We Are Blessed

I know that I complain about Kasey's job a lot--the hours are long, the work is grueling, the coworkers are sometimes less than desirable, the elements are brutal--but we are so blessed. This morning, because I couldn't sleep and had nothing better to do (it's currently 3am), I logged on to his work website to check out his paycheck for today.

It was more than I expected. Significantly more. Kasey noticed that he had gotten a raise. Woohoo! It's always a nice surprise to get money that you weren't expecting. But then I started looking over other specifics of his pay stub, things that I usually glance quickly over without too much notice.

I added up his premiums for all the different insurances that his company offers. We have paid less in one year than some people pay in a month. In 2 years, we have contributed more to Kasey's 401K than he used to make in an entire year. Every three weeks, he gets paid to take a week off. It's like vacation every month (sometimes twice a month when the rotation is just so.)

So, I was thinking that even though his job is hard and requires a lot of us as a family, we really are so blessed. And I am grateful.

Potty Training Triumph

Ellie pooped in the potty tonight. I'm ecstatic! I'm elated! As only the mother of a potty training child can be.

Ellie didn't seem too impressed with this accomplishment. She just kind of looked disapprovingly at Makayla and me while we danced around the bathroom in celebration.

Then she looked in the toilet, said "Oh yuck!" and walked off.

Well, at least she did it.

Yay! A Tag

My bloggy friend Tamir tagged me. Like her, I'm glad I have something to blog about today.

8 Favorite TV shows

1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. Lost
4. Ellen
5. The View
6. Oprah
7. Survivor
8. Maybe if I had cable I'd have a number 8.

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. The Olive Garden
2. Texas Roadhouse
3. Paraiso Vallarta
4. Rooster's
5. Wendy's
6. Mandarin House
7. Quizno's
8. Does Jamba Juice count as a restaurant? Probably not, but I love it anyway.
   

8 Things that happened yesterday

1. Took the girls to story time at the library
2. Learned some new songs for ward choir
3. Went to Walmart (Oh Target! How I miss you!)
4. Took a too-short nap
5. Tried to convince my baby to stay in a little (or a lot) longer. Apparently it worked.
6. Made delicious Artichoke Dip and then proceeded to eat 1/3 of it by myself. Yummy! I'll share the recipe another day.
7. Sat around the rest of the day with contractions and other such nonsense
8. Learned that a good friend of mine was killed. Definitely NOT the highlight of my day.

8 Things I look forward to

1. January 21--or maybe January 7 if I can convince the dr to induce me that early. We'll see.
2. owning a house
3. Kasey's week off (Let's just say it's been a long week so far)
4. paying off student loans and car
5. I always look forward to payday.
6. Thanksgiving trip
7. Twilight, the movie
8. My sister's wedding in May
   

8 Things I love about fall

1. warm days, cool nights
2. It's the beginning of evenings curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.
3. Playing in the crunchy leaves. The girls and I go to preschool early every day just so we can kick the leaves.
4. Hunting Season--I obviously don't love this, but Kasey does. I love that he gets to do something he loves.
5. Breaking out all my sweaters
6. I hardly cook/bake during the summer. It's way too hot!! I love fall because it's cool enough to start cooking/baking again. Cookies, cakes, soups, rolls. . .yum!
7. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is in the fall.
8. So is my birthday.
   

8 Things on my wishlist

1. money to pay off bills
2. a real bed--although I have to admit that after 6-1/2 years of marriage, we finally upgraded from cinder blocks under our mattress to an actual frame. No more stubbed toes for us!
3. a minivan. I know I have my Durango, but a minivan is so much more mom-friendly. With almost 3 kids, I appreciate anything mom-friendly.
4. a house. I'm so over living in an apartment.
5. I feel like I have a pretty good life, so there's not too many things on my wishlist.
6. Maybe one day I'd like to have cable again. I know! I keep talking about it, but it's just not a priority right now.
7. I would also like some new pans.
8. And maybe a few more things from Pampered Chef, but I need more space before I can buy the fun stuff.
   

"Mulan Hair"

One of Ellie's favorite movies to watch is Disney's Mulan. After every viewing, she grabs a handful of hair and says, "Look! Mulan hair." She even does it to me. She gets a handful of my hair and says, "Mulan mama."

Today, for a little change, I pulled her hair into one big ponytail. She was so excited when she saw it in the mirror. She started jumping around exclaiming, "Mulan! Mulan! Ellie Mulan hair!"

She even started running around the living room showing off her best karate moves with an enthusiastic, "Hi-ya!"

Because Sometimes a Nap on the Floor is Just Better

Things Can Always Get Worse

The next time I think I'm having a bad day, I hope I remember this post that I read last night. And maybe then I'll realize that my bad day could be so much worse.

Here's Your Sign

Several times this week I have found Ellie rummaging in Makayla's drawers for panties. When she finds the pair she is looking for, usually The Little Mermaid, she pulls off her diaper and puts on the panties.

Then she proudly runs up to me and says, "Look mama! Wear panties me. I pee potty. I a big girl."

I had really hoped to wait until after our Thanksgiving trip (okay and maybe until after the baby comes) to really hit potty training hard. But with signs of readiness like these, I would be a fool to wait any longer.

sigh.

Potty training, here we come!

We Each Have a Mini Me

I just went in to check on my babies before I retire for bed myself.

I found Makayla laying on her back, mouth open, arms above her head--just like her daddy.

I found Ellie curled up in a ball, blankets up to her chin, books scattered across the bed--just like her mommy.

I thought it was pretty funny. No, I did not take a picture. Are you crazy? I can't risk having them wake up when I worked so hard to get them asleep!

Book Review: The Audacity of Hope

I usually hesitate to write anything remotely political because it always creates such a stir. And frankly, I don't always know how to defend my thoughts or feelings. So, don't think of this as a political post. Think of this as a mere book review.

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I just finished listening to this book today. I've wanted to read it and thought it would be good to do before the election. My thoughts are somewhat scattered so I think the best way to approach this is with bullet points.

--He is an educated man and a politician; therefore, he speaks using an elevated vocabulary. Admittedly, I had to look up a few words so I knew what he was talking about.

--I love his thoughts on empathy. Our country, and indeed the world, would not be so divided if we had true empathy for our neighbors.

--He is somewhat of an idealist: a lot of the ideas he has can quite honestly never happen in the society in which we live today. As sad as that may be, it's the truth. However, since I am also an idealist, I agree with a good deal of his ideas for how to improve our country.

--I've had people tell me that reading this book will make me change my mind about Obama. I think that if you don't like Barack Obama and you read this book, you will dislike him more. If you do like Barack Obama and you read this book, you will like him even more.

--I like that he openly admits to certain things. 1. He says in the beginning of the book that his views are somewhat one-sided because he is a Democrat. I like that he acknowledges the fact that a lot of people will disagree with him just because he is a Democrat. He doesn't pretend to be something that he is not. 2. Near the end of the book he talks about the toll that being a US Senator has taken on his family life. But he also acknowledges that he has it easier than a lot of families because he can afford to hire a babysitter and a housekeeper and have a number of other things that people in similar situations cannot.

There were other things that I was going to write, but it's getting late. And my brain is turning to mush. If I think of them later, I will certainly add those thoughts to this post.

See pictures of my adorable niece and nephews over at Carried Away Photography.

Stuck

Generally, I think it's really mean when parents take pictures of their kids when their kids are asking for help. But on this day, I couldn't help myself.

One morning in September, I heard Ellie yelling at me from the bathroom. I walked in to see her stuck in the sink. Her feet were wet so every time she tried to use them for leverage, she slipped back into the sink. It was so funny watching her.

I checked to make sure she wasn't hurt. Then I grabbed my camera and took this picture before I helped her out. Mean, I know. I love the look she is giving me--"I can't believe you are taking my picture while I'm stuck in this stupid sink!"

Sweet Delights

About 5 years ago, I bought a little cookbook titled 101 Things To Do With A Cake Mix. I made 1 recipe out of the book, and then it got packed away somewhere.

Fast forward to last week. I was cleaning out a random cupboard (this nesting instinct is kicking in a little earlier than usual, but that's a topic for a whole other post) and came across this book again. I flipped through it and marked a few recipes that sounded especially good to me.

Today I made these yummy little things called Sweet Delights. They are sweet. They are delightful. And they are surprisingly quick and easy to make.

So, I'm sharing the recipe for those of you who need a Sunday treat today.

1 cake mix, any flavor (I used yellow.)
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate/semi-sweet Swirls. It's all I had on hand.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together cake mix, brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough balls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from pan and cool.

I used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and got 45 cookies. These are seriously the easiest cookies I've EVER made, with the possible exception of the cut and bake kind from the store. From the time I started to the time the last batch came out of the oven was 35 minutes. I don't know about you, but the thing I hate about making cookies is that it feels like an all-afternoon project. Not with these. They are so fast!

Mmmm! I think I'll go have another.

Friday Project

Want to see what we did today? Well, actually, it's what my husband and father did today.

The girls room started off as a disaster this morning.
We picked up toys and moved the toddler bed out.
Kasey and my dad started work in the living room.
Wow! You can actually tell what they are building.
Nearly finished.
Makayla learning how to safely climb up
and down the ladder to her and Ellie's new bunk bed.
The finished room with beds and toys in place. Notice the beautiful matching quilts that my mom made for the girls. They love their new beds and blankets. And we decided today that the new baby will also get a matching crib-size quilt to match her big sisters' blankets.

The room is a little squishy with a bigger bed, but we'll make do.

Ellie struggled a little bit tonight with having to sleep in this new bed. I had to put her back in it several times. It was to be expected, though, and I'm sure it will get better as time goes on. I'm definitely glad that we started Operation No Binky earlier this week instead of my original (and foolish) plan to do it all at once.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for all your help today. The girls loved having you here, and you made the work go by so much faster.

The Not-So-Glamorous Side of Motherhood

My blog is titled "Finding Joy in My Journey" because I didn't want this to turn into a place where I vent my anger all the time. I wanted it to be a place where I could record the milestones of my children and reflect on the good things in life. I was hoping the title would remind me of that when I sat down to write new posts. I feel, for the most part, that I've been able to do that. (I am definitely not counting the last few days of binky withdrawal.) But let's face it--not every day is peachy. There are days when things don't go as planned, and life is just plain hard.

Today would be one of those days for me. It's a day where I'm having a hard time finding the joy in motherhood.

Yesterday was a day crammed with dentist appointments, shopping, and traveling. Things went well at the dentist (Yay Makayla for having no cavities!) and the shopping was really a lot of fun. But because we had to travel several hours to do our big city shopping, it was after midnight when we got home and in bed. I was so hoping that the girls would sleep in till 7:30 or dare I dream? 8:00?

That was not to be so. Just after 6am I heard some whimpering coming from the girls' room. Then a minute later I heard an explosion of vomit happening. I got up to see whose sheets I would be washing. Ellie's! Except it wasn't just sheets that I had to wash. There was some major projectile vomiting happening! Gross!

After quickly assessing the situation, I scooped up Ellie and tossed her in the tub to contain the mess all over her. Then I moved Makayla from her bed to my bed so that I could turn on the light to see just how bad the damage was. Oh, let me tell you--it was BAD!!! (Because projectile vomit is never, ever good.)

I cleaned up Ellie and made her comfortable on the floor in her room before I stripped her bed and started wiping puke off walls, toys, floor, and dresser. More puking. In fact, the puking lasted for a good 5 hours. Just when I thought she was okay, she would puke again.

And then the pooping started. All I'm going to say about that is I'm so glad we haven't really started the potty training yet. Diarrhea and panties are not my favorite combination.

When nap time rolled around, I was so tired that I just wanted to give her a bink so she would settle down quickly and get some rest. But I was strong and resisted the urge. I didn't really want to undo my previous 3 days of work with that. And it turns out that she only fussed for 5 or so minutes. Hooray! At least we are making some progress there.

So now, it's 3 o'clock. Ellie has gone through 5 outfits. I've gone through 3 outfits. And Kasey has gone through 2 or 3 outfits. I've washed Ellie's bedding, Makayla's bedding, and my bedding because Ellie somehow managed to puke on every one's bed today. I've been washing and sanitizing everything that Ellie touches. Oh! And since she refuses to puke in the toilet or a garbage pail, I've been following her around with dish towels so she pukes on something that can be washed instead of all over my carpet. My 7th load of laundry is in the washer. And if things continue this way after nap time, I'm sure I'll see my 9th or 10th load today.

I'm so far beyond tired. I'm physically exhausted and emotionally drained. I just want to sit and have myself a good cry and a really long nap. But unfortunately, moms don't get that luxury when their kids are sick. So I'll pick myself up and finish everything that needs to be done today. And maybe tomorrow, I'll be able to find some joy in this life I've chosen.

Death to the Pacifier!

Day 2 of cold turkey, and it is not going well! Ellie had a laughable excuse for a nap this afternoon and cried for nearly an hour at bedtime. My nerves are shot, and everyone around here is just a tad bit grouchier than usual.

I think I'll watch a little Adam Sandler, eat a huge piece of apple pie, and hope for my mood to improve.

Cold Turkey--Not the Yummy Kind You Eat the Day After Thanksgiving

I've decided to get rid of Ellie's binky once and for all. I'm not waiting to switch her to a big girl bed like I had originally planned. (Even though that's happening this weekend.)

Tonight was her first day with no binky at nap time or bed time. She didn't end up taking a nap. Oh well. One day without a nap won't kill her; although, her crabbiness was definitely wearing on me by bedtime.

It has now been 30 minutes since I put her to bed. There has been quiet in her room for about 5 minutes. Good, but I'm not getting my hopes up for an entire night of peace just yet. I'm sure she will wake up in the middle of the night, realize the binky is gone, and cry some more.

I'll let you know in the morning who survives the night.

Broken Toe

I think I broke my toe. (It's probably just sprained, but it sounds more dramatic to say "broken." Don't you think?) How? People ask me that and it's tempting to say, "I kicked Makayla," which is what actually happened, but it sounds so bad to say it that way.

What really happened is that I was walking behind Makayla. She stopped walking and I kept walking. My toe kicked her heel. I started hopping around like a crazy fool screaming, "Owie! Ouch! Oh! Eeee! Ahhh!" Of course my girls thought I was trying to be funny. Ellie has re-enacted it several times since.

Today is the first day that I've been able to walk normally since Thursday. The swelling has gone down, but it's still bruised. I took some pictures to show you. (Sorry if you have adverse feelings to feet.) I had to contort my toes a little bit to get a good picture of the bruising, which certainly didn't help the pain any, but oh well.

Please ignore my chipped nail polish. My tummy is getting big enough now that it's hard to do my own toes. Plus I wear socks every day so I don't really care too much what shape my toe polish is in. Maybe I'll get a pedicure on my vacation next month. But I digress. Here are the pictures.

My Little Artist: Part 2

Thanks for all your fun guesses. I showed this picture to Makayla and said, "What did you draw in this picture?"

The answer: "It's two mermaids, of course."

Of course! How silly of me not to know that these are mermaids. What a character! And what an imagination this girl has!

New Diaper Bag

Several weeks ago, I noticed a friend of mine toting around an adorable new diaper bag. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that she had made it herself. I told her I just had to have one and how much would she charge to make one for me. She thought and then said, "How about a day of babysitting?" SCORE!!!

This is the same little girl that I babysat earlier in the year while my friend was a substitute teacher. I watched the little girl, bought the fabric and notions, and voila! Two weeks later I am the owner of this adorable bag that is already getting notice.

It even came with this awesome binky holder. How stinkin' cute is that?!?!

There is tons of space inside and has several handy pockets on the inside. Today I discovered that in addition to my regular haul (wallet, checkbook, notebook, book I'm currently reading, diaper, wipes, sunglasses, misc toys) it also holds 2 jackets. Handy!

In the top picture there is a little clutch next to the bag. I found that for $4 before I even bought the fabric for this bag. I couldn't have matched it better if I'd been trying. Plus, it's the perfect size to hold things that I don't want to lose in the bottom of the bag (calculator, chap stick, floss, hand sanitizer, receipts).

Not too shabby for $12 and 8 hours of babysitting!

Loving My New Hair

I've been wanting to cut my hair for some time. When I saw my sister over the weekend, I asked her if she would do it for me.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I wish the picture wasn't so dark, but I think you get the idea.

My Little Artist

Since Makayla went back to preschool, she has been drawing all sorts of things for me. This one was the best! Anyone want to take a guess as to what these are? I'm tempted to wait for a few days before I tell you so I can see what creative ideas you can come up with. In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Leave your guesses in the comment section.
Answer on Saturday.

Update! And It's a Long One

Whew! I feel liked I've been out of the blogging world for such a long time. I guess for me, 2 posts in 2 weeks is a little out of it.

My absence started because of a spur of the moment trip to Yellowstone. Kasey had the week off, and we wanted to do something fun as a family. On Monday afternoon (Sept 22), we decided that we would take a day trip on Tuesday (Sept 23). We left at 4 am and drove for 6 hours. We met up with my parents for the afternoon to look at the bugling elk in Yellowstone. We hung out for a couple of hours, but when it was time to leave for the long trip home, my mom convinced us to stay at the bed and breakfast where she and my dad were staying. So we did. We went to the nearest convenience store and bought some essentials and stayed the night. It was so much fun!! Then after hanging out with my parents and the elk for the morning, we drove the 6 hours home.

I'm not a spontaneous person by any means. (Um hi, deciding something the day before is considered "spur of the moment" at our house.) It was fun testing the waters of spontaneity for a change.

Here are a few pictures from that trip.

Wolf--we weren't lucky enough to see the pack that took down an elk earlier in the day.

Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs--they were so close.
Makayla throwing rocks in the river.
Me helping Ellie throw rocks in the river--both girls loved doing this.
A cute picture of Makayla on our little hike.
Elk by Madison--a bull with part of his harem.
Same bull.
Makayla & Ellie eating fruit snacks before Old Faithful erupted--they weren't as impressed with the geyser as I thought they would be. The treat was better to them.

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Later that week we made a Costco run. By the time we made it to Costco, I had exactly 2 diapers left. Talk about good timing! The girls and I hung out with my sister and her kids while Kasey and my brother-in-law went golfing. Then my sis and I caught the Relief Society Broadcast and dessert with her friends. It was a fun, but admittedly long day.

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Other things taking up our time lately:

*A parenting class put on by Makayla's preschool. Once a week for 5 weeks. I'm learning a lot and am quite a bit more patient with my children as a result.

*A trip to see my friend Amanda and her adorable new baby Parker. Got to see my other sister for a little bit that same day. She has an hilarious roommate from Australia. We love her!

*A weekend at my mom's house. She is making new quilts for my girls' new beds (we're getting them next week. I can't wait!), so I helped her tie one of them and got to see yet another sister before she moves across the country.

*We got home Monday and spent yesterday nursing Kasey back to health after his injury at work. Don't worry--nothing serious. He just tweaked his back and had to lay in bed all day. Not so fun for him, but the girls loved seeing their daddy all day long, even if they couldn't jump on him.

24 Weeks

I had Kasey take my picture Wednesday morning. I'm 24 weeks (in case you couldn't deduce that from the title). I'm finally starting to show. Kind of. Sort of. A little bit. Can you tell? I really am pregnant. It's not just fat!

A Real Post Coming Soon

I realize that I've been somewhat absent from my blog lately. While I compose a post with a little more substance to it (and maybe a picture or two), I'll leave you with a link to a hilarious blog that my sister recently introduced to me. Every time I read it, I laugh so hard that I cry and all chance of communicating the hilarity in front of me goes out the window. Yes, It's really that funny. Have I built it up sufficiently for you? It's called Cake Wrecks. Do yourself a favor and read it.