911 & Twilight

So, we're sitting on the couch yesterday. Ireland grabs the phone, which is a normal thing. Sometimes I am a dutiful mom & I take it away and give her something else to play with. Sometimes (especially if I'm tired or trying to get something done) I figure there's no real harm in it and let her play with it. I was talking to Jason when I heard a noise. Jason said "the phone," so I take it away from Ireland & hang it up. Probably 8 minutes later there's a knock on our door. Jason thought it was a UPS guy or something, so he opens it up. "Wow. Hello Officer...?"
Officer: "Is everything all right here? We got a 911 call from this address." ohhh... Ireland. Yikes. Sorry guys. It won't happen again. Good thing our girls were so dang cute, they couldn't get real mad.
So - that was the adventure of the day yesterday. I'm still working on getting my 3-year-old to identify numbers, but apparently my 19-month-old is a whiz at putting numerals in the perfect order to call the emergency hotline.
At least we know it works!

Another random thing: Last night I had a Twilight dream. I don't know why. I haven't read it in forever, but it was really interesting. I was at the school and there was Edward & everyone else. The thing is that it was like an 80's dream. Edward had a crew cut and everyone was in tights and fluffy bangs. I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to be Bella or just an observing character. It was so strange knowing which scenes would come next and what was supposed to happen.
So - someone tell me the significance of THAT dream...?

Choose Your Own Adventure...

So - did anyone out there read these books growing up? I think they came out in the 80's. I used to love to look at them at the library. If you're not familiar with them, this is how they go: you are introduced to the characters in the story, and given a basic plot line. Just as the plot thickens, you have to make a choice. It may go something like this: If you choose to stay and see if the queen returns unharmed, go to page 11. If you choose to take your trusty steed and travel to the land of Gratmut, go to page 32.
You make choices like this through the book until you arrive at the ending that was a result of the choices you made along the way.
The thing is... I ALWAYS cheated. I went ahead to page 11 to see if the queen would return and if that was the best course of action. Then I'd check ahead and see if page 32 might work out better. Sometimes, I was REALLY bad and I would just go straight to the endings and choose the best one and work my way backward. I know - what a cheater - where was my sense of adventure and appreciation of cause & effect?
So - right now in my life I am really wishing I could just take a quick peek ahead - turn the pages of my life and see what will happen if this or that choice is made. I feel like there are so many things changing, so many choices ahead... what if we applied for this job and got it - would we really love living there? What if we took a big pay cut and went there - would we be able to make it and eventually feel more secure financially? If we lived here, would my girls schooling be good? What if we went there & they ended up getting into the wrong crowd and getting into drugs and if I just would have KNOWN, we would have chosen a different path.
Perhaps I'm a little over-anxious. It's just that with our past 2 homes, I have just really KNOWN that we're supposed to be there and there have been reasons we have been where we are.
Obviously, I can't turn the pages of my life adventure and know exactly what will happen. Thankfully, though, we have the Holy Ghost to be our guide, and we are trying to be humble and listen.
Still... it doesn't stop a girl from wishing for just one little bitty peek, right? :)

Sister Escape/Phoenix Fun!

Last Thursday, Feb 12, My sisters and I (Cindy & Trisha) drove down to Phoenix for a sisters get-away with my sister Tiffany. It was SUCH a great trip! Thank you SOOOO much sweetheart for watching the girls (even with you AND the girls being sick) and thank you mom for watching Cindy's kids so we could make this trip possible. It was awesome!

Below is a slideshow from the trip and A-Z memories:

A: Arizona, Adam (Tiff's husband)

B: Baby Mama, a cute movie that we watched. Benadryl -for Cindy & Tiff for the kitties. Birthdays - an excuse for a vacation since Cindy, Tiff & I have birthdays coming up!

C: Car games: One Word game (someone says a word and everyone says the first thing, memory, song, movie, etc that they think of when they hear that word), Who Am I (like 20 questions), A-Z memory game, A-Z billboard game. Church - on Sunday, it was great to go to Tiff's sacrament meeting and be able to listen the whole time!

D: Driving & Detours! First, we had to wait for Hoover Dam construction & then we went way past Tiffany's house on the way there & then on the way back home to Utah we took a wrong turn & ended up going through Cali, then we had to take a detour in Las Vegas that cost us a 1/2 hour! It took us over 13 hours going to & from Tiffany's.

E: Eating out! We went to breakfast on Friday at a restaurant on the Golf Course (yummy french toast!) and to an Italian place on Friday night. We ate at the food court on Saturday night. Emma - had to watch an old film for fun.

F: Fireproof - watched it with the sisters.

G: Gabbing Girls! We had so much fun talking, talking, talking about anything and EVERYthing! Gas Stations - we stopped to hit the bathroom a lot - one time we stopped at one in the middle of nowhere & it wasn't until we were inside waiting to use the bathroom we noticed all the signs "If you don't pay for something you can't use the bathroom!" We talked about bolting, but bought a couple ice cream bars instead.

H: Hospitality. Tiffany is queen of hospitality and even had bottled water, granola bars, and pistachios in our guest room. She would hardly even let us help clean! Hair. Trisha did Tiffany, Cindy, and Tiffany's 2 friends' hair. Thanks Trish!

I: Ice cream - at Tiff's house as we watched movies & at a gas station at Scipio on the way home.

J: Jammin' in the car and at Tiff's house! We be jammin!

K: Kitties (Tiff's kitties - Simba & Fiji)

L: Lost! I lost my cell phone (but thankfully found it hidden in Tiff's car), Tiff had lost her wedding ring (again we found it in her car), Trisha's camera (still haven't found it :(, and Cindy at the gas station - we had moved the car and she couldn't find it anywhere and we couldn't find her & she didn't have her cell phone! Lingerie - tried on some fun stuff! Late nights - of course!

M: Money - given to us graciously by mom and Grandma Tew for our fun trip. Thanks guys! Manicures & Masks - we did both on Sunday night. so fun! Musicals. Trish jammed to Moulin Rouge and Hairspray on the way back home. Maricopa - where Tiff lives! Memories - making them & remembering them. Funny how we sometimes remember the same event growing up differently.

N: Naps. Mmmm - you forget how nice uninterrupted naps are.

O: Optimistic. We tried real hard to be optimistic with all our detours.

P:Pedicures! It was great to relax and be pampered. We all got cute flowers on our toes. so fun. Pizza! Tiff bought us yummy pizza for lunch on Saturday! Pictures. I made sure to take lots of them, even though the sistas weren't always up for it. Penelope - cute movie! Pancakes & Eggs - thanks for the great breakfast Tiffany!

Q: Quotes - we quoted many movies, "Gosh!" and Tiff used an awesome quote from president Hinkley for the ward program. Plus, we were stuck on the letter Q on our billboard game forever.

R: Red car - Tiffany's red "cheerleader car." Rice Crispie treats! Rush hour - coming back from the mall on Valentines, it was crazy!

S: Shopping, shopping, shopping - at 2 malls and probably a total of 5 hours. I only bought a couple shirts, but it was a lot of fun! Skype. I spent 2 HOURS setting up Skype so that I could see my hubby & babies on the computer screen. It was worth it. Especially later on when Jason was messing around with the audio and webcam settings. When he morphed into a werewolf, it was freaky! When he became a monkey and did the munchkin audio setting, I nearly peed my pants I was laughing so hard. Shoes - We all borrowed Tiff's cute shoes. I don't even think I wore any of my own. Sisters - my best friends ever!

T: Tew - Grandma Tew made an incredible meal for us on the way there when we stopped in St. George, and got us pizza on the way back! Thanks SO much Grandma! Trouble - we got in trouble at Dillard's for taking pictures of prom dresses, even though Tiff had some words with the management. Train Tracks - after our Cali detour, we had to wait for a Train. We had been in the car for 5+ hours, so we all got out and ran around the car and did jumping jacks for about 10 minutes!

U: Unbelievably fun get-away! Understanding. There were a couple things that we came together & supported each other when we were down about something, from lost things to relationships, to health problems, we were there for each other.

V: Valentines. I had hidden a homemade card & candy for Jason & the girls & we skyped & watched them open it. Valentines night, we ate chocolate covered strawberries & ice cream (mmmm) while we watched Baby Mama.

W: Waiter. Our waiter in one of the restaurants looked so much like Michael Phelps. We kept giving him a hard time about his latest marijuana bust. Wrecks. We were about 2 hours north of Tiffany's, driving in the dark. It was a 2 lane hwy driving behind a semi truck in the left lane & a 4-door Sedan in the right. The semi started to get over and obviously didn't see the car. It slammed into the car & debris was flying everywhere. We were shocked, but even more surprised when the Semi pulled over, but the car didn't. We passed it and the whole side was smashed in. Don't know why they didn't stop - illegal immigrant? Anyway, it was scary & could have been us. Also, driving before Beaver on the way there - so scary. We found out later in the afternoon they closed the freeway after a fatal accident. Scary weather as well above St. George coming home. We were so blessed in our safety.

X: eXtremely cute clothes that Tiffany let us have from her closet. Thanks Tiff!

Y: Yahtzee. We played triple Yahtzee and as a result of Tiffany's expert coaching, Cindy ended up winning. I was a rebel and got 3rd place. It was still a lot of fun.

Z: Zany. We each have such different personalities, but come together and always have a great time. LOVE YOU GIRLS!

Fireproof

I love the blogging world for many reasons, but especially for the fact that we can share things that we love with each other - recipes, books, music, quotes, movies.

My friend Britany posted about the movie Fireproof a while back. I saw it in Redbox and got it. If you watch ONE MOVIE for Valentines Day (or for any occasion), sit down with your sweetie and watch this one.

It is a Christian movie about "fireproofing" your marriage. Jason & I sat down & watched it last night and it was a tear-jerker for BOTH of us. And Jason rarely cries.

It really made me think about our marriage. I learned things, re-learned things, and just generally re-dedicated myself to our marriage. I remember people always saying how marriage takes work, and up until we had kids, I didn't really know what they were talking about. Jason & I couldn't spend enough time together and we were very much in love. After kids, I am right there. It DOES take work. It isn't something that we should take for granted every day and get complacent with. But it doesn't have to be drudgery. It's loving together, laughing together, and putting the other person before yourself.

I have so much more to learn about Jason, myself, and our marriage. We have trials yet to face. Yet... I know that if the Lord is part of that equation, and we are both humble and loving, than we won't fail.

I love you sweetheart. Truly. Madly. 100%

Journey, Journey, Journey...

This was one of my favorite thoughts high school through college.
I'm finding I am in need of it's wisdom right now, with so many questions, so much waiting. I'm trying to pound it into my brain: enjoy the journey.

We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another.

Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough
and we'll be more content when they are.

After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.

We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now ... when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza ...

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin.
But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life."

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.

So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time ... and remember that time waits for no one ...

So stop waiting until you finish school ... until you go back to school ... until you lose ten pounds ... until you gain ten pounds ... until you have kids ... until your kids leave the house ... until you start work ... until you retire ... until you get married ... until you get divorced ... until Friday night ... until Sunday morning ... until you get a new car or home ... until your car or home is paid off ... until spring, until summer ... until fall ... until winter ... until you are off welfare ... until the first or fifteenth ... until your song comes on ... until you've had a drink ... until you've sobered up ... until you die ... until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy ...

Happiness is a journey ... not a destination!!

January Newsletter & Slideshow

Here's our monthly newsletter (to the right), slideshow (below), kids' antics (also below), and a bonus video! Enjoy!



This video cracks me up. It's McKinley trying to sing classic Jingle Bells, while her cousin Michael is determined to sing the "Batman Smells" version


Here’s some things McKinley has been doing:
-We went to the zoo for New Years Eve. The next day mommy asked McKinley if she had fun at the zoo. McKinley said “Yeah!.. But we forgot to see the dinosaurs! Let’s go back and see the dinosaurs!”
-McKinley has had a lot of difficulty this month, waking up in the middle of the night – usually to go to the bathroom, but one night, McKinley was crying & mommy went it. McKinley was pacing the floor saying “My room! It’s so messy!” another time, daddy went in and she was saying “I don’t’ want to grow big! I don’t want to grow too big yet!”
-One of McKinley’s themes for preschool this month was “growing big.” The teacher asked McKinley what she wanted to be when she grew up. She said “a mommy!” and, apparently, she’s going to marry Jack Matthews.
-McKinley was talking about Oscar the Grouch one day. Mommy asked her why she thought he was so grouchy. McKinley said “Because he doesn’t want to go in time out every time!”
-Mommy got Ireland out of her car seat and went back to get McKinley. She had fully opened a map and mommy started to reprimand her when McKinley said “But mom! I’m just trying to find the United States of America!”
-McKinley has been saying “Oh my Gosh!” a lot.
-McKinley is missing Christmas time and still likes to sing “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bells”
-McKinley has gotten really scared at night for some reason. So – we bought her a lava lamp & told her it’s a very special lamp and when it gets turned on, all the bad guys, monsters, and Swiper go away. That seems to have helped, but she still gets scared sometimes.
-McKinley had a bracelet on and told mommy that she wanted to give it to her fish, Dezi, for a necklace. Mommy told her it would be too big. So, McKinley asked if we could make a small necklace for Dezi.
-With all our driving this month, we stopped quite a bit at fast-food places. McKinley said “Mom – I want some chicken nuggets. Let’s go to Old McDonald’s!”
-We heard McKinley say to our dog Sydney “Back Off!”
-When mommy went to get McKinley in the morning, she said “Mom – I woke up the sun!”
-We decided to have McKinley give up her booster chair so Ireland could sit on it & we could get rid of the high chair. McKinley wasn’t too happy about it. Mommy sang the “You’re a big girl now!” song and McKinley sang back “No, I’m noooooot”
-McKinley has been doing “interesting” things and will sometimes call them “secrets.” She will say something like “don’t look in your room mom. It’s a secret” and then we find out she got into mom’s jewelry.
-We hear a noise going down the stairs “thump, thump, thump.” Mommy turns around and hears from McKinley “Was that fun baby?”
-McKinley’s pet fish, Dezi, died at the end of the month. McKinley cried and wanted her Dezi back. It was a hard day. She still talks about Dezi, the toilet, and Jesus.
- Ireland has started this thing where she fake cries when McKinley is really crying. Then McKinley gets really mad and says “Ireland stop crying. I’m crying!”

IRELAND: Ireland is so much fun. We can’t believe she’s already 18 months! We love her to pieces! Here’s some fun things she’s been doing:
-Ireland loves to say AMEN! And will say it at the end of a book or the end of a song.
-On the 9th, Ireland just refused to take a nap!
-Ireland has been more lovey with babies and will put blankets on them and tell everyone “shhhhh!Sleeping!” with her finger over her mouth. It’s so cute.
-Ireland has wanted to sit on the potty a lot this month. We haven’t really seen anything come of it, but she sure thinks she’s a big girl! It’s hard to get her off sometimes!
-We have figured out the secret of ketchup. Ireland won’t take a bite of dinner, but if we put some ketchup on the side, viola! She loves it!
-Ireland loves wipies. The bad thing is she will ask for a wipie while she’s getting her diaper changed & then try to wipe herself with it. And then she wants to keep it.
-Ireland has been screaming a lot lately. High pitched loud screams. We are working on trying to get her to use her inside voice.
-Some of Ireland’s favorite sayings this month: “What happened?” “Stop it!” “Sydney/McKinley/Daddy/Mommy Where are you?”
-Ireland has been pretty fanatical about her blanket this month. She always wants it in her sight and if it’s in her crib, she will pull and pull till she gets it out.
- Ireland has started this thing where she fake cries when McKinley is really crying. Then McKinley gets really mad and says “Ireland stop crying. I’m crying!”
-Ireland’s 18 month appt went well. She’s in about the 16th percentile for weight and 75th for height.