Throw Back Thursday

My Mom sent me a whole plethora of pictures from way back when. It was fun to see them, as some of them I have never seen before! Here is me getting what I think was my only perm as a child, unless my Mom subjected me to the torture more than once then I know this was in second grade. I remember wearing a hood over my head the first day back to school after I got it.
Here are the after affects on me. And that is my pretty sister, Sarah with her triangle hair, that we have learned through others was a popular look of the time!

Mmmm....pudding!

A few items of cute...

So the kids found the little swimmers I have that are accumulating year to year. Needless to say the result is pretty pleasing, they even coordinate!

Don't even get me started on Brady in those pajamas.
Sometimes I just can't handle the cuteness. We like to say they cross the legal limits of cute saturation, and that leads to a punishment of nibbles and tickles, especially in the armpit and neck area. and piggies, I love me some piggies!

Please for give the "unmade" bed, that is what happens when you have two monkeys jumping on the bed, never mind what that silly Dr had to say about it...

And look what Brady and I found today. Um, it has wings and piggies, need I say more...cutie fry!

On a (trying to get) lighter note

That machine...you know the one I am talking about...my devil elliptical!! Holy cow, this is not your average low impact, smooth rotation, use it for and hour and still not feel the burn until the next morning, elliptical machine. Oh no, this one is SO. STINKIN. HARD! Of course that is all the better for those of us trying to exercise, but man is that thing kicking my butt! For some reason, the lowest setting is HARD, and the highest setting is DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT MAKING ONE ROTATION ON THIS BABY! We are having fun with it and love to jump on when we can, but I will be honest...I think it may be winning! Wish me luck! I will not give up the fight, especially since we bought the dang thing!

There are no words

I just got the news that our beloved Prophet has died. He was loved by all and will be missed. Words can not do justice to how I felt and still feel about this man.

A lovely article HERE found by Missy.

Hurrah for exercise!

Yay! A late ordered Christmas gift arrived yesterday and Keith was kind enough to put it together for me right away! It had SO MANY PARTS!! He did a great job, and I only cringed a few times when he had to rub axle grease on some of the parts. *cringe*
Here it is in all its glory! My new elliptical. I am excited to have it, because this is the ONLY machine I have found that I actually enjoy. I am going to start with baby steps on my path to a slimmer me, I am scared I will get overwhelmed and then get burnt out! Baby steps like exercise but not yet overhauling my diet...
... maybe that is how a huge box of these made it into my cart at the store the other day. I have no idea!
Mmmm...flaky pastry!

and a little P.S. for my parental units so they don't think we broke the bank...we got it from trusty old Wal Mart, so not the bestest one out there, but good enough for us!

Blah: part 2

My friend Kelli worded this feeling much better here, but I too am having what I like to think of as blog-writers-block. I have a few things that have been itching in my brain to come out, but of course those require illustration, and as I am now camped in front of my work computer, and my pictures are all nestled inside my other computer, those posts must be put off for another time (hopefully later tonight!). I just wanted to touch bases, and apologize for the lameness of the blog lately.

"Family Activity" aka shopping

Yeah, so it was too cold to do anything outside today, and the only things we had thought of were the zoo, or the botanical gardens. Needless to say those were both out. So instead we made the long trek up the that big blue store in the sky: IKEA. We had marginal luck. The food was weird today (no peanut butter and jelly for Brady, and the mac & cheese was "mooshy" according to Natalie), the main item we were seeking was out of stock, and of course it was crowded.

This is what we went for, it is a little highchair for Natalie so she can get off her make-shift booster of phonebooks, and we can put Brady into the regular booster seat, and get rid of the highchair we have now. Of course, they won't have any for at least 2 weeks, so we will have to go up again. Better start another list!

But, we did pick up a few things that I am pleased with.

A cute play rug I have been wanting for a while now. I love it because it is soft colors instead of the ones you normally see that are primary colors with black roads. Plus an added bonus was that it was only $15!!Small cardboard storage boxes to help pretty up my craft room. I only bought one set, and now I NEED more. They are so pretty and handy!
And, last but not least a super cute, table top ironing board so I don't have to lug out my huge one into the limited space I have when I want to iron one teensy bit of material. That was getting old! And the best part about this one is that it was $3! you can't beat that!

Blah

Sorry nothing new to post lately. You know the gist, the kids are cute, the weather is cold, the husband is going to school. Tomorrow is a holiday, maybe, just maybe we will get our butts together and do something fun that I can write about.

Way-Back Wednesday: School photo edition

As I was digging back through my horrible school photos I had an "Ah-ha" moment, I just happen to have some of Keith's glorious school photos too! So Instead of just embarrassing myself I can drag Keith along with me!

Here we both are in 8th grade. There I am in my mid 90's body suit and hunched posture (all the better to disappear with) and GIANT glasses. There Keith is with his early 90's sideburns up to here (or should I say NO sideburns up to here!). I am sorry, but he is cute!












And to offset what may be the worst school photo of me ever, here is one of my favorite Senior Photos. It is me and my best friend Mindi. I love this picture so much! I wish it wasn't as washed out, but I think that makes it look serene, or something. I felt SO cute in that dress! And yes, Mindi is gorgeous!
And, just because I can, I found what has to be the most stereotypical Kindergarten picture in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD! It is my little sister Emily, and I just want to eat her up with a side order of french fries! I think she looks SO cute here! please forgive me smudge!

Another life lost

I was cruising the internets and I stumbled upon a sad bit of news. My H.S. celebrity crush, Brad Renfro, was found dead in his home on Tuesday (probably of a drug overdose). I swear I had some of these exact pictures on my wall in High School, I know I had the one of him in the coat. Anyway, just crazy how life treats the young and famous. He was 25. Different paths take you different places, and I am so grateful for the path I am on. It was a strange coincidence because I just thought of him the other day when Kelli mentioned her love of Ryan Gosling here.

A puddle of mush

So, I have threatened to nibble on Brady's various chubby parts so often, that now when I ask him if I can have a snack he will (sometimes) say "yup" and offer up a leg or arm for my nibbling pleasure. If I am lucky I get some under-chin. Mmmmm....babies!

Dear Cowboys,

You broke my heart (and pulverized Keith's), but I still love you, and I promise to watch next year.

Love,
Shannon

P.S. I am sorry, Tony Romo, if I unnecessarily blamed you last night, I was tired an emotional. You did your best, but sometimes, you have to admit, your best just wasn't enough.

Family Update: In Pictures

Stay tuned for more throwback Thursday/flashback Friday pictures If I get up the energy later today!

I wanted to post some old pictures but I realized I had a TON of recent "old" pictures and some new ones too that I hadn't shared! Things have been pretty hectic around here. Lots of new things starting with the new year.

Natalie has started a preschool that we both love. She has a book "DW's Guide to PreSchool" and she loves it so much, but her first preschool attempt was nothing like DW's school. This new one is very much so and it makes it more fun for Natalie. They actually have cubbys with her name on it, they do circle time, art projects every day, fun snacks, and they are even going to have a pajama day on the 31st! (I recognize that the previous sentence is all out of whack in terms of being parallel in structure, but I am too lazy to figure out how to change it! If you don't know what I am talking about, then just ignore me, LOL!) We are excited about that, and Natalie is excited because we told her she could get some new jammies!

Natalie in her new target dress.

While Natalie is at school Brady and I get some good quality time together, so far the 2 days we have had have been fun. It is nice to be able to play things with him and not worry about a certain "Princess" coming over and inadvertently domineering the play. He has been super sweet lately, but also still very much a pill. Or as the aforementioned "Mr. Trouble" shirt, which actually turned out to be a "Mr. Mischief" shirt which is a HUNDRED times more appropriate for my little guy, he is very curious! regardless, we have fun and it is good to get to know him on his own and not him under the influence of sissy.

Trying to get a picture of him in his new Mr. Mischief shirt, yeah right! Brady sit still? Never!

I have just been plodding along. I got new hours for work that should be more convenient to having to get up early to take Nat to school and be prepared to handle the kids when Keith leaves for early classes. I also started swapping again, and that has been fun to try and create.

Handmade for a "Beginner Stuffie Swap". We call him "Ock".

And Keith, well I would give a little update here, but he is a punk, and heaven forbid anyone know anything about his personal life. So we will just say he is alive! I guess that is all that matters anyway!

The other day we caught a glimpse of a fire in one of the garbage cans. We got to see the firemen pull up and extinguish it with their hoses. It was pretty cool for the kids, and who knew how much water it takes to put out even the smallest fires! They sprayed that thing FOREVER! Brady and his new haircut. This is part of what we did on our first Mommy/Brady outing. I took him to a cool haircutting place that is all sports themed, and they have Sports Center playing, Brady LOVED it of course! He sat SO still, and even let the lady gel his hair. He looked SO handsome, and he heard me say this so in the car for the rest of the morning he was saying "hansum boy. hansum boy." Of course I couldn't pay him to say it now.

Oh yeah, Brady likes to pull hair, especially poor Natalie's!

Natalie got book orders at school! Great for her, bad for me! I have a weakness for them and I HAVE to order from them. Luckily for me, they always have a few 95 cent books that I can pad my order with!I swear Brady is a good kid, LOL, but he is a B-O-Y! He likes to randomly throw things, and last night he tossed a block and it hit Nat right between the eyes! She started crying SO bad, I was working and it scared the crap out of me. She is better now and only has a red line on the bridge of her nose to show for it, but last night there was a huge (to me) bump on her sweet nose.And one last thing, Erin is a greeeat influence! She is teaching Natalie how to take "MySpace" pictures. Wonderful. Cute, but still!

Restaurant review: Saltgrass

Salty.

A love letter

Sweet, sweet Target,

I love you! I know that we have had our ups and downs (like how you habitually refuse to stock cute clothes for weeks at a time), but today you have redeemed yourself. You are a fair weather friend for me I must say. I only let myself visit you when there is money in my pocket, and sometimes I am weak and I come to see you even if there is not. Today, while trying to kill a few hours until my wee one was finished with pre-school I found myself drawn to you. And, I am so glad I did! Of course, now that Christmas is over the shelves are restocked with goodies galore in every possible department! From my most favorite ever, The Global Bazaar, to the toys, where all sorts of new and inventive things to play with are to be found, to the children's clothes, where finally, FINALLY there are abundant cute things to be had! What a joyous day (granted I wasn't able to buy anything...yet! But I will SOON!) to browse and imagine all the sweet spring days to follow with my little ones dressed up most adorably! Like the "Mr. Trouble" shirt, that is coming home with me, in fact I may go get it tonight so that I can sleep instead of thinking about it! I knew they had Mr. Funny shirts due to the cuteness of Fynn, but Mr. Trouble, that is my Brady in a nutshell. And your sweet spring dresses of polka dots and flowers! Thank you for providing cute and affordable church clothes for a certain Princess I know of. Anywho, I digress, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you, for a new shopping season, thank you for all the things I need and many that I don't and most of all thank you for giving me something to look at when I get the itch to get out and it is too cold to go anywhere else!

Your faithful (broke) friend,

Shannon

Letter to the Fam

Dearest Brady,

You are so sweet! You are lovey and precious and darling...but...Why, Oh Why??? won't you sleep throughout the night?? I am telling you a full night of sleep is a wonderful thing! You should try it sometime, we would all be much obliged.

Love,
Mama
________________________________________________
Dearest Natalie,

You are such a sweet girl and I thank you so much for not wetting the bed like I did as a kid, but can I just ask why you feel the need to pee three times a night?? Two teeny drops does not an emergency make, but I am not mad, at least you don't wet the bed!

Love,
Mama
________________________________________________
Dearest Keith,

I love you, and I know how much you like the Cowboys, but can you please not stress out about the game that is 6 days away?? At least wait 'till Friday. I hate to say it, but there is nothing you can do! It is in their hands, just sit back and be a good fan.

Love,
Shannon
________________________________________________
Dearest Sister,

Please wake up. We would all love to see your (smiling) face once in a while, especially when it is not connected to or staring at (read: texting) your cell phone.

Love,
Shannon

Picture Update

I was perusing through old pictures and I came across some that I hadn't ever had the opportunity to share.

In the afternoons(if they are good) and mornings the kids LOVE to watch PBS cartoons. Arthur is a favorite, and Curious George, we have also gotten back in the habit of watching Sesame Street for Brady's sake. they love to watch on Mommy and Daddy's bed. Which is so funny, because I remember loving to play on my parents bed! I think all kids love to do this I don't know why! Plus it makes a great trampoline!

Natalie got herself dressed from top to bottom, she was SO proud of herself and wanted to us to take a picture of her all dressed up. Not too shabby, note the shoes (sorry Lorraine, I kinda think they are an experiment gone wrong!)

Keith was watching the kids while I was napping and he said they were playing quietly in the bedroom, and then he realized it was a little too quiet. He went in and they were hopping from one toy bin to another with a nice pile of toys there on the side for someone (me) to clean up later. Good thing Keith had the presence of mind to take a picture first and get sorta mad later!

Yee Haw! Ride them couch cushions!

Snack time! Yummy! And Brady is really good at eating on his own now! So we are very excited about that, he has mastered both "poon" and "foke"!

A new age...

...of kids with cell phones! When Natalie was little, barely over a year. We caught her walking around the house with her Winnie the Pooh binkie holder tucked into her shoulder like a phone just talking and laughing away. She would do this all the time, she would pace up and down the hall (of my most favorite apartment ever), just jibber jabbering away to herself, and laughing, oh the sweet laughing! She still does this to this day, now she talks to her friends and family...she even shushes us if she is talking and we are being too loud!
Then the other day we found Brady doing the same thing, except now we have "old"cell phones that he can play with. But it is still just as sweet! Just having a little conversation about apples and bananas!

Forget it!

Too many of my family don't have blogger email address, so they can't get on if I make it private, and the fact that I have family all over the place is one of the main reasons why I have the blog in the first place, so poo, it just isn't going to work! I will just be careful and make sure my "billboard" doesn't have too much private information!

Throw back Thursday?

I think someone coined that term? I forgot to do pictures yesterday, well actually I just finally found the pictures tonight. I was sifting through the pictures and I came upon a few sets that I may have swiped from my Mom or Dad, oh well! I though I would start with some cute ones before I expose you to the horror that is my adolescent years....EEEK!

I am pretty sure this is me at my second(third??) birthday party.

Me and Sarah on my squeaky bed! That thing always gave away the fact that I was thumping, it is hard to thump quietly!

I still have that book and the blanket.

Private?!?!

Oh my goodness, I am so torn, because having a private blog is ANNOYING!

Tomorrow is the day...

...I go private. So if there are any last minute lurkers out there, give me your addresses! I want to do it when I am full conscious, so tomorrow is the day. I have been feeling anxious to get it done, so there you have it! If any of you don't get the invite, then contact me (somehow) and I will invite you! Thanks all for reading!

One more thing...

...I forgot my most important resolution! The one I have been thinking about for the last 3 months or so. My number 1 goal:


Get to church EVERY week, even if I am tired after working till 3 (which makes a difference when church starts at 9am!). I find excuses too quickly of why not to go (again, something I am not proud of) and we are pretty bad at keeping the Sabbath truly holy in this house. We don't go shopping or anything, but that TV is on almost instantly after we walk in the door during football season. This is the cause of some tension in the house, but only because I am so torn! I want to watch the games, but I would also love for the tube to be off ALL DAY. So baby steps, I just want to get to church every week, and we will work on that TV! (maybe we can get some practice during the off season)

Happy New Year!

Well, since my kids went to bed at 8 and (grandpa)Keith went to bed at 10:30 here I sit all alone working and ringing in the new year. I hope you all had fun tonight (but not TOO much fun!). I decided that this year I want to make some serious resolutions, not just ones I will toss aside in a few weeks like regular exercise or eating salad every day (though I wish those were serious!). So here they are, a preliminary list of resolutions, we shall see how I do!

1. Get to the Temple at least once a month.
2. Have regular Family Home Evenings, I can't say the kids are too young anymore so I just need to get my rear in gear!
3. When frustrated with the kids, don't talk mean or yell (I admit I come from a family of screamers, I am not proud of it, but in the essence of the new year I will fess up to it). STAY CALM and talk as nice as possible!
4. Regular scripture study and family prayer.
5. Stop picking my lips! yeah, right!

Well, there ya go. Not spectacular or mind blowing, but hopefully some of these will help me to have a happier existence this year, less downs and more ups. We could all use a little help and I am hoping this will get me on the right path...especially the lip thing!