Simply Sunday: Happily Ever After

This is my current headboard...

I was excited when I stumbled upon this talk in this months ensign, a monthly magazine put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, because it was written by one of my professors from BYU. I loved his class on marriage and family and it was nice to have a reminder of some of the wonderful principles he taught.
My new year if filled with about a billion and one new year resolutions. I consider a new year my excuse to do EVERYTHING better then last year. I get really excited to have a fresh start. This last year has been an amazing one for Ty and I, but after reading this talk I was reminded that having a "Happily Ever After" marriage takes a whole lot of work.
Today was my Grandma Baker's funeral and I wasn't able to be there, but I got to see my Grandpa two days ago and give him a great big hug. They had a very happy, beautiful marriage and I know it was because they put the Savior first and then each other second. My goal is to have a marriage like theirs, a marriage like my parents, and a marriage like Ty's parents. We are blessed with a plethora of amazing examples. This article gave me lots of great ways to start my goal...

Happy New Blog Year!

I have decided to organize my blog and start fresh this year. I love the clarity and determination that comes in January. Happy 2012 :)

Simply Sunday
Monday Memories
Tuesday Terrors
Wednesday Weaknesses
Thursday Therapy
Friday Fun
Scatterbrained Saturday

I am grateful for my budget...

We are on a tight budget. There is no shame in it. It is what it is. We are medical students. One day we won't be, but today we are. We redid our budget yesterday. It was nice to see where we were at. We always have room for improvement, but things looked better then I thought they would.

November is always a tight month because December is always a month full of glorious giving and so much receiving. Today I am thankful for our budget. I am thankful for a husband who helps us live with in our means. So, in true gratitude I decided to clean out my closet and reorganize my clothes. It was like going shopping. I found some of my hidden favorites that I have been wanting to wear, but haven't been able to find. I found a few things I forgot about completely. I also found some things I had to ditch. And very excitedly made sure all my maternity and post baby clothes were out of there. There is no need to shop, just a need to clean. It's almost like everything is new again. Hmmm I love November!

West!

No one in my family has any kids yet. No one in Ty's family is married. We have the only grandkids (need I say spoiled grandkids) and they have no cousins. BUT Liberty (my cousin) is like my sister and she just had a beautiful baby boy. So, elected cousin he is. We drove up to San Jose this weekend for his baby blessing. David, his dad, gave an amazing heartfelt blessing and we are so glad we got to be there!

It was our first time seeing little West and he was absolutely priceless. He seems to be a calm baby, but very aware. He is really long, but starting to put on weight. He smiles just a little bit and smells oh so delicious. There is nothing more precious then a new baby and more tiring.

Heres to many more weekends with the Woodlands!

Joyish School

We started a little Joy-ish School with Emree and a few other kids. I was the first teacher and we had it at my house today. I was surprised how great the kids were. They must be ready for this kind of thing. They did get a little worn out at the end, but isn't that why we do activities? So our kids can nap! Emree took a great nap and so do Jesse and so did I. Hmm great day!

I forgot to take pictures (worst mom ever :)), but here is my little lesson plan...
CIRCLES – ORANGE –NUMBER 3
Creative Movement: (10 min)
“Can you make your body into shapes?” High, Low, Big, Small, Touch your head, touch you head to the ground, touch your hands to the ground, lay down, sit…
(Show a picture of a circle) “ Do you know what this is? Can you make your body into a circle?”
“We can move our bodies to pretend to be animals, to show how feel, and even to make circles. I am going to turn on a song and I want you to move your body around. When the music stops you have to freeze and make a circle. Are you ready?
Story Time: (10 min)
If you want to read a story clap your hands, turn in a circle, sit quietly
(do hand actions)
Story about Circles
Singing Game: (10 min)
Get the kids in a big circle. Sing to the tune of London Bridges.
I can move so many ways, many ways, many ways,
I can move so many ways around the circle
I can walk on tippy toes, tippy toes, tippy toes
I can walk on tippy toes around the circle
…walk backward steps
…crawl on hands and knees
…move with hopping feet
…fly like an air plane
…slow steps
…sit quietly
“It is fun to move in a circle.”
Counting to 3: (15 min)
“Who can count to three? Let’s all try. 1, 2, 3. Can you show me on your fingers? Can everyone count the pictures with me? (Have three pictures of three things, three pumpkins, three oranges, three circles and count them together). Okay, I need everyone to go find three oranges circle and bring them back to our circle (circles are taped on the wall). Go around to each kid and count his or her three circles.
Now have them sit to read a counting book.
Scavenger Hunt: (10 min) “What color is everyone wearing?” Can you help me find orange things? Follow me.”
(Have pictures taped up all over the wall in different spots. Then walk around the house looking your Orange items.)
Song is to the tune of “Old McDonald”.
I see something that is orange
Do you see it too?
I see something that is orange
Hop there if you do?
(change action each time and give picture to a child each time)
Hop to Snack Time: (10 min)
Snack is Oranges, Orange Jello, Carrots, Orange Milk
Clean up…
Arts and Cookies: (20 min) everyone should have an apron
Decorating Cookies like pumpkins…Orange frosting, circle cookies, each child gets three. Halloween Kids songs will be playing while they decorate their pumpkins. Talk about circles, orange and the number three.
Clean up…
Each kid should go home with: 3 circles, Orange picture, and 3 cookies

Pumpkin Carving

I remember really loving Halloween as a kid. I think it was because Harvest was over and I finally got to spend some time with my Dad or it could have been the candy. Now, as a mom I understand all the work mom's put into activities. My mom would help us get our costumes, get the candy for our house, make sure my Dad carved pumpkins with us, get us ready for the night, and send us out. I love my mom! My dad would always pretend he dressed up as a cab driver (one of his favorite jokes) and we had to drive from house to house because we lived in the country (I thought everyone did it that way). My favorite houses were Grandma Bergeson who gave popcorn balls, Grandma Heslop who dressed up like a witch and Grandma Goodrich who alway took the dressing up to the next level. The would cackle and laugh and make delicious treats. I want my house to be like that! Maybe when we live in a different neighborhood.

Last night we carved pumpkins. Emree is still too little to help very much, but she seemed to enjoy the activity anyways. We had our friends the Reeds come over and join in the festivities. None of us are big pumpkin carvers. Ty got a little creative, but mostly we stuck to our circles and triangles. Good thing two year olds get excited about EVERYTHING! Good Luck with your carving...

Any good Halloween memories?

Kids Live Here

I had to giggle as I went around the house tonight taking pictures of a few things that remind me that my kids live here... or maybe I should say Emree.

1. The toilet paper is constantly getting unrolled. These days there is a perfectly logical explanation each time... logical to a 2 year old that is.

2. Pictures on the fridge. She even taped pictures on top of pictures tonight.

3. Emree decided she was old enough to put the vacuum back together. I vacuumed with it like that before I realized it.

4. This shirt needed more soap then the others apprently.

5. Another money bank... and I thought we had kicked the habit.

Do you have any things around your house that make you giggle when you pick them up each night.

All She Needs...

All any girl needs is a few accessories. My latest Halloween sewing, gluing, cutting, and crafting project has left Emree filled with excitement. I made her day by making "Hoppy" a Peter Pan Hat just like Jesse's and Her "Baby Jaguar" a head band. She has been really into dressing up her dolls and playing house. Any body have any good ideas on what I can make with a ton of extra green felt?

Quirks

We all have our quirks.
I love reality t.v., listen to my favorite songs so many times until I hate it, swoon over old musicals, and can't stand youtube videos.
Ty loves to beat balloon towers, listens and sings a song so loud you can't hear it, seriously thinks almost every movies is good, and loves youtube videos.

Emree, well, she is a hoarder. She collects things. All things. Mostly garbage. She has been collecting for a while now and I was starting to worry. I know kids go through phases, but this phase has to say something about me. Is she somehow showing how much I dislike things cluttering up my life. She is letting me know that her heart hurts every time I throw away another picture or painting that she wanted on the fridge for all of eternity. I think I may have messed my kid up... can i get a do over?

Just when I was feeling really bad and making her throw away the crackers in the very bottom of one of her many filled to the top purses that we can't clean up and we hang all over the house, she told me the truth. She said she put stuff in her purse so that she didn't have to share with Jesse. Interesting. And she hung up her purses so that he couldn't reach them. Interesting again. Now, I guess I need to let her know that some stuff is just hers and we don't have to hide it away to keep it safe.

Phew. I dodged a personality disorder.

This mothering thing is no joke. :)

No More Sleepless Nights

Have you ever had a baby that was a TERRIBLE no good very bad sleeper? Well, I do. Nine months later he has slept through the night two night in a row. His first two nights EVER. So, here is to saying Goodbye. Adios to a year or more of not sleeping. Of getting up to go to the bathroom, get a drink, turn on the air, feed the baby, rock the baby, change the baby and everything else in between. I will do all of those things all day long, but no longer at night. For now, I will sleep and enjoy every last "Z" I catch.

Ode to Projects

I think of you each moment of wake,
and can't turn off my brain for dreams to make.
I make you up to fill my time,
but you become the most important thing on my mind.

You clutter my house, my floor, my car.
I start you to save money; there's no way you are.
I buy supplies and tools to learn a new art,
I read blogs and tutorials to increase my smarts.

I've made cookies, cakes, painted and sewn.
Cookie cutters, cake pans, fabric scissors I know own.
I can do that, I think; That'd be fun, I say.
On to another project and another day




This are pictures from our t-shirt quilt project and a few things I have been doing for our Relief Society "Getting To Know You" Activity. Stole the cake idea from Susan and the flowers from my sister in-law Aliza! By the way... Tyler and I don't know how to sew at all, it has been interesting.

On a side note...
Emree seems to maybe be trying to potty train again.
Jesse is standing up on EVERYTHING and wanting to walk.
They both love oranges... and projects :)

Wrap up

Oh to blog. There is not enough time in the day.

Tyler had a test on Friday and has another on Monday. We had a "date" night last night, but really we just bummed around. I think sometimes those are the best nights. The kids were more then excited to see him when we got home. I have honestly never seen bigger smiles. It was definitely a moment I wish I could've captured. Although, it was also priceless to see me trying to get my two huge bags and car seat of the baggage claim belt with my toddler gripping my leg and my toddler/baby in my arms. A moment I don't want to relive.

Emree was sick earlier this week, but got better by about Wednesday. She has been exhausted though. Sharing a room with Jesse is keeping her up at night. Tyler and I both have contemplated a 3 bed room apartment after this week, but neither of us want to move. How does anybody do this? Seriously.

Jesse has been SO SO SO happy. I have never seen more smiles then the ones we have been getting lately from this boy. It is so dang cute. He is crawly and pulling himself up on everything. Today he didn't stop so hopefully he will sleep better and in turn Em will sleep better.

Me, well I am me. I made pumpkin cake with maple cream cheese frosting last night. It was delicious. It was suppose to be cupcakes, but I filled all the cupcakes tins and then realized I had forgotten to add the pumpkin. So, I dumped them all out and put in the pumpkin and then had to make it a cake because i was out of cupcake tins. BUT it was delicious regardless. Then I made Cafe Rio Pork Salad (with chicken instead of pork) and took it over to a friends tonight to see her new baby. She was so beautiful and only 8 days old. There is something truly magical about new babies. Seriously magical.

So, here is to another week gone and a new week beginning. I definitely could use a new week!

That's right: danielle BAKER andre!

If you remember last year I made the worlds most terrible birthday cake. This year I made one that was terribly delicious. It was seriously delectable in every way. I saw it on "Smitten Kitten" and had to make it.



Chocolate Cake (moist like Texas Sheet cake with sour cream), peanut butter cream cheese frosting, and dark chocolate peanut butter ganache, with white chocolate curls. YUMMY~

If you need a cake to eat... make this one.
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/chocolate-peanut-butter-cake/

The rest of Ty's birthday went great as well. We had a few friends over to celebrate and eat my cake. It was fun and now it's done!

You Make Me Smile!

Birthday posts are the worst. There is all this pressure to say something magnificent and meaningful about the person you love. Well, I decided to steal other peoples words and phrases. So, here's to Ty. Happy Birthday! I love you more now that your 27. You make me smile everyday, so I thought I would try to return the favor.
1. "Behind every successful man there is a surprised woman."
Okay, I am not that surprised. You definitely have good judgement because you chose me.



2. "Perfect numbers like perfect men are very rare."
Also rare, looking manly with a pony...



3. "My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance."
Not completely true, but I would definitely say it has been a perk.




4. "A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man."
Over the years we have cut down on spending by our many "do it" our self projects. One day we can hire someone else to do it for us or our kids will be old enough :).




5. "The best way to get a man to do something is to suggest they can't do it."
Works every time... you can't grow a garden in that mess, you can't can peaches, you can't cook at work, you can't start a business...






6. "You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy."
Amen



7. "To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all."


8. "You know, men and women are a lot alike in certain situations. Like when they’re both on fire – they’re exactly alike."
It seems like we always react to situations differently, but I think that is what makes us work together so well.



9. "My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me."
I am sure Tyler would totally say that...



10."You call it madness, but I call it love."
No one will ever truly understand us, but us.



11. "Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity."
~ Albert Einstein
It seems like yesterday, seriously.



12. "People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you'll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow."
Lots of room to grow, and change, and hopefully become better together.


13. "Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times."



14. "The only time a wife listens to her husband is when he's asleep."
Not true, but funny.


15. "My husband said he needed more space. So I locked him outside."
Lock Tyler outside and he would be happier I think.





16. "When a wife has a good husband it is easily seen in her face."
I would add it is also seen in her home and on the faces of her children.


17. "An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her."
My husband isn't an archaeologist, but I figure the older I get, maybe my medical problems will become intriguing.


18. "He's the funniest, smartest person I know. It doesn't mean he doesn't bug me and I'm sure I bug him sometimes."
Like when I broke his golf club.


19. "Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other -- it doesn't matter who it is -- and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other."
One thing Ty has taught me to do is to laugh at myself and him, mostly him.


20. "Love is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots."


21. "A man who is right by your side through everything makes you happy. But he can leave your side to make dinner once in a while!"
Ty is an amazing Dad and Husband...brag moment... he often makes dinner, or feeds the kids, or bathes the kids, or plays with the kids, or gets up with Jesse!


22. "What is a husband? He is the one who, with a touch, can bring back the starlight and glow of years long ago. At least he hopes he can - don't disappoint him."



23. "I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life."




24. "Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction."
For us that direction is focusing us on our savior, each other, and our children.




25. "For all the advances in medicine, there is still no cure for the common birthday."
Although I love birthdays and so far I have loved you more with every birthday you've had.


26. "Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest."





27. "Birthdays are nature’s way of telling us to eat more cake."
Or rat, which ever you perfer.


Here's to many many many more birthdays with the man who makes me smile and laugh out loud. I was blessed to have met you, overjoyed to have married you, and eternally grateful to spend forever with you!