Betty Crocker, Eat Your Heart Out. Oh! And A Merry Christmas Too!

Merry Christmas Everyone! God Bless!

We Elfed Ourselves!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Crazy Hair Day.....

Lillie's first pony tail!!!

Don't you dare laugh. I have been waiting a LONG time for this day.

And NO. It is NOT ridiculous.

Look closely. Paige did her hair in a little mini clippie thingee.


It's all about style over functionality. Bedtime is as good as any other time for fancy shoes and hair. Gotta love these girls.

There's Something About Meatloaf.....

It makes my kids go CRAZY! This time Lillie had her first taste of Mommy's special made meatloaf.

The following events took place December 3rd 2008 at approximately 6:30p.m.

What a big eater! I ♥ you my Lillie Pie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

In celebration of Thanksgiving I asked my family to list 5 things each that they are thankful for this year. And the list goes :

Daddy:

*Being healthy. ( For those of you that don't know Daddy had surgery Monday for a pretty good size hernia. He is doing well, but still pretty sore. Get better soon Daddy!)
*Having a loving family that takes care of me. (To which Paige replied, "We don't carry you. Your too heavy.")
*Having two beautiful daughters.
*Still having a job.
*Having a girlfriend that supports me and my hobbies.

We love you too Daddy!

Mommy:

*Having a healthy, happy family.
*Having an amazing boyfriend that loves me no matter what.
*Having two super smart, super cute little girls.
*Getting to spend time with my family.
*Having awesome friends that support me.

Paige:

*Mom & dad & baby
*Playing games
*Picking my nose (lovely.)
*Butterflies, princess dresses, & clothes
*Biting my nails (nice.)

Aw, my funny little Tator. We love you!

Lillie:
(these are assumed....)

*Mommy, Daddy, & Paige.
*Learning everyday.
*Baba's.
*Clean diapers.
*A big sister who plays with me all the time.

Silly Lillie! We love you too!

Oh What Changes A Day Can Bring....

Yesterday, my little, tiny, (long really) Lillie Pie made HUGE strides to becoming a little lady. She managed to....

drum roll please.....

*Pull herself up on the coffee table to stand up for a good while!

*Say Ba Ba as she was crawling to get her bottle!

*Say Ma Ma!

Yay to my Lil! Your growing up so fast baby girl! What baby says her two first words and stands up all in one day! Good gracious!





On a side note. Hilarious little Miss Princess saw a Gieco commercial today....and asked Daddy

"Is that Jesus?"

"Ha ha. No Paige. That is a caveman."

True comedy I tell ya.

Holiday Boutique Party THIS Sunday! All Welcome!

Please join us this Sunday, Novemeber 23rd from 2:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m.for a holiday boutique party, hosted by Jena Rindon and Jean Dawson! Vendors include:

*Sashay Jewelry
*Taste Of Home
*Gold Canyon Candles
*Lee Marie Photography
*Replica purses, replica Tiffany's jewelry, replica sunglasses & more
*Blissfuly Chic Boutique baby & kid items (this one is mine & Jena's!)

Please bring cash for the replica's!!!

All guests are welcome!

Address is: 8515 E. Gary St.
Mesa, AZ 85207


Call me at ************ if you need directions or just Google it! Hope to see everyone there!

My Best Ed Friend Ever.

Today we celebrate the birth day of a truely amazing man. He left us earlier this year and I am having a hard time putting the words together for this post....I can't express the love I have, and the happiness I feel for having him in my life. He was a wonderful father, and a great friend. As I mentioned in my earlier post, he would do anything for anyone. He will never be forgotten. I will always keep you in my heart my dearest Ed Word. You taught me so much in the few short years we were able to have. You came into my life exactly when I needed you, and I feel like I might have done the same for you. You were always my shoulder to lean on when I needed a good friend, and so willing to do anything to help. You were absolutely nuts too. How many times did I think I would be calling an ambulance to pick you up for jumping off something ridiculous or climbing some cliff! No one is perfect. But you were close, kid. I miss you more than words can say, but I know I will see you again someday. Thanks for everything. Have a great mood.

All Hallows Eve Pictures.....Kandid Style.

We had the most enjoyable experience this evening of trying to get the girls pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids.....I say enjoyable because have you ever tried to get a four year old, a 7 month old, and an almost 3 month old to smile, sit still, not pose, not cry, etc. all at once? No? Didn't think so.....Well we did our best...here is the end product. Enjoy!

Best shot of the girls all together.....I'm not sure what Lil is looking at...

My lovely little Tator and Lillie Pie.

Cute little baby cousin Lyla. Oh and mommy and daddy's hands. Coming out of the grave stones....kinda spooky.

Oh to have a husband...

Last night during Paige's much loved shower time, we had a little mommy/daughter chat. I was washing her cute little head of hair, (which I cut again last night, this time a little better. Even though I promised myself to take her to the salon next time. Oh well.) when I decided to break the news that she needed to sleep in her bed tonight, and would Lillie. See Paige has had the fantastic (I say that with the utmost sarcasm) habit of sneaking in our bed most nights. I must add I am sleep-training Lillie to stay in her room too. And I CAN NOT go one more night with four extra sets of legs and arms kicking and punching me. Nick is a big enough bed-hog! But this is where our bath time got interesting.

She said, "So Lillie and me have to sleep in our beds tonight?"
"Yes Paige. You BOTH do."
"Well how come Nick gets to sleep in your bed?"
"Because we share our bed."
"Well, I wanna share a bed."
"You can once your married and have a husband."

DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO remember? Then, very surprisingly and totally unexpected, the TEARS started flowing.

"Well I wanna husband!!" She cried.

And I MEAN cried. I couldn't help but giggle, although I didn't want to hurt her feelings...but come on! How often does a four year old literally CRY cause she wants to find her husband! Hilarious.

"Well sweetheart your only four. You will have plenty of time to find a husband. You can't even get married until your at least 18."
"Well I want one now!" (Add the Willie Wonka Veronica Salt voice here.)
"Sorry kiddo. Not until your older."
"Well I will get married and have a husband when I'm 13."
"Doubt it. You most likely won't even be thinking about boys or marriage at 13."

She had BETTER not.....

Understanding.

Last night my lovely cousin Jena and baby Lyla came over to visit. Well really so I could help her make little Lyla's Holloween costume, but that is for a later date....As we were eating our yummy Hawaiian BBQ dinner, Paige decided to play 20 Questions.

Paige: "What is your dad's name?"
Jena: "Robert."
Paige: "Why is Robert his name?"
Jena: "Just because it is."
Paige: "What do you call him?"
Jena: "Dad."
Paige: "Where is your dad?"
Jena: "He is up in heaven."
Paige: "Why is he in heaven?"
Jena: "Well heaven is where people go when they die. They go live with God."
Paige: "Well, my dad is in Hawaii." Paige said this as if to make Jena feel better. Like well, if your dad is gone, feel better cause my dad is far away too. It was so sweet. You had to be there.

Disclaimer: All quotes are subject to change. As my memory may not be exactly correct, but the gist remains the same. : )

Ok Tiffany! Here you go!

4 things I love about my man-

1. He is a wonderful father to our girls.
2. He is a very hard worker.
3. He is quite the looker!
4. He knows me better than anyone else ever has or ever will, and he loves me all the same!


4 movies I could watch more than once- (Good thing it is not movies I DO watch more than once...it would be all kids movies!)

1. The Labrynth
2. Moulin Rouge
3. 40 Year Old Virgin
4. Scary Movie 2

4 T.V. shows I watch-

1. Dexter
2. House
3. I Love (Whoever the latest VH1 "celeb" is that is "finding love" at the moment.)
4. Heroes

4 places I have been-

1. New York
2. Colorado
3. California
4. Maryland

4 places I'd like to go-

1. Texas - To see my brother and his family.
2. Mexico - Cause I haven't ever been.
3. Canada - That is for you Nick. ; )
4. Europe - Cause dreaming is fun to do.

4 things I look forward to in the next year-

1. Buying myself a brand new car.
2. Watching my girls become little ladies.
3. Going on a weekend trip with Nick.
4. Making millions. ; )

Two great men.

I was planning on posting a little something for my dear friend Ed who left us this last February, next month for his birthday. But I must say something now. I'm afraid it cannot wait.

My buddy and I shared a love for he written word. We would text, call, e-mail, MySpace, etc. each other constantly with new and beautiful quotes we knew the other would appreciate. He was an amazing man. Knowing me, and my love for language, Ed did one of the truely most wonderful things anyone has ever done for me. He sat down one beautiful October day in 2006, and wrote to my absolute favorite author EVER Jonathan Carroll. Never saying a single word to me, the wonderful morning of October 10th 2006 I woke up to find this in my e-mail....

Dear Jessica D,

Your friend Ed Westover wrote and said you were a fan of my books and that it would be great if I'd drop you a 'hey there' line out of the blue to tickle your day. So here I am on a sunny morning in Vienna doing just that. Tickle tickle.



keep moving, keep dreaming,

JC

Now, how is that for a true friend? Amazing. God I miss you Ed Word.

Now fast forward to October 16, 2008. Almost exactly two years to the day that I recieved that amazing e-mail. Jonathan Carroll came to Scottsdale to do a book signing for his new book A Ghost In Love. Now please keep in mind, he lives in Vienna, Austria. I have read his books (every single last one in fact, and own all as well!) for at least 8 years now. Not once has he made it over the Atlantic Ocean to do a single signing. Until last night. I will not bore you all with every single last detail. (Though I want to!) I will only say that it was one of the most amazing nights of my life. (Nerd Alert!!!) But most importantly, after all the nerves and stomach aches, he is truely a humble and wonderful person. I we chatted for what seemed like FOREVER and I finally got the nerve to tell him who I was. I started to say "I don't know if you remember me, but a while back my friend had written you, about me, and you...." This is where he stopped me. He knew! He remembered EVERYTHING. He told me all about Ed's letter to him, (in which Ed had told him I was a "very special girl" ), he remembered my letter to him about Ed's passing. EVERYTHING. He also told me a wonderful little story about death. Of course I can't remember the author....I was not in my right frame of mind. But as I was getting ready to walk away (I suppose others want face time too right?) He stopped me and asked if I was ok. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." "No." He said. "Are you REALLY ok?" He was genuinely worried about my well being and Ed's passing. "It's hard," I said. "But I'm doing ok..."

That is all we can really ask for right?


P.S.
Look for my post/slideshow for Ed next month. It'll be worth it. : )

Never Make Meatloaf.

Or while your not looking......

Simple finger painting can turn.....

Into body painting.

And no downstairs bathtub means.....



Shower by HOSE!!


Thanks Paige. You make my ♥ happy.

Ok. Ok. I GET it.

At work I have my own personal Google page. I have funny stuff, a how to for the day, the time, etc. My favorite little tab is the Daily Literary Quote for the day. Good stuff. Especially for a nerdy girl like me who LOVES to hear the great authors quotes. Well the other day I read one that for some reason totally stuck with me. I have been thinking about it everyday.


If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love. Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers. ~Maya Angelou


Makes you think....makes you really try harder to be nicer to the ones you love. I know people say you treat those closest to you the worst. Only because you trust that they will love you no matter what. But that seems wrong. We should strive to show our family and our friends the love we have. Easier said than done sometimes. I guess it all comes down to how we feel about acceptance. We want everyone's acceptance. Total strangers, family, friends. But we give the best parts of us to the people who in the end just don't really matter in our lives. This really hit home with me today. I am part of an online group for moms. (Really supportive!) Today I got an e-mail....


F A M I L Y.

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, 'Oh excuse me please' was my reply. He said, 'Please excuse me too; ! I wasn't watching for you.' We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. 'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown. He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, 'While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door. ! Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.
By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; 'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said. 'Are these the flowers you picked for me?' He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree. ! I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.' I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.' He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway.' I said, 'Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'
FAMILY.
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
So what is behind the story? Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU


So I am feeling like it's God, the universe, fate (whatever it is you believe) screaming "HEY! YOU! LISTEN!!!!"

So in short. Thank you friends for always being there. Thank you family for always loving me and my little family. Thank you everyone, you are all special to us in some way. We love you all! Please know that. We never show it or say it often enough. WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!

Earings, A New Tooth, and Sibling Rivalry.

Things have been so exciting lately! My baby is growing up so fast! She got her first tooth the other day...unfortunately she won't let me take any pictures of it, but soon! She also had her ears pierced! Not really my idear, but Daddy and Aunt Jena INSISTED.) She didn't mind too much, after the initial shock and ear peircing scream (no pun intended...well a little pun intended!

Last but certainly not least, perhaps even MOST IMPORTANTLY, she was busy learning how to scoot and almost crawl. First place she went you ask? To get her big sister! Let's wrestle!

Change.

My very favorite author Jonathan Carroll ALWAYS has the best blogs. I read them religiously. He has such an amazing outlook on life, love, God. All the things that matter. If your open minded check him out. (Man I almost hate saying that...I want his books all to myself!)

Point is. He had a great link today on his blog. Check this out. Super cool in my personal opinion. 5 questions to ask yourself that will change your life. We all could use a few pointers. Also really cool book and dvd is here. I know not everyone is into the self help positive thinking mumbo jumbo.....but really? Can it hurt? I submit that it cannot!

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself." ~ Leo Tolstoy

How to tell time. According to Paige.

Do you know how to read a clock? You know a good old fashoned digital? Plugged right there into your wall, no battery power required? I don't. ( I know, I know. The clock pictured above is misleading...but hey, it's cuter than a digial! Forgive me!)



According to Little-Miss-I-know-EVERYTHING (A.K.A. my daughter) I don't know how to tell time.



Paige has recently decided she must know exactly what time it is at all possible moments durring the day. Jena claims this is a "normal" phase and her kids at school have gone through the same exact thing. Well Jena does not live with those children. On top of the constant "Why's?" I now have to find a clock at sometimes inopportune times to tell my little princess what the time is....



This morning, as usual, Paige asked me for the time. I was half awake, very sleepy (thank you Lil) when I glanced over to check the time. "Eight O seven" I replied. She looked at me like I was some kind of horrible, never right monster. "No it isn't. It's Eight ZERO seven o'clock." She spoke very matter of factly. I then replied "Well actually when your telling time...." but judging by her look I knew my true to life answer on how to really say the time would not apply here. "You know what? Your right." I finally said. Is it really worth arguing with four year old over whether you say O or zero when reading the time? I mean technically she is right....



In the end...I am buying her a watch. After all she can tell time better than I can.

Very Inspiring.

With a big thank you to my best far away friend, I have now become a follower of this blog. It has really touched me to see such positivity in the light of such a horrible accident. I personally have experience dealing with a burn patient and the healing process (as most of you know my mom had her accident a year ago this month) and this family's faith is truely inspiring. I would just like to pass this on, and hope that we all can be so lucky to have family and faith as they do.

Happy Grandparent's Day!

We love you Grandma's and Grandpa's!!!!

This weeks forcast...

Tuesday - High of 99
Wednesday - High of 99
Thursaday - High of 101
Friday - High of 101

Overall forcast for the week....GETTING COLD!

(It's sad when your excited to see the low 100's in the forecast for the week....You know your from Arizona when...!!!)

Yo.

If you have come to check us out say hi! You don't have to have a blog to comment them, sillies. So family and friends say hi when you stop by! Under the posts there are comments...click em! That way we can keep in touch! : )