Annie and Me

So after over 13 years together (minus the few weeks she was missing when stolen), I finally said goodbye to my car, Annie.

I still remember the day I went and test drove her.  I was 19 years old!  She finished out my last few semesters at college with me, then we lived in Provo and worked.  She patiently waited for me while I went to Korea, and then we hauled dates and friends around.  When Nate came into the picture, we had our first kiss leaned against her back bumper, and she and I spent hours blasting John Mayer while I drove back and forth from West Jordan while Nate and I dated.  She drove me to the temple to marry him, and then she took us on our honeymoon and up to Oregon.  Since then, she's safely taken Nate to work over the years.

So much history with that car!

Luckily she's staying in the family, Nate's sister has her now.  So it'll be nice to still see her on occasion.

Goodbye, Miss Annie.  As cheesy as it is to get attached to a car, I truly loved you like family!

Our last drive together.

Good Life

Life is so great!  I'm really happy right now.  I love my Church calling SO SO much.  I have found amazing friends who mean the world to me.  Nate is legitimately applying for REAL jobs.  My babies are healthy.  My hip is healing.  I am learning how to stress less about my disastrous apartment.  We just paid our LAST tuition payment EVER.  We have not missed one day of scripture reading in 2014 with our family.  My babies are hilarious.  My hubby is hilarious.  Things are going really well!  Not perfect, but really well.  I see the Lord blessing my life daily.

I have been spending more time reading lately.  I always forget how much I adore reading!  I finished "A Return to Virtue" by Elaine Dalton and am now in the middle of "No Doubt About It" by Sheri Dew.  It is wonderful!  I'm not usually a big fan of church books (that sounds bad), but I am really enjoying Sister Dew's writing.  Highly recommend!  I have also been throwing in a few light chick flicks to keep things fun.

Clarence is as such a fun age right now.  Her personality is so awesome.  She is a complete riot.  She is so much like Cameron.  ALWAYS wearing some form of costume or being some kind of character or animal.

Checking In

Just a quick hello.  I am feeling okay.  My shoulder is still a bit more sore than I anticipated.  And since they had to move some nerves around, I lost some feeling along the top of my shoulder, next to the incision. That's fine, you don't "need" to have feeling there to have a functional life. ;)  But it is weird.  My dad says the feeling should come back, so we'll see.  Today Claire and I were sitting on my bed pointing out different colors of things around the room.  She pointed to my scar (which is affectionately named Stella) and said, "Purple."

We are just about ready for Christmas.  Nate is just about done with the semester, which I think has been the toughest one of his entire schooling.  I assumed he'd want to sit around and relax for a few weeks, but no.  He rocks and ended up picking up an extra 16 hours a week at work during the break.  That will be so helpful to us.  He works so hard for us.

I am so excited to give gifts this year.  Nothing is more exciting than thinking of the perfect gift that you know that person will love.  I feel like I have had that "aha" gift moment with my kids, my family members and friends this year.  It is going to be really fun!

I miss running.  :(  There is a group of about 40 of us doing a big Christmas Run this Saturday down Provo Canyon, and I don't know if I'll be able to do it.

Cameron is a brown belt now, have I told you that?  I'm so proud of him.  We also went and watched his dance performance at school this morning.  It was so cute.  It has been a blessing living in such a nice part of Salt Lake City because the schools up here are phenomenal.  A big emphasis is placed on art and music in all of their forms.  I'm grateful Cam has been able to get such a wonderful early education.

That's about it.  Happy Holidays!

2012 Summer Runs

It has been such a fun Summer of 5K races!  I love how my neon run and Dirty dash bibs are colored/beat up!  I was sad that we didn't get bibs for the last race, just cuz I'm a nerd and wanted this picture to look complete! 

I'm hoping to train this fall/winter for some 10K's in the Spring.

Laughing

Nate discovered how to make Claire laugh the other night.  She is sooo ticklish!!  It's the cutest sound in the world.  Once a week while Cam and Sam are at school in the mornings, Staci takes Roo for me.  So this morning I got to enjoy some one-on-one Claire time, which I just love.  I don't get to just sit and enjoy her as much as I'd like.  We used to hang out in the evenings, but now she goes to bed around 6:30 every night. 

We had a really fun Halloween.  Trick or treating was more fun this year than it's ever been with the kids.  We went with Staci, Sam & Emma, and we headed over to 900 South, where the Hale/Yarvard neighborhood is.  The kids were so much fun to watch, Cam was so insanely hyper!!  He could have easily gone for a good 4-5 hours without breaking a sweat!  Roo surprised me with how into it she was this year!  Her cute little voice saying "Thank you" at every house was so sweet!  Emma would try to go into every house, it was funny.  The kids got some awesome candy, that Nate and I are enjoying, ha!  Such a fun, fun night!  I'm already excited for next year.

I have been feeling really, really great lately.  Life is starting to feel "normal" and in-control again after the ups and downs of pregnancy/delivery/newborn-ness/etc.  I'm still really tired every day, but that's not going to change for a long time!!  But I feel in control of my time and my days again.  I can make plans again and accomplish to-do lists and read books and bake.  I'm working out a little now (taking it slow though, this pregnancy really beat me up!).  I have energy again and am enjoying my children every day.  Remember how I whined all summer about not being able to get out with my kids??  I've been making up for it, and it is so much fun!  I just feel so happy.  I thought I'd be a complete nervous wreck during these few months of waiting to hear if Nate got accepted to graduate school.  Everything rides on getting that acceptance letter.  I'm a really anxious person, and this type of thing is exactly what I would be completely stressing and worrying and analyzing and losing sleep over.  But I'm not.  Nothing but peace, patience, hope and faith.  I know the Lord is blessing me right now, and I am very humbled and grateful for that.

And finally, Roo is cute.  That's all.

Fun Day

Today it was raining, so after pre-school, grocery shopping, nap & lunch...we headed over to Discovery Gateway.  The kids have so much fun there.  And it's nice because Cam is old enough that he knows to stay on the main floor, so I don't have to be right at his side all the time.  And Roo is old enough to really enjoy the activities now.  She loaded up her grocery cart at the Market, she drenched herself at the Water Table, and both kids could spend hours playing with the Ball maze.  Both kids came home exhausted & hungry....but so happy.  Mom too!

Roo's appetite has picked up lately, I think she's growing.  She eats everything in sight!  Just a few weeks ago, I couldn't get her to eat anything.  Her newest favorite food is peas.  And pears.  And sandwiches.  She wouldn't touch any of those until a few days ago.  Her red, itchy skin seems to be getting a little better.  Thanks to my sweet friend, Becky's suggestions, we now have a "sodium laureth sulfate FREE home."  Apparently this chemical is in a TON of normal products...shampoos & soaps.  It's really irritating to the skin.  So we've replaced everything in our bathroom and at our sinks with brands that don't have it. 

I have been staying busy with my Relief Society Secretary calling.  Meetings, visits, more meetings, and lots of time on the computer updating information.  The four of us meet each week as a Presidency, and I have come to LOVE these beautiful women so so much.  We have amazing discussions about the Gospel and the women in our ward.  I almost feel like a missionary again because my mind is constantly being focused on how I can love and serve them.  I testify to you all that true happiness comes when we serve others.

L-R: Becca, Melanie, Kari, Millie

Nate has started classes up again for the summer. He's SO ready to be done with classes in December.  I don't even really know what it's like to have a husband who doesn't have homework to do every night... although when he's a teacher, he'll have to grade homework every night!!  We're heading down to Glenwood for Memorial Day weekend and can't wait to go 4-wheeling, fishing, boating, bike riding, running, and relax at the house.  It'll be a much-needed couple of days!!

This is my Fairy Tale

Roo is napping.  Nate took Cam with him to run errands.  This mean Me Time!  I should be productive...go clean the bathroom or put laundry away.  But instead...I'm going to sit here and stuff my face with angel hair pasta (I could eat it every day, I pretty much do), watch Say Yes to the Dress, and ..... well that's it.  What do you do in your rare Me Time moments?

This morning for preschool, I had Cam and Logan go on a "Nature Hunt".  They went around collecting grass and rocks and sticks and pinecones.  Happy boys.  Then I gave them each a treat bag and smiled when Cameron kept giving Allie his M&Ms, even though they are his favorite.  They sat in the Playhouse outside, and she copied his every move.  Something so so special about their relationship.  I make sure they smother each other with kisses and hugs and "I love you's" every day, all day.  It's paying off, I think, because as they both are getting older, they are choosing to love on each other.  I hope it stays just like this for forever.

Nate is off work & school today.  It's a good day.  I needed him around today because I've been feeling blue lately.  Not sure why....just struggling with feeling motivated and excited about my daily routine.

Change is good at fixing that, I think.  We rearranged some more furniture (again!), and I'm starting to feel happy with each room in our house.  My kitchen feels roomier...I have really been focusing on making my kitchen a place that I want to be.  I am learning how to love cooking and find joy in that. 

I loved Elder Uchtdorf's talk on creating our own "happily ever after". 

"Heavenly Father's love for you is so great that He has granted you this earthly life as a precious gift of "once upon a time," complete with your own true story of adventure, trial, and opportunities for greatness, nobility, courage, and love.  And most glorious of all, He offers you a gift beyond price and comprehension.  Heavenly Father offers to you the greatest gift of all - Eternal life - and the opportunity and inifinite blessing of your own "happily ever after.

"Be strong and of good courage.  You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God.  You are princesses, destined to become queens.  Your own wondrous story has already begun.

"I leave you my blessing and give you a promise that as you accept and live the values and principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, you will be prepared to strengthen your home and family, make and keep sacred covenants,and enjoy the blessings of exaltation."

Wow, what beautiful words of hope, peace, love and promise.

Click here to read his entire talk....well worth your time, I promise!

Our May issue of the Ensign arrived last night with all of the talks from April's General Conference.  Two of my favorite moments of the year are when those magazines arrive in my hands.  I can't wait to read and study and feel inspired to change and be better. I love our prophet and apostles.  They are good men who love us and give us divine guidance and council on raising our families and becoming better followers of Christ.

Click here to read the May issue online.

Some Wednesday Thoughts

~ What's up with the snow?
~ I don't have a dryer in my apartment.  So after I wash my load, I get to haul it down 3 flights of stairs, down the sidewalk, and down more stairs to the laundry room.  Then I get to pay 75 cents for 45 minutes of drying time...which half of the time doesn't even work so well.  Then I have to haul the loads back up all of the stairs.  I'm not complaining.  I'm just saying.
~ I didn't know it was humanly possible for so much snot to come out of such a small person.  Roo is a faucet.  Luckily she's still eating/sleeping/acting just fine.
~ I babysat Abby today.  Even though she's 2 now, in my mind I keep expecting her to still be 6 months old, like she was when I started watching her.  She's going to have a little sibling this Fall.  I wish my kids were getting a sibling this Fall.  Once again, not complaining...just saying.
~ Cameron & Abby scribbled crayola all over his cinder block walls.  Getting anything off cinder block is next to impossible because it's such an uneven surface.  Might have to paint over that one.
~ We got Cameron a Razor scooter today.  $5 off craigslist.  I think they're around $40 at Walmart. Can't wait to show it to him...I think we'll wait until it stops snowing in Utah.  He's pretty fast on one already, so I can only imagine what he'll be able to do when he can practice every day.  Those things are fun...maybe Nate & I will get one too...
~ This week I braved the crazy crowds and registered Cameron for Headstart preschool.  We thought we wanted to put him into the one at East High....but after weighing the pros and cons, the free preschool won!  So assuming he gets accepted (it's income-based, so he should!), starting in September he'll go 4 days a week for 3 hours a day...meals included.  Not to mention, it's about a 2 minute walk from our door...as opposed to a 5 minute drive.
~ LOST was a re-run last night.  What's the deal.  We were not happy.
~ My newest favorite show is Castle.  Ever seen it?  Monday nights.  Castle & Beckett are hilarious. I'm usually not a fan of crime-solving shows...but this one cracks me up...and I can never figure out 'whodunnit' until the end.
~ Today both my kids were sitting side-by-side eating crackers.  Their matching left-cheek dimples showed as they chomped away...made me smile.
~ We're kind of leaning towards eastern Tennessee now...perhaps Knoxville (home of Dave Ramsey, might I add).  Less tornados...more mountains.  And closer to the coast.  We'll see.  We've already been in touch with some school districts out there and researched how to get a TN teaching license.  It's not hard.  And it's free.  Right on, Tennessee. 
~ I have been a single mom for the past week.  Nate's finals are killing him.  Roo cries everytime he leaves the house.  And everytime Cam sees him, he says "Are you going to work or school now, Daddy?"  He just automatically assumes that Nate's not sticking around the house anymore.  Lame....but necessary, right?
~ I hate my hair.  I've always hated it, but right now it's at the annoying length...it's not short, but it's not long.  It's at the length where I always chop it off....but I think I'm going to grow it long.  I had it really long right when I left on my mission.  I think I liked it...?? 
~ Cam is wearing swimming shorts and moon boots and his bike helmet....and begging to go outside.  I would, but it's freezing, and I don't even want to imagine what would happen to the snot level on Roo if we went out in that cold.

***
~Okay, so I was a good mom and let the kids loose outside.  (I made him wear pants first!)  It wasn't bad...the snot was containable.  The wagon rides were fun.  The visits with my friends were entertaining.  I should learn to follow my kids more often.
~ Plus...they both rewarded me by eating awesome amounts of their dinner.  I sauteed onion, mushrooms and zucchini.  Ground it up into itty-bitty pieces.  Mixed it into spaghetti sauce.  Roo ate the sauce plain....by the spoons-ful.  Cam ate a huge bowl of sauce-covered pasta as well....he'll eat ANYTHING as long as you feed it to him and pretend each bite is a Thomas train "going to park in the garage."  Seriously.  It's amazing.
~ I think tonight I will park myself in front of the tv with a bag of m&ms and watch Marley & Me.

Roo getting her hair done during breakfast.

Surprise snapshot during Cam's breakfast.

(Both of my boys always look yummy in the morning....but in different ways of course.)

Saturday Morning

Our Saturday at 7:40 am:

Nate:  Out for a run.
Becca: Wishing I had some OJ.
Cam: Wearing Dad's helmet.
Allison: Eating leftover pizza for breakfast.

Happy Saturday!

***

Yesterday we went to visit my college bff, Merilee.  She was babysitting a little boy named Boston, about Cam's age.  His mom came to get him, and he ran and hid behind the wall.

Cam: Boston, your mom is here!  Look!

Boston: No.

Cam: But Boston, she's here, Look, it's your mom!! (excitement in his voice)

Boston: I don't want to see my mom.

Cam: You don't?  But it's your mom!

Boston: I don't like my mom.

Cam: Huh?  No, you should like your mom.

Made my day.

What They Do

This is what my children do when it snows in April:

He hunts for Easter eggs

She didn't dig it

He reads

She reads

She bakes

He helps Mom make bows...while she finds the scissors...

She chills a bit

He finds a hideout

She climbs

Giveaway winner will be announced Wednesday morning at 7 am.  Stay tuned.

In a Funk, Feel like a Punk

Have you seen that commercial about kids eating healthy?  That adorable little boy....  "puts me in a funk, makes me feel like a punk, not a hunk."

I don't feel like I have anything exciting to write about.  We've been in a funk past couple of days.  Weird weather, not feeling 100%, zero motivation to get things done....Nate's been stressed over his 2 mid-terms this week.  Roo has 3 teeth coming in and has pretty much been whining for 5 days straight.  Cam wants to ride his bike so badly that he rides it in tiny circles around the apartment.  C'mon sunny weather....we need you!!!

Allison & I have both been feeling ill the past several days.  Lots of time just snuggling:

***
Cameron is playing Connect Four.  According to him, there are "eleventeen" game pieces.

***
John Mayer is coming to the Usana on August 31.  I think I might cry.  Tickets go on sale in 2 weeks, and we're gonna log on at midnight to get good seats again.  Nate's so sweet....he knows how much I love JM, so he's going to put his June birthday money towards our tickets.  If that's not true love....

***
My squinty-eyed babes.  They get it from me.

Just an Update

I feel like crap today.  I woke up early this morning, all excited to go running, grocery shopping, and spend the entire day outside because it's soooo nice out there!  And BAM, it hit me.  Sick as a dog.  I crawled back in bed for a few hours and let Cam watch Playhouse Disney.  Feeling a little better now.

Then Cam dropped a jar of strawberry jam, and it shattered all over our kitchen floor.  I got to spend forever on my hands & knees sweeping up teeny-tiny glass particles before Roo woke up.  That was fun. 

Church was wonderful yesterday.  It always is.  Every week when I'm in the middle of it, I wonder why we bother....kids all over the place, food and saliva and snot smeared all over my & Nate's clothes, Roo & Cam always decide to be BFFs right during Sacrament Meeting and start squealing and laughing at the top of their loud lungs.  Why can't they do this during the week?  Roo doesn't want to sit still, Cam wants to go potty every 5 minutes, the list goes on and on.  But when I get home, I always feel peaceful and happy.  No matter what.  The talks in Sacrament meeting were amazing (what I heard of them anyway).  In our ward, two couples are assigned to be up at the Primary Children's Medical Center branch.  They spoke yesterday, and I think there wasn't a dry eye in the meeting.  They told amazing stories of children and families who are fighting cancer and other diseases.  They spoke of their faith and willingness to submit to the Lord's will, no matter how difficult.  They said that if Christ were walking the Earth today, He would be at Primary's.  He would be sitting with those children, blessing them, teaching them.  I pray daily for my children's health and safety.  We can't escape heartache and trials in this life....but I pray that my trials don't involve my children being in pain.  I hope it's me over them!  I remember when I was very sick right before/after my mission....My dad was with me for every x-ray, surgery and doctor appt. He kept saying, "I wish it was me."  Now I understand what he meant by that!  I would take ANY ailment from my babies and put it on myself. 

Roo is 14 months today.  She has really seemed to grow up a lot over the past few weeks....must be the walking?  She's saying lots of cutie typical words now.... and she loves loves loves to be outside.  She loves to get dirty and dig around in the grass, woodchips, dirt, etc.  This Spring/Summer is going to be so much fun with my kids.  She also eats up a storm now.  I'm anxious to see how much weight she's gained since her 1 yr appt.  She's also turning into a sassy-pants....knows just what she wants!  Cam likes to bully her....takes her toys out of her hands and she screams....can't even count how many times he has been put in Time-Out for taking stuff from her.  She still worships him though....just like I worshipped my big brothers.  She follows him everywhere and wants nothing more than for him to pay attention to her!  There are rare moments when he'll really play with her (like when he's trying to get out of going to bed...."I wanna play with Rooster!")

(Like her bib, Tristan?  I love Etsy!!)

She's such a goofy girl.  And usually messy-haired and filthy.  Am I a horrible mother?

She totally has a mullet right now.  This is why I usually do something with it!!

Cam also seems to be getting older each day.  Every day when he wakes up, he rattles off his list of friends and asks to go to all of their houses to play.  I know he gets so bored here.  I wish I was one of those moms who could spend hours each day doing educational crafts and activities....but I'm not.  It's been a long Winter for me!!  Cam cracks us up all the time with his smart-aleck comments:
Cam: "Mom, can I have a cookie?"
Dad: "Not right now."
Cam: "I'm asking Mom, not you, Dad!"
Dad: "Go right ahead."
Cam: "Mom, can I have a cookie?"
Mom: "Not right now."
Cam: "Oh....."
I love that he thinks he'll get a different answer out of the other parent.  He tries this little move all the time!  Sorry Cam, mom and dad are on the same team!! 

He is still hooked on his binkies like a drug.  I told him on his 4th Birthday, we're going to tie them to balloons and let them go into the sky.  He's pretty excited about this, actually.  All along, I told myself that on his 4th birthday, I was gonna get rid of his binkies and his diapers.  It's been awesome having him out of diapers sooner than I anticipated.  Hasn't had one accident in over a month now.  He likes to pee standing up now....which is nice, but he thinks it's funny to pee all over the back of the toilet.  It's not funny.  It makes me want to hurl. 

Cam, my other messy kid.

I just figure as long as I show up to Church with them scrubbed and styled....the rest of the week doesn't matter!  Right? 

Sister Shopping

I'm home.  All day.  It's been a busy, busy week.  Nonstop driving, visiting, shopping, laughing, crying, eating, driving some more, eating lots more.....

I went shopping with DeAnn yesterday.  We're really obnoxious when we shop or really do anything together (ie: McDonalds story)....we never cease to make a scene.  And it's never on purpose.  I think we had the poor Old Navy checkout girl broken out in a sweat by the time we were finished with her yesterday.  Nate watched the kids while we went to Down East.  Our plan was to stop at Down East, then head up to Park City so I could get jeans at the Gap outlet.  Have you been to Down East?  Did you know that at the back, there is a shelf behind the clearance rack that is stuffed full of jeans?  All under $20?  Hidden treasure.  Snagged a pair of Lucky jeans for $17.50 and a pair of American Eagle jeans for $12.50.  We were there for over an hour, I think.  I'm sure the sales girl thought we'd never leave.  We finally did.  And I was giddy....got 2 pair jeans and 3 shirts for $60.  We bailed on Park City, went home to "regroup"....and repeated the fun at Old Navy.  Sister Shopping is the best.  I love you DeAnn!  I hope your loot fits in your suitcase.  Still think you should have bought the $7 jeans.....

My plans today include:
Bathing the children....they're sticky and smelly and Roo's hair looks like Vienna's...a rats nest!!
Laundry, laundry, laundry.....
Change bed sheets.
Scrub kitchen floor.
Work on new budget.
Get rid of the piles and piles of clutter that accumlate in every inch of this apartment.  Drives me crazy.
Take the kids outside because it's gorgeous out there.
Try not to eat all the 2 dozen pb/oatmeal/chocolate chip cookies I baked last night.
Do I dare attempt Walmart?  I don't think so.

What's on your to-do list?