debsfreckles

Shop Update

2012-01-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Just put some new dresses on Etsy

The purple one sold before I could even post this and will soon be on it's way to Italy. Sigh, I wish I was on my way to Italy.

best birthday party

2012-01-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a girls weekend for me but I decided to show up late for it on Friday because I didn't want to miss Kayleen's surprise 30th birthday party.

The is what the door looked like when you got there.

And they had all of her favorite foods. I didn't get a picture of the soft pretzels, but when I saw them it made me smile. Her friends know her so well (and love her so much, obviously).

Please notice the beef jerky:) I ate half the bowl of Swedish Fish.

The girls hard at work getting everything together. Sarah (who is in the glasses and also one of my favorite instagramers) came all the way from Kansas to surprise her. It was a good surprise.

While all the girls were in the kitchen the men could be found in the Arizona room

I never got a good picture of Kayleen at the party and I wish I had brought my real camera. This is her hugging Sarah.

And as Jaime predicted, she cried.

The best part was the roast. I loved hearing stories about and seeing pictures of Kayleen. It made me love her even more and that was so fun to learn more about her childhood. I decided I want to do that for all my friends that I have now that I didn't know as kids.

She asked

2012-01-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Gracie asked to make valentines cookies and I don't bake, but when she asks it is hard to say no.

So I pulled out our aprons and got to listen to her sing made up songs as we rolled the dough.

I am grateful for moments like these cause they make it easier to bare the times like last night when she argues and whines at everything I say. Everything.

New Year at the cabin

2012-01-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

New Years day we drove out to Phoenix to see my oldest brother be ordained an Elder. I actually didn't see it because Joseph decided to turn into a fog horn so I stepped outside. But it was wonderful to be there. After than we headed up to pine to spend some time with our friends Scott, Lynette, and their baby (and Gracie's new "best friend") Ellie at their families cabin. It was so nice to go and get away. The kids thought it was the best. All the pictures are out of order and I am in no mood to put them in order. Also all of the bright beautiful pictures came from Lynette (thanks).

Looking for even the smallest of snow patches

"William, trust me"

Oooh, it is slippery

The kids loved the stairs like crazy and William kept saying that he wished we had stairs at our house.

french toast for breakfast is tradition for these guys

what is cuter than babies in footie jammies?

William found some snow and wanted to bring it home.

this boy loves being outside

breaking ice

back to the cabin

Scott and Lynette

baby Ellie, look at those big eyes!

This is me trying to convince Joseph to come sit by us to take a picture.

waking up in the morning

breakfast time

We learned on this trip that Gracie thinks "trust me" means "hold my hand". Now we always say trust me when we want the kids to hold our hand. It is too cute. Gracie also put a paper clip in her hair. Can you see it?

Joseph really did love Ellie they just didn't want to take this picture.

she stole everyone's heart

Thanks so much Scott and Lynette!

New Years 2011/2012

2012-01-14T22:57:00.000-07:00

For New Years we were invited to a costume party and I think it was the first costume party I have ever been invited to and I was excited. We were supposed to pick a Broadway musical and there were about 20 I could have picked from that I love, but luckily I waited long enough that a lot were taken and that helped me choose. There is a new musical Bonnie and Clyde and I fell in love with the costumes and after a little google searching I learned a lot about the famous couple and pretty soon google wasn't enough and I found myself reading a book about them.

trying to recreate the iconic Bonnie and Clyde photo.

The story of Bonnie and Clyde is actually a really sad one and for some reason one that holds my attention.

I loved Russ in this outfit. LOVED!

And I kinda liked carrying a gun.

The night was very fun and it was entertaining watching Russ try to describe Moulin Rouge in charades. Not easy to do.

It was a lovely party, lovely evening, and a great way to end the year.

Christmas with the Christensens 2011

2012-01-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

We had Russ' family gathering at our house this year and it was a lot of fun.

Joseph sat on Emmie's lap for a long time.

William could not have been more excited to get MORE presents.

cute little Lilleigh

wearing Emmie's new scarf

Gracie got new clothes from Grandma and was really excited about that.

look how happy Joe is in this picture

Grandma got a Doris Day CD and they gave us tickets to see Wicked. I am really excited about that cause I have never seen it and I heard it is really good.

frog clips for grandpa, frog everything for gandpa

playing with his new puppy

I love the family I married in to and it was such a fun night!

Christmas with the Hustons 2011

2012-01-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

Who is still blogging about Christmas? Oh right, just me. Two more post and then on to New years. Whew. After church on Christmas we headed over to my mom and dads for our Christmas breakfast. It is tradition, every year. It was delicious (I love breakfast food) and then we did a nativity.

Ryan trying to figure out the camera before the kids came out.

Here come Joseph

and sweet Mary

they didn't quite understand where we were telling them to sit. oh well.

The sheperd

The angels

and the wise men on the best looking camel I have every seen.

Russell the camel has 2 humps.

Then there was an addition this year where Elmo comes bearing a stroller for the new born babe.

Then everyone opened some gifts and Gracie got some stickers to use as ear rings.

Connie got the coveted steering wheel cover

Look how pretty they are.

then we all got to watch a movie about Miles. It was Marks gift to Ashley and it was so beautiful. I don't think an eye was dry by the end.

And then Joseph hit Mark in the face with tupperware lids. He really loves Mark. We all loved having them around this holiday and William even told them, "I don't want you guys to go back I want you move back in with us." They really miss their cousin Sam.

January ramblings

2012-01-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a hard day and I am not even sure why.I know it had something to do with the fact that I woke up at 8:00 and we leave the house to take William to school at 8:15 (8:19the very latest) to get him there on time and we did it. Yes me friends we got up, dressed, fed, lunch made and out the door in less than 20 minutes. I should get a medal. But, it also means that a lot of things went undone. Like scriptures and prayers didn't end up hapening until afternoon and I don't like that. It was a whirlwind kind of day and all I wanted to do from 12:00 on was lay down in bed with the covers over my head.

But I didn't. I made dinner (a good one at that) and then went to lay in my bed while my children climbed on me and Russ folded laundry and then we all put it away. William sat down and read Joseph a book and it made me smile, but didn't lift the feeling like I thought it should have. That makes me think that it is pms that is the problem.

I won't know for sure for a week or so. According to my pms tracking app it should be right. The app says that I ovulate every three months. Which is also hard to track or at least it will take a long time to figure out if that is correct or if my body just decided to do it whenever it wants with no schedule at all.

I spent the rest of the evening at a relief society dinner and then came home and took a looooong bath and caught up on some blogs. That was nice. It turns out I don't read books anymore, just blogs.

So I believe I had a hard day because of the above reasons, but also because of the new year. I didn't set a bunch of resolutions, but just try to be better in every aspect of my life and I think I have been over thinking the past few weeks. I wish I could turn off my brain. I feel like I have been so busy, but I can't even remember what I have done in the past week. Hopefully I will wake up feeling refreshed and my head will be clearer.

Dear Joseph

2012-01-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my sweet, cute, fat little boy. I love you so so so much. You bring so much sunshine into our home.

Sometime around December 4th you stated walking and have been making us laugh ever since. Your word "toddle" describes it perfectly but also you sorta resemble a gorilla/Frankenstein. Basically it is awesome.

You are so much fun. You are drinking whole milk and seem to take to it just fine. You drink more and eat solids less and I am trying to get better about that. You love to eat, but if you are in a bad mood you will refuse food which just shows how stubborn you are. You rarely let people who are babysitting you feed you or give you a bottle.

You sleep pretty good at night. Sometimes you wake up or have a hard time going to sleep because William and Gracie are in your room. You are so good about being flexible with your naps. Many times you have to miss one and you are so good about it.

You have learned to wave and say "hi" and it is so cute. Your little fingers bending...man, it kills me every time. If someone says "hi" to you you don't usually say it back. You just do it to people who aren't paying attention to you.

You can say Dada, hi, uh oh, whas daaaa?, dis (this), no no no (sounds more like nah nah nah), papa, and I think you have said Gracie, but I am not sure. You refuse to say mama.

You love sitting in between peoples legs and feeling like you are in an enclosed place. You love love love playing outside. You can go down any slide at the park by yourself without tipping over and you love it.

You love making messes and taking things out of cupboards. I have found a few random items placed lovingly in the kitchen drawers by you. I call you my pack rat sometimes because you love to pack and put things in other things. Like the time you packed your cousins shoe full of rubber chips in my parents back yard. Or putting french fries in a crayon box. If any one item can fit in another item you will put it there.

I can NOT imagine our family without you. I am so glad you are a part of it. I love watching you grow up and getting to know your personality and I am so glad I get to be your mom.

Love,

Mom

Homemade Christmas gifts

2012-01-04T10:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of some home made gifts we gave to Russ' brothers family this year. I got all my ideas from pinterest, but made my own patterns for each of them.

fish

I found the fish in the toy kitchen. William decided to cook them.

The wings I attached to a little sweater and I put fray check on the ruffles. Other than that, it was essentially the same as the online tutorial.

Then Russ cut some blocks that were scrap wood from the play house.

I hope people like getting handmade gifts as much as I love giving them.

Christmas surprise

2012-01-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

Russ isn't a builder, he really hasn't built much. So I suggested that he build a playhouse for the kids for Christmas he was a little skeptical. I showed him the Ana White website where he could get free plans and he decided to give it a go.

He really didn't have a lot of time to work on it because of his work schedule and holiday stuff so I was a little worried that it wouldn't get done. Luckily my mom and dad and brother Mark came out one day to help build or watch the kids so I could paint.

By some miracle it was ready on Christmas eve.

We told the kids that Russ was building a shed for his lawn mower and it was covered by tarps once you could tell what it was so they were not sure what there present was when they opened their eyes.

But they were excited once they figured it out.

Even Joseph was so excited.

It was a lot of work, but so worth it. It will give them a reason to play outside more and I love that. I don't think they play outside enough.

Well done Russ, well done.

Christmas morning 2011

2011-12-30T11:16:00.001-07:00

Early Christmas morning I heard Joseph begin to make noise and woke up Russ telling him that we should get Joseph before he wakes up the other two and get him fed because the kids probably would not want to wait for that. So he and I got up and when Russ went in to get him he had fallen back asleep. So we ate and made sure everything was ready. Next thing I know here come William fully dressed and ready to go. The next couple pictures are hard to see because it is William waking Gracie up in their dark room.

"wake up Gracie, it's Christmas!"

First we had them go outside to "open" the playhouse Russ built for them, but I will do a separate post for that.

Then we had them line up and come in.

I can not describe how happy these pictures make my heart.

Gracie noticed that the cookies were gone.

We let Joseph open his present from Santa first.

Vintage fisher price little people town set.

When Gracie gets excited he clobbers Joseph.

And Santa knew just what Gracie would love.

And William got a real wooden Harry Potter wand! I told him this is his last wand.

William got Gracie a scooter and Joseph was really excited about that.

Connie got Joseph another Pooh Bear just because she knew it would be cute when he opened it. And it was.

Grandma Huston gave our kids their karaoke machine since it didn't get much use there and Gracie asked for a microphone (like at church) for Christmas.

Gracie helped Connie make a Captain America shield for William.

And Connie got Gracie some sleeping beauty figurines.

I made William a solar system duvet cover (he prefers duvets over quilts) and he did really like it, even if her doesn't look like it in this picture.

Joseph got a cash register

Connie got William Harry Potter Uno and he asks me to play it with him multiple times a day.

She also got him a Captain America t shirt

Gracie got the pink gun she asked for

And both of them got 2 "circle spoons" in their stocking so they can stop fighting over the one in our silverware drawer.

Connie printed me some insatgrams and a beautiful picture frame. She also got me water colors that I had actually already gotten myself.

I gave Connie my Rumba because I think it would work better in her apartment.

Connie gave Russ the dvd of Parks and Rec which we are very excited to watch.

I got Connie a very old book called L'histoire de Frances (I think)

Joseph and his new/old record player.

He has got it figured out.

Gracie holding all her barbies at once

Russ and I did the same thing for each other where instead of wrapping our gifts we hid them and then wrapped the instructions on where to find them. He got a new TV which was a huge surprise to him, but I wanted to do something especially nice for him since he got a new job (for me) this year and built (even though he didn't know how) a play house for the kids.

He gift for me is equally as awesome, but it didn't make it onto the camera. He edited and made a book of our blog. Not the whole thing, just the beginning. But it is a start and I love it so much.

After we played around for a bit it was time to get dressed and head to church.

Christmas eve 2011

2011-12-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

On Christmas Eve we ate a yummy mexican dinner and then headed to the Temple lights. Joseph loved them.

Then we came home and got in our jammies.

Joseph loves sitting/standing in between peoples legs. Here he is with Grandpa.

Joseph did not want to take this picture. Also you want to know something funny? Gracie and Joseph are wearing jammies that are the same size. One that I got for William when he was 3. They were tight on Gracie and big on Joseph but seriously!?

They were so happy.

Then we had some hot chocolate.

Then we set out some cookies and the kiddies were off to bed. I wanted them in bed early because I didn't want to be up all night wrapping and getting things ready.

And guess what, I got to bed relatively early. And Santa came.

William woke up once in the night and was very sad when I made him go back t o bed. I woke up three of four times. Partly because i was sick and partly because I was excited.

Next will be pictures of Christmas morning and fair warning, there's a lot of them.

I hope it was peaceful

2011-12-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Christmas is done. I am a bit sad to see it go, but really I am relieved that it is over and that it was successful and magical.

I hope my children caught the true meaning of Christmas and of giving. I know they loved the getting part:) We stayed pretty consistent with our rules. Santa brings one present and they get 3 from us, just like Jesus. This year Gracie and William got each other a present and I loved that.

I got a little sick just before Christmas with a sore throat and cough type stuff, but luckily it wasn't too bad and it is still hanging around but mostly just making me tired. Which I will take, I hate feeling sick. So we have been having some lazy type days of staying in pajamas, doing laundry, and watching movies.

I want to start the New Year right so I have some lists to make and things to get done but hopefully I will be able to keep it simple. Maybe I will even take down the Christmas decorations. Our tree is so dead and it really needs to get out of here. I also need to go through all the pictures on the camera and pick which ones will get loaded on to this here blog. And I should probably shower. So while there isn't that much to do, there is a lot to do at the same time. I am tired and not making sense. So let me say this. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas this year and that you are feeling happy and excited about the year to come. I know I am.

Leaves are falling all over town...

2011-12-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

They had a hard time being patient watching me rake them all up. But in the end they were glad they waited.

Counting down and crossing off

2011-12-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Only 5 more days until Christmas! (the exclamation point is for excitement and disbelief). There is still so much to get done, but we have been steadily crossing things off the list. For example my large yarn wreath.

We were also able to get a decent looking picture using the timer on the camera and Christmas cards are sent out. whew. Today I barely got teachers gifts wrapped in time (meaning no time to take a picture).

Yesterday was Russ' day off and the entire day was devoted to finishing the playhouse that Russ is building for the kids. My brother Mark came and helped and my parents came over and helped watch the kids so we could get it all done. My Dad even did my shopping at Costco for me. Blessing I tell you, all of them. The playhouse is done! It just needs a few finishing touches on the inside. After all the work was done yesterday we went with some more of my siblings to see Mission Impossible at the IMAX with the biggest screen so we could see the 6 minute trailer for Dark Knight Rises. The trailer and the movie were good.

There is still so much to do, but I am confident it will all get done without things getting too crazy. I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and that things aren't too crazy.

I think I am going to let myself lay down and relax for awhile today cause I am really tired.

Dear Gracie

2011-12-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

I don't know where to start so I will just dive right in. You are so much fun. You love to talk and most of the time you don't have anything to say or can't think if anything so you say complete nonsense. You will say sentences of half words and then fill in the rest with "da-na-na-na-nuh". It cracks me up.

(below photos from Oct 2011 wearing her Tinkerbell costume to dance)

you went through a phase where every time we went anywhere you wanted to put makeup on and wear a head band and necklace. You still want to look nice, but aren't as adamant about those few things.

You love to go and hang out in Josephs crib with him when he wakes up from a nap. You guys will play in there for quite awhile.

You also sing all the time and REALLY loud. You love to sing and talk in microphones, in fact that is what you want from Santa for Christmas.

(below pics from November 2011 her Joy school feast)

You love preschool and your favorite is when we do calendar and the pledge. You also love playing with friends. You are not the type of person to be really friendly right off the bat. You take time to get to know people and once you know them and they know you, you love them.

You love to play pretend and sometimes you want to pretend real life. Like the time you came up to me and said, "pretend that you are my mom and pretend I am a little girl." No problem, Gracie :). You love playing pretend with your brothers.

(below pics from Dec 2011, decorating herself)

You had a dance recital recently and you have been listening to the cd of all the songs from the recital and dance to it all day long. You are getting so good at dancing and you really love it.

You love reading books. When ever I offer to read you a book you go and grab a stack of 10. You also like to read books to Joseph.

You still like being messy and playing in sand, dirt, and mud. You also love to help me cook.

(below pics pretending she is Jovie from Elf singer in the shower)

Sometimes you can be very sassy and it is hard for you to stop whining. This is something we are trying to work on. It is really bad when you are tired.

You love to watch movies and ask to watch them all day long even though you know you can only watch one.

Your best friend is Connie. You got to sleep at her house and you loved it so much.

You saw Captain America and ever since you have been obsessed with being "tough". You are always telling me how tough you are and showing me how tough you are. It cracks me up. And you will salute me, which is awesome.

You love color pretty pictures and they are so pretty to me.

You fill our home with music, beauty, and dancing and I love it. You can be super independent and that can be challenging, but it is a trait that I know will make your life better. I think you are so beautiful and

wonderful and I love you so much.

Love,

Mom

how lovely are thy branches

2011-12-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

We got a real tree at costco again and love it. They have really great trees. I let the kids decorate and I have not moved any of the decorations since so the top is pretty bare, but I found another box of ornaments so I will get out some tall stools and let them decorate the top.

The kids think it is magic and by some miracle, Joseph leaves it alone! If he does touch it he does it very gently. Christmas is coming and I love it. Today I am heading to my moms with Connie and the kids to get some Christmas crafting done. I always get so much done at her house.

Dear William

2011-12-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to write a letter to you for awhile. I don't have a lot of pictures of you cause you don't usually like me to take your picture. But you know I do anyway. After we decorated our blue tree you decided it needed a star and without me knowing it you took off to the office to make one.

You folded to pieces of paper into triangles and then taped them together. Then you cut out more triangles and glues them on.

Then we covered it in glitter. It turned out so great and this made me happy because this is the first time you have made something on your own. You draw pictures all the time, but this is your first time creating something out of something else.

You have been growing up so fast lately. You read tons of stuff, you are flying through math facts, and you are just starting to understand things in a more mature way now.

You love to make people laugh and be funny. You have what I like to call little-boy-humor that you have perfected since you have been in school. It mainly consists of making gross or loud noises and then laughing about it...a lot...loudly.

But you are also kind and good. You love to play with your brother and sister. You love when Joseph walks to you and he loves it too. You and Joseph play with each other in the car and I love hearing both of your laughs coming from the backseat.

A few weeks ago when I was picking you up from school your teacher came up to me and told me that the was a boy who was going to push another little boy off of a tire today and you stepped in and pulled the bully back so he couldn't do it, and you got scratched in the process. I was so proud of you for doing that. You had to think quick and I am glad that you are a fast thinker and that you do the right thing.

This is another Christmas decoration that you came up with for your room. This also made me happy. You are a lot like me in some ways and decorating and celebrating is one of them. You love holidays and every one is going to be the "best ever!"

Oh and I almost forgot that I was very proud of you when you told me that you told someone in your class that he should not say "oh my G--" and the boy said that it isn't a bad word and you responded "yeah but it is taking the Lords name." (you forgot the "in vain" part:) And then he said he didn't believe in God and you told him that you did and it wasn't nice to say. That made me very happy and we were also able to talk some more about how others have different beliefs and that is okay, but that it is also okay to ask others to respect yours.

You are just growing up and I love the person that you are.

Love,

Mom

The blue tree

2011-12-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

As I was walking through the thrift store a month or so ago and saw this outdoor Christmas tree with faded blue lights I knew I had to have it. I set it up one night just after thanksgiving and loved just the way it was.

But when I pulled out the Christmas decorations I found a bunch of blue ornaments that I had gotten last year at Targets after Christmas sales. I thought they would look pretty on the blue tree and the kids really wanted to decorate it so I let them.

Joseph only pulled down like 20. smile.

Gracie put these "brothers" together. She loved pretending that they are alive.

I loved the way her hands would cup each ornament after she hung it.

We listened to Christmas music, danced to a little Mariah and had a really fun time.

She moves like a dream

2011-12-08T12:01:00.002-07:00

The day after the ward party Russ had to go to a continuing education class and it was Gracie's dance recital so Connie (because she is awesome) said she would come over help me. She ended up coming over earlier because we woke up not feeling well. Especially William, he really wasn't feeling well. We watched movies all day and wrapped fabric and yarn around stuff (making Christmas decorations) until it was time to get ready to go.

Look at her pose! I didn't tell her to do that, she was just standing like that.

Here she is so excited and sitting with "her girls".

She danced to a mermaid song and she did so well.

The only problem was that she would turn around to look at a girl behind her a lot.

This move is really tricky for these little girls and they did it so well.

Check her out! Big finish!

Connie brought flowers for her.

And after it was all done she wanted to go and dance on the stage some more. Watching all that dancing really inspired her.

When we came out we found that it had rained and that there was a beautiful rainbow. On the way home we stopped by the cemetery to visit my nephew Miles grave. Three years ago he passed away and we can't wait to see him again.

The month of December

2011-12-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

I finally took a moment to get the pictures off my camera and decided I better do a few posts. Here are some pictures of our ward party last Friday. I am really proud of myself for taking my actual camera and taking pictures. I have not done that a lot lately. I know the kids will like looking back on these pictures. I have very fond memories of parties at the church when I was a kid.

Scoping out the dessert table.

How sweet is Jonah in this picture?

The somehow convinced Spencer to dress up like a wise man.

I love the intense look on her face.

Joseph and Jessica playing with the (plastic) ornaments.

and now check out Owen's dessert plate...

Don't worry the Wise Man came and told him he would be sharing it with the whole table.

after this was over Connie came and joined all the ladies for a trip out to the crafeteria boutique. It was a lovely evening/night.

YW in excellence

2011-12-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely Young Women in excellence. We invited the whole ward since we don't have a lot of young women and we want the to have all the support they can get. It turned out really good. Thanks to Angela for taking pictures and Jessica for having awesome stuff like the signs.

And Kathryn from the crazy awesome blog I Heart Mesa came and did cotton candy which was a HUGE hit (especially for my kids). Thank goodness I save everything I ever do cause everything I used was something I had used before.

I DID IT!

2011-12-01T10:32:00.001-07:00

There has been something that I have been meaning to do for months and just never sat down to do it (okay it takes more than sitting down, but you know what I mean). I have been collecting vintage clothes and I finally listed some of them on etsy. Hopefully this is not an isolated incident:) If you are a local and want to purchase something contact me and I will take the shipping off for you. And if you know someone who is interested in vintage clothing please send them my way.

debsfreckles etsy shop

A great full weekend

2011-11-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving weekend started at my moms. Here is Joe playing the piano and he was killing me cause he kept closing his eyes. I guess he was really feeling it.

My mom out did herself again. She claims it comes from majoring in Home Economics but she prepared and made EVERYTHING BY HERSELF. And we start on time.

Here is everything she had there for us...

Pepper jelly with cream cheese and crackers, Turkey and ham, veggie tray, and deviled eggs.

Stuffing, turkey gravey, mashed potatoes, and mashed sweet potatoes and apricot glaze.

Cranberry sauce, homemade rolls, corn and green beans, and roasted asparagus (I did that, but that is all I did).

And then the pies! Pecan, butterscotch pudding, cherry cheesecake, pumpkin, and chocolate pudding.

I even got to take a nap and my hair ended up looking like this. It was fun to see family and get to eat and relax. We also got to skype with Mark, Ashley, and Sam.

Friday is the day we have Thanksgiving with Russ family. I was able to go for part of it, but then had to leave early to go to the Temple to do baptisms for the dead with the Young Women and it was so nice. I didn't take any pictures that day, but it was a really good day just the same:) William and Gracie got to spend the night at Connie's house and Gracie had fun playing with her Jane Austen doll.

The next morning I headed to the park with my Huston family (Russ had to work). We went to McCormick Park and the kids had a really fun time.

We had a good time eating and visiting.

And riding the train. How cute is this little caboose.

He is just like Gracie, loves to throw sand on his head.

The kids love the stage coach.

And the carousel was fun except Gracie started crying as soon as it started going because there wasn't a strap and she felt like she was going to fall.

Waiting to ride the train.

Waving to grandma

Joseph knows how to use a wand. Point and cast.

He was so tired by the time we went home and I tried to move his head to the side, but he would just move it right back. After we got back I headed over to a friends house to help get ready for her baby wedding. They were able to be sealed in the temple to their adopted daughter and she had been waiting for a long time to do that. I was so happy for them.

This is a little hot air balloon wire sculpture that I made for her. I was inspired by her daughters dress. I am going to have to steal pictures from someone else though cause I took NO pictures of the party. Luckily Miss Mimi did a video of the whole thing and I can't wait to see it!

The only picture I took was of me pumping gas on my way home.

Then on Sunday my cousin Jacie and her family came over and it was so nice to see them and talk with them. The weekend was full of seeing people I love and nothing makes me more grateful than that.

The thanksgiving decorations are down and hopefully Christmas ones will be up soon! I am excited for Christmas but this year I am feeling a little bugged by the materialism of the whole thing. Maybe it is because my kids are getting older and it turns into "I want, I want, I want" kind of thing. I have no problem saying "no", but the whole Santa aspect makes it kind of tricky. I have already made the rule that Santa only brings one thing, but still...

Saturday Morning Shower

2011-11-21T20:24:00.000-07:00

My good friend Jaime is having her first baby girl after having three (adorable) boys. I wanted to throw her a shower and luckily some other friends wanted to too. It is so much easier when there is lots of help and they helped with the part I like the least - the food. I should say making the food because I do love eating the food. Especially this food, man it was yummy.

Photo courtesy of Kayleen

Dianna, Chelsea, and Bekah helping me out in the kitchen.

I wish so badly that this wasn't blurry. I thought it was funny that almost exactly a year ago we were having a bridal shower for Chelsea and now I was having a baby shower for her sister.

AND I even used some left over things from Chelsea's shower for this one.

The food labels became chalkboard labels.

We head mini stacks and yummy buttermilk syrup that Dianna brought. The mini stacks are easiest to make if you put the batter in an old salad dressing or ketchup bottle.

Cinnamon roll waffles that Reachel introduced me to.

I love breakfast food.

The umbrellas I ordered from here and then painted them with craft paint while watched movies with my husband.

I wanted to give a favor that I thought people would use and I feel like you can never have to much stationary. So I made some. I borrowed my sisters art supplies and decided I liked water colors a lot.

Mandy printed them for me and Connie hand detailed all the envelopes for me. Some of the papers say "wassup" and some are blank.

Sweet Jonah.

Ready to hang with her energy drink.

Jaime looking beautiful as always.

It was a lot of fun. We decided that we may need to get together for breakfast on a monthly basis.

In the nick of time

2011-11-18T11:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, one week before Thanksgiving,I finally got my Thanksgiving decorations up. Things just kept on happening and I could not get it done, but I didn't want to give up because I love Thanksgiving. I don't think Christmas would be quite the same without a month of feeling extremely grateful for everything we have.

Most of my inspiration came from pinterest (love).

Felt garland, Count your blessing, water color feathers

I got an awesome bag of old felt at the thrift store and new it would be perfect for the leaf garland. I cut out all the leaves and then took them with me to Time Out for Women cause I listen and focus better when my hands are doing something.

The count your blessings sign was fun cause we all sat down as a family and had to say something we were thankful for each tally mark. We were allowed to repeat what others had said.

And the water color feathers were fun to do. I want to do more and make them better, but I don't have the time right now. Lately I have been wanting to paint and draw a lot, which is strange and fun.

This sign is so easy and simple, but I really wanted it somewhere in our house and big! I don't want any of us to get too greedy this Christmas season. There is joy in giving and receiving gifts so I don't want to get rid of them all together, but last year I felt like I was doing to much running to the store just to get something. I don't like that. I like to really think about the gifts I give. I want my kids to learn more about giving this year than receiving. If you have any advice on that, I would love to hear it.

I just made it using an old role of butcher paper I got at a thrift store and a sharpie. Fast easy and probably my favorite thing. Too bad I probably won't be able to store it. I will just have to make it again next year. Also, would it be weird to keep it up for Christmas?

See what I did last night. As it turns out strange books make strange movies (I love the books though). AND this mornings fail.

In between the cracks

2011-11-15T13:52:00.001-07:00

I try to journal most of the things that happen in our lives at least the stuff I want to remember:) but sometimes (most of the time) there are things that fall between the cracks. My phone catches most of those moments and a lot of the time they are put on instagram. Here are some from the last few weeks.

Pumpkin head Joseph. I want to remember this forever. He was playing so sweet with me.

And here he is playing with William. He loves it when the big kids push him in the car.

I have had some projects that I needed to work on so I decided to watch a movie while I worked (one of my favorite things to do) and this time I watched one of my favorite movies Finding Neverland. I cry every.time.

Russ fell asleep by me on the couch because he says he can't fall asleep with out me.

Joseph was a crabby guy for quite awhile waiting for his top two teeth to break through. They are through now and the side ones are coming in too.

Gracie and William wanted to watch the carnival video over and over again.

Daddy brought home the last Harry Potter the day it came out. Someone was a little excited and a little goofy looking.

This was the cute hand out for the YW lesson on Sunday that Angela taught. I can not tell you what it means to me to have such good councilors in Angela and Jessica. Some have asked if YW is such a fun party all the time and while I do love it I have to say it is no walk in the park. I love my YW and that is what makes it hard. They are ALL dealing with really HARD things.

I am glad that I am not alone in my endeavors to help and support them.

Most Sunday nights we eat dinner at either mine or Russ' parents house. That is when Joseph gets his weekly sugar fix because grandmas always make dessert and his daddy always gives him some.

This last Sunday was the start of super sassy Gracie ( which is still going on) and she wanted to lay down and rest with me so I jumped on the opportunity. I think it helps her calm down.

Last night we were able to join some other families at Dewitt Stables for a hay ride and bon fire with dinner and s'mores.

It was awesome to visit with some people we know and meet others we don't know. A lot of the time I still feel very new to the area and like most Mesa people all know each other so it us nice to get to meet people.

Joseph loved the fire and Russ roasted some of his award winning marshmallows (okay, okay he hasn't actually ever won an award for them, but he should.)

This week is going to be so busy. I have something going on every night! But it makes me happy and grateful to have so many friends and family around me.
- Posted by deb on the go.

Fat fingers

2011-11-15T07:23:00.000-07:00

Just a little FYI, sometimes I publish your comments (those of you who leave comments:) on my phone and there has been a couple of times when my fat fingers click on delete instead of publish. And as far as I can tell there is nothing I can do to retrieve it once it is done. So if you leave a comment and never see it published then just know that I saw it, read it, and was so happy you commented and then my clumsiness ruined everything.

Also I guess I should say, I really like comments:)

FHE

2011-11-13T22:00:00.001-07:00

So I have talked about FHE before here on the blog and some of you may be wondering what the heck that is. Well, I am going to tell you. Our church leaders have asked us to hold family night once a week that is used to spend quality, undisturbed time together. In the church Monday night is reserved for family night and no church meetings or activities are allowed on that night. We try not to schedule anything on that night. I was asked to share what family night was like at our house for a Sunday school lesson and Mimi was kind enough (as always) to help me out with it. So now you can see what a typical family home evening looks like for us.

If the video isn't working here then go here to watch it (and other video's Mimi has done. Baby Gavin's video is soooo sweet).

Family night is something that I would recommend for EVERY FAMILY, no matter what faith you are. My kids look forward to it so much. They love having time that they know is just for us to spend together. And it is good for Russ and I to have a reason to plan and think about the things we want to teach our children. Otherwise I feel like those conversations and lesson would be something I would *think* about having with my children, but never actually doing it. Have that one evening set aside for that every week gives us a structured setting to talk about all kinds of stuff with our kids. I feel like having family home evening has made us closer and happier as a family.

Other FHE posts found here, here

A perfect day

2011-11-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a prefect day. I just laid down in my bed with some hot chocolate and was about to tackle my google reader and I decided that I need to write about what a good day this has been.

I woke up a little early so I could shower before the kids were up. Then I cleaned and made the finishing touches on the baby shower that would be at my house that morning. Connie came to help with the kids cause Russ worked today and because she is an angel. Everything went really smoothly. There was a moment of panic when it was time for people to come and I still had a lot to do in the kitchen, but right then Chelsea came in and asked what she could do. Everyone helped and we had a wonderful shower with delicious!! food. It was so nice that we sat around and talked forever (if you know me, you know that is the way I like it). The shower started at 10 and everyone was gone by 2.

And everyone helped clean up so when they were gone I put my feet up for awhile and then picked and shelled pomegranates with the kids. Then because Heavenly Father loves me (and Robyn) he reminded me that I was going to take dinner to Robyn from my ward because she just had a beautiful baby girl. I was this close to forgetting and I am so glad I didn't, cause I really didn't want to forget. I want to be the mommy that remembers things. I got to sit and visit with them for a few minutes and hold the tiny new baby girl.

I came home and ate cinnamon roll waffles for dinner with my family. Russ got the kids in a bath and I took over when he left to go and watch a fight with a bunch of other guys. And while I don't really like that he likes to watch fights, I am glad he got to go out and do something he likes cause I get to do it all the time and he rarely does.

Also I forgot to mention that Connie took the kids to their primary program practice that they will performing in church tomorrow (I am so excited) and she took them to McDonald's. And William got to watch Harry Potter 7 part 2 again. It has been a good day for everyone. It could have been crazy and/or stressful, but it wasn't it was prefect.

A birthday for Mimi

2011-11-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have not been on the good ole' blog for some time now. Just busy I guess. It has been party central around here and will be for awhile. On Tuesday we had a small party for our good friend Mimi.

We threw up some hot air balloon and had some french onion soup and caprese salad.

There was gift giving.

Chelsea didn't want to be in the pictures and moved. Russ sat there cause he loves to have his picture taken:)

It was a fun night and it was just really nice to get together and talk. I wish I saw Mimi more. I love being friends with her. She is so smart and kind and super talented. Remember when she made this (my favorite video EVER.). She also made a video for me recently that I have been meaning to show here and I will do it soon. Tomorrow I am hosting a baby shower at my home so I need to go get ready for it.

Happy Birthday Mimi!

You are a wizard

2011-11-04T11:43:00.000-07:00

William turned 7 on Tuesday. SEVEN! I can not believe how time has flown by. He wanted a Harry Potter party and was pretty specific about what he wanted. He got it! It was such a fun day. The kids started Ollivander's Wand Shop (Connie made all the signs for me)

And she was mister Ollivander herself.

The kids all got paper wands that I made using this tutorial. So fast, easy, and cheap!

Then they got their bags that my mom and I whipped out a hour or so before the party (I did the printing and the cutting, she did the sewing).

Inside the bags were their tickets for...

My parents and Connie helped out with Joseph a lot.

Here they all are with their wands on the Hogwarts Express. I am not sure who enjoyed this more, Russ or the kids.

Once they got to Hogwarts they got sorted. I asked on facebook if anyone had a sorting hat cause I didn't want to make one and like the next day this lady shows up at my house with one. I was so grateful! It was a friend of hers she has sewn and black hat to look like the sorting hat and we spray painted it brown.

We also put a monitor inside (the sorting hat was on top of a play cowboy hat and the monitor was in between) and Russ was in the other room talking into it. It was kinda fuzzy, but also very cool and I think the kids really liked it.

He was totally whispering Gryffindor.

They were all really good sports. Especially those put into Slytherin.

Then it was outside to play Quidditch

The goal was to keep the balloon in the air and get it through the rings. We didn't play that long, cause I was afraid someone was going to get hurt, but it was fun.

Look at that cute huddle. We were trying to distract them while the snitch was hidden. Both team got a chance to find a snitch and then everyone got a chance cause it was time for a snitch hunt.

Connie made these AWESOME maps. She used the template found here and then made it to match our yard. Everyone had a snitch to find and their map told them where it was.

Oh good, he found it!

So did she, actually they all did.

Then it was inside for potions class.

They got to put all kinds of fun things in their potions, but the key ingredients were vinegar (stink water from lake stink) and baking soda (exploding powder).

Then they had a charms class that I didn't take any pictures of, but it was color changing drinks. Then it was time for dinner in the great hall.

They had pumpkin juice which some liked , some didn't. I thought it was pretty good.

1 cup canned pumpkin pie

1 cup apple juice

1/2 cup pineapple juice

My favorite part was when William said, "let the feast begin!"

Then it was time for cake and butter beer (forgot to get a picture of that). This cake was meant to look like the one Hagrid brought to Harry in the 1st movie except William wanted it to say his name and all the words be spelled right:)

(it is supposed to look smashed)

Then on to presents. I ask that friends don't bring gifts. He gets enough from the family and I don't want too many toys.

He got an art set from Grandma and Grandpa Huston that I know will get a lot of use.

Gracie gave him a dollar store dart gun.

Connie made him a potions set that ALL the kids love!

And Russ and I gave him Harry Potter legos. He opened it and said, "I knew I was getting this." Smarty pants.

Joseph knows what to do with a wand.

The last one was a surprise. My sister in law Ashley asked her mom if we could have the Elder wand that she got when she went to see the Last Harry Potter movie. Apparently they got a goody bag a long with their tickets and in it was a wooden Elder wand.

He was pretty speechless. It was funny. He randomly told me thank you for it about 20 times in the next couple if days.

Gracie wanted to do nothing but play potions for the next couple of days. This is the mess she made the next morning.

It was a lot of work but sooo worth it. William had such a good time and I am happy to do this for him.

But tired:)

Halloween X2

2011-11-03T12:17:00.001-07:00

Saturday night we went to our ward trunk or treat.

Here is our Tinkerbell and Peter Pan and little Smee.

He didn't like to keep his hat on, but when he did it was so cute!

I went early to help the youth set up their haunted house.

Jessica get everyone all gory. She did an awesome job.

Our bishop was part of it.

This an idea I saw on pinterest and it is so creepy looking...

That last one I got the makeup idea from this ladies instagrams...but hers was wayyy better.

These are the kind of posters you get when you have Angela on your team.

There are NO pictures of me but I was Wendy just wearing a long blue dress. Russ was John. You better believe I was excited (and a bit confused) when I found a Nordstrom's mens night gown at the thrift store. He carried an umbrella and it was perfect.

Jonah was a cute little skeleton with a baby. Both she and Gracie really wanted to go in the haunted house and the both got really scared.

William was shoving that candy bar in his mouth so fast.

The next day Joseph found some suckers and he just crawled around with them in his hands.

On Monday we took the kids trick or treating down our street. And it was so fun.

The excitement off all the kids running around in costumes was too much for me. It made me love Halloween, a lot. I love anything that gets people out of their homes and doing things together. It was nice to get to meet some people in the neighborhood.

Joseph figured out how to get the wrapper off his sucker and man there was no taking it away from him.

Happy Halloween! I already can not wait until the next one.

Mercado

2011-11-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

At Williams school they do a halloween mercado (market) where they all have to work at booths and everyone has "money" to spend. It is a great way of teaching work and market skills. Me and the kids stopped by to hang out with William.Or should I say Harry.

Gracie got her nails painted so she was happy.

Some other things happened that day that I do not have pictures of, but I want to remember. Gracie's joy school friends took her to a small farm and pumpkin patch and Russ dad came and sat at my house while Joseph napped so I could go to the funeral of a dear friends baby. The day before she was scheduled to be delivered they could not find a heart beat. It was very sad, but also a sweet experience to see their strength as a family and the peace are able to feel at such a hard time. It such a testimony to me of how awesome the spirit is and how it can comfort us the times that we need it most.

Grateful for hooky

2011-11-02T22:26:00.001-07:00

Today I let William stay home from school because he has a nasty sounding cough. Also because the last two days (actually more) being filled with holiday and birthday fun, we just needed a day to rest ( and clean up). William got to set up his legos and work on his homework. I got to clean up my house and the camera roll on my phone (it is really ridiculous and my phone said I couldn't take anymore pictures). I stayed in my pjs all day until it was time for an activity with my young women. I needed this day and I am grateful I got it.

- Posted by deb on the go.

Feeling grateful

2011-11-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago this boy came into the world and changed EVERYTHING. I am so proud of the boy he has become. Tonight he got out of bed and came into my room to tell me one of his ears wasn't working (anything to get out of bed when you can't sleep because you can't stop thinking about your presents) and he asked me if he grew taller today. I told him that he does a little bit everyday.

I have so much to blog. I just got done with my busiest week of the year, although it is not cleaned up yet. Birthday stuff (W's party was awesome) and Halloween (I loved it this year), but right now I just was to say that I am so glad that William was born and that I get to be part of his life.

And now that it is November maybe I will be posting the things I am grateful for more often.

Sunny and bright (kids bedroom)

2011-10-28T15:43:00.001-07:00

This last Saturday Russ said, "let's paint the kids room!" This is something we have wanted to do since we moved in, but I never was for sure what I wanted to do. So many ideas running through my brain, but when put on the spot like that I said, "okay, go get some white paint." Half way through painting Russ said he would finish painting and I should round up the stuff we wanted to hang on the walls cause he wanted to finish it all that day! So that is what I did. I scoured the office, the hall closet, my sewing room, and the kids bedroom closet and found stuff I had forgot I had. Today I finished the last touches and am ready to show it to you.

This is the only before picture I have. The walls were tan and one was very light blue. And the walls were empty. Now...

It is very bright and colorful and feels refreshing to walk into. The kids love it.

This is Gracie's corner.

The bunting I made for her 1st birthday. The Holly Hobbie embroidery is from the thrift store and my mother in law has the exact same thing hanging in her kitchen (but hers is different colors). Then just some thrifted frames and a print I got from my friend Mimi. Then I let her pick some instagrams to hang in a frame with mini clothes pins.

The quilt is her baby quilt that was made by my grandmother. She was so old when she made it that is was not done very well and I am afraid it would come apart in the wash, but it is perfect for hanging. The baby giraffe cross stitch hung on my wall when I was a baby. That is fabric starched to the wall behind the G and every thing else is thrifted.

I really love the headboard. I got it for $5 at a thrift store and later realized it goes with the ikea bed. The teal checked blanket on her bed was my husbands when he was a baby.

The dresser was given to us by our old neighbor Michelle and we gave it a new paint job and knobs before Joseph was born, I just kept forgettting to take pictures and post them, but I love it. Russ did a great job with the stripes.

Now William's corner.

He shares the wall with Joseph. By the way, I love having my kids in the same room. It only took a couple of days for them to get used to each other and the older kids never even budge if Joseph wakes up in the night.

William's "I Am A Child of God" sign was made by his Aunt Alison. The W was thrifted and pink so I had to spray paint it and the framed sign says "sometimes being a big brother is even better than being a super hero". The globe is his bank that he got last Christmas.

This wall has some drawing that I did of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. He also got to put some instagrams on his wall and then there is his drawing of Harry Potter.

I am not gonna lie, I am proud of our hard work.

On his bed we got a vintage Star Wars pillow case that Kayleen gave him and his R2 D2 and C3PO from his cousin Grayson. And then there is the walrus pillow that Russ made when he was a kid.

Joseph's crib that my mom got at a yard sale for $10. I made the bedding and bunting. The "J" was thrifted and is mounted on fabric that is starched to the wall. The picture of Christ with the children is the same one I had in my room as a child (not the exact same one, just the same print). Then we have the mini chair that is there so Gracie can reach the light (although I think she can do it without it now) and it holds the blessed sound machine.

Then our dresser that Russ brother Vic gave to us and I have thought about doing something more with it, but I also just want to leave it alone.

The scale I just found recently and decided it would go nicely.

That is pretty much it. The only thing I want to add is quilts for their beds and I *might* do that for Christmas.

It feels really good to have that room done. There are so many rooms in our house that are almost done. The each just need a little more work, but it gets overwhelming when there are so many rooms. I guess we need to just pick which room will be next and get Russ motivated again:)

Celebrating his first year

2011-10-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

I wanted to keep things pretty simple for Joseph's first birthday. So when I came across some party hats I made years ago I decided they would be perfect. The paper on the hats has boats and planes and stuff on it so I decided to use the boats that I made for my nephew Miles funeral. I thought it was fitting since I know they are buddies.

Then I made a bunch of yarn pom poms on the long drive out to my moms and while watching conference (that is when I made the mini bunting too).

Here is a robot I made out of felt. The arms and legs are elastic and I think it turned out pretty cute.

When I went to my moms a few weeks back to get some sewing done she helped me by cutting out all the pentagons and sewing them together. I stuffed it and closed is with hot glue (not enough time to stitch).

I knew he would love the pom poms. I hung them while he was napping and when he woke up he could not get enough of them.

He grabbed one and pulled it off.

Then we let him play in the cupboards so we could make dinner. Veggie shepherds pie, a favorite of Joseph's. He told me:)

And cupcakes made from a chocolate cake mix and a can of pumpkin. That is it. Then you bake them at 350 for like 15 min. They were good and less crumbly then cake and less calories.

We had a small gathering of grand parents and aunt Connie. My children's favorite people (mine too:)

Joseph kept digging in Connie's present so we decided it was time to open presents.

Gracie helped (a lot) and Joseph has been squeezing the heck out of that Pooh Bear today.

He was so cute about opening presents.

Reading his new book.

And Grandma and Grandpa C gave him a very cool stacker/shape sorter. He loves stuff like that.

Here he is getting the robot I made him.

And opening the ball (I just wrapped it in tissue)

He loves it so much. Stuffed balls are the best. My grandma made one for all of her grand kids (there are a lot). My mom still has some of them and Joseph loves to play with them when he goes over to her house so I knew it would be a good gift.

Here he is watching as William and Gracie watch as he opens his present from Gma and Gpa H.

My mom (the yard sale queen) just found this for a couple bucks and all my children love it.

Here I am explaining to Gracie that it is Josephs.

Pushing all the buttons. After he was finished William yells, "I am going to get a present!" And runs out the door (I always forget to make sure my kids have a present to give!). He comes back in with his push car that he has had for awhile.

Joseph was happy to get it again.

Then it was time to eat.

Singing "happy birthday".

He actually liked having the hat on.

These next pictures with all the kids crack me up.

Is it just me or do William and Joseph look the same size?

Joseph loves to poke his food.

He liked it for a little while, but then he just wanted a bath.

All washed and cleaned a ready for bed. I want to have a party for this kid everyday. He is just so cute.

Today he is 1

2011-10-26T10:21:00.001-07:00

1 year ago right now, I was in my bathtub listening to some music. I had just sent William off to school and was surrounded by people I love. A few hours later I would bring Joseph into the world. It was a beautiful time. The next few weeks were rough for me. I think I have decided that as sweet and cute as tiny babies are, that time is challenging for me. There are parts that I love but on the whole I am an emotional roller coaster. I feel very out of control and that is hard for me. The past year, though, has been amazing.

I am so glad this boy is part of our lives. The following pictures are of him doing what he loves most. Putting something into something else.

I love his pudgy-ness, his determination, his smile, and I even love it when he gets mad (it is really cute and it usually doesn't last long). He isn't walking yet, but crawls everywhere. He loves getting into things (like cupboards, garbage cans, toilets, my shower and make up). He loves his brother and sister and he gives the BEST hugs. I am looking forward to years of bear hugs from this kid.

I wrote the story of his birth, but I don't think I ever wrote my honest feelings of having a baby at home. Since it has been a year, maybe it is time. Smile. But for now, I need to clean my house and get ready for his little birthday party this evening.

1st Hair Cut

2011-10-25T07:31:00.000-07:00

I have been saying for a long time that I needed to cut Josephs hair, especially the wings right behind his ears, they were the longest. But the more his hair curled the harder it was to do and I knew it would make him look older. Also it meant getting something done which has seemed to be harder and harder to do the last few months. But over this last weekend Russ got really motivated to get some stuff done (like painting and decorating the kids room!) and cutting this boys hair was one of those things.

Russ getting him used to the buzz of the clippers. Joseph loved it.

Hi little curlies:(

The big kids trying to get Joseph to look at them because he kept trying to look at the clippers.

It worked for awhile.

I love this picture. Russ is such a good daddy. He loves his kids (and me) so much and shows us everyday. Every. day.

I love the look on Josephs face in this picture.

I love the look on Russ' face more in this picture. That is his concentrating face:)

Joseph was so good, but was getting antsy and was having a hard time sitting still.

But before too long and before any real tears, it was over.

It is a small change, but it makes such a difference to me. He is growing up so much and I love it. I am a bit sad at times to see his baby self slipping away, but it is all to fascinating to watch him grow and learn more about him. I love the shift I feel in my heart as my love grows from loving him because he is mine to care for to loving him because he of who he is.

Guys, it was fun

2011-10-24T08:59:00.001-07:00

I went to the cutest funnest party this weekend (thrown by Jessica and Abe) and now I really want a projector.

Stuff for s'mores (sorry the pics are so dark, I only had my phone)

Apple slices and all kinds of stuff to dip them in.

Pop corn, drinks and candy. Let's just say I made my way to the snack table a number of times.

Vintage sheets cut to size for us to sit on with chalk board tags!

Angela and I getting ready for the movie to start.

Russ getting ready?

I was also excited cause we were watching Goonies and I have not seen that since I was a kid.

Russ also admitted to me later that he may have gotten a little misty eye'd at the end. I love that he is turning into such an old man:)

Hand - Me - Downs

2011-10-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

Russ sister gives us hand me down clothes from her boys. Her boys are three years apart (I think.ha!) And there were quite a few things that matched each other, but my boys are farther apart in age (almost exactly 6 years) so they never fit them at the right time. Except these sweater vests. William is small enough that he can pull off a 4 and Joseph is big enough that he can pull off 18 months.

As we scrambled out the door on the way to church I made the kids sit still for 45 seconds so I could snap a couple pictures. I HAD to cause they. are. so. cute!

I love his feet in this picture. Ooooh I want to squeeze him!

Gracie is wearing a hand-me-down dress from her cousin Harper. Getting that box of clothes was like christmas for Gracie and myself. She looked like such a doll.

Later that day when we went out to my moms I put Joseph in some overalls that were Russ' when he was a baby.

Unfortunately I waited to long to try them on him and they are too small.

But he sure did look cute. He reminded me of Bob's Big Boy, or something.

In other news Russ job is going well. I don't think he feels totally comfortable in the new setting yet, but that will come. We did solidify is schedule until May and he doesn't have to work Sundays!!! This makes me so happy. And every other weekend he will work on Saturday and only have Sunday off and then the next week he will have Monday off (so a three day weekend). And he leaves work everyday at 3:30! Did you hear me?? THREE THIRTY! I am in heaven. This last week has been so nice having him here to help with the fussy baby while I make dinner (all my babies get fussy when it is time for me to make dinner), and he eats dinner with us. Seriously, heaven.

I have imaginary friends

2011-10-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

I read blogs. A lot. I love them, I just do. It all started in 2006 when my cousin sent me a link to the blog she started and I was like, "what is this?" And we had just moved away from our families to go to school and I thought, "what a great way to keep in touch!" So I started one and then after about a year I realized it was the best (only) journal I had ever kept! There was/is no way I am going to stop that. Somewhere along the line I started reading other peoples blogs. I read blogs of friends and people I know, but then there are those that I don't know in the real world, but I have grown to really love them. I call them my imaginary friends. The first was...

Nie Nie

Before her plane crash I was introduced to her blog and being naive to the internet did not realize that there were blogs that thousands of people read without knowing them. I learned quickly. This gal taught me a lot, like it is okay to decorate and dress the way you like and not the way others do, that I can make healthier eating choices, I can have a baby at home, I can buy an older home and make it just the way I want it. She also helped me remember that I love being a mom and to not let the stress get me down. Through her blog I found...

Kelly Mccaleb

I was super drawn to her blog the moment I read it. She is real and honest and I love that. If I knew her in real life I know we would be friends, not because we are exactly a like, but because I appreciate and love the person she is. And the things she is into change all the time and that is the way that I am so I love it. Through her I found her sister...

Heather

I just love her. Her blog makes me excited to have teenagers rather than dread/fear it. I am not 100% sure why, but I have gotten teary eyed reading her blog quite a few times. She speaks my language, what can I say? Then they have another sister...

Coco

And Coco is like her sisters real, honest, and just cool. Plus she posts videos of MC Hammer.

Little Green Notebook

This gal is Jenny and she has a decorating blog. I have been following it for a long time and it has been fun to watch it grow. She has great taste and great tips.

Petite Mama

This is Marjorie and I got connected with her through the iPhone app, instagram. She is a mama that is a lot like me, but she is in France.sigh. I love communicating with her through pictures and seeing the parallel in our lives. It is like having a pen pal and I love it. And I love that google will translate her blog for me (though not always perfectly).

Playing House

My cousin introduced me to this blog and this girl is a young mama who is hip, but doesn't take herself too seriously.

Cakies

Then we have Ruby Ellen. she likes vintage (like me), she likes to craft (like me), she likes good food (like me), she loves her family (like me), and she loves god (like me). I feel better after reading her blog.

Shannon Hale

There was not a picture on the blog that I could see of Shannon, so I put the first book of her that I ever read. I love all her books and her blog. We have met in person and she called my sister and I her Arizona friends, but I think I will still call our friendship imaginary:)

Laini Taylor

The other authors blog that I follow is Laini Taylor's. I just adore this pink haired lady. Her daughter is so so cute and she is a wonderful mama and while her blog is mostly about writing her awesomeness as a mother, wife, friend, and artist cannot be contained. Her blog just makes me happy. And so do her books!

Kara Bagley

And this lady's blog is where I go if I want to take another step in eating healthier. She has wonderful information, tips, advice, and recipies. I love her passion and she makes me want to garden.

While scrolling through this list I noticed that most (if not all) of these ladies are spiritual. That is something that I connect with. I am glad that these ladies do what they do and let me peek into their lives. It lets me know that I am not alone in my beliefs, passions, and style. I do read more blogs, but these are my favorites. And I just found another one last night (through Kelly).

Mara

I read the whole thing last night (luckily she has only been doing it for 3 weeks) and have felt so inspired to be a better me (I hate to use the word "inspired" cause it seems so over used, but I don't know what else to say). She shares about her trials of infertility, divorce, remarriage (this was not a trial), and still struggling with infertility. I love it because she gives very simple, very real tips on how to be happy even though we all have trials. I think that everyone could benefit from reading this. This is part of her post today,

"So, dear ones, I hope you will join me in this effort to become the best women we can be by finding happiness independent of our circumstances.

It is the most liberating, burden-lifting thing we could ever do (for ourselves). And it will be the most noble and powerful act of love that we could ever offer our children or spouses."

I am joining her and I hope you do to. Lets all do this together (both fists in the air)!

So there you go. I hope someone appreciates this cause I had to do a lot of linking and such and it was not as easy as I thought it would be. Maybe someday I will let you know about my real friends blogs:) Those that post anyway. hint hint.

Oh yes I should also mentions a couple that used to be my imaginary friends, but have become my friends in real life!

Reachel Bagley

and

Angela Hardison

And both are even cooler in real life so I assume it is that way with all my imaginary friends.

The end.

whew!

lil' stinker

2011-10-18T23:36:00.000-07:00

If you come to our house and need to use the bathroom, the toilet paper will be on the back of the toilet.

Also this guy took a couple of steps today, in the buff. After his bath Russ and I were having him "walk" back and forth between us and mostly it was him standing and lunging for us but a few times there were some steps. This little baby is growing up and I am happy to be a part of it.

Clever

2011-10-18T00:28:00.001-07:00

William labeled out mail box with chalk. I love it.

Having a child that is learning to read has made me realize how rediculous the english language is. For example, c and k can we just pick one. There is no need to have two letters that make the same sound. I am ready to redo the whole thing. But texting may do that for us.

I am amazed at this boy. He is smart, and good, and really funny.

He also drew this variety of swords and wanted me to take a picture of it.

New Days

2011-10-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today Russ started his new job. Yay! I will probably post more about it when I have something to write, but for now I will say that after picking our insurance plan this morning I am really excited to sit down and look at our last budget, make a new one and see how it changes. It will be good, especially if we stick to it.

Fall break was awesome. It was strange to take William back to school this morning and I will miss having that kid around more, but also I am glad for the schedule school puts us on and I think William is better behaved at school (not that he is bad at home, he just whines and argues A LOT) and I think that spending some hours being well behaved everyday is a good thing for him.

And now for some pictures at the park. We went a couple of weeks ago when it got cold and now it gets hot in the middle of the day again, but not hot, hot so I don't care. I am grateful for the change even if it is slow. And so is Gracie.

I mean, look at this face. And the best part about this picture is that she was going super slow.

Putting shoes on this kid aged him so much and also made him crawl straight (usually he only uses one leg)

I also need to mention that Gracie has started "getting ready" every day and this includes and headband with a flower, necklace, and lipstick. I don't know what started it, but she is at the point now where she doesn't think that she or anyone else looks pretty without lipstick (I am trying to reverse this way of thinking).

my heart just melted into a puddle in my chest

This was his first time at the park and I think he really enjoyed it.

Just thinking about how she will start school next year made me tear up a little.

In this picture he is looking back at his little baby friend, Eliza.

Their birthday's are three days apart and they are so funny together. They just smile at each other and poke each others faces.

yum Joseph

Seems to like the sand.

I love watching him play and learn new things.

So here are to new seasons and new jobs!

Our spooks are up

2011-10-12T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have finally got all the Halloween stuff up after having it sitting around the house for over a week. I decided this morning I just had to buckle down and do it. This is a picture of some authentic decor we have going on our windows. That is on the outside of the window and...don't judge me.

The next picture are from my phone a few weeks back. I took a dry erase marker and drew on the glass. But the marker died before I could get too carried away.

That is a witch on a broom stick flying through the sky.

Kinda hard to see, but there is a ghost behind William and I.

And now the mantle.Don't laugh at my sketches, they are supposed to look really crappy. Actually as I was putting them up I was wishing that they were sketches of owl and bat skeletons, but I didn't want to take anymore time on this. Maybe next year?

I made the banner while listening to conference.

And almost everything else came from the dollar store.

Russ cut our the bats for me while we listened to conference cause he is a super star. The kids loved putting them up. We have more in the family room that are not pictured.

I am really glad to have this done and tomorrow I am going out to my moms so the kids can play with cousins and I can get some sewing done! Whew!

Happy Halloween!

Coming along

2011-10-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a lot of time organizing my craft room (you have no idea how happy it makes me to have one) and it is coming a long nicely. Looking at all my supplies has me itching to make something and be creative. But I really want to get it all done before I start messing it up again;)

See what I mean. Don't you just want to make something???

Hello There House

2011-10-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was the Hello There House home and garden event and it was awesome. I taught the Chic Children's spaces which is kinda ironic cause our children's spaces are not done yet. But we are working on them and they will done...eventually.smile. Sometimes I feel like nothing is ever done.

This is the view from the presentation room. That is "A" mountain in the background.

This is Colleen (found here) teaching us how to find our design style. I learned that I am a bit of everything. Her class was awesome and she is awesome.

The lovely ladies from Fancy House Road (who are really so fun) were there teaching us not to be afraid of color. We had to make a design board that went along with two words. My words were "sassy and sophisticated" and this is what I came up with.

Reachel taught a charming closets class. She is so passionate about what she does that it made the class awesome. I have followed her blog and become her friend in real life, but her teaching this class was a whole new Reachel to me. We were cracking up.

Reachel and I also showed up wearing unplanned coordinating outfits. I won't ask who wore it better, cause the answer is obvious (I want that skirt of hers real bad).

I learned about having chickens in my back yard and we are going to do it! Someday! I am not sure when Russ will get around to building a coop for them, but when he does it will be awesome. I was so glad Annie was there to teach it. She was awesome and answered all my questions.

Also I didn't get a picture of her but I LOVED Kelly's gardening class. She was so passionate about gardening that it got me really excited about doing it myself, but I also realized that I need to start out small. Because if I start and get overwhelmed and fail I can totally see myself giving up.

I also loved meeting Erin from design for mankind. She was incredibly sweet and awesome and how did I not know who she was??

Then Debbie showed us all about chalk paint, and it is awesome. No sanding or priming? Even on laminate? Sign me up. I couldn't find a link for this, but hopefully I will soon.

Rosemary and Jessie did such a good job organizing this whole event and teaching at it. They are super stars.

Here are some pictures of just *some* of the gals that were there. I loved meeting all of them.

I was pretty nervous to teach at first, but then I got to know the people there that is was no big thing. Everyone was so awesome. It was a blast and I am so glad I went.

toothless

2011-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night Russ decided to get out the floss and help Williams loose tooth out. Can you see how loose that bad boy was?

I love that Russ put an apron on for this.

William not looking too happy and then...

BAM! it is out and he is exstatic.

The big tooth is already moving in now and the other front tooth is loose. It makes him seem so much older.

Also something that I wanted to record is yesterday he found a bell and started ringing it and saying it was time for school and then started listing all the things they would be learning in his class. Here is a list of all the things I could remember/get written down:

-sling shots

-guns

-color in notebooks

-watch a movie

-ninjas

-how to fight in armies

-do jobs

-recess

-read a story about space

-learn about babies (after looking at Joseph)

-milking cows

and then go home:) Is he a boy or what?

week at a glance

2011-10-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hopefully all my future posts are not going to be like this, but I just looked at my phone and realized I had a lot of pictures on there that I don't wan to be forgotten. So here we go through last week:

Monday -

We played Candyland for the first time in a long time and it was the first time Gracie had ever really played. And she won and her reaction was priceless. She ran around the house squealing (quite loudly) with both arms straight up in the air. She even yelled, "praise all the day!" I have no idea where she got that.

Tuesday -

I woke up to find Joseph in his crib with his pajama pants and diaper off. Luckily the only thing that was wet was his diaper. Then I got to go to Curls Gone Wild (the place to go for curly hair) and got a wonderful cut that was so needed. I also got to read some more of my book.

Wednesday-

I got all my vintage clothes hung up and realized I need to re-open my etsy shop. Then we went to lunch at Liberty Market cause one of my bestie's Lindsey was in town. We wore Gracie out and then we did Zumba and dancing for mutual and it was awesome, but it also made me realize that I am old.

Thursday -

William had his first lego club and was soooo excited about it. I finished my book and Russ came home with a late anniversary present for me (almost 3 months late, I am not complaining) They are lenses for my phone camera. They don't quite work with my model, but we may be able to hack it (last picture is taken with the fish eye).

Friday -

Joseph was cute! Friday was a hard day cause we had invited a family over for dinner and swimming and they didn't show up. When I stopped by to see what was up I got some rough news from one of my young women. Sometimes my calling can be discouraging, but luckily conference was the next day.

Saturday-

Russ took the kids to his parents to watch conference and I got to listen to it ALONE while I painted a dresser and organized my craft room and rotated the kids toys. Later that night I got to hang out with my besties again before Lindsey had to leave back home to D.C. (notice in the picture she has one shoe off and one shoe on). It felt like my birthday, but really it was Lindsey's.

Sunday-

We went to my parents to watch conference eat and entire pie and just be really normal people. smile. Notice Connie about to get her Daughter of Smoke and Bone on?

Conference was awesome and just what I needed and I can't wait to re-listen to all of it. The goal is to listen to each talk 3 times before the next conference in April.

I want to remember...

2011-09-30T10:08:00.000-07:00

William really likes this song and I think that is cool. He also doesn't really like me to take his picture anymore and I don't think that is cool.

This is Gracie's favorite skirt. She wants to wear it everyday. My mom made it for her and that makes it even more special.

And last night I noticed for the first time that Joseph folds his arms with us when we say prayer. Just when I thought he couldn't get any cuter! I mean look and those pudgy little arms trying to fold. It is too much!!

How lucky I am to witness these three little people growing up.

Weekend at a glance

2011-09-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

It is almost the weekend and here I am just now posting about last weekend. Oh well.

It started out with a picnic and Ballet Under the Stars. Thanks to Connie and Melissa we had awesome seats and it was so fun watching the very talented dancers. Is it too late for me to become a ballerina? Gracie loved it she spent the whole time dance herself.

The is also where Connie gave me her copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I am not done with it yet, but I can't stop reading it. In fact I am trying to type this really fast so I can go and read.

Saturday started with me going to Goodwill Saturday and finding a dresser to put our tv on. I have been looking out for one for weeks so this was really exciting. Also exciting that it was only 10 bucks, but I have to paint it. Then my mom came over to watch Joseph and do some sewing for me (cause she is awesome like that) so we could take the big kids to a water park that someone gave us tickets to.

It was a lot of fun to just play and play with them. They loved playing in the wave pool and Russ said, "this is a joke we need to take them to the beach". True.

Then we hurried home so I could go to the General Relief Society meeting with my mom and Connie.

I love love loved it! Then we went to eat at Rosa's and my fajitas were still sizzling when they brought them to me. I also really like their salsa. A lot.

On Sunday Gracie has the cutest buns in her hair and these little ringlets that formed all by themselves. Then I was ashamed of myself for being envious of my little girl. Russ wasn't feeling well so he stayed home with Joseph and William and Gracie just snuggled with me all through sacrament meeting. It was so nice.

After church we went to my moms to visit with family and have a little (late) birthday celebration for my mom. She was in Idaho with her sister on her birthday and that is exactly what I would want for her to have for her birthday. I am so glad she got to go, but want to make sure that next time I go too!

I love weekends like this one.

A time for inspiration

2011-09-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a fun one. In fact I am going to do a post about the whole weekend, but I wanted to write about Women's Conference. It was just what I needed. I am so glad I was able to go with my mom and my sister.

Connie and I with our short, little mama.

Gracie wanted to join us and I love my moms face in this picture. Hehe.

William was watching us take these pictures and when we were done said, "now let's take a picture of all the boys." I love these boys so so so so much.

So about the conference, I loved it and needed it. I always do. I always feel immensely honored and gratified to belong to the largest women's organization in the world. And I love what this group stands for. As we all stood and sang before President Uchtdorf got up to speak and had the thought that I love singing and I miss singing in a choir. I don't really like doing solo's, my voice wasn't made for that, but I do just fine in a choir. And when it is a good choir...well I don't know how to describe in words how that makes me feel. Then my mind quickly put together the analogy that alone (like a soloist) I can't do much, but with a group of others working together (a good choir) really amazing things can happen. It felt good to acknowledge that I blend in better than I stand out. I was also be reassured (once again) that I do not have to accomplish all the things I would like to do on my own, but also that I am important cause without my voice the choir would not be the same.

Then President Uchtdorf started talking about the small flower forget-me-not's. And again I thought of a flower garden and how one flower alone (no matter how pretty) could be as beautiful as garden filled with hundreds of flowers, even small forget-me-not's.

The talk was beautiful. It moved me. It made me feel better about myself and made me want to be better. And after the stressful day I have had today I think I am going to listen to it again right now.

It also got me so excited for conference this weekend. I can't wait.