Happy Easter 2013

We are finally pet parents!! Well to more than beta fish and ants lol.  King J and I picked up a Chinese dwarf hamster on our date Friday night to give to the girls with the Easter bunny stuff.  We do the bunny stuff Saturday morning and save Sunday for the real reason to celebrate, but thought it would be fun to post this video today anyway. 

They are so in love with their new pet, Cookie.  A little frustrated that they can't hold him very much yet.  But in a few days he will be more comfortable and they can hold him all they want.

 It feels really good to finally get them something they have wanted for so long.

 

 

Waning Gibbous

 

So these pictures don't capture the moon that we have had this week AT ALL.

 

We were driving to school earlier this week and princess M yells out, "Look at the full moon!  It is huge and orange!'  We tried for 2 days to get a great picture and this is as good as it got.  Then it turned out really small.  But it person it was HUGE.

 

Last month they both were learning about the moon cycle so every morning I would ask, "so if it was a new moon on Tuesday what does it make it today?"  Princess E promptly yells out "waning gibbous!  It's waxing gibbous before a new moon and waning after!"  To which princess M replied "so what we already learned that we don't have to know it anymore!"  Lol....

 

So glad they are learning something at school that has real life application. :)

'

You say its your birthday.....

I had THE BEST!!! Birthday today!

 

It started off with being able to sleep in because the girls had a furlough day and King J took the day off.  Princess M woke me up to give me my first present of the day.  Some fun pictures of animals she drew.  One was just the outline and she told me I got to color it in all by myself.  But she remembered I told her I would really like her to draw me some.  She is so cute.

 Then I got some cuddle time with King J.  We all got ready and headed out for a full day of fun.

 

We started off going to lunch at the girls very favorite place, Golden Coral.  Then it was a stop at Target for King J and the girls to pick out my presents.  I stopped in next door at Ross and picked out a new maxi dress for myself.

 

Then we were off to the movies.  We saw a fun new movie called the Croods.  Loved it.  When we got back to the car they gave me the presents they chose out at Target.  King J got me a new printer/copier/fax.  LOVE it!  They girls chose out a very pretty necklace to go with my new dress. 

 

Then we were off to the Asian food market to pick up some fun things for Princess E's birthday celebration next week.  I SOO wish it was closer.  They have the biggest selection of produce for the best prices EVER!!

 

After the market, and rush hour traffic we were back home and regrouping.  Princess E was left in charge and King J and I went on a date to my favorite restaurant,  Red Lobster.  When we got back home, both girls were already in bed and I had a sweet note on my pillow from Princess E.

 

It was a FANTASTIC day!  The weather was perfect, I was with my favorite people and everyone was happy and no wining all day.

 

 

 

(the other pictures are of an awesome hand painted Titans car we saw in our travels, an Edible arrangement from my Tennessee family, loved it.  My locket and my free chocolate birthday strawberries from Godiva.)

 

Rosey

 

A few years ago I noticed we had a squirrel that LOVES to sunbathe on our porch railing.  I named it/her Rosey.  She has come back every year.  She is always big and fat so I know it's her.  This year she seems a little more so, so I am pretty sure she is pregnant this time,

 

I love watching her back there.  She always sprawls out and will lay in the sun for hours.  Her tail looks almost like a beaver in this picture.  Sometimes she even dangles her arms and legs over the edges.  I love how comfortable she is and just relaxes in the sun.

 

And the girls don't think we have a pet. :)

Georgia Days

Each year the 2nd graders get to have a fun week where they learn all about the great state we live in.  Among those things they get to sample some of the great foods that are produced here.  I have had the chance to help out each time with both girls.

This year they got to sample, Tomatoes, watermelon, peppermints, apples, apple sauce, peaches, pears, peanuts, pecans, Sunbeam bread, Vidalia onions, Zaxby's chicken, chick fil a lemonaid, coke/sprite, and fruit cake.

Princess M tried it all. 

Birthday Week Begins

I got a fun Birthday surprise this morning when I got a birthday coupon to Godiva Chocolate. 

They were very yummy!  I love birthday week.

Easter FHE

 

 

We were invited, for the 2nd year, to a friends house for a fun Easter Egg Hunt FHE.  Last year we were sweating and wearing shorts.  This year it was 28 degrees and snowing.  Still loads of fun.  Our princess' are getting up there in age though.  Don't know how many more years we will have with these fun events.

 

Great Fun. Great Friends

We had such a fun time, working, playing, working, and playing some more.  I am so grateful to have found great friends again.  Dolf Lundgren was our cheerleader all weekend.    Ow Ow...

Mine Craft

 

 

I've been busy this weekend!  I LOVE how they turned out!  The girls are going to be ecstatic on their birthdays.  I wish I had a better picture of the pink one that wasn't so blurry, but you get the idea.  :)

Origami Owl Designer # 23571

I'm Official!!!  I have been waiting for a month to sign up to be a designer for Origami Owl Living Lockets.  They are the COOLEST thing.  My website is www.nauvooflower.origamiowl.com.  I already am off to an amazing start in my very first day.  My mentor sent me a picture of the top 10 designers in our upline today and I was #7 and she was #9.  Hot dog.  Hope it only gets better.

Girl Time

 

It's time for a fun weekend.  Once a year I get to go on a fun girls retreat to a cabin about 30 minutes north of us called the Scrap Cabin.  It is all set up for scrapbooking.  Complete with a  little store where you can buy supplies and has a cricut machine and a few other fun goodies.  I don't scrap, but I love to craft.

 

This year I plan on making a few quilts as well as a few other projects. 

 It's going to be a great weekend.

Fire Drill

I was sitting in the carpool line today and a weird bell started ringing.  Then kids and teachers started filing out of the school and into the parking lot and field.  There was 10 minutes until the final bell.  I was super impressed with the efficiency and speed they had all those kids out and back in the building in time for them to gather their things and get out of school on time.

Make over

A few weeks ago I realized the girls hadn't played down in their playroom for months.  I also realized our guest bedroom/craft room was over flowing with my stuff.  So I got a bee in my bonnet and decided I was going to move all of my craft/sewing stuff downstairs and to finally give the girls their own rooms.  It was a lot of hard work, but we are all thrilled with the end result.    I'm going to love having a bigger space, and a more organized area.  Now if I can just use it enough to scare the spiders off from living in my stuff. 

Before

 

After

 

Not a huge difference from these pictures, but in person, yeah it's huge.

 



FHE

Working hard on her egg design.

I snapped this right as there was a really loud clash of thunder and flash of lightning.  Her reaction was awesome!

 

 

And here we showcase our favorites!  Who says you can't have fun when there is a raging storm outside that is actually a tornado warning.  Ignorance is bliss. :)

 

Happy St. Patty's day

 

The girls woke up to a fun surprise this morning. 

 

Pinterest helps me be the coolest mom ever!

It's gettin hot in here...

So take off all your fur....(my favorite version of the song sung by king Julian :) 

 

This was the temp as I was out and about today.  I think I'm liking it!

 

 

Origami Owl

Well today is a big day!  I am starting off on a new business adventure.  I am going to be a new Origami Owl living locket designer.  I am SO dang excited and I hope it is just the financial blessing our family has been praying for.

I am having an open house this morning and later tonight.  I hope it goes well.  I have lots of people who have RSVP'd that they were so we shall see.  Anyway, I'm excited!!

Update;  It was a HUGE success.  I have the best friends and family!  So far I have collected almost enough to earn my $400 starter kit for free from the commission I will make off of this party alone.  I am very humbled and grateful.

Happy/Sad

 

I don't think this picture needs any explaining.

 

I went to the store and intended to buy 2 of these chairs thinking they would be around $10 bucks and would get one for each of them for their new 'own" rooms.  Perfect reading chair and a fun pre birthday present.  Well they ended up being $20 so I just got one. 

 

King J immediately thought this was going to be an issue.  But being the penny pincher I  am, I thought I would try to ride out the "you have a futon couch" in your room wagon a little longer if I could.  And see if she would be satisfied.

 

As you can see from this picture, One was extremely happy and the other, well, King J was right and I will be making a trip back to Big Lots really soon. 

I'm a big girl now

 

So we have a toy room in our basement, well we used to.  I got a bee in my bonnet and decided that it had been a few months since the girls had actually played down there so I was going to move all of my craft/sewing stuff out of the spare bedroom and make use of the larger space.  

 (more on that later) 

 

Well along with that we decided that it was time that the girls had their own rooms.  They have always shared.  Mostly due to the fact that Princess M is a fraidy cat.  But she surprised us when we told her.  She was SO excited that she was going to get a couch in her room. (there is a futon for the bottom bunk) 

 

Well tonight we had cleaned out the spare enough for princess E to sleep in there.  We said prayers and they went to their own space.  I went in individually to each of their rooms to give them a kiss.  Princess E said, "I'm a little bit afraid of sleeping by myself even though I am SO excited and have been planning it out for days!"   I bent down and gave her a kiss and said  "it's going to be fine.  You are going to love it!"

 

I then went into see princess M who had been talking to herself the whole time.  As I entered she very enthusiastically said "I'm going to LOVE this.  I can read out loud and no one can get mad at me!  I can do whatever I want because this is my very own room!"

 

Wow, it was quite the change of events.  Princess M is usually the one begging to not be alone.  Hopefully she stays optimistic.  Princess E turns 10 in a few weeks and really deserves to have her own space.  I love these 2 little ladies.

30 things - 8

What are 5 passions you have?

Hmm this is a tough one.  Passions....? 

Well I am passionate about getting a good deal.  I coupon as much as I can.  I drive out of my way to save a few dollars at the bread store.  I try by things when they are on sale or clearance.  VERY difficult time paying full price for anything.

I am passionate about doing things right the first time.  Or if I have an idea I want it executed right, and I have a very difficult time delegating if I have it all figured out in my mind and I want it done a certain way.  I don't work well in group projects.

I feel very passionate about our kids being out on their own once they reach adulthood.

I am passionate about helping in their classrooms each year.  Only one more year to help in Princess E's class.  That's going to be hard.

Right now I am pretty passionate about keeping this blog. :)

Whew that was hard.  I bet if I asked King J he would have an easier time telling me things.  Too bad he is out helping the missionaries.

Animals in Action

Wild animal safari

The wild animal safari never disappoints. We had such a fun time today.  We lived having a friend come along too.  My favorite had to be the guar.  He was the massive black cow looking thing.  He had the longest curly purple tongue.  So glad we were in the b u s.

Date Night

We havn't always been the most consistent with going on regular date nights.  Mostly because of child care and not neing able to afford a sitter as well as whatever else we plan to do that evening.  Princess E is only a couple of years away from being able to watch other kids so we have begun practicing for short periods here and there.  So far so good.  But we still dont feel she is ready for a trip to the temple or dinner and a movie date length of time.  Well recently we have friends popping out of the woodwork asking us if they can watch our girls so we can go out.  Its been SO nice.  Well today was one of those nights.  As we were getting ready to go, princess E said "oh I need to get the card I made to go along with the ear rings and necklace for sister Tye"  I knew about the jewlery, but not the card.  It was so sweet.  Maybe this is the reason people are begging to watch our sweet chick a dees.

30 things - 7

What is your dream job?  Why?

I have always wanted to be an archeologist.  History of people/things really fascinates me.  How our "stuff" can tell so much about us and how who we are.  I love how they can tell so much about a whole civilization as they unearth city walls, find pots or even toys.  More recent archeology by way of renovating old homes is really cool too.  One of my favorite tv shows is "If walls could talk."  It's a show all about people who buy old run down homes and renovate.  In the process they find things in the home that tell a story about all those who came before.  I love it.

SNOW!!

 

We finally had snow that stuck! 

 

Guess it's time to finally use the sleds we bought 3 years ago after the big ice storm

and we had to use Rubbermaid lids.

 

It's really sad that my kids see this and get excited that school might be closed tomorrow. They have been removed from Utah for too long. They don't remember what real snow looks like.  But they sure do know the routine for "snow" in the South.

Shrinky Dinks

Did I forget to mention that I bribed the girls to bare their testimony's yesterday?? 

 

 

 

 I have tried for months with bribes.  They never took the bait.  Yesterday they did.  It was totally worth it, and they know they are not going to get a reward every time they do it. 

But for now I am good with bribes because it gives them practice getting up and being brave in front of the congregation.

 

Still so proud of them both.  

Testimony

Today was a special day.  Both princess' bore their testimony.  It was the first time for Princess M and the second for Princess E.  We were pretty happy parents.  We have been practicing for months at home in FHE.  Today was the day.  They did so well.

I was sneaky and video taped my skirt. (gotta love camera phones) 

To have them saying it themselves will be priceless someday.

crafty

Now this is her kind of birthday party.  Getting crafty painting what else, a cat.

30 things- 6

Describe your relationship with your spouse.



Almost perfect.

Seriously.  I always believed when I was in my teenage years and wishing I had dates and wishing boys liked me, that all of my waiting wasn't going to be for naught.  That it was almost like the price I had to pay for what was coming.  And it really was.

Everyone always tells you that the first year of marriage is the hardest.  That you both are getting used to each other and it will be rough.  Well when we made it through that first year with zero problems, well marriage problems.  We had plenty of baby problems that year, but as a couple we were solid.  More in love and committed than ever.  It has only grown by leaps and bounds over the years. 

We made a promise to each other before we were married that we would NEVER intentionally hurt each others feelings.  We have kept that promise.  We don't fight.  We quarrel from time to time, but nothing big.  We are almost 11 years in and I can count on one hand the number of big fights we have had. 

We would honestly spend every waking and sleeping moment with each other if we could.  Serious.  We love being in each others company.  Even if one of us is playing a video game and the other is watching a show online in the same room.  We still want to be near each other.  It sounds cliché, but we really are 2 parts of one whole and we feel incomplete when the other isn't there.

There are many scriptures that say that the lord will try our faith, chasten us and give us trials.  But all of them are to help us draw closer to him and to be more like him.  That has been the case in our marriage.  It hasn't all been roses and butterflies.  We have gone through some pretty dark trials as a couple.  BUT, they have made our marriage and our commitment to each other that much stronger and better .  We have been able to witness first hand many miracles and blessings from Heaven.  We have seen the strengths, majesty and the royal birthright that we both poses as we have worked through the challenges and trials that we have been asked to endure.  And we have drawn closer to the Savior in the process which only makes our relationship better and stronger.

I love king J with all of my being and I know he feels the exact same way about me.