I need blog addresses

Please leave your blog addresses because I only have Mandee's at the moment. And if anyone knows how to put them on my blog site so I can click to them when it is open I would love to know how. Thank you

Valentines Day

We had a really good Valentines Day this year. We celebrated a day early (cuz Mike had to work late the next night) and it was so nice. We made pink pancakes, dyed the milk pink, and had bacon (close enough to red/pink right?) The kids had a ball. They were a little skeptical about the pink milk (I would have had strawberry milk but I didn't have enough for everyone) but once they tried it everything was good. I had a recipe for pink pancakes from the Deceptively Delicious cook book and thought it was a perfect day to try them out. They are made with beets. I must admit I didn't make the recipe from the book (because I hadn't gone to the store and didn't have everything or I would have had strawberry milk also) but I just added 1/2 a cup of beets to pancake mix, added water and some vanilla and delish. You can't taste the beets at all (Mike even ate them and he is picky at times) The day of love this year was a good one. I hope you all had a good one also.

Those precious moments

Mike and I have been trying super hard lately to be more calm, to keep our voices not so raised, and to keep the frustration with the kids under check. It is really really difficult but I have started to realize how much it really pays off. There is a different spirit in our home. I don't feel as anxious. It has been wonderful. Now I am not going to say that we are perfect in this. My voice has been raised and there still is frustration (that is part of having children) but we are trying to make them our joy more and not our job.

The biggest difference we have seen is with our little Emma. For those of you who don't know her she is a fireball. She has so much energy. She gets into many things and has a hard time listening. She very rarely sits still and the listening skills, well it sometimes feels like they are non-exisistant. It has only been a week since we have been trying extra hard in what we do and say. Today, as Emma watched a movie she kept asking me to sit next to her. She put her arm around me and then turned to me and said "you are so nice to me mom. You are the best mom in the whole world."

It is moments like these I really believe that we need to remember why we are doing this and that we are the ones that make the difference. It is also moments like these that we need to carry on.

Surprise Jenessa

On my birthday I received a balloon bouquet with a poem inside telling me that I had someone picking me up on Friday at 8:00. So for days I wondered who it could be and what we were going to be doing. My friend Amberly showed up with a birthday crown (which I had to wear all night because I know how happy it would make Amberly) and said okay lets go. So we were off, and we were off to well I still didn't know where. We got the the theater and she paid for our tickets and we went inside. I now knew we were going to a movie (I am quick and soooo very smart) but had no clue which one we were seeing. When we walked in 3 of my other friends were in there waiting. We ended up seeing Juno. It was one I had wanted to see. It looked really funny on the trailers. I liked parts of it but it was so crude, if you asked my opinion on seeing it I would say you really could miss it. We ended up going out for steamers (my favorite) after at Starbucks and because I was wearing my birthday crown I got mine for free. (I think I will take that little crown whenever I go from now on.) I was really surprised and I had a great time. Thank you all.

I am vanilla what are you?

I took this on Mandees blog recently. I thought it was interesting.

Looking for a new show?

If you are looking for a new show to watch try the new series Eli Stone.  Mike and I have really enjoyed it.  It is about a lawyer who has hallucinations but these hallucinations essentially help him take the cases that he needs to so he can help those who might not otherwise have a chance. It is funny, has the drama, is clever, and witty and we really like it.  If you need a new show give it a try.  

30 is WONDERFUL

I turned 30 yesterday and I must say it has been wonderful.  I think I might do it again next year. Forget saying I am 29 because this 30 thing is great.  I was blessed to have wonderful friends and family call and I was able to do what I wanted all day long.  I told Mike I was going to do a lot of nothing and that is exactly what I did....a whole lot of nothing.  Thank you for all of the phone calls and cards.  You all have helped make turning 30 wonderful.

I am finally up a running

This is soooooo cool.  I have been trying to do this since Mandee and I went to Utah in October.  I actually set one up with her while I was there but forgot the passwords and the address so I couldn't continue.  I now have it all written down on a handy dandy little yellow post-it note.  

I am so excited to be doing this.