And I thought that...

yesterday was going to be a long day. The kids were out of school for Spring Break, which meant that for the day I would have 6 kids in my care. I was sort of dreading it because it was suppose to be cold, which meant that they couldn't go outside. I hadn't been feeling all that great lately and I was sure that the noise level was going to be through the roof.

But I was wrong...

The day turned out pretty good.

I decided to make sugar cookies with the kids in the morning and then we would go to an Easter Egg Hunt that my moms work was putting on. The kids were ecstatic.


We started on the cookies. Six kids, all trying to get their turn to help, did take us a little longer than expected. But there was no tears and no fighting so I feel that we succeeded with the cookie making task!

I put 4 bowls of frosting on the table and let them decorate their own cookies. There was a little, okay A LOT, of frosting that ended up on the table, chairs, floor, and their little fingers, but they were all content, happy, and quite.




They were all very proud of their creations.

And I couldn't help but smile when they all told me that I was the best. Maybe it doesn't mean a lot hearing it from 6 kids, but yesterday it did mean a lot to me.

We sang to the radio, danced a little, consumed a ridiculous amount of sugar, and laughed a lot.

and check out this orphan Emmy...who is her mother. Her hair isn't done and she is licking frosting off of her finger at 11:00 in the morning????

(I just can't get enough of her. She is soooo stinkin' cute, she just kills me)

We tried to have lunch. (sugar cookies is lunch, right??)

Off to the egg hunt we went. We got there and filled our little baskets full. The kids got candy, prizes, and even quarters.

So what I thought was going to be a long and loud day, turned out to be pretty good in the end.

And my kids are still on their sugar high and it is only Friday...

Happy Easter Everyone!

I hope you all have a great holiday weekend filled

with sugar, laughter, and most of all, love!!

In the Motherhood...

This morning after my 5:30am run, I came home and plopped my tired behind on the couch. I was thinking to myself "1 hour of silence, 1 hour to myself." I should have been editing photos in my 1 hour of quietness, but I was just too tired. I flipped on the t.v. and went straight to my DVR list. I am behind about 2 1/2 weeks behind on General Hospital episodes, I have about 3 episodes of Desperate Housewifes to watch, and a million Oprahs. Now I don't generally watch Oprah, but I record it because she does have some good stuff on occasionally.


I clicked on the first episode for this week. It was a show about motherhood. It was very interesting. All of these real women were talking about motherhood had some "confessions" to make. It was hilarious, but it made me start thinking about the way that I look at being a mother.
The blog is a good way to document things that are happening, milestones in our lives, but I think that it is a little one sided. We, as a whole, don't want people to judge us. We don't want people to think that we don't have it all together. We want to look perfect, right? We, as women, were raised with the idea that we could do it all and have it all. But on this Oprah there were women talking about how they viewed themselves as failures. How being able to do it all felt overwhelming.

I mean lets be real. There are days when being a mother is not all that it is cracked up to be. A friend from High School posted this just the other day. http://barryandstephberg.blogspot.com/ Check it out...We have all had days like these. (Steph I am linking you, is that okay? I just had to share it)

You get married and immediately people are asking when the babies are coming. So you think that to make your life perfect you must have babies. Then you see people with babies and you think that it is so fun and so perfect. So jump on the bandwagon and start a family. It's all great! You tell people and everyone is so excited and you get to shop for cute little things and it is just perfect...

But what I love is that no one tells you the whole truth. NO one tells you that you will get pooped on, puked on, you will go days without sleeping, you will go to the store with bugers on your shoulder, you will have to plan your days around nap times, and you will no long be able to pee alone.

But no one tells you the joys of it all either. No one tells you that at the very moment you hold those little babies that you just fall in love. No one tells you that the puke and the poop is all worth it and that you forget those things when your baby laughs. There are days when being a mom is tiring and exuasting and there are days that I struggle through. There are days when going back to work seems like heaven on earth. There are days when the thought of peeing alone makes me smile. But then my little baby says " mommy read me" and I smile and I read and she laughs and claps and helps me turn the pages and peeing alone doens't seem like THAT big of a deal.


So if there is anyone who reads this and ever thinks that you are alone in the craziness of motherhood. Your NOT alone. We all have days when we wish for a little time alone. We all have days when we wish for our pre-baby bodies. We all have days when we wish we could pee in silence.

So lets talk about it. Tell me your bad days, tell me about your good days. Tell me you all wish you could pee alone...because we all know that we think things like this. We all know that we don't want anyone else to know that we have days when we feel like crying because somedays it is just too much. Share your stories. It makes us all feel better that we are not alone...

I was tagged...

by Cristan a week or two ago. (and I hadn't forgotten, I am just too busy with too many projects)
Post your sixth picture from your sixth file.

So here it is...

There is not one of my files that does not contain a picture of a fish...

That was the summer that we moved into the house we are living in now. It was 2006. Aniston was almost 4. I was pregnant with Emerson. We had an awesome garden that year and I was super excited about the giant sunflowers that Ryan let me plant. (see them in the back. They were giagantic)

This weekend we started on the bathroom. I say started, because we are still working on it and it probably won't be until this weekend that we are finished. I just have to say that my husband is amazing and very talented. I love the way it is all coming together. I will post pic soon. I am just trying to catch-up from a weekend of not doing anything other that working on the bathroom...

Oh... I tag anyone who wants to show me your 6th pic in your 6th file and tell a little story with it...

10 things i am lovin' on Thursday...

10. I was coming home from Richfield the other day and this song came on the radio. It made me smile immediately. This song came out right after Ryan and I officially "started dating" in high school. I loved this song. I bought her C.D. and we listened to it when we were together.

(blogger hates me today and I have no idea what is going on with this post???!!??)

Strawberry Wine - Deana Carter

9. I have a Love/hate relationship with exercise. I love the way I feel after I am done...but I hate doing it. I have decided I needed an exercise goal. I have decided to run a 5k and I am trying to talk everyone into doing it with me. I have Alicia on board, Ryan says yes (sort of under protest), my sister is in, and we talked her husband into doing it with us. I have started training at 5:30 in the morning...I hate running, but I like the energy it gives me through the day.
So if any of you runners out there have some tips for me... throw them my way!!

8. I love having a husband who does laundry. I think it only makes him "hotter". He probably doesn't think so, but I do...

7. While my sweet and awesome husband was folding laundry he was watching Celebrity Apprentice. We have never watched this before, but it was pretty entertaining. I loved it..which leads me to my #6 favorive thing...

6. Jesse James was on the show. If anyone doesn't know who he is he builds motorcycles and is the owner of West Coast Choppers. I have never heard him really talk much and he looks like a scary biker man with tattoos...but now I love him... there had to be a reason why the "cute and lovable" Sandra Bullock would marry him.

come on now, He has cooked with Martha...

and he looks pretty darn good dressed up...


Well, he was sooooo cute on this show. I just kept saying to Ryan, "I like him sooo much". He was sincere, hard working, and almost cryed during the boardroom scences. He is the reason that I will keep watching this show... I just liked him soooo much!!



5. I love spending time with my family. This last weekend we went to St. George for Dylan's birthday.
We went to Jumpin' Jacks...
Aniston loved it...

Emerson did not...
so instead she and Grandma Verna put on lipstick and looked pretty...

I was having a good time, Ryan and I was running around and racing and then I almost peed in my pants and then I decided Jumpin' jacks was not for me??!!??

This is the response I got from my family when I asked them if they were having a good time...

4. I have tried to quit, really I have!!

But I love Coke...and it is bad for me, but I love it, and I don't care. One a day is not going to kill me, right?

3. I love little girls and I love dance recitals. Aniston's dance recital was a couple of weeks ago. She was so beautiful and did such a good job. She is left handed and this year in their dance she had to do a right legged leap. It was hard for her to do, but she practiced every day and worked so hard to get it right.

Check out those facial expressions, no front teeth and all.

Gosh, I just don't think she could get any cuter. I just think that she is amazing and beautiful and I love her more than words can say!!

2. I love finding new cute fabric. It totally inspires me to make cute stuff. I just found the sweetest esty shop with the cutest fat quarters in them. I am going to make me a purse and the girls some dresses. Yea!! I can't wait!!

1. I love my mom and my grandma so much! And I love them for coming to work in my "sweat shop". Whenever I need them they are always there (like when I have to make 24 aprons and they come to iron and sew). You guys are the best.

Mom, I just want you to know that no matter what mean things "people" say to you or about you, I know that you are the most amazing person in the world. I love you and my girls love you and we don't know what we would do without you in our lives. So hold your head up high and know that you are fantastic and beautiful and special and WE LOVE YOU!!

Mommy and Baby Xander

Warning, Picture overload...

I have been wanting to take pictures of a new baby forEVER!! I took over 100 pics and I didn't even get all the ones that I wanted. But I think that I got a few of the ones that I was hoping for. Isn't he the sweetest...and I think that his mommy is beautiful.

And I designed my 1st birth announcment...

Britania, I hope you like it...

let me know if you want anything changed...

I'm MIA

I am going to neglect my blog for this week.

I have 26 yards of fabric that need to be made into 24 aprons by Friday night,

I have a zillion photos to edit, for work and ones that I have taken,

and I have a messy house and a husband that wants to tear my bathroom apart.

Somethings got to give, right??

So blog it is you. I'll be back next week with 10 things, photos of Xander and his mommy, and hopfully a Easter project...

and the winner is...

My sister picked the #49.

Brenna you are winner. I will bring these to you this week!!

Thanks everyone for playing!! I love giving away stuff and I love blogging!!

Right now I am in Sunny St. George, soaking up the sun. We are having a great time. I am holding my little new nephew every chance I get and Ryan is fishing, shocking I know. And now I am off to buy us some new flip flops.

THANKS again everyone for playing...