My sister

Isn't she gorgeous? Her and her husband on their first anniversary.

I had fun photoshopping this one. They almost look animated to me.

Spammity Spam Spam

Had to turn on the word verifier. I was getting way too much spam.

And I've got a post coming with lots more pictures and stuff from our CA trip. I know, I know....the suspense! lol

Attn: "the office"

Aria just said "Mommy, next time you have a baby, can you tell the office you want a girl baby?"

So, Obscure Baby Ordering Office, consider yourself informed. She has also requested that you include a red ribbon with said girl baby.

Thank you.

Baby milestone!!!

Gabe has uttered his first word.

Dada.

And I couldn't be more thrilled! It's so nice to have a Daddy's boy. When he calls for Dada, I'm off the hook!

Fun and...uh...not so fun (part 4...it was a long trip, there are lots of parts)

I forgot how much I love the beach! For the last few years I've even insisted that I hate the beach, but mostly because babies and the beach make for a big mess. But now that 2 of my three kids are bigger and can play without eating sand, it was much more fun! I even took Nathan and Aria boogie boarding. And Gabe...well, he ate the sand.

Theeeen, the not so fun part. Have I ever mentioned that I don't like the zoo? I mean, the first couple times I went weren't so bad. But there are only so many times that I can spend hours and hours walking around looking at animals in cages. Especially when they're things like deer. Not so interesting when I grew up with them in my back yard.

So, we went to the San Diego Zoo. Translation = really really big zoo with lots of hills and lots of concrete and lots of animals far away from each other and incredibly overpriced drinks. We were there for an hour and we saw like 2 animals. That's when we decided to stop pushing the double stroller around and ride the bus. The coolest things were that cute bear and the bamboo.

CA - part 3

While in CA, I got to meet a friend that I've known online for about 5 years and do pics of her family! Here are a few of them.

Our CA adventure - part 2

For some reason, lately when I've traveled to a temple to take pictures of it, it's been during the 2 weeks that it's closed and cleaning and maintenance is being done.

For this reason, I end up with unfortunate eye sores in my photos like you see to the left. The grass or flowers or whatever is usually in front of the temple is plain old dirt.

So, I had to come up with some creative workarounds to get decent pictures of the San Diego temple, which is one of my favorites.

This is what I came up with. Not too bad, in my opinion.

Thoughts?

Incidentally, we also went to visit the Mormon Battallion Visitors Center. They were showing the new Joseph Smith movie. It was quite good! I caught some interesting things that were referred to in a book I just finished reading. (Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith)

Our CA adventure - Part One

Taking three small children to So Cal for 9 days and living to tell about it is quite an accomplishment. I know, because I just survived it.

The first step is - the flight.

This step is a doozy. Three kids = three carseats, a double stroller, 6 carry-ons (Nathan's bag, Aria's bag, the diaper bag, the food bag, the camera bag and the laptop bag), 2 stuffed animals, 2 blankets, a Mei Tai (baby carrier) and a kid leash. We had to get all of that through security. Fortunately, we weren't "randomly" selected for a more thorough search. We just had to do the regular thing. You know, empty all your pockets, remove your shoes and belts, take the video camera and laptop out of their bags, put everything (including the double stroller) on a conveyor belt, then go through the metal detector one at a time. Half an hour later (and only short one keychain pocket knife), we were at the gate.

By this point, Aria was hysterical. It took some convincing (and dragging) to get her on the plane, but we did it. Nathan didn't care what was going on because he had his gameboy, and Gabe was just going with the flow.

I gave them their "airplane suckers" to keep their ears from plugging up and we took off. Aria was okay by this point and even having fun. She said "it's not so bad!" Then we landed, took off, landed, took off and landed again. (Same plane, 3 stops). The suckers and snacks kept their mouths busy, and Dave's laptop kept them entertained.

As we landed Dave asked Aria if her ears had popped. She responded by touching her ear and saying "nope. They're still there."

We arrived and started the juggling act again, only this time it was in and out of a shuttle, then into a rental, then to the hotel. (remember all that stuff? Yeah, it took forever)

But we made it and then the fun began!

Through my daughters eyes...and in her words

Just some comments that Aria made this last week...(we were in So. Cal on vacation!)

After a total meltdown before boarding the plane, we got into the air and she says "Hey Dad, you were right! It's not so bad!" (she was petrified of flying)

"It's the magical kingdom of Disneyland!" (said breathlessly)

"The magic goes into his (Gabe's) belly and makes him bigger and then he'll be able to walk!" (ever seen that Disneyland commercial where the baby takes his first steps at DL?)

"Even the ground is magical."

"Nephi is here!" (Hercules, lol...but I let her believe it was Nephi)

"Mom, I don't want to be a princess when I grow up, anymore. I want to be a dolphin trainer."

"Disneyland is funner than the Temple."

"How do I look?"

"NO MORE PICTURES!"

Speaking of pictures....they're coming soon!

83

83. That's how many hits my blog got today.

1007. That's the number of hits for this month so far.

5157. That's the total number of hits since I started blogging.

And how many comments do I have? Ok, I didn't actually count. But it's definitely not over 5000. Or even over 1000.

If you're going to stalk my blog, you might as well do it right and leave creepy comments. lol. (nice ones are okay too)

Under promise and over deliver

My website has different package desciptions on it. In those descriptions I have numbers. A mini-shoot gets you 5 photos, a shoot gets you 40 and a wedding gets you 100. I have yet to keep the actual numbers that low. For example, I did a wedding last weekend, but since I just did the photos right after the ceremony and didn't do the reception it was classified as a photoshoot (the one where you get 40 pictures). I just finished working on that one and there are 108 pictures. lol. I can't help it! If I have good pictures, I have to give them to you!

I did a mini-shoot (5 pics) last week too, and she's getting 11 pictures out of it.

Here's a few from the wedding. Thanks for the fun!

Very funny...

(note the sarcasm)

I was thinking about my job (working all night and the utter exhaustion that ensues) and I turned to the scriptures because all answers can be found there, right?

I grabbed the bible and just flipped it open. This is what I read. (Psalms 3:5)

5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.

haha.

Off to work in an hour and a half. Better get some sleep.

PS (re: Birthday Fever)

There are 12 more shopping days until Mistypalooza, so just in case you're taking notes...

Things I'm secretly hoping for.

1. A massage
2. A pedicure
3. A facial
4. A Ryan Shupe and the Rubber Band CD
5. A massage
6. Shoes (size 8 1/2-9)
7. A purse
8. Sleep
9. Did I mention a massage?
10. To feel special

And now a totally unrelated and random comment...

I just found out that my husband is afraid of ants. 6 1/2 years of marriage and I never knew this. He has a good reason though. Similar to my cow story, he once found himself covered in and being bitten my millions of ants. See? Good reason..

Birthday Fever!

Poor Aria. Her birthday is last.

My sweet Nathan is now 5. His birthday was yesterday. We had lots of fun. We set up a scavenger hunt that he woke up to, to find his present. He got to choose all the meals for the day (all he wanted was pancakes, lol) and I made him an xbox cake. All in all it was a good day!

But Aria is having a hard time waiting. She LOVES birthdays. Really really loves them. Every single day she asks whose birthday is next. We run down the line of family members until we get to her Uncle Bud because his is right before hers. Then she says AND THEN IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!

In December.

Every day she makes birthday cards for random people. Every time she asks me how to spell Happy Birthday *insert name here* I love you dear *insert name here* then she draws a heart and signs her name.

She looooves to give and get presents and loves parties.

Guess whose birthday is next? MINE! It's in less than 2 weeks and guess where I'll be? DISNEYLAND!

YAY!

Road trip!

Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go...

Sounds idyllic, right? Well, whoever wrote that song has obviously never been on a roadtrip with children. I have, though, and I know the truth.

It's supposed to be a three hour drive between my house and my parents' house. Doesn't sound so bad, but it's boring. We tried to play I Spy and it went something like this.

Aria: I spy with my little eye, sumfin.....that's green and on the ground and you walk on it.

Nathan: Grass!

Aria: Yes!

Nathan: I spy with my little eye, something that's....big and blue and has white fluffy things in it.

Dave: The sky!

Nathan: Yes!

Dave: I spy with my little eye, something that's black and really long and cars go on it.

Nathan: The road!

(you get the idea)....

So I Spy didn't last too long.

We tried to sing songs, but the kids would fight over the song that was chosen. They fought over the movie when we tried to watch one, Aria kept randomly screaming at the top of her lungs to see Gabe get startled. Then she'd laugh. I was trying to catch up on some sleep, but that was next to impossible with the "are we there yets" and Dave's neverending song. ("80 more miles and we will be there, 80 more miles and we will be there, 80 more miles and we will be there...." Sung for a mile at which point he'd drop his number. "79 more miles and we will be there, la la la!" Fun times, I tell ya.)

Then there are the potty breaks. Before we left, I said "who has to go potty?" and they responded "Not me!" I double and triple checked and pleaded with them to just try. Nothin' doin'. So we drove away. Not ten minutes later Aria yells "I have to go potty!" So we stop at a "potty station" (her words) and she takes care of business. While there, I ask Nathan about 6 times if he has to go. No, no, no. So Aria's taken care of and we leave. 10 minutes later....yup, you guessed it. Nathan has to go. So, we find a potty station for him and he goes. I check with Aria again. She says no.

Silly me for believing her. Maybe 30 minutes later she has to poo. I beg her to hold it in for a while because we're at that stretch of road with nothin' but sky, grass and pavement. She does and we finally find another potty station. She goes while I call work to let them know I'll probably be late (hence the reason I was trying to sleep...I had to stay up all night to work). We get moving again. I'm thinking that can't possible need to go again. We're an hour away. Everything will be fine.

Then... the silence is broken by the angry cry of a baby that clearly states "FEED ME!" So, we stopped again. I nursed Gabe and we resumed the drive.

I managed about 20 minutes of shut-eye and we were home and I left for work.

Over the river and through the woods, my foot. Pshaw.

Let's play "Name That Bootie"

Here ya go....the cutest little bootie ya ever did see. Plastered online for the entire world. Who does it belong to? I'm sure you could easily guess, but I'll give you a hint...he's little, and cute and oh so mischievious.


Did you guess Gabe? Cuz you'd be right. Here's the rest of that picture. This is Gabe, my 7 month old CLIMBING THE STAIRS.

Did you catch that? SEVEN months old, CLIMBING the stairs.

Why do I feel like this is the beginning of a very long and adventurous 18 years?

It was bound to happen

You know when you hear those stories about other peoples' kids and you heave a mental sigh of relief because your sweet little angel has never done that...

well...

I just got a call from the police department, Nathan called 911. Twice. We had a talk about how you only call that number when there's an emergency and I asked him if he thought there was an emergency.

His response? "Well, my bedroom light burned out."

Do people actually use those?

You know those eye cover thingies that you see in the movies when the snobby lady is abruptly awakened from sleep and she's all rumpled and pushes it up onto her forehead?

Yeah, I want one. I like it to be dark, dark, dark when I sleep so I tend to put my head under the covers, but that doesn't work so well in the summer heat. Plus, it gets stuffy under there. Hard to breathe.

So one of those eye cover thingies would be cool.

Tween!

What a cool kid! He's only 12 and he's in the local children's chorus and he's been in some traveling broadway shows and even had the lead role in Oliver! He was laid back, easy to
talk to and very respectful. Good job, Mom!

These are his headshots... oh, and props to Rach (my sister) for a great looking haircut
and style!

I can't decide between these next two, what do you think? It's the same picture, just cropped differently. 1 or 2?

Our poor kids!

I overheard a conversation between two mothers at swimming lessons today. They were discussing the various activities that their pre-school aged children were involved in.

Obviously, they're in swim lessons (5 days a week for at least 2 weeks, but they were both at the last session and are planning on the next, so that's daily for at least 6 weeks). During the conversation I also heard mention of Kindermusik, park days, dance classes, more swimming and Art Fest. (remember, these kids aren't even in school yet!) Last week a little girl came to swimming lessons in a baseball uniform and left in a dance leotard.

What are we doing to our kids?

What ever happened to just playing? Using their imagination and creativity and just being kids? We've got them so over scheduled and over worked at such a young age! Why are we pushing them to do everything?

Is it because we think we can do everything? Well you can't. And neither can your kids. I vowed today to just let my kids be kids. We're doing swimming lessons for their own safety (everyone should know how to swim) but other than that, nothin'.

Aria wants to take "Vallerina" classes in the fall and I'll probably let her since Nathan will be in school and I'm not starting her in pre-school yet. Sports will come when they're a bit older and can understand them more. Music lessons of some sort are necessary, in my opinion, but not until they're ready to commit to them and they have the finger dexterity and/or breath capacity to succeed.

You want your kids to learn everything? Take them to the library. That's what books are for. When they find something they're passionate about, then shell out the cash for lessons, but keep it simple. Let them set their own pace and you just step back and encourage them.

Stop breaking both of your backs in this misguided attempt to create a race of super-humans that can "do it all."

Sunday Soapbox

Hey, they still start with same letter.

Short and sweet today, because I'm tired.

I just got a part time night job at an assisted living center as a care giver. It's really my first time being around elderly people who can't fully care for themselves and I'm sad. Some of them are alone in there. They have family, the family just doesn't come. Why? I don't get it. In a perfect world, it would just be the circle of life. These sweet old ladies and gentlemen cared for their children for years and years. The children should be returning the favor. I realize some of them require full time care, but some of the families don't even visit! Ever.

So, if any of you have a relative in an assisted living center, go visit.

That's all.

Fooled them all!

Just smile and nod. Then you're not really lying.

Like when you are invited to a dinner group that is being planned by the Elders Quorum and the first one is at the EQ President's house. It's all planned among the men, so you find out last minute that you're in charge of a fruit salad.

It's one of those days and you're still not home by 5 (dinner's at 6) so you swing by Safeway with the intention to get some fruit, rush home, chop and mix.

You run inside, all the while running the next hour through your head... (ok, I'll get home, take the kids inside, nurse the baby, change his diaper, wash my hands, chop the fruit, grab something to eat since I probably won't be able to eat whatever they're having on the lovely TED, wash hands and faces of three kids, Dave will get home, off to the dinner). You walk by the deli and something catches your eye. Angels sing from heaven, pre-made Ambrosia Fruit Salad! No washing, chopping or mixing! Pour it in a bowl, cover with saran wrap...nobody will know the difference!

And they didn't. In fact they were quite impressed with my delicious fruit salad.

Smile and nod.

And then write a thank you note to Safeway.

Did you ever wonder what makes your keyboard work?

Yeah, me neither. But apparently Nathan was curious.

Guess what?

It's 11:33 PM and 2 of my 3 kids are still awake.

That's all.

6 weeks along...

I've never shared my photography on here before...but that's about to change. Feel free to comment!

She just found out she's pregnant. I'll be doing a shoot every month for the pregnancy, then compiling it with her feelings each month. What do you think? Did I capture the feelings you have when you find out you're pregnant with your first child?

Soapbox Saturday

My last post got me thinking about this again so it's my soapbox for today.

Body image. Specifically for women.

I hate hate hate that we live in a society where the "perfect" body is shoved down our throats constantly.

I hate that it's totally fine for JLo (or half the teens in the country) to wear next to nothing (remember her see-through dress? Or the one cut to her belly button?) but discreet breastfeeding in public is not only "gross" but a woman can be kicked out of a public place and even sited with breaking the law for doing it!

I hate that my gorgeous friends and family members don't realize how stunning they are.

I hate that women see the body changes that come from pregnancy and child birth as scars and not badges of honor!

I have three children. I've seen the things they pick up. Too often we assume that they're too little to understand. Don't make that mistake! Your daughters are watching you. They will internalize and mimic the things they see from you. Please don't put yourself down! Especially in your childs presence.

Do not teach your daughter that she is anything less than her perfect self by commenting on what you believe are your own imperfections. Because, guess what? She thinks you're beautiful.

Do not teach your son that women should be anything but revered and respected by not respecting yourself. He loves you and thinks you're perfect just the way you are.

DO NOT buy into the "model" image that you see in magazines. If you find yourself thinking that magazine photos are real, bookmark this site. Go there now. GO! (I know some of you don't click links...click that one!) Scroll over her picture with your mouse. If that doesn't convince you that they're fake then I don't know what will.

Now, don't go thinking "sure...she can say all this, she just lost 90 lbs," because I thought I was hot in the first picture too. It's not uncommon for me to just announce to whoever's around (usually it's my husband) that I think I'm hot. I distinctly remember saying it on both of the days those pictures in the post below this were taken.

I'm not saying you shouldn't take care of yourself. I always feel my best when I get dressed (I'm usually a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl) and do my hair right when I get up. (as opposed to lounging in my jammies...not uncommon for a stay home mom of three). I keep a low maintenance hair style on purpose. I buy clothes that are flattering to my build and I try to look nice. Because when I feel good about myself, it's easier to stand tall and announce how "hawt" I am!

But I don't worry about the little things. I don't wear much make-up (usually just powder and mascara), and I don't obsess over my "imperfections." I'm proud of my body and it's ability to safely deliver three beautiful children, regardless of the badges of honor it left behind in the form of stretchmarks and bagginess. I like my crooked smile and it's okay that my eyes are set too far back to use an eyelash curler because I got them from my dad and he's the best.

One of My Online Friends (MOFs) says something that I often think of when I hear someone worrying about those "last 5 lbs" or wanting to surgically "enhance" anything on their body. I share it with you now and you have to promise to internalize it!

All of you need to remember to STAND IN YOUR MAJESTY like the QUEEN that you are!

Do not allow anyone, especially yourself, to push you down. You are beautiful and talented and each and every one of you is a child of God and He doesn't make mistakes.

Dude, I'm hawt!

I hit my goal weight. Hit it and now I just might pass it. WOOT!

This is me 7 months ago, tipping the scales at almost 230 lbs. I ended up going over 230 lbs, but the only picture I have of me at that weight was right after I gave birth and I don't want to scare you away forever. I realize I was pregnant and it's a good excuse to gain weight...but still. 230. Yuck.

This is me 90 lbs later. I weighed in at 145 today. I set that goal weight thinking I'd never hit it. I wasn't really expecting to get past 155. But I did.

That's me on the left, the hottie on the right is my sister. See? HAWT! (what? I'm not vain...)

I know, I know...

I missed my Saturday Soapbox...but I've got some great ones planned. Don't you fret!

Today, just a little randomness...

I've been on the lookout for some kind of bar, cookie, teething biscuit...anything that I can give poor Gabe. His diet (besides breastmilk) consists of pureed carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, apples and pears, and plain puffed rice. Today I scoured Huckleberries (natural food store) for something and found it! Nana Banana cookies! They're vegan and free of gluten, eggs, dairy, sugar, corn, etc. I think Gabe thought he was in heaven. He gobbled it up. They're pricy (3.20 for 5 bars) but he can eat them!!!

Gabe is cutting his second tooth and it's a doosy! It's right there but is taking forever to pop through the gums. He's not enjoying it so much.

Nathan had hives for like 2 weeks, but I havn't seen any in a couple days. Fingers crossed!

I drove by one of those signs at the bank today and it said 98 degrees. WAY too hot for May.

Someone called today looking for a wedding photographer. Cross your fingers that I get it! The wedding is in 2 weeks!

Only half a brownie

Andrea and Vanessa get to split a cyber brownie because they were closest! "Sunshine" and "Whiskey and Wine" are tracks 8 and 9 on my Matt Costa CD. Those are Nathan and Aria's favorite songs right now so they fight over who gets to listen to which one first and it's quite amusing!

My sister can't wait for someone at church to ask Nathan what his favorite song is....lol

And for your listening pleasure...click for Sunshine. I can't find an mp3 of Whiskey and Wine. You'll just have to suffer without it.

Oh, and here's your brownie!

I.am.a.mom.

I'm also a photographer, but first, I'm a mom.

So please be understanding if I show up with your prints and my son doesn't have shoes on because he took them off before getting into his booster seat and buckling in and I didn't notice til we were already there.

And please don't judge me when I show up to see if you'll carry my business cards and my son is covered in hives and exhausted from Benedryl and collapses on your waiting room furniture like he's going to pass out or something. Also, thank you for being willing to give my daughter a drink of water when she suddenly decided she was dying of thirst and saw that you had a sink and little cups her size.

And suppose you call the number on my business card and a three year old answers the phone. Thank you for hanging up before she brought it to me because I was in the shower and that would have just been weird. Also, thanks for calling back.

And if you come over and my house smells like a chimney, it's just because my son wanted to warm up his chocolate chip cookie (because they're better that way), but when he put it in the microwave he accidentally set it for 5 minutes instead of 5 seconds and it got burnt to a crisp. Makes for some stink.

I did manage to get the unfolded laundry shoved into the laundry room and the door shut and the rug vacuumed and the kids all banished to their bedroom before my potential client showed up though!

So yeah...I'm a mom.

Cyber brownies to the winner!

An argument my kids had today.

Aria: Mom, I want sunshine.
Nathan: NO! MOM, I want whiskey and wine!
Aria: NO! SUNSHINE!
Nathan: NOOO! I NEED WHISKEY AND WINE!
Aria: SUNSHINE!
Nathan: WHISKEY AND WINE!
(etc, etc)

Anybody know what they're talking about? (Rach, you're not allowed to guess. :P)

Crazy, crazy day....

Wanna hear about it?

I got up and called a bunch of gyms to see if any were hiring in the childcare dept. (since I could take my kids with me to work...it's ideal for now) They had all "just filled the opening." Bah. So, I took the kids to my sisters house and then started driving all over town. In the next 8 hrs I....

-went to the music store, ordered Suzuki for piano, level 1 for Aria.
-went next door to Rocket Bakery and put a pile of business cards on the bulletin board.
-went to Huckleberries, bought some dark chocolate and Xylitol (natural sweetener I want to try) and put a pile of business cards on their bulletin board.
-went home and picked up my sisters gardening tools that I forgot
-stopped by Gold's gym, filled out an app and was hired on the spot as an "on-call" childcare worker. I'm the back-up if someone is sick or misses work.
-went to the Post Office and mailed my first print sale from my Yessy Gallery. (Columbia River Temple)
-went to Shopko to pick up some picture frames (40% off)
-went to Fred Meyer and got some fruit and tried to put some business cards up, but they don't do that.
-went to my Dr's office with a framed print and some business cards for her.
-went to a women's clinic to see if they would carry a print and business cards. They said yes. So I left them there too.
-went to the YMCA to see if they were hiring. They weren't, but I left an app anyway.
-picked up the kids
-came home to make dinner for the missionaries and an investigator.
-made cookies, FROM SCRATCH and stroganoff
-investigator backed out, so we just fed the missionaries and watched a movie about the restoration.
-listened to Dave tell the story about getting arrested on his mission for umpty-bazillionth time. (it's ok...it's a good story)
-bathed the kids, read stories, tucked in.

*sigh*....it was a loooong day.

edited to add...I forgot two things. I also went to a consignment shop to trade some baby clothes in. Got a credit for $2.50. woot. And I went to the bank to see about refinancing some stuff.

Soapbox Saturday

Lots of bloggers do a weekly post like About Me Monday or Wild Card Wednesday so I decided to do Soapbox Saturday. Weekends are usually pretty slow in internet-land so it's a good time for me to talk about the things that nobody wants to hear. And I have lots of things like that! So, my first soapbox speech is about religion....

I used to be pretty involved in some online religious debate. In case you don't already know, I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, often referred to as LDS or Mormon.

Online debates fall into a couple different catagories. First, there are the debates with atheists. Those don't work out so well, because there is no common ground. For example, if you're debating abortion, you have the common ground of the fact that abortions happen. With religion, one of you has faith, the other one has science and there's nowhere to start. At least, not in my experience.

The funner debates are the ones with "True Christians", aka Born Agains, aka Fundies. You have the basis of faith and then you go to town on who's "right." Granted, nobody really ever wins, but I enjoyed them because I learned SO much about not only their religions, but my own.

Most other religions are pretty open minded. My experience with Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc has been basically good. They tend to have their beliefs and we have ours. It reminds me of the 11th article of faith "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." But my experience with Fundies online and in real life (except for Amy) has been less than positive. I've been told everything from I'm in a cult, to I'm leading my kids straight to hell. Nice.

So, I made it my goal to just try to show them that Mormons aren't crazy. I figured if I could get just one person who hated/pitied us before to admit that maybe we weren't that bad, then I'd have lessened some of the worlds anger and hate by one teeny little iota. And that was good enough. So, I debated for a couple of years. And I was able to better inform some people and that made me happy. But more importantly, I learned A LOT.

So my soapbox today is the Godhead vs the Trinity. Fundamental Christians (in fact most other denominations) believe in the Trinity. They believe that God, the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all one being. They usually describe them as existing everywhere and in everything. They use analagies like the sun (The sun is God, the light is Jesus, and the heat is the Holy Spirit...three manifestations of one object). Ok...I get it. But it's wrong.

Did you know the nature of God (the trinity) was decided by a group of men in a council in AD 451. LONG after Christ lived. That decision (the three in one thing) has been expounded upon by many different religious leaders over the years, and none of it is biblical.

So, why do the scriptures say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are "one?" Because they're one in purpose, in mission, in belief. The apostles were told to be "one" even as the Father and the son are one. So, did they meld into one shapeless being to fit the definition of one? Nope. They were to be united. One in purpose. But each a seperate individual.

When Christ was on the earth, he prayed to his Father (seperate being). When he was baptized, Christ was physically in the water, a voice was heard from heaven (his Father), and the Holy Spirit descended. All three beings of the Godhead were there, but seperately. And that is the Godhead. Three distinct individuals, united in purpose. "To bring to pass the eternal life and imortality of man."

This next part is my favorite. I think it's really interesting. This is ancient art depicting the Godhead and how it changed with the passing of time and the accepting of the Nicene Creed.

First, they're depicted as three seperate beings.

Then the Father and the Son are depicted seperately, with the Holy Ghost represented by a Dove.

Finally, they are depicted as one being with three heads or three faces.

Isn't that cool?

If you're interested to read a more in depth discussion on this topic, read Trinity and the Nature of God, a chapter from the book "Are Mormons Christian?" by Stephen E. Robinson.

The wise man lives in my back yard

We have a shed in the back yard for our lawn mower, garden tools, etc. Today the kids were out there playing and they found some old water balloons from the previous owners. They came inside and Nathan told me he found them in the Wise Man's house. Unsure of what he was talking about, I asked if he meant the shed out back? He said... "Yeah, the Wise Man's house. You know, cuz it's built on rocks."

I wonder what he'll say if he ever meets someone that lives on the beach...

Happiness is...

-Waking up to Aria quoting Willy Wonka in your face. "Good morning, Starshine! The earth says HELLO!"

-Dancing to the B52s (Love Shack, Cosmic Thing) with your kids whilst they giggle unabashedly. There is nothing cuter than all three of them giggling at the same time.

-The first time your baby blows a raspberry at you.

-New shoes for me and for Aria.

-Those shoes on SALE!

-Beautiful sunshiny days in spring. (not too hot, not too cold!)

-A good book.

-Endangered Species dairy free dark chocolate with mint. I can eat it, and as a bonus, I help save the animals!

-Having sisters.

I could go on...but I'll spare you the continual gushing. Have a great day!

I will NEVER...

Have you ever said you would never do something and then a few years later, you turn around and do just that? Well, I do it all the time.

A few examples.

One time one of my parents said they thought I would marry someone who worked in an office. (I know, random). I believe my response was something like "uh, no way, never." My husband is a software developer/tester. Yup, office.

I used to emphatically exclaim "I will NEVER own a mini-van!" Well, it came time to get a larger vehicle, and economy won out in the end. I drive a Dodge Caravan. (which, ironically, is also the specific minivan I least wanted to own).

A couple years ago, I was walking down the street in the city I now live in with my youngest sister. She sighed and said "I love it here, I'm going to move here as soon as I can." I said "not me. I'll never live here." And now I can't picture myself raising my kids anywhere else.

So now, I've found myself entering another paradigm shift of something I thought would "never" change. My parenting style.

On one level, I've always believed that every person, every child is different and what works for one doesn't work for all. I still believe that. But on another level, as a parent, I've identified myself as "AP" (attachment parenting) and I'm finding myself fighting against the label now. So, I began mentally examining my real parental beliefs and actions against traditional AP beliefs and actions.

Breast-feeding. I breast feed my babies. I've read the studies and I made the conscious decision to breast-feed. Through further examination though, I don't really do it for the "right" reason. It comes easily to me. I've never dealt with engorgement, cracked/bleeding nipples (rofl, I can just imagine the kind of hits this post is going to get with words like these in it) or mastitis. Sure, I leak like a faucet, but that's easy to deal with. A little Lansinoh nursing pad in place and it's all good. But why do I breastfeed? Really? Money and laziness. I'd rather not pay for formula when my body makes milk for free and I'd rather not get up in the middle of the night to make a bottle when I can attach baby to the boob and go back to sleep.

Co-sleeping. I kind-of co-sleep. Again, I've read the studies and the debates and made the decision to do it. Sometimes. I nurse my kids to sleep, then lay them in their own bed. When they wake up the first time, I go get them, bring them to my bed, attach them for another feeding and go back to sleep. They finish the night in my bed. Maybe once a week or so, one of my older kids will show up in my bed early in the morning and that's okay too. Wanna know why? I'm sleeping and I don't want to interrupt it to move a kid back to their own bed.

It's all about me, baby.

Baby wearing. I own three baby wearing devices. A ringed sling, a mei-tai (chinese style front/back carrier) and a wrap. I use them all depending on what I'm doing. AP parents believe that if you literally attach your child to you whenever possible, then you will have a happier, healthier baby and a stronger bond with that baby. My views on babywearing? Depends on the kid. With my oldest, I didn't really know anything about it, so he rode in strollers. No biggie. With my second, I started with a double stroller, but later found it was easier (again, for me) to wear her and push Nathan. With Gabe, when we're out and about, I generally will wear him and use the sit and stand stroller for the other two. Although, lately I've been using the stroller more for him (he's getting heavy!) I very rarely wear my kids at home. If we're home, they're in the swing, the saucer or crawling around getting into stuff. Or I'm just holding them (like now...Gabe is zonked on my lap and I'm typing.) If I'm making dinner and he's crying, then he cries til I'm at a point where I can solve his problem. I don't automatically respond to a cry and I don't wear him constantly to avoid cries.

Spanking. I still don't spank. I still believe in positive reinforcement over punishment. But....I spanked Aria a couple times before I really truly converted to not spanking. She totally zoned out, it had no effect on her. So, in all honesty, I don't spank because it doesn't work for my kids. No other reason.

Cloth diapering. I've considered it, but I'll probably never do it. Too much work and I don't want to make the investment into cloth diapers, especially if I didn't follow through long enough to actually save money. I'm sure some of you are thinking, it's not that hard! It's totally worth it! So, let me give you a rundown of a typical diaper change.

-lay baby down
-locate new diaper
-find baby, put him back on his back
-locate wipes
-flip baby back over
-remove soiled diaper
-wipe
-wrap wipes inside soiled diaper
-flip baby over again
-put new diaper on (probably flipping baby over a couple times during the process)
-snap the onesie back up...maybe put pants back on. Not always necessary.
-throw diaper in the general direction of the nearest garbage can to pick up next time I go that direction. (this will change when his poo starts to stink...there will be plastic bag locating in the list so I can tie up the stinky diaper before I toss it towards a garbage can)

You see? Cloth diapering just won't work for me.

So...what's my real parenting style? LBP. Lazy Bum Parenting. My beliefs are...

-Know your children and what makes them tick
-Love them unconditionally

and

-Do whatever you want as long as nobody gets hurt and everybody is happy but don't expend too much energy on it.

Seriously, though. I'm starting to move away from the total absorbtion parenting style. I want to raise independent (but family oriented) children and I want to have my own identity in the meantime. I consider myself independent, but I'm still very close to my parents and siblings. I can be a good mom (perhaps a better mom) by allowing time to just be me. I can teach my children to find themselves by knowing myself. I can encourage family unity without smothering them in "togetherness."

A few days ago, Aria was sitting alone on the back porch. I asked her if she wanted to come play with the rest of us and she said "no, I just want to be alone right now."

And I knew exactly how she felt.

Through the eyes of a child.

I had so much fun yesterday! We went to a gorgeous park near here and just walked all around. Before leaving, we were discussing Nathan's sandals. They're a bit small. I tried to tell him that he needed sandals that fit. He was less than thrilled with this idea, because he loooooves Spiderman. His solution was ... "If we clip my toes so they're all as long as my pinky toe, then
they'll fit!"








Then as we were walking Nathan said "LOOK! A spitting chicken! Wait, that's not a spitting chicken, it's a flying truck!"

What do you think?


















And, in the spirit of randomness... I was watching American Inventor last night and listening to my husband, yet again, tell me about his idea. He's absolutely certain that this invention will be huge! He says he's going on the show if they have another installment. What's the idea?

Chair pants.

He wants to make pants, with a folding stool/chair somehow attached so that at fairs, carnivals, just walking down the street, one can sit down anytime, anywhere. No more looking for open seats, no more sitting by smelly strangers. Just sit on your very own attached chair at any given moment.

What do you think? Good idea? Weigh in now!

6 weird things about me

I was tagged by Stacy so now I'm supposed to share 6 things about me that are weird. It took me a while to come up with any cuz who really thinks they're that weird? But then I remembered a lot of reasons that I'm weird. So here we go.

1. I only eat white Smarties. And I only eat Smarties when they're given to me. I get very sad if I'm given Smarties and there are no white ones in the package. What a waste! Along the same lines, Skittles must be eaten by alternating the colors from yuckiest to yummiest, always ending with the yummiest (which, by the way, is red.)

2. I tried to break my own leg when I was 11. I was apparently feeling a need for attention and I'd never had a broken bone, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I tied a rope to a tree, then my leg to the rope and I ran away from the tree until the rope tightened and I fell. Fortunately, I wised up after falling once (okay, it was three times) and stopped trying to break my leg. I still have never broken a bone.

3. I have a thing about even numbers. For example, my kids. I want an even number of children so there is no "middle" child. I want each child to have another child close to them. I used to want twins, but now that I have three kids it would mess up my even numbers thing. Nathan and Aria are a pair. Gabe needs a younger sister (boy, girl, boy, girl...even and patterned) and then we can adopt 2 kids (internationally) a boy and a girl of course. If I had twins, then they'd have each other and Gabe would be stuck in the middle and I might be forced to have 8 kids (even number) if I still want to adopt, and that just might make me crazy. Of course, even then, Gabe would be stuck in the middle of 2 sets, cuz there would be a long time between him and the one that came after the twins and if there are twins between Gabe and his "pair" then it would still be messed up.....ok, I'll stop now.

4. I'm afraid of cows. When I was growing up, we raised cows and somehow I always got picked to go get the dumb cows if they got out of their pen. (I remember hiding behind trees and throwing rocks) They're big and ugly and snotty and smelly and big. Did I mention big? And one time I was out feeding the chickens and the rooster decided to attack me, so I stepped on it's head so it would stop pecking me and while I was standing there trying to figure out how to make a break for it, the cow came up behind me and TRIED TO MOUNT ME. Yup, cow hooves landed on my shoulders. I've never moved so fast in my life. I think I actually flew over the fence to get away from those crazy farm animals. Therefore, afraid of cows.

5. I believe in holistic and natural remedies. I used to see a Naturopath, but now I see a DO. I think MDs are stupid. (at least the ones I have experience with)

6. I love eggs on toast with strawberry jam. I dip my grilled cheese sandwhiches in milk (or tomato soup). If I'm eating pancakes, eggs and sausage, the syrup goes on everything, but if I'm eating hashbrowns, eggs and sausage then ketchup goes on everything.

Heather, Sara, Bela, Kermit, Vlyb and Jenn (Mrs. Chia)....tag, you're it!

Another day at the children's museum...

We went again on saturday. (we have a year pass). But this time we took my brother, his girlfriend, her daughter, my sister and her husband. All the kids had a blast! And when I say all, I mean ALL of them.

Case in point.





My brother, brother-in-law and husband at the water table.










The gear table....














Putting on a show with a crash test dummy...













riding the plasma cars....





























....and playing with the back-hoe.









YAY for the children's museum!

She's a Maaan - Eater!

We went to the children's museum with some friends today. She has two boys, so Aria was the only girl with 4 boys (counting my two, but Gabe wasn't exactly involved.)

After a while they decided to put on a show for me and my friend. Nathan and J- dressed up in dragon costumes and Aria put on a tutu and started spinning and leaping and dancing across the stage.

The dragon boys tried to chase her around (shouting things about bombs and firepower) and with all the drama she could muster she thrust her hand out to stop them and exclaimed "I AM A GIRL! I am a beautiful ballerina (only she says vallerina) and I am PRETTY! You bad guys can NOT get me because I am SO PRETTY and I will EAT you!" Then she put her hands on her hips, glared at them and made chomping motions with her mouth.

They left her alone after that and she was free to dance all over the stage.

Books, books, books

I have got to stop reading.

No, seriously.

In just the last week I read three books and my house is destroyed, my kids have watched too many movies and played too many video games and I'm not getting enough sleep because I stay up to read.

I really love to read. A lot. A good book and a hot bath, a good book and a big comfy chair by a window or a good book and a cup of hot cocoa (organic cocoa and rice milk) are some of my favorite ways to pass time. I carry whatever I'm currently reading with me in my purse and snatch a few minutes here and there whenever I can. Sitting down to nurse Gabe is a great excuse to read too.

The books I read can be divided into two catagories. Fluff books and thinking books.

Fluff books are usually novels. Reading a good LDS romance or humor novel (good story, a little corny, but no language or sex scenes to worry about) is one of my favorite ways to wind down. Other books that fall in this catagory are teen literature. Harry Potter, The Traveling Pants books, and others like those. Usually the teen lit is easy on the language and sex scenes too, which I prefer. I can usually blow through a fluff book in a matter of hours.

Thinking books are 2 different kinds of books for me. They can also be novels, but they're deeper. I read them a bit slower and take time to think about what I'm reading. Novels that fall into this catagory are ones like "The Giver," "Memoirs of a Geisha" or "The Da Vinci Code." The other kind of thinking books are non-fiction and usually LDS. I enjoy studying the deeper doctrines of the church. Some of my favorites are "The Peacegiver," "Eve and the Choice Made in Eden," and "Life Everlasting."

So last week I read three books. One fluff book that I didn't really like ("In Her Shoes") and two thinking books that I very much liked. ("Memoirs of a Geisha" and "The Da Vinci Code.")

But now I need to take a break. I need to finish cleaning the house (my wonderful husband cleaned the kitchen and started the laundry before work this morning!!!!) and I need to focus on my kids. Guess where I'm taking them after lunch today?

The library.

The coolest Easter ever!

We had so much fun today I hardly know where to start! I actually jotted notes throughout the day so I wouldn't forget all the funny things that happened.

Today began by carrying over a tradition that I grew up with. Every Easter my mom made egg gravy over toast for breakfast. Usually it was colorful egg gravy, cuz she made it out of the eggs we dyed, but I deprived my kids of that particular part of the tradition this year. (it's okay, we'll start next year with the egg coloring).

My sister and her husband came over for breakfast and we made the egg gravy. Neither of us had ever made it before so we were a little nervous. We ran into a couple snags like not having any regular flour and not enough milk, but I had some rice flour and rice milk that worked just as well. Rach was having issues peeling the hard boiled eggs (I don't know what the problem was, I peeled them just fine...) and at one point was throwing the shells into the bowl for the chopped up eggs. Soooo....she had to pick the shells out. We succeeded though! It was so yummy! Just ask Aria. She was like a broken record.

"this is SO yummy"
"Mommy, this is great food!"

Then we made resurrection rolls. If you don't already know, you take a marshmallow and a crescent roll. The marshmallow represents Jesus. You put the marshmallow in melted butter, then cinnamon/sugar to represent wrapping Jesus' body with oil and spices and then you put him in the "tomb." (the crescent roll.) You pinch the edges shut around "Jesus" and bake. When they're done, you open the roll and the marshmallow is gone!

We did this with Nathan and Aria and told the story as we went. When we opened the "tomb" I said "where did Jesus go? He's gone!" Nathan's eyes got wide and with alarm he said "He melted!"

I had to do a little extra explaining then...

Other events of note today...Gabe loved his easter basket. We put him on the floor and he scooted over to it, put the handle in his mouth and laid there, unmoving, handle in his mouth (not even chewing it, just laying with it in his mouth) for about 15 minutes. Hilarious.

Aria got one of those velcro ball catcher things in her Easter basket and Nathan tried to use it. Nathan is quite smart, but when it comes to anything requiring coordination, he's lacking. He managed to catch the ball on the velcro catcher, and then he tried to throw it back. But instead of removing the ball and throwing it, he tried to just dislodge it from the velcro catcher as if he were throwing it out of a mitt. Didn't work so well. The catcher thing went flying across the room with the ball attached.

I bought a ham to make for Easter dinner and was going to put it in the crockpot last night (frozen) and cook it on low until today. I pulled it out of the freezer and tried to put it in, but it was too big. I ended up leaving it out on the counter to thaw and then sent Dave home between Sunday School and Priesthood to put it in the oven. (fortunately, our house didn't burn down while we finished church). For my first ham, it turned out quite well and we had a lovely Easter dinner with some old friends from my home town. I figure since I refuse to cook Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm too lazy to cook a Christmas dinner, then Easter will be it. A big dinner once a year. Good enough for me!

Overall, it was a fabulous day! Dave even spoke in church today and gave a great talk on the atonement. His words were simple, yet powerful and the spirit touched many people that were there.

Yay for Easter! What a great holiday!

I almost forgot! It snowed today! How weird is that?

Raising a gamer

Dave is a gamer. There's no question about it. So, naturally, his oldest son is also a gamer.

Xbox, Nintendo, Leapster...if it's a game system, he'll master it.

So this morning we asked Nathan to say family prayer. About half way through he said this.

"and bless me to figure out my games that I'm having a hard time with."

At least we somehow managed to convey that Heavenly Father cares about everything he does. lol

Attn: Everyone Dave has ever worked with

I don't know if it's just my husband or if other guys do this, but Dave has this image of me that he spreads around at work. He used to work at a massive corporation where (according to him) everyone is vegetarian and people have 0-1 child. Well, since he took paternity leave 3 times in the 5 years he worked there, he decided to tell everyone that I'm a vegetarian. (since he's totally not, he figured he'd pretend like one of us "fit in.")

So, at every company party/dinner I had to pretend to be a vegetarian since Dave was so insistant that I was one.

Then we moved to the land of meat and potatoes. I figured I could finally start eating meat in public again. Then Dave came home from one of his first days at the new job and says "I told them you're a vegetarian." WHAT THE HECK? Why does my food preference come up at every job he works at? And why does he lie about it?

So....I am no longer keeping this ruse up.

Dear Dave's fellow employees,

I. Am. A. Carnivore.

Respectfully,
Misty

And I like it. Ok, well, I don't like pig. I don't anything from a pig (usually), but other than that, bring it on! Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Beef, I'm all over it baby!

Can't wait for the first company dinner.

YES!!!

So, I'm on the TED with Gabe. So far, he's allergic to corn, squash and oats. The other night I decided it was time to test something else and so far, two days later there is NO REACTION! Guess what it is?!

Go ahead, guess!

Here's a hint....I'm very very happy to get to eat this again.

Nathan

My kids rock. Seriously.

My goal for this summer is to see how much I can teach Nathan before he starts Kindergarten. The kid is a sponge for information and he loves to read. Last night he came running down the stairs really excited about something. He was yelling "MOM! We're sinking fast so we can do a conspearmint!" (huh?) It took me saying what? about 4 times, but I finally figured it out. He was saying "MOM! We're thinking fast so we can do an experiment!" He was holding a card in his hand that said "Think fast." A little while later, Dave came down and they learned about gravity and states of matter and they made oobleck (it's apparently a liquid and a solid.)

Then this morning, he brought a book into our bedroom and said "Dad, will you read me something in the Handy Science Answer Book?" (we did not tell him what it was called, by the way, he just read it) Then he opened it up and read the question "How were the months of the year named?" and asked Dave to read the answer to him. He's FOUR! So I decided it would be fun to see how much he can learn before he starts kindergarten in the fall.

He also likes to play guessing games. The other day he came up to me and said "Mo-om, I heard what you said to dad." I'm thinking "uh-oh...what did I say? What did he hear? shoot!" lol. I asked him what he heard and he goes "you know...you said it to dad...." I still didn't know and he says "somewhere we're going?" Still clueless, but he left. I figured the conversation was over, but he came back a few minutes later with a piece of paper. He had written the word RED on it. He gave it to me. I was still stumped. Red? He said "Mom, it's a clue. Red....." I go "yellow?" He rolled his eyes at me. "No, Mom! You told dad we were going there! Red Rrrrrr....."

*lightbulb!* It finally clicked! Red Robin! Needless to say, we made sure to take the kids there later that week.

Of course, he's still a 4 year old that does 4 year old stuff. Like the day we went to the park with my sister and he came running up to her and said "Hey Auntie Rae! Look at my new Star Wars undies!" and pulled his pants down right there in public. *sigh*

It's a conspiracy!

And the targets are my children. Who has it out for them, you ask? The chairs. Yup, the chairs of the world don't like my kids. I don't know what my kids ever did to them, but they have made it their mission to dump my kids out of them at every opportunity.

We'll be sitting at dinner, eating and talking, when *thump* Nathan's on the floor screaming. I'm not sure how it happens. They sit on them like anyone else. Maybe they shift positions too often, maybe they havn't mastered their center of balance yet. I don't know.

If it's not Nathan, it's Aria. Not ten minutes ago, she fell off the rocking chair (granted, her and Nathan were spinning it and playing on it), but it wasn't the first time! She's fallen off all of our chairs at least once. The rocker, the couch, the table chairs, the piano bench, the computer chair...

A couple days ago, the chairs claimed another victim. Gabe. He was sitting in his overpriced, infant propping system, uh...I mean, his bumbo chair and he arched his back and twisted to the side and plopped out onto his face. Luckily, I was right there to save him and he really didn't fall far (about 6 inches) but it startled both of us!

So the next time you use a chair, be careful! They're a vicious bunch!

Note to self..

Don't watch TV when the kids are around.

Aria has a talent for memorizing. She remembers everything anybody says, and she especially loves to memorize songs. She does this by asking you to repeat it until she has it.

For example, my mom was singing Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and Aria listened then said simply "sing it again, Grandma." After a few more times through, Aria had it. That's how she memorized all her favorite songs. "Down By the Bay," "Popcorn Popping," "In the Leafy Treetops," any song on Barney, etc.

The other day, my sister and her husband were visiting and my sister starts singing "Gold Digger." I believe it's by Kanye West? Anyway, she finished a couple lines and Aria looks at her and says "Sing it again, Auntie Rae." Luckily I was there and knew what she was doing and said "DO NOT sing it again!" lol. That's just what I need, a three year old walking around belting out "get down girl, go 'head get down". Yeah, fun stuff. And she really does belt songs out wherever we are.

The other thing she likes to do is listen for words she hasn't heard before or words pronounced differently. For example, her Uncle Sean pronounced "yeah" like "yee-ah" one time. Just once. Every time she's answered yes since then, she's pronounced it "yee-ah". lol

Back to my note to self. Last night I was folding laundry. A chore that I simply can not do unless I'm watching a movie or the TV. I had Scrubs on, cuz it can be funny. ("I never knew what that song was about!....Liver disease!") So I'm folding laundry, half paying attention, when one of the actors calls another actor a jack-, uh...fill in the blank. Then Aria starts to laugh. Uh-oh, I think to myself. She looks right at me and says "HAHA! Yer a jack-***!"

Oops. Needless to say, we turned the TV off and talked about words we don't say.