-TWO IN SCHOOL-

Well, school has started and I can't believe how fast summer has come and gone.
Jonah started 2nd Grade and Gavin is my big Kindergarten kiddo.
It seems like 3 kids is a lot until all of a sudden it is just me and Breck at home for a chunk of the day. It is so nice to run errands with just Breck. It is too quiet. Haha.

I have time to read my amazing book, 'new moon', nap, workout at the clubhouse across the street, etc..... I mean, clean house, bake, read scriptures, babysit for others, ponder, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha........

I deserve this, ok?!!!!

Big Helper

Breck is our third child. She honestly has been the best baby ever. She has had her moments but really is so easy. I always tell people this. Then I realized why it seems so easy. Jonah! He has been such a help. He is almost 8 years old and he can go get her out of her crib when she wakes up from her naps. He can hold her when she is upset and I need to cook dinner. He can keep her busy when she wants to get into mischief. He loves to help. I love it! This is why life hasn't been so tough with 3 kiddos. Hahahaha! I can't wait until he is old enough to babysit. Jake and I can finally date again! Only two or three more years!

Hooray for Jonah! He is such a good older brother. We love him.

I think this is the first time I've done this

Well, here goes...............

Job's I've Had:
Dry Cleaners (with Kym & Jim Sim, the Asian owners)
Lifeguard at M.V. Recreation Centers
Clothestime (remember this place?)
Telemarketer (for maybe 1 month)
Teller at B of America
Maintenance Secretary of Property Mgt. Company
Physical Therapy Aide
and now Mom and Arbonne Consultant

Places for a Weekend Getaway:
Midway, UT. (rad Bed & Breakfast there)
Park City
or in August, Lake Arrowhead, CA.

Guilty Pleasures:
Jelly Belly's
Chocolate covered Cinnamon Bears
Fresh Lime Pie at Cafe Rio
In-n-out burger and choc. shake
Diet Dr. Pepper
Wonka's Hearbreakers candy

Places I've Lived:
M.V.
Rexburg, ID.
Provo
Orem
SLC
and now No. Salt Lake

What I thought when I first saw Jake:
Good looking guy
Curly hair
Tall
Good taste in music
Funny and easy to talk to





Places I've vacationed:
Missouri
San Diego
Del Mar, CA
CA (but it is home)

If I'm ever in a "jam" with my spouse, what tactic would I use?
I don't quite understand this one.
Do you mean, if I ever get in a fight? I don't have a tactic. I guess I might get upset, I clean, I sort of quiet up, and I sometimes cry. Then after a while, I'm ready to talk about it.
This isn't too often though. It just depends on the issue I guess, and how upset we might get at each other. Either way, we end up talking about it and apologizing.

Websites I visit daily:
Email (yahoo and gmail)
Arbonne.com
utahrealestate.com (almost daily)
Blogs

Location of 1st Kiss with Jake:
My bedroom at 3am. We had hung out until super late all of the time because we were talking and laughing and then I finally kissed him out of nowhere.

Movies I can watch over and over:
Pride & Prejudice (the newest one)
The Black Stallion
North Shore
The Bourne Identity, and Supremacy, and soon Ultimatum

These are a few of my favorite things..............

My little Boo.

She got the nickname Breck-A-Boo and somehow we have shortened it to just Boo. At least Jake and I call her that. She turned 1 on June 27th. We went and got her picture taken. (see left) She is so sweet! She is finally starting to crawl on her knees, just barely, she loves to army crawl. She is also pulling up to a stand. Wow! We were wondering if this would ever happen.
She is a very happy girl and laughs at her brothers a lot. She waves to strangers at the store and her feet and hands are always wiggling. She is a good eater too.
We just love Boo.


Do you remember being this flexible?

Gavin is the big 5.

I'm writing this in green in honor of Gavin. It's his favorite color.
Gavin is 5 now! He is so excited to tell people it too. He had cake and went to Boondocks to goof off and play arcade games and said it was the funnest day ever. (I wish I was so easily entertained at age 32)
He is starting Kindergarten at the end of August, then baptism, then mission, then marriage........aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Where does the time go? I swear he was born just a few days ago!?
Anyway, he is my wild imagination boy and we love him!
Happy Birthday Sonic, oh, I mean Gavin!


(Don't ask. If you know him, it all makes sense.)

The 4th

I always enjoy the 4th of July. I love that its hot. I love that Jake has the day off. I love the colors red, white and blue. I am lucky to live in the USA.
I like our flag the best!

Some past memories of the 4th include: Fireworks in front of our house( a long time ago when it was legal), going early and hanging out all day at T-Street and watching fireworks when it is dark, going to the Barth's house to swim and BBQ all day(we did this many years in a row), then Utah memories include watching the BYU stadium fireworks at Rock Canyon Park with Jake when we were dating, and now this year we are going to my brother-in-laws to BBQ and do fireworks. I'm excited to take photos with my new digital camera. As soon as I get the software installed I will post some pics.
Happy 4th of July everyone!

Happy Birthday President Hinckley!!!

Can you believe our great Prophet is 97 years old?!
What an amazing man. He has done so much.
We love our Prophet and we know that he is called of God.
Happy Birthday President Hinckley!

The Jazz Man

I will always love jazz music, thanks to Dad. I will always balance my checkbook to the penny, thanks to Dad. I will never bite my nails again, thanks to Dad. I will always love to eat, thanks to Dad. I will always have a good sense of humor, thanks to Dad. (and Mom) I will always love bathrobes, thanks to Dad. I will always remember everything I have been taught by my Dad. I will always remember how blessed I am that I had 29 years with Dad before he had to go.
Happy Father's Day Dad.

Chinese Jump Rope Anyone?

Do you remember playing this a long time ago? I saw it at a store and had to buy it to teach Jonah. There is a lot I don't remember but maybe it will come to me over time. I totally remember putting it around the ankles and jumping in and out and then onto the rope. Then there were the little games you could play on your hands with two people like you see in the picture.
I have fun memories about it.
It's random, huh?
What games do you remember playing as a kid?

9 Years + More Fun!!

Well, Jake and I are coming up on our 9 year wedding anniversary. Ten since we went out on our first date. We got married June 13th, 1998. It was a spectacular day with special moments, family, and friends. The weather could not have been better with a light sprinkle on the way to the Los Angeles Temple and beautiful sunshine when we came out. We laughed a lot that day. We seemed so young.
Now, three kids later, we still laugh a lot. We can't imagine life without our children. It's too hard. We do, however, have days where we wish the kids would disappear for a few hours. (haha)
Anyway, I got an amazing man for a husband. He is patient and smart and funny. He is a hot tamale that is athletic and can fix pretty much anything around the house. He is the best dad. I'm so blessed to have him.
The marraige hasn't been perfect, who's is? (Nobody's!!!!) We have grown together and learned a lot about each other.
I'm ready for 9 more years! Bring it on!

Plug for Arbonne and other stuff.

So, we just got back from California on Sunday. We had a fun trip. While I was there I had a very tiny Arbonne "party" in Temecula. I am learning more and I'm super anxious to get going with it. If there is anyone who is thinking about a way to earn extra money while being at home or not or if you have tried their stuff and loved it, let me know and I will email you about it. It is always worth finding out about it and see if it would be a fit in your life. I want to go to the top. I want my kids to be able to do whatever extra-curricular things they want. I want to move to Cali some day. I want to be debt free. I want to shop a little. I want to have my husband home with us more than he is. Whatever, I hate worrying about money. I want freedom! Anyway, that is my plug for Arbonne and my business. Jake and I are going to do it. ( I hope) Haha. Where is my faith in myself???? We can do it! Anyone with me? Does anyone even read this? Hahahahahahaha!


On another note, my friend Kelsi got married May 5th. It was beautiful and fun to be there. I put in a pic of us outside of the temple(Newport). It is of the bride and the bridesmaids. We didn't have to put on our "hershey kiss" dresses until later. Haha! We went to the beach while we were down, it was great. I miss days like that.
We enjoy road trips except for the gas prices at the moment. The boys love the trip and that is what matters. Making memories.

We can't do it all!!!

This is long but great! My mother-in-law read it to me and I found it on the internet so I could post it for you. It made me laugh. It seems that we are always trying to do everything we possibly can to be the best we can. Sometimes it's ok to relax and "just say no" to people and things. I don't want to end up going nuts and I don't want to be remembered as a huge grouch of a mother.

The Girl in a Whirl

by ‘Dr. Sue’

(aka Vickie Gunther)

“Look at me! Look at me! Look at me now! You could do what I do If you only knew how. I study the scriptures one hour each day. I bake, I upholster, I scrub, and I pray. I always keep all the commandments completely. I speak to my little ones gently and sweetly. I help in their classrooms! I sew all they wear! I drive them to practice! I cut all their hair! I memorize names of the General Authorities. I focus on things to be done by priorities. I play the piano! I bless with my talents! My toilets all sparkle! My checkbooks all balance! Each week every child gets a one-on-one date. I attend all my meetings (on time! Never late!) I’m taking a class on the teachings of Paul, But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all…. I track my bad habits ‘til each is abolished. Our t-shirts are ironed! My toenails are polished! Our family home evenings are always delightful. The lessons I give are both fun and insightful. I do genealogy faithfully, too. It’s easy to do all the things that I do! I rise each day early, refreshed and awake. I know all the names of each youth in my stake! I read to my children! I help all my neighbors! I bless the community, too, with my labors. I exercise and I cook menus gourmet. My visiting teaching is done the first day! (I also go do it for someone who missed hers. It’s the least I can do for my cherished ward sisters.) I chart resolutions and check off each goal. I seek each “lost lamb” on my Primary roll. I can home-grown produce each summer and fall. But that is not all! Oh, no. That is not all…. I write in my journal! I sing in the choir! Each day, I write “thank you’s” to those I admire. My sons were all Eagles when they were fourteen! My kids get straight A's! And their bedrooms are clean! I have a home business to help make some money. I always look beautifully groomed for my honey. I go to the temple at least once a week. I change the car’s tires! I fix the sink’s leak! I grind my own wheat and I bake all our bread. I have all our meals planned out six months ahead. I make sure I rotate our two-year’s supply. My shopping for Christmas is done by July! These things are not hard. It’s good if you do them. You can if you try! Just set goals and pursue them! It’s easy to do all the things that I do! If you plan and work smart, you can do them all, too! It’s easy!” she said..... .....and then she dropped dead.

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

Pure, Safe, Beneficial.......

I am going to blog about a new thing that I just started. Anybody heard of it??? Apparently it is big in California.

I love it! They have great products for everyone including men!
They have a skin care line that is very popular called NutriminC RE9. This is for women. It is the Anti-Aging line. It is the first of its kind to address the "after" effects of sun exposure and aging with a REsult-oriented system of products for face and body. It was formulated in Switzerland and made in the USA with 9 key, anti-aging elements. I have been using it and loving it. I have grown up loving to be in the sun and I have tanned at the salons so........I am in need of healthier skin.
They also have a baby care line which I have been using on Breck. She has eczema in random spots on her body and after using the baby lotion for two days, it was gone. I have been using steroid prescription cream before this and it didn't seem to help much.
Anyway, they also have protein shakes and things for weight loss, make-up, nutrition, celulite creams, and aromatherapy.
I am super excited about this so if anyone is at all interested, this is my way of talking about it without being too annoying. Haha.
Leave a comment. Go to www.arbonne.com and click on shop online to view the products.
A lot of people sign up ($29) just to have 35% off of everything for a year. It's like a CostCo membership and we all love CostCo.
Many try the products and get so excited about it and want to do the business side of Arbonne. (like me!) Network marketing is all over the place and I have been sooooo ANTI network marketing, but because of trying and loving the products I thought I would give it a go.
Feel free to comment or ask questions! If you don't want to sign up but want to buy some product, then let me know and I will get it for you with the 35% off. Anyone who tries it will love it!
Ok. Have a great day!
-Arbonne Independant Consultant
Dana

I GOT STONED LAST WEEK.

OK. I'll bet I got your attention with my title! Haha. I did though. I had a kidney stone!
I hate them!!! I had a couple when I was pregnant with Gavin 5 years ago. I passed them. Then, never have I had another problem until about 5 months ago. I have been having a reoccurance for the past few months. When it happens I just took a pain pill that I had left over from when I had Breck. By the time it wore off, the pain would be gone and I would forget about it. Well, last Tuesday was different. The pain med. didn't work at all. The pain kept getting worse fast and I ended up throwing up because of it. Jake came home early from work to help me. By this time, it was so bad so we went to the ER. I walked in and told the Secretary what was going on and then sat down. Within 5 minutes I was throwing up AGAIN. This was good though because they bumped me up to "next with the doctor" because I threw up. Anyway, a bunch of non-productive morphine, meds for nausea, and more medicine that did work, I was comfortable again. They did a CT and found a 4 1/2 millimeter stone in there. They said that it was big but not big enough to surgically remove. They gave me pain killers and said to go home and pee in a strainer. After a few more days of mild pain, Saturday was the day I passed the stone. Hooray! If anyone has had a kidney stone they know the pain. Not fun at all! The stone has been analyzed and it is Calcium Phosphate. I will be seeing a specialist in May. I don't want anymore stones!
I feel better this week. Wow, it is not possible for a mom to get sick or hurt or whatever. There is too much to do. Ha.
I guess I will go drink a big glass of water now. (H2O is good prevention)

Master Bedroom

Now that we own our place we can do whatever we want with it. Hooray!
I wanted to change our master bedroom colors from yucky faded denim comforter to yummy colors. So, I chose chocolate brown and light blue. We are going to paint an accent wall behind our bed light blue too. We are in the process of getting a ceiling fan but the one we loved hangs too low from our 8 foot ceilings. Bummer! We don't really like any others so it might be a while.
Well, winter hit hard last night. Gavin asked, "How come winter takes so long?" Haha. I agree!
I just joined a gym last night. I am anxious to go and get into better shape. I tried on a bridesmaid dress last night for the first time and I couldn't zip it up all of the way. (I can't believe I just admitted that!) I am a nursing mother and that doesn't help either.
Anyway, I want my husband back! He has been working a ton of overtime the past few weeks and we have had it. Is it time for a new job? Who knows???
I'm dying to leave Utah for a while. Anyone else?
I'm going to go watch American Idol because I taped it. By the way, did anyone notice the Jamiroquai song that was sung on the guys night? He sang it alright but chose a great song!

Sick-A-Lick!

We have been sick for about a month and a half now. I hate it! Breck has had ear infection after ear infection. Now she has RSV! Poor thing. She also cut her first tooth this week. No wonder she has been irritable and not sleeping through the night.
I am finally getting better and getting my voice back. Of course, Jake managed to escape all diseases! Haha. How is it that the husband never gets sick??? It is good though since he goes to work everyday.
We are having a major case of the California blues. We were thinking about buying a business in the Inland Empire(just thinking, I promise) and we started to get excited about being where there is family and nice weather, etc... We emailed the broker about it and he replied telling us that he had sold the business already. We don't know if it would have been the right thing to do or if it was really a good deal, but the thought was fun. Now we are frustrated with Utah and the fact that we are stuck here for a while, or are we??? We will keep looking for opportunities and who knows, maybe we will come that way. (oh, I hope!)

Candid Kids

Why am I updating? I don't know. Does anyone read this? Haha.
It's been a long time. We are now in our townhome and we are enjoying not throwing money away for rent.
I am, however, sick of the construction that is always going on around me. Sometimes I can't even get off my street for a few minutes because a huge cement truck is blocking. It's a pain!
I like to take pics of the kiddos so I added the one I love.

I am ready for spring and grass and outdoors with warmth and all that jazz.
I am ready to visit California and hang out with the family.
My good friend Kelsi is getting married in May so I'll be down then.
Peace out!