"DON'T SQUEEZE MY BAY-BUH"

My baby is three! She had so much fun with her friends and Nana and D at Pump It Up for her birthday party. She insisted on a Zoe Ballerina party, which is not-so-popular and discontinued, so I had to spend a lot of time on Ebay getting the party goods! It was all worth it though and turned out so fun for her.

Mikayla is still my little firecracker. She is most recently quoted as saying to everyone she meets, "What is your name?" followed by, "Why are you here?" She also likes to say (with her little southern accent) "Don't squeeze my Bay-buh." Apparently a mom said this to Mikayla when she was getting too close to her five-week-old baby. Now Mikayla says it at any given time during the day. She asks people we meet if they are a boy or girl and then tells women with really short hair that they don't have any hair and must be a boy. Luckily, she's still a little hard to understand, and I'm not sure they know exactly what she's saying, but it's a little embarrassing. I never know what to expect from her...she's a handfull, but I love every minute with her (well, at least the minutes she's asleep).

Happy Birthday Mikayla Mae!

D and Nana

Lake Lanier There are not words to describe how much I love Little D. When she was only 8, I left the house for college and really didn't see her very much and then got married. HOWEVER, fate, God or answered prayers changed things and I ended up her 8th grade English teacher at FJH and we found a friendship and bond that could not be stronger. We understand each other like only sisters can. We laugh and cry and have so many differences but so many similarities too. Most of all we love each other and I can't even tell you how much I miss her. My girls adore her. Amelia and D have a bond that miles can't break.
The Georgia Aquarium

We did so many fun things: Amicalola Falls (and hiked forever), the Georgia Aquarium, birthday parties (including Mikayla's...more to come on that), hanging with the neighbors, golf car rides and walks around the neighborhood, the lake, Lollipop toystore, but most of all we hung out and TALKED and played and just had fun being together.

Amicalola Falls


My mom (AKA Nana Banana) is the world's greatest mom. First of all, she kept up with my totally rambuctious, never-quit, overly energetic, never nap, always want to play outside kids, but also, she hiked up the falls. Later when I was talking to some other grandparents in town for my friend Marla's little girl's birthday party, they were telling me about Amicalola and how they park at the top and enjoy the beauty...It was then that I realized that we parked at the BOTTOM and MY MOM trekked up the falls and did an awesome job. We also went to Moe's for Mikayla's birthday dinner and my mom was mistaken for me and D's sister...what a stud! I love my mom. I miss her more than words can describe. We laugh and talk and just had fun being with each other. I owe everything to her. She is my rock and I love her. I miss her more now that I just saw her.

So, I'm not trying to impress anyone with my blog. I'm keeping it real and just trying to be me, but I want the world to know that I love my family. After all, that is more important than money, looks, and everything else. Those of you that live close to your family, treasure it.

Happy Birthday Jayme!!!

Jayme and me at graduation...14 years ago (no way does it seem that long ago!)
L Banquet
Las Vegas...our summer of dancing, and dancing, and dancing some more.

Go Hi-Lo's!

Jayme was my best friend in high school and stood in my line next to me at my wedding...we've been through good and bad, ups and downs and have always remained friends. She is amazingly talented....from choreography to standing back tucks to wonder-mom to scrapbook extrordinaire. She is awesome!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all of you! It has been a crazy, fun filled week already. Amelia had her Easter egg hunt at school on Tuesday and Mikayla had one at playgroup on Wednesday. This morning we had a neighborhood party in our backyard. It was a great time...I'll post pictures later. We spent the day at the lake and it hit 90 degrees! We love warm weather, but we miss our family and Utah friends so much, especially during the holidays. Have a wonderful Easter.

Sticky Situations

So, I was reading a friend's blog about sticky situations, and I was reminded of a few of mine:

Dave's office Christmas party was at the new Georgia Aquarium. It was a big family deal that they did instead of a fancy couples party at a hotel. Well, I went to Banana Republic and bought a cute sweater and wore it proudly. About a week later, I wore the sweater again and kept rubbing my arm against something. I looked down and saw the size sticker STILL ATTACHED to the sweater. It proudly said "size L" about six times on a long vertical striped sticker down the front of the sweater. The irony is, it really was a "sticky situation!"

This one is so not-funny, but very awkward: Dave has played softball for as long as I have known him. He was on the same team for about eight years and we were the couple that had been married the longest. We watched the younger guys meet and then marry even younger girls and it was getting harder and harder to find things in common with girls ten years younger than me while sitting watching the guys play ball. Finally, one of the girls says to me, "Hey, so-and-so tells us that you were on college dance team...so was I." Relieved that I finally had some common ground, I told them that indeed, I was. They went on to ask me about Jan Whittaker (who at the time of my old age was the rival HIGH SCHOOL advisor). I told them what I thought and she responded, "Wow, that is just so cool that you were on Crimson Line." I was like, "Yeah." Then it dawned on me...Crimson Line????? That is the U of U drill team NOT the Dixie College drill team. Jan Whittaker had moved up in the world and was now a university advisor and now ALL the young softball wives thought I was a former CRIMSON LINE girl. They kept asking me questions and I was all flustered and then it got past the point that I could tell them that it was all a big mistake...anyway, you get the picture...it went on and on.

My feisty, spirited youngest daughter had left the house and cut across the backyards to go to my friend's house who informed me later that as our other friend had come to pick up her FOUR MONTH OLD BABY, Mikayla pointed to her stomach and said, "You have a BABY in there!" (She actually said the same thing to me the next day and said it to my friend Marla's thin-as-a-rail mother, but of course she wasn't there to hear that she is pretty much saying it to any woman because she figured out that that's where babies are "stored.")

I have so many more, but one last one for now...I was ten years old and felt at least 16 because I was on a trip by MYSELF with my Grandma to HAWAII eating in some glass restaurant overlooking the entire island when the waitress asked me if I wanted Horseradish with my steak. I of course ordered the way my Grandmother did and replied, "Yes, please." She in turn replied, "Wow, what grown up taste!" I then felt at least 17 years old and sat up a little taller. When my scrumptious steak was served I took one bite and burst into tears. It was the most disgusting taste I had ever imagined and I couldn't hold it back. The gig was up, I didn't have grown up tastes.

There are so many more, but my friend sent me a book "Letters for Emily" that I am reading...so I'll sign off for now. Please comment with your own sticky situations and we can laugh together.

An Experiment

I have to admit, I think I'm a decent mom. I'm not going to win any awards and sometimes I'm horrible, but for the most part, I'm above average. HOWEVER, my kids had just been acting really naughty (worse than usual). It's also hard because when we go places or at school or wherever, they are great. So people really don't know what I'm talking about when I try to tell them how they behave at home.

One day last week was particularly hard. The girls were fighting with each other, smearing sunscreen on the kitchen floor, filling up the sinks to overflowing and sitting on the counter with their feet in them playing pedicure, and just being unbelievable grouchy. I was completely frustrated.

Sunday I was watching this show (Grey's Anatomy) and this mom is dying and her teenage daughter comes in to her hospital room and the mom is trying to give her 50 years' worth of advice in five minutes. When it came to the advice on children, she said something like, "Amelia (that was her name by the way) it doesn't matter if your child is a concert pianist or a soccer player. It doesn't matter how many friends they have or how talented and smart they are. All that matters is that they are HAPPY."

I decided that for one week (during Spring Break right now), I was going to drop everything and love my kids. I hold them more; I listen to them more; I smile more; I laugh more; I play with them more...and the difference is unbelievable. The girls are sweeter to each other. They had one minor issue last night at bedtime (bringing a box of baby wipes into bed with them and pulling them out one by one while I was talking to Mom), but that is IT! I haven't done any deep cleaning this week, but my house is even pretty clean. It hasn't fallen apart and the other things I haven't focused on during my little experiment obviously don't matter that much because I haven't even noticed that they aren't done!

I'm not saying my life has to completely revolve around kids, but a neighbor friend said something to me yesterday that really struck a cord. She asked, "What is it that kids want more than anything? Attention from their PARENTS. They will get it any way they can...positively or negatively." I think that's what's going on. It hasn't taken that much effort. I think I was doing a decent job before, but just trying a little bit harder and letting a few things go has made them happier and sweeter. After all, all I want for my kids is for them to be happy, truly happy.