J and P

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

If the slightest breeze appears Jackson is begging me to go fly the kite.

Once Upon a Time...

there was a husband and wife who were a little crazy. They thought that, even though they lived in a city, this:


would be a good idea.

Luckily they have some friends almost as crazy as they are and so, "City Slicker Chickens" was born.

The chicks arrived in October. There were 24 sweet, little, fuzzy things and they grew at an alarming rate. City Slicker Chicken knew that they couldn't live in a box in the garage forever so this:

was built.

It didn't take long for these chickens to make themselves at home. They were so comfortable in fact that after a little more growing and maturing these:

gifted us with some of these:


and so this couple, their children and friends enjoy farm fresh eggs every day. And, in another 6 years their "investment" will pay for itself.

The end.

Crock Pot Steel Cut Oats

I will post this here and on my food blog. We are big breakfast eaters here at the Shaw house and my kids especially LOVE oatmeal. I like oatmeal as well, but only if it is cooked right and the microwave method does not do it for me. So, I discovered how great it is to cook in the crockpot. I have two crockpots...one is long and flatter and the other is the round variety. I usually use the smaller and for some reason this works better. I just put a ratio of 1 part old fashioned oats to 2 parts (plus an extra splash) of water. Put it in the night before and in the morning you have nice, delicious, hot oatmeal. Top it with blueberries, granola and a little sugar and it is delicious. I also have an apple cinnamon recipe, but I will post that on the food blog another time.

Anyway, I decided to also try this with my steel cut oats and it was a burnt, sick disaster. So, after some research I discovered the way to do it. I use my larger crock pot for this. I remover the crock part and find the biggest pyrex bowl that I have that will fit inside the pot and still fit the lid on top. Put the bowl inside and fill the pot to about half way up the side of the bowl (the bowl is still empty at this point). Take the bowl out and fill with 1c. steel cut oat and 4 cups water. Place the bowl back in the crock pot (you have a double boiler type thing). Put the lid on, turn the crock pot on low, go to bed and you will wake to perfectly cooked steel cut oats. Easy as that.

need to clarify...

My not me monday needs to include, "unused diapers and clothes strewn around." Really that would be even too sick for me if they were dirty. FYI.

Not Me Monday!

I definitely am not letting the kids eat as many Lucky Charms as they want so that I can update my blog this morning. Everyone knows I am kind of a stickler about what I let my kids eat so I would NEVER let them eat endless bowls of a sugary cereal.

My house definitely does not look like a bomb went off in it, with diapers and clothes strewn all over the upstairs. I was spring cleaning last week and I always follow through with the tasks at hand and would never let a project like that drag on for days. That would be an embarrassment any time someone came into my house, and I would not do it!

I definitely did not go too many days last week without washing my hair. Gross. I wouldn't do that.

My kitchen floor most definitely does not feel like a sandy beach right now, so much so that I will only walk on it with shoes on. Everyone knows that I vacuum daily so that would never happen.

and...I am NOT eating cookies for breakfast as I type this. We have discussed this before and I am too healthy to do that.

Mr. J

Just two funny anecdotes from the life of Mr. J...neither politically correct.

The other day we passed a black man while walking in Target. Jackson chuckled to himself and said, "people aren't supposed to have black faces."

Oh man, I know St. George isn't racially diverse, but really...don't want to know what he will say when we go to Georgia!!

J got it into his head that he was going to play soccer with the 13 year old neighbor kid. So, the neighbor kid and one of his friends came over to play and they ended up playing with his rocket launcher that has a little pouchy thing you jump on to launch the rockets in the air. One of the kids is a little plump and I guess Jackson decided he was the best to have jump on it. D overheard Jackson saying:
"jump on it, yeah big fatty, jump on it."

Nice.

I've been sewing!

Thanks to my friend Lori (who by the way is a FANTASTIC designer if you are ever in need of logos or design work), I decided to try out some dresses for P. I love the Matilda Jane line, but really just can't bring myself to pay that much for an outfit, so figured I would try my hand at it. Making clothing is much different than quilting and I am really glad you can't see this up close (semi shoddy craftsmanship), but none the less I am happy with how it turned out and excited to try another. I wish I had a serger (any one want to sell me theirs??), but alas I do not and so I will resort to the old fashion style of finishing off clothing.

Here is my girl, who I must say I think is the cutest little thing with the funniest, cutest smile. She is a pill right now, but so, so fun at the same time. She is talking up a storm and my favorite right now is, "I'm fooffy"...which translated means, I'm filthy. She loves her blankie (guankie), rules the roost and her "gwudder" (brother)and is all around such a sweet, naughty little thing.

And what makes it all okay?? She is the best little snuggler around (or at least a close tie to her brother). I feel lucky to have such snuggly kids.

Now, her not wanting to nap more than an hour a day...that is a post for another day.

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I so need to update this thing and I have the pics all ready to go...maybe tomorrow. But for now I need that Pay it Forward post to go away.

Pay It Forward

{The Rules}
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!

2. Winners must post this challenge on their blog, meaning that they will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on their post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate pictures and comments! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along.

Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER...Pay It Forward!

"Not Jackson Monday"

I know it is really "Not me Monday", but this week just begged for me to replace it with a "Not Jackson Monday"...here we go:

Jackson definitely didn't pour not one, but two sippies full of milk on Paige's Hair today. Why would he do that? And if he did why would it take the second time around for his mom to realize what he did. It wouldn't and he definitely DID NOT do it.

There is NO WAY that Jackson confessed today that he had taken a patch of matches out of my desk drawer and "fwapped it really hard against the side with the red dots" consequently lighting it and keeping it lit until said match burnt his finger. There is NO way Jackson did that.

Jackson defitely DID NOT cover his room with toys the ONE time I let him play up there with friends...he is smart enough to know that he would never get to play up there again if he did so I can guarrantee that he DID NOT do that.

Jackson would NEVER not only sneak a cookie, but sneak a cookie and take it to the family room to eat it and then guility hide it behind his back when I came out to bust him. He would never do that either.

Jackson DID NOT get himself covered in mud when I let him out back to play today. Why would he do that...especially when I made a point to tell him not to get all dirty. That would be crazy and he DID NOT do that.

Jackson DID NOT make me want to cry about, oh a dozen times today. He is too sweet, easy going and obedient to do anything even close to that. Thank heavens.

Happy Birthday J-Man!

Tomorrow is J's big day and we want all of YOU to come celebrate. We are going to the McDonalds Playland (petrie dish) at 11:30am. I will bring cupcakes for the kids and they can have a par-tay playing on the nasty playland. What could be better?

Don't be scared...

It isn't a real pirate...

just Jackson with his finger hook.

Here she is again...

I sure think she is a cutie!!

My little busy body...

She only lasted for about 3 pics this time because she wanted candy and to twirl in a skirt (insert sigh and eye roll).

Little Miss P

Thumb-less

That is a scary thing when you have a thumb sucker...and I do. Paige has sucked her thumb from early on. It is the cutest thing (if I do say so). I am sure it will screw up her teeth and yada yada, but really, if it means she can self soothe, I am all over it!!

Well, tragedy struck at our house a few days back when little miss busy body decided to grab my flat iron (it gets really hot I might add) with her bare hand. A large blister appeared on her right thumb. She didn't cry at all, but spent the day saying "hot", "stingy" (in her cute little voice--another important detail, of course). It was still suckable until the blister popped today and we had to bandage her thumb. The first she pulled off, but she is a smart little cookie and quickly realized that is was smart to keep on, so she did.

Nap time was not fun though. With no thumb to suck there was also no nap taken. Yikes! Luckily she was in good spirits most of the day none the less. She also was so exhausted at bed time that I think she forgot about the thumb or even (heaven forbid) sucked the other.

And the cutest part...I put a little Einstein bandage on and she immediately said, "eintine, wocket sip". Ahhh, how can I not love that little thing. Despite all the messes and trouble, she is the cutest little cookie around.

Have you ever seen a cuter little boy??

I have been working and shopping hard and my studio is all ready to go. I am armed with a new light, lots of fun props, backdrops and a new floor. Now I just need some aggreable subject!! This is going to be fun!

“Not me! Monday” is a post inspired by my cousin Stephanie. Ever since she first posted it I have gone through my life thinking of things to post on “Not me! Monday.”

This is copied from her blog which was copied from the originator’s blog that gives the idea behind “Not me! Monday”.

"I have found that there is little more satisfying in my journey of motherhood than admitting that I am not perfect, that I do not know it all, and that I cut corners at mind blowing speeds. It's so satisfying to write about my shortcomings and funny mistakes and then share them with you. I'm not sure exactly why that is, but instead of trying to figure it out, I instead offer you my Not Me! Monday list. Enjoy, and then join in with some Not Me's of your own!"

Here are the things I definitely DID NOT do this past week!!

I did not wait until Tuesday to post my Not Me! Monday list. Really it isn’t that hard and I can certainly get that one task done on Monday.

My office is definitely not a complete disaster…one that has lasted about two months now. No one can work in filth and I wouldn’t do it either.

I definitely DID NOT eat Chips Ahoy cookies for breakfast more than one morning last week. They are totally unhealthy and I am sure have trans-fat (whatever that is) and certainly would not help in the plan to lose a few added Christmas pounds.

I never would wake up, give Paige a sippie and a crib full of toys and books and go back to bed. How lazy and neglectful.

What things would you NEVER do?

You are all impatient. I had grand plans of making my blog all cool looking (like my cousin’s) and have a grand unveiling,

but too many of you have BEGGED

to see it again, so here you go.

(plus the fact that I was all gung-ho about getting it spruced up on Saturday and had completely forgotten about it until a friend pointed it out at lunch.)

It is so hard to be popular.

Preparedness...

Many of you know of our minor obsession to be prepared. Well, my testimony of putting together a year supply has been strengthened.

On Wednesday night we were trying to go to sleep when we heard a LOUD crack. We got up to inspect where the noise had come from and found that our sideboard on our bed had cracked in two. (we won't discuss possible reasons this happened, we will just leave it at that and I will assure you that we have both taken up working out again.)

What to do? We are trying really hard to stick in our budget and with no money left to purchase a new bed frame we got creative.

We now have a bed frame consisting of two food storage boxes stacked up. I even have a food storage box stair to step into my bed. It is really nice.

And, interstingly enough, there is no longer a big lump in the middle of our (less than a year old) mattress.

We are blessed for our obedience.

I've been leading a double life...

well, in my attempt (keyword:attempt) to be more organized I purchased a Blackberry. It has actually been great. I make an appointment, put it in and voila...never a missed appointment again.

The great thing is that if I sit at my computer I can also enter appointments into my outlook. It is working just dandy!

All was going smoothly until I realized that in order for all this to work out I had to sync the two. I have neglected to do so, mmmmm, since I got the blackberry because frankly, I am lazy and it takes too much effort.

Yeah, if you don't sync the two, you end up with many days with double appointments all day long. Definitely a minor set back in said attempt to be more organized.

A few, neglected pics of the kids from last november.

Any of you who know Paige personally know how indicitave this is of her personality!



Can you tell he was done having his pictures taken?

Whooo...

I am sitting in my office pretending not to know that Paige is quickly unloading cabinets and pulling toys out. I had forgotten how BUSY they are at this age. Yikes. I feel so totally unproductive with her around. I am going to attempt to keep on top of the house myself now that the busy season is past. It is nice to have someone clean the house, but I can also think of some fun ways to spend the extra cash.

The kids have been sick which means that I have had many LONG nights. Any of you who know me well know that I turn into a beast when I don't get enough sleep. That is why I try to go to bed fairly early and not get up early. Lots of sleep=happy, easy going mom. I think I am going to go to Target (I made it all last week without a trip)...that is sure to happy me up. Nothing like buying diapers to put a girl in a good mood.

I had my second photography workshop on Saturday and felt that it was a success. Of course at each one we realize some things to do differently, but all in all I felt that most people left understanding how to take good pictures. Now all they need is some practice. It is fun to share a hobby that I love so much with other people.

I am so so so looking forward to getting away with Douglas this week. I am praying that the kids are healthy by then so I can go. It will be so nice to have a little break from the kiddos and reconnect with D. With his math class and young mens and my work I feel like we haven't even talked in the last week.

Well, I guess I should go face my house. Who knows what destruction Paige has caused since I have been in here.

Update

I said that "serpentine" was from "Spies Like Us", but it is actually from the old movie, "The Inlaws" with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. It is a great show if you haven't seen it. Just had to clear that up.

a couple of thoughts.

Paige can now do all the actions for "Popcorn Popping" and it is really cute. Thanks nursery leaders. Second kids sure get jipped. I spent so much time with J teaching songs, animal noises etc. and I realized the other day that I never do it with P. Going to ruin her life, no, but I do need to make a more concerted effort to do those things with her too.

I can't figure out how to work out and shower anymore. I had it figured out when P still napped in the morning, but now that she is up all morning I don't get a chance to shower until late in the day. I hate to go to the store with no makeup and workout clothes on. I have watched far too many episodes of "What Not to Wear" for that. Oh well, here I sit in my stink.

D and I are going up to SLC without the kids in a week or so and I am feeling a little anxiety about leaving the kids for so long...almost to the point of backing out. I really want to go, but I worry too much. Is this normal?

I watched to worst Masterpiece theatre yesterday. Most Austin era books are sad throughout, but end on a high note. Not this one. It was horribly depressing. It was called Tess of the D'Urbevilles (or something close to that). Just to give you a taste or the tragedy, one of the last lines is: Tess"We need to enjoy this because it won't last" Angel (her hubby), "Don't say that. How do you know it won't last?" Tess: "Too much happiness." It re-depresses me just remembering. It was a horribly, tragic story.

Well, off to shower and go to the dentist. We need to see how many cavities I have this time. It has been like three months since my last major dental work so it is about time.

A few things I learned about rollerblading at 30 and with two kids in tow

1. Ummm, rollerblading is way harder than I remember it being. I haven't sweated that much for a long time.

2. Do not choose the black diamond course for your reentry into R.B. (especially not when you are also pushing a jogger)

3. Uphill is a beast, but really, it is the downhill you need to worry about. I had to sit and strategize for a few minutes to figure out how to do it and not seriously injure one (or all) of us. I made J buckle up for safety. Have you seen the movie, "spies like us"? Well all I could think the whole time was, "serpentine, serpentine". I probably looked like a fool.

4. Take some really good music to listen to in order to distract from the burning in your legs (is it wrong that my favorite workout music these days is Britney Spears...yeah, probably)

It was quite an adventure. I am going to stick to the flat road for a while, that's for sure. I guess I should go eat a brownie now.

I am in a non blogging phase

do you get in those? you know where you can't think of anything interesting to say? where all you can think of is that it is way too cold outside, you still need to take the Christmas lights off the house (when it heats up), your kitchen is messy from dinner still, you have been to Target 4 times this week (it is too cold to do anything else), and you feel like you haven't seen your spouse for a week.

Okay, well I guess those are all things. D enrolled in a pre-calc class at Dixie and his first test is on Monday. Needless to say, he has a lot of reviewing to do so I don't think we have actually talked this week. If you want to call I am sure I have a few pent up thoughts I can spill out to you.

Target, Target...how do I love thee, let me count the ways:
Rubbermaid
Rain boots
Toys (I may have a new addiction to pirate playmobile sets...I want them all)
Cd's
Books
Hair supplies
Clothes
Photo Props
Shoes
Popcorn
Treats
Stationery
Home Decor

Seriously...I have an addiction and it has to stop or my goal to actually stick to my budget this year will be out the window...okay, I committ not to go to Target at all next week (biting my nails with anxiety...) I can do it, right?

Oh yeah, New Year Goals. I have a few. I try to choose one in each category:
Spiritual: (I am spiritual just to list it first)-do the Gospel Doctrine reading each week. Haven't started this yet because I still don't have the study guide, but as soon as I get it I will start.

Physical: Just keep working out regularly and don't gain weight. I bought roller blades today (I have asked for them for the last to holidays and have finally determined that the only way I was going to get them was to buy them myself). I want to put the kids in the jogger and rollerblade around. I loved rollerblading as a teenager so I am excited about this.

Photography: I am so excited because I just got my first studio light and I can't wait to figure it out. Also, I am going to focus more on lighting this year...really paying attention to where the light comes from, how it hits my subjects and how I can use it for cool effects. I also want to have more fun with wardrobes (I guess this is a few goals, but I have to make sure I am still learning and differentiating myself from every other mom with a camera)

Social (I guess): I am going to make sure to send cards out for bdays (on time) and try to remember peoples bday better. I am going to send thank yous more often and other assorted cards when I am inspired to.

Financial: Actually stick to the budget (that is a life long goal, but I have to re-emphasize it each year). My main goal is to start contributing money I make to an IRA.

I think that is it. Not too hard I don't think.

So what do all of you do on cold winter days when you can't go outside. I really try to limit J's tv time, but he gets stir crazy. I would love some other fun ideas!

Well, I guess I will go and tackle the kitchen. I really would just like to bake something sweet, but it is 11pm and probably not the most practical thing to do.

I have to note here that the last week with J has been fairly pleasant. Time outs have been minimal and he has been pretty happy and obedient. He actually may have it in him to be my nice little boy after all.

I will remember this when next week comes and he reverts back to the other child I have discussed.

my sweet little girl??

Jackson was playing with a toy at my grandma's this evening and P decided that she wanted it (her favorite phrase is "hey...mine." ) She tried to grab it and I scolded her so instead she turned to him, ballered her fist up and said "hit" while simultaneously bopping him on the head.

It made me laugh, though it shouldn't have. I am really shocked that she would do that. J really isn't much of a hitter so I am kind of surprised she came up with that. Maybe it is because I tell her that hands are not for hitting when she is being mean. Either way, it was really funny tonight, won't be so funny when she does it to someone else's kid.

Blog Printing...

For a good overview of different blog printing services go here:

Mecki's Advice Column

Merry Christmas!!

I am having a little of the post Christmas blues this evening. It is over before you know it and I just feel a sense of complete letdown. Is that normal? Maybe I should attribute it to a week of little sleep because heaven knows I do NOT function well with little sleep.

Jackson loved Christmas and I loved being with him as he got excited over every single gift he got...
huge gasp, "I LOVE it. It is JUST what I always wanted. I love it love it." It was so fun. He played with his pirate ship all day.

Paige was hilarious as well. She loved unwrapping and loved running her stroller into everything she could. Oh, and anything made of refined sugar also made it into her mouth. She ran around all day with her new necklaces. She also could be found at almost all times with someone's toothbrush in her mouth. She is such a feisty little thing.

J has been such a complete struggle for me lately and I apologize for venting on Christmas day, but it was like every other...fighting about everything. For lands sake, he is only (almost) 4. I really don't know how to deal with him. Everything is a fight with him from getting dressed to getting out the door to going to a friends. I feel completely worn out from dealing with him. I need some serious, practical help and I don't know where to find it. I have done Love and Logic and it works okay, but it is so hard and seriously I think he is too smart for it sometimes. I try to have consequences, but nothing means anything to him. It this what the rest of my life is going to be because seriously, I don't think I can handle it. And I am not a nice mom to him. I pray to have patience with him, but it is so hard. What do I do?? I may end up with only two children if things don't improve.

We have had a nice holiday season. I was really busy with my photography and learned some things that will be different for next year to hopefully allow me to enjoy more of the season. I really hope to have a slow next month just to regroup and enjoy being a mom and homemaker for a while. Luckily I have the greatest hubby who never complains when he has to come home and whip up dinner because I am frantically getting Christmas orders together. Seriously, he is the greatest.

We had a really nice Christmas eve get together with tons of tasty food and company. I have felt a little sick all week so unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as I would like to, but I sure enjoy watching others enjoy.

I had an awesome trip to San Francisco with Anne. I am just going to copy from her blog and post since she is such a thorough story teller. Now I just need to actually post some photos.

Speaking of which...anyone figured out a way to have your blog printed? Blurb used to do it, but they don't anymore. I want somewhere that requires less work that copying and pasting into photoshop and creating my own pages.

We had the ward Christmas party last week. I am on the activities committee and so we were busy planning that. It was pretty successful minus the lack of orange juice. The red faced Santa made his appearance and I was shocked that J didn't recognize him this year either.

Merry Christmas once again...did I mention we woke up to a white Christmas? Crazy.

I can't even begin to tell you how this makes me laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh. He is such a good sport.










Christmas sunday. Such cute kiddos!

Our Christmas eve spread.

Watching a little Mickey's Christmas Carol (and calming down!!) Santa Came!!





The kids in their Christmas pjs...we gave J a long talk about coming straight to our room before going downstairs. Did he listen? Of course not.




our white Christmas.




He really was this excited about his pirate ship. He played with it all afternoon. The pirates always win in his world.

The Horton game is a hit! Thanks Kim!

I love google reader

except when it informs me that I have 525 unread blog entries. I have been out of the loop that long (oh me oh my). I have to say that it was a great sacrifice to give up my blogging time while I caught up (or continue catching up) on work stuff. That was the only way to do it though.

So, lest you think I don't love you from my lack of comments, I do, I am just darn busy right now.

And it continues to snow here...crazy.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

In St. George???

The snow keeps coming down and there is a thick layer of white on everything. I feel like I am in Provo with all the snow outside. It is beautiful!!

Can you hear the angels in the heaven singing??

I am FINALLY done editing all my Christmas sessions!! Hallelujah...now I have a few non Christmas sessions to edit, orders to put together, cards to design and a blog to update. But, I am DONE editing. Hooray, hooray, hooray.

And I get to go with my friend Anne to San Francisco on Thursday. Life is good...

minus my three year old who is really challenging me right now, but that is a post for another day. Any of you have a really difficult child who wants to fight you on everything??

no, I am not still grouchy...just busy.

I feel grouchy today.

my kiddos

I have been majorly burnt out the last few days and I still have 8 sessions to edit and four more in the next week. It has been a real blessing, but it is also a LOT of work. I dream about curves and layers (photoshop stuff)!! I decided to take the day off and it was nice. I took photos of what I love, the kids, made Christmas suckers with J, did laundry (what fun), cleaned off my desk and enjoyed not editing. Tomorrow of course will be back to business as usual, but for a day I needed to regain my sanity.

So, I love these from a mom perspective, but I think I will redo them tomorrow because there are a few things photographically that I wasn't thinking about and they bug me. I can be a perfectionist about my own stuff, right??

This is such a true depiction of my children--J, the happy go lucky, goofball and P, the drama baby (or DB as my mom calls her) who will only smile if she decides she wants to. Yet I still love that little grouchy face...it is so her.



I love this picture. She can be such a doll. She is talking a lot and her favorite words are "candy" and "no". Gotta love it.



This little guy us such a buddy. Tell him you need a snuggle and he comes running. He can be such a sweet thing one minute and a total pain the next. He is finally getting semi fun to take pics of again. He at least has figured out the cheesy smile bit, which I actually think is so cute.


And here is my sweet baby girl with her ghetto snuggler. I tried to switch it out, but she wouldn't have it. I have wanted to get a picture with her sucking her thumb and I finally did! Hooray!

Proposition 8

So why is it that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is coming under condemnation and being called intolerant because we supported something that is CENTRAL to our beliefs?? Why is it a hate crime to support something that is Central to our beliefs?

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society."







It seems to me that we are not the ones being intolerant. Democracy is democracy. The ballots were cast and prop 8 passed. Our greatest goal in this life and the life to come is to live eternally with our families. We believe the family consisting of a man and a woman is ordained of God and "central" to the creators plan. We had no ill intent in preserving this traditional definition of the family. We don't hate homosexuals. We don't agree with their choice though and we don't condone it. I gave a great deal of thought to how I would feel if one of my children chose to be homosexual and I would feel the same. I would love them, but I would never agree or condone their choice. The same would hold true with any choice my child made that went against my moral beliefs.

Our potential and sons and daughters of God is to return to live with him and be heirs eternally. That includes living together with our families forever. The greatest blessing we can receive in this life is to be married for all eternity in the temple of God. This is extremely important to us.

I also want to be the one that decides how and when moral values are taught to my children. My brother made a great argument for prop 8 that you can read HERE .

So, lay off the LDS church. We didn't do this because we hate gays. We did this because we love our families and understand their potential.

Dear Blogging Friends,

I feel the need to get on a little political soapbox for a while. This is not about who won the election, but rather us as americans. First off, I am so sick of hearing people say, "we need a change". What the heck is that supposed to mean anyway? A change from what? I will tell you what kind of change I think we need...we need a change of the American people feeling entitled to anything and everything they want. Since when have so many "wants" become "neccessities"? Why are we not saving when the going is good? Why do we feel like the rich owe us something? It annoys the living you know what out of me. It is not a governments responsibilty to make sure things are always smooth sailing for us. I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination, but we make do. We budget (I am not always perfect at sticking to it, I must say) and we recognize our position. Do I hope to be rich some day, you better believe it, but if it doesn't happen I sure hope I am just happy with what I have because I recognize it is a lot and I will continue working hard to achieve our goals.

On a different vein, I am also sick of everyone bad mouthing George Bush. He has done a ton for us as a president...mainly kept our country safe since 911. I imagine that is not an easy task. I don't agree with all his fiscal policies, but you know what, he has kept us in an offensive position with the terrorists and to me, that means a ton. I am glad we are fighting them on their soil and not ours. And frankly, we need to finish the job we went over there to do. I am all for bringing our troops home, but not until we have finished the job we started. So, everyone get off his case. He has been a good president with good morals and I truly believe the desire to do what is best for this country. I appreciate that he is a religious man as well, because so am I and I want a president who prays and tries to have some divine guidance. It is not George Bush's fault that we are in an economic downturn, not the repulican party...sure there are certain factors that influenced it, but really the economy does this. It will get better and until then we may just have to forgo that new pair of shoes.

You know what change I want to see. I want all of us (me included) to be wiser with what we have, more grateful for what we have and a whole lot less selfish. There you go.

Some Jacksonisms

Coming down from the mountain J said, "Daddy yawn!! Daddy yawn!! Can you hear wouder now?"

"daddy I want to be home now (they were driving back from the cabin). I want to whooo, whooo, whooo, whooo (his lasoo noise) lasoo an airplane wing, climb up and fly home."

Douglas was explaining to J not to touch the mouse poisin at the cabin. J told him that he liked mice though. D explained not these ones because they poop and eat the blankets and stuff so J replied, "well the ones at home do really nice things for us"...

hmmm like make ball gowns and stuff?? I think someone has watched Cinderella one too many times!!

halloween madness

I have a great hubby. He wore his costume to work all day. He won best costume at the neighborhood party. He acted the part. Not all men are man enough to do that.

The kids were adorable in my opinion and Jackson loved every bit of Halloween especially passing out candy. I have tons left (I only bought one bag!!) which is bad news for me.

Paige was fine dressed up too and even kept her scarf on. Their costumes were very challenging to make and I assure you the craftmanship is shoddy at best, but hey, I did it. I am already thinking about our theme for next year.

J has forgotten about his candy, but not his costume. He has enjoyed wearing it for days. It is already missing two buttons which he told me he "sworded" off. Great.

Now on to Thanksgiving. Have I mentioned I love this time of year. My goal this year is to stick in my budget with everything. I get a little out of control this time of year.

D got me an IPOD for my birthday. Have you heard of those? THey are really cool you can put music on them and take them wherever you go (Just kidding, I am making fun of the fact that it took me this long to get one.) Any recommendations on good music? I like fairly mellow (Jack Johnson is a favorite) but I am kind of out of it when it comes to music. I would love suggestions.


You have to love J's pirate face in that first one!!

what did you have for lunch today?

I had three cupcakes and a glass of milk...and I feel good.