MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas card pictures

Here are some of the pics. It was hard to get a good shot because Brady kept running away. The bottom picture is the one I ended up using for our cards. :)

Emotional day

So all went well at my doctor's appointment. I got pictures of my healthy little baby and my due date is the same. 6-7-08..who do we appreciate? ;) Everything is looking good and I'm very relieved.

Now onto my scary moment. :( Last night I was at my parent's house. Josh and Bri were going in and out of the house because my dad was putting up Christmas decorations outside. Well Brady snuck out and ran out in the road. My dad grabbed him but he almost got hit by a car. My dad brought him into the house and he put Brady down because he was shaking so bad he couldn't hold him. There must have been an angel watching out for my little guy.

Today is the day!

My first doctor's appointment is today! I'm so excited to hear the heartbeat,I just love that! I could do without the blood draw and the pelvic exam though...and to think this is just the beginning.

I'm alive,I promise!

I've just been lazy lately..yes too lazy to just sit at the computer.

Finally here is a Halloween pic of my kids.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful that I've only thrown up once so far during this pregnancy.

I'm thankful for my SIL who came over yesterday and cleaned up my house.

I'm thankful for my kids' hugs and kisses and for their sweet comments. Last night Josh said "you are the best mommy in the whole world" and it made my night. :D

I'm thankful for my hubby and all he does to support our family.

I'm thankful that Supernatural is on tonight! :D

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: breakfast burritos

Tuesday: tacos

Wednesday: pasta and cheese toast

Thursday: tomato soup and sandwiches

Friday: chicken and rice

7 weeks..

Well I am almost halfway to the point in my pregnancy where I start feeling better. Hopefully the holidays will make time seem faster because it's only been 3 weeks and I've had enough of this feeling. Blah!

Yay I won!

Natalie rewarded me with this sweet treat. Thanks so much!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?
~A golden retriever..just because.

Soup
What does the color purple make you think of?
~Fun because it's my fave color.

Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?
~30-40 minutes normally. right now it takes a few hours to get going because of the morning sickness.

Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?
~Sixty-one first cousins...if you count second and third it's over two hundred. I'm not really close to any of them. I visit with them at family events,but there aren't any I hang out with who are like friends. Sad I know.

Dessert
Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)
~SDS = Serene Dolphins Soar

Thursday Thirteen

My thirteen favorite movies.

1.While You Were Sleeping-I love Sandra Bullock and the supporting actors were all hilarious!

2. Steel Magnolias-my first ever chick flick. I saw it with my mom,sisters and aunt and we all bawled. Good times.

3.Legally Blonde-No matter how many times I have seen this,every time it is on tv I stop and watch it. A fun "not just a dumb blond" movie.

4.National Treasure-I was not interested in seeing this movie and my hubby kept telling me "watch it,you will like it". Well,he was right!(for the first and last time)*wink,wink*

5.X-Men movies-I love movies with a little bit of everything in them..not to mention Hugh Jackman. ;)

6.Transformers-Another movie with a little of everything in it. Just an enjoyable movie!

7.Miss Congeniality 1 and 2.

8.Return to Me-Such a sweet show and I loved the supporting cast.

9.Rush Hour 1 and 2.

10.Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights.

11.Pirates of the Carribbean-the original was the best.

12.Casino Royale-the first James Bond I really enjoyed.

13.A tie between Hitch and Spider-Man.

Yes I'm aware that there is more than 13 movies here but it was hard to choose..and it's my blog and I'll choose what I want! :P

Zoo day!

So Friday my SIL and I took the kids to the zoo and we had a great time! The weather was perfect..it was overcast and cool so we were comfortable. The kids were fascinated by how much poop the elephants made. I'm glad they were educated on something of great importance.

Brayden saying "cha choo!"

Riding on the train.

Josh and Brady on the elephant's trunk. Periodically water sprayed out of it's nose and the kids thought it was hilarious.

Mama and baby.

"Ghost of the Bayou"

The kids pretending to be attacked by an alligator.

Now this guy is a winner...or should I say wiener?

So a man was pushing his baby in a stoller the other night and didn't notice until he got home that the baby was missing. (On a personal note,I cannot count the number of times I have returned home to find my baby missing...maybe that's just me) Of course it probably wouldn't have happened if the guy wasn't drunk. Now this guy had been drunk since Monday...two whole days! Luckily a woman heard the baby's cries and found it,thank goodness. To read the full story click here.

Well...

I've been reading some discussions about Sister Beck's talk in General Conference and all I can say is whoa! There are some very strong opinions on it. I didn't hear the talk so until I do I can't give an opinion. Go here and there to see the discussions.

Wordless Wednesday

She's a Lady

So my kids were drawing masterpieces the other day. They come over to show off their work and here is our conversation..

Josh: "Hey mom check out my calendar,I drew pictures of every holiday!"

Me: "Wow,that looks great! way to go dude!"

Brianna: "look at my Halloween pictures mom!"

Me: "Dude,those look great! Good job!"

Brianna: "Uh,mom? I'm not a dude,I'm a lady ok?"

Me: "Oh I'm sorry,I was mistaken."

Brianna: "That's ok,accidents happen"

I was put in my place by my three year old. That seems to be happening a lot lately.

C'mon everyone is doing it..

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth

Could You Be a Vampire?

I got this from Carronin's blog.

The joys of morning sickness

Everytime I'm pregnant I get horrible morning sickness. I've been through this seven times now. Right now I'm trying the B6 and half a unisom combo to see if it helps. Did any of you have morning sickness? If so was there anything that worked for you that you would recommend?

Cravings

The cravings have already started. When I have morning sickness,almost nothing sounds appetizing to me. So when I want something I do all that I can to get it. Right now I'm craving fried rice but I don't want to take all of the kids out. I'm impatiently waiting for Adam to return home from Priesthood meeting so I can leave. *tick tock*

Excuse me while I scream..

My kids have been driving me insane today! If you see a news report tonight about a crazed mom on a rampage you can say,"hey,I know her!"

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
~Around an 8..I enjoy every birthday I get.

Soup
What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
~I can't think of any word that has really kept me up at night. ;)

Salad
Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
~Yes,always! My current pair are black ones I got at Wal-mart.

Main Course
If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
~It depends on the subject of the book. More than likely it would be family.

Dessert
Name a beverage that you enjoy.
~Diet Dr. Pepper

Why did the dolphin cross the road?

EDIT: Here is a picture of the culprit. In real life he is much bigger.

So I'm driving down the street minding my own business when I notice the cars ahead are slowing down. As I get closer I realize a dolphin is in the middle of the road. Ok I don't know about you all,but I can't count the number of times I've seen dolphins jaywalking on the street over here. Where are the police when you need them? After I went by I looked in my rear view mirror and that dolphin was right in front of this truck,doing flips and acting all cocky and daredevil-ish. This has gotta stop people! I tried to get a picture but the dolphin was too elusive. I will be sure to keep my eyes open today.

The Wait is Over!

Tonight is the season premiere of Supernatural! Woohoo!

Why wasn't I informed??

So apparently Santa and my little penquin buddy have become appropriate Halloween decor. Why oh why was I not told?

I feel like the perfect fool.

My little helper

Works for me Wednesday-Backwards day

So this week Shannon decided to do something different. Instead of offering a tip,you ask for one. So here is mine:

How do you take care of paper clutter? Things like bills,mortgage statements,etc. How often do you go through them and throw them out? I have a filing cabinet but it has become a mess of papers.

Wordless Wednesday

Biggest Loser Update 2

Well now that I am pregnant,I can't lose weight. I am still going to watch my calories and try to maintain my weight for awhile. I have lost of total of 8 lbs. in the last 2 weeks! Yay!

Your Halloween Costume Should Be

Candy Corn

What Should You Be For Halloween?

Well so much for boring...

My kids were playing outside when suddenly I hear both of them bawling. I rush out there to retrieve the limbs which I'm sure have been removed by the way they are freaking out. Josh is on the ground and Brianna is on the playset. Apparently Bri's arm got caught and she couldn't get it out. Josh tried to pull it out and while he did remove it,he fell and hit his butt on the rungs on the way to the ground. I've never seen such dramatics over owies. I'm glad they are both going to make it.

Boring

I really wish I was a creative soul. My blog is so drab it's putting me to sleep. I'm in a blogging funk and I can't snap out of it.

T-Mobile myFaves Secret Lovers Commercial

Menu Plan Monday

This week I'm going to have a very simple meal plan since my hubby won't be home for dinner much.

Monday~Fish and fries

Tuesday~Tomato soup and grilled cheese

Wednesday~Spaghetti and cheese toast

Thursday~Breakfast burritos

Friday~Goulash and chips

Head over to The Organizing Junkie to see more dinner ideas.

4 more days....

It has begun..

When I'm pregnant I have a lot of explicit dreams. Last night I had a dream about Zac Efron. I won't go into details,but let's just say I feel dirty.

I have been awarded!

Thank you to Natalie for The Egels Nest award!



I pass this award to:
Rachel
Michelle
Sarah

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
How are you today?
~Really good..no morning sickness yet. :D

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
~The Singing Bee,The Simpsons, and Supernatural

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
~A really bad thunderstorm with lightning flashes everywhere and strong winds blowing the neighbor's stuff into our yard.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
~Italy

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?
~pajamas when it's cold,undergarments when it's hot.

Pics of the munchkins

I've been tagged!

Katie tagged me for this meme.

1) Where did you meet your husband?

~I met him in high school. We had weight-lifting class together.

2) What was the first thing you said to your husband?

~He asked me which one of us had asked him to the dance. (my friends "helped" me get over my shy-ness by singing a song asking him to go with me. He was so surprised he didn't know who had asked him)

3) Where was your first date?

~The Morp dance I asked him too. We got KFC and ate at my friend's house,then we went to the dance at our school. After we dropped the guys off I told my friends I was already twitterpated.

5) Did you have a short or long engagement?

~It was about 6 months so not long and not short.

6) Where did you get engaged?

~At my house on Christmas morning. He waited until my mom left the room and then he got down on one knee and officially proposed.

7) Where were you married?

~We were married at the church my parents attended. Then nine years later we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple with Josh (who was 2) and I was 7 months pregnant with Brianna.

8) How did the reception go?

~It went very well but we had a line so that's what we did most of the night. If I could do it again I would only have a line for half of the time.

9) How was the honeymoon?

~We couldn't afford one so we just went to our apartment. Four years later after Adam graduated from college we took a honeymoon to California and went to Disneyland. It was a lot of fun! :)

I'm going to tag: Karla,Beth and Michelle.

Spam,spam,spam

So I received this e-mail very similiar to the one NCS posted about. Apparently I've been personally selected to receive lots of dough,because good ol' John Allison and I go way back. We're talking minutes people. You can't put a price on that kind of close,personal relationship.

Don't worry,I'll remember you all when I'm sitting in my mansion.

GREETINGS TO YOU MY FRIEND,

I KNOW THIS WILL COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE BECAUSE
YOU DO NOT KNOW ME . I AM MR. JOHN ALISON, I WORK IN
THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, PACKAGING AND COURIER
DEPARTMENT. I GOT YOUR CONTACT IN MY SEARCH FOR A
HONEST PERSON AND SOME ONE I COULD TRUST.
CAN I TRUST YOU??

I WANT YOU TO HELP ME CLEAR THIS PACKAGE THAT IS
ALREADY IN EUROPE WHICH I SHIPPED THROUGH OUR CBN
ACCREDITED COURIER AGENT BUT THE CONTENTS OF THE
PACKAGE IS $20,000,000.00 ALL IN $100.00 BILLS, BUT
THE COURIER COMPANY DOES NOT KNOW THAT IT IS MONEY
THAT I HAVE IN THE PACKAGE.

ALL I WANT YOU TO DO FOR ME NOW IS TO GIVE ME YOUR
MAILING ADDRESS, YOUR PRIVATE PHONE AND FAX, AND I
HOPE THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU WILL HAVE 30%
AND 70% WILL BE FOR ME . MY IDENTITY MUST NOT BE
REVEALED TO ANYBODY. IF THIS ARRANGEMENT IS OKAY BY
YOU.

YOU CAN CALL OR E-MAIL ME FOR SECURITY REASONS OTHER
MODALITIES WILL BE DISCUSSED AS SOON AS YOU GET BACK
TO ME INCLUDING SENDING OF THE KEYS TO THE BOXES TO
YOU.

WARM REGARDS TO YOUR FAMILY,

MR. JOHN ALISON
OPERATIONS OFFICER
PACKAGING & COURIER DEPART.

Works for me!

I wanted to remember all the funny and sweet things my kids say so I bought three small notebooks to keep in my kitchen cupboard. Now when they reach a milestone or say something I want to remember I can just get their book out and write it down. I can also put the phrases in their scrapbooks when I get some time (which will probably be when they are out of the house) ;)

Head over to Shannon's for more great ideas!

Happy Wednesday!

Wordless Wednesday

Yes,that is a pair of Transformers underwear on his head. I guess if you are going to wear underwear on your head,you better pick really awesome ones.

These dreams...

So apparently I've become obsessed with blogging. Last night I dreamed that Brayden had his own blog. Yes,you heard me. My 17 month old genius was a blogger. He had links to other blogs belonging to other kids. Every time I clicked on a link,it was a new picture of a little person. This freaked me out,it was a little too Baby Geniuses..now that is a scary movie.

Fun Contest!

Kara is having a contest to celebrate the one year birthday of her blog. She is giving away gifts from her crochet site,Kara's Custom Crochet. The items up for grabs are a lace baby blanket and two adorable pumpkin hats that are perfect for Halloween! Head on over and enter now!

It's calling to me..

The cake..it wants me to eat it..it's sitting there looking all delicious and chocolaty-peanut buttery-melted reeses-y.

I will not cave! Do you hear me,cake of goodness? Just back off!

Monday~Fettucine with garlic toast

Tuesday~Fish and fries

Wednesday~Ar-B-Q chicken and corn

Thursday~Enchiladas and refried beans

Friday~Chicken casserole and rolls

Yum!

We are having roast,potatoes and gravy,rolls and corn for dinner tonight. I am salivating just thinking about it,it's my favorite meal.

What are you all eating for dinner tonight?

The Bourne Ultimatum Trailer 1

I loved this movie! It had great suspense and kept me on the edge of my seat. It was definitely worth the money! I think everyone should go see it.

What are you waiting for? GO!

My niece had her baby yesterday! Apparently the baby was in a hurry to get here because from the time my niece got to the hospital to the time the baby was born was 12 minutes! That's right,12 minutes! She weighs 7 lbs,2 oz. and is 19 inches long and they are both doing great. I can't wait to go see her! :)

Date Night!

Tonight Adam and I are going on a double date with my SIL and her hubby. We are going out to dinner and then we are going to see "The Bourne Ultimatum".

Does anyone else have fun plans tonight?

The age old question..

Why is it that as soon as your nails are painted,you have to pee?!!

Whose Line is it Anyway: Sound Effects: Tarzan

Be prepared to LYBO!

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?
~I love paintings by Simon Dewey,they are just beautiful! (sorry Kara,I stole your answer) ;)

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?
~Last week-my SIL paid for my lunch.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you? ~7

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?
~30 minutes

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?
~72

PPP-Digital Photography

I got my first camera when I was a teenager and over the years I have taken a lot of pictures. When digital cameras came out I had to save up the money to buy one and it was hard to be patient! I'm now on my second camera and I take it almost everywhere. You never know when that perfect moment will strike. I use my camera for everything..family gatherings,birthdays,reunions. Not to mention taking candids of my kids,which I do frequently.

My camera is an Olympus and I love the features on it. It gives me different options for the scenes I want to take such as portrait,landscape and night-time which really helps me take the best pictures. I can record short videos on it and there is even a shooting guide on the camera that gives me helpful tips. This is one of my favorite pictures that I have taken with my Olympus.


My camera is still new but when I decide to buy a another camera I will definitely check out the Nikon D300.

Financial issues...

So Adam is out of town yet again and I'm feeling down. I had a bishop's appointment tonight to talk to him about our financial struggles. I didn't want to but I'm getting stomach pains about money lately. Obviously he has to see our bank statements to see what kind of help they can give us,but all of this makes me feel like an imbecile. I feel like he's thinking "oh you can't handle your money,you must be really dumb and immature" Now I know he wasn't,he is a very nice guy. I just hate this stress and worry. I hope things look better tomorrow.

Great contest!

I would love to buy a Dyson vacuum but it's something our budget won't allow. Now I have the chance to win one! There is a great contest going on at 5 minutes for mom where they are giving away a pink Dyson in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The full price of the Dyson will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Fund and whenever a pink Dyson is purchased from Target,$40 of the price will be donated as well! My mom is a two-time breast cancer survivor so this cause is very important to me. Head on over and enter now!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my SIL. She is my BFF and exercise buddy. She encourages me when I don't feel like working out and she makes it fun to exercise. (an amazing feat!) She always helps me and doesn't ask for anything in return. Not to mention countless dinners she has invited me too,especially when Adam is out of town.

I'm thankful for my hubby who works so hard to provide for our family. He's a great husband and a terrific daddy to our kids.

I'm thankful for my munchkins and for the laughter they bring into our home. After going through four miscarriages,I wasn't sure if I would ever have children. I feel very blessed to have three beautiful,healthy kids.

I'm thankful for my parents who love and support me. They are good and honest people and great examples for my children. Both of them are cancer survivors and I'm grateful that they are still here with us.

What are some things you are thankful for?

Sick..

It's not even winter yet and I'm tired of being sick! I caught Brayden's cold so yay for me. At least I haven't caught diarrea from him...yet.

So today we are sharing a fun idea. Mine is an idea that my SIL passed along to me. It's not so much "fun" but useful. I buy big packages of hamburger meat so I always separate it into portions. The problem was that it always took a long time to defrost. My SIL suggested using Ziploc Freezer Bags and mashing the meat flat. Then to defrost it you put it in a hot water and within five minutes it's ready. It's also much easier to store in your freezer. For more great ideas head over to Rocks in my Dryer!

Wordless Wednesday

Biggest Loser update

Well it has been a week now. I've lost 3 lbs and I've been eating much better. I've been to the gym 6 times and I'm feeling good. Go me! :D

What's in a Name?

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Mindy Windstar

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Cookie dough no-bake

3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
S-Sou

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Purple Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Dawn American Fork

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Sou St

7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Burgundy Diet Dr Pepper

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Budd Frank

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)
Vanilla Fields Reeses

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names)
E. Frank

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Hunter Honolulu

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Christmas Lily

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Strawberry Caprisy

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Mini-Wheats Pine

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour")
The Beading Rain tour

So today I found out that Adam got a $1.50 raise! YAY!

Now we just need to catch up so we will have the extra money.

Check out my Slide Show!

PPP-TrustedPlaces.com

Taking a trip to London soon? You can find the best London bars at trusted places.com. They also have recommendations for cafes,hotels and shopping. If London is not in your plans,you can get information for a lot of other destinations. You can read other customers reviews and make your own based on your experiences. You can also trade your recommendations and meet new people in the process. If you are planning a trip be sure to check out Trusted Places!

Menu Plan Monday

Head over to The Organizing Junkie to join in and get some dinner ideas!

Here's my menu..

Monday: homemade chicken noodle soup (dinner at my SIL's)

Tuesday: tacos

Wednesday: chili haystacks

Thursday: burritos and tostadas

Friday: chicken and rice-a-roni