I got up before everybody and I...

THINNED MY CARROTS!I know you can't believe it right? Who would have guessed that I would be saying at age 24 that I CHOSE to thin my own carrots. That is right mom and dad. I have planted my own little garden (in pots) and it is GROWING. I am taking care of it and it is FUN!! Get out.!.!.!. I just said that it was fun to work in the garden and I didn't even have to be forced or bribed like when I was a kid.(Here's the ones whose lives were sadly cut short when they were selected to be pulled.)

Remember those good old times Lisa, Bill, Kevin, Robert, and Nancy when we would be working side by side in our huge garden on a Saturday morning, well really all day... and we would drive each other NUTS! We would pick at each other and throw dirt and make each other CRY and LAUGH (mostly I did the crying). Throw weeds at each other and we would sing the "Bean in our ears" song. Eating all the PEAS as we picked them instead of putting them in the bag was my favorite part. Or maybe those times when we got so MUDDY and wet- We would sit in the mud on purpose.
I remember one time when I think it was Kevin got in so much trouble because after working he washed the dirt off in our swimming POOL. (Okay I am laughing out loud now, and I have to stop because it is messing with my typing.)
The worst times were when we weren't working or one of us got in trouble and so we would be left to work in the garden all by ourself. That was the WORST! Because even if you had to do something NOT FUN, it wasn't bad if you had other people to join in your misery and distract you from the heat and boredom. I remember that LISA was so good at hoeing, BILL was so good at ROTATILLING and then KEVIN took over that later. Kevin is a HARD WORKER! (I have always admired that about him.) ROBERT and I could always goof off together. (We liked trimming the trees though. Picking up rotten apples with Robert was the worst because he would always throw them at me and pick the worms out and put them on me. EEWWW!)
I always wanted to be able to work a SHOVEL like my brothers... but no matter how hard I jumped I could never get the shovel to go in very deep. They were pros. Part of it had to be the right kind of shoes or shoes at all. Sometimes I was really dumb! Let's not open that book though cause then we will never be able to shut it.

Wow I did not mean for this to go so far down memory lane, BUT it has been a very good and much needed stroll.(Here's my sweet little onions. I might be hullucinating but I could really smell them this morning.)
Wait just one more memory, I promise... I think this is where I got my deep and "unrootable" (savvy word choice eh?) love of ROOT BEER! Sometimes after a really hard day of work, dad would buy us a gallon of A&W root beer straight from the tap (okay tastes buds that is enough salivating...). It would be gone within a half hour but it was so good. And then even more rarely we would get ICE CREAM, but usually we would get to watch a MOVIE or play games or something else fun together.(Here's the one pot with carrots on the left, onions in the middle and cucumber and squash on top and bottom and lettuce coming on the right. I don't know why there is a hole in the row. Hmm...)
I am so glad I learned the lesson and reward of HARD WORK. It is probably one of the character traits I am most grateful for. For that, mom and dad, I will always owe you. You did an awesome job teaching us kids to work. Then again that is why you had EIGHT kids and then adopted TWO MORE HUH? Just kidding.
Both Luke and I think it is very important to teach your children to work. Too many times we have been so frustrated by kids these days that don't know how to work and don't value things appropriately because of that. We are planning to not make that mistake.
So here's to hard work and gardening, being self-reliant, being a kid and the funny things we did, memory lane and the people with whom you have those memories. I love you my bros and sistas- Karl, Lisa, Bill, Kevin, Robert, Nancy, Michael, Angelica, and Tino- FOREVER!
The biggest pot has two tomato plants, two zucchini plants, onions in the middle, and some flowers. The other pot on the right has melons and flowers. Any ideas for my littlest pot guy?I know I might not be doing everything right but it is fun to try. After Luke and I got thinking about it, we don't know where my squash and zucchini and melon plants are going to grow to or if the carrots will even have enough room to grow but hopefully they can grow out and sit on the sidewalk. If not... they are doomed!
This has been really fun to get started and a little bit of work. It even involved Gracie and I driving our $400 dirty truck to the nursery and getting dirt in the bed to bring home and plant. And a couple of trips to walmart on my bike. I can't wait to see what happens. Hopefully not doom!

My Crazy, FUN, Hot, SWEATY, Wonderful DAY...

-Got up at 6:30 am- Fed Gracie and put her back to bed with us. She got up early for some reason. I guess she was hungry :).
-Got back up @ 7:30 and went downstairs to clean up the kitchen and pick things up.
-Did the laundry.
-Sewed some eggs and chicks for a humanitarian service project.
-Gracie got up at 11:00 am and we walked around the house for a while.
-11:30- hitched up the bike trailer on my bike and loaded it up with the things I needed for our errands.
-Rode over to the post office. Hid my bike in the back. Bought stamps and mailed Mandy's bridal shower invitations.
-Rode the opposite direction to drop off the chicks that I sewed at a lady in my ward's house.
-Then we headed over the 215 highway overpass to Costco to do some returns. Locked up the bike and trailer. Returned the stuff and scoured the place for all the free tasters. (Both Gracie and my favorite part). Ran into my friend Kara and her family- ironic because we are always both sharing our finds at costco.
-Then starving because I haven't eaten anything yet for the day, we stopped at Jamba Juice. Got a smoothie and cooled off for a little while.
-When we were refreshed, we went across the street to Bed Bath & Beyond. Locked my bike up again and got money back for the purchase I made last time but without a coupon. (Did you know they take expired coupons? Cool!)
-Rode over next door to Walmart- locked up the bike again and entered the beloved and hated Sprawlmart to once again exchange some planting pots that wouldn't work without having the clay pot inside. Dang. I always have at least one return to do somewhere. (Don't get Luke started on it.)
-We raided the clearance isle where they were having 50% off the lowest price and we got some really sweet deals. My favorite thing is bargain shopping!!! After spending way too long in Walmart, I decided to hurry and try my luck at finding some good shoes for Gracie's walking in the shoe dept. And "Oh Man!" , I have to take a picture of these coolest Diva shoes we found. The only one in all of them that fit her and it was the last one left. Wahoo! And they have a sole! Picture to follow soon...
-Okay so by this time Gracie has a really stinky bum but of course I don't have a diaper. And Gracie is really cranky because she would normally have had a nap by now. I still don't get how she can be cranky with new shoes? Ha ha :). So we went outside and had to do some killer awesome packing of the bike trailer to fit Gracie and all of our goods. We did though. It was full to the brim including two heavy clay pots.
-My load was HEAVY and it was HOT! I was sweating bad. But Gracie was falling asleep and stinky and we needed to get home so we sprinted back home. Stopping 2X to get her binky back for her since she really was cranky and tired. I don't blame her.
-Got home @ 3:30.
-Fed her again and rushed her up to bed and she fell right to sleep.
-Put away the GOODS and then met the guys from Craigslist who were buying our couches outside. Yes we got a sweet deal on some new couches so we sold our other ones. We are addicted to Craigslisting!! (Luke more than me.)
-Then put together Sarah's package for winning the "Name that Photo Contest." Will mail it tomorrow.
-Luke came home late because he is in the process of negotiating on a CAR for ME! That's right. I am getting a car. And we have a deadline that we have to have one because I will be up in UT for a little while and will need a car. It is so expensive to rent a car if you are under 25. Boring!
-Then we woke Gracie up and went over to some friends for dinner which was so GOOD to begin with but twice as good because I hadn't eaten anything all day and 3X as good because I didn't have to make it. It was the best roast beef sandwich I have ever had!
-And finally we came back home.
-I played with Gracie and she was walking back and forth a little ways between the couch and me without hands. Wahoo! She is still not crawling but she is "BUM SCOOTING!!" She is much happier.
-I fed her and then Luke put her to bed @ 8:30pm. Then I got on here and started typing this to record my crazy awesome day while Luke set up his new surround sound system that he got as a steal on... yep, you guessed it... CRAIGSLIST!
-Now I am going to finish watching the end of Swingkids and hit the sack. HARD! Ooooh- Luke is making some popcorn. Gotta go! What a crazy fun, hot sweaty wonderful day...

MORAL OF THE STORY: fun but not everyday. I need a car!! And Gracie needs more sleep than she got today!!

PS> Upcoming posts: "Tales of the DMV" and "Gracie's Diva shoes" and the "Dinosaur Park" by our house- YOU HAVE TO COME VISIT US!

My 9-Month Flowerpot...

My friend, Tenley, in Florida gave us so many cute clothes and things for Gracie when she was born that her girls no longer needed. Among them was this cute flower hat that she used to take pictures when her daughter Sadie was little. When I saw it, I had to do it too. So in the spirit of Anne Geddes, a Wal-mart pot, and a free photo shoot:

Ta-da!!! My friend and I took our kids to get pictures taken for free for a Mother's Day treat to ourselves. Needless to say, Gracie didn't like being stuck in a pot! No trick in the book could make her smile. But she 's darling either way!
Nixon definitely took the prize for the cutest and easiest smile of the day. His pictures turned out so cute. This one gives you a peek into his personality. (P.S. Don't tell, but Gracie and Nixon binky swap whenever they are together. Nixon initiates it though by taking the bink right out of her mouth but he always gives it back when Gracie starts fussing for it. What a gent!)
Gracie and Nixon are chillin' after the photo shoot. It's hard work.
Gracie clap, clap, clappin' away on a Sunday. Cute dress Grammy! We finally found some really small ballet slipper-like shoes with texture bumps on the bottom to accomodate her walking. She has really small feet and since babies aren't usually walking at this time it is hard to find shoes that are practical. Anyone know where I can find some small jelly shoes? Otherwise we better move to Blackfoot, Idaho- ha ha ha- One barefoot step here in Las Vegas and your feet are black.This is Gracie's newest, funny smile. What a kick!Here is our attempt to try one more time at home to make her smile. Dang! Even with Luke, who can always make her smile, Gracie still did not like the pot!This is my new favorite picture of us. Thanks Luke. Your girls love you too much!Check out another one of Gracie's faces. I guess she gets it from me- too bad, because I have always been told that if looks could kill, I would be a serial killer. And no, we're not talking about good looks. Sorry if you have ever been the victim of one of my skanks. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Oh he-ey!I had to throw this one in to show the cool scale.Gracie starting young on the catwalk... She even got the face down to the lip pucker. LOL!
"That's right Gracie--- I caught you..."
And now in the real spirit of the best 9 months of my life so far... Gracie standing up on something and pulling at the toilet paper or the fridge magnets, or whatever else and...then screaming bloody murder when she gets stuck somewhere (like under the sink). Check out this mug shot. I can't stop loving this girl. Happy 9 months my sweet chica! I love you.

While in Utah...

So a couple of weeks ago we went to Utah to bless our new cousin Roman and this is what happened:
Gracie got to hang out with her Cousin Sofia a ton! She was way fun to watch and share toys with her.
She even took Gracie on a walk even when it started to rain. Sofia is the best cousin ever! We think she will be a great big sister to her new brother.
Gracie got to play and look all cute on Grammy's bed. Yes this big smile is for Grammy. And the next biggest thing besides a new cousin being born and blessed is...
Gracie got her ears pierced!!! That is right. She got studs in her birthstone- green peridot. And she looks so cute! Now I don't want to hear any lectures how she was cute before and she didn't need them. I know that. But seeing as she has inherited very little hair from her mom and dad, now no one can mistake her for a boy. She is all girl, and even more girl now. If she changes her mind that she doesn't want them when she grows up, we will just let them grow in again. No harm done. And she won't even remember the little bit of pain because we did them now. We were glad daddy wasn't there to see it done because it WAS kind of hard to watch. I had to hold her but it just took a couple of seconds. Then afterward, her binky and a graham cracker made it all better. (Another pro for getting her ears pierced: Now I don't feel like she has to have a bow or headband on everywhere she goes= more freedom for Gracie!)

Free Breakfast at Mimi's Cafe

Just keeping my promise to let y'all know when there was a killer deal. Hurry cause I think it is over the end of May! Go to Mimi's Cafe website and sign up on their E-club. They will immediately send a certificate for a breakfast entree up to $10.00. All their breakfast is under $10.00. No purchase necessary. My friend Cassidy was the one who found this and we went after signing up with one email. Then I signed up again with another email address and went again with Luke for a fun Sat. morning breakfast. Do me a favor and don't tell Mimi but do go get your FREE breakfast! The french toast and muffins are so good. And your meal comes with fresh OJ> Need I say more? What are you waiting for? Go get some!

Soakin' up the sun n' water... and the movies!

These are Gracie's boyfriends in our neighborhood (one's missing named Lincoln). They are all born with-in 1 month of each other. Gracie has already been asked out on several dates but with mom's supervision of course!! Gracie is not going to go steady with any of them for a long time. Just play the field you know. Maybe share a little sunscreen and cheerios...
She wants to take crawling lessons from them in exchange for teaching them the "Bum-Scoot" and walking with only one hand holding on.
Do you think she should learn to blow kisses?
When my Grandma Pat passed away, I got all of her swimsuits. I absolutely loved them. Sadly, I have worn the other ones so much that they got too thin and this is the only one I have left. I love them cause not only is it a connection I have to remember my Grandma, but they are cute old-school swimsuits that are back in style "new-school" now. The other one was black with white macoroni noodle like shapes all over it with gathered down the middle and a neck tie. It was awesome. And they have low-cut legs which is hard to find nowdays. Thanks Grandma.
No I am not wearing nothing! I thought this picture looked kind of funny.
These are the hot mommies that I like hanging out with. There is so much to be learned from them and fun to be discovered together. There is my Muddah Nicole, Me, Cute Kara, and Happy Cassidy chillin' from left to right. We always end up meeting other moms at the pool that are fun to get to know too.
I have no complaints about spending our days at the pool. I love it! If I believed in reincarnation, I would want to come back as a fish or dolphin or something that swims.
Fighting over the sunscreen since James won't be a gent and rub it on Gracie's back.

Who says girls can't play football? She's not going to let anything stop her if she really wants it!
AT THE DRIVE-IN: After swimming one day, we all decided to got to the free drive-in movie night. This is Gracie waving "Hi" out the sun-roof Las Vegas style. Next time we are going to cruise the strip this way.
Before the drive-in movie started. I love going to the drive-in. I have not been since I was a kid in Idaho. I love it. Our friends John and Ashley introduced it to us here. And with the cost of the theater being $10.25/person, a drive in movie is where it's at! Who can afford to go to the theater at that price and besides we have the privacy of our own space to walk around and cry and as needed. Without bothering anybody. And you don't have to SMUGGLE in your snacks. I love it!

Where did "blog" come from anyway?

Something I have always wondered. Blog? It comes from originally being called a "web log"- like a journal of well, anything. Weblog- shortened to blog! Now you know. Cool!

Sorry another scary thought... I am full of them!

I love Abraham Lincoln.
I love his words:
"All that I am, or ever hope to be,
I owe to my angel mother."

I still think that about my mother too, BUT...
what does that mean for me if my kids were
saying that to me in advance... AHHH!
Scary thought! I have some work to do,
Hi ho, hi ho...
I love you mom! I love you Lenna!

Always another Mother's Day!

Even though this is my first real official Mother's Day this year, Luke has been so cute to always celebrate it and acknowledge it since we have been married. I would always argue with him that I am not a mother yet but he would always surprise me and do something special because he picked me out to be a mother to his children whether I had any at the time or not. I always felt silly but liked it at the same time because I have always wanted to be a mom. Despite my desires and goals for many other things in life I have always tried to develop and learn the skills that would help me be a good mother to my children and to others who also need the service that mother's often give regardless of literal relations. On Sunday, due to some excellent speakers in church, I kept asking myself if I am a Woman of God? And what actions does a Woman of God do? What actions should I stop doing and do more of to be more like a Woman of God? I was very lost in thought through the rest of church.
I think through the course of the whole mother's day I felt every emotion there is to be felt from guilt to shame to embarrassment to frustration to entitlement to denial to anxiety to confusion-- to confidence to courage to satisfaction to love to lightheartedness to silliness to happiness to gratitude and lastly to exhaustion. Consequently, I drug my poor husband and daughter along with me. Luke is so patient with me like when he is sitting there trying to give me a gift and I won't stop cleaning up to let him give it to me because I feel like I don't deserve it. But at the same time, I am wondering if he really wanted to give me a gift/card or if he just did it because it is Mother's day again because I don't deserve his love. But then I am also hoping that he got the bike trailer for us to go on bike rides and so I can get around faster than walking since I don't have a car and that he better have remembered because he wants to too. Then I am mad at myself for thinking that stupid thought because it makes him mad that I don't know that he loves me no matter what. I feel bad for the times when I am a confused, emotional and complicated woman (more often than I wished but not as often as in the past) trying to handle everything in my control and misinterpreting other's words or actions against myself.
Therefore I am extremely grateful to those around me- my husband, my daughter, my in-laws, my parents, my siblings, my friends, and my aquaintances who despite my crazy insanity in my head, love me no matter what and still want to spend time with me. They help me appreciate all of the qualities that makes others feel loved and ones that I want to develop to truly forget myself and serve others. That is the challenge in this life and I think motherhood/womanhood is a particularly good calling to practice, mess-up, and try again but know that the Lord is there to make up the difference. After all, that is what our mother's did and what we are trying to do now with their help. I love my mom and mother-in-law. I love being a mother and more importantly a woman with the blessings (and curses) that go along with it. (I know some of you are totally shocked because many times in my life I have wished I was a man.) I can finally say, today, that I no longer wish that I was a man and I don't think I will ever again. I love being a woman- a mom, a daughter, a sister, a wife, and most importantly a friend. Thanks for always forgiving me when I am more selfish-than selfless. I have to forgive myself too and know that I am going to mess up again. But there will always be more Mother's Days when I will probably feel inadequate again but all we can say is at least we are trying and chalk it up to having a good day--which indeed we did. It ended just right!!!

AND THE WINNER IS...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Trent and Sarah Buhler!!!!<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"I don't swim in your toilet, so don't pee in my pool."
(Watch the mail guys. I do need your address though so leave your email and I can get it from you that way...)
Thanks everyone who played. Best of luck next time I find a photo worthy of playing again.
And since Cassidy's caption did fit Gracie the best, we'll give you a prize too.

Let's play... Name that photo!

Just for fun... Tell me what your caption would be, and if I like yours the best I will mail you a surprise in the snail mail. (I haven't decided what it is yet but you know it will be something you want.) My friend Cassidy's caption is below. You have to beat hers... Ready go!BTW: She can now wave hi to everyone and eat rocks!