1. having one of my boys fall asleep in my lap...so cozy!
2. the sound of the ocean
3. naps in the afternoon--for me!

1. GIGI! It is her 83rd birthday today and I love her so much. She has overcome so much in the last 7 years--she is a great example to me of unconditional love, perseverance, and patience. I hope I can be just like her. Thank you for everything Gigi!
2. White chocolate raspberry cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory
3. Fun family dinners (Thanks for the great time everyone! Love you!)

1. gerbera daisies
2. tulips
3. the smell of coconut suntan lotion

(I think I am getting spring fever!)

1. 50 cent Mondays at the dollar theater
2. a good therapeudic freak out cry session
3. getting fun packages in the mail

I am blog stalking, but I thought this was a good quote:
LIVE GOOD
BE DARING. expect success. take risks. change the rules. BE CONFIDENT. make a difference. go the distance. BE UNSTOPPABLE. BE PRESENT. create memories. cherish family. make every moment count. give back. be alive. breathe deeply. go out and play. take the scenic route. travel light. enjoy the journey. BE HAPPY. BE CREATIVE. take chances. dive in. see for yourself. BE BRILLIANT. try something new. learn from mistakes. seek knowledge. go places. think different. BE INSPIRED.

bad, bad grrage

So, this is mostly for my memories, so I hope it is not too boring for everyone to read. Anyway...

Liam LOVES the garage. He has since he was about a year and a half old, and "garage" was even one of his first words. This was strange since he only said 7 words at about that time that the garage would facinate him so much to actually say the word. We would walk up and down streets and he would point out the garages on every house. Last week, Justin and Liam were coming into the house from the garage at night and the light was off in the garage. Justin entered the house and unfortunately, the door shut behind him and Liam was left alone in the dark garage for about 5 seconds (the time it took Justin to turn around and open the door back up.) I was at work at this time and later Justin called me to say goodnight. I usually talk to the boys from oldest to youngest and when it was Liam's turn I heard Justin tell Liam to tell me about the garage. Well, that put Liam over the edge and all he did was cry. After a couple minutes, Justin got back on the phone and I asked him what was going on and he relayed the story to me about what had happened. He also said when they got inside the house after the tragedy that he told Liam to tell the garage: "Bad, bad garage." So now when people mention the garage, ours or anyone else's, he will say in his cute voice and his pouty lips "bad, bad, grrage."

1. overcast days after working a night shift
2. BBQ ham stack
3. diet coke

1. Homemade chocolate chip cookies
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. Edward (from the Twilight series)...sorry honey :)

1. BEING DONE WITH NRP! (Although I think I killed my mannequin baby!)
2. Liam's side arm hugs
3. The smell of Herbal Essence shampoo on my boys' hair-they actually smell clean!

1. Toddler nap time
2. sippy cups
3. Nerf guns ( I know this is wierd, but since I am going to be hit by something inevitably in my house, I would like it to be a soft Nerf bullet!)

Help getting dressed

Last night Luke came down with his pajama bottoms that were twisted up (one leg was right side out and one was inside out) and asked Justin if he could put them "inside in".

1. EASTER CANDY! (Especially the mini Cadbury eggs, yum!)
2. Adrianne's cake
3. Anti-gas medicine for after your family eats at Cafe Rio! :)

13 minutes left

I have 13 minutes before this day is officially over to put down my 3 things...

1. Saturdays! (I get to sleep all day because Justin is home!)
2. That tomorrow is Stake Conference ( I know this is bad but I count those as free days so I can sleep all day and don't have to get up to get ready for church.)
3. That all my babies were wanted and somewhat planned.

1. PAYDAY!
2. The boys are off-track.
3. That I tried a new recipe last night and it ROCKED! (I am posting that too!)

Who do YOUR kids look like?

I just found the most fun website...I admit I have spent way too long on it today. It is www.myheritage.com. It is fun...you upload pictures of you and your kids and there is a meter that tells you who they look like more--the mom or the dad. You can even see what celebrity you look like! I have always had a hard time distinguishing who my kids looked like and for good reason! The meter said that Nicholas and Andrew look equally like me and Justin, Luke looked 3% more like me and Liam looked 3% more like Justin. They are just all good blends of both of us!

Gratitude

I remember a few years ago when Oprah had her gratitude journal...you would write down 3 things a day that you were grateful for not repeat any during the year. I am going to try this because sometimes I lose sight of what is really important and always think I need more and more to make me happy...which is sad because I have a lot that makes me happy right in front of me!

In the grand theme of Valentine's day, here are my first, very loving, entries in my gratitude journal:
1. Liam's "wubbe yoos" (love you)
2. hugs from my boys
3. snuggling with Justin

Washboard abs anyone?

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/01/hawaii_chair.php

This is soooo funny. Hope it makes you laugh!

Tagged again!

I hope I can answer these to make them worth reading!

What I was doing 10 years ago...?Ten years ago I was 22, it was almost my first wedding anniversary and Justin and I were living in the University Village. I was just promoted from a teller to a loan officer at Deseret First Credit Union and little did I know that I was cooking a cute little Nicholas in my belly. I remember that this was a really good time in our lives...Justin worked just one block away from me and we would go to lunch every day or at least spend our lunch hour together. We also would go on walks around the beautiful Harvard/Yale area every day from our apartment.
5 things on my To-do list today (tomorrow):1. Try to take a nap after working all night and hope the boys are content playing the X box for a couple hours and Liam won't destroy my house. 2. Go to the grocery store and get ingredients for the dessert I signed up to bring to my charge nurse meeting at 4:30. 3. Put dinner in the crock pot for Justin and the kids. 4. LAUNDRY...it is my nemesis. 5. go to my mom's house after my meeting to pick up the boys and decorate valentine cookies.
3 bad habits I have:1. I have a serious junk food addiction. I have tried to cut down SO many times but I think my insides are made of m & ms and diet coke. 2. I am super stubborn...I love to be right. I like to have things my own way. Is there anything wrong with that? :) 3. I love to internet shop and I probably buy a lot more than I should. I have gotten quite a bit better in the last few months, much to Justin's relief!
Places i have lived: Salt Lake City-my parents home, the Chi Omega house. I then spent a semester in Jerusalem then moved back to Salt Lake-lived in the University Village and then my grandmother's house, then back to the village. We then built a home in Riverton and lived there for about 5 1/2 years and just recently moved to Herriman last July.
Things most people don't know about me(so this is the part that I have a hard time with because my life is basically an open book and I don't have anything really interesting to say!):1. I am incredibly clausterphobic. I cannot have anything on my legs or my arms holding me down. If I feel too inclosed at all, I freak out. Justin learned this the hard way after we were just married and he was joking around and laid on me with a blanket completely enclosing my arms and legs so I couldn't move. I tried to be strong but I ended up crying and he has not done anything like that since then. 2. My favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla. Boring, you say? I have to disagree. Think of all the possibilities that you can do with vanilla ice cream and it is always delicious because it goes with everything. 3. I would love to be a photographer. I love taking pictures and I hope when I just have Liam at home (in just a few short months) I can intern at a studio. I also have 3 AWESOME small business ideas but I just need the funds and the know how to get them off the ground. 4. Just like Mistie, I LOVE baths. I feel that it is my only refuge from my crazy life. I don't take them as often as I would like, but I savor the time that I get to soak! I tag: Matti, Mel, Hillary, Andrea, Steph

I have been tagged!

So I didn't even know this kind of tagging thing existed. My friend Matti (who helps me out a ton with my blog) is quite the blog expert... anyway, she tagged me and I hope my answers are exciting enough for everyone, I lead a very average, boring life...

First, a few questions about me and my husband:

How long have you been together?Well, we have been married for almost 11 years this March. We met in the summer of 1996 and went to a Sting concert in Augustish of that year and were engaged 6 weeks (I know, I know) later. We were engaged for 6 months before getting married.

Who said "I Love You" first? Justin did. I attacked him first at the Sting concert though.

Who is smarter?Odd question. Really, it depends of what area of knowledge we're referring to. I highly doubt Justin could safely deliver a baby. AND, I highly doubt I'd be able to market anything. So, I guess we're even.

Who Pays the Bills?Me.

Who Cooks Dinner? I do the majority of the cooking which I actually love to do now. I have to have a recipe though while Justin is a master at just throwing things together and making it taste good.

Who drives when you're in the car together?Justin.

Who is the most stubborn?Even tie. Enough said.

Who wears the pants in your family?I actually don't know. I feel like it is pretty even--we both discipline the kids and try to work out most issues that come up together.

Okay, now three random things about me:
1. I love to go different places but I HATE the traveling. It puts me in high anxiety mode. I always think that we are going to get in a car accident or our plane is going to crash, it is quite unhealthy I am sure. I have been like this as long as I can remember...going on family trips were stressful for me and I still remember being so relieved to come home and see our house had not burned down.

2. I hate scary movies. I have a very vivid imagination and it runs away with me, especially when I am alone and it is dark. Even Harry Potter books can put me into a frenzy sometimes. I just read the Twilight series and although they were not scary, if I got off early from work, I would book it to my car hoping a vampire wouldn't jump out from under a car.

3. I hate touching raw meat, so much so that it makes me gag. When I told my mom that, she thought it was wierd and told me that I didn't grow up on a farm. I thought she would have known that 32 years ago!

So, that's it. Done with my "tag". Now I get to tag 6 other people. If you've read this, and you see your name at the bottom....get typing!Andrea, Mistie...I don't know anyone else who has a blog, so if you are reading this and have one, feel free to be tagged!comments

What do you do all day?

I found this story on my friend's blog and thought it was cute.

Here is a great story for all you mom's who sometimes get to the end of they day (like me) and say, "what did I do all day? I feel so tired!" What Do You Do All Day? A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappersstrewn all around the front yard. The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to thehouse and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding Into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp hadbeen knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled onthe counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on thefloor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spreadby the back door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out thebathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpastehad been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in thebed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He lookedat her bewildered and asked,"What happened here today?" She again smiled and answered, "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?" "Yes," was his incredulous reply. She answered, "Well, today I didn't do it."

Oh man, do I feel old!

I was in the bathroom today getting ready for work and I heard Luke ask Justin what something was. I heard Justin reply "Oh, geez." He came into the bathroom and had a cassette tape in his hand and told me that Luke asked him what it was. We explained to Luke that WHEN WE WERE LITTLE that cassette tapes were like CD's and we listened to music on them. This is the first time I have felt dated and old...I just remember my parents saying stuff like this and I can't believe those words actually left our mouths! All I need to say now is "when I was your age I walked uphill both ways to school in the snow barefoot..."

Full of fun

I took Luke and Liam to Michael's craft store the other day and since they were so good I told them I would buy them a treat. As Luke was looking through the choices, he chose a packet of Fun Dip and told me that he wanted to get Fun Dip because it was full of fun. How could I resist?

Liam!

Liam is a sweet-tempered, loving, energetic little 2 year old. He loves to climb, run, jump...in other words, keep Justin and me on our toes! He is learning so many new things every day, we are so happy he is learning how to talk more and express his individuality. He has us wrapped around his little finger...he definately gets away with a lot. His favorite things are garages, cars, and Little Einsteins. He knows his colors and we are working on the alphabet and counting. He eats just about anything, except my lasagna...but I guess you can't win every battle. He was not gaining weight for a while so we were seeing a dietician...despite the advice and what we would try, he would not gain weight. He was never on the charts since birth and was hovering in the 3rd percentile. I stopped worrying about it a few months ago and now I can proudly say he is on the charts, finally, at the 5th percentile at a whopping 24 pounds. He loves candy and "coke"...we can still pass this off as rootbeer for now, but he does have sips of mom's diet coke every once in a while. He loves to give kisses and hugs and loves to be held. He is not completely angelic however, he definately knows how to get into trouble! The other day it was a little too quiet while I was getting ready in the morning. I called out-"Hey, Liam, what are you doing?" He replied: "Doin'?" That is never a good sign. He had put Nestle Quik in the flour so everything I made for a while had a sketchy brown tint and a hint of chocolate to it. Needless to say, I baked a lot of cookies for a while! He really is adorable and has the cutest personality...we love him tons and are so happy he is in our family!

Luke!

What can I say more about Luke? He is a sassy, sweet, stubborn 5 year old. I think when they were handing out personality(attitude?) in heaven, he went through the line twice. It also doesn't help that stubbornness is quite dominant in both Justin and I and we must have passed it all onto this cute boy. He is lucky his face is so angelic--he definately works this to his advantage! He just recently lost 2 teeth and it just makes him look adorable. He is a kindergartener at Jordan Ridge and is just learning how to read. His favorite color is blue and he loves trains, play with his brothers and friends, and to dress up. His favorite movie is Star Wars, favorite food is spaghetti, and his favorite thing to do is play the X box. He wanted me to say that he does not like Strawberry Shortcake, the movie. I love to hug this teddy bear boy and just squeeze him. This boy is the reason I have not been able to post pictures on the blog for a while--he dropped my camera on the floor when I walked into the room one day. Not until I took my memory card to the store to print pictures did I realize why he dropped it so fast--he was about to get caught taking naked bum pictures of his brothers. Oh well, boys will be boys. (I did have a talk with all of them about the importance of keeping their privates private! :)) I just love him to death and I hope that he never loses his spark.

Andrew!

Andrew is the sweetest, most sensitive 7 year old you will ever meet. He is always looking out for others and wants to make sure everyone is happy. He is in first grade at Jordan Ridge and is also doing very well. He is reading at a 4th grade level and enjoys reading the Magic Treehouse Series of books. He is doing well with his math facts and he says his favorite part of school is recess! Andrew HATES sushi and marinara sauce--anytime I cook spaghetti for dinner you would think I was committing a crime. He is ALWAYS hungry and in the kitchen, I have now set rules about how late the kitchen is "open". I don't know where he puts all of the food he eats-- We tease him that he must have a hollow leg where he is storing it all. Andrew says his greatest talent is making friends-he is very good at it and loves to play. He also plays violin like his brother and is almost through the first Suzuki book and his favorite sport to play is soccer. His favorite color is green and he is obsessed with Star Wars. He loves to play the X box and his Nintendo DS, go sledding, and be with his brothers. He also has the most infectious laugh, it is wonderful. I love him tons!

Nicholas!

Nicholas is a wonderful 9 year old boy. He is in the 3rd grade at Jordan Ridge Elementary in the ALPS program and is doing very well. He reads at above a sixth grade level and knows his times facts through 12. He is also learning how to write in cursive which freaks me out because I can't believe he is old enough to do this. He loves to play baseball, can't wait to play football, plays his Nintendo DS every chance he can, and loves to play with his friends and brothers. He also plays the violin and is getting pretty good, he is just starting to learn vibrato. His favorite color is red, favorite food is hamburger, favorite movies are Flushed Away, Harry Potter 5, Knight's Tale, and Lord of the Rings. His best friend is Keaton Taylor. His least favorite food is sushi. He is a great leader and makes friends easily. He also has his dad's red personality so he can have a fiery temper as well. He also has a pretty good sense of humor and can be quite sassy, but he is a sweetheart and is a great oldest brother and example to his 3 younger siblings. I love his guts and am so happy that I am his mom!

Counting my blessings!

Today Liam had his six month evaluation for his speech therapy and he is doing awesome. It is hard to believe that six months ago he was only saying 7 words...now he is saying at least 50 spontanously and will repeat almost everything you say, which is a HUGE improvement--but I am glad I said "DARN it!" today when I spilled a box of pencils on the floor and not the alternative!! Oh, and when he tells me my lasagna looks "gross"...that isn't too fun either! :) Even though he is just in therapy for his speech, the test included fine motor skills, gross motor skills, etc. because most of the kids in speech therapy have developmental problems as well. Liam's motor skills are actually above average for his age and he passed all those tests with flying colors. I was, however, reminded as he was performing these various acts of skill that just two weeks after he was born, his neurologist stated after seeing an abnormal MRI that he would be surprised if Liam ever sat up on his own, let alone ever lift up his head. I just looked at my perfect, crazy, beautiful, wonderful 2 year old boy putting puzzles together, stringing beads on a piece of yarn, stacking blocks, running, jumping like a mad man, just being normal... and was overwhelmed with the feeling of gratitude. I feel very blessed with my darling little family.