razor, anyone?

Sunday night we were all sitting on my bed reading scriptures. Ashton had my paddle brush in her hands; she was balling up the hair from the brush. Tatum stood at Dust's side and said, "Dad! Dad!" He looked over to see her pointing at her armpit. This is what he saw...

We all died laughing!!! Her personality is so quirky and we love it! Awwww, Tater tot, we love you!

it's better...

...than gettin' kicked in the face with a golf shoe!

I got a B in Statistics!
Oh yeah!!

birthday boy in his birthday suit

Dust and I had our first date August 19, 1995, just three months after I graduated from high school. I thought he was soooo cute! (He'd just gotten home from his mission to London, moved in with his parents across the street from my parents', and I'd definitely noticed him coming and going.) We kissed the night of our first date--ooh baby! After our date Dust said it took him hours to fall asleep. He knew there was something different about me; he had a feeling he'd just gone out with the girl he was going to marry. I, however, took a few months to realize I was hopelessly in love.
I was a freshman at BYU. I was dating Dust and dating other guys. Dust was only dating me. I kept telling him to go out with other girls. It took a while but I finally convinced him to go out with someone else. On the day of his date I panicked! I realized how I felt about him and knew I had to make my feelings known. I left a Chicago cd in his car with instructions to listen to "We can last forever." He did. He took his date to dinner and then took her home. ha!
We got engaged February 19, 1996, our six month anniversary. We were married June 28, 1996. I've been completely head over heels in love with Dust for 16 years.
He's an amazing man! He makes me happier than I ever thought possible. I love, love, love him!!!
Baby, ...I gave you my heart, I gave it all to you... "We can last forever"!!!

you're a freak

We had Dust's birthday dinner tonight at Dewey Destin. It was sooo yummy! Fried crab claws, fried shrimp, hushpuppies, french fries--not so good for the heart but fabulous for the mouth.
It's Dust's last night as a 37 year old. This year he's sportin' a mighty fine (and freakishly freaky) moustache. We can't wait for December 1st; that sucker's comin' off!

mother may i?

There are total ups and downs associated with motherhood. One thing I love about being a mom is being surrounded by my girls wherever I am/wherever I go. One thing that causes me to feel extremely claustrophobic, or "clausty" as my mom likes to say, is being surrounded by my girls where I am/wherever I go. I realize it's paradoxical. But it's true.
For example, this afternoon the girls and I were watching "The Family Stone" (on FX--the edited TV version). I love that movie! Tana was stretched out on the right side of the couch; her body occupying nearly two full cushions. Tater, Bug & I were taking up the other cushion and a half. This was fabulous for about 45 minutes. Then the "stop touching me", "get your feet off me", "you have more room than I do" started. I was still okay though. It's the day after Thanksgiving. My family's home. We have nothing important to do. It's a great day!
I went to the kitchen table to finish reading "Unbroken". Immediately Kenne was seated beside me eating her Thanksgiving leftovers. Ahhh! Let me just say that chewing in my ear is quite possibly my greatest impatience causer. It kills me, try as I might to ignore it. Of all the eight chairs at our kitchen table, she chose the one right beside me. I love sitting next to me girls! But when they're eating and I'm not, it's a little tough.
Shakes (our favorite custard place on the planet!) is selling their cones today for 10 cents to celebrate their 10th anniversary. I took the girls this afternoon and told them that for the only time in their lives we would get cones twice in one day. As a result I've heard, "can we go to Shakes? Can we go to Shakes now? Now can we go to Shakes?" 92 times today.
Something I think you recognize only as a mother is how much your children love to be wherever you are: the bathroom, on the toilet, in the shower, wherever. This is totally true of my girls. All four of them will gather in the master bathroom as I'm getting out of the shower, just to chat. They'll all pile into our bed to hang out and watch our little 9" TV (I LOVE this!) and leave the big ol' flat screen devoid of an audience. They'll follow me, like little ducklings, as I do jobs around the house, walking from the kitchen, to the laundry room, to my room, upstairs, downstairs, etc.
As fabulous as it is 99% of the time, that other 1% is what gets me into trouble. It's that darn 1% that leaves me begging Dust, "Please, just take them to Shakes and give me 15 minutes of quiet." "Please take them on a walk", "on a drive", "to the beach". Mama needs a break!
I love my family but every once in a while I need to be by myself. Cute little Kenne said it best when she was only four years old, "I need some alone time."
Baby, so do I!

happy thanksgiving back

Thanksgiving is in my top three holidays, #1 being Christmas. Thanksgiving and the 4th of July are either tied or shifting between 2nd & 3rd, depending on the day. Today was a great day! Kenne and I went on a four mile walk; it was beautiful outside. We made our portion of Thanksgiving dinner while Dust mowed the lawn, Tana napped, Tater & Ashton played and Cooper waited for handouts. Jonny arrived shortly after noon to start frying the turkeys and everyone else popped in about 2pm. Dinner was delicious!! We had fried turkey, smoked turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing/dressing, green salad, rolls, pomegranate jello, raspberry pretzel jello, pumpkin pie--it was all amazing! We're sure love our family! It was a great Thanksgiving Day with the Millers & Ron and D'Ann!

sacrifice brings blessings

Today, the day before Thanksgiving, I am thankful for sacrifice. I am thankful for the sacrifice of doctors and nurses who sacrifice years of their lives to obtain an education that is incredibly difficult so they may take care of me, my family, and many more. I am thankful for the sacrifice of scientists who spend countless hours in the lab developing medicines and pain killers so we don't have to suffer. I am thankful for inventors who develop fabulous materials so hospitals can be built in all their splendor, equipped with state of the art technology and equipment.
I am thankful for my precious Montana and her sweet, pure faith. Last night as Dust and David Gillespie gave her a blessing she silently cried; giant Tana tears dripped from her closed eyes. Her complete trust in the promises of that priesthood blessing "that all would go well, that those caring for her would be blessed with the knowledge they needed to ensure her protection, that she would return home safely and recover fully" testified of the righteous desires of her heart and the faith she has in the promises of that blessing. She knew Heavenly Father was blessing her with exactly what she needed.
I love my Tana girl. She is such a sweetie, the absolute perfect oldest daughter. She is a blessing in every way.
Tana and I laughed a bit about some of the questions thrown her way through this process: "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?" asked by the x-ray tech. Tana looked at me with the most confused eyes. "Are you pooping and peeing regularly?" asked by Dr. Taylor in our office visit. Tana was horrified that he was gettin' all up in her bidness! "Have you had suicidal tendencies? Have you tried to hurt yourself? Have you been depressed?" asked by our pre-op nurse as Tana sat completely drugged...seriously in la-la land. The nurse laughed and said "nothing could get you depressed right now! Could it???" No way! That girl was on cloud nine. She must have asked me 10 times "how do you get a blown vein?" She was totally reminding me of the guys on "That 70s Show" when they sit in their circle...she was high as a kite! "How old are you, nine?" asked by our recovery nurse. Tana replied, "10." ha ha ha! She's 12 and will be 13 next month. She was still completely dazed and confused.

Here she is in her "high" condition prior to surgery...

Her she is post-op in the recovery room...

Tana was a trooper!

Sacrifice brings blessings, this I know!!!

oh yeah!

This is without a doubt, no comparison, the funniest thing Tatum does. Tater's typically our quiet, no attention needed little thing, but every once in a while she throws us for a loop and knocks our socks off. Que her spot-on "oh yeah" impersonation...

Hilarious!!!

...by the way...she'd die if she knew I posted this!!

I love these clowns!

Real clowns are capital F freaky!!!

a penny for my thoughts

My mind is swirling with them right now...

I love FHE (Family Home Evening)! Tonight we cleaned the house. Yay! I love that Dust will vacuum 90% of the house & the girls the other 10% so I can mop the main floor. I love that my girls are becoming really great little cleaners; they just need specific instructions. I love that what would have taken me hours to do today is now complete after just 90 minutes.

I love that my family will do silly things to make me smile/laugh till I can't breath. I wish Tatum would do Vector's (oh yeah) hip thrust on camera. There's nothing better! Seriously!

I am thinking about Elder Holland's amazing General Conference talk last month. I love Elder Holland! The part of his talk that I absolutely LOVE is, "Satan, or Lucifer, or the father of lies--call him what you will--is real, the very personification of evil. His motives are in every case malicious, and he convulses at the appearance of redeeming light, at the very thought of truth." Don't you just love that? To imagine Satan convulsing when I choose the right? When I speak kindly to my children? When I serve others? I LOVE that image.

I am thankful for the Spirit that testifies of truth. I am thankful to know that we have a living prophet on the earth today. He's not just a prophet for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He's the prophet for all the world, all faiths, all people. I am so very thankful to know the Book of Mormon is true. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. I love reading from its pages. Tonight in our family scripture study we read Jacob 1:7, "Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest." I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I know He loves me. I have felt His love in my life. My goal is to live righteously every day so I may feel of His love, His Spirit, His comforting blessings always.

Right now I'm excited for three things...peppermint ice cream, Monday Night Football, and time on the couch with my man, my dream come true, my moustache-sporting hubby. Boy do I love that guy!!

farm day

Dust, Kenne, Tater, and Bug went to Alabama with the Oden crew yesterday to the Oden's farm. They had hay rides; rode, fed, and brushed the horses; shot skeet (Kenne shot for the first time); ate lunch; and had a fabulous time! Tana and I definitely missed out on the fun. (Tana was making pumpkin pies for the YW girls camp fundraiser and I was prepping for our youth activity at Camp Olive. Of course we had fun too.) The girls had the time of their lives & Dust was in heaven...he had a gun in his hands and one in Kenne's.

c is for cookie

A-apples. Honeycrisp are my absolute favorite.

B-boys. I worry my girls won't find boys worthy of them.

C-cookies. I baked 10 dozen today for a youth activity. They were yummy too.

D-Dustin. The love of my life!!!

E-electricity. My hubby's trade. I'm glad he gets it. I sure don't.

F-family. My family is my greatest treasure.

G-girls. I love my girls. I love being a girl mom. Girls are great.

H-Huey Lewis. Their music makes me happy. "Do You Believe in Love?"

I-ice cream. Peppermint ice cream. My holiday favorite.

J-juicy. Juicy (fat) babies are adorable. I want to gobble them up.

K-kiss. I LOVE kissing my man!

L-love. I love being in love. I love being loved.

M-Mormon. I'm a Mormon. I love being a Mormon.

N-New Girl. My new favorite show. (Tuesdays @ 8pm on Fox.)

O-old. I wonder what life will be like when I'm old...

P-Provo. The city where Dust and I fell in love.

Q-q tips. Essential. I hate wet ears.

R-reading. I love a good book.

S-sisters. I cherish my sisters. I know my girls will too.

T-temple. My favorite is Salt Lake. The place where Dust and I were married, for eternity.

U-Utah. My birthplace.

V-virtue. It's time for a return to virtue.

W-Wonder Woman. I had a Wonder Woman costume when I was little. I wore it a lot.

X-XM 80s on 8. My favorite radio station.

Y-Yogurt Mountain. De-licious.

Z-Zoobie. Am I considered a Zoobie as an online BYU student???

la cocina

La Cocina means "the kitchen". I have to say one of the best things about date night is getting OUT of the kitchen. I love having a delicious meal placed in front of me--no prep, no clean up, no complaining. Perfect! We had a great date/dinner tonight: chips & salsa, fish tacos, fun friends.
We've known Gabe & Carrie for 10-11 years. They're awesome!

Gabe is a superstar. He just conquered non hodgkin's lymphoma. He's totally cancer free. Yay, Gabe! Carrie's an over-achieving, reach for the stars mom, and best of all, she's not afraid to mince words--which I love. Our conversations go around and around and always include the basics: our kids (both the highs and the lows), the junky side of motherhood (endless cleaning up after completely messy and oblivious kiddos), the ins and outs of church callings, work, food, running, and our favorite tv shows. Our absolute new favorite...."New Girl". Watch it. You won't be sorry!

little miss pilgrim

Ashton was determined to dress like a pilgrim today; it's the school's Thanksgiving lunch. Mrs. Turner, Ashton's kindergarten teacher, told the kids they should dress either like a pilgrim or an Indian. I have to say she makes a pretty cute little pilgrim!

This morning Bug explained to me that she couldn't be an Indian because "they wear show bellies and we can't wear show belly clothes to school". This explanation was made while pointing with her index finger at her stomach and making circular motions with said index finger to display the "show belly" area.

I love that girl!!

BTW: Bug whistles like a champ! And she does it all the time. It reminds me of Molly Trainor (cousin) when we were kids. Thankfully now I'm much more patient than I was 20+ years ago. Molly's whistling drove me crazy (because I was an impatient and self-proclaimed super cool tween); Ashton's is adorable (because I'm a doting mother and she's my baby girl).

Tater would rather die than dress up as a pilgrim or Indian. Ever! Tatum doesn't want to draw any attention to herself. She's a get-lost-in-the-crowd kind of girl and I love that about her! She's my little sweetie pie!

oh give thanks

I'm sure excited for Thanksgiving Day 2011!! I am looking forward to: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potato casserole, pomegranate jello, rolls, pumpkin pie with whipping cream and many more delicious treats. Ohhhh baby!!! It will be an awesome day filled with yummy food, great family (the Millers and Ron & D'Ann), football, hopefully a good movie, and delicious leftovers! I can't wait!!

And one of the best things of all...drum roll please...

no school! no Statistics! no homework! no nothin!

Just home sweet home with my girlies and my man...ohhhh baby!!!

take me away

My total lack of desire to study for my Statistics final, as well as the actual study time, is causing me to cry out "take me away...a secret place...a sweet escape...take me away...take me away...to better days..."

Oh, Lake Powell, how I need you!!!

Since I can't escape to beautiful Lake Powell I'll simply buckle down, study, and look forward to Friday afternoon when I am Stats-free!!! In the mean time I'll just shout "serenity now" as needed.

(These pictures are pretty outdated. The last three years' worth of Powell pictures are on Dust's work computer.)

another season, another reason

Guess what I spent my afternoon doing~

making whoopie.....

pies!

ha ha ha!

If you're wondering why Ashton isn't pictured enjoying a scrumptious whoopie pie it is because she chose a popsicle instead. Gasp! Can you imagine choosing a popsicle over a whoopie pie? I sure can't! Equally alarming is the fact that Dust wouldn't even try the cookie part, he only wanted the frosting. I find myself completely sympathizing with the food-pushing mamas of Italy and Greece. I want my family to eat my food, dang it!

Thank you, Elle, for introducing us to this delicious dessert! We had these (homemade oreos) for Elle's birthday treat this year and, boy, they are delightful! Soft, chewy cookies. Cream cheese frosting. Heaven.

"Sleepless in Seattle" is one of my all-time favorite movies. I love the soundtrack too; it reminds me of my sweet mom. One of the greatest songs on the soundtrack is "Making Whoopee". While making tonight's dessert I was singing this song to myself and thinking of my mom; remembering cute Meg Ryan falling in love with Sleepless in Seattle (over the radio); and enjoying every bit of it all: the cookies, the movie, my mom, the song, the cookies.

If you want to try our whoopie pies go here (it's the recipe--not a free sample I'm sorry to say). You won't be sorry! fyi: I made mine with plain cream cheese frosting. The pumpkin cream cheese frosting would have been way too crazy for my girls.

ski utah

Oh how we miss you, Utah winter wonderland!

Hopefully we'll be seeing you sometime soon!

flutterby, little miss butterfly

The girls and I ventured out to Rosemary Beach today for Cottages for Kids and the Flutterby Festival (Dust was dove hunting). We had such a fun time! The weather was amazing so it was the perfect day to play outside. Evidently it was the place to be; we ran into five families from our Branch. We had a great lunch at Sugga Pies followed by an absolutely delicious red velvet cupcake, yum!!