Jurassic Park

Today it seemed like Tyler was one step (I should say a leap because it's Leap Day!) ahead of me all day. Here's the story of the leap that made the biggest splash in my day:

I had been upstairs for a while when I realized that the quiet I was enjoying probably meant something wasn't quite right in Guppyville. When I peeked around the corner to look down the stairs, I saw two boys and a trail of leaves from the artificial tree. Tyler was holding one of those alligator chomper toys that opens and closes its mouth when you pull a trigger thing. It had a leaf from the tree in it's mouth. Justin was standing there as happy as a lark laughing at Tyler. Here is a picture of the guilty leapers:



I told Tyler that we don't pull leaves off the tree. He innocently said, "But my dinosaur was hungry!" I didn't even know what to say to that! It was all I could do not to burst out laughing! There is a line all around the tree where the dinosaur munched away every single leaf on each branch! Just like what a giraffe would do or in Tyler's case a brontosaurus!



Well we can't let our dinosaur go hungry, now can we? Calling all dinosaurs! We still have SOME leaves left on our tree!

Camouflage

Justin asked for some camouflage pants so that he'd be able to "blend in" when he's climbing a tree. He has NEVER asked to wear anything in particular and so I told him I'd be on the lookout. Well, I hit a fantastic sale last week and picked up some camouflage clothes. He keeps thanking me for buying him these cool clothes. Apparently, nothing was ever cool before this. I think it's so funny! Today he was so excited to wear his green camouflage pants and helicopter t-shirt to school. On the way to the bus, his little friend made a big deal about Justin's cool army pants. Travis said he had the biggest grin on his face! When Justin got home from school, he asked me if I had heard what Sean said at the bus stop. Then he said, "Mom, I wowed them at school today!"

Nothing but SUN!

Yes! I really did it! I did absolutely NOTHING inside the house all day yesterday. (Well, besides nap time when I just blogged!) Ty and I went VT in the morning and when we came home we didn't even go inside. He just hopped on his little trike and away we went...on the longest walk. Then when I asked him if he wanted a picnic lunch in the backyard I thought he'd pass out with all his "YES! YES! YES! YES!" yes's.

We finally went in for his nap and then the second he woke up we were out the door again, this time with Justin home from school and a longer wagon ride with snacks this time. And we didn't go in until Travis came home from work and I was so happy to tell him that NOTHING was planned for dinner. I don't know why that made me feel so happy. I think I just really enjoyed having a day of flittering! (I think I got that word from the movie "Summer Magic".) How often can you really say you didn't have to "do" anything all day? It was WONDERFUL! I hope I can have another "Nothing" day again soon!

I Am...

I went to our Stake's Women's Conference on Saturday morning. We chose between many classes to attend and had a yummy lunch with friends at the end. The theme of the whole conference was "I Am a Woman of Balance (Mosiah 4:27)".

Of course all the classes were good, but the second class I went to was a stand-out. It was called "I AM" A Balanced Woman. I left in the best mood. Here are some favorite quotes from the lesson:

If there are things in your life you enjoy doing, by all means do them.

Take a deep breath about what is going on in your life and learn to SIMPLIFY.

Thoughts become things. Think in a positive manner.

The body, like everything else in life, is a mirror of our inner thoughts and beliefs. Every cell within your body reacts to every single thought you think and every word you speak. Every thought I think is creating my future.

I am a woman of balance. "I am" statements are so important because each "I am" statement creates positively or negatively. Use more positive statements to create more of what you want. Be careful what you say. Say things you actually want to have happen.

Say to yourself, "I am alert and attentive." It's a game. Things will start to shift. Look at your patriarchal blessing and look for all the "I am" statements. Make them become "I am" statements. This is a type of goal to work towards. If you begin to see yourself as such, you will become so.

I am always on time. (Hee! Hee!) It's my choice. It is my creation. I want to start moving in a positive way. I guess you could say this will be my New Year's Resolution: To really focus on positive "I am" statements from here on out.

Moonlight

So my friend, Kaylynn, and I are taking an exercise class together. Yes, we do have the same name AND we are visiting teaching companions, too. What are the chances of that? I met her 7 years ago when we played co-ed softball together with our husbands. She's great! Anyway, I needed to pick up something at her house before class the other night. She was out to dinner with her husband and told me to just go around back and go in the house to pick up the stuff waiting somewhere in the entryway. Fine, not a big deal. She said the dogs were locked up but would go nuts. I asked her if there were any lights on out back. She said it would be dark. (lunar eclipse night!) So I grabbed a flashlight on my way out to the car.

When I am on my way to her house I realize that I really, REALLY look like a burglar! I was wearing black yoga pants and a black short-sleeved shirt with a black jacket AND A FLASHLIGHT! Just great! I was picturing what would happen: I jiggle the gate and it's stuck so I have to jump over the 4 foot fence. Then I click on the flashlight in complete darkness. Dogs start barking like crazy and I run tripping over toys on the grass. When I find the right sliding glass door I open it and can't find the light switch. More walking with a flashlight dressed in TOTAL black. More dogs barking. I could just picture meeting the police on my way out the front door...

Well, here's how it all unfolded: I got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Don't ask me why, I know they aren't home. Then I'm brilliant and walk to look around both sides of the house. It gets better. Then I am thinking do I just hurry and jog around to get it over with quick so no one sees or do I just act nonchalant like I belong? I chose the nonchalant, quiet as a mouse version. (Yeah, like anyone creeps around their yard wearing all black with a FLASHLIGHT!) The gate opened. No barking. I look over and think, "Good, the neighbor's lights are off, too. They won't catch me red-handed." Thank goodness there was just enough light coming from the street that I didn't have to turn on my flashlight. Still no barking. I'm starting to wonder when I'm going to get ambushed by two guard dogs. I'm on the deck. Now they're barking. A lot! I hurry and open the door and close it behind me. Then I feel around on the wall for a light switch. I couldn't find one so I walked to the entry in the dark and luckily found a switch. No bag. Oh no, after all that I couldn't just leave empty-handed! Then I spotted the Target bag on the kitchen table and I quickly turned off the light and left through the front door. Whew! No one is out front to catch me and their two cats walk me to my car. She did say later that the dogs were still going nuts when they got home. And I'm just glad the story ends there!

Happy President's Day!

I love that today is a holiday and I love that Travis has the day off and I love that we could spend the whole day doing fun things! Justin finished a week of his new job chart. His chosen reward was a trip to his favorite park: Rood Bridge Park. This park is fabulous and the boys had a grand time on the playground. Then we ran along the stream and went hiking down the trails for a while. We always see lots of wildlife and it was fun to just listen to all the chirping birds.




My favorite part is when we crossed the "old" stone bridge and chased each other up a beautiful grassy hill.



It was a gorgeous spring day! I love feeling the warmth of the SUN! We had to lure them away with promises of a trip to Costco to get them to the car.



On the way to the car, Tyler started gathering pinecones. I told him they were called pinecones. He said, "Get more pineapples!" Again I told him they were called pinecones. He said, "Need more pineapple cones!"

It was a fun day!

Are you going to eat that?

You asked for it and I'm glad to share. For those of you who don't know, this is not a grocery store, it's a treasure hunt! I was trying to make a top 10, but couldn't leave out everything else! So, you might laugh, but here's our got-to-have-it-or-we'll-starve shopping list from Trader Joe's:

Cereal Aisle: Puffins cereal, Blueberry Muesli - my designated breakfast and/or midnight snack mixed in blueberry yogurt :), Honey-nut Joe's O's and banana granola bars.

Produce: I love the green onions, green or red peppers, zuchinni, avocados, lemon juice, organic creamy ranch dressing and salad mixes.

Dairy case: butter is great, yogurts and cottage cheese and fresh-squeezed juice smoothies.

Deli case: Chicken Caesar wraps, kids sandwich/lunch bag, turkey/swiss on pretzel bread, just about all of these quick-grab lunches are great.

Cheese/Meats: String cheese, black forest ham slices, smoked turkey slices, canandian bacon slices, yogurt cheese.

Canned foods: black beans, garbonzo beans, lite coconut milk, Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon (skinless/boneless)- fantastic as "tuna" sandwiches for lunch or salmon cakes for dinner, beef or chicken stew, and corn. The boxed chicken stock is great and our fav boxed soup is butternut squash soup (I add a sprinkle of pumpin pie spice on top and call it "pumpkin soup")

Condiment Aisle: Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, organic ketchup, organic marinara sauce, enchilada sauce, lemon-dill sauce(for grilled salmon), organic 100% fruit jams, peanut butter, honey bear, pumpkin pie spice, honey sticks for kid treats, any dried fruit or nuts. We love the mango slices, raisins and the "sweet n' salty" trail mix.

Frozen: Barbeque terriaki chicken (fabulous, fast dinnner), tamales (chicken/cheese, beef) cubes of garlic, parsley, basil and cilantro. Frozen organic peas and stir-fry mixes are good. Frozen waffles and pancakes are my guilty pleasure on rushed mornings. Frozen blueberries for homemade pancakes and frozen berries and fruit for smoothies.

Crackers/Chips: peanut butter stuffed pretzel bites, peanut butter or cheese cracker sandwiches, savory crackers, Corn Chips with flax (these taste like corn nuts), crispy green beans (we narf down a bag on the ride home)

Others: Mango shave cream, mandrin orange dish liquid soap, midsummer nights cream lotion, kailai shower gel. Emergen-c drink packets (strawberry or super orange)

I could go on and on. Crazy, but this is a paired-down list. Yeah, we're a little bit nuts! I can't believe you came out of there with NOTHING, Jeri! I always come home with TOO much! We are seriously making a list right now of things we want to special order as cases for our food storage. Check out www.traderjoesfan.com for some reviews on items you are thinking about trying and some recipes, too.

Happy Shopping!

Family Fun

If you are looking for quick activities and ideas for kids, check out this website:


Today we made red rockets and origami boats and fish. And they FLOAT, too! I used to subscribe to this magazine. It was great, but I don't anymore because you can get most of the ideas online and that's FREE! Sounds like fun to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We got an early start on Valentine's Day! This morning Travis surprised me with ONE DOZEN RED ROSES! I was so surprised! The boys each asked for one rose to take care of in their own vases.

Justin and his rose

They were so happy to smell their own roses! Tyler kept plucking petals and Justin would sniff the petals so they would be vaccummed to his nose. Silly boys! Every time I look over at the kitchen table I smile!

Our VALENTINES were delivered! Justin built a post office in his closet. He has a mail slot center and has been working in his "Valentine's Factory" for the past week. Grandma and Grandpa Davis sent each boy a box of valentines. Justin has been busy! He doesn't want a story before bed because he is making more valentines. He has been waking up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. to make more valentines. He writes Tyler's valentines for him whether Ty likes it or not. This is serious stuff. :) He made valentines for all the kids in his kindergarten class and LOTS for us. Here is a picture of the all the loot we get to open tomorrow:



Let's see...25 for me and 22 for Travis...we're not keeping score, but I couldn't help but notice that I got three more! :) Thanks, Justin, we love you too!

We have Valentine's Day SWEETS! Tonight, my cute visiting teacher, Sharleen, brought by some adorable heart cookies. She was so nice to remember me for Valentine's Day!



It was a happy day! It's good to feel LOVED!

Bag Tagged!

Jeri bag tagged me, and I thought this looked like fun.


So here's what you need to do.........

1. take a picture of your bag
2. show a picture of ALL the contents in your bag
NO CLEANING OUT FIRST!!!!
3. "Bag Tag" five people


Here is my bag....green NINE WEST purse.



And here we go:


Click on the picture to read the detail...

I'll tag Kristen, Lisa, Holli, Kari and Allie.

Shining Stars and Snow

Justin was the "Shining Star" in his kindergarten class this last week. He was so excited to tell all about himself and especially to bring home their class bear, Blueberry! Here's a picture of his "All about ME" poster:



Justin LOVED this bear! He was so cute getting off the school bus on Monday with a big stuffed bear backpack hugging his tummy. The big backpack held Blueberry and his "travel" journal. We got to add a picture and an entry about Justin's adventures with Blueberry. He took it everwhere with him. He slept with Blueberry, played with Blueberry, rode in the car with Blueberry, did magic tricks with Blueberry, watched t.v. with Blueberry and even ate blueberries with Blueberry.



Rewind to last Saturday. More SNOW! This time a bigger and maybe better snowman in the slush and rain! They LOVED it!

Just in Time!

Justin told me he doesn't like his name becauuse his kindergarten teacher is always saying "just" and he thinks she is saying his name but he is wrong. I laughed. Then he said, "Hey, people say my name all the time when they say 'just in time'!" He said that he wishes he had three names so his name could be "Justin Time For". I asked him what his name would be if he had four names. He thought for a second and said, "I'd need five: Justin Time For The Zoo!"

President Hinckley

I'll miss his voice the most. Watching the funeral and tributes today on BYU television was really nice. I was feeling so thankful for the gospel and the knowledge that we have that we can live with our families forever. Faith plays a huge part in my life. I realized today that when I say "faith" sometimes I really mean "I know". I think that as my faith in something grows I begin to realize that it has become more tangible than I had thought it was. My testimony of the gospel grew more today. I hope this is something I can share with my kids. So someday they will be able to say that they know their mom knew the church was true.

Justin was asking a lot of questions today about death and his perceptions of life and life after death. He said at one point while we were watching the broadcast of the funeral that "it's too bad he couldn't be at his own funeral". I told him that I believe that Heavenly Father does allow the spirits of those who have died to come back to Earth for special reasons. That he could be there observing. Travis and I had the opportunity to answer his questions about these things. I am so thankful that we have been given the scriptures and living prophets to teach us about the things of eternity. It is truly a gift.