{more Love...more Joy...more Chaos}

{more joy} Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

to all my friends in this digital land...

And in case you haven't seen me since this pic was taken, you might be interested in my Halloween costume...

Yes, I really have a tiny person taken up room inside of me. Hoping she will make an appearance in February.

Hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

{more chaos} I'm Here

2011-05-10T22:46:00.000-06:00

I don't know where I've been lately, but I guess it hasn't been here. Well, I'm here today and will try and post on some fun things that have happened in my absence, like my birthday, Squiggle's birthday, a Spring Break vacay and soccer. For now I want to let you know I'm hosting a Speed Scrap this Thursday, May 12 at 7PM MST in the ScrapMatters Forum and Chat Room. Come have fun with me, chat with me in real time and get a prize just for playing!

Doesn't that look like fun? Well, it will be.

Next up I am still racing in ADSR. Let me update you on my LOs that I have liked:

This one I made for my partner, Fi about her car and all the places it takes her family.

Oh yes, we also had Easter at our house. My favorite holiday--maybe that's why I actually scrapped pictures the day after:

{more joy} I am racing...

2011-04-05T15:31:00.001-06:00

One of our favorite family traditions is watching The Amazing Race every Sunday. Rob and I used to watch it ourselves when the kids were little but now we let them join in the fun--it is the only prime time TV they get to watch--so that makes it pretty fun for them. This season is fun because it featured past 'fan favorite' teams. It is fun because you don't have to get to know the teams to know who you want to cheer for--the problem is we like most of the teams and have a hard time seeing someone eliminated. Do you watch AR? Who are your fav teams? Buddy & Lulu have to pick their 'teams' each season. Buddy usually picks a team that is nice to each other and other racers, Lulu picks all-girl teams and get annoyed when they are mean to others but they are still 'her team'. I appreciate the teams this season that are generally nice to each other because they are a good example for my kids. I feel like this is a pretty decent show for them to watch and it gives us a chance to talk about right choices vs wrong choices and how people could have reacted differently.

Because I love the Amazing Race and I enjoy scrapbooking I am participating in the Amazing Digital Scrapbooking Race at Natural Designs in Scrapbooking. You race around to different digi-scrap sites and complete two challenges a week. If you complete your challenges on time you receive a prize and the chance to continue onto the next week. You can only eliminate yourself. Anyway, I wanted to share my LOs I have completed so far (click for credits):

Challenge #1 was to talk about our family:

Challenge #2 was to do a LO about someone that inspires you--I chose my dad. This is a pic of us when I went to visit them in Brazil.

Challenge #3 was about games you play as a family. We enjoy many games--my kids love Life and are learning to play chess from Rob; we a couple different Monopoly Jr games they enjoy as well as Uno, Memory, Clue Jr & Scene It Disney. I chose to do a LO about us playing Yahtzee on the iPod while we waited in line at Disneyland.

I forgot to mention we have partners for ADSR. My partner is Fiona--we were partners last year and it worked out so well we are doing it again. We are the Pixelicious Punks (our alter egos, we decided )

{more joy} Where in the World am I?

2011-04-04T23:20:00.000-06:00

You know how real bloggers always pop in and say, "today you'll find me guesting ___". Well, not quite the same, but today you can find me on Andilynn Designs blog talking about myself and one of Andrea's kits. Check it out!

{more challenge} Days 22-25

2011-03-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me catch up a bit on this blogging challenge...Day 22 What's in your makeup bag? Nothing interesting. I wear makeup, but not a lot and everything is cheap (well, as makeup goes)

Day 23 Favorite Vacation. I'm going to break this into two parts--fav vacation without kiddos and fav vacation with my family. My parents served an LDS mission to Brazil for three years. After they had been gone for one year I took my grandma and we flew to Brazil--just Grandma and I. Doesn't that sound like fun? Well it was and it gets even better. While in Brazil for ten days I whisked my Mom out of her mission (shhhh, don't tell) and we flew to Iguassu Falls for a few days. My Mom really is my best friend. I don't have sisters and her and I share a mother/daughter as well as a sister-type relationship. I had really missed being with her and talking to her everyday. We had a lot of fun together and it is a vacation I will never forget.

About 18 months later I went back to Brazil with Rob and Squiggle. That was fun because my parents got to meet their granddaughter, I got to take Rob to a beautiful place I had been, and Rob and I got to have some time alone as Grandma and Grandpa couldn't get enough of Squiggle--can you blame them?

My favorite family vacation is the one we took last fall to California. We went to the beach, Disney Land, Sea World and even went to church where Rob grew up. Our family had been saving for two years and we almost had as much fun anticipating the trip as we did enjoying every moment.

Day 24 Something I've learned: I have learned that God is watching over us. I have learned everyone has strengths and weaknesses, trials and happiness. I have learned God is aware of each of his children and has armed us the the experiences, faith, perseverance and those around us to help us and rejoice with us along the way back to Him.

Day 25 10 Random songs from my ipod:
"Show Me" from My Fair Lady
"Bullet the Blue Sky" U2
"A Dustland Fairytale" The Killers
"Bad" U2
"Joe's Head" Kings of Leon
"Alleluia" Kenneth Cope
"The Sweetest Thing" U2
"Fly Away" John Denver
"House in the Woods" Tom Petty
"Little Star" Jim Brickman

That is pretty representative of the random songs on my ipod. I am going to see U2 perform in April and am VERY excited, so I'm glad they had a good showing on this list. By the time I go we will have had the tickets for about 18 months!!! You probably remember U2 had to cancel their North America tour as Bono had back surgery. Well, I was going to the first show of that part of the tour and the set was partially up! Needless to say, I was disappointed, but I am starting to get excited again.

{more challenge} Here I am...

2011-03-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

{more challenge} Day 20 Nicknames

2011-03-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is kind of a funny topic for me. My dad actually doesn't like nicknames and made sure to name each of us kids a name that can't really be made into a nickname. When I was growing up sometimes I got teased by people calling me Emma or Emma-Lou. My brother calls me Em as do a lot of my friends online, but that is about all.

{more challenge} Day 19 Something I Miss...

2011-03-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

This topic has been peculating in my mind for awhile and while I know what I want to say, I'm not sure I want to say it out loud, online. One reason I gave up blogging for over a year is that I wasn't sure what I wanted my blog to be about. Although I love my kiddos just writing about them wasn't working for me. I wasn't sure if I wanted my blog to be about me and the things I like to do, be a journal about my family, or my own personal therapy session. I'm still figuring it out, but I think it is evolving to be a little bit of all three. As I have been participating with the 30 day journal prompts I have also realized I am a pretty private person and it is hard for me to share things about myself with others. I think this is something I need to work on, so I have kept going and am back today to tell you what I miss.

But first a little background information...when Rob and I first met and were married we were the same religion. This was something that was important to me when looking for a husband and part of the reason I fell in love with Rob. Fast forward five years and things were a bit different. I was still Christian and Mormon; Rob was neither. At first this change was difficult as we had to adjust our life, our marriage, our family but although we do no longer share the same religious beliefs we share the same goals when it comes to our family and our marriage. So when I see the prompt, "Something You Miss" the first thing that comes to mind is praying together with Rob. I miss holding hands, petitioning the Lord together for ourselves, our family and others. I miss that opportunity to be united. We still pray together as a family although Rob does not participate but I miss praying together.

That being said, I wouldn't change my life for anything. I love my life, my husband, my family.

{more love} My Love

2011-02-24T23:40:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this last week. I created this LO on Valentine's Day while Rob was on a business trip. The kit is by Erica Zane and was released last Friday, so I couldn't post it right away. Here is my love:

I don't create many LOs just of Rob, but Erica's kit was perfect for a manly LO and all the photo actions and mask were perfect for the pic--Rob even gave his approval.

{more challenge} Day 18 Something you Regret

2011-02-24T23:26:00.000-07:00

{more challenge} Day 17

2011-02-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

Something I look forward to...
...March--February hasn't been too fun and I'm looking forward to a new month
...Summer! We are planning on hiking, camping (EEK!), vacationing in Yellowstone, Family Fun Day and more
...watching my kids grow, mature and learn
...growing old with Rob
...HEAVEN (I stole that from Christine, 'cause it's perfect!)

Yellowstone

{new challenge} Day 16 Dream House

2011-02-24T23:04:00.001-07:00

I don't really have specifics on my dream house--just a few ideas:

wrap around porch

fabulous kitchen (more fab than this)

jacuzzi--no other caption needed

Plus, a nice and comfortable family room for my family to hang out and have fun. I also don't want anything too big because I don't really like cleaning.

{more challenge} Day 15

2011-02-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Day 15 is a Bible verse, and this is the first one that came to my mind:

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto

thine own understanding"

Proverbs 3:5

A good reminder for me.

{more challenge} Day 14 Picture

2011-02-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

Well, it is hard choosing a picture I love. I thought I would share this one as it is my fav from our Disney vacation. Rob captured the pure joy on Squiggle's face as she is hugging Minnie. For months before we went to Disney Land Squiggle was very shy around everyone, even people she saw regularly like Grandma & Grandpa. She would take so long to warm up to them. We were all excited about the character breakfast and Squiggle kept saying she wanted to meet, "Mickey, Minnie, Pooh". I was nervous she would be too scared to enjoy meeting 'Mickey, Minnie, Pooh'. One day while I was praying I had the thought to pray for Squiggle that she could overcome her stranger anxiety--not just for the trip, but to help her everyday. Shortly after that she started warming up to Grandma & Grandpa and other people she knew and loved. I was hopeful but still apprehensive about meeting characters. Well, there was no need. She ran up to each character and gave a BIG hug like he or she was a long-lost friend. I was so happy she was able to enjoy that moment and that is why I love this picture so much. She really believes these characters are her friends and--again--I just love her face:

and here is the LO I made using this pic and another fun pic of the kids with Minnie:

{more challenge} Day 13 Goals

2011-02-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not too good at making and keeping goals. Probably should make a goal to be better at that ;)

My main goals involve teaching and raising my kids to have faith, feel loved and be close to each other. I also have goals to increase my faith, fulfill my responsibilities and enjoy life.

I think this post needs a pic, so here is a LO I did of Buddy. He recently started Tae Kwon Do and is getting ready to test for his yellow belt--his current goal:

Sorry I'm kind of lame today--come back tomorrow for a picture I love.

{more challenge} Day 12 I Believe

2011-02-15T16:17:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back with the daily prompts. I actually started this list before my accident and am now finishing it. There are a lot of things which I believe, but here are a sampling:

I believe every person is a child of God and should be treated as such.
I believe I can do anything, but I cannot make You do anything.
I believe in always trying to do what is right.
I believe in repentance and forgiveness. I believe in using both frequently.
I believe my family makes a great team and I believe I will be with them forever.
I believe in God. I believe he is my Heavenly Father.
I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe he is my Savior and Redeemer.
I believe in the prayer.
I believe in happiness.

Now doesn't that make you smile with happiness?

{more joy} Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

{more chaos} Not in my plan

2011-02-07T21:59:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me? I got in a car accident last Friday and although I didn't get injured my car is totaled. The stress of it all is taking a toll on me and I cannot bring myself to do much on the PC--esp blogging. I think I'll get back to the daily prompts it when I can--don't give up on me!

{more challenge} Day 11 TV

2011-02-03T21:58:00.001-07:00

Today you are hear to learn about my favorite TV shows. If you visited my house on a frequent basis you may think my favorite shows were Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder & Curious George. Although that George is a cutie, you would be mistaken. We don't have cable and although I watch TV shows I rarely watch them on my television. I usually watch on hulu, Netflix, or on the DVR on our PC.

So down to business, here are my fav shows in no particular order:

** Big Bang Theory
** The Office
** 30 Rock
** Modern Family
** Castle
** The Good Wife

I have two monitors, so I usually watch a show while I am scrapping or Rob and I watch something on the laptop before going to bed.

That's it. Hopefully I didn't scare you aware from my blog with the scary picture yesterday--don't worry, that will NOT be a regular occurrence and I'm sorry I didn't include credit for the pic. I was trying to get away from the page asap and not look at the pic too much.

{more challenge} Day 10 I'm afraid of...

2011-02-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

'nuff said.

I am really scared of snakes. Other stuff like, "what if something bad happens" doesn't really scare me or consume me. I have come across some hard-to-deal-with things in my life and have learned to rely on the Savior to carry my burdens. So if anything, losing that faith scares me more than something bad happening. I can control that and try and strengthen my faith daily. Snakes--well I try and control that by staying clear of ALL snakes (I honestly don't go in the Reptile House at the zoo).

{more challenge} Day 9 Friends

2011-02-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

I thought about skipping this prompt today, but I have committed to this challenge, so here I am. Don't get me wrong, I have friends--just no proof in the way of pics. One thing I have realized throughout my lift (and I am very grateful for this) is that Heavenly Father provides me with friends that I need for a particular point in my life. My freshman year in college I had a great roommate and my mom would often tell her, "I prayed for you." We were quite different and I don't know if we would have been friends in high school, but she was the perfect roommate for me. Sadly I have lost touch with her--as I have many friends sent my way. But I am thankful for the friends I have now and feel like they are just what I need right now!

{more challenge} Day 8 Travel

2011-01-31T16:14:00.002-07:00

Did you notice I skipped Day 7? Well you were suppose to blog about your fav movie. I am not a huge movie fan. I watch movies, but for some reason I really can't remember much about a movie immediately after viewing. Also, I have no patience for a movie that is over 120 minutes. Even if a like the movie I get bored after two hours. So if I think of a fav movie I'll post it later.

For now I'll write about Day 8: Places I've Traveled. Well, Rob and I have traveled. To do this I'm going to show you the present I made for Rob for Christmas...

For the past two and one-half years we have had this good-sized wall that is BLANK (read: boring). I had a vision of getting pics from places we have visited and putting them in black frames on this wall. Well, I got all the frames painted, but got lazy finding the pics and wasn't sure about the cost of finding pics and printing them. This Christmas I decided it was time to finish this project. I found a lot of great pics on flickr and some I took myself. My patient SIL Ashley came and helped me hang all the pics and wrap the present right before Christmas. I was really excited about this present and couldn't wait for Rob to 'open' it.

So between the two of us we have visited these places. I think it will be fun to add to the wall and change out pics as we visit different places around the globe. About me...right after I graduated from a Junior College I went to China to teach English to elementary school children for a few months--until the Chinese government decided they didn't like that plan any longer and basically kicked me out. I also went to Brazil twice while my parents were serving an LDS mission there--once I took my grandma and the second time I took Rob & Squiggle who was six months old. I have also visited various states around the U.S.A. Sadly, I have not been to Paris. Rob went there on business when Squiggle was six weeks old and I was quite jealous as I have never been to Europe and REALLY want to go--someday. Someday we will go to the Czech Republic where Rob served his mission, and travel around Europe. Someday I will take Rob to China and tour around more and see how much it has changed. Someday I hope to go to Australia as it has been my dream since I was eight years old and had a friend from there. Someday there will be more pics on my wall.

Since this post is suppose to be about a place you have traveled to, not dreaming of; here are a few pictures from our trip to Brazil:

{more pics} Day 6

2011-01-29T23:56:00.001-07:00

Today we are suppose to post a picture that makes you happy. Well, here are a few--taken straight from the camera. It's late and I'm too tired to crop & edit....most are from our CA trip--what can I say, we were pretty happy :)

{more food} Day 5 Recipes

2011-01-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

Well the prompt for today has me a bit stumped. I really love trying new recipes and enjoy cooking, so to choose just a few recipes is tough. I remembered I had scrapped a lot of my fav recipes for a challenge at ScrapMatters, so I included some links to DL the 8x10 copy if you wish.

First up my fav salad, Salad Swiss Parmesan:

one of my favorite casseroles, Chicken Enchilada Casserole:

This is a great crock pot recipe and great for a large group. We often make this for family gatherings because it is easy, everyone can make their burrito to their own liking and it is easy for everyone to bring a topping. It is called Southwestern Flair:

And these are my new fav biscuits Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits from allrecipes.com

This is my MIL waffle recipe that we make pretty much every weekend--and the homemade syrup as well. Everyone in the family loves them and we freeze leftovers for breakfast during the week (this one doesn't have a DL link). These pics were taken of my kids about 3.5 years ago:

{more joy} Random Squiggle moment

2011-01-27T23:10:00.000-07:00

Squiggle posing for a picture while on a hike.

Squiggle love to pray--without help. She starts every pray with a type of roll-call. "A Daddy home my; a Mommy home my; a Buddy home my; a Lulu home my." Which interprets to, "Daddy is home with me; Mommy is home with me, etc". I think because when someone isn't home we pray for them like "Please bless Daddy at work." I just think it is cute she is giving Heavenly Father an overview of where everyone is at the present time.

Buddy & Lulu are really into telling jokes right now. They have learned some at school, from Now & Later wrappers, etc. Then they think they are pretty funny and start making up their own like this:
Lulu: "Mom, why is there water in my cup?"
Me: "To drink?"
Lulu: "No for the monkeys to drink (there are monkeys on her cup)" LOL, LOL from her and Buddy'
Me: "That is pretty clever"...thinking in my mind, "Cross off comedian from potential future employment. Hope she doesn't share that with future husband-to-be"

Squiggle doeesn't want to miss out on the fun (esp the laughter). So she has to interrupt every conversation Rob and I are having during dinner to tell a joke that goes something like this: "Daddy a bean on my plate." cue the laughter at which point we all have to laugh and tell her how funny she is. Like many things in her life, she has no idea what she is doing, just that she is being like the big kids and THAT is what makes me LOL!

{more challenge} Day 4 Parents

2011-01-27T22:49:00.000-07:00

As you can see today's post is about my parents. I wanted to include this pic as it seems my parents are the happiest when surrounded by their grandchildren (there are two not pictured). My parents have known each other since they were in the first grade and have now been married for nearly 35 years. They have both built lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ and taught their children to do the same. They love each other very much and always support each other. Basically I can't imagine what I would do without them and I am very thankful their mine--forever.

Now that I get to watch them be grandparents and it is really fun. They LOVE their grandchildren and would do anything for them. We really appreciate their love and support and our family really enjoys living within ten minutes of their home.

{more challenge} Day 3 First Love

2011-01-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well last night after a rousing Pack Meeting and Scout Committee Meeting I didn't get my post written I had not seen my first love all day and wanted to spend time with him, not the PC. Why am helping with Scouts when I don't have a son in Scouts? Well, let me tell you that is one more odd thing about Mormons...we help with scouting even when we have no clue and don't have a boy that age. For me I just ask a lot of q's and try not to be overwhelmed. I am hoping I get this whole Scouting thing figured out within the next year when Buddy when will be a Wolf.

Anyway, back to my post. Today (yesterday) is(was) to tell about your first love. Well, there he is. Isn't he handsome? This is the most recent pic I could find--Buddy took it for us while we were in California in Oct. Not to be sappy, but Rob is my first love and I can honestly say I didn't really know what love was until I met and fell in love with him. Unexpected? Yes. Exciting? Yes. Just plain fun? Yes. We recently celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and yes we are more in love now than we were ten years ago. Here's to another ten and another ten and another ten...you get the point.

{more challenge} Day 2

2011-01-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Thanks for coming back for another posting of this challenge. Today we are learning about the name of my blog. Well, I wanted the title to have the word 'more' in it & my life is full of joy one minute and the chaos the next. But it is always surrounded with love. I just liked the ring of "more love, more joy, more chaos".

{more chaos} 30-day challenge: Day 1

2011-01-24T21:18:00.003-07:00

Okay, so after not writing my blog for over a year I really thought I was done with the whole blogging thing. But no. Here I am again. My friend Heather is doing a 30-day blog challenge and I thought it would be fun to join as well. So today the prompt is to post a recent pic, introduce yourself and post 15 interesting things about yourself. Here it goes...find a recent pic of me on the side bar---------->>>>
That is our most recent family picture worth hanging on the wall and sending to friends. It was taken shortly after Lulu's baptism in Oct.

If you are reading this blog I hope you know who I am. Even though I have been blogging-AWOL I have been alive in real life and pretty busy. Buddy and Lulu are both in school all day now and Squiggle and I hang out doing crafts, running errands, playing games, etc

Now for 15 interesting things about me (I'll try and keep it short and sweet):
1. I am a night owl and have to force myself into bed most nights and out of bed in the morning
2. I have lived in UT most of my life and have never been skiing
3. I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because I don't agree with their business practices and I refuse to buy Herbal Essence products after a marketing campaign I felt was degrading to women.
4. I enjoy cooking, but am not too good at planning ahead
5. I like to be in charge--maybe as a result of
6. Being the oldest of three--I have two younger brothers
7. I love watching football, but not basketball or baseball
8. I sold an apartment complex and a townhouse without a realtor
9. I {love} Christmas cards--especially those with pictures! I send out about 50 cards and get less than 20 in return. I know not everyone loves sending/receiving cards as much as me, but I enjoy it and I guess I'll keep doing it even if I'm the only person who likes it.
10. I have a BS in Sociology
11. I have been married for 10 years
12. We have had season tickets to Hale Center Theater for six years--we are always one of the younger couples there, but it is a great excuse for a date night and we enjoy all the plays.
13. I can beat anyone in my family at Wii Swordfighting
14. I love playing Words With Friends and often have over 5 games going at once (want to play? email me and I'll tell you my username)
15. I decided I wanted to serve an LDS mission when I my cousin sent home a video from his mission. He just went down the street knocking on door after door and never got in. I don't know why, but after that I knew I wanted to go on a mission.

Whew! That was tough--and really random. Come back tomorrow and I'll try and be a bit more creative. Let me post a few LOs I have completed from our recent trip to CA to liven this post up a bit (all images are linked if you are interested in the credits):

{more chaos} C-R-E-A-T-E

2009-12-23T14:08:00.008-07:00

Well, I've been getting some flack for not posting too often, so I thought I would explain...I decided to try and be creative this Christmas and I think I went a little overboard. What did I create? Let me show you...

I created three Christmas cards:
ours

My mom's

my brother & SIL (this is a dual baby announcement/Christmas card)
Two Advent Trees
Four mini-Capri Sun BagsTwo sets of Story DicePlaying Cards (from ArtsCow)Six CalendarsToo Many tags Hair Bows for stocking stuffers (can't find my pic)
Don't Eat Santa Game
Gingerbread Cookies (click on the image to download this recipe as a jpeg)
Well, I had fun and I kept busy! Now I'm ready for Christmas to come and for a little creativity break LOL! Merry Christmas to all my family and friends!

{more joy} Merry Christmas to all

2009-12-11T23:53:00.004-07:00

Christmas is in full swing at our house and we are having a blast. Squiggle loves "Ho-Ho-Ho's" and sat on his lap without any problem. Too bad she can't verbalize a list of wants to Santa--I'm sure he'll get something appropriate for an energetic 2-year old. She has also been playing with the Little People Nativity and this is what I found . . . These missionaries are learning the doctrine first-hand.
A funny side note from Lulu: "Mom, did you know Bethlehem has the word ham in it? I think that means Jesus ate a lot of ham and really likes ham."
Mom: Silence. Really, what can you say to that?
So that's Christmas at our house. Buddy is continually worried that Santa will bring him a three-wheel scooter when he obviously wants a two-wheel; Lulu has a list she made for everyone in the family--after catching a glimpse of a similar list I have on the computer; and Squiggle feeds off of the energy surrounding the season. We love it!

{more joy} It's OVER!

2009-11-07T21:45:00.008-07:00

We celebrated (and celebrated, and celebrated), we survived and we're done.
Halloween is my least favorite holiday and after celebrating for a week I was happy to see it end--at least until next year. My kids (of course) greatly enjoy Halloween and celebrated by dressing up as Chinese girl, eyeball and pink poodle, respectively. No, when your mother doesn't enjoy Halloween and you are over the age of three you do not have coordinating costumes.
Lesson learned from this Halloween season: 1) If you have strawberry blond hair and spray black dye on it you will look more like an 80-year old grandma than a Chinese girl 2) A pumpkin and an eyeball are the same shape--use the same pattern for multiple Halloween costumes 3) Pine cones, leaves and rocks are 'treats' for a two-year-old--candy is also acceptable.
Lulu the Chinese Girl (Grandma M made this awesome dress as a b-day present and Mom immediately decided it would be awesome--read: FREE--as a Halloween costume):

Buddy the Eyeball (the only costume I made):
Squiggle the Pink Poodle, as her favorite animal is a fa-fa (dog) and all the customers at Costco were overcome by her poodle-cuteness I couldn't resist this costume:
Now onto Thanksgiving--one of my favorite holidays and definitely my favorite holiday for which to decorate. What can I say, I love pilgrims and leaves; yet I don't have massive decorations like Christmas.

{more joy} Let's talk about Christmas

2009-10-09T16:41:00.006-06:00

I know, I know. It is only October, but you should really start thinking about Christmas. Thanks to my SIL, Ashley, I have been thinking about Christmas since July! If you want to make Christmas gifts or beat the rush, now is the perfect time to start a wish list for yourself and a potential gifts list for your loved ones. I am here to help you make and give personalized Christmas gifts without breaking the bank.

You may know that I am the Creative Team Leader for Andilynn Designs. As a CT we made a 2010 calendar using Andrea's awesome kits. Each month contains a 'top' portion where you can place pics of your cuties and a 'bottom' portion that has the calendar grid. Each is sized 8.5x11 landscape and can be uploaded to a place like ArtsCow. Just remember ArtsCow has great prices ($8.99 for a calendar) but they are located in Hong Kong, the shipping time is extensive (I recommend ordering before December) and they can't accept debit cards--but do accept most credit cards. I'm not getting paid by them; I've just used them a few different times and really like their quality and prices.

If you are interested in the calendar and don't have photo editing software, you could even manipulate this calendar Microsoft Word. Just email me with any q's. So without further ado, here is the calendar. And it is currently on sale (I don't get any money from it either, just think it's cool)!

Click on the image to navigate to the store and to see larger pics of each month.

{more love} We're getting the hang of it

2009-10-02T13:36:00.004-06:00

IT meaning school. I just realized the kids started school over a month ago, and I never posted pics. Lulu started first grade:
Quotes from the first day:

"I LOVE first grade. It is nothing like Kindergarten. I didn't want to come home."
"I already made three new friends."
"Did you miss me? I feel special being gone all day and eating lunch and school. I'm kind of like Dad."

Quotes from week two:

"I HATE first grade. Why do I have to go ALL DAY? It is so long."
"Do I have to go to school today?"
"I don't like eating lunch at school."

Currently she loves school, except when she hates it and tries to fake a tummy-ache so she can stay home. Too bad I'm onto her evil plan and just dump her off at school everyday--then breathe a sigh of relief. At the end of the day, she is always happy--and healthy.

Buddy is A LOT more easy-going (something he inherited from his dad) and still enjoys Kindergarten day after day, week after week. He never complains about going and seems happy when I pick him up at the end of the day. He has learned a lot during his first month. Here he is on the first day of Kindergarten--one L-O-N-G week after Lulu started:
And what do Squiggle and I do with so much (ha, ha) time on our hands? Well, she sleeps and I clean up whatever mess she created right before taking Buddy to school and try and catch up on other 'stuff'--like this blog. She is turning into quite a character and is getting more and more into pretend play. Here she is helping Rob and I hang a picture rod:

And here she orchestrated her own tea party, even found some chips in the pantry for the event. I let her have the tea party before bed--isn't she adorable? Here are some other LOs I completed of our trip to Colorado with Rob's family:

hiking to Lily Lake

hiking with Cousin A and teaching her to make silly faces
one of my favorite pics of the summer--Squiggle and Mom ready for the train ride

{more joy} More Digi-Scrap

2009-10-02T13:23:00.004-06:00

If you are looking for something fun to do tomorrow night OR you want to learn more about digital scrapbooking, you should head over the Miller Conference Center for some fun workshops and classes. I have been to these classes before, and they are very informative and fun. Find out more information here (including how to get in for FREE) and maybe I'll see you there!

{more chaos} This is what happens...

2009-09-29T15:05:00.006-06:00

...when you don't watch The Relief Society General Broadcast:
You go to church on Sunday and pass around a sign-up sheet for an upcoming "Home, Family and Personal Enrichment" activity. You feel really proud of yourself that you remembered to include the 'full' name, and that you remembered the sign-up since General Conference is next Sunday. Thus, you silently announce to your ward that you DID NOT attend the RS Conference. You do not realize that you may not even have a calling, and the phrase "Home, Family and Personal Enrichment" is so yesterday. You might as well have worn a "I've Got Soul, But I'm Not a Solider" T-shirt to church--yes I had different plans Saturday night.
About six months ago, Rob and I got tickets to The Killers and went with some of his friends to the concert as Rob's birthday present. The concert was awesome--very fun, a lot of energy, clean language, clean lyrics, appropriate graphics and all the band members seemed very lucid. Weird, right? I know, it was awesome. So, although I missed the announcement that I may not have a calling, or that my current calling is "formerly-known-as-Enrichment-leader" (still waiting to hear) I was supporting another Mormon and having a great time with my sweetheart.
We had an out-of-the-ordinary weekend that also included Rob, Elizabeth & Dallin camping with G&G at Little Sahara; me completing my first 5K; and our home teacher coming to visit. What did you do this weekend? If you also missed the Broadcast and have no idea what I am talking about, I recommend watching it online.

{more joy} finding hidden cash

2009-08-22T22:19:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm back for a few more frugal tips:
4. Plant a garden; or at least plant some veggies/salad greens in pots. We are finally reaping the (yummy) benefits of our small garden (and my parents large garden--thanks!) and we love it!

5. Add 1/2 C borax, 1/2 C baking soda to 1 C of your dishwasher detergent. Doubles the life of your detergent, and borax/baking soda are CHEAP!

6. Make your own laundry detergent. I used this recipe; most I found around the web are about the same. I just starting using it this week, and it works great :)

Now it's your turn. I know you have a tip for me...

{more joy} More $$$

2009-08-19T22:34:00.003-06:00

One thing I've tried to do this summer is spend less money. Rob and I have always tried to be frugal (thanks to our parents' examples), but this summer we've tried to stretch our pennies even further. I know many of you are doing the same thing, so I thought we could share strategies. I'm going to try and list a few money-saving tips everyday until I run out of ideas. PLEASE share some of your tips as well.

1. Extend the life of computer ink: (I learned this tip from the store where I get my ink refilled) Soak your ink cartridge in warm water for 15-20 minutes, dry off and return to your printer. You can now get an additional 15+ printed pages from your ink cartridge.
2. Bread Crumbs: Blend unwanted bread (e.g. the heel) and place in a ziploc bag in the freezer.

3. Use vinegar instead of Jet-Dry in your dishwasher. It works--I promise!

Okay, now give me some of your tips, and I'll be back tomorrow with more of mine.

{more chaos} Maybe I'll try this again

2009-08-19T22:16:00.006-06:00

I know I haven't blogged in a very long while, but maybe I'll try this whole blog-thing again and see if I can give it a go. We enjoyed a fun summer and the kids don't mind that it is officially over with school starting tomorrow. Lulu is looking forward to first grade and Buddy is eagerly awaiting his first day of Kindergarten next Thursday. Here's a quick overview of some of our summer fun:
Buddy played soccer and Rob was the assistant coach.
We went to St. George and the Grand Canyon with my whole family.
Buddy, Lulu, Squiggle and cousin Isaac all took swimming lessons.
Lulu & Buddy ran a kids half-mile race and Rob ran the 5k for Steel Days in American Fork.
We vacationed in Breckenridge, Colorado with the majority of Rob's family.
Buddy learned to ride a bike without training wheels and proceeded to ride to Bridal Veil Falls with Rob & Lulu.
Squiggle learned to pluck her eyebrows--very important.
All the kids spent a lot of time playing in the water. Our garden also kept growing and growing and we have enjoyed broccoli, cabbage, cilantro and lettuce.

That's a brief wrap-up of our summer adventures. Tomorrow begins a new adventure--and we are ready!

{more chaos} Squiggle is TWO!

2009-06-07T22:12:00.004-06:00

Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know, we are still alive. We had a very fun, busy month of May beginning with Squiggle's second birthday and ending with the last day of school. As I'm on the laptop watching The Next Food Network Star I'm just going to show you some scrapbook LO's of Squiggle's birthday fun.
We went to the zoo to celebrate Squiggle's birthday. More fun--it was Mom & Me at the Zoo day, so there was extra fun activities like face painting, ice cream, massages, etc.
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Squiggle loved the zoo. She absolutely loves animals and was enthralled watching them. While we were waiting for Lulu & Buddy to get their faces painted, Squiggle found a slide and she had a ball:

She is such a cutie and we just love her to pieces. She brings a totally different personality to our family and we love her for it. Just today, she made friends with people we don't know while at church, she convinced a six yo boy to share his toys with her, she got candy from someone without uttering a word (and all that was just Sacrament Meeting), and she came up with her own 'joke'. Let me explain...Squiggle only says a few words, but she is really picking up sign language. Today I asked her if I could have a love (hug) and she did the sign for cracker with a little smirk on her face. Then I started laughing and tickled her saying, "I don't want a cracker; I want a love." She giggled and giggled and thought she was so hilarious. We kept going back and forth over and over because I couldn't get enough of that giggle! Then we went downstairs to share this joke with Dad. He loved it as well and Squiggle loved all the attention. For the next 30 minutes she kept going back and forth between Rob and I doing the sign for cracker and we would repeat our rehearsed dialogue. She really cracks me up. She is so gregarious and different from Lulu & Buddy--it is a fun adventure getting to know her more and more every day.

Happy [inter]National Scrapbook Day!

2009-05-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

I interrupt my normal blogging for a special iNSD event...

Welcome to my piece of paradise on the web! If you are here for the ScrapMatters Blog Train you should have come from Kim's blog and after me you will head to Andrea's (chia) blo g. In honor of the awesome collab kit--Hawaiian Happy Hour--we are describing our own paradise. My paradise is hanging out with my dh Rob just having fun and enjoying each other without any other worries. I love being with my kids as well, but there is just something special about hanging out together when they are quietly sleeping.

Here's my 5x7 Quick page to add to your collection. Dowload Here & enjoy your trip through paradise! Remember if you want to start the blog train at the beginning, start at Andilynn Designs.
Remember if you want the full kit, just spend $15 (or more) at the ScrapMatters store. Enjoy NSD!

{more joy} "Mom, I can't believe it's May"

2009-05-02T00:13:00.006-06:00

Lulu seriously said this to me this morning! She is so funny, she really tries to be 'all grown up' and thinks she has the world figured out...until she doesn't, and life isn't exactly how she believes it should be; then there are tears. But for the most part, she is a happy girl who is gaining a grasp on the concept of time--days, weeks, months. We have been busy the past two weeks, so I'll just show some pics of what we've been doing...
Buddy was injured--twice--playing Duck, Duck, Goose. We are lucky he has never had a broken bone, for some reason he is more prone to injury--maybe it's a boy thing.
We planted seven trees around our house. I'm sure in 20 years someone will be really thankful. The next day Lulu's journal assignment at school was "What can you do to help the planet?". Lulu wrote, "We planted trees and flowers so we can breathe and the animals.". There you have it in a nutshell.
Buddy and I dug up an ugly tree, but then we planted another one. He was just so proud of our accomplishment I had to include a pic.
Squiggle has finally mastered folding her arms for prayer. Previously, she would stick her arm straight out and cock her head to the side. It was adorable, but now (for the most part) she has stopped consuming half her meal during the prayer.
Our indoor garden continues to grow. Everything is doing well, except the broccoli and cauliflower. After letting these plants grow inside I'm scared to take them outside and expose them to the harsh elements.
Squiggle got her first manicure. When asked to show someone her nails she would display her pointer finger only.
Last Saturday Buddy had his first soccer game. Right before the game began, it started raining and it was freezing. Wish us better luck tomorrow (we're going to need it!).
Finally, Buddy had his Preschool Program. He did a great job. Buddy has learned a lot at preschool this year and is very excited for Kindergarten next year.
Project 365 LO's coming soon. Until then, HAPPY SPRING! And Happy Birthday to my little brother ;)

{more joy} Go Dad!

2009-04-18T23:41:00.004-06:00

Just wanted to pop in and post some fun pics from our morning at The Gateway. Rob ran a Half Marathon this morning and we are very proud. Here are some proud pics:

Squiggle had her own fun with Grandma & Grandpa.

{more 365} Weeks 14 &15

2009-04-14T13:50:00.002-06:00

Sunday: The wind was blowing so hard that the trampoline was getting airborne. To avoid disaster, we flipped it upside down.
Monday: This picture says it all--after the Sunday storm subsided, we had shingles and snow all over our yard (and a good deal of our shingles in the neighbors yard as well). March went out like a lion.
Tuesday: Buddy painting the trike with wet chalk.
Wednesday: This is how Mother Nature says, “April Fools!”
Thursday: Buddy & Lulu loved playing tickle monster with Mom--Squiggle didn’t really get it.
Friday: Easter eggs for Grandma’s hunt are filled--extra candy is consumed.
Saturday: General Conference. The kids loved the activities Mom printed for them. Grandma & Grandpa came in the evening for dinner & we played games with Grandma while Dad & Grandpa attended the Priesthood Session.
Sunday: Brandon & Shaylah were here, so we had an early Easter celebration. We took this picture to send to Sis. --, who made these plates for Grandma last year.
Monday: When M comes to play, Squiggle is so excited to see her--M is equally excited to adopt a baby sister for a couple of hours.
Tuesday: We colored Easter eggs with dye and stencils. Squiggle especially loved the sponge & paint.
Wednesday: Daddy-Doughnut Day at school.
Thursday: Buddy the hippity-hoppity bunny after Preschool Easter Party.
Friday: Rob & Emilee went to SLC on an overnight retreat. For breakfast we ate at historic Lamb’s Grill Cafe.
Saturday: The Easter Bunny found us, and it was Mom’s birthday. Squiggle didn’t want to be in the picture--or did she?

{more joy} EASTER!

2009-04-14T12:33:00.003-06:00

We had a busy weekend. Rob and I went to Salt Lake for a quick getaway to celebrate my birthday, the Easter Bunny found our home on Saturday, we had Easter/Birthday parties with both families, the kids enjoyed two egg hunts to too much candy, and I had a fun birthday. Overall, a fabulous weekend. Enjoy our Easter pics:

Squiggle really loved dying eggs. We got a kit with stencils and she adored painting her egg with the sponge. She was very focused and reluctant to finish. She also loved the egg hunts, even in the rain. And she wore her Easter dress without complaint--something that RARELY happens at our house. I'm hoping that in her I have a less-dramatic, less-bossy, less-stubborn child--I can hope, right?
Lulu & Buddy also loved Easter. We all savor watching Squiggle experience things for the first (remembered) time.

{more love} HAPPY EASTER!

2009-04-10T22:48:00.006-06:00

Please allow me to stray from my normal blogging--my silly kids--and focus on something more personal.
After Christmas, Easter is my favorite holiday. I was born the day after Easter, twice in my life my birthday has been on Easter, as a child I had Easter-themed parties, but the number one reason I love Easter is my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love celebrating His life, His mission, His love, His atonement. As I get older, and have more life experiences I appreciate the atonement more and more. Two of my favorite scriptures regarding the atonement are Alma 7:11:
And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And Matthew 11:29-30:
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
What a wonderful gift our Heavenly Father has given us through our Savior, Jesus Christ. Not only eternal life and forgiveness of our sins, but comfort and peace through the trials that life brings. I really believe "men are that they might have joy" and Christ is waiting for us the hand our burdens to him that we might find joy and experience the easiness of His yoke.
May you have a wonderful Easter and may your testimony of the atonement be strengthened.
I'll leave you with a wonderful Easter message from Elder Holland:

{more love} Squiggle Thinks She Can Dance

2009-04-09T14:40:00.007-06:00

My kids have a new favorite song. We found this on YouTube today and they LOVE it.

As soon as the song ends, Lulu and Squiggle want to hear it again. I almost have it memorized and we first listened to it 4 hours ago! Squiggle loves dancing and I've tried to get some videos of her dancing, but this is a really fun one without her siblings trying to take over her limelight (do you see that hip swaying I was talking about earlier, so hilarious!!)

{more crafts} Hair Bow Holder

2009-03-30T13:11:00.007-06:00

Okay, I don't really consider myself a crafter, but this last week I have completed three crafts. Strange, I know. Here is my latest creation, and actually one I thought up myself, a Ballerina Hair Bow Holder:
I saw some really cute tutu-type hair bow holders on the web for about $30+ and thought I could do something similar for a lot less. I used tulle I had left over from the tutu I just made, a diaper box, a small piece of a cereal box, ribbon, trim, and a ballerina from this cute kit:
Here are the steps to completing this project, in case you are interested:
I recolored some of the ballerinas so some had purple tutus, and some pink. I printed mine at FedEx Kinko's.

Lulu didn't like it at first, because it wasn't quite what she imagined and she thought the bows looked they were falling off (I have no idea what that means), but after I got all the bows on and took a picture she decided she likes it. Now don't you wish you signed up for my {more fun} exchange? It's not too late ;)

{more love} This is my life

2009-03-29T23:13:00.003-06:00

Funny things I have recently heard from my kids:
1) Lulu: I decided what I want to do for my birthday. I want to go to Arizona
Me: Arizona?! I think that's a little far.
Lulu: No it's not. We drove there last year and it didn't take too long.
Me: Because you were sleeping the whole time. I don't think you need to make any decisions about your birthday until August.
Lulu: But my birthday isn't in August.
Me: Yeah, it's in September, you can make birthday decisions in August.
The next day she decides to go to Jump on It for her birthday and to Olive Garden

2) Buddy: Mom, can I go jump on the tramp?
Me: It's snowing and very cold.
Buddy: That's okay. I'll put on my coat and boots.
two minutes later he returns, but the image of Buddy jumping in his coat and boots is priceless

3) Whenever you ask Squiggle a question and the answer is "Yes" she will answer by swinging her hips back and forth like a hula dancer. I'm not sure where she got this from, but it is the cutest/funniest thing you have every seen. When she is able to say "Yes" I'll really miss her little hips dancing around.

{more 365} Week 13

2009-03-29T23:10:00.003-06:00

Sunday: Easter decorations are up--I made these last summer and was excited to bring them out for the Easter season.
Monday: Squiggle’s messy, breakfast face.
Tuesday: I made this Easter wreath after being inspired by Shaylah.
Wednesday: For one week Buddy slept on the boards of his bed with his mattress propped up and multiple boxes on his bed as well. Such a creative, boy!
Thursday: Buddy was playing doctor in his coat Grandma made him for Christmas--Squiggle
just wants to be by her brother and be in the picture.
Friday: After seeing my Easter wreath, Lulu & Buddy wanted to make one as well. Buddy even had his own ideas on the creation.
Saturday: We dug up some grass to make way for a vegetable garden, and creative Buddy took some of the grass and covered the play structure.

{more chaos} Where are the Rules?

2009-03-22T22:26:00.003-06:00

My friend Barbara (who is now private, or I would give you a link) wrote this great post about how all parents need to get together and come up with a rules governing Santa Claus, Tooth Fairy, etc. We could then all be on the same page and that tiny part of life wouldn't be so confusing to our kids (and us). Well, I have do ditto her post. I got sideswiped this week and I have this little green man to thank...
I didn't grow up really celebrating St. Patrick's Day. My mother, who has decorations for every holiday, doesn't own a decorative shamrock. We celebrated by wearing green and pinching each other when someone didn't have green because he or she wasn't yet dressed for the day. This is pretty much the same course I've taken with my own kids.
I really thought making sure everyone--including Squiggle--was dressed in green was my only motherly duty for St. Patrick's Day. I WAS WRONG!
First Buddy came home from preschool and was telling us how a boy in his class had beans in his shoes and some candy loot from a leprechaun. "Oh, that's fun," was all I said. Then Lulu came home from school with stories of leprechauns leaving gold coins and other candy at some of her friends houses. A leprechaun had also wreaked havoc on her classroom because apparently leprechauns are ma-chee-ous (mischievous). She wants to know why the leprechaun missed our house. Me scrambling: "Maybe because you didn't leave any gold out for him." You guessed it--the next night Lulu & Buddy made leprechaun traps complete with gold foil and generic Wheaties (give me a break, it is the only cold cereal we had) as bait.
The next morning they ran to their traps and found the leprechaun had indeed visited, but since he is so ma-chee-ous he could not be caught and left their traps filled with beans and a note saying, "you can't catch me!". Pretty clever, right? I didn't have to run to the store while they were sleeping and buy candy, just dumped in the beans and wrote a note. Okay, now I'm a good St. Patty's Day Mom--right? Wrong, I made another mistake. When I read the note to Lulu she said, "It's in English? I didn't think leprechauns spoke English, they are from another country...I don't remember what it's called." "Ireland, they are from Ireland and they speak English there, just like we do," I quickly retorte. "Well, the leprechaun that visited my school didn't speak English and my teacher had to tell us what the note said, because she speaks that language," Lulu returns. Silence from me. I refuse to carry on a drawn-out conversation about a LEPRECHAUN! I'm dropping this whole leprechaun thing and refuse to worry about it until March 2010. I need to know where the rules on St. Patty's Day are kept, so I can refer to them before that time. My kids are only getting smarter and I'm, well, let's just say I'm not keeping up.

{more 365} Week 12

2009-03-22T18:44:00.002-06:00

Sunday: Our new clock Shaylah helped me make in Feb. The vinyl numbers finally came the now the clock is finished!
Monday: Our craft wall. I put Lulu & Buddy's crafts on this wall and rotate them as necessary. Buddy completed two crafts today with stickers he got in the mail from Grandma M for St. Patrick's Day.
Tuesday: St. Patrick’s Day (Buddy is wearing green pants). Buddy & Lulu both made leprechaun traps, but that sneaky Leprachun only left them beans.
Wednesday: We planted four raspberry plants.
Thursday: Squiggle loves being a helper and her favorite chores are putting place mats on the table and picking up the rugs when we are ready to sweep.
Friday: March Madness begins. We cheered our Cougs to a loss Thurs, today the Aggies lost by one point and the Arizona Wildcats beat Utah. GO WILDCATS!
Saturday: We have season tickets to Hale Theatre and this week got to see “All Shook Up”

{more chaos} FUN?!

2009-03-17T22:55:00.001-06:00

I saw this on my SIL, Shaylah's blog, so I thought it would be fun to do here as well:
The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (I will start tomorrow)
4. You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be poetry or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may draw or paint something. I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure! I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so and leave a comment telling me they did win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! I do promise fabulosity here folks...

{more 365} Weeks 9, 10, 11

2009-03-15T22:36:00.003-06:00

I really thought I had posted my Project 365 LO last week. Whoops! I had a stressful week as I was in charge of our Enrichment dinner to celebrate the b-day of the Relief Society, but that is over (yeah!!!!) and I'm now caught up with Project 365:
Sunday: Squiggle insisted upon eating her breakfast surrounded by the newspaper ads; she was pretending to read them as she was eating!
Monday: We played a quick gave of Guess Who? for our FHE activity.
Tuesday: This is where I usually find Rob before bed--reading, relaxing and listening to his ipod..
Wednesday: We celebrated Grandma's birthday, along with Grandma Mona and Uncle Allan's. Lulu picked out these beautiful tulips for Grandma.
Thursday: The only snow we have left. Yeah!
Friday: Squiggle was in a silly mood and was invading everyone’s personal space--lucky for her, her dad didn’t mind too much.
Saturday: A tomato plant at seven days. Last Saturday we planted broccoli, cauliflower, green onions, peppers, beef steak tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. They are growing in planters in our Family Room.
Sunday: We celebrated Grandma’s birthday at Brett & Ashley’s house and also had our family FHE.
Monday: Buddy’s prize for being patient while Lulu had two cavities filled.
Tuesday: Traditional oatmeal breakfast for Tues/Wed/Thurs.
Wednesday: We walked to pick Lulu up from school and passed this HUGE pile of tumbleweeds. It was a very windy day and we were glad they were in a pile and not tumbling towards us! Thursday: Lulu had “Who Hair” day at school to celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday.
Friday: Pajama day at Kindergarten to conclude Dr.Seuss week.
Saturday: Squiggle posing with lilies Rob brought home for Emilee.

Sunday: We forgot about Daylight Savings Time and almost missed church!
Monday: Our last snowstorm of the year (hopefully?!).
Tuesday: Buddy off to preschool.
Wednesday: Squiggle feeding a marshmallow to her doll.
Thursday: Lulu got a new headband and large flower; bananas are her favorite fruit.
Friday: We had mission friends and their families over for dinner. I forgot to take a picture, but this is the remaining dessert--Oatmeal Chocolate Cake.
Saturday: Cousin A turned three this week and we celebrated at her house on Saturday. I made her a tutu and two hair bows.

{more digi} Jungle Feaver

2009-03-06T10:54:00.006-07:00

I know I'm late posting my P365 LO, but bear with me. It's almost finished, but I've had some other stuff going on, so you'll have to wait and see some new LO's I've completed instead.
Haynay and Simply Sweet Designs have this great collab kit called It's a Jungle Out There, and since I CT for both, I scrapped two LO's this with it last night:

credits here

credits here

Buddy & Lulu biking along the Jordan Parkway Trail:

credits here
Incidentally, this is also where Lulu learned to go potty "native-style". Although it took her a few tries, she was quite pleased with herself when she told the story to me. According to Rob, both the kids thought it was kind of cool, because they felt like Bear. They felt like a bear? No, Bear Grylls, from Man vs. Wild. They have watched the show a couple of times and think it is pretty cool. I just think it is funny that my kids think peeing on the side of the Jordan River is equivalent to Bear peeing on the banks of the Amazon.

Okay, back to more LO's:
Isaac and Grandpa the first day they met:

Squiggle on her first birthday:

My cute parents in Brazil, the title translates to Eternal Companions, I compled this LO for a challenge I'm hosting at ScrapMatters where you have to use a foreign language for your title:

A favorite Christmas gift--Marble Maze. Santa really scored with this one :)

My LO of the Draper Temple:

Rob and I on our wedding anniversary:

And finally, Squiggle eating her first ice cream cone at Thanksgiving:

If you've made it through that long post, you are a true friend! Thanks for indulging me ;)

{more 365} Week 8

2009-02-22T22:26:00.004-07:00

Can you believe eight weeks of past of 2009? Crazy, but I'm stilling loving Project 365, so here's another week at our house:
Sunday: We had a family party to kick off the new Amazing Race. Let me just say, if you did not watch The Amazing Race last week, you missed one of the funniest 10 minutes in television history. I never knew a roll of cheese could travel so far, or be so hilarious ROFL!
Monday: My new kitchen decor from Hobby Lobby.
Tuesday: I love my bamboo floors, especially mopped clean.
Wednesday: When I was going to bed, this is how I found Buddy--he claims he was too hot and HAD to remove his pajamas--crazy boy!
Thursday: The sun is finally shining! This is my favorite view from our house--Lone Peak. Taken from our front bay window.
Friday: Squiggle loves salsa and other hot things like cinnamon hearts, which the other kids won’t touch.
Saturday: Rob took Lulu & Buddy on a seven-mile bike ride along the Jordan River Parkway Trail. It was their first bike ride of the season and they had a blast!

{more chaos} Say What?!

2009-02-19T22:21:00.004-07:00

Have you ever known someone who has broken his or her leg and someone else says, "Your body is telling you to slow down." Well, I'm wondering what my body is trying to tell me--I have burned my hand (same hand) three times in the last week. My ideas of what my body is telling me:
1) You are an idiot.
2) Hello, have you heard of a hot pad?
3) Stay out of the kitchen until PMS is over.
Any other idea?

{more digi} More Me

2009-02-17T11:22:00.002-07:00

Here are some other LO's I've done, and two actually have pics of me on the LO! Imagine that. Here is a pic of the kids and I before going to the Draper Temple Open House (credits):Lulu & Squiggle having a cuddle after Squiggle got out of the tub (credits):
My kids celebrating New Year's (credits):
My name. There is a challenge at ScrapMatters to scrap where your name came from, and I chose to scrap about my middle name which has been passed down for six generations, including Lulu. I think I will print this and give it to my grandma for her b-day next week. Now I think we (my grandma, my mom, me, Lulu) need to have a picture taken of us together--four generations with the same middle name. Kind of cool. Click here for credits and full journaling (that's for you, Mom).

{more chaos} No more curls

2009-02-17T11:20:00.002-07:00

Here is a LO I made to document Squiggles first haircut:

2009-02-16T18:49:00.004-07:00

I'm a guest on the CT at ScrapMatters for a few months. I'm having a great time and want to let you know of a FREE kit they are giving away, one piece at a time, starting next week. It is a really fun kit. CLICK HERE Feb. 23 to start collecting it.

{more 365} Week 7

2009-02-16T18:38:00.002-07:00

Valentine's Week is over and I'm ready to move past numerous hearts cut out of construction paper, heart candy, and valentine delivery. Valentine's Day is a great holiday--hey you get to spread the love and feel the love--but I'm glad it's over for one more year. Here's a glimpse into our week last week:
Sunday: Lulu gave a talk in church which she insisted on writing herself. She also drew a picture to go along with the talk. She talked about going to the Draper Temple, her favorite rooms were the baptism and sealing rooms. In the sealing room she looked in the mirrors with Grandma and saw her and Grandma going on and on forever. Then ended by saying she is thankful for her family and that we can be together forever. Short and sweet.
Monday: Squiggle is going through a cleaning stage. She loves wiping down the cabinets and adores sweeping. Here she is dressed in the chef outfit, carrying around the little broom and dustpan--what a cutie!
Tuesday: The kids got felt hearts from Great Grandma D. She is so sweet to send them a card for each holiday and they love it. The felt hearts were a big hit. Squiggle squealed with joy whenever she saw hers. Thanks Grandma!
Wednesday: These are my kids' place mats. Each week I'm going to try and take a pic of an 'everyday' thing around our house.
Thursday: Lulu got the flu bug Buddy had last week. Not fun.
Friday: Squiggle got her first haircut. Good-bye mullet, Hello bob. It was very sad to cut off her curls, but hopefully they will grow back and look cuter in a non-mullet form.
Saturday: Valentine's Day. After spending the day together has a family, we whisked the kids off to my parents house for their own party and Rob and I enjoyed a steak/shrimp/homemade fries dinner alone and then went to "He's Not That Into You". It was a fun evening.

{more 365} Week 6

2009-02-13T22:24:00.004-07:00

Okay, week 7 is almost over and I'm just posted Week 6. That's what happens when everyone in your family has been sick in the past seven days--nothing too horrible, but sick nonetheless.
Sunday: We had our own Super Bowl party, complete with Seven Layer Dip. Buddy actually took this picture and I couldn't resist using it as our Picture of the Day.
Monday: We attended the Draper Temple Open House with my parents, Shaylah & Breah, and Ashley & Isaac.
Tuesday: Lulu loves doing her own hair. Today was pigtails.
Wednesday: Shaylah was visiting all week and we had fun doing crafts. Shaylah is so creative and is always willing to help those of us who aren't so creative.
Thursday: Buddy, Lulu & Lulu's friend were playing "Indiana Jones" and Buddy was dressed up as "Indiana Jones-Pirate". I'm not sure what that is, and neither is he--but here it is--complete with and "Arrgh!" as we were taking the picture.
Friday: 100th day of school; Lulu counted 100 colored pencils to take to school.
Saturday: Baby Cousin was blessed and we had fun playing with our cousins.

{more joy} We found the SUN!

2009-02-02T00:14:00.004-07:00

Saturday we drove to Park City and found the SUN! The real sun, not the foggy sun trying to shine through the inversion. We went to watch the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe Competition. I didn't even know there was such a sport, but it was really fun to watch and the weather was great. We dressed for the COLD and ended up taking off our coats. Here are my ameteur pics, for better pics click here!

Saturday we drove to Park City and found the SUN! The real sun, not the foggy sun trying to shine through the inversion. We went to watch the Freestyle Skiing Halfpipe Competition. I didn't even know there was such a sport, but it was really fun to watch and the weather was great. We dressed for the COLD and ended up taking off our coats. Here are my amateur pics, for better pics click here! Lulu & Buddy had been excited to go to Park City all week, but once we got there they got bored pretty quickly, so we had to leave before the finals which wasn't too bad because we went shopping :) Overall it was a fun, family day in the SUN.

{more 365} Week 5

2009-02-02T00:11:00.003-07:00

Sunday: Lulu loves crafts and loves cutting. Lulu cutting ads or magazines is a common occurrence.
Monday: Lulu & Buddy had their 6 month Dentist check-up.
Wednesday: Our nightly ritual--stories on Mom & Dad’s bed.
Thursday: 1) Buddy had “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up” day at preschool.
2) while Mom was cleaning up breakfast, Squiggle covered her face in antibiotic cream.
Friday: Tuesday we started making snowflakes and hanging them from the ceiling, this activity
continued through Friday.
Saturday: We went to see the Skiing Half-Pipe World Cup at Park City Resort. After lunch we stayed for a little shopping before picking Squiggle up from Grandma’s house.

{more 365} Week 4

2009-01-25T21:54:00.004-07:00

I'm back for Week 4. Sorry you didn't hear from me during the week. I had to take a break from the digital world a bit, but I back and ready for more balance this next week.
So here's a quick recap of last week:
Sunday--Buddy colored a CTR shield in Primary
Monday--Lulu & Buddy got new haircuts at Cookie Cutters. They had a blast choosing a movie to watch, choosing a car to sit in while getting their hair cut, getting a balloon attached to a cookie cutter and sucker as they left AND of course, playing on the fun slide. Wow! We never knew haircuts could be so fun--or cost $13.95 per kid!
Tuesday--Pres. Obama's inauguration. YEAH!
Wednesday--Squiggle tries popcorn and LOVES it.
Thursday--Squiggle is very content sipping milk while holding Pooh Bear and sitting on the Smart Cycle
Friday--Buddy doesn't have preschool, so him and Lulu get creative and make clothing out of old blankets.
Saturday--Squiggle is learning to "stop and smell the flowers"--she put her whole head in the bouquet and sniffed LOL!
This is the only LO I made this week, it is my kids at Easter with beautiful dresses Rob's mom made--thanks again Grandma!

{more 365} Week 3

2009-01-17T23:17:00.002-07:00

Here we are for week 3 of Project 365. I am really loving this project and am excited to put my LO together each week.

Sunday: Squiggle loves her Daddy
Monday: Our 8th wedding anniversary
Tuesday: Buddy started bringing home books to read from preschool
Wednesday: only two blooms left on my Christmas cactus
Thursday: new member of the family--Pirate the goldfish
Friday: pic of the kids slippers
Saturday: annual trip to Car Show with Grandma & Grandpa--everyone is having fun and being silly, especially Lulu

{more digi} How many kids do I have?

2009-01-17T10:34:00.003-07:00

Rob--being the wonderful dad/husband that he is--has taken ALL of the kids to the Car Show this morning! that means I have a few hours to myself and I pumped. Of course, most of that time needs to be spent cleaning/cooking for a family party later today, but I'm pumped and am spending some time on the computer before cleaning. I wanted to share some LO's I've been working on lately. As I was uploaded to the blog I realized most of them are about Squiggle--whoops! I know I have three kids, and I totally love each one, but it seems Squiggle gets more pics taken of her as she is discovering new things/trying to be a big kit/is just VERY adorable. Oh well, here they are (click on each for full credits):

This was my pic of the day on Sunday, using Simply Sweet's new kit Blissful Romance.

I did this LO for an Every Day Magic challenge at SM where you had to scrap a 'typical' situation. This is a typical nap time for Squiggle.
Here is Squiggle trying to take off her own shoes because she is a 'big kid'; another kit from Simply Sweet called As Time Goes By.
Okay, see, this is NOT Squiggle. This is my equally adorable niece Breah in her blessing dress one year ago. Shaylah got this cut pic of her and I had to use it for a CT LO I did for Simply Sweet's All in White kit.
More pics and fun from Buddy's 5th birthday.
Haynay (another designer I CT for) came out with this great football kit called Football Fanatic and I used it to scrap about my love for football I acquired from my dad.

Lastly, just some fun pics of us being a family and showing love during 2008 using another new kit from Haynay--Be Still My Heart. My kids really do get along well and are very good to play with Squiggle and help her. We do have 100% love for each other!

{more photos} Squiggle

2009-01-11T19:31:00.004-07:00

Here are a few more pics of Squiggle modeling her Christmas outfit, isn't she hilarious?

Here is my pic of the day for today; it is just too cute to wait a whole week to show off. Squiggle loves her dad and will drop anything (literally) as soon as he walks in the door. This pic was taken after dinner tonight when she was soooo tired because she missed her nap due to 1PM church.

{more 365} Week 2

2009-01-11T19:17:00.002-07:00

Week 2 of the new year has come and gone, so it's time to post my pics for Project 365. Here they are in a LO:credits here
Sunday: my kids after church, everyone had new classes; Squiggle went to Nursery for the first time and loved it
Monday: Squiggle models her new outfit from Brenda & Trevor
Tuesday: it snowed all day & I had to get the recycle bin & 2 garbage cans (we finally got an entertainment center, pics of that next week) to the curb; after scraping the driveway
Wednesday: Buddy played in the snow while I scrapped some more; he even made a "snow horse"
Thursday: Our cousin, Isaac, came to play for a few hours; him & Buddy had a fun time playing 'chef'
Friday: Rob brought a box of Nerds candy home for each of the kids; Squiggle LOVES hers and eats them one by one
Saturday: Although Christmas decorations are put away, snowmen decorations get to stay through January
That was our week! I blurred the pic of our house for the web-version only. If you want to see what our house looks like, just come for a visit ;)

{more joy} Cut the Cord

2009-01-09T10:12:00.004-07:00

Last month Buddy & Lulu had fun learning Christmas songs in school and as we listened to the radio. After Christmas was over we stopped listening to Christmas music and started listening to Mom's new CD Day & Age by The Killers. Rob & I both like The Killers (the band, not their name) and my kids have previously sang along to "All These Things That I've Done" when we've heard it on the radio. Now Lulu's favorite song is "Human". She kept requesting to listen to it yesterday while in the car and then sang the whole song to Rob when he got home. I've got to get a video of that--so funny because she gets some of the words wrong, but knows the line "Are we Human, or are we Dancer?". As soon as Buddy hears this, he is quick to sing, "Or Prancer, or Vixon"....giggle, giggle from Buddy...scowl, scowl from Lulu. She is quite put out that Buddy would ruin her song with his antics. Meanwhile, Rob & I are just laughing and refuse to squelch Buddy's antics because, seriously, he is hilarious.
Last night I was researching the meaning of the song and learned dancer is like puppet. The song asks, are we human--do we make our own decisions, etc; or are we puppets just doing what is expected. I tried to explain this in kid-like terms today and Lulu was quick to say she is Human. Buddy isn't sure and said he wants to be both Human and Dancer. I think most of us feel the same way.

{more 365} Week 1

2009-01-04T21:13:00.002-07:00

Okay, it's Sunday and time for my first installment of Project 365. Here is a LO I completed of the pics I took this past week:
My fav pic is split between Buddy turning 5 & Squiggle trying to get a sound out of the New Year's blower. You can also see Buddy's cool treasure chest cake. He had a great birthday, and I think we are finally done celebrating and are ready to go back to school and our regular routine.

{more chaos} More Projects

2009-01-02T23:21:00.002-07:00

In honor of the new year, I'm starting a new project--Project 365. This is a cool project where you take a photo a day throughout the year. I know I tried this a few months ago and only made less than a month. Now I am motivated again, and have a lot of online friends doing the project as well, so hopefully I can keep it up all year and next year at this time I'll have an awesome memory book of this past year. My plan is to post the pictures or a LO of the pics from the past week every Sunday. Hold me to it! I'm doing well so far, so check back in on Sunday and make sure I'm keeping up!
BTW, if any of you want to join me in the fun PLEASE DO! Also, check out this blog for templates each week and this kit if you want to paper scrap your pics.

{more joy} Hello 2009...Hello 5 year old

2009-01-02T14:34:00.002-07:00

Happy New Year! Happy Birthday Buddy!
Before I talk about the new year, I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! To our new five-year-old, Buddy. To mark the occasion, here are five things I love about Buddy:
1) he is sensitive to others and very tenderhearted
2) he is a peacemaker and is willing to compromise
3) he is "all boy", but also loves to cuddle with his mom
4) he is very creative and can literally create 'something' out of 'nothing'
5) he is the best surprise I've ever received :)
I was due with Buddy Dec. 22, but I really didn't want his birthday to be too close to Christmas. When my due date came and went, part of me was relieved. I just kept thinking as each day passed his birthday would be that much farther from Christmas. He ended up waiting so long, that he missed four holidays and was born at 2:15 AM on January 2, 2004. Now his birthday is at a perfect time. Christmas has passed, New Year's is over and we can focus on Buddy and how the wonderful boy he is! He wants to go out to dinner at the Mayan to watch the divers, then we are having his birthday party with our families tomorrow where we will eat a treasure chest cake. Pretty perfect day for a five-year-old boy.

{more joy} Life does go on...

2008-12-28T21:35:00.005-07:00

Well, it seems life really does go on after Christmas has passed us by. We had a wonderful Christmas and celebrated for about three days. Now I'm ready to take down my decorations and get back to our normal life.
Hope you enjoy some fun/random Christmas pictures from last week. The kids and I made gingerbread cookies, wrapped presents, played in the MOUNDS of snow piled around our house, sledded down our driveway, went to three Christmas parties, and ate way too much Christmas goodies.
Back to the sledding--I guess there are advantages to a steep driveway. Even Squiggle got to sled down the driveway by herself and loved every minute. As soon as she reached the bottom she was whining to go back to the top. She even figured out how to move her body to get momentum to go down by herself.
Today Lulu & Buddy made a hill of snow just off the driveway to begin their descent. Rob made a "bumper" for them to hit at the bottom of the driveway. Everyone had a blast and we didn't have to go anywhere--very fun!
Here are a few LO's I completed about our activities this past month:

This LO was featured here today

Squiggle enjoying the snow

fun times seeing the elves

Since we don't have many grandkids, we all participated in the nativity at my parents house. Having my parents home for Christmas this year and listening to my dad read the Christmas story from the bible was a perfect end to our Christmas celebrations.

{more joy} Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T23:56:00.004-07:00

Just want to say Merry Christmas to all our friends family. If you didn't receive our Christmas card in the mail, we don't have your physical address. So enjoy it here (click to enlarge). Since you read this blog, you know we had a fantastic year and are kids are active, inquisitive and keep us on edge. We hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and the love of the Savior feels your hearts and homes.
If life really does go on after Christmas, this blog will continue then as well.

{more joy} We love December!

2008-12-19T22:17:00.007-07:00

Having kids in your house adds an exciting dimension to the Christmas Season. My kids are so excited for Christmas and Lulu and Buddy have been doing some really fun Christmas activities in school. We have our gingerbread house (see below), advent nativity getting larger, advent chains getting smaller, gifts bought and wrapped and excitement all around. They are also trying really hard to be good in case an elf is watching.
If you were an elf, and you saw this face, wouldn't you immediately check "NICE"?This is Squiggle thinking she is quite hilarious. She really thinks she is a clown. I realized while scrapping this LO that many cute pics of Squiggle are taken while is in her chair. Why? Because that is the only time she is still! I have many other pics of her that are just a blur of color.

Back to the subject at hand--December. We went to watch Snow College (GO BADGERS!) in their national championship game. It was at the new Rio Tinto stadium and my parents were going to watch the quarterback as he was in their mission, so we decided to go as a family (minus Squiggle). We had a fun time watching football, removing our coats, and cheering on the badgers. We were sad they made a fourth quarter comeback only to lose in double overtime, but we are still true blue badgers. Just as a side note, they honored the '80 football team during halftime this year, and I'm pretty sure they are going to honor the '95-'96 pep band next year--stay tuned!
We also saw the Jolly Elf himself this month. He made an appearance at our ward party and everyone sat on his lap and asked for the appropriate gift--I'm just not sure about having a lacey RS tablecloth in the background of Santa pics. Is this odd to anyone else?

We also visited the Elf's, played in the snow, built a snowman, decorated our house for Christmas, had my dad's family Christmas party, and sang many Christmas songs. Now school is over and the real stress--I mean fun begins! Hope your December has been holly jolly as well!

D

(I promise we kept putting Squiggle's hood on, and she kept taking it off!)

{more me} Christmas Edition

2008-12-19T22:06:00.002-07:00

Okay, so I've been quite a slacker this month, so I'm going to try and make up for it in one night! First, Andrea tagged me awhile ago, and it looked kind of fun, so here it goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial--three alpine trees ;)
3. When do you put up the tree? first week of Dec
4. When do you take the tree down? before New Year's Eve--Buddy's birthday is Jan. 2, so I like to have all Christmas stuff put away and the house back to normal before then
5. Do you like eggnog? NO!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? a wooden bench my Grandpa made for me
7. Hardest person to buy for? my brothers
8. Easiest person to buy for? my mom, although she doesn't need a lot of things, I can always think of things to get her
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, I have a Willow Tree Nativity (see later post), a nativity my mom passed down to me as well as an advent, felt nativity
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? both
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I wish I could say--really funny story, but the person who gave it to me reads this blog and I don't want him/her to be offended ;)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Christmas Story…”You’ll shoot your eye out” and just thinking of the leg lamp makes me giggle. This is the same answer as Shari!--this was Andrea answer & I ditto it!
3. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sept
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? homemade toffee
16. Lights on the tree? all white
17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh, Holy Night
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s? Yes I can…Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,
Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen & Rudolph!
20. Angel or Star at top of tree? each tree has it's own star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? trying to balance out my kids gifts
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I have two sets of nativity ornaments and they are my fav
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? lasagna made by my mom
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Gospel Picture Art Kit, Hale Center Theater season tickets

I tag anyone who wants to join in on the fun :)

{more love}A gift for you!

2008-12-12T13:22:00.005-07:00

I know I'm a slacker and have a lot of things to catch you up on, but first things first--I have a gift for you! I made this calendar and it is available in a Quick Page format if you want to keep it for yourself and/or give as a gift this holiday season. Click the image to download it from Kim's (Simply Sweet Designs) blog (click to enlarge):

{more joy} Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T21:22:00.006-07:00

I know I'm a day late, but you didn't expect me to post on Thanksgiving did you? We had a great Thanksgiving with Rob's family yesterday and we're going for #2 tomorrow with my family!
I opted to shop online at midnight and sleep in this morning. Then I took the kids to two stores this afternoon and that was plenty for me--and for Squiggle. Since it is Black Friday, all digital scrapbooking stores are having sales and the designers I CT for had grab bags for only $3. So, I've been busy the last week scrapping LO's I couldn't post until today.
This is Lulu & Buddy portraying the nativity last APRIL--don't you just love kids?
Last year Lulu & Buddy loved sledding:
These are some pics of Squiggle on her first birthday in May. When she was a younger she always made the funniest faces. I caught a few of them on camera this day. I also did this LO for a monochromatic challenge.
Here are my cute kiddos. I love this picture because Lulu & Buddy wanted me to take the picture. They were cuddling with Squiggle and wanted me to take this picture. Can you feel the love?
This is yet another LO from our trip to Arizona. Our last day there we had a few hours to spare before Brenda's wedding reception, so we stopped at the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix and they had a Chinese Garden. Although it was about 110 degrees we still had a good time and the kids loved taking pics with the statues--I think because they were their size. This kit is from Simply Sweet Designs--one of my new CT's.
Here is Squiggle on Santa's lap last year at the Family Christmas Party. She wasn't too interested in him, but appreciated the doll he brought her.
Lastly, I made a LO of "Twilight" for a challenge to scrap the last movie you saw. Since there is so much fervor over this movie, I thought it would be fun to scrap my memory of seeing "Twilight" at midnight.
That's all from me! If you made it through this whole post I'm thankful for your patience and friendship!

{more joy} I'm all over the web

2008-11-24T22:25:00.001-07:00

scroll down for the Andilynn Designs blog train

okay, not really all over the web, but in addition to the blog train today I also have a QP (quick page) up on Haynay's Blog. She is giving away one QP a day throughout the week. Today she gave away mine. Go check it out!

{toot! toot!} Blog Train

2008-11-24T07:38:00.007-07:00

Welcome to your next stop on the Andilynn Designs Blog Train. You should have come from Shari's blog--if not go back and check out her & Heidi's treats.
I'm excited for Thanksgiving this year as I will have TWO Thanksgiving Dinners--one with my husbands family on Thursday and my family on Saturday! It should be fun and I have a lot to be thankful for, so I think I really need TWO dinners :)

Everything on the train is created from Abundantly Blessed by Andilynn Designs:
Here is my addition to the Blog Train--2 thank you cards and a menu for your Thanksgiving Dinner.The thank you notes are not specific to Thanksgiving and created at 4.24"x5.5" so you can print two on a 8.5"x11" paper. Enjoy!

Grab it here and then check out your last stop--Kelly (insprink)

{more chaos} More Joy for YOU!

2008-11-23T17:17:00.004-07:00

Do you know what I should be writing about today? I should be writing about the spectacular Celine Dion I went to with my mom. I should be telling you I waited one year to go to this concert--even buying the tickets one week before I visited Brazil last year and yet keeping this HUGE secret from my mom. I should be telling you we had a great girls-night out with food, love, and of course--Celine. BUT I'm not. Last Sunday I got an email telling me the Celine Dion concert I've been waiting one year to attend was now postponed until February. I sadly called my mom to tell her the much-anticipated Mother's Day present was no longer. You see the concert is now SUNDAY Feb. 22. We can't go. After feeling sorry for myself I realized I was being pretty child-ish and should really feel sorry for Celine Dion, who is quite ill. I wish her the best, and wish her a quick return to SLC in the near future.

So, here is the JOY part--do you want to go to Celine Dion on SUNDAY Feb 22, 8PM @ Energy Solutions Arena? If you do please email me [emileem at gmail dot com]. My tickets were $67 each--$150 total; they are on row 14, sec 107. Please let me know by Tuesday so I can get a refund if needed!

{more joy} Life after Halloween

2008-11-23T16:50:00.006-07:00

Well, our life did continue on after Halloween--just not in the blogging world.

We took Lulu & Buddy to "Disney on Ice" and had a great time. Squiggle got to spent to the night at Grandma & Grandpa's house--so fun all around :) We took TRAX to the show and Buddy was more excited to ride the train than he was to watch the show--and was not disappointed! Lulu's favorite part was all the princesses dancing with their princes and Buddy's favorite part was Nemo. The best part for me? After the show was over the kids weren't disappointed to leave because they realized they got to ride the train AGAIN!

I also got to see "Twilight" at 12:15 AM. I just read the books last month and wasn't sure I wanted to see the movie as I didn't approve of the cast (at first glance) and new disappointment was probable. But when Ashley (my SIL) and her sisters had an extra ticket to the opening show I grabbed it and had a blast. The movie was a pretty good adaptation and Edward won my heart as soon as he spoke and continued to impress throughout the movie. Although there were a lot of staring/camera circling scenes, I think they did a great job overall. Now I want to read the books again! BTW, if you want some Twilight Flair, check out these by Ellie Lash (one of my fav digi designers).

I've also been busy scrapping this month (I'm sure that is a surprise). I got accepted onto two more Creative Teams (CTs) and have accepted to be the CT Leader of Andilynn Designs. We are hosting a blog train with some fun Thanksgiving freebies tomorrow. The other CTs are Haynay Designs and Simply Sweet Designs--both of which are great designers.

{more digi} I love FALL!

2008-11-05T22:57:00.007-07:00

Previously, Spring has been my favorite season, but I'm really love Fall this year. Maybe because it has been a mild Fall, but I think it's the colors! I love fall colors and have been having fun scrapping many fall LO's, as well as a couple other seasons.

{more joy} America!

2008-11-04T20:57:00.013-07:00

Today is a great day! All day I have been thinking about how thankful I am to live in such a wonderful country. A country where anyone can aspire to run for office and everyone can vote! I actually voted last Monday (and waited 1 hr and 45 min to do so), but it was still fun to feel the energy of this historic election today.
One great thing about America is that you get to vote for whomever you want. Although most people who read this blog won't agree with me, I'll tell you who I voted for:

{more speed} Scrappin' on Friday

2008-11-04T08:28:00.005-07:00

Heather (haynay) is hosting a fun daytime speed scrap this Friday. WARNING: these are highly addictive!
your prize for participating:

{more joy?} Halloween

2008-11-02T21:53:00.007-07:00

After celebrating all week, Halloween is finally over! Not my favorite holiday, but my kids love it, so that makes it pretty fun. We had a Snow Princess (Lulu), Batman (Buddy) and a Giraffe (Squiggle).

Although Squiggle did not like her 'head' she loved getting candy from strangers. She would move up in front of her brother and sister and hold out her little pincher fingers for a tasty morsel. She had a hard time parting with the candy, opting to hold as many pieces as possible instead of placing the candy in her bag. We finally had to hide the full-size Snickers & pencil in Dad's pocket because she kept dropping them so often. At one point Squiggle sat down on the lawn and put a sucker in her mouth--wrapper and all. She saw something yummy she recognized and didn't see the need to wait any longer. She seriously had all of us laughing out loud during most of our trick-or-treating adventure!

Before trick-or-treating, we had fun playing in the leaves at G&G's house.
We love Grandma!
Here we are...ready to roll...

{more Joy} Three Jacks

2008-10-30T00:03:00.005-06:00

Today (photo-of-the-day #24) we carved jack-o'-lanterns. I let Buddy & Lulu draw a face on the pumpkin, then I carved it for them. Buddy & Lulu have been really excited to carve pumpkins and have been asking me when we are carving since the beginning of October--thank you grocery stores for carrying mounds of pumpkins all month long! Well, today was the day and they had a blast and Squiggle had a blast as well. She loved playing in the pumpkin guts, eating cut-out pieces of pumpkin, 'scraping' (more like stirring) her pumpkin, and especially putting the lid on the pumpkin. Most of you probably don't know Squiggle is obsessed with lids and will put a lid on a container for endless minutes--the jack-o'-lantern did not disappoint.

Squiggle was so cute and so intrigued, I couldn't stop taking her picture. Here is a collage of Squiggle and new friend, Jack:

{more photos} Days 19-24

2008-10-29T23:47:00.010-06:00

I haven't abandoned my Photo-a-Day Quest, but I have been slacking a bit. Here are some pics from the past week to make up for that:

Day 19--Buddy made this creation--a cheese smiley face--during dinner. He insisted I take a picture of it, as I had just taken a picture of my dinner--soup for which I was scrapping the recipe. I outlined the eyes, nose & mouth of his creation for a better look:

Day 20--Rob took the kids to the "Haunted House". In quotes because it isn't really a haunted house, but just the yard of a Halloween enthusiast. Lulu & Buddy weren't too scared this year, and Squiggle wasn't scared at all--no surprise there.

Day 21--I got to accompany Buddy's preschool on a field trip to Pumpkinland.

Day 22--I made rolls twice last weekend and thought this would make a cool picture.

Day 23--We celebrated Rob's sisters b-day and had a Halloween preview for Grandma & Grandpa.

Day 24--Yesterday we had a Ward Halloween Party and Squiggle was the cutest giraffe you have ever seen. She is going to be Raggedy Ann for Halloween, but her costume got dirty on Sunday (see day 23). Now I don't know--she is a really cute giraffe, even if she would rather use her 'head' as a pillow rather than a hat.

{more tags} Quirky

2008-10-20T23:01:00.003-06:00

Barbara tagged me, so I guess I will tell you some quirky things about me. You are suppose to say six, so here it goes:

1) I am addicted to fonts--whether I'm doing a scrapbook LO or writing a talk, it takes me forever to find just the right font & mix and match fonts accordingly.

2) I love having the blinds open during the day, but as soon as it is dusk I have to shut the blinds.

3) I enjoy packing & I can fit more things in a box than you would think possible (or lift-able); the poundage limits on suitcases really crimps my style. On my mission I actually packed one my comps bag for her before a transfer. Seriously, it's like a puzzle for me. Just ask my SIL Ashley--I drove her crazy while she was helping me pack to move.

4) My grocery cart must be organized to maximize the space while viewing everything to be purchased (this relates to quirk #3); then I organize the items for the checker as I place them on the belt.

5) I would rather weed, can, cook or do laundry than clean.

6) I make my kids eat oatmeal, but I can't stand it. I really used to eat it--until I got pregnant. I would throw up every time I tried oatmeal while pregnant. After 3 pregnancies I'm done with oatmeal.

{more photos} Days 15-18

2008-10-20T22:35:00.006-06:00

Day 15--The kids are out of school for Fall Break, so we went to visit Grandma in Mona for the day.

We saw another praying mantis, and this time took a picture:

Day 16--Buddy was very loving to Squiggle today; they were constantly holding hands, and he was giving her hugs & kisses throughout the day.

Day 17--Buddy & Lulu playing on the trampoline. We never know what activity they are going to come up with next...here Buddy is riding a trike around the trampoline while chasing Lulu.

Day 18--We got Squiggle a job at a haunted house--are you scared?!

Squiggle found two tubes of lipstick and applied the make-up in this fashion. I just wanted to scream "Nnnnnnoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

This is also a great picture of Squiggle's new hairstyle--baby mullet. She has lost her hair on top, but the back is still growing--oh the joys of being a toddler.

{more joy} I am a Witch

2008-10-17T08:33:00.003-06:00

Although Halloween is my least favorite holiday, I do appreciate it a little more as I have children. I would never dress up for Halloween, so this is the closest you will get to seeing me in a costume:

Your Witch Name is

Rhiannon

the
Hawt Witch

Get your Witch Name at Quizopolis.com

Somedays I really do feel like a witch--if you ever perceive me as a witch, just please refer to to my 'proper' witch name. thank you

{more photos} Day 14

2008-10-15T22:55:00.004-06:00

Day 14; okay, I actually didn't take any pics today, but I did this cute LO for Speed Scrap that I thought I would share for Photo of the Day (linked for credits).

Isn't that such a cute photo of Lulu & Grandpa swimming in AZ? I want to tell Grandpa we love him and are very thankful he doing 'okay' after being in the middle of a four-car pile-up. Take Care, Grandpa.

{more chaos} We interrupt this blog...

2008-10-15T22:42:00.003-06:00

Photo of the Day has been replaced with Miracle of the Day for Day 13.

Two miracles happened today that I wanted to share.

#1 Rob's sister had a beautiful, health baby boy born on his grandmother's birthday. Yeah! We love more cousins.

#2 Monday I went to pull out my debit card only to find that it wasn't in my purse--anywhere. I thought it was in my pants pocket or something and wasn't too worried. Until Tuesday when I was heading to Costco--debit-only-option store. I realized my debit card was not anywhere in my house, and then I remembered getting gas on Saturday and it was a card reader where you had to leave your card in the reader (not a quick slide). I didn't recall putting the card back into my wallet--PANIC! I have had my purse stolen and purchases made using my debit/credit cards before, so I'm not new or naive to this perilous situation.

Of course I realize this as I am leaving to pick up Buddy from preschool--so I hurry and call Rob and he verifies nothing has been charged to the card (relief) and tells me the name of the gas station where I purchased on Saturday. So, while I'm driving to preschool, I call Goog411 (466-4411) and am connected with the gas station where I learn THEY HAVE MY CARD! Seriously. Very late (too late) on a Saturday night someone was kind enough to turn in my debit card. I quickly got my card back with no other annoyance. MIRACLE! I am thankful for small, significant miracles in my life :)

BTW, if you haven't tried Goog411 before, you should really check it out. We use it all the time, especially while driving. You dial GOOG-411 (446-4411) and a recorded voice says, "What city and state." After you give this info, it is repeated, then you state the business, etc you want and you can be connected, find out more info, etc. It is so awesome and it is FREE! You can't beat that!

{more photos} Days 10-12

2008-10-13T22:19:00.003-06:00

Day 10: Squiggle is using a tiny screwdriver as a pen. And is looking seriously cute in her pigtails, especially since she has lost all her hair on the top of her head.

Day 11: Squiggle again (see, I told you there is a pattern)...this time she is sporting a great outfit her dad put together. Let me explain--our heat is only working intermittently, and this past weekend our house was chilly at times, so Rob dressed Lilly in a shirt, jumper, tights, jeans, socks, shoes (her boy-shoes), and a fleece. I added the hat for extra cuteness during the photo shoot.

Day 12: This is where we live--how awesome is that?

{more digi} Go for SPEED

2008-10-11T12:06:00.002-06:00

My CT friend Lisa is hosting a Speed Scrap on Monday 12 Noon MDT.

I'll try and come in late as Lulu has to be to Kindergarten by 12:08 on Mondays.

{more photos} Days 8 & 9

2008-10-10T21:57:00.004-06:00

I'm starting to see a pattern (or pat-run as my kids say) regarding my photo of the day picks. Squiggle is in 90%. I guess she is the funniest/quirky-est person in our home. So, here she is again; for some reason she just went and laid down on Lulu like she was going to have a nap. It was close to her nap time, but I'm not really sure what she was doing. Luckily I had my camera close by:

Day 9: Crazy Kids Day

Crazy Kid #1: Squiggle. Today she learned a new trick. I asked Buddy to go check and see if Squiggle was awake and soon after ascending the stairs, I heard him laughing loudly and saying, "Mom, you've got to come and see Squiggle". Lulu & I make our way upstairs to find Squiggle without a shirt or socks. That's right, the girl who can't distinguish her nose from her ear has figured out how to take her shirt off. And she was pretty proud of herself and kept practicing her new skill throughout the day.

I think this photo warrants further explanation...yes, those are boy shoes. Squiggle is also known for frequently removing her shoes at various locations throughout the house and in the car. When I found these hand-me-down shoes I thought they were the perfect answer to my frustration. They tie, they don't look too bad with jeans and she loves them--thus why she had to sleep with them. What a character!

Crazy Kid #2: Buddy. Lulu & Buddy love putting on plays/shows/dances. These events involve tickets, costumes & and LONG period of time. This was the costume Buddy came up with for tonight--I'm speechless, really.

{more photos} Day 7

2008-10-08T22:55:00.012-06:00

Today we had a fun day playing with Isaac, helping my mom, cleaning and going to Gardner Village to see the witches. If you live nearby, you should definitely check it out.

Squiggle loved sitting on the pumpkins; I think it made her feel like a "big kid".

Buddy refused to be in any picture Grandma suggested, but came up with this pose on his own.

Lulu--as usual--was more than willing to pose and smile in numerous pictures. She is definitely all girl.

Although I love my cute, smiling kids; this is one of my favorite pictures of the day. Isaac was NOT too pleased with the witches, or taking pictures, or anything really. Poor little guy.

{more photos} Catching Up

2008-10-08T21:40:00.003-06:00

Lulu & Squiggle wrestling before bed--

Day 6: Halloween Preview--Batman in flight--
Buddy was so excited about his Batman costume for Halloween that he wore it to pick Lulu up from school & then wanted to jump on the trampoline "so my can fly for real".

Blogger is having issues (or maybe it's me), so I'll have to post today's pics later

{more photos} Days 3 & 4

2008-10-03T21:40:00.009-06:00

Day 3 : Again, more that one picture...I have decided to change the rules and will no longer apologize for more than one picture. This first picture is of Squiggle looking so serene--not a common pose for her. I have numerous pictures of her where at least one body part is blurred or her whole person is a blur and not looking at the camera. Squiggle is a VERY busy girl and rarely has time to sit still for anything. I had gotten the camera out to take a picture of her using the broom and dustpan, but alas, she didn't hold still long enough. Then she toddled over to the window to watch Lulu & Buddy jumping on the trampoline. She just stood there singing to herself and looking oh-so-adorable.

Next we have a classic Buddy/Lulu interaction. They have both decided "play fighting" is a fun activity while jumping on the trampoline. Although I have warned against it, they continue and yesterday no one got hurt, so here is a photo collage of "play fighting" and enjoying it:

Day 4: Okay, I'm cheating today. I actually DIDN'T take any pics today, but I wished I had my camera when Buddy & I saw a praying mantis on the sidewalk.

Fridays are kind of laid back for us, since we only have to get one child to school and we have more time at home and time to walk Lulu to school. On our way home, we spotted a praying mantis holding perfectly still on the sidewalk. It was really neat to just stop and examine one of God's little creatures. So, this is my photo of the day, even though it's not my photo! Lesson learned--don't leave home without your camera when doing 30 days of photos!!!