Dried Up Markers Anyone???

I just wanted to share something cool I discovered the other day. I recently bought a package of brand new Crayola markers and every one of them was dried up...completely. I was going to throw them away or return them to the store when I had the thought to check the internet for a solution. I found a few websites that offered the same advice. They said to take a few drops of white vinegar and drop them into the cap of the marker and replace the cap on the marker. I waited a few minutes for the vinegar to absorb into the marker and...whalah!!! PERFECTLY restored color in all of the markers!!!

One more thing...this only works on 'magic markers' or Crayola type markers. Permanent markers are made from an alcohol base instead of a vinegar base like the Crayola markers.

Just thought I would share. Besides, who doesn't have a dried up marker at home?

A Cursed 2009? What do you think?

We will save you the wait for the annual family newsletter we usually share in December. Here is our 2009 so far:

January: Everyone in the family gets sick. (This was the easy trial)

February: All appliances break down at the same time = very expensive repairs!!! Water leak in kitchen destroys new flooring.

March: Ben gets car totaled by a woman running a red light. We end up buying a lemon to replace it and it sucks up all our money.

April: Ben almost loses his job and we lose our baby after 3 months of pregnancy. (Not to mention a few other personal issues we can't list here.)

May: (you probably won't believe this one...) Tanya discovers a man dressed in black hiding in our garage at 11pm. Tanya screams at him to "Get OUT!" and then Ben chases the man down the street (with barefeet) into the darkness and returns 15 minutes later empty handed. Police show up 2 hours later to investigate and search the neighborhood hoping to still find the mystery man dressed in black. (a little late guys!...but thanks anyway!)

So... is this a cursed 2009 or a rather especially exciting one??? Should I be scared for June?

Just Thought You Should Know...

Our Sweet Baby

Today was the day
we were going to meet you.
The ultrasound appointment was set.
For 12 weeks I was the only one to cradle you
now no one else can.
Our families and friends didn't even know you were there.
We had planned to wait and surprise them.
Instead of announcing the day of your coming
they will hear of our loss instead.
I cried all night at the thought
of losing a little one so dear.
I loved you already and didn't want you to go.
Now miscarriage is another word for fear.
Such pain and such anguish!
I didn't want to believe it!
We will never forget you or stop loving you.
Somedays there is deep peace and comfort.
Other days nothing but pain and sorrow.
Your 12 week existence will never be in vain,
you have united our family in ways we can't explain.
Losing you in springtime will always remind me
of a promise told long ago.
Just like the trees and flowers
who shine with all their glory after a long winter's nap,
someday we will see those arms wiggle
and your eyes will bear witness of an eternal plan
made possible by our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.
Goodbye our sweet baby, enjoy your heavenly home
for we shall meet again.

--With Love, Your Mother & Father
4/23/09

Ashlynn is a Pop Star

I haven't taken any photos lately and I haven't posted anything for a long time. I forgot I had taken these pics back in February and they made me laugh when I saw them again. Here is Princess Ashberry eating some fruit and whip cream. I love her crazy hair. If we even TRY to come near her with a comb, she says, "NO, I already have 'bew-ful' primpiss hair".

If I straighten MY hair, she stares at me for a while and then says...."Me hate yur hair. You no have bew-ful primpiss hair."

Evidence that Ashlynn was here. Daddy is being taken care of extremely well. He has every blanket tucked around him that she could find. Ashlynn even managed to tuck a few of her babydolls in with Daddy.
Have you been to the doctor's office lately? Well, we went there several times in January and February and noticed that the basket of suckers had Ashlynn's name on the wrappers!!!! The spelling is even the same as our Ashlynn. I looked it up online and I guess the Dum Dum's Co. has a contest for kids and if you are the winner, you get your name put on your favorite flavor for 6 months to 1 year. A little girl back East won and her name happened to be Ashlynn. Our little Ashlynn was loving having her name on the suckers!

When it rains it pours...

I haven't felt like blogging lately. I have so many things on my mind right now. Ben was in a car accident on Wednesday and totalled his car. He is okay. Just a few burns from the airbags and body soreness of course. A lady ran a red light and they collided. I am thankful he is okay. His accident could have been so much worse.

Things just seem to be getting more difficult for us lately and sometimes it feels confusing and disheartening. I know the sun needs to come out soon...it always does.

Dental Hygienist???

I am strongly considering going back to school to become a Dental Hygienist in the very near future. Does anyone know someone who has had a good experience with this profession? Please share info and/or insights with me. I would love to hear it.

25 Random Things About Me

I just posted this on facebook, so I thought I would post it on my blog too. I have been a little MIA lately in the blogging world and on facebook due to some crazy circumstances. Our computer died, our brand new flatscreen TV died, and our dishwasher died and sprung a leak and destroyed our new kitchen floor....all within one week!!! You know, just a few more things to add to the financial drama lately. I think I have cried myself to sleep all week. Our new kitchen floor is now in a broken heap in the backyard due to the water damage. I decided to finally sit down and write this list so I could take a break from my stress. Creating the list helped me remember some fun times and some fun people who have been a part of my life!
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1. When I was younger, my dream was to start a 'healthy eating' camp for overweight young girls.
2. I went white water rafting on the Snake River AFTER the bottom of the raft was ripped off. Talk about adrenaline rush! I thought my life was over. (Thanks Ang!)
3. One year at Girls Camp, there was a huge bell the camp leaders rang to wake us up every morning. Well, myself and a few accomplices pushed the bell off the stand and rolled it down a hill full of poison ivy. Needless-to-say, our mornings were more peaceful for the rest of the week. (I'm a little embarrassed about this one! What a brat!)
4. The 2 most rewarding and amazing events in my life are also my 2 most challenging events: being a missionary and being a mother. I wouldn't change either of them for anything!
5. I have had over 25 jobs. My first job was corn detassling at 13 years old. I discovered that there is boy and girl corn. I guess even corn has to find a way to procreate. Very interesting.......
6. Ben is my 60th roommate. I have had 47 roommates, 12 missionary companions and 1 husband.
7. I was picked out of a crowd to kiss a seal at LORO Parque in the Canary Islands.
8. As a child, I used to live next to drug dealers who shot a bullet through my bedroom wall right above my bed.
9. Against the advice of my Dad, my sisters and I put our boy and girl hamsters together for 60 seconds and ended up with lots of baby hamsters a few weeks later.
10. I miss fishing in Minnesota with my family.
11. I still have all the pieces to every board game I owned as a child. Sorry, Battleship, Gotcha, Memory, checkers, Don't Spill the Beans are just a few of them. I was a little psycho about keeping my things looking nice and in perfect condition....but yet I hate cleaning my house as an adult.
12. I have kept a journal since I was 8 years old. (I will have to make sure to add this list!)
13. At a haunted corn maze, one of the workers chased me with a chainsaw and pretended to saw my legs off. Let's just say...my 2 year old isn't the only one to occasionally pee her pants! I was 25 years old!
14. 2 pet peeves: I hate watching the same movie twice and I hate walking around in wet socks.
15. My ability to speak Spanish has helped me get more jobs than my college degree. (Although I need to brush up on hablando espanol!)
16. I, unlike the rest of the world, actually loved the FREE airplane food they used to give you on the airplane.
17. I love to travel and see new places for the first time. It's such a thrill to me.
18. I got braces when I was 26 years old. I worked at an Orthodontic office and thought, "Hey, FREE braces-why not?" It was one of the best things I have done. I love having straight teeth and I can't go to bed without flossing.
19. I have always loved palm trees & islands. My room as a teenager was full of posters of islands and palm trees. I even asked for a palm tree for my 17th birthday. I ended up receiving a 'palm plant' instead. (I lived in Minnesota-what did I expect?)
20. If I ever got a tattoo (even tho' I never will) it would have to be a palm tree.
21. I passed out during a job interview when I was 27...needless to say....I didn't get the job.
22. Greatest weakness: Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies.
23. I didn't know I could draw until 2005 when I tried to sketch a picture of my baby boy. A month later I started taking drawing classes.
24. When I was 15, I was in a car with my sister and 2 friends. Our car veered off the road, rolled down a hill and landed upside down in a pond. I still consider it a miracle that all of us survived with minor bumps and bruises.
25. I have never seen Friends, ER or Seinfeld. I didn't have a TV for 10 years and I didn't care or miss it at all.

Random Purchase

A few weeks ago, I purchased a face painting kit online and we have had so much fun with it! The paints are professional grade and come with an awesome book full of cheek art and face painting examples. My kids are THRILLED to say the least.

Face painting is harder than I thought it would be-especially on children. They are so dang wiggly!

Luke picked a baseball theme because he was learning about the letter B last week at preschool. These face paints are so fun and I would recommend them to anyone.

Hard Econo Times= More Creativity!!!

We, like many others, have been hard hit this past year and we haven't been able to do all the things we want to do. In some ways I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing. Christmas was WAY more simple and WAY more enjoyable this year. I have also noticed that our family time is more precious and planned out. We do a lot more activities at home and we have focused on our talents and other things that bring us joy.

Sooooo, if you're ever bored you could..... ...take apart all of your Buzz Lightyear toys and try to fix them again...

...although I think Buzz has no chance of repair from a 4 yr old.You could make & publish your own books and fill them with all the words you know how to spell, like 'pop', 'boo', 'dad', 'mom' and etc.

And you could illustrate your own books with your favorite characters in them.

Pablo Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain one once he grows up!"

Quote of the Morning:

"If I didn't have 2 holes in my nose, then I wouldn't pick it!"- Luke, age 4

Ok..sooo maybe that wasn't funny....

So...I guess Jenny and I are the only ones who think Ben's drawing was funny. Man, what do I have to do to get comments? :)

Love at Home

Last week we had a Family Home Evening lesson about having more 'Love at Home'. Ben was in charge of the lesson and did a great job. The activity for the evening was drawing a picture that depicts one way we can each have more love in our home. The following is Ben's picture:

Yep, that's me sitting there in front of the TV holding the beloved REMOTE!!! Which, by the way, I never get to use!!! I must say I look smokin' in my skinny body, tight pink outfit and noticable boob lift. The mer-man in the background is Ben. This picture was just too dang funny not to share.

Deer in Headlights

Ok, I have one more Christmas thing to post. We have had major computer problems this past month, so I haven't been able to stay up to date as I would like to be. Here is my little deer in headlights at the Preschool Christmas Program. Luke started out with his hands covering his face and then he started to get all wild and crazy during Jingle Bells. You can check out the video below to see for yourself.

Ok...so maybe 'wild and crazy' wasn't the correct way to describe it, but atleast he was smiling this time.

Christmas-All Wrapped Up

Okay, so I am still working on posting Christmas pics. Hopefully this post will wrap up all our events and we can move on to the new year!

This year I made 'Reindeer Food' as gifts for our neighbors and friends. The kids helped me make it and they couldn't wait to sprinkle it all over the snow on Christmas Eve. As you can see in the photo, Luke dressed up for the 'sprinkling' event.

Here is a sample of one of the Reindeer Food gifts. I made them into ornaments so that people can refill and reuse it every year. I love making homemade gifts! It takes a lot of time, but I love every minute of it.

Santa brought Luke the BATCAVE!!! Yay!

Aunt Jaime had this Halloween crayon case made for Luke. Isn't it the coolest thing? (Click on the photo to get a better look at it). Luke had to drop everything and quickly color a page in his new Cars coloring book.

The 3 Santas. Luke started it, of course!

Princess stuff, baby stuff and candy . What more could a girl ask for?

Looking for Santa.

Yearly tradition: visiting the 'Christmas Houses' in a nearby city.

The kids love coming here. This window/house displayed elves making Christmas cookies.

Gma and Papa drove 8 hours to come visit us! Yay!

Excuse the pigsty in the background, but check out Miss Sassafras sitting on Mommy's lap! I swear Ashlynn is 2 going on 14!

More Christmas visitors: Aunt Kris-Kris and Gma Carolyn from Tennessee! What a special treat to be with them.

Christmas Roses

This may be hard to believe, but I took this photo one month ago! We still had roses blooming and the kid's hadn't even taken out their winter coats yet. I can't believe all the snow we have received since this photo was taken. Now it feels like the snow will never go away.

We are so Smitten!

I am lagging behind at posting photos and events from Christmas. So, I decided to group my pictures and break them up a little. Usually I post things about Luke because he says the funniest things I have ever heard or he is always creating something very unique. But Ashlynn needs her own post today. Ben and I have been so smitten by this little girl-especially lately. We see more of her personality every day and we can't get enough of this sweet little cupcake.

As we were decorating the Christmas tree, Ashlynn discovered what she thought was the longest and grandest necklace EVER! She loves jewelry and reminded all of us that this was HER 'nayness' (that's how she says necklace).

Princess Ashlynn.

Uncle Ron and Aunt Colby sent her this crown and jewelry. She was in heaven! It's hard to believe she is only 2 years old. She looks older with her jewelry on.

Ashlynn reading a book in her new favorite spot.

A friend gave Ashlynn this dress and she ADORES it. One of her favorite pasttimes is to open the closet and gaze at her princess dresses all hanging up in a row. It brings her so much joy and she wants everyone to join her in the event.

Even when she is sassy or mad, she still melts our hearts.

She loves to dance and kick her legs like a ballerina although she has never had a dance lesson.

We love you Ashlynn.

David Bowman-(artist)

David Bowman:

has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero".

Check out his website at http://bowman-art.com/indexFineart.htm to see more of his precious art.

"Security"

One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generated the exact feel I was looking for.

"My Child"
This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His.

"Innocence"

The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples