Funny Tag...

I got this e-tag the other day & it was too funny NOT to share...

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car): King Muffin Van

2. My gangsta name (favorite candy bar and favorite cookie): 5th Avenue Thin Mint

3. My "brotha" name (first initial of first name and first three letters of last name: M Jon

4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal): Red Giraffe

5. My soap opera name (first name and city where you were born): Maren Oak Harbor

6. My Star Wars name (first three letters of your last name and first two letters of your first name then the word "of" then a medication you are on): Jonmaofclaritin

7. My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front): The Purple Raspberry Lemonade

8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers): Bert Owen

9. My stripper name (name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy):

Escape Sour Patch Kid

10. My witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names):

Lee Funk

Isn't that silly! It made me sMiLe & I hope it does the same for you! If you wanna play along I would love to see this on your blog...:0)

I will NEVER...

I have this amazing friend-her name is Stacy. She is one of the smartest & nicest people I know. I haven't known her for very long-we met through our husbands. Her husband aka "Hot Sauce" (as he likes to be called) & Danny were best friends & next door neighbors growing up in Salt Lake. Mike & Stacy have moved down here & we have gotten to hangout with them several times & I just love them. Not to mentionn that Mike is literally one of the funniest people I have ever known. I have learned a lot from her & she is such a good listener-I feel like I could tell her anything & she wouldn't judge me. She is also the mother of 2 (almost 3) adorable kids. She is a great example to me & I so glad to have her in my life. Love ya Stace! Anyway-on her blog she did a hilarious & honest post about all the things she thought she would NEVER do as a mother. I loved it so much I just had to copy her. So here ya go-these are just a few of the things I thought I would NEVER do as a mother:
1-While changing a diaper, I think, "It needs to be wetter than that" and I put it back on
2-Put my kids to bed dirty
3-Put my kids to bed in their clothes
4-Feel good about taking a shower at 3:00pm because at least I got one in today
5-At 7:05 I might say to my child, "It's almost 8:00, it's time to get ready for bed." Thank goodness they can't tell time yet!
6-Turn several pages at the same time of a really long book-although Averee is catching on to that one!
7- Change a diaper in the trunk of my car
8-Sleep on the floor of my childs room until they fall asleep
9-Feed my kids cookies or cake for breakfast
10-Go grocery shopping at midnight
11-Feed cold cereal for breakfast, lunch & dinner
12-Be reading a book to one child while nursing the other
13-Be pregnant when the youngest child can't walk, speak or eat by herself
14-Love snuggling with my kids so much
15-Clean up so many messes of so many different kinds-sometimes I don't even know what it is!
16- Let my kids run around naked in the sprinklers in the backyard
17-Be so upset at someone so small
18- Wipe my kids nose with my hand & then wipe that on my jeans-YUCK-I know!
19- Ignore my child while they throw a traffic stopping tantrum in the store
20- Bribe my child with candy NOT to throw a traffic stopping tantrum in the store
21- Forget details about my children such as current weight, height or year of their birth!
22- Love getting slobbery sticky kisses
23- Worry so much about three little people
24- Learn to love pink
25- Enjoy staying in pjs till lunch time-& beyond!
26- Enjoy cartoons & Disney movies
27- Take less & less pictures of each consecutive child
28- Think of the park as the cool place to hang out
29- Consider the Wendy's Drive thru a lifesaver
30- Love so completely & so fiercely
Well, that is enough embarrassment for one day. :0) Hope you enjoy my list & I would love to see one from you...

Quick trip to Vegas...

Last Friday Danny had to go to Vegas to pick up his boat (it was having some routine maintenance done) & asked us to go with him. We didn't have anything going on so I jumped at the chance! The girls were so excited to ride in 'Daddy's truck' to 'Begas' (as Adee called it). :0) We had plans to see all sorts of cool stuff but plans have a way of changing...due to "routine maintenance"

It is hard to see-but the green frog behind Averee is made of flowers!

We parked at the Bellagio so we could see the water show, but it wasn't going due to some "routine maintenance" work. But we got the see the Arboretum inside the Bellagio & it was gorgeous! SO many flowers & things made out of flowers! They even had my favorite-hydrangeas! There was also a butterfly showcase that had so many different butterflies-it was crazy! We couldn't even count them all!

Just look at these hydrangeas-gorgeous!

Then we headed down to Caesars to see FAO Schwartz & the moving statue performance in front of The Cheesecake Factory. It was a longer trek than I remembered & I only brought the little stroller for Owen, so we had to take turns carrying Adee. I will definitely remember the double stroller next time! The kids had a blast at FAO Schwartz-they couldn't believe all the toys-especially all the huge ones! Adee kept asking to ride them-silly girl! :0) They even got to play on the piano from 'BIG'. I think we need one of those-the kids would be entertained for hours! But I would need some ear plugs!

Sorry the pic is so blurry-I couldn't get the kids to hold still long enough for a decent pic!

Then we headed over to see the show outside the Cheesecake Factory & yup- you guessed it-it wasn't going on due to "routine maintenance" work. Bummer! But the kids loved watching all the fish in the huge tank-especially when a guy got inside to clean the tank & feed the rays. The girls were mesmerized! Of course the food at Cheesecake Factory was delicious & the kids were so well behaved. Surprise! :0)

Then we had to head back to our car at the Bellagio so we could go pick up the boat before they closed. The girls were pretty bummed that we didn't make it to the Pirate Ship at Treasure Island, the M&M factory, the Shark Reef, or the Live Mermaids at the Silverton/Bass Pro Shop...but we have promised to do that next time-and bring the double stroller! :0) Thanks for a fun day Dad!

P.S. That nite we went to the Colbie Caillat concert at Tuacahn & it was really good. I had only heard the 'Bubbly' song on the radio so I wasn't sure what to expect-but I really liked the whole concert. I added alot of her songs to my playlist-enjoy!

ABC tag...

Thanks for the tag Michelle! Here ya go:

A- Attached or single: Attached

B- Best Friend: Danny

C- Cake or Pie: Cake a la mode or Key Lime Pie

D- Day of Choice: Saturday & Sunday

E- Essential Item: chapstick

F- Favorite Color: right now it is RED

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: bears

H- Hometown: St. George UT

I -Indulgence(s): smelly lotion, books, chocolate chips, clean sheets, & new contacts

J- January or July: can I say neither?

K-Kids: 3-Averee, Adelyn & Owen

L-Life is incomplete without: LOVE (good answer Michelle)

M- Marriage Date: March 13, 1999

N- Number of Siblings: 4- Jason, Kyle, Kjarsten & Alesha

O- Oranges or Apples: both

P- Phobias or Fears: Water (especially if I can't see the bottom-like at the lake) YIKES!

Q- Quote(s): Enjoy the Journey, Give Live Love, 'No success can compensate for failure in the home'

R- Reason To Smile: refer to 'K' answer :0)

S- Season: Spring

T- Tag Five: Christan, Jessica, Stacy, Hillary, Tammy & anyone else who wants to play!

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I can't think of anything that at least one person doesn't already know...how bout I blow my nose in the shower (but I think Christan may know this) sorry that's kinda gross! :0)

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Opressor of Animals-mostly chickens :0)

W- Worst Habit: 'busy body' sums up several bad habits!

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds for sure! :0)

Y- Your Favorite Food: can't think of just one-but I love anything with cream cheese in it

Z-Zodiac: Taurus

Look who's 3...

Adelyn Vause Jones

This was Averee & Adelyn's first Tea Party...so cute!

How the time flies! I can't believe my sweet little chunk is 3! We didn't know what to expect at her ultrasound-whereas at Averee's we already had a feeling it was a girl. But with Adee we didn't really have a strong feeling either way. I have to say that I was more excited about getting another girl than Danny was. :0) Plus, I knew that having their birthdays only a month apart meant that all Averee's clothes would be perfect hand-me-downs. Sorry Adee! When people heard that we were naming her Adelyn they would always ask if we were going to name our kids all 'A' names-but we weren't. It just ended up being the names we liked the most. She was my hardest delivery (I won't go into that now-he he he) but the easiest baby. She was so laid back & only cried when she was hungry or tired. She really spoiled us! When she did cry she had this deep voice-her cry would usually surprise people because it was so deep & sounded hoarse. Adee had the cutest little curly fro when she was little. Averee had curls at the bottom but Adee's curl was all at the top. Such a cutie! She is getting so big & acting all grown up. She gets to go to preschool next year & she is so excited to be big girl like Averee & go to school. Adelyn loves to do anything that Averee is doing to prove that she is a big girl too. She is getting so independent. Which means that her clothes are usually on backwards or inside out & her shoes are on the wrong feet! :0) Adelyn is a tough little tomboy-not much makes her cry. She loves to make messes & it is usually surprising how big of a mess she can make with so little! She is pretty physical & has been pumping herself on the swings for quite awhile now. She loves to dance & has got quite the rhythm. If you have seen her dance then you know what I mean! She can really shake that booty! :0) She is such a ham & loves to act silly to make people laugh. She can always make us smile!

This is Adee showing off her riding skills on her new bike-you go girl!

Happy Birthday Adee Patty! We love you so much! You bring so much joy, happiness & laughter to our family. We can't wait to see what you accomplish this year...

Just what I needed...

I wanted to share a few thoughts & feelings about this past weekend & what a great weekend it was. Conference was awesome-it was just what I needed. My Mom came over on Saturday & we scrapped while we watched the 2 Saturday sessions. Thanks Mom! The kids were pretty good about staying upstairs & watching their movie. I think the Lord helps them behave when He knows we are trying to do something worthwhile. :0) It was so neat to watch the Solemn Assembly-what amazing men! I felt such a wave of reverence & awe come over me to think of the intense responsibility that has come to President Monson. He has always been one of my favorites & now we will get to know him even more. He spoke with such power & authority. My favorite line from him was when he said 'We are fighting a war with sin, brothers & sisters, but it is a war we will win!' He said it with such conviction- I had the chills & knew that he was right. My favorite talk was by Elder M. Russell Ballard at the end of the 2nd session on Sunday. He directed it towards the young mothers of the church & it was just what I needed to hear. I hope Danny was awake to hear it. :0) His story about sitting with his family during Sacrament meeting for the first time in 10 years was hilarious! I think we could all relate to that experience! Everything he said resonated so strongly with me-my heart swelled with gratitude to hear an apostle of God say things that I already knew in my heart-I just needed a little reminder. Elder Ballard made me want to do better & be better-but not feel overwhelmed. As young mothers so much is expected of us & it can be so easy to feel overwhelmed & inadequate. But it is talks like his (& books like 'I am a Mother' by Jane Clayson Johnson) that reaffirm to me that I am doing the most important thing that I could be doing right now: raising & taking care of my family. It really stuck out to me when he explained that children are with us for such a short time before they go out in the world on their own. It is our responsibility to teach them everything we can during the time that we have them in our homes. But of course, I think they usually teach us more. I am constantly trying to be better about living in the moment-slowing down-enjoying the journey. The dishes & laundry can wait-that is what naptime is for right? :0) One of my favorite quotes is from President David O. McKay-'No other success can compensate for failure in the home'. It doesn't get much more straightforward than that. So here is to being a better wife & mother! Thanks to all of YOU-I have been blessed with so many wonderful examples all around me. ChEeRs!