My Birthday!

My birthday was great this year..... It fell on a Monday. Some friends in my ward went to Artic Circle for lunch where the kids played and we talked. It was fun. We had yummy cup cakes thanks to Elisa. When Kevin got home from work he had a dozen white roses for me with some balloons. It was a good surprise. Later that night my sister Kim decided to drive up and make me my favorite birthday dinner. There is a picture of it after we had eaten. I had meat loaf (which was so yummy, thanks to my sister Janae's recipe) mashed red potatoes and a big green salad. It was so good. Then we had cake which Kevin also had picked up for me. Oreo ice cream cake with out any cake... MY FAVORITE! I must admit I ate the whole cake minis a couple pieces over the next few days. I also gained 2 lbs. Kevin got me the cutest card that sings country music. He hates country music, with a passion. Inside the card he wrote.... "I love you that much." Which made me laugh. He gave me a gift card to go and get a massage which I was so excited for and a ring that I mentioned once a long time ago that I liked. It was a fun birthday. The only bad thing was not being with my entire family. I miss them all and wish I could see them all more often.

The Painted LOVE!

For my birthday this month my friend and visiting teacher, Tashina took me to a class where we made this love out of wood. It was so much fun. I loved it! It was so thoughtful of Tashina. I had a great 3 hours. I felt like myself again. It was so nice to be able to do something just for me. I am going to do a project with her every month. I can't wait until the next one. It will be so much fun!

The L O V E Month.... entries that were forgotten

Day 28 - I love to create... I love to make things, sew things, paint things, crochet things!

Day 27 - I love Doritos... it is a dangerous thing to have a bag of cheese Doritos in my house.

Day 26 - I love shopping... now I only really shop on line. I fill up a bag and then close my computer with out purchasing it. It fills the need.

Day 25 - I love to get a massage. LOVE THEM!

Day 24 - I love makeup. I always have and I always will.

Day 23 - I love my birthday! No matter how old I get I still love that day.

Day 22 - I love Juice Plus... it was the miracle in my life that gave me my health back.

Day 21 - I love reality TV.... to the point of obsession

The L O V E Month Day 20

I love that Kevin LOVES to play with Olivia. These pictures were taken this last Sunday. They had so much fun building things together. I am so glad they are mine.

The L O V E Month Day 19

The other day we were watching TV and folding laundry and Olivia kept taking the clothes out of the basket and getting into it with a pillow and table cloth as her "blankie." It was so cute. She stayed in there for a long time. I loved it!

The L O V E Month Day 18

I can't help but love the fact that Olivia is definitely an individual. She reminds me so much of myself as a child. It is scary. I loved to have my own style and clearly she does to!

The L O V E Month Day 17

I know you can hardly see the shirt that Olivia is wearing but I wanted to say the I loved the idea my friend Elisa had about holiday shirts. We all made a holiday and they snap on to the shirt. I made Valentines day so that is the heart that I contributed. Unfortunately it can not be washed and I forgot to take it off before I washed the shirt so I have to remake it.

The L O V E Month Day 16

I know that this is what everyone does but I love heart shaped pancakes for Valentines Day. Olivia did not love them... however she will still get these every year!

The L O V E Month Day 15

I love Olivia's face when she sees things that she wants and that she likes. I love the sweet innocence.

The L O V E Month Day 14

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!! I love to decorate for holidays. I love when Olivia and Kevin wake up to a surprise with a house that is decorated. I love presents!!! Who doesn't?

The L O V E Month day 13

I thought I would post a couple of posts for Olivia and what she loves. Since I love what she loves. Olivia LOVES her babies. I truly love that Olivia loves her babies!

The L O V E Month Day 12

I was throwing a baby shower for a girl in our ward and I needed a center piece for the table. It was outside so I wanted to use candles. I love that I made these out of things I found around my house.

Enjoying the Moment

My mom sent this quote to me today. I thought it was worth sharing!

Enjoying the Moment
Posted: 06 Feb 2009 01:00 AM CST
"What can . . . young mother[s] [do] . . . to reduce the pressure [of raising young children] and enjoy [their families] more? . . . "Recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction. "Author Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: 'The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less' (Loud and Clear [1004], 10-11)."
M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 109

The L O V E Month Day 11

I love that I have done Family Home Evening for the last 4 weeks. I thought it would be a lot more work then it actually is. It has been fun. We did a lesson on the Holy Ghost, one on Joseph Smith, one on the First Article of Faith and the last one was dinner and scripture charades with some friends of ours. It has been really fun and interesting to see how much Olivia really can learn at this age.

The L O V E Month Day 10

I love dancing with balloons! Olivia, Kevin and I danced for almost 45 minutes the other night with balloons. It was so much fun. Olivia loves to dance. She says "Shake your body!" It makes us laugh so much.

The L O V E Month Day 9

I must admit I borrowed this picture from my friend Michal's blog. She made this and posted about it. However I love Pizookies for BJ's in California. I have eaten them for years... They are so good. I have had them elsewhere but they are never as good as what you get at BJ's. I love them and miss them very much. However Michal's looks like it is just as good. I will have to try her recipe. She made me miss them!

My Friend....

I just feel the need to share some of my thoughts today about one of my childhood friends. She was diagnosed a while ago with Breast Cancer. She has been fighting it for some time. Just yesterday my mom told me that it has gone into her brain. She only has a few months left here on this earth. I am deeply saddened by this news. My friend Heather is such a kind soul. She will leave behind her husband, a 5 year old little girl and a 3 year old little boy. I feel especially sad since I have had little contact with her over the years. In fact the last time I saw her was at my wedding a little over 3 years ago. I want to write her a note but I have no idea what to say to my friend. How do you say goodbye to someone in a positive way? Especially when you want those last days on earth to be happy. It would be easy for me to ignore it and just attend her funeral but something in me just won't do that. I have a strong knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I know what happens to us when we pass. I understand that it is a happy time however the selfish part of me thinks about those babies and how much they will miss with out her and how much we will miss her. Please keep my friend Heather in your prayers. Pray that she will have peace and be able to strive through this trial with grace.

The L O V E Month Day 8

I love that Kevin will let Olivia brush his hair. He lets her do anything that she wants to to "pamper" him. He is such a good daddy. He loves her so much!

The L O V E Month Day 7

Olivia loves to help me do the dishes. She loves the bubbles and putting the bubbles in the tree next to the sink. I love that she loves to help me. She makes me so happy!

The L O V E Month Day 6

I love that Livi knows her priorities. Even if she has nothing on she has her pink high heels. What more could a girl ask for!

The L O V E month day 5

I love the ocean... I would prefer to live near the ocean. I love to walk on the sand, I love the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, I love the breeze that blows in and I love the relaxing feeling of being near the water or in the water.

Happy 34th Brithday Janae

I just wanted to wish my sister Janae a Happy Birthday! She is 34 years old today. Just to tell you a little about her...

She has NEVER dyed her hair... she is SO lucky!

My mother said the only word to describe her as a child is "angelic" my mom can not say the same about me.

She was somewhat of a savior to us siblings when we were growing up. She would always protect us when we were going to be beaten up by my brother.

She is a wonderful mother and friend. Everyone who knows her loves her. Loyal is her number one quality.

So I thought I would share a cute story my mom told us about Janae when she was little. My mom was in the kitchen and she heard Janae running down the hall toward the front door yelling "I'll save you." She ran out the front door, so my mother followed her outside in time to see her jumping on a boys back who was much older then her and hitting him in the head because they were beating up on my brother in the front yard. My brother is 3 years older then Janae and the boys were older then him. She had NO fear! Her loyalty began when she was little.

Happy Birthday to one of the most amazing sisters anyone could ever have!

The L O V E month day 4

I love that today is the 2 year anniversary of Olivia's blessing. It is an easy date for me to remember because it is my sisters birthday. I love that Kevin was worthy to be able to give her that blessing!

Shoes....

I love these shoes. I found them on the Chadwick's website. I think they would be perfect for walking a lot in the summer with shorts or capri's on. Much better then wearing my flip flops for long walks. Tell me what you think. Have I turned into a mother with no style or does anyone else like them?

The L O V E month!

I was looking on my friend Julie's blog today and she is doing a month of love. A tribute to the month that has Valentines Day! I loved the idea too. So everyday I will post something I love until the end of the month. There are so many things to be grateful for and I love the idea of focusing on some of those things!


1. I love this sweet little girl who God blessed me to have. I love the little things that bring her so much happiness. I love her laugh and her personality!

2. I love this man! He is my everything. I came to life when I met him. I am so blessed. Not to mention... he chops wood

3. This is probably the most selfish thing that I love.... but I love her 3 to 4 hour naps! I am so spoiled by this. You would think my house would be totally spotless with that amount of time, however I have been lazy lately and I love that!