Ugh, homework...

Lately, it seems that I have not been doing anything except going to my new job (at a call center), coming home to my two littlest guys, and trying to do homework through the rest of the evening (or at least between all the other mom jobs).

Actually, tonight, as I write this I am actually avoiding doing an assignment for my latest education class...

Ugh, homework...

Then a couple of days ago, as I was catching up some of my blog reading, I read a story that Ashley Sullenger wrote on her blog. Ashley and her husband, Patrick, lost their only child in July, an adorable 16 month old girl, in a accidental drowning. To put it simply, I just do not know how a person can be so strong after going through something like that. To read her post, click here. She is such an inspiration to me, a living breathing example of the grace of God and the power of our Savior.

Before bedtime, take a minute and make sure you tell your little ones how much they mean to you... We do not know how long we have been given these joyous blessings...

20(10) in 2010

There's an old man living in my house now. 

He stands about 6 feet 1 inch tall (on a good day) and has big muscles to lift stuff with. 

He has THE most radiant smile - seriously have you ever seen those chompers! 

He has the deeply gorgeous green eyes that can see through my tough shell and into the soft candy center. 

He is the man of my dreams, the one true human being that can make me laugh even when I really don't want to. 

He makes me want to be a better person, so that I can deserve him! 

MY old man turned 30 a few days ago.

He had a great birthday and two cakes! What luck!

So, To My GEEZER, I love you more with each passing year and hope that this is the best year ever for you! 

With love, Your slightly less-old wifey!

Another one bites the dust...

And another one done, and another one done...

I am done with my finals for my classes!!! So, now I get a few days break before jumping into my final two courses before my Associate Graduation. 

Math was fun, exciting, and easy (do you hear the sarcasm in there?)

It's exciting to think that just 9 more weeks until I officially have my Associate's Degree! Then everything changes. My Bachelor classes will be so different, but I am super excited and ready for the extra challenge! 

A Happer Easty to everybody!

Title note: I used these words to introduce this post because these are the words that greeted me from my hyped up, sugar filled Timo bright and early on Sunday morning!

So, I hope that everyone had as wonderful of a Easter weekend as we did! We were able to make the short jaunt over the Jeremy's brother, Brent's, house in Hailey. And we had a wonderful time with them.

And on top of all that it was Conference Weekend! So, we listened to great messages with great company!

From left to right: 1/2 of Felix (sorry), Jessica, Clive Brent III, Jacob, Eric, Mikey, Noah, Thomas, Timo, and Penny.

We had a blast decorating eggs! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our little candy filled hearts for such warm hospitality from the Hope's! 

Oh, and I can't forget to mention that I have the best husband EVER!!!! He conspired with the Easter Bunny to get me my favorite flower ever ~ the Easter Lily! 

I hope that I can turn my thumb green and keep this beautiful gift alive! I love it! 

A new way of thinking

I realized earlier today that I am not "in it to win it." I love taking pictures, memorializing the daily events of my life, things I love or want to save forever. A picture can capture an entire emotion in one quick flash. 

Some people (and Jeremy) have the ability and patience to look for that perfect shot, attempting time and time again.  And I've always thought that I should try harder to become that type of photo guru. Timing my shots and making sure that the lighting is just right... 

A long time ago, I remember having some OCD-ish habits. I would write and then re-write my homework notes meticulously in notebooks and if I messed up on one line, the entire page would be torn out and I began again. If I couldn't do something perfect then why do it to begin with.

It seems like every time I turn around my life with my boys teaches me something new. My life is not perfect, we struggle with everyday little things, I often burn eggs and have even ruined good pans by burning water. Yes, that's right... after the water evaporates, the pan continues to get hotter and hotter! I eat chocolate chips at odd hours of the day or night, sometimes I even skip lunch and have a delicious donut instead. I am a crazy, not just by a little bit, but certifiably so!

But I know for sure, that through thick and thin, four boys and one big man love me in spite of (if not for) all of that!

So, anyways, in my perfectly un-perfect life why would I want to throw out the out-takes, the everyday out-takes. I think my photo album would be completely bare...

Eric and Timo are spending their spring break mornings at the YMCA learning about swimming safety. Timo would never show up in a stop-motion film, because he simply never stops. This picture is totally blurry, but there above all the blurry motion are two beautiful eyes that I simply adore. Oh, yeah, and the kid behind the eyes isn't too bad, either! 

A quick pic

Okay, so in the last post I left out an important visual. The car...

Isn't it pretty? I love it, love it, love it! 

Finally a new car and a trip away from the house

Well, as my title will surely let you know, we have a new car! Car? Yes, you read right! It's a car! Once upon a time, while driving in downtown Boise in our gas-guzzling Suburban, I noticed a smart looking older Taurus next to me. As I looked closer (okay, stared) I noticed that the two kiddo's in the backseat where facing backwards! There were three rows of seating in this little Taurus car! I had never before even dared to imagine that we would be able to all fit inside a normal sized car again.

Well, this past week, while doing some online car shopping I noticed a Toyota Camry wagon! So, off I ran to the bus to get a better look at this little gem! After a test drive and some paperwork, the car was ours! I scheduled Jeremy to go finish the paperwork in the morning and rode the bus home!

The next day, Jeremy did all of the leg work getting the paperwork finished and signed, getting insurance and all of the other good stuff to go along with a new vehicle! And voila! We are the proud new owners of a 1994 Toyota Camry wagon! So adorable (and way better on the ol' piggy bank, too!)

So, yesterday, we went on a little drive into downtown and stopped at one of my favorite little parks...

I have been attempting to take more photos lately, but Jeremy is the true photographer of our bunch. This is a picture that I captured (and I kinda like it!) 

Uh, oh...

Story of my life, right? 

And in happy news, Timo has graduated from his "Kindergarten Academy" tutoring sessions! Today was his very last day of going to the extra 30 minutes of school each day. We are super proud of our little smartie pants! 

This picture actually looks like he is attempting to show me his ballerina moves, but he was just blocking the sun from his sensitive little eyeballs. We followed up this picture with one in the shade where his eyes are looking perfectly into the camera, but I'm more attached to this one! Too funny! 

Ahh, no more crib...

A couple of weeks ago, something amazing happened in our house. We took apart the baby crib and got it out of the house. For nearly 8 1/2 years we have moved from one place to another, the constant thing in our kids' bedroom was a crib. 

We finally realized that we have no need for a crib anymore, so out it came. 

Hooray!

Now, when we put Mikey to bed, we usually have to chase him down once or twice and put him back into bed, but when he wakes up in the morning he is in a much better mood!!! 

There is nothing better than to watch my boys get bigger and more independent! 

Pens and Pictures

You may ask yourself ~ What do almost 2 year olds get into when they are not napping but their parents are in complete denial about the monster that they are raising? 

Well, no worries everyone! There is no need for experimentation on this one, we have done all the work for you. Two year old monsters (well, 1 month shy of 2 years, at least) get into anything and everything that may be lying around. And our little guy decided that his sweet face was as good of a place as anywhere to create a new type of Jackson Pollock! And he was proud of himself! 

As another interesting topic, I found a photo website just yesterday. The goal is to take a new picture each day for a year and upload it to chronicle your year in photos. Because I'm a sucker for joining groups and lengthening the list of procrastinated items, I became a member. If you wish to view my daily photos, go here! Soon, you may even find a link on my sidebar! Who knows?  

Picture of the Month ~ 2005

Jeremy does these wonderful picture of the week posts, and I just run out of ideas way too quickly to keep up with something like that, so as I have been adding old pictures to my nice new computer and I have been reminiscing about the past few years, I decided this morning that it may be appropriate to implement a new segment to the best is yet to come which I will aptly name the Picture of the Month!

My first segment stems from a Spring Break '05 visit from my sweet cousin, Kristy Jo (aka Jojo). At the time of this visit I had just started working at a new call center and was training in the evening hours. So, Jeremy entertained our Jojo with the help of Eric and Timo, and the camera, of course. 

I love Jeremy's expression in this one! This is the normal look I get when I tell him we are out of Hot Fudge! ;)

A true lady's man

Timo has always been a little flirt. Even from when he was just 2 years old and went to the daycare with me, he was always playing and tagging along with the girls. And he's always picked his favorites. 

(This photo is of Timo and Abrielle from way back  in 2006)

Being in Kindergarten has opened brand new doors for this little flirt! 

My kids have always been intrigued by pretend phones. Most of the time, they just say "Hi!" giggle and then quickly hang up. But last night, I crept up to Timo's bedroom and found him laying in his bed, cuddled up to a baby bear, having a full on conversation on this phone. 

(As Noah was laying next to him and trying desperately to get his attention) Timo: "Can you hang on just a minute? Noah, shhhhh! I'm on the phone, duh!!" (Then back to the phone) "Oh, yeah, that was just my Noni!"

(Silence)

Timo: "Well, what have you been doing today?" (Silence). "I'm excited for Monday, so I can go back to school, too!" 

Then Timo followed Noah's gaze over to the doorway where I was crouched. And Timo casually says into the phone, "Madison, I'll have to call you back! My mommy just came up!" 

Timo is madly in love with a sweet little girl in his class named Madison. And when we ask him why he loves her he says it's because she makes silly faces. 

They are perfect for each other.

My Bret Michaels...

My Mikey is not feeling so swell this week, so in honor of that little snuggie buggie I am making today Mikey Day! 

He is such a little rock n roller!

Thank you, Tax Refund Peoples!

About two months ago, my 2001 Dell Laptop was rendered broken. One day while I was working on my schoolwork, the power cable broke. So, my sweet husband was forced into sharing his computer with the little college nerd and was forced into seeing all of my school work take over his desktop! I was so sad to see my faithful little friend fade and die, but alas... the time has come for me to replace the old with the new. 

Just yesterday, I was finally able to walk into Office Max and pick out my very own, brand new laptop! I was so nervous about this purchase that when the sales-guy came over to help (and make pushy suggestions) I basically refused to talk and made my wonderfully patient husband do all the talking for me.

But after balking over which PC to bring home, I finally went for the less expensive, larger RAMMED Acer. I am so happy about it! Yeah for me! 

Of course, it automatically came with Windows 7 which has some great features that I am enjoying a lot, but one of my favorite non-school related feature is the games! And not just all of the games that it comes with, but Mahjong in particular! I love this game. These adorable little bells ring when you match two tiles and then they are whisked away. I simply love it!

 

A Brand New Blankie!

So, after years and years of old, ripped and torn jeans piling up in a box I finally did what I had long been planning... I made a jean type quilt.

If you can...

name the source for this quote, you will automatically become my top number one fan!!!

I'm not SUPER-stitious, I'm a little stitious...

Simply inspired...

In the hours between boy bedtime and when my wonderful husband gets off of work, I blog search. I do it frequently and with fervor and passion. Most of the time, I see artistic and gorgeous sites, but a few days ago I discovered one blog in particular that has captured my heart.

It is the moving story (and life) of a young LDS mother of four children, who was severely injured in a small plane crash a few years ago. Her name is Stephanie Nielson. Both her and her husband were badly injured, but he was able to pull her out of the wreckage and save her life.

A few months ago, she was on the Oprah show and as she was talking about her slow recovery in the hospital, she said:

"[I was] with somebody who told me that I could choose to live and have a hard life, you know, embarrassing at times and painful. Or, I could just stay there, and there's lots of work I could do there too. But I thought of my children and my husband, and it was easy. An easy choice."

This may seem like a simple quote, but when faced with the possibility of everlasting peace and eternal knowledge she chose to live a much more difficult life surrounding herself with her loving family, showering them with love. She may call that an easy choice, but in those words I am reminded of the amazing spirit that must reside in such a woman and I am simply inspired. 

If you wish to view her blog, I am adding her as a link on my favorite blogs. 

I am thankful!

Do you ever have those days when you are constantly waiting, waiting, waiting for something better to come along and brighten your horizon? Well, every once in a while, I tend to have days where I lose sight of the most important things in life. And in truth, I have an amazing amount to be happy about.

I have four energetic, healthy little boys... who drive me insane! (But also keep me insanely happy). And I am thankful for little taste buds that delight in having self made "Butter Jellies" for dinner...

I am thankful for busy, busy days that lead to peace filled sleepy nights...

I am thankful for the wisdom and blessings that the Book of Mormon brings to me and my family. And I am thankful to four little ears who try so hard to listen patiently...

Mikey, oh, Mikey!

Mikey is now 21 months old!
And as he is creeping up on the scary "terrible two's" I thought it would be nice to check out how beautiful this little boy is.
He doesn't talk much yet, but he knows how to spread his message through grunts. And he has us wrapped around his chubby little fingers, that's for sure.
Mikey is a spunky, naughty, silly, precious little guy and these pictures capture a tiny bit of the sparkle that we see in him.

Bringing back the styles

Many, many years ago (back when leg warmers such as these were still popular) I made a banana-yellow floppy hat. When I showed it to my Grandmother AnnaBelle, she said 8 words that changed my creative world.

"You just have to be different, don't you?"

Now, I almost use this as a personal slogan. I do "just have to be different." I really enjoy not looking exactly like everyone else. I love to use my talents to be creative, even if this creativity makes people look twice at me.

I know that my Heavenly Father helped me to develop my creativity in His presence and I love knowing that this creativity can help to define my Earthly life and enrich the lives around me.

The mama pig and her little piggy

So, yesterday, after watching a Jim Carrey movie (Yes man!) I got a little carried away with some left over scotch tape from Christmas. Then I reined the craziness in ~ at least a little bit ~ and let my piggy side show!

It was love at first site!

A Sun(ny)day

Yesterday, we went to our new ward. This meant waking up at the crack of 8 am, getting everyone up and dressed up, and placing the Sunday roast in the preheating oven.

Jeremy's not-so-subtle hints about roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn being his favorite Sunday dinner finally won me over (again!)

Now, admittedly, in the 9 plus years of marriage I am not known my delicious roast dinners. They usually turn out tough and dry, and on top of that butter has been my natural substitute for gravy. Not delicious!

So, personally I didn't have great expectations out of the roast that was being slowly baked in my oven while I was in church. I was just thankful that the lessons were fulfilling!

When we got home, I checked the roast and to my absolute amazement, it wasn't dry or tough, it was just right. Then I splurged by cooking up some gravy (from a mix, of course). Needless to say, dinner was a pleasant surprise, at least until we found out that the roast was only about half as big as we need! I am in shock at how much the boys eat - and they're not even teenagers yet! We are currently accepting donations of any type to survive their future growing spurts! :0)

All of my boys looked so handsome, so we took a few pictures; after sorting out the outtakes we found one that is decent enough to share!