You make bathtime lots of fun!

This is Tyler laughing at everyone else saying the word, "Cheese"... not sure why but he thinks that word is hilarious. So cute.

How Sweet It Is

With our fieldtrip group this month, we went to Sweet's Candy Factory. I brought the stroller with me for Tyler so I wouldn't have to carry him around in the carseat. We came into the lobby and sat down for about 5-10 minutes. Then an employee comes and tells us there are a few rules to take care of before we could go on the tour of the candy factory. Then she lists off a bunch of things that are not allowed inside, all of which I had with me or was wearing: strollers, purses, coats, Jewelry, drinks, food, cameras...etc. So this was after I had stuffed all the kids coats and my purse inside the stoller and had Tyler all strapped in and ready to go. I was kinda annoyed that she didn't just tell me right when I walked in with the stoller that couldn't bring it in. Anyhow, so I went back outside to the car with Tyler to put the stroller back in along with the coats and my purse, etc. Then thankfully I had my Lucky Baby sling to put Tyler in (which I love and has been a nifty little hands free life-saver for me ever since I had Jeremy and was way outnumbered kid-wise - I highly recommend it. My babies fall asleep as soon as I put them in it.)

I went back inside and the lady said to me, "Ma'am, you have to remove your bracelet and check it in at the front desk." I was thinking... ok I can understand my rings, earrings and necklaces, but my big huge chunky bracelet??? I was confused as to what me wearing it had to do with going on a candy factory tour. Did they think it was going to slip off... cause it takes me like an hour to get it on. I have to practically bend my hand in half. I was really annoyed.

Then she comes up to me after I got my bracelet off and checked in and says, "Uh Ma'am... you need to remove your wedding ring as well. Now you can place that in your pocket if you wish. We won't make you check that in. But just make sure it doesn't fall out." OH REALLY! Thank YOU SO MUCH! Now I get to practically rip my whole finger off just to try to get my wedding ring that i just barely was able to put back on a few months ago from having Tyler. I was about really to just tell the kids to forget it and let's go home. LOL. So I took my ring off and my finger now looked like it belonged to a freakin' Giant's hands or a huge sausage. The lady passes out hair nets. I unfortunately wore my hair down that day. She handed me this weak hair net thing and I was laughing, "Yeah, right! Like my hair is going to fit in that and not fall out at all!" Somehow I managed to stuff my big mass of hair into that thing and then she handed me this little tiny net for baby Tyler. Now that was funny! He looked really cute in it. Too bad cameras weren't allowed. :( Then the lady taps me on the shoulder one last time, and I was thinking, "What NOW, lady! Come on!" She said, "Ma'am, I am going to need you to make sure that you keep a good hold of that pacifier for your baby. You better be certain you still have it when you come out of the tour." All I could do was laugh. Hilarious.

After that I guess I passed the test and was clear for lift-off... errrr I mean clear to go into a extremely secure candy factory. There were a few interesting things about the factory though. They run all their chocolate cherry, orange and raspberry sticks through metal detectors to make sure there aren't any pieces of metal in them... which is extremely reassuring. Also they have a huge forklift thing called Bert that is remote controlled by radio signals of wires ran through the teeny tiny cracks of the factory floor. Also we got samples of yummy salt water taffy and powder sugared jelly beans (before they are coated with their hard shell... i thought they tasted better that way.)

I had no idea when I walked into the factory that day that candy stores use such extreme security measures. Candy is really serious business though, not to be taken lightly. LOL

All she wanted, is all right here, in 6 months time.

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old now! It's been 6 months of smiling for us from this little guy. We love him so much and are so glad he came to our family. He has brought us so much joy and happiness. We can't imagine our lives without him.

Here's some comparison stats for all three boys at 6 months:

Tyler- Weight: 17 lbs. 7 oz. Height: 27.25 inches

Jeremy- Weight: 17 lbs. 4 oz. Height: 28.125 inches

Andrew- Weight: 17 lbs. 11 oz. Height: 28 inches

Kinda funny how close they all are. I guess I stayed pretty consistent on the feeding. I always thought Jeremy was chunkier but I guess not. As far as Height goes looks like Tyler is the shortest of the 3 and may have inherited his dad's "really tall" genes. The rate that Jeremy is catching up to Drew and from the stats, Jeremy will hopefully be tall. We shall see how it all turns out!

Time Waster of the Week

Play Oregon Trail

(and have as much fun as you did in 5th grade.)

I want to thank you for giving me the best day

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Chad's mom, Jolene (or Grandjomama as the kids call her) for always being willing to come and stay with the kids while Chad and I go gallivanting around on our numerous dates. Thank you especially to her for the fun Anniversary date we got to go on. We went to The Roof at Temple Square which was so incredibly romantic. It was a delicious (though expensive) buffet with a pianist taking requests and we had seats right next to the window with a gorgeous view of the Temple. The Roof was the perfect place to go for our anniversary and reminisce about our wedding 8 years ago at the Salt Lake Temple. (We also were able to finally use the gift card my brother gave to us like 2 years ago! Thanks, Ben!)

Anyhow, our kids love the many visits from Grandmas and Grandpas! You are their favorite playmates! We appreciate all you do for us. Love you!

Book of the Month

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Crazy for this Boy!

Happy Anniversary Sweetie! I can't believe it has been eight years! 8 years of joyful marriage bliss, of course!

Chad is always super thoughtful and thinks of sweet sentimental gifts to give me. The fifth year is silverware, so he gave me "silver" jewelry (with 5 twisted hoops on it that represented the 5 years) that I could "wear." Thought that was clever! The modern tradition for year 6 was wood, so he gave me a mahagony jewelry box that I love. I didn't have that much really nice jewelry before but because of all the nice things Chad has given me I now have a beautiful collection to be proud of.

Traditional 8th wedding anniversary gifts are made of Bronze or Pottery, so this year he gave me some beautiful Bronze jewelry (bracelet, necklace and earrings) with hearts on it. It is so fun receiving gifts that years from now I will be able to remember when and why I got them.

I have been feeling so much joy in my life lately. Much of what I feel is due to Chad and all that he has given me. He has given me four beautiful children that are the best kids anyone could ever have! Chad has been a wonderful example of financial independence and stability which has brought peace to our family especially considering the state the economy is in right now. Chad has been my spiritual rock to lean on. He has always kept close to the spirit and he listens well to its whisperings. Chad is Mr. Fix-it! - Recently, he fixed our HD Tivo. (and you know how essential that is!) He actually sautered on new capacitors to replace the old ones that had burst. (I am sure he will make a post soon about that whole ordeal.) I am always impressed with his desire to learn to do things himself. If it is more economical for him to do it and he figures out how, then he will.

Chad is the best friend anyone could have. He listens well and you know how I love to tell stories. We make the perfect pair. I am so grateful that he found me. I am so glad that we got married and sealed together 8 years ago. I love you, Chad!

Keepin It Gangsta!

This adds new meaning to low-riding and sagging your pants... (by the way, I can't stand it when teen boys' pants are so low you can see almost all of their boxers... hate it especially when my brother does it... Pull your freakin' pants up!)

Twilight Widget!

2 more weeks til Twilight is on DVD!

He Hears Me...

At about 4 this morning, I awoke to the wonderful sound of Jeremy crying. Chad was already up and looking for his pacifier, couldn't find it, gave up and came back to bed. So I got up to find it, cause I new I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep with him crying the way he was. I searched for it a few minutes; then, I said a prayer "Please help US find it so WE can go back to bed." After I was finished praying, I heard Chad immediately get out of bed and go downstairs. He came in with Jeremy's pacifier and this is how our conversation went: (thought this was interesting... maybe you won't, I don't know.)

C: "Remember when he threw something down earlier? It was his pacifier"
R: "I said a prayer. That's weird how he told YOU where it was."
C: "Maybe I was more spiritually in tune."
R: "Maybe He needed you to get out of bed. Then, I would tell you about how I prayed." (I was feeling a little bit sad for me not being spiritually in-tune enough to answer my own prayer. So he said...)
C: "We make a great team. I never would have prayed.
R: "Oh, that's true. And I did say WE in my prayer."

Just got me thinking, after I said the prayer I just kept looking. I didn't stop to listen. Chad was in bed, quiet and trying to go to sleep, so he was "listening." I need to be better about listening for an answer, instead of assuming he will answer me while I am going about busily in my life. Chad needs to maybe ask for help more often... maybe... you'll have to ask him.

Anyhow, sometimes it does take a team effort to accomplish the Lord's will (for us to go to bed, for example lol). We all have our spiritual talents. I pray ALL the time whenever something is lost, probably most of the time I do. I know he knows where it is, so I just ask him to tell me so I can get on with my other stuff. I am just not good at stopping what I am doing to listen. Chad has always been good at listening. He is good at listening to me. (Oh crap, did I say that out loud. Now he can use that against me...) He is good at being spiritually in-tune. What are you good at?

He needs us to work together as teams to do our callings, visiting/home teaching, missionary work, marriage, child-rearing, families... practically everything in the church involves teams or partnerships and working together. We all do have gifts and are ALL needed for His Plan. The atonement only works as a team. We each have to accept Christ's sacrifice in order for it to work, and we need his sacrifice in order to be forgiven. He wants us to work well with others. He wants us to NEED others to accomplish His Will.

I am so grateful for Chad, my partner in the eternities, for what he teaches me, and for what I need of him. I know that he does need me too and that's what makes us so great for each other. I love the gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for what He helps me to learn even at the weirdest times (4 in the morning). I hope you all find what you NEED in life and hold onto it. We are all needed for someone.

You're Gonna Miss This

I was watching the Grammys a few months ago, and Trace Adkins (country singer) performed the song "You're Gonna Miss This." I was listening to the lyrics (for once in my life lol) and it really touched me. The message of the song was for us to enjoy where we are at in life. I found that I was relating to the third verse A LOT right now. Some days it seems like my kids are crying all at the same time as the phone is ringing and someone else needs something! :) Anyhow, so it just made me think that there will come a time in my life where I am going to miss hearing screaming kids, being needed for every little thing, and cleaning up toys and food all over the place. I would miss the loads and loads of laundry my family creates daily, four kids sitting on my lap at the same time, and giving/receiving constant hugs and kisses all day. I would miss the trips to the Library for Storytelling Time, to the Grocery store (praying there was one of those car-carts available to entertain my kids), to the Zoo and other Kid Fieldtrips.

There will come a time where the precious moments I am experiencing now (whether fun, stressful, maddening, crazy, or all of the above) will only be memories and in the past. It is important to remember the past. But we should never dwell on it. The same goes for the future. It's important to have goals and things to look forward to, but we should not be contantly worrying, waiting, and wishing for the future to come. We should be living in the present...living in the now... "The future comes one day at a time." Therefore, if we are not doing and living what we want to become now, we won't ever change to who we esteem to be.

President Thomas S. Monson said in the October 2008 General Conference, "This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

Seems like everything that has been really hitting home for me has all been related to "Time" and finding happiness in what I am living now. I am so grateful for the life I am living now. It's hard work to be happy ALL the time, but I am certainly trying my best to show love to those who are important to me and to enjoy my journey.

Here are the lyrics of Trace Adkins song, "You're Gonna Miss This" (in case you don't want to listen to it on the video down below.)

Verse 1
She was staring out that window, of that SUV
Complaining, saying I can't wait to turn 18.
She said I'll make my own money, and I'll make my own rules.
Mamma put the car in park out there in front of the school.
Then she kissed her head and said I was just like you

Chorus
You're gonna miss this; you're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These Are Some Good Times, so take a good look around.
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this.

Verse 2
Before she knows it she's a brand new bride in a 1-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by.
He tells her it's a nice place. She says it'll do for now.
Starts talking about babies and buying a house
Daddy shakes his head and says Baby, just slow down

Verse 3
Five years later there's a plumber workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin', one kid's cryin', one kid's screamin'
She keeps apologizin'. He says they don't bother me.
I've got 2 babies of my own. One's 36, one's 23. Huh, it's hard to believe, but ...

You're gonna miss this; you're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times, so take a good look around.
You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this
You're gonna miss this. Yeah, you're gonna miss this.

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