Tiny Dancer

Josi has always loved to dance. (Watch the following movie for past dance experience... Beautiful Disaster). She has picked up some new moves from somewhere in the last couple of months. She really isn't very coordinated so she looks a little goofy. Anytime music comes on she has to dance. This was during the end credits of a movie I watched the other day.

Fun in the Sun

As usual the kids were up at about 6 am. The sprinklers are set to come on at that time and I had to adjust them because they keep overshooting the "lawn". While I was outside, Josi and Hyrum grabbed their shoes and came out with me, still in their jammies. I started to make them go inside, but changed my mind and let them have fun. It is really warm here in the mornings so I figured, why not. They had a blast!

You can also kind of see my front yard in this. The grass is slowly growing in and where it isn't, there is this plant (that they actually sell seeds for at Lowes) that is filling in the barespots. All are volunteers that started growing once we got the sprinklers turned on. This fall we will seed with the winter grass.

I Am a Child of God

It was 6 in the morning and I heard Hyrum getting up. He was wimpering a little, but it was nothing alarming so I just kept my eyes closed and waited for him to come to me. Instead he went into Josi's room and climbed on her bed. Apparently she was already up too, because a few minutes later I heard this, so made myself get up to get a video. She does this a lot when Hyrum is sad, probably because it has been my lullaby of choice since she was born.

Summer

Yesterday was the first day this year that I went to work before the kids woke up and came home after they went to bed. Summer is here . . . How sad!

WebPages

I am updating the kids webpages. Some people haven't been able to view the video so, I will continue to put the videos on their webpages as well as the blog.

On the Farm

I have been asked about all of our animals. Since I was 7 years old my family has had a variety of animals. We started in Utah with a dog(Samantha), then added a cat(Snugg) and eventually a few rabbits. When we moved to Idaho Falls, my family bought a house that was on a large lot. It had two pastures and a barn on it and lots of other space for a big veggie garden and coops for the birds. It also had a shop and a raspberry patch and also a large yard. Here is a satellite picture of it. It doesn't look as big as it really is.

We gradually got more and more animals, that all came and went. The most we had at one point, we did have a pony and her baby(a mule), 10+ chickens, 4+ turkeys (I forget them on the other list), 5 ducks, 3 or 4 pigs, 3 dogs, several cats (mousers), and 4+ rabbits. My brothers and sisters and I were all responsible for feeding them. I even had to clean out stalls in the barn. After we sold our pony, we had a couple of calves. Most of the animals were for food. It wasn't really hard for me because I understood the purpose of them. I knew when we got the cute little babies that they would grow up and we would eat them. My dad butchered the small animals and the large animals we had a professional do. We had the turkeys for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. The chickens were for eggs. The ducks were for fun. We did try eating one once, but it was too old by then so the meat was tough. Then a fox got into the cage and killed the rest. :( Even rabbit is pretty tasty! All of our friends loved coming to our house and helping with the chores and collecting eggs. I loved having animals and really miss it. It was how I learned to be a hard worker. It wasn't just work, lives depended on it. I wish that my kids could experience it. We had babies of all of them too, which was the most fun. We watched chickens and turykeys hatch. I saw a live birth of a piglet once. That same litter of piglets, the mother didn't take care of them and only two survived because we bottle fed them. I will get some pictures from my parents and put a slide show on here, when I can.

More House Pictures

This is the entry way. Just to the left of is the living room. A half wall separates it from the entry. You can just see part of it with a candle warmer on it.











This is the kitchen. It has a nice big pantry with shelves on three sides! I am so excited to finally build up a food storage. I've never had room before. I love my appliances and the fact that they all match. I wish that I had Karin's cabinets. I love the color of hers. If you look at the big pictures you can tell the counters are granite look-a-like Corian.
We finally got our chairs and I got them all put together. For the first time in 4 years we can actually sit at our table to eat our meals. The table I got for free from someone I worked with when we lived in Mesa. It is really nice, solid wood. Now I just need to paint it to match the chairs. Mnisa, I hope you can give me some advice; I hear you did yours, too.

100 Things About Me You might not know

I tried to throw in some you wouldn't know!

1. I was born in Tri-Cities Washington
2. Oldest of 7 children
3. I play the flute, have since 8th grade
4. Played in symphonic and pep band
5. Grew up with lots of animals; Cows, chickens, ducks, rabbits, a pony and eventually a mule, too many cats to count, 6 or 7 dogs and lots of puppies, pigs and piglets
6. I love to sing, just not solos in public, mostly as loud as I can in the car or at home.
7. I have been changing diapers since I was four. My mom says I was better than any babysitter.
8. I am terrified of speaking in public, both times I shook the entire time and my legs nearly gave out from under me.
9. I don't get nervous until minutes before the occasion.
10. I got two AS degrees. One in Landscape Horticulture the other in Agriculture Business.
11. I love hard physical work
12. I hate being hot...good thing I moved to Arizona :)
13. I love to bake and cook.
14. I prefer making things from scratch and the more difficult the recipe, the more fun it is.
15. I like to arrange flowers. I did my wedding, my brother's wedding and one of my sisters weddings.
16. I like to sew, especially frilly little dresses
17. So far I have made 3 of them for Josi
18. I love to cross-stitch.
19. I love to read novels.
20. Some of my favorite series are Robert Jordan's Eye of the World, JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Stephenie Meyers' Twilight, and Jane Austen's novels
21. I love to watch movies (ATF- The Cutting Edge; I have it memorized)
22. Especially period pieces based on books like Jane Austen's books (favorite of that is A&E's Pride and Prejudice-- all 5 hrs 45 min of it).
23. I also like movies based on Historic events
24. Ben and I used to own an edited video store-- NUNYA Entertainment DBA Cleanfilms.
25. I did everything from running the store 'til midnight some nights to the accounting and taxes.
26. We watched all but a couple of the movies in our store. There were nearly 1000 of them (had to so we could talk to our customers about them :)
27. What a great learning experience,
28. but I would never do it again!
29. I love gardening and yard work
30. I am very ticklish -Most back rubs tickle too much
31. I love being a mom, want to have several kids-- most days
32. I love to kiss my babies
33. Hated to have and recover from a c-section (both of them)
34. Can't stay in bed and rest like I am supposed to
35. I am a junk food junkie
36. I like just about everything; will try almost anything
37. Don't like canned pineapple, love the fresh stuff
38. Don't like peanut butter in spagetti sauce (ask Ben, it's a Peruvian thing)
39. LOVE steak and seafood
40. Not a big fan of Thai food either, too much peanut flavor
41. but I do love peanut butter
42. I hate being told what to do
43. and even worse, that I can't do something because I am a girl
44. even just implied
45. I was once offered an "interview" at a modeling agency (totally shocked me, Kristin was there)
46. Didn't go because Ben decided to propose that day and I missed it
47. Won't likely be offered again :)
48. Never involved in sports in highschool
49. Secretly dreamed of being a cheerleader
50. Did take gymnastics when I was younger
51. and tried again in college
52. Love hiking and camping
53. Favorite sports are snowboarding and wakeboarding
54. Couldn't give up my snowboard even though we moved to AZ
55. Determined to find a ski resort nearby next winter
56. I only ever aspired to become a mother-It is my dream job!
57. I inherited some of my father's (and grandfather's and great-grandfather's)talent for drawing.
58. I HATE cleaning and ironing and washing dishes and folding laundry... but I feel guilty when I don't do it
59. My favorite smell is either cinnamon or vanilla
60. My favorite flower is a lilac for outside and
61. all orchids for inside
62. My favorite painting is "Prayer at Valley Forge" (George Washington kneeling in prayer before battle)
63. because it shows that God and government can (and should) co-exist
64. I loved it at Ricks College
65. My favorite classes were Snowboarding and American Heritage
66. Oh, I love Disney movies too, mostly the cartoons
67. I like to Scrapbook
68. Love the water whether it be a pool, a lake, river or ocean.
69. I have lived in Emporia, Kansas (2 brothers born there),
70. Livermore, California (1 sister born there),
71. Tremonton, Utah ( 1 sister born there),
72. Idaho Falls, ID (2 sisters born there),
73. Vancouver, WA (engaged there),
74. Mesa, AZ (Josi born there),
75. Taylorsville, UT (Hyrum born there),
76. Phoenix, AZ (bought our first home here!)
77. Live in Idaho the longest. 8 years in IF and between there and Rexburg for the next 3 1/2 years
78. Love the country, hate the city
79. I like doing geneology, helping my dad develop a website about my ancestors
80. I like to travel
81. Haven't done much though
82. Have been to British Columbia, Canada and Mexico City, Mexico.
83. Almost went on a Meso America (centeral and South America) trip the summer after college and had it mostly paid for.
84. Decided not to go when I got a feeling that I shouldn't
85. Got engaged that summer and married that fall!
86. I had to pay for college myself (paid back parents anything they loaned me)
87. Still paying off student loans!
88. I worked as a teachers aid during college
89. Only stayed in the hospital once for illness or injury
90. 5 years old for the flu (shut down my digestive tract)
91. Fractured my skull (concussion) when I was 10 or 11
92. Lost a lot of memories from before that
93. Run over by a car my senior year of HS (just my leg)
94. Nothing broken! (I love to drink milk)
95. Still have a scar on my ankle from it
96. Had only one job using my Degree
97. Got laid off the day I came back from my honeymoon
98. I actually like (LOVE) all of my in-laws!
99. Definately a D-I-Yer. Hate calling/paying someone to do the work.
100. Can't wait to landscape my yard. It is killing me to have no plants!
I tag Sarah-Sue, Kaelynn and Amy (my newest inlaw:)

powdered sugar

I really think powdered sugar should be more involved in recipes and dishes.

-BEN

Little Picasso

This morning the kids woke up before I did at about 6:30. I came out to the office/loft area to find a big mess and crayon on the computer screen. You can kind of see a green glow on the screen in the picture.

I knew it was Hyrum because Josi knows better and has only ever colored on something other than paper once in her 3 1/2 years. I was calm and sternly told Hyrum to come to me. He did so with his head down, but his eyes peeking up to try and see my face. He knew he was in trouble. I made him help me wipe the crayon off of the screen.

It came off quite easily and only left a little waxy residue that you can't see when the computer is on. This afternoon Hyrum and Josi both needed a nap at the same time. That doesn't usually happen. Josi still doesn't like to take naps in the afternoon, but sometimes I can talk her into laying down with me. This was one of those times. So we all laid down at about noon. Hyrum woke me up at about 2:45 (I must have really needed some sleep) and he blue highlighter on his face and black permanent marker all over his legs. I was worried at what else I would find marker on and reluctantly got up. It seems Hyrum thought cleaning the computer off, was for the purpose of giving him a clean slate for his art. This time I found black permanent marker all over the computer screen, and the printer, and the desk, and the mouse pad...and my dad's Father's Day gift and Josi. I was so worried about trying to get the marker off I didn't think to get a picture for you all. Surprisingly, it came all off with a little Windex and some extra pressure. I even got the crayon residue off this time. Janae' I fear I am headed down the same path in parenthood as you! It must be the Harlow blood:)

Bed Time Shenanigans

We put Hyrum to bed at 7pm most nights. Since we took the side off of his bed, it has been a struggle to get him to stay in bed while the rest of us are up still doing various things. Tonight after putting him BACK to bed twice already, I heard him again, playing. So I went back to put him in bed again and this is how I found him, in Josi's room. It is really hard to discipline them when you are laughing and can't hide your smile. They just don't take you seriously. And, needless to say, I had to run and get my camera.

Puppies

My mother has told me, "Children are just like puppies". In this instance, it is really true! Josi loves to run around on all fours and pretend like she is either a dog or a cat or a horse. Usually she is a dog. Hyrum has started to copy her and we got it on video finally.

Big-Boy Beds and Underpants

Hyrum is getting so big. Yesterday we decided to try letting Hyrum sleep in his bed without the side on it. When I went to check on him later, I found him hanging half off of the side. He never did fall out of bed though.
Nap time today was a no go. He just kept getting up and getting his toys.



The last two days he has also wanted me to put him on the toilet. The first time he had just wet his diaper. The second time was just because Josi had just gone and he wanted a turn too. He never actually went. But today I got some training underwear for him. The smallest size they had was 2, but they shrunk a little after being washed. The leg holes are too big for his scrawny little legs. I already had some plastic pants to put over them so we don't have little puddles all over the floor. After I put on the first pair he wanted to put another pair on, so I put them on his head.

Fully Functioning Garage

We now have a fully functional garage. And the only things in it now are the cars! So, no more burns from the flaming carseats. Yipee! Josi and Hyrum are happy too.

We've seen garages where they put a tennis ball on a string so you pull into the garage the correct amount. We both think it looks a little funny. I jokingly asked Ben if he would put up a tennis ball for me so I would know how far I could pull in. He responded "Alright, then I get a basketball on my side". So there you have it.