Happy New Year!

This hasn't been a terrebly exciting year, just school and junk. We got a new car in June (thanks dad!), Jason started his new exciting career in journalism, and we moved all the way from Provo to Orem. We have been on a few trips: Jason has been to California 3 times, Canada, Las Vegas, Colorado, and Pheonix. Amanda has been to Colorado 3 times, Las Vegas, and Pheonix. The boys have been to Colorado twice, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
This coming year: more school, hopefully a new baby next fall, more traveling for various reasons, the daunting task of potty training Harry etc. etc.

Too many toys!

The boys playing with the "Star fortress command center"

What on earth am I supposed to do with all these toys?
This is only half of Harry's pile, not half the toys, half of Harry's toys. I'm so lucky to have such great inlaws, we didn't have to buy anything if we didn't want to. I'd show a picture of me using my new shower head but this isn't one of those blogs.

Liam Triumphant!

Liam has learned to use the potty! I swear, the first time he went into the bathroom by himself without being asked, I heard the halleluja chorus. It's been a long road but I finally have a little boy instead of a baby.

Christmas

Santa Baby

Harry decorating his first real Christmas tree. Actually he's probably taking things off but why split hairs.

The lights on Temple Square. This was my first time seeing them.

My saintly husband at Temple Square.

Funny things kids say.

My son Liam loves this show on the Disney channel called Handy Manny. Handy Manny fixes things, people call him and he comes and fixes anything.
So, Liam has been working hard to learn how to use the potty for the last few weeks. When we first started he would sit and sit and sit and nothing would happen. One afternoon he got tired of waiting and he looked down and cried "Mommy it's broken, we need to call Handy Manny!"

I'm Back

I took a little break from posting so I don't know if anyone still reads this. Hellooooo out there!

If I was a baby.

If I was a baby I would hate to wake up in the morning in a crib. Oh, it's great at night it keeps me from falling on the floor but in the morning it's just not fair that all I can do is watch as my big brother plays with all the toys.
If I was a baby I would get really annoyed with people sticking their fingers in my mouth to feel my teeth. I don't get to stick my fingers in their mouths.
If I was a baby I would throw any baby-food given to me on the floor until I got pizza like everyone else. If they don't want to eat "chicken broccoli dinner" why should I?
If I was a baby I would feel the need to protest being changed, not being changed, being put to bed, waking up, having to take a bath, being taken out of the bath, I would want to rock with mommy but not go to sleep, I would want to play with my brother but get really angry when he tried to play with me, I'd eat my cookies really fast and then throw a fit when no one will give me theirs etc. etc.
If I was a baby I would have the sweetest smile that no one could resist and would make people forgive me anything.

Cute naked baby!

People who don't have children may wonder why those of us who do, always have to take naked pictures of their babies. Look at him, isn't he cute.

I am Princess Leia

Minus the funky hair and clothes.

Been a long time.

I don't really have much to say but I thought I ought to write something. Ummm.....something. Someday I'll have something interesting if I have the time to write it. I have to write a research paper on the effects of pornography on families. Wish me luck, I haven't written a research paper since I was 14.

Harry Christmas!

Harry wasn't really sure what was happening, everything he opened his brother took away from him.

Train ride

We had so much fun taking the train to Grandma's house for Christmas.

Liam and Harry.

Aunt Missy gave us a digital camera for Christmas, Woo-Hoo!

IT'S HARRY!

Harry loves to rock!

What's wrong with me.

My husband and I were joking around and he asked what was wrong with me, so I said I could give him a list but it might take a while. He told me I should put it in my blog.
So, here it is the list of what's wrong with me.
-I'm lazy
-I eat poorly
-I don't exercise
-I'm overweight (that's kind of a given after those last 2)
-I don't like to do dishes (so I don't)
-I have a little bit of OCD (as Jason has learned the hard way I will remake the bed in the middle of the night, with him in it)
-I have severe postpartum depression
-I'm an insomniac
-I would rather play with playdough than clean the house (ok I'd rather do just about anything than clean the house)
-I'm a shopaholic (makes very little sense for someone with no money)
-I have no fashion sense
-I have a really hard time making friends
-I'm very insecure and need constant reassurance (especially when it comes to my cooking and the way I look)
I'm sure the list could go on if I really thought about it, but why would I want to. The good news is the list of what's right with me is longer and much more important. As for Jason, there is nothing wrong with him! He is practically perfect in every way (no wait, that's Mary Poppins).

I'm ever so old.

I have just turned 27 OH NO! In this day and age when life expectancy is so much longer than in previous centuries, why on earth should I feel so old at only 27. If I live to be 80 that means I have almost twice my lifetime to this point remaining. However, now-a-days when there are so many diseases and such what will be my quality of life be for those years. Strange that life is so much longer but overall health is decreased.
Well, I'll learn how to knit and start using anti-wrinkle cream and see which suits me best, submitting to old age or trying to fight it.

A Message From The Lord.

I have been feeling a little less than spiritual lately. I spend all day changing diapers, wiping noses, making bottles, cleaning yogurt off the floor (and refrigerator and table and wall and child and myself), cooking meals, doing my homework etc. etc. When do I have the time or the energy to seek out the Lord in my life?
So, I was feeling really crummy about this the other day and that very night I had the following dream: My doorbell rings (which is weird since I don't have a doorbell). I answer it and in comes Gordon B. Hinckley. He sits on the couch, like he comes over and hangs out at my house all the time and I treat him as such. I think to myself this would be the perfect time to ask him how I can achieve more spirituality in my life. I mean who better to ask right, and how often do you get that opportunity? But do I ask? No, I give him pie and we watch Blue's Clues!
My interpretation of this dream is that I have the resources and the answers right in front of me, in my own home, but I don't use them, I just sit and watch cartoons.

P.S. I'm not sure if it matters but it didn't sound like it was even good pie, it was lemon/pumpkin pie. Doesn't that sound gross? How could I do that to the Prophet?!

I'm not complaining!

I just asked my husband why he always has negative things on his blog, so this is not negative. I wanted to comment on how much I LOVE cell phones. I love listening to other people's conversations wherever I go ( apparently you have to yell when you use a cell phone). I love every class I'm in getting interrupted by someone's phone, and they ALWAYS answer it! I actually called someone once not realizing she was in the hospital having a baby at that very moment and her husband who answered handed her the phone! Oh and My all time favorite; I was sitting in a movie theatre watching a suspensful, somewhat scary movie and the girl sitting next to me was text messaging the whole time! Those screens are bright. Plus she was messaging someone who was also in the theatre but was sitting somewhere else.
I'm so glad that so many people now are important enough to need a way to get a hold of them at all times. And it's not just doctors and drug dealers. I'm so glad my friend in Seattle can call me from the bowling ally, and the Chinese restaurant, and the video game store, and her car. Because I would hate for her to get bored just talking to me. I'm also so glad that people have something to distract them from the tediousness of driving now. I hate it when all I have to do is follow traffic laws and not get into accidents. Man I wish I had someone to talk to while I cut people off and ignore traffic lights.
See, I'm not complaining this was all the positive feelings I have about cell phones. Okay, so I'm sure they aren't all bad, but what is it they say about things that can be used for good......

Grandpa's sure know how to pick 'em.

My darling son Liam was nicknamed Lammy before he was even born. So for his first Easter his Grandpa got him a little purple lamb. Liam loved that thing so much. He would suck on it and just hold it in his hand while he slept. Well Liam gave up the nickname and the lamb at around 18 months. He has since adopted a monkey that his Grandpa Adkins sent for Christmas last year as his new friend. We have to include monkey in bedtime stories, and prayer and we have to kiss monkey good night and tuck him into bed (even if Liam isn't lying down and doesn't want a blanket or a pillow, monkey has to be on the pillow under the blanket.). Liam also has Ducky who was also purchased by Grandpa at the Deseret book store. While Ducky doesn't get included in everything he still must be tucked in along with Monkey.
So, now we have little Harrison, when Harrison was a month old his Grandpa bought him a "Hare". Get it?! Hare-ison Ha-Ha! Anyways, just in the last few weeks as Harry has learned to roll around his crib we often times catch him doing just what Liam did with that Lamb, with his little bunny. It's not small enough to hold in his hands so he sucks on a paw and just rolls around with it like a wrestler. And even tho' he has other animals in his crib we always catch him with the bunny.
Well this was kind of an anti-climatic boring post but there you go, Grandpa's know their stuffed toys.

What Women Want

I have been married now for about 31/2 years, and I love my husband dearly, but. He is the most unromantic man in the world! I'm sorry honey but you are. So, for the 3 people who read my blog (I know you are all men) here's what women want. Or in other words here's what I want.
I want *someone (*read Jason) to express some appreciation for what I do and not just notice when I haven't done it. i.e. Doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen/living room/bathroom/babies room, cooking dinner. I will be the first to admit that I don't do much laundry or dishes because I hate doing those things and I have been blessed with a husband who does pick up the slack in those areas and for that I am truly grateful.
I want *someone to recognize and be proud of my talents and achievements. (though they may be few and far between) A couple of examples: about a year and a half ago I got sick of looking at the little puppies that adorn the trunks we use as night stands. Since I knew we could not afford new night stands I scrounged up a little bit of money, went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of yards of dollar fabric. I brought it home and with no pattern and just by measuring the trunks I made covers for them that fit almost perfectly. When *someone came home I was really excited to show him what I had done. I showed him, and did what most women do I pointed out that they didn't fit exactly right thinking he would say "oh no they look great, that's so great that you could do that!" or something along those lines. But no, he gave me the most crushing line he could have. He said with a completely blank expression "oh well I can just get myself a night stand at D.I." Even just writing that makes me remember how sad I was and still am every time I see those stupid trunks. The other example has to do with the math class I am taking. Math is REALLY hard for me and so I have been working extra hard to at least pass this class. I think about it all the time, I go over procedures and orders and rules in my head every night before I fall asleep, I spend hours on homework almost every night. I was having *someone check my homework when I was done but he always made it seem like it was such an imposition and after he checked it instead of saying encouraging things like "Wow you got 22 problems right and only 3 need to be looked at again" He would just tell me everything I did wrong. That hurt every time he did it. I stopped asking him for help when he told me that he didn't want to do my homework for me and if I didn't understand it I needed to go to the math lab. I want *someone to see how hard I try even if I don't succeed.
I want *someone to stop thinking that just because he's already got me for eternity he doesn't have to try anymore. You don't work really hard to impress girls you date and do everything they like to do and try and spend as much time as you can with them only to treat your wife like you don't care what she thinks of you. It doesn't make sense to me to go out of your way to be your best self for virtual strangers and not even try for your eternal companion and the mother of your children. Actually maybe it does make a little sense, your eternal companion will always love you. Where as virtual strangers may not like you at all if you showed that side.
A few other things that I want: A good kiss at least once a day(morning breath or not, you used to not care before we got married), At least ten minutes of serious conversation a day (without sarcastic comments or quotes from the Simpsons), I'd like to be asked how I'm feeling once in a while (whether physical or emotional), I'd like to be asked my opinion on things as if my opinion mattered (as if I hadn't already given it forcefully).
I suppose this could go on for quite some time so I'll just stop now. I'm sorry for those of you who are not *someone (I guess everyone is someone) but I think if you ask any woman what she wants her list wouldn't differ much from mine.

http://www.ldslivingonline.com/story1.php?aid=507

P.S. Jason this link is for you.