Yep I'm behind again: Summer Blog Challenge

You guessed It i'm behind again, so here is my make up post. I will be skipping some days because they topic for the day really didn't apply to me.

July 12 Favorite Vacation.
Every year growing up my family went to Lake Tahoe, When We got older my sister resurrected this tradition and started going with her friends. A few years ago she invited my family and my mom and step dad to start coming too. Tabitha absolutely loves going to Tahoe. She loves spending time with her cousin Viv, and her Nana. She loves making sand castles with Avo and chasing butterflies. We didn't go this year, because it really interfered with Morgen's school schedule and my sister had her baby boy in June. We probably won't go for the next few years either, since next summer Morgen will be doing his internship, then we have no clue where we will end up after that. But hopefully someday we can can go to Tahoe with my sister Sara, her husband and children, my sister Jenny, and my mom and stepdad again.

Tabitha and Avo building a Sand Castle

Tabitha and her Cousin playing in the pool

Then and now pictures July 13

 

These are pictures of me from I think when I was around 14ish? Maybe 15. Oh my Gosh the almost not there thin eyebrows! But dang I was skinny! That was before I developed PCOS and gained a bunch of weight. 

These are from Mother's Day this year (the last pictures I have of myself). Well the Eyebrows are definitely improved! But I weigh a hole olson twin more than I did when I was 15. But I am down 80 lbs from when I gave birth to Tabitha so I think thats a real accomplishment, especially seeing as I have PCOS and it makes it difficult to lose weight. 

July 14th one piece of advice you want to give to your child. 

Don't be a bully, don't be a queen bee, But don't be a follower and most importantly be your self, Love yourself and stand up for yourself. Bullies don't like to pick on people who are confident, they pick on the weak, so love yourself and be yourself and everyone will respect you for it. 

July 15th was about makeup but since I don't wear any I'm skipping it

July 16th. Favorite room in your house. Right now I'd have to say my bedroom, because its where I sew and were I nurse Eva most of the time. I also spend a lot of time reading and playing with Tabitha while Eva sleeps in here. 

July 17th a random act of kindness. This wasn't specific to one I've done or one that was done for me. So the latest one was something I've done. A friend of mine recently had a baby and she is concerned about her milk supply so I've been taking her things that I find useful for my milk supply, to see if she likes them or they work for her, like coconut water and oatmeal. I also took her some meals, because who wants to cook after you've had a baby?

July 18th 5 things to do if the power goes out. 

1. if its a long power outage not just a blip, eat the ice cream.

2. gather flashlights and batteries

3. cook any food that will go bad on the BBQ

4. Read stories and play games

5. Put up a tent and sleep together. Make it fun for the kids so they don't get scared. 

July 19th If I were president for a day what one law would I change? I would put an end to indefinite detention. It violates peoples constitutional rights. People have a right to a fair trial.  

July 20th What would you do with the money if you won the lottery?

1. I would take the yearly payments, too many lottery winners blow it all within 5 years. 

2. I would put half of the yearly payout into a high interest CD for the kids for when they grow up.

3. Buy a house

4. Buy a new car, either a Chevy Tahoe or a Honda Pilot. 

5. Buy a ton of cloth diapers, I would buy 2 dozen D&G Designs fitteds, 2 dozen Glow Bug Cloth Diapers, a Dozen sibish, some Rars, and a bunch of cute WAHMs. 

6. I would buy some clothes for me! I never shop for me

7. New computers for Morgen and Me. Both get Macbook Pros, but Morgen also wants a Mac Pro and a server room. 

8. New iphones and ipads and other gadgets

9. Build Alton Browns kitchen from Good Eats complete with root cellar under the kitchen. 

10. Get the girls the coolest back yard ever! With a Cederworks playground and a bounce house and a pool and a Hawaiian ice shack!

11. Get a Cal King sleep number bed. 

12. All new Furniture

13. A new sewing machine, a serger, a silhouette Cameo, and all sorts of great craft stuff

14. and indoor pool in our new house

15 a shower with multiple heads and a fireplace on the opposite wall to keep warm. 

16. buy both girls Diono Radian Carseats

17. Buy a Baby Jogger City Select with extra seat and kickboard.

July 21 Free activities with children. We have done a lot of free things this summer. 

Hair Chalking

Making Puzzles

Paint Chip Matching Game

Park picnic and Splash park (our park has a free splash park)

Pirate Day

Making Banana Boats

Be sure to keep checking back for more Summer Fun With Kids Posts. 

Summer Blog Challenge: 5-10 blogs I love.

Wow this is easy and hard at the same time. I can come up with tons of blogs I love and read daily, but narrowing it down is harder.

The first would have to be my friend Jess' blog Craftiness is not Optional. I've known Jess since before we were married. We were in the singles ward together and she was one of my bridesmaids. I've been reading her blog since back in the day when it was the Adventures of Rory and Jess, Before she started her sewing obsession. =) Now that we don't live 10 minutes from each other but instead live two states from each other its nice to see what she's up to, with sewing and how her adorable girls are growing.

Next is Make it and Love it. I love this blog! Its one of the first craft blogs I started reading and totally random, but when I moved to Idaho, I found out some of my neighbors know her, and she used to be in the student ward we were in before we switched to the Family Ward. Wow I kind of sound like a stocker! haha I swear I'm not!

Next is Made. Oh man Dana from Made is totally my crafting idol! She is a total Rock Star and I hope I get to meet her some day. I don't know how she gets all that done, I have a hard time with just two kids and getting projects done!

Next would be my beautiful friend Cathrine. She is pretty amazing. We met in our singles ward and she is just such a genuinely sweet person. I just love her, and I'm so bummed that right as we moved out here, her family moved back to CA. But I can still keep up with her on Facebook and her Awesome blog Cat on a Limb.

Next is Nicole from MamaNYC. She is Amazing. She has been such a help to me as I've started trying to take my blog to the next step. Her blog is AMAZING. She's got humor, giveaways, blogger resources, family and parenting tips, couponing. She has so much going on but her blog isn't busy. Its welcoming and inviting. I love it!

Next is my bloggy friend Tash of The Quirky Crafting Shmoogle Bean. She is amazing and we have the same geeky taste so We are usually pinning each others pins on pinterest. Her blog is awesome and I love it!

And Last but not least I chose LDS Women Converse. It is written by two women from my old ward back in San Jose. Their posts are always thought provoking and inspiring. I really enjoy reading their blog and I have learned a lot from both Julie and Ariane.


I hoep you have time to check out all these great blogs.

Summer Blog Challenge hardest challenge

Today's topic is the hardest challenge I've been faced with. It may sound lame, but really my hardest/biggest challenge is being able to get my sewing or crafting done with two kids. I used to have so much more time, but Tabitha has been going through a very needy stage lately and Eva is only 5 months old. Not to mention how often my machine breaks down, I still have a dress and some car bags that I owe people that haven't been finished. My goal for this weekend is to get them done. No matter what. I also need to move my sewing machine back upstairs. Its been in the kitchen for a while because I had to keep taking it in, but now that it is working I need it upstairs to get my work done and with my back problems I can't bring it up myself. I really think that it all comes down to time management. Its not really something I had a problem with before, but now with two kids, I have to be so much better about how I manage my time. I also need to multi task better. =)

Summer blog challenge 7/9

Some of your biggest pet peeves.
Oh man oh man. This may sound horrible but my biggest pet peeve is rude children. I bust my butt to try to make sure my children have manners, yes there are times when Tabitha seems to forget, and so I do cut kids some slack, but persistent rudeness drives me up the wall.
Some of my other pet peeves, People who turn their children around in their car seats too soon. I've know a few people who turned their children around at 10-11 months because they were 20 lbs, and a few who's children were way under the 20 lb minimum but were 1 year and the parent thought they would stop whining if they turned them around. The AAP recommends children rear face for at least 2 years or until they reach the limit for their seat. I also see a lot of this around Rexburg, children who should be in a car seat (Ie less than 5 years old) in the front seat of the car. Not ok. Car seats and booster seats belong in the back seat. a 5 year old is not supposed to be sitting in the front seat.
And finally parents who knowingly expose other children to their sick kids because they don't want to keep their kids home. Rexburg has had a rash of Hand Foot and Mouth disease and it seems many parents don't know that their child can still transmit the disease for up to three weeks after the sores go away. I was actually at a store here in town and a mom left her two children (less than 5 ) in the toy isle to play while she went to look at the kids clothes (she could probably still see them from the end of the clothes section) but I looked and both kids obviously had HFM! She was allowing them to spread their germs all over the toys. That is way not ok. ANd last but not least, people who don't have children spouting off about how they know everything about children, or making rude comments about how you raise yours. If I see one more person who doesn't have kids say something about how gross/inappropriate/disgusting breastfeeding is I'll explode. I actually was nursing Eva in the car up at BYUI in the parking lot a few months ago with a blanket over us so no one could see anything. A guy threw a snow ball at my window then yelled at me about how disgusting what I was doing was and how I needed to leave or he would make me leave. I grabbed my phone to call Morgen and the turd ran away, but How is nursing my child under a blanket in my car disgusting or inappropriate?
Also I hate skinny jeans on guys, but I also hate saggy jeans with their boxers hanging out. I also hate leggings as pants. Unless your under 10 leggings are meant to go under clothes. All too often I see girls with "leggings" although if they are so thin they are somewhat see through I think they are tights, with long shirts that just barely or not at all cover their backside. LEave something to the imagination.
If I keep going I may be here all night so I will stop now. =)

Summer Blog Challenge: Catch up

So I'm behind again so I'm playing catch up on the Summer blog challenge.

July 3, travel plans for the summer.
We arent actually traveling anywhere this summer that I know of. We may visit my mom at some point, but I'm not sure when. But I do know that my BFF and her hubby are coming to visit me this summer, which I'm super excited about.
July 4th was a free day
July 5th talk about a fear you have.
My biggest fear is that something would happen to Morgen or the girls. My family is my whole world and I am always hyper aware of where they are and what is going on with them. I get upset when even the tiniest little thing happens to any of them. Today Tabitha fell down and hit her head really hard. Even though I know she's ok, I'm so upset about it, It was totally my fault. I was holding her hand and I tripped.

July 6th What is a holiday tradition you have in your family.
Growing up someone would always play santa and pass out presents. Its still something that my family does. I can't wait till our kids get to start doing it, they will be so cute when they start passing out presents.

July 7th Something I would attempt if I knew I wouldn't fail.
I would love to create my own clothing line. I love to sew and design, but i'm not all that great at drawing so all my designs are in my head not to mention the crazy amount of money I would need to start, but its a lovely dream.

July 8th Song lyrics you find some meaning in.

These are the lyrics to The Luckiest by Ben Folds, Its Morgen and My song.

I don't get many things right the first timeIn fact, I am told that a lotNow I know all the wrong turnsThe stumbles and falls brought me here
And where was I before the dayThat I first saw your lovely face?Now I see it everydayAnd I know that I amI am, I am the luckiest
What if I'd been born fifty years before youIn a house on the street where you live?Maybe I'd be outside as you passed on your bikeWould I know?
And in a wide sea of eyesI see one pair that I recognizeAnd I know that I amI am, I am the luckiest
I love you more than I haveEver found a way to say to you
Next door, there's an old man who lived to his 90'sAnd one day, passed away in his sleepAnd his wife, she stayed for a couple of daysAnd passed away
I'm sorry, I know that's a strange wayTo tell you that I know we belongThat I know that I amI am, I am the luckiest


Here's the code for the button! =)

4th of July

Hope Everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!

If your looking for some fun crafts to do today check out my guest posts My footprint flag at Monica's Mom Musings, and my star onesie and hair clip tutorial at Southern Girl Ramblings.

Hope you have a wonderful 4th!

summer blog challenge day 32

Today's challenge was to share a poem. I have a few I wrote years ago, but they are too personal to share, so I'm sharing one of my favorites.
Annabel Lee By Edger Allen Poe.

Annabel Lee

    It was many and many a year ago,
          In a kingdom by the sea,
    That a maiden there lived whom you may know
          By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
    And this maiden she lived with no other thought
          Than to love and be loved by me.

    I was a child and she was a child,
          In this kingdom by the sea;
    But we loved with a love that was more than love-
          I and my Annabel Lee;
    With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
          Coveted her and me.

    And this was the reason that, long ago,
          In this kingdom by the sea,
    A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
          My beautiful Annabel Lee;
    So that her highborn kinsman came
          And bore her away from me,
    To shut her up in a sepulchre
          In this kingdom by the sea.

    The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
          Went envying her and me-
    Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
          In this kingdom by the sea)
    That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
          Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

    But our love it was stronger by far than the love
          Of those who were older than we-
          Of many far wiser than we-
    And neither the angels in heaven above,
          Nor the demons down under the sea,
    Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
          Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

    For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
          Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
    And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
          Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
    And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
    Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
          In the sepulchre there by the sea,
          In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Summer Blog Challenge 26-31

So I'm pretty behind on my summer blog challenge posts, I've just been swamped lately so i'm gonna try to bang out all my over due ones in one post tonight! Ready?

Day 26  What does your significant other do that makes your heart melt? 
Before having kids, I probably would have said that it was how Morgen is always doing little things, like slipping a love note on my front seat or picking a flower on his way home. He still does those things and I still love those things, but whats more heart melt worthy is how amazing he is with the girls. When Tabitha wants to play tea party, or dress up he is right there doing what she wants, but he is also amazing at teaching our girls the right thing to do . I love when he come home at night and Tabitha yells "Daddy! Your back!" and runs and gives him a hug and the first thing he does is cover her in hugs and kisses. Melts my heart every time.

Day 27 What's the best gift you've ever received?
The best gift I ever received? My two beautiful girls! Without a doubt. We waited so long for them, and I couldn't have imagined any more amazing girls.

Tabitha and her HUGE cheeks!

Eva ever the cuddlier baby!

My two sweet girls

Day 28 How do you do your laundry?? Give your laundry tricks.

   We make our own laundry soap (Via Tipnut)

1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until melted.
• Pour the soapy water mixture into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel).

I use this for everyday laundry and wash on cold with an extra rinse then dry in the dryer. I also throw in a scoop of sun oxyclean.

For Cloth Diapers I use Rockin Green. I do a cold rinse with no detergent. A hot wash with two scoops of hard rock detergent and every 3 loads I do a scoop of calgon because we have really hard water. Then I do two rinse cycles, one hot and one cold. Then I line dry my diapers and throw the inserts and wipes in the dryer. 

Day 29 Write a "How To" post
I'm working on this one and will post it soon.

Day 30 Post a photo of an outfit that either is your style or you wish was your style.

These are the kinds of dresses I love, and I actually have a few this style but they are kind of hard to nurse in so I don't wear them often.

 

More often than not, I wear a skirt with a camisole and a cardigan. 

Day 31 Talk about something eco friendly that you already do.


Some of the Ecofriendly things we already do are:

• Cloth Diapering
• Recycling
• Buying used clothes and toys rather than new
• Walk as much as we can rather than drive
• repurpose whatever we can. Usually clothes.

Summer blog Challenge day 23-25

Summer blog challenge

Sorry I got behind again! So here are days 23-25

Day 23 favorite blog post you've written before this challenge. Probably my pretty in Pink Lace Dress tutorial. I love that dress and it was my first tutorial to be featured on Craft Gossip. 

Day 24 Favorite eco-friendl thing you do. We try to be pretty eco friendly. we have a brita filter and take reusable bottles with us, we recycle anything we can. I like to re use loathing items to turn them into something else, usually clothes for Tabitha, but I've also repurposed some of my own clothes for my self since i've lost weight. I turned a way too big top into a maternity shirt and turned my favorite jeans that got a hole in the thigh into a jean skirt. But the thing I do most often that is eco friendly is cloth diapering. I'm amazed at how much garbage we produced by using disposables on Tabitha and besides saving money, cloth diapers don't sit in landfills for 100's of years. And besides who can resist those cute fluffy butts! =)

Day 25 Ideal day of Me time

Ha whats that? Even on Saturday which is supposed to me my "me day" where I can get my sewing and blog stuff done that didn't get done during the week, i still have to have Eva with me (Morgen does take Tabitha, but she usually stands at the bottom of the stairs yelling at me most of the day until I give up and come down), and I usually end up getting half my list done if that because Eva is going through a very needy stage and I think about to cut a tooth. 

But if I could have a whole day to myself with out having to do cleaning or taking care of kids, I would turn on some silly trashy tv show like damsons creek or one tree hill (darn netflix doesn't have the last season and I want to finish it!) Or something cheesy and creepy like the original Dark Shadows (I watched that while nursing today and I'm hooked although netflix only has a small fraction of the series, they start when barnabis collins returns and then only have 160 of the 2000 something episodes.) I would watch my shows, and sew all day. Stoping to eat dryers all fruit bars, drink newmans own lemonaid. and snack on mike and ikes. 

Technical issues!

I'm having Technical issues with my linky tools subscription right now. I'm too tired to deal with it tonight, so I will try to get to it this week. Thank you to everyone who joined the hop this week, it won't let me see your submissions but I hope when I get it fixed I can see them. I'm skipping the getting crafty weekend hop this week because of these issues and because I just have way too much going on this week. I finally got my sewing Machine up and running again so I will be finally getting some over due prizes finished and sent out as well as some stuff for the girls, presents for my niece and nephew and some items for my etsy store. I'm going to focus on getting sewing done this week, so while I will hopefully have my daily blog challenge posts up on time, I probably won't have much else up this week. Friday is my birthday and then next monday starts the Summer Fun With Kids Series. So Make sure you are signed up to receive updates! You don't want to miss all the great things that my guests have in store for you!

Summer blog Challenge Days 20-22

 I've gotten a few days behind on my summer blog challenge posts so I'm just gonna cram them all together. Its been pretty hectic around here lately, but I'm hopeful that I can get back to blogging and sewing soon.
Day 20 was to post a picture of me when I was younger.

I'm second from the left on the bottom row. This was from when I used to dance, I think I was 14 or 15 here.
And thanks to my childhood friend Gina for posting these on FB so I have the next two pictures of us playing dress up

Day 21: Most recent words of wisdom that stuck with me. Probably that being a mom isn't easy, but its the most rewarding job in the world. I've been having a rough time with Tabitha lately. She is really jealous of Evangeline and has been acting out because of it. But in the midst of her fits and peeing on my floor, there are still those wonderful times when she hugs me and tells me she loves me, and the times when she wants to hug and kiss Eva, or help me with whatever I'm doing. I know the hard times will eventually fade, and I will remember the laughs, the kisses, the jokes, the hugs, how much she loves her sister and what a good person she is. She has an amazingly big heart. She is so sweet and so loving, the other stuff she'll grow out of, but I know she will always be an amazing, sweet, funny girl who I will always be proud of. 

 

 

Day 22:  When I was little there were a ton of things I wanted to be: a teacher, a pediatric cardiologist, a ballet dancer, a writer, a photographer, a baker, but the most important was to be a mom. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom. I got my degree in History (which makes me qualified to say "would you like fries with that" and live in a cardboard box) because I love history. since I was already married while I was in college and I knew that we planned for me to stay home with the kids one we had them, I thought it was important for me to get a degree in something I loved. I still plan to go back to school and get a masters some day, but for now, I'm loving being home with my girls. I'm their first teacher, their boo boo kisser, their dance teacher, their story teller, their photographer, and their baker, all those dreams I had did come true, just in a different way than you would expect. I have everything I ever wanted in life, and I'm so very lucky. 

 

 

Summer blog challenge Day 19

Something you're proud of from the last few days.


Last friday when I went ot pick Tabitha up from preschool I had just got her in the car when she said she had to go potty. So I got both girls out and we ran to her classroom to use the potty. So the first thing I'm proud of is that Tabitha can finally tell us she has to go potty and hold it log enough to get there. That is a big accomplishment and something we have been working on for a long time. But the even bigger thing was while I was helping her in the bathroom her teacher heard her say "thank you" and told me she was so impressed by how polite Tabitha is. She said Tabitha always says please and Thank you and that Tabitha is over all a very nice and polite kid. That made me so happy. I've been instilling manners and being polite since before she could talk. Please and Thank you were two of the first signs I taught her and as soon as she could say mama I started teaching her to say please and thank you along with the sign language. While she may be a terror at home some times, its good to know that she uses the manners I have taught her when she is away from me. 

Summer Blog Challenge day 18

A Recipe you love:
This is my mom's recipe for stuffed chicken breasts.

(recipe makes 9 servings)

heat oven to 350

9 boneless skinless chicken breasts
bag of crushed tortilla chips
3 tablespoons of butter melted
1 teaspoon of cumin
3 1/2 cups of shreaded mexican cheese
1/2 a large onion chopped small
1 can of chopped chili peppers
1 small can of chopped olives

Lay each piece of chicken between two layers of parchment paper and pound flat with a mallet.

Mix cheese, onion, chili peppers, olives in a bowl

place a heaping spoonful of mixture in the middle of each flat chicken breast. Close with toothpicks

mix butter and cumin

roll chicken in butter mixture then in crushed chips.

Place in Pyrex and cook for 45 minutes or until chicken is white all the way through.

Tastes really good with black beans and spanish rice.

Linky

Summer Blog Challenge Day 17

Three things you are proud of about your personality.

1. I'm inquisitive. When I see something I like I try to figure out how its made so I can do it too.
2. I care about others. I always try to help others, If someone needs dinner or clothes or to borrow some baby item, I am almost always willing to help as soon as I find out the need.
3. (Had to ask my husband for another) He said I'm fairly patient, I said "Really", he said "you haven't killed Tabitha yet!" To which I laughed, he then said I have a good sense of humor.


Here's the code for the button! =)

Linky

Summer blog Challenge Day 16

Fitness guru or couch potato....

Um well... While I always have the best intentions to work out, I usually fall flat. After running around after the girls all day, the thought of exercising after running after Tabitha all day, I don't really have the most energy in the world.  But at the same time I wouldn't consider myself a couch potato. Here's the code for the button! =)

Summer blog challenge day 15

post a picture that you took that you are proud of.

I have 2. One of each of the girls.

I love both of these pictures, and actually both of them I got a phone call from Walgreens when I sent them to be printed telling me they thought I was printing professional pictures. 

Summer Blog Challenge day 14

Give your blog readers 15 tips to get through life.

1. Learn to sew, Even if you don't think you are any good at it, its a really good skill to have.
2. Spend less than you make. We try really hard to do this. Right now its tough because we live on less than $400 a month (rent is paid for by Morgen's financial aid so thats not included), so most months we just scrape by. But its something we strive to do.
3. Recycle. Not just paper and cans, but everything you can. Our planet has been good to us, be good to it by recycling as much as you can.
4. Get to know your neighbors. I never did before moving to Idaho. But Tabitha's best friends are the kids in the complex and I've made some really good friends here too. My neighbors are awesome and I don't know what I would have done without them. They took Tabitha while I went to dr's appointments  when I was pregnant. They watched her so Morgen and I could go on a date. I've watched their kids so they could run errands or go on a date. Neighbors are awesome.
5. Take pictures of everything. We are lucky to live in such a great time that we can easily snap pictures of everything. Someday you will be able to show your grandchildren all the great times you have had because you will have the pictures.
6. Always back up your computer. In this day and age we live on our computers. You would hate to lose everything because you didn't back it up.
7. Try to exercise as much as you can. You'll feel so much better.
8. Be the first to say your sorry. It doesn't matter who was wrong.
9. Send Thank you cards. It really does make a difference.
10. Take time to play with your kids. They won't remember our dirty floor, or the time you left dishes in the sink, they will remember the time you had a tea party with them or played cowboys and indians.
11. If you have more than one kid, make time to do something with them individually as often as you can. They will appreciate that one on one time and so will you.
12. Always ask how your kids day was. Be there for the small stuff so they know you will be there for the big stuff.
13. Unplug once in a while. Take a day, a weekend, or even a week and ignore the email, facebook, twitter or whatever.
14. Take some me time. As a wife and a mom, its important for me to have some time by myself, doing what I like. My family is much better off when I get my alone time on saturday mornings.
15. Eat dinner as a family. We make it a priority to eat dinner together every night. As our kids get older we will continue to do this. No phones, no computers, no tvs. Just family, talking, eating, being together.

Summer blog challenge day 13

How do you see your self at the end of the year.

Well hopefully 30 lbs lighter for one. Thats my big goal, but I can't diet because i'm breast feeding. I try to get some exercise but between the girls and my back problems its a little hard. I've been stuck at 205 for about 2 months now. If I could just get under 200 I would be really happy, but my goal is 170.

at the end of 2012 I will be packing. In April 2013 we will be moving. To where? I have no clue yet. Morgen will be doing an internship from April to July then he will officially be done with school and we will go wherever he gets a job (hopefully not back to CA, sorry to my friends there, but after living out of CA I know we can't afford to move back there).

One thing I've been working on is anger. I've had a problem with it for a long time and I'm trying hard to control it. So I hope at the end of this year I will have a handle on my anger and I won't fly off the handle but will be able to handle things gracefully.

Linky

Summer blog Challenge day 11

Best day of your life.
Its hard for me to choose just one day, so I won't. Instead I will choose 3.

This is from our wedding day. November 15th 2003. We were married in the Oakland LDS Temple.

April 6, 2009. Tabitha's birthday. Her birth was not good, but that didn't matter. She was all we had wanted for so long that even though her birth wasn't the best experience, just having her with us finally was the best feeling in the world. A part of me was missing until I had her. 

                                    

 January 26, 2012. Evangeline's birth. Her birth was calm, and I got to hold her fairly soon after. I recovered much faster with Eva than Tabitha and her birth while not what I had pictured at first was perfect, we were both healthy and happy. I wouldn't change it for the world. Eva was a piece of me I didn't know was missing and my life wouldn't be complete without her.