Gee Thanks!

Today as Owen and I were heading out the door to run errands I tripped and almost fell down the garage stairs (there's three) onto my face...and into the Explorer. It was a pretty exciting event for me, especially considering I'm usually not clumsy at all. Even more exciting was that I had Miriam in her carrier (this is my excuse for the clumsiness -- a 15 pound baby + a baby carrier = bad news for the wimpy mom). Luckily, I caught my balance and I didn't drop Miriam. Here's what was said next...

Me: Woah, that was close! Good thing I didn't drop Miri. That coulda been bad.
Owen: Eh, who cares if you drop her? At least she'll go straight to the Celestial Kingdom! You still need some work!

Ahh, thanks hon. That's so sweet of you. :)

Nice to see we're turning in to my parents...sarcastic and okay with it!

Growing Too Fast

I finally pulled out Miri's 6-9 month clothes and tucked away the 3-6 month outfits today. I say finally because I've been putting this off for at least three weeks now. Miriam has been much too long for her little clothes and every time we got her dressed it took He-Man strenght coupled with a pair of vice grips just to get all those stinking snaps done up! Needless to say, she needed an upgrade. I've just been in denial about it. It is so sad for me to replace the small clothes with a bigger size because it means she's growing up right before my eyes (and some of those outfits were really cute). Oh, and not to mention all the hassle of cleaning all her little clothes, folding and boxing them away, getting the bigger things out, cleaning them, then folding and organizing them into drawers. It takes a good chunk of my dad to do this process. But, I did it and it's a good thing because she's almost too long for the bigger size already!!

Tired Hubby

Last night as I was doing my evening email/google reader check routine I noticed the house was mighty quiet. It was only 8:30, so, of course, Miriam was asleep, but Owen and I don't usually go to bed until 10:00 or so. Last I could remember, Owen had gone into the bedroom to read a couple sources for his research paper. So, I went to check to see what he was doing and I found him completely sacked out, with his research papers on top of him...and he was still sitting up!! I guess he was really tired!

Cleaning Spree

Around five p.m. last night I started to feel a cleaning itch coming on. Rather than run to the doctor to have him fix this rare, and sometimes deadly, disease, I figured maybe I could overcome it. Unfortunately for me, I didn't. Now, keep in mind, I'm not talking about the little cleaning itch that most people feel on a daily basis. Not the do-the-dishes-
scrub-the-toilet-dust-the-end-tables cleaning itch. This is the full-blown gut-the-refrigerator-and-pantry-organize-those-random-cupboards-scrub-
the-stove-with-a-toothbrush type of cleaning itch. Ever had one of these? I get them every so often, but not since my little 11:00 and 3:30 alarm clock was born. I've been to tired for this illness to kick in. But now it's back! So, I've been wearing my bleach outfit (What?! Doesn't everybody have a bleach outfit? What if I were to get a bleach spot on clothes I actually care about? They'd be ruined forever...thus, I have a bleach outfit) and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning like crazy. I better get back to work before the sickness wears off.

Getting Done Early

I've heard it said that everyone wants to get their moneys worth, except when it comes to education. In which case, most students are delighted when class is canceled or is let out early. I'll admit it...I'm one of these students. Especially lately. Owen's late afternoon class was canceled today (it's actually happened a couple times already this semester) and I was so excited about it. I do like school and I love to learn, but taking a baby around campus all day gets old...fast. I am really looking forward to the end of this semester (July 18 -- the 16th for me since I only have Monday, Wednesday classes) so we can get Miriam back to her routine and her crib. The sleep deprivation is definitely starting to show in her personality. She is always tired now and has been getting quite cranky. I sure am excited to have my happy, easy-going, angel baby back. Good sleep...here we come! Only seven more weeks! Luckily, this is the only semester we will have to drag her around campus. And in the meantime, I'll take all the canceled and shortened classes I can get!

Raining Buckets

The weather around here has taken a strange turn of events. It's been raining and pouring and raining some more. Now, please don't mistake this post as complaining. I'm not. I love the rain. I love how it sounds and smells, I love thunder and lightning and I especially love what it does to the vegetation -- make it grow BIG and GREEN! The only exception to my love of rain is when I'm in it... (Unless it's on purpose. Like the time I made Owen dance in the pouring rain with me. Only problem with this great idea was that the rain was ice cold! After about two minutes in it I begged to go back inside. It was fun anyway. And we have a wet and soggy picture so we can always remember this memory.)














The cute (dating) couple after the rain

...Nothing can turn a great hair day in to a horrible one quite like a good drizzle from above. But in any case, I've enjoyed all the recent rain. It's been going for about two weeks and the forecast says it should continue. And we definitely need it!

One funny thing about all the rain we've been getting is how much it's making the grass grow. Owen has had quite the struggle keeping the lawn looking nice. He usually mows on Saturday, but it was raining and the grass never had a chance to dry out enough to get cut. Then when he mowed on Monday, the grass had gotten so long that he had to go back and bag it. This process took him two days because it just kept raining. Then, the grass was long again today...so he mowed again -- and he still had to bag it because it was super long again. Poor guy is gonna end up mowing every other day just to keep up! But at least it is making everything beautiful.

Starting Solids

Miriam had her first taste of solids yesterday and like any other momentous occasion, pictures were taken!

Here Mom, how about a cheesy face?!













What about this one?













Okay, okay...I'll be cute.













I'm getting bored. Let's do this food thing you were talking about.













Is this it?













Hmm...I don't know, Mom. I'm not impressed.

Twenty-Two

It's my birthday! And I am now a palindrome (the same forwards and backward) for one whole year -- 22. I've had a pretty fun day (other than being extremely tired due to my child being a stinker all night. She woke up just about every hour and a half. She hasn't done that since she was brand new!! I guess she knew it was my birthday and was just excited to see me so she could wish me a good one...no?) and even got out of school. It sure was nice of BYU-Idaho to cancel classes for my birthday. I must be pretty special. :) Here's the highlights from MY day.

Owen forgot my birthday. Okay, not really. We just got so busy in the morning that he forgot to say "Happy Birthday" although he knew it was my birthday and even made me a special yummy breakfast to celebrate.

Our friends Ryan and Kayla came down from Rexburg for a big birthday bash (Ryan's birthday was Saturday, the 24th). We went shopping at Ross and TJMaxx (I got Miriam a super cute flowered skirt in 18-24 month size to tuck away until Christmas -- it was 3 dollars!!). Owen made us his delicious Chicken Cordon Bleu and I made a cute caterpillar cake.















We finished the evening watching The Ultimate Gift (one of my new favorite movies) and eating cake. It was a nice relaxing day and the best part was spending it with Owen, Miriam and friends and getting lots of warm wishes from friends and family too. (Thanks Mom and Alicia for your special posts, oh and Mom again)!

Pain is Beauty

I decided that while I have the chance (because she is still too little to tell me 'no' yet) I should do some fun things with Miriam's hair.

So, we've tried curlers


















and piggy tails
















and, of course, just one pony tail














Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll be a girly girl and will always let me do cute hairstyles on her. But, since I was never like this (except when cousin Shari was involved), I won't count on it.

Hillcrest High School Alumni Choir Concert

Hillcrest High School (my high school) was built in 1992, but it was never completely finished. The original plans for the school included an auditorium, tennis courts, a swimming pool and probably some other things that I don't know about.

My senior year a bond was passed for district 93 that included an auditorium and tennis courts for Hillcrest (both things are dear in my family) as well as a two new elementary schools, a new gymnasium for Bonneville High School, a large expansion project on Rocky Mountain Middle School and some sort of improvement for just about every other school in the district. This was an exciting and historic thing to happen. Only bad part was, I was graduating that year and wouldn't have the benefit of using those facilities.

But, my high school choir teacher always dreamed of the day where she would have an auditorium to use for concerts and musicals and promised she would let all her students come back to sing in it. Since the tennis courts and auditorium were completed just prior to the 2007-2008 school year, she started planning an alumni concert.

The concert was today and I was able to attend the rehearsals this morning and afternoon and the concert tonight. It was a blast!! It was like a high school reunion, but so much better because it was with my social group, not with my graduating class. Many of my closest friends from high school were there and some great memories came flooding back.

This picture isn't fantastic, but this was the choir. There is a pink arrow pointing to me, so you can tell where I am among all the other tiny heads (second row, right next to the baritones...just like in high school).








Heather Carlson was my folder partner (and friend, of course) -- we stood next to each other all day for old times' sake.














My choir teacher -- Mrs. Blackburn "Mrs. B"













And so I never forget again...

• "How many of you think you're NOT talking?" Mrs. B's famous line that was usually heard at least ten times during any given class period. This was often directed toward me. Heather and I developed a method of written communication. Our senior year, we used one sheet of paper (only one) for conversation. We would scribble all over the page and when it was filled on both sides, we'd start over with a different colored pen. I've seen it since then and I can't read a thing anymore. But it made sense to me then!
  
• Mrs. B has a small white board next to her office in the choir for tardy students -- I'm almost positive that I was never on this -- but some students were on it almost every day
• Mrs. B also has a can on top of her piano for gum (which was not allowed in her class because it is impossible to sing and sound good with gum in your mouth)...when the can is full and has a humongous mound of gum in it, she places it on top of the folder bookshelf. There are at least ten cans up there -- YUCK!...maybe this is where my gum aversion comes from (but probably not. I'm pretty sure I hated gum in elementary school because of stupid relay races where they give you nasty, tasteless, rubber bubblegum and make you blow a bubble in order to progress. I never could blow a bubble in the first place, so this always ticked me off and grossed me out).
  

Just Like Dad

I went in to peak at Miriam while she was napping today. This is how I found her














(her eyes opened a bit when the flash went -- but she was really asleep when I took this)

Owen sleeps just like this; arms bent and hands behind the head. (Sometimes I'll wake up with an elbow in my face.) I don't think it's so cute when he does it, but with Miriam...it's adorable.

Rolling Regression

My child has decided she will no longer roll. This development has been going on for about three weeks now. I don't know why she won't. Put her on her tummy and she just whines. See?!



She just looks at me like "Mom, this is baby stuff. Please just roll me to my back and I will stop whining...maybe. Then we'll both be happy. Okay?!"

Anyway, I'm not too worried about it, I just think it's weird that one day she just determined she wasn't going to roll anymore. Silly girl!

I Eat at Mom's

Miriam got this shirt at her WIC appointment last week.


















I finally washed it and decided it would make a great nighty shirt. Cute and self-explanatory...what more could I ask for?!

Carolina on My Mind

I probably should have posted this a month or two ago, but I forgot. Then, I was talking to my sister, Alicia, a couple weeks ago and realized that even she didn't know our plans yet although we'd made them months ago (and I talk to her a couple times a week). So, she sparked the thought that I still hadn't posted anything yet. Well, here it is...better late than never, right?

We're going to North Carolina for Christmas! I'm so excited about it. Can you tell?! When we got our tax return we set out to find a good deal on tickets, which is exactly what we found. The tickets were under $207 each, round trip. It came out to be under $500 for both of us (we're taking Miriam too, don't worry) with tax and all those other random fees. I thought it was pretty decent considering it is usually $250+ for tickets from SLC to Raleigh. I was pleased to find such a great deal.

This will be a first for us as a married couple. The past two Christmas's have been spent in Idaho with my family because first it was my family's turn to have everyone over (we switch off years with in-laws) and the following year I was pregnant and supposedly due any day (but we all know how that story went!). This year is my parent's turn to have everyone, but they won't be here so there's no sense sticking around!! So, we're gonna get away and have a nice vacation to the land of two-week long winters (oh, I can only imagine) right before my last semester of school...my student teaching. I'm very excited to have my first Christmas in North Carolina with Owen's familiy.

Stand Out

I like to be unique and dance to my own rhythm. Just about anybody who knows me knows this. Plain Jane is not my personality (unless we're talking jewelry -- in which case, less is more) and I don't quickly jump to join current trends. And most of the time I am over-the-top and not about to seek other people's approval (unless it's somebody important -- like my husband). So, when I saw these tulips on campus yesterday, it reminded me of myself.

















Ha! Who planted one white tulip among a bunch of red ones? Must've been trying to make a statement. At least that's what I think it means. So, go ahead. Do something crazy and out of the ordinary today. Walk down the left side of the hall (this drives Owen nuts -- according to him "people should walk on the same side they drive on...the right!"), skip through the grocery store or go singin' in the rain. Come on! It could be fun! You'll never know unless you try it!

The Sound of Silence

About a year ago, my sister-in-law, Gina, read a book called New Parent Power by John Rosemond (I haven't read this yet...but I will). One of the things he talks about in the book is The Plug-in Drug. So, about three weeks ago she posted the following on her blog (I have changed her children's names to respect their privacy -- hopefully she won't mind me sharing):

Since before Chris was born, I've toyed with the idea of getting rid of television for my children. At most, I would allow around 5 hours a week of very selective programs such as nature specials, documentaries, historically based movies, sports, or cultural events. I'm not quite sure what led me to want to do this mainly because I know that on some stressful or rainy days, this may be me sentencing myself to an insane asylum. So, I have told the kids that I was going to do this, but I kept putting it off saying I'd do it when summer began or when preschool ended or next week etc.

Yesterday, it struck me that I didn't know what I was waiting for...why not do it today?! So, I did. And it sure feels good! Now, lest you think this is going to be an easy transition, I've kept a tally today of just how many times my kids have asked for the television. It is currently 1:00pm and they have asked a total of 17 times already. Also, let me add a brief interjection here. My kids honestly didn't watch that much television before. I take them outside to play at least once a day and they play and do other things when we're inside, BUT they are addicted to watching it! I hate to watch them just sit there like a frog on a log while they are watching it so mindlessly.

So, last night after the kids went to bed, I pulled out my ole' John Rosemond book and re-read the chapter on television that I've had tucked in the back of my mind for a year now. And here are a few points that I'd like to remind myself of on those days that I'll be wishing for something to keep them perfectly occupied.

• The constantly flickering image on a television screen actually disables a young brain's ability to develop a long attention span. Since a long attention span is essential to impulse control, it can be concluded that TV prevents the development of good self-control, thus producing behavior problems that would not, in all likelihood, have otherwise existed.
• Before a child enters First grade, the typical American child has watched close to 5,000 hours of television!
• Watching television contributes to a certain family culture or atmosphere that breeds disobedience, disrespect, irresponsibility, whining, depression, sibling conflict, laziness, low impulse control, boredom, and communication problems between family members.
  
• Developmental research has consistently demonstrated that a child has approximately 6 years in which to get in touch with the many basic skills that comprise competency and creativity. The formative years are the window of opportunity for giftedness. A child of six who, for lack of opportunity, is deficient with respect to one or more aspects of giftedness will probably always have problems in those areas.
• Not one competency skill, not one gift, is being exercised while a child watches television...even "educational" programs such as Sesame Street.
• Because of the perceptual shift, or flicker, the TV-watching child isn't attending to any one thing for longer than a few seconds. As a result, watching television is a strangely paradoxical situation. The more time spent watching television, the shorter the attention span becomes.
• An almost perfect parallel exists between the list of competency skills that television fails to exercise and the symptoms characteristic of a population of learning-disabled children.
  
• Regardless of the program, watching television inhibits the development of initiative, curiosity, resourcefulness, creativity, motivation, imagination, reasoning and problem-solving abilities, communication skills, social skills, fine and gross motor skills, eye-hand coordination visual tracking skills, and attention span. Shall I go on?

After one week of no TV for her children, she noticed a huge difference. She posted some of the highlights and also added a challenge to turn off the TV in our homes too. Here's some of her highlights:

• The kids have pretty much stopped asking for it.
• If they do ask, it's very short-lived and they run off and find something else to do.
• They have entertained themselves very well.
• David's imaginative play has progressed a lot! he has really loved playing with Katie's dollhouse and the Little People set.
  
• They have played together fantastically!
• Katie has gotten better about yelling at David when he does something she doesn't like.
• David has cooperated with Katie a lot better.
• They've become EVEN better best friends than they already were.
• I've been more productive.
• I've actually kept my house clean.
• Since we have a lot more time, the kids have done lots of chores and have helped keep their room clean.
• We've done lots of cooking together.
• I haven't had to listen to cartoons all week!

Those who know Owen, know he loves TV. He could sit and watch it all day if you let him, I bet. I knew this wasn't healthy for him physically, mentally or emotionally. I knew Owen needed to cut back, but didn't really know how to go about it. All I knew was if his ways continued, our children would likely follow the trend and also be TV addicts. And I am not okay with that. So, we took her challenge. We have been without TV for a week now, and I love it! Owen has been on top of his homework and has gotten good grades on all his quizzes and tests this past week. We've had more time to spend together and have communicated better with one another. I've become more willing to help him with his English (because he isn't procrastinating his assignments) and he has helped me keep the house orderly and clean. Also, I haven't had to worry about leaving Miriam in the family room (where the TV is) to become a zombie or corrupted by whatever crazy action film Owen is watching. And we haven't had the constant buzz of TV in the background (I'm sure this is cutting our utility costs as well). Now, I challenge you to try it too!

In My Pretty Garden the Flowers Are Nodding

My parents are quite the gardeners. They have a beautiful yard and maintain a great vegetable garden every summer. Along with all that, my mom has about 20 indoor plants and always plants lots of flowers around the yard (some are perennials so she doesn't have to plant them every year, she just has to dig some up so they don't take over). And, I don't think I've ever seen a weed in their yard...anywhere. My mom is too fast for the little buggers and digs them up before they can spread or cause too much nuisance.

I hope someday I can be as great with plants as my parents are and now I'm on my way to becoming so. A couple weeks ago my sister, Heidi, gave me some money (she is in charge of my parent's money while they are on their mission) to spend on flowers and yard stuff. She said they would have spent on those things anyhow and she wanted me to have some flowers in my mom's planters. I was pretty excited because deep down I really wanted to beautify the front porch and deck out back like my mom does every year. So I jumped at the chance to buy some annuals to plant around.

Then, this same sister called to tell me Fred Meyer had flats with 48 plants each for $10. It sounded like a good deal to me, so this afternoon Owen and I headed to the store to buy some flowers. Then, when we got there, the store had a rack of half price flats that had been partially hit with frost. Some other ladies at the store who were also looking at the frost-bitten pallets said they'd be just fine...Snap off the dead plants, give them plenty of water and a couple weeks and I'll never know the difference. Since I like a challenge (oh, and I'm cheap too) I thought I'd give it a try. I planted them tonight (well...most of them) and I think they look pretty nice. Hopefully I can help them stay alive and beautiful! (I haven't killed any of my mom's indoor plants, and I have taken a couple horticulture and floral design classes -- so I'm not a complete novice).













Also, while we were there, we found some awesome deals on vegetable starts. We picked up eight tomato plants (six Burpee Big Boys, one golden girl and one Super Fantastic -- I hope they are all super fantastic!) and six pepper plants (a yellow and a bunch of rainbow mix).

When we got home, Owen tilled the garden.













And we planted the starts.













We are super excited to have lots of vegetables this summer.

Always Check Your Spices First!

And we have another case of mommy brain. Tonight as I was making one of my favorite meatless recipes I had quite the kitchen blunder. The recipe is quinoa and black beans and I have made this before. So I can't even blame my mistake on not knowing what I was doing. Anyway, the recipe calls for one teaspoon of cumin. So, as I'm cooking away, thinking I'm doing great and excited for yummy food, I go to get the cumin. Instead though, I grabbed the curry powder and dumped a teaspoon of that in. Okay, okay! I know I'm usually a pretty decent cook. Give me a break! In my defense at least both spices are yellowish! And they both start with C-U! So at least I'm not a complete idiot. But next time, I will definitely be more careful with what I'm pouring in to the pot.

Oh, and it actually didn't turn out too awful. I'll admit that it's even kinda good. But, I'm mad about the whole situation, so Owen can eat it. I can't bear the shame. In the meantime, I made Owen go get us his free pizza from Domino's so I can sit and sulk at home.

Toys!

Miriam has really taken to her toys lately. I love watching her play with them and chew on them. It is fun to be working in the kitchen and hearing the rattle or plastic rings shake and clank together. Oh, the sounds of children! Aren't they wonderful?! She even gets frustrated when she's pushed them out of her reach or when Mom or Dad tries to take them away. I kind of think this is funny. Maybe that's mean of me, but she's just so cute...even when she's upset.

Chowing down













Oops, I got caught with the camera and now she's distracted. :)













Her ponytail reminds me of a fuse on a fire cracker and so I've decided "My Little Darlin' is a Fire Cracker!" is her theme song. I seriously need to make/get her some cute hair bows so it's not so noticeable that her pony tail sticks straight up!

Mommy Brain

Since I am the youngest of six children, I was sometimes occasionally frequently called one of my siblings names rather than my own. Sometimes it was a combination, like Ali-Haylee. The worst was when my mom couldn't even remember my name and called me Junior (the dog). But this is what happens when a woman becomes a mommy. She gives part of her brain away to each child (this is the truth to why the oldest child is always the smartest -- it really has nothing to do with the amount of time spent working with the child...just the amount of brain they received). Mom's are just charitable that way. Only problem is, losing part of our brains affects us in weird ways.

I really didn't think I would have "Mommy Brain" with just one child. I mean, I only have two names to mix up (Owen and Miriam). And I'm not really that busy. I don't have to worry about piano lessons, soccer practice, dance class, YM/YW, homework, etc. All I have is the occasional doctor's appointment, some dishes to do, and a couple classes on Monday and Wednesday. Not that much, right?! But then I find myself walking into a room and not remembering what I went in there to do, so now I walk around the house saying "Kitchen, fork. Kitchen, fork. Kitchen, fork." or "Bedroom, shoes. Bedroom, shoes. Bedroom, shoes." Only to be frustrated when I can't remember what I needed a fork or shoes for!!

And I digress. This morning I'm pretty sure I washed my hair twice. I'm only pretty sure because if I knew for positive, I wouldn't have washed it twice!! But I couldn't remember, so I did it again (I think) just to be safe. Before I know it, I'm going to be out of shampoo and have a flooded kitchen because I left the sink filling so I could wash dishes while I put the laundry in to dry.

So apparently, denial is not just a river in Africa, it is what I have been up against. But, I am slowly beginning to accept this new challenge in life. I may not be able to remember if I zipped my fly or if I checked the mail already, but I will go on!! "Mommy Brain" will not be the end of me!! At least not with this child.

My First Mother's Day

Today has been a wonderful day! It started bright and early to the sound of Miriam playing in her crib waiting for someone to wake up and get her. I love waking to happy baby sounds (luckily this happens quite a bit because Miriam is almost always happy). Anyway, I went to get her and was greeted with big smiles and snuggles. We went out to play and Owen made me breakfast (he always makes breakfast because he's the morning person -- I am not, but I'm trying).

Then we had a family nap because we had gone to bed a little late the night before, and we were tired. And I love naps, so I'll take one whenever I can get one! After the nap we went to church and four different moms in the ward spoke. These four women were chosen because they each have their mom in the ward also. It was special to hear each of them speak about their mothers and what they love about them and what they have learned from them.

My favorite talk was from Bonnie Hoover (the bishop's wife). She talked about "piano wars" and how her mom taught her many valuable lessons through the "piano wars". ("Piano wars" are what happens when a parent and child have a conflict of interest about piano lessons and practice -- very common in my house growing up). Luckily for Bonnie, her mother did not give in and Bonnie was able to learn three key things from these times.

• First, it is important to always work on our "practice spots". These are our weak places. In piano, it is easiest to skip over these parts to get to the spots we like to play because we are good at them. In life, we also have practice spots and we need to work at improving our practice spots so we can become more Christlike people.
• Second, sometimes we fail and these failures are important to our progress. Unpreparedness = Disaster -- and eventual failure. These failures help us grow and we should not be shielded from such events...even if they are unpleasant moments.
• And last, never quit! There will be times in life that the easiest road may be to quit something. But by taking the easiest we are cheating ourselves (and our children, if we allow them to quit). We need to always endure and learn from tough situations, we will be blessed in the end.

It was a great Sacrament Meeting and I was touched by each of the speakers, but this one in particular struck a chord with me. Probably because it reminds me of piano wars (and dance and sports and music in general -- thanks for not letting me quit when things got tough Mom!) that I had with my mom as a child.

After church, Owen made me a super yummy dinner. We had chicken cordon bleu and it was fantastic! I'm glad my husband shares my love of cooking and good food. It's nice to know that on my dinner-days-off I will still get a delicious meal. Not all wives can say that about their men, but I can!

All in all, it has been a fantastic day and I look forward to many more fabulous Mother's Days.

To the Mothers in My Life

Happy Mother's Day to everyone! I hope you enjoy this wonderful day designed to reminisce about the joy of motherhood and to celebrate the mothers in your life. Here's a small tribute for the mothers in my life.

My Mother

I have the best mom ever! She is truly what I envision SuperMom to be like. She cooks amazingly good food (this is why the only skinny person in my family is Adam -- and he just doesn't eat a lot and exercises and plays tennis like crazy) always has a perfectly spotless house, can sew just about anything (quilts, prom dresses, stuffed animals, barbie and doll clothes -- if she's got a pattern for it, she can do it) has great taste in clothes and home decor and she is a great friend (she's a good listener, very compassionate and selfless -- I can't even count how many times she has dropped everything just to help me with something). She's amazing!

I managed to scrape up a few pictures of my mom with me throughout the years.

This is on top of Table Rock Mountain (it looks like a table from below...thus, Table Rock) -- quite the hike for those who have managed to managed to make it all the way up. My mom has done it a number of times, but this was the last...for my dad also. My mom almost didn't make it. The last leg of this hike is an open sharp rock meadow. The rocks are unstable and it is very difficult and tiring to traverse over. Following this, there is a 20-30 foot (maybe more) ascent up an extremely steep face. After the rocks, my mom was exhausted. She did not want to go any more. So, she sent me and my dad up the steep part to the top of table rock so we could eat lunch (this is where everyone eats) and enjoy the view. We did, and we ate lunch. Then, just as we were getting ready to go over the side to head down off the table, we heard a tired voice say "Get back up there; I'm coming up. We need pictures!" And so, my mom made it to the top, and we have a picture to prove it!! What a view! By the picture it looks like the Tetons are right there like we could reach out and touch them, but they are still quite a ways off. I'm pretty sure my arms are much to short to reach.














My mom, by my side, on the most important day of my life! I'm so glad she was there.


















My mom and I on Miriam's blessing day. I am so glad my mom was around to help me figure out how to be a mom myself! She was so caring and selfless during this time and I appreciate it so much.














Dear Mom,
I am so grateful to have such a great and righteous mom. You are a wonderful example to me and I hope someday I can be as exceptional as you are. I wish I could be with you to celebrate this Mother's Day, but I am happy you are serving the Lord and the people in Nigeria. Now that I am a mother, I am beginning to realize all you have done and continue to do for me. There is no way to repay you (there's not enough money in the world) and words can only begin to say how blessed I am to have you as my mom. Thank you for everything! I love you so much!!
Love, Haylee





My Mother-in-Law -- Linda

Owen's mom is also a great mother and I am so grateful to have her as my second mom. She raised a wonderful man and is the best Grammy I know. I don't have many pictures of her but I do have a couple.














With us on our wedding day.














She loves her grandbabies so much. I was happy she could come for Miriam's blessing (when the picture was taken) and baby shower. I hope she can come again soon!

Thank you so much for being the best mother-in-law a girl could hope for. And thank you for raising such a wonderful man for me to marry. I love you.

Dear Mom,
Thank you so much for being my wonderful mother who has cared for me and loved me throughout my life. You have been a wonderful example to me and I only hope I can be half the parent you were to me!!!
Love, Owen

Who You Gonna Call?

...Weedbusters!


















I'm not exactly sure why I get so excited about yard work, but it's probably because I've never actually had my own yard before. And I love it! (Owen does most of the work -- probably a good indication to why I love the yard)

I'll admit that my parent's yard is a LOT of work to maintain. And, as seen in the picture, we currently have a huge weed problem because we didn't get the Casoron out before the little buggers started popping up. So, Owen was out doing his best to kill them off. When I looked out the window and saw him in this get-up I couldn't help but smile and think of Ghostbusters.

Help Me Edit!

In order to complete the student teaching application requirements I have to turn in a letter of introduction. This letter is highly professional and I need more eyes and opinions in order to have it be a great letter. So, if you have time, please help me edit and revise! After you've read through it a time or two, leave your suggestions in the comment box below. Oh, and since I can't read minds, please don't just tell me that something needs work or sounds stupid...tell me why or give a suggestion on what would sound better. I need any and all suggestions submitted by Monday, May 12 at 10:00 MST. Thanks for your help in advance. I am looking forward to what you have to say!

Here is a list of do's and don't's that I was given to use as a reference and guideline for writing my letter:
The personal letter is

• One page
• A professional document that introduces you as an individual
• An expression of your feelings about education (Educational philosophy may be included)
• An explanation of why you want to be an educator
• Highly polished (revise, revise, revise)
• Positive
• A brief list of the things you enjoy and do (optional)
• A brief history of you and your family (optional)
• A brief history of your employment experiences (optional)

The personal letter has

• Clear, concise sentence structure
• Correct grammar
• Correct punctuation (focus on commas)
• Correct spelling

The personal letter is NOT

• A hastily scribbled note
• An ego trip (On occasion, we have students who come across as boastful. We want to accentuate the positive, but not rub the reader’s nose in it. Please be mindful of your tone).
• A list of pet peeves of the current education system
• Too lengthy (one page only, please)
• An opportunity to bear testimony of the gospel (While it is okay to state that you were raised by good parents who taught you strong moral principles and high standards, this is not an opportunity to share the gospel without an invitation. Your letter is a professional introduction intended for individuals in the public school system, who may not be L.D.S. Unless invited to do otherwise, be a missionary through example only).

Remember your audience:

• The district contact who will make your placement
• The building principal
• Your cooperating teacher who will provide documents for your career / placement file
• Your university supervisor who will also provide documents for your career / placement file

Now that you have the guidelines to follow, please help me edit and make my letter fantabulous!

I was raised in an education-centered home where knowledge was highly important. My parents were always studying new things and encouraged me and my five older siblings to do the same. Because this philosophy pervaded my home I grew up dedicated to learning. While in school I was blessed to be taught by brilliant teachers whose enthusiasm for knowledge was infectious.

While my perception of education and school has always been quite positive, “teacher” was never one of the careers I aspired to become someday. I always imagined myself as a performer or possibly a designer. Positions within the medical field even attracted me. But never teaching. I continued on with this teaching aversion for many years. Even as I graduated from high school I could not have imagined that four years later I would be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

Immediately following my freshman year of college I took a job as a nanny. Instantly I went from being responsible for just myself to being responsible for a house and three children. It was my job to keep these children clean, fed and entertained. It was during this time I began to explore the possibility of becoming a teacher. Watching those small children learn new things was exhilarating for me. I loved being part of it. When I left my nanny position to return to school I knew what I needed to do. I was a teacher. I was not certified in any state and I had no actual training. But mentally and emotionally, I was. From that moment I have never doubted my purpose as a teacher. Now, I cannot imagine doing anything else.  

I have always felt that all young children are empowered with an innate curiosity and excitement about the world around them. They love to learn. Unfortunately, this eagerness begins to fade in many children resulting in school boredom and sometimes dropout. I also believe that with most of these children an influential teacher can make all the difference. I feel that my training within the Brigham Young University-Idaho Elementary Education program has equipped me with the tools I need to become this type of teacher. I hope that through continued experience and teacher training I can develop into this loving, caring and excited teacher whom some students will consider significant in their years of education.

While studying at BYU-Idaho within the elementary education program, my educational philosophy has greatly evolved. It is by no means absolute, but it is clear. I believe that the foundation to great education lies within literacy. Students who can read well can learn and do anything. I also believe education should be as exciting as it is instructional. I intend my classroom to be an inviting environment where students enjoy discovering and creating.

One of my favorite parts about teaching is that it is the perfect outlet for a compulsive learner. In order to be effective I have to be on my toes and know the most effective teaching methods as well as current content to teach my students. I am excited that I get to extend my learning every day and hope to continue progressing as a great teacher throughout my student teaching and future teaching days.

Dream Big

Okay, confession time again. I am a compulsive dreamer. I always have been. I have kept a dream list since I was a teenager. Every once in a while I pull it out, read through it, cross off things I have accomplished (i.e. get married in the temple) or no longer desire to do (i.e. run a marathon -- not too sure what I was thinking with this dream) and then add to it. Lately I've been thinking of lots of things I want to do someday and now I'm adding to my list (this is not the entire list).

1. Someday I will take a photography course
2. Someday I will take a Microsoft Excel course
   
3. Someday I will go back to school to get a bachelor's degree in graphic design
4. Someday I will have at least ten children (even if I have to count in-laws and grandchildren)
5. Someday I will write a children's book
6. Someday I will have my own house and yard to make as colorful as I want
7. Someday I will swim in the Atlantic Ocean
8. Someday I will visit Jerusalem
9. Someday I will cross the Equator
10. Someday I will tour Europe (at least some of it)
    
11. Someday I will perform on stage again
12. Someday I will have a fabric collection that is as extensive as my mom's
13. Someday I will create all the craft ideas I have floating around in my head
14. Someday I will read all about American history and then tour all the sites I've learned about
15. Someday I will read Isaiah and understand it

Some people say someday never comes. But I believe we must dream of someday and prepare for someday if it is to ever happen at all. Here's a little poem to remind us that all our dreams can come true.

Listen to the Mustn'ts

Listen to Mustn'ts, child, listen to the Don'ts.
Listen to the Shouldn'ts, the Impossibles, the Won'ts.
Listen to the Never Haves, then listen close to me.
Anything can happen, child, Anything can be.

-Shel Silverstein

And when you dream, dream big...

Third Time's a Charm

Winning stuff is so exciting. (I think this is why people gamble -- and participate in contests and game shows). I remember when I was eight or nine I won a coloring contest. I think my prize was 25 or 30 dollars. It was so fun to win.

On Tuesday, Owen participated in his first radio contest. He didn't win. When he tried again yesterday he didn't win either. But today, when he called in with his answer, he got it right! He was pretty excited, and I was excited for him. He won an extra large pizza from Domino's. So, Monday night after a long day at school, I think we'll be ordering pizza.

Tall, Dark and Beautiful

Miriam had her four month well-child check-up yesterday and everything is looking great. She's healthy (completely healed from whatever was ailing her last weekend), growing great and did quite well with the immunizations (all things considered, of course).

Here's the stats:
Weight: 14 lbs. 11.5 oz. (75th %ile)
Length: 25 1/2 inches (90th %ile)

When we were at the doctor on Friday, she weighed a little over 15 lbs. She lost some weight while she was sick and not eating very well. Maybe she really would have been in the 90th percentile for weight also! She's eating well now and is back on the rise. Either way, she's tall...dark...and beautiful!

I know she looks concerned a bit, but she's really just tired. She gets a bath before bedtime every night. It's her favorite time of day (the bath -- not the bedtime).













My sleeping angel. Aren't sleeping babies just the sweetest things ever?!














I tried to take another picture just in case that first one didn't look too great. I almost got caught! She did a reverse blink when the flash went. I figured I'd better stop while I was ahead. So I sneaked out of her room as fast and quietly as I could. Luckily she went right back to sleep.













Also, notice that her arms are not swaddled any more? She used to only sleep like this














But swaddling her arms was becoming quite the battle so we decided it was about time to end that phase of babyhood. Only problem was she couldn't sleep very well unless she was tightly wrapped. So we "weaned" her from the swaddle. We went from completely snuggled up, to one arm out, then to where she's at now...both arms free!

One arm out -- so cute

The Case of the Missing Brain Planner: Solved!

I just received a call...from my bank. Here's the conversation that ensued:

Bank man: Are you Ms. Marshall?
Me: Yes.
Bank man: Well, I've got the police on the line with me. (Meanwhile I'm thinking Oh no, I should have canceled Owen's checks. I guess somebody stole them out of my missing planner and they have spent all our money, plus more, and we are going to have to file bankruptcy. Here comes the bad news.) The officer is at the mall and he has your driver's license and some checks in Mr. Marshall's name. If you'll hold for a second I will put him on to talk to you. (Ooh, never mind the bad news. Maybe he's got my planner along with my driver's license and the checks!)
Me: Thank you!
Police man: I have your black day planner here. I believe you called about it a couple weeks ago.
Me: I did. I figured it was lost and gone forever (dreadful sorry, Clementine).
Police man: Someone just turned it in yesterday and the phone number we had for this driver's license was wrong (I've moved since a time or two since getting it) so we had to go through your bank to find you. You can come pick it up anytime.
Me: Thank you sooo much!

So, today I will be picking up my long, lost planner and will never be letting it out of my sight again!

As a little side note: Even though I was so worried and distressed about the loss of my planner, I always felt peace about it. Everybody told me to cancel my cards and such that were in it, but I never did. For some reason, even when I had completely lost hope that I would ever see it again, I felt I should wait and watch my accounts first. So, I did. And I'm glad I did. Now I don't have to wait for new cards, checks and pin numbers. Nor do I have to get a new license or student ID, which I had also been putting off for some reason...a reason which is now known to me. Boy, am I grateful for these little promptings from the Spirit.

Moving Mountains

When I was a child, my Mom taught me that it's always easier to maintain cleanliness than it is to have a huge mess to pick up. I know this is true and because of it I always try to stay on top of the laundry and get it put away immediately because it seems to be one of those eternal chores (dishes are also in this category) that always need to be done. I've found that if I get behind, it takes at least a day or more to catch up.

Usually I do laundry on Tuesday and Saturday (whites, mediums, darks and diapers -- I throw in an extra load of diapers on Thursday). Last Tuesday I got all the laundry clean, but other than that, hadn't done anything else with it. I had homework to do and school in the morning, so I put it off. Then, Saturday I was busy taking care of my sick baby who didn't want to be left alone, as well as preparing dinner and the house for people coming over that evening (plans that were made well in advance of Miriam getting sick). So all that got done that day was a load of whites so I wouldn't run out of clean underwear and diapers, as usual.

Having said all that folks, I'm behind. Remember the "Grand Teton sized clean laundry piles in the sewing room" I talked about the other day? Well, I'm finally going to tackle them, as well as the dirty laundry, today. This means six loads of laundry (whites, diapers, two medium and two dark) total need to be cleaned. As well as ironing and putting away all the clean clothes that are sitting in the laundry room. I'm pretty sure this will take me all day so I'd better get moving!

The First Mow of the Season

Owen mowed the lawn yesterday!! Why am I so excited about fresh cut grass? Because it means winter just might finally be over, of course! Also, we have my Dad's reputation to uphold. He always has the best looking yard in the neighborhood. He's the first to have nice, plush green grass and the last to keep it that way. See?!















This is an aerial view of my parents' house that some guy in a helicopter took and then sold to them. Pretty cool photo, in my opinion. It hangs in our computer room, just off the front entry. Any time people see it they ask something along the lines of "Is that a golf course?" Why yes! Of course it's a golf course. I, too, often see houses in the middle of golf courses. Those dang traps!! That front porch gets me every time. Okay, okay. So I don't actually golf, but that question has always been a Here's Your Sign question to me. Back to the lawn. Eventually the very bright person who just asked the golf course question will then realize that it is a picture of a house and yard. What do we gather from this? Either (A) There are many people out there who are not very observant and speak without thinking first...or (B) my Dad has a gorgeous yard. I'm gonna go with a combination of (A) and (B). We'll do our best to maintain my Dad's yard as well as he does.

Here's Owen in action













I know it's a little scraggly looking now. Just give us a couple weeks!













Oh, and by the way, my Dad doesn't have a nice yard because he is trying to impress anyone. He just likes it to look nice.

The Prognosis

Yesterday afternoon we took Miriam to the doctor. Her temperature had been pretty steady at 102-103 degrees all day and night (way too high to be teething) and we could tell she was just plain miserable.

The PA checked her ears; perfectly clear, her lungs; just fine and her nose; no problems there either. Then she went on to the throat. She put the tongue depressor in and out came Miriam's lunch. She tried another time; again, more throw-up. After four times with the same result, she gave up and said she thought Miri's tonsils looked a little red. I'm not sure how she could tell with projectile vomit coming out toward her scope! Sorry for the graphic description -- but that's what happened!

She went on to say that it couldn't be strep throat because babies Miriam's age just don't get that. I'm not so sure, but I'll try to trust her for now. She said it is probably just a virus and that it would likely run its course within seven days. Seven days?!! You mean I'm not going to get any sleep for the next seven days?! You've got to be kidding! Just give her some Tylenol and try to keep her fever down.

Yeah, I'd love to give her some medicine so she could feel better...but she refuses to swallow it! We've tried doing it fast and doing it slow. When it's fast, she spits it out fast; when it's slow, she holds it in her mouth and cries until she starts choking on it. Either way, she's not having it! And she seriously opposes the bottle, so no dice there either.

Last night at about ten, Owen and Craig (he and Heidi are in town visiting Heidi's family who is also in town -- they are staying with us) gave her a Priesthood blessing. Within twenty minutes her fever was down a couple degrees and she finally got a little rest. The rest of the night was still a bit rocky. I didn't get much sleep between two and six-thirty and Miriam's fever had spiked again, but I could definitely see a difference. When she was crying she would calm down much sooner and she was taking little naps here and there.

This morning we finally got a tiny bit of medicine in her on two different occasions. She's also eating a little better (she hardly ate anything all night and most of yesterday) and is now a mere 99 degrees. She's finally cool enough to have some clothes on again (she's been in just a diaper since Thursday night -- other than when we went with Owen to get his root canal yesterday morning) and be swaddled in her blanket (the only way she sleeps well). And she's been napping for an hour now (she even fell asleep on her own like usual -- for the past two days she's only slept when she's being held or is in the swing) and is catching up on some much needed rest. We even got some talking and smiling this morning. I can tell my little angel is finally starting to feel a little better. Hopefully she'll be fully recovered soon.

Good News and Bad News

The good news is...Owen got a root canal. Wait a minute?! Root canal=good news? Since when? Since now! Well, at least I consider it a good thing, although some Owen might disagree. Here's the reasons to my madness:

1. Now Owen's tooth is fixed and he should be pain-free shortly!
2. It was the tooth that already had a root canal performed on it (not necessarily a good thing) which means it already had a gold crown in place...so we hopefully won't have to pay for a new one.
3. Owen gets to keep the tooth (sort of) rather than having it pulled and having an empty space where a tooth once was.
4. We were able to pay for it in full, up front, and by ourselves. It took quite the chunk out of our savings to do it, but there's just nothing that feels as good as being self-reliant. I don't care what the democrats say!

Okay, on to the bad news...

The bad news is...Owen got a root canal. This is a bummer in itself. I've never had one (and hopefully never will), but I hear they are no fun. But hopefully Owen will heal quickly and this will all be behind us.

As for Miriam, she's still not feeling well. Poor baby. We have an appointment with her doctor for later today, so hopefully he can provide her with some relief. Part of me kind of hopes that she's got an ear infection or some sort of illness that can be fixed because if it is just teething then there's a good chance I'll just have to bear having my little girl in pain. Twisted thinking, I'm sure, but that's the truth. She has her four-month check-up/shots scheduled for Tuesday. If she is just teething and there is nothing I can do for her, I may just get the shots done today. Since she already feels lousy we may as well get it all over at once!

Tooth Troubles

We've got some mouth pain happening at our house these days. Owen has a tooth that had a root canal performed on it three years ago. It is now giving him quite a bit of grief. It kept him up most of last night and has been getting progressively worse throughout the day. At the moment, he is unable to talk because the pain is so intense. He's even on hydrocodine and can't take more for another two hours; its effect wore off an hour and a half ago...poor Owen :( We're currently trying to get him in to see Bishop Dr. Hoover tomorrow. Cross you fingers!

Also, Miriam is teething. I know, I know...supposedly she's too young. At least that's what people keep telling me. But everyone also said her hair would fall out. Doesn't look like that happened! Anyway, she's been super-drooly for almost two months now and for the past two days has been like a faucet. Plus, she's been very clingy and cranky (Miriam cranky, not normal baby cranky -- she's never normal baby cranky). Add to this a 102 degree fever and we've got us a teething baby. She didn't sleep very well last night either, which really means that I didn't sleep very well last night.

It's been a little chaotic around here and it seriously looks like a tornado whipped through the house (the whole thing, not just the kitchen like usual). There are Grand Teton sized clean laundry piles in the sewing room, the dishes look like they never get done (even though 90% of them got cleaned this morning) and the two upstairs bedrooms, well, they've seen better days. Miriam's room is usually very neat and tidy (How much of a mess can a non-crawling baby actually create?) but I slept in there for part of last night messing up the bed and leaving extra pillows from the bed on the floor. I just haven't had much of a chance to fix any of it since I try to stay out of her room while she is trying to nap (this has been pretty much all day since she isn't feeling well). Anyway, I am tired and stressed and I've got dishes to do, which is just adding to the household misery. But hey, on the bright side, I did clean two bathrooms, washed diapers and managed to get the grocery shopping done today!! So at least some things are getting accomplished. We'll see how tomorrow goes :)