Guess what I'll be working on this week!?

Here are the before pics.......(I'm more than a little embarrassed to be posting these before pics) The boys room, which will soon be painted Daredevil Red, Dragon Fruit (pink), and Pewter Mug(grey)

Then, all the girls' junk will be moved into it, along with those cool new loft beds I blogged about a while back. And the girls room (here's all that junk I just mentioned), paint will remain the same, but I'm thinking of adding some red and blue circles scattered around the walls and this will become the boys' room.
My goal is to have this accomplished by next Sunday. That's my bonus goal that I'm working on to accompany my three week Women's Olympic Challenge. Thirty extra points if I get it done. I've lost three pounds so far!

Wordless Wednesday~~Graduation!

Happy Birthday Honey!

Well, today marks the big slide into 40 for my man.
So, in honor of his special day, here are forty things about my honey!

1. His nickname is Grumpy.
2. He IS Grumpy (well, sometimes).
3. He has Grumpy tattooed on his arm:

4. He likes tattoo's.

5. He has five tattoo's.

6. He's a great cook!

7. His other nickname is Jay. That's what he went by for the first thirty or so years of his life.

8. He loves football.

9. His team is the Cowboys.

10. He also likes Nascar.

11. His favorite driver is Kyle Busch.

12. He gives great massages.

13. He is six feet tall.

14. He has lived in Pennsylvania, Texas, California and now Nevada.

15. He's not really into religion.

16. But, he does believe in God.

17. He loves to play video games.

18. He likes to golf.

19. He likes to go fishing.

20. He's SO handy around the house.

21. He's a great husband!

22. And a terrific father.

23. Even though he said he never wanted kids....

24. He likes to go to the movies.

25. He loves sci-fi, action and horror flicks.

26. He loves Heavy Metal music.

27. He does most of the oil changes on our cars. So helpful budget wise.

28. He gets up at 4:30 five days a week for work, and then still gets up early on the weekends with the boys, so I can sleep in. (He's a hero in my book!)

29. He likes to re-arrange the furniture in the house.

30. His favorite color is purple.

31. His loves chicken wings and BBQ.

32. He's sensitive.

33. He has a lot of love to share.

34. He loves animals.

35. He knows what I'm thinking.

36. He's learning patience.

37. He's awesome!

38. He's handsome.

39. He truly, really loves me.

40. And I truly, really love him!

"Grow old with me the best is yet to come."
~~~Robert Browning

Look! A popcorn tree!

Wordless Wednesday--signs of spring

Happy Valentines Day!

One of my favorite songs ever, from one of my favorite movies.


Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you
Look into your heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am - take my life I would give it all -
I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you
There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way
Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you
~~again, Bryan Adams

Have a loving day!

Still thoughtful on Friday....

Well, obviously I can only speak for myself. But, I wonder sometimes if the man doesn't love more deeply than a woman.

We are emotional creatures, we women. But I think that we are pulled in so many different directions all at the same time that it's hard to give one person their due.

I feel I love my children more deeply than my husband does. Not because he's a bad person or doesn't love them enough, but because I carried them in my womb, and I would do anything, ANYTHING for them. There's a very strong emotional attachment there, something I really have no control over. But I often wonder if I feel that same way for my husband. Would I die for him? I would have to of course, first take into consideration my children. I couldn't do that to them--leave them to this world without my presence (although some days I think they'd be better off without my inept mothering skills).

I very much believe my husband would sacrifice anything for me though. His love runs deep and strong and true.

My love for him is also deep and strong and true. I wouldn't ever do anything to knowingly hurt him.

I think there's still, after all these years of marriage, a small part of me that holds myself back from him. You know, that little part way back in the subconscious that doesn't want to be hurt, or laughed at, or rejected, and I think it stops me from giving love more completely.

There's something for me to strive to be BETTER at.

A mother's love is surely different than a lover's love, so maybe the comparison is flawed.

Regardless, I hope you all have a lovely Valentines weekend, and give all those you love a little extra lovin'! I plan to.

Thoughtful Thursday

What do you think?

Does a man love more deeply than a woman,
Or does a woman love more deeply than a man?




To really love a woman, to understand her
You gotta know her deep inside
Hear every thought, see every dream
And give her wings when she wants to fly
Then when you find yourself lying helpless in her arms
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman,
Tell her that she's really wanted
When you love a woman, tell her that she's the one
'Cause she needs somebody to tell her
That it's gonna last forever
So tell me have you ever really
Really really ever loved a woman?
To really love a woman
Let her hold you,
'Til you know how she needs to be touched
You've gotta breathe her, really taste her
'Til you can feel her in your blood
And when you can see your unborn children in her eyes
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman,
Tell her that she's really wanted
When you love a woman, tell her that she's the one
She needs somebody to tell her
That you'll always be together
So tell me have you ever really,
Really really ever loved a woman?
You got to give her some faith, hold her tight
A little tenderness, gotta treat her right
She will be there for you, takin' good care of you
You really gotta love your woman...
Then when you find yourself lyin' helpless in her arms
You know you really love a woman
When you love a woman, tell her
That she's really wanted
When you love a woman tell her that she's the one
She needs somebody to tell her
That it's gonna last forever
So tell me have you ever really,
Really really ever loved a woman?
Just tell me have you ever really,
Really, really, ever loved a woman?
Just tell me have you ever really,
Really, really, ever loved a woman?
----Bryan Adams

Wordless Wednesday

Bitter?

So, I tried to create this cute little picture of my word for the year. See it over there on the right side? Does it look like "better" or "bitter"?
Well, it's supposed to be bEtter. But bitter as a word for the year certainly has possibilities. LOL
I think I'll stick with "better" though.
I'm trying to do better. Ties in beautifully with my resolutions.
Better at everything, and yet not too specific. How can I go wrong?
I'm going to join in Kelly's awesome Ladies Olympic Challenge.
(I met Kelly at the little blogger get together last week, can you believe this woman has TWO sets of twins!?! She's a saint if you ask me!)
I'll be starting it on Sunday or Monday I think, and it's really all about making better choices health-wise. The cool thing is that there's some accountability involved. That's what I need is a healthy dose of accountability to get me motivated (or so I hope).
I'm looking forward to it. I just need to come up with a good cardio workout that doesn't require too much use of one right foot. Any ideas?

Haley's Special Day

Saturday was a beautiful day for a baptism. Rainy, stormy skies..... Look at those clouds. Aren't they awesome?

The clouds, and stormy weather reminded us of this baptism song the kids sing in primary.....

I like to look for rainbows

whenever there is rain

And ponder on the beauty of

an earth made clean again.

I want my life to be as clean

as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can

And live with God again.

(When I am Baptized---Nita Dale Milner)

When we arrived at the church.

Quick pic of all the kids.

Big brother looking over her shoulder. :)

Brother Barnum baptized her.

He's the dad of one of her best friends.

Thanks Brother Barnum!!!

Totally awesome Erin, brought her camera and took a few pics for us. Thanks so much Erin!

Sweet!

I'm going to blow this one up really big, and frame it then hang it on their bedroom door--just to remind them that they really do love each other.

I just thought this was a cute shot of Ashley.


An impromptu family pic.

Brother York, our Home Teacher confirmed her today in Sacrament.

It was lovely.

Thanks to everyone who attended, it was a really special day!

It's been one heckuva week!

Well actually, one heckuva year so far!
What was I going to say?
Hmmm,
don't know. can't remember. That's what happens when your little monkey of a two year old wakes up at 5 in the morning everyday and climbs out of his crib, and wakes up his brother in the process, so of course you can't go back to sleep. It's not like I'm getting to bed before midnight most days, thank you very much little monkey boy! I don't do well on five hours of sleep a day. I know people who do well on less, but I'm not one of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
My foot is feeling MUCH better. I never really realized how much I take both of my feet for granted. I was hobbling out to the garage the other day, and managed to step on a lapel pin with my good foot. Oh the agony!!! There I am, hopping on my bad foot and trying to pull the blasted pin out of my other foot. I'm sure it would have been hilarious if it wasn't me. :)
~~~~~~~~~~
Jon came home early Monday to lend an extra hand, since my foot was still pretty sore. Funny how somehow I still ended up doing laundry and changing most of the dirty diapers, and fixing dinner. (ok, really--he was great support for me that day.)
~~~~~~~~~ ~~
My house is really, REALLY making me crazy. Is it really so very impossible for everything to stay neat and tidy for more than twenty minutes? And why, WHY is it always a wreck when the Missionaries, Home Teachers, Visiting Teachers, Bishop stops by? Really guys, my house is occasionally clean. But only on the days when nobody comes to visit.
~~~~~~~~
And why is it that the missionaries rarely come by, except of course for the one night, when I took a nice HOT soak in the tub, and put my jammies on after, sans bra? Here's me, running back to my bedroom to make myself decent, hoping I haven't traumatized them for life!!!
~~~~~~~~~~
Haley get's baptized tomorrow, and she still doesn't have a white dress to wear!
I should be whipping it up on the sewing machine right now, but here I sit instead.
Best be getting myself busy.

Hope you have one heckuva weekend!


PS, I forgot to mention the real highlight of the week. The sweet little blog buddy playdate/meet and greet I got to attend.
Terresa was SO awesome, and so were the other ladies who attended. I hadn't "met" any of them before, but I look forward to getting to know them.
Ladies, I think the next time we do that sort of thing, it needs to be a girls night out sort of dealy, with no kids to worry about keeping corralled, that way I can really keep myself in the conversations. It was great fun though! Thanks!

It's a date!

So, I get the lucky opportunity to meet a fellow blogger on Thursday.
The truly fabulous Terresa is going to meet me at the park in the middle of Town Square Thursday morning at 11:00. Anybody in the area is more than welcome to join us. We're bringing our little ones and a picnic lunch and hoping for fair weather.
Hope to see you there!
Even all you out of towners!!! (yeah, I know. But I dream big)

big fun

I had a g-r-r-reat weekend!
Sure, if slipping on the curb on your way into church counts as great.
I hobbled into sacrament, thanks to adrenaline. Still managed to hobble into nursery. There things got worse. I couldn't put any weight on my foot by the end of church, and I still was supposed to go to work later in the evening to help with our month-end inventory.
My sweet home teacher went home and got Jon so he could drive me home (did you ever think anyone could fit the word "home" into one sentence three times?).
I ended up in quick care, (and don't even let me start on the people you see in quick care) just a sprain, thank goodness. No wrap, no crutches--just instructions to keep it up, iced and medicated for a day or so.
It's still hurts like heck this morning. I was really looking forward to doing my new Julianne Hough Cardio Dance workout this week. Darn it, looks like that'll be waiting a couple of weeks.
I won't be walking the girls to school. I think I'll be doing laundry on my knees. Can you see me, crawling around the house with my kids knee pads on?
Hopefully I'll be able to drive to work tomorrow.

Sure helps you appreciate the little things!