Too "dog"gone cute

It was our turn for snacks on Tuesday for preschool. We thought that since the theme for the week was pets, we would bring something "animaly-ish". We made puppy cookies and they turned out rather cute, I think. I am also sharing a few pictures of a few other cute treats that we have done over the last couple of years. You will notice a theme, unfortunately. Sugar. I try first to find something that is healthy for the kids. But I come up empty, I abandon the healthy plan and just go for something cute.
Last month's assignment came with the theme of "learning the five senses". I forgot to take a picture of this snack, but was actually quite proud of it. Chase and I made sandwiches on white bread (filled only with raspberry jam, lest any parents come unglued that we fed their children peanut butter while amidst a peanut butter scare!) which we then cut out with a snowmen cookie cutter. We sent over an assortment of nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and chocolate chips and let them decorate their snowmen. Chase's teacher said that they really enjoyed that one. See, I can do healthy!






insect theme



autumn theme



easter



back to school

Plum Crazy

It's official. I have lost my mind. Oh, there have been moments when it has been in question, but I have been holding out hope. But, no. It is lost. I have done gone and lost my marbles.

The other day I was cleaning the house while Chase was at preschool. When it was time to go get him, I was in desperate need of an outfit change. I put my pants on in my bedroom, grabbed my bra and started walking toward the door. I put my bra on as I walked. I opened the back door to the garage and headed out. It had felt that I had been through the effort of getting dressed... you know, the stuggle of getting the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder on. Since it felt that I had been through the effort, therefore it must be done, right?!

I was just about to clear the automatic garage door to our driveway when I realized that I was a little cold. That led me to the realization that I was nearly naked. That led me to the realization that I was outside...with people...naked. That led me to the realization that I have begun the process of losing my mind.

There is always that hope that I can find it, in snippits, at least. I do have rather bright moments on occasion.

Here's to the beginning of the end. Let's just hope that I can make it to the end fully clothed. There is no need for you all to suffer with me.

Scrapin' Fever

I started photojouraling when I was a teacher, about 8 years ago. I started with a small box, smaller than a shoe box. I did very simple pages, focusing on the journaling of events and pictures. Since I had the summers off from teaching, there was no excuse to not hit it hard.
I did my basic childhood (whatever picutures I was able to steal from my mom!) until 1999, four years after marriage. I thought I was going great guns. Then, Chase was born in 2003 and everything came to a wonderful stand still.
About a year and a half ago, I decided that it was high time that I get started again and get some of Chase scrapbooked. So, instead of starting at 1999 and playing catchup, I have started with Chase's birth and worked forward. Can I tell you how much I have loved doing this? I have been given a wonderful opportunity, through my sister-in-law who has a scrapbook room set up in her basement, to come and scrapbook. I had always thought that to really get involved with scrapbooking, you had to spend way too much time holed up in a room, spending way too much money on the newest trendiest fashions. Well, I have done neither and am having the time of my life! My new collection of scrapbooking materials represents all of my birthday and nearly all of my Christmas presents, via gift certificates and a sister who sells Stampin' Up. My time represents Thursdays, a day which I am very protective of and which Chase and I really look forward to. I complete 12-30 pages and Chase plays and plays with his cousins. Win, Win!!

I am not sure why I feel like I am all of a sudden sprinting toward a finish line. Maybe a new baby is coming soon and I am wanting to be caught up, or maybe I want to finish because this really is an ideal situation to work in and can't last long. Who knows. But I am having fun in the mean time. It took three albums to do Chase's first year. That baby couldn't blow a spit bubble without me having a camera in his face! Two albums represent his next year and one his next. I finally got my picture taking under control! At the rate I am going, I will have 2003 to 2009 done by the end of this year. Can we say, YEAH!!! I share this not to brag, but to put it out there in the cosmos. If I say it to an audience, I have to do it. So let it be written, so let it be said!

Here a just a few of my favorite pages:




my new "box" of supplies



our sealing









one of his blessing outfit sittings

Budding Photographer

Whenever I take my camera out to take a picture, Chase asks if he can take pictures. Kids these days are so smart. They just have to watch you once and they have it down. Since my camera has an unlimited roll of film, I let him take pictures. I have to admit, it does get old. I save a few here and there, but usually spend umpteen minutes deleting them off.

The other day, Chase asked for a photo shoot. I was making dinner and had my back turned and didn't really see most of the things he took pictures of. Later that night, I went through my camera and started deleting pictures. After a few seconds, however, I realized that Chase was taking pictures of things that he liked, played with often, or where important to him. It was then that I looked at these pictures differently. I saved most of them. Lest you think that I really am that sappy, I will probably delete them...sometime....eventually....some day!

I thought I would share some of his pictures with you. Who knows, maybe he is developing an eye to become a great photographer. Maybe he is just playing with a piece of techonology. But in any case, I would love it if that smart 5 year old would teach his mother how to make the pictures not so blurry!



The "doggy" door on his cardboard fort.

His Groundhog Day art.

I am a litle sad about this one. He took a close-up

of this ball. He was pretty proud of that one. It got

axed before I stopped deleting.

The heart from my previous post was taken by Chase. And as it turns out, when I went to upload these photos from my folder, there weren't that many there. Guess I am not as nice as I thought! So much for my so called sentimentality!

Belated Valentines

So, yeah, I am a little late with a Valentines post. We are in the process of switching from our 10 year old computer to our new one. It's a fury of old computer dying and trying to save pictures and other vital stuff around here! We've moved the pictures, so the blogging can continue. Phew!

We did something fun for Valentines this year. That is so unlike me...not my favorite holiday. BUT, you do strange things for those cute little people you call your kids. Every morning for the week of Valentines, Chase woke up to a valentine treat in a little mailbox from my teacher days. He absolutely loved it. Of course. I mean, what says "I love you", more than a zippy child hopped up on sugar?! Anyway, fun tradition started, I think. Chase slipped me many love notes in return in the mailbox. Sweet kid. Get it? Sweet? Sugar? Right.

Valentine's Day itself was a little slow. Just one more treat in the mailbox and some card exchanges. Again, not my favorite holiday. Jeff and Chase, however, did a bang up job with the cards.

My friend Krista did a fun post about doing an etch and sketch in sugar or flour in a pan. Thanks, Krista! Fun activity. Posted is a picture of Chase drawing me a love note in sugar during one of our etch and sketch activities (one of his new favorites). What is it with the sugar?! And don't you love how his heart looks like the silhouette of a bunny rabbit?

Hope your love day was filled with love!




one of the love notes Chase made for me.


exchanging cards



my "sweetie" pie

Fish & Fudge

After Chase's primary activity on Saturday, he came home and pulled out the lining of his pockets and said, "Nope. Nothing. My pockets are empty. No fishing game." It both cracked me up and broke my heart. For some reason, Chase LOVES the fishing game. So, for a fun FHE on Monday, we set up a fish pond, invited our nonmember friends and went fishing. We enjoyed homemade fudge for dessert. Incidentally, it makes for a very fun too-cold-to-go-outside-been-inside-too-long-going-out-of-my-mind-get-me-out-of-here activity. Chase and the boy we babysit collect items from around the house and "suprise" each other. It's been a big hit.



Chase and Casey cutting out the fish




The finished product



Casey fishing.



Chase fishing. That's Jeff head behind the sheet.
He was the big fish.



The happy fishermen.

Jeff's 25 Things

I have decided to ask forgiveness instead of permission. Here goes a crack at Jeff!

1. He loathes gum. He won't even touch it in the package. Chase and I love to chew gum.

2. He wants to open a barbeque restaurant someday. Every time he creates a winner at home, it gets added to the "menu".

3. When you say something to him to that makes him think, his eyes scan back and forth, really fast, like a computer. It's actually quite painful to watch.

4. He is one of those that says words incorrectly, but doesn't know it and/or doesn't care. The first time he said "Speedy Un-Call-Ous" (Speedy Gonzales, from Bugs Bunnny), I looked at him like I had married a martian.

5. His least favorite part of family events is the picture taking. He drives everyone nuts. He's "that" guy...funny faces, finger up nose, bunny ears, etc.

6. He has never left the toilet seat up.

7. He watches chick flicks with his wife, and likes them. His wife loves that.

8. He actually has an elevator music channel set to his XM radio in his truck. I can tell when he has had "passengers"...it's set to rock.

9. His dream calling is to be the ward librarian. Still holding out for that one.

10. Jeff secretly wants to fulfill Jeremy's need for a Harley.

11. On a bad hair day, Jeff looks like Elvis.

12. Jeff can't stand mint flavored anything. The smell, the taste, anything. It makes purchasing toothpaste an event. However, when I make mud pie, he insists that I use Mint Chocolate Chip icecream. Hmmmm.

13. Jeff is the jack of all trades...and the master of ALL. It is easy to feel very secure when he is around.

14. Jeff laughs at his own jokes. I laugh at him laughing at his own jokes. His jokes aren't that funny.

15. Jeff's favorite movie is Blazing Saddles. No need to say more.

16. Jeff gets very moved by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

17. Jeff has a very wide peripheral vision. When asked the question, "How do I look", he gets accused of answering "good", without looking. When asked, "Oh, really, what am I wearing then", he can answer perfectly. It's aggrevating.

18. Jeff almost drowned when he was younger. Jeff hates to swim.

19. He doesn't think he's addicted to Coke. Ahem.

20. Jeff turns into a puddle when he comes home to the smell of baking bread.

21. He turns 16 when he gets on a 4-wheeler.

22. When we get money back for taxes, Jeff always asks me if he can borrow some. That is so funny to me!

23. He honestly doesn't know how talented he is.

24. Jeff cannot carry a tune, but he sings with gusto when singing to Chase at bedtime. Chase loves it.

25. Jeff would give you the shirt off of his back. Just do not ask him to share his mother-in-laws almond roca with you.

Phew! There is Jeff!

I Missed One

As I was posting 25 random things about me, I had so many going through my mind that it was hard not to get ahead of myself. I could have kept going. I get the gift of gab from my parents. I have realized, however, that I forgot a great one.

26. I was quite old before I realized that "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and the "ABC" song were the same tune. Given my aptitude for music, you think that I would have caught on to that a long time ago.

Funny thing about that; I was trying to pass this new found knowlege to my five-year old (four years old at the time of the story). As I broke the news to him, I could see him trying to process this information. He was thinking so hard that I thought his brain would explode on the spot. I have dropped the subject.

I want to do a list for Jeff. But, those of you that know Jeff well know that this will be a feat. Maybe I will have to make my own list for Jeff. So, here is another one for me:

27. I love my husband, quirks and all!

25 Random Things About Me

Well, I am jumping on the band wagon. I have read several blogs having posted 25 things about them and have LOVED them! I have learned so many great things about these people. It looks like a lot of fun, so I have decided to play.

1. I love stories about bodily functions. Any story with the words, "pooh", "wet pants","barf" and "pass gas" in them make me laugh til I cry.

2. I don't know who sings any song or what the words are to any song written after the 1960's. I am a Classical, Big Band, and MoTab girl all the way.

3. When Jeff and I were dating, I burned a farm truck to the ground. Whoops.

4. Thinking about, hearing about or looking at any kind of animal or anything to do with animals, while I'm eating, makes me gag...big time!

5. I have sworn that I will never scrapbook...too expensive, too time consuming, etc.

6. I love to scrapbook. It is one of my favorite things to do now. I am learning to never say never.

7. I think lobster looks so good when other people eat it, like on commercials. The thought of eating it myself makes me sick. Go figure.

8. One of my biggest pet peeves is tailgating. Please don't tailgate me while driving, or standing in a checkout line. The tail of my car, or my tail, it doesn't matter. Just don't do it. It drives me crazy!

9. I am a closet Reality TV show lover. Don't tell anyone.

10. My earliest memories are of my cutting my hair (without permission, of course), stealing a pack of gum, and pretending to "smoke" a used cigarette butt off of the road by our house in Idaho. Destined for greatness.

11. I am deathly afraid of tornados. When one touched down in Utah, I grabbed my pictures, my geneology, ran under the stairs and turned into a puddle. Seriously.

12. I have laughed so hard milk has come out of my nose. I have drunk soda with a straw, through my nose. That came out, too.

13. When I grow up, I want to be just like my mom and dad. I'm still waiting.

14. I hate shopping. I loathe shopping. Get in, get what you need, get out.

15. I cannot draw. All of my drawings are stick people and hilarious. Yet, I am a champion Pictionary game player (no, Mom, I don't cheat!).

16. I ALL of my dreams at night that I am in, I am skinny.

17. I love holding babies. Watching a baby fall asleep in my arms is a celestial treat.

18. I wear sunglasses when I drive so I can glare at tailgaters in the mirror. I am too nice to do it to their face.

19. I stay away from trends. I love anything classic.

20. I have always been partial to people way older than me. Some of my greatest friends have been grandmas and grandpas.

21. Being a mother scares the pants off of me. I wish I owned a crystal ball.

22. My favorite body part of mine are my eyes. I like the color.

23. My most embarrassing moment involves another body part.

24. My least favorite chore is emptying the dishwasher. Loading it is fine, I just can't stand to empty it.

25. Deep down, I am a little shy. No one seems to believe me, though.

Tagged

I have been tagged by my sister Kimberly. The tag is to post the fourth picture in your fourth picture folder. This is a random photo!

My fourth folder is Chase's two year old photos, starting with his birthday. I am sad that this is such a lame candid shot. None of us are even smiling! Chase seems so small to me in this picture. He sure loves his birthdays! His birthday always seems so far away to him because his birthday and Christmas as so close together. He is so creative and loves to be involved in the planning and the theme of his b-days. His birthday theme in this picture is a train. He fell in love with trains pretty early. What boy doesn't?! His first birthday was a train, 2nd...a train, 3rd...Thomas the Train. Pretty consistent, eh? 4th was gingerbread. That one was fun! 5th was penguins. What a clever kid!

I tag my cousins, Sarah and LeaAnn. Show us what you got, girls!

No Alcohol!

A few weeks ago, when my sister-in-law went on our fun trip to Salt Lake, we went to Ikea (spelling?). We were there on a mission for our husbands' business, with a few extra dollars in our pockets for us, just in case ;). Chase opened one of the fridges and saw a bottle of sparkling cider, added for a little bit of realism. Chase looked at me with disturbed brown eyes and asked, "Is that alcohol?" We have been the rounds before over things that look like alcohol, but really aren't, and it is just too confusing to a literal, straight-laced 5 year old. "Yes," I said, to avoid furthur conversation. Chase then went from display to display, opening the fridges, looking for alcohol..."alcohol...no alcohol...no alcohol...alcohol." My neice Kaylie went to her mother and said, in her concerned 5 year old tone, "Mom, Chase wants to find alcohol! Why is he looking for alcohol?" Cracking up that I am even having to have this dicussion in the first place, I mentioned that Chase had just given a talk about our bodies being in the image of God and that our bodies are a temple. It's good to know that that which we teach our children is not very far from our minds!

I have since realized that I have forgotten to blog about his talk and how proud we were of him. He spoke so clearly. He had his talk memorized and held up corrisponding pictures, his favorite being, of course, the primary cut-out of the Word of Wisdom, featuring alcohol and a big "No" circle through it. This is his talk:

I know that my Heavenly Father loves me
He has given me many things:

a prophet
temples
a family

and a body, created after His image.
That means that my body was made to look like Him.

To take care of my body I,

eat good food
keep yucky things out
gets lots of sleep and exercise.

When I take care of my body, I show my Heavenly Father that I love Him, too.

Way to go, Chase! We are so proud of you!!