3/30/10

new adventures!

It's late and I am tired so I rant. I am embarking on a new adventure. I just got certified and became an airbrush tanning technician. I am with a great company called Endless Glow! Very exciting and I love the process and the things I have been able to do even in just this last weekend. That being said....I am terified of adding something else to my all ready hectic schedule. I see my more orginized friends do it and they seem to have it all. My friend Kelly is the most orginized and proficient person I have ever met! She inspired me on her last visit and gave me a little hope. I have a tendency to throw my hands in the air and say "to much....!" Usually after yelling at B for a few days. (Poor guy) I want to be succesfull but not at the risk of my family. I want to be the best mom but to be the best mom I have to be fullfilled myself. I love that I can make some extra money but I don't know at what cost. My hubby always says that when you add something to your schedule something else has to be given up or suffer. I have chosen to give up some of my tv watching (something inside me just died to actually say it out loud).

Brandon also relayed a story about the baseball player in the hall of fame that is in there for the most stolen bases. He said he had like over 450 stolen bases. He also had the most "outs". The person under him had only like under 200 stolen bases. The moral of the story was that the first guy had a lot more success because he tried to steal SO many more times even when it wasn't a sure shot! I was inspired and grateful. He is totally ok with me going out on a limb and trying something new and loving me for trying even if I don't get a "stolen base".

I now have my feelings down in writing to look back at later and say "I told you so " to myself OR look back and say "Silly, I knew you could do it!" Either way I will walk away having learned and having tried. A good lesson for all!

Anyone want to be airbrushed? :)

3/23/10

I ate my self control.......

I totally stole that tag line from my cute friend Sally (see Sally run blog) ....her Achilles heel was Chocolate eggs I think. MINE were Sweet tart hearts! OH how I loved your sweet tangy Valentine goodness. I was buying bags at a time. The canker sores were worth every moment of tarty goodness! THANK HEAVENS they are only out once a year. The regular ones are never as good and why do they even make the chickie and duckie ones? SO when you see the posts of me over the next couple months, you will see why I have not lost all the baby weight! I will work on it though and will be better next February when they bring back the most amazing treat you will ever have with a Diet Coke (besides a choc donut from 7-11) GOod thing they don't even sell those in this state! :)

Juliet's tricks!

Juliet is by far our most independent and stubborn. She doesn't walk yet (16 months) and doesn't say much but she understands everything. Even when you help her walk when she is done she will pull her legs up and hang! SOOOO infuriating! You can never get her to perform when you want her too. She does what she wants when she wants! She is strong and amazing and frightfully aggravating! I love her independence and strong personality.

I did catch her blowing kisses for the camera! (She doesn't really blow kisses she just puts her hand to her mouth and that is all you get. If you don't like it then move on to another kid....her saying .... not mine!) She does this when Brandon is leaving in the morning and sometimes when she is going to bed. She has just started doing it when you say I love you to her but if you say it to much she gets annoyed and just slaps her hand to her mouth and pulls it down quick! My FAVORITE thing she does is wink! She won't do it all the time but when she does it is AMAZING and hilarious. You can't really tell here but this is all I could get. Her winking is usually with both eyes and crunching her nose! We always laugh so she smiles when she winks. It is super cute!
Another one of her tricks is just being crazy cute! Heart melting cute! She will charm the tuffest of the tuff! She has a great sense of humor and LOVES to flirt! I adore this little girl! Brandon doesn't have a chance with her. All our kids melt his heart but for some reason she has his heart wrapped up in her wink and smiles!

3/22/10

The Kiwi Diorama

Darby had to do a diorama on a wild animal of her choice. HER choice was the kiwi bird. I said "Kiwi is a fruit baby, lets pick a Lion or Shark or something!" She said, "Kiwi is a bird found in New Zealand or Australia and everyone will do a lion or a shark , I am choosing the kiwi!" SO I went to Wal-Mart and found some feathers and pipe cleaners and play- doh. Daddy dug through his art stuff and pulled out some sculpty clay and wire and fake hair (their feathers look more like hair than feathers.) Daddy's stuff won. I was feeling a little dejected until a light went on that said " I don't ever have to do a pine wood derby car, or planet project, or science project or diorama!" I get to show up and be proud and support them but read a book while they do it or add a suggestion! YAY! DADDY WINS! Needless to say , her diorama ROCKED! All B did was help bend the wires (that are under the clay) and help her with the hair! (Hair + glue = mess) She sculpted, painted, glued, and created the entire thing! I was one proud mommy! I even learned a lot about Kiwi's! They are only one of a few birds that are monogamous! (good birdy) and the egg takes up so much room that in the end the mommy has to fast for a few days cause there is no room for food! (rip off) The report that Darby wrote that went along with the diorama:
KIWIS
Kiwi's are small birds that cannot fly. Their habitat is in New Zealand. It has beautiful canopy plants and some plants that even look like green lava spitting out of the ground.

Kiwi's can use their strong legs to dig up dirt for their dens. Their den can be a hollow log with a nest inside. Their nest is not organized; they just throw leaves and sticks inside. moss grows on their habitat so predators cannot find them so easily. In one or two days they move out and make a new den.

Kiwi's are nocturnal. Their feathers look a lot like hair. their eggs are very big compared to the Kiwi's body size. I did a diorama on Kiwis because not a lot of people know about Kiwis. My mom thought it was just a fruit! I would like to thank my dad for his help and encouragement!

Family Home Evening Daddy style!

Brandon taught a lesson on the Plan of Salvation and this is what we got! Not that good right? It never is! When it is his turn to teach I know I am going to have to step in and help him figure something out. I usually have to do all the visual aides because....well...let's face it.....he struggles! SO GRUMPY that he can pull this out of his talented little hat! I will show him what a REAL FHE is! I WILL MAKE A DIORAMA OF THE CREATION OF THE EARTH! I WILL BE SOOOOO SPIRITUAL THE CHILDREN WILL WEEP AT MY FEET AND BEG ME TO TEACH THEM MORE AND SAY "PLEASE MOMMY CAN WE SKIP THE TREATS BECAUSE BASKING IN YOUR SPIRITUALITY IS TREAT ENOUGH!" ahhhhhhhhh I feel better all ready!

PARTAY!

We were invited to our friends, Samantha's, BIG birthday bash thrown by her hubby Ford! Ford is one of my best friends big brother (Kim)! He went all out for his sweethearts special day! Valet parking and a tented back yard with a catered dinner and open bar! (YES! All the diet coke a girl could drink!) The food was amazing and I think the birthday girl had a great time! When we were eating dinner a movie star walked by and then after cake the lead singer from a band walked by! Only at an L.A. party would that happen! Do you think they will come to my party? We will have hot dogs and diet coke and "better than se* cake"! They can only come if they bring me a present! (hee hee)The hordierves table! (NO idea how to spell that!)
My hot date!
I don't know if you can tell that the yard is tented and heated (it was cold that night!) and the decorations were just beautiful!
There was a little cabana tent further in the back yard where you could sit and be alone or take a phone call (the music ROCKED)! Here I sit with a glass of.....diet coke! It sure felt a lot fancier in that fancy glass! Fancy diet coke tastes WAY better than can diet coke and even BETTER when it is all you can drink!





Kim's mom (Pat) flew out and it was SOooooo much fun to visit with her and see her again! Samantha the birthday girl looked BEAUTIFUL! Ford is always a wonderful host and puts everyone at ease! I love how he makes you feel like family! We had a GREAT time and can't wait to spend time with them again! (Even if the diet coke doesn't run freely!) :)

3/15/10

Sunday!

Here we are on a car ride home from church!
Everyone looked so good still I had to get a quick photo before it all fell apart!






3/9/10

If it were hard....

I'm reading a book right now called "I hate it when exercise is the answer! A fitness program for the soul!" I am totally loving it because the author (Emily Watts) is real and funny and practical. (Thanks Al for introducing her to me!) I highly recommend any of her books "Confessions of an unbalanced woman" or "Being the Mom" are 2 of my favs. ANYWAY! I am reading a chapter on the value of moms and she quoted the movie "A League of Their Own". It was when Geena Davis, the star player, is quiting and says; "It just got too hard."
Tom Hanks, the coach, responds in the most amazing way, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

Ahhhh to all the mommies or mommies to be or honorary mommies. "the hard is what makes US great!"

Emily Watts posed a question "what if it's the hard that makes us grow and sends us in search of resources we didn't know we had and drives us to the arms or our Savior for answers we wouldn't have been smart enough to see ourselves?"

I love my kids and today I even love "the hard"!

3/1/10

company gone :(

It was so much fun to have Nat and Tiff here with all their kids! We laughed so hard we had head aches! Shout out to my sweet hubby who watched all 10 kids so we could go get dinner! What a good man! Posting some great pictures of the weekend soon! I love and miss them both all ready!