Quick Trip

This past Tuesday, me and the little boys went up to my mom and dad's for a little visit.

During the couple of days that I was there, I was able to start and finish my apron project for the (cousin) graduating seniors. (Lynsee and Tia...sorry if you read this and you haven't received yours yet, so much for a surprise!) I had been seeing cute aprons all over the place, but didn't want to spend the money. So, I made my own. I love how the turned out. Thanks mom for letting me borrow your sewing machine!


The pictures are a bit fuzzy, but you get the idea. Apparently Nappy's a bit upset that I made her try on the apron!


We were able to visit my grandparents at their new home at Nancy's. Lucas was able to play with his cousins and was a little jealous with all the toys they have!

I took my mom to the airport yesterday so she could fly down to Arizona for some R&R. I'm jealous. Now that schools out, she's a free woman!

Here's a picture of the boys up in Honeyville. Love their dimples!



And the Kodster... I'm a bit late in writing this since he turned 10 months a couple weeks about, but...

• has two teeth...in the middle on the bottom
• Says "ma ma"
• Walks along the furniture
• Puts up with much brotherly abuse

Think it's time for a haircut?!

Scrappin'

These are my first two digital scrapbooking pages...and probably the only two I'll ever do! I'm not much of a scrapbooker, it takes me to long to think up the idea and make it perfect. Although, the digital world is a lot more relaxing since you can add and delete with out the mess. Maybe I'll attempt again later, although I'm not sure what I would do with them since neither of the boys have a scrapbook. The have blog books!

To all you awesome scrapbookers (Denise): I admire your dedication to such a hobby. These aren't perfect and I'm sure are lacking in a lot of areas, don't judge to harshly!

Happy Birthday Nap

I don't know what I can say that could top what Tawn has already expressed, but Happy Birthday and we love (and miss) you lots! Hope you are having one awesome day.

Happy Birthday Video...Take 1

Happy Birthday Video...Take 2

Happy Birthday Video...Take 3

Meet Link

Originally named "Good Morning Balitmore". Yes, my child loves "Hairspray". We listen to the soundtrack a lot!





And what would a Lucas post be with out a Lucas funny...

The other day while limping down the stairs and favoring his ankle... "Mom, I hurt my uncle".

Poopin' in the Pot-tay!

Let's see...where have I been for the past week?


Ah yes, I remember. I've been a bit preoccupied with the much awaited, but ever so dreaded

POTTY TRAINING.

Holy Toledo this is not an easy process. For the past month I had tried enticing little Lucas by hanging new/clean underwear around his room...he could have cared less! But it was time so we started last week with a full day of commando. So far he's done really well with #2, but still struggles with #1. We go through many wet underwear a day. This little boy can potty more times in 15 minutes than I ever thought imaginable. I'm hoping that in the near future it will finally click and he'll be able to realize when he needs to go. The good part in all of this...I'm no longer changing a hundred (more or less) diapers a day. My diaper duty has been decreased by at least 75%.

Let me introduce you to two jars... the pee jar and the poop jar.



Jed told me I should name them something more appropriate like the reward jars. I think it's a bit too late when Lucas requests a "poop treat"! The rule was that if he went pee WITHOUT me reminding him, he could have a small treat. If he went poop and/or stayed dry all day, he could have a big treat. The morning after purchasing the sugary treats Lucas awoke wanting his Air Head Sucker. And because I'm mean, I insisted that he must first poop on the toilet before having one. Pretty soon I heard "Mom, come look". He must have pushed with all his might because there was nothing more than one single rabbit dropping in there. At that rate my child would be one wired little boy with lots of cavities! I've had to do some revamping on the previous rules, but lets face it, the treats were really for Jed and I and Lucas was an easy one to blame it on!

With potty training always comes stories. Well, let me tell you a story that I find extremely funny (and one Jed will laugh about later).

Scene: nice relaxing Sunday evening, parents lounging around on the couches, one child running around in nothing more than his awesome surf board underwear, and the other one eating every possible thing he can find off the floor.

Act I: Dad gets off the couch to use the restroom. Upon leaving the bathroom he wipes his washed hands all over the soon to be potty trained. He tells him that he peed on his hands. The mother immediately responds with"what in the world, you don't tell your potty training son that you peed on your hands".

Intermission - 15 minutes or so.

Act II: Naked little boy comes running out of the bathroom and starts wiping his hands all over dad. Mom starts laughing (silently because we don't want the little boy to think it's funny, but it is!) so hard she has tears running down her cheeks and is now hiding her face in the pillow. Dad tries to explain what he had done, but can't seem to keep a straight face. Dad totally got what was coming to him!

The end

Happy Mother's Day

We just wanted to wish our moms, grandmas, sisters and any other woman who reads this, a very special Mother's Day! We are blessed to have such wonderful women in our life. They are each examples of patience, kindness, and most important, selfless love. By just watching them, they continue to teach me how to be a good mom. We love you all so much!

Don't I have amazingly beautiful women in my life?!

Babe in Blue

Nathan & Mariann had their little boy yesterday. They named him Talon. Is he not the cutest little thing!



He weighed in at 7lbs 10ozs at 3:15 pm.. There's something about those 3 0'clocks...Lucas 3:58am, Kody 3:23am, Abby 3:19pm (i think).

We went up to see him today and fell instantly in love. Lucas and Kody are excited to have a boy cousin! We're so glad he arrived here safe and that mom is doing good too. Here's some pics of our time at the hospital.

Design Time

I love to design... I've done family baby announcements and shower invitations, but never a wedding announcement (except Tawn's which didn't require a lot of measuring and folding, but was still super cute!) So...here is my first wedding announcement. I think it turned out fabulous. It was my first time working with an actual printing press; I learned a lot and they all thought is was darling too!

green...the new pink

(so I've never really understood those sayings before, but wanted to use it nonetheless!)

We're not your hard core, must buy my child a save the world onesie, but we did do our part this past weekend. We turned in 11 whopping pounds of pop cans and Lucas & Kody earned a whole $7.15 (Lucas $5.15, Kody $2). That's right, we're part-time recyclers... saving the world one pop can at a time! We've been accumulating them for the past six months or so. Was it worth it? Hmmm...that's a toughy. Jed and Lucas stood in line for an hour just waiting for their chance to have those (mostly DP) cans run up the conveyor belt and dumped. Kody and I joined them after waiting patiently in the hot car for the first 45 minutes thinking for sure that they were almost done!

Lucas was absolutely thrilled with his new found wealth. He bought himself a package of airheads, treated his mom and dad to a Cherry Limeade from Sonic (ssssshhhhh...don't tell, besides, it was happy hour), put some in an envelope for tithing, and deposited the rest in the piggy bank.


I saw a little tidbit from The Martha were she planted some herbs and thought it looked fun. Of course I can't do anything alone, I have to drag Tawn into every project! I hardly ever use herbs, but Tawn is a faithful herb user so she guided me on what to plant. Will I use them? We shall see, I kind of just like to look at it it! Just so you know (because apparently I'm a little slow) Coriander and Cilantro are the same thing (according to the nursery lady)! Who knew!! We also planted Basil, Parsley, Thyme and Chives (garlic chives to be exact).









And just for the record...my second son hates (and hate is a strong word, but it's the truth) to be outside unless elevated so far above the ground that he doesn't know the grass and dirt exist. He cries and cries and cries and just when you think he can't cry another tear, he does! No blanket in the world can solve this problem cause if the blankets on the ground, he hates it too!

Overworked and Underpaid

** I realized that those who don't have a wide screen monitor couldn't quite see the whole picture (click on it to see bigger). Jed also pointed out that if you look at it in reverse or order it's also a demonstration on evolution!

Thought this was hilarious!

We spent Monday evening planting our grass seed. Yippy Skippy! I can hardly stand the wait...I check every morning to see if we have any seedlings. I know it's only been 4 days, but still... We bought the seed from a sod farm and they told us everything we need to do to have grass. We'll see if it works, but I'm to the point that ANYTHING green is fantastic (weeds included).

Last week we had the curbing done. It turned out exactly how I wanted it. I think I drove the curbing guy crazy when I asked him go back to Provo to get the brown color. What can I say, I changed my mind during the night and he showed up at 7:30 am. Can't wait for some non-windy days when I can finally plant some plants. I layed down the black weed block so that we wouldn't spread seed in the flowerbeds. That lasted about a day before the wind messed it all up. It's kind of ugly in the pictures, sorry. It's also got some nice water/dirt spots on it (we didn't polka a dot it on purpose) from the sprinklers.








And just a couple funny things Lucas has said recently...

I over heard him tell Jed while we were out in the yard, "Dad, you make me nervous".

I was trying to get ready to take the boys over to Tawn's yesterday and he was acting naughty so I told him "I can't take naughty boy's to Aunt Tawnya's house". He responds "Mom, don't be a girl!" Excuse me!

Happy Birthday Daddy-O

I wanted to wish my dad a very happy birthday. We hope you have a wonderful snake-free day! You are such a great example to each of us and we love you very much.

We spent the past weekend up in Honeyville with my parents. I was so excited for my dad (and mom) to open his birthday slash father's day & mother's day present. We all went in to get them something special, and I think it turned out awesome. So much so, that I ordered a set for me!




The painting is by my dad's cousin Liz Lemon Swindle called "Seeking The One". The poem is called "Riding for the Brand" and my amazing dad wrote it. I hope he doesn't mind if I post it on here.

Riding for the Brand

“What does it mean?” The boy asked
This riding for the brand
I’ve never heard that term before
I just don’t understand.

The cowboy smiled, then reminisced
Of ranchers and their land
And when you hired on to ride their range
Then you rode for their brand.

When they sent you on a cattle drive
Through sleet or burning sand
You stuck it out and did your job
Cuz you rode for the brand

When rustlers came to steal the herd
You stayed and made a stand
And didn’t turn and ride away
Cuz you rode for the brand

No one questioned your allegiance
The cowboy said with pride
So kid, just be committed
To the brand for which you ride

Now each of us has hired on
To ride the Saviors spread
And gather in the souls of men
The living and the dead

And when we’re faced with trials
Do we stand and make a fight
Or roll our bed and pack our gear
And ride off out of sight

Cuz the work ain’t always easy
It has its ups and downs
There’s joy and disappointment
When there’s souls that must be found

But when our work is over
And the Lord extends His hand
May it be said of each of us
That we rode for the brand.

Mark Nicholas



Evidence that Lucas helped make Grandpa's birthday cake.



The rest are some pictures I took of the Kesler family. I've had a blast playing around with textures...what do you think?

Hampster has left the Building...

As many of you may know, my youngest sister Jessica (a.k.a Jess, Nappy, Napster, Hamster) has been living with us for the past 8 months. Now that finals are finished, she's departed from the Valentine household to pursue the (apparently more fun) Logan area, with a short detour at my parents home. We have absolutely loved having her live with us. It's going to be extremely strange to not have her around. Her moving out is actually quite inconvenient! I will now have to return to my normal routine of carting around two children everywhere I go. She's been so good to help watch one or both of them while I run errands or grocery shop. My wardrobe is going to suffer with out her around... Jess is an avid shopper and I've reaped the benefits of the old, but still look-like-new pants! The boys love her and this morning Lucas told me, in a very sad voice "Mom, I miss Nappy." We will all miss her lots!

We Love You Nappy!

Lucas Funnies...

(I'm in love with this picture...a normal smile, eyes at the camera, dimple showing...it's a miracle)

Lucas cracks me up! He talks non stop all day long. If there's a quiet moment it's either because he has food in his mouth (and that doesn't always stop him) or he's fallen asleep! Tawn told me the other day I should carry around webcam so everyone can experience Lucas Time. I need to be better about writing the funny things down that he says, but here are a couple.


The other morning he had pushed a chair over to counter so that he could try to reach the candy in the cupboard. As I was telling him that we needed to have breakfast first and the chairs need to stay put, he says (very dramatically) "Mom, don't be embarrassing". WHAT?! He's 3 for heavens sake, and I already embarrass him. He's in for a long life!

After getting after him for being mean to Kody (which he does very secretly), I had him sit by me for a while. Finally he looks at me and says (very dramatically again) "Fine, I'll be nice and healthy".

And just to show what I'm dealing with...
On Sunday evening, I could hear my cell phone ringing, but couldn't find it. As soon as Lucas heard it he knew exactly where it was. He ran into the kitchen, opened the bottom cupboard pulled of the lid to the crockpot, and wah lah...there was my vibrating phone!

Ode to the Kode

Today marks the 9 month birthday of a certain little man. Time has flown by and we are so blessed to have him in our home! He is also quite the charmer with his peek-a-boo charade and full blown kisses. He's turned into a cuddler when tired (and I love it!) The older Kody gets, the more he and Lucas become best friends (despite the communication issues). He's in to about everything he can find, but mostly likes to play with the electronics...remote controls, laptops, cell phones, etc!

Oh Kody...we love you so much!

Life in the Slow Lane

I thought I'd post some other random events from the last little while. Landon was kind enough to bring us some much needed dirt and compost back in March. Notice how the men are holding shovels, but yet the trailer is tipped in the air? The shovels were just for show!! Lucas was very grateful that Landon had brought him some mountains!

We had a guy come spread it for us, but he left lots of tracks, ruts, and uneven spots. Jed and I spent a little time on Satuday racking it all out. We still have a pile in the back that needs spread and then we should be ready to plant. Cross your fingers for next week!

I spend Monday morning out in the yard racking some more and shoveling some rocks. It was such a beautiful day I couldn't resist being outside. Tawnya and Reese came over for a picnic at the park. Lucas played on the toys. He even found a couple girlfriends that were a few years older. They kept saying how cute and funny he was and he of course put on the charm.

I have spent the rest of this week huddled by my fire place watching the wind blow the snow sideways. Luckily it hasn't stuck... Paulette stayed with us last night because she had a meeting in Provo today. The boys were very happy to play with grandma! I'm sure she would have rather been in sunny St. George, but we were glad she could come.

And just for the record....Lucas LOVES sunbeams now! He could hardly contain himself during the 2 verses of postlude music we are required to sit through before leaving the chapel. Oh happy days!

Here Goes Nothing...

I keep thinking I need to update, but I just haven't had the ambition to do so.

I could tell you how saddened I was by the outcome of March Madness. Don't get me wrong, that game was extremely exciting and I was happy to see Kansas pull out the win, but.... I picked North Carolina and they didn't even make it to the Championship. Jed, however, chose Kansas to win and I now have to take him to dinner! He keeps shouting Red Lobster...
(Jed thinks he needs his bracket posted for all to see. I'll see about getting is scanned in.)

I could also tell you how I finally changed my insurance agent to Spanish Fork. My agent has been in Box Elder county, but he retired so I figured it was time to go local. This was a big accomplishment since I've been meaning to do it for that last six months!

I could mention how I'm so engrossed in a certain blog that I have to check it multiple times a day in hopes of an update (some times they update multiple times a day). I don't even know the people and yet I find myself praying for them. What was once the saddest blog I had ever seen is now one of the happiest. Why am I so drawn to a blog that makes me cry? Jed things I'm crazy, but I have my mom and sisters hooked too.

I could let you know how much I enjoyed conference. At least the parts that I heard when the kiddos weren't occupying the limelight. To keep Lucas entertained, we had him practice saying the names of the first presidency and now he has them memorized. What an amazing man President Monson is. I very much wish I could have seen him wiggle his ears! I think Elder Ballard made mom's around the world smile. It's always nice to be reminded of the influence we have as mothers. We were excited to have my parents come and spend the weekend with us. We love having them come and Lucas is in heaven when we have visitors. We had a nice indoor BBQ at Tawn's. Apparently the weather was not in a cooperating mood and chose to be cold and windy.

Speaking of weather... did you know it has snowed the last couple of days. Not enough to stay, but I'm still bugged! If I had grass I might be grateful for the moisture, but instead it just water logs the dirt. The weekend and into next week is suppose to be fabulous, lets hope. We need to get the rest of the dirt spread so we can plant when the water comes on.

We met Tawnya and Reese at McDonald's yesterday for some much needed, out-of-the-house time. This is actually the first time I've ever taken Lucas to McDonald's. What kind of mother am I?! He went a few weeks ago with Grandma Carole and had blast. Mickey D's didn't disappoint yesterday either. He enjoyed every minute and made lots of friends!

Chop, Chop...Tiimmbbeerr

Last night Jed and I went to the Energy Solutions Arena to watch the Jazz take on the Timberwolves. One of the guys Jed works with wasn't able to use the tickets and offered them to Jed. We were happy to go in his place and they weren't bad seats. The Jazz ended up winning by quite a bit, but it was still fun. Jed even caught a ball during the ball toss. Lucas was extremely excited since he wanted to go really really bad to the game. He even told Tawn "Sorry Tawnya, I can't go to you house. I have to go to the Jazz game first."





This little munchkin has decided he likes to stand. I find him like this almost every morning...grining from ear to ear cause he thinks he's so cool!



And here's Lucas showing off his green thumbs. All prayers must have been heard because we have zinnia's and poppy's growing. Now...if we can just keep them alive!