Flashback Friday!

I thought I would start this up again. Its always fun to look back and remember a specific time or relive a trip or a certain memory.














Helping get my mom's flower beds ready for planting.
















HARD WORK: Now in these pictures I don't remember specifically doing this but I'm sure it was some Saturday and some things needed to be done out in the yard. So dad probably recruited us to help out! I can't believe I'm carrying that much dirt all by myself.....that must have been heavy!

One thing I remember growing up was WORKING HARD! My dad taught me that and obviously at a young age. Our motto usually went like this....."We work hard first and then we play later." If work needed to be done we always did that first before we could sit and play or watch T.V. and it was usually Saturdays! I'm sure we moaned and murmured quite a bit but we always got to play later! I always remember helping plant and weed our garden. Going to the welfare farms and pulling weeds. Putting in our split rail fence and planting trees. It wasn't always fun or easy but it was all worth it in the end. When we were young it was usually a slush or ice cream to reward us for our efforts and as I got older it was the pure satisfaction of making something look better or accomplishing something that was long and tiring and you thought it would never end. All the body aches and beening so tired by the end of the day but it was all worth it.....just like anything in life I guess. You have to put in the effort and really commit and work hard.

"Work is the price of success, and it is essential in the building of character. Work protects us from the consequences of idleness, and it is the standard of excellence in every field. From the farmers of yesterday to the superstar athletes of today, the work ethic is the difference between the success and failure. Great people and super performers understand the value of working hard and working smart."

Thank you dad for teaching me at a young age to work hard. It has certainly carried over into everything that I do. I hope that I can teach my own children the importance of hard work!

"I learned the value of hard work by working hard!" ~Margaret M. Fitzpatrick

President's Day

Since it was Presidents Day I thought it would be appropriate to honor our 1st President George Washington. Here are some interesting facts about George:

♦ At 6 feet 2 inches and 200 pounds, President George Washington is one of the larger U.S Presidents in history.

♦ Some of his favorite foods were cream of peanut soup, mashed sweet potatoes with coconut, and string beans with mushrooms. Because of his love for ice cream, Washington had ice cream coolers installed in his house.

♦ He didn't have any children of his own but treated his 10 hounds like family. He gave them names such as Tarter, True Love, and Sweet Lips.

♦ By the time he was 57, he had only one original tooth remaining. He wore false ivory teeth until his death at age 67.

Popular quotes by George Washington:

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

"Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."

"Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to alone than in bad company."

♥♥♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥♥♥

Layne and I spent Saturday celebrating Valentine's Day just so we could avoid the crowds. We had my wonderful sister babysit the kids while we went out to get lunch. Then I got to go pick out my own Valentine flower bouquet this year. I got some very beautiful roses! It was a great weekend spending time together.
All weekend Julia kept telling me we are going to have a 'holiday' and was so excited about celebrating Valentine's Day on Monday. Well, Valentine's Day came and the "Valentine Fairy" stopped by our house and decorated with paper hearts and candy. Julia kept asking what all the hearts said and I would have to read them all to her. Grandma Mott and Aunt Amy stopped by to bring us some more Valentine's. We had a nice visit and ventured out to the store to get a few things. We came home and Julia was running a temp and had a cough. Her fever really peaked at the end of the night so we had to take her to Urgent Care and come to find out she has strep. So not such a hot Valentine's Day for Julia but she loved all the decorations and ♥LOVE♥ she received!















I ♥♥♥ MY FAMILY!!!
♥ Layne: A very handsome guy and such a great Daddy!! LOVE you Tons!!





















♥Julia: Such a sweet girl and a great 'big sister'! Love that cute smile and LOVE you Tons big girl!

♥Christian: To my 'little bubbas', you are such a cutie! Love your chubby cheeks and LOVE you tons!

♥♥♥HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY!! ♥♥♥

XOXOX

We often see the acronym XOXO at the end of a written letter, e-mail, or text message as a quick way to express love. Generally the "X" represents a kiss and the "O" represents a hug, but how did these letters come to mean these things?

The origin of the X comes from a Medieval tradition which allowed those who could not write to sign a document with an X. The signer would then place a kiss on the X as a seal of honesty or truth. Some also believe that the X stands as a symbol of the cross of Christ. The origin of the O is generally unknown, but it is thought to represent the shape of a person's arms as they embrace another person.

However, there is also much debate over which letter stands for which action. Some people believe that the X represents the way that the arms cross in a hug and the O represents the shape of a mouth for a kiss.

Whichever meaning you choose for the XOXO symbol, the message is still the same, and it's as powerful as ever.

Facts about Chocolate

With the celebration of Valentine's Day today I came across some fun facts about chocolate. Something we all enjoy.........

♥ 40% of the world's almonds are used in making chocolate

♥ 11.7 pounds of chocolate is what the average American consumes each year

♥ 80 million Hershey Kisses are produced per day

♥ 9,702 pounds in the world's largest chocolate bar

♥ 8 years of experimentation it took to invent milk chocolate

A Day Out!

We ventured out today to get out of the house since we were home feeling cruddy all weekend. Everyone in my family had the day off so we headed up to the mall of all places to get the kids out. We had been planning this little trip and telling the kids about it all weekend so they were really excited. We had lunch and we told the kids before you can go on the rides you have to eat your lunch. They did pretty good but hurried through the meal so they could get on the merry-go-round. All the kids handed the attendant their tokens and picked out which animal they wanted to ride. Of course when it was done they wanted to stay on and ride again but we told them we have to go downstairs to get on the train.

We had to purchase tickets for the train and then Julia picked out the blue car for everybody to ride in. All the kids kept saying, "choo-choo" as we went around the whole bottom level of the mall. The train even had a whistle and real steam coming out the front. The kids loved it.

After the train ride we tossed a coin in the fountain for a wish. I caught Julia mid throw while tossing her coin. And we finished the day by getting some ice cream. It was a few hours out of the house and we had a great time.

Christian 2 months old

Hard to believe 2 months have gone by already. Christian had a great doctor visit. He weighed in at 10 lbs and 14 oz...so almost 11 pounds already. And he measured in at 22 1/2 inches long. So he is doing great growth wise. He didn't like his shots he received but who would. He has been pretty mellow all day after receiving them. Lets hope they don't bother him to much.

We have had to stop nursing because of some medications I have been on but he doesn't have a problem eating the formula. He has a great appetite and still loves to eat. He has started to coo a little more and its so cute. I call them his 'happy noises.' He loves to hold his head up and look around. He is still really attracted to the bright lights. He started to smile. Its one of the best things to have him smile at me...always brightens up my day! He is also a mover, just like Julia. He is always kicking and moving his legs. When going to sleep we still swaddle him pretty tight but he always manages to get one or both of his little hands out. We have found the best way for him to sleep is propped up a little bit. He usually falls asleep best on the couch with pillows around him. Christian's sleeping has certainly been better. The other night we put him down with a full belly about 11 pm and he slept until 7 am and that happened 2 nights in a row....Layne and I really needed a full nights sleep. But it didn't last he was back to his schedule usually going to bed around 11pm and waking up between 3-4am and then back up by about 7 am so he certainly does go longer in between feedings and that makes me happy. He has been such a good baby and I'm so glad I have a little boy in the family now. They are so much fun and I can't wait to see how similar and different he will be from Julia

Likes:

Eating

Smiling

Hearing mommy, daddy and Julia's voice

Holding up his head

Kicking his legs

Dislikes:

The Binky

Loud noises

Being swaddled to tight

Laying flat on his back for to long

Precious Little Ones

"The smile that flickers on a baby's lips when he sleeps-does anyone know where it was borne? Yes, there is a rumor that a young pale beam of a cresent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the first smile was born." ~Rabindranath Tagore

This was me as a baby.....oh to sleep this peacefully again?!

Julia at a month old.

Christian at a month old.

Wisdom Wednesday

I have a problem and it affects the way I live my life. Its affected me for a long time but I guess its just become my norm for living. But I don't want it to be the norm anymore.....I need to feel normal. I admit I have a problem and I guess that is the first step. I deal with Anxiety, as I know so many people do, but my levels of anxiety lately consume my life. My mind just races, constantly thinking of the next thing I have to do. And its not that any one thing has caused this to come to my attention but certain things do add to my anxiety. I feel like I am on edge all the time and its very hard to sit and relax even when I have done everything possible to make my life free of stress and chaos. Even though I will tell myself I don't need to get this all done today or just go with the flow, my OCD and Anxiety won't let me. So, I was in the bathroom the other day, cleaning up, and the thought came to me.....THIS IS NOT NORMAL! I finally voiced my concern to members of my family and they have noticed my behavior as well and for some period of time. I am seeking help and I know things will get better. I need them to be better. I don't want to live my life like this anymore. Its hard to deal with and admit you have issues. Its hard to have to be on medication to help the problem but I can't fix it on my own.

So I wanted to post this more so for me, to vocalize it, to make myself more aware of it so I can fix it. I have been trying to stay positive and tell myself it will get better.

"Look to the POSITIVE. Know that He is watching over you, that He hears your prayers and will answer them, that He loves you and will make that love manifest. Let the Holy Spirit guide you in all that you do as you look to become the kind of women of whom you dream. YOU CAN DO IT!" ~ President Gordon B. Hinckley