Lobster Bits

New pictures!

2011-01-31T11:31:00.002-08:00

the amazing heather with chickypoo photography took new pics of my little beauties.

here's a couple to satisfy your interest until they are all done being edited :)

L-O-V-E

2010-07-22T13:28:00.002-07:00

i've always wondered and even asked "how did you know when you were in love" and i always got the same answer "i just knew" it seemed like such a load of crap to me... but now i get it.

i am extremely blessed

2010-07-21T11:58:00.002-07:00

the past few weeks have been quite a roller coaster ride. as you know kimber showed up with a mass in her chest a few weeks ago. she had a dr's appt, lab work and xrays a few days after it showed up. her xrays were completely normal. a week after her bump showed up it doubled in size, we order an ultrasound that was completely non-diagnostic, that night the radiology facility wanted to do an mri. she had that done and again it was non-diagmostic, they though she needed a biopsy. well luckily i have some connections thru work and we were able to get another mri a couple days later, that radiologist said kimber had/has a separated rib and worst case scenario some possible infection. the day after her mri her lump started shrinking and has since disappeared. i can only it explain it by saying we prayed it away. i am so grateful that kimber's issue was a non-issue, thank you for your prayers...

please help

2010-06-29T09:22:00.001-07:00

ok guys-
i'm writing to ask for your prayers, healing thoughts, positive energy (whatever you can offer) for kimber. she has been complaining of some rib/chest wall pain for about 5 weeks. we watched it and tried to figure out what was causing it but w/ no recollection of an injury just had her rest when it hurt. well this weekend she was complaining of pain again and told me she felt a bump, she has some sort of bump/mass/growth or something just to the left of her sternum. she has a dr appt tomorrow to have some xrays. i'm totally freaking out. if you all wouldn't mind taking a moment to help her out that would be much appreciated. i'll keep you posted.

mommy moments

2010-04-29T11:43:00.001-07:00

this is actually my first post of the year... yeah i've been busy
so, i saw an advertisement for a contest for mothers day, you were supposed to send in an essay of your favorite mommy moment. it got me thinking and this is what i came up with :)

I am a single mom to 3 amazing little girls ages, 8, 5 and 3. This means I have many moments to choose from. It would be easy to say the first time i lied eyes on each of my children or the first time they said "I love you." It could be the time my oldest daughter, Kimber, told me to "take a long walk off a short pier," or the time i got a letter fom her that said "Dear Mom you are not respekting us. Love Kim," or the time she won an award at school for having great character, or every time she brings home a perfect spelling test with a huge smile on her face. My favorite moment could be the time my 5 year old doubled over with laughter because my "jiggly arm was hilarious" as i was blow drying her hair, or when she wore a skirt and carried a purse during the TBall opening ceremony parade rather then pants and her glove, or when she opted to lay in the grass and pick clovers in her 1st TBall game. Maybe my favorite moment was the time my 3 year old was mad at me because it was time to get out of the bath and she told me, "you aren't pretty and you aren't a princess," or all the times she tells me she loves me and I'm pretty and I'm a princess, or the time she asked her grama if she could "hang out and eat candy with her for 5 days." It is nearly impossible to pick one moment that is my favorite. i guess it would be best said that my favorite mommy moment is from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep and every single moment in between.

what's your favorite mommy moment?

that time of year

2009-12-29T13:58:00.002-08:00

so it's that time of year when we all sit down and think about how bad we suck. at least that's what i do. i really am not one to make resolutions especially because everytime i do i make the same stupid ones that i don't keep. but here are my resolutions for 2010:

1. i would like to figure out who i am and who i want to be
2. i want to be a better mom and by better i mean, happier, more playful, less tense, calmer, more patient
3. i want to get healthier, in better shape, i don't have a goal weight or size but i would love to be able to look at myself in the mirror and not absolutely HATE what i see
4. which brings me to the last one i want to be healthier emotionally, i want to love myself for who i am and i don't want to feel guilty for loving myself or thinking good things about myself

i may come back and add to this later but what are your resolutions?

fhe

2009-12-28T14:33:00.001-08:00

i need ideas! my girls are 7, 5 and 3.... help!!

i like this

2009-12-21T13:28:00.000-08:00

our family pics

2009-12-17T15:39:00.002-08:00

www.pictage.com/771299

email: lindy9882@hotmail.com

password: kimber45

pls tell me what your favorite group shot is

love ya

Fat Friday

2009-07-10T10:55:00.002-07:00

So i've totally been a slacker... i've been weighing in, but haven't posted. i weighed in today and i am down to 149. i haven't been that low since right around the time i got married. i am super excited.
i am also super excited to go to utah in two weeks. i am going to meet andrew, he and i have been talking and been friends since about january. i can't wait.

2 years

2009-06-20T17:31:00.002-07:00

so this weekend marks the two year anniversary of when i left josh. i'm not quite where i thought i would be 2 years later, although i don't really know exactly where i thought i'd be. i can tell you that i thought he'd be more involved, i didn't think i'd still be living in the same tiny place i live in, but i don't want to leave my ward. i didn't think i'd be struggling with certain things and doing so well with others. most days i am pretty happy with my little world. most days i'm not too lonely, most days i don't feel sad that i'm not a relationship, and most days i feel like if that never happens i'll be ok. all that being said i don't want to be single and alone for the rest of my life. i loved being a wife, i love the idea of being a wife and hopefully some day, sooner rather than later ;), i get to be that for someone who loves me and will appreciate how much i enjoy taking care of others and being part of a team. i can honestly say i am happiest when i make others happy.
with father's day coming up tomorrow my thoughts are drawn to my dad. my dad(who legally is my step-dad) married my mom when he was 21, my mom was 26 and had a 7 year old and me i was almost two. i have felt so much love from him my entire life. he stepped in and made up for my "real" dad being out of the picture. i never felt like his step-daughter, i honestly don't think he's ever even called me that. i hope one day my girls are lucky enough to have a man in their lives like him.
just as a quick side note: how do you feel about long distance relationships?

Fat Friday #3

2009-06-19T09:45:00.001-07:00

well this is going painfully slow, i went to the gym only two times this week, but i still managed to lose another pound woot woo!! How are you doing?

kim's gems

2009-06-18T13:03:00.003-07:00

kimber, who is 7, says some of the wittiest, funniest, sassy-ist things i have ever heard. i want to record them somewhere. here are a couple from this week.

**tuesday night we were in our yard. i was on the phone and the girls were playin superheroes. kimber, being the oldest, was handing out super hero names. she told ellie her name was super tiny, to which ellie responded, "SUPO TINEE" kimber said " your power is: you turn grass into tiny grass" then maddy said "and i'm flower power" i told my friend on the phone " i think we just started a landscaping company"

**this morning, kimber was grumpy and sassy and we had been arguing a little bit (i don't want to hear about how i shouldn't be arguing with my 7 year old) so we got in the car and she looks at me and says "mom, why do you put makeup on every day? is it just to make me jealous?"

i'm pretty sad today

2009-06-13T16:10:00.002-07:00

i don't know if anyone has some advice or an opinion on this matter, but i'm really struggling today and i need the help of friends. so today josh came over to do some work for me to pay off some of the child support he owes andi asked him if we could sit down and talk. i let him know that the girls really need him, that they cry for him almost every day, i suggested that we try to work out a way for him to be more involved, i offered to let him come stay at my house and use my car every other weekend and i would go to my mom's, i offered him to take my car one night a week to take them to the park, he's way behind in child support and i never say a word to him about it, that isn't what it is about. my girls need their dad, they need someone to teach them what love from a man looks like, they need him to protect them, they need him to be their dad. i told him all of these things and he told me he doesn't care how i feel, and i reminded him it isn't about how i feel it's about the girls and what they need, because if i got what i wanted he would be an amazing dad but i know he's not gonna do that because that's what history has shown me an dif he can't be a good dad here consistently i would rather he just check out completely. of course that was teh only thing he chose to hear and he told me that if that was what i wanted then that owuld be what i get, he told me not to call him anymore and he wasn't gonna come around, so of course now he gets to say that he's not coming around because of me. i don't know what to do, i am so worried that i won't be able to do and give and teach them everything they need, i can be the best mom in the world but that is no substitute for having a good dad. i can not be a mom and a dad, i don't know what to do, i don't know what to tell them when their dad dosn't come around and they wanna know why... today this feels like more than i can handle...

fat friday

2009-06-12T09:20:00.002-07:00

so i suck, i didn't get to the gym this week, not even one time, i did however go to the zoo last saturday, i have been eating healthier and i cut out soda completely. i have to replace it with enough water, and i've been having light mango smoothies from jamba for breakfast everyday, i feel tons better but unfortunately only lost one pound. i guess this is good, that's the way i've been doing it for the last year, slow and steady and the weight has stayed off, so even though it looks as if i've plateaued, i can at least be grateful for not gaining. how did you do?

Poor Maddy

2009-06-10T18:24:00.006-07:00

So we had our first trauma yesterday. As far as traumas go it was pretty minor. i got a call at work at 1:30 yesterday from kathy but ,missed it, theni get a text from my mom saying maddy split her head open and would likely need stitches... well i'm freaking a little at this point 'cause like i said, first trauma, i'm imagining the worst and prepping myself for something horrible, so i left work and went to pick her up. apparently kathy was filling up the pool and had the kids outside with her, they were waiting on the trampoline, maddy said it was wet i'm assuming to keep it cool, they had instructions not to jump, which i'm sure you can guess how well that went, so madds somehow smacked her head on the bar or spring or something...so we went to banner desert ER, we were there like 5 hours, i'll spare you the details but she ended up getting 4 stitches.

this was madds when i picked her up this was madds when we got to the ERthis was madds right before stitches

all doneat least she got a popsicle

fat friday

2009-06-05T10:53:00.002-07:00

so, this is going to be kind of self depricating, how fun for everyone. i decided i need to be accountable to someone with this whole weight loss crap. so here is goes. i weighed in this morning and i weigh a disgusting 155 lbs, the grossest part is that i've lost some weight in the past year. so anyway, i'm finally well enough to go back to the gym, i've been three times since saturday and i'm swimming while i'm there to hopefully prevent another injury. i've been using the foam weights for resistance and feel like i'm getting a pretty good total body workout. so i'm going to weigh in on fat fridays and hopefully soon i'll be able to change it to thin thursdays, ha ha. you can join in if you want!

some random pictures

2009-06-03T14:59:00.004-07:00

my cutie nephew tucker

the girls got cool summer cuts

ellie rockin' her goggles at our resort stay-cation

sandi and me at the suns game in april, the awesome necklace kimber gave me for mom's day

lydia

2009-06-03T13:02:00.001-07:00

you should totally check these guys out
they have beautiful music

The June word

2009-06-01T10:18:00.002-07:00

I totally stole this from my aunt heidi, but i had to share it.

The June word is STOP

Stop whining.
Stop blaming.
Stop denying your gifts.
Stop playing it safe.
Stop making excuses.

Stop doing anything that darkens your dreams.

Stop being anything that gets in the way of you being who you are.

Stop being with people who zap your spirit.

Stop going to places that you dread.

Stop being the parent you swore you'd never be.
STOP being the woman, man, friend, spouse, artist, boss, partner, co-worker you swore you'd never be.

If it hurts - stop.
Stop yourself before you've gone too far.

Stop letting people use you. Remember that "Use Me" is not a life motto. It's just a cool Bill Withers song.

Stop waiting for someone/anyone to give you the life you deserve. Give it to yourself.

Stop waiting for that ship to come in. Start swimming to it!

Stop wasting finite resources - food, paper, water, gas, money and your energy.

For at least 15 minutes every day - stop everything. Breathe.

Stop and smell the roses and lavender and cut grass and steaks on the grill and cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee and rain.

Stop saying YES when you really mean NO.

Find a mirror. Look into it and ask yourself, "What do I need to stop?" If there is a valid reason why stopping immediately won't work- START stopping. You are worth it.
Now... ready, set, STOP!

the joys of motherhood

2009-05-30T15:08:00.002-07:00

don't you worry

2009-03-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

i cancelled my subscription to that dating thing

whaaat?!?

2009-03-21T00:43:00.002-07:00

yay. guess who had a date tonight... that's right it was me... oh wait, it totally sucked balls. let me start at the beginning for you. so i joined an LDS dating site because i didn't know how else i was going to meet anyone, i've made a "connection" (whatever that means) with several good guys, one who i really like but he isn't ready for anything serious right now and i'm not positive that i am either so i decided to just go on dates, i thought maybe i should say yes to whoever asked, it's a good way to get to know people. so fast forward to this week i started talking to a guy we'll call nathan (cuz that's what he said his name was) we talked a little bit, i liked his pictures he liked ine ( i know the whole internet dating thing is silly and kind of weird) so we decided to hang out this weekend. thursday morning i told him i would know by the end of the day what night i could hang out and he said he was fine for either one. so thursday night i say, "what about tomorrow night" and he says "oh i can't" i say "oh, um, i thought you were free both nights" he says " well i made plans with my friends to go to the driving range but i'll cancel, i cant go out anyway (weirdo alert #1)" i say "huh? well don't cancel your plans, especially if you can't hang out" he says" it's ok just come to my house, we'll make dinner and watch a movie (sweet and romantic or weirdo alert #2) so i said ok and plans were made, well friday at work i'm of course telling all the girls i'm going on a date and showing his pictures off when i realize that the four pictures he has kind of look different from each other, and wait this guy is only 5'6" but whatev... so the end of the work day rolls around and i'm just not feeling all that jazzed up about going but like i said i wasn't going to turn down an offer for a night out, or in this case a night in. so i go to his house knock on the door, he opens it and i don't recognize the guy, i freaked a little but he clearly recognized me, so i just went inside. we get inside and i really don't know who this guy is, he has a cross eye, his hairs all a mess, he has no shoes on, sick(he looks nothing like the pictures from his profile) ... he says to me" go ahead and look and the fridge and decide what we should make for dinner" i'm thinking excuse the crap out of me... i tell him " oh no it's ok you go on ahead" so he tries to be all romantical and hold my hand. i'm like whoa buddy calm down there stallion, or in his case Shetland pony, the night got weirder and weirder and i was so uncomfortable, so i'm texting my heather, thank you girl... and thinking up ways to escape, he asks me what some of my pet peeves are, i say feet and lying, dishonesty really gets me. he's cooking and i'm eating and he's not so i start to get concerned that maybe he's slipped something into my food, finally he sits down and scarfs some food like a wild animal and pretty soon we're done. he says we can watch a movie or play strip poker. i say oh i don't know how to play poker, but i need to brush my teeth since we just ate, but i left my toothbrush out in the car, i'll be right back... so i went out to my car and took off like a bat out of hell... so mean i know but i didn't know what else to do...
question: why would someone use someone else's pictures for their profile, did he not think i'd catch on, and was it the meanest thing EVER or was i justified... ps when we walked into his house he locked the door behind me... creeper

peaceful words

2009-03-17T15:26:00.003-07:00

first of all, just in case anyone is actually reading this, i want to say sorry for complaining so much lately. i know my life isn't that bad or that hard, there are just some days when it all seems likemore than i can handle, i know though that the Lord will NEVER give me more than i can handle and when i'm through this and have the chance to look back on it, i will be stronger and wiser.

i want to share a couple of scriptures that i have grown to love recently

"The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing" James 1: 3-4

"My [daughter], peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all the foes. Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands" D&C 121: 7-9

so ummm

2009-03-15T18:21:00.002-07:00

well i wish i was one who had a cutesy blog with pictures and colors and silly anecdotes and what have you, but i don't have time for that. i think this has become more about something for me than anyone else. i am going through such a roller coaster of emotions and feelings lately. i am so busy and don't have the time to do all that i need and want to do. i feel like the girls are suffering because i don't have enough to give them. at the end of the day i find myself deciding which tasks can be pushed until tomorrow, choosing which one is the most pressing, our house is never as clean as it should be, our dinners are never as nice as they could be and our time together is never as fun and relaxing as it would be if i were able to stay at home and focus all my energy on keeping a home and raising my girls. sometimes i wonder why i got dealt this hand, why my girls got dealt this hand. i fall asleep nearly every night regretting the fact that i can spend such a limited amount of time with them, and even though i try to make the most out of the time i do have i continually fall short. i don't like to ask for help and it kills me that i can not do everything on my own. i have to rely on my mom to take kimber to school, and people in the ward to pick her up after school and keep her until i get off of work, i hate that the girls have to go to day care (although i am lucky to have someone who loves them so much), i hate that i can't fix everything for them and that as they grow up there will be things in their lives that they miss out on, there's a daddy daughter activity for church coming up and i am just hoping they don't catch on to it, i have begged their dad over and over to start having regular visitation with them and he wont do it, i hate that i can't "fix him" and make him be the dad they need, i just want him to be present and available for them, but he's not giving them what they need, i can only do and be so much, and i hate that... i guess i should try to focus on the good things that we have, it just get's hard when everyday is a challenge... what ideas do you have for keeping a sunny outlook?

What is love?

2009-03-03T15:58:00.002-08:00

So in my marriage and family relations class i had to answer the question what is love and then i had to interview someone of the opposite sex and ask him the same question. This is what i submitted:

I interviewed a friend of mine. He is 26 and going through a divorce right now. I thought it would be interesting to get his view of love. This is what he had to say:
“Love is an abstract concept that is difficult to describe. There are many types of love. A person can love their child, a spouse, or a friend. Each has its own value and expectations. I'm assuming spousal love is the main interest for this assignment. Love for a spouse is a sense of comfort. Knowing that you would do anything for that person and wouldn't bat an eye in doing so. Love is knowing their flaws and accepting them as "who they are." Also, love is wanting to correct your flaws to help your spouse. Love is the ability to find compromise and commitment toward a person. There is no encompassing answer for what love is. Each person will answer differently. However, I think the bottom line is a feeling of peace when you think about or spend time with that person. Spousal love is the most difficult of all love to find but can potentially be the most rewarding.”
I took the time to answer this question for myself before talking to him and this is what I came up with:
“I think love is giving your energy to someone else, to at times be willing to put your own needs aside knowing that when you are in love you will get that same thing in return. Love is attraction, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Love is not wanting to spend the rest of your life without that person.”
I was actually surprised at how similar our views on live were and are. I think it has something to do with us being the same age, both getting married so young and being hurt by the other person. I think that our view of love is a portrayal of what we are hoping for in our next relationship.

This assignment got me wondering what other people think about love... Let me know

i don't even know what to call this

2009-02-27T08:49:00.003-08:00

so i know that when we have an important decision to make we are supposed to pray about it. my understanding of this concept has always been that if you do this and then follow the promptings that you get, that you should benefit from that and things should go well. i know that i was supposed to leave and subsequently divorce josh, there is no doubt in my mind about that, but could someone please tell me why i don't feel any happier now than i did then. i was so lonely being married to a man who didn't love, cherish and respect me, who in fact went so far to do the exact opposite of those thing. it was so lonely being married to a man, who belittled me every day and when things too hard for him to handle he decided it would be ok to release his frustrations physically. I never thought i would feel that lonely again, but i find myself, nearly two years after i left him, wondering what's next. wondering why Heavenly Father would want me to feel lonely again. Maybe this is a test again, because if I'm honest with myself, as i'm writing this i realize if i make the Lord my "#1 man" i wont be lonely at all. i've been throwing a huge pity party for myself, saying how hard it is, but i have a job and a home and a car, i'm healthy, i have three beautiful, smart, funny girls. i live near my family, who by the way i love. i have the gospel, which i know is true. i've been complaining about how i don't have time for everything i need to do which means prayers and scriptures get ignored and again i have the realization that if i make those things a priority the Lord will bless me and help me be able to prioritize my time to be able to do all the things that i need to do.

what are you doing on january 31

2008-11-21T08:06:00.001-08:00

you should be doing this

more things to be grateful for...

2008-11-20T10:38:00.008-08:00

today i am especially grateful for my health, the health of my children, and by strong testimony of the gospel and the plan of salvation. on tuesday this sweet boy lost a short but courageous battle to cancer. he was so strong in his testimony through all the pain he was in. please pray for his family so they will be comforted in this times of sadness.

HOW?

2008-11-17T10:00:00.002-08:00

How do i catch you up on the last several months. Too much has happened. Probably the biggest thing was as of Sept 3 I became officially divorced. Freedom! Josh never responded to divorce papers of anytime so the divorce went into default and I got everything I asked for. Right around that same time I ran into an old friend and after hanging out a few times we started dating, it got serious pretty fast, probably too fast and we decided yesterday to slow down and actually try to "start over" whatever that means, howerver you do that? He started taking the missionary discussions last month and has decided to be baptized on Dec 6. I am so proud of him, he is going to have some resistance from family and friends but he already has a good testimony, so i know he will be fine. I'm having mixed feelings about "starting over" for real....what does that mean...?
well since it's close to thanksgiving i decided to post things that i'm thankful for:
today i'm especially thankful for friends, my job, my sweet girls, my health, my home. what are you thankful for?

what!?!?

2008-07-22T12:55:00.005-07:00

so i was bloghopping and found this little bit of lovliness and thought i should share it with you.

just a note to anybody thinking about getting a fake i.d.
no matter how much you love your girl you should leave her out of the i.d photo

your welcome

Maddy the Hairdresser

2008-07-11T13:28:00.002-07:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Her schedule is pretty booked but if you need a half mullet i'm sure we could work you in.

minute with maddy

2008-07-07T14:37:00.002-07:00

i just wanted to share a little conversation i had with maddy yesterday.

let me preface it be telling you that we went to robin's saturday for swimming and dinner and the kids played with each other for a few hours.

maddy: mom i have a boyfrind
me: excuse me
maddy: yeah tucker said i'm his boyfriend
me: tucker said you're his girlfriend
maddy: yes and he even kissed me
me: he kissed you? where?
maddy: just right here on the arm

help

2008-07-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

could someone please tutor me on how not to have an ugly blog?

kimber's recital

2008-06-13T13:00:00.007-07:00

Kimber had a recital on tuesday of this week. it was so cute and so fun and she did a wonderful job. Here's a few pictures from before the recital.

Here's some during the recital.

Here's a few from after!

I am so proud of her and what a beautiful girl she is turning into. She has such a sweet spirit and is a wonderful helper.

May 31st

2008-06-02T12:22:00.003-07:00

Saturday was such a beautiful day. It was more amazing than i could have even imagined. i got to the Temple bright and early at 7:30. i had a few minutes to sit outside and soak it all in before my mom met me there. we went in and it was amazing. i just wanted to look around and take everything in. i didn't see a few people come in that i was expecting to be there and was kind of disappointed, but i had to remind myself that that wasn't why i was there and soon i was concentrating on other things anyways. there were a couple of moments for me that i had a hard time with. i was sitting by a girl getting her endowments because she's getting married next week and i suddenly found myself really sad. i guess i am just starting to get a little bit lonely. there was another part later on when certain promises were made that i just got so overwhelmed by, that i was literally sobbing, i haven't cried like that in a long time. when i got to the part where i could be with my family and friends it felt so good, and someone that i was hoping would be there and hadn't seen come in was actually there and really made my day nearly perfect. anyways it was obviously very beautiful and i am so glad that i made the decision to go. it was a little weird because it seemed like such an unattainable goal for so long and now i've done it, of course with a lot of help from other people some of whom didn't even know they were helping me.

ps: also of importance i filed my divorce papers may 22nd, and i got a phone call from josh today saying he was picking them up. he has 30 days from today to respond. i will keep you updated on how things go. please keep us in your prayers that things will go well, that whatever is best for the girls will happen, and that if it isn't what i want or think is best i will be able to accept and understand it.

my big news

2008-05-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

so i don't know if anyone is still around reading this but i have some exciting news. i am going through the temple on may 31st! i know right?! did you think i would ever make it? thank you to all of my friends who were/are such good examples to me. i love you!!

???

2008-05-01T17:14:00.001-07:00

do you believe in love at first sight

where have i been?

2008-02-25T11:29:00.007-08:00

busy busy busy, that's where. this whole raisin' babies alone thing is HARD work! Let me give you a little bit of insight into my life. I get up at 5:30 get myself ready for work, then I get the girls ready ususally with a lot of fighting, kicking and screaming. If I'm lucky we get out the door by 7:15, then it's off to my mom's to drop Kimber off so she can get to school but doesn't have to be there so early, after that it's off to the sitter's to drop off Maddy and Ellie. Most mornings Ellie starts crying as soon as we round the corner to go to the sitter's and I have to try to keep my cool and not lose it with her. After i drop them off it's off to work usually i get there without a second to spare and in fact most days i'm late. So, I start work at 8 and go until 5 then i go pick everyone up, go home start dinner, get the girls showered and ready for bed then we all collapse in bed. You'll notice no where in there did I say I get any cleaning done, oh no thats what saturdays are for. So please dont ever stop by my house un-announced because I wont let you in. I've been really struggling lately with everything. I still haven't filed for divorce, it's such a big decision and once its done its so final. I get so angry sometimes with Josh that i have to deal with dropping kids off at daycare and having my mom take Kimber to school and never being able to volunteer in her class, or probably never get to go on a field trip with her. I am the one that has to deal with the cryinng and the owies and the fighting all the while trying to keep my own stuff together enough to be a good mom. All he has to do is send some money every two weeks and he thinks hes a wonderful father. Sorry i probably shouldn't be sharing this with anyone but it's been so long since I posted that i doubt if anyone is reading this anyways. On a lighter note Ellie is starting to say some words and actually this morning said "uh-oh" for the first time. That happens to be one of my favorite baby phrases. here are some pictures of the girls I had taken in December. Enjoy

2007-10-03T18:17:00.000-07:00

i am having a gold canyon candle party wednesday oct 24th at 7pm. they came out with a new line of lotions. get started on your Christmas shopping early. i will be serving a light dinner. if you want to come let me know!!! also i am looking for new daycare for maddy and ellie i have a friend that may be able to do it and will at least do a couple of days a week. if anyone thinks they can consistently take the girls please let me know!!

updates!

2007-08-15T11:57:00.000-07:00

so, i got a job at a drs office i start on monday the 20th, i found daycare for all three girls (thanks kon for rescuing me), kimber my sweet baby girl started all-day kindergarten on monday. she's been so exhausted after school that she just wants to sleep, but she loves school!! Maddy got her hair cut and i love it. Ellie is perfecting walking at 9 months old, i'll try to catch some video and post it later!

crisis number 2

2007-07-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

ok so i dont know how many people actually read this but i know at least a few of you do. i need some help finding child care. kimber is starting kindergarten so if i go to work full time i will probably have to find someone that can take her and pick her up from school as well as watch my (potty trained)two and a half year old and my 9 month old. they are all really cute. oh and they have to be willing to work for not a lot of money.... :/ if this sounds like something you want to do or something someone you know wants to do please let me know!!!

Hmmm

2007-07-20T13:45:00.001-07:00

$4840.00

Mingle² - Free Online Dating

I took this from Kaylani's page. now if only I could take out a loan against my body.

I hate my hair

2007-07-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is the most recent picture i have of me, my hair is longer now and not quite so red. I need some ideas for what to do with it. As you can see I have a fat face so please take that into consideration when making suggestions.
Thanks

ideas?

2007-07-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Please HELP me!! I am having a slight emergency. I need some help. I am trying to figure out how I can stay home with my girls and make mony too. If any of you have any good ideas I would appreciate you sharing.

In other news. Today we went play group at Stephanie's house. It was our first time. Kimber was actually perfectly behaved, Maddy on the other hand made up for Kimber being good. Sorry Stephanie.

I'm Baaaack

2007-07-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Hi friends....
well it's obviously been a very long time since my last post. A lot has changed since then. After a long time of problems and trying to fix them, Josh and I are no longer together. I know to some of you that's gonna be a surprise, but I've kind of known it was coming for a while and it's actually kind of a relief. The girls and I are back in the 480 with mixed feelings, but glad to be around family and friends. Elli is almost 9 months already, she's been standing and walking along the furniture for a couple of months now and getting ready to start walking I think. Maddy is talking like a big but also learning new mean, naughty words like shut up mom....as for Kimber she's the best helper and super excited to be starting kindergarten.

Ellie

2007-04-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ellie has learned a few new tricks. First of all she's in the early stages of crawling. She can scoot a little bit, mostly its backwards but the other day she managed to pull herself across the floor to get a cup. She's a pretty good sitter-upper and yesterday she graced us with her first "word." Of course it was "DADADA." Never mind that I'm the one who takes care of her.

2007-04-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Kimber!

My Kimber is 5 today. I can't believe how fast time flies when you have kids. I can still vividly remember the day she blessed my life by joining our family. She has been such a joy to have and so funny, feisty, opinionated and loving. I am so thankful that Heavenly Father trusts me enough to allow me to care for such a precious girl! I'll be postin pictures over the next few days her celebration starts today and is going through sunday! These are pictures of the present she got from her Grammie in AZ!

weekly update

2007-03-21T22:26:00.000-07:00

so not a whole lot has happened. i got my hair cut it was really long but hadn't been trimmed or anything for a really long time so it was kind of yucky looking. i lost .6 of a pound this week, i thought it was going to be more but anything is better than nothing or gaining. ellie has viral tonsilitis this week and a fever and is pretty fussy, it makes it hard to do anything. i took her to urgent care tonight and they weighed and measured her she is 17.25 pounds and 29 inches long. she will be 5 months on the 23rd. the dr also diagnosed her rash as eczema and gave her a script for it, hopefully it will start clearing up.

updates

2007-03-16T15:00:00.001-07:00

well i don't really have anything exciting to post about. Josh started his new job last week and really likes the company, I enrolled in an online course that will start next month, I'm also in the beginning stages of preparing to donate my milk to babies in Africa, Kimber's 5th birthday is rapidly approaching (april 5th) i think she'll be getting a bike for her birthday, Maddy adds a new word to her vocabulary every day it seems, ellie is almost 5 months and weighs 17 pounds, we've been battling a strange facial rash for 3 weeks now we can't seem to get rid of it and we don't know what it's from. Josh and I have set a Temple date finally. We will be going through on our 6th anniversary which is August 3 of this year. We are really excited. Also i joined weight watchers and lost 2 pounds so far. I go to my meetings on wednesday so maybe i'll update evry wednesday and let you know my progress!!

Snow

2007-02-28T21:46:00.001-08:00

snow!!

what a do

2007-02-20T12:42:00.000-08:00

do you like my hair, i worked hard on it

our couch

2007-02-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

here's our couch. it's not the ugliest couch in the world but it is definitely not my style. it is pretty comfy though!

our weekend

2007-02-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a beautiful day. I think it actually hit 60 degrees. We decided it was the perfect day to mow or lawns. We don't have a lawn mower since we've never had lawns before, so we went to josh's mom's house and borrowed her mower. Our niece and nephew we're over there so brought them home so the girls could have cousin play time. Josh decided to mow the front first so they could all play in the back. Well they wanted nothing to do with playing outside. I was so frustrated. They have been begging all week to go outside but it has been raining and cold almost the whole time time we've been here. So i put a movie on and went outside to check on things in the front and realized I had never seen josh mow a lawn so I broke out the camera.

After he finished I realized I had never mowed a lawn before so I took over and did the back. About halfway into it I realized I got jipped cause my lawn was about twice as big as his. It was fine though, except for the fact that my hands hurt and were itchy and swollen when I was done. I think it was just from the shaking of the lawn mower. After we finished the yard work we just went back to Josh's mom's house and hung out there and ate dinner and then came home and crashed. Sunday we went to our new ward and were shocked by how small it is. To give you and idea there were five kids in the nursery including Maddy, every primary class is actually 2 classes combined and there were 4 elders in Elder's Quorum. After church we just came home and rested and did the dishes and went back to Josh's mom's (notice a theme here?) because she said a friend of hers was getting rid of a couch that we could have. At this point i was down for whatever 2 weeks without nowhere to sit and you'll pretty much take anything. It id in nice condition but it horrible colors and so not my style. Oh well. It's a place to sit. They must have been getting a bunch of new stuff because Josh also came home with a dresser a lamp and was told he can come back and get a set of bunk beds. Sweet! That was our all exciting weekend. What did you do ?

i wish i would have had this earlier

2007-02-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

HOW TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE READY TO HAVE CHILDREN

MESS TEST
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick
behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST
Obtain a 55-gallon box of LEGOs (or you may substitute roofing
tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a
blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream
because this would wake a child at night.

GROCERY STORE TEST
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them
with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight and pay for
anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST
Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net
bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST
Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend
from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to
insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while
pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on
the floor.

NIGHT TEST
Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12
pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 3:00 p.m. begin
to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 p.m. Lay down your bag
and set your alarm for 10:00 p.m. Get up, pick up your bag, and
sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more
and sing these too until 4:00 a. m. Set alarm for 5:00 a.m. Get
up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

INGENUITY TEST
Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and pot of paint,
turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube and turn
it into an attractive Christmas candle. Use only scotch tape and
a piece of foil. Last, take a milk carton, a Ping-Pong ball, and
an empty box of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel
Tower.

AUTOMOBILE TEST
Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. Buy a chocolate ice cream
cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a
dime. Stick it into the cassette player. Take a family size
package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat.
Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There, perfect.

PHYSICAL TEST (Women)
Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your
clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.

PHYSICAL TEST (Men)
Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask
the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store.
Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be
directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home
and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT
Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how
they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet
training and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can
improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their
children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last
time you will have all the answers.

check us out

2007-02-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

kids vids

kids say the darndest things.

2007-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

last night i was doing some stuff for josh so he could start school and kimber walked up to me and said "what are you doing" i said just doing stuff so dad can go to college" kimber "oh, (gasp) what's college?" me "it's school for grown up" kimber "oh phew, i thought it was jail."

guess what

2007-02-15T14:42:00.000-08:00

it's random acts of kindness week. what a great week. Celebrate

Everything you never needed to know

2007-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

Your real name:

Lindy

2. Your Gangsta Name: (first 4 letters of real name plus izzle:}

Lindizzle

3. Your Detective Name: (fav color and fav animal)

Red Penguin ( i don't have a favorite animal but penguin popped into my head first)

4. Your Soap Opera Name: (middle name, and childhood street)

Merie Decatur or Merie Orange

5. Your Star Wars Name: (the last 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, first 3 letters of mom's maiden name)

Amblimcc

6. Your Super Hero Name: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink)

Yellow Dr Pepper (isn't that Mountain dew?)

7. Your Iraqi Name: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mom's maiden name, 3rd letter of your dad's middle name, 1st letter of a sibling's first name, last letter of your mom's middle name)

Iarcohe

8. Your Witness Protection Program Name: (great-grandmother/grandfather's first name and Jones)

Mary Jones

9. Your Goth name: (black, and the name of one your pets).

Black Beast ( ha ha ha)

Play along at home!

Happy Valentines Day (if you celebrate it)

2007-02-14T06:10:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day ugh. I really, really don't like this day. It's not because I've had crappy Valentine's days in the past although the year josh got me card and stuck $60 in it was pretty bad. It just seems like strictly a way for companies to squeeze more money out of us. And when did it become unacceptable to just give your significant other just a card, i mean when did us women become so materialistic that it had to be diamonds or some other ridiculously expensive item that we got. Honestly as cliche as it sounds I would much rather get flowers, a love note, or even a piece of jewelry on some completely random day because my hubby was thinking about me and wanted to surprise me. Not because the calendar told him to. So if you're a fan of V Day i hope it's everything you want it to be, if not, Happy Wednesday, isn't it great that you got to wake up and live another day on this beautiful planet?

PS i posted like 6 things yesterday be sure to check 'em out!

my first montage

2007-02-13T18:09:00.001-08:00

Photo and video editing at onetruemedia.com

check check check it out

2007-02-13T17:10:00.000-08:00

www.eyeslipsface.com

a few pictures.

2007-02-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

this is what i woke up to this morning. i heart sleeping kids!!

these curtains were here in our house when we got here, at first i wanted to throw up a little in my mouth when i saw them but they are actually starting to grow on me. they match our bedding, so we'll see if i can make it cute. the other pictures are from one of the girls room.

my camera

2007-02-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

i finally found it. check out these pictures kimber took. she's quite the photographer.

blah-ging

2007-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

so, i think blogging is really fun but with our mac computer i haven't figured out how to add all the little cutsey add ins like you all have and out your pictures spaced fun throughout the post. all i have on mine are spell check and add pictures. so if anyone else is blogging on a mac and would like to share some wisdom with me i would love you forever. also i like to go around and read other people's blogs (yes, even people i don't know) but i have to tell you it's starting to make me feel like a horrible mom. i look at the cute crafty things you all do for your kids and i realized my poor kids sure got jipped. i don't own a sewing machine so i therefor don't own cute scraps of fabric. i tried to sew one time and i about had a panic attack. i don't really have a creative bone in my body. i have a mountain of scrapbooking stuff, but have yet to use it because i get such anxiety about messing up. maybe i will make josh buy me a sewing machine and just start with the simplest pattern. what is the easiest thing to sew??

thought this interesting

2007-02-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

24 to 36 Months
What I may do:
ü Copy your words and actions.
ü Be able to say my age.
ü Show an interest in using the toilet.
ü Match objects by shape and color.
ü Talk to myself to practice new words.
ü Ask "Why?" a lot.
ü Have many tantrums because I am frustrated.
ü Use three-word sentences like "Mommy hold me!"
ü Say about 50-300 words and have better pronunciation.
ü Walk up and down stairs using one foot (instead of both feet) for each stair.
ü Like to use one hand more than the other.
ü Be able to open doors.
ü Show an interest in other children.
ü Know if I am a boy or girl.

How you can help my development:
ü Give me four-piece puzzles and musical instruments to play with.
ü Watch me to see what I like and do not like. I may refuse many foods.
ü Sing the alphabet song and read books with colors and shapes.
ü Ask me about things that happened in the past like "Who gave you that toy?"
ü Read to me.
ü Ask me questions when I play like "What are you doing?"
ü Kick and throw balls with me.
ü Give me beads (1 1/2" wide) to put on a string. Make sure I don't swallow them!
ü Give me opportunities to play with other children.
ü Keep objects you do not want me to touch away from my reach.
ü Help me do things by myself like buttoning.
3 to 4 Years
What I may do:
ü Draw a circle or square if you draw one first.
ü Confuse some words when I speak.
ü Be able to sing a simple song.
ü Use action words (verbs).
ü Pedal a tricycle.
ü Hop on one foot.
ü Be able to wash my hands.
ü Stack six objects on top of each other.
ü Be comfortable being apart from you.
ü Wait for my turn and share with others.
ü Be able to do many things by myself like brush my teeth, undress, and eat.

To help my development:
ü Encourage me to practice drawing.
ü Teach me new words and read to me.
ü Bounce and catch a large ball with me.
ü With new experiences, prepare me by telling me what to expect.
ü Try to keep a regular schedule for my playtimes, mealtimes, and bedtimes.
ü Offer choices to me so I can make some decisions.
ü Give me objects that I can match and count like blocks, cups, or plastic spoons.
4 to 5 Years
What I may do:
ü Be able to match objects by size.
ü Draw a face with eyes, a mouth, and a nose.
ü Learn to write the alphabet.
ü Know most colors.
ü Draw a triangle or diamond after you draw one first.
ü Speak in five-word sentences and tell stories.
ü Have trouble saying the f, l, r, s, v, or z sound.
ü Like to ask how, when, and where questions.
ü Jump.
ü Be able to take off m y clothes.
ü Walk a straight line.
ü Play with other children.

To help my development:
ü Sing songs that have body motions.
ü Teach me facts like my address, birth month, first/last names, parents’ names, and telephone number.
ü Help me write letters of the alphabet.
ü Teach me to wash and dry my hands.
ü Encourage me to do activities by myself and ask for help when I need it.
ü Let me plan activities with you.
ü Schedule both active and quiet playtimes.
ü Let me brush or comb my hair.

5 to 6 Years
What I may do:
ü Understand the difference between left and right.
ü Know books are read from left to right and top to bottom.
ü Count to 100.
ü Have trouble saying the l or th sound.
ü Write my name with some mistakes.
ü Catch a ball and jump rope.
ü Skip and climb well.
ü Ride a bicycle.
ü Have a lot of energy and enjoy moving around.
ü Be more sensitive to others' feelings.

To help my development:
ü Play games like "Follow the Leader" and "Simon Says."
ü Give me puzzles with 10-15 pieces.
ü Ask me questions that I can answer.
ü Give me picture books with simple sentences to look at and read.
ü Encourage me to use words about how I feel.
ü Let me answer the telephone sometimes.
ü Teach me to tie my shoelaces.
ü Give me objects that I can take apart and put back together.
ü Practice using scissors with me.
ü Let me dress myself.
ü Encourage and praise my efforts.

1982

2007-01-31T08:30:00.001-08:00

In 1982 (the year you were born)

Ronald Reagan is president of the US

The space shuttle Columbia completes its first operational flight

Actor John Belushi is found dead of a drug overdose in a West Hollywood hotel

Automobile manufacturer John Delorean is arrested and charged with possession of 59 pounds of cocaine

The first artificial heart is implanted in American Barney Clark

The Cable News Network, or CNN, is launched

750,000 people rally against nuclear weapons in New York City's Central Park

Time Magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, a computer

The first computer virus, written by Rich Skrenta, escapes into the wild

Kirsten Dunst and Elisha Cuthbert are born

St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series

San Francisco 49ers win Superbowl XVI

New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the top grossing film

Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a live bat thrown at him during a performance, later hospitalized with rabies

"I Love Rock 'N Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts spends the most time at the top of the US charts

Cheers, Family Ties, Silver Spoons, and Fame premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Maddy's Birthday and other updates... warning: i'm blogger picture adder retarded

2007-01-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

So last wednesday was Maddy's 2nd b-day. We didn't really do a whole lot on that day. I just made breafast, we gave her the presents from us and then later we went to the park. I tried to take pictures but couldn't cause my batteries were dead and I couldn't exactly take her presents away once i gave them to her to charge batteries plus i knew i could take pictures at her party on saturday. well saturday i gave robin my camera and i had forgotten a memory stick so all we got were kids hitting a pinata, plus one cake picture...oh well its better than none!!

Plus today it rained a lot and it turned into hail. It was Kimber's first experience with hail. Here are a couple of picture from our front door

A great day for us.

2007-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is a front and rear view of our house in Washington. We got approved for it today. After two years of being in a tiny 650-700 sq ft upstairs apartment it is going to be wonderful to have more than double that amount of space plus a yard. Also the house is right next to a church so the girls will be able to ride their bikes in the parking lot there. Josh also got a job today. We are planning on leaving here the 2nd, as long as our tax return is back by then.

for those of you who don't know

2007-01-16T20:59:00.001-08:00

josh was laid off last week. we had been seriously contemplating a move back to washington so kimber could start kindergarten there with her cousin. well after josh lost his job there wasn't anything holding us here (no offense to any of you). so as soon as we get our tax return which should be early next month, we are going back! we love you guys and hopefully we'll be able tp get together with most of you before we leave!
josh and lindy

Baby in a tree

2007-01-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

If you can't see the baby in the picture, don't give up.

It's really cool when it actually appears.

This is not a joke and ~ NO ~ Nothing is going to jump out at you!

stupid or not?

2007-01-10T21:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.bootiepies.com/home.html

you tell me!

fun and useful websites

2007-01-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

The 150 Most Useful and Fun Web Sites Out There

If you love the Web like I do, you'll want to check out Time.com's 50 Coolest Web sites of 2006, and Guardian Unlimited's new 100 Most Useful Sites list. (Both of these links are below, PLUS 4 really good ones.

Some of the Web sites were discovered by friend or colleague recommendations, but others were found only after countless hours of surfing the Web.

Categories range from Entertainment, Arts and Media to Blogs to Time Wasters, so there's really something for everyone on these lists.

Of course, everyone has their own favorite sites (like Google.com and Pandora.com, two of my personal favorites), and not every site could make the list, but here are several sites that represent the "cream of the crop" (you'll need to click on the links below to view the entire list):

OneLook.com: A reference site that indexes more than 7.5 million words in 931 dictionaries. It also works backward, allowing you to look up a meaning and find the correct word.
TempInbox.com/English: An e-mail service that provides free, temporary, "disposable" e-mail accounts with no registration.
Number-Logic.com: All kinds of puzzles to challenge your mind. You can work independently or challenge another registered user, and choose the difficulty level you want.
Farecast.com: An "airfare predication engine" that calculates whether the lowest price on plane tickets will rise or fall in the next week, so you can decide when's the best time to buy. Although the site currently only works for flights out of Seattle or Boston , all major U.S. cities are supposed to be covered by the end of 2007.
Guardian Unlimited December 21, 2006

Timecom August 3, 2006

interesting article

2007-01-08T11:00:00.001-08:00

Dentists say sippy cups should be used for water only

MONDAY, Jan. 1 (HealthDay News) — Other than at mealtimes, water is the only drink that should be used in toddler sippy cups, according to experts at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD).

The reason: prolonged use of sugary drinks in sippy cups is a leading cause of pediatric tooth decay.

"Sippy cups were created to help children transition from a bottle to drinking from a regular cup, but they're too often used for convenience because they reduce spills. When kids sip sugared beverages for extended periods, they are exposed to a higher risk of (tooth) decay," Dr. Philip H. Hunke, AAPD president, said in a prepared statement.

Between 1988-1994 and 1999-2002, there was a 15.2 percent increase in cavities among kids aged 2 to 5 in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research indicates that nearly one-third of toddlers with tooth decay problems used sippy cups, the AAPD noted.

The academy offered the following tips for parents:

• Sippy cups are meant to be transitional training tools to help children switch from bottles to cups. Sippy cups should not be used for extended periods of time.

• Unless it's being used at mealtime, a sippy cup should be filled only with water. Frequent drinking of any other liquid — even if it's diluted — from a bottle or a sippy cup should be avoided.

• Sippy cups shouldn't be used at bedtime or naptime unless they have only water in them.

"Keeping only water in the sippy cup outside of mealtime helps prevent against the development of unhealthy 'grazing' habits. It also helps guard against cavities," Hunke said.

-- Robert Preidt, HealthDay News

What you can do
Even before your baby sports that first tooth, it's a good idea to get into the habit of wiping his gums with gauze or a wet washcloth at least twice a day. As soon as your child's willing and able, encourage him to brush his own teeth. He probably won't be able to do a thorough job until he's school age, so brush your teeth together and then "check" each other's teeth to see if they're clean.
• Learn how to care for your baby or toddler's gums and emerging teeth and what to do if he doesn't like it when you brush them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and most pediatric dentists say it's a good idea to bring your child to a dentist around the time he turns 1. If your child's over 1 and you haven't taken him for a dental checkup, consider making an appointment soon, especially if you notice signs of tooth decay such as mouth pain, particularly while eating.

Birthday

2007-01-08T09:06:00.000-08:00

Today is my cousin Marisa's 25th birthday. She is the only daughter of one of my favorite aunts. We weren't very close growing up but thanks to email and blogging we have able to get in touch with each other and start forming a relationship. I think Marisa is a wonderful, creative, beautiful, loving wife and mother and I am so glad to be abe to be friends with her.
Happy Birthday Marisa
I hope your day is peaceful, relaxing and fun!
Love
Lindy

SHemail

2007-01-04T23:12:00.000-08:00

my wonderful aunt heidi sends out great emails to the women in her life. i thought i'd start sharing them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! For 2007 my wish for you all is a year of CLARITY. This is your word for the year- CLEAR

CLEAR
Pronunciation: 'klir
Function: adjective
: easily seen through,
: easily heard
: easily visible
: free from obscurity or ambiguity
: easily understood
: capable of sharp discernment
: free from doubt
: free from guile or guilt
: unhampered by restriction or limitation:
: unencumbered by debts or charges
: free from obstruction
: free from entanglement

Be Still and know who you are.
Be Clear.

Get paid to take surveys

2007-01-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

free jewelry

2006-12-29T20:30:00.001-08:00

some things about me

2006-12-26T12:00:00.001-08:00

Your Five Factor Personality Profile

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have medium agreeableness.
You're generally a friendly and trusting person.
But you also have a healthy dose of cynicism.
You get along well with others, as long as they play fair.

Neuroticism:

You have medium neuroticism.
You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.
Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.
Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is medium.
You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world.
And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly.

Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life.
You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful.

You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person.
With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

What's Your Element?

Christmas card photo shoot

2006-12-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

So i coudn't manage to get everyone together, clean happy and matching to takle a family picture so i just decided to do the girls. it took me about an hour to get a fairly decennt picture. here are some of the rejected pictures.

more gingerbread house pics

2006-12-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

robin emailed me the pics she got of my kids making our gingerbread house

cheeks

2006-12-14T08:27:00.000-08:00

check 'em out

plus i got her smiling today!

Year End survey

2006-12-14T06:25:00.000-08:00

1.) Where did you ring in 2006?
in washington setting off our own fireworks

2.) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
married

3.) Were you in school (anytime this year)?
yeah but i just too one class

4.) How did you earn your keep?
i worked part time as an admissions coordinator for a transitional care center but only until may

5.) Did you have to go to the hospital?
yes...i had a baby this year

6.) Did you encounter the police?
ummm nope

7.) Where did you go on vacation?
washington, victoria canada, seaside oregon

8.) What did you purchase that was over $500?
a car

9.) Did you know anybody who got married?
lindsey and clayton

10.) You know anybody who passed away?
yes

11.) Have you run into anybody you graduated high school with?
yeah

12.) Did you move anywhere?
no but i sure wish we had

13.) What sporting events did you go to?
none i want to go to a dbacks game this season though

14.) What concerts did you go to?
none, ive actually never been to any concerts except a couple of local shows

15.) Are you registered to vote?
yes

16.) If so, did you do your patriotic duty on Nov. 7?
No

17.) Where do you live now?
Mesa

18.) Describe your birthday.
i actually cant remember what we did on my birthday, but we had a princess party (kimber planned it) at my moms a couple days after my b-day

19.) What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2006?
move, get in shape

20.) What is one thing you regretted this year?
nothing

21.) What's something you learned about yourself?
how to stand up for myself

22.) Any new additions to your family?
yep, little ellie rae

23.) What was your best month?
hmm, i would have to say october because thats when ellie was born

24.) What from pop culture will you remember 2006 by?
celebrity babies, tom and katie and britney and kevin ( i wish i didnt pay attenton to any of it)

25.) How would you rate this year with a scale from 1 (shitty) to 10 (excellent)?
Probably a 6....

Santa Tracker

2006-12-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

Check out this cute site i found.

http://www.claus.com/

There is a Santa tracker and a naughty-or nice meter. Cute and fun for the kiddos!

check out what it said about josh.

josh ocamb
Overall, niceness outweighs naughtiness. Was good a lot last month!
Politeness often good, but has room for improvement.
Could help around house more instead of watching so much TV.
Expected to move even higher up "nice" list.

mas updatos

2006-12-13T15:35:00.000-08:00

so i forgot to tell you all how ellie is smiling now and how cute it is. plus just today she started grabbing for toys. i'll try to catch a picture of her smiling soon!

updates

2006-12-13T10:04:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot of new and exciting news on the home front.I have a few funny things from kimber. Last week we were shopping at wal-mart and she saw two sets of leaf shaped salt and pepper shakers one green and one white. she picked both of them up and asked me "which one do you think for my wedding? i have to marry a husband someday you know" i told her to put them back because we had some time to think about it. a few days later i bought some hair dye which she saw and asked "who's changing their hair to this" i told her i was, then she says "it's not gonna change your eyebrows you know" well ok. the other thing she says thats funny is instead of "that cracks me up" she says "that knocks me out."

we got our tree last weekend and decorated it, if i took a picture of it every day for you it would look different each time because the girls like to take the ornaments off of it and redecorate it.

also last night we went to robins and made a gingerbread house. i didnt have my camera there but here's a picture of the finished product.

Merry christmas!

Christmas survey

2006-12-01T12:14:00.000-08:00

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? If I have to choose one it would be hot chocolate with french vanilla creamer and either marshmallows or whipped cream

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them. He likes to do each person with their own wrapping paper.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? When i put my tree up there will be white lights on it. I like colored lights outside.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, i never have but i should.

5. When do you put your decorations up? sometime before Christmas

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? we dont have a same menu every year, i like my moms homemade salsa, or im with robin on the honey baked ham

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: playing with my pretend food with my uncle zach one year

8. How and When did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. Growing up i usually had Christmas eve with my Dad and step-mom. Now we open new jammies on Christmas eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? It has been all blue and silver ornaments with lots of stars,but i think ill add a new color this year

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? i love snow, i dont love the bad driving that come with it

12. Can you ice skate? never tried

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? nope

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? being with family

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? my aunt lori make something called buckeyes...yummy (hint hint)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? none yet but its time to start some

17. What tops your tree? an angel

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? both of course

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? jewels Christmas cd and i love the trans-siberian orchestra

20. What is your favorite Christmas story? seriously i havent heard/read a Christmas story i didnt love

Quizzes

2006-11-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

I found these quizzes on Tori's blog.

I'm not sure how i graduated high school...

You paid attention during 69% of high school!

68-84% Pretty good, you know that there are libraries and newspapers, and you remember what you've read. You were a child that wasn't left behind!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Your Language Arts Grade: 76%

You're getting warmer. Remember, possessive pronouns don't have apostrophes but contractions do. Oh, and word processing grammar checkers often lie.

Are You Gooder at Grammar?
Make a Quiz

2006-11-27T09:02:00.000-08:00

so ellie turned 1 month on thanksgiving and is 5 weeks today. i cant believe how time is flying. it is such a great feeling to fall in love with her a little more each day.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T08:09:00.000-08:00

So our thanksgiving was pretty low key. In the morning we (my parents and 5 of my siblings and niece and nephew and my little family) got up and went to a park and ate pumpkin pie for breakfast and then on a hike/walk. The weather was gorgeous. After that kimber and my little sister and brother went to my older sister's house so the kids could make tortilla teepees. Dinner was at 4 at my parents. We had way too much food. We drew names for Christmas which turned into a fight but I wont go into that. overall it was pretty nice.

Fun monday

2006-11-21T07:50:00.000-08:00

well this weekend was quite boring. josh had to work 12 hours on saturday, but when he got home we went for a gourmet dinner at fazoli's and a relaxing trip to wal-mart. on sunday we all went to church forthe first time as a little family. we haven't been to 3 hours of church in who knows how long. yesterday i skipped my chores and we went to Robin's to play with Tucker and Charly. i took my camera but as you can see i have no pictures to post. kimber and tucker went back and forth several times in the afternoon between loving and hating each other. it was so fun and i was so happy to see robin. her cousin jill was there too so it allowed for even more adult interaction.

i need to add to my gratitude list:
1. a car ( we spent about 5 months without a vehicle. it truly is a blessing to have one)
2. a home, i complain a lot about where i live but i should just be grateful for a place to live
3. days when my kiddos sleep in
4. the gospel
5. living close to family
6. having decent relationships with my brothers and sisters
7. having decent relationships with my parents, all 4 of them
8. the holidays
9. dairy queen
10. living in a place where it doesnt freeze, although i likle being able to wear cute winter clothes.

fun friday

2006-11-17T15:05:00.000-08:00

today the girls had play date. it has been so nice here we decided to play outside. we had a picnic which deemed to be the "best picnic ever" afterwards we came home, maddy fell asleep and i broke out the nail polish for kimber cause shes been begging for days. then ellie woke up and you can tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted some too!

1000 gifts

2006-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

I found this on someone else's blog believe it or not while i was searching for a cure to Emily's rotten potato problem.
Since it's the season of gifts I thought i would try it. The goal is to come up with 1000 gifts. Not gifts you want but gifts you already have. I hope that i will be able to add to it daily.

1. my new beautiful daughter ellie
2. my less new beautiful daughter maddy
3. my even less new beautiful daughter kimber
4. my hard working husband josh
5. my non-judgemental best friend robin

11/16
6. God, obviously without him none of my other blessings would be possible
7. (i think i'l be crossing back and forth between blessings and things i am thankful for) i am thankful for the internet without it there are a lot of people i wouldnt keep in touch with
8. i'm thankful for my health
9. i'm thanklful for my minimal problems, so many people around me have such biggeer problems i'm just thanful mine are minor
10. i'm thankful for my mom she is so busy but is aways willing to give me some of her time

It's official

2006-11-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

So i decided to take the plunge and try out this blogging thing. I'm not promising anything so don't get your hopes up. Ellie is 3 weeks old today and while half me feels like the time is flying by the other half of me can not believe it's already been that long. I can't believe that just 3 weeks and one day ago she wasn't a part of our family yet. I can't imagine our little family without her now though. For those of you who don't know she was born on October 23rd and 3:29 am, she was 8 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long. I had her weighed on Friday and she is already 10 lbs.