Daddy Date

Thursday night when Seth got home from work, he told me he had decided to start a new tradition where he takes the birthday boy or girl out on their birthday for a 'daddy date' for some one-on-one daddy fun!

So for Chloe's birthday, he took her to IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association) to see the baby chicks and bunnies. I'm not sure who had more fun - Seth LOVES bunnies, baby animals, and his baby girl!

This is the perfect example of what a great dad Seth is. He loves his kids so much and he loves spending time with them! Great idea for the new "tradition" Sethy - I know our little sweeties will cherish their annual "daddy date" on their birthdays forever!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...

Hapy Birthday to Chloe, Happy Birthday to you!

That's right - our little princess turned one yesterday! I can hardly believe it! As a mother, I have a new appreciation for my kids' birthdays. Sure it is fun to celebrate how much they've grown, but it is such a sweet thing to remember the day they came into this world and into your family! It is wonderful to remember the first time you held them and the tiny bundle they used to be! It is so rewarding to realize how much they've grown (which is A LOT in Chloe's case) and how much they've learned!

We celebrated with birthday lunch yesterday, lots of present opening and a family "eat cake" party today. Here are some pictures of the festivities!

Chloe loves all her fun gifts! Thanks to everyone who spoiled her!

Grandma Colleen

Today, I took my dry cleaning to Grandma Colleen's house (she owns City Dry Cleaners and spoils her children and grandchildren with free dry cleaning) despite feeling under the weather. Morgan wanted to play in her backyard, so Grandma took him outside to fill the dump trucks with rocks and jump on the trampoline. This was a much needed break for me, so I seized the moment to sit on the couch while Chloe explored.

A minute later, I looked out the window and found Grandma and Morgan swinging on the teeter totter having a grand old time! I decided to venture out with Chloe, and minutes later Grandma was on the trampoline with Chloe teaching her how to "jump". That is my Grandma for you!

Watching her play with my kids today got me thinking: Grandma Colleen was at almost every recital, performance, sporting event and awards ceremony I was involved in growing up (and my mom is the 6th of her 7 kids, so I wasn't the only one filling her date book with activities). When I was learning to drive, she was the only one who didn't make me crazy to drive with. She subscribes to Eating Well, Health and various health newsletters in my name to make sure I stay healthy for a long time! She calls me up to let me know about anything she sees on the news that may be a "threat" to me or my family. She sends home treats for my dogs. Every year I was in junior high, she bought enough magazine subscriptions to kill an entire rainforest (despite being a MAJOR conservationist) just to make sure I sold enough to go on the Limo Lunch. She is a wonderful grandma and great-grandma and a wonderful friend! I don't know how many of you out there have a Grandma as cool as mine (other than my wonderful family of course since they get to share her), but I feel pretty lucky to have her! Love you Gram!

Happy Easter

Today was the most beautiful day for Easter! As I got my kids dressed in their Easter outfits, I couldn't help but feel blessed to have such beautiful children (inside and out)! Here they are in all their wonderful cuteness!

Most of the pictures are from the egg hunt we had at Grandma Colleen's house. We were so lucky to have Mason, Ruth and sleeping Quincy join us for hunting fun! Thanks for the Easter fun Grandma and Grandpa!

On Your Mark

This is what I found this morning when I went down to get Morgan out of his room.

Call us bad (albeit well-rested) parents if you want, but we lock Morgan's door from the outside if he comes out of his room after we put him in there for a nap or bedtime. Well, this morning, when Morgan woke up to a locked door, he decided to get creative and line up all of his "big cars" right up against the door, ready to take off! It was absolutely hilarious!

A Great Place to Be

The inspiration for this post comes from a recent post by my sister-in-law about why she loves living in North Carolina. Today I have been pondering some wonderful things about living in SLC, UT so here goes (this post is for you, Ruth)! Don't worry, I stopped my IHEARTSLC brian dump at 20.

1. The seasons - not only do we have 4 distinct seasons, but you always have another season to look forward too when you get sick of one (not that I don't love you winter, but bring on spring!)

2. The variety of recreational activities - you can scuba dive, snow ski and water ski all in one day - where else is that possible?

3. I could get to at least 3 (soon to be more) temples in about 30 minutes.

4. There is a distribution center 10 minutes away (close to all my other shopping, mind you).

5. Temple square - lights for Christmas, Tabernacle Choir performances, flowers in the spring, apostles and prophets giving devotionals, etc.

6. I could walk the outside border of my ward in well under an hour (with dogs and kids - unless, all of my neighbors were out - in which case it could take all day, and I love that too!)

7. Knowing the difference between a mountain and a hill

8. Mountains - and the hiking, biking, camping, snowshoing, skiing, canoeing, backpacking, etc. that comes with them!

9. Snowtopped peaks on a sunny day

10. No humidity! When you do your hair and walk outside, it still looks done!

11. The family friendly atmosphere - friendly people, lots of kids, lots of kid-friendly venues

12. The University of Utah (my alma mater)

13. Variety of recreational options - swimming, boating, the beach (sure it is around lakes, but sand next to water = beach!), mountain sports above, fishing, horseback riding, paragliding, hot air ballooning, outdoor skating, etc, etc.

14. Free concerts in the summer

15. "LDS Pop" music concerts

16. You can live 15 minutes from downtown in a wonderfully rural area!

17. 10 scrapbooking stores in walking distance!

18. You can actually park your car downtown (have you ever been to Seattle or Washington D.C. - GOOD LUCK!)

19. 3 hopsitals in a 15 minute radius of my house (my hubby is a nurse, these things are important)!

20. And, most important of all - the family and friends that surround us - and what could be better than that?

So...what do you love about living in Salt Lake (you can comment even if you don't currently live here)?

Itty Bitty Blogger

Morgan loves blogging almost as much as I do! He is constantly asking to watch videos and pictures of all of his buddies and cousins.

Horton Hears a Who

Tonight my mom took us to see Horton Hears a Who. It was hillarious! At one surprising moment in the show, Morgan shouted "Oh No!" Good thing there were only about 10 people in the theater including us. Outside the theater was a fun display where we could take the kids' pictures. Here are some cute ones!

Fun at the Cabin

Last week we spent a couple of nights at my family's cabin east of Oakley. We had so much fun bumming around in our jammies, sledding, snowshoeing, reading, watching movies, and even organizing pictures. I didn't even take shampoo (which is utterly amazing, if you know me well).

The kids were so cute the whole time (and they even slept through the night Tuesday) that we took hundreds of pictures. So, instead of choosing a couple to represent, I am sharing all of them with you via slideshow!

If you are asked for a password, click here to view the slideshow. You will have to enter a password there, but there is a hint (I am working to fix the slideshow technical difficulties).

Funny Things

"I want to call Elmo, Mom." - Morgan, after Grandma Becky didn't answer her phone

Chloe, fast asleep, bobbed her head to the beat of John Mayer on our way home from the cabin. Did I mention she was fast asleep?

"We're going to ride the 4-wheeler!" - Morgan, when I told him on Tuesday that we were going to go up to the cabin. No, I didn't mention anything about riding the 4 wheeler, and we hadn't been to the cabin since last September. Apparently that memory of his is working just fine!

"Morgan will buckle me." - Mason, when I was getting him into his carseat after our adventure to the zoo. Morgan had unbuckled himself (from a 5 point harness carseat, mind you) when we got to the zoo and then looked at Mason and said, "Unbuckle yourself Mason." to which Mason reasponded, "I don't know how." "I'll do it for you," Morgan said proudly. So he did. Morgan undid himself and Mason in the time it took me to get the stroller out of the car - and Mason wanted Morgan to be his "personal buckler". I love 3-year-old friendships!

I know I am forgetting something, but I will keep you up to date when I think of it.

Great Website

Since it is Sunday, I thought I would share with you a wonderful online resource that I just found. It is the LDS church's new website about the Savior. It has some wonderful talks and testimonies from the latter-day prophets and apostles. It leaves you with no question as to whether Mormons are Christians. Plus, if you don't have a copy of this month's Ensign about the Savior, you can order one right there on the sight! I love modern technology! You can also link there from our blog sidebar.

We've had a cold!

I got a nasty cold about a week ago and I am still struggling to get over it. Chloe has obviously watched me blowing my nose A LOT, because today as I was reading, I found her getting out tissues and "blowing her nose". Amazing what they pick up, even before they turn one. I love the part where she ends up with 2 tissues and tries to put one back!

Sorry about the low quality video - it was long which meant something had to be sacrificed. Maybe I'll figure out YouTube and post a better version there. I'll add the link if I do!

A Priceless Moment

My little brother Stephen is awesome! He is so great with my kids and they LOVE him to death! We joined my family for FHE Monday and, after dinner and holding Chloe, Stephen took Morgan outside to play on the long board in the driveway. After a while, this is what we found.

Morgan is so lucky to have a best buddy in Uncle Stephen! Priceless!

Also - does my Mom's new garage look great or what? I wish our new garage were going to be that pretty!

Puzzled

Morgan loves puzzles. When given the opportunity to choose what he wants to play with, he will pick puzzles 9 times out of 10. I, personally, would only pick them 1 time out of 10.

I found a great deal on puzzles at Target (this week - go check it out if your kids love puzzles too) and Morgan loves them. One is even a demolition derby puzzle with a magnetic tow truck to "pull" the cars out and start again!

Noticing the Little Things

My sweet Grandpa Bell was recently diagnosed with colon and lung cancer and placed in a hospice care center to spend his remaining time on this earth. The care center is right on the way from my house to my mom's, so we pass by often. This week, we went to visit him and now Morgan waves and says, "Hi, Grandpa Bell" everytime we pass by. Because I have driven that route so many times, I often go into auto-pilot and don't notice the landmarks along the way. But, Morgan notices everything, and takes the time to be caring, compassionate or thankful. I have a renewed commitment to apply this lesson, learned from my not-quite-three-year-old, and appreciate the little, seemingly unimportant things around me, to recognize opportunities to show caring and compassion and to be thankful for the many blessings in my life.

Fleeting Moments

Here I am sitting on the couch blogging, while Morgan is watching "Elmo's Potty Time" (a favorite at our house), and I realize that he is singing along to the song from the show. It is the fleeting moments like this when I just can't help but smile. How cute it is that he knows every song in this movie well enough to sing along (or maybe that is an indication that we watch this show too much)? Since I am sure you are tired of my random ramblings and you want to see more pictures of my adoreable kids, here are a couple of other cute moments...

The other day Morgan brought me Seth's Zune and asked me if he could "watch skateboarders." First of all, I didn't know he knew what a skateboard was, second, I didn't know Seth had a skateboarding clip on his Zune. Once I figured these things out, Morgan was so excited to sit and watch skateboarders for the next 20 + minutes (the clip is only a couple of minutes long, so you do the math). Just like his mommy, Morgan loves to sweep. Here he is helping me out by swiffering to make sure we got all the dog hair up (impossible with 2 dogs, I know, but we try).

After sharing his sucker with Chloe, he wanted to help her get a drink. Now that Chloe is trying to walk, Morgan always wants to be right there in the middle of the action. When I stand Chloe up and scoot back to get her to walk to me, Morgan comes and stands right in front of me, so she will "walk" (lunge really) to him instead. She is still figuring out what "walk" means, but she has taken a couple more steps.

Indulge me

In sharing my indulgences from the last post, I failed to include my most indulgent indulgence - One Tree Hill. Why am I completely and utterly addicted to this show? I don't know. Not only do I "clock out" from incoming phone calls, knocks at the door and my motherly duties every Tuesday night at 7:55 to watch it (unless it is date night and then I have to wait and watch it online), but I can never sleep on Tuesday night (and sometimes even Wednesday night) because I am up trying to resolve the characters' rediculous - and unrealistic - problems! What the heck? I am supposed to be a grown up! Anyway, after waking up at 4 AM this morning stressed out about what was going to happen with Nathan and Hayley and whether Lucus would really marry someone other than Peyton, I have decided that I need to end my indulgence (or at least start weaning myself). Every other TV show that I watch is uplifting, entertaining, or downright hillarious - I think I better stick with what works!

100th Post

Wow! I can't believe this is my 100th post! I still feel like I am new to this whole "blogging" thing. Anyway, I have been tagged to do this All About me ABC style - so here it goes...

A - Attached or single: Attached!
B - Best friends - Seth, Morgan, my mom, and all of my wonderful girlfriends who I am not going to list because I would inevitably leave someone out and then feel bad about it!
C-Cake or Pie: CAKE - well frosting really, but apparently it is not socially acceptable to eat frosting without cake. I like pie too - yay for Marie Calendars $5.99 pies!
D- Day of Choice: Fridays - playgroup is on Friday and I look forward to it all week long! Also, Thursdays are a great TV night - The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock - or at least it will be starting April 11 when the episodes are all new!!!
E- Essential Items: Mascara, Cell Phone, Digital Camera and toy cars - I never leave home without them!
F- Favorite Color: PINK!
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears - I like to sort my gummy bears by color and eat them in alternating colors - I'm OCD, what can I say!
H- Hometown: Salt Lake City, UT
I -Indulgence(s): Pretty lipglosses, scrapbook supplies and (a new indulgence thanks to hand-me-downs from my mom) designer jeans - they just make me look so much better!
J- January or July: Because we do not have central air (yet) I have to go with January.
K-Kids: 4 - Human: Morgan and Chloe; Canine: Callie and Roxy
L-Life is incomplete without: my amazing hubby, sweet family, the gospel which enables me to enjoy them for the rest of eternity!
M- Marriage Date: Oct. 14, 2003
N- Number of Siblings: 2 - Michael and Stephen
O- Oranges or Apples: Depends on whether Seth is around - I love oranges if he peels them for me (I hate peeling oranges) but apples are good too and make me feel more self-sufficient.
P- Phobias or Fears: "Wherefore be of good cheer and do not fear, for I the Lord am with thee..." D&C 68:6 I know that's cheesy, but it's true, so I couldn't think of anything to put!
Q- Quote(s): I can't pick just one favorite, but I like, "The best things in life aren't things"
R- Reason To Smile: I have a beautiful family, dear friends, and more than just what I need
S- Season: All of them - that is why I will always live in SLC, I couldn't live without any of them!
T- Tag Six: Jessica, Erin, Ruth, Ashley, Shantell, Judy and anyone else who wants to join in the alphabet fun!
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I love to sweep. I would (and often do) sweep my floors more than once a day. Not my kitchen though - I don't like to sweep tile.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Oppressor of Animal sounds so horrible, but I am a meat-eater.
W- Worst Habit: Biting my nails. Okay, I don't know if it is my worst habit, but it is really annoying and now Morgan is starting to do it. Crap - why do they have to copy the bad stuff?
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: I don't have a problem with either, but I would much rather get an ultrasound to find out my baby's gender than an X-ray to find out how badly I fractured my leg!
Y- Your Favorite Food: cheese and crackers, fattening (but yummy) dips, fruit, cookies, funeral potatoes, Grandma Bell's caramels
Z-Zodiac: Virgo

Pictures, Friends and Random Stuff

I am a bit OCD about the way I label, sort and store my digital pictures. Thus, it often takes me a couple of weeks to get them sorted into their "final" destination. As I was sorting yesterday, I found this picture and thought it was so cute. So, I am going to do something I don't often do, I am going to post a picture that includes a close up of my face!

Have I mentioned how much I love my baby girl?!

I have been thinking a lot about the blessing of good friends lately (especially since many of our neighborhood buddies are talking about moving and since we have been able to spend more time than usual with old friends). Being the social people we are, Seth and I love to spend time with our friends. It boosts your spirits, awakens your soul, and fills you with joy, and I love it! So, I just want to say thank you to our wonderful friends. Whether we live across the country, accross town or across the street, good friends are irreplaceable. Here is a picture of Morgan and his buddies Gage and Wyatt during storytime at playgroup this week.

Finally, Chloe took her first step today! She has really been working on her balance and she was standing on her own, when all of a sudden she walked to me! So exciting. I wouldn't call it walking, but I know we aren't far away! Hooray! Of course we didn't have the camera out and ready, but her is a picture of her standing on her own.

Ode to Excedrin

Disclaimer: If you are a man and get uncomfortable reading words like pregnancy or breastfeeding, please skip this post to avoid any discomfort. When you develop the stamina to discuss these things without feeling awkward, feel free to revisit this post.

Ahhhhhh, the sweet relief of Excedrin. The wonderful individual(s) who received the divine inspiration to combine ibuprofen, aspirin and caffeine for headache relief deserves special blessings in heaven!

I don't like pregnancy for a lot of reasons, but up near the top of the list is the forced avoidance of this wonderful headache medicine. Then, after 9 months of wishing Tylenol actually did something to relieve your abundance of headaches (other than bringing you to the realization that there is nothing else to do about the headaches than just suffer through them, thus, forcing you to add "abundant yet untreatable headaches" the very long list of reasons why you wish you had looked into adoption), a little relief comes when, once again, you can take Advil. But, Advil, my friends, just doesn't kick headaches like Excedrin, which is still forbidden if you are nursing.

Some moms look at weaning as a sad thing, but not me! I was happy to nurse. I am grateful for the health benefits my kids have reaped. I am glad we didn't have to spend hundreds of dollars on formula. I am glad it is over - my long wait for headache relief, that is!

Notes: I know, I know, where is that inverse paranoid Jen spoken of yesterday? Pregnancy happens to be one of those things on that list of stuff I just can't seem to see the good in - other than the result of getting a darling little baby to enjoy afterward, of course. Also, don't be offended if you are reading this post and are the mother of a formula-fed baby or babies. I think formula is great and the best choice for a lot of families! I am just too cheap to fork out the $$$ for formula when my body has proven to be a capable ice cream factory!

Inverse Paranoia

Hi! My name is Jen, and I am an inverse paranoid. What is an inverse paranoid, you may be asking? An inverse paranoid person "believes life and people are out there to do them good" (from the book 15 Secrets to a Happy Home by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard - great book by the way!).

If you know me well, or even if you don't, you probably know that I rarely see the bad in things. In fact, I am almost blind to bad stuff. This is not to say that I am never negative - I complain about stuff and have things (some people too - Hillary Clinton, for example) that I have a hard time seeing the good in - but I am generally a glass-half-full person.

Maybe this is why I'm not worried about the wierd and crazy things going on in my neighborhood. Maybe this is why I keep moving up the "earliest possible time" I could handle another baby Tate. Maybe this is why I can see and experience bad things and still know with 100% clarity that everything is going to work for the best.

Crazy optimist? Maybe. Perfectly easy life with no trials? Not really (but my inverse paranoia makes me think it's been pretty easy). Happy anyway? You bet! Really? Uh huh!

So try it - even if only one day - try being an inverse paranoid and see how you feel. I bet it will be AWESOME (but based on this post, I'm sure you already knew that!)!