Snow Day

We actually had a little snow on Tuesday!
(A rare commodity here on the Eastern Shore).
The kids were already on staycation, so we made it part of the day!

Success!

Staycation
What a magical word!
We had a marvelous time.....simply mar-ve-lous!
The kids were so surprised and all agreed it was one of our best vacations ever!

Mission Complete!

"Stay"cation

My kids have off school today and tomorrow, and starting this afternoon when Jeff comes home from work we will embark upon our first ever staycation! Shhh...It is a surprise!

Itinerary:

Monday Night:
Fancy dinner at La Chez Rogers
Movie at the Rogers Family Cinema
Camping under the attic stars

Tuesday:
Breakfast a-la Room Service
Trip to Rogers Day Spa (includes Manicures, Pedicures, and Facials)
Walking tour of Downtown Salisbury (hopefully in the snow).
Tour of Salisbury Zoo
Souvenir Shopping
Game Night and Finger Foods

It should be a lot of fun. If you need to reach us.... sorry, we'll be on stay-cation!

Desires of My Heart

Have I ever told you that I have a really cool house???? It is old and funky and totally unique. It has dark wood everywhere and cool windows, an oddly large front foyer that we never use, a creepy basement, a whimsically angled attic, two stair cases, old doors with original hardware, a front porch, a back porch, and a picket fence.

It could be my dream house. I love it more every day, despite the many quirks...(and believe me there are quirks...like breaking tile, crooked walls, and 900 dollar electric bills).

There is much to be grateful for, but every once in a while I feel sad. Sad inside that I am keeping this house from reaching it's potential. My non-existent budget and my cheap cluttery-stuff makes this diamond in the rough look ordinary, dull and uninspiring.

I have a dream, a dream of decorating.

I want to paint, to create, to have the mula to give this house the makeover it deserves. To transform my house into the home I have always wanted. Ahhhh....Alas, it is but a dream.

Until then, I will continue to plan and plot and collect, and steal ideas from people who know what they are doing.

To start maybe I will begin collecting these cool prints to adorn the angles of my girl's room.



Are they not the epitome of whimsy???

Click on pic to see tollipop's etsy shop.

fLoUnDeRiNg....

I am feeling a little lost this week. I have 100,000 things to accomplish and no good plan to get them done. I think I need a blog just to list all of my to-do items. I am the type of person that needs things to be perfect, but I do not have the motivation to get it all done...so guess what I end up doing? Nothing. Nothing, at all. I also get side tracked a lot. I'll start one project and then start another one, and then another one. What is the secret to just getting one thing done at a time? I had a conversation with my friend Kelly this past weekend about this very topic. She is able to focus on one thing at a time and calmly get it done. Not me, I panic. I get all frazzled and get grumpy with my kids and Jeff.

I have five kids...I really need to get this down. Seriously, it is my job. I am supposed to be organized and together, with dinner on the table, and all the laudry folded.

Actually, I'm lying. The real problem is that I think I am just not cut out to be the mom of five, maybe the mom of two, I think I could handle two.

Okay, I'm lying again. I think I am just not stay-at-home-mom material at all. I seriously stink at it. We hear all the time that we do not need to be that "Perfect, Molly Mormon, Mom" we just need to be doing the "best that we can" but what if you want to be that perfect mom? I want to be perfect. I want to do it all. If I cannot do it all, I might as well just stop being a mom.

So here it is...this is what I am putting on my next to-do-list:

Crafts, Cleaning, Sewing, Mending, Scrapbooking, Prayers, Scriptures, Family Home Evening, Temple Work, Cooking, Baking, Food Storage Expert, Gardening, Skinny, with a nice butt, sexy arms, and perky boobs, Nice Hair w/ highlights, White Teeth, Perfect Wardrobe, PTA President, Cutest Kids, Community Volunteer, At Home Entrepernuer who contributes to the cash flow, Grind own Wheat and make Jelly from scratch, Can Fruit, Bake Bread, Excercise Every Day, and Go on Walks with Kids Every day, Bike Rides, Hiking, Camping, Library Story Time, Eat only Organic Food, Eat only fresh Vegetables from my OWN Garden, take my kids on VACATIONS to exoctic places, want to WANT to Homeschool, Dust and Sweep everyday, paint all my Walls, garage, front steps, and my fence, Decorate like Candice Olsen from Devine Design, be Taller with bluer eyes, smaller nose, and smaller feet, Visit teach every month by the 5th day of the month, be the YW President, Primary President and Relief Society President all at the same time. Oh and lastly, I want to walk into a room and have people tell me I am the most glorious woman, mother, and wife to ever grace their presence.

What do you think? Am I over zelous?

Happy New Year!

Time has slipped by without me knowing. It has happened before. 2009 is upon us. I hope all of my family and friends had a wonderful Holiday Season. I did! Truly one of the best Christmas's on record. I failed to send out Christmas Cards (forgive me, please), but if I did they would have surely said:
"I hope the true meaning of Christmas fills your heart and home this year."

It filled mine.

Thank you for all of the well-wishes, cards, happy blog posts, and cheery Facebook remarks over the last few weeks. It never ceases to amaze me how technology has brought so many friends, relatives and loved ones back into my life on a daily basis...I love it!

This time of year not only helps me look forward, but I often find myself looking back, feeling gratitude for the abundance of blessings that touch my life, for loved ones, for health, for the joy of the gospel, and for the miraculous love of our Savior.

Happy New Year!

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the "ACADEMY" for all of their support and advise during my creative process. Special Thanks goes to my roommate from Ricks: Leslie Mingo who posted a blog in my honor: http://mingofamily.blogspot.com/2008/12/pottery-barn-knock-off.html
Also a special thanks to Natalie who told me to throw some silver or gold into the mix. I'm still not sure about the tall flowers, but that's all I got to work with this year....I'll perfect it next year. Also...stocking are in the works...I'm making new ones.

Better?

I tried.

Moving On

Is everyone done there Christmas Decorating? I am just getting going. Decorating is not one of my strong points. I wish I could just open a Pottery Barn Catalog, twitchle my nose, blink my eyes, and POOF my house would look like designer Christmas wonderland.

This is my first year I have a fireplace. I was very excited to have a "Christmas" mantle. I like the rustic-country Christmas look. I do not think I have succeeded...any suggestions? What am I missing? It looks so bare. In person the red in the candles is a deeper, closer to burgundy color. And there is a super cute pine cone garland wrapped around the candles. Are the tall flowers stupid? Help!

Heritage Makers 411

So what is Heritage Makers exactly you ask?

Check out this website:
http://www.hmstories.com/home.html

What I am most excited about is how much this is going to benefit me and my family. Family history is very important to me. However, I have never been diligent about journaling or scrapbooking. Most of my pictures are taking up memory on my hard drive or are in a box shoved up on a shelf. Digital Scrapbooking and Storybooking is exactly what I need! I cannot wait to get a book together about my family! So...that's the main reason I am doing this, to put my memories in a place that is safe, creative, and where I can share it with family for years to come.

I have been thinking I will probably set up a separate blog for posts about Heritage Makers. I'll post a link when I get it set up.

This is something I have thought long and hard about. I knew I needed to do something to contribute. How perfect is it that I will get to have fun at the same time? Since it is not plausible to work a regular job with five kids at home this is definitely the best alternative for me!

Going For It.

Desperation? Maybe....
Excitement? Perhaps....
Extra Money? Hopefully....
Change Of Pace? Definitely!


I decided to become a Heritage Makers Consultant. Details forth coming.

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?

Can you smell Thanksgiving in the air? I can. I am pretty sure that the neighbors are baking pies and my tummy is rumbling.

We are going to Ben and Cyndi's for Thanksgiving this year. My mom and Dad, Kym, Marshall and Dana are all coming too! It will be the first time we have all been together for Thanksgiving in forever! And I am super excited.

Cyndi and Ben are making their famous Alton Brown turkey that they brine in a bucket of salt water, and spices over night. I haven't had it yet, and I cannot wait. It is supposed to be the juiciest, tastiest, most tender turkey ever! Cyndi is also making her homemade rolls, which are absolutely divine. Kym is in charge of pies: Pumpkin, Apple, Frozen Chocolate, and a Turtle Pumpkin (can you say yum?). My mom, of course is in charge of the best part of Thanksgiving...her glorious stuffing. I mean it, it's glorious. I could eat it by the bucket full.
I am doing potatoes, veggies, and one of our new favorites...cranberry mousse. (Light, airy, fluffiness that is to die for!)

I am salivating just thinking of all the ways I get to stuff myself tomorrow. Does anyone have special recipes they are looking forward to?

Side note: Jeff told me this morning if I want to work off all the calories that I will ingest on Thanksgiving I would need to run for 20 miles, without stopping.

Ha!

Calories, shmalories. I am certainly not going to worry about it. Eating is what I do best, I would not want to disappoint anyone.

Starting Over

For the last six months I have been walking every morning. I get up at 5:00am and walk with my friend...we do about 3 miles. It was good to get out and get some kind of exercise but lately I have really been wanting to get back to the gym. I have missed doing a work out that really gets my heart rate going. Yesterday was my first day back. I probably should have started out with something a little bit less intense. I did a kickboxing class. OH MY! I cannot move this morning. Every muscle in my body is ON FIRE! I have to say though, it felt awesome to work hard, and push my body. So, hopefully by 9:00am I will have convinced myself that the pain is worth it and I am excited to be back at the gym!

Does anyone remember Tretorn shoes? They were WAY cool when I was in high school, and apparently they still are. I want a pair!
Check em' out!
http://store.tretorn.com/US/details.asp?catalog_name=tretorn&category_name=WomensFootwear&product_id=47111908&mainCategory=Women

BTW

I should have mentioned that the white substance in the pictures below is baking soda (for laundry) and that Kym and I were literally only five feet away from the girls...how did we miss this disaster in the works? Kym was alerted by weird swishing sounds (girls swimming in baking soda). Oh! And the pictures are a little blurry because there was a cloud of baking soda hanging in the air. Kym and I will probably be tasting baking soda for the next couple of days!

Goes With The Terriritory!

I've come to accept that Two Year Old's are mischievous. But, a couple of Two Year Old Cousins...TOGETHER.... are down right
DIRTY!

It's Been a Bit

Here are some long-over-due Halloween pictures. Dallin, Elizabeth, and Anna used costumes from previous years, and Audrey was a butterfly fairy-princess.

Merry Christmas

Oops....Wrong Holiday.

But seriously does this statement stress anyone else?

55 more days to go....

Yummy Baby

This might...quite possibly....be the cutest thing I have ever seen!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16178069

Fall News

I had to turn on the heat today. I had vowed to wait until after Thanksgiving to do this, but alas, 28 degrees outside makes for goose-bumpy kids, and icy toes so I had no choice but to bow to the energy gods. Putting aside the terrorizing thoughts of bigger electric bills, the chill in the air makes me very happy. I just love fall.

The kids had their fall break this past weekend so Jeff took off and we took the kids to Busch Gardens. (It was the last time we were going to be able to use our season passes that we got last year, and we won't be able to afford them this year.) It was a great weekend. During October the whole park becomes a Halloween dream land. Costumes, shows, decorations...it was fall-a-liscious! My absolute favorite part was being able to spend time with Jeff. I've missed him lately. With him working two jobs, we hardly see him any more. It was a lot of fun.

I cannot believe Halloween is just a little over a week away. I decided to be lazy this year with costumes. Whatever is in our costume box is what they will have to choose from. I cannot afford new ones for all five kids, and I do not have the energy to make them this year. What do ya do? What are your kids going to be?

So, it looks like we are going to have to put our other house on the market again. (the one my parents are renting) My mom has yet to find a job and I have a feeling they are going to have no choice but to move....so, we obviously cannot pay for two homes. It feels pretty hopeless at this point...I mean come on, who are we kidding, it is not going to sell. I am trying to stay positive...really I am. What is the worst thing that can happen? As much as I love fall, I wish I could just skip winter. Once Halloween is over I think I am going to get under a blanket and cuddle up until the spring. Humans should hibernate.

I'm No Expert

But....I found a few at this website.... allexperts.com

Very Cool, and Helpful.

Emily, Emily, Emily...The Explorer!

Emily is crawling and exploring and pulling herself up on everything in sight. She has even convinced herself that she can climb stairs...AND She isn't even eight months old yet!

Love At Home

Don't ya just love it when they actually get along?

Silver Lining

I think I have heard the saying "When it Rains it Pours" from at least ten different people over the last couple of days. I am kinda sick of hearing it...but, I suppose it is true. Why is it when one thing goes wrong in life it feels like EVERYTHING goes wrong? I do not want to bore you with all the stormy details but I have to say life has been less than sun-shiny around our home this week.

This unstable "weather" has resulted in Nicole Grump Fest-2008! I have not been a very nice person lately. Not to my husband or my kids. I woke up Monday morning VERY grumpy and as of this morning I am batting grumpy 100%....

But ya know what??? It's hard to stay grumpy when you are so blessed, and I am blessed, I know I am. So, starting right this minute I denounce grumpiness! Being grumpy is ridiculous, child like behavior and completely unaccetable! If I were my mommy, I would tell me: "Come-on, Nicole, snap out of it, being a crotchety-grumpy, old-mommy is not how you want to end the week. You need to turn that frown upside down!"

So true! I am officially throwing off the worry cloak and saying goodbye to the chip I have on my shoulder. Grumpiness takes too much effort, too much emotion. I am going to focus on happiness. Ahhhh....Relief. Can you feel it??? Happiness.

Circumstances may have brought in some dark clouds....but as for me and my house I am going to let the SUNSHINE in!



P.S. I am sorry Jeffy, for being a poop! Please forgive me!

Something New

I discovered this blog today...Today Is Fun. It has great posts and ideas on how to keep a kid happy. So creative!

Tips For Nuts

Cyndi sent me this blog link for Tip Nut some time ago and I LOVE IT! This newest entry has to be the tippiest tip by far, though. I am always, ALWAYS desperate for organizing ideas.

http://tipnut.com/projects-organize-home/

The first organizing idea is my favorite. You could make covers for the bins to match your decor in any bedroom, living room, laundry room, etc. And I know you can get those plastic bins at dollar stores. So...voila--tres cheap decorating and storage idea!

Cool Beans!

In the mix of my hectic day....a messy house...loads of dishes and laundry...a doctor's appointment, Emily's first ear infection, a surprise visit from a friend, and a trip to the park, I noticed a few really cool things.


The winter flower box I planted. The flowers on the left are closed until late morning, and when they open they are bright blue. Brilliantly cool!

The way the light was coming in through the "church" window on the landing of our stairs. Righteously cool.


The way Dallin set up his robot collection on his dresser. Technically cool.


The water sparkles on the wall made by the very nifty bedside pitcher that my friend Ethel gave me....the glass fits inside the top of the pitcher, like a lid. Refreshingly cool.

Entrepreneur????

Soooo.....with the economy woes, and what nots, the car business has been in the dumps. Which, unfortunately effects yours truly. So I've been racking my brain trying to come up with ideas of how I can help out my family so we don't end up in the poor house. (exaggeration not as big as I wish it was).

Here's one idea...have any of you talented blog readers had any experience with this....?

My sister Cyndi's friend Channon does Heritage Makers....evidently it is huge out west, but VERY new on the eastern front. In fact, she is the only active consultant in the Washington DC, Virginia, and Maryland area.
I have tried other "stay at home-mom" style businesses before, and have always been disappointed, and have actually sworn them off. However, this sounds like a lot of fun. I LOVE PICTURES...and I LOVE WRITING, and I LOVE PEOPLE....
Channon made a book for my niece Claire a few years ago, and I was very impressed with it, and it would be TONS of fun to do things like that.
So what do you think...am I crazy? Any of you westerners ever heard of it??? Do you like it???

p.s. don't worry if I join, I won't push any of you into any uncomfortable "will you have a show for me" moments....I'll set up a separate blog for that...tee hee!

Nursing Blues

Emily thinks she is done nursing. I always have this problem...I introduce solids and my milk producing mechanisms instantly think they are allowed to go on strike. Emily has been so grumpy and so hungry that I ended up giving her a bottle of formula and of course SHE LOVED IT! So....I think I may be done nursing too....which is unbelievably depressing...she is my last baby and I wanted to nurse forever. Sigh.

"I Did It Mommy!"

Little Girls and Shoes....nothing more fun.

Audrey is passing along her obsession with shoes!
Mickey Mouse Crocs...no less!

Haven't Mentioned My Fifth Kid in a While!

Emily is almost seven months!

Here is what she is up to:

• Rolling all over the place!
• Scooting on her tummy and almost crawling!
• Second tooth coming in!
• Sleeps 12 hours a night!
• Loves all her sister's and brother...to death...they make her so happy!
• Still, not the happiest baby...fuses more than any of my others, and does not like to be left a lone for one minute! (Not that I'm complaining...just an observation).
  

School Pics

Here are a few pictures from first day of school...not the greatest. Dallin had "issues" with smiling:) In retrospect...maybe I should not have taken pictures with them facing the sun...duhhh. Poor Anna could not stop squinting.

Maybe I Should Too!

So I started reading the two greatest blogs a while ago...CJane Enjoy it, and Nie Nie Dialogues. I think I discovered them by clicking on a link from a friend's blog...maybe you Natalie??? I've been hooked ever since.

"Nie" is an avid vegetarian, she always lists the best recipes. C Jane is her sister and I just love her blog...it's full of humor, spirit, and she always writes in a way that really inspires me to be a better mom/person. I thought I would share these posts from their blogs...I want to eat just like Nie....the food just looks so beautiful and yummy and soooo good for you. I could be a vegetarian...meat isn't "all that" And maybe....I just will:) Hah Hah...If only I could convince my husband!

I love how C Jane likens her sister's way of life to the word of wisdom... I know I'm supposed to eat that way...and have thought a million times over that I live every part of the word of wisdom...except, the parts about how I should be eating...hmmmm, I needed a wake up call!

http://nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/search/label/Food%20week

http://blog.cjanerun.com/2008/09/marrow.html


Side note: Sadly...a few weeks ago Nie Nie was in a serious plane crash with her husband...they are both in critical condition... Cjane talks about it in her post. I've been so inspired reading about their story and the way their family has dealth with such an enormous tradedy.

Tid Bits...

When Audrey wants a drink of milk or a drink of juice...she comes up to me and says in her two year old language...
"mo-mm-y....meelk or duce peez."

She means one or the other...milk or juice. But thinks they are both called "milkorjuice" because I used to give her the choice. Now they have one name. Not just milk. Not just juice. I always get it wrong...I pick the wrong one, and she gets mad at me, and yells..."NO, NO, MEELK OR DUCE" So I have to get the other one out...whichever one it happens to be that she wants.

Makes me laugh every time.

The Rogers Family Blog

I realized something today (especially after Jeff made a comment to the same effect yesterday)....My Rogers's Family blog has turned more into a "Nicole" blog. Sorry. I need to post more about my kids and the family...that's what this blog is for, not for my "wanna be cool blogger" ramblings. Maybe I should start another blog. Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Did I mention that I am addicted to blogging too??

Confessions of a Facebook Addict

It's interesting how you keep yourself occupied. When I had to stay off my foot totally for two weeks I became obsessed with two things...Twilight, and Facebook. What can I say...I was stuck in a chair all day long, and the olympics had not started yet. So...I read, and piddled on the computer. I finished reading all the Twilight books the first week, so that obsession has faded, but Facebook is another story. I am completely addictded.

It is so much fun to reconnect with old friends, and I love seeing what everyone is doing all the time. But I have had some bizaar side effects. I think my cyber world is creeping into the "real" world. So, here is my confession...

I've started thinking all my thoughts as "status updates." All day long I've caught myself doing it. I swear I'm loosing it! Here is my morning...in status update.

1."Nicole is positive Dallin's teacher thinks she is a crack head mom, after sending him to school on Monday. Oopps! He really wasn't supposed to go to school until Wednesday...some stupid "introduce kids to kindergarten thing."
2. "Nicole is wondering if it was a good idea to let Dallin do the dishes...there is water all over my kitchen."
3. "Nicole is feeling a little silly after realizing her neighbor saw her hopping around on one foot trying to dance with Audrey to a Gwen Steffani song."
4. "Nicole is wondering if all this dust is just a fact of life, and to stop worrying about it so much."
5. "Nicole is going to finish school shopping today, even though it is the 2nd day of school.

There are a lot more updates rolling around in my mind, but I'll spare you the gorey details.

So...what do you think...am I totally insane? Has anyone else started to think in "status updates?" Is facebook a secret cult that brain washes you???

Home Decor

I want my living room to look like my blog...I love the colors...and the patterns....I wonder if I can find decor that looks like this???

End of Summer Report

So, I thought I would report back to everyone since summer is almost over and let ya know how my first summer with five kids ended up turning out.

I had some hits and some misses. It definitely did not go as perfectly as I had imagined, but it was a huge improvement over summer's past..

Some of the big successes were the cameras...the kids loved this. I am planning on posting some of their cute pics. They loved the summer journals, although they did not keep up with them as much as they wanted, they still loved writing "summer goals" and were good about journaling on the big activities. We had fun making bags for them and t-shirts. The girls were able to make some cute jewelry and we made puppets. One of the big hits was when we made homemade watermelon and lemon Italian Ice....so yummy! Anna learned how to cook a whole bunch of stuff...mac and cheese, muffins, grilled cheese, eggs.
We did not get to go on as many outings as I had hoped, but we definitely hit the beach and library a couple of times. We got to visit family and go to quite a few amusement parks, which is always a hit!
There were a only a few things I wish I would have been better about. School work...we did a lot of hooked on phonics and reading but that's about it. We had lots of lazy days but who cares...it's summer "break" right? No TV was hard...they watched more, and played more video games than I had planned.
All, in all, I think they had a fun summer, and I am considering it a success. Although, the last month has been pretty much a wash since I broke my foot...oh well, I have many, many more summer vacations to perfect.

Back to Schooooool!

6 more days!

Just What I Needed

Lately, I have really been feeling the pressures of having five children. If any of you have ever wondered what's it like to be a mom of five this blog entry I read says it all....
http://segullah.org/small-epiphanies/having-a-large-family/

Never, Ever, EVER!

There are not that many things that I am scared of in this world, I think I am a pretty adventurous person. However, there are a few things that really freak me out. My biggies are flying, (my closest to a phobia), sharks, lightning, crossing bridges, and motorcycles. I know that the fear I feel for these things is completely irrational. I know the chances of getting struck by lightening are astronomical and being in a plane accident is like one in a gazillion. And that a bridge collapsing would like never happen. But, none the less, these things cause me great anxiety. I mean I literally work up a sweat every time we cross the bay bridge. What's weird is I would not have a problem at all bungee jumping off a bridge, or sky diving from a plane...I love adrenaline rushes.

My irrational fear of motor cycles is stemmed from an article I read one time, about how if you own a motor cycle, you are 99 percent likely to eventually be in an accident. Hello...that means if you own one, you are guaranteed to crash. This fear has never been that big of a deal...I've just always said there is no way we would ever own a motorcycle. Over the years, people have told me I am pretty silly for feeling this way, and I know when I have quoted the article statistics people have questioned my information. This summer though, I have to say my "irrational fear" of motorcycles has become very real. My Uncle David was in a very serious motorcycle accident this summer...his foot was almost completely severed. He's had to go through a ton of rehab, and was in the hospital for a month, thankfully he is doing really well, and his foot was able to be saved. Sadly, I found out this morning, that my mom's cousin Butch was not as fortunate as my uncle. He was killed in a motorcycle accident yesterday. I have not seen him in years, but I remember him from Christmas Eve's at my Aunt Peggy's house and I always thought he was so cool. I was very saddened to hear about this and feel so bad for his family.
I can't imagine loosing someone that way. So unexpectedly. Both of the accidents were caused by other careless drivers. I know that we all take risks every day that we don't even think about...driving, crossing the street, swimming in a pool, however I am more positive than ever that no one in my family will ever be allowed to own a motorcycle. You are so unprotected and at the mercy of drivers who just don't see you. My love goes to Butch's family.

Friends

My friend Bethany is coming to visit this weekend...whadda hoooooo! I'm so excited. I have not seen her in three years! Bethany has been my friend since we were 12! I remember going to her house the very first time and her getting mad at me for saying "I"m sorry" too much. Yes...for those of you who have experienced the agony of my apologetic ways, it was a bad habit even back then.

Bethany is one of those friends that you know will be apart of your life forever. My friend Heather is like that too. We've know each other since our very first year of girls camp and have never lost touch! Now that I think about it I've been able to make a few friends like that in every place I have ever lived. High school, college, when Jeff and I moved to Idaho. Amazingly, here in Salisbury (the "armpit of the east coast," as my brother-in-law likes to call it) I have been fortunate enough to acquire one or two "friends for life." I even share a few of Jeff's friends for lifers.

Friends for life are so different from those everyday, ordinary kinda friends. Ya know, those people that you really, really enjoy being around, and even hang out with quite a bit, but if they ever moved, you probably would not keep in much more contact than the occasional Christmas card. I'm not saying those kinda friends are not any less special, or not as "friendly" they just don't quite inhabit the same place in your heart as friends for life do.

I won't go into the specifics of what exactly a friend for life entails, I know you know and I'm sure you have had enough of the gushy forwarded "friend" e-mails to last a life time. But today, I was just thinking how much I love my friends and that even if we cannot talk every day I am thinking of you, and praying for you, and counting the minutes until I get to see you again!

In the mean time....

So it's been a while. I have had a tremendous amount of STUFF happening. July was our crazy birthday month. And I mean crrrrrazy. So many birthdays, so little time.
Anna turned ten which was super hard for me. I couldn't get it out of my head that she had gotten so big and so smart, and so helpful, and so sweet, and so caring, and so lovely, and so beautiful and so considerate, and so spiritual, and so insightful, and so empathetic and so tall, and so grown up, and so truly, absolutely amazing............without me realizing it. I should realize it, she's around 24/7, but man it hit me like a ton of bricks, that my little girl is not that far from being all grown up and I'm losing precious time. Before I know it she'll be 12 and then 14 and then graduating high school, it's just not fair.
As for the other July birthdays, I turned a whopping 33...woo hoo, no tah dah's there. And Audrey turned TWO!!!! That was a ton of fun. Two year olds are a blast, and I can tell that Audrey is gonna be one of our best two year olds by far. She is our little ray of sunshine and we are so glad we have her to wake up to everyday.

Other Fun July Stuff:

• Fourth of July trip to Ben and Cyndi's where we celebrated the fourth with cook outs and tent sale fire works. We also celebrated Lori Noelle and heard Ben give an awesome baby blessing.
• My niece Elise came to stay for a week which was so much fun...we LOVE her.
• Lot's of beach trips.
• Water Park in Ocean City. I was finally able to go on rides...I'm not pregnant for once...woo hoo.
• Busch Gardens trip. We love that place. It's so beautiful and me and Anna went on every roller coaster, she loved it. Dallin rode the Big Bad Wolf, what a big guy!

Over all, July was a pretty good month, except for the last couple of days, which I will explain, on a much more gruesome note.

Last week, as many of you may have already heard I broke my foot, in an all to Nicole-esque fashion (typical klutz that I am). I stepped on my dumb belt buckle as I was taking off my dumb pants and the dumb hook, latch thinggy, punctured my dumb foot and then went in so far the dumb thing broke my bone. Dumb huh?? It was pretty painful. The doctor said that the chances of something like that happening are like one in a million. He told me I would have been better off having a bullet go through my foot...nice. I am stuck on my glorious gluteus maximus for 2 weeks and then in this big black DUMB boot for another 4 weeks. It's been an adventure. I have had many wonderful people helping me out, whom I am eternally grateful for. We've had dinners galore...(chili twice, chicken four times,ugh), everyone is really helping with the kids, taking turns taking them and coming here to help and yesterday, my very lovely friend Nancy cleaned my WHOLE house, and I mean the whole thing. She cleaned all four bathrooms did six loads of laundry and mopped all my floors, I LOVE HER!

Summing up:
July was a great, super fun, perfectly summerish month!
August ended before it even begun, my stupid foot is putting a hold on any more fun. Hopefully my best friend Bethany's visit in 2 weeks will make it all better.