Tagged again!

I have been tagged again, this time by Codee. I kind of really hope you read this because it can be a good insight to my weird quircky self. I know you have all wondered, well, here's the reality.

Rules: link the person who tagged you. Mention these rules on your blog.

Tell 6 UNSPECTACULAR Quirks about yourself and tag 6 fellow bloggers.
Here we go...

1. My thought processes are rarely conveyed to my general audiences. lol. Half of the time I start at the end or in the middle of what I'm thinking about when I'm talking aloud. It seems to others that I pull ideas and topics out of no where, when in reality I can trace the thought process perfectly. As you all know I talk so much that sometimes I don't realize what I have or haven't said... a little on the crazy side, I know! Hahaha! I do much better when I'm writing.

2. I love to sleep. I love it I love it I love it, but, oddly, I never do it. I stay up all night and love to sleep in, but never get to. I have never been a morning person. My mom says I've always been that way, maybe I love it so much because I'm so sleep deprived all of the time so it really feels good to me, although I tend to put it off because I'm afraid of wasting time that could be spent getting something done (now anyway, those precious moments that my hands are free are fleeting!). One time when I was 15, I think it may have been the last day of 9th grade, I slept for 3 days straight. I don't remember much about those days, but I think I even slept on the couch the whole time. The main couch with everyone coming in and out. All I remember was how good I felt when I woke up. I must have really needed it. I really hope I'm not the only one who remembers this, because I promise you it really did happen.




3. Back to the sleep thing. I used to sleep like the dead. My husband would never believe that now, because after I married a cop, go figure all of the sudden I'm a light sleeper. I'm even lighter since my babies were born. Oh if only my roommates could see me now! They once tried to put our loudest alarm right next to my head to wake me up for a meteor shower at 2 AM about 6 years ago. I told them it would not wake me up and they didn't believe me. I think they even bet money and set two more alarms. Then when they went off and I didn't wake up or even stir, my roommate, who bet money that I wouldn't wake up, tried to shake me awake and yelled at me... nothing. BJ really doesn't think I was ever like that. Anyone remember this one? I guess that explains why I slept for 3 days straight.

4. I really don't mean to have these all be sleeping things, but I think maybe that's the quirckiest thing about me. Anyway, I talk in my sleep like you would not believe. I once found myself laying upside down on the living room couch at my mom's when I was in High School. I woke up because I got cold. I can't even begin to pick one to tell you. There are too many stories about this from anyone who has ever shared a room with me. BJ's a pretty heavy sleeper, so he doesn't experience this very often, but once in a while he'll tell me the next day. If anyone wants to share their experience, it'll probably come better from you, since I don't remember it at all. There are some doozies. lol Maybe I'll post them later.

5. Whenever I buy new toiletries I can't wait to open them and use them. There is something about a fresh bottle of Contact Solution, mascara, eye liner, deoderant, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. that makes it so I can't wait to try it. Even if it's exactly what I've been using I can't wait to open a fresh one and use it for the first time. I love to remove the packaging. It's almost like Christmas to me. This is so weird, I know, but I just love it. Everytime I buy new stuff I torture myself, too because I want to use up the old one and not let it go to waste. I just makes me more excited. I try to contain my enthusiasm. My husband doesn't even know how excited I get. I totally bury it every time, when I just want to be excited... how much more weird can I get, right?

6. Geeez, another sleep thing, only I'm not the one sleeping this time. People always fall asleep to the sound of my voice. I used to think it was because they were bored with me, but I've come to realize that the tone of my talking voice, maybe it's the mumbling factor from my last tag I told you all about, but there is something in my tone that puts people to sleep, no matter what time of day it is. If we are having a conversation and the environment is soothing, I may as well be a nature CD. I should get a job at a spa and talk people into relaxation. Too bad I can't do it to myself.

Maybe I wrote all of the sleep stuff because I am just thinking about going to sleep because it's only 2 am. haha! Maybe I'm sleep typing...lol

Mom's 60th Birthday

We celebrated My Mom's 60th birthday with a surprise party. Here she is with Olivia and Ethan that weekend. It was a lot of fun to plan with my sisters and to see the people that came and get all the phone calls from those who wanted to come, but couldn't make it. Mom, you are so loved. (September 26, 2008)

(Mom with Chloe at her house birthday week)
First of all, we spent Mom's birthday vegging at my house. Debbie was in town for the week with Chloe so, we just chilled with the kids and had fun hanging out together all day. That evening we headed out to shop a little bit and then Deb and I took Mom to Applebee's for dinner. Just before we left she sardonically said, "This birthday has been fun..." We could tell she was a little disappointed(this was also before she knew we were treating her to dinner).

(Mom and her two boys, can you tell that they love her? This is what I'm excited about when I think about the family that we are creating)
Becky had been calling me to let me know that her flight was on schedule and to let me know that she landed okay, and we told Mom that she was super busy with a wedding and wished that she had a second to say hello. Mom was totally bummed (hee hee!) They headed out that night back up to Logan and Debbie and Chloe took mom to the Spa the next morning. I told Mom that I was going to try to make it up there on time to make it to the dinner before Women's Conference, but I had a lot to do so I wasn't sure.
(Mom, Esther and Matthew--I think at Dad's funeral, so March, '07)

(Mom with Olivia, Ethan and Chloe at her house birthday weekend Sept '08)
Becky and I met at Mom's to decorate and get the food all ready. Our cousin, Kathleen, her husband, Garen, and their youngest, Hunter, were the first to arrive, then our cousin Kristine and her two girls, Melissa and Michelle, and Melissa's baby, Jaxson. They helped us set everything up, filling up balloons and hanging things up. Garen did the grilling (hooray!)and I ended up taking care of my baby through most of this, so we are so grateful they were so willing to help!

(All of us at David's house in Ohio last July '07)
Debbie called to give us the signal that they were in Richmond and we got everyone gathered in the dining room. Mom came in through the garage door and we all yelled "Surprise!" She was so happy. That was my favorite part. She said the last time someone threw her a surprise party was her 16th birthday. She had no clue that we were all planning this and no clue that Becky was coming into town for it.


So, thanks everyone who came! Especially Uncle Scott and his family and Aunt "Juanita" who both traveled so far to come. We are so glad you did and so glad to see you, and thanks everyone who sent her a congratulations or a note, whether through us or the mail or the phone. It really meant a lot to her.
(Mom with my little Kiddies. Livi loves to give kisses to her MaGa)
Each of us (her children) sent her 10 cards so that she could get 60 cards on her 60th birthday. It was really fun to see what we all came up with and to watch her open them. Really fun actually... :) We took some pictures of Mom with Olivia, Ethan, and Chloe (Ethan and Chloe are just 6 weeks apart in age) on Sunday and we just enjoyed the rest of the weekend together. This picture is from last July at David's in Ohio. She has 4 more Grandchildren since then! We will have fun pictures of everyone together after Christmas.

And we're back!

Okay, I've been unable to access my internet for a bit because, well, I have 2 kids and every so often I just don't get a free minute and because our computer went kapootoe, so I had to wait until we got a new one. So, I will post pictures with this later. I have some fun things to post and new pictures! Don't get too excited because there aren't very many, but hey, I tried. Some upcoming posts I will be adding are My mom's surprise birthday party, Ethan is a smiler now, Livi is talking--really, BJ's Cruiser, I think that's it. I think there was even one about me on my mind, but I can't remember right this minute. Mommy brain. Mostly it makes me forget how to spell and more lisdexic. :)

Groovy fact: Dr. OZ on Oprah said that women's brains shrink when they are pregnant and the baby gets the omega 3 from their central nervous system. The cells don't die, they just shrink. After the baby is born, the brain starts into rewire and repair mode. Makes mommies forgetful, sluggish, and air headed. Hmmmm... I know what you're thinking, "so what was your excuse before all of that?" Right? It's okay, I can take it.

Help and feedback please!

Okay, I need some feedback here. I can't decide what to do with the slideshows on the right. I did them in a different format so that they would update as I added pictures to the albums in picasa, but that means they are either really small or a little cut off. What do you all think looks better?

Thanks everyone!

Meet and Greet

I anticipated my Labor Day to be a little boring, but with BJ's family in town, we had so much fun. BJ decided to hit a movie with his brothers, dad and sister in-law while my mother in-law and I took Olivia, Ethan and their cousin Kaylie to the Treehouse museum in Ogden. The girls had a lot of fun. I forgot to bring my wrap so I was hefting the carseat around the whole time. Haha! I guess I won't do that again!
I just thought this was a really cute pic. This is actually the day after The Treehouse. They handed the kids eye patches when we left and I wanted a picture of the whole ensemble.

Preparing to work around her daddy, she got to dress up as a fireman. This was on a play firetruck just inside the entrance. Livi mostly stood around and watched everyone else play. It was extremely crowded.

Here's she is playing with a train set. There was a room where you could let the toddlers run for a bit with giant soft building blocks and these activity tables. There were some really cute kids in there, most of them around Olivia's age. All of them were fun to watch.

Playing the marimba with Grandma Wright. This music set up was her favorite place. We spent the majority of our time here. She had so much fun banging on the instruments. It was a lot of fun.

Playing the floor piano. They had things for all ages. There was evena velcro wall where they could arrange the notes on a treble clef. She had a hard time leaving this room.

We headed over to the craft corner where she got to make a pirate hat. It was a little big for her but she had a lot of fun decorating it. I even helped her write her name.

She was verrry tired by the time we were winding down to leave. All of this was during her regular nap time. I'm sure she didn't mind, but it sure makes for a grumpy girl at home! I had to snap this picture myself. I finally have one of me on here!

After The Treehouse and movies, we went to Chili's for dinner. BJ pushed Olivia in a cart around the parking lot while we waited to be seated. I tried my first ever meatless burger--the black bean burger from the guiltless menu. It was actually pretty good, and the best part was, there were no surprises to bite into (bones and stuff). However, it still lacked something. I wonder if you can replace regular beef patties with those... hmmm...

I tried several times to take pictures of the two girls together. They were being so cute, hugging each other all of the time. However, this was the only picture I could get of her and Kaylie because Kaylie wouldn't let me take anything of her. As soon as she saw my camera she turned and ran... you can see she is in the process in this picture. :)
After dinner, we went our separate ways and back to normal life. It was sad to see both of our families go, but it will be fun to see everyone again. Sorry, I only have pics of the kids to show for it. I really do need to be better.

Ethan's Blessing

This a week and a half ago, but better late than never.
We blessed Ethan last Sunday. It was so fun. Both of our families came... except David and Amy. Debbie and I had a little party the day before to see all of our cousins and show off our new babies. We had a lot of fun. I forgot my camera at that part, so no pics of that.




I really didn't take any of Ethan's blessing either, but I do have some of him before we left for church, as you can see. I was really kind of bummed that we didn't get a family shot that day. I guess I'm just really bad at initiating things like that. I need to be better. So it was an awesome weekend and we had so much fun. I'm so grateful to have a husband who holds the priesthood and gives such beautiful blessings by the spirit.

Ring Around the Rosies

I couldn't really think of anything clever to name this post, but Olivia loves "Ring Around the Rosies" these days. She runs around the house saying "Ashee Ashee a fa dow!" Anyway, I just wanted to put some new pics up and I don't have a particular reason. Just 'cuz.


I can't really get a decent picture of Olivia anymore because they all turn out like this.

My chubby little boy! Funny thing is, as chubby as he looks in the face, you lift him up and he's just solid. No rolls or anything. Maybe he just has a lot of muschles!

Just before bed time Livi gives Ethan a hug and says, "Ohhhh...".

A little pat. She is always so soft.

We just missed her kiss and she wouldn't do it for us again.

Here's Ethan in his favorite of all favorite places to sleep (Mommy and Daddy's bed). Can you tell?

Here's Daddy with the kids. Can you tell how tired we all are at our house?

Here's Olivia wearing Mommy's glasses. She loves to wear any kind of glasses. She has her own pair of sun glasses. She likes walking around the house with her eyes closed or a blanket over her (I think she thinks she's invisible when she does it). I think she likes the sunglasses because she likes to pretend she's invisible.


That's all for now! We'll see if we can't update you some more later.

Reveal Yourself Tag

I guess I was tagged on Ashley's Blog, so here goes:

1. What is your favorite fictional character from a book or movie?

Dwight Schrute from The Office and Marie Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond. Strike that. My absolute favorite as of now, is Barbara Jean on "Reba", she's hilarious.

2. What are your 3 best physical assets?

hmmm... oh, my feet are definately my favorite, my eyes and my skin.

3. Name 3 attributes you would be proud to pass on to your children:

Patience, empathy, and a postivie attitude.

4. Name 3 attributes that you hope not to pass on to your children:

I complain a lot about my body, I don't want them to do that.
I'm really bad at processing my thoughts into words. Sorry anyone who doesn't understand me.
Mumbling. Sorry about that, too. It makes the last thing I said even worse.

5.If you had to give up one of the following things FOREVER, which would you choose?
1. all makeup
2. flat iron/curling iron
3. razors (laser hair removal isn't an option)

Probably the irons, I can just do my hair curly.

6. What do you think is your best quality?

When I meet people I don't look for flaws, I look for something that I can admire.

7. What is your worst quality?

I'm really bad at letting people know that I'm interested in their lives. Even though I really am, I'm just bad at helping them feel important. Sorry about that, too. I really am working on it.

8. What would be a perfect day for you?

A day when I can just devote all of my time and energy into having fun and relaxing with my family. That was my favorite part of my birthday. BJ and Olivia came and brought me breakfast in bed and we just sat and talked and played for a couple of hours. It was the best.

9. Where is your favorite place you have ever visited?

Carthage Jail. There was just something about that place that made me connect so much with Joseph Smith and his calling.

10. Name something you are really good at?

I don't know... figuring things out, I guess. If I don't know how to make it, run it, or do it, I'll figure it out. Even if it's a situation. Things like that aren't a big deal to me very often.

11. What are you most shallow about?

My looks. I feel like a 13 year old sometimes when it comes to my looks. I feel like everyone notices my flaws.

12. What is something you're a little bit conceited about?

My families. My husband and children, and mine and my husband's--both of the homes we grew up in. I admire everyone immensly and think that every single individual that belongs to our families can move mountains.

13. Name 3 things you are embarrassed to admit:

I love to watch cheesy movies by myself. I can't stand it when I, my house, my husband, or my children smell weird and will try everything to get to the source of the problem. I can count how many articles of clothing I've purchased for myself (in my whole life) on 2 hands.

14. Tag 3 people that you want to reveal themselves!!

Kristol, Codee, and Rachel.

Growth Charts

Where to start? We have some noteworthy events...

Ethan (5 weeks) is getting soooo big already we just can't believe it! This is his favorite position and second favotite place to sleep. Number one, of course, is in Mommy and Daddy's bed.
He's already grown out of his first 2 sets of clothes. At this rate he will pass up Olivia in no time! She was in newborn clothes for the first few months.




He has a very strong neck and acid reflux, ingredients for early roll overs. He is still such a good baby and we have been so extremely blessed with the two most perfect children. He already sleeps through the night (mostly) and is just content to sit and look around. I can't believe how clear his eyes are. They look like they will end up being a lovely shade of blue.
With that and the cute dimples--which he got from his Grandpa Bright and, surprisingly I just noticed the other day that BJ has them as well(this is the only pic I've been able to get with the dimples!) --and dark hair, he will definately be a heartbreaker. We will be blessing him Labor Day weekend so maybe I'll actually be able to post a family pic soon.

Olivia (19 months) is hitting a few milestones as well. Mommy can actually do things with her hair now (so cute!),
she can count to 10 these days, is getting very good at communicating with her words, loves to sing the ABC's and loves to lay in her soon-to-be new bed with mommy and daddy while she mouths the words to the songs that we sing.
She blows me away, what a smart cookie. She has been extremely interested in the potty for a long time and the other night she recognized and told us that she had to go, so we started actively potty training yesterday and we had as least one successful effort.
This pic is actually from a couple of months ago... She was so excited once she figured out what the potty treats were for, so hopefully today we will have more luck. I just can't believe how fast they grow.

BJ had lasik eye surgery 2 days ago, so far he says his vision is actually worse. It was pretty bad to begin with and I honestly think his brain is trying to get used to the new eyes. The doctor says it may take a few days or even weeks because he never wore corrective lenses.
For now, he is spending time with his little boy and starting to empathize with me a little. I have such terrible vision and found out today, it's actually even worse since my pregnancy... BJ has been known to give me a hard time because I get so frustrated in the mornings when I can't see to find my glasses. It's been kind of fun taking care of him. I love being able to serve my family.

I have been given the okay to excersize so I'm off to the gym every chance I get. I'm pretty excited to get back into shape and I'm so surprised at how much more energy I have after this baby than I did with Olivia. I don't know if that's because I had a c-section last time or not, but I'll take it! All in all things are great and it's been a great 2 weeks since my last blog entry! With the blessing approaching and family coming from all corners of the U.S. I am getting things all ready, so hopefully I'll have a chance to update soon. Sorry, no pics of me, mostly because there aren't really any. I'm usually the one behind the camera.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Today is My Mom and Dad's 39th Anniversary! I just wanted to say that and put a cute pic of my parents on here, unfortunately I don't have one because they're all at my mom's, and I have no recent ones because Dad always hated having his picture taken. But, We sure miss you, Dad--more and more each day. Happy Anniversary! I hope you had a great day, Mom!