Kiss the Baby

My mom brought a baby mirror for Dallin. He loved the baby he saw so much that he had to kiss the baby.

Black Friday - No Shopping

I was good this year and purchased Christmas presents all before Thanksgiving (most before Halloween), so Black Friday wasn't a day of running to get to the best sale possible, but a great family outing. We were up in Chicago for Thanksgiving, so we went to the Field museum on Friday. It was a lot of fun to see the kids enjoying themselves.

You may notice that Dallin isn't with the other kids. He was in the baby corral when the other pictures were being taken. Believe it or not, he really was happy there with the other babies:



Annie and Jaren beating on drums like they had at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Ancient Chinese drum (replica, for obvious reason):

Ammon having a go at it and Jaren smiling for the camera:

Ammon, Annie, and Jaren resting from their "labors":

We were at the Field museum for the majority of the day (from 11am to 3pm) and only saw part of the bottom floor of the museum. It's HUGE! I have since learnt that we can get a membership at a kids museum down here (Bloomington, so a little south of us) and it will cover the Field museum as well as the Museum of Science and Industry. Looks like we will be taking some three day weekend trips up to visit Auntie Barbara and Uncle Greg more regularly!

Thanksgiving Proclamation 1789

I just was sent a link to the proclamation for Thanksgiving given by President George Washington in 1789. Thanksgiving was (and still should be) intended "to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor."

You can read the proclamation in its entirety here.

If we ever needed His protection and favor, we do now. I have been feeling really humbled and saddened by the state of our world over the past few weeks (the election did nothing to calm my troubled heart, but I won't get into politics here).

I feel like we have just hit the tip of the iceberg of things to come, too. I am grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life and the knowledge and testimony that I have of my Heavenly Father's love. I know that I will continue to receive guidance from the Holy Ghost, guidance from my church leaders (especially the prophet and apostles), and guidance from the scriptures to get through these times. I am grateful to have listened to our leaders and that we have food storage and little savings (wish we had more, but we're working on it). Times may get rough for us, but the spirit will comfort us and we need not fear as we are prepared.

I told the kids that I wanted to gather them under my wing and protect them from all that is going on the world. Ammon said, "I didn't know you have wings" and then started laughing hysterically. Once we got his laughter under wraps, we talked as a family about some of the things going on (not just about the financial recession, but the spiritual recession). We made a commitment to work harder as a family to dedicate ourselves both collectively and individually to serving the Lord and learning gospel principles. I've decided that I need to re-institute daily devotionals with the kids. When Dallin was born, that got pushed aside, but I need to recommit myself to teaching them on a daily basis. I feel that once a week during Family Home Evening isn't enough because their world when they are adults will be much worse than it is even now.

I'm sorry to my readers (like I've got crowds of you - HA!) for the seriousness of this post. It's more for myself and journaling than anything, but if you want to comment, you're welcome to it.

Pogo Champion of the World

I know this is the fourth post today - bear with me. I'm trying to update and make up for the month without posts. That way I can go another month - ha,ha. I'll try not to let it get this bad again. I'm going to be good, I promise, and post more frequently so we've got a max of one post a day.

Here is a video of Jaren pogo sticking. He can go no hands. That's talent:

Belated Halloween Pictures

I have been really busy this past month and so am just now getting the Halloween pictures up.

Dallin and Jaren were both pirates. Dallin may be the only pirate ever to drool on the face of the earth with a pacifier (see ZooBoo pic at the top):

Annie was a princess for ZooBoo (but changed to be a different princess on Halloween):

Ammon was Mr. Incredible or Dash (depending on the minute you asked him):

Aside from the baby's costume, all the costumes were just from the kids' dress-up bins. I wasn't going to buy new Halloween costumes when they had perfectly good costumes already. They didn't like it so much, but tough luck.

Another Tagging

Okay, so I was tagged by both Jessica and Alene (as you may have seen in my other tagging post). Since Jessica has a different set of questions to answer, I'm going to do it twice. But, again, I've got no one to tag so it's just going to be a question and answer session with myself. Here goes:

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago (1998):
1. arranging my housing for returning in the fall to BYUH (March)
2. meeting Mike (April) - out the window went BYUH plans
3. getting engaged (May) - cemented the nix on BYUH
4. getting married to Mike in the Chicago temple (October)
5. finding out I was pregnant with Jaren (December)

5 Things on my To-Do List:
1. finish quilling my Christmas presents
2. get an entire night's sleep without being awoken by a child
3. putting away laundry
4. buy Annie new Sunday shoes (I've been cramming her size 10 feet into size 8 shoes for about two months now)
5. work with Ammon on reading (he wants to be able to read - today - and is frustrated with the process and work it's taking him with his dyslexia)

5 Snacks I Enjoy (two out of five being healthy snacks ain't bad, the bad thing is chocolate is no. 1 snack - LOL):
1. chocolate
2. grapes
3. apple slices
4. animal crackers
5. cookies

5 Things I would do if I were a Millionaire:
1. Tithing
2. Invest
3. Pay off house and then build a custom one
4. Pay off student loans
5. donate to some worthwhile charities

5 Places I have Lived (I'm changing this one to all the places I've lived - there have been a lot):
1. Greenwood, Indiana
2. Beaverton, Oregon
3. Crystal Lake, Illinois
4. Rexburg, Idaho
5. Vernon Hills, Illinois
6. Helsinki, Finland (and other cities in Finland, but since I was a missionary and moved every few months, I'm not naming them all)
7. Laie, Hawaii
8. Hauula, Hawaii
9. St. Joseph, Michigan
10. Puyallup, Washington
11. Aberdeen, Washington (there are other places within Washington, but since I was a little kid when we lived there, I can't remember the town names)

5 Jobs I have had:
1. paper route
2. babysitter (steady evening job when I was 14)
3. KFC
4. BYUH library reference desk assistant
5. Business Analyst for Kemper Insurance (which went under a few years ago)

5 People I Tag: No one - and that's okay. I do have friends, but those who have blogs have been tagged already. I just have to recruit more of my friends to blog, I guess. Then, I can tag shamelessly.

Late in the Game Tagging

I've been tagged (a while ago, but haven't had time to check out anyone's blog - including my own). So, here goes:

Both Jessica and Alene tagged me so I'm passing it along (although I don't know to whom)!

1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six "8" items
3) Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment

8 Favorite TV shows (although I haven't watched "regular" TV since the Olympics)
1) So you think you can dance
2) Survivor
3) Property Ladder
4) Biggest Loser
5) John and Kate Plus 8
6) America's Next Top Model
7) American Idol
8) CNN (I'm a news junkie - now I just get all I want from the Internet)

8 Things I did yesterday
1) Got up early
2) Attended church and actually got to go to R.S. instead of Primary (YEAH!)
3) Made cookies
4) Took a nap
5) Talked on the phone for a LONG time to a friend from Oregon
6) quilled a new nativity
7) Made BBQ babyback ribs
8) Cuddled with the baby

8 Things I look forward to
1) seeing Dallin walk (but he can take his time - I'm in no hurry)
2) Thanksgiving
3) Seeing the Lubshina sisters Saturday after Thanksgiving (it's been SIX years since we've seen each other in person)
4) more time for quilling
5) Seeing my kids grow up in righteousness and serve the Lord (go on missions, get married in the temple)
6) Going on a mission (or three) with Mike when we get older
7) Christmas
8) spending family time (most days I can't get enough - but, there are those other days)

8 Favorite Restaurants
1) Texas Roadhouse
2) Logans
3) Wendys
4) Dave's Famous BBQ
5) Red Robin
6) China Wok
7) Thai Spice
8) Olive Garden (in small doses)

8 things on my wish list
1) creating a website to sell my quilling
2) having the know-how to decorate my home as nicely as my friends' homes (anyone volunteer to help me out?)
3) having time to read all the books we own
4) being a righteous mother
5) having children who stay true to the faith all their days
6) going back to Finland some day
7) going back to Hawaii some day
8) managing my time more wisely and getting the most out of 24 hours.

8 People to Tag
1) dunno
2) dunno
3) dunno
4) dunno
5) dunno
6) nobody
7) nothing
8) thats all folks!

Confessions of a chocolate lover

Okay, so I have a serious confession to make. I love chocolate. That's not really any big secret, but when a person (ie, ME) is trying (sus-posedly) to lose weight, chocolate is NOT my best friend.

Take today, for example. A good friend was super kind and brought over two plates of treats for us - she wanted to make our family's FHE easier on me - wasn't that nice??? Well, of course it was, but since I am a sucker for chocolate, especially, the gooey kind, it became kind of a bad thing.

There were three brownie-type things on the plate (not really brownies, but can't explain what they were other than they were chocolate) - key word in that last phrase "were". So, I ate one. Yes, bad Brenda, bad! What was even worse was that I noticed after I ate it that there was chocolate residue on the plate where that piece had been. I tried to clean it off with my finger, but it just smudged it more. So, I (brace yourself) got out a Chlorox wipe and cleaned off that portion of the plate so that no one would be any wiser about my eating one of the pieces. For all my family knows (until someone in the family reads this or a friend tells) there were only two pieces to begin with.

I am shameless, I know. But, at least I admit my errors quickly (as I just ate the piece about twenty minutes and the guilt is setting in).

Rootin' Scootin' Cowgirl

I just found a long lost video of Annie when she was a baby. It proves that she was a "rootin' scootin' cowgirl".




I remember being told by some lady at the library as she was watching Annie get around, "That's innovative!" Yup, my children are brilliant!

Smiling is free

I just read an article about minding your manners and thought it was good enough to share.

After reading the article, I was reading some of the comments it received. One of the readers said, "I've been teaching my kids for years to hold doors open, say the magic words [please, thank you, you're welcome] and that smiling is free."

I love that little thought. Really, how hard is it to be sincerely kind? We can all make a difference in someone's life if we just smile.

Okay, so now I'm going to get a little personal. When my son Ammon was born, I had severe post partum depression. Why am I telling you this? Just hold on a second, I'm getting to that, I promise, but have got to spell out the history first...

Anyway, I was very depressed and felt like I didn't have any friend in the world - except for Mike and really, come on girls, we need girlfriends, too. Our husbands can and should be our best friends, but we need the girl power, right? So, I really was down on myself, but whenever I had a day at church when someone gave me a friendly smile, it was a real pick-me-up. It didn't cost that person a thing, but it was priceless to me.

So, remember the next time you're out somewhere, put on that smile 'cause "you're never fully dressed without a smile....SMILE DARN YA SMILE" - (from the musical ANNIE.)

*S*M*I*L*E*

Old redefined...

Last night we were playing games together as a family. One of the games, Apples to Apples (jr.), is all about finding the best, or funniest, fit for a definition. Each player takes turns being the judge who reads the definition and the other players submit their choices from the word cards they have.

The best match of the night was from Ammon who, when trying to find a great word choice for the definition, "old", submitted "dead fish." We asked him, "How is that a match?" With his infinite six-year-old wisdom, he said, "You can't get older than dead." So, there you have it, dead is the new definition of old.

From here on out, I won't be old until I'm dead. Pretty good for someone who wants to be 29 for the next 60 years.

Laundry Day

I love laundry day. Maybe you're thinking, "She's crazy." Maybe you're right, but before you pass judgment, let me explain why I love laundry day.

When the washing machine is churning and the dryer is spinning, it's soothing rhythmic music to my ears. Perhaps I've never gotten over the being removed from the womb thing. I don't know. I just love the sound. Plus, laundry is something that you can be done with - maybe just for a day, but you can get to the point of having no dirty laundry in the house. I like that feeling.

I wonder why the same feeling doesn't convert to dishes - I hate doing dishes. Maybe my dishwasher isn't producing the same womb-like music I love so much. Maybe it's because my children are wasteful - they can come in from playing and get a drink of water and not five minutes later get a drink of water in a different cup. That's probably why I hate doing dishes - It doesn't take long to have enough for a load of dishes.

Maybe someday I'll get a maid - when I'm rich and famous. Maybe...(but we all know that it's never gonna happen). I'll just have to do what my mom did to us kids, taught us well so we could be her slave and do the dishes for her. I'll only be doing what's good for them and teaching them life skills, right? I'm not doing it for my own personal gain, not at all. My motives are always pure.

Yeah, I know, sarcasm is the basest of all forms of humor.

I finally did it - I created a blog and have entered the realm that I vowed I would never enter. It's kind of been one of those things that has been taunting me like school-yard peer pressure. "I have a blog. You should do a blog. Everybody's doing it." Well, I didn't intend to be everybody. I am a somebody - an individual. I was thinking that if I did it - I would have given a part of me away.

Foolish? Yes, very. I am foolish quite frequently. If you don't believe me, just spend a few minutes with me, you'll see.

I remember feeling the same way as I was preparing to serve a mission. I even told one of my RM friends that I was afraid I would lose my personality when I went on a mission - my friend, btw, just gave a hearty laugh (mocking, really). For some reason, I thought I had to fit into this (imaginary - I know now) peg. But, knowing that I was a round peg (I've always been round - square isn't my style - I don't like sharp corners - they hurt) trying to cram into a square hole. Then, when I finally did go on a mission, I realized in the MTC that it takes all kinds to spread the gospel. This was after hearing during a testimony meeting one elder describe himself as a bulldog sharing the gospel (no joke). While tearing up with laughter, I also teared up from the feelings of the spirit.

Where am I going with this? Here goes - I've discovered that it takes all kinds to write blogs. See? I can do it and keep my individuality.


So this is my blog. Even if I'm the only one who ever reads it, I'll enjoy writing about my self-centered antics and laugh. If you can't laugh and yourself, who can you laugh at?

Rambling (you'll see lots of these here, I'm sure): Hey, did you realize that the "If you can't......, who can you....?" works for all sorts of things. Maybe I'll compile a list someday.


Okay, so I'm a rambling randomizer (just created that word - like it?). I do it in conversations - one of those people who it takes 15 minutes to get out one solid thought...of course how solid is the thought when it takes that long to spill the beans? And now we all know I do it writing. The secret's out.

Who knew blogging could be so much fun?

Brown-noser

Okay, so some of us have been accused of being "brown-nosers", right? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I am a real live brown-noser - especially today.

I decided that we needed to stain and seal our wooden play structure before Winter. So, I went out and purchased some dark tinted stain and brushes. Yesterday I started on the task and found that it was very time-consuming. So, Mike suggested that I call a friend (who will remain nameless for sake of his honor) and ask to borrow a pump spray. Our friend told me that we could pump spray the stain onto the play structure and it would be done in no time at all. He also told me that pump sprays are at the most $20, so last night I went to the store and bought one - got it for less than $9.

I was ready to go this morning and filled the pump sprayer. All things were going to go well, right - well, not exactly. I started pumping and spraying, but then the thing turned on me. As I was spraying the wood, the stain was spraying right back into my face. Plus, the pump sprayer was spraying too much stain - I used up the entire gallon can in a little less than an hour.

So, I can declare, "I am a brown-noser." Now if only I can get this stuff off before tonight's Women's Conference!