu game last night with my brother, evan. we had a great time. we arrived early enough to do a little shopping before the game - ethan bought a cougars hat and foam claw to use during the game. then we grabbed some hot dogs and settled in to get ready for the game.

it was utah state's game almost the entire time, which was discouraging, but byu held on to make a huge comeback and won the game in the last 11 seconds. so. much. fun!

ethan now wants to be a football player...or a mascot. he cracks me up.

before the game - watching some players practice

in our seats waiting for the game to start...and wearing his new hat...sorry for the bad shadow

players taking the field

my fellow football lovers...and maybe heavenly beings

don't you love that guy behind me on the right smiling? ha!

loved the game. loved the company.

oh the excitement

2011-09-28T16:58:00.000-06:00

yep, we finally booked our family vacation to disneyland.

we're going in november.

this will be a new experience for all of us - none of us have ever been to disneyland before.

at least once a day izzy will say, "i'm so excited to go to disneyland!"

i love that all of my kids are now old enough to truly appreciate this vacation.

it's gonna be awesome.

for those of you who have been, what do you recommend we see, do, remember to pack and so on?

a little man and his gun

2011-09-09T16:16:00.000-06:00

we spent some of labor day weekend down at mark's parent's house. mark's brother, david, and his family also live there so we hung out with them as well. we had a nice time. my sister-in-law just had a baby about three weeks ago so you can guess what i did all weekend...

i hardly let go of that baby. he is so precious.

mark, david and kids did a lot of outdoors stuff all weekend. the kids were in heaven! on saturday they went to delta, utah (yeah, i didn't know where that was either) to dig for fossils. they were lucky enough to find a few. on sunday they went shooting. well, ethan got to go with the older boys...liv had to hang back with us women folk.

mark snapped a few pictures of ethan that i think are hilarious and adorable. he's growing up too fast and these pictures really show that.

apparently he's a good shooter. look at that form!

he shot at some discs with this gun and hit a few.


this is my favorite picture. we're just raising a little gun totin radical over here!

but with a mom like this...


taken a few years ago

...i guess he doesn't have much of a choice!

side note: i'm not a big fan of guns but i don't mind a little target shooting now and then.

jackpot

2011-09-02T15:45:00.000-06:00

while the kids started school this week, izzy started going to a new sitter. her name is kyrina and she is heaven sent. seriously. when the stress of finding someone to watch izzy started to cause me some serious anxiety, my friend lisa (aka my hair stylist extraordinaire) came to my rescue. she told me that her next door neighbor (how luck is that?) watched kids from her home and might be interested in taking izzy. i emailed kyrina, set up a time to meet her and the rest is history.

kyrina is wonderful, awesome and so great! i can't even express the peace of mind i've gained from knowing that izzy is being so well taken care of. i've had the great fortune of having family and close friends watch izzy in the past. and during the summer i had some amazing young women from church who watched the kids. but i knew this fall was going to be different. i was going to have to find someone to watch izzy outside of my normal group.

stress and anxiety. just a little. okay, a whole heck of a lot!

but not anymore.

this situation with kyrina couldn't have worked out better. and izzy loves her. added bonus. i really think that izzy believes she's hit the jackpot. life is good for miss iz. and that makes it good for me.

and really, who wouldn't love spending their days like this -

izzy's favorite food - hot dogs.

a little carousel fun

kyrina sends me pics throughout the day of izzy. yet another reason why she's so dang awesome.

first ever first day of school

2011-08-29T10:53:00.000-06:00

so my kids started school today. this is their first real first day of school. last year we started late. we had been homeschooling up until that point. so today is bittersweet. the kids were looking forward to going to school and i was dreading how emotional it was going to be for me. mark kept asking me all morning how i was doing - i'm sure he was prepared for the tears. luckily, i made it through both meetings with their teachers and driving home without tears. i'm not happy about it but no tears. i'm sure my homeschool mind will have to adjust every year that the kids start school. but i'm happy that the kids are happy. although, liv got a a little nervous right before i left and gave me a hug and she had a hard time letting go. thankfully her two best friends are in her class so that made it easier for her to walk into class. ethan doesn't have any of his friends from last year in his class this year but he seemed pretty comfortable the moment we walked in the school. i can't believe he's in 4th grade already!

ethan had this goofy grin all morning. i think he had a hard time sleeping last night because he was so excited/nervous.

he was happy about wearing his new superman shirt to school

however, i don't think anyone was as excited about their school clothes as liv was. the only reason she got out of bed this morning was to get dressed! she's such a girly girl. it's cute.

i will add that i'm grateful how well we've all adjusted to changes in our lives this last year. it wasn't easy to go from being a stay at home mom who homeschooled to being a working/schooling mom with kids in school and very limited time spent with my children. we've learned a lot about what we can handle and what's just too much. we've learned more about our roles in this family and what we need to do to succeed. we've learned to be happy and content with the moments that we do have together. we're still in the learning process but i'm so grateful for the steps we have made to becoming a better, happier family. who knows how long this phase will last - how long i'll work or if the kids will stay in traditional school - but for now we are doing what we're supposed to be doing.

that bit of knowledge makes me happy.

face painting

2011-08-22T16:39:00.000-06:00

we went to the farmer's market on saturday. i love a good farmer's market. we bought some peaches and honey. who can pass up local, fresh honey? it's so great! olivia spotted the face painting table as soon as we got there. she's such a girly girl...pretty sure she pretends it's make up on her face instead of paint. this was izzy's first time and i didn't think she would actually let the lady touch her face but she marched right up to the table, said what she wanted (blue butterfly) and stood perfectly still the whole time. and my boy ethan chose wisely and got a blue and white Y painted on his cheek. yep, he's my little byu football fan. i couldn't be prouder.

butterfly

hawaiian flower

byu

baby love

2011-08-20T11:52:00.001-06:00

babies have been on my mind lately. maybe it's because my "baby" just turned three and is potty trained now. i don't have a little one who needs me in the middle of the night or who lays on the floor cooing. i should be overwhelmingly happy, right? it's tough to have little ones who demand so much of your time. my body is finally mine again. it's pretty used up at this point but it's mine, a baby is not in it or hanging from it.

i've never been so emotional about the lack of a baby in my life than i am right now. most likely it's because i know i'm done. having a baby right now wouldn't be wise. and few years down the road, when things should be calming down, it probably isn't going to be on my mind. izzy is already three and i don't want the gap to be much bigger than that between her and a baby. it's difficult enough having a four and a half year gap between her and olivia.

side note: i'm not ignoring the prompting to have a baby, just to be clear. i know that i shouldn't. i know that. it's just sad to get to the point where i know i'm done. however, i will say, if i receive some sort of sign, like a heavenly being telling me that i MUST have a baby, then ya know, i'll consider it.

my point - this is a tough phase of life for me. much harder than i anticipated it would be. i will admit that it's a physical aching that i feel in my body. my body is mourning the change as well. i certainly didn't expect that.

i was looking at some pictures of when i was pregnant and when the kids were first born. man, they sure were cute! mark and i make some cute babies, if i do say so myself.

i think i'll share a few.

seven months with ethan. i don't know what i'm doing with my face. i'll blame it on the pregnancy, it makes ya do strange things, right?

sorry about the quality. it's a scanned pic. this is the first time i held ethan. i just cried and cried. he was perfect.

grumpy old man face

six weeks old. i remember sitting like this most of the day, every day.

almost two. about the time i had olivia.

i couldn't find any traditional pregnancy pics with liv so this will have to do. i was eight months pregnant and out in VA visiting family. now, let me say, i gain 50 lbs whenever i'm pregnant, whether i eat all veggies or all junk, that's just the way it is. my pregnancy with liv shows off those 50 lbs more than any other pregnancy. mark just laughs when he looks back at these pics. it is kind of amusing.

meeting for the first time. liv spent some time in the NICU and came on on oxygen and monitors. so ethan wasn't able to meet her until she came home.


such a pretty baby. she would sleep like this for hours...and i let her. hence my house being trashed in the background.

she loved her swing. and her hair grew out in the back first, leaving the top pretty bald. funny girl.

pregnant with izzy. my friend melanie and i were due the same week and ended up having the babies one day apart. i think we're about 5 or 6 months along here.

belly shot. two days before i had her.

i had a c-section with iz. she was breach.

holding her for the first time. after a four year break from babies, i was so thrilled when she arrived.

a few hours after she was born. she always had her tongue sticking out like this.

those are my babies. looking at these pictures makes me want to go back to those moments and hold them as little newborns again. they were so sweet. they still are. i look forward to the next phase in mommyhood - enjoying my kids as they get older.

missionary man

2011-08-04T23:44:00.001-06:00

my youngest brother, joe, is going on a mission. crazy. he received his call about six weeks ago and leaves on august 31 for the mtc in provo. he's going to the charleston, west virginia mission. for those that don't know my family, we grew up in virginia. not west virginia. there's a difference, just so you're aware. i'm sure the people of west virginia aren't as redneck as i grew up believing they were.

but they probably are.
i know, not very nice of me...i mean, my brother will make lasting bonds with these people. i'm sure they are great people. joe will have to be our eye witness.
anyway, his mission is only five hours from our former home. my grandparents still live in virginia and will be a short drive away should he need anything. he's really excited. he's going to be a great missionary. you know, like the kind that people will want to feed a few times a week cause he tells hilarious stories and little kids adore him. he's going to bless lives. i know it.

last friday the entire mero gang went to the temple together for the first time. what an experience. my dad was crying the whole time and my mom was grinning ear to ear. it was pretty great. i think my siblings are some of the best people around and having the chance to go to the temple with all of them was truly a blessing.

smiling cause he peeked at the mission name before reading it out loud


enthusiastically reading the rest of the call

the six of us. man, my sister and i look so little compared to those tall boys

oh joe. isn't he cute? i think he's great. quick list of names, left to right: my brother evan and his wife, jessica. my dad. me. my mom. joe. my sister laura. my brother brigham standing behind her. my brother cameron and his wife, rachel, who is six months pregnant with their first. it's a girl.

kauai

2011-08-04T18:06:00.002-06:00

okay. i just turned in my last assignment for summer semester. yahoo! i'm ready to get a few things done that i've been putting off, like this blog. so here we go...

mark and i went to kauai at the beginning of july. yes, kauai! i still can't believe that we managed to pull off our dream vacation. i've been talking about going to hawaii for ten years. i can't even begin to describe how much fun we had. it was pure heaven. truly. i haven't seen mark that relaxed in a long time. he's a hard working guy who doesn't have a lot of down time. really, we were both grinning from ear to ear the moment we stepped off the plane to the moment we stepped back on the plane to head home. note: coming home from hawaii was one of the most depressing experiences i've ever had. mark had to drag me on the plane. let's not dwell on that too much.

moving on...

are you ready for a few hundred pictures? brace yourself. i'll add a little commentary as we go along.

LAX. at this point we've been awake for about 26 hours straight. we worked wednesday, drove the kids to cedar in the evening to stay with family for the week, drove to vegas at 1am to catch a flight to LAX and then onto kauai. mark tried his best to take cat naps where he could. i felt pretty gross at this point. i needed a shower asap. we were finally able to get some sleep after 35 hours of being awake.

spouting horn. it's on the south end of the island. the waves come up through the holes in the rocks. it's really beautiful. there was a turtle floating in the waves by one of the rocks and we were waiting for the little turtle to be shot up through one of the holes. never happened, much to our disappointment. mark was in love with the sweet potato chips.

tunnels beach. it's close to the most nothern part of the island that people can drive to. the road literally ends. this is also where the movie south pacific was filmed back in the day.

taking a hike up to secret falls. just ignore my white legs.

this is the river we kayaked to get to the secret falls hike. our hotel was only about a mile from here. i love how green it is!


waimea canyon. it's called the grand canyon of the pacific. beautiful.


hiking the na pali coast. the beach is ke'e beach and tunnels beach (my favorite). you can see the reef through the water. that's where we snorkeled and saw some huge sea turtles.

let me just jump in here and say that i'm in most of the pics because mark hates pics...even when he's in hawaii that doesn't change.

well here's a picture of mark. he was a great kayaker. he had to do most of the kayaking on the way back up the river. i guess i need to work on my upper body strength.

south end of the island

mark going snorkeling at tunnels beach. he loved to snorkel and i laid out. win, win. although, i did snorkel a little bit.

enjoying a bit of shade after swimming

sunset at ke'e beach. this was my favorite day.

waiting for the sunset

so beautiful

that's our trip in a nutshell.

we definitely want to go back at some point. i loved every minute. every. minute. i'm so grateful mark and i were able to take a little time for ourselves and enjoy this experience together.

P.S. we should have taken pics of all the food we ate. it was definitely picture worthy. everything was so delicious! and if you ever go there and want to know where to go for THE best shave ice, just ask me. i wish we could find shave ice like that near home. pure heaven.

enjoy

2011-06-14T16:07:00.000-06:00

my new pillow. i'm trying to enjoy more in my life these days. ya know, like don't sweat the small things and don't ignore the simple happy moments in a day because there's too many other distractions. i happened upon this pillow while shopping for something else (that happens a lot when i go to hobby lobby) and had to get it. it was also 50% off. it may not stay on the couch for long (it might fit better in a different room) but it had to be in my house nevertheless.

at the ballpark

2011-06-12T14:56:00.000-06:00

we went to the salt lake bees game last night. so much fun! we got there a little late but made up for what we missed at the end of the game because the game went 12 innings. bees lost. they had fireworks after the game. i've never felt more american in my life - summertime, watching fireworks in a ballpark. so great. it was about 1130pm by the time we got home. yep, that's just how we roll. however, with the amount of cotton candy, twizzers and mike & mikes that were inhaled we weren't tired at all. it was a fun family date.

just getting settled in

ethan waved the bee down and brought him over to me so that i would take a picture.

kids are a bit dark. just in the photo, not in life.

izzy wanted to be in the pic and then flipped around.

pretty much my favorite picture of the evening. izzy hung out with mark most of the night.

half a picture doesn't tell the whole story

2011-05-03T23:16:00.001-06:00

i've been trying to load pictures from easter, liv's two birthday parties, home decor updates and ethan's cute early mother's day present but they seem to only be loading halfway. what gives? it's super annoying. i'll keep working on it...

just a quick update on things that don't require pictures -

*i'm done with my first semester back at school. yay! i registered for summer but i don't start til june 6. it's nice to have my evenings back again for a little while.

*and with that free time i plan on working on a few projects. well, actually a lot of projects. i wrote down a list of everything i wanted to do and mark wouldn't even read it cause he felt too overwhelmed by how long it is. men. watch and learn, husband.

*i'm supposed to be running a 5K this weekend with my sister and brother-in-law but i have a feeling it's going to be more like a nice saturday morning walk. my running abilities are lacking this week. however, i plan on giving it a good effort.

*i think i'm done peeling...for the second time. now i've just got some pretty awesome tan lines that make me laugh whenever i get a look at them in the mirror. pretty funny stuff. hopefully, now that i've gotten that out of the way, i'll be able to avoid doing that again in hawaii.

*speaking of hawaii, only 65 days left! not that i'm counting...

*with more time in the evenings to actually prepare real meals for my family (i think they've forgotten what that's like), i am trying out some new recipes. i made cowboy quesadillas from our best bites. so, so yummy! i will definitely be making them again. the our best bites cookbook is on my mother's day wish list. they are some talented women. can't wait to try out some of their other creations!

those cupcakes look divine

two girls, a guy and a sunburn

2011-04-19T15:29:00.000-06:00

last weekend we were able to get away for a much needed mini vacation. lisa and i had been planning on going for some time and, after working out arrangements for the kids to stay in cedar city with their grandparents, mark was able to make the trip as well. the poor guy was long overdue for a getaway. the plan: sit by the pool and eat as much yummy food as possible. i'm happy to report that we accomplished both of those tasks quite successfully. we stayed at the red rock resort. i stayed there last year with my family and had a blast so it seemed like an easy choice. also, it's about 15 min away from the strip so we were able to enjoy the awesome vegas weather while avoiding the crowds.

those chairs were in a few inches of water so it was great to lay out and then stick your feet in to cool off

could i be any whiter or flat chested? answer: no. however, lisa pulled off the pool babe thing well.

view of the pool area from my room

worst.burn.ever.

so with all of the fun of laying out and reading magazine after magazine, comes the unfortunate sunburn. and not just any sunburn. my stomach hasn't seen the light of day in like...ever. seriously. even with quite a few sunscreen applications there wasn't anything i could do about it. it's been a miserable few days since we got home. my stomach is totally swollen - like i couldn't see my belly button for a while. ibuprofen and aloe have been wonderful friends.

regardless, it was a great time!

let me count the ways...

2011-03-25T16:20:00.000-06:00

i was at barnes & noble the other day with some friends and spotted this little gem.

and it has cool pages like this in it

a little cheesy? sure. but i love the idea that in 30 years i can look back on it and maybe remember things that i had forgotten. or that my kids can read it when they're older and know that their parents did love and admire each other. it's an easier version of keeping a journal. yes, i'm making mark fill it out too. he's thrilled. or at least that's what i'm telling myself. it's nice to dwell on the fun, cute things about being married. it keeps you focused on the good in the other person.

a bit of vanity

2011-03-16T16:36:00.001-06:00

so this post is going to come across as really vain. i'm not though. i promise. i worry about my appearance but i'm not vain. i haven't been working out lately. i'm either too busy or too tired and it's really become the last thing that i think about doing. but i'm determined to get back in the habit. i just feel better, have more energy and sleep better when i exercise. i'm also extra determined now because we are going to kauai in july (YAY!) and i plan on wearing a bathing suit pretty much the entire time. i also plan on having a relaxed, fun time with my husband and don't want to be worried about being in a bathing suit. mark likes me the way i am so i shouldn't beat myself up. with that said, i want to buy a few new suits to take with me. the one (yes, just one) i currently have is about four years old. not good. also, i want one of them to be a bikini. i've never worn one in my life! i wasn't allowed to when i was young and then i became too self conscience to wear them the older i got. i was thinking though that what better time to try one out than on my anniversary trip, right? yeah, the gym is going to become my best friend. here are a few that i really like. and thanks to carissa for helping me find some of these!

p.s. these girls can go jump off of a cliff.

these are all from victoria's secret

i tried to put some pics from J.Crew on here but it wouldn't work. just visit their website and check out the swimwear. so darling. i really love the blue two piece and the ruffle one piece. they are quite expensive but since we're just having fun here i thought i would pass along the info.

anyone have tips or suggestions?

keep in mind that i have almost NOTHING up top anymore due to the beautiful little children i birthed and nursed so that's why i'm leaning toward VS suits cause they have the fancy push up miracle working tops. but i might be beyond hope.

okay, i'm done being vain.

side note - i have to say that i can't believe kauai has become a reality! we've talked about going forever but i didn't really think it was going to happen, especially when we've been buried under medicals bills and debt for a while now. no end was in sight. thankfully, we have been able to rally and pay off those stupid bills and some of our debt. and i have to thank mark for pushing the issue of an anniversary trip. between no honeymoon and a rough couple of years (no money, kids and moving way too much can do that to a relationship), we wanted some fun time that we could just spend together. just the two of us.

10 years ago

2011-03-10T21:35:00.001-07:00

mark and i are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary today. can it really be our 10th? holy cow. and how did we celebrate today? well, mark is still at work and i just got home from parent/teacher conference. yeah. i guess we have been married a long time. actually, we're going out tomorrow night. we will also be going on some kind of vacation together this summer to celebrate. i'm thinking hawaii sounds like a good 10 year reward.

today i caught myself looking at the clock and thinking, "what were we doing 10 years ago at this time?" i think about each hour of labor on my kid's birthdays too. strange? i just like taking myself back to those life changing moments.

bad scanning job

so here are a few highlights that i thought of today:

- i wasn't able to fall asleep the night before until about 2am. way too anxious about everything going well and everyone being where they needed to be the next day.

- however, my roommate had to physically pull me out of bed at 5am to get ready. exhausted to say the least.

- went over to mark's after i did my hair and makeup so that we could drive to the temple together and do a session before being sealed.

- mark realized that he was missing some information on the sealing paper we needed to fill out and had to spend a big chunk of the morning tracking down a former bishop. i wasn't too happy. and we missed our session.

- it rained/snowed most of the day. i guess that's what you get for getting married in march. in utah. in manti, to be exact.

i'm making the day sound real fun, right? most of the day was chaos. my stress the night before had been warranted.

- once at the temple, i had to run through the rain. and my hair fell apart. i went into the brides room and they pretty much held me hostage for well over an hour. seriously. those little old ladies mean business. i kept asking if i could go sit with mark in the celestial room til our sealing but they wanted me to stay with them. that's it. so there i sat. mark was wondering what in the heck was going on but couldn't seem to get any information about where i was. he thought "she probably came to her senses and took off." nope, just held hostage in the bride's room.

- 1pm was our sealing time. walking into that sealing room with all of our family and friends there was amazing. that is something i will always remember.

- the sealer did a great job, or so i'm told. that i don't remember.

- the rain stopped long enough for mark's dad and uncle to take a few quick pictures outside.

- our reception was at my parent's house and it was cramped.

- we didn't have a line (per mark's request) and i don't think that i actually stood next to him at all during the reception. i had to point across the room at him when trying to show people who i had just married. geez.

- reception is over. time to leave. oh wait, mark's best friend from out of town needs a ride back to where he's staying...and asks mark to drop him off...and mark says yes. what the heck?! are we seriously going to be driving off in our "just married" car with our friend sitting in the backseat? luckily another friend jumped in and saved the day by offering to drive him home.

- and i won't say anything else about the rest of the night...cause ya know, that's private. wink, wink.

see the watch? don't worry, had it on all day. totally forgot to take it off and put my necklace on.

what an adventure. however, i was in heaven the whole day. i was marrying the coolest person i knew. all of that other stuff just didn't seem to matter at the time. and, i have to say, that our life since then has been an adventure as well but i'm grateful that we've been able to make it though the craziness together.

i am so grateful for mark. he makes me happy. he's still the coolest person i know.

weekend project

2011-02-21T16:10:00.001-07:00

i've been wanting to make more changes in the house for a while. the kitchen needs to be replaced. so do the bathrooms. everything needs new paint, more decorations, more organization....

you get the idea.

so i decided to start with a simple weekend project. bead board in the dining room. mark was really patient with me (i can be a little bossy and demanding when it comes to stuff like this) and did all of the difficult work - the measuring, cutting, hammering. i was a good assistant. and i chalked and painted at the end. i would still like to add more pictures to the shelf and maybe something simple over by the door but overall i'm really happy with the result.

right before we started

my good husband hard at work while i take pictures

project finished!

oh, and don't mind the fact that izzy's chair is a different color...that's a project for another day!

my valentine's present

2011-02-20T22:22:00.001-07:00

mark has been growing out his beard and hair for most of the winter. he claims that it keeps him warm while he's working (he's outside a lot) and that it's just laziness on his part to not have the maintenance of shaving and whatnot. now, i actually really love his beard. the short version. the long one is a bit overwhelming sometimes. and, to be honest, he's been mistaken for a homeless person more than once lately...so yeah, the long beard/hair is a bit much. but i love that man of mine so whatever. in the last few weeks i've mentioned that it might be nice of him to think about trimming his beard and hair for valentine's day or our anniversary that's coming up in march. he would just nod to show that he had heard me and that was that.

well, valentine's weekend rolls around. he calls to let me know that he's headed home from work but he has a few errands to run. okay, no problem. about an hour later a stranger walked into my house. mark had shaved his beard and gotten his hair cut! it took me a few seconds to even register who he was. mark without a beard. i had forgotten what he looked like. he said that he wished he had recorded my reaction. i just kept laughing and saying "wow" apparently.

so here's a little before and after just for the fun of it


before (slightly blurry due to child photographer)


after

i love being able to see his face again. he's a good husband for listening to my valentine wish.

my space

2011-02-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

so last weekend i finally tried to put together a space that i could craft in, work out of or do homework in. and let's face it, a quiet place to think other than the bathroom! however, while i type this i'm yelling at the kids to leave each other alone while i sit in my quiet space. oh well. maybe i'll just shut the door...

it's not done yet by any means but at least i started on it. i'm happy with myself for doing that much. i want to get more pictures that motivate or make me happy, maybe change the one long shelf into two smaller shelves, get some baskets/storage for my bookshelf and make my ideas for projects a little more accessible. any suggestions?

and this has become my motto (you'll notice above that i have two of these prints for now)


to get yours go here

oh, and i went to the fabric store last weekend as well. holy new addiction! i scored these gems.

i'm thinking pillows and a new piano bench cover.

now onto my math homework. wish me luck!

the blog has taken a backseat

2010-12-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

a relaxed moment

well hello. it's been a while. with all of the changes that have been going on since october, my time to blog has dropped dramatically. which is a shame for me, actually, cause i like posting things on here. it's like a journal or outlet. but hopefully now that i've got my schedule under control i can blog more. oh wait...i am going to start working more hours at work and going to school full-time. so scratch that. but i will try to do better. it's for my benefit so i should put some effort into it, right? right!

Here's a quick rundown of the last few months:
*we've been getting sick a lot - probably due to the kids being in school now. although, it's mostly just me getting sick so maybe not. i've been asked if i'm allergic to our new setup. could be.
*liv got a hair cut after almost going two years without one. she looks adorable. it's back up to her shoulders after having it almost reach her bum.
*had family pictures taken in our backyard. love them.
*i hosted thanksgiving dinner at my house for mark's family for the first time since we've been married. it was a lot of fun. really, it was. i love setting up for parties and cooking like that.
*i hosted my very first pie party. i made about 8 pies and had some of my lovely friends over to partake. so yummy! and so much fun! didn't get to bed til 2am...on a school night...totally worth it.
*registered for school. yep, this 31 year old girl is going back to school. a nursing degree is the goal. classes start in two weeks.
*christmas was awesome! pictures coming. it deserves it's own post.
*mark and i went to vegas for my birthday on the 26th and stayed the night there at the hard rock hotel. such a cool hotel! and a much needed mini vacation for both of us. we ate yummy food, walked the entire strip, shopped and toyed with the emotions of an art salesperson who thought we would actually walk out of the store with a $5,000 picture...cause ya know, we look like we have money like that to drop on art. geez. mark's acting abilities were pretty great though. oh, and we saw a cirque du soleil show. so entertaining! pretty much a must if you go to vegas. it was a good time!

and there you have it.

kinda sorta halloween

2010-11-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

so halloween this year was pretty lame. just ask my kids. we all ended up with the stomach flu. izzy started it off on the wednesday before, followed by liv on thurday, ethan and mark on friday and me on saturday. the girls were feeling pretty good by saturday night (that's when utah went trick or treating) so my sister was nice enough to take them with her to my parent's trunk or treat at church. ethan had to miss out. i felt so bad for him. hopefully we've gotten the sickness out of the way for all the other holidays that will be here very soon. anywho, i was able to snap a few (not so great quality) pictures of the girls before they headed out.

these times are a-changin'

2010-10-23T11:21:00.001-06:00

at the pumpkin patch last week

well it seems as though i've been neglecting this little blog. there have been so many changes going on lately that it's tough enough to keep up with those things, let alone the smaller things. all is well though. we are moving forward. the kids are enjoying school a lot. both of their teachers have been great. i am working now as well. i only work in the mornings (til about 1pm) and am home by the time the kids get home from school. i just do reception work for the sutherland institute. it's been a great experience so far...very much a blessing. my family has been helping out with izzy. and i can't even explain how much i appreciate that. i know it takes time out of their days to have her around. so, the next step will be for me to get back into school. i just need to get my nursing degree already! i've been dragging my feet...you know, marriage, kids and life have a way of distracting you, don't they? which, by the way, has been perfectly fine with me. i think my priorities have been in the right place over the last 10 years but now it's time for me to get back into school. plain and simple. nursing will be a career that i can always rely on for a steady income. mark is also going back to school in january so hopefully between the two of us giving it a go we can make something good happen.

also, ethan was baptized a few weeks ago. i have pictures but they are on mark's phone, which i don't have right now, so that post will have to be for another time. it was such a great experience though. the day couldn't have worked out any better than it did.

and one more piece of news...izzy has finally learned how to ride her bike. she loves it! she will spend all afternoon out riding if i let her. and i usually do cause it's so dang adorable.

lake blanche

2010-10-08T11:32:00.001-06:00

mark and i went on a hike last saturday with our friend lisa. we have mixed emotions regarding the hike. it was a steep, steep hike for all three miles (like being on a stairmaster for two hours) but so beautiful and peaceful once we actually got to our destination. the weather couldn't have been better. it was nice to spend some fun time with mark...it's been a while since we've taken the opportunity to do something like that together.

5K

2010-10-02T10:32:00.001-06:00

i'm a bit late in posting these pictures from my very first 5K but here they are anyhow. they are pics from after the race cause mark's camera didn't work when i was actually running. oh well. laura and i ran it last saturday together. laura is a great little runner...she's done other 5K's, 10K's and half marathons. i just started running not too long ago and wanted to see if i could keep up with her. i didn't. but that's okay. i had fun anyway. my time was 27 min and 37 seconds. i came in 7th in my age group. not too shabby. and i kind of want to do it again.

at the finish line getting my timer taken off my ankle. i'm beat.

after the race. yes, my ipod is in my bra cause i forgot my armband. rookie mistake.

a new chapter

2010-09-27T16:09:00.000-06:00

walking home with their friend viola

it's true. my kids attended public school for the first time today. they enjoyed it. i had a hard time with it. but sometimes change is necessary. our family has a few distractions going on now that hasn't allowed me to put the time into homeschool that i would like so we decided that it was for the best that the kids attend school for a bit while we work on the distracting issues. no, our issues aren't anything for others to be concerned with at the moment. we will deal with them and life will go on. and it will be a good life.

banana cake

2010-09-16T16:13:00.000-06:00

i have been making and eating this cake a lot lately. in fact, i am eating it right now. what? i had to cut a piece to take a picture...

and i've had a few people ask for the recipe so i thought i would share it with everyone. it's super easy and yummy!

original recipe found here

Frosted Banana Bars
1 stick butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt

Mix butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Spread onto a greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes (sometimes longer). Cool before frosting.

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt

Mix really well and add a little milk if it's too thick. Spread onto cooled bars. I like to put mine in the fridge for a while before eating just to help the frosting set (but you certainly don't need to). Then I slice a piece and put it in the microwave for like 10 seconds so the cake isn't too hard. Then I store it in the fridge.

stumbled upon...

2010-09-12T13:00:00.000-06:00

a cool decorating/design blog and this awesome bedroom. i love everything about it. someday i will have a room just like it. check out the blog here.

i've really been in the mood to create lately. have i done so? of course not. but the desire is there. i scrapbooked for the first time in ages on friday night and fell in love with it all over again. i just crave the creativity. and i was pretty dang proud of the pages i made too! now if i can just keep it up. and carry it over to other aspects of my life...decorating my home, cooking, projects for the kiddos. i'm just happier while being creative.

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

an attempt at healthy living

2010-09-01T17:28:00.000-06:00

Since turning 30 I've noticed a change in the way my body handles food. I don't digest things the same way so my portions have had to become smaller. It's sad. I love food. Love it. A lot. It's my "thing." Some people smoke, I eat. And what I eat has had to change. Cut down on the sugar (I am a baker people...this has been difficult!) and add more fruits and veggies. Growing up we always had veggies with dinner and I actually eat almost any vegetable put in front of me but then I married a man who refuses to eat almost any vegetable and I've slowly stopped trying to force Mark and the kids to eat them. However, I've found a solution. My mother-in-law actually told me about the spinach smoothies a month or so ago. They are so good! You mix fresh spinach, a banana and whatever other fruit you like in a blender and drink a healthy smoothie. It's awesome. And the kids love it. And Mark drinks it. It's become what I have for lunch (mostly because sandwiches make me bloated so this is a great solution). My favorite is (in the order it goes in) spinach, banana (never forget the banana cause it adds natural sugar and makes it a smooth consistency), fresh pineapple, frozen strawberries and frozen mixed berries, like blackberries and raspberries. Oh, you also want to put some water, 8-12 oz, in the bottom of the blender before you load everything in. Trust me, it's great. The more you drink them, the more you're going to want to cut back on the fruit and add more greens. But for now this works great for us. And I feel much better having one (or two) of these a day than meals that make me feel bloated.

before (this one also had frozen cantaloupe (not a fan) and frozen grapes (really good)

after

Just a side note on the sugar - I've eaten a treat, like peach cobbler or carrot cake, almost every night too. So I'm still working on that part. Probably won't ever give it up...it's just too yummy! But the portions can just be smaller.

Also, I made quiche a few weeks ago and have become addicted to it! I have spinach coming out of ears lately. But when it's yummy then why not. The recipe I used is located here. I added more bacon and some onion to give it little more flavor...at Mark's request. My kids aren't fans of it (mostly Ethan) but they are slowly getting used to it. Or at least I thought so. Ethan and Liv were playing a game where they were imagining gross things to eat and Ethan said, " My meal has barf, dead birds, ants and Mom's quiche in it." So maybe he'll never become fan after all. But I think it's pretty dang good!

words to live by

2010-08-26T12:20:00.001-06:00

I ended up seeing Eat Pray Love last week with my mom and sister. It's the perfect movie to see with other girls. We had some great conversation about it after the movie (I won't bore you right now with all of my opinions) but we couldn't decide if we really liked the movie. You'll have to let me know what you think if you see it. There were good lessons learned and sometimes I felt like jumping through the screen and smacking Julia Robert's character. Truly. She wasn't my favorite. However, by the end of the movie I was okay with her.

And I really appreciated this lighthearted scene between Roberts and the new friend she made while in Italy.

Something good I took away from the movie: Enjoy life. Slow down and try not to kill yourself with guilt. And live in the moment. So hard to do but definitely worth the effort.

Okay movie. Great reminders.

bad day

2010-08-24T16:51:00.000-06:00

I am having a bad day. I didn't plan on having a bad day (does anyone really?) but it's just sort of become one. In fact, I was planning on having a really good day - even a really good week. I had plans to get a lot done. A lot. You should see the "to do/to buy" lists sitting on my counter! It's crunch time cause school for us starts on Monday and I need to be ready. I've enjoyed my Summer way too much this year. Seriously. It's been so nice to just chill. But now my chill time is up. And it's not even just my lack of motivation - there's a lot more going on...there usually always is...but anyways, I need happy productive days if I want to be in a good place by Monday. Scratch today off the list as a miss. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

(Mark found this somewhere online. It fits me today.)

And, by the way, my flat iron fell off the counter and broke and that just pushed me over the edge. Normally it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Today isn't normal. When the big things aren't going well it's nice to have the little things to rely on. Again, not today. Thankfully, my mom came to my rescue and is letting me borrow one of hers. Wouldn't it be nice if all issues could be resolved that quickly?

Okay, I think I'm done spewing my grumpiness.

Oh wait...maybe one more thing...no, I'll just let that one go for now.

the birthday boy

2010-08-17T11:42:00.003-06:00

Ethan turned 8 on the 14th. Yes, he and Izzy have birthdays two days (and 6 years) apart. It wasn't planned that way, trust me.

Anywho, we celebrated Ethan's birthday over a series of days. Saturday, just our family, took him out to dinner, gave him his presents and got shaved ice for dessert. He was pretty happy. On Sunday all of my family came over for dessert. Always a good time. And yesterday he had a bunch of friends over for a little party. They had a water balloon fight, played on our homemade (and slightly ghetto) slip n slide, jumped on the trampoline and ate a bunch of chocolate cake. And everyone seemed to have a blast! Thank goodness. Kids are happy, I'm happy.

there were boys there too - the girls just tend to stick close to him - he'll appreciate that in a few more years

with his cousins - Tessa and Beckham - they gave him the same bow that he always plays with at their house. he loves it.

the birthday girl

2010-08-13T11:59:00.000-06:00

Little Izzy turned 2 years old yesterday. Crazy. She is forever my baby. In fact, I still call her baby all the time. I should probably stop doing that.

I captured a few of her birthday moments. She demanded (I would say requested but it was more of a demand) to have suckers, balloons and see her cousin Beckham on her birthday. Done. I wish all birthdays for my kids were that easy!

just waking up - morning bottle

eating pizza (her favorite) at her sibling's school party

so excited for her balloons...

and thrilled about her suckers

swimming with her cousins. or rather, they swam and she laid out - she got in for a few min

enjoying her present from her cousins

exhausted

my favorite - she did not like the happy birthday song

Man, I love that kid!

on my mind

2010-08-11T13:25:00.000-06:00

Kauai, Hawaii.

Our 10th anniversary is in March. And I think this would be the perfect place to celebrate it. We didn't go on a honeymoon and I told Mark that for our 10th we should do something that resembled a honeymoon. We've been doing a bunch of shopping around trying to find good deals and making changes to our budget so that we can afford this...it just might happen. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

family anniversary

2010-08-05T11:48:00.001-06:00

Today is Mero Family Anniversary. It's the day that my parent's and I (I was just a few months old) went to the DC temple to be sealed. We've celebrated this day every year for as long as I can remember. Tonight everyone (minus Cam cause he's in New Jersey at the moment) is coming over to my house for a BBQ. Should be lots of fun. Hopefully the weather will hold up. It's been raining almost non-stop this week. Anyway, just wanted to give props to this day. I love my family. They're a good bunch.

anyone?

2010-08-02T17:34:00.000-06:00

So has anyone read this book? Planning on seeing the movie? I would like to do both. However, that's a new desire. I've never been a fan of the idea that you have to go somewhere to find yourself, as it were. I've had quite a few bad experiences with people I know doing that. I definitely see how a change of scenery is good for the soul once in a while, don't get me wrong. Like when we grow up and leave home for one reason or another...we have to learn about the world on our own. Or when we are stuck in a bad situation. Aren't there ways of becoming the person you want to be without going halfway around the world? Without leaving people behind? Maybe. Maybe not. I have mixed feelings. I can relate to the statement in the movie about how she wants to "marvel at something." I try to be conscience of that daily, especially when it comes to watching my children do something, but there hasn't been much marveling lately on a bigger scale. We all know that feeling. I love that feeling. And I would love to see how the book/movie attempts to guide us in doing so. Are there ways of marveling in the lives we currently lead? Seems like there are people who do. Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of message both the book and movie send.

vegas

2010-07-29T15:55:00.004-06:00

Before I begin I just have to say that I failed miserably when it came to taking pictures of my trip. Most of the pictures I took were of food. Tells you where my brain was all weekend. Despite the lack of pictures, I had THE best time! I was able to relax, have fun, be silly, go shopping, explore Vegas and consume massive amounts of awesome food. Mark did a great job at home with the kids, especially when Izzy became really sick and needed to be taken to the insta-care. Turns out she had a swollen gland in her neck that was causing her all sorts of pain. But Mark handled the whole thing wonderfully which allowed me to be able to relax being that far from home. So onto the few pictures...

My room that I shared with my Grandma.

The view of the pool from my room - it's almost the very same picture as the picture below that is on the hotel's website. Loved that pool!

My youngest brother, Joe, eating a huge sandwich. Watching him eat was fascinating to me.

We went bowling a few times and one of the times I ended up with a turkey - three strikes in a row - my first time ever doing that! And it says Jizzy at the top because that's a silly name my brother, Evan, came up with for Joe. My mom isn't a fan to say the least.

Again, Joe's food. We went to a place called The Hash House and I guess they are known for large portions of food. We didn't know that. So he ordered the pancake dinner and that's what he got. It was huge! He gave it a good effort.

My salmon from The Hash House. So good!

My mom and grandma to the right. The last time my grandma was in Vegas was to see Sinatra sing back in the 50's. So we took her on a tour. And when we got to the Bellagio Hotel to watch the fountains the song that came on was a Sinatra song. Grandma was just beside herself with happiness.

The last day we were there my folks rented a cabana at the pool. It was just about the best thing ever! We had our own cabana girl who brought us food and drinks. It also had a tv, couches to lay on and our own pool chairs and table. Heavenly.

Pretty much sums up how I spent most of the vacation!

A few more things to mention:

- Mom and I went to a cupcake shop called Mad Hatter. It was delicious! They put whatever filling and frosting you want on the cupcake while you watch.

- Joe played some great basketball (that's the real reason for the trip).

- We went to the Nike store and I got some really cool purple mesh workout shoes.

- We had lunch at Margaritaville on the strip. Fish tacos were so yummy.

- We lost my Grandma a few times down in the hotel's casino. She couldn't get enough of that place. And we always managed to find her one way or another.

I am having vacation withdrawals but it was so fun while it lasted. Hopefully we can all do it again sometime soon! And maybe next time I'll take Mark. We'll see...

a welcome vacation

2010-07-21T10:58:00.001-06:00

As of tomorrow night I will be here. For four days. Without Mark or the kids. I am going with some of the Mero gang. And I'm really excited about it! Reading by the pool, shopping, eating, more shopping...it's going to be nice.

Also, last Friday night, Mark and I went to a bonfire with some friends up in Millcreek Canyon. I love bonfires. I don't know why we don't have them more often during the Summer. Friday had been a really long day and after a few hours out in the fresh air with good friends I felt totally renewed.

Excuse Mark. Apparently, he doesn't know how to smile for pictures. But I love ya anyway dear!

amen

2010-07-15T13:33:00.002-06:00

Isn't that just the truth sometimes?

I have a whole post in my head about body image but I think I'll leave that for another day. My goal - to be happy & comfortable with the body I've got. I'm 30. I've had three kids. My husband loves me the way I am. And I should too. So, yes, I will take the dessert when I want it.

welcome to my world

2010-07-14T11:24:00.000-06:00

I think I've found a new hobby. And a new way to exercise. Yoga! I went to my first class at the gym on Monday night and had a great time. I don't really know what I was expecting but it was better than I thought. It's super challenging and relaxing at the same time. My arms and legs are still quite sore. But that also might have something to do with my lack of physical activity lately anyway. Let's not dwell on that though. I'm becoming active again. So, yeah, I think yoga has become my new thing for now.

Side note. While I was at my yoga class, Mark was home with the kids. Before I left he was working on his truck (car problems annoy the crap out of me!) and then he said he was going to clean out the window wells around the house. So I go to my class and stop by the grocery store on the way home. When I walk in the door he's sitting on the couch watching tv and eating cake. I asked if he got everything done that he wanted to do and he says, "Nope. I'm really frustrated with the way this evening went. I was working on the truck and didn't have the right tool so I couldn't finish it. Then Matt (his best friend) called and we talked for a while. And then the kids wanted to run through the sprinklers so I thought they could do that while I cleaned but the water hit Izzy right in the face and she freaked out so I put her in the shower. Then, of course, the other kids wanted to take a shower to warm up. Then it got dark but I still thought about going to clean the window wells but..." And I jumped in with, "But you decided to have cake instead." And he says,"Yes! I needed cake." And my response, "Welcome to my world dear." Every day I have goals, really good goals, to accomplish and sometimes life takes over and shows me how things are really going to work. And at the end of the day I'm usually eating something while in front of the tv. Finally he understands! Finally. Well at least in that moment he understood anyway. I'll take it.

happy monday

2010-07-12T12:55:00.002-06:00

I've been listening to this song for days now. It's just fun! And it can even make a day like Monday seem okay.

still here with random thoughts

2010-07-09T15:02:00.000-06:00

I haven't felt like blogging lately. Can ya tell? I've really been going through a lazy spell lately. I blame Summer. The pool is too enticing. It cools us off, gets the kids out of the house (and makes them exhausted!) and it's a great excuse to not have to do anything at home.

I've also been sick. It's been making the rounds in our house. Summer sickness is lame. Seriously. At least in the winter when we're snowed in and sick it doesn't really put a damper on things. Also, this week the kids, Ethan and Liv, are back at their grandma's house. And considering the fact that I've been dealing with the craziest sore throat ever and out of control headaches, it's been kind of nice to only have to worry about one little kiddo. I'm sure they are having much more fun down there as well. Every phone call I get from them is full of details about what movie they went to see, what toy grandma bought them at the store and what adventure they were going on with their aunt and uncle. Good for them. However, when they return it'll take me about a week to get them back into proper shape. Does that happen with your kids? It's funny how quickly they get used to being spoiled. Although, I do enjoy it myself, being spoiled that is, so I guess I kind of understand. But the mean parent that I am can't have spoiled children. Nope, not gonna happen. So it should be fun getting them "back to normal."

Other quick thoughts/happenings:

at the last min i was able to go see eclipse on opening night at 1210am. i've never been to one of the twilight movies on opening night. it was crazy and so much fun! that entire theater was packed! and, yes, i loved the movie. what can i say? we were in cedar city over the holiday weekend and went to see it again with a friend and my sister in law. still good the second time.

with the 4th being on sunday we celebrated with fireworks on saturday. you really don't get a choice in utah. mark and i took izzy with us up to meet some friends at sugarhouse park. my brother, evan, took the older kids to his in-laws house because there were going to be kids there their age to play with. there was a sea of people at sugarhouse but they put on a good show and we had fun.

we went to a concert last night at pioneer park but didn't actually ever see the band...well i didn't. mark saw them for a few min. the place was so crowded! i think over 40,000 people showed up to this free concert and the park was full to capacity. they were turning people away. crazy. i like to think that i'm cut out for craziness like that but i'm not. i'm more of a pj wearing, stay at home and watch tv kind of gal. occasionally i can handle it and have a good time. i think.

we have to speak in church on sunday and i've yet to prepare my talk. usually i'm on top of it. this time i'm finding any excuse i can to not prepare it...like blogging. oh well. i'll do it tomorrow.

i've been listening to the eclipse soundtrack and the new album by the black keys called brothers pretty much all day, every day. give them a listen if you haven't already. so worth the time!

I think that about does it. Now I'm off to clean everything that Izzy destroyed while I was typing.

little reminder

2010-06-21T12:18:00.000-06:00

I came across this video here and found it to be quite comforting. Of course I've always known this to be true but sometimes it's just nice to be reminded, especially during a bad day, week, month or what have you. It will all be okay in the end.

poolside happiness

2010-06-12T15:23:00.001-06:00

We went to the pool for the first time this Summer last week. Izzy loves her bathing suit. And her sunglasses. And eating snacks while sitting on a poolside chair. Swimming? Not so much. We'll have to work on that.

parenthood: the cool thing to do

2010-06-08T12:10:00.004-06:00

This video has been floating around for a while so maybe you have already seen it. If you haven't seen it, give it a try. It's pretty dang funny. I drive a honda odyssey, not a toyota. But I think the swagger wagon club takes all kinds! Seriously, it's funny. Watch it. Favorite part? When the dad hits the tea set off the table.

See, I always knew it was cool to be a parent.

my favorites

2010-06-07T00:26:00.003-06:00

I adore these people. Especially the four right next to me.

That's all. Carry on.

sweetness

2010-06-01T11:14:00.003-06:00

I was putting together pictures for our photo album that sits out on the coffee table and realized that I don't have a single picture of Izzy in it. How can that be? Oh yeah, I load pictures onto the computer and never ever print them out. So I guess I have a new project to work on. And considering she's just about the most adorable thing ever it just seems like a shame to not print a few pictures of her.

all about the wedding

2010-05-24T11:18:00.005-06:00

all of my siblings. they are the best!

brothers and dad

my brothers with mark lurking in the back. he thinks he's quite amusing.

ev and jess coming out of the temple

aren't they adorable?!

my little family with cousin tessa

ev, jess, parents and grandparents

my grandpa, liv, tess and my dad

everyone waiting to take more pictures

the three cute girls. izzy is doing her "say cheese" face.

my kiddos at the reception

My little brother, Evan, was married on Friday. He and his new wife, Jessica, have been dating for a few years now and decided to make it official. Jess has always felt like apart of our family so it's nice to say she finally is. They are so absolutely perfect for each other. And I couldn't be a prouder older sister. They are living only a mile down the road from us and I'm thrilled to have them so close.

About the pictures...a few on the top are from the family wedding dinner we had Thursday night, the night before the wedding. We all had a blast hanging out together. My siblings truly are so much fun. In fact, after the dinner was over, all of them (minus my sister) came over to our house and played games til about midnight. Such a great time!
The bottom half of the pictures are at the Salt Lake Temple. The clouds and rain disappeared just long enough to get some good pictures in. These are just a few I remembered to snap.

tiny gold shoes

2010-05-14T11:20:00.003-06:00

Couldn't pass up these adorable shoes for Izzy! Thank you Target.

dessert plate

2010-05-13T12:04:00.006-06:00

I saw the cutest idea at a boutique a few weeks ago and wanted to give it a try. They make awesome gifts, as I gave them to my mom and sister for Mother's day. And then I thought that I needed one too! So here's what I did.

I bought a glass candlestick holder...

and a cute plate...

glued them together with this glue...

let it sit like this for a few hours so that the glue would adhere...

and ended up with this gem!

So easy! And now when I have people over I have a cute plate to put cupcakes, cookies, fruit or whatever on to serve. Oh, and I found this stuff at Hobby Lobby but just about any craft store or even Target would have cute options.

P.S. the longer you let the glue sit the better.

women

2010-05-11T13:41:00.009-06:00

(painting we had in my house growing up that resembles me and my sister)

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."
Marjorie Hinckley

Amen to that.

something on the wall

2010-05-06T14:01:00.003-06:00

I finally put a few decorations up. It's only been a month since we moved in...it's way overdue. I've been wanting to do something with mirrors for a while and this is what I was able to come up with. Some of the mirrors I already had and the rest I bought for less than $8 a piece. Not too shabby. Now to get to the other bare walls in the house...

(don't mind me)

Oh, and I made these tissue poms for the girl's room. I have a few more to bust out before I hang them up. They are so cute and easy to make...two of my favorite things!

crazy iz

2010-04-27T21:23:00.003-06:00

Izzy is into everything these days. All the time. She isn't bad or a trouble maker, just constantly on the move. I think she is the most active little toddler I've had out of the three of them. And I adore her but sometimes she's just plain crazy. Or maybe that's what she's making me - crazy. Right now she's sitting in the middle of the room pulling out all of the diaper wipes. She likes to clean things off with them and I guess she's planning on doing a bunch of cleaning from the looks of it. Anyway...
A few days ago we were cleaning the house. Everyone had a little job and we were all busy with our task. Then I get yelled at to come quick. Great. I walk into the bathroom and Iz has my big tub of lotion in her lap and pretty much all the lotion on her head, hands, pants...everywhere. Now while that stuff isn't cheap and I should have gotten really mad, I laughed. It was pretty dang funny. And I remembered to take pictures to document it.

Also, today she was having a tough day. Everything was making her cry and she was following me around whining. Not the best of days. However, I was sitting at the computer trying to help Ethan with some school work and she was rolling all over the floor whining. Then suddenly she stopped. When I looked down I saw my tired baby passed out on the floor. Thank goodness for spontaneous naps!

yes, she's still in her pjs. it really was one of those days.

Oh Izzy. How I love thee.

olivia's party

2010-04-24T10:44:00.004-06:00

izzy's new "smiling" face when i tell her to smile for a picture

our smallest birthday guest

cousin beckham. or a jack-in-the-box look alike. love him!

Olivia's 6th birthday was yesterday and we celebrated with a party at good ol' Chuck E Cheese (not my choice but hey...). She and her friends had a blast! I'm grateful that she has some pretty great little friends and cousins to play with and grow up around. And, for the first time, Mark was able to join us for her birthday party. He's usually working so it was nice to have him there. Later in the evening, our family celebrated by doing whatever she wanted to do. So we bought her a fishing pole cause she hates being left out when Ethan and Mark go fishing and then we went to McDonalds for dinner, naturally.
Happy 6th Birthday!

early presents

2010-04-19T09:53:00.005-06:00

(cell phone pictures)

We had a family birthday party for Liv yesterday at my parent's house. The weather was beautiful so we had our first BBQ of the year. Grilling and a fresh fruit salad...it must be Spring! Grandpa (my dad) offered Liv a small job when we arrived. He said it was something special for her birthday. He told her that she could pick all of the dandelions in his backyard. Gee, great birthday present Dad. But then he reassured us that he wasn't that mean and the work had a sweet reward. For every dandelion she picked, he would give her 10 cents. Liv went right to work. She thought it was awesome. Well 120 dandelions later Liv had $12. I think she and my dad were a little shocked. Liv was quite pleased with herself and now Dad has a dandelion free yard. Everybody wins.
Also during the evening we decorated sugar cookies and ate strawberry shortcake. And my sister gave Liv a present to open early (we are having a big birthday party on Friday where she will have the rest of the presents.)
I think she was one happy girl by the time the evening was over.

office space

2010-04-16T12:10:00.003-06:00

Now that we have more room I will actually have my own space, kinda like a craft room. With a door. And children will not be allowed in. I would also like to use it as an office of sorts. I was looking through the new Pottery Barn magazine and saw this picture of an office space that I would love to have.

Pretty, basic and clean. I'll see what I can come up with...

yes, i'm still here

2010-04-12T15:44:00.005-06:00

(saying hello and showing my almost makeup free face cause that's how I roll these days - it's just easier)

I'm finally back online. Yahoo! I hate being out of the virtual loop that long. And it's super frustrating when I bank online and school online and I can't go online. But that's over with now and I'm super grateful.

We are in our new house and loving it. Seriously. It's the best. We've been painting and working on projects for the last two weeks and things are starting to come together. I will try to post some pictures in the near future once everything is totally done. And I hope to have some pictures and videos of the kids up soon as well. We have a trampoline in the backyard now and all the kids love it, especially little Izzy. It's pretty dang funny to watch her bounce.

a way to be calm

2010-03-21T13:06:00.003-06:00

Must have really needed calming yesterday when I dragged my mom and sister to a new bakery in town to try their cupcakes. Yes, I ate two. Yes, I still have one sitting on my kitchen counter. Yes, it calmed me. Yes, I know it's not the healthiest thing to do when stressed out. But hey, whatever gets ya through the day!

traditions

2010-03-17T11:03:00.004-06:00

We started St. Patrick's Day off with pretty much our only tradition for this day - green pancakes. My mom made them every year when we were growing up. Always. And it was something that I always looked forward to enjoying.
As I made these this morning it made me think that we haven't started too many traditions with our own little family. That's kind of sad. I loved having traditions as a child. Having something to celebrate is always fun. Since my parents are converts to the church, every Aug. 5 we would celebrate (and still try to) our family anniversary - the day my parents were sealed and we became an eternal family. We would have a fun activity and go out to dinner. Loved it! I think I'm going to put some real effort into starting our own traditions.
The memories of them are definitely worth something the older we get.

finally moving

2010-03-16T10:58:00.002-06:00

Yep, we're moving. We are still in the process of trying to find a home to buy because a few of the short sales we placed offers on didn't work out. However, we've been given the opportunity to rent a home in Salt Lake Co. in the meantime. It's a huge blessing for us. We will have a lot more space, big yards and it's closer to work for Mark. And I have decorating ideas coming out my ears! We received the keys today and will take our time over the next two weeks to clean and move things over. I can't even tell you what a relief this is. We are thrilled!
This change is going to be great for us.

wounded

2010-03-15T09:21:00.004-06:00

(both taken with my cell so the quality is not great)

It's official. All three of my children have now had stitches. Izzy was jumping on the couch and fell. The top of her eyelid hit the corner of the table. Not good. I drove her up to the ER and she received four little stitches. She handled the situation really well, surprisingly. I guess the kids can all compare scars and stories as they get older.

our 9th year

2010-03-10T10:51:00.008-07:00

(picture didn't scan very well)

Today is our 9th wedding anniversary. Wow. We are almost to double digits. It doesn't feel like nine years (10 since we started dating) at all. I have to start out by saying that this last year has been one of the toughest. Who said the first year was hard? It was bliss for us. I think as you go on and add kids, bills, moves...it all gets so much harder.
However, we've always been able to work through the toughest situations. Always together. When one of us changes, as people do throughout life, we work to change together. We are best friends and cheerleaders for each other. We have fun. We laugh. Nobody can make me laugh like Mark. Nobody. He lets me be me. That is my favorite. I love Mark more than ever before. Truly. We've had a few moments over the past few days that have helped us focus on us again. And I'm sure grateful for that!

Happy 9th Anniversary to us!

This one goes out to Mark. It's our song.

accomplishment

2010-03-05T16:43:00.004-07:00

one of Ethan's accomplishments - learning how to play soccer

A few days ago I was on one of my favorite blogs and they were having a giveaway for a cool little necklace that Nie Nie wears. I'm a fan of this particular style of jewelry so I thought I would enter the giveaway. Normally you just make a comment and leave your email. This time they asked that you share something that you accomplished last year that you're proud of. I had to think. And think. And think. What did I accomplish last year? I thought for a second that having Izzy by c-section and moving two weeks later was a good one but then I remembered that she was born in 2008, not 2009.
Dang. So I didn't enter the giveaway.
Later that day I asked Mark what he thought my accomplishment from last year was. He didn't have an answer. However, he said something that I liked. He made the point that a lot of things I do on a daily basis can qualify as accomplishments. I think that maybe I feel that at the end of the day and I'm satisfied with what I was able to do but I don't actually think too much about it. I homeschool. Accomplishment. We try not to eat cold cereal to save money so I have to come up with a breakfast every morning. Accomplishment. And, by the way, I am not a morning person and get really bugged by this task. Let's be honest, waking up at a decent time is an accomplishment for me. And getting to the end of a day and still smiling. Accomplishment. I think women tend to be their worst enemy and let the guilt and those overwhelmed feelings pile up when we think we aren't doing enough, we haven't accomplished enough. Sure I can always do better. That's the point of life. But I just want to make sure that I recognize the small daily changes as well as the big noticed accomplishments. Life is just better that way.

P.S. I ended up thinking of something I accomplished that I could post on the giveaway. I started a book club.

so lovely

2010-02-25T22:51:00.003-07:00

I need to make a duvet cover for our bed. I've been searching all over for fabric that I love. And here it is. I would gladly take either one of these. Hopefully I can find something like this and make one just as lovely.

At least I know where to look if my sewing abilities fail me.

Made by Dwell Studio

ramblings

2010-02-24T18:25:00.004-07:00

I feel like I need to post something new on here but I don't have much to say. Not much new to report. However, except for a rough weekend, I've been feeling incredibly happy lately. Not much is bothering me and therefore I'm good. Weird, huh? What's been contributing to my good mood? Let's see...

* having some silly fun with my little family. We went roller skating this week. My kids were in awe. Mark and I had a grand time. We both decided that it had been about 15 to 20 years since the last time we skated.
* the Olympics. Love it. Especially speed skating. Apollo Ohno. Enough said.
* cooking/baking. I made my first ever homemade pizza the other day. Totally surprised it turned out. Next on the menu - cinnamon rolls.
* the sun. Except for today it's been really sunny lately. Pure sunshine goes a long way to improve my mood. Can't wait for warmer temperatures.
* sleep. For a few weeks now I haven't been sleeping well at all. I just lay awake thinking...thinking...thinking - until a few nights ago. I think I finally worked through all that stuff that was keeping me awake and now I can sleep. Ah, what a difference sleep makes.

I think that maybe I am starting to relax a bit more in life. I've always been the one to be in control, poised. And while I'm certainly grateful I have that attribute, it's a bit difficult to maintain in my life these days. I'm not going to get into it much more than to say that my life isn't exactly how I thought it would be at this point. And I'm learning that it's okay. I will keep making choices that I feel are correct for me and my family and that's all I can do. Everything will be okay in the end.

This is an inspiring thought to me.

tricked

2010-02-15T23:01:00.004-07:00

Mark walked in from work tonight with these beautiful roses. He says as he walks in that the flowers were sitting by the front door but he didn't see a note. I believe him. He says that he thinks someone has mistaken our apartment for someone else's apartment. I believe him. I start looking at the flowers thinking that there has to be a card in there somewhere with the person's name on it. And I'm thinking how sad it is that someone won't be getting these beautiful flowers. In the very back of the flower wrapping there's a note - to me, from Mark. Silly me. I usually catch on to his little tricks but this time I had no idea. They are beautiful. And I love him.

blog obsession

2010-02-15T14:14:00.005-07:00

I have become slightly obsessed with reading blogs lately. The kind of blogs that cover home decor, crafts, baking, sewing, fashion...you get the idea. It started a little while ago when I thought we were going to buy a house that we were planning on renovating. I was really excited about the thought of picking every little detail out for the house - cabinets, counters, paint colors, floors, etc. Everything in the house would be us. So I started doing some detective work online to find exactly what I wanted. And so the blog hopping and obsession began. While we aren't getting that house anymore, I still check all of my favorite blogs daily. I love that they are updated daily! Because I'm a sweet person (go ahead and roll your eyes) I wanted to share these blogs so that you can share my obsession. Some of you may have already heard of them but nonetheless...

Click on the names to go to the blog.

#1 favorite - My Favorite Things - love everything about it.

Tangled & True - similar to My Favorite Things.

little. lovely - everything you would ever want to know about decorating for kids.

Also - Or so she says, stephmodo, the pleated poppy, design sponge and little green notebook.

For future reference, I have all of these listed on the side of my blog under A Few Favorites.

Happy blog hopping!

sprinkles

2010-02-14T14:58:00.004-07:00

My parents were in Southern California (or the OC if you will) last week with some friends. Just by chance they came upon Sprinkles Cupcakes. I've never had Sprinkles' cupcakes but I hear that they are the best. People wait in very long lines to get them. So, being the wonderful mother that she is, she bought me their red velvet cupcake mix so that I could make my own. You may or may not have noticed that I have a thing for cupcakes and I couldn't be more excited about having that mix in my possession! Thanks Mom!

And, on a side note, my weekend is not going as planned. I really shouldn't be too surprised. Shopping didn't go my way. Didn't get my crafts done. My fingernails are not a cute shade of red for Valentine's. My goal is to at least make some heart shaped sugar cookies with lots of frosting. Frosting solves many more problems than one might think.

capitol tour

2010-02-13T09:55:00.002-07:00

We took a tour of the Utah State Capitol building yesterday. Ethan found it to be fascinating, which totally shocked me. He had a bunch of questions and thought that being able to sit in rooms where laws are made was pretty dang cool. Who knew? Maybe I have a future politician on my hands. The Capitol was restored a few years ago and I must say that it's quite an impressive building, very beautiful.

standing in the rotunda

After the official tour, Ethan's school group was able to go into a committee meeting room and have their own debate. It was proposed that their school year be changed from 180 days to 100 days. Ethan voted in favor of the motion. Naturally.

just noticed...

2010-02-11T16:38:00.005-07:00

that I've been sitting like this in front of the computer for an hour looking at blogs and coveting all the cool crafty things I stumble upon, updating my facebook status, reading random things...

And now my fingers hurt from being that stiff and my cheek is bright red.

I think I'm feeling a bit defeated this week. First of all, I've been thinking that it's Friday since Monday night. Not a good start to the week.
We received news that we won't be getting the house that we put an offer on six months ago. All that time, negotiating and planning for nothing. Short sales are super annoying...no wonder banks keep taking a dive. I've also spent hours on the phone with different companies related to our health insurance...bad news there too. What's the point of insurance when they won't pay for anything? Seriously. Stupid. And I don't even have time to mention all of the little things that have built up that are seriously annoying the heck out me.
So, I sit in front of the computer for now.

I'm sure life will turn around soon. Usually does. And Mark has promised a great Valentine's weekend that includes shopping. For me. With him. That never happens. Yep, things are turning around already.

crocheting for the first time

2010-02-09T12:01:00.002-07:00

It's uneven and barely looks like the flower it's supposed to but I did it. I made it with my own little hands. I made it at the class that I won last week. The lady who taught me, Dani, said that her husband tells her that she smells like dust whenever she crochets cause it's for old ladies. And while that's kind of funny, I disagree. It's really addicting. I'm going to keep at it.

just thought it was cute

2010-02-03T12:04:00.002-07:00

And I pretty much am this happy today.

i am a winner

2010-02-02T11:21:00.004-07:00

First reason I feel like a winner - I've seen these shoes at Target for a while now but never picked them up. I love them. Last night I was out shopping with my mom and sister and walked past them again. I thought I'm just going to buy them since I want them and I'm here. Low and behold they were on sale too! Sweet! I love when things work out like that.

Second reason I feel like a winner - because I actually won something! I never win anything. Ever. I entered a drawing online through a blog for the Oh Sweet Sadie arts and crafts show. The winner receives entrance to two of the classes they teach on Friday night. And I won! I get to go to a crocheting class and a chocolate class. Oh, and I get a free dinner. This was the little announcement I saw on the blog this morning:
The winner of the OSS Academy classes is: Emily Mero Williams who said, "love it all!" Congratulations Emily! If you have any questions, you can contact me at dani@ohsweetsadie.com

Totally made my day!

this is us

2010-01-31T16:36:00.004-07:00

Mark's brother made this for us. It captures us very well. Mark is being goofy and I'm trying to make him stop. One of our friends asked a while ago if I thought Mark was funny cause I tend to roll my eyes at his jokes more than laugh. Yes, I love his sense of humor. He just tends to use the same material over and over and that's where the eye rolling comes in. I usually encourage him to work on getting some new material, at least recycle once in a while. I do think he's the funniest, most charming person ever. I married him. Trust me, I know. His quick wit never ceases to amaze me. We're coming up on our 9th wedding anniversary. I am grateful that we've been able to build our family, go through life's ups and downs and come out laughing. And that's thanks to Mark.