Sissy was in the cwoset and she fell and she bonked her head and then I came and I looked at Paigie stucked in the cwoset and then stridie came and looked at paigie stuck in the closet and he said, "woo, woo, paigie stuck in the cwoset" and I took a picture of her.

That is Jackson's account of what happened. He is the world's greatest storyteller.
She actually just got stuck in the closet and I thought it was funny...nothing else interesting about that.
Jackson decided to record life from his eyes. He sees this way too often.
self portrait
Just a bit of my insanity...we (me and a few friends) canned all this last week. I still have a few pears waiting, but they are just going to have to wait because I am fruited out right now. And I think the peaches on my tree are finally ready. I think I will make a pie.


I got back from vegas really late saturday night and J fell asleep on the stairs while I was getting P ready for bed.
My ghetto baby loves the slide. I normally dress her first thing, but seeing as how all my clean clothes is in a huge pile, I didn't. Once this swiss days is over I might fold it so we can all actually find our clothing.




They love the slide...especially P. She will play for 30 minutes before coming after me crying.


So things are a little nutty around here and my house has taken the toll. I will be happy to get this thing back in order!



I feel like I am exposing myself showing my messy house, but it is what it is and life has been a little insane lately. At least all the dishes are done, thanks Douglas!!

This it too funny and true!!

**my brother sent me this and I thought is was funny enough to merit a blog entry. It is so totally true.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE
(1)Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they areright and you need to shut up.
(2)Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half anhour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been givenfive more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.
(3)Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This meanssomething, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin withnothing usually end in fine..
(4)Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!
(5)Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statementoften misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are anidiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here andarguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaningof nothing.)
(6)That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a womencan make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.
(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Justsay you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true,unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is notthanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' ... that will bringon a 'whatever').
(8)Whatever: Is a women's way of saying SCREW YOU!
(9) Don' t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement,meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do severaltimes, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a manasking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Queen for a day...

I FINALLY got my crown put on my tooth. This has been the longest process of my life and I am considering never going to the dentist again.

On a funnier note, Paige bit Jackson's nose today...HARD. I think it will bruise. No, not funny that it will bruise, but maybe it will teach him to keep his face out of hers.

She is a pill. I blame it on her dang molars, but really I think she has developed colic at 16 months since she is happy all morning and cries all afternoon long. It is a little tiring.

I now have all of my frames for swiss days and I am a painting maniac. We fit in time to paint some Buzz Lightyear wings though so we are good to go.

I will be happy to spend no more moola on this Swiss Days extravaganza. Why can't I do ANYTHING in a simple fashion.

Speaking of simple, I have been a canning fool this past week. What was I thinking? I still have two boxes of pears to take care of. YUCK.

Jackson is so funny. Some of our conversations are so totally random, yet I carry them on with him anyway. I need to record some of them. The best is when I find myself arguing with him over something so totally stupid that is should require no energy.

Well, off to bed. It is only 10pm which is earlier than I have gone to bed in weeks. How sad is that?

and then the morning comes...

and I remember why I am always crazy!

I woke up this morning to find:
1. numerous knives that had been used in an attempt to open gogurts
2. Ice cream cone bits all over my newly mopped floor
3. No ice cream cones left
4. Ice cream melted all over my counter, and newly mopped floor
5. Puzzle pieces scattered everywhere.

What am I going to do with him??

I love these two!!

Seriously, that smile, I love it...it is crazy, but it is so Paigie. Here are a few things I love about Sissy Bear.
-she is a snuggler...give her her snuggle blankie and she will lay her head on your shoulder indefinitely. She also comes up to me random times throughout the day and snuggles into me. Mmmm...I love it.
-Loves girly things. She know just what a "pretty" is (her braclets) and runs straight to the bathroom when I tell her "let's go fix your hair".
-Loves food...eats anything and everything. Is it possible that neither of my kids are picky eaters? Hooray!
-Loves to be outside. She has no fear of the jungle jim at the park and has gone down the slide every way possible. She really has little fear for anything.
-Is saying and signing so many things now.


What a good big brother Jackson is. He loves Paige so much...too much at times. It is so rewarding to watch them play together.
-Is also a great snuggler. He will snuggle with you any time of the day.
-Loves to read. He will drop anything if you offer to read to him.
-says, "thanks mom" if I do anything for him. Today I read him an extra book before bed and he excitedly said it. It is too cute.
-Loves to sing along to songs.



There are so many things I love about these two. Our days are often times really long and tedious, but at the end of the night, I sure am glad I have those two. They bring a lot of light and meaning into my life. I need to love them more and be more patient with them. They really do grow too fast!

The quick fix...

Isn't it amazing that after a REALLY long day all it takes is a few chocolate chip cookies and a cold glass of milk (and my kids in bed) to make everything better.

Love and Logic??

I remember in my Love and Logic classes as I attempted to learn new parenting skills hearing a story that really made me think...

The teacher was having a hard time getting his children to go to bed at night and so instead of fighting them he decided to let them stay up as late as they wanted as long as they were in their room. The next day the children were so tired and so they were able to use their logic to decide that staying up late is not a good choice because they were tired the next day.

I am 30 in a month and I still haven't learned that lesson.

Why we don't give our children growth hormones...

Jackson and Grams

The kids adore Grams. They look forward to going to her house everyday and know their way around like it is there own. Grams spoils them too with toys, candy, and basically anything else they want :). That is what grandparents are for, right? My grandma is 92 now and we feel really blessed to have her so close!!

p.s. check out that totally chee-seey smile on J. Gotta love it.

First day of preschool

I am part of a co-op this year where we switch off who is in charge of preschool. Jackson loves school. I had my turn the second week and it wasn't too bad. There are 6 boys in his class so it can get kind of crazy, but they are all nice little boys.

He looks so innocent here...don't be fooled.

This is his little class. Getting all of them to sit for a picture was tough!

This is more typical Jackson behavior!

Swim Lessons

Jackson is a little fish. He loves the water and really picked up swimming easily. By the end of two weeks he could swim as far as he could until he needed a breath. Hopefully that will be the next lesson next year!

He insisted on wearing goggles. They were filled with water the majority of the time.

He loved the slide!


I could never get him to do this before he took swimming. Now he is great at it.


Little fishy.

Part of my life in pictures...

I emptied my point and shoot so here you go...

This was Jackson's get-up for a few days. He saved his money to buy a snorkle and fin (he was insistent that his swim instuctor would be okay with him wearing them in class...she wasn't). Jackson would walk all around the house in this get-up.
We also made crowns one day. I felt like such a good mom for a few hours.


I sent J to his room after a LONG afternoon. I came in a while later (okay sometimes I don't abide by the one minute per age of his life thing) and this is what I found...a boy and his "fire blaster blazer". I never introduced him to guns, but he picked up on the idea himself. Whatever. At least he calls them something cute.

I can't turn my back on this girl for a second. My house smelled like onions for days.

Jackson really wanted ot make himself a sandwich one morning around 10am-ish. Once again trying to be a good mom I consented...he just wanted to be a little independent, right? Well, the sandwich ended up only having peanut butter (couldn't reach the jam) and plenty of it. I found PB everywhere...the toliet seat was my favorite place to find it.


My mom came from Guatemala to visit and help my bro and sis in law with their new baby. It was so fun to have her...we quilt stored, made pumpkins, ate good stuff she can't get in Guatemala and had fun. Jackson was so sad to have her leave and as usual Paige really wants no one but me. It is REALLY endearing (she wasn't this bad the whole time, just a portion--good thing she is so dang cute or I might sell her.)



I keep trying to convince Douglas that it is FUN to hang out as a family. For some reason he thinks kids are a lot of work and not fun to take family adventures with. We decided to go to Snow Canyon on labor day and we had a great time. There was a little 1/4 mile hike we did and some sand dunes the kids played on. Then we had a little picnic.




Went on a girlfriend trip to vegas where we shopped and ate and were without children. It was a party and too short. We went to Sephora at 10:30pm and this is what Sarah and I walked out looking like...we fit into Vegas perfectly.

I went to a meeting Tuesday morning so D had to get the kids up and dressed and taken to my friend's house. When I picked her up I laughed numerous times at the outfit choice. Ummm...this is a shirt, not a dress, but good try. He is always so proud when he puts a dress on her. But, she did have her bloomers on (they were for a totally different dress, but good try)...Paige had a little poop incident when I was in Vegas...D hadn't put a diaper cover on at naptime and Paige spent the time fingerpainting. YUM. Glad I didn't have to clean it up :).

I get so behind in my blog that I feel like quitting. Nice, huh? So many things I have missed posting about and I feel like a crummy mom because I did...here are a few things that have happened. I have a bajillion pics, but no energy to post them. Someday.

Swimming lessons
First day of preschool
Four new molars on P
Girlfriend trip
Root canal (my first :)!)
My mom in town
Fun hikes
Cabin
Being tired all the time

other things I am sure, but I can't think of them because I am too tired.

Missing...

Two super cute outfits size 3T. One is a brown, blue and green plaid short from Gymboree with a brown Gap polo. The other is a tan, orange and blue plaid short from Gymboree and orange shirt with construction equipment on it from Gymboree. The first outfit mysteriously disappeared back in May, the other just recently. How a whole outfit goes misssing, your guess is as good as mine. And why they are always favorite is another mystery.

If you have seen them, please let me know. A reward will be offered.

a few things I love about Jackson

No matter how asleep he is, when we go to check on him and tell him we love him he will always say, "wuv you too."

All his "l's" sound like "w's"

He will always try to sing along to any song you sing and has a cute habit of licking his lip and mumbling along with you like he know the words.

The other day when Paige was choking on a noodle he burst into tears because, "I wuv my sista so much."

He started preschool last week and the mom who was in charge afterwards told me how happy and cooperative he was and that anything she said they were going to do he would reply, "fun."


I just need to remember why he is so great some days, especially days where we battled him in a dark chapel for two hours during stake conference.

baby chatter

don't you just love it. Paige carries on a whole conversation and I don't understand a word of it. It is too dang cute.

10 reasons I want to be a vampire...

(**disclaimer--if you have not finished "breaking dawn" do not read**)



1. I would be insanely beautiful...I have always thought that dark undereye circles and pasty white skin were very becoming on people.

2. Who needs exaltation when you could live on earth as a cold , blood sucking vampire for eternity? That is unless you have a run-in with a warewolf (or shape changer) or if you tick off another vampire who just happens to have his own entourage.

3. S** is WAY better when you are a vampire...I guess it must the whole, marble body thing (I could think of a really inappropriate joke right now, but I will refrain).

4. You get super mutant skills...I think I would choose one where any room I walk in magically cleans itself--or, I am unable to hear whiney, fussy kids. Sweet.

5. If you plan your transformation right you can have a part vampire, part human child who never cries, throws tantrums, has a poopy diaper, or needs to eat.

6. You have ridiculous amounts of money---like hundreds of thousands just laying around the house. Who cares if it gets stolen because that is like pocket change to you.

7. You get to drive super awesome cars. I mean, when a Volvo is your junker car you know you have got it made.

8. You never have to eat food and consequently always stay super skinny without ever trying. Have you ever heard of a FAT vampire?

9. No sleep required. I could get soooo much done!

10. If you really WANT to be a vampire, the change is a cake walk and then you can save the day, be a hero, have a super smokin hot husband and still look like a supermodel. Dang, I want that life.


Okay, seriously, Stefanie Meyer's last book was OVER THE TOP. I did finish it so it was entertaining, but it was really stupid, if you want to know the honest truth. Maybe it is because I never got over how annoying Bella was in the first three books and then she is the best vampire ever created, or maybe it is because she and Edward had nothing to base their relationship on except lust. Plus, everything works out for Bella...annoying. I was just dissappointed in the whole thing.

Plus, being LDS I have a few issues about some of the things a fellow LDS wrote about and the fact that there was swearing in her book. I would NOT let my teenage daughter read this book which is sad because the first three were geared for the young adult crowd. There were parts where I was even a little uncomfortable. Is it hypocritical that I still read it, yeah probably, but I guess I am just thinking about the impression a book like this would make....hmmm, thoughts??

I know most probably loved the book, but there you have it, I did not. Burn me at the stake. hahahaha???

Anne's little Joe

check out how beautiful he is on my photo blog!

and I stole this off Marcus' blog...

see that hot guy on the bike (the one in the back)?? that is my one and only riding a century ride (111 miles) in Provo last weekend.

I totally stole this of someone's blog, but...

It describes perfectly how I feel about my hubby so I had to.

I took the kids out today to try to take some cute pictures. I forgot P's shoes (notice the dirty feet). Which do you like better of the kids?? I did one sort of vintage-ey and the other a fun color.

just a few of the kids...

J has been figuring out the whole cheesy smile thing and he likes to have is picture taken as long as he can see it on the screen after I click.

And P just looked cute so I snapped a few.

She got tired of it really quickly!

Mid year resolution anyone??

Okay, here it goes...I am going to try to stay off the computer until Jackson has quiet time in the afternoon. Between photography stuff, blogging, home maintenance, and all the other things I do, I spend FAR too much time on this thing. Instead of coming in here when I have a free moment I am going to finish cleaning out my craft room so I can sew, make bows, and craft...something that I love, but have made no time to do recently. I am going into my crazy time with my business so I need to do this for them and me so that we don't go insane and so I can remember what my most important job is.

This will be tough as I am an admitted computer addict. Wish me luck.