We just call him "Princess"

No, he is not posing. Yes, he is actually asleep in Lyla's fairy tent. Why? Don't know!

Well Hello 2012, It's nice to meet you!

Ah, another year. I've never really believed in embracing "a new year". But this year I feel this incredible urge to live 2012 to the fullest! I am so excited for this year, and all the wonderfulness (yes that can be a word) that it will bring to us!

Simplify. Organize. Love. (wow, if you are friends with Eevi Grossarth, some of these may seem really familiar, they are pretty much her goals too!)

On Monday we went to Costco, and bought everything household or personal that we would need for the entire year! So now all I have to do is weekly grocery shopping! Yeah for me!

My entire house is almost organized to a T, except the sewing room... Ugh kill me know, since all the furniture moving, the sewing room is the catch all room, and it is a disaster.

Oh, and I am not going to Michaels or Joanns at all this year. So if you are, please take my coupons! Let me know, I will save them for you! Digital ones I can send via email, mailer ones I can give you at a play date. So let me know!

2011 was good to us, and I'm sorry to see it go, but with the attitude of looking forward, I am can't wait to see what changes 2012 brings us!

Oh the Things Mr. Squishy Can Do...

... he can go like a cow, moo.... mooo. He can do it, how about you?!

Ok enough Dr. Suess.

Here are just a few things Mr. Squishy (who isn't so squishy anymore) can do at eleven months:

He started walking. And toddles around everywhere. I guess he was actually 10 months, but it was so close to 11, it doesn't matter. And I love it when he runs away when I take his diaper off. He is trying to get away so fast that he never really gets far.

He waves bye bye, and hi, with their accompanying words respectively.

He says: "whada?" aka "what is that?" while pointing with his finger.

If you ask him "where is mom?" He will give you a huge grin and point to me! (Love this one best)

He also says ball, mama, lala (Lyla), and dada

He also loves to do a fake laugh with us. I usually, when Lyla is trying to be funny, say "Ha Ha Ha" real slow and dramatic, and then Lyla follows suit, and finally Spencer takes up the rear by also saying "Ha Ha Ha"... and he does it on command : ) Silly kiddo!

He loves to take baths, and really loves to brush his teeth. He enjoys balls and will sit and play catch with you endlessly! He has been doing this since 8 months. If a ball is near, he senses it, and must seek it out, and his throw is so much better than Lyla's!

He knows what NO means, but likes to disobey.

He loves riding the rocking horse, and also loves to climb up in our miniature rocking chair. He will sit their bouncing his head vigorously, as if that will get him going : )

A few days ago he shook is head NO because he didn't want what I was trying to give him. Smarty pants.

He eats everything! Is current favorite is white cheddar cheese balls. No, we don't have those on a regular basis. Good thing we had a movie night with friends, and indulged in buying lots of junk food, which have now become snacks for the next several days... as well as the last 2 weeks.

When I go in to pick him up from his nap, he throws his arms around my neck and holds me really tight, and squeezes with his whole body, and then pats me on the back with his hand. I melt... every stinking time! I hope he does that forever!

He is easy going, a good sleeper, and oh so happy... his only downfall, he grows up too fast! I feel like I just had him yesterday, and I already miss him, and he isn't even gone.

Spencer boy, you are the light of my days! I love you so much, and I think you will be an amazing young man someday, but for now, just be my baby.

Love, Mom

Things I appreciate about my Mom

Growing up, I had the Mom who scared all the other neighbor kids. Strike that... we lived in the country... we didn't have neighbor kids. Ok, we lived lots of places, and sometimes we had neighbor kids, and they were scared to death of my "strict mom." But I took pride in the fact that I had a mother that always had an after school snack waiting for us (it was never cookies... and koolaid was never a beverage that was ever found in my mothers fridge), and after a healthy snack of champions, she would make us do ALL our homework, and after that we had to do our chores... and then we could play, until she whistled (which could be heard in a mile radius, and then we had to come in and bathe and go to bed. She wasn't strict... she just had rules.

I appreciate my Mother for having rules for us.

My Mother is beautiful. I mean, truly, not just because she is my mom. She never left the house without doing her hair and her makeup. I am such a slob... I should have picked up this habit from her, but unfortunately, I didn't. I leave the house in sweats and a messy bun all the time. Poor people in wal-mart that actually have to look at me on those days. Thank goodness I don't have to look at myself! Perhaps my mother was so good at this because she is a cosmetologist.

I appreciate my Mother for always cutting my hair like the girl in the magazine.

My Mother had this AMAZING ( I capitalize for extreme emphasis) sewing machine. A Bernina, that she bought when I was eight. Infact, I am still waiting around for her to die, just so I can inherit her sewing machine. Ok, that is a bit extreme. But even though I have a pretty sweet PFAFF, that wasn't at all cheap... her 17 year old Bernina is a Rolls Royce compared to it. She also had this sweet Bernina Serger... which I actually did inherit (Thanks MOM!), and with these two machines my mother was unstoppable! Watch out fabric! And to her great credit, even though her machines were amazing... she let me use them ALL ...THE ...TIME. She would stay up late with me, and help sew WWII Nurse outfits for my social studies projects, and quilts I just had to make for a boyfriend, and the occasional skirt for my sister for Christmas.

I appreciate my mom for always telling me "No, I will not sew your prom dress for you, I know you can do it yourself."

My Mother is a great cook. She didn't start that way (or so I'm told, but don't believe). But growing up with her in the kitchen was mouthwatering. And she wasn't prejudiced against frying, I'm pretty sure she lovingly encouraged extra calories it hop right in that hot oil. I can't say that about her now, but at one time... it was true. Anything that came out of my mom's cast iron frying pan was scrumptious...to the umpth degree.

I appreciate my Mother for NEVER showing me how to cook on Teflon. And this is not sarcastic.

My Mother nurtured all of our creativity. And we were all creative in different ways... some of us liked to use traditional mediums like crayons, or sculpey clay, while others liked to use permanent ink and flesh. But she loves us all anyways. No matter where our creativity took us.

I appreciate my mother for teaching me that good people can make bad choices, but that doesn't make them bad people.

Growing up I can say I never saw my Mother watch television, unless it was late at night, with my dad. During the day my mom didn't sit around at all. Literally, she was working all the time. I thought every mom was like her, but now that I am grown, I can see she was a gem. There are alot of Lazy Daisies out there, that complain about EVERYTHING that they have to do. I must say I got this curse. I am forever running around picking up, and scrubbing something, or trying in some way to be productive, but I am forever complaining about it. My mother never complained. And our house was sparkly, and so were our cars, and our garage, and our yard, and our barn. And the last one is true, I had a friend say she would rather eat off our barn floor than her own mothers kitchen floor. Gross. And sad. And gross.

I appreciate my mother teaching me how to work, and work hard.

My mother is so stinking smart. A financial planner at the institution where my mother used to invest our family's money spontaneously offered her a job. And then when my Mother told him she only had a high school diploma, he rescinded the offer. Stupid man. My mother, without the degree is so much smarter than people with the paper. She teaches herself all kinds of things, and she is good. Ask her, she knows. And now, at 47 (I hope) she is going back to school. I am so proud of her.

I appreciate my mother for emphasizing not only education, but a desire for knowledge.

My mother didn't "shop." She went grocery shopping. But she didn't shop just to get out with the girls, or because she just had to spend some dough! She was meticulous with money. She taught me it was ok to "shop" just not all the time, and only when you need something.

I appreciate my mother for teaching me the clothes on my body don't indicate my self worth.

My Mom raised 4 kids. She did all our laundry...till we moved out. She made us a hot breakfast for us every morning (Well until we had to leave the house at 5:30 to get to early morning seminary). Dinner was on the table every night... and we never got take out. She made sure we knew we were loved. She was never too busy to put me to bed with a back scratch and a story. Every calling she ever had at church she did so well you would have thought she wrote the book on how it was done. She truly was, and still is AMAZING (again I capitalize for extreme emphasis).

Mom... when I grow up... I still want to be just like you. I love you!

My Mother Dear, Me (and little Spencer), and my Granny