Sunflower...my new favorite

Nope, not the flower (I am rediculously allergic to sunflowers even though I love their cheery yellow faces mixed in with colorful gerber daisies), the farmers market grocery store: Sunflower Farmers Market!

For those of you who live in Utah, if you have not discovered this place, you need to! They have the most amazing deals on produce! We went yesterday and got milk for 1.69 a gallon, apples and grapes for .69 a lb. and strawberries for .99 a lb. just to name a few deals. We also stocked up on London Broil at 1.99 a lb. - YUM! My mom had been raving about it for the last couple of weeks, so we finally went and checked it out. Not only are their prices amazing, but the food is delicious. Plus, if you go on Wednesdays, you get to take advantage of 2 weeks worth of ad prices - how cool is that! We definitely think it is worth the drive (they are located right across from the Fashion Place Mall). Check it out!

Warm Fuzzies

As promised, here is a warm fuzzy post with adoreable pictures. There are more to come, but I didn't want to leave you hanging with my rant post too long! :)

Yesterday I was at Old Navy and I just couldn't resist this darling hat for $1.99. I'm not the only one who is obsessed...Chloe walks around wearing it talking about how her hat has a heart on it. And don't even try to take it off of her!!!

And there certainly couldn't be a more fitting picture of her right now than this one. Her pink crocs that she wears everywhere - including to bed, pink painted fingernails, lipgloss in hand, lipgloss on lips and all surrounding areas, an adoreable hat, and those big beautiful blue eyes!

My Thoughts Exactly

I am so happy to be a member of a church who says this. I don't think boycotts, anger and retaliation are neccesary when it comes to defending the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Hopefully the way we live, act and treat others (including those who would offend and mock our beliefs) should speak for itself. There will always be evil influences in the world whether face-to-face, plastered across the media or in the quiet of our own homes, but that is what makes it so important to stand for good! I see these evil influences as opportunities to teach my children (and practice for myself) how to make a choice for good. It is always easy to make the right choice when there isn't a wrong choice to make, but that is not real life and it is not a true test of our character. I hope that my children will learn that tolerance, love and kindness to everyone are just as important as standing up for what you believe and choosing good. These are not conflicting values - difficult to execute - yes - but all that much more important because it is hard.

Please don't think this means I support Big Love or the content it will be airing. I think it is very sad that they would demean something that I hold sacred - I will continue to hold it sacred and hope that anyone who may see it and come in contact with me will realize that there is more to the temple ceremonies than what HBO may portray and be comfortable discussing it with me.

Sorry for using this blog as a platform for my ranting, I will make the time to post cute pictures of my kids and a warm fuzzy post soon to make up for it, since I know that is what you want!

Shop for a Cause

My sweet friend Mandy is doing the Team in Training Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and has been working hard to raise money for the cause. She sent me an email today with a special offer from Gap stores (Banana Republic, Gap, Gap Outlet and Old Navy) that will give a portion of proceeds to the society on behalf of her team. The best part is that it is a 30% off coupon that can be used over and over at any of these stores from March 12 - 15. This is a great deal and a great opportunity to support a great cause. Just click here to open a printable version of the coupon. I am headed to the Old Navy and the outlets this weekend!!! Happy Shopping!

Excited

There was a little girl
who had a little curl,
right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
she was very very good
and when she was bad she was horrid.

Other than the curl, this poem is Chloe in a nutshell! Just as she can be very very good and very very naughty, her emotions are always at one extreme or the other. When she is mad, she lets you know it. When she is sad, she makes it clear. And when she gets excited, there is definitely jumping, shrieking and even things flying out of her hands in her utter enthusiasm!

Last Saturday we were running some errands and stopped at my mom's house for an urgent bathroom stop. Since it was already past lunchtime, I decided we would zip on through the McDonald's drive thru for happy meals and take them through a gas station car wash (a favorite pasttime of the kids'). I said, "Let's get in the car so we can go to McDonalds," and Chloe's little face lit up with excitement as she threw her sippy cup across the room and yelled, "MCDONALDS!" (She then proceeded to get my mom a baseball cap to go with her running clothes so she could come with us to McDonalds and was very disappointed to learn that Grandma Becky wouldn't be joining us).

With the beautiful weather over the last couple of days, Chloe has also been really excited about going outside. Today she got to play out there with Seth while Morgan was at preschool and then came in to go potty. The second she was finished, she hopped of the potty and headed for the back door with her pants around her ancles, chanting, "OUTSIDE! OUTSIDE!"

It is so fun to see her excited, just watch out when she throws a tantrum!

I Love This Place

Today we took the kids to the Draper Temple Open House. It was such a neat experience for them to see the inside of the temple and feel the spirit there. They were so well behaved inside the temple (not so much during the movie beforehand) and Chloe was identifying all of the pictures of Jesus and Joseph Smith. I was fortunate enough to be able to hold Morgan's hand as we walked through and tell him more about each of the rooms as we were in them. When we were in the celestial room, I asked him how he felt and we talked about how our hearts felt happy. Even before the dedication, the celestial room is truly a special place with a special feeling in it. It is a humbling experience to share something that you find so special and sacred with your young children and I am so glad we went! If you have wanted to go and haven't been or just want to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and what happens in the temples, there is a week and a half left, click here to make reservations (or just show up like we did :))!

Learning to Pray

Morgan loves to say prayers. If ever we start eating any meal without praying he gets a worried look on his face and shouts, "Prayers!" The other day we were out to lunch with my mom and when our food came he said, "Wait, we need to say prayers!" I told him that when we are in a restaurant, we say the prayer in our heart instead of saying it out loud.

He always wants to be the one to give the prayer. In fact, we usually say 2 prayers: one by Morgan and one by whoever was originally asked to pray. He even wants to be the one to help Chloe say the prayer, so he repeats whatever Seth and I say into Chloe's ear and then she says it too.

He is to the point where he usually says his prayers completely on his own. He always prays for the sweetest things...help Chloe to go potty in the big potty and not in her underpants, help me to stay in my bed, bless Daddy to get to work/school safe, thank you that I got to play the ball game today, help Brynn to not be sick, etc. Today's lunch prayer was particularly entertaining, he said, "thank you for the opportunity to eat lunch". I had to exercise serious self-control to keep from giggling! I love hearing him as he learns to pray!

The Bachelor is over and all I have to say is...

...What?

OK, that's not all I have to say. You all know I am not a woman of few words, but I am a little speechless about the season finale of the Bachelor! To my "What?" I will add this...I feel bad for Melissa and I think that was just about the most uncomfortable thing I have ever watched on tv (or in person for that matter), but I am so impressed with Jason for doing what you wish everyone would do when they choose the wrong person (like so many of them do)! I got all excited when Molly admitted to still being in love with Jason before he came out! I really hope they work it out and you better believe I will be tuning in tomorrow for the "after the final rose - part 2"! Am I the target market for this show, or what?