Elsewhere

Catching Up

2012-01-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

So blogging hasn't been on my list for quite some time which seems funny since I actually like writing and reading blogs. So here I am again. But where do I pick up? I feel like I have to go back, but I don't want to detail everything from summer until now so I'll just shorthand.

The last time I posted was about the boys 1/2 birthday party. We had such a great time and Amber's pictures were absolutely adorable. (I feel weird about posting pictures of other peoples kids otherwise you could have seen more. Am I the only one who worries about stuff like that?)

We rounded out the summer with some trips to St. George and a family stay-cation in Park City. The boys learned to swim. Alright, not completely but they have more freedom in the pool now that we've discovered water wings! They really changed everything for us. Hooray for water wings! Here are a few pictures of our summer.

In the background of this picture you can see my Mother's Day gift of a new fence. Matt built me a fence and yes I'm pretty sure in a womens' handbook someplace that equals true love!

I suppose I should also mention that around this point in the summer G began wearing what we now refer to as his 'Man of Leisure Attire' slippers.

Only recently did he tire of wearing these slippers everywhere.

This fall we had a great time decorating for Halloween. Every year our little guys get a little more into each holiday and they just seem to mean so much more. I even turned into Martha Stewart for one day and painted a pumpkin.

Yes, I took a picture as I turned back into myself immediately after and am fully aware that nothing like that may never happen again!
For Halloween our boys were dragons which made me SO happy since last year we had to fight to get them into a costume at all.

I should also mention that around this point I got crazy addicted to Pinterest and thought I could make anything on the site. Which lead me to making this mummy out of chicken wire. Nearly a thousand scratches later we hung it from a tree and attached a thunder tube sound maker to the bottom. My big plan was to pull the string when kids walked by and the mummy would move and make an erie sound. It actually didn't work out as well as I had planned but by the end of the night I did succeed in scaring one group of kids and I heard their dad laughing. So really in my mind it was all worth it.

And lastly, this fall our friend Meagan the photographer took some pictures of our family. Although I know we were not the easiest group we are certainly are the most appreciative! We are so thrilled to finally have a family picture! Thank you Meagan!

3.5 x2 a birthday story in pictures

2011-07-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

the end

THANK YOU to our friend Amber for the amazing pictures that made everything look so perfect!

3.5

2011-07-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ask around and you'll see, it's the new 4. And it makes it possible for us to have a summer party for the boys! We've done all winter parties up until now and they just seem...well cold. I really want their memories of this summer party to be warm and magical.

I made this yesterday after watching a tutorial on YouTube. I think I'll make more and hang them throughout our trees.

And I'll be attempting some variation of this...

And these adorable little bags. I love the idea of personalizing them for the kids with iron-on transfers. They are the perfect size for 3.5 year olds and could make great little library bags!

*Bag image & creative credit belong to Blonde Designs

We still have time to plan and make pompoms which is nice. But what would really be nice, since we still have a few days would be to hear your ideas. If anyone is still out there please share your favorite party ideas or games for little ones so that you can help my dream to make their dream of my dream come true.

Summertime

2011-06-16T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hope your having great days and even better nights!
Stay cool.
xo
Jenny

Yesterday I made a mistake

2011-04-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

The scene: A trip to Target for rain boots. We learned long ago that one pair of anything in our home is never good for moral. G had his eyes on a pair of gray camouflage boots immediately so I thought it would be a pretty quick trip (feeling too comfortable, classic mistake).

The trap: Then we saw the toy section looming at the back of the store and they started asking just to look. It seemed harmless.

The bait: They found little cars that played music, Funky Town & Pump Up the Jam. They made me laugh since, really..Funky Town and Pump Up the Jam? And they loved them, I mean truly LOVED them.

WHAT?: It seemed like it would be worth it to get them after watching my two little guys dance down the isle. They were adorable. Sure, I had the internal battle of teaching that we can't always get a toy vs. getting a toy this one time wouldn't be a big deal.

Trap snaps: I sided with the latter and we danced right out of the store.

Trapped: Funky Town all day long vs. Pump Up the Jam playing at the same time. Who would win? We may never know. Who would lose? There would be no question.

New lungs

2011-03-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we found out that a friend who had been waiting on the list for a double lung transplant...got the call. She and her husband started a blog to share their story which is where we have been following their daily updates. She is strong, beautiful and among many other things she's the mother of twin boys. After reading their blog it made me do an inventory of my own life. Remembering to let go of things that don't matter and holding tighter to the things that do has been good for me. I suppose life threatening diseases have the power to do that to people. They give you perspective and remind you to feel lucky for things..like taking a breath. Or having a husband who inspires me, who fights for air but does not let that battle alone define him. Seeing so many of the same amazing qualities in Julie has also been an inspiration. They are cut from the same fabric and I feel lucky to know them.

To read Julie's blog click here.
And if you're in town you should come with us to the concert that will be held in her honor May 9th.

a first for me in DIY furnace repair

2011-02-25T10:28:00.000-08:00

This winter we've been having some problems with our heater. In fact this will be the third year in a row. I've called a repair man the last two years to help. I'm the type of customer who hangs around to much asking questions while they fiddle with switches and such. I know it's annoying but I figure since it's my house and I'm paying I get to do it. Both times both repair men have ended up pulling out one little part and scrubbing it off. Then they put the beast back together and it works again...for a while.

Then as they leave the tell us that our furnace is to large for our house. And they question the sense of the business and homeowner who picked it. Then they instill extra confidence by offering to buy it for parts and sell us a new one for a zillion dollars. That's my favorite part about having them over.

Anyhow this year when we started having problems I started googling. I know what a dangerous thing that is but I did it anyway. I found out that the name of the part is the flame sensor. So I watched a few videos about how to install a flame sensor. I read countless complaints similar to my own about how furnaces wouldn't keep heat and all along this tiny little part had been the culprit.

Disclaimer: Now please take into account that I fully acknowledge that I know nothing about the heating and air business. The people who have been to our house in the past have been helpful. Expensive, but helpful. And they have been to school to do their jobs. This problem was specific to our furnace and may not be the same as in another furnace. Did that sound disclaimer-ish enough?

Un-disclaimer: However after talking to friends about this and reading countless threads on line of similar scenarios I feel comfortable saying if your heater isn't keeping a set temperature I would strongly suggest checking the flame sensor.

So, yesterday while we were all walking around the house bundled up I decided it was time to act. I called a repair man and they told me it would be $60.00 just to come out and diagnose the problem and then who knows how much for time and labor to fix or replace parts. Which is all well worth it for heat..unless it was the flame sensor and I could fix it myself. So I called a parts store to see how much it would be to replace. They said they had some flame sensors but I'd have to bring mine in to match it. I don't know why but I felt like they were calling my bluff. If I was really going to do this I would have to dismantle a part of the beast. Feeling fear struck I halfheartedly said "Sounds great, I'll bring it right in." But I'm pretty sure that neither of us believed. I decided to go downstairs just to reevaluate the situation and saw that just like the video showed the part was held in by one screw and one plug. I undid them both and pulled the part right out. I hurried and put the boys in the car and drove right to the shop. When we walked in and the man behind the counter seemed surprised to see me. To bad the only person more surprised was me. But I didn't have time to worry about that, I was in a hurry. I feared if I waited to long I would somehow forget how to put the part back in. Luckily he had my part so $15.00 and a short car ride later I was standing in front of our furnace again. And just like before one screw, one plug and less than 5 minutes later the part went back in easily. It now sits at the front of our furnace silver, shiny and working perfectly!

Goodbye to bundeling.

Not really, don't worry.

I don't know why the repair men didn't replaced the part in our furnace 2 years ago. Especially since the cost would have been so minimal. The google consensus is that cleaning the part with a scrubber is a perfectly normal practice and can can be a fix for a long time but after a certain point that practice is no longer useful and the flame sensor should be replaced.

Probably when they look like this

And the new part looks like this

Playlist Loves

2011-02-24T12:23:00.000-08:00

Song: Quelqu'un m'a dit by Carla Bruni
Reminds me of all my dusk walks last summer. I would listen to this song on repeat. You should try it. It makes everywhere you look seem like a scene from a movie.

Song: You and Me by Dave Matthews Band
I never hit the skip button when it comes on. Could anyone?

Song: Twisted by Annie Lennox
Classic Annie. Lovely.

Song: Dog Days Are Over by Florence + The Machine
This song is still pretty new to me but I loved it right off. Not for everyone. Not even my own husband.

Song: Between Sheets by Imogen Heap
Simple and perfect. PERFECT.

Song: Float On by Modest Mouse
It just makes me happy. I listen to it all the time.

Song: The Cave by Mumford & Sons
Saw them on the Grammy's and haven't been able to get this song out of my head.

What about your playlist this week?

Trendsetting

2011-02-10T11:36:00.000-08:00

Don't be surprised when you see all the kids doing it.

*December pictures. I promise the tree is down!

iPod cover

2011-02-06T13:36:00.000-08:00

It only took Matt & I seconds after unwrapping our new ipod to realize that we needed a cover to keep it safe and warm (alright, not warm but you get me). So, after looking around for a while we ended up checking Etsy and quickly found one. The price is pretty midrange compared to what we saw out there. But we liked this one right off because of it's good, clean, functional look. And I admit that always like to support Etsy. The idea of handmade makes me happy.

And we love it.
A lot.
Enough to blog about in fact.
So if you're ever in the market for such a thing C comme Ca is the Etsy store to see.

Another reason I love Matt

2011-02-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

I found this while chasing the boys around the yard today.

Two little finds

2011-01-29T12:27:00.001-08:00

Number one
If you know me then you know that I would have purchased it for the atomizer alone and so I admit that is why I picked it up. However after I smelled Kensington Garden I walked right to the cash register as if I had just found a golden ticket. Yes, little things make me that happy.
Golden ticket found at Anthropologie.
Number two
After a decade of fabulous hand me down chairs we found these beauties at IKEA and snatched them right up. And not for the price (although it does still make me smile). Sometimes IKEA just has my number.
The KAUSTBY Chair.
What have you found lately?

Back Back Track

2011-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Well I figured that since I'm back tracking I may as well go all the way back to Thanksgiving. This year we ended up going to stay with Nate's family in Laguna Beach for the holiday. (Nate is Matt's oldest brother.) I suppose if I could say one thing about his family and this trip it would be that they just know how to do things right. For instance, you don't just go to the beach with Nate's family. You go and find amazing shells, hold a starfish, touch a sea anemone, they catch a little tiger shark with their bare hands so you can gently touch it and feel that it's smooth one way and like an emery board the other, they catch a jelly fish in a bucket so you can see it how it floats like a mesmerizing ghost in the water, then they freak you out by showing you an 11lb. lobster that their neighbor just caught (which probably ended up feeding a small army). It was so giant that it really did freak me out. Anyhow you get the picture right? If not here are a few from the trip!

Family
It was great to be with family, so great in fact that my niece dropped by and couldn't bring herself to leave. She ended up staying for days and it was so nice to have her around. We spent each day at the beach, shopping around, eating out and even better eating in! I finally went to a Trader Joe's for the first time. And I got my fist pair of TOMS shoes. Oh la la.

Me with G

Matt with H
Best Thanksgiving yet!

Backtrack

2011-01-11T14:16:00.001-08:00

Maybe all of my posts should have this title, at least for a while. But I figure we have to start someplace so here is a little of our Christmas.

It was great thanks to Woot Kids and something called a woot-off where they pretty much sell loads of stuff one right after the other for a few days straight. (It's usually just one item per day.) Anyhow they had loads of Thomas stuff and we pretty much hit the "I want one" button every time I saw the name Thomas. It made the holiday easier for me but now I can't help but check woot kids daily. Oh well.

It was not only a Thomas Christmas in our home. We took FrontRunner to a train grave yard for our Christmas eve activity. Good times and the boys LOVED it.
Waiting for the train.

Right after hearing me say "Please don't touch that."

What is this thing? A plow?

The age old question: Can it really still be good after it breaks?

New years we were sick. I know, I know this season we've only been well for one week. Honestly that was it and we are currently getting over a cold right now which has been going on since what feels like the beginning of time. How do you keep your families healthy? I am in obvious need of help!

The other big thing that happened in December was that Harrison started pre-school. We are really excited about it even though we suspect that it's a major player in the cold war. But so far it has been such a good experience that I'm glad we decided to put him in a little early. Unfortunately after dropping Harrison off for his first day of school Graham wouldn't come inside for a while and after he did finally come in he wouldn't take off his coat or backpack. So we call this photo 'Rough day'.

But I promise things got better for him.
And I'll write more about that soon.
To be continued...

Three Good Things

2010-11-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

You have to watch it. Matt and I caught it on PBS a couple of weeks ago and we were immediately hooked. I actually turned to Matt and said "This is so fun to watch, I don't want it to end." He agreed but the reason I share that is because I don't think that I've ever said anything remotely like that about a show before. Anyhow, sadly it did end and it's only a 3 part series for now. I believe that they are making more but who knows when they'll be out here since it's a BBC show. However for now you can watch the 3 that were made on PBS until early December. And then you can thank me after you finish them.

Second I know this is a weird one but I am loving the Gwyneth Paltrow cover of the Cee Lo song from Glee last week. I don't even watch that show. But I stopped on the channel while she was singing Forget You and it ended up getting stuck in my head for so long that I finally downloaded it to help get it out but now my kids love it. Long story short we've pretty much been singing it all around the house everyday since.

Here are few of the others that my boys love right now because I'm pretty sure you're wondering.
Family Time (feat. Judah Marley) / Ziggy Marley
I Know What I Know/ Paul Simon
Send Me on My Way/ Rusted Root
I Love You Too (feat. Rita Marley & Cedella Marley)/ Ziggy Marley

And last but best was the lighting of the nativity we went to last night. It was the perfect way to start out the season.
My kiddos & Matt even made it into a shot for the Deseret News. Maybe I over did it with the puffiness of their coats. When I look at the picture I can't help but think Christmas Story.

Happy Thanksgiving!

New attitude for $12.

2010-11-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

I had to share this story because if you know me then you know that I love little daily triumphs. I don't care who they belong to they just make me happy. This one just happens to be mine. This last week I told Matt that I was tired of our mismatched bedroom furniture. Things like this matter to me now that I am home so much more. Honestly before we had kids I don't know how often if ever these things crossed my mind. Anyhow Matt's suggestion....wait for it....paint it. Brilliant! Since 1. it couldn't get any worse 2. then at least it will look like a set 3. I love a good project so why didn't I think of it first!? So off to the paint store to pick a color! Not an east task for me but I settled on a slate grey color with a brown undertone. I believe it was called truffle something. Anyhow $12. and a couple of coats later I am thrilled with the result! So hooray for paint! Here is a not so great shot of the color. But you get the idea right?

Have a great weekend and remember, when in doubt about old furniture...paint!

Halloween in pictures

2010-11-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

G's masterpiece

Seriously who are these kids? Looking at these pictures makes me wish that I could stop time.
Our mountain man.

The mountain man's true feelings about living in the wild.

The ever elusive fireman was impossible to photograph. I was only able to get this shot while he was my captive for a brief drive.

A successful night!

We hope you had one too!

October update

2010-10-29T11:13:00.001-07:00

*The biggest thing that has happened to our family this month is that Matt was in a car accident with a FedEx truck. The other driver ran a stop sign and right into Matt's car. But don't worry Matt is alright. He was sore the day after but other than that he is ok. The car was totaled, however the one good thing that came from all of this was our new Volvo wagon and all it's luxurious space. Finally the universe made us get a family car and we love it.

*We're almost finished with the 2nd worst cold that we've had as a family. That's right I'm numbering them. It feels a little like we've just been jumping from one cold to the next. Does anyone else feel that way this year?

*We finally made good on our claim that we were finished being such deadbeats when it comes to the holidays. It's not that we wouldn't celebrate at all but our efforts have been...let's just say minimal. Which is NO FUN. I really want my kids to know how exciting holidays can be. So with no further delay I show you our first porch attempt.

Still minimal compared to some. But this year I have really appreciated the people in the neighborhood who take the time to decorate. I clearly remember taking the long way home to see as many decorations as possible when I was younger. And I love that I get to do that with my sons now. So thanks neighbors.

*And finally we had a Halloween movie night with family and watched It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in our outdoor theater. Since Jodi took pictures of the night I'll just refer you to her blog if you'd like to see more. Hope you have a great Halloween!

Something New

2010-10-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I have to tell you about this new friend I found. You probably already know her. She is famous and now I know why.
I call her friend because:
1. I read a recipe on her blog yesterday and it made me feel like it would be easy to cook. I have never felt that way before.
2. She posted it under 16 minutes meals.
She lied. But now that I think about it I doubt that she was including time to prepare ingredients which makes sense. So..still friends. It took me 30 minutes. (I tried really hard for 16 but that just wasn't possible for me.)
3. I decided to make it spur of the moment while picking up milk at the store. It was easy enough that I could just remember the recipe and pick up the ingredients that we didn't already have.
4. I have never purchased fresh ginger before. It somehow made me feel like I knew what I was doing and it did smell as heavenly as promised.
5. It was ambrosia and looked just like the picture (a first for me).
6. Matt was impressed.
7. I CAN COOK!

Well...

2010-10-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

I suppose I need to start this post with a clarification about the last one (2 months later).

Dear wonderful friends who are wondering,

I know I should have spoken more about Matt's hospitalization. He is fine. It was a scheduled visit and since the last time he was in was prior to the boys being born, it was just time. And it's amazing that it's been so long in-between visits. He is HEALTHY and we are very GRATEFUL!
Then the patio. I didn't just get up and call a wrecking ball to come over for some construction. Wouldn't that be kind of crazy and maybe a little cool? Anyhow we had been talking about it forever. Matt drew up the plans. And since my boys could only really be at the hospital for short periods of time each day (they were a bit rowdy for the other patients) I had to find a way to occupy myself at home. Which is sort of funny since I am usually fine being at home but all of the sudden it felt impossible while Matt was in the hospital. Doing the patio helped the two weeks go by. And thank goodness they went by.
Thanks for caring!
I'll be a more responsible blogger in the future by actually explaining things!

XO
Jenny

Summer recap

2010-08-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

I feel like another summer has slipped through my fingers. But they say time flies...right? So I should have known. And we still have August, so it's not really over just yet. PHEWW
Here is some of what we've been up to:
This year we decided to make our yard a little more kid friendly. Last year it was a lot easier entertaining one year olds..digging in the dirt rocked their world. This year I knew I needed some serious help, so we bought a play set. And after roughly 30 hours donated by wicked friends and family it turned out perfectly!
Honestly it's been wonderful, so thank you again!

We also decided that it would be awesome to take our kids to the day out with Thomas. We found out too late that we made the trip a few years early. Let's just say that it was painful and leave it at that. Very, very painful...ok now leave it.
Around the same time we decided that our kids were looking a little scruffy so I declared that we should and that I would buzz their hair! Not an easy feat as it turns out but an adorable result.

Matt also made a trip to the hospital. Which was hospitacular. Let's just leave that at that. Well, after I say thanks to our friends and family for being so wonderful and taking such good care of us. We love you.

When Matt is away I try to do a project to keep myself busy. I know it's a strange time to start a project but that's just how I work. Sometimes I do better with a little chaos. I can't think of a better way to explain why but when I do you'll be the first to know. So my project ended up being the patio. As you can see in the first picture it was miniature. So we expanded and I think it fits the space well.

But this was the best part.

We also had the CF Golf Tournament! And it was wonderful again. I wish that you could bottle the feeling there. Every year I am in awe of Matt, Chad and Brandon. And every year it is somehow even more touching to see how so many work so hard to make the day come together seamlessly. Amazing.

(photos lifted off of Jodi's blog since I never remember my camera on important days like this)

And could summer be complete without a family reunion on the 4th? I just loved these pictures of my boys at a couple of the events. Harrison mid-jump in a bounce house & Graham watching the Oakley Rodeo with family. For an amazing all americana picture of Matt & Graham at the reunion click here.

After typing about some of this summer it's hard not to be a little happy that a few of the events have come and gone. But in some crazy way I can't help but think I'll be wishing for these summers long after they've passed. Such is life I suppose.

Before I end this post I have just one more picture to add so that I remember my day in the sun. That is, thanks to Matt who took the major hint that I needed to go back to The Hotel Park City for my birthday. I needed to shop, eat buffalo wings and spa myself to death! And so it was.

Sorry Rand McNally

2010-05-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

Recently been obsessing over
1. This map

2. Design*Sponge before & afters.
3. As Dwight would say book face.

And that my friends is where I have been.

Oh and yes, I cut off all my hair. It feels amazing! Thank you Aimee for posting the picture that helped me decide to do it!

More blogging is on the horizon..

The Door

2010-02-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Alphabet door courtesy of this shop.
Chalk board backside courtesy of Home Depot chalk paint.

H & G have already started singing the alphabet song and pointing to letters. (Although, not the correct letters...yet!)

3 things you may not know about me

2010-02-18T14:15:00.000-08:00

#1. I use #02 CLINIQUE Honey Blush for no other real reason than that my Grandmother used it. It's probably not even "my color".

#2. When I feel nervous, down or have a big day I wear her jewelry. And no, I don't mean the stuff that appropriately blends in with what I am wearing. I wear a crazy giant gold piece that belongs only on a mobster or Snoop Dog. They were the ones that she wore daily, and when I wear them it feels a little like she's with me. She was fearless.

# 3. I am sentimental...about my Grandmother.

Drive

2010-01-29T10:43:00.000-08:00

Today my mother in law came over to babysit for me. She is amazing. She comes over one day a week for a few hours. We spend 1/2 the time just talking until she kicks me out for some glorious alone time.

Alone time today rejuvenated me. It usually means running to Costco. It's usually the most stressful day of the week because I try so hard to pack every little thing I have to do into that time. But not today, today I just drove. I picked up my favorite meal on the planet, put on my sunglasses, turned up the music and drove. I sang. I am a nerd. But it felt great.

Did I ever say why I love music so much? I feel like it always has a way of taking me to back to places. In fact it's is a lot like a journal for me, I have so many important memories entangled with certain songs.

I will share one.
Song: Love's Recovery by the Indigo Girls
Listening to it takes me right to this memory. Or better said the feeling of this memory. Does that make sense? Anyhow, I remember listening to this song with everyone at the White's house after a huge snow storm. Their house was in the canyon and we loved feeling snowed in that morning. We were all such good friends in high school. Somehow at that age girlfriends are family. You need to be together. Everything seemed so important, intense and had to be shared. I don't exactly remember what we talked about that morning, however I do remember the feeling. Knowing that the bond we had was very real and very strong, a sisterhood. It still lingers in my daily life. I catch myself thinking about different things that happened or things that we joked about back then. It was a magical time. Their will probably never be another, where we feel so free of life's responsibility. Don't get me wrong, I love life as it is now. It feels for lack of a better word..right, to have had those moments and then move forward from them. However today I was grateful for the past, the memories that live there and old friends who remain indelibly imprinted on a song.

Oh the wisdom

2010-01-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

2 VERY Random things making my life easier today.

1. Did you know that you can wash the plastic liner to your shower curtain? Wash in hot or warm water with soap, just like you are doing a regular load. Hang up wet, good as new! Matt told me about this during our first year of marriage. So many wasted liners before 2001. So many wasted liners...

2. When you dry a down comforter use the lightest setting and throw in a couple of clean tennis balls. They beat the fluffiness right back into the down and for some reason dry the comforter extraordinarily fast. I did this today and even with the trip to the store just for tennis balls, it was well worth it. Doesn't everyone just have tennis balls at home? I guess we're not as athletic as I once thought. Bummer.

If I think of anything else I will share. But what I would really love, would be if you would share your wisdom about anything that makes your life easier. You know I love things like this. One of my favorite random things is from when our kids were sick and almost everyone said to put vapor rub on their feet before bed. Now we do it every time our kids catch a cold. So thanks.

Oh and p.s. the duvet cover fix isn't perfectly keeping the comforter in the corners of the cover. I think that I made the ribbons with the snaps a little to long. The comforter also isn't getting lost inside the cover like before, so I'll just call it a work in progress. Not perfectly fixed but better than before. And these guys don't seem to mind so it's all good.

And so it goes

2010-01-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

We purchased twin beds.
It made me happy...and sad. It's just going too fast.

In other bed news. IKEA has been heaven sent. We found twin duvet covers for a steal. The only problem with them was that I kept loosing the comforter inside. So last night I dreamt of these (apparently it was really on my mind). This morning I made them and hopefully tonight they will work. Please, if you look very closely at that 2nd picture keep in mind that, clearly, I am no seamstress. And as another side note keep in mind that the things I dream about don't actually always work. But these seem like they have a real fighting chance. Right?

010110 binary holiday

2010-01-01T18:25:00.000-08:00

THIS

+ THIS

= THIS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December

2009-12-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick run down of what we've been doing this month.
The Deseret News did an article about cf and how genetic testing can create ethical dilemmas. I thought that it was written very well and brought up some interesting questions. The journalist doing the article even quoted Matt a few times for the piece.

Christmas was great. It was so fun to see our boys get into it a little more this year. They are in LOVE with trains, cars, boats..I suppose I should just say 'any means of transportation' and call it good. So Thomas the train made his first appearance in our home and he was an incredible hit.

And our gift to ourselves was...drum roll...a finished basement!

And here are just a few pictures that made me smile this week.
G just relaxing with a book. I asked him to smile, which is the first shot. Then he picked up his book again, so I took another. At the time I was watching the news and they were playing a snippet of the president's recent speech. So G stopped reading his book, listened, then applauded when it was finished. How random is that?

I love these next two pictures because, well for the first one H actually stopped to let me take it and he's smiling! He pretty much lives in high gear once his feet hit the pavement, so while taking this shot I'm just waiting for him to bolt. And I like the second one because it's actually what most of my other pictures look like.

MERRY late CHRISTMAS!

Things to be thankful for

2009-12-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

I love that my husband is such an amazing father to our kids.
I love that I (finally) found him and married him.
I love my family.

The dream of a new drug that may change our lives forever.

A friend to share crazy good & bad days.

Not being surprised at all to see a dear friend who flew into town to celebrate another friends new baby.

Being friends with people who are that supportive.

Having a friend who cracks me up all the time and invited me to see an early screening of New Moon with this.(No she didn't make the invite, but she made sure that I got invited)

Having a friend call totally excited when The Village Voice (NYC) wrote an article about her last July and she didn't even find out about it until recently. I love people who share! I love that you called.

Watching a friends life from another state. Knowing that we may have only been neighbors for a while but we will be friends forever.

It's overwhelming to think of how much good we have in our lives. Thank you.

VX-770

2009-11-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

You may have heard that their is a new drug being developed for people with cystic fibrosis. It's getting a lot of attention right now and even made the front page of the Tribune. It is still in the developmental stages but we are VERY excited and have our fingers crossed that it works the way it's suppose to.

Click

Well it finally happened

2009-11-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

I fell down the stairs.
Ok not all of the stairs but the 3 steep stairs that lead to the landing of our back door. It was quick. I had stepped over the gate we put up to protect our children from the same fate. One foot slipped as I brought the other over and the next thing I knew I was down. It took a minute for me to realize that I actually fell. Laying with my back smashed up against the stairs I could hear "Up" in the next room and my boys happily playing. I knew they were alright, so I just stayed there for a minute thinking.

The thoughts that followed:

1 No tears. Hum.
2 Dang it that hurt. It really hurt and even though I know I can get up it's going to hurt all week. (Don't worry I kept asking Matt all night to check for bruises. Their are none.)
3 If I were older this would have been a disaster.
4 What if I am older and I only think that I can get up.
5 Isn't that the way it happens? You're just living life and with one careless moment everything can change.
6 Try to move. Can. (4 & 5 were dramatic but they flashed through my head.)
7 Deja vu, I have had many split second moments on the way down these stairs where I wondered when they would get me.
8 It hurt less than I imagined in the split second moments. (But it still hurt.)
9 Decided that I had spent plenty of time on the floor so I got up & took some Ibuprofen.
10 Stood looking down the stairs and felt grateful for health, life and moments that could have been something but turn out to be nothing.

*I adore these stairs, but sadly they are not mine. I grabbed this image off the web because at the time our stairs were under construction.

And all that's new

2009-11-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Randomness from this week.

Our friend Chad Lewis wrote a book called "Surround Yourself With Greatness" and in it he gives little shout out to Matt & Bo. It's very nice. We are reading the book now and loving it. If you want to check it out you can find it at any Deseret Book.

And this week we acquired two goldfish. Don't you think that every child deserves a goldfish? They were a part of our centerpiece at the Taste of Salt Lake. I thought that our boys would like them so I talked Matt into buying them. However, I think I was more excited then they were. Well, G loves them and is always climbing on things to get a closer look. H hasn't shown much interest but I'm pretty sure he's just playing it cool. Hopefully we'll be able to keep them alive.

A benefit for Cystic Fibrosis

2009-11-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to the Taste of Salt Lake with our family and friends. It was such a great night. The 'taste' as we call it is an incredible dinner at the Grand America where amazing restaurants come together to serve something from their finest menu (a taste, if you will). Their are live and silent auctions full of unique packages & items that I always bid on but never seem to win. And a program that always leaves me in tears. I love getting together for nights like this and I'm always amazed at the amount of work and people who are involved in making the event so seamless. But the greatest impression left with me is how the event grows each year in step with the generosity of those involved.
Thank you Fred & Mary Ann for inviting us all to the event of the year!

Here are a few pictures.

Can a hair cut change your life?

2009-11-04T21:08:00.000-08:00

Maybe not, but it sure can make it a lot harder...for up to six months. I only bring this up because today I actually had a great haircut. I took the advice of YourHeartOut and made an appointment with Christie Somers. When I got to Lunatic Fringe and met her I couldn't believe how much she reminded me of one of favorite people on the planet. Lane! She even had the same speech pattern / inflection. You know what I mean right? Anyhow it was crazy. I asked her if she knew the family and she told me that she actually lived with Lane for 3 years in NYC! Small world. After that it was like we were old friends. Just a haircut and fun conversation. After it was over my hair felt lighter and so much cooler than it has in a long time. If you get a chance you should see her for your next cut. Maybe if I get a chance I will try to take a better picture than an end of a LONG day shot. But for now here is the oh so rare smile on my face after a haircut.

And for Em.
My all time worst cut was when I actually took in a picture of Meg Ryan from the movie Addicted to Love (1997) which I thought was a complete bomb but I loved her hair. And asked for the same cut. Chunks of my hair were 2" sticking straight up on the top of my head. I in no way resembled the rebel from this movie, let's just leave it at that.

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

Jacob (from Twilight) and Elephant make the rounds.

Edward lurking in the shadows.

Post trick or treating wrap up and loot exchange.

Day after euphoria!

These guys had a great time. Even though they didn't really understand trick or treating completely they were excited all day...and night. We gave them little buckets to carry around but H wasn't interested. He just ran from house to house rarely making it to a door. G was so excited to get his first piece of candy that he just held it in his hand until the next house at which point the homeowner put a bowl of candy out and G handed him his first piece in exchange for a new one.
Adorable.

Matt wore sunglasses and had a walking stick and I wore a t-shirt that had E=mc2 across the front.
Because..
Wait for it...
I blinded him with science!

You know you laughed.
We know we are nerds.

October

2009-10-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

(Hiking Bountiful Canyon 2009)

October has been a fun month for our family. School mid-terms came and went without much fanfare which feels surreal. School is very much the same. It's both comforting and annoying to re-realize that the only way to get through is just good old fashion hard work and time.

Speaking of time, this month has flown. Here are a few highlights.

I got to go to a baby shower for our dear friends John & Ashley. I love events like this one. The house was packed full of friends and people that I had only heard of so it was fun to put names to faces. It was a sweet atmosphere and I had a hard time leaving at the end of the night. Honestly try and pull yourself away from friends talking and telling amazing stories. I got home around midnight.
And yes, thanks to you girls I got my wings!

We went to a Real soccer game (my first) with Matt's co-workers and had a great time. I can't get over how sweet that stadium is. What more could I ask for? A date with my husband+good food and great conversation=thank you work!

I also have to brag up the Kaboost once again. A small part on one of ours broke. The construction on these things is so solid I have no idea how it even happened and I really didn't feel like paying for another one. I called the headquarters and left a message late last night and they returned my call at 9:00a.m. this morning. They said that they back up their product 100% and my new free Kaboost is in the mail! Hazzah Kaboost!

Other than that we have been spending every free moment outside playing in the leaves. The agreement: I rake them and my kids destroy the piles. October is good.

Please

2009-10-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Make-out kids,
Seriously when I kicked you out from behind our shed during school last year I thought that we had an understanding.
You were embarrassed. Or annoyed at the very least.
I was also.
We both knew that we didn't want to go through that again...right?
Imagine my surprise last month as I saw you standing in my driveway debating whether or not you could you make it behind the shed without being noticed. Not that time, because you saw me staring at you through the front window.
How many times have you been back there?
I guess the only thing that we know for sure is that I do not represent an authority figure to you in the least.
How will I get rid of you for good?
-Jenny

Friends,
I suppose I need a little help.
Any ideas...but think semi-teen friendly so we don't get TP'd.
-Jenny

Phase One

2009-09-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

I posted a picture last week of some of my new staples which included a few perfect T's from Gap Body...and one golden scarf.

Reasons the T's are perfect:
-Tight in the right places, loose in the right places.
-Overall SOFTNESS
-The material is stretch. (Cotton & Spandex which means darks won't fade if I avoid the dryer. Right?)

Anyhow the reason for this post is that I have been wearing these T's and I highly recommend them. They are the quality of a J. Crew T minus the appliqué and $58. price tag. And these T's are casual enough for my life as a mom but I can add spice with the golden goose when I need it. The reason I bring this up is because right now you can get them online for a steal. They are actually called Pure body T's & are buy 2 or more, $10.00 each.

*If you go into the store & tell them about the online offer...they claim they will honor it.

Also, if you want to pick up a great scarf I found mine at DownEast. Color a.k.a. dark yellow but golden goose is so much better don't you think? Very early Wonka. It's a big scarf (cozy material) that can also be used as a wrap when things cool down.

There and back again..a clothing tale

2009-09-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made a choice. I decided that I was through with my wardrobe. After really looking through my closet it took seconds to realize that I needed a change. Everything I own fits differently now. I have a new body since the twins, which is all fine and good, but most of my clothes are from before or after them. I even found clothes from back when Matt & I were dating (over 8 years ago). And everything I've purchased recently is what we call in our home a wardrobe band-aid. So imagine a closet full of ill-fitting old clothes and band-aids. Ok now band-aid sounds weird so think of old navy t-shirts. This is where I stood yesterday when I decided to make my list.

#1. Sort out real clothes and deliver the rest to D.I.

#2. You really only need one shirt to paint or do yard-work in..do you ever really seek out that shirt before you do either of those things? (Allow self to keep one possible paint shirt..no excuses for any others)

The pile headed for the D.I. today.

#3. Start by purchasing staples. But good staples. Change mindset somewhat and and look for quality and fit then price. Honestly I am not wasting another dime on band-aids. If I were to add up the price tags on all my bad buys it would be substantial. Remember, a few great pieces out number 60 bad ones.

Now for part deux...I need to know your helpful hints. Where do you go for your spice pieces? I promise to share mine but I hope that you will share to.

Also, as a side note I know it's a little strange that I took pictures of my clothes.

Simple things making my life easier

2009-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

#1. These shower curtain rings. I'm telling you they are WONDERFUL! No more falling off the rod or getting stuck. These just slide, making it possible for me to forget that shower curtains were ever a problem.
($4.99 at T.J. Maxx) #2. This little gem holds recycled grocery bags, fits right under our sink and looks so much cooler than the coke box that we were using.
($1.99 IKEA)

Insanity

2009-08-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Let me set the scene. Sunday. Sacrament. Me, feeling nervous but a little confident knowing that I have an ace in my bag. It all started fine. We sat, even relaxed for a minute. I reach into my bag and hand each of our sons a new 'peace and quiet during church matchbox car'. They were delighted and immediately begin playing. I think to myself "This is it, our first quiet sacrament meeting".

Moments later as the meeting begins, almost on que our children start flailing around and screaming. I think it was the opening hymn that set them off but their is no real way of knowing. Matt nudges my arm and I look over to see blood on the bridge of his nose. Harrison hit him mid-flail with the now 'obviously a big mistake matchbox car'.

I look down only to see Graham's little feet disappearing under the bench in front of us. With Harrison's diversion his escape was nearly perfect. I reach for him only to miss by a sheer millisecond. Since we are sitting close to the front he only needs to clear a couple of rows and steps to make his run for the pulpit. I look to Matt terrified. He picks up Harrison with one arm, politely steps around our dear friends and makes his way to the front of the chapel to catch our little escapee. He snatches him up as he climbs the first stair. Then a quick choice is made and I watch as my little family exits the chapel through the door off to the side of the rostrum.

I stand up knowing that he needs my help. I make my way past friends and as I get to the aisle I feel defeated. I realize that if I think about it I could get a little teary. So instead I decide to muster my last stitch of sacrament dignity, lift my head and walk out as if it were my choice to leave. As I go I try not to make to much eye contact but the few who catch my gaze are smiling and I understand the look as I have seen it almost every Sunday in one form or another since the twins were born. It's never angry. It's mostly understanding, maybe a little pity or thankfulness that it's me and not them this week.

I meet Matt in the hall and he shuffles Harrison over to me. We find the nearest exit so that we can go home to patch up my husband...and my pride.

We will try again this week.

What did Einstein say about doing the same experiment using the exact same variables and expecting a different result?

Hopefully this week we'll prove him wrong.

This old house

2009-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well after years of debate we have decided to remodel the basement. Yes, sadly it has been years since we thought about truly inhabiting our basement. We flooded shortly after we moved in years ago. We tore out the carpet, which wasn't exactly difficult for us to do since fleshy pink was never really our color. In fact, the whole interior of the house was painted in 2 tones of pale pink. The darker tone was reserved for ceilings & moldings. The doors were dark maroon. Which is sort of funny now since I honestly have no recollection of these colors as we initially walked through. Only after the keys of ownership graced my hands did I remove the rose colored glasses only to see, rose colored everything. Needless to say we knew that we had a lot of work to do. We repainted and remodeled different parts of the upstairs. As for the basement, we put in a sump pump to evade any further flooding. And then as I said, walked away and left it for another day.

Years later...
We emptied out the "storage" area that had become the entire basement. How did we ever accumulate so much junk? Anyhow this is where we are today. The wainscoting is starting to go up thanks to Danny & Matt.

They are covering the sump with a built in box 1/2 for the sump, 1/2 for toy storage.

I'll post more as soon as we get a little further along. But you can start to see what we are going for...right?

Is it completely wrong to covet?

2009-08-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Yes? Humm, well, then I may be in some trouble.
But hopefully telling you about this new find will get me out of some of that.

If you get a chance you have to check out this store on Etsy called Polished. The jewelry looks well made and seems to be fairly priced.

I couldn't resist buying these two.

Back burner blogging

2009-08-12T20:23:00.000-07:00

Our attempt at a family photo. I think it documents this stage of our lives perfectly. Thanks April!

The last few months have been busy. Good and busy.
Here are a few of my favorite photos and moments.
G & H started talking / signing. It's still in the beginning stages but it is incredible to witness.
I finally finished the boys room. I ended up exchanging the letters on the wall for...wait for it....more letters.

I loved celebrating another birthday. (That's right I said loved) Matt took me to the Hotel Park City. We stayed in a cottage and it may have been the best birthday yet. It was an endless spa. I left only with the promise that we would return next year.

School, school, and more school.

2009-06-08T08:29:00.001-07:00

I didn't tell you the other exciting thing that happened in May (probably because I am still absorbing what it really means for my life). I was accepted to the U!
I am pretty excited about it, but also nervous. I keep reminding myself that in the scheme of life school probably isn't the thing to be nervous about, however the butterflies remain.
I'll be getting a Sociology BS. I know it will take longer than the alloted 2 years, but my only real pressure point is to finish before my sons!

May daze

2009-05-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

Enjoying summer.
Loving the song "Thank You" by MoZella. Check it out if you can.
Started our first mini garden. (SFG) And it's working!
Proud of my kids for nixing highchairs and moving to the all amazing Kaboost!
Loving moments like this.

Falling in love with IKEA and the new clock I bought for the kids' room.
Sewing the first thing in my entire life, a valance for the boys' room. And it actually looks good...no, awesome.

Grateful for our dear family that:
Works a year solid on a golf tournament that raises loads of money for cf.

Made us all a special candle lit dinner which gave us the opportunity to laugh and talk for hours.
Is willing to share a beautiful necklace that I have admired for years. Discovered mysteriously on my pillow the day after complimenting it at said dinner party.
Helped us finish painting the shed that we had been working on for weeks, okay months (on Memorial day no less).

Still replacing moulding and any suggestions about what to hang on it would be welcomed!

What more can be said about May? If I think of anything I'll let you know.

Countdown

2009-04-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Ode to white

2009-04-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

I must have been crazy to put on my last white T-shirt today.
I'm sure you already know why. So I post this for myself...as a reminder.
First- Twins.
Second- Should have remembered the death of all other white articles of clothing.
Third- Decided for some reason that grape sounded like a fun switch in juice.
Fourth- Pasta for lunch.

Goodbye white.
Hope to see you again in a few years...maybe?
Who were we kidding?
You didn't have any right to be hanging around this long after the boys were born.
We knew this day would come.
Now go on, get out of here.
Goodbye white.

(I know, strictly amateur hour. But I had to say goodbye, even if it was Harry and the Henderson's style.)

Spring

2009-04-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year.

Date night

2009-04-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well it finally happened. Matt and I had an official date..alone...for hours! It was so needed. It was delicious (thank you Porcupine). It was one of those nights when you just get to relax and talk. And I re-realized so many times how much I like my husband. Which seems silly because we spend tons of time together in our family setting, plenty of time out with friends. But it is vitally important to get out and spend alone time. I heard that advice so many times before but after our date I finally 'got it' and will actually take it to heart.

How did I get so lucky?

2009-04-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to watch your personalities unravel.

H, our little dare devil.
You run with wild abandon. When you fall you pick yourself up and keep going with a smile on your face wide as can be. Yet when it comes to meal time you eat with such precision that we stopped putting you in a bib when you were still a newborn. And I love that when a meal is going well you spontaneously start playing a game of peek a boo but you don't always get your hands over your eyes. Most of the time it's a game of "peek an ear" or "peek a forehead".

G, my cautious crusader! You wouldn't even walk over a crack or a line in the sidewalk without holding hands. Now you insist on doing it yourself but you still stop, drop and crawl if they look to big. And that no matter how many fake phones we give you, you still know which are real. You monitor them and when the phone rings you run to the base and point until I answer. And then you walk around mimicking me with your fake phone. And unlike your brother, you eat like our own personal little cookie monster.

City of Angels

2009-04-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Spoiler Alert I will be discussing this movie in all it's wonderfulness.

So last night as I lay awake sick as can be I starting thinking about the movie City of Angels. I had a fever and was tossing and turning which made me think of the beginning of the movie when the little girl has the fever. Did I toss myself into a cold bath? Not on your life but I did get teary thinking of the internal conversation the mother had in the movie. And that's how it all started. I began picking apart the movie. Yes this is pretty much how my brain works so if you don't really want to know this much about me stop reading here.

In my 1/2 asleep state I decided that City of Angels is one of my favorite movies and pretty much one of Hollywood's best attempts at discussing heaven, God and the questions that we all have pondered at one point in our lives. Below are some of the reasons why I like it so much.

I like that through Seth we are able to hear the internal thoughts of everyone he goes near. I like that the thoughts sound so familiar. Like when he is walking through the library and one lady thinks "What if I do it. What if I just scream right now." I had that very thought more than once while taking a math class a few years ago. Anyway he then stops to listen to an older man read A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway which I decided last night that I would get a copy of and start reading. I know Hemingway can be self indulgent but I am still going for it.

But back to the movie. I like the idea of angels everywhere. I love the scene in the hospital when Seth is walking down the hall and you see them in every room. One the unseen helper keeping a game of pass the balloon going, one watching T.V. with a child just sitting by his side, a silent companion. I suppose this struck a cord with me because I have felt the presence of unseen goodness in my life during dark moments and remember vividly feeling and knowing that I was not alone.

I also feel that the poignant conversations between Maggie & Seth as they discuss religion were very well done. I think it starts in the hospital when they are looking at her blood and she says something like 'That it's, that's me, that's all I am.' At another point she tells him that she basically doesn't believe in God or heaven. And he asks her how she explains the enduring myth of heaven? Then proceeds to tell her that some things are real wether she believes in them or not. I love these conversations because we've all had them in one form or another throughout our lives. Some of mine ended up changing the direction of my life forever.

I love the part when Seth meets Mr. Messenger and the conversations they have. I don't know why but I just like them. I like Mr. Messenger.

Then I have to mention Maggie's death because it brings about one of the best conversations in the movie. I know the worst part of the movie is when she dies. Who rides a bike like that?! Anyhow after her funeral Seth knowing that his friend Cassiel is with him asks if he is being punished? And Cassiel says something like "You know it doesn't work like that." Which is what I believe as well. This conversation is just another reminder to me that nothing in life is guaranteed. It doesn't matter how good we are or what we believe we deserve. Not even a former angel can get through unscathed. Life is unfair and cruel but still beautiful and best of all meaningful. I believe that even out of our hardest moments we can find strength and ultimately ourselves.

I suppose I struggle with how personal to get on a blog. I just want you to know that this movie touched my heart. I like movies that remind me of the larger picture. I hope this has convinced you to see this one if you haven't. If not, thanks for listening to why I like it so much. My quotes may be off a little but it's been a while since I've seen it. I think I'll watch it again.

Making me smile today

2009-03-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Finding a little joke that our friends left behind after hanging out.

Finally buying something that we've needed to replace for nearly 6 months. Why do I wait so long? Who knows? But every time I open a can I smile about my purchase.
Yes, small things make me happy.

And lastly this tailer for Where The Wild Things Are.

(The song from the trailer is called Wake Up by Arcade Fire)

Porcupine Grill

2009-03-18T09:58:00.000-07:00

The best buffalo wings in the state come from this place.

I love them. The Traditional not the Korean b.b.q. or Hellfire sauces. Make sure you order the Traditional. They come with jicama sticks. When was the last time you had jicama?! They are also kind enough to provide people like me with a thing called Appy Hour (which is such a nerdy name that I love to say it): between 2:30-5:00 Monday-Friday Artichoke Cheese Dip, Nachos, Hot Wings, Ahi Spring Rolls or Calamari are all discounted. Every time we have gone during 'appy hour' everything is half off. But the web site just says that they are discounted so I guess they aren't tied to that.

And sure, I know it's random to write about buffalo wings but I am doing you a favor. Trust me.

One week down

2009-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last week went well for Matt. Thanks for wishing him luck at the new job. He is really enjoying it. We are excited that he has been given such an awesome opportunity. Being a financial advisor isn't exactly the easiest job right now but he works very hard for our family.

In fact all morning I have been thinking about what a great man Matt is. I trust him. He always chooses to do the right thing no matter how difficult. And we always seem to gain a better understanding of the things that matter from those choices. He is an amazing father & adores our kids just as much as I do. He challenges me, shares everything with me and best of all he loves me.
And I love him.

(Photo July 2008)

New beginnings

2009-03-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

Well tomorrow is a big day. Perhaps the biggest Monday we've had for a while. Matt is starting a new job. We loved his old job but the markets were just killing us. So after much debate we decided that we had to set out on our own. It's sad for Matt to leave his business partner, the freedom of working for himself, the people and really everything except the recent market. But starting a new job will give us the security that we feel our family needs especially during this time.

We joke that Brandon is now a lone reed standing in the corrupt winds of commerce. And although we know it's the right thing to do we feel like we are closing the 'Shop Around the Corner'.

All that we can do tonight is tuck the sadness away and prepare to put our best foot forward. A new life awaits in the morning.

Two things I am loving today.

2009-03-01T19:27:00.001-08:00

Three reasons why they are so loved.
1. Because it was on sale for $3.
2. It makes my hands feel soft even though I wash them around a zillion times a day.
3. It has a fresh summer smell.

Anti-Bacterial
Moisturizing Soap from Bath & Body Works
Scent: Kitchen Lemon

1. Because G had such dry skin we were using an Rx lotion but after trying this has the softest skin EVER.
2. Because we purchased a giant 5 pack on sale at Costco. I LOVE sales.
3. And again because it makes my hands feel soft. Sorry to go on about the hands but this winter has been a dry skin nightmare and these things have been our relief.

Vaseline
Intensive Rescue
Moisture Locking Lotion

Handmade giveaway

2009-02-20T21:27:00.000-08:00

The deal:
The first 5 people to respond to this post will receive something made by me. To you! It will be my choice and made especially for you. Just so we’re on the same page, here are . . .

The details:
No guarantees you will feel absolute true love, but possibly happiness, fervor, or chocolate.
What I create will be just for you.
It will be done sometime this year.
You have no clue what it will be… it may be a story. Maybe poetry. (Well, probably not either of those.) I may draw or paint something. It will most likely be a wicked mix CD or personalized onesie. But I may bake something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you! That’s for sure.
I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The fine print (which is actually the same size, but whatever):
You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on their blog. When you get your lovely homemade goods from me, post a picture on your blog so I know my love arrived without a hitch.

Before you type in your name I think that you should know a few things.
#1. Do I care if you actually follow the rules? No...but Karma will.
#2. Do I care if we know each other? No, but you will be subject to my taste!
#3. I love this idea.

Taking a sick day

2009-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

For over a week both babes have been sick. It's the kind of cold that starts to go away and then all of the sudden it's back with a new symptom. They have never fully recovered or had a break from this thing.

The last couple of days they started sleeping a lot more which is nice. I hope this is the turning point. But they still have a congested cough and it's sad to vividly hear how crummy they must be feeling.

We have been to see the Dr. which was very helpful so don't worry I'm not asking for med advice. But more of the warm bath or teaspoon of honey variety (that one was our Dr.'s).

I would love to hear any home remedies that you've used in the past if you think they might help make my kiddos more comfortable.

Happy early Valentines to me!

2009-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been one for the books.
My sister-in-law Becky is in town so we have been able to spend a lot of fun time with family. On Friday night we decided to have a girl's night out. We ended up at Al Forno's in SL which is one of my favorite restaurants. If you get the chance to stop by you should. Apparently now they are so busy that you need to call for a reservation. Fortunately we were lucky and pretty early so they snuck us in.
It 's funny because you may not guess from the exterior but it's a nice little place and the food is heavenly (and affordable).

For dinner I had the:
BRUSCHETTA AL POMODORO & TORTELLINI AL PESTO
It was ambrosia.

When I arrived back home these two were fast asleep.

And the house had been overhauled. It was spotless! Floors, dishes, anything and everything had been cleaned. Smelling a hint of orange Pine Sol never made me so happy. Matt hugged & kissed me hello then escorted me to a waiting tub with my own personal stock of S. Pellegrino chilled and waiting. And yes I took a picture it was a moment that I hope to never forget.

Friends treat yourselves. As Matt just reminded me, I remind you now...YOU deserve it!

Why Punxsutawney Phil? WHY?

2009-02-09T09:56:00.000-08:00

What a difference a day makes.
How did we go from exhibit A

To exhibit B!

Exhibit A: The spring birds were chirping for the first time. It was so nice to take the boys outside for their first walk...where they actually did the walking. Sure H is taking a break (trying and then deciding against his first leaf) but we were loving it. So it is an understatement to say that waking up to exhibit B was nothing short of disappointing.

What is a BuxGonism?

2009-02-06T09:46:00.000-08:00

Well, if you can answer that title then I am writing to you.
It has been a long time old friend. Please leave your email address or a way for me to contact you so that we can catch up!

Here are a few memories that flashed through my mind after I saw your name in my comment box a few days ago.

1. Becoming fast friends after you moved from Alabama.
2. Laughing all the time.
3. When you talked me into laying out using actual cooking oil. What were we thinking?
4. Choreographing the Gypsy Spider. Yes, that was the name of the dance and no, I won't do it.
5. Making me stay up late listening to country music in hopes that I would gain some appreciation. When you questioned me about the lyrics I said 'Nobody's like my little leopard.' Then you explained that they were actually 'Nobody in his right mind would have left her.'
5. After every argument (we were teens) we would apologize by bringing over a bowl of pasta and a bag of chips ahoy.
7. Starting The Ferocious Weasels. That name still makes me laugh!
8. When you wrote and performed a poem to the entire student body that included the line 'Don't go home claiming to have the measles we're comin' to get you. Love, The Ferocious Weasels.

That's probably too much information but these memories make me smile and feel lucky to have crossed paths with you.

Cleaning up our act

2009-02-04T20:48:00.000-08:00

First haircuts were a big milestone. I don't know who was more nervous, me or the boys...who am I kidding they were. H just did a mixed laugh/cry the whole time. So I am sure that he remembers this as the best/worst day ever.
G knew it was the worst.

But look at the end result! What a charmer.

G is OK but he is still keeping his eyes on me. So until I can get back into the circle of trust we may not try this again.

60% of the time bandwagons are right every time

2009-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

I have to start this post by saying that I tried to avoid Nie much like I did the Twilight series. Alright, comparing the Nie Nie Dialogues to a teen vampire love story seems wrong. The parts of Nie's life I have read are inspiring. I don't know why I resisted. I think I hate bandwagons. But not every bandwagon is bad news. When I read her blog I feel like a good mom. She is positive, good and she seems like someone we would be friends with.

I first encountered her on Kara's blog then the news and the name Nie started popping up everywhere. I knew that she was a blogger who had been in a terrible plane crash and that she and her husband were in critical care. I knew that the world cared. I knew that my dear friend cared. But I had no idea that I would care. After I started reading her blog I started checking to see how things were going. I wanted them to be OK. Caring about strangers didn't seem...strange.

I had read about the concert in honor of Nie with all the proceeds going to her family. And today I saw a link to donate items for auction and immediately I remembered that I had some inventory left over from the block biz. I contacted the people in charge and mailed a block to them. (It's #102 on the list if you would like to check it out.) Hopefully it will make a little bit of a difference. And I must say as selfish as it sounds that it felt great to do something...even a small thing for someone else.

*As a side note I did finally read the Twilight series. I think that Kim K's sister put it best when she described Twilight as literary junk food.

Things I am loving today.

2009-01-27T14:38:00.000-08:00

This wonderful moisturizer. Heaven knows I would not spend $35.00 on it. But it's not every day that Clinique comes falling from the sky! OK not the sky but Macy's lost a law suit and had to give away loads of free stuff last week. I imagine something to do with price fixing. Anyhow I got this little gem and have been falling deeper and deeper under it's spell.
(If you know me very well then you know that I have an endless need for smelly lotions, perfumes and things that seem frilly or pampery. I wish I had any control over it.)

On a completely different note this is one of the best products I have ever come across. I can't claim credit for this since it was Stephanie's find. And because I had rarely heard her mark something as the best thing EVER. We tried it and have never looked back.

rewind

2009-01-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have to go back so please forgive the disjointed feel of this post.

I was just looking at my blog and realized that it was missing the most important parts of the last few months.
So here is a photo re-cap of what matters most in my world.

OCTOBER
The baby bees.

NOVEMBER
Moment of reality.
H driving G crazy.

H turning on me.

DECEMBER
The boys turn 1.

Christmas

It's been a great year.

Something I believe

2008-12-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

I saw this at The Moth and have been looking for it ever since. It is easily one of the best videos that I have ever seen. It gives me the chills every time I watch it. The Girl Effect is relatable to and was written on behalf of every girl in the world.

New York City in the Fall

2008-11-10T19:17:00.001-08:00

NYC was amazing!

Here are some of my favorite moments.

*I loved Wicked. If you get the chance to see it you should. And if you have time check out the YouTube version of Defying Gravity sung by Kerry Ellis. I promise that the end notes will give you the chills.

*The Marcus chronicles. I know we'll be laughing about that dang situation for years! What a fool to mess with us. That poor, poor man.

*The MOTH. Thank you Lane. I am still bragging about how cool that was. And Matt had heard of it and he was very impressed that we went.

*Seeing a Rod Stuart original. Why does he love the Hampton's so much? And doesn't writing that completely ruin his street cred?

*Eating lunch from Lenny's & cookies from the AMAZING Levain Bakery . Being able to sit in the sun, relax and talk to my dear friends in Central Park.

*Riding Bikes around the park! And The Great Hill that nearly killed me.

*Norma's breakfast. What more can I say other than Lobster & asparagus omelet. Sitting next to Howie Mandel and controlling ourselves like adults.

*The Mexican food we had the freezing night...and even better than that, the conversations while eating it.

*Sleeping at Lane's and staying up all night taking the mother of all personality tests. Finding out that none of us were the same and realizing that was why we all fit so well together.

*Seeing NYC through Lane's eyes. MarieBelle's hot chocolate how I love thee.

*Being with my friends for almost 4 days straight. Talking through our lives the way we always have as if no time had passed. The only time it became apparent to me was the day we separated and I felt a loss as I realized the miles between us again.
I love you girls.

Still reading?

2008-09-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a month. If you are still reading this blog you're an absolute champ.
We have been taking it easy. The end of summer is always sad but I am excited for next summer since my little guys will be able run around. By then their fascination with eating grass and leaves will be a distant memory. Right?

I have to admit that I always get a little excited for fall. (Sorry Libby.) I am going to NYC with some of my girlfriends so I am really ready this year. Something about NYC in the fall just makes me happy. I will finally get to see Wicked! Apparently I am the last person on earth to see it... and read Twilight. I know, I know I was going to do it. In fact I read all the way to when Bella got a truck from her dad. Was that page 10? But then the book just decided to remain on the night stand for another month until my friend was ready to loan her copy to a more serious reader. Don't worry I don't blame you. The important thing to remember here is that the vampire love is being shared, not holding up a night stand.

Speaking of sharing the love. I have 5 copies of a great "This American Life" episode that I will mail out to whoever. I made too many for Matt's surprise party. You may be thinking it's a strange party favor. It would be for anyone other than Matt. He loves that show. (Ok I do too.) But he would like nothing more than to introduce anyone and everyone to it! So if you want one speak up and it's in the mail. Trust me you will be hooked.

Lastly this is what my little guys look like this week.

Happy Birthday Matt

2008-09-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

You may be wondering where I have been. Sure. I have been wondering the same thing. No I'm only kidding I have actually been doing something that means a great deal to me. Planning my husbands birthday party. I have always loved the idea of contacting people we met together, people I have been hearing stories about since we met...every dear friend that he knows and getting them all in one place for a night. Anyhow I knew that it would take up every spare minute of my time. Plus trying to keep a great secret like this from Matt was no easy task but I did it. It was such an amazing night for us. I say us because who doesn't like to see their significant other bask in the love of all their friends. The feeling was nothing short of AMAZING. What a group of wonderful people. We feel so lucky to know you. The night still just brings tears to my eyes.

Abel's new movie

2008-08-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is the new movie that our friend Adam Abel just finished. It is set to release in September.
We were able to see it last christmas and really liked it.
Check it out if you get the chance. If not because you went to Highland and still somehow have school pride in a sport that you never played (like me) then maybe just to brag that you recognize places they did some of the shoots...oh and to see a SWEET movie!

Seven years and counting

2008-08-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Thank you for my card and thank you for being my husband. I love you. Happy anniversary!

Parts of JULY

2008-07-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

What a month! Our babies had their first colds. They both had ear infections, fevers, runny noses and coughs. What a nightmare. Their is nothing worse then watching your babies suffer. After antibiotics, ear drops and few sleepless nights they started feeling better and are pretty much back to normal. I suppose that is except for the runny noses. H had 2 teeth practically sprout up over night and people say that is the cause of the nose issue. So I guess we need to get use to it since they have about a zillion more to go. Another miracle is that G started crawling. It's very 'wounded solider' but he can go anywhere now. Blessing or curse? I haven't decided yet.

Last weekend we decided to take a family trip to the monastery in Huntsville.The monks have taken a vow of silence except for the chants they do during the day. What a peaceful sound. We even took our boys in which was a major risk but they didn't make a peep. They sell honey and the one monk who did not take the vow of silence sells the goods. What a charmer. What a way of life. It was so great to finally see it all. I don't know a better way to describe it other than it was just beautiful in it's own way. I have to recommend that if you get a chance it is something to see.

On the way home we stopped at a house we found on one of our drives. Yes I take pictures of strangers homes but only when they look like this! We love it and I just had to share it's coolness with you. The house is nice but it's the silo that I love. I have heard that the family uses it to hold motorcycles which is no where near as cool as the mini silo apt. my mind had already imagined. Anyhow it's still a fun idea. I love that someone took a risk as fabulous as this one.

While we were there we took a picture of the sign in the yard which was also well done. Hyrum Mckay Bates Design. I googled his name and found his site. He won the 2005 Salt Lake City Parade of Homes Best Architecture Award which I was about to overlook until I did a double take and realized again how small this world is! It's Nate & Julie's house in these pictures. How fun is that. Nate built the home, Julie & the kids decorated it. If you look you'll see so many amazing little touches that just make the house. I wish that I had 1/2 the talent that they have. My favorite room is still the girls bathroom. If you take a look I think you'll agree.

At a glance

2008-07-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

So it's official. I am now 33. I decided that I would post 33 pictures of the last year and the people who make life so amazing. I am so proud to know you and to be a part of your life. Thank you for being such an important part of mine!
Oh and in case you are wondering, no Matt didn't actually make this sign for my birthday. This was the 2006 SL Marathon and below is the real scene that day. It was Bo's first marathon...and as supporters it was our first marathon as well. Maybe we over did it a little. I tried to go chronologically. Don't feel bad if your picture isn't here. It more than likely means that I didn't have my camera when I saw you and/or I already used the picture once and I am really trying not to do any repeats. Anyhow here we go!

1. I love my husband. 2. Scadlocks. 3. Hubert & Megs in Cali. 4. Matt & I in Cali. 5. Jod' & Bo's family 6. Our Pen & Teller act at the family reunion. My concern and Matt's confidence that our act is going better than expected. 7. Matt's Mom & Dad and their rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside". 8. Nate & Julie's family circus. 9. Water skiing trophy day. 10. The Nebekers. 11. Lane's wedding. 12. Some of the girls at Lane's shower. I like this picture because you can see what we're like when we get together. This picture says it all. 13. These 3 were some of the master minds behind my amazing baby shower. 14. My dear friends at the shower. 15. 2nd annual golf classic in our back yard. Designed by Brayden constructed by Matt. 16. During this time I always had a hand resting here. 17. Carving pumpkins. 18. Me in all my pregnant glory! 19. Goodbye to work and some of my favorite people on earth. 20. The night I had our babies. What an exciting night, or I should say morning. 21. Welcome to the world Graham & Harrison. 22. Welcome home babies! 23. The blessing day. I just love this picture. 24. Aherns. 25. Zannah makes it home. 26. The neighborhood boys. 27. Harrison & Graham in homemade onesies. I hope they can forgive us someday. (Graham's: Say hello to my little friend & Harrison's: He ain't heavy he's my brother.) Also I love how pained Graham looks I'm sure that he wishes he could just get his hands out of his mouth. 28. The walk for Autism. 29. Becky & Tim 30. The family vacation and that crazy roller coaster in PC. The slide has been replaced my friends. Replaced. 31. Competition: Poisonous Frogs vs. The Tigers. 32. All the girls. 33. These 3 make 33 seem pretty great.

Success

2008-06-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Well we did it! And I can't believe that it worked as well as I had imagined. We watched Surf's Up on the big screen. I honestly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.
The night that we had planned to watch the movie everyone was a little stressed. It was the night before our family vacation and we all had a zillion things to do. So before the movie I was wondering if it would be worth it. When the Ross family brought over Surf's Up we didn't know what to expect. But after the first few minutes we were all laughing and by the end we were all just so glad that we had gotten together. The feeling/mood was just so good. I'm always tempted to cut things out, even do-able things that might just over load us. Matt is the opposite of me and his whole perspective is something more like BRING IT ON! Anyhow thank goodness since he is the reason that we usually end up doing the things that I would have cut on a whim. I can't imagine what life would be like missing such amazing moments. Movie night was no exception...being with family, white lights in the trees, the movie, everyone out on blankets & lawn chairs and tons of junk food to go around! What a great time...I can't wait to do it again!

Family

2008-06-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

This week Becky, Caro and Roberta Berry flew into town. Tim will be here in a couple of days. We love having them around. We are having a family reunion up at the Homestead while they are here and I can't wait! We also end up having a ton of family parties when they come to town which I love. Matt and I have been trying to think of a cool party idea and have come up with this...

It's the beginning of the future walk in. Not to be confused with the drive in since that would ruin our lawn. We have this giant empty wall in our back yard so we decided to paint it and show movies on it. Matt hung white lights in our tree so we will have some outdoor lighting. I think that it's going to work out. It's still a little difficult to see the end from where we stand now but we have high hopes! Wish us luck and if you have any other party ideas to help add to our night please tell me!

Sarah and Marge this ones for you.

School ties

2008-05-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

I would have put in pictures from high school but since I haven't figured out how to use the scanner you are stuck looking at my mug. But don't worry friends I have many and you are not safe.So this week has been a good one. I have had the opportunity to contact a couple of old friends and make a wrong from my past right. How many weeks do you get to say that? For me, not many. Needless to say I have loved being in contact with my old friends. We went through some of the hardest years of life together and I am so glad that we still think about and want to be a part of one another's lives.

How can you not have a special place in your heart for people that you grew up with? Sure seeing someone's picture from an awkward phase is funny but the people you grew up with actually saw you like that and still chose to be your friend.

Since it's been on my mind so much this week I wanted to jot down some of my best high school memories while they are still fresh:
Getting my first car. The oldest BMW on earth. The first time we turned on the heater little dried blossoms that had somehow gotten into the vents blew out into our faces. We all screamed! It was terrifying.
Driving that car in the snow. Sliding around on icy roads crashing into curbs feeling like a bumper car and being thankful that the tires didn't just fold in like a cartoon.
Washing that car for the first time with friends right after getting it. Feeling so proud of it and all of my friends being so proud of it. We took cleaning it so seriously. It was to be our ride!
Staying out driving with friends no matter the hour no matter the destination (most of the time we had none).
Analyzing every word to the songs we loved.
Singing at the top of our lungs!
Village Inn coffee, cheesecake and chemistry aka CCC.
The Sev. Need I say more? If you weren't stopping by to visit with everyone hanging out on the lawn next to it, you were driving by to see who was there and pretending that you had someplace better to be (only to end up back there at some point because you had no place better to be).
Making up car dances. Imagine pulling up to us at a red light only to see our heads disappear and our legs come up to do a synchronized dance on the ceiling. We were serious about the dances and spent a lot of time getting the routines down.
Listening to Voice of the Beehive, The Outfield, Beastie Boys and Indigo Girls. We knew that we were well rounded.
Getting my second car, a VW convertible. It was white and fabulous.
Having the butterflies and feeling like anything was possible at the beginning of a Friday night with a car full of friends. Their is just something about that time of life...that carefree spirit of youth, the smell of spring flowers and the wind blowing through your hair.
I could actually go on and on but I should stop before this gets out of control.

Thanks for the memories!

Tournament pictures

2008-05-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING DAY!

'Elliot's Angels' work to fight cystic fibrosis

2008-05-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

To see Matt's interview today click here.
It's very well done. I think that it would have been difficult to tell both stories and give a clear description of cf at the same time but they pulled it off flawlessly.

The 2nd Annual Chad Lewis Golf Classic to benefit Cystic Fibrosis

2008-05-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

John, Bo, Matt & Clark (2006) Not at the event but at least they are out golfing in this picture!This week is pretty big for our family. We have the Chad Lewis golf tournament to benefit cystic fibrosis on Friday. Matt, Bo & Chad plan the event for a year and work themselves to death to turn it into the amazing day that it is. I will take more pictures this year I promise!
Then Saturday is the great strides walk for cf. We recently met a really nice couple, Mike and Alta Hales who have a new baby named Elliot with cystic fibrosis. He is the cutest little guy ever. They have a team walking called Elliot's Angels and they asked us to walk with them. It may seem funny that we don't have our own team since Matt also has cf but like I said before the golf tournament consumes us. So we are excited to walk this year and see the Hales family again.
In fact if you would like to see them tune into ch 4 at 4:00p.m. today. They are doing a segment on Elliot and cf. They asked Matt to come into the station for an interview as well. He said that Shar (the lady doing the interview) asked some really good questions. So check it out if you can. If not I think that you can always find it on the ch 4 web page later. I will post a link to that after it airs.
Also Alta told me that they are going to talk about Elliot on Good Things Utah this Friday morning and tell everyone where to get an Elliot's Angel t-shirt ($5.00).
I will post more as it happens.
Thank you for supporting our family and cystic fibrosis. We appreciate you all more than my words can express.
If you feel like walking with us go sign up under Elliot's Angels and we'll see you Saturday!

Walk this way

2008-05-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have written, but doesn't this picture of my boys in baseball caps make up for it? Sure I put them in to distract you from looking at my last post date with disgust. Since I am pretty sure its working I will stop talking about it.
We went on our first kid vacation to St. George this last week. Thank you Meagan & Hubert.
It's a whole new world going on the road with babies. Lets just say that we had a lot of stops. But the kids were so good. The trip was full of trying to swim across the pool in one breath, shopping for baby clothes, in-N-out burger, ice berg, warm sunny days. What else could we ask for?
After we got home it took a couple of days to get back into our routine. Having both of us to hold the babes non-stop turned out to be an expectation that I alone could not keep up. So we had some fussy days. But I would do it all again without a second thought.
The day after we came home we got to do the Autism walk for Nick. It was amazing. I suppose the best description of the day would be that everyone was "FEELIN THE LOVE" (as DeWayne would say). We love you Ross family!
Times like that help me forget the world and remember who and what really matters.
For more on the walk check out Bo's post.

Cystic fibrosis

2008-04-18T23:40:00.000-07:00

I am sure I've told you that Matt has cystic fibrosis. Sometimes when people drop information like this it can be a lot to swallow. So I wouldn't blame anyone for not knowing what to say.

I have been thinking about cf a lot as we get closer to the cf golf tournament. I have started questioning why I haven't written more about it on my blog. I suppose it's so important to me that I don't want to mess it up and I know my explanations can get wordy.

This is a small run down of what cf is..the way that Matt explained it to me when we first met.
-Cf is a genetic disease
-On the cellular level sodium does not pass through Matt's cell's correctly. This makes his sweat salty. His mom called him a human sunflower seed when he was a kid.
-Matt compares the mucus in our lungs to honey, and his to peanut butter. His mucus sticks to his lungs, builds up and causes damage to his respiratory system.
-Although many people have cf, the levels of severity and involvement differ with each person.
-Cf is a fatal disease.
-When Matt was born people with cf had a life expectancy of 18 years.
-The median age today is now 37 years.
-Currently their are 30,000 people living in the U.S. with cf. Sometimes this statistic bothers us because it makes the disease sound smaller than it is. The numbers would be so much larger if their were more survivors.
-Cf research has discovered new therapies/treatments which have added one year of life expectancy each year for the last five years.
-We were recently told about a new drug that is still in the testing phases but is targeting the root cause of cf.
All this being said Matt is one of the healthiest people that I have ever met.

These statistics are a lot more than just numbers to me. It made me teary typing some of this and words like "fatal disease" make my skin crawl but this is the reality of cf. This disease has taught us many important lessons, that we may not have learned any other way.

I am posting a link to the cystic fibrosis web site with the hope that anyone looking for a charity to get involved in might choose cf. 89 cents on every dollar contributed goes directly to fund research...and the research is working!

Tummy time

2008-04-17T12:48:00.001-07:00

(Yes this is our house now..blankets, bouncers & burp cloths everywhere)

Since our babies were so premature I had been treating them like glass. Which is all fine and good until you realize that all the other babies are practically walking. Alright, they aren't walking but they were doing tummy time and getting stronger and we hadn't been. We have mended our ways and are now catching up and gaining strength! I never knew how sweet it would be to see my kids progress even at something as seemingly small as tummy time. Graham sort of started by rolling over on his own which is amazing, I guess he was just ready. Harrison rolled over for the first time the other day and I was so happy that I screamed which scared Matt, Graham and...Harrison. So he might not do it again for a while. But it was a great moment. If you tried to tell me 10 years ago that I would involuntarily scream about a roll over I never would have believed you. But I suppose I should get use to it since watching them accomplish even the small things will be one of the best parts of life..for the rest of my life.

It's a good thing

2008-04-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

So remember when I mentioned that Ashley was going on Martha Stewart? Well she was on the show today. Check out Martha’s site here to see what they did, or just watch the show. It will be on channel 5 about 2:00am. If you have cable then it’s all over the place. Word on the street is that she did a great job. Congratulations Jake & Ash!
To see her Etsy page click here.

Two Lucky

2008-04-13T21:26:00.000-07:00

The blessing day

2008-04-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures of our boys on the day of their blessing. Thank you everyone for sending us these shots. I didn't pick up a camera once that day so I was relieved to see these great pictures. They really captured the day so well. These top two are my favorite shots (thanks Em).
Harrison with Matt

Graham & me
Little Matt, Matt & Harrison
Hubert, Matt, Grandpa Fred, Graham, Jodi & Bo
Meagan & Ellie
Halle, Jasmine, Brynn & Nate

Matt & Em

Danny & Lincoln with Matt & Harrison
Grandpa Fred & Graham
The day was so special. We will never forget it. Thank you everyone pictured and not for being part of our lives.

Why are girls so mean?

2008-04-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

(Me at 18)This last week I have been thinking about highschool and all the good times I had, in the same breath I also have to also say that I would NEVER go back. For me its defiantly one of those things that is meant to be lived fully.. but only once.

Why do I bring up highschool you ask? Well this weekend I went to an open house / fund raiser for cystic fibrosis. I first saw a couple of people that looked familiar and realized that we went to school together. Then as I talked to people and we started the name game it turned out that a lot of the products had been donated by people I knew and even the house where the fundraiser was taking place belonged to a person that I went to school with. This was all fine and good but then I started thinking about what I was like in highschool. The best description I can think of is wacky, fun, sassy, energetic..those sound good right? Then I started remembering the other side to the teen me and that side isn’t as glowing. I remembered feeling awkward and insecure and sometimes taking that out on others. How you wonder? By making other people feel about 2 feet tall. The funny thing that you don’t understand at that age is that even taking it out on someone else never makes you feel better. What happens is that everyone walks away with a general feeling of icky-ness that doesn’t shake off as easily as it should since it’s pretty much based on zilch.

Anyhow the real reason for this post is not to bash myself to oblivion. But to really question why it seems that girls are so tough on each other? When what we really need especially at that age is to lift one another up! The show Mean Girls is a pretty good example of what I am talking about. It reflects so well how some parts of school felt like swimming with sharks. I suppose its always shocking to realize that you were one of them.

Which brings me back to the cystic fibrosis fundraiser. After talking with people there I realized that one girl who had donated items was someone that I wish I’d been better to. When I heard that she had donated to a cause so close to my heart I shuttered to think of what she must think of me. I picked up one of her cards and sent her an email telling her exactly that. It felt a little nutty but good. I have never done anything like that before. I had wished many times that I could just apologize to a few people from that time of life but had no way to. Then after seeing this person's card it just felt like the universe telling me that if I really wanted that opportunity, this was it. Maybe she won’t even remember. I don’t know. I doubt that anything will come of it but now it’s out there… in the universe.

If this doesn't make you smile you may be dead inside

2008-03-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

I just read this on my good friend Kim's blog. The post is titled 'Winter Doldrums' it made my morning and reminded me of so many great summers. (She recently went private but I love this so I lifted it off her blog in an attempt to save it for my journaling.)

The problem with winter is it's cold. And dark. It snows. Your skin gets dry and cracks around your knuckles. Hair darkens. Skin pales.
The problem with winter is you're not on the open road, driving home from a summer vacation. Winter can't produce a memory as palpable as this: suntanned bare feet on the dashboard, Good 'n Plenty and lukewarm Lemon Propel rattling in the console, singing along out loud to James Taylor or Counting Crows or Tom Petty. You gaze out of the insect-splattered windshield while I make tiny Xs over the mosquito bites on my legs. My body is exhausted, but in that good, worn, tired way that only comes from a day spent in the water. There is an irritating tightness on my shoulders from sunburn and the slight indentation of swimsuit straps. The landscape is mountainous and arid and empty, the sky impossibly high and open, and we fill the time with idle games of 20 Questions and I'm Going to Grandmother's House. We've forgotten what the N item on our list is, but are certain of Mongoose and Lima Beans.
We stop at a convenience store as the sky bruises into a purplish darkness. The air smells of gasoline and fried food and is just cool enough to raise goosebumps on bare arms and legs. Our flip-flops smack against the blacktop and make dirty half moons on the store's just mopped tile. Ice cubes thunk and clunk into 64 oz plastic cups and the refrigerated cases buzz and the till bings open and shut. The sounds are familiar and oddly comforting. Restrooms are bravely visited, snacks are selected, and then florescent lights are replaced with headlights on the highway.
We are quiet in the car now, the yellow and white lines of the road in stark contrast to our wandering, scattered, patternless thoughts.
That's the problem with winter: you're not on the open road, driving home from summer vacation, the freedom of your undecided life ahead tempered by the safety of the straight, even road vanishing into the darkening horizon.

LIBRARY

2008-03-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last week while my friend Meagan and I were on a walk we started talking about the library. I am an absolute public library nerd! So I decided to tell her all of my favorite things about it. And now I will share them all with you since my need to share it's greatness can never be satisfied! Honestly if you are anywhere near this place YOU MUST GO INSIDE!

1. Obviously the books are a draw, but the library itself is a true work of art.
2. The bike rack made out of the steel letters R E A D.
3. The glass elevators that (when aligned) have the words etched across them “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.”
4. The giant hanging head mobile. When you walk up the winding staircase close to it you can see that it is made up of little open books with butterflies inside and if you look really closely you can see them flap their wings.
5. The children's level is wonderful. Everything is made on their level (drinking fountain, hand rails, pay phone, chairs etc.). The bookshelves are categorized by height (lowest being the picture type books, higher shelves being more Harry Potter). And they have different rooms for reading (attic, snow cave etc.).
6. The architecture is amazing.
7. The roof.
8. The fact that they had the foresight to leave room for the future. As you go down the stairs you can see a small sub level that exists merely for whatever technology we may develop next. They say that 30 years ago they never would have known that we would need plugs everywhere for computers...since computers didn't even really exist for the public yet. Why did that make me feel so old?

Ok I will end this blathering on and on, but hopefully it will give you something extra to check out the next time you are at the library!

Betsy without the B

2008-03-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

I have been out of the blogging world just long enough to start a business with a friend. Then to have it become just successful enough that I found myself torn between the balance / boundaries of how I want to take care of my family and work for myself from home.

Dun, dun, dunnn..

It all started a little while back when I decided to open an Etsy account. I did it for fun and the reason I didn’t tell anyone about it until now is because I feared the pity buy. (It’s better for my ego if you don’t.) I actually sold a few items to perfect strangers, which made me feel pretty great. They were the funny onesies that Matt and I make. Anyhow I was telling my friend Ashley about it and we decided to come up with more items all surrounding the hip baby idea. One thing led to another and all sorts of items were born. Binky holders, which as it turns out we couldn’t give away. And a bunch of wooden items that are doing really well. Here are a few of my favorite things.

In the first couple of weeks we were contacted by a storeowner in California who wanted to carry some items. How great is that?! Except that it didn’t take long for me to realize that I have really only been home with my boys for three months. And that they are not only more than a full time job, they are monumentally better. I know how special it is that I get to be with them right now and I don’t want to miss even a little of it. So it was rough but I knew that I had to tell Ashley that I was out. I believe that she is only going to get bigger. In fact she is off and running with some really great stuff on a new Etsy account now. And she emailed today to tell me that someone from Martha Stewart has contacted her. All that I can say is WOW. Maybe I am that guy who started out hosting American Idol with Ryan Seacrest… you can’t remember his name…exactly. The funny thing is that as long as I can be here to take care of my boys, its ok by me.

G and H

2008-02-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to decide how to decorate my nursery. I knew that I wanted a certain type of room but have been to picky to go with any one specific thing. This way of thinking usually involves me picking up things at random that just work which makes for a hodgepodge atmosphere. But if you know me then you know that's how I've always done things. Sadly this time leaving me to my own devices meant leaving the room pretty blank. Well, until last week when Libby came by. She is one of those people who just oozes cool. She doesn’t try, its just who she is. Anyhow she helped me do this!

We just taped off these boxes and painted. Then bought fabric paper (its a sticker on the back). Cut out the letters, painted and hung them up.

I love it and it was one of the easiest things I've ever done.
THANK YOU LIBBY!

The room is still in need so if anyone has any suggestions / ideas I would love to hear them!

More onesie madness!

2008-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

Our good friends Matt & Amber are about to have a baby boy.
So Matt and I decided that it was time to make some onesies to celebrate!

They plan to name the little guy Lincoln so we started with the obvious.

Then we moved to some rhyming.

Matt loves buffalo wings so we thought that this one would be appropriate.

Then we decided that the periodic table was missing a few important elements.

Congratulations Matt & Amber! Lincoln is lucky to have such great people for parents!

A fabulous day of firsts

2008-02-10T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well today has been good. The sun was out and I was ready to dip my toe into the real world with a walk around the block. We have stayed pretty close to home this winter since RSV is running rampant. And I don't think my heart could handle taking these kids back to the hospital. If you know the details of what happened when they were born then you know why I have sheltered these little guys so much. But a sunny day has a way of making you forget some of your fears. So like I said...we walked.
This is me with the boys on their first walk.

Oh, are you wondering why you can't see them? I said the sun makes you forget SOME of your fears. They are so warmly packed that they think they are taking a walk in Hawaii.

Let me back track a little...before we went we had to get ready. Puppy hats and all. (First wear of the puppies. Thank you Grandma Mary Ann)

Then earlier tonight I was in the other room and Matt just started saying 'Honey you have got to get in here now'. I ran in just in time to see the this, the first time they have stayed sitting up on their own!

Ok now this picture of Matt is really just to show you all this house in our area. It is miniature. I tried to get Matt to go closer so you could see how very small it is but he wouldn't. Every time I mention how small the house is someone says how nice the people are who live there. Like its not PC to mention a small house. I am not trying to insult anyone so I hope your not offended. I just want to share its miniature-ness with you. Can you tell how small it is? Look at the front door.

And what is the first for this photo? Its the first time I have dared to take a picture of this cute little abode and I have wanted to for years.

Bitter sweet goodbye

2008-02-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Well I can't believe its over. I mailed in my resignation letter and my final day has come and gone. I am still trying to get use to being at home. I have the lingering feeling that I am on a long weekend and will be going back to radiology tomorrow. I'm sure that it will just take some time. Don't get me wrong, the list of things that I won't miss about work is extensive. But the list of what I will miss is the only thing that really matters.
Here it is-

The demise of puffy

2008-01-30T19:40:00.000-08:00

I must share my new obsession with you. It crept into my life slowly but these days it's on my mind so often that I need to write about it. It’s called www.steepandcheap.com. I found it a while back but had never taken it seriously until this week. The store sells high quality gear at wholesale prices one item at a time. They only have a limited inventory so they are constantly changing the item for sale. It is local, so you can pick up your purchase to avoid s&h. Another good thing is that their return policy states: If at any time -- now, next month, in 30 years -- you're not 100% satisfied, send your gear back for a full refund. No questions asked. I love that, since internet buying can be so uncertain.

It's on our favorites bar at home so earlier this week I decided to visit. They had an Oakley puffy coat on sale. It was the perfect puffiness. Not to puffy, but puffy enough to be cool and keep you warm. (You got that right?) It was being sold for $32.00! Steep and cheap is a fast moving web site. And as I learned this week, you must act quickly or the ultimate puffy coat will be gone before you can pick up your fussing baby and make it back to hit the 'confirm your purchase' button. In a nutshell that was the demise of the perfect puffy. Oh well, it seems like something to get over, right? But now I find myself checking the site all day long wondering what else will come up that I can’t live without. Maybe the puffy coat again? To justify my obsession I tell myself that we do plan to take our kids camping and the gear they sell is absolute quality for beyond reasonable prices. What’s a girl to do?

Can anyone sympathize? Do you have a steep and cheap of your own? Is your steep and cheap the actual steep and cheap? Will I ever stop saying STEEP & CHEAP!? Ok enough, I only write this because I feel compelled to share any new thing I fall in love with. For more testimony re: s&c look here.

SOMEDANCE

2008-01-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

My 10 favorite things about Sundance (2007)

1. Good friends= good times.
2. Random concerts. Good and bad they are always entertaining.3. This fun theater.
4. The movies!
5. 7-11 Hot chocolate and treats to warm you.
6. Getting into the big awards party with even more treats.
7. These two.

8. After seeing that...feeling comfortable enough to break it off as well.
9. Pretending to DJ at the big party because hey, those are some sweet headphones.
10. And this lady. Their were tons of people wearing fur..but she was best in show.

Adorable

2008-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

Harrison
Graham

Out & about

2008-01-18T16:39:00.000-08:00

Today is a good day. First off I took my boys to a Dr.’s appt. and they are doing great. Also part of what makes the day so good is that I actually went out alone with my kids! I have not so secretly been fearing how I would get two kids out and we would all survive. But just as with most of my fears things are never as bad as I’ve imagined and most of the time they turn out pretty well.

Also after being in the car and listening to music (for the first time in a long time) I have a few suggestions for you.
These are some of the songs that made me happy today.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want- The Smiths. Thanks for bringing it back Bo.

Sea Lion Woman- Feist. It makes me smile.

Island in the Sun- Weezer. Makes me think of summer, windows down, sunglasses on and a slurpee in hand. (Jodi & Bo, take this one to Maui.)

Young Folks- Peter Bjorn and John.

How Can It Be- Forever Thursday.

The Luckiest- Ben Folds. Thanks Lynsey.

Half Acre- Hem. In this song even carrying a piece of a map that reminds you of home can give you pure joy.

Nobody’s Crying- Patty Griffin. Thanks for introducing me to her music LZ.
I am big on lyrics and will sometimes listen to whole songs just waiting for a certain part. This song is good but I catch myself listening to it over and over to hear her sing: May you dream you are dreaming, in a warm soft bed. And may the voices inside you that fill you with dread. Make the sound of thousands of angels instead. Tonight where you might be laying your head. I wish you well.

& Lastly
Ghost- Indigo Girls. I have loved this song since its debut but had somehow forgotten that it existed until it came up on random play. When I listen to it I get chills. I have a hard time finding its equal. For those of you who haven’t listened to this song closely enough just read the words. If you think that you may have something as good or better let me know. I can always use more music!

Photo fever

2008-01-14T09:43:00.000-08:00

Harrison's first day home.

Matt with Graham on his first day home.

One of my favorite shots. Graham cooing and Harrison loving it.

But these are the moments that melt my heart.