Refinement

Last night I was reminded how grateful I am to have friends who refine me and take me to a higher spiritual plain.

The sights and tastes of HALLLOOWWEEEENNN

Peanut Butter Eye Balls

Pumpkin Pancakes

Spooky Tortilla's with spooky cheese. :-)

Sadly, I didn't take a picture of my "Dinner in a pumpkin" I was too busy grabbing hot pads and spatulas and laughing my head off as our pumpkin fell apart in the oven. It was still yummy, but we re-named it, "Dinner in a huge heap,.... mingled with pumpkin"

Mysteries of the Universe

Ellie came to me this morning with a brain full of questions.

Everything from,

"How do they make it not hurt when you have a baby?"
to
" Are we just floating in space?"

She ended her inquiries with this final thought:

"How did Jesus even afford all that!?"

Crazy Hair day

Casie: Had her hair style planned out for weeks. Made me practice several times, and LOVED the way it turned out. (she also had a hard time fitting through door ways, and poked Annie in the eye at the bus stop)

Annie: Had no idea what she wanted, but as we started doing her hair, she wanted it more, and MORE, and MORE crazy. She had pipe cleaners hanging from her ears at the end, but I made her take them out. She went to school proud as punch with her look.

Ellie: Was going to copy Casie, but chickened out when it came right down to it. She barely let me do this! She DOES have an image to uphold people.

How to get your kids to eat left overs....

This worked like a charm! Add a little dinner entertainment...(me dramatically singing "You light up my life") And my kids didn't even notice they didn't get a fresh cooked meal.

fun, fun, fun, till her daddy takes the skinny jeans away...

Mike and I recently took a trip to South Carolina with Voice Male. John Luthy lives over there and set up a show for his Stake.

It would be a novel of a post if I were to try and write down all the details that made the trip enjoyable, so I will have to be content with one-liners and hope they will serve as a reminder as the years go by. :-)

Here are a few of the things that made our trip so much fun.

*Being away from the kids....sorry kids, but it was awesome to be footloose and fancy free! (I love you!)

* Doing a crossword with Mike on the airplane. How often do we ever do that?? Never!

*Staying at hotels that had semi-yummy breakfasts

*Getting to see John and Valaries awesome home!

*Going to the beach...in the rain.

*Getting to know all the VM wives better

*Having good Southern food...I had a hot dog with Cole slaw on it..and I liked it.

*Laughing and laughing and laughing

*Going to Charleston and dreaming of owning one of the ocean view homes...."I call the yellow one!"

*Going on a dinner cruise! It was so much fun and a highlight for all of us. It ended with all of us busting a move on the dance floor, and my husband..(aka Funky White Boy) doing a crazy dance solo that ended in the half splits. People cheered. I laughed....hard.

*Shopping for skinny jeans and boots....happy for Layne, sad for me...:-)

*Giving Valarie a glamour make-over in the dressing room at Kohls

*Having a few short hours of sleep at an AMAZING home! It was surrounded by a forest!

*Steamers

*Seeing two famous people at the airport (Kristin Chenoweth and the Dad from Little people big world)

*Just having a great time with our friends!

So, in true Jill fashion, I brought my camera on our awesome trip to South Carolina, but failed to bring the battery charger! I got three shots, and one of them is of me and Mike, but my eyes were closed so I didn't bother to post it!

Jack in the Box

What have I done????

A couple of days ago I had lunch with Ellie at school. At the lunch table one of her little friends leaned over and said to Ellie, "Do you like Mason?" Ellie got so nervous and looked at me and said, "No!" I thought it was cute, but it also made me think that Ellie thought it was bad to like boys and that she thought she would get in trouble if she did. That night while I was tucking the girls into bed, I told them that it wasn't wrong to think boys are cute and nice. I told them it was normal and it was ok. Here are the reactions I got:

From Casie: " Mom, I don't like this conversation!" "Can we please end it now!?"...(although when I came right out and asked her is she liked someone she said "NO!", but I noticed her fingers were crossed)

From Annie: Of course she was quietly thoughtful for a few minutes, then she shyly told me that she thought Ian had a cute face. She also added that she mostly liked him because he was nice...(that's my girl!)

From Ellie: She was as giddy as if we had just told her that we were moving to a candy store! She immediately took advantage of her new found freedom and spouted off all the boys that she liked. She was literally bouncing and giggling with excitement! In the morning I found a list posted on her wall entitled, "My bofrens" There were five names on the list.

Like I said, WHAT HAVE I DONE???????

I have a feeling we are in some serious trouble with this one!!

No comment...

I was reading through my blog a couple of nights ago, and realized I rarely post any pictures of myself. I don't really do that on purpose, but my kids and husband are so cute that I want to occupy my space with them. But then I realized that 20 years down the road, (when I am even more wrinkly and saggy then I am now) I will wish I would have posted a few pictures of myself....this is just for posterity....Oh, and this is one of like 50 pictures that I took! It's not easy to get a good shot when you are holding the camera. Can we all say double chin??

Dear posterity,

Back when your great great great grandma Jill was a young mother, there was a wonderful tool called Photoshop. We used it to fix the little imperfections on our photographs. Probably by now a special cream or pill has been invented to keep blemishes and sunspots off of your face, but back in my day we had to rely on computer programs to make us look all pretty. I'm not saying that I used photoshop at ALL in this picture, but I just wanted you to know a little about my day. Thank you

Sometimes I think I need to wait for something big, or cute, or funny to happen before I blog, but tonight I just wanted to share some thoughts I have had this week.

Yesterday Mike and I had the opportunity to attend a funeral for the mother of one of our friends. She was only 54 and had battled cancer for the last three years. I sadly didn't know her very well, but I was so impressed with her funeral service. SO many wonderful things were said and expressed. She really made an impression for good to so many people. I was so touched by the things her children said about her. She seemed to emulate what every mother should be to her kids. She left this world leaving no doubt in her families mind about her feelings for them. She served and played and loved to the fullest. I truly left the service feeling edified and with the desire to be a better person. Hearing about her life through her kids made me wonder how my kids would remember me when I leave this earth. After attending the funeral as well as remembering a few talks from conference, I am determined to tell my kids and loved ones that I love them more. I don't want to assume that they already know. I'm so grateful that I have good examples and inspiration around me.

A tender heart

Yesterday, while we were on our way to the store, Annie and I saw a homeless man at a freeway exit. It was snowing and he was holding a sign that said, "Hungry n Homeless." I don't think Annie ever realized that such a thing as "homelessness" could exist. She was astounded that anyone would be without a home and food and warm clothes. She asked me where he slept, and why he didn't have a house. With each question I could see her concern growing and growing. I gave her all the answers I could think of, and let the subject drop as we pulled up to the store. As we were shopping I noticed Annie was very quiet. I asked her what was wrong and all she said was, "I can't...I can't". Then I noticed she was crying! She said she couldn't stop thinking about the man on the freeway. She wanted to stop shopping,,(for HER school clothes) and go back and give him her money. All I could do was hug her. We talked about how it didn't feel right to be shopping while he was out there feeling cold and hungry. We also realized how blessed we felt to have a warm house to go home to. We decided to try and give more to those in need. I know it was a sad moment for her, but it was such a sweet moment for me. I loved seeing how tender and caring she is becoming. I love her so much!

Just playing with punkins'

He's not too sure about these pokie punkin's

Annie's Art

I thought I would post an update on Annie's art lessons. She LOVES them SO much. It's amazing to see what a little direction can do for a blooming artist. :-) I've been so impressed with the new techniques she's been learning. Her teacher is impressed as well. He's always full of compliments and even told us he thinks Annie is a genius! We knew Annie had talent, but it's awesome to hear it from a qualified artist :-) I am just so happy that she is doing what she loves. Here is a sketch she did in one of her lessons. Not bad for an eight year old eh?! It's amazing how much she's improved since her first lesson! Good job Annie!!! ****update**** This week Annie's teacher said, " Annie is almost scary she's so good...she is going to be an AMAZING artist."

Sick birthday boy

My sweet little Jack turned one today! I don't think he wanted an ear infection for his birthday, but I guess we don't always get what we want. :-( Sick or not, he was still the sweetest little birthday boy EVER. Words can't express the joy that little guy has brought into our family. He has us all wrapped around his tiny baby finger. Here are a few things he can do at one year old:

1. Take a few steps...(just today!)

2. Says Da-Da every time he enters a new room. He LOVES his daddy!

3. Says uh-oh when he "accidentally" drops things

4. Loves to go outside

5. Loves to give us the sign for "More"

6. He loves his blanket and snuggles it often

We love you Jack!!! Thanks for bringing the best out in all of us!

I will now turn the time over to Dad to share some of his favorite things about Jack.....

1. Jill's #2

2. He's always happy.

3. He assumes that whatever I'm working on is completely his business.

4. He laughs and squeals when I bite his armpits and rub his hands on my scruffy chin.

5. He's awesome!

Deep thoughts...by Jill Bearden

Sometimes I wonder why God made women's bodies different than men's bodies. Then I think,. it's to give women a chance to sit down a couple of times a day.


Sometimes I think about the hand written signs I see on the road that tell me I can make $20,000 a month. Then I think, if they have that kind of money, why don't they spend little extra on their signs?

Sometimes I wonder why I send my kids to public school. Then I hear them say cute things like, "talk to the booty 'cause the hand's off duty", Then I smile and think..."That's why."

Sometimes I wish when I press the "spell check" button and immediately a notification pops up that "no mis-spellings were found", that an applause sound would go off. Or maybe even some tickets could be dispensed from the side of my computer. After saving enough, I maybe could get an eraser.

Thank you.

If I could do yesterday over again.....

I would have remembered to USE the numbers I programed into my phone to let the nursery workers I wouldn't be there to do singing time. I hate when I unintentionally flake out on them!!!

I wouldn't have eaten that second DELICIOUS carmel chocolate brownie at the Missionary Homecoming we went to. The first one was delicious, the second was eaten because of the fond memory of the first...you know how it goes. And since I am speaking of food regrets...I wish I hadn't put a cup of fresh whipped cream on my freshly sliced peaches...a half of a cup would have done. :-)


I wish I would have made sure the choir piece I brought for the men to try wasn't a Jamaican calypso piece that would never be allowed in Sacrament meeting...(although afterwards we did have a good laugh about some possible choreography involving a coconut bra and a Kongo line around the chapel)

I wish I would have answered my phone at 10:30 pm. Then I would have found out that my garage door was open and the light was on. Instead, it stayed that way ALL night. (thanks anyway Rehkel)

I wish I would have put warmer jammies on Jack before bed. He was a little ice cube this morning!...(but all the better to snuggle with....for 3.2 seconds until he decided it was too confining for his early morning exploring)

Sigh....maybe today will be better....wait, I just thought of some things that I don't regret about yesterday.....

I'm glad we got to go back to our old ward and sing for a missionary homecoming. If you ever want to feel like a celebrity, move away from your ward then go visit two and a half years later. People we so kind to us and it made us feel so good. :-)

I'm glad that Mike and I had a funny conversation about bodily functions...slightly gross, but we laughed a lot!

I'm glad we played games with our kids last night. They had fun, we had fun...

I'm glad so many men come to choir...even if I failed at picking them a suitable song, at least I have enough to DO a men's song...(NOW if only more WOMEN would come!)

I'm glad Mike and I had a good talk over some yummy fresh peaches. We made some personal goals and decided to do better in life....(ok, to be honest, I did most of the talking, but I think I convinced Mike that we need goals and we need to be better in life. lol....he agreed with a head nod...or was that just him trying to avoid cream running down his face? )

Sarah's kids crack me up

I'm babysitting my sisters kids while she is at youth conference for a couple of days. She has amazingly smart and adorable children! Here are a few phrases I've heard so far.

"Jill, my Mom doesn't really like people talking baby talk to G. She doesn't want him to learn incorrect English." (that was from E who is seven)

Me: (this is after 20 min of giggling and throwing stuffed animals..I had to give some sort of a threat to stop the madness)" M, do you think you might sleep better if you laid on the floor in your Mom's room?"
M: " No thank you." (M is four)

Here baby boy is SO adorable! He is so good natured and easy going. He did cry for a bit right after Sarah left. I kept asking him questions to distract him. "Want to go b-byes??".....oh, excuse me, "Would you care to take a leisurely stroll in the out doors?...lol, anyway, I kept asking him little things and finally I said, "What do you want baby?" He immediately stopped crying and said, "Mom!" It was super cute and funny. He stopped crying shortly after, and has been happy ever since. :-)

I brought Annie and Ellie with me and as of now all the girls are upstairs playing...with only a few power struggles. I'm so glad we live close enough to hang out with our cousins once in a while.

Exposed

Mike recently got a work from home position! I love having him here, but there are a few things that are cramping my style! For example:

I can't wear my pj's ALL day and hurry and shower and get ready before he comes home. I guess the charade is off..I really DON'T look this fresh ALL day.

I can't hurry and vacuum at the end of the day to make it LOOK like I was busy all day.

I can't ask him all sweet and cute to help me with the laundry at the end of the day because I just COULDN'T get to it....( He knows darn well I took an hour nap and surfed the web while Jack was sleeping.)

I obviously can't continue my torrent love affair with the mail man...lol

I guess I will have to make some changes...you know, like record "working sounds" and play them outside of Mike's door while I watch re-runs of The Office on Hulu.

Happy Birthday Mike!

My sweet husband turned 35 today!!! Here are 35 of the many reasons I love this guy.

1. He is SUPER cute...I am looking at him right now, but he doesn't know it.

2. His sense of humor...he is one of the few people who can surprise me with a funny comment and make me LOL for real.

3. He's so smart...in most areas..great common sense and very down to earth. Also a great speller!

4. He is a hard worker...last Saturday he spent 8 hours working in the yard!

5. He is non-judgmental....not the best when I am in the mood to gossip and such, but keeps me on the right path. :-)

6. I love when he has fun with the kids...he's not ashamed to laugh at them when they are weirdos. You can just see their little self-confidences soar when they see that their silliness made dad laugh.

7. He's an amazing singer. It was the first thing that attracted me to him. And he has only gotten better! I still watch him and listen to him in awe. Wonderful pitch center, wonderful tone and ok...very sexy to listen too. :-)

8. He is so talented at arranging music. Just listen to Joy to the World on Jingles 2!

9. He loves to travel. I was a bit of a scaredy cat when it came to getting out and seeing the world. Thanks to him, I LOVE it now! I'm so glad that he isn't afraid to go to new places and take us along!

10. He is a very good planner when it comes to traveling. Who can go to London and Paris with NO hiccups? He's amazing

11. He's very snuggable. :-)

12. He appreciates a simple meal. I love that I can place mac and cheese or a cheese sandwich in front of him and he is in heaven. :-) (notice they both involved cheese)

13. He can surprise me. He's good at planning surprises and not giving me any hints...not one of MY strong points

14. He takes care of our finances

15. He doesn't get mad at me when I spend money

16. He isn't addicted to sports. Not that he doesn't enjoy watching BB, but I am so glad he doesn't have to watch EVERY game EVERY day. :-)

17. He's good at sports

18. He is kind to animals. That sounds cheesy, but I think the way you treat animals says a lot about your nature. I think it's adorable..(in a manly way) when I come in to find him holding our hamster. :-)

19. He helps me clean the house....(even after he worked all day...what a good guy)

20. He is a good listener and seems to always have insightful answers to things

21. He doesn't gossip...again, sometimes that's annoying, but he helps me.

22. He doesn't swear...(I've never heard him swear EVER!)

23. He will watch chick flicks with me

24. He honors his priesthood

25. He loves his family, and is EXTRA sweet to baby J!

26. He does sweet things for us. Just an example, he brought us home doughnuts for breakfast on Friday. The girls LOVED it!!!

27. He reads my blog... I don't know why that makes me feel good, but it does. :-) He even commented once!

28. He always makes us kool-aide and popcorn when we watch a movie...(seriously, in 13 years of marriage I think I've made it three times...and we have it EVERY TIME we watch a movie)

29. He doesn't ever get mad if the house gets messy

30. He is kind to other people...another of the first things I loved about him. When I first stalked him...I mean met him, I had my room mate with me. He was so kind to her and made sure she was part of our conversation. That really meant a lot to me.

31. He is tall...I love that! (not to mention dark and handsome)

32. He has a strong testimony

33. He is strong...he got a bronze metal in arm wrestling at the Summer Games. :-)

32. He makes me feel happy just being close to him. Really, this is true. I get a rush of energy when he walks in the room.

33. He lets me pick his zits...even though he HATES it.

34. I still get butterflies when he grabs my hand....did I mention I think he's really cute!

35. He is the best husband in the world and I am so lucky to have him! I love you Mike!!!!!

Ellie's first Date

Ellie had her first date with a dashing young gentleman tonight. She got all dolled up and looked beautiful in her dress, lipstick (and lots of it) mascara, and Mom's dangling earrings, (that stayed on because she put ponytail holders around her ears first). Her date didn't impress her father and I, what with his unshorn chin, but he had a kind eyes and a cute smile. I hope this gentleman gets her home before both their bedtimes!

Oh, they were on their way to a "romantic" picnic outside, when they passed Casie who was watching Hannah Montana. They decided to change their date to a "movie" instead.