Emily's World

Last Snow Day

2012-01-20T18:31:00.000-08:00

Today was our last stay at home snow day. It's been a wonderful blessing to get an extra week of working from home. I am so spoiled.

For breakfast Benjamin and I had peanut butter and nutella toast with milk. It was great, as you can tell Benjamin totally enjoyed it.

Later in the day I took a break from work to go clean the dishes. Benjamin helped me in his own way. He played with the water and salad spinner. He had a blast and refused to look at me when I took his picture. Oh well... He got nice and wet by the time Daddy took him down.

One of Benjamin's favorite things to do is to climb on top of the recycling can and play with the microwave. Today he sat on top of the recycling can and I had my camera near by still. Score!

Good Food

2012-01-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I wanted something good to eat. You know what I mean? Something really good and delicious. We can't afford to go out to eat so I had to make something if I wanted to satisfy my craving for good food. While looking for the chocolate glaze recipe a few days prior I ran across this recipe for onion rings. I decided it was the night for it. Jared said being poor isn't really good for my cravings for junk food...because I am just learning to make them. So true!

I also wanted something like a hamburger but didn't feel like making a burger. I wanted something more cozy and homey. I wanted a cheeseburger casserole. None of the recipes I looked at quite fit the bill. Jared made some suggestions on how to create what I wanted and I went to town.

Benjamin really enjoyed the dipping sauce I made of mayo and BBQ sauce. He liked the onion rings but he also chewed on a raw onion before they were fried.

After dinner Benjamin fell asleep on Jared's shoulder within in a minute or so. He was done for the night. That's what happens when you only take a 10 minute nap.

I overate of course but it was all delicious. It was kind of like burger and onion rings. All I needed was a chocolate shake. Oohhh....

Snowed in...Make Doughnuts

2012-01-18T17:17:00.001-08:00

What's a girl to do when she is stuck inside and working all day? Make doughnuts!!! Of course!!! They were and are so delicious. I found a new blog yesterday and printed off the recipe for doughnuts and for chocolate glaze. That's how I even found the blog was because I was looking for a chocolate glaze. Good stuff!

Feel free to come over and save me from myself. I think I feel a headache coming on.

Jared said my sweet tooth cravings are stronger this pregnancy.

Boots

2012-01-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

Benjamin is seriously in love with his boots from the Risenmay's. He brings them to us just to wear around the house. We haven't been going outside since Sunday because Benjamin has had a fever but he still wants to wear his boots.

He even wants to cuddle with his boots.

Later in the day Benjamin got to take a turn at playing Forza 4 too. He doesn't do very good on his own but he has fun and is very serious.

Snow Time Please

2012-01-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

It started snowing on Saturday. Benjamin was enthralled with the snow falling outside. I got home from sledding and he was outside with Jared and his friend Wyatt. We went back inside and it wasn't long before Benjamin was bringing me his boots. I told him later.

Later finally came in the evening and we went outside to play. Benjamin and I walked out down to the street while Jared shoveled the driveway. Benjamin was enjoying himself immensely.

Clearing the Couch Arm

2012-01-16T17:59:00.000-08:00

Thursday night I got home from work and laid down on the couch. Benjamin decided it would be fun to climb the desk and jump off onto the couch. At first he would land on the couch arm but by the time he was done he was clearing the arm.

The routine became climb the desk, go into the desk chair and climb back onto the desk, jump off the desk onto the couch and repeat.

I love watching Benjamin master new things.

A Chair for Benjamin

2012-01-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday while working from home Benjamin kept coming up into my lap making it a little hard to actually work. I left my seat for a minute and Benjamin jumped up into it immediately. I recalled the little rocking chair we had put away about a year ago.

I brought the chair downstairs and Benjamin loved it.

I love this little boy!

Wrestling Pad

2012-01-16T17:48:00.000-08:00

Benjamin had an accident on our bed with no protection between him and the sheets. Jared moved our mattress topper to the living room for the night to dry out. The next day it proved to be a fun wrestling pad.

Jared and Benjamin just kept wrestling. I ran upstairs to get a few pictures of the action and watch my boys. Benjamin is getting to the stage where wrestling is fun. I think it's mostly the fact that his Daddy is giving him one on one time. Who doesn't love quality time huh?

Later in the day we were downstairs and Jared was playing Forza 4. Benjamin loves to watch this game. He got up super close to the TV to watch Daddy play.

Personal Jungle Gym

2012-01-08T16:51:00.000-08:00

When you have a climber on your hands what are you going to do? You could try and make sure there's nothing to climb and hope they don't find ways up. Or you could make a jungle gym of chairs, stools, a table and piano bench and let them run rampant!

This is what we chose to do yesterday for our little Benjamin. He was all giggles and running around on his personal jungle gym. I could not pass up taking pictures (I know...I rarely do).

Benjamin thought it was even more fun when his Daddy started running through and jumping from stool to stool. He would look to Jared and almost say it's your turn now.

We do realize that one of these days we will find Benjamin on top of the bookcase, fridge or cabinets in the kitchen. It's inevitable.

The Magic of Winter

2012-01-08T16:43:00.000-08:00

My craft room has been a disaster. I have too many projects going on (yes I said too many projects...your eyes are not deceiving you). I've been working to clean up my room and make space for Benjamin, reorganize for like the 5th or 6th time (okay maybe like the 10th or 12th time). I finally got it cleaned up enough to get something done though.

I made a card (it's not the only thing I've done but it's what this post is actually about).

Kimberly over at Craft Spot does a challenge each week and this week it was Winter Wonderland and using glitter. She makes some really cute stuff.

I dove in at the almost 11th hour and got something made to enter. I think it's cute.

I used my Winter Wonderland Cricut cartridge to create this card. I also used a lot of scraps which is always nice (oh that reminds me I need to organize my scraps of paper).

Hope you are having a great weekend!

How Sad!

2012-01-08T16:41:00.001-08:00

Doesn't this just break your heart?

While offloading my camera to the computer I found this picture that I did not take. Obviously Benjamin was having a tough moment on January 3rd, 2012.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I reviewed my New Year resolutions for 2011 this morning and found I had accomplished one. It was my spiritual one of coming to understand the scriptures better by studying the Book of Mormon with a study guide. Check! I did accomplish that one a few months ago! I had forgotten it was even a goal for that.

One of my other goals was to finish two quilts I have in the works. No check! But I did finish a smaller quilt last night so I say 'partial credit'.

I am trying to decide what my goals for this year are going to be. Once I figure it out I will be posting them somewhere in my house that I can see them often. I think that is one of the biggest issues with failing goals the other part is setting lofty unattainable goals. I actually read to Jared out of my journal from last year the need to post my goals as I would otherwise not accomplish them. He remarked how very prophetic of me.

Space for an Easel

2011-12-31T21:15:00.000-08:00

I've been working on cleaning up my craft room and organizing it yet again. I have bought some shelving with some of my Christmas money and have a few more ideas up my sleeve. I was very overwhelmed with my room and trying to get it under control. For Christmas though Jared's parents bought Benjamin an easel. I wanted it for him so that way he could craft with me in my craft room.

With the determination in mind to make room for Benjamin I got to it and quickly got my room under control. I must say it looks much nicer. I can't wait to hang up my shelves. We will be remodeling my sewing desk and I need to finish the stenciling still.

Jared set-up the easel for Benjamin. Benjamin loved watching and trying to be a part of things but I eventually had to distract him in the other room. Once we got it set-up we got out some crayons and showed Benjamin how it works.

A Proper Table

2011-12-31T21:08:00.000-08:00

We had our good friends over the Lyons. We hadn't hung out in a bit so we decided to do a dinner together before Christmas. We had a nice ham dinner.

I had just gotten new dishes from my grandparents and could not wait to try them out. I texted Heather to make sure they were okay with a super fancy set-up. My mom stopped by to visit and helped me decide which dishes to use.

I got out my etiquette book to help me set-up a proper table. I had so much fun!

I can't wait to use more of my dishes!

Christmas Day

2011-12-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day! We all woke up a little later than I thought we would. Once we were up Jared made sure we did our scripture studies and family prayer before we opened any presents. It's probably a good thing because I am sure it would have been forgotten once we got things going.

Watching Benjamin open his gifts was such much fun. He had seen the toys when we bought them yet he was still excited. I'm sure he had forgotten about them. We got him a 4X4 truck that runs on it's own, a pack of Ferrari hot wheels, and Santa brought him a Dump Truck with boulders. After Benjamin had fun ripping the paper off he had a blast playing with each toy.

After the presents were opened we had some breakfast and quickly moved onto getting ready for church. At the last minute we decided to go to church at Jared's parents ward as it seemed like a nice Christmas gift we could give them.

After church we hung out at the grandparents house. Grandma made herself and I some hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipping cream. Benjamin got in on the whipping cream action and Grandpa was laughing pretty good about it and advised a camera was needed.

Indeed.

Jacki and her family showed up a little bit later with our newest nephew Tyson. I cannot get over how small he is. We had fun opening up presents. I think we would all agree the money in a puzzle were pretty awesome. Jared opened his first and later hid Terence's keys in my puzzle.

We had a Mexican fiesta of burritos, chicken enchiladas, guacamole, pico de gallo, chips, beans and rice. I ate to my hearts content. Very full!

For the rest of the afternoon/evening we hung out and played games.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve was a busy day! We started the afternoon off going to my favorite cousin Theresa's home to celebrate. Theresa spoiled Benjamin as she always does. She got him a toy. Benjamin had no problems opening the toy once I started it for him. Ripping paper is a pass time hobby for him...it comes in many forms...toilet paper, tissues, post it's etc.

It was a singing monkey. It has shapes on it's belly that you press and it tells you the color and shape on one setting and plays songs on the second setting. It is now a great car toy for Benjamin. He loves to play with it.

After Benjamin was no longer fun and it was time for a nap we headed over to Jared's parents house for their traditional extended family Christmas Eve party. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures from that. They had the children act out the birth of Jesus Christ which was fun. I didn't get to see any of it as I was playing the piano down an octave because my keyboard has a broken key. Benjamin was a little angel along with his cousin Brooks.

We had a busy but good Christmas Eve.

Air Time

2011-12-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

I love this little boy!

Benjamin loves to be thrown up high in the air. It gets a little tiring for me quickly. But Jared is better at it anyways. Benjamin gets so excited and becomes all smiles.

Afterwards though he becomes all frowns when it stops.

Pancakes for a Pillow

2011-12-30T12:36:00.001-08:00

Benjamin has started getting into a phase of not wanting to go down for naps. It means he goes to bed a little earlier which I don't mind too much. But the problem is that he can be kind of a grouch until he does go to bed.

On December 20th we had one of those napless days. We all sat down for dinner which was breakfast...pancakes. Benjamin ate one and then started on a second one when he started to doze off to sleep.

It was pretty funny to watch him fall asleep almost in his pancakes.

I held him while finishing my food and Jared got things ready to put Benjamin to bed.

Martinelli's

2011-12-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

I was downstairs on the 19th of December when I heard a noise upstairs like a crash and then a cry. I ran upstairs quickly to see what had happened to Benjamin. He comes walking around the corner holding onto a Martinelli's bottle.

I laughed as he tried to drink from the bottle. I grabbed my camera and followed him around as he played with the bottle.

Brownies for Breakfast...Almost

2011-12-30T12:21:00.001-08:00

For a White Elephant gift exchange at work I got a box of brownies, cold cereal and a few other items for baking. My sweet tooth has been raging (along with my spicy tooth...which I didn't know I had one) so I made the brownies pretty quickly. We ate almost all of them the day I made them. There were some hard parts left that we couldn't easily get out of the tray.

The next morning (12/16) Benjamin after breakfast pushed a chair over to the counter and started attacking the brownies. He was able to get out quite a bit and eat to his hearts content. I didn't get upset at all. It was after breakfast after all and he was so dang cute.

Instead I ran for my camera to take pictures of it to remember and catch the moment.

Hanging Lights as a Family

2011-12-30T12:13:00.000-08:00

I find it a little funny that I am taking the Christmas decorations down and I am going to post about putting the lights up.

I tried to put the lights up myself this year. We've never hung lights before and we have tons of lights for it. We didn't have a staple gun so I tried to be resourceful to hang the lights. I used thumbtacks. Jared came home and was impressed with my efforts but laughed and said that won't work. I should have just waited for Jared to come home but part of me thinks if I hadn't tried we never would have done it.

Jared got the right materials to hang the lights and went to town. Benjamin and I kept him company out in the cold.

Benjamin had fun walking around climbing the stairs and the ladder. It was chilly though.

I love having the lights up. It's so pretty.

Benjamin Catch-Up

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

I just had to share these pictures of Benjamin!

Here is Benjamin feeding himself yogurt (11/20/2011). He loves yogurt. And he loves to feed himself! It's great but it makes for a big mess each time. I let him feed himself standing up this time. It got a little slippery.

So we had Jared's sisters over for breakfast (11/23/2011) and their kids last week. It was a fun time. Somehow a back room door got left open and Benjamin disappeared. Jared found him and told me I had to see it. Benjamin and climbed up into his old bassinet and was happily playing with bottle parts.

Here is Benjamin after his 2nd hair cut but his 1st home done hair cut (11/23/2011). We stripped him down, strapped him into his high chair and played Phineas and Ferb for him. He did really good and it turned out okay. I have a hard time with cutting his hair short. I don't like it too short.

Handmade Ornaments

2011-12-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

Jared's family does an ornament exchange every year. Last year I signed up to participate but then ran out of time to get anything put together. So this year I decided I better hurry up and get it done. I finished it at the beginning of November.

I had been wanting to make a certain ornament for a very long time. I had seashells and angel stickers. I put the stickers in the shells and then covered them front and back with modge podge so they would have a nice shine. Afterwards I took them outside and sprayed them with silver glitter. After they were good and dry I glued on some string. I enjoyed making them and had fun!

I think they turned out really cute! I made way more than I needed for the exchange so I could use them as gifts as well.

After all that work though on our way to Jared's Aunt Pam's house I realized I had left them at home. I was so disappointed. Luckily we had a party just a few days later and I was able to hand out some of them. The rest I will have to get at Christmas.

Two Trees

2011-12-01T20:40:00.000-08:00

I started setting up for Christmas extra early this year. We never put it all away in the attic last year so I didn't have to rely on Jared to get the job done. I must say as much as Jared doesn't enjoy everything around decorating for Christmas he sure does help me out a ton. I felt so loved with all the help he gave me.

With Benjamin being 18 months this year at Christmas time I was really worried that I would have to have an unbalanced tree with only ornaments at the top. I couldn't handle that. It just bugged me. Jared said to me that we would just have to be diligent and teach Benjamin to not touch the ornaments.

So far so good...every once in awhile Benjamin touches something but we quickly tell him no. For the most part he leaves it alone which makes me very happy.

I love my Christmas tree! I am very particular about how it is set-up. I am not really sure how I got to this point but I only like glass, silver and gold (with a little bit of red here and there) on my tree. I've been stocking up every year with more ornaments after Christmas is over because really I can wait and pay way less to have ornaments. I just love the classy feel I get from my tree.

After setting most everything up I decided I wasn't going to set-up my smaller tree downstairs because it seemed like so much work. Jared said give it time. Jared's family does a ornament exchange every year at Thanksgiving. I came home with like 13 or 14 ornaments and I couldn't pass them up. So I broke out the little tree and all of my other ornaments. This is my fun kid like tree.

I know spoiled right? Two trees! I bought the little one when I got my first apartment. I had to have a tree. We bought the bigger tree when we moved into our house because lets face it the little tree is not big enough for a house.

I love how I can have Christmas all around the house.

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy this time of year!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was good a little different but good. I love this time of year where we pause and reflect so much more on all the blessings that we receive from our Heavenly Father. My heart has been so full over the past few weeks. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and how well He knows me and my family's needs. It's amazing to watch things come together not the way I would have planned but how He knows it needed to be to bless our family. I am so grateful to know that I am a daughter of God.

I am incredibly grateful for my husband. He is working so hard on his schooling and I know it is not his favorite thing to do. He enjoys learning but the structure of school is not his ideal way of doing things. But he keeps trying and making time for it and is pushing himself forward to bless our family. He is always taking such great care of Benjamin and I and loving us.

I am grateful to be a mom. There is something so amazing and fulfilling about having children and loving them so unconditionally. Benjamin brings me so much joy everyday. If I am in a bad mood or sad Jared will just tell Benjamin to hug me and it cheers me up.

I am grateful for my family that I grew up in. Especially for the parents! My mom is my best friend and she is so insightful and understanding. I am thankful for the time I get to spend with her. I am thankful for her example to me on being a mother and a friend.

I am grateful for my membership in the true church on the earth. I am thankful for my Savior and His atonement which is such a huge part of my life and testimony. The gospel in my life is just a major part of who I am and how I live my life and I see blessings from it every day.

I am grateful for my job and the blessing it is financially and the flexibility I have. The team I work with is great and my boss is wonderful.

I am thankful for the friends I have and their love and support.

I feel so blessed in so many aspects of my life and I am grateful for all that Heavenly Father has blessed me with and I recognize that they all come from him.

Bored with Homework

2011-11-20T18:51:00.001-08:00

I have probably close to a million projects going on at any one time that need to be finished. Or ideas of things to do. Yes I may be exaggerating just a bit but you get the point. I have been buying picture frames for a few years now and Olga got me one two Christmas's ago with pictures in it that have just been waiting to go up.

I finally decided it was time to do it and talked to Jared about how to do it. We laid things out on the floor and taped up the section we would fill on the wall to ensure everything was centered and well laid out. So not my way of thinking. This was all Jared which is why I talked to him about it because he's really good at doing things the right way the first time and not just settling for whatever happens.

Well we had the layout figured and the wall taped but didn't have time to do it that night. We took pictures of what we thought we wanted and I figured I would do it over the next week when I had time in the evenings (hahahahhhaaaaa...that's a good one).

Here's Benjamin helping in his own way by playing with the tape measure. Such a fun toy!

I came home from work Monday and found my husband hanging picture frames. I couldn't believe it. We hadn't done it before because he didn't want to do it because it was such a time consuming task. Jared told me "I got bored with my homework." I loved it. It felt so great to finally have the frames hung.

Jared looking back and admiring his handy work.

Now I just have to fill the frames with pictures...

Baby Blessing

2011-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Jared's sister Heather had a beautiful baby girl. We went for the baby blessing in October. It was a fun trip. Benjamin slept for most of the ride there and then had a lot of fun playing with his cousins. We went to a park in the afternoon and had a blast. Unfortunately my battery died so I only got a few pictures.

Benjamin on a teeter totter Brooks Jr. on the teeter totter with Benjamin

The park we went to was awesome! It had so many toys to play on even for big kids like us adults! There was a massive slide and we brought wax paper. Need I say more. There was a really cool swing that I sat in that Grandma pushed Benjamin and I in for awhile. Benjamin loves to swing. It was a blast! And it was a beautiful fall day!

On Sunday I got a few pictures of the boys being boys. It's a built in gene with boys to love to climb and jump things.

Organizing with a Toddler

2011-11-20T18:32:00.001-08:00

Benjamin loves to be where ever Daddy and Mommy are. In my craft room that can be a little dangerous. I was working on November 4th to clean up and organize my craft room. Benjamin figured he could help.

Any guesses what he's doing?

He's helping of course!

Benjamin's idea of helping was to throw everything that was in my closet out of it and then back into the closet and out again. This happened many times over.

Here he is on the other side of my craft room playing with a broken wood lighthouse.

I did manage to get a few things cleaned up but Benjamin definitely made it hard. Oh well such is life with a toddler. They make things more fun!

Leg Block

2011-11-20T18:23:00.000-08:00

I love this little boy!

How can you not?

He pulls his legs up just at the right moment to block a smile.

I love his rolly polly little boy body. He keeps me going!

(Pictures taken November 3rd)

Thankful for...Veterans

2011-11-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

I am grateful to live in the United States of America and be blessed with so many freedoms that others do not enjoy. There are so many women and men who have served and continue to serve to protect those freedoms and keep our country safe. I am grateful to my Boppa who served for so many years. I am grateful for my brother who serves now. My life is so truly blessed to live here. I love my country and I am proud to be an American!

Thankful for...My Job

2011-11-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

I am thankful for my job and the blessing it is on our family. I am especially thankful for my boss who is so kind, patient and understanding. I've been sick this week and so has Benjamin so I've been blessed to work from home since Tuesday.

Thankful for...Hugs

2011-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

I love being a mom. It's such a wonderful blessing in my life. One of the best
things about being a mom is the hugs. I love it when Benjamin crawls into my
lap and wraps his tiny arms as far around me as he can and nestles his head
between my head and shoulder. I love to cherish those moments together. I try
to never rush the hug and just let him hold me and I him until he is ready to
let go. I am thankful for hugs especially from my little Benjamin.

Thankful for...Fall

2011-11-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Fall can be dismal and hard to get through some days. But with days like today I am grateful it is fall. The sun is shining, the leaves are blowing in the breeze and there is patches of blue sky. I am thankful for fall and the beauty that can be found therein.

Thankful for...This Time of Year

2011-11-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year where the holiday season is upon us! I am so excited. I recently watched "Miracle on 34th Street" and felt it was a great kick off to my holiday season. I don't ever think it's too early to start up feelings of gratitude and thoughts of our Savior's birth. I feel like there is magic in the air at this time of year as the world comes together and thinks more about the miracle of Jesus' birth and what He has done for each of us.
I am thankful for this time of year to reflect on the past year and all that I have been blessed with.

So Many Challenges

2011-10-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoons like yesterday are always my favorite. No phone calls, no meetings, no plans, good food, chocolate, family time and crafting time!!!

I was able to get a few different cards created which was nice.

This one I did for a monochromatic challenge over here at The Crafty Pad. Doing this actually showed me how hard it is to do and that I need to open myself up to similar colors and patterns. I did also challenge myself to use a color I don't normally use. I loved out the buttons turned out. It reads "Sew...How are you?" Cute huh?! I found this paper while doing my other card and couldn't pass it up. Just a simple plain card.

I created this card to meet the color challenge here at Hamboe Hoedown.

I found a super cute card over here and was inspired by it. I created this card after seeing it.

Don't you just love this paper. It's a simple but cute Halloween card that I am submitting in the Halloween challenge over here at One Stop Craft.

This one is definitely one of my favorites that I created. I did some layered ornaments and then hung them from a piece of ribbon. I am entering this card in the Baubles or Anything Hanging challenge here at Crafty Hazlenuts Christmas Challenge.

I also made myself a light box to take photos in. It's not a very good one but I will play around with it.

A Pink Teddy Bear

2011-10-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

So I've been trying to clean things out a little and de-junk (well it's not all junk but you know what I mean). I had a large box and a bag full of stuffed animals. I decided to go through them and see what I could part with. Man this was emotional for me. I took pictures of all my animals and dolls and then put them in front of the door to pile them up.

Benjamin had fun playing with my stuffed animals. I also sent them all through the dryer before letting Benjamin play with them. His favorite is the pink little teddy bear. Not Jared's favorite but what are you going to do. I think it's funny out of all the animals and dolls he picks the pink bear.

I just love this shot because I feel like you can totally see him talking to my old Christmas Panda Bear. Benjamin absolutely loves my 1" foam paint brushes and hanging out in empty or full actually laundry baskets. He also flipped them this night (September 18th) to climb up and get on top of the TV stand. Such an active boy!

The Rearranging Itch

2011-10-16T21:30:00.001-07:00

On August 23rd I got an itch...and itch to rearrange our living room. The main purpose for the itch was because Benjamin is a climber. He climbs everything. I was incredibly nervous of him climbing my piano up and over the edge to the door downstairs. So we moved things around. We had recently moved our big couch downstairs and the little couch upstairs too so it was time to rearrange anyways.

Benjamin had a blast with us cleaning and rearranging the furniture. He just would run back and forth and all around. He was laughing and screaming and was just so excited. It would crack us up how much he was enjoying it! There's no picture of Benjamin running around because we were too busy cleaning.

The Seattle Aquarium

2011-10-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Let's do some catching up...and in no specific order.

On August 19th, 2011 we went to the Seattle Aquarium with Benjamin. It was an event hosted by my work (Accenture...I currently work for Accenture and I am now a full time employee and work on the Microsoft account.) Jared met me at work with Benjamin and we drove over to Seattle. There was some construction going on so we got to do a little extra driving on the Via Duct I believe.

We were able to enjoy some conversation with a co-worker and his wife while eating some dinner. After we finished eating which was an adventure with Benjamin (He has a hard time eating in public because he gets so distracted by other things) we went into the Aquarium. We really enjoyed the free family time together. You can call us cheap but it's not something we would on our own.

Benjamin had fun running around and around and climbing. He really got a kick out of the moon jelly fish that go around you in this cool circle thing (the pictures did not turn out). And it had a lighting system that would change colors. It was fun.

We had a good time and wore Benjamin right out. He slept most of the way home that night.

Made Room to Craft

2011-10-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

I took some time to craft tonight! My crafting room is beyond me right now. It's very overwhelming. I need to clean, organize and the dreaded step...get rid of things. We shall see if that part will actually come into play.

Anyways I made a slight dent in the room and while cleaning up a few things decided to make a card.

I am entering it the below two challenges:

Color Challenge over at My Craft Spot

Sketch Challenge # 62 over at Peachy Keen Stamps

I had fun making the card tonight and getting my creative juices flowing again.

Happy Crafting!

1st Haircut

2011-09-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness it's been awhile since I've done a blog. Goes to show time flies by and I've been a little busy. Benjamin got a hair cut this summer. His first hair cut. I was tired of Jared calling him Benjamina. He is all boy!

Before!!!

After!!!He looks so much more grown up!!! It's crazy. He loves to brush his teeth. Actually he loves to suck the toothpaste off the toothbrush and drool.

Washing the Car

2011-08-06T20:00:00.001-07:00

On Thursday Jared decided he had the time, energy and ambition to wash the car. We all went out together to hang out and enjoy the afternoon sunshine. Benjamin jumped right into the bucket of suds. He was a splashing fool. There was no keeping him away from them either.

It was funny when he realized bubbles and water were going down the driveway and into the street. We tried to get Benjamin to help but the rag just made him splash all that much more. Needless to say he was soaking wet by the time the car was done.

A Good Trade

2011-08-06T19:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Heather watches our kids 3 days a week. She has been trying to get in some extra hours so while I am home on Wednesday's we take her two kids, it works out to be a pretty good trade. I have them until Jared gets home from school and then he takes over. It works out pretty good most Wednesday's.

Benjamin was having fun playing with Gwendolyn and Wyatt was enjoying the TV. I am definetly a bad babysitter while I am working. I just try to keep them entertained and happy while I get the job done.

Banana Bread Anyone?

2011-08-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

My sister in-law Leslie and her kids were here this past weekend. To help entertain the kids I decided to make some banana bread. Coral and Talia each got wrapped up in an apron and Benjamin hung out with us too.

After the baking was all done it was time to eat the delicious bread. I make mine with chocolate chips what kid can resist.

None of these cute kids could resist the chocolate and banana's.

Talia and Benjamin were having a ball together. She would sing to him and just make him laugh.

Backyard Oasis

2011-08-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was a break through for our weather pattern out here in the great northwest. Sunshine!!! We had bought Benjamin a pool to play in weeks ago and finally busted it out to use. It was so wonderful. Once we got it set up and Benjamin ready to swim Jared and I pulled up camping chairs and soaked our feet. Minus the weeds I felt like it was our own little oasis in the backyard.

Benjamin had so much fun splashing the water before he even got in.

Jared got down and played with Benjamin for a bit once we got him in the pool. Benjamin was so funny. He would go play and then come back and sit on the edge of the pool between my legs. I picked him up from time to time and got a cold surprise. It was a wonderful family time.

We keep going back to our little backyard oasis. I just rearranged it today in the hopes of not killing the grass.

Benjamin the Secretary

2011-07-28T22:26:00.000-07:00

I get to work from on Wednesday's which is just awesome. Benjamin enjoys hanging out with me downstairs in the mornings while I try to work. Benjamin wanted so much to be with me this week that he decided to use my pad of paper and pen and take notes for me.

It's awesome having my own personal secretary.

Circular Inspiration

2011-07-28T22:05:00.000-07:00

I am actually getting overwhelmed by all the card ideas I am seeing because I don't think I do as good a job as what some people create. But I keep pushing forward and I always like what I come up with. I need a day of crafting and creating things on my Cricut (hopefully this Saturday) and I also need to spend some serious time cleaning up my craft space.

Here is a card that is circular which meets the requirements over at Whoopsi Daisy. Their challenge this week was nothing square.

I also did some embossing (heat style I believe) to go into the My Craft Spot Challenge and The Crafty Pad Designs challenge.

Climbing to New Heights

2011-07-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well today Benjamin learned a new skill as Jared puts it. He has learned how to push chairs to where he wants to go to climb them. He got some videos of it. Benjamin climbed into his high chair and sat down in it properly. He also maneuvered getting onto the table, which he did again for me tonight.

So proud and yet trembling with fear. Nothing is safe anymore.

Moving on up

2011-07-21T21:25:00.001-07:00

Benjamin is growing so fast! He is definitely a toddler. Not even 14 months yet and he is a running around, climbing things fool. We found out this week that putting a chair next to where we are working at in the kitchen keeps Benjamin happy. He loves to be a part of the action.

Here is Benjamin while I was making cinnamon rolls. While I was kneading the dough he started eating the flour that was around the edges of my working area. Later while I was adding the butter with the brown sugar and cinnamon he started pulling chunks of dough off and eating it too. Too cute!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Children of God

2011-07-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today while we were reading our scriptures as a family I was thinking to myself how does this apply to me. We were reading in the Pearl of Great Price in Moses chapter 1. I started to think about how wonderful it must have felt to Moses to have God call him His son. To know that he was the son of diety. It must have made him feel very special.

Next I decided to input my name in place of Moses in a few verses to apply the scriptures to me and make it more personal. I've done this a few times before and whenever I do it I feel like that verse was written just for me.

We are all God's children and we have a divine purpose here on this earth. I am grateful for the knowledge I have that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and knows me by name. He knows my name and I am his daughter. He knows each of us by name and has a purpose for us here on this earth. We just have to trust in Him and lean on him for understanding, guidance and direction.

I know this to be true with all my heart.

Thank You Fall Card

2011-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

I thought a sketch challenge would be easy. They provide a layout of what you should make your card look like and then you just follow it. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong! I really got stumped for a bit. I was like what do I fill the space with? What cute phrase do I use? What die cut do I use?

I decided to just put things together and see what came of it. And guess what...

I LOVE IT!!!

Challenge - Peachy Keen Stamps - Sketch Challenge #56

I am trying to keep going and make multiples of each card so I get some extra cards stocked up on and just practice my card making skills.

Hambo Hoedown Birthday Card

2011-07-16T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is a gate card I created for the challenge over at Hambo Hoedown.

Thank You Caterpillar Card

2011-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

I love how this turned out. It's really amazing to me how scraps can come together and make something so cute!

Challenge - Ink it Up over at My Craft Spot

Summer Time with Wings

2011-07-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had family over, which was fabulous. Isn't family wonderful?! On Saturday I couldn't let the day pass though without working on a card. This is my summery with wings creation. I added some die cuts to the middle of the flower to make it pop more. What do you think?

Challenges:

One Stop Craft - Summer Time

Stampin' for the Weekend - Wings and Things

Folded Christmas Tree Card

2011-07-09T13:51:00.000-07:00

The challenge this week over at The Crafty Pad was to make a particular style of card. I am still learning about card making so I had to look up the terms. I looked up Fold Back Card and found some Christmas inspiration.

I used my Winter Wonderland Cricut Cartridge and made some Christmas tree's. I used this beautiful gold Christmas paper I got at Costco years ago (I have lots of scraps leftover for projects) to do the shadow of the tree. I then cut the tree down the middle and centered it on the front of the card. I added some green paper to be able to write inside the card.
I am so making more of these cards. Aren't they just fun?

'Paws' to enjoy life! Card

2011-07-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

The challenge for this week over at Hambo Hoedown was to make a circular card. I had fun coloring the image while Benjamin tried to color with me. He had found my crayons.

I think I am going to make a few more cards like this because it is a great message to us all. Slow down and enjoy life. We get so caught up in everything so easily that we miss the important things.

So my challenge to you today is to 'Paws' for a moment to enjoy some family time.

Bird Tag

2011-07-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

I made this simple tag. It seems there are never tags on gift bags or least they are never on the one's I use (I like to reuse bags). I will using this one Saturday for a baby shower.

I am entering this tag in the Tag Your It challenge over at One Stop Craft Challenge.

Benjamin Catch Up

2011-07-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Catch up time! I still try to capture moments of Benjamin. They might not be as frequent or as many as before. But I try!

On June 24th I brought home some chocolate milk to share with Benjamin. He obviously loved it because it was gone in less than 10 minutes.

On June 27th I came home to Benjamin wearing this shirt and I just loved it. He is so wearing it tomorrow for July 4th! He is my little firecracker!

Benjamin has decided playing in the sink is a lot of fun now. Here he is from yesterday while I was getting ready to bake. He did finally figure out how to turn the water on once and got nice and wet.

Doesn't he look like an angel?!

Here is Benjamin on the counter while I was working to make sugar cookies yesterday. He is playing with my cookie cutters.

Benjamin slept in pretty good this morning. I couldn't resist sneaking in with the camera.

Thank You Flower Card

2011-07-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last one today! I really am enjoying this. This last one is hosted by Crafty Creations Challenges. It's a Thank You challenge. You can never have a enough thank you cards on hand.

Jesus is the Reason Card

2011-07-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

We all know I love Christmas. And I am super happy with this new blog I found. They do Christmas challenge every week. Their point is if you work on it all year round then you will be ready come Christmas and not have to sweat it. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge had a Anything Goes challenge this week. I must say I love this card. I was super happy with how it turned out. It seemed as I went along crafting last night the better they got.

Oh Christmas Tree Card

2011-07-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

I admit I had already created this card before I found this challenge. But it's a Christmas challenge. Right up my alley! And I only created it this past weekend. This challenge is hosted by Whoopsi Daisy Challenge and it's Christmas in June.

Have a Bee-utiful Day Card

2011-07-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

I had fun with this card. I have a lot of die cuts and things already cut out due to being leftovers from previous projects and activities. So when I looked at my stuff I knew exactly what I was going to do for the challenge over at The Crafty Pad. Their challenge this week is using Bold/Bright colors or Soft/Pastel colors. I went for the Bold and Bright. Can you tell?

This was actually my second attempt. I wrote on my first with a gel pen the saying but it didn't look as good so I tried again by printing it up.

Feel Better Soon Dog Card

2011-07-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

I am really getting into card making! It started because I have tons of scrap pieces of paper and I don't want to be wasteful and my pile of scraps keeps growing. So it's time to be creative.

I've found several sites now that have weekly challenges where they give guidelines on what to be creative with and then you link up your creation and are drawn at random to get a prize. I do like free stuff and I do need to make cards.

Plus by participating I will have cards on hand for various occasions and I feel like I could use them to help lift others up.

So first up is the Hambo Hoedown with "I Just Can't Shake the Doghouse Blues". I am a little limited on the Dog supplies but I did find a dog bone that I added embossing glitter to and some cute dog paper from when I was like 16.

The Blessings Keep on Coming

2011-06-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way into work I got a text from Jared. It read "The blessing has arrived!" I was so baffled by what he meant. I had a few thoughts but I couldn't figure it out. I called him and he laughed at me and seemed proud for being so cryptic. He asked if I knew that the school from coaching still owed me money. I said no. He responded that he hadn't either but money had been deposited into our account today.

We've had multiple conversations around listing out blessings we've received over the past several months. We can't even begin to list all of the blessings. Money has poured in from unexpected places. 50 dollars here...20 there...a couple hundred here. It's just been amazing.

Maybe I should explain further on one of these experiences. We had to borrow some money to pay for Jared's school this summer. He asked for a certain amount thinking it would cover it. We got the money and then he signed up for his class and found that we were short $50. That very week I got a check from my mom for no reason other than the spirit told her to give me a check for $5o dollars. It's been experience after experience like this for awhile now and I just can't express my gratitude enough. (I guess I know what I am bearing my testimony about on Sunday!)

Things have been tight even with me having a job now but yet we keep making it through. I have a strong testimony of tithing. You cannot afford to not pay it. The blessings both spiritually and temporally outweigh the monetary value you turn over to the Lord. I have a strong testimony of family scripture study and prayer. Jared and I have done it off and on over the years and yet looking back we started again while we were going through this trial. I promise you if you put forth the effort to find time as a family you will be blessed to find it and the spiritual lift you need each day will be there.

"Count your many blessings...Name them one by one..." I can't even count all my blessings. There are so many. I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and for my testimony. I am grateful for my husband and my son Benjamin. I just feel and know I am so blessed.

Gospel Topic Tuesday:Loving Our Neighbor

2011-06-28T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm currently reading in Alma right now in my personal scripture study. I came across verse 11 from chapter 14. I found it powerful and comforting as I thought about a recent conversation at church with our youth. We were discussing with the youth about being bullied and how to deal with life when bad things happen. Specifically we were trying to get them to understand that they should speak up for themselves and each other that they deserve to be treated better. As I was reading this verse and thinking about this conversation and pondering things in my own life I just was greatly comforted. We may not always know and understand why things have to happen in our life but the Lord is mindful and watching over. He is aware when we've been slighted in any way and unless the person changes their ways they will be dealt with accordingly at that day of judgement but it is not up to us to punish them or judge them.

Our responsibility here on earth is to learn and to grow and follow the Lord's example. He also was treated unfairly and had horrible things done to him yet He did not fight fire with fire. He was meek and humble and tried to teach principles of love, forgiveness and charity. We are told that we are to love our neighbors as we should love ourselves. Do you love your neighbors? Do you love those who tease you? Annoy you? Refuse to talk to you? It's hard isn't it? I struggle with loving those who are mean to me but I am reminded of the primary song "I am a Child of God" and that we are all God's children and need to love each other. We are all of value. We all have trials that we will have to endure but our Savior is there. He is willing to help us. Though He might not take the trial away He can make it bearable.

President Dieter F. Utchdorf stated "Wherever you live on this earth and whatever your life’s situation may be, I testify to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the divine power to lift you to great heights from what appears at times to be an unbearable burden or weakness. The Lord knows your circumstances and your challenges. He said to Paul and to all of us, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” (Have We Not Reason to Rejoice? Dieter F. Uchtdorf October 2007) I know that through the gospel of Jesus Christ we can find peace, comfort and love. He is there for each of us and mindful of us. I know this to be true.

{I started this on Tuesday and then finished it today.}

{Do you have any gospel topics you wish to hear about?}

4th of July Card

2011-06-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've finally done a card to enter into the Monday Challenge over at My Craft Spot. The challenge is seeing stars. I was still so inspired from this weekend that I had to do it.

I couldn't decide between the two cards so here's both. I made a 3rd but it wasn't as cute in my opinion.

Which one do you like best?

An Inspired Weekend

2011-06-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Another glorious weekend is coming to a close. What is your favorite kind of weekend? Mine? Mine are the ones where I have no commitments outside of my home. No plans except hanging out with my family and relaxing (well at least my idea of relaxing...if you ask Jared I don't know how to relax). Aren't those just always the best weekends? Don't get me wrong having plans and going out to do things can be fun too but being home with no demands just always feels so much better.

(I know Christmas in June but I can't help it when inspiration hits! Plus I'm ahead of the curve!)

Saturday I never showered. I just didn't bother. I know I stunk but I was doing chores and weeding so what was the point of getting clean to only get dirty again?! We went for a walk at a nearby park which was wonderful. The clouds had mostly burned off by the afternoon so it was just a glorious summer day. Did I just use the word summer? Could it almost be here? I know you are out there!

Sunday I of course showered and got ready for church. Church was good. I had a little friend named Emily join me for most of sacrament which was just fun. She is a talker and a kindred spirit. Emily is just full of life and energy and had so much fun reading books and saying "He is so cute!"...referring to Benjamin.

I've done a lot of crafting this weekend...in particular card making. I think I got close to like 30 cards done. I was just inspired. Which my inspired stamp is my favorite right now! I can't get enough of it. It was just so inspiring! I've got 2-3 cards in mind for some friends already just because they fit their personalities.

Well off to bed I must go 4:30am comes awfully early!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Attitude During Trials

2011-06-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

"How you deal with life's trials is part of the development of your faith." (Face the Future with Faith, Russell M. Nelson, April 2011) It's all a matter of perspective and attitude. Life can throw lots of hard trials our way but how we deal with them can strengthen or weaken our faith.

I've recently gone through some trials where my faith was tested and I hope that I have come out stronger. During one of the trials I had a moment where I could have become self absorbed and had a pity party for myself but I decided to trust in God and in his plan. I know that He knows me and is aware of my trials and is there to help me through it. I had to experience the sorrow for a purpose, which purpose I know not right now but I am trying to be more like my Savior and be patient in my trials.

Sometimes our patience is truly put to the test. While Jared and I were both jobless for 5 months we prayed every day for guidance and direction on what we needed to do to get a job that would bless our family. Money kept getting tighter and I started to wonder what we would do. I was starting to question that we had made the right decision to send Jared to school. Just when I thought we were only going to get more desperate I got a call out of the blue about my old job. The timing of the job was too perfect on so many ways and it met all of our needs financially and medically. We have to be patient and trust in God. His ways are not our ways and He is all knowing and all seeing.

I am so grateful to know that God is there and is aware of us and has a plan for us. We just need to trust in Him and keep strengthening our faith. As we keep a positive attitude during our trials and lean on our Savior for strength we will be able to endure any trial we have to endure.

Happy Crafting

2011-06-11T14:40:00.000-07:00

Before going back to work I pushed myself to get some crafts done. I love to craft yet I have a hard time finishing crafts that I do with others.

Scraps and Cutouts

2011-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

I've been collecting a few pictures of cards. Some are a little older than others.

These are a bunch of cards I made. I was using scraps up from past projects. See there's a reason I save scraps.

I made this one for my sister Megan's birthday. I remembered her birthday in time and then I saw this idea for a card so I was late on purpose. Ha! I made 4 more like it to have on hand when I do forget someone's birthday because I usually do.

This one I made for my friend Sara. I had it ready for her birthday and then kept forgetting to write it in it and give it to her. And then when I did write in it I still forgot to give it to her. I felt so lame. It was like 6 weeks late but when I gave it to her she said she would take a birthday card anyday of the year.

Pizza Day!

2011-06-11T11:56:00.001-07:00

The best day of the week! I love our homemade pizza. If I was willing to I would make it every day.

I think this is an awesome picture. Thank you to Jared for taking it. I love being a mom!

Benjamin also does love pizza day. He stuffs like 5 bites in at a time. Crazy kid!

Spaghetti = Messy

2011-06-11T11:51:00.001-07:00

Benjamin loves spaghetti!

Benjamin has really started taking off with self feeding. He tries to use his fork but mostly just holds onto it. Spaghetti is one of his favorites to eat. But he sure does get messy.

A Little Outside Action

2011-06-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

We are trying every day to make the most of the time we have together as a family. And Benjamin absolutely loves to play outside. So it's becoming pretty normal to find us outside before or after dinner. On this particular which was the 31st of May we were outside after dinner enjoying the sunshine that was still out. I had a meeting at 6:30 or 7pm with the Bishop but luckily he was coming over so we just played until he got there. Benjamin loves to push his stroller around. His tongue is usually hanging out while doing it. He has also started going backwards which is funny to watch him do it.

Baby's Blue Jeans

2011-06-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

Benjamin's blue jean diapers that is...

I couldn't resist taking a picture of him in the blue jean diapers. We got a box at Costco that had them plus swimming diapers for cheap. Couldn't pass up the deal...almost did...but then I ran back.

Benjamin has taken to playing with my paint supplies especially the one inch foam brushes.

I am Not a Geek!

2011-06-11T11:30:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'm not a geek. But then there's moments like this.

Benjamin was just happily eating while Mommy and Daddy were being computer geeks!

We don't normally have 3 laptops going at once. I was a lucky girl this week and got to haul 2 laptops around for a few days. I had to get a new one because my original one that I hadn't even had for 2 weeks was going to go belly up potentially. So I had to transfer files and get the computer re-imaged and all that fun stuff. Needless to say we found it pretty funny that we had 3 laptops on our kitchen counter one night.

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

2011-05-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Benjamin turned 1 yesterday! We can't believe a whole year has passed by. It's been amazing! Being parents is just the best thing ever! Here are some pictures to show Benjamin over the past year.

Newborn

1 Month

2 Months

3 Months

4 Months

5 Months

6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

10 Months

11 Months

12 Months

Sunshine and Family Time

2011-05-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

I love days like today! I got up late hung out with my family. Enjoyed the sunshine and ate some great food.

Benjamin today was trying really hard to put the battery into the Xbox controller. So proud and so worried all at once.

I decided we were having hamburgers for dinner. Jared suggested that we make some buns too. I looked up a recipe and went to work. They were pretty good. We've really started making a lot from scratch. Refried beans, tortiallas and now hamburger buns. We are trying to make our money stretch and use our food storage.

After dinner we went to the park and Benjamin had a blast playing on the slides. We started with him on our laps but eventually he was next to us sort of on his own. We still held his hands. Except for a few he was really on his own and one of us caught him. He loved it!!!

This is the face of a boy who had some of his momma's Oreo Shake. MMMMM good!

Again I love days like today. Just none stop fun and family time!

Crafting for Baby Shower

2011-05-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

I helped throw a baby shower for my friend Amber a few weeks ago. She had a healthy baby boy. Bigger than Benjamin!

Anyways I had fun making some cool decorations for her party.

I had a blast. Problem with making cute things is people don't use or eat them.

Garden 2011

2011-05-10T21:32:00.000-07:00

So of course after Flower World I had to plant my garden. Jared went to school Wednesday morning like normal and around 9am after breakfast and getting dressed Benjamin and I went outside and started to work.

I mixed all of the dirt together which was fun. Good hard work! Benjamin loves the little shovel and so he was trying to imitate me. He would put his shovel in the dirt and try and move it. Melted my heart!

At one point I was watching him touch the dirt and told him not to eat it. I turned away and turned back and saw him shoving dirt in his mouth. I quickly extracted what I could and then decided to grab the camera.

After taking a few pictures I gave him some water to wash his mouth out. MMMmmmmm dirt!

Benjamin eventually went down for his morning nap and I got everything planted. It felt great. I then proceeded to work on weeding the back of the house. I am almost done weeding everywhere (well for the first initial weeding).

Bless you!

My goal this year for my garden is to harvest! Harvest early and often! Don't forget to water and fertilize (especially the tomatoes). I don't want it to go to waste!

Flower World

2011-05-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday the 3rd we drove to Flower World to get some starts and take Benjamin to enjoy the wonders of Flower World. The weather wasn't the greatest so we didn't spend as much time as we could have but it didn't rain and Benjamin had fun.

We picked out some tomato, broccoli and jalapeno starts. Benjamin had fun walking around and kept wanting to push his stroller.

After Flower World we stopped at Lowe's and bought seeds for everything else we wanted to plant in our garden. We got pumpkin, corn, green beans, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers, green onion and some herbs for inside the house.

We are doing our garden on a budget this year. We decided we would use the change saved up that I rolled up and took to the bank. It was $75.50. That is our budget for all things outside in the yard. So we are hopeful things go well.

Self Feeding

2011-05-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

We let Benjamin feed himself with a spoon for the first time last week. It was last Monday night the 2nd. We decided actually Jared decided it would be a good idea and fun for Benjamin. I just was afraid of the bowl getting dropped and the mess that would follow. Benjamin is messy enough with us spoon feeding it to him. I could only imagine what he would look like.

He earnestly tried with the spoon but more often than not he was using his hand.

It was some super creamy mashed potatoes for him.

I Desire...

2011-05-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

A Chocolate Oreo Shake! Large!

All Dressed Up

2011-04-25T11:44:00.000-07:00

We were all dressed up for church and a little extra spiffy since it was Easter. I had to have our pictures taken.

Benjamin finally doesn't have so many neck rolls that we can button up a shirt all the way and add his tie. The tie is from a Christmas outfit but looks good with this outfit. Doesn't he look handsome?!

The bunny is from Sarah. She had brought it to him the week before. Thanks Sarah!

I love our little family!

A Picnic Hit

2011-04-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Since we knew the weather was going to be so nice we planned a picnic with Jared's sister Jacki and his brother Brian also. We had scoped out a new place earlier in the week and it turned out to be perfect. We were the only people at the place where we had our picnic. Just awesome! It got up to 70 degrees! Loved it!

We grilled up hamburgers and hot dogs and enjoyed smores too! I had some fun taking pictures of the flowers. There were forget me nots and little daisies and dandelions. It was gorgeous (at least to me, Jared just saw weeds)!

After lunch we packed up and drove down to the river, where the boys could throw rocks to their hearts content. Benjamin loved watching Connor and Corey throw rocks. It became a game to just make Benjamin laugh.

We went exploring further up the river to the old train tracks. I had wanted to check these out for quite some time. There are 3 different sections now that I know of. I just need to stop at the other 2 spots.

It was a wonderful day of fun and hanging out with friends and family. I love days like this!

Yard Work Together

2011-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

After the Easter Egg Hunt we went home and had some breakfast and then went to work outside. We did weeding, trimmed bushes and trees, and Benjamin played. It was actually day two of yard work since the weather was just wonderful!

It was so much fun hanging out together outside and working. Benjamin just played with a shovel and some other tools and walked back and forth between Jared and I. Sometimes we had to monitor a little more closely as he decided to climb the stairs or go out into the street.

On Friday Benjamin played with his stroller but on Saturday he sat in it when he got tired. He just chilled while we cleaned things up. Our yard looks so nice and open now in the front. Love it!

Grass Clippings & Eggs

2011-04-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday our ward at church had an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids. I went to help set-up and only planned to do that and grab a muffin and go. But after talking with my friend Felicia and sister in-law Jacki I decided to stay and let Benjamin hunt for eggs.

Oh got to back up one second. I spiked Benjamin's hair into a faux hawk. So cute! It didn't last. He played on the couch before we left and knocked it down quite a bit. Anyways, while setting up the eggs for the hunt with the young women in our ward Benjamin grabbed a few eggs. At one point he was sitting on the ground playing with an egg. Jared turned to see where I was going and turned back and Benjamin had a clump of grass clippings hanging out of his mouth. He quickly dug out the clippings and had to pin him in the car to get the rest out as they were stuck in his gum line. Mmmm fiber!

Once the egg hunt began Benjamin didn't want to do it. One of the girls Julia tried to help him and picked up and egg or two and gave it to him. He calmed down after a few minutes and picked up another egg. I decided it was plenty since he couldn't really eat the candy anyways. Jared didn't give him part of a peppermint patty much to my chagrin.

We went inside and had a few muffins and milk and decided to go home and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Sitting in the Track

2011-04-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Benjamin's Uncle Jason got him this race track for Christmas. Benjamin has been in love with it basically since we set it up. It makes noise and spins the cars out of the track. But Benjamin's favorite pass time with it is to sit in it. He knows how to use the track but most of the time can be found sitting in the track with his legs crossed.

We Accepted the Challenge

2011-04-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

A week ago yesterday I had my friend Sarah over for dinner. I hadn't seen her in months since I stopped working and decided I needed to rectify the situation. Sarah presented us with a challenge for dinner as she doesn't eat meat except for fish and no carbs currently as she is dieting (which I don't think she needs to, she looks fabulous to me).

Jared and I accepted the challenge and tossed around a few different ideas. We landed on making our chili except with no ground beef in it. We added a salad and it was delicious. Sarah liked it enough we sent her home with some of the leftovers.

After dinner Sarah immediately got on the floor to play with Benjamin. It was so funny how he would walk circles around her as if he was inspecting her or something. It was wonderful to hang out and enjoy eachother's company. We will have to do it again soon.

For Time and All Eternity

2011-04-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

So the whole purpose of me going to Idaho was not just to hang out with my mom but to see my brother Karl and his wife Tausha sealed together for time and all eternity along with their 3 beautiful kids.

It was so wonderful to be there to support them. My heart was overflowing with joy for them.

I took a ton of pictures afterwards outside (actually several are by my mom) but I will only post a few.

Karl, Tausha, Blake, Gillian & Savanna

Tausha & Savanna (this is my favorite picture)

Rudy, Karl, myself and Benjamin

Tausha, Karl, Rudy and Mom

Benjamin played by the water fountain after everyone else went inside to change. He just kept making laps around the fountain.

Mowers & Grass

2011-04-15T11:53:00.001-07:00

On Saturday in the afternoon we decided to go outside for some fresh air. I knew Benjamin would love it and my mom could show me her ideas for a garden. Benjamin sat on a riding mower while we waited for Rudy to join us.

After walking the property we went into the backyard where Pappa took Benjamin for a little ride. Then Benjamin and I played in the grass while Granny & Pappa worked in their garden beds weeding.

I offered to mow the backyard which I did with Benjamin on my lap. I didn't think much of it but Jared told me later it wasn't the wisest choice.

Benjamin did not like playing in the grass with his hands. Whenever he fell down he would cry.

Granny's House

2011-04-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

Benjamin and I went to my mom's this past weekend. It was wonderful to hang out and just relax with my mom. Strangely enough we didn't sew a single sewing project! Life changes with children I guess.

We flew to Idaho, thankfully on the flight over it was empty so Benjamin got to ride in his car seat. He knocked out shortly after take off. On the way back the flight was packed so he sat on my lap but knocked out yet again but this time during take off. Traveling with an infant is a little tricky but I managed. I was definitely a sight to see walking through the terminal. Everyone was kind and patient but some funny looks and even cheers were heard. Seriously a lady yelled, "You go Mom!" I had Benjamin on my front in a baby carrier, I had the diaper bag backpack on my back, I had my wallet and ticket in one hand and Benjamin's car seat in the other hand hefted up over my shoulder. All I can say is thank goodness I've been working out lately because it was quite the workout getting through the airport. Oh and once I got to Idaho my mom wasn't there yet so add me picking up my suitcase and rolling it behind me.

I am woman...hear me roar!!!

Benjamin warmed up to Granny's house pretty quick. He loved playing with the ottoman by climbing on it and turning around and getting down. Seriously over and over like 20 times in a row. He liked their dog Buddy at first especially picking up his tennis ball and dropping towards him to fetch. But Benjamin quickly came to realize Buddy's tail was the enemy. He still liked Buddy but not his tail. Benjamin is the perfect height for a tail straight in the face hit.

Here is Granny trying to play with Benjamin. Unfortunately Benjamin is at the stranger danger phase and is a momma's boy. She never really got to hold and cuddle with him.

Childhood Lessons

2011-04-15T11:25:00.000-07:00

On April Fool's Benjamin got to try his first pancake by himself. I made cute little pancakes just for him that we ripped up into smaller pieces. He went to town eating the pancakes!

After breakfast Benjamin went about his usual routine of playing in the living room for awhile. He had been trying to climb up into my Grandmother's rocking chair for a few days now and today was the day he got it. We let him play in it for a little bit before retiring it to the spare bedroom.

Benjamin was so proud of himself getting up there but we worried about toppling over and getting a scar on his forehead like his Daddy or knocking out a baby tooth like his mommy.

Follow Me

2011-04-15T11:14:00.000-07:00

My good friend Heather has started coaching Track with me and so my husband being so kind is watching her son Wyatt. Benjamin gets to have a play date of sorts every day now. From what I hear some days are better than others. Benjamin loves to follow Wyatt around which he doesn't always appreciate. Some times they get close together and just watch TV like below. Too cute!!

(Can you tell what they are watching?)

Wyatt has crawled around on the floor imitating Benjamin and Benjamin has tried to walk faster (almost run) like Wyatt. Hopefully these boys will be good friends as they grow up.

This last picture is of Wyatt in Benjamin's bouncy chair. He was able to climb in without any help but getting out wasn't so easy. Benjamin now tries to climb up into it also. Benjamin showed Wyatt how to open the cabinet's behind them on their first day hanging out. Jared then told Wyatt we don't open those which in turn Wyatt tried to teach Benjamin that while shutting his fingers in it. Oops. You live and learn!

Gen Con Weekend!

2011-04-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

General Conference weekend is coming to a close. I feel so enlightened and uplifted. There are so many thoughts and feelings I have had. It was nice watching it from the comfort of our home and letting Benjamin run around. Benjamin's favorite thing to do was to climb up the end of the couch and then onto the couch and then fall off onto the ground on top of the couch cushions. I have a journal I keep all of my thoughts in from General Conference and other meetings like Stake Conference and the Relief Society broadcast. I have written down impressions, ideas and quotes I really enjoyed. I can't wait until the Ensign for May is here now so I can study even further for more revelations. A few thoughts I will share now...

What does your purse say about you? Or wallet? Does it show what you believe in or anything about your character?

While the husband and wife are equal partners the husband is the head of the home and the wife is the heart of the home.

We live in challenging times but we need to not let fear displace our faith.

We need to be grateful for our challenges and the lessons we learn from them.

The time with our children is special and needs to be held in high esteem. The chores can wait.

"Thank you Mr. Gardner for loving me enough to cut me down!"

If you missed any of conference I suggest you watch it as soon as you can. You can find it all here.

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Atonement

2011-03-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

I've been studying the atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, this past week. I've been pondering it and reading scriptures and thinking it through. What a selfless act of love the atonement is. When I think about it, I wonder if I am capable of such love in only the smallest measurement. I try to love man as we are told to do but I find it so very hard. There are so many people who just irritate me or annoy me and I struggle to find anything good about them. Yet here is the example of our Savior who loved us all despite all that we would do and He bled in the Garden of Gethsemane and let Himself be crucified that we might have someone to turn to for forgiveness and a way to conquer death both physically and spiritually.

Isaiah chapter 53 is a great chapter to read about what the Savior went through and how humble and meek He was. In verse 5 it reads "he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." Everything that we experience and go through in this life He understands. He endured it all and so much more. There is no feeling or pain or sin that He can't understand and comfort or take away if we turn to Him and trust in his redeeming power.

I am so thankful for my Savior and His love for me. I am thankful for His Atonement that makes it possible for me to overcome my shortcomings and find forgiveness. How through Him I am able to forgive others and find peace in my life. His life is a great example of how to live my life and try to do better.

Blue Sky and Clouds

2011-03-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday we went to my in-law's for a birthday party for our nephew Brooks Jr. I got there and had fun helping my sister in-law Heather set up for the party. She got super creative which I just love and made some great things. And Heather you don't ever need my approval!

The birthday boy! I just realized I forgot to take a picture of the banner. Heather created a super cute banner that we hung over the table.

Here is Benjamin having a blast playing with balloons. He wasn't scared of them at all.

Heather made rockets, airplanes and helicopters. We then iced the cupcakes with blue frosting to represent the sky and made white clouds. This had to be explained to me because I just didn't get it. I felt so dumb!

Jacki put on Connor's hat and I was too slow to get a picture so I had her put it on again. Connor had to be distracted because it was his hat!

Corey is a smiler! Not that that is a word but he totally smiles his little mischievous smile all the time. And I love how the sun was shining on him.

When I took this picture I had to do a double take. Terence looked like he was sweating or something but he wasn't. There's an oil stain that only shows up in pictures. Too funny!

We hung out and ate cupcakes and ice cream after singing happy birthday to Brooks! It was fun!

Random Pictures

2011-03-22T13:25:00.000-07:00

This blog may not necessarily flow...because it's just some random shots with details about the day or event or something.

Benjamin trying to get to a toy through the stool on March 12th. He eventually got stuck and I had to rescue him which proved difficult.

Benjamin is a walking fool now. He will climb up things or people to just turn around and walk to a destination and then turn around and walk again. He is getting turning around while standing down too. This was also on March 12th.

Benjamin loves to play with my purse. But I had a hard time getting this shot. He was too busy watching his Dad's avatar play with a helicopter on the Xbox. March 14th

Benjamin has started feeding himself little puffed Gerber food and Cheerios (thanks Ed and Leslie for leaving those!) Since he can feed himself he is more interested in us feeding him baby food again. But sometimes sneezing gets in the way. Jared thought I was ridiculous for wanting to capture this moment with the camera. I think it's funny! March 15th

Last week on Thursday I started up the crock pot full of chili. We eat dinner really late if we wait until I get home some nights from track practice. I asked Jared to put some aside and blend it up for Benjamin to eat with us. Jared gave him a few tastes before we got to the table and Benjamin was beating on him begging for his dinner. This was his first taste of meat. It was beef, well ground beef. He ate up the whole bowl of chili we had made for him.

Climbing

2011-03-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

We have a climber on our hands!

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Humility & Pride

2011-03-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

If someone were to tell you that you were doing something wrong how would you respond? Would you take it in stride? Would you shut down? Would you ignore them? Would you get angry with them? When I am told I am doing something wrong I tend to jump to a defensive mode. I try to defend myself even if while I am defending myself I realize they are right. But I don't want them to know that so I stay in defense mode.

Why is this? I have this feeling it is because we are not humble. We are too prideful to have someone else tell us what to do or to correct us. So what if it's Heavenly Father telling us that what we are doing is wrong and that we need to repent? Do you listen? Or are you too prideful and choose to ignore him?

We need to be more humble and teachable. Our trials are ways to humble us and teach us to rely on the Lord. My thoughts are turned to the hymn "Be Thou Humble". The first verse is as follows:

"Be thou humble in thy weakness, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee,
Shall lead thee by the hand and give thee answer to thy prayers.
Be thou humble in thy pleading, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee,
Shall bless thee with a sweet and calm assurance that he cares."

Heavenly Father loves us so much and wants only to bless us but we have to trust in Him and listen humbly. If we turn our weaknesses over to God He will lift us and strengthen us and we will no longer be weak.

I am grateful for my weaknesses and the opportunities I have to be humbled to remember God and His love for me. I know that all I have is from Him and that through Him all things are possible.

Ready for Sunday

2011-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I was not tired after Benjamin went to bed. I decided to stay up and finish a scrapbook and start making a birthday card finally. I did not get anything ready for Sunday before laying him down or after laying Benjamin down. This morning came and I woke up for family prayer and then fell back asleep for an hour with Benjamin. I had ward council to attend and as you might guess I was late.

I have found that it is best if I prepare myself for Sunday starting early Saturday evening. Do you know the primary song "Saturday"? It goes like this...

"Saturday is a special day. It's the day we get ready for Sunday: We clean the house, and we shop at the store, So we won't have to work until Monday. We brush our clothes, and we shine our shoes, And we call it our get the work done day. Then we trim our nails, and we shampoo our hair, So we can be ready for Sunday."

This song has been playing in my head off and on for the past 9 months. The reason being is I've been trying hard to get things ready for Sunday morning to ensure I have everything I need at my fingertips to get out the door on time for my meetings before church.

Things I will normally do: pick out Benjamin's outfit, pick out my outfit, pack up my church bag, review the calendar and reminders for young women's, grab anything else I need to take and put it in my bags or near my bags. I have found if I have this all done then my morning goes a lot smoother. I am less stressed and I have time to slow down and enjoy Benjamin while getting ready.

This morning was not such a morning and the song "Saturday" played in my head yet again. I definitely see the benefits of being prepared and doing all you can to get ready as early as you can. We should not put off what we can do today for tomorrow, instead we should do what we can in preparation for tomorrow.

Gospel Topic Tuesday: Faith & Trials...Gifts

2011-03-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't done a gospel topic Tuesday posting in forever. I keep thinking oh I will start that next week and then next week comes and goes. I was just about to let another week pass when I decided I just needed to sit down and take 5 minutes and write.

I was reading yesterday in "True to the Faith" about faith for a personal progress experience I am working on. I found a passage that stuck out to me. "Faith is a gift from God, but you must nurture your faith to keep it strong." There's a few reasons I liked this passage. One is because it says faith is a gift. It is given to us. It's a heavenly quality. I found that personally comforting. Two is because we have to nurture our faith to keep it strong. Which means we have to use it. As I was thinking about this I was thinking about trials and how if we step back and think about it our trials are opportunities to strengthen our faith. We are given the chance to use the faith we have and strengthen our testimony and come closer to God. It was kind of like an "ah ha" moment for me. Not only does God give us our faith but then He gives us opportunities to use it and develop it.

I'm thankful for my testimony of the gospel. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church. Though the trials are sometimes hard I am grateful I have them to help strengthen me and develop me into the person Heavenly Father wants me to be.