Day 59-Some More House Pics

I couldn't resist going down to the house we're moving into and taking some more pictures before the remodel begins. Painting's going to start on Monday! I am still in awe at the outrageous paint colors that are currently in the house.

Day 58-Tate's Kindergarten Shots

Tate got 3 immunization shots today-Polio, Measles, and Tentanus. He did a very good job. I prepared him for it by telling him that it will hurt but it will hurt less if he doesn't move. I'm the kind of Mom that likes to tell him exactly how it is when it comes to Doctor's visits... Tate got 3 stickers and a lollipop for being a very good boy!

Day 57-Inspiration Notebook and a Surprise

My sister Christina and I made some cute notebooks today. We covered them with paper adhering it with Mod-Podge (of course), and added some accessories. The front cover of mine also has a pocket in it-although that doesn't show from the pic. They were fun to make and I like the way they turned out. I'm going to use mine as an inspiration book. When I see something that I really like in a magazine (as far as decorating is concerned) then I'll clip it and paste it in my book for future reference. Then someday when we build our dream house, I'll already have somewhat of an idea what I want.

Speaking of houses... We are moving! Bryan's Aunt just closed today on a bank owned house in Mesa-and we are going to rent from her. The house needs quite a bit of fix up. She is planning on having the remodeling begin ASAP, and we will be moving soon after! I'm so excited to be in a house again!! Plus, it's right next door to Bryan's Grandma so that is very exciting for us. I snapped a couple quick pictures of the house, and Tate insisted on being in them both...

Don't you just LOVE the bright green and crazy purple paint that's in the living room and dining room? Ha/Ha. That's gotta go!

Day 56-Downtown Main Street

I LOVE my life as a SAHM, but sometimes it seems to get a little mundane or monotonous, so to spice it up a bit... Tate and I decided to walk downtown Main St. today. It was so fun seeing the cute little shops & taking pics in front of the statues. Everyone was happy and friendly, it honestly reminded me of walking Main Street at Disneyland-kinda. I don't know-maybe I'm just a pathetic old mom who really needed to get out of the house :)

Day 55-Lily's Stitches

This is my niece-LILY. She had an accident on the playground at school today. Supposedly she wasn't watching where she was going as she was playing and she ran into a basketball pole. She had a 1 1/2 inch gash in the front part of her head and had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital where she received stitches. Poor girl!

Tate and I got to play with my niece Emma and nephews Peter and Benji much of the day. We had lots of fun. Lily's doing much better tonight. The only complaint I heard from her is not being able to play and just having to sit.

Days 53 & 54-Beginnings of our 3 month Supply of Food

Remember my post last week on feeling the need to acquire a 3 month supply of food? Remember the free program that I found online that helped calculate how much food to actually buy? Well, as I was sitting at the computer trying to input my recipes and the ingredients in each one... I was having some difficulties figuring it out. The program seemed to not be as EXACT as I wanted it. So, my dear husband Bryan helped me out. He took a look at the program, and decided that he would build a new spreadsheet based on our specific recipes. For our date night, we planned and chose some of our favorite meals that we wanted to include in our storage. We then broke all of the ingredients down into cups and using his program were able to determine how much of everything we would need in our 3 month supply.

I spent the morning today taking inventory of what we already had and deciding what we would still need. I was truly AMAZED at how little we actually already had. Out of the "69 things we would need in our storage" we only had an adequate supply of 20 of the items. So after determining what I needed, I headed off to the store to get a few things.
Here is a picture of the stuff I purchased today. It took two whole carts. I figure that this is only a third or so of the items I still need to buy. But, this is a start. I plan on acquiring the rest as we can.

Day 52-Autumn's Sealing Day

Today was AWESOME! Today was a very EMOTIONAL DAY! Today was a day of MIRACLES! Today... We were able to witness the baby blessing & sealing of Autumn to her parents (our dear friends) John & Faith.

Approximately 6 years ago, we moved into a new house. We decided to bring cookies to some neighbors in an effort to get to know them. We knocked on the door, not knowing what to expect... The moment we met John and Faith, we loved them! They were fun, friendly, caring people and we just seemed to connect with them easily. We began hanging out frequently. Neither of us had any children-YET, and we had fun going on double dates sometimes lasting until very late at night. GOOD MEMORIES!!!

Faith was already a member of our same church. Bryan asked John if he was interested in hearing more about the church and listening to the missionary discussions. John told us that he had heard them before a few times and that he was open to hearing them again. So, we invited the Sister Missionaries in our ward over to their house to teach them. John was like a sponge! He soaked it all in (literally) and was eventually baptized! We attended the baptism and were blessed to feel of the sweet spirit there.

A year later, John and Faith were married in the Mesa Temple for Time and All Eternity! We were able to be there and witness this great blessing in their lives. They were SOOOOOOOOO happy and it gave us great joy as well.

This past August, they were blessed with a beautiful daughter. It's been so fun watching them. They are the cutest parents and they love Autumn so much! The final adoption recently took place, and today we were blessed (ONCE AGAIN) to feel true happiness as we attended the sealing of Baby Autumn to her parents.

Day 51 (Boys+Scissors=Messy Fun)

Tate rediscovered the joy of cutting today! He started very early in the morning. How early? I don't know. There is rarely a day that I wake up before him! He came running into our bedroom carrying many many many little pictures and began taping them all over the walls. As he taped he told me all about the pictures, "This one is to remind you to play with me, and this one is funny because it looks exactly like Aunt Stacy, and this one is very scary..." When Tate gets going he doesn't stop talking. He definitely knows how to wake Mom up. Oh well. When he came home from Preschool he went straight to the bedroom and began cutting again. I went into his bedroom and this is what I found... Messy, Messy, Messy!!! Boys and their messes-gotta love it!

Oh wait, just as I'm finishing up this post... Tate grabs my hand and brings me into his bedroom. SURPRISE! ITS' ALL CLEAN!! Tate is great!!!

Day 50-Magnetic $ Reward System

Can you believe we are already 50 DAYS into the year 2009? I can't!

For my picture of the day, I decided to share the reward system we have been using for a couple of weeks. It seems to work great for us and its been easy to keep up with. I've posted before about Tate's magnetic chore chart that we use... He has one for the morning and one for the evening. It has basic chores on it like Brush Teeth, Bath/Dressed, Make Bed, etc. The last one says "Chores with Mom". For this one I give him random chores that need to be done that day (Example: folding laundry or matching socks, emptying the dishwasher or vacuuming).

For each chore that he completes, he can earn a predetermined amount of magnetic money. For example Brush Teeth=$.25, Bath/Dressed=$.50, Make Bed=$.25. For the "Chores with Mom" category, there is no limit on the amount of chores he can do, and they all are worth $.50.

Once he has completed his mandatory chores for the day, he can then "BUY" (using his magnetic money that he earned) fun things to do. Some of his favorites are to buy time on the wii, watch a movie, and go for an outing. (Example: it costs him $.50 to play the wii for 15 minutes, or $2.00 to watch a movie, etc).

It sounds complex, but it really is simple.

How to Automatically Update your Facebook everytime you Blog

Okay everyone!!! I finally found out how to do the coolest thing ever... If you blog and use Facebook you will want to check this out. Click HERE for a tutorial. It's easy!

Planning your 3 Month Food Storage

I've been sorta concerned lately about our situation when it comes to having a 3 month supply of foods we regularly eat. I mean, I have a long term supply of basic foods, and I use them regularly. But, I know that I'm lacking several everyday items... Some Family Members have inspired me to work on this... So, in my search to make it easy, I found THIS awesome website in regards to FOOD STORAGE. They have set up an excel spreadsheet which will help in calculating how much food you actually need to buy. I also recommend checking out THIS video about how to use the spreadsheet. I am totally excited about it, and I'm going to do it for sure because I know that "IF YOU ARE PREPARED YOU SHALL NOT FEAR". And I've been feeling a little fearful lately...

Day 49-What's In My Purse

I cleaned out my purse today and this is what I found...

• Blackberry
• I-Pod
• Wallet/Checkbook
• Keys
• Receipts
• Lots of Pens
• Gum/Candy
• Medicine/Eye Drops/Lipstick
• Rubber Bands/Jewelry
• Hand Sanitizer/Glasses Cleaner
• Paper Clip/Safety Pin
• Misc Paper/Scott's Funeral Program/CD/ Valentine from Niece
• Other Junk (not shown)

Day 48-Camping in the Rain

Last night was FUN (I MEAN REALLY REALLY REALLY FUN)! We decided to do a last minute no plan overnight campout. We didn't think to check the forecast and we just drove to our camping destination (Peralta Trails where else?) We set up a tent, had FHE around the campfire, counted the stars, roasted marshmallows, and then went to sleep. During the night it started down pouring. It rained ALL NIGHT LONG!!! I know a lot of people would have left or been all bummed about a wet trip, but I happen to have a huge LOVE for rain (just not leaky roofs). Anyways, it was totally romantic and awesome hearing the rain all around us and being completely warm and cozy, bundled up in sleeping bags and a million blankets in the tent. Oh, it was the most fun time, definitely something I wish to never forget!

Tic Tac Toe-Three in a Row

3 BABIES IN 3 WEEKS THAT IS! September is going to be a BUSY month for my family. My sister Christina is expecting her 1st, SIL Andrea is having her 4th, And SIL Carrie is having her 5th. I've completely set this month aside for helping out where needed. I'm TOTALLY excited though!!!

Day 47-Tate's Play Drivers License

I've been wanting to make a play "DRIVERS LICENSE" for Tate since last year when we went to Disney Land. After the Autopia Ride, they have a little booth to make a drivers license. I wanted Tate to do it, but since it cost a lot of money, Bryan gave me the idea to make it myself. So, I finally got around to doing it today... I designed it on Photoshop, printed it on cardstock, and then laminated it to make it more sturdy.

Tate just loves it so much! He likes that it looks real. I know that we will get lots of use out of it.

Day 46-Making Orange Juice

Bryan's Mom gave us this really big bag of oranges. I put Tate to work juicing them. He had fun and the orange juice tasted amazing.

Day 45-Valentine's Day

I LOVE MY VALENTINE!!! XOXOXO

Bryan you are the best!

Day 44-Fancy Nancy Preschool Party

( Tate was kinda surprised to see me at his Preschool all dressed up in my FANCIEST attire)

(Ms. Nancy reading the kids a "Fancy Nancy" book at the party)

Today was Tate's Preschool Valentine Party. The theme was "Fancy Nancy". All the kids & parents were instructed to dress up in something fancy. It was sooooooooo much fun. Tate was absolutely thrilled to get so many Valentines from his friends... As we were leaving, Tate looked into his Valentine Bag and said, "OO-LA-LA!"

Happy Valentines From: Tate

Tate wanted to type something on my blog... He sounded it out "mostly" by himself. It's easier for him to type than to write the letters.

iiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllovyoo

Day 43-Lack of Sleep

Bryan randomly snapped this (rather scary) picture of me, and I just had to use it as my picture of the day because it shows exactly how I felt today. This is what happens when I go to bed after midnight and wake up before 5AM. I am a girl who MUST get her sleep or else I can't function properly...

This morning was my cousin Scott Winston's funeral. He passed away last week:( This afternoon I got my hair done. It's just a little darker. Okay, it's a lot darker but I like it.

Day 42-Valentine Preparations

My house may be a great big mess, but our Valentines are officially DONE! YEAH!!! I'm happy with the way they turned out... For Tate's class valentines, we kept it simple. Tate colored a heart picture and signed his name at the bottom. Then, I scanned the picture onto the computer and we re sized the picture (approximately 3x4 inches) and printed them onto card stock. We punched holes in the top and attached a Lollipop. They turned CUTE!

We're going to give the water bottle & punch mixes to Teachers (Church and Pre-School), Cousins, and other Family Members.

Day 41-Eight Year Anniversary (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

Last night started really good. Bryan's Mom offered to keep Tate overnight and for our Anniversary day so that we could have some time together! Bryan took Tate over there and got him situated and came back home for our DATE, that's when everything went WRONG!!! First off, my computer got a virus! I was so completely bummed about it... I went to go lay down and try not to think about it, but soon realized that our bed had gotten rained on and was soaking wet. I decided to do the next most relaxing thing which is to take a bath. But, something was wrong with our water heater because I could only get about 2 inches of warm water. I was totally frustrated when we ended up having to sleep in SEPARATE beds. I was pretty upset to say the least. Then this morning I woke up and was doing a load of laundry when I realized that there was a pen in the dryer and the majority of Tate's clothes+2 of Bryan's jeans+2 of my Pajama Bottoms had ink splotches all over them. At this point I just sat on the couch BAWLING and feeling sorry for myself. Bryan on the other hand found the entire situation humor full and was sitting on the couch LAUGHING about it.

Then, it occurred to me... I HAD THE CHOICE TO HAVE A GOOD DAY OR A BAD DAY! Yes, lots of bad things were happening to me, but it was what I made of it that was the important thing. So, I changed my attitude and decided that I wanted to have a GOOD DAY, after all Bryan had taken the whole day off and we were going to spend it together. I figured it wouldn't be much fun if I was sulking the whole time or worrying about everything that needed to be fixed. So, I decided to PUT IT OFF TILL TOMORROW! I mean really, why not party on our anniversary? We ended up going to the Temple to do Sealings. Let me tell you, it is an amazing thing to do Sealings on your Anniversary-I LOVED IT! Then, we went out to Lunch at Serrano's and went to see a movie. It was a fun filled day! We had a great time together and I'm so glad that I chose to make it fun! BTW, since it's our anniversary I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I'm so grateful to be married to Bryan. He's the best man ever-SERIOUSLY! I love him so much!!!

Day 40-Kite Flying

We have had a LOVELY (chilly and windy) day here in AZ. This afternoon was perfect for kite flying! Tate and I bundled up warm and headed over to the park and attempted to get our cute Mickey Mouse kit to fly. It took a little while... First the tale of the kit came off, then the string came off, so I attached them both back on. I'm pretty sure our kite is forever damaged though seeing as it wouldn't stay in the air for more than a minute at a time (It kept doing a nose-dive). Oh, well, we had fun trying so that's all that matters right?

Day 39-Ceiling Leak

For today's picture I wanted to share something that we've been dealing with for a while. (I don't like sharing NEGATIVE things, but this one has got to be documented like it or not). We've had this CRAZY roof leak since last September. Every time it rains, the water comes down through the fan in our bedroom and drip drip drips on our toes at night. Bryan & I have gotten pretty used to the whole thing. When it rains... We put the bowl on the bed to catch the rain water, Bryan sleeps on the bottom bunk in Tate's room and I take the couch. We've called our Apartment Maintenance like 4 or 5 times now and although they've called it an emergency-they haven't done a thing to fix it. It's actually been a bit frustrating!

Day 38-Bee Sting

Tate got his first BEE STING tonight! I just so happened to be holding the camera the very moment it happened, so I couldn't help but snap a quick pic. I felt so bad for Tate (Just look at his face). He cried for probably 5 minutes straight-poor kid!

Day 37-Days of the Week Hangers

One of my biggest PET PEEVES is when Tate wears clothes that don't match. And it seems like whenever I let him pick out his own clothes he ALWAYS chooses something that clashes terribly. So, to make us BOTH HAPPY I made these little Days of the Week closet hangers. I figure that once a week we can choose his clothes together for the next week (maybe him choose a shirt and me the pants or the other way around). This way he will feel more independent and I will feel less frustrated. We'll see how it goes...

These closet hangers took me less than 10 minutes to make. They are made out of foam sheets that I already had. I got the idea HERE.

Day 36-Homemade Bread

I made bread for BRYAN today... He's been begging me to make it for a while. Poor guy he's gone without Homemade Bread for over a month now... No seriously, I have something against buying store bread. First off it's really not that good and second off it's totally expensive. Homemade bread is the best, especially when it's warm and fresh out of the oven. We love to eat it with butter and honey. YUM! It's also very inexpensive to make and a good way to actually use all those wheat kernels in our food storage.

Day 35-Growth Chart

This is Tate's Growth Chart. It's fun seeing a visual representation of how much he's grown. As of today he is 3 feet 6 1/2 inches tall!

(See the Raggedy Ann doll on the top of the bookshelf? Raggedy Andy is sitting next to her as well. We had an Adopted Grandma when I was little named Daisy Beans. She handmade these beautiful dolls for me, stuffed them with rags and everything-they are seriously one of my greatest treasures).

Day 34-Hanging out with Family

With my little brother Thomas leaving on his mission so soon, I've been trying to spend as much time as possible with him. Today, I got to hang out with him and my sister Christina. We basically just played around... I took some goofy pictures of him, Thomas played the piano and drew some amazing pictures, we made lunch together, and we all watched "Joe vs. the Volcano". Now that is one HILARIOUS movie. I'm going to miss Thomas so much. He's an awesome brother and a great friend.

Day 33-Ground Hog Cupcakes

Today was Ground Hogs Day! To celebrate we ate all three meals on the Ground. It was a ton of fun and something that I want to do every year. We also made these cute little cupcakes and Tate delivered them to a few friends.

Valentine Idea

I found this adorable Valentines Gift Idea HERE. It is so cute, I think that I'm going to do something similar for Tate to give away this year.

Day 32-Miracle Blessings

Today was a sick day for us. Tate woke up early this morning with a fever of 103.4. He climbed into our bed and was able to sleep for a while longer. When he woke up I asked him if he wanted pancakes, he replied, "No I want a Priesthood Blessing". So Bryan called up the Elders Quorum President in our ward and he came over and helped with the blessing. The combination of the blessing, Tylenol, and a Popsicle seemed to make Tate well. Tate & I stayed home from Church just to play it safe.

About 12 Noon (while Bryan was gone at Church) I came down with a TERRIBLE MIGRAINE. It seemed to get progressively worse throughout the day and was causing terrible Nausea as well. Then it occurred to me that I should ask for a blessing. My brother Jonathan came over to help Bryan with it. I am still in awe at the miracle of what happened. When Jonathan came to our house, I was in bed. Bryan had to help me walk into the Family Room because my head was totally spinning and I couldn't even walk straight my head was killing me so bad. I've heard stories about people getting healed instantly by blessings but I've never actually had it happen to me until tonight. The moment Jonathan laid his hands on my head to annoint my head my headache completely disappeared. I can't even describe the awesomeness of it! I went from having the absolute worst headache of my entire life to no headache at all instantaneously. I am so grateful for the blessing of the Priesthood!