1910 - 2008

I know many of my friends and family have already posted about the passing of Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, but I want to add my thoughts... or rather some thoughts of mine and my girls. Last night when we heard the news, I was hesitant to tell them because Abby has been so worried about and so focused on death that I didn't want it to bother her. I ended up telling them and they said a few sweet things that I want to document. Brenna quickly said "well at least Papa gets to see him now in heaven even if we don't" and Abby then said that she "Papa is shaking his hand right now and talking to Pres. Hinckley."

This morning I was the mom helper in Abby's kindergarten class and I was helping some of the kids work in their writing books where they were asked to write about something they did this weekend. 3 or 4 of the kids I worked with chose to write about Pres. Hinckley dying and one of these kids wrote something about how the prophet is with his wife again in heaven... so sweet. Then when Abby came home, she told me that "all the flags in Utah are half down today to show respect for Pres. Hinckely."

I was able to shake hands with this amazing man several years ago at a regional young adult conference in Glendale, CA and I still relate to his talk on occasion. His cute wife spoke as well and it was one of the most casual, yet spiritual experiences of my life. They spoke to us as if they were our age and the humor that both he and his wife shared was adorable!

Living in Utah, we've had an almost non-stop news feed with stories being shared, family interviews, and make-shift memorials all over the state. I am in awe of the lives he has touched and how it's caused me to stop and reflect on his life and even my own.
I am so grateful for the legacy he has left us...

they're funny

I'm posting this mostly just to document it. I think my kids are cute and funny in case you forgot...

Yesterday Abby was talking about a boy named Ian in her class and she said "Ian really likes me and he always wants to sit by me." I told her I thought that was nice and I hope she is polite and lets him, and then she said "yeah, I think he loves me, not the looooove kind of love, but the like kind of love. He told me he thinks I'm cute though, so I don't know what kind of love it really is". How cute is that?!

And then this morning as I was taking a shower, Brenna came in (love the privacy of being a mom) and started talking about the number 4. She said "mom, why do you make a triangle on its side and then a long line and that's not really a 4. You're opposed (that's supposed in Brenna lingo) to go down and across and down some more, that is how we make a 4". I asked her where she saw that I had written a 4 and she held her jacket up where she was insistant a few weeks ago that I write her name and phone number on the inside and the 4's in our phone number were obviously bugging her. She told me she thinks I need to practice some more.
Thanks for the advice Nenna.

This picture is over 2 years old, but it makes me laugh because the face Brenna is making is still a face I see on a daily basis!

If I were ever the type of person to listen to POWER 106 (in CA) I'd give a "shout out" right now. I have to just say that after my first official week of working at home full time... my kids are AWESOME! They have done so well playing together and allowing me to finish my work before we get to play. I really am so grateful that they understand how important it is that I have this job where I can be here for them and not stress about them/child care/etc.

Lifes little blessings...

I'm done

I hate to complain, but I need to for a minute. Last night as my neighbor and I were going to the gym we were talking/griping about the snow and how much we got yesterday and how this winter seems to be exceptionally cold and snowy. She looked at me and asked why I moved here again, and all I could say was "Um, I don't know". I do know the "real" reasons I moved here, but I think I'm beginning to reconsider those reasons. It's far too cold for my flavor and I'm the kind of person who typically says that I'd rather be cold than hot because you can always put more clothes on, or sit by the fire, etc. but again, I'm rethinking those thoughts.
I just kinda hate it.

I know and totally think snow can be pretty, and it's the prettiest in Star Valley:

and I love to watch it fall from the skies, and make snowmen and all that jazz but when the following happens... those thoughts do a complete 180!
Read on:

Today was the topper of it all! I was at a friend/new co-workers house and had parked in her driveway which is a little on the steep side, but the driveway was totally clear and I thought I was safe until... the neighbour across the street (another friend/co-worker) emailed to tell us that my car was 3/4 of the way in the street. I ran outstide to see my cute little Passat hanging out on Canyon Road... e-brake still on, but obviously not doing it's job. I must've had too much snow on my tires and it didn't like the incline of her driveway and yeah-- cars were having to swerve to get around it! That for me was it... too much snow and too cold of temperatures.
If I had an option to move to the tropics instead of the arctic tundra right now, I'd SO do it!

Abby even told me last week that she's beginning to hate the snow because she can't even ride her new scooter from Santa outside... all she can do is make circles in the garage on it and that's boring.
Sorry Abbs...

Maybe I should have written this in my real journal and not on here for all to see the complaining side of me, sorry...

new!

I've just changed jobs and today is my first official day on the "new job". As with any new job (and maybe this is just me) but I felt the need buy something new for this big change, so since we all know how much I love shoes, I went shopping! These may not be as fashionable as my other recent shoe purchases, and I know I'll be limited as to where I can go while wearing these, but I bought me some new SLIPPERS cuz I get to work from home full time and wear these all day long if I want to! Oh, that sonds blissful...

Why does the number have to sound SO old?

Today is my big 30th birthday and despite the panic attack I had last night just thinking about it- it's been a fantastic day! Can I just say that I have an amazing group of friends and an even more amazing family that I love lots and lots!

This morning Abby woke me up with a favorite treat of mine (that most of the human race probably gets queezy just thinking about)- Cadbury Cream Eggs! Seriously, they're probably the nastiest thing ever invented, but I have a thing for them and they only come once a year and this year they're obviously early- happy birthday me! She was so excited to show me the decorations Aunt Sandie put up and went on and on telling me about the things we were going to do today. I think she told me Happy Birthday 94 times and it was adorable!
For weeks Abby has been telling me that even though I'm going to be 30, she'll still love me- so this morning I found this on their blog for me! Love it!

Brenna then woke up after Abby left for school and while we were getting ready, she kept making up songs that I wouldn't really consider to be birthday songs, but they were about my birthday and it was funny!

I then went to work to find balloons at my desk and one with the infamous "Over the Hill" saying on it. Tom at work brought them in for me and it was SO fun!

My friend Kim also brought a yummy cake to work and everyone came parading upstairs with the cake singing to me... awwwww- I felt so loved!

When I came home from work, there was a really pretty and totally "me" arrangement of flowers from my friend Katie O! They are so pretty!

Then we headed off to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. I could eat their BBQ chicken salad everyday- it's that good. So, we met my mom, Sandie, Janna, Jason & Claire there and enjoyed a variety of foods and had a good visit together!

Here's my girls singing to me before I made my wish & blew out my candle!
It really has been a GREAT day! I've received so many emails, phone calls, texts, and visits from so many fun people and I love it!
Can tomorrow still be my birthday?!

I feel so blessed to have the people around me that I do...
thank you everyone!

Numbers

In Brenna's preschool, they have been learning how to write their numbers and every once in a while I'll hear her saying a little rhyme as she's practicing, but she rarely repeats them for me. So, yesterday morning as I was doing her hair, I asked her to tell me the number rhymes and she did... kind of. She started with '0' but couldn't remember and went on to the number '1', and she knew that one. Then she couldn't remember past 3, but she could remember 8 because they just learned that one last week. Anyway, I asked her to ask her teacher for a copy of them when she had time. I kind of forgot about it, but as I picked her up from school yesterday, she reached in her back pocket and said this is from Miss Cindy and just then her teacher walked out and was cracking up. She said Brenna came up to her and told her what I wanted and then after her teacher wrote them all down, Brenna said "But Miss Cindy, did you go all the way to 100?" And Miss Cindy said "Brenna if we have the numbers zero through nine, we can make all the other numbers", and Brenna replied with "oh, yeah- I forgotted about that."

Here's the cute rhymes though if any of you are interested. I think it's darling... maybe it just cute with Brennas little lisp though!

0- Over the top and around we go, that is how we make a ZERO

1- Start at the top and down we come, that is how we make a ONE

2- Around and back like a railroad track, TWO TWO TWO

3- Around the tree, around the tree, that is how we make a THREE

4- Down and across and down some more, that is how we make a FOUR

5- A big fat FIVE goes down and around, put on a hat and see what you found

6- Down in a hoop a SIX makes a loop

7- Across the sky and down from heaven, that is how we make a SEVEN

8- Make an S and do not wait, climb back up and make an EIGHT

9- A circle and a line, that is how you make a NINE

Is there a difference?

This morning we were having the typical drama of which shoes to wear. Problem #1 is that my girls have me for a mother... and I have a slight obsession with shoes. I think (but won't totally admit to the fact) that it's not such a good thing because they are kind of particular about which shoes to wear with certain outfits.

Okay, so Brenna wants to wear flip-flops everyday (even with 9 feet of snow outside), so this morning after telling her no to that idea- she said she'd go find something else. I suggested she wear her "squishy shoes" aka Crocs, but she said those hurt her feet. Abby piped up and said "Brenna's feet must have grown overnight mom". So off she went upstairs to find some tennis shoes, but she quickly came back and said "Oh great mom, I think grandma gave them away to Ikea". I had no idea what she was talking about until I thought about it for a minute and realized she was really talking about The D.I. So when I corrected her and asked her if she meant D.I., to which she replied "yeah- whatever it's called".

Maybe it was just funny to me, but that girl cracks me up! And I love how Abby's suggestion was totally in support of Brenna's idea that her shoes don't fit from one day to the next.

he's not human

Let it be noted that I am a Republican and today being a big day in Iowa- I just have to say that I am so glad this guy is not running for office this year because:

1. He's not a Republican and I am,
-and-

2. He freaks me out a little... just look at him!

Is he cross-eyed? SCARY!