When the cat's away, the mice shall play...

I Love my Luke. I Love my dog. That is what I chanted in my head the other day as I cleaned up these messes. The dog chewed up all of my receipts I had laying on the table. I was organizing them to turn in for reimbursement from the last ward party...sucks. Luke was having quiet time in his room and he was all set up. He climbed to the top of his closet and got down a paint it yourself piggy bank. He painted the piggy bank beautifully. Sadly, he got the carpet as well. I didn't have any anger at all. Even when I couldn't get it out. He said, "I should've remembered not to paint on the carpet. I should've come asked you, mom." I thought he got it. NOPE! Later that evening he went into my room during his bedtime and got my make up out. He found the paint again int he bathroom and painted some more and then used my make up to paint his face. Now, I was mad. Here are some pics.

This crazy little thing called love...

I have been pondering love mostly in response to Valentines Day. While I believe that Valentine's Day is very overrated, love on the other hand is not. Please indulge me. :)

I realized what a powerful state love is. I am also now realizing how much depth there is to the many different types of love. The other morning I found myself just in awe of the love I feel for my children. This love floods your body at different times for parents, but I think it happens repeatedly, not just at one moment. For me that same thing happens with our spouse or significant other. We may fall in love once with that person, but we are reignited or we refresh that love with the moments that make our body flood with feeling. You know that feeling where you want to cry over, hug, or kiss whoever it is aimed at. But most surprisingly is how infants are born loving their mother. Kids just love you...plain and simple. Can you imagine anything more precious than that? Anyway, I was also contemplating the many types of love too! Just think of all your relationships and how different each is. The basic foundation of love is at the core, but it manifests in different ways and deepens at different rates and levels. Truly amazing. (Am I a nerd to even be so mystified by this?)

I always knew my mom loved me, but I didn't fully grasp it until I had my own kids. Now, I wonder how she let us go as we grew up. How did she function once those little moments with her children are not happening as frequently as they are for me with my kids being so young? My mom once told me that she knew and felt her parents love by the way they loved her kids (among other things). I think that is the key to how she functions with us (me and Coursey) gone. My love runs deeper for my mom, too, as she loves and nurtures my children as her grandchildren. I honestly can't think of any other thing she could do to nurture me or to show her love for me than to truly love and give affection and attention to my children. I hope I can remember that when my kids are grown and I feel like my purpose as a mom is gone. I hope I can find my way to honor them through their children. Right now I can't imagine the hole/void I will feel on that day. Love remains, but actions to show it are different...that will be the key.

Love is the most changing state of being. It can help one develop patience when others are intolerant or impatient. (spouses and kids are a primary example) How many times have you passed judgement on another's marriage or kid saying, "I don't know how he/she stands him or tolerates that?" I have said it many times, but the sad truth is we aren't perfect and neither are the ones we love. It is our love for one another that makes us feel complete in our imperfection. We feel accepted and loved therefore we do the same for the other. It is the unwritten code of a relationship. Love helps you find beauty where others may miss it. That is how we each find our special someone. Love. It opens your eyes to people, experiences, and relationships that you may never notice. That is how your love continues to grow throughout a relationship since there are always more experiences that give you more knowledge and help you love them even more. I fully believe that the best thing you can do for anyone in your life is to just truly love them. Some experts say that is the single most important part of parenting. It sounds easy as an ideal, but really can be a lot harder in practice. My kids will grow up having heard, "I love you," millions of times. I even end a mean mommy moment with an apologetic "I love you." I say it so much to them. I've never said it that much to anyone. I just don't want them to ever forget. That would be my total failure and such a tragedy. Although, you don't need to say it to relay the message, it is just my way to speak it. Sometimes it is a means to talk myself off the ledge of a crazy mom war path. But usually it is just how I feel and expressing it makes it real and gives it legs.

I have been blessed to be one of those people who can easily forgive and easily find something to love in almost everyone. At times that has been to a fault. My husband will attest to the many idiots I've dated or the terrible friendships I have indulged because I cannot overlook that one amazing quality. I have since learned to love and still protect my heart because you cannot love haphazardly. But, I will say I am grateful to be able to teach my children by example of how hard it is to love and forgive. At the end of the day isn't it easier to love than to hate? Isn't that what we are supposed to do...find the charity and love for others?

Mostly, I just cannot believe in a humans ability to love so many so completely. I think of and feel like the Grinch whose heart grows in size. There is always room. I have so many dear friends. Some have known me for years and others came during different phases in my life and some are newer friends. There is always room for a really good friend. You know the ones that you cannot imagine how you haven't known them your entire life. New love...the heart makes room. On a more spiritual note, this superhero ability to love is just like our Savior. It is the back bone of our human kindness. It is the base of every real relationship. Really, it is what makes this life worth living. Can you imagine your world without love? I am thankful for it. I am thankful for the moments. I am thankful to be able to express it to my kids, my husband, my family, and my friends. I am thankful to be loved...by my Savior, my family, my kids, my friends.

Sorry for the journal entry that should really stay in a journal...:) But, I know those few readers out there love me anyway!

"Love is a many splendid thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love..."

Smells like flowers!

Yesterday I thought Luke's hands smelled like kid hands and I told him to go wash them. He said no, of course. I said, "Smell them, Luke. Don't you think they smell funny?" He smelled them and said, "They smell like flowers!" He ran off to play and I laughed out loud. Boys.

The lessons we don't learn easily

Why is it that the minute I open my cell phone in the car and say, "hello," my kids begin screaming, talking, or kicking my chair? Do I have a green light on my head that says talk now, mom is on the phone, and the silence that made her feel she could make a phone call was just a trick? It is mind boggling! I know some of you may not have experienced this, but I can attest that it is one of the most annoying things of motherhood in my book. Why do they do it after repeatedly being told not to interrupt mommy on the phone? It's not as if I have a baby that needs to be fed or changed or just hates to be out of my sight, they are almost 5 and 3!

Here are the reasons I have come up with:

1. They are secretly trying to show all my family and friends that I have zero control over them by screaming at the top of their lungs whenever they know I am talking to them.

2. They are jealous of the phone socializing I am doing...because every other minute spent entertaining them isn't enough?

3. They have an ongoing competition to see who can tick mom off quickest...winner gets in trouble...what a great prize?!

4. Maybe they just hate the sound of my voice and hate my fast talking personality on the phone.

Here is the initial problem solving (running through my head) when I am hanging up yet another phone call due to the screaming banshees in the car:

1. Buy them a phone so they can talk too! Why not just pass on and normalize the addiction to my children?

2. Place masking tape over the mouths during all phone calls (which because I am addicted to the phone would border on child abuse).

3. Have yet another home lesson about respect, manners, and using your inside voice in the car. Wait, that would require children who would sit through any lesson without putting their hands over their ears (Luke).

4. Yell, "SHUT UP!" at the top of my lungs...this may work except that the guilt that would follow would trump any lesson they learned as I apologize profusely for being an ill-tempered mommy.

Here is the real solution and lesson I should have learned after nearly 5 years of this:

1. STOP talking on the phone in the car. Diffuse the problem. Yes, it seems pretty simple, but it isn't for me. I think I need PTA...phone talkers anonymous...could I seriously start a VA chapter? Maybe I am alone in this addiction. :)

I totally forgot Christmas pictures!

I just realized today, while on the phone with my mom, I forgot to post any Christmas morning pictures! Silly Julie. So here are a few of my favorite ones. Here is a quick Christmas story about Luke. Santa doesn't usually wrap in our house because he wants the kids to see his presents first. Luke really wanted his presents wrapped so he could be surprised. He wrote Santa a letter and requested this and said if Santa didn't have time to wrap them all maybe he could just wrap the best one. So, Santa did wrap the best gift this year so Luke could have his wish and be surprised. Silly Luke, he can be surprised with all the wrapped family gifts downstairs! It was great to see his face though.

Christmas Eve opening up Grandma's pj's!

Luke running down the stairs to check out his gifts!

This tea set was the first toy Carys saw and played with!

Carys and Aunt Coursey are buddies and so Coursey was the first to play with all the toys!

Luke opened the wrapped gift from Santa and it was exactly what he wanted! Every time he opened a gift he would say, "YES!"


I love how Carys is wearing her Cinderella dress up and feeding her Barbie pony at the same time.

Carys loved her blocks.



The kids bought gifts for each other and Carys bought Luke Hulk hands and he bought her a pony stick. They were very happy!



Our family gift from Emom and Papa Kevin was a Wii. We have loved it! Luke bowled a 270 the other day! Crazy!

We were spoiled and so were our kids. Thanks to everyone who made our holiday great. I am sorry these pictures are so tardy.

Super Bowl = Hog Heaven

Me being the hog...

Heaven being the huge amounts of food and goodies to stuff my face with...

We wanted to have a few friends over for the Super Bowl and we decided to do some Latin cuisine. It was a nice get together and we just wish we had enough room to really throw one heck of a bash and invite everyone we know. Rob is a bit of a stickler when it comes to having a seat to watch the Super Bowl. Just ask me how many times he emerged from his den downstairs to load up his plate...only one time the entire game! We moved all the toys upstairs so the adults could enjoy the game without rug rats climbing all over and standing in front of the TV. But, the real attraction to it all is the FOOD! Come on, you all know you agree!

Listen to the spread:
Authentic Black Beans and Rice (Cuban style)
Shredded Roasted Pork and Chicken marinated in Mojo sauce
Pastelitos filled with Guava and cream cheese
Fully loaded Nachos
Tangy hot chicken wings
7 layer dip and chips
Spinach dip and bread (a personal favorite dip)
chips and hummus, salsa
Veggie platter
hot crab dip and crackers
Mini Chocolate football cakes
Tres Leches (3 milks Latin cake)
root beer, ginger ale, etc.
Deep Fried SNICKERS! (yep, you read it correctly...yummy!)

All in all it was gluttony at its finest. Thanks to all who could make it and to all who contributed to the menu! The guests rolled home and we rolled into bed. I was exhausted...I only caught the last minutes of the game and it seemed like a good one. I can't help it...I socialize and eat with the best of them. Sadly, I couldn't even look or think about cleaning my house (other than what got finished by my hard working friends) for 2 days! Luckily, we have recovered.

Here are some pics!








Luke is sporting his gross fake teeth from his goody bag!

The kids were all lined up on the edge of my bed to watch their movie.








I was attempting to keep the chocolate cake crumbs contained in the kitchen...it worked!




Fried snickers!

Girls and Boys

There are so many wonderful differences between my children. Some are just personality and some are just being true to their stereotyped gender differences. I know some people do not believe that there are innate differences between girls and boys, but I totally disagree. That is a whole different debate though. These pictures are just one aspect of each kid that I love. Luke flexing his muscles, just like daddy, no matter how small he is. Carys sitting for new hairdos and posing for the camera. I love it! Plus they are so cute.

Our snow day!

Well, we finally got some snow and it was great despite the time off of school. This year I had a little cold and refused to go out in the snow. Usually I see it as a great photo opp. I mean I can wear bulky clothes, hence no one can see my true curves, and I can play like a kid with my kids. My kids were so excited to go outside, but mean mom only let them play on the deck in the back yard. The reason being...they have out grown all of their good snow stuff. That means the time spent outside was limited. Our winter has been mild so I didn't stock up this Christmas like normal. Would you buy new snow clothing for two kids for 1 snow day? (I probably will!) They had a blast out back and I made up for their lack of sledding and true snow adventure by making them some yummy hot chocolate! I really do enjoy watching the snow...I am a Miami girl through and through, although I do try to hide that from my kids since they think it is the coolest stuff to play in ever!

Just like your favorite pair of jeans...

That is how I see good friends. No matter how many holes in them, how long you've had them, or how faded they are you still feel at home wearing them. I was fortunate to have my best friend, Tina and her two gorgeous kids, come out to visit for a few days in January. It was sooo much fun. Tina is one of those people that I will know for the rest of my life. We met during out freshman year of college...12 years ago! We have already transcended the miles as we have lived across the country from each other for 7 years now and it has always amazed me how easily we reconnect on visits, phone calls and just go right back into our rightful spot as friends. I love how there is never any apologies for busyness and always an immediate ear should either of our lives warrant such. Lucky for us our husbands grew up as best friends and that does make it a bit easier to stay in touch. Although, the boys do not seem to make as much time for friendship as us gals. But hey, our kids even know each other and so we are doing our part to keep our families close.

Well, she came out and we had so much fun. We are both turning 30 this spring and so we went to the melting pot for cheese and chocolate...yummy! We took the kids to a puppet show, an indoor play place or two, and really just took the chance to capitalize on how well our kiddos played and talked forever! One of the best parts of the visit was connecting Tina with some of my closest friends here. We went to see Bride Wars which was hilarious and totally a chic flick. Anyway, I didn't take very many pictures, but I have a couple that I love of her little guy...he just cracked me up when he climbed into this basket and chilled for a bit. Thanks, Tina, for the visit!

Carson in the basket...too cute!

Falling back in love with...

my blog!

OK...I have been really spotty and inconsistent with my posting lately. I am going to try to post one each day until I catch up with all my stuff and then I will shoot for 2 times a week. I have found that when I am blogging I am much more observant in my day with my children, but when I am not, I am missing the "funnies" that happen in my mothering experiences and in my kids' childhood. I have concluded that blogging helps me maintain a more positive attitude to life since I am always trying to spin it for a post and it is an outlet and therefore, I am going to do more posting!