Yesterday we went to go visit my great-grandma Jensen. It was so good to see her and she seemed more herself than the last couple times I've seen her. She told us some stories and it is always fun to listen to her. I was glad that she got to hold Madolin and see Hyrum. She is so amazing! She made us grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. She is 99 and I can't think of anyone I would rather be like at her age (not that I really want to live that long lol). She did burn the sandwiches, but they still tasted pretty good. We went to the cemetery and spent about 20 minutes trying to find Grandma and Grandpa Stephens' gravestones. It was actually really neat to be able to look at all the gravestones and think about all the people and the different stories they had. There was one that had a bunch of flowers around it and then a Coca Cola can right under the name. I thought that was almost funny as my dad is an avid Diet Coke fan. Kinda made me chuckle. It was an amazing sight to see ALL the flowers by all the graves. There were hardly any that didn't have some flowers by them. I've never gone to a cemetery on Memorial day, so it was a really good experience for me. It helped me remember my grandparents as well. I loved them so much! And still do. Sometimes my heart just aches because I miss them so much, but I know that they are in a better place and I will be with them again.

I went for a walk with my kids. It always helps everyone to get out of the house. I really like exercising. I just forget that I do. LOL. I went for 35 minutes and tried to keep my pace up. It felt so good and I am in such a better mood now. Hyrum kept asking for leaves and flowers and Madolin fell asleep. They are such great kids! I need to make some dinner soon because Hyrum told me he was hungry. I gave him a snack, but that won't hold him over for too long. I think I am going to make french toast and hash browns.

Rain, rain, go away.

It is really raining hard this morning. We are planning on going to Ogden and visiting Great Grandma Jensen and going to Grandma and Grandpa Stephens' gravesites with her to leave flowers on them. Jay and Dad just left for a bike ride right before it really started coming down. I wonder if they will cut their ride short and come home early. We were supposed to leave for Ogden at 9:00, but they didn't leave for their bike ride until about 8:15. We'll see what happens.

Madolin is such a happy baby. She will smile at anyone who talks to her. She loves to be entertained though. And she's like her Mommy when she gets tired... ya better watch out! She gets grumpy when she's tired! She's not really a cuddly baby, but every once in a while she will fall asleep on Jay or I. I love it when that happens. It's so joyful to look down at her peacefully sleeping in my arms.

Well, I'm off to go get ready for the day!

Wow! What a guy!

I just have to say that I have the best husband ever! I asked him earlier in the week if I could get some flowers for scrapbooking. He asked if I could wait until payday on Friday (today). Of course, not a big deal at all. So, I go to buy them from an online store and ask if I can get some paper too. He asks how much I want to spend and I say $15. His response was, "go for $20." What a guy! He treats me so well. And not just because he lets me buy scrapbooking supplies. LOL. He shows gratitude for all I do and that is so important. I am so blessed to have him as my companion in life. I really do not know what I would do without him. He gives me stregth and is my partner in all I do.

I have spent most of the morning cleaning and then I made a card and homemade bread for new neighbors that are moving in across the street. It has actually been a really good day. I am a little tired and have a slight headache, but hopefully some water will help take care of that.

I better go start dinner... Jay will be home soon and we are going to eat and then going to a movie! YAY! I am so excited. I LOVE WEEKENDS!

Today Hyrum had beans and rice for lunch (he gave me the idea for it by getting into the dry rice and kept eating it like that... blech!). Anyway, I thought I'd try to get him to eat with a fork. I mean, he's eaten with a fork before, but he usually just eats everything with his fingers. So, I sat there and helped him every once in a while and he ate it all with the fork! Not once did he use his fingers! I was SO proud of him! He would get a bite and then get this very happy look on his face. I loved it! What a great reminder how awesome it is to be a mother. He even would say what I kept telling him to do, "under and up." Well, I was actually saying, "scoop under and lift up." It was amazing to me how quickly he picked up the whole concept! After he was done I thought how fun that would be to scrapbook. I didn't think to take pictures until he had finished eating it and so I took a picture of the empty bowl with the fork in it. I think I'm going to title the layout "Under and Up."

I think I'm going to go make a card since both kids are asleep. Have to make the most of the time they are both sleeping as it doesn't happen very often and today has been a rather tough day, so I'm going to take it as me time. Jay and I are planning on going on a bike ride tonight. He will pull the kids behind him in the trailer. That way I can actually keep up with him. I really need to get in shape.

Well, off to make that card!

Moving?

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time looking at houses on the internet. I found 5 that I would like to go look at that are within our price range. I talked to a realtor and he said that we need to go to a bank and get preapproved to see how much we qualify for so we know what our budget is for real. I think Jay and I will go by tomorrow. I'm really excited at the prospect of living in our own place. I know it will be a lot of work, but I'm ready for it, I think. We still don't know how much Jay is making yet though. It's really getting frustrating that they haven't told him. Maybe he doesn't want the promotion if it's not much of a pay raise, ya know? Anyway, I'm excited at the prospect of the whole thing. I just hope we can really make it happen. And the sooner the better. We have been living in my parents' basement for 2 years now and we NEED our own space. Not that they aren't good at letting us have our space, but it's just not the same as having our own place. Please, please let us get approved for enough to be able to buy a house.

First bite of the year

I just noticed that I've got a mosquito bite onmy leg already! I think this will be a bug filled summer. I hate mosquitos! I'm going to have to buy those OFF! wipes for easy use with Hyrum and Maddie... don't want them to get eaten alive.

Last night Jay and I went on a double date with Mom and Dad to Chili's. It was yummy, but I ate too much. Should have skipped the desert. LOL. We also went to the mall before we went to dinner. It was so much fun. That has to be one of my favorite things to do. I got some make up and shower gel. I think it's just more fun to look at all the stuff than to actually buy it.

Today we are getting Madolin's ears pierced! I am so excited! I have been wanting to do this since I found out we were having a girl. I just have to decide what earrings to get for her. We went and looked a little last night, but didn't make a decision. We are trying to decide between silver balls, blue studs (her birthstone), or fake diamond studs. I'm thinking probably not the "diamonds," but I don't know for sure.

Kara came over so we could sew together, but Mom's old Bernina isn't working, so I can't sew. I think there is a short in the pedal cord. I'm going to make a card instead (if I can get off the internet). Well, I'm off!

Wow... it's been a while since I've written in here. Everything is good here. I went on the treadmill this morning before Jay went to work. I walked/jogged 2.03 miles in 30 mintes. It felt sooo good! I think I'm going to start exercising as much as I can in the morning. A half hour less of sleep won't make that much of a difference. I've got $50 towards my digital rebel so far. If I keep it up I'll have it in no time! Plus, as Jay said, I'll get "girly tough". Something that I would love! How cool would it be to pass Jay up on bikes someday!

We still don't know how much Jay is getting paid for his new job. I wish they'd tell him already! I hate not knowing! Plus, it's something that is exciting, so that makes it even worse.

I just got a call from my brother-in-law, Dan. He said that my mother-in-law just got back from the hospital. I didn't even know anything was going on. Turns out she was having breast reduction surgery. She spent the night in the hospital and is tired but doing pretty good. I think we should send her flowers or something. I know it wouldn't be fun to be stuck in bed. I hope her recovery is fast!

Madolin is "talking" more and more. She loves to look at me and just go on and on! I love it! It is so cute! She loves to say, "goo" too which totally cracks me up. She will be 3 months tomorrow... and you know what that means! Ears pierced! I'm so excited! I wonder if Kara would want to come with me to take pictures.... I'll have to ask her about that.

It has finally warmed up here for good, I think. It seems we skipped Spring though. Just lots of rain and then HOT... it is in the 80's now. I'm not complaining though. I know we needed the moisture, but I was starting to really get sick of the rain. Gotta love capris though... they are my favorite clothing right now. Although, I do want to go to Old Navy and try on some Bermuda shorts. They seem like cute long shorts... I just wonder if they'll actually look good on me.

Kara and I are meeting Clarice for lunch today. She's moving back to Orem from SLC this weekend! I'm so excited! I'll actually have a friend that is local to hang out with! I hope we actually do.

I better get going and do some housework before lunchtime gets here.

Fun, fun, fun!

I get to go to a crop tonight with Kara and Clarice! I am so excited! I have 8 layouts put together to try to get done tonight. I doubt I'll get them all done, but I do not want to run out of stuff to do. We are going to Paper Daisy and it starts at 6:00 and goes until midnight. I love my children, but sometimes I need a break from them and this is the perfect way to do it. Jay is so good to me! He agreed to watch the kids so I can go. Him and David are planning on going to the mall and maybe something else... who knows. I hope they have fun tonight though. It is much better if they get out of the house though. That way Hyrum doesn't get stir crazy. I really hope the kids are good for Jay though.

Finally! Friday AND a promotion!

Jay finally got the promotion! I'm so excited! He has worked so hard to get this and he really deserves it. I hope that he gets paid enough that we can get into a house... or at least into an apartment of our own. I would just love to get into a house though, even if it's just a small one that needs lots of fixing up. In fact, I'm pretty sure that that's what is going to happen if we buy a house. I just want it to have 3 bedrooms and a decent back yard.

I love Fridays! It means the weekend is almost here and I don't have to work nearly as hard. Just get last minute small things done on the house so that I can play on the weekend. I think I might take Hyrum to the park today since it's finally not supposed to rain today. I'm so glad it's finally stopped for a day. I'm going to sew some today after I wash the dishes and balance the check book. Gotta get the yucky stuff done and then the fun stuff. I think I'm gonna make Hyrum some more PJ's since he's pretty low on them. Off to get stuff done!

Hyrum gave me quite the scare tonight! I came in from dinner with Kara at Zuppas and was putting away my scrapbooking stuff from earlier off my mom's kitchen table and went to get Hyrum to take him downstairs and I couldn't find him! I kept calling his name and thought he had gotten outside maybe. Lately he's been liking to hide behind doors and stuff so I looked everywhere upstairs again and found him in my mom's bathroom... in the little section where the toilet is with my mom's razor! He said "ouchie" and sure enough his thumb and pointer finger were red with blood. I was just glad that he hadn't gone outside and ran! Luckily the cuts were minor and nothing to worry about. Man, was that ever stressful though!

I need to exercise tonight. I feel like I'm dragging and know it will help me feel better. I've got to fold 2 batches of laundry and give Hyrum a bath and then I will go on the treadmill. I wish it would stop raining for a day or two. I know we need the moisture, but I want to be able to go outside without getting wet! I would love to take Hyrum to the park again too. Oh well... soon enough.

Madolin started kicking the toys in her bouncy seat today. She can't reach them with her hands at all and aparently wants to move them around. She just reaches her foot up there and kicks away. It is so cute! I love when they start doing new things all the time!

Just another manic Monday.

Yesterday was good. It was really nice to see family and EVERYONE commented on how adorable Maddy was. Valerie was there. I haven't seen her for over 2 years. It was good to see her and her twin girls... boy do they look just like their mom! I was surprised at how little they talked though. They are only about 2 months older than Hyrum and he's saying way more than I heard them talk. It was really good to see Grandma Jensen too. She seems to be getting weaker though. She held Maddy for a little while, but even that was kind of hard on her. I need to remember to go visit her more often. She really isn't that far away. The ride to Ogden and Logan went really quickly for me. Both kids slept the whole way to Ogden and I just read the whole time. The way back home was a different story though. Hyrum was tired, but wouldn't go to sleep until we were about a half hour from home and Maddy got fussy about half way through. We stopped so I could try to feed her, but she wouldn't eat. I couldn't find her binky and when we stopped Jay finally found it. Everyone got tired and a little grumpy. We were all really glad to be home and in bed finally.

Despite a late night last night, Hyrum was up before 7:00 and Jay brought him in our bed. I dozed in and out in between Hyrum putting his feet on me or trying to climb on me before I dragged myself out of bed. I realized that Hyrum had peed through his diaper so put him in the tub even before breakfast. The kid must not have gotten enough sleep because he would fuss when I was undressing him and washing him in the tub. He about drove me crazy! I swear, he's gonna give me gray hair!

Oh, and last night when we were driving home Jay and I were talking about how I could put money away for a digital rebel. We came up with me "earning" it by for every 30 minutes that I exercise, I can put $5 away for it. :) Sounds like a good thing from every angle to me! The hardest part will be finding the time to exercise with 2 little ones. I think Jay will have to help me with that.

Today we are going to Ogden to visit Grandma Jensen since she hasn't seen Madolin since she was blessed about a month ago. After we go to Ogden we are going to continue on to Logan for a Mother's Day pot luck dinner at Angie's house. We will be leaving as close to 1:00 as we can. I came home from church early to get ready to go and find myself on the computer writing here instead. This will be a short entry because I do need to go get stuff together so we can go. I hope Hyrum will sleep on the way there. I need to be sure to bring his blanky so if he wants to he can go to sleep.

Everyone always wants to see Maddy when we are at church. They all stop me to get a look at her and exclaim how cute she is. I must say that I have to agree! She is quite the cutie! Especially in her cute frilly dresses she wears to church.

For sacrament meeting the Jesky family gave talks. The three boys gave a scripture and bore their testimonies. It was really quite adorable. Sister Jesky's talk was on women of the church. She talked about past prophets' mothers and how faithful they were and how that made a difference in their sons' lives. Brother Jesky talked on women of the scriptures and pretty much did a "hall of fame" of them. He talked about his favorite "nominees". Church went by so quickly! I think a lot of it had to do with skipping out on the second and third hours and also that the Clawson's took Hyrum while we were there for most of the time. They are such good people! What will we do when we aren't living right next door to them? That will be a sad day indeed!

Well, I better get going! Have to get stuff ready still!

Fiesta!

Well, we just got back from a ward "fiesta." We had burritos and "fried" ice cream and there were people that danced and sang. I especially liked the dancing! Makes me want to get Jay to take a ballroom dance class with me! It would be sooo much fun! Maybe this fall. :) The whole time the people were dancing, Maddy's eyes were WIDE open... she was watching intently! Maybe she'll be a dancer! :)

Hyrum is talking in sentences ALL the time now! It amazes me every time he does it! He can repeat everything I say too... and often does. My little boy is getting so big! He seems so grown up all of a sudden. Before I know it he'll be taller than me. *sniff*

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Today is Kara's husband, David's birthday. They came over with pizza for lunch and we sang to him and had cheesecake. Hyrum watched Kara quite closely and excitedly put the candles in the cake and said very clearly, "Happy birthday to you!" We all cracked up! I laughed so hard I got tears in my eyes. He also kept repeating "cake, yum, yum, yum, cake!" He is so enthusiastic! I just can't believe how much he is talking! Earlier today he kept saying "poporn" which is his way of saying popcorn. I just had to make him some. The kid almost ate all of it. He just loves the stuff!

Maddy is getting better at being on her tummy. I try to remember to put her on her stomach every day while Hyrum is eating or taking a nap so he can't sit on her or poke her in the eye or anything like that. The poor girl probably won't even learn to roll over for a long time because she is hardly ever put on the floor. Her big brother just likes her too much. ;)

Jay got me the coolest thing for Mother's Day (yes, I know it's a day early, but I'm not complaining)! It is this magnetic shadow box that is 12x12. PERFECT for putting my latest and greatest layout in to look at and admire. He is so good at giving gifts! He really thinks about what I would like. I would probably have never bought that for myself, but I love having it! He also got me "The Terminal" -- a great movie and a Nickelcreek CD. What a guy! I have absolutely NOTHING to complain about! And here I was thinking that he wasn't even going to get me anything. LOL.

Today is National Scrapbooking Day (NSD for short) and I was part of a baggie challenge and boy was it ever a challenge! I really had to step out of my comfort zone and usual style to be able to use everything that I got. I really, really like how it turned out. I will try and put a scan of it on here after the contest is over (just in case anyone from LM comes and reads this). I still want to do another layout today though... maybe 2 depending on the kids and Jay. Better get back at it! :D

Last night Hyrum started saying "yes" to questions. It is so cute! He kind of breaks it up, so he says it like "ye-ss." I kind of miss him saying "yeah" all the time though. I thought it was super cute. LOL. I guess we're just trading one cute thing for another. I also had a dr's appointment this morning and left Hyrum with my mom (gotta love grandparents!) and when I came home he had a squirt gun and was spraying the wall with the water and then wiping it. I don't know if he thought he was cleaning it or what, but it was really cute. He would also spray it in his mouth. Thank goodness he hasn't figured out that you are really supposed to spray people with it as I'm sure I would be a major target. I'll have to show it to him again and see if I can get pictures of him with it.

So, no promotion yet for Jay, but it sounds like it will be something good. He talked with his boss yesterday and he wants to have dinner with Jay and I so we both know what is involved in the job that he will be doing. He will be getting a laptop and cellphone though. Sounds nice to me!

It is rainy here today. I like rain, really I do... just not all the time. I know we need the moisture and everything, but I am ready for it to be warm and stay warm (not hot, mind you, but WARM). Every time it rains, it cools it back down about 10 degrees so it's just a little chilly.

Well, I need to go work on the Mother's Day gift for my mom. (Adding on to her Christmas present of a month-by-month album.)

Just another day...

I have been edited pictures a lot today. It takes sooo long to get them edited and everything. I am done for today and am now uploading them to costco.com so I can put in an order.

Jay just told me that he is going to be working late. :( He just said that he's got stuff he has to do. He could be two more hours. At least he has the time approved for overtime. I'm wondering if he got the promotion his bosses have been telling him bits and pieces about. That would be so cool! I try not to get too excited about it, but I do anyway. LOL. I really think this is the way we will get into a house. Boy, would that ever be nice! I think we will probably buy a house the end of this year or the beginning of next. That is my dream! It doesn't even have to be very nice... just a home I can call my own.

I also cleaned up some today. Hyrum helped me put his toys away before he went down for his nap. He's getting SO big! He is so willing to help me too. This morning as he was eating his breakfast he was babbling and then kept saying, "bicycle, bicycle." I just had to record him as I know Jay would love to hear him saying it since he's such an avid bike rider.

Madolin is getting big too! She gets bored sometimes and fusses just to have someone play with her. Her smile says more than a million words! I love it! To have her smile at me makes me realize why I've always wanted to be a mom. I went through her 0-3 month clothes last night and put them away to make room for her 3-6 months clothes. I just can't believe how fast she's growing! Doesn't make me baby hungry though... yet. ;)

A "me" day!

Hyrum was feeling better today. I think he has a yeast infection on his bottom and have been putting anti-fungal cream on it. It looks a little better today, thank goodness.

I had a very "me" day. Maddy woke me up pretty early and wouldn't let me go back to sleep, so I just got up around 7:20. Hyrum was still asleep, so I put Maddy in her bouncy chair and took her upstairs with me where I ate breakfast so I wouldn't wake Hyrum up. I then decided to start sewing pajama pants for me. I got everything done besides hemming them. They are so fun! I'll have to post a picture when I'm done. Then, I heard Hyrum was awake, so I went down and got him a breakfast of blueberry yogurt. I don't know if he likes yogurt so much because of the taste or for the fact that it's his finger paint once he's full. Jay came home for lunch. YAY! I always like seeing him in the middle of the day like that. Kara came over about 12:30 to work on Mom's mother's day present and scrapbook with me. We are doing a National Scrapbooking Month contest with challenges and prizes at www.scrappersisland.com. We both did an all about me layout. The boys played together pretty well. Hyrum wouldn't go to sleep for a nap though. I hope this isn't a sign that he's going to stop taking them. LOL. I really enjoy that quiet 2 hours in the middle of the day.

I am super tired. I need to be sure to take my iron pill... something that I've forgotten to do for a couple days. It really does help me not be as tired. Speaking of, I think I might go to bed soon.

Jumping on the bandwagon

Well, I am jumping on the bandwagon of blogs. I think this will be a good way for me to keep track of journaling for my scrapbooks if nothing else.

Hyrum is not feeling well today. He has diarrhea and a really bad diaper rash. I hate it when he's sick, but I do like it when he's cuddly. He slept in until 10:30 today which he never does. He rarely even sleeps until 10:00. It was really nice to have some time to start getting stuff done though. I talked with my mom and started sewing pajama pants for Jay. I hope they turn out good and he will wear them. They are blue gingham and Jay picked out the fabric. I can't believe it is already 12:20. The day has just flown by so far.

Jay's dad, step-mom, and grandma are in town. They live in Nebraska and I've only met his dad and step-mom once before when Jay and I were engaged. It was the first time I met his grandma "Ma'am". I have talked to her on the phone before and she is such a nice person. Saturday we went over to Dave and Toma's house to visit with everyone and have lunch. It was fun. We had hotdogs for lunch and Hyrum played with the cousins HARD. Everyone enjoyed Maddy and had fun trying to get her to smile at them. I can't believe how much Jay looks like his dad! It's crazy! We left about 4:30 and Hyrum fell asleep before we were even on the road 5 minutes. He even had a half-eaten sucker in his hand and STILL fell asleep. Yesterday Madison was blessed. She is only 3 days younger than Madolin and is so much smaller. She has the perfect button nose though. I made sure and got pictures of the two Maddies next to eachother because I'm sure there will not be much of a size difference soon. After church we all went to Anna and Darrin's house for potluck. There was chicken, salads, deviled eggs, and icecream for desert. Hyrum wouldn't eat much food but he ate his whole icecream cone! The kid has a sweet tooth! He even sat at the kiddie table with his cousins to eat it. It was so much fun and Hyrum fell asleep on the way home again he was so exhausted.

Well, I've gotta go change Hyrum's diaper again. Don't want his diaper rash to get any worse.