Instagram

Over Thanksgiving weekend we hung out with my cousin and her cute family. We always have so much fun visiting with them. Her kiddos are the cutest, her house is warm and welcoming, and her husband has the most contagious laugh!

She is an awesome blogger. She is also a master crafter and vintage lover. Check out her etsy shop debsfreckles. Finally, she is an amazing mother and wife. When I read her posts it always inspires me to be more creative and appreciative and to go give my crazy kids a squeeze.

Anyway she talked me into joining the world of instagram. I am now totally hooked. It is so much fun to play with and it reminds me to take photos everyday. Now you can see some of the highlights of my days such as...

My messy house



















My awesome breakfasts



















And my driving adventures



















So thanks to Debbie for pushing my towards this great little app!









Oh yeah... If you have a smart phone look me up.

What's the difference?

My "ode to a journal" got me thinking. What is the difference between keeping a diary and a journal? I decided to do a little research - google style:) There were a variety of opinions but most contained a similar thread. Of all the explanations I foundthis was my favorite.




















Speaking of writing in journals/ diaries... what better place to do it than beneath a beautiful Cottonwood tree!

Ode to a Journal

A couple of months ago I brought this black beauty home. You see, I have a weakness for books of any kind and that includes journals.













Whenever I visit a book store I will inevitably be drawn toward the section that carries those uniquely bound treasures known as journals. I will look at them and touch them and smell them. I will WANT to buy them all, though I may or may NOT commit to one. You see the cost is surprisingly high for a book with blank pages!

If I succumb to my yearning and take one home it may take me a long while to put pen to paper. There is something sacred about a blank page under a pretty cover. At first, none of my thoughts will seem to deserve a note on the unbroken white of those fresh pages. I have been known to purchase a journal and stare at it for months... sometimes longer... before mustering the courage to write. In the mean time I feel a happy flutter of excitement whenever I look at it. For now that is enough I tell myself.

Most of the time I type my thoughts, but there always comes a day, or a moment, or an emotion, that needs to be truly written. Finally my hand will engage in the therapy that can always soothe my soul. I take long strokes and try my hardest to be neat. Handwriting itself has never been a strength of mine. I pour my little heart into each page and when it is done I hide that precious book away until the next time. There's always a next time.

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

These chubby cheeks and tiny hands... I just can't do without them!

Picture of a Cactus

Sometimes when I get an idea for a blog post I write something or download a picture and then save it. I usually come back to it later when I have time to elaborate on my thoughts. But sometimes I forget about it all together. Today I found an old saved post. It had no title. When I opened it I found this picture of a cactus. I don't remember the significance at all. Now I am really curious. What was I going to share about this special little desert dweller... the world will never know!

Apple Of My Eye

"I got a guy that loves me so. He's the apple of my eye and..."

I had a teacher once who used to sing this song during spelling tests.

It was second grade.

Her name was Mrs. Niebrzydowski.

Her last name was on our first spelling test of the year!

Thanks to that I still remember how to spell it:)

But the point is - this little song often gets stuck in my head.

There is one problem... I can't remember anything but that one line.....

It has been driving me crazy for over 20 years now!!!

And finally, I am kind of sad that I am old enough to make that last statement:(

The End

Family Prayers

It's time to say family prayers...
Me: Who wants to say the prayer tonight?
Rand: I do, I do, I do, I do!
Me: Ok, go ahead (we all bow our heads and close our eyes)
Rand: Dear Heavenly Father............................I need help.
Me: You know how to do this...First say something that you're grateful for.
Rand: I'm grateful for my family.......... I need help again!
Me: Ok, now you can say please bless that... and say something you need.
Rand: Please bless dad........
Me: Please bless that........
Rand: Please bless dad......
Me: Now say please bless that...
Rand: Please bless dad
Me: No that's not what I... you can bless dad if you want but what I'm saying is please bless THAT... then say something you need.
Rand: Please bless that... Dad will be blessed. (by this time we are all irreverently trying to hide our giggles)
Me: Please bless us to have a good nights sleep
Rand:........................
Me: (I just finish the prayer for him because we are all truly cracking up now and he won't finish!)

The Grocery Store

Before I had kids I loved grocery shopping. After I had a couple kids I liked grocery shopping ALONE. Now I hate grocery shopping period.

You gotta love these guys even though they made me start hating grocery shopping:)




















A cold metal shopping cart never looked so comfy!

Christmas is in the air

Last night we put up our Christmas decorations. Even though our tree is sort of Charlie Brownesque it has a few redeeming qualities:

First, it is cheap enough that when one of the little ones decides to unplug it and drag it around the house by the cord we don't stress... very much!

Second, it is small enough that the kids can put almost everything on by themselves, and they love being "in charge" of decorating. I can let them have at it while I take cute photos of them:)




















Third, we have all hand made (read kid friendly) decorations. We made most of them out of paper + the ones the kids bring home from school. We learned of the necessity of this "kid friendly" decor when the incident in point number two occurred:) No glass ornaments here for a few more years!

Fourth, even though it is less than sophisticated, and obviously decorated by amateurs, it makes me happy when I look at it. Last night it even appeared a little beautiful to me:)

Guess Whose at the Nutcracker?

Ainsley is! She went to see it in Phoenix tonight with my Dad. He came and picked her up this morning and is bringing her home Sunday night. She was so excited about it. It has been a VERY long week of waiting for Friday to come at our house:)

I took a cute picture of her on my phone this morning before she left. She even dressed in Christmas attire for the occasion. Rand managed to erase the photo mere seconds after she walked out the door... and alas the moment is gone forever:( So you get a photo of beautiful ballerinas instead.

Having her gone has made me realize what a good helper she is, as well as how much I rely on her. We all miss her a lot, and can't wait for her to come home again. She adds a little spark to our family that only she can bring!

The things that pass for acceptable these days!

We have a small stash of Halloween candy left in the house. It's pretty picked over and most of the good stuff is gone. Blythe is one of the few people who know it exists... or who actually wants to eat any of it:) She has been having a piece here and there this morning while the three big kids are at school. She came and hopped in my lap a minute ago and I noticed a stray candy crumb on her neck. I showed her and teased her "you have candy on your neck silly girl". She promptly ate it off my finger! I don't know if I should laugh or be grossed out?

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

I can't live without books. I love books, and I love to read. That is one thing about me that has never changed, and never will.

On that note I would like to introduce you to my library... there is another wall of shelves on the other side too!

My awesome husband built this for me because he knows that ever since I was a little girl I have
wanted a little library to call my own. He rocks and my library rocks!

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

Grand Canyon

I recently hiked the Grand Canyon from Rim to Rim. I read a ton about the canyon before I went and I started to get a strange fascination with it. I guess you could say I became obsessed:) It was so cool and I can't wait to go back and do it again. I hope there are lots of return trips in my future.

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

My favorite bag right now... because I like purple.

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

#8 My home

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

Yes... I have Walgreen's on my list. It's because they employ my favorite guy - you know - the one who provides for me and the kiddos. Nick had been blessed with a steady and secure job thanks to the corner drug store:)

P.S. This picture is of a Walgreen's in the center of Time Square NY, NY. They really are everywhere!

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

#6 The family that raised me:)
We just went on an awesome trip to NY city last month and had so much fun together.

Can't forget mom... even though I can't see her right now I am so grateful for the time we did have. I can appreciate it more now that I have kids of my own.

Like it, love it, or can't live without it

I saved the first five things for one day. There's kind of a theme...

#1 My favorite guy


#2 My number one helper and assistant mom


#3 My sweet and sensitive boy


#4 My biggest but best challenge:)


#5 My baby who's almost not a baby anymore!

Life is passing me by... almost!

It feels like the last few months have flown by! The summer was crazy and busy but fun. Everyone was excited to start the school routine again in August, and now that "stressful October" (as I am calling it) is over I am ready to take a deep breath and get ready to enjoy the holidays with my little family:) My idea to ease back into blogging is that every day in November will be dedicated to things I like, love, and can't live without. It's my own personal version of what I am thankful for... stay tuned.

A Simple Pleasure

I have written before about how bittersweet it is to watch my babies get older. Each milestone is exciting, but also a little sad. On any given day at my house "growing up" is happening. There are so many things I'll miss when my kids are grown: chubby hands, lisps and stutters, cuddles, and tiny voices saying "I Love You Mom".

In addition to this list of things that makes my heart melt there is a second list. It is full of things I could say goodbye to without batting an eye. It includes such lovelies as poopy diapers, tantrums, and a chronically messy house. In honor of this second list I bring you my latest joyful milestone. Three out of four children can now buckle themselves into the car without my help!!!

Even better, the older two kids can open the car door, get in, shut the car door, and buckle without me lifting a finger. The only thing standing between them and total car independence is the child proof lock, which requires me to open the door to let them out. Kid number three need help getting into the car, but can buckle himself. He also needs help unbuckling and getting out, but we are focusing on positives here:) It's only a matter of time before he joins the ranks.




This brings the tally of completely helpless passengers down to one.







If you know me at all you know I hate the ins and outs of the car with my little ones. It is one of my least favorite things about being a parent. I can't explain how wonderful I felt when I realized how far we'd come in the last year.

This is one of the few times I can enthusiastically say "Three cheers for growing up!"

At the end of the day

Lately I find myself looking forward to the end of the day. You know that time when dinner is over, the kids are clean and in bed, and I can put my feet up at last. Half the time I get to relax on the couch with my love. The other half of the time he is still at work for three more hours and I am on my own. So what do I do with these gloriously lonely hours? Well I'm glad you asked. I have developed a very wonderful tradition. First I draw myself a nice hot bath in my giant jacuzzi tub. Then I get some sort of a treat. Next I get a good book. Finally I get in the tub, turn on the jets, and read my little heart out while I eat my treat. I call it a delightful end to a long day! Try it... I dare you.

A short story about Rollerblades

Did anyone else rollerblade as a kid?
I did, and as I remember, it was great fun.
I've REALLY been feeling the need to get out and get some exercise lately.
I hate running.
It just doesn't work for me.
I went to the store one day.
I saw rollerblades.
I remembered that I used to like them.
I bought some.
I felt a little "uncool" about this at first.
Then I remembered that I am an old lady with a bunch of kids and no one to impress.
I laughed at myself twice.
First I laughed because it's funny that I bought rollerblades.
Second I laughed because I cared that it wasn't hip.
Finally I strapped those babies on and went for a roll.
It's a good work out.
It is more fun than running, for me.
I laughed a third time because I almost tripped and fell when I first put them on.
But I was laughing with myself, not at myself so it's o.k.
This new hobby has made me realize how out of shape I really am:)
It also made me laugh a lot which is good because both burn calories.
The End

Helpless

Our good friends got some bad news this week. I've been thinking about them non-stop. I've been praying for them. Somehow that doesn't feel like very much. I hate that I can't do anything to fix things. I hate that I can't say anything to make them feel better. I hate disappointment. I hate pain. I hate cancer.

Their story...
Team Ryan

Harley & Me

Check out my new ride! Wasn't it sweet of my husband to buy it for me? He is the best! I can't wait to get on it and cruise around town:)

You know you're a boring old mom when...

I HATE the vacuum I have now. It's performance, in my opinion, has been less than stellar. I have been telling Nick I need a new one forever. He always looks at me like I'm crazy and proceeds to tell me the one we have is just fine. So I was very surprised when he spontaneously decided to buy me a new one this week. I did leave him alone with the old one for awhile one day... maybe he had a bad experience:) I'll have to ask him about that. Is it uncool to be crazy excited about a new vacuum? Well it may be, but I don't care. My special delivery is on it's way!

Happy Anniversary!

Today we celebrate the 8th wedding anniversary.

Last Monday -
Nick: So, are we going to buy each other anniversary gifts this year?
Me: I don't know. I didn't get you anything yet. I figured we could just go shopping on Saturday and buy each other something then...Why? (I'm getting suspicious now)
Nick: I already bought myself an anniversary present.
Me: Of course you did (laughing)!
Nick: Well I guess it's really for both of us. (he sounds hopeful)
Me: Is it really for both of us or is it one of those things where you say it can be for both of us but it's something like a receiver for your stereo system and I could care less about it?
Nick: (sheepishly) It's one of those things.
Jacie: (matter of fact-ly) You can buy me something on Saturday.
Nick: Ok

Oh, my charming Nicky:) This conversation is SO typical of us. That's what I love about him. He's the only person as hopelessly UN-romantic as me. On a serious note... he really is the only one for me. We have grown so much together over the past eight years. We have had four beautiful babies. We have made a home, and a family, and a life. It doesn't get much better than that!



Our world is a little crazy, and a little chaotic, but we love it and we love each other! Happy Anniversary Babe!

"LEHI!" She yelled.

I actually yelled "Lehi" at my kids the other night. For those of you who are not familiar, Lehi is a prophet in the
Book of Mormon.


I am not going to go into the whole story, but I will give you the bullet point version of events.

*Nick was working until 10PM.
*It was past bedtime.
*There were tired, cranky people involved.
*We were trying to read scriptures and say prayers before bed.
*These circumstances culminated with me yelling "Lehi" at the top of my lungs!

"And it came to pass that it got the kids attention and for a moment while they stared at me as if I was crazed I was able to finish reading and tuck them into bed."

Afterwards I had to sit and laugh at myself (it was that or cry). I mean... who yells Lehi? Seriously!

Yes, it's embarrassing but it's also kind of funny. That's why I shared. Think of this tonight while you're trying to feed, bathe, dress, homework, scripture, pray and put your family to bed:)

Remember how I said that everything about the holidays was GREAT?

Well, there have been a few bad effects...

#1 - Everyone in my family is now hopelessly addicted to playing Super Mario Brothers:)





















#2 My four and five year old now have a dangerous (but oh so fun) hobby!













#3 - I have hardly seen my LOVE because he's busy reading the presents I got him.











On second though...I guess if that's all I have to complain about I am doing pretty great after all!

Thumbelina

I love this little baby so much. As soon as she was born I started to feel sad that she was getting older. I wanted so badly to keep her a newborn forever. When she was three weeks old I was crying over how fast she was growing... literally crying! Maybe it's because after having my fourth child I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I can't keep having babies forever. I'm not done yet, but the day will come when I need to be. The day will come when I will know with finality that I will never hold my own brand new baby again. At times that thought has overwhelmed me. It has brought me many tears and much sorrow. In those first few weeks I felt like no matter how much time I spent holding her and taking her in I couldn't get enough. It just wasn't enough.

I promised myself then that I wouldn't take her baby-ness for granted. This might sound strange but I was so upset by the thought of her not being a newborn anymore that I began to pray about it. I prayed that I would feel joy instead of sadness at her milestones. I prayed that I could really truly enjoy every perfect inch of her and every little event in her new life. I prayed that I wouldn't feel anxiety and sadness over her growing up (her and all my kids). I prayed that I would remember to pay attention as she grew so that I wouldn't miss anything. I realized today that it worked. She is 6 months old this week and I am finding joy instead of sadness in that. I expected to feel down about it. But I don't, and I am so thankful that my prayers were answered.

Holiday Hangover

Has anyone out there ever felt like this poor little guy after the holidays?


I'll admit that there have been a lot of years where I did.

I am proud to announce that this year isn't one of them! This year Christmas was great. It was one of my favorite Christmases in a LONG time too. That cheer and joy and sense of peace that permeated my holidays is still with me now. Clean up is complete. School has started once again. The daily grind is back in full swing and I feel Awesome with a - yes - you guessed it - capitol 'A'!

To top it all off with a pleasant surprise, I realized that the "day after Christmas let down" is drastically less traumatic when your a grown up. In fact, I hardly felt it at all! This year my holiday hangover was a happy one!

Happy 2010!

The new year is always a little bit bittersweet.

The sweet part is reflecting on the milestones and growth of my little family over the past year. The holidays were great and now it's time to settle back into life with a fresh outlook and renewed motivation.

The bitter part is knowing that another year in our lives is gone and that same little family is growing up way too fast for me. My babies get bigger everyday and the dawning of a new year is just another reminder of that.

It reminds me to stop and take in the sweet things in life more often. This next year will be more about enjoying each other and less about the daily grind. At least that's my main goal!

Now to go achieve it. The kids are having fun without me. I better go partake:)

Merry Christmas!

One year older... but am I wiser?

Here is a picture of me on my birthday (10-7).

Do I look older to you?

I do to me.

People always tell me "You're only as old as you feel." Well that's not working out for me because most days I feel older than I am!

26 going on 47 anyone?

I'm over halfway done with my 20's!

Time flies when you're having babies.

It seems like just yesterday I was 18.

Nick bought me a snowboard when I turned 18.

That was 8 years ago.

The good news is I AM wiser.

Aging, but wising too:)

Wolverine

Q: "Do you ever shut up?"
A: "No, not when I'm awake."

I am totally stealing that line:)

AAAHHHHHH!

I am so annoyed! Usually when I feel like this I can just vent and be over it, but venting isn't working so far. It's time to get over it or do something about it, but I'm having a hard time. I HATE feeling like this. It is a serious waste of energy at a time when I have none to spare. I have a lot of lofty ideas about "moving on" and "coming to terms" with stuff that bugs me. Today I have a serious case of failure to follow my own advice!