Fox walks

Yay for movies! As requested here are videos of Fox walking. If you are not a family member or creepy stalker these will probably bore you in about .2 seconds. But if you are a family member watch on :) (and if you are a creepy stalker....watch your back.) Alright here they are. :)

Confessions of a PMS woman

So I've been having one of those days where I think it would be better to lock my kids in a room for both their sanity and mine. I just can't get...pleasant -lets say pleasant- and the smallest things are setting me off like-

example 1. I found a receipt in Tony's pocket for a meal at Wendy's for $5.88. $5.88 is not very much money but when you have to feed three kids and yourself (because you never go to Wendy's without your children), you tend to go for the dollar menu. I can't even remember the last time I got a "meal" at Wendy's. I can feed all four of us on $5.88. I know. I've done it before. (note: I know this is extremely petty, and most days I could careless, tomorrow I'll be over it, but today...)

Example 2. Dora the Explorer. I hate that darn show. Seriously? A show in which the only way the main characters communicate is through yelling, and they can't come up with lyrics better than "I'm the map, I'm the map (repeated over and over and over)"? I'm pretty sure this show is a conspiracy to make the kids dumber than to teach them anything.

It's been one of those days. Really, usually these things don't bother me that much, but not so much today. So I've decided to write a few cute things the kids have done lately and see if that makes me feel any better.

Liam-

Liam has become my tv watching buddy, which is awesome. Some of the newest shows I have introduced him to are Labyrinth (who doesn't love David Bowie and muppets?...well, Emma for one), and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Awesome? I think, yes! Bad parenting? Possibly, but for today, at least, I could care less.

Emma-

Emma saw Tony eating some pistachios and asked if she could try one. He obliged and gave her one still in the shell. As she pulled off the shell she exclaimed, "So these are what you make guacamole out of!!"

After church on Sunday I asked Emma what she had learned about in class. She replied, "Daniel and the lion's dentist."

I'm pretty sure that that is the sequel to Daniel and the lion's den.... :)

Fox-

Oh what could you not love about this kid (except for the constant runny nose and crying from teething. Just be done coming in teeth!! Geez!!) At the age of 15, almost 16 months, he is the biggest tease in the family, which is saying a lot for this family. He loves his dad and every time Tony gets home he gleefully cries out "Dada!!" Which hit a small jealousy button (okay, large) in me, so I tried to teach him Mama. I would, in my nicest mom voice, say, "Fox, say Mama." He would then give me a sly smile and very purposefully say, in his nicest son voice, "Da--daaaa." After a few attempts I got discourage. Tony seeing my discouragement (and crumpled hopes and dreams), gave it his best shot, "Say Mama." Fox then smiled at me and replied, "Dada." Tony, in his brilliancy, got some cheese and bribed him, "Fox say Mama." Fox will do anything for food. He then replied, "Baabaa." Close enough.

As long as we have food he will answer "baabaa." (For the record, he knows how to say Mama). No food and we get a sly smile and "Dada."

Hmmm. I think it worked. It may be that my kids are now in bed, but I feel better already ;)

Good Idea, Bad Idea

It's time for Good Idea, Bad Idea
The game in which I tell you my truly marvelous ideas, and how they went horribly, terribly wrong. (applause)

Good Idea-

Putting a hook on the kids' wall so they can hang up their wet towels to use for next time

Bad Idea-

Putting cheap hooks up that break in a few short months

Good Idea-

Deciding 'hey, that's not so bad, I'll just take it down' and unscrewing the screws.

Bad Idea-

Realizing that you husband (who put the hooks up) also sticky-fied them to the wall...and discovering this after you got frustrated and just pulled as hard as you could, ripping a giant hole in the wall.

Good Idea-

Letting the kids play as you try to clean your house

Bad Idea-

Not checking on where your three year and 15 month old are playing, and then discovering they are in the bathroom squeezing a new tube of toothpaste into the floor...which is carpeted.

Bad Idea-

Carpeting a bathroom floor- Whoever came up with that idea should be shot.

Good Idea-

Cleaning the bath tub

Bad Idea-

Turning your back on your 15 month old and leaving a bottle of comet where he can reach it. Which he promptly spilt on the carpeted bathroom floor, right in the wet spot of the once toothpaste you just cleaned up.

Good Idea-

Putting culprit children to bed, going downstairs, getting a bowl full of comforting ice cream, watching the Office, and deciding never to clean again.

that's the ticket.

Emma went to school

Emma went to school,
Emma went to school,
with all the other boys and girls
Emma went to school.

This past week Emma started pre-school. We have a group of about five Mom's (six kids) that switch off teaching each week, so the chillins' can learn their ABC's, numbers, colors, shapes, and just hang out with kids their own age. Emma was super-duper excited. :)

The first week was A is for Alligator. So she made this stinking cute clothes pin alligator! (Thanks for setting the bar so high AB, now my hour of "educational tv" + hour of free time will never work!)


Man, oh, man do I think this pre-school is going to be good for Emma (and me). She talks my ear off 24-7, I'm more than happy to send her to talk someone else's ear off for four hours a week. :)

Blog tag anyone?

It seems as if I have been tagged. :) The awesome blog that I too stalk, The Fowler's, has tagged me in a blog tagging. Thanks Fowler's for thinking of me ;)

Here ya go-

1. if you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

I have no pets. I am not a fan of pets. I had a pet fish once, named Spanky. I dropped him on the floor while cleaning his fishbowl and couldn't even make myself pick him up (For those of you who don't know me, fish are probably my biggest fear, they creep me out). Luckily, Tony was home and ran in to save his life. I loved Spanky, (as long as he stayed in his bowl) but when we moved in with my Grandma for a while, the house got really cold and Spanky started swimming really slow, so we put him by the fire place to keep him warm. The next day we found Spanky soup...I don't really want to talk about it...sniff, sniff.

2. if you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?

[get ready for corny, cliche-ness] That all of my kids get married in the temple and live awesome worthy lives. Really, that's my biggest goal/dream. :)

3. what is the one thing most hated by you?

When people have music on their blog. There! I've said it! I'm sorry, I tried to keep it in, but it is one of my biggest pet peeves. Not because I don't like the music (most of the time I don't know the music, I'm pretty lame), but because it scares me half to death when I go on to someone's blog and all of a sudden music starts playing. Most of the time my kids are asleep when I'm blog stalking and it wakes them up. I hate stinking blog music. :) Venting over.

4. what would you do with a billion dollars?

invest it. What's better than one billion dollars? two billion dollars. (Oh, man, my nerd of a husband has really gotten to me.)

5. what helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

sleep. My mom. (now you know why I call you so much :))

6. which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?

Is this a real question? I think this should be stricken from the tag.

7. what is your bedtime routine?

Put kids to bed. Put Emma back in bed 15+ times. Watch the office on netflix for a couple of hours. Go to bed. At least that's what it is right now. :)

8. if you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?

Oh dear... I use to date this boy. Then this boy went to a camp. Tony worked at the camp. This boy and Tony became good friends. When this boy and I broke up, he married my best friend, and I married his. The end. (and yes, me, Tony, this boy and my best friend are all still friends :))

9. if you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I don't know. I get bored pretty easy, so who ever it was would have to be quick.

10. what kinds of books do you read?

adolescent books. Man, I'm such a nerd! I love fiction adolescent books. aka- hunger games, harry potter, artemis fowl.

11. how would you see yourself in ten years time?

I want to stay active. Have a car. And possibly a house...in Utah (that's for you Ma ;))

12. what’s your fear?

fish.

13. would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?

no. I don't really care if I see outer space. I'll just look at the stars while I eat my peanut butter M&M's.

14. would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?

Married and poor. I wouldn't give up this guy for anything. (sidenote: luckily I proof read! I forgot the "n't" on wouldn't haha!)

15. what’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

eat.

16. if you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?

I like the Fowler's answer- "asking this question is asking for trouble. ;)"

17. if you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

I like my name :)

18. would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?

I try to

19. if you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?

homemade mac and cheese, with hot sauce. mmmmmm.

Alright to keep the game going I have to tag some other people. So I tag sisterwendy, because she's the one that informed me that when you are tagged it means you are popular, and I just want to share the wealth (wahaha!! ;))

Lisa just because I want to read what she has to say. Jessica, because she's awesome! And Aubrie, because I love reading her posts.

Good luck guys! And don't worry if you don't want to do it. I'll just be crushed...no big deal ;)

(side side note: cool white lines hu? I know! I don't know where they came from but AWESOME!)

Our weekend

This weekend we decided to go to Nauvoo on Friday and stay over night so we could go to the temple on Saturday. After Tony got home from work we headed out (in a snow storm, or as Tony called it "snow flurries"). Although I almost wet my pants/cried in the scary drive there, we made it safely to our hotel/"villa". It was so cool! It had two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen! We loved staying there and will for sure do it again!

Emma chilling on the chair when we first got there

Liam and Fox enthralled in the t.v.

While there Emma checked the place out and ran in to tell me, "Mom! We even have our new bathtub!!" So of course we had to take a picture by our new bathtub.

(this part makes me crack up)

This is Liam's bed. Its a small twin bed in the corner. (What?! That's where he chose to sleep)

And here's where Emma chose to sleep. A giant king sized bed all to herself.

She was a wee bit excited about the whole ordeal. :)

And this kid didn't ever want to go to bed, but eventually he did and he slept on the floor. (PS, I need a port-a-crib if anyone wants to donate one to me ;))

We had a great night and morning. Then Saturday afternoon we spent going to the temple, learning how to make bricks, rugs, candles, and ropes, eating gingerbread men, and driving around the historic part of Nauvoo. It was a very relaxing fun weekend. Something that I definitely needed :)

Nauvoo

In the early 1840's Nauvoo was a booming city. The largest city in Illinois, Nauvoo's population topped even Chicago. In 1846 a great exodus of the Latter-day Saints began. Planned for the spring, the exodus was pushed earlier because of the numerous mob threats to the leaders of the LDS church. In February, the first group of Mormon pioneers left their new, unsold, brick homes with all unnecessary furniture and luxuries, and began the walk down Parley Street, towards the Mississippi River. It was so cold that day that the Mississippi River had frozen over and the saints were able to cross the river on ice. The exodus continued several months until the last of the saints were forced out by gun point.

Nauvoo is beautiful in the winter. However, it is extremely cold. While we were there this past Saturday, the temperature, with the wind chill, was -5 degrees. I have heard that the ice that covered the Mississippi was 3 feet thick when the saints crossed. In the -5 degree weather that we experienced the river was not frozen all the way across. The thickest ice we found was at the bottom of Parley Street and was only 6 inches thick. I can not imagine how it must have been to leave your new warm home and go into the bitter cold unknown, relying only on your faith. While we were there we were told that the saints built their homes out of the beautiful red brick because they wanted their homes to be permanent. They were sure this was where they were meant to stay. Their homes took several years to build. When they left, most of the homes had only been lived in for around six months. A missionary said he only knows of two homes that were sold; the rest were just left behind.

What great Faith! What amazing people to leave behind all that they had worked so hard to build up. What it must have been like to look behind you and see that beautiful temple and know that you would never see it again.

Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell -
All is well! All is well!

Get under yourself

I have had the amazing experience of moving here to Iowa for the last couple of months. It's been a whole new adventure to have to stand up on my own two feet and not rely on the, "Oh your Ed and Wendy's kid," or "Your Brad and Lisa's little sister," or "Oh your from 3rd ward." All of those stereotypes (which I love btw :)) have been swept out from underneath me and suddenly I am standing in Davenport Iowa as just Kira. It's been an interesting experience having to make my own name and not relying on the good name of those who came before me.

I also have had the awesome experience of getting to make new friends and know those around me. I've met people that I click with easily and who have grown into great friends. And I've met people that the first thing that came into my head when I talk to them was "Oh, get over yourself." These people seem so snobbish and are difficult to talk with because they try to hurry the conversation so they can move on to whatever activity they have next (even if that activity is sitting alone in the corner), they answer with one word, or they don't talk to me at all. Thus the "get over yourself". At times I've wanted to scream it in their faces "Get over yourself!!" Or write it in a note, like third grade, "mark yes if you will -Get Over Yourself!!" But every time it makes me frustrated and hurt because their snobbiness is damaging the way I look at myself.

Until now. Today I had a conversation that changed my "get over yourself" attitude. I sat down and really talked with one of these "get over yourself" people, and I'll admit it, I had it all wrong. I left with one thought- "Get under yourself. And I'll get under you too."

They weren't snobby, or mean, or uncaring, they were afraid, insecure, and self doubting- just like me. Just like most everyone in the world. Afraid of what someone might think of you. Insecure about all your doing. Self doubting that you just might not be good enough.

Get under yourself. And I'll get under you too.

It's crazy how much we judge a person by first appearances and meetings. I have had awesome friends that when I first met them I though, "Geez, I will never be friends with you." or "wow. I think that chick is crazy." or, of course, "Oh, get over yourself." And I realize- believe me, I realize- that all of my thoughts are not helping my self doubting, or theirs. For both of our sakes I've got to change my thoughts to "get under yourself. And I'll get under you too." This person is hurrying the conversation, or not talking because they are just as insecure as I am. They are looking anywhere but at me because they are afraid, like me. They are not laughing at my subtle jokes because they are self doubting that they should, just like I do.

So to my once "get over yourself" friend. -Get under yourself

Know that you are great! Your a fantastic person with a great personality that anyone would love. You are, very much, worthy of where you stand. And you are so worth it. And if that's not enough, know that you have a brother that died for you. You were/are so worth it. And if that's just "meh," in your book, know that you have a brother that went through every little pain that is possible to feel for you. That felt every insecurity, self doubt, depression, grievance, and sorrow that you have had. I think that means He thought you were a pretty fantastic person, and so worth it. Get under yourself, and I'll do what I can to help you. But ultimately it's you who has to realize just how fantastic you are. Get under yourself, and I'll get under you too.