Thursdays Thirteen:

Thirteen signs you have a two year old hanging around your house:
1)One of the households most overused phrases is "I want to do it myself." (Used in a good way sometimes but mostly not.)

2)The other overused word is "No!" (used by all 3 members of said household)
3)Personal style rules over fashion... everything is accompanied by green boots or an engineer hat (sometimes both) and it has to be washable!

4)This makes you truly happy:

5)Almost everything can be blamed on the one with the 'innocent face'

6)You find this at the end of naptime and have no idea where the writing utensil came from..

7)Because of #6 you know that Color Wonder markers are the best invention ever... if only they would keep her interest longer

8)Cushions rarely stay on the couch the entire day

9)You turn around 30 seconds after cleaning a room and it already looks like this (or worse)

10)This doesn't surprise you but rather delights you (especially after this morning!)

11)It is not safe to have packing peanuts in the house

12)One of these pulls up in front of your house before 9am:

Oh yes! That did happen this morning. In the minute it took me to take the trash out somehow Abi set off our emergency paramedic alarm on the security system and Pinnacle couldn't stop them from coming... so imagine me on the front porch in my pj's still since I was cleaning explaining the misunderstanding to 3 fireman that came rushing through the yard with all their gear. Oh and it took them a good 10 minutes to get to my house... I could hear the siren... so I guess EVERY one gets lost the first time they try to find us.
And 13) Through it all, the person that frustrates you the most, makes you lose it more than you ever thought possible, makes you question everything you do and say, and somedays (like today) makes you feel like you got ran over by that ambulance is also the one you love and worry about the most....

Finally Done

Doug and I have been piecing this together. I finally finished it a few minutes ago. Yay. Now off to do more crucial things before Abi wakes up...

A birthday party

I know... I know... it's 'wordless' Wednesday. I did one of those too but I wanted to put this on while I have a minute. Abi is actually taking a nap. Shocker. Today we celebrated the upcoming birthday of Abi's friend Allise at Burger King. Abi loved the playplace. She's only ever been in one of those before in Carls Jr in Utah and it wasn't nearly as big. It was hard to get her out of there and you should have seen the sanitizer bath I gave her when we got home! We had a great time at the party. Alisse is a darling little girl.

Yay!

You Are Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"We saved the world. I say we have to party."

What Superheroine Are You?

Wordless Wednesday

Woo-hoo!

We've finally got the first trailer for the next Harry Potter

I am so excited that we get to see it together mom!

Makeshift Mudroom

The one thing I've always wished we had in our house is a mudroom. I hate how shoes, purses, keys, etc just get strewn about every day and I have to keep cleaning it up. So, I've been brainstorming how to make one without spending any money. I decided to consolidate some of our playroom/preschool toys and I took one of those shelves and put it in the dining room next to the door to the garage. I put a runner over it and a little apple bowl for keys. Our cell phone has a home there now. Our shoes and church bags and purses all have a place too. I put a hook on the wall for whichever purse I'm using at the moment for easy grabbing.

Good Mail!

I love mail. I'm not talking e-mail (though I like that too) I'm talking good old fashioned snail mail. Occasionally we get a nice little card or note from my parents, usually with stickers of some kind in it for Abi,every once in a while we get a package from my parents or Dougs parents or random other people and it makes me so happy. I just love it. Today we got good mail in the form of a package from Doug's mom. I just love walking to the front door to see who it is and seeing the UPS truck drive away. Then you know that there is a fun little box waiting for you!
It was such a great box today. She sent an adoreable dress for Abi with matching shoes, a hat, a darling bag, a CD of Mormon Tabernacle choir music about home and family (we listened to this during dinner and bedtime prep. and it was so beautiful!) a canister of Sees candy, and the most amazing matching summer nightgowns for me and Abi. You might not know I love nightgowns. This stems from my love of all things old fashioned. I feel like a lady in one.... I know to most people that probably sounds wierd. But look how beautiful they are!
Here are the contents of the package:

Look how cute this dress is!!

See- beautiful!

Thanks Grammy! We love it!

Safe

After cleaning out Abi's closet of all the shoes that don't fit her anymore I stuck them next to some totes by the door to the basement to take down this week when we clean and organize it. Well, yesterday morning (Sunday) Doug and I were in the family room talking and Abi was playing in the playroom when she said, "Okay, now I'm safe." We looked over and this is what we saw:

It reminded me of Hocus Pocus and the books I've been reading 'Fablehaven'. In both of these things at some point they use a circle of salt to protect themselves. So I guess a circle of shoes works too.

Day at the Movies

We love movies around here. Doug and I used to go to movies ALL the time when we were dating. We saw so many. After we were married we still went a lot although it was less. After Abi was born it became a kind of a thing of the past. I saw X-men 3 with my mom when Abi was about 5-6 months old and Cars with Doug when she was a little older than that and those were pretty much it. Doug and I have gone to movies without Abi a couple of times. My mom and I took her to see Meet the Robinsons last summer.... anyway, my point is that movies have become a kind of luxury that we don't get very often anymore. Then the summer came. I found out through our friend Heather about a summer movie program at our movie theater here. They play older movies every day M-Th for only $1 each. Abi and I have gone to The Bee movie, Shrek 3, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and today we went to Open Season. It's been really fun because Abi LOVES it. On days we don't go she asks if we can go to the movies. I am really excited that this will be something we can do together as she gets older. So, here she is today waiting for the movie to start with her homemade popcorn and bottle of water (yes, we are those people that bring stuff with us!)

Grateful Sunday #6

I am grateful for good books, my ability to read them, a daughter and husband who understand that when mommy finds a new book I will be camped out for a few hours each weekend day reading it and are cool with that.
Recently (as seen in an earlier post) I discovered the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. I really like these books. They are so much fun to read. I just read the second one. Doug came home Friday afternoon and said 'why don't you go buy the second one.' and proceeded to tell me that he had gone to Target to get it for me but they didn't have it. I thought this was so sweet. So, Abi and I headed up to Racine to Barnes and Noble and got my $7 purchase that entertained me all weekend.
Sometimes I ponder why I love reading so much. I daydream a lot and then when I fall asleep I continue dreams about whatever I want. I usually end up winning the lottery or meeting some famous rich person who wants to bestow many wonderful things upon me.
The most common dreams are ones where I somehow get the money I need to be able to take Abi to Disneyworld for her 4th birthday (yes, I'm planning it this far in advance.. and I've already been planning it for a year! I've told you I'm an obsessive planner. It's how I roll.) My most recent ones have included not only getting the money I need for the trip but also a shopping spree at Barnes and Noble. Yes, that's right. In my dreams I can have anything I want and I want a trip to Disney world and a lot of books. Does this make me a wierd girl? I don't care about shoes. I like clothes but I don't care about expensive brands. I am not a jewelry girl at all. Seriously, if Doug came home with two boxes and one held some amazing diamond bracelet or ring and the other held a book- no contest! Strange.
Anyway, I just went way off topic. Back to Fablehaven. If you haven't read it- do it!! It's a good one for young adults and families. I will read it aloud with Abi eventually for sure.
So, there you go. I am grateful that I can open a book and enter magical places that feel so real, meet people who seem to really live, and never get sick of it!

Closet Makeover #5: Abi's room

Today I finally got to Abi's closet. It was full of clothes that didn't fit her anymore and baby blankets and random things that we had just stuck in there. So, I weeded out those old things and re-arranged her leftover clothes with the help of my new friend Roy G. Biv (red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet and then I add pink, brown,black,white to the end). I stuck a few blankets back up in there, a container of clothes that will fit her in a year or two, and her Fisher Price christmas nativity. Then I put her shoes that fit her and will fit her in the next few months some time under the dresser. Her dresser and toy box are in the closet because even falling off the dresser and cutting her head open didn't keep her from climbing and jumping off of these things! The other white box on the left of her dresser is her memory chest. Her hats are in the hat box of course. I am so excited that I only have one closet left to do (the hall closet)and the basement and then I can stop.

Happy Birthday Steph!

Wowza. Three posts in one sitting. I didn't want the day to go by though without giving a shoutout to my big sister. Today is her birthday. I don't think she would mind me telling her age but just to be on the safe side, I will list 31 things about her since I am 31 and she is older than me. So, here we go:
1)She was one of the prettiest baby girls ever!

2)She was a talker right from the start. Our parents said my brother didn't talk as fast because he would grunt and she would do his talking for him. (sorry bro) Because of this she makes friends all over the place. She is very social.
3)I think one of the reasons we have always felt connected is that she prayed for me to come to the family. She really wanted a baby sister. When I was born she didn't believe I was really a girl until she saw for herself. It's nice to be wanted.

4)She is spunky. Always has been. Case in point... she totally rocked this hairstyle. What was mom thinking?

And just so you can't get mad at me for posting that Steph- here I am NOT rocking my bad hairstyle. It could have been worse dear sis.....

5)Even though she had to share a room with a sister that wasn't anywhere near as cool as she was, she handled it well and was almost always nice to me, loving, and included me in things.

6)When our parents went away to Hawaii for a short vacation (well, dad was there on duty, mom went to meet him there)Steph took care of us all. By the time they came back I was calling her mom.
7)She has always been hip... even if you don't believe it from this picture... if you don't you didn't live through the eighties. She still is hip. She always looks good.

8)Speaking of the 80's and the previous mention of her good hair- she was the poster child for eighties hair. Poor little straight, fine haired Cheryl could never get that coveted hairstyle quite right.

9)She was a nanny in New York.
10)She married Dan and proved that a city girl can live in harmony with a man who loves to hunt and camp.. and bravely goes into the wild with him... in her camper.
11)She is a great shopper. She finds good deals. From normal stores... she does not do garage sales or do it yourself furniture.
12)Her house is amazing! Her and Dan have done so much work on it themselves including building a house length deck I could live on. (she almost fell off it when they were building it and caught herself cutting her leg very badly but at least not falling to the concrete below)
13)She has raised two amazing daughters. They are not full grown yet but are the examples I want Abi to look up to.
14)She is hilarious. Seriously.She just started a blog (I don't have the address yet) and as soon as she gets going on it you'll have to check it out. It will surely be funny.
15)She is a great friend. She keeps in contact with everyone.
16)She is extrememely generous.
17)She is computer challenged. (Hey!Don't be mad. It's true.)
18)She lets her husband hang an elk head in his office. Nuff said.

19)She always has time for people.
20)She has decorated her house so beautifully. It feels so warm.
21)She loves red.
22)She is a great scrapbooker although it took her awhile to get into it.
23)She has great eyebrows.
24)When I had Abi she brought a Christmas tree full of ornaments to my room to make me happy. Then she was at our apartment with dinner and cleaning it when we came home from the hospital.
25)She provided me with an extensive wardrobe for Abi because her hand me downs are brand name and look brand new.
26)She loves Christmas.
27)Although she has had bad luck on Christmas Eve... ending up in the hospital on a few of them
28)She is very very very festive... which I LOVE.
29)She loves me.
30)She is my friend, not just my sister.
31)I love her too.
Happy Birthday Steph.I miss you.
update: Steph's blog is now up and running... check my blog roll.

Magic Moments

Tonight Abi was in her room for bedtime and I went in to check on her. She was up and playing with some toys. I put her back into her bed and she noticed the shadow of her head on the back of the bed. "Look! It's Abi." She said. So I said "Yes it is. It's your shadow." Realizing that we have never had shadow play before, I showed her how to do a simple little animal. She then tried but only did it with one finger. I then used my animal to eat her finger and then her hair. She was laughing so hard! I grabbed the camera and tried to capture the moment but of course it couldn't get the magic of that first moment.
Here is my animal and Abi tempting it to nibble on a finger:

Happy girl:

I love these quiet fun moments with her.

Closet Makeover #4: The Linen Closet

I finally got around to finishing the linen closet in our master bath. YAY!
Here's looking in at an angle to see my makeup/nails bag hanging:

The bottom half of the closet:

the top half:

I couldn't really get a full length picture of it to turn out. I love it when I open closets and they make me feel happy and peaceful.

Personality test on personaldna.com

After seeing this on a friends blog I decided to try it out myself. It's a fun little test and very accurate.. at least I think so. You can tell me if you think this is me:

You are a Dreamer

Your combination of abstract thinking, appreciation of beauty, and cautiousness makes you a DREAMER.

You often imagine how things could be better, and you have very specific visions of this different future.

Beauty and style are important to you, and you have a discerning eye when it comes to how things look.

Although you often think more broadly, you prefer comfort to adventure, choosing to stay within the boundaries of your current situation.

Your preferences for artistic works are very refined, although you vastly prefer some types and styles to others.

Though your dreams are quite vivid, you are cautious in following up on them.

You are aware of both your positive and negative qualities, so that your ego doesn't get in your way.

A sense of vulnerability sometimes holds you back, stifling your creative tendencies.

You prefer to have time to plan for things, feeling better with a schedule than with keeping plans up in the air until the last minute.

You have a strong sense of style and value your personal presentation - friends may even seek your style advice from time to time.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

If you want to be different:

Your imagination is a wonderful asset, but don't just dream—be bold enough to take action and explore new things!

Consider a wider range of details and possibilities when thinking about the present and the future—don't be too set in your ways.

how you relate to others
You are Considerate

You trust others, care about them, and are slow to judge them, making you CONSIDERATE.

You value your close relationships very much, and are more likely to spend time in small, tightly-knit groups of friends than in large crowds.

You enjoy exploring the world through observation, quietly watching others.

Relating to others so well, and understanding their emotions, leads you to trust people in general, even though you're somewhat shy and reserved at times.

Your belief that people are generally well-intentioned contributes to your sympathy regarding their problems.

Although you may not vocalize it often, you have an awareness of how society affects individuals, and you understand complex causes of people's behavior.

You like to look at all sides of a situation before making a judgment, particularly when that situation involves important things in other people's lives.

Your close friends know you as a good listener.

If you want to be different:

Because other people would benefit immensely from your understanding and insight, you should try to be more outgoing in social situations, even when they make you uncomfortable. Others will want to hear what you have to say!

Thursdays Thirteen: Things I'm thinking about on Pioneer Day

1) All those years watching mom run the Deseret News marathon! I wish I was there today to watch her do the shorter run.

2)My pioneer ancestors like:
C.C.A Christensen - He was the painter of the mormon panorama and you've probably seen his paintings in church buildings. I've usually had one in each of my utah wards and there was one in our seminary building. He also did a lot of the painting in the Manti temple.

and
3. Benjamin Franklin Shepherd: I couldn't find a picture of him but he was a pretty handsome fella. He is one of my favorite ancestors. He is from my dad's side. He once saved a bunch of kids on Utah lake in a storm by breaking a chain rope with his bare hands to free a boat that he used to go rescue them. He lived in the time of polygymy but did not take part in it. His wife and he were so much in love and so devoted to one another that when he died she never married again and was a widow for 28 years. I think their love story was very unusual for the time.
4) Rides with the family that we would take between runs/parade and fireworks. We would usually end up in the Mountains... sometimes in Heber where we would eat at the train (where mom and dad are right now!)
5)Watching the Pioneer Day Parade downtown- especially the time that I camped out with Brent and Karen and the sprinklers got us.

6)My first time in Nauvoo with Doug and Abi two years ago when we first moved out here. It was so cool and it was fun to go with someone who had lived there for a semester (Doug) so he could give me insider information. We didn't spend too much time but we had a lot of fun.7)My second time in Nauvoo (and the last time I was there) with Mom and Dad and Abi last October. We spent more time and visited almost all the houses and buildings. I learned so much and we had so much fun!
8)The movie Legacy and going to see it all of the time with Jenny when it was still playing downtown because it was free and we were "in love" with the main guy. (This was almost 15 years ago people!)


9)Joseph Smith- an amazing man whom I am still learning about. I have a lot to learn. He is one person I never really studied which seems strange doesn't it?
I would love to see the movie that they play in SLC and Nauvoo about him again. And I would really love to see the movie that is out right now about Emma.
10)Fireworks! I used to love going to see them!!!
11)How much I miss Utah... how much I took Utah for granted while I was there....
12)How blessed I am that these pioneers gave up so much for their faith and how that has blessed my life all these years later.
13)I am so grateful today that although I may be disliked for my faith, misunderstood, and maybe even shunned that I can live where I want and not in fear, that I can drive 15 minutes to church and find others that believe in the same things that I do. That even though we are so far away from family and I grow more homesick every day we have made really great and lasting friendships here.
HAPPY PIONEER DAY!!!