Fine, I'll do it!

I've been tagged like 20 times in the past few weeks and each time avoided completely my end of the deal. Well, after my sister, cousin, and multiple friends all tagged me I figured it was high time I just did it. Oh, one minor disclaimer... to make things more interesting and to ensure I get to use some pictures (does that count for my picture tags too?), I'm combining the past two days and counting them as one. You'll see why below. Here goes nothing!

Eight Things I Did Yesterday (well, technically the past two yesterdays)
1. Went to the USU/Weber State basketball game - Aggies won!
2. Ate lunch with Pearl as part of her daycare's Annual Thanksgiving Feast (She loved her hat, seriously she did! Too bad she hasn't eaten anything all week.)3. Sat through another confusing Biostatistics class (Only a couple weeks left of this torture!)
4. Watched the dust, dirt, and crumbs continue to collect on every square inch of my house - I want a house elf for Christmas!
5. Caught Jeff "reading" his scriptures. Well he did read his scriptures but by the time I went to bed he had fallen fast asleep until that is the bright flash from our camera woke him up. He is such a good example. Oh and if you're wondering about the money, he always uses a dollar bill to mark his places in books.
6. Giggled a lot at work...some people just don't understand what it means to be a professional!
7. Made taco soup (I don't think Jeff was too big of a fan.)
8. Cried a couple of times. Don't worry, not because of something bad. I was just reminded by a dear friend of how precious life is and then how much my own family has sacrificed for me.

Eight Places I like To Eat
1. Fredrico’s
2. Juniper Take Out
3. Pappa Kelsey's
4. Nelson's... not for the food but the custard shakes YUMMY!
5. Apollo Burger
7. Mandarin Garden
8. Pretty much anywhere that I'm not cooking!

Eight Shows I Like To Watch
1. America's Next Top Model
2. ER
3. The Big Bang Theory
4. Seinfeld
5. NOVA specials
6. America's Test Kitchen
7. Does football all weekend count? Oh wait, that's what Jeff likes to watch!
8. Cable TV shows when we get a chance

Eight Things I Look Forward To
1. The end of Biostatistics
2. Finally getting my Master's Degree of Public Health after 4 long years!
3. Learning how to use Photoshop so my horrible pictures look fab-u-lous! Or more accurately, having no more homework or internship to interrupt my desire for hobbies.
4. Having another baby...did I just say that? Hope Jeff wasn't reading this!
5. Decorating my Christmas tree, setting out the nativity, and getting my house all Christmas-y.
6. The day I can finally understand what Pearl is babbling about. Hmmm...then again maybe I don't want to hear what she's trying to tell me.
7. Going to Hawaii (well I'll settle for a weekend getaway with just Jeff)
8. Seeing my family tomorrow for Thanksgiving.

Eight People I Tag:
Really, can I expect anyone to do this if I drug my feet with it? Oh well, it's part of the game!
1. Sandy
2. Chandi
3. Liberty
4. Libbey
5. Alica
6. Keisha
7. Becky
8. Heather

The Blessing Tree

Being the mom and wife of the year that I am (wishful thinking I know), I thought I would try a new project during November to remind us of all the things we are grateful for and at the same time, to decorate our non-festive house. So a few Fridays ago, Pearl and I made a tree and cut out a bunch of leaves. Then we, well I, convinced Jeff that after dinner we would think of a couple things we were grateful for, write it down on a leaf, and then tape it to our "Blessing Tree." I'm pretty sure Jeff and Pearl didn't see nearly the same sentimental value in doing this as I did, but they did help color all of the leaves and gave suggestions for most of the blessings on our tree. My original plan was to do a leaf for every day until Thanksgiving but we ran out of leaves and some nights didn't get around to writing anything down. But hey, it was good to reflect for a few minutes on what our Heavenly Father has blessed us with. Here's what we wrote on our leaves, plus a few extras I threw in there today:

• "A". Yes it's that time of year again...USU Basketball season so of course Jeff had to make a leaf that had a big "A" on it. Go Aggies!
  
• Nursery. Thank heaven for nursery!!! Pearl isn't officially nursery age yet but I think the Primary Presidency got sick of me leaving class to keep her quiet or maybe the fact that she would run up to the front of sharing time and distract all the other kids who were trying hard to sit still and be reverent. Either way, they gave me permission to take her to nursery early and we all love it! Her teachers are great and I actually felt bad after the first week she went because I realized just how crappy of nursery leader I was all those years. Hopefully I didn't ruin any of the kids for life.
  
• Little blessings. So I must admit all the news about the economy has really freaked me out. As Jeff will tell you, I have no economic/accounting knowledge whatsoever, which you would think would be an advantage in a situation like this but no, I freak out even more. I'm terrified of losing our jobs, losing our house, losing our savings (oh wait, it's already gone!), not having enough to eat, you name it. But the other day at the peak of freaking out, I found out that Pearl's daycare expenses drop $100 in July when she's 2!!! I thought it was a mistake but nope, starting in July we might actually be able to build up our savings accounts again. Guess Heavenly Father figured he better calm me down with a little blessing like this before I really went crazy!
  
• Recipe books. Try as I might, I'm a horrible cook. Ask Jeff...every time he eats ANYTHING I cook, he gets sick. But I have been trying harder and am so grateful for cookbooks and recipes! I even made a couple of meals that Jeff said he would like again - I'm pretty sure that's the first time in our married life that he's told me that.
  
• Pearl Jenette. Do I really need to expound on why Pearl is the greatest blessing in our life?
  
• New shoes. My last post with Pearl walking around in high heels inspired Jeff to buy some new shoes. They aren't his favorite but they were really cheap online so as of yesterday, he is happy as can be.
  
• Grandpas. Who doesn't love grandpas? And after Grandpa Great made a new table and chair just for Pearl, we couldn't not be grateful for our grandpas!
  
• Food. This must have been a good recipe day for me, or else Pearl was starving and I figured she was happy to eat just about anything. Seriously though, we have never gone without, minus the stint in college :).
  
• Washing machine that works. My washing machine took a turn for the worse earlier in November and died, and right in the middle of laundry day too. So we spent a few days at the laundry mat which really isn't too bad considering you can wash, dry, and fold all of your laundry in about an hour. We were dreading the news from the repair man (which by the way, is a great career to go into - he charged $60 for just diagnosing the problem plus parts) but luckily it was a quick fix and saved us from buying a new washing machine.
  
• Good health and good health insurance. You would all be sick to know how little we pay for our health insurance and I am just so grateful to know we can get sick and can get good care. Luckily though, we're pretty healthy and haven't had any major illnesses to deal with.
  
• Library books. Pearl and I go to the library every Friday and we love it! Not only does she get to run around and pull hundreds of books off the shelves, but it's a great way to save $$$ by not having to buy our own books. We check out a huge bag of books every week and then read 4 or 5 before going to bed. It really is one of my most favorite times of the day.
  
• Nice weather to play at the park. Despite the 80 degrees one day then snow the next kind of weather Utah has, it really has been a beautiful month. We've been able to play at the park almost everyday, bundled up of course, and I'm just not sure what we're going to do when it really gets nasty out there. And bonus that we have three parks within walking distance of our house.
  
• Snow pants. Pearl desperately needed some new fall/winter clothes and Jeff found a great deal at Old Navy a week ago. I can't believe I'm doing this to my child, but we bought her the puffiest coat and snow pants we could find and yes, she can't move in them and looks like a chocolate marshmallow in them sort of like the younger brother on the Christmas Story movie. She is mighty cute in them though and won't ever get cold!
  
• America and freedoms. We live in a free and blessed nation!!!
  
• Pearl isn't sick anymore. Pearl had just gotten over the barfs and a sick tummy the day we wrote this.
  
• Neighbors. Our neighbors are the greatest! Jeff told David and Vickie that he couldn't find any fun Thanksgiving decorations and the next day they came over with a ton of stuff. Now, you have to understand one thing, these are the same neighbors who decorate their house and yard for every single holiday and I mean they deck the place out! Plus, they bring us cookies every Sunday, love Pearl to pieces, and are some of our best friends.
  
• Daddy. Pearl kept saying "daddy" so I figured that was what she wanted me to write on her leaf. Too bad mommy didn't make the list.
  
• Weekends. Ah, the weekends! A time for relaxing, napping, football...wait a minute that's what Jeff does on the weekends. Mine usually consist of cleaning, folding laundry, homework, and all that fun stuff.
  
• Trips to Logan to see our family. We wrote this blessing down after visiting our family for my little brother's 14th birthday. Our families are the best and do so much for us, I can't even begin to list everything they do to make our lives easier. One thing I will mention though, my dad slipped me $20 for "gas money" when we went up. How cool is that!!!
  
• Good jobs. Not to get too down about the economy but we can't help but thank our Heavenly Father for providing us with good jobs. I admit I do worry about losing our jobs if things continue to plummet but for now we're OK. A quote comes to mind "Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child." I just hope I am receptive to the Spirit and allow Him to calm my worries.
• Coloring books. Having a kid is a great reminder of all the things you enjoyed, like coloring. I was lucky enough to marry someone who loves to color (and is a fantastic at it) and so we have only the best crayons and coolest Sesame Street coloring books around. I'm not sure who gets more excited to color, Pearl or Jeff.
• Internet. Minus all the bad stuff one can get into online, the Internet is a remarkable blessing. I mean, what would I (or you reading this) do without a blog or Facebook to keep in touch with family and friends and document our life? Jeff's been talking crazy like...cutting our Internet to save some money but I think he knows how grumpy I would be without my blog! Plus he's addicted to Facebook, ESPN, and shoe perusing online!
  
• Long naps. Well this blessing is officially over because Pearl's awake. But for all of you moms out there, you know how wonderful a blessing this one is. I like the really long 2 or 3 hour naps myself.

Like Father Like Daughter

***DISCLAIMER!!!! Jeff does NOT wear high heels!***

But he has passed on the shoe lovin' gene to Pearl. The other day I heard clippity-clopping in the kitchen and well, need I say more? Pearl is obsessed with shoes just like her dad. I've blogged about it before, but I think this video certainly proves my point that I have a shoe clepto on my hands. Every morning I find Jeff's boots scattered in the living room because Pearl is fascinated with them. Apparently she also has a taste for black high heels - they do make fun noises on the tile so I can't blame her. So the next time we drop by, you might want to hide your shoes! Oh and the video is kind of big so if you can't open it, sorry.

Freedom is Not Free

I know it's late and I still have a few things to get done with my internship, but I couldn't not post something about the incredible sacrifice so many have made for our country on this Veterans Day. I even thought about this last night after I went to bed and remembered a couple of trips to Washington DC that I think for the first time really made me understand just how many lost their lives for the freedoms I take for granted everyday. I really can't describe the feelings in my heart as I think back to the monuments honoring all those killed fighting for our happiness and way of life. Not to mention the untold sacrifices our Veterans' families, friends, and communities made. I posted a few of my favorite pictures from our Washington DC trips that remind me of how grateful I am to live in this choice and promised land... the haunting faces at the Korean War memorial, a massive Lincoln overlooking the entire "Mall," the simple and yet powerful Vietnam Memorial with thousands of names etched forever, hands reaching up to raise the flag as a symbol of freedom and perseverance at Iowa Jima, and the long overdue and absolutely breathtaking World War II memorial with it's wall of stars representing the tens of thousands killed and the beautiful fountains. I remember seeing WWII vets in wheelchairs surrounded by family sobbing at the memory of lost buddies and the horrors they saw to which I can never begin to imagine. But the most impressive part of this whole experience was seeing how many times thanks and praise was given to God in the memorials, acknowledging our Heavenly Father and his love and compassion on His children and the faith and hope of millions that He would protect them and the freedoms they sacrificed their lives for. May God bless America!

What every girl wants

Yesterday I was milla-seconds away from blogging about how grumpy and defeated I was feeling living with a 30 inch tornado (aka Pearl) and dreading the late night hours to come this weekend with homework. Not to mention the typical I'm feeling frumpy and fat mood I seemed to be in as the day progressed. But I held off, thinking who wants to read about me having a bad day? And it's a good thing I did because now everyone can read about Pearl. I mean, that's why you come to my blog in the first place, right? :)

What does every little girl want, well minus the pony? A table and chair set! Think of the possibilities of having a pint-sized table and chair to color and build towers of blocks on or even use for tea parties! Jeff and I had been hinting to my dad that Pearl really wanted her very own table and chair for Christmas but Great Grandpa beat him to it. And we couldn't be more excited to have handmade ones from Grandpa Great. He's always up to some new project and while Pearl does love her elastic gun he made, we were secretly hoping he would make the great granddaughters something really special that they could treasure forever. So after remembering a set he made for my Aunt Denise when she was three years old, he set to work building new tables and chairs for Pearl and Ruby.
We picked it up after Pearl's first Aggie basketball game of the 2008-2009 season (had to find some excuse to post these pictures too) and she couldn't have been more excited. She pushed it all over my grandpa's kitchen and climbed up and down it. And even though it was well past bedtime, she kept trying to get my grandpa to swing her under his chair, I guess to show her appreciation because she wouldn't kiss him.

Jeff and Pearl in front of the "Meet the Challenge" statue! Pearl was super giggly outside with her hat and mittens on but when it came to meeting the real "Big Blue" she screamed. I couldn't tell who was more upset, Jeff (at the thought his little girl hates Big Blue) or Pearl.

It was really fun visiting with my grandpa and Pearl had a great time exploring a new house. My grandpa said he even cleaned because he knew we were coming up after the game. He's so worried that Pearl won't remember him and while she may not, with a beautiful table and chair set, she will always have a reminder of how much she is loved. Pearl was thrilled when she figured out we were actually taking them home with us. She wouldn't let go of the chairs and even had a hold of the legs after she fell asleep. Let's just keep our fingers crossed the crayon marks keep to a minimum for a few days so we can all enjoy this special gift!