A Lot of Nothing

Last night I received my usual Monday (only last night was Wednesday) night phone call from my older sister while she was driving home from work. It is a great time for us to catch up. Usually she asks what I have been up to today and my usual response 90% of the time is Nothing. Then my mind quickly reviews and catalogs my nothing.

Here is my nothing:

I changed 3 poopy diapers, 4 total
brushed 4 sets of teeth
washed 3 loads of laundry
gave out 10 hugs
said 20 I Love Yous
talked twice with the guy pouring our cement patio
called the fire station to inquire about a burn permit
made 3 different lunches to accommodate the taste buds around here
dried 3 loads of laundry
washed Laney's hands 4 times
hosted 1 play date
wiped 100s of tears
mediated 3 fights, ignored 5 others
folded 3 loads of laundry
took Ty's temperature 3 times
administered 2 doses of Ibuprofen
found missing blankies and kiki 4 times
yelled once
wiped Laney's nose dozens of times
made 4 beds
put away 3 loads of laundry
created 1 new Club Penguin account
came and saw what was accomplished on Club Penguin 7 times
received 15 kisses
organized Laney's 19 dresses, 5 skirts, 24 pjs, and 17 pairs of shoes
picked up scattered toys 5 different times
cleaned 2 toilets (never made it to the 3rd one - maybe it will get lucky tomorrow)
cleaned 2 sinks
cleaned 1 bathroom counter
loaded 57 dishes into the dishwasher, washed 2 by hand

That' a lot of nothing.

The Look

(Again this post is for me to remember more than anything else!)

The look to which I am referring is not that look given to your children in the heat of the moment when words are not appropriate (such as at church during Sacrament meeting), but rather, the look that is exchanged with husband over one of your children's heads when your child has done something endearing. The look that you can see in no one else's eyes other than the other parent of your child. The look that communicates so many things. The look that says: That is the cutest thing I have ever seen and only from our child could it be that cute! The look that says: I love your for giving me this child. The look that says: I love you for sharing this moment with me. The look that says: Thank you for understanding what this moment means to me.

The question I am postulating is to those with older kids or those with opinions. Does this look go away? I ask this because I am noticing that this look doesn't happen so much over the heads of my older children, but still happens frequently over the head of my daughter as she is still discovering the still so new world around her. It happens with the boys, just not as frequently. I don't want it to ever go away!

Just So There is No Confusion

I have wondered how many people are confusing my church with the FLDS church plastered all over the news because of the raid in Texas. (Again this is a borrowed post, but I seriously couldn't have said it any better!)

Some Mormon women sing...

Some Mormon women dance... Some Mormon women right scary stories...

Some Mormon women have a lot of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon women. They do all kinds of different things and live all different kinds of lives.

This woman served as a leader in the Mormon church. She recently spoke to teenage girls worldwide. She encouraged them to stand up to peer pressure, strengthen their families and serve others. (Click here for more.)

None of the Mormon women I know look like this...

None of them are marrying off their teenage daughters and-- although some may joke about wanting a sister-wife (preferably one who is really fat & ugly, does bathrooms and changes diapers)--none of them really want to share their husband with anyone.



Furthermore...

Some Mormon guys can throw a ball...

Some Mormon guys can make scary movies...

Some Mormon guys have a lot of money and really great hair...

I know hundreds of Mormon guys. They do all kinds of different things and live all kinds of different lives.

This is one of the leaders of the Mormon church. Last Sunday he spoke about honoring women, especially mothers, and gave advice to husbands and children about how to treat the women in their lives. (For the whole story, click here.)

None of the Mormon guys I know look like this...

The Mormon men I know are honest and hard-working. They don't cheat, smoke, drink or gamble. And TRUST ME....the last thing any of them want is another wife.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys

Okay, so you know when a friend says, "You have to go there. It is the best place ever!", it truly becomes the kiss of death, because well, nothing can ever live up to that much hype. Well, today I found the one exception. This exception is a delicious little artisan bakery called Flour Girls and Dough Boys (I give it kudos just for coming up with the clever name.).

The first thing that I noticed was a neighbor with her hubby and son there to enjoy the goodies of Flour Girls and Dough boys (I just like to say their name.) Of course, this made it feel like home.

The second thing I noticed was the large (made from scratch) cinnamon rolls soused with frosting that was flowing over the sides. There are NO WORDS to describe them. I seriously could not get them out of my mind as my friend was touting the tastiness of the bakery's sourdough bread (she says better than San Fran), the Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, chocolate mint brownies, the Chocolate Croissant (got this for Laney and sampled it - DELICIOUS), homemade soups (I sampled their Creamy Tomato soup - OUTSTANDING), gourmet hot chocolate, and many other delectable goodies. I will go back for the soup another day!

Now that this place is on my radar, I will visit it often. (Robin and Buff - next time you come here this place is a must!)

P.S. Thanks Elise for the photos.

Alien or Cute??

Here are two recent pictures of my munchkins. I put Laney's hair in two ponies the other day for the first time. Right after I finished Tyler looked at her and said, "She looks like an alien!"

What do you think, alien or cute?

Recent Scrapbooking Pages

Here are some of my latest pages: This was Laney's first Christmas Dress.

Look at that adorable face and darling smile.

Discovering her world. It's hard to see but there is a velvet discover sticker in the bottom right corner along with some velvet flowers.

A final farwell to my Grandmother last August.

Journaling: As I look at these pictures I wonder...wonder what you two will remember about Grandmother Tillie. Will it be this day, when you put the last vestige of "goodbye" to rest with each shovel of dirt that covered the urn. Will you remember my love for my Grandmother? Will you remember the visits and the times that you met her?

Will you remember the etiquette that was such an integral part of her? Will you remember her piano? Will you remember that she sent you birthday cards? Will you remember that she loved the Lord too? Will you remember that she worked in a man's world when women were teachers and nurses? Will you remember that I went on a special trip with her to Canada?

Will you remember how generous she was? Will you remember her legacy of love for family history? Will you remember that she loved you? Will you remember the reason for our travels this summer was this, to say a final farwell to my Grandmother? I wonder, wonder what you will remember.

Our Latest Family Portrait

Drawn by: Tyler