Thank Heaven for Little Girls...

Thank heaven for little girls... without them what would little Noah do??? Noah is one lucky boy. When he goes to lunch at school, he sits at a big round table full of girls. When Noah gets invited to a party, it is usually a party full of girls. When Noah wants to go on an outing, he wants to invite girls. When Noah plays at school... you guessed it... girls, girls, girls. Thank heaven for little girls!!! Noah adores them, and I will tell you why.

Being a mother I of course think my son is the cutest, sweetest thing ever. I do realize though, that he is different, and that being his friend must not always be the easiest thing in the world. Noah is lucky however to live here in Southern Utah with some of the sweetest things in the whole wide world....his girl friends. They are amazing! They watch out for him, help him when he needs it, laugh at his silliness, and most important to me as his mother... they include him. I couldn't have asked for better friends for him then he has in Sydney, Jadzia, Caitlyn, and Kaitlyn. You girls make life better for a special little boy.

Brace Face

I know this is WAY late, but Noah got braces (over two months ago) and so I thought I should at least write a blog about it. He hates getting them tightened, but has enjoyed that when his mouth is sore mom lets him have Slim-Fast shakes for breakfast. He also like that he can have so many colors in his mouth and cracks the assistants in the office up every time he describes in detail the colors he wants for his rubber bands and the order they should go in. He has done better then I thought he would with them, and I know I owe that in part to Dr. Beckstrom and his amazing team! They have been so awesome with him!! It really is a blessing to me and to Noah. I know he is my own kid, and to say so seems really vain... but I think he is just about the cutest brace face I have ever seen!!

Happy Hot Mamas Day!!

I know this is late, but I was busy having fun on Mothers Day and since I sit in front of a computer all day at work... on a day off it's like the very last thing I want to do. I just wanted to let all the mothers in my life know how much I appreciate them. I appreciate my own mom and have learned from being a mother how much goes into each and every day and things you do for your children. I have come to realize how hard she worked to give us all the things we had, and I of course am talking more about the things that money can't buy. I am thankful to all my friends who are mothers. You are always such an example to me and I learn from you all everyday. I am thankful for my Noah who loves me in spite of the mistakes I make. To all the mothers out there... one day to honor you is really not enough, but you still have my thanks and gratitude for doing the hardest job in the world... producing the future. Love to you all.

Vampires, Girlfriends, and Babies... OH MY!!

This blog is a very long time coming!! Back in March I had an idea to throw a Twilight themed baby shower for my two friends Valerie and Alissa. Now, let me go back and explain that we (my friends and myself) love Twilight... so while, yes Vampires being involved in a baby shower might seem strange to some... to us it is perfect. Anyways, I remembered that New Moon was coming out soon, and being that we wanted the shower to be a surprise I thought that having a New Moon viewing party would be a good cover. (The picture of the invitation above is the one the two preggers girls got, everyone else had one that explained the whole thing.) I talked to my friends Shelley and Lindsay and they thought it would be a good idea and helped me plan the whole thing... thanks ladies, you're the BEST!! We went way over the top trying to make it as "campy" as possible (if you are having a themed party... why not go ALL the way, right?) and I think it turned out amazing. I picked up lots of Twilight themed decorations, and Shelley did too. I bought Edward and Jacob buttons and had a bag of each at the door. Lindsay made sure everyone "declared a team" as they entered and picked a button with either Jacob or Edward to wear for the night. Then we themed the food.

I decided to have a light dinner that we called an "edible art" salad bar, and I had lots of snacks light veggies and dip and chips and my guacamole to eat during the movie... not to mention New Moon Sweetheart candies of course!

Shelley made the most amazing fun drinks that looked like blood with the type on the bottle. They were TOO FUN!! And then she had the most amazing cupcakes made that were not only really yummy, but that had cut Twilight sayings and pictures sticking out of them using Forks as holders.... get it... FORKS.

I had picked up Edward and Jacob dessert plates so you could choose who you wanted to lick your frosting off of. (hehe).

Valerie had a hard time choosing.

They really were amazingly cute cup-cakes!

I even ordered each girl a Twilight themed onesie for their little bundle of joy. Alissa is having a boy, and Valerie just had her girl yesterday.

It was a really fun night... and yes we did really watch New Moon after we ate and opened the gifts. I have to say a special thanks to Lindsay and Shelley for helping me plan and run the party, and to my dear friend Liz who not only let us invade her home for the whole thing, but spent hours helping me set up and clean up. I love all of you!! And of course thank you to all those who came and made the night fun!! Congrats Valerie and Alissa!!!

Yes, you can see I was a little tired in the above picture... but Valerie still gave it a thumbs-up! :)

Ladies Night!!

I had so much fun with some of my girlfriends last night. We went to Olive Garden and ate some yummy food, then talked in the parking lot for a LONG time while we realized we didn't want to go home just yet. Valerie came up with a plan and a few of us went to her house (thanks for pretending to not care that we invaded Brandon) for ice cream and conversation that involved a lot of laughing... until midnight!! When you are a mom this is the next best thing to an old-fashioned sleep-over I guess. I didn't bring my camera, so not pictures to post, but just wanted to say that I had such a good time, and I am thankful to have great gals in my ward.

Trailer Trash

Jon, Noah and I enjoy spending time with "the boys". That somehow became the defining name for my nephews Sam and Nathan. They are only 11 months apart and are always together, so that is how they often get described, "the boys". So, on Friday night we went to their place and picked them up and brought them back to our house to have them spend the night. The next day Noah decided he wanted us all to go play mini-golf at the Fiesta Fun... so we did. We had a great time and Jon beat us all (he only beat me by 1 point though). After we all went to Arby's for lunch. Well, it was still early in the afternoon and we wanted to still have some fun with the boys, but by this time just between the golf and lunch we had spent $50... so what could we do next that would keep an 11, a 13, and a 14 year old boy entertained (for no money) that would also keep Jon and I interested.

Let me back up and tell you that Jon and I have the desire to someday in the future buy a smaller camping trailer, but we don't want to finance it and don't have the cash right now... so that little desire is on the back burner for now. (But it can't hurt to look, right?)

We took the boys (Noah, Sam, and Nathan) to the RV place out in Hurricane and looked at RV's, Toy Hauler's, and Trailers for hours. SERIOUSLY... HOURS. None of us got bored, and it was a lot of fun that cost absolutely no money. Now, maybe looking at stuff like that all day long when you can't currently afford to buy it may not be everyone's cup-o-tea... but it suited us just fine, and now Jon and I have a better idea of what we will be looking forward to buying someday. It was a fun, silly, crazy afternoon spent with some of my favorite people and I loved every minute of it. If that makes me a little red around the neck area... so be it. :)

Blog, Blog, Who's Got a Blog?

I have a new blog. I know this may surprise some since I really don't write on this one like I should, but either way... I have one. After being inspired by other wonderful blogs over the last few weeks, I have decided to put my two cents into the mix and see what happens. I have started a style blog that will talk about things that I find, love, or projects I do with interior design, or fashion, or in the world of green living. I hope you all will follow it and enjoy it. You can find it at homegrownstyle.blogspot.com. Hope you like it.