Arent these so cute??

http://www.justcookalready.com/

Theyre doing a giveaway so, uh....dont enter!

A few things I never do...

1. I never take the car with the carseats unless the children are in them...this time I did
2. I never leave the house without a charged phone....this time I didnt but it died anyway
3. I am never one of the last to leave....this time I was because of a post-meeting meeting
4. I never lock the car at church. Dangerous, I know.....this time I did
5. I never close the car door without making sure my keys are in my bag....this time I did

Yup! You guessed it! I was one of the last out of a RS broadcast because of a short meeting afterwards and once I got to my car, I realized my car keys were not in my bag. Or in the church. Or on the ground somewhere. They were in the car. In. The. Ignition. Now, the car wasnt on, mind you. BUT. My phone was dead. David was at home with 2 sick babies without a single carseat. The church was all locked up except for the back kitchen door where THANKFULLY the RS president and her husband were closing up shop. AND! THANKFULLY they had brought 2 cars and could take me home. Once home, I grabbed David's keys, went BACK to the church in the van, switched cars, and drove the Kia with the carseats home. Yes. I feel dumb. Havent done something like this since before I had Benjamin.

Things I love about my son

Sometimes I feel like I complain about my son too much, therefore...here is a list of things I love about my son.
Most are not sarcastic...well...some arent...well....nevermind...

Hes doing this for an m&m

• He is adorable
• He yells "SHHHHHHH! BABY SEEPING! (sleeping)" when right next to a sleeping Elizabeth
• He is adorable
• One moment he will be making a total mess, but the moment you offer ma-mos (marshmallows) or cookie (notice how he manages to say that perfectly) or coocake (cupcake), he will clean EVERYTHING
• He is adorable
• He covers Beth in blankets (mostly he just put them over her face but its the thought that counts)
• He is adorable
• He gets upset when we wrap Beth up in blankets that he considers his (like..all of them pretty much) (see? this one? Sarcastic.)
• He is adorable
• Every bedtime or naptime he cries for me to snuggle me and just wants to take a nap with me (1/2 sarcastic and mostly not....I LOVE snuggling with my babies, but I dont get very good sleep when I do)
  

  

  Momma's boy!
  

• He is adorable
• He willingly WILLINGLY (You hear that David and James??) willingly puts on tutus, hairbows, hats, boots, any number of his, mine, Davids, or even Beths clothes just for fun
• He is adorable
• He looks so much like his father and yet not at the same time
  

  

  Just like Daddy!
  

• He is adorable
• He looks nothing like me (Yup, this one is sarcastic. I dont like people thinking Im the nanny)
• He is adorable
• He knows when Im upset and comes up to me and says "Hi mommy" and wants to cuddle and "hold you"
• He is DARN STINKING ADORABLE no matter what he is doing. When hes being sweet and most especially when hes being a stinker.
  

  

  Who couldnt love this??
  

Silicone Pellets/My Amazing Husband

Another funny story similar to My Freak Out Moment

So this weekend we're going to Arkansas for a family reunion. The Halls came the Thursday before to drive up with us the next day. An hour before they arrive, nay, less than an hour before they arrive, we are rushing around trying to get ready. Im not dressed (still in cleaning clothes), Beth isnt dressed (in clothes but not cute enough to show off for Mimi), the family room and kitchen still needed a quick sweep, diapers needed changing, and dinner was not in the oven yet. Needless to say, we were rushing around.

Suddenly, while we were rushing around, David and I started seeing these little silicone pellets everywhere. When I say silicone pellets, think a tiny dot of dried hot glue, a clear gel pebble, or a soft version of the clear earring backs that you sometimes get with earrings. Tiny. They looked like snow, were cool to the touch, had no odor, and wouldnt dissolve into the skin or anything like that. And...it created a trail everywhere that Ben had been.

In his room, all over our bedroom, a line down the hallway, 2 piles on our bed where he had jumped, etc. We looked all over for what it was. We checked all gels in our bathroom, checked Bens mouth to see if he had eaten it. We smelled it, rubbed it, held it, almost everything but eat it! We were SO confused and worried!

Until.

I looked at Ben. He didnt have pants on (per usual...cant seem to get that kid to keep them on!). His diaper was a little saggy and we had been getting ready to change him when we noticed the pellets. He was only wet. I thought..hmm...so I went to check his diaper and see if he was pooping them out. If he had I would have called poison control and rushed him to the ER. None in the diaper....not pooping them out. Huh.

I almost gave up. Forget the search. We have to get ready for the Halls, we'll just vacuum them up and move on. Almost.

But. Turning away from Ben, something caught my eye. A hole. One single tiny tear. There was a small separation in the seam of Ben's urine filled diaper.

I HAD BEEN SMELLING, RUBBING, HOLDING, AND ALMOST EVERYTHING BUT EATING URINE SOAKED GEL PELLETS!!!!!!!!

YUCK!!!! I freaked out! I scrubbed my hands and my feet (because OF COURSE I was barefoot and had been walking on them!) and I simply freaked out. 

You see, Pampers have amazing diapers. They are thin and small, but can absorb amazing amounts of urine and poo. We have tried others and will never voluntarily go back. However, the special formula that allows their diapers to be thin and small, but absorb amazing amounts of urine and poo turns that amazing amount of absorbed urine into little silicone/gel pellets. That particular diaper just couldnt handle the weight apparently and its sides split, spilling little pellets onto our bed, carpets, floors, and rugs. DISGUSTING!

After freaking out initially, we tried to clean it up. Remember, half of us not dressed properly, inlaws coming in less than an hour. I knew it wouldnt sweep up well, so I grabbed my handy dandy handvac. Wouldnt ya figure, it ran out of batteries within a minute...I need to remember to charge that. My stress level and disgust went through the roof and I was DONE! Thank goodness I have my lovely husband.

David was grossed out, but it didnt really phase him that much. We'd seen a lot worse. Heck, that day alone I had dealt with 3 poopy explosions from my children! This was just urine! Anyway, he changed Bens diaper and got the big vacuum and vacuumed it up. He got pants on Ben, swept the floors, got dinner in the oven, and starting working on getting our car battery out to be tested (another LONG story). All I have to do was say "EW!!", get Beth and I dressed, and wait for the inlaws. He is amazing.

So. Long story short:

mysterious pellets

DISGUSTING PELLETS!!!

Goodbye pellets!

Amazing husband :)

Dear Bens Grandma,

Please come with us.


Ben loves you. He cries when you leave. He calls you "mama!" and me "Monie!" He asks for you to hold him. He likes your dogs. He loves Mrs. Beasley. Today, when frightened at Arties Playhouse and distrustful of mom, he asked for you to hold him. He knows how to sneak into your bag for chocolate and get away with it. Last night we all cuddled on your bed and watched Dancing With The Stars and he fell asleep in 2 minutes. He loves you...he really loves you.

Elizabeth loves you. She sticks her tongue out at you. She lets you hold her when awake or asleep. Youre ok with her screaming at you. You like to play dress up and have staring contests. She laughs when you play with her and goes cross eyed for you. She loves you...she really loves you.

We leave Sunday morning after church. Our next get together isnt for months. You will always be "MAMA!" and I will always the woman who puts him in time out and has to pay attention to "the other" or "beebee".

You should come with us.

My first white dress

My mom bought me a white dress,
Not red or pink or blue.
She said it was a special dress
Like very other few,
There has been just one before,
A dress now put away,
That I wore some time ago
Upon my blessing day.

As a little baby clothed In my first white dress,
My dad held me in his arms,
There to name and bless.
So pure and clean was I just then,
With time to grow and learn
About the Father's plan for me.
My glory I must earn.

Now I've reached the age to judge
The wrong road from the right,
And I am here to be baptized
In this dress of white.
So once again I'm free from sin.
The path is clear to me.
I'll grasp the rod and hold on tight, I vow with certainty.
Just as mud would stain my dress,
Sin would stain my soul.

The key is to repent or bleach,
For whiteness is my goal.
And if I try my very best,
Then richly blessed I'll be,
Wearing inside God's holy house
White dress number three,
So today I make this pledge:
I'll strive to choose the right,
Through this sacred baptism ordinance
In my second dress of white. (Linda Gay Perry Nelson, 1993)

No, Beth is not getting baptized early, but she does look good in MY first white dress. It was made by my aunt Pat Ensign, then refurbished by myself, and photographed by the wonderful Aimee Roberts! Heres a sneak peek of the dress!

cryptic