Her Little Shadows

I saw a young mother with eyes full of laughter
And two little shadows came following after.
Wherever she moved, they were always right there -
Holding onto her skirts hanging onto her chair,
Before her, behind her - an adhesive pair.

"Don't you ever get weary as, day after day,
Your two little tag-alongs get in your way?"

She smiled as she shook her pretty young head,
And I'll always remember the words that she said.
It's good to have shadows that run when you run,
That laugh when you're happy and hum when you hum -
For you only have shadows when your life's filled with sun.

I love this poem because it reminds me to enjoy this time in my life more...even when I don't want Parker following me around EVERYWHERE!! I can't even go to the bathroom by myself. He is up there with in 30 seconds of me getting to the bathroom and he is waiting to flush the toilet for me.

Sadie always wants me to play polly pockets with her and I have to say exactly what she wants me to say...does it get tiring? Sometimes. But I would not want it any other way.

I love my little shadows!!

ramblings....

I have been a slacker lately when it comes to blogging. I haven't really taken any pictures to post and so I have just kind of ignored it. Tyler had a few days off last week for Thanksgiving and it was such a fun week. It was great to spend time with our family and do a lot of fun things. We had a great Thanksgiving here with some of our friends. We ate YUMMY food and played games.

The day before Thanksgiving, we took the kids to Coco Key Water Resort because Sadie has been begging to go for months now. (It does not help that the commercial for the resort comes on every other minute on nickelodeon).

We also went to the opening of an inflatable party place. It had rock climbing too and it was so cute to watch Sadie. They had a clown there making balloons for the kids and pizza, & ice cream...and the best part about it was that it was FREE!!

On black Friday we went shopping all morning and most of the afternoon, came home for naps and then went out shopping again all night. It really surprised me that Tyler was up to going to 2 different malls...in one day. He played with the kids at the play place and I shopped. It was great! If I could do the 5 o clock in the morning thing, I would. But, sleep is so much more important to me right now. Actually, I don't think I could ever do it that early...even as much as I love shopping. I guess I should never say never. I should try it at least once.

Sorry that I don't have any pictures to show for the fun week that we had. Kind of boring, I know....

I can't believe how fast time is flying. Thanksgiving is over...Christmas will be here in 3 weeks and most exciting....we are going to have our baby any day now. I went to the doctor yesterday and he scheduled me at the hospital for next Thursday, but said that he doesn't think that I will make it until then. With Parker, I went in to get induced and I was in full blown labor. I don't know how I did not know that I was in labor. Anyway, we are excited and nervous. It is funny because I have been through this twice now and I am still just as nervous as the first. I can't wait to not be pregnant anymore. But, I am not sure if I am ready to give up sleep yet...I don't think that I have much of a choice on the latter.

I am really excited to spend Christmas here. I am sad that we wont be with our families, but this is our last Christmas out here and Sadie understands Santa and everything now so it will be fun to do it all here. She wants to make cookies for Santa and she thinks that she is going to hear him, wake up and come down and see him eat the cookies. She wants to see his reindeer too. Very cute. When we talk about it, she gets so excited!

Well I hope you are all having a great holiday season!! We miss you all in Utah and hopefully we will see you in a couple months!

TAGGED!

I was tagged by my friend Mindy. I just did the first thing that came to mind, not exactly the deepest thoughts so here goes......

• I am: pregnant.
• I want: my children to know that I love them no matter what.
• I have: a lot of purses.
  
• I dislike: the green drink that my dad makes me try when ever we are in town. It has wheat grass and all kinds of veggies that he blends together and you have to chew it to get it down.
  
• I miss: friends and family in utah, utah weather.
  
• I fear: that I will always be disorganized. spiders.
• I feel: very, very pregnant.
• I hear: parker playing with blocks, and sadie telling me about pocahontas.
• I crave: grapefruits and rocky road ice cream (this changes on a weekly basis).
  
• I cry: whenever I laugh really hard.
  
• I usually: love to be around people, but sometimes I need my space.
  
• I search: for houses and cars online at least a couple times a week.
• I wonder: where we will be in a year.
• I regret: not getting better grades in high school.
  
• I love: Tyler, my kids, all of my family and friends.
  
• I care: that my house is clean when people come over.
  
• I always: try to get ready before Tyler gets home from school, but I have to admit that more often than not I am not ready.
• I worry: that I might not always say the right things...all the time.
• I am not: a sarcastic person...oh wait, I am very sarcastic.
• I remember: when I used to build tree huts in the big field by my friends house and we used to play truth or dare in them. that was when I had my first kiss.
• I believe: that everyone is trying to do their best and that it is hard not to judge people.
  
• I dance: all the time with my kids. you should see me right now...8 months pregnant...it's HOT!
• I sing: in the car.
• I don't always: love going to church with 2 kids.
• I argue: anything I really think I am right about. sometimes it is fun to argue.
• I write: in my journal every week.
• I win: anytime I want to go to Costco with Tyler when we are thinking of something to do with the kids.
  
• I lose: anytime I want to go to the mall with Tyler when we are thinking of something to do with the kids.
• I wish: I could live more in the moment and not worry so much about what is to come.
• I listen: to music really loud when I am alone in the car.
  
• I don't understand: how people can get so enraged about politics and stuff like that...to the point that it takes over their lives. I try not to worry too much about politics because worrying is not going to help out the situation. And I guess that I don't care as much as some people do. I did vote though.
• I can usually be found: hanging out at home. I am a homebody.
• I need: Tyler and my kids. And phone calls from my mom and sisters.
• I forget: anything that I don't write down.
• I am happy: when my kids are playing and laughing together. it doesn't seem like it happens as much as I would like these days.
  
• I tag: anyone that wants to do it!
  

i am forever traumatized

So yesterday Sadie and I were playing our 6th game of Memory and I happened to win this time. Sadie usually does not care if someone else wins. In fact, she has been known to not use her unicorn card free space card in the game Sequence because she does not want to win and have the game be over.

She must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday or something because she got all upset when I won and she went in the other room and crawled under a table where there were a pile of her dress ups. by the way, we were in the basement. I sat down on the couch and began to tell her that it is ok to lose sometimes and that it is important to be a good sport about it.

She looked out from the table and I looked at her...ok I am getting all itchy and squirmy just thinking about it! and there was a big brown spider on her face...right by her eye. Ya, you heard me right...a spider on her face. I jumped up and in that moment I knew I had to stay calm because I didn't want her to freak out like I was about to do. I took the remote and swiped it off her face and she must have felt it right then because she started shaking it off and yelling there's a spider on me!!

I grabbed her and I went upstairs to get one of Tyler's shoes. (I can't use my shoes because then I wont be able to wear them for a while...until I forget that I killed a spider with that shoe.) I started going through her dress ups and shaking them out. mind you, I am on a chair so the dang thing wont crawl on my foot. I see it trying to get away and I smash it with Tyler's shoe. It wasn't all the way dead, but i scooped it up on a little peice of cardboard that was laying around.

I took a picture of it and looked it up online and I am pretty sure that it is a wolf spider...or a grass spider. If anyone knows from this picture, let me know.
I was way more freaked out than Sadie was....I am still trying to recover from seeing a huge spider on her face.

halloween pictures

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love it!! This year, Sadie was a cat and Parker was a pirate. We did a lot of fun things that required me to dress the kids in their costumes way more than I would have liked to. :) But it was good times! Tyler dressed up as a creepy lion and I was a witch because I really did not have much that fit me. I was very limited. I am sure that I could have really used my imagination and come up with something creative..but I didn't. Halloween night we went to a party with friends from around here and it was way fun. We have great friends out here!

random pictures

We went home to Utah for a couple of days because Tyler's brother, Jason married Whitney and we are so happy for them. Sadie was the flower girl and she loved every minute of it. It was funny because she was supposed to throw the flower pedals on the ground as she walked up, but she wanted to save them...she did throw a couple though. It was a fun day and we are excited that they finally tied the knot!

This picture makes me laugh! We went to get eye exams and the doctor dilated Tyler's eyes to check em' out. Afterward we went to eat at Blimpie they have $5 12 inch subs...love it! And he had to wear these glasses the whole time we ate and while we were driving. These look like the big glasses that old grannies wear!




Out to lunch with some of my favorite people to be with!!

We think that Parker and Sadie look so much alike in this picture.

Introducing.....

Parker's new girlfriend...Olivia. Every time they see each other, they kiss and hug each other.

PAJAMA PARTY!

Sadie loves Olivia.

7 things about me

My wonderful sister, Debbie tagged me and I actually found some time tonight to sit down and do this. Here goes....

7 things I plan to do before I die:

1.travel to the Mediterranean with Tyler
2.raise good, kind children
3. run a marathon....or at least a half
4.be on Oprah's favorite things show
5.travel with my family
6.buy our own island
7.grow old with Tyler

7 things I can do:

1. forgive easily
2.always say what I feel (sometimes not as tactful as I would like)
3.shop and find good deals
4.be a good mom...most of the time
5.always try to see where others are coming from
6.say NO when I don't want to do something
7.do 20 front and back hand springs back and forth on a tramp

7 things I cannot do:

1.be on time
2.quilt a baby blanket
3.run, I get side aches after like 30 seconds
4.sing, although I belt it out in my car all the time!
5.anything crafty
6.organize and keep house clean
7.pass up a sale

7 things I would have on a deserted island:

1.my family
2.good friends
3.lip gloss
4.lotion
5.toothbrush
6.good food
7.caramel apple suckers

7 things I say most often:

1.I love you
2.you are so freakin' cute
3.Parker...don't hit
4.man our house gets dirty fast
5.hey, what's up?
6.I forgot what I was saying
7.hurry let's go, were late

7 celebrity admirations:

I don't admire any, but here are some I think are pretty:

1.Jennifer Aniston
2.Jessica Alba
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

7 favorite foods:

1.pizza
2.mexican
3.cafe rio salad or burrito
4. the DoDo turkey sandwich
5.french fries
6.fruit
7.chips and salsa

7 people I think should do this:
1.jackie sellers
2.mindy taylor
3.ashley larson
4.melissa godfrey
5.aimee smith
6.lisa stanley
7.jackie bateman

DiSnEyLaNd!!

Tyler had fall break and so we went with his family to Disneyland. It was so much fun! Here are some photos of our trip.

a few updates

There is a new bridge here in downtown Omaha that they just finished building that goes across the Missouri River. It is actually a really cool bridge. Tyler is excited about it because it leads to 100 miles of biking trails. We went up yesterday after conference to check it out.



I gave Parker some ice cream and forgot to take away his bowl from lunch. When I looked over he had both spoons in his hands and he was eating the noodles with the ice cream. Sounds grose to me...but whatever.





This is kind of sad. Tyler and Spencer have been working so hard on this garden for about 6 months now. Weeding, cutting down trees, building fences to keep out the critters...they have done a lot. They were really excited for the watermelons and we had like 15 of them. They were growing so big and we were just waiting to cut one open. Well, the other day we did and it was so delicious...ok, not really. It was actually all yellow inside and horrible. Anyway, in the couple days to follow there was a raccoon that sneaked his way into our garden and dug out all the insides of the watermelons. What a little devil!! So now we don't have any watermelons. But that is ok I guess. Our garden has produced a lot of other yummy stuff that we have been able to enjoy. :)





We went to the rodeo last week with some of our friends.


natalie & me (Spencer is in the back making sure his video footage of Jessica Simpson worked out)


us & masson's

dan is having way too much fun!

We were laughing so hard at the new Jessica Simpson following.

just a thought....

My mom came out to visit last week and we had so much fun hiking and walking to the gardens and SHOPPING! I just wanted to say thanks to my mom for all of her help and for everything that she does for me and my family. My kids love being with her...she is such a great grandma. You are the BEST!! I love you mom!

girls day out

Yesterday Sadie and I went on a girls day out with some our good friends, Lisa Stanley and her little girl Kaydee, Lisa Stephenson and Ava & Mandy and Scarlett. We went to Disney on Ice and it was so much fun!! The kids loved it and actually the moms loved it too. At one point there was music on and Kaydee and Sadie were dancing and Lisa and I started dancing and we look over and both our girls are just staring at us like....how embarrassing is this! We started laughing so hard. Afterward we went out to lunch. It was really fun. I enjoyed spending time with just Sadie. Tyler did not want to go so he offered to stay home with Parker. Here are some pictures of our day.



disney on ice

sadie, me, mandy, scarlett, lisa s, ava, lisa s, & kaydee

taking pictures during half time

the cotton candy came with an incredibles mask

sadie took this picture. she thought it was pretty funny that i was wearing it

sadie, scarlett, kaydee & ava

slipin' n slidin'

For Labor Day we thought it would be fun to make a slip and slide. So, Jon and Dan went to Home Depot and bought a 100 ft. plastic something....I'm not quite sure what it is called but we went across the street and put it down this big hill. Tyler hooked a bunch of hoses together so that it would reach across the street and then those that went down lathered up in dish soap so that they would go faster. It was hilarious to watch everyone go down. They brought a little raft over and so I decided that it didn't seem to dangerous me for, being pregnant, to do it on the raft. I had Sadie sitting in front of me between my legs and Jenny was on the back. We were going slow at first and then we got going pretty fast. My foot went through the plastic a couple times and made holes in it and I am pretty sure that was when I got this humongous bruise on my leg. The bruise makes it look a lot more dangerous than it really was. Actually everyone had bruises and scrapes all over their bodies. But they all went down on their stomachs and backs. I think that I can speak for all of them and say that it was all worth it. (I don't think that I would do it again though). Sadie and Parker both went down and Olivia, Brad and Jackis's little girl went down too with her dad. She wasn't very happy about it. Sadie went down by herself a few times on her bum...I was impressed.
Here are some pictures and videos of the fun day.



sadie & riley on the raft


the big ol' bruise that i got

the repair crew working so hard to fix all the holes that i made (sorry!)


tyler


keri and sadie



matt godfrey going down. i think he had the record for sliding the farthest.