Time to lose it.

Well crap. It seems that a little extra weight has snuck up on me. Actually, I know where every singe pound came from, but still, it snuck up on me and now I am mad. Let me give you a little glimpse of my weight history. I was never a big girl growing up, but not stick thin either. I was very athletic all through high school, and so I only weighed about 100lbs or so. I weighed 109 when I got married. Well, fast forward 3 kids and I weighed significantly more. After deciding that I wasn’t having any more kids, I decided that it was time to get the weight off. I did not in no way want to be that 109 lbs like I was before I was married, but I just wanted to be healthy. So in November of 2006 my dad and I enrolled in a nutrition course. He had taken it several times before, and done great. I decided to give it a try. All it basically entails is exercising 30 min/5 times a week. You have to include a bread, meat, milk, fruit, and vegetable at every meal. (No veggie at breakfast) It is SO simple to follow, yet so simple to fall off of. I lost 35 lbs in the 20 weeks that I took the class. I felt great, and it was so nice to have people tell me that I looked great too. I didn’t realize how big I had gotten until I tried on the pants that used to be tight and they were like 3 or 4 sized too big now. I have kept the bulk of the weight off since I ended the class last March. I did do the course once again in the fall, to get me on track for the winter when it seems so easy to gain weight.

Now here I am, I have gained 10 of that 35 lbs back, and I am FREAKING OUT. After working SO hard to lose weight, it is devastating to have it come back on. I know exactly how it came on. First off, my eating was horrendous, and I have had an incredibly bad sweet tooth lately. Next, I used to spend a lot of time on the treadmill. Now I have Kayler who sits by the treadmill and tries to touch it and it is just not working out. I try to do it when he naps, but that doesn’t seem to work either. I have the free membership to curves, but that is hard to find time to do as well. And third, I have never ever liked pop, and these past few months I have taken a liking to it, and I don’t care what you say, diet or not diet, pop makes you gain weight. So instead of giving up hope, I am stopping before it gets any worse. G.J.’s work has a “healthy Utah” program that we are starting tomorrow. They have testing twice a year and they check your cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, weight, etc. Tomorrow just happens to be the first testing, so I figure what better time to start. They have incentives. If you lose 10 lbs, you get $60. If you exercise 100 times, you get $60. So I figure if I do that, and have the incentive to get $120 back, that will be worth it, not to mention I will be healthy and down to a normal weight for my height.

So, you wonder why I am telling you this entire boring story. Well, I am one who likes to be accountable. I know that tons of people read this blog. I am not going to post my actual weight. All I am going to do is at the end of each post, I will say how many pounds I am up or down since I posted last. I will start off at the number 15, even though I only gained 10, I would like to lose 15 so that I can have a little wiggle room and not be right on the edge of my correct weight. So you all have to motivate me and keep me going! Wish me luck, thanks for you help, and have a great day!

p.s. sorry if the little swear word on the cartoon picture above offends anyone..lol. but just picture me instead of that man there..lol, that is exactly how I feel.

Spring Cleaning.....almost done.

I know you are all dying in suspense of what is going on in my life...lol. NOT. This week has FLEW by. I have been so busy spring cleaning, and I am almost done-thank goodness. I am 100% exhausted. I will do the kitchen and laundry room tomorrow, then work on the store room on Monday and then I will be done!!! Hooray!! To me, there is no better feeling than having everything nice and clean and smelling good, all the junk thrown away, and a huge pile of stuff that we don't need ready to be in my yard sale. Even though the organizations and cleanliness doesn't last all that long, it is at least better than what it was before. Kelli asked if I would take before and after pictures. Then Tara commented that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference....lol. Most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but I can, so I guess that is all that matters. Have a great weekend everyone!

Kayler, Baby Doll Shirts, and Spring Cleaning

So I needed to post this little video of Kayler being cute. He learned to say “Ready, Set, GO!” He was a little preoccupied making a total mess of his spaghetti, even being desperate enough to eat it from between his toes as you can see….lol. But if you listen closely you can hear him. He only says it right at the beginning. Then he just kept saying "cheese, cheese" over and over because I had the camera...lol. It has taken him a long time to learn how to talk, and he is learning more and more each day. So enjoy.

K, my next shout out has to do with those new “baby doll” shirts that are EVERYWHERE. They look very similar to maternity shirts. That is like all that is for sale now. I have a little bit of a problem with them. If you are stick thin, they look cute. If you are a little bigger, they look cute. If you are my size, which is right in the middle, you look pregnant if you wear one…. I bought one awhile back and wore it 1 time and was asked 5 times if I was pregnant. Or actually, let me rephrase that, they didn’t come out and say, “Are you pregnant?” They said things like, “so do you guys want anymore kids?” So I put the tags back on that shirt and took it back. Well this past week when I went shopping I decided that I don’t care what people think anymore. But just so every person who reads this knows, I AM NOT PREGNANT! Nor will I ever be again. Tell all your friends and neighbors….lol. Kandice and G.J. are both sterile. No more kids unless there is a true act of god and I somehow conceive, or unless a baby is dropped on our doorstep. No more babies for us. We are VERY blessed to have three beautiful healthy children. I am in no way mocking those who cannot have children. I have a lot of very close friends who are in that situation, and it is simply heartbreaking to watch. I am just simply saying, please let me be in fashion without thinking I am pregnant…There, that was my rant of the day.

On a whole different subject, I may not blog too often the next 2 weeks or so. It is spring cleaning time, my most favorite time of the year. My schedule is pretty tight the next little while, so I will check everyone’s blogs, but just not post to mine, so hang tight!!! Have a great day everyone!

Easter Woes and a Happy Day!

So my husband is a stinker for hacking into my blog account and putting my Birthday thing up. But thank you for all the Birthday wishes. I will talk more about my B-day in a sec, but I need to give a quick recap of our Easter.

So, Easter sucked big time this year. First off, we usually go camping on Easter and have egg hunts and lots of fun. That was obviously not the case this year since there is still lots of snow and it is 35 degrees out….lol. Let me just say, that I LOVE Easter. I love the pastel colors, the candy, the cute springy things, the dresses, the candy, the Easter bunny, and just the overall concept of it. This year was no exception. I got the kids cute Easter stuff and did a cute little egg hunt and their baskets were the prize at the end. Our morning started off wrong when all 3 kids woke up sick. They all had yucky snot noses and I think it is allergies. So that was strike #1. Next, Hallie was SO ungrateful at her basket. She wanted some other toy the she just “could not believe the Easter bunny forgot.” That was strike #2. Nothing bothers me worse than ungrateful kids. We are very blessed, and I have taught my kids better than that. I even threatened to take away all her basket if she was going to act that way. Well, the kids continued to be sick, and G.J.’s eyes were still a little tender, so I decided church was not an option. After awhile I realized that the kids and G.J. could nap around the time church was, so I wanted to go to church. I really don’t like missing it, especially on Easter. So I wanted to take a picture of the kids in their Easter outfits, even though they weren’t going to church. This was o.k., because G.J.’s mom had sent some really cute matchy type things for them, and they weren’t super dressy, but so cute so that was their Easter outfits. I took the picture, none of them smiling or cooperating all that well, but oh well. Well, the cuteness lasted all of 4 minutes, because after the picture as we were eating lunch, Hallie just couldn’t wait for help opening her yogurt and she exploded a bright red yogurt on her nice clean dress. That was strike #3. I was spent on trying to make this a nice day. I angrily headed off to church. It was hard to see all the other families with their kids all dressed cute for Easter and for me to be all alone. It did lift my spirits a little though. I came home and had a small nap, and that did the trick. I was in a much better mood and we had dinner and went for a little drive. My parents came over to bring a little Easter present to the kids. Then, I wanted to focus on the true meaning of what Easter is about. We had a short video of Christ’s life, and I was so excited for the kids to watch it. We had tried in years past, but they were too small to understand. This year, they could not take their eyes off of it. They loved it. Gavin got very emotional around the time the Savior was crucified. It was truly so touching. After the movie, G.J. and I bore our testimonies to them and told them how much we love Jesus and them. It was only then that it finally got through my thick head that Easter is not about pastel colors, the candy, the cute springy things, the dresses, the candy, and the Easter bunny. It is about our Savior, who I love with every fiber of my being. That is all that matters, and next year I will remember that. I hope my kids won’t be sick next year, and I hope things are different all around.

Anyways, moving on. As G.J. broke the secret earlier today, it is my birthday. I am the big “25”. I tell everyone I am 25 but living the life of a 35 year old. Most people are like 35 before they have been married 8 years with 3 kids, but oh well! I will just honestly say, I hate my birthday. I have reasons behind it, and it is not because I hate getting older, that doesn’t bother me at all. The reasons I have are just not anything that I care to share with anyone, and definitely not the whole blogging world. Let’s just leave it at it is a hard day for me. I have had so many phone calls, emails, cards, gifts, and people doing sweet things for me today, and I would be an ungrateful brat not to thank them from the bottom of my heart. Mandy took me to lunch today, and it was so nice. We usually go out as a big group with all my friends, but my B-Day came at an odd time with Easter and Spring break and all. We came back to my house and she made our friend Holly’s famous cupcakes for me. My mom is making me dinner, and G.J. bought a cake for me. Is it weird that I don’t like homemade birthday cake? So, thank you to all who have wished me a Happy Day, and to those of you who will do so after this post. I truly appreciate it. Have a great day! :)

Happy Birthday Kandice!

As you can probably tell from the title, this isn't Kandice but G.J. She was telling me how she doesn't get very many surprises for her birthday anymore, so I thought I would sneak on here and give her an early surprise. I love Kandice so much and am very grateful to have her in my life. She is a wonderful wife and mother who devotes all that she can to those two callings. I know I don't express my feelings toward her as much as I should, so this is my new start. Happy Birthday Kandice and I hope I can surprise you at least a few more times today! Love, G.J.

What a Trip!

What a trip! We arrived safely home to find our kids, dog, and home in good shape. Doesn’t it seem that having a little vacation almost requires a vacation to recover? I am pooped.
We arrived in SL and got a lot of shopping done. It was much much harder than I thought it would be to spend money on myself. I did manage to get it all spent though. I got a few Capri/shorts and shirts. It took all I had to completely avoid the children’s clothing stores. It is just a lot more fun to buy for them. It costs less, it fits them better, and they look cuter.
I had a nice massage. The massage therapist said she could definitely tell I had kids. My back was in pretty bad shape. It was an hour massage, but I could have laid there the rest of the day!
We ate at the Melting Pot. For those who haven’t had the chance to go there, you better schedule it in. It was so fun. I love doing fondue. We had bread and vegetables with a cheese fondue. Then we had a yummy salad. Then they brought out the meat. Although it was SUPER good, I am not a meat person, so I let G.J. enjoy it to his little heart’s content. Then the good stuff came. Every dessert you could think of, brownies, cheesecake, fruit, marshmallows, pound cake, rice krispies, etc. all dipped in a caramel/milk chocolate mixture. It was great.
After dinner, we went to the Jazz game. G.J. was in high heaven. He was so excited. I was just excited to see Kyle Korver, he is a H-O-T-T-I-E! Our seats were o.k. They were high up enough though that it still kind of seemed surreal, like we were still watching on TV or something. We had an irate granny sitting behind us, yelling at every single thing. I wanted to turn around and say, “look granny, no matter how loud you yell, they won’t hear you, and they won’t care…lol.” I am ashamed to admit, I had a large case of ADD while we were there. I played with my hair, went to the bathroom 5 times (maybe because I had 5 cokes at dinner), walked around, talked to G.J., and looked at anything other than the game. I get really nervous at competition type things. It was made worse by the fact that it was a tough game, and the Jazz lost no matter how loud G.J. screamed. I was sad for G.J., I wanted it to have a happy ending, but I think he really enjoyed it.
We stayed at the Anniversary Inn. We had the South Pacific room. It was just a tropical type thing. It had a really cool tub that was surrounded by rocks, and the water ran down the rocks like a waterfall into the tub. I didn’t sleep all that well, it was cold, then hot, then cold, etc.
We got an early start and headed down to G.J.’s eye appointment. It was a long day at the Dr.’s office, but despite the wait, we left with G.J’s new eyes. I knew his eyes were bad, but didn’t know how bad until we talked to the Dr. She pretty much said that eyes as bad as his don’t come along all that often. He has a prescription of -8.00 in both eyes. He sees at 5/400 or 20/1600. That basically means that what G.J. can see at 5 feet, a person with normal eyes can see at 400 feet. That is well over a football field in length. How sad is that. He also has a large case of astigmatism in one eye to go along with it. I got to watch the surgery on a TV in the waiting room. It was disgusting, absolutely made me sick.
We made a quick trip to Costco to bulk up our food storage. The drive home was nice. G.J. slept pretty much the whole way, and I listened to my wicked awesome new CD… “Totally 80’s” It is my favorite! One thing I learned from this trip. I’m not a fancy/city type person. G.J. and I thought of the money we spent on dinner and our hotel, and cringed. I would be just as happy at a meat and potatoes type restaurant and at a Hampton Inn/Marriott type hotel and be just as happy. So unless we get really really rich one day, we probably won’t go back to either of those places. This little getaway was great, it went so well, but all that really mattered was that I was with the person that I love.
p.s. I will post “after” pictures of G.J.’s eyes a little later, they are really really bloodshot right now. Have a great day and a great EASTER!

Here we Go!

So after weeks of anticipation, G.J. and I finally get a break----sort of. We are leaving the kids with my mom for Thursday and Friday and headed out to the city. We have a lot of shopping to do. I got some birthday money, and unlike what I have done in the past, I am going to actually spend EVERY cent of it on me. In years past, I usually forget myself and buy stuff for the kids instead. After looking at their closet's compared to mine, I decided there are no more excuses. I am getting me some stuff for my birthday with the money G.J's parents and my parents gave me no matter what. My brother got me a gift certificate for a massage, so I finally get to have that done. We are going to eat at The Melting Pot, which we have been wanting to do forever. G.J. got tickets to the Jazz game for his birthday. They are playing the Laker's, so it should be exciting. We are then staying at the Anniversary Inn, something we have wanted to do forever too. Our anniversary isn't until May 13th, but we figured we don't get away enough, so we might as well celebrate while we can. Friday morning G.J. is going to have his life changed FOREVER...lol, j/k that sounded intense didn't it. He is finally getting Lasik Eye Surgery. I am so excited for him. He has incredibly bad/blind eyes. His eyes are allergic to contact lenses, and so he has to have big thick glasses. I can't wait until he has the chance to see well like the rest of the world! He deserves it. After that, we have a gift card to Costco to use, that will be lots of fun...for me at least. So, wish us luck. It is going to be a whirlwind trip. We never get away, let alone get away without the kids. Even further than that, most of the things we are doing have already been paid for with gift cards, that makes it even better! So we are having a birthday, anniversary, shopping, eating, gaming, staying, surgery, etc.etc.etc. type of a trip,-sounds tiring to me, but I am excited. It sure seems that the kids have been naughty today. I think it is actually me so excited to have a little time alone, that I am being impatient with them. Well, have a good day, weekend, and Easter everyone! Stay tuned for pictures of our trip, if I even get a chance to take any!

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day was nice. The kids all had cute shirts so I had to take a picture. I cooked green spaghetti. Kayler LOVED it. He said, “mmmm. Mmmm.” -over and over. G.J. took Hallie and Gavin to “Horton Hears a Who” after Family Home Evening. Kayler doesn’t quite sit through movies so I took him to get an ice cream. That is his favorite thing to do. He screams, “cweme cone, cweme cone, cweme cone” the whole time we are in the drive thru at McDonald’s, and then gulps it down in seconds flat as soon as I give it to him. If he sees I still have some left, he cries for mine too. The kids and G.J. loved the movie. All in all, a boring yet nice day.
p.s. To all my readers, I feel bad if I don’t post often, but I feel worse when I post incredibly boring things. So sorry if you are ever bored or disappointed!!

Nice Weekend

What is wrong with this picture!!!??? You will notice the snow first off. Next, the winter sign that is frozen in the ground. My Easter bunny décor stuck in the pile of snow. And finally, my “SPRING” letters, and my sweet little girl, who wanted to try out her new rain gear in the snow. Then Gavin joined the fun and had to go to the back yard to see if it was any better there. Sad to say, this morning we woke up to 3-4 more inches of the good ol’ white stuff. It does not seem like spring, easter, or anything of the sort. Yuck. Oh well, it is melting fast.
This was a nice weekend. We had really wanted to go to our ward’s temple night on Friday, but had zero luck finding a babysitter. I was really sad. G.J. and I have been to the temple at least once a month since we first went over 8 years ago. I know that once a month is a lot more than some people go, but it is a lot less than a lot of people too. Right now in our lives it is just a realistic goal we strive for. There have been a few times when we have skipped a month. The last time we had gone was in December when my brother got married. Then Christmas came, our 15 January birthdays, our trip to Phoenix, Kayler’s hospital stay, and all sorts of other things. I am so ashamed that we hadn’t found the time to go. I was so disappointed that we couldn’t go on Friday. My parents had some friends come to town though (they are our friends too) so we just hung out with them Friday night. They have 2 adorable little girls. It was a nice evening.
Saturday my grandma called to tell me that a cousin of mine (whose husband recently passed away) was going through the temple that morning, and asked if I could go. I of course jumped all over that chance. I felt bad that G.J. had to stay home, but he is so good to me and knows how much I needed to go. I also knew that it was really important to go and be with and help my grandma. It was a good thing I went. She is 82, and growing frailer with each passing day. I will do a complete post on her later, there is just so much to mention. Anyways, it was a wonderful morning and I just cherish those kinds of moments. While I was in the temple with my grandparents, I had the strongest impression that it would be the last time-but the sense of peace I felt was wonderful.
Hallie had 2 birthday parties on Saturday, and she thought she was the coolest girl ever. I was driving her to the 2nd party when all my wildest dreams came true as I drove past a Girl Scout Cookie booth on the street. Yes, it was snowing, and like 25 degrees, but I didn’t care, those Samoa’s had been calling my name for a few weeks now.
Hallie said the FUNNIEST thing ever the other day. We passed a daycare, with kid’s toys and kids and all sorts of stuff. She said to me, “Oh look mommy, there’s an orphanage, how sad.” I just bust up laughing and told her it was a daycare. She had no clue what that was. I guess I had just assumed she did. She was very concerned that the other kid’s mommies take them there while they work. In her little mind they might as well have been orphans. How sad is that!? I know that it is necessary for some moms to do that, but I am so grateful that I have the chance to stay home with my kids, no matter how tiring, tedious, boring, or how much money we miss out on if I were to work.
So with the temple, the friends, the party’s, the cookies, the cute kids, ----minus the snow, it was a great weekend!

Me and Erin

So this post might be very boring for most, but it is important to me, and since this is my journal, I don’t want to forget this.
Erin and I met in the 9th grade. We were inseparable thereafter. You hear of people having soul mates, well she is my soul mate friend. We finish each other sentences, know exactly what each other are thinking, never have a dull or awkward moment, and just really get a long great. We had SO much fun together. As I look back on it, we really only hung out with each other back then. We would sometimes have boyfriends that were friends, and then the 4 of us would do stuff. We had lots of trips in her “gray ghost” car. She had her license before me, but was afraid to drive, so she would come pick me up and we (meaning me driving) would go all over. We once went on a 4 state road trip, along with my grandma and mom. That was so fun. I have just too many memories to even record.
I got married very young, and Erin headed off on her own course in life. She was a nanny in New Jersey and then came back and got married and moved right next door! I was so excited. We were both at different stages in life. She was having her first baby, and I was busy and overwhelmed with my 2 and I was pregnant again. I am so sad to say, but we only hung out a few times the whole time she lived right next door. We were visiting teaching partners though, so we did get to do that together. Now she is moving back into our ward, and I couldn’t be happier.
I talk to Erin on instant messenger a lot, and the other day, I was just really having a bad day. I told her I really needed to just “hang out”, just like the good ol’ times. She was needing a getaway too, so last night was the night.
Even though our lives have taken much different directions, we have always been there for each other, and the special bond we had was still just as strong and evident last night. We still think the same and enjoy the same things and have a lot of the same opinions. We decided to go shopping. Erin has great fashion sense, and I needed some help. We picked out a lot of clothes and headed to the dressing rooms. We started out in the same rooms, but then it just got too hard to go back and forth so yep…we brought all the clothes into the same room and had a blast. Back in high school we were always the exact same size, except her feet are smaller. Now, 8 years later and 3 kids for me and 2 for her, we are still the same size…I thought that was SO funny. Needless to say, we both left the store spending much more than we should have, but we both decided we deserve it.
We really needed a snack after that. It was like 9:30, so we got a root beer freeze and some yummy chocolate cake. As we were walking out, a car came speeding up to us. I was thinking, “Hmmm they must have an emergency or need directions, they did have an out of state license plate after all.” I don’t really like strangers, so I hopped into the car. They drove around to Erin’s side of the car and said, “Why hello ladies, how are you tonight?” Erin slammed the door, held up her wedding ring to the window and you should have seen the look on the poor kid’s faces. It was so funny. Erin was always my guy magnet in high school. She was the beautiful one, and attracted the guys. Looks like she has still got that charm!
We headed to Wal-Mart and did some Easter shopping. It brought back memories of our MANY Wal-Mart trips way back when. We had an obsession with chapstick, makeup, flip flops, clothes, jewelry, and etc.etc.etc.etc.etc.etc. What teenage girl didn’t, but we were OUT OF CONTROL. You just couldn’t stop us. We did stay away from the chapstick aisle, and I am happy to say that we are both the same-wanting to buy stuff for our kids. And that is just what we did.
I took her home a little after 10, both of us agreeing that we sure don’t have the energy we used to. We were so tired. I am so glad she went with me. It sure lifted my spirits a ton. I am so glad her husband let her come. Thanks Brian. I am so glad GJ is so good to me to let me get out once in a while. I always tell him a little break here and there makes a much happier wife and mommy. We both have great husbands, cute kids, and great lives overall. What more could we ask for. To Erin, thanks so much for being my “soul mate” of a friend. I am so excited to have her as a neighbor again, and to embark on this new chapter in our lives together. You’re the best! Have a great day!
p.s. she has a blog, the link is on the right. She has the cutest family.

My new cookbook

So my friend Janice likes to look at all sorts of blogs, and had become blog friends with a girl named Kelli from Washington. Well, Kelli got the link to my blog from Janice’s. I had posted one time about really not liking to cook, which is SO true. She left me the link to a really great cookbook she had found. I looked at it little closer and decided it would be really good for me. I HATE, with a capitol H-to cook. I hate the planning, grocery shopping, preparing, the time, the mess, the picky eaters who never eat my gourmet meal, and the mess. I have never enjoyed it. But, I know that my family needs to eat, duh. I did freezer type cooking for awhile (where you cook bulk amounts of food, freeze it, and unthaw and eat it). We really enjoyed that, but I just haven’t found the time or energy to do that again. We have done well so far, but just not anything very yummy, or probably not all that nutritious. So, I ordered the book. Our first meal went great. G.J., Kayler, and I all loved it. Gavin liked it o.k., and Hallie of course being a drama queen, gagged on her baked beans and told us she was going to die. I buy 2 weeks of meals at a time. Then I just go to the grocery story here and there for milk, bread, fruit, etc. It really saves a lot of time and money at the store. Here is a little info from the website:

"My Family Meal Planner includes a 12 month Calendar with meals planned for 4 days out of each week, all the Recipes that you need, and a weekly Grocery List. This 8.5 x 5.5 inch, coil bound book with laminated covers will be very helpful to any busy family. The grocery lists are included in the book, but to make it easier for you, it also includes a Magnetic Grocery List Notepad to put on your refrigerator. Just cross out what you already have, add any additional items you may need and head to the store.

IT IS SO SIMPLE! Meals are planned for 4 days a week, so you can still add in your family favorites or head to your favorite restaurants the other days!

I am a childcare provider and regulations require me to meet certain food groups for each meal. You and your family will be getting 1 meat, 1 bread, either 2 vegetables or 2 fruits or a fruit and a vegetable at every meal. You will also be getting Vitamin C daily and Vitamin A at least twice a week.

There are over 75 main dish recipes. Most recipes serve four to six people. Meals are quick and easy, including a crock pot meal almost every week. There is also room to add your own favorite recipes."

http://www.myfamilymealplanner.com/index.html

One thing to note as well, I would have to say this cookbook is very “mormon-ish” LOL. Did you know that Mormons eat a different way??? I don’t know if the author is Mormon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was. We still eat very good, but often in a less expensive, healthier manner than the rest of the world. We use foods that can be found easily in food storage. Anyways, some of the recipes in the book are exactly the same as some family recipes I have used for years.
So, thanks to Janice for blog hopping, and thanks to Kelli for taking the time to read my blog and give me advice and the link to this great cookbook. So to me, wish me good luck with my new cooking adventures, and to all of you, have a great day!

Likes and Dislikes

Dislikes of my weekend:
-Taking the kids out to dinner: They were naughty, service crappy, food yucky, bill expensive.
-Grocery Shopping: Too many people, not enough money, choosing what to buy, loading it in the cart, loading it to the register, loading it back in the cart, loading it in the car, loading it into the house, putting it all away. A nap sounded much better.
-Cleaning up 4 months of dog poo that suddenly appeared after the snow melted. Yuck, need I say more?
-Kayler is learning how to climb out of his crib.
-The time change always makes me ornery.
-I missed Women’s Conference.
-I stepped on the scale and had magically gained 6.5 lbs. I bet it had NOTHING to do with the whole bag of Doritos, whole package of Oreos, 27 mini candy bars, and 1 bag of Jelly Beans I ate last week. That just couldn’t be it.

Likes of my weekend:
-Having a break from the week.
-Sleeping In.
-Going to a bridal shower with my friends.
-Going to the play on a real date with GJ, I couldn’t even tell you the last time we did that.
-Kayler, who is NOT a snuggly baby, let me hold and rock him and sing him all my favorite primary songs. That meant a lot to me.
-Worth mentioning again…Sleeping in.
-Finally coming to the conclusion that no matter what other people say and do, or don’t say or do to me, or how bad it hurts, I have the best husband who loves me unconditionally, and 3 of the best, most beautiful, healthy, and happy kids, who love me too. All of us together, living in a beautiful home with food in our bellies and a car to drive-Ending the day with a prayer and hope for tomorrow. That is all that matters. I hope I can come to that conclusion every day.

I'm Losing It!

So I have posted on here before about my compulsive obsessive disorder with being organized and all about my little white board that helps me in that journey. Well, the other night, I was making my list for the next day. On Sunday nights, I write all the things that I have for that week, and then the night before, I erase them from the list at the bottom, and move them up to the top for the next day. I was doing that and my dry erase marker died out on me. Well in the process of getting a new marker, I forgot what I had erased and had to do the next day. I kind of panicked, but thought if it was very important that I would remember. Well, I didn’t and it didn’t hit me until the next day while eating breakfast what I had forgotten. I forgot picture day for Hallie. I sent her to school in a white shirt, her hair in an 80’s style side pony and she didn’t look “picture day ready” as I would have liked her to. As soon as I remembered, I called the school to see if 1st grade had taken pictures. They had, so I was out of luck. They were doing portraits for siblings at 12, so I took my boys in. I asked the photographer if I could see Hallie’s picture, he said no. I asked if they did retakes, he said no. What a helper he was. Oh well, It might be the best picture she has had! You never know. As if I wasn’t anal enough already with my list making, now I am even more so since I forgot something so important. I will always have a fresh dry erase marker close by too…Boy sometimes I think I need HELP! So, stay tuned for the pictures and have a great weekend!

EEEEK!!!

Caution, work in progress going on. I decided to get crafty this morning and play around with the layout on my blog. BIG MISTAKE! Kandice and HTML do NOT mix. I deleted all my friends, my site meter, my colored background, everything pretty much. I learned very quickly that I must be addicted to blogging when all that was deleted and I almost cried. SO, I am trying to fix it all. If your name is not on my friend list, and you would like it to be, please leave me a comment. I am trying to fix it. I left my personal blog guru (Stephanie) a message. I am also thinking I am desperate enough to bug Kristen, I think she is good at this stuff too. Please be patient, and stay tuned!

Kay-Kay's Horse

My sweet little niece Rachael calls my Kayler “Kay-Kay” She will be 2 in September, and he will be 2 in May. They are best buds. The name has stuck, and G.J. and I have found ourselves calling him “Kay-Kay” a lot lately. He is such a sweetheart. Such a stinker. Most of all, he is a joy to have around right now as he is learning to talk, play, and be silly.
He loves his bouncing horse in his room. We had to get a picture of him last night because he jumped as hard as his little body could. As soon as I brought in the camera, he stopped immediately and said, “cheese.” Hallie got the horse when she was the same age, and she did the same thing. She even bucked herself off on several occasions. It is crazy how similar Hallie and Kayler’s mannerisms are. I was watching some video of Hallie when she was around the same age as Kayler is now, and it is almost eerie how much alike their voices, actions, and personalities were at that age.
Kayler is finally starting to talk more, and mimic things we say. His latest word is “daddy” which he has said for a long time, but now he uses it with a meaning. He will wake up, look at me and say, “where daddy?” And then he will look for him and end up crying for a long time because he figures out he is not home. When I am getting after him for doing something naughty, or making him mad, he will cry “daddy!, daddy!, daddy!, daddy!” over and over thinking that will help. It is so funny, and I think it makes G.J. feel really good that his little boy loves him so much.
Another thing that he is doing that I am almost embarrassed to say is his knowledge in movies. We have a DVD player in our car, and he HAS to have a movie on no matter how far we are driving. He will watch nicely, until it is over or until the DVD menu comes up, and then he will say, “uh-oh, pu pway.” (push play) I think he learned that from Hallie and Gavin though.
He is truly a joy to our family. I feel like finally I am getting things right as I raise my 3rd child. The first two were trial and error, and now I am doing O.K., and don’t feel like such a failure. Since he is our last baby, we truly cherish every milestone. I find myself not wanting him to grow up, but I guess that is natural. He will always be my little “Kay-Kay.”

Salt Lake Trips

I have been reading G.J’s grandma’s journal the past week or so. It was compiled into a really nice hardback book along with other histories and pictures. Her name was Hallie Searle, so our Hallie is named after her. She was an amazing woman with 9 children. I imagine I will mention a lot of her experiences in the future, but the one that is most relevant at this time is our Salt Lake trips. To them, “back in the day” a trip to Salt Lake was a big deal. Today, although it is still a big deal, it is much easier, except if you have 3 kids under 7, one of which was being very naughty.
Our niece was being baptized today, so we really wanted to be there for her. We headed out yesterday at 2. We arrived at 5 and met up with family at the mall. My kids were over stimulated from being in the car for 3 hours. They were thirsty, hungry, had to go potty every 30 minutes, and were very enthralled by all the stores and what they knew they had to offer. We were waiting for a table at a restaurant nearby, which on a Friday night for a party of 16 is no easy task. After 2 hours or so of trying to keep the kids happy, we ate. Thank goodness for Grandma and Grandpa! It was really nice to see all of G.J.’s family that we don’t get to see all that often. Hallie and Gavin were being very nice, except for another Build-A-Bear Workshop drama. They wanted to do one so bad. I was nice enough to let them buy an outfit for the bears that they already have at home. (See picture) They wanted a picture in this little photo booth (see picture), but Kayler was NOT happy, and screaming, so while they are taking this picture he is throwing a fit in my arms.
Anyways, after dinner, we headed to G.J.’s sister Lorrie’s house. My kids just love her kids, and Lorrie was so sweet and hospitable to us. Kayler would NOT go to sleep. He has a strange phobia just like his mommy about sleeping at other people’s houses. He had only had a half hour nap, and yet there we lay at 11:00 with him giggling/screaming/playing/crying. He finally gave in and we all slept until 7 a.m. We had to be at the baptism at 9 a.m.
I was excited for Hallie and Gavin to see the baptism, since Hallie is going to be baptized this September. They do it differently on the Wasatch front. Each child has their own separate baptism, whereas here, they just have a big service for all the kids in the stake that have turned 8 and then herd them through the baptism process. I like the more personal thing, but I guess we will have a really special lunch/dinner for Hallie when it is her turn to make up for it. Kayler was a BEAST at the baptism and dinner. I just wanted to relax and have fun with family, but nope, he had other plans. As soon as they uncovered the baptismal font, his eyes just lit up and I could just see his little mind thinking, “I would love to go swimming in that water.” After a quick daydream on my part of that happening, I held on tightly to him in the hall, not wanting a scene like that to occur.
They had a nice brunch, and then we realized there was a storm moving in. The kids were tired. We had no money, no energy, and just wanted to get home. So as much as I would have liked to stay and visit and shop and play, it just wasn’t an option. SO here I sit, 24 hours after this journey began, already home from our quick trip. G.J. and I get to go back all alone on the 20th-21st, so that will be much funner. Even though it was not all that enjoyable, we are very blessed, and I thought several times of G.J.’s Grandma Hallie and the trials in her life, and the trips to Salt Lake that she made, and somehow it made it easier. I wish I could have met her, but by reading her journals I have felt connected in a way. Have a good day!