Day 274: Most Anti-Climatic Halloween Ever

But if we're being totally honest--and I'm always honest--I really don't care that today didn't feel like Halloween at all.  I think we celebrated plenty for one Halloween.

Today's Joyful Moment was seeing a picture of my mama tacked to the wall at church.  Last year when she graduated, they took a photo of her jumping triumphantly in the air.  With her legs kicked back, just like in those old Toyota commercials.  Except, she's wearing a cap and gown.  And in keeping with our tradition of honesty, how cool is it that my mom went back to school and got another degree (she graduated way back when (but not that way back when--she's still a young'un) with her associates, but now added on a Bachelors)?

And now, she's in an ad encouraging other people to do the same.  And because it's involved with Brigham Young University and the Church's stance on continuing education, I guess, she gets to be stuck on the bulletin board on the wall.  And that makes me happy.

And it might have made me laugh a little bit, too.

And now, some photos to go along with the last couple posts:

If you count the one lonely leg already attached to the toy (and sitting there all by its lonesome for the last few weeks), you will see 5 (FIVE!) left legs.  And there on the right, the coveted, long-awaited right leg.  Blessed right leg!

And I recognize that this is not a great photo, but look how happy he is to be playing in his new toy!  He still loves it!

And these are the intestines I made.  It's okay, I'll say what you're thinking for you:  Awesome.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are:  Awesome.

Day 273: Still Energizer Bunny-ing

My children got to wear their Halloween costumes.  Again.  And this time they pulled in a major haul of candy.  We don't trick-or-treat on Sunday because it's the Lord's day.  So, since Halloween falls on a Sunday this year, we had a "Trunk-or-Treat" in the church parking lot.  If you're not familiar with this idea, basically everyone parks their cars and then hands out candy out of their trunk.  Really festive people even decorate their trunks.  It's great.

I didn't decorate my trunk.  I didn't even take my trunk.  My HH was given the exciting opportunity to attend the football game today with one of my friend's husbands.  So, we had their family over to make spooky face pizzas for dinner and then we all headed over together.

Just before heading over to the church, we did a little practice run at our next door neighbors.  They gave the kids king-size candy bars.  And then gave them another.  Because they know hardly anyone will come t-o-t-ing on our street tomorrow night.  And our children need two king size candy bars.  Each.  Shockingly, that was a Joyful Moment for my kids, but not as much for me.  But don't worry, my fabulous neighbors then gave me a treat when they offered to watch Baby B while we went to the Trunk-or-Treat.

I think they were joking, but I took them up on it anyway.  I missed my BB, but it was so nice to not have to worry about him because the parking lot madness was chaotic enough with the other two.  And don't worry about my neighbors, they're always asking if they can watch Baby B.  And he was in such a good mood when I picked him up.  He had all kinds of things to say to me and, as you can guess, that was another Joyful Moment.  He is S.O.  C.U.T.E!!!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments and the opportunity to wear your Halloween costume at least 3 times this year!

Day 272: I'm "The Grossest!"

Too many things!

Remember when I bought that play station for Baby B?  Well, it's been quite the adventure, but I now own 5 left legs and 1 right leg.  The mail man came to my door with the package yesterday and when I saw him I squealed with delight and could not contain my Joyful Moment.  He was trying to tell me that they should have shipped it in a box (the package had torn open), but I was busy telling him that I'd like to hug him except that I thought it might not be appropriate.  And then he left.

And I kept the Joyful Moment going as I put it together.  Actually, Little M slipped the leg into place (take that all you Customer Service Reps who thought I was just to inept to put it together!).  Baby B was asleep, but after he finally woke up and ate his lunch, I stuck him in it.  And he just sat there smiling and talking away as he played in it.  So cute!  And satisfying.

Other Joyful Moments of note included taking the kids trick-or-treating at the gym and having a good time as a family.

Then we left the kids with a baby sitter and headed off to a Halloween Party.  It was really well done.  Tons of fun!  And I won an award for "The Grossest" food.  I'll have to post a picture of it later when I upload to my computer.  But I made intestines.  Awesome!  I totally knew I'd win.  And I'm more than a little competitive, so is it wrong that that was a Joyful Moment for me?

Plus, dressing up was pretty fun in and of itself.  I went as a punk rocker and HH went as Napoleon Dynamite.  Another Joyful Moment was watching him spontaneously do the Napoleon Dynamite dance in front of all our friends.  He's normally a little reserved in public.  But apparently, donning a wig has a liberating effect on him.  It was so funny!  And I loved that our friends got to see a little piece of the hysterical man I married.

Fun fun fun day!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in excelling at grossness!

Day 271: Slow And Easy

So, after babying my feet for a couple weeks, I've finally been running again.  Although, it's a whole new ballgame now.  The technique for running barefoot is so totally different, it's almost like learning a new sport.

Today's Joyful Moment was running in them for 8 minutes.  JM because that's the longest I've gone since that very first fateful run.  JM because I stopped myself before overdoing it.  The tendinitis is still somewhat tender.  "Taking it easy" when it comes to my running has always been sort of impossible for me.  Once I get going, there are so many voices in my head telling me I have to go harder, faster, longer and I struggle to tune them out and give way to reason.  In fact, I pretty much never do.

So, I'm really proud of myself because this time, I think I've finally got things figured out.  No more running until I'm physically ill.  Baby steps until I've got this new technique figured out, then I can figure out what kind of running I'm really capable of.  And looking forward to that day is yet another Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all slow and easy Joyful Moments!

Day 270: It Has Begun

Trick-or-Treating, that is.

Tonight we went to the annual "Boo at the Zoo".  Joyful Moment seeing the kiddos in their costumes.  And how totally impressed they were with my face painting skills.  Sweet P is a bat (a costume my mama sewed when I was a kid) and Little M is a cow.  I painted Sweet P's face all black and Little M's all white, except for a black circle around one eye.  I'm amazing.

"Just moms know everything, not dads"--Little M.

Then we met up with some friends at the zoo.  These kinds of events are always more enjoyable when there are more adults to converse with and more cute children to watch having fun.  Plus, her husband seems to have a lot in common with HH and, let's be honest, I would love for him to have some closer friends.  And if those closer friends could be married to some of my friends that would be ideal.  Plus, I like these friends.

And, naturally, everyone who saw my little pea pod Baby B cooed at how adorable he looked in costume and with his crazy fluffy hair.  And that is always a Joyful Moment.

Now, if I could just figure out what I want to dress up as for Halloween... Any ideas?

Wishing you all Joyful Moments involving penguins (they're new at our zoo and they are adorable)!

Day 269: Choices

So, I've been going through a bit of a rough patch as of late.  Mostly just cranky.  Yesterday HH had a stressful day, too and then (lucky him) came home to Mrs. CrabbyPants.  We just sort of rubbed each other the wrong way all evening and made each other grumpier.  So, after posting here last night, I sat and caught up on other friends' blogs for a bit while the back of my brain worked through things.  I finally remembered what I've already learned a billion times:  I can choose to stay mad at HH for no real reason besides that I'm just grumpy, or I can choose to not be.

After an hour and a half, I was ready for the second choice.  I went upstairs and apologized to him for being lame when he needed a little support.  He's pretty much always great at forgiving, so we went to bed maybe a little bit sad with the world, but at peace and love with each other.

Which made waking up this morning better than it otherwise would have been.  I had an early appointment with a psychologist (yay) that I was pretty apprehensive about.  Having HH on my side definitely helped put me at ease about it.  But it was still a hectic morning getting myself and the kids ready to head out the door, dropping them off at a friend's, and then driving across town to the therapist my doctor picked out for me.

That went all right.  The rest of the day went okay.  A friend invited us to go swimming in the afternoon.  I never want to do that because it just feels like too much work, but today I decided it was worth the sacrifice for how much the kids would love it.  So, after naps I got everyone all ready, woke poor Baby B up from his nap early, and loaded everyone in the car.  We pulled in to the gym parking lot just in time for Sweet P to puke all over the entire back half of the van.

Awesome.

We went home and I spend an hour cleaning out the van.  Which was nice because I've been meaning to give it a deep cleaning for sometime now.  I just would have preferred to do this sans the throw up smell that almost made me toss my own cookies a few times.

Not a Joyful Moment--in case you were wondering.

Where am I going with all of this?  Well, I just needed to set the stage for you that today was not the best of days.  And then factor in that I'm already leaning toward crankiness anyway, and well, you get the picture.

And that was when I realized that if I didn't do something, we'd have a repeat of yesterday and really, yesterday was pretty lame.  So, I put on a crazy pair of pants that might be part of my Halloween costume if I can figure out what all to put together (basically, they are super-tight, snake skin, pleather pants--awesome).  And I kept them on until HH got home.

It's amazing what a crazy pair of pants can do to a couple of tired, cranky-prone adults.  Don't worry, nothing crazy happened.  It just made HH smile which made me smile at him instead of griping at him.

Whew!

So, choosing to rise above the bad attitude that is seriously fighting to take over my world right now was my Joyful Moment.

The End.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that happen in an instant but take a novel to explain!

Day 268: Inter-Galactic

Today was kind of overwhelming.  The kids are out of school for Fall Break (really?  Because it doesn't seem like they've been in school long enough to warrant a break, but not my decision).  Now, don't get me wrong--Sweet P is still my Sweet P, it's just that we're all kind of used to her being at school most of the day.

It was like everyone was competing for my attention all day.  At full volume.  And my sensory processors are exhausted.

Plus, we had a normal day on top of that which included:  gym, visit with the lactation specialist, quick trip to the baby store to pick up a fun supplement to enhance my milk supply, babysitting for a friend, and trying to carve pumpkins.

Overwhelming.

But during dinner, a friend stopped by with her family to go "ghosting".  I'd never heard that verb before, but apparently, it involves dressing everyone up in sheets and running circles around the tree in our front yard.  Hilarious.  And the littlest one was beyond adorable in his little pillow case.

Joyful Moment.

And they brought us a bag of Milky Ways.  When it comes to regular old candy bars, Milky Way is hands down my favorite.  Of course, I haven't had one in ages since they involve dairy.  But Baby B has given the okay for me to add some dairy back in to my diet.  (Hooray!)  So, I popped one of those babies in my mouth and for a moment, that Milky Way and I melted together.  Chocolate and caramel.  Yum.

Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are out of this world!

Day 267: How To Have My JM's

Although, as I typed that title, I realized that I forgot to bring my chocolate chip cookie recipe downstairs with me.  So, you'll not be able to create that Joyful Moment just yet.  But you will be able to duplicate a few of my recent Joyful Moments after reading tonight's post.

First things first.  Today's Joyful Moments included wearing my new dress to church today.

My kids used teamwork to take this excellent shot.

And then we had some friends over for dinner.  The wife is one of my good friends from church, gym, craft nights, etc.  Their oldest daughter is in Little M's preschool class.  And their younger daughter is as cute as a button.  So, I decided it was high time the husbands bonded.

And bond they did.  They have extremely similar taste in movies.  Uncanny, really.  And they both love sports.  It's a match made in heaven.

And the whole night was a Joyful Moment for me.  Except when I accidentally said something inappropriate.  Sorry, guys!

Now, how to be just like me.  What you all aspire to, I know.

First the Flirty Skirty:

Here is my little Sweet P modeling her new skirt.  I was so flattered that she wanted to wear it to church today.  Don't ask about Little M.  I don't know why he was shirtless.  And I can't remember if I mentioned the mohawk on this blog.  HH gave it to him.  It has grown on me and I actually like it from the front.  This view, however, makes me think that maybe we live in a trailer park instead of our pretty home.

Okay, so not to disappoint, but I really don't have a pattern.  I googled instructions and got all sorts of weird and complicated stuff, so I decided to just start cutting.  First, cut off the legs of the jeans to whatever length you want the skirt (you can leave them on, if you want a full-length skirt.  But I was doing this to try and salvage one of the 5 pairs of jeans Sweet P tore a hole in last winter).  Then, cut or pick apart the leg seams.  I should have taken pictures along the way, I just never imagined that someone would ask me for instructions on sewing something.  That still boggles my mind.

Anyway, once you have the inner seams apart, cut up yoke of the jeans, to about couple inches below the zipper.  Then do the same in the back.  You do this so that you can overlap that part when you start pinning and cutting.  Can you tell what I'm talking about from the pictures?  Sorry, I don't know enough about sewing to explain this well.

Then cut apart the seam on the leg parts that you cut off.  Cut an appropriate width out of it and start pinning it.  Remember to over lap the part that you cut at the top, so the skirt has the flair you want it to.

I accidentally cut it curved in the back, so it's longer than the rest.  And it is a smooth cut even though it looks like there is a big jagged part on the left side in this pic.  It's just the way the skirt was hanging.  Anyway, even though I did that on accident, I really liked it so I left it.  As you can see, I still have the raw edge at the bottom.  I'm going to wash it and see how I like the fray and then decide if I want to leave it, or sew a hem.

Other options include sewing a different fabric in the panels.  I think it would be cute to do it bunched at the top in the back, so it kind of has pleats.  And I'm also thinking about embellishing it by sewing beads on the front in the shape of a flower, or something.

I still have 4 more pairs I can work with.  Awesome.

Now, if you want to eat like me--

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup 


First off, this is a recipe that is a composite of several others I found on-line.  Like all of my recipes, it's kind of shady when it comes to amounts and whatnot.  I'll do my best.

1/3 C. butter (margarine or olive oil, if you're going dairy-free)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 lbs. chicken, cubed (sometimes I cook it in the soup first and then cube it before serving.  No real reason, just whatever I'm in the mood for)
1 carrot, diced
1/2 or 1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 C. Spinach (this amount varies greatly depending on my mood and how much I have, and you can use fresh or frozen, I haven't noticed a difference)
1 tsp. thyme
Salt & Pepper (I actually don't add extra salt because I think there is enough from the chicken stock)
4 C. chicken stock
2 C. milk or half n' half (rice or almond milk work just fine)
16 oz. Gnocchi (I actually double this because my family love these little dumplings)
1-2 heaping T. flour
1/3 C. cold water

Melt butter and cook the chicken in it.  Add and saute onion, celery, garlic, and carrot until onion is clear.  Add chicken stock, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi.  Gently boil 4 minutes, then turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.

Whisk flour into cold water then stir into the pot to thicken the soup.  Add spinach.  Heat to boiling.  Once it has reached desired thickness, serve.

Sometimes this thickens up so much in the fridge overnight, I add more water to it before serving it the next day.  It's so flavorful it handles this just fine and still tastes just as delicious.  ENJOY!!!

Day 266: Well, That Must Be The Signal To Get Your Body Moving

Another day with three Joyful Moments worth mentioning.

1.  Family Photos.  Not always a Joyful Moment with small children.  But two of my awesome friends took them for us and I've already seen a few that I love.  Yay!  Plus, watching my one friend do acrobatics and fling leaves all over the other friend gave my abs a good workout.  Always a Joyful Moment.

2.  Pumpkin Patching!  This family tradition kept getting pushed back due to HH being super busy with work lately.  So, we finally just made it happen today.  So fun.  Riding behind the tractor as we drive out to the little field to pick a previously-picked pumpkin is always a Joyful Moment because the kids LOVE it.  And they had a bouncy house.  How many Joyful Moments can one little bouncy house hold?  More than you'd ever believe possible.

3.  Single Ladies.  Yeah, tonight was Road Shows at our church.  Basically, each congregation unit (ward) put together a play/skit and performed them tonight.  And I got to dance in part of it.  I tried to explain that I really am quite incompetent when it comes to dancing, but to no avail.  Luckily, my friend that choreographed it gave me private tutoring.  I'm not going to say I nailed it, but I surprised myself at just how well I did do.  And dancing with my gal pals was a Joyful Moment.  Because my gal pals are good at providing those.

Wishing you all at least three Joyful Moments worth mentioning!

Day 265: Where To Begin?

Whoa!  Do you realize what today is?  100 days to go...

Anyway, today was definitely positively insane.  It started off not so Joyful Moment-y--(among other things) another semi-fruitless doctor's appointment for me and shots and low weight gain for Trey--but it got better.

I loooooove Target!  I found 3 cute shirts and an adorable dress on clearance.  For $15 total.  Plus, I saved an additional 5% because of their new card thing.  Did you know you can save 5% on every purchase for ever and ever with one of their cards?  Credit or debit.  I do not lie.

Thanks to the generosity and creativity of a friend, I was able to help out with Sweet P's Halloween Party.  So fun!  Sadly, I forgot my camera, but I was pretty busy most of the time anyway.  Fun to visit her at school and meet all of her little friends.

Our friends set up this massive group date for tonight that I was so excited to attend (capture the flag  at the park, then hot cocoa).  And  then our babysitter fell through.  Yesterday.  We tried to find another, but struck out a few times and then decided it was probably for the best since Baby B has been fussy at night the last few nights (pretty sure it's a tooth).  But I was pretty disappointed.

And then my fabulous friends decided to have the hot cocoa at our house so we could be a part of things!  So so so fun!  I think it was 18 people.  And the hot cocoa was gourmet because that is how my friends do things.  But the real Joyful Moment was just in having an awesome time with our friends and feeling loved by their kindness in bringing the party to us, since we couldn't go to it.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that turn the worst of days into the best of days!

Day 264: Flirty Skirty

I meant to take a picture, but now it's hidden in the dark somewhere in Sweet P's room.  So, you'll have to wait to see what brought me my Joyful Moment today.

It was a skirt.  That I made.  All by myself.  Although, I used my grandma's sewing machine, and I like to think that she was there with me in spirit, sewing alongside me.  Because I'm really not much of a seamstress.  And the skirt turned out super cute!

It helps that it was super easy.  I made it from one of the 5 pairs of jeans Sweet P tore a hole in last winter.  It's not perfect, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.  And that Sweet P wanted to put it on as soon as she saw it.  And then wore it the rest of the day.

Yay!

Wishing you all flirty Joyful Moments!

Day 263: Big Sis

My sister called tonight from the hospital.  I'm not sure why, but I was super worried about her this time around.  Hearing that she and the baby were both safe and healthy yesterday was absolutely a Joyful Moment.

But hearing her voice for myself tonight was also a Joyful Moment.  And chatting with her is pretty much always a Joyful Moment.  I have fabulous sisters.

Wishing you all fabulous Joyful Moments!

Day 262: Tinyness

Today's Joyful Moment was hearing that my sister's baby arrived safe and sound this morning.  And then seeing the picture of his adorable, sweet self.  He has a whole headful of hair.  And it's light brown.  It seems like most babies with a ton of hair have really dark hair.  But his is kind of golden and I love it.  And I really wish I was there to feel it.

I love newborn hair.

Congratulations, Sis!  He's perfect!

Wishing you all a whole headful of Joyful Moments!

P.S.  Don't worry--I'm fully aware that I frequently make up words to use on this blog.  It part of my blogging prerogative (blerogative?)

Day 261: I *heart* My Podiatrist

He happens to be married to my yoga instructor.  And he just became my podiatrist today.  And he didn't tell me he disapproved of my new running shoes (as I expected).  He did tell me that I have tendinitis (as I expected).  And that we can wait two weeks to see if that is accompanied by a fracture (I don't think it is).  And then he dropped the Joyful Moment on me when he told me that I should be able to run again in four days.  FOUR!!!  Waaaaaayyyyyyy less than I expected.  Unfortunately, I have to be all hopped up on Ibuprofen for the next two weeks for this to happen, but I need my running, so I'll do it.

Don't tell my dad.  He's very anti-ibuprofen.

And then we had our neighbor over for dinner tonight.  Her husband is out of town on a hunting trip and every day I look at her house and think how lonely she must be, so tonight we had her over.  I just love her.  So, it was a Joyful Moment dining next to her.  And having her love my Chicken and Gnocchi Soup so much that she requested the recipe.  Everyone I've ever served it to has requested the recipe.  It's sort of a Joyful Moment in and of itself.  I was going to post it for you tonight, but then I got this funky headache. So, let me know if you're interested and I can post it later this week.

And now, I'm going to take my aching head to bed so I can experience more Joyful Moments tomorrow.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments of unexpected excellent news!

Day 260: Primarily Precious

We have three hours of church every Sunday.  The first hour is for the whole congregation together and is centered on partaking of the Sacrament.  We also sing hymns and listen to talks prepared by various members of the congregation.  The second hour is Sunday School for adults and Primary for children.  The third hour the men and women attend different classes as well and the kids are still in Primary.

I teach one of the Primary classes.  One hour we spend having a lesson with just our class, then we have an hour with the older half of the Primary where we discuss gospel principles and sing songs from a book called "Primary Songs".  Go figure.  If you want to see what kind of intensity goes into teaching the children these songs, check out this site.

Anyway, once a year, around this time of year, we have what is called (drum roll, please) The Primary Program!!!  The children sing the songs they've learned that year, all based on a central theme, and they each have a small speaking part.

Today I finagled my way out of sitting up on the stand with my class, so I could sit with HH in the audience and watch Sweet P sing and deliver her line.  Baby B had other plans and he expelled the sweet potatoes from last night right before Sweet P's turn.  So, I was in the Mother's Room changing his diaper (it was one that just couldn't wait) while she shared that "Thomas S. Monson is our prophet today".  Fortunately, they have the audio piped into the Mother's Room, so I still got to hear her.  And it was a Joyful Moment.  Along with listening to the sweet singing of children and hearing my class deliver their parts in the program.

Yesterday we had a rehearsal and my class was all over the place and unruly.  So, before letting them head home, I explained that they would be responsible for teaching the congregation today and inviting the Spirit of the Lord into our meeting.  And that the way they acted would be very important, so if they were being noisy or moving around a lot, it would distract everyone from the message we had been working on sharing all year.  I don't know if that's what did it, or not, but they were really well behaved this morning all throughout the program.  And that was definitely another Joyful Moment for me.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in being taught "out of the mouths of babes"!  So sweet!

Day 259: You Would Have Been The Pioneer I Wanted to Park My Wagon Next To

You know who you are.

Today was a CRAZY day.  Mostly good, but also CRAZY.

Joyful Moments included:

Yoga with HH and getting complimented by the instructor on my forward fold--I get that from my mama.

Laughing my guts out during a crazy rice game at friend's baby shower.

Talking to my sister-in-law (a.k.a. one of my favorite people in the whole wide world).

And, watching HH feed Baby B.  His first meal that I was not involved in!  And it's always fun to witness how men approach tasks so differently.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments parked next to one of your favorite pioneers!

Day 258: A Tale of Forgotten Pants

Today dealt me a couple really low blows.  The worst is that my exercise routine for the next few weeks has been jeopardized.  I may or may not have done some damage to my foot in my over zealousness to adjust to my new running shoes.  That's the way I roll, I'm just not very good at taking things slow.  Which is why my theme for this year is Patience.  Too bad I forgot that went I slipped those sweet duds on my feet.

The other low blow isn't really that low.  It just involved getting a fourth (yes, fourth) left leg for the play station I can't wait to give Baby B.  Except that I can't put it all the way together because four left legs do not one right leg make.  Sad.

So, I was starting to feel a bit sad.  What to do?  I slipped on my current favorite shirt (a new one from The Loft by Anne Taylor, super soft, comfy, and cute!) and one of my favorite pairs of pants.  That I totally forgot I owned, thanks to being preggems all last winter.  I LOVE these pants, so it was totally a Joyful Moment when I rediscovered them a few days ago and another Joyful Moment when I put them on today.  That's right, Folks, when life gives you lemons go put on a cute outfit before you even think about how much sugar you want to add to your lemonade.

Or, you could always break out the Sweet Potatoes instead.  As in pureed sweet potatoes.  As in Baby B's first baby food experience.  It's like he's already been through babyhood before.  He's just kind of a pro at everything.  From the first bite, he ate his food like a champ.  I mean, it still dribbled down his chin, got smeared all over his face, and somehow wound up in his armpit, but--he loved every minute of it!  And he managed to eat half of the jar.  Pretty impressive, in my book.  And a total Joyful Moment watching how adorable he was and how absolutely delighted he was to finely be "eating" like the rest of us.

In case you're wondering--he isn't allowed to eat cereal for a few more months because of his food sensitivities.  That's why he started out with sweet sweet potatoes.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in which you get so carried away that you might even wind up with sweet potatoes in your armpit!

Day 257: My Crib

Actually, Baby B's crib.  We finally got him one.  He's been sleeping in the pack n' play bassinet because I didn't know where to put his crib.  And because I was terrified of all the crib recalls.  But we finally found a good one and I decided that he will be safe in Little M's room.

It took us a while to finally find the time to put it together, but it is now assembled and in Little M's room.  And it looks so perfect in there.  Now, I just need to sew some bedding to match Little M's.  But the Joyful Moment was putting him to bed and getting him out of it.

Joyful Moment putting him to bed because he went down so easily.  He's not super difficult to put to bed, but he usually fusses a bit.  Today he went down without a peep every time.  In fact, even a smile one time.

Joyful Moment getting him out of bed because he looks so adorable in his sweet crib.  And because it's kind of always a Joyful Moment getting him out of bed.  He's so cute and smiley whenever I go in to get him.  I love it!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in your own sweet cribs!

Day 256: Tuppence A Bag

Put together a 200-piece puzzle with Little M today.  Helped him learn that he can do hard things.  And had a great time doing it together.

Joyful Moment.

Fed the family a new recipe tonight.  Rejected by Sweet P and Little M.  HH said, "Put this at the top of your list of recipes!"  So glad someone appreciates my efforts.

Joyful Moment.

HH's coworker had a daughter get married over the weekend and gave him all of the leftover rolls.  A whole gigantic bakery box full.  Fed the ducks as a family tonight.  Or the catfish, as they were more interested in stale bread than the ducks were.  Good times all together.

Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments x 3!

Day 255: Pre-Hatch Counting

*WARNING*  Today's post has a bit of an "EWWW!" factor.

That's sort of what I'm doing today (referring to the title).  I'm counting those chickens before they hatch.  At least one of them.  The one that says I can return to my afternoon snacks of cheese and crackers and my nightly bowl of ice cream.

So, I sort of fell off the wagon for a bit at our Girl's Craft Night last Saturday.  I ate a brownie that was not dairy-free.  Please don't condemn me--brownies are truly my weakness.  The heavenly scent wafting through my friend's kitchen was more than I could bear.  And it was DELICIOUS!  Underdone, gooey, and goopy--PERFECTION!!

So, I've been watching Baby B's BM's (a.k.a. poops) in earnest to determine how guilty I need to feel about that brownie episode.  And guess what?!  They have been perfectly normal!  Could it be?  I don't know.  The ingredient that was a no-no in the brownies was milkfat from the chocolate that went in.  Technically, his intolerance is for the dairy and soy proteins.  So, maybe this means absolutely nothing.  But "milkfat" is not on any of the "okay-to-ingest" lists, so I don't think it's nothing.  No, not nothing.  Awesome.

So, crazy as it sounds, today's Joyful Moment was opening up a poopy diaper to see perfectly "normal" poop for the third day in a row!  I'm still going to wait until he is officially 6 months old because that seems like the right thing to do.  But I was getting all geared up to cry when I can't steal my kids' Reese's Peanut Buttercups on Halloween and then to just sit outside in the snow where I wouldn't smell butter laden rolls and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving (not really a turkey person).

Thanks to today's nasty Joyful Moments, there is hope!

Wishing you all nasty Joyful Moments (because everyone should have the experience of being elated over poop at least once in their life)!

Day 254: Dayful

That's what you get when you have a day full of Joyful Moments.

But it's hard to top right now:  Snuggling with Baby B and his fuzzy sleepy head.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that are hard to top!

Day 253: Bustn' A Gut

So, today's Joyful Moment could be having my nasty toothpaste-laden spit drain right down the sink drain instead of slowly sludging along and totally grossing me out.  But then I'd have to admit that I was out until midnight crafting with my peeps while HH was home tending the fort and fixing the wonky sink drain.  It was a dream come true coming home to, though.

Don't worry, HH is responsible for today's Official Joyful Moment as well.  It was laughing the hardest I've laughed in a really really long time.  And I just couldn't stop laughing.  And it felt so good.  You know how that kind of laughing is.

I'll tell you what made me laugh, but it probably won't seem as funny.  It can't, really.  Because you truly did have to be there.

With that awesome introduction, here goes:  HH was singing in his sleep.  Let me explain, he was kindly helping Sweet P with her violin practice today so I could fix dinner.  They were just around the corner from me in the kitchen, so I could still explain to him what they were supposed to be doing.  She has one set of songs that I'm supposed to sing along with while she plays (it helps her stay motivated and keep the timing right).  Since I was cooking in the kitchen, I asked HH to do this.  He was really sleepy.  He fell asleep as she was playing one song, so I offered to come in and take over for the last song.  He said "no" and that he could do it.

(Interesting interjection--HH usually naps any and every chance he gets.  I would enjoy napping, but it just doesn't usually work out for me for a variety of reasons.  Yesterday and today, HH passed up the opportunity to nap to stay up and help me with the work I generally do while everyone else sleeps.  So sweet, right?  But now the truth is out--he can't keep up with me.   A day and a half of trying to follow in my shoes, and he was wiped out.)

So, the song was "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".  HH has a beautiful singing voice.  Always.  Whether he's trying or not.  Well, the rendition I heard today was the absolute worst I have ever heard him sing.  Ever ever.  So, as soon as he was done I said (lovingly), "Wow.  I've never heard you sing that poorly!"  I'm just such a good wife, always building him up like that.

His response?  "I was singing?"

So, I set down my carrots and knife and walked into the other room to make sure I was understanding this correctly.  "Wait, you don't know that you were singing "Twinkle Twinkle"?"  HH, "I was?"  Me, "You were singing in your sleep?!  No wonder you sounded terrible!  I can't believe you can sing in your sleep!"  HH, "What did I sound like?"

But the laughter had already commenced and I could not stop to try and demonstrate how he sounded.  I got close a few times, but every time I would replay it in my head, the laughter would begin anew and it just kept coming.  Oh, I wish I'd had a video camera.  It.  Was.  So.  Funny!!!

My HH is amazing.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments where the laughter does not, cannot stop!

Day 252: Oh, What A Beautiful Morning

So, today's Joyful Moment might have been coming back from a trip to the stinky stinky outhouse to find Baby B and HH all snuggled up, looking adorable.  Or it might have been having breakfast with our friends, sans make up and showers.  Or it might have been the last minute to bring Z along and seeing how great she did on her first camping trip.

Or, it might have been later in the day when we went to a little festival sponsored by local growers and I watched a turkey vulture nibble on Sweet P's hair.  So funny!  That's the kind of mom I am.  And don't worry, I got a picture--I just don't have time to get my camera and upload it right now.  Busy plans tonight!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments involving a turkey vulture--because that's just fun!

Day 251: A Campin' We Will Go

So, I have to post early because that's what we're doing tonight.  Camping!

The kids have been super excited about it, so it's already provided Joyful Moments.  And helping my friends prepare the dinners (we're going with our church congregation) was quite fun and Joyful Moment-y.

But I'm sure the Joyful Moments yet to come this evening will be even better!

Wishing you all even better Joyful Moments (and if you're lucky, they won't involve dirt or campfire smell when you get home)!

Day 250: Conferring

So, tonight was our first ever "official" Parent Teacher Conference.  I say "official" because we had those back in preschool.  But I mean, honestly, it was preschool.  (No offense to my little sis who was an awesome preschool teacher and I'm sure had awesome P/T Conferences.)

Sweet P's teacher just had rave reviews to offer.  She's apparently passed both Kindergarten reading tests, so now the teacher is going to try out the 1st grade reading test.  She's writing in sentences (not necessarily spelling everything correctly, but sounding them out as best she can i.e. "fon numbr" for "phone number"--so cute!)  She is doing great in all of the math concepts, again passing all of the tests Teacher has so far given.  And she is generally liked by the teacher.  Hooray!  And I really like her teacher.  Hip Hip Hooray!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that validate your pride in your little pride and joy!

Day 249: Dashing

So, while I was pregnant with Baby, I did some research on the "baby essentials" that we didn't currently own.  One of these was the Excersaucer/Playstation.  We got one for free when Sweet P was a baby, but it was probably one of the first ever made and had hardly anything on it.  Consequently, neither of the oldest two ever showed much interest in it.  Sold it for $5 at a tag sale.  Sweet.

Anyway, I found one that I absolutely loved called "Around We Go", by Bright Starts.  But I didn't buy it b/c the baby wasn't even born yet.  Let alone capable of sitting up.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Because I'm going through a bit of an identity crisis today and rambling about something unimportant is somehow helping my subconscious to work through it.  Or to keep avoiding it.  I'm not really sure.  But nothing came out when I tried to type about it here, or when I tried to explain it to HH.  So, you're getting the thrilling history of Baby B's newest play thing instead.

Hooray for you.

Anyway, I ordered it on Monday.  Super excited!  Right?  It came today (love Amazon and their free shipping).  And that was my Joyful Moment.  Made Joyful Moment-er by the fact that it actually arrived a day early.  Yay!  So, Little M and I set to work putting it together.  Everything went great until it came time to put on the legs.  I put the first one on easy peasy.  But the second one would not go on, no matter how I tried.  Then I gave it a closer look and realized that it wasn't ever going to fit on right.  Because it was the wrong piece.

I love living in denial, so I tried to put it on a few more times before I finally had to give up.  I called the company and they're sending a replacement piece.  In 5-8 days.  Way to go and dash today's JM.  Ah, well.  Such is life.

At least it will only take two shakes to put it together once the piece finally does arrive.

Wishing you all completely un-dashed Joyful Moments!

Day 248: A Series of Fortunate Events

So, there have been a few "issues" going on with our family.  I'm not sure if anyone is really aware of them besides me, but I'm the mommy, so it's normal for me to evaluate the different status of relationships and whatnot--right?

Anyway, so I'll save you the long story, but a bunch of things happened this morning that led me to do different things than I normally do (I have a pretty solid morning routine) and the final outcome was that I ended up borrowing a book from the library called Raising Happiness.  I haven't read a ton of it, but already it has answered, or alluded to future discussions in the book that will help me resolve all of the things that have been bothering me with family relationships of late.  Plus, it has great ideas for helping me to capture even more Joyful Moments every day!  Sweet!

So, finding that book was today's Joyful Moment.  And knowing that I was definitely divinely guided to it made the Moment that much more Joyful.

And now for some catch up.  The photos I wanted to share with you over the last few days:

Baby B playing with his tootsies!

My Vibram FiveFingers--love them!

My Halloween wreath.  HH thinks I should add something orange to it because it can't be Halloween-y without orange.  But I kind of like it this way.  Although, maybe an orange door would be nice to really make it all *pop* out better.  The thing in the middle says "scary", by the way.  It doesn't show up that well in this photo.  I'm not positive I'm finished with it.  But I like having something creepy on the door.  It makes me happy.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments from following one unexpected decision to another!

Day 247: Five Fingers on My Toes

That's right.  This morning I ran with Five Fingers on my toes.  As in Vibram FiveFingers.  I would show you a picture of how awesome mine look, but apparently my storage space won't be available until tomorrow.  Frustrating!

But my Joyful Moment was running in my FiveFingers this morning.  They are made for barefoot running, providing protection for my feet without interfering with running the way my body was designed to run--without a giant heel getting in the way of my stride.  My brother-in-law introduced me to this "new" style of running and the FiveFingers when we were in California.  He was pretty passionate about it and peaked my interest.  Now after 3 1/2 miles in them, I'm sold!

It was a shorter run because the different running technique uses muscles that aren't used to being used like that.  The good news is, in about 6 weeks, I'm going to have killer calves.  The bad news is, right now my calves are killing me!

But I'm super excited about the shoes and the new running technique.  My legs were hurting pretty bad, forcing me to cut back on my running last week.  Now, hopefully, I'll be able to recover from the injuries that were coming and get back on board with a new intensity.

No doubt about it, these shoes have many more Joyful Moments in them!

Wishing you all Joyful Moments that provide killer calves, or something like them!

Day 246: Skyper

So, yesterday, in between and all around Conference sessions, I was running errands.  Seriously, it was a crazy day of running from one thing to the next.

Today I looked around the room at 1:30 PM and noticed that every single one of us was still in our pajamas.  Talk about a joyfully excellent contrast!  One of today's Joyful Moments was finally having the opportunity to stay home and spend time together as a family.

Another Joyful Moment was listening to more guidance and wisdom from the leaders of our church.  The kids were not as cooperative today, so I didn't get to hear everything but, it seemed like there was a lot of talk about strengthening families and marriage.  I always appreciate all the help and guidance we can get there, so I'm excited to read the talks when we receive the printed version.

During part of General Conference today, I put together a wreath that I picked up the supplies for yesterday.  It's not quite finished, but when it is, I'll definitely be posting a picture.  It's a fun little Halloween wreath.  Creating it was another Joyful Moment.

And then tonight we were able to Skype (video chat) with both my family and HH's family.  So fun!  And some of my good friends were at my parents' house at the time, so we got to visit with them a bit too!  Totally another Joyful Moment!

Wishing you all one of those days when you can't pick just one Joyful Moment to share!

Day 245: Known

So, today marked the beginning of the 180th Semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Which means that we get to listen to servants of the Lord speak to us, as directed by Him, for a total of 8 hours.  But it's broken up into four two-hour blocks over two days. It is a lot to take in, but it's also very uplifting and inspiring.

Today one of my favorite speakers, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, spoke and it was as if he was speaking just for me.  It was about only doing what you have strength for, especially when life gets challenging.  Now, I know I'm not the only person in the world trying carry a load heavier than my body can carry.  But the fact that this talk was given right as I've been struggling to find perspective and balance because my body is really rebelling against what I've been trying to force it to do lately, reminds me that I truly am a daughter of God.  And that He loves m and knows me individually.  And that reminder, along with this timely message today, brought me today's Joyful Moment.

Wishing you all Joyful Moments in being reminded Whose you are!

P.S.  I also had another super sweet (as in 'sah-weet!, not 'awww, sweet!') Joyful Moment tonight, but I'll share it on Monday when I get to try it out and post a picture of it!  SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Day 244: Tootsies

So, today's Joyful Moment is best portrayed by some adorable photos I took.  Unfortunately, I apparently need to buy more storage space from google before I can upload any more photos on any more blogs.

Sad.

But Baby B just discovered his toes.  Which means he's always grabbing them and pulling them to his mouth.  SO CUTE!

And I did get a bunch of sweet photos of him playing with his little tootsies, but sadly, those will have to wait.  They were my Joyful Moment tonight though.

Wishing  you all Joyful Moments that Blogger doesn't interfere with!