Potato Heads

A few Saturdays ago, Devin and I ran some errands with the boys and when we got home he and I started making dinner in the kitchen while the boys played with their potato heads in the toy room.  We can see them from the kitchen and it was so cute to watch them play so well together.

As I watched them play, I reflected back on the day we spent together.  It was pretty much perfect.  We didn't do anything big, or expensive, or terribly exciting, but it was a perfect day spent with the three boys I love most in life.  I thought about how amazingly blessed I am to have all these boys in my life.

They played for about an hour and still did not want to stop when it was bath time.  We convinced them with promises of stories after bath and they got excited to read.  They are so sweet.

I'm so thankful for days like that.

Henry & The Doggie Door

Here is my cute little boy before bath wearing his "hat."  

That scab on his forehead is from a fall he took in the backyard.  I head him crying and when I checked, he had fallen and a rock was stuck in his forehead.  It was so sad

He also thinks it's great to look outside through the doggie door.  Jaxon used to climb through it before he could open the door, but Henry hasn't attempted that yet.  He just likes to stick his head outside.  His little feet dangle inside and it's so cute!

Stinky Feet

This post isn't really about "stinky feet."  More like "dirty feet" I guess, but I thought "Stinky Feet" was a fun title.

Okay, so Devin and I had an interesting discussion the other day.  We were in the shower and I noticed he didn't wash his feet.  I asked him about it (I figured he forgot or something) and he said he doesn't wash his feet.  He thinks that by just standing in the shower his feet get clean from the runoff water.  I don't know about that...

I had no idea that my husband doesn't wash his feet!  They don't ever stink, but still, who doesn't wash their feet?  It's not like it is hard and takes a long time.  Seriously, 10 seconds a foot, 20 seconds total.  I thought everyone washed their feet, especially my smelly-good, well-groomed, clean-cut, handsome husband!

The Power of An Envelope

Devin and I have a budget.  I use a spreadsheet I created to track where all of our money goes each month. We are usually pretty good about staying within the budgeted amount...except in the food category.

We were getting tired of going over so we tried something new for April.  We withdrew cash for our budged amount for groceries and kept it in an envelope and used ONLY that to pay for food this month.  That was nice just for the fact that I didn't have so many debits to keep track of.  So, how did we do?  We have $20 left!  That's such an improvement from going like $100 over sometimes!  It was nice to see that when we really tried and planned, we were able to stay within our budget!

Cell Excuses

I called my grandpa on his cell phone the other day and he didn't answer.  When he called me back the first thing he said was, "Sorry I missed your call."  It made me think...

When someone used to call a home phone and get the machine and when the person called them back, did they apologize for missing the call?  No.

Cell phones have changed our expectations about communication.  We expect to be able to get ahold of people the minute we call them and if they don't answer, they usually feel obligated to provide an excuse or apology for missing the call (from what I have experienced).

I'll admit something:  sometimes, I just don't want to talk to anyone.  Yep.  Especially if I'm upset about something, the last thing I want to do is pretend to be happy for a phone conversation.  Or, sometimes I am changing a poopy diaper and can't get to the phone, but I don't think I have to tell the person when I call them back why I didn't answer.  Or, sometimes I am too stressed and just can not deal with one more thing at the moment.  Am I obligated to give people an excuse for not answering their call?  I don't think so.  And I don't expect people to tell me why they didn't answer my call.  It's no big deal.  People can't always make it to the phone, but now a days, it seems like we think they should be able to.

We don't have caller ID on our home phone so I have no way to screen calls, so often times I don't answer it.  Most people who know me personally have my cell phone number so if they need to, they can call me on that number, or text me, or e-mail me.  There are plenty of ways to get ahold of me.  And we don't have a machine on our home phone either, which I actually love because I don't like checking messages.

So, do you feel obligated to apologize for missing a cell phone call, whether it was by accident or on purpose?  Do you think people should apologize to you if they miss your call?

Church with a Guest

With two little boys to entertain and keep quiet for an hour, sometimes it takes 4 Spiderman action figures.  But when Daddy starts playing, things really get fun!  This is what happened in our pew this past Sunday:

Notice Spiderman in a white shirt and though you can't see it, he is wearing a tie too.  He's "Church Spiderman" painted by Granny.  He's a great time in his skin tight pants and skinny tie!

Daily Cleaning

When a possible daycare client came to meet me and see my house she asked me,   "How do you keep your house so clean?"

I said, "Well, I like it clean."

She said, "Yeah, I like mine clean too, but I can't keep it like this."

I guess what I should have said was, "I spend a lot of time cleaning."  She's right.  Most people do like their house to be clean, but not everyone likes to spend their time cleaning.

I don't necessarily like cleaning itself, but I can't stand when the house is dirty, so I clean to get to the end result:  a clean house.  I clean often, so the job doesn't get overwhelming either.  It's certainly not spotless, but rarely is it in a condition where would I be embarrassed for someone to walk in unannounced.

That little experience led to this:

I was texting with a friend the other day about our cleaning experiences of the current day.  I was telling Devin and I suggested that I do an experiment of not doing a single dish or picking up a single thing for a whole day and see what the house looks like.  He responded like this, "Ew.  Yuck.  You know how bad that would be."

He's right.  It would be scary.  I don't think I'll try it.  I guess I'll keep spending a lot of time cleaning.

Dirty Dozen Foods

I would like to buy all organic, but it's more expensive, so I found this to be useful information...
The top 12 fruits and veggies that contain the highest amount of pesticides:

apples
bell peppers
celery
cherries
grapes
nectarines
peaches
pears
potatoes
raspberries
spinach
strawberries

The article listed these foods and said to always be sure to wash the fruits and veggies you buy from the store.  I wonder if running water of food really gets off the harmful chemicals?  I don't really think it can.

Pst

"Pst.  Mommy, we are friends."  Jaxon said this to me as I read him his bedtime story.  What a sweetie!


Oh, and the other day I asked him, "What if someone asked you to smoke?"

His response, "I will say no and I will kick them down."

I was kind of surprised he thought he needed to kick them!  I told him, "No, you don't need to kick them."

"Yes, I do kick them."

Hmm...  Where did he learn this kicking thing?  At least he has the say "no" part down...we'll work on the kicking thing...


And today he told his primary teacher that his dress was pretty.  He must learn that from his sweet daddy!

Grey or Gray

I need some help...
If I got a grey couch, what color should I paint the walls to match?

Free Song Download

Free song download:  Nearer My God to Thee.  It's so pretty, and totally free, so why not, right?

Discovery Park

This was a perfect day...

We went to Discovery Park (I didn't know until we got there, but they don't have any playground equipment...At a park, it's crazy, I know!)

Henry spotted a duck in the water and was super excited about it.

My boys watching the stream.

Two little cuties!

We ended the day with hot dogs and frozen yogurt from Costco.  

It was so fun to spend the day with these guys.  It was really special.  We didn't do much, but the time meant a lot.  Life is so good!

Devin Quotes

Here are a few great things Devin has said lately:

"You legs are about as rough as my beard."
Obviously, I was very flattered.

Devin has a pet peeve of when people make up names for their kids.  Like crazy names with crazy spellings.  He says, "Don't make up names.  There are plenty of names in the universe."  He does have a point.

Then, the other night while we were watching a movie after the kids went to bed, he randomly said, "You should wear lingerie when we watch movies."  I didn't love the idea, but it made me wonder if every man wishes his wife would do this?  Probably.

One of the reasons I love Devin so much is that he always makes me laugh.  Well, he always tries at least.  Sometimes, he's not funny, but then we end up laughing anyway because a failure is usually still funny.  He's so great!

Sneaky Crunchy

Jaxon has been the star of this blog lately.  Here is another great mommy moment I experienced the other day...

I heard a crunching noise and saw this on my bedroom floor:

Then I found him in the front room like this:

When I found him, I told him he was not supposed to sneak ice cream cones to eat for snacks.  (Seriously, one in each hand?!)

He said, "Mommy, why are you mad at me?" and before I could answer, he also asked me, "Mommy, do you like me to eat ice cream cones?"

This kid is great!

Big Brownie

I just have to document this conversation Jaxon and I just had while I cleaned up dinner.

Let me tell you this first:  I've never told him he couldn't have more food because it would make him get fat.  I've certainly never told him he was fat or even said anything about his weight, big or small.  I don't call myself fat or anyone I know fat.

Okay, now the convo...

Jaxon, "Can I have a brownie?  I want a big one."

Mommy, "You already had one so you can have a small one."

Jaxon, "How come I can't have a big one?  Will I turn into a fat?"

I just laughed and said, "How did you know?"  (I wasn't thinking anything like that for the reason.  I meant how did he know too many brownies can make you gain weight.)

Jaxon, "Because I just do.  I want a small one."

He just made me crack up!  It's interesting what kids pick up and how they translate the things they hear.  Their reasoning is so funny!  So then he decided he'd rather have a small one all on his own!

Easter 2010 Part IV with Artwork

Easter baskets from Nana filled with healthy (and not-so-healthy) treats and matching outfits!

Devin & Josh letting their food digest.

The Millers are a little crazy (in a good way)!  For every holiday everyone usually brings an activity to do as a group.  For Reina's game, everyone had to draw a picture of a bunny and she was going to judge them and pick a winner.  She decided she didn't want to chose, so she randomly picked a picture from a bag.  As she chose, she said something like, "It'll be fine as long as I don't pick Devin's."  

Here's his picture...

And guess who won???

DEVIN!!!

(Reina is vegan so she really loved his picture.)  

Check out the blog Elisha and Reina write about their vegan lifestyle here.  It's a great read!

Here's my picture.  It needs some explaining...  First, I drew the girl bunny and realized her droopy bunny ears make her look like a dog.  So, I drew her a boyfriend standing up with pointy ears, except as I drew his little arms, I realized they looked like little bunny man-boobs.  Oops!!!

Elisha's picture with a "seatbelt" for the Easter basket.

Josh's bunny was at a carnival.

Here's Nana's cute little bunny.

And we all thought Papa's bunny was great!

Celebrating with family is the best!

Easter 2010 Part III with a Fishing Pole

Henry's Easter basket

Jaxon got a fishing pole!  He and Daddy are going to take a few fishing trips this summer.

Learning to reel it in!

Easter 2010 Part II with Carrot Cake

My talented husband

+

this mess

=

a very yummy carrot cake!

And because he worked so hard cooking all kinds of yummy treats for the weekend, and because I love him so much, I did cleaned up this mess.

On to the little boys...

They like to help in the kitchen and they bring their toys along.

We went to my Grandpa Judd's to have dinner and hunt for eggs.

We enjoyed yummy food and fun visiting.  It is so cute to watch the little kids play together.  Jaxon used one of Grandpa's boulders for a pirate ship.  Luckily, no little kids broke their legs at this get-together!

Family is the best.  I love my crazy family!  

Losing Stuff

I can't stand losing stuff!  I am really organized so I rarely lose things, but when I can't find something, it drives me crazy!  I don't even know where to look because I am so used to things being in their place, I can't think of other places they might be.

Right now...I have can't find the camera with Easter pictures I wanted to load!!!

Driver Test

I got my first driving ticket of my life on Halloween 2009 when I ran a red light and was flashed with the intersection cameras.  I have been stopped a few times, but the officer never wrote me a ticket.  I hate the cameras because there is no chance of getting out of it!!!

So, I took the drivers test online.  I got a good laugh out of some of the lines in the test.  Here are some of my favorites...

Great sign...

"When the Three Stooges chase a car that's rolling backwards into the lake, that's funny.  Nobody's laughing though, when a real mom with real children slips down a boat ramp and drowns, because the parking brake gave out."

--What?  Did they really just say that?!  When I read the first line about the Three Stooges I had happy thoughts.  Then, the next line made me sick to think about!


"Dogs grabbed out of cars and thrown into traffic.  Fist fights in the turn lanes.  Gunfire from the cab of a pickup.  These are extreme cases of angry drivers going over the edge.  Your chances of encountering this level of hostility are probably slim.  But angry people are out there, and they are behind the wheels of dangerous machines."
--Seriously?  Dogs?  That's terrible and SO sad for the dogs!  Do you think that really happens?


"IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR LIFE, KEEP YOUR PERSPECTIVE!  So what if someone thinks you’re a slow driver?  Who cares if the other guy gets the parking space unfairly?  What may seem to you to be wimpy, may in fact be a sign of strength.  It takes a strong person to overcome the urge to get even, to stop himself from showing who’s right.  Smart is not always easy; dumb is always dangerous."
--I agree with the first sentence, but I think the rest is kinda funny.  I guess because I don't get angry when I drive.


"What's the weather like?  If it's sunny and dry where you are, good for you!  But, will it be blue skies where you're going?  Check the forecast for your destination, and plan for delays.  In rain, fog, or snow, you will be (should be) driving much slower.  If you try to stick to an unreasonable timeline, you are running the risk of skidding, hydroplaning, and crashing.  You can't meet a deadline if you're dead."
--Best part:  "You can't meet a deadline if you're dead."  As I type this, I realize that it seems like I didn't take this test very seriously.  I know driving is serious and I don't mess around when I drive, but these statements just seem silly to me.


"Keep yourself back from a bunched-up pack of cars.  Sooner or later, someone will apply the brakes, and then you're looking at a multi-car pile-up.  You don't want to be invited to that party!"
--Again, it's just silly.


"If you have a tire blowout, keep the car moving straight ahead, and take your foot off the gas. Don't apply the brakes.  Let the car come to a stop off the road.  DO NOT CHANGE THE TIRE IF IT MEANS WORKING IN A TRAFFIC LANE!!  You can replace a rim; you can't replace a limb."
--And more silliness.


Anyway, maybe you feel like you wasted your time by reading this...  Hopefully, you thought it was funny like me!

Hangers

So, I don't like colored hangers.  I only like white.  We have a few colored ones and I want to switch them out with white.  Having some colored ones takes away from the uniformity I prefer.  Maybe it's weird.  When I told Devin he said, "That's wacky."  I said, "I bet I'm not the only one."  Do you have something against colored hangers?