updated post with pictures- my b-day and st. patrick's day

Here is one of the pictures we took of us at night:Here's another picture we took of us at night, laughing so hard we were about to pee our pants:

Still at night, Allison said this looks like a Reader's Digest pose:
My birthday dinner at a Mexican restaurant:
My beautiful birthday tea party:
The flowers hand picked by nana and allison's boys:
My great grandmother's tea cups:
the beautiful table in the AZ sunshine:











Me, Allison and Kerry at Sagauro National "Forest" by Allison's house:


I am on vacation at my sister's house in Tucson, AZ. I think everyone should have a break like this! I'm loving it! I am so relaxed! It's nice to get away from it all for a while. Todd drove the boys down but now Todd is back in Utah:(. I wish he could be here, too, but it's fun to have the boys back.

St. Patricks Day:
Last night leprechauns came to my sister's (Allison) house!(She has 3 boys ages 6, 4 and 2.) They opened the kitchen cupboards, turned over the kitchen chairs, turned the milk green, left glittery leprechaun dust everywhere, painted green on paper and the paper towels, left green footprints on all the kids' hands and faces and left a note next to the kids' leprechaun traps (that were knocked over) that said in tiny handwriting: "nice try! Better luck next year!" They also left fake gold all over the batckyard to trick us into thinking it was real gold. Oh yea, and a tiny gold pot with a clover on it, and left cookies but 2 were eaten:). The kids thought it was so cool. We had cereal with green milk for breakfast, and for lunch we had baby kiwis, clover shaped PB&J's, mini cans of sprite, green fruit roll ups and mini mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. For dinner we had salad and spaghetti with green alfredo sauce. We all wore green except for Auntie allison, so the kids pinched her all day.

My birthday:
I wanted to wait to post about my birthday until I got the pictures from my other sister, Kerry, but I'll add them later. It was the best birthday ever! Todd had to work from home and watch the boys for me so I could go to AZ, and Kerry, my mom and Allison had to take time out of their busy lives to be with me for a few days while I turn from young to old-- overnight mind you. I hear 30th birthdays can do that to you. It was a surprise that my mom and other sister Kerry were there, too. On my birthday I took a long morning nap with the Baby (she came with me)-what a blessed thing naps are! When I woke up, they had prepared a beautiful tea party for me! My sisters and mom are really great cooks and cooked up some REALLY delicious food! I'll post it at the end for me to remember. Since it is gorgeous weather here in southern Arizona, they had the table set up outside with a pretty tablecloth and napkins, and flowers hand picked from the wild by Nana and allison's boys. While we ate, we smelled allison's orange blossoms which is heavenly. Back home in Utah Todd said it was snowing-- about 5 inches. Then Allison got a sitter for her kids and my sisters and mom and I went shopping the rest of the night. We went to an antique store, a nursery with tons of all sorts of plants and flowers, then we spent 3 hours at Joann's fabric and craft store. Then we went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Driving home to Allison's house, you go through the lone and barren desert. We decided to stop and take pictures of the stars and bright moon. Then we decided to take pictures of ourselves, which made us laugh so hard we all about peed our pants! It was the best, most special birthday ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Tea Party Menu:
*tea: raspberry kiwi tea with sugar cubes, both Allison brought back from Germany
*drink: equal parts fresca, strawberry lemonade and margarita mix with cut limes and oranges floating in it
*toasted sliced baguette bread with fresh mozerella, sliced heirloom tomoatoes big and cherry- all mixed in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil from alllison's garden
*not toasted sliced baguette with chive and onion cream cheese, topped with sliced cucumbers and sliced cherry tomatoes
*fruit kabobs- grapes, bananas, straberries and apples marinated in pina colada mix
*banana bread sliced, topped with cream cheese and sliced strawberries
*petite quiches- 8 eggs, 1/3 cup heavy cream, colby jack cheese, fresh basil, diced bacon and tomatoes, pie crust, topped with cheese, 350 degrees
*lemon blueberry scone mix from Trader Joes
*chocolate toffee covered in pistachios also from Trader Joes

living in the moment

yesterday early evening, i sat in allison's reclining chair, reclined, and the back door was open. the temp was perfect and the breeze was blowing on me and i was soaking up the moment and i was so relaxed. then allison and i went out front with the kids and the kids rode trikes and bikes, and then we all went on a bike ride around the neighborhood with the 2 littlest kids in the bike trailer (i gotta get one!). Right now it's 90 degrees and the kids are playing in the sprinklers. i decided that we are going to make this a tradition- spending the month of march in AZ hanging out with my sister!

On Vacation (ahhhh)

I am on vacation at my sister's house in Tucson, AZ. I think everyone should have a break like this! I'm loving it! I am so relaxed! It's nice to get away from it all for a while. Todd drove the boys down but now Todd is back in Utah:(. I wish he could be here, too, but it's fun to have the boys back.

St. Patricks Day:
Last night leprechauns came to my sister's (Allison) house!(She has 3 boys ages 6, 4 and 2.) They opened the kitchen cupboards, turned over the kitchen chairs, turned the milk green, left glittery leprechaun dust everywhere, painted green on paper and the paper towels, left green footprints on all the kids' hands and faces and left a note next to the kids' leprechaun traps (that were knocked over) that said in tiny handwriting: "nice try! Better luck next year!" They also left fake gold all over the batckyard to trick us into thinking it was real gold. Oh yea, and a tiny gold pot with a clover on it, and left cookies but 2 were eaten:). The kids thought it was so cool. We had cereal with green milk for breakfast, and for lunch we had baby kiwis, clover shaped PB&J's, mini cans of sprite, green fruit roll ups and mini mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches. For dinner we had salad and spaghetti with green alfredo sauce. We all wore green except for Auntie allison, so the kids pinched her all day.

My birthday:
I wanted to wait to post about my birthday until I got the pictures from my other sister, Kerry, but I'll add them later. It was the best birthday ever! Todd had to work from home and watch the boys for me so I could go to AZ, and Kerry, my mom and Allison had to take time out of their busy lives to be with me for a few days while I turn from young to old-- overnight mind you. I hear 30th birthdays can do that to you. It was a surprise that my mom and other sister Kerry were there, too. On my birthday I took a long morning nap with the Baby (she came with me)-what a blessed thing naps are! When I woke up, they had prepared a beautiful tea party for me! My sisters and mom are really great cooks and cooked up some REALLY delicious food! I'll post it at the end for me to remember. Since it is gorgeous weather here in southern Arizona, they had the table set up outside with a pretty tablecloth and napkins, and flowers hand picked from the wild by Nana and allison's boys. While we ate, we smelled allison's orange blossoms which is heavenly. Back home in Utah Todd said it was snowing-- about 5 inches. Then Allison got a sitter for her kids and my sisters and mom and I went shopping the rest of the night. We went to an antique store, a nursery with tons of all sorts of plants and flowers, then we spent 3 hours at Joann's fabric and craft store. Then we went to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Driving home to Allison's house, you go through the lone and barren desert. We decided to stop and take pictures of the stars and bright moon. Then we decided to take pictures of ourselves, which made us laugh so hard we all about peed our pants! It was the best, most special birthday ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday Tea Party Menu:
*tea: raspberry kiwi tea with sugar cubes, both Allison brought back from Germany
*drink: equal parts fresca, strawberry lemonade and margarita mix with cut limes and oranges floating in it
*toasted sliced baguette bread with fresh mozerella, sliced heirloom tomoatoes big and cherry- all mixed in olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh basil from alllison's garden
*not toasted sliced baguette with chive and onion cream cheese, topped with sliced cucumbers and sliced cherry tomatoes
*fruit kabobs- grapes, bananas, straberries and apples marinated in pina colada mix
*banana bread sliced, topped with cream cheese and sliced strawberries
*petite quiches- 8 eggs, 1/3 cup heavy cream, colby jack cheese, fresh basil, diced bacon and tomatoes, pie crust, topped with cheese, 350 degrees
*lemon blueberry scone mix from Trader Joes
*chocolate toffee covered in pistachios also from Trader Joes

Happy Birthday Kristie!

Today is Kristie's birthday - and not just any birthday, but her 30th birthday. And so, in honor of this momentous day, here are 30 reasons I love and appreciate her:

1. The way she cares for me

2. The way she cares for the kids

3. That she's so diligent about reading scriptures with the boys and even helping them memorize the scripture mastery verses.

4. That she doesn't enjoy cooking ... because then we don't have to fight over who gets to cook :)

5. Her go-getter attitude (The word "No" isn't in her vocabulary)

6. That, once she's committed to something, she goes at it with her whole self.

7. That she does home school with the boys - they're definitely learning far more than they would in the public schools. According to the public schools, Nathan isn't even ready to start Kindergarten 'till the fall but he's already doing double-digit math (like 68 minus 50) in his head - no kidding. Alex is doing the same. I don't think there are many parents that have what it takes to do home school (I know I don't) so this is a big one!

8. The way she always tries to get me to linger a bit longer in the mornings before work to spend more time with her.

9. That she always laughs at my jokes, even when they're really not funny.

10. That she absolutely loves with all of hear heart.

11. That she helps me to be a better person.

12. She's the official painter of the family and it always looks good. She'll always discuss her ideas with me beforehand and I always have a hard time imagining what it will look like - but it's always fantastic in the end.

13. That she sacrifices her personal desires to be a mother - and she's so good at it.

14. That she changes 90% of Katie's diapers and never complains about it (though that might change as Katie starts to eat more solid foods ... )

15. Her frequent posts on the blog - what a great family journal! I know that in 5 years, or 10, or 20, we'll have so much fun reading about what we were doing / thinking / etc.

16. Her spontaneity.

17. That she keeps the house (relatively) clean but that she worries more about spending time with the kids.

18. That she enjoys rather than resents motherhood - truly there is no greater mission in life! Of course, it's not always easy and she gets tired / frustrated / burnt out / etc. - but she keeps on going.

19. She loves holidays and always comes up with the best activities.

20. That she thinks Katie is her little baby doll that she needs to dress all pretty - and she does a fantastic job of it and even (mostly) stays in budget.

21. That she's older than I am so I can tease her about turning 30 (though I'm sure she'll return it full force on my birthday ... HA! Old Lady!)

22. She's a good example for me.

23. She's so extremely talented with so many things.

24. That she's always encouraging and finds ways to make me feel like I'm doing a good job at being a father and husband - even when I can do better.

25. That she listens to me no matter what - even if I'm talking about programming mumbo-jumbo that is meaningless to her.

26. She's really good about remembering to take pictures. 99% of the pictures we have of the kids doing cute / funny things were taken by her.

27. That she willingly submits to being my test-taster for even the craziest of culinary adventures - some of which have been less than edible (remember the shrimp ravioli?)

28. She's the best mom in the world!

29. She's the best wife in the world!

30. She's my best friend in the world!

Happy birthday Babe!


(Thanks, Jed, for the idea ...)

And so it begins ...

Today is Day #1 of Kristie's Super Trip.  This week, she's in Arizona with two of her sisters and her mom - having 'girl time' for her birthday.  So, I'm staying with the boys and we'll drive down on Thursday.  She's given me the task of guest blogging in her abscence which I think is mostly so she can keep tabs on what her three boys are doing!

Today at church, Alex had a lesson on mothers during the last hour and he was sad as were were leaving - missing Kristie and all.  So, we decided to make Krabby Patties for dinner.

(For those who don't watch Spongebob, he's a fry cook that works in a burger joint making Krabby Patties according to the secret formula).

One thing of foremost importance was to find the right spatula.  Several episodes of the show have focused on Spongebob's spatula so the boys couldn't use just any utinsel.  Fortunately, though, they found the perfect one (they said it looks just like Spongebob's):

The next element was to come up with our own 'Secret Formula'.  So, I put some ground beef in a bowl and got out about 15 - 20 different spices from the spice cabinet.  The boys got to smell each of them and decide which ones to include.  Then, they got to decide how much to put in and they added the spices to the meat.  We wrote down the secret formula as we went along so it's not lost, don't worry.  I'd tell you what was included but then it wouldn't be a Secret Formula, now would it?

Of course, the perfect Krabby Patty has to have lettuce, a patty, cheese, and a tomato - all on a soft bun.  I think we came pretty darned close:

Alex had to have his just like the original (and I know for a fact that he wouldn't have allowed lettuce on it otherwise), although Nathan opted for just the patty and cheese.

And, now that we have a Secret Formula, we need a way to keep it safe.  So, we found the perfect bottle (including a cork).

On the show, a character named Plankton is perpetually trying to steal the secret formula for his own failing restaurant.  Alex said that someone had to try to steal the formula - so I said maybe Mommy would when she comes back.  I guess we'll just have to find a good hiding place ...

Two

Two funny things Alex said today:
1. Allison and I were on the phone talking about fresh limes in Arizona. Todd said, "That's one thing about Arizona, they've got fresh citrus." Alex blurted out, "Fancy Living Digest!" (in a funny accent of course). I guess fresh citrus is fancy living!

2. We were talking about what the boys were going to take to AZ, and I told them they should bring their stuffed animals. Alex has "Beary," and on Valentines Day he got a pink bear to be Beary's wife (and a wedding dress for her and a tux for Beary so they could get married). He said he wouldn't bring Mrs. Bear because "they might think something funny about me has happened."

And now, I'm off to AZ! I'll leave you with two links to blog posts with some great St. Patrick's Day ideas:

1. http://seeleys.blogspot.com/2008/03/st-pattys-seeley-style.html

2. http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/2009/03/st-patricks-day-party.html

I have great friends!

Today when I went outside, I saw some of this:
Balloons all over, a nice card and a happy birthday sign on the garage and on my car! Thank you for making my birthday special and thinking of me!!!
Then, a friend went with me to Discovery Gateway and I had a lot of fun. Thanks!!
A Great Day because of Great Friends!
P.S. I never did organize that party I wanted to on Saturday, but I'll definitely do it when I come back. I even found the perfect invitations. I can't wait!

If you live in Spanish Fork

Even if you don't homeschool and think homeschoolers should have equal access to extra curricular activities:

A bill is hanging by a vote, and we have the power to do something. If you live in Spanish Fork or Mapleton, please do what you can to support the bill to give homeschoolers equal access to extra curricular activities. This bill has been worked on for 4 years and will die without your help!
Just send an email to Senator Hinkins and tell him to support the senate bill SB61. Put in the subject line whatever applies: I live in Spanish Fork, Resident of Mapleton, or I am a constituent.
Here is his email address: dhinkins@utahsenate.org

Thank you in advance!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Surprise!

I was in charge of dinner tonight. I messed it up, so we decided to go out to eat for my birthday dinner (but my birthday- the big 30- is really not until Tues.). We went to Tsing Tao in Payson, our favorite restaurant. In my fortune cookie, my fortune said: "A pleasant surprise is in store for you soon."

Out of nowhere Todd pulled out a gift bag. I knew he had been scheming something for a while, because every time I ask him about his allowance, he starts giggling uncontrollably. Inside the gift bag was a little toy airplane. The boys thought I hit the jackpot. I was confused.

Then Todd said that I am going to fly to AZ on Sunday morning to spend some "girl time" with my sister! We were planning on all driving to AZ next weekend, so Todd is flying me out a week early with Katherine, and then he and the boys (and the dog) are still driving out next week. I'll get an extra week with my sister without the boys! Todd asked if he could work from home this next week so he can watch the boys. How sweet is that? On the itinerary for the boys (according to Todd): going to the Dollar Store every day, going to the Dino Museum from when they open until they close, eating dino nuggets, having movie nights watching Star Wars and other boy movies, etc.

So, I'll be gone for a whole month!

lots of pictures

We made a St. Patrick's Day collage. I save magazines and catalogs for crafts. Alex's:

Nathan's:

Mine:

We also made Spongebobs. The kids love Spongebob.

Here are some pictures from Boys' Club. Katherine learned to crawl there!!! She is yawning:

Now she's talking:



At Boys' Club they had an art lesson:

We went to get a treat at McFattness and the kids played for about 2 hours on the "play place":

Here's Katherine's springy Sunday outfit:

Katherine and her friend Heidi:

Yesterday Todd picked up Katherine and she laid her head on his shoulder and smiled the hugest smile! Every morning Todd gets Katherine out of her crib when he hears her talking. He goes in there and she is playing with her doll. Then he picks her up and she gives him a hug by laying her head on his shoulder. Then she looks out the door and he takes her to me and we snuggle in bed and I feed her. Todd said that is the routine every morning. So adorable.

making a good childhood and holiday ideas

Thanks for the comments on the last post! I'm still accepting more comments.

I've been writing down ideas of things I've liked and heard others say they've liked about their childhood.

First here are some things my kids like right now: Halloween and holidays-we make a big deal about holidays around these parts and now they are really into holidays too, the condo in Oct. with Todd's family, playing together-Alex and Nathan are best friends, playing with cousins Dallin and Kevin and Ethan, time with extended family, going on dates with mom and dad, going on trips- they remember trips to see Great nana, Disneyland, going to AR, etc. Todd and I decided trips are always worth more in memories than they cost in money.

Ideas: doing crafts with them, going places like the Dino Museum, etc., playing with them, date nights, talk time at night when going to bed, helping them explore their talents (I loved my flute), telling them stories, hiking and outdoor fun, instead of wishing I had a farm, I'll go visit a farm, maybe have some chickens eventually; until I have my over-the-top backyard garden, I can take the kids to Tahitian Noni gardens in Provo or Thanksgiving Point gardens and we can do school, have a picnic, run around, we can have a big vegetable garden in the back for now; for the house- keeping it clean- cleaning for 1 hour a day- no more no less, and having the kids do the cleaning with me; playing with friends; lots of traditions (also see holidays)

Does that sound like a good childhood for my kids?


*********************************************************************************
Side note-
For my Christian readers, I recommend this book for activities for Easter:

http://deseretbook.com/store/product/4253892

My ideas for St. Patricks Day: making leprechaun traps http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/ff0309-to-catch-a-leprechaun/ff0309-to-catch-a-leprechaun.html, or http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/leprechauntrapscraftsactivitiesforkids.html

shamrock crayon melts (melt crayon shavings on wax paper and cute into shamrocks):

shamrock meatloaf cupcakes (meatloaf cupcakes with green mashed potatoes for "frosting") or other green food shamrock shakes (mint green), finding gold coins that the leprechauns left

other ideas I found: The leprechauns turn our tap water green (the girls go around to each faucet and watch the green water come out)

leave "leprechaun stew" - pistachio pudding that turns green when you mix it, and leave slimy green footprints or gold glitter dust all over the counter tops. It has turned a normally uneventful holiday into a treasure hunt not unlike Christmas or Easter morning. http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/content/experiment/leprechauns-st-patricks

lots of ideas here: http://holidays.kaboose.com/saint-patricks-day/

And don't forget to wear green!!

"love my dad"; and "please comment"

I just got off the phone with my dad-- he is always so wise and knows just what to say. Points I want to remember:
1. Kids don't notice what the house or yard looks like. I'd love them to have an amusement park for a backyard and a castle for a house, but then my energy, time and focus is on that instead of on them. All they care about is probably if it's clean. What they do care about is time together and doing fun things together. I know that, but sometimes it's easy to forget that in my actions and thoughts.
(Now that they have no kids in the house, my dad took up the hobby of woodworking. He said it would have maybe been nice to have that when we were younger, but then it would have taken too much money, time away from us, maybe he could have done it with Ryan but who knows if he would have even liked it or not, but now he can do it all he wants after work.)
2. I can concentrate on one thing at a time (paint project, garden project, etc) and have patience. That "p" word scares me.

Anyone know where I can get buy some patience and self control? Preferably a place that takes credit cards....

In thinking about the perfect childhood, I was wondering, what was your favorite childhood memory? I remember Emily saying that her mom always had the house clean and cookies. I remember loving the "forest" (empty lot full of trees by our house) and any other enchanted place that was full of imaginary potential. Tawnya said that she didn't envy the girls who did gymanstics, etc, she just wished she had a mom to give her attention. I remember loving the piano music and peaceful feeling at my childhood piano teacher's house (Carol? I forgot her name). In our house I loved that our parents let us build forts with tons of blankets and couch coushins. They let us use the video camera to make our "movies". They even let us "draw on" the coffee table (literally)! (ha ha, they thought we meant "with paper" but we meant- literally). Our house wasn't so fancy that we couldn't have fun as kids. I also loved camping and swimming all day. I loved trips to CA (or just any trips). And we had a birthday party EVERY year. Now I find that not all parents give birthday parties every year-- I thought birthday parties were a given! Todd maybe had one party (poor guy).

So please let me know, what are some of your fondest childhood memories?

Also, what things and traits do you admire in your mom and/or dad?

a glimpse inside my chaotic mind right now

Right now, I have a million things I'm thinking about. I've been loving looking at blogs about things I love (I found a new one like Nie Nie's... her friend), and recently looking at pictures on flikr. Here are some things I like:

I love this vintage yellow desk-- it's unique and a bright cheery color. I want to find furniture like this to decorate Katherine's room.

I wish I had a great camera and could take great pictures. This is from a blog, this is her daughter. I love the bright colors on the blanket:

It's starting to be spring, so my gardening obsession begins! That takes up 99% of my brain power 99% of the time right now. Here's how it will look eventually:

I've also been loving chandeliers lately. I want to put one above our kitchen table and in Katherine's room...

...and I want to put this one on either side of our bed. I have all the plans for the decorating of our room (now just need the money):

I wish I had chickens! I see chicks for sale on craigslist and I read a "backyard chickens" book. Here is how my chicken coop would look:

I love vintage. Here is a picture from a blog who also loves vintage. This is from a children's book:

this is in her daughter's room. I'm going to steal this idea-- I love it!

She also writes a letter to Anne with an "e" (Anne of Green Gables)--

I love reading blogs about finding romance in everyday life:

"my problem, dear anne, is that it is 2009. kids don't like to get all fussied up anymore, and i don't think they would go to the trouble of making up stories about lost broaches to be able to go to a silly church picnic. in my mind the little girls are wearing spring dresses and holding parasols with their gloved hands while the boys are eating biscuits and drinking homemade rootbeer with their hats and suspenders on. but i live in a dreamland where i want everything stylized. i know you understand me, anne.
but let me tell you, that's not how it will really go. i imagine most kids will want to stay home and play computer games, but their moms will make them come and so they'll grudgingly put on a some church pants and skirts. so i was wondering if you could help me know how to bring the romance back into our modern life? it's not really that important, no matter the dress or the menu, we just want the kids to come to feel the spirit of the temple. but it's like you said, anne, when you don't use your imagination to make life beautiful, "how much you miss."
say hi to gilbert and the kids. with love, k.m."

I've been looking at all sorts of great crafts and thinking that I really want to do crafts with my kids. All they want to do is play computer games and watch tv! I feel like we're in a rut!

I also feel like I wish I was more crafty, creative and artistic! Here are some drawings in an Etsy shop from a woman here in Utah:

I love this! I want to frame it and put it up in the kids' bathroom:

I've also been itching to have a fancy tea party and make petit fours and other pretty finger pasteries. I've been looking at lots of pictures of those kinds of things to get ideas on how to decorate pretty pasteries. Maybe Katherine's first birthday party can be a fancy tea party:)

More flowers and romantic things I love:

More vintage pictures I love:

cute dolls I want to learn to make. I love the bright colors. Maybe I could make some and put it in Katherine's room. I love how the dolls are "holding hands"

I saw this on flikr. She made a bunch of cute packages from old things. She made this from a Camembert cheese box. I'd love to make one of these and put my petit fours in it:)

The Erica challenge 2 part 1
Originally uploaded by Lulu at Home

She also made this jar of honey. she made the label on the computer and the top is paper and she used a hole punch to make it look like lace. I'd love my breakfast table to look like this:

Maybe while I'm in AR I can do some crafty things.

So, as you can see, I have no time or brain power left to think about things like...cleaning.

Then I get frustrated, because why can't I have 3 kids, homeschool, have a beautifully decorated house, over-the-top back yard garden, have chickens, a dog, do crafts, make everything beautiful, picture-perfect and wonderful for my family, make cute pasteries, draw, keep everything clean, do photography, and spend money like we're millionaries...why why why??? That's all I want!!

funny boys

*When we were walking out of Home Depot, Nathan said, "I need a diet coke." I don't know where he got that from, because I hate diet coke. But where does he come up with any of the stuff he comes up with?

*Nathan was trying to describe stuffing: "That stuff you eat at Thanksgiving that's crunchy and pushy-tushy and like ice blocks with green things on it."

* Yesterday both boys sold Todd a rock for $1.