winning!

three things that made today awesome:

1. i had this jam in my head for approximately 2 hours & belted it's entirety {alone} in my kitchen, approximately 10 minutes ago. :)

2. electricity/SRP cooperated & i got to hang with my peeps at scrap it simple....
{thanks for comin' ladies!}

3. this amazing-ness, which i find myself needing to read & refresh in my mind over & over & over & over & over & over & over & over....

happy weekend!! ♥

summertime and the living is easy

i can truthfully say, i am really enjoying summer this year so far.

i have loved: doing a few sessions of city swimming lessons with my girls. they are both just obsessed with the water & are starting to learn-ish how to swim-ish. *emphasis on the -ish. ;)

i have also loved: having a cute-ish swimming suit that fits-ish, so i can actually get in the water with my kiddos & learn songs like "b is for bubbles" and "i'm a little pancake" and "ring around the otter"....[ps: they get stuck in my head alllllll day; it's awesome.]

i have loved: the yummy fruit that is cheap & how chloe requests "cukes" and "cants" {cucumbers & cantelope} for breakfast, lunch & dinner. *and every time she saids "cukes & cants" it reminds me of my grandma dent who i love so, so dearly.

i have loved: having a cute friend to be my walking partner in the mornings. it makes my day happier.

i have loved: wearing shorts & sandles & shades & lip gloss. ;)

i have loved: taking my girlies to the weekly, cheap morning kid movies! *and taking long naps during the boring ones. [ahem, how to train your dragon, ahem]

i have loved: how tall my zinnias have gotten this year. although, they are now hardcore dying & shall be extracted by the end of the week!

i have loved: the fun, spontaneous things we have done, like hilarious lunches with peeps & school-shopping trips with nama.

i have loved: searching for little, inexpensive things, like a $2 bag of off-brand otter pops....to spice up a hot/lazy afternoon.

i have loved: just enjoying my little family at home. i'm so grateful for this time before chloe enters the big/bad world of education in the fall. :)

you know, my little existence still has it's hardcore ups & downs.....but at the end of our 115 degree days, when all is said & done....i really do recognize and appreciate the things that fill my life with goodness.

i think the sunshine brings out the best in me.

knock on wood

i just had the following text convo with myron:

me: guess who took 5 minutes to fall asleep for her nap [no tears] and slept for over 2 hours?

myron: you?

****

hahahaha.

after the week we've had in the sleep department, it is a little hard to believe that such a thing did occur, but it seems after last night's bedtime routine & this afternoon's naptime success....livy is getting the hang of this big girl bed stuff.

i'm so happy for her, me, and our neighbors who have probably been debating calling the cops for noise disturbance. :)

baby prison

and lo, verily verily i say unto you...the day has come.
livy has officially mastered the skill of climbing out of her crib.

this is a day that i have dreaded immensely, because i could not even [fathom] the possibility of her voluntarily staying in her bed & happily falling asleep on her own.

early bedtime & long healthy naps are important around here...to babe & mommy both!
[anything] that disrupts our sleeping system is [no bueno.]

well, the first night was rough. it was about 5 hours of escorting her back to her bed, tantrum after tantrum after tantrum. and finally, we had to {lovingly!} barricade her in her bedroom to cry it out. she was NOT a happy camper-but after a while of some intense terrible-two-ness, there was [finally!] silence from our utterly exhausted child.

myron & i opened the door, to find her sound asleep, laying on the ground, naked, surrounded by a mess that resembled an irish pub fight. her bedding/crib skirt was off the bed, books scattered everywhere, her princess table/chairs on the bed...every shoe, toy, and item of clothing she could reach was strewn about her 10x10 space.

bless her heart, she's a stubborn little thang.

needless to say, we've stripped her world of all books, toys & other distractions.
thus, her room resembling baby prison.
*at least she has granny's handmade quilt to keep her cozy. :)

tonight will be her 3rd night in her big girl bed.
there is a lot of progress to be made, including [not] waking up at 4-5am.
please pray for us. :)

inspiring words

words & reminders & sentiments & lyrics & quotes & positive affirmations
inspire me so much.

i saw this printed paper @ se last week
& had to grab a sheet to hang on my fridge.

it's randomness makes me smile. :)

rise & shine & give god some glory, glory!

i took a few minutes this morning
to snap some pictures
of things that make me {really} happy.

i'm so grateful for everything heavenly father has given me. ♥
happy {first day of summer} everyone!

playing catch-up

since arriving home from camp, i've been going-going-going.

between being really busy with work & keeping the kiddos fed/entertained/alive,
i've fallen more & more behind on keepin' my life organized.

so,
today was dedicated to:
wiping surfaces,
vacuuming floors,
& reclaiming my dignity one dirty dish at a time.

i'm on my last load of laundry &
i plan to fold, fold, fold, {until the cows come home}
over some scandalous bachelorette.

it is quite literally, a blessing straight from heaven,
that my sweet, bored children played so amazing today...
so that their overwhelmed mother could get something done.

i've accomplished enough today, that i feel prepared to make
paying bills,
a post office trip,
& catching up on couponing
tomorrow's joy.

it's amazing what good ol' [hard work] can do for my spirit.

life is lookin' up. ♥

beauty everywhere

i was super bitter this afternoon.
my car broke down & i was just so annoyed.
i got a little sad about it, and then i got cranky.
i was cranky that one more expensive/annoying thing was now on my plate.
*as if didn't have enough of those things already.

i pouted for a while.
i felt sorry for myself...
and my crummy mood just accentuated my messy house & mile-long todo list.

at some point though, i knew that i could:
a. wallow in all the negativity & problems
b. seek beauty & focus on the happy

right off, i noticed:
♥our first sunflower of the season had bloomed
♥the quail hatched some more eggs {we are getting about a dozen/day!}
♥the sun was shining

those three things encouraged me to find a better attitude.

life is not perfect.
i will probably never be rich, but i am so richly blessed with family&love.

cars will break down.
things will go wrong.
trials will {and do!} come.

...but the important thing to remember
is that there is beauty all around me,
{when i decide} to look for it.

parenthood

it's too bad they don't come with an owner's manual.
they are so amazing, and beautiful, and full of potential....
sometimes i'm afraid my amateur parenting is messin' them up.

like, let's be real.
i'm totally faking it.
i don't know how to do this.
being a parent is hard!

parenting requires lots and lots of patience.
and faith.
and money.

*all of which i could use some more of right now.

one thing i know i'm good on, is the love part.
oh, how i love them.
so, so, so much.

i know they feel it.
i know they know it.
that's gotta count for something, right?

swimming!

swimming with these two darlings is so much fun.

i just wish i looked that cute in a bathing suit. :)

my inspiration wall

for over a year, this wall was just a big, empty wall.
i didn't know what to put there, and zero budget to buy something new.
so, i rounded up some old frames, hung up my vision boards & created an inspiration wall.

there are probably people who'd think it's weird to have your goals & personal randoms plastered all over the kitchen wall.
but, i love it. makes me happy everyday & reminds me of what i'm trying to accomplish.
i'm a visual learner & color inspires me.
it's the happiest wall in my home.

[♥ this song]

{in the strength of the lord}
[by: jenny phillips]

when it feels
like life is too hard
and the person that i want to be
feels just out of my reach
he whispers to me
that i do not need
to do it alone
he never wanted me
to face anything
on my own

in the strength of the lord
i can do all things
he knows how to change
the weakness in me
so i will let his love lift me up
he believes i can do hard things
if i will trust him
and walk forward
in the strength of the lord

he promised me
there would never be
anything that i could not overcome
his power is more than enough
i know that if he
is standing with me
i can conquer everything
he offered his life
so he could be by my side
every day

in the strength of the lord
i can do all things
he knows how to change
the weakness in me
so i will let his love lift me up
he believes i can do hard things
if i will trust him
and walk forward
in the strength of the lord

today's events

-myron shaved his mustache
[biggest sigh of relief; omg that went on for way too long]

-myron mowed the lawn
[i kissed his freshly shaven face for it]

-first day of swimming lessons was a major, hilarious, adorable success
[for both girls]

-happy meals + playplace, compliments of chloe's piggy bank
[$6.54 in pennies, dimes & nickles = they hated us]

-snuck a small costa vida salad into mcdonalds for me. :)
[i felt a little rebellious, but it was worth it]

-finished sewin' up & delivered a fun banner for a friend/client
[with the yummiest color scheme]

-hung out with my mom for a bit, made little pizzas at her place for dinner & did puzzles with the girls
[i love my mom so much: she's my bff]

-took the girls to the store for a wet wipe/diaper run because we are almost out
[that's how we roll around here]

-looked at my house after the kids had gone to bed: took a tally of all the olivia messes, including an entire bag of popcorn kernels dumped out on the kitchen floor....wanted to cry, but didn't.
[tomorrow: cleaning day!]

*just another day in paradise!

extreme makeover [dog edition]

as evidenced in the photo above, i am a terrible pet owner.

poor mr. miyagi has awful hygiene-
mostly due to my severe neglect
and extreme lack of desire to fork out my life savings on grooming visits.

i don't deserve him.

but i do love him a lot.
*except when i take him to the groomer and he darts out the car door, and i have to sprint down main street in my pajamas chasing him. [not cool agi, not cool.]



all is forgiven when he comes home {fresh from the salon} looking charmingly ewok-like & approximately ten pounds less hairy.

my affection for my dog is proof that anything is possible.

gotta love the little guy.

summer!!

now that camp is behind me,
summer can officially start.

i made some simple plans to make the next 3-ish months memorable.
i want this summer to be filled to the brim with happy.

me & chlo' crafted up a little summer 2011 vision board just for fun.
*to kinda visually remind us what our goals are.

i added it to my inspiration wall in the kitchen.
it makes me happy.



*what fun things are you doing this summer?

i plan to:
make homemade popsicles
take the girls swimming {a ton}
take a mini-vacation to benson
organize & print photos
learn some hymns on the piano
read: leadership & self-deception
make it possible to park both cars in the garage
use the juicer & the dehydrator frequently
take library trips
visit sunsplash
grow my hair out a little
finish the book of mormon
refrain from complaining about the heat
plan playdays with friends for chloe
perform random acts of kindness
sew a skirt or dress or something pretty
read scriptures, say prayers, exercise & get ready [everyday] {no matter what}
try a new recipe once a week
paint my toes fun colors
lose a little {or a lot} bit of weight
live my best life

chester stash

why he thinks such shenanigans are humorous, i will never know.

camp!

i'm home from camp!

and just as expected, it was a hardcore, fabulous experience.

i'm not going to lie: there was a moment before camp [while i was sewing yellow ruffles on pillowcases], that i wondered, "why do we do this, anyway?"

but, now i totally know the answer.
we go to girls camp to learn.
& enjoy life.
& remind ourselves of who we are.
& what we believe.
& what our mission on this earth is.

it was incredibly refreshing to be in nature [cool weather!], away from cell phones & internet & money & obligations, spending time with a group of the most AMAZING young women ever, having so.much.fun & refocusing on my personal goals as a wife, mother & friend.

i love the gospel so much.
i know, with all of my heart, that it is true.

camp was just what i needed.
and it made coming home extra sweet too. ♥