is this my life?

things are settling down and i finally feel as if some normalcy is falling back into my everyday life.  the past year has been an adventure--that's for sure!  i am happy though.  i am happy to be married to the man of my dreams.  happy to have 3 magnificent little personalities as part of our marriage.  happy to finally live somewhere and not yearn to live somewhere else.  happy to live by ourselves.  happy to live right close to family.  happy that my hunny LOVES his new job. happy to spend evenings singing with my sisters and laughing out heads off.  happy to teach music and realize everyday what joy music brings into my life. happy to eat good food.

this weekend was, well, lovely.  and by weekend, i mean sat, sun, mon.  eric works saturdays so monday is the new saturday around here. anyway, saturday night, me and my hunny went on a date!  we dropped the kids of with 'hamma' and 'wampa' and went off to see a movie which we very rarely do.  we had a ball.  i loved walking with eric's arm around me and holding hands.  giggling together and talking about how much we've changed since we first met.  we are coming up on our 6th anniversary this saturday and i can't believe it!  but at the same time, i can.  i love being with him.  he makes me laugh so hard.  he makes me want to be better. 

sunday, we had great church meetings. my lesson was on emma smith and music which are two of my favorite topics! i love the kids i teach!  they are adorable and i want to eat them up.  anyhoo, after that, we went over to mom and dad's for sunday dinner and excellent company.  we played "pandemic"--our new obsession and finally beat it with 4 players!  yay!  if you like board games, you've got to try this one.  then we came home and my sissies came and we sang our hearts out around the piano and laughed till we cried. 

then yesterday, eric and i worked on the house all day....it finally looks like a home!  maryn wanted to do the family home evening lesson so we invited mom, dad, aury & maiya over for dinner and fhe.  maryn practiced and practiced her sweet lesson on "promises" and pulled it off beautifully.  she was very proud.

now, we are gearing up to head to idaho on thursday.  is branding this weekend up at the ranch and will be a blast seeing grandparents and all the "cousies' and playing....catching up with jodi, poking cows, taking lots of pictures....etc.

hope you have an excellent week!

glorious sunshine!

in honor of earth day and needing to get out of the house, i took my little tree huggers down to the park for a picnic and a good time with aury and the kids she is nannying for.  the day was glorious!  about 74 with sunshine and puffy animated clouds and a slight breeze. (two days ago, we were sitting in just over a foot of snow--i love colorado!) i took some pics of the kids playing...they had a ball!

 

as you can see, if was full of action...the kids had so much fun.  sorry, you got the pics unedited so the magic hasn't quite happened yet but i just wanted to get them up. 

for those of you who have enquired about our housing situation, here's the scoop...

our offer was never accepted nor denied.  it turned out that nobody knew what was going on which was very frustrating to us.  we assume that it is now going into foreclosure and we're hoping to pick up on the process when we are able to.  at the same time, our realtor about dropped off the face of the planet which was REALLY aggravating and so we are in the process hooking up with a new realtor and starting from square one.  hence, we opted to move into an apartment in the meantime to have some space to ourselves.  so far, the kids are LoVing it!!!  we are still confident that the right house will work out for us and we are trying very hard to be patient!

more green

oh let me tell you....these {eyes} are what i live for!  as well as three other sets.  but can you stand it? green crystals! (although he insists that they are turquoise!) paired with long luscious lashes and i have to mention the little mielie-pips (corn kernels) for teeth! this boy is so dreamy. 

so last night, maryn comes to me with a little piece of french bread that she hadn't finished from dinner and handed it to me.  i said that i didn't want it and if she was finished then she could just throw it away....to which she reproved me, 'that's just like throwing dollars in the trash!'  oh i have so much to learn!

in other news, we are getting there with the unpacking...very slowly. each box i unpack, the kids do twice the damage in toys. so its not a very fast moving process.  and we're off to aunty em today to cut off maryn's golden threads of hair for the summer!  she is so excited about it and i'm excited to not have to brush out the knots!

green

maryn: mom, i think that we should recycle!

janine:  you do?

m: ya! that's when you put the plastics with the plastics, and papers with paper and then you take them out to the dumpster.

j: great!

m: (with a very serious look in her eyes) your hands can make a difference!

apparently, we're celebrating going green on nick jr!

back in action

holy cow!!! this week has been drama drama drama from beginning until well, now.  it started out on monday with us moving into our new apartment.  and by moving, i mean unloading a bunch of boxes and furniture into the front rooms and making a pathway to walk.  that night, we managed to unearth the crib and our bed and some mattresses and blankets so that we could go to sleep.  the next morning, i woke up early and started unpacking  boxes and got the kids fed and ready for swimming lessons. during this time, i started feeling cramps and popped some painkillers before heading off to the swimming pool. when we got there, maryn went off to her lessons and i situated myself on a chair with caleb in the wading pool playing in the fountains and baby in the stroller next to me.  at this time,  the pain in my side started to get more intense and i started to feel hot.  i got up and dragged caleb with me to the bathroom but that didn't help so i came and sat down again.  then the pain started to get really intense and so called eric and asked if he could come over and sit with the kids while i try to figure out what was up.  next thing i knew, i was up and running with stroller and dragging caleb to the bathroom again (luckily not too far away) and started throwing up and crying in pain.  i called my mom who was closer...still crying...and asked her to come and help me.  after throwing up, i was pretty much on the floor in pain with two children wondering what the heck was going on. someone must have heard from outside because a few seconds later there was a knock on the door a staff member asking if she could help.  she managed to peel me from the floor and move me out into the pool area again.  at this point eric and my mom and sister arrived at about the same time and took the kids as i continued to puke and cry. this would have been really embarrassing if i was able to care.  the conclusion was reached that i needed to get to a doctor....so he was called...a very close family friend...and he met us at the hospital.  he took one look at me and sent me into the emergency room where i was hooked up to monitors and iv's and drugs.  i will add here that everyone thought that i was off my rocker as they wanted to give me pain medication which i really hesitated to take as they told me i wouldn't be able to nurse on it.  i just panicked not knowing how joshie would handle it never having had formula as well as if he would be able to transition back. i wasn't ready to have unknowingly nursed for the last time.  i did consent. they took blood for tests and did a pregnancy test (-) and put me in line for a ct scan.  i will say that the drugs did not stopped the pain but i became loopy enough that it didn't seem to matter as much.  they did the ct scan which i howled through.  it only took a little while for the PA to return with the news that i had a kidney stone.  at this point, they could give me some medicine that would help.  they admitted me as i was maxed out on morphine and other powerful medicines and was still in agony.  they got it fairly well under control by about midnight. eric was an absolute rock star through the whole thing!  he sat with me and held my hand.  i was in such agony that i know it was really hard for him to hold it all together!  but he was incredibly supportive an attentive while i congratulated myself on marrying such a wonder of a man.  anyway, i was discharged the next afternoon swollen and groggy but at least not in pain.  so happy to be home. 

i was given a whole list of foods not to eat.  i am so flummoxed about the whole thing.  i eat really healthily.  and this list is a list of healthy food. i can't eat tomatoes, carrots, spinach, whole grains, any beans, vitamin c fruits, basically any dark colored fruits and veggies and the worst....no chocolate or nuts! not even chocolate milk!  and i don't know whether i'm coming or going.  i'm pretty sure i'm going to bag the whole thing. its hard to say because they don't know what caused it in someone as young as me so they just gave me a list of pretty much everything on the planet that 'maybe' contributed to it. sigh.

anyway, my family have been amazing helping with the kids and unpacking as well as my awesome visiting teachers!!

the good news is, this morning, the rock finally came out!  i had a little pee pee party of my own!  i have to save it for testing so they gave me this little container to put it in.  i asked maryn if she wanted to see it as she has been really interested by this whole thing.  i handed her the container and her little eyes lit up as she said, "mom, i bet this is worth more than GOLD!" oh, i love that girl.  and yes, to me, it was worth more than gold.

so now, just trying to get things together so that life can commence. 

who needs baby dolls?

looks like it's time for a new carseat joshie!

maiya and maryn fancy themselves {babysitters} and love it when i let them 'look after' joshie for a while.  the poor baby finds himself in some interesting situations...after this one came 'rides' in the laundry basket.  as usual,  he just goes with the flow and enjoys the attention.

happy good friday!

i grew up in south africa which is a very religious country.  easter was much less commercialized but it was a very important religious holiday.  we had "easter holidays" at this time of year from school and good friday is actually a public holiday there.  i always looked forward to easter.  we had religious education in our schools and had activities surrounding easter.  the chocolate, of course was out of this world!  but my favorite part of easter was good friday.  we always had family time on this holiday and then the best part....hot cross buns!  all the groceries stores sold trays of them around easter then mom also made her own.  nothing says easter to me like fresh hot cross buns out of the oven!  so i thought i'd share my mom's recipe.....

Hot Cross Buns

4 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. mixed spice (equal parts of cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

½ tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ c. sugar + 1 tsp.

¼ c. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. currants (can use craisins or raisins)

1-2 oz. mixed peel (candied fruit peel)

1 T. dried yeast

½ c. warm milk

½ c. warm water (less 3 T.)

Put all of the ingredients to knead in the bread machine or mixer with a dough hook. Knead until smooth and elastic (add extra water if needed for a soft but not sticky consistency). Divide into 12 balls. With a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top of the bun. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and then cover loosely with plastic. Leave to rise in a warm place. Bake at 450°F – a nice hot oven for 15-20 minutes.

For the glaze, bring 2 T. milk and 2 T. water to a boil. Stir in 1 ½ oz. sugar and boil for two minutes. Brush over the hot buns.

another easter tradition was that my granny made homemade marshmallow chocolate covered easter eggs.  they were always our favorite easter treat of the easter egg hunt on easter morning.  granny died during my sophomore year of college. i really miss her.  soon after,  i decided that i would carry on this tradition.  while i don't have her exact recipe, i do my own and i wrap them in wax paper the same way that she used to.  i love this tradition because i feel so close to her when i do it. so i will be taking on this messy task tonight.

in other news,  we will be moving into an apartment on monday.  we are really looking forward to being on our own again!

clicking my tongue means naughty

tonight was, well, not my most shining moment as a mother.  you see, our little neighbor came over to play today.  and they played and played all day and had a ball.  i caught various glimpses of them through out the day through their games and giggles etc.  it was nice to have peace as i sewed an entire dress while listening to general conference...i didn't get the yarn until later.  anyway, that was nice.  so this evening...after practically a wrestling match to get the play room picked up, i walk into the kids bedroom to put caleb's shotgun into the toy box.  as i open it up, it is empty....completely!  so i lay the gun into the box all by it's lonely self and think that was strange.  then i start to look around.  you see, the room wasn't a mess...there was nothing on the floor.  but as i started to snoop around, i saw the laundry hamper stuffed with random toys, clothes, shoes, etc.  then i notice that ALL of the drawers and organizational boxes have been emptied out and muddled up into inconspicuous parts of the room.  for example, the once "my little pony" tub now contained my slippers and a cymbal (the musical kind)?  the legos, cars, littlest petshops, princess, railroad & trains, books, VHS and dvds were all not conglomerated into various parts of the room...deep breath...most of which was lying jumbled at the bottom of the closet with caleb's entire collection of clothes.  now, remember the aforementioned wrestling match?  well at that point, the orange i was seeing had turning into a deep bleeding crimson as i interrogated my daughter about the happening of this game where apparently everything that they owned were fish and they had to get rid of all the fish!  i was not happy.  and i made sure that maryn knew it.  and caleb knew it.  eric knew it.  and i'm pretty sure joshie caught the vibe too.  here comes the worst part.

i order the kids to say their prayers...where caleb flies through and maryn repents and asks for help to be more respectful (unprompted) and then i pick up my book of mormon to read.  now,  i was not in the mood for the usual spiritual enlightenment so i opt for finding the first scripture mastery i find (i've got the picture stickers which makes them easy to find) and low and behold, the book just falls open to the page of two lovely children playing... "for...verily i say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil,....and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another."  point taken.  i didn't read it out loud (sheepish, i know!) but rather skipped to more upbeat scripture. tucked the kiddies in bed while asking forgiveness.  sigh. 

create

there is an old adage that you know....something like 'necessity is the mother of invention'! well, what i have to say kind of has to do with that.  well, i guess i wouldn't call it NECESSITY...but more like the 'want' list. 

being young married and with 3 kids already, college, and starting out, you can imagine that there has not exactly been an abundance of money for splurging with.  that's not to say that my heart doesn't love beautiful things.  and there are lots of beautiful things that are pronounced "not for right now."  but i have learned a ton and i come from a creative family.  i copy things in a way that fits my budget ALL the time. i see a boutique dress, bow or flower for maryn's hair that i love for maryn and i learn to make it.  i repurpose our hand-me-down furniture with paint techniques or make my own.  we've never been able to afford to go to a photographer (and i'm sorry, i'm not a fan of jc penny or the likes!) so i've learned to take my own pictures and soak up anything i can read or study about photography. in the almost six years we've been married, it's amazing to think of how much we've learned to do ourselves!  we live on very little money and yet there is very little we want for (except a house...which i haven't quite figured out how to build yet).

well, so i am so excited about the dresses that i am working on for maryn and maiya for easter!  they are going to be adorable. and today, i had the thought that an adorable little hat would be great to go with it.  so i got online and onto etsy and found that the type of thing i am looking for is about $30.  a little unrealistic considering the dresses are costing me less than half of that!  so, i had the genius idea to make my own.  problem: while i know how to knit, the only thing i've ever crocheted was a blanket with one stitch all the way through...like in middle school.  so i found an adorable pattern online and i'm going to learn to make this hat myself..starting with martha stewart's basics of crocheting article online. it might be interesting but i'm excited to learn this new skill. i will be attempting this during conference.  i listen better when i have something to do with my hands.  wish me luck!

and if you're looking for some inspiration...

'hooper hooper weely hfast' boy

caleb is our birthday boy -- you may notice his birthday is on april fools day!  i cannot think of a more fitting day of the year for this little boy to celebrate his birthday.  caleb is the biggest tease that you will ever meet.  in a nice way.  he can take it just as well as he dishes is out!!!  he is the best brother.  i have not detected even an ounce of jealousy since joshie was born. he loves his little brother and his older sister so much.  he is very active but also enjoys a good cuddle.  he is very close to his 'wampa' and 'hamma' who adore him equally.  he is a very sensitive little boy and melts at the sign of anyone's disapproval. 

favorite color: blue (and turquoise comes second)

favorite movie/show: cars/go diego go

favorite song: i am a child of god/moon moon moon

favorite food: soda and "canny"

favorite activity: playing cars, bike riding, jumping on the trampoline

we celebrated his birthday on sunday so these pics are of his special day.  we had another gift planned for him--until we waltzed passed the bikes and knew that he would love it...and he did!  he immediately declared, "my motorbike"  and has ridden it ever since with his lightening mqueen helmet on.

caleb has a very extensive vocabulary but it takes some real discernment to understand him.  if you're good at mad gab, you'll do fine with caleb. he says some really funny things.  the other morning, he was with my mom in deseret book where they ran into a nursery worker who he obviously recognized and had a little chat with her.  as she left, he turned to my mom with this scrunched up little face and said, 'da wuz wierd!'

happy birthday special boy!