So I am a dork....

It was my birthday on the 10th and I celebrated and celebrated and celebrated (And I didn't even take 1 single picture....)!!! On Friday night we dropped my kids off at my sisters house (I was really worried about Caleb-he has never stayed with her before) and Ben and I went and saw Iron Man 2, went to dinner at Red Robin and then went to Sundaes and had a YUMMY sundae! We had such a blast!!! Then on Saturday we went through the temple with Ben's little sister Stephanie. We were really excited for her, this will be a big step in her life.

Then on Sunday after church we went to Ben's families house and had lunch for Mother's Day. His grandparents were here from Mississippi and it was so much fun to see them. The luncheon was wonderful and YUMMY!!! THEN....Yes it continues, we went to My parents house from yet another luncheon. Again it was Delish! We got to spend it with my brother and his soon-to-be wife, Diana and her son Brody. They are getting married this Friday and we are SO EXCITED for them. 

By the way I just want to say how much I LOVE MY MOMS!! I have the BEST Mom and the BEST Mother-in-law! They do so much for me and give me the best advise! I love them more than words can describe!!

On Monday my Mom came down and took me shopping and to lunch. It was also YUMMY!!! Later that night Ben's family came over and had cake (Ben's Mom made my cake...Thank you)) and ice cream with us. Thank you EVERYONE for celebrating with me and wishing me birthday wishes!!!!

 And as for the being a dork part of my blog I have to brag about the GREAT deals I got today (at Albertsons and Wal-Mart). I got ALL of the below for $25.76 and I saved $92.99. I was thrilled!!!!!!

 I got:

5 Glade Sense and Sprays (2 of them were on clearance at Walmart for $1 and I had $4/1 coupons)

5 boxes of ice cream drumsticks

1 Mac and Cheese Homestyle dinner

1 Bottle of Olive Oil Mayo

2 bags of baked Tostitos

3 packages of cookies

1 bottle of Cheese dip

2 Large Dove Bars

2 boxes of Del Monte Fruit Chillers

 So that is my month in a nutshell....congrats if you made it through all that blibber blabber.....here is the best things of this post, my 2 little couponing buddies!

It is ALREADY May???

It really has been forever since I last updated my blog! I need to do better. So I will do a little backtracking. I took some Easter pictures of my kids, as a little girl my Mom always bought us new Easter dresses and Christmas dresses. I have hung on to this tradition because I loved getting new dresses. I wanted to find gloves for Emily but I never did, maybe next year. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Aren't they the cutest things???? Well I think so!!!

Also a few Fridays ago I decided to take Emily on a girl's day out. It is fun to spend time with just her and have a little Mommy-Daughter bonding. 

 

We went to the Pine Ridge Mall to do a little shopping...first we stopped at the pizza place and got some pizza, she loves pepperoni pizza, but the slices were HUGE!! We took most of it home.

After we did some shopping we went to the little play area. I think this was more fun for Emily than anything. There were funny little toys she liked to climb on and I think she even made a couple friends.

A few days ago we decided to go on a little drive. We went up past Arco and went to a little place to eat named Pickles, it was different...we'll leave it at that! :)

We then went past all the beautiful mountain ranges. Here are some of them:

Mt. McCaleb--my new favorite mountain!!

Mt. Borah--Ben climbed this last summer. I was freaked out when I imagined him at the top of this peak!!! AHHHH!

Some other fun pictures

Our attempt to take a portrait of ourselves....hahaha

So here is to a ~HAPPY MAY~!!!!!

Hope the weather warms up so I can get my garden planted.

Eggstra Special Day

Emily's Birthday

I did blog on Emily's birthday but I didn't add any actual birthday pictures so here are some special pictures from her big birthday.We love this girl!!

It is hard to take a picture break when there is so much going on. Believe me, this picture was taken several times in order to get a clear picture...the joys of being 4 years old!

Emily wanted a Cinderella cake, so I did my best and this was the result. It turned out cute and I think she enjoyed it! I had blue fingers afterward I told Emily I was turning into a smurf...sadly she had no idea what a smurf was so she believed me. When I was little my brother and sister made blue kool-aid and told me it was smurf pee, I freaked out! So turning into a smurf is much better than drinking their pee-right?

Dying Eggs

During conference we decided to dye eggs. Last year Caleb didn't help (I was reminded why this year) so I had both of my kids help dye a dozen eggs. It seems like a dozen eggs went fast between Emily Caleb and Mommy. We had egg dye flying everywhere as the eggs were thrown into the water and not only did the eggs get colored, our fingers, shirts, tablecloth and anything surrounding did too. In the end we ended up with quite the array of different colored eggs-some were pastel, some were bright and vibrant, some were brown and quite a few of them were cracked. What fun memories this gives me though. I loved dying eggs when I was little and needless to say I still do.

So on www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net I saw how to make your own Easter grass. I thought the idea was so cute that I decided to do it. My kids, husband and myself really enjoyed doing this and watching it grow. And it made a cute little grass home for one of my cute little dyed eggs. For instructions go here.

So I know this post is long but the last thing I wanted to share is one of my favorites...EGG SALAD SANDWICHES!!! What a perfect time to make these, with all of those hard boiled eggs! My husband HATES them as may many of you (I hate the egg burps I get afterward..haha) but I love them. Here is how I make them, it is totally a recipe off of taste nothing exact, but I will try:

2 Hard boiled eggs

1-2 Tablespoons Mayonaise

1 teaspoon mustard (I like to use Dijon)

Dash of Papricka

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 slices of HOMEMADE whole wheat bread

In a large bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, and salt and pepper. Mash well with a fork or wooden spoon. Serve on homemade bread as a sandwich or over crisp lettuce as a salad. Enjoy!

HAPPY EASTER!!!!!

The Savior Lives

This Easter season has been special to us because Emily is at just the right age to learn about Christ and gain a testimony of Him. Children have such strong faith and absorb everything we teach them. I want my kids to think of Easter and think about why we honor this day. I want them to know it is not because of candy, or a tall bunny that sneaks into our homes and yards and leaves candy--I want them to know that we honor this day because Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world died for each of us and that he lives and loves each of us. I cannot fully comprehend what he did for us and I cannot fully understand the pain he went through, but I can do all that I can to be like him at all times and in all things. I try, not that I succeed every minute of everyday, but the fact is I try and I give it all I have got. I try to teach my children about Christ and show them how much I love him. This video touches my heart and I was able to watch it with Emily, even at 4 years old of age she gasped when they drove nails through His hands and wanted to know why they did that. It is not why they did that, but THAT he did it. My answer was simply "HE DID that because he loves you and wants to live with you again." 

May we all know that he loves us and will be forever at our side if we will just let him in.

Happy Birthday Emily!

Today is Emily Kay's Birthday! She is 4 years old and full of so much spunk! We are so lucky to have her in our family! Emily is such a joyous little girl and such a pleasure to be around. She has her moments, but who doesn't right?? She is funny and giggly and always keeps us laughing! She is a wonderful big sister and is always trying to make her brother do what she wants! She sometimes thinks she is THE mommy and we gently remind her that she is not but will be a mommy someday. Emily knows she is a princess. She is always pretending to be a princess and Caleb is usually her prince. She loves to sing and can memorize songs very easy. Emily is so smart and observant, we have to be careful what we say around her. :) She knows she is a Child of God and that she is loved very much!!

Here are some favorite pictures of Emily:

One day old

She is always smiling

So sweet and precious

So silly and cute

Such a wonderful little girl and daughter!!!

Happy Birthday Emily Kay Loo Hoo Stinky Poo!!! We love you!!!

My New Best Friend

Spring Cleaning once again, this time just happens to be 11 pm...whoops! I think it is really the best time to clean because I don't have kids following me around the house making the messes that I just spent all day cleaning up. I think this is true with all Moms. 

A few days ago Ben's Grandma introduced me to these "magical" cleaning cloths. She said she heard about them and had been using them to clean EVERYTHING. Tonight she gave me one, which was super sweet of her because they are kinda pricey! 

I decided to put it to good use and I cleaned my whole kitchen. I cleaned the sink, faucet, Kitchen Aid, refrigerator, table, chairs, cupboard doors, couter tops, microwave, stove, dishwasher, window and even a couple streak marks on my floor. THEY ARE AMAZING. On glass they don't leave streaks and on my sink it shined it up to look brand new. LOVED IT! So I had to share because I am so impressed!! And hey every girl needs something to make her job a little easier. I love easy, especially when it comes to cleaning! So now that I feel like I have just been in some kind of infomercial here are my pictures.

So all you women out there, buy yours today.....you won't regret it!

Caleb's 2nd Birthday

 Yesterday was Caleb's birthday-I can't believe he is already 2 years old. When he first woke up I would ask him "Is it your birthday today" in a really excited cheery voice and the response I got was always "Uh Huh!" Finally after awhile he decided that since he got lots of attention, lots of new toys, lots of candy and sweets-birthdays were a good thing. I decided to write a few facts about that boy to honor his birthday.

Favorites Things: Lightning McQueen, Big Trucks, Puppy's, Grandpa's Moose, Fish and Deer

Favorite Food: Pizza, Gummy Snacks

Favorite Show: Barney---loves him and is starting to sing along, which is so cute!

Caleb is talking so much and says the funniest things. Out of no where he will say something and I didn't even realize he knew what it was or what it's name was. He loves to play with his Grandmas and Grandpas. He loves to tease Emily and when she is in trouble he says" Ha ha" naughty but irresistibly funny. He loves to snuggle with Mommy and give kisses and hugs (on both shoulders). He is our little entertainer and such a joy to have as a son. We love him so much and our family wouldn't be the same with out that cute little face! We love you little buddy!!!

I made him this cake for his birthday. The top is a toy, I figured why try and make it when I can buy it and have it afterward. It worked great and turned out cute. This picture was taken AFTER he decided to take a chunk off of the front--oh well it is HIS cake.. :)

Happy Birthday little buddy! Hope you had a great day!!!! We love you!

Spring Cleaning....

With Spring along comes Spring Cleaning. Yahoo!!! I decided the first thing to clean out was my kid's toys. They have SO many!! This project was easy and I did it after my kids went to bed (this way if I throw away toys they have no idea...) I love having toys in bins and put away, although when I woke up today they destroyed the organized mess, but it only took minutes to clean up. I wish I had a before picture but I forgot....so here is the after picture.......

Why does my heart with gladness sing????

If you are like me I am sure you have Spring Fever!!! I know I sure do. Yesterday I took my kids outside in the Warm, Beautiful, Sunshine!! I remember being little and spending Hours playing outside with my neighbor friends. I want my kids to have the same memories. Emily has got a cute little friend Paige, that lives right next to us and the play so good and are so much fun to Listen and Watch. Here are some precious little pictures I took yesterday.

Such a big guy!! He loves to try and keep up with Emily. She is fast but he is practicing and will soon smoke her.

Look at that face!! Darling and so innocent....right??? Well when she is doing what she likes that pretty much describes this girl. She was having so much fun playing outside with her friend. I think she is just as sick of being cooped up as I am. Love that face!!

Mr. Mischievous!!! He too is all sweet and innocent...most of the time, when he is not flooding our friends bathroom, climbing on cupboards or throwing cereal on the floor only to stomp on it as much as possible. Lately he hasn't wanted his diaper changed and I thought it was because the brand of diaper bugged him, so I switched back to good ole' Huggies and he still didn't want it on. I found out today that he wants Lightning McQueen underpants (He calls them panties and it makes Ben shiver, we keep re-iterating them as "big boy underpants"). So potty training here we come!

One of my favorite primary songs is "Because it's Spring"---I could feel this way if only the sunshine would stay and the snow would stop....sigh....someday!!!

Because it's Spring
Why is the sky so blue and clear?
Why is the robin's song so dear?
Why is the sun so warm and bright
Filling the Earth with glorious light?
Why are the fields so green today?
Why do the clouds all float away?
Why does my heart with gladness sing??????
ONLY BECAUSE IT'S SPRING!!!

A few changes...a few updates and a lot of nonsense

So a few months ago I decided to change my blog to private and I have come to realize that I didn't update my blog just for me, I did it for others as well. It is fun for me to share my joys, sorrows and just plain everyday life with others. Since my blog was private it didn't show when I updated it and no one looked at it...(boo hoo hoo) it became lame and not so fun...so it will be going back to public and I hope I have more ambition to update it.

So here are some updates....

Emily went to her first Dentist appointment and LOVED it (other than the flouride part, I really thought she was going to throw up). She always is wanting to go back. She did have one little cavity that needs fixed but Dr. Kunz said it would only take about 5 minutes and shouldn't be a problem. Yeah!! She is such a big girl!!!



My kids have all been really sick for about a week and a half so the veg out in front of the t.v. quite often. Here is them being really "sick". I think they just like the sympothy!!

Another fun thing Emily got to do was have her hair cut short into a little A-line. I think it is adorable!! She hated having her hair done and this eliminates SOME of the whining! I LOVE it!

We really haven't been up to much lately. Ben keeps really busy as the EQ president and I have come to love Ben more for his sacrifices he makes for other people. He is genuinely concerned for others and enjoys being in their homes and getting to know our ward members. He never complains about going and is more than happy to try and help if needed. I admire him!!

At the beginning of February we found out we were expecting and a week later I had a miscarriage. I didn't realize how bad I really wanted a baby until that happened. It has been sad and hard but I know that I am being watched over and that if we are meant to have another baby it will happen soon enough. I have been somewhat emotional over it but my family and friends are right there beside me to take my hand and pull me forward. THANKS everyone!! My mom came down and we even made these cute wreaths out of old books, I know they sound crazy but they are really cute! This is a picture of the one my mom made for herself. They are fun and Ben likes to call it my "green wreath"---hey it was under $5.00 I'll take it!

Last but not least ny little Cabe man it getting cuter by the second. He talks SO much and is mommy's little helper, friend, snuggle bug and pal!!! Here is a cute little scrapbook page I did of him. I thought he was so cute to be walking around in his diaper and cookie monster slippers, he looked like a tough guy...not really but he was showing his muscles to show he can be tough!!! I love that smile!!!


Anyway I will try to be better about my blog, I hope March is a better month for us that February, I sure it will be! Caleb will be 2 on the St. Patrick's Day...and Emily will be 4 (I can't even believe that) on the 30th. Yeah, for birthdays!!!