A M o s s y B l o g

2012-01-25T22:39:00.002-07:00

My ten pm run to walgreens consists of medicine for a congested baby and medicine for a tired mama. Both of us will be happier after our meds are administered.

Help... there is a monster in my house.

2012-01-18T00:59:00.006-07:00

He is a monster...

He throws
He hits
He makes messes
He goes on hunger strikes
He can throw a tantrum better, louder and more blood curdling than any monster I have ever seen.
He does the exact opposite of what you say
He says he doesn't feel good when he is asked to do something
He says "I don't know how" to things I know he is perfectly capable of doing
He laughs when he farts
He screams louder and harder when punished... I swear the neighbors must think we beat him.
He refuses to nap till 3 pm then won't go to bed till 10 pm
He gets VERY cranky when hungry
He negotiates
He is intolerant to food dyes
He wakes up way too early
He lies
He stares off into space when you confront him
He wants gum "RIGHT NOW!"

PLEASE tell me that the DAY he turns four it all gets better???

Any one have any advice on how to get a three year old to pick up their toys willingly without mom holding their hand? Out of all of his MOSTERNESS, this is my current side ache.

He thinks the timer is some sort of chinese torture device
The garbage thing does not work, because I cannot bring myself to throw away toys.
Toy time out does not work because he doesn't care and just plays with something else.
Putting him in time out does not work... heaven only knows why.

You wanna know what worked tonight... a cold shower in his clothes... he cleaned up his toys after that one.

Please help... at this point I will try anything... hence the cold shower thing!

Told ya... winter power

2012-01-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

I had no idea that this was going to happen when I made the previous post, but it happened. Our annual skiff of snow!!

It happened on sunday, and melted by noon. And then it happened again today, and it is now noon and it is gone.

It was fun while it lasted.

I can never get a picture of the two of them together because little miss priss freaks out whenever her brother comes near her, and heaven forbid he touch her...

They wanted to ride bikes... cause that is what we do when we go outside...

Love it for a few short hours, but so glad that is all it stays for. I LOVE LIVING IN OREGON!

Sunny... Nope!

2012-01-14T22:28:00.001-07:00

Don't be fooled it only looks sunny. Its really freezing cold outside. The kids only lasted about a half hour. Hopefully a little vitamin d sunk in through the hat and gloves. January always teases us with a little spring and then reminds us of its winter power.

My sister is a bully.

2012-01-14T22:21:00.001-07:00

Poor kid... He got beat up by his sister.

artista

2012-01-13T21:59:00.003-07:00

Brother LOVES to paint. I have not let kem try it yet becuase she is still little, but I thought today would be a good day. So while K man was at pre school, I whiped out the paints and let kem go to town, and that is just what she did.

She was pretty clean for the first few minutes, but I saw her fingers slowly drift towards the paint. I fully anticipated it being a full contact sport, hence the bare baby.

She was ticked that I was taking a picture of her masterpiece. I am pretty sure it was because I had already promised a B..A..T..H. She probably thought I was going back on my promise.

Looks like we may have another artist on our hands!

this is embarrassing...

2012-01-12T09:53:00.002-07:00

This is kinda super embarrassing, but I don't ever want to forget it, so alas, I am posting these photos on the internet for the whole world to see...

I was in a really bad mood, and the reason why is definitely a topic for another post.

I have been wanting to do a new blog header, so we dusted off the computer camera and opened up photo booth. When we were done doing our family photos, Kroten wanted to do more. So we did a mommy-son personal photo shoot.

It was a blast.

We laughed and laughed.

I LOVED it.

We will definitely be doing this again.

So if you are ever in a bad mood or need a laugh or need to get closer to your rambunctious three year old... Take a silly picture!!

she must've thought it was chapstick.

2012-01-11T15:06:00.004-07:00

Kem is super obsessed with chap-stick these days. Every time I whip mine out to put it on, she begs for it. She occasionally will get a hold of a tube and rip the lid off to partake of its gooey yummyness...

ALL...OVER...HER...FACE!!

I had to explain to her on this particular day that this is not chap-stick...

I should have known... another story of failure.

2012-01-11T13:33:00.002-07:00

I should have known that beans in cookies would be an atrocious ending. Why would you put beans in cookies? Seriously Kristen, you should have known this would be an epic fail from the very begining.

First you must know this.

1. Cookies, and more particularly chocolate chips cookies, are a weakness for me.

2. Growing up, I could not make a good batch of cookies to save my life, and my brother teased me incessantly about this fact. I may or may not have a complex because of this.

3. It took me until about a year into our marriage to find "THE RIGHT" recipe. And now, there is no need to deviate from this recipe. It is tried and true, they are DELISH every-time, However, they are fatty mc fat fat.

4. One of my new years resolutions was to eat and cook healthier.

That all being said... I tried substituting white beans for some of the butter in my FAVORITE chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Sad story... they tasted like bark mulch from the playground. I am not kidding, they literally tasted like that... like I would know what playground bark tastes like, but I swear you would agree.

EPIC FAIL!!!

What ever you do... DO NOT TRY THIS. I beg of you, learn from my mistakes and do not put beans in cookies.

Now that I think about it, why would you, why did I? This should never have happened.

failure and success... resolution #33

2012-01-05T22:16:00.002-07:00

First off I must say that out of the 50 resolutions that I have this year, one in particular is standing out to me, at least this week.

That is number 33, buy and eat more whole foods.

This one is sort of for myself, but more for the kids. I need to be more aware of what they are eating and incorporate more veggies and such. I am a busy mom and I have gotten in the habit of making lots of prepared packaged easy meals. YUCK.

That being said, I have been reading this super healthy kids blog and it is helping me a TON. check it out.

Tonight I was determined to do something creative and fun, so I was going to make Mediterranean meatballs over couscous. Sounds delish, right. Well, I did something wrong and it was an absolute FAIL!!!! So I crammed it into a meatloaf pan and began cooking it, but the children were starving, so I resorted to, yes a box. I whipped up some mac and cheese. :(

However, the night was not a complete failure, because this is what I did...

While the mac was cooking, I steamed and pureed some baby carrots and added it to the mix. And guess what... THEY DEVOURED IT!!!

Pureed carrots are perfect for mac and cheese because the color is orange just like the cheese. I was not shy with the ammount of carrots, I added a lot.

And to top it off, I tried another recipe called Purple Salad. K man always picks the purple cabbage out of bagged salad and eats it, so I decided to make an all purple cabbage salad and he loved it.

All it is, is purple cabbage and carrots and a little ranch dressing mixed in. He ate his whole serving.

So the night was not a complete success nor a complete failure. Im feelin' pretty good.

The sunday I have been waiting for...

2012-01-04T14:46:00.006-07:00

To truly understand what I am talking about, you must read this post from two years ago.

It was the best sunday I have had in 3 and a half years...

I have been waiting, patiently waiting, for this day for a long time.

This sunday was Kem's first sunday in the nursery at church.

I was totally anticipating the worst and was prepared for it to not go well. But it was heavenly. Kemiry did so well, I am so proud of her. She played and never cried. I think it helped that our good friend Amber was there with her to offer a familiar face.

I got to enjoy the last two hours of church with no distractions. It was fantastic. GOOD GIRL KEM.

Another highlight of the day was that it was Kroten's first day in primary. I was so proud of my little man, he went to class like a champ, wasn't scared or anything.

He has been telling us that he does not want to go because he will miss the snack in nursery. I felt bad for him, but his teacher assured us that she would have a snack, and they did. Gold fish to be exact.

Several people stopped us in the hall or texted us after church to tell us that the teacher was talking about having free agency and the POWER to choose. K man replied in front of the whole primary " I don't have any power, but I will buy some tomorrow." Apparently all the adults got a kick out of that, they are going to have fun with my smart little guy.

It was a wonderful sunday, and I hope there are many more just like it. I am so grateful for wonderful nursery leaders and fantastic primary leaders. I know it is a hard calling, but seriously, we could not live without you. :)

where did this year go?

2011-12-31T14:31:00.002-07:00

About a year ago, I bought some square frames (thanks B for the idea) to make a wall collage of pictures of the kids from the previous year. My plan was to change them out around new years each year. I can proudly say that I have successfully done that this year.

{Thanks walgreens for the free prints.}

This is a picture of the pictures from 2010 that I just took down and the 2011 ones that I just put up.

I thought the pictures I chose for the frames made a really good summary of the past year.

1. Kem throws her share of temper tantrums, infact, I think she may be ahead of the curve for her age group on this one.

2. Kroten has gained a lot of confidence on the play ground this year. It scares me how daring he is. a year ago, he would not even go down this slide, and now he goes head first.

3. I cannot believe how much she has grown in just one year. This is a picture of a baby, she is not a baby anymore.

4. Kman LOVES to swing, it is kinda his thing. Not so fun part is that he refuses to learn to pump his legs, so we have to stand there and push him till he is done swinging.

5. Just us on one of our few and far between precious dates. Life is crazy and hectic to say the least.

6. Kem turned ONE!!! and she ate her cake like a pro.

7. It snowed one day in February of 2011 and that was enough for us. Also Kroten loves hats. He would wear one all day every day if he could.

8. She is my baby bug. She will always be my baby, but I know I am going to miss her being this little.

9. There seems to be a pattern with the pictures and K man. He is a mover. He likes to go go go. He got these skates for his b day.

As I was searching for pictures, I found myself thinking over and over how much these kiddos have changed. I cannot believe how long one year is in baby time. They both have grown and changed both in good and bad ways.

Where did this year go?

Kem started the year off as a baby, and now she is a toddler. She is walking and talking and making decisions. I cannot believe how much she has grown this year...

Kroten has a spit fire personality. He is super defiant and no punishment tactic seems to work on him. He is definitely his own man. And he has definitely been my challenge this year, and the reason #39 on my new years resolutions is to yell less. He has grown a lot this year too, he started preschool and is learning all kinds of things.

WOW, what a year... and here goes another!!

one more resolution on my list, to total 51...

slow down and enjoy life, it is flying by me way to fast.

Heres to 2012

2011-12-30T21:55:00.002-07:00

I have been anticipating this post for weeks.

I have been thinking and scribbling on little pieces of paper all week what my goals will be. Normally I try to think of one big goal, but I get disappointed every year when I fail miserably at that goal by january 15th.

This year, I am taking a different approach, thanks to my friend hillary. I have jotted down several (I mean TONS) of goals I would like to accomplish in 2012. I wanted to call it my 2012 bucket list, but I am not planning on dyeing this year, so not sure what to call it. Maybe, 50 things to do in 2012?!?! I may not finish every goal, I may not even start some of them, but gosh darn it, I will accomplish at least one of them at some point in the year.

So here it is...

the 50 things I want to do in 2012:

1. Read the scriptures everyday

2. Say Personal Prayers everyday

3. Have family scripture and prayer EVERY night

4. Family Home Evening every monday

5. Loose 30 lbs. and all that this entails

6. Work out 30 min. atleast 3 times a week.

7. Save LOTS of money

8. Average one to two photo shoots each week

9. pay a full tithe

10. be a better more compassionate, loving, playful mother.

11. be a better, more compassionate, loving playful wife.

12. be a better, cleaner, neater, more determined house wife

13. get more willpower

14. memorize all 13 articles of faith

15. potty train kem

16. get Jared a career

17. work on personal progress

18. find my personal progress book

19. finish website

20. finish business cards

21. finish CD packaging. (labels, package, how to print cards, about your CD cards)

22. NO EATING OUT spontaneously. (this is our family resolution)

23. start and finish mending pile

24. finish photographing dad's slides

25. use Facebook less

26. blog once each week

27. Go to bed at 10 and read with hubby

28. get up early and work out... then read scriptures

29. get k man to stop sucking his thumb

30. get in the habit of flossing my teeth every day

31. take vitamins everyday

32. consciously drink more water everyday

33. buy and eat more whole foods

34. eat smaller portions

35. photograph 8 weddings

36. finish editing karly's pictures.

37. advertise for senior portraits

38. sign Kroten up for baseball

39. yell less

40. stop leaving clothes on the floor

41. finish all started projects

42. Do visit teaching

43. read the ensign each month

44. run a 5k

45. Load dishes in dish washer when done eating

46. stop biting my nails

47. live on our budget

48. take more pictures of my own children

49. plan and carry out a menu each week

50. love myself more for who I am NOW!!

Wish me luck... this is going to be a productive year. Something that I am trying to learn is that it doesn't have to get done now, starting something is not bad. I often feel that if it does not get done NOW, what is the point in starting, hence the reason I need to loose so much weight. Its super annoying, and I would like to break that habbit... heres to progress!!

when I become a girl...

2011-12-29T23:51:00.002-07:00

He often says this!

And he likes to wear her things.

Should I be worried?

I think he is just creative?!?!?

Or confused, but not like your thinking, just not sure how the world works yet.

LOL.

He likes guns and video games and balls and cars, so he is definitely a boy.

Love him.

look mom..

2011-12-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

"look mom, I drew me."

What an awesome picture he drew... and he even used proper grammar. He is growing up. :'(

helping dad

2011-12-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

She is a daddy's girl, there is no question about that. I think it is cute, but I may or may not be a little jealous of the attention both of them get. I am not sure which one of the two I am more jealous of. Still it is sort of cute.

is it christmas-y yet?

2011-12-26T16:31:00.001-07:00

Kroten kept saying "we cannot open presents till it is christmas-y" and kept asking "is it christmas-y yet?" I am pretty sure that he heard us talking about christmas eve, but alas, christmas-y came.

We spend Christmas eve every year with our close friends, eating awesome food and playing charades. This year was no dissapointment...

Can you guess what they are acting out? LOL.

Kman just watched movies on Suzann's phone the whole time. I thought he was so cute because the headphones were to big, so he wore a pot holder on his head all night.

Then santa came. It was so much fun. kroten really brought the magic of Santa back to me. I loved playing santa for someone who believed.

Our final christmas loot...

Christmas morning was a ton of fun. Kem was a little bit of a brat, but I figured out half way through that she was teething... Tylenol solved that problem and then she was happy as could be. Unfortunately I learned that there is an attention span on present opening. We will probably have less next year.

Kroten ran into our room and yelled, we got a trampoline. I asked him who brought it, and he said "Suzanne." so the santa thing did not sink in as much as I thought it would.

Then he ran into the living room again and came back with the santa hat and told us that santa must have left it. Whew, I am glad that worked out. HAHA.

My baby girls is big enough for dress up. bittersweet.

But most importantly... we are so grateful for our savior jesus christ who gave us the greatest gift, his life, so that we may return to live with him. We praise his name and celebrate his life on this and every day.

santa clause is coming... TONIGHT!!!!

2011-12-24T11:11:00.001-07:00

This has been an interesting year for christmas in our house.

Kemiry still has no idea what is going on and couldn't care less that there is shiny ornaments on the tree and presents strung all over the living room. Everyone keeps telling me that I am daring to leave the wrapped presents where she can get them, but she doesn't touch them.

Kroten on the other hand is super excited, and fully understands. I am pretty sure that he thinks santa is not just coming to town, but coming to stay and visit. I think he is going to be a little disappointed that he wont be here when he wakes up.

Kman has woken up around 4 in the morning every night this week. He gets in bed with us, or asks for a drink, but I think he is really checking to see if santa came. Two different nights after the kids went to bed I wrapped a few presents and put them under the tree. You or I might not have noticed that anything had changed, but both times, the next morning k man came into our room to tell us that santa had come. Oh, buddy you are in for a treat on Christmas morning.

We saw santa at our church party, and had two completely different reactions.

Kem sat for two seconds and then wanted down immediately. At least she did not cry.

Kroten, just wanted to hug him...

And then tell him his whole life story...

And it was all downhill after that. Who spoiled this kid... I swear it was not me...

My absolute favorite part is that after kroten's turn he kept going up when it was other kids turns and yelling over the crowd "Santa..." Like he had something to tell him. When the crowd died down, Kroten went back up to him and asked santa if he needed any help. Santa was confused and said "oh actually I am all done and leaving." My guess is that when he was on his lap, santa asked kroten if he was being a good boy and told him to help him by being nice to his family. Because then k man responded "ok, I will just help mom to help you."

Kroten's excitement has really brought the magic of christmas back for me. I was thinking yesterday that this will be the first time in 12 years that santa has come to MY house. Glad to have him back!

WE ARE EXCITED!

dear santa, its me again...

2011-12-21T12:38:00.006-07:00

I have been an exceptionally good girl this year. I am trying so hard to be a good mom and wife. I try really hard to say my prayers and read my scriptures. I have tried on and off to be a runner, but I will not give up. I have made money for the family, and built my business. I have tried to be a good friend. I am sorry if I have fallen short in LOTS and LOTS of areas, but I can sincerely say that I am trying.

Please don't forget about me!!!

You can get me anything, but incase you need a few last minute ideas...

for my bike...

you can get these at payless... I really really really want some!!! I don't even care what color. I would even take two pair. 8 1/2 please!

or these, but they are more expensive... so...

you could download this from amazon...

This would be awesome, but we have talked about it, and I understand... But a girl can dream!! :)

Merry Christmas *santa*

I love you.

-Kristen

To do.

2011-12-19T21:51:00.001-07:00

My to do before Christmas list now officially has more things crossed off than left to do. Feeling pretty good so far. Going to bed now.

2011-12-15T17:50:00.001-07:00

jared made dinner tonight. Chicken bundles. Looks good... We will see. :)

magnet nativity and 12 days of christmas (free print out)

2011-12-13T11:47:00.002-07:00

Every year I tell myself that I am going to do the 12 days of christmas for someone. Every year on December 14th I realize that I had already missed day one and I give up. This year, we are doing 12 days of Christmas as an activity with the young women I work with at church. So I am on the ball this time.

And FYI... Today is the first day of the 12 days of christmas.

I thought the idea we came up with was super cute and if you find yourself with extra time today might want to use it too. Or you can just print this out for your family to use. I printed an extra set for my family.

I am posting the print out for a magnet nativity set. We are delivering one piece each day. I am also posting the word strips that go with each piece. This particular nativity does not have twelve pieces, so I supplemented with a few christmas symbols on a few of the days.

the documents are in a JPG format, so you should be able to just download them and print them on an 8.5x11 piece of paper. I am laminating mine as we speak and sticking a magnet on the back. Its perfect for the fridge, kem likes to hang out in there when I am cooking, so maybe she will learn something while messing with my fridge.

When you print, make sure you tell the printer to fit to page. My printer printed at 94% of the size, just to make sure it doesn't crop off any of the picture.

let me know if you have any problems

Have fun!

an adventurous tree

2011-12-12T09:52:00.001-07:00

We have an ongoing debate in our home over christmas trees. I have always, every single year of my entire life, had a real christmas tree. so naturally I want to continue with that. Jared on the other hand feels that financially and logically a fake tree would be better. I win every time. :)

This year however, I compromised, financially at least. Instead of going to a tree farm and spending $30 on the perfect tree, we spent $5 on a tag to go cut down our own in the woods. Lets just say it was an adventure.

There are advantages and disadvantages to cutting down your own tree in the woods.

Pros

a family adventure

excited to see the snow

a nice drive to the woods

a hunt for an awesome tree

fullfilment

sentiment

memories

cons

an ungroomed tree

no snow to be found

Gas money

a hunt for an awesome tree

scrawny, mangey trees

bugs

pine needles

You get the idea. It was an adventure.

This puddle of ice was as close as we got to seeing snow. :(

then Kman wanted to take some picures. We got LOTS of pictures such as the following...

And TONS more like this one...

We finnally found the one (don't ask me why k man is wearing sunglasses and no coat.)

We got it in our living room and realized that we didn't get away with as much of a beauty as we thought. IT WAS HUGE and poofy and mangey. So I gave it a hair cut.

It looked much better when I was done. Jared about had a heart attack when he saw how much I cut off.

And so we decorated it...

My favorite ornaments are the glittery balls that I got on SUPER clearance at walmart a few years ago. They make me happy.

And the cheap plastic snowflakes. LOVE them. I think I am a sucker for glitter.

It was a pain, and an adventure, but our tree is here and lighting our home. I love it and its uniqueness.

and the winner is...

2011-12-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

We listed all the entries and numbered them 1 to 40 and had our friends 8 year old daughter pick a number. (super scientific, I know.) She chose number 20. I was a little disapointed that she did not choose something a little more obscure such as 38 or 12 or... you know what I mean, but 20 it is, and that number belongs to...

Neil Vance.

Congrats Mandy (because I know Neil only entered for you!) you won a small chalk board.

oops I forgot...

2011-12-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add that you can purchase a menu board or a mini board by contacting Jared by email...

jaredTmoss@gmail.com

Seriously it would be such a great christmas present for the cook in your family!!!

My talented husband and a giveaway...

2011-12-07T16:28:00.020-07:00

A few years ago, I told my hubby that I wanted a menu chalk board board for christmas. He followed through and made it for me. What a good hubby. :)

I receive so many compliments on it and people are always saying they want one. So He has perfected his design and he is now selling them!!!

Isn't this a beauty...

I love the distressed look. I think they are so fun. And what a perfect thing for either your kitchen or for an awesome christmas present.

We have given a few for gifts and people are always saying that it helps them eat out less, do their grocery shopping and remember what they were planning to make. Plus it is kinda fun to plan out the weeks menu. My husband loves knowing what is for dinner in the upcoming days.

And the awesome part is that he is making them, so you can customize them. Right now he is making them in four different colors, but he is totally up for suggestions. They are all hand distressed and antiqued, but you can order it without the distressing.

and he is also making small "to do" or blank chalk boards.

You can buy them now. For yourself or as a christmas present for someone you think is awesome. Or tell your hubby that you want one.

Full menu chalk board (14.5'' x 38.5''): $25

Small "to do" or blank chalk board (14.5 x 18.5''): $15

and Jared wants to give one lucky winner a small "to do" board.

And you get 2 chances to enter.

here is how...

1. Post a link to this giveaway on your facebook page telling all your friends how much you want to win.

2. Come back here and leave a comment telling me that you did it. Please leave your Email address in your comment. (I have done a giveaway in the past where the person did not get their prize because I could not get a hold of them.)

And for your second entry, go to my photography facebook page and "like" the picture of the chalkboard. (I chose to use my photo page because it is public.)

PS... If you don't live in the Eugene Springfield area, you can still enter, but you will just need to pay shipping to get it to you.

Winner will be chosen by drawing and announced on Sunday, December 11th at 8 pm.

GOOD LUCK!!!

jingle over and over again...

2011-12-05T08:22:00.000-07:00

I love christmas music. I LOVE it when k man sings. but I think I could eventually get sick of this...

You must sing it as loud as you can... and over and over and over!!!

I love it... for now!

Halloween costumes.

2011-12-02T21:51:00.002-07:00

K man as a scary pumpkin for Halloween. More like the freaking cutest awesomest pumpkin ever.

Kem wore brothers elephant costume from two years ago. We had to spice it up a bit to show off her feminine charm. I am going to miss that cute plug she can't live without. I love love love my baby girl.

OCTOBER!!!!!

2011-11-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

You know I don't like to do this, but I was going through all the pictures and realized there is a lot from October, I was about to file them all away when this thought popped in my head... "what if kem asks about her first halloween?" Then I remembered that it wasn't her first halloween and still felt just as bad skipping over it. So here it is... october 2011...

Jared's brother, Jason and his wife Melissa came to visit.

It was so much fun and we miss them tons. We went to the coast and did lots of crabbing. ..

You can barely see it, but my finger is pointing to a teeny tiny baby crab. Cool huh.

We went to a cool old light house.

More crabbing...

And then they all went to a BYU vs OSU football game while kem and I hit up the outlet mall.

Apparently k man ate a lot, which for him is a big deal.

Kem learned to walk!!

I know... crazy... right?!

I broke a lens!

it was sad... but we move on.

We picked pumpkins...

As always.

Kem just loved every minute of it ;)

Kroten worked on his camera skills...

We carved said pumpkins!

Kroten hated the guts. He absolutely would not touch them. After this picture, we forced him to have the experience and he actually cried. Poor little man.

Halloween...

Our halloween costumes were somewhat disappointing, much like my blogging, I did not have time nor the money for cool ones, so I resorted to last years models. K man however begged me to be a scary pumpkin, so i did make his costume.

I just love having my picture taken...

Our happy fam on halloween. K man is not scared, this is what he does when we tell him to smile. It is horrible.

We went camping...

and I took my first time laps star pic. It was a fun 15 min of sitting in the pitch dark in the middle of a campground parking lot looking at the stars. I was shocked at what came out of the camera.

And that is OCTOBER in a nut shell. Whoo, glad that is over.

hello my name is kristen and...

2011-11-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

... I used to be a good blogger.

I wanted to see what Kroten was like at kem's age so I went back in the blog and started reading. It hit me all at once, I used to be a good blogger. Posting regularly taking awesome pictures etc. Now I just post the occasional phone pic. There is soooooo much in our life right now that is worthy of a post, but life will not slow down. I need to blog, I want to blog. I will not surrender, I will one day blog.

Probably not tomorrow, but soon, I am not done blogging.

My heart hurts a little for my lack of blogging!

thanks to the giving!

2011-11-24T23:13:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is my absolute, hand down favorite holiday and here are my reasons...

1. you eat!

2. being grateful makes me happy.

3. being together.

4. candied yams with pecans.

5. left overs.

6. Autumn.

I love it. love it. love it. love it.

It was funny, we ate probably two hours before our normal dinner time and the kids were throwing starvation fits as though it was an hour past. I am starting to think that it is just the smell of food that decides the timing of dinner not the actual time.

kemmers waiting patiently for her turkey dinner...

The whole gang just before the feast. We spent it alone this year, just us, our family of four :)

Kman's favorite part of the meal by far...

And Jared's favorite part...

Oh, and jared played football in the AM. I have always been a sucker for men on the field, I got lucky, he is a champ!

a day of thanksgiving...

2011-11-23T22:17:00.001-07:00

Last year I did 25 days of thankfullness, posting each day of november about something that I am grateful for. This year I have been WAY to busy, although I am super grateful that I am so busy, it has left my blogging to the wayside. But I truly do have so very much to be grateful for. I figured I could make up for it by posting it all at once.

What I am grateful for...

1. My incredibly supportive and talented Husband...

2. My buddy...

3. My kemers...

4. Prayer

5. Photography

6. Oregon...

7. The plug...

8. Technology (computer, fridge, vacuum, microwave, movies etc.)...

9. my bed

10. Food to eat and food to feed my babies...

11. My girls at church...

12. The temple and my eternal family...

13. My ~~babysitter~~ mother...

14. The silly and sometimes insightful things k man says.

15. A car that works

16. Our health

17. Wal*mart (I know I know, but seriously!!)

18. Friends...

19. The rain

20. Rain breaks so I can do photo shoots

21. Hot showers

22. Crafting

23. My Camera

24. My Amazing Father in Heaven who gives me everything that I have.

I was cooking dinner tonight and had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for all my blessings. I truly am in debt to God for all he has given me.

now that it is thanksgiving...

2011-11-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

...we can start thinking about christmas. I am totally ready to start crafting with my k man. These are the cute Ideas I have found so far.

Anyone have anymore... I could use them!!!

SO EXCITED!!!

PS... totally making snow globes.... HOW COOL IS THAT!!!

I thought he was sleeping. Again!

2011-11-15T19:35:00.001-07:00

I wore black tights to church on Sunday and before church k man asked me why my legs were black and proceeded to try to find out how by asking if i had painted them. After church he took a nap in my bed or so i thought. He came out of the room an hour or so later wearing this...

Its begining to look a lot like...

2011-11-15T17:20:00.002-07:00

Jared is one of those people who can't stand anything Christmas before thanksgiving. I on the other hand can hardly wait till after Halloween to play me some Mariah Carrie Christmas. This year However jared keeps saying how excited he is to hang lights and i am so busy it doesn't feel like the holidays. This little event warned my heart. I got a little excited for all the festivities.

2011-11-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

K man has been super needy lately. He doesn't want to do do normal things by himself that he normally does all by himself like getting dressed and eating his food going to pre school etc. Last sunday the nursery leader even asked us to go to class with him because he has been acting out. :( i think its just a phase but jared and i decided that maybe he just wants a little more attention. So we went on a date and played mini golf. It was fun. I love this little man even though he is a pill.

I thought he was sleeping...

2011-11-09T22:35:00.000-07:00

(please please please please ignore everything about me in the picture! I look horrible, but it is too great to not post.)

kroten got out of bed tonight (we thought he was asleep) and this is what he was wearing. He would not let us take a picture so this is all we could get.

Best part is that this is not a pair of unders from the drawer or the laundry, it is the pair he was previously wearing under his pj's. Silly boy!

Epic.

2011-11-04T13:38:00.001-06:00

We had our family pictures taken. Lets just say it was epic. You should be excited.

Stick a fork in it.

2011-11-04T13:37:00.002-06:00

she is officially a fork user. She is not very good at it but she won't eat a meal without one. Some times she throws huge fits at the dinner table and we cannot figure out what her problem is and all along it was that she wanted her very own fork. Silly little girl, what did you do with my baby?

2011-11-02T18:09:00.001-06:00

No i don't normally fry chicken but jared and i went to see the help in theaters and now he is craving fried chicken. I was feeling pretty domestic so i am giving it a try. Why not. I am afraid it will be gross but oh well.

2011-11-02T17:04:00.001-06:00

Natures way of saying happy fall.

2011-11-02T10:22:00.001-06:00

k man got himself dressed today. He did not get the memo that it is only 32 Degrees.

Conversation.

2011-10-24T18:24:00.001-06:00

I asked k man what he learned at preschool today and he responded ''I just learned'' and ran away. Is this what conversations with my son are bound to be like?

little miss attitude

2011-10-24T13:22:00.002-06:00

She tends to be a little dramatic about life. This particular moment she did not want her hair done. I have a feeling life is going to be interesting. wonderful, yet infused with attitude... looking forward to it.

fall - finally

2011-10-24T13:19:00.001-06:00

This makes me happy. :)

my heart is sad.

2011-10-23T20:10:00.001-06:00

I was already having a bad day, muddling about feeling bad for myself and how none of my pants fit and the house is a mess and how so and so is a better photographer or has better hair or... you get the idea.

It was a pity day, and no one stands in my way on one of those days.

Then I read on face book about a friend of mine that past away in her sleep. She was young, and a mom. I was not super close to her, but I had interacted enough with her that I could still hear her voice when I found the news. I can still see her face and I can still remember the very last time that I saw her.

She was pregnant and had a heart condition. Her last doctors appointment was apparently very positive. The saddest part is that she left behind a husband and a beautiful three year old. I cannot help but let my heart reach out to them and let my mind wonder how horrible that would be. What would my own little family do if I died. Needless to say, my heart is sad, VERY heavy and sad.

I am not going to lie, I am sad, and angry and I even asked WHY? a few times. She was an AMAZING mother and one of the nicest people I have ever met. She was so GOOD, and the world needs good. Why would our Father in Heaven take something so good from this world that is so filled with bad. I cannot answer those questions, but I found SOME peace in the fact that our Heavenly Father knows what he is doing, there is a plan and he doesn't take someone in their sleep unless he meant to.

1 corinthians 15:55 "O Death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

I believe this scripture with all my heart...We believe that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, death should have no sting. We should be happy for our friends who pass on to live with their Father in Heaven... But I cannot help but feel sadness and fear. I have faith, but I also have fear, I thought that was not possible, maybe I just don't have enough faith?

My heart is sad.

Coast.

2011-10-19T13:21:00.002-06:00

I love living so close to the ocean. We spent the weekend at the coast with jared's brother and his wife. It was tons of fun. I really love where we live.

first pony tail

2011-10-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

This pic was actually from a while ago, and her hair is way longer now, but I just didn't want to forget her first (of many I am sure) Pony tail. I love you baby girl, please don't grow up to fast.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA...etc...

2011-10-07T14:43:00.001-06:00

i love it.

2011-10-05T13:18:00.001-06:00

I am loving this weather. I love hearing the rain as i fall asleep. I love wearing a sweatshirt. I love the cool wind and the rain drops on my head. I love seeing the dark clouds. I love when my babies wear fleece sleepers. I love the smell of the clean crisp air. I love that it means its almost Halloween and thanksgiving. i love the smell of my car heater. I love the way the very first rain drop feels on my hand. I love the rain. So glad its back.

a confession and an insight.

2011-10-05T08:43:00.001-06:00

I am a little ashamed to admit this, but feel it necessary to write down an insight I had that I don't want to forget...

We have been HORRIBLE at having Family Home Evening.

(if you are a rock-star at this, please do not comment telling me how horrible I am or how awesome you are. I already feel bad enough about it.)

Each week passes and I feel more and more guilty that we didn't take a few minutes once a week to sit down and have a formal home evening lesson. I have tried in the past, but fail miserably every time. I get overwhelmed with all the ideas out there.

The kids scream and run and play and it is a disaster every time.

But this is how it went last night.

I wanted to talk about who the Prophet and his councilors are. We have been working really hard on this lately. I wanted to look at each picture, tell his name and birth day and other facts about him and then talk about what he talked about in the most recent General Conference. Easy enough right... WRONG. It was a mess and I wanted to cry from the very start.

But then, I had a GENIUS idea that can only be explained by the workings of the spirit...

Put the pictures on the wall tell Kman to run as fast as he can and find the picture of the prophet, then have him bring it back. Then I had him run "as fast as you can" and get the picture of Eyering (the first councilor) and so on. Then we said prayer. Wham bam we were done.

He is 3 years old. I cannot expect him to sit through a big long lesson. I need to be more creative and think of things on his level. FHE is not about learning as much as you can in a quick lesson once a week. It is about consistently being together as a family and focusing on gospel topics. Coming together, feeling the spirit, showing my children that I love the gospel etc. I was going about it wrong and that is why I got discouraged and therefore never had Family Home Evening.

My goal is to be more consistent, and SIMPLE with our Family Home Evenings.

Elder Bednar gave an AWESOME talk about EXACTLY how I am feeling and the best advice for how to make it work.

we don't go enough...

2011-10-05T07:46:00.000-06:00

We definitely take living so close to the coast for granted. We are just too busy to drive an hour to see some water. But it is nice to have an excuse to finally go. Aunt Ali came to visit which was awesome and then we drove to the beach. It was kinda cold and overcast, but I don't mind. So glad we got to go.

Aunt Ali loves her niece and nephew, that is for sure.

what do you do when it 90 degrees

2011-10-02T16:05:00.000-06:00

Don't mind us.. were at the river.

My feet are cold.

2011-09-28T11:09:00.001-06:00

I am sitting here in the waiting room of the dentist office (Another story for another post) and thinking "my feet are cold." Do you know what that means...Its officially fall! I am ecstatic, not just happy or excited... Ecstatic! I love everything fall.

Then and now.

2011-09-27T20:11:00.001-06:00

I remember seeing this movie in theaters when i was a kid. Now i am sitting here watching it with my babies in 3D. Crazy. i was thinking that if someone told me when i was 15 that i would see lion king in 3D (Or any movie for that matter) with my kids in the theater i don't know if i would have believed them. Life is fun!

when the ipad battery dies...

2011-09-26T15:56:00.000-06:00

state fair

2011-09-23T21:24:00.000-06:00

JARED IS THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WHOLE WORLD. My blog is the best way i can think to shout that from the roof tops. With the exception of few occasions, he is the most considerate and thoughtful man I have ever met. I am sad to report that I am not sure that I would have done this for him.

(Editors Note: Jared hates, nay, despises country music.) Jared surprised me with tickets to see THE BAND PERRY at the state fair. I was giddy for days in excitement. And it was as awesome as I expected. We didn't have the best seats, and it was crowded so we moved to the way back where no one was sitting and we just sat, all alone, his arm around me while I belted my lungs out singing my favorite songs. BEST DATE EVER!!!!

Here is how it went...

Scary upside down ride.

SOOOO COOL!

Jared won a prize playing ski ball. And then he took it home for kem kem. See I told you he is considerate.

Wait did I already say... BEST DATE EVER!

Leaving the nest...sort of.

2011-09-22T15:32:00.004-06:00

I took this pic of kman while camping this weekend. I thought it was all too appropriate for this post. I couldn't help but be in awe of the contrast of this little dude in his pj's and the great big world around him. Didn't even make the connection that a few days later I would be throwing him into the big world.

Incase you need to be brought up to speed... Kman started preschool today. I am very excited for him, and he is very excited for it, but I may or may not have choked up a little. (my hubby didnt even notice so that is how little.)

I love this little man and I am so excited for him to start learning and growing. I am grateful for people who are trained to help him do that. I am also grateful for the big fat 2 and a half hour break from his CRAZINESS each day.

When he came out of the preschool his teacher made a point to tell me that he demanded his juice right at the beginning and then later demanded his snack promptly. I told the teacher that he is very strong willed, she replied "so am I." Hopefully this means he will learn some patience and respect. I had no idea he was so bossy.

I LOVE YOU kman. Just remember who you are, OK!

2011-09-21T21:54:00.003-06:00

"Look mom I drew me!"

My favorite part is the line above the eyes. He said it is his forehead. LOL.

away.

2011-09-18T19:54:00.002-06:00

new car is stuffed full and the kids are packed in like Sardines but we are going camping. No computar. No cell phone service. No bed. No hair straighter. And i couldn't be more excited. Have a good week. :)

a much needed...

2011-09-16T20:35:00.004-06:00

HAIR CUT.

Before...

After...

I didn't do the best job, but it is better than an afro!

Watch out, here she comes.

2011-09-12T15:49:00.002-06:00

She is walking.

My baby girls is walking... well, very very close to walking. I cannot believe it, she is getting so big, so fast. I am going to miss all of this one day I just know it.

Baby is here!

2011-09-11T22:07:00.001-06:00

Sam had her baby. :) i am so happy for her. Yay. Colden archer willie. 8lb 3oz.

"the bug got me."

2011-09-07T22:35:00.000-06:00

We were playing at the river tonight and kroten found a shovel and was digging in the dirt. All of a sudden he looked at me and said "the bug got me." he was fine like nothing happened and two seconds later started bawling. I took off his shirt and sure enough there it was, a big welt. My poor baby cried and screamed. It still hurt at bed time. :(

Dear Santa...

2011-08-30T15:35:00.002-06:00

I know it is a little ways away, but just so there is NO confusion, I want these for christmas. I think I have been an exceptionally good girl this year.

PS. cute red buckle is a must. :)

One down...

2011-08-30T00:50:00.001-06:00

I have wanted to make a quiet book for the kids to play with probably since i was a kid myself. This Sunday church was particularly bad. We actually went home early and the both took a ten o clock nap. Nothing like a really bad experience to jump start your motivation. I finished my first two pages. I just need to make the animals for the ark. Now lets see how long it takes me to finish the rest. Maybe my grand children will get to use it when i am finally done. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T17:02:00.001-06:00

GOOD dates are few and far between.

2011-08-19T09:40:00.003-06:00

With limited recourses and two small children, it seems a task to just get out of the house without the kids let alone making it a good date. Honestly, we usually just drive around town arguing about where to eat or what is cheap enough to do.

But last night we splurged a little and Jared took me to the fair. It was lots of fun.

Self portrait attempt #1 (thought it was kinda cool.)

Ok, the real reason we went to the fair was not to spend a little money to have a quality date, it was because I entered some of my photos. I had to enter the professional division because I make money doing it, but I got honorable mention on all three of my photographs. I am pretty proud of that. Two years ago, I entered photos in the regular division and didn't win anything, so this is a great accomplishment for me.

And I am extatic about this... I twisted the arm of one of my young women at church to enter some of her work in the junior division, and she got THIRD PLACE on two of her photos. SO SO SO SO proud of her. Such a neat thing.

I love this man... it was a fun date night.

front facers.

2011-08-14T19:12:00.001-06:00

Two kids in front facing car seats! Its interesting the things that make you reflect on life. I cant believe we are officially a two car family with two big kids. Life is Wonderful and crazy and fast, awesome and stressful... I cant believe i havetwo kids in front facing car seats. No babies here.

I know we said no more babies but...

2011-08-13T23:13:00.001-06:00

... look at my new one! :D We couldn't be more thrilled with our new addition. And the delivery was way easier. No c-section for this one. ;)

its a date.

2011-08-10T23:38:00.000-06:00

Wordless wednesday

2011-08-10T10:47:00.001-06:00

blogging by text (mobil blogging how to)

2011-08-05T20:55:00.003-06:00

I don't have a smart phone... does that mean I am not smart?

I remember when I was a kid and we all got new MP3 players for christmas, my mom couldn't work them to save her life. I seriously thought it was a qualification for motherhood to be electronically illiterate, now that I am a mom, I know it is.

That being said, I can text, I can call and I can take pictures on my phone, and I am happy with that much.

Then I thought, wouldn't it be cool if I could blog these pictures that I take with my phone right after I take them. I was this (holding my fingers about 2 inches apart) close to begging my hubby for an iphone. (but honey our posterity needs an iphone)

So I Googled it. And guess what... you totally can do it without a fancy smanshy smart phone.

WOOHOO!

You don't need a smart phone, you can just text pictures or words and it will put it on your blog for you. just a warning though, you do have to be able to send and receive MMS (multimedia messages) to post pictures. You can still post words if you dont have this feature.

I may be the only person out there that doesnt know this, then again, I am probably the only person out there without a smart phone. But since this is going to change my life I think you need to know it. plus it makes me feel better thinking that other people are also not smart and poor like me.

So here we go...

How to blog from your (not smart) phone.

There are two ways to do it, I will tell you the MUCH easier faster way, but if you find a tutorial on the other way, by all means try it... but this way is WAY easier.

1. Go to your Dashboard

2. Click on Settings

3. Choose the "email & mobil" tab

4. Scroll down to the heading "mobil devices"

5. Click the link "add a mobil device"

6. Get on your phone and text the code that is in the pop up window to go@bloggr.com

(don't send it to the phone number it gives. You can still text words to your blog if you cannot send MMS, in this case just text the code to the number it gives.)

7. wait a few seconds and the window will change to tell you that it worked. And you will receive a text saying that it is ready.

8. Next time you text something (text, picture, both) to go@blogger.com it will appear magically on your blog.

I think that is AMAZING!!! This is seriously going to change the way I blog. I can't wait. :D

Katie you asked about pixilated pictures. My best guess is that because when you text them, your phone resizes them smaller. I don't have a solution, sorry. Maybe there is a way to turn off the resizing, but I doubt that it would send then, it might be too big. That does seem to be a problem. Does anyone have a solution?

2011-08-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

just testing out the mobil blogging. :)

2011-08-05T14:27:00.001-06:00

i am blogging from my phone. So excited. Tutorial and lots of posting to come soon!

an unwelcome visitor

2011-08-05T12:31:00.000-06:00

The flu ran through our house like a tornado. Not the 24 hour bug, the big one. It was so hard watching them all be so pitiful. It truly makes me grateful for our health... you don't know what you have till it is gone.

Let me show you how its done...

2011-08-02T00:13:00.000-06:00

1. Discover fire.

2. Extinguish fire.

3. Pick at dark spongy substance.

4. Lick said spongy substance. (note: very important... don't touch said substance.)

5. go whole hog.

6. Go ahead and enjoy... you deserve it. You made it a whole year.

7. lick it clean.

sometimes you need a good cry... sometimes you just need to blog.

2011-07-30T23:30:00.002-06:00

It has been a very long, very stressful month and an equally stressful day... so right now I dont care what I should be doing, I am going to sit here, eat this mini cupcake (which is actually for kem's birthday party tomorrow) and BLOG!

ALREADY?

2011-07-30T23:29:00.000-06:00

When Kman turned a year old, I was ready. It felt like it had been about a year. We had already bought a front facing car seat and everything. I felt like it was about time.

But Kem is a whole different story. Are you sure it has really been a year? I feel like I just got home from the hospital.

My baby girl is growing up. And honestly, I am a little sad about it.

She will ALWAYS be my baby girl.

getting close.

2011-07-30T23:13:00.000-06:00

She will be a walker very soon. I can't wait.

the 4th

2011-07-30T23:08:00.001-06:00

Jared had to work on the 4th of july, so I was left to my own for the night. I had a real personal dilema because part of me wanted to go see the big fireworks but the other part of me wanted nothing to do with packing around two tired kids at 10 at night. So I put kem to bed and Kroten and I waited till dark and we lit sparklers and threw poppers. It was fun and surprisingly relaxing. I loved hanging with my k man.

It was a good 4th.

Oh, and I am grateful for our freedom (especially when I think about my babies.)

I really do love them...

2011-07-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to lie, somedays I ask myself what would it be like if I didn't have kids? What would life be like if I had taken that internship in New York? Would I be a better photographer? Would I be happier, skinnier, healthier? Would I feel better about myself? Would I be less stressed? Would Jared have a career?

I could go on, but it depresses me thinking about it. To sum it up... having kids is by far, hands down, no contest, the hardest thing I have EVER done in my life. It is the most taxing, time consuming, tiring, expensive job in the whole world. I have had to sacrifice more for these babies than anything else in the quarter century that I have been a live.

Today I was thinking about how unfair it is that we (women) give SO much to have babies and then we have to be fat afterwards too. That just doesn't seem fair... and in the middle of that thought I thought this... "you have to sacrifice a lot of things to do the right things."

Its a sacrifice, but it is the right thing... sometimes I dont like them much, but I sure do LOVE them.

my dress

2011-07-30T22:53:00.000-06:00

My mom gave me a box of all my old baby clothes. I am shocked that after 25 years she still had these dresses. I am also shocked at how goddy people used to dress babies, you could clothe a whole village of babies with the amount of lace that is on this dress. But she looked cute, and it was fun to put it on her.

Oh, and I just realized that this is the same dress that I am wearing in the compare pic that I posted a few days ago. WOW, that is crazy. I guess I now have to save it for her babies.

summer means baseball.

2011-07-30T22:42:00.000-06:00

I think the baseball games make one of my top three reasons why I like summer. (right after corn on the cob and swimming.)

I have been trying to convince Jared to play on a summer league for so long, and this summer, he finally is. I am not sure if its me or him that enjoys reliving the glory days the most.

I love watching him play... he is really good.

if my phone could talk... this is what it would say.

2011-07-30T22:24:00.000-06:00

Sadly my phone went kapoot the other day.

Thankfully just a few days ago I bluetoothed all my pictures off of it. What an awesome coincidence.

Like mother like daughter

2011-07-27T11:29:00.000-06:00

While I was editing Kem's one year pictures, I kept thinking that this one picture looked so familiar. I kept thinking "where have I seen it?" And then it hit me. In the hall way of my parents house there is a picture of me when I was little, and this picture of kem kept reminding me of that picture.

I love that she looks like me. :) hopefully she will appreciate it too when she is older.

Happy Birthday Big Girl...

2011-07-26T11:19:00.000-06:00

This year has gone by SO fast. It seriously feels like just last month that I was in the hospital with this little sweetie.

I remember when Kroten turned one, it felt about right, it was about time. We had bought a front facing car seat and everything. This time, it feels way too soon for our baby to be ONE.

But alas, I cannot avoid the inevitable, she is one, and growing up fast.

I love you little girl... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I want one of these!

2011-07-14T23:36:00.001-06:00

Nuff said!

Oh and incase you haven't noticed, I am going through a blogging drought.

I dont want to do it.

I dont think about doing it.

I dont have time to do it.

And honestly out of the one billion things that I NEED to accomplish each day, and the 15 things that I actually do accomplish each day, blogging is the thing that has been pushed to the wayside.

I am still here.

I am still a blogger.

I will keep blogging.

(just not sure when.)

roller skates

2011-07-07T22:32:00.000-06:00

Remember this post...

...Well Kman got a pair of his very own skates for his birthday. He is cool stuff.

It is fun to watch him try to figure it out. He had a hard time, but he is picking it up quickly now.

There was a lot of crouching, smart kid, the lower you are the softer the fall is... I guess.

A lot of falling and scooting on the ground, apparently this is a form of skating that I didn't know about... that would be much easier...

Then he just started crawling...

Who ever taught my son that wearing a helmet is cool... I owe you.

Seriously how could I not love this boy... he is the greatest. And now he is a skater.

I love me some kem kem

2011-07-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

good luck seeing them...

2011-07-01T23:31:00.002-06:00

Kem has sprouted two more teeth.

Good luck seeing them though, she won't show anyone. It seems as though she is purposely hiding them.

But I know someone, someone really special that can get her to show them to the world, this is how it goes...

Daddy: Kem please show us your teeth.

Kem: No way jose.

Daddy: Ok girly you know what that means, Ill have to tickle you.

Kem: Lets see you try!

Daddy: allright your asking for it.

Kem: No daddy, don't, it won't work... I will never surrender.

Daddy: Kem your loosing, I see your teeth.

Kem: i have the best daddy in the whole world.

Mommy: agreed.

a little sunshine for my kitchen.

2011-07-01T16:37:00.001-06:00

mmmm... so happy.

If I could re-plan my wedding, (I would change a lot) I would pick wild flowers for the theme. But, alas, I cannot, So I will just soak up there happiness in my kitchen window.

they moved to hawaii...

2011-07-01T16:36:00.001-06:00

And we miss them SOOO bad...

They packed up what they need and sold the rest and moved to Hawaii. I am super happy for them and didn't think it would be sad, but I cried, Im not going to lie.

Why is it so hard to say goodbye?

Aloha, our good friends, we love you and can't wait to come visit.

she wont stop eating.

2011-07-01T16:33:00.003-06:00

Even Kroten calls her hungry hippo now. (We really should stop calling her that.)

She eats as much if not more than K man. if you put it in front of her, she will just keep going. I was pretty sure she was a bottomless pit until one day she threw up after eating too much.

Her favorites are...

hot dogs (chopped up tiny of course)
noodles
peas
meatballs
cheese

I see a pattern here, someone likes it savory. Forget the sweets, she likes it salty.

while the baby was sleeping.

2011-06-30T22:55:00.000-06:00

I must admit that I have seriously considered giving away a certain red headed three year old. There have been many times that I have wondered what life would have been like if for any reason I had either chose a different path or was unable to have children. I am sure that anyone with children can relate to this... Ask them, I swear they will agree, Im not a bad Mom, it is natural to feel this way.

But it is occasions like this one that remind me why I chose this path and makes me SO grateful that a loving Father in Heaven led me down it...

I love my Kman!

krotens birthday bash

2011-06-29T17:16:00.001-06:00

We had a little bash for our three year old in our backyard. It was tons of fun. I just had lots of paper and washable paint and let them go to town. I really thought they would get bored after 15 minutes, but it kept them occupied the entire time. It was great.

We used card board pieces as canvas and lots of stuff from the house to use as stamps.

Ball paintings. you just dip the beeds in paint and let them roll around the box and walla, you have this cool painting.

This was my favorite touch... just write the kids name on the back and hang it out to dry.

I had my sister do face painting...

And according to Kroten, the party doesn't begin till you open presents.

I still cannot believe that he is three.

we went to utah...

2011-06-26T18:17:00.001-06:00

And rode Jason's motorcycle...

went to the BEAUTIFUL Bridal Veil Falls...

video chated with the fam that couldn't be with us!

Hiked the Y....

If anyone ever tells you that it is an easy hike, DONT believe them, I swear I almost died going up, and I am pretty sure I did die coming down, not sure how I am still here. we are still working out the logistics of it all.

THis is at the top showing that I DID IT! I was pretty proud, you would be too if you just endured that.

Seriously, best dad in the whole world, hands down!

Jason, always on the phone! Even ON the Y.

SEE... 11 switchbacks, not even a mile and it rises almost 1000 feet. We might as well have hiked the rockies.

k man 3rd birthday

We had a little party with the fam and some strawberry shortcake. Can you believe he is THREE!

He blew the candles out the second it was set down, so I captured this moment instead of the actual event of blowing them out. he is still so cute.

He was only excited for the blueberries... and the presents.

and then we went to the salt lake temple. It was beautiful, I love seeing it and thinking about the wonderful history involved in it, I am grateful for the pioneers who gave us us such a wonderful legacy.

And we saw Kayley... and forgot to get a picture of her. :(

And did lots of other fun stuff. Sorry to anyone we did not get to see. I wish we had had more time. I love you and miss you all.

WHOA... I feel good, I knew that I would.

2011-06-23T23:05:00.002-06:00

Doesn't this picture make you think of that awesome James Brown song "I feel good"...

Or you can look at it as him screaming bloody murder because mommy wants to take yet another picture. I swear he wasn't crying, but some might think he was.

I prefer to think he is screaming "so good... so good... I got you!" Its a glass half full kind of thing I guess.

But what is really going on?

I am entering this awesome photo of my little James Brown in a child photo contest called Your best Shot (and that makes me think "hit me with your best shot... fire away!" oh good ole' Pat Benatar.) on this awesome blog Paper Mama.

Choosing my "best shot" was tough! I don't know if I would say that this was my bestest bestest best shot, (if I didn't have dishes to do and laundry to fold, I would take more time to shuffle through all my pictures) but this is definitely one of my favorite. I think it captures how fun K man can be. I just love him!

Go take a look at all the other awesome pictures, There are so many talented people out there, I am honored to put my picture among theirs.

I was scared but I said... "just do it"

2011-06-20T23:05:00.002-06:00

I like to think that I am not normally a trend follower nor a self portrait taker, but both were absolutely necessary in this situation...

I had my bangs chopped!

Every single person I have seen with chunky bangs lately looks SOOO cute with them. with each person I saw, I told myself that I would not do it.

For lots of reasons...

1. I would never look good with those bangs.

2. too much work and maintenance.

3. too hot (as in temperature.)

4. Everyone else is doing it.

5. I am not skinny or pretty or sexy enough to pull that look off.

But I did it and you are probably wondering why I caved.

1. I am trying to grow my hair out and it is super hard for me to resist a cute a-line or bob, so I needed a change and it had to be something drastic without chopping it all off.

2. Everyone looks so cute with it.

3. we watched a movie last night with zooey deschanel and she is not only the queen of the chunky bang but now quit possibly my favorite actress.

4. WHY THE HECK NOT... (besides the above 5 reasons)

So I did it.

And it was fun.

And I am still not sure if I like it, ask me in a week.

a short term fix for three year old boredom.

2011-06-20T10:56:00.002-06:00

A small problem we have around our house is boredom. With summer it is getting better, but the house still needs to get cleaned, the baby still needs to be fed and I still need down time, we cannot spend 24 hours a day at the park. So it is an unavoidable fact... kroten gets a little bored. I found this little trick the other day and he ate it up...

I just took a needle and sturdy thread (made sure he knew it was pokey) and give him a jar of buttons and bead and let him go to town. It was awesome and kept him occupied for a little while. Plus it helps with fine motor skills!

try it.

PS... I am a HORRIBLE blogger, one of these days I will dedicate a whole day to catching up... be ready there is ALOT!