Out of the mouths of babes . . .

A few days ago, Myles was taking off his clothes to put on his pajamas. I was standing between him and the laundry basket which he was trying to throw his shirt in.

Myles: "Mommy, I am going to throw this at your milk!"

Me: "My milk? What are you talking about!?"

Myles: "You know, your 'milkies' !"

Nice. I guess that is what they are calling it these days. Fine by me. :)

Yesterday, when I was clipping Myles' fingernails, he wanted to know if Heavenly Father had to clip His fingernails. Yeah, I guess so, I told him. "Well, then were does He keep his fingernail clippers?" Humm, I am going to have to think about this one.

And finally, Owen was getting ready to go down for a nap the other day. As I was changing his diaper, he informed me that his peepee would also be going to sleep. Whew! What a relief! Those things can be so pesky!! LOL!

P.S. I think that I have just read one of the best quotes of my life!! Head over to NieNie's blog to read her post. Mr. Nielson was apparently addressing his two screaming daughters and he said, "Hey girls, the devil called and he said that you are doing awesome!!" Hilarious!! I am going to have to use that one! :)

Excuse the mess . . .

. . . but people live here.


At least this is what my new friend and neighbor has told me!! I am using this phrase and one of my own (work in progress - baby growing) to get by with the fact that my house is a mess. A real mess. Yep. Oh, don't let the picture fool you. I may be feeling a little bit okay with my excuses but I am not so confident as to show you my basement. Ugggh!! Right now I am actually supposed to be cleaning it (personal goal) and yet, I blog.

I watched this new show called "Hoarders" the other night - it scared the living daylights out of me. First of all, I never ever want to end up like the people that were interviewed. Second of all, maybe I am not doing so bad. After all, I still have Sterling convinced (though it is mostly true!) that I cannot stand to do the dishes because of the smell of sitting food. Ucccckk!! So at least that part of the house is being cleaned.

In the meantime, as long as I can keep the kids in clean clothes I feel fine with that!! Okay, not a really high expectation but I am working with a pregnant body here!

Okayyyy, off to pick up some toys . . .

Not much going on here . . .

. . . and yet so much has happened in the last few months. First, I should explain my recent hiatus! I am pregnant. Yep!! I am almost 12 weeks and so, happily, it looks like this one is going to stay! :)

While I am overjoyed with this news, I am also barely pulling myself out of the abyss that is the first trimester. Living on Zofran, waking up out of a deep sleep to pee, dying at the smell of my children's breath, and wanting to sleep all day long. Oh, I am so glad that this is my last time to experience these joys of motherhood.

Yes, this is going to be my last pregnancy and so we all know what that means! I do not want a repeat of last time. LOL! Of course, I will take a healthy baby regardless but, I can still pray for a girl, right? :)

In the meantime, Owen has turned three! I am a horrible mother for not posting about it - but, here is a picture of my sweet little devil! It was a very low key event.




Also, my parents came out to visit us for about a month. It was great. My dad took Myles on daily bike rides, encouraging him to ride up hills instead of just pushing his bike. My mom also cooked for me and did my laundry - she pretty much got me through the "depths of hell" (a.k.a. first trimester)! I was wonderful to have the help and the company.

Grandpa making chocolate chip pancakes

While they were here, my parent decided that they wanted to be closer to family and (the real pull!) their grandkids. So, they told us that they were going to try to move here . . . into the same neighborhood if they could. You can imagine our surprise! I think that this will be a great thing. I have never lived by my mother since I have been married. I think that my children will love it too! Of course, I think that my parents are going to work on my brother and his wife in Florida to see if they can convince them to move to Utah as well!!

My parents were also in town to see the kids go off on their first day of school. Here are the proud boys. Of course, I would like to point out that Asher is at the age where he really has his own sense of fashion. LOL!

Asher's first day in the 4th grade

Owen goes to his first day at the neighborhood "preschool" / joy club - he LOVEEEES it!!

First day of Kindergarten finally arrives for Myles. He is such a big boy now because he gets to ride the bus! Owen is showing his support by donning his own backpack. :)

And finally, I just wanted to mention that I made the NieNie's Mud Cake Magnifique a few months ago for my friend's birthday. A cake decorator I am not, but, I do think that the cake was delicious!! The recipe was easy to follow though I did have a hard time finding the mascarpone cheese. I finally found it at Smith's in their specialty cheese section. Of course, if I do make the cake again, I will make some adjustments . . . to umm, the mistakes that I made. LOL!

The girl who created the recipe is so cute and creative. You should really check out her blog, Conversations with a Cupcake.


Anywho, I am going to try to reconnect with society again. The Beehive Bazaar is coming up and they are accepting applications right now. Sooooo, time to dust off the sewing machine! :)

She is amazing . . .

Stephanie Nielson is my hero.

Myles Turns 5!

My dearest little Myles,
In the last five years, you have taught me -

. . . that it is okay to march to your own beat!


. . . that people will understand you even if you use words like "ospee" (woopsie) and "causabe" (because).


. . . that you can get just about anything in life if you have big blue eyes and eyelashes that bat like a butterfly's wings!


. . . that there is a special bond between brothers that comes with the territory.

. . . that sleeping with treasures (i.e. Hotwheel cars, a birthday card, a paper airplane) can be a rewarding experience but,

. . . sleeping with a puppy who pees in your bed is not a good thing when you get in trouble for it!



. . . and that feeling on top of the world can come from something as simple as the joy you feel with the wind in your hair as your ride your airplane!



I love you little Myles. I am so so glad that you came to our family. I am so glad that you gave us the opportunity to love you . . . and that you give us such love back! Happy Birthday little one!

It's the little things . . .

A couple of days ago, Myles (4) was watching quietly as I gave Owen some antibiotics.

Myles: I think that I need some of that medicine mommy.

Me: No, I think that you just have allergies.

Myles: Oh. Do allergies make me go poop in my pants?

Nice.

Getting back to good . . .

Life at home has been slowly falling back into our normal routine after this past crazy month. I don't think that I mentioned it but my parents also came to town to visit us. It was really nice to have them spend the time with us.

While they were here, I discovered that I was pregnant! Then, a week or two later, I miscarried. This was my first miscarriage and it was sad. I wasn't very far along so I don't think that the loss hit me as hard as it could have.

From the moment that I found out I was pregnant, I knew that something didn't feel right. I mean, I am usually puking my brains out as soon as the stick shows positive. I think that because of this "feeling", I was okay when I miscarried.

And truly, I am okay. And yes, we are still going to try for number 4. And yes, it had better be a girl! LOL!

Since then, I put on some weight. The feelings that come with this are driving me crazy. I know that I am the one in control of myself and that I can choose to change my situation. However, I have come to some important realizations.

First of all, I really really think that our society is so jacked up when it comes to the female figure. For obvious reasons, one can see that there are so many expectations and standards out there that it really does alienate those who do not naturally fit into this mold. (Enter screw you remarks to people who only think skinny women are attractive and in control . . . and who look at overweight people with pity . . . shame on you.)

I was reading Kirsti Alley's People magazine interview and she was discussing her shame at gaining back the weight that she had lost. In her words, I could sense the same self-loathing that sometimes creeps into the minds of many women in this situation.

It made me sad because, though she may be a larger woman, she is still just as beautiful. She stated that she didn't feel attractive or appealing and I thought, "I am sure there are plenty of men out there that will take you as you are!"

I think that beauty and self worth come from so much more then the size of our jeans . . . or our ass for that matter! (Excuse my french!) I am just sooooo grateful for a husband who finds me sexy no matter what I look like. He loves me, just as I am.

Of course, I want to be healthy and comfortable in my body. This healthiness also requires a positive self image. If we cannot see ourselves as beautiful, that we will never believe that it is in us. And trust me, it is.

And with that, I am now going to try to focus more on things that are truly beautiful in this world. My children, a beautiful sunrise, the true love of my husband, and the feeling of being a family. There is just so much beauty everywhere to behold. So, lift your head up and and enjoy it.

. . . end of rant . . . off to enjoy my little boys. :)