Round Two

We loved our weekend away with the Walkers and the Richardsons in St. George.
It was the perfect getaway and all of us tried way too hard to achieve "the perfect Christmas card picture".

The winner.

It's Official

It's Thanksgiving night.

The turkey is still digesting.
I'm curled up with Blaine watching White Christmas.
(Thanks to his legal and lawful vow to always watch said movie with me on Thanksgiving.)

The Christmas season is here.
Officially.

Thankful List Four

Testimony
I am so thankful for my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have been incredibly blessed to have a personal testimony that I know it is true. It has brought me immeasurable joy and happiness.

Temple
I love the Temple.
I went through on my own when I was 23 and I can honestly say it is the best decision I have ever made. It led to other wonderful decisions that I am really very proud of.

Target
Target is a magical place.
I'm not exactly sure why I love it so much, but I do.

Disneyland
Happiest place on earth.
For real. It totally is.

The Ocean
There is something so beautiful about the ocean to me.
I have a vivid memory of seeing the ocean for the first time (well, not the first time but the first time that I was old enough for it to impact me)... and I have never been the same. The Oregon coast is some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen, and California's beaches are one of a kind. Mexico's white sandy waters are incredible too... here's hoping I get to see more someday.

A No-Sports Zone
Everyday I say a "thank you" for having a non-sports-fan hubby.

Cousins
I am so, so happy that my kiddos have little cousins they love and will grow up with.

Rum And Almond Extracts
Thank you, extracts for making people think I can actually bake.

Family
In all seriousness... family is probably my biggest blessing. Nuff said.

Thankful List Three

Jake
Although he is very good at being two sometimes, I love this little boy more than I know how to say. He is so smart, active, sensitive, and adorable. He's already a great big brother and his little singing voice melts my heart.

Sarah
My girl is so sweet. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but she is the best baby ever. She lights up our home and is getting too old too fast. She loves to sit, eat, smile, and laugh at her brother. Nobody can make her laugh like Jake can, and I love that... I wouldn't have it any other way.

J.O.B.
Man-oh-man.
I am so thankful Blaine has a good job that he LOVES.

Music
I've always loved music... for as long as I can remember.
Music was a big part of our home growing up, and I think it instilled a great appreciation of all kinds of music. (Thanks, Mom!) From The Beatles to Vivaldi... music feeds my soul.

Apples
I know this sounds weird, but I love apples. They are the best fruit bar-none. You can take them anywhere and they are so easy to eat. Nothing beats a Honeycrisp or a Pink Lady. Yum.

Girlfriends
I am lucky to have a long list of girlfriends.
Girlfriends that I can call on for anything anytime.
Now THAT'S a blessing.

Little Toy Cars
These are Jake's favorite toys.
He will seriously play with them forever and they are so easy to take on vacation.

My Parents And Their Example To Me
(Yes, this means Steve and Chris too)
My folks are amazing. They have an incredible relationship that is an example to many.
Thank you for blessing me with an acute appreciation of what it means to be loved. It's because of my parents that I was able to recognize true love and respect in Blaine.

Melody Makers
Even if some of the songs are so silly they seem made up, Jake and Sarah love them and I love it.

Pixar
Bless you, Pixar. Thanks to you, my kid has a plethora of non-princess options to watch.
And I don't want to stab out my eyes while watching them too.

Tech Geek
This one's kind-of all-encompassing...
First of all, I am grateful to be married to such a tech geek. He has made our house much more sophisticated and impossible for me to understand. And I love him for it.
I also am grateful for my favorite tech things: my phone, my laptop, and my camera.

Windex
Oh, Windex. You are the greatest all-purpose cleaner ever.

Sarah Girl @ Six Months

I know everyone says this,
but I can't believe my girl is already six months.
(Actually, she's been six months for almost two weeks now.)

And, I know everyone says this also,
but my girl is the cutest, sweetest baby in the whole world.

But don't take my word for it.
See for yourself...

Spitting has become her favorite thing to do.
It's adorable.
Unless she is is eating.
Then... not so cute.

She'll take her feet any way she can... even with pink, chunky boots.

She's drooling rivers in this one, but I just love her big Blaine eyes.

And she's still sportin' her adorable cleft chin.

Thankful List Two

Amazing In-Laws
Seriously... I couldn't have it better when it comes to the husband's family. I truly feel loved and appreciated. How lucky am I?

Diet Coke
My biggest vice and my one true love (not really, but you know what I mean.) I love my Diet Coke.

Permanent Retainers
I know it sounds silly, but I just got back from the dentist and I am so thankful that my teeth are still straight and I don't have to have braces again.

Twinkle Lights
There is something about twinkle lights that makes me so happy. It doesn't have to be Christmas either. Twinkle lights are happy year-round.

Diapers
Bless disposable diapers!

Brothers
I already talked about sisters... but there's something about brothers that is just plain awesome. I know that my brothers (in-laws too) always have my back no matter what.
Plus, (all) my brothers are seriously hilarious. I love hanging out with them and laughing until my face hurts.

My House
As much as I'd love to eventually move, this house has been perfect for us. I love it... everything about it (as long as I don't have to be on the HOA board).

Photo Fiasco

For a few years now, Laurel has been kind enough to take our Christmas card pictures. Every year, I love the results... but this year, thanks to my stupidity and lack of judgment concerning sunlight and ISO settings, we are probably going to need a redo. Boo.

So, I am doing a print test today to see just how blurry they are. I'm not very hopeful. Actually, I'm a little overly sad about the whole thing.
Anyway, here are the best ones (and a couple more for funsies). Not bad... just not as sharp as I want them to be. I really hate my fake smile, but whaddya do?

Sorry that I wasted your time, Laurel (and Jason). I know how precious time is with a napping newborn and I really appreciate your Saturday afternoon. I just hope you love me enough to maybe try again. {*hint*}

Thankful List One

I love Thanksgiving. It's right under Christmas in my book of favorites.

I love that there is a holiday that's only purpose is to reflect and be grateful for what we have. (See last year's rant here.)
Sure, I LOVE the food too... (Like, REALLY love the food... a lot.)

Anyway being thankful is something I need to work more on year-round, but for now-- I'll practice my love of list-making for this great season. (See 2008's list here.) Since I'm not disciplined enough to do a daily thankful post, I'll try to throw a few down when I can.

We'll see how it goes.

Husband
Blaine rocks my entire universe. I am so blessed to call him mine.

Proactiv
I dealt with acne for waaay too long. Thank you, Proactiv for allowing me to look people in the eye without embarrassment.

My Couch
(Optimus)
I would live on my big couch if I could.

Mexican Food
I looovvve me some good Mexican.

Yo-Gabba-Gabba
Thank you, Nick Jr. for giving me something other than Mickey's Clubhouse to entertain my kid with.

Contacts
As much as I hate dealing with contacts, I hate glasses so much more. Bless you, soft-lens contacts.

TV
I am no sports fan, I hate to run, I don't scrapbook, I don't have time for movie-watching like I used to, and reading only entertains one at a time. I watch TV. I love TV. There. I said it.

Sisters
(Yes, this includes sisters-in-law)
There's nothing like a sister. I am so lucky to have sisters to share my victories, my sorrows, my fears, and all my stories with. Sisters are one of my biggest and best blessings. They are my best friends and my greatest cheerleaders. I cannot say enough about sisters.

That's good for now... until next time.

Retro

Every now and then I wander over to the Encore Retro channel and catch a real classic.

The other night I made Blaine watch a bit of How To Marry A Millionaire with Marilyn Monroe. Classic and hilarious on so many levels.

But nothing beats watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid with Jakey the other day. I told him we were watching some real cowboys and he loved it. Then, Daddy came home and we all watched it together as a family.
Now, that's quality time.

Thanks, Retro.
Oh, why don't they make them like this anymore.

Cartoon Crushes

I'm no stranger to the cartoon crush.
I have no problem admitting this and encourage all four of you who read this blog to really search yourself... which "drawn darling" catches your eye? C'mon, you know you've got a crush in your back pocket you're just just dying to let out.


I'm not sure where it all started, but I know that one of my "firsts" was definitely Justin -the leader of the rats- from The Secret of Nimh. I still wish that Justin and the widow, Mrs. Brisby got busy in this movie.

Oh, the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) is masculine and sensitive and so much hotter than the wimpy human prince version at the end of the movie.

Dude, Dimitri from Anastasia is so dreamy.
I know... I'm a sucker for John Cusack in all mediums.

Handy Manny has one hott voice. Just sayin'.

I used to say that the hottest Disney hunk is The Little Mermaid's Prince Eric.
Not anymore. The Princess and the Frog's Prince Naveen is smokin' hott.

Another voice crush but still, Stoick from How To Train Your Dragon has a sexy Scottish accent and Viking brute-chops to boot.
Gerard Butler is so steamy.

He's Back!!

And he was rad.
Especially his performance with Jack White.
Freakin' awesome.

Tricks and Treats

Trick-or-treating was hilarious.
This was Jake's third Halloween but his first trick-or-treating experience.
And aside from the steer-wrestling of getting Jake in his costume, (Does anyone else deal with this?) It was pretty awesome. He loved going to our neighbors' and seeing his Nursery buddies... but he loved going to Grandma Molly's and trick-or-treating with Jack even more.

Even though this picture turned out blurry (hey it was raining and I was carrying Sarah, and an umbrella, and trying to take pictures), there's something about this image that makes me want to cry. :) I love that my boys are such pals.

The Pirate and the Space Ranger.
I love these cousins.

Deserae was adorable as Minnie Mouse.

Baby Miles was perfect in his little bat shirt.

Jake trick-or-treating on Molly's street.
This is shortly after he and Jack crapped their pants at the neighbors'. Molly's neighbor had a dummy set up on a motion sensor that shot up and scared the poor boys to death.
Jake and Jack cried and screamed.
Markelle and I laughed our butts off.
Does that make us bad Moms?

So, on Sunday I got the kiddos in their costumes again and set them up on the front porch. Since it was raining on Saturday, I didn't get to take any good pictures of my pirates.

Arg.

Jake found our car. Sarah found the pumpkins.

Jake is easily distracted.

"What's in there, Mommy?"

Putting the lid back on.

Man, I've got cute kids.

Thar she be.

Yar.