Wordful Wednesday Fishing

Parson had a little bit of money saved up and decided he wanted to buy a fishing pole. I am so not into fishing. Matt grew up fishing with his grandpa and was kind of excited about the whole thing. They bought what they needed and headed out on a fishing expedition. Parson caught his first fish within about a minute of his first cast!! He was so excited! He caught two more that day.

Any guesses about what he ate for dinner that night??
He has been talking a lot about it and can't wait to go fishing again!

Helping Kenya and Basa Body Review

Most of you have probably seen the ChipIn widget on my sidebar. What exactly is it for???? Let me tell you.

Yehu.org works with Basa Body and Coast Coconut Farms to help women in Africa work to support their families and get out of poverty. This company is "for the poor, run by the poor." To read more about this process, go here. Mom It Forward and 12for12k are currently running this fund raiser to help out Yehu.org, thereby helping Moms and families in Kenya to become self reliant.

I was one of the lucky people that got to test the Basa Body products. I have to admit, I was a little nervous when this cute little package showed up at my door. I knew I had to try it and write a review on it. What if I didn't like it? What would I write? Well, I can assure you, that didn't happen!


First of all, look at this soap. Could it be any prettier? And if you could smell it...Mmmmm! It lathers up nicely, it rinses away easily. I really like it!

Next, I tried the Basa Body Natural Coconut Oil Lotion. It has a nice light fresh smell I noticed right away. It's a great every day lotion--not too thick or greasy.

Then there's the Basa Body Stick. This is the heavier stuff. It works great for drier skin like knees and heels. My son has really dry hands. His knuckles get so dry that they crack and bleed. I have tried all kinds of stuff on him and most of them sting really bad and he gets mad at me. He lets me put this on him without complaint. It helps give his hands moisture and it never stings him at all. Love it!


These Basa Body products all have organic virgin coconut oil and they are 100% natural without any artificial ingredients. I think that's awesome! They also donate 10% of their profits back to Kenya.


They have a Mother's Day Kiss Me pack right now where you get two of the soaps (in two different yummy scents) and one each of the lotion and body stick for $29.99. Between now and May 12, you can use the promotion code "momitforward" to receive an additonal 10% off the Kiss Me pack purchase. Also, anyone that purchases any Basa Body or Coast Coconut Farms product by May 12 will automatically be entered into a giveaway and will have the chance to win one of three prizes: 1) a $250 Disney Gift Card, 2) a $150 amazon.com gift card, and 3) a $100 Target gift card. You will also be entered if you make a cash donation of $20 or more.

Easter Weekend

We had a very busy and exciting Easter weekend.

Friday night, we colored a bunch of eggs with the kids. They loved it and had a great time. Sadly, I didn't think to take any pictures. The kids did a great job and we only cracked a few of the eggs.

Parson, my oldest baby, was baptized on Saturday. It was wonderful. He is such a good boy and I am so very proud of him.


After, we had a big family dinner.

After that, we had a huge egg hunt. We usually do it outside, but the weather here hasn't been that great, so we did it inside. It turned out really well. The kids loved it!


It was funny to watch my girls. Abbie caught on right away to the whole "hunt" idea and was picking things up right and left. She was getting so upset that the eggs were falling out of her bucket because it was too full.


Ellie, on the other hand, wanted to open each and every egg that she picked up. It took some coaxing to get her to keep going.


And as soon as it was over, she plopped herself down right in the middle of the floor and enjoyed the contents of many eggs.


We had a wonderful day on Easter sunday, as well. The Easter bunny came and brought the kids some great stuff. Everyone was happy.:)

Hope yours was great as well!

Encouragement

Matt and I have been playing on a coed soccer team the past few months. My kids don't get to come to very many of the games, because they are usually too late. They have come to a few, though. When they do get to come, I am yelled at every few minutes, "Mom!" (wave). Once while I was sitting out, Joshua came over by me and said, "Mom. You're losing. But you're still really good, and I still love you." My favorite, though, is when he gives me a thumbs up and winks at me. I get this a lot lately at soccer and at home. It cracks me up. And I love it.

Vent and Puppets

First of all, thanks everyone for your concern and well wishes for my girls and their awful mouth sores. As an update, Ellie (who was in the picture) is doing SO much better. Her sores are mostly gone and she is eating and acting like herself again. Abbie is in the middle of it and is hating life. Can I just tell you, this has got to be one of the most vicious viruses ever. If I make it through the next week I will consider it a victory. I am so tired of sick, miserable kids! Especially when (like I said in my last post) there's absolutely nothing I can do about it! Holding them and rocking them just isn't cutting it. And I know I am looking at this all wrong--I should be glad I'm the one they come to--but why, oh why, can't daddy be good enough? Why does mommy have to do EVERYTHING?! Matt tries to help and the girls will not let him! And by evening time, I am so frazzled and headached with all the whining and crying that I need a break!

What's that? You're tired of my whining? Yeah, I kind of went off there, didn't I? (Can you hear the fiddle in the background?)

Well, on a more positive note, I did something fun and somewhat crafty with my kids today. Joshua asked if I would help him make some paper bag puppets. I ended up helping him make a few and the girls helped make some, too.


I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've made, or even seen, a paper bag puppet. But it was fun. And the kids loved it! And it provided hours of entertainment. I'm sure there are much better templates available out there, but we just crafted our own--nothing too fancy.


When's the last time you made paper bag puppets?

Miserable!! (Graphic Photo Warning)

I hate cold sores. It's the worst when small kids are so sick and sad and you can't do a darned thing for them. It's such a horrible, helpless feeling. Luckily the fever has let up, unfortunately my baby girl still looks like this...

Ugly, nasty, mean, miserable cold sore. What'd she ever do to you?
Go away, go away, don't come back another day!!

Photo Story Friday--Birthday!!

It's hard to believe that my kids are growing up. Hard to believe that my first little baby is eight!! My sweet, shy, heart of liquid gold, Parson turned eight on Saturday.

We celebrated with his friends and had a Star Wars party. It was a lot of fun! We played a few Star Wars games. I think the highlight of the party was making lightsabers for all of the kids. With the help of my friend Google, I found this awesome, easy, and even cheap way to make personalized lightsabers for each of the kids.


I made him a Star Wars cake. I know I am no professional (by any stretch of the word!) but I have to say, it turned out SO much better than last year's cake. And he thought it was cool, so that's what matters.


Later we celebrated with family. We had a pizza party. For this party cake, I decided to make a trifle. It was my first ever attempt, and it was awesome. It was easy, and everyone LOVED it! I think I will definitely be making it again. Especially for feeding a large group. I found it on my Betty Crocker ipod app. I just made it in my punch bowl and it was perfect.


All in all, we had an AWESOME day! Thanks everyone!

Happy Birthday Parson, I love you!!

You Asked...I answer!

Melissa asked:

What is your favorite breakfast food? I think I would have to say french toast. Yum. Yet I hardly ever have it. My husband makes awesome breakfast burritos, too.

If you were trapped on a deserted island, what 3 things would you bring? My family, as much food as possible, and a lighter? I have no idea.

What is your favorite 80's song? Well, I have to say I like quite a few 80's songs. When I was a kid, we rocked out to "Wham!" I remember we had the VHS tape of some of their music videos and we would sing and dance. One of them was filmed in the dark and they were all wearing glow in the dark outfits (Jitterbug). Let me tell you, it was awesome. I also remember in pretty good detail the video for "Last Christmas" and "Careless Whisper." And I still like a lot of those ones! (My husband thinks I'm crazy!)

Rachael asked:

If you could go anywhere in the world, money wasn't an issue, where would you go and why? I would probably go to Taiwan or Hong Kong. My husband lived in Taiwan for 2 years (mission) and I would love to take him back there. He always wanted to go to Hong Kong, too.

Sarah asked:

What is your favorite photo of your family? Post it... I am pretty picky when it comes to family photos and I am hardly ever satisfied. Is it too much to ask that everyone be looking in the direction of the camera? And that they smile? I take a lot of pictures, but don't feel like I get a lot of cooperation from my family. Therefore, I don't really have a favorite. I don't really have one that I love. I guess until I can figure out how to decently photoshop, I will probably never get that "perfect" picture. Here is our most recent family picture. It was a spur of the moment thing, so our clothing colors are all over the place!


Melissa asked:

What has been your favorite vacation location? Growing up, my family did some pretty fun vacations. The one we did almost every year was Lake Powell. That will always be a special place for my family--we have so many memories there--some good, some bad. So, I think Lake Powell is definitely a favorite.
In December, 2007, we went to Hawaii and I would have to say that is a favorite as well. We loved it and definitely want to go back some day.

What is your favorite time of year? Fall and Spring for sure!

Are You Serious asked:

If you could have any pick of vehicle what would it be? :) Funny you should ask, since we bought a new car last week! I was previously driving a Mazda MPV and it was honestly a great little van. It was very nice looking (sporty) and reliable. We never had a single problem with it. I simply wanted something bigger. I felt like we were a little cramped in it and the cargo space just wasn't cutting it for me and my double stroller! So we looked around (a lot!) and decided to go with a bigger size SUV. Aside from the gas mileage, it's perfect for us. So far, we love it!

Arizona asked:

Do you have a laptop or a desktop? Mac or PC? I use a laptop PC. My hubby bought it for me about a year ago and I love it! I've heard a lot of great things about Macs, too, but don't know very much about them.

Do all your kids have the same color eyes? (mine don't!!) They are all pretty similar but not exact.

Jaysi asked:

If you could only eat one food everyday for the rest of your life, what would it be? Oooooh, that's a tough one for me...I do like food...probably Mexican food. Yum!

If you had describe yourself as a color, what color would you be? Purple.

If you popped out another kid today...what would you name it? Oh my gosh, Jaysi! I have no idea!! I haven't thought about baby names in a very long time! I do like the name Myla for a girl. Maybe? I like Emery, too, but that would be too close to Ellie. I would have to think for a while on this one, though.

Jocasta asked:

If you could live anywhere where would it be? Honestly, the perfect place for me would only have to have two things: all of my family near, and a great job for my hubby. May sound stupid, but that equates my perfection. I think we could adapt to most things as long as we had those.

Who is your favorite movie star? I don't know that I have a favorite. I tend to like Jim Caviezel, because he looks a lot like my husband. I like Harrison Ford, Will Smith, Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock. I guess it just depends on the movie, more than the star for me. I recently saw "Confessions of a Shopoholic" and thought the lead actress was great (I don't know her name.)

If you could change anything about yourself what would it be? Probably my posture and the way I stand. I have major neck issues and I know I don't carry myself like I wish I could. I have actually stood in the mirror and tried to stand correctly and I think it's physically impossible.

Girly Twins asked:

What is your favorite thing about being a mom? Definitely when my kids accomplish something new and get so excited about it. Makes me so proud to watch the process of learning and achieving. Also the endless supply of hugs, kisses, smiles and laughs.

Straight To Your Heart asked:

Mac or PC? PC (I explained a little in Arizona's question.)

Listerine or Crest mouthwash? Listerine. Way back in Elementary school, my sister did a science project debating all of the different mouthwashes and their effectiveness. Listerine won. I don't know if that still holds true, but my mind always says "Listerine."

Snow or water ski? There was a time when I wouldn't have been able answer that question. However, it has been 10 years since I went snow skiing. Therefore, I would have to say water. Now might I pose a question: waterski or wakeboard? Hmmm...

Stephanie asked:

Describe your ideal date with your husband. I am not too picky here. A whole evening without children!! Dinner, maybe dancing (it's been a very long time since we've been any kind of dancing!) Something that my husband planned just for us. He did this on our recent trip to St. George and I had some very pleasant surprises that he had planned and arranged. I loved it!

If your tv only played one cartoon over and over, which one would you pick? Oh the torture!! I think I would lose my mind!! Maybe Super Why or Word World? That's a tough one.

Laurie asked:

So I was thinking about this today b/c I tend to daydream.. If you had money, I mean like Oprah type money is there anything material you could not live without? I am talking no answer as hubby, kids, food. Has to be material. Got me thinking that if I was in that situation I would MOVE!! But here is my problem. I love our home. I love the memories here, I love that no other person has lived here prior to us, and that my kids and pregnancies took place here, BUT I hate the climate. don't like being cold.. So is that crazy? My house. This house is what I need, but in another STATE! I am actually opposite of you! I love our location, but I could go for a bigger, newer house. We love where we're at, being in a culdesac, and all of our neighbors. I would definitely spring for a house with bigger bedrooms and a bigger kitchen. Nothing too outrageous, though. Oh, and I think if I were THAT rich, I would also buy a cleaning fairy. :)

Watch Out!

This looks like a broom, right? A cute little sweeper to help mommy out with the chores? Well, someone needs to tell the kids that! They seem to think it's a weapon. I realize, boys can make anything into a weapon. But even the sweetest, most innocent, little neighbor girls come over and when they see this, they want to fight! It's kind of funny, really. Why do they do that? And how do the young ones know to scream "Hi-yaw!!" when they hit or kick someone? I swear my girls started doing that one day and I thought to myself, where the heck did they learn that? It's like they intuitively know that that's what you're supposed to yell. I'm sure they must have learned it somewhere...I still think it's funny.

My Babies Are Growing Up! (sniff, sniff)

My girls are getting so big, it's crazy! They talk constantly!! Every night I am rushed by two little cuties yelling "Pooprush, pooprush!" What, you don't know what that means? Well, I'll give you a hint, they are toting their toothbrushes when they do this. Heehee. Cracks me up. They also sing a lot these days. They sing "A B C D E B G, a time a sing with me." And they have discovered Barney and like to belt out his song as well, "I love you, I love me!" Repeated about 30 times. They also love Sesame Street, Dora and Diego, of course.
I am debating starting them in preschool. I know they would LOVE it. They pick up on things so quickly. Every day now, after my boys go to school, the girls put their shoes and coats on and tell me, "Bye mom! I go a school!" I didn't do any preschool with Parson and I only did a year with Josh. I already know which preschool I would use and I know it's WONDERFUL! Do any of you put your kids in preschool for 2 years?

Thanks for all of your questions on my last post! I am working on getting them answered!

100th Post!!

That's right- happy 100 to me! In honor of it, let's play Ask Me Anything. You ask the questions and I'll do my best to answer them. Play along! Even if you don't normally comment.:)

St. George

Hiking fun!

As many of you know, last week was my ten year anniversary! We are hoping to go on a big fancy trip later this year in honor of it, but decided we had to do something on the actual day. So, last Wednesday, we headed south to St. George. Did I mention we went WITHOUT the kids. We did. And we had so much fun! On the 5th, which is our anniversary, we decided to go hiking. I wasn't really dressed for hiking, but luckily I had my gym shoes in the car. We went to Snow Canyon and hiked some of the small easy hikes. Then we decided we were pretty tough and decided to try a difficult hike up an old volcano. Because who wouldn't want to do that? And then we couldn't find the trail head, so we decided to just get moving and hope to come across it. My husband kept telling me we were on some kind of trail, but I wasn't buying it. Needless to say, I got a great leg workout. It was steep! We survived. And honestly, the old volcano really wasn't THAT cool. Did I mention I got a great leg workout out of it? Yeah, and we found the trail head when we reached the top. It went down the back side of the mountain. But we parked on the front side...Aw...who needs a stinkin' trail anyway?

This was it--looking down into the volcano.

This was the trail we blazed. Well, some of it, anyway.

This shows how far we hiked. Can you see our ant sized car in there?

We also ate at a few fancy restaurants. I realized I am not a very fancy girl, except I do love strawberry daiquiris! (Virgin, of course!) I spilled drips of vinegar on the nice WHITE tablecloth at one of the restaurants. Then, when the waitress was telling me about one of the dishes she asked me if I liked oyster mushrooms. I responded that I don't eat seafood. Then I felt really DUMB, when they explained that they weren't seafood, they were mushrooms. I had no idea what half the items on the menu even were, with their fancy names and such. Not that I couldn't get used to it, but I guess it's been a very long time since I have eaten at a really nice restaurant. Or any restaurant for that matter, unless you count fast food with the kids. Which, it's been months since I've even done that. Anyway, it was fun to get all dressed up and go out.

We shopped til we dropped at the outlet stores. Matt was very patient. He hates shopping. I think he was mentally preparing himself for weeks for that one LONG shopping day. I love shopping.

We also had massages at a local spa and went to a movie. It was fantastic. A perfect little vacation.

Oh yeah, Matt also spoiled me with one of these!

I am still trying to figure out how to use all the features. It's a fun little thing!

Tuesday's Tribute

A Jay and Deb Production.


Well, it seems only fitting that my Tribute today be about my wonderful husband. Especially since it is our anniversary on Thursday, and not just any anniversary, we're talking 10 years. Count them t-e-n!! Just saying that makes me feel old. Oh wait, this isn't about me, it's about my husband.

I met Matt when I was 16. I never could have imagined at that time where I would be now, and how blessed I would be to have him as my soul mate.

Matt is an awesome husband and an equally awesome dad. He is fun. He's a hands on dad. He's an excellent provider and supporter. He is my best friend. He's an awesome cook.

A few weeks ago, some of my friends posted a writing assignment where they asked their spouses to describe them in 6 words. I think if I were to describe Matt in 6 words they would be (in no particular order:)

Strong
Hard-Working
Handsome (or Hot, depending on my mood)
Sarcastic
Smart
Fun(ny) (yes, fun and funny, I'm counting that as one)
Motivated

Okay, I know that was 7 words, so sue me!

Happy Anniversary babe! I love you and I am looking forward to our next 10 years together!!

Tuesday's Tribute

A Jay and Deb Production.

Many of you might already know these gals, but I know I also have readers who don't. I'm talking about the two gals who have formed Mom It Forward. I was friends with Carissa and Jyl way back before they were famous. I was even there when they had their first "girls night out" on twitter. I think there were only 4 of us. That was in September. Now, only a few short months later, these two motivated mamas have created a monster, with hundreds participating!! And not only are they chatting and networking, they are doing service projects. They are hosting giveaways. They have raised money for worthy causes. They are trying to make the world a better place "One mom at a time." I love their slogan "Mom it Forward."

Wii Games

We have had our wii for a few years now and have bought/rented quite a few games. I thought I would share some of our favorites. Keep in mind the people that play the wii most often in our home are my sons, ages 5 and 7. And of course, my husband and I play sometimes, too.:) I also tend to stick to the multi player games. Life is much easier that way.:) Here are our favorites:

Mario Party 8 (great for the whole family.)

Boom Blox (created by Steven Spielberg. Good for kids and grown-ups.)

Lego Star Wars

Lego Indiana Jones

Lego Batman (my boys love the lego games, can you tell?)

Wii Play (fun, silly short games. You also get a bonus remote!)

Mario Galaxy (We borrowed this one from my brother. Matt and the boys passed the game within a few weeks. It claims to be a 2 player game, but is more like 1 and 1/2 players. Which can be a good thing if you have little ones that want to play, but don't understand the whole deal. In this game they can be the helper.)

Mario Super Sluggers (this is our newest addition and the boys love it!)

Donkey Kong Barrel Blasters (haven't played this one in a while, but it's pretty fun.)

Mario and Sonic Olympic Games (good for kids and grown-ups.)

Rockband (I like the idea of this and it's really fun. However, the song choices aren't great and you can't download new ones. I wish the gamemakers of these types of games would include current rock, or at least some pop rock. Most of the songs are older hard rock songs. A few of them are great. But I think there are plenty of pop rock songs that have good guitar/bass/drum solos that would have been much better choices, and much more popular choices for the average joe. Just my opinion...)

I have yet to try the Wii Fit. What are your opinions on that?

We have also downloaded some of our favorite N64 games that we loved. We have Dr. Mario, which I LOVE. Although the downside to this version is it's only 2 player. We also have Mario Kart. I know they have since released a Wii version of this game which I haven't played. I love the N64 version of it, though. Now, if only they would release N64 007!! I have read that this will never happen, which is sad. Such a great game!!

Which games do you love?

Night Out With The Boys

Yesterday, I was able to go to the Jazz game with all my boys. Matt got us tickets just a few days prior for our family. We were so excited! Especially Parson and Josh. My sister thought we would be crazy to take the girls and even offered to babysit them for us. We decided that was definitely a good idea (Thanks Joy!!) Since we had two extra tickets, we invited Matt's mom to come and we invited one of Parson's friends to come. We went to dinner first and then to the game. It was so much fun! The boys loved it! And it was a great game on top of that! Go Jazz!! They had an exciting win over the Pacers, and I had a fun night out with my boys. Joshua even got "knux" from Thurl Bailey in the hallway, which darn near scared him to death! And Matt got to shake his hand. Unfortunately the camera missed it.

Don't you just love Joshua's cheeser smile? And Parson's missing half of his teeth!!

I love my boys and this activity makes me want to spend more one on one time with them. The girls demand a lot of my attention right now. It was really great to go do something fun with just the boys.

Wordful Wednesday

Abbie has independently began potty training. She doesn't go all the time, but she tries at least a few times per day. I haven't pushed this at all. I put her on the potty when she requests, and I praise her when she goes. That's the extent of my potty training efforts. Ellie, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with it!!
I took this picture yesterday. I just couldn't resist with the book and all! I think it's adorable! And I figure I can use it for a future blackmail photo!!

Visit more Wordfuls at

David Bowman Art

I found this on Straight to you Hart. I think these are beautiful so I am reposting her post!:

David Bowman: has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero". Check out his website at http://bowman-art.com/indexFineart.htm to see more of his precious art...
"Innocence"

The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples.
"Security"

One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generated the exact feel I was looking for.
"My Child"

This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.

Back to Life...

Well, Christmas and New Years have passed and now I must get back to life. We had a wonderful Christmas! Christmas is so fun with kids! I loved watching my kids as they sat on Santa's lap, and Christmas morning as they enjoyed all of their gifts. And again at midnight on New Years as we all cheered. I was able to take time off from Bloggyworld and enjoy the time we had off together.
The past two weeks have brought a lot of fun. We've had a lot of family time, a ton of sledding, a trip to Chuck E Cheese, a 4am bedtime on New Years, commitments to eat better and exercise regularly (we'll see if I dare post before and after pictures!:P) All in all, we had an awesome Christmas break! What about you?
I was thinking about the HUGE Y2K scare way back when. Remember how scared everyone was? It's crazy how fast the time goes.
Now, I must try to catch up with all of you and your blogs--I am WAY behind!!