yucky day

Today it is raining.  Yucky rain. I know that it keeps plants growing and all that jazz, but really!?? I do not like those rainy days, I do not like them Sam I am. Apparently, this is supposed to go on for most of the week. Ugh. Although all of this was supposed to start Saturday night and it didn't until yesterday afternoon. Maybe there will be a few days without so much "wet". Here's to hoping. Really trying to find the motivation to get up and start cleaning - instead of wanting to read a book blog.

New Book (series)

I have finally decided to give in and read the Hunger Games series. Honestly I am a bit apprehensive about it and probably still will be as I hit page 100. I was finally able to finish the other book I was reading to make way for this series. I am grateful that I have some friends with the books to lend out! I will review it once I am finished with the series for any of you who are still holding out.

FINALLY FINISHED THE SERIES!  You'll just have to read 'em.

New Project

I have put my nose in another project (of course) and am really hoping to finish it before the rain arrives this weekend. Today I will have to do a little sanding (only a little) and a LOT of painting. I am trying to flip an old dresser and paint it/re-hardware it and get it ready for my girls room. After it is done drying and we put it in the girls room we are going to stamp/stencil butterflies and flowers all over it and then run with that idea for the rest of their room. I think that theme can stick for a few years at least. I plan on doing so much! hmmm..... all the tasks I seem to take on. What am I thinking?

Thoroughly Enjoying Julia

I realized that the previous post didn't shed light on the fact that I can actually enjoy my time with my middle child. I am here to state that indeed I CAN and DO enjoy my time with her. The other day we sat down and played food (she occasionally calls it "tea") and then had a quick game of hide and seek. I have really enjoyed having the time to do simple things with her. Most of the time she is playing on her own or I am busy doing house work. I am just so happy that I decided to take the time to be with her. When she plays food ("tea") she doesn't spend anytime eating, but rather tells you what to eat. Always concerned with her guests I suppose. When she plays hide-n-seek, she will hide and as you get near to her hiding spot and ask, "hmmm.... I wonder where my Julia could be!?" She'll pop out and show you!! No surprises there. Thank you Julia for showing me what life is about, love you!

Hurricane Julia

Some of you are aware of the Hurricane by this name that lives in my house. Others of you may not be aware of the Hurricane by the SAME name in the Atlantic right now. It is an answer to our prayers that it shouldn't be found hitting the US coast at any time in its future. Especially since we already have one IN the US. I am sure she could give the real Hurricane a run for its money.

Doggone Mess!

I have a confession.... I am a VERY MESSY baker. I really enjoy baking, yet I can't seem to keep things clean as I spin my way around the kitchen. Today I was throwing together a double batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies (a favorite of Jeremiah's coworkers) and in the process, an item fell from above the microwave, tipped my bowl of flour and cocoa powder and most of the cocoa landed on the CLEAN DOG. Lately, Keela will lay down on the rugs in front of the refrigerator or the oven. She had had a bath not 30 minutes earlier and was now covered in powdered chocolate! Poor thing had to be hosed off AGAIN and dried and then I had to proceed to clean up the kitchen, living room rug (which she promptly ran to and shook off on as soon as the accident happened) and the floor between the two. Today was most definitely a doggone day in baking.

Best part was.... I laughed the whole time! There IS hope for my sanity.

Newest Project

Betcha didn't know my hubby was good with some woodworking tools, huh? NEITHER DID I!! I found some really great ideas and plans at Ana White's Knock-off Wood. There are plans here for people of every skill level. I think I might go outside, get me some power tools and try my hand at making something too. We left out the wheels and I still need to add a protective clear coat as well, but the girls are LOVING it. I told them they don't have to play on the floor anymore, and so that is what they tell others about their new table (naturally)! We decided on the red, not quite sure why.... just for some fun maybe in a completely white walled house (that I may have to remedy later).

Bubby's 1st Birthday!

Little man @ the hospital after his birth
Bubby (little man) had his first birthday on the 10th. Some very good friends invited us over to have a double celebration. Their daughter (a Beehive in our ward Young Women program)shares a birthday with Hunter. She turned 14. They were kind enough to make him a birthday cake which he REALLY loved. You may notice in the photos that half of the cake is missing, we finally cut off half so he could dig in a little better. LOVE how the pictures came out. The diaper the next day was tons of fun.


Little man on his big day

-Little man has been such a tremendous blessing in our lives this past year. I can attest that he has brought me lots of joy the past 12 months. It is wonderful to see a personality forming in him. He likes to laugh and play. Now that he knows how to get around, he doesn't enjoy being held very much - but would rather crawl around on the floor and get into trouble. We generally throw him in his walker to help exercise those muscles, sometimes he gets upset. His mother appreciates it though so her somewhat clean house can mostly stay that way. HOORAY buddy, you are ONE!!!



Bubby and the birthday girl - Courtney

First day of Kindergarten

My darling #1 had her first day of Kindergarten today. When I dropped her off this morning, I walked down the hall with my hand outstretched so she could hold it and she kept ignoring it. Silly me! I should have remembered that she was a big girl and didn't need to be seen with her mother holding her hand on the way to Kindergarten. When it was time for me to go - she came over, gave me a hug and "high five on both hands". I pick her up in a few minutes and we'll see how her first day was! Then on to MY homework - the never ending pile of paperwork!

Last Shot at Summer Fun

Yesterday was the last day of "summer" for us. We decided that we would end the summer with a bang. Off we went to Busch Gardens for a day of "hopeful" fun. The last time we took the kids to Busch we were sadly disappointed with children who did not want to ride anything due to fear. This time around was much different. I was so relieved and I think that a season pass may be in our future. #2 took a trip on the tea cups with a bunch of total strangers and had a blast while all of the other kids yelled her name and waved. #2 also loved the roller coaster while #1 looks around as though she isn't sure if she should smile or grimace. In the Sesame Street area of the park, we saw Grover, Zoe, and Abby. Of course they needed to be hugged before moving on.

Overall, we had a really great time and I was happy we could be together as a family. Hooray!

climate blues

I absolutely abhor hot weather. Honestly, I really really dislike it which is why my children have been out to the park (located in our backyard) maybe 10 times this summer. I do not want to sit out there in the heat and watch them play while I fume about all the things I would like to get done inside the house. When I actually get them out of the house and try to go do something "fun" we all end up grumbling about how hot and sweaty we are. Let me tell you, my little family, when hot and sweaty is REALLY not pleasant. Oh... and that also is with myself included. I have decided recently that since my back door pretty much overlooks the playground in entirety, I would very much enjoy staying inside and doing the cleaning, while my children make a tornado welcome at the playground. I know that I suffer their cleanliness, but... a tub every night in exchange for the opportunity to clean some house? DONE! I love the fall and winter months much more than those pesky hot summer days where the bees hover over you if you even smell remotely of a bouquet.

My dream place to settle (if I ever attain the dream) would be somewhere where it is either 65-75 degrees everyday of the year with maybe 60 days of rain each year. That is at least a good rain per week. Either that or the summers range from 65-75 degrees with fairly mild winters that see enough snow for a couple snow days and to make a snow fort and snowman. That would be the life. Oh and I must mention the near to zilch population of flying bugs. I do not like sharing the outdoors with them.

I LOVE Christmas, and it can't come without snow. There have been far too many green Christmas' down here. I am ready to see some white come Christmas morning! Most of my favorite things are those that happen during fall and winter. There is hot chocolate, pumpkin pie, roasty fireplaces, snuggling on the couch with a warm blanket and awesome book, cozy socks, warm pjs, and jeans. I really miss that about my slightly "yankee" upbringing. I love having seasons that actually feel like the seasons should! Bring on the fall weather and let's have it stay!

Got good books?

I am in dire need of some FABULOUS childrens books that would keep the attention and feed the imagination of children 5 and under. My brain works HORRIBLY when it comes to remembering authors and book titles, most times our trip to the library consists of me browsing through the books and trying to pick ones that "look" entertaining. Having three small children does not allow for much time to actually READ the books before checking them out. Most trips include a short play time (while I pick out books), checking out, and dragging everyone home. This of course cuts down on the time they have to fight with other children (or for other children to try to fight with them). When they get a little older...... *dream*

Little man under the weather

My poor baby boy is feeling a bit under the weather. He has a little fever and has just felt awful the past few days. I, of course, am loving it up because that means he is easier to get to sleep while I cuddle with him. I hope that it is due to teething, the poor guy has only 2 teeth and is going to have a 1st birthday within the next two weeks! My girls had pretty much all of their teeth by the time they turned one!

Little man is so fun to watch. I LOVE to watch babies learn. So much joy comes from watching them crawl, learn how to hold things, learn how to stand on their own, try to walk, play, etc. Most of the joy in my life has come from watching my children learn.

We are just so happy to be his parents. The spirit that he brings to our home is wonderful. He has so much love, laughter, and curiosity to make the whole family feel appreciated.

BI-cycle

I taught my 5 year old how to ride a two wheeler by herself this morning. It has been a gradual process. In May we got her a bicycle with training wheels a little earlier than her birthday to coincide with a family trip. Anyway....she got pretty good at riding with training wheels. Shortly after getting our dog (in June)I realized the best way for me to enjoy walking the dog would be to take her on bike rides with us. Every morning we hop on our bikes and ride around the neighborhood. Since she has put so many miles into her bicycle these days, her training wheels are pretty beat up. They are so much so that most of the ride, I watch her balance on the tires and her training wheels don't touch the ground. This morning, I decided now was the time to take those babies off. Off they came, and on she rode! Stopping and starting is a little more involved, but she is catching on quickly. Wow... she beat me at riding a bike by about 2 years. GO MEL!

More importantly though - I felt such a HUGE sense of accomplishment. Even more than I do with watching them take their first steps. I TAUGHT my daughter how to ride a two-wheeler! From the time I put into our walks in the morning, I was helping her learn how to ride without the assistance of training wheels. SO SO SO SO proud of her. I couldn't stop smiling as I watched her ride around the block. Her sense of accomplishment probably much matched mine as she wore a HUGE smile on that little face of hers as she showed her mom AND dad how she can ride a bike. Being able to say that her father was there to see her ride for the first time without training wheels is something that means so much to me. I am immensely grateful for that blessing.

I will snap a photo and post it soon.

Disappear for a day

Some days I just want to pull the covers up over my head and sleep. In doing that I give up my mommy responsibilities until I choose to wake up and conquer the day. The days that I wish I could do just that are:

* When it is over 100 degrees outside
* When the family has been up FEWER than 30 minutes and already there is fighting
* When you head to the gym and everyone and their brother seems to be cutting you off - WHILE ON THEIR CELL PHONES!
* When I vacuum the rug for the 5th time that day due to dog hair. (white on red.... not so good)
* When there is so much laundry to fold that it would take the better part of an hour and a half
* When your husband is deployed and if anything is going to get done, it is ALL up to you

Silhouette Giveaway!

There are a few blogs giving away Silhouettes within the next week. If you are desperate for some fun ways to spend those hours you'll have away from your children come September.... take a look at How Does She - they have a list of the VERY lucky host sites.

There are SO many different kinds of things you can do with a Silhouette. Check it out!

Good luck to all those who have entered. There will be at least half a dozen winners of Silhouettes this week. Below is a list of 6 ways to enter.

#1 #4
#2 #5
#3 #6

Dressing up

Julia came trotting into the back room at our friend's house wearing this:


Melanie came waltzing out in a Minnie Mouse getup - we didn't get a picture of that one...hmmm... the need for me to have a much smaller camera for moments like this is pretty much - NECESSITY right now!

Sidenote: this photo is courtesy of my friend's iphone.

Our Black Hole

We are going on about 3 weeks worth almost with this hole in my ceiling. It all started when the ceiling in my living room started to crack. Maintenance finally came out and determined (after creating the hole in my ceiling) that my duct was leaking. They sent out some contractors about a week later and they determined they think the leak is coming from the upstairs duct that is dripping directly onto the duct downstairs here. There is absolutely no insulation there and it's now been an open hole in my super pristine house for nearly a month. The contractors said that it would probably be about 2 weeks before they could get back and everything would take about 2 days. Did I mention that they are going to have to rip down a wall in my bedroom? Yeah... my room is a DISASTER!! My dear husband thinks that since no one is supposed to be in our room... that it doesn't really matter what it looks like. There are heaps of stuff that has been on his dresser pretty much since we moved here (I don't dare touch it - since I would get in trouble if I threw something away I thought was trash).

Loathe my phone

Pretty much since the day I got this phone (refurbished) I have had problems. So stinkin fed up with how crazy it gets and how quickly it will lose charge as well. In the past I have had pretty good experiences with LG's - this time... they crashed and burned! I have AT&T, any ideas on how to get a better phone (didn't check to see if I can upgrade yet) without having to also get the internet option?! I feel that I already pay too much for internet (THANKS local provider) and have super slow computers that take forever to load the stuff. Oh well..... I really am going to stop complaining!

My Best Friend's Wedding

I took a whirlwind trip to PA this past weekend to play my role as Matron of Honor for my best friend's wedding. (I am writing this while I listen to my three children fighting and screaming about who knows what downstairs) It was beautiful and I am so excited for the new Mr. & Mrs. Amoss. Here is my best friend:



ISN'T SHE GORGEOUS!!!



This is my favorite picture. All day long I was pretty much the shadow of the photographer - trying to get my own shots. Most of the time I was able to get some really good ones. This one cracked me up!!! My best friend with her "fish". (She was Mrs. Amoss by the time she got this picture taken)

And this is the speech I wrote for her on her wedding day (to which I made everyone cry apparently..... including her DAD! He said he didn't cry walking his daughter down the aisle, but he cried for my speech) Hmm... maybe I have a new profession in the making??? Nah, just got lucky this time I think.

First I want to give a big THANK YOU to everyone here. I know that you being here today means more to Erin than you’ll ever know. Thank you to all the bridesmaids and family members that have helped with the wedding preparations that I couldn’t living two states away. Most of all, thank you Erin for allowing me the great honor to serve as your Matron of Honor on the most important day of your life.

Erin and I met in High School. I was the bitter teenager whose parents moved and forced me to attend my junior and senior years in a new school. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t make any friends. Boy was I wrong. On my first day in English, I noticed a girl in a tye-dyed field hockey shirt sitting behind me. She had a huge smile on her face. Anyone who knows Erin knows that she has ALWAYS been full of life. She talked with me and made me feel welcome. Actually, I think she was the first person that had talked to me, and this was one of the last classes of the day. I had almost gone an entire day without a single person saying hello. Regardless of what others say and do, Erin is the first to welcome a new face and pull them under her wing. That is exactly what she did with me.

The first time we hung out was a result of a misunderstanding. She was talking to me about making cookies. I thought she was asking me to make some cookies for her. Although I hadn’t ever made cookies all on my own, I found myself saying, “Well, sure…. I guess I could make you some cookies….” Laughter filled the air and she said she was inviting me over to make some cookies. That’s pretty much how our friendship took off.

We were in quite a few classes together those last two years of High School. We always had a blast in English and just loved torturing our poor Trig teacher, Mr. Shuman. She was involved in Field Hockey and Student Council (which is proof of how friendly and likeable she is) as well as track during the spring. With Erin at my side, I made it through my last two years of high school with many great memories.

Outside of school, we enjoyed spitting awful tasting jelly bellies out of the window of her buick, learning squirrel calls, and scaring children on bicycles when I poked my head out of her car wearing a pair of goggles on my face.

Becoming a teacher has been a dream come true for Erin. I don’t think that there could be a better profession for her. Everything about Erin screams Teacher. She is nurturing, patient, kind, and has a great outlook on life. Words cannot express how proud I am of her. She is going to bless the lives of the children she teaches. All it takes is one fabulous teacher to inspire a young child to be a teacher. I guarantee that the new Mrs. Amoss will be that inspirer.

In thinking about this speech, the word that kept coming to mind was loyal. Erin truly is loyal to those in her life, but even more so I feel that she is devoted. She has always been devoted to everything in her life. She has never done half of a task, but rather always sees it thru. It is because of the great qualities that she has that will make her a wonderful wife and future mother. Brian – she will always do her part in being your life companion. She chose to spend the rest of her life with you – that is exactly what she’ll do. Just as she has never let anyone down in her life, make sure that you don’t let her down. Thank you for bringing her the happiness that I know she deserves.

Please raise your glasses to my best friend, Erin. A true gem that I know everyone in this room cherishes. Brian, may you keep her as happy as she has made all of us just by being a part of our lives. May your marriage see more happiness than sorrow, and may your love grow deeper each day for the rest of your lives. Here’s to Erin and Brian Amoss.


That wasn't exactly how I said it, and I made a lot of edits to it before the reception. I'm pretty proud of myself.