Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Our Mini-Vacation
Depending on who you ask, we are the meanest parents in the whole world. We've never taken our boys overnight anywhere ever. So many of our siblings have taken their kids to Disneyland and while I suppose I do have a desire to take them there, it's certainly not strong enough for me to do anything about it. Well, this year we decided to step out of our mean-parent box and take our kids over night to Logan. I had been thinking about taking a small trip anyway and it turned out that there was a Nash Reunion in Franklin Idaho this year. So we made a little trip out of it. Logan is only about 20 minutes or so south of Franklin which made it the obvious vacation spot. So Friday afternoon, as soon as Jaaromy got home from work we set out.
Nathaniel and Jonathan waited for Dad in the van but Brigham wanted to wait in the driveway.
We stopped for a late lunch in Layton and then got to Logan a little after five. Of course the first thing the boys wanted to do was go swimming.
They were very anxious to go and had a hard time waiting for everyone to go. We didn't have any swim diapers for Brigham but luckily there's a new Walmart on the south end of Logan that helped me out. The boys had so much fun swimming. Of course they were all nervous when we first got in the water, Brigham had a death grip on my neck. But after a while they all relaxed, Nathaniel even let Jaaromy throw him into the water, Jonathan never did go under water, and Brigham would have swam all by himself if he could have. Good times were had by all.
We went to Village Inn, our favorite place, for dinner and we even had chocolate milk! We were totally livin' it up. Then we watched a movie in our room to wind down and it worked, Brigham was asleep about half way through.
The plan was to have Nathaniel and Jonathan share a bed. Brigham slept in the portable crib which was just about too small, but it worked. When we turned out the lights Jonathan was nervous and so Nathaniel and I switched. That worked out well, Jonathan snuggled right up to me and fell asleep.
The next morning I couldn't believe that everyone slept past ten! We missed the free breakfast so we stopped at Sonic on the way to the reunion.
We didn't really know anyone there but there was a playground so all was well.
My parents were there, of course. Kevin and his family, Rachelle and Don, and Scott and Sydney were all there. We found this table just sitting there so we decided to claim it.
Then it started to rain.
After we left the reunion we stopped at the cemetery. I'd never been to Grandpa Nash's grave before.
All the Nash graves were marked with a little orange flag. There were a lot of flags, it was neat. It started raining pretty bad while we were there so we didn't stay long.
On our way back through Logan we passed by the temple. I've never been up close and I never realized how beautiful it really is. We saw it the night before all lit up and it was hard to take my eyes off it.
It was still raining so I didn't get out of the car but I'm still pretty happy with this shot.
It rained really hard all the way home but it was a really fun trip. The kids were mostly happy the whole time. The hotel was fabulous, it had everything we needed. We will definitely do it again. I might even be brave enough to try TWO nights!
Nathaniel and Jonathan waited for Dad in the van but Brigham wanted to wait in the driveway.
We stopped for a late lunch in Layton and then got to Logan a little after five. Of course the first thing the boys wanted to do was go swimming.
They were very anxious to go and had a hard time waiting for everyone to go. We didn't have any swim diapers for Brigham but luckily there's a new Walmart on the south end of Logan that helped me out. The boys had so much fun swimming. Of course they were all nervous when we first got in the water, Brigham had a death grip on my neck. But after a while they all relaxed, Nathaniel even let Jaaromy throw him into the water, Jonathan never did go under water, and Brigham would have swam all by himself if he could have. Good times were had by all.
We went to Village Inn, our favorite place, for dinner and we even had chocolate milk! We were totally livin' it up. Then we watched a movie in our room to wind down and it worked, Brigham was asleep about half way through.
The plan was to have Nathaniel and Jonathan share a bed. Brigham slept in the portable crib which was just about too small, but it worked. When we turned out the lights Jonathan was nervous and so Nathaniel and I switched. That worked out well, Jonathan snuggled right up to me and fell asleep.
The next morning I couldn't believe that everyone slept past ten! We missed the free breakfast so we stopped at Sonic on the way to the reunion.
We didn't really know anyone there but there was a playground so all was well.
My parents were there, of course. Kevin and his family, Rachelle and Don, and Scott and Sydney were all there. We found this table just sitting there so we decided to claim it.
Then it started to rain.
After we left the reunion we stopped at the cemetery. I'd never been to Grandpa Nash's grave before.
All the Nash graves were marked with a little orange flag. There were a lot of flags, it was neat. It started raining pretty bad while we were there so we didn't stay long.
On our way back through Logan we passed by the temple. I've never been up close and I never realized how beautiful it really is. We saw it the night before all lit up and it was hard to take my eyes off it.
It was still raining so I didn't get out of the car but I'm still pretty happy with this shot.
It rained really hard all the way home but it was a really fun trip. The kids were mostly happy the whole time. The hotel was fabulous, it had everything we needed. We will definitely do it again. I might even be brave enough to try TWO nights!
Friday, June 05, 2009
Called to Space
I hope you don't mind me posting another video of Jonathan. He just loves to sing and I almost didn't record this because I thought he'd stop if he noticed me recording. Not only did he not stop, but he kept singing when I asked him to! I hope you all can recognize the melody. That's what kills me.
Monday, June 01, 2009
New Moon Trailer
Sorry to post so soon again but the New Moon trailer is out and I can't resist sharing. I always thought the trailer for Twilight was kind of cheesy but I really enjoyed this one and now I'm super excited to see it when it comes out.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Day Out With Thomas '09
This is our 3rd year in a row with Thomas. I don't know if we'll go again next year. Not because it isn't fun, it always is, but because this year we had to pay for Brigham and it's expensive. Also, for some reason Brigham did not like being on the train. He kept walking over to the ramp that connects the cars and, while it most likely can be safely crossed by an adult, I didn't want Brigham near it. So he whined the whole time and it's a 25 minute ride! So other than that - you know, the actual train ride - it was a great family trip. The drive is also a bit longer from West Valley than it is from Pleasant Grove. So we may not go next year.
Anywho, here are some pictures of the fun!
Here's Jonathan and Nathaniel in the maze. It's always the first thing we do when we get there.
Brigham likes it because there's no pressure and he's free to walk around.
They have a bunch of train tables set up for all the little boys to play with.(it's possible there were some girls...somewhere...maybe)
I tried to tell Brigham that it was socially unacceptable for him to lie down on the asphalt but he wouldn't listen.
Finally, the train ride!
As you can see, Brigham didn't like being on the train and kept wanting to get off or at least be free to walk around.
This is a somewhat goofy picture of Jonathan but he enjoyed the train ride the most and once we got going he decided he wanted to ride in one of the enclosed cars. So Jaaromy went with him and I got to hang out with whiny Brigham. You can even see Jaaromy tring to bring him back in this picture.
Jonathan surprised me this year by saying he wanted to see Sir Topham Hat. None of my boys have been particularly fond of life-sized characters but Jonathan was totally into it this year. He was still a little shy but I did manage to get some good pictures.
This year I remembered to get a picture of Thomas right as we were leaving. I totally pushed another family out of the way but it was worth it!
It was a fun trip and we got Happy Meals for the kids and Taco Bell for us to eat on the ride home. Good Times!
Anywho, here are some pictures of the fun!
Here's Jonathan and Nathaniel in the maze. It's always the first thing we do when we get there.
Brigham likes it because there's no pressure and he's free to walk around.
They have a bunch of train tables set up for all the little boys to play with.(it's possible there were some girls...somewhere...maybe)
I tried to tell Brigham that it was socially unacceptable for him to lie down on the asphalt but he wouldn't listen.
Finally, the train ride!
As you can see, Brigham didn't like being on the train and kept wanting to get off or at least be free to walk around.
This is a somewhat goofy picture of Jonathan but he enjoyed the train ride the most and once we got going he decided he wanted to ride in one of the enclosed cars. So Jaaromy went with him and I got to hang out with whiny Brigham. You can even see Jaaromy tring to bring him back in this picture.
Jonathan surprised me this year by saying he wanted to see Sir Topham Hat. None of my boys have been particularly fond of life-sized characters but Jonathan was totally into it this year. He was still a little shy but I did manage to get some good pictures.
This year I remembered to get a picture of Thomas right as we were leaving. I totally pushed another family out of the way but it was worth it!
It was a fun trip and we got Happy Meals for the kids and Taco Bell for us to eat on the ride home. Good Times!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Nathaniel's Turn
Last Thursday Nathaniel had his Kyuki Do test to get his yellow belt. I had a Stake Auxiliary meeting so couldn't go but Jaaromy was able to record it for me. He does such a good job. I'm going to try and get him to write about it on his own blog so you can hear it in his own words but here is the video.
All the students do the moves together and then they do them at the same time but at their own pace. This is him at his own pace and you can see that he goes through the moves faster than the other kids. Go Nathaniel!
All the students do the moves together and then they do them at the same time but at their own pace. This is him at his own pace and you can see that he goes through the moves faster than the other kids. Go Nathaniel!
Friday, May 01, 2009
Why I love Jonathan
I love all my children, of course, but I have a couple of videos of Jonathan that I've been sitting on for a long time because the files were too big to upload to Youtube. Well, we finally got around to modifying them so I could post them. So, here are two videos that illustrate exactly why I love Jonathan.
The first one is Jonathan singing along to Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The lyrics he has chosen convey the constant battle between work -"let's go to bed" - and play - "playing with toys".
The second video is an epic battle between Father and Son. Jonathan got a light saber for his birthday and has allowed Jaaromy to wield it. Jaaromy has a light saber app on his iPhone complete with sound effects. He likewise allowed Jonathan to use it.
The first one is Jonathan singing along to Beethoven's 5th Symphony. The lyrics he has chosen convey the constant battle between work -"let's go to bed" - and play - "playing with toys".
The second video is an epic battle between Father and Son. Jonathan got a light saber for his birthday and has allowed Jaaromy to wield it. Jaaromy has a light saber app on his iPhone complete with sound effects. He likewise allowed Jonathan to use it.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Our visit to temple square
We had dinner at my parent's house tonight and talking to my sister-in-law inspired me to post more often, or at least just tonight. Not much going on right now to talk about so I thought I'd share the pictures we took at temple square. It was almost two months ago but better late than never, I suppose.
Here we are in front of the Conference Center waterfall. As you can see, the noise bothered Jonathan and Brigham a little. A passing family was nice enough to take this picture for us. We returned the favor and Brigham used that as an opportunity to escape into the street. Luckily another passing family caught him and brought him back.
I was trying to be "artsy" with this picture of Jonathan.
Another "artsy" picture with Nathaniel. He knew I was taking it and was trying to look natural.
Jonathan is always ready with a smile when I ask. I love that!
My boys!
Nathaniel and Jonathan had fun walking along the edge of the grass.
While Brigham was more interested in watching where the water goes.
Nathaniel got a kick out of this picture. He's a little agoraphobic and had a hard time looking up at the Church Office Building. I had to lay down on the ground in front of him to take it.
I took a bunch of pictures of them on the pedestal and this was the best one.
Well, there you go. I hope it wasn't too long, I even left some pictures out. I really need to post more often. Maybe I'll even get around to posting our Easter pictures.
Here we are in front of the Conference Center waterfall. As you can see, the noise bothered Jonathan and Brigham a little. A passing family was nice enough to take this picture for us. We returned the favor and Brigham used that as an opportunity to escape into the street. Luckily another passing family caught him and brought him back.
I was trying to be "artsy" with this picture of Jonathan.
Another "artsy" picture with Nathaniel. He knew I was taking it and was trying to look natural.
Jonathan is always ready with a smile when I ask. I love that!
My boys!
Nathaniel and Jonathan had fun walking along the edge of the grass.
While Brigham was more interested in watching where the water goes.
Nathaniel got a kick out of this picture. He's a little agoraphobic and had a hard time looking up at the Church Office Building. I had to lay down on the ground in front of him to take it.
I took a bunch of pictures of them on the pedestal and this was the best one.
Well, there you go. I hope it wasn't too long, I even left some pictures out. I really need to post more often. Maybe I'll even get around to posting our Easter pictures.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Beware of Earth Day
So, in commemoration of Earth Day I thought I'd share a scripture I read in Revelations a few weeks ago.
According to the study guide the falling star represents Satan and the locusts are his armies.
1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Now, I'm not saying that Satan is going to raise up an army of environmentalists in the last days, but I'm not NOT saying it either.
According to the study guide the falling star represents Satan and the locusts are his armies.
1. And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
4. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Now, I'm not saying that Satan is going to raise up an army of environmentalists in the last days, but I'm not NOT saying it either.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
General Conference
Boy, does time fly. I can't believe how long it's already been since my last post. I need to make more of a habit of this, if only for my posterity and my writing skills.
Can I just say how much I needed General Conference this weekend. With very little going on in the world that's positive it was starting to wear on me. It's only half over and already I feel so much more hopeful and inspired. I can't wait for the other half. I'm even taking notes! I don't usually but by the second talk I realized that there were so many things I wanted to remember that I knew I would forget if I didn't write them down.
Times are different and you can tell by the talks. Elder Hales started it off talking about Provident Living. Even though Jaaromy's job is pretty secure I needed a reminder that wants and needs are two different things and that every time I go to the store I have to ask myself if this is the best use of my money. We still want to go to Russia in a few years and so far we haven't been able to save as much as we'd like. I need to give up the things I want now for the things I want even more.
Sister Lifferth's talk was great since I'm in the Primary but I also see it's broader application. Self-mastery, respect for others, and reverence for things that are important.
Elder Packer(Jr.) reminds us to live worthy of personal revelation which we all need in abundance right now.
I loved Elder Christofferson's talk about the world needing strong Christians. If we keep our Divine Covenants Heavenly Father will bless us and we will be the strong Christians this world needs.
President Erying reminds us that we all have adversity and Jesus Christ has the power to heal and comfort us.Elder Ballard's talk was great. It is so relevant to things that are going on right now. As he said, there are many versions of the quote, but this is the one I remember. Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it. This is not a new idea for me but I didn't really grasp the implications until he said it. Society always has it's ups and downs but I hadn't really seen the bigger picture. We've been prospering for decades and centuries even and now we've grown prideful and we're ripe for some humble pie. Another sign this conference that things probably aren't going to get better anytime soon. It's funny to me that politicians think they are doing bold new things by inserting themselves into every facet of our lives and spending money like it's going out of style. But anyone who studies history can tell you that it's all been done before with negative results. But I'm not worried, this is just part of the cycle that so many civilizations have gone through. We will learn and grow and become even stronger for having gone through this and hopefully we will have taught our children what's really important because it's quite possible that times will be even harder for them. As Elder Pearson said: Faith and Fear cannot coexist and I'd rather have Faith.
And finally, as Elder Scott so beautifully illustrated: Go to the temple. We haven't been in a while and I know that my need for Conference wouldn't have been as desperate if I had been attending the temple more regularly. Jaaromy and I have decided that we're going to go once a month. We're going to schedule it on the same day every month so we don't forget.It's only half over but already it has lifted me above the blues. I can't wait until tomorrow and I hope that it's been as wonderful for all of you as it has been for me.
PS. I hope you enjoyed the pictures I took from a recent trip to temple square. I'd like to post the rest of them, we'll see if I stick to it.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
American Idol top 12 13
Well, it's time for another season of American Idol. I think it takes some time getting used to new contestants. At the beginning of every season I can't help but think that I don't love(or hate) these contestants like I did last year. Then I remember that I feel this way every year. As we get to know them better we start to love them and hope they do well. There are several contestants that I think do a great job and I'm sad that they don't get through even though I know others deserved it more. For the most part anyway, there are some I would have gladly traded. So I don't love any of them, but I'm sad when they don't make it... It's a very complicated emotion.
So it looks like we're down to the top
Speaking of shaking things up, we had a bit of a surprise tonight. It turns out our top 12 is a top 13. This seems a little weird to me for some reason. Anoop is great and all, but he didn't seem to come close to the others. Maybe I just didn't "get" his song, but it seemed kind of average to me, certainly not worth changing the show's format for. There was something they said in their comments that made me wonder if they wanted him there because it makes the show more diverse or something. I could be wrong, maybe he just really rocked the house live but it didn't come through to me. Honestly, it doesn't matter, we'll vote for who we vote for. Although if they didn't have the time to do the Wild Card round in it's own week, do they have time to eliminate 12 contestants in the same amount of time, or will they just kick two in the first week? These are questions that will most likely be answered next week. So, I'm getting excited for this season even if I don't feel like I really know any of them. That will come with time, and I'll fall in love with one or two of them during the show and then never listen to any of their music afterwords. That could just be me, though.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
One Census to rule them all
I hope you don't mind if I post two political posts in a row, I didn't really have an idea for a non-political post and this was too important to pass up.
I just read an article by Orson Scott Card, who is a Democrat by the way, that talked about the Census being moved from the Commerce Department to the White House by the Obama Administration. I've heard about this issue before but this article described the situation the best. I know this might sound boring but this could be the most important issue going on right now. The Census is what determines population and whether states loose or gain representatives in congress. The Census has always been done by the Commerce Department because it is a neutral organization and what they do is very transparent to the public. By moving it to the White House under direction of Rahm Emanuel it is now a political issue and it is not required to be transparent. That way, they can estimate persons rather than actually counting them. Can you imagine if President Bush had put Karl Rove in charge of the Census?
Obama's approval rating has been going down ever since he took office and he wants to make sure he stays in office. By manipulating the Census he can "adjust" the numbers so that states that traditionally vote Democrat will stay that way and maybe even get another representative. And the states that traditionally vote Republican might find that their population is shrinking and they don't need as many representatives. This is a tool to grab power and take away freedom.
Even if you don't agree with my opinion on why Obama is doing this, it is still in the best interest of the country to keep the Census bipartisan and transparent. If you love freedom and democracy this move by Obama can not happen. I hope you all will read the article. Just in case you don't but you still want to do something, at the end of the article he suggests a way we can stop this. "Lobby your state governments to file suit in the Supreme Court, challenging the right of the President to control the Census. And if that doesn't work, lobby your state legislatures to call for a new Constitutional Convention in order to pass a Constitutional Amendment that requires that the Census be conducted by an independent agency, which is allowed to count only living people who are actually located and named, with no "estimates" and no fudging."
Thanks for reading and I hope we are all willing to fight to keep our freedom. Never have people been so free as they are here in America and I pray we will stay that way.
I just read an article by Orson Scott Card, who is a Democrat by the way, that talked about the Census being moved from the Commerce Department to the White House by the Obama Administration. I've heard about this issue before but this article described the situation the best. I know this might sound boring but this could be the most important issue going on right now. The Census is what determines population and whether states loose or gain representatives in congress. The Census has always been done by the Commerce Department because it is a neutral organization and what they do is very transparent to the public. By moving it to the White House under direction of Rahm Emanuel it is now a political issue and it is not required to be transparent. That way, they can estimate persons rather than actually counting them. Can you imagine if President Bush had put Karl Rove in charge of the Census?
Obama's approval rating has been going down ever since he took office and he wants to make sure he stays in office. By manipulating the Census he can "adjust" the numbers so that states that traditionally vote Democrat will stay that way and maybe even get another representative. And the states that traditionally vote Republican might find that their population is shrinking and they don't need as many representatives. This is a tool to grab power and take away freedom.
Even if you don't agree with my opinion on why Obama is doing this, it is still in the best interest of the country to keep the Census bipartisan and transparent. If you love freedom and democracy this move by Obama can not happen. I hope you all will read the article. Just in case you don't but you still want to do something, at the end of the article he suggests a way we can stop this. "Lobby your state governments to file suit in the Supreme Court, challenging the right of the President to control the Census. And if that doesn't work, lobby your state legislatures to call for a new Constitutional Convention in order to pass a Constitutional Amendment that requires that the Census be conducted by an independent agency, which is allowed to count only living people who are actually located and named, with no "estimates" and no fudging."
Thanks for reading and I hope we are all willing to fight to keep our freedom. Never have people been so free as they are here in America and I pray we will stay that way.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Politics as usual
So I've sort of been avoiding talking about politics because I don't want things to be too heavy, but so many things are going on right now that are fundamentally changing life in America as we know it. We've strayed so far from the principles that our country was founded on and I don't know if we'll ever be able to return.
The biggest thing going on right now is the "Stimulus" package. It's being rushed through Congress with barely a debate and our president is scarring everyone into voting for it with language like "we may never recover" and "global catastrophe". It's amazing the junk that is in this bill. I've heard estimates as high as 35% of it will actually go to creating jobs. That's the highest estimate! The rest is favors to special interest groups.
Unfortunately there's also some policy changes that are in the bill that will put in place the tools necessary to change us into a Socialist country. This is the reason I have decided to post this today. I've decided to post about political happenings as I read them that I think you should know about.
The one that struck me today as really scary is an item in the "stimulus" that puts more government control over our healthcare. This item puts in place a National Coordinator of Health Information Technology that will “monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective.” I don't know about you but that scares me. They can decide whether or not you get treatment based on cost and whether or not they think it will work. What if I have a terminal illness and they decide I'm a burden on the state?
Maybe it will never go that far but with Obama as president it won't be for lack of trying on his part. I'd like to encourage everyone who is reading this to become politically active. We need to know what is going on in our government. The Founding Fathers knew that our success as a nation depended on an informed public. We need to elect officials that we can trust and who know that they work for us, not the other way around. If we are complacent then we deserve what we get.
Update: Most of you have asked where you can go to read it. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to post a link, so here you go: http://readthestimulus.org It's not an easy read. It's over 1,000 pages long and very few people in both houses of Congress have even read it. But that didn't stop them from voting for it!
Update: Let me clarify. A few members of Congress read the original draft of the stimulus. The House and Senate each had their own versions of the bill that they voted on. Then they write up another version that they each vote on and then the president signs. NO ONE read that version.
The biggest thing going on right now is the "Stimulus" package. It's being rushed through Congress with barely a debate and our president is scarring everyone into voting for it with language like "we may never recover" and "global catastrophe". It's amazing the junk that is in this bill. I've heard estimates as high as 35% of it will actually go to creating jobs. That's the highest estimate! The rest is favors to special interest groups.
Unfortunately there's also some policy changes that are in the bill that will put in place the tools necessary to change us into a Socialist country. This is the reason I have decided to post this today. I've decided to post about political happenings as I read them that I think you should know about.
The one that struck me today as really scary is an item in the "stimulus" that puts more government control over our healthcare. This item puts in place a National Coordinator of Health Information Technology that will “monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective.” I don't know about you but that scares me. They can decide whether or not you get treatment based on cost and whether or not they think it will work. What if I have a terminal illness and they decide I'm a burden on the state?
Maybe it will never go that far but with Obama as president it won't be for lack of trying on his part. I'd like to encourage everyone who is reading this to become politically active. We need to know what is going on in our government. The Founding Fathers knew that our success as a nation depended on an informed public. We need to elect officials that we can trust and who know that they work for us, not the other way around. If we are complacent then we deserve what we get.
Update: Most of you have asked where you can go to read it. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to post a link, so here you go: http://readthestimulus.org It's not an easy read. It's over 1,000 pages long and very few people in both houses of Congress have even read it. But that didn't stop them from voting for it!
Update: Let me clarify. A few members of Congress read the original draft of the stimulus. The House and Senate each had their own versions of the bill that they voted on. Then they write up another version that they each vote on and then the president signs. NO ONE read that version.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Our cool new bathroom
So we finished our first home decorating project on Saturday. It's taken us about a week to finish it and while I was, of course, excited to see it done, I was almost just as excited to finish it and take pictures so I could post it on my blog for everyone to see. Some of you were able to see it in person, but for those who haven't seen it yet, here you go.
It tried to get as much of the room in the picture as possible but, since it's not a very big room, this is the best I could do.
We went to all the trouble to paint the back of the door but you only see it if your actually using the bathroom.
Here are the cute animal decorations. These are what made me want to decorate the bathroom. I was already thinking of doing something to the bathroom, but when I saw these I knew what I wanted to do.
These are my favorite. I LOVE the monkeys! They even match the toilet brush which you can see in the first picture.
So there you go. I think we're good for a while as far as decorating goes, but I think we'll be ready again this summer. I'm thinking the master bedroom....
It tried to get as much of the room in the picture as possible but, since it's not a very big room, this is the best I could do.
We went to all the trouble to paint the back of the door but you only see it if your actually using the bathroom.
Here are the cute animal decorations. These are what made me want to decorate the bathroom. I was already thinking of doing something to the bathroom, but when I saw these I knew what I wanted to do.
These are my favorite. I LOVE the monkeys! They even match the toilet brush which you can see in the first picture.
So there you go. I think we're good for a while as far as decorating goes, but I think we'll be ready again this summer. I'm thinking the master bedroom....
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Our Christmas continued...
I was looking at my last post and I realized I should have included the pictures that I wanted to post with my Christmas tag. So, here you go!
Here's our lovely tree shortly after we set it up. I originally bought the garland around the banister to put over the door outside but it was a lot longer and narrower than I thought. Turns out it was perfect for inside! I didn't think to do it until later but I ended up hanging our stockings on the other side of the banister. It was very cute.
This is the garland Jaaromy found for me to put over the door. It has pine cones and holly berries in it.(Just like the song!) I'm very happy with it.
Just for fun, here's a picture without the flash.
Also just for fun, here's a picture of Brigham that cracks me up. Jaaromy put it on his Facebook page with the caption "My little gamer in training". Here it is in case anyone missed it. I took this at the same time as the other pictures in case anyone was thinking I'm just looking to pack in the Brigham shots.
There you go. I probably wouldn't have bothered to post these but I know some of you haven't seen our new house yet so this was a chance to give you a glimpse.
Here's our lovely tree shortly after we set it up. I originally bought the garland around the banister to put over the door outside but it was a lot longer and narrower than I thought. Turns out it was perfect for inside! I didn't think to do it until later but I ended up hanging our stockings on the other side of the banister. It was very cute.
This is the garland Jaaromy found for me to put over the door. It has pine cones and holly berries in it.(Just like the song!) I'm very happy with it.
Just for fun, here's a picture without the flash.
Also just for fun, here's a picture of Brigham that cracks me up. Jaaromy put it on his Facebook page with the caption "My little gamer in training". Here it is in case anyone missed it. I took this at the same time as the other pictures in case anyone was thinking I'm just looking to pack in the Brigham shots.
There you go. I probably wouldn't have bothered to post these but I know some of you haven't seen our new house yet so this was a chance to give you a glimpse.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Our Christmas
I know it's been almost three weeks since Christmas but I thought I'd share some pictures anyway. I'm almost caught up!
In the years since my family moved it's Christmas Eve party to the Sunday before Christmas, we've had a little more time in the evening to spend some time together and do our own traditions, maybe even try some new ones.
This is the second year we've given them new pajamas on Christmas Eve. The kids put them on and then we read Christmas stories.
Same kids Christmas morning, looking a little sleepy but still excited. Santa decided to leave the toys downstairs in the family room so the boys wouldn't accidentally see anything before everyone was awake. It think it worked out well.
Here's Nathaniel with his new Pixo Studio. He had been asking for it all month and Santa did not disappoint.
Jonathan got an electric planet mobile. We put it on the ceiling just above his bed and he moved his pillow and blanket so he is laying right underneath it when he goes to bed.
I didn't get a picture of Brigham or his presents for some reason, but he had more fun than he did last year:
It was a good Christmas as always. After the kids opened their presents we went to Grandma Bonnie's for breakfast. My mom's cinnamon rolls and my dad's scrambled eggs and some eggnog make up my favorite meal of the year. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest on that one. After opening presents from Grandma we went to Grandma Patti's house for another great meal. We were still full from breakfast but apparently that wasn't a problem since we still ate a lot. It seemed like a small group without Jimmy, Kelly, and their families but we were able to see them that weekend which was nice.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, I know we did.
In the years since my family moved it's Christmas Eve party to the Sunday before Christmas, we've had a little more time in the evening to spend some time together and do our own traditions, maybe even try some new ones.
This is the second year we've given them new pajamas on Christmas Eve. The kids put them on and then we read Christmas stories.
Same kids Christmas morning, looking a little sleepy but still excited. Santa decided to leave the toys downstairs in the family room so the boys wouldn't accidentally see anything before everyone was awake. It think it worked out well.
Here's Nathaniel with his new Pixo Studio. He had been asking for it all month and Santa did not disappoint.
Jonathan got an electric planet mobile. We put it on the ceiling just above his bed and he moved his pillow and blanket so he is laying right underneath it when he goes to bed.
I didn't get a picture of Brigham or his presents for some reason, but he had more fun than he did last year:
It was a good Christmas as always. After the kids opened their presents we went to Grandma Bonnie's for breakfast. My mom's cinnamon rolls and my dad's scrambled eggs and some eggnog make up my favorite meal of the year. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest on that one. After opening presents from Grandma we went to Grandma Patti's house for another great meal. We were still full from breakfast but apparently that wasn't a problem since we still ate a lot. It seemed like a small group without Jimmy, Kelly, and their families but we were able to see them that weekend which was nice.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas, I know we did.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Jonathan's Birthday
I'm getting way behind so I'm going back before Christmas and hopefully I'll get caught up again soon. December is a busy time.
Well, Jonathan finally turned 5 on December 17th. We had a little party for him on his birthday. Luckily, I didn't have Orchestra that night so we were able to do it that day.
Here he is after finishing his birthday cupcake and washing it down with some milk from his cool new mug that has his name on it.
After some cautious unwrapping he was eventually excited to open his present: An inflatable space shuttle!
Thank heaven for our bicycle pump. Jonathan immediately wanted to put on his astronaut costume and take the shuttle for a ride. He told me he wanted to fly in the sky and was disappointed that he couldn't. It absolutely broke my heart.
Luckily, he was happy to pretend to fly by his inflatable planets. Jaaromy and I took turns moving the planets past him so he could "fly" through the solar system. He loved it. Jonathan is such a sweetheart that way. Happy Birthday, my little astronaut!
Well, Jonathan finally turned 5 on December 17th. We had a little party for him on his birthday. Luckily, I didn't have Orchestra that night so we were able to do it that day.
Here he is after finishing his birthday cupcake and washing it down with some milk from his cool new mug that has his name on it.
After some cautious unwrapping he was eventually excited to open his present: An inflatable space shuttle!
Thank heaven for our bicycle pump. Jonathan immediately wanted to put on his astronaut costume and take the shuttle for a ride. He told me he wanted to fly in the sky and was disappointed that he couldn't. It absolutely broke my heart.
Luckily, he was happy to pretend to fly by his inflatable planets. Jaaromy and I took turns moving the planets past him so he could "fly" through the solar system. He loved it. Jonathan is such a sweetheart that way. Happy Birthday, my little astronaut!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Christmas is Coming!
Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I blame the election. After having so many thoughts and opinions for so long, now that it's over I don't seem to have any thoughts or opinions anymore. I'm totally drained. It's kind of relaxing actually. I'm just going to let that feeling prevail until well after Christmas. Then it's back to having thoughts and opinions again, only they'll be stretched out over the next few years instead of months. I'm watching you Obama!
Anywho, I was thinking about posting some pictures of our new house all decorated for Christmas, just for something ANYTHING different to put on my blog. Then I read my sister-in-law's tag about Christmas and I decided I could do both! So here it goes.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? They both have a purpose, although I probably lean on gift bags too much. If my gift is square (book, dvd, box) and I use a gift bag, I know I'm slacking.
2. Real tree or artificial tree? Artificial. We had a real tree once growing up and it quickly became a fire hazard so I have no misplaced nostalgia regarding real trees. However, I can see why some might have strong feelings on this issue. As for me, my evergreen scented candle is enough for me!
3. When do you put up your tree? The first available day after the 1st of December. I put up all the decorations on December 1st and the tree goes up when we're all there to help. Often as a family night activity or on a Saturday. This year I thought of putting it up right after Thanksgiving since it was so close to December and Jaaromy was home, but it we still ended up putting it up for family night on December 1st.
4. When do you take the tree down? January 1st. I like my holidays neatly wrapped into one month. Plus it works out because Jaaromy has the day off so he can help.
5. Do you like eggnog? I LOVE eggnog! I just learned a few years ago that the rest of the world puts lots of liquor in eggnog. Weird. I like Sprite in mine. Totally different, I know.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know if favorite is the word, but I do have a lot of memorable ones. I remember getting my Make-It and Bake-It machine. I asked for it two years in a row and the second time was the charm! Alas, I wish I could say the same about the Classic Convertible I wanted, that did not work after the second time. I also remember when I got my daybed and when I got a roll of border paper for my room symbolizing the gift of a non-Winnie the Pooh decorated room.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Honestly, anyone who doesn't live in my house is hard. Nieces and nephews, Grandparents, and to a lesser degree, parents.
8. Favorite Christmas Memory? Christmas has always been fun for me. I don't have a specific favorite, but every year seemed to have the same favorite elements. One memory is of all of us kids waiting at the top of the stairs for my parents to make sure Santa had come and then all of us running down as fast as we can to see our presents. Good times!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I have three. I love nativity scenes and I can't wait to collect them from all over the world, you know, once we actually get a chance to travel.
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? I like regular old mailed ones. I like to tape the ones I get to my front door and if they're picture cards, after Christmas I cut off the greeting and put them in my little photo book I keep in my purse. I don't blame those who do e-mail cards, it is easier and cheaper. I have a friend who did that and I just saved the pictures to their family file in my pictures folder.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't really have a tradition of watching Christmas movies, but I suppose my favorite would be A Christmas Story, but only because it's funny and I've seen it the most.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime after Thanksgiving. But I never go out on the day after Christmas. Some things just aren't worth it.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, but I plan to. Just waiting for the perfect time.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hands down, my mom's cinnamon rolls.
15. Lights on the tree? Is there someone who doesn't put lights on the tree? Maybe people who buy real trees...
16. Favorite Christmas songs? O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, The First Noel
17. Travel or stay home? I've always been close to family so I've never had to travel. I hope I never do.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph.
19. Angel on the top of the tree or a star? My mom had the cutest angel on her tree and I tried for a long time to find one like it, but all the angels are a little too gothic looking so I decided to try and find a star. Last year I found the perfect star for my tree. I love it.
20. Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both, we've always opened at least one present the night before. Growing up it was the sibling presents. Now, it's the present from us to the kids.
21. The most annoying thing about this time of year? The cold. I'm not saying it would be better in the summer or anything, merely that the cold is my least favorite part about Christmas.
22. Favorite ornament theme and color? Several years ago I decided to buy an ornament set and I found a music one that I liked. I also got a hand-me-down santa ornament set from my mom. So over the years I have, quite by accident, developed a gold and red theme. Turns out, I really like it!
23. Favorite Christmas Dinner? Traditional Christmas food, I guess. One year we had enchiladas and, while I like them just fine, it was weird. So I guess I don't have a favorite but I do have certain expectations.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? I already got my present this year. Jaaromy took me to see The Christmas Sweater. It was great!
25. Favorite Christmas Tradition? The Nativity play. It started out with my oldest sister and brother and worked it's way down and now the grandkids all do it. Never a dull moment.
Wow, that was long. I thought about cutting out some of the questions, but then I realized that there probably 25 for a reason. I don't mind if any of you do this tag, in fact, I would love to read it but I will warn you that 25 questions is a LOT of questions. So many, in fact, that I've decided to put the pictures in another post. It's too long as it is. For all I know I'm talking into the void at this point. I almost gave up, I wouldn't be surprised if anyone else did too. So, for those of you who are still here, thanks for reading and have a very Merry Christmas!
Anywho, I was thinking about posting some pictures of our new house all decorated for Christmas, just for something ANYTHING different to put on my blog. Then I read my sister-in-law's tag about Christmas and I decided I could do both! So here it goes.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? They both have a purpose, although I probably lean on gift bags too much. If my gift is square (book, dvd, box) and I use a gift bag, I know I'm slacking.
2. Real tree or artificial tree? Artificial. We had a real tree once growing up and it quickly became a fire hazard so I have no misplaced nostalgia regarding real trees. However, I can see why some might have strong feelings on this issue. As for me, my evergreen scented candle is enough for me!
3. When do you put up your tree? The first available day after the 1st of December. I put up all the decorations on December 1st and the tree goes up when we're all there to help. Often as a family night activity or on a Saturday. This year I thought of putting it up right after Thanksgiving since it was so close to December and Jaaromy was home, but it we still ended up putting it up for family night on December 1st.
4. When do you take the tree down? January 1st. I like my holidays neatly wrapped into one month. Plus it works out because Jaaromy has the day off so he can help.
5. Do you like eggnog? I LOVE eggnog! I just learned a few years ago that the rest of the world puts lots of liquor in eggnog. Weird. I like Sprite in mine. Totally different, I know.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know if favorite is the word, but I do have a lot of memorable ones. I remember getting my Make-It and Bake-It machine. I asked for it two years in a row and the second time was the charm! Alas, I wish I could say the same about the Classic Convertible I wanted, that did not work after the second time. I also remember when I got my daybed and when I got a roll of border paper for my room symbolizing the gift of a non-Winnie the Pooh decorated room.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Honestly, anyone who doesn't live in my house is hard. Nieces and nephews, Grandparents, and to a lesser degree, parents.
8. Favorite Christmas Memory? Christmas has always been fun for me. I don't have a specific favorite, but every year seemed to have the same favorite elements. One memory is of all of us kids waiting at the top of the stairs for my parents to make sure Santa had come and then all of us running down as fast as we can to see our presents. Good times!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I have three. I love nativity scenes and I can't wait to collect them from all over the world, you know, once we actually get a chance to travel.
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? I like regular old mailed ones. I like to tape the ones I get to my front door and if they're picture cards, after Christmas I cut off the greeting and put them in my little photo book I keep in my purse. I don't blame those who do e-mail cards, it is easier and cheaper. I have a friend who did that and I just saved the pictures to their family file in my pictures folder.
11. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't really have a tradition of watching Christmas movies, but I suppose my favorite would be A Christmas Story, but only because it's funny and I've seen it the most.
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually sometime after Thanksgiving. But I never go out on the day after Christmas. Some things just aren't worth it.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No, but I plan to. Just waiting for the perfect time.
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hands down, my mom's cinnamon rolls.
15. Lights on the tree? Is there someone who doesn't put lights on the tree? Maybe people who buy real trees...
16. Favorite Christmas songs? O Holy Night, Away in a Manger, Silent Night, The First Noel
17. Travel or stay home? I've always been close to family so I've never had to travel. I hope I never do.
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph.
19. Angel on the top of the tree or a star? My mom had the cutest angel on her tree and I tried for a long time to find one like it, but all the angels are a little too gothic looking so I decided to try and find a star. Last year I found the perfect star for my tree. I love it.
20. Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Both, we've always opened at least one present the night before. Growing up it was the sibling presents. Now, it's the present from us to the kids.
21. The most annoying thing about this time of year? The cold. I'm not saying it would be better in the summer or anything, merely that the cold is my least favorite part about Christmas.
22. Favorite ornament theme and color? Several years ago I decided to buy an ornament set and I found a music one that I liked. I also got a hand-me-down santa ornament set from my mom. So over the years I have, quite by accident, developed a gold and red theme. Turns out, I really like it!
23. Favorite Christmas Dinner? Traditional Christmas food, I guess. One year we had enchiladas and, while I like them just fine, it was weird. So I guess I don't have a favorite but I do have certain expectations.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? I already got my present this year. Jaaromy took me to see The Christmas Sweater. It was great!
25. Favorite Christmas Tradition? The Nativity play. It started out with my oldest sister and brother and worked it's way down and now the grandkids all do it. Never a dull moment.
Wow, that was long. I thought about cutting out some of the questions, but then I realized that there probably 25 for a reason. I don't mind if any of you do this tag, in fact, I would love to read it but I will warn you that 25 questions is a LOT of questions. So many, in fact, that I've decided to put the pictures in another post. It's too long as it is. For all I know I'm talking into the void at this point. I almost gave up, I wouldn't be surprised if anyone else did too. So, for those of you who are still here, thanks for reading and have a very Merry Christmas!
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Brigham's Black Eye
We're not sure how it happened, Jaaromy was right next to him and I was just down the stairs. He fell and started crying really loud like it hurt. There wasn't a big crash so it didn't sound like it should have hurt that bad. I hurried and did the mom thing and held him until he was happy again. I didn't even realize it was that bad until I noticed he was bleeding and the spot right around the cut was really swollen. The swelling went down and it stopped bleeding but by the next morning it had turned dark around almost his whole eye. Today it's even darker so I figured I'd take a picture to show everyone.
Poor Brigham! We figure he must have hit the edge of the chair when he fell.
Poor Brigham! We figure he must have hit the edge of the chair when he fell.
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