The Joys of Pregnancy...

It's probably just me, and psychological, but when I am pregnant I always feel so hungry!!! I've been going through some serious food issues where I MUST eat or be sick, but I can't stand opening my refrigerator or smelling food cooking. It's a difficult line to walk-eat the food without looking at or smelling it. So, this is for all of you who will be seeing me in a few weeks for Katie's wedding....a warning...I'm getting fat!!! (Just so you won't be surprised)

You think I'm kidding, but seriously-here's an idea of how I eat:

Wednesday, March 28:

Breakfast (7am): Bowl of oatmeal, grape juice, toast with peanut butter
Second Breakfast (about 10am-I had to wait for the fast food place to open): Hamburger, fries that I shared with Garrett and a Lemonade
Lunch (about noon): Bowl of soup and crackers with cheese
Second lunch (about 2:30 when Dallin got home from school): Ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle sandwich on a small dinner roll with crackers.
Pre-Dinner snack (before I ran out the door to YW dinner): Banana bread smothered with butter and glass of milk
Dinner (thanks to the Stake YW): Two tostadas, nachos and ice-cream for dessert
Before-Bed Snack: Bowl of peaches sprinkled with sugar

Seriously, there is something wrong with me! I am hungry just looking at this list...gotta go, my stomach is doing funny things-I better eat!

Ten Things I Love about Dallin

1. He has a tender heart. When he accidentally hits someone with a ball HE's the one who cries.
2. He has great red hair.
3. He LOVES to play with friends and he has MANY-he's very social.
4. He likes books and is beginning to be a reader.
5. He takes care of his little brother (most of the time).
6. He loves to play games.
7. He tries to be kind to those around him.
8. When he talkes to babies or toddlers he uses such a cute "baby"voice.
9. He is trying to be a hard worker and earn his own money.
10. He is creative-he makes up games and ways to earn money.

Ten Things I Love about Garrett

1. I love the funny way he talks-he has his own language.
2. I love the excitement in his eyes when he opens presents.
3. His love for "Dabo-Nanni" (doggie and blanket) makes me laugh.
4. He is a cuddler-he loves to snuggle.
5. He likes to sing and does a pretty good job of carrying a tune.
6. He is smart and likes to learn.
7. He isn't afraid of many things and is always up for an adventure.
8. He will catch and kill any bug I find in the house-whew!
9. He is mommy's little helper and always wants to "Mate somened" (make something).
10. He has the best giggle and is sooooo ticklish!

Rain in the Desert!

There is nothing better than an Arizona thunder storm! It's like a miracle when it rains here. The air feels so nice and smells so clean. It happens so rarely that it is a treat!


It was a little cloudy when we got up and got the kids ready for the day, but by the time Dallin was ready to come home from school it was POURING with lightening and thunder! He was a little scared on the walk home from school, but once we got home both boys wanted to play in the gutters! Why not? It happens so rarely that it's a treat! The water is also pretty warm (compared to other parts of the world) and they can stand to play in it for quite a while.



Garrett loved the thunder! We had a small thunder storm early in the morning and he would wait for it to thunder, then he would go outside and call and call and call as if he could call it back. Funny, it took me a while to figure out what he was saying...he would say "thunder (sunda)" and it sounded like "Santa". It took me a while to figure out he was calling the thunder. After he would yell, he would wait and when it would thunder he would smile as if it were all his doing.


It always surprises me how deep the water can get in our streets-it covers the road completely and fills up past the sidewalk, but a couple of hours after the rain it was almost completely gone! This mornig was still damp, but no huge puddles or gutters full of water.


I tried to get them to sit down in the water, but they were a little too scared to do that...funny, they were completely soaked, but didn't want to sit down and get "wet"!


I've been trying to enjoy the day as much as possible-I know our nice weather days are numbered and I'm already dreading the heat! Yesterday was a GREAT rain day!

Spring has sprung...

Just in the last 3 days the trees have turned green, the leaves growing so quickly you can almost see them! Our beautiful fig tree,

The pomegranate tree (bush?), Adam swore was dead,


and the sweet-peas in front of our house are all beautiful! The sweet peas are so strong smelling, if we leave the windows open we can smell them throughout our house. Other things that smell great right now are the citrus blossoms-it's amazing-it's almost too strong a scent, makes me feel a little sick.



The best part of Spring Break-no school, no bed time and plenty of playing in the mud! It's been so warm, playing in the water is a must! The boys went outside and were so quiet I had to find them. I was ready to yell at them for making a mess, but I guess the trees need water and what were they hurting anyway? So, I let them make mud pies and get all messy and they thought it was really fun to have to strip naked before they came in the house. They wanted to run around the back-yard naked for a while... okay, that's what spring break is all about (sorry no pictures ;-).

I had such great aspirations for Spring Break...museums, zoos, friends...then I got sick.

I think it's mostly allergies ( and then having to eat every five minutes to not feel like I'm going to throw up). I've never had them before, but I think it must be. My eyes itch, my throat itches, I cough and sneeze like crazy and my head is so congested I can barely hear anything. To top it all off I'm not suppose to take ANY medication during my first trimester...lovely! So I haven't really been feeling like myself lately.

It's been a really dull spring break for my kids. Tons of television and sleeping in. I didn't feel like doing anything all week.

But, the week is over and we are starting over. I'm determined to feel better (mind over matter you know) and I'm tired of feeling crappy so it's going to be a great week!

Happy spring to all of you!

We love getting packages!

In the age of email, online purchasing, and cheap telephone service we rarely get packages in the mail from friends and relatives (or send them for that matter). I think we will have to start sending more packages to our friends and family as we LOVE getting them!


Thanks Aunt Joy for the GREAT package! The boys LOVE the cars, the ocean critters and the goodies. We're so grateful you think of us! We love you!

Garrett's "Cleaning"

Today is clean the house day. We've been vaccuming, sweeping, dusting, mopping, doing laundry and generally just cleaning the house. I paused for a moment to check email and get a bite to eat. Garrett decided he would keep cleaning, so he pushed a stool next to the pantry and got out his "cleaning supplies".


Then he proceded to clean walls, floors, cupboards, the dog kennel, and the play bench with his "cleaning supplies". Very proud of what he had done he called me to come and see...and this is what I saw:

HE WAS CLEANING WITH OLIVE OIL!!!!! Well, I guess my house will be nice and shiny for a while!

If anyone is doing house chores and needs a helper, I've got one I'll loan for a while!

I'm glad I stopped to take a picture. Not only does it help me calm down so I don't strangle him, but I know someday (after all the oil has worn off) I will look back at these pictures and laugh! Adam taught me this trick the first time Dallin decided to "paint" our new carpet with mud... but that's another story.

More things about me...

51. I was born in Arizona
52. I lived without a telephone and television for a large part of my childhood.
53. I've never seen The Partridge Family.
54. My favorite musical is "Singing in the Rain".
55. I really hate horror movies (sorry honey).
56. I think rap music is sound pollution.
57. I kinda like Country Country music
58. I hate my green carpet.
59. I'm not a good impulse shopper. I like to think overnight before buying something.
60. I've never purchased something on ebay.
61. When my boys and I wrestle, I win (mostly because I cheat by tickling or licking their faces)
62. When I was young I thought I would like to be a Vet.
63. I can't stand watching people get shots-when I take my kids to the doctor, I'm always the one to look away.
64. If I were lost at night I'd never find my way by the stars...I can't figure out how to find North just by looking at the North Star.
65. I have a pretty good sense of direction (once I know which way North is!)
66. I'm a notorious back-seat driver when my husband drives (mostly because he never pays attention to where we are going-or maybe he never pays attention to where we are going because I'm always telling him where to go...hmmm)
67. I LOVE the clothing of the 40's and 50's
68. I love watching old movies-especially ones with Carey Grant-hubba hubba
69. My fingernails grow really fast, but they break really easily.
70. My hair grows sooooo slow! It's taken me 3 years to get it to grow barely past my shoulders
71. I love to eat oranges right off the tree.
72. My favorite foods to eat out of the garden are peas and tomatoes
73. I like it when my hubby buys me flowers
74. The hair on my legs is so fine I can go 3 months without shaving it and no one notices-YIPPEEEE!
75. I like trying new foods and different restaurants.

More about me...

26. I love spicy foods
27. I love to read
28. When I was young and was told to clean my room I would get a book and hide under my desk and read instead of cleaning my room.
29. I like to eat when I read-preferrably crunchy things.
30. I do not like ice in my drinks
31. I don't chew ice... gives me shivers
32. I'm really not a soda person-except when I'm pregnant..then I crave Pepsi!!! WIERD
33. Favorite treat in a movie-junior mints
34. I have a scar on my forehead from "breaking" my horse Candy.
35. My dad still has that stupid horse
36. I like going to school-I think that's why I enjoy educational interpreting, it feels like I'm still in school.
37. Going on a mission was one of the best things I have ever done-everything about my life has been influenced by that one decision.
38. When I was 19 my dad wrote to SLC and tried to get them to allow me to go on my mission early-it didn't work.
39. I paid my way through college-and most of my mission myself.
40. I'm not a good proofreader (so ignore my mistakes)
41. I'm a visual learner
42. It's hard for me to remember people's names unless I see them printed
43. I am definitely an oldest
44. I like to tease my children, and my husband, and my sisters, and my friends...
45. When I start a project I can hardly do anything else (sleep, eat, tend my children) until the project is finished.
46. Someday I would like to go to Italy-not sure why-just always wanted to go there.
47. I've never been out of North America
48. I just got my very first passport a month ago.
49. I have my mother's hands
50. I like being involved in the school my children attend.