Once Again...

    So here it is folks: I'm pregnant. Again. And yes, it was planned. I had this ridiculous assumption that the third time around would be a breeze. I guess, mastering the art of puking directly into the garbage could be considered a step up. And after hearing stories of other women's obnoxious cravings for fruit and veggies, I believed that this would be my fate. But once again, the only thing that can quell my nausea is fast food. So far: cheese burgers. And hot dogs. I'm not gonna make it out of this next year under 30 extra pounds, I can already tell. What's the most depressing out of my entire ordeal? I was pregnant the last time my driver's license photo was taken and my face was "retaining water". (That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!) I finally lost all that darned baby weight and was excited about how I looked, and guess what? I glanced at my driver's license today and it expires when I'm about 8 months pregnant! That's seven more months of cheese burgers and hot dogs! I don't think the photo will be much of an improvement from last time.

   I bet most of you are saying, "she shouldn't be whining, she is receiving a precious blessing!"

   In response I say, "It's my blog, I can say what I want!" but also, let me illuminate my sitiuation. I have two kids now, so the days of wallowing in miserable peace are gone. I have to be a mommy! Yesterday, I was trying to steal a few minutes of rest on the couch to settle my stomach, when suddenly my one year old dive bombs onto my head and starts pulling my hair and laughing maniacally, and my son hands me the end of a jump rope and starts yelling, "Pull me! Pull me!" So I start dragging him across the floor, while my daughter continues her attack. As Grayson reaches the carpet, I look at him and say, "Grayson I shouldn't pull you on the carpet, the rope might break." After the announcement, my focus drifts to the daughter trying to rip my hair out and I forget I am still pulling on the rope then WHACK!

... The handle of the jump rope pops off in the full force of pulling, my hand snaps back and I stab myself in the neck with a piece of dollar tree plastic. It hurt. Bad.

    Sitting there in utter pain, I couldn't help but think: I want three of these things?!?!

   Not wanting to scream at my kids for my self-mutilation, I spoke through clenched teeth, "Grayson, pick up those toys." (Pointing to the never-ending mess on the living room floor.) Without question he did his duty, ran back to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "Are you happy now, Mommy?"

    I'm not happy. I'm miserable. But seeing that sweet concerned look on my horribly obnoxious three year old made me realize, yes. I do want three of these things.

SURPRISE! HERE I AM!!!

I’ve been told by several people that I need to start blogging again. And seriously, I really do. I don’t know why I stopped, just one of those things, but here I am, with a renewed goal to WRITE. Hopefully, all my “fans” will still be there to read my “amazing and interesting” life story!



I am going to try and nutshell my life for all you:


THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW:


*Grayson has un-potty-trained himself. Remember that blog I wrote about how brilliant I was for doing that family home evening and my brilliant son listened to me and became potty-trained? Yeah, well, I lied. Unintentionally, though. I think he has realized how “lucky” Jaye is getting her diapers changed, so now… not only does he NOT go on the potty but he tries to get us to change his pull-ups too! This is the first time we have ever seen him be jealous toward little sis, but I’m not a very happy camper. (He does do the messy business on the toilet still… THANK GOODNESS!!! )


* Our house is up for sale. We have decided to make Carlsbad our official home and since the interest rate on homes are so low here, we decided to take a crazy chance and sell our baby (the house… not Jaye). I won’t miss this house. I love it so much, but I won’t miss it. If it sells that is.


*I have three weeks and one more semester until I have my Musical Theatre degree from WWCC. It’s only taken me SIX years to get, but it will definitely fill a very important goal for me. I am extremely excited to move on from WWCC!


*My husband and I were “called” to be the road show coordinators for our ward. Our stake is huge. We have to drive an hour to get to the stake center, so they don’t do a lot of activities for the youth, so we wanted to make this road show a memorable experience for the youth in the THREE weeks they gave me to throw something together. We are doing a spoof on Dora the explorer and are totally copying Dierdre McDonald’s firefly dance idea and we choreographed a swing dance. It’s been sooooo fun and I LOOOOOOVE working with the youth again!


THINGS FOR THE FUTURE:


*I think Baby number three will be in the works soon. It’s just one of those things we just know is the right time. Even though THREE kids will be INSANE!... We already started shopping for a minivan. Haha!


*I recently have become interested in Social Work for a lot of reasons, but I think that might be something I will pursue. If my bachelor’s takes as long as my associate’s, I have PLENTY of time to decide on a major!


*You know those giant, really far-fetched dreams you sometimes get? I’d like to be a singer. Like Hilary Weeks, kind of thing. I love to write music, and I’m getting better at writing good music (not there yet) but I would love to write and sing the kind of stuff that someone would listen to and feel strengthened… that inspiring and sometimes sappy cheesy kind of music.


THINGS THAT HAVEN’T CHANGED:


*Motherhood is still hard. But I’m learning.


*My husband is still my best friend and the most amazing person in the world. Sometimes I find myself thinking how in the world could there have possibly been someone so perfect for me. I never imagined marriage could be this good.


*I eat way too much chocolate. But I blame my husband. When we watch our shows at night, he likes to whip out our magic bag of never-ending Halloween chocolate and we eat like bears storing up for winter time. You know those movies where the rich people dump their millions on a bed and swim in the cash… that’s kind of what we look like with candy wrappers. It’s not as sexy as rolling in money.


*I seriously need to get back on weight watchers.


But that is life in a nutshell. Jaye is walking. Grayson might be accepted into a special preschool for kids with speech delays: he has a difficult time with some consonants like fish is Bish. Or Kitty is Titty… which makes for some confusing conversations. I’m so grateful we got him screened for speech! And I’m just plugging along in school and in life. And I absolutely love it!


That is the biggest Nutshell ever! Phew.

Blast from the past

     Since my brother moved to town, we have been nostalgic over movies we used to watch as kids, or sometimes even movies we watched when we lived together in college. It’s been so fun finding these movies and forcing Barry to watch them with us! Last night, we watched “Surf Ninjas”. (Anyone remember that one?) Well it was hilarious! And it’s definitely something I recommend to everyone, (Not surf Ninjas, but watching movies from your past). Nothing is more therapeutic then going back to childhood for an hour and a half!



   
     New topic: I have naturally bad teeth, so I have had to visit the dentist, EVERY Wednesday this month for some work. While there, I got to talking about little baby girls with one of his hygienists, and she mentioned that she loves hair bows. So, I mentioned that I make them. She told me to bring some in and although I’m sure she was just saying that I decided to actually bring some in. So I brought in a few, and by the end of my visit the box had been passed throughout the entire office! And they all begged me to come back with more tomorrow, because tomorrow is pay day! So I came home and made a bunch of bows, and tomorrow we’ll see what happens! I guess it pays to go to the dentist… hahaha! But it’s nice to do hair bows again. Jaye refuses to wear them right now so I stopped making them. Needless to say, I have reeeeally needed a hobby! I’m working on writing a musical, but that’s just a- whenever I get a chance to sit down and fiddle with the piano, and I’m also helping to decorate my brother’s upcoming wedding, but I’m searching for a HOBBY. Anyone? Ideas? (Have I asked for ideas before?)


Anyway, here is the recipe I made tonight. We thought it was scrumdidilyumptious so I thought I would pass it on. I LOVE easy meals so here it is:


FIESTA BEEF ENCHILADAS:


1 lb. ground beef
½ c. sliced green onions
2 tsp. minced garlic (or garlic powder)
1 c. cooked white or brown rice
1-1/2 c. chopped tomato, divided
¾ c. frozen corn
1 c. shredded cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Blend)
½ c. salsa or picante sauce
Corn tortillas
1 can (10 oz) mild or hot enchilada sauce
1 c. shredded romaine lettuce


1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray 13x9 dish with cooking spray. (I covered mine with tin foil and then sprayed, EASY CLEANUP)


2. Cook ground beef in nonstick pan until no longer pink; drain. Add green onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes.


3. Add rice, 1 c. tomato, corn, ½ c. cheese and salsa to meat; mix well. Spoon mixture down center of tortillas; roll up. Place enchiladas seam side down in prepared dish. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top.


4. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake until cheese melts. Top with lettuce and remaining tomato.


(I filled enough tortillas to feed us, then put the rest of the mixture in a freezer bag for a rainy day!)

I'm back!

A friend of mine told me I needed to blog about all the fun and/or crazy things we do as a family. I’m really grateful for her little shove… it’s been way too long since I have blogged. I have no excuses this time, I guess I just fell off the bandwagon.



But I have had a wonderful summer! My brother’s girlfriend/ fiancé decided to get baptized! That has been the most exciting news of the summer! My parents rented a twelve passenger van and carted us all down to San Antonio for the big day! It was a lot of fun, and I can’t wait for her to join our family in October!


I am taking a math class at the college! All of the assignments are done online and I misread the due dates, so I spent an entire day working on my homework (I thought the due date was during our trip to San Antonio) but then I figured out the REAL due date. So I accidentally finished the 5 week class three weeks early! Only Krystle Ricks would manage a blunder like that! But at least I passed!


I’m trying to get all my credits done by the spring, because (DRUM ROLL!) I will be able to transfer it all up to Western Wyoming Community College and finish my degree from there. YAY! And then my goal is to finish a bachelor’s BEFORE our ten year high school reunion. So I can have bragging rights! 


Anyway, so that’s where life has placed me right now. I really like life.


So Ricks family adventures:


For FHE on Monday, we took the kiddos to see “Toy Story 3” at the drive-in theatre. About 20 minutes into the movie, our car battery died! So we all creeped up to the car next to us and asked if we could sit next to their car and listen to the movie! Luckily, they were really nice, so we laid a tiny fleece blanket on the ground and squished together. It didn’t go as planned, but was a lot of fun!


And for FHE on Tuesday night, we called a lady in town who has a swimming pool and asked if we could “borrow” it. I made a Ham and Cheese braid to take with us, and we had a picnic by the pool and swam for an hour. It was soooooooo fun! They had a big blue fish like Dory painted on the bottom, and for a while Grayson was scared of it. At one point, he floated over it, and said, “The fish is going to bite my bum-bum!” I don’t know where he gets this stuff! Haha!


So that’s it for now! I mentioned on facebook about making pretzels for FHE, so here is the recipe:

PRETZELS:
1 tablespoon yeast
1-1/2 c. water
1tablespoon sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
Coarse (Kosher) Salt


(the batter was a little thick so we added a little more water to make the dough more shapeable)

Ham and Cheese Braid (One of the Ricks FAVORITE meals!)
1 loaf Rhodes bread dough
1 stick butter
1 envelope Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not generic)
3/4 thinly sliced ham
1-1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. poppy seeds


(the Rhodes bread is in the freezer section.) thaw loaf on a floured surface. Roll dough out into rectangle shape so it's approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Melt butter; combine Ranch mix. Spread about 5 tblsp. of mixture on rectangle. Layer ham and cheese down the center of rectangle. Use a pizza cutter to cut strips along each side of dough (even numbers on each side). Starting at bottom, take each piece, cross and twist. Continue criss-crossing until your dough is braided. Carefullly place on greased cookie sheet. Brush remaining butter/ranch mix over top. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.


(This is a good freezer meal too! Instead of baking, wrap loaf in plastic wrap and then foil. )


(You can also use marinara and pepperoni to make a pizza braid! And if you combine two loaves to feed more people, use a BIG cookie sheet. It grows pretty big!)

Family Home Evening

     We've been having a frustrating time potty-training our two year old. His potty days fluctuate from total independence to refusing to mention needing to go potty. As I was perusing the aisles of Dollar General, a favorite past-time of mine, I noticed this Potty Training activity book from Sesame Street. Grayson isn't familiar with Sesame Street but the book came with a huge fold out Potty Chart complete with big Stickers. I bought the book and decided to have a Potty lesson for F.H.E.

   I read Grayson a little book (we found in the dollar bins at Target) about how the potty works. Then Barry read through all the pages from the activity book. Then we showed Grayson the poster, explained the stickers, and as a family went to the bathroom and ceremoniously had him help us tape up the poster. We made it a big deal. And guess what?!? It WORKED!!!!!!!! It's been about three weeks, and now he runs to the potty all by himself, does his stuff and shouts "I went Pee Pee (or the other business), I get a sticker!" And then we do the sticker dance. I'd say Grayson is about 95% potty-trained!!! So for you other mothers out there, trying to think of a way to potty-train: This is what worked for the Ricks Family!!!

HALLEUIAH!!!

Evolution of Grayson and the garden hose

Grayson: fully-clothed

Five minutes later...

Ten Minutes Later...

Plug...

  Hey friends and family! I'm just putting in a little plug for my other blog! For those of you who don't know, Barry and I have made a goal to walk on a new sidewalk every day (Sundays excluded) for the summer. This challenge is based off of my new favorite quote:


           “Many couples permit their marriages to become stale and their love to grow cold like old bread or worn-out jokes or cold gravy. These people will do well to reevaluate, to renew their courting, to express their affection, to acknowledge kindnesses, and to increase their consideration so their marriage can again become beautiful, sweet, and growing. While marriage is difficult, and discordant and frustrated marriages are common, yet real, lasting happiness is possible, and marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive.”

~Spencer W. Kimball~

   So in trying to avoid a stale marriage (and watching too much t.v.), we started our challenge on May 11.
So the blog has started. If you are interested in following the journey, I'll try and make the journey interesting! So, pop on over and leave comments- especially comments on what you are doing to enrich your own marriage!!!


THANKS!


http://www.sidewalktherapy.blogspot.com/

Out of the Mouth of Babes...

     My husband is a big Star Wars fan. I can't even describe to you how excited he was to find a "Chewbacca" shirt in the toddler section at Target. He looked at me with pleading, puppy-dog eyes, and without saying a word, I knew the shirt would be coming home with us.

   Barry pulled the shirt out of the target bag, and ceremoniously presented it to Grayson. "Look Grayson!" he said, pointing at the picture, "who is that?"

   Grayson studied the shirt, looked at Daddy and sweetly answered, "Jesus".

  

smile.

Several months ago I mistook a pair of Barry's pants for my own and quickly discovered my mistake when the jeans wouldn't go past my thighs!

Just wanted to say... Today I intentionally tried on a pair of Barry's pants.

And they fit!!!

It's a good day.

Adventures in Doggy-hood.

I've been on a blogging hiatus. But I haven't blogged in a while because I have been so busy. That's nice. We have mostly been busy, because we were asked to choreograph the High School's Musical, "Once Upon a Mattress". (And might I add that I can't wait for Elise to move back to town because she was one of the few who showed genuine interest in supporting our theatricity {and yes I made up that word. It sounds cool though.}) Anyway, it has been really great to be working with Barry (even though we don't always agree) for the show. We have almost done every single number together and I wouldn't want to spend the day any other way than dancing with my best friend!

The second reason I have been extremely busy is..... DRUM ROLL...... we got a dog. Remember how I was blubbering about a little Blue Weenie. Well, we went back to the pet store weeks later (why do I torture myself?), and they were harboring more of those adorable little Blue Weenies, so we gave in a bought one. And it has a line right down the middle of its face just like the first one I fell in love with, so once again, we named it Harvey (after Two-Face from batman, get it?).

He is adorable.

And a puppy.

And certainly not house-trained.

Which is why we don't allow him in any of our rooms.

Which is why it was frustrating that Grayson let him in the house before I could stop him, and the little Weenie ran into Grayson's bedroom and hid in his bed as we were all shouting at him to stop.

And then I ran into the room and picked him up.

Little did I know he was peeing.

I guess it's hard to turn off the water hose, mid-stream.

I unintentionally aimed him straight at my poor son's face.

Grayson was wailing before I could turn the dog away to spray the rest of the room.

Barry took the dog.

Probably so I wouldn't kill it.

I took a sobbing Grayson to the tub.

He very well may be scarred for life.

But I'm still thinking we can use this. The next time Grayson is disobedient...

"Don't make me get Harvey!"

... Continued

So, my parents are out of town. But my brother's girl friend is in town. So Barry and I appointed ourselves chaperones and moved into my parents house for the week. We forgot to bring over an extra change of clothes and our toiletries so I was feeling pretty disgusting by mid-afternoon. I got in the car and drove to the first stop sign and I noticed a woman yelling at me from across the street.

"Your tire's flat!" She screamed. So the tire we had gotten repaired the day prior... Unrepaired itself. I was so frustrated that I returned to my parents driveway, unbuckled Grayson and let him go wild in the car, while I sat in the driver's seat and sulked for 35 minutes until Barry got home from class.

Not my finest hour.

So, we filled up the tire and rushed (within the speed limit) to the tire store. And parked next to a car that had been hit, smashed and totaled. And then I shut my mouth.

My week really hasn't been that bad.

Math Equations by Krystle

**Part 1**

Babysitting+two two-year-olds= pain.

I was babysitting a little boy who is about the same age as Grayson.

They don't get along.

I could handle the bickering until the boys attempted to smash each other's appendages in my kitchen cabinets. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I threatened Grayson with a timeout and began leading him from the kitchen. Being the terrible two year that he is, he decided to go limp in protest.

I wasn't expecting it.

That was the Grayson that broke Mommy's toe. Completely in half. It hurt. A lot. I now have to walk around in a nice surgical boot for three weeks. And of course, this happens about three days after I have been asked to choreograph the high school's musical.

**PART 2**
Baking+distractions= pain

Barry has been taking excellent care of his invalid wife. He decided to bake his famous cookies and grill steaks for dinner. Very ambitious! The timer beeped on the oven while he was outside so I decided to be helpful and answer the call. As I was pulling the cookies out, my brother, in his judgement of perfect timing, told me to look at Grayson.

I looked.

And without telling my brain, my hand decided to keep pulling out the cookies straight into my arm. That takes talent!

**PART 3**
Spending money+car= pain. emotionally.

Our local radio station holds an annual auction where local businesses can auction off gift certificates. As I was driving to get my haircut, I overheard one of the bids. A full-house insulation auction! Something we need to do in our house, so I called Barry and we decided to bid for it. A nice sum of money for poor starving college students. We won the bid! Yay!

About five minutes after winning the bid, my beautician notices that the back tire of my car was completely flat.

Naturally, on the day and minutes after we decide to spend our precious resources on the insulation bid, I manage (out of all the space on the road) to hit a tiny little nail.

WHAT A WEEK!!!!

My Sacred Charge.

Nearly three years ago, I suffered. I suffered immense pain, misery, insomnia, near-bulemia, and more pain and misery. But it was for a good cause, one which I fully intend to hold as a bargaining chip during my son's teenaged life. I chose to suffer so I could experience the greatest, sweetest, and most rewarding joy life has to offer: Motherhood.

I remember the day so vividly when the doctor placed a little swaddled infant in my arms. His intensely dark eyes stared into mine, and I basked in the joy of this beautiful creation of mine. I accepted the sacred charge of taking care of this helpless being. I knew I would cling to this moment forever, along with all the wonderful memories, this little angel and I would build together.

Earlier this week, Grayson developed an ear infection. The kind with the sore throat, coughing, runny nose, high fever, etc. I have felt utterly helpless as my sweet little angel suffered through his pain. At the height of his fever (102.7 degrees), he awoke from a nap crying and I ran to him. Carrying him to the couch, I pictured my loving sweet infant baby from two and a half years ago, and sat down. I craddled him in my lap and wrapped my arms around him, reliving that first moment we met.

Until he shouted, "STOP!!!! I WANT DAAAAAAAAADDY!"

And peeled my arms away.

And jumped out of my lap.

And punched me in the gut. (Metaphorically speaking).

Nine months of misery and woe, four hours of hard, hard labor, a lifetime of worry and stress, and that's the thanks I get!?

Ahhh... Motherhood.

I know... right?

A few weeks ago, my brother surprised us with some huge news: he has a girl friend. We were super excited to find out that she was coming up to Carlsbad to meet all of us, but my brother's job changed his work hours, thus shattering their plans. She was sad. He was sad. I was sad.

Around this time, we also acquired a Scooter from my aunt and uncle, but they live in San Antonio and we weren't really sure how to pick it up.

Soooo... we decided if Dee Dee (his girl friend) wasn't going to come to us, we were going to go to her... and get the scooter.

I was super excited to leave for our trip, even though we left 8 at night for a 7 hour drive, I was going to meet Dann's girl friend! With weight watchers, I'm starting to look pretty good so I was especially excited to go on our mini-vacation and meet new people!

The day before we left, my voice started to get a little scratchy, and by the time we arrived in San Antonio at four in the morning, I sounded like the love child of Fran Drescher and a troll. We hit the hay, and at 7 I woke up and my eye was hurting so I dashed to the bathroom.

It was bright red and swollen half-way shut. So before I have really met my brother's mystery girl friend, I not only sounded like Fran Drescher and Troll jr. but I look like Quasimodo!!! It was mortifying. I felt like I should hunch over and shuffle out of the bathroom shouting "Sanctuary!"

I ran to our bed, and squawked, "Barry, look at me! I'm a monster!" But before I could run out of the house, jump in the car, and hide under a draw bridge with my fellow trolls, Dee Dee walked in and we met. And I like her.

And after she adjusted to my horror movie character imitation, I think she liked me too.

It was a good trip.




QUICK OVERVIEW-
Friday-
*Went to S.A. Zoo
*Checked into our very first hotel
*Ate at the Magic Time Machine (A restaurant where all the waiters have to dress and act like their character. Our server was Mario, but we met Dora the Explorer, Batman, Frenchie, Indiana Jones, and Jasmine.... SO FUN!)

Saturday-
*Picked up Barry's Scooter
*Went to the S.A. Children's Museum-SO COOL!
*Ate lunch at a duck pond, chased down an icecream truck, fed the ducks
*Went to a REAL mall and bought Gray and Jaye's Easter Outfits, haha
*Ate dinner at Chuy's (A really good and fun Mexican restaurant)

Sunday-
* Was 15 minutes late for 9:00am church only to discover it was 8:30 am church and we were really 45 minutes late! nice.
*Visited my Mom's side of the family.
* Drove the looooooooooooong drive home and got back to Carlsbad at 1am.

SHEESH, what an adventure -packed weekend!

Life's not fair.

You know what I really hate? Pet stores.

Since we couldn't have pets when we lived in an apartment, we would take Grayson to the store all the time, so he could grow up used to animals. So it's sort of a tradition of ours now... we go to the pet store about twice a month. BUT, every time we go, they are selling puppies. And puppies are like babies... in cages... with fur. And if you think caged, furry babies are cute then you see my dilemma. I want one! I want all of them! The last time we went, they were selling an "Apple Head Chiauaua (there are way too many vowels in my attempt to spell that!)" and it basically looked like an electricuted hampster... or an electricuted baby... with fur. It was adorable! But I HATE, no I LOATHE those yappy little things (when they aren't so adorable!) so I had a little restraint.

Another time, there were Korean Jindos, BEAUTIFUL PUPPIES! I really wanted one, but Barry reminded me that our back fence is broken thus unsafe for a doggy. We found out later that those puppies which were selling for 50 Bucks, are really worth 1000 Bucks! We missed such a great deal!

And then today, we walk into the store... and are greeted by the sweetest little brown puppy. It started shaking when it saw us, and wagging its tail. The owner said I could hold it, and I did. The whole time we were there. It's face had a line down the middle, one side was brown and one side was white. They called it "Two-Face" but we named him, Harvey. (As in Harvey Dent... who becomes Two-Face in Batman. Yeah yeah... we're nerds.) So, me and Harvey wandered around the store, and the whole time he quietly nestled in my arms and licked my face. And I fell in love.

But Barry, being the cold, heartless (AKA reasonable and realistic) man that he is, reminded me of that DARNED fence, and that right now is not a good time for us to buy a puppy. So begrudgingly, I locked little Harvey back in his cold, loveless pen, and left a piece of my heart with him.

Maybe I should start picturing my baby as a puppy.

Without fur.

Or the cage.

Or... maybe I should just stop going to the pet store.

Date Night... Afternoon.

I taught a class for my Church's Relief Society about the importance of having date nights with your spouse. It was the best class, meaning, I learned a lot for myself. Soooo... for our new goal to have a date night once a week from now on, we started with Ping Pong and Pool at the rec Center. There were a bunch of Pool tables so we got Grayson a stick and his own balls so he played on his own while we had our own little date. And it was perfect because I won once, and Barry won once- no spousal feuds here! (Did I mention we are both slightly competitive?) So there you have it- Week 1/ Date Afternoon. And the best part... COMPLETELY free!!!! To end this short blog- I will throw in my new mottos.

#1- "Marriage can be more an exultant ecstasy than the human mind can conceive." -Spencer W. Kimball~

#2- The most important meeting of the week is Sacrament Meeting, and the second most important is Date Night." L. Tom Perry

So think about it... I hope you set this as a goal too! Here's to Exultant Marriages!

Pictures!

I really appreciate all the encouragement I received about my hair bow "business"!!! It has been so fun, and yesterday my brother and I drove to Roswell, and ribbon just happened to be 50% OFF at Hobby Lobby!!! It was like Christmas all over again! So I will be spending the next few days trying to make as many bows as possible! The store that is selling mine is looking for Spring bows that match their outfits and Punky Rock Star looking ones. Here are a few of the Spring Line bows I made yesterday... I thought I would start with the cutesy stuff, which I like, before taking on the challenge of Rock Star stuff which I'm not the biggest fan. But I do plan on selling my bows on Etsy too- hopefully that will be a good experience. So here are a few of the ones I made... I hope you like them!

They look cuter on a baby, but this will have to do for now. Thanks again everyone for the encouragement! I love you all!

Off to a good start!

So 2010 has rocketed into my life with an awesome beginning! Aside from the fact that I can't seem to stop writing 2009 on all checks and paperwork I am loving this year so far! I felt sort of depressed last year, which I'm pretty sure had to do with being pregnant and hormonal, but I just felt sort of I dunno... If I think of a word, I'll let you know, but I was feeling down. Part of it had to do with the fact that all of my friends have degrees and I'm still putting along trying to get an associate's degree (some day I will have a bachelors), part of it is a bunch of my friends have found talents that they can make money off of and I couldn't think of anything, and part of it was I felt overweight and frumpy. So that's how I have started my year.

Well, I've been trying to learn how to make hairbows for Jaye, and I was making some decent ones, but when my sister-in-law came here for Christmas, she showed me how she makes them. Some how I caught on, and now Delmonico's, a baby boutique in town wants to buy my hair bows! WOO! I showed the owner a bunch of examples and she said, "these look like professional boutique bows!" so she showed me what colors she wanted and tomorrow Barry and I will be driving a whole hour away to buy supplies and I will spend the weeking swimming in ribbon! It's been such a fun hobby and everywhere I go, people ask me where I bought my hair bow, so my dream of making money off of a talent is coming true! WOW! I feel so fortunate!

I also am still babysitting about once or twice a week for a woman in my church, and her husband found out I LOVE typing so has hired me for a nice amount to type for him. He just opened up a new dental practice and has been having me type up TONS of dental paperwork for him, so there's three jobs I've acquired which makes me feel in a small way, OK maybe a big way for me, accomplished! How nice.

And lastly, I just had my third week weigh-in at weight watchers and I have already lost 10 pounds! WOO!!! I am so glad I joined! There is no way I could lose all this weight on my own so fast. It has helped me feel so good about myself!

So there it is, that's how my January has been going. FANTASTIC!!! And Grayson is starting to soften out of the terrible stage, and parenting is getting a little easier, that's always good! BUT... Jaye already has her two bottom teeth and likes to bite me- OUCH! That's the only negative so far! But here's hopin' the rest of my year goes well! I hope everyone else's is too!!! Let me know what blessings you have received!

(Sorry, I just read through this and I sound like I'm bragging... but I'm just really excited!)

Was it worth it?

So remember yesterday? Well, turns out- Grayson somehow found two markers in his room (I don't know where he found them, we are really good about keeping them out of reach) and colored all over the beautiful wooden lego table my Grandpa built him for Christmas.

THANK GOODNESS for washable markers!

Did I learn a lesson? Yes. Bring on the "artwork", I need my quiet time!

Huh.

I put my son down for a nap about an half an hour ago. He never went to sleep. Note the sarcasm in my voice as I say Big surprise. So here I sit, listening to him rustle around in there, making all kinds of noises, and I've learned something. I've reached that point in parenthood when I would rather risk drawings on the wall or destroyed toys than give up my ten minutes of peace to check and see what he's doing.

Krystle... the hussy!

The doctor that has delivered our last two babies has gotten very close to me and my family. So close, that he feels comfortable hugging me at the start and end of every visit. Now, I myself am big on hugging! I love it! But today's doctor's visit was a "Hello World, I'm naked!" visit. The kind where you strip off your bottoms and sit with a tiny 1-ply sheet over your lap, pretending like you aren't sitting naked in front of two people, and praying that those two people are also pretending you aren't naked.

Even in high school, I couldn't bring myself to change in front of other girls in the locker rooms, so you can imagine my discomfort at the doctor's office. What you can't imagine, is what it's like to hug a man (who isn't your husband), without your pants on! I don't care if I was covered, and I don't care if he was pretending I was fully clothed, but the truth is... I really appreciate pants, even if they are a few sizes bigger than I'd like them to be.

Starting young...

To hail in the New Year, my husband and I took the family to Chili's restaurant. If you know the place, the tables are sort of crammed in there, for a cozy atmosphere... or something. Well, we were sitting there innocently, when a waitress began seating people at the table behind ours. One of the women was standing behind her seat, waiting for her friend to sit, and Grayson just turns around and rests his sweet little hand on her bum... and held it there. And that nice woman just pretended like nothing was going on, while a two year old stranger harrassed her. I think I was too surprised to say anything so he keep his hand there for at least half a minute... although it felt like an hour! Barry and I finally snapped into reality and quickly told Grayson to "Get your hand off of her!"

Shouldn't it be another 14 years before I'm supposed to be shouting that at my son?