It keeps going and going and going

Sickness around our home that is.
My poor handsome son had a rough week last week :( He came home from school one day and went straight to his bed. I knew that something was wrong once he came home and laid down. That is so not like him. He is so energetic. His head felt warm. I was getting him something to eat, and as he was talking he sounded like his throat was swollen. Ben and I took him to the doctor that day, and sure enough, strep throat. Poor guy. But wait, that's not it. He was feeling much better the day after he was on his meds. He was fine up until Friday night, actually. He was fine allll day Friday until night time. Friday evening Ben, Marshall, and I went on a walk. We came home and made Carmel popcorn out of delicious homemade buttermilk Carmel syrup. YUM! I tripled the recipe so I had enough to give some extra to the neighbors. We put the extra syrup in 2 jars, tied some raffia around it in a bow, and wrote a note with the recipe on a card, and we were off to deliver the syrup to our neighbors. Marshall was fine then. Once we got home, we put in a movie, 'How Do You Know' starring Reese Witherspoon (Way cute movie by the way), and munched on our fresh Carmel popcorn. About 30 minutes in to the movie Marshall passed out on the couch. I figured it was due to him waking up early for school that morning and having a long full day at home. Ben noticed he was feeling warm when he laid him in his bed that night. We woke him and gave him some ibuprofen. I guess he woke up off and on most the night. I had no clue. Once I closed my eyes, I was out for the night. Ben got up with him off and on throughout the night. Saturday morning we took him to the doctor because his fever hadn't broke. We made the mistake of taking the back way to pediatrician's office. We got caught in the traffic for the festive of colors. Once we got to the office they took his temp. He had a fever of 102ish. They did another strep test. He was nervous about having the nurse swab his throat for the second time that week. It took Ben holding him down and the doctor doing a quick swab to get him tested for strep earlier that week. This time the nurse was super nice, and Marshall let her do it without giving a fuss. After she left he was a little bothered that he had to get his throat swabbed. I told him that when he was a baby they had to put something in his nose and down his throat a little ways to test him for RSV. I told him that 2 of his cousins had to get a test kind of like that a couple of month's ago as well, and that he should be glad he didn't have to get that done. He asked if it hurt. I said that it hurt really bad. Wellllll...... sure enough.... the doc came in and shoved a swab clear up his nose to test for influenza. Poor kid. I know, I know, I'm a mean Mommy. What can I say, I felt horrible. I thought I was making him feel better, but in reality I was making it worse. It was working up until they decided to do a test like that. The test came back negative. He said it could be some other virus, and that it should go away in about 5 days, but if he was still running a high fever on Sunday night to bring him back on Monday. On top of it all, his blood pressure was high and low. It was high on one number and low on the other. The doctor said it was probably due to him being sick, but I was concerned about his heart because it hasn't even been a year since his surgery. He has to watch his blood pressure throughout his life, and I was nervous something had went wrong. Luckily, it turned out that nothing was wrong with his heart. Sunday rolled around and sure enough Marshall was on the floor moaning and groaning off and on because he didn't feel good. He was still burning up, and had been the whole weekend. I didn't have a thermometer, so I ran to walmart and bought some things I thought he would eat and grabbed a thermometer.

It's the kind that you just rub across their forehead real quick. They have those in the pediatrician's office, so I figured it would be good. I love it. It was only $33, and I definitely recommend to anyone to get one. You can get it at walmart.com for $28.
I kept the medicine coming regularly, and he was fine until it wore off. I felt so bad for him. I asked my Dad and Ben's Dad to come over Sunday night to give Marshall a blessing. It was right before bed time. A little bit after the blessing was over, the kids were put to bed. I checked Marshall's temp once throughout the night. It had dramatically dropped, especially since it had been quite some time since he had a dose of medicine. His temp was 99, so not too bad at all. He slept the whole night and the fever never returned. I am so thankful for the power of the priesthood and for blessings.
Ben pointed out last night that Courtney's voice was changing. It sounded like she was losing her voice. I noticed it, too. She felt a little warm as well. I took her temp and it was a couple degrees high. I took her to the doctor first thing this morning, and sure enough, the verdict was strep throat. Poor baby girl! Nothing keeps this girl down though. She is scrubbing walls and the TV right now as I write. Why you may ask? I have not a clue. She loves scrubbing walls. LOL. She is so energetic and full of happiness. If it wasn't for her fever and loss of voice, I would have been clueless to her having strep throat. She's been eating well, and happy as can be. :)
I feel so bad for my kids being sick. There is nothing worse than seeing a kid sick and not being able to fix it, or take it away immediately.
Mady had a UTI first. Once her medicine was gone, Marshall got sick. Now that Marshall is better and almost off his medicine, Courtney is now sick. It doesn't just come at once, it hits one kid at a time :(
I'm hoping for a sick free Spring! Courtney also got a booster flu shot today. She was so sad! :( The nurse put the needle in and Courtney kicked her legs. The needle came out. The nurse had to redo it. I felt awful for Courtney! Once she got home she got a dose of her antibiotic and ibuprofen. She's been walking stiff legged, and has had me carry her all over earlier today.
I won't be blogging much for the next little while. We are packing up and will be moving out of our apartment on April 30th. We are scheduled to be in to our home around May 3rd. Exciting but nerve racking times for us!
I hope to be back at blogging once the move is over and we are all settled in our new home!
Happy Easter and Happy Spring! We hope you are all doing great! Miss you all!

Mady says.....!!



(Remember getting those pink foam curlers put in your hair when you were a kid? I sure do. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face!)

Mady says....

"Mom, can we play bonocoly?" She means monopoly :)

We were listening to the song, 'Bubbly' by Colbie Colait. Mady says, "Mom, do you know what this song does to me?"
I ask, "What?"
Mady replies, "It makes me love everyone!"

We were headed out to the car and the wind was blowing hard. Mady says, "Mom, the wind is trying to blow my nose off."

Mady came in to my bed one night to sleep with me.
She asks, "Mom, are dinosaurs real?"
I reply, "No.... well they were, but they're not alive anymore."
Mady asks, "When were they alive?"
I answer, "They were here before any of us were here."
Mady asks, "Where were we? In Jesus' belly?"
Laughing I reply, "No, we were in heaven."
Mady asks, "So were we in heaven's belly?"
I reply, "Yeah, kind of."

Mady asks Ben, "Beny, were we grown ups when we were in heaven's belly?" LOL

Mady came in to my room late one night. She wanted to sleep with me. I was getting ready to say my personal prayer and go to bed.
I said, "Mady, come kneel down. I'm going to say my personal prayer."
With a huge smile on her face, Mady lightly giggles and says, "You're not a kid!"
I reply, "No, but I can still say my personal prayer."
Still smiling Mady says, "Yep!"
Ben has been teaching the kids the importance of saying their personal prayers. I don't think that Mady has ever seen nor heard Ben or I say our personal prayers because it is usually behind closed doors, or when the kids are fast asleep. That's why she must think personal prayer is just for kids.

Mady comes up to me one afternoon and asks, "Mom, is Jesus magic?"
I reply, "Yes."
Mady says with excitement, "Cool!!" Then she runs off excited.

Mady asks, "Mom, when will I live with Grandma?"
I reply, "You won't."
Mady asks, "Only if I'm a spray bottle and I'm hers?"
Laughing I reply, "Yes!"
(Where do kids come up with these thoughts? LOL)

Those who know Mady know that she absolutely LOVES to sing! She is so funny! She makes up words that don't even make sense half of the time. Well, one day I was having an off day. I overheard Mady sing these words.
"You know you want to be strong, so you need to forgive. Don't you know who you are? You are my daughter! You are my sweet daughter!"
I believe that day Heavenly Father brought those words to my daughter to sing. I just sat there with tears in my eyes after hearing her sing that. It is something I know Heavenly Father wants us all to hear. My 4 year old brought those words to me from Heavenly Father! :)

Food Storage

"If ye are prepared, Ye shall not fear"
What a blessing food storage is. It is a sense of comfort to know that your family has means to food in an emergency. I'm not just talking about the "natural disasters" that most fear. (Prayers be with those in Japan! So sad!) I'm also talking about emergencies within the walls of your own home. You just never know when something will happen and your funds are too tight to budget everything in. It's a comfort to know that you have a way to provide food and water for your family. Along with food storage there needs to be water storage. I have noticed that there are people who are concerned about the food part of the food storage that they forget how crucial it is to store water along with your food. It would be hard to cook a bunch of your food without water. A human body cannot live as long with only food as it can with only water. We are no where near a 1 year storage, but we feel comfortable with the rate we are getting things stored up. I'm not trying to say that I think there will be an emergency period where we will be in a pandemic state and need to rely on our food for a year. However, it has got me more concerned as I hear about the poor people across oceans in Japan. I couldn't even imagine if a calamity like that happened here. My heart is heavy for those suffering in Japan, for those who have lost their lives, and for those who have lost loved ones there. There are so many people there that are being told not to leave their homes due to the nuclear crisis over there. That would be horrible to be locked in your home, for who knows how long, with your children crying because they are starving, and having no way to stop their cries for food as there is none. I couldn't even imagine how horrible that would be. So prepare now for the future. It's better to be prepared and not need it, than to need it and not be prepared.
It is important to buy foods that you will eat. If you are going to buy wheat, buy a wheat grinder. Use the wheat. There are tons of recipes that wheat can be used in, or supplemented for all purpose flour. Food storage does not need to be an expensive splurge. The church recommends to slowly build it up.
I had the luxury of going to the cannery this evening with a few ladies from the relief society. I really enjoyed going. I got:
1 lb. Dehydrated Apple Slices
20+ pounds macaroni noodles
2.8 lbs. Dehydrated Carrots
2.4 lbs. Dry Onion (which smelt heavenly as we were canning it)
25 lbs. Potato Flakes
28 oz. Potato Pearls
My order loaded up 4 boxes. I spent about $90, which was more than I had anticipated, but these are foods that we eat often, and will be needed and used. I was grateful to have to opportunity to go today.
I was surprised to find out the 'storage life' for these foods if stored properly (in #10 cans, unopened, in a dry place at or below 75 degrees):
Apple Slices- 30 Years
Carrots- 25 Years
Macaroni- 30 Years
Onions, Dry- 30 Years
Potato Flakes- 30 Years

I found out yesterday that food doesn't last as long in the buckets as they do in the cans. Supposedly if you put some dry ice in your buckets with your food the food will last longer. Also, if you're storing your food on cement, you need to put something in between the buckets and the cement. I have seen people just unfold a box and lie it down on the floor for the padding in between the cement and the buckets. This may be old news to some people, but it's new news to me. :)

Here is the 'storage life' of foods that I did not get. If they are stored properly, the following foods lifespan is 30 years:
Beans, Black
Beans, Pinto
Beans, White
Milk, Nonfat Dry
Rice, White
Sugar, Granulated
Wheat, Hard Red
Wheat, White
Oats, Quick
Oats, Regular
Spaghetti

The following items have a 'storage life' of 10 years or less:
Beans, Refried- 5 Years
Cocoa Mix, Hot-2 Years
Flour, White- 10 Years
Fruit Drink Mix- 2 Years

Bon Appetit

A few weeks ago Marshall and I headed out to the store to get a present for a birthday party he had the following day. Ben stayed at home with the girls to get them off with their Dad for the weekend. Ben was in charge of dinner for the girls that night. Just as I was heading out the door, I got a peak of what he was making for the girls. My first thought was, "What a brilliant man! Why hadn't I thought of this before?"
He cut a circle out of the center of a slice of bread, and put an egg in the middle and cooked it.
I asked Ben where he got this idea from. He told me that his Step-Mom cooked them this way before.
Now why on earth had I not thought to do this before.... or why on earth had I never seen this before the age of 26? It seems as if I have been on a different planet for the past 26 years. ;)
My 4 year old still raves about the dinner "Beny" made for her and her sister. She thought it was the coolest thing ever.
So, a couple Sundays ago, I decided to make the same thing for them for breakfast. Mady refused to use a fork. She picked the whole darn thing up, and plopped it into her tiny little mouth. She had the egg yoke running down her shirt, in her hair, and all over her cute little face.
Maybe I should cook the yoke all the way through next time.
Oh well, I got some pictures of my cute little egg faced girl. :)

Truly inspirational

I have been so humbled and in awe the past few days. I have been following an extremely inspirational blog.
 http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/
I'm sure most of you have seen the buttons  "I follow NieNie" on people's blogs, or saw the author of this blog on Oprah or the news. I have never taken the time to really research what the NieNie blog is...... that is until a few days ago. I have literally spent hours researching her and her Husband. They are simply AMAZING and purely BEAUTIFUL through and through. If you are needing some inspiration, if your faith is shaken, or if you just need some humbling, their story will give you just that and more. You can just see the love of Christ shine through their story, and through their life.
I just couldn't imagine my life without the knowledge of the true Gospel. I am so thankful for my parents for raising me up in a home where the Gospel was always taught. I'm especially grateful for my Mom for living a Christ like life, and for teaching me to always rely on the Lord.
If you allow it, you can feel the spirit as you watch stories about her and her Husband. If you're not aware of their precious story, you definitely need to be. It will make you so grateful for the simple things in life, and not just the simple things, but the big things, too. You can view her story on the link provided below.
You NEED to watch this Mormon message of her story. To view it on youtube click HERE !
I have watched it like 3 times. Ben and I have watched it. My kids have even watched it with me. They had a bajillion questions to ask me while watching it, especially my 4 year old. My 4 year old agreed that she is beautiful, and she is just that and more.
Here is another video. This video was taken for the Oprah show. Click HERE to see it.
Grab a box of tissues. Both of these videos are a must watch.
If you watch them, I would love to hear feedback of what some of your thoughts were while you watched and listened to these humbling stories.

Tackling the battle......

After about a month or so of scraping by on folding and putting away the laundry, I decided today is the day to buckle up and just get it done. However, I keep finding excuse after excuse to leave it in the big huge pile stacked up in my living room. So, here I am blogging about it. I'm running out of excuses. I have had a couple days of unsuccessful attempts at tackling it. A month or so ago Mady had a play date with a girl at her Pre-school. Her Mom, little sister and brother were coming along. My house was a mess. I spent the morning of the play date cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. I got it pretty good (the kitchen was a different story). No one would see that room, right? Well, I was wrong. However, the laundry was a different story. It remained stacked up in the living room. I decided to drag it into the bedroom to hide out for the time being. I have been using a couple wicker hampers, a white hamper, fabric laundry bags, and a 50 gallon tote to load my clothes in. All of those didn't even come close to holding all the clean laundry, so I resorted to using my suitcase as well. The 2 wicker hampers were filled with clean clothes the day before I left for my Honeymoon back in December. Most of the clothes I put in the hampers back in December still remain there. Now if that isn't laziness busy than I don't know what is. The master bedroom is tiny enough as it is, but with laundry piled throughout, it seemed tinier than ever. I made a little walking path to the bed. Ben actually tripped over the clothes a couple weeks ago. Oops, sorry! I was going to tackle the laundry the day after Mady's play date. Welllllll..... that isn't exactly how it went down. They sat, and sat, and sat, and sat some more. A month later, I finally got motivation to drag it all out of my bedroom into the living room. It was a couple hours before my visiting teachers were set to arrive. My huge living room was filled with clothes. You had to walk through the living room like you were playing hopscotch again. I got caught up on the phone, and the laundry got shifted here and there, but it remained scattered. About 30 minutes before the visiting teachers were set to arrive, I shifted all of the laundry back in to the numberless laundry baskets, suitcase, and the 50 gallon tote that I have been using as a "hamper" because I'm just too "busy" (well that's the excuse I'm using, okay) to get around to folding the laundry. However, this time I kept the laundry in the living room this time. No hiding in anymore. Out of site (for the most part) out of mind. Well now it has been staring me in the face for the majority of my day. I often wonder what it would be like to be rich and have a maid.... or better yet, just buy new outfits for all of us every single day.

On the agenda for tonight's dinner: Cream Cheese Chicken
I checked out the "Worldwide Ward Cookbook" from the library yesterday. The recipe is as follows:

1/2 C. butter
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 10.75-oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

Turn Crock-Pot on high. Place butter in bottom of Crock-Pot. When the butter has melted, add the Italian dressing mix; stir into butter until well mixed. Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch strips. Place in Crock-Pot and stir to coat chicken with butter and dressing mix. Cover and cook on high for 2  hours, until chicken is cooked. Remove chicken to plate to cool. Add soup and cream cheese. Stir to melt, and mix well until smooth and creamy. Stir in chicken and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or hot buttered noodles. Note: This recipe freezes well--just place cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer bag and freeze. To serve, thaw and heat until piping hot and bubbly. Makes 6 servings.

Quotations about the recipe:
"I got this recipe from my good friend Deanna. It has become a family favorite, the most requested main dish at our home."

Susan Madison
Battlecreek 5th Ward
Pleasant Grove Utah East Stake
Pleasant Grove, Utah

Easy peasy dinner. That's what I like!

Our Best Bites Crepes= YUM!

I found another cool website! www.ourbestbites.com
2 Mormon wife/mom's started this website. They live at opposite ends of the country, and have managed to become extremely successful by working together on this blog. They just released their cookbook:
           "Our Best Bites.
Mormon Mom's in the Kitchen"
I have been browsing their blog for a couple days now. They were aired on KSL Studio 5. Today I tried their crepes. And let me tell you, YUM!
To view the crepe recipe I made this morning, click HERE 
As I stood in the kitchen this morning whipping up these delightful little things, my mind kept turning to the story that was told behind these crepes. I kept imagining the girl's father cooking these crepes, or "thin cakes" as they called them, for his anxiously awaiting children every Saturday morning. I think it was a wonderful tradition (read about it by clicking on the link to the recipe above). Traditions are so important. I just love hearing a good story behind something. I couldn't help but have a grin on my face as I whirled around the fragrantly smelled kitchen this morning while making these little blissful pieces of Heaven.
Beware, this site is addicting. And beware if you make these crepes; I bet you can't eat just one. They are ridiculously delicious. I ate like 5 this morning, literally, no jokes. They are super addicting.
Until today I have been making some yummy chocolate crepes that are delicious as well. Click HERE for that recipe. Having a chocolate craving? These chocolate crepes will take care of that sweet tooth in a healthy way.
I have never made a crepe before until this past month. They are super easy. If I can do it, anyone can do it. For real.
I calculated the Points Plus Values of these crepes I made today for those of you following the weight watchers plan. I made them with 1/4 cup of mix each. It made 10 servings.
The Points+ is: 3 per crepe, and it is worth every last bite. The 3 points+ is only calculations for the crepe itself, so you will have to add points for the syrup if you so choose to add it. Syrup is extremely high in cals and points, so if you want to keep it healthy, the crepes would be delicious with fat-free cool whip in the middle. 2 Tbsp. of fat free cool whip is 0 Points+. So there you go, you can enjoy a crepe with cool whip, and sprinkled with a little bit of powdered sugar for only 3 points+ values. Not too shabby!
Omit the butter and use butter spray to coat the pan, or don't exceed  3 Tbsp. light butter per batch to keep the points+ at 3.
                                  Enjoy! :)
Update:
I made these again this morning.  This time I made them with the homemade Buttermilk Carmel Syrup. I took a picture of it, and posted it above. I put fat-free cool whip in the middle, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and topped them with this mouth watering syrup. And oh my lucky stars, it was amazing. To get the Buttermilk Carmel Syrup recipe, click HERE 
Once you put it in the fridge it hardens a little, so pop it in the microwave and it will be good as new. This syrup would also be great to make carmel popcorn, or carmel candy apples. Yes, it is that good, and has a thicker density. It would be great for making treats for the holidays, or just a frienldy treat for neighbors, family, and friends.
Weight Watchers Points Plus Values are below:
Servings per batch: 9   
Serving size: 1/4 Cup
Points+ = 7

Facts

Some interesting, and not so interesting, facts about me:

I love to think. Sometimes too much, and when that happens, I hate to think. I ponder........ ALOT........anywhere from how the snow falls, to the way the wind blows the trees, and the way the sun peeks over the mountain to show it's beautiful lining before it comes full force, or the way the sun sparkles off the water. When I notice the simple things in life, I think of how it relates to us and our lives. For example: When the wind blows, and it's shaking that little bare twig hanging down from the leafless tree, I think about how that twig is like us in a way. Sometimes we feel broken and that the storm is too strong to hang on, and sometimes to the outside eye it may seem as if we are helpless and about to fall, but no matter how hard the storm blows, we can keep hanging on through every storm. The one who seems the most like falling is sometimes the one who surprises us all. So, the next morning when the wind is calm, and the little twig is still hanging there, but the biggest branch on the tree is on the ground, it makes me realize that greatness lies in all, and that anything is possible so long as we keep holding on. Not just when the world is calm, but especially when the storm comes rolling in, and the wind is at it's hardest.

I use too many exclamation marks.

I got 97% on my English placement test for college. (That is the test you initially take to see which courses are applicable and suitable for your educational skills) However, I got like 35% or 40% on my Math.

I love to talk..... all the time..... just ask my Husband

I love to smell every piece of fresh laundry that I'm folding

I love to play. I used to be the Mom that sat on the sidelines under the shade of a tree while I observed my kids playing at the park. Since Ben came along, I have found a new joy in joining in the play almost everywhere. (Well not the McDonald's play place. This is just because I can't fit in the dang thing ;) ) If they had adult play places, Ben and I would so be there. Ben is always playing, whether we be at a park or at home in the living room. He loves to get up and play with the kids basically everywhere. This is one of the many things I love about him.

I have to make sure that nothing is in front of the heat vents before I go to bed at night. I'm awfully terrified of a fire occurring if something is left in front of the heat vent. I seriously know that nothing left in front of the heat vent will catch fire. However, it's just a weird quirk that I have to do. If I don't, I will lay in bed and think about it constantly. I do have OCD..... and it shines out in areas such as these.

I love early mornings when the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and the fresh breeze is flowing through an open window or door.

I love food. Way too much.

I have found a new love for hiking. Ben brought this to my attention the first time he took me hiking. I had to literally drag my butt up that mountain. I hated it...... at first, until we reached our amazing destination. Then I had a rush go through me like never before. It was so peaceful, and breathtaking. I could feel the spirit so strong up there. I sat up there on the side of that mountain, looking at God's amazingly beautiful creations. I could hear nothing but the sound of the stream, and the breeze blowing by. It put me in a cheery spirit to be blessed enough to enjoy God's gifts to us. Fellow hikers are so friendly. It's like everyone just has the weight of the world off their shoulders, and it is so peaceful. A few weeks after my first hike, Ben took me up to the Squaw Peak overlook to watch the fireworks from above from the Stadium of Fire (I know some of you have heard me blog about the hike a couple of times). It took me awhile to get up there. I had to stop and take tons of breaks on the way up. A couple times I stopped, sat in the dirt, and started balling. I said that I couldn't make it. That I was too weak. That it was just stupid that people would want to hike up there. Through the patients and kind words of Ben, and the paced hike up there, I made it. It is one of the greatest accomplishments I have made. To some people it may be an easy hike, but to me, it was hard. I LOVED being up there, and enjoying the breathtaking view with the love of my life. There are no words to express the joy of this. I know that some people say that the hike to they "Y" on the mountain is hard, so I guess I don't feel so weak saying this was a hard hike because the squaw peak hike is like 3 times further than the distance to the "Y".

When I was a little girl, probably around 8 or so, I had learned about repentance. And..... My big sister had a box of hostess cupcakes in a box in her room. I snuck one cupcake; after I went and ate it, I prayed to Heavenly Father asking for forgiveness for me stealing my sisters cupcake. Almost immediately after the prayer, I took another one. This pattern went on for about another 5 cupcakes. I guess I thought because I was "repenting" than it would be okay because Heavenly Father would forgive me, and in the end, that's all that matters. :)

My family is everything to me. There is nothing I wouldn't do for them. I love my family beyond words.

(Did you notice I didn't use ANY exclamation marks)
Oh, and as I just typed the word "exclamation" above, this is what immediately popped in to my head:
The little white perfume bottle that I had when I was a kid. It was white with a black exclamation mark on it. It was a perfume my parents had given me as a gift. It was my favorite. It is called exclamation. Do any of you remember that perfume? YuM!

Happy Birthday, Courtney! Love, Mommy!

3 years ago today an angel was brought into this world. Thank you Courtney for choosing me to be your Mommy! You are such a blessing and a joy in my life! I absolutely could NOT imagine my life without you and your brightness that you bring in to my life. You are such a sweet girl with so much love. You look up to your siblings, and love them so much. You are the best little sister ever! You have taught me so much about life. I believe that you have taught me more about life than I have taught you. You think you're a big girl, but you will ALWAYS be my baby girl. I love you so much.

Happy 3rd Birthday Baby Girl!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!

We had a very simple day. We just had a little party with just us. It was very nice. Grandma stopped by on her way to school. We were glad to have her here.

You were born at 10:00 AM. You came in to this world weighing a whopping 8 lbs. 14 oz. and were 20 1/2 inches long.

Courtney and Mommy (Can I go back to this moment? So Precious)

Breathtaking

We started off this morning with a balloon surprise, and let her open her first gift; the pink costume she is wearing

Courtney's Birthday Cake

Sneaking a little taste of the icing (I love her hair in this picture. It is getting so long)

Examining it on her finger 

This is Courtney's new smile. I love it!

Blowing out the candles

Here is a slice of the best chocolate cake everrrr! It has ewie gewie chocolate chips to melt in your mouth with every single bite. Also, I put some delish raspberry filling in the middle.  Can I just say YUM!

Messy face :)

Homemade macaroni and cheese for dinner

Opening the last of the presents

My son was so grumpy here. He had to turn off his Nintendo game to watch his sister open her presents. He's so darn picked on ;)

Just playin'

Courtney rockin' out with her new Dora microphone

Happy Birthday Gorgeous! You are such a joy!

Having Faith Through Adversity

Tomorrow is the "big day" that Ben and I give our talks during sacrament meeting. Our topic is Having Faith Through Adversity. This week has been an off week for me. I have often wondered how I can possibly give a talk on this topic. However, I know this is the perfect topic for me to discuss. This topic doesn't need much researching. It's pretty simplistic, and doesn't need much written down. I have underlined a couple quotes from an amazing book I am reading, that I will be reading from tomorrow. The book is called 'Defined by Christ' by Toni Sorensen. I recommend it to anyone. I promise, it is worth the $. I would be more than happy to borrow my copy to anyone who is interested. The rest of the talk will be simply off of inspiration. I told Ben that if I choke, and can't take up my 15 minutes, that he will have to cover where I'm lacking. He is fine with this. He hasn't written a word down for his talk. He has full faith the the Lord will guide his words with what needs to be said. He has so much more faith than I do. I have much to learn from this man. When Ben was out today I asked him to look for another book for me by Toni Sorensen. It's called 'Master'. It's a Novel about Christ. The author of these books has been through some similar things that I have been through. I can relate to her in some ways, especially with her feelings in the book I am currently reading- 'Defined by Christ'. 'Master' is a super looooong book, but I can't wait to finish the book I'm currently reading, and jump in to this new one. I have had a hard time overcoming things in my life, and moving forward on certain issues. Some times I wonder if I ever will (even though deep down I know I will. It will just take tons of time)...... I am still battling this. Ben is trying to help me overcome these issues. I'm thankful to have him be so understanding of me. I am very honest, and up front with him. I think this is one of the reasons we are best friends; because I know I can go to him about ANYTHING, and know he will be there, and not judge me, and do everything in his power to help. He has caught many of my tears this week. I call him my rock, and he truly is. I have no doubt that Satan is trying to shake my faith this week so I won't give this talk. Well it won't happen. His efforts have been extremely draining for me, but they have not been successful.
When my boys were out and about today, they got me a couple heart shaped boxes. One had a few filled chocolates, and the other had a few reeces candy. That put a smile on my face.
Tomorrow should be interesting. We have some family, and one of Ben's friends, coming to listen to us talk. I'm not really nervous which is surprising for me. Well I suppose I better call it a night, and get some zzzzzz's as my church starts at 9 in the AM. 7 will come too quick for me.