TMJ and other nonsense

Since today is Friday, I thought I would do a little flashback.

You might be wondering, what the...? It is piles of chewed gum. I know, GROSS!!! A while back, we had some friends over to play games. I had bought the large container of Dubble Bubble gum balls. I love Dubble Bubble. And the fact that they were gumballs brought a smile to my face, because when we went over to visit Grammy and Popie, they would always give the kiddos these gumballs. Anyway, that night I decided it would be fun to chew as many pieces as I could and stack them in a gum tower. There were a few at the table that wanted to join in the fun. They combined their chew into one pile in order to smoke me! Since that night, my jaw has had a nice popping that occurs when I open my mouth. Diagnosis TMJ! Needless to say, I will never buy those gumballs again nor will I ever compete against a table full of gum chewing fools. Good Times!

I heart Caroling!

If anyone feels the need to sing and serve, come to our evening of caroling! It should be fun and a bit chilly, so dress warm!

I love Christmas Jammies!

I have always had a thing for P.J's for any season. I don't know why I love them so much, I mean no one sees them but us. I just love the idea of the little guys looking cute when they go to bed. Silly I know. It is just one of my little quirks.

Every year on Christmas Eve, the kids open their new Christmas jammies. It is a tradition that we started with Lauren when she was six months old. I love the cute prints of Christmas. So festive and fun.

I was blog lurking...blurking and I came across my friends jammie post. I did not leave a comment there but I wanted to give her a little shout out! Way to go Nicole! I am truly impressed! I wish that I could sew matching jams for my family! I absolutely love it! You are truly talented! What a fun Christmas tradition!

What are some of your traditions?

Did you know...

there is such a thing as the Utah County Wood Carvers Association? Yes there is! And My hubby entered their last competition and took first and second in his division!
Yay Dave!

We took the kids down to see all the different entries! People are really talented! I am amazed that people can take a block of wood and create such beautiful pieces of art. Dave is a duck carver. Next time you are at my house, ask to see his creations! Crafty...very crafty!

At the competition there was all kinds of carvings, from little figurines, fish, to huge horses.

There was a guy there who makes rocking horses to resemble your actual horse, all you would do is give him a picture of your horse, and six weeks later it would be in your home for your riding enjoyment!

The kids loved riding on them! Which was the highlight of the night for them!


This was my favorite. The details were amazing. Created from one piece of wood!

Hair

A while back I made a comment that I highlight my hair to resemble the color when I was younger. I did this for years. Going to the beauty parlor every three months, spending two hours in the chair, paying 65+ dollars each visit. And that was with a discount. All for the golden streaks to be placed in may drab and dark hair. I loved having the lighter hair, but the maintenance was a bit menacing.

When I was pregnant that maintenance care was canceled for a bit, due to the strange effect my hormones would have on the color. So when it was time to deliver my babies I would have nine months of root exposure. My true color.

After the birth of Lils, Dave and I decided it would be fun and economical if we dyed the hair with an over-the-counter purchase at Wal Mart. We thought that a dark golden blond would be perfect, not too light. Yet dark enough to not have to maintain that much. We put the dye on and waited. When the time was up, we rinsed and repeated, and dried, to expose the reddish hair. Roots were red, ends were blond. What?

My good friend told me to come over and she would fix it. So we dyed it a darker brown. It looked good for a while, but it faded as dyes do and left behind a mess of reddish roots, and green ends. (brown and blond make green) So I just put my hair in a pony tail, afraid to try anything else. (I just noticed Lillian's face in this picture...hilarious! If you look at my hair close you will see the reddish roots, and the green ends. It looks as if I had spent too many hours in the swimming pool)

So the other night I was complaining about my hair, talking to some friends about what I should do. Dave was eavesdropping and heard how I never wanted to wear my hair down, etc... So the next day he comes home from work early, hands me a gift certificate to a salon, and says your appointment is in half an hour. I was so surprised, and so thankful. I gave him a big hug, left him with all the kiddos, and two hours later my hair looked like this...

What do you think?

What the...

Early the other morning, Mr. West comes into our room crying. Dave jumps out of bed, and finds this bloody mess. Well being the great father that he is, he walks West into the bathroom, with blood literally dripping all over the floor, and instead of looking for the source of the wound he runs down stairs to get the camera. Nothing like capturing the moment! So at 4:30am my little guy is standing in the bathroom bleeding, while his Dad is trying to document this awesome sight. Then there is me, I was laying in bed barely coherent. It takes me a while to wake up! What kind of parents are we? After the photo was shot, he took care of the problem. It turned out to be a bloody nose. Now to pose a question. What do you do about night nose pickers?

Letterpress Prints Launch!

www.letterpressprints.com

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Thanks

grateful

I have seen on many blogs "Thankful Thursday" I love reading these posts. They remind me how much we each have to be thankful for.

On this, the ultimate Thankful Thursday, I would like to join the ranks and share some of the things I am most grateful for.

1. I give thanks for the glorious thing called body. Think about how miraculous the body is.

2. I give thanks for the five senses. I love being able to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. I love to see my kids, my cute husband, and the beauties that surround us.
I love to hear the sound of a baby cooing, and the pitter of little feet running through the house. I love to smell pumpkin bread baking in the oven. I love to taste all food. I mean does everything have to taste so good? And touching, who doesn't love a great big hug.

3. I give thanks for family. How thankful I am for moms and dads, brothers and sisters, and children.

4. I give thanks for a testimony. I love that each of us can find truth in our lives, and find so much joy in living what we know to be true.

5. I give thanks for friends. Friendship is such an important aspect of life. Each of my friends (that's all of you) have influenced and enriched my life in such a special way. Thank you for all the good times, and sweet memories.

6. And most important, I give thanks for a loving God who knows each of us, and loves us all so much that he sent His son Jesus Christ to atone for all of our mistakes. I am so grateful for a Savior who makes it possible to feel better when we mess up.

Peace out
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday West!

Yesterday was our little guys third birthday! It was just the other day that he came to join our family, and now he is so big! We love you Woo!

Celebrate 100

This is our 100th post! I just wanted to say thanks to all of my blogger buddies, and all of my blurker buddies. I really enjoy this crazy blogging world! It is so nice to reconnect with people. We love sharing our life with friends and family who we don't see day to day! Thanks for making my blogging experience so fantastic!

Here is to 100 more posts! And 100 more, and 100 more!!!

Love to you all!

Uhh-huh Yip Yip

FLASH

At the Jaws of the Big Scary Beast at Cornbelly's


Riding with a Witch at Gardner Village


Attending the Ward party, where no one knew who the grown-ups were! And where Dave scared most of the people there!

Our first Halloween in the Ute 2006

We have a Prophet on the earth today--who receives revealation from God for our day!

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

An Apostle Speaks

I am voting for God's Plan.

i like this

Friday Flashback

Halloween 2004

West is Trained!

West said, " I don't want to go on the potty train"
get it... Potty trained!
Well, I thought it was cute!

FLASHBACK

We like big lips and we can not lie!

We found these big wax lips and gave them to the kids. They had so much fun striking a pose with their new lips!

Kayaking in the backyard

The other day, Dave got out the Kayak. (He wanted to test it in the ponds before he took it out on the big lake) He let the kids use it to go around the pond. They had a lot of fun. At first, Lauren was a little bit scared, but her friend Isabel gave her courage. David took to it like a natural. He enjoyed it the most. Even Kathren and West loved it!

Weather Forcast for Tomorrow!

I would listen to her if I were you, she knows what she is talking about! And she could get fired if you don't!

I'm not Catholic but...

They sure got this one right!

Friday Flashback

We used to live in The Carlton County Club Villas. Sounds nicer than it is. These were Government subsidized apartments. We were really blessed to have lived there, since our rent was based off of our income. So when Dave was in school, we didn't have to stress too much about money. Anywho, I found these pictures of Lauren and David outside the apartment. David had put himself in this carseat, he wanted a chair just like his sister. He was eating a Klondike bar, thus the messy face. He used to do this cheesy grin where his eyes would basically disappear. Lauren is posing with Katie, a little girl that we used to babysit. She looks thrilled. Daycare is hard. It's hard to share all your toys, and it's hard to share you mom. We did the whole daycare thing for four years and I will NEVER do it again because I am running my own personal daycare with my five kids! :)

Baby Blessing Beauty

These pictures were taken by our good friend Nathan Petty He is such a talented photographer! I absolutely loved all the shots that he took, these are just a few. Thanks Nathan for taking the time to capture this little beauty in her blessing dress!

These pictures were taken July 18, 2008. Lillian was 1 month old.

Piano Lessons

David decided he wanted to start piano lessons. I was thinking that I could start him off, but haven't figured out when the best time would be. So, I guess he got a little impatient with me, and asked Lauren to teach him. I peaked in and saw this. I thought it was adorable.

shAvIng crEAm mAssAgE

If you have not tried playing in some shaving cream, I highly recommend it. I immediately experienced a calming sensation, as I put my hands into this foam. Rubbing it in circles all around the table, enabling me to utilize my sense of touch, and smell. I found it so refreshing. Or maybe it was just that Aloe scent.

Enough rambling, my kids loved it and we had a fun time drawing in it and making pictures.
p.s. my table was so clean after the shaving cream rub down!

Watch This!

It is every parents God given right to teach their children! It should be up to each parent if and when they decide to introduce their child to different lifestyles. If you live in California, this is a must watch, if you don't live in California this is a must watch to make sure we don't ever give up our rights!

Flashback Friday

Popie, our cousin Max, David, and Lauren, hanging out on the swing. Popie was undergoing Kemo treatments, so he has that Shawn Connery look.


Grammy, David, Lauren, Max and Krista. Grammy is a Doris Day look a like!


David eating at Lauren's fourth birthday. Was he not such a cute two year old!


Lauren at her fourth birthday party. We had it in Grammy and Popie's backyard. Which if any of you have been back there you know how beautiful it is. Such a spectacular view of the valley and mountains, and also the view of the yard is so gorgeous. Grammy works so hard on all her lovely flowers. We borrowed the table's from the church's nursery. We had the kids come in and paint flower pots, then they had lunch, little finger sandwiches and fruit. Then we opened presents. Then we had cupcakes with flowers made from starbursts- complicated process I don't recommend it. We also had dirt pudding with gummy worms. When the kids left, we gave them their flower pot filled with real dirt, and a pretty flower plant.