My baby is 2????

My baby turned 2 on Friday (where does the time go). We started out the evening with some dinner at Red Robyn. I am pretty sure they have the best fries. Carter was begging us to have the people sing to her, but we thought they would scare her, plus what's the point of having them sing to a 2 year-old? We then went home for a little party. My parents, Todd and Liz's family, and Karen and Natalie came over for the festivities.

Carter and Ryan at dinner.
Spencer at dinner.

The Birthday Girl at dinner.

I am totally digging the cupcake cakes from Walmart! How easy is to hand a kid a cupcake?! Love it!

Of course Carter had to make his way into the picture.

She got a "Build-a-Monkey" from Aunt Karen and Natalie.

Her annual tea set from my mom.

I just love to look of determination on her face in this picture.

March 20th

What a day March 20th has turned out to be! It's the 1st Day of Spring! (plus 70 degrees! Yea!) It's Cora's Birthday! And, It's Jeannie's Birthday! SO Happy Birthday, Ladies!

Next... Yesterday we had the pleasure of having the Olsen's stay with us on their way to Othello, WA. We all were in heaven! I couldn't figure out who was the happiest, because we all had an extra spring in our step.

We also got to spend Reece's birthday with him! Jeannie has been telling me how he has been planning a surprise party for himself for the last two months. We couldn't let him down! So Jeannie and Kyle dropped Hayden and Riley off first and then drove around the block while we hid. He then came in and we all jumped up and yelled, "SURPRISE!" We then had some dinner, cake and ice cream and then presents! I hope our little, thrown together party lived up to his expectations.

Here is the Birthday Boy when we yelled surprise! ( Look what good parents he has!)

I loved how embarrassed, yet happy he was.

A little birthday cake! That's what she said!(the t.v. in the background)

Cora and her new favorite, Riley!

A special salute on your birthday!

It's a Boy!

We got a dog today! I found this cute little guy on Pet-Finder. Pet-Finder shows you pictures of dogs, cats and other pets that are up for adoption all over the country. He happened to be in Pocatello (a little bit of a jaunt) but, lucky for us, Ryan works there once a week. We called the shelter and they held this cute little guy for us until Ryan could make it over there. They think that he is a Maltese/Poodle mix and a couple years old. He is awesome! He's already house trained and sweet natured. He doesn't bark, chew or jump up on people. He seriously could be my dream dog. We decided to name him Pokey, since we got him in Pocatello.

Welcome to the family, Pokey!

My Newest Project

This is a continuation of last week's project. When I purchased the place mats at Walmart, they came with these "dish towels". I put the dish towels in quotes because they were too square to be dishtowels. After I made the purses, I was looking around on-line to find a pattern to make an apron and found directions on how to make an apron out of a cloth napkin. The towel was a little smaller, but worked. So, here is the finished product...
Here is the Napkin, before...And, after...


Liz was over here yesterday and we made another purse. Here are some pictures of the process if you didn't understand the written directions below. I'm a visual person, so here are some visual instructions.









If you want directions on how to make a napkin apron, click here. She has a few different aprons you can make. I liked the bigger sash from a different apron, so I combined two different aprons to make mine. Happy Sewing!!!!

'Tis Wonderful, 'Tis Fabulous

We made these cute "Place Mat Bags" last year for an Enrichment Activity. I have been wanting to make another one and finally did. These two place mats came together as a deal, so I made two. I will use one for Cora's stuff when she goes to someones house to be babysat and the other I am giving to my niece Julia. I decided that there would have to be something to tell them apart, so I found these little tags that can go onto presents to make the bags different. You could use these bags as a purse, diaper bag, scripture tote, gift bag and so on and so on.

If you haven't made these before and can't wait to make one of your own, here's how:

1. Purchase a place mat that you like and 2 yards of coordinating ribbon.


2. lay the place mat flat horizontally


3. to pin on the ribbon: place the end of the ribbon in the center of the place mat, roughly on the top third. Pin it there and then run it straight to the end of the place mat and pin it there. Lay out the rest of the ribbon leaving room for the handles. The ribbon should loop around and end up overlapping where it started.


4. Sew the ribbon on. When you start at the the end, sew and reverse it a few times to make the connection stronger and then sew to the end. Once at the end, sew and reverse it a few times as well.


5. Once the ribbon is sewn on, fold the place mat in half inside-out so the handles meet up. Sew each edge.


6. If you would like to be done, you could turn it right-side out and be done or you could do one more step to give it a little dimension.


7. While still inside-out, you can pull out each bottom corner to look like a triangle and sew a straight line 1 inch in. Repeat on the other side. This will give the bag a base.


8. Turn the bag right-side-out and you are done!
   

I did both of these in less than an hour. So, it's an quick, easy and inexpensive project. Have fun!

I thought this was a pretty good parody of Twilight. It's a bit long (9 minutes) but worth it. They put a lot of work into it. I also love the song they chose, it's a good fit for Edward and his "mood swings". Anyway... Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day! (I guess)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I am a little sad because I can't spend the day with my Valentine. He had to work in Sun Valley this weekend. I was going to drive up there with the kids today and meet him, but the roads are "difficult" (that is the word the web sight uses for the worst driving conditions). I just didn't think it would be worth the drive for one night, so I stayed home. As a result, I thought it would be fun to make the kids a fun Valentine's breakfast.

Here is their heart shaped breakfast. If you close your left eye, turn around three times, chant "Valentine's Day" twice and squint your right eye, you will be able to see that the eggs were supposed to be shaped like a heart as well.It was a Webkinz kind of day. They each got one from my mom and one from us. I don't know all of their names, but I am pretty sure that they are something original like Hearts or Hedgy. I do know that the bear and dinosaur have a little originality to their names. The bear is Forest and the dinosaur is Cocoa.

Special Olympics

Idaho was fortunate enough to host the Winter World Special Olympics this year. The World Special Olympics are like the regular Olympics and are only held every 4 years. We had the opening ceremonies this past Saturday and the Olympics will last for a week. My sister-in-law, Karen, is hosting some athletes and a coach from El Salvador. As a thank you for hosting these athletes, she received tickets to the Opening Ceremonies. She had an extra ticket, so Carter got to attend.

Here is a picture of Carter and Natalie with the flame behind them.
Here is a better picture of the flame.

Winter

I was extremely busy in December with Christmas, company and a wedding, so when January rolled around I was excited to get my blog up to date. That is when I received some news that put me into a "funk". That is the best word to describe it. Well, I think the fog has lifted and I am coming out of it. Here are a few pictures from Christmas and events around it. I have a couple of recent things that I am going to post soon. Thanks for checking my blog and hopefully I will give you more to look at in the future.

Turkey Story

Please read the following story and the procede with this post...

http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/585559.html

This turkey is my sister-in-law's turkey. She raises turkeys each year and then slaughters them just before Thanksgiving. This big guy got out a week ago and ended up less than a mile down the road. The funny thing about the article is it states that there aren't any farms in the area, but they have a big sign in front of their house that states "Fresh Turkeys for Sale". I guess he decided that since he didn't receive a pardon, he was going to make a prison break.

This turkey may have "ruined" Thanksgiving but will make for a Merry Christmas!

We did have one of her other not-so-lucky turkeys for our Thanksgiving.

Twilight

We decided that a girls night was in order, since I am pretty sure Kate and I have never had a girls night out together. We decided to have some yummy dinner at the Olive Garden and then go to the movie. The day got a little stressful when my mom called and said she was way to sick to go. I tried to find someone else to go without any luck! How could I not find one person who wanted a girls night out to see Twilight? Then Kris was having some problems as well and didn't think she would be able to make the night out after getting the day off. Luckily for us, she was able to make the movie as well as Wendy. Here are Kate, Ivie and myself at the Olive Garden.
Here we are waiting in the ridiculous line!The line was so long because they kept adding showings of the movie. When I ordered tickets on line, there was only one showing for the movie. When we got there , they had added two more (totalling 3). By the time they let us into the theater (5 minutes before the movie was to start) they had added another. It took them 30 minutes to get the film ready to show on 4 screens. Finally, we got to see it! You should have seen the lobby when the movie was over! It was pure mania! I have never seen anything like it!

When I left, I had mixed emotions. I kinda liked it and kinda didn't. Movies are never as good as the book because they usually omit things or condense things, i.e. two dances into one prom. I know that they added some scenes to bring in the male population, but did so at the expense of the story. Oh, well. But now that I am a few days out, I am seeming to remember a lot that I liked about the movie (i.e kissing scene) and a desire to see it again! I must have liked it more than I originally thought! I am going to see it again tomorrow with my mom. I will have to let you know the final verdict. I hope you all enjoyed it.

What are you plans?

Lucky 13

Today is our Anniversary. Yep it's been 13 years! How is that possible? One day it feels like we just met and the other it feels like we have been together forever (that's not always a bad thing). :) Last Friday, we went on a date for our anniversary. We did a little shopping, ate at the Cheesecake Factory (for me) and then went to a movie (for him). We hardly get out with just each other, so it was nice.

So some of you may be wondering some lessons that I might have learned in 13 years of marriage. Well, I don't know if I learned anything big but I did learn a little lesson each year.

Here they are...

Year 1. It is really nice to married to a man who makes the bed every day.

Year 2. Always listen to your hubby when he tells you to go to the doctor. If I hadn't, I might be skinny, but I would be without 3 beautiful children and have a goiter the size of a baseball.

Year 3. Saving up for a house is worth it.

Year 4. Having a husband who makes the bed at all is only something that happens the first year of marriage.

Year 5. A child can bring even more love into a home.

Year 6. Follow your husbands promptings to sell your house. It is for the best sometimes.

Year 7. Rediscover each other.

Year 8. The seven year itch is real, but it can be overcome.

Year 9. Cooperation really works with 2 kids.

Year 10. We really do listen to one another.

Year 11. Building a house isn't that hard when you refer to 10.

Year 12. Having a baby and knee surgery in the same year could only work with the help of a good man.

Year 13. They really were not kidding when they said that communication is key.

What I can say is that I am glad to have this amazing man in my life. We have had a lot of great times and some not so great times but I would not change a thing! All of our times together have been worth it as long as he has been by my side!

I love you, Ryan! We have been counseled to find joy in our lives. You are mine. Happy Anniversary!

Four year olds!

It has become evident that I have a four year old running around this house. There are shreds of paper everywhere I look. He is constantly cutting and drawing and spelling every one's name in the house. If I have to spell "Carter" one more time, I'm gonna lose it.

His teacher told me a funny story about Spencer the other day. She saw that he was coloring a banana on the board and she asked him about it...

Miss Amanda: "Spencer, what are you doing?"

Spencer: "I'm trickin' it out!"

What else can I say?

Baptism

I am not always good with the sensitive emotions. I would much rather make a joke. I almost titled this blog "Slam Dunk" but I changed my mind. Is it really necessary for me to always take the easy way out and make a joke. No, this is a time for me to attempt some maturity, I do have an 8-year-old for crying out loud. So here it is...

I have to say that I am so impressed with Carter. Just before he turned eight, our primary had a meeting with all of the children who would be getting baptised this fall and their parents to go over everything that would be taking place. I was impressed on how much he paid attention. A couple of days later he asked, "The primary president said that it was my choice to get baptised. Is that true?" I told him, "Of course it is your choice. You do what you want to do. What do you want to do?" He replied, "I want to get baptised."

Over the next month, I was also impressed with the knowledge he has. His primary teachers are amazing, because, let's face it, I haven't been living up to my potential. They are amazing men! His one teacher sends all of the kids post-cards from his travels. They truly love these kids.

Now, I want to tell you about the actual night. There were FIVE kids just from my ward getting baptised. It was crazy! The whole chapel was filled with people coming to witness the children getting baptised. It was fortunate that there were people out of town, because there wouldn't have been any room for them to sit. Carter was in the second group of kids to be baptised so we had a few moments to talk and take pictures. During that time I really took notice of Carter. He is a nice kid. A really Nice kid. He doesn't care who the person is, he will be nice to them. My heart swelled as I watched him talk to other kids. He was so nervous and excited, yet he managed to pay attention and be nice to all of the kids that were there to get baptised or witness his baptism. The other thing that struck me that night was the actual baptism. Carter had a huge smile on his face as Ryan lowered him into the water. What else can I say? Pure joy and happiness as you become a member of the Lord's church. I was truly touched. It was a wonderful evening. Thank you to everyone, those who was able to attend and to those who weren't there in body, but were there in spirit. We Love You.

All Hallows Eve...

When I asked the kids what they wanted to be for Halloween, Carter initially said that he and Natalie wanted to be bucket heads. Huh?! Spencer said that he wanted to be Iron Man (a movie, of which, scares him and he refuses to watch). Double Huh?! So after discussion on how this bucket head thing was going to work, Carter changed his mind. :) He then decided that he wanted to be a ninja. When Spencer heard this, he "decided" that he wanted to be a ninja as well. Now, I am sure that many of you know how 4-year-olds with older siblings are, they want to do everything their older sibling does. I am sure this will not end at 4 either. Lucky Carter! Well, since they both decided to be ninjas I decided they all were going to be ninjas. I figured this will be the last year that I could make Cora be whatever I wanted her to be. We extended the offer to Natalie to be a ninja but she said no. She instead decided to be a munchkin (we are the lollipop kids...). I don't think there could have been a costume that would have stuck out any more than hers in comparison to my children, not to mention she is quite taller than my children despite that she is only 6 weeks older than Carter. Check it out...Now, I just thought this picture was funny. I mean, their getting free candy! Why the tears? We have the movie 3 Ninjas. I never heard of it either. I believe we got it out of the cheap bin at Walmart. We were watching it in the car. If you really question acting in a movie, try listening to the dialogue over and over and over in the car. Blah! Well, one day Carter says, "Mom, this movie is PG-13." I replied, "No it isn't. It's a kids movie. They wouldn't make it PG-13." He responded with, "Yes it is. Look at it." I took the movie from him, and sure enough it was PG-13 (nice parenting). What caught me off guard was the reason for it being PG-13. Check it out...

I don't know why, I have just always thought the reason was funny. If you can't read it, it says, "Non-stop Ninja Action".
And that's all I've got to say about that.

Turning 8 in "08

Finally I am getting around to posting this! I know! Carter turned 8 on the 14th and boy did we party it up!!! We went to this place called Boondocks. It's the epitome of FUN centers. The kids got to eat some pizza and cake followed by some gift time. Then they got to play laser tag and drive go-carts. The best part of the party was Magical Nate! He did it all! He showed off his mad magical skills with some tricks, tried to keep the kids under control during the gifts and then got a couple of kids to shove Carter's face in the cake. Magical Nate Rocks!

Another highlight was the arrival of our friends, the Olsens. They were on their way up to Washington to visit Jean's family. They stayed over at our house and were able to attend the party. When Carter answered the door, Hayden (Carter's buddy) was there and they had the same shirt on. It was fate! Buddies for life! I hope their next trip to WA is soon, we can't wait to party it up again.

Here is a little video I "made" on my computer. It replays the same pictures a lot, so don't feel bad if you want to stop the video. The song is from High School Musical 3, go Wild Cats!

Ode to K8!

Guess who's birthday it is today?

We must Celebrate

Kate

cuz she is really great

she is never late

she can never hate

it was fate

when Chad asked her to date

he didn't want a rebate

just a re-date

with love giving she can satiate

and radiate

she is top rate

she is funny when she retaliate(s)

her humor undulate(s)

Her friendship I valuate

as pure and great

so, I am here to celebrate

my wonderful friend, Kate

Happy Birthday, Kate!
Does anyone else have the song Mediate (INXS) in their head now?
"We all rotate"

Comical Misunderstanding

I was talking to a friend today and we were discussing beautiful people. We were discussing how uncomfortable it can be when you are in their presence. She had a made a comment about an attractive person and I automatically that she was talking about Ryan. It wasn't until I got off the phone that I realised that she was talking about someone else. I felt like an idiot at first. But, then I got to thinking that I shouldn't be embarrassed that I still feel attracted to my husband. I feel happy that I am married to this handsome man. It made me remember the first time that I saw him. I remember I was sitting in Sunday School when this completely gorgeous guy starts teaching the lesson. I don't remember a word that he said! All that I remember was thinking how cute and personable he was. I then remember going to a Family Home Evening and he was there with some friends. I remember wondering how I could get him to notice me. I was a decent flirt, but I never approached a guy first. So I wondered how I could get introduced to him. It was then that I learned that a friend had a crush on him. Well, we all know that friend law states that you can't hit on/flirt/date a guy that a friend likes, so he was off limits. Lucky for me, he did notice me somewhere along the way and asked me out and the rest was history. Oh yes, and my friend had moved to Georgia.

In case you may have forgotten (and how could you), here he is...

Snip! Snip!

No! I wasn't talking about Ryan! :) Cora got her first haircut today.

She really didn't need much. I just wanted her to have the length cut up a bit so her bangs would catch up more quickly. Here are the pictures...
She cried pretty hard and was moving around a lot, so the lady didn't do much. I don't know if it was worth the 10 bucks, but what are you going to do...

Follow it up with some chicken nuggets!