Somedays

Somedays I miss my family. We have amazing nights -like when these pictures were taken- where we all hang out and just talk and talk and talk. The kids play, we all exchange babies, we plan events, we tell funny stories. I love the family I was raised with -and wouldn't trade what we have for anything.
Somedays I get headaches and wish I could close my eyes for a long long long time.
Somedays I look down in the shower and see things like a leaf from Ella's froggie game, a plastic horse, a ram, a lizard, a spongebob, and 1/2 of a truck and wonder what happened to my life... :)
Somedays I wish Lance hated beer.
Somedays I want to take my girls to the mall and get them something cute to wear.
Somedays I need to be told I'm beautiful and am a good mom.
Somedays I wish my job were more simple.
Somedays I spend some extra time reading and counting with Ella because she's so darn smart and she amazes the heck out of me.
Somedays I boogie down to "The Office" music, and Ella joins me.
Somedays I wish Lance and I had more nights together.
Somedays I have friends come by and am grateful for the adult conversation.
Somedays hearing Mia spitting and knowing the drool is soaking her clothes makes me smile.
Somedays my life and the plan for me makes perfect sense.

Lily-Bug is 1!!!

Rachael's little baby Lily is one of the cutest little girls I know! Lily isn't your typical girl, all flowers and butterflies -she is a firecracker! Lily is a bit of a loose cannon and has a crazy temper like I've never seen on a child! Rachael lovingly refers to her as "high drama" which is quite accurate. Since Rachael is the least drama out of all of the sisters, it's quite amusing to watch her work with this child with the personality from who-knows-where!!

Lips you can park a truck on.
Such a little cutie.
Happy Birthday Lily, we all love you!!

Riding along in my automobile...

So Lance thinks he wants a Hyundai Genesis now. Those who know us well know that we have had a few "issues" with being a bit hasty on purchasing new vehicles. I don't see us getting this car anytime soon, but it's reeeeeeally nice.....

Dad!

In the interest of Father’s Day having just passed, and Dad’s birthday coming up, I wanted to say a few things about my Dad. We grew up in a very strict household, where standards and expectations were clear. My Dad is a prosecuting attorney, who was once Garfield County Attorney (yay Panguitch!), once a Logan City Attorney, and is now working for Mark Shurtleff in the Attorney General’s office. Dad was also a Stake President for the Cache West Stake here in Logan for around 9 years. I guess through this experience, you could say that he’s seen some of the not-so-good side of life. Dad isn’t easily won over, and (although he’s getting better at not showing it) can be skeptical of people you bring around his house! He commutes to SLC every week, and rents a room from my sister during that time. He’s back in Logan on weekends. Dad is a movie hound. He likes to go to see new flicks every weekend, and anyone is welcome to join him on the trip. *Which is really quite generous, however, I am unable to go most of the time due to kiddums that don’t necessarily cooperate in a theater setting. My Dad is quiet, and has a very low voice. I remember on multiple occasions having him come into my room when I had friends over, looking past them, directly at me, and with his stern voice saying “it’s time for your friends to go home”. WOW –I didn’t have a friend who wasn’t terrified of him.
Dad and I have had a rocky relationship for most of my life. I guess it wasn’t until the last few years that things started to change. We lost John, my brother, in 2002 (I’ll blog about that another time). After that, I believe that we all seemed to pull together and appreciate each other more. I married Lance, and had Ella, which slowly turned things around for us. Dad was meant to be a papa. The pressure is off of “raising amazing kids” –which he did (not to toot my own horn), but to just enjoy the presence of someone there just to appreciate his. The grandkids in his life don’t depend on his paycheck, on his spiritual guidance, on his rules, or his care… I think this is key in being able to step back and simply take someone in and enjoy them for who they are.
I have always known that Dad doesn’t make decisions for his family without careful thought. I’ve never met a man with more integrity. He has always had the best intentions. Mistakes or not, Dad only wanted the best for each of his children. Dad is a very dedicated and spiritually insightful person. I’m grateful for a father that I am proud of. I am grateful that he and my mom stayed married through all of their hard times. I am grateful that I have an example of hard work, of a sound testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, of the value of education, of sincere hope for the best for one’s family without selfish gain. My parents amaze me, and the product of their work is in these words. I recognize it. I hope to someday emulate the same kind of values I was raised with, and raise some amazing children myself.

Husband Tag!

Husband Tag! Schpanks Megan (hot chick I work with)!

1- What is your husband's name? Lance (Lancycakes, sometimes)

2- Who said I love you first? He did :)

3- Who is taller? Lance -BY FAR! He's 6'3"

4- Who is smarter? Are you kidding me? This is a touchy question, but yes, it's me. Lance is smarter at math, and jello-pretzel salad, perhaps even with Super Mario Cart & football, however, I have the corner on NOT shredding important documents, baking amazing cookies, spelling, and even random and important facts (like OPI nailpolish doesn't last on nails any longer than the cheap stuff).

5- Who is more sensitive? Why would someone ask such a stoopid question?

6- Who does the laundry? Me -ALL the time. Laundry laundry laundry. Lots of laundry.

7- Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Depends, if you're in the bed, then it's me, if you're looking at the bed, I guess NO ONE since we work opposite shifts. I think Lanceycakes takes the right side too, however, now that I think about it, we're both taking up most of the bed.

8- Who pays the bills? It's a trade-off... Depends on who wants to know the balances first.

9- Who cooks more? Me. BUT Lance comes from a family of AMAZING chefs, so who do YOU think should be doing it???

10- What meals do you cook together? PAH! Did I mention we work opposite schedules? Although, on weekends, we do make a mean dutch-oven together. It takes two!

11- Who is more stubborn? I am definitely more stubborn. Lance is definitely more stubborn.

12-Who is the first to admit they are wrong? It's always me, I'm a schmo.

13- Who is more clean? Definitely me. I HATE leaving the house if it's a mess. It's part of my OCD charm.

14- Who has more siblings? Me. 6 kids in my family!

15- Who wears the pants in the relationship? Please refer to #11.

16- What do you like to do together? Camping, chillin' in the back, Super Mario Cart (I should get comission somehow), going to dinner, OTHER awesome and unmentionable activities.

17- Who eats more sweets? Oh, me. :(

18- Guilty Pleasures? Well, I shouldn't mention it, but I think he can be a bit of a "Real World" fan.

19- How did you meet? Through a mutual friend. I asked him later where he's been hiding this guy!!

20- Who asked who out first? My first thought was "oh man, he's SO out of my league, but I'm SO going for it" and I hit on him.

21- Who kissed who first? Me. Call me aggressive.

22- Who proposed? Lance, but never a formal proposal, more like "don't you want to marry me?"

23- Best features? EVERYTHING! Lance is gorgeous, if you haven't noticed.

24- What is his best quality? Dedication.

I tag Mary, Rach, and Heidi!

Thank heaven for little girls...

UGLIER FROG!!!

Lance is generally a decent fellow, with a fairly mild (if not dirty) sense of humor. His humor, however, has taken an drastic turn down a spiral that I don’t appreciate, and certainly don’t condone. Yes, now Lance finds simple pleasure in encouraging my little girl (bless her heart) to choose toys that no mother in her right mind would purchase for her daughter. Just when you think that you’ve seen the ugliest and worst in the frog department, yes, it can be topped. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Uglier Frog. This wretched creature is smaller in size than its predecessor, yet, carries with it, qualities that make me long for the good ole’ Ugly Frog days (when eggs inside a squishy body were the nastiest piece to deal with)… Uglier Frog has FLIES in his eyes, and when you push on him, a balloon-like tongue sticks out at you. He’s squishy, and when you squeeze him, you get random bubbles of latex in different parts of his body that protrude. Uglier Frog has joined Ella and Mia for a bath already, and has rested on my kitchen counter for longer than acceptable last evening. Any suggestions on quashing the epidemic of unsightly and offensive toys gracing my home? I’m thinking an intervention might be necessary.

Quote of the day

Daddy: Ella, how do you like your oatmeal?
Ella: It tastes like garbage.


Mommy: You have a choice, Ella. You can eat 4 more bites of your dinner, or you don't get a snack before dinner tomorrow.
Ella: Snack.
Mommy: You're sure? You're full?
Ella: Yep.
Mommy: You're excused from the table.
Ella: (walking away) I wish I had a marshmellow.

Mikana

Mikana is an adorable neighbor girl who plays with Ella all the time. THANK HEAVEN!! It's SO nice for Ella to have a friend in the neighborhood that is kind and sweet (ie NOT a mean girl). She is a first-grader, but has no problem hangin' out with my 4-year-old. The two can be seen sitting in the wagon, running through the sprinkler, eating popcicles, or even zooming around the fence to retrieve the ball that was kicked over (I think they do this on purpose).

Summerfest, baybee!

This year's down-town summerfest was actually a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong -I love this stuff. I love getting out of the house and checking out local crafties, however, the crafties weren't too diverse this year. WAY too much photography and paintings -not enough toys/ jewelry/ pottery, etc. I went with my sisters Sarah (above with her snow-cone) and Rachael & her baby Lily. Rach was behind the camera in this shot. YES, that is my 4-year-old in the stroller, and believe me, it wasn't until we let her know that Dave and Lex were meeting us that I could pull her out of it!

Mia had a relaxing time.

Here's the long-ago-promised picture of Ella and Lexie -who is one of Ella's favorite people!

Time with Daddy

This weekend Lance worked quite a bit, but we were able to steal away a few moments to zip up Logan Canyon and have a small weenie/marshmellow roast -just the four of us. It was wonderful to just get away for a little while and enjoy the amazing scenery and fresh air. This is one of our family's favorite things to do. Ella was disappointed that we weren't camping for the night, but we'll be (hopefully) doing that soon enough. Happy Father's Day, hunny!!

*Our view.

A nod to the man

Recently I heard about a dear friend who is going through some serious marriage problems. I have observed that this is quite commonplace around me, and the dissolution of solid commitment is abundant. I've come to a realization -no one is immune. I think that the outside influences are ever powerful and Satan is doing a really good job at destroying families with such a smart and devastating plan. I think it would be naive of me to be celebrating a happy marriage -rather an opportunity to resolve to protect it. Lance is an amazing man. He's such a hard worker, he's ambitious, he's brilliant, he's handy, he's gorgeous, he's sexy, and he's all mine, ladies! From the moment I met him, I have shouted from the rooftops that I love this man. We've been together for five years now, and certainly have had our share of heartbreaking moments. All together, especially now, it's an investment to protect and cherish. Marriage isn't easy -but it can be the most fulfilling and beautiful part of you when it's embraced. When I look in the mirror, I see Lance's wife. He chose me, I chose him, and it's an honor to stand by his side. I love you baby.

On Ella...

Quotables:

On Mario Cart:

"You're going DOWN, mommy."

"I'm DEAD last."

"Here comes my angel of death."

"I see myself! I won a trophy!"

On eating her eggs:

"NEVER!"

She'd rather eat:

"Loop loops"

Every night at bedtime:

"Goosing is only for night-time!"

"Are you going to be here tomorrow?" -hoping it's a Saturday and I'll be home in the morn :)

Random:

"It's a BEEED one" (translation: it's a BIG one -could be anything)

Question:

What does Auntie Sarah need?

Ella: "A boyfriend!"

What does the truck need?

Ella: "A muffler"

Why are you so cute?

Ella: "Because my mommy is cute!" -um, no influence from me...

What does mommy always say?

Ella: "Oh, Laaaaance!"

Sweet baby

This morning I heard Mia cooing upstairs as I was waiting for Lance to come home from work (we do the drive-by hello/goodbye as I leave). I went upstairs and found she'd pulled a 180 degree and was upside down in her bed, happy as a little clam. I came in and asked "how did you do that?" -she started laughing. SO sweet.

Aneesa's Birthday

The first time I saw Aneesa she was crawling on the floor with a broken arm in a little cast. She has always had the same gorgeous eyes with the Sortor lashes that go on for miles. Aneesa is my niece -she's Lance's sister Candace's daughter. She is 2 years older than Ella -and the two are good friends. We went to Candace & Scotty's last night for the festivities. See the chalk drawings on the ground? Our gift to her. Heh heh. Lance picked it out, so I can't really be blamed. Moms tend to cringe as someone gives their kid something they'll end up cleaning up. It would be better to not bring one at all, sometimes... :)

These are the kids that were at the party. From left to right, we have Phoebe -some random neighborhood kid with her jammies on (???), My Ella, Chazzy Bear (Chaston), Aneesa, and 2 of Melanie's girls (don't know their names per child- sorry!). All together, Candace threw a great shin-dig, and even took Ella with them go to bowling afterward while I got to go home and put Mia to bed. Yes, I guess I got a little Super Mario Cart in while all by myself -and I won't make any apologies!!! I love my little world.

Weekend in SLC

Let the good times roll! This last weekend I went to SLC with baby Mia to spend some time with my sisters. We had a fantastic time! Ella stayed with Daddy in Logan and got a lot of fun in the sun. We played with babies and threw in a little Guitar Hero. The better part of the weekend was just spent gabbing -which is what you do when you get together with your sistas.

Lily had a few things to teach Mia.

Later we visited with baby Noah back in Logan -who did get the viral crap that Mia has been dealing with, poor kiddo!

Ugly Frog's Last Day

Oh, ugly frog. The saga comes to a sad and surprising end. So I get home the other day and Ella has a can of my Minute Maid Light Raspberry Passion out, and my mind starts racing –the eyes start darting –THERE HE IS!!! Ugly frog returns! Ella had him out playing in her little pool with her (on one of the FEW warm days we’ve had here). Well, Ugly Frog makes it inside, and ultimately out to lunch with Lance and myself.

*This is Ugly Frog on Lance’s shoulder at Iggy’s, note both eyes are missing.

Funny, Ella and I wound up at Sam’s Club (I swear, I keep them in business) later in the day. OF COURSE I’m going to go back on my word on bringing toys into stores –we want to lose this one… I was conscious of Ugly Frog the whole time, and as she accidentally left him under a rack of clothes (shopping with Ella is an experience), I smiled as I walked away from Ugly Frog for the last time. It’s fate that he’d wind up here. Oh, some poor maintenance schmo will pick him up and curse the parent who would buy this hideous thing for their child, but that’s not my problem now. Ugly Frog put up a good fight, and even went to lunch with the family trying to get into my good graces... Bwa ha ha ha!! All for naught! Ugly frog is no longer a part of our household, and there are no tears shed in this corner. (sorry Ella)