Oh Lacy...

The night before my big boutique all HELL broke loose. Every one kept asking me how it was all coming and in all honesty, it was falling together perfectly. Well at about 5pm the night before I was at my parents when Shawn calls and says, I hope you aren't too busy because I think we need to go to the hospital. He then brings a screaming Lacy to me. After about 30 minutes she finally lets my mom and I look at what seems to be raw hamburger (the end of her left thumb) Its definitely hospital-worthy. We pack her in and head on over. They do the x-rays and every time she lets go of her thumb to take the pictures she gushes blood all over the place. Too much for me to handle. I am being less help than good trying to keep her calm, and in tears and getting queasy. Plus when my dad shows up at the hospital she immediately shows him her thumb and tells me I can leave (way to break a moms heart, pretty girl!) so I go home and Shawn comes to the hospital- he is WAY better at this kind of stuff. She has to get 5 "Frankenstein" stitches as my mom called them and she CRUSHED the tip of her thumb. It was opened in the car door and got crushed in the hinge. It is all black and blue now, no cast or anything like that. We have been to a special pediatric plastic hand surgeon (or something like that) and he said she is going to be just fine as long as she moves it often, keeps it clean and takes all her medicine. It is pretty grouse looking but it will be just fine!

A few pictures from the night at the hospital

in the waiting room

They had to put her in the papoose to give her stitches. My mom said she did just fine- she just told her it was a burrito- just like Uncle Samuel does... so silly! (this was also after they gave her the happy drugs)

Happy GOLDEN Birthday Babe!

28 ON THE 28TH! So here is 28 reasons why I love my hottie:

1: Today is HIS birthday and he let me sleep in because I was up all night puking. Just one example of how un-selfish and kind hearted he is.

2: He is a worthy priesthood holder and my eternal companion.

3. He loves to turn on music and have dance parties with me and the kids

4. He makes it a point to make the kids and I laugh every single day (and he is very good at it!)

5. His adorable dimples

6. He teaches me something new everyday

7. His adventuresome side

8. He is so accommodating and gets along with everyone

9. He is brave and daring

10. He is sweet and makes me feel like a princess

11. He tells me he loves me every time he sees me or says goodbye

12. He tells me I'm beautiful everyday and I believe that he means it!

13. He is clean and helps so much around the house

14. He loves his family and mine and does all he can to keep peace with everyone

15. He never speaks un-kindly of anyone and keeps me in check!

16. He does cute things like set a "read scriptures" alarm on both our phones.

17. He is such a good saver and is so frugal.

18. He is handsome and looks hot no matter how he is dressed or where he is!!

19. He gives me these cute little winks to let me know he loves me from across the room.

20. He makes me feel sexy and tells me all the time I am the most beautiful woman he knows.

21. He is honestly my best friend!

22. He loves getting in on the girl talk and actually has really good input and is so fun to have at girls night (hope that's not embarrassing babe)... but all the girls love having him there!

23. He cares so much about the well being of others and never wants any ones feelings to be hurt.

24. He gives the best hugs and will hold me in his arms as long as I want!

25. He supports me in all my endeavors no matter how crazy they seem.

26. He keeps me sain and makes me a better mother and woman.

27. He is drop-dead gorgeous... honestly what is a hottie like that doing with a girl like me :)

28. HE'S ALL MINE!

I could tell you a million more- Shawn is so wonderful! I hope you have a fantastic 28 babe, you deserve it! I love you to pieces!

Holy Moses!

I can't believe how behind I am! I was talking to a friend about it the other day... I am so behind on blogging I don't even know where to start. I have been so busy with my boutique, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and so many million other projects... I have just not had the time to sit down and record my life!!!


First I'll blog about my boutique. It went so surprisingly well. I am so glad we went through with it. I was so happy with it, the vendors were so happy, everyone was happy! We will definitely be doing it again, maybe even as soon as mothers day! Please if you or anyone you know want to be a vendor pass along my e-mail to them, mwahoo@gmail.com or jennylynnbrown@hotmail.com . I have been having so much fun with all of this and so has everyone involved. Thanks for all your help Mommy, Daddy, Chantal, Clarissa, Charmaine, Samuel, Megan, Andrea, Kailin and everyone, everyone else. I LOVE YOU ALL!!
(my baby even stopped by- he was pooped!!)

I was so busy the day of the boutique I forgot all about taking pictures (WHAT, me??) So thank you Clarissa, all of these are ones I stole from her blog :)

also, check out my etsy shop (click here) ... I posted a bunch of my stuff that I didn't sell there. I love etsy!

I am Thankful For....

Oh I had such a lovely Thanksgiving...

My family got together in the morning. Everyone was there except for Charmaine and her family. I miss them more than I can even tell you!! I so badly want to hug and kiss my sweet nephews. Anyways, we had a lovely time eating on the back porch. Lacy got to go over the day before and peel potatoes and cook all evening with Grandma. She was so excited and talked all week about how excited she was to do it. She had so much fun! After we ate they got out the BB guns and showed the kids how to do target-practice. They had too much fun! Thank goodness nobody got hurt!

Later that afternoon we went over to the Browns for our second, absolutely delightful feast. It is the first time the whole family has been together since before Kelly and Heather have been married. We had so much fun all being together. I miss my sister in laws! My mother in law had an absolutely gorgeous set up on her back patio with an adults and kids table! I loved it! We had family pictures the next day at the asu research park and spent the afternoon having lunch together, shopping, playing, etc. The visit was far too short before TJ and Adelia headed off to Monaco. Overall it was a perfect Thanksgiving.

I must say the absolute best part of my Thanksgiving day was when we were at my parents house going around the table saying what we were thankful for and my dear sweet grandpa said he was thankful that he lived long enough to meet Lacy. Awh... I love you grandpa!!

Boutique Blog

Alright, its official, the boutique is on! December 12, from 8-5. Everything is coming together so nicely, its almost scary! Come check out the new blog my amazing sister and talented graphic designer, Charmaine put together, {click here} You definitely need to put it on your calendars and come check it out. Its for a great cause and you can get some amazing gifts doing last minute Christmas shopping. You won't want to miss it, and be sure to check the blog often as new stuff is being added daily!

Recent Pictures, so random!!!

This was from my dobson ranch boutique. Even tho I said it was embarrassing, I'll post pictures anyways!

Jack is just adorable. He is crawling all over the place now. What?! Crawling?! Yes, you heard it! Crawling at 5 months! I just had to show these adorable pictures. And I have to plug these shoes. They are called skidders and they have them at Target. Lacy and Jack both have/had these huge marshmallow feet and they are/were so hard to find shoes for. These are perfect! If you have a baby with huge feet, you need to buy these shoes!
Last night I went with my sisters, my bff and my Laurel Kay and her bro JD to go see a pre-showing of New Moon. We were total nerds, went all out, and absolutely loved it! It was so good, much better than the first.

Elise might as well be my sister :)

Mama's Holiday Wish List

Mama’s Holiday Wish List MemeTodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?

1. This cool prize :)

2. A longboard

3. A hot pair of boots

4. Clothes that fit!

5. a TV for my room

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

Too many to name. The temple picture Samuel etched into a mirror is definitely up there on most special.

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

I would love to learn to crochet better and make a ton of scarf's.

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

I remember the year we asked for carpet, that was an especially awesome year!

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

The wish list I'm making them or the ones they are making themselves? If you asked them Lacy would want dolls and make up and crafts and clothes and on and on and on and hugo would just want trucks. Jack just wants to be held :)

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

I LOVE left over dark cold turkey with salt, its prob my favorite holiday food.

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

My answer is the same as Megans (p.s. thanks for introducing me to the giveaway!) My home crafted items are currently a surprise!

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

The Elf

9. Favorite holiday song?

Oh man I have SO many. I like the classics!

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

Singing and lauging with family. Sitting around in PJs by the fire snuggling with kiddos and the hubby!

To enter to win all these cool prizes below simply answer the questions in this meme, make sure to post links back to TodaysMama.com and Provo Craft (use this link: http://bit.ly/4ikY3c )

Boutique Bust!

So thanks to everyone who DIDN'T come to my boutique on Saturday. (and a bigger thanks to those who did :) Sounds sarcastic, but I am being totally serious. It was embarrasing. It was raining and muddy all day long and I wasn't happy at all with the location. There was beer tasting right next to me, a scandalous lady in front of me who smoked cigarettes all day, three different kinds of music all being played too loud around me and just the over-all quality of everything being sold. I guess that's just how life is. Sometimes you win sometimes you loose. I didn't make very much money and I'm pretty sure my booth-neighbors didn't sell a single thing.
SOOO... Moral of the story is, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I know it is really close but I am going to do my own boutique Saturday December 12th. I already have a lot of people interested in being vendors. If you or anyone you know is interested, send me an e-mail with a quick explanation of what you sell and maybe some pictures. I'll e-mail you back with an application and voila, it is going to be so easy! I already have a location and credit card machine. Its all coming together perfectly. PLUS, We are going to be supporting "Families Supporting Adoption" (I hope that's right, correct me if I'm wrong, Megan) with some sellers raising money for adoptions. Its going to be amazing. Let me know if your interested in selling and save the date to come shop! You'll be hearing from me again soon.

jennylynnbrown@hotmail.com

I Love Hugo

My sweet little boy is 2!!! We had such a fun birthday with him yesterday. He was excited all day and kept trying to put two fingers up to say "I'm two!" We had family over for dinner, presents and cake, and Hugo loved every minute of if (Lacy on the other hand, did not like Hugo getting all the attention and gifts, she had a couple melt-downs during the day)

(I LOVE this banner I made!!!)

Hugo is such a sweet boy. He had a rough time coming into this world and had to fight to live those first few moments. I am so glad he is such a trooper and fought through them so he could be in our family everyday. He loves to give hugs and kisses, he loves truck and cars more than anything and he has the absolute sweetest voice. He is strikingly handsome and turns heads wherever he goes. He loves his grandparents (especially great Grandpa), his aunts and uncles and his cousins so much! He loves being home, he is by far my best sleeper. From the time he could walk, he would go strait to bed when it was time and hold his hands up with his blankie until we put him in. He loves being outside and doing anything at all with his Daddy. He is my most reverent at prayer time and he makes my heart melt every time he says, "Mommy, I wove woo" I am so happy he is part of our family, he is the sweetest, cutest little boy I have ever seen. (plus Jack, of course)


Happy Birthday baby boy, Mommy and Daddy love you more than you will ever know! Thanks for being you!!

Boutique

People keep asking me the specifics on the Boutique I'm doing next week, so here you go.

I don't know if you can enlarge the map, but if so, my booth is E10. I am in the bottom right corner right by the park.

I am so excited, this year it is out doors at the beautiful Dobson Ranch, right by the lake. I'm doing some really cute necklaces and chalkboard / magnet picture frames. Come check it out and get some early Christmas shopping done.

And if you plan on coming - BRING CASH. They are only accepting cash or check this year so dong forget! We are trying to work something out to be able to accept credit, but just in case, bring your mulah!

Check it Out!!

My mom and her genius hearts blog decided (per the request of my lovely aunt) to make her pictures and little sayings into greeting cards to sell. She started her very own little Etsy shop and I think they turned out absolutely divine. She is so talented and if you have ever thought that I had any shred of talent, I can promise you that it has all come to me from my beautiful mother.

Check it out HERE

FOR KRISTA

Your kids all pinned me down at the park and went on and on and ON about how much they loved the video of my kids and they had watched it a thousand times. They were so cute and so enthused about it... I thought I would make a couple for your kids to enjoy. Have fun!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Hope you guys like it!! Have fun, I love you!!

Quick Cali Trip

Samuel called me Wednesday night and asked if I wanted to go with him on a quick trip to San Diego. Can't pass that up! So Thursday morning I went and got the fluids changed and tires rotated on the car- and we were off!

We...
met my newest, sweet baby nephew Gordon
played with the kiddos
went to a couple parks
stayed up to ridiculous hours laughing and chatting with my fav. brother
went to the swap meet
went thrifting and got some amazing finds!
went to the beach (can't go to Cali and NOT go to the beach- even tho it was freezing, we all LOVED it!)
went to a friends pool and swam/ sat in the hot tub
mid-night Denny's run- kids in bed, babysitter chillin
my first time dumpster diving (didn't actually get in or even touch anything, that's just what we called it)
and as always we all laughed until we cried and had so much fun! I love anytime I get with my siblings and like I've said before I miss them all terribly when they are away.
To top it all off I came home to a beautifully clean house and my husband bought two new gorgeous house plants. Pics of those to come later- I LOVE THEM!

Happy Halloween!

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Cameron, Alex and Patrick

Lots of family birthdays in October.

Cameron turned 5! I can't believe he is growing up so fast. Cameron is sweet and fun. He is a bit of a stinker and I'm sure he keeps Krista on her toes non-stop, but she lovingly refers to Cameron as her "delightful". I can definitely see why. He has the sweetest side to him and I absolutely adore Cameron.


Alex is such a princess. She is strong and beautiful and knows exactly what she wants. She just turned 6! My nieces and nephews are growing up too dang fast. Alex is a friend to everyone and everyone that meets her loves her (and vice versa). I wish she lived closer so we could see her all the time because we all miss her dearly!


Patty is every ones best friend! He just turned 26 and is Shawn's youngest brother. Patrick is one of the most giving, selfless people I've ever known. He is always giving and serving others with out ever expecting anything in return. He is absolutely hilarious and will have us all rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. He is so quick and witty! He is Shawn's best friend and we are so lucky to have him and Chazilyn so close.

Happy Birthday guys, we love you!

I'm going to get in trouble for this!!

sorry, its super long.

Shawn asked me to take his flash drive last night to my computer (which is hooked up to the printer) and print out this report he had to write for his sociology class. When I pulled it up, the heading at the top of the first page said...

"Attributes I was looking for in my spouse."

Well I got super curious so I read...

1. Beautiful
1.1. long hair
1.2. bright eyes
1.3. nice legs
1.4. tight butt
1.5. in shape
1.6. clean
1.7. fresh

2. Smart
2.1. intelligent
2.2. well spoken
2.3. outgoing

3. Religious-LDS
3.1. High Standards
3.2. Faith in God
3.3. Testimony
3.4. Desire to have a Temple Marriage
3.5. In pursuit of an Eternal Family

4. Adventurous
4.1. Likes to camp (in a tent/ under the stars)
4.2. Likes the lake (swim/ wakeboard)
4.3. Likes to hike
4.4. Likes to mountain bike
4.5. Likes road trips

5. Sense of Humor
5.1. funny to me
5.2. can have fun
5.3. can take a joke
5.4. can give a joke

6. Good Family
6.1. Has a good relationship with parents
6.2. Has a good relationship with siblings

(I love that he threw tight butt in there- such a boy!!)

Then he had a second page that broke down that list once more to the essential attributes (the one's he wouldn't budge on or whatever) then the third page he had to write a short essay on the attributes he wanted compared to what he got.... in me :) He's going to be mad at me for posting this, but its so darn cute and made my week. He makes me so happy... just look at this.

The Comparison
In comparing what I wanted and to what ended up with for my spouse I want to say I got lucky. In reality I believe I got what I was looking and working for. I was raised in a LDS family and was taught from my youth that I marry who I date. So when I started dating at the age of sixteen. I always had that thought in the back of my head. Jenny, my wife, was raised in the same area, from the same type of family background, and the same long term beliefs. That it what I think makes us different from most sixteen year olds. We had a different perspective. I was from the start of my dating career looking for someone I could not only spend a lifetime but an eternity with. With these standards I feel we pretty much got what we both were looking for.
My wife is the love of my life. Jenny brings me joy on so many different levels. She is an absolute perfect ten to me. She had those items of beauty I was looking for when I was dating and still carries them today. She is very smart and determined as it showed with her graduating early from high school and moving straight onto college. She received an associate in massage therapy and is licensed to practice. Jenny could have stopped there as most due with massage therapy but she is looking to further her education and get a bachelors degree.
As for my religious desires, my wife and I share the same beliefs. Because of this I know she was preparing for me as I was preparing for her. This is the main reason I feel my wife met my dating standards. Not because I feel she was the only one for me but because we had been raised in the same area, same type of family background and with the same long term beliefs.
She meets my other needs of adventure, humor and family relationships. Jenny continues to surpass my expectations even now six years into this relationship. With the last statement I made that we had been raised in the same area, same type of family background and the same long term beliefs my wife and I met not only our dating attributes but we also met the essential attributes.

pretty sweet, right!? i've got to say- he's a perfect 10!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTERS

In our family on our birthdays we always go around and say why we love the birthday boy/girl. Its a fun thing and it (to me) if my favorite part of birthdays, more than the presents, cake, etc. So here I go, doing mine publicly, they deserve it!


Happy Birthday Chantal!!!


I love Chantal because..... Chantal is hilarious and we spend all our time laughing when we are together. Mostly at stupid things that nobody else thinks is funny. We have so much fun when we are together, crafting, shopping, cooking, cleaning, playing with our kids, whatever! She inspires me more than most people (well all my sisters and my mom inspire me). She is a wonderful friend, sister, mother, daughter, wife and many more. I am so glad she came into this world 28 years ago- she has always been my best friend and confidant. I LOVE YOU SISTER, Happy Birthday!


and... Happy Birthday Clarissa!!!


I love Clarissa because she is always a ray of sunshine and happiness. She is wiser and smarter way beyond her years. She is amazing at everything she does and inspires me to try new things and to step out of my comfort zone. She is bold and confident and gorgeous and I wish I was more like her. She is also my bestest friend (hey- a girl can have as many as she wants, don't judge me!) I love all the time that we get to spend together and I love that she is close enough that we can do it most anytime we want. She too is a strong and beautiful woman (mother sister etc). I LOVE YOU SISTER, Happy Birthday!


p.s. i did half the siblings.. so I just had to shout out to the other two. i miss Charmaine terribly and I am so jealous that my parents are visiting. I am even jealous that our friends just drove through Iowa. I want to go so bad!!! I love you and think are super fabulous and you are amazing at everything you do. i get to see Samuel more than any of my other siblings. He is one of my most favorite people to talk and chill with. he is hilarious and confident and i know that everyone that knows him absolutely adores him. I'm lucky to have such awesome siblings!

its just so.... BLACK

So I am super poor and can't really afford the amazing hair stylist right now that I want to go to. So I went to Target, shelled out $6 and bought myself a box dye (shhhh.. dont tell). Elise came over for a lovely day of chillin with my girl and voila, I got me some black hair. Yay!! Now I just gotta save up for the good stuff- I'm countin my pennies- it is sooooo worth it!
p.s. I'm hiding my face in the pics because I just got out of the shower. I shouldnt worry, I should "love myself now" as Ashley would say... I'm workin on it...

Painting!

One of our most favorite crafts for the kids over at the Browns is covering the whole kitchen table with butcher paper. It keeps the kids happy for hours and hours!! Lacy was dying to craft, and have a friend join her. We called Andin over and the two of them had so much fun painting the whole table. Hugo had fun with stickers and crayons.

I too had fun painting, more on that later!

Devin... and tempura

So I am totally going to blog about...

This is Devin. He is Andreas husband. He is so funny- he has a mad love for food. I think anytime you ask him what time it is or whenever he looks at a clock, he says "its eleven- time to eat", "its 2 in the morning - time to eat", "its 7 am - time to eat" Its pretty hilarious. Well anyway, a couple Sundays ago they invited us over for lunch and while Andrea and I were out visiting teaching the boys watched all the kids and Devin made some really yummy vegetable tempura. I have been craving it ever since. He told me a little of how he makes it and I also looked around online and came up with some yummy stuff.

I was really proud of myself. I am not good at "experimenting" so this was scary- but it turned out absolutely delicious.

I cut up some fresh veggies. I did ONE potato, ONE zucchini, a handful of baby carrots (I would have used regular carrots but this was all I had) and ONE HALF a sweet onion. I thought I would only do a tiny bit in case it didn't turn out right. Okay it made A TON!!! I'm glad I didn't do the broccoli or mushrooms. We had to throw away some as it is, it doesn't really keep well.

Then I made the tempura batter to go on the veggies.

I first mixed

1 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

a couple pinches toasted sesame seeds (my own addition)

then added a couple eggs and 2 drops sesame oil (also my own add.)

then once that was all mixed I took about a quarter cup water and added it to the mixture until it was a good consistency. Thick enough it would coat the veggies but not too thin it would run off or not coat it enough.

I then heated a bunch of oil in a pan and coated the veggies in the batter and dropped in the oil for only a minute or two. I actually have a deep fryer I just need to buy more oil for it. I think it would work PERFECT in the fryer and be a lot faster.

Anyhow... it made a TON! I set out some dips one of fry sauce and one a mixture of toasted sesame dressing, yoshidas sauce and water. SOOO DELICIOUS.

I also baked some shrimp on skewers and covered them in terriyaki sauce.

I was really proud of my yummy meal.

And nothing tops off a yummy meal like some fresh baked cookies and an ice cold cup of milk.

Was It Worth It??

Okay I DO pride myself on being quite the bargain shopper. I have always loved cutting cupons and finding deals. But I have never been much of a THRIFTER.

(there is a BIG difference)

Last Saturday I went with Clarissa around town stopping at different Garage Sale's and Goodwills. And the Saturday before that at Goodwill's with Andrea. I have learned to really loved making someone else's trash, my treasure. I found some really cool stuff and have already done some fun things with them. I'll post "after" pictures soon of some stuff I have been working on, so just watch out!All this for UNDER $20!!!

An awesome picnic table, a kitchen table and chair (that is my new crafting table and we think was also once my in-laws table) some cool jars and box's, a couple of frames, a night stand, a cool iron vanity chair, a jewelry box, a mini cake plate, some jewelry, just to name a few.

Plus (more not pictured)... Clarissa got a really cool old vintage camera for Charmaine, a cute shelf- the kind you usually put above a toilet, and I got a HUGE bag of crafting stuff (thread, batting, fabric, glue... and more!)

I'm pretty proud of my thrifting skills- I'm awesome.

P.S. "Was it worth it" is a total rip-off of Charmaines thrifting posts. I thought I would name it the same just to show her how much I love her and how much I want to be like her!!! :) I'm trying!

Field Trip

Lacy had her first field trip of the year and I think it was overall a success. They went to Jungle Jims. I didn't even know the place still existed. I remember going there for Clarissa's birthday when she was 8 maybe? I don't think I have been there since. Lacy had so much fun riding all the rides. Hugo had fun playin on all the cars, trains, etc. We did have to bail out a little early because the boys starting getting restless but luckily Jamie came to the rescue and took Lacy home for me (so she didn't have to leave early).
I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful network of moms that I know look out for my kids. I love my ward, neighborhood, schools, and especially all the mothers of the kids nearby.
Don't you love that picture of Lacy and Carson in the middle? They are on the mini-roller coaster thing. I think its priceless. Lacy is squealing with joy- Carson looks a little bored. Maybe he is annoyed he has a face full of Lacy's hair :)

Remember Megan?

Remember this post way back in February? Well Megan and Shane finally got picked and got the sweetest little girl just a month or so ago. Her name is Ruby and she is absolutely precious. (read their story here)

Anyways, they have one little boy already and were just blessed with a girl. Well girls are so dang fun and she came so soon, with little preperation, Megan definitely needed a shower! :) Plus I am in love with throwing showers. Shane's Aunt Claudia was fantastic enough to let us do it at her gorgeous home. I had so much fun making cute things and baking the day before. I am so glad she let me do it, it was so fun! I love Megan and her little Ruby, they are adorable!

a couple really random pictures from the night. It was one of the funnest showers I've done or been to in a long time. Set up and clean up was a breeze, it all looked adorable and there was a good turn out with tons of good conversation. I was in need of a girls night! Plus it is so rewarding doing cute things for such wonderful people!!

What?? 4am sewing??

So what does all this have in common?

(yes I am aware I look like a man- it was probably about 2 30 am at this point. A couple of hot messes!)

Actually- nothing really. Except that last night while crafting I grabbed the camera and took some pictures of what was going on around my house. Andrea and I decided we would put the kids to bed then she would come over about 830 and we would sew for a bit and maybe watch a movie. I love random spur of the moment craft/girls nights like this. Well if you know me at all, things never go as planned. Andrea showed up at 1130 (she lives just around the corner and we're both night owls, so its no biggie at all) and we sewed, watched part of Marie Antoinette and laughed like little girls until 4am when we decided it was time to quit! It was much needed after a stressful emo evening. I loved every minute of it. Andrea has come into my life at a strage time and I don't think she will ever know how grateful I am for another girlfriend. She is one of a kind and I feel blessed to have a friend like her. (too gushy or weird?? I dont care!)

I love the way the dolls turned out. SOOO CUTE!

Hearts to Live By

I told my mom I was going to post about her new blog, then I got on this morning and saw that two of my sisters had done the same.

My mom started an awesome blog of these collections of heart pictures she has taken and cute little stories to go with them. She really should write a book, but I guess this is the next best thing. She did put a little book together a few years ago for my dad for Valentine's Day and she made copies and gave it to each of us kids. I LOVE THIS BOOK.

I don't think she has put this one on her blog yet but it was in her book. I'll write what she wrote to give you a little snippit of her genius-ness.

Love by Chance

You have to look a little harder but it is there. The curl in Jenny's hair and the door knob make a heart. And sometimes that is how love is. You have to look a little harder. Sometimes you have to try and make things work out. You always need to expect to give more than you receive and you have to hope that your love, loves you secondly to the Lord. This picture was taken on Jenny's wedding day as she was getting ready to go to the Temple. I have learned that a man that loves the Lord first is the best husband there is. Because of his love for the Lord he truly understands his role in your life. he is more attentive and cares for you as a daughter of God.

You will be amazed. Pass it on, this is the sort of thing the world needs to see!!

Jacks first Beach trip

We decided really last minute to head to San Diego with the Schvanaveldts (thats why I never mention your name because I'm not sure I spelled it right :) to crash Chantal's new place for a Labor Day weekend. We pitched a tent in the back yard and had an absolute blast! THANKS A MILLION FOR LETTING US STAY! We spent most of the time on the beach and it was HEAVEN! The first day we stayed for 8 hours or so and everyone was perfect. I didn't get many pictures at all because we were all having too much fun, but I had to document Jack's first time in the ocean. He loved it! I got a wicked bad sunburn, folded myself in half during a nasty sand-eating crash, and played like a little kid in the waves. I haven't had that much fun on the beach in a looooong time! The whole trip had its ups (adult games, yummy food, late night talks, bonfire, kids on the beach, sand in toes etc. etc.) and downs (crazy kids, two tire blow-outs, painful burns, and getting home at 330 when Shawn has to wake up at 530) but overall it was a much needed super fun weekend.

Thats my boy!

Who can resist this cute face?

the beach was an absolute zoo!! still so worth it!

We LOVE our friends and family!!!