Show's over.

I started this blog three years ago. It began as a way to document family happenings, reconnect with old friends and share photos and stories with grandparents. I enjoyed reading what other people posted too, and at times when I struggled with normal mom issues I could escape by blog surfing and be reminded that I'm not the only one.

But my feelings have changed in the recent months. I noticed that I started feeling envious, covetous, overwhelmed and sometimes plain mad when I read blogs. I hate that I feel critical of my family "Why can't you do that nice thing that so-and-so's kid did?" and of myself "I'm such a loser 'cause I don't know how to sew." ungrateful for what I have "I wish I could afford to go to Hawaii, too!" and that I resent my girls when they interrupt me at the computer because it's become a borderline addiction. Blogging has gone from being an outlet to being a show and I'm tired of feeling like my performance is below average.

So, in order to clear up my head, simplify my life, be more content with all that I do have, and spend more time with my family, I've decided to stop reading blogs and to discontinue this one. Don't worry Grandparents and siblings, I'm creating a new private blog just for you guys where I will be sure to include unedited pictures of the girls that show my messy house in the background. It's time I break away from the computer and be the kind of person I want to be, without being influenced by a false reality made up by those who create an illusion of perfection in their blog posts.

Bye bye bloggers. It's better this way.

Close curtain.

Christmas Cuteness.

I think I'm becoming one of those moms who thinks everything their kid makes is fabulous and uses it as decor in their house. But this particular craft surprise that Jenna made at preschool is legitimately awesome.

The poem that came with it reads:

These aren't just any five snowmen

As anyone can see

I made them with my hand,

Which is a part of me.

Now when you trim the tree,

You will look back and recall

The Christmas of 2010

When my hand was just this small.

Can I get a collective "Awwwwwww."

She was pretty cute at the little Christmas program the class did.

When Santa came, she wasn't too interested in him, maybe because she already saw him at the church party?

The class wrote letters to him.

And yesterday when reading a book about shapes she added, "Oh! I've been wanting that Princess Diamond Octagon Shooter!" Guess I better start searching! We've only got TEN DAYS!

The weather outside is frightful...

but playtime is rather delightful.

The latest winter storm warning has brought some pretty chilly temps. But the girls and I have had some fun inside where it's nice and warm.

We shake our groove thang,

Notice the shorts & t-shirt? Can't take summertime out of the girl.

make impromptu crafts with all the felt scraps hanging around,and play in the kitchen.

Things will be even more fun when Grandma & Grandpa get here next week!

Santa Babies

Crafting competition.

I loved going to school at BYU-Idaho. My roommates and I had some crazy times that I will not write about here because my mom reads this blog. Just kidding. The worst thing I did was sneak out past curfew to get a milkshake at Dennys.

But after Jake and I got married, I started feeling claustrophobic in that small town. We lived in a new apartment building specifically designated for married students. We were all newlyweds with no kids, going to school at the same small university. "Competition" ensued. It seemed like everyone was trying to be the most spiritual, the smartest and the best in order to make themselves standout. One fast Sunday at the beginning of the semester, some of the bishopric were released from their callings. During the meeting, one guy got up to share his testimony and I overheard his wife say, "You go (name of the husband). You get that calling."

Noooooooooooooo.

Jake and I moved outta there shortly after that and I thought I had escaped the world of one-upping.

Not exactly.

I'm in it again.

The blog world is a virtual version of that apartment complex we lived in. The blogs I read are most often written by young moms with small children who are trying to find an outlet and something to do other than wipe noses and bums (me included). But now it seems like everyone and their mom has a blog dedicated to sewing/baking/photography or some other artsy craft. That's fine. I do like looking at pretty things people make and trying to recreate them. But it's getting to be overwhelming (especially now that's Christmas and there are a million Christmas crafts floating around). And it feels like in an attempt to be THE sewing/baking/photography/craft blog, bloggers go to great lengths to make their creations stand out. Case in point, I was browsing a craft blog showcasing Christmas party invitations. Instead of just taking a snapshot of the thing, the invite was staged next to two mugs on a cute (vintage, I'm sure) table and, of course, the lighting was perfect. The photo in and of itself was a work of art. I understand the need to make things look good, especially when you're trying to sell something. But for pete's sake, pretty soon people are going to start wearing headbands across their foreheads in the name of being unique.

Oh.

Wait.

People already do that.

I don't know who this girl is. I think I'm supposed say where I got this picture but maybe she doesn't want me to? It was on google images. That's fair game, right?

But you know what I mean. And what happened to just taking a nice, simple family photo? No. We've got to include a vintage chair or beat up truck in the middle of a wheat field at sunset in an effort to stand out from everyone who does take nice, simple pictures. But now that everyone is starting to use the same props as everyone else, what will be next? Posing on elephants?

BTW, our friend took awesome pictures of us. They were perfectly simple and that made them so beautiful. Thanks, Shay.

A sampling of her great work:

Brandy from The Apprentice said it best when she explained why she isn't as vocal as other contestants in the boardroom. She lets her good work speak for itself. No need to oversell. I think that's a good point. If the invitation is cute enough, you don't need a mug to make it look better. If your photography skills are sharp enough, you don't need a rusty truck to make a nice picture. (Having cute kids helps though).

Maybe I'm just tired of the felt flowers, glitter glue, mod podge and embellished Ts. Or maybe I'm just realizing that I can't compete with those that are crafty. Maybe I need to simplify my own life by eliminating the pressure I put on myself when I look at what others make and feel I also have to be creative in order to fit into the world of stay-at-home-mom bloggers. I don't need crafts to feel validated as a wife/mom/woman. Do I sometimes enjoy them? Yes. I did just spend a couple evenings making a felt nativity board. I haven't posted about it because it's not as great as what others could probably make. That, and I couldn't get a good picture of it.

So here's to keeping it simple. Crafts, food, photos, life.

And headbands.

Because I'm a nerd.

Most know that I was the copy editor for BYU-Idaho's newspaper and that for some weird reason I take pleasure in finding obvious grammatical errors. But don't read this blog too closely because I know I make my own mistakes! Nevertheless, I enjoy discovering (and sometimes pointing out) misused words, punctuation errors, etc. Jake loves this, especially when I do it to him.

So, when Callie had an ear infection recently, I had to laugh at the label on the prescription bottle.

Feel free to laugh at the picture... and at me.

Mom versus

As Callie learns how to play more and more, Jenna seems to tattle more and more.

"Mom! She hit me with that book!"

"Mooooom! Callie is playing with my backpack!"

"MOM! That is mine!"

"Mommmmmmmmm. She is not playing right!"

You get the idea.

My response to this is, "Jenna. Play with your sister. Not against her."

The last week or so, I've been annoyed (ok, let's be real here. I've been annoyed for a lot longer than just the last week but the last week has been especially annoying).

It seemed like every time I showered, used the bathroom, sat down to eat, read, check e-mail, talk to Jake or breathe, I was interrupted. Every time I tried to help someone do something, I felt annoyed because they weren't doing it right, i.e. helping Jenna get dressed. "No, Jenna! Wrong foot!"

Then I realized this is how Jenna feels with Callie. I was whining just as much as Jenna.

So today, I took my own advice. I did not do dishes all day. I did not check my e-mail during lunchtime. I did not get upset when Callie only slept one hour and then woke up with a poop and wouldn't go back to sleep. I didn't try to clean up when the girls were awake. Instead, we walked to the mailbox around the corner and took our sweet time getting there. We raked some leaves into a huge pile and jumped in them. Jenna was cracking up and I'm pretty sure that's the best feeling in the world - getting your kids to really laugh because they're having fun playing with you. We made leaf sandwiches and cooked them in the "cooker." Jenna and I took our strollers for a walk and had a baby in each one. Callie in mine, a bear in hers. Today was the first day in more days than I care to admit that I did not once raise my voice.

Will every day be like today? Uh.... no. But it sure did feel good to play with my kids today. They're actually pretty nice girls and I think sometimes I forget that when I'm trying to control them so much and it's not going the way I want.

I have one regret today and that is that I thought I sent the camera with Jake so he could document "Ugly Sweater Day" at school. Turns out he forgot it, but I didn't know it so I have no pictures of our nice afternoon. But maybe it's not such a bad thing that I didn't have the camera to distract me?

And to further illustrate how cool my little preschooler is, here are some funnies from a few nights ago.

During bath:

Me: Jenna, your foot is all red! Why is it red?

Jenna: Oh! It's because I'm siiiiiiiiick.

Me: You are?

Jenna: Yeah. My cough just like went down to my feet!

After bath:

Jenna: I'm like a daddy.

Me: Oh yeah? Why's that?

Jenna: 'Cause I have a hair on my tummy.

And she did. But it was actually mine. Gross.

More Halloween.

Jenna could not stop thinking about trunk-or-treating at the church on Saturday. She set out her costume at about 3pm.

This little girl had no idea. Isn't she cute in her tutu?

Almost time to go!

Checkin' out the loot.

Our city only allows trick-or-treaters on the streets from 6pm-8pm. I like this rule. It eliminates teenage stragglers. Anyway, at 6:45, we couldn't figure out why people were walking past our house! Our porch light was on! Our bowl of candy was full! Then we realized other neighbors out on the porch. As soon as we did the same, the kids started coming up. It was like something straight from the movies to see people on their porch, kids giggling and crunching through leaves and the street lights illuminating all the fun. It was a good time.

The Princess.

The Princess being perfect.

The Princess with her play-doh.

The Princess with her peers.

She's just about the cutest Cinderella I've seen.

And so polite, too!

Yesterday I had trouble finding a parking spot (actually there were several available ones but I, um, am not comfortable parallel parking so I had to pass them up). When I finally did get into a spot, Jenna said, "Good job parking, Mom!" And the other day when I was playing a little Yanni on the piano she told me, "That sounded beautiful, Mom!"

And she just told me the best little story:

"Once upon a time in a far away land there was a little coupon guy who lived in a faraway city in Me-Ohio. He followed the prophet by making good choices and making my example in the gospel so I can love my mom and dad to my baby sister."

Amen.

Better.

Well, after my downer of a post last week, I should mention that the rest of the week has been rather nice. We had a very nice weekend with minimal problems or battles. Saturday I baked four loaves of bread (don't be impressed; they were for the Scout Spaghetti Dinner) and Jake and Jenna planted purple tulips out front for me. Sunday, we were actually on time for church and no one cried. A successful day in my book!

Some other happenings:

I had a conversation of sorts with Callie at naptime.

Me: Callie are you ready for bed?

C: Doh (no).

Me: Do you want to snuggle?

C: Doh.

Me: Do you love Jenna?

C: Doh.

Me: Did you mean yes?

C: nods head

Me: Do you love Daddy?

C: nods head

Me: Do you love Mommy?

C: nods head

Me: Are you ready for bed?

C: Doh.

Kisses

Digging holes

Her favorite hangout

Some other things regarding Callie - she is totally done with bottles and formula and only drinks whole milk from a sippy cup. Not even the lactose-free milk we started her on! I guess she grew out of the whole lactose intolerant thing. Whatever the case, it's liberating not to mix a bottle every four hours. She's still not walking. I think she may be waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to come in December so they can see her first steps. Either way, I'm cool with it.

Jenna told me the other day how to make hot chocolate. "We could mix a little bit of water with some rootbeer and stir it all up and put it the microwave for two minutes and it would be a little bit hot but we could blow on it and it would be sooooo good. Do you like that, Mom?" Ummm....

Today was her halloween party at preschool. She dressed as Cinderella, of course. We've been watching the movie all week long (thanks to the Lovingers for sending it home with us!) A few weeks ago, she was quoting some lines and then began to sing, "Sing sweet nigh-ightmare, sing sweet nigh-ightmare."

We went for a drive through the metroparks this week to admire all the colors. I got some fun pictures and I'm trying to figure out what I can do with them instead of thinking ten years from now, "Why'd I take so many pictures of leaves?" Oh well. In the meantime, enjoy the pics of my peeps.

It's 6:20. Do you know where your kids are?

Mine are in bed.

Today has been rough. A lot of whining, crying, tattling, complaining, tantrum throwing. I've been bit. I've had at least one kid around my legs or on my hip almost all day. I think I've heard "Mom" a record number of times today in various forms such as, "Mom?" "Moooom" and "MOOooooommmmm!"

I had renewed hope for the day on the way home from piano lessons at my sister's house. The sun came out and I was admiring the fall foliage while singing out loud to Bruno Mars' Just the Way You Are. But then Jenna asked what we were having for dinner. I tried not to be annoyed by the question in and of itself and calmly told her baked potatoes. And then the classic, "But I don't liiiiike potatoes" started in. She cried the entire way home about how she wanted waffles instead. I decided I wasn't going to give in and ignored her while I sang along to the next song on the radio. This made her so mad which for some reason was making me laugh. That made her even more upset.

You can guess how the next hour and a half went. It was an all out battle which ended in a lot of tears and some "raised voices." Not my finest hour. But after the world's fastest bath (without toys. Man, I'm mean!) I told her we needed to talk. I told her I was disappointed in the day, in her and in myself. I told her the things that made me feel frustrated and we promised to both make better choices. Then she melted my heart when she asked if we could say a prayer. She even volunteered to say it. I couldn't understand her words because she was talking in such a high-pitched voice but somewhere in there she said, "Thankful for the Spirit."

Her preschool teacher told me today that she is a delight to have in class. That she is mindful of others and everyone wants to be her friend. Pretty much the best thing a parent could hear. Unfortunately, she didn't choose to show that side at home today. Maybe tomorrow.

But for now, they are in their beds. The day just needed to be done. Because the sooner it's over, the sooner our second chance comes.

Here's to a better day.

I'll be in my studio, studio.

The title has nothing to do with this post, other than the fact that Sponjetta's song is in my head right now. Need to know who Sponjetta is? (And believe me, you do) Click here. Fair warning, the song will get stuck in your head.

Not much has been going on; just the usual running around, cleaning, cooking, driving, shopping, stressing, laundering, wiping (noses... and such), playing, organizing, teaching, singing and generally being and acting crazy. But it's fall and I like fall. I am determined that winter this year will be better than last year.

Callie continues to "explore" a.k.a. get into anything she can. Her favorite right now is tissue and there's been plenty of it around here with all the colds and teething going on. She likes to rip it into tiny pieces, put it in her mouth, laugh and crawl away when I ask her what she's got. The only way I can keep her contained is if she's in the bath, her bed or her carseat. I couldn't resist the bare bum.

What's fall without a fieldtrip to an apple orchard? Jenna's preschool class took their first fieldtrip out to Apple Hill and Jake took the day off so we could all go together. I think Jenna thought it was pretty cool, especially the hay ride. It was cute to see her with her little friends. Tomorrow I have a parent/teacher conference with Miss Laura. I'm a bit nervous. This is my first one. What should I wear??
Jenna and her friend Jane

Boring post, I know. But maybe the grandparents will enjoy the pictures.

You singing, "Studio" yet?

Staying Dry.

Notice anything about this Pull-up?

Yep. It's dry.

I don't know even know how it happened.

Jenna usually wears a Pull-up at nap and bedtime but one night she asked if she could wear her undies. I totally hesitated, knowing full well that I'd be changing sheets that night and probably for several more nights to come. But what the heck. Gotta do it sometime, right? She had no problem staying dry at naptime but it did take about four or five nights until she finally caught on.

And it has changed my life.

Do you know how awesome it is not to smell nasty Pull-ups every morning? Or to not wipe her bum when she wakes up to try to wipe the stench away? Or to not buy Pull-ups? FREEDOM.

I really didn't think this day would come for another year or so and I'm so proud of her for doing it all on her own.

Continuing on about Jenna...

I've kind of been obssessed with her lately and I need to tone it down a bit (or a lot). She always starts off the night on our bed because she'll wake up Callie with her singing and playing. Most nights, I haven't moved her to her own bed. I like how the bed is already warm because she's wrapped up in all three of her "special pink and white blankets" - one around her head, one around shoulders, one down the length of her. I like she looks so cute my little puppy. But one night she told me she can't fall asleep because she needs a little bit of snuggling and I realized I could be starting a bad habit. Darn it. To your bed, Jen.

She also continues to say the funniest/weirdest/randomest things. Like, "Follow the ugly" to the tune of Follow the Prophet. Or "Mom, Carlee sent me a text messwhen she's sleeping and how she rolls over to me in her sleep. She's like age on my phone. She said we could sing 'Happy Birthday.'" Or "Mom, when I grow up I can be a mom and we can both be the mommy and Callie can be the baby and we can live together and we can both be the moms." Or, "I love Amy, I love A-Amy" to the tune of Dynamite. Or when I asked her if she was ready and she said, "As I'll ever be!"

Sticking a tissue up her nose to "catch the snot." Pretty smart, huh?

She's pretty funny, that's for sure. I sorta like having her around.

More Jenna.

You know it's Saturday when your kid says the prayer at dinnertime and says,

"Grateful we could go to Home Depot again.... and again and again."

But then says, "Grateful we could take Uncle Nate to the airport. Grateful we can live with Heavenly Father again."

Speaking of that, we had Family Home Evening tonight (trying to get back into the habit after a loooong hiatus) and we talked about the Plan of Salvation. When we got the part about the resurrection, she kept saying "decoration." And when I told her about the Celestial Kingdom, she asked where it is and then thought for a second and said, "Maybe it's across the river."

Today.

Started out a little rocky with a runny nose, coughing and sneezing. Ugh.

But it ended up with a whole lot of fun out back. "Soccer," cartwheels (attempted by 3 out of 4 of us), flips, flying and general cuteness.