some pictures for your viewing pleasure

Yesterday I went snowshoeing with my dad (on what snow was left due to our warm temps!!) and I just wanted to share two of the pictures he took from the top of the hill (or was it a little mountain?) in Draper. The first is overlooking Utah Lake and the second is a shot of the Ochre Mountains.

Click on them to make them bigger so you can really enjoy them!

Wordless Wednesday

Miss Independent

One of the realizations I've come to as a mother is that some things are not worth fighting over. It's good that I've figured this out because Alexis is fiercely independent. I'm sure some of it is the age, but a lot of it is her personality. She wants to do everything by herself--she wants to make her own breakfast in the morning, pick out her clothes daily, put movies in the DVD player by herself, brush her own hair and teeth, wash herself, even hang up her own clean laundry. Lately she's even been fixing her hair by herself, and this is probably the hardest one for me to accept. Because her hair looks like this:
Which I guess is an improvement to the unbrushed/unfixed mess that I usually leave it in. However she is always very proud of herself after she's fixed her hair, so if you see her in a 'do that looks a little crazy (like at church last Sunday), compliment her on how nice her hair looks!

I haven't picked out an outfit for Alexis in months. I will usually give her guidelines that she'll begrudgingly follow, like pants and a long sleeve shirt, but she picks out the specifics. Sometimes when she comes down in an outfit ready to leave the house, it takes all I have to hold my tongue and not make her go upstairs and change. One time she came to me with a blanket on her head and a headband wrapped around it, like this:
And in all seriousness that was what she wanted to wear to the library. I couldn't keep it in and proceeded to laugh for about 5 minutes, at which point she changed her mind.

The fact that I let her pick out her own clothes and fix her own hair seem to really help in other areas. There are simply some things she cannot do, and because I let her do the other little things, she's more willing to accept this fact. Also, it's an outlet for her creativity, and it's helping her develop her own style and take pride in being herself. While there are some days that I wish she would just let me pick out an outfit for her, I love that she wants to be original and I hope it sticks around.

Here's a sampling of one of her outfits, click the picture to make it bigger.

also

Aaaargh mateys!

Two new bags in the shop. Hopefully more by the end of the week.

Also, any suggestions on how to store brown sugar so it doesn't get all clumpy?? That is one of my life's great mysteries.

Also also, we had our neighbor man over for dinner who used to be a big white water rafter, and it's re-put the itch in my system to go do that. I have ALWAYS wanted to go on a crazy rafting trip. Anyone want to come along?

Also also also, if you are wondering why I said "aaaargh mateys" then you better look at the links for the bags.

Wordless Wednesday

hot or cold?

WOULD YOU RATHER...

-Sit in a hot tub in 110 degree weather
OR
-Do the polar bear swim?

I don't know these guys, it's from a google images search

Normally I hate to be cold, but I'm going to have to go with the polar bear swim on this one, just because I have always wanted to try it.

V Day

Have I mentioned that Alexis LOVES Valentine's Day? She has been asking for months when Valentines Day will be and has been making little hearts to give her friends for several weeks. Unfortunately most of them end up thrown away before we even get into February. But because she loves the holiday so much and because she's getting to the age where she might start to remember whether her mom is boring or fun, I decided to make an effort for the holiday.

Earlier this week Jeremy planned a special date for us, so since we'd for sure be around tonight I decided to try and make a special dinner for our little family. For most people that would have involved decorations, flowers, and probably even placemats, but not me. For me it involved making as many of the foods we ate into the shape of a heart as possible. That's all the effort I could muster. So we had heart shaped pizza (homemade!), heart shaped jello jigglers, and even heart shaped brownies (I have to give most of the credit for those to Jeremy since I dumped the project in his lap so I could take a nap!). If I had really been on my game I could have made the tomatoes in the salad into hearts as well. Alright, that's a lie, I would never actually do that. I was already at the top of my game with all that other stuff.

Then we gave the kids some candy and a new movie (The Cat in the Hat--Mike Myers should not make kids movies) and watched it as a family, then wrestled with the kids some, and put them to bed. It was a great evening, and I'm glad I got to spend it with those I LOVE the most!

no title today

Okay, so I know I missed Wordless Wednesday, sorry! But for some reason Monday felt like it was about 3 days long, which made Tuesday feel like Thursday, and that makes today Saturday. Happy Valentines Day! All that, plus I just had no good ideas. I need to take more pictures throughout the week so I have more options when Wednesday rolls around.

There is really no point to this post today. Just a few things floating around in my little head.

First, if you live in the area and have not been to the Rocky Mountain Wingshak (in A.F. right next to Coldstone) then you are crazy. I've never been a fan of chicken wings so Jeremy had to kind of drag me to this place, but I am soooooooooo glad he did. It's DELICIOUS! We had the BBQ, but next time we go I want to try the Garlic Pepper wings. If you go, let me know what you got and how it was.

Second, I want to have a fun Valentines Dinner for our little family (Jeremy and I already went out) on the real Saturday, but haven't yet decided on what to make. If you have any GREAT ideas, please let me know.

Third, I haven't sewn anything in about a week and a half, and I miss it. Which is funny because it's only been recently that I've been sewing everyday, and I have really enjoyed it. I must get back to work--I have a quilt top that is calling to me from it's bag on my bedroom floor.

Fourth, Tyler says "Bezah" instead of "zebra" and Alexis says "Perfect makes practice" instead of "practice makes perfect". And then I die because their cuteness just kills me.

Fifth, Jeremy took me to see a girly movie, which is probably the first time ever. And he didn't even fall asleep! And he planned a whole bunch of other stuff (including disposal of the kids for the night) without me even knowing! I'm sure they will be awarding him "Husband of the Year" any day now.

Sixth, here's a picture since I didn't have one yesterday. It's of the kids and I on Sunday watching the CHEESIEST movie I've ever seen (made by some LDS folks, of course). But I was looking at the picture thinking, "why can't I take a good picture for once?" Because I can't--I am not photogenic at all. So I put it in photoshop (which I don't know how to use) and found an effect to apply to it, so now you can't see my blemishes or how tired my eyes look. Which makes it only slightly better. But doesn't it remind you of the photos they always put on like Dateline or Unsolved Mysteries of people who have died and they don't know how or who the killer is? A little morbid, but that's what it reminded me of. We are all alive and well though.


My brain is tired, kids are sleeping, I think I'll go watch Ellen.

a little something to cheer up your Tuesday

I don't think it's possible to watch the following video without laughing. I used to think there was nothing cuter than my kids in swimsuits. Turns out, it's even cuter when they are dancing while in their swimsuits. With snow boots.

Alexis calls these her "rock and roll" dance moves. And please note Tyler's signature move, the one where he swings so hard at the air that it propels him into a twirl.




I know what you are wondering, but no, they haven't had any professional dance training. It's all natural talent.

mean mom

Sometimes I think one of the purposes of parents is to create a common enemy among the children, thus giving them something to bond over. Lately Tyler has taken to calling me a "mean mom" which he learned from Alexis and which really gets to me more than I should let it. He's only two, he doesn't even really know what he's saying, but I try so hard to not be a mean mom. Well, maybe not that hard because my response is usually, "You want to see a mean mom? I'll show you a mean mom!" Then I drag them to a fabric store for 2 hours to really show them.

This afternoon I broke out the dry erase markers for the easel, which up to this point my kids didn't even know existed. I did it to break up a fight over something else, and also because I'm a little bit stupid.

They started out fine because they each had their own marker, but we ran into trouble when Alexis decided to start erasing things. Within minutes they were squabbling over the eraser, pulling it out of each others hands, while accidentally (I hope) marking up the other's face. I shouted from the kitchen to share!, take turns!, watch where you put those markers!!!, don't take it from each other!, stop screaming!!, and on and on and on. Finally I just took the eraser away saying that if they couldn't learn to work it out and share no one got an eraser. I returned to my dirty dishes and heard them in the corner whispering, "she's such a mean mom", "yeah, she's really mean". And I became their common enemy, strengthening their union just a little bit more.

Once the eraser was taken away the markers weren't as fun, so I demanded they be brought to me with the lids. Alexis (who is full of attitude but not too mischievous) brought me the marker without a complaint, and surprisingly enough Tyler followed suit. But just before he got to me, hands covered in dirty dishwater and all, he took a few good swipes at the wall with the pen.

And do you know how that battle ended? With Tyler scrubbing the wall until his little arms hurt (and longer), while his ally quietly slipped away to wash her hands.

another

For the rest of your life, WOULD YOU RATHER...

-Only eat one meal a day
OR
-Get only 4 hours of sleep a night.

Which do you love more? Food or sleep?
This is SUPER easy for me. I love one way more than the other.

Wordless Wednesday

This is what happens...

...when you have church during nap time, and then you eat too much after a fast, and then your husband makes you watch football.