This little girl makes my life so happy!

I mean, come on, look at that little face and smile. How could that not brighten my day. Lately, however, she has been such a total joy to me. Everything she says and does (minus the running away from me when I call and the tantrums, which actually are even kinda cute) is just so cute/funny/lovable. I love her snuggles and kisses (complete with a "mmmmmwhah"), her animal noises and raspy voice, her fat little thighs and cute nakie bum, her obsession with milk and "puffs", the way she will body slam me and say "boink", her crooked smile, her love for anything girlie, the fact that she will just sit while I style her hair, her love of shoes, that she asks me "go park" or "fly kite" about 20 times a day, her prayers that consist of "fadder, jesus" repeated until you stop her, that she whispers whenever she talks on the phone, that she loves my rubber kitchen gloves, that she LOVES to go to the "chikoop" and visit her "gams". I could go on and on. I just find her truly delightful and adorable.









and it is a good thing because lately this child:





has given me a run for my money. Really, I never realized how hard parenting would be. J is such a challenge right now. I feel bad saying this after going on and on about Miss P, and I recognize that J has so many great qualities, but unfortunately they are overshadowed by the challenges right now. I just don't know how to parent him. I feel like our days are so negative with me punishing him all day long for lying, disobeying or being disrespectful. I would love any advice that any of you have because frankly, I am stumped and I want the atmosphere in our home to be more positive.


It is a good thing he is so dang cute and funny or I really don't think I would survive.

I need a little help!!

I want to take advantage of an awesome special and have some newborn portraits printed for a dr.s office. The problem is, I am so totally indecisive, so I am putting it out there for all of you. I have to order tonight, so please respond soon!! Pick your favorite three in order of most to second most to third most. Thanks!!

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Just a few of the great things J did in the last week...

cut paige's hair (could have been worse thank heavens)

Peed on the floor of his closet

taught P to say "hate"

poured cereal ALL over the car


And I will add to this as I remember more because believe me, there are more.

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.

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