I'm tired.

I am going to be honest.
I try really hard to avoid being negative when I write on my blog. Don't get me wrong....my life is crazy and I have my bad days, but I try to focus on the good things because those are the things I want to remember in my life.
However, I just want to vent today.
I am tired. I make an effort to go to the gym 3 to 4 days a week, but for some reason, my body is not in the mood this week. I LOVE working out - that is not the part I dread. I dread having to get my kids dressed every morning then have them fed and out the door by 8:30. I know, SERIOUSLY, they aren't even in school yet.

Then when we get to the gym, I hussle them into the daycare(s) - YES, 2 different daycares because of their ages, write their names on a sticker that has to be on them, fill out a label for Emma, and sign both of them in on another form.
Monday, I was determined to start the week off fresh by going. Braddock & Emma, on the other hand, had NO intentions whatsoever of doing so. Braddock's lovely fit-throwing started as I was loading the kids into the car. He wanted to take his baseball with him. I didn't want to hear the crying, so I gave him what he wanted. (Bad on my part).
When we got to the gym, I had to try to convince Braddock to leave the ball in the car. Fortunately, he obediently followed my instructions. Woo hoo!
But as we walked into the daycare, Braddock decided AGAIN that he didn't want to be there. It took me and one of the daycare ladies to pull him off my leg. Awesome.
By the time I got to kick boxing class, I felt like I had already had my workout. I was tired and just wanted to crawl back into bed.
Thirty minutes into our cardio, the daycare lady comes into class to let me know Braddock needs a diaper change, so I go to get him, and then wait for our turn to use the bathroom where the changing table was at. I ended up waiting for 10 minutes (by that time, I am cooled down, and ready to just get out of there). But the little voice inside me said, "NO, stick with it." So I got his diaper changed and dropped him off again. The second time was no better than the first.
I got back to class, did 10 more minutes of cardio, then left.
When I got home, I ate two brownies.
Hence, the reason I have not gone back since then.
There are other reasons too. The weather right now is depressing. It is cold and snowy. Yes, it's April 15th, and it's snowing.
Growing up in AZ, I looked forward to the cloudy, cold, rainy days, but now that I live here, I only prefer them at Christmas time.
Winter has gone on long enough!
So there is my venting. Sorry, I hope I didn't depress any of you.
Here are the things that have made me happy this week!

*Baking homemade wheat bread. It smells so good, it tastes so good, and it is healthy!
*Reading in the Book of Alma. There are so many great NEW things that I have learned.
*Going to the park in Nephi with my sister Jenna and her cute twin boys - AKA Braddock's best friends.
*Reading to my babies.
*Buying a fly swatter. (weird one, but we have had so many flies!)
* Watching Les Miserables.
* Seeing my kids fold their arms when we have prayer.
* Having Easter with my family & reflecting on the Savior and ALL that He has done for me.
*Decorating my home.

Here are some pictures to leave you with.

I bought this mirror at a store in Arizona called Fallas de Paredes (yeah, you get the idea) like 4 1/2 years ago.

Cara, I think you were with me.

Anyhow, it was cream with red roses, so I touched it up a little bit. I think it was $5.

Now this hangs above my toilet in our bathroom.

Rodworks is the best store ever! Thanks, Kassie for inviting me to go to their half off sale! I got this sweet thing.

I bought this over a year ago and finally put pictures in it. Woo hoo!

This picture does my shelves NO justice. I got them for FREE at a yard sale and painted them chocolate. They look amazing. Jim set the stuff on them - I'm not sure what I am going to put up there yet.

So that is all. Let me apologize again for the whining.

I have so much to be grateful for!

4 Years Ago Today.............

This happened.

And I'm so glad it did.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

I love you forever.

(p.s. Can you find yourself in this picture???)

Temple Square, Happy Birthdays, Babies, etc.

The last few weeks have been consumed with quite the number of events.

First off, Potty Training.

Seriously.

It's a joke, but I'm not laughing.

See that face below?

That's the face of "Mommy, how could you do this to me?"
I have my reasons for being frustrated.
Reason #1: Every morning when Braddock wakes up, he has a dry diaper. SO, immediately I take him to his potty. We sit there for 20 or more minutes, but to no avail. Then, when we can't sit there any longer because mom is going to be late for the gym, I grab a diaper for him. And YES, he goes as soon as I change him.
Reason #2: Braddock likes to tell me that he is going potty AS he is going potty in his diaper.
Thank you, Braddock. Much appreciated.
The last month, Braddock has used the phrase, "It don't work. It needs batteries" to just about anything that doesn't work. (Examples: battery-operated truck, flashlights that don't light up, toys that are supposed to make noise, but don't.)
So a couple of weeks ago, as he was practicing his morning ritual of sitting on the potty for 20 minutes, this conversation came about.....
Me: "Braddock, (trying to keep my patience and explain to him in toddler vocabulary what needed to be done) you need to make the pee-pee come out."
Braddock: "It don't work. It needs batteries. Daddy fix it."
Sorry bud, Daddy can't fix this one!

Onto other things.........

A few weeks ago, our family had the privilege of going up to Temple Square with my Uncle Russ & Aunt Marcia. We were able to go to the Tabernacle, walk around the temple grounds, eat at the Lion House (Heck Yes!), and take pictures at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

I just wish my whole family (all four of us) would look at the camera!

Yeah, what-ev.

On our way home, we were all pooped out.

Especially, these two.
Braddock & my niece, Livvi.
I love it.

A week later, we celebrated mine and the twins' birthdays at my sister Jenna's home.

I can't thank her enough for all the time and effort she put into everything!

Thanks, sis!


So here is a few pictures of the night.

Alyssa - my anorexic sister - posing for the camera. She loves getting her picture taken.

(joking on the anorexia part.)

My hub.
Look at him go in the kitchen!
You should practice some of that at our house, babe!

K, love you!




My mom & Auntie Donna also came up from Arizona. It was so great to see them, as it's only occasionally that we get to.

Aren't they beautiful?






Last, but not least, here's one of
Emma & me.
This was not intentional, which makes it even better!


All in all, my birthday was FANTASTIC! It fell on a Sunday this year......better yet, a Fast Sunday! At first I thought, LAME.
But then I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to relax and have a low-key day.


My sweet sister, Alyssa stopped by that night and brought me these beauties (look below).

She also got Jim and I tickets to go to General Conference Saturday morning. That, honestly, was one of the best presents I have receieved in a long time! What a privilege to see our Prophet and the apostles and hear their wonderful messages. I hope we can do it again soon!

(Also a HUGE THANKS to Jenna & Alyssa for tending our babies so we could go to conference. Jenna was crazy enough to have them sleep over at her house! We could not have done it without you guys.)
Thank goodness for family!


Here's a picture to leave you with:
Emma will forever be the winner of the funniest photo faces.