The Sunday Scoop.

I've got this friend who basically blogs on Tuesdays, and it's so fun! I know exactly when she's updating. And I LOVE the idea of blogging once a week, I need to spend more time doing other 'good things'! So here's the Sunday Scoop.


This past week I made a home made Strawberry Pie and homemade ice-cream, YUMMY!! We had some friends over to play croquet. It was fun, and I hadn't played since I was little, I remember playing it with my family, Bec, Vic, do you remember?


LAILA AT TEN MONTHS

Laila turned ten months this past week, and isn't she a doll?? What a beauty. We love her little personality, quiet, patient, laidback, and playful. She truly is a dream baby.



Josh had another interview this week, has one week left until graduating with a MBA, and I LOVE this picture of him. Lucky Me.



Colson had a big shin dig at his school yesterday, the kids had a blast! Laila was annoyed by the blankets I kept covering her with, so she was holding them up out of the way!! BUT, the worst part?? I was with one of the YW from church, and this kid thought I was her mother. HELLO???? I would have been 15, I mean technically it was possible, but since this happened a week after I turned thirty, it did not go over well. Yes I cried myself to sleep thank you for asking!!

Motherhood

Oh how I loved THIS TALK from General Conference. It reminded me of my role as a mother. And encouraged me to refocus on this role, and work on some areas of improvement. As I'm pondering these thoughts, thinking of the divinity of my calling as mother, in comes Hallie with her pants around her ankles "I need wiped Mommy". As I was saying...

He referenced author "Anna Quindlen reminds us not to rush past the fleeting moments. She said: “The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)."

Hallie just said "I love helping clean up the living room mom!" And now she's playing with her sister in that pokey kind of way. Laila smiles and chuckles with her big belly, and hair that is slowly growing, but has produced one little curl over her ear. She's grabbing Hallie's hair and in response Hallie said "Can I get a little help here?". These are my children, right now. And off I go, to spend some time with my quickly aging children. Take the time to share what your children are doing RIGHT NOW.

Applesauce-Oatmeal Cookies

This is for Alexis and Sarah - per their request! I think Gwenda asked, too!

1/3 C butter or margerine, softened
2/3 C packed brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 C all purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup of whole wheat and 3/4 cup white flour)
1 1/4 C rolled oats

Beat butter for 30 sec on high speed.

Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda, Beat till combined.

Beat in egg and applesauce till combined.

Beat in as much flour as you can, stir in the rolled oats.

rounded teaspons, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes, Yields about 2 dozen


I doubled this recipe... and had plenty for a weeks worth of after school snacks. They were YUMMY, very soft, cookies... and not too bad for ya! And I LOVE recipes, that contain basically everything from my pantry!!

30, Flirty and Fabulous!

Today IS the day. I've arrived!!

I was dreading this day for a few months now, it's here, it's at a close, and I made it! Thanks to several GREAT friends.

It started by two of my friends Sally and Sue (names have been changed to protect the innocent). They just HAD to be the VERY FIRST to wish me a Happy Birthday. I was sound asleep in the comfort of my own bed when at 11:47 p.m. I'm awoken to two women's voices singing Happy Birthday and throwing stones at my window. I knew exactly who it was, but wasn't sure what to do with these two crazies... eventually they left our window and we could hear them at the back door. Josh set the car alarm off from the bedroom, I couldn't believe that would work! I guess it was good timing, because it was right when Sue had leaned against the car. ANYWAY they brought me this incredibly distasteful cake, so if you're easily offended don't look on!! Either in good taste or not, it broke the ice for turning thirty, when I realized that these two, who are WAY older than me are out in the middle of the night with obscene cakes still having fun, I should have no worries turning thirty. The joke is a little inside joke, the board on the cake says "Have a hanging birthday!" O.k. so I've been a little upset about the droopy factor if you know what I mean! :)



















This morning I went to the Y, did my 30 minutes of heart improving exercise, I did take it easy, I opted for the elliptical instead of the treadmill, I mean hey, it's my birthday!

Then I came home and talked to a sister or two that called, my dad and stepmom, and a neighbor stopped by with these two framed pictures, so nice of her! Then Hallie and I went shopping, and got lost in TJMaxx for a couple of hours, I LOVE that store!! You never know what you'll find! We came home and picked up a bit, another neighbor brought over a casserole, I love elderly neighbors, they are so kind and thoughtful! A few more friends called, another dropped off a GREAT gift, so thoughtful, thanks Linds, you rock!

Josh and the kids got me an IPOD!! Sweet, I'm so in love already. I am picturing myself running miles and miles with that good friend. It came with apple stickers, and I told Josh, SWEET, I can do a scrapbook page about my new friend! We then went and enjoyed dinner, i only ate half the portion. (I hear your metabolism starts a decline when you hit thirty) We then took the kids swimming at the Y, I did a few laps, it felt great to hang with the family!

Then at the end of the night, my friend Sonia gave me my last and final gift of the night, which sums today up PERFECTLY. Just read the quote on the pillow!

Thanks to all those that called and emailed, there is NOTHING like being remembered.

Love you all!

Spring is Here.

We walked to the park on Friday night, and it felt so good to take the kids outside and enjoy the weather. It also brings lawn mowing season...

The After School Snack

My kids live for the after school snack. These are some applesauce and oatmeal cookies that turned out so yummy!! Enjoy.

One of my Favorite Layouts!

You know I lost another contest, but hey, I'm having fun scrapping and that's all that counts. Here's a layout I did for the contest that I LOVE. I had to share it, it's been stowed away for a few months now, and I can finally share it! Aren't Josh's grandparents so cute!

By the way, I'm the newest Young Women's Secretary! A lateral move, and it should be fun!

Eye Witness

to a hit and run, in a parking lot. That's what I was today, along with two other people. But no one waited but me, I called the police reported the driver and then everyone took off!! I, holding Laila, stood there in the parking lot waiting for the police to come, so that the poor driver of the Saturn, was notified of who exactly hit their car. While the police checked the vehicle they discovered the driver was 90 years old!!! He had backed into the car, and then just took off!! I was waving at him, and I know he AND his wife saw me, but did not stop!! And they both jerked forward, so I know he could at least FEEL the collision! The policeman (woman) said I can't write a ticket to a hit and run for a 90 year old man... Oh must be nice. Definitely reminds me of Fried Green Tomatoes, "I'm older, and I've got more insurance." What was more funny is the other eye witness was asked by the old man where the library was, so they were able to find the car right away!!! One reason why I'm particularly irritated with this, is that, my poor sister in high school, fell victim to a hit and run, never found the person that did it, and ended up costing her money. SO moral of the story. If you see something, call the police, report it. Take the time to help someone out. And with that, Old Geiser man with no morals, totally lucked out, too, he wasn't ticketed for a hit and run. You never know.

Tidbits

1. Missionaries for dinner, We feed them = they feed us. Great message on giving our all to the service of the Lord.

2. Spring = Fresh Produce on it's way, YUMMY!! (strawberries with angel food cake for dessert, oh and chocolate redi-whip)

3. Very Bad Rabbits = Not so many strawberry plants left...

4. 3 Job interviews = 2 job offers, and hopefully more to come!

5. 1 hour 45 minutes = 1 lawn mowed.

6. 1 fussy baby = not so much sleep for mom or baby

7. 3.2 Miles ran this morning = 1 5K and sore legs!!

8. Thursday = OFFICE night!!

9. 13 Comments = 65 sit-ups from the post about dancing!!! I am feeling it! Did you think I was joking??

10. 1 visit from the bishopric = one new calling for one of us... you'll have to wait till Sunday!

Hope you had a good Thursday, we sure were busy!

Job Interview Number Two

Josh is interviewing here today. This company is one we're definitely interested in... Please send good vibes his way. And he has another interview on Thursday.

Oh we are getting so close!

Dancing the Night Away

This is what Josh and I did, on Friday night!! SO MUCH FUN!! Our church sponsored this super fun date night with a live band, and beautiful decorations. By far, the most beautifully decorated church of all time. I mean they decorated the bathrooms, the walls, the ceilings... the theme was "An Enchanted Evening". The walls looked like stone walls, with lanterns, candles on the tables, just beautiful!! The live band The Citations was super fun, and pretty good. I LOVE to dance and forgot how much, until that music started playing, I had such a blast, by myself. Josh doesn't dance too much, but we still had a great time. He told a member of the bishopric that I had been drinking. Sweet, no primary president for me... No, I seriously was the only person that danced most of the night, it was great, and the company was even better! Josh, looked amazing, and we carpooled, EIGHT of us in one van. It was a great time. We laughed and talked, and danced. It was a much needed night. I felt like I was in college again, the night ended with some great ice cream. Needless to say the Fort Meade North crowd, rocked the night! Maybe 30 won't be so bad! Here's a quick picture of my night, with an added bonus of my shoes for my sistahs!!

Making Money... Kind of.

What a sweet book!! This is so worth it's weight in Gold. After reading the book, I bought 4 boxes of cereal for 12 cents each. It's true. Isn't that insane?? I'm on way to saving BIG money on groceries, and it really isn't that complicated. SWEET... Good luck on your grocery shopping!! I'll keep you posted on my latest savings!

PLEASE VOTE FOR BROOKE!!!

so amazing, and yet, bottom three last week?!? VOTE!!

Laila at Nine Months

Sitting up FINALLY! :) And her first discovery of grass.

More Evidence, the training wheels gone. long gone.

Hallie

Does not like missing out on the attention. It's the middle child syndrom, and I understand it perfectly. The baby gets all the attention cause she's cute and little, and learning so much. The oldest gets all the attention for learning their tricks, too. Stuck in the middle is no fun. Here's a picture of her riding her bike, heaven forbid I leave her out!

Y i love the Y.

1. FREE child care.

2. TWO HOURS of FREE child care.

3. Discounts for classes for kids.

4. FREE classes for me.

5. Whirlpool

6. Regular Pool

7. Miss Tina takes care of my kids.

8. I get to shower without worrying about kids!!

9. It has a weight room, cardio room, gym, indoor and outdoor track, and a very sweet gymnastics center.

10. Miss Amy teaches Hallie gymnastics.

11. Did I mention FREE childcare??

12. The membership is ridiculously low.

I just got home for a great workout, I've worked out 12 times in 17 days. And I'm feeling great. I must be 28!!

TEN days...

until "The Office" returns!! YEAH!!! By the way did you know Angela's Pregnant?? I wonder how they'll work that in, she's due in June!

BIG NEWS

As if I couldn't feel worse about my age, we said Good-Bye to these:



Colson picked it up in an afternoon. How crazy is that?? He's on a two-wheeler! I'll try and get a picture of him, Josh and I took turns teaching him and taking care of the girls, so it was too hard to capture the moment, but I wanted to post today his news, so this pic would have to do!!

Catching Up

This post contains a lot!! There's some easter pictures... (please note the bangs on Hallie)



Here's the rolls from my Easter Brunch... It was just the fam, but we celebrated in the morning before chuch. These are orange rolls, and seriously the best I've ever made!


Here's where I have found Hallie lately:



And Colson had his first concert at school, can you find him??




What a crazy week!!

One of those Days.

Started great, ended horrendous.

However, I am determined to find Joy in my Journey. My husband came home to me, (i was not in the best of shape), and showed true compassion. He currently is holding Laila, and talking army bases with Colson as he builds them in his room. I love that he takes time to be with them after work. He's better at this then me. Thanks, Josh!

Things have been really hard for me right now, there's strained family relationships, some traumatic things in the past that have come up, and the stress of finding a job, has taken it's toll on me, which then affects my family.

But I'd like to take a moment to tell you some of my blessings:

Josh
Colson
Hallie
Laila

I love you guys!

Vote for Brooke!!

She's my favorite!! Vote for Brooke!!

Poor Colson.

At 18 months I took Colson to his first dental appt., Young I know, but he had teeth and we had insurance, why not? The dentist spotted a crossbite immediately. For seven years now and several consultations, I've known this was inevitable. Today we had an appt. with an orthodontist. I was going to try and sneak this dental procedure in before we got out of the Army to maximize dental benefits, but it doesn't look like we'll be able to do it. Needless to say, we'll probably wait for the new job, and new insurance, but the bill 2230.00. That's right, that's not even braces. The insurance should pay for half of that. WOWSERS!!

Here's what the orthodontist said and I quote: "Very rarely do we treat children so young, but with this condition, we do." Of course, the rarity is Colson, the only child of mine, that doesn't suck fingers!!! His crossbite, needs to be fixed while the roof of his mouth still has a soft spot, this makes it less painful, and has nothing to do with his teeth, just the bone structure. If we were to wait until adulthood, he would need oral surgery. Oh, o.k. then it can be his problem and not ours!! Just Kidding!!

Apparently they treat it with an expander for four months, and then retainers for a year. This allows them to expand the upper jaw, and allow for new bone growth to take place and make it permanent.

He was such a sport as they peaked in and did all the measuring/xrays, etc. Problem is, this doesn't guarantee he won't need braces either!!

Good thing the average salary of someone getting out of the military and an MBA is 104,000. Isn't that a great statistic Josh was told at his briefing yesterday?? Sweet. Here's to hoping!!

HELLO WHAT WAS I THINKING????

Oh my heck. 30 days till T-day - How about 90 days till Get out of Jail (Army) Day!! OH yes, June 23. The end is near...

I should NOT be so hung up on my birthday - I enter my 30's with no deployments in my future. It will be great!!

By the way, Linds gave me some great advice, thank you, I needed it.

And shall I say, we need a job!! Know of one. email me!

One month till - T-day

I'm sorry. It stinks. 30 days to 30 years. How should I spend the last month of my twenties??? Suggestions Please!

This picture was taken last Easter. Is it wierd that I think I look older?? I mean I was hanging in my "late twenties". Now. well... nevermind.

I told my dad that what I wanted for my birthday was 30 one hundred dollar bills. Anyone game??? I think that would cure me of my midlife crisis. :D

Seriously, though. Today was Easter. Josh read the Easter story last night. We "buried" Christ in the Tomb (aka the piano bench) and discovered this morning that He was resurrected. What a great day, two of my kids sang I know that my Redeemer lives and another primary song in Sacrament meeting. Laila slept great at church. Thanks Josh. And we talked about repentance in Relief Society. It was a much needed reminder of where I should be headed, and what I should be doing. Although turning thirty has seriously thrown me for a loop. I'm surely greatful for my family, and the knowledge of the gospel. What a peaceful feeling, that knowledge brings.

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!!

Gray Hair?

Say what? Yes thank you I found my first one last week. Yes I'm turning 30 in less than a month, and yes I'm in the middle of a mid life crisis.

Thank you for asking.

For Joshi.

1. What's his name: Joshi (a nickname from a Korean family in Bloomington)
2. How long have you been married: 8 years
3. How long did you date: 4 DATES
4. How old is he: 30, flirty and fabulous.
5. Who eats more: I plead the fifth.
6. Who said 'I love you' first? I don't remember!! :)
7. Who is taller: He is
8. Who sings better: He does, by far
9. Who is smarter: Joshi.
10. Whose temper is worse: Mine.
11. Who does the laundry: Both of us
12. Who does the dishes: me, mostly
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: We switch it up
14. Who pays the bills: Me
15. Who mows the lawn: last summer me, this summer him.
16. Who cooks dinner: I do
17. Who drives when you are together: 90% of the time it's me.
18. Who is more stubborn: Me
19. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong: I'm never wrong.
20. Whose parents do you visit the most: Toss up, they're both in Indiana
21. Who proposed: He did
22. Who has more friends: I do
23. Who has more siblings: Him, 3 siblings
24. Who wears the pants in the family: Me.

Wait a second, I think this was supposed to be about Josh, it looks like it's mostly about me!!

Getting Sick Stinks.

The family has been bogged down with illness. Thanks Sarah for jinxing us. Me, and all the kids at some point the last two weeks has been sick. It's such a pain in the neck. I'm ready for spring, with fresh air, exercise, and yard work. It just feels good, to get outside!

POLL - Tell me what you think of this.

I won't name names, but I recently called a friend's cell phone, and talked to her child while she was in the store... ever so briefly. I confess. I do it, too. Is there an age when this is o.k.? I could seriously be on trial. Should this woman be hung out to dry or what?? I've so done worse. Let's get the debate going!

READ THIS ARTICLE!

Free Hair Cuts. (From my 4 year old daughter)

Just throwing that out there. I thought since this is the second time she cut her own hair (she wanted bangs, this is what she told me) I could just offer her services to all those out there. Sigh.

We're in the midst of FHE and she's playing with my hair and takes off right before closing prayer. I call for her and say it's time for prayer. Mom, I want bangs she shouts from afar... I run to find her, the deed is done, with her long locks laying on the floor.

I was able to straighten them out, and they're a bit short. But thankfully could be worse. Why? we literally just grew out her bangs from the last episode with scissors. I don't like bangs for one reason and one reason only, they're ridiculous to keep up with, I don't want to trim bangs every two weeks. So here we go again.

No, I don't have a picture, I didn't want to turn it into a big production. I didn't want her to think her escapade was going to be rewarded. I'm sure a picture will be up soon, of her new found hair do.

My latest DT entry...

Wish me more luck, remember this is the lucky month, right??

It's not a great picture, cloudy day today. I'm not in love with the white letter title, but what can you do?

Laila at Eight Months

I love this girl. I love that she is just happy "being". She doesn't need to DO anything. She's moved up to having eight teeth, loves her toes. (they're still painted from our Florida trip) She's pretty close to sitting up, doesn't want anything to do with being on her belly. Absolutely loves her siblings, and oatmeal. This year is flying.

Here's a couple pictures from Hallie's Birthday, isn't she gorgeous?




I just barely caught daddy, you know he's a sport (he has to be, he's got two girls), he just wasn't as excited about a picture!



And here's a few more from Colson's Birthday. I loved that he was reading his birthday cards, he's doing so awesome!! And see if you can see the excitement with Colson's gift, he really wantd the long shot. This super annoying gun toy thing, that's as big as he is! He loved it though.

Who's raising hoodlums? Not me.

Or so I thought.

Hallie was changing into pajamas the other night, and informed me that she peed outside. You're not wet, you didn't pee your pants. I know I took them off. What do you mean you took them off? I peed in the grass. You peed in the grass? Yep. You mean to tell me you took off your pants and peed in the grass. Yep. Where did you go? Right there. Colson why didn't you tell me that Hallie was peeing in the yard. I tried to tell daddy but he wasn't listening. ah ha. Mom's sick. The house falls apart. Um. sorry to the sweet old lady neighbors that witnessed said event. I so thought I was doing better at this parenting thing.

Birthday Girl

Here she is my baby girl. Not so much anymore. She turns four today. Can you believe that?? FOUR. So I've already crossed the threshold of being a mother when I had this little one, but your first girl. What can you say about that?!? My dad always said I would have SEVEN boys to make up for me as a child, I honestly pictured myself with four boys, no girls. Maren, this is you!! I knew that was my future. Josh and I never find out what we're having, we love the surprise. It keeps me from spending unnecessary loot, on cute sales clothes, and well, it gives me something to say when the baby comes! With Colson I knew it was a boy. With Hallie, deep down, I kind of thought she was a girl. I made a baby announcement with both a boy's version/girl's version just in case! Sure enough, my little girl had arrived. And dad, I didn't need seven boys. I needed one Hallie. Oh my is she a mini me. (personality wise)

Hallie was born in Indiana, while I was living with my mom temporarily. Our lease began March 1st. Yeah, you do the math. Another exciting adventure for the Heaths. She was born I think at 2:30 p.m., My water broke as soon as I got up, actually it's what woke me up. That was fun. Thankfully my mom was still home, and took me to my sisters who was going to be with me through the process of it. This one I had to do alone, Josh was at the end of his training in Texas getting ready to deploy to Korea, and we didn't want him to miss the final tests. (hindsight, we should have said screw it flew him home, and delayed him, he would have then missed the Iraq fiasco, but whatever, it was meant to be)So Bec and I headed to the hospital, where they basically induced me because nothing was happening. This was by far the worst doctor on the planet she was a disaster. Originally an English Teacher, decided to go to med school, and here she was an ob. I begged the nurse to not call her in time. I promised not to sue. BUt to no avail she arrived in time. Although here's a warning to you all that don't find out, it doesn't happen very often so they foget to tell you that it's a .... So finally someone said it was a girl, and Becca was amazing, she called Josh right away and he was able to hear all the first cries of Hallie, somehow he missed the next eighteen months of them!! Lucky duck. Anyway, this was by far the most emotional of deliveries. It is no fun doing it alone. The emotions are intense no matter what, and to throw the absence of dad in the mix, is like a perfect storm for an emotional women. Brandee I'm coming!! :) Either way, my sister was fun, she was definitely the person that brought me some good laughs, right when I needed it. My mom came through for me then too, and showed up with all kinds of fun things for the kids and I. I think secretly she was ready for me to move out! :)

Well about Hallie. If you know me, then you know Hallie. She's intense, passionate, strong, opinionated, loud, rash, and all those wonderful things that are me! Josh recently pictured me as a little girl in his head and had started laughing out loud. He could totally picture it. She's really me.

She is loving gymnastics, has started "writing", can shoot a gun as easy as Colson, while wearing princess shoes, and jewels. I love her ability to communicate, and her great laugh. She drives me crazy with her finger sucking, and her attitude. Oh, and well her incessant demands. i am not wearing that, I not going to the grocery, I not want a pony tail. She often hides her brush from me, while we are getting ready in the morning. She used to hoard food, which was funny, I don't know why she would do that but I would find half eaten cookies, crackers, or bars in her drawers, so wierd!

She is a fantastic eater, she's the favorite to cook for because she will eat anything. Oh except worms (shrimp).

I've been meaning to do a scrapbook page called "Swimsoups and Sunscream." I love her little words, like Squares. What are those, nope not the shape. The things in the yard that run around and collect nuts. Yup, you got it. Squirrels.

She too has been a sport, and considering her dad showed up when she was eighteen months, she's bonded well. She resembles her Grandpa Heath, and I love it. I can totally picture him sometimes when I look at her, and I just love that she's a great combination of heaths and me.

So here's to the princess turning four today. We love you, and happy 4th.

The Fam at the Beach

I have some friends wanting to see my tan - there was only one picture taken of me all week, because poor Josh doesn't know how to use my fancy camera. So here it is, I would run into position and here we are the night before we left. Oh I wish I was there now!