Corless Central

TEXAS!!!

2011-12-01T21:59:00.000-06:00

These were all taken during the first week after we moved in! Late, I know, but here they are. I need to post updated photos with no boxes and things actually organized. until then, you get the idea of where we live. I love it!

Happy 10th Birthday Adam!!

2011-07-17T18:39:00.006-05:00

My first baby is all grown up and savin' China. Sometimes it seems that way. But right before we moved, as in the day before the truck parked in the back yard, we had a party. :) And I'm so glad we did. It meant a lot to Adam, although after the choas was over, we realized that there were many of his friends who did not get invited and for that I am truly sorry. It was a whirlwind of events and we basically flew by the seat of our pants. Nevertheless, it was a good 10th birthday for Adam!

We started with cake and ice cream.

And the cake.

Then he opened presents.

And we played the candy bar game.

Then we moved the party outside. Time to get wet!
It started with a water balloon toss, ended with a winner and a war, of course!

After a while things settled down and we ate lunch outside and just played in the water.

Later that night, we gave Adam a few more presents.

Altogether it was a glorious birthday and he is one happy boy!
We love you Adam!

A few things we've been up to...

2011-06-20T11:29:00.001-05:00

This is a random, very brief collection of things we've done the last few months, but I feel like I owe you some pictures!

Papa and Mary...

David and Grandma Sparks...

Nona!

Mary in her bath...

Peter's last day of soccer...

Lucy came to visit and brought her mom and dad...

Watching Peter Pan...

cuteness...

playing in the mud...

Nauvoo with Corless cousins...

Easter...

Kristen's birthday...

Mother's Day...

Playing with Mary Amelia...

Daddy picture...

Brian's birthday...

Easter again...

Mary's favorite Matt...

Game night...

Gnocchi night...

and most recently, today, Father's Day!!!

So in the news...
We're official now!!
So many things have fallen into place just right in the last few weeks, it really is a miracle!!
David graduated and was able to finish and sign out just a week later, a miracle.
We were able to go to Texas on a house-hunting trip, thanks to Kristen and Matt who watched the boys while we traveled with Mary. And thanks to David's cousin Matt and his wife Lisa who hosted us during the few days we were in and out looking at houses and searching the area. Thanks to Lisa, we found the one. We knew as soon as we walked in.
We get to move in on July 1st.
We get our first house guests July 2nd. :) I am so happy that Christi and Clifton get to come be with us and even go to church with us on our first Sunday.
I promise to be better at pictures when we get situated... :)
Please pray for us, we may be a little out of touch for the next few weeks. Maybe if I need a break from packing, I'll post more of the pictures I just downloaded. :)
See y'all in Texas!

There are things I will not miss...

2011-05-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

Christi inspired me. I've actually been making a mental list of things I look forward to about moving. Here are the things I will NOT miss...

-the squeaky floors, LOVE the wood, not the noise.

-no water pressure in the bathroom sink. That is the one place you need water to wash things off quickly. Everywhere else the water comes out nice and fast.

-sharing a bathroom with the kids. There's just something better about that one.

-no driveway or garage. We've parked on the side of the house for almost 4 years.

-no fence in the back yard. Every time my youngest little person wants to play outside, I have to be out there, too. Even when Adam and Peter go outside, they have to stay where I can see them from the window.

-no where to ride bikes or go walking, safely...

-non energy efficient doors and windows. Cold air comes in and escapes around every door and window.

-having the baby room right next to the squeaky, echoing, wood floor dining room.

-having the washer and dryer not next to each other.

-gutters we have to clean out every year or we get water in the basement.

-sharing a teeny tiny closet with my husband. I love sharing with him, I just wish it was a LOT bigger!

-the neighbors leaves all blowing into our yard every fall. We fill 16-20 leaf bags every fall and then a few more in spring.

-having the only main floor phone jack in the dining room. Love those 5 am calls I have to get out of bed for.

-the dead grapevines on our dining room ceiling. Its fun to talk about, but David and I both think its hideous.

-no windows that open in the living room.

-the street sounds of living on the main street 24/7. (ie., sirens, people yelling, honking, etc.)

-not having a pantry in the kitchen.

Needless to say there are a lot of things we put up with because we knew we weren't going to be here very long.

BUT we WILL miss...

-our friends and all our adventures with them!!!!

-being able to walk 3 houses down and cross the street to Dairy Queen.

-wide basement steps

-a huge laundry/storage room

a big kitchen with no island

-beautiful wood floors

-our sunroom

-watching the parades from our own front yard.

-walking down a few blocks to the Robert Wadlow statue.

-driving through green hugs (when the trees are so close together and big and tall that the branches cross over the street and mix with the branches on the other side of the road.)

-taking walks with the kids to the Redbox.

-my husband being able to come home for 2 hours every day for lunch, when he doesn't have lab work to do.

-our babysitters!!!

-only being 8 hours from Michigan.

Here's to more adventure!!!

Happy Birthday Cinderella Girl!

2011-03-31T12:08:00.006-05:00

Mary chose Cinderella plates at the store and I took it from there. She has a little Cinderella dress and so I made her a Cinderella cake. The cutest thing was that she would get so excited when we asked her who was on her cake, and she would shout "Cinderella!"

We celebrated Mary's 2nd birthday on a Friday night with friends.

Pre-cake: The kids and their friends went and ran around downstairs form a while, and the parents got to hang out, eat yummy food and talk.

Now for cake and ice cream. She was so good and so cute!!

She put this one on herself, precious.

One thing that I also loved is that each of her brothers got her a gift and bought it with their own money. Most were just a dollar, like this pretty pink hat. She loved them!

Happy Birthday sweet little tiny girl.

Peter's Birthday and Baptism

2011-03-13T20:06:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, Peter!! We had so much fun that weekend!
Friday night, David's parents came.
Saturday morning, we had a birthday party with a few close friends.

And the Iron Man cake.

Sunday after church was Peter's baptism. It was such a special day for all of us and everything went really well.

Here is the newly baptized and confirmed Peter Corless!

My mother-in-law and I.

The spread...

Congratulations Peter. We love you so much!

Birthday pictures!

2011-01-17T11:18:00.003-06:00

I turned 33 last week!
David took me out to Red Lobster, our favorite!

Here are the boys, eating some cake for breakfast, with eggs and hot chocolate!

And here is the cake! It is Christi's Eggless Chocolate cake, SOOO GOOD! I'll be repeating this one every year, guaranteed!

I'm In!

2011-01-12T16:52:00.002-06:00

I want to wear my skinny clothes. I'm tired of looking around for something that hides the bulge, not a really BIG bulge, but its still there. I can wear my pants, but I don't "fit" them. So!!! Thankyou to my sisters, I'm going to get to work. I want to feel outstanding again. I'm feeling motivated, like I've had my lazy fun and I'm ready to be in control.

The plan is:
Exercise every day except Sunday, of course.
Eat my meals with only fruit and vegetables in between.
Nothing after dinner but water.
No desserts, except Friday night.

OK!!!

Goodbye softee!!! Hello HOTNESS!!

to feel outstanding again

2010-11-01T16:00:00.003-05:00

I'm in good shape, I am at a comfortable place. But I want to be in HOT shape. Sooo I think about doing no sugar again, and....maybe I'm going to start working out,too...(sigh) Just thinking about it makes me tired though. I do this yo-yo thing in my mind. So much effort when I'm already mostly happy with where I'm at. But there are those days when I remember feeling outstanding, when you don't need anyone to tell you that you look good. I'm almost ready to feel that way. But am I ready to do what it takes?? Soccer is over, so I have a little more time nowadays. All I need is a plan. A start, deadline, proper motivation, etc. What gets you going???

Soooo not good at blogging these days!

2010-10-18T11:31:00.003-05:00

Sorry people. We've just been busy! Soccer is over next week and I am so happy about that! I have been baking brownies like a mad woman! Testing different combinations of frosting, sheet cake frosting...yeah, they're really good. So the box mix I like the best is Betty Crocker. I haven't gotten the frosting part down yet, but my friends are enjoying my challenge, since I give most of them away. :) I do know where the best powdered sugar is now, and I plan on toying with dark chocolate cocoa.
I did find a vacuum, its a little Eureka dust buster on wheels with a long handle. It is doing the job quite well. My only complaint is that the cord is about 3 feet too short, so I have an extension on it.
Also, I can't find my cord to download my pictures! Driving me a little crazy.
We still haven't decided where we're moving, but its getting closer. 9 more months and we'll be gone!

Looking for a vacuum!

2010-10-13T09:18:00.003-05:00

My sweet little vacuum died! I got it 7 years ago and now they don't make them any more. It was a little GE model with a retractable handle, a little dust buster came off of the front, and it had a brush roller on the bottom. So I'm looking for a replacement that is small, zippy, can get chunks from under the table and do corners well. I am completely open to suggestions. Please let me know if you have one that works really well!

a few more Utah vacation pictures

2010-10-08T08:10:00.001-05:00

Adam and Eve :)

Mary and Esther Truth

We put the kids to bed and had a fun dinner!

Utah -Bean Museum, Treehouse Museum, dinner with Mom & Dad

2010-08-24T20:01:00.002-05:00

Bean Museum: Kimmy & I and the kids.

Treehouse Museum -We went with Kiri, Adalyn and Jacob

Hanging out at Kimmy's house!
This is how the kids slept almost every night!

The boys before church.

Dinner with the family! We missed Allen, Christi, Scott and their lovely families that night!

More to come! Enjoy these until I get a few more minutes! I have so many pictures to post!

Denver

2010-08-15T19:32:00.008-05:00

We started our vacation by driving 13 hours to Denver, Colorado. This is everything we packed in the car. After I took the pictures, I remembered to put the pillows in the back. Not bad for 2 1/2 weeks!

We stayed with David's sister Rachel and her family for a few days. She and Ryan were wonderful hosts! We stayed up late, ate good food, played games and had so much fun playing with the cousins, Mia and Lydia. David's parents and Grandma Sparks were also visiting for Grandma's 85th birthday celebration. It was a lovely reunion!!
Here we had a mini birthday celebrate for David. :)

David with Grandma Sparks

Baseball

2010-08-15T19:26:00.002-05:00

Nauvoo pictures

2010-08-11T10:40:00.008-05:00

Wagon ride

Nauvoo Pageant

In the Relief Society garden. There are some really beautiful statues.

The Mississippi River at the end of the Trail of Hope.

One of the homes

In the Seventies Hall

In the Garden

In the Garden

Oxen :) and children

My favorite kind of sheep!

I'm so glad we've been able to go several times, its a little over three hours away. It was a wonderful trip. We had so much fun with our friends!

she likes me!

2010-08-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

We both had pigtails, so I wanted to get a picture and she wrapped her little arms around me, so sweet.
I did just download a million pictures from our recent adventures, finally, so hopefully I'll be able to get them on soon!
Isn't she the cutest???

matching hair

2010-07-02T14:04:00.004-05:00

We woke up one morning and had our hair sticking out on the same side. :)

zipped into my wedding dress

2010-06-30T19:44:00.005-05:00

The other day I saw my dress hanging there and thought I'd try it. It worked. I had a hard time getting the zipper up myself, but after struggling a bit, I got it!
Here's me trying to take a picture of myself in the mirror...then I set the timer.
Not bad for 10 1/2 years later!

Mary Amelia's first photo shoot

2010-06-28T09:45:00.001-05:00

This first picture is our favorite. I also love the one with her big smile with her eyes closed.

Happy 9th Birthday Adam!!

2010-06-27T22:45:00.001-05:00

It was a happy day last Wednesday! We had his friend party in the morning and his family party that evening.

In the evening, David set up a treasure hunt for Adam to find his presents, but he made it so that each clue led to another present. Adam loved it. That may be a new tradition...

Best present = biggest smile! You'd smile, too if you got the COBRA RATTLER!

And instead of making 1 big cake, I made 2 eight inch rounds and decorated them for both parties. This year Adam wanted a Decepticon symbol and Megatron's face. So there you have it!

The only way I got these cakes decorated was to have Mary sit on the counter and entertain herself with my decorating stuff. Isn't she cute!

This boy was happy.
Happy 9th birthday my sweet, sweet son.

worth every penny!

2010-06-21T21:11:00.004-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!

counting my blessings

2010-05-09T21:12:00.005-05:00

I love being a mother. It thrills me. Mothering occupies my thoughts, my time, my energy, and my prayers. Mothering challenges my intellect, my capacity to adapt, my motivation, and rearranges my priorities for me. There isn't anything I would trade for any of my moments spent protecting, nurturing, and loving my children. And there isn't anything I wouldn't do to keep them safe and to help them feel loved. Thankyou Heavenly Father for these four wonderful blessings!

so far...

Family getaway!

2010-04-26T09:21:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we drove 4 hrs to Kansas City, Kansas to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was so much fun! The pictures are a little fuzzy, I think there was a lot of water in the air.

We'll definitely be coming back!

Evidence of spring!

2010-04-08T10:32:00.000-05:00

The outside adventures have begun!

A trip to the zoo...

With some friends in the penguin house.

Spring YW activity.

Ring pop tongue!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T22:44:00.002-05:00

Our four little bunnies!

Happy Easter! Jesus Lives!!!!

dressing like spring!

2010-03-28T15:02:00.003-05:00

This was before church this morning. She looked so beautiful and sweet I wanted to get some pictures. She wouldn't hold still or smile. Oh well. These were the best.

Holding my hairspray.

Thanks for the bows Rache, I love them!

No more self torture.

2010-03-25T21:19:00.003-05:00

I'm officially off of the no-sugaring. I lost the rest of my 50 pounds from being pregnant with Mary. I feel great and I feel like I made it! That weight wouldn't have come off so quickly without going off of desserts and treats, so it was really hard and totally worth it. I also did it without structured exercise...amazing. I'm also officially done nursing, so I am going to begin exercising again, too. I feel like I have myself back and I'm really excited. I went through the post-nursing hormone rollercoaster and I think that has leveled off now, too. :) YAY!!!!

This is my fourth time gaining and losing 50 pounds from being pregnant. I'm sure it won't be the last!

Dressing up!

2010-03-21T00:29:00.003-05:00

I felt like we were going to Prom again.
It was the dinner/dance social event for the students at the dental school. We went the first year, not the 2nd, because I was 9 months pregnant, and here we are 3rd year! It was fun to get all dressed up again. I got to see everyone, meet a few new faces, and have a good time with my husband!
Here is my hair after I curled it. That was fun to do again, too!

And here we are before we left!

love doing cakes!!

2010-03-12T20:22:00.003-06:00

I did this cake last weekend for a friend of Davey. He loves C-3PO so I asked her if I could do his cake!

"Knee-high leg clutcher" -for you, Papa!

And other recent random pictures...

This is the White Chicken Chili the I won our Ward Chili Cook-off with!

Mary's garden vegetables.

Happy Birthday Mary Amelia!!!!!

2010-03-07T00:22:00.001-06:00

Here is my sweet sweet baby girl. I woke up giddy and so excited. I have waited for this day for so long! I sang happy birthday to her lots of times, mostly so she wouldn't get freaked out later, but I enjoyed it every time. Even though she is only 1 year old, I wanted her to feel special.

She ate dinner really well. Probably too well. She didn't eat much cake...

Pre-cake smiles.

Adam was helping while we manned the cameras.

The beginning...

A little more...

Pretty sure she's done...

Yep! The End!!

Headed to the bathtub. Not a bad mess for pulverizing a cake!

Time for presents!!
She got her own little phone. She puts it to her ear and starts talking. I love it!

And her first princess dress. Precious.

I was beside myself excited.

Brad brought Dex, his new puppy, to come celebrate with us.

She got this little teapot that makes pouring liquid sounds, sings songs, says please and thankyou, plays music and is just adorable.

So so cute to see them playing together!

Here are the cakes.

Happy Birthday my sweet little girl. I love you!

Be sure to check out Peter's birthday post, too, right below this one.

Happy Birthday Peter!

2010-03-06T22:00:00.001-06:00

February 27th, Peter turned 7 years old! It was a joyous occasion, and he loved every bit of it.

This year he wanted Hulk on his cake. The boys have been into Marvel super heroes lately.

He also got this super Commander Cody suit. Thanks Owen family! He loves it!

The loot. This 7-year-old's dream come true. He's the one holding the gun.

My sweet Peter.

All of us.

The cake.

Happy Birthday Peter! We love you so much!

Mary Amelia is 11 months today!

2010-02-05T11:12:00.008-06:00

I can't believe how time flies!
Her favorite toys are this little doll (Walmart $1) and her little puppy. Her hair is getting longer and I have finally put little ponytails on top. :)
If you click on the picture, you can see her closer. Check out her teeth and her sweet chubby fingers! I think she's beautiful.

She loves being with her Daddy, she even waits by the bathroom door for him to come out!

She understands so much and tries to say words already!! She loves looking at books and climbing up the stairs.

Her brothers still adore her and can't get enough.
This is her puppy. All the kids have one and she got hers for Christmas.

She still isn't walking, and I'm not in a hurry for that, but she's getting closer!
I love having a little girl!

No Sugar

2010-01-30T16:54:00.005-06:00

As in on February 1st, I am following my cousin Rachel in consuming no sugar for 10 weeks. No sugar as in, no cookies, brownies, cake, candy, CHOCOLATE, ice cream, and all manner of dessertish foods. It will be VERY hard. But I know I can do it and having an end date helps. I've been wanting to get back to my pre-pregnant size (Mary Amelia is almost 11 months), and I came within 10 pounds before Christmas, without exercising, but with eating sugar of all kinds and I've been in a slump since then.
So I'm expecting great results! I plan to stay busy and drink lots of water! If there is anyone else out there who would love to do it but needs moral support, now is the time to join us!! Wish me luck!
Any other great suggestions, tips or advice?
It's go time!

Chocolate

2010-01-23T10:37:00.002-06:00

I was just wondering if anyone knows if there is any nutritional value in chocolate cake, with chocolate frosting, of course. While David has been sick, I've eaten quite a bit of chocolate cake and I would like to think that other than making me supremely happy, it was actually helping me in some way.

In other chocolate...
Who has tried the newest M&M flavors???

Coconut - totally delicious.

Strawberried Peanutbutter - very good, when other M&M's are gone.

Mint - ok, but not my favorite.

Wildly Cherry - I very rarely like chocolate cherry combinations. This is no exception. Not good.

Anything others I have missed and should definitely know about??

January so far...

2010-01-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

Not a whole lot going on except school has started again and my husband is still sick. It's so sad. I didn't take any pictures of him, but here are a few other things we've done.
Since I'm going to let my hair grow down to my shoulders, I didn't think it was necessary to go pay for a cut, so I trimmed my own hair.
Not bad, it'll do for now!

I let the boys sleep in the playroom last night and this is how I found them after they fell asleep. Adam is actually partially sitting up. I have no idea...

These are my Christmas toes. I took this picture because I liked to see them and I don't remember ever taking a picture of my toes. Not that thats important, but it was fun for me!

Here it finally snowed. And the boys LOVED it!!!

And here is my happy little girl. She is 10 months old now, eating regular food, trying to say words already! She says mama and dada of course, but she tries to say boo, ball, dolly, puppy and teeth. I thoroughly enjoy her!!!!!!!

The best of Christmas 2009

2010-01-08T13:50:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve
Each Christmas Eve the cousins dress up and do the Nativity as Papa narrates and scriptures are read and Christmas hymns are sung. At the end there is time for testimony sharing. It is such a special time.
This year Baby Rex got to be the baby Jesus. He was 2 weeks old.

Wisemen

Shepherds

Here is Davey and Nona

Christmas Morning
Almost there!

Christmas Glory! Mary Amelia was still asleep during the first few hours of Present opening. It takes a LONG time because everyone takes turns.

She finally woke up, sweet thing. This is her first Christmas!

And the rest in random order...
Mary opening her first present ever.

Mary with Uncle Ryan

The boys slept together in one big bed. I loved seeing how they fell asleep every night.

One of the only times Mary was actually happy in the car. Doesn't she have the cutest smile!

Nona gave her a Cabbage Patch baby.

Uncle Ryan and Davey

Peter

The boys watching movies in the car.

LOTS of hugs!!!

Davey and Daddy

Tyler, David & Michael

Cousins

Rachel, David, Vanessa holding Maureen's baby Rex, and Mom holding Rachel's baby Lydia

Another sweet night I found them this way.

Adam holding Lydia.

Cousins playing video games-does it get any better than that?

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

My Happy Sunshine Boy turned 4!!

2009-12-07T15:58:00.009-06:00

4 years ago, December 6, 2005, David Gatti Corless, Jr. was born at Mt Clemens Hospital in Michigan. He was 8lbs, 4oz. He is happy and always lights up the room.
This year he wanted Spider-Man. We celebrated Sunday night as a family and then Monday morning we had a few friends over for lunch and cupcakes.

With a Spider-Man cake, of course!

The birthday glory.

One of our traditions is that the birthday person gets to choose which piece of the cake they want. So even if its in the middle, I will cut it out for them.

The biggest present...

A Spider-Man chair that folds out into a little bed. Love it!

Buzz Lightyear wings.

And the close-up. I haven't freehanded a cake in a while, here you go!

Happy Birthday my sweet sweet happy sunshine boy!!

Picture Catch-up!

2009-11-24T20:57:00.010-06:00

It's been a while since I posted and I've taken so many pictures! Here are some of my favorites and what our last few months have been like!
Her first ponytail!

Mary loves tunnel thing!

First baby food all over.

Zippy pajamas!

David and David Jr.

the snowsuit

Davey dresses himself! I love it!

ok you can have a picture

so done with pictures!

Peter lost his front tooth!

And then another one! Peter is the Toothless Wonder!

She wakes up happy!

Look at all these teeth! 7!!

hanging out with Daddy

Gnocchi Night!!

for Kiri -I love the bow!!

leaves

What a pile-only 1/2 the yard!

She loves it!

Davey playing in the dirt on the street waiting for the parade to start.

She pulls herself up to everything.

Halloween! Only one homemade costume this year, Adam the snow leopard.

playing in the changing table

love my girlie!

Pumpkin carving night!

Walking??!!?? Not yet!

Mary & me!

playing under the crib

tub time!

me & my baby!

OH my goodness! Isn't she the cutest thing??

bucket head!

Adam & happy baby sister.

Computer is on probation...

2009-11-15T15:11:00.003-06:00

It is trying to postpone its sentence with good behavior. Good luck chuck! We have been having anti-virus problems. UGH!! I miss this link to the outside world!

Our latest is...

Mary is 8 months old! She has 6 teeth (4 on top) and still has a curly muffin on her head! She crawls all over, pulls herself up to everything, and is eating some people food now.

Davey is still wearing his Spiderman suit 24/7. It's so cute. When we go places, he puts shorts and a t-shirt on over it.

Peter got invited to play on an indoor soccer team. He LOVES it and did very very well in his first game last Saturday. He lost 3 teeth, including one of his front teeth and two bottom teeth. He enjoys being called the Toothless Wonder.

Adam is doing awesome. He is working on advanced math on his own with his teacher in addition to his regular 3rd grade work. He is loving Scouts and loves to hold Mary, anytime, anywhere.

David is still busy with school, but has been home so much I almost worry. :) I love it! We've actually been semi-social this semester.

I've been busy shuttling and fitting everything into the schedule. Having Mary be a little more independent has done wonders for our house cleaning. I have been cleaning, raking leaves, baking a little more, and still working on losing those last pounds. I'm almost there!!
We've been able to avoid all of the sickness going around so far and feel so blessed. We're happy, healthy and doing well!

The computer, though, is on the naughty list.

My hair cut, and other Mary updates!

2009-09-21T20:35:00.003-05:00

Mary Amelia is 6 months old now. She has exactly doubled her birth weight to 16 lb 6 oz and is in the 70% for length, 50% for weight.
And she CRAWLS!!!!
She's so little for that. All my boys crawled at 9 months, so I'm having lots of firsts with her. She is such a joy and I can't get enough of her!
I finally got a clip in her hair so I had to take a picture! It didn't last very long...

Miss Happiness wakes up! She is always happy in the morning when I come in to get her.

She's starting to smile when I get out the camera. I love how her face lights up. It makes me want to eat her up. And then I do.

Sunday after church. Thanks for the sweet dress, Mel. She's finally big enough to wear it! I love dressing her up.

I've gone short, again. :) I'm enjoying it so much!

Mary Amelia through the summer

2009-08-24T09:48:00.010-05:00

And here she is yesterday in her Sunday dress!

First day of school!

2009-08-23T22:22:00.002-05:00

Adam started 3rd grade and Peter started 1st grade.
Davey starts in 2 more years!

More pictures!

2009-08-14T08:38:00.004-05:00

Here are my favorites! I finally feel updated! I sent some to my mom and mother-in-law and ordered some for myself online. Enjoy!!

New Family Pictures!

2009-08-12T15:22:00.004-05:00

These are just a few. I'm still trying to crop some... I'll post more when I get it right!

Not ready for the first day of school yet!

2009-07-16T15:06:00.003-05:00

Here are the first days of school pictures from the last 2 years.
This is Adam starting 1st grade.

And with David in his first week of dental school.

This was last year, Adam starting 2nd grade and Peter starting Kindergarten.

Only a few more weeks until we go again!

Random pictures from last week.

2009-07-05T21:37:00.004-05:00

Breakfast at our house...

MY breakfast! Mmmmmmm...

Death of a great iron. I received this iron as a going away to college Christmas gift when I was 17, 14 years ago! It finally died. It was a good one.

They had cotton candy for the first time and loved it, of course!

Adam's Baptism

2009-07-01T11:57:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday, Adam was baptized and became a member of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We are so proud of you, Adam. We love you so much!

Happy 8th Birthday to ADAM!!

2009-06-26T09:37:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it! My baby is growing up!

Tuesday was his birthday. It began with friends coming over.

We started with cake and ice cream.

Then he opened presents and went straight outside to the pool and sprinkler.

After a while they came in for lunch and then it was time to go home.

Later that night we had our family celebration and presents.

And he got his very own scriptures with his name on them.

Adam is such a good boy. He is helpful and nurturing and obedient. I love him so much! Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Mary smiling

2009-06-22T22:54:00.003-05:00

This is my happy baby Sunday after church!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

2009-06-21T22:50:00.003-05:00

We served him breakfast in bed and sang Happy Father's Day to him. Then he came and joined us at the table.

The boys wrapped his present. It was an awesome wrapping job.

Almost there...

He knows what is is now.

It's a Bionicle! Adam, Peter and Davey all have their own, so it was like letting Dad join the club now. They were so happy for him. They have the best Dad.

And so do I.
Happy Father's Day especially to my husband, My Dad, David's Dad, Jeff, Allen, Todd, Aaron, Clifton, Jim, Dan, Ryan, Dan, & Ryan. We sure love you guys!

Mary Amelia -3 months already!!!

2009-06-16T19:15:00.007-05:00

She still sleeps through the night, all the way, since 1 & 1/2 months. She is happiest right after she eats (isn't everyone?) and she gives us those "my-smile-can't-get-any-bigger" smiles. I love it!

a little random hair loss!!

She's can roll over! A few times I have come in to get her and she was turned over.

pictures of last week

2009-06-14T16:19:00.004-05:00

The good news is, I cleaned out my freezer. The bad news is, it happened because everything got warm.
Apparently the relay in the back stopped working and I didn't notice until everything was already unfrozen. So we ate the food that was still good, quickly. The refrigerator wasn't cooling either. But it was simple fix, for a little over a hundred dollars, and our fridge is all better!

The before picture of mini pizzas made with premade biscuit dough.
15 minutes. So easy.

3 rascals

muddy rascals, an almost daily event.

Davey wearing my sunglasses, the dollar store gems that Kimmy sent me last year!

OK, OK, here are pictures of my baby

2009-06-07T22:44:00.004-05:00

I'll hold off on the food pictures, for now...

And Davey, my sweet, sweet boy.

Her hair is actually done.

Here's a little profile action. All I see is me and Kimmy, sometimes Christi. Mel, I don't have baby pictures of you...what do you think??

And Daddy shows her the wonders of the computer!

My snack one night, after the kids went to bed

2009-06-06T20:16:00.003-05:00

and I was alone!
The chocolate is a scoop of PB and semi-sweet chips melted in the microwave
-3o seconds to bliss!!!

Homemade banana splits!

2009-06-04T13:51:00.004-05:00

It was time for my kids to know about banana splits, so we had them for an FHE treat. It was so fun!

BBQ Man

2009-05-29T11:31:00.003-05:00

Here he is, making his BBQ chicken. I love it! It takes so long-it's involved. He marinates them, then he injects sauce into the chicken legs before he grills them slowly, so the sauce carmelizes a little. He sauces them again and again and then they are perfect and delicious. Next time I'll take pictures of the chicken.

Mary Amelia in her blessing dress

2009-05-26T09:15:00.004-05:00

Sister Gill made this dress for her. It is so beautiful. The sleeves reminded me of my wedding dress. At the bottom is a little video clip. She is such a sweet baby! She still sleeps through the night, sometimes 8 or 9 hours! Last night was 9 and a half!

my garden and zoo pictures

2009-05-24T15:25:00.007-05:00

On Mother's day at church the mothers received garden vegetable plants. I got tomatoes. Since each gift was 4 small plants, and David's mom didn't want to travel with hers, I now have 8 tomato plants! I'm so excited!

David took the boys to the zoo this week. These are some of the pictures he took.

They have a little splash zone in the Childern's Zoo, which you have to pay extra to go in. Apparently Davey had his clothes taken off so he could play and not get them wet. I love it!

Corless Family picture!

2009-05-22T20:18:00.003-05:00

May 10, 2009 Mary's blessing day and Mother's Day.

Mary Amelia pictures!!

2009-05-15T17:14:00.012-05:00

Here are a LOT of random pictures!

This shirt says "This is my little black dress!"

Favorite Cookie recipe

2009-05-12T09:15:00.004-05:00

Jana's current favorite Chocolate Chip cookies, from Trish Freeman.

2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp each of vanilla, water, baking soda, salt
2 3/4 cups flour
1 cup instant oats
chocolate chips

Bake at 375* for 9-10 minutes!
Bake away ladies!!!!

Satisfaction in a bag.

2009-05-07T11:11:00.003-05:00

These are my all time favorite cookies. (Thanks Trish!)
Homemade from scratch.

Pictures of our house-Happy Spring!!

2009-05-01T08:45:00.008-05:00

It occured to me that I haven't posted any pictures of our house. So here you go! I took these this morning. It was so beautiful and almost rainy.

Here is the side of the front...

Here is the front, blocked by trees...shade is the best!

Here is the side, our sunroom which I LOVE. And our driveway... :)

And here is the back yard, with no fence. This is why I have to be outside when my kids play outside- street on 3 sides of the house and heavy auto and foot traffic. If you look closely, you can see Davey standing by the back door.

Last Saturday, we hauled the hoses out again and turned on the sprinklers for the boys, complete with ice-pops. Warm doesn't get much better than that around here!

New Condos in Lake Havasu for sale!!!

2009-04-21T18:57:00.005-05:00

My dad built these condos and my parents are now selling them way below appraisal value!!! If you know anyone who's interested in a great vacation spot or new residence, please forward the info or refer them to buildhavasu.com

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T21:26:00.006-05:00

Jesus Lives!!

Here we are this morning. The boys have gone on their treasure hunt. They have to answer questions about Jesus' death and resurrection correctly to find the next clues which ultimately lead to their Easter baskets, then they get to gather easter eggs in the living room.

After the egg hunt...

Now for some Baby Stats!

At Mary's 1 month appointment, the doctor said she is perfect-(of course!)

She measured in the 55% for her head, 85% for her length and past 95% for her weight.

He said average babies at one month are max 10 lbs, 3oz. Mary Amelia weighs 11 lbs, 8 oz!!!

So she's healthy! :)

YAY!!! This is my first chub!

How thankful we are for Jesus and all that He did for us.

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Hot Pocket - 4 weeks today!

2009-04-02T15:41:00.007-05:00

I call her a little hot pocket. She has a very warm body temperature and gets overheated and very unhappy unless its nice and cool all the time.

I put her to bed in a onesie, most of the time with no blanket. The thermostat is set at 69 and most of the day we have the windows open and her ceiling fan on.

David is awesome at helping me with her. He loves to come home and hold her and is very good at calming her down when she gets overheated or when I just can't take it. He is totally hot.

She is starting to sleep really well in the night. I can usually get 4-5 hours before she wakes up.

Here she is yesterday.

She is such a sweet baby. I am loving it as she gets bigger!

I want to get more awake pictures of her, but I need another pair of hands for that. Usually I only have mine...

My only sadness at this stage is that normally, babies would still be bundled up and be able to wear all these cute 0-3 month winter clothes. But this little hot pocket has moved right into cool summer clothes and is even outgrowing these quickly!

And I worked out this morning!!!!!!!

Little Miss

2009-03-24T13:34:00.006-05:00

Mary Amelia is almost 3 weeks old.
Here are some random pictures from the last few days or so....

She is getting chubby! I love it!

Sleeping with Daddy

Davey LOVES her!

and loves her...

She gets LOTS of kisses!

This is the closest picture of a smile. She does the sweetest smiles.

The boys love it. "She smiled at me Mom!"

Her hair goes curly when it's wet! And then it waves out when it dries.

and the swirl...

She has her admirers!

Bug on a rug! Doesn't she look so tiny?

Here is the blanket from Grandma Sparks.

She is such a good sweet baby.

My boys are awesome, but it really is different having a girl.

I love it!

Mary Amelia Corless

2009-03-08T14:49:00.006-05:00

The newest version of Corless has arrived!

She's here! Thursday afternoon contractions started at about 3pm.

She was born at 9:13 pm.

8lb 3oz , 19 1/2 inches March 5, 2009

When I got to the hospital I was almost a 5. When they gave me the epidural, I was an 8. When they realized it only numbed half of my body, I was a 9.

When I started pushing, I realized what women go through without pain relief. It still went quickly and I was so relieved when she was born.

She came out so clean and pink. She has a swirl in the front of her dark hair-thanks to Daddy.

I came home from the hospital Saturday morning. My mom is here for a week, then David has spring break for a week.

The boys LOVE to see her and touch her and kiss her. And she lets them love her.

Davey love.

Peter love.

Adam love.

She has been eating constantly and is growing and changing so much already.

Here she is today. It will probably be a while before I post again, but I hope you enjoy the pictures.

We're happy and healthy and doing really well.

No news is no news...

2009-03-04T16:49:00.002-06:00

This is my belly this morning, on my way to my Dr appt again, that I thought I for sure wouldn't make it to...

Well, since I am overdue, I was sent to the hospital to have an ultrasound to check fluids, baby movement, size, etc.
The good news is, she's doing really well, approx. 7lbs 11oz, give or take, breathing, moving, happy.
My body is healthy and there aren't any complications to worry about at this point.
So, We're still waiting, and doing just fine!
Next appt is next Monday...

Happy Birthday to Peter, officially. :)

2009-03-02T13:17:00.008-06:00

Well, my sweet Peter is 6 years old, and his real birthday came and went with no baby interruption!

We had a quiet celebration with presents from family and a very simple cake with ice cream, of course.

6 years ago, Peter was born 6lbs, 7oz, just a tiny little thing. His name means "rock". He is a deep thinker and loves with his hands. He is my most active child, and loves to be tickled, still. The other night, he said, "thanks Mom" after I tickled him.
He can be calmed and responds so quickly with a loving touch and a soft voice. He has such a sweet smile and still gives the best hugs.

Here are some pictures of Peter when he was a little bit younger.

Still Just Fine!

2009-02-25T08:56:00.003-06:00

We're good! Still.
Had my Dr appt yesterday-I saw another Dr in the office just in case he's on call when the birth actually happens. And Nothing. He didn't even check me. He said looking at my cervix won't tell him when I'm going into labor and just increase my risk of infection. Blah, blah. I was done with him after just a few minutes. So I was dissappointed to not have more information, but what do you do when your body just isn't ready?? Reeses and I coped. I love chocolate and PB.
I'm still trying to get more done before she comes. I have New Beginnings tonight for YW and David has an important exam tomorrow. I'm also working on taxes, so I need to get that done first!
ANYWAY, still trying to keep the house clean, refrigerator stocked, etc.
Who knows when!

Monday is 40 weeks

2009-02-21T21:01:00.002-06:00

Sweet little Mary Amelia is happy to be nice and warm inside me. I wouldn't want to come out in the cold either! And so 40 weeks comes. And I'm fine. Just fine. :)
There are lots of things that keep me busy, and I am always finding one more thing to do. Mentally, I'm totally ready.
And sometimes I get to the point where the house is clean, the dishes are done, the laundry is folded and put away, and I'm ready to go... That lasts for half a day. Then the housework comes undone, more things come up on the calendar and I think, I can't have a baby right now!!
But when she comes, everything else will go away for a little bit. And it's going to be ok.

Is it bad if I laugh??

2009-02-19T13:16:00.002-06:00

Ok, so is it bad if I laugh when other people's children misbehave? What if I walk into my friend's house and her 2 year old comes in with no pants or underwear on (usually its her 4 year old son) I laughed, this morning. What if my VT companion's child is throwing a major tantrum when she tries to put her in the car? I laughed. What if my sister is telling me the adventures of her children during the day? I laugh! What if my friend and her husband are having a thermostat war? Oh my gosh! What if I can't help it??
I don't even realize I do it sometimes. Maybe it makes it seem like it's not as big of a deal. Maybe it's a coping mechanism and I hope they just laugh at me when I'm having some kind of personal crisis.

Peter's party and Valentine pancakes

2009-02-15T18:27:00.005-06:00

We did Peter's birthday party early this year. He chose Spiderman, again. :)

He really turns 6 on the 27th. The party was complete with games (David even drew a donkey to pin tails on), prizes, cake, presents, streamers, all the goodies. Notice that almost all his friends who came are girls... :) I love it.

Here is the cake.

His party was also on Valentine's Day. For dinner I made heart pancakes with eggs. (Imagine the basic scrambled eggs.)

So Valentine's Day is the 12 year Anniversary of our first date!

After we put the kids to bed, I made a run for Chinese! (Isn't that what pregnant women do?)

We watched You've Got Mail, ate and celebrated. It is so wonderful to me to be married to David. I am so happy. He's so wonderful and I love that even after 12 years, we really just love to be together. He is my favorite person. So happy 12 years to us!

And Happy Valentine's Day to all!!

38 week update!

2009-02-11T09:27:00.003-06:00

I had a Dr. appointment yesterday, Still not dilating or softening. That's good for now, because we're doing Peter's birthday party this weekend (real B-day the 27th) so he doesn't get overshadowed by Little Miss coming.
We got dressers for the boys, I love craigslist! So all the big things are done. Now I'm just doing last minute little things.
The baby's head is down, now, we were concerned she hadn't turned and that I might have to have a c-section. So glad that is only an emergency possibility.

After Saturday I'll be ready to get labor going. Any tried and true suggestions??

Belly update and recent happenings!

2009-02-02T13:09:00.006-06:00

Here is 36 weeks...

And counting!

These are the gifts from my baby shower. (except the crib!)

We got so many sweet little pink things!

Here are the boys playing in the snow, we finally got enough that stuck around to play in!

And three little monkeys sitting on the futon...

Aren't they sweet? I love the happy smiles. (They're holding GI Joe cards.)

And here is my sunshine boy. He wanted me to take a picture of him this morning and this is the face he wanted to make!

Mini-Van Mama!

2009-01-27T10:47:00.003-06:00

It's a Mazda MPV '02. We really like it a LOT!

(Yes, it is in the Ford family.)

We bought it a few weeks ago, but I haven't been out in the cold with my camera until this morning!

Features that sold me:

-7 passenger seating

-Stow and go back seat

-Trunk space behind the back seat

-Back seat folds down backwards to make a soccer bench

-Captain chairs in the middle can slide together to make a bench seat

-Windows in sliding doors on both sides can go down.

And more...

David appreciates things like safety ratings and driving capabilities, engine stuff and the DVD player system.

It's great that we both get what we want!

Peter lost his first tooth!!!

2009-01-22T13:10:00.002-06:00

He has been waiting for about 2 and a half years since Adam lost his first tooth.

It happened over Christmas vacation, so the Tooth Fairy had to come to Grandma's house!

Can you feel his excitement?? He actually lost another one just the other day. The tooth fairy has been busy!

Happy Birthday to me! (Last week!)

2009-01-18T18:25:00.004-06:00

I'm catching up. Now I'm only a week behind!

On January 11th, I turned 31!

And my cake....

Its the purple mountain background in AZ. I got my hammock on my palm trees! That is one of my "somedays." Adam thought I should have added a cactus. (that isn't in my someday)

Friday night, David took me out to Red Lobster, our favorite, and then we walked around Target and looked at little pink things. Then we got a ridiculous girl movie and some sherbet and went home.
Saturday night, he suprised me with a romantic dance in our living room, just us, low lights and a bottle of sparkly grape juice. :) He sang to me and we danced to the same songs that we did on our first date.
Sunday, my real birthday, I made lasagna, David gave me a girly movie, and we had some friends come over for cake and ice cream. They brought the good ice cream. :) Then we put the kids to bed and played Settlers.
Monday (birthday not over!) one of my friends took me out to lunch. I ate too much chicken salad and peach cobbler. It was delicious! And David gave me more chocolate. :) He knows me.

OK and I have to add this only because I'm so proud of myself. When I went to my doctor appointment after christmas vacation and after my birthday, I had only gained 1 pound! I've never done that before. I have always been really good at gaining weight while I'm pregnant. A little too good at it. :) So I wanted to share my amazement and wow to myself.

Happy New Year's Day at the beach!

2009-01-16T16:06:00.005-06:00

4 little cousins, playing on the beach.

3 went in the water and...

Oh, they were so cute!!! And so brave.

No, I did not get into my bathing suit!!!

But we had a lot of fun in the sunshine!

Desert Adventure

2009-01-14T08:31:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite memories growing up is when Dad and Mom would take us out in the desert and have dinner. Often, we would gather firewood, Dad started the fire, and mom brought the hotdogs and marshmallows. So I wanted my kids to experience this desert adventure...and they loved it!

Fire starters, and Mom's perfected set-up!

Peter, Adam, David Jr and Casey

Our little family!

David & Peter, Dad & Mom

It was awesome!! Thankyou Mom & Dad!!

Merry Christmas Pictures!!!!

2009-01-06T13:13:00.008-06:00

'Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house,

All the presents were wrapped and left out on the couch.

The parents were exhausted, but everything was done.

The children were sleeping, dreaming of Christmas to come.

But then in the morning.....

Jesus is born!!!!

We stayed at the top of the stairs until everyone was ready. Then we knelt in prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for Jesus and for all of our blessings.

THEN.... they rushed down the stairs for the Christmas GLORY!

Adam got Blackout and Scorponok, Peter got a remote control car,

Davey got a Lightning McQueen car, and David got a Super Dart-tag Nerf Gun set.

Dad got a sweet metal sign to put in his car port. It says

FORD TRUCK PARKING ONLY.

Mom got a beautiful sweater, and I am behind my new camera!!!

Busy. Too busy to look at the camera!

And the Nerf Warriors!!

Christmas was so relaxed and wonderful. We LOVED it!!

Thanks Mom and Dad, it was one of the best vacations we've ever had!

Desert adventure and Havasu beach pictures coming soon!!!

2008-12-25T19:08:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas!! Jesus is born!!!!

We are in Lake Havasu City, AZ. It is warm and beautiful!!!
(Happy Christmas to me!)

Our Christmas started at 7am and hasn't stopped. I got a new camera last night and I was able to take pictures this morning with it. So as soon as I figure out how to download everything I'll post the "Jesus is born" celebration!

Merry Christmas all and Happy Holidays!!!!

2008-12-13T22:32:00.004-06:00

Belly Picture!

Here I am at 29 weeks.

So far, so good! Yes, I posed for this one.
I have to TRY to look my best at this point, don't you think????? :)
I took about 10 pictures and I liked this one the best.

2008-12-12T10:17:00.004-06:00

Happy 3rd Birthday to Davey!

He got to have a Thomas on his cake! He was so excited.
And he blew out all his candles on the first try!

I asked him which piece he wanted. He wanted Thomas' face and his name. Done.

It was a really big piece. He ended up only eating the frosting off and then being done. :)

It was really good frosting.

The UNopened presents...

Happy Thomas birthday! And thanks to the Michigan Corless family for his very first Bionicle. He LOVES it! (so do his brothers!)

The buttercream frosting trick. The picture is a little blurry, but the cake turned out great!

2008-12-11T11:21:00.002-06:00

Happy 9 Year Anniversary to us!!
We've been married 9 years today! And we are happier than we have ever been. It really does just keep getting better. It is so wonderful to be married to David and I am so happy and in love with him. I am thankful to be so blessed.
We plan on celebrating sometime after finals. :)

Halloween Pictures... So I'm backwards!

2008-12-10T21:22:00.006-06:00

Here are the happy squirts.

Peter, my vampire, won a prize at the Ward Trunk'r'Treat,

Adam, my American Black Bear, in his custom-made suit,

and Davey, my sweet baby leopard.

Then , this is the night we went real trick'r'treating.

They loved going out on two different nights and getting their make-up done for both!

Here is a family picture from the ward activity.

David was a dentist, go figure! :)

Thanksgiving pictures

2008-12-07T21:18:00.006-06:00

Thankyou Maureen for emailing these to me!

Here are the boys with their cousins during the week of Thanksgiving. We had so much fun in Michigan.

Jake, Peter, Preston, & Davey

These are the Thanksgiving costumes that Maureen helped the boys make for Family Home Evening. Maureen, you are crafty-amazing. They wore them for a little Thanksgiving play.

So much fun!!!

2008-12-04T17:00:00.003-06:00

My Sleeping Babies

Adam

They aren't really babies any more.

Peter

But they are awfully sweet while they're asleep!

David Jr. I love his little foot up on the side.

2008-12-01T21:58:00.003-06:00

Experiences Tag

This one is kind of fun. You copy and paste the entire list below and put the ones you have done/experienced in bold.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

Thanks Liz, I tag anyone who wants to do it, too!

Blog background changes....:)

2008-11-29T14:29:00.003-06:00

I really like the backgrounds I have had, but I recently realized that on different computers, with wider screens, you can see more than I see on my computer (not very wide). I pretty much just see the middle of the background.
.
So if you see more on the sides than just the red, let me know if you can still see the sidebar words or if I should change the color!

We just came home from Michigan where we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was so fun to be with Ryan and Maureen and to be with Jim and Vanessa also. All the kids had fun together and we stayed up way too late every night playing games and talking. We were able to go to the temple, out to Famous Dave's (if you haven't eaten there, you MUST), celebrate Tyler's birthday with everyone, and do a little Christmas shopping. David even went out with Ryan Friday morning to hit the sales! It was a great holiday vacation that was way too short!!! Thankyou to Ryan & Maureen for being perfect hosts and for making us feel so welcome and loved!

Happy beginning of Christmas celebrations!!!!!

2008-11-21T12:00:00.005-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Hope your holiday is filled with love, laughter and LOTS of
good food!

Love, Jana
.

Quirks

2008-11-15T18:37:00.002-06:00

.
Umeka tagged me. I'm supposed to share 7 quirks that nobody knows about me. Some you might, if you were there...here goes!
.
1. I love to throw things away. It makes me feel good, getting rid of trash and things I don't use.
2. If I sleep in I get grumpy. If I sleep in and get woken up by someone, I am really grumpy. It's better if I get up on my own, earlier, and do my own thing.
3. I have a hard time wearing sunglasses. I start having an attitude problem, like I'm all that. EXCEPT for these great dollar store glasses that Kimmy got me and sent in the mail. They are large and in charge and I don't feel cool in them at all. I love it!
4. I'm a sucker for a series, books, movies, tv shows.
5. I love to dip vegetables, fruit, cookies, crackers, chips. I love it all and eat way too much in one sitting!
6. I'm a stasher. Of all things. I almost always remember where I put things, too. It drives my husband crazy, but it also makes me a good finder.
7. I love to teach. Relief society, Young Womens, Primary, Enrichment, visiting teaching, anything. I love to share things that can help other people and I learn so much along the way.

Now I'm supposed to tag 4 more people. Christi, Melanie, Martha and Jenni consider yourself tagged!!!

Time goes by so fast!

2008-11-11T23:04:00.005-06:00

So I've been more busy at home. I'm nesting. :) We've been working on our food storage/ year supply, general keeping up with daily cleaning, and trying to get the ball rolling for baby prep!
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We're moving the boys to the downstairs bedroom, but we have to get the window replaced with a more emergency escape friendly window. Then we can move beds, clothes, etc. We moved the bookshelf already, and I am waiting for Chuck to call me back and tell me when he can do the window. He's our fix-it guy. He usually bills our landlord when he's done fixing something, but this one is on us.
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After the boys move downstairs, Davey will be out of the crib and we can get him adjusted to not having it for a while before we bring it out again in February.
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I have also been rearranging our laundry area for more storage space, so I can move boxes out of the play room closet and put food storage in. So, I'll be cleaning and putting shelf paper in. Not to mention rearranging the toy organization in the playroom. Some of it is coming out of the closet. :)

We have decided to build a privacy fence! David and a man from our ward, who used to build fences, are going to execute this project, sometime soon. I am so excited!!!
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So between those things and our normal activites, we've been pretty busy! I'll keep updating as much as I can. I'll get Halloween pictures tomorrow, but YW in Excellence is also tomorrow, so I'll probably post them on Thursday.
Love you all!!!

Stay up all night party!

2008-11-04T10:49:00.003-06:00

This is one of the fun things we do when the kids get a day off of school. We bring all the blankets and pillows down to the playroom, and after scriptures and prayers, we let the boys stay up and watch movies and eat treats! Adam and Peter love getting Root beer and Squirt. Davey likes the M&M's. I manage the mess until they're done. Then I clean up and they just watch until they fall asleep (usually between 11 and midnight).

Repeat Ultrasound

2008-10-30T09:34:00.003-05:00

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She's still a girl!

When I went in for my follow-up appointment to talk about the ultrasound, the doctor said she's measuring small. I also have low blood pressure, wierd for me while I'm pregnant. I'm usually low and then when I get pregnant, it goes up to normal. So anyway, he's going to order a repeat ultrasound in about 4 weeks to do some growth checks.
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In 2 weeks I get to have the glucose test. Remember that ladies? :) I actually don't mind it. My blood sugar has been wierd, too. I get light headed sometimes and have these flashes of "wow I have to sit down now". But if I drink juice or eat something, I'm ok. So I'm anxious to see what I can find out from the sugar test.
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Corless Baby

2008-10-25T15:41:00.008-05:00

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Think Pink!!! It's a GIRL!!!!

We just had our ultrasound this morning! The due date is still February 20's. We got to see her healthy body and little feet and hands. And little legs, my favorite. Everyone is healthy and happy.

David and I went out to breakfast and then took the boys to their last soccer games. McDonalds was in order, of course! Then home for naps. We are so excited! Now we can say "she"! Lookout pink, here we come!
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Happy Birthday to Adam pictures

2008-10-21T16:32:00.002-05:00

Happy 7th Birthday!!

June 23rd

He wanted an Ironhide Transformer cake, so I found a picture online. He also had a transformer table cloth and we photocopied autobot symbles and taped them all over the walls.

Friend party!

David was quite the entertainer that day(he had no school, it was in the summer).

The line-up for balloons!

Jungle Bone Crusher Transformer!

It was a very good day!

Bean Museum in Provo, Utah

2008-10-14T22:37:00.006-05:00

It was so fun to see these animals so close, looking so alive!!!! It is the most amazing animal display I have seen. The boys were on cloud nine!

The butterfly display was one of my favorites.

You can click on the picture to see them closer. It's really cool!

They loved it so much we went there twice in 2 days.