Monday, December 17, 2007

I tried to be brave.



This picture actually makes this stuff look GOOD. It smelled HORRIBLE and as I poured it into the bowls I actually GAGGED! Anika came in and said "I don't want to eat that!". This is the point where I attempted bravery. I smiled big and said that it would be so DELICIOUS and WARM and that I would put LOTS of sugar in it. I tried a bit and I don't remember if it was as horrible as I'm making it out to be but I gagged again and put it all in the sink!! WHEATENA is banned from our house!! I need to go out and buy some more of my Vermont Morning. Now, that stuff is good!! I guess we'll just eat Chex Muddy Buddies for breakfast! That's cereal, right??

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Top 10

Top 10 things I'm BEYOND excited for this Christmas!!!

1. Being with Nathan's family!! I feel so excited for this year. Mabye I've built it up in my mind (just a little) but I am having visions of all of us West women baking in he kitchen and laughing until one of us wets our pants (it really is a toss up who it will be!!) or the kids acting out the Christmas story, singing Christmas carols, playing games. I just feel like this year is going to be FABULOUS. It's going to be so great to all be together before everybody scatters across the globe. I love my West family.

2. Seeing my 2 little sisters and their cute families!!

3. FINALLY getting to meet Raylee and kiss her cute cheeks!!

4. Going on the traditional double date (or 2!!) with the Soters and laughing our heads off. Who will say the first "inappropriate" thing? It used to be me HANDS DOWN but Steve has been giving me a run for my money. =) We LOVE LOVE LOVE those Soters. Someday it will be as it should be my M&M!! Next door neighbors, married children (to each other, of course!!), and our old reclusive lifestyle. Haha!!

5. The cousin playgroup and visiting the Kivett and Theabold families. I miss them.

6. A temple close by!! Hooray!!

7. Warmer weather!!

8. Mexican food!

9. Finally getting to see Enchanted. It's a miracle I've held out.

10. Getting to watch my girls enjoy Christmas. They are at such a fun age.

10 things I'm NOT looking forward to:

1. The flight. Will it crash or will it land safely??? Will I throw up or hold it in??

2. The stress of trying to do SO much but just wanting to relax and be with Nathan's family.

3. Not getting my Dad's stockings filled with FABULOUS random stuff. Maybe Nathan will surprise me with this. HINT HINT. =)

4. That leads into not getting to see my family at all. This will be my first Christmas to not see them.

5. The girls not being there angel, wonderful, cute selves. It seems like every time we go on vacation the girls go into whiny, grumpy, make me look like I'm not a good mom phase. I just want people to see them how they always are! Adorable little chatter boxes.

6. The desert

7. Missing mom.

8. Saying good-bye and coming home. Time goes WAY too fast when we are there.

Okay, so top 8. Really there isn't much I'm NOT looking forward to!! AZ here we come!! 6 days and counting!


Yikes!!!

I read this article posted on MSN today. Of course it freaked me out. You can't talk about the Avian flu and not get me a little paranoid. However, I though the article was very good and reinforced the importance of being vaccinated. Check it out!

Why a flu shot just might save your life


Monday, December 10, 2007

4 YEARS OLD!!!!



Well. My BABY is 4 today!! It is so amazing how fast time goes by once you have kids. I feel like we were just bringing her home from the hospital. Anika has been a joy from day one. She was a sweet baby and now she's a sweet little/big girl. I get choked up just thinking about her and trying to decide what I'd like to write. I remember when I was a brand new beehive at church and they were doing New Beginnings and my mom had to come up to the front with me and talk about me. Of course she bawled and I was SO embarrassed! I didn't understand why she always cried over me. Now I understand. My girls can bring on the tears faster than anything! Anika has such a sweet, bubbly personality when she is with people that make her feel comfortable. She is already being labeled as "shy" at school and my tender mother heart worries so much about her! I want people to know the real Anika. There is nobody as sweet and fun as her. She has LOVED going to preschool this year. I think it's been really good for her to participate in group settings without me. We love her so much. She is the best when you need cheering up or a big hug. She loves to help in the kitchen - especially if it involves peanut butter and jelly! She has an amazing imagination! She is still totally into art stuff. She loves to sing and dance and play with dolls (all those girly things!). We can't imagine life without her!

She had a really fun day today! Her magical pony party went really well! She will probably be talking about it until her next party! She had a really cute group of friends over and they had a ball! She is in HEAVEN with her new toys. She wanted to sleep with ALL of them in her new sleeping bag. Good grief!! Tonight we all went to Mickey D's for dinner and that was fun! She even got a kid's meal and that NEVER happens! We are the lamest parents. Dollar menu ALL THE WAY! Today was special though. Anyway - I am SO tired! Here is a picture of the group from the party! I'll post the rest later. And Jenni - where is Nathan?!! I can't believe he's not in the picture!

Monday, December 03, 2007

Cutest Love Handles I've Ever Seen!!


We attempted the whole potty training thing on Saturday. Mostly because the new diapers were outside in the car and we didn't want to go get them. =) She looked awfully cute but after 2 accidents and no successes we decided that she isn't quite ready yet. =) On went the diaper.

I was so excited when I woke up and saw that everything was FROZEN today! This happened one time in Rexburg and it was BREATHTAKING. It seemed like diamonds were hanging from the trees. Unfortunately, the sun hasn't been out today so there isn't quite the same effect but I still love the it! Look how cool it looks!!


Here are a couple pictures of the girls jumping in the leaves!


This past weekend I got to go see WICKED with my friend Suzanne! IT WAS AWESOME!! She won the tickets in a lottery so we got $100 seats in the front for only $25!! Can you believe it??! We had a blast and I absolutely LOVED the show!

Happy Monday everybody!!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Well - I took the personality quiz that is going around the blog world. Haha! Here is what it says about me!




You Are An ENFJ



The Giver



You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.

Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.

Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.

You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine.



In love, you are very protective and supporting.

However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous.



At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential.

You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.



How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive



When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

Friday, November 23, 2007

Happy Day After Thanksgiving!!!!

Good grief! I had big plans for my "Thanksgiving post" but I have been SOO busy that I never got a chance to type anything up!! These past few weeks have been NUTSO for me. I feel like I have a million ideas and projects and things to do tumbling around in my head ALL THE TIME!! I need to start checking things off my list! My plan for right now was to take a nap! Haha!! I just don't know when I'll get around to posting anything if I don't take advantage of this quiet time. The girls are napping and Nathan is tackling his list of things to do. =) SO - I have heaps of stuff to say!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!! We went over to some friend's home for the feast and it was tons of fun! AND we even got to play THE ANIMAL GAME! I've been longing to play that for the last TWO years! Yay!! Suzanne and Jim were great hosts and we are so grateful to them for taking us in. =)

I've been thinking about my life and feeling so thankful for it. I love being alive and getting to experience all the wonderful things in this world. A lot of you are probably familiar with my little "freak outs" that I have occasionally. It used to happen a lot more when Nathan and I were first married. Here's what happens - I pretty much panic that I'm going to die and then freak out. NOT because I'm scared to die. I just LOVE living so DARN MUCH. I don't want to miss out on raising my kids. I don't want Nathan to get remarried and forget about me. I don't want my family to have to miss me. I especially don't want to die right now when I know niether of my girls would remember me. Anyway - a couple of nights ago I was watching House and working on bows and all of the sudden I think to myself that I'm going to die NEXT WEEK. Of course panic ensues. I think to myself 'why would I just think that?? It must be a warning!!'. So, Nathan comes home from mutual to find me bawling and writing a letter to Anika. He comforts me by reminding me that this has happened before and I'm still alive. He also reminds me that I'm hormonal (not pregnancy hormones!!). He tells me that he could never forget me. He promises that if I do die he will make sure that the girls know how much I loved them. So, we start to chuckle a bit at my dramatics and I feel a little better. I don't really think that I'm going to die next week - but I can't stop thinking "what if". Whether I live another week or another 50 years I want to take advantage of every day and every moment I have with the girls and with Nathan. I want to serve more. I want to leave the world a better place. I want to be a better missionary. I want to DO more and PLAY more and put the really important things first. I want to write letters to my girls. I want to remember birthdays and call people more. I want to figure out how to STUDY the scriptures (yeah, I'm 26 and still working on that). I want to feel confident that when I do die I will be ready. I love being alive - I just want to make sure that I'm living RIGHT. Does that make sense? Anyway - enough of that.

So, last night I was standing by my closet and thinking about Christmas gifts. I was feeling so excited and I turned around really fast to head out the door and BAM!!! I hit the door jam and it HURT!! One of those hurts where I actually CRIED. =) I was so disoriented - how the heck did that happen? And it's on my RIGHT eye! Which means that I didn't even ALMOST make it out the door! Anyway - here is a picture of that little tragedy last night:

THE BEFORE I CLEANED IT PICTURE















THE CLEANED UP GASH AND BUMP. Lovely.















Last Tuesday we had our FIRST SNOW!! We were so excited! It's a little weird because we still have tons of leaves on our trees! Luckily, the snow melted pretty fast and we should be able to rake our mess this weekend. =) That morning we walked to school using our off roading stroller and it worked pretty well but on the way to pick her up I whipped out our AWESEOME new sled (a tag sale purchase) and pulled Keslie. It worked SO perfectly! It was so fast - even once both girls were on we just sailed right along. LOVE IT! I got a few pictures - but not of the sled.




Keslie helped me make a pumpkin roll while Anika was at school! She's so cute - lately when she is eating she'll say "mmmm, licious!!". She has a very contagious little laugh! She has lovingly named her PINK soft blanket from Aunt Jolee - Purple. That's it's name. Haha!! We were cleaning up the Fall decorations today and I realized that I had never gotten a photo of her with her "friend" scarecrow!! So - there is a picture of that along with some pumpkin roll pics. For the past two months she has toted that thing with her everywhere - holding it's hand and calling it her friend scarecrow.





Today is the big Christmas decorating day! Happy day!! I'll get some pictures of our holiday splendor once it's all finished! We are saving the tree for when the girls wake up.

The girl's were loving playing in the boxes this year.

Anika was WAY to busy playing with all of her "new" toys. =)

The annual opening of the egg nog! The girls LOVE that stuff!
Nathan is being a good sport and helping us set up. He thinks that we should hold off decorating until DECEMBER 1st!! AND he also thinks that we shouldn't listen to Christmas music until December!! He must really love me because we were setting up Christmas this afternoon - Nov. 23rd and listening to all our favorite yuletide carols! =) I think he's crazy!! Personally - I think it would make Thanksgiving all the better - more warm and fuzzy and holidayish - if we could decorate BEFORE! AND I could listen to Christmas music ALL year around! I am SO happy that it's Christmas time that I feel like bursting into song RIGHT NOW!! We get to go to AZ for the holidays this year! We are SO excited! It will be a little weird not seeing my family. This will be my first Christmas to not see them at all on Christmas. SAD!! Anyway - I'm sure there will be more Christmasy posts to come. If I have time. =)


So, a few of you commented on my slick glasses. =) I got these glasses when I was pregnant with Anika because I couldn't see things that were far away as well. They said that was normal when you are pregnant. I never wore them. For the past year I have been doing a really annoying thing with my face. It's sort of a forehead scrunch/twitch kind of thing. I know it's been at least a year because I remember talking to Kyle and Hillary about it last year before Thanksgiving. I decided to give these glasses a whirl to see if they would help at all. Not so much. I still twitch and wrinkle and scrunch and strain my poor forehead muscles all the live long day. I imagine it doesn't look very cute AND it leaves my head feeling OH SO SORE. Nathan always says "Britt, why are you blinking at that(whatever it is) are you trying to make it disappear?!". As in, I look like Jeannie on I Dream of Jeannie when she does her goofy blink. So, I think I need to give in and go get my eyes checked. I've never worn contacts or glasses or anything - but if it will help get rid of this annoying habit then I am all for it!

Check out this CUTE MAGOOT!!

This is Anika with her favorite toy friend - Wilbur. =) I love her big, beautiful grin and those twinkling eyes!

Here is a video of Nathan playing with the girls!



So, I watched Hairspray for the first time a couple days ago! Loved it! This is one of my favorite songs because I LOVE how cheesy James Marsden is as Corny Collins. The only problem with this one is that we only get a few glimpses of LINK. That's right folks. I totally have a crush on Link Larkin. =) Will somebody please get me one of these? Haha!! =)

So - here's one with lot's of Link. =) I love it when he hugs the pillow and takes a bite of the candy bar! SO CHEESY!



Alright! The girls are awake! Off to decorate the tree!! Have a great weekend!!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A Heavenly Visit

Well - my sister Kelyn was just here for her 4th visit!! We got to have her and the boys for 10 days and it was just fabulous! The 4 kids get along great! So, let me just fill you in on ALL the crazy adventures we had!

For starters, Kelyn and I mastered 6 PUZZLES while she was here!! Mostly 500 hundred piecers. We ended with a bang and did a 1000 piece puzzle! Pretty sweet - eh? BUT WAIT, it gets even crazier! When we weren't "playing puzzles" (that's what we like to say) we were having word search races, reading, making MULTIPLE batches of cookies, napping, playing settlers, devouring delicious sandwiches and basically just being laid back and carefree! We quite enjoyed ourselves! Aren't we AWESOME?! We did get to go on a fun-filled girls night to Red Robin! We had big plans to party the night away - go clubbin (haha!), cruise through town, catch a flick - but after our burgers we decided that we wanted to go home and change into our PJ's and finish our Puzz diddly uzzle. I know - can we GET ANY COOLER?!! =)

What were the kids doing during all of this? Well, they did a lot of dressing up (mostly in doggy ears leftover from Anika's Blue's Clue's party last year), dancing, cushion jumping, they liked to be superheros and fly from room to room, empty out EVERY toy in the house, color with crayons (in Isaac's case - EAT the crayons), when it was nice outside they loved playing with the bikes and going on walks, AND of course - they did watch their fair share of The Wiggle's and Teletubbies (tubby tubbies as Keslie calls them) and Winnie the Pooh. Samuel calls me Aunt Brikky. =)

We hit the JACKPOT on Saturday when we hit the tag sale scene! We came home with a CARLOAD of stuff. I'm still not sure how Kel got it all in her suitcases. Luckily, she always brings an extra one for tag sale merchandise. =)

Kelyn got to be my sole helper in nursery on Sunday. We make a good team! We laughed because we sound the same - we both talk in a high, zippity doo da kind of voice. =)

The last day they were here the weather was FANTASTIC! We dropped Anika off at pre-school and took the 3 younger kids to Westmoor park. The foliage was just beautiful and the kids had a great time running around. Keslie and Isaac even engaged in some puddle jumping!

And now they are gone and we are very very sad. 10 days goes oh so fast.

Today I tried to stay busy - we went to the library and grocery store this morning and then after lunch we went shopping for Christmas outfits! I think I found them! A little different than the Froo froo dresses I usually pick, but I'm excited! I can't wait to make bows to match! While I was at the mall I stopped in at the Verizon store to see if I could get any deals on phones. That's right my friends. My phone in gone! Lost and STOLEN. I'm so upset. If anyone has any verizon phones laying around their house that they'd be willing to sell - let me know!! The prices are pretty up there and it's looking like I'm going to get to use OLD FAITHFUL. I don't know how old it is but compared to my Chocolate it looks like it's from the stone age. Anyway - I'd love to find a screaming deal! I then went to Target and had a most upsetting experience in the food court area and then was met with rudeness everywhere I turned. I dearly love that store so I won't hold a grudge. I did, however, take a stand by NOT putting away my cart. Haha! Poor cart guy. He didn't do anything.

Anyway - I am officially rambling. Kelyn - thanks for visiting and for being such a good friend to me! We already miss you and the boys!

Here are some pictures from the visit! I didn't take as many as I would have liked but we still got some cute ones! I have some videos that I'll upload when I get the chance! I'm sure that Kel will be posting a bunch of pictures on her blog too! See ya!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Print Christmas Coloring Pages.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Happy November!!

I guess I missed Halloween! But, I hope you all had a wonderful, festive, candy filled day! I sure did. It was SO busy! Nathan and I were ready to crash by 8:30! We had a fun playgroup Halloween party over at Amy's house. All the food was so yummy and there were such cute Halloween games for the kids! We met up with our friends - Jenn, Scott, Connor, and Haydn last night. The kids had a great time trick or treating and I think they lasted a lot longer since they were together. Nathan and I didn't dress up this year - although I did have some snazzy bat earrings, some cool Halloween socks and an orange shirt from my WW high school days! The GIRLS were little lovebugs. I thought they were cute! Almost everybody thought Kes was a BOY LADYBUG. Nice. You know - I totally GET that babies can go either way. But when you have a little girl with curls and bows and RED hearts ... I just don't get it.

Update - I am still without heat!! Go TEAM!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Thanksgivingtime!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Happy Monday Everyone!

I am typing with gloves on so if there are any typos, that's why! I'm freezing!! Our house has stayed at a lovely 59 degrees all day today! Yeah. Not so cozy. =) And the worst part is that now I'm competing with Suzanne to see who can go the longest without turning on the heat so it's become a matter of pride. I absolutely can't lose! I figure that people who lived in those log houses back in the day survived - so I probably can to. Just 2 more days!! BURRR!

We did our pumpkin carving last night! It was so fun this year because Anika was actually willing to get her hands dirty! She did a great job of cleaning out Nathan's pumpkin. He always does fancy carvings. I'm pretty boring and just stick to the triangles. =) Keslie was my partner but she wasn't very interested so I had to carry the work load. We had fun and Nathan made his traditional baked pumpkin seeds. Anika was so cute and jabbered on and on. At one point she said "Thank you Daddy! That was very thoughtful of you." I got a kick out of that!

BubbleShare: Share photos - halloween photos



On Saturday I was walking through the girls room and stepped on something sharp! It stayed stuck in my foot as I lifted it to see what it was. Nope - not a nail or a pin. It was a DEMON plastic dinosaur similar to the one pictured. It's TAIL stuck all the way into my foot and I had a limp for a good two days! I just wanted to post about it because it hurt. =)



Things about Keslie - at her 2 year check up she was low in iron. She has to take an iron supplement for the next few months to see if it helps. It's a huge pain because I have to give it to her an hour before she eats OR 2 hours after. I hope it helps! She gives the BEST hugs EVER! She holds on tight and wraps her entire arm and hand tight around the neck. It's so sweet. I especially love it when she is patting my shoulder with her other hand. She knows a lot of her colors and shapes. The way she says triangle is BEYOND cute. Her favorite color seems to be orange and when she is feeling lazy she calls everything lellow. She is actually starting to drink milk! The only downside is that she thinks she needs a cookie to "dip in it". She also likes to hold her drinks in her mouth and then slowly let it leak out. I'm not a big fan of that trick!

Anika has said a few things lately that I actually remember so I thought I would share!
The other day Nathan told me that he was planning on studying all night and I was being dramatic and said "Oh Anika! My heart is broken because Daddy is going to study!!" And she said "My heart is not broken!! I have more hearts in my heart for you. But there is not blood in it yet." Hahaha! We had a good chuckle about that! She is wanting to help more and more with getting dinner ready. I need to be more willing to let her help. Sometimes it's just easier to do it myself. She wants to help with everything - dishes, preparation, table setting. It's so cute! The other day she wanted to spread the peanut butter and jelly for me. She is obsessed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! She would eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
I got to experience Nathan's dental skills first hand last week when he cleaned my teeth! He does a great job! I don't think he was very pleased with my dental hygiene. Apparently, I brush too hard and too fast. He was asked to be the new President of the Pediatric Dentistry club at school! Pretty cool!

Anyway - I hope that everyone's week is off to a fabulous start! I'll be posting more as the weeks goes on - what with Halloween and all!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The Onion, Finger Painting and Eating Worms Yesterday

OKAY - for starters - Nathan found this website called The Onion. I can't say that I recommend the site - I saw a couple things that I wouldn't have wanted to click on - but we did watch a HILARIOUS video from today. This is a site devoted to giving FAKE news. =)

Here it is:


Preemptive Memorial Honors Future Victims Of Imminent Dam Disaster

On Monday we did a little finger painting out on our porch. Here are a couple pictures from that:




Anika dove right in with her pointer finger but didn't go all out until the end. Keslie wouldn't have anything to do with it at first but when she finally decided to go for it she really took the plunge. She got paint all over everything. I think that stuff is washable???!


Yesterday was a "nobody likes me, everybody hates me, think I'll eat some worms..." kind of day. Mostly I was just feisty and tired of doing the dishes and feeling like a grouchy mom. Call it PMS or blame it on the drizzly weather - It makes no difference to me! Anika has been acting like a moody teenager all week. In between her tantrums and whining she is the sweetest little angel you will ever meet though. =)
THEN - I've been all worked up about vaccinations (Pretty much a whole other post). Suffice it to say that I wish parents would make educated decisions about getting their children immunized rather than not doing it because of stories they've heard or the "risks" they think they are taking and not ACTUALLY doing the research. I have bunches of studies and articles and ACCURATE stuff about vaccinations. Nathan's learned a ton about it in his medical school portion of dental school too. I think he gets even more worked up about it than I do. I'll have to post my stuff eventually. Can you tell I am PRO Immunizations?? It's a hot topic with me.

THEN - I have been SO confused by the responses I've heard regarding Julie Becks talk at General Conference. Almost everyone I've talked to was bugged or annoyed by it or didn't think she meant it the way it sounded. I just remember loving it. So, I just reread it a few minutes ago and I still just loved it. I think she meant it exactly the way she said it. I think her talk was really motivating and I know I have a long way to go but everything she said goes along with what past and present apostles and prophets have said. Read it or listen to it again - it really is great. I think sometimes our defenses go up when we think someone is telling us how we should be doing something and it isn't exactly how we are doing it or want to be doing it. That doesn't mean that what she said isn't right or good. It's easy to accept the things we agree with - but not so easy when it doesn't match up with what we think. Any thoughts? I spoke my mind - now you speak yours!

I've probably said WAY too much and I will have a FOR REALS "nobody likes me" day tomorrow! I heard on the radio this morning that it boosts our immune system when we share our true feelings. =) So, there you go! My white blood cell count probably just doubled. =)

Monday, October 22, 2007

We had Mom and Dad West here for a visit last weekend and it was such fun!! Nathan got to choose a place to eat for his birthday and it was really yummy! La Casona - Nathan was able to order an AUTHENTIC Colombian dish! It looked pretty weird to me and I tasted the plantain and didn't think to highly of it - but hey! He was beyond happy and enjoyed eating food that reminded him of his mission. We also got some empanadas that were seriously good! That night we watched Transformers (sort of - Nathan and I were pretty sleepy!). I love that movie! On Saturday we went to Rose's Berry Farm for pumpkins and it was SO beautiful! The weather has been amazing!! 77 degrees today! Hello!! I really might just make it until November without the heat! We had a great time at the pumpkin patch! The girls especially loved the little homemade slides they had. It was so cute watching them slide down! I can't wait to carve our pumpkins! We watched WILD HOGS that night and had some good laughs. =) They left early the next morning. The weekend went so fast! I'm so glad they came though! Here are some pictures!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Here comes Halloween!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!!!!!!!


HE IS:

* 28 years old!!
* my very best friend.
* an AMAZING daddy.
* a great conversationalist.
* a VERY hard worker.
* smart as all get out.
* hilarious!!
* the best laugher.
* a 3rd year dental student.
* a lover of candy.
* a lover of music.
* a total hottie.
* a huge help around the house and with the girls.
* very patient.
* fun to watch funny movies with because he has the BEST laugh!
* a pro tennis player (on the wii)
* great at quoting movies or tv shows - even if he's only seen it once!
* not very good with directions. =)
* an artist.
* very money smart. A total budget man.
* realistic.
* funny about cream cheese.
* very encouraging and supportive.
* totally habit free. I'm not kidding - he doesn't bite his nails, pick his nose, chew with his mouth open or anything!!
* so cute with babies.
* hoping to have a SHAR-PEI someday. (not happening)
* very clean.
* my confidant.

And there you have it folks! 28 things about my cute hubby - 1 thing for each year he's been alive! We'd be lost without him!! I LOVE YOU NATHAN!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Did you know...

That you can turn your blog into a book?? So - there is a site that will let you either ARCHIVE your blog into your computer and if you want you can PAY to have it PUBLISHED. HELLO! I am so excited! This is where I put everything! Don't you think it would be a great gift to give to your kids when they get bigger? I love looking at old things my mom wrote about me! Anyway - check it out!!

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Calling All Pumpkin Recipes!!

So - I am in a REALLY pumpkinish mood and I want to collect all the pumpkin recipes I can! If you have a yummy one that you wouldn't mind sharing with me I'd appreciate it! Just post it in my comments section! Thanks!!

ALSO - What is Facebook?? Everyone is talking about it and I keep getting added to people's friend list...
What's so cool about it??

Thanks!!

Saturday, October 13, 2007

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET KESLIE SUE!!

My little miss turned 2 today!! It's so weird to me! I look back and these past two years are a BLUR! It went so fast and now she's a walking, talking toddler! We love her so much.

She's had a crazy, spread out birthday! She had a little playgroup party last Wednesday. Yesterday, we went and ate a special birthday lunch with daddy at school. Today we did presents and tomorrow is cake and ice-cream. I get a little more organized when they turn 3. =)

Here are some pictures from our "pumpkin head/birthday party" playgroup and from today. I know - I'm not the best photographer in the world and I'm way too tired to go edit them. =) I'll probably post some more tomorrow when we do the cake!

BubbleShare: Share photos - halloween photos


Keslie has her 2-year check-up on Monday so I'll be sure to give the full report.

At 2 years old she loves:
BABIES, dressing up and dancing, picking up Anika (EEKA) from school, FRUIT SNACKS, singing, reading books, playing hide and seek, coloring, playdough, swinging on the swings, Nemo, Teletubbies, The Wiggles and snuggling.

We can't imagine life without our Keslie. She is so much fun and brings so much laughter into our home. I really like this mom stuff a-lot! =)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Without further adieu...

After much encouragement from family and friends I have decided to sell my bows! I've started an inbetweener (is that a word???) website until I get my official one up and running, so check it out!

Sweet Susie Boutique


Spread the word!!

Thanks!!


Tuesday, October 09, 2007

The COWS and CONFERENCE

We had such a nice weekend! There were some wonderful talks given at General Conference and I can't wait to read some of them over when the Ensign comes. On Sunday we had the traditional BIG breakfast! It was so YUMMY! Thanks Amber for the new recipes! I especially loved the apple-cinnamon syrup! After breakfast we went for a little walk through the "center" and looked at all the cows. =) Sunday evening was fun because we had dinner with our neighbors! We have such great neighbors. Saul - if you are reading this - DON'T GO TO FLORIDA!! We'll miss you too much! =)

Here are some pictures from our cow walk! AND there were so many more cows that we didn't photograph! Isn't this a funny tradition? There are new cows every year!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Share your baby pictures

Saturday, October 06, 2007

One Last Burst of Summer!

The past couple of weeks have been heavenly! I love the crisp, cool (but not cold!) air that comes with Fall. I love the nostalgia! I love the beautiful, colorful leaves and watching the girls jump in them! I love pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon smells! I love the hot chocolate! I love going on walks and feeling the breeze! I love the cleaning motivation that always hits me around now! I love that it's birthday season (for us) and Halloween time and Thanksgiving (almost)! I love the yummy food! I love how full my heart feels. Maybe it's the nostalgia that always gets me thinking about my life and just feeling so happy and grateful for all that I've been blessed with.

The number one thing I don't like about Fall is that Winter follows close behind. Winter definitely has it's perks too! Christmas! Family! Christmas music! Sledding and snowmen! BUT - I don't like the CONSTANT runny nose and the wealth of sickness that spreads from child to child. I don't like how barren everything feels. I hope we get more snow this year because last year it was just barren and cold - with the occasional snow shower. Anyway - I was pretty excited about how warm it's gotten the past couple of days! I LOVE IT!! Plus, Nathan said I can earn some money if I make until November without heat! SWEET!

So - a couple days ago after we dropped Anika off at school, we came through the gate just as Saul was turning on the sprinklers so Kes got to have one last wet and wild sprinkler fest! Here are some pictures!






AND here is a video of her after her jaunt through the sprinklers!




AND here are a couple more with all the animals. I pick those things up a MILLION times a day!




Anika is loving every minute of preschool! She is so funny when I ask her how her day was and try to get info from her. She usually says " I had SO much fun!" and then I'll ask her what she did and she'll say "lot's of fun stuff". On the way home the other day she was singing a song and I asked her if she learned it at school and she said "yeah" and I said "what other songs do you sing?" and she said "Um... the cutest songs that you ever singed!" Haha! She's cracks me up. =) Kes is doing much better! Maybe it's not so bad to hang out with dear old mommy after all. =)

Well - enjoy your weekend and if you are watching General Conference - enjoy that!! There were some great talks today. =)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Just a Few Things...

FIRST -

Oh. My. Gosh. Look what Nathan found under the hood while cleaning out the car yesterday!! I've been pretty pleased with the bug situation out here (aside from that MONSTER spider by our front door - remember that Sumer?!). Well - I guess I was too quick to write that. I don't like the wasps and bees either. BUT - there aren't any roaches and I seriously don't like those and I haven't seen many other beetles either - until yesterday. YIKES! At least it was dead! I wouldn't want those pincers latching onto any part of my body!


Second - once again I hit the jackpot this morning at a tag sale! I got the circus little people set (the one with the touchy feely animals) in pristine condition for $1!! AND this lamp - 25 cents!!
Isn't it cute??


This is a picture from the baby shower today. It was for my friend Rachel. She is such a champion and I love her. She's such a great cheerleader and is always so encouraging when I have ideas or anything else. I'm excited to meet her little boy!!


Adrienne (dental student with Nathan), Me (dental wife) , Rachel (dental wife), Hillary (dental wife), Nicole (dental classmate)

AND lastly:
This is a picture of the best husband in the world. Thanks for all your help this weekend (and always) Nath!! Love you!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Separation Anxiety

Keslie has it bad!! This being apart from Anika thing in the mornings is really hard on her. She misses her friend. It's only been a little over a week so I know it will get better but right now I have a HUGE grump on my hands from the minute we drop Anika off. She says "come to - come to!" over and over and today she tried to sneak into class with Anika!! Poor little thing! It's hard when the big sister goes off to school! I remember when I was little and Kelyn hadn't started school yet. I got her so excited by telling her I was going to bring her to school with me. I really thought it was possible! Poor Kelyn when mom nixed that one! I imagine these younger siblings feel kinda lonely when their big sister moves on in the world. But it is SOOO cute to see her face light up and hear her joyous exclamation of EEEKA!!! when Anika comes running out of her classroom! AND then they play SO well together when we get home. It's like they are long lost friends. I love it!!

Keslie set up a bunch of their stuffed animals like this and I walked in to see her sitting next to them. It was so darn cute that I had to get a snapshot! I know, it's a little fuzzy. Oh well!



Anika is doing GREAT in preschool! She is so cute. I love asking her about her day when we pick her up. She says the funniest things! AND - I need to get this down before I forget and she stops saying it - she says REGOT for forgot and it is SOOOOO cute!

Well - I'm off to pick up my hubby from school!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

1st Day of Preschool!!

Finally!! =) We've been waiting pretty much forever. =) Seriously - what were they thinking having the orientation back in April?? She's been SO excited ever since. She did fabulous today! She didn't even look back to wave or say good-bye to me when I dropped her off. She was too busy telling her teacher about her My Little Pony backpack. =) Yesterday we had a little open house so she was able to get acquainted with her teachers and see her classroom. When I picked her up she said "I had such a fun time today mommy!" This is going to be so great for her!! There are some really cute little girls in her class which I'm really excited about. She doesn't have many little girlfriends. I dearly love all of her little boy buddies though. =) We stopped at a little bakery around the corner and picked out some cookies and donuts for the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL SPECIAL TREAT. =) I had BIG plans! I was going to start a cake tradition but I think I'll start next year because I really dropped the ball. Yesterday was such a crazy day!!

Anyway - here are some (okay A LOT!) of pictures of Anika before and after school. I realize that they are all pretty much the same but INDULGE me because she is SO cute and it's her first day of school and it's my first time EVER having a kid have a first day of school!







She is ALSO at a fun age! Really - is there any age that isn't fun?? Of course - I could live without the whining but her cuteness makes up for it in every way!! She is full of nice words and I love yous, Not wanting to take naps at all (Ope -right on cue - she just walked in and she's SO supposed to be asleep!!), when she dances she's been trying to be really ballerinaish with the twirls and the leg kicks, she gets really carsick, and she's a very good big sister.

We found out over the weekend that she is a little bit prejudice (which I think all kids are) but I was HUMILIATED. Let's just say that she made a few racially WRONG comments and I about DIED. We've had some lessons and talked about it a lot since so hopefully we nipped that one in the bud. =)

Well - I'm sure I'll have more stuff soon! See ya!