The End!

Super long weekend review OR review of the super long weekend. Either one.

We left Thursday morning early and drove up to Salt Lake. We started out at Grandma Thomas'es house. We played with babies and my cousins kids and then ate a great meal with all of my Thomas family relatives. It was very nice to see them. It has been a long time. Then, we drove to Alexa's house and ate our second Thanksgiving dinner. It was gourmet and delicious, of course. I personally loved the mushroom stuffing and the truffles shaved on top. Mmmm, Good! We hung out with S and E and Grandma and Papa Perotti. They all had fun playing with Rome. Next, we headed off to Park City to spend the night with my parents. They came home and watched movies with us. I stayed upstairs and put together puzzles with Jenny. It became hilarious because I was so tired that delirium was setting in and I could not find anything. It did not help that Jen mixed 10 puzzles together. Yea.
Friday we got up early. Mostly because Rome did not sleep and decided to get up early. Yea, just what I wanted! Grandma finally came to take him and we got an extra half hour of sleep. Then, we had to get up and get ready for our pictures. Annie came up to Park City to do our photo shoot. I was very impressed that she found good backgrounds at my parents house. It is not that I don't like it, it is just well used.. I mean loved. Rome was a stinker. He was still tired and grumpy and did not smile at all. Oh well, not much we could have done. I am super excited to see what she got. Ooh, I Love Pictures! Then, I went to the outlets for some super great Black Friday deals. Cam came with me and was the best shopping helper. We left for Salt Lake again and Rome stayed with Grandma. I dropped off Josh at Alexa's and picked up Lyndsey and we went to see Twilight with Lacey. I liked it, but I am not a super crazy fan. I had a serious and thought out review, but I forgot it. Pooh. Anyway, it was nice to have a girls day activity. Afterwards, we met Chase to switch cars and babies. Then we went back to Alexa's and got ready for dinner. Rome stayed with S and E and thier babysitter Ann. The rest of us went out for sushi at a great place that Alexa and Andre know. It was good and very gourmet. They had very unique flavors and interesting kinds of sushi. We went back to the house and watched a funny show. (I don't know what it was, I went to sleep early)
Saturday we tried to sleep in. Rome made it until 7 am. We got up and Alexa made excellent french toast out of cinamon bread and really good eggs. I think I need to ask her how she made them. They were really tasty and I don't really like eggs. We played with S and E and went in the hot tub. Josh taught them about stinky bubbles. Such a boy... We got dressed and met our friend Angela and her son at the Spaghetti Factory for lunch. It was nice to see her and catch up. Finally, we drove home to CO.

What a great long weekend! I am so glad we could see and visit with so many family and friends in Salt Lake. Sorry, no pics yet. Maybe next week.

An this is The End of NaBloPoMo!

Sorry No Post

I know you are all concerned that I missed a couple of days. I was too busy driving to Salt Lake and seeing family. Details and review to come later. Good Night!

The Gospel

Today I am thankful for the Gospel. I know I don't think of it often enough. I have a really hard time putting my feelings about it into words. I am much better at doing things. I love the life I have now and look forward to life after this world. I love that families can be together forever. I have so many good friends and great experiences from going to church. I have not gone to the Temple, but I want to someday. I would love to bring Josh and our children there too. This one is my favorite.

Happy Birthday To Me!

Birthdays are great and I have always loved mine. Really, it is because it is next to Thanksgiving. My whole family is there and everyone wishes me a Happy Birthday. We would always sit down to eat and each say something we were thankful for. I always said family. It sounds contrite, but I really mean it. Now, it might be because everyone HAS to wish me a Happy Birthday. I don't even need presents. I like it just as much if they call me on the phone. I just really like that everyone thinks of me once in a while. So, today I am thankful for Birthdays and people remembering you on your special day. Or close to it. I am so not picky.

My Rome

Today I am thankful for my little boy, Rome.
This kid is just the cutest and I love being his Mom!

Look at those eyes!

Hot Stuff!

The cutest smile and outfit!

Cuddles

My Josh

Today, I am thankful for my Husband. There are a lot of Joshes out there, but this one is mine. Josh is such a great husband. He teases me and makes me laugh and snores and never picks up his socks and leaves dishes wherever and is always lucky. He loves tang and sausage and chocolate chip cookies. He hates vegetables, but he eats them because he loves me. (and I will make him eat them) He could eat spaghetti for every meal if I let him. (which I won't) He knows about sports and the Army and politics and music. His favorite game in the car is to change the channel and name the artist and song. He wins because I don't know any of them and he is very often right. He closes the bathroom door when he leaves because in one of our houses I told him to close all of the doors. Of course that was over 2 years ago. Funny that he catches on now. I love him so much. I really can't picture my life without him. I have no idea where I would be or what I would be doing. I am glad that he takes care of me and Rome so that I am able to stay at home. I could have chosen someone else, but I don't know how. I used to tell people that he stuck around until I had to keep him. The real story is I kept trying to get rid of him and I just couldn't live without him. When we were engaged we would fight a lot because we lived 2 states away and we kept trying to get married or break up. It was really tough. It was hard to stay with him, but hurt too much to think of being with out him. I never got a long with any LDS guys anyway. I know that he will come around when he is ready and that is okay with me. I have a really great life. I am seriously happy with where I am and what I have and He has everything to do with that. He doesn't need to hear it, but he might read this, so I Love You Honey. I am glad you put up with my crazy self.

Dear Mother

I wanted to take Jaley's challenge and post something that I am thankful for everyday. I was kind of glad I read her blog because I feel like I have been complaining on my blog a lot just to have something to post. Yes, I am a complainer. I know it. I am also very sarcastic. I try to work on those. Well, I also came across this blog that is compiling Dear Mother Letters for his wife for Christmas. I LOVED it! So, I decided to combine them. If you want a good cry check out this site and maybe send one of your own.

Dear Mother,

I love you so much. I always have. I have not always liked you however. There was a time that I was very angry at you. I did not understand why you did things. I did not like what I had to do. I was so hurt that I didn't have a choice. But, that is what you get. You don't get to choose your parents, or your children. I had to learn to like what you did. I had to look at my experiences through your eyes. I see now that what I had to do, made me who I am . I needed those experiences to be what I am now. I learned to listen and follow directions. I learned to be a leader and take control of a situation. I learned how to make things fun even when I did not think they were fun. I learned to control my temper so that I could teach others how to. I learned how to do things for myself. I learned to not be afraid even when everything tells me that it is scary. I learned to trust whole-heartedly in a man who is a little crazy, because you do. I learn that no matter how messed up a thing can be somehow it works out. I learned that no matter how many leftovers you see go into dinner, you must taste it before you decide it is disgusting. It turns out delicious every time. I learned to experiment with things just to see if I can make them work. I learned that hard work is very important. I learned that you can get anything you want if you work hard enough, have a plan and go in the right direction. I had to learn how to be friends with you. We are very different people. Sometimes I don't think you understand me very well, but that is okay. I understand you and love you anyway.

I always wanted to be a mother. I wanted to do it differently. I wanted to be there and do things for my children. I wanted to show them that I could do it better. I told my friends that I wanted to mess them up my way because I was messed up. Ha! That is pretty funny now. I never knew how hard it would be. I never realized how much heartache and worry would come with it. I am so glad you are here to help me. I rely on your expertise and advice. You did raise 6 children after all. I thought I worked hard before. I work hard now. I thought I had forgiven you before, but I understand now. My son is only 6 months old. Yet, I know what a sleepless night is like. I know how your heart hurts when you don't know why they are crying. I know how isolated you feel when your only conversation is one syllable sounds all day long. I know how it makes friends and relatives more important that ever. I know how proud you feel when they do something new all by themselves. I know there is a long way to go and I am looking forward to it. I wanted this. I wanted it all. The good parts are really good and the bad parts make you remember the good ones even more. Thank you Mom. Thank you for being my Mom. Thank you for messing things up and showing me that it is okay. Because I am going to mess things up sometimes and he will be okay. He won't know the difference.

I have to say my favorite thing about being a mother is the way he looks at me. He stares at me like I am the most perfect person in the world. And for him I probably am. It humbles me. I want to be the best mother to him because he already loves me like I am. I had a friend who would tease me that I would have a "momma's boy". I would protest and think I did not want one of those. Now, he is here and I don't mind so much. He just loves and needs me. It is a confidence boost everyday. Like he can do anything as long as I hold him. The world is wonderful as long and I am behind him. I only hope I gave some of this to my Mother. I can do anything and go anywhere becasue she is there to come back to.

Love, Jocie

My Soapbox

WARNING!! This post contains my opinions and they may make you angry and want to kick me. So, if you do not want to hear it and possibly start fuming from your ears DO NOT read on!! I warned you!!

I read another blog today. Yes, I was blog stalking again. (Twice in two days, what is going on?!) Well, this girl had a lovely post about how she has an extra 10 lbs left after having a beautiful baby girl. She very politely told her baby fat to go away and the part that got me was it had been 12 weeks. YES! 12! And ONLY 1o lbs! I was happy when I started losing weight right away after having Rome, however I have a VERY different opinion.
When Rome was born I thought that my job right now is to take care and nurture this little person that I was blessed with. Yes, I feel fat and lumpy. Yes, I do not feel even close to normal. I just hope it gets better and I feel better sometime.
I did start to feel better. It did get more normal to have him around. No, I didn't lose weight. And I didn't care. I just bought some trusty Wal-Mart clothes and did my best to care for my baby. I wasn't going to buy super expensive trendy clothes (I don't like them anyway) because I knew I would not be this size forever. I have to eventually fit into my old clothes again, or else, I will just keep buying clothes that fit until I have a new wardrobe. Whichever comes first. I totally did not worry about dieting. I tried to eat healthy, but not real hard. I was more worried about having enough milk and eating things that did not bother him. I had to add a snack in the afternoon and cut out milk and yogurt. After that Rome was happy and I was too.
Then, my sister-in-law decided to start a biggest loser diet and workout thing. I thought she was crazy and I still do. She just had a baby 3 weeks prior.
I do however, have to thank her profusely. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I really don't think I would have started working out had you not done this. I only started walking 3 times a week for maybe 30 minutes, but it helped. I actually started losing weight. I didn't diet. I am no good at it. The more I try, the more I cheat and it does not work. I really only cut out ice cream. (and I DO miss it! I am totally having some for my birthday next week. And I don't care!) I do not lose weight easily. I started running and it took me a year and a half to START losing weight. Yea, I was convinced that this would not work. I am still very surprised that I am continuing to go down. I was perfectly happy to stay at 170 forever. (180 was not so cool though) I am so happy to wear my old clothes again and I honestly felt like I was back in college when I could put on my old jeans and my SUU T-shirt. My girls have not gone down. I had to buy bigger shirts to accomodate them. I am sure that I will lose 5 lbs when I stop nursing. My girls are HUGE! Still! And, I now have a belly. Okay, it probably isn't that big, but Autumn I totally understand now. Okay, I got sidetracked.
My point was that I don't care what I look like. I don't care if I have 10, 20 or 30 extra lbs left. I have a baby to show for it and I need to take care of him right now. Now, I won't not care forever. I like wearing my old jeans and looking good. But it comes second. My baby comes first. Always.

I'm a Winner!

So, when I am bored I check out my friends friends blogs. Yes, it is kinda stalker-ish, but sometimes I am bored. I like seeing what other people are saying and doing. And they are Almost people I know. Well, a while ago this cool girl was having a give away of super cute jewelry that she made and hardly anyone was entering. I had to enter to make her feel better. And I totally wanted one! Well, then I checked back and I won! Yay! Okay, it wasn't that hard, still I am soo excited to get my bracelets. Yea, two! Did I mention how cool this girl is? Check her out, and my prize. :)

Kiss and Jimmy: Everyone's a Winner!

Shoulda Coulda Woulda

Yesterday did not go just how I thought it would.
Here is what should have happened: I get up at 8 or 8:30. Josh plays with Rome for a little while and then goes to work. I feed Rome and get him ready. I get ready and take him in the stroller with the little dogs and we walk for at least 30 minutes. We come home. Rome took a nap while we were walking so he plays happily while I shower. I get dressed and eat lunch. We leave to go shopping. I only have 2 items, a movie and a game, that I need to pick up. I find them easily at the same store and we go home. Rome takes his second nap. We then go to the grocery store and I find everything on sale. Then, I make a new recipe for dinner. Chicken Tetrazinni. It is delicious. I also make mini cheesecakes for my friends jewelry party tonight. I go over to the party while Josh watches Rome and I have a great time. I go home in time to feed Rome, give him a bath and put him to bed. Then, I have a couple of hours to read, work on Christmas presents, watch a show, whatever. Ahh!

This is what could have happened: I get up at 7 because Rome is awake. Josh sleeps in. I feed Rome and get him ready. Josh watches TV and eats breakfast, leaving for work at 10. Rome takes a nap. I eat lunch and then get ready. We go out in the stroller with the dogs and walk for 40 minutes. Rome only sleeps for 10 minutes and is still tired. He is not quite happy when I go to shower. He is screaming when I come out of the shower. I think I have about an hour before he needs another nap so we leave to go shopping. I can't find anything and it takes 3 hours. I feed Rome late, he misses his nap. I try to put him down at 4 when Josh comes home. He only sleeps for 30 minutes and I have to hold him or he screams. Josh offers to make dinner and I try not to "help" him too much. I sneak dinner while on the floor playing with Rome. I am tired, he is tired and I finally feed him and put him to bed early at 7:30. I am no fun and go to bed at 9:30.

This is what did happen: We all got up at 8. Rome is pretty happy, but I feed him and get him ready. Josh decides to stay home today. He watches a movie. Rome takes a nap. I get ready. We eat lunch. I leave to go shopping. I can find the movie I am looking for, but not the game. I try 3 stores and finally just buy the movie. I go to Michaels and Rome will not sit in the cart. He needs to be held while I look for crafty Christmas things. I find a couple and we go home. I put Rome down for a nap. Josh plays on the computer. I go to the grocery store. I find what I need and try not to buy extra because I missed my snack and am hungry. I forget my perscription and have to go back. I am now late to make dinner. I start my new recipie and Rome starts to scream. Josh does his best with Rome and then we trade. We cook together (this NEVER happens). Finally Rome is happy and I stir the sauce. And stir..and stir..and STIR. It probably cooked for 45 minutes. The recipie just said until it thickens. It never did. I was suposed to bake it for 35 minutes also. I was starving and just stuck it all in the pot together. There was waay too much sauce and it turned to glue. I add broccoli because we need to eat vegetables. I don't think Josh ate them. I try to eat while on the floor with Rome. He keeps hitting my bowl and wants to eat it too. I have to fend him off along with the dogs to get anything to eat. I never got to make my treat for my friends party which started an hour ago. I take Rome and go over anyway. He is perfect for her and plays on the floor with her kids. The stinker. I am exhausted. I just sit on a chair the whole time. We go home at 7:45 and I hurry to put Rome to bed. No oatmeal. No bath. Just bed. I go to work on ordering prints from online because they are having a one day free shipping sale. I need to order them anyway so, great! It takes forever! The sale ends at midnight and I finish at 11:30. Lucky. Josh goes to bed without me and I sneak into bed trying not to wake him up. I try to sleep while feeling guilty that I didn't bathe the baby or feed him his oatmeal and Josh stayed home from work and I did not hang out with him at all. I tell myself not to feel guilty. Yea, like that works.

Here is what Would have happened had I not tried to do too many things: Rome wakes up happy. Josh decides to stay home. I rearrange my plans. We get ready and we all go shopping. It is enjoyable because we are together. Rome takes a nap because shopping does not take 3 hours. I go to the grocery store, but scrap the new recipie and do something easy and quick. I manage to make cookies from a mix. I go to my friends party early. My friend is happy. I spent time with Josh. He is happy. Rome has a good hour with Mommy and goes to bed happy. I am not tired or stressed and I am happy. Why do I keep overplanning things anyway?

And if you read this whole thing...I am not apologizing for it being way too long. You read it.

I Don't Wanna

I am not in a bad mood, I just don't feel like doing certain things today. Like getting dressed. Or working out. I usually go outside and walk with the stroller for 30-60 minutes. But it might be cold. And even if it isn't cold, I think it will be and I don't want to go. I need to return my library books. I think they are a week overdue. I tried to renew them online and they have been renewed too many times. Pooh. I don't really want to leave the house. I also need to clean the house and say the dishes, but...I don't feel like it. I feel like visiting that garden with the trees and flowers and a stream and a path and a bench. The one they talked about during my birthing class that was supposed to calm me down or distract me. I am not sure which. Yea, where was that when I needed it? Huh? Oh, well. Back to the real world. Maybe I will go workout just for the hot shower after. I am sure I am going to freeze outside however. Sometimes being healthy is stinky, and cold.

Challenge

I take the challenge! Really, I was thinking of doing this before so, Thank you!
Here are some self portraits.

First Attempt: Babies don't help.

With Flash

Without

This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn't like any of my smiles.
Also, the camera kept focusing on the door behind me.

Oh, And I forward the Challenge! Show yourself on your blog!

Just Ducky

Rome loves his bath! Lately he wants to sit up and see everything, so I got out his big boy bathtub. It is a big yellow ducky and it even quacks! (Thanks Brean and Fam!) He loved it! He could play with his toys and splash and still see everything. I like it too because I am not so afraid of him slipping and falling while he is sitting up. (I am sitting right next to him, but I worry.) If he does fall over, he just bounces on the side of the ducky and sits back up. It is great!

Photo Shoot

Here are the pics of Rome being 6 Months old. He is just so cute! He didn't feel very good because of his shots. The poor kid!

Look at those thighs!

Poor kids face was all red

Look! I can stand

Playing with Daddy

Yay, Mom is here too!

Yay Day!

Today is a Yay Day! I just keep saying it so I must be in some sort of good mood. I said it when I got to sleep in (because I went to bed really late, silly me). I said it when Rome ate (Yay that feels so much better!) because I put him to bed early so I was busting out this morning. (Ha ha! I made a pun!) I said it when Josh went to work. (Yay alone!) I like when he is home, but sometimes I like the house to myself. Side note: He forgot his lunch again today, silly boy. I said it when I was holding Rome on my lap playing (Yay this is fun!). What a cute little boy I have! I said it when I laid him down for a nap And he went to sleep after only 10 minutes of fussing. (Yay sleeping baby!) I said it when I ate a snack and only felt like eating fruit (Yay Me for diets working!) and not chocolate. I said it when I looked at my house to clean it and thought, "its not even that dirty. I probably only need to vacuum." (Yay for clean houses!) [Okay it is NOT really that clean, but whatever.] I said it when I thought of scrapbooking group at my house tonight. (Yay friends!) I get to scrapbook for at least a couple hours. I don't usually get much done, but my friends come over and we talk and laugh and it is great! I said it when I thought of making treats for tonight. (Yay I get to make cookies!) And I don't even feel like making OR eating cookies. Wierd. (Yay for $1 delicious coookie mixes!) I think it when I look at my Christmas list and it is seriously ALMOST DONE! (Yay for Christmas shopping done!) I wrote it on more than one blog comment today. (Yay for everyone!) Now, I get to go shower. (Yay for showers!) What a GOOD Day!

Doctor Me

Rome had his 6 month doctors appointment today. I really should have taken pictures too because he turned 6 months today and wore a cute outfit to his appointment. Oh well, he missed his nap and is super tired. The appointment went really fast. (I think I asked too many questions last time and she wanted out of there. Well, that is what I think anyway) Rome is still doing really well. He was 18 lbs 5 ounces and 27 1/2 inches tall. I am surprised! I was sure he weighed more than that. They didn't tell me his percentages, but he is still high for his height, above 75%, and above 50% for his weight and head. He got 4 shots and a flu shot, so we are having an interesting night. Like I needed help after a no nap day. Maybe pics will come tomorrow. And I will make super delish cookies for the scrapbook ladies coming over to my house. Yea, Ha!

Rome Made A Friend

I watched my friend's kids for a couple hours while she went to class and Rome made friends with her little girl. It was soo cute!

They sat on the floor and talked to each other.

He was upset when she started to move however. He wanted to go too!

Recipes Please...

Oh, Crud. I have to think of a post for today too.... This NaBloPoMo thing is harder than it sounds. And, I have no idea what is stands for...
Anyway, I am going to take an idea from Claire. Whenever someone asks for a new dinner idea, I give them these super easy recipes. I make them a lot. Two come from the Dinner On Hand Cookbook I got from my mother-in-law and the 3rd is from Jaley's Aunt when my roommates and I stayed with her for Jaley's wedding. They are all easy and pretty quick dinners. The best kind!

One Pot Rice Dinner
2-4 Chicken breast cut up or 1 can tuna
1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1 can water
2 cups Minute white rice
handful of chopped broccoli or frozen peas
Cook Meat in oil in a large nonstick skillet for about 10 min.
Add liquid and rice, Bring to a boil.
Stir in vegetables, cover and let stand 5 min. top with cheese if desired.
(can also be made with any frozen veggies)

Hash Brown Dinner
1/2 -1 package frozen hash browns
shredded cheese
1-2 Chicken breasts cut up or 1 lb ground beef
veggies, corn, onions, peppers, carrots, pretty much anything you want
Salsa, BBQ sauce, pizza sauce or tomato sauce
Cook meat.
In a 13x9 inch baking dish, mix hash browns and a handful of cheese.
Layer with 1 cup each of cooked meat, sliced veggies, and sauce. Sprinkle with more cheese.
Bake at 4oo degrees for 30 minutes.
(I usually do 1 cup per person of ingredients and add water to get enough salsa, or BBQ sauce)

Tater Tot Casserole
1 lb Ground beef
2 cans green beans
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package frozen tater tots
Cook meat.
In a 13x9 inch baking dish mix meat, green beans and soup.
Cover with a single layer of tater tots.
Cook as directed on the tater tot package. (Usually 350 degrees for 30 min.) Can sprinkle with cheese before serving if desired.

I hope these make sense. There aren't set amounts of ingredients. Let me know if you try it and it doesn't work. Enjoy!

Knees Please

I had no idea what I was going to post today. Then, Rome did this and I got a video of it. Yes, he is crying a lot. Notice how he cries when he sees me. Yes, he took a nap right after this.

65 Years

Last Saturday, Rome and I traveled to Tucson to attend his Great-Grandparents 65th Anniversary Party. Josh could not go because he had to work. Which means I went on a plane, with a baby, Alone. I do not recommend it. It went alright, even though I stressed about it all week. The party was pretty fun. Rome slept for the first part (it started at his bedtime), but then he woke up and visited with all of the relatives. It was neat to hear all of the stories and memories people have of Grandma and Grandpa Rhoades. I told one from Josh, but forgot to tell one from me. We got home late and apparently Rome did not want to sleep because he was up every hour screaming. It was not a fun night. Luckily, Dick and Suzi watched him in the morning so I could sleep for an extra hour and a half. We just hung aroung the house on Sunday. We went swimming and took naps and watched while the house was decorated for Christmas. I could say I helped, but I didn't. On Monday, we went to lunch with Cousins Ray and Rene, then went shopping with Aunt Lyndsey. Afterward, we got to go see my friend Sherida and her kids. It was so fun and I always love to visit with her. Tuesday we got up early and flew home. It was a quick trip but still so fun!

Rome with G-ma and G-pa Rhoades; Rome, me and Aunt Lyndsey

The Cake and the cool M&M's

Rome with Grandma and Grandpa Perotti, Poor kid was cold!

His new ways to sleep

Uh-Oh! He is starting to move! What a cute grin :)
My Story that I should have told: When Josh first told Grandma Rhoades about me, she asked what I was studying in school or what I did. He told her I was a dancer... A Pole Dancer. To which she said, "Oh, thats nice." Then, his mom started giggling and told her that meant I was a stripper. Eventually, they told her I was not really a stripper. Nice Josh, Thanks. I was appalled that he would tell his grandma that, but it was pretty funny.

My Bless-sed Opinion

So, there is this blog that I saw on a couple different blogs. Also, I read about it on Mormon Mommy Blogs. It is called Seriously So Blessed. When I first read it I was shocked! I could not believe that this person was saying those things. I understood all of the mormon references and what they meant with the "teen speak" but I didn't think it was funny. In subsequent visits I did see the list of referrals to the blog and how it was a spoof and funny and a joke. Anyway, I pointed it out to Josh because I was so appaled by the language. Not just the mormonizations. Just the text/shortened/teen speak. I heartily disliked it all . I even wrote a message to Lacey about it. I still have the opinion that if that is how people want to talk now, then I am officially OLD and I LIKE IT. But that is just my Bless-sed Opinion.

Fourths

I saw this tag on somewhere and thought it was cool. You are supposed to post the 4th picture from the 4th folder. Then I looked at my folders and it doesn't quite work for me.
This is the only alone picture in my 4th folder, 2001 Pics
Family Pics before Dan left on his mission
As a list from 2001 Pics, 1st folder (only 2 pics) 2nd folder Friend Pics, 2nd pic
Carl and I after our Ballroom concert at SUU
Or I could do 4th folder 2001 pics, 4th folder Misty Wedding, 4th Pic
Bountiful Temple
This is from 2008 Pics, 4th folder Jan Pics, 1st folder Babys Room 4th picture
From painting the baby's room in January

I know I am most likely taking the whole thing waaay to literal. Oh well. Enjoy.

Bed Rants

Okay so I have some bed issues. Mostly they have to do with Josh. I do love him, but he drives me nuts about our bed!
When I was growing up I had to have my bed completely clean before I would sleep in it. In my house growing up it was very common to find dirt and rocks in your bed. I know, my house, imagine... Well, I would tear the bed apart to brush it off if there was even a hint of anything or else it would bug me and I would not sleep.
I pretty much got over this when I married Josh. He just makes the bed dirty. Also, he sweats. He is (dare I say it) a greasy Italian. He leaves a stain on the sheets and pillow and it very often is stinky. Yes, I have a sensitive nose, but I have to sleep next to him. He does not notice at all AND he likes to sleep in the very middle. I would have to ask him to scoot over many times in the middle of the night. So, my side of the bed was never clean. I tried my best, but I just had to get used to it. Eventually he got better at staying on his side and my side was a bit cleaner.
Then, he decided that we should switch. I was appalled! Why would we do that? My side is wonderful and I am used to it and it is clean! I have done it a couple of times (why does he want to switch anyway?) but only after I put on clean sheets.
This last weekend I was gone and Josh slept on my side of the bed. I don't really blame him. It is closer to the door (so I can get the baby in the middle of the night). But, now my side is stinky! I have asked and prodded him to wear pajamas or a t-shirt to bed, then this would not be a problem at all. No luck. I do really like him and I enjoy sleeping next to him, but I am pretty sure I have to change the sheets today and maybe wash the blanket. Ugh, I hate doing that.

Our pretty bed. It took me forever to pick it out. Josh didn't care because he doesn't see it at night when it is dark and he is sleeping. He is such a guy.

Randomness

I am just awake. It is 1:30 AM. These are just random.

Congrats Adri! So glad your little girl is here! I really am jealous that she was completely ON TIME. Can NOT wait for more Pics!

Congrats to Misty! So so so happy for your news!

Yea to Jana for starting your diet again! Really hope it works. I am pretty sure that mine has gone backward by about 5 pounds. Which isn't too bad until you know that I only had 3 pounds to go. I have lots of excuses, like I was sick and it was Halloween and it was too cold to exercise. None of those are really good ones. Pooh.

Autumn, I miss you. I totally want to find a reason to come to Vegas and hang out with you and your awesome kids and totally cool messy house. (no offense, I love it) But, it is a 7 hour drive and there is not much chance of that. Sad.

Lace! Babe! My mind is mush and I cannot think of one good thing to get you for our Birthdays OR Christmas. Usually I can come up with something at least a little thoughtful that I know you will at least enjoy. Nope, not this time. I should just call and ask, but it feels silly. So, maybe some good ol' quality time and a girls night out at Thanksgiving will do.

Annie, Hey girl. I totally love your blog. I thought about doing the NaPaBlo or whatever thing. I am just NOT that creative/thoughtful/productive. It just would not happen. Oh well. It sounded cool. I am, however, SUUUUPER excited for our photo shoot! I got Rome's outfit and it is so adorable. I need to get something for Josh to wear, but that should be fairly easy. Oh and I love you to bits. I was a whiny, complaining kid when we were friends, (sometimes I still am) but somehow you put up with me and I still love you for it.

Valarie, I don't know if you will read this, but if you do: Welcome to the blogging world! I love you too and am so glad you live so close so that I can see you all the time. Oh and your blog is great. It is not like I get to see those things when we spend hours talking.

Clare, I don't understand you. I really wish I did. I don't think you like me. Oh well, sometimes I don't like you either. I know I have hurt/offended you at some time. But I cannot apologize because I do not know what I did. In my mind I make up all kinds of things that you might say or think, none of which are true because I don't know you and don't talk to you and it is worse because I DON'T KNOW. In my perfect world, we would be friends (not just pretend) and we would talk (in person AND on the phone) and share our feelings (even if they were bad at first because the good ones would come later) and I would totally understand you (and not feel like my brains are frying sometimes when I think about you). Ahh, that would be nice.

Rome, You are currently breaking my heart. I know that you should sleep. I am VERY tired. I know that you have been crying for an hour. I already had Josh check on you and HE went right back to sleep. I SO MUCH want to go in and rock you and cuddle you until you go back to sleep. However, I am too tired and my knees are killing me from carrying you around too much already and you really need to remember/relearn how to go to sleep on your own. I love you so much my little boy. PLEASE go to sleep. Please stop making me want to cry too.