Plethora....

So many blogs to post....not enough time or effort....so one blog with a whole bunch of different things....

***My family came in town this weekend for my nephew, Johnathon's, blessing. It is always fun to hang out with everyone. I don't have any pictures of the fun events...Steven and I forgot to get out our camera and take pics, but Steven did copy everyone else's memory card onto the laptop and hopefully I can get those over to my netbook one day.

For dinner on Saturday night we went to:Oh, so yummy. The Idaho Spud pizza is the best and the cookie dough dessert pizza is ridiculous! Everyone ate until they about exploded. We got a pic of Sharon's "food baby" belly compared to my Evan belly....very close in size might I mention. :)

***Major accomplishment of the weekend....Between my mother and grandmother we were able to get my cross-stitch framed.


For those of you who don't know (and quite frankly, what kind of friend are you if you don't...) This is the Greg Olsen cross-stitch that took me two years to finish. I had started it as my 10 hour project for my YW Personal Progress, but it turned into the beast that didn't want to get done. A YEAR after I was called into the Primary Presidency, I finally finished it and will have to do something else when I re-attempt to get my Personal Progress medallion. (Fortunately, Kim turns 12 next year and we can do it together.)

It is currently in my hall closet, while I decide where to hang it. (I would be forced to murder anyone who harmed it in the meantime, so it is safely tucked away from little people's hands.) I can't wait to get it hung on the wall, so I can look at it with great pride. Steven has been instructed that in case of a fire, once the children are out of the house, he must rush back into the house and retrieve this. He says he will think about it, but when I threaten to do it again when it goes up in flames me might think long and hard.

(PS...Thanks to Mom and Grandma Smith for getting the boppy cover done also. It was priceless to see my mother sewing on Kim's Barbie sewing machine. I really need to get the foot for my sewing machine so I can sic them on my other sewing projects come Evan's blessing.)

***Next up, my awesome deal of the year....well, the weekend for sure. At Target, I purchased Kim's easter dress and the Toy Story 1 & 2 DVD-BlueRay Combo packs....Guess what I paid for this...

You'll never guess...so I'll just tell you. I paid a mere...$22.38 Yes, that is correct...22 dollars and 38 cents. How you ask? Toys R Us had a special running that if you bought both of the movies they only cost $16.99 each. Not a bad price, but wait, I had a coupon for $10 off each movie. So they would only cost $6.99 each. Awesome! Well, my Toys R Us sucks and wouldn't take the coupon, so I headed over to Target to have them price match. On my third Target store, I finally able to get both movies. But here is the awesome part....Target was also running a special that if you buy both movies they took $10 off. So the movies came down to $1.99 each. How awesome is that...Kim's dress was also on sale for $16, so that saved me $3.99 What a wonderful shopping experience! (BTW...Thanks David for sending over the link to the coupons....that saved me some hassle trying to print them off from Disney Movie Rewards....) Oh, I also forgot to mention....these discs also have a voucher to go see Toy Story 3 in the theater for free....2 DVDS and 2 movie vouchers for $3.98 does life get much better than that!?!

***I noticed as I was updating my reading log that my baby counter says I only have 26 days left until my due date. That seems so close, but for the really fat lady who has to get up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours to pee it also seems so far away. I look forward to my appointment next Tuesday. I am measuring big, so my OB wants to do an ultrasound to check Evan out. I also get to do the group B strep culture (not too excited for that) and see if I'm dilated yet. (Which I better be, because I am having contractions and if they aren't doing anything I will be VERY NOT happy.) Luckily, my OB said from this point out, if I go into labor they will no longer try to stop me. That is wonderful news...so Evan could come any day now.....get excited!

I think I am done....ready to eat dinner....so long for now!

Missing my little girl

As I'm sitting here enjoying the quiet of two boys upstairs (one napping and the other pretending to), I can't help but miss my little girl.

Kimmy flew out last night to visit her dad in Cali for a week and a half and I miss her already. It's been an odd thing. I frequently don't count her as one of my children because she doesn't cause me problems like the boys do...she is old enough to take care of herself and so I don't need to spend a lot of mental energy or physical effort to make sure she is alright. When people ask how it is being the mother of 3 kids, I frequently reply that I don't know...I only feel like I have two. But now that only having two to take care of is a reality, I realize the deep hole that has been created.

As we sat down to dinner yesterday and her spot at the table was empty I was crushed by the reality that she wasn't here. I realized how Logan felt when it was time to leave the airport yesterday and he said "I don't want to leave, because then I would miss Kim." As I got up this morning and realized that I would have to get the boys breakfast because Kim wasn't here to do it. (She has been a wonderful help through this pregnancy...getting the boys going with breakfast in the morning so I can sleep in those extra ten minutes.)

She is such a great helper around the house...even though it takes her three times as long to do the chores that it does me...she gets them done without too much complaining. She is tirelessly patient with two little brothers (soon to be three) who are constantly trying to play with or tickle her. Yesterday she was bored and wanted to play on her DS. I told her it was okay. A short while later, I looked up from my cross-stitch and found her sandwiched between her two brothers. They sat there for quite a while just watching her play.

I can't take too much credit for how awesome of a kid she has turned out. Sure, I changed her diapers and breastfed her for the first part of her life, but what else could I have done. She managed to survive toddlerhood with a single mother who worked two jobs and went to school...mostly due to the help and influence of my parents for those many years. She adores Steven who has considered her his kid from the moment he met her (which was on our 2nd date).

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better first kid....lets just hope that we can all survive the teenage years ahead of us. And also the upcoming 6th grade year while she learns how to play the flute. :)

Everyday Love

Have you ever finished reading a book or watching a movie and wonder "why isn't my life like that?" You know the kind where the man and woman in the movie just realize that they are in love and nothing goes wrong. Or when it does they laugh and fix it.

I got thinking today while polishing off "The Guardian" a book where the man and woman who have been friends for years realize they do love each other and spend everyday going on dates and traipsing around with no worries in the world....why can't real life me like that? There are too many things to do...laundry, dishes, poopy diapers, bedtimes, work, primary lessons and sharing times, toys to pick up, bills to pay...the list goes on and on.

Then I got thinking about my life and realizing I'm pretty lucky. My hubby gets home from work today dragging the garbage cans up the drive. He comes in and asks what is for dinner. I'm playing the Wii with Logan and say I was planning on Pork Stir-Fry. He immediately gets to work cutting up the pork I'd defrosted and cooking dinner. I finish the game with Logan and head in to start rice.

Both boys follow me into the kitchen and as dinner is going Steven proceeds to chase them around the island tickling them. He laughs like he doesn't have a care in the world. It is then that it hits me...my life is so much better than the movies. I have a hubby who loves me and our children more than anything else on this earth. I have a great little house to live in and food on the table. I get to put my kids to bed every night and know that they will be there in the morning. I get to snuggle in bed with my personal space heater on these chilly Idaho nights. I hear my husband tell me he loves me EVERY SINGLE DAY! And every time I look into his eyes, I know without him even needing to speak the words how much he really does love me and our kids.

It makes me think of that Phil Vasser song, Just another day in paradise. The chorus goes: "Well, there's no place that I'd rather be
Well, it's two hearts And one dream
I wouldn't trade it for anything
And I ask the Lord every night
For just another day in paradise"

As nice as it would be not having to worry about all those stupid things that happen in real life, I know that I wouldn't trade them for anything else. Not even a place in the movies.

Ding, dong Mickey is gone

Yesterday I was on the phone with my sister. I thought I saw something streak across my kitchen. I freaked out a little, but then thought I am pregnant and all the way on the other side of the house, I could have imagined it. After getting off the phone, I being the idiot that I am, decide to investigate. I open our pantry door and look around. No evidence of anything afoul. I head out to the garage to grab a flashlight so I can check under the fridge and stove. I look around and there are none to be found (I should probably locate at least one today in case of an emergency,but that can happen later, I'm blogging now). I head back in, take one last look in the pantry give up thinking it was all in my mind and start to walk out of the kitchen. At that moment I see a furry, ugly creature streak across the floor behind me and climb into the cabinet under the sink.
At which point I scream and run into the living room and jump onto a chair. I got some interesting looks from both of my sons who have no idea what is happening. (If they did they would probably want to catch the mouse and become friends.) I frantically call my husband, half expecting him to come racing to my rescue. (I don't know why, because this was at 10 am and he works on the other side of town, a 20 minute drive away.) He calmly states he will get some stuff at Home Depot during his lunch and handle it when he gets home. At which point, I state I will not be entering the kitchen...the boys and I will go out to lunch and HE better figure out what HE will be doing about dinner. I quickly decide that I will go over to Nikki's house for the day.

I run upstairs to get dressed and start frantically telling Logan to get dressed and get my stuff into the diaper bag. Brian, my bro-in-law, comes over to drop off some stuff and I tell him my horrific tale. He basically laughs at my womanly views and offers to catch the creature. I told him I was going to hang out at his house. He decides to leave the dirty work to my husband, sees the kids and I out to the car and heads off to work.

I spend the day with my sister, her 2 kids and their new dog. It was fun. The kids loved playing together, I got to relax and get nothing done and my sister got some company. It worked out well for all involved.

But way too soon, I have to head home to attend to my oldest child who will come home from school. When I arrive home, we go across the street to the park so the little ones can play, I can avoid the mouse some more and wait for my hubby to come home.

He arrives shortly (but perhaps not as quickly as I would have lived given the creature running loose in my house) and sets up all sorts of traps and poisons. I come into the house, unpack the diaper bag, then head straight upstairs into my bed. I came down long enough to eat (only because my hubby refused to bring my dinner up to me), read scriptures and pray. I figured that if I'm doing the "good Mormon things" that I would be protected from the vile creature.

This morning I texted my husband for a status update and was pleased to find out the mouse was caught and is disposed of. Hopefully he looks a little something like this in the trap, located at the bottom of my garbage can....
Now don't get me wrong....I love God's creatures, but once they step foot into my house it is war. When they are outside in the area they were intended to be, I am fine with all the bugs and mice and what-have-you....but when you come into my home....be prepared to die!

I am now resting on the couch. Slightly comforted that the beast I saw yesterday is gone. We have more traps set. Hopefully they won't catch anything else and I won't see anymore visitors. But this is the life when your house is situated directly behind an irrigation canal during a cold winter.