Conversations With Girls

I have been inspired....

2010-10-27T17:06:00.009-07:00

I have been inspired by my best friend to return to the Blogging world. Jillie has a wonderful new food blog that EVERYONE needs to go visit Provident Kitchen If you get stumped for dinner ideas or just need to make something new check her out. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!!

I know its been months. I have a suitcase full of excuses but, I'll save them for later. So much to update but I think I'll just start where we are at this moment.

Right now I am a full-time stay @ home mom. And I haven't been this happy in a long time. I'm loving it. Oh don't get me wrong, we are so dang poor and stressed but faithful. I also have the opportunity to babysit some really Great kids to help our income. I get paid to play and love it. Along with everything else, I have a side boutique called, "Bangles, Dangles and Bows"

It a jewelery and hair accessories type of thing. It's fun to do in my spare time. WAHAHAHAHA.

Blake is a working going to school fool. I am so proud of him. A few months ago, he decided to go back to school. Wow!! He is in his second term at Eagle Gate College studying Massage and Body Work and I must say, "HE'S DAMN GOOD!" Its like he was meant for this. So if anyone needs a massage give him a call. He still is working in the Printing business 3 days a week and in school 4. On his days off he helps with the extra kids. He is really great with the New babies. They just love snuggling in his strong arms and I think its a good calmer for him. I can't tell you how proud I am of him. I know there are people that don't understand what we do and then there are those that just love us because we are trying. Love you Honey!

Gracie is 8 and was baptized in September by her dad. It was such a special day for all of us. She is in the 3rd grade and loves to read and style anyone that would let her. She loves clothes and putting things together and she is really good at it.

Lilly started Kindergarten this year. Her teacher thinks she is a wonderful little girl. She loves homework and writing. And can't wait to really read. It's fun to see her grow and be excited. I hope she continues on that path.

Emily is my little helper. She is 4 and stays home with me and takes care of the 2 year old children we care for. She is a little mommy to them. I love to be able to watch her grow. I never really had this opportunity with the older girls. She is my shadow and is such a good girl. Kunka also loves to do "homework". She can write her name, shapes and numbers. I think she is much farther along than her older sisters at this age.

We also have the dogs, Barney and Clyde and our newest member Lucy our cute orange tabby.
We have learned so much over the last few months. Our faith has really been tested and we know that its not over yet. But, we have our family and the support of friends whom we love. Thanks to all that has supported us in decisions and helped us in many way..We Love you.

Enough is enough already...

2009-07-03T14:44:00.008-07:00

Hello everyone,
I know I have been on vacation from the blogging world. But I think I am back...let us hope right. So much has passed and I don't think my girls will really give me that much time to fill y'all in on everything so I'll share some thoughts and lots of pics.
First off...Happy 4th of July to everyone. I love this holiday. It's not only a time to get together with family and friends and eat great food...but its a time to remember those that serve and sacrifice for our country. How blessed we are to live in a land that is Free.

First of all, My sweet husband turned 40 in June. He made it to 40...he never thought he would lol. I decided to make him a cake from scratch. It was actually really fun. The first cake I made was for fathers day (the week before) it was a chocolate 3 layered cake with cream cheese filling and peanut butter frosting with crushed peanut butter cups on the top. It was really yummy and everything I made from scratch. So I asked Blake what he wanted for his actual day and he ordered a Yellow cake with Raspberry filling and whipped cream cheese frosting topped with fresh Raspberries and white chocolate shavings. The girls were happy to help me. As they always are.And here it is. It looked so pretty. And it was good. I find that baking, to my surprise, is relaxing to me AND addicting. I will never make a nother cake from a mix again.I can't wait to make my next cake. Maybe I'll make one for my dads birthday coming up.

Next are some random pics that we have taken over the past few weeks....
Here is Lilly at the park in Logan. My brother Ross and his family have moved up there about 6 months ago (we miss them) and so we try to visit as much as we can. The girls really like it and it helps us feel like we are taking mini summer vacations.Emily Turned 3 on June 7th. She LOVES monkeys and so I thought I would try to make a little sock monkey for her since our funds are pretty tight. Well, here is my finished product...Pink Monkey. He turned out really cute. I'll post her pink party later..my computer is not wanting me to load them.
Here is my birthday present I bought for myself this year. Not all the junk on the shelf but the Shelf itself. I got it for 10 bucks at the Salvation Army. I love it.
The Girls of summer
Trying to get the girls to sit still and take a good picture is next to impossible. This is the closest thing I could get. I wanted to give Blake a nice picture of the girls together for fathers day...but they just wouldn't sit and smile.
Here is another shot of them. This picture really is sweet.
Gracie is getting so smart and is growing so fast. She starts 2nd grade next year. Wow. She has lost 6 teeth total and loves to dance and move and climb. She is really trying to conquer the monkey bars this summer. She has been a great help this summer with the other girls.Emily playing in the bark
Lilly is 4 and such a sweet heart. She is really wanting to learn to read to we are working with her with that. She is also trying to stay on her little girl diet. Its hard but we do it and somedays are better than others. She loves swimming in the pool and still thinks she is a mermaid. (i hope that never changes) She loves to sing and play with her sisters. She is so tender and loving. You only need to spend two min. with Lilly and you are in love with her and you will be her best friend.
Emily is 3 (like I said) and she is a monkey. She climbs on everything and anything...I have some more pics of her climbing on our swing. She is so adventurous and independent. She LOVES to help me cook and loves to smell and taste everything no matter what it is. I love that she loves something that I love. Its like we are just starting this passion together. She has her daddy wrapped around her finger and loves to snuggle with him at night.

Well, that is all that my computer will let me download. I'll add more later. I hope this finds everyone well. I love comments so please leave some. Happy 4th of July!

Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum

2009-03-19T22:50:00.002-07:00

GIANTS, WIZARDS, AND DWARFS was the game to play.

Being left in charge of about eighty children seven to ten years old, while their parents were off doing parenty things, I mustered my troops in the church social hall and explained the game.
It’s a large scale version of Rock, Paper, and Scissors, and involved some intellectual decision making. But the real purpose of the game is to make a lot of noise and run around chasing people until nobody knows which side you are on or who won.
Organizing a roomful of wired‐up gradeschoolers into two teams, explaining the rudiments of the game, achieving consensus on group identify—all this is no mean accomplishment, but we did it with a right good will and were ready to go.
The excitement of the chase had reached a critical mass. I yelled out: “You have to decide now which you are—a GIANT, A wizard, OR A dwarf?”
While the groups huddled in frenzied, whispered consultation, a tug came at my pants leg. A small child stands there looking up, and asks in a small, concerned voice.
“Where do the Mermaids stand?”
Where do the mermaids stand? Says I. “Yes, you see, I am a Mermaid.” “There are no such things as Mermaids.” “Oh, yes, I am one!”
She did not related to being a Giant, A Wizard, or a Dwarf. She knew her category. Mermaid. And was not about to leave the game and go over and stand against the wall where a loser would stand. She intented to participate, wherever Mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Without giving up dignity or identify. She took it for granted that there was a place for Mermaids and that I would know just where. Well, where DO the mermaids stand? All the “Mermaids” –all those who are different, who do not fit the norm and who do not accept the available boxes and pigeonholes?
Answer that question and you can build a school, a nation, or a world on it.
What was my answer at the moment? Every one in a while I say the right thing.
“The Mermaid stands right here by the King of the Sea!” says I.
(Yes, right here by the King’s Foot, I thought to myself.)
So we stood there hand in hand, reviewing the troops of Wizards and Giants and Dwarfs as they roiled by in wild disarray.
It is not true, by the way, that mermaids do not exist. I know at least one personally. I have held her hand.

Meet Virginia...lol

2009-01-12T15:16:00.003-07:00

I have been on a little Vacation from the blogging world. Mostly just trying to heal myself from myself. I've had a pretty hard month or two and now feel I can be back to my blogging game. I have a ton of pictures that I don't have time to blog right now...but I will...slowly. LOL.
About a month ago, I was struggling with myself...I suffer from PMS anyway but this was beyond my control...and so I called the doc to get a little help. Between the two of us we found that I suffer from PMDD...Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or Severe PMS....I thought that maybe I was just going crazy..lol...or that my alter ego Virgina was in town for good and was moving out the really Shanna. It's pretty serious and now (with good pharmaceuticals )maybe I can function...lol...better. Thanks to everyone for their concerns...I'll add pics a little later this week.

Random pics of the last few weeks

2008-12-03T09:31:00.002-07:00

I have a bunch of random pictures...

Lilly in the rain.

Whimsical tree we decorated at the center. You can click on this picture to see what they said about it. It won best in show the every first day. That is always awesome.

Yes the tree is upside down. Harder than it looks.

The top. It was really fun to decorate.

The second tree we decorated was a fairy tree. It turned out really pretty.

Lots of pinks and greens and white and of course fairies

I really like this tree. Come down to the Utah Cultural Celebration Center for a free tour of the trees. Cheap date. lol

Lunch with the girls

The holy war...I took my nephew Todd. He had a blast. He has all the pictures of that game on his camera..so I just a few of my family.

RuthAnn and I at the TCU game (great game)

the family getting Uted up for the Byu Utah game. Blake hosted the party while I went to the game with Toddy.

Gracie's new hair cut

THANKSGIVING WITH MY FAMILY

Jer and AshThe Long tableLong table 2Dad and mom cutting the turkey. YUMMYLilly couldn't get enough of her aunt Tammy. Lilly just loves her.Gracie's art work (jack the pumpkin king)Gracie getting ready for Thanksgiving with Blake's family.My table center piece.Happy Thanksgiving center piece. I didn't take any pics of Thanksgiving with Blake's family...Just too busy cooking.Emily trying to help trim out tree.Gracie helping me with the decor.She finally got a chair and helped.Gracie's School picture. (before her haircut) She looks so big.Emily helping Grandma Shop for Christmas Jammies. We helped my mom get a bunch of stuff done before she goes in for her surgery. Her surgery date is this Thursday. She'll be in the hospital for about a week then she'll be home. We pray for her.

Happy Turkey Day!

2008-11-27T09:27:00.003-07:00

Wanted to wish everyone a happy turkey day.
I have been pretty busy and need to update the blog more.
Just a few high lights:

Decorated two trees at my dads center again this year. One upside down tree and one fairy tree. RuthAnn helped and we had a great time. I'll have pics later.

The Utes Won the big Holy War against BYU! And it was a great game. (more details to come)

My mom had an angeogram (sp?) on Tuesday and they found that she has 7 blockages in her heart. She is going to have a Quintuple bypass (yes that would be 5) next Thursday. Again more details to come.

Today we are going to spend the day with my family and have yummy food. Well at least most of my family. (minus 2 brothers) Should be fun.

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

May your stuffing be tasty

May your turkey plump,

May your potatoes and gravy

Have never a lump.

May your yams be delicious

And your pies take the prize,

And may your Thanksgiving dinner

Stay off your thighs!

First Snow Fall

2008-11-07T10:29:00.002-07:00

Our first snow fall of the year. It was a very cold day but the snow was so pretty to look at.
Clyde was having a blast running around in the snow. This is his favorite time of the year.

He ran and ran and then came in and fell asleep by the fire. What a sweet puppy.I think fall lasted about 3 days. So sad. I went to the local walmart the day after Halloween and they were decorated for Christmas and had christmas music playing. What happened to Thanksgiving. Sheesh.

Birthday for a Bugga

2008-11-04T11:13:00.007-07:00

Happy Birthday to Lilly on Monday. We celebrated for two days.

Sunday Party Day!

Sunday was the family party, presents and cake for the special girl.

Gracie and Emily wanted to make Lilly's birthday sign so we did a little craft with foam paper. Who ever invented that stuff should get a metal. Its wonderful and my kids love playing with them.

Here is their finished product. They stuck it to the fireplace.

Lilly requested a Mermaid party with a mermaid cake. So, I happened to find a mermaid bubble machine at the DI for .50 cents. Perfect. So here is the finished product. I had some extra fondant so Gracie and I made an under the sea party on her cake. It was really fun. I know it looks busy but it was fun.

Here is Lilly watching the bubbles blow over her cake. She LOVED it and that is all that counts right?Here is sweet Olivia coming to support Lilly's party.

I asked Lilly what she wanted for her birthday and she said, "Mermaids and Books." So Grandma Olsen got her 3 Ariel Books and Lilly was so happy. They are her favorite gifts. She carries her books around with her everywhere even to Preschool for show and tell. She also got some bubble bath (mermaid) from Grace and 2 board books from Emily and some clothes from Grandma Ray. Mommy and Daddy got some play makeup for her like Gracie and boy she was happy about that too. She is so sweet I can't even stand it.

Monday Birth Day!!

Lilly was so excited to turn four. She got out the Birthday Girl sash and wore it all day. To start her day, she had a party at preschool and got a paint set from her teachers. Then we took her to McDonald's to play at the play land and have lunch. Its one of her favorite places to go. Then it was home to play with her cousin. Later that night, Daddy got off work early and took us all out to where else? The Mayan. Here they are waiting for a table. They were pretty hyper (must be the leftover Halloween candy)The Birthday girl asking to see the divers. I told her that they will be diving in a min. And they were. But I thought this pic was so cute.Gracie was having a hard day. She was hungry and the food took "SOOOO LONG I AM GOING TO STARVE TO DEATH." Well she didn't starve.Emily enjoyed her Bowtie mac and cheese pasta and the divers.The girls always have fun at the Mayan. I would have been fine at Bajio Grill personally. But its Lilly's night and she had fun. I can't believe how wonderful it is to have such a special little girl. She has a tender heart, always silly and full of so much love. I am blessed to have Lilly (and all my girls) in our lives. Happy Birthday Lillybugga. I love you!

Family PhotoHere is our newest photo of the family. Its our Utah photo. Go Utes. Might be our Christmas card this year who knows. It's hard to get every one to smile and stand right. Man oh man. But I think this turned out alright.I love this one too.

I wish Emily and Lilly were looking at the camera..

(click on it to see a bigger picture.) The girls love their daddy. (so do I)

A Mermaid, cat and a fairy gathering candy

2008-11-04T10:21:00.010-07:00

Sorry these are a little late. We had a busy weekend again. But here are the highlights for Halloween.

TRUNK OR TREATS (Thursday Oct. 30th)

Our ward Does Trunk or Treating the day before Halloween. Its suppose to be for the safety of the kids but I think its so the kids can get double the candy. Which our kids did. LOL.Lilly was the cutest Mermaid I have ever seen. I am glad her costume turned out so well and that she was happy. Here the girls are getting ready to walk to the Church to gather candy.We went with RuthAnn and Ross and Abby. It was a lot of fun. Blake was stuck in his truck handing out Otter pops. We ran out after 200 kids. I bet there were at least 400 kids easy. It was a fun day. We came back and ate and sorted candy.

SCHOOL PARADE (Friday Halloween Day)

I love the school Halloween parade and I was so happy that Blake was off so he could enjoy the fun. Here is Emily and I waiting for the Parade to start. Emily wasn't a happy camper.Here is Lilly, lining up to see Gracie walk by. It was a windy cool morningAnd here is our little Tinkerbell. She looked so cute.The rest of the kids didn't look happy to be in line but Gracie did.

HALLOWEEN NIGHT!

Emily the CatLilly MermaidAbby Caddaby Tinkerbell GraceThe kids got a TON of Candy. We went over to RuthAnn and Ross's neighborhood then to Grandma and Papas to rest and potty then back to RuthAnn's house and home. The girls were pooped but happy. I am just glad that this holiday is over

Getting Ready for Tricks or Treats...

2008-10-29T21:10:00.003-07:00

I love this time of year. Maybe its the smell of decaying leaves or could it be the thrill of watching, "its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." I really think its because Halloween is Gracie's favorite holiday EVER. I never used to like Halloween. But now I am almost as excited as Gracie for the day to come.

This year Gracie wanted to be Tinkerbell. Well at first she wanted to be a dead fairy but then Tinkerbell was more appealing thank heavens. So since I showed the costume I made for Lilly, I think it only fair to show you Gracie as Tinkerbell.

I think she plays the part perfectly.

This week at Gracie's school, they are doing Say no to drugs week. So everyday is something different. Monday was Crazy hair day. Tuesday was wear red day. Today was School Picture day and tomorrow is Wear your Jammies to School. Here is Gracie's Crazy hair. She thought of it herself.

She even won a prize for her class as the weirdest girls hair.

The girls and I decided to try our hand at a Haunted Gingerbread house for our little after school craft.

It was really fun and in a kit so everything was included.

Gracie was pretty happy about how it turned out. I think it turned out cute as well.

Not bad for a bunch of girls and a discount Gingerbread house kit. I am really excited for Tricks or Treats. We are going to do Trunk or Treat tomorrow at the Ward then Friday we are going to head to Grandma and Papas neighborhood and trick or treat there. Should be a fun week. Then Ute party on Saturday night. Go Utes!!

Our Busy Weekend...

2008-10-20T08:42:00.018-07:00

This last weekend we were pretty busy. Its was UEA weekend so Gracie was home from school an extra two days. Since our funds are pretty low, we decided to stay cheap but still have fun. First off, we headed down to Lehi to walk through the Scarecrow Festival they have every year to support the West Ridge Academy. Its really fun. We have gone a few times before and have had a load of fun.

SCARECROW FESTIVAL

(Thursday) The girls got their faces painted right off. Emily got an ElmoGracie was a skeleton (of course..anything spooky and dead that girl)

And Lilly got a Butterfly. All so predictable. I love it.

And here they are.

So cute.

Next at the festival they had these huge jumping toys and slides. The girls love the jumping stuff but Lilly was a little scared to try the slides. She did it but was scared at first.Lilly hiking up the first slide. She was pretty scared. Once she got to the top she wouldn't go down. So I sent Gracie up there to push her. Okay let me tell you something about Lilly (some of you might already know this) She has the fear of the unknown. So, sometimes I have to force her to do things because I know she really wants to do them but doesn't know the outcome. Like her riding a horse for the first time. She was scared at first but couldn't get her off once she got on. Same with the slide thing. So...

Gracie pushed her. And once she got to the bottom she was ready to do it again. Gracie was in and out of the toys like crazy. If it wasn't for her face paint I would have lost her.She was the perfect age to play in these.Then there is the ever fearless Emily. She followed Gracie on everything. I think she was the smallest kid going down these slides.And downAnd down. I love that she has no fear. She is so trusting that she will be okay.We played Free Games and watched free dance concerts. It was a lot of fun. Worth the trip.

Can you hear me now???

(Friday)

Friday we spend the day cleaning and doing laundry. On my way out to take some garbage to the can I spied a crime scene...As I walked next to my WHITE minivan i noticed some blue circles drawn on my car with...SHARPIELaying on my dirty garage floor was the culprit. A blue Sharpie. Man was I ticked off. AND it was Blue..now if it was red...(go utes). But it was blue. I Jumped into fast action and grabbed my cheap hairspray and started to spray...and...Walla...gone. Martha Stewart eat your heart out. And who was the artist you might ask???

Kunka!!!

We decided the adults needed a little date so we got a babysitter and went to change our phones to Verizon (since Qwest was changing to Verizon anyway.) So we are now in the network. Can you hear me now?? And then went to dinner.On our way home, pulling into the drive way we could smell something burning. We quickly parked and ran inside to find that the babysitter had nearly set the microwave on fire with popcorn.The culprit..a charcoal bag of burnt popcorn.
The result. Our microwave will never be the same. I tried everything to get the stain out..and the smell...oh my.

U-T-A-H Fight Fight Fight!

(Saturday)

After getting back from Weight Watchers ( i didn't lose, I stayed the same) I got Gracie and Emily ready and we headed to Trax and up to the Utah vs. Colorado State game. It was really fun and the weather couldn't have been better.Here is Emily. She had a little bump the night before on her eye (fell off my bed)WE really had a lot of fun. I love taking the girls. They are great fans. Go Utes (we won 49 to 16)Later that day we also took the girls to pick out their pumpkins at Winder Dairy. We are pretty tight for money so they got a .99 cent pumpkin.Sisters...I love it.
Lilly, Gracie and Emily's pumpkins. Perfect size for Kunka. The Watkins Girls Girls with Pumpkins. I am glad that we have this little tradition.

The Sabbath day is a day of Rest

The girls and I took advantage of Stake conference and spent the day playing outside and getting laundry done. (is there ever a break from laundry??) It was a nice day.

Pirates, Skeletons and Cats..oh my.

(Monday)

For family home evening we decided to decorate our newly acquired pumpkins. We carved them last year (that was a mess with little kids) so we decided to use craft foam. It turned out really cool.

Blake making his Pirate pumpkin

Of course we made Gracie a skeleton, a cat for Lillian and a Jack-O-Lantern for Emily.

See totally cute.

Here they are out side with their creators.

Cute huh???

Here is a random pic of Gracie on Backward day at school. She thought she was pretty funny. So did I.I finally finished Lilly's mermaid costume. I think it turned out cute. I'll have more pictures with all the girls later. But I just had to show off my beautiful mermaid.I love the fall. I really miss the east coast at this time of year. My mission memories come flooding back to me always in the fall..I was in Quarryville, Pa the first fall I spent in the mission. There were beautiful fall leaves, cooking, Amish laundry on the line and Amish buggy's on the streets in the early morning going to market."the clip clop of the horses hoofs as they..." I miss the East.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

This is why I love being home...

2008-10-14T08:07:00.005-07:00

I am loving being home. Oh my house is still a mess. Actually its more messy than its ever been. Ruthann and I have been getting ready for a boutique. We have been bangin out some really cute things. We have started a little business called Red Barn Crafts....Today the name might change to Old Red Barn..I feel so old today..anyway...

They are for sale if anyone is interested. We are doing an Internet special...

Angles $25 but now....

15 bucks

Mr. Bun Bun was $20 but now....

10 bucks..you can't beat that.

We also made winter warmer bags that you heat in the microwave and snuggle with to keep warm. 5 bucks a bag. My kids LOVE them and they smell like cinnamon. Great Christmas presents. Let me know what you would like to order and I'll get it to you.

Another reason I love being home is because of my girls. I just love them. And they are so funny. Here are some random Cell pics of them.Emily wanted to be where Lilly was...that is why she is mad but how can you not love these faces?I wish this wasn't orange. But I love this pic.I love her. She is my comic I swearThey are sisters for sure.I love being home. They are my joy.

Also bloggin on the "Get Skinny Mommy" Blog

2008-10-07T08:40:00.003-07:00

If anyone would like to do a little weight watching..check out my other blog...

Http://getskinnymommy.blogspot.com

She's alive.....

2008-10-06T08:03:00.009-07:00

Hello, Yes I am alive. I know its been a while. I have been busy and Blogging just fell to the wayside. But I am back and ready to blog. I have a ton of random pictures of some of the things we have done in the last month. Busy Busy.

We have put Lilly on a 1100 calorie diet. Its been very hard but it seems like she is getting taller but maintaining her weight. Happy Day.

This is I think the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Trying to keep my 3 year old healthy and not go insane from the crying for food. Its so hard but we know this is what we need to do to keep her healthy. She is just a few inches shorter than Gracie. Everyone thinks she is a 6 year old. but she is just a happy sassy almost 4 year old.

Emily is Growing fast as well. She talks really well and loves to hang with mom. She is a mommy's girl that is for sure. She is with me all day and even all day on Sunday since I am her teacher.

Here she is listening to the Muppet Show on my mp3.

Go Utes...

We are so excited for football season. Football is our favorite sport for our family. We have season Tickets to the Ute Football games and the girls each get to go with one of us and Cheer for the Utes. Gracie, being the oldest, got to go to the first home game. She had a great time. I think she is the biggest fan.

Red inside and out.

Lilly got to go to the next home game. She was pretty bored but that is to be expected. She had fun though but I think she spent most of the time looking at the crowd instead of the field. I have also been doing a little babysitting here and there to make some extra money while I am looking for a job I can do from home. Here are the girls with Sillia coloring at the kids table.I love Emily. She has really become a mommy's girls. If I ever go back to work i think its going to hit her the hardest. She is with me every waking moment. She is funny...Summer is gone and it is fall. But the Kids are still enjoying the time outside. Gracie is showing me her tricks on the monkey bars. Goof.As some of you know, Barney our Cockapoo chooses to live an "alternative" life style. Yeah, we believe him to be gay. So I thought it would do him some good if we made him a little more Manly or Studly if you will. We chose to give him a mow hawk to help him look a little tougher. He just looks like a bigger dorkus. Oh well...we tried. I guess you just can't change some people/dogs.Emily is really into the babies. This is her taking a nap. She is a mommy of Quadruplets. She loves every one. She is usually hauling around as little as two babies and at the most 4. How sweet. What a great mommy she will be someday.Lots of pics of Emily. Trying to get her off the bottle. She's my baby though. Maybe deep down I don't want her to grow up??? Or it could be laziness.Thanks to my Aunt Coke for providing us with peaches this year. RuthAnn and I spent one day making yummy Vanilla Peach Jam.We bottled over 80 jars.I love canning. Brings back memories of canning with my mom. And it always looks so pretty.Check out this spider I found on our porch the other day. Its HUGE. It was the size of a 50 cent piece. HUGE. I have never seen a black widow that big before.And it was defiantly a black widow. Check out that red hourglass on her tummy. Totally scary. Happy Halloween huh?? She is dead of course.Well, I have been busy trying to rearrange Gracie's room. We took down the queen bed. It was just too big in that room for a little girl with a lot of stuff. Thanks to Jamie and Anne and Ikea we were able to get a bed fit for a little girl. And as you can tell, Gracie is so happy with her room.Here new bed. She LOVES it. We also moved the tv/dvd in with her and made a little theater area for the girls. Lilly likes this part. I think its because she is allowed to be in Gracie's room. Gracie really loves the new room and I do too. Now we'll see if we can convert the toy room into an office (if I find a job I can do from home)

I was pleasantly surprised by my sweet friends Ethan and Heather Bratt from Seattle. They came down to Utah for a missionary reunion and came to visit with me for a short time (too short if you as me) At first they found me not home (hence the sad faces in the picture) But we finally hooked up and spend a great mid conference meeting. I miss you guys..thanks for thinking of me and stopping by to say hi. ( Oh Beth..sorry to hear about all your Scuttle"Butt". Hope everything is "running" smooth.)

Here is the newest Olsen addition. This is Marshal James Olsen. Born August 20th. What a cutie pie. We were please to see him blessed after conference this Sunday. I also took the opportunity to take some family pictures of some of my brothers....Brother #1: Ross and RuthAnn and family. (Todd, Maggie, Abby and Joey)Brother #2: Lance and Kristi and Family (Jake, Bayley, Becca, Jordan and Justice)

Lance and Kristi

Brother #4: Jeff and Jenny and family (Olivia and Kira..and the bun in the oven..pray for a boy)Brother #6: Jer and Ash (Ash-a-lee as the girls call her)

Well that is all for now. Gracie is doing well in School. Her teacher is Miss Murphy. She loves riding the bus and having school lunch. Lilly loves preschool. She loves her teacher and her old friends from Daycare days. Emily, well, she loves me...and that is the best of all.

Bows 4 sale

2008-09-15T17:04:00.002-07:00

Lilly's first day at preschool

2008-09-09T08:03:00.002-07:00

Lillian started preschool on Monday. She is going to Ms. Loraine's and she loves it. Its where she had daycare so she knows a few kids in her class. She learned the letter A and did an awesome little craft. They also wanted a picture of her for the wall and a little blurb about her. Here she is with her new back pack. Some of the things I told her class was, she loves the color yellow and purple. Her favorite foods are spaghetti, cheeseburgers, cooked carrots and applesauce.
She also loves to jump on the tramp, play with her sisters and ride her bike. When she grows up she says she wants to be, " A mommy or a nurse or a mermaid" I think she'll be able to be all three. She wants to be a mermaid for Halloween
Lilly is also very tender and caring. Here she is going to the door. I can't believe she is big enough to go to preschool. She'll probably be in preschool for 2 years since her birthday falls in November. But that is okay. She'll be ready.
After we dropped Lilly off it was just Emily and I. So we went home and made chocolate chip cookies. It was really nice to have time with just Kunka. (like her shiner, she did that right before church jumping on the bed and slipping and hitting the foot board)

2008-08-25T11:10:00.002-07:00

First Day of 1st Grade

Water Park

Cottonwood High Mini Drill Camp

Gracie's birthday Weekend

2008-08-20T08:56:00.008-07:00

~~The Birth day~~

Happy Birthday Gracie. Here are her pictures from her weekend of fun.

Gracie said she wanted to wake up and have red balloons for her birthday. So Blake and I blew up red balloons for her to wake up to. She was happy.

She also wanted some sort of Pet for her birthday. A fish was the best thing.

Here is Gracie with Grandma LaRaes birthday package. Grandma came up for Troys surgery and it just happened to be over Gracie's Birthday so we waited for her to come so Gracie could open her gift in front of her.

Here she is opening her card with Daddy, Grandma and Lilly.

Grandma gave her a new Hanna Montana outfit. Gracie LOVES it. Strike a Pose.

That night she chose to go to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. She ordered Spaghetti...but got a tummy ache half way through dinner...not good.

Emily enjoying her Root beer.

Lilly waiting for her cheese burger and applesauce. Happy Lilly.

Gracie got more sick as the night went on so we had to pack up early and head home. But it was good regardless.

~~THE CAKE~~

I had a thought that I would try to make a fun cake for Gracie's birthday party on Sunday. Sometimes you're not sure what your talents might be until you try. Well, I don't know if my talents are really making cakes but it was fun trying....

I did a chocolate 3 layer cake with Peanut butter filling.

I also covered it in fondant. It was my first time with fondant. Its harder than it looks.

Anyway, Gracie wanted a Tinker Bell type cake..so here is my finished product.
And who was there to help me the whole way...Yep Emily.

~~ The Party~~

Sunday, we had a little get together with family for just cake and Ice cream and presents.Here are some of the kids that came to play.Gracie was the first and last to take a whack at the Pinata. She smacked it good.The dogs got into the mix. (Barney, Clyde and Rock my brother in laws dog)After Pinata hitting it was time for presents, cake and Ice Cream. Getting ready for the blowing. See Maggie in the back ground cover Abby's mouth so she wouldn't blow out Gracies candle.
The Blow. Make a good wish.Here is Lilly hanging out with us. Lilly went to the doctor again and they said she is still growing. The nutritionist wants to put her on a 1200 calorie diet and see if that helps her weight. By the way, 1 cup of prepared mac and cheese is 400 calories...HELLO!!!We had a really nice time on Sunday. It was perfect weather. Thanks to everyone that came. You helped make Gracie's birthday awesome.

Happy Birthday Gracie Girl...

2008-08-12T22:08:00.004-07:00

I can't believe my little girl is 6 today. My how time flys. We are so blessed to have her in our lives. She is such a bright, spunky, sassy, beautiful little girl. I love her! Happy Birthday Gracie Girl.

Wonders never cease....

2008-08-12T20:50:00.006-07:00

Hello family and friends!

I know I have been on a little break from blogging and I fully repent and hope that I am forgiven...=)

Honestly, we haven't been doing much these days. We enjoy free lunch and play at the park every day. I do have a few pictures of the water park Emily eating a "Pocket Book". Otter Pops are a major food group in the summer time.Kunka and her new monkey glasses. Flip ups..stylish.

Bayley and Gracie playing in the water at the water park.
Peeing in a circle. Some of my nephews and nieces playing in the water. Try clicking on the picture to get a better view. We have Maggie, Joey, Jordan, Jake and Becca. Funny kids.
Jordan Playing in the water
Wet t-shirt contest (Joe)Emily playing at the play ground in her swimming suit.Lilly on the slide. She is always smiling.Abby running on the hot pavement.Gracie running on the hot pavement. It was near 100 degrees that day.Thank heavens for Aunt Kristi and her first aid kit. Gracie had a little spill and riped her knee up.She is not a happy camper.I love this picture of Emily. She just learned how to do a fish face. So cute.

2008-07-15T09:46:00.003-07:00

Early this year, when I became a stay at home mom, I made a small list of things I wanted to accomplish before summer ended. I am Happy to report that I have nearly done all on my list. Happy day!!

1. Build a sand pile (Done)
2. Potty train Lilly (Done)
3. Clean out the Garage (Done)
4. Have a yard sell (change in plans donated stuff instead)
5. Go to the zoo (Done)
6. Build a Bowflex
7. Clean the house (on going)
8. Paint the salon
9. Shampoo the carpet
10. Lose 40 pounds
11. POTTY TRAIN LILLY! (done)

Yes you read that right, I cleaned out the garage. For those of you who know me, the garage has been a very sore, dirt, messy spot in my life. Its like I couldn't move on with the rest of the summer until that garage was clean. I had finally had enough of not parking in the garage. I haven't parked in there for nearly 2 years. TWO YEARS!!! We had crap wall to wall. It was a mess. So last week I thought, there are people that could really use this stuff. I backed up the truck and garbage cans and just started throwing stuff away.

And, Walla....A garage that I can at least park a car into. Its not totally perfect. I would really like to get some shelves and what not...Notice the Christmas stuff in the corner..that belongs to a friend of mine so that really isn't suppose to be there.
We filled up the back of the truck with boxes and things we thought DI would like.
All 3 Garbage cans are full of crap.
And there she is...the Van tucked nicely in her home.

Welcome home old friend.
I couldn't be more happy.
We were very hot and tired after. But I feel so much better. That monkey is off my back.

Now on to the bowflex.
**gulp**

Fourth of July Photos.

2008-07-07T08:38:00.007-07:00

We had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. We spent the time together with family which is always nice.

Here is Emily on the 4th in the morning. Her and Clyde (and Wilbur) spent the morning playing in the sand pile and the grass. Where ever Emily is Clyde is close by.

Here are the girls in their 4th of July shirts (2.50 at Walmart) They sure have grown since last year.

July 24th 2007 so cute.Lilly and Gracie Gracie and Emily (can you tell Gracie like to be in the picture)Born to be wildWe went over to Jeff and Jenny's House for a really nice BBQ and pool party. We had a great time. Not all of my brothers and family could attend but it was fun with everyone that was there.Emily in her SwimsuitOlivia, Lilly and Gracie in the pool. (and you thought it was a big pool)My Youngest Brother Jer (go utes!!)The bishop (my dad) and my mom looking over the family activities. Lance, Ash, Jer and Kristi chatting over burgers.Can you tell we are supporters of Frito Lay (Lance works there) Can you count...that would be 10 bags of ChipsJeff Manning the grill. Yum

Lilly LOVES Kristi..she is giving her a kissCheeseI love this picture. Here is Lilly "trying" to pull Lance off the couch. I love Lances Face.Water fights with cousinsBack up for Gracie in the water fight. (Olivia)My favorite time of the night was Jamie just sitting there playing the guitar. It was fun to see him play. He is amazing to watch. Its so effortless.Gracie wishing you a happy fourth. After Dinner, we headed over to watch the fireworks at Murry park. We had a great time with family and a wonderful way to spend a holiday.
When we got home the dogs were crazy from being locked up all day. So we let them out to run around. They were pretty wild.And I guess in their crazy time...the dogs got hold of Lilly's doll she got for her birthday and they riped it to shreds. She was pretty sad when she found it the next day. Poor Dolly, Poor Lilly. It was defiantly a crime scene in the backyard. we had an arm under the swing and a leg in the garden, stuffing was everywhere. And what did I do about it??? I sounded like my mom, I said, "well Lilly, if you put away your toys this wouldn't have happened." Nice huh?For those of you who know kunka, she loves to cook. Every time I start dinner she wants to "hep" Here she is for Sunday dinner. She loves to make and taste and stir. I hope she turns out to be a great cook.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T07:53:00.005-07:00

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

What a perfect day to spend with family bbqing and enjoying each other.

Even the dogs get to spend the day (weekend) with family.

Clyde has had his brother visiting him this weekend.

Clyde resting in the shade

Wilbur is a rare white boxer. He has one blue and one brown eye. He is a little shorter and thicker than Clyde.

Here are the brothers playing and staying cool. We just hosed them down

Here they are after a long day of play. Wilbur is sitting on Clyde's backside. We did have one sibling rivalry incident. Clyde decided to mark his territory (twice) on Wilbur's well used blanket. Then no 10 mins later Wilbur threw up on Clyde's Blankets. Boys will be Boys I guess.

We hope you all have a very happy and safe 4th of July.

The Dog days of summer..misc cell phone pics

2008-07-01T14:42:00.003-07:00

Its been so hot this week...the girls have been going a little crazy (okay so is mommy). So we've been doing a bunch of things to keep us busy....its hard to keep them busy when gas is so much and the weather is soo hot. But we try. Here are some pictures of the week I pulled off the cell phone.
I caught Emily eating her favorite food. Ketchup is a major food group in our house.
The other day, Gracie had fallen asleep really early and Lilly was worried because she couldn't find her. WE looked all over and she finally found Gracie asleep on her bed. It was so sweet, Lilly gave Gracie a kiss and I snapped this picture of her putting a blanket on Gracie. Lilly is the mother of everyone. If someone is hurt or hurting she is the first one there to comfort and take care. What a tender spirit.
This picture really should belong in the Zoo with Grandma Pics. But, its here instead. I think Everyone that has ever gone to the zoo has a picture of them drinking out of the lions mouth. Here is Emily and Lilly having a drink.
Lilly went in for her Doctor appointment with the Specialist last Thursday. She is growing that is for sure. She grew nearly 4 inches and about 4 pounds. The Doc. isn't too worried since everything is normal besides her size. She is very smart and very active. The doc said to put her in something like Swimming or dance to keep her active and watch her food intake. I need to be better at that. Lilly is such a special little girl. Spend 2 mins with her and you can't help but fall in love with her.

Oh poor Emily. This pic was taken right after her sister squirt her with the hose. the look of Shock and confusion.
Its been so hot like I have mentioned earlier...so we have taken the opportunity to lounge by the pool. (okay so our pool isn't as big as I would love it to be)
The pool is usually crystal clear but Emily decided that sand belongs in the water. So its a little dirty looking. But its cool and inviting.
The dogs were so hot too that they jumped in to get cool. I like this pic of Barney, it looks like he is smiling. Happy Barn.
Here are the dogs after we gave them a nice hose bath. They are cool. Oh Barn, you look like you have a perm. Its going to be hot this whole week. So we'll be spending more time by the pool I think. Party at my brother Jeff's for the 4th so we'll have some good pictures of that.

Happy Happy Birthday Blaaake Dear..Happy days will come to you all year...

2008-06-29T21:19:00.006-07:00

My sweet husband turned the big 39 over the weekend. Its been a weekend of partying and being happy about life. Not only was it Blakes birthday but also his mother turned 71 and his brother turned 45.

Grandma LaRae came up for the weekend to share her birthday with her kids. We were lucky to have her stay with us and were lucky that all the kids and grand kids could get together to celebrate.

Here is Uncle Troy who turns 46 on Monday.

The girls got to meet their cousins they haven't met before. Here is Lilly and Emily with Kesyn

Lilly and Emily playing with Kamdyn

Here is Blake's other brother Kelly with his sweet wife Brittany and my niece Brianna

The girls LOVED jumping.

Sayda playing in the sand pile.

Brianna is the oldest of the kids. She is 13 and all teenager.

The youngest of the kids is Kesyn. She is 14-18 months (I think) so cute.

Here are the little girls. We have decided that Watkins can't make any boys. (Sayda, Gracie, Emily, Lilly and Kamdyn)Kamdyn on the tramp.

We had a great time with everyone. We'll have to get together more so that our kids get to know each other better. After everyone left we realized that we didn't get a picture of everyone. We haven't all been together for about 4 years. Dang, next BBQ i guess.

~~~The Zoo with Grandma~~~

This weekend the girls wanted to take grandma to the Zoo. It was a nice hot sun screen day.

Gracie taking advantage of the Misters that were scatter throughout the zoo.

Mother and son in 100 degrees.

Lilly and Emily hanging out in the shade.

Gracie on the water spitting Elephant.

Emily looking at the monkeys

Everyone taking a break in the shade...did I say it was hot?? Everyone was tired after a long hot day at the zoo.After dinner and tubs, the dog whisper found Clyde and fell asleep.And Clyde didn't care.

We had a really nice weekend with Grandma and the girls really love to have her around.

Now its time to have life get back to normal.

..And they call it Puppy Luv....

2008-06-22T22:20:00.007-07:00

Let me tell you a little about the Watkins family (my husband and his brothers and mom)...they love their Dogs. I mean, their pets are like one of the children. With that said, Emily is all Watkins in that regard. She LOVES animals especially DOGS!! She thinks they are all friendly and I think she is a little dog whisper. All dogs seem to love her. Poor Clyde, He can't just lay down with out Em coming over and laying on him or hugging him.And I am happy to say that Clyde loves Emily just as much. The girl can do anything to this dog and he takes it with a lick and a wag of his tail. It's amazing.Here she is giving him his morning hug.Emily has grown so much since I have been home. I am really enjoying watching her learn. I missed out on my other girls since I was working at this time in their lives. I can't seem to get enough of her.My Babies. I love this pictures because Emily is (for the most part) aware of where the camera is.This weekend my Niece Maddie turned 5 and we had a party at Liberty Park. It was really fun to play and spend time with some family.

Pic of RuthAnn. What a trooper, she was sick and still came to play.Gracie with her party hat on. Liberty Park has changed a lot since I was a kid. They have a lot to keep the kids busy. I took that oppertunity to practice my photography skills.Here is Lilly looking at the water play area.

I love this pic of the girls. They are so gorgeous.

All three kids in Black and White. I love them.

Here is Ashlee and Jer in Black and White.And last...Jer being a dork on the phone.
This week, we are spending most of our free time cleaning the house getting ready for my Mother in Laws visit. She comes in on Friday morning and leaves on Monday. We are having a birthday Party on Saturday for Her and Blake. I hope to go to the zoo, swimming and to the park while she is here.

More random Photos from my nice camera

2008-06-16T15:25:00.003-07:00

Here are some more random pics from my nicer camera.

My Niece Abby. She looks like her dad here.

Joey and Abby at the Park

Emily being silly with the broken apple slicer. (I nearly sliced my thumbs off)

Joey and Abby at the park again. I love this picture.

Joe and Abby.Emily at the park with her bag of Cheetos.What a poser.

Random Cell Phone Pics

2008-06-16T08:22:00.004-07:00

Here are some random cell pics.

Since I have been a stay at home mom I have has some fun opportunities. One was to be a chaperon at the Zoo for Gracie's Kindergarten class. We had a lot of fun. Even though it was raining.

I was in charge of 4 kids. 3 girls and a little boy. Here are the girls in front of the Giraffe cage.

Gracie and her best friend Anna on their very last day of school. Gracie won't go to Fox Hills next year she will be going to Silver Hills. So it was a sad day for her to say goodbye to her friends.

We went to Toys R Us looking for a birthday present for Kunka and Lilly found this sports car. She thought it was so cool and begged us to get it for her. Its pretty sweet.

Saturday, we decided to go to the park and play in the water. A few of my siblings came as well. We had a nice picnic and everyone loved the water. I forgot my camera but I did get one picture with my cell phone of Emily hanging out in the shade.

But as a result of being in the sun and water all day we all got a little sun burned. I was so good with Kunka and Lilly but not so much with Gracie. Here back was Fried.

the white is where her swim suit was. Poor thing. We have been slathering her with Aloe Vera.

Emily has been doing this funny smile lately. I was trying to get a picture of it and this is the best we could get.

This week we hope to go to the Park for free lunches and play in the sun. I will have my camera with me I hope.

Conversation with a 3 year old:

"FART!!!"

Mommy says, "Lilly did you just fart?"

Lilly, "No mommy, my butt just burped"

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They Say its your Birthday...Happy Birthday to you!

2008-06-09T08:17:00.010-07:00

FRIDAY PARTY!!

Emily had her two year old birthday party this weekend. It was a lot of fun. We had our extended family party on Friday. We were going to go to the park for the festivities but it was a little cold and threatening rain. So we had it at our house.Emily shared her birthday with her cousin Abby that turned 3 earlier in the week. They both like Sesame street so we had a Elmo/Abby Cadabby Party.Here is their cake. It was such an awesome cake.We had chicken for dinner and cake and Ice cream for dessert.Here is Emily enjoying her Pasta salad.Birthday girls blowing out their candles.The cake frosting was a little thick..and man it got everywhere. But is was a small price to pay for such a cute cake.Emily loving her Elmo Cupcake. (I wasn't fibbing about the frosting was I?)Bayley after she ate her cupcake.Lilly and her cupcake mess. YumMaggie, Parker and Becca sharing their frosting for the camera.Emily enjoyed all her gifts. She got a sand pile wagon full of sand pile toys from her Aunt RuthAnn and Uncle Ross. (she loves them, thank you!)Daddy bought her a tickle me Elmo Extreme. Totally funny to watch.Gracie got her a Elmo Video and I bought her a new outfit. Grandma and Grandpa Olsen bought her clothes along with Grandma and Grandpa Stout and Uncle Steve and kids bought her water toys. She loves them all.This is Steve throwing Dylan in the air. I should photo shop it and make it look like he is flying. hahah. My oldest brother Ross. What a goof. It was so nice to have every (minus Jeff and Jenny You were missed) come. I love that we all get a long and love each others company. Emily loving her Aunt Kristi.After everyone left, it was tubby time. I think the girls had to soak a good 30 mins to get the frosting stain off.

Saturday Dinner!

Its a tradition to take the kids out to dinner for their birthdays. They always seem to want to go to the Mayan. So that is where we went for Kunka.I am glad that we have been there a few times because after telling them we had little kids and a birthday party they still sat us way in the corner where we couldn't even see the divers. GRRR. Oh well.
WE all had a good time none the less. (Man I need to go back to weight watchers.)

Emily got a yummy sundae for dessert and the 4 of us sang to her.When we got home, we had another cupcake for her and she got to blow out her candles. (again)
She loved her cake and was excited that she had turned 2.

She had a big event turning 2... Emily has a big girl Bed. Yippy. She is sharing with Lilly.Here is Lilly's Bed.And Gracie has her own bed by herself. Happy day.

(oh Barn!)

Our first night of sleeping in different rooms where a little challenging. But I hope worth it. We are making room for Grandma LaRae to come for a visit. And it was time to take the crib down. It was a big step for the Mommy too. My baby is growing up.

Look who is two!!!

2008-06-07T10:03:00.003-07:00

Emily is Two today. I can't believe how these two years have flown by. I'll add more pictures of her Party we had last night and her birthday dinner tonight. I love you Kunka da Bunk.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy 3rd Birthday Abby (my Niece)

2008-06-03T10:42:00.001-07:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Abby!!!

Our Weekend fun.

2008-06-02T08:31:00.009-07:00

Our weekend started on friday. We had so much fun watching my friends little girl Cecilia. She is a one year old happy little girl. Emily was loving having someone her size to play with.

She was having a great time playing peek-a-boo with Clyde. She thought he was so funny.

Clyde just licked her fingers. funny huh?

Gracie was like a little mommy to "Sillia" she made sure she had her blanket and bottle.

Thanks "C" for coming to play with us. We had a great time. Can't wait for better weather so we can play outside next time.

For the most part of the week it was nice. A little windy but a nice time to be outside. Clyde loves the swing. Lazy dog.

~~~~~Everyone loves a monster~~~~~~
Emily's new best friend is Elmo. She loves Elmo. Its so fun. I snapped some pics of her while her and Elmo jumped on the tramp.She turns 2 on Saturday and we are doing an Elmo birthday party.Here she is telling Elmo how much she loves him. I love you "this much" What a sweetie.Sunday was such a great day we pulled out the pool after church and I let the girls go for a swim. Here is Lilly with her Ariel Mermaid. She loves the water.My two bikini clad girls. Lilly went to the doctor the other day. She has a bladder infection. They also weighed her and measured her and she has gained 2 pounds and 3 1/2 inches taller. She is way off the charts (we knew that it wasn't a shock) we have a doc appt. with her specialist at the end of the month. We'll see what she says. She is so cute though and very happy.

Gracie's last day of school is this Thrusday. She is really excited to have the summer to play. I need to keep her focused on what she learned at school so I plan on doing some school work everyday. We'll see how long that lasts. Barney's summer haircute. Oh Barn...!!Here is Emily our monkey. She loves to climb. She thinks she can do all the things Gracie can do. What a goof.I am having so much fun being home. The girls keep me busy but happy.

Fun in the sun

2008-05-29T20:52:00.008-07:00

We were lucky to have today a little party with my three Nieces, Maddie, Ellie and Abby and my sister in law RuthAnn. It was a really nice day. The house was full of Girls. Lots of giggles and squeals.

I think the girls spent most of the day in their swimming suits.

Ellie and Gracie on the tramp.

Half way through our day, RuthAnn came up with a great idea of making Noodle necklaces. By this time her Son Todd came up to hang out so we commissioned him to help.

Here are Lilly and Emily making their necklaces.

Here is the Necklace production. Abby, Lilly, Gracie, Todd, Maddie and Ellie. The really had a fun time and did a really good job.

Todd not really into having his photo taken.

Gracie, Maddie and Ellie with their creations. Very serious work.

And here they all are with their finished products.

Ellie, Emily, Lilly, Gracie, Abby and Maddie. They were really good girls and got along well.

Mommy and Daughter with Beads. I love this picture.

Girls having a good time. It was great to see Ellie and Maddie. Maddie is in Utah for the next month. What a great time. I hope we get to spend more time with her while she is here.

I am tired though. It seems like a long week for me. We get to have the privilege of babysitting my friends daughter Cecilia so we should have more fun pictures tomorrow. I love being home. I love spending this time with my girls. But its time for me to find some where to lay my head.

No Cake for you, toothless!!

2008-05-28T08:20:00.008-07:00

Gracie has had a wiggly tooth for over a month now. I kept asking her is it was ready to come out yet and she would say no. We'll Yesterday I was looking at it after lunch and I could see the new tooth coming in behind the wiggly one. You can see it here (sorry she didn't brush her teeth)

So I gave her a paper towel and told her to play with it. It took about 5 mins and...
Pop..it came right out. She has a mouth full of Blood but its now out. She looks like she is in pain but it doesn't hurt her she said.Lilly was pretty into her tooth. She kept wanting to see it.

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Is it bad to feed your kids Chocolate cake for breakfast? Bill Cosby would say no (click here and listen)

I want a new drug...

2008-05-27T09:52:00.004-07:00

This last week I have been struggling emotionally, phyically and Motherly. Maybe it's because I turned 37 or because I am a stay at home mom now or maybe I have worked too hard in my yard. Aunt Flo has been trying to visit for weeks now, damn hormones and it has been rainy all weekend. Could my mood be from the back braking experience of sucking up flood water from my basement due to an over excited 5 year old and a hose??? What ever it was I was in a funk. I thought that maybe if I took a little day off that would help but there was no time for that. I just couldn't seem to get through the slugdge of the week. But over this weekend I spent time with some of my brothers and their families and I realized that they are my new drug. I love spending time with family. Talking and laughing is such a release of stress. And what ever mood I was in, after this weekend I am recharged. I am blessed to have such a great family.

Then it got me thinking....my girls are the same way. At times my girls need a break from each other. So I make it a point to try to spend some one on one time with them. But just like they need one on one time they also need together time. Lilly just isn't Lilly when Gracie is at school. And Gracie and Lilly are different when Em is napping. Its amazing how we need each other to feel complete. I love that they encourgage one another, comfort each other, talk and take time to listen to their problems. Its amazing to watch them grow as little people, as sisters and as friends.

Still alive and kicking

2008-05-21T15:28:00.007-07:00

I am totally enjoying being home with the girls. We are starting to get into a routine so maybe I'll find a little time to blog. Let us hope once a week. I have a lot to catch everyone up on..so i hope you are patient.

May 10th Our 5th Anniversary!

Thanks to family and friends, Blake and I were able to have a grown up weekend. First off we went to the Roof for an awesome dinner. Yummy!!

Blake surprised me with a dozen roses it was really nice. After dinner we went back to our hotel and watched a bunch of movies. It was a really nice weekend. The next morning we were running a little late so instead of breakfast in the hotel we stopped at McDonalds on the way to get the kids. While sitting there talking, a big guy came walking in...it was..

Big T~Thurel Bailey. (sp?) He used to play for the jazz. He was there with his little boy. It was pretty cool. This is the best picture I could get of him...thanks to everyone that made this weekend happen.

May 11 Mothers Day

Blake had to work so we had our gift opening the day before. I got a great picture and some willow tree figures. Love it. Here is Kunka trying to do the dishes for me. I love being a mom. And I love my own mom.

May 18 My 37th Birthday

Again, Blake had to work but he did get off early for our little family bbq. It was also my brothers birthday on the 17th. Ever since I was 5 years old, Jeff and I have pretty much celebrate our birthdays together. We had Pulled Pork sandwhiches with awesome side. Of course we had tons of yummy food.

These are the only two pictures that I took of the party...I know not much to show.

After the party, it was time for me to open my gifts. My poor husband has it bad..he has our anniversary, moms day and my birthday all in the same weekend. I am so lucky...I got everything I wanted. I got a MP3 Player

A new Electrixc Skillet (I used my other one until it died. LOVE THEM)

And a Garden Gnome. (from the girls)

It was a really wonderful day!

May Flowers bring Rain Showers
I love flowers! I think I get it from my Mom and Dad. But flowers make me happy. Especially in my yard. This last week I have been busting butt weeding trying to get my yard ready for summer. Its been so nice to get out in the dirt with the warm weather. I've taken a few pics of my yard.

The Gnome in his new home

Emily playing in the pool. First day of swimming

Here are all the girls enjoying the pool.

Here is our front yard. I think if you click on the pic you can see it up close.

The girls have thier own flower pots that they get to water every day. They all chose to put Petunias in their pots.

Gracie sliding down the pool slide.

Lilly and her new Swimming suit. I think she loves it.

I LOVE Gerber Daisies.

Our back patio. (don't look at the dead Dog Grass...we are trying to regrow that)

Back Deck.

Front Yard again. Its so fun to have a place to enjoy and relax. As soon as we finished the yard its been raining. We really need it and it will help our flowers grow.

I'll try to keep up my blogging so I don't have to have such long blogs.

Hope everyone is doing well.

An Apple a day...

2008-05-16T08:42:00.002-07:00

As most of you know, Lilly is pretty picky about food. The worst thing she is the most picky about is fruits and veggies. The only Veggies she likes is canned Green beans and sometimes yams and cauliflower depending on her mood. In the Fruit department Lilly LOVES Bananas and maybe mandrine oranges again, if the mood strikes. But, I try to be the good mommy and keep giving her fruits and veggies even when I know she doesn't care for them. It gets really frusterating sometimes.

Yesterday, Emily and Gracie wanted some cut apples for a snack. So I gave them a snack well Lilly wanted a snack too. So I cut up some apple for her knowing she was going to freak out. But much to my surprise, Lilly actually ate the apples. AND she asked for more. I nearly started to cry. I hugged her tight and told her how happy I was that she ate apples. I know it sounds lame but its such a struggle for her to eat good things. She asked for apples this morning too for breakfast. Happy day!!

Conversation with a 3 year old

2008-05-14T15:20:00.002-07:00

"MOMMY!!!"
"What Lilly?"
"Mommy, did you know Mermaids don't have butts?"
"No Lillybug I never really thought about it."

~~~Things that make you go HUMM?~~~

Lifes a Beach!

2008-05-14T14:49:00.005-07:00

Well, Like I said in a earlier post I had a list of things that I wanted to do while I was home. We are still in the process of potty training Lilly. She is doing awesome. The other major thing I wanted to do was build a sand pile for our girls. And we finially finished it. Happy day!!!
First we cleared the ground and smothed the area out where we were putting the sandpile.
Then we laid out the weed protector.
We ended up using 100 foundation bricks. It was a back braking job that is for sure. The reason we chose the bricks is so that when the girls were grown we could have an instant raised flower bed. And it looks nicer I think.

Here is Lilly checking out the bricks and weed protector.
And finally, the sand pile is done. We put in 60 50 pound of sand and probably need another 40 bags but its fine for now. The girls LOVE it.

Before I was a mom! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2008-05-08T15:08:00.002-07:00

Before I Was A Mom…
Before I was a Mom - 1 slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom -I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Spit on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom -I never held down a screaming childSo that doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom -I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much, I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, The joy, The love, The heartache, The wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE GREAT MOMS OUT THERE.

~~~~~ Remember that behind every successful mother Is a basket of dirty laundry. ~~~~~

SAHM!!!

2008-04-30T08:48:00.004-07:00

Do to things beyond my control, I am now a Stay at home mom (for the time being).
So to utilize the time I have off I have made a list of things I would like to accmplish while I am home. Some of them are:
1. Build a sand pile
2. Potty train Lilly
3. Clean out the Garage
4. Have a yard sell
5. Go to the zoo
6. Build a Bowflex
7. Clean the house
8. Paint the salon
9. Shampoo the carpet
10. Lose 40 pounds
11. POTTY TRAIN LILLY!

Right now, I am just enjoying my kids and my day off.

I am going to miss all my friends that I have made at Parr Waddoups. I love you all. I plan on lunching at parkside still so look for me there.

Conversation with a 3 year old

2008-04-28T07:09:00.003-07:00

Lilly: "Mommy, am I beautiful?"
Mommy: "Yes honey, you are very beautiful!!"
Lilly: " I knew it! " *Smile*

~~~Self esteem is a wonderful thing~~~

Here are a few random cell phone pictures of the week.

Mommy and Gracie and Kunka on the Big queen bed. I am ready to put the Crib down but Blake is still holding on to it. Dang.
Blake and I went on a little date this weekend. Shopped at Ikea and then training Table for dinner. He looks so mean! Yummy cheese fries....
Happy day! This weekend was FINALLY nice and warm.
The girls had fun enjoying the sun.

I love my girls.
There was a point in my life that I never thought I would ever become a mother.
How blessed I am to have such beautiful, healthy children.
My heart is full.

Scared of the Tooth Fairy???

2008-04-22T06:57:00.004-07:00

When Lilly was 18 months old, she slipped off our bed and smacked her new front teeth on our metal side rails. As a result, it loosened her teeth and chipped the front tooth. She looked like she had a little fang. When she was 2 1/2 she got in a tangle at daycare and a little boy threw a Lego bench at her and knocked out her front tooth, no it wasn't her chipped tooth it was the one next to it. Leaving a hole. YESTERDAY, while jumping on the tramp with an Elmo doll, it bounced up and smacked her in the face resulting in her chipped tooth to fall out....this poor 3 year old looks 6 with all her missing teeth...but here is Lilly with now two teeth missing.
We'll just call her fang.

We were all excited about having the tooth fairy come. Both girls were going to get money for their pain and suffering...until the moment of bedtime when me girls told me they were both scared to death of the tooth fairy. WHAT???Just how can someone be scared of the Tooth Fairy. Its unheard of. I told them that she was little, like Tinkerbell. But they just couldn't fathom the thought of a little fairy coming in and stealing their teeth while they slept. I guess to them it was like a spider or a bug attacking them in their sleep. They were so scared that they didn't even want to sleep in their room.
Scared of the Tooth Fairy??? I didn't think my kids were scared of anything.

Gracie lost her first tooth.

2008-04-21T10:23:00.002-07:00

A tooth fell out and left a space,
So big my tongue could touch my faceAnd every time I smile I show,
A space where something used to grow,
I miss my tooth as you can guess.But then, I have to BRUSH ONE LESS!

Random Pics of the week

2008-04-16T14:53:00.004-07:00

Here are some pictures I took from my phone...sorry they are not as clear as I would like...Saturday, my nephew Parker was baptized. It was a really nice early morning event. Here is Jeff...he looks pretty tired.
And here is Olivia at the baptism. She smiles with her eyes. Love Her.FHE this week we played games outside. Blake decided to try to get on the Tramp...a little harder than it looked but the girls had a blast trying to jump daddy.
Everyone Pooped from Jumping.
Lilly ordering food like a big girl. Something I let my girls do when they are out at a restaurant. They get to tell the waiter what they want. I think she had mac and cheese and a diet coke.
The other day I could hear Emily but I couldn't see her. Then I realized she was in the clothes dryer. Goof ball.And Last, We took the girls to the zoo after the baptism. This is Lilly and Emily watching a monkey swing from the branches.

Party for Maddie

2008-04-10T15:04:00.004-07:00

We had a little get together last night at Grandma and Papas to see Maddie (she was up from Atlanta) and to find out what Jamie and Anne were going to have. It was a short visit but fun. Here is Maddie with her sloppy joe face. Happy to be here. We just love her.Anne and Jamie. They are having a....
BOY!!! Yippy.
Some of the Grand kids.
Top: Gracie, Dylan, Itsy, Tember
Next row down: Lilly, Olivia and Maddie
bottom row: Ellie, Kunka and Parker (he is turning 8 on Friday)
Close up without ParkerHere is Jer and Ash-a-lee (as my kids say it) so cute.
We had a great time together as we always do.
I just love my family so much.

~Craft Project~

I want to eventually paint my front door red...I love red and i just have always wanted a red door. But, I wanted to spruce up my front door a bit. So I did this with some vinyl lettering....What do you think???

My Trip East...lots of pics

2008-04-01T14:12:00.019-07:00

Emily and I had a wonderful time with Jill and Nathan and their kids.

We spent almost a week in Delaware. Here are a lot of picture of our trip.
Monday Night:
Thanks to RuthAnn for sharing a buddy pass with us.
We took the red eye Monday night, the flight left at 11:45 pm.
I got Emily in her Jammies, gave her a bottle and we were good to go.Here she is on the plane..(sorry for the crappy pic..all I had was my cell with me)
She slept most of the way.Tuesday Morning:
Emily did really well the first leg of the trip.
We arrived in Newark about 5:50 am and had a little lay over.
That was perfect time to have breakfast and get out of jammies.
Our flight left at 9:15 am. We arrived in Washington DC around 11.
Jill picked us up at the airport, what a great reunion.
We got our bags, hit McDonald's on the way out (that was fun huh jill?)
and talked all the way to Delaware. Good times.
Emily and Bryce playing together. They got a long great for the most part. Kids will be kids. It was fun to watch how a boy deals with things vs. how girls deal. Boys are much more aggressive without all the drama. It was kind of nice.We spent the first night "Yakking" and watching movies.Wednesday:
Jill took the next day off and we decided to head down to the Shore at Rahobath Beach. None of my kids have seen the ocean so I was excited to take Emily. Well, needless to say, she didn't like it. It scared her and she cried most of the time.
It was a nice sunny day.Emily in the sand getting freaked out by the noise of the waves.
Bryce was all boy and loving the place.
Mommy and Em @ Rahobath.

Thursday:
We spent the whole next day in Jill's store. It was like old times. She put me right to work. It was so fun. I am so proud of her and all she has done with the store. I ended up spending a few bucks which i got a ton of clothes.
Friday:
The following day, Jill had to work half the day and I watched the kids. We had fun being together. We did dishes and laundry and helped with cleaning so that when Jill got home we could head out to Bylers. Bylers is a country store that I love to go to (so does Barb Jill's mom). At Bylers they have a huge play area that they let the kids play on. So I took the opportunity to snap some pictures. Bryce is ALL BOY.Sophia is such a good girl and a big help with the little kids. Yes that is real red hair.
Young Love.
I love this shot.
And this shot too.
I took a ton of pictures so if you want more I'll email them too you...They all turned out cute.I was also on Amish Watch.
I totally love and respect the Amish people.
But I wanted to show Blake that there are Amish in Delaware.
Here is a little Amish girl playing in her yard. She looked about 2.
Amish Buggy heading to Bylers.Amish Farm. I love this.
We had a long day but it was really fun. I told Jill that her and I switched places. I always wanted to live in the country and now I am living in the big city and she is a country girl. Funny how your life turns out.
Saturday:
Our final Day with the Badell family was spent Driving to Chincoteague.
Chincoteague is a small community off the island of Assateague. Two heards of Wild ponies make Assateague island their home. Every year these ponies are rounded up and "swim" across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague for the internationally recognized Pony Penning and Auction. This is held every July. We were a little early.
There are some ponies that are around Chincoteague for you to get up close to. Emily was in heaven. I swear she is an animal lover.
Looking at the old pony
Nathan and Bryce watching the ponies.
Funny story: Emily is just learning to talk. I have been trying to teach her to say Nathan and Jill. On our trip on saturday we were trying to get her to say Nathan. I asked her to try to say Nate..still couldn't say it. So I said, "how about Nate Train" (a nickname of nathan) and Emily said, "Choo Choo?" Then I asked her to say Jill and she said, "Chip?"
So now She calls Nathan and Jillie, Choo choo and chip."
The ponies are seen wondering the beaches and trails on the island. Theses are small, sturdy shaggy horses and some are pregnant. While they appear tame they are actually wild.
a cool funky bird
Its such a cool place.
We thought we would try the beach again. Today was a very cold and windy day. Bryce feeding the seagullsEmily cold and not happy.
Nathan and Brycie looking for ShellsSophia and Nathan
Bryce, cold and tired
The Badells: Jill, Sophia, Nathan and Bryce.Mommy and a very cold and tired KunkaThe Assateague Lighthouse is located on the Virginia portion of Assateague Isand. It was constructed in 1833 and has twin rotating lights. The lights can be seen 19 miles out to sea. The Light house stands 142 feet high.This island is a Wildlife Refuge.I love it. I want to take Blake here.
~~~~~~~~~~
After a long ride back to Baltimore, The Badells dropped me off at my hotel.
It was such a sad parting of friends. I love and miss Jillie so much.
I can't wait to see them in the summer when they come.My hotel was a beautiful room. Emily and I settled in quickly.We had an early flight and had to get up at 3 am East coast time.
Sunday:
I got up and out of the hotel by 4 am to catch our flight to Houston by 5:45.
We met RuthAnn and Todd in Houston and Prayed to get on the next flight to SLC.
We made it by the skin of our teeth.
Emily was excited to be home.She hugged Clyde first thing.
Her sisters where happy we were home and Blake was happy we made it back safe.
Thanks again to the Badells (Choo choo and Chip), my family and babysitters who helped me make this trip possible.
I love you guys.
Buddies!

Easter Day!

2008-03-24T07:36:00.017-07:00

Happy Easter Everybody. I hope everyone had a nice day. It was beautiful here in Utah. What a wonderful way to Celebrate Easter. I have a ton of pictures so you'll have to excuse me.Here are the girls Saturday night decorating their Easter Eggs.Emily, right before she squished her egg. They had fun decorating them. We only lost three in the process. Then it was off to bed.
Here is what the Easter Bunny brought.
Here is Lilly looking at her basket.Kunka telling me that she got Peeps.
After the baskets they got to go around the house and look for the Eggs they decorated. They had a good time doing that. Gracie was such a good Big Sister..showing the younger girls where they all were so they could get them.
This picture is classic. Emily looking for eggs and Lilly showing me that she found two while eating a chocolate bunny.Gracie found the "Lilly" egg.
Emily eating Chocolate and finding eggs.
What a Poser
After the hunt we made Green eggs and Ham and cheese Wraps for Breakfast.They were really yummy.Emily just wanted to eat chocolate and her peeps. After Breakfast and tubbies it was time for church.
I was really sad that the two dresses I ordered didn't come in time for Easter. Gracie's dress came but not Emily's and Lillybugs. So Emily wore a hand me down dress and Lilly wore her new purple dress. It all worked out. They looked really cute.Emily not wanting to get in the pic with her sisters. Barney hoping someone will throw his toy. He could care less about pictures and dresses.
What a Ham.
Every time I have Gracie and Lilly get together for pictures this is how they pose.
I think its cute. They love each other.Here is Emily. She loves getting her picture taken. For being so shy she isn't for the camera. we had a great time at church. Very uplifting. We came home from church, changed and had Spaghetti O's and Emily took a nap. I didn't realize until I went in to check on her that she had taken a piece of chocolate to bed with her....so when I went to see her I found this....

Nap by chocolate.
After naps and killing time until Daddy got home from work, the girls went out to play. Here is Lilly Jumping. She loves to jump and its great exercise. The Doc doesn't want to do an MRI on her yet. She wants to see if she trims down a little this summer. We are going to put her and Gracie in Dance and also do some swimming lessons as well. Keep them active.
It was such a nice day. Warm enough for pull ups and a t-shirt. Blake finally came home and went to play with the girls while I finished getting dinner ready.
I love this picture. Kunka's face is so sweet looking up at her daddy. Such Happiness.Clyde is Emily's keeper. Where ever she is, Clyde isn't far way. Kunka just spotted me taking pictures. Smile for the camera. We had a nice dinner. Ham and potatoes and veggies. Gracie wanted a picture of the ham so she took one.Miss Piggy.
Our Easter was a lot of fun. It's always nice just spending the time with your family and remember our Savior and what he has done for us...I am blessed.

Now its time to get ready to visit Jill in Delaware. Kunka and I leave Tuesday for almost a week in Delaware. We can't wait. Lots to Blog when I get back.
Delaware or bust!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-21T15:06:00.002-07:00

Random Pictures at the Park

2008-03-21T14:30:00.006-07:00

The weather has been super nice this last week. Still snow in the mountains but beautiful in the valley. So, since my girls have been good all week and needed to run and play, I took them to their favorite park. Here are some random pics of the day.Mommy pushing Lilly on the swings. (Photo by Grace)Kunka Swings (photo by Gracie)
Happy Kunk
slip sliding..I don't think she meant to do that.
Lilly showing Emily how its done.
Big Sister has to show little sisters the right way.
land on the bum
Both Checking things out.
Gracie showing Kunka the way to go.Lilly, up close and personal. (chap lip and all) (Photo by Grace)Emily braving that dang scary bridge.Princess Gracie
Sweet Em

Disney on Ice

2008-03-18T07:02:00.004-07:00

The Girls had a very busy yet fun weekend. We played and Cleaned and then Blake took us all to Disney Princesses on Ice. The hardest thing was to keep them entertained until Blake got home from work.
Here is Lilly coloring.
Mommy and Lilly excited to go see the princesses.
Gracie, while at school, fell and tore up her elbow. She was pretty proud of it. She said she cried a little.
Emily LOVES Clyde and Clyde LOVES Emily. I found her sitting on him while we were waiting for daddy to come home from work.
Here I am at work (just a random picture) but I got my hair cut again and I thought I would show you. Yeah it looks like I have been punched in the lip or I have had a stroke. Hahaha.
FINALLY Daddy has arrived so we can go to the show. We had some really great seats at the Arena. Nice view. Poor Blake was surrounded by women and little girls.
It was such an emotional thing for me for some reason. As soon as Mickey and Minnie came out on the ice I started to cry. Why??? I don't know...I guess it's the spirit of Disney. The Girls were very excited. Blake even bought them each a new Crown to wear.Sorry the pics are blurry...Here is Tinker Bell.Lilly loves the Little Mermaid. (notice her shirt)
She was really excited when Arial came out on the ice.
Arial and Flounder
Here we are in our seats. Kunka and Gracie shared a seat. Gracie showing off her Princess shirt.
She couldn't choose just one princess so she got a shirt that had them all.
Gracies favorite was Cinderella.
Lilly at intermission having a chirro
Gracie having a chirro as well.Emily with Chirro all over her face. I just love her. She is so sweet.
The final dance number was awesome, complete with fireworks and the whole cast on the ice. It was really fun. Poor Gracie, she didn't want it to end. She cried and cried and cried. Poor thing. I told her that Disneyland was 10 times better than Disney on Ice. I told her that when her sisters got a little older we would go to Disneyland. She can't wait, and neither can I.

Wonder Woman???

2008-03-13T14:12:00.003-07:00

As a child of the 70's I grew up wanting to be one person...
Wonder Woman!
In her satin tight, fighting for our rights...Wonder Woman!!
SHE WAS IT!
Sexy, smart, with it, always ready to combat evil and save the world and looking fabulous..
love the boots, love the belt, love the bracelets, love the lasso, love the suit...
L O V E I T!
My cousin and I were often found running around the back yard in our Wonder Woman Under-Roos with towels around our necks and tin foil bracelets fighting off make believe enemies. I wanted to be her.
I might have become her at one point in my life. Maybe as a missionary or a single 20 something but, as I got older and more "mature" my dream of being wonder woman seemed to fade. I was lost in the diapers and dinners and mounds of laundry. I looked in the mirror and saw that the Wonder Woman I thought I was, was not the woman looking back at me.

I saw a plus size, tired, messy haired woman with baby snot on her shoulder and mascara under her eye. My tights were ripped, my headband tarnished, I had a lollipop stuck to my hair. The awesome boots were replaced by sensible flats (bought on clearance at Walmart), my bracelets where being chewed by the dog, my lasso was frayed and my suit didn't fit quite right giving me a wedgy up a fanny that had seen more Twinkies then I care to mention. The woman of my dreams turned out to be the woman of my nightmares. I had lost all Wonder in my womanhood.

One night as I lay awake , my mommy sense started to tingle. I heard the small sound of my daughter on the monitor, crying out for me. I sprang from my bed and rushed to her crib side, swooping her up in my arms. I held her close and comforted her from the evil shadows of her room.
Then...it hit me! I was Wonder Woman!!
(Maybe I wasn't the Linda Carter Wonder Woman of my childhood.)

But I was my own wonder woman. I DO have super powers. I can stop a child crying with a hug, I can heal a boo-boo with a kiss. I have the power to know when my girls tell the truth and when they don't. I can get up with a sick child at night and be ready to go to work in the morning. I can juggle full time motherhood with work, daycare and church and still find a little time to be a wife and sister and a daughter. Am I perfect? Heavens no..but am I worth it? Hell yes!!
I am a Wonder Woman.

I am surrounded by so many examples of Wonderful women. My mom is a cancer surviver and a grandmother to nearly 21 children. A friend with MS looks fabulous in her new wheelchair. The bionic woman who fights her disease with ever bite of food every shot of insulin and hurts with the loss of her love and yet loves my girls as if they are her own. A sister in law that struggles with her teenager another with a mentally sick father. A friend who owns her dream business and yet pregnant. Women with children that struggle or husbands that struggle, women with Weight Watcher Issues and some with money issues. But we do it, don't we ladies?
Because, who else will?

Let us remember the "Power that we Possess" and Who we are and more importantly
Who's we are.
We are Daughters of our Heavenly Father, and he loves us..and he knew we could do anything because we are women.

So Ladies, hike up your tights, suck in that tummy and lift your girls high. You are all wonderful Wonder Women. And I cheer for you, I love you.
We are here to teach the future Wonder woman to love them selves, dream big and reach for the stars.

Ring around the rosie, Monkey Butts & Sunshine

2008-03-11T07:19:00.009-07:00

On Sunday, after church, the girls were so excited to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. They didn't even attempt to get out of their Sunday clothes. They went right out to the Tramp. It was fun to watch them (while making lunch).Gracie is defiantly the leader of the group. She is playing a game of follow the leader...she always seems to be the leader.
And Lilly was trying to follow along and jump at the same time.
Kunka following the "leader". This is the first year that Emily has been able to hold her own on the tramp with out crying (thank heavens) The older girls are really good with her and try not to bounce too high.Her favorite thing to do is to sing and jump at the same time. Here she is singing ABC's.
The thing they all love to play is Ring-Around-the-Rosie.
(love that trampoline hair)
A pocket full of Posies
Ashes (check out Kunkas mouth saying ashes) Ashes
We all fall down.
I love this picture of the three of them.
Sometimes its hard to get them to sit still long enough to get them to take a picture together.
I especially love Kunka face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After playing out side they ate some lunch and got out of their Sunday dresses and it was nap time for Emily. Now, as some of you know, Emily got a huge monkey for Christmas. She sleeps with this thing. It's her best friend. If it's not in her bed at night she cries for it. Well, I thought, since it was so nice out side I would take "monk" and wash him up while Em napped. The smell of overflowed diapers and dripped milk is not a nice smell in the warmth of spring. So, when I felt the coast was clear and Emily was a sleep, I took this huge monkey and gave him a bath. Now, when you take a 10 pound monkey and submerge him in water..he becomes (very quickly) and 50 pound monkey. WOW!! Where do you hang a 50 lb soaking wet monkey to dry??? Well, the swing set is a good place. So....That is where he went to dry. Monkey Ars in the air and everything. About 1 later I hear this sobbing coming from Kunkas room. SOBBING..Horrible sobbing. I opened the door to find Kunka curled up in a little ball in the place where Monkey once laid. I whispered, "Kunka? Are you ok?" She looked up and her eyes were red and her nose snotty. All she could say was, "Monk?" And then she started to cry again. It was heart breaking. Like her best friend just died. So sad.
So I told her to go look for Monk outside. Here she is when she first saw Monk hanging on the swing set.
This is her telling me she found him.
She was so happy that he was here.
She had to hug someone. So she hugged the dog.
I love this picture...Clyde is her next best friend and so who better to be happy with but Clyde.
Yeah he looks really excited.This picture looks like Clyde has a wig on with a bow.
(focus on his eye and you can see the optical illusion)

I love Sundays after church. It's a time for me to enjoy each one of my girls so differently.

When I Say, "I am a Christian"

2008-03-06T10:50:00.003-07:00

I received this poem in an email that was sent around by a friend at work and I really liked it so I thought I would share it with everyone.

WHEN I SAY, "I AM A CHRISTIAN"
When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm whispering, "I get lost! That's why I chose this way"

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't speak with human pride
I'm confessing that I stumble-needing God to be my guide

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong
I'm professing that I'm weak and pray for strength to carry on

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot ever pay the debt

When I say, "I am a Christian," I don't think I know it all
I submit to my confusion asking humbly to be taught

When I say, "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect
My flaws are far too visible but God believes I'm worth it

When I say, "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain
I have my share of heartache which is why I seek His name

When I say, "I am a Christian," I do not wish to judge
I have no authority--I only know I'm loved

Copyright 1988 Carol Wimmer

Lilly's Test Results

2008-03-04T09:32:00.005-07:00

As I posted earlier, Lillian had a bunch of blood work done to see what we can find out on why she has gained so much weight. Well, her results are in, they are all
NORMAL!!

The next thing for us to do is an MRI to check her pituitary gland. Then, if that comes back normal, we'll know that its her weird gene make up and hope she grows into her weight.

Maybe if she is a mutant we can use her super powers for good.
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Thank God for kids

2008-03-01T20:52:00.007-07:00

This week has really been a touching week for me as a mom. Blake took the week off to go to St. George to visit his mom and gave me the wonderful opportunity to spend some mommy time with the girls. As the four of us laid on the couch tonight watching the Osmond 50th anniversary on PBS they sang a song that touched me so. My heart nearly burst and the tears just came and I realized how blessed I am to have the children I have. No matter how they came I am glad they are here. And I am glad they are mine. I know I am not a perfect mom. I know that I do things I am not proud of. But I do know that I thank God for my kids.

If it weren't for kids have you ever thought

There wouldn't be no Santa Clause

Look what the stork just brought

Thank God for Kids

We'd all live in a quiet house

Without Big Bird or a Mickey Mouse

And Kool-aid on the couch

Thank God for Kids

Thank God for kids there's magic for a while

A special kind of sunshine in a smile

Do you ever stop to think? or wonder why?

The nearest thing to Heaven is a child

Daddy how does this thing fly?

A hundred other where's and why's

You really don't know but we try

Thank God for Kids

When you look down in those trustin eyes

That look to you, you realize

Its love that you can't buy

Thank God for Kids

Thank God for there's magic for a while

A special kind of sunshine in a smile

Do you ever stop to think? or wonder why?

The nearest thing to Heaven is a child

When you get down on your knees tonight

To thank the Lord for his guiding light

And pray they turn out right

Thank God for Kids

I love you girls. With all my heart, for all my life.

Lillybug's appointment

2008-02-29T14:20:00.004-07:00

Lilly went in to see the Endocrinologist yesterday to see what she thinks of Lilly's weight gain. It was a much better Dr. Apt than the Nutritionist. We spent most of the morning at the Diabetic Center up at Primary Children's hospital. Lilly was a little nervous.This is her first time with the blood pressure cuff.
She is not happy at all. The nurse was really great and kept saying it was just giving her arm a little hug. She didn't care what it was doing she wasn't happy.After her weight, height and blood pressure was taken, we were put in a cute room that was full of space pictures and stars on the floor. Lilly thought that was pretty cool.
Both Lilly and I loved this doctor. She really took time with Lilly and I by asking us a bunch of questions about her habits, her likes, her dislikes, her attitudes her family history and what not. She did have a theory on Lilly....she said that some times when two Red headed parents produce a red headed baby, a mutation of genes can happen that can cause weight gain in the child. She said that often times these "mutant" children are very active. Not so much hyper active just kids that like to move a lot. After spending 15 mins with Lilly she could tell that Lilly loves to move. She said that there is a genetic test that can be done but its 2000 bucks and insurance doesn't pay for it. She wants to run tests on Lilly to rule out thyroid, diabetes, Cortisol and her pituitary gland (done with an MRI) before we move forward with the Genetic stuff. Before heading to the lab for tests, Lilly got a chance to use the children's small potty. She thought it was cool they had a potty just her size. it was quite cute.Here she is waiting for her blood draw. She is about as happy as she can get. They took 3 viles of blood from her (those vampires) she was NOT at all happy afterwards.
Oh poor Lilly.
Here is her oweee! And the unicorn they gave her for being brave.After spending the morning at the hospital we decided to go visit Grandma at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Lilly saw the big statue of Joseph Smith and thought that was sooo cool because he was so big and he loved to read. She was really into the book in his hand. funny.

We had a really nice day together her and I. I am glad that we are heading down the right path to try to help her be normal. I think all the prayers that were prayed for her have been heard. Thanks to everyone for their kindness to our family through all this.

Stealing a cool Idea....

2008-02-27T14:51:00.004-07:00

My dear friend Ethan had this fun little exercise in imagination on his blog where you make the CD cover for a made up band. So I am stealing well borrowing the excercise from him...

The instructions/rules are as follows:

First, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random. The first article on the page will be your band name.
Then go to http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3. The last four words of the last quote on the page will be the name of your album.
Finally, go to http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/?, where the third picture will be your album cover.

My new band album....

THIS LINK is a fun little page too that you can use to build your own little Band name...

Let me know what you come up with.

Hoping for spring...

2008-02-27T09:50:00.009-07:00

In Utah, it is not uncommon to see...Socks with sandals, Muffin tops (tight jeans with the tummy hanging over the waistband) West Valley bang and someone in shorts and a parka in the middle of winter. Nor is it weird to see little kids pushing away the snow so they can play at the park. That is just what my kids did. They are dieing for spring to come. The snow this year has been constant. And my girls are getting a little stir crazy. So after Daycare last night, we stop off at a little side park and let them play.

Gracie on the swing. The snow is melting (thank heavens)

The wiggle bridge of DEATH!!! Or so Lilly and Kunka think. Sort of freaking out about it.Lilly in the middle of the Bridge, Emily trying to be brave.
She did it!! She made it across alive.Its pretty cold out.
Emilys attempt to cross the Wiggle Bridge.She's pretty brave.. (as long as her sisters don't run across it)Gracie's challenge was the monkey bars. She went about half way and dropped. The most she has ever gone. She was pretty happy about it. This picture was taken right before I told her it was time to go.This picture was taken after I said it was time to go. Oh poor Lilly. Emily was totally ready to go. Her hands were the color of her coat.

When we got home we turned on the fire, made hot coco and the girls watched Sponge Bob under their blankets while mommy made tacos for dinner. I love my life!

Asleep....

2008-02-25T15:16:00.003-07:00

Sunday afternoon naps are Mine and Gracies alone time. And I love it for a few reasons. One is that I get some one on one time with Gracie. It's just her and I and usually folding clothes, Americas next top model reruns and dress-ups. Its great. The other reason I love it is because I get to see things like this....
Baby, Monkey and "bobba" topless in a crib...

That is so sweet.

Well It finally happened...

2008-02-22T08:09:00.004-07:00

I have been doing Hair for over 18 years now. I have talked with my girls about mommy's salon, mommy's scissors, mommy's hair stuff.
I thought they understood...Until I got home yesterday and found this...

Gracie had cut, CUT!! her bangs off.
Right to the scalp right in the middle of her head.
There is no hiding this.
She gave herself a reverse mohawk, her own cowlick.
And she is happy about it!!! I, on the other hand, was not happy!

Random Pictures of the week...

2008-02-15T09:58:00.005-07:00

Utah has been hit this winter with a ton of snow. I mean a ton! It seems, at times, never ending. Wed and Thursday of this week were no exceptions. Here are some of the photos we good AFTER we dug ourselves out.Snow Drifts to the front door.2 feet of shoveling.
Another Drift to the car AFTER we dug out.Our Neighbor snowed in.
My kids are tired of the snow as well. Here is Lilly on Saturday wanting to swing.
Here she is digging a little trench for her feet when she swings so they don't get too wet.First attempt at swinging. The snow was so deep the swing skimmed across the top.
Gracie could careless about the swing. She was having more fun with Clyde on the tramp.
Until Clyde jumped on her and dumped her into the snow.
Poor thing.
And where was Kunka you ask?
Happy eating peanut butter out of the jar.
The other day, we had Kathy over.
She brought the girls some new sweatshirt hoodies, which they loved!!
We lightened her hair and it looks much better.
Here is Gracie modeling her new sweatshirt, ponies and purse.
It's very important for Gracie to get her fashion approval from Kathy.
Here they are together. We love Kathy.This is me at work. Thrilled huh?
Kunka playing on the girls computer game. She thinks she is all grown up.
Me, again, with my crazy red hair.
Last night when I went out to the post box, there was a package from Jillie. The girls were totally excited to open it and find that she had sent them candy hearts and t-shirts from her trip to NY.

Gracie and Lilly after tubs in their new t-shirts.
Gracie wanted to get a picture off to Jill as soon as possible.
(Clyde likes the shirts too)
Thanks Aunt Jillie for sending such a great gift.
They loved them.
Emily was a sleep so we'll send you a picture of her later.

Happy Valentines Day My Love!

2008-02-14T10:31:00.002-07:00

I want to grow old with you

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Cherish the Simple things

2008-02-05T14:14:00.000-07:00

*** Cherish= verb: to hold or treat as dear; feel love for; to care for tenderly; nurture; to cling fondly or inveterately to.***

On the wall of my bathroom there is a sign..."Cherish the simple things." Sometimes I seem to forget the simple things in life and get wrapped up in the chaos.

As some of you know my daughter Lilly has gained an enormous amount of weight in the last year. Scary for a child so young to be so heavy.

I have been very emotional about Lilly the last few weeks. We have watched her food intake, monitored everything that has gone into her mouth and she is still gaining weight. For those that know her well, she is not an idle child. She doesn't sit and watch TV eating bon-bons no, she is mover and a shaker. She loves to dance and run and play. There should be no reason for her to have gained over 40 pounds in the last year. There is something wrong!!!

After going to the nutritionist (what a joy that was) and being told that 95% of obese children are over weight because of their obese parents, I really have done a lot of soul searching. I was, to say the least, offended. Would Dr. Skinny Pants look at Lilly differently if I had been a size 2 petite with a belt? Who's to say. And can someone who has never had children really tell me how to handle a 3 year old with a problem...in my opinion, Hell no! I was so emotional about being accused of making my child fat it hurt every part of me. I knew in my heart that it's more than just food. If I have been on Weight Watchers and losing weight why isn't my child losing as well? So many questions unanswered and therefore..CHAOS!

The other night as I was on my knees pleading for help with my Heavenly Father, I felt a voice say to me, cherish the simple things. And I realized I was missing out on the sweet spirit of Lilly and focusing so much on her weight. And then it hit me...If I am worried about Lilly and her life isn't my father in heaven worried as well? Of course he is! She is his child. And then I got it. That parents work together with Heavenly Father. We all want what is best for our children. And at that moment I felt at Peace. The Lord is in control. He will heal her if I have faith. In the quiet of my house I found a little peace. Do we still watch what Lilly eats? YOU BET. But I can only control what I can control. He will heal her. I know we will find out what is wrong with her. Until then, I pray for strength and I hold and hug Lilly even when she is crying for food. Because I love her. I love her because she is.

He will be loved and Missed

2008-01-28T08:36:00.000-07:00

Beloved Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through 12 years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97. President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since March 12, 1995. For more information, visit the news room

What a great man! And what a great reunion he is having with sweet Marjorie. He is one of my favorite Presidents. Words can not express my love and testimony of this man. He truly is a Prophet of God.
We thank thee, O God, for a prophet
To guide us in these latter days.
We thank thee for sending the gospel
To lighten our minds with its rays.
We thank thee for every blessing
Bestowed by thy bounteous hand.
We feel it a pleasure to serve thee
And love to obey thy command.
–Hymn #19, LDS Hymnbook
Text: William Fowler, 1830–1865
Music: Caroline Sheridan Norton, 1808–ca. 1877

God be with you 'Til we meet again.

It's a weight thing!!

2008-01-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

New blog so check it out.

I have started another blog called the "Get Skinny Mommy" Club.
Anyone is welcome to participate.
Just let me know and we'll add you to the list and keep track of your weight loss.
(no ones weight is listed just what they have lost)
It's a support blog to help us when we need a little boost.
If anyone has any tips, recipes or food finds that would help the rest of us out let me know and I'll add them to the blog.
So click here to GET SKINNY!

Don't forget to bookmark it!

Downloading pics off my phone

2008-01-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's time once again to share my phone pics. Very Random!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gracie messing around in the car.
This is Emily biting Gracie in the Cheek because she didn't want her to be in the picture Mommy was taking. That stinker. I guess as the baby you learn to defend yourself. She got a time out for it.Emily right before Gracie got bit.

My girls follow me everywhere. Even into the Bathroom. Nothing is Sacred nor is it Private. Let me tell you what is happening here...Lilly has Gracie's tooth brush. Gracie wants it back. Daddy just got mad at Gracie for hitting Lilly and Kunka is just happy to be living.Here is Gracie telling me "her" story of what happened and why daddy got mad.This is the view from my window yesterday. It was so cold. When I drove in it was 4 degrees. WOW! Someone in the Elevator said to me, "I just hate the January Gloom." and he is right. Black snow, salt covered cars and haze.
This is what happens when Blake Gets home. The girls hear his truck come in the drive way and everyone...(Clyde and Barney included) run to the door and wait for daddy. It's such a thrilling sight to see Blake come around the corner and the girls happy to see him and the big smile that comes across his face. I love it.
Lilly's fake smile face.Mommy's fake smile face.
(blech that is not attractive AT ALL)
~photo courtesy of lillybug~
Monday, while I was off, I managed to rearrange Kunkas room.
Here is lilly and Emily watching Lion King in a nice clean room.
They are very focused.
% Gracie and Mommy Blowing a kiss %
XOXOXO

Conversations with a Sick 5 Year Old

2008-01-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

Cough, Cough, Weeezzzz, Cough, Cough
"Gracie, are you okay...your cold sounds worse."
"Yeah *sniff* i'm okay..but I don't think I'll be kissing anyone today."

???

~lets hope not~

Kats and Dogs and Dolls

2008-01-17T08:32:00.001-07:00

This is our sweet wonderful friend Kathy. She has been a part of my life for over 12 years and a part of my kids lives from the moment they were conceived. We just love her.Every month, Kat comes over and we Do hair and play with the girls. They love her and get so excited when she comes.

Here she is reading to the girls. I think she read about 7 books that day and some of them twice.

Lilly loves Kat and hangs on her every word. So cute.Kunka loves Kathy's cane. All the girls do. They each take turns walking with it and in Kunka case, eating it. Goof. (lilly in the back ground while kat reads)
Emily is so happy. We had a wonderful time with her. We missed Rob. And our love and prayers are with you. I was looking back in the blog because I thought I had a pic of Robert with Clips in his hair that was funny...but I guess I don't. This is the only one I could find and you can only see the top of his head. This was Gracie's 3rd Birthday party. That is Lilly Kathy is holding. Rob will be missed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was was doing the dishes this last weekend while Kunka was napping and I looked over and noticed Gracie and Lilly sitting watching tv. I thought it was so sweet. I can't tell you how much I wanted a sister. I am glad that my girls have sisters.
"Scooby Doo WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Zoinks"
When Gracie was very little, I started buying her red headed dolls (she was born red head). I thought they were so cute and so unique. When Gracie was 9 months old, she was in the Nordstroms fashion show and with her earnings we bought her this cute doll. Her first Beanie Bopper. Over the next 5 years this cute little doll became a fun collection. I have bought dolls for all the girls. We have over 40 Beanie Boppers. Here is Gracie with her collection of boppers. Small and big. Its fun when they get them all out and play with them. Sunday, while the other girls took naps, Gracie and I went all over and found her bopper dolls. Gracie wanted to take a picture of them all. So fun.

This is Jessica (Gracie named her) She is her favorite doll. I don't know why. There are so many others that are prettier. But she loves Jessica the best.
Every Girl has her favorite doll.
This one is one of mine.

Our Winter Weekend!

2008-01-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had a little snow. It's that kind of snow that is nice and wet but you know will melt off quick. Great for snow ball fights or in our case making a snow man. (or girl) Blake and I got the girls all warmed up in their snow suits and sent them out to make their snow girl.Kunka wasn't much for getting wet or cold. So she just followed me around while I snow plowed the drive way.
The other two girls were busy re creating our first snow lady. She is a little smaller but still pretty cute.

Lilly wasn't ready to go in with her sisters so she and I decided to build a mini snow man.

Here is Lillybug holding her snowman. She thought it was pretty cool.
She told me she was worried it was going to be lonely and asked if we could bring it inside. I told her it would melt if he came in side. So she put him close to the front door instead.
Here he is on the chair.
Looking out at his big sister in the yard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOOD!!!!
Sometimes it is a challenge to get Lilly to eat veggies. Last night we had ham, yams, and cauliflower. Yummy. Well, I told Lilly that she couldn't leave until she finished her Yams and Cauliflower. So, she sat and she played in it. And asked for Ketchup and played some more.

This is what the end result was...until she ate it. She did finish it. Maybe I should puree all her food...maybe she'll eat it better. Speaking of puree...I did buy the book, "Deceptively delicious by Jessica Seinfeld". It's basically a book of recipes that help hid veggies in your kids food. I am really excited to use my Christmas Cuisinart and start pureeing veggies. I'll do anything to get Lilly to eat her veggies.

Lastly, this is Emily and Gracie this morning while I was getting Lilly ready. I came in and found them like this. So I quickly grabbed the Camera. isn't that so cute. I love it!

Hope everyone has a great rest of the day. Get Skinny Mommies: Don't forget to drink your water and Track Track Track...!

Parable of the Caterpillar

2008-01-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

The parable talks of a tiny striped caterpillar and how he joined a pillar of other squirming, pushing caterpillars who were trying to get to the top of the pile. It was only when he talked to a certain yellow caterpillar that the two of them decided that getting on the top wasn't really what they wanted most. So, they climbed down and away from the others. They enjoyed being together, and they ate and grew fat until one day they became bored, and they wanted to find out if there was more to life. The striped caterpillar decided to find out by climbing again to the top of the caterpillar pile. The yellow caterpillar felt ashamed that she didn't agree but decided it was better to wait until she could take action she could believe in. So he climbed, and she wandered aimlessly until she saw a caterpillar hanging upside down on a branch and caught in some hairy substance. She said, "You seem to be in trouble. Can I help you?" "No," said the hanging caterpillar, "I have to do this to become a butterfly."

"Butterfly? What is a butterfly?"

"It's what you are meant to be. It flies with beautiful wings and joins the earth to heaven. It drinks only nectar from the flowers and carries seeds of love from one flower to another. Without butterflies the world would soon have few flowers."

The yellow caterpillar exclaimed, "It can't be true! How can I believe there's a butterfly inside you or me when all I see is a fuzzy worm? How does one become a butterfly?"

The hanging caterpillar said, "You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."

The yellow caterpillar began fearfully but continued the process until at length she became a butterfly. Then she helped the striped caterpillar learn who he was and leave the pile to become what he was really meant to be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This parable has really inspired me this year. I want so badly to be the butterfly that is in side of me. I just have to look past this fuzzy fat caterpillar and focus on being the butterfly. I am determined to loose my extra weight. Not only for me but for my family as well. So that I am not weighted down and I can fly like the beautiful butterfly.

GET SKINNY MOMMY CLUB IS BACK!!!