I went up the canyon with my boys and family today. We had such a great time. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

The boys found a snake. Here they are trying to catch it.

Thanks to my family for such an amazing day. The only thing missing was my husband. That would have made it a perfect day. It's too bad he was out of town. We will have to do it again before it snows. :)

Top 10 Fun Facts About Me

1. I will consume a whole jar of green olives by myself.
2. If I know you really well and you are one of my good friends, on occasion I will smack you on the butt.
3. When my husband goes out of town I eat...A LOT. I stuff myself with all of those little goodies that I normally avoid.
4. Every once and a while you will see me "bust a move" through the house or office.
5. I love to talk on the phone. 
6. I love to sing in the car...however it is bad.
7. I am in love with...SHOES!!!
8. I am an online shopping addict. The world is a better place when I shop.
9. I love reruns. I will watch the same tv episode or the same movie over and over. My mom once told me after I had seen the movie Selena for about the 100th time, that when you have memorized all of the songs in a movie that just so happen to be in Spanish, you have seen a movie too many times.
10. When I remember things that are embarrassing I start to hum. So if I am sitting there in silence and you start to hear me hum I have just remembered an embarrassing moment.

Mornings are pretty hectic around my house. I spend most of my morning running around trying to get Levi ready for school and getting myself ready for work. I wake up early so that I can be ready before Mason wakes up because once he wakes up I am running around trying to keep him out of the toilet, the bathtub, from playing with my cell phone and calling random people in my contacts, climbing into the kitchen sink and turning on the water, etc, etc.

Unfortunately I had more than usual going on this morning and Mason also decided to wake up early, as you can tell this is always a bad combination. Usually my cute, little, stinker is content to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for a little bit while I finish getting ready. But for some reason lately he insists on having cereal put on the couch for him while he watches in the morning. A habit that my husband is not thrilled about, so this morning I was strong and did not put little dry pieces of Kix or Cheerios on the couch for him. Lest you think I jest about what I normally keep him out of, I am posting pictures as evidence to the kind of independent child I have.

This one is my favorite. I love how his chubby little fingers are shoving the cereal into his mouth. :)

I know that my mom will be laughing as she sees this, because I know her first thought will be that I deserve it after the fights my sister and I would have over clothes in the morning while she was trying to get ready for work.

The funny thing is I was not even angry, I just laughed and immediately started taking pictures of my chunk. It is hard to get mad at such a sweet face any way. :) After all he was just hungry and he did sit contently watching his show and eating his cereal while I continued getting ready. LOL! Oh well this is what you sign up for when you become a mom and honestly I wouldn't change it for the world.

Remembering Grandma

 Sorry for the length of my post and sorry in advance Mom, because I know you will cry when you read this.

Lately I have been thinking about my Grandma Dee. She died about 11 years ago. I think she was one of the sweetest women you would ever have the privilege of meeting. I only have good memories of my Grandma Dee. I remember her making me "popcorn and ba" when I was little. She made the best popcorn. Instead of using just normal salt she used Lawry's seasoning salt and of course the "ba" was a bottle until I grew up. But for some reason we still called it "popcorn and ba" my whole life.

I remember spending the night with her and I got really sick. She gave me some medicine, but I threw it up. Even in the middle of the night she stayed out on the couch with me and called my mom so that I could go home.

I remember the loft she had upstairs where she kept her paints and her sewing machine. I remember sitting upstairs one day watching her paint. She had a window right by where her easel was and I distinctly remember seeing the sun shine in as she painted. I can't remember what she was painting, but I remember her curly hair and the look on her face while she did it. She also had a phone up in her loft area and my sister and I would play with it. I would go upstairs and my sister would stay downstairs on the phone and we would talk to each other. It was far more entertaining than talking to each other face to face. I remember looking at her sewing machine one day and secretly hoping that she would surprise me with a dress that looked just like Lucy's on Charlie Brown. Much to my dismay that never happened.

I remember visiting her at the Goodwill where she worked and anxiously waiting for her to walk down that hallway and punch her time card.

I remember the way her poor arthritic fingers looked and how I would give anything to rub them for her.I also remember how long her finger nails were.

I remember her babysitting me while my mom was at work and she would clean the house for her.

I remember her special nachos. She would take round corn chips and put refried beans and cheese on them, cook them and then top them with tomatoes and lettuce. I think she always put extra salt on them because I distinctly remember the salt on them, and that made them extra yummy. I have always been a salt freak.

I remember how she always had Halls cough drops because she smoked for many years and had Emphysema, which she later died from. I remember my sister and I always begging for one. She would always give them same warning of how nasty they were, but we would insist. Eventually she would give in, hand one over and we would always spit them out after only a minute or so because they were so gross. It made me feel special that even though she knew we would spit them out she still gave them to us.

I remember going to a Kenny G concert with her and my mom. Of course my sister and I slept most of the concert.My mom was so offended that we slept through it after she paid for those tickets. But what did she expect, it was the same music she would put on to help us sleep at night.I remember I had a horrible ear ache when we went that night and Grandma want to the back of the arena and sat with me. I think she felt really special when Kenny G walked by us as he entered for a number. I think that was her blessing for sitting with me.

I remember visiting her int he hospital shortly before she died and listening to her joke about how all she needed was bandaids for a bra because her boobs were so small. Unfortunately I inherited the same problem.

I remember playing with her eyebrow brushes in her bathroom and looking at all of her pictures in her room while she and my mom would talk at her table.

I remember her mouse traps that she had in her house.

I remember how she tried to teach me to play cards, but I always felt guilty because my mom taught me that Mormons didn't play with face cards, lol.

I remember how I cried at her surprise 70th (I think) Birthday Party. My mom and my aunt and been planning it for months. They were able to get almost all of her siblings and many of her nieces and nephews together for a family reunion. We all waited in the garage for my aunt Kelli to bring her over to her house. She was so happy when she got out of that car. Seeing her so happy made me happy. She really deserved that.

Unfortunately I also remember how I cried at her funeral. I remember being able to take home flowers from her funeral. They were peach and there were 7 in a certain bouquet. This was highly significant to me as peach was my favorite color and 7 was my favorite number. I still have them actually and I think of her every time I look at them.

These are just a few of the memories that I have with my beloved Grandma. I have missed her a lot since having my boys and wished they would have had the opportunity to meet her. But when Levi asked me to paint some trains with him on Saturday, I jumped at the opportunity. As I painted with him I remember watching my Grandma paint and it was like I could feel her there with me. I really love my Grandma and miss being able to spend time with her. But hopefully someday we will meet again and have many more memories. I love you Grandma Dee!

Here are some pictures of our painting adventure this weekend.

 This was mine. I do not claim to have inherited my Grandma's ability to paint. :)

 Levi was so proud of his finished product. I love my little man!

Tastey Toes

Any of you out there like the taste of your toes? Disgusting concept I know, but whether I want to admit or not I have apparently come to enjoy the taste of my feet. Yes, over the years my like for them has become less, but every so often I get that craving for a little toe to munch on. Do I try to stop it? Sometimes. Do I regret it after I once again have that all too familiar flavor in my mouth? YES!

It seems like putting my foot in my mouth is an almost daily occurrence. I think I am doing so good, you know thinking before I speak and all. Then I have a moment of relief (and some satisfaction, because it is such a struggle for me) thinking of the disastrous comment I just avoided. But then BAM, like "revenge of the chocolate cake" it hits me. That one comment that came flying out of my mouth before I even had time to realize it. I quite often will put my hand over my mouth to stop any further commentary from myself, but unfortunately my mouth has learned to outwit my hand. It has developed stealth like, ninja moves that it likes to practice on occasion. Then almost immediately thereafter the embarrassment sinks in I realize that, "Oops I did it again"!

My question is, does one ever outgrow this wretched fault? How is it that some just have that natural gift to think things through and know when things should and should not be said? I almost always say the most inappropriate thing at the most inappropriate time. It is this urge to speak that cannot be contained, try as I might, I am compelled to speak. It's like an erupting volcano, the pressure builds and builds until finally it explodes. BAM!, BOOM!, POW!, SPLAT! Those are my words spewing everywhere, however it is in a less glorious and beautiful fashion than that of a volcano.

I think one of the people (fictional) that I relate to the most is Bridgette Jones. I absolutely love that movie and probably watch it 5-10 times a year. I am just like her. Never having the right words to say and always saying the wrong things in the wrong moment.  I think I actually live in a constant state of embarrassment. LOL. One day it probably will just be me and Bridgette Jones, after offending them masses, alone and "being eaten by wild dogs".

I am hoping that one day soon I learn the fine art of diplomacy and discretion. But for the time being if you see me munching on some toes, just do me a favor and pass the salt. :)

Sleeping Through The Night

I hope I am not alone in the struggle in getting your child to sleep through the night. I am torn when I hear that little cry. I always wonder, what if he is hurt or what if he is scared. My husband assures me that he is just crying because he wants me to go in and get him. How can he be so sure? In my heart I am just torn, do I get up and get him or do I just continue to let him cry. Logically I know my husband is right, but emotionally it is rough.

Last night was just such a night. I think I feel more guilty because I am not home with Mason during the day. So when he cries I immediately want to run to his aid and bring him in bed with me, very bad habit, I know. Mason actually did not like to sleep in our bed with us. He has the top sheet fear that Matt does. He tosses and turns all night. I have actually been quite content to let him sleep in his own bed because it spares me the discomfort of sleeping with a little chubby bum in my face. But last week he got sick. He was the sickest I have ever seen. He threw up for four days straight and it was within this space of time that his love for my bed occurred and I enjoyed it. He actually cuddled with me (normally he is not a cuddling type of child) and he decided that he likes to cuddle up next to me in my warm bed. But now the war has been waged. He has decided that sleeping in my bed is far more comfortable than his own. Hence my torn heart. I now have a baby that wants to cuddle with me all of a sudden and here I am letting him scream himself back to sleep in his own bed. What is a mother to do? I so know the answer to this, of course let him cry, it will be better for him in the long run. But ugg, why is it so hard? Plus who would not want this cute little face snuggling up next to them.

I personally think that raising children is far more traumatizing for the mother than the child. We watch our children go through the hurt and the pain of growing up and sometimes we have to step back and just let them. It just pulls at my heart strings. I guess this is my inner battle. Sometimes being the mother I need to be conflicts with the mother that I want to be in the moment. Anyone else with me on that one?

My ultimate goal is to be an involved mother, who teaches her children to know right from wrong. I want to have a relationship with my children where they want to talk to me and where they want to be at home. I just want to create this amazing environment of peace, learning and happiness. I want them to know who God is and that He loves them and that they know about his sacrifice for them. I want them to love God and love their parents. I just have this awesome vision of what I want my family to be and sometimes it is hard to create that while I am work all day.

Ok, there are my feelings for the morning. I am resolved that now that they are out I shall not dwell on them all day. Today I will remember the kiss Levi blew me as he walked up to the door at school and I will remember Mason climbing up on my lap before I went to work and sharing my bagel with me. I have so many good things in my life and today I will be grateful for them and I will be grateful for the ability to recognize the things I need to change and grateful for the strength God can give me to do it.

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! 

Ahhh Sheet!

I know we all have fears, you know, like fear of water, fear of heights or fear of Triscuits (for you Friends fans out there). But I live with a man that has a very strange fear and it is a fear of the top sheet...dun dun dun!

Every night we peacefully go to sleep in our nicely made bed, that I make with precision every morning. This is another confession of my OCDness. The bed has to be made! I cannot leave my house without the bed being made. My whole house can be a mess but if my bed is made somehow I have inner peace.

But something strange happens throughout the course of the night. Apparently my husband feels that the top sheet slowly crawls up his body to strangle him unbeknown to him, because the second he is out the war begins. First it begins with the normal tossing and turning, but then it gets down right ferocious. Somehow by the end of the night the top sheet and ONLY the top sheet is in a very snug little ball at the bottom of the bed, nearly on the floor. All of the other blankets are miraculously in tact, smooth as ever, keeping us warm and cozy.

Now I admit the top sheet can be very intimidating it is always crisp and cool when you get in bed and it can mysteriously sneak its way out of being tucked under your mattress. But I am sure that it means no harm. :)

Here's to my husband and my top sheet, may the two of you find friendship in the very NEAR future.

To Eat or Not to Eat, that is the question

Ok All,
So normally I am a calorie counting, weigh myself two times a day, health food junkie, freak. That's right, there is my confession. I have a job where at sit at my desk almost all day long. Those of you who do the same are ever aware of the pancake butt and thigh feeling. I obsess about this because in the first 2 years at my job I gained 20 pounds. While my mother will always say that I looked great and that I needed to gain those 20 pounds, I was just not comfortable with my wobbley bits.

So after having my 2nd child my obsession began again in full force. I was exercising like crazy, no kidding, running 6 miles a day. I am proud to say that I have lost the baby weight and a little more, yea me! Right? At the present moment I am a moderate exerciser, but as stated above am fanatic about what I eat. I won't bore you with all of the obsessive compulsive details. But the real reason for my post is that for the last two days all I have wanted to do was eat and I mean eat. I am talking pizza, coconut cake, McDonalds french fries, a chocolate shake, little Dove chocolate caramels. The inner chubby girl in me wants to be fed!I think I partly blame this sudden change on "Eat, Pray, Love". Watching her devour all of that yummy food was just too much for my senses. I now need to indulge.

My sister, friend and co-worker, Jessica, is always making fun of  my deranged ways of eating. She periodically will throw food at me and have "feed the skinny girl" day. But she finally understood how I felt when in Eat, Pray, Love she said how much food she ate was proportionate to the amount of self-loathing she did in the shower the next day. Yep, ladies and gents, that is me. Examining my every curve, every indentation where cellulite has decided to reside and every part of stretchy skin that somewhat resembles jello jigglers.

But these last two days have somewhat changed me. I am throwing caution to the wind! I am going to eat! Rejoice inner chubby girl, you shall be fed! Actually I think what I have learned the most is moderation. I don't have to hate myself for eating that large size fry from Mc Donalds. I can be happy eating healthy because I am taking care of my body and I have more energy to devote to those two cute boys of mine. I guess what I am saying is that I can be happy, eating yummy food (the healthy stuff or the junk). It's ok to be a health food junkie and it's ok to eat the junkie food on occasion too! Anyway there is my rant for today and while I might always ask myself, to eat or not to eat, I might be a little more inclined to eat those yummy little pieces of Dove chocolate without hesitation. :)

My First Post On My First Blog

So after checking daily to see what my friends would update their blogs with, I decided to share in the fun. I hope that I have fun and interesting things to contribute. I work full time and some of the stories that go on at work are too great to not share with everyone! I have great friends that keep me laughing, so be prepared for some hilarious stories. I also have the greatest kids ever. My oldest has an imagination that would baffle you. I know that I have so many friends that relate to having to work and then come home and still be a mom. It is a hard thing to accomplish, let alone to do it well. So you will get my honest struggles and hopefully you will have fun laughing at all of the good times and hopefully there will not be too many tears shed over the rough times. :) Well, wish me luck in my blogging endeavors!