FUNNY KIDS=GOOD LAUGHS

Cute kids become even cuter with ice cream all over their faces!

As we were glued to the TV Saturday watching the news reports about the earthquake and possible tsunami in Hawaii(praying for the safety of Rich’s brothers in Chili and Hawaii)….Sadie was busy at work drawing a sad but kind of funny picture on the white board. This is her in the middle of the tsumani and earthquake. Notice the two people who didn’t make it up to higher ground? It’s really so heartbreaking to think of the devastation in Chili, but we were happy to hear Uncle Ben who is on a mission was alright!

p.s. my favorite part of this drawing is the “Oh no”…so cute!

 

Would anyone else send their kids looking like this with dad to go home teaching??? Well I did. The most embarrassing thing is sending Mason in his skin tight jammie bottoms and white socks, with slobber stains all down his shirt. Then there’s Sadie in her summer apparel in the dead  of winter. So if it embarrasses me why do I let them out in such conditions….plain and simple….BECAUSE I AM TOO LAZY!

He even wore his white socks to church with his dark pants and shoes….it’s amazing the things you swear you will never do as a parent  before you have kids…but that was before I knew how exhausting parenting was going to be!

Please come…

Spring please come soon so we can have more days like these…

 

It’s still cold outside…but we can’t wait around anymore. WE NEED OUT!!!

  

Do you see Mason in these pictures??? (It’s like “Where’s Waldo”) Let me zoom in….

  

And yes…I do let Sadie dress herself on days she doesn’t have school (just keep that in mind)…one minute it’s princess Belle…the next it’s the spandex queen!

Do you see a hazard with this behavior??? Maybe the baby get’s bounced off…so you think??? I thought that was the worst that could happen too…UNTIL….

Mason lost his pants!!! I finally had to put the camera down when he lost his underwear too! That was the point it was no longer cute!

My favorite is this face….he was obviously enjoying it a little too much!

Wish the outcome had come out different for the Ground Hog…because we are good and ready for Spring!

Going Green…

Usually Sadie encourages us to go PINK with everything. This time she has us going GREEN!

For some reason she’s insisting that we stop using the washer and dryer. She has started to wash everything by hand (in the bathroom sink) and she made this clothes line in her room to hang dry everything. FUNNY GIRL! But I can’t make too much fun of the idea. 5 years ago when we started vet school I was convinced that if I hung dried everything I washed that we would save soooo much money. So for 5 months I did the exact same thing….I made a clothes line across my bedroom and hung EVERYTHING to dry (including underwear). I finally gave up when I got pregnant with Mason and was sicker than a dog. Who knows how much that really saved me…but at least I tried!

When I went to pick up the kids today, Aunt Patience rewarded the kids with a run to “All A Dollar” to pick out a toy for being good listeners. (My favorite is Sadie keeps calling it “Allar Dollar”). Sadie picked out the plastic that you blow up with a straw. It was fun….but very toxic smelling. Which I think explains Mason’s “I’m feeling BUZZED” face in the background.

It’s crazy how big they get!

Vegas baby!

Here is a picture of the 2009 Western University DVM Alumni (and Dean of the Vet program) that attended the Western Veterinarian Conference this past week.

It was especially fun to see our good friend’s “The Andrews” (left of Rich) who were good friends of ours in school. They have since moved to Japan, so it was awesome to meet up with them in Vegas.

It was also fun to get together ‘just us wives’ (Amy, Reanne and I) to reminisce about old times….hopefully I get pics from them later and can post them!

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS…

Our good friend’s…the Coons…came down to Vegas too to party. Like I mentioned in the post prior to this one…I’m dealing with some things that would occasionally bring my spirits down. But I’ve discovered it’s impossible to be sad or mad in the presence of these good friends. Especially when Issac would do his impression of a gambler smoking (ah you just had to be there…) but we are still laughing to this day.

 

The best thing about this trip was the food budget we were given. We ate at the BEST RESTAURANTS…which we will never splurge on again I’m sure. This night we went to the MELTING POT. We had fun cooking everything from appetizers, meat to dessert fondue style.

The whole trip was full of the MOST DELICIOUS FOOD. That was the most fun I’ve ever had gaining 5 lbs. I don’t regret eating my heart out at all….it will be a long time before we can do that again! (I just need to remind myself of that as I work to get it off..\’’/…)

Seeking forgiveness…

Rich and I have spent the last 4 days in Las Vegas. His work has paid for us to come down to attend a Veterinarian Conference at the Mandalay Bay. ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP…(Hotel, Food, Gas)…SWEET DEAL HUH?!? So why am I seeking forgiveness??? I’m not seeking forgiveness for indulging in any sin that typically goes on in this evil carnal city….I’m seeking forgiveness for feeling ungrateful during the time I have been here. I’ve spent too much time alone with my selfish thoughts while Rich has been off attending classes during the day. At home I’m so busy wrapped up in providing and spending time with my kids that I struggle to find time to wallow in pity…but here…I have found TOO MUCH TIME to think about how life is just not cooperating with OUR PLANS! I brought my scriptures so I could read from them everyday. THEY HAVE BEEN CRACKED OPEN ONCE! I didn’t want to read them….I wanted to continue to punish myself with thoughts of unworthiness and shame. I wanted to be mad…I wanted to let faith slip away from me for awhile. But deep down I knew I wasn’t this person I was turning into. I missed Nickie…. and I knew what it was going to take to get her back.

The anger slowly began to melt away last night as my sweet husband continued to express his love just by doing small things, like putting his hand on the small of my back. Reaching for my hand as we walked, and wrapping his arms around me from behind. How can I stay mad for long when I have been blessed with such an amazing husband.

THEN THIS MORNING….I started my day by looking at my brother in laws photography blog. He posted a tribute slideshow of a sweet angel “Gavin” who returned to his Heavenly Father at only two months old. I went to Gavin’s mother’s blog and read her entries of this trial they have faced. Then I went from her blog to another…one I’m sure a lot of you are aware of. The family who nearly lost their little boy Branson this month when he drowned in the tub. I spent 2 hours this morning reading the testimonies of these sweet mother’s….feasting on their every word of faith and hope. How is it that these woman can endure through such heart wrenching trials and I am crumbling over our simple trial that has me locked in fear???

This I know….we have a loving Heavenly Father who is aware of us. He knew what I needed to learn…but he was waiting until I was ready to learn it. Why didn’t I find the time to read these blogs 4 days ago??? Because I first needed to learn from my dark and lonely moments. I needed to work through the feelings of frustration and despair that I’ve been throwing on the back burner. Now my eyes are open. I do not have it bad. I am very blessed. I am very thankful for those who endure through their trials so well who have become an example of righteous living to me.

Thank you to the two sweet mothers of these sweet little angels. You have changed me. Thank you for sharing your stories. You have changed one woman...one marriage...and one eternal family.

To read these blogs yourself go to:

http://www.natalienortonphoto.com/

http://stakerzxposed.blogspot.com

Now it’s time to pack up my bag and hit the road so I can hold my sweet babies. I can’t wait to nibble their cheeks!

My heart..hearts my kids!

Today we celebrated Valentines Day…ALL DAY…since Rich and I love each other enough to leave our kids with family (fun V-day for them \’’/) on Valentines Day so we can give each other a little TLC. (We are headed to Vegas on Sunday for a work conference Rich is attending!!!)

A day full of HEART ATTACKS…

Heart pancakes…

The kids always think it’s a great day when it starts with pancakes with FROSTING on them…breakfast of CHAMPIONS! Kendyl didn’t get frosting on hers….so I put a little on her nose to see if she could figure out how to get to it. She never did figure out how to get the frosting…but she did manage to find a different treat…YUCK!

I was able to spend the day with Sadie at school helping out with her class room Valentines Party! It was so fun…and brought back so many memories and feelings I had of being in elementary school.

Decorating cookies…

After school we made sugar cookies. (Hmmm….don’t they look just like the pancakes??? They probably have the same nutritional value too!) The plan was to decorate them and take them to neighbors….but that didn’t happen….WHY???

Because I just couldn’t do that to my neighbors…I would have been worried about them contracting some infectious disease after seeing what working conditions these cookies were made in.

I didn’t want to confess that FINGER and TOE jam were the secret ingredients!

And then as if FINGER and TOE jam were not sick enough….I caught Mason under the table sucking back on the frosting container.

SO NEIGHBORS…YOU CAN THANK ME LATER FOR NOT BRINGING YOU OUR DELICIOUS CREATIONS!

Heart Pizzas…

Then for dinner the kids made their own heart pizzas. Mason did not want to wait to cook his so he ate it uncooked….not surprising!

Then when I wasn’t looking he took the whole bowl of cheese and dumped it in his mouth…

THEN…he said. “Yummy cheese for me….none for you guys!”

He may have been stingy with the cheese…but not with his pepperoni kisses! (He made lips out of the pepperoni and went around giving kisses with them)

Camping with lovebugs…

We ended the day with camping in the family room. The kids thought it was so cool…they especially got a kick out of the LOVEBUGS all over the tent (which Sadie especially loved because she helped make them)…

Kendyl went from being one tired grumpy baby…to the life of the party once the tent was set up. She was on cloud 9!

All of the playing made for some fun crazy hair!

After some popcorn and a movie…the kids FINALLY gave in and went to sleep….

Nighty Night!