Keeping it SIMPLE

This was the visiting teaching message this month. I would like to share my favorite parts.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“Faithful members of the Church should be like oak trees and should extend deep roots into the fertile soil of the fundamental principles of the gospel. We should understand and live by the simple, basic truths and not complicate them. Our foundations should be solid and deep-rooted so we can withstand the winds of temptation, false doctrine, adversity, and the onslaught of the adversary without being swayed or uprooted. …

“Spiritual nourishment is just as important as a balanced diet to keep us strong and healthy. We nourish ourselves spiritually by partaking of the sacrament weekly, reading the scriptures daily, praying daily in personal and family prayer, and performing temple work regularly. Our spiritual strengths are like batteries; they need to be charged and frequently recharged” (“Deep Roots,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 75).

The gospel is simple. Sometimes we as members make it more complicated that it needs to be and we find outselves questioning every corner and aspect of what we believe. We might also find ourselves so overwhelmed with everything that we are supposed to be doing.

Women especially. We are particularly hard on ourselves. We think we need to be everywhere, doing everything, and not just doing it but doing it perfectly. And we lose ourselves. We lose sight of what is most important. We make it too complicated.

My friends, if we just take a step back and uncomplicate our lives. Cut out the unneccessary daily time wasters and focus on what is most important we can accomplish this goal. The gospel is based on simple principles and doctrine. If we stick to those, our lives will be less complicated.

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“We must live the gospel in such a way that we will have the Spirit to ever be with us. If we live worthily, the Spirit will always be with us…. The reason we pray, study the scriptures, have good friends, and live the gospel through obedience to the commandments is so that when—not if, but when—the trials come, we are ready” (“Teaching by Faith,” Liahona, Sept. 2003, 10, 14–15; Ensign, Sept. 2003, 20, 24–25)

The Little Things What matter Mostest

Toilet paper.
Batteries.
A phone call.
A smile.
A night out with your spouse.
A night in with your spouse.
Snuggling with your baby.
Kisses from your little ones.
A child learning to read.
Another child "shaking her bootie" (yes, Savannah)
Waving good bye when your babies get on the bus.
"Where is mom?" when they walk through the door.
Dinner with your family.
Friends.
A job.
Ice cream.
Transportation.
Education.
Going to church on Sunday.
Playing games with your siblings.
Holding a newborn.
Getting up in the middle of the night to feed your newborn.
Finished and folded laundry (by someone other than you :))
A clean house.
Made beds.
A nap.
A LONG nap.
Sleeping in.
Waking up in the morning.
Going for a run.
Good conversation.
Nice people.
Sitting at the table doing homework with your kiddos.
Eating dinner and talking about your day with your kiddos.
Dessert.

Anything you might add? This is obviously NOT a comprehensive list...

A Day with Grandma

But First.... we have Kisserbella

MANIS and PEDIS

Seriously.... does it get better than this? I asked Mikenna if Aunt Lollie got a Pedicure and she said, "No (pointing to herself) she came to help with me and Savannah."

A little piece of Heaven

*****WARNING*****

Recipe SO rich it WILL make your eyes go cross-eyed


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

by The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (*I used an 8x11 pan). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Make sure you mix it well so that the crust isn't too crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough (you could cheat and use store bought dough here)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour (Add a little at a time. You might not need all the flour. Just add it until the mixture sticks together). Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended.

Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. It will seem like a lot of cookie dough but you want some in every piece.

Bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. *I think it's easier in the microwave. Put in a ziplock bag in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 30 seconds at a time, mixing within the bag after each interval. Snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars, cool in the refrigerator and serve.

God DOES give us MORE than we CAN handle

Are you surprised? Do you think I am crazy? Have you ever thought of it that way? What do YOU think?

I honestly BELIEVE that God DOES give us MORE than we can handle. A LOT. I had this conversation with my running partner this morning (THANK GOODNESS FOR HER!!!) and while this is NOT a new thought I wanted to share with you all.

One thing that I have learned (and I have learned a few things) through Daxton's death is that God gives us more than we can handle. I mean honestly. He does. He stretches us. Not unlike training for a marathon. If we put in the work, do the short AND long runs faithfully and diligently then we will be able to finish the race with little to no injury. ON the other hand, if we just 'toy' with the idea of training for the marathon, we will inevitably end up with injuries and the race will be completed painfully or not at all.

And so it is with lessons learned from a loving Father in Heaven. We go on the 'short' runs. The said "easier" trials, if we are categorizing here. They stretch us a little bit more each and every one. But we get comfortable with those short runs and they become too easy. We are no longer sore, we no longer have the pain or the blisters, we no longer feel that daily reminder that we are running. Our breathing is easier, we can begin to go longer distances.

Then our Father in Heaven every once in awhile gives us the bigger ones, the harder ones. The ones that really put us to the test. The ones that test us. The ones that make or break our Faith in Him. The ones that if we truly learn from, we will come out stronger. And so it is with the 'long' runs. They are what help us to get through the marathon. The long runs test our endurance, our commitment. We become sore again. We struggle again. On mile 21, we ask ourselves why we ever decided to run the marathon. Why did we voluntarily sign up for this pain?

And so it is with our trials. We begin to question the Lord. Why do we get this said trial? What is there for us to learn? Why did we voluntarily sign up to come to this earth to suffer and endure? The answer is so that we can complete the marathon. SO that we can have eternal life. SO that we can live with our Father in Heaven again. SO that we can be strong in our challenges, in our faith, SO that one day we can be just like HIM.

So yes my friends. God gives us more than we can handle. Lets look at it this way, "God does NOT give us MORE than we can handle WITHOUT THE ENABLING POWER OF THE ATONEMENT."

Many of you might wonder what the enabling power of the atonement is. I took a class from Elder Bednar, formerly President Bednar at BYU Idaho. This is where I was first introduced to this topic. He describes the enabling power (and this is my own interpretation) as when we are are stretched as far as we can be stretched, the atonement reaches out and gives us the strength that we need to carry on.

I will give you an example. When Daxton died, I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually broken. There were some things I just could not do. I was doing the bare minimum to survive. I was lucky however. I had great friends and family. The enabling power of the atonement was all around me. Just when I thought I couldn't make dinner for my family, a friend brought it to me. Just when I thought I couldn't clean another moment, a friend came over and scrubbed my house top to bottom. Just when I thought I couldn't make it another day in my suffering "alone" the angels above sent me dear friends who knew what I was going through. When I thought that I couldn't stand another moment in my home without my little man crawling around, my family let me visit as often as I wanted and never complained about watching my girls when I truly felt like I could do it no longer.

That my friends is the enabling power of the atonement at its finest. Again, just when I was broken spiritually, brought to my knees, and humbled to the very core, it was confirmed that if I lived worthily of the blessings of Heaven above, I would someday be able to raise my little guy. I also took comfort in the arms of my Savior. He knows what I am going through. He is the ONLY one that KNOWS EXACTLY what I am feeling. I KNOW He is always there, that He will NEVER leave me alone, that He will be there for me in my loneliest hours.

Many of you struggle. Many of you have challenges. Many of you are not doing it alone. We can't do it alone. We have friends, family, blogs :), and church families that carry us through our most trying times. We are in this together. We are here to learn from one another.

God does NOT give us more than we can handle WITHOUT the enabling power of the atonement.

Wolverine

Surround Sound.

Projector.

Hugh. Jackman.

Need I say more?

I think not.

Canning

First things first. AREN'T THEY ADORABLE? This is picture day and since I KNOW that their school pics won't turn out.... I took these. SUPER cute. Savannah is a character as you can see in this pic. Her personality just shines right through her.

And then there is Mikenna. Too cute for words. She LOVES the camera and will pose most of time it is around. So here is her cute photo for the morning.

So the other day I decided that it would be fun to "can" because chicken was on sale for 1.57/lb and hamburger on sale for 1.58/lb the 93% lean!!!! I can't even get that at walmart for less than 3/lb.

I called my aunt :) and asked her what she was doing tomorrow (today) and she said nothing (ya right... she has twins) and I said ya all want to can 50 lbs of meet? She said there was nothing that she would rather do and would LOVE LOVE LOVE to can meats
.
Off to albertson's we went (trailing my 3 and her twins) to purchase 50 lbs of chicken and hamburger. SERIOUSLY? Yes I said 50 lbs. It was insane.

Today we spent the day from 830am to 530pm canning our purchases. It was a BLAST!!! Just imagine 4 babies under 11 months old and you can IMAGINE the fun we had! For reals!

A big shout out to Erica and Emily who tolerated a thousand phone calls. It was quite a day. And I am soooo glad it is over.

AND remember all the running I am doing? Yeah 4.7 miles a day for the last week just in case you were wondering..... (not bad for a frumpy mom who hasn't run in lets say um 2 years? mind over matter people) Well. My feet hurt. My legs hurt. My abs hurt (which I LOVE). My back hurts. And truth be told.... These hurt. Just take a look. I know TMI.

*****WARNING: what you are about to see may disgust you so just be forewarned!!!!

Food for Faith

Last Sunday was fast and testimony meeting in our sacrament meeting. Many people got up and bore their testimonies of being grateful for their trials, the power of prayer and healing, and fasting etc....

I sat there and thought about being grateful for my trials. NOPE!!! I am not. I can't yet say that I am thankful that I was in a car accident or that Daxton died and I am not grateful that my sweet little Savannah will forever struggle in her life. I am just not. However, I am grateful for Daxton. Maybe if I wasn't "willing" to have lost him, maybe I never would have had him. So if I look at it that way..... maybe I can be more grateful that at least I had him, even if but for a short time. And Savannah. If it meant I would never have had her without her struggles, then I am grateful at least I get to have her. I am not sure that makes sense.

ON to the fasting, prayer, and faith building experiences. I was talking with my running partner (yes peeps, I am running again, and a big shout out to my EVER PATIENT partner) this morning about Faith. The thought occurred to me the other day "Why do some babies get sick and die, and other babies get sick and get better?" Is it because the mothers of those babies who get sick and better have MORE faith than those who don't? ABSOLUTELY not!!! But this is really hard for me to wrap my brain around.... Why does God call some home and keep others here and how does HE decide? Again, I don't know. But it is on my list of questions :).

SO a very tearful woman stood up to bear her testimony about the fasting and prayers that were offered on behalf of her daughter that was very sick in the hospital and was now running around all over the place. I was grateful her story had a happy ending, but just over a month now, one of my friends lost her heart baby after a 6 month battle of faith and prayer and fasting. SO why did her baby have to die? Again. I don't know.

BUT something I realized after Daxton died was that I could lose all my Faith in God if I turned bitter and lost all faith. I prayed every night that my children would be safe while I was gone. Does this mean God doesn't answer prayers or that He loves me less? NO. I don't believe so.

In 2007, Elder Scott gave a talk about the power of prayer. That God answers our prayers according to His will and His plan for us. This is a tough pill for me to swallow. SO I made up a way that it was easier to wrap my brain around.

Think of a large umbrella with lots of people standing underneath it. The umbrella is God's will and plan for us. This umbrella represents OUR FAITH THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR US. All the people represent FAITH FROM THEIR OWN TRIALS. All the people are all those (including us) that have the faith building experiences whether fair to us in our mortal minds or not. Such as those who lose children, those who don't, those who lose their jobs, those who don't, those who divorce, those who don't etc.... We ask why others don't have the same losses as us or why we have to go through some experiences and other don't.

Sometimes the only way I can make it through a meeting such as this to use the umbrella of faith. That I have FAITH THAT GODS KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR ME. I actually tried to explain this to Doug and he said oh ya, like God's will be done and not my will be done? OK yes. But I like the way it works in my brain better because I don't really like the above description.... for now. :)

Maybe I have totally lost you maybe not. But I just had to put those thoughts on to paper before they left :)

Snuggles

My kids are snugglers. I LOVE IT.... unless they are in my bed because they are also WILD sleepers.

Last night at around midnight, when I was getting ready to go to bed, Savannah comes totting in with a huge smile on her face, climbs up on MY pillow, grabs Doug's hand to snuggle and closes her eyes. YA. NO!!! She thinks that she is SO funny.

Then Isabella wakes up at 330 to eat. I am happy to oblige (I burn FREE calories :) this way). Just when I think she is asleep, I put her into her bed. TO this she STRONGLY disagrees and proceeds to scream and cry. I know. Shocking! She is too sweet to scream and cry. But that she DOES!! So I pick her up and immediately she cradles into my arms and well, frankly, it melts my heart. I then proceed to cuddle her in my bed. I know. I am a sucker for a good snuggle.

Mikenna loves for me to "lay" by her. I used to crawl up into her bed, but I told her I would break it so now I just lay to the side of her and hold her hand. This works out good for all of us. No need for the added exercise :).

I miss the days when I used to snuggle with little buddy. There were many a nights that I would sing to him while nursing him. He fit just perfectly in my arms with his chubby hands playing with my hair, getting his fingers caught. His little toesies sticking out and kicking my sides. I remember that even when I had had enough and put him in his bed I would put my hands through the bars and lay by him on the bed. I couldn't bare to leave the room with him still crying. And so we fell asleep together that way.

Now all I have are those memories. Now when I lay by him it is on the cold (or hot rather) grass on a dirty blanket with bugs crawling all over it. I miss him. It hurts. A lot.

Sometimes I can' t believe he died. Did it really happen? Is this really my reality? Did I really lose a child? This must be someone else's life, RIGHT? Wrong. It is mine. Isabella will never meet her older brother in this life. He will always be this abstract person in her mind. Sure. I can do what I can to keep his memory alive, but what kind of memories for her are going to the cemetery going to be......

Someday...... just not today.

(wow that turned out really depressing)

A Lesson on Love....or something

Yesterday in Sacrament Meeting the talks were on How we can show love to our spouse and our children. Both of the speakers did a phenomenal job. I would like to give my own thoughts and maybe sum up some of what they had to share.

The first speaker had previously asked her husband in what ways did he think she showed her love toward him. His reply surprised her when he said that he thought it was when she made his lunch and cooked his dinner. This answer surprised me as well, but there is also a lesson learned here too. The little things are what matter. It is the little daily things we do for our spouses that count. That they remember.

Another thought she shared was to find something that our spouses DON'T like to do.... and then do it for them. A caveat she added was if you DON'T like to do it either, then just do it once in awhile :) LOL. Like for me, I STRONGLY DISLIKE emptying the dishwasher. In fact, nothing else even compared to how much I dislike doing it. I don't know why. I would rather load the DIRTY dishes!!! SOOOO, my sweet husband has taken on the one chore I LOATHE. Every once in awhile, I will unload the dishwasher (ode to the day the girls can do it by themselves).

Another such chore would be taking out the trash. I like nothing more than FILLING it, because that means a clean house, BUT I really LOATHE taking out the gargage, especially the one in the garage with the dirty diapers. Once again, my husband has taken upon himself this chore, and every once in a LONG while I will do it for him. I am not sure if he shares in my LOATHING of these chores, but he continually does them for me.

We should also put our spouses first. Before our children. I have a hard time with this one because for the last 3 years I have had a baby or a toddler and truth be told, they scream louder than my husband and after caring for them all day and clinging to me, all I want is a little peace, time to myself, and then I CRASH on my pillow.... only to begin another day of neediness (which I really do LOVE by the way. Really). But sometimes my poor husband doesn't get all the attention he deserves.

It is important to remember that we were once madly, deeply, head over heels in love, can't see anything else but you kinda thing. (not that we aren't anymore, we just have 3 other people to look over now:)) And we need to continually nurture that love; spiritually, emotionally, and physically.

And that my friends is my soap box for the day. :)

***If you find yourself repeating this phrase... "If my spouse loved me, they would (do this, know this, see this) etc." You will FOREVER be dissappointed!!!! They don't know what you are thinking. They don't have mind reading skills. You MUST COMMUNICATE :)

***I also have listened to a great CD, it is by John Lund For all Eternity. SUPER good!!!

Activity Days

In our church there are different age groups that meet together to do different activities for service or development or fun. One particular group is the activity day girls. They age from 8 to 11. Today one of these groups, led by a great friend of mine, performed the greatest act of service.

About a month ago and old friend called me up and asked me if her group could make Daxton boxes for their activity. I was speechless, greatful, and excited to see what they would do. Over the last few weeks we have met together, talked on the phone, and emailed to hash out the details.

I met with the girls today and it was such a great experience. As I watched all of them come in, I felt their spirits. Each eager to learn, eager to serve, eager to do what had been asked of them. Their smiles brightened my day.

As I was introduced by my friend I had so much to say. I wanted to say just the right thing. I wanted to convey to the girls just how special the Daxton boxes were to me..... I stood up and introduced myself and then proceeded to tell the girls about the Daxton box, the eagle project, and the ongoing donations we have been able to receive in order to help other families just a little bit.

I really didn't want to stand up there a blubbering mess and have them only remember the lady with the squeaky voice that they could barely understand, so I choked down my tears and told them my story. A hum of "ahs" was heard when I told them my little angel had passed away. It was actually really sweet. I told them about each of the items they were going to make and why they were in the Daxton box.

I hope that it was what my friend wanted. I wanted to convey how grateful I was that they were doing this for me and what it meant for other mommies and daddies who had lost their babies and that they were helping them in a small way that no one else could. I hope it was everything she wanted because I know that she has put a lot of effort into this project..... as I know the work that goes into it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH DONNA. YOU ARE TRULY AN ANGEL. And a big thank you to all the many hands that made this activity day a great success.

As Requested

...... I didn't say it was easy ! ENJOY and GOOD LUCK

Samoas Cupcakes

Brown Sugar Butter Cupcakes

24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cup light brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and vanilla together.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Scoop into cupcake papers about half to three-quarters full.
10. Bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Toasted Coconut Topping

2 eggs

10 ounces evaporated milk

1-1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3 cups shredded, sweet coconut

1. Spread the coconut onto a sheet pan. Toast in a 350 degree oven, stirring frequently to prevent burning, until the coconut is an even brown color, about 10 minutes.
2. Crack the eggs into a small saucepan and beat lightly to break up.
3. Add milk, sugar, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thick, bubbly, and golden, about 15 minutes.
4. Press mixture through a metal sieve and into a bowl to remove any lumps.
5. Add 2 cups of the coconut, reserving the remainder for assembly, stir to combine.
6. Let the mixture cool.

Caramel

1/2 cup water

2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon butter

1. Combine the water, sugar, and the corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium heat.
2. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the sugar is incorporated.
3. Cover the saucepan and let it cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. After 3 minutes, remove the lid, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil.
5. Do not stir from this point on, but it is important to carefully shake the pan so that one area of the caramel doesn’t burn.
6. Continue to cook until the caramel turns an even amber color then remove from the heat and let stand for about 30 seconds.
7. *** This is the dangerous part *** Pour the heavy cream into the mixture. Wear oven mitts, stand away from the pan, and be careful. The mixture will bubble up significantly.
8. Stir the mixture, again being careful. Add the butter and stir until combined.
9. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Note: You will have leftover caramel, it stores well refrigerated in an airtight container for about a month.

Chocolate Ganache

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate like Valrhona 61% cocao

2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Chop chocolate and transfer into a heat proof bowl.
2. Heat cream until bubbles form around the edge of the pan, pour cream over the chocolate.
3. Let sit for 1 minute then stir until combined.
4. Add vanilla and stir until combined.
5. Let cool to room temperature.

Assemble

1. Using a small pairing knife, cut off the top of the cupcake in the shape of a cone. Flip the top over and cut off the cone.
2. Fill the cavity with a teaspoon of caramel.
3. Replace the top of the cone.
4. Smooth on a light coating of chocolate ganache.
5. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to harden the ganache.
6. With your hands, press out a disk of the coconut topping and place on top of the cupcake. Press to shape the mixture into a dome.
7. Press in some more plain toasted coconut on top of that.
8. Drizzle the top with lines of ganache. Note that you may have to warm the ganache over a water bath to get it to drizzling consistency.

All in a days work

I have some pretty awesome people in my life :)

Ode to the teeth

FOR REALS! Aint she jes the cutest li'l thing ya ever did see? I know. I know. I just can't get enough of her. I don't know if it is because I lost a baby that I just love her so much and I know what it feels like it for it all to be taken away.... or I just LOVE her. I am sure it is both.


That being said..... SHE IS BITING ME WHEN I NURSE HER!!!! HELP peeps! HELP! You all know how this feels. I know you do. It happens. Actually I haven't ever been bitten like this. She is my first 'biter' if you will and it hurtses. BAD.


You might advise to STOP nursing... but I just can't. My heart couldn't bear it. I know. Pathetic. But what can I say. There is something about it that makes me feel so needed and I need that. SO what do I do? I have flickered her mouth (which leads to nothing but crying and more frustration on both our parts because then she is mad which leads to more biting.... and that is good for neither of us), I have tried stopping (and then I just get SUPER full and she is SUPER hungry and even more frustrated), and pumping (but where is the fun in that? I get to pump for 15 minutes, clean up, and then feed her the bottle? Ya. Not so much fun). So what do I do?


Seriously. Isn't she SO CUTE? I just can't get over it. I really can't. Anybody want to lend me $30 to get her picture entered into the cutest baby contest? OR maybe we can have a cutest baby contest of our own? I WIN!!! But maybe you have a super cute baby as well. Hmmmmmm. I feel some fun coming on. I will ponder.


Well I must report that for my birthday I went shopping. Yes. I went shopping. This frumpalicious mother went shopping. And I had fun. Fun you say? Yes. Fun. But I had a personal shopper. Her name is Angel-sent-from-above to tell me I LOOK GORGEOUS in EVERTHING I put on. She put me in 2 sizes smaller than I would have worn!!! And it looks good if I do say so myself. I think everybody needs a personal shopper. Someone to go through the store and pick out all the cute stuff while you swim in the sea of clothes. AND then tell you how amazing you look. Yes. I think everyone needs one of those :). Thanks honey for the "no limit" shopping spree. YOU ARE THE BESTEST. EVER. (Everyone needs one of you too :) but too bad. I get you all to myself!)

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY

I can't believe my big girl is 6 years old!!! Actually I can't believe that I have a 6 year old. Does that make me old? Yes I guess it does.... since my older daughter is going to be 8!!! I am REALLY old. But this isn't about me. Well, mostly it is, but today this post is about Mikenna.

I can't believe how fast time flies. Seems like it was just yesterday she was born. She was the cutest little mama. Savannah was just 22 months and just wanted to maul her to pieces (this is very much in her character). There would be times I found Savannah in the swing with Mikenna, or in her crib, or on the bed, or just about anywhere.

Mikenna is my big helper. My little mother. Sometimes I think that this is a bad thing, but she has it in in her nature.... most of the time. She is a great big little sister to Savannah and a really good big sister to Isabella. She is always willing to help. Always.

She loves school. Riding the bus. She loves headbands, bows, bracelets, and necklaces (what girl wouldn't?) She is always ready to do her homework. She loves to dance and is in a new 3 year music program. She is very excited about this.

For her birthday we had a friends party. It has been about 3 years, so since this year she cared I let her invite 5 friends and we had a swimming and pizza party, frosted cupcakes, and decorated princess hats. She has a blast with her friends.

Happy Birthday my precious Mikenna. I can't believe how big you have grown!!!

Sprinkles

About 2 months ago, I was introduced to this delectable delight, tasty treat, sweet goodness.... you name it. When my birthday came around, I just had to have them. My mom drove me 3o miles to buy them for me. (because she is the BEST) They are so tasty I can't even stand it and do you want to know what makes them better?

THEY HAVE FROSTING SHOTS. Yes my friends. I mean FROSTING SHOTS. A little piece of heaven neatly packaged into a paper shot cup. OOOOOOHHHHH so delish!!!! Oh did I mention it was served with a SPOON!!! Frosting. WITH. A. SPOON. These peeps are serious about their product.

Today I went and enjoyed one of these delicious said frosting shots, along with a dozen cupcakes (no I haven't eaten them all...... yet :)) Actually lets be honest here. I ordered 11 for me and 1 for my friend (who is a GEM who went with me SHOPPING). They packaged them in a neat little box with little cupcake holders, put them into a LARGE ziploc bag and then placed them neatly into a gift bag labeled "Sprinkles." For $40 you get delicious cupcakes and SERIOUSLY good service.

Well I began to unwrap this beautifully packaged cupcake and silly me, I ended up turning the cupcakes on their side (OOOOPPPSSS!!!). The cute little sales girls asked me to please step away from the cupcakes, cautiously took them from my grasp, and proceeded to take them out one by one, inspecting them to be sure that they were perfect enough to put in another box.

The ones that did not make the cut were then replaced with new cupcakes. Now that my friends is CUSTOMER SERVICE. That my friends is a business worth going back to. I don't know where they tossed out the old ones, but I would have been more than HAPPY to take them all off her hands. And trust me. I SO WILL be going back! :)

Kisserbella

I know. I do a lot of posts on Kisserbella, but I can't help it. If you had a little mama as cute as her, you would too :). I am in love. I love her. I love everything about her. Everything she does is cute. Everything. She was eating a black bean today and I was watching her little mouth and tongue and lipses. I was in awe at how cute she was.... and then she tooted! And yes my friends. It was STILL cute.

EVERYTHING about her is SOOOOO stinkin cute. Even in the middle of the night when she is growing and needs a snack. Even at 6am when I am getting my BEST sleep and she wakes up and I just snuggle her. ALWAYS. She is cute. Even when she is crying.



I love this age, this birth to one. They change so much. They learn so much. Kisserbella loves me! I know, shocking! But she lights up when I come into a room and cries when I leave a room. She also loves her sisters. Yes, even when they maul her to pieces. She loves Savannah. Savannah will turn circles around and around and Isabella just laughs hysterically. Even when Savannah is being hmmmm a pest? She LOVES her. She is so tolerant of being dragged across the carpet, pinned so her diaper can be changed, and buttons can be snapped. She LOVES IT.

Not to mention when the girls get home from school. She is a completely different baby. Her eyes get big, she perks up when she hears their voices, and suddenly nothing matters except that her sisters are home. And the first thing they say, is "Where is MOM?" (what did you think they would say :)) and the second is "Where is Isabella?"



She is light when it is dark. She is the sun when it is raining. She is a breath of fresh air in a dark stuffy room. She is the cutest baby in all the world (ya go ahead and dispute that:)) and we love her. Without her, life would be much harder, dark, and dreary. BUT with her it is full of life, love, and laughter. She is our Kisserbella.

My Kindergartener

Ok so I may be crazy here, but Mikenna is in Kindergarten and I think she should be in first grade. She is smart, she is social, she can read, write, knows her colors, letters, days of the week, months, etc. Seriously? Isn't that what you learn in Kindergarten?

Maybe it is my fault. I put her in preschool almost a year early (technically not, because she is 5 days off the cut off) and so she had 2 years of preschool, 1 year of early learner and NOW she is kindergarten. How many years can one child repeat the same thing?

I don't know what to do. Do I call the teacher? Am I too late? How do I get her tested and do I really want to subject her to testing just to get her into a grade higher? Am I doing this for her or for me?

When I talked to the person who was testing for Kindergarten readiness last year, I received the patronizing answer that if they felt she was ready then they would have sent her, if they feel she is ready in Kindergarten class they will move her up, it will be to her advantage that she is older than the other kids, she will be smarter... blah blah blah. I was the youngest. I survived. I took AP classes. I thought I was smart. (little did I know :)) I am just frustrated.

I don't feel like she will "learn" anything this year and seriously how many times does she need to learn the SAME thing. She has the same reading and math books this year that she did last year. She ALREADY did the work. While I appreciate the option to send kids who just miss the cut off to school, I really think they should CHANGE the curriculum instead of having them REPEAT it AGAIN.

I am fit to be tied. I just don't know what to do.... Last year I didn't have it in my to fight it and this year I am regretting that I didn't.