The Dowland Fam

Jackpot

2012-02-07T21:22:00.001-08:00

So I rarely post about what I do other than as it pertains to my kids, but I thought I'd assure everyone I'm putting my skills to good use.

Skills you may ask? Oh yes. And if you were to ask Jared what skills I have you might think he would say I'm a culinary whiz (guilty) or a superb suduko-er (got me again) it could be my dazzling good looks or how I make our house shine. Hmm, maybe that's just the textbook narcissism talking (agreed- a little Ironman 2 humor). But really, one of the things that really awes Jared about me is my luck.

And let me tell you, since gambling is not legal in Utah the closest you can get is Nickelcade.

Oddly enough that's where we decided to take Krissy on a last date before she leaves next week. (fo real!) I started off the night losing everything to Krissy and Jared (pretty typical) skeeball, basketball, etc. But then my luck turned. I beat Krissy at air hockey --yes! It's fun to win, but better than just winning is beating Krissy :)

And then the chips really started to fall. I won not one, not two, but 3 jackpots! Seriously. The first one was a monster jackpot -- 500 tickets! Then the other 2 were 60 and 75 tickets. Seriously. I think had Jared not been en route of a career change to seminary teacher we would have been on our way to Wendover. My hand was hot!

And to prove it, although I did have eyewitnesses, I took pictures :)

My Arteest

2012-01-30T22:13:00.001-08:00

Emilie is really a very good artist for a 4 year old. I can say that humbly because I know that's nothing she gets from me ... Just ask my primary class :)

So I was upstairs taking care of Owen and Emmie came up all excited and said she had a surprise for me. Voila this was my surprise. Emmie drew me a plane.

It Starts

2012-01-22T18:38:00.001-08:00

So I've heard the saying "oh she was born to do ..." As in "He was born to play football". Well, who knew. I've got documented proof that Owen already loves watching football. Seriously he'll just sit and stare, occasionally there's even drool leaking out he's so enthrawled. Like father like son, eh? Well. Go Niners I guess. I've got a long sports ridden ride ahead of me.

Happy

2012-01-19T18:53:00.001-08:00

There are lots of things that make me happy in this life. At the top of that list are: Creating something amazing and getting a good deal.

Today I accomplished both. It was a good day. Krissy and I went shopping and saw these shoes for $3. Yes! You read right -- $3! They were so cute I got the camel (or caramel, as Jimmy says) and Krissy got the black, or was it the other way around? 8)

Then, for my creative genius. So one of Jared and my favorite soup is the zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden. I thought, bada bing bada boom. That would make a tasty lasagna and Voila! Toscana Lasagna was born. Tasty tasty! Unfortunately I don't think there's any way to make lasagna photogenic.

And finally. This "wreath". I didn't make it today but I was SO pleased with it I had to show it off. :)

Ahh, happy is good.

All 3 today!

2012-01-14T15:54:00.001-08:00

Three years of Jimmy! Wow! I can't believe it. His latest loves include:
-wanting to help cook everything
- pronouncing his words right (which always makes me sad) no more "don't even sink about it"
- loves trains
- still loves his sandbox
- still nervous around animals
- loves to bug and tease
- neurotic about having his seatbelt on and holding hands in parking lots
- cuddling, especially in the morning with mommy and daddy

He was VERY particular about how his birthday would go. First, banana chocolate chip pancakes, a new Jimmy specialty. Then hot dogs for lunch followed by a pizza party for dinner with egg nog ice cream (he LOVES egg nog) And a train cake.

He was spoiled with lots of playdates and presents. The only fault of the day was that Jimmy thought since it was his birthday he could treat everyone however he wanted. Awesome. Made me excited for year three.

Snow Day

2012-01-09T10:22:00.001-08:00

Finally some snow! If it's going to be cold I would just as soon that it snow to cover up all the dead winter.

Emmi and Jimmy woke up SUPER excited to see the snow and even more excited to go play in it.

Yeah, after all the suiting up (which is quite the process) they lasted about 20 minutes then in they came for cups of warm cocoa :) I think it took as long to get them ready as it did to actually play in the snow. But I snapped a couple pics of the happy faces 8)

Birds

2012-01-05T15:09:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while our lawn gets covered with these little birdies. Emmie and Jimmy LOVE it. They watch them eat whatever it is they're eating and listen to them chirp. Which, 100 birds chirping is pretty loud. And it sounds like an airplane taking off when they decide it's time to leave.

Candlelight Christmas

2011-12-30T22:07:00.001-08:00

This year my parents decided to take us all up to the "this is the place" park for the candlelight Christmas. The kids LOVED it.

We rode a train. Saw father Christmas. Made ornaments. Visited the live nativity. But topping it all off was the puppet show. SO funny. All the kids were belly laughing. They did a great job and we had a great time. Topped it all off with hot cocoa and French Lace Bread at Hunt and Eth's. So fun!

Great Lash

2011-12-24T07:40:00.001-08:00

Since Jimmy was a baby the first thing people notice are those big blue eyes and those long dark lashes.

I thought this sticker was fitting.

Permanet Suggestion Box

2011-12-17T22:23:00.001-08:00

Permanent Parenting Suggestion Box is officially open for ANY and ALL comments. Could use a little help. It has been ONE of THOSE weeks. The ones from YOU KNOW WHERE.

Description of problem:
Sassy girl
Emotional basket case of a son

Suspected Root of Problem:
New baby brother

Positives: They don't take the adjustment out on Owen

Negatives: They take it out on me. I was dissolved to tears a couple nights this week. Pathetic? No, just parenting.

Oh, and to add to that Description of Problem: Husband/Father M.I.A.
Suspected root of problem: Working two jobs eBay on a swing shift and early morning seminary. Between the two that means we get a Daddy that wants to nap when he's home. I told Jared he is like the grasshoppers on "A Bug's Life" He comes. He eats (or sleeps) and he leaves.

That's about the size of it. Comments? Questions? Concerns? Please contact us at 1-800-HELP ME :)

Treasured Moments

2011-12-13T21:46:00.001-08:00

Just sitting here at 10:46 p.m. with a daughter that can't sleep. She decided to help me pick out a new background. Each one she said she liked she'd ask me if I liked it to? She LOVES to be a Mommy's girl right now. She copy-cats everything I do (including make-up, clothes and a few of my finer personality characteristics) She just wants to be big. And she is growing up SO fast.

She's at Alta preschool right now. Emmie has always been bright. When they sent out a list of everything they would be teaching the students this year I thought, "Emmie already knows all this". But I knew she'd enjoy doing the crafts and songs and social aspects. Well, we had a parent teacher conference this last week and they showed us how she was doing (excelling in everything) and then asked what else we could do. I told them that she would love some homework to do. And then Mrs. Crapo told us that they would start Emmie on some reading exercises since she's mastered all the pre-reading skills. I was so excited for Emmie! She'll LOVE reading.

She is such a dear. Such a big helper with Owen. I don't think I could be Mommy of three without her. I treasure these one-on-one moments with each child ... even if it is at (now) 10:55 p.m.

All done up

2011-12-12T19:15:00.001-08:00

We visited grandma at Ulta while she was getting her hair done (and because Mommy needed some make up). Her hairstylist was super cute with the kids and let them try out the hair dryers. It was an irresistible picture moment :)

Catching a Smile :D

2011-12-06T07:07:00.001-08:00

So Owen has just started smiling and I have been trying to catch one on film the last couple days. I think I finally struck gold, although it took a couple trys.

We just took him in for his 2 month appt (has it already been 2 months?)
Two month stats:
Weight: 14 lbs 7 ounces (really)
Height: 25.5"
Head: 90th percentile
-Loves to smile and coo
-Still eats a lot, usually every 2 hours unless he's sleeping
-Prefers to shower with Mommy over taking a bath
-Usually sleeps a 7 hour shift from 10-5 and then eats and falls back asleep until 8. Although yesterday he had a 10 hour shift from 10-8. Wow!
-Still no binky or thumb.
-Takes a bottle well (so Mommy and Daddy can go out)
-In size 2 diapers
-Doesn't particularly like the car or his bucket seat.
-Loves his brother and sister (Emmie is always wanting to hold him and rock him and translates for him)
-Noisiest sleeper EVER. He grunts and snorts and puffers all night long.

Santa Claus is Comin' to Towne

2011-11-30T08:31:00.001-08:00

South Towne that is. We decided to head down to the mall and see Santa arrive on the fire engine. Daddy couldn't come so I called up reinforcements. Thank goodness for Granny Marcia and Grandpa Mike. I couldn't have done it without them!

We saw Mel Jo and hung out with her. Tommy (Mel Jo's little boy) LOVES Emmie. They danced at Erika's wedding together and I guess since then Tommy keeps asking for "that girl in the purple dress".

We saw Santa. We saw a lot of mascots. And we even got free breakfast and balloons thrown in. The kids had a great time!

Light Up The Night

2011-11-25T07:40:00.001-08:00

Krissy and I decided we wanted to see what the light up the night event at the gateway was all about. So we bundled up the kids, made a couple thermoses of hot cocoa and away we went.

We didn't know what to expect, and frankly I don't know if I'd go again. At least not with kids so young. Owen had to eat while we were waiting for them to light up the tree. So I went inside Barnes & Noble leaving Krissy with the kids. Hooray for Krissy. I was hoping this would be a pleasant memory for her before she left on her mission ... Yeah. I doubt we made that list. Jimmy had a full on tantrum with Krissy when we left build-a-bear. He's NEVER done that before with anyone besides Jared and I. Like I said, hooray for Krissy.

On the up side, we had front row seats for Jon Schmidt. Literally we were 15 feet away. I got to hear him play the Love Story/Viva la Vida song. And he came up with a new one: Michael Jackson meets Mozart. It was pretty good. Not as good as Love Story, but still amazing. He is SUCH a great entertainer.

So. Overall I was just glad to be with Krissy. One of the many reasons I will miss Krissy terribly! She is so patient and cute with the kids. And she is very observant and always looks for ways to help out. Love you Kris!

Mace

2011-11-23T22:05:00.001-08:00

So I don't know if I've mentioned that I'm a primary teacher now for the 10 year olds. What a class!! There are 8 boys and 2 girls. And I just got another boy and girl. I never thought I'd enjoy a calling as much as young women's .... But this is GREAT!

One of the boys in particular melts my heart. His name is Mason. Now it's not because he's the perfect child ... Ha ha. No. He's one of the regular trouble making rabble rousers. But he's got a sweet spot for Jimmy. :)

He is SO cute with him. And Jimmy LOVES Mason, or Mace as he calls him. Actually my whole class adores my kids. I bribe them to be good with holding Owen as a reward.

But this is a picture of Mason and Jimmy at the primary party. LOVE.

Puppet Show

2011-11-22T06:57:00.001-08:00

So our library did a couple puppet shows during November. I wasn't sure if the kids would enjoy them or not but decided to give it a try. One word: LOVE. The kids loved it and I loved watching their faces.

We went once by ourselves. And then I decided to share the fun and we invited Eth and her kids. Will loved it too. It was a little mature for Aiden.

Emmie got to help out with the "I'm being eaten by a boa constrictor" song. She loved that. ;)

Spain, Madrid

2011-11-13T21:04:00.001-08:00

That's right. My baby sister is departing on February 15th for the Spain, Madrid mission. I can't believe she's old enough to go! She'll always be the baby. :)

She opened her call on Wednesday and it was quite the production. My parents are in Israel so we had them on the phone (the hotel didn't have wifi) and Krissy's good friend was on Skype. Crazy the world we live in.

I will miss Krissy like crazy. She is so amazing!!! We all think the world of her as siblings. And her nieces and nephews will be lost without her. She first told us the news after the Relief Society broadcast. I think the reaction she got was less than desirable ... I started crying (granted I was 8 months pregnant).

I love you Krissy and I am so proud (and a little jealous) of you!

The Sudden Burst

2011-11-11T21:25:00.001-08:00

Why the sudden blogging spree? Well, as silly as it sounds, one of the biggest things keeping me from blogging more regularly is I usually like to post pictures and the hassle of turning on the computer (ridiculous I know) uploading photos and then posting about them was just too much. Sad and pathetic, but true true true.

So the change, in a word: iPhone. Serious. I rarely turn on my computer now and I'm completely addicted to my phone. It can do AMAZING things.

Why the new phone? A little background here may be needed. So we were swimming at our friends, Ryan and Laci's house. Emmie was playing on the steps and got out a little too far to where she couldn't bob back up. Of course I wasn't thinking phone when I jumped in. But 5 minutes after I got her out Jared heroically jumped in to save my phone. Brilliant.

I am at this point 8 months pregnant. And being with a phone that only worked part of the time must have worried Jared a but because one day, while out running errands, we stopped in at Verizon. I thought it was so Jared could drool over the new Bionic. Then he surprised me with a new iPhone. Crazy. At first I was reluctant about having a nice phone, but now I love it.

And ... It's got this great blogger ap that is makes posting so accessible and easy I may actually start being consistent. No promises. :)

New Stage

2011-11-09T05:15:00.001-08:00

It seems my kids go through this stage around 2 where they think Mommy's room is the best and only place to sleep. The bed is preferred, but the floor is acceptable if it offers the only availability.

Apparently Jimmy likes to combine the two. This is what I woke up to and nearly stepped on. ;) The unseen charm of this picture is that Jimmy's jammies have glow in the dark stars (which Emmie is very jealous of, but that's another story for another time) so all we see when Jimmy comes in are these shooting stars coming our way.

Knight In Shining Armor

2011-11-07T11:17:00.001-08:00

Jimmy decided he wanted to be a knight for Halloween. So a trip to Dollar Tree and $5 later we had this fab ensemble.

With the sword, the shield, and all his armor Jimmy's favorite part was being able to wear make up. Should I be worried?

He's Here!

2011-10-08T18:02:00.001-07:00

Owen Jace finally decided to grace us with his presence late Tuesday night. I've been in and out of "labor" for the last 2 weeks and finally he came. I kind of thought it was all another false alarm until my water broke, and then I allowed myself to believe I was actually in labor. Yay baby! One and a half hours later out Owen came. And when they told me that he weighed 9 lbs 10 oz I think I stuttered for about a full 10 minutes, that was of course once I recovered from my complete inability to speak.

So, stats then:
Name: Owen Jace
Official Birthdate: October 4, 2011
Official Time: 11:16 pm
Weight: 9 pounds, 10 ounces
Height: 21.5 inches
Defining Physical Characteristics:
- TONS of hair (Emmie and Jimmy were both bald)
- Cleft Chin
- Dimples on both cheeks
- Dimpled ear (seriously my favorite birth mark on him)
Personality:
Chill, Teaser, and completely Adorable! Love!

Shower Songbird

2011-09-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Emilie has decided that she no longer likes to take baths . . . she just wants to take showers. She likes to do it all herself . . . and that includes singing. Most of the songs she sings are snippets of tunes and words hod-podged together in her own originals.

For obvious reasons there are no pictures or videos of this, but it is so dang cute that I wanted to share. My little angel . . . so big. She starts preschool in a couple weeks. Crazy!

Bike Parade

2011-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Emmie loves EVERYTHING about primary. She loves to get up and sing songs in sacrament meetings. She loves to give talks and prayers in primary. She loves her teachers. But, I think a new all time high was the bike parade for the Pioneer Day Breakfast.

We had been using our cousin Paige's bike while she was getting big enough to use it. Well, Paige is definitely big enough now. (She's 9 months younger than Will and 6 months younger than Jimmy and she towers over both of them) So, that left Emmie without a bike. And we just HAD to get a bike for the bike parade. She was SO EXCITED we just couldn't let her little heart be broken. So we started looking for bikes. And we kept looking for bikes. And we looked in every place for the "perfect" bike in Emilie's mind. It had to be pink. It had to have a basket. And a horn or a bell would be an added plus.

Well we FINALLY found the perfect bike. But it didn't have a basket. So being the amazing-at-improvising Mommy that I am. We hit the dollar store and Emmie chose the perfect basket. She also chose streamers and flowers to decorate her bike with. But if you know Emmie, the decorating DOESN'T STOP THERE. She, of course, had to be completely decked out for the occasion. That meant tutu, crown, necklaces, earrings, etc.

I had to wrestle Jimmy out of a tutu and convince him that being a pirate was MUCH better . . . I don't think I was fooling anyone. But he still rode his Vroom-Vroom proudly in the bike parade.

Well. The blessed event FINALLY ARRIVED. And we were surprised with Grandpa Keri, Grandma Carolee and Aunt Jess and Paige. Yay! They made Emmie and Jimmy feel SO special by coming.

Off went the shotgun (again and again and again) and we were in full swing. Around the designated circuit Emmie went. She was really zooming. Jimmy was just choogling along in true Jimmy fashion. Emmie kept going and going and going and we finally had to convince her to stop to pick up the candy that the parents were throwing to all the kids.

She loved it! And the bike was one of the best purchases we have made as parents. It's always worth it to see your daughter's eyes LIGHT UP!

Waiting to get things underway . . . Pirate Jimmy and Princess Emilie

And she's off, tutu and all!

Jimmy's fierce pirate battle ship, ribbon ringlets included.

On about Emmie's 9th circuit

All done with the parade . . . Jimmy's hat didn't work out too well.

Fun with Fondant

2011-08-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

Eth decided that for Aiden's birthday (on July 24th) she wanted to decorate his cake using FONDANT. His birthday party was after the Pioneer Day Parade. So once we all got home hot and sweaty, we washed our hands and got to work. I was just the su chef and photographic documenter of the event. But it was a lot of fun to try something new.

Here's Eth working diligently with the fondant (If it sounds like the fondant needs mutual cooperation because it has a mind of its own, that is correct)

The finished product -- Tres magnifique

P.S. Doesn't Eth look gorgeous in this picture? I think it's the new hair cut ;)

Pioneer Day Parade

2011-08-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, you can miss one parade but not two, much to Jared's chagrin. However, I've never been to the Pioneer Day parade uptown and it was worth it. No candy, but lots of fun things to see. The parade route is right by my sister Eth's house so we planned on making a day out of it. Here's what I caught from the parade.

Our big HOT happy family.

The weather started out being perfect, nice and cool. Don't let Jimmy's face fool you, that is his new smile. :)

But as the parade continued the temperature continued to increase and with that Jimmy's sitting position began to decrease. He literally wilted before our very eyes. You can tell from Jared's face he's wilting too.

The motorcycle cops were a BIG HIT. I couldn't believe how close they zoomed by you. They all had these fake mustaches on that were pretty funny.

Watching cousin Kim in the Riverton Color Guard

Jimmy and Will, at about the breaking point between fun and TOO MUCH sun

Discovery Center

2011-08-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

So I have never taken my kids to the Children's Discovery Center at the Gateway Mall before. We finally decided to go as sisters and we had a BLAST! The first thing you walked into was this HUGE ball machine where the kids can put the balls every which way and watch them zoom to a ball pit. They loved it. We spent a good half hour here.

It was so hard to catch a good picture because they were all moving so much!

I love the look on Jimmy's face here -- so excited!

Next we entered the little play village with everything from construction sites to play houses to a store and all of it in between. The kids LOVED it here! I think because they got to do all the things they always see Grown Ups do. Fill up the car with gas (Jimmy's fav), Deliver mail, Go shopping, Check people out at the grocery store (Emmie's fav)

They also had this AWESOME water pond with lots of toys in it that the kids could play to their hearts content. Love!

Upstairs was a helicopter that they could pretend to drive, and that was a big attraction. Probably would have been better if it wasn't 100 outside and all the metal was SO hot!

Draper Days Parade

2011-07-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

So this is one event that we can't seem to miss each year. Although Jared bailed this year . . . he thinks it's not very fun but it really improved this year. A lot more floats and fun.

Emmie discovered that waving = candy.

An attempt for a smile, but the motorcycle cops were so loud that it was hard to get

Emmie loves to spend time with Cousin Kenna

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

So I'm not that great of a swimmer . . . not really comfortable with water and last summer Emmie had a drowning scare. Enter a NEED for swimming lessons. After some research we finally decided on Dimple Dell and so far things have gone well. She's a lot more comfortable in the water and is doing fabulously!

Here's a couple shots of her first day:

The Hair Cut

2011-07-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

So, when it comes to hair my motto is "It's just hair" You can always fix a bad dye job or a bad cut, or wear a wig if it really turns out terrible. . . something I think I may try one of these days :) Well. That's my motto. But when my sister Ethnie asked me to cut her hair that motto flew out the door. Dyeing I can do. Dyeing I've done since 8th grade. Cutting . . . other than cutting myself some swoopers and buzzing Jimmy's hair, cutting is untouchable.

Well . . . here you go.

I'm not assured of Eth's judgement in letting a pregnant lady behind her with scissors. But overall . . . between Eth, Krissy and I, we got a good haircut. I just made Eth promise that she'd be insistent with everyone that this was her idea (because it was).

The Worst

2011-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

So in reading back on my posts I realize that I keep saying "Oh, the holidays just make it so hard to blog" or "Oh it's just hard to blog in the summer" Well really . . .. The truth is, I'm just not a good blogger. I take pictures thinking they'll be perfect in a post but somehow there's a disconnect between me and the computer.

So, here's what we've been up to.

We go on hikes and play in the water down in the Gully

We play in our Zebra pool with Cousin Paige (So glad to have them move down from Logan, Yay!)

We play Toss It on Daddy's phone

We go to the zoo with Grandpa Mike, Granny Marcia, Kenna and Grayden

Oh, and this is Mommy's first summer being pregnant. Yes, everything they say about being pregnant in the summer is true. Bless this baby to come out soon!

Harder That We Thought

2011-05-23T09:41:00.000-07:00

So on Wednesday we had our 20 week ultrasound/check-up. Baby looked healthy and strong. (Notice I said Baby and not Babies. There is definitely ONLY one) Actually baby is measuring at 21 weeks instead of 19 weeks, 4 days. So the estimated due date from the ultrasound was September 28th. (Original due date October 8th) And No, we did not find out. But it was harder than we thought. We both kind of wanted to peek.

And wouldn't ya know it that when we actually don't want to find out baby is in prime position for seeing the gender. So, the tech told us to close our eyes for that part. And he was really good about keeping everything gender specific so he didn't let it sleep once he knew.

Now, as soon as the ultrasound was over I called my Mom and let her know that everything was fine with Baby. She was a little disappointed that we didn't find out the sex. She said she wanted the name/number of the OB/GYN so she could at least know. :)

Emmie and Jimmy weren't allowed to see the ultrasound, but we got pictures and they were excited to see those. Here are some of the best shots of our new little Baby.On the pictures they tell you what they are, feet, face, etc.

5 Years

2011-05-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

So, for our 5 year anniversary . . . yes five years has come and gone. We had quite the adventure planned. But before Jared and I took off for NYC we wanted to do something together with our loves of our lives -- Jimmy and Emmie.

They LOVE seeing the temples so we decided to go down to American Fork so the kids could see the temple that Mommy and Daddy got married in. Then we went to Los Hermanos for lunch, which is also where we had our wedding luncheon. It was so much fun! Here are the pics we snapped of the event.

And of course, a little motorcycle timeline for Mike.
{Then}

{And Now}

Oh, and funny story. We haven't been back to Los Hermanos since our wedding day so we weren't sure how to get there from the temple. But not to worry, the Droid knows all including directions of how to get from here to there. The problem comes in translation. Jared had it on the voice mode and when he said Los Hermanos he said it with his little Spanish accent. I heard him and said, "Maybe you may want to say it gringo for recognition purposes." Ha. Well, I was right. The search came up as zero because it thought Jared said, "Lost error mans". So maybe the Droid isn't as amazing as Jared is constantly reminding me it is :)

So crazy!

2011-05-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Ladies and, well I'm assuming most of you reading this will be ladies so we'll stop there. I just wanted you all to know that staring May 13th I will be posting in a major way.

We finished up with tax season (Crazy) So glad that is behind us. But right on the heels of that was my birthday, Easter, my birthday trip to San Francisco/Monterey and then our 5 year anniversary. That's today. We will be heading out to NYC on Saturday for 6 days. Exciting! I've never been. Not to mention Jared has currently torn out our closets and is in the process of inserting a bathroom in our Master bedroom.

So, the point? Our lives have been insane and I have been lacking in the updating the blog area. But I intend to improve. Which should be easy because I am currently failing and it can only go up from here.

Cheers!

Look to the Right

2011-03-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

That's right, to the right. You see. Yes, that is not an early April Fools, or Mardi Gras prank. We are expecting our third little baby on October 8th and we couldn't be more thrilled.

At first I wasn't sure how Jimmy would react. Whenever I would ask him about, regardless of how I would phrase the question the answer remained, "No Baby Mommy" But, now he is all about the baby. He ALWAYS makes sure to bless the baby in prayers and if someone else fails to mention it soon enough he'll sneak in a whispered, "Mommy Baby". It melts my heart.

I know Emmie will be the perfect Big Sister. She is such a good helper already and is willing to do whatever is asked. She even wanted to have a go at changing her brothers diapers the other day. Crazy! (Of course I'm no dummy, and it had to be a wet one, no poop.) I love watching her play with and entertain her cousin Aiden, she is SO cute with him and it makes me excited.

Jimmy wants a boy, Emmie wants a girl. As for Mommy and Daddy, we've decided that we're not going to find out with this one. We figure we have everything we need and it will make it exciting to wait. Although I am growing impatient to know already, who knows how my resolve will hold when we're at the Ultrasound.

Overall, I have been feeling awesome. It seems with each baby pregnancy becomes more endurable, which is a welcome relief because I already have 2 babies (3 including Jared, who I may argue is sometimes the biggest baby of all) to take care of. With Emmie I threw up incessantly. Jimmmy I only threw up a handful of times, but was constantly nauseous. This pregnancy I'm rarely sick and I feel pretty good. Hopefully making it a good experience for the whole family. :)

A Few Favorites

2011-03-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here's a little look at some of our "normals" lately.

So lately our nightly routine has been a little different. Because Jared isn't around for bedtime after we do the baths, brush teeth, read scriptures, etc. We all pile into Mommy's bed for a "sleepover" while Mommy reads. Ok, sometimes I actually fall asleep too. But, usually the kids fall asleep and I move them back to their beds. Of course, on the flip side we have Sunday and Monday nights (Jared's nights off) where the kids don't quite understand why they can't sleep with Mommy and Daddy.

The kids LOVE the camera, especially Jimmy. They love to pull it out and make goofy faces.

Story time at night. I started making up the "Emmie and Jimmy saga" stories. And they have been quite the hit. After the first one, Emmie requested it again.

A little behind, still in 2010

2011-02-28T13:41:00.001-08:00

Ok, so maybe a lot behind. Not a darn single post for February, until now. Just screechin' in by the skin of my teeth. So, prepare for overload.

Alright, pathetic I know. I haven't posted a dang picture on here from Christmas. And January we had Jimmy's birthday, February Emmie's. I mean seriously. Very sad. So, this post will be wrapping up 2010 with a couple random pictures. Hence, I'll move on to January, February, and then hopefully be on track in March. Ahh.

First picture then. This last fall I had a BLAST playing volleyball with our stake women. We had an awesome team, and in the picture above you see us celebrating after we took region. That was cool, but it seriously just felt good to play. Jared just laughed when he came to our games because I literally had this goofy grin on my face the whole time.

Next up, eBay. Jared is working at eBay right now. He started in October. Our good friends/neighbors also work there so we decided to go to the Christmas company party with Franz and Chelsea. Let's just say we won't be going again. So eBay then, yeah, they're just an interesting place to work for. The people are . . . one in a million. I think my personal favorite is the guy with the red sequeened high heels and masquera. No Joke.

Jared is working swings (3-11:30) and every Tuesday we have Taco Tuesday with Jared courtesy of Del Taco. The kids love to go. But it seems every week Emmie says something to someone there. "Mommy, that guy has earrings, REALLY BIG EARRINGS." "Mommy, the prophet says guys can't have earrings". "Mommy, that man has tatoos" And if you've ever dealt with 4 year olds, they don't know the meaning of discrete tones.

And finally. This picture just cracked me up. We got Despicable Me for Christmas and I think one of my favorite lines is when they're talking about Gru and the little girls say:
Agnes: "I like him, He's nice"
Edith: "He's scary."
Agnes: (After thinking about it for a second) "Like Santa".
So, Jimmy. Here's your rendition in picture form of that scary, yet nice Santa.

Definately Not Potty Trained

2011-01-15T15:05:00.001-08:00

So, I briefly mentioned in the last post that Jimmy was not potty trained. Let me re-affirm that. Jimmy is in no way, shape or form potty trained. After a day of going to the potty every hour, more frequent than that even. He got off the potty and immediately had an accident (of course it was in a pull-up, I'm not stupid people) but then while I had him stripped of his pull up and was getting another one he peed all over the carpet, and the cherry on top is that he called it poo poo. Yeah, he has no idea what his body is doing. We'll just put the pull ups away for another time and go back to diapers. Hey, I've got nothing but time :)

Naked Fairy

2011-01-11T09:16:00.001-08:00

So a couple weeks ago I heard Emmie and Jimmy playing in their bedroom and I suppose Jimmy was getting reprimanded for not acting according to Emmie's wishes, but all I heard was, "Naked Fairy" shot at Jimmy with the intensity of a road raged driver. I'm glad that in Emmie's little word bank that's the best insult she could come up with. However, I was definitely laughing my guts out. . . until yesterday that is. Now I'm starting to wonder if she just had an image of the future conjure up before her eyes.

See what I mean? And No, Jimmy is not potty trained. This is what happened. I got a ballet DVD from the library for Emmie. It's just a little ballet lesson for kids. So I went and turned it on. If any of you know Emmie, then you know that of course she had to be appropriately attired.

But Jimmy was not to be left out. And participating in the dance was not enough, he too had to be donned in dance dress ups. So, I tried to think of what he could wear. Slippers from Krissy, recently purchased underwear for someday, (I had in mind for potty training not for ballet dress ups)I tried to tell Jimmy that's what boys wear when they dance, but he would not forgo the tutu. So I made do with the least frilly one.

I figure someday these pictures will make excellent black mail, perhaps I'll even sneak them onto his wedding video. :)

The Deathly Hallows

2010-12-31T18:58:00.000-08:00

C'est terrible! Quel dommage! Ok, so my French is a little rusty, but the point is that I can't believe that I haven't posted about Harry yet! I saw these pictures on my card and I had to think, "Did I post about this?" Well, I most certainly didn't, so here it is, just for the record books.

Here we are in our lovely Deathly Hallows shirts, courtesy of Krissy. But, for posterity sake, and those less informed on the Harry Potter midnight showing saga, a new change this year. First let's be clear, I called one bright morning early in October to see if they had tickets for sale yet or not. The answer was "No", but check back next week. So, then Krissy called later that day, I mean we're talking hours later and said her friends just got the IMAX tickets to the midnight showing of Harry. Gasp!

I called back to Jordan Commons to see if this rumor could be true, and to my horror it was! Not only that, but there wasn't a good couple of seats left in the IMAX. Oh well, no big deal. It's only 6 years of tradition down the drain due to some numbskull working the phones that morning. So, onto the other theaters, a midnight showing is a midnight showing right. Wrong. Double Gasp!

I was foiled again. So, the Harry Potter Showings; A History clearly reminds us that part of the fun of a midnight showing is waiting in line for your seats with everyone else. The energy level is palatable, thick enough to take a bite of. Year 1: I think we arrived at 4:30 so we could get excellent seats in the IMAX, which we did. And so it was until they started assigned seating, which wasn't nearly as fun because you could get there at 11:00 p.m. and still be guaranteed pristine seats. But, the establishment (Jordan Commons) took it a step further this year. The Fire Marshall decided that too many people were in the halls waiting and it posed a fire hazard, so they had to stagger the showings. Do you see what I'm getting at?

Yes, it is true my friends. I am of course admitting this in the absolute intimacy of the world wide web, so I know this secret is safe between the two of us. But, the truth is, due to the unfair cosmic forces I had to see Harry Potter, not only in a non-IMAX theater, but I also did not start until 12:30. OH Gasp of all gasps. But it's absolutely true!

And for your viewing pleasure, here is a picture that we didn't realize was being invaded by the boy behind. I guess he earned it being as he endured us through the entire movie. Which was stupendous! Can't wait for the 2nd installment. Tear, it goes by so fast!

I need a Hero (ine)

2010-12-29T16:03:00.000-08:00

So the song right? With a little change in lyrics. But that is how I am feeling. I just finished the Hunger Games series. Uh. I guess my first clue should have been that they were endorsed by Stephanie Meyer ("esteemed" writer of the Twilight Saga- blah!)

Don't worry, I won't ruin the story for any of you. I guess the problem is that I hear such such raving reviews about both of these books. I honestly don't think they're that great. I won't go into the problems I have with plot or content, but my purpose of this venting session is to discuss the heroine's in both of these stories. Bella (blah) and Katniss (ick).

I suppose people are so starved for great female role models that they actually think these 2 are adequate? I'm not sure. All I know is that I couldn't finish either of the series because I got so annoyed with the main characters. The girls are self-centered, emotionally unstable bimbos that seem to disintegrate into mush if life isn't picture perfect. I just don't understand. Oh, and both also have this annoying habit of playing with boys affections which has always rubbed me the wrong way regardless.

So, if you disagree with me please feel free to comment and explain how these ladies compare with Elizabeth Bennett (Pride & Prejudice), Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre), or Agnes Wickfield (David Copperfield). Just a little annoyed that these books are so popular when they are so flawed I suppose. Don't mind me, I've vented now it's out of my system. Onto the next book.

Marley and Me

2010-12-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little late on the movie scene (Jared's view on movies is that he'd rather watch them in the comfort of his own home, and more and more I am inclined to agree) But, I've heard SO much about the movie Marley and Me. People would go on and on about how they loved it and end the conversation with "But you'll hate the movie" What I'm supposed to take from that I'll never know I suppose.

Actually, I loved it. Here's my top 5 why's:
1. It made me think of my dog Coco, and how much I want another dog. (Fingers crossed that Jimmy will grow out of his dog allergies)
2. So real. I loved that Owen and Jen didn't have picture perfect lives. They had broken cars that they drove forever and they lived in a small starter home longer than they expected. Love.
3. It made me want to visit Florida, is that really a reason? :)
4. Favorite saying, "Don't end it, mend it!" I loved that even through all the ups and downs of marriage/family the couple stayed together. I seriously kept expecting them not to, because hey, it's hollywood.
5. I loved that Jen stayed home to raise the kids, and yes it's hard because you feel like you're giving up this major part of who you are, but worth it, so worth it. It's like that good ol' bible saying "Lose yourself and you find yourself" Yeah, that could sum up motherhood. I have found out so many other things about myself that I didn't even know existed.

I guess that's why I loved the movie. I left feeling uplifted. I looked at my sleeping kids and just couldn't help the tears come to my eyes and had to sink to my knees to say "Thank You Heavenly Father" No life isn't perfect, nor would I want it to be. But I've got great kids, amazing really. I can't imagine how they put up with me sometimes. And while we're talking about amazing, let's get a shout out to the guy that's with me through it all. And yes, the tears are coming to my eyes right now, couldn't do it without ya babe! ;)

We drive working cars (I think they have to work a lot harder to get from point A to point B than nice cars) We live in our nice "3 year" home (which we're having a blast tearing apart at the moment) Jared has a good job with an awesome commute and he's happy. We're all healthy. (Just watched "My Sister's Keeper" and that made me more grateful for this one) We're happy most of the time. I have a supportive husband that encourages me in my creative pursuits. And I love having a creative outlet, whether in cooking, sewing (new love), scrapbooking, cardmaking, home decor. Whatever, I love it all! I love being a Mom.

And, right now I am so grateful to have the knowledge that my Savior lives. That gets me through. I'll close my soliliquy with one of my favorite scriptures. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. . . But be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 14:27, 16:33

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Just for the Record

2010-12-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

Thought I should record these stories before I (heaven forbid) forget them. Although, sometimes being a Mom your existence is such that you wish you could forget some circumstances you are placed in :)

Example #1:
May I just inform you other Mothers out there that the post office is the #1 WORST place to take your children. Let me give you a couple reasons:
1. It is VERY quiet in there, they don't even have background music.
2. There is ALWAYS a long line, you're guaranteed a 15 minute wait on a good day.
3. Due to said wait time, people are a little testy.
4. And nothing against postal workers, but are they EVER in a good mood?

So, with that stage set. There I am at the post office shipping a bluetooth that Jared sold on eBay with two oh so controllable and obedient children. Uh, I wish. So they are busy running around and being loud and I can't go chase them because of this whole long line thing, I don't want to lose my spot in line. And then toddlers don't really have a quiet volume option. It's loud, louder or sleeping. I just felt like everyone was looking at me and my children . . . and I'm relatively certain that it all wasn't in my head. So finally I just gave Emmie "the look". And she stopped what she was doing, stared right at me and yelled, "No Mommy, don't spank me!" That was when we played time out with the counters, got out of there as fast as I could and positively assured Jared that any other eBay trips to the post office will be made by him. The End.

Example #2:
This is why I know I'm a good Mommy . . . yeah, about that. So, in my last post you all met the kids that I nanny for in the mornings. Well, they are a little older and they have definitely perfected the exasperated sigh and grumble when things don't go their way. Well, kids are sponges and Emi and Jimmy both picked up this whole growl/grumble thing proficiently. So, one day having had it with the grumbling and such I talked Jimmy through our new rules. As follows.
"Jimmy, monsters growl. Monsters belong in cages. And if you growl at Mommy then you will need to go to the monster cage (which happened to be to sit in the dryer, with the door open) Anyway. Jimmy went once and Emmie witnessed and that was enough. Not a grumble growl since. I guess I've effectively found a cure for monsters :)

Now, Jimmy and Emmie also do really cute things. They love to cuddle and Jimmy is becoming more of a Daddy's boy lately. He hates to see Jared go and loves to spend time with him when he's home. Emmie loves to read and dance and we'll be taking her to the nutcracker next week . . . I'm SO excited! Emmie will sometimes read the books she has already memorized to Jimmy and I love watching them interact and play together more.

Before the Next Holiday

2010-11-21T08:39:00.000-08:00

I thought I should get Halloween in here before Thanksgiving happens. Halloween ended up being more than just a one day holiday, it was the whole weekend. It started off on Thursday morning when my neighbor kids I watch in the morning came all dressed up for their Halloween parade at school that day. They also asked me to go to their Halloween parade and the Thriller performance. It was good training for the future because my camera and my video camera ran out of batteries so I couldn't get pictures of anything :( But here is that morning: Ariana, Gwendolyn & Ansel

The vampire teeth that Jimmy just had to try on

Trick or Treating at Daddy's work on Friday

Ward Trunk or Treat Friday Night

And, this year I did Spudnuts and homemade rootbeer all on our own! It was a lot of fun! We had friends over and I dressed up in my Indian costume again. Jared attempted to be a pink flamingo, but it was a little too revealing. Jimmy was rockin' the tool man costume with fairy wings, a purple necklace and a gun in his hand. Unfortunately, Jared's Aunt Jane was in charge of photos that night and I haven't gotten them from her yet! But it did happen . . .

A Lot too Late

2010-11-12T08:10:00.000-08:00

It would appear that I have turned into an avid facebooker with the lack of posts on my blog. Au contrair. The reality is I haven't done much of anything on the computer lately. But here is a recap of the last little bit.

So, we got out one of Jimmy's toys that he hasn't seen yet. It is actually one that we found when cleaning out Uncle Bob's house. Jared remembered playing with it as a boy so we decided that Jimmy might enjoy it. Lo and behold, he and Emi LOVED it! They still do. And, truth be told, Jared and I sat and played with it for about 1/2 hour with the kids. For a 20+ year old toy it is pretty cool.

Jimmy has decided that lately it's all about Daddy. I think due to Jared's crazy schedule. He wants to wear Daddy's hats, sleep on Daddy's side of the bed, drive Daddy's truck, use Daddy's tools . . you get the idea. Well, this particular Sunday morning he wanted to wear a tie like Daddy. So, being the astute picture taker that I am I snapped a couple shots of Jimmy's first tie fitting.

The older Jimmy gets the more fun that he and Emi have together. They build forts, play house, have tea party's and Emi "reads" books to him. Although, Emi has such a good memory that most of the time she recites the books verbatim to Jimmmy. It always makes Jared and I smile when we come upon them playing so well together.

Upcoming Attractions: Halloween

Facebook

2010-10-28T12:46:00.001-07:00

This may have been the tipping point. I come into my Dad's office and he is on facebook . . . what?
Me: "Wow Dad, you have 248 friends."
Dad: (Sheepish grin) "Oh that's nothing, some people have thousands. But, I'm a little more selective." (So I guess if you make the cut to be my Dad's friend you're pretty cool.)
Me: "Ok."

However, a close second would be . . .
Enter Jared. Demurely he says, "Honey, how do you feel about me being on facebook?"
Me: "I think you know how I feel about it. We've had this conversation already."
Jared: "Well, I was just wondering if it's different now . . . "
Me: "Because . . . "
Jared: "Because I'm on facebook now."
Sidenote: Thank you to all those of my friends that are now "friends" with Jared since he represents our family on facebook.

Right. So. My options are getting more limited. Everyone is ALWAYS telling me I should be on facebook and the reason I don't know things about my friends lives that everyone else does? I'm not on facebook. And when I ask about being on Facebook the typical response is, "It's a way that you can keep tabs on all those people you don't stay in touch with anymore." Um, is that contradictory to anyone else? If I don't keep in touch with you chances are neither of us care enough to do so. Just a random thought :)

Ok, so all arguments aside. In the next 5 minutes I will be entering the world of facebook. So, friend me, poke me do what that facebook stuff is and hopefully my blog won't suffer. Blogs are so much cuter anyway :)

October 22

2010-10-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Jared has just started working swings (3pm-midnight) and I stayed up on October 21 and that was when it hit me. October 22 is tomorrow, that day has history with it. Allow me to explain.

October 22, 2003: Jared left for the MTC. And in my journal I wrote that "I guess we'll see how things work out, but all I can think is that I would be the happiest woman alive if in two years I get to marry Jared." Here is a picture of Jared visiting me up at USU.

October 22, 2004: Hump Day in Kentucky. If you haven't been waiting for a missionary, whether romantically or family you have no idea what this day means! It means you've climbed the mountain and it's all down hill from here.

October 22, 2005: Got the call from Marcia that Jared was being evacuated with the rest of the missionaries and would be coming home today. I was seriously hyperventilating, this was 12 days earlier than expected! But, I made it home to see him, here's the proof.

From here on out we were dating . . .

Getting engaged . . .

And finally getting married and starting our Happily Ever After on May 5.

October 22, 2010 this year it is 5 years since Jared has returned home from his mission and 7 years that I knew that I would marry this amazing man. Love ya babe!

A little update

2010-10-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

Ok, so as I'm about to catch up on posting I have a message that says the image uploads will be disabled. So, I guess I'll just journal really quick and post pictures later.

Ok. So the following conversation occurred on Tuesday and I thought that if I ever had this conversation it would be devestating . . . but
Jared: "Hey, where are you?"
Me: "Just leaving Jordan Commons, where are you?"
Jared: "I'm at home."
Me: "Vas? (What in German, it's a Cort thing.)"
Jared: "Yeah, I got let go today"
Me: (ecstatic now) Yahoo!!!

Background. Jared found a job about a week after he graduated. He was excited about it, but that excitement has slowly dwindled. Luckily he got hired on at ebay and started Monday. His schedule was:
Universal Accounting: 6:30 am - 2:30 pm
Ebay: 3:00 pm - 11:30 pm
So literally, the kids didn't see their Dad at all. For all they knew he was out of town. Not too hard to imagine why I was quite excited to have the first job out of the way and have a husband again.

That craziness over . . . you may have noticed that I said I was at Jordan Commons. Oh yes, ladies and gentleman. Harry Potter 7, part 1 is upon us. And, just because it opens November 19th doesn't mean that you can't get tickets a month early. Especially if you want them for opening showing. (12:01) So, that is my craziness.

Emilie is Tinkerbell crazy right now. She asks EVERYONE what they're going to be for Halloween and when they say "Witch" for example, then she says, "Well, you should be Tinkerbell with me"

As for Jimmy. He thinks the most appropriate thing to do ALL NIGHT LONG is climb into bed with Mom and Dad. One of the many advantages of a king size bed is that sometimes we don't even feel him there until he turns perpendicular to us and starts kicking.

So that's the Dowland craziness right now. Hopefully Blogger will get fixed so I can include some fun pictures. :)

Binkyless

2010-10-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

To those of you without a binky baby this statement would mean nothing. But I assure you, this is a big deal. Definately post worthy. So, Jimmy misplaced his binky (later to be found in Jared's bed) but I decided it was about time and I just sent him to bed without it. That was his nap yesterday. It took him a little while to calm down, not from crying, but I think the binky was his cue to sleep and without it he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. But come night time, he went down fine and slept through the night (a rare thing) and then he took another nap today without it. I feel so GRATEFUL that he gave it up without a hiccup and here we are onto greener pastures . . . next habit to tackle. Potty training!

And while I'm talking about sleeping I thought I'd include these pictures! You may remember the crazy pictures of how Emmie used to sleep. Head hanging off the bed, etc. Well, I came in one night and found Jimmy on the floor. Not quite sure what is with my kids . . . at least they're hard sleepers. (For instance, Emi fell out of the top bunk about a month ago, we heard this thud and went into her room and there she was still sleeping despite the fact she'd just fallen a good 5 feet from her bed. Crazy!)So just to compare. . . Here's Emi:

And Jimmy:

And then some of how Emi loves to cuddle her brother when she finds him sleeping :)

Oh, and notice that binky in Jimmy's mouth in these sleeping pictures. Yeah, he doesn't need that anymore! Yay! Life's little triumphs.

Cowboys and Indians

2010-10-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

Ok. So definately one of the most exciting weddings I have been a part of is the marriage of Laura Webb and Phillip Collett. While not family I feel like the Colletts (whom I grew up with) and the Webbs (whom Jared grew up with and I later met)are about as close to family as they come. I was so excited when Phillip and Laura went on their first date and then started dating and now are getting married this Friday! Wahoo!

Anyway, you may be wondering what a wedding has to do with Cowboys and Indians. Well, it would make so much more sense if you knew Phillip. Phillip LOVES to plan parties. And I don't mean just a couple of friends with chips and dip . . . I mean 200+ people at a New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball. Big deal. Yeah, so instead of a reception, he and Laura decided to have all their friends over for a Cowboys and Indians Party. And what a party it was. Let me recap the invite for you since it's hard to read:

"Since there ain't gonna be a reception we figured on throwin' a roundup for our friends. Come in your best western as a Cowboy or Indian - just don't be late. Sundown is at 7:00 so there won't be much light for tomahawk throwin', bull ridin', greased pig chasin', dancin', lassoin', saloonin' sharpshooten, duelin' and chuck wagon eatin'

I know, right? Incredible that he went to that much work and we had a BLAST! My sister Krissy and I decided to be indians. But all of my indian costumes fell through so I decided to make one. But, I had to call in reinforcements, in the form of Jared's Aunt Jane. Thank goodness she was free to help out or I would have been up a creek!

I haven't spent that much time getting ready since dances in high school. But it sure was fun! Here are some pics of Krissy and I in our stylin' indian garb.

And Jared was a good sport and dressed up (sort of) as a cowboy. He's not really into all of that so he did it to humor me. Although I think he learned since the last time Phillip had a Masquerade party and he wouldn't go with me I balled. (I was pregnant) But, you would not BELIEVE the saloon (non-alcoholic) they put together. Here's a picture of it, complete with bartenders.

And if I was done you would all be amazed, but wait, There's More! :)
There was face painting

Cotton Candy & Popcorn

Yummy sarsparilla

And not to forget, bull ridin'.

Now, you may be wondering why my kids and their cousins (Grayden and Kenna) were there. Um, that would be because while Phillip was dropping off Mike and Marcia's computer he said, "Hey, did you guys know you have the perfect yard for a cowboy-indian party?" And the whole idea was born, centered around Mike and Marcia's house, and they were the perfect hosts! It was a fabulous memory to add to my collection! Thanks Phillip and Laura!

Mommy Preschool

2010-09-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

Emi and I embarked on a new adventure this month: Mommy Preschool. She wanted so badly to go to preschool this year. But, after talking with Jared about it (who rarely has an opinion about anything related to the kids) we decided to wait until next year to enroll her in Alta's Preschool program, which I'm thrilled about. However, that left me with an active little girl that was anxious to learn. So, I decided to rent about 10 different preschool books from the library with lots of cute ideas in them and then nail down a schedule for her.

In 3 words, She loves it! Preschool starts as soon as Jimmy goes down for his nap. And when he wakes up Emi will say, "Don't tell him where we are, I don't want to stop preschool." It melts my heart! Her behavior has improved as well. She's more compliant and helpful around the house. I rarely have to ask her to do something more than once. She plays cute with Jimmy and is trying to teach him what she has learned. So fun!

Finally, just a note about our change in schedule that has been AWESOME! Jimmy is down to one nap a day and Emi doesn't take a nap at all so they're ready for bed at 8:00 and then they wake up around 7:00. It is fabulous! Ok, well, Emi wakes up around 7. Jimmy is still waking up 1 to 2 times/night. Ah, a full nights sleep. Haven't gotten many of those in 2 years :)

Recipe for Disaster

2010-09-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 mischevious boy
1 gleaming white wall
1 green Sharpie permanent marker

Mix all ingredients together. Let sit for 5 minutes unsupervised while parental unit is talking on the front porch with Granny Marcia. When all is quiet, too quiet, you know you're ready for a killer room, especially when your little mischief maker comes out covered in green. Please see mug shots, I mean pictures for results.

Summer Snapshot

2010-09-08T21:13:00.001-07:00

Meet Jared, Daddy, Honey or Babe (Sometimes it's a "hey you, Stinker")

Jared ALWAYS has something going. In this picture he happened to take a sledgehammer to my patio. But luckily he knows how to fix things. He loves to putter around the house and yard, take care of our garden, and organize his shop. Unfortunately, these are all things he hasn't had much time to do with school, work and being Elder's Quorum President, not to mention Daddy and Hubby. But, he somehow supermans through it! We love every minute we get to spend with him!

Job: Universal Accounting
Bed Time: 11:00 - Midnight
Work Starts: 7:30
Favorite Date: Movies from Red Box (We love movies, but Jared doesn't like theaters)
Favorite Past Time: Watching Football
Best Thing About Summer: Graduating. Bar None.

Meet Val or Mommy

I was born to be a Mommy! I love staying home, I find so much to entertain me here. I can't understand why some women say they get too bored at home, I seem to NEVER have enough time to do it all. Granted, I do like to think I can do EVERYTHING in the crafty world. If I see it at a store and it's cute, I want to make it myself. I love to organize and clean and cook, like I said, I am Mommy-made material :)
Job: Keeping Emi and Jimmy alive each day, and help Jared be part of our lives
Bed Time: Whenever Jared goes to bed, he comes alive at night and it's our time to share
Work Starts: As previously mentioned, it NEVER ends :D
Favorite Date: Anything, I like to be active and go climbing or bowling, I like to vege out and watch a movie. Anytime with my sweetheart is a good date
Favorite Past Time: Just got done with a surger class, I'm excited for that. I love to read. I love to watch my kids discover new things!
Best Thing About Summer: Vacations, Starting playdates with my girlfriends, Jared Graduating and having all of my hair be my natural color for the first time in 13 YEARS!

Meet Emi

Emi never ceases to amaze me with how much she LOVES people. She will go up to anyone and then tell me that they're her friend and she doesn't want to leave. It's cute, but sometimes I do get worried. I hope she never has to stop loving so whole-heartedly. She is so smart, too! She remembers things SO well! Her Uncle Clint works for Geneva Rock and now whenever she sees the Geneva Rock logo (which is everywhere with all the construction) she says, "Look Mommy, Clinton's work" She is always learning and always loving!

Job:Being an inquisitive, vivacious and loving 3 year old
Bedtime: Mommy started me on a new schedule, no naps and bed time at 8
Job Starts: Well, I do Mommy-Preschool when Jimmy goes down for his nap. But I wake up at 7 to help Mommy with the kids that she watches, and then I help walk them to their bus stop
Favorite Date: Going to movies with Mommy/Daddy, I LOVE MOVIES
Favorite Past time: Sandbox, Picking flowers, Watching movies, cooking
Best thing about Summer: Getting into my swimsuit as much as I want

Meet Jimmy, Mimmy or Buppy

Jimmy is just a boy. He loves dirt, he loves to tease Emi, he loves to use his tools to "fix" things. He loves to rip, tear and destroy (then repeat). He loves to run and play with balls. He is a Grandpa's Boy. As soon as we get to the grandparent's house, it's "Bampa?" No time for anyone else, he has eyes only for Grandpa. He now distinguishes between the two by making the sounds of the animals they have, Grandpa Eee (horse) or Grandpa Bahh (Goat). It cracks me up!

Job: Being a boy
Bedtime: 8:00
Job Starts: Never ends
Favorite Date: The Park, Grandpa's
Favorite Past Time: Reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Goodnight Moon
Best Thing About Summer: Rhino Trip with Grandpa Mike

And a special thanks to Rachel for providing the inspiration idea for this post . . . yup I'm a copy cat! :D

Willum Sir

2010-08-26T15:55:00.001-07:00

So named by Emi. My nephew William has a special place in my heart. At first it took him a little bit to get used to his loud Aunt Val, but now we're loud together. Being the first sibling with children I didn't understand right off how much you could love a child that wasn't yours. But Will is so fun and exciting he just melts my heart and makes me laugh.

The other day he called me so excited his words slurred into jibberish, All I got was "Poop". Being an expert at one syllable meanings I surmised that he had gone poop in the toilet. Bingo, I was correct. Eth said that he wanted to call Aunt Val right after he did it and that made me so happy. I guess he knew who he would get the loudest reaction from :D

Everything Will does is full force. I love to watch him run, dance, sing, play in the dirt, go on the slip and slide, anything. The only time he gets bashful is with other people. Just love that little boy!

A little bit of both

2010-08-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Although this is my typical response when asked to choose between 2 desserts, in this case I am referring to my two adorable and loving children. Just thought I'd include a couple of random pictures. Sunday dinner with the family. Emi trying out the curlers. After a while she said it hurt, and I wore those things as a little girl so I couldn't tell her that they didn't. So, we took them out before they had a chance to do anything.

Gardener Village

2010-08-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

So, starting in July all of my girlfriends and I get together weekly and have playdate field trips. We've done some really fun things like Gallivan Plaza for Disney Days, $2 at Thanksgiving Point, and Gardener Village. I brought my camera to Gardener Village so here are some pictures I snapped!

Jimmy on the pony, but he didn't go on the ride.

Emi LOVING the pony ride!

In with the animals. There were mostly goats and Jimmy makes this grunting BAA in the back of his throat for a goat that just sounds like the poop grunt. Shayla and I were laughing so hard!

All the kids enjoying the animals. Here we're looking at the ENORMOUS pigs. And notice how pink everyone's cheeks are. It was 100 degrees out there. We were all DYING!

And, do you think Emi's been watching too many movies? How about that posing :)

10 Things I learned from Camp

2010-08-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Girls' Camp (Pictures to follow)It was so much fun! Here is a list of 10 things I learned from camp.

1. Camp is the BEST way to get to know my young women, and for them to know me.
2. I have an incredibly low resistance when offered goodies and snacks . . . I'm officially on sugar overload.
3. Even women snore, which meant a lot of sleepless nights for me.
4. My kids are my world and I felt off balance without them near me.
5. I have absolutely no hesitation or fear for the future of the church after spending a week in the company of some amazing girls!
6. Everybody looks better when they shower. I finally just washed my hair, face, neck and arms just to feel a little cleaner.
7. Real life fairy tales make great bed time stories. The girls LOVED hearing about how Jared and I met, our first kiss, how he asked me to marry him, etc. etc.
8. I should definitely hire a cook. Lyn (our camp director) is an amazing cook and I don't know how to get back to normal life with me providing all the meals.
9. Disney songs make great road tunes, and girls love to sing from the top of their voices!
10. The best part of camp is coming home, as you can see from the sign. :)

The Sandbox

2010-07-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Our kids LOVE dirt. Since this is the case, and it keeps them so entertained, we figured, "Why fight it?" Enter Jared starting this process at 11:00 at night. Jared is a night owl. He gets his energy at night, on the contrary I am a morning person. But I tend to stay up pretty late too because Jared loves to talk at night, although there have been frequent occasions where I fall asleep while he's talking.

Anyway, Jared decided that 11:00 p.m. was the perfect time to make a sandbox for the kids. So I went to bed, he made the sandbox and the next morning was like Christmas morning. The kids were so excited! And so was Jared. They literally played in it for 2 hours -- which is eternity is kids' time. Needless to say I have LOVED it! And of course, you can never get a picture of two kids looking and smiling at the same time. So I just posted both pictures. :)

Love vs. Lust

2010-07-23T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had one of those "lightblub" experiences where what I've been studying really sinks in and I gain valuable spiritual insight. Observe. I made Rachael Ray's Smoked Mozzarella Chicken Sammies for dinner tonight. Delicious! Jared and I were RAVING about them. We looked like a Carl's Jr. commercial, with the slogan "If it doesn't get all over the place it doesn't belong in your face."

And then I started thinking about the Conference talk I'd read earlier in the day. "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul" by Elder Holland. In this talk Elder Holland said, "True love we are absolutely giddy about . . . we shout it from the housetops. But lust . . . the later and darker the hour the better, with a double-bolted door just in case." (http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=bf8ede009da38210VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD)

See, I love food. When I make good food, I want to share it with EVERYONE! (Thus my sharing this recipe with all of you) Not the case with chocolate. I sneak it and hide it and hoard it. :)

A little extreme? Yes. Do I really lust after my chocolate stash? Maybe . . . ok No. But, it gets the principle across right. Basically I just wanted to share this AMAZING recipe with you! Enjoy!

http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=3099

Rain Dancing

2010-07-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Some may not know about the simple pleasure of playing in a rainstorm. Now, I'm not just talkin' 'bout those itty bitty little showers, I'm talking THUNDER LIGHTENING and a WHOLE LOT OF RAIN all at once.

I'm proud to announce that Emilie is now introduced to the joy of dancing in the rain. For your viewing pleasure . . .
an

Soaking wet after all the excitement.

The gorgeous results of going to sleep with wet hair . . . at least in this family.

How To Fix A Hole

2010-07-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ok. So this actually happened June 17, but really. Who has time in the summer to sit down and post every minute! I'd rather be outside or on vacation, which, ironically enough, is what I have been doing and why I haven't posted this yet.

So, this is the end of the continuing saga of the hole in my back yard. As you may recall from a couple posts ago, we had hole in our backyard. Now I'll go through the steps of "How To Fix A Hole"
1. Get tractor and rip up the rest of the cement. Provide rides for kiddies.

2. Enlist the help of your wife to bring up 100 5gallon buckets of sand from the basement dirt room. Water down sand (even in the rain) to get it to settle.

3. Order cement and find willing helpers (last minute of course). Thanks Grant, Dad, Jason and Broderick crew.

4. Don cement boots and get down and dirty.

5. Pretend you know how to finish cement and then have Ralph tell you to get off and he'll do it himself. ;)

6. With extra cement, pour pad in front of shed and get Jimmy's hand and footprints in it . . .

7. And let Emilie follow suit.

8. Enjoy your handywork and thank your helpers PROFUSELY with French Lace Bread and Dinner.

And now you know How To Fix A Hole. I hope I never have to do this again. But I am SO grateful for everyone that helped us out, especially on such short *man* notice.

*Maybe your man is different, but Jared knew about the cement for a week and didn't call anyone to help until the day of, hours before. We're lucky we got ANYONE here! And this is quite endemic of Jared . . . but I'm crazy about him anyway! :)

Nursery

2010-07-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Jimmy is turning 18 months on July 12th. Our nursery is small and so we actually started him 2 weeks ago. He did great! I was a little nervous about how my little Mama's Boy would do, but I was actually more nervous about how his over-protective sister would do. Jimmy went in fine and stayed fine. I had to have a talk with Emilie about the need for her to be nice to the other kids EVEN if (when) they take his toys. She did fine too! Here are the little pics I snapped right before church!

Famous Idaho Potato 1/2 Marathon

2010-06-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

I figured that before I take off on another Idaho Adventure, I had better record the last one I went on. It was in mid May. My Mom, Emilie, Jimmy and I went up to Boise, ID to run the 1/2 Marathon with my friend Mary, and my Mom was doing the 7K with her sister Connie. Only problem was, 2 weeks before the race, mid 11 mile training run, I got a stress fracture! So, the doctor said no running for me in the race or after. (This is the 2nd one I've gotten due to running) So, I went up as moral support.

Here is the before the race of my Mom and Aunt Connie

This is what Jimmy and Emmie found to do with themselves while waiting for the racers

Crossing the finish line . . . way to go Mom and Connie! I'll admit at this point I was so jealous and wanting to be running there with them.

With Mary and Hunter after she crossed the finish line. Way to go Mary! Good luck on your next run!
Here I am with

Just Do It

2010-06-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, so currently Jared and I are going through all of our CD's, specifically the ones titled "Random Mix" or something to that effect. Seriously. What a trip. We've totally resurrected classics like "Crazy Train", "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Beat It" and then the old "Now" songs from Jimmy Eat World, Little Bow Wow, Bare Naked Ladies and Bone Thugs. Can I just say, that this is the cheapest vacation available. We're totally reminiscing in the "Do you remember when" and "This song reminds me of . . . " and we're both smiling and laughing and enjoying our memories in song. So, dig up the old CD's and dust off the CD player and stick them up and you too can smile from ear to ear! :)

Another Conglomerate Post

2010-06-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I realize that these vomit posts can be a little overwhelming, but there has been SO much going on around here and I finally went around and snapped pictures of things to show what's been going on.

Jared painted our front and back doors black and he switched the swinging direction of the front door. I love my door now. And my Mom gave me that flower cart for Mother's Day.

My friend McCall came over for a craft day and we made these cute patriotic blocks!

Introducing Camry, our "new" car. Yeah, I know Camry isn't very inventive, but boy has she been a GREAT car. We've owned her since March and I just haven't posted anything yet.

So, Jared's Aunt Bonnie gave us a hand wheat grinder to add to our food storage/emergency preparedness stuff. I decided to try it out. So, I ground the wheat and made fresh wheat bread . . . yummy!

And of course, our garden. We decided on raised beds this year and I have really liked them. Weeding is another thing all together, but it is worth it!

Jared painted this wall for me while I was in Idaho for the 1/2 Marathon. I was so surprised because he doesn't like drastic or dark colors. But he did a good job!

And, yet another paint project I commissioned Jared for. You can't really tell, but there is a linen faux finish on this wall and it looks great!

Friends Continued

2010-06-17T09:26:00.001-07:00

To continue with the good friends saga. Jared has been helping out our soon to be neightbor, Ryan, with his house. They've been doing some EXTENSIVE remodeling and Jared loves to go over and "play". Honestly, it's like he is 5 again. "Can I go over to Ryan's?" "How late can I stay over tonight?" etc. etc. Anyway. It's been hilarious. Laci (Ryan's wife) and I just laugh over our boys. They are trying to come up with a name to call themselves, they came up with "The 2 Stooges". Something a little dashier might be nice. :) So, we got back from Moab yesterday (more info to come) and Ryan came over immediately
"Is Jared home?"
"No."
"Ok. I didn't think so. But I put something in his shed. Come see."
"Ok . . . "
So we go out to the tool shed and there was this brand new air compressor kit. Ryan had bought it for him as a thank you for all his help on the house. So, I wanted to give Ryan a hug because I thought it was so nice. I, of course, didn't. But I was giddy with excitement waiting for Jared to come home, and that made 2 of us, Being that Ryan was beside himself with the anxious anticipation of a good surprise.

Finally Jared came home and I made up some excuse for him to call Ryan. Wasn't too hard really. So he got his surprise and all he could say to Ryan was "You Punk." I guess I should have explained to Ryan that gracious acceptance of gifts is not one of Jared's strong points. When I got him the Router for Christmas all he could say was "You're in big trouble."

Well. I forced the boys to take a picture of the "Christmas Morning" that was going on out in the shed. It was just so sweet and I was so excited and they were having such a good time.

Night of the Friends

2010-06-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ok. So I have always felt lucky that I had such a great group of girlfriends growing up through junior high and high school. I mean, let's face it. Those are some formative years and it helps to have girls that you can count on. Well, lucky for me, I still count on those girls.

Over the weekend we got to have a girls' only night. That's right . . . no kids, no husbands. Very odd. As I was leaving Emmie asked where I was going and I told her that I was going to play with my friends and she asked if she could come, because she always has, and I said, "No." That's right. "No." Again, very odd. But as soon as I was in that car and on my way, so fun!

I couldn't wait to be with my girls! We went to dinner and "Letters to Juliet" (very cute by the way, low cheese until the last 5 minutes). And the best part of the night was after the movie got out at 9:00 we sat in Jordan Commons and talked until 12:15 and the janitors were kicking us out. So needed, so fun!

So, the final chapter of "Night of the Friends" went something like this. We all say goodnight, hugs all around. I walk to my car. Pretty standard procedure. Insert key, unlock door. Oh wait . . . the door didn't open. None of the doors would open. None of the windows were open. Options? None. The parking lot is EMPTY. So, hurry and call friend Mel she takes me home. (Thanks Mel! Love ya!) Then enter me coming home and the question of how to get our car home at 12:30. Who do you really call? Oh, that's Jared's friend Grant. (Thanks Grant! Love ya!) He took Jared down to Jordan Commons and got our car.

Cheers to a night of good friends! May it repeat often!

Beta Gamma Sigma

2010-06-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

This is Jared's last semester of school (Can I get a WOOT WOOT!) and he was supposed to walk in May -- but he forgot to sign up to, so Jared. So, these pictures are of a dinner inauguration for Beta Gamma Sigma. It is for the top 10% of Business Graduates. Yes, I am bragging about my husband. I am so proud of him. He has hated EVERY moment of it and I am so proud of him for sticking through it and getting his degree. I can't imagine going to school, working full time, church callings and squeezing in being a great Daddy and an understanding husband.

So, without further adieu and the braggin' rights of an adoring wife, here are the pictures. One of our friends from high school also was there, so Nick and Jared were up doing their thing and Meredith and I were just sittin' gabbing back and forth. Luckily Mere thought to bring her camera and she could catch it all on film.

Tons To Say

2010-06-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

Really . . . I've posted broadly for the last month or so. But, it has been SO jammed packed full of stuff. My birthday, Jared's "graduation", 4 year anniversary, Emmie Tumbling . . . I mean seriously, the list goes ON and ON! So, I will post all the random things with pictures, but for the bigger events, I may dedicate a whole post! :)

First of all, we had to find a new home for our sweet Coco. :( That was so hard for me. Jimmy kept breaking out in a rash, and it finally dawned on me that he may be allergic to dogs. So, with that news we asked around to see if anyone wanted her. We were lucky enough to find a GREAT home with a lady that worked for the Humane Society and has been on the look for a Rottweiler for the last 12 years. (No joke!) So, we took her to the Humane Society and I was good and held in all the tears. Mary (the lady) went on and on about what a good home Coco will have, etc. etc. And how Coco was her dream dog . . . that's where I lost it. She was my dream dog and I had to give her away! But, here are some last pictures we took with her. The adjustment for the kids was kind of tough. Emmie cried for the first couple days and Jimmy was always going to the window and asking "Doggie?" Looking for her.

Next on the list was my birthday. Well, if your birthday is April 15th and your husband is a tax preparer you don't see him all day. But he made up for it with a date afterward. And while there was nothing particularly stand-outish . . . birthday's kind of become less of a big deal as you get older. I do think it is kind of cool to be 25.

Ahh, Jimmy and dirt. He LOVES to be outside in the dirt. We're building him a sandbox in the backyard, and it just can't be done quick enough. For Easter he and Emmie got fun little shovels and buckets to play in the dirt with. He loves them. And, inevitably the sand goes all over his head, his clothes and then pop, out goes the binky, and in goes some dirt. Yuck! But, he enjoys bathtime as much as dirttime, so it's a nice little cycle.

Finally, Jared and I celebrate our 4 year anniversary on May 5th! I seriously cannot believe that it has been 4 years. But I've got the kids to prove it! We celebrated by going out to dinner at Epic (we just tried somewhere new and it ended up being VERY tasty) then we rented Blindside and watched that all snuggled in at home. We LOVED that movie. I mean really, who that has seen it hasn't? I've yet to find one person. Anyway. Jared is amazing and continues to be the love of my life! Each day is a new adventure and I know I'll never be bored with Jared as my husband. I love every minute of it. :)

Retraction

2010-05-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

I was made aware that Rednecks are not the only ones who use septic tanks. Sorry Idaho. . .

Le trou

2010-05-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

The hole in French. After seeing the picture above is there a need for explanation? Ok, maybe just a little one. Not many people have a 6 foot hole in their backyards. But then again, not many people had their patio cracking out and sinking and when they stuck a measuring tape down a crack it was 5 feet until it hit something. And not many people have a husband that thinks that the solution is to start whacking away with a sledgehammer. And upon finding out that this hole was the remnants of a septic tank, not many people would have said husband asking if we wanted a swimming pool. Yes, out of an old septic tank, that's an olden day sewer system if you didn't know what a septic tank was. Ok, maybe not so olden day. But what Rednecks use for sewer systems doesn't count, does it? Oh, and yes, it does freak me out everytime we're outside with the kids. They have to skirt "le trou" by a 2 foot distance to make Mama happy. Just thought you'd all be dying to know about our hole! Signing off now!

Superstar

2010-05-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

I think one of the best feelings as a Mom is when, regardless what it is, your kids think you are amazing. For instance, this morning I was just being goofy with Jimmy, really I was just making funny noises and tickling his neck and he thought it was the funniest thing ever. He was rolling and yeah, it made me feel like a million bucks! That's when I decided that being a Mom isn't always as thankless as some people make it out to be. I don't think anywhere else my stand-up comedy act would be appreciated or my Micky Mouse pancakes would be acceptable. But everyday there is something I do that my kids think is amazing, and with that this Superstar Mom will sign off and go do something amazing! :)

Garbage Girl

2010-04-21T12:31:00.000-07:00

Emmie has just gotten a new job! She is learning to get all the garbages each week and throw them in the dumpster, or herbie kerbie if we're speaking Kentucky. So, I snapped a couple pictures of her taking this job, which she takes most seriously. She is such a good girl, so willing to help out. She melts my heart.

She is insistent on doing it all by herself.

It's a big dumpster for a little girl. But with some creative moves . . .

A couple spills . . .

She finished up nicely! :)

Health Care

2010-04-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

I'm sure some of you may be sick of hearing of the Health Care reform. Usually I'm not much of a political activist. In fact, I've commented many times to Jared that I think we should just move out of our poor country that is falling apart. BUT, I am true Red, White and Blue and I am disgusted at how far some people (politicians) go in the name of Liberty and personal Freedom. I have to say that after reading this email I was a little upset and amazed that this Health Care bill has even passed. If you're interested . . . read on. And God Bless America! We sure need it!

The Truth About the Health Care Bills - Michael Connelly, Ret. Constitutional Attorney

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill 3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far worse than what I had heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media are saying. The law does provide for rationing of health care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical profession.

The Bill will also eventually force private insurance companies out of business, and put everyone into a government run system. All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats, and most of them will not be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled by the government.

However, as scary as all of that is, it just scratches the surface. In fact, I have concluded that this legislation really has no intention of providing affordable health care choices. Instead it is a convenient cover for the most massive transfer of power to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the United States will effectively have been destroyed.

The first thing to go will be the masterfully crafted balance of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. Government. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives of the American people, and the businesses they own.

The irony is that the Congress doesn't have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with! I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress to regulate health care.

This legislation also provides for access, by the appointees of the Obama administration, of all of your personal healthcare (direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution) information, your personal financial information, and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital. All of this is a protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. You can also forget about the right to privacy. That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance, or if you have private insurance that is not deemed acceptable to the Health Choices Administrator appointed by Obama, there will be a tax imposed on you. It is called a tax instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment. However, that doesn't work because since there is nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of property without the due process of law.

So, there are three of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much, out the original ten in the Bill of Rights, that are effectively nullified by this law It doesn't stop there though.

The 9th Amendment that provides: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;

The 10th Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people. Under the provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you get the idea. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both houses of Congress to "be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution." If I was a member of Congress I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it, without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway, I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat, I suggest they consult the source, the US Constitution, and Bill of Rights. There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton , Texas

To Have Eyes in the Back of My Head

2010-04-08T15:40:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't that be nice. But then my blog would be oh so dull without mischievious children to write about. So I think I'll stay with my two eyes on the front of my head. I'd like to title this picture "Fleeing the Scene of the Crime"

And this one is "Mugshot" so you can better see the graffiti

And while we're sharing stories. Here is one of my recent favorites d'Emmie. (from Emmie en francais)So, I set her on the toilet the other morning (pretty routine really) when suddenly a little gasp comes from the bathroom followed by, "Ouch Mommy. Sting-peep!" Now, if any of you know my little drama queen known as Emmie, you can imagine the tone of desperation in her voice as the dreaded "Sting-peep" comes. Oh, and if you're a little lost because you didn't read the Emmie-isms post, "peep" is pee in Emmie language. So, apparently sometimes Emmie's pee stings her, thus "Sting-peep" is born.

Now my next story. This one actually has to do with me. I recently got a gym membership and along with my membership came a free consultation with a personal trainer. So, ya know the routine, weight, height and of course the Body Fat %. Well, after he looked at my fat percentage he said, "Ya know, I'm surprised. When I saw you walk in here I didn't think that this number would be this high." To which I replied, "So, you're telling me that I don't look fat, but I am." (And then a rather long conversation about "fat" being a relative term, punctuated with a lot of laughter) Anyway, so if you're wondering. I am fat. I just don't look like it. :)

Birth"dates"

2010-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

This year "dates" seemed to be the popular birthday gift for Emmie this year. (Yes, her birthday was in February, we're a little slow) The first date was from Mommy. We went and saw "Princess and the Frog" We got our tickets and then waited for the movie to start. During our wait we ventured over to the dollar store to get some treats for our movie and she got to choose a little toy. Between the bubble wand and the baseball bat, the baseball bat won. (We had to go back and get one for Jimmy because it was a fast favorite) Emmie picked up pretty quick on the game and after a particularly good hit she strutted off and said, "I'm a baseball player"

The next date was with Grandmother and Grandpa Wright. They took Emmie for their traditional lunch date and ride on the Carousel. Emmie loved it!

Finally, and this is partially why this post is so belated, Jared took Emmie to see Disney on Ice. But it wasn't until mid-March. And of course, after multiple threats to Jared's life and promises of taking pictures he came home with nothing. But that is ok. Emilie has not stopped talking about her date with her Daddy to see the princesses. And Jared said he wished that he could capture her face when she saw all of the princesses skate out in the beginning and when Tinkerbell flew out. Suddenly that popcorn that she HAD to have was forgotten and all she wanted was to watch, drop-jawed, the rest of the show. I think the cutest thing for me was getting her ready for her date. She had to have her hair curled. Now any of you that have seen Emmie more than once may have noticed that her hair does not stay done for longer than 5 minutes, and she hates to get her hair curled. But no, the hair was curled, the lip gloss was shining, the fairy wings were on and I had to talk her out of the high heels, or "Fancy shoes" as she calls them. It was adorable to see how particular she was about what she should wear for her date. And literally, she will tell everyone that she sees about how she went on a date with her Daddy

Walk Small, but Carry a Big Stick

2010-03-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

So, Jimmy found this stick in Emmie's room, I think it goes to her easel. Anyway, he loves to carry it around and hit things with it -- what a boy! And, included in this video is the long promised walking. He officially started walking on February 27th, but due to a couple of events (me leaving my camera at Bryce & Jess' etc) I finally have a video to show off :)

Jimmy's other new favorite thing to do is to make the pans in the drawer of the oven rattle as he crawls along (he isn't completely switched over to walking, but getting closer everyday). On all fours he raises up on his toes and then drops to his knees to get the pans to rattle, then chuckles (evilly) to himself. He cracks himself up which must mean he fits into our family ok. We are the funniest people we know! :)

Hidden Treasure

2010-03-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, before further reading this post, you must solemnly swear that you won't think I am the worst Mommy in the world. We good? Ok, keep reading. I just had to record this because it is one of the oddest things that has happened to me in motherhood. Emmie was trying to help me make some cards the other day by handing me the little adhesive jewels. They are smaller than a dime and look like this.

As any 3 year old would do, Emmie happened to spill the entire package (That's like 100 jewels.) right before we had to leave to go pick up Jared. So, we picked up most of them. Thank goodness I have a hoover. Oh, did I mention my hoover's name: Jimmy.
I changed Jimmy's diaper today and I see this glinting object within the poopy mess. Yes people, there was one of the oval jewels inside. Yuck and ouch! I don't know which emotion was stronger. So, of course this whole post could have been summurized in one picture of said diaper, but I thought that might be a little obscene, so you can just use your imagination.

Upcoming Events

2010-03-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, I failed to mention in my "lucky" moments of last post that this Saturday, March 13th, at 10:00 a.m. there is a St. Patrick's Day Parade with Irish Dancing, Singing and general festivities afterward at the Gateway. I'm guessing that since the flyer said "Family Friendly" they will limit the alcohol consumption!

And . . . tonight I am so excited because Emmie and her Daddy are going on a date. They are going to Disney-On-Ice and did I mention I am excited? Well, that is because I'm not . . . I'm THRILLED, EXHILARATED and generally HAPPY about it. My only worry is that without the picture nazi there, this date won't be digitally recorded. I'll see what I can do so I can post something for posterity (ha, the word "post" is in posterity, I guess that really means I'm doing family history) sake.

A preview of upcoming posts: pictures of parade, disney on ice and Jimmy walking. Stay tuned!

Irish

2010-03-09T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, my Irish blood is calling! I actually LOVE St. Patrick's Day! I love green, I love shamrocks, I love leprechauns and rainbows with pots of gold at the end! I love getting kisses because I am Irish. And, of course, I love the Irish meal for St. Patrick's Day! Corned Beef, Steamed Cabbage, Garlic Potatoes, Dilly Bread, Green Jello (I live in Utah after all) and anything else green that I can think of! But, mostly I just feel kind of lucky because . . .
. . . Spring is in the air!
. . . Jimmy is starting to walk (video to follow)
. . . Emilie is so much fun! She loves to sing and dance and keep us laughing! Her new favorite thing is to be in charge of feeding Coco.
. . . Coco doesn't have to have surgery for her hip displaysia.
. . . Jared has been super busy doing taxes (a good and bad thing).
. . . our car is running.
. . . our house is warm and it's mine. (I'm actually trying a fabric faux finish on one of our walls -- I'm excited!)
. . . I can watch Biggest Loser on hulu
. . . Emmie can watch Beauty and the Beast on Youtube
. . . I finally got a new phone and I am in LOVE with it!
. . . I signed up for another 1/2 Marathon in May and I love training for it. It's nice to have a purpose/direction for all the working out
. . . did I mention Spring is in the air! How 'bout those 50+ days! Heckya!
. . . my family is close (proximity and relationships)
. . . I stay young by being with my young women each week! They're awesome!
. . . I know that I have a Father in Heaven. I find that this knowledge sometimes is just a background to my life because it is so fundamental to who I am that I forget to mention how much it means to me to know who I am and that my Heavenly Father loves me!

Hmm, I'm starting to figure out that this list will go on and on, so I'll end there!

Desperate

2010-03-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so desperate might be a bit strong of a word. But really, can I just say that I HATE LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR! Seriously, the worst and most frustrating experience EVER! Some of you may remember that we thought we were getting another car about a month ago . . . yeah, went to go buy it and he had sold it. Well, this little story keeps going again, and again, and again. It's like a bad record and it won't shut off!

Today's experience really left my blood boiling. So, last night I see a car on KSL, it was the perfect car, perfect miles, perfect price (That should have been my first warning). I called on it and the guy told me a little bit about it, I asked if I could come in to look at it and he said that they were closed for the night. Ok, fair enough, so I asked him what their hours are. And, I told him I would be in the next morning.

This mornings conversation:
Me: "Hi, I just wanted to come and look at a Honda Accord"
Guy: "Yeah, I just sold it."
Me: "Oh really." (Bear in mind, the car was available last night at closing and I am there at 9:05 and they opened at 9:00)
Guy: "Yeah, you should have been here last night, I had like 7 people here looking at it." (Ok, if any of you have dealt with car salesmen, you know that swaggering tone they get in their voices.)
Me: "Oh, I called last night and you said it was available and you said you were closed."
Guy: "Yeah, well. The guy came back and decided to buy it."
Me: "After hours?" (Ok, I don't give attitude that often but I was quite upset. He was being totally arrogant about how cars just sail right off his lot so fast and I was like, GRRR! So I had a bit of tone myself at this point)
Guy: "Well, yeah. But I've got some other cars."
Me: Much to my chagrin, I very politely told him "No thanks" and left, vowing NEVER to even think about giving them my business again. Sneaky, no good, lemon selling car salesman. Ya know, I try to be liberal minded and not heed generalizations but this guy fit the mold!!!!

So, ending this rather embarassing display of anger I would just like to know if any of you know of anyone selling a car. A sedan or compact car, nothing too big or elaborate! Anything to get me away from the car dealerships!

Oh, I almost forgot. When I got there the salesman had just finished talking to yet another disgusted individual who had wanted to buy the Honda Accord. I'm sure he was as angry as I was, and if he hadn't been direct competition for my car-to-be I could have looked at him with a more sympathetic eye.

Uh-Oh

2010-02-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

Videos just add something a little extra to the whole blogging experience. It's so much easier to see personality peek through captured on video vs. picture. So, here is a clip of Jimmy doing some of my favorite things. He has recently learned "Uh-Oh" whenever he drops something and he needs help getting it. And, as promised in his birthday update, Matilda the Gorilla complete with all of his adorable actions. He got a little camera shy and was not as animated as he usually is . . . but it is still so cute!

A couple other things he does:
1. He'll get out his pointer finger and yell "Uhh" (Bed) and point to Coco's bed if she is over by the table when we're eating, which is against the Dowland Doggy rules.
2. He just started saying "Uh-uh" and shaking his head "No" when he doesn't want something.
3. He wags his pointer finger back and forth and says, "Uh-uh-uh" when he knows he's not supposed to be doing something.
4. And my ultimate favorite, if I tell him "No" he just looks at me like, "Please" and then stares me down with a smug little grin on his face (dimples included) until I crack up! It usually doesn't take long. But it just makes me think "Oh brother! Am I in for a ride!"

Volume Size

2010-02-22T13:52:00.000-08:00

Everyone has things that they just can't do. They try their hardest, but it just doesn't come easily to them. ONE of these things happen to be judging volume size when it comes to food. I can't judge very well at how much and how big or small of a container it would fit best into.

I either get them too small . . . and have to use two dishes,

or get too big and have just this little amount in a really big dish/pan.

Of the two, I error on the side of bigger more often just because then I don't have to dirty dishes. But, these things still happen!

And while we're talking about silly things that I do in the kitchen, one of the things that I am constantly doing is trying to work my Bosch without plugging it in. The conversation usually goes like this,
Me: "Hey honey, do you know what the funny thing about this Bosch is?"
Jared: A very disinterested "Huh?"
Me: "It only works if you plug it in."
Jared: After chuckling. "Who would have thought."
Of course, by now Jared is so used to this conversation that he can recite the whole thing by himself. :)

Going Private

2010-02-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Hey Readers,
We're joining the private world. If I don't have your email let me know and I can send you an invite!

-Val

Love Languages

2010-02-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

So, according to Dr. Gary Chapman, there are 5 love languages; Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, and Physical Touch. Might I add another one in my case? FOOD!

My Grandma Cutler always used to say, "If you love 'em, feed 'em." A tradition that has definately carried through. I remember my Mom always offering to make something for friends when they come over and surrounding ANY holiday or celebration there is a list of foods that make it special.

As for me, if I want to tell Jared that I am thinking about him or I love him in a small little way, I'll get up and make him a special breakfast or prepare him a lunch or make little sugary treats. {I actually just checked with him to make sure that these efforts weren't getting lost in translation, and that he knew that when I make food it says, "I love you"}

So, of course for Valentine's day I made my Sweeties a little breakfast and got fun little Valentines to put around the table.

You can go to www.5lovelanguages.com to take a test and see which love language you speak! Or, you might be like me and food is the answer to everything! On top of which, check out my new recipe column. Since cooking is one of my loves I decided to post my success recipes of things I've tried!

My 3 Year Old

2010-02-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

Really, I use this blog more as a journal that I can look back on and my kids can look back on. It's a quick and easy digital scrapbook! So I am glad that you are all included in our life! And today, I get to celebrate my dear Emilie Loto's 3rd birthday! Wait a second . . . did I say 3? Do I really have a 3 year old? I can't believe it! She has grown up but really hasn't changed a bit from the first day she was born.

She still . . . sucks her thumb, plays with hair, works hard to please, loves to cuddle, enjoys music (singing and dancing), loves books, has an amazing imagination, is happy to just chill by herself, loves bathtime, wants to help with EVERYTHING, loves to be with all her family and friends. "Friend" is a recently acquired term that she now uses for everyone.

I took this picture 2 days ago, it is SO Emmie. Thumb in, pink clad, just wanting to go until the party stops, which usually ends up in her sleeping in some pretty odd positions.

If I had one birthday wish for Emmie it would be that she Mommy would be better at living in each moment and stage and being more relaxed about what should be done and go along with what is going on. Sometimes I wish I could start over with her and try harder.

Pecan Logs

2010-02-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ya know sometimes you get that itch to try something you've never done before. Well, so was the case with the Pecan Logs. My Mom LOVES them and I thought it would be really cool to be able to make them for her.

So, my sister and I went over to my friend Verda's house to try them out. (Verda is the sweetest, almost-Grandma-to-me from my old ward, and she happens to be a candy making whiz!) Ok, so Pecan Logs then. They're pretty intense.

You have to make the fondant,

make the caramel, get them to just the right stage (like to the degree, 243 degrees for the caramel)

and then you dip the fondant in the caramel and roll in the nuts . . . piece of cake right?

Oh, and of course you have to have an adorable and eager little helper.

So, notice that there are no "finished results" pictures? Yeah, that is because they turned out to be a melted blobby mess - Truly an embarassment to post. But I'm told they tasted good and really that's all that matters.

Love Story

2010-02-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

I was just looking up random YouTube videos to entertain my sick little Jimmy (he loves music) and I decided to watch the music video for "Love Story" by Taylor Swift.
Confession #1: I LOVE that song!
Confession #2: I really like Taylor Swift
Confession #3: When I saw a link to this video about her talking about Love Story I had to watch it.

Confession #4: I am a hopeless romantic. Just like the girls she talks about in this clip.
Confession #5: I got lucky. My love story is everything that I could ever have dreamed of. I got my prince charming and somehow he adores me. We're living our Happily Ever After right now. True, it is not always happy, but that's what makes it a real love story . . . My real love story with my true love for eternity. I know every once in a while I do these sappy, lovey posts and there is a 98.3% chance that Jared will never read them, but this one's for you Sweetie! You're the best!

Perry

2010-02-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

For the last couple months we have had a fun little addition to our family on Tuesday and Thursdays. Perry James Macfarlane. It took a little getting used to for the kids, all three of them, but I think we're gradually settling into a routine. Perry is quite the little active personality -- unlike my ultra laid back babies. So, it has been good for me to have an active little guy because I'm sure I'll get one like him eventually. :) It has been good for Jimmy too, because it makes him less of a Momma's boy when he has to share.

Here are a couple of pictures I've snapped of him.

In his Bumbo. He loves to be in the mix and part of the action!

Stretching out! It's how he rolls.

With Jimmy . . . they're learning to be good friends as long as it's not naptime!

He makes the goofiest faces sometimes . . . just lucky to catch one of them!

Emmie-isms

2010-01-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

Along with Emmie came a lot of her little sayings that stick. Here are a few:

Willum Sir - What she called her cousin Will
Mimmy - How she pronounced Jimmy
Peep - Ya know, she goes poop or peep
Pot - As in, "Mommy I need to go pot", apparently "pottie" is much too long to say
Pret - Same principle as above, she just took the "Y" off of "pretty"

It's always something new with Em, and she keeps us laughin *most* of the time!

*As a parent I reserve the right of "most". Sometimes she N-O-T, not funny and I am N-O-T, not laughing. :)

One Year

2010-01-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen. On January 12 we celebrated one year of our dear little Jimmy's life. This post is late in coming because I wanted to get his measurements and our Doctor's appointment wasn't until the 20th. He is 21 lbs. 14 oz. and 30 inches long. And get this, the Doctor is worried about him . . . yeah. Our rolly polly son. But not because of his overweight. She's worried that he isn't growing like he should. He was above the charts or in the 90% but now he is in the 25% for both height and weight. Here's a picture of his curve to help illustrate.

He is so fun. Some of our favorite memories of things he does are:

1. His fiesty side. He usually is very calm and tender hearted, but every once in a while he has had it with Emmie's tyranny and strikes back. I usually do nothing to stop it because she deserves it.
1. He has the ultimate best belly laugh. It just shakes his whole body.
1. His dimples - - they melt my heart.
1. His tender heart. One time Perry was here and he started to cry, Jimmy scooted over to him and offered his binky. It was so sweet.
1. His binky plop. Whenever food comes around out comes the binky. Plop!
1. His swimming crawl. It really looks like he is swimming. Right arm up and push through, left arm up and push through.
1. His signing. His two favorite signs are "More" and "Lotion"
1. His singing and actions of "Matilda the Gorilla" (I will make a video and get that on here!)
1. His MAD DANCING SKILLS! Oh yes, I'm serious. As my Dad says, "He's got beat in every cell of his body" Seriously. One of he and Emmie's favorite things to do is have my Dad play "Baby Elephant Walk" and "Spinning Song" and they both go crazy. Sometimes it seems like Jimmy can't make his body go fast enough. I Love it! Again, I'll get a video on here!

Here are some pictures of his birthday party.

WANTED: A Runner

2010-01-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Pristine isn't it? Can you imagine a more ideal setting for running a 1/2 marathon on July 17 from 6-9 a.m. If this is your idea of fun, please let me know! I would love to have a running partner . . . or even someone to meet down there. It's good motivation. I'll be there . . . anyone else up for it?

The Newest Addition/Edition

2010-01-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

I feel like every addition to a family is a whole new edition to your family life. It's a whole updated feel on how life was before. Well, in that case, the Dowland family is on it's fourth edition. (Me, Emilie, Jimmy and [drumroll please] Coco.

I never really felt like I was going to be one of those "dog people". Ha! Well, after a short 6 hours with our new puppy, I am hooked. Coco is a Rottweiler, a beautiful "Rottie", as it were, I've learned that Rottweiler owners affectionately call them "Rotties".

So, the story of Coco is kind of long. We've known it was a possibility for about a month now. Ever since I went to a Presidency Pedicure Christmas Party. One of the Laurel Advisors asked if we knew of anyone that wanted a puppy. I asked what kind. A Rottweiler puppy . . . Ok, back up. Jared and I have had the dog conversation before and whenever it came up I would say that I really, REALLY want a Rottweiler. I think they are SUCH GORGEOUS dogs! So, bearing that in mind. She said it was a Rottweiler and my heart skipped a beat, I really wanted that puppy!

So, I about blew Jared's socks off when I came home that night and asked him if he wanted a puppy, a Rottweiler puppy. After doing some research online and at the library, I felt comfortable having a dog. It also helped that when we went over as a family to meet Coco, Emmie was ecstatic and I could tell Jared was pretty excited too. So we were just left waiting how it would turn out with the previous owner. Long story short, after a month of waiting Coco came to our home today. She is 8 months old now, already house trained and can sit and shake. She is such a chill dog. She just likes to lay around and occasionally sniff around or play with Emmie.

Here are some pictures of my adorable new pup!

Mommy and Coco - - My Dream Dog!

Getting her first dinner at her new home with Jared and Emmie.

Our adorable chill dog!

Kristianna Lee

2010-01-07T14:13:00.001-08:00

Uh-hm. I'm not exactly sure about how to start this post. Speaking about my family members usually does this to me. But, somehow Krissy, Kissy, Kiss-a-lee, has this significant part of my heart right now that is strangely connected to my tear ducts. Most of the times her heartspace just tugs at the corners of my mouth and makes them smile, but right now at the mention of her name my tear ducts go bezerk. I think it is the fact that she has always been there. I can always come home and have a good laugh with her or a good talk. Like this one time when I was giving her dating advice at La Costa (you may well laugh) - - well let's just say it ended up as a good, laughable memory. The thing is I just was not prepared for her call on Sunday night when she said, "Goodbye". That's when this whole tear duct business started.

It's just odd to think of my home without Krissy. While I am so excited that she is going to college at BYU and playing lacrosse there because she was Defensive MVP of Utah along with about 50 million other lacrosse awards. Of which for mentioning she will probably want to kill me. Still, I am excited for her, but sad for me. It's like that Toby Keith song, "I'm not crying because I feel so sorry for you, I'm crying for me" And it's not like she's dead and I'll never see her again (as Jared is constantly reminding me) It's just that she's gone. She's off to adventures and memories that only college can bring. I look forward to hearing all of her crazy stories and hopefully I can share them with someone and embarass her just as she did me. :)

The point is. Krissy is one of the most admirable and amazing people I know. She NEVER, no not even once, have I heard her speak bad about someone. She is intensely loyal and sensitive. She would sacrifice what she wants for others every single day, and she has. It's a hard job to even get her to put herself first and have her tell you want she wants most of the time. She is beautiful and glows with good nature and love. She is HILARIOUS! I swear she could make anyone laugh. Oh man! I love that girl! Thought I'd keep the good times rolling with a couple pictures!

My kids LOVE their Aunt Krissy. They will jump out of my arms to see her!

One of my favorite, and most laughable memories of Krissy. Let's just say that not a year of Gingerbread House making goes by without bringing up Krissy's busty Hulu dancer.

Lacrosse is the perfect example of Krissy's dedication to everything. I'm sure here she thought she made a mistake, which, of course, is impossible being as she was the BEST player on her team and incapable of screwing up.

This picture is so typical of Krissy. Even though it was just a picture I cannot tell you how many times I've seen her juggling kids and doing all sorts of weird stunts to keep them entertained. Small wonder why she is the Favorite Aunt of them all. :)

Ah yes, my Harry Potter pal. [I'm the geeky one with the glasses] Perhaps Krissy was hoping I wouldn't claim her and that she could pass me off as someone she found in the theater and felt bad for. ;)

Christmas Eve, part 1

2010-01-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

I look forward to Christmas Eve every year. Well, I guess most people do. But, Jared's family is either devoid of traditions or my family is over-traditioned. Either way, it makes the times when the Dowlands do have some traditions all the better. Christmas Eve is such a night. We all get together, partially for Christmas and partially for Jared's older brother Clint's birthday. It's so fun! This year Santa came for Emmie and Kenna. They got their traditional ChWe played in the snow and Emmie took a good spill off the sled while being pulled behind Dave's Rhino. It was such a blast!

Emmie and Baby Grayden

Emmie and Kenna on the rocking horse

Out playing in the snow! I didn't get one on the sled -- dangit!

With Santa . . . deciding what she wants.

The start of a snowman. But then the girls lost interest and Jared said the snow wasn't great for snowmen anyway!

Jon Schmidt Concert

2009-12-21T09:51:00.000-08:00

So, many of you reading this may have shared in that sore cheeck feeling on your wedding day. Ya know, you walk out of the temple and from there on out its smiles all day. Through hours of pictures and lines of people at receptions and wedding brunches/dinners. But no matter what you do, even if you tried you couldn't peel that smile off your face, it's just the release of pure bliss within your soul.

With an intro like that, you may be wondering how that pertains to Jon Schmidt. Well, if you've never been to one of his concerts then this would be all so foreign to you, but if you have had that privilege then you know. THEY ARE AMAZING! My parents went last year and insisted on taking all of us this year. Boy am I glad they did! My cheeks were hurting at the end of that blissful three hours, but I couldn't help myself. It made me so happy. It made me wish that Jared and I owned a piano so I could play more. It made me decide that when our kids are struggling with their music lessons they will just come to a fun and amazing concert and they can see how beautiful it is to play, and play well.

PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch this video. Jon Schmidt and Steve Nelson do a duet on a combo of "Love Story" by Taylor Swift and "Viva la Vida" by ColdPlay. Those are good songs anyway, but once you hear this arrangement then you will be smiling too! Merry Christmas! (Already heard it? Listen to it again, it'll only make your day better!) And thanks again for one heck of an experience Mom and Papa!

Fall Photo Shoot

2009-12-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

A little late in coming, but here are some cute pics we shot in November . . . remember those really nice 50 degree weather days? Yeah, and I was thinking, oh it should be snowing! Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Christmas Lights

2009-12-12T08:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas lights are such tempermental and risky things. Tempermental because they work one minute and then if you twist them just so or hold them at the wrong angle they suddenly decide that you are not taking care of them as you should and they turn off and stop working of their own volition.

Such was the case of the Christmas tree. I'm sure you can see where this is going. I tested each strand before putting it on our tree to make sure they worked, but apparently in the process said lights got offended and shut off. So when I went to get the grandiose effect of our tree all lit up after an hour of meticulously wrapping each branch . . . there in the middle of the tree a whole strand was unlit.

The best part is that I showed Jared and told him the story and I had to point out the unlit spot to him so he could see. I don't think I'm going to fix it. If he doesn't notice neither will anyone else, right?

"I'm a Nobody"

2009-12-06T13:37:00.001-08:00

Emmie has a mind like a steel trap. Everyday I am amazed at what she picks up on. Usually her remarks are cause for much laughter due to the fact that she can recite lines from movies or songs and present them with impecable timing. Allow me to illustrate . . .

Emmie had been naughty so I scolded her, and before I even thought about putting her in timeout she ran to her room and shut the door. I go about doing my thing until I hear things hitting the walls and door. I move closer to Emmie's room and as she is throwing a ball around she exclaims "I'm a nobody" -- thud of the ball -- "I'm a nobody" -- thud -- "I'm a nobody" -- thud -- (This line courtesy of Oscar on Sharktale) I busted up laughing, as silently as possible so as not to disturb brooding. It just killed me . . . her dramatic response to this life's injustices and her own insignificance in having her way.

Luckily for me Jared was there to share this story with. He thought it was hilarious, too. And so, we share with you!

All Girl

2009-11-30T07:20:00.000-08:00

Any of you who have spent a decent amount of time around Emmie know that she is 100% pink and frills, princess and twirls ALL GIRL. She loves to dance, dress up, wear make up, get here hair done, admire herself in the mirror, and she insists upon eating on her pink plate . . . even if it is dirty.

I'll admit at times I wonder what in the world I am going to do with her. I don't dance. I didn't start wearing make up until high school -- and even then it was dodgy. Pink didn't enter my wardrobe until I was married. But, all in all. She has been good for me. She brings out my "inner princess" and I have thoroughly enjoyed each little girly stage.