Old McDonald Had a Farm, EIEIO!

It was my turn to teach Joy School and the theme was "Farms." The kids really got into this lesson making animal sounds, galloping around like ponies with scarves as their tails, and creating farm animal puppets so they could sing "Old McDonald" over and over again! All of us moms were excited to surprise them with a visit to Wheeler Farms as a field trip the next day. It was awesome! Here are some highlights...

In the car on the way over, Emily used her pretend phone to call Grandma and tell her that she was going to the farm. She's so spontaneous sometimes, it kills me! :) I'll be driving along and hear her talking to somebody or something, so I'll turn around and find her "on the phone" in a very serious conversation with Grandma or Etta or Beau the dog or whoever! The other day, she "called" Elyse and said, "Your mommy, Miss Taffy (Kathy)...she go walking with my mommy, otay (okay)? You miss her? Me too. Otay, good bye." It reminded me of my cousin Karen's little guy, Ethan, who has similar "conversations" with Buzz Lightyear! Kids are so funny, aren't they? I love it!
Here's Ems chasing the ducks. This was, by far, her favorite part of the farm! She ran around just giggling and giggling...running after the ducks and finding it hilarious that they ran when she ran... too cute!
Jon and Gibson loved watching Etta and Emily chase after those funny ducks!
The tree house was a hit! The girls climbed up to the top, and then would peek out the windows and say, "Hi mommy! Look at me!" to each of their moms. It was funny! Here's Emily with Salote and Elyse climbing back down, ready to go enjoy more of the farm. We had such a great time on the farm! I just wish I had more pictures to share, but it was one of those days that I was enjoying myself as much as the kids, so I didn't take as many shots with the camera. I usually take pictures on the tractor ride, but just as we were all seated on the wagon, ready to go, the tractor engine started with an especially loud roar and freaked Emily out! She jumped up, crying, and ran for the stairs to climb off the wagon, when I jumped up after her and all the moms yelled, "Stop the tractor! Don't go yet!" Luckily, I was able to swoop her up in my arms as she hit the bottom step. I then tried to calm her down and convince her that "It's not scary. It's fun, I promise"...I don't know if she ever believed me. Strange enough, she usually loves the tractor ride, but obviously this time was different. You have to have a little drama on every field trip with kids, right?

After visiting all the animals, even the darling baby chicks :) we sat down at a picnic table and enjoyed a yummy lunch together. I loved spending time with my friends, away from the noises of the big city, and just enjoying country life a bit. What a good day!

Grandparents are Special!

Wade and I both feel so blessed to have parents that are the sweetest grandparents to our children. And we also feel blessed that our grandparents are still around and can be a part of our children's lives, too. We think that grandparents are so special. Wade's Grandpa Reed is the most amazing man! He's 95 and has the energy of a 25 year-old. He even went white water rafting a couple of years ago. Since he lives in the most northern part of Montana, we don't get to see him that often, so we were excited when he came to town.

Our little family with Great-Grandpa Reed

Wade's dad is the kind of grandpa that gets on the floor and plays with the kids. Who do you think is having more fun, Emily or her grandpa? :)

Father and son relaxin' in the recliner...We're going to have to buy one some day because Wade's a big fan of recliners! And as you can tell from the picture below, the kids are pretty fond of them, too, all that rockin', who wouldn't enjoy that?

"Just one more snuggle, Grandpa"

Meet in the middle

Two of my good friends and I decided to get together earlier this month to celebrate their birthdays. Since Cherie' lives in Saratoga Springs and Cynthia lives in Ogden, they decided we could all meet in the middle at my house in Sugarhouse in Salt Lake. Between our three families, we have 7 kids under the age of 3! It was a NUT HOUSE with lots of giggles and screams and, of course, lots of fun! :)

Cynthia was one of my best friends growing up. We met in 7th grade and were inseperable! She thought the world of me and helped me see the best in myself. You need friends like that in life, but maybe especially in middle school. I was really lucky to have her. Some of my favorite memories are the slumber parties she and I would have with Katie, another solid TRUE friend! We would stay up all night and play the game of "Life," play "MASH" and watch romantic comedies, like While You Were Sleeping, and eat treats! To this day, I still can't eat an EL fudge cookie without thinking about how we would "bite" the dumb boys heads off! :) Good times!

Cherie' and I became really close when we served together in the Relief Society presidency in the student married ward at Dixie College. When you serve together, you can't help but connect spiritually and in other ways. I love this girl, and I want to be more like her! She is soft-spoken, patient, gentle, and kind--all the qualities I want to develop more. She married Jonathan Dick, one of the cool guys I sang with in the Institute Show Choir, Inspiration. (Pause here for a shout out to my Inspiration pals who read my blog: Julie, Spence, Melissa, Aubrey, and any others! I love you guys!) Ironically Jonathan and Cynthia are cousins, plus Cynthia and Cherie' lived in the same ward for a few years. So the three of us girls have these connections from the past PLUS all of our kids are born within WEEKS of each other. So it's fun to get our kids together to play while we moms chat...or at least "try" to chat over the craziness of the noise the kids make. ;)

Making changes

I just love "The Biggest Loser"! It's so refreshing that there's something on tv that is all about making postive changes in your life. That show is literally changing lives and not just for the contestants, but for America as well! I was excited that Ali became the first female "biggest loser"! She has been an inspiration to me! She went from being lazy and depressed and using food to cover up her pain to being a determined, postive, animal athlete!



The theme song for the show totally empowers me. I ask myself all the time, "What HAVE I done today to make me feel good?" When I was 9 months pregnant with Jonathan, and at my heaviest weight, something snapped inside of me, and I thought, "I want to be healthy. I want to be my best self, and I never want to be this big ever again, pregnant or not." As most of you have experienced when you're pregnant, you feel like eating everything in sight, but I didn't need to be eating the junk I was eating. I wanted to make a change. That's all it took, and I've been on fire ever since! I'm so passionate now about my healthy lifestyle changes, and I'm thrilled that these simple changes have influenced my husband and children as well! Since post-pregnancy, I have lost 36 pounds, and I'm happier than I've ever been because now I'm taking care of ME so that I can have more energy to take care of my family too.

I really believe that it's not about having the perfect body, it's about being the best YOU. For me, I wasn't as concerned about the number of pounds to lose, I just wanted to be healthy and look GOOD in my skinny pants! ;) First I would need to FIT into those skinny pants, and then I would shoot for the looking good part! I read books, like Eat Right, Walk Strong by Leslie Sansome and Body for Life. I even pulled out my textbook from my college Nutrition class so I could educate myself on what's healthy and what's not. I soon discovered I was doing a lot of things that weren't healthy... Yikes! So I just took baby steps to improve my nutrition and exercise habits. I bought wheat tortillas and wheat rolls for sandwiches, low-fat or no-fat dairy, ground turkey, chicken, salmon, and lots and lots of fruits and veggies! I still had white rice and white bread from time to time because I knew I couldn't cut ALL bad carbs out of my diet overnight. It takes time, little by little, to make these changes. I started drinking a glass of cold water before every meal and working on portion control. And now, even when I do have ice-cream 2 to 3 times a week, I scoop smaller portions, and if I have worked out earlier that day, I know I can afford those calories, especially if it's at 2 in the afternoon and not 11 at night!

I discovered Turbo Jam, which is the most fun I have ever had working out! It pumped me up every morning, and I found myself wanting to get out of bed at 6am to work out, as crazy as that sounds! My friends and family have played the biggest role in helping me get in shape. Many of you would ask me how I was doing with my weightloss goals, and it helped me stay on track to meet those goals. Kathy, my amazing walking partner, was/is always so positive and encouraging. She's been like my personal trainer, coaching me along the way. I don't know how I could have done it without you, Kathy! And then of course Wade has been my partner in crime to help our family make these changes permanent! He's been really good to help me prepare healthier meals and to cut up fresh fruits and vegetables for Emily and Jonathan. (And to hide the Nesquik so we all don't drink chocolate milk as often!) I feel proud of our family and I feel proud of me. And it feels good!

Baby Hungry?

I went to visit my friend, Michelle, in the hospital yesterday, and I fell in love with her beautiful baby girl, Lacey! She was so tiny and precious, and when I was holding her in my arms, I got baby hungry all at once. Of course it only lasted for maybe 30 seconds, at which point Jonathan started whining and trying to climb up me (a little jealous, I think) and Emily started whining for food. My kids aren't big whiners, so it surprised me that they were both wanting my attention so immediately! And I was really enjoying being in the moment with this cute newborn! Oh, well, what do you do? They're my kids, and they deserve my attention. When Wade and I do have our third baby, we'll need to learn how to divide our attention among the three kids, and then the four kids, and then the twelve kids...no, just kidding. I REALLY don't think we'll have that many kids, but I bet your eyes got big for a second, huh? ;)

As I drove home from the hospital, I thought about how Heavenly Father is so amazing to create these perfect little infants. I just think all babies are miracles! I think about my sweet friends whose babies had complications and who then had to spend extra time in the hospital, and I truly believe those babies are perfect little miracles too!

2 years and 6 months ago, Wade and I were blessed with this little angel. After two miscarriages and a lot of tears, I was so grateful to finally be a mother! Being a mom feels so right to me. It's like I was born to do this--to love and teach my children. I still look at Emily from across the room, and think "You are so pretty!" Don't we all do that with our kids?

Emily, I want you to know how lucky I feel to be your mom. You're the happiest little girl, and have always been so calm and easy going, just like your dad. We love you Emily!
We thought it would be fun to be surprised about the gender of baby #2, so I didn't know Jonathan was a boy till literally 5 seconds after he was born. The nurse told us and then handed him to me, and I just gleamed with tears in my eyes and whispered to my newborn boy, "I have a son." I was thrilled to have a boy, and I know Wade was as well!
Jonathan, you are so special. It's been fun to see how different you are from your sister. You're full of energy and life. You're even a little fiesty at times, like your mom! :) You make us so happy, with that great, big smile of yours and an even bigger personality! Thanks for being a part of our family! We love you Jon!

Easter Fun and Jon Turns One!

First off, I have to say my inspiration for my catchy title of this post that rhymes is my friend and self-discovered poet, Kelly Clegg! Wade's mom and step-dad had an Easter egg hunt and BBQ for the whole family the Saturday before Easter. Unfortunately, Emily and I were sick, so we stayed home and played together instead. I loved the one-on-one time with my sweet girl, but honestly, it was so hard to stay home while everyone else was having fun! :( It was the worst case of the flu I have ever gotten. I mean I was out of it! Although it's never fun to be sick, we were so blessed that it was Spring Break for Wade, because he was able to take care of me and the kids when he normally would have had class. He definitely earned the HUSBAND OF THE YEAR award! He was so good to me! I love you babe!

So even though Em and I stayed home, Wade and Jonathan had a great time with the Easter egg hunt and just being with the family! After dinner, they celebrated Jon's 1st birthday and let him attack the cake and get super messy! I can't believe I have a one-year-old...and a two-year old! Jon is such a funny little guy! And yes, those chubby cheeks are very kissable in case you were wondering! :)
Easter is a special holiday because it's all about our Savior and remembering His atoning sacrifice for us, but of course, the kids still had Easter baskets hidden around the house left by the Easter bunny. Next year, to help my kids focus more on Jesus, I want to do what Carolee's family does with hiding one empty Easter egg to help remember that Christ's tomb was empty and the special child to find that egg receives a picture of Christ. Great idea, huh?

 What a happy boy! He's been fussy lately with teething pains (you know how that is) but not today, he was all smiles.
After dropping Emily off at Joy School, Jonathan and I headed to the library as usual for Book Baby, which is a fun story time for babies. The story lady reads a few books and sings songs with the kids, and then she either gets out the big parachute, musical instruments, or blows bubbles while the kids dance around. It's a blast!
I think he loves his mama! Thanks Traci for capturing this on camera. This is a great moment!

Shakin' the jingle bells at Book Baby and playing with the kitchen when we picked Emily up from Joy School

Playing Peek-A-Boo with the snowman's black hat. So silly!

We had a nice Easter dinner (a week late since I was so sick on Easter) with my sister, Margaret and her family. Jon got more birthday cake to destroy, which he thoroughly enjoyed! I love that my sister lives so close. We scrapbook and make cards, bake all sorts of things, especially cinnamon rolls, and just talk. Sometimes I miss my friends and family in St. George so much, but having Marg here makes me happy! I'm also grateful to have Wade's family near by. They are a great support to us. It's so wonderful to watch my kids play with their cousins, both their first cousins and their second cousins! What in the world would I do without our family?
Since Jon just turned 1 years old, I have thought A LOT about my labor and delivery with him and both the joys and challenges that I experienced in welcoming him into the world. To help me avoid the baby blues a little, I bought a collection book of my favorite comic strip "Baby Blues." I would read and reread and just couldn't stop laughing! It was very therapeutic. I recommend it to any of you moms out there with a new baby (Ali, Haven, Michelle-soon) In fact, it's a pick-me-up for ANY mom! When Jon was born, I struggled with feeling guilt for everything. I wondered if I was giving enough love and attention to Emily since baby Jon required so much, or if I was giving Jon enough of myself since I had a toddler that also needed me. It was a battle of emotions, as many of you have experienced. I loved my new little boy, but wasn't sure if I felt the same connection with him that I did when I was a brand new mom with Emily. Prayer got me through a lot. I knew I could love both of my children unconditionally, even during my most difficult times, because I knew I had a loving Heavenly Father who loved me unconditionally, despite my constant mistakes and imperfections. I still know that! The truths of the Gospel give me so much strength, and even though I know it's okay to cry from time to time, I feel so much joy and gladness to be alive and healthy and have the amazing friends and family that I do.

American Idol!

I knew I was hooked to this show when I saw the Finale between Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice. I was so inspired by this young country girl making her dreams come true. Until then, Wade and I didn't have television, and I just heard people talk about it. In St. George, my friends Mardi Gubler and Kiki Shakespeare-Thompson and I would get together and have girls night and watch it. Good times! :) Now that I'm in Salt Lake, Wade and I record it and then watch it after Emily and Jonathan are asleep for the night. Nothing moves me like good music, and when I watch this show, I just get happy all over! I don't care if the artist singing isn't the best, if it's a good song, I'll jump in and sing along. But mostly I appreciate when the artist is talented enough to be RIGHT ON, if you know what I mean. Some of the best artists American Idol has introduced to the world like Carrie, Bo, Chris Daughtry, Melinda Dolittle, Blake Lewis, and Jordon Sparks, I could listen to again and again. Wade and I even rocked out at the American Idol concert last year...just us and thousands of 13 year-old girls! It was so funny to be surrounded by all these young girls who wanted to marry Blake! This season, I am absolutely thrilled that talent like David Archuleta and Brooke White are in the top 12! They're such a breath of fresh air in an industry that has declining values. You can't help but like them, but also, they can both genuinely SING! They're amazing! Poor Brooke can't dance at ALL, right Kim? But she sure can sing her heart out and I just love to listen to that deep, soulful sound! Wade just added David and Brooke to our blog play list, if you want to listen. I'm also a fan of David Cook and his unique style and I think Michael Johns could go far! Anyway, I just wanted to talk a little bit about this crazy show that keeps me coming back for more! I know there are Idol fans out there...what do you guys think about the show and about this season?