Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

On March 2nd, 1904 that Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Today we pay tribute to Dr. Seuss' 105th birthday.
While most commonly known for his children's books (he wrote over 60 of them), “Dr.” Seuss was both the editor-in-chief of the college newspaper and also drew more than 400 political cartoons in two years for a New York daily newspaper. It was as a college student at Dartmouth that he started signing his work “Seuss.” Once he graduated, he started signing his work as “Dr. Seuss” when submitting it to a humor magazine. After marrying, he continued to write humor and illustrate. When World War II started, he began his political cartooning. Eventually he designed and illustrated posters to support the war effort, and joined the U.S. Army where he was the leader of the animation department.
Still, it was his children's books that have helped beginning readers and have been enjoyed by families for several generations.

What's your favorite Dr. Seuss book???? That's a tough decision for me, since I like so many. The ones I remember reading most as a youth are: Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hatches and Egg, Horton Hears a Who, The Lorax and the Sneetches.
My kids love the books and would prob say: Grinch, The Horton books, and On Beyond Z.
If you are looking for some fun things for your kids to do there are plenty of craft ideas and coloring pages online. Here is what the kdis made....

Fat Tuesday

Just a little fun fact that I didn't know, but today is known also as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day dates back several centuries to when the English prepped for fasting during Lent. Strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent, so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products…hence the name Pancake Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday.
In celebration IHOP is giving free short stacks for anyone who comes in (the would like a donation for Children's Miricle Network) but I took the kids for pancakes for dinner since Tony wouldn't be home until late. They were really excited!!! It was yummy and a great option for dinner for me (since it has been harder for me to cook lately). The kids loved it and are already asking when we can go back again.

Breakfast from a book

Rylan often request my dad (who loves to make breakfast) to make him certain things for breakfast. The night before, Rylan will go up to his grandpa (Opa) and say something like this..."Opa, tomorrow I would like eggs for breakfast" or "Opa, I would like Chocolate German Bear porridge (Chocolate Oatmeal) for breakfast" Last night, Rylan asked for Green Eggs for breakfast. Probably from the Dr. Seuss book. Naturally, my dad jumped at the opportunity to make something special for the grand kids. So this is what we had for breakfast this morning. It was really funny, and the kids loved it. I wonder what they will think up next????

The best is yet to come!

On Sunday, I heard a talk that really got me thinking and inspired me. It was on Simplifying in our life and enjoying what we already have. One thing that really struck me and I have thought about several times since then it the quote "The best is yet to come!" It got me thinking because this life is so short and we think that there is so much to do and that things have to be perfect (at least that's how I am), and when things don't go how we plan then we get upset. Well in the eternal perspective....The best is yet to come. In my mind it makes so much sense. Just liked it, and it made me think about my mom and being able to be with her again. To be able to be with my kids and to have lots of things to look forward to here and now, and also later in the times to come! THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

29 Weeks

Today I am 29 weeks along in pregnancy. The past couple weeks have been a blur to say the least. Rylan and I both got the flu (throwing up) and then after we both got better, we both caught another bug. We have been coughing and achy and stuffy. So needless to say the days have run together. I am getting more and more excited about the new baby coming. I feel movements everyday and I love that!!!! I am starting to feel better and it makes me excited for what is to come. Rylan keeps asking when the baby will be here. I keep telling him that it's getting closer, but it will still take a while longer. He is excited. He says "the baby is going to bring us spring". I think that we are all ready for a little sunshine!!!! Alana loves to talk to my tummy. She gets down real close and says "hi baby, I goin' to be your big sister!" She has been mothering all of her stuffed animals and babies. She tucks them in and gives them kisses. I think that she will be a big helper. We still don't know names. I thought that we would be able to take the names that were on our list with Rylan and Alana, but I am not sure. Boy names are much harder than the girl names for us. I am open to suggestions......leave me a comment with a good boy and girl name. We have some ideas, but....I am always open to suggestions.
I plan on posting pregnancy pictures of me. It is amazing how much you grow in such a short time.

And the Winner is.......

Yea and the winner is number 9....which is Kimri!!!! YEAH for you! Thanks to all of you who played, and sorry for the delay on getting the results and prizes. (I blame the whole pregnancy thing mostly). Anyway, please contact me and I will get your address and send you your cool stuff!!!!! Just remember, now you get to have your own "Pay it Forward" contest, and pass the love on! Enjoy!

It's about TIME.

I know that most of you are thinking that it's about time I post something new. Thanks to my cute husband Tony for posting for me. It really comes down to TIME. It seems that I have less and less these days. When I do have a minute here or there (and I used to squeeze little things in like this)I am just so exhausted that I can barely function and take care of the day to day things that need doing. I will try and be better, but for now, here is what has been going on.
We made it through Christmas. The kids were as excited as ever. I did most of the shopping, cooking and cleaning (and this time it was for my dad and brother as well). It was a pretty good Christmas. Different, but good. This is the first year that we celebrated without mom, so like I said it was different, but everything went well. I had a sense of responsibility to do some of the things that she would normally do. I couldn't get to everything, but the most important things got done. The kids were totally buzzed the whole month and couldn't stop talking about Santa coming and why we celebrate Christmas. They could tell all about how Jesus was born in a manger and that Mary and Joseph were there with the animals. It was really fun. Rylan asked Santa for "Team Geo Trax Airport" and all Alana wanted was a pink Barbie car. Thank goodness Santa came through for us. :) Christmas Eve we spent here with the Herrmann family. We ate and opened one gift and Creighton and his new fiancee Kristen came over. They opened all of their gifts since they would be with her family in the morning and with Dad in the evening when we went to the Simister Family. The kids woke up and were excited to go down and see what Santa brought them. They confirmed that they had been really good! If seeing your kids Christmas Morning isn't magic, then I don't know what is. They were so darling and had a great time. Then we got ready and went to Simister's (Tony's parents) by this time Creighton and Kristen came back home to be with Dad (so he didn't have to be alone). We had fun and ate there opened gifts and let all the kids (cousins) play. They had a wonderful time. They day after Christmas I was SOOOOOOO sick. I spent the whole day throwing up (TMI, I know) and laying on the couch trying to entertain my children. Thank goodness they had some new toys to play with. I think that it was pregnancy related, because NOBODY else got sick. January seemed to be just as busy as December was (which I wasn't expecting. For New Year's we spent the evening with my cousin Shawn and his wife Christina and their kids. My dad came along too. We had pizza, snack and drinks and played games. The kids were angeles. They had lots of fun playing with those cousins. They even made it to midnight and watched the ball drop. It was fun and we went strait home to bed--the kids and I were exhausted!!!! It was a fun night. Like I said we have just been busy, busy. I have a new calling now. I am no longer in the primary which is a nice change since I have spent about the last 10 years there. I miss the kids though and just teaching every other week. My new calling is with the Relief Society. I am the secretary. It is a busy calling and I am learning a lot. I really enjoy the women that I work with and have had fun getting to know more people in the ward and what Relief Society is like (since I haven't been much). I am getting farther along in my pregnancy. It has been fun to have the gender be a surprise. We are getting excited to have another little one and wonder what the baby will be like (oh, and yes, we still DO NOT know the gender...in the post Tony wrote he referred to the baby as "HE". Pure speculation. Tony has guessed correctly with all of our kids.) I have been increasingly tired. Usually by this point I feel pretty good, but I think keeping up with the two little ones and living with my dad, husband and brother have increased the work load and I can almost always say I'm a little tired. I feel bigger this pregnancy too. (Have heard that it's normal for size to increase every pregnancy and since this is my third pregnancy, I'm going with that....I have had several people ask when the baby is due and when I say April, they ask if I am having twins--NOPE SORRY just one. So that is why I am going with that theory).
Tony and I have commited to ourselves that we are going to go to the temple monthly (which we have tried to do before), but this time we are doing something unique. We are going to visit every temple in Utah and do a Session. We decided to call it "The Utah Temple Tour 2009". It has been fun so far. I am also going with the Relief Society. It should be fun. I am excited and it was really neat to see what it is like inside the other temples.
Rylan is still enjoying school. He almost has his alphabet crown (which is know all the letters and all the sounds they make) he just has 2 letters left. I am working on those with him. His teachers say that he is very bright and cute (I have to agree).
Alana loves the time that she gets with mommy (that's me). We do all sorts of things. Sometimes we watch Dora which is her favorite show. She loves to read stories with me and make believe. She uses boxes, playes with her ponies (her water for the ponies has to be real though) and she LOVES her babies and animals. She is always asking me to lift up my shirt so that she can say "Hi" to the baby. She says: "Hi baby, I'm going to be your big sisser." It is really cute. She is the best little mommy to her babies and animals and wants to make sure that they are being tucked in at night with her.
Tony is still doing school and working full time. I am amazed at how much he can accomplish (He only has 2 more years left....that is a family joke, but I am starting to wonder...sorry honey) He should be getting close. We will have a big party when he finishes. He enjoys his job and was just released from his calling in the Elders Quorm. I think that it's so he can help me, but I'm sure they have something in mind for him.
We are getting the plans done so that we can start building our house. We are very excited and have waited a long time for this.
My brother Creighton is getting married in March. He is really excited and has chosen a darling girl. I really like being with Kristen. She is a good match for Creighton and we love hanging out with them. It will be fun to have her in the family officially!!!! Congrats you guys!
I suppose that is most everything summed up. If you made it this far in my random ramblings, I am impressed. Sorry for keeping everyone in the dark as to what has been going on. I have just been tired and have had so much going on. Like I said it's all about TIME, and I have to choose what I do with what I am given!!! I am very blessed to have all the wonderful things in my life that I do!

99 Days to go

Tony's Thoughts-
I decided to chat into the blog seeing as how my wife definitely has other things on her mind right now. We are getting very excited about how close the baby is. I looked over at the counter on the right and it looks like we are now in double digits. This is so weird to think that there is a little one hiding just under my wife's belly. Last night when we were sitting in the family room watching 24 (I love my DVR) I had my elbow resting on my wife's stomach. All of the sudden, I started feeling someone try to push on my elbow. It was like he was saying, you are bothering me, move your elbow. How can someone so little, already be pushing me around, just like my other two kids. It's amazing how when you feel something like that, how much more real it becomes. I already talk with my wife about my 3 kids rather than 2. It is really interesting some of the concerns that we have now that we think about 3 kids. Who gets to go to the back row of the van? I would say the oldest, but my wife has a good point. Rylan needs to be right by the door, so the preschool can unload him. So that puts my daughter in the back row. Of course that means the second child gets relegated to the back seat :| The second children are always picked on. We are designing a house right now, and do we choose 3 smaller rooms, or two big rooms and let a couple of them share? Lots of questions with no apparent answers. Sorry, I am rambling. I am so excited for the little one come to join our family. I can't wait. It is a huge responsiblity. When I think about my kids, I feel such a desire to do what is best for them, and a weight with the concern that I am making mistakes. I love my kids so much, and I want the best for them. That is my driver. That is what makes me move, and work and study, is to give the best to them.

Pay it Forward

I just love contests (I don't really know why, because I rarely win!) This time, however, I just happened to be the lucky winner! Woo-hoo!!!!!! A while back my Uncle Rob won a pay it forward from his daughter's blog and then I won his pay it forward contest!!!!! YEAH!!! So now I am going to "Pay it forward." So what does this mean for you????? I will continue on the contest and have my very own pay it forward contest! You have until Saturday, January 3rd to leave me a comment, and I will randomly pick a winner and send you your own package. Then, when you get the package I send you, you have to have your own contest and pass along the love. Hence the pay it forward concept. So comment away! If you can't think of anything to comment on, I would love to know what Holiday traditions you and your family has. Good Luck everyone!!!

p.s. Thanks uncle Rob, I did get the email and I am already deciding what to get with my Food Network Gift Certificate!

Count Down to Christmas

I am taking the challenge of writing 30 posts in 30 days. (Thanks Catherine for the idea). I am doing this because I need to be better about writing things down. After all this is supposed to be my family journal.
Yesterday, the kids and I made advent countdown chain calenders. The kids had a lot of fun. First I had them color a Christmas Picture. Then we made a chain out of red and green strips of paper connecting them together. Rylan finished his, but was quickly off to something else after and I had to finish Alana's. However they have been excited about ripping of one link of the chain off every night before bed. They quickly take it off, admire the rest of the links and say "that's how many days until Christmas" and then rush the one taken off to the trash can. It is very cute.
In the morning they get to eat a chocolate from their other advent calender (thanks Nana for buying them). They have been a fun tradition and both advents give the kids something to look forward to. One in the morning and one in the evening. They get so excited about it. That is what I love about it, children make the magic of Christmas possible. So we are officially counting down. 23 days to go!