If you like the "Happy Hour" idea.....

.......Check out this blog too! It'll help us all be better mommies!

Calling all "Desperate Ladies!"

{{click on the cute invite to see it better!}}

Last weekend when a bunch of my favorite gals were over, we started talking about how we all need some sort of gettaway every now and then. Being a mom is SO demanding, as you all know and getting to talk to someone who isn't 3 years old is kind of a big treat! So, my friend Kira and I have decided to have Happy Hour every now and then. We will have virgin margaritas or some other sort of yummy (non-alcohlic) drinks! Any lady who could use this hour of bliss is invited! I know some of these wonderful women don't have a car or anyway to get here, so let me or Kira know if you need a ride!



Our first one will be next Thursday, May 7th at 1:00pm.

RSVP so we know how much to make, and we will also ask you to bring one ingredient for our drinks!

Fun at the Park!

Last week, it was so sunny and gorgeous outside! One of my "besties," Leslie, and her little man Gabe came over to our house and we walked over to our neighborhood park for a fun little picnic. The kids were too excited to play, and didn't really eat much. They ran off to play on the slides and swings. They had so much fun!
Look at Gabey's adorable hat! So cute!

When Kenz was little, I followed her all over the place whenever we went to the park to make sure she was safe. She was always a little scared of the playground equipment. Ashlin however, is fearless! She was all over the place running and laughing and doing whatever she felt like doing with little or no help at all. It was hilarious!

Even Jamison enjoyed himself! You could tell that he was loving being out in the fresh air and laying in his stroller in the shade. He was so calm and smiley, and just so relaxed.

We had such an enjoyable time, and Les and I discovered that trips to the park are a lot more fun if you have adult company, so we decided we're going to do this every week this summer! I'm excited!

Dinner Party.....With No Pics....Lame, I know!

So, we had our dinner party on Saturday night. I made all the food that I mentioned before on a previous post. We had Megan and Lloyd, Brett and Kira, Brit and Josh, Steph and Sal, and Kaitlan over. It was so much fun! I totally forgot to serve desert though (sorry guys!) I can't believe I did that.....I just left it sitting in my fridge and no one reminded me to get it out. I suck. So next time, I PROMISE to serve desert!!! Ha ha! Thanks for coming, guys. We had fun and love you all.

P.S. This coming Sunday, May 3rd, is Jamison's baby blessing at our meetinghouse in Orem (600 N. 150 E.)

The meeting begins at 11:00am, and then there's an openhouse luncheon at Trev's parents' home afterward in Provo (3594 N. Foothill Drive)

Everyone who is invited to this blog is definitely invited to attend the blessing!! Please come!

Remember this?

When our little preemie Jamison came home from the hospital, he wouldn't even fit into a regualr sized newborn onsie. We just put it next to him and laughed. Well, that is no longer the case! Here's our little 8 week old Jamison now:

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Ha ha! He's definitely grown a bit! He had his 2 month immunizations yesterday, and he weighed in at 11 lbs 7 oz. One thing's for sure....he certainly took on Trevor's appetite!

Have You Hugged Your Child Today?

Lately I've felt like I'm on the edge of a total, mother's breakdown. I realized how guilty I feel about yelling at the girls, sticking them in timeout, and sending them out of the room every time I get annoyed with them. We've all heard the statement: "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy," and it's SO true. I would wake up feeling extremely tired, or just plain ornery, and without even saying much to anyone, it seemed that my whole little family was in a terrible mood. The spirit that I usually feel in my home was gone, and it had been replaced with a heaviness and mutual feeling of grumpiness.
Finally, a few days ago, I reasoned with myself and decided that things need to change. I've been too strict about little things: touching the TV screen, standing on the couch, running through the house, talking or giggling too loudly, etc; Honestly, those are things a child should be doing - otherwise they wouldn't be a child. I decided to just stop caring about those things. Sure, my house might be messier, and my kids dirtier...but who cares as long as everyone is happier. And when they ARE doing something they really shouldn't be, instead of spanking or yelling at the girls, I decided to try giving them a simple hug and tell them that what they were doing was wrong and that they need to do the right thing so they can be happy.
I put my plan into action, and let me tell you, my house has been a much happier place. The girls and I are enjoying each other's company a lot more, and the happy, safe feeling has returned to our home. I want to be thought of as a nice, loving mom; not a strict and non-understanding one.
There once was a commonly seen bumper sticker that asked the question, “Have you hugged your child today?”
President Hinckley once said "How fortunate, how blessed is the child who feels the affection of his or her parents. That warmth, that love will bear sweet fruit in the years that follow. In large measure, the harshness that characterizes so much of our society is an outgrowth of harshness imposed on children years ago."

Feeling "Kitchen Creative"

Every once in a while, I get in the cooking mood and have an urge to host a dinner party. Luckily for me, my husband happens to enjoy this, and lets me do it every few months. I have a japanese aunt and uncle (adopted by my Grandparents like 40 years ago) and my Aunt Fumiko is an incredible japanese cook! I'm fortunate enough to have all her best recipes in my posession, so here's what's on my tentative menu:

California Rolls

usually with rice, seaweed and avacado Gyoza

I grew up on these! They are japanese dumplings made with a meat filling and then fried. SO delish!

Japanese Sticky Rice
I love it with soy sauce.Yummy!

Sesame Seed Chicken

This stuff is amazing, I crave it all the time. It's kinda complicated and takes a while to make, but in the end, it is SO worth it!

Oriental Salad
With toasted almonds and homemade dressing

Mandarin Orange Cake

I have never actually made this before, but Fumiko's recipe looked delicious ~ I think I'll try it.
Last dinner party was a Fondue night, so I didn't actually have to do much cooking, just a lot of prep-work. This time, I will be making it all by myself from scratch. Well, attempting to, anyway. I hope it actually works!

Notice Anything New?

Ashlin got her ears pierced yesterday!

She did so well. She cried a little when the lady marked her ears with marker, and a little more with the actual piercing, but as soon as she saw her pretty pink earrings in the mirror, she smiled and blew a kiss goodbye to the lady! She's proud of them, because she has "pretties" like Kenzi does! Way to go Ashie!

Cute Kids

Baby J is gettin so big! He's a very calm, but smiley little guy!

Kenzi and Ashlin are getting to be so grown up, and are still the best of friends. It's so cool to see that sisterly love start so early in their little lives!

Dino Party!

Once again, my best friend/cousin Chelsea threw a fantastic party! She certainly goes all out. It was her son Shayde's 4th birthday on Saturday, and Chels did a great job putting together a dinosaur themed birthday party for all his little friends.

First, they all got to spend time at the craft table decorating...

Then, they all went out into the yard where the got to dig in the dirt with cute little shovels and rakes.

And what were they digging for you ask?

Of Course!

Then they played a couple little games until it was time to eat the....

It even erupted!Chelsea's amazing. I could never make a cake like that. Yep, you heard me. She made it. From scratch!

It was a blast. Of course, we stayed a bit longer after the party was over so we all could play and visit for a bit. These kids sure love each other!

Sometimes I Wish I Was....

Beautiful

Super-Mom

Taller

Tan

A Concert Pianist

From the 1800's

Smarter

From the country

or a funny mom

But for now, I'll just be me!

Our Up-Side-Down Schedule

With a new baby in the house and Trevor's two new jobs, things are all out of whack. You know how when a baby is first born, they have things backwards and have their nights and days mixed up? Yeah, that's pretty much how we all feel right now.

Here's an example of how our days have been going for the past couple weeks:

1:30pm (We begin here because this is the time of afternoon when we actually begin our day.)

*Trev gets in the shower and gets ready for work

*I feed the kids lunch, and simultaniously get dressed and some sort of make-up on

*I also hurry and dress all 3 kids and make the girls' hair look somewhat decent.

2:00pm

*We all pile into the car and drive Trevor up to his work in Lehi.

*Since I'm already out of the house, I run my errands at this point (grocery shopping, gas the car, etc;)

3:30pm

*By this point, we're all exhausted, so I hurry home and get the girls in their rooms for naps.

*I feed the baby and try to get him to sleep.

*Once all the kids are down, this is the time that I actually get to shower.

4:30pm

*The kids are hopefully down for another half an hour or so, so I hurry and try to get as much of the following done as I can:

-dishes/clean kitchen

-straighten up the living room and wipe down all the tables

-make my bed and clean my room

-blog if I have time

5:00pm

*The kids wake up, and I make them stay in the back part of the house and play (if it's nice outside, the can go out.)

*I fix some sort of dinner for the girls. Usually nothing special.

*I watch the news and feed the baby on the couch, while folding laundry or organizing something

8:30pm

*Bathtime! I enjoy this time because it keeps the girls occupied for at least 30 mins.

*I vacuum the house while they're bathing since they're out of the way

*Get the kids in jammies and brush their hair and teeth.

*We clean their rooms together and sing the clean up song 4 million times in a row

*They play or watch a movie till we have to leave

10:30pm

*We pile back into the car and drive out to Lehi to pick Trevor up from work.

11:15pm

*Family prayer, and kids get in bed (can you believe how late that is for a 3 and 1 year old?!)

*I fix something for Trev to eat.

11:45pm

*Trevor goes to bed

* I re-clean the kitchen if it needs it, and fold more laundry

*I stay up with Jamison and feed him until he feels ready to sleep.

3-4:00am

*Trevor wakes up and gets ready and leaves for his paper route

*I sleep as much as I can between baby feedings, Kenzi's nightly bloody noses, and Ashlin's recent night time wakings. (I'm not sure what her deal is. She wakes up at least 4 times a night crying and we have to stay in her room and tickle her face until she falls back asleep. If we leave the room before that, she just starts screaming again.)

6-7:00am

*Trevor comes home and comes back to bed (unless Ashlin is in his side of the bed with me, then he sleeps on the couch)

9:00am

*Kenzi knocks on her door, signaling that she's awake and ready to come out

*One of us gets up, gives her breakfast, and turns on her morning T.V. shows

9:30am

*Ashlin wakes up, we get her out of bed, change her diaper, and give her breakfast

*The girls watch T.V. and play in their rooms while Trevor and I catch up on sleep.

1:00pm

*We finally drag ourselves out of bed and begin our day.

Is this ridiculous or what? I feel so lazy and like I'm not accomplishing anything, even though everything is still getting done. This is by far the craziest schedule I've ever had.

All this lack of sleep and craziness is leaving me crabby and much less patient with my kids. I feel horrible. Of course, they're probably crabby because of this schedule too.

Advice or comments anyone?

Our Easter

We had an awesome Easter this year! It began, of course with the....

Then, we left our empty Easter baskets on the fireplace when we went to bed that night.

And when we awoke on Easter morning, we found that the Easter Bunny had left our baskets...

As the girls looked around, they noticed that hidden around the room, were their...

They gathered them all up and put them in their baskets.Then Kenzi saw a yellow piece of paper, and discovered that it was a... That led her to another note...
And another...And another..... And finally led to a....

After church, we headed up to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner. Yummy! They gave all the kids new swimming suits for Easter.

Then Grandma surprised us all with another...

Jamison just relaxed and ejoyed being in Grandpa's arms.

All in all, it was a very...

Hope yours was too!