Brecky-Bear!

So, to continue the story of those three, almost four, perfect little things in my life, we have Breckin, or Brecky-Bear, or Baby-Breckin, or when he is particularly ornery, B-Rat!

Breckin is the only boy that I will probably ever have, unless Jame gets baby hungry. He is my special little boy. He is surrounded on all sides by girls and as a result has become ALL BOY.

Breckin is an amazing artist. He is constantly drawing, painting, sketching, whatever he can do that is artistic, he is doing it. He is so creative and smart. His teachers already have told me how well he can draw for someone his age and how his drawings really do look like what he intends them to look like. I don't have an artistic bone in my body and Jame's artistic abilities are limited to Spongebob animations, so I have no idea where he is getting this from.

Breckin loves music. He loves to sing and dance and he can hear a song a few times and know the general words to it. He really likes Katy Perry and Glee. He's silly that way. He also likes The Wizard of Oz. He can tell you every little detail of that movie and often dreams about the "scary Lion" and the "Witch" and the "Tin Man" and the "Scarecrow". He does get his musical appreciation from me, which I hope that he will pursue when he gets older. I think that if he can get over his shyness, he could be a great little performer. For now, we have to watch him perform when he thinks we aren't paying attention.

Finally, Breckin is very loving to his sisters, and he's going to have to be. I have seen how he loves Addy and puts up with her whacking at him and sitting on him and trying to wrestle with him. He tries to be as gentle as he can because he has this instinct that girls are fragile and need extra care. He and Ashlyn are best friends and worst enemies sometimes, but most of the time they are best friends. He loves all of his sisters, even the one that he hasn't laid eyes on yet. He kisses them and hugs them and cuddles with them. I know that one day there will be a very lucky woman that Breckin meets who he will treat with all of the love and respect that he has learned to treat his sisters with.

There are so many other things that I could say about my special little boy, but for me, he is just the perfect little boy. At times, he can try his mommy's nerves, but he is always so loving and caring that it is difficult for me to stay mad at him for very long. I am so grateful that I have this second little perfect person in my life.

The First Perfect Thing In My Life

This is the first part of a four-part series devoted to each one of my children. Jame mentioned to me that there are four things in his life that he feels he has done perfectly and that is our three, soon to be four children. That got me thinking about each one of them and how absolutely perfect they really are, to me. They may not be well-behaved all of the time, but because Jame and I worked together with our Heavenly Father to create them, they are in some part, perfect.

Ashlyn: She is the most intelligent little girl that I know. I have proof too! She is so curious about everything. Her favorite book to check out at the library is a pop-out book called ALIVE that gives different 3-D diagrams of the human body. She spends a lot of time digesting and studying the "Body Book". She has also been asking about the Eiffel Tower and France lately. As a result, we checked out some books about France and the Eiffel Tower from the library. She sat at the kitchen table for almost an hour studying about France and asking questions about the culture in France and the Eiffel Tower. Later, I got on the computer and we took a virtual tour of the Eiffel Tower and Versailles. We also went on a tour of Mary Tudor's castle. I hope that one day she can experience these things in real life. It seems as though it would be so unfair if she couldn't.

Ashlyn is also one of the most compassionate little people I have ever met. She is very aware of other's feelings and is empathetic to them. When she was in preschool in Laramie, her teacher told me that she had a special gift for helping kids with special needs. She had a way of talking to them that would make them understand what they needed to do. I chalked it up to being bossy and the other kids not minding her bossing them around, but I've been able to see her interact with some of the kids in her kindergarten class and I have seen this gift at work. She has patience for them that other children don't and she is very empathetic to the fact that they need a friend and she is willing to be their friend. The girl truly has a heart of gold.

Ashlyn is like her mommy and her Grandma Kathy in the respect that she feels that everyone should be treated fairly and even if it is hard, you should always do the right thing. This is probably one of the greatest lessons that I can give to my kids and I am grateful that my parents gave it to me. Of course she had her episodes of telling lies, which is developmentally appropriate for all children, but she has a very keen sense of right and wrong and has a great desire within her to do what is right. Her Mugga wrote the Indian name that she gave her on the inside of a book, her Indian name is "She Who Chooses The Right" and it's true. The girl is only six years old and she tries to do the right thing in almost any situation that she is in. She also encourages and influences her brother and sister to try to do the right thing. We talk often about different situations that we might find ourselves in when we have to choose what is right and what is wrong and she always gives me the right answer. I am so blessed to have such an obedient and helpful child. I'm so grateful to my Heavenly Father, that he sent her to me first. All of my children have a very special place in my heart and I think because Ashlyn is so much like me, her place is extra special!

Recent Happenings

So, yea, it's been a while.
Sorry about that...I've been a little busy. Three little ones, harboring another little life, cooking, cleaning, school, busing kids around, etc. I guess things got a little away from me. Right now my house isn't even in order, but dinner is on! So there have been a few minor developments that have occurred in our lives.

1. I GOT AN IPHONE!!! I love it!! I don't know what I did before Siri entered my life, she makes things so much easier. I don't have to try to remember a million and one things because she does it for me! I also have Instagram, which I LOVE!!! Sorry Droid users, it's not available for you :)

2. I've instituted donut dates with my kiddos. These dates occur when kids don't have school for the day, which means Breckin gets one every other week. This week, however, Ashlyn and Breckin both had Friday off, so we went down to Peter's Cafe and had a cinnamon roll date instead. The weather was beautiful and it was a nice way to spend the morning.




3. Addy is getting big, and smart. I asked her to throw a diaper away for me the other day and she toddled over to the garbage and put the diaper in there. Just a little while ago, however, she tried to throw her brother's book away. I'll have to keep a closer eye on what is in my garbage can now.



4. Speaking of smart, Ashlyn took an aptitude test at school a few weeks ago and we got her results this week. Apparently she is above the average for both her age and her grade level, so we have decided to investigate the StarGate Program that they have in the school system to see what is available for her.

5. I have Spring Break this week and I'm planning on using this time very productively. I'm going to try to get ahead in some of my classes so that when this baby comes in a month, I won't fall behind. I also plan on completing some of the crafts that I've gathered materials for, but haven't started yet.




Well, there's the brief recap of what you've missed. Nothing to exciting, except for the IPhone part :) I should be updating more this week, seeing as I have the time and I hope to be able to post some of the projects I've done.

Later...

La, La, La...

Two songs huh? I don't know if I can do that. My taste in music has changed so much over the years. There were the years that I was OBSESSED with the boy bands and then my friend Ricky enlightened me and took me to a Weezer concert and I really got into their music. I also really loved Dashboard Confessional. Now, I listen to a little bit of everything. If you've read any of my earlier posts, you know that I have a little bit of a crush on Bruno Mars so one of his songs is obviously in my top two:

2. Bruno Mars- "It Will Rain". This is a great song!! One of my favorites of his. He's super talented and there is something about his hair too :)


1. Lady Antebellum- "Just A Kiss". When I hear this on the radio I turn the volume up and sing along at the top of my lungs. I'm just as good as they are right? :) This is currently my ringtone on my phone and I really love it. It's sweet and romantic.

There are so many songs that I like, but some of the artists I'm digging right now are, of course, Lady A, Gym Class Heroes, Neon Trees, Katy Perry, Cobra Starship, The Black Keys, etc. Check some of them out if you like good music :)

Let's Go To the Movies!

Okay this one is actually really simple for me. I have had the favorite three movies for a very long time! Here they are:

3. Hot Rod. I know, you guys may not get my affinity for Andy Samburg, but this is one of the only movies that actually makes me laugh out loud! There are just so many funny things about it and laughter really helps my mood when I'm not feeling well. My friend Ricky and I went on a rampage one day on Facebook and just had a conversation completely quoting Hot Rod. It's the kind of movie that my mom would say is really stupid, but she didn't get Napoleon Dynamite either :)
-"You know, pools are perfect for holding water."
-"I needed to think about last night. So I galloped into a wooded glen, and after punch-dancing out my rage and suffering an extremely long and very painful fall, I realized what has to be done"
-"You have only to believe if you wish to achieve. That rhymed. Unintentional."

2. The Blind Side. I have read Leigh Anne Toughy's book and I'm now waiting for whoever has Michael Oher's book to return it so that I can read that too. This is just a great wholesome story and the best part of it is that it could have so many bad endings and it has a happy ending. I saw this in the theater with my sister-in-law and I didn't start really tearing up until the end when Michael Oher was drafted into the NFL. What can I say, that's my upbringing.

1. Remember the Titans. Jame hates this movie, for reasons unknown. I LOVE it!! It is definitely number 1. There is a lot to say about perseverance and overcoming adversity in this movie. I think that all of us have different adversities that we face and it's only through working through it together that we are able to come out alive. It doesn't hurt that the movie is also about football :)
-"People say that it can't work, black and white. Here, we make it work every day. We still have our disagreements, of course, but before we reach for hate, always, always, we remember the Titans."
-"I'm a winner. I'm going to win."

So, I've posted nearly every day now and I don't know what I'm going to talk about when I get done with this challenge, I'm sure I'll think of something though. Now I think I'll lay down and relax and see if Hot Rod is on :)

Four Books

As you all know by now, I LOVE to read. If I could have my ideal vacation, I would be by myself, on a beach, with a stack of books. I would spend my days reading and tanning. It would be great. Anyway, I live in reality and I'm lucky if I get to read a book that I actually want to read, i.e. not a textbook. Between school, kids, hubby and home there really isn't much time for me to relax and read. Here are a list of books that are my favorites though:

4. The Standard Works: The Bible, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. I have to say that I'm not as diligent as I should be about reading the scriptures, but every time I do I notice something I didn't before. When Jame and I were first married we would sit down after work and dinner and study our scriptures together. It was a special time that we were able to connect spiritually and I miss those times. Now, we try to sit down as a family and read from The Book of Mormon stories so that our children can get a general overview of what is going on. As a convert, I never grew up with the Book of Mormon stories that my kids are growing up with, so it's even more important for me to study my scriptures so that I can answer the "hard" questions that will inevitably someday come.

3. Night by Elie Wiesel. I'm really not a downer person, but for some reason, ever since we learned about the Holocaust and tolerance in middle school, I have been fascinated with that time in history. The story Night is about a young man who lives through the Holocaust. It tells about his time before, during and after he entered the concentration camps. In 1986, Elie Wiesel received the Nobel Peace Prize. I enjoy this story because it tells about adversity and that the night really is darkest before the dawn.

2. F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers. My brother and I were perusing Target over Christmas break and we stumbled upon this little beauty. It is HILARIOUS!!! As a student, planning on becoming a teacher. I am able to really appreciate this. One of the actual questions is: "Give a reason why people would want to live near power lines?" Actual answer: "You get your electricity faster." Ha, Ha, Ha!! I love it. There was an answer in there that was reminded me of my brother and so, I had to get it for him for Christmas. It was great. Check this book out!

1. The Alchemist. This is definently number one. The book is about a person finding their own destiny. The main character is diverted many times on his way, but his destiny isn't what he originally thought that it was. I learned so much about myself after reading this book. My mother-in-law was kind enough to share this book with me and I'm very grateful to her for that. If you haven't read it, I promise you will learn more about your self after you read it.

*These are just four of my favorite books. Maybe not my top four, but the four that I could think of right now :) There are some books that have the potential to take their place though:

-In Defense of Food
-I Beat the Odds by Michael Oher
-The Pioneer Woman
-The Hunger Games series
-The Outlander series
-The Hymn of the Tiger Mother
-The Last Lecture
-The Work and The Glory series

I LOVE TO EAT!!! Five Foods that Rock My World!!!

Okay, for those of you who don't know already, I'm about 7 months pregnant. When I am pregnant, it is not unusual for me to eat, or try to eat, everything in site. If it looks or sounds good, I'll try it! I really should just put that I love anything that my mom cooks for all 5 items. She is the best cook EVER!! I think that's one of the main reasons that my dad met her. I cook nearly every day and someday I hope that I can be as good as my mom. I KNOW that's one of the main reasons why Jame married ME :) Anyway, here are my 5 FAVORITE FOODS: I can't believe I can only choose 5!

5. Mint Oreos. I know that you would expect this to be higher on the list, but I have to leave enough room for my mom's food :)

4. Blair's Long Johns. These are the most magical donuts! I have fond memories of having these on a Saturday morning while watching cartoons in the living room. They were a special treat that my parents would give us every once in a while. For my birthday one year, I specifically asked for these donuts and my mother-in-law was sweet enough to get me some!

3. My mommy's Tuna Noodle Casserole. She puts a special touch on it. She uses sour cream and cheddar potato chips instead of regular potato chips on top and then she puts cheddar cheese on top of that! It's the BEST!

2. My mommy's four layer dessert. Now, I could literally eat an entire pan of this stuff. The first layer is a pie crust with sliced almonds in it. The next layer is chocolate pudding. The next layer is a whipped topping and cream cheese mixture. Finally you top it off with some more sliced almonds. I want some NOW!

1. My mommy's enchiladas. She makes her own enchilada sauce from scratch, she puts black olives and cheese all over the place. What's not to LOVE! I specially requested this for dinner while we were visiting over Christmas break and Breckin and I at nearly the entire 9X13 pan by ourselves. It was great!!

So, the top three things are things that my mommy makes that can't be duplicated to perfection by anyone, myself included. I guess she's gonna have to live forever so that she can keep feeding me!