A break from the old family slide show...

I am sure I am not the norm here, but I would probably utterly dig watching someone's old family slide show circa 1959.

But, since I am certain I am not the norm, it is time to take a break from our family vacation photos to blog about this girl:

She is hilarious and funny. She can be loud, and tantrum throwing, or she can be quiet and observant and cuddly. I love her, and I love her cheeks. Her plump, squishy, kissable cheeks.

The past two weeks I have noticed something about her. She has very discerning taste buds. I wouldn't call her 'picky' per se, (even though she is...) but her palette is 'delicate'. Let me explain.

I gave her breakfast one morning and with it her usual cup of chocolate milk. To which she replies, "This tastes funny." I couldn't think why it did, until I realized that I gave her Millzies whole milk and not the usual 1%.

Then there was the Mac & Cheese incident. She LOVES Mac & Cheese. Again with the, "This tastes funny." (I used soy milk in it instead of regular milk...and used margarine instead of butter.) Geez.

She is this way about lots of things, some dairy related, but some not. For example she prefers: Rock salt on her grilled meat over kosher salt. Regular lemonade over 'light' (a given...I am with her on that.) She won't eat 'American' cheese (that's my girl). And it spills over into cereal, crackers, granola bars, lite mayo, different mustartds and hot dogs, etc. Substituting whole flour into a cookie recipe? Think again! (Not even the entire calling of flour, even one cup she tastes.)

Not only can you see I am a GREAT and AWESOME mom at what I feed my kids, but that she has some mutant taste buds. Love her, but sometimes...

What have you changed in your kids food rituals that they notice right off?

"I'm not your assistant!"

Monday was a busy day. I was rushing to get J-Man to his first day of school, rushing to get us all dressed and out the door so we girls could get haircuts after we dropped off J-Man.

In my rush I asked Memms to help me feed Millz. (I have always held her bottle for her, she can hold it, but it is really up to her to decide if she feels like doing so. On this particular occasion she was adamant that she wasn't going to hold it. Hence my asking Memms for help.)

The conversation went as follows:

Me: "Memms! Mama needs your help to feed Millie, will you come hold her bottle for her?"

Memms (directed toward Millz): "Zilly, I am not your assistant!"

Me: Full on laughing my guts out, and running to grab the camera as proof.

Don't you think the point is made even clearer by Millzies hands ABOVE HER HEAD.
GAH! The hilarity.

Love these girls. Love them. Love that even though Memms is really NOT Millz's assistant, she does it anyway because she loves her.

I hope that they are always besties.

"Mom?"

"Did you just give Millz a bath?"

Me: "Ya sweetie, why?"

"'Cuz she smells like donuts."

Squish, squish, squish. I love him.

BTW Memms is guest posting today at the r house.

GO READ!

I can be perfect at some things.

Hubbs and I often joke about perfection.

In our religion we believe we can be perfected and exalted in time.

A process that takes a really really long time
and a process that definitely won't happen here on Earth.

Part of this process is the Word of Wisdom...maybe you have heard of it.
Basically we don't smoke or drink alcohol, that kind of stuff.

Other things we have been asked to do, is not look at pornography, or watch R rated movies.

Also, keeping the sabbath day holy.

All of these things help us to grow closer to our Father in Heaven and leave behind the things of the world, that would take us away from our family.

So, as the joke goes with Hubbs and I,
ESPECIALLY when it comes to the R rated movie thing...is that:

"We can't be perfect at ALL things,
but we can be perfect at SOME things."

So when the temptation comes to watch that movie that looks just too good to pass up...we remember our small area of perfection.

One area we are striving to perfect is our
Family Home Evening.

Family Home Evening, or "FHE" as we call it, occurs on Monday nights in our house, and is basically what it sounds like, we spend the evening as a family. The Church suggests doing spiritual activities or creating family memories.

Let me preface by saying the last year has been full of ups and downs and I am not always perfect at planning FHE in advance. Oftentimes it really is planned 5 minutes before we are suppose to start it. Tee hee.

See...NOT perfect, but WORKING on being perfect.

So, last night was FHE. I had these little foam turkey kits that I had purchased awhile back...and so I decided that for Family Home Evening we would talk about Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it.

So I read a book, we talk, we ask questions, all the while making six little turkeys to give away to people the kids were thankful for.

So we jump in the car and proceed to drop off all of our little turkeys.

On the way home, little Memms says:

"Mom! I really like this Family Home Evening,
it is a FUN one, and not a BORING one."

My kids are hilarious, and oh so brutally honest.

"Bound" and Determined.

To do what? Get my life story into books and not just online.

I just finished this AH-mazing little book from:

Cherish Bound

It is in the mail as I speak, so as soon as it arrives
I am totally going to take pictures and post them.

I have been wanting to make books from my blog labels for awhile now, and decided to start out with this label:

From the Mouths of Babes
Teary just thinking about it.

Squee! I get such delight out of these posts, it will be so great to have a book that we can look at and read
anytime
we want.
My kids LOVE having books just about them, with THEIR pictures, their story.

How did I hear about Cherish Bound? I had THE most awesome time a few weeks back learning more about them when the put on a fun little evening along with the

Timpanogos Story Telling Festival.

(Looking SUPER forward to attending this with my kidlets...if you have never gone YOU MUST. It made me feel like a kid again, just sitting in awe at the talent of these storytellers.)

The books are so fun, they have so many ideas to get you started on making your own book, and it was super fast.
I made and finished my book in two hours! If you have been contemplating making any type of book for yourself...go and DO IT!

My friend Cass was over here holding Millz while I made my book, she loved my book so much she wants to make one of her own. Thanks for holding babes for me Cass!

"MOM!"

"Now I can't scratch my blanket!"

Cuz I clipped her little nails. I guess it is her comfort...to "scratch" her boo boo.

Also, sometime around Christmas, we were at church and Memms grabs a handful of bread during the Sacrament. I whisper in her little ear,

"Memms, we only take ONE piece of bread okay?"

She looks me dead in the eye:

"Don't whisper to me!"

Dood how I love her.

Crossed

So, the other night Hubbs and I are conversing about some very close friends of ours who are
struggling with some heavy stuff.

I begin to say how awful I feel, I wish I could do more than I have, and how:

"My heart is just broken!"

Memms, (age 3 years five months) who is sitting next to us watching a show on my iPod (ear phones in ears) overhears our conversation and says:

"Mom, your heart is broken because you have no money,
so you can't buy expensive stuff.
But you still can laugh."

I just want you to all remember that no matter how much your heart is aching, or how much your heart is broken, we can, and should
still laugh.

Truer. Words.

Alma 32:23

Ya, I am still alive...sorta.

I *could* say this has been the busiest week of my life, but I KNOW I have had busier.

I also know that it is not going to stop until Friday afternoon, so I am trying not to contemplate on it too much or I will end up in a straight jacket.

Not that the busy has been bad, it has just been, well, BUSY. And, I am tired. Very tired.
BUT I will survive, I always do.

So I will end with this, as I was going through some photos today, I came across these:

My three year old was CLEANING THE BATHROOM.
All on her own.
She moved the stuff to the side, scrubbed down the sink, and the countertops,
(and even the toilet lid...I stopped her from going further).
She was so stinkin' proud of herself.
And I thought she was the most adorable thing on the planet.

Also, she said to me today, (I kid you not, EVERY WORD):

"Mom, sometimes I say that Heavenly Father punishes us (huh?! Where did this come from?) but Heavenly Father doesn't punish us. He just likes to give us rings on our cupcakes."

Truer words...did someone say cupcake?

My kid! Argh!

So, I am having a little problem today with my youngest. She is the sweetest, most gentile, and loving little being so today really came as a shock to me and I am trying to understand why and what to do with her.

After Family Home Evening tonight, which consisted of eating dinner outside, playing, and pulling all the weeds in our new baby grass, I decided our treat would be to walk down to the 7-11 and get Slurpees.

My first mistake was staying outside with Memms and the bikes. (I should have gone inside with Hubbs and J-Man. There was this guy outside the sev with his dog, and he was obviously walking his dog (I have seen him many times.) Anyway, he is a very over-weight guy. Very. So, I start chatting with him a bit...we both say hello, yada, yada, yada. Then, as he is leaving with his headphones on (me praying he didn't hear what came out of Memms mouth) she says:

"Mom! That guy is SO fat!"

She said it loud. I start bawling. Where on earth did my little girl learn this? I know in my husband's culture, his parents are always making one comment or another about how people look (this infuriates me btw) and I am wondering what kinds of things are being said when I am not with my children. I can't help but wonder if this is where she picked it up? Or is it just something that she learned on their own? I am not looking to blame, I just feel awful.

As I gained my composure, Hubbs came out to inform me that they were out of Coke Slurpee and that Memms and I needed to come in and choose a flavor.

He looks at me and I recount what had just happened.
We sit down and have a talk with her, about how it hurts people when we call them names, etc.
(She is the queen of getting upset when people call her names, albeit nicknames, whatnot...she HATES it.)
So anyway, I am HOPING she got it...and praying that this man did not hear her.

Have you ever encountered this with your children? How did you get over feeling like you were the worst parent of all time?

I am going to go eat my king sized candy bar I got instead of a Slurpee, I feel like crawling in a hole and dying of mortification. Maybe if I do this, she will make the comment to me and not so someone else. And believe me, I already know how big my butt is, she has told me. Oi.

What can you live without?

Yesterday, after a full day of deep Spring cleaning of my kitchen (praise me), I decided to sit my ars down and watch me some afternoon telly. After watching a rousing hour of Dr. Phil discuss how to cut our grocery bill IN HALF...Hubbs got home and sat down just as Oprah was beginning.

(Let it be known that if Hubbs is home, he will watch Dr. Phil and Oprah 99% of the time. He is addicted. I think it is hilarious.)

Anyway, Oprah was quite interesting. You should go check out the story on her site.

Basically she talked about "What can you live without?" And asked the question, then had some amazing guests on who talked about ways they simplified their lives. I won't lie when I had the small desire to run out and sell my house and move into a cottage in the woods...holla! But quickly recovered when I realized that indeed I can't live without my "square-footage". (It makes me feel good...that is what Oprah said anyway...let's talk about her square footage. Huh hmmm.)

So, it got us on the discussion with our little fam about what we could live without. So I asked Hubbs and J-Dawg what they thought.

Jokingly I asked Jay and Hubbs if they thought they could live without ice cream...immediately the question was shot back,

"Could you?!"

"Duh! Of course I can...I don't really even like it anyway, except that one kind...so ya, I could!"

The boys never did give me a straight answer, then J-Man shoots back with the following:

"Well, you can live without it then. But not me, Daddy, and Memms!"

Huh.

The proof of that was discovered when I came across a receipt this morning that stated that at 3:31 a.m. wilst my Hubbs went out to get electrical tape, he also bought three quarts of:

Dove ice cream.

I'm really going to have to find out what they CAN live without.
(And living without putting your shoes away does not count.)

Kids say the darndest things...

J-Man: "Mom, do you think you could handle four kids?"

Me: "Uhm, heck no."

J-Man: "Do you think you could handle five kids?"

Me: "Again, heck no!"

J-Man: "What about TEN kids?" Giggle, giggle.

Me: "Dood, NO WAY!"



Little Memms, sitting across the room:
"But the people on the Brady Bunch can!"

Me: Under my breath, "Ya, cuz they had a maid."

Draper, Utah Temple Open House

Photo Courtesy of JD. Thanks!

My heart has been full the past few days. Tears come quite easily when I think back to Monday when it was our turn to go to the Draper Temple Open House.

Firstly, if you haven't gone, you must. Secondly, if you have any opportunity to go, you must.

(This opportunity is available for all, (not just members of the LDS church) all you need to do is reserve a spot and voila!)

The look of joy and excitement on my children's faces was remarkable, especially my little five year old. He was ecstatic to have the opportunity to go to the temple! He was so curious and happy the entire day. It was all he could stand to get through the video and onto the bus. We, of course got the oldest bus in the whole operation, it was dirty, and loud, and "scawy" (as Memms put it) but it was an adventure!

Pulling up to the temple, the feeling of peace was immediate. Walking through the long passageways of tents until we reached the entrance was more than J-Man could handle...he was ready to be INSIDE!

I loved the opportunity to hold his little hand the entire way through. His curiousity and continuing questions made me realize how important my example of the temple is to him, and will continue to be to him throughout his life. I want him to long to go back there when he is old enough. He assures me when he is 12 he is going to go and do the work he can do, until he can do more. He is thrilled!

Walking into the Celestial Room, I lost it. Being there with my sweetheart and my children, and holding them close as we looked up at the seemingly endless ceiling and the beautiful chandelier...tears streamed down my face. Oh how I long to have this little family forever and to feel such perfect love and peace forever with them. How awesome will that be?!

The last room we entered was the sealing room. Amazing, breathtaking, marvelous. The spirit was strong! Wow. I can hardly explain.

SO thankful to have had such a wonderful opportunity. In all my times attending the temple, I seem to forget the power that is there, it's strength and magnitude. Wonderous.

The tour ends in the adjacent church building, where there is a beautifully decorated reception hall, and they even have...brace yourselves:

COOKIES! Yes, cookies. This was more bliss than my little ones could handle.

We ended the afternoon with a wonderful lunch out, together as a family. How I am holding each one of my lovies closer the past few days.

I hope you have the opportunity to go.

Home today...

Photo circa early spring 2007.

...with a feverishly sick girl. I hate it when they are sick. That, and my ward probably thinks I am inactive by now, considering with all the illness our family has had since the beginning of December I have missed like 8 weeks.

Good times.

Anyway, so this morning I am laying in my bed with my hott hott girl, and she is asking me to rub her legs and scratch her back, "Like this!" (The girl has a certain way she likes things done) and I say to her:

"You are SO spoiled aren't you Memms!?"

And she says back in her scratchy little voice, "No I am not, I am just beautiful."

Can't argue with that now can I?

Off to cuddle. Hope your Sunday is the best ever!

"It's a Farm."

Remember the death of the horse?

She has attached herself to a new friend, named him "Pink Piggy."

Meet Pink Piggy. In the farm.

Oh the farm? Well, it is this patch of warm light streaming through the bathroom window. You couldn't tell? Shame on you!

As I was scrubbing toilet, she was talking to me.

Memms: "I feed da piggy mone."

Me: "What?"

Memms: "Mone."

Me: "What?"

Memms: "Mone...Mone...MON--EEEEY!"

Me: "Oh! MONEY!" Gotcha.

Then she proceeds to pick up any crumb she can find to feed to the pig.

Memms: "But he doesn't have a mouth."

Improvision.






I have THE best job.





THE. BEST. JOB.

Separated.

Tonight.

Hubbs has a few days off this week. Because little man is turning 5. Whoop. whoop. Why is it that when your kid turns 5 you suddenly feel sort of...old? I dunno. That is for later this week.

Tonight.

Memms refused to go to bed. So Hubbs is working away in his office. I am working away in mine, and Memms is in my office jabbering away about life, how she needs a baby cradle, and how I "pwomised" her one. ;) So this goes on until about 11:45. She keeps talking to me, I keep talking to her. In walks Hubbs.

Hubbs: "Memm, you need to come lay over here on this blanket." (All in Portuguese mind you...I couldn't spell it to save my life.)

Memms: "But I have a blanket, I was talking to Momma!"

Hubbs: "You need to come lay over here because Momma can't stop talking to you."

Memms: "Humph."

Seriously, he moved her from right under my feet to about 10 feet away. She was laying in the hallway between us so I couldn't talk to her anymore.

She fell asleep in five minutes.

We were like giggly girls talking the entire night away. So funny right? Hubbs!



And then there was this, about four weeks ago:



The death of the "po'tock yeeeee'haw"! Remember the obsession? Well, when she was born my mom and sisters gave her this little horsey bank. She has loved this thing and loved this thing. And it broke...on the carpet of all places. Man we are good at breaking things on the carpet. First Jothan's teeth, now the horse.



She cried and cried and cried. Complete with a phone call to gramma to tell her of the tragic news.



"But you will buy me a new one right?"



"My horwsey bank!"

Dood how I love.

Heard.

So, it is 12:30 a.m. on Friday Morning. I had stayed up working, and little Memmory had decided to boycott sleep that night and stay up and work with me. Upon getting ready for bed, I say:

"Goodnight Angel!"

Memm: With the most serious look on her face..."But, I not an angel, I don't have wings."

"I don't know how to fly!"

Commence squishing.

Just Now:

In regards to Emmaree playing with a bunch of gifts we have sitting here for Chelsia.

Me: "Emm, PLEASE don't touch that."

Emmaree: Proceeding to touch and touch and touch. (Very unlike her.)

Me: "Emmaree! Please don't touch those!"

Emmaree: "I "LJ"."

She was pretending to be LJ. She is a butt.

Thomas! (And his friends.)

True story:

Riding home from dinner tonight, I was sitting in the backseat with Jothan. Over the radio airwaves we hear this song of little kids singing about Gordon B. Hinckley.

Me: "Hey Joth, do you hear that song on the radio? They are singing about Gordon B. Hinckley."

Joth: Listening intently. "Oh ya Mom they are!"

Me: "You know that Gordon B. Hinckley died and went to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus, right?"

Joth: "Ya Mom, now there is another Gordon, named Thomas!"

Leave it to my little four year old to recognize that A: We have a new "Gordon" (prophet) and B: That in the show Thomas and His Friends (You know which Thomas I speak of...) There is an engine named Gordon, and an engine named Thomas. I would have never put those two together.

Little Man, you totally RAWK, I love you so much!