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!!