Nothing Here but Happy Stuff

OK, to make up for the drone of boring (and somewhat depressing) posts over the past few months, I am finally showing off some pics to brighten up the place.
Starting in July
(yes - JULY)...
Here you go:

JULY (what else should I call it?)

Livi and Lauren -

cousins sharing a little secret by the pool

Livi was terrified of the fire truck sirens when they drove by in the I.F. parade

I was so happy to see her standing up to her fears

Little Patriot



KEATON'S 1st BIRTHDAY
NOT a fan of the cake

Livi and cousin Kole. Seriously, Rock - he's as big as Livi
For those of you who don't know, this little slugger is just 6 wks older than Keaton!
And SOOO handsome!

Livi: Yack, yack, yack

Keaton: Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Livi had been begging to go see the temple, so we made a family night of it

What a fun trip!

She tells Kelly that someday she's going to wear

mommy's wedding dress and marry "her Kelly" in the temple.

I guess she's on the right track.

Pedis for Livi and Mommy

I love those little toes

SEPTEMBER

Livi started preschool on September 3rd. She was SO ready!

It was an easy step for her, she's such a sociallite and loves her teachers.

We are happy to have her learning and growing so fast...

but mommy shed a few tears that day.

OCTOBER

We went to see the witches at Gardener Village and (for the second year in a row) accidentally showed up on the Witches Night Out

FYI, this is typically an event for women - the number of men in the Village that night is usually about 5. And they all work there.

Kelly was thrilled.

But, despite the high level of estrogen in the air, we still had a great time. And I promised to look at the calendar next year before we show up on the wrong night, for the 3rd time in a row...

thanks for being a trooper, Kel

See? he came around

HALLOWEEN

Livi was a ??? The first person to guess gets all of our leftover candy

We ran into a group of girls in the neighborhood and Livi insisted that we tag along. There were two sets of twins and they were so darling! They didn't have to slow down for Livi at all though - she grabbed onto to their hands and ran right along beside them.

After running with them for over an hour,

I heard her say to one of them, "I wish I had big legs like you!"

Livi still talks about Megan, the one in the blue Geisha costume. "Mommy - remember Megan, the Blueberry Muffin girl?" I'm just glad she doesn't know what a Geisha is.

Their mom (in the cute witch's hat) and I complained about the cold, snacked on the girls' peanut M&M's, and trotted along happily behind - for two hours. Halloween Rocks!

Orbit's Halloween Party

Keaton: I just hate it when I walk into a room and someone else is wearing the same thing...

Despite the fact that both of her parents suck at baseball,

Livi took some pretty good swings at the pinata

Dance Class - all dressed up

This is the face that lets Kel and I know that destruction is eminent

They were supposed to be tip-toeing through a scary forest

livi didn't quite get the idea

RANDOM HAPPY STUFF

Princess

Devil



HARVEST FEST, IDAHO FALLS

Livi and Jace JAMMIN to Uncle Shane's country beat

Keaton just staying warm

Go Uncle Shane and the Wise Brothers! (He's the guy in the black Stetson)

Yeah, he's pretty much famous

TROUBLE
Why does he always have his binki? Is it from Livi - just so he'll keep quiet while he becomes the object of her endless torments?

MOST RECENT PIC

(yes, you're almost to the end of this post - I know you're sad about it)

One last dance with daddyWe set up a special day with Livi last Saturday and went to see Disney Princesses on Ice - just mom, dad and Livi. We all had a great time - she especially belted out the tune when they played Mulan's theme song, "Reflection". I'm not gonna lie -

she was adorable

Thoughts

Have any of you ever seen or heard an amazing story that inspired you to be a better person? I just had a simple thought tonight that I wanted to write down for my own sake, and anyone reading who might feel like me once in a while.

Lately I've been feeling a little like the frog that fell in the bucket of cream - I know that in theory, if I just keep kicking it will eventually turn into butter and I'll be able to hop out. But for some reason, the cream just keeps getting deeper and deeper and my legs are getting tired (maybe it's because we haven't had a decent night's sleep for months - thanks kids, I love you.) In other words, I've been feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, disorganized and frustrated.

But tonight I was doing a little blog stalking, (yeah, instead of catching up on all of those things that are making me feel like the frog in the bucket) and I checked up on one of my favorites. As I read her thoughts, I got a very familiar, energizing feeling that makes me want to kick my frog legs a little harder. It's that same feeling I get whenever I listen to an inspired speaker, read a great book, or hear a story of personal triumph. I felt ready to try again, and somehow do better this time.

Of course, in the very midst of my Wonder Woman moment, I suddenly had a destructive thought:

I sure need a lot of inspiration. Ha!

And once I opened the door, other thoughts quickly ran through my mind:

Does this mean I'm weak and inadequate?

Is it bad to need constant positive influence in my life?

Why do I need so many reminders?

The ugly little monsters ran around in my head for several minutes before I realized one simple thing.

Sometimes I just forget, and that's OK.

I get caught up in day-to-day things that put me into a survival mode rather than a self-improvement one. I am not a failure because I need to be reminded (often) of what I need to be and how I truly want to live my life. I am only a failure if I don't try.

and so i keep on kicking.

Keaton raids the kitchen

Eye-Opener

Please take a few (15) minutes to watch this video. I am hereby swearing that I will never text while I'm driving again - and I'm totally ashamed to admit that I have. Sometimes we just need to take a second to think about what we are doing and decide if it's worth it or not. Be safe. Love, Trish
ZEROFATALITIES

Don't Worry

Maybe everyone else has seen or heard him, but i discovered Bobby Mcferrin is pretty freaking cool. I am not a huge jazz fan, and I hate his "don't worry, be happy" song. But this guy is pretty talented.






Blackbird

Somewhere over the rainbow

I don't know why, but this is pretty cool

Why, oh Why

A picture to break the silence.


Sorry i wasn't there to protect you son. If they pull out a dress, scream, kick, and yell as if your life depends on it.

Finally moved in................now time to unbox.

Sorry to break the posting silence with a political one, but i can't think of anything else to post and I have tried to become more politically aware lately.

I think the question of government involvement in the economy is the big question of the day. We have seen General Motors become Government Motors. CEO's have been replaced, companies have been bailed out, and the government gains more and more influence and control in private business.

Now we have the Glenn Beck's, and Rush Limbaugh's clamoring to call it the end of the world. Republicans triedg to get the Democratic party's name changed to the Socialist party. We are often muttering that capitalistic is what we have always been, and now we have become something else.

My comment/question to you is, do we really want our economy unregulated? Do we really want someone to stop policing the monopolies, the anti-trusts, the insider-trading, etc, etc Should we do away with the FDIC? Then when banks fail, the government really won't be involved.

I watched a report detailing our fall into this recession. The biggest thing jumping out at me was how the unregulated mortgage industry contributed to/caused this fall. We are in this trouble largely because of the practices of one of the most under-regulated industries in our economy.

I am not saying I am all for government control. But at the end of the day, I think everyone wants SOME level of government control in our economy. How do we know when it is enough or too much? Is it ever going to be perfect, or will it always be a little too far either in either direction?

New Home on the Horizon

The bank has accepted our offer, so aside from any possible setbacks, we could be moving in by the first part of August! One of the first things I'll do is set up the computer so I can finally catch up on the pictures I've needed to post the past few months! The kids are growing so fast - Keaton's now crawling (yes, finally - I know) and he has two teeth (again, FINALLY). Livi doesn't stop - talking, running, jumping, screeching, and yes - she is now officially potty trained. Don't worry - I won't share pics of that. It was, however, quite lucky that she did her "training" while we lived here in the rental and not on my new carpet.

We are really lucky to have such great friends and family who have encouraged and supported us in our decision to move. This has been a long, drawn-out process, but now that I see the light at the end of the tunnel, I know it will be worth the few months of inconvenience to end up in a home where we can stay for a long long LONG time (because I'm not planning to do this again anytime in the next century)!

New home - here we come!

Rain and Music

If you've never heard of Jon Schmidt, you probably don't live in Utah. He's a local artist whose albums you can usually find in Deseret Book. His latest creation has become the 2nd most watched video on Youtube and if you haven't seen it yet, check this out. I'm listening to it again with the patio door open so I can also hear the electric thunderstorm going on outside. It's keeping me awake - not from the noise - I don't want to miss the storm! I would be so happy if this weather went on for the rest of the month. Nature and music are so inspiring to me - hope you enjoy this little sample: PS - Dixie, I think you'll really like this one!

My Latest Fav Song

still here

We are still around. Just surviving in a condo rental with only the laptop, so no pics for you today. Just a few livi comments to share:


Mom: Livi, you need a time-out. Go sit on the chair, and count to 20.
Livi: How about I count to one.


Shortly after one of us (i am not saying who) let a stinky one go.
Livi: Sniff, Sniff, Sniff. What's that smell like?
Un-named Parent: oh, i don't know. oh well.
Livi: Sniff, Sniff. Smells like a green egg.

I was installing a lock on Livi's door. The latch type with one side having a long run with a single bend.
Livi, picked up the latch, and blew on one end........"That looks like a saxophone, daddy"

When i get home and talk with Trish, Livi can't stand it. She has to join in.
Livi: Daddy stop. I need to call you a question.

new template

So i guess there were some people who couldn't see our blog template when they came to the site.

So without consulting Trish, i threw this one on. If it changes in another day or two, you will know why.

Happy Easter! and other belated messages

Livi and I took advantage of Keaton's nap time and did some festive egg coloring. It was always such a big event growing up when mom and dad would dress us in our worn-out clothes, cover the kitchen in newspaper and let the egg decorating begin. My inner scientist comes out as I mix colors to make pink, lavendar, yellow, orange and (my favorites) blue and green. Easter is the only time of year when the scent of vinegar and hard-boiled eggs suddenly makes me feel nostalgic.

Not long after we finished, Keaton decided to join us (note the bed head). Livi was giving him some sister love when she stopped and said, "Mommy - Keaton spit up on me." (it was actually just a few drops of his gallons of drool that he constantly leaks all over the place) So, like the helping sister she is, Livi grabbed a wash cloth and proceded to clean him up.




Speaking of bed head, Keaton got his first haircut a couple of weeks ago. As you can see in the pictures above, he was getting a little shaggy, and though I love the skater look, Keaton's hair is so cute with a faux-hawk and his hair was getting too long for it. So to Cookie Cutters we went. Livi had to be a part of the fun (she would probably rate that place higher than Disneyland) so we let her hop in the barber's seat too - she needed a trim anyway.


Handsome devil!


A last-second shot before we head to church and they cover their cute Easter outfits in fruit loops and spit-up.


The Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Dori's house. It was chilly but fun and the kids all got some great loot. Except for Livi - I was hoping for more chocolate and caramel but she seemed to find all the eggs filled with stickers and smarties. Boo!
Not that I would have eaten her candy or anything.




And finally (yes, this is a LONG post) here are some sweet pictures of Livi - the flowers were irresistible - I let her go ahead and pick some. What the heck - we're moving anyway! And yes, that is chocolate on her face. Some days you just don't feel like cleaning up and following all the rules. It was a frosty for lunch, followed by frolicking in the usually forbidden flower beds, a bubble bath with tons of bubbles (she got a hold of the bottle and dumped the whole thing in) and a very late nap. She was one happy kid!

THE END

Cute. Nuff Said.

Princess 24/7

I love watching Livi as her fashion sense evolves. Anything with pink goes together, right? She says, "Mama, I look PRETTIFUL!" as she clicks across the kitchen floor and back again - her version of the catwalk. (Notice the pointed-toe pose)