A shout out on Grandparents Day!

Today is Grandparents day and in celebration of said day Lucy dressed up as a "grand-mud-er."

We love our grandparents! Enjoy!

I love Technology!

We got our new camera in the mail and I LOVE IT! Our last camera was pushing 6 years old and these days that is geriatric. How amazing to have a camera that actually takes the picture when you push the button-instead of a 3 second delay. The camera is so fast and the pictures are so clear. When we got our first digital camera we would take a ton of pictures to make sure at least one turned out. Now we don't need to take so many picture because almost every shot turns out great. We just need to find a place to store all of them. So as I get to know the new features and the photo editing software, I will share the pictures with you. Here is a picture of my smiley boy. He is the most pleasant baby ever. What a joy, my cup runneth over.

How to be a Good Babysitter.

It has finally happened—we found a babysitter. Not just a teenager to come over and hang out with the kids but a good, engaging babysitter. We had a hard time finding the right sitter after we lost our favorite to a new job in Oshkosh. (We miss you Sharon!) Then the move to Texas really left us all alone in the babysitting hunt. We tried a few but no one really felt right, until we found the girl across the street. I have compiled a list of qualities that we like in a good sitter. The sitters that didn’t make the cut were lacking in one or more of these areas.

Like Children and babies—a surprising amount of people will babysit your children and not even show a remote amount of interest in children, especially your children. Parents spend there lives taking care of their children. They think their children are the cutest, funniest, smartest and all around best kids in the ENTIRE WORLD (no joke). When a person doesn’t show interest in the best this world has to offer, parents notice.

Be friendly and nice to children—Parents think their children are smart, but children are smarter than their parents think. A child can tell when you are nice and when you are not. Plus, golden rule here, this should be a no brainer.

Be enthusiastic and act like you want to be there—this kind of goes with the first two, don’t look at it as just a job. For the kids it is a fun time when Mom and Dad are away, so try to make it as such. Bring a game or activity that the kids have never played.

Arrive early—unless the parents are picking you up, then be ready to go when they come. If you have an anxious mom who wants to go over a few last minute details, you will need time. Plus, the parents want to enjoy their date/meeting/night out with out worrying about being late.

Clean up messes, games, dishes etc.—generally speaking parents try to clean up before a sitter comes over, sometimes working all day to make the house presentable. So when the parents come home from their night out, they would like to have the house in about the same condition. (to win really big points, do the dishes, they REALLY like it)

Play with the kids, don’t just watch a movie—it’s not everyday that the kids have someone come over to the house to play with them. And movies are something that parent use to try and get the kids out of the kitchen while dinner is being made. It can be a good distraction but the playroom is not going to play all by itself.

Stick to the parents schedule, somewhat—parents give you a schedule for a reason, if they say the kids can’t stay up, they really can’t. But that doesn’t mean put them to bed an hour early either. The parents have to deal with the children in the morning and bedtime is everything. Plus, children thrive on routine, and when there is a new person putting them to bed, the routine is the only thing that is the same, kids like that stability.

Last but certainly not least…Be honest—you may think that the parents only want to hear good things about the evening, but they don’t. They would rather hear the truth about if the baby cried inconsolably for an hour than “he was a little sad, but he calmed down.” Or they want to hear, “no, Lucy didn’t eat any dinner” (that must be why she is up at 2 a.m. crying that she wants something to eat) instead of “dinner was fine.” With all lies they are pretty obvious and parents know their kids, and kids will let their parents know how things went, one way or another. So it just looks bad on the sitter if they lie.

I know this looks like a long list but we have had so many not so great experiences with sitters that it’s so refreshing to FINALLY have one we like. Thank Heavens!

What do you think?

I have been playing around with many of the blogspot settings and got some help from CBOTB. Do you like it? I love some of your blogs that are so cute and scrapbook like-I figured I should jump aboard. I know it always takes me a while to accept the inevitable but I do eventually. And Lucy will be sad that she is no longer featured on the blog but I will make up for it by posting more pictures. So please give me your imput. Thanks!

Hooked on a Feeling

It doesn't matter what kind of mood I am in when I hear this song, because it always makes me smile. And who better to bring it to you than the Hoff. I love the part when he starts to fly (flap his arms.) Bluescreens (head shaking in shame). So I give you the Hoff to start your labor day celebrations!

Big News from Texas!!!!

When we moved to Texas two months ago we thought the water tasted a bit funny. It was drinkable but just a little after taste. We got use to it and thought nothing of it. Well a few days ago every time the water was turned on I could smell it, and it tasted GROSS. I complained about it to James and he said that it tasted and smelled fine. I thought I was going crazy. Even when we went out to eat I could smell and taste that swampy flavor. I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. Then I thought, "well if James can't taste it and the kids don't care, maybe I have changed." When I am pregnant I have a heightened sense of taste and smell maybe that was it. So guess what....

A water main broke in town and made the water have a strange odor and flavor. If you boil the water it goes away but the water is still safe to drink without boiling. I am not crazy and I am not pregnant. Big relief!!!!!

Oh and the big news is that James and I have the same callings here in Texas that we did in Chadron. I am doing the program and newsletter and James is first counselor in the Elders Quorum.

So long Dear Friend!

Friday night at 4 p.m. we said goodbye to a dear friend-our house.

Our home in Chadron treated us well and was perfect for us. It was the first home we ever bought and we will miss it terribly. We bought the house the same week that Lucy was born. In the time we spent in that home we went through the life challenges of health (an appendix, broken leg, and countless colds), family (visits with grandparents, a miscarriage, and a new baby), and weather (hailstorms, tornadoes and wildfires).

We started our chocolate parties in this home and cultivated our first garden. We dealt with burst pipes, and routine home repairs and even upgraded the dishwasher, remodeled a bathroom and did some demolition. We will truly miss our large kitchen, square footage, fully wired entertainment room, cool basement

and FABULOUS backyard.

We hope that the new owners can love the house as much a we did. We hope that they will be able to enjoy the grapes, elderberries and the apples, too. We will miss you home!

The Tag Blanket-reinvented

I don't know what compelled me to make a tag quilt but I wanted to make one. This one is a bit different. I wanted to make something that was interesting and had lots of texture. This is super soft and puppy themed. I had to pry it out of Dylan's hands just to take the picture, he loves it so much—just what I was hoping. I made it with clear thread (to hide mistakes) and it proved more difficult than I thought it would be. The supplies cost about $7.50, but in the process of making it I broke a sewing machine needle. So that is what? $2.50? Then, when I took pictures, I broke our 6 year-old camera (at least I got the pictures before the camera broke). So, I would say this little tag blanket cost us about 100+ dollars. With a price tag like that I am glad Dylan likes it so much.

My Poor Baby

Thomas is sick. Yesterday he came home from school and kept saying that he needed some medicine because his tummy hurt. Shortly after that he threw up, three different times.

The part that just broke my heart is he went up to James and said,

"Daddy, I am sorry, I can't play rough house with you. I am sick."

What a sweet little boy.

EEEWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

I like Texas, I do, but I have had to get use to one NASTY fact: cockroaches. We find and kill a yucky bug about once every two to three days. I was complaining about the bugs to a friend here and she asked me what the cockroaches look like. They are HUGE, about 2 and 1/2 inches, fat, and round. They are so gross, but there is an up side. We have the "good" kind of cockroaches, if there is such a thing. Apparently, the big ones are better because they are coming in from outside looking for something to eat (I think they are called a tree roach). The little ones are the kind that take up residence in your walls and infest everything. So I still hate them (sorry Wall-E), but I guess it could be worse.

I just can't wait!!!

The Office is having their season premiere on September 17th. In Celebration of one of the best shows on television I have posted a clip of one of my favorite YouTube videos. I hope you enjoy and I just can't wait to see a season of fresh pranks! (I would have to say my favorite one is the "bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica)

Hooray for James!

James ran his first 5K and I am so proud of him. He came in first in his age group (30-39). The kids loved to cheer their dad on as he ran by and Thomas even told me that he wanted to run when he grows up. We (the kids and I) walked around the area while we waited for all of the runners. Lucy was unfortunate to find a red ant hill, but other than that we had a grand time cheering on our dad. There is another one in September and he will be running in that one too. We can't wait.

The First Smile

This is the first smile we got on camera. Dylan is a very content little baby but not really all smiles and giggles. His most smiley moments are at five in the morning, so getting a camera is not on the top of my mind. He will be four months old on September 10th and we are glad to finally have a picture of him smiling.

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Kookles Nursing Cover GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Our Pretty Pretty Princesses.

For Lucy's birthday in April she got a game named Pretty Pretty Princess. It turns out that this game has been quite popular at our house, and not just with Lucy.

I'm Back

After 5 months of not having internet at home-I have FINALLY connected again with the rest of the world. So now I can blog and post all the things we have been doing these last two months. Yipiee!

I can be dangerous when I'm bored!

Now that is not to say I don’t have a lot to do, because I do. I have cleaning, laundry, unpacking, exercising, and the insurmountable dish pile in the sink. But who wants to do those things—not me. In my attempt to avoid my daily duties I have made a TON of sweets (some which I have blogged about here and here along with: cake, chocolate chip cookies, almond joy fudge, and Bundt cakes) and I did something I thought I would NEVER do. I cut Lucy’s hair—audible gasp. What person with no training cuts their daughter’s hair? And I don’t just mean an inch off the bottom. I gave her layers, and shape—the whole shebang. I think it looks cute. Yeah, it’s a bit crude here and there but it looks how I wanted it to. Maybe I should have become a hairdresser. I might have been rich. Oh, and by the way, see the white skirt, I made that too. Can you tell I have really been trying to avoid my daily chores?

Cinnamon Rolls in 20 Minutes!

I know it sounds crazy and I feel so stupid for not thinking about it sooner. At the store you know those canned cinnamon rolls that taste so processed? (I know them so well because I would make a batch every time we would show the house to make the house smell good.) Well, those rolls are just a biscuit with cinnamon, sugar and icing. So I just made my favorite biscuits and shaped them into cinnamon rolls and voila--cinnamon rolls. The kids got a kick out of eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast and I was able to make them with wheat flour and I snuck in some flax seed. So next time you don't know what to have for breakfast, try cinnamon rolls in no time. Yum!

Pan Dulces

Being the mother of 3 little kids I have seen a lot of Sesame Street episodes. On Sesame Street there is a movie clip of a girl going into her Tio’s (uncle’s) bakery to make pan dulces. Ever since seeing that clip I have wanted to try pan dulces (sweet bread). Well, I have an RSS feed of Allrecipies.com and yesterday pan dulces was the recipe for the day. So I made some bread yesterday and pan dulces is so yummy. I read that you are supposed to eat it with coffee but since I don’t drink coffee I just had it by itself. It stands alone as a yummy treat. I couldn’t keep the kids away from it. This morning they are all gone. So if you are in the mood to try something new here is the recipe. Also, here are some reviews of the recipe. The good thing about this recipe is that you will most likely already have the ingredients. Enjoy.

We're Here!!!

We have made it to Texas. It is hot and the cockroaches are HUGE! We are slowly unpacking and our little rental is starting to feel like our home. I can't wait to be settled! Let me know if you need my contact info.