The Northern Reception

Oh! How nice!

Bekah was helping play the background music with one of Mary's old roommates.

Posing for pictures just like Mommy

(I'll have to get those pictures from the bride later.)

The Bride's Parents

(I was trying to take pictures while Bekah was sitting on my lap. Not the best shot. Oh well.)

All the pretty nieces in matching dresses.

Joy made all of the dresses from the fabric and pattern Mary picked out at Christmas time.

We had a busy week last week. On Wednesday, everyone was at our house for Mary's bridal shower and as a stopping point before continuing north for the wedding. On Thursday, we all traveled north for Mary to go through the temple and receive her endowment. On Friday, Michael and I (along with other family and friends) attended Mary and Gary's temple sealing where they were married for time and all eternity. After which we had a barbeque luncheon.

We took a break between the luncheon and the reception, and checked into a hotel with an indoor swimming pool. Our little family went swimming with Joy and Kristina while my Grandma and Mom watched. The kids loved it! It was a great way for them to use some of their energy doing something they enjoyed.

That evening we went to the reception in a beautifully decorated cultural hall in Gary's hometown. We ate yummy food and visited with friends and family. My children discovered that if they smiled and said please and thank you to the ladies in the kitchen they could get food handed to them without Mom and Dad knowing. The ladies said our children were too cute and polite to resist. Stinkers!

Thank you, Mary and Gary, for letting us share your special day with you. Good luck on this new step in your life!

P.S. Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Joy & Kristina, for taking our kids so we could have a night off. Love you!

Congratulations, Mary & Gary!

Bridal Shower Pictures

We had an Oasis themed shower. Why? What do you do when it is cold outside? Think about having fun, someplace warm.

Marriette & Jennilee

We played "Pin the Tie on the Groom"

(we just used tape though, no damage to the wall or the groom)

Mandy, Ellie, and Marque

Lyndee and Dawnee

Benjamin dancing with Bekah in her dress for the wedding.

Bekah playing games with the 'girls'

Tyler & Benjamin wanted to play the tie game.

It was fun to have so many friends together to help Mary prepare for this new stage in her life. Thanks to everyone who came!

Dental Work

I am not a big fan of having my teeth worked on. Maybe that is because my first dental appointment was when I was seven and the dentist had to pull out my baby tooth, root and all, because my other tooth was coming in behind it. Then when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade I had crooked teeth and found out I could straighten them by myself using my tongue, no need for braces. The next time I remember going to the dentist was when I was 16 or 17 and it felt so gross to have my teeth cleaned. All that gunk going down your throat, yuck! So I'm not very good about seeing a dentist regularly.

I would have to say that I am very lucky to have experienced minimal tooth problems in my life. I have only been to the dentist about half a dozen times in my life time. The last time I went to the dentist, until yesterday, was right around the time I graduated from high school. I haven't felt the need to because I don't have cavities and we haven't been able to afford having my wisdom teeth pulled.

Unfortunately, all of this lack of desire to take the time to address preventative care has left me with a very big problem. I am having a root canal done and a crown put on this week because I have a tooth that has rotted out and a nerve that has died.

It has been a painful experience the last week or so with the constant tooth and jaw pain. I finally did some research online to see what could be going on and determined that I would probably need a root canal. When I called to make my appointment I told the doctor that I would probably need a root canal and he asked me how I knew that. I responded that according the research I had done and where and what the pain was I believed that is what needed to happen. He said that he could get me in for a diagnostic examination in the afternoon.

When it was my turn to meet with the doctor, he looked at me and looked at my X-ray and said that I was right about needing a root canal. He then asked me if I went to some weird website online to do my research. I responded with, "No. I looked it up on Wikipedia.com. I have found that they have the most accurate and reliable information." To which, my dentist's expression said, "Oh." I guess it is not every day that you have a patient with very limited dental experience diagnose themselves accurately without exaggeration.

The other funny part about today's appointment was that the dentist explained to me that while he is very sorry to have to do a root canal on me, he is kind of excited because it is one of his favorite procedures. I guess that is why he is a dentist, and I am not. There is nothing about someone else's teeth that excites me beyond seeing them stay in the other person's mouth far away from me.

So I will be having oral surgery and repairs done on my tooth this week. I am not overly thrilled, but I am excited to be done with the pain and be able to use all of my mouth again. This will be my first experience of being in the dental chair for longer than 20 minutes and real pain. Wish me luck!

Giving and Receiving Service

Over the last few months I have had the opportunity to not only give service, but be on the receiving end as well. I think sometimes we forget that it is almost as beneficial to others to have the opportunity to serve as it is for them to receive service.

When a sign-up sheet is sent around asking for help I sign up as often as I am able. It is very gratifying and inspiring to give to those who are in need. The more I look for and provide service to others the more I find myself wanting to serve others. Sometimes when I am looking for someone to serve I forget that the best service I can do someone is allow them to serve me.

A couple of weeks ago I had an appointment that Michael needed to go with me and I needed someone to stay with my children while they took naps. The hard part was that most people I know had kids taking naps at the same time as my children take theirs. The thougth occurred to me to ask one of the older ladies in our ward who I have had the opportunity to get to know to come over. Since this particular sister is in her eighties she does not have the physically capacity to do as much as she used. However, she is very sweet and thoughtful and is fully active and capable mentally and emotionally. After consulting with her husband, she was very willing to come over and sit in our home while my children took their naps. I was so grateful for her willingness to serve and for her friendship.

When we arrived home from our appointment I was filled with a feeling of strength, gratitude, and peace. And, I became more aware of the importance of allowing others to serve us instead of just serving others all of the time.

Tagged on Facebook

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (I am tagging anyone who has a blog and reads this)

1. I love warm, fuzzy socks but majorly dislike wearing regular socks. I love to wear sandals!
2. I have been trying to grow my hair out forever and usually cut it off when it gets just past my shoulders.
3. I have discovered I have 'groups' of friends on facebook. People I knew from Ramah, LDS Business College, Wymount, and Family.
4. I am an organizer. I am always sifting and sorting to find better ways to organize things to make things quicker and easier and more useful.
5. I find myself doing what I am told by authority figures and hating doing it.
6. I wanted 10 children before I became pregnant with Benjamin. Now I am more than happy just to have 2.
7. I have 3 degrees, none of which are graduate degrees. (2 associates and 1 bachelor's degree)
8. I love the closeness of small towns and being close to nature, but I hate being more than 15 minutes from a wide variety of stores. Thus, where we live is prefect for me.
9. Our house has 4 flights of stairs with a maximum of 10 steps in each flight.
10. I love to blog and found it is easier to do than scrapbooking or journaling.
11. I have broken my left arm (11 years old) and my left elbow (25 years old), but no other bones in my body.
12. I use my credit card every month and pay it off before it accumulates interest. I am into earning rewards but not paying interest.
13. I bought my first pair of snow boots in nearly 15 years last week.
14. I watch more TV online than I do on my television set.
15. I love to quilt and crochet, and I give most of my projects away.
16. I am totally deaf in my left ear and people often look at me funny when i don't hear or understand what they say.
17. Michael makes all of the money in our household and I spend 95% of it. Michael says that is okay because we discuss how we spend our money and I pay the bills and do the grocery shopping.
18. I miss having family close by when we have emergencies, want to go on dates, or need extra help.
19. I love deserts. Any kind that does not include nuts, I am allergic.
20. I have a strong desire to exercise, but rarely act on that desire.
21. I strongly dislike and avoid scary movies. I hate the yucky feeling that I have after I watch them.
22. I have a furniture fetish. I love the browse at furniture stores more than any other store, except maybe a fabric store.
23. If I won a million dollars, I would pay tithing, pay off all of our debts, go on an awesome vacation, and invest in retirement, food storage, and several years worth of clothing for my children.
24. I have had the same cell phone number for 7 years and refuse to change it to the local area. Yep, it's long distance for most people to call me. Good thing a lot of people have cell phones.
25. I am always watching out for others. I feel like if I see I need, I need to do what I can to help fill that need or help the person. It is one of my quirks.

Giving a Bridal Shower with Children

Tonight I gave a bridal shower for my sister, Mary. My cousins brought their children and my children had instructions to play upstairs with their cousins. The idea was great, in theory. My children would have someone to play with and not have to be down in the middle of the activities. However, theories do not often reflect reality.

Bekah discovered that the 'girls' were having a party and wanted to be part of the activities. When asked if she wanted to go upstairs and play with the children, Bekah said no. She gave all of the women hugs and helped Grandma play the games. She even stayed out of the food and presents which was quite surprising.

Benjamin kept asking if he could come downstairs, but accepted the explanation that the girls were downstairs and the boys were upstairs. Until it was time to open presents, that is. After telling Benjamin no all day I told him yes to coming down to watch Mary open presents, forgetting that women often receive lingerie at bridal showers. Oops! When Mary opened one present he exclaimed, "It goes with your tiara!" He thought Mary had recieved a pretty dress as a wedding present. Good interpretation!

I think next time I will think twice before letting my son come to the opening presents part of a bridal shower.

TV Online

I have discovered a different way to watch TV, online. A friend of mine mentioned watching her favorite TV shows on hulu.com and I decided to try it out. I have become a big fan of watching TV online at Hulu and other free websites. It has been a good and bad thing.

Good because I can watch a variety of shows, most of the episodes of the current season, without the scheduling conflicts of feeling obligated to sit down at a specific time in front of the TV. The shows have less commercials and can be paused so interruptions don't cause loss of show time.

Bad because I find myself watching more TV than I normally do. It is so easy to turn on the computer and watch a TV show while I'm doing other things. The wonders of technology.

RSV

RSV season is upon us. Well, it started back in October, but it is here for its yearly duration. Here is my understanding of RSV in laymen's terms.

What is RSV? A bad head cold that affects the absorption of oxygen especially in children under the age of one. It does not typically hurt those that are older beyond the inconveniences and pain of a really bad cold.

What are the symptoms of RSV? Beyond being stuffed up and/or coughing, fatigue and lethargy accompanied by loss of appetite.

How is RSV diagnosed? A nose swab sent to the lab for testing (really specific, I know). The doctors can also run and oxygen measurement test to determine the oxygen saturation of the individual.

Why is RSV so dangerous? Loss of appetite accompanied by not eating hinders weight gain in infants. Low levels of oxygen saturation affect brain and motor function. Those who have experienced RSV in the first few months of life may manifest and/or experience asthmatic symptoms through age eight.

How do I know what I do about RSV? After Bekah was diagnosised with RSV at 5 weeks old I did my own research to determine what it was we were dealing with because all of the doctors and nurses were really vague in explaining what was going on.

Three days in the hospital watching your baby get her nose sucked out and have an oxygen tube across her face was absolutely no fun. The saddest part was that Bekah caught RSV at the end of May, long after RSV season is suppose to be over. Anyway, with so many friends having babies this winter I figured I would share a little bit of what I know about RSV.

For more information check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_respiratory_syncytial_virus.

Saving Money

With all the fuss about the economy lately, we have been looking for ways to reduce our expenses and save money in our purchases. It has been interesting and rewarding.

I've realized that there are something I am incredibly cheap about.

• I don't pay for a haircut unless it is in goods and services. I cut my children's hair and Michael cuts his own hair, I have even cut my own hair once or twice.
• I won't buy fruits or vegetables for more than $1 or $2 a pound, depending on the product.
• I shop in the day old bakery goods before I buy them fresh, and I only buy baked goods when I don't have time to make it myself.
• I take pictures of arts and crafts and figure out how to make them myself for less than half of the price.
• I only buy name brand items when they are on sale for like 50% off.
• I do a lot of my shopping online so that I know I am getting the best deal possible for a specific item.
• I use the library to checkout books and read them to determine if they are worth buying, then I find the best deal on said books before buying them.
• I do everything I can to avoid paying shipping on things that I buy online. Whether that means using a coupon, trying a new store, or only buying an item from a store that offers free shipping.
• I usually buy the store or generic brand item, rather than the big brand item because the difference is minimal and the price adds up fast.

In order to reduce our monthly expenses, we have made some other adjustments as well.

• We refinanced our car which is halfway paid off to lower our monthly payment.
• We changed insurance companies because we found a company that offered a better price and better service.
• We pay off our smallest debts first, then we pay off the debt with the greatest percentage rate.
• We pay extra to our debts each our month so that they are paid off quicker and accumulate less interest.
• We save a little bit each paycheck for emergencies and future expenses.

We have also tried to emphasize the reuse, recycle, and don't waste.

• Plastic sacks become garbage can liners.
• Empty detergent buckets are used for hauling dirt, storing potatoes, playing in the sandbox, or being turned into stools.
• Gift bags, boxes, and tissue paper are saved for future use.
• We recycle everything we easily can.
• Clothes are worn until they don't fit or are worn out, and then they are given to someone who can use them, saved for future use, or turned into rags.
• We try to throw away as little food as possible and only make as much as we can reasonably eat before the food goes bad.

Saving money takes time and effort. And while I am not as much of a penny pincher as I could be, we try to do the best with what we have and make the most of our life together.

"I want watch Frosty"

Bekah is talking in sentences these days. She has been learning at least two words a day for the last week or so. Today she asked to watch a movie by saying "I want watch Frosty." It was so well pronounced that I caved in and let her watch it to reinforce that she was successfully communicating.

She will be talking my ear off soon, I'm sure. But we are enjoying her growing ability to communicate using words and language. Bekah says juice, drink, go, more, snack, shoes, and so much more. It is great fun to hear her learn new words.

Guests in Our Yard

We came home from a family outing the other night to find deer in the front yard. Since the snow fall last month, the deer have been nibling on my roses and other bushes. This time we caught them in the act instead of just seeing the evidence that deer had been visiting our yard.

Family Bowling

Our children love to bowl. They had a lot of fun with us on our anniversary.

Our children were so busy the other night when we went bowling that iI had to video them bowling to catch what was going on.

Ye Here Pirate Ship!

Benjamin's friend Coulson comes over once in a while and they play "boy" games. When he came over last week, Benjamin and Coulson were playing pirate ship on the top bunk where little sister couldn't reach them. So in an effort to ease the tension this scenario created, I came up with a solution for both the boys and Bekah. We built a "pirate ship" on the extra bed in Bekah's room. This way the boys could play their game in a "real" ship and the bed was low enough that Bekah could climb "on board" with the boys. They seemed to have a lot of fun with the resolution and they were so cute I couldn't resist taking their picture!

Button, Button, Who's got the Button?

Benjamin has determined how to button up and unbutton his shirt! Last night Benjamin was taking an extra long time to get his pajamas on, and when he was halfway dressed he had something important to tell us.

"I did it! Look, Dad, I buttoned my shirt!" Benjamin exclaimed triumphantly. He has one pair of pajamas that has a button up shirt with a pair of pants. It has large, red buttons on it (thus, the picture I found on flixster and cropped to make it my own). I love to share his excitement when he learns how to do something new that he hasn't every done before.

The Subway Haunting

The other day when we were driving around Benjamin kept noticing the Subways. Each time he spotted a Subway the conversation would go something like this:

"Agh!" says Benjamin.

"What is it?" responds Mom.

"It's the five dollar sandwich!" growls Benjamin.

"The five dollar sandwich? Do you mean Subway?" asks Mom.

"The five dollar sandwich!" says Benjamin pointing emphatically. "There everywhere!"

"They are everywhere, aren't they? Are they bothering you?" agrees Mom.

"Yes!"

"It's just Subway," Mom tells Benjamin.

After that Benjamin was excited to see Subways everywhere, they weren't 'haunting' him any more. It sure was cute of him to recognize and point out the 'five dollar sandwich place' when he thought it was following him around.

Story Time Parade

Now that Bekah has discovered she can walk, she does not like to sit still for story time at the library. However, she does love to play with the puppets and sing the songs in between the stories. So when they do these activities Bekah will at least stay in the story time area instead of wandering around the entire library. I'm still learning how to use my camera so I thought a video would be a good way to demonstrate the fun library activities because still frame pictures don't quite do justice to them.

Five Years

This month we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Five years ago we were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple. We have a hard time believing it was five years ago that we were married because so much has happened since then.

• We have added two beautiful children to our family.
• Both of Michael and I have graduated from LDS Business College and BYU.
• We survived 4 moves and 6 wards.
• We bought our first home.
• We have learned the value of having food storage, savings, staying out of as much debt as possible, and paying those debts off as quickly as possible.
• Our families of origin have increased by 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and two brothers-in-law (as of the end of this month).
• We have gained a lot of experience in parenting, though we are far from experts at it.
• We discovered that continuing to date after becoming parents is vital to maintaining and building on the relationship that we started when we decided to marry each other.

Just to name a few of the things we have done and experienced.

For our anniversary we ended up doing a variety of things, thanks to an unexpected refund we received in the mail. We started our day with yummy cinnamon rolls, one of our favorite breakfast foods, but I love breakfast foods that are warm and sugary.

Then we went to the where we bought some FABULOUS raspberry fudge. After that we wandered around the outdoor mall, enjoying the crisp winter weather that was not bitterly cold.

For lunch we ate at , a Brazilian steakhouse. I think this is my new favorite kind of restaurant. This type of restaurant has an unlimited salad bar of soups, pasta, rice, fried bananas (absolutely yummy!), salad fixings, and different types of cold salads. The best part is the meat. The meat servers bring around different kinds of barbecued and slow roasted meat for you to eat. It is an all you can eat buffet of sorts and the food is delicious!

After an afternoon nap, we went bowling, out for ice cream, and rented a couple of movies. I wouldn't have wanted to spend our day any other way.

I felt Pioneer-ish Today

Today I felt pioneer-sh because I was doing a lot of domestic stuff that the pioneers would do. The major difference was that I had indoor plumbing and electricity to complete my tasks instead of needing to haul water (and break the ice), cook and boil water on a wood burning stove, and sew by hand.

I started the day with baths and a haircut. Then I made stew from scratch. All I had to do was assemble the ingredients as listed in the recipe and turn the crockpot on high for 5 hours. Then I made bread. After which I worked on a quilt and did some ironing. I am very grateful that I had electricity to help me in my tasks or it would have taken me twice as long to get everything done.

By the way, here is the stew recipe. It was absolutely delicious and super easy!

Beef Stew

3 carrots, cut up
3 potatoes, cut up
2 pounds beef chuck or stew meat, cut in 1 1/2-inch cubes (I used a bone-less pork roast)
1 c water or beef stock
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic OR 1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika OR 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
3 onions, quartered OR 1/2 c chopped onions
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper
1 stalk celery with tops, cut up

Place all ingredients in crockpot in order listed. Cover and set to LOW for 10-12 hours or on HIGH 5-6 hours.

Sword Play

Benjamin is very fond of playing swords. Bekah wants to be just like brother. Dad is the honorable foe because Mom has been hit too many times playing swords with Benjamin. This is what the rest of my little family did with the swords they received for Christmas.