sugar,sugar,sugar!!

We were planning to go to our wards trunk or treat this evening, then drop in at a friends house for a few minutes, but by the time I was able to get both kids fed and ready to go it was already 7:00pm. I just decided to scrap the trunk or treat since it would have been pretty much over by the time I got there, but we did go to my friend Kara's for a little while. They had plenty of candy and goodies there. I think Jacob got PLENTY of sugar. I am glad I didn't go trunk or treating. He doesn't need anymore candy.

Anyhoo...while we were there we got some pictures of the kids and let Jacob decorate a cookie. Here is Jacob "decorating" a cookie. ie, scooping the frosting into his mouth. He liked the black frosting the most for some reason. His mouth was soooooo black.

Between the other candy he snacked on while we were there and all the frosting he ate, he was pretty hopped up. He totally crashed on the way home.

Here is Amare' and Lizzie. We couldn't get Jacob to sit still long enough to get him in the picture.

Amare' felt left out that she didn't have a crown, so Lizzie let her borrow hers and she became a ladybug Queen.

I hope you all enjoyed your Halloween. Now that it's over...bring on the holidays. Wohoooooo!

Halloween Photo Shoot

Introducing...

The King and Queen.

King Jacob

Queen Lizzie

And me...the court jester.

I thought these costumes were very appropriate. Sometimes I am sure these two think they are in charge and I am here only for their amusement. :)

There ya have it. 3 costumes (well okay 2 costumes and my jester hat) for under $10. Go me.

Welcome Home Kacey!!

My little sister Kacey got home from her Mission today. She served in the New Jersey Cherry Hill mission. She flew in this morning (assuming there were no delays) and is probably at the temple with my parents as I type. I am very excited that she is home, but sad that I don't get to be there to welcome her and even more sad that I don't know WHEN I will get to see her. Anyhoo...

Welcome home Kacey. I wish I could be there, but just know that I was thinking of you today. :) Love you!!!

GISELLE!!!

Seriously, I love this movie. The actual love story is totally cheesy, but James Marsden is HILARIOUS!! His facial expressions crack me up!

I have been trying to get Jacob interested in something else besides Elmo's World for a while now. He doesn't take naps very often any more, so we do quiet time and to keep him happy I put on a movie. If he doesn't like the movie he stands at his door and whines. I was getting sick of the stinking Elmo's World theme song. Ack...Now I've got it in my head! Anyhoo...So, I've tried all sorts of different kids shows thinking he'd like them. NOPE. No go. Then I discovered on accident one day, he just has more mature tastes in movies. He likes all the movies I like. Like Hairspray, The Sound of Music, Enchanted, Pride and Prejudice. No, your eyes are NOT deceiving you. I was watching Pride and Prejudice the other day and he sat down and watched it with me. Actually, he pretty much likes any movie with lots of music. Enchanted is his current favorite though. He loves it.

The more I watch this movie, the more things don't make sense to me, but I don't care. I watch it purely for the prince...and Pip.

New Books

After reading Brittany's list of recommended church books I went ahead and ordered two of them on her list. Well, I got them today and opened them, only to realize I already have one of them. I bought it about 6 years ago and just never got around to reading it. I thought the title sounded familiar, but when I saw the cover, I knew I had it. So I went and searched through some boxes to find it just to make sure and sure enough...same book. So, if anyone is interested in having this book let me know. It is called Gospel Symbolism by Joseph Fielding McConkie

Here is Brittany's comment on it of you haven't read her post. "Another book I read while preparing for the temple. Read it even if you've already been to the temple. It really helps to open up another level of understanding concerning gospel principles and the Savior's atonement."

I bought it used, but other than a crease and a few scuffs on the front cover it is in really good condition. Any takers?

Edited to add, I guess I should specify that I'm GIVING this book away. Not trying to sell it. :)

Roach Trap

I have this pan sitting in my garage underneath the water faucet to catch drips. (Yes, we have a water faucet IN the garage. Weird.) Well, I walked passed it one day and was totally disturbed to find this...
I guess they find a way in and can't get back out. Whats even more disturbing is that they are still alive and they've been in there for at least a month and a half. When ever I take the kids down to the car, as soon as we get into the garage, Jacob runs for the broom which is right by this pan, and every time he get near them I scream frantically, "JACOB...GET AWAY FROM THERE BEFORE THEY GET YOU!!!!" You'd think I'd move it. Seriously, I can see him tipping the pan over and them climbing up his leg or something. It's what nightmares are made of.

I always wondered why every time I see them they are accumulated in a different corner. It wasn't until I enlarged the picture that I came to the conclusion that they are eating each other. I think they find the weakest one and attack. It makes me gag just thinking about it.

So, why don't I get rid of them?? I'm too scared to, that's why. It was difficult to get near enough to take a picture. Plus, I think, as long as they are stuck in there, I know they are not finding their way into my house. So, I'm looking at it like a science experiment. Who will be the final survivor. Haaahahaha. I will post my results if they survive the first freeze next week. :)

Swear Words In My Head

I think I said almost every swear word in the book in my head today, while at the grocery store with my children. I hate going shopping by myself with the kids. It makes me want to shoot myself every time. But today was particularly painful, because I waited until just before dinner time to go. Don't ask me why I didn't go earlier in the day before the crankiness started.

Anyhoo...we went to walmart so I could get groceries and stuff to make costumes without having to go to different stores. As we were headed to the toy section we passed the fish and thought it would be fun to show them to Jacob. Big mistake. He LOVED them. So when I decided to get on with my shopping, he was not at all happy about it and that's kinda when it all started. I think that kind of put him in a bad mood. I'm such a mean mom!

So then, as I was perusing the toy section (NEVER a good idea with a 2 year old) looking for costume jewelry, Jacob is crying to have every toy he sees. In the past when we have gone to walmart we have given Jacob a toy to play with while we are in the store, then we sneak and put it back when he is distracted. So, I let him have a ball to play with. Well, we finish with that part of our shopping and move on to the baby section so I can pick up some diapers. By this point, Jacob is no longer playing with the ball and it is in the main part of the cart so I figured it was a good time to ditch it. Well, he saw me just as I plopped it in a random car seat as we passed by and started FREAKING OUT. We are talking kicking, screaming full on tantrum. (Like the time I was in the Target parking lot and he started screaming for "Daddy, DADDY!!" as I was trying to force him in his car seat and people were trying to decide if they should call the cops cause they thought I was kidnapping him. Ya...kinda like that.) Not wanting to encourage the tantrum I move quickly away from the ball hoping he will calm down. Nope, he continued to throw himself around all dramatic like, smacking poor Lizzie, who I was carrying in front of me in a wrap, and screaming at the top of his lungs. By this point Lizzie has joined in the hysteria because she just got totally smacked a couple times by her brother. So, I did something that I NEVER do...because, well, it doesn't work, but I was desperate. I took his hand and swatted it. And guess what. He looked at me all stunned and then started screaming even louder if that's possible, because then he was just ticked! It was then that I remembered WHY we don't swat. At that point, I thought to myself, I have two choices. I can continue shopping while he kicks and screams and throws a fit and have everyone look at me with either annoyance or pity OR give him the ball back. So, I did what any bad mother would do, and went back and got the ball, thus reinforcing his bad behavior. :) Really though, is there any reasoning with a cranky, tired 2 year old? Um, not so much. So...on to the groceries. Mind you, this whole time he is not letting that ball out of his sight!

We get to the grocery section and he decides that he is hungry and in his usual cranky manner starts whining for food. Now, he knows how to ask for food, but when he is tired and ornery, he just WHINES. Makes me crazy. So after telling him several times that if he uses his words and asks me the right way I will get him a snack, he starts screaming again. So again, I do what your not supposed to do and got out the bag of pretzels. He looked at it for a second and decided that was NOT what he wanted and starts screaming AGAIN. So I think, okay, maybe I can hurry and grab a box of fruit snacks and calm him down. So I proceed to the snack isle where you'd think the fruit SNACKS would be. But nope, no where to be seen on that isle. So after looking for a while longer the whole time my child is freaking out, I finally find them in the cereal isle. Sure, makes sense to me. So I find them and grab the box just as Jacob decides to be happy again. Okay, so I put them in the cart just in case and head on over to the produce isle, where I grab bananas. I always have to keep bananas on hand, because my kids think they are monkeys and HAVE to have their daily banana. Crazy kids. So I go to put a bunch of bananas in the cart and Jacob sees them and starts screaming "NANA, NANA, NANA!!!" I keep telling him, you can't have a banana until after we pay for them. I could see another fit coming on so I quickly grabbed the fruit snacks, ripped open the box and grabbed one out and let me tell ya, that little bag was totally plotting against me. I could not for the life of me get the stupid thing open. So I'm biting the bag and trying to tear it open the whole time Jacobs hysteria is rising. Finally as he opens his mouth to scream I get the bag open and gave it to him. He inhaled that thing and quickly asked for another one. I gave him another one (this one opened right up for me) and he inhaled that one too. So I'm thinking, good grief, the poor kid is STARVING. No wonder he is acting like this, and I didn't feel so bad about giving in to him after that. Once he had about 10 fruit snacks (okay 4) in him he was happy and cheerful. Still, I decided not to tempt fate and finished my shopping in record time...and I ended up buying the ball.

By the time I got both kids strapped in their seats and got back on the road they were both tired and cranky and they both started crying. At which point I turned up the music so I couldn't hear them. It was a nice drive home other than the occasional kicking on the back of my seat. This is them when we got home.


They look so cute and innocent, don't they?

What's for Dinner?

If you have ever had a hard time deciding what to make for dinner, there is a new blog for you: http://mealtimehelp.blogspot.com You'll find simple meal ideas, a place to share your favorite dinner time meals and maybe learn a trick or two for old time favorites. There will also be monthly giveaways. You'll always have an answer to the question "What's for dinner?"

Costume Ideas

Honestly, I'm not real excited for Halloween this year. Usually, Mike and I go pick out pumpkins and paint them and I make some crafty decorations and dress up as something fun and we get together with friends. This year, I'm not sure what I'm doing. But whatever it is, it's just me and the kids. I guess I could go get a pumpkin and let Jacob attempt to paint it. But other than that and seeing my kids dressed up as something fun, it won't be the same without Mike. (Super frowny face!) Jacob hates being dressed up, but I'm going to do it anyways, cause I think it's cute, and I do plan to take him to the trunk or treat.

Anyhoo...I want to come up with something fun to dress my kids up as for Halloween. And possibly myself too. Our hillbilly family one was pretty fun. I could do that one again I guess. Last year I didn't dress up. Well, unless you count a HUGE orange t-shirt with a Jack-O-Lantern drawn on my huge belly (on the shirt...not directly on my belly. Cause I think that would be gross). Not the most creative idea I've had, but I spent all my time making scarecrow costumes for Mike and Jacob. After that I didn't have the time or motivation to make a fun costume for me.

Anyhoo, I could technically afford to go buy costumes this year, but I don't want to. I want something creative. So...any ideas?? I mean that's not gonna take too much work or cost too much. :)

Late Nights

I keep telling myself that tonight, I'm going to go to bed early. I have been up until at LEAST 1am for the last week or so. I am so tired during the day, but I just can't make myself go to bed. Today, I think I figured out why. It's because after the kids go to bed, it's my only chance to have true 'me time'. I do have designated 'Michelle Time' when Jacob has his quiet time, but Lizzie is usually awake during at least half that time, so that doesn't really count. After 9pm is when I truly have uninterrupted time to just breath and do whatever I want. (which is usually blog. haha.) The longer I stay awake, the longer 'me time' I get to enjoy. It's wonderful, and it makes me not so jealous of Mike right now, who has every evening free to do what he wants. LUCK-EEE. Okay, not really. I'm still really jealous.

The only downfall to this 'me time' is how exhausted I am the next day. Seriously, my house has gone to pot this last week. I have no energy to clean. In fact, I usually fall asleep anytime I sit down. Tomorrow I have an appt. EARLY. And yet, here I am, still awake at 11pm blogging. I know I should be sleeping and I am not gonna be a happy camper come tomorrow. But, I just can't MAKE myself. sigh. Oh well, maybe I'll jus.......


nhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh adaaaaaaaaaaaaasdddd

Aah...sorry. Just dozed off. [slaps face] Okay, maybe I should go to bed. Good night everyone. Over and out.

Look at me, I got a prize!!

This is my Mo or No-Mo prize. I'm so proud. When I saw it in the mail I ran inside and tore open the package. Inside I found my long awaited oil vial. I was so excited. Isn't is so shiny. It is the most beautiful oil vial I've ever seen. However, I was slightly disappointed that the package did NOT contain a letter of congratulations telling me how brilliant and wonderful I am. What's up with THAT??? Helloooo!

It's so beautiful I'm reluctant to put it on my key chain. Once I do that it's gonna start getting all banged up and scratched. It's kinda like those extremely elaborate cakes you see that you could never bring yourself to actually eat. Or like those awesome diaper cakes you see at baby showers. They were given to the person to actually use, but people have a really hard time taking them apart, because they are so beautiful.

Anyways, thank you Brittany. I am truly honored! :)

You can all congratulate me now.

"Politicians are like diapers. They both need changing regularly and for the same reason"

Let me just start of my saying, I am a reformed lemming. I used to be a blind follower. Especially when it came to politics and voting. Whatever my parents voted for, I voted for. Mostly because I wasn’t really interested and didn’t really care. I did no research, I didn’t know anything about either candidate, or any issues going on. But, everyone said it was important to vote, so I voted and then just hoped for the best. However, in the past 10 or so years, I have come to understand WHY it is important to vote and just how important it is to do my research and know what is going on. Lately, I have been really passionate about being informed and trying to encourage others to be informed as well. And now that it is down to crunch time, I really feel strongly that I need to kick it up a notch with that encouragement. I don’t care what your final view point is on topics or who you decide to vote for, but I am big on encouraging people to make informed decisions. So, on that note, if you have already done your research, good on ya. Gold star for you!! If you are like most people though, you are probably just now thinking, “Holy MOLY, I have 2 1/2 weeks left. I better read up”. But then between feeding and bathing kids, work schedules, soccer practice, pedicure, walking the dog or taking care of other pets, classes and studying for finals, cooking meals, washing the car, checking the mail, paying bills, cursing the bills, burning the bills, yelling at the kids for getting messy when you just bathed them, taking the dog out AGAIN, going to the gym, BLOGGING etc. etc…it’s just impossible to find the TIME!! So I did some ground work for you and found some reliable sources for you to start with. Below is a list of links I found IF you are interested. If you know of any links that I missed that might also be helpful, please add them in a comment.

http://www.factcheck.org/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/politics.asp
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/
http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

Here are some links on prop 8

http://www.azvoter.blogspot.com/
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1784521903
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1352578267/bctid1784553601
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx-glEL5SHE
http://standformarriage.com/

Just as a side note, I really don’t like either presidential candidate. So I will be writing myself in on the ballot. Feel free to do the same. If you vote for me, all your wildest dreams will come true. :)

Warning!

It's not a good idea to eat a whole plate full of Jalapeno poppers. You may live to regret it the next day. We are talking, MAJOR fire on the back burner...IF ya know what I mean!! Proceed with CAUTION!! I guess there is a reason for the council "all things in moderation". :)

Culinary Skills

Yes, sometimes, I do have them. I decided to invite some friends over this evening to keep me company. Since my friend Tricia is goin' it alone this month too (her hubby is also doing a military rotation this month), I though she would enjoy some company as well, so I invited her. Another girl was gonna come to, but her kids ended up puking all day and she thought it best to stay home. :) Hope you all feel better soon Marisa.

Anyhoo, I decided to use this as an excuse to try out my some new recipes. I decided to make Jalapeno poppers and chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. I got the recipe for the truffles from my sister. Thank you Jolynn!! I was a little nervous about the jalapeno poppers. I am kind of a wimp when it comes to spicy food. But these peppers aren't gonna last forever. So, I figured at least I'd have someone to help me eat them.

FYI...when working with jalapenos, here are some things to avoid. It's best to put the seeds DIRECTLY IN THE GARBAGE. It's not a very good idea to put them down the garbage disposal, and definitely not a good idea to use hot water to wash them down!!! We have been choking on fumes all evening long. My throat is still burning.

I've also been informed by a reliable source, NOT to do "things" with your hubby after handling them, even if you've washed your hands....... Ya...poor girl. Or poor guy rather. Eeesh.

ANYhoo. I am glad she was able to come over. It was nice having an adult to talk to. She was glad to have a human to talk to, since she lives with a dog. Here are some pictures of my creations.

Jalapeno Poppers. They were soooo good by the way. We actually ate them all. Seriously, you should try these. I will post the recipe.

Truffles. Aren't they beautiful?!? I should be a candy maker.

Lets take a CLOSER look. I mean...look at the details. Such talent, I even impress myself sometimes.

While I was in the kitchen working on all this, the kids were playing happily in the living room. As I was rolling cookie dough, I saw Jacob walk passed the kitchen carrying dirty laundry from his laundry basket. So I went in to see what he was up to...

Now, I put Lizzie in the swing, because Jacob kept sitting on her and she was not at all happy about it. I figured if I put her up high, he'd leave her alone. Guess not.

At least she looked like she was having fun being buried in a pile of dirty laundry. But, I threatened him with time out anyways if he didn't leave her alone. So he took his pile of laundry to the couch and decided to bury himself. I seriously don't know where my kids get their craziness from. I mean, it's not from me. I am the most normal one in the house. It's gotta be an Arnold thing.

For the recipes for these beautful, culinary masterpeices, see http://anythingcooking.blogspot.com/

Party at Midnight

It's interesting to see how my kids handle changes in their lives. Even Lizzie. Whenever Mike is not around it totally throws Jacob off. Lizzie usually doesn't notice anything different, but this time around even she's acting differently. The day Mike left, the kids started acting differently. Lizzie's nap schedule went skewompas, and Jacob rarely takes a nap at all. He also refuses to sleep in his own room at night. He started out waking up in the middle of the night and wanting to come in with me. Now he refuses to fall asleep at all in his own room. So typically he falls asleep on the couch and then I move him to my bed.

I think they can sense my stress levels increase and don't know what to do. Anyhoo...the one thing that I could really do without, is the midnight parties. Usually, it's just Lizzie who parties. She considers 12am-1am play time. Last night, I had both kids on my bed sleeping. Mike was up writing his personal statement for his residency applications and he wanted me to wait up for him to finish so he could call me and read it to me and get my feedback on it. He finished pretty late, so at midnight we were still up talking on the phone. As we were talking I started hearing jabbering and giggling coming from the other room. I went into the bedroom and this is what I found.

Now look at her face. Does she not look like she's just having a great time?! She was like, "Hi Mom, your just in time. Come play." Jacob looks a little out of it, but he was not wanting to go back to sleep for me. I finally had to turn out all the lights, so it was pitch dark and lay down between them until they went back to sleep. Jacob laid right down once he couldn't see anything and within seconds he was snoring. Lizzie on the other hand kept trying to crawl around on the bed. She worked her way over to my night stand and started pulling things off. Then she rolled back over to me and started trying to pull my hair, slap my face, grab my nose, etc., then back to the night stand to see if there was anything left to pull off...then back to me. And so it went for about an hour. Good times.

Here are some other pictures I got this week. Now at first glance, this looks like child slave labor. But don't worry, I don't make my children do the dishes...YET! Right now I'm just getting them to think that playing in the sink is a game. So that when the time comes for them to actually do the dishes, they will be begging me, "please, please, please Mom can I wash the dishes???" I'll let ya know how that goes.
I don't know what the fascination is, but this kid has always LOVED to shred paper. I thought he'd out grow it. No such luck. Somehow he got a hold of a roll of paper towels and was having a ball.
Um...ya. Look what he found. He is SOOOO never reading "Flat Stanley"!!
Lizzie's first sucker. Look at that blue tongue! She loved it. I like to get my kids hooked on sugar early.
Sadly folks, that's all the pictures I've got to share today. I know, I know. What kind of a blogging Mom only gets 5 pictures. It's pathetic and there is no excuse. I will strive to do better, I promise.

For Journaling Purposes

Just so I have it recorded somewhere. :) Lizzie officially cut her first tooth yesterday and crawled today. She figured out the combat crawl a few days ago and has been trying all week to figure out how to crawl on her hands and knees. Today she crawled 2 "steps".

Our Musical Debut

Well, Mike was bored today and decided to put together this beauty. He knows how much I love "High School Musical". [puke] To bad he couldn't find a better picture of me. Like one that made my face look skinny. haha. Anyhoo, I thought it was funny anyways and decided to share.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Random Thoughts

I know, I know. Your all thinking, "holy crap, this is her THIRD post today. Does this girl NOT have a life?!?" Well, truth be told...no, I don't. Actually, my children went to bed early tonight and Mike has yet to call me, so here I am all bored and stuff. So, I decided to do one of those random thoughts posts. Since I have a lot of time to think about random stuff. Now, I don't know how many random thoughts I'll be able to get to before one of my kids wakes up and is ready to party all night long, but I'll give it a shot.

Random thought #1. I have recently discovered the joys of blog stalking. I have met some fun (and funn-y) people through the blogging world. And I got to thinking, this is a pretty popular thing, probably more popular than on line dating. Which got me thinking, why is on line dating looked down upon so much? I know it is gaining popularity now-a-days, but people who would never have even give on line dating a second thought have no problems creating a blog and blog surfing to meet new people. Granted, most people who create blogs are not doing so with the intent on finding their one and only eternal companion, but still, your just as likely to come across weirdos...right? I mean, I remember in my earlier years thinking that on-line dating is the ULTIMATE act of desperation. I will NEVER be THAT desperate. Then I started meeting and dating weirdos I met the "normal" way and decided to swallow my pride and try it out. And low and behold...met my wonderful hubby and also met some other great people along the way.

Random thought #2. (haha, I said #2, hehe) Speaking of blog stalking. I was reading this girls blog and reading about when she was home alone and she got a weird phone call from a strange old man, and how she got thinking about all the scary possibilities. As I was reading, an onion randomly rolled off the top of my refrigerator and landed on the cheese grater sitting on the counter and made a huge *clank* and I think I may have peed a little. Good time, good times. I hate being home alone. It's a good thing I have a big ferocious dog and a gun. :)


Random thought #3. I want cup cakes!! Chocolate ones.

Random thought #4. Have any of you read the book "Love You Forever". I know Mary has. It's one of her favorites. It's Jacob's favorite too. I always thought this was a really cute book as well. But now that I've read it a few thousand times, I'm beginning to see some disturbing things. What kind of a mother drives across town on dark nights and if all the lights in her sons house are out, climbs in the window and sneaks across the floor and picks him up of the bed and rocks him like a baby. Now realistically, if a grown man found himself being lifted out of bed in the dark of night, he would probably knock the person out. I know I would. I know I would at least wake up and freak out. Of course if she's strong enough to pick up a full grown man, and in the book he looks like a pretty sturdy bloke, maybe she's not the kind of woman you want to be throwing punches at. I don't know. Either way, now when I read this book, I can't help but think, "Man...this woman needs some serious help. Someone get her a shrink". If I were the son, I would have gotten her counseling already, and put double locks on all my windows and doors. I don't know about you, but I think someone needs to cut the apron strings. (I hope your not offended Mary. I still love you and will continue reading the book to him and playing your CD for him.)

Random thought #4. I can't wait to move. (Thus the count down.) Don't get me wrong. I love Kansas City. I just don't like this house. I was way excited to move in. But, this place really was fabulous after our last apartment. Or maybe it just seemed like that at first, because we were so sleep deprived. Who can sleep with raccoons climbing around in your walls and having babies in your ceiling. Oh, and lets not forget the domestic disturbances next door. I don't know. But when I saw this house, I thought, Great! It's big, the kitchen is HUGE (still love that part), there's a basement for storage and a garage! Nice landlords (still love that too). What's not to love? Sure it smells, but once we move in it will go away. Right??? WRONG!! I don't know what the smell is for sure. I figured it was just because it was an old house and that once we moved all our stuff in, "our smell" would replace the weird funky one. But we have been here for 3 1/2 years and IT'S STILL HERE! We keep thinking we finally got rid of it. Then we go on vacation or something and come back and realize that it never went away, we just got use to it. We've tried everything, fabreeze, steam cleaning the carpet, TONS of air freshener. I am pretty sure the smell we are smelling, (or rather not smelling, because we are use to the smell) is old stale cigarette smoke. I didn't figure it out originally, because it doesn't smell like cigarette smoke. But, the smell does change after several years in the carpet. I am pretty sure that's what it is, based on the fact that previous tenants smoked. At least I'm pretty sure they did, judging by the cigarette samples we used to get in the mail when we first moved in and the fact that there is a small burn in the middle of the living room carpet. I am pretty sure the only way to get rid of the smell is to replace ALL the carpet. And that's not gonna happen while we're here. So, for the next 7 months, I have to put up with worrying about what people think when they walk into my house and breath. "Oh my gosh...what is that SMELL?? Just smile and act like you don't notice." There are several other things that are starting to get on my nerves, but I will save that for another day. Now, I have to end this nice little ramble fest and talk to my husband before I go to bed. Laters!!

Jalapenos anyone??

This year another family in the ward went in on a garden with us, (This picture was a few weeks after we planted) which worked out great since we were gone most of the summer. I think they got most of the tomatoes. There have been a few stragglers here and there since we've been back, but the main things we've been harvesting are peppers and basil. So far we've picked about 4 green peppers and there are about 10 more out there that are still to small to pick. (I hope they get there before the first freeze). The basil is totally out of control. I had to chop some down to get to the jalapenos. When I say chop, I mean CHOP. Like with an ax. Who knew basil stems could be as thick as tree branches. Okay, maybe not that thick. But they were thick. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since they got almost as tall as the tomato plants. I have a ton of it outside drying as we speak. So we will have no shortage of that through the winter months. Not only do we have what we planted this year, but we noticed a few weeks later that we also had some shooting up from what took seed last year.

Anyhoo...the point of this post...I have come to the conclusion, that even for 2 families, 1 jalapeno plant is probably PLENTY!! We have I think 3 or 4 plants out there. This is what I picked just a couple days ago.

There are a little over 3 dozen here. Can anyone say "jalapeno poppers"!! I am pretty sure that is what we will be doing with them. That was Marissa's idea. (sharer of the garden) If anyone else in the vicinity would like some of these (or basil) let me know. I highly doubt, even after the poppers and the salsa I plan to make, we will use them all. There are still several more out there almost ready to be picked as well.

Then and Now

As requested by Mary, I decided to repost Jacob's "I'm Too Sexy" dance. I decided to post the original, plus one I recorded a few days ago of him dancing to the same song.

Then...

Now...

Mommy Blogin'

This post is mainly for Mike. He is really missing us and we can't use the web cam, cause the place he is staying won't allow video feed for some reason. (He's at an air force base staying in the guest housing.) I think they think he is a spy or something. :) Anyhoo, so I am posting pictures and video's on here so he can see the kids. I will take pictures of myself on a day that I've actually taken a shower and look good. I don't want him to see pictures of me in my present state and think..."eh, a months not that long".

In the last few days, Jacob has really taken to the duck tub for some reason. I think because if you squeeze the beak it quacks. He carries this thing around everywhere. As you can see, he sits in it...


and puts hats on it...

They watch t.v. together and just have a great time together. They are pals.
Here is Lizzie glued to the TV munching on a biter biscuit. She's totally zoned in. I think Elmo was really created by the government to trap our young children's minds early, so it's easier to control them when they are adults.

Mmmmm...chocolate pudding and banana.

This was the first time I let them bathe together. I was always afraid Jacob would try and drown her. He's done pretty good though. He only tried it once.

As you can see from the video, they had a great time in the tub.


This is where Jacob has been sleeping since Mike left. At least for naps. He usually ends up next to me at night. Jacob does not do well with change. It's been hard having daddy gone.

My kids are crazy dancers. Tomorrow I will post some more of Jacob's awesome dance moves. Here is Lizzie shakin' it to "Hey Ya".

Well, I think I'm gonna stop there, cause it has already taken me a couple hours to get this much posted. So enjoy, and good night all!

Last ones, I promise.

I just found the alien one. lol.

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Trunk Monkey

I couldn't resist posting these AGAIN! I love these.


I actually hadn't seen this one before today. So I thought I'd share it as well.

New Poll

I hope you all got a chance to vote on my last one. Here's a new one for ya. Enjoy.

Oh ya...here are the results for the previous poll.

Do you pee in the shower?
15% said, Um gross...NO!!
0% said, Yes, but I would never admit it.
10% said, Yes, only when I have to go really bad.
5% said, Yes, something about that warm water hitting me makes me hafta go every time! Kinda like when your sleeping and someone puts your hand in warm water.
0% said, No, but I think if I REALLY had to I would. Cause who want to get out of the shower and sit on a toilet all wet??
1% said, No, that's what the sink is for...I mean...
47% said, Heck YES. What's wrong with that?!?
15% said, I'm a guy...it's a given.

Evidently we all need to go clean our showers really good today.

Overheard In The Ward

I found this really funny blog. I added it to my blogroll. I was reading through them and it reminded me of something I overheard in primary a few weeks ago. Sharing time was on answers to prayers and the different answers we can get. "Yes", "no", and "not now, maybe later". Each class was given a scenario and asked to discuss it and then tell everyone what they thought the answer might be. One scenario was something to the effect of "Suzy had finally saved up enough money to buy a toy she had been wanting. She went to her mom and insisted on going to the store RIGHT NOW!"

Primary teacher: What do you think the mother said?
Sunbeam: Not now, I'm on the computer.

Don't pack your bags just yet.

This just in. :) Yes, the Temple site location HAS been announced. The Kansas City temple is NOT going to be in Jackson County.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/new-temple-site-locations-announced

It is in fact going to be in Clay County. Which just happens to be the county I live in. Shoal Creek is right up around Liberty. Which will be super cool. I actually suspected it would be around Liberty. I should have posted that so that you all wouldn't be thinking, "no you didn't, you totally just made that up". But really, I really doubted it would be in Jackson County, and if it wasn't going to be there, Liberty was my first guess. That guess was based on me reading up and finding that the Church owned land in that area. :) So there ya go. Don't pack up and move your families to Missouri just yet.

Proud Moment

I received a blog award from Brittany. I'm truely touched. [wipes away a tear]

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others!

This award comes with a list of questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? None
2. Where is your significant other? Gone
3. Your hair color? multi-colored
4. Your mother?Hero
5. Your father? Superhero
6. Your favorite thing? chocolate
7. Your dream last night? Teeth
8. Your dream/goal? skinny
9. The room you're in? kitchen
10. Your hobby? Blogging
11. Your fear? falling
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? rich
13. Where were you last night? Home
14. What you're not? athletic
15. One of your wish-list items? house
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? blog
18. What are you wearing? PJ's
19. Your TV? small
20. Your pet(s)? none
21. Your computer? new
22. Your mood? blah
23. Missing someone? Yes
24. Your car? scary
25. Something you're not wearing? make-up
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Fun
28. Love someone? Yes!
29. Your favorite color? changes
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Yesterday

I now bestow this wonderful award on to 7 other lucky bloggers. At first I though, hey, I have 7 followers. Shouldn't they be the ones who get this award. Then I realized that Brittany is one of my followers, and she is the one who gave it to me, and Jolynn doesn't have a blog any Mary was already given this award by Brit. So, I will just go with the other 4 and replace those 3 with others from my list of fans. So, here's the lucky 7...

1. Katie, cause she is a faithful blogger and lets face it, she's got the coolest header. Way to be creative Kate. It's a sign of a true devoted blogger.

2. Kamie, cause I'm just totally inspired by her. Her blog is always so uplifting. She always makes me smile. Mostly because she is pretty random like me. lol.

3.Marissa, cause she is funny, and she has some really interesting links.
It was one of those links that introduced me to "the gummy bear song", which Jacob LOVES.

4. Jakell. I am always impressed by all the fun things she does with her kids. When I read her blog, it motivates me to get off my lazy tushy and go play with my children. haha.

5. Skyy, cause she had the guts to post a picture of her placenta eating chinchilla.

6. Joel, Cause he's just FUHUNNY!

7. Jana. Even though she probably doesn't read my blog and will never know she's been given this award. But seriously, her kids are hilarious.

And the Saints Come Flocking

Did you hear the gasps? I couldn't tell if it was for the temple to be built in Rome or from everyone imagining a temple in Jackson County. But I can just see the mass migration of saints. Haaahaha. The announcement of "The greater KC area" could not have been more vague. It's not exactly a small area. This is about all the info I could find on the subject.

Announcement: 4 October 2008
Construction Status:
Though a specific location has not been revealed, President Thomas S. Monson announced that a temple will be constructed in the greater Kansas City area.

I think the greater KC area covers the Liberty Area clear down into the Blue Springs area. Not real sure. Either way, I think it's AWESOME that they are building a temple here. It is nearly impossible for us to get to either of the 2 closest temples (St. Louis or Winter Quarters). I think we've managed to make it twice in the 3 1/2 years we've been here because of time issues with Mikes school schedule and rotation schedules, not being able to leave nursing babies with a sitter all day long. This will be a great blessing to the members here. We probably won't be here to see it completed since we will be leaving in 7 or so months, but we are excited about it anyways. As requested by Brittany, when I find out where the location will be, I will take a trip and get some pictures and harass the people there. I may even get some balloons and ask for autographs. hahaha.

Oh, the treasures that are to be found.

I gave Mike 2 (it actually turned into 4) hours to play computer games with his friend Jon the other day. In return I was granted 2 hours (would have taken 4, but I would have worried the whole time about what craziness I would come home to) to do whatever I wanted. I chose to go bargain shopping for books. ALL BY MYSELF!! It was glorious.

I am a big fan of second hand stores. Particularly, Goodwill. At least when it comes to finding books. The one closest to us has all sorts of good books. To get to these books you have to pass all the other fabulous stuff, like the olive green couch from the 70's that's selling for way more than should be legal for a used olive green couch. Then there are all the little nic nacs like candle holders, vases, picture frames, really old rusty kitchen utensils. Seriously, how is a person to resist such temptations. But, once you get to the books...look out. Here I come. I LOVE children's books. The majority of our children's books are used. Some I've gotten at garage sales and some I got from various second hand stores. But by far, Goodwill has the biggest selection of un-abused, used books. So here is where I spent my two hours. Sitting on the floor (don't even want to think of the germs I picked up) sorting through books. I got 20 books, all in EXCELLENT shape, for $10.00. In fact, most of them looked brand new. No chewed up covers or scribbled on pages, names written in the front, ripped or creased pages, etc. Nice shiny, crispy, beautiful looking books. My favorite finds of the day were a copy of one of my childhood favorites"The Box Car Children", "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", and a whole collection of Junie B. Jones books. There were probably about 12 of her books there, but since I had a limit of $10 I only got about 7 of them. All in excellent shape. To buy all 20 books new would have cost me closer to $50 or so. What a stinkin bargain!! Yay for me.

Does anyone remember the book "Flat Stanley"? I could swear that book was on the banned book list because a kid really tried to pump air into another kid and he died. Unless that is something that I was told as a child to scare my young, impressionable mind into never trying something like that. Who knows. Anyways, I saw 2 copies of that book there. And my paranoid mind shuddered at the thought of my children ever getting ahold of a copy of that book. I can just see Jacob reading that book and getting the idea in his head to stick the end of a bike pump in poor Lizzie's mouth and trying to pump her up. Yes, I am that paranoid. I think I have mentioned before that I probably need some serious medication for my issues. haha.

Oh, and they actually had 2 really pretty wedding dresses there. I had to stop and take a second look and ask myself, why would anyone donate these dresses to Goodwill? Couldn't they sell them on ebay or something. Of coures, maybe there would be to much competition on ebay. But wouldn't you try craigslist, classifieds...anything to get SOME money out of it?? Just something to think about.

Anyhoo...I think that is all I have for you all today.