Tagged by Diana

I've been tagged by Diana...

I think: about the most effective way to properly discipline my children. I'm not sure I have found the solution, but I think about it a lot.
I know: Spanish
I want: a bigger house
I have: the world's best husband and four amazing children
I wish: Politics didn't have to be so contentious. It seems that politics have to be argued about instead of discussed which turns me off to it and as a result I don't educate myself as much as I should
I hate: drugs
I miss: Sunday afternoons before I had children
I fear: losing my husband
I smell: Clara's stale spit up
I crave: Haggen Daaz carmelized pear and toasted pecan ice cream
I search: for a minute of peace and quiet on a daily basis
I wonder: if Mary's beligerence is a phase or will she always be wagering some kind of war with me and/or her brothers
I regret: not buying a house sooner in our marriage
I love: my family and friends and the gospel
I always: am cleaning and if I'm not, I always feel like I should be.
I am not: a scriptorian. I wish I was.
I believe: the Book of Mormon is true.
I dance: a lot! I wish I still took lessons, in fact someday I think I will.
I sing: primary songs to my kids at bedtime
I write: on my blog, in my journal and in my scrapbooks.
I lose: it when my kids have been fighting and tattle telling all day...I can't take that for very long.
I win: tic tac toe every time
I never: swear
I listen: to broadway musicals more than any other kind of music
I am scared: of roller coasters
I need: a maid
I am happy about: my life! I am blessed in abundance.

This was a tag from my sister in law Diana. I tag: Gabe,Jen and Angela

Happy 36th Jason!!!

Forget Tolstoy, Faulkner or Hemingway, it's the great literary brains behind "Anchorman" that gets my husband going.


You're saying to yourself, "Not Jason, a well respected attorney and member of the High Council. He wouldn't stoop so low to the likes of a Will Ferrell comedy". But alas, it's true. It's lines like,

"I'm kind of a big deal...I have many leather -bound books and my
apartment smells of rich mahogany."

that makes this man roll on the floor in laughter. Now I know that I should in no way encourage this behavior, but he's my husband and he's just so cute, so when I saw this t-shirt and I knew Jason's birthday was coming up, I gave into the immaturity and bought it.


Of course, he loved it! Never miind that I also got him a WII Fit and a day of golf and made him a killer tres leches cake...the tshirt stole the show! I think it's a pretty good color on him too, don't ya think?

Putting aside his taste in offensive comedies, Jason is wonderful!

We've been married now for 12 years and I've grown to love him more each year. He is hardworking, positive, charming, funny, energetic and I adore him!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

Bath Time!

Until I can think of something cute and clever and mildly interesting to write about, I thought I would at least publish this little video of bath time with Max and Clara. Enjoy!

Fourth of July

The Jason & Rachel Short family did our best to celebrate our Independence in an All-American way, so we made a check list:

*cheesy local parade

*rodeo

*mechanical bullride

*greasy food

*must wear red, white and/or blue

*BBQ

*illegal fireworks

*friends and family

*and maybe a meltdown or two.

In an effort to check everything off our list we started the day off by hitting the Downtown Hillsboro Parade. The kids got plenty o' candy and we heard a few good marching bands. After that we jetted down to good 'ol St. Paul for the ever so famous St. Paul Rodeo where we met up with good friends, the Jensens and Adam & Diana Heder (on their way to Seattle for his next internship). It was the kids first rodeo and I think they liked it. If not they certainly enjoyed the greasy curly fries and elephant ears and the mechanical bullride. We headed back to Banks after that and put together a quick (but delicious) BBQ with Adam & Diana and as it started getting dark we headed out to the country where some friends put on our very own private fireworks show with a few they bought on a reservation in Washington.

I think we checked everything off our list...oh yeah...the meltdowns...After we lost Max three times at the rodeo we insisted that he hold our hand the rest of the time and he was less than joyful about that and at 11:00 pm when we were still watching fireworks, Jaykob became very insistent that he was ready to go home no matter how great the fireworks were. But all in all that wasn't too bad and we succeeded in having a full on All-American Independence Day...GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Palo Alto

I decided to hitch a ride with my parents when I found out they where headed south to visit Adam & Diana in Palo Alto. Adam was doing a two month internship there and was staying in a beautiful home right in the redwoods and near the beach, so it sounded too fun to pass up. My kind friends and in laws helped watch the three oldest kids and Clara and made the ten hour drive with my parents and I. While there we visited the Stanford campus, hung out at Santa Clara and played at San Gregorio beach... oh and ate a lot of Haagen Daz (since it was 100 degrees...not that I need an excuse like that to eat Haagan Daz). It was a great time and Clara and Madeline got to do a lot of cousin bonding.