Ricks 12th Ward Runion: Take 2

Dan and I have been super sick lately. (Yes, I'm still sick. It's awesome.) But we toughed it out long enough to go to our college ward reunion on Saturday. We just couldn't stand the thought of missing out on seeing old friends. There were a lot of different people from the previous reunion, and we really enjoyed catching up with everyone.

12th ward members
Back L to R: Latitia, Dan, Randy, Myself, Julie, Alice, Heather, Robin, Allen, Keri, Bishop, Ashley, McKay
Front: Trevor, Rachel, and Christine

Spouses and kids included

We spent a lot of time talking about everyone who wasn't there trying to fill each other in, so it would sure save a lot of time if those of you from that ward would just come next time. ;)

(Oh, and Sandi, we tried to convince Bishop to have it at his house next time. Then it would be in Idaho for you. He may take more convincing though.)

Thankful Thursday

I am sick sick sick again. So this list will be muy short.

1. Having a garage. If I had the time I could write a whole sonnet about it, that's the depth of my love affair. It's a million times easier to bring in the groceries now compared to trying to carry it all in one trip from the carport to the apartment whilst attempting to herd two easily distracted children in the same direction. SOOOOO thankful for a garage.

2. Jossy cares about her personal hygiene. Lately she'll bring me a diaper, hand it to me and lay down to be changed . . . all without being asked! It only gets annoying when she wants to be changed several times in a row.

3. The Sunday paper. We just started getting this, and I love it! We did it for the coupons so that I can start using grocery smarts, but it's just nice to feel a little more in touch with the world.

4. TV as a babysitter. Yep, I said it. I'm sorry. I know I'm not the best mom out there (not even close), but sometimes Mom just needs a nap and if I have to have my oldest child sucked into PBS for it, so be it! (Hey, he's learned to read from those shows, so why not?)

Calling all Ricks 12th Ward Members!

This is to let any of our old 12th ward friends know about the upcoming reunion we're having if you haven't been informed already. It's this Saturday from 1-4 PM in the Salt Lake area. If you want the address, just leave a comment with your e-mail or phone (won't be published of course) and I'll be sure to get it to you ASAP! We had a lot of fun at the last one and can't wait to see who's able to make it this time!!!

If you were ever part of the 12th ward, please come!!! We'd love to see you! (And please spread the word to others who may not know yet either!)

Waiting for Daddy

Jossy decided to sit next to the window today and wait for Daddy to come home. She had to wait about 40 minutes. Matty joined her off and on. I decided to get out my camera and play a little as long as I had two subjects holding relatively still near a window. Here just a few favorites:

"I see him!!"

"Is that him opening the door?"

"Daddy's home!"

Open WIDE!!

Jossy's become a super picky eater lately which is annoying. So tonight when she showed some interest in wanting to try my corn on the cob, I was happy to let her. . .

. . . but I had no idea I'd never get it back! She loved it!




Then out of nowhere she started making this face every time she was ready for another bite...


I can't even look at that without laughing! I mean, the eyes closed tight and mouth so wide? It's hilarious!! She did that over and over. I could barely get the corn to her mouth for all my laughing.

What a cute buttery smile that resulted from it all. :)

Storm + View =

A happy Koreena.


I love thunderstorms!

(Pardon the lack of desire to take the screen off of my bedroom windows just to get a clearer shot.)

Trouble Maker

Not feeling the greatest this morning, which of course means Jossy gets to roam free without Mom keeping her in check. After 2 minutes of hearing plastic sack sounds in her room, I pulled myself up to check on her.

A whole roll of garbage sacks undone. Nice. Now it smells like vanilla all over upstairs since they were the scented kind.

Thanks Joss . . . I guess.

Thankful Friday

Wednesday night was not so good for Dan and I. You know those days where the marriage just isn't going great? This was one of them. It happens. If you don't know what I'm talking about because your marriage is always bliss, feel free to leave my blog now.

So Thursday morning after Dan rushed off to work I noticed that he had done the dishes and cleaned off the stove light as I had asked the night before. He had also made the bed while I was getting dressed. I wanted him to know that I appreciated his efforts so the kids and I went to Walmart late in the afternoon to get a treat for Dad before he got home.

We ended up getting a few extra groceries (as always happens) and lost track of time. As we were checking out I asked the checker what time it was. He said 5:06 PM, and I made the comment to Matty that Daddy was going to beat us home. I guess his surprise wouldn't be waiting for him on his pillow as I had planned. About that same moment another customer came up behind us and threw a bag of Dove candy noisily onto the conveyor belt. I looked up and saw Dan smiling at us. Apparently he had had a similar idea and decided to pick a treat up for me on his way home. What are the odds of being at the same store at the same time buying something for each other???

So this week I'm thankful for a little chance meeting at the store that reminded me that there are always happy times in marriage that help us forget those bad times. :)

Jossy Vs. the Hose

We've had to make sure we water every day some patches of sod we recently laid, and Jossy just can't seem to fight the temptation to get wet!! This little girl loves sprinklers, dunking her face in the bathtub, and sitting in puddles. You would never know she used to feel this way about getting wet.

The other night she was really asking for it. At first I tried my darnedest to keep her dry.

Eventually I just gave up and let her soak herself.


She had a great time and we had a good laugh. :)


Who needs a swimming pool anyway??

Thankful Thursday

1. Love me some Walmart. Where else could I find cute dresses like this for Jossy for only a buck on clearance???
2. Birthday wishes. It was so nice to be wished a happy birthday from so many people this year. My birthday usually gets passed by with the start of school and everything.

3. My blog. I really am thankful to have a place to share what's on my mind as well as keep in touch with friends and family.

4. My fat pants. Terrible, I know!! But it's been a stressful few months and the ice cream bars have found their way to my mouth. I'm glad I have at least something to wear in those times without having to go out and buy new pants. (I can't be the only one who has need of them here and there so I'm not going to feel badly about it.)

5. My new flash! Not technically in my possession yet, but it's on it's way. I'm really excited!

6. Jossy's growing like a weed. She had her 15 month checkup today. Somehow they measured her as being in the 75th percentile for height (yeah right) and 25th for weight. I'm just glad she's growing and doing well. Her shots today haven't made her so happy though. Hopefully she'll sleep better tonight than she has thus far.

7. A backyard. We don't go out there all the time, but every few days we find ourselves after dinner playing together on the play set. It's been fun having a space of our own outside.

8. The basement living room is currently empty. Perfect place for somersaults and cartwheels. :)

Fall Boutique!!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging for this shameless plug:

Some friends of mine have been doing a boutique a few times a year full of homemade goods, and this time I'm privileged to participate as a vendor! I'm making baby bracelets and little tutus to sell. Here's a quick preview of some stuff I've finished:

I have several more tutus in the works and one other finished. I often make these bracelets to give with a little dress for a baby shower gift. Hopefully someone buys this stuff or we may be having a lot of tutu and bracelet giveaways on this blog. ;)


We'd love to have as many people come as we can. So if you live in the Utah/Salt Lake County area, come on over and enjoy some time out of the house! You never know what treasure you might find!

If you're interested, click on the flier below to see a larger version:


Hope to see at least some of you there! :)

Love Is . . .

sharing your roll on a beautiful day at the Farm.

"Mom!! Get out of here! You're spoiling the moment!"

Pig and Pony

I love that Jossy's hair is getting a little longer. It's a pain to keep out of her eyes since I'm not cutting bangs, but we deal with it.

My mom put her hair in these cute pigtails for the open house. They were lopsided by the end of the day, but is there anything sweeter than this little pigtail beauty?! :)

And yesterday we actually got her hair into a little ponytail for the first time! Didn't stay together for very long, but what can you expect from a very active little girl? That's why you take pictures when you can!!

Sometimes. . .

. . . you just want to curl up in bed with a good book . . . literally.