Valentines

valentines this year  was kinda low key.  but it was so nice!  i heart attacked the kids doors with things that we love about them.

here is chunks and z's door....

monkey's.....

jellybeans.....

(yeah i know her door is ugly, it needed the weather, a good sander, and SERIOUS paint.... we just havent gotten there......)

joseph and the kids all joined in and got me these beautiful white gold 'flowers' with these quarter karate amethysts.  bad pictures i know- but....... they are still gorgeous!

heres another view.......

i love the day of love.  i love that there is a special day that is set aside to show it.  i know it is shown everyday, but these little 'extras' that happen during the day.  i love it.

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Birthday!!

so  i had a birthday, and it was FABULOUS!!!  i was spoiled rotten by my sweet husband and wonderful little babies.  i had a special little helper.  he was so excited to see presents that needed to be opened.  sooo cute!  look how happy he is!!!

aww.... me and the special helper!

look at those blue eyes!!  he was so excited to see paper that so he could try to eat it!  so so funny!  i was spoiled by money, a new camera, games, and cake decorating stuff, and all 10 seasons of Friends!  it was awesome.  i really felt loved and appreciated!  =D

then he had the most wonderful idea to get cheesecake with a raspberry sauce.  YUMMY!!!

all in all i had a fabulous birthday, and i was able to spend it with some of my favorite people on the planet.  and i had a strange realization, the closer i get to 30, the more likely that i am older than people.  how crazy is that?   i know its kinda weird to realize something like that.....  lol  im getting old.... and i kinda like that!

happy

that's what i am,  happy.  life has been nice, it has been busy and full, and delightful.  truly it has been, i don't know if i have made a serious effort to do so.  i love my kids.

i mean whats not to love?!?!

we have a list tooth here too!

(she doesn't do too well with flashes.... someday we might get a shot of her pretty eyes!)

and look at his chubbiness!!!  how adorable is he!  i love his cankles!  lol

and even though he is kinda a stinker- i love him too, he's kinda a mommas boy, i LOVE it!

i really have been much happier.  i think i enjoyed my little butt kickin i gave myself.  it worked really well.  =D

anyway, i have been trying to catch up.  being sick for a week really puts a person behind!  YeOw!!!  oh well i guess- i am almost caught up.  except the paper work- i have filing to do, and i hate that.  oh well.

anyway- birthday and valentines post coming up!

yay for happy times!!!

reality check

we've been sick here. so it has left me plenty of time to think.  and evaluate.  dispare.  wallow.  and decide.

i took the opportunity to look back and to realize that i am lazy.  i am a slacker.  and i am excuse maker.  sometimes they are all warranted and deserved.  but mostly- its not.  there is so much more i should be doing, and i am not.  and the people i care about most are the ones that are suffering.
now i am not a totally sad excuse for a parent/ care taker/ house wife.  dinner is usually made, and its generally healthy.  the laundry is done, and the clothes are put away, the house gets a semi-regular vacuum/sweeping.  the kids are dressed with their hair done.  all the basics and some extras are thrown in there.  but i am not present or delighted that i can do these things for the people that i love.  i flippantly respond to the 'beautiful rock/pebble'  that jellybean brings me.  in fact- i sometimes cringe at the thought of another one!  how harsh is that?!?!  she thought of me while playing with her friends, and i cringe at her sentiment.  shame on me.  i hope she hasn't noticed.
anyway- as these things were going through my head there was part of me that said NO!!!  i am great and i make them feel special.  i always ask specifics about their day, and i listen and look at them when they tell me.  i have our special good nights that we say.  we have special songs....... i do do things so they know.  but i have decided that it's not enough.  the need more.  they deserve more.  so i will give more.
i have struggled to come up with new years resolutions.  yes i know its February and i am just now talking about this, but its because i wasn't 'feelin it' ya know?  so i have read a few places about word of the month type thing.  something to focus on for that month.  to incorporate that word it into every aspect of life.  spiritually, physically, mentally- every way.  and i am so excited about this idea.  so we'll see how it goes.  right now this feels right.  do-able.  so we will do.
the word that i have decided on is delight.  i want to delight in the fact that i can serve my babies in the most basics of ways.  i want to delight in the fact that i have a beautiful house that i can clean.  i want to delight in the fact that, because i am playing cars or trains or even snuggling and watching mickey mouse, my breakfast dishes aren't done.  i want to delight in the fact that i have 8 girls at church that rely on me on Wednesdays to give them their mid week pick me up. i want to delight in the fact that i have a living Prophets counsel that i can study and apply to my life.  i want to delight in my scripture study.  i want to delight in my nerdy husbands delights.  i want to be delighted with the life i have chosen to live and have been blessed with the ability to live.
not only because they deserve it, and not only because i deserve it and not only because its true.  but because i can.
does that make sense? 
i just want to give them more.  and to top it all off.  i feel so motivated to do this.  this doesn't feel like i am trying to 'bail myself out with a straw', or that i am 'bitingoff more than i can chew'.  i feel like this is good and this is what i should be doing.
anyway- there you go.  i feel accountable now.  i feel feel slightly vulnerable.  and i kinda feel empowered by it.  strange.
anyway- here is to a delightful month!

MONKEY TURNS 2!!!!!!

Can you believe he's 2!!!!!!  super super crazy!

he loves all things mickey mouse.  so i made the crushed oreos with cream cheese, rolled them into balls and then covered them in dark chocolate.  then i just plopped them on top of the iced cupcakes.  honestly they didn't turn out like i wanted them too..... but he LOVED it.  he saw them and and exclaimed "MIHEE!!!"  it was cute, so i guess that is all that matters.  

at Christmas, monkey did not enjoy the 'opening presents' aspect if the holiday.  so i was a bit worried about how it would go.
but then it went ok.  as long as i kept the pace moving along.  could let him get to attached to one particular toy for too long.  and it went well!

he liked the fact that new toys kept appearing when he opened things!  chunk was taking the pictures, and joseph had the camcorder.  not bad for a  4 and a half year old!  (i love my cheesy face!  lol but i was just mimicking his excitement...)

for the cupcakes he was happy.  he was excited, but mostly for the 'treeeeeeet!!!!'  it was cute.

isn't he cute?  he got a tricycle.  and he is always taking chunks elbow pads and knee pads, so he got some and a helmet...... he is constantly wearing the helmet.  super cute.

this boy gives me a run for my money.  everyday he gives me something that makes me laugh out loud and then something that makes me question my parenting abilities.  often times within in the same hour.  its crazy.  he is so sweet and lovable and yet so determined and strong willed.  its ridiculous!  but at the same time, he is so thoughtful and caring.  he loves to help and is a great little snuggler.
his favorite show is mickey mouse club house, and chuggington.
he loves cars, trains, and balls.
we can never know what he will want to eat.  he is the pickiest eater and it drives us nuts.  there are times he will only eat veggies, or then there are other times that he will only eat the rice or couscous or potatoes.  he rarely eats meat.  so its lucky that he likes to eat beans and peanut butter, that way he does get some protein.  but he loves to read and he loves to carry around his toy of the day.  he rotates through cars.  he also still loves to snuggle with certain blankets.  he has taken to caring them around, i don't like that. but his sad face is so sad, its hard to say no!
we love him so much.  he alone has turned our life upside down in more ways then not.  and i love it.  i love him.

it snowed here.  again.  its very exciting.  although there was a quarter of an inch of ice underneath it all.  monkey didn't know what to think of it all.  he didn't like the fact that he was so cold, and the snow was wet and cold.  he didn't like it too much.  it was kinda sad.  the kids wanted so bad to build a snowman, but the snow was really just itty bitty pieces of ice.  not the best snowman making snow.  but they enjoyed playing in it all the same!

can you see their excitement?!  chunk is excited under there, he was just determined to not get too cold.  heehee

this is the icicle of all icicles.  how monstrous is this?!?!  who would have thought?!?!