Art Projects as of late....

Over the past month we have had a few stand out art projects by my kids. I decided to post a few of my favorite. I have a feeling there will be many more art projects to come over the next few months because you better believe I am not leaving the house if it is cold enough to scrape ice off of my car windshield...that means it's too cold for humans! So, I'm pretty sure we are going into hibernation...see you in, I don't know, April?

I traced the kids hands for this turkey project. Poor Mia hated having her hand pinned down on the paper for this...she screamed bloody murder the whole time. I asked Bo what he was thankful for and wrote it all down on the back of the turkey....none of his answers were prompted. I find his answers hilarious!



Bo drew this picture of our little family in front of our house. I love how teeny Steve is. So awesome to start to see what is coming out of his imagination!

And of course, no exhibit is complete without a tie-dyed Jesus portrait!

So much to be thankful for!

We had a really great weekend at Steve's family cabin! We spent Thanksgiving like most people, eating and sleeping...it was great! I feel like I am still suffering from a turkey hang over and I can't quite shake it...I am sleepy! We had so much fun and loved the chance to remember what we are thankful for! Each other!


Bo is getting funnier every day. It seems like every day he is saying something new that cracks me up. This past weekend he had all of his dinosaurs lined up and they were talking to each other. In one of the dino conversations he had one dino tell the other, "Just go online to PBSkidsgo.org." Am I a terrible mother because he knows this?

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Bo is potty trained, my next task is getting Bo into a class of some sort. Either a preschool or a tumbling class. Any suggestions? Seriously, I need help people like names, numbers, addresses!

Not to be missed....

Although my life this past week has consisted of locking ourselves in our home and not leaving, there are a few things that are not to be missed. After spending the week naked, Bo has FINALLY decided that it's cool to go potty on the potty chair! This is nothing short of a miracle and many times I wanted to give up, but he is now an expert! And he now disagrees with Billy Madison, it is not cool to go pee in your pants! YAY!

Don't mind Bo's black eye...I know you are probably thinking Bo is finally potty trained and he has a black eye, there must be a correlation, but there isn't. He was not hit by his parents, in fact, this black eye is a medical mystery! He woke up on Saturday morning with this shiner and he has no explanation for it!
Then, winter has hit. Why is it that every year, before it snows, I convince myself that winter really isn't that bad? It snowed a lot on Saturday and I can tell you, it is that bad! Remind me this next year around mid November when I have once again convinced myself that the cold weather is just my imagination! So, along with potty training, we locked ourselves away in our house and colored and played dress ups with Steve's clothes. Mia has found her passion in art! Maybe she is taking after her mother!




Lastly, I took on painting my kitchen! Not only did I paint the walls, but I painted the cabinets, a job I have been dreading for months! I must say though, it wasn't too bad! I am definitely happy with the results! The pictures aren't great, but like I mentioned before, sadly, my camera is dying!

Before:


After:

I am in love with this weather....

and so are my kids!

Photo Story Friday...

What the? Yes, I am doing a photography post! This past week we have been overtaken by leaves from our backyard tree! It is really beautiful, but raking...well, I don't like so much!

Happy Halloween!

Another fun Halloween has come and gone! This is no question, one of my favorite holidays! Plus, as with every parent, I can't get enough of my kids....I think they are adorable! In other news, as you can see, my camera is slowly dying...sad!

Do you want to see the cutest thing you have ever seen?

OK, so not this first picture. This is the before picture of what some would call a disgusting brass lamp. I liked it! I think the shape is awesome! So, I spray painted the brass "raspberry" pink and put a new lampshade on it...it is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen! This picture doesn't do it justice!

After:

Then, yesterday I decided to copy every other person in the world and make myself a Halloween banner to stick on my front door wreath. I am very happy with it! Even better, it was totally easy!

Also, some randomness from the past week. Mia is obsessed with bubbles, she would sit and blow on a bubble wand for hours if I let her.

Poor Mia is always getting sick! You can just see it in her eyes, poor thing!

Fall is here! I can't believe that we are halfway through October! How does that happen? I am very much trying to give my kids happy memories and experiences that they will remember. Aren't we all? Does anyone have some fun things that they do here in Utah? In Oregon it was easy to find a pumpkin patch and a little Halloween festival, but I am struggling here!

Photo Story Friday...

The fall leaves are just barely starting to peak their way through. I bet in a couple of weeks Utah is going to look gorgeous!

Time is flying by!

This past weekend I was listening to talk radio and some women were talking about how blogging has started to take over the home, it just validated the blogging break that I have taken. I am not known for being very good at balancing my time! I definitely want to be more present in my kids lives! I feel like they are growing up so fast! Mia has really started to get a little attitude. It kind of makes me sad because she has been my little sweet pea for so long. Now, whenever I tell her she needs to do something like that it is time to go night, night she responds with a loud, "Hmmph"! How can a baby already be a DIVA? But, there are still those moments where she hangs onto my legs and begs me to hold her...I love that! This picture I caught of her is exactly how I will remember her at this stage...my little cling-on!

Here is her Diva, black girl wannabe, "Hmmph" face...She is taking after her aunt Kera ;)

Bo is amazingly smart and is getting smarter by the second. He is reading small 3 letter words now! He just might be a 3 year old genius...don't get grossed out, it's not bragging, it is just a fact! He slowly sounds out words to himself all day. But, his genius might be his weakness! The kid is still not potty trained! What little kid in their right mind is going to go to the bathroom on a toilet, taking precious time away from their toys, if they have someone changing their diapers for them? I have just grown to accept the fact that this is life....I will have a son that will forever need me to change his diapers....I accept that! He's really starting to grow out of his hard 3 year old stage though. He is definitely starting to be helpful around the house and he just might be easier than Mia! He is pleasant and he's totally my buddy!

Although for the most part he is really sweet with Mia, they also irritate each other like crazy!

Good luck ever getting a picture with the two of them smiling, or even looking at the camera, together! I don't see it happening any time soon! But, I guess this picture also captures so much! Bo is totally being Bo, he hates when Mia cries so his defense mechanism is to bug her right back. And Mia, well, she's a drama queen! I am lucky I get to be a part of their little worlds...time is flying by!

We are alive....

I promise, and on top of that, my little girl is FREAKING adorable...Life is good!

Politics, for those of you interested

I don't mean to get all political on everyone, if you aren't interested, I apologize, but being a 10 year cancer survivor myself, I can't help, but relate to this! People need to inform themselves! This is such a scary plan to me!

I Am Tired...

Sometimes blogging is not only last on my list of things to do, but it is like, negative on a scale of 1 to 10! I love to document our lives and everything, but I am tired. I would rather play outside in the sandbox with my kids. Mia and Bo have become obsessed with it and we find ourselves out there probably 25 times a day! My kids both get so dirty from it they look like little lost children and I hear Mia gritting sand in between her teeth all day, but my kids are happy and that's all that matters! Summer is almost over....sad!

Fun Time of Year!

This time of year that we are heading into is arguably my favorite time of year! I love that college football starts next week and fall is just around the corner...I can't wait to wear sweaters again! Well, if you know me at all, you know that Halloween is a really big deal for me! I start planning costumes out well in advance! So, being that Halloween will be here any minute, I have been asking Bo the past couple of days what he wants to be for Halloween. He keeps informing me that he wants to "be a kid"! In many disappointed responses, I keep asking him if he wants to be an "animal" or a "scary guy" and once again, he tells me that he wants to "be a kid!"

So, yesterday afternoon I asked, "What kind of a kid do you want to be?"

Bo said, "I want to be a trick or treat. I want to be a Bo!"

I told him that Mia was going to be dressing up as an animal, and that still didn't change his mind.


You may be thinking to yourself, "Give up already, the kid doesn't want to dress up!" He might not want to dress up, but I am not ready for Bo to be too cool to dress up at the tender age of 3! So, last night, as I was putting Bo to bed, I told him a story about Halloween. I said, "Mom dressed up, Dad dressed up, Mia dressed up, and Bo dressed as a kid to go trick or treating. We knocked on the door and said 'trick-or-treat' and the lady gave everyone candy except for Bo because he wasn't dressed as anything!" Bo didn't have much of a response, so I gave him a kiss and tucked him into bed.

A few minutes later I hear Bo screaming "MOM" from his room. I ran down the stairs, opened his door and in a panic asked Bo what was wrong. Bo looked at me and said, "Mom, I want to be a monster lizard for Halloween!"

Now we are talking! Manipulation does work, and in this instance, it worked in my favor!

Now for another before and after. Sorry if you are sick of this, but this redo, I am very proud of. I have never recovered anything really. A few months ago my sister gave me this little rocking chair. I have had in my mind that I wanted to recover it for a while, but have been too intimidated to try. But, yesterday afternoon, during the kids naps, I decided to go for it. I had already bought the fabric, so I dove in, and can I just brag for a second! I LOVE IT! It was intimidating to start, but it was easy once I started. Literally, this took me 2 hours, at most, to do!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Another Before and After....

I've gotten so inspired lately by all of the chalkboard creations across the blogging world. I couldn't help, but dive onto that bandwagon in a couple of my latest creations. The first was an old mirror, once again, from my grandma's. It was a brass 1970's mirror that really wasn't awful, I just wanted to change it a bit. So I spray painted the brass frame with a "basil" green and then spray painted the mirror with chalkboard paint. I think I might respray over it with magnetic primer and then spray it with the chalkboard paint, but for right now, this works! And once again, it is a piece with meaning!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Then, I took it one step further and decided to paint the door to my garage. I mainly keep it empty of writing, cause I love the simple black squares, but I like that if I want to, I can write a little reminder for myself or a note for Steve to see as he heads out the door!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photo Story Friday

Tell me this doesn't just scream hot August afternoon in Utah?

Little Lessons Learned

This past week and a half has been a struggle! Although, it has been fabulous to have Steve home for the past few days, that has been overshadowed by sick kids! Bo has had fevers and ear aches and unfortunately, Mia got her second urinary tract infection and has been miserable ever since! Poor little thing won't let me set her down and as a result, I am exhausted! But, I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel because she is back to taking naps....bless her little soul! Mia is definitely going through a funny stage. She is on the brink of walking, but doesn't quite have the guts! Whenever I am stationary whatsoever, she stands up next to me and grabs my pant leg, waiting for me to walk so that she can walk around the house with me. She does pretty well with this, but it is slightly annoying for me. Now I understand the term "ankle biter", first hand! Whether it be that Mia is sick or she just needs someone to hold onto, I have learned that Mia needs me!


Bo is pushing me, as usual! I am sure all of the mothers out there will find it shocking and slightly humorous to hear that I still have not potty trained Bo....gasp, I know! Please understand that I have been attempting the whole potty training thing ever since he was 18 months! I probably started too early, but there is nothing I can do about that now. I seriously have tried everything! I am literally beginning to believe that when he goes on his mission, his companions are going to have to change his diapers! Not only is it an expense to buy size 6 diaper boxes every 3 weeks, but as expected, I am sick of changing "adult" poops! Before I give up, I decided that I would try the bribery route one more time! Here is what is beautifully sitting on our bathroom shelf! I have learned that for my sanity, this better work!


Today, I decided to give Bo an artistic experience outside of just crayons. I ventured out into finger painting world! I have to admit....I have an extreme fear of messes, so the entire time, I was holding my breath! With only a few drips here and there, it ended up being a fun experience that we will probably do again! He loved it! I have decided that Bo needs variety...I have learned that I need to be better about this and that no matter how much I hold my breath, messes still happen!



I have learned over the past few weeks that it is all about the experience...not perfection! As long as I am trying and putting my kids first, that's all that matters! I am dying for a date with my husband now that he is back, though...maybe this weekend, I will put myself first!

Before and After #2

Here is my second project of the few weeks Steve was gone. This was an old chest of drawers from my Grandma Helen's house. It was exactly the height I was going for in Bo's room, but it was definitely lacking in the looks department! I love that it is a good solid piece though, so I saw past it's looks, sanded it down, primed, sprayed it with Rustoleum's "Fossil" spray paint and changed out the hardware. I am really happy with the end result and I am excited that it is a piece with meaning!




I guess while I am at it, here is the stripe I added to Bo's wall as well. It was a nightmare to do, but I have envisioned it for a while now! I am really happy with his room and I really feel like it is 98% put together!

Before and After #1

Steve has been out of town for the past week and a half for training in his new job. As a result, I've been doing projects like you wouldn't believe. For some reason, I always go nuts when Steve is gone and this time was no different. The night he left I primed and painted our bathroom. The next day, the weirdest thing happened, the paint started peeling off in HUGE sheets all the way down to the drywall. Not only was the layer of paint and primer that I had just painted coming off, but every other layer of paint that had ever been on this wall was sagging and hanging off. It was awful! I have painted a ton in my life, but I have never seen anything like this. After working for three days straight to try and get the walls smooth with sandpaper and razor blades, I decided to call a professional. The guy came in and textured the walls and then I painted....again! I am so happy with the result. I wish I had a better before, but at least you get the idea of the disaster it was. Thank goodness Steve had been out of town, otherwise he would have literally had a heart attack! So, here is my first "before and after" from this past week. I don't feel like these pictures give it justice, but I am thrilled, nonetheless! I have many more "reveals" to come!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photo Story Friday

I Want to See this....

And buy the soundtrack...it looks really sweet! Oh, and I love the Smiths as well! They remind me of Jr. High!

This, That and Such...

As you can probably tell, I have a lack of motivation when it comes to blogging lately. Sometimes it gets old, I am not going to lie. But, being that I like to document the big events of our life, it would be wrong of me to not post the happenings of this past week. First of all, I took the kids to Liberty Park to run through the little water area with their cousins. As it turns out, Bo wasn't interested in getting wet because, as Bo put it, it was "too cold"! How could any child not love this park though, it was amazing!

Bo and his cousin Christian

Mia has a few announcements that she would like to make. She does all the actions to the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". My favorite is the point to the side of her head during the "How I Wonder What you Are" part...so cute! She is also saying, "What's That?" to EVERYTHING! My children love to speak!


And, we sold our little family friend, the red jeep. This car was our first car purchase and we honestly loved it. It was a really cute car and fun to drive. It's weird how you can grow attached to a car, but we welcomed in a new member to the family in it's place. I guess we are a jeep family! You know exactly what family I am talking about...yes, we are one of those! We now have room for all of the little Tate's our hearts desire! That is not an announcement...don't worry Steve!

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

If we could do ours over again, Steve and I both agree that this is what we would do...obviously in the temple, of course! ;) Tell me you wouldn't love seeing this...we Mormons are too stuffy! I guess Steve and I can do this when we renew our vows! ;0

We had a Great Weekend!

Already, for Steve's new job, we got to go on a little getaway as a family up to Stein Eriksen Lodge for one of his weekend "meetings"! I had driven by many times before, but this was my first experience actually staying there, using their robes and slippers and eating their entry way apples! It was lovely! Here were a few highlights:

• The Alpine Slide Park

• Eating 10 pounds of food every meal and not having to pay a dime!

• Threatening Bo EVERYWHERE we went to stop rebelling against his parents or he will go home!
• Eating apples from the lobby
• Sleeping in the coziest beds ever!
• Seeing the most beautiful scenery ever! I forgot how beautiful Park City is in the summer!
• Spending time with my family! I adore them!

Seeing Mia's enjoyment/terror on her first Merry Go Round ride (and yes, she is about to pass out from heat stroke and Steve didn't believe me that it was hot...this picture is proof that IT WAS SCALDING!)

Photo Story Friday, Finally!

Seriously....Hilar!

Last night, Steve walked in on Bo squirting a bottle of 409 on the floor. Steve asked "Bo, what are you doing?"

In a matter of fact response Bo said, "Michael Jackson gave it to me!"

Hey ET! Can you please stop talking about Michael Jackson? He died, it's sad, let's just move on, ok?!