If something's missing....check the garbage can

I make it a point every morning to make sure Zachary has his sippy cup before we head to my mom's for the day. Zachary had it last night, and the last time I saw it, it was mixed up with all of his toys scattered on the floor. Well, this morning I am of course packing his diaper bag, and lo and behold, I cannot find the sippy cup. Curtis and I are looking in the kitchen, the family room and Zachary's room for it, but we cannot find it!

After a few minutes of searching I say to Zachary, "Zachary, where's your water?" He takes a few steps, stops, looks around the apartment, and then he goes over to the garbage can and opens the lid and looks inside. I walk over and look inside and......there is his sippy cup!!! Curtis and I both just laughed. It was pretty funny. I was actually quite surprised that he remembered he had thrown it in there.

Our little adventure this morning makes me wonder how many other things he has thrown in the garbage can that we didn't know about and are now long gone to the garbage field.

There is definitely never a dull moment with our Zachary around!!

Nine Words Women Use

My sister-in-law emailed this to me, and I probably shouldn't find it so funny because I am a woman, but I think it is hilarious. This is almost 100% what I mean when I say these words to Curtis. Enjoy!

#1: Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

#2: Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

#3: Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

#4: Go Ahead: This is a dare, NOT permission. Don't Do It!!

#5: Loud Sigh: This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statment often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to #3 for the meaning of nothing.)

#6: That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

#7: Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - this is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'...that will bring on a 'whatever').

#8: Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying *!@% YOU!

#9: Don't Worry About It, I Got It: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response, refer to #3.

I hope this brings smiles to women's faces everywhere!!! (If it offended anyone, please forgive me.)

Mother's Day

I know this is a day late, but I wanted to say Happy Mother's Day! to all you amazing moms out there. I LoVe being a mom!!! Zachary has brought so much joy into my life and I wouldn't trade him for anything. I cannot wait to have more kids. (hint, hint Curtis).

I also wanted to say "I love you" to my mom. She of course won't read that, but I want to tell everyone how wonderful she is and how much I love her. She has been through a lot in her life, and suffers from severe depression, but she has gotten through the tough times and is such an amazing person. I could not have asked for a greater Mom or a better person to watch Zachary while I have to work. I love her so much!!

Once again, Happy Mother's Day to all you fabulous mother's, and here's to many more great ones!!!

Happy Easter! (warning: lots of pictures)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. Ours was so much fun this year with Zachary! It was fun with him last year too, but he was only 2 1/2 months old so he of course couldn't do the egg hunts or anything. This year Zachary was able too, and he loved it and it was so much fun to watch. I almost think it isn't a good thing to have kids around for Easter because you tend to forget why we celebrate this special holiday.

Saturday Zachary and I went to Macey's with my parents and my sister because Curtis was working, and we ran into the Easter Bunny! We didn't take Zachary last year to get his picture taken, so I was excited that we found the bunny there. Zachary loved him!

Sunday morning we spent together and gave out Easter baskets, and then after church we headed to my parents' house, and then after that we went to Curtis' parents house. It was definitely a long day. I was reminded why we alternate Sunday dinners with our families. Going to both in one day is TOO MUCH!

I bought these ears for him at the dollar store, and my brothers'

made fun of him. They said they were too girly. They're BLUE!!!!

I thought they were stinkin' cute on him.

This is Zachary and my sister's three kids (and my sister

because Ashlinn can't walk yet) with the Easter Bunny at Macey's)

Our Easter family photo: Curtis looks HOT!

Zachary is cute as always, and as for me....

I really HATE having my picture taken.

This is Zachary with his Easter basket. He got some cookies,

granola bars (boring), candy (which mom and dad get to eat),

and some sidewalk chalk. His clothes he is wearing are also new.

I think he liked the grass more than the other stuff.

This is during the Easter egg hunt for the nieces and nephews at my

parents' house. Zachary was so funny! There were enough eggs for each

kid to have eight, but Zachary would find one and be done, and

then he found his bubbles from my sister and he was really done!

This pink egg that he has is actually my nieces' real hard-boiled egg.

Zachary was playing with it for a while, and then he accidentally

poked a hole in it, and he kind of looked at the egg, and us for

a minute. I think he was confused because none of his other

eggs had done that. Then he kept playing with it and making the hole

bigger, until the whole thing was in pieces. It was HILARIOUS.

All in all, we had a very good Easter. I hope that we will try not to forget the REAL meaning of Easter. The easter egg hunts, the dyeing of eggs, the presents and the new clothes are always fun, but they don't last forever. However, the true meaning of Easter, our Savior's resurrection, will last Forever and because of him we will all live again!

Conference

I LoVe General Conference! We are so blessed that twice a year we are able to be taught by these wonderful men and women who are closest to the Lord. I love all our General Authorities and leaders, but I will admit I do have favorites.

I thoroughly enjoy Henry B. Eyring. It makes me sad to admit that I didn't used to like him. There was a time that whenever he spoke at General Conference, I would leave the room until he was done because there was something about him that I just didn't like, and I can't even tell you what that was, I just couldn't listen to him. I struggled with this for a LONG time. I prayed that I would be able to listen to him with an open heart and I prayed that I would truly be able to understand this man. I wanted to learn from him. I wanted to grow from him, but I needed help. I have grown to love him. It has taken time, probably more than it should have, but I truly love him. He is so wonderful, and I cannot wait to hear from him again.

I also love our dear President Monson. I had the opportunity to meet him about seven years ago, and I will never forget that day. It was a hard time in my life. I had friends who were falling away from the Church, and I myself was questioning everything my parents had taught me. I prayed to my Heavenly Father to help me know that the Church was really true, and not because my mom told me it was. When I shook President Monson's hand, I felt something that I have never felt before. A peaceful feeling came over me, and at that moment I knew that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the only true church on the earth. Meeting President Monson saved my life, and I am forever grateful to Heavenly Father for sending him to me.

I know without a doubt that this Church is true, and I cannot wait until I get to meet my Savior again.

My Greatest Blessings

So, every once in a while I experience something or read something that reminds me how grateful I am to have not only Curtis in my life, but my beautiful boy Zachary. We have definitely been through a lot with our little guy. He has had tremendous eating problems pretty much from the day he was born. There were times when I would break down crying because I was so tired of feeding him and then having him projectile vomit everything up over and over again. I was definitely humbled today.

I love to look at other people's blogs. I love to look at the cute backgrounds and pictures and read about other's lives. When I read the blogs of those I am close too, I sometimes find myself looking at their friends' blogs (don't worry, I'm not a stalker), I just like to read about other people. Today I came across this http://babymckallister.blogspot.com/ and I cried my eyes out. How could I complain about my child having such horrible eating problems when this poor couple was going through something like this? I cannot even imagine the anguish and heartbreak this family went through. I was humbled and gently reminded that the trials in my life have been nothing compared to this.

I am so grateful for my Zachary. Prior to him, I must not have been a very patient person because I have had to learn patience many times all over again. He is such a joy in not only mine and Curtis' lives, but anyone he comes in contact with. I thank my Heavenly Father for him every day, and I would not trade him for anything.

Zachary's 1st Birthday!

We celebrated Zachary's 1st birthday on February 1st, and it was so much fun. I cannot believe how spoiled this little guy is. Both mine and Curtis' family were so generous with the gifts they gave him. He got tons of clothes (mostly from Curtis and me), stuffed animals, puzzles, balls, cars, a coat from Curtis' parents that he has needed for a long time, and so much more!!!

I think the best part about his birthday was watching him "not" eat his cake. Anyone who knows us really well knows that Zachary has had a lot of eating problems since he was born. This kid basically hates to eat. I know, I know, you are probably thinking "who hates to eat"? The answer to that is Zachary. There have been many times when he has cried and cried and cried when we have fed him. He has had really bad acid reflux since he was born, so eating time has never been fun for him or the person feeding him. So, we were kind of hesitant to get him a cake for his birthday because we knew he probably wouldn't eat it anyway, but it was his birthday and we decided he did need a cake. When cake time came, we took off all of his clothes, put a blanket on the floor, and gave him a piece of cake and............he didn't eat it. As you can see in the pictures, he really just played in it. Not one bite went into his mouth, but it was fun to watch him anyway.

I cannot believe he has already been with us a year. It has been a very difficult year with his eating problems, but I would not trade him for anything. I love him with all of my heart and he is a beautiful boy!

Oops....the pictures are going the wrong way in this post. The top picture is the last picture we took, and the bottom one is the first picture. I am still getting used to this blogging thing.