What would you do with the last few moments of being 1?

Wear your Snow White underwear on top of your pants, of course. Oh, and you need your purse and baby too.

Beckett's in love

Yesterday, I was doing some errands. As we were driving along, there was an electronic sign that was showing scenes from the movie Cars. Beckett said, "I love Lightning McQueen." Then about a minute later he said, "Lightning McQueen is really cool." Those are probably the biggest sentences he has ever said, not to mention that I could understand them perfectly and that the grammer was correct. And today he said that he loved something else. There is hope that his speech might not be that bad.

February is FREE month

Well, another month has gone, so it is time for an update. At the beginning of the month, I got sick with a cold, which is totally backwards. Moms are the last one to get sick, not the first. Of course, everyone else got sick too. The men of the family fared better than the women. Belle got an ear infection and I got a sinus infection (and a small lingering cough too, grrr).

I would like to take this time to show all you new mothers and soon-to-be-mothers, what happens to your house when you are sick in bed for just 24 hours, like I was.




I will admit to the laundry basket and the stepper and one or two other things already being out, but the rest was all the kids. Consider yourselves warned.

After we were feeling better, we visited my Aunt Karen, up in Idaho over Valentines. It was way fun. My mom and sisters were up there as well. We had a great time watching the Olympics and movies with Karen. Also, Belle slept the best she has ever slept. She sleeps in the basement at there house, in a room with no windows and she can't hear people walking around upstairs. She slept from 9:30pm until 10:30am, after taking a 3+hour nap the day before. I have thought about asking if we can move in, just so Belle can get her beauty sleep.

Matt and I also got a nice tax return this year and so we bought a new computer. It is awesome and so fast. We love it.

Something the kids did this month was build a fort in the living room a couple of times. They had a great time watching movies from it.


The last week of February was freebie week. I found out it was National Pancake day on the 23rd, and so we headed on over to IHOP and got us each a stack of free pancakes. They were delicious.

Then, the next day was the last day to go to the Hogle Zoo for free. I guess they do this every year, from November to February, on the last Wednesday of the month. It was really fun, despite the fact that it was the only cold, wet, rainy, snowy day all week. The kids saw the giraffes, tigers, cougars, and a humongous alligator. That thing was probably 7ft long. Beckett could look away from it. That was one of the animals that he was pretty excited to see and then when he realized that they are kind of scary to look at, he got nervous. So nervous that he didn't want to look away. Maybe he was afraid that if he didn't look at it, it would come after him. I was able to distract him from the alligator by watching this hilarious squirrel that was right next door. It was so funny. It would climb up its fake rock wall on one side of the cage, and jump clear across the cage onto a vine that was hanging on the other side. Then it would crawl upside down on the vine to the floor to go climb his wall and do it again. There was quite a crowd gathered to watch it. I even recorded it, but then when Beckett was watching it after we got home, he erased it. Bummer! It was super cute and funny.




Many of the animals that have outdoor cages opted to stay inside, to get out of the cold (I do not blame them one bit). Thankfully, it warmed up a little bit just before we left and a mama elephant and her baby decided to venture out into the cold. The baby put on a little show and ran around and was just super cute.

After we got home from the zoo, Belle discovered a new trick. She can put coins between her toes. I hope you can see the penny she is put in between her toes. I think she had 2 or 3 of them in there. What a silly girl.

The kids have been super nurturing this month. Belle has been carrying her babies and this giant gorilla around everywhere. She will lay them down and put blankies on them and give them kisses. It makes your heart melt to watch her.

Beckett has also started to show his fatherly instincts. One day I was in the kitchen, and heard Beckett talking to something, playing pretend. I decided to take a peek and this is what I found:

I think he was pretending that Belle's doll stroller was sick and they had to put it to bed. I think I even heard him give it a kiss. Belle was helping him. He used my shirt for a pillow and a hand towel for the blanket. Then they decided it needed some real blankets.

And then they decided it needed a good cuddle, cause that makes everyone feel better.

So, new mommies, there are cute things to look forward to as well.

P.S. In case anyone actually reads these updates, no I have not potty trained Belle yet. I think I chickened out. Hopefully this next month. And the Mazada has now been running great since we bought it, almost 2 months now, so that is a very good sign. And we are probably putting our house up for sale at the end of the month.

Do not try this at home

Last September or October, I read something where, about this mom that lives up north, and she and her son are inside for a good part of the year. Her son is about Anabelle's age or younger, and they love to bake together. He helps her. She said their favorite thing to make together is taking a spiced cake mix and adding applesauce or pumpkin to it to make it a little different and more healthy. She said they have a wonderful time and he is just the best little helper. Well, I thought, "I can do that. Next time I bake something, I will let the kids help me and it will be just like a science class and they'll learn all kinds of things and they will have a great time." I'm sure you all are already shaking your head thinking, "What a sucker?!" and you would be right.
Last November, I gave it my first go. We made my favorite muffin recipe, bran muffins, and the whole time I felt like I was constantly having to tell them not to do something and I was getting very frustrated and upset and it was not fun at all. You'd think I would have learned my lesson. Nope.
I thought after a few months, my kids would have grown up a bit and would be a little more well behaved to help me make the muffins (plus Beckett had been begging me for a few days to go buy eggs so we could make the muffins). I was so wrong. I got them each their own little bowls with a little sugar in it and gave them their own spoons so they could pretend to be making their own muffins and would hopefully let me do my thing. It worked for about a minute and then they wanted to help me stir and help me dump in stuff. At one point, Belle had a 1/2 tblsp. and wanted to help me stir the dry ingredients. When I noticed she had the spoon in there, I tried to take it away, but she was too quick for me and yanked that spoon back, throwing a flour mixture back behind her all over the fridge. It was not a fun science class at all, especially for the teacher.
So, the moral of the story is, don't bake with your kids (unless you are using a packaged mix).

Scrumpscious recipe

So last Saturday, I had the lucky opportunity to attend a class about making easy, simple recipes that are ready in 30 min or less. Here is one that was my favorite and I will probably will do for Valentines Day: Chocolate Waffles. Just follow the recipe on the box, except add only a 1/4 cup oil instead of the required amount. Put the batter in your waffle maker and, presto, an amazing meal. You can top with ice cream and whatever sunday toppings you want. We sampled some of the waffles and they are amazing. I totally recommend them for any special occasion. I think the best part is they are so easy to make. Just sharing the love.

I have cute kids

So my kids did some cute things over the weekend. Belle is going to be the next musical hit. She loves to strum Matt's guitar and she will sing a little tune to her strumming. It is so cute. I will try to record it, but every time I have pulled out the camera to record her, she stops. No joke. I hope I can catch her. It is so cute.

At church yesterday, Beckett got tired of using only one piece of track (silly me for not packing more in the diaper bag). He than got pretty ingenious and decided to take apart all of the big legos that I packed to make a bridge with for his track. After taking them apart, he lined them up to be his new track, which was much longer than the single track I packed. The only problem was that the track kept moving apart and it frustrated him. Luckily the kind couple behind us brought smartees to church and kept him happy.

January in a nutshell

January has been quiet and crazy all at once. Matt gave me Wii Fit Plus for Christmas and we love it. It is so much fun. We have played it with some of our friends and it is way fun to play with a group, which is a big advantage to Wii Fit. It doesn't allow you to have multiple players at one time. Any of you are welcome to come on over and play whenever (just give me a heads up so I can clean up first).

I cut both Matt's and Beckett's hair. I think I did a decent job too. Beckett's was easy. I just buzzed it. But I used scissors for Matt's (well, buzzers for the lower part, but scissors for the top and to blend). I am really proud of how it turned out. It took me about an hour and a half to do the whole thing. My back and feet were killing me when it was all done, but I felt pretty good that I was able to do a decent haircut all by myself. I think Matt was pleasantly surprised too. He forgot that I had attempted to cut Beckett's hair in his sleep and so he was a little skeptical when I first offered. Hopefully next time it will go faster. If any of you cosmetologist have any suggestions on how to cut it faster and easier, please feel free to leave a comment.

We have been getting ready to potty train at our house. I have been contemplating training them both at the same time, but I think I am going to train Belle first. She is more ready than Beckett. She asks to sit on the potty every day, unfortunately it is after she as already pooped, but hey, that is a good start. She has even asked to go potty right after she woke up one morning. I hope that is a good omen as well. She is also obsessed with the underwear we bought her and Beckett. She actually likes Beckett's more I think.


She is always trying to put them on over her clothes, but she usually just gets both legs in on hole and then she can't pull them up over her knees. She gets so frustrated. The other day she kept asking me to help her put on more and more underwear. By the end of the day, she had one on top of her onsie, and 4 on top of her pants. and they were all Beckett's. We got a good laugh out that. She also carries them around all over the house like they are a stuffed toy or something. It is hilarious. Beckett could care less. He just likes the pictures of Thomas and Lightning McQueen that are on them. I don't know if Beckett will be interested in potty training for a little while. At least not until he realizes that he can get treats if he actually does something on the potty. I think that will be his great motivator. The almighty fruit snack or candy have great sway with that child. I am thinking the first part of February is when we are going to give it a go with Anabelle. We'll see how long it takes Beckett to follow in her footsteps. Wish me luck!

I had a birthday this month. It was awesome. I kind of celebrated all week (which I totally recommend). It started the Wednesday before my birthday when my mom came up to my house and helped me rearrange my house and make it look more put together. (I still need to post pictures up here of what we did. I want to finish the picture hanging first, but that might be awhile) Then on Friday, my parents came up and took Matt and I out to dinner at Windy's Sukiyaki. It was so good. Their Beef was amazing! By far the best beef teriyaki I have ever had. And their tempura veggies were pretty amazing too. The sushi was pretty good too (but not as good as that place up in Logan). It was a very delicious meal. I recommend that restaurant to anyone in the vicinity. They have private tea rooms that you can reserve and you sit on the floor, like they do in Japan. So cool. On Saturday, I opened my presents from my family and I got some new clothes (which I needed badly). They are super cute and in style, thanks to my sister Sara. I love them. I have already worn them and I feel so hip. On Sunday, my actual birthday, we went to my brother's house and had dinner with them and played games. It was a blast. We always have such fun with family. Thanks to everyone that made my birthday great!

Well, we finally did it. We got rid of the thorn in our side. The Saab story has come to an end. We are now the proud owners of a 04 Mazada 6 wagon. We love it.


It has zoom, zoom (which Matt really likes). We love all the storage space in the back and the seats are super comfy. I think this might be one of our best car purchases yet. We wont be in the market again until we have baby #4 on the way, so that gives us at least two years (hopefully more).

Beckett is still in love with our fish. Whenever anyone comes to visit, he says "Want to see our fish?" He even said that to me. Such a cutie. He reminds me to feed them and he talks to them and shows the fish his toys. I have even caught him playing pretend with them. I love it.

The last week or so, Beckett and Anabelle have started playing together really well. I will often hear them giggling in the other room and surprisingly it isn't always because they are getting into trouble. They are just playing together and having a good time. I do have to remind Beckett that he has to calm down when he starts getting too wild and rough with Belle, but for the most part, they have become great little friends. It is so nice. I am so glad they like to play with each other and that they get along. I hope they stay this way.

Belle is still trying to become as much of an adult as she can. She doesn't like to sit in her high chair anymore. She loves to eat what I am eating, including cucumbers and many other veggies. She knows how to take off her pants now (which is great for potty training) and will run around the house pants-less most of the day. She loves to pray. I will be going about my daily routine, when I will turn around and there will be Anabelle with her arms folded and she will say, "Amen?", meaning she wants to pray. She always remembers to bless our food. It is so cute and has made me stop to think about how often I pray throughout the day. Kids sometimes teach you more than you teach them. It is awesome.

Beckett is getting better with his prayers too. He sounds a little like a baptist in that he kind of shouts his prayers and looks up as he says the words. Sometimes it is hard not to laugh. We still have to tell him what to say, but he says almost all of the words now, instead of just the end of the phrase. And today, he said "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen", which is a big first. He only says "Amen" after I say the first part. These are the moments that are truly rewarding as a parent. Less than a year ago, I was worried we would never be able to get Beckett interested in prayers, but now he asks to say the prayer at almost every meal and he is excited to say them. As a mom, that makes me feel so good inside and that I really can make a difference. I hope that both my kids keep up this love of praying.

And just in case you happened to vote for our friend that was in the competition for Xbox, he made into the final three and now he is one the final two contestants. They are in the process of making his game right now. That is so awesome and we are so excited for him. The game will be out in the Fall for everyone to play for free and then we vote again on which of the two we like the best. Thanks to all of you that helped him out.