Neti Pot

As you may know Sis S and I have colds. Luckily Sis S is not very stuffed up, but I am completely plugged. I can't breathe and sleeping is miserable. Saturday, I wanted to take some cold medicine, but I am still nursing Sis S, only about two times each day, but still I do not take medicine at all while I am nursing or pregnant, I rarely even take Tylenol and Motrin. I told Tubbs that I was just going to cut her off completely and take some medicine. Well, he had heard about something called a Neti Pot on the radio just that day. Lynette had told me about this a while ago and I thought that she was nuts. Nevertheless I went to Wal Greens and bought one. I made Tubbs go first because he is more brave than me. He thought it was great so I tried it. I went from completely stuffed to breathing freely in about 4 minutes!!!! I stayed clear all night and slept deeply for the first time in a week and Sis S does not have the trauma of being weaned before she is ready. I also could taste food again. Here is a link to a video that demonstrates it.

Christmas

This was the best Christmas ever. Santa really came through for the girls. Here is a picture of Sis S on her rocking horse, Beans with her baby and stroller, Sis S's is the same but moving much faster, all three in their robes (there are slippers that match), and Miss M with her pink violin. I am also including a picture of Tubbs holding the violin so everyone can get an idea about the size of this thing. It is a 1/8 size.








We had a such a nice day. We stayed home for most of it and ate lunch/dinner with my parents and my grandma. We got lots of presents there too!!!! Now it is snowing and I am so excited. Matthew does have to go to work tomarrow and I have to go to Orem for milk (if the snow is not too bad), but he will be home all day saturday.

I couldn't believe the wind today. We lost a huge branch out of the tree in our backyard, but the dumb dead one that hangs precariously over our kitchen is still there. I wish that thing would fall, I would really like to redo our kitchen with Allstate paying the bill. I guess if it didn't fall today it is never going to fall.

Santa visit and sledding

We were able to go see Santa a few days ago. Everyone was so excited, well Sis S didn't really care, but if her sisters are doing it she has to also. Miss M asked for a pink violin and Beans asked for a baby and a stroller, which just happens to be the exact presents we bought for them. The Santa wasn't the best, he was not jolly enough for me, but the girls were satisfied and have stopped asking when we were going to see him. I can't wait for tonight when he gets to come to our house, assuming I can get it all cleaned up (he doesn't come to messy houses), I already spent 3 hours cleaning the girls' bedroom.



AFter the snow Tubbs took two of the girls and the dog out for some sledding. We didn't have snow boots that fit Miss M so she had to wear big socks, plastic bags and her rubber boots. She did not complain once, even though her feet were frozen when they got home.

Draper Temple Dedication

The tickets for the Draper temple dedication are available for reservation. Here is a link with all the information and a way to reserve your tickets online.

I got tagged by Stacee and I love this picture. I will let people guess who this is.....



Next I tag... Ann, Emily, and Liz.

God does answers prayers!!!!

I was having a rough morning this morning and said a prayer for some comfort, about 5minutes after I finished a woman walked into my yard. When I went out to meet her I found out she was handing out pamphlets for a Christian church different than mine. My first reaction when this happens is usually to say no thank you, but I had the feeling that this might be the answer to my prayer. We talked for a few minutes about Christ and the wonderful hope that faith in him brings. We ended up sharing a hug before she left and I felt so much better. After going back inside I was so happy that God answer prayers and I learned that he will use anyone who will listen to accomplish this.
This experience stuck with me all day and when I had time in the afternoon to really study the scriptures and ponder what had happened I realized that part of why I was comforted was what this woman was actually doing. The only hope I see for our country to become the great nation it once was is for the people to turn to God and forsake sin and this woman was actively trying to make that happen. What an inspiration and a wake up call this was for me! I will no longer be hesitant about sharing my testimony and I hope that believers in Christ everywhere will begin to share the gospel whenever they have a chance.

A few laughs to brighten your day

I found a great book at the DI the other day. It is called Ten Copycats in a Boat and Other Riddles. I just thought I would share a few of the gems that are in it.
What is the longest word in the world?
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Smiles. There is a mile between the first letter and the last letter.


Why shouldn't you tell secrets on a farm?
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The corn has ears. The potatoes have eyes. And the beanstalk.

Where does Friday come before Thursday?
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In the dictionary.

There are so many more, but I am having a hard time seeing the computer screen through the tears.

New dresses and Tubb's big mouth

I love to sew for my girls. We have a hard time finding dresses that are long enough for Miss M and so I told her that I would take her to pick out material for new dress that I would make. She felt bad that the others were not getting one so we found material for all three of them. I love what they picked out. Miss M and Beans picked thier material and I picked Sis S's to match. They looked so cute and I was so disappointed that Sis S and Beans had to come home sick from church. So here is a picture of their dresses and hopefully I can get them clean for next week.


Our latest exciting news is that I am pregnant. I am due in the middle of June. I wasn't going to tell anyone yet because it is so early, but apparently Tubbs could not keep a secret in the meeting this morning. We found out before conference sunday morning, so needless to say I was not really paying too close attention to at least the morning session. By the way Bugs, I am sorry, I totally lied to you when you aked me about being pregnant a few weeks ago when you came visiting teaching. Your question caught me off guard.

Welcome to the 20th Century

I am finally here (there). I mean in the 20th century. I finally got a dishwasher!!!!! I am washing dishes as I type, it is amazing. Tubbs and I have been going back and forth about one for as long as we have lived in this house. Here is a picture of the blessed thing.

Muppet Treasure

For family movie night this week I let Beans pick a movie from the library. She picked Muppet Treasure Island. I love the Muppets. I was so excited that she picked that. I was really hoping they would like it. Well, they didn't love it, in fact I didn't either. It was so dark and gloomy most of the time. The one great part was the professional pirate song. It was available for posting which makes me happy. My favorite Muppet movie is Muppet Christmas Carol. I put some of those songs on too.

I never thought I would be so happy to change a poopy diaper!! (tear, sniff)

I believe we have reached a new milestone in one of the most highly anticipated goals in motherhood. For the last three days Abby has brought me the bag of baby wipes and begged me until I change her when she poops. This has filled my head with dreams of a potty trianed 14 or 15 month old!!!! I daydream this as I mechanically change the diapers. Stop laughing, I have heard of it happening. Lynette even sent me a link to a website that promises potty training by six months (now that is a lot of pressure). I was diaper free for two months before Lola was born. I said STOP LAUGHING!!!!!

The kitchen table

I found this essay as I was reading about family traditions today. This is one of the things my parents were pretty good at. We always had dinner together no matter what, there was not an option as long as you were in the state. You also had to make conversation at least once or you could not leave, sometimes this was really hard, but I have so many fond memories that somehow include the table. In fact, after the fire, my mom would not settle on any kitchen table except one that looked exactly the same as the old one. It is the only thing that is the same in their house now. What Marianne Jennings describes is what I am trying to create for my family. It may be a little long, but read it, it is worth it.

The story of Cinderella told by Disney is the plan of salvation

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As I was watching Disney's Cinderella for the upteenth time for family movie night I was thinking that there has to be some deeper meaning, some lessons I could teach my daughters besides waiting for their Prince Charming. About half way through the movie I found the hidden message. The story of Cinderella told by Disney is the plan of salvation. Everything is there. Christ, God, Satan, the temple, the celestial kingdom, earthly trials, sin and even repentance. My children might seem a little young to grasp this deeper meaning, but I think Abby was getting it. This shows me that Disney can't be the anti-christ everyone tells me it is.

How young is too young to have your tongue pierced?

Yesterday for family home evening we went on a hike and when we were done we played on the playground in the canyon. Abby fell off of the equipment. She bit her tongue so hard that there is a hole in it. I had to take her to the emergency room so we could figure a way to make it stop bleeding. She is lucky that she only has a few teeth or she would have bitten it off. The doctor suggested we get a pediatric dentist to come in and look at it to see if she needed stitches. They usually stitch when the hole is big enough to put a cheerio through, you could put at least one and half through hers. I did not want them to stitch her up because they would have to put her to sleep to do it. She didn't need to have it stitched up mainly because she would have just chewed off the stitches because she would not understand us telling her not to. We thought about just putting a ring through it because she has already gone through the pain of getting it pierced she might as well get some jewelry out of it. So she is going to have a major scar on her tongue, but the good news is that we don't have to worry about her getting her tongue pierced for real because scar tissue is hard to pierce.

Something to think about

I read something very interesting this morning. Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, identifies the 5 main causes of their decline and fall.

1. the breakdown of the family structure
2. the weakening of a sense of individual responsibility
3. excessive taxes and government control and intervention
4. seeking pleasure that became increasingly hedonistic, violent and immoral
5. the decline of religion

Why can't we wake up and learn from the past!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sister Sue

Today is my baby's birthday. I can't even remember what our family was like without her. It seems as if she has always been here. Abby is my snuggly, huggy, kissy baby. She is very affectionate and loving. She loves her big sisters more than anything. They can make her laugh anytime. They love her too, and try to include her in as much of their playing as they can. Even when she is destructive they sometimes pretend that it was part of the plan all along. She is the first thing asked about by both when they wake up. Abigail loves to tease and to be teased, she loves excitment and thrills. She has taken to the water faster and with more intensity than the other two. She loves to be held and will let you hold her as long as you are willing. Toby is probably her favorite member of the family. I often find her curled up with him or using him as a chair or back rest. Her most recent new skill is spinning with her sisters. She loves to dance and loves music almost as much as Lola does. I am so excited to see her accomplishments and feel so blessed to be able to be the one who gets to witness them. I am lucky to be her mother. Happy birthday baby!!!!

The state fair

We went to the fair on friday. We love the fair and look forward to it all year. It is the one time we can get Lola to be brave enough to touch some animals. Of course our favorite part is the dairy cows. Abby went crazy over the goats though. I guess she doesn't know better yet. I was disappointed to not see any cows from Redmond Farm where we get our milk, that is OK I just pretended that some of the ones that were there were them.
Another favorite part is the kid's farm. The kids get to gather eggs in a chicken coup and feed the chickens corn. They get to milk a cow and do lots of other fun farm stuff. At the end they sell their veggies and wool for a dollar to spend on a treat at the store.

We let them each pick a ride to go on. Mallorie chose the trampolines. I was suprised that she did so well. She even managed to do a back flip once. She was so light that I had to help her bounce almost the whole time.


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Lola wanted to ride on the airplanes (helicopters). She is my play it safe chick. We stayed until after 9:00 pm (I can't remember the last time my kids were out that late). I can't wait for next year. Next year Mallorie wants to enter something, I may make this a family goal for each of us.

The state fair

Painting

We finally took some time and put a primer coat of paint on our playhouse. Matthew took Lola and Mallorie for help. Lola would dip her paintbrush into the paint all the way up to and sometimes beyond her wrists. They were messy, but had a good time. Hopefully it will not take so long for us to get motivated to finish the next step (cutting the windows). We started this playhouse when I was pregnant with Lola. We are debating what color to paint it. Mallorie's vote is blue (of course), Lola's is purple (of course), Matthew's vote is camo, and I have no opinion (except not camo).

The Simple Truths of Service

Last night and this morning I have been reading up on the new Ben Stiller movie Tropic Thunder. I didn't believe that what I was hearing about it was true or that it was such a big deal. Well I have been wrong and was so touched by many of the things that I read, but this in particular brought me to tears. I just can't believe that this movie is what passes for entertainment now.

Not even at $10 per gallon?!?!?!

This video is an exchange between the Republican Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell and Democrat from Colorado, Ken Salazar. It shows me that the Dems are not open to considering all options. I don't believe that domestic drilling will solve our gas crisis, but it should at least be an option. I am all for alternative fuels and coserving, but gasoline is never going to be obsolete. I watched this and just shook my head!!!

My picks

I found a way to easily post my favorite books and stuff from Amazon. Someday when I have more time to think this will also work as a wish list for Matthew, making gift buying easier!!!

Les Miserables update

The most frustrating thing just happened. I was reading along in my Les Mis book and a sentence that was on two pages didn't make and sense at all. On examination, I discovered that 70 pages have been left out of my book!!!! And that 93 pages have been printed twice. The Tooele library has one copy and it is checked out (it is the abridged version anyway). The full text is available online and I tried to read it, but our computer chair is not very comfortable. I am really bummed. If anyone has a copy that they would let me borrow for the 70 pages I would appreciate it.

The best new game

My girls just came up with the best game. They are the mommies and I am the daughter. It is bed time and I have to pretend to be asleep while they cover me with blankets, read stories to me, and sing to me. I told them we should play this every day. I was forced to lay down with my eyes closed for twenty minutes!!!!

I got to climb again!!!!

I know this might be silly, but I think it is unfair for Matthew to leave me home for three days and two nights while he is off doing everything I love to do: camping, hiking, climbing. I just had to have a little fun. I could not pass this opportunity up (I am done with the whining now).

So this morning the girls and I snaked in on some of the Varsity Scout's climbing time. I love to rock climb and I have very little opportunity to go because I always have these children around (fast running water and unsupervised little ones is never a good combination). This was perfect. The scouts enjoyed playing with Mallorie and Lola because almost everything they say is so funny to those boys, I don't know why. Also we have not had a harness that would fit me (thank you very much three pregnancies), but it just so happens that most of our harnesses fit me now (thank you very much a little bit of exercise and not so much pigging out). I was scared today, almost like I was the first time. Once I got started it all came back to me and I was again amazed at what my body is capable of doing as long as I don't let my mind interfere. I am feeling it tonight though. It surprises me every time I go how much you use your hands for this and how weak mine are, they ache.

Mallorie took a turn and climbed higher than I have ever seen her go and would have continued on, but I was afraid she wouldn't be able to get back down. That girl is deceptively strong and flexible (and not to mention daring). Lola tried, but it is still very scary for her (she is a very cautious child, I am thankful for that, because neither of her sisters are). The harness did not fit Abby so she was left out of the fun, next year will be her year. Another good thing we found out is that the smallest climbing shoes we can buy are one size bigger than what Mallorie wears, I am guessing this is what she will be getting for her birthday.

Sorry no pictures. Climbing pictures are very unflattering anyway; just a bottom shot from down below with that silly looking harness on and no one wants to see that!

New Swing

We put a new swing in a tree in our back yard. The girls loved it. They didn't want to come inside. We were going to make it into a tire swing, but they like the seat better.
Mallorie was so high it made me nervous, but she didn't even care.

I thought that Lola would hate it. She is not the most adventurous two year old.

Even Matthew had a good time. Notice how he let my grass die. He didn't water it while we were gone to Yellowstone. It came back some, but I think we have to wait for the weather to cool down a little before I get my lawn back. Most of it is still good and we still play on it, still he is not forgiven, yet!!!

two articles

Here are links to two articles I recently read. The first is written by Frederic Bastiat and is called What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen (click on the nubmer 1 in the table of contents). Bastiat is a mid-nineteenth century economist. I found it very relevant to what is happening in our country today.

The second is written by John Taylor Gatto. He is a teacher in the New York public schools and has won their Teacher Of The Year award several times. This speach was given on the occassion of him being named teacher of the year in 1990. I heard him give this speach in Salt Lake City about two years ago and decided to read it again. It is called The Seven Lesson School Teacher.

I enjoyed both of them and thought others might as well.

To judge or not to judge

I was reading in the New Testament today and want to see what you think about this. I hear people quote part of this scripture all the time and I think they are using it wrong.
Luke 7:37 "Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven:"
I hear people all the time say that we should not judge, but I think that we should. If we didn't judge then why would we not invite child molesters to our homes. I think that it really is a bad thing if we are not judged by God. I think we want to be judged because that is the only way we can be declared clean and enter into his rest. We just don't want this to happen until we are washed clean through the blood of Christ.
If you use the cross reference in the footnotes you look up Moroni 7:18 "And now my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged."
This makes more sense to me because we have to make judgements all the time. God does excommunicate people from the church for sin, but requires repentance and a long probation before it is behind them. Just like everything else from God we should also apply this to our lives. To me this means if we judge the way God judges (applying justice and mercy) then we are right, but if we make judgements any other way he will no longer judge us mercifully as he has promised.
Tell me your thoughts.

What a week!!!

We have had such a busy week. We went to Lagoon on Saturday and then left really early to get to Yellowstone before church started at 4:30pm. We spent monday and tuesday cruising around the park looking at the wierdest stuff (God is so amazing) and had to come home early because Abby was unhappy about not being able to crawl around at all for 5 days. We drove home through Jackson Hole, WY. We left our camp at 9:30 AM and didn't pull into our driveway until 10:15 PM. Yes that is almost THIRTEEN hours of driving in one day, NEVER AGAIN!!!! We had so much fun. I guess that the biggest thing to come out of this trip is that Lola is not wearing diapers anymore. She announced the day before we left that she no longer needed a diaper and would be wearing panties from now on and has had about two accidents (one during the 13 hour drive). I guess that it is true that they are ready when they are ready and not until. It is so Lola to wait until the day before a vacation to make a major change. I didn't think she could do it, but she proved me wrong (she likes doing that).

Also Heather sent me an email with this video and I just wanted to make sure that every one got to see it. Thanks Heather.

While there we also found this lovely little website. Bugs you be waiting for the Chuck Norris one for your birthday.

Camping

This weekend we did a trial run of all our new car camping equipment. We are going to Yellowstone next week and have bought a lot of new supplies. We tested them out and it was a good thing, there are some things that we are still missing. We have never done much car camping, we have always gone backpacking so this will be a new adventure for us. We had a good time and had a great spot. The small creek was running really fast right behind us so we got to fall asleep to the sound of running water. I was surprised at how well the girls slept. I thought they would have more trouble. We only stayed one night and came home early so we could be sure to make it to the ward birthday party and now we can't wait for next week.

Mallorie and Lola loved "their bedroom". We have two tents that zip together.

We had bacon and eggs for breakfast.

This is Abby trying to escape from the tent. The only place she could be set down was in the tent because she was very facinated by the campfire and I have a thing about her not falling into the fire pit, especially when there is a fire in it.

Most of my parents photographs were destroyed in their house fire last year. Some were salvagable, but they smell too bad to keep. I have spent a lot of time looking through other family members' photos for ones of us for my mom and through the stinky ones. The ones that I found I scanned into the computer this week and I am now using Shutterfly to make a photo book for her. Here are a few of the gems I found.




I love that red couch, it is one of my earliest memories!!


Here is me about 3 years old.


Here is our family



My brother was a really cute little kid!

Disney Princesses evil?

I found this article and I am posting it for all to read. I got a kick out of it and I knew that Ann would too. I have put a moritorium on Disney Princess purchases at our house a while ago because they seemed to have become an obsession with my girls. My feelings on this are neutral. I am just helping people be informed about our children's toys. WARNING: This website is very liberal, in fact they describe themselves as "the flagship of the left." I read there every now and again for entertainment, most of what I find there I just laugh at.

Little Girl Blue

Miss M has a blue marker that is her favorite and has had for a while now. Some times she forgets to put the lid back on and leaves it out. Sis S gets a hold of it and turns herself blue, usually this irritates me, until about a week ago. I fed her, she got the marker, I cleaned her up, and Tubbs came home all within about 20 minutes. Matthew was playing with her and she spit up, like normal, except it was blue. He freaked out a little bit. I was laughing at him so much that I couldn't tell him what happened. Well, she got it again today. I laughed again thinking about the blue spit up.

Cake decorating contest

This weekend Mallorie and Lola participated in a cake decorating contest by The Purple Cow (the new book store in town). The contest had them decorate a cake like their favorite book, Mallorie chose "The Sneetches" and Lola wanted the pale green pants from "What was I afraid of". Here are some pictures of thier cakes.

Concert in the park

The friday night concerts on the park started again last night. It was cold but we took a blanket and had a good time. The music was by an inspirational band called Joshua Creek. It was guitar and I loved it.

Havard Commencement

I just read the commencement speach given by JK Rowling at Harvard last night and thought she did a pretty good job and some of her ideas are worth listening to. Here is a link where you can listen to, watch, or read her speach.

I especially liked what she had to say about failure:

"Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above rubies."

Like Rowling, I don't remember anything about the commencement speach from college, but I wish I had heard something like this then. Maybe I would have been better prepared for failures I experienced and not have been so devastated by some of them. Certainly I will make sure my children are better prepared for life than I was.

A family bike ride

We went for a family bike ride on saturday. Matthew always has Mallorie attached to his bike, but today Lola wanted her and Abby to be attached to him as well. So, he got to pull everyone and all I had to do was drag myself around. It was fun. Matthew looked like a train going down the road.

Our grass is growing

Last fall we planted some grass seed in our back yard and a few weeks ago we planted some more. The grass is finally starting to grow. In fact it is beautiful. There are a lot of thistles in it, but less now than there was. Here are a few pictures:






Look how thick it is!!! I am so happy!!!

This weekend

We painted our dining room and the girls' bedroom this weekend. Our dining room is a yellow and the girls' room is a a light purple. We will be getting new carpet in the next few weeks. I can't wait for that. Here are some picutures of the Malllorie and Lola hard at work.



















Abby pooped out!!!

Bishop's Chat

After Matthew got home from Bishop's Chat last night he told me about the things they talked about. We discusssed it and we are going to limit who can access our blog or take it off. I don't have very many of your address so please email me or call me and I will add you.

Patio Furniture

This week I was going to buy a patio table and four chairs but the store was sold out of the one I wanted. My husband, who is so much more genius than me, suggested I look at KSL classifieds for a used one. I found something even better. This is what I originally wanted, but all of the ones I like are over $500.00 new. I found this and it was even less than the original table and four chairs, which I was just settling for. Now I just need the other half of my picnic table and wait for the grass to grow in a little better and we will be set.

(sorry about the quality of the picture. The leaves of my trees are just begining to emerge and it is not full yet and made shadows and sun, click on it and it is better)

My new hair cut

I finally got my hair cut yesterday. I was able to donate 13 inches to Locks of Love!!!!!! Then she cut another 2 inches off to shape it. Matthew was really taken back by it at first, he really likes long hair. Mallorie didn't like it, Lola had no opinion, adn Abby was just happy I wasn't gone forever. I am still not sure, I have never had my hair this short. My hair has always been long.

As a Man Thinketh

I just read this book by James Allen and I think everyone should read it. Here is a link so you can download it online and print it out (it is only 19 pages).

http://jamesallen.wwwhubs.com/think.htm (you will have to copy and paste it)

James Allen wrote 19 books in 9 years and he is often quoted in General Conference.
Here is the opening paragraph of the foreword:

"This little volume (the result of meditation and experience) is not intended as an exhaustive treatise on the much-written upon subject of the power of thought. It is suggestive rather than explanatory, its object being to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that - 'They themselves are makers of themselves'"

Here is the last paragraph and invitation from Mr. Allen:

"Tempest-tossed souls, wherever ye may be, under whatsoever conditions ye may live know this - in the ocean of life the isles of Blessedness are smiling, and the sunny shore of your ideal awaits your coming. Keep your hand firmly upon the helm of thought, In the bark of your soul reclines the commanding Master; He does but sleep; wake Him. Self-control is strength; Right Thought is mastery; Calmness is power. Say unto your heart, "peace, be still!"

She has reached a whole new level, literally

Abby pulled herself all the way up all by herself today. This is actually the second time she did it. The first time she pulled herself up on our fireplace and while I went to get the camera she fell and hit her eye. She was not happy and has a little bruise. She's a trooper though and got right back on the horse, so to speak, and tried again at the chair.