Lucky Seven

So I got tagged by my sister in law, so here goes my lucky seven:

Seven things I CAN do:

Fall asleep in 10 seconds flat!- seriously, the minute my head hits the pillow, I am OUT.

Dance the national dance of the Ukraine- Hopak (Back in my college days, I was on the International Folk Dance Ensemble at BYU and made some of my most cherished memoires.)

Make dinner one handed- whether I am holding a baby, talking on the phone, or whatever

Cry in ANY movie- or if anyone else is crying- seriously I am a sympathy crier

Rationalize any purchase- It was on SALE!

Make friends easily- I love talking to people and making new friends, and I love that I have so many old friends that I love to keep in touch with and love so much!

Play with my kids a ton more now that I quit my job! I feel like a new woman!

Seven things I CAN'T do:

Recognize quotes from movies: People are always quoting movies and asking me what it is from-- I NEVER know, unless it is Aaron b/c the only movie he quotes is Back to the Future and I am onto him!

Wrap the cord up on the vaccum cleaner- it gives me chills (like nails on a chalkboard) to re-wind the vaccum cord, so I don't do it and it drives Aaron nuts! (hey, at least I vaccum.)

Sleep with 5 people in my bed. You may laugh, but there are several morings when EVERYONE gets in my bed and I have to leave, I can't stand being crowded.

Swim in the ocean where I can't touch. I am freaked out by what lies under the water and if I can't touch, I am miserable.

Let my babies "cry it out". I have tried three times (with all three kids) and I am terrible at it.

Watch scary movies. I have way too many nightmares.

Listen to talk radio- DRIVES ME CRAZY!

Seven thing I say the most:

Hurry Hurry- let's go!
Turn the water off in the bathroom. ( My kids are obsessed!)
Get your coat, shoes, backpack, etc (at least five times each before it happens!)
How did your test go?
I'm exhausted.
I miss you!
I love you!

Seven goals for the new year:

Read my scriptures more
Exercise (someday I'll get there)
Spend more time playing with my kids
Worry less
Keep in touch better
Stick to a budget
Plan more ( failure to plan means planning to fail!)

Seven reasons I fell in love with Aaron:

He is tall and handsome!
He called me Kate and offered to drive my car on our first date! ( I have since found out that he gives everyone a nickname, but it made me feel pretty special that day - and I didn't ask him out on our first date, but we took my car, and I was so impressed that he offered to drive!)
He is very service oriented and it was obvious to me when we met.
He loves old people.
He is very tender hearted and sweet.
He is a lot of fun to be with and makes me laugh.
His hugs make me feel better than anything else can!

Seven thing I love to eat:

Chocolate
Anything with artichokes
Peanut Butter
PF Changs
Thai food
Salad
Yummy drinks

Seven People I tag:
Em
Erin
Jessie
Shae
Whitney Hasler.
Brooke
Candi
(Anyone else who wants to)

Lainey Shae

I can't believe that my baby is 6 months old! She is getting so big and the time is flying by. She loves her sisters and will smile at ANYONE! She is super happy and her smile is absolutely contagious. She is a gem in our house and lights up the room when she is present. Hallie and Maggie love her and love to make her smile and laugh. They get along really well, and seriously one of the only things they fight about is getting Lainey to look at them. Conversation goes like this: (in tears)
"Mom, Lainey keeps looking at Hallie and she won't look at me", I say something like, "Call her name or sing to her or clap your hands and maybe she will look at you", which often works and is followed by, "Mom, I was playing with Lainey and now she's looking at Maggie and she won't look at me anymore"! Ahhh, the love! I am glad they love her so much and hope that they continue to fight for her love and attention as they get older!
Lainey is sitting up and she got her first tooth! I love it. She is my little Jack o Lantern. My guess is that she will be on the go pretty soon here. She is getting up to her hands and knees and rocking a little. I am not in ANY hurry for that day. Right now, I am very content with her being stationary and unable to get into everything! I am sure my days are numbered!

Anyway, here are a few pics of our little sweetie. I had to get the bath tub pic to show you her tooth. So cute.

Makeover

About every two months or so, I get a burning desire to re-arrange, re-decorate, re-do something. It probably drives Aaron a little nuts, since most of the time I need his help, but he was in full support of this one! We decided to make the girls room a bedroom/playroom. After situating the furniture every way that we could possibly imagine, we decided we need a little more room. So, WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!! Ok- just kidding. We bought a set of bunk beds from a nice family on craigslist. And they are perfect! I can't believe how much room the girls have in their bedroom now, and they love it, and so do we, since that means no more toys downstairs. (We'll see how that goes). We are happy that the girls have a bigger space to play, a space that doesn't double for living room, family room, etc. Anyway, we are super excited and wanted to share.

Cherish

I walked into my bathroom tonight and found the puppies lined up in their "house". I smiled and seriously felt all happy inside as I thought about my girls and how they play and leave their mark wherever they go (all throughout my house!). I could have picked them up, but I decided to leave them right there so that when the girls wake up in the morning and go to check on their puppies, they will find them safe and sound where they put them to bed. I thought about something that my mom said the other day. My whole family was at my parent's house for Christmas. After we had all gone and the house was quiet, my mom and dad were cleaning up the kitchen. My mom reached down to pick up something off the floor and saw a perfectly formed, sticky little footprint on the floor. She and my dad decided not to clean it up, but to leave it for a few days to remind them of the sweet kids that filled their house a few days before. I thought about the puppies and how much I appreciate moments like that when I am so incredibly grateful for my children and their presence in my home. A line of puppies to make me thank Heavenly Father that I have three healthy children that are mine, and to send me into their room to give them an extra kiss and squeeze before I came downstairs.

Merry Christmas

We had such a great time visiting family for Christmas! We LOVED being with our families and not doing much, but hanging out and playing games and eating way too much! I am usually ready to head home after a long vacation and get back into the swing of things, but this time I was dragging my feet to come home, (no offense to my Iowa friends, I did miss you and was happy to see you!)I must admit that once we got home, it felt good to be here, but we love our families so much and are so glad that we had the chance to go home and be wih them for the holidays! Here are a few pictures to remember the trip.