Darn Milestones

I have a true love hate relationships with milestones. I LOVE seeing my cute little ones and all of the cute things that they do. I love it when they are able to figure things out on their own. I love seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they know that they are just a little bit more grown up.

However, I have such a hard time watching them leave their little selves behind in this quest for great grown up grandeur. I about had a panic attack when Nena pierced her ears. I about died when I sent Bear on his first field trip ON A BUS yesterday. Granted, it was to the zoo, but I was a bit overwhelmed that he was going without me.

I think that I am having a tough time with Toad though. He is my baby and the last of the clan. Watching him hit these milestones is heartbreaking to me as I know that he truly is the last of the kiddos to achieve so many things. This last one did me in.

Toad learned to climb out of his crib a month or so ago and although it was cute at the time, the way he climbs out is a bit Evil Kinevalish. I am really afraid one of these days he is going to take himself out literally and figuratively. So, I have been offering him the choice lately to sleep in his crib or in his big boy bed. Yesterday, he chose the bed. I was floored. However, he was happy and complied. He chose the bed again for nap time and again for bedtime tonight.

Although a little restless because of the new mattress, he is so excited that he is grown up and is now wanting me to call him by his real first name and not Toad any more. I however, am NOT going to give up on that one. He is my Toad and will always be just that.

Lamest Toothfairy Ever

When I was growing up, the Tooth Fairy had it together. She brought all sorts of cool stuff every time that we lost a tooth. I remember (on different occasions of course) getting gum, shiny quarters or crisp dollars, beef jerky, earrings, and KING sized candy bars.

I think that Tooth Fairies must be on strike in the nations because Nena's Tooth Fairy officially bit the big one this time around. After WEEKS of coercing and pleading, my good friend Leigh finally convinced Nena to pull out her tooth. Oh, and she did it at Leigh's house. Yes, this woman truly does work miracles with my family. She is the Franco Whisperer.

Since it was such a mildly traumatic moment in little Nena's life you would think that the Tooth Fairy would have a little bit of compassion on her tiny little soul and leave her a treat worth the anguish. Right???? Well, I guess that is how it goes in theory but, in reality, things are different.

This is my theory. Just a theory mind you because I have no idea how that darn fairy really works. I assume that Nena losing her tooth late on a Friday afternoon came as a complete shock to the Tooth Fairy and she must have been completely unprepared for the occasion. She had to have been unable to get out of her little fairy castle and get to the Tooth Fairy Emporium because she was surrounded by little munchins and didn't want to reveal her most amazing gifts to them. So, she thought that she would just find something in her lovely stock of supplies at her fairy castle and leave them for sweet Nena.

However, after a long and exhausting day of raising munchkins, the Tooth Fairy must have fallen asleep on her bed still fully clothed only to be awoken 4 times during the night to soothe those little munchkins that were afraid of the dark, spiders and Willy Wonka. After missing her alarm on Saturday morning, she completely forgot that she even had a visit to make until she heard a sweet little voice coming from the Realm of Nena announcing that the Tooth Fairy must have forgotten to come.

I am sure at this point in time the Tooth Fairy was feeling absolutely awful that she had stabbed a big hole in the dreams of little Nena whose number 1 ambition in life is to become a fairy. She MUST have put it on her list to get to the Fairy Emporium to pick up an extra special gift for this little girl. However, during the day, I am sure that she got caught up with dishes, housework, cleaning out her front hall closet, soccer games, a wedding reception, a drop in visit from her brother the body builder fairy and it totally slipped her mind.

It probably wasn't until the munchkins were all tucked into bed (for the fourth time that night,) the company was gone, the house was less of a disaster than it had been, and two episodes of "My Name Is Earl" had been watched that she realized that she had missed little Nena and her poor lost tooth. What is even more annoying is that I bet that the Tooth Fairy even wrote a note to on her own hand reminding herself to pick up a treat.

So, panicked and nerve wracked. she must have raced to her secret fairy stash cupboard to grab something that she had previously picked up from the Emporium only to find that they were gone. GONE! GONE!!!! I bet you that that fairy had a nasty little Toad that found her stash and had done away with it. So, our poor lame Tooth Fairy did the only thing that she could think of and raided what was left of the Halloween candy left over from 7 months ago and grabbed a few packages of Whoppers, a tiny bubble jar and a gold Susan B. Anthony dollar coin that she got as part of her change from the McDonald's drive through. She must have felt like such an idiot leaving old trick or treat candy in the place of gum and earrings.

However, in true, grateful fairy form, sweet Nena woke up the next day at the crack of dawn and squealed in complete glee that the Tooth Fairy had remembered her and had brought her 3 packages of candy . Yes, our Tooth Fairy is very lucky that the bar has not yet been set very high and that her one immunity card had not yet been spent. Oh, and I bet that that (now much more savvy and wise) tooth fairy went to the Emporium the very next day to stock up on supplies just in case.

Moral of the story: Be prepared and set the bar low!

Random Questions That I Nabbed From Someone Else :)

What is your occupation?
In my past life I was a teacher, in my current life I am the mom of the three greatest kiddos every and in my dream life I am an awesome and innovative clothing designer.

What color are your socks right now?
Barefoot but, I love clean white socks.

What are you listening to right now?
The rain outside. Other than that... silent (a rare treat)

What was the last thing that you ate?
An undisclosed amount of chocolate chip cookies.

Can you drive a stick shift?
Drive them, prefer them and someone want one again.

Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Poolie Julie! Sorry that you are sick!

How old are you today?
Older than I care to admit but, younger than I look or feel at this moment.

What is your favorite drink?
Brace yourself.... NOT DIET COKE! I know! I have moved on to my Acai berry blend. That is my new fav especially since it has helped me lose weight!

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Me???? Nooooooooo... Never..... Ok, yes I do. I love it and I am never going back.

What was the last movie you watched?
Letters to Juliet- Not too bad. I actually liked it even though I shouldn't have. There were some pretty cheesy parts but, I am a true romantic at heart.

Favorite day of the year?
My birthday!

How do you vent anger?
Blog, cry, eat, shop, clean.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
Barbies. Yep. Still love them actually.

What is your favorite season?
Autumn. Love the sights, sounds, the cool crisp air, all of the fun scents that go along with it too.

Cherries or Blueberries?
Both covered in chocolate please.

Living arrangements?
Me and my kiddos living the high life!

When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday. I am stressed and doing the best that I can :)

What is on the floor of your closet?
Nothing. It is clean at the moment :) I know. Did you just die of shock??????

What did you do last night?
Chauffeured my kiddos around town.

Favorite smells?
Lavender, Lilac and Rosemary. Not at the same time though.

What are you most afraid of?
Something happening to my kiddos. I can't imagine anything worse.

Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers?
Load up the spicy! Down in St. George there is a hamburger joint that sells pepperjack cheeseburger. HOLY COW! Amazing!

Favorite dog breed?
Yorkshire Terrier- My particular Yorkie however is driving me crazy and is rapidly moving down my list of favorite things.

Favorite day of the week?
Sunday. The kiddos and I go for drives and adventure. I love to relax and have a reason to be semi lazy.

How many states have you lived in?
Two States and Two Countries.

Favorite vacation?
Well, my favorite daycation was going to Bear Lake with my whole family for my birthday a couple of years ago. That by far took the cake. My favorite someday vacation used to be to drive down the coast of California in a convertible. However, after seeing "Letters to Juliet" today, I changed it to driving down the coast in Italy in a convertible Audi. Hmmm. I am in serious doubt that that will happen anytime so, it will stay on my dream list.

Trials

Do you ever have those days where feel like your world is slowly caving in on you and you don't know how you are going to make it one more day? Do you ever feel like your trials are so insurmountable that you don't really know what to do to get through them? Are there ever days where you just think that you can't take one more misstep or burden? I know that I do.

You know, today I was thinking about a couple of the trials that I am going through in my life right now and how there are days where I feel like I can barely breathe. I thought about sitting down and writing up a blog on how life doesn't ever really turn out the way that you plan it. I wanted to express my feelings on how frustrating it is to have a son with some special needs, another son who is hit and miss with potty training. I wanted to vent my disgust at having to do mounds of laundry and dishes every day. I thought about sharing some frustrations of being a mother who is trying her very best but sometimes falls a little short. I was going to share my woes on my recent realization that if I don't do it, it won't get done and how sometimes it is tough to pull off the one man show.

I was formulating all of these thoughts in my mind for one of my epic vent blogs when I came across this video made by Stepanie Nielson of the Nie Nie Dialogs. After watching this, I know that I have no room to complain about my trials. I am not saying that my trials are not significant and in their own way scarring nor that yours are not the same.

I watch this amazing woman and her family and how they are able to make it through life. I look at her and think that if she is able to make it through such a horrendous ordeal and be such a positive glowing soul, than I most certainly can come through mine.



I read a quote a while back that said: "If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab our back. I know that that is easier said than done but, often times, we don't see what others are going through. We just see what they want us to see. I look at the trials that I am going through and although I never in my life envisioned having to deal with them, I am grateful for them as they are making me stronger.

I am learning so much right now, more than any other time in my life that I need to depend on my Heavenly Father and his infinite wisdom. Another quote that I read today hit the very inner workings of my soul, "If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it." That is my new motto. I know that I am loved and for now, that is all that I need to know.

Adventures

When I was young, my dad used to take us on adventures all of the time. We didn't have a lot of money (although we never as kids we never knew that) so most of our activities were just exploring. Thus the name "adventures." We went all sorts of places: library, canyon, random fields, landmarks, even the city dump. We loved it! We still all talk about it all of the time.

This is something that I have decided to start doing with my kiddos. My goal is to not spend a lot of money and to make it fun and entertaining. I want them to look back on this time in their lives and remember the adventure that we had together.


Although my pictures are all in reverse order, this is our trip from today starting from the car ride home.

I love how the littlest things in the word are extraordinary to a two year old.
Posing at the side of Saltair. My great grandparents met each other at Saltair, so this was a cool place for me to visit. I don't think that I have been there for 25 years. I think Toad's face in this picture is priceless.

I insist that they DO love each other. I tell myself that every day as part of my daily affirmations.

Nena wasn't cranky but, she certainly looks it in this picture. I think that she was going for a James Dean look.

The MILES of endless "beaches" at the Great Salt Lake.

Saltair from the back.

We had to walk about a half a mile (although I am betting more than that) from our parking spot to the water. The sand was yucky and I was wearing heels (surprise surprise,) but the kids LOVED it.

Nena has heard about the Great Salt Lake for a very long time but has never seen it. She was thrilled out of her mind at the chance to see it and touch it.
The yucky mud that the kiddos loved. Needless to say, my car needs to be detailed now.

Toady was fascinated by the ground.

They wanted to run to the water but tired quickly. Like I said, it was a ways out there.

I love seeing that kiddo run. He is hilarious.



The dreaded part of the day is where mom makes you pose for pictures. Had we thought ahead a little bit more, I would have had the kiddos wear something semi cute or decent. They look like I picked them up on the side of the road or at a charity auction. Nena insisted on wearing my visor. Her hair was so cute today but, she "NEEDED" that hat.

I love that Toad.


CHEESE!

Sooooo..... the main purpose for our adventure was to go out and see my friend's new home. Seeing the Salt Lake was just a side trip on the way home. My friend Shel and her hubby Rick just built a home out in Stansbury Park. For those of you that are kinda familiar with Utah, it is by Tooele. It is on the complete opposite side of the Oquirrh Mountain Range. You have to drive around the entire range to get there. (I am making it sound like it is SOOOO far away. Really it is about 45 mintues.)

Stansbury is a community built surround a beautiful lake. They have gorgeous homes and beautiful scenery. Rick and Shel have a water view from their home and it is just amazingly beautiful.

Bear and Nena was thrilled that they could go right up to the water and see the ducks. They sat throwing rocks and dirt into the lake for the longest time.

All of the waterfront homes have docks on the back of them. The lake prohibits motorized watercrafts but, most homes have paddle boats or canoes. It is honestly amazingly pretty.

Loving the ducks.



I will admit that I am thinking that this would be a fun place to live sometime.
Shel taking my kids down to the water.
Toad absolutely fell in love with Rick and they talked about Dandelions the entire evening.

Thanks for having us over guys. We had such a great time.

Nerds

I sometimes wonder about my children. This "helmet" is the momentary favorite toy. It is fought over like nothing else in this house. It makes for wonderful dating blackmail or wedding video material.

6 Minutes of Fame

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a producer at KSL (a local TV news station) asking me if I would be willing to come in and demonstrate how I make belts on their morning show, Studio 5. I was thrilled. An old friend of mine who is now a reporter at KSL happened upon one of my craft blogs and referred me to the producers of the show. I was thrilled but, anxious because I hadn't yet perfected the belts yet.

I eagerly agreed however and went to work trying to figure out exactly what I was going to do and how I was going to showcase the process. I spent about a week trying to figure out the pattern and the next two weeks went to cranking out belt after belt after belt.


I then thought that the belts needed a bit of a punch so, I started coming up with ways to make them pop. All of a sudden I was having ideas left and right come into my mind on how to make interchangeable, removable buckles.

They also wanted to showcase my blog. That is where I started to panic a bit. I am not that creative when it comes to technology and the organization of a blog. I can figure out how to put up a cute background (thanks to cutest blog on the block) and that is about it. But, I will admit, I am a bit proud of myself. I was able to figure out how to make a blog button, add a twitter button, monetize the blog and set up a facebook group.

So, after a short talley, I realized that for the short 6 minute segment, I put in over 60 hours of work. Unfortunately, it showed on my face the day of the program and I look so tired. I have learned my lesson!

I am so grateful that I had help along the way. Leigh, Kristin and Michele helped me come up with ideas, revamp my blog, go shopping for a new outfit (still wishing that I had bought those amazing jeans but....) and they went with me to the studio to help me get set up. I am glad that they did because I had no idea what I was doing.

All in all, what a great experience. I had such a good time. The link to the video will be up on KSL in a few days. They are having a bit of a glitch with it. I will post a link when it comes out. Until then, check out my blog where I am posting my tutorials daily. Thank you so much Leigh for taking the pictures! I am glad that I have them!

Kristin helping me set up
Setting up!Brooke, the host of the morning show.
Getting ready to air.
Kinda cool shot.
Teaching all of Utah how to make a trendy fabric belt.


Getting geared up with the mic.
This was a nice producer who was helping me get my microphone on. He remembered my dad from when he worked at KSL years ago.
The studio
Explaining a buckle tutorial.

Explaining.
More explaining.

I am rather proud of my bow display that I whipped up at the VERY LAST MINUTE.

A random sampling of the belts. My favorite is the second from the right. It is black with all of those fun grommet things. I have always wanted a belt like that. It never occurred to me that I could just make my own.
What a great morning! Oh.... and by the way, if you want a belt, let me know! I have dozens! Really, I mean it.