(insert clever title here)

Sorry it's been almost a week since my last post, and sorry my last several have been sort of lame. I think my brain fell out. It's probably under the couch. I should go look for that.

Alexis and I have been making valentine's for her school party tomorrow. She did a lot of the cutting, all the paint work, all the glitter work, and wrote her name BY HERSELF on every single one (all 4 of them)! Here's what they look like. These are your virtual valentines, just ignore the names written next to "to".Jeremy thinks I "cheated" and held her hand while she wrote this one below. However, I never cheat; Jeremy does, which is why he's so suspicious. I did help her on the first "s", but she was mad that I helped her so she wrote the second one by herself.It's good practice for her but she could have written "haovewsoxzoenmwn" and her classmates wouldn't have known, they can't read either.

What else have we been up to?? Hmmmm. I watched a semi scary movie that I taped off tv (have I ever mentioned just how much I LOVE my DVR? I've asked it to be my valentine this year...sorry Jeremy), which is a big deal for me because I. DO. NOT. WATCH. SCARY. MOVIES! And so far it hasn't given me nightmares. But you know what has? Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I finished watching that show the other night and said to Jeremy, and I quote, "If all tv shows made you feel that good after you watch them, then the world would be a better place". I'm sure the solution to world peace is that simple. In this particular episode they built a new house for a Marine who was a single father and had lost his leg in Iraq. Then that night I had a very weird/creepy/freaky dream that I cut off Tyler's right leg below the knee. There's a million details to it that I could bore/scare you with, but just know that all was righted in the end. But it was one of those dreams you cry through and then are afraid to wake up from because you aren't entirely sure it's only a dream. I've never been more happy to see Tyler's little stumpy legs than I was yesterday morning.

On Sunday we went to a luncheon type thing for family and friends of J's cousins that are leaving on their missions this week. During lunch Alexis was running all over the place when she noticed a large group of 19 year old boys gathering to take a picture. When I say large I mean like 20-30 boys. They were arranging themselves on the stairs when Alexis walks over to them, places herself right in the front and smiles for the picture. Which they take, without anyone telling her to move, cause that's my job right? But I was in the back, too busy laughing. I've requested a copy of the picture, hopefully I'll be able to post it if I ever get my hands on one.

We also saw the Harlem Globetrotters last night. This is the second time we've seen them, and we took Alexis this time. It's a pretty entertaining show, but I think it's almost more fun to watch the 10 year old boys in the audience as they watch the show. It's so exciting for them...will the globetrotters gain the lead or will this be the first time in 32 years that the generals beat them??? Oh the suspense.

And here's another youtube video that is kind of funny. I was going to email it to my brother because I thought he'd like it and he needs something to do while he's in all those boring law classes, but since I know he reads this and I'm already here, this is easier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY
Some of you will probably think it's dumb, but Aaron will appreciate all the little annoyances.

And the best news of all, the SUN came out! I've spent the last few days laying on the living room floor soaking up the sun, traveling without a coat, and kissing the grass that has emerged.

But tomorrow it snows. Wish me luck.

A little potty humor...

Alexis loves youtube, and her favorite videos always seem to include Japanese people. Here's one of her recent favorites. I'm sparing you the pain of the "hahahahahahahahaha" video, which is her other favorite (you can find it here, if you like torturing yourself). Keep in mind this video is a toilet training video, so if you have problems with animated poo, don't watch it.

Also, if it snows one more time here I'm going to fling myself off a building.

at least he won't have to change his last name...

The Courtship

The Proposal

The Rejection

The 2nd "Proposal"

The Acceptance

The Engagement

The Wedding

The Honeymoon

Wedded Bliss

Happy groundhog day!

Since it's groundhog day here's a little video clip from a very funny movie. I haven't seen a report yet, anyone know if Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow?

What is Motherhood?

It's wading through snow half way up your shins so your precious little girl, who is actually wearing snow boots, can walk on the patted down stuff.

That's motherhood.

Or it's stupidity. I'm pretty sure they go hand in hand.

boys will be...destructive

In the last 15 hours, Tyler has slept for 12 hours and still manage to...

-break my lamp
-drench half the couch in milk
-throw several major crying fits and
-drink shampoo

Is it time to go play outside yet?

tagged

I normally don't like to do stuff like this, but I guess I'm in a different sort of mood today. Also I'm afraid Tiffany won't be my friend anymore if I don't...and since she's pretty much the only one that comments on my blog I can't afford to lose her. So here goes.

A: The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B: Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C: At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

10 Years Ago: I was half way through my sophomore year of high school, probably soaking wet from walking home in the rain, and obsessing over whoever was my current crush.

On My To-Do List: Today it's to buy more diapers so tomorrow when the storm hits I won't have to resort to tying kitchen towels around Tyler's bum. But in the future it's to: take a vacation touring all the church history sites, become a professional quilter (I don't know exactly what that is, I just want to be better at it), possibly get my teaching certificate to teach special education; take my kids to Disneyland; have my very own pool and hot tub.

5 places that I've lived: Sacramento, CA; Lake Oswego, OR; Provo, UT; Lehi, UT. That's not five, so I'll make one up. Baton Rogue, LA.

5 jobs I have had: Library shelver; respite care provider; warehouse worker @ emergency essentials; another job working with handicapped adults that I have no idea what my title was; mom

What I would do if I became a billionaire: I would buy my brother Aaron. Then I would turn him into my personal: slave/lawyer/cook/record keeper/shoe polisher/laundry folder/channel changer/do whatever I say-er. I figure that would only cost about $13,896, so with the rest...
-give large portions to the church (after tithing)
-buy my dad a sailboat (and a life jacket)
-buy the rest of mine and Jeremy's family members whatever they want
-save for college
-pay someone to come clean my house
-buy Jeremy 4x4's, but not snowmobiles
-buy Alexis 40 million barbies
-buy Tyler 40 million balls (oh wait, he already has that)
-buy myself a Nissan Maxima
and then I would get a whole bunch of $100 bills and start passing them out everywhere I go, just to see people's reactions.

Bad habits: picking my split ends; wasting time; procrastinating!; cracking my knuckles (I know, I'm going to give myself arthritis)

Things I enjoy: the SUN! my family; reading; quilting; water; being in nature; indoor rock climbing.

Things people don't know about me: that I hate American Idol; that the only guy I've ever kissed is my husband; that I work with Webelos scouts and LOVE it; I'm fairly obsessive about counting things, like the buttons on my remote control--there are 48. I've counted at least 1000 times; that I'm really boring and have no secrets.

I am now tagging: Shelise, Melanie, Giselle, Jessica, Karly

they'll gather no moss

Sorry for the absence of a few days, nothing to say I guess. Plus, Jeremy's out of town so I've been too depressed to move. Not really, but I do hate it when he's gone. I'm such a sissy. Jeremy travels for work like once a year, if that, yet I can't handle it. I hardly left his side the night before he left and I think I actually even snuggled with him before falling asleep--without him making me! Sorry if that's too much information for my younger readers...or anyone who doesn't like mushy stuff like that. Anyway, I've missed him but he should be landing as I type, so hopefully he'll be here soon.

Tyler and Alexis were rolling around on the floor playing with each other, so I got the camera out. Of course I missed most of the good stuff, but this is still pretty cute. It was right before bed and they were both just being goofy. Remember that heart puddle I referred to in my last post? Watching them play together and make each other laugh melts me every time. And I'm very fortunate because it happens pretty often.



Tomorrow Alexis gets to give the scripture in primary at the "big black microphone" that she's been asking to talk into for the past two months. It should be cute, and also a little scary because who knows what the power of the microphone might unleash in her. I just hope she doesn't start talking about her Dora underwear or any one's "special body parts". I'd be okay with her mentioning that she wants to marry her brother or her dad though, because I like her standards.

oh, the pain!

Kids can do funny things to your heart. They can make it swell 1000 times its normal size, they can melt it into a huge old puddle on the floor, and they can break it in a million pieces. Alexis did the latter today. I thought they weren't supposed to say stuff like this until they were teenagers!


Alexis: Mom, why does Tarzan have a monkey mother?

Me: Because his mom and dad died and the monkey found him so she became his new mother.

(Long pause while she contemplates all the ways she can hurt me)

A: Oh, I want to get a new mom too, cause you're going to died later so I'll have a new mommy and it won't be you.


I hope her new mother has a heart of steel.

why I've stopped listening to the weather report

I think I'm a little backward. I completely ignore all weather reports in the winter and only pay attention to them in the summer. Which makes very little sense because in the summer this is all they say, "It's going to be hot today. Don't leave your house or you will end up like Lisa's pop tarts". But I guess I like hearing that because I have very easy access to a swimming pool, so the hotter the better. But in the winter when it would be useful to know the weather predictions for any given day I just don't care. Because had I known it would look like this when I got up this morning,I probably would have stayed in bed. But I didn't find out about it until I was already up, dressed, and outside.

So I cancelled things I had planned and we had a snow day. We stayed in, had a neighbor over, ran around the living room (literally), and cleaned up a little bit. It was nice. Then later we made dessert out of snow. Here's a recipe my mom gave me:

Large bowl full of fresh, clean snow
1 cup of whole milk
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sugar

Mix milk, vanilla, and sugar until dissolved. Add to snow, stir until consistency is thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

I just set the bowl on the ground, gave every one a spoon and we dug in. I'm going to state the now-obvious-to-me here: don't use metal spoons.
Follow that big bowl of sugary snow with a warm bath and you've got a great afternoon!