The Easter Bunny came hopping our way...

And the kids were thrilled!


and then our fabulous Daddy
hid the eggs that Easter Bunny left us.


And they were even more excited!


They already can't wait for Easter next year.

I don't blame them.

I love candy too.

So I was thrilled
at the prospect of aiding my children
in emptying their baskets of candy.

Holly played the nastiest trick ever
by filling the eggs she brought with
WHITE chocolate Reeses eggs.

Who does that?
Dirty rotten trick.

She said it served me right for stealing the kids candy.

I say it is my duty to steal their candy
so that they don't eat it all
and be on a sugar high for days.

I was about ready to denounce her as my sister.
I should tell her Easter Bunny (listen up Cory)
to only bring her peeps next year.
Then we will be even.

Bloggy Bloggy Blah Blahs

So I am feeling what can only be called
the bloggy bloggy blah blahs.

First.

My Camera is broken
and hopefully being raised from the dead as we speak.
(Appropriate don't you think? since its the Easter season.)
And what is a good blog without good pictures?
Its not.
Thats what.

Second.

My kids have been reasonably well behaved the past few days.
Which is blessedly peaceful,
but does not induce creative posting
as I am not one of those moms
that thinks that everyone needs to hear
how constantly angelic their children
are every several hours.
My kids are cute for sure,
but kids are never as cute to others
as they are to their own parents.
And don't worry, we have had our share of naughty,
just not blog worthy naughty.

Third.

I have been trying to drag out all of my projects
that I have been storing up to work on "someday"
Its obscene really what a collector of projects I am.
This is why Holly had to make me swear to finish the bathroom that very day.
I don't know why I think I have the time to do the projects
that I am always so sure will look so awesome.
Because they don't look awesome in a jumbled pile
in the closet, under my stairs.
They just look like a jumbled pile of junk.
One by one
I have been trying to sand and paint and sew
my way through them.
But true to form
I am about halfway though all of them,
not finished with any.

I think I may be ADD.
Can you tell from this post?
Random thoughts.
Start one thing, then move to another
forgetting what the first was.
Great intentions always.
Rarely great follow through.

As a justification however,
I did mail the aprons I promised.
Finally.

Fourth

My house is in the blah stage as well.
Not spanking clean,
but not truly a pit (yet)
I want to paint my cabinets.
But I can't justify doing this until my house
is the above mentioned, spanking clean.
I just can't seem to manage this.
Ever.

See what I mean?
Nothing horrid,
but nothing really great.
The bloggy bloggy blah blahs.

Hopefully my camera will come back to me soon.
Hopefully my kids will keep being decent
(not holding my breath)
Hopefully I will find the time and the will power
to finish something.
Hopefully a magic fairy will come
and clean my house.

Here's to hoping.

Yeah well...

Not enough of you shared the love.
We did not win the picture contest.
Those of you who did...
you are fabulous
those of you who didn't
Shame shame you know your name.

Oh well,
since I have been friendly with the photog
for what 9 years?
I might be able to wrangle a great deal anyway.
Huh Ambyr?
When you flyin out?
I got some cute kids I need you to capture on disc.
I am in awe of your talent.
Constantly and seriously in awe.

vote, Vote, VOTE! For the love of Coco Butter, VOTE!

So my baby Cohen,
(otherwise known as the terror with the sharpy marker!)
Is in a photo contest on my friends blog.
If I win, I get free pictures from her.
And I WANT THEM!
She is THE BEST children's photographer.
(Really, check her out, she's amazing)
SO PLEASE
If you love me and my blog
or if you hate my blog, but feel compelled to look at it anyway,
go HERE
and vote for Coco Butter.
He is #7
or click the link for Ambyr Porter Photography
on my blog list to the right.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

Oh Kenna, really?

You know you are in big trouble when you find this


And you know it was not you,
or the only other adult in the house
That created this pile o' crap.

And then when you find this

You think,
Great!,
What Doll was just scalped to create this pile.

And then you find the Doll

Poor thing's hair is now a pixie cut,
instead of flowing red strawberry scented locks.

And right about now
I am noticing that it is very quiet
in my house.

Silence is a
Guaranteed sign of trouble

So I go hunting
and I find this

Who is sitting beside

This!


and this is the point at which
I start FREAKING OUT

I could NOT believe it.


I know that Kenna could care less
that the baby hairs around her face
were millimeters away from fitting into her ponytail.
I know that she doesn't care
that it is already SO HARD to do her hair.
Both because she freaks out and wiggles like a worm,
and because she has an intense swirl in the front of her head
that makes her hair go sideways instead of forward.

I wanted to cry.
Really,
Its not even my hair,
and I wanted to cry.

and Brittany, (our friend and hair savior)
betrayed us
and moved to California, last month!
So I couldn't even call her to save us.

I had to make the best of what I had,

which wasn't much,
and what was there was not good.

I know that you are supposed to think
that your kids are adorable
no matter what
but,
I hate her hair.
Hate it.

Is it ridiculous to pray that it grows fast?
Because I utter a prayer every time I look at her.

Love her,
Hate the hair.

Cade-a-rama

You are 5!

You are old!


It is going too fast!


Slow Down!


Please!


I know you are big,


Getting bigger everyday.


Big things are coming your way buddy.


Thanks for being my friend,


Thanks for telling me I am beautiful,


and that you like my shoes.


You are one HOT dancer!


And your funny faces make me laugh.


And your snuggy hugs make me so happy.


My first baby.


You turned me into a mom.


You are extra special because of that.
And for more reasons than I can list.



P.S. I love you more, I always will.

My 3 Year Old Insomniac

Kenna Rarely sleeps.


She doesn't nap often
She stays up late
She wakes up several times a night
She wakes up early in the morning.
We take pictures of her sleeping to prove to ourselves that it actually occurs.
(If you will notice in these pictures,
it is never night time and she is never in her bed.)


Last night was extreme.
Even for Kenna.
She fell asleep early,
but then woke up screaming several times.
She would sit up, then lay down, then sit up.
Whimper and then turn over.
Ryan and I were at our whits end.

She mumbled once about her ear hurting,
then turned over.
So I got her some tylenol and told her if she didn't lay still
and go to sleep that she had to go back to her bed.
On and on this went until about 6am.
She FINALLY fell asleep.


I called the doctor to take her in just in case
she actually did have an ear infection,
and if she didn't, then I needed some serious advice
on getting a 3 yr old to go to sleep and sleep all night long.
I was wiped out.


We were in the office waiting for the doctor to come in
and I grabbed my brush out of my purse to brush Kenna's hair.
It kept getting stuck in tangles in the side of her head.
I pulled it back to look
and her ear and neck were crusted along with her hair.
Puss and blood.

So I am probably the worst mom in the world.
My daughters ear drum ruptured
from having such a bad ear infection,
and was draining nastiness all over her neck,
And at the time all I wanted was for her to be quiet and SLEEP!
The doctor said it probably ruptured around 6,
when she finally fell asleep because there was some relief
from the pressure.

I SUCK!
My pediatrician (who is awesome) said
"You probably wouldn't have been able to sleep either
if your ear hurt this bad."
AHHHHHH!!!!
I am a HORRIBLE MOTHER!
Ryan felt pretty bad too
for abandoning ship and going to sleep on the couch.

Sorry about the no actual pictures thing.
(I know you wanted to see the crusty gunk)
I will try to add some later.
My camera, as previously mentioned,
took a hiatus from actually taking pictures.
The Geek Squad
at Best Buy is trying to beat it back into submission.

DIY Handi Andi Style (with the remarkable talents of JRP and Holly Doll assisting in the Dirty Work)

So I read the Blog This Young House
and I love it.
And Today, they had a link to another blog
That is all about redecorating and renovating.
And on this blog,
There was a post about


Habitat for Humanity Re-Stores
My curiosity was immediately piqued.

These are stores with overstock, odd-lot,
or gently used building products, and greatly used products
that are sold for CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP.
Seriously cheap.

If you know me,
then you know
I CANNOT PASS UP STEALS OF DEALS
and if you read this blog then you know
I have been trying to piece by piece
actually decorate this house
I have been living in for 6 years.


What if they had the coolest thing ever there...
For Cheap?
They only have ONE in all of Utah.
I thought...GREAT its going to be in Salt Lake.
NOPE.
PROVO.
YEAH!


and all of the proceeds from sales
go to build houses for habitat for humanity.
So its a good cause!

I was so excited!
Except,
Ryan was at a Church activity
I called Holly, she didn't answer,
Called Caitlin, sick baby, at the doctor,
Called Rachel, didn't answer,
then called back, but had a baby shower and some errands.
Called Amy, baby napping, can't go.
AHHHH!
Holly called back,
and like the awesome friend and sidekick that she is,
she said, "When are we leaving?"

I have to admit,
it was a little junkier than I thought it would be.
But really, they had some cool stuff.
I was looking for a new vanity and sink for my half bath off the kitchen.
Hated the current one.


I circled the store about five times.
Decided to make one more pass,
and found this thing

I called Holly over and asked her what she thought.
"I think its hideous" she said calmly.
"I know, I said, "but try to see it with black paint,
new faucet and knobs in brushed nickel."
She gave me the look.
"Its that bad?" I pleaded.
"Yes" she said.
and then like the champ she is, she continued.
"Right now its that bad, but...
If you will go today and get the paint and faucet,
and fix it today, I will help you."
But you cannot buy it
if it is just going to sit in your garage for 6 months.
JRP, my fabulous husband, said, Ummm...sure.

Sold.

Got the paint, got the faucet.

Holly gifted me the darling knobs.

Ryan did the demo of the old sink.

We got to work.



We sanded it.
We painted it.

We distressed it.
Ryan and Holly redid the faucet.

Ryan had perhaps the hardest, and most important job.
Since we were painting in the kitchen
He had to keep the kids out of the kitchen.
No easy task.

He had to lay down with them on the couch
In order to get them to stay there.



It was MADE for my little bathroom.
A quarter inch bigger in any direction would not have worked.
And the little bit of turn to the sink adds character
and makes the bathroom a little roomier.

I LOVE IT.
LOVE IT.


I keep going into the bathroom and looking at it.
So do the kids.
And all done in about four hours.

This sounds a little narcisistic, but,
I would like to give a little shout out
to MYSELF,
For having faith in a poor, lonely, UGLY, vanity,
and for the creativity it took to see promise in it.
Also shout outs to Ryan and Holly
who are often roped into my hair brained schemes
and usually make sure that the vision becomes the reality
when I can't figure out the steps in the middle.
I love you both.
(and I love my new vanity)

Sorry the pictures are tiny and crappy.
My camera decided to be stupid today and wouldn't take pictures.
These are courtesy of my cell phone.

Inspiration

Do you ever feel inspired?

You read a little note,

You are reading some one's blog,

You are sharing a chat with a friend,

And suddenly, something just rings true for you,

your heart sighs a little,

or speeds up

because the pieces of the scattered puzzle just came together,

and you are Excited!

Or peace just moves through you like swirling water,

slow and calming and comforting.

There have been several moments for me like that this week.

And I'm not going to lie, I needed the boost.

I got up early to go to work,

and after getting the kids from Holly,

instead of putting them down for naps

I turned on some random cartoon

and snuggled with my kids on the couch.

We all fell asleep.

All of us, in this big messy pile.

I stress about not working as much (smaller paychecks)

and I stress that as a mother I am not doing enough.

Today I felt good enough.

I felt snuggled, and needed, and important, and warm.

I felt in my soul

instead of just knowing in my head,

How sacred my mission is,

as I held my sleeping children.

When I got my children from Holly today,

I caught sight of Princess B.

Who took a header on the concrete yesterday.

Her poor face is all scraped up.

My heart hurt for her hurt,

and I realized how lucky I am to have her.

She isn't mine, but I kind of consider her mine,

Part of the crew, one of my gang,

an addition to the family.

More daughter than niece.

The girl has puked on me and peed on my carpet

about as often as my own children have.

I feel like I have the right to claim her.

I am blessed to know this little girl.

Her life and health are a miracle.

I have witnessed miracles, because I know her.

Thank you Holly for sharing.

I have great sisters.

More like best friends than sisters.

We are so alike, but very very different.

My sisters are smart women.

Rachel just did a lesson in church on self reliance.

She referenced this talk by James E Talmage.

I liked the quote at the end

"Sometimes our desires to become independent

and more self reliant are so strong

that we begin to act negatively

toward any kind of authority over us."

Reading this was one of those moments

mentioned at the beginning.

I don't generally see myself as acting negatively towards God,

but,

Sometimes I am trying too hard to do everything right,

and everything by myself,

to prove something,

to someone, or everyone,

that I forget,

that I am not alone,

I don't have to do it myself,

it doesn't have to be perfect,

I just have to do the best I can.

I often feel like stomping my feet in frustration

when I feel like things just aren't going right.

I don't often stop to recall if I asked for help,

Did I ask Heavenly Father for things to go differently?

or ask for guidance?

Or did I just get mad when it wasn't my way.

I need to remember the divine purpose I have here on earth.

And live my life according to that.

Not according to the pressure I feel

to be perfect and independent.

Then I was reading my Dad's Blog.

He talked about a funeral he attended.

How the family of the deceased woman was fighting,

and seemed bitter,

and not united.

To this my dad said,

"It is my fondest desire that all are to be found busily engaged in the value laden work of teaching the gospel in their homes and living it to the best of their ability. One’s family is similar to the parable of the talents. To your mother and I were given children; the worth of which was great. Our task was to multiply that which had been given. The measure of success is found in the extent to which each life is lived in keeping with the commandments and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.When one is laid in one’s casket it is too late to consider what should have been done along the way. Each day presents a new vista of opportunity to do well and be good."

Am I multiplying the talents that I was given?

Is this evident in the way that I choose to live my life?

In the way that I am teaching and molding the lives of my children?

Am I choosing every day to do what is right, to do well, and be good?

Because I can choose that.

I can.

What a mind altering thought.

It clicked.

It inspired me.

It helped me make better choices.

My step mom Becky wrote me a note about 3 years ago,

right before I had Kenna.

Its on a pink post it note, stuck on my fridge.

Every time I read it I am uplifted.

The last couple of lines say

"Be sure and tell yourself what a great job you are doing.

Being a mother, working in and out of the home,

a wife, and a sister in the gospel.

You simply must be fair to yourself

for all the good you add to this world."

Are you fair to yourself?

Amidst the stress and guilt,

do you give yourself credit for the good that you add to this world?

I need to frame this little post it note.

Because it has altered my mood

and made me feel validated and appreciated

weekly, and sometimes daily, since she sent it to me.

It inspires me to live up to her belief in me

and my goodness.

The funny thing is,

since I have started thinking

about all these things that inspire me,

I keep remembering more and more things that I love,

that are important,

that make me happy,

that make me whole.

What inspires you this week?

Spring? Sunshine? Laughter? Love? Kids?

I think if I could narrow all these words down to one,

my inspiration this week would be

Choices.

I can choose.

My actions, my reactions, my words, my deeds.

I need to get to work on those choices.

Feliz Cumpleanos a mi!

So it was my 29th Birthday.

Directly after Toddler Gym
Holly, Cait, and Rachel took me out to lunch at the Olive Garden


This is what a table looks like when 4 Adults and 6 Kids eat there.
It was so good.
And what is a birthday at a restaurant
without the embarrassing chorus of waiters singing to you.


At least they brought Black Tie Mousse Cake.
I have learned in my old age,
not to tell people not to tell the restaurant,
because they are going to anyway.
And my birthday is only once a year right?
Why shouldn't I smile and enjoy it when random people sing to me?

We went to Kohls directly after Olive Garden
because I wanted to get this headband
that I saw on the Cardigan Empire blog.


Five bucks.
Awesome. Couldn't pass it up.
And remember, my birthday, so why should I?

I took the kids potty 3, yes 3 times while we were in Kohls.
After the second bathroom trip
I couldn't find Kenna.
Holly dragged her up to me
and said "Happy Birthday to you,"
"Kenna pooped in her panties."
Well, according to Kenna, "the poops just fell out"
But regardless, this put a damper on the celebratory mood.
Kenna refused to walk, because,
"the poops would fall out on her shoes"
and she refused to sit, because,
"the poops would squish on her bum"
I refused to carry her
because I didn't want the poops squished on my shirt.


This was her solution.
She held herself up in the stroller so that her bum didn't touch.
And when her arms got tired,


She switched to this. Side sitting.
That was not a nice thing to do to her mother on her birthday.


When we got home Holly made me this
ROCKIN' Fruit Pizza
for my Birthday Cake.
It tasted just as awesome as it looked.
Yep, it was delicious.
Thank you to everyone that came over and hung out.
I had a great day,
well,minus the poop,
It was a great day.