It Might Be Easier. . .

I love my boy. Truly, I love, love my baby. But ever since he started crawling on New Years Eve, I have often thought that it might be easier to have a puppy than a baby boy.

Everytime I turn around, Braden is trying to get into the trash, into the toilet, into the houseplants. He likes trash, dirt, and. . .other stuff. He also does not give up. If I tell him no, even in my most stern, mean momma voice, he just keeps trying. He really likes my computer, my phone, my remote. He's all about gadgets. His own toys? He could care less about. He knows he is supposed to stay away from especially my laptop, but he keeps trying nonetheless to bang on a few keys. Today he was able to change the font on my laptop to about an 80. I was a wee bit frustrated as I tried to figure out what combination of keys he hit and how to undo it.

I love him, but he's a lot of work!

A Sad Day

Molly has a couple of cute -isms. She calls Snow White "Snow Wipe". Which is adorable. We really should correct her, but it's just too darn cute.

And then there's Lucky Charms. She calls that cereal "marshmellows" but cannot really say marshmellow and so instead she just asks for "funfinoodles". It's impossible to understand unless you know her. How can Lucky Charms be "funfinoodles". Well, it can, and it has for months.

But today I asked the girls what they wanted for breakfast. Molly asked for "Lucky Charms". No more "funfinoodles". I was so sad. My little girl has figured out Lucky Charms. Snow Wipe will be next, and it will be devastating.

BINGO!

I like Bingo! A lot. There seems to be something about a game that requires little skill and only a little concentration that makes it just perfect for me.

So when Garry's grandpa called and invited me to Bingo night at their assisted living facility, how could I say no? I decided to take Macey, and it is a good thing that I did because she ended up being the only winner in our family! She won a beach mat and a BYU umbrella. So happy here in this picture, showing off for her Dad! Garry bought the umbrella from her for $10. It was a win-win for everyone involved!

It seems as though every time the family gets together, we attempt another large family photo. And yes, that is mostly my fault as I seem to reproduce at an alarming speed and so there is usually a new grandkid at each big gathering.

Here's our latest attempt at a grandkid/cousin shot -- so little and so cute!

Cousin Snuggle Fest

The kids have a cousin from Florida that they love to spend time with! She is only a few months older than Emma, and so they get along really well and love to play. For this visit Garry set up a tent in the basement and let them have an indoor camp-in together. They had a great time!

SNOW!

If you are wondering whether Molly is laughing or crying in this picture, um, well, so am I. But anyway, at the beginning of February we had family come into town -- one family from Florida and one family from Texas and one family from California. All were so excited to see snow (but a little dismayed at the accompanying low temperatures.) They had a great time playing in it together!

It's A Circus!

At the beginning of February Garry's family cam in for a visit! One day they all got together and went to a little circus that was just down the street from our house! They had elephants and bears and it was a great show! I had to come get Molly because she was wiped out during intermission, but the big girls had a great time!

Perfection Explained

A few weeks ago I blogged about feelings of inadequacy after seeing two beautiful and spotless kitchens on Facebook. Well, good news! It turns out that the owners of said kitchens are trying to sell their homes. Therefore, they have to keep their kitchens in top-notch shape. Hooray!

Well, not hooray that they are moving. I am hoping that they will change their minds. But hooray that such does not need to be the norm, at least not in my life. I can realize that kitchens are meant to be lived in, like LeeAnn said. After all, what would Braden do without all of the snacks that his sisters leave ON THE FLOOR for him? Yes, well, I might want to address as least THAT.

Romance Meets Cold, Hard Cash

Yesterday was a bit of a challenge. I woke up and made coffee cake for the kids with some special hot chocolate. So far, so good. But then I got on the Internet to do my 'site scan' where I quickly check my work account, personal email, facebook, and blog pages.

I got stuck on Facebook. There on Facebook I found lots of entries about Valentine's Day. Local ladies posted pictures of their morning surprises: roses, chocolates, cards, it was all there.

I was not jealous of the stuff. I knew that my Valentine would bring home great surprises after work. What threw me for a loop yesterday was the background of the pictures -- all those clean kitchens! Those clean counters, those spotless and empty sinks. All in the background but what a lovely background! My kitchen is usually functionally clean, meaning that it is clean enough to use and get around. But it is almost never spotless. After seeing all those pictures, I figured that it was time to up my game.

A few hours later, I still felt overwhelmed and inadequate. Luckily my Valentine did not bring home roses to take pictures of and post. I got a few boxes of chocolates and cold, hard cash. Apparently that is the gift that keeps on giving!

One day when I have all the kids in school, my kitchen will stay clean, too. And it will be awesome. I'll have to take a picture.

Out Of My Comfort Zone

I truly consider it a tender mercy that when I was having a really hard time with writing for that law firm I was receiving great feedback from my other two writing jobs. I have been sent more work recently, and, honestly, it's for the best that I do not have that job anymore because I just do not have time for it.

Writing for the Intermountain Commercial Record in particular has placed me far outside of my comfort zone. I am not a big phone talker. Okay, I can and have talked to Stephanie for hours at a time, but that is unusual. I always assume that I am taking someone away from something that they would rather be doing and talking on the phone is just not my thing.

But now, I have to call complete strangers and ask them to talk to me. On the record. As I take notes. I have had to call attorneys, state congressmen, state senators, mayors, business owners. It's been a challenge for me.

I hope one day I can make a phone call like it was no big deal but for now I am definitely out of my comfort zone.