Laurie's Place

Brownies to Rwanda: Hand Stamped Jewelry Giveaway!!!!!

2011-06-22T14:53:00.000-06:00

I found this really cool giveaway from another blog I follow. I am really impressed with the jewlery they are selling and it is such a great cause it's supporting (adoption is still near to my heart). Check it out if you'd be interesting in trying to win the giveaway or if you'd even be interested in the jewlery. I think it's great.

Brownies to Rwanda: Hand Stamped Jewelry Giveaway!!!!!: "well, all you etc jewelry lovers, we are having another giveaway starting today and ending on saturday, june 25th at midnight pst. i wi..."

The Visit

2011-03-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

I keep thinking having experiences that I sit and think I should put down somewhere, but when I think of this blog I hesitate since I go so long between posts. I'm hoping by going ahead and doing one today I can possibly get back on track at putting down my thoughts from daily life.
Last night, I took Sarah to a birthday party that was in our old neighborhood. We've stayed friends with one family there and it was so fun to take her there. She jumped right into it all like the bubbly 3 year old she is. It was kind of weird for me. Driving through the old neighborhood brought back some nostalgia for when we lived there and for the people who were still there. I did talk to a couple of people I knew and it was so nice.
I had dropped Sarah off for the party and then went shopping at one of the four Target stores that were in driving distance. It reminded me how much I miss having all of those around. There are two Target stores within driving distance of me now, one is closer - but neither one has the clearance deals I seemed to find at the ones around West Jordan. It was a lot of fun to bargain shop again (and especially since I was by myself). I was reminded of how much I missed those stores and the ease of shopping out there.
On the way home, Sarah and I drove by our old house. I had mixed feelings. I still love that house and there are so many memories tied into it. I am so sentimental about that house, since it was where I brought my babies home to and where they spent their early years.
I spent my drive home thinking about it all and feeling some small feelings of sadness, because there was so much I missed from that old neighborhood. Then, I finally turned the corner heading on the street to my house. As I saw our current house, I was filled with a feeling of being home. I was HOME! I realized that I love my current home and neighborhood as much as I did my last one. I may miss certain things about where I was, but I certainly am in a wonderful situation and I'm thankful to be here now. It's all about perspective, I suppose.

Letting Go at the Playland

2010-06-25T14:31:00.000-06:00

I took my kids to the McDonald's playland for the first time today. Yes, my oldest is five and you'd think I would have gone by now, but I never could bring myself to do it. I think I was partially traumatized by the time a couple of years ago we let Zach play at the Chick-fil-a playland and he wouldn't come out. That thing was not made for an adult to enter and I had to go in after him. Not a fun experience. Also, Sarah can be a crazy kid at times and I never knew what she would do. Long story about why we went, but our original plan today was to go to the drive-thru. As Zach saw the playland, he decided he wanted to play on it. Zach is a really mellow kid and in my mind, he needs to be more social. So, I'm trying to go with things that will give him some more interaction with other kids. To me, that includes the playland.
From entering the McDonald's, my kids were bouncing off the walls (almost literally). I had to keep getting after them to stay with me as they kept kind of bouncing towards the playland area. My point: they were ecstatic. We got our order and went to sit in the playland area. I have to admit I was kind of impressed, it was nicely set up. I felt kind of weird though when we got in there. I guess the other mothers are pretty frugal - I didn't see any other kids but mine with a Happy Meal. They mostly bought hamburgers, had them share fries, and such. I don't blame them, go for the affordable, especially since it looked like they had more kids than me. Later, I did see kids come in with Happy Meals, so I quit feeling like I was spoiling my kids.
I got pretty bored though. Not a whole lot to do but sit and watch the kids. Even then, the thing is all tubes you can't see too well into except for a few strategically placed windows. So, I couldn't even watch them all the time. Next time I'll bring a book or my laptop (I'll have to check if they have the free wi-fi there). Or hope that they decide to put some stuff in there for parents to do. I guess they'd rather have you watching your kids. Makes sense to me.
My kids had a great time. They were also very good about eating their lunch before playing and then not fighting me when I said it was time to leave. I honestly expected the experience to stress me out, but it didn't. I feel like I kind of let go of yet another hang-up I have about raising my kids. I've got lot a long ways to go to be like a normal mom, but it feels really good to make one more step.

Awesome Blog

2010-06-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

My cousin's daughter does a blog called "The Lovely Paper Blog" that is incredible. I am not a crafty person and when I first went to look at it, it was with the attitude that it wouldn't be for me. After I read through the posts, I found it was stuff even I could do. She has some great tutorials on it, showing you exactly how to do it (which is something I need). Plus, everything is so cute. I am totally in love with the cupcake liners post, that is one I am definitely going to try. Besides showing how to make stuff, she also sells custom invitations that are to die for. She has posts of what she has done and I am so impressed. I seriously want to get some for my Sarah's birthday when it rolls around.

Speaking of birthdays, she is having birthday week right now and is having a giveaway. If anyone is interested, you really should check out her blog and enter. She's giving away an invitation design and like I said, they are custom and gorgeous. Check out her blog anyway, even if you don't want to enter. She has some really great stuff on it. Here is the link to the giveaway post:
http://lovelypapershop.blogspot.com/2010/06/birthday-week-invitation-design.html

Check out her blog itself at www.lovelypapershop.blogspot.com. It is wonderful!

Missing West Jordan

2010-05-08T15:52:00.002-06:00

Our house has sold and we've found a beautiful house in Farmington that we are buying. Everything seems to be settling into place. We've even met the new buyers of our house and really like them. However, I find as I'm driving around West Jordan and the surrounding area (especially South Jordan) that there are some things I am really going to miss around here. I thought I'd make a list, just so I can remember later one what I loved (it seems that I always forget as time goes on):

I seriously love that I am so close to three Target stores, a bunch of grocery stores, and a great mall. Shopping is so nice out here. Most of it is just around the corner too, if I need to run to get something last minute. Brad just ran to Home Depot for some moving boxes and was gone only about 20 minutes.
There is such an urban feel out here. For some reason that works for me.
We live in a great ward. I've never felt so at home in any of the other wards I've been in. There are such wonderful people here and I am going to miss them. I'm also going to miss my neighbors. The people out here seem so down to earth.
We are so close to three large movie theaters.
We are also very close to so many restaurants, including a Cafe Rio. I'm not even sure where the closest Cafe Rio is to where we are moving.
I was actually looking forward to year-round school. Now we are going to traditional. I guess we won't be doing a lot of off-season vacations now.
Zach had an awesome pre-school teacher this year. I was hoping Sarah would be able to go to her. I'm also going to miss their pediatrician.

Although there is a lot I am going to miss, I know that this move is right. I'm excited to get off a private street and back into a neighborhood. I think my kids need that. I will also be so much closer to family and I feel that is very important for us to do at this time. Our new house is wonderful and has so much that I loved from my current house (and much more). It's just getting used to the suburban life again. It's just another adventure, for the first little while at least. I will at least have some great memories of West Jordan. Now it's time to move on and I'm fine with that.

Insanity

2010-04-28T13:05:00.003-06:00

I've decided that selling a home is not for me. I think it is slowly leading me to insanity. We have periods of no one looking at our home and then we get a few people. Then, there is the cleaning frenzy. Now, my realtors are really, really good at giving me notice. I usually have a few hours to do it. What is driving me crazy is that the appointments are usually at a time where I'm alone doing the cleaning while trying to get my kids to a) leave me alone, b) stay out of the cleaning products, and c) not mess up what I just cleaned. By the time I'm done, I'm usually close to tears. Why do I do it then? Because I'd like to sell my house and I want it to look spectacular, hoping someone will fall in love with it.
Then there are the appointments. From what I've learned, Salt Lake County agents are just too busy to give any feedback on your house. So, every time someone goes through my home I'm left with hope and anticipation that they will be the one. Just to go days without knowing anything about it. It is such a let down. We've had two people give feedback (out of probably 14), one saying they didn't like how close the houses are and the other didn't like that we had an irregular shaped yard. OK, I can respect that. I am so glad also that they were kind enough to put me out of my misery by letting me know they weren't interested.
I guess part of why I am frustrated is that I felt so strongly that we were supposed to move closer to our families. Now, I'm not so sure if I was right. Maybe I imagined it, maybe it was all me. I don't know and I hope that it gets resolved soon.
So, I'm sitting here today wondering about the people that were here last night. They were here for at least a half hour (we leave, but I know it was that long based on when we tried to come back home to when they actually left). I'm left wondering if they loved the home or if they just were killing time. I'm really not sure how much I can take of this roller coaster ride. I guess I could just sit back and enjoy the ride, even if it does drive me insane.

Trying to Get Going Again

2010-04-24T21:58:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted anything for four months. I have had occasional things pop into my head that I should blog about, but I sure lacked the motivation to put them down in written form.
There was the time we sold our cradle and I cried because I was having a hard time letting go of that part of my life where I had my newborn babies in there (I've gotten over it, but that was hard). I also have passed on all my kids' clothes they have outgrown. It's time to look forward.
Then, there has been the ups and downs of trying to sell our house. I'm still kind of depressed about the whole thing. Our intentions are good and I prayed about it, feeling like it was the right thing to do. I thought for sure it would sell fast because I felt so good about it. So here we are, nearly two months later and everything is the same. Except for the stress of keeping a house clean with two young kids running around. I just tell myself that we aren't moving so I don't get disappointed when we decide to stay here.
So, I feel I must move forward. I'm signing Zach up for the Spanish Immersion program at the elementary school here. I'm pretty excited about it, I just hope it's a good fit for him. I've agonized about it for awhile and finally decided to do it. He'll be starting Kindergarten this year and I'm really excited about that. It should be interesting because he'll be on year round school.
That's what I can think of tonight. I'm hoping to try to pick different things occasionally just to talk about. I read a couple of blogs and that's basically all they are doing. I started this blog for an outlet for my thoughts (and boy, do I think too much sometimes). I guess I was hoping it would pull things into perspective for me. Here's to me doing better and getting this blog going again.

The Chips Truck

2009-12-15T14:12:00.002-07:00

When we are driving home from preschool, I usually try to find things to point out to the kids, especially to keep Sarah awake. Last week, as we passed a grocery store, I pointed a Keebler truck (with one of the Keebler Elves on the side) and called it the Cookie Truck. The kids thought that was fun. Less than a minute later, we were stopped at the light and I noticed a truck with Doritos chips all over it. We were heading straight and it was turning left, to eventually be travelling in the opposite direction of us. I pointed the truck out to the kids, saying it was the Chips Truck. They thought that was even better than the Cookie Truck, maybe because they could see giant pictures of the Doritos chips all over it. The Chips Truck had the right of way and turned left, passing before us and heading the other way. Sarah says to me, "That way! Follow Chips Truck!" I'm not quite sure what purpose she had in mind, but I believe she may have had visions of her getting a large share of Doritos. Luckily, she wasn't too heartbroken when I decided not to give into her scheme.

My Thoughts Tonight

2009-10-09T22:05:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here listening to music Brad has downloaded and I just keep thinking how lucky I am to have him. I realize that sounds strange. Last night we were watching The Office (as you all know, my favorite show) and there was a song at the end that I loved, partially because of the sentiment of the show and partially because I think it's a fun song. Brad figured out the what the song was (I'd never heard it before) and downloaded it for me. He also found the You Tube video that they were talking about in The Office, which was something I was wanting to see also. This and a couple of weeks ago he had downloaded some Richard Marx music (yeah, we are talking old school there) after we had talked about how we both had liked his stuff. I always marvel at how perceptive Brad is and how he goes out of his way to do nice things for me. He even puts up with my rantings about our 2 year old's newest escapades that drove me near the edge that day - even on days when he's had a really bad day himself. I have this philosophy that we should strive to do things for our loved ones all year long, not just on holidays or special occasions when it's expected. I don't like the idea of an obligation. Brad is a huge example to me of that. He is always doing small things for me that make me feel truly loved, even with the small things.
I love you Brad! Thank you for the music and for all the simple things you do to let me know you care.

How I Love My Husband

2009-09-13T10:36:00.003-06:00

Today is Brad's birthday and I've been thinking a lot the past few days about how lucky I am to have him. I truly believe he's my soul mate, if there is such a thing. I know we all think our spouses are "the best in the world," so I won't go down that road. However, Brad is the best for me. While we do seem to be on the same wavelength on so many things, we are different in enough ways to balance each other out. Somehow we always seem to meet in the middle and figure things out for the best. I love that about our relationship. He's also a wonderful father and does so much for our kids. I am so thankful to be with him and to live life with him. I thought about writing out all the reasons I love him, but I think that might embarrass him. Although, that would be fun. I've only seen him truly embarrassed once (that I can remember). He is just such a great person and I hope we have many, many, many more birthdays together.

Happy Birthday, Brad! I hope you have a wonderful day.

My Therapy Post

2009-07-19T18:32:00.002-06:00

About five months ago I found out that one of my mission companions, someone I consider a friend and who had greatly influenced me in my life, had a brain tumor and was fighting for her life. They had discovered that Julie had the tumor while she was pregnant with her forth child two years ago. I am horrible at keeping in touch with people and it took her wonderful husband to track me down. With all that was going on, Julie wanted to reconnect with all her mission friends. I went to see her in March (I believe) and the changes were apparent. It had affected her body, her speech, and in a way her thought process. But she remembered so much, it was a wonderful visit. Then, a couple of months later I found out that none of the chemotherapy treatments they had tried on her were working, the tumor was still growing. She was given days to weeks to live. I visited her again, this time to say goodbye. It was a wonderful visit, but it brought sadness to my heart. She wasn't the same as I knew her yet she would remember some remarkable things. I will forever be thankful I saw her then. It would be the last time I would see her. Julie passed away today, she was only 36 - one year older than me.
I will never forget Julie, she was a big influence on my life. I had only been "in the field" for one month when she came to be my companion. She taught me so much about the practical side of missionary work - how to teach, the language, culture, rules, and how to work hard. She also taught me things to help me in life - charity, love, faith, hope, and so many others. She was my mentor and my friend. She showed love to all those around her. We were together for two months and then she went home, it was the end of her mission. I was lucky enough to get home from my mission just a week or so before she got married and was able to go to her wedding.
Long after we got home and keep in touch occasionally, I asked her to be a reference for me while Brad and I were trying to adopt. I knew that she would say what needed to be said to make sure that we were seen for who we were. I trusted and respected her. She was truly a wonderful person who loved all those around her. I know that she has touched so many lives, not just my own.
Now I morn her loss. I feel for her family. She has a wonderful husband who did anything in his power to make her happy in her last days. She has four beautiful children, the youngest is going to be two in a couple of weeks and probably won't remember his mother. I can only imagine what they have been through. My heart aches for them, but I am thankful for the knowledge of eternal families and what happens on the other side. Julie will be doing a great work, just not here on earth. She is also now with her mother who passed away a few months after Julie returned from her mission. I try to hold onto the good thoughts of that reunion and how Julie is free of any pain or discomfort. I also am lucky to have so many wonderful memories of her and to know she was a part of my life.

Who is Who?

2009-06-15T09:26:00.008-06:00

My mom found a baby picture of me that we think looks a lot like how Sarah looks now. I'm posting that picture (I was 18 months old in it) and a picture of Sarah from about the same age. What do you think? Here they both are.

Zach Used the Potty!

2009-05-26T15:28:00.003-06:00

Please humor me, but I am so thrilled right now. After months and months and months of trying to get Zach to use the potty, he finally did today. He is four years old and I was starting to really worry if he would ever want to use the potty. He would usually just ignore me, averting any direct eye contact, if I ever mentioned anything to do with the potty. And when I would try to sit him on the potty, I could tell he didn't like it (it was like he was just humoring me in sitting there). I thought it was hopeless and I was ready to find one of those Potty Boot Camps and pay someone help me out with it.
Then, today while we were shopping and I was looking at something else, he got very interested in the training potties they had. He especially loved one that had musical notes on the box and he knew from that it played music. I asked him if he would do his business (in little kid lingo, of course - I'll spare you all that) in it if I bought it for him. For once, he didn't avoid the subject. He told me that he would. I asked him multiple times and each time he liked the idea. So after calling Brad to make sure he didn't think I was going to just flush out money down the toilet (pun intended) getting a new potty (we already had one), I went ahead and got it.
After Sarah went down for her nap, Zach and I put the new potty together. I then showed him how it works and how to make it play music. He then wanted to try it and then keep trying to go. I finally let him go naked for awhile and told him to get on the potty when he felt the need. I'll be honest, I expected nothing from it based on all my past experience. But all of a sudden (and while I was on the phone with my sister-in-law) I hear the potty making music and there is Zach doing his thing. And he has done it four times since then! I'm running out of prizes in my Potty Prize Basket, although the last time he didn't even want anything from it.
I just had to tell the whole world about it, I guess whether you want to know about it or not. I'm just hoping and praying that this is a trend. Zach has always done stuff after the "normal" age for kids to do things, but once he does do something, he seems to really take off. I'm hoping this will be the same. Hurray for Zach!

The Way Kids Think

2009-05-12T09:22:00.002-06:00

We splurged on Saturday and got chinese food. Ummmm. But that's not the story. I forgot and left one of those soy sauce packets that come with it out on the table (yeah, I know, I'm lazy). Zach picks it up yesterday and says to me "Look, it's brown rice ketchup." He calls ham fried rice "brown rice" and of course, it goes on top of that and it comes in a packet like ketchup. I thought that was the funniest thing. Hey, at least my kids entertain me, I guess.

Zach's First Soccer Game

2009-04-20T10:23:00.006-06:00

I can't believe my little guy is growing up, but he played in his first soccer game last Saturday. He's only 4 years old and I guess that's the youngest you can be to play (they call it pre-kindergarten). We're really lucky that his coaches are in our ward, along with a few of the kids on his team. I wasn't too sure how Zach would take to it, he's not my aggressive, out-going one (Sarah has claimed that title in our house). But he seemed to like it. Now, there were no real soccer skills being used on the field - the kids are only 4 and 5 years old after all. But it was so fun to watch all these kids out there on the field running around and going after the ball. It was so fun (and funny) to watch. They don't keep score and that was good because most of the time teams were scoring on their own goals. The interesting thing we didn't know is that one of the coaches stays on the field with the kids. That was really cool. I'm really looking forward to our next games. I'm going to put some pictures here, but they are only a small sample of all we took (Brad and I took around 150 pictures between the two of us). You'll have to remember Zach is number 3.

Walking for the Race for the Cure

2009-04-03T12:45:00.006-06:00

When a loved one gets diagnosed with a disease, it is really hard to know what to do. What do you say that's the right thing? How do you make sure to do the right thing? And how do you get over the hopeless feeling because there is only so much you can do? I've been through all of that and some days still do with my mother-in-law having breast cancer. So, when my sister-in-law mentioned us doing the Race for the Cure, I thought it was a great idea. It was something I could do. Now, I probably should have thought about doing it a long, long time ago with my aunt having been a breast cancer survivor. I hope I can blame that on youth and the fact that when I was younger, I didn't really think too much about stuff like that.
So here I am, I've decided to walk the 5K for the Race for the Cure. We've formed a team called Gummy's Guppies. It's named after my mother-in-law who's nickname is Gummy (it's a version of Grandma or I guess Grammy from when the oldest grandchild was first talking). I hope by doing this, I can do a small part of raising some money to help cure breast cancer.
The reason I am blogging about this is I'm trying to get the word out that I'm doing it and I'm also looking for pledges. I know that times are tight for everyone and I know I am really picky where my money is going (especially when it comes to charities). So, I have no expectations for anyone. I put this out there in case anyone did want to donate (even if it's just a few dollars) or if they even wanted to join our team. There is a 1 mile fun run or 5K run or walk. We'd love to have anyone.
If you are interested in donating or joining our team (or if you know someone who'd be interested), please visit my page with Race for the Cure:
http://race.komenslc.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1013141&pg=personal&fr_id=1000

You Know You're Odd When. . .

2009-02-18T10:27:00.005-07:00

It is such a nice day and the sun has been shining a little. I should be getting the kids ready to go out somewhere and enjoy it. Instead, I am excited to stay inside and do laundry. We finally had some money saved up to get new washer. The sad thing is that we only had our last washer for around 5 years and when we bought it, we though we were buying a really nice one that would last us for a long time. But it started leaking a couple of years ago. But, I thought, we can put up with a little water on the floor, there is tile there after all and it wasn't going anywhere but the laundry room. Then a few months ago I was in the basement in our utility closet (which is below our laundry room) to find the leaking water was going through the baseboards upstairs and slowly trickling down the unfinished wood downstairs. OK, maybe it was time for a new one if it was starting to affect my house. Plus, last year when we were looking for a new dryer, we would mention to the sales people we had a Maytag Neptune washer and we'd like to pair a dryer with it. We got nothing but a negative reaction to the Maytag Neptune line, saying it was the worst out there and people had nothing but problems with them. Even when we went out to buy our new one, the girl who was helping us decide what one said the only line she had heard anything negative about was the Maytag Neptune. So, apparently, it was time.
I'm a little odd though, I love to do laundry. I think it's the organization and structure of it all. I hate all other housework, but I seriously like doing laundry. So getting a new washer is like getting a new toy to me. Brad was teasing me last night because I just kept doing loads of laundry and it wasn't "laundry day" (yeah, I try to do it all on Wednesdays usually). I told him that when he got his new camera, he wouldn't have just set it aside and stared at it. So, I'm having a fun time today using my new toy. I wouldn't say it has too many bells and whistles (it does play a song when it's done), but I'm really enjoying it. Maybe I'm wearing off on my kids though. Zach came in while I was starting a load this morning and asked if he could watch it (it's a front loading washer with the "window" in the door). I decided to stay with him and I sat down, putting him on my lap. Sarah of course eventually had to see what we were doing and ended up on my lap too. There we were, the three of us, watching clothes being washed. It only lasted about 5 minutes, before the kids were bored, but I enjoyed it. I know, I'm pretty odd.

Frosty

2009-02-16T19:04:00.002-07:00

Saturday we had some more snowfall. It wasn't a lot, only probably an inch sticking on the ground. Zach decided he wanted to play in it and it seemed to be perfect timing. Sarah was down for her nap and Brad was going out to do a quick shovelling of the driveway. By the time I got Zach into all his snow gear (which seemed to be overkill, but I figured it would keep him dry at least), Brad was nearly done shovelling. Zach was having a blast just walking around the yard and making the occasional snowball. When Brad got done, he was making a snowball to discover it was perfect for rolling. So, his first idea was just to see how big of a snowball he could roll. As it got bigger and harder to move, he decided that a snowman was in order. So, we ended up with a nice sized snowman. Zach really got into helping after he saw what his dad was up to and helped out to make the snowman happen, including making sure he had a face. Brad asked Zach what the snowman's name should be and Zach named him Frosty. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise. It was a lot of fun to watch them doing it. I actually surprised myself by staying out there so long watching, I hate being cold. But Zach was enjoying himself a lot and it is always fun to see the world through his eyes.

Just Give That Boy a Microphone . . .

2009-01-25T21:52:00.004-07:00

Zach gave his first talk today in Primary. It's hard to believe that he's a Sunbeam let alone now giving talks. There were two other Sunbeams before him who were to give the opening prayer/Article of Faith practice and a scripture. Neither one was up to doing it, it was just too scary. So their moms did it for them. Then there is my Zach. He went right up there and had no problem talking into the microphone. In fact, he was being quite loud and was practically eating it (not that I haven't seen that before). I actually felt like the only reason he needed me there was because he couldn't read his talk and needed someone to tell him what to say.
Now I have a theory as to why Zach has no fear for talking in Primary into a microphone. First of all, for quite a few months now he's been talking into pretend microphones with Grandma Carmack. Next, Grandma Judy and Grandpa Bob just got the Wii game Rock Band. Those of you who aren't familiar with it (which I have to admit I wasn't until I saw it in action), you can play drums, guitar, and even sing with it (and it has a microphone). Zach absolutely loves playing with it and will sit there and try to sing along with the songs. He's even been singing some of the songs from the game around the house, which includes Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer," Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle," and Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (of course this one is coming out as "Eat It" when Zach sings it, so maybe I should give the credit to Weird Al Yankovic). We sure get a kick out of that, it is so cute.
Zach is certainly a character and we just love how he is so into these things. He is definitely a really fun kid.

My Boys' New Haircuts

2009-01-25T21:38:00.004-07:00

I thought I'd share some pictures of my "boys" with their new haircuts. They got some very short buzz cuts in support of Brad's mom who is going through chemotherapy for breast cancer. It was funny because although I knew they were planning on doing it, it was a surprise to have the come home with them done (I had stayed home with Sarah who may or may not have a cold, so not a good idea to visit family with possible germs). Thanks to my sister-in-law Kristi who always does a great job with our haircuts. I think they both look great and I'm glad they did it.

Zach

Brad

Hogle Zoo's Zoo Lights

2008-12-19T10:11:00.006-07:00

We decided to brave the cold and go to Hogle Zoo's Zoo Lights last night. I have to admit that I wasn't overly thrilled to go out into the cold, but I was curious to see what they had done up there. So we bundled the whole family up and off we went. It was a lot of fun and the decorations were so fun. They had a lot of animal ones and a lot of traditional ones with Santa and such. Brad took a lot of pictures and I'm adding a couple here to hopefully give you a taste of how cool it was. What was fun about the lights is that they made it look like they were animated. One of my favorites made it look like a bear was chasing a skunk, only to get sprayed. They were really well done. The zoo also had heaters set up at different points in the zoo, so that helped along the way. The one thing is you didn't really see any real animals. We say the tiger and that was about it (the reptile house was open, but we didn't want to unload the kids to go in).
We put the kids in Zach's wagon and piled blankets on them. They seemed to do really well in the cold. Zach got really into the lights too. Both of the kid's face just beamed at times as they looked at things. Of course, Brad and I were enjoying ourselves too. I had stopped and bought a fried smore and hot chocolate. The fried smore is good, but I would have enjoyed it better under different circumstanced (out of the cold). The hot chocolate was a lot of fun because I bought it in a mug that lights up, looking like the lights are circling around it. We all had a lot of fun with that. Plus the hot chocolate helped a lot while staying out in the cold.

We had a lot of fun and I would really encourage anyone who wants to go see some really beautiful lights with a cool theme to go up there. I know they are doing it though the end of the month at least. Just make sure to really bundle up, I won't mislead you there. It was really cold up there. And I recommend getting the hot chocolate, it did help to stay warm. I know, we are some zoo freaks at this house, but we all love going there. This just made it all the funner to go.

Things That Make Your Day

2008-11-21T11:07:00.005-07:00

I was having a couple of weeks where things were frustrating me. I'm not saying they were valid frustrations, but that is what was happening. Frustration seems to me to be something that will bring you down. I was lucky in that something came along yesterday that totally made my day. I had a friend from long ago contact me through Facebook. Nina used to live across the street from me and in the summer of 1986 I would say our group of friends were inseparable. We had a lot of fun. Nina moved while we were in junior high and I only have seen her once since then and that was a little less than 15 years ago. I was actually thinking of Nina just a couple of days ago when something sparked a memory from that time. I tried to look her up on Facebook when I joined a couple of months ago, along with any other long lost friends I could think of. I was so thrilled that she joined and looked for me too. We had a good email conversation yesterday and it really made my day. I know I probably look too much in the past in my life, maybe that's the part of me that loves history too. But something I tend to regret is that I've never been good at staying in contact with my friends. I'm not the type to make a lot of friends, but the friends I do make I consider to be very good friends. I don't know why, if these friendships are so important to me, that I allow them to slip away over time. Maybe we're all like that, I guess my friends have let me slip away too. At least I've been given a chance at redemption. Now if only all of my other friends from eras past would sign up on Facebook.

Here's a picture of the group, minus me (I'm taking the picture).

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2008-11-17T09:51:00.005-07:00

I know most of you already know this, but I cut my hair again. I'm pretty lazy about hair cuts and eventually my hair is long again. Not too long, but long enough I think about a hair cut. But if I'm patient and wait a few months more, I know I'll have enough to donate it. So, this is the third time I've done it. It is so much fun because it is such a dramatic change, not just the taking of a few inches off. It takes 10 inches to donate and while I never really know how long it is (I never measure), I know it's at least that. Plus, I love the thought that something so simple to me as my hair can help a child who is in need because of cancer or whatever. My sister-in-law Kristi introduced me to Locks of Love, an organization that helps provide wigs to children in need, due to cancer treatments or other medical conditions. They either will use your hair to make wigs or sell it to offset any costs. It makes me feel really good that something that comes so easy to me with growing my hair can do something for others.

Dancing Monkeys

2008-11-10T09:05:00.004-07:00

I was having a weekend where everything was driving me crazy. I was trying so hard to keep it under control, but I felt like I was heading towards a nervous breakdown. Just one of those things. I had the best thing happen to me though . . . a good laugh. We were driving to visit family Sunday evening and stopped at a stoplight next to a giant electronic sign. One of those full color ones with all the animation. A couple of fully feathered, beautiful turkeys pop up and I get Zach to look at it - "Zach, look at the turkeys!" He looks just as the sign changes to line of about five or so "dead" turkeys - you know, just how they look cooked. Plus, they are dancing. I'm thinking "Oh no, how am I going to explain this one to Zach?" Bless his heart, Zach says "Look, dancing monkeys." I know it wasn't that funny, but I couldn't stop laughing for a good couple of minutes. I'd just have to say "dancing monkeys" to get myself laughing again. I think Brad was considering committing me though at one point. Oh, but it was the best medicine for a cranky weekend.

2008-10-31T21:31:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T19:58:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Halloween. We sure have had a great time so far. We took Zach and Sarah out for about an hour earlier in the evening. It took Zach a little while to get the hang of it and not be so shy, but as soon as he understood that if he went to the door and said "Trick or Treat" he would get some candy, he was all for it. Both Brad and I went, since we really don't get trick or treaters on our tiny street (we did get some about 10 minutes ago, a big group from the family who lives in the cul-de-sac behind us, I was so excited). We took our sit and stand double stroller with both kids in it and went to a long cul-de-sac street about a block away. I kept Sarah in the stroller while Brad took Zach up to each house. It was so fun to watch Zach get into it. Sarah still doesn't get it, but she had a good time getting out for awhile. Brad and I really enjoyed it, we love seeing our little boy grow up and enjoy all the things of childhood.

Early Voting

2008-10-30T22:22:00.004-06:00

I went today to take advantage of the early voting that is going on here in Utah. It turned out great. There were a bunch of locations to go to and I chose one one in South Jordan. I went in, filled out a form with a small amount of my info, and handed it to one of the workers with my ID. He gave me a card that looked a lot like a hotel car key which I put into one of the new touch-screen computer systems they are using. I did have to wait in a couple of lines for a few minutes, but it went really fast. The new system was so easy to use and I think it is much better than the old punch card system. It then lets you verify everything and you're done voting. I strongly encourage anyone to go tomorrow (Oct. 31) if you get a chance to vote early. They are only open until 5:00 PM though tomorrow and I do wonder how busy it is going to be on the last day. I just recommend it because I have no idea if they are using the touch-screens on Election Day and I really loved them. I believe every county in Utah is doing early voting, so look it up on your county website if you're interested.
Brad and I are wondering if it will make the lines any shorter at the polls on Election Day. We've decided that we are going to go on a walk up on Election Day to the place we'd normally vote at to see if the lines are shorter.
Oh, and if you are wondering who I voted for, I'm not going to talk about it. I guess I've just seen too many people be judgemental of others' choices. So. . . go vote and vote for who you think will do the best job. That's what makes this country so great is that we all have a voice.

Sleepover Parties

2008-10-28T11:01:00.014-06:00

We hosted our first sleepover last Thursday night with Zach's cousin Paden (who is the same age as Zach). I was a little nervous about it because I thought Paden might get homesick at some point. He never did and the boys had a great time. Even Sarah loved having Paden over. She kept trying to keep up with the boys with her newly acquired walking skills. At one point they were playing stay away from Sarah, which is where this picture came from. Later, when the boys were supposed to be going to sleep, we would hear talking and giggling coming from Zach's room. I went in to tuck them in again and caught them sitting up with blankets on their heads just laughing at each other. All went well that night and in the morning. Zach was so upset when Paden left.

We then had our second sleepover party with Zach's other cousins Chase, Aspen, and Megan on Saturday. We started out the day at the zoo, went to the park, and ended up the night playing with toys (for the little ones), the guitar, and Disney Charades. I had a lot of fun with them here.

Retro Fashion

2008-10-28T08:51:00.002-06:00

I was looking at the latest Target ad and noticed a page for tights. Not a big deal, except for the stirrup tights - I thought they were a little odd. But on the same page they had leg warmers. Are those coming back in style? That is one eighties style I would have bet would never come back into fashion. I about died of shock. I guess we'll have to see if they actually become popular again. It seems that all fashions seem to repeat themselves. What's next? I'll probably die if I start seeing tapered jeans again with the zippers at the bottom - oh, and they'll have to be acid wash too.

The Good Old Days

2008-10-16T18:11:00.006-06:00

As I've gotten older, I find I keep thinking about the "Good Old Days" when I was a kid. I'm totally a 70's/80's kid and I get a real kick out of any of those emails that go around talking about things from that era. Things have changed for the better though. I can't imagine being without my cell phone or DVR among probably a thousand other things if I really sat and thought about it. But there are some things you just kind of miss. For instance (and what really started me thinking about it again) are board games. Have any of you seen the new Candy Land? It is nothing like what I had as a kid. It doesn't mean it's worse, it's just different and I miss what I had. I actually found a "retro" version of Candy Land a long time ago (long before I had kids) and bought it just because it was the same game board I remembered from when I was a kid. I've played both versions with Zach lately and they are both good. It just makes me feel good to see that familiar board from years ago.
Brad and I have talked about it lately and it does seem that as you get older, the more you feel like times were better when you were a kid. The question is if they really were. Probably not. I'm sure it's that things were simpler when we were kids and we didn't have all the responsibilities and worries we gain as adults. That's life though. I'm sure 30 years from now my kids will be thinking about the "Good Old Days."

Update on Sarah

2008-10-14T13:43:00.002-06:00

Sarah's fever finally broke yesterday afternoon, but this morning she had very small reddish spots on her face, chest, and back. So here I was back to freaking out about what is wrong with her and trying to decide on whether I needed to call the doctor's office again. I decided they already think I'm paranoid with my kids, so I called. They said it's too hard to try to diagnose a rash over the phone, so I made an appointment to see one of their nurse practitioners. Anyway, it ends up she has roseola (which the nurse said was in the measles family, which isn't something I liked hearing but I know that doesn't translate to measles and that it's different). I didn't ask if it had anything to do with the flu booster she got, but I figure I'll let myself feel better believing it doesn't because I was beating myself up for having her get that shot. I know Sarah and I went shopping earlier in the week and she was in shopping carts where I am wondering if that might be where she got it from (and stupid me, I forgot the nice cover we have for shopping carts). The nurse said she was contagious while she had the fever, so those of you we saw on Tuesday should be fine. It's something I was told we'll just have to ride it out and she should get over the rash soon. I feel so much better we went in, at least I know what it was even if there isn't anything we really can do about it.

Just a Therapy Post

2008-10-13T16:45:00.002-06:00

I finally have 5 minutes to myself and I need to take some time for some writing therapy. Last week was a busy week, which included taking Sarah in for a booster for her flu shot. I had reservations about doing it, but since the doctor said to get her a booster, I did it. Maybe it didn't cause problems, but starting Friday (the day after her shot) Sarah developed a fever. Luckily, no other symptoms. Of course I called the doctor's office on Friday (you all know I would, I swear they know me all too well at that office). They said it was just the shot and to ride it out basically. Here we are on Monday and she still has a slight fever. I call again this morning and basically was told the same thing, except to bring her in tomorrow if she still has a fever. Poor thing, you can tell she feels sick, which includes lots of whining and crying at times. I was so glad to have had Brad helping me over the weekend, today by myself has been a little difficult. I feel so bad for Zach, he hasn't gotten much attention from me. He's a great kid though and tries so hard to help.
To add to my fun is that we had our fist practice for the Primary Program yesterday, which I'm basically in charge of because of my calling. Preparing and practicing for the Primary Program is enough stress on it's own without having a sick kid you are worrying about.
Anyway, there's my therapy. As with everything else that has come along in my life to cause me stress and worry, this will pass. Hopefully I'll be able to look back on it and laugh a little.

What Zach Says

2008-10-07T15:47:00.006-06:00

Zach can say some of the cutest things and I wish I wasn't busy half the time he says something because I really need to write them down. I loved one from today. We were out driving and he saw a Frito Lay delivery truck that had potato chips (the actual chips, not the bags) painted all over it. He said to me "Mommy, there's the chip truck." I just thought it was so cute how he put that together from looking at it and said it like it was what it was actually called. It was like a chip truck was as common as any other vehicle on the road. I guess it might be something that only a mother would think is the cutest, but it's because of that I just had to share it with the world.

Sarah is On the Move

2008-10-07T15:03:00.005-06:00

Sarah started walking the other day. She'd been trying a few steps here and there, but she is actually trying to make that her primary mode of transportation. I did take a video on my camera last night of her walking. Just ignore all the other things going on (messy house, TV on, Sarah in boy PJs, her hair out of control, and such).

Don't Bring Up Politics

2008-10-02T13:41:00.002-06:00

Politics is a subject I usually avoid, since it is such a touchy thing. I couldn't leave this one alone though. I need everyone to understand, I'm not supporting any side, so I just bring this up because it is so darn funny. Brad told me yesterday about an interview Katie Couric did with Sarah Palin that Saturday Night Live parodied almost word for word. I looked it up on You Tube and it really was. Sarah Palin was asked a question relating to the economy and the proposed bailout and her answer was just some babbling about health care and increasing jobs. I couldn't believe it, I would have thought in her position she'd have a lot of people coaching her on what to say. And the economy is a hot topic right now, they should have known it'd come up in the interview. Then you see the parody on Saturday Night Live and they didn't have to change a word. Tina Fey does a great impression of Sarah Palin too (but I love Tina Fey, so I'd love her impression anyway). If you haven't seen the original interview or the Saturday Night Live sketch, go to You Tube and check it out. It is very interesting.

Sarah Knows No Fear

2008-09-30T11:27:00.004-06:00

Last Sunday Sarah was following her cousins around and having a great time at Grandma Judy's house. I noticed she'd left our view, so I went to check on her. I found that she had climbed up almost half way up the stairs. I didn't even know she knew how to do stairs. I've seen her do a couple of stairs, but not half a flight. It scared me to death. Brad took her downstairs yesterday and let her do the stairs on her own. He said she did the whole thing by herself, only slightly slipping a couple of times. Sarah isn't afraid of anything which is a new concept for us. I think she is going to continue to surprise us.

My Cutie Sarah

2008-09-26T12:16:00.008-06:00

Last night Sarah and I went to a "bow party" as I've been calling it. It was a lot of fun since they had a lot of fun hair items for sale for girls. As all of you know, I really have struggled with the idea of doing girl's hair, I don't even do anything fantastic with my own hair. I really like clips because of how easy they are to use, so I was glad to find some last night that I loved. Actually I liked a lot, but had a small budget (I used some money we received for Sarah from my Aunt Beverly and Uncle Bill for her belated birth/1st birthday). I did get her a cute beanie hat, a set of clips, and a holder for hair clips. They are all so cute. Here are some pictures of Sarah modeling her new stuff.

The girls that sell these have a website, I put it on my favorite websites section under their name "The Pretty Petal." I just had to share how cute Sarah looks in these.

Thank Heaven for DVR

2008-09-26T09:29:00.002-06:00

Last night was the start of the new season of The Office. There are a few shows I like to watch, but I have to say The Office is the one I love to watch. I didn't realize how much I missed new episodes and the surprises that the show keeps throwing out. If you haven't watched your recording of it, do it soon. I won't say anything else, just in case. But give me a few days and I'll have a lot to say.

Zach Knows What He's Talking About

2008-09-26T08:56:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I was trying to find a toy of Sarah's, but couldn't find it anyway. I was in Zach's room looking for it (a lot of her toys migrate there) and he was watching what I was doing with interest. So I asked him, not expecting anything really, if he knew where this specific toy was. He said to me "Maybe downstairs." I went down there and couldn't find it. When Brad got home from work, I started to tell him the story because I thought it was cute. Before I could tell him what Zach said in response to my question, Brad tells me "I think it's downstairs." After two people independently telling me that, I figured it had to be there. Brad went downstairs and found it, proving Zach was right. I was just surprised he knew that, I haven't seen that toy for a long time. I guess I need to keep listening to Zach, he knows what he is talking about.

Loosing It

2008-09-25T12:12:00.002-06:00

I am officially losing it. I went to the store yesterday evening and put all my groceries in the trunk except for a dozen eggs, which I put in the back seat so they wouldn't get crushed by accident. Well, that worked great except for the fact I forgot to bring them in with the other groceries. I didn't realize what I had done until after 9 o'clock this morning and by then, Brad was at work . . . with the car. I had to call him this morning to warn him of a possible surprise in his backseat. What a waste, especially where we are really trying to pinch our pennies. It's not the end of the world though, there are much worse things to happen. I just feel stupid for doing it.

Heritage

2008-09-24T20:08:00.003-06:00

I've really started to think about my heritage lately. My Aunt Beverlee had posted some information and pictures on her blog from her trip to Denver for her 55th high school reunion. I really enjoyed her stories. My dad had also sent me some scanned copies of some documents about my grandfather on my mom's side. He died when my mom was young, so I never did know him. I was fascinated by the information from the documents, especially the ones about his military service during World War II. It has me thinking how much I really don't know about my heritage and how much I would love to know about both my family and Brad's family. I know that I've heard a lot of stories from my parents and Brad's parents, but I'm not sure if any of it is written down. That might be one of my new projects . . . but we all know how some of my projects go. I think it needs to be recorded though, not only so I don't forget but so my children can have something years from now that reminds them of their heritage. I know, I'm probably the only one interested in these things, it's the historian in me. I guess I will have to motivate myself to do it.

Zach's Favorite Team?

2008-09-22T20:49:00.002-06:00

We think Zach may have picked a favorite NFL team already and we're not sure where he got it from. A few weeks ago we had Monday Night Football on TV, but weren't rooting for anyone. All of a sudden, Zach starts cheering for one of the teams -- which happened to be the Denver Broncos. As they were running the ball, he's yelling "run, run, run" while he is jumping up and down. We laughed and thought it was just him having fun with what was on TV. However, he came home yesterday from church with a nicely colored paper handout from nursery. There were only two colors used on it -- blue and orange. Not any blue and orange, but very obvious Broncos blue and orange. I've already said I'd love my kids no matter what, so I guess I have to accept the fact I might be raising a Broncos fan. Football season is only about 6 months long anyway.

2008 Carmack Family Reunion Picture

2008-09-18T12:20:00.000-06:00

Nostalgia

2008-09-18T11:10:00.000-06:00

I was going through my old pictures a few weeks ago and I've decided that I want 80's big hair to come back in style. I know, it's controversial. I've never been good at hair styles though and I think I actually got the 80's hair down. This picture here was taken on my 16th birthday (and to get even weirder, it was on a Polaroid instant camera). See how high those bangs are? I think I was doing the 80's justice at the time. If 80's hair came back into style, I could probably live without the big bangs though. I don't know if the ozone layer could handle all the Aquanet hairspray needed to support the style. My argument would be for the spiral perm at least. How easy was that! I remember all I had to do was wash my hair and use a pick on it. Rock on!

Our Kangaroo

2008-09-16T15:48:00.000-06:00

I finally broke down and did Sarah's hair the other day. I was pretty proud of it, as much as I dreaded doing it because I feared how much trauma it would cause or that it would look bad. It actually went OK. I still need a lot of practice though because I have the hardest time manuvering my fingers with those dang rubber bands.
After I had Sarah's hair done, Zach looked at her and said "Oh, a kangaroo." Here is a picture of Sarah and my first attempt at her hair. You be the judge if she looks like a kangaroo.

Supermarket Humor

2008-09-16T15:39:00.000-06:00

OK, I don't know if this story will be too much information, but I had to share it. I don't know if anyone else has notice that grocery stores put a little tray/bin type thing hanging off the shelf that they usually put items in there that go with what is on the shelf. I've seen them before outside the freezer with ice cream with ice cream toppings in it or with Parmesan cheese off of where there is spaghetti sauce. On my last trip to the store, I noticed one of these "bins" off of the Kleenex shelf with DayQuil in it. Alright, that's pretty clever. Then I glanced across the aisle to see another "bin" next to the toilet paper with Pepto Bismal in it. I can only imagine the meeting to come up with that one.

Why Blog?

2008-09-15T15:24:00.000-06:00

It seems like I've fought it for a long time, but I've finally decided to have a blog. I think it'll end up being different than the ones I've been looking at lately, but that's just me. I've been looking for an outlet for my thoughts and I think this will work. Not that I've ever considered myself a writer, but I do miss writing. That was one thing I loved about college. Well, that and the research. So, if you do stumble across my blog, don't expect much more than my personal rantings. I'm not sure what my posts will turn into, but I just hope to put in whatever my whim is for that day. It should be interesting.