Today...

Today was such a great day in the beginning and then I think just got progressively worse. Does that ever happen to you, you have a GREAT morning and you think nothing can stop being wonderful and then WHAM! Well, let me explain...this morning my Parents drove all the way up from Morgan to go to the Logan Temple with us. I have never been to this temple before and was super excited. My little bro. Joe came and watched the kids for us while we went. It was an AMAZING very spiritual session and I felt so blessed. It is such a beautiful temple and Craig and I will have to make sure we got more often. Really great to be there with my parents.

After the temple, we stopped and got some yummy Arbies, came home and ate with Joe and the kids. Thanks Dad & Mom for the wonderful morning...I hope you know how much I love you :)

This is a picture of Joe and kids when we came home....Look at Ky

My little (dirty) Sleeping beauty or as Ky says, "Sleeping bootie"

Soooo- onto the afternoon, I sat and folded some laundry and watched my favorite show "Friends" I have all seasons on DVD and can I just say, WHY, oh why did they have to go! I love that show and laugh even though I have seen it probably at least 3x. It makes folding laundry a little more bearable :)After "Friends" our new Friends Betsy & Jory invited us to go to Hardware Ranch. I don't know if any of you have heard of that place, but it is an Elk reserve and they take you on hay rides around to look at the Elk and it is only like $5 a person...kids free. So, I am excited to go because I am thinking this will be something new and fun. Here are only a few (not so great) pictures It wasn't very easy to take them cause we had to be sitting most the time.

Well- onto when the day started to go bad. To make a long story short, the kids were AWFUL. Mckay was ornery, whiny, and rude the entire time and Kylin threw about two fall down on the ground screaming tantrums. I was sitting in the parking lot talking to my friend Betsy after we got off the ride, while her little boy sat quietly in the car. MY kids, on the other hand, start screaming and running all over the parking lot. We didn't really get to finish our conversations and had to leave. I am sure she is NEVER going to invite me to do anything again because my kids were so AWFUL. I was SO SO embarrassed. Kylin was screaming, so I just left her on the sidewalk and walked away cause I couldn't take another minute. Craig, brought them to the car while I sat there and BAWLED my eyes out the whole way home.

I don't know what I am doing wrong as a mother. I feel like a COMPLETE failure. I can't even teach my kids to be polite and civilized and maybe just listen to me ONE TIME. Seriously, you would think they were starving or tired, but no...they had a nap before we left, and treats while we were there. They are just so naughty sometimes (lots of the times) and I just don't know what to do. I need help because I am doing something wrong. I don't see everyone else's kids acting like that. Please any advice...PLEASE. Anyways, sorry to go on for so long- I don't know if any of you are still reading this :) I am not having a pity party here, it just feels good to get it off my chest. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. I think I will go to bed at like 8 tonight and try not to cry....

My not so welcome visitor...

So, we have LOTS of spiders here in our new condo. You know those big ugly things that are crawling around your garage. That what we have all over. I pick up laundry off the floor- there's a spider, I go to wash my hands- there's a spider in the sink, I am vacuuming- there's a spider, I get something out of the fridge- Ok, there is not a spider there, but you get the idea!

So, I was taking a nice relaxing bath today after Craig got home from school, reading my Parenting Magazine and all the sudden I feel a pinch on my arm and it hurts. I JUMP up and a BIG ugly spider falls off my arm into the bathtub! I am FREAKING OUT...screaming and calling for Craig to get in here. So, instead of just scooping it out and smashing it...I make a point of slowly watching the thing suffer and drown, standing at the other side of the tub, butt-naked, hoping that is it not a rare "swimming" kind of spider. The whole time yelling for Craig to get in here. So, FINALLY he comes in (you would think if your wife was screaming you would book it in there or something....maybe it is an all too frequent occurance) scoops the thing out of the tub and flushes him down the toilet, gives me a kiss and walks out like nothing happend!

I know, I know you all are thinkiung I am a HUGE baby. Well, it's true I am, But I have a history with spiders. When I was like 10-years old, I got bite by a Brown recluse or Black Widow on the back of my leg. Well, it's poison ate through my skin all the way to my bone! And, since we lived in Turkey at the time (hospitals there are HORRIBLE) my dad didn't want to take me into the doctor, so he got a knife, a belt for me to bite on, and my mom held me while he cut out the infection. I still have a big white circular scar on the back of my leg to this day to remind me how much I HATE those ugly creepy suckers!

So- that explains a little why my little visitor today made me freak! I must have some weird signal that my body puts off that says, "BITE ME...PLEASE!" I know it's a random thing to blog about, but life is RANDOM right? hehe.

Our little Ghetto Rockband

So, things have been pretty boring lately being stuck inside with all this cold and snowy weather, So we decided to spice things up a bit. We are too poor to buy "Rock Band" so we made our own version :) Of course it is the white trash version. Hehe. I promise I do dress my kids sometimes...but they just got out of the bath. So, here we are in all our Rock n' Roll glory. ROCK ON!

Our AWESOME guitar and base players

Our SEXY lead singer Craig!

"Baby K" on the drums.

Could he be any cooler? I think not.

Can't play your guitar without hot pink boots of course!

The next Michael Jackson (pre-turning white version) , he was grabbing him self and spinning alot. hehe. Don't know where he got that from.

Clapping and singing to, "ALL DA SINGA LADIES"...."Put a Ring on it" by Beyonce. She LOVES to sing to Beyonce.

Rockin' Out! Hope you've enjoyed our little concert...come again! hehe

Am I really getting that old....

Well, I had another birthday....27 years old! When do you get to the age when you can stop celebrating? I am feeling 30 coming right around the corner and I used to think it was so old! It is old. haha. Well, at least people still only think I look like I am 20, so that's one good thing, even though I used to HATE HATE looking young all growing up, now it doesn't bug me so much anymore. :)

So, it was a great couple days of celebrating. We had a party at my parents house and played Rockband for like 4 hours straight! SO FUN! I have seen all you guys's pictures and it looked fun, but I had no idea...I LOVED it! The next day my voice was gone. hehe. The Howe's had a fun party for me too. I got some money, clothes, shoes, an Ipod from Craig, a purse, digi-scrapbook stuff, and jewelry. What more could a girl want! Thanks everyone, we don't have a lot of money right now, and you all got me way too much. I really appreciate it. I loved just being able to spend time with everyone and hang out.

I HATE getting pictures taken of myself, but since it was for my birthday I figured it was ok :) I guess it will be good to look back when I am 80 and falling apart, and wonder why I was so worried about getting close to 30 because 30 is so young when you are 80!

I LOVE these Rainboots....I wear them everywhere since it is so freakin' wet up here in Logan. I got them from Target.com, they have lots of different ones.

LOVE my green trench (thanks mom & dad...that's what your gift card got me) me new purse (Ebay) cute shoes (love pointy toes) , willow tree statue ( I collect them) and CLOTHES...

Oh, and since my birthday was on a Sunday, Craig took me out the next day to celebrate. Can I just say...Bacon Guacamole Burger from Training Table....YUMMMO! And then, we played lazer tag, which is usually SO MUCH fun for me because I always kick everyone's butt, but this time I didn't do so hot and so I was mad. hehe. I know I am way too competitive. I think it is a Stanford thing, ok...I KNOW it is a Stanford thing. Then he took me to the girliest movie, "Bridal Wars" which, I felt so bad the whole time cause it was super girlie cheesy. But, I liked it :) All in all, It was a GREAT couple of days! Thanks again everyone.

Okay, since this is the longest post known to man, I will do a tag I got from my sis a while back...and thought it might be kinda fun to share the weirdness that is me :) Well, maybe boring haha. But, it will be great in 10 years for me to look back on right.

1. What are five things you want to do before you die?
Spend a month in Europe especially Italy and take TONS of pictures, visit to NY city, be a big hot shot photographer, go to Bahamas and ride horse along the beach and lay in hammocks all day, and go on a cruise.

2. Where is your dream vacation? Europe

3. If you were stranded on a desert island what three things would you want with you?
water purification system, fishing pool and a lighter. Just being practical. hehe. Ok- not being literal....Pictures of family, my pillow, chapstick (another thing I am addicted to)

4. What are five household items you can't live without: Easy one: magic eraser, 409 carpet cleaner, my flat iron, computer, and sewing machine...does camera count too?

5. What is your least favorite chore? Is there a favorite one? I really don't like to do laundry...

6. What is your favorite movie? I love "Singing in the rain" & "7 Brides for 7 brothers" But, for a little more modern stuff, I love anything with Julia Roberts in it and LOTR.

7. What has been your favorite date with your sig. other? Going to an outdoor concert and then walking and getting Ice cream. I also loved laying outside a watching the stars.

8. Describe yourself in four adjectives: Quirky, perfectionist & Stubborn...well and I have to say needy too.

9. Five things you may not know about me: I LOVE Coke Zero and I'm kinda addicted to it. I have broken my back 2 times. I usually don't get dressed or shower everyday unless I have to go somewhere. I hate to cook, and I am VERY competitive in sports and board games :)

Blog Headers

So, I have had a few of you ask me about headers, so I decided to makes some! Here are a few I came up with. I am by no means a professional, but I think it is pretty fun. Click on the logo below to check them out :)

Birthday Girl!

It's been a busy couple days...2 birthdays in two days is a lot of work :) Kylin's birthday was the 17th and mine the 18th. Plus, we had a chuck-e-cheese party for Ky on the 15th. I'll have more pictures of my birthday later....THANKS everyone who wished me a happy birthday! You're the best :)

I made this Tutu dress for Kylin cause she LOVES to dress up and theme of her party was "Tinkerbell" She looked so beautiful in it. Although, I laughed so hard the first time when she put it on cause it was so POOFY! I love this picture of my baby girl. I seriously can't believe she is 2. Gosh, I love her SO MUCH!

CHUCK-E-CHEESE PARTY-

The pizza...not so yummy, but Kylin LOVES it The gang- We had both side of our family come. I think the "big" kids had just as much fun as the little ones. My brothers who are 30 and 16 yrs old played games for 2 hours :) I even played some hoops with my dad :) Thanks everyone for coming...it was TONS of fun!I didn't go all out and make a cake this year (the tutu was pretty time consuming) so, I decided to just make cupcakes.Kylin didn't eat the cupcake she just took the ring off and kept dipping it in the frosting.

She got the cutest red cowboy hat, lots of CUTE CUTE clothes, a pony, little dora backpack and MONEY...

Her favorite was the money. She put it in her pocket and wouldn't let me hold it :)

This is her busting a move....I was laughing so hard because she was going CRAZY! I wish that I had a video camera. She has come sweet moves.

I didn't take pictures of us playing very much cause I was too busy having fun :)

HER BIRTHDAY-

Ky opening her big present in her tutu- see how poofy it is. hehe. She loves it though.

She was SO excited for this kitchen. I think the kids played with it for about 2-hours straight.

Her tinkerbell doll...that she threw down shortly after opening to go play with her kitchen. Hopefully she will show more interest in dolls at two :)

Her stash.

For her actual birthday, I just made her a little tiny bunt cake (since craig and I can't eat cake) and dumped lots of frosting on it. I didn't care what it looked like as long as it had frosting. I was burnt out from doing all the cupcakes. hehe. I know it looks awful but she loved it.

MY BABY....

Is not such a baby any more, she is a little girl now! I am sad that she is growing up so fast. Happy Birthday Kylin, I love you so much! Lots more pictures to come... :)

ps. Don't worry, to all of you who emailed me....I will be getting back to you, things have just been super busy. I promise I am not ignoring you :P

Piggies....Decorating Projects....& Yummy Treats!

Since we have been stuck home a lot we have been doing lots of crafts lately. Here was one of Mckay's favorites that we got from "Martha Stewart's crafts for kids". He LOVES collecting money, so this was the perfect project. his favorite part was punching the holes.Here is how you make it:

1. Get a small water bottle and cut a slit in it fot the money
2. Wrap in construction paper (or I used felt cause my water bottle was a little rounded) cut slit in that also to match slit on bottle. Glue...I used hot glue gun, but you could probably use regular glue if you wanted.
3. Cut ear shapes out of paper and punch different colored dots with a hole punch (Mckay's favorite part) glue dots on ears and 2 dots for nostrils.
4. Fold ears under at the bottom so that you can glue them down.
5. Glue pipe cleaner around the edges (tuck ears underneath) to hide ear folds.
6. Glue on googly eyes and feet. You can use bottle lids (we have lots around our house) or you can use REALLY big beads. TADA done!

Quite the mess, but worth it :)

The finished piggie!


So, you all probably know that I LOVE to decorate...and a new place to live gives me a reason to change things up. So, I sold our other TV stand and coffee table and bought this for about the same price. Thank you Ikea :) It looks like a built in so I really like it. It is still a work in progress, but this is what I have so far. It has been really fun!

Since I can't paint I lined the back of these book shelves with poster board and painted them. Adds a little color to this side of the room.

I am in really into birds, and vintage stuff, and those vintage colors and patters right now. I am sure it is just a phase, but that is the nice thing. It is only pillows and a few accessories if I ever want to change it...cheap!

One of the fabrics I used to make my pillows for the couch. Like I said....really into birds right now :)

Not quite sure how to arrange the pillows I made yet...or if I will even use them all, but here is what I have.

My fun metal bird. Don't know why, but I love the thing.

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Last, but not least....Do you guys check "Bakerella?" Well, she has the YUMMIEST recipe on there the other day. I was invited to FHE at a new freinds house on monday, so I decided it make it. I and let me tell you...it was DELICIOUS and SO EASY! You can get the recipe from here--
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH BROWNIES

If you want to see more pictures and step-by-step check out bakerella :)