Relief Society Meeting

Wasn't that talk by President Uchtdorf amazing? So inspirational. I loved it when he was talking about the importance of service and said: "In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance." I admit, I've been feeling a bit grouchy lately so this talk was exactly what I needed to cheer up.

This delicious cheese cake that my sis-in-law Shannon and I split afterward also helped a lot with my grouchiness:
It's the 30th anniversary cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory. You have to try it. So good!

Life's Lessons...

Note to self. After using a plastic plate for holding black acrylic paint while crafting, do not put said plate un-rinsed into dishwasher.
Update: Running the dishwasher cycle for a second and third time does not change initial outcome of incident.

Tabby Said It Vol. 2 - NO OFFENCE TO THOSE WHO DRIVE SMART CARS!

Tabby saw a commercial today that showed how someone could win a Smart Car. She knows what they are as I have pointed and giggled at them before. She said "Mommy, you should try to win that Smart Car!" I said "I don't want a Smart Car." Tabby then asks "Why Not?" My totally non-superficial answer was "Because I would feel silly driving it." She looks at me seriously and says "It's okay, because the windows would be dark."

Another one:

"Mom, why is there glitter all over the floor?" I say "Because I am a very messy crafter." She looks at it closer and says "It looks like a magic floor." Just darling.

The Office is Almost Here!

The best show ever created starts up again this Thursday! I can't wait! Do you love The Office too?

My most favorite episode is the Dinner Party. I love it when Dwight doesn't get invited and tries not to cry.
I'm going to celebrate by putting up red streamers and hanging my poster of "Babies Playing Jazz."

Main Street. Mesa, Arizona

Next time you want to get fun pictures of your kids/family/people you know, you need to go to Main Street in Mesa. Maybe you already have and I'm the last one to realize this but there are so many cool backgrounds all over the place there. Not to mention the most adorable clothing stores and the big fat lemon bars from Sweet Cakes.

Here are the pics of the kiddos I took while I was there. Warning: There are lots so if you are already tired of looking at pics of my children, I suggest you look away.

Aunt Magi taking a break with Ella:As you can see, my photography style is to take a regular old picture and then photoshop the CRAP out if it! That's why they all look different.

My dad gave me his old macro lens which is awesome and super fast. It's manual focus and when I uploaded my pics, I found that a lot of them were out of focus, particularly the full body shot ones. The head shots turned out alright though. I really need more practice. I'm so used to the camera doing all the work for me. I actually learned photography on a completely manual camera and I've totally forgotten all of it now.

I Couldn't Wait Just One More Second!

I decorated my house for Halloween. Sorry everyone, I'm sure I violated some sort of holiday decor code. But I just couldn't resist. We're lucky I made it this far. I get so exited around this time of year. For starters, the horrible nasty dripping with sweat heat is starting to let up. Hooray! I can live a life now! We can go outside! And it's college football season, the holiday season, my running season, and the school season. All of which are very awesome in my book.

I really think Halloween is my favorite holiday. Who knows, I may say that Christmas is my favorite when December rolls around. But for now, it's Halloween. I love the decorations and that crisp Fall air. My kids are huge fans too. Probably because of all the free candy, ya think?

Here are some pics of my spooky house:
This spooky banner was easy and fun to make:These branches are from my tree that died in the frost last winter. Lucky for me, too bad for the tree.
One day I will put candles in that candelabra:
On top of the pantry:

Oh, it's ON now!

It's time to get serious again. So serious that I joined a running team called Team Chances. It's sounds so sporty to say that I'm on a running team, but don't worry, they accept slow people (a.k.a. me) so its not as big time as it sounds.

Last night, I did my first training run for the half marathon I will be doing in February next year. This is the first time I have ran with any sort of effort since "running" the SLC marathon back in April. Ugh. So much is lost. Or should I say gained. Being on bed rest for two weeks really packed on the pounds not to mention I was not eating my best at that time (still not.) I have a long way to go. I used to be able to run once around the track at about a 5:30 to 6 min mile pace and my mile was a little faster than 8 mins. Now I bet my mile is around 11 mins, my knees hurt, I huff and puff, and my thighs eat my shorts.

With all of this in mind, I still came home feeling kinda encouraged. I've been in this boat more than once before and I've always been able to bounce back. I know I will get better and I'm excited for that. Although, I would rebound a lot faster if I could just lay off the junk like stupid Taco Bell! Why does it have to be so cheap and delicious? My life is SO hard.

Anyway, here's to my running rebound and laying off the fat and calories. And if you see me eating junk food, slap it out of my hand.

Hallelujah!

I know, I know. Not supposed to reward kids with food. I get it. But Tabby's favorite thing in this whole wide world is candy, she never met a piece she didn't like. So, just what did she do to deserve this giant carb loaded sugar bomb?
SHE STOPPED SUCKING HER THUMB!!! You do not know how relieved I am! The actual thumb sucking never bothered me. The problem was what it was doing to her teeth. You see, I was a thumb sucker myself and I had to have braces for seven (!!!) years. Not just braces, I pretty much had every orthodontic apparatus ever used in the 1980's installed in to my mouth. It was horrific. We're talking headgear with the strap going across the top of my head and another one going behind my neck. Crazy rubber band mouth, Power Chains (colored according to what holiday was coming up), Arches, Spacers, Retainers, and this weird white plastic thingy that hung down behind my top front teeth. I swear they made that last one up just for me because I have never heard of someone else having that! This is why I feared for my little girl and her cute little mouth. Don't get me wrong, braces on kids are adorable and that alone wouldn't bother me. But I wouldn't wish the horrible orthodontic "devices" that I was forced to suffer through for seven (!!!) years on my worst enemy.

Now you now why I just HAD to get her to stop sucking her thumb before it was too late. But here's the thing. I couldn't get her to stop. She found a way around everything I tried. I taped socks to cover her hands at night, I tried thumb guards, I tried that nasty tasting stuff you paint on the nail, I tried ignoring it, I tried praising her when she wasn't doing it, I tired a reward chart. I TRIED EVERYTHING!

I then began thinking of starting a savings account for all the millions of dollars we were going to pay to some orthodontist somewhere who could fix my little girl's buck teeth which she was totally going to get for sure now because she was not stopping for anything or anyone.

Then one day, it happened. It was like she got it. All I said to her was "Tabby (she was about to start kindergarten) they don't let you suck your thumb in kindergarten." Kinda snobby, I know. But it was like it just clicked with her. I don't take any of the credit because over the next few weeks, I saw her just simply will herself out of the habit. She would bring her thumb up to her mouth and then catch herself and stop. She would make little fists and tuck her thumb in to try and remind herself not to do it. I was completely impressed. Over the course of a few weeks, she totally broke the habit all by her little 5 year old self. Sometimes her strong will and stubbornness can be helpful, I suppose.

I just realized the irony of giving my little girl a sugary teeth ruiner because she stopped sucking her thumb to save her teeth...

You Gotta Watch This Show

I am hooked on Say Yes To The Dress. Have you heard of it? Are you obsessed as I am? It's one of the way too many shows I TiVo every week. The set is a bourgeois wedding gown boutique in Manhattan called Kleinfeld's where they film brides trying on and selecting a dress for their big day. It's so fun to shout at the TV as if the women can hear me. "NO, please don't wear that hideous mess!" Or cry when they find the Perfect Dress. I also cry when I see what the brides are paying for these designer dresses. $7000.00 for a dress? Really? I thought I was in the big leagues when I got my $750.00 wedding dress. I have to say though, my fave moments are when the bridezillas or the momzillas (even better) go berserk on the sales people. That's high entertainment value in my book.

Where was this when I was picking gowns? Does it come with a sleeve option???

If you want to get hooked too, it's on TLC on Friday nights.

Look What We Learned!

We have reached a milestone in our family.
"I can ride my bike with no training wheels" -this is the song Tabby made up to the tune of Handlebars by the Flobots. Pretty clever.

I was so surprised about how fast she picked it up. I think her motivation was that some of her friends from preschool could do it and she didn't want to miss out. I'm pretty sure she rubbed it in their faces when she saw them the next day. Sweet girl.

Now our favorite thing to do is go out in the front when it cools down a bit in the evening (relatively speaking.)
Rex loves to scoot. He's getting to be pretty speedy on this thing.
Here we are lowering the standards for everyone else. No need to thank me.
Yes, I let my baby outside wearing only a diaper. Why in the heck would I create more laundry for myself if we are not going anywhere? In this picture she is sporting the 3 day old piggy tail look which I hear is very in for fall.

No shoes, filthy feet. That's how we roll.

1st Day of Preschool

Rex's big day finally came. If he had to wait one more minute, I think he would have exploded. He grew so tired of seeing his big sister getting to go to school while he had to stay home and now it is his time to shine!!! Yeah! As Tabby was leaving for kindergarten, I told her to give Rex some advice about preschool. She said, "Be kind, listen to the teacher and no yelling at people." Rex then says "But I can yell GO DEVILS!" and makes the pitchfork sign with his hand. Mom says "Of course son, that's always appropriate." ASU shout-outs are always acceptable.
Have a great day Bubba!