Number 2

Ok folks...this is what I have for today. It has been a good but very busy day. Full of kindergarten, dance, errands, afternoon preschool, gymastastics, grocery shopping, and three hours of visiting teaching (you know what I mean..same as it is for all of us!) but this came as our comic relief for the night...

We all sat down for a yummy quick dinner...TACOS...or make your own burritos...whatever you you want to call them before I had to go visiting teaching. I had set all the bowls out: meat, lettuce, tomatoes, beans, cheese, etc. We said the prayer and Ammon and I started getting the kids plates ready like every other night. Ammon started on Brynlee's taco and started smearing some refried beans on the tortilla when Brynlee looked at Ammon horrified. We asked her what was wrong and she turned to us and asked us if we were really going to be eating "Number 2" for dinner!! Ammon and I couldn't choke back the laugh on that one. We laughed long and hard about that. I had to admit it...when I looked at that whole wheat tortilla, covered in refried beans and then being topped with brown meat, it did look a whole like like....well you know what I mean. Only in the mind of a three year old!! We told her definately not, and we would NEVER to that to her and she looked apeased for the rest of dinner. Though to be honest...she is the only one who really didn't eat much of her meal tonight and jumped down saying she was full after a couple of bites. Brynlee is usually the last one down from the table so....to make a long story short, I still don't think she trusts us! We'll ever look at Tacos the same way anymore. Heck maybe we'll start calling them "Number 2's" or something!! Nah...just kidding...but this is why life with kids is so fun. It is just plain HONEST!! Never a dull moment....just wanted to remember this one! ;)

100 things about ME!

Well, I have been tagged on quite a few blogs over the past few months and I was trying to put together some different ones until I saw this on your blog, Lisa. Thank you!!

- 100 things about me.-

This is probably way too much information but hopefully it covers all the tags that I have gotten in the last little bit. I was told "juicy" but I hate to break it to you...I am not that interesting! I encourage everyone to do this. NO I did NOT do this all today...the list came quick but I added to it with the pictures and stuff over the past few weeks. Anyway, don't feel pressured to read this...it is mostly for me...but if you so dare, I tag Becca, Emily, Megan, Jeannette (email me! and I'll send it back to you when you start your blog!!!), Melinda (when you start yours!!) ;), and any other person that would possibly want to do it who isn't related to me!!!! :) Good luck...I'll be curious to read...so will your kids someday. It was fun to actually think about ME a bit!!

1. I hate being short, yet I think sometimes it gives me what Ammon calls a "spunky" or "fiesty" personality.

2. My two least favorite chores are laundry and the dishes. I just hate how the moment they are done, you are already behind with the next batch. I really put both off as long as I can but I just need to master than doing things daily is the key.

3. I love being a stay at home mom.

4. I drink a Costco "Weight Loss Shake" every morning for breakfast. (I'll blog about makeup later.)

5. I hate sleeping in socks. It drives me nuts. It makes me feel hot and like my circulation is going to be cut off.

6. I would love, scratch that, I am dying to vacation in Hawaii someday.

7. I am a spender. I try not to, but I just do.

8. I have no problem spending money on kids clothes or books, but I feel horribly guilty if I buy myself any kind of clothing.

9. I love hoodie sweatshirts...especially my cougar one which is in every picture I have taken!! It hides the weight (or so I'd like to think), it is comfortable, goes with jeans (my other favorite thing) etc.

10. I react strongly to other people's moods. If I think they are mad, somehow I get mad. If I think they are bugged, I get bugged. Not good....;)

11. My favorite nights are date nights with Ammon and that is mostly home watching a movie. Then I usally fall asleep on the couch, Ammon stays up and plays LOTR with Stew and then we go up to bed. It happens almost every Friday night like clockwork.

12. My favorite movies are Count of Monte Cristo, Kate and Leopold, The Notebook and Just Like Heaven. What can I say...I like the movies where they end up together and everything ends well.

13. I love creating things with my hands.

14. I love the satisfaction of a finshed project.

15. I played Spin the Bottle with a bunch of Mormon kids when I was 16....embarrassing I know...

16. Pregnancy has not only given me stretch marks, separated abs that need surgery someday, and curly hair...only one one side. It looks like a combination of a mop and a perm. And my hair used to be my best feature.

17. I would love to be 20 pounds lighter but I am ok with myself. I have had four kids and that is just the truth of it.

18. I have a goal of running the Race for the Cure in May. I have never run more than a mile in my whole entire life until three weeks ago. I used to hate running, but now I am starting to love the personal challenge. Two days ago (on Monday the 27th) I ran my first two miles in a row. I almost started crying on the treadmill in the gym!! I was so proud of myself. Lame I know but it is good for me to have a goal like the Race for the Cure. In fact I hope to run it every year I am not pregnant from here on out.

19. I secretly love when people make a big deal out of my birthday.

20. My favorite restaurant is Olive Garden.

21. I LOVE a clean house but sometimes I am too lazy to keep it that way.

22. I love getting emails but always put off writing them.

23. I love the internet. I love blogging. I don't feel like I have to scrapbook everything anymore.

24. I am a list girl. Lists help me keep my brain straight and stay organized. I make a list about everything.

25. Chocolate cake is my absolute without a doubt, most favorite dessert. I am wondering lately if I like the frosting more than the cake part though!

26. I am in heaven if I smell roses, cinammon rolls or apple cinnamon or cinnamon vanilla candles. I used to dream that the guy I married would fill a room full of roses just for me. Just like that movie Bed of Roses. Now I am happy if I get a bouquet once every couple of years!! My favorite flowers are roses and gerber daisies.

27. Malls overwhelm me now. I have no sense of fashion anymore.

28. I have a toe that is a tiny bit shorter than the rest. It is unnoticeable to most...

29. When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I wanted to be a dental hygienst. Then a nurse, then an interior designer, then a mom and now something that deals with weddings (when my kids are older and can work with me).

30. I stalked Ammon and knew after our first day that I wanted to marry him.

31. I hate talking on the phone for long periods of time. I just get nervous that I am going to run out of things to say.

32. I love the Twilight books. They are my favorite stories and I was obsessed about each story I read.

33. I stay up way too late every night just because I enjoy the peace and quiet, the time to reflect, the time to do MY things.

34. I hate exercizing even though I know it is good for me.

35. Being barefoot is my favorite thing. I would be barefoot or wear flipflops all year long if I could. The bus driver often laughs at me because I run out to get Ethan barefoot in the middle of the winter.

36. I love the four seasons, although I am starting to HATE winter!

37. Trees are incredible. I love to watch the colors changing. The tree outside our front door is my favorite. I know what season is just by catching a glimse of the branches.

38. I hope to visit all 50 states before I die.

39. I would love to serve a mission in Spain.

40. Although I minored in Spanish, I am losing the fluency everyday! I need to practice! In fact I met Ammon in one of our Spanish classes at BYU.

41. I love to organize. I wish I could run an organizing show!!

42. I secretly used to wish that I was a famous ice skater and would roller blade around my drive to show off for the neighbor boy that lived across the street. I was like 9. Pathetic I know!

43. One of my favorite things to do is snow ski. Ammon and I spent so much of dating going skiing. I loved that part of our friendship. We got to talk on the way up the mountain, on the ski lift and our first kiss was on this day on a ski lift. Check out those sideburns!!

44. I wish I were more intelligent about "non fiction" things and about life.

45. I am emotional. I can get teary eyed or choked up about anything.

46. If I see it I want it. I am so visual that way. That is why I can't let myself go shopping very much these days...in fact I can't go into a store at all...no willpower....

47. I have no sense of direction. I can get somewhere with left and rights and a map, but tell me to go East or West and I'll be lost in minutes!

48. My favorite food is beef stroganoff or french bread.

49. I traveled to Spain after my senior year in high school. It was an incredible experience. My friends talked me into going clubbing one night in Madrid and I went with them. Not long after being there, I got this horrible feeling and felt the urge to leave right away. I told them I had to go. I took a cab alone back to the hotel and was so grateful to have listened to the spirit. It was not a place I ever should have been. It was incredible though traveling and seeing another way of life and another culture.

50. I love ZUMBA at the gym. I used to want to be a dancer so bad.

51. I had my appendix taken out when I was a junior in high school. Odd thing was my sister had to have hers removed when she was six. That is rare for one family. I love the attention just for me in the hospital! The next day after I was released I tried out for cheerleading. It was dumb and I came home sore everyday, but I really wanted it. I didn't get it because I couldn't do the jumps because of my surgery. Lame of me!

52. I love girls nights out but I feel guilty leaving Ammon at home to babysit and not get to do anything fun himself.

53. I can truly say that I have a happy marriage.

54. I own way, way, way too much crafty and stamping things. I need to get rid of some of them to feel appreciative of what I have.

55. Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love when the lights go up. It seems like there is magic in the air. I love the presents, I love the gift giving and making Santa come alive.

56. I love planning parties...I love the process of it all. Homemaking the invitations, planning, shopping...making an idea become a reality.

57. I would love to open a photography studio one day or a wedding business. I would love to have an amazing backyard that Ammon and I could open up for ward members to have their weddings there for free and I would do the food and the decorating etc.

58. I wish I wasn't such a granola girl! ;)

59. I love and hate camping. I love being outdoors. I love nature. I hate the bugs. I hate being dirty.

60. I love to take pictures. I love capturing the perfect moment.

61. I won the Provo Bridal Fair in Spring of 2001. From that we won my wedding dress, part of my wedding ring and all other kinds of cool things. It was a blessing financially and a dream come true!!

62. My siblings (in laws included) are my some of my best friends. I don't know what I would do without them.

63. I majored in Family Science from BYU. I graduated six months pregnant with Brynlee, Ammon and I having taken Ethan to almost all our classes back then. Majoring in Family Science was one of the best things I ever did. I use my major every single day of my life. I love that.

64. If I could have majored in something else it would have been Interior Design.

65. I bleed blue! Ammon and I are die hard cougar fans! Our kids are going that same direction and chant BYU songs and Ethan writes BYU on all his papers at school. We are not encouraging it, they can go to college wherever they want, but secretly it is cute. Ammon has dreams of getting his PhD maybe from BYU, so we think maybe we'll retire in Utah and go to basketball games and football games like Grandma and Grandpa as we live out our days!

66. I have to take a shower everyday. I feel like I can't go out in public if I don't and it makes me happy if I do. I feel clean, renewed and ready for the day.

67. I love Becky Higgins. She is my "idol", well if I could really have one. She makes scrapbooking possible for me, I love her ideas and feel like we could be the best of friends!! ;)

68. I have been biting my nails for my whole life. I hate it..I have ugly hands and I even made it my New Year's Resolution this year. I did great for about 8 days, then I got stressed and one by one they were GONE I tell ya!! It is hard! Now I don't blame Brynlee for the whole thumb sucking thing!

69. I am such a planner. I am not very spontaneous and get irked if my plans get foiled or if things don't go the way I imagined. That is why we have found out what sex of baby we were having everytime. I love to be prepared.

70. Columbus is one of the best places I have ever lived. It is so family friends, full of good friends, a good atmosphere, I love our home, etc.

71. I love weddings. I secretly wish I could marry Ammon again so that we could plan another big party and do things differently just for fun.

72. I love to read, I just wish I had more time. I love easy reads, mostly like kids or junior high books like Harry Potter, Twilight, etc because you get lost in another world and you don't have to think too hard. I used to stay up late at night in high school, hide under my covers with a flash light and read late into the night.

73. My favorite song is "One Hundred Years to Live".

74. I love Reese Witherspoon!

75. Ammon and I read all seven of the Harry Potter books outloud to each other. All seven! It started when I was pregnant with Ethan. We read them mostly on road trips, etc. We never read when the other wasn't around.

76. I love the Pirates of the Carribean movies. I could watch them over and over and over. My mom always sang "Yo Ho A Pirates Life for Me" in the Shower. Maybe that is why!! :)

77. I love going on family adventures. A weekend one, for a week...it doesn't matter. I love the planning and seeing it happen.

78. I wish I could quilt and well and as fast as Jeannette Bowen! I wish I was a service oriented and kind as Mom Ras. I wish I loved "my fellow brother" like Ashley. I wish I dressed like Chelsea. I wish I was as hard working, smart and clean as my mom. I wish I cooked like Emily. I wish I was as patient as Becca! And I wish I was as witty as Megan. I wish I could sing like Liz. Play sports like Whitney. Teach my kids like Melinda. Talk Texan like Trevor....ok ok you get the picture!!! ;-)

79. I secretly think I have the best kids!! ;)

80. I get claustrophic easily. I hate small spaces and hate to be trapped or locked out.

81. I have a small temper that I wish I didn't have. Patience is a virtue I am learning everyday.

82. I used to love roller coasters. Anything about them. Now being older, having had kids, I dread them and they make me sick, get a headache and terrify me!

83. I love to give advice that works.

84. I love to be a leader, but I hate to be in front of big groups of people. In fact my patriarchal blessing talks a lot about it, but I just get so nervous! Two edge sword right?

85. I dream of ice skating and having a romantic weekend in Rockefellar Center someday and seeing the big Christmas tree.

86. I get terrified to think I might die young and not live to see my kids grow up.

87. I am terrified of cancer. I worry that that it what I will die of.

88. I LOVE CHOCOLATE!!! Not dark chocolate though.

89. My favorite combination for cookies or candy is mint and chocolate or caramel and chocolate.

90. Ammon and I have a date night once a month. We almost always get Dairy Queen blizzards for a treat. If money is tighter, we get a Wendy's frosty.

91. I wish I had a personal massuse.

92. I wish we could move Columbus to the west. I wish we lived closer to everyone and I get a little jealous when we can't go home.

93. I love my Kitchen Aid mixer!! It makes baking so easy! My favorite kitchen appliance though it our crockpot.

94. I wish I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain a pound. If only!!

95. I love to make cards for people!

96. I am going to have to have surgery on my ab muscles when we are done having kids to repair them and pull them back together. ;) I have been doing a lot of strength training lately that has helped but there is still a big space between them...

97. I hate spiders, bugs, insects, creepy crawlies, mice, rats, worms...you get the picture. Gratefully I am glad the Spider Killer lives here too!

98. My parents divorced when I was four and a half. I grew up with my mom being single and working as a nurse all the time. As the oldest I took care of my siblings a lot. I made sure we walked home from school in safety, watched them while my mom worked, etc.

99. I am the oldest of four kids. Three girls and a boy. There were four of us in five years. Ammon grew up as the oldest and the first four were born in five years. Our kids are four in five years...three girls and a boy again. We didn't plan it that way...in fact I didn't realize all that until I was pregant with Hailey.

100. My favorite TV show is The Office. Ammon and I (before the writer's strike) used to have weekly "date nights" after the kids went to bed to pop popcorn and watch it together. I wondeful if they will ever show it again?

Just wanted you to know...I love you...

Ammon you have done so much for me lately, there is no way to thank you enough. So I thought I would make a list just so I wouldn't forget and so our kids were know what a perfect husband and father is like. I probably should have saved this for a Valentine card but I know by then I'll have a whole new list of thank yous for you. What would I do with out you?

1. Thank you for making breakfast last week on the night I was tired and down and just didn't feel like it. The kids loved it and you did such a great job making sure they were all included in the preparation. The crunchy eggs (Ethan and Hailey cracked the shells!!) weren't so bad either! ;)

2. Thank you for going to two grocery stores just to find the right cheese for the soup last night.

3. Thank you for picking up Karli's formula and taking just Hailey with you so she could have some one on one time.

4. Thank you for sending me upstairs last week so I could finish my book club book in time.

5. Thank you for handling mood swings with optimism!! Trust me-it's a girl thing!!

6. Thank you for supporting my hobbies and interests and never making me feel like it was all worthless.

7. Thank you for cleaning out the van yesterday and vacumning it too-all in the freezing cold.

8. Thank you for going to fill it up with gas.

9. Thank you for making the bed the past couple of days after I have already gotten up and have started getting Ethan ready for school.

10. Thank you for all your help in trying to help me even try to keep up with the house this month.

11. Thank you for mending that stack of clothes for me-who would have known a surgeon could do it in 20 minutes? You will be great!

12. Thank you for BBQing the chicken for dinner in the freezing cold the other night-it tasted great! But I promise no more BBQ requests in the dark or when it is 30 degrees or below!!!

Taken on Sunday, the night of the BBQ chicken...

13. Thank you for always arranging your call schedule to accomodate the things I have going on.

14. There are a ton more, but thank you for doing all the little things I put off, helping the kids to wear the clothes or shoes I might not choose normally, for eating the leftovers even when I am tired of them, for finding the little things I forget. My weaknesses are your strengths.

I just wanted to tell you again....just so you would know...I love you...

"O" Day and Fun Kids Craft!

Today was "O" preschool day at our home. Sometimes I'll admit that it isn't the easiest to have to plan the preschool lesson, come up with the craft, and it is always a nice feeling to get my turn over with and have five weeks to think about the next one, but honestly, I enjoy it and it really is fun to have Brynlee's little friends come over for a lesson, craft, playtime, etc. I do feel blessed that I do get to be a stay at home mom and do get to take part in my kids learning and teaching.

Anyway, today was "O" day. We made this cute little snowman, which was a hit and I have been dying to share it with all of you since November. It almost made the 12 days of Christmas, but with the snow around here, and the grey and the cold....it made its way to January-a much better time!! Since it is Monday, if you read this early enough it would be a really fun FHE treat for the kids. And if you are into the whole "healthy" thing this January-I didn't say YOU had to eat it...just your kids! ;-) Plus, c'mon it has a carrot for heaven sake!! (Oh, the snowman doesn't start with "o", you just hear the "o" sound and it is in the shape of an "o", plus I just wanted to make it!

You just need powdered donuts (we used the mini's and they were perfect), a mini carrot and mini chocolate chips...perfect for those little hands! The kids had a lot of fun.

Our theme was mainly octopuses and the ocean, which yes has nothing to do with snowman I know! We talked about animals that live in the ocean and made paper plate octopuses. The kids did a really cute job and I was pleased with how it turned out. We had an "o" lunch to finish-complete with octopus hotdogs, although this one looks kind of gross!!, oranges and oatmeal cookies (which my sweet hubby made for me about midnight last night). I really do enjoy this preschool thing and taking part in the kids lives. Karli makes it a little harder as she crawls around and tries to eat the crayons and the kids crafts, but I am excited for the time when I can do it with her too. Hailey is finally getting the hang of it and joins in all the time and can do the crafts and other things with us now. I guess that is what happens when you have daughters a year apart!

Making the snowmen.

Tada!

Our multicolored octopuses!!

President Hinckley

The Passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley

January 27, 2008

7:00pm

He was 97 years old.

Tonight was a sad night as we learned of the passing of President Hinckley. What a great man. We will always look up to him for his humor, his wisdom and intelligence and the way he "kept up with the world" and seemed to know everything that was going on, especially with the youth of the church. He reminded me so much of my grandpa and I always looked up to him in that way. This week was hard, grey and cold...maybe the world knew it would be losing a great man and heaven was gaining one of its finest.

We will always remember President Hinckley for all he did for all of us, for his peace during difficult cirumstances (like Sept. 11) for being a role model for us and our children, the kind way in which he handled the youth, his presence at BYU devotionals, and the way he made the world a better place. We will always appreciate his extreme role in bringing the temples to the people and making it so mini temples dot the world now. Ammon and I were married in Fresno, California, in a mini temple and we are privledged to live only 15 minutes from one now. We can rejoice in knowing that he was be greeted by thousands and most especially his wife and the Savior himself. What a incredible reunion that must have been.


May our children always know of our testimony and that we know the church is led today by a prophet of God. Even with the passing of one, the church goes on strong and things fall into place quickly. We will still be led by another great man. We will never forget President Hinckley and always, always the smile on his face.

Written by Ammon and Kirsten

Slurping?!

Editor's Note: Ok, I have one more thing to add. I watched the video (which I should have done before posting) and now I am hooked. It is unbelievable!! It looks so easy and you can choose what entries you want published!! Watch the video for sure! Emily-check out the recipe link! AND, you can make wedding books too. I never dared to scrapbook our wedding pictures. This would be perfect!

Well, I think I may how found the answer to my scrapbook dilema a bit. This week has been busy...it's been rough...and after talking with some of you I have realized we have all had a hard week. Scrapbooking is just not what it used to be. I still love it. It is still my therapy! But the kids are more important and trying to juggle six schedules, wants and needs, it is getting harder to do regularly. I can only do it when the kids are in bed.

BUT, Becca and I were talking on the phone today and we discovered something! It is a website called http://www.blurb.com/. Has anyone heard about it?

Supossedly we can make blog books out of our blogs!!

This is what the website says:

Works with many blogging platforms – Supports Blogger, LiveJournal.com, TypePad, and WordPress.com blogs.

Edit in real time – Allows you to customize and edit your book as little or as much as you like.

High quality – Hardcover and softcover books feature professional binding and four-color printing on coated, semi-matte paper. Up to 440 pages accommodate thousands of blog posts.

Fast turnaround – Orders arrive on your doorstep in approximately 7 to 10 business days.

Automatic slurp action (watch the video) – Imports and maps blog text, images, comments, and links into professionally designed page layouts.

Affordable – Prices start at only $12.95 for a 40-page softcover, $22.95 for a 40-page hardcover with dust jacket. The bookmaking software is free.

Flexible ordering – Order just one or many copies of your book. You have the option to place your book in Blurb’s bookstore for fans to purchase.

What I want to know from all of you is: Is this really true? Does anyone know other sites or is this the best for price? Has anyone tried to do this? Please leave a comment if you have any info. I'll share what I find from everyone on the next post.

If this is true, this changes scrapbooking. I no longer have to feel guilty about not scrapbooking every memory, every trip, every smile. I can scrapbook just the best of the best...the "I love yous" and "How special you are" pages and leave the everyday and weekend activities for the blog book. Go and check it out at http://www.blurb.com/. Click under blog books on the bottom and let me know what you think too. We won't only be blogging now but creating family history journals in which we can print more than one copy for our kids in the future. Now I only have to scrapbook what I want, not what I feel guilty about not having. What an awesome concept!

It's not peachy all the time!

Well yesterday was one of those terrible, no good, very bad days. If it was going to happen it happened. We had spilled nail polish, Brynlee and Hailey broke a ink pen all over themselves, the door and their clothes (they had accidently locked the door and were trying to pick the lock), spit up, after five months of being potty trained-Hailey had two accidents to get a little bit of my attention, the sky was grey, I didn't get my book for bookclub finished, etc. I had no desire to fix dinner. I tried to even make a card for card group and I couldn't come up with anything. I looked around at all the supplies I have been collecting for the past 12 1/2 years and I was so disappointed with myself. All these things, and I couldn't design anthing. I just felt down. Uhhh!! ;) It just seemed horrible. Ok I vented...thank you!

Do you ever sometimes feel like you are trying to be two people? There is half of me that wants to be Kirsten. The one who loves crafts, loves to create, would love to go to the gym any time of the day, be thin, read a book whenever, and the list goes on. Then there is the part of me that wants to be the perfect wife and mom. The woman that serves her family diligently, stops everything and reads a book to the kids whenever, teaches her kids, gives them each one on one time, makes homemade wheat pancakes from scratch and keeps the house clean. There are two ME's and I learned today that I just have to find a balance between the two ME's if I want to be happy and find a way for them both to coexist! (Don't I sound like I have split personalties or something?) I can read a book, take time to scrapbook, and get exercise, there is just sacrifice and balance required and when I do those things is the key. Instead of turning on the TV at night for instance, there are much better things I could be doing.

Today was a better day.... Here is why...

5:00am Woke up and went to the gym for 45 minutes (it was 12 degrees outside!!!!! Uhhh!!!)

6:00am Went to the grocery store and picked up stuff for the rest of the week. If feels good to have produce again! And shopping with no kids....ahhh...relaxation!

6:50am Jumped in the shower

7:20am Got Ethan up for school...made beds and cleaned up while he got dressed, cleaned up the kitchen a bit while he was eating breakfast...

8:00am Ethan got on the bus, I read my scriptures.

8:15am Got the girls up and at em

THE SUN CAME OUT (even though it was 24 degrees today!)

9:00am Cleaned up the rest of the house a bit, read Hailey some books, taught the girls some new things on the Fisherprice games (they were in heaven) and while the kids had some friends over and everyone was playing in the playroom downstairs, I designed the card for card group.

JEANNETTE AND I GOT TO TALK!

MOM CALLED ME JUST TO CHAT!

And my sweet boy came running off the bus, through the snow and I captured this: A boy happy to be home...our home...

It felt so good. I feel good...I feel better. So much was done by such an early hour. So different from yesterday. I got ME time but while everyone was asleep. Ammon even helped make dinner tonight with all the kids. I'll post those pictures tomorrow. It was a good day. It was a sacrifice of sleep though, and I hope I can remember that when the alarm goes off at 5, but I feel more energized, positive and not so down. It is amazing what sun can do.

There was something about balance in an article in the new Ensign. My favorite part was
"If we don't strengthen ourselves, we will never be in a position to strengthen others".

That hit hard and I realize that Ammon and the kids are my world, but to be a good wife and mom I do need to take time for me, even if it has to be at 5am. The kids won't be young forever...I need to enjoy the chaos, the constant noise!, there little feet running all through the house and even the diapers, because they won't be there forever. Ok, well maybe the diapers were pushing it a bit.

Oh I think it all boils down to the fact that I can't wait for summer to come. The barefeet. No Jackets. The freedom of the outdoors. Until then...it looks like a couple more 5am mornings!

This is our very favorite dessert around here. I made it for a baby shower last week (we are back to healthy this week!!!) and as soon as it was done, Ammon started asking when we could make it again....and he is not a big cake person. Unfortunately for me hips and my thighs...I AM! This tastes so good...better than the cookie and it is a good comfort food while is is cold outside! If you like cinnamon, you'll LOVE this! ;)

Snickerdoodle Cake
(From “Our Family Scrapbooks” Book)

1 package white cake mix

3 eggs
1 cup whole milk

1 t. vanilla
1 stick butter, melted

2 t. cinnamon

Grease and flour 2 9” cake pans. Combine cake mix, milk, butter, eggs, vanilla and cinnamon in a large bowl. Mix on low speed for 1 minute. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Divide batter into both pans and place in oven. Bake at 350˚ for 27-29 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and allow cakes to cool completely on a rack.

Frost with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting.

Frosting:
1 stick butter, softened 3-4 T. milk
3 ¾ cup powdered sugar 1 t. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

Blend butter with mixer on low speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, 3 T. milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Add more milk of frosting seems too stiff. Frost cake and place uncovered in fridge until frosting sets.

P.S. Don't go off the picture...it was late...it was dark...it was the last piece uneaten on the plate. Nuff said! ;)

Blessing from Dad Rasmussen-Summer 2006

This is father's blessing, that I transcribed, given to Ammon by his father Garth Rasmussen during the summer of 2006 in Palmyra, New York during a family trip before his parents headed back to Las Vegas.

Ammon was blessed that:
- he could make goals and work hard, yet find BALANCE
- that he would have good control of health and strength
- focus on studies
- prepare for a rigorious 3rd year, accomplish goals to move forward
- Heavenly Father is pleased with Ammon's efforts
- Keep long range perspective with family and doors will open for the future
- Push self to use time wisely
- Enjoy life and have fun, yet there is an appropriate balance
- Dad loves him and is thankful for him
- that he would be successful in his endeavors
- Dad is pleased
- blessed with the ability to feel of love and spirit, and his gratitude of Ammon's striving to please him
- mom and dad love Ammon dearly
- blessed to balance the load of being father, husband, student, priest holder, leader in ward
- delicate balance--> wise in proper order
- peace to know that Heavenly Father will assist him, enabling powers to do better and accomplish more than Ammon could do on his own.

It was especially neat to be in this room with Ammon and his Dad and mom, listening to this father's blessing.  There was quite a bit of mention about finding BALANCE that we'll try and strive for.  I am grateful for the priesthood in our lives and the worthy priesthood holders who exercise their faith in our behalf.

North Carolina Interview

Oh there is something about getting out and seeing our country and realizing how blessed we are. It is good to be home, don't get me wrong, but we have this new found love of road trips and getting out to see new things and having an adventure.

On the drive there...The post blizzard area in Virginia that we drove through..it was breathtaking...It reminded me of driving up in Utah.

We are done...well, Ammon is done! We are officially done with interviews....suddenly there is this peace about everything. This stressful feeling that is disappearing and this sense of adventure and acceptance about what lies before us. We are realizing that we are choosing between a lot of goods, a lot of positives and that no matter where we end up, we should be ok. We hope that is Fresno or Phoenix and mostly close to family, but in exactly two months from today we'll know...we'll have that peace of mind of what the next five years will be like for our family. It is weird, having to jump through these "hoops" every couple of years-Ammon having to "sell" himself all over again and find new programs for different parts of this whole process, and while it is scary, terrifying at times, to realize that your whole life is about to be picked up and a new chapter to begin whether you like it or not, it is almost a good feeling. We don't have to run out and "grow up" yet and find a job...we get to begin another five year series of events, a new chapter of our lives, a new adventure. That is what life is... an adventure and only we can decide what we make of it. I feel at peace knowing that once again another set of years is taken care for Ammon and that in five short months, he'll be a doctor and embarking on the real part of his training. The part he has chosen...that specially HE chose and is excited about. The next few years are going to mold Ammon and I am excited (and scared of all the time away) about what Ammon will learn and how he will grow. I know that Heavenly Father knows what that path is for Ammon and it is all about faith, communicating to Heavenly Father why WE feel certain things are right for us, and trusting that he'll put all the pieces together for us in such a way that we'll continue being happy and able to grow...

Ok, well back to this weekend. We had the opportunity to go to Charlotte, North Carolina for Ammon's last interview. I can honestly say we didn't spend anymore than Ammon would have spent going alone, and sure it was 14 hours in the car, but we had a lot of fun. Our weekend included, staying at a hotel in which the complimentary breakfast was shared with BUMS!! (no joke)<---this is what happens when the hotel is cheaper than even

Motel 6 ;), Ammon's interview (the hospital is BEAUTIFUL), me getting lost in the big city alone with the kids and having to pray-a lot, getting into two different museums for free with our reciprocal COSI membership, crossed four states twice, driving across amazing bridges, seeing the slums of West Virginia, driving through beautiful mountains fresh after a blizzard, "hotel camping", discovering and talking. The kids were honestly so, so good. I am very proud of them especially since we don't have a DVD player in the car (it broke the second day into our big trip in August.)

Charlotte definately was a cultural wake up call. The accents there were definately very southern. Scary though-Ammon even started talking like everyone by the time we left. It held a very laid back kind of charm and everyone was very friendly. Carolina's Medical Center is huge and beatiful and it was really an fun thing to GO WITH AMMON on his interview. Of course I think we stressed him out leaving the hotel with all six of us at 7:40am in rush hour traffic and trying to get him there at 8! :) But he's a good sport about it all....It was neat to actually "see" and not have to "imagine" where we could potentially end up. I wish we could have gone on all the interviews (Ammon probably for stress sake is glad we didn't!!!) but if nothing else, we had a good, inexpensive and fun weekend down South!

DISCOVERY CENTER

The kids and I hung out at the Discovery Center Museum while Ammon was at his interview. Later on in the afternoon we went and picked him up (that was when I got horribly lost and almost, really!!, almost freaked out and lost it) but I said a prayer and we found our way to the Medical Center...we brought him back for two more hours of fun.

We saw a snake in the rainforrest, watched Rat Basketball, saw the whole medical/life section, saw dinosaurs, touched animals in the tidepools, built with blocks and rode the "air chair".

We discovered this little surgical set-up about the Carolinas hospital while we were there...hard to believe Ammon is actually going to be one of those "dummies" behind him pretty soon, in that very same scenerio!

I now love the reciprocal program! We have a COSI membership and with that we can get into over 250 museums all over the US. Even the Fresno Met! Let me know if you would like a list of museums to visit in your area (I have the print out)....they are so great for the kids.

Onto the evening portion of the day. This is what we did for entertainment in our beautiful (not full of holes or with scary people at all ;) ) hotel room...

Yep, they were very content...

Just kidding...this is what actually happened before the lecture, um I mean talk, about respecting other people's property! :)

And to celebrate this is where we ate a beautiful sit-down five course dinner:

HYDE PARK STEAKHOUSE

Ha...yeah right! Just kidding!! No way...this is how the Rasmussens do traveling with kids and staying in a hotel. You might think we are dorks, but yes we always bring along the propane stove (even in the winter) and cook dinner at the hotel...well, just outside the hotel room so we don't burn the place down. It combines the best of both words....hotel sleeping with a warm bed (and no big bugs-well maybe the exception of the little ones that could have been in the sheets at THIS hotel! ;0!!) and eating food like we were camping. It is kind of a pain to plan all those meals before we leave, but it saves us money and we don't have to take all the kids into a restaurant.

We have always done this....for breakfast (unless there is a continental one) or we make lunch in the hotel room before we leave for our adventure for the day...

CHARLOTTE NATURE MUSUEM

We visited another reciprocal museum (again free!) the next morning to get out some more of the kids energy before the long seven and a half hour drive home.

We saw many, many animals, had butterflys literally fly right next to us, pretend we were underground animals and get our hands painted with cool creatures.


It was a really good trip and the kids deserve medals for how they behaved in the car. The hardest part though...two hours after Ammon finally got to sleep, he got a page for a case....poor Ammon. He actually went on another one after that too. Two cases in one day on two hours sleep..Thanks Ammon for all you do for us and congrats on being done with interviews!!

My favorite part of road trips:

* reading a book outloud with Ammon (this time it was my bookclub book for the month-The Demon in the Freezer-a book about smallpox

* listening to the kids giggle with each other especially once it gets dark and they can't see their toys to play with anymore

* listening to the kids singing at the top of their lungs High School Musical songs

* late night talks with Ammon once the kids go to sleep-it is when we have our deepest conversations about the future, about our goals, about steps to take for our next goal in life

* seeing the country and all that Heavenly Father has given us

Things for me to remember about roadtrips:

* the kids love having their own backpack filled with activities they have chosen to put in before the trip

* tootsie roll pops (an endless supply) are a really good thing

* liccorice is fun to make shapes out of

* change the kids carseats around for variety when the trip is super long

* High School Musical soundtracks are good....we'll have to find the second one for the next trip

* hand sanitizer for all those bathrooms in all those gas stations is a good thing and shouldn't be forgotten-dang it!

* McDonald's is not worth it no matter how desperate we are...microwaved chicken nuggets are hard as rocks! ;)