Happy, Happy Birthday...

Today is my sister Karidee's birthday. She and I are 14 months apart. As kids, we didn't get along very well, but in the last 12 years or so we have become very close and I love her to pieces. Here are 10 of my favorite things about Karidee:

1. She is the most put-together and organized person I know.
2. She is super motivated, she knows what she wants, goes after it and achieves it.
3. She is daring.
4. She is smart. She is a registered dietitian and is one semester away from becoming a P.A. at George Washington University.
5. She is beautiful, inside and out.
6. She is strong. Emotionally, physically and spiritually.
7. She has a great fashion sense.
8. She is funny. She has a great, dry sense of humor-I love it!
9. She is a great listener.
10.She cares about others and serves them.

Hope you have a great day Kar-Love ya!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow...

Both of my kids needed hair cuts in a BAD way, Boe more than Gage-being the control freak that I am, I usually take them. It wasn't bad when my sister Ashlee lived here, I never worried, but since she has moved, I have had to trust others to not butcher my kids. So, the last couple of weeks have been crazy and I haven't had time for haircuts. Neal offered to take them in with him. After giving him VERY specific instructions (especially in regards to Gage's hair) I conceded and let them go. Here is Gage a day before the haircut... And here he is AFTER the haircut. Needless to say, he was NOT a happy camper... Neal came home looking apologetic and told me that he had told the girl to trim about an inch off and trim the bangs-that's it. I guess that once she took Gage back, he was chatting up a storm and turning on the charm and she was eating it up. He was saying things like, "preferably, I like my hair long" and "actually, I am going to be six in just a few months" and stuff like that. He also invited her to his birthday party and she told him she'd be there unless she had to work. Hmmm... So, my conclusion is that she was enjoying her little customer too much and didn't want it to end after just one inch so she made it last for five! Oh, well, at least hair grows!

Six For Saturday...

1. So thankful for my dad and the chance to go to lunch with him today and just talk. Love you Daddy-O.

2. So thankful for this spring-like weather we are having. I am about to take my kids out for a walk-our first in a LONG time.

3. So thankful for a sweet friend who thought to send me the most amazing book which brought me so much comfort and peace.

4. So thankful for Lowe's-they really do carry ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you need when doing a home improvement project.

5. So thankful for the miracle of Life and Death.

6. So thankful for my expanding stomache! I should post some pictures, in the last couple of days, I have really "popped!"

Help THIS clueless soul...

help...please. Any suggestions on where to purchase CUTE, fitted and NONTENTLIKE maternity t-shirts would be greatly appreciated. I ordered a bunch online from old navy and they are HUGE and look like tents and they are so ugly. I am thinking of buying some shade/downeast outfitters t's in bigger sizes and see how those work. What did you use for your pregnancy?

You've GOTTA read this...

As many of you know, I love to read. I will try anything-except scifi-I just finished this gem of a book and if you haven't already, go get it and read it! It is a great book, a really easy read and completely unbelievable. It made me so grateful for modern luxuries and I realized how much I take for granted. Honestly, one of the best books I have read in a long time!

A Great Weekend and Lasagna...

Had a fantastic weekend! Neal started ripping out our master bathroom. More to come on this along with before and after pictures once it's done. Let's just say that our bathroom was probably the UGLIEST thing you have ever seen and after we are finished with it, it's gonna be beautiful-can't wait. Also, hung out with some good friends and had some great food and conversation-went to church and as always felt uplifted and renewed. I am bringing dinner to a friend and her family tonight and thought I'd post this delicious recipe for all to use! Have a great President's day!

World's Easiest Lasagna
Sauce:
1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 can tomatoe sauce
1 can petite diced tomatoes
garlic salt/garlic powder to taste
salt/pepper to taste

Other ingredients:
Lasagna noodles
Cottage cheese OR Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesean cheese

Brown beef in large pan, add sauce, tomatoes, garlic salt and powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

In a 9x13 pan, spread a layer of sauce along the bottom, add a layer of UNCOOKED lasagna noodles, cover with sauce, add a layer of cottage/ricotta cheese. Add another layer of uncooked noodles, followed by sauce and cheese (add as many layers as you desire) top off last layer with meat sauce and sprinkle parmesean and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. ***Let me know if you try it and like it***

Happy Heart Day!

Valentines Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think it's probably because my mom always made it so fun and festive. We started our day off early (for us) at 7:00 because Neal had to be at work early. We had french toast with red syrup...and pink-colored milk...

We had our friends Brooklynn and Libby over to make Valentines Day cookies...
and ate an extremely healthy and delicious lunch!
And now I am pooped! Time for our afternoon naps! Hope you all have a great L-O-V-E day!

Do the Shuffle...

My cute little friend Emilee tagged with the ipod tag, so here it goes!

You are supposed to look at your ipod, push "shuffle songs" and list the first 10 songs that come up:

1. U2-Sweetest Thing
2. Nora Jone-Come Away With Me
3. Mark Cohen-True Companion
4. Led Zepplin-Going to California
5. Kenny Chesney-Me and You
6. Rascal Flats-Bless the Open Road
7. Dave Matthews Band-Crash
8. Bob Marley-Jammin
9. Blues Traveler-Runaround
10. Beck-Nobody's Fault but My Own

Wow! That's an ecceltic collection of songs AND artists! That was fun, if you want to do it-YOU are now it!

An Unexpected Find...

So late last night I was going through my wedding file looking for my wedding certificate. Neal and I are going to Mexico in April and I need to get a new passport. As I was looking through the file, I saw a folded piece of paper. I immediately recognized the handwriting. It was a letter from my mom written to me on my wedding day, June 15, 2001! All of my cards and letters from my wedding are scrapbooked and I guess I somehow misplaced this one. It was just what I needed as I have been thinking about and missing her so much lately. It was so great. It was as if she were right there speaking to me. She talks of when she was pregnant with me and she tells me all of the things she loves about me and then gives me a bit of motherly advice on marriage and this journey called life. One sentence that really stood out to me said, "Life is a journey, the ups and downs, the joy and sadness, the accomplishments and disappointments..." So true, so true. And the ultimate decision of how we are going to react to life's events, is up to us. What a great lady that mom of mine was. Love you mom...

So Help Me...

I am going to cause HARM to my 3 year old. Let me tell you a little bit about Boe. He is the most loving, sensitive, funny and sarcastic little person I know....WHEN things go his way. If not then WATCH OUT.
I fell asleep last night on the couch watching T.V. I was rudely awakened this morning with a LOUD voice in my ear DEMANDING that I turn on the Disney Channel to "his" show (as opposed to Gage's show which I guess he didn't like) anyways, so I told him to wait a minute as I gathered my thoughts and tried to remember how I ended up downstairs freezing on the couch instead of nice and cozy in my bed upstairs. He didn't even give me 10 seconds to process all of this. Instead he picked up the remote and HUCKED it at the wall. On any normal day I would have freaked out about this, but I was especially ticked today. I spent the entire day yesterday painting baseboards and doors as well as touching up EVERY wall in my house that has had damage caused to it by said 3 year old. So, I was MAD.
I got up from the couch as fast as I could (while still a bit sleepy and disoriented) and chased after him and put him in his room. As soon as I got back downstairs, he was out of the room and taunting me telling me that he didn't have to stay in time-out. Luckily, Neal entered the picture right at this point. Neal is a very good disciplanarian (much better than me) and he doesn't tolerate disrespect. So he sat Boe down and made him take a time-out and then told him to go apologize to me.
He reluctantly walked over to me with this stubborn little smirk on his face and said, "sorry you didn't turn on the T.V. for me so I threw the remote at the wall." It took every bit of self-control I could muster to not flick his mouth or paddle his bum. It's gonna be a FUN day!

"We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet"

Yesterday I decided to pack up the kiddos and take a ride on trax to President Hinckley's viewing. We left at about 1:45 and met Neal downtown at about 2:15. By the time we got to the Conference Center, the lines were reasonably long but not too bad. We stood outside for about a half-hour and made it inside. From there we were herded through a series of snake-shaped lines until we were ushered inside the seating arena and seated into the different sections of the middle level of the center. This process took another hour. When we were finally seated in our section, there were 8 sections ahead of us. We were told the wait from that point would be around an hour and a half to two hours. Neal needed to go back to work, he had some meetings he couldn't get out of, so he reluctantly left me with the two boys. It turned out to be fine. They were showing President Hinckley's 95th birthday celebration on the big screens and playing music. Boe fell asleep and Gage just kind of hung out. We had to make two bathroom breaks but other than that the kids were ANGELS. I have to say that I believe it was Divine Intervention (and those of you who know my kids would probably agree!)

We sat by the cutest lady and her daughter from Sugarhouse and we chatted during our, what turned out to be, very long wait. We sat and watched as the sections on the middle level completely filled up. They then began filling up the sections in the lower level. It was amazing! I couldn't believe how many people were there to honor their Prophet. Finally, after almost two and a half hours, it was our section's turn! They led us out of the arena and up the escalators. There were about 400 people in our section, and at least two other sections in front of us.

We all filed down the Hall of the Prophets on the top level of the Conference Center. As soon as we entered the hall, I can't explain the feeling that was present in the room. There were literally hundreds of people and it was absolutely silent. People had small babies and children and not one of them made a sound. There was soft, beautiful music being played and the hall is lined with busts of former prophets as well as some statues of Jesus Christ and some beautiful artwork. The feeling was undescribable. In the center of the room was the casket of the Prophet of God lying in state. The only thing that separated us from him were some red velvet ropes. We got to walk right past him and it was the most unbelievable experience I have ever had. Gage started crying and said his heart was beating "really" fast Boe was absolutely silent. They both looked at our Prophet and wanted to stay near him. It was incredible. I am sure that every single person who had the opportunity to walk past that casket was changed in some way.

President Hinckley looked so at peace and I left there wanting to be a better person and live a better life. It is amazing to me that this man even in death is still affecting people. The four hour wait was worth every second of the 30 that I got to spend in the Hall of the Prophets paying tribute to a Great Man. I will never forget it.