You think they aren't listening but they are...

This Morning I was heading to drop Cole off at preschool and he said "Mom remember those 3,000 soliders you were telling me about? I liked that." I said Oh yeah. The 2,000 Strippling Warriors,  I liked talking about them too.
Three thousand or two thousand, doesn't really matter to me! He listened, and remembered!
Today is Monday and that was last Monday's quick Family Home Evening Lesson.
 I have not done great with FHE. I decided I needed to be better at it. I want my children to know the scripture stories, and I want to know them better myself. (I miss primary, where I had to learn them to teach it to them) Also, this reason might be prideful, I know. But sometimes Cole will say a gospel principal, and say he learned it at church, and well darn it, I think wait a minute, I taught you that! Prideful? Sure.  However, I want him to learn it here at home first. So when he is learning it at church it isn't new, it's more like a review!
Guess I better get the blue folder out with the pictures and choose the story for tonight's FHE!
Really, FHE lasts all of 5 minutes and that does include opening and closing prayer, and the song!
Works for us!

Curls...

Just a few sunday's ago, I decided to curl Day's hair with a curling iron. She has really, fine hair. So it doesn't hold curl well. I have to use hairspray to keep the curl and than it only last for a short amount of time. So I went and bought some sponge curlers. We put them in her hair before church. She looked so cute, and quite frankly I was surprised she kept them in. When I took them out they were super tight curls. They loosened up, thankfully. ha. But I did have to run a curling iron over some of the kinks. Unfortunately, the 1:00 hour crept up on us and I forgot to get the after picture.

Favorites...

Amber threw together a birthday party for Lizzy's birthday lunch and called it "Favorites" everyone was suppose to come with a list of their favorite things. I compiled my list. When I heard of the idea. I automatically thought of back in the "Oprah" days when she would do her show and give the audience some of her favorite things. So here is my list in no particular order. Also if I had to do the list again tomorrow I am sure I would write down ten different things that day too
                           Amy’s Favorites:

1. My Favorite map app is WAZE. You type in the address and she tells you the route. It is almost as good as having siri. If you have music on she interrupts and tells you to turn at the upcoming light. It also can notify you of traffic, police. I also found that it was really helpful that it automatically tells you the direction you are heading. With the other map if I am holding it the wrong way, I get really lost and farther from my destination.

1. My Favorite kid toy right now is the Smartmax magnetic toys. My favorite game is perfection and Sorry. I love perfection because its like a puzzle and sorry has helped Cole with counting out the spaces on the board.

1. I love that I can go on to youku.com and get a few different workouts of   P90X.

1. I have two favorite dollar stores, the one on 7200 and redwood and the one on 126th and bangeter. 

1. I love that you can get heart shaped marshmallows. At first they taste like the dentist fluoride but now I really like them.

1. I am loving facetime more than I ever have before. Every night we face time with Kevin and the kids just love it. 

1. The ages of all my kids right now is my new favorite thing. I think they say the funniest things and so I love having a notebook by me so that I can write down key words to trigger my memory until later when I can sit down and either blog about it or write it in their little notebook that I titled “Did I tell you”.

1. I have really loved having an IKEA dresser. I want to go by one for my room someday. I love how the inside is lined, with cute paper, and how smooth the drawers pull out. 

1. I love getting my wash clothes at the dollar store. They are the super thin ones and I can wash them and reuse them and when they get old or smelly I can just throw them away. They are called spic and span, scented cleaning wipes.

10. I was introduced to Aveeno lotion. We have always used Vaseline lotion. Which I thought was a pretty decent lotion. But no matter how often we would lather it on Cole he would still have, way patchy spots, all over his body. We have now been using Aveeno, and his skin has improved!

Can't wait to hear all the other girls lists!

Valentine's Day Decor...

I found these little tin mailboxes at in the dollar section at Target. I thought we would use them to write little notes to each other for the month of February. I used vinyl to add our names to them. I think it will be a fun activity for the kids to go and put little notes in the mailbox and be able to stick up the flag.
Also, in my jars that sit on my table I put a vinyl XO on the outside. We filled the jars with some heart shaped marshmallows. I was going to put LUV since I have three jars but I put one jar away and decided to just use the two. This is just so I can remember this stuff come next February!

Private Blogs..

I am thinking of going private on this blog.
 I have heard a few stories that make me think it is a good idea.
However. I think the only people that really read this are family. But I myself, like to check out friends blogs. Find out what they are up to and how life is going. I guess you can call this blog stalking. Call it what you want, but really I do know most of the people and I think it is fun to read their blogs.  :) But I hate when they go private because, they do the thing of, shoot me an email and I will add you to my list that can see my blog. Well I am not that good of friends, you know the kind that keep in touch. I am terrible at keeping up with old friends. That I would shoot them an email to be added. Even though I want to! So maybe I will think about it some more.

Congrats Jim and Britt...

                                      Jimmy rehearsing his song before purposing to Brittany.

My little brother is engaged! I am so excited for Jimmy and his real soon to be wife Brittany. They have a pretty fun engagement story. We are excited to have a new sister in law. And all the kids in the family love her to pieces.                  Congrats guys! 03/02/12 wahoo.

Carpe Diem Mothering Article...

The other day I read this article that someone had posted on facebook about when she goes out with her children, there is always an older woman stopping her. Telling her to enjoy every second because time goes by so fast. I found the article very interesting to read.
I too, (I am sure every Mom has had this experience) have been at a store when some cute older lady is telling me how I need to Enjoy the moment. I have also had some older couples look at me and say, "boy, Do you have your hands full". Ha Ha.
The article talked about how " parenting is like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard." She goes on to say that if the people climbing mount everest had someone saying, every thirty seconds; I hope you are enjoying this, If not you should be. You will be sorry you didn't. She thought people would want to push them off the cliff. ha. ha.
She goes on to say of a moment in the target line where it's total chaos. This article just made me think and also laugh. Because we have all been there.
I know throughout my day with my three little ones, there are some rough, and hard times. Like when everyone wants something right at the same, exact moment, or when there are spills to wipe up and bums to wipe. I swear, it seems like everyone needs to poop at the same time. Lucky, for us we have two bathrooms, so that I can run from wiping one bum, to the other bathroom to wipe the other bum of the five year old who had decided he likes it better when Mom and Dad wipe him.
But I think what helps me be okay with people telling me to enjoy every minute. Is that at the end of a long day. I can write about it, or I can talk about my day with my husband, and than even though at the time it seemed really hard, and I may have wanted to cry, or been frustrated beyond belief I usually end up laughing about it. If I can't laugh about it later that night. Maybe further down the road, I might.
I posted these pics because even though taken with my phone. How cute are these girls!

Good Sunday...

Today at church was our ward conference. We got to church just in time to snag the very last row on the far side. Which happens to be a very small bench. As Kevin and I sat down with  our three kids, he leaned over to me and said I think we are getting to big for this bench. The kids are like to and need to be able to spread out a little. As Cole and Dailey were fighting over there spots of where they wanted to sit (yes fighting at age 5 and 2) somehow Kevin and I ended up sitting right next to each other. Which seems like has not happened in quite sometime. Usually there is a child in between us. I realized how much I have missed not being right next to him.
When we were first married with no kids we would play little games like: while singing the hymns he would cover a word with his finger to see if I would sing the right word or not. We also would try and guess who would be going up to bear their testimonies too. I am sure that is not the best game to play but we did play it.  I know, I know we should be reverent. But it was so fun to have him lean over and whisper to me. Things like at what point would the elderly people in front of us give in and leave the meeting due to our children. Funny thing, we have sat behind them before and unintentionally, keep ending up behind them we have drove them to leave early before not on purpose. Sorry cute older couple. It's hard to remember how it is with little ones around but please remember. Or if you can't we will try to sit farther away!
My kids were yelling, (well it felt like yelling, since I am pretty sure they do not have a whisper voice) things like I go POTTY, Dad, You didn't WIPE me very good, the church's tp is hard, I go POTTY. I think Kevin took them to the bathroom three different times. I am getting better at not being embarrassed and realizing, Hey we all gotta go and they just happen to shout it to everyone. I actually felt like I handled it better than I usually do. Maybe that is because hey we can handle going out to the potty fifteen times. It's the throw up stuff that is the real embarrassing thing. Right?! I also think that sitting by Kevin and being able to laugh about it together really helped. Cole said another really funny thing. He heard them say thanks for the bishop's remarks and he turn to us and said "what? The Bishop's from Mars" it was pretty funny. Through all of that I was able to listen.
We had a member of our stake presidency speak to us along with our bishop. They both gave A-mazing talks. The parts I heard of them. :)
I really LOVE hearing this particular counselor speak. He is just amazing and than I got to hear him speak again in Relief Society too. It was a great Sabbath Day.

Best of 2011/Things to remember...

My sister started a tradition of recapping everything that happened the year before. She includes one or two things per family and we all recap about what things happened when. Here is the list she came up with!


January:
Dad and Mel get off cretches.

February:
Archie is born on Feb. 1st
Dad turns the big 60
The Utah Jazz lose Jerry Sloan and D-Will
Andy changes his first Diaper

March:
Garret turns 1 years old
Mom wins the Bush family March Madness

April:
Girls went to Women's Conference
Bush girls are published in the church news
Andy becomes friends with Dan Pope

May:
Lucy is born on May 25th
Rachel runs the Ogden Half Marathon
Bush Family Garage Sale


Tyler and Ryan both earn Leadership awards at school
Jimmy goes to the re-dedication of the Atlanta temple

July:
Jimmy comes Home!
Albert comes to visit
Creig and Mindy go to Manti Pageant and sell Temple Spires Pictures

Creig and Mindy celebrate 10 year Anniversary and Mom and Dad celebrate 38 years.
Bear Lake Treasure Hunt and Boating

August:
Jacob gets Baptized
Maddie's birthday party with the Giant Slip and Slide

September:
Ben and Rach's Voonami Company hosts BYUcougars.com
Natalie and Morgan start Kindergarten
Madison starts first grade with french and english teachers
2nd Annual Food Fight
Cole learns to ride his bike and starts preschool

October:
Brighton and 1st Annual Talent Show
The Bush family invades Facebook for Contest
The Bush family wins free Lasik for Liz
Mel wins the Best Costume at the Halloween Party
Jim and Brit are OFFICIAL on facebook

November:
Melanie gets settlement from accident
Tyler gets braces off
Mom loses 50 Pounds

December:
Arrival of our Christmas Angel Nathan Parker on December 1st
Baby Owen joins the Winkel Family on December 19th
New Jobs for Kevin and Creig

Weight Loss Challenge...

Hello 2012! Kevin and I are in a weight loss competition. Some of my Mom's siblings and my family members are in it. It goes for 8 weeks. We had to take before pictures and you have to track your food. It started on Monday Jan. 2nd. If you gain a pound you have to pay $1 per pound you gain and also if you don't track your food too. I feel that is pretty motivating.
Here are our pictures. We will have to compare to the after pictures in 8 weeks!

Let the fun begin!

Happy New Year 2012...

Happy New Year! Wow. 2012. That seems so crazy to say. But easier to say than 2011.
Last night we rung in the new year with the Bush family here at our house.

It was nice to be surrounded by family. We ate, and played, and hung out until midnight. Than we all ran out to do some sparklers and bang those pots and pans to ring in the new year. Dailey and Lucy did not make it till midnight. I put them in their bed and crib and they were out.

I am really excited about this new year. I love the beginning of January. I love to get organized, set new goals, and plan. The end of January is another story, but the new year is so, So New and Exciting.

However, I can have a hard time with TIME (new year) too. Time, it passes so quickly, and than I think, I sometimes don't like things to change. I love the ages and stages of my kids. (Most Days)
I know there is fun in the years ahead too. But Man, these are the Days!

Like today at church. Now here is a story for ya. We are now at the 1:00 time. Just setting it up for you. Our kids are wasted. They stayed up all night, eating junk and playing.
We were on time to church. High Five. We sat mid pew. Not so smart. I had Lucy on my lap and Cole had fallen asleep between me and Kevin, head resting on my side. Dailey was on Kevin's lap. Falling asleep drinking a sippy cup. She starts gagging. Surprise Surprise. I toss over the burp cloth. He catches the first little bit in the cloth. Than I whisper. She's going to do more. Just so he can prep for the second blow. She does more. He catches it and takes her out.
Well I think everything is okay and they are just washing their hands and they will be back in. Right. Nope. Kevin comes in without Dailey. Says, We gotta go. He scoops up a sleeping Coleman and I gather all of our puppets and coloring books.
I go out in the hall and there is puke all over the carpet. Dailey is in the bathroom with more all over her. Kevin's suit coat is draped over the garbage can with puke all over it. More is in the sink too.
Lucky for us. My brother Ben, who goes to the ward ahead of us was out in the hall tending to bishopric duties.  We have him hold Lucy. While I clean up Dailey and the bathroom sink. Kevin is cleaning the hall floor just as the other ward is coming out of their classes. We have my friend Corinne and Rachel helping us too!
This definitely happens to us quite often with our little Dailey. So why the long post. Well I never want to forget how eventful church can be and also this time Kevin and my roles were changed. I have been the one in the hall with throw up all over and wondering why the heck he is not coming out to help. :) So it was nice to see the other side.
Anyhow we all came home changed clothes. Kevin and Cole went back to church. He was getting recalled to the Elders Quorum presidency. He was 2nd counselor and now he is 1st. They were going to set them apart today. So he went back with just a white shirt and some old dress pants. Since his suit did not survive the above casualties.

I thought of another reason I like to write this all down. I do enjoy going back and reading it. And another reason is one day when Cole, Day, and Lu are coming home from church early with their little families, cuz little Cole Jr. puked all over, they can see it runs in the family!