Just Say No.....

....To Easter candy! So Sunday is my "day off", if you will, and I indulge in a little eating o' the treats. I was quite pleased to remember Easter falls on a Sunday and really enjoyed indulging in the spoils of the Easter Bunny. That was until about 4 p.m Sunday afternoon. I started feeling a little somethin' somethin' happening in my gut, but thought it was perhaps one too many peanut butter eggs. We sat down to a nice dinner of roast, potatoes, and green bean casserole and I could only manage a bite or two. Well, let's just say the Easter Bunny left a little more than sugar in one of those colorful little plastic eggs because by 9:00 I was spending way too much time with my face in the toilet. Yep folks, the flu. AGAIN, I must add. That is the 3rd time in less than two years! In pleasurable fashion, it eventually went to all of us with the exception of Allie- thank goodness. Fortunately, Kenna's was confined to her diaper and I didn't have to deal with the joy of spontaneous pukage. Jacob was about 12 hours behind me. By Monday night we were thankfully back to normal. However, I completely rid my house of any evidence of Easter. That included baskets, grass, eggs, and ESPECIALLY candy. Even though it was a bug instead of sugar overload, I still can't even look at those once-tempting mini snickers. I have decided though, that it actually is a great side effect. Perhaps Weight Watchers should invent a sick pill to take after you eat treats and then you won't even want them anymore! Ha! Hey..... I'm going to be a millionare.

Can we all give a hooray for my little Allie? She is finally, I repeat, FINALLY able to take soy milk! I never thought the day would come! I am still mixing it with a bit of the old stuff, but she seems to be tolerating it well. Now my budget can breath a little bit. Now I can pay about $12 a can for formula instead of about $35, AND I can get it in a store. Yeehaw! The Lord truly blessed us through this whole expensive formula ordeal. We were always able to find it cheaper. I have to say that we are such an incredibly blessed family. I pray that I will always take the time to recognize the Lord's hand in my life.

Last little bit- I have really been getting into the whole food storage thing lately and am quite enjoying it. But it makes me feel like I'm a little old lady. Ha! Just want to put a little plug-in out there to my fellow domestic goddesses- just a few extra dollars a week will make a big difference in the long run!

It's a Wild World

We've had quite a few new additions to the family lately. Thank goodness, (for right now) I wasn't pregnant with any of them!

The first is the arrival of our baby goats. I am happy to say the mama goats have all kidded out and we have nearly tripled our herd. We now have a total of 10 baby goats, and I just have to say they are the cutest little suckers. This mom instinct can really be tricky and frustrating though, because I get so worried about these silly little goats. Jacob just laughs at me. They are goats for crying out loud! I was so excited to see a few of them when they were delivered. It is amazing how the whole process works. The poor little ladies lay down trying to push those little babies out and I want to yell out- "push hard!" Yes, I know you are laughing at me. I try to not make the darn things human, but I connected with my little lady goats with this whole birthing thing. Then I got a bit frustrated and wanted to tell the dang thing to just push harder. "Harder you dang goat!" I decided against it. The neighbors might think I'm weird. I'm actually starting to think I'm a bit weird. I decided I know how it must be for Jacob when I am in labor. It's a VERY good thing he didn't yell at me to push the darn thing out. He wouldn't have much of a face left if he did. I think Kenna loves the little dudes most of all. "Ooooh, they're so cute!" she says. She loves to sit on the hay and hold them. She pets them then tells us to be quiet because they're sleeping. What a little mom. However, as cute as they are, they will soon get big and then the cuteness quickly wears off. We plan on selling them in a few months. What a cruel world! Ha!

Next is my chickens. Yes, I requested the chickens. I got sick of all the bugs in my backyard last year and figured they would be a great deterrent. Plus, I can get some eggs! Score! Not a bad deal. Kenna also is a big fan of the chickens. She loves to chase them in the yard and of course- hold them. She is very protective of being the one who gets to collect the eggs and put them in the fridge. Many thanks to mom and dad Israelsen who came down to visit last week and brought down our birds. Yes, notice that is plural. We didn't just get chickens, we also got wood ducks. This is Jacob's little project. (Okay, fine- they are all Jacob's little projects. Some I just get a little more involved in than others.) He is in the process of getting a little pond set up for his wood ducks.

Our last addition to the group is the pending arrival of Sydney's puppies. Yep, lucky for me, just another little set of babies to be worried about. They will also be such cute little things. I'll keep you posted. I definitely think that is enough animals for now.

We had such a good time with Jacob's parents last week. It was so fun to have family close, and I was in heaven having extra hands around the house. The girls got spoiled! We got a little homesick for wanting to be back up north. But, our time will come. We love to have people come visit!

Tidbits of the week

Aaaaah. Two girls sleeping, and mom has some time to herself. Where do I start? Do I get in my Pilates? Do I take a nap? Do I attempt to sew some curtains for Kenna's room? Do I indulge in a little Ellen? Na. I'll go catch up on the computer. Drown myself in the world wide web.

Speaking of going to sleep, it is so fun to see how little family rituals start to form. When Kenna goes down for a nap or to go to bed at night, she loves to sing songs. Sometimes it varies, but the beginning song is always "I am a Child of God" and the end one is always "Should've Been a Cowboy." So fun. This afternoon she sang along with me during "I am a Child of God" and it was so sweet. She was so proud and had the biggest smile on her face. What a great little moment. Actually, Kenna loves to sing songs all the time. She is always asking me to sing songs. Lately her favorites have been "Bingo" and "The Farmer in the Dell." The other night she was running around in circles in the front room clapping her hands and singing "b-i-n-g-o." Occasionally we hear just a "n-g-o," it's so funny. Of course Allie has to get involved in singing too, so Kenna will help her do all the hand motions to "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" and "Once There was a Snowman."

So you can just call me the Karl Malone of the Enoch 4th Ward. Yep, last Saturday I decided to join in on our Relief Society basketball game. Ha! It was actually really quite fun. There is nothing quite like watching a group of mommies run around the court trying to shoot some hoops. Jacob had to laugh, he said there is a lot more giggling and "oh, I'm so sorry, are you okay?" then there is when the Elders play! I do have to brag, however. We only had 4 of us show up and we kicked some serious lady butt! Go us! I kept having flashbacks of my beehive days- you see that was the last time I played a real game of basketball. My body recovered better 15 years ago, I hate to say it.

Also just want to pass on some friendly mommy advice. NEVER let a 2-year-old eat more than 2 prunes in one sitting. Wow. Hello diaper duty.