Eight Years, Eight Moves

Yep, that's right, Mike and I are moving..again! We have been married eight years and this will be our eighth move. We are kind of tired of moving, but this move is kind of our own doing. Mike is a civil engineer for the USDA-NRCS (if anyone really wants to know what the acronym stands for, let me know). :0) He gets transferred to different places every so often. But this transfer is one we put in for. We are heading to Rexburg, Idaho! It is kind of a bittersweet move (more sweet than bitter for me, though). We love, love, love Montana and the great people here, so we are sad to be leaving them, but in the same breath, we've missed being close to family, too. So, we are going to give it a whirl and see what it's like being close to family.

We've been super busy...the only reason I'm writing right now is because both monkeys are actually asleep at the same time and I have 1/2 hour before a realtor comes. I thought I'd take a minute to let everyone know where we're heading and why I probably won't be writing for some time! Until then, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Pep Talk...

So, when Brooke was going through her TERRIBLE two's, I used to call Mike daily for a "pep talk." Seriously, I would call him and say I needed a pep talk to get through the rest of the day. If he wasn't available, I'd usually call a sister. I haven't had to call and get a pep talk for a long time, but today was another story...to be honest, though, it wasn't so much for a pep talk as it was to inform Mike of why his house was going to look like a hurricane hit it (well maybe two little hurricanes named Brooke and Emily).

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Mike and I went down to my parents' house to visit. While we were there, we had family pictures taken (of all my siblings, their kids, etc). So, this morning I was talking to one of my sisters on the phone, while looking at the pictures online. We were discussing which pictures we liked and what not. Well, it was awfully quiet in my house, so I checked on the girls, and they had spilled Honey Nut Cheerios all over the living room floor...not such a big deal, but the cereal dust from the bottom of the box was all over, too. I asked the girls to help clean it up. Mike had let Ginger (our dog) in last night because it was freezing last night. Well, we hadn't taken her water bowl off of the kitchen floor, yet, and Emily decided Ginger needed some of the Cheerios. I told her not to put Cheerios in the water, so she reached in and took the Cheerios out and popped them into her mouth! Yuck!

We finally got all the cereal cleaned up and I called my other sister to talk to her. While talking to her, the girls went downstairs to play. They were playing so nicely, or so I thought. I went down to see what all the giggling was about and found them both in the bathroom with the door shut. Not a good sign, I know. I open the door and a nice fragrance hits me before I realize that my two Costco sized bottles of shampoo and conditioner, plus another bottle of shampoo and a bottle of baby body wash is all over the bathroom rug, Emily's hair and clothes, Brooke's hair and clothes, and wherever else! Brooke was going potty at the time,too. When I walked in she said, "I'm a big girl now because I can wash my hair by myself!" Nice.

After I get that cleaned up, I went upstairs to e-mail my mom and let her know what I want for pictures. Emily started crying, so I went downstairs and found she was tied to the window shade and couldn't move. Her sweet sister tied the shade cord to Emily's back belt loop and Emily couldn't go anywhere! I had to laugh a little, but then explain to Brooke that Emily could get the cord wrapper around her neck or something, and so she was NOT to do this again.

About this time, I called Mike and told him I was ready for my pep talk. He said, "Already? It's not even noon, yet." I said, "Exactly."

The rest of the day was a little better, but I pretty much spent it cleaning my house. We'll see what my little hurricanes come up with tomorrow!

Random Ramblings of Gratitude...

So my younger sis did a post on blessings received, and challenged anyone to post one similar. Today while I was in the shower (my few moments of "quiet" thinking/reflecting time) I was thinking of things I was grateful for as well. These are in no particular order, but just what popped in mind, and they are in no way all-encompassing, either.

I was thinking of the tender mercies of the Lord I've received. Sometimes they are not very big things at all, but just quiet reminders that we are never forgotten about. Sometimes as a parent, you do a small act of kindness for your child, just to show them you love them. Likewise, our Heavenly Father does His own small acts of kindness, just to show us His love.

I am eternally grateful for the husband I have. I don't know how I got so lucky (blessed) to snatch him. He is a perfect fit for me; he truly is my best friend. Whether I'm venting about this or that, or just having a plain old conversation, he is a great listener. He has taught me more than anyone or anything on how to be a better communicator and listener. I love asking his opinion on things, because I usually get a better insight on whatever issue is on my mind. He is so kind to people, too. He is like a big teddy bear. I am fascinated with the way people are magnetized to him. The old adage of "strangers are friends we haven't met yet" definitely applies to Mike. He makes every one feel comfortable and at ease. It is a quality I would love to have. He's also taught me a lot about other things, but I'll leave it at this for now.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother. I have always wanted to be a mom. When we were in high school, we were asked to write an essay about what we wanted to be, career-wise. I wrote about wanting to be a homemaker. I interviewed moms that stayed at home and have always wanted to be with my kids. Mike and I made a deal, as long as I didn't have to work outside the home, I wouldn't complain about where we lived (and believe me, we've lived in a few towns I don't want to reside in again!). So far, I haven't had to work outside the home.

And, how could I not mention the two beautiful girls that call me mom. They are so different (different could be an understatement here). But they bring so much joy into my life. Sometimes I am in awe that I have been entrusted to raise these kids. They can bring out extreme emotions in me, but I love them dearly and would not exchange these little monkeys (I mean girls) for anything. :0)

I am also grateful for my family. My parents for planting the seed of the gospel in my life and for nourishing it until it took roots of its own. I'm grateful for my brothers, for being there to listen to my woes of dating and for encouraging my to spread my wings a little further. I'm grateful for my sisters...they continually are patient with me and my craziness...I'm so glad they are willing to listen to me (sometimes for hours), laugh with me, and cry with me...they are great consultants, too! I'm also grateful for my brothers-in-law...they are so much fun to be around...I love my sisters-in-law, too. I consider them to be some of my greatest friends and am glad they accept me for me. And can I just say I hate referring to them (brothers and sisters-in law) as -in laws. I consider them siblings. And I consider my siblings as the greatest friends I could ever ask for!

Whether you are an old friend or a new friend, I am grateful for you. My friends have been so good to me. I love that they keep in touch with me, even when I neglect to call them forever (sorry). My friends have been great examples to me and I cannot express my gratitude for buoying me up in my times of need. Thank you.

And lastly (because this is probably boring most of you and is getting a little lengthy), I am grateful for the gospel in my life. This encompasses so much, I don't really know what to say. I am grateful for my testimony...for knowing I AM a daughter of God, for knowing I WILL be able to return to live with Him once more, for knowing I CAN repent of my mistakes and wrongdoings, and I KNOW the power of prayer is real...I see the proof of it daily. I know the fullness of the gospel has been restored to the earth through a boy who prayed in earnest in a quiet grove, and that today we have a living prophet who is the mouthpiece of the Lord. I know that the true priesthood is here on this earth and I know that the scriptures are true...I get excited when I read something and that little light bulb above my head springs to life with new light from an "a-ha" moment--a new understanding. I know that if I live the best I can, I get to be with my family forever, and that is a great comfort to me.

So that ended up longer than I thought. Thanks to whoever read it all...but I think it was more for me anyway! My sister said she could read back on her post of blessings when she gets discouraged and be encouraged through reading what she has to be grateful for, and I suppose I can do the same! I'll leave the same challenge, too, since Thanksgiving is approaching and we are all a little more mindful of the things we've been blessed with. If you want to post it on a blog, go for it, or you can just do a little private reflecting of your own!

Halloween Fun (plus some)....

The girls had loads of fun with Halloween this year. Emily was Eeyore for Halloween. Emily wasn't too sure about her costume, but as soon as she figured out she gets candy when she wears it, she thought it was a good idea. Brooke was a witch (again) this year. I asked her what she wanted to be for Halloween this year, and she said, "I want to be a witch. A nice one."

For Enrichment in October, I made a Christmas table runner. I do not claim to be good with a sewing machine...so when I made this runner and it actually tuned out decent, I was pretty pleased with myself and my little project. Here's a picture of it (Sorry about the quality, but I don't have the best of cameras, yet...I keep hinting for one for Christmas, so we'll see if I get my wish or not!).

A side note....can any of you believe it is already November? In my brain I knew it was just a short bit away, but I can't believe it is already here...before I know it, it will be a new year. Where does the time fly?

Pictures I promised...

Here are some pictures from our latest rendevous to G&G Tolman's house.

Brooke is showing mom what face she wants carved. She said she wanted a "scary face." She found an owl face that looked scary, so we tried it....

Parents and kids start in on their pumpkins they picked from Grandpa's garden.
Yep, Brooke is taking a "much needed" break...Mom scooped most of the junk out and did most of the work, but Brooke helped some, too.
The grandkids (and me because Emily wouldn't sit) with their final products!
Here they are!! Brooke's pumpkin is the first one (remember it is "suppose" to be an owl...no laughing, please). :0)

Visit to Grandpa & Grandma's House...

So the girls and I made a quick trip to Idaho for the weekend. We left Thursday and got back yesterday afternoon. It was a fun trip, but it is always nice to be home. My mom had surgery on her hand and my younger sister, Katie, had a her second baby girl, so it was nice to go visit the new addition and to help my mom out (if I helped any).

While I was there, I made 36 pints of applesauce, too! After finishing off the first box of apples and 1/3 of the way through the second box, I told my mom, "I'm done." That was enough for me for one day. The night before, I had a long night with Emily. I think she is getting her two-year molars. She gets a fever and doesn't feel very well when she teeths. So, of course, I didn't plan on her teething while we were gone, so I had no meds with me or anything of the sort. My dear brother and his wife were kind enough to run into town to get a few things for me, while my mom ran to a neighbor's house toget a thermometer (somehow, she had gotten rid of all of hers). After we got some motrin into Emily, she felt a lot better. Through the night, however, her fever returned and she didn't sleep well. She only would sleep ON me, and for everyone who has ever had a kid sleep on them, you know neither of you sleep well. But, by the next afternoon, she was feeling well, and still no teeth have poked through. Yipee! We get to go through this again!

On Sunday, we had a birthday party for Jill's husband, Josh. We had dinner, cake and ice cream, and then carved pumpkins from Grandpa's garden. It was a lot of fun.

But, all in all, it was a good visit. I didn't take a camera with me, so when I get pics back from my sisters, I'll post some pictures of the trip! Happy Fall, y'all (if Mr. Winter doesn't come early)!

Updates...

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I've last updated my blog! I've updated the pictures of the girls and of our family--hope you like the pictures.

Life has been super busy here, and I don't even know why! Mike has been gone a lot lately with his calling and with work, plus he is trying to study for his P.E. Exam (Professional Engineer). So, I guess I've just been busy being mom (isn't that busy enough?).

Mike and I have been fighting a cold this past week. I think Brooke has a bit of the same cold, but it has not slowed her down one tinsy bit. Yesterday I took some cold medicene. The package didn't say it was night time or day time, so I took it. It ended up making me drowsy the whole day! At first I thought the cold had taken a turn for the worst. I couldn't get off the couch, and when I did, I felt light headed and extremely tired! By the time the medicene wore off, I was feeling a little better and put two and two together to realize that the medicene had me feel so horrible. No wonder I didn't feel very well, it was making my body want to go to sleep and I was fighting to stay awake! I looked at the package later in the day and under the warning section, it said it may cause drowsiness. Hmmm, smart move, Jenn! Anyway, I feel like a new person today. I still have the cold, but feel like I have soooo much more energy today.

The girls are doing well. I took Brooke to a speech therapist earlier in the month to check her speech. When she talks she misses a few sounds (i.e. the "th" sound, "l", "r", and some others). The therapist said she wasn't too worried about Brooke's speech for her age. The therapist said some of the sounds Brooke was missing were not worrisome until she turned 7 or 8 years-old. She did, however, give us a couple of ideas to try and gave us some material to practice saying some of the sounds. Brooke is already picking up on the sounds and learning the correct way of saying them, now it is only a matter of making it habit to say the sounds the right way!

Emily is growing. Mike still calls her "Squirt" because she is a lot smaller than Brooke was at this age. Emily is 19 months and average for her height (32 ") and weight (22 lbs). When Brooke was the same age, she was 6 pounds heavier and a few inches taller, so to us, Emily is small. But I have noticed lately she is growing because she's growing out of some clothes and she can reach things on the table and countertops that she used to not be able to reach. Emily is still our little garden thief. No sooner does she get outside, then she is raiding the garden of all our strawberries (green, white, or red--makes no difference to her) or rasberries. She is still pulling off my tomatoes (same thing, green or red) and calls them apples. It is really cute to watch, but at the same time, it would be nice to enjoy some of the stuff we've planted, too!

Back in April (or May?) I was called to be the Primary Chorister. I really enjoy this calling and I am always looking for fresh and new ideas, so if anyone has any ideas I can incorporate PLEASE let me know! Thanks.

Well, I think that is about it. Here are a few pictures from this past summer. Enjoy!

Pictures of the girls at the BYU-I gardens.

Family picture at the gardens.

Brooke and Emily enjoying the sun in their little pool. You can see our garden in the back ground. We put it in this year, so it isn't much to brag about this year.

These are some pictures of a wicked dust storm we had a couple of weeks ago. I took the pictures off of my back deck. You can barely make out some of the houses behind us.

More fun in the sun...

Last month, Brooke and Mike had a "campout" out in our backyard. Brooke wanted to sleep in the tent, so Mike set the tent up and they had a fun campout outside. I don't think either of them slept that great, because they were both extremely tired the next day. Brooke ended up taking a morning nap, which hasn't happened since she quit taking morning naps as a baby! But, I'm sure they enjoyed the time they spent together, and hey, it will be a great memory for some time to come!

Brooke stated taking swimming lessons this week. She has one more week to go. I am thoroughly impressed by how well she is doing. At the beginning of the week, she wouldn't let go of the wall, let alone put her face in the water. Now, her instructor keeps telling her to go back to the wall (she tends to go bobbing around, wherever she wants). She also will go completely under the water on her own, without plugging her nose! I can't wait to see what more she will be willing to try and learn this week!

We also got our garden plot put in earlier this summer and finally got some veggies planted. We were a little late getting it in, but what we did put in seems to be doing well. My mom and dad gave us some rasberry and strawberry plants, and they have already produced this year! Emily is our garden theif. As soon as she figured out that berries were growing out there, anytime she is outside, she goes straight to the garden and looks for new berries. If she can't find any ripe ones, she will pick the green ones. When the green berries are all gone, she walks through the rows and holds her hands up and says, "Go?" (where did they go). It is really cute. She also thinks my tomatoes are apples. The tomatoes are green right now, but she points to the tomatoes and says, "apple, apple." She has picked a few of them, too. One day she piced a tomato and took a bite out of it! I'm sure she got a surprise, because it definitely wasn't an apple, and it was a green tomato at that, too! I'll have to get a picture of Emily in the garden and post it soon! The girls love running up and down the rows of corn saying, "A monster, a monster's getting us!"

Memory Tag

I just visited a friend's blog and she had this tag on her's. It is for everyone and/or anyone who wants to do it.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Summertime Fun...

Okay, so I know it has been awhile since I've last posted, but I'll try to make up for it in this post (hopefully without boring you too much!). This past month has been crazy--but then again, aren't most summer months? Brooke was able to go visit her Grandpa & Grandma Tolman for a couple of weeks during the first half of June. Emily and I went to pick her up and stayed for a few days. The last few pictures (sorry the order isn't correct--it is backwards) are of the first trip we took to Idaho. We went to the zoo, a water park, and went on a carousel ride. We came home for a week, and then turned around and went back to Idaho (with Mike this time) for another week and a half! We had a lot of fun during our stay--Jill, Katie, Theresa, my mom, and myself decided we needed a girls' night out, so we went to dinner and then to a movie--kidless! Brooke celebrated her birthday (July 3) while we were there--we went to the water park (again) and then had a family party at my parent's house, with sparklers to finish off the night! Mike and I were able to go to the temple a couple of times while in Idaho, too. The Rexburg Temple is beautiful! I also had my 10 year class reunion I dragged poor Mike to (and he was an excellent sport about it, too!) It was nice to see a lot of classmates and get reacquainted with them--seeing their kids and finding out what they're up to these days. By the end of our visit, we were ready to go home! We had a great time, but we were all anxious to be back home. Here are some pictures of our trip(s), like I mentioned earlier they are in backwards order (sorry about that, but you get to see the same thing either way). :0) Grandpa Tolman found a baby rabbit in his garden. Mike was able to catch it so the kids could pet it. Of course, Brooke (our little animal lover) wanted to take it home to be our new pet!

Emily and Adam (Josh and Jill's two-year-old) are having fun hanging out at the end of one of the slides at the water park.
Brooke blowing out her candles. Every time I asked Brooke what she wanted her birthday cake to be, she picked a different animal, so I decided to make a barn cake and I made cupcakes to go along with it that had different farm animals on them. The cousins loved it! Thanks Aunt Katie for your help with the barn cake.
Emily enjoying her cupcake.
lots of food=lots of fun
Thanks to Uncle Jason, we were able to end the birthday party with some fun sparklers.

Girls' night out--we used Jill's birthday as our excuse to go out, but next time I think we'll just go, without any excuse at all!

Adam, Brielle, Emily, and Brooke on top a tiger at the Idaho Falls Zoo.

Brooke, Emily, Brielle, and Aunt Katie having some fun at the water park. Brielle is a water baby, we couldn't keep her out of the water. Emily, on the otherhand, would only put a finger in the water.

Carousel ride--we went for two rounds. Each time the ride stopped, Emily would hold onto the bar with a death-grip, not wanting to get off!

We're home and enjoying being home for now. We don't have any more trips planned for the summer, but have lots of fun things we want to do here. Tonight Mike is planning a "campout" in the backyard with Brooke...more excitement pending!

Recent fishing trips...

Mike recently went on a couple of fishing outings--one with Brooke and one with a friend. The picture of the girls with Mike is the trip he went on with a friend. (The girls were in the process of getting ready for bed when Mike got home, hence the pajamas on Brooke and only diaper attire for Emily) :0) He caught a 5 lb walleye on his first go! Needless to say, Mike was "hooked" after that trip. Previously, he had taken Brooke fishing, but with not as much luck. Brooke didn't mind too much, though, she just enjoys going for the boat ride as much as anything!

Me--through the eyes of Brooke

All About My Mommy: (Brooke was tagged to answer these questions about her mom.)

1. What is something mom always says to you? "Don't touch the garden." (we don't have a garden, yet.)

2. What makes mom happy? "Giving her a hug and a kiss."

3. What makes mom sad? "When dad talks mean (Mike's going to love that)!"

4. How does mom make you laugh? "Tickling."

5. What was mom like as a child? “Mom was a baby.”

6. How old is your mom? “8.”

7. How tall is your mom? (Brooke raised her hand high above her head. ) "This tall.”

8. What is her favorite thing to do? “Cook.”

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? “Cook again.”

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? “If I read the paper.” (?)

11. What is your mom really good at? “Laundry.”

12. What is your mom not very good at? “Not good at fixing a car.”

13. What does your mom do for her job? “Mowing the lawn. Stay home and take care of the kids."

14. What is your mom's favorite food? “Bananas.”

15. What makes you proud of your mom? “ I like to make pancakes with my mom and I love my mom."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? "Ariel."

17. What do you and your mom do together? “Play games."

18. How are you and your mom the same? “We wear pink shirts."

19. How are you and your mom different? “When we are not wearing pink shirts."

20. How do you know your mom loves you? “Gives me a hug and a kiss.”

Brooke tags Aiden Cottam, Colter Harris, Thompson Goodfellow, and Max Tolman

I Want My Mom...

Brooke has been sick for the past couple of days. For those who know Brooke, she doesn't slow down for anything--even when she is sick (upset stomach, fever, cold, you name it, nothing). I am still waiting for something to slow her up a bit so I can catch my breath! :0) Anyway, usually Brooke keeps on doing whatever she wants to do when she's sick. I know she doesn't feel well by her extra whinning and I can usually tell by the look in her eyes if she is feeling well or not (if that made any sense). Last night we heard her crying during the night so I went into her room to see what was wrong. When I walked into her room, she was crying, "I want my mom. I want my mom." I helped her calm down and got her back to sleep. I don't like to see my kids sick, but it was nice to know that she wanted me when she wasn't feeling well (she is a very independent kid, and rarely "wants" mom or dad for anything).

On mother's day, I stayed home with the girls because Brooke had come down with a cold and cough, sinus infection, double ear infection, and pink eye to top it all off! Mike had a lesson to teach, so I volunteered to stay home. And no, none of this slowed Brooke down, either. Emily on the other hand, she is our little softy. She loves to be held and she loves to be loved. She slows WAY down when she doesn't feel well, or if anything is wrong and she lets you know she isn't happy. She is extremely tender-hearted. In fact, with all the ailments Brooke has been going through, I would say Emily has expressed them the most--you could say she's a sympathy sick-mate, she does the complaining for Brooke. :0)

After Mike got home from church, and after naps, we went for a drive. On our way back home, Brooke said, "Mom, I'm going to throw up." So, we pulled over and let her walk around and gave her some fresh air. She seemed to be doing better, so we continued for home, only to pull over in another few mintues to repeat the whole thing. I was hoping we'd make it home before she actually threw up, but to no luck. About one mile before we got home, she threw up a couple of times. Luckily, though, I was prepared (Brooke gets car sick every so often), so the mess was contained in a bag and didn't get all over the car (we've learned from past experiences).

I told my mom about my "Happy Mother's Day" with staying home and Brooke being/getting sick. She said, "Be grateful you have kids, because if you didn't, it wouldn't be a happy Mother's Day at all." And she is 100% right. I am grateful that I have been blessed with two beautiful girls. There are days when being mom is difficult, but then moments happen when the joy from your kids make everything you go through definitely worth it.

Pictures of the girls

I thought I'd post some pictures of the girls and what they've been up to lately. Brooke has really enjoyed her playdough kit she got from Santa for Christmas. Emily enjoys it too, until she decides to taste it, and then she can't get it out of her mouth quick enough, and yet, she tries it a couple of minutes later and the cycle begins again! :0)
We found a jungle gym/swing set on Craig's list. These are pictures of the girls playing on it. We don't have everything put on the swingset yet, but you get the idea. Brooke and Emily love it, and so do mom and dad!

Ginger thinks she's being left out of all the fun. As Brooke would say, "Poor, Ginger."
Mike has lots of help when he goes outside. The girls are constant shadows. Whenever he goes out without Emily, she just stands by the door and cries. She absolutely is a daddy's girl. She could care less for me when dad is home.

A minute or two...

I seem to finally have a semi-quiet minute or two. Brooke has a couple of friends over and they are playing (in the bathroom--so it can't be good, but for now they are playing nice together). So, while I have a minute, I thought I'd jump on the computer and write for a minute.

A couple of nights ago, Mike and I woke up about 2:45 a.m. to a scream and crying. We raced downstairs to find Brooke in the bathroom with blood running down her face, on her clothes, the toilet, and the floor. She got up to use the bathroom and somehow slipped and hit her head on the corner of the bathroom counter. She got a good cut on her eyebrow. We don't know if she fell asleep, or if she just lost her balance and fell. But, she's tough and is about healed up now. The funny thing was, she had to have a bandaid for each eye brow. One for the cut and one because the other eye wanted one, too. She looked quite the sight the next day when we went out shopping, needless to say, we did get a lot of strange looks!

Emily is still our little monkey. She loves to climb on anything and everything and she loves to eat "nanas" or bananas. Her latest accomplishment is dancing. Anytime she hears music, she will step back and forth and dance. I will try to get it on video and post it sometime soon, it really is cute to watch (along with her cheesy smile she gives while dancing).

I'm ready for the weather to turn warm and stay warm. We had a warm turn for a bit, and then it snowed more in a couple of days than it had all winter! But it is slowly, slowly starting to warm up again. It will be nice so we can be outdoors instead of being cooped up all day--let the girls get rid of some energy!

Well, I better go check on the kiddos--too quiet right now and that is not a good thing. :0)

Getting to know me, by threes...

My sister Katie tagged me, so here it goes!

Three names you go by: Jenn, Jennifer, Mom

Three of your favorite things to do: Hang out with Mike and the girls, play our latest favorite game, Settlers of Catan, go for walks in beautiful weather! (like today, it was 65 degrees)

Three favorite pets you have had/have: The only pet I've had that I can claim is Ginger, our yellow lab. But I have a daughter (Brooke) who thinks she is a puppy most of the time and a pig the rest of the time, so does having a puppy and a pig named Brooke count for the other two?

Three longest car/plane rides: When I was sixteen or seventeen my family and I traveled back East for three weeks (that was definitely the longest car ride), traveling down to Mike's folks place (Alamosa, Colorado) from Rexburg took about 13 hours, and then longest plane ride would be from Salt Lake City to Nashville, Tennessee.

Three favorite holidays: Hmmm, Christmas and Thanksgiving (who doesn't like these two holidays), and the third would have to be, anyone in my family's birthday (I know, kind of general, but Brooke loves to celebrate birthdays).

Three favorite beverages: Water, chocolate milk, and flavored water (with Crystal Light or something like that).

So, I don't really know how the whole tag thing works, but, I guess I'll tag Mindy and Tiffany.

As for today, it was gorgeous! We were in the 60's. Helena is really, really windy, and there wasn't much wind today, either, so that was extra nice. We got an outdoor dog kennel for Ginger (about time) and a jungle gym/swing set for the girls that we put up in our backyard. I raked the yard, getting the dead grass and what not out, and then mowed it for a good spring cleaning. I don't know if I did a whole lot, but it looked better afterwards, so that counts, right? Anyway, it was nice to be able to be outdoors and not freeze or be blown away.

Now I need to do Saturday night baths for the girls and get my lesson finished for Primary (I teach the oldest class, Valiant 11, and for the record, I love my class, they are awesome kids!).

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

My little monkey...

Emily is a climber! She climbs on everything she can possibly get her hands onto. She even climbs onto our bay window, which is about chest high to her. The obvious things she climbs onto are the kitchen table and chairs, the coffee table, kitchen drawers, and now she is climbing onto the computer table using a Rubbermaid tote! AGHHH! I know, I know, this is normal for this age, but I didn't get this wonderful experience with Brooke. Brooke never did much climbing. She just ran everywhere. All day long I have been pulling Emily off of the table, or the window seal by the table (which is only about 4 inches wide and how she manages to stay on it without falling off is beyond me), the computer desk, chairs, and so on. How am I suppose to get anything done?
Brooke has been fighting a cold and cough for the last few days which has made her a little irritable. She has yet to slow down, though, for a sickness. Run, run, run all day long! I wish I had her energy, then maybe I could keep up! She loves to play outside with Ginger (or yellow lab). I don't know if I should let her play outside, with her cold, but she needs to let some energy out, so I let her go out for a bit this morning, and we'll probably go for a walk later on today. It is suppose to be in the 60's on Saturday and hit the 70's on Sunday. I can't wait!

Happy Thoughts

I promise I am not going to be posting this often, but while I'm trying to get this page how I like it, I'll probably be adding, or taking away, a few things quite frequently. I had the idea of putting a happy thought on every so often. I would like to hear happy thoughts from all of you. If you have a happy thought, or if something makes/made you happy and you would like to share it with me, and others, let me know.

Pictures of the girls

Okay, so these pictures are about 8 months old, but they'll have to do for now. Emily is waking up from her nap and there goes my "free time." I'll try to get current pictures posted soon!

Blogging Debut!

I've decided to try out the blogging world. I don't know if I'll be a daily blogger, but I'll try to post frequently enough to keep everyone up-to-date on the Stoebers.