Organized

My computer desk has been a disaster forever. I finally got around to getting it all cleaned up. I hardly even want to show this picture, but here is before:



And after:



This was actually a lot more work than it looks. I had to unplug my computer and replug in each little thing. And the paperwork was a lot to deal with too. Plus there was a certain little someone who wanted to be in the middle of it all as I was organizing. His little hands sure are cute though.

So much better. It makes me happy to have a clean desk. Now for the rest of my room....

Favorite Age

Dallin is at a super fun age. It is awesome. He is sleeping relatively well, has a decent schedule but isn't sassy yet. He can't say "No!" yet. He is happy and everything is fun and new. It is so fun to watch him explore the world. I love the look of concentration he gets.





He has discovered toilet paper. He has always loved any kind of paper with its fascinating crinkly noises and relative edibility. But this, this is amazing for him.



It dissolves in his mouth (at least what he can quickly get in his mouth before mom foils his attempts), rips easily and defies gravity by floating around. As he plays with it, it just keeps unraveling from the roll, seemingly infinite.


Squeals of joy.

Brian

Over a decade ago, these pictures were taken.





In front of the bountiful temple the day we got married.
I feel a little sad looking at these because I don't look that way anymore. 3 pregnancies takes its toll. But these were such great times.
Anyway, Brian makes me happy!

A Working Phone

I finally broke down and bought a new phone. My old one would only ring sporadically. If someone called, I usually had no idea because it wouldn't even say missed call on the front. I only got voicemail alerts. I have been refusing to accept that I either have to pay $100 for the cheapest phone or do a new 2 year agreement. Finally, I found the trick. You get a prepaid phone and just put your SIM card in it. However, make sure you don't ever turn on the prepaid phone with the prepaid SIM card in it. If you do, it will forever lock it as a prepaid phone. So before you power it up, put your SIM card in it. Then turn it on and away you go.
So here it is, my brand new $30 phone.



It even has a cheapy camera in it. But most importantly it works. So here is my happy picture of the day. Yay!

School Work

Look how cute this is! It is the stages of caterpillars/butterflies represented by noodles. The little egg is an acini noodle, the caterpillar is a spiral, the cocoon is a shell and the butterfly is a bow-tie pasta. I think it's awesome! Great job Kyle.

Blake

Blake makes me happy. He is such a special boy. Lately he has been going through an emotional phase. It has been hard. When he gets upset, it is very outward. He cries loudly, gives you "angry eyes" when he is mad at you and even hits his beloved lamb, and says, "I don't like you Lambie!" It's so unusual to see Blake like this because he has always been my snuggly one. He wants to cuddle always, and is usually so affectionate. I have been trying to spend some extra time with him and it hasn't been seeming to help. But finally, he is responding. It turns out he needs to feel that he is a helper, that he is good at things. I have been laying the praise on heavily. Though it is helpful to me to have him do chores, it seems to be helping him more.



The other night he told me, "I love helping you with the dishes. I'm good at it." He is so sensitive, he needs to hear often how precious he is to me.

We have been going for walks, and I think being outdoors and getting more excercise is helpful too. Anyway, my sweet little Blake is coming back. He has been lots of fun! I love you Blake!

The Great Orator

We have been calling Dallin the Dictator, or The Great Orator. When he talks his cute baby gibberish, he puts his hand out as if for emphasis. He will gesture like that for a few minutes while he chats away. He has important things to say. Although the Dictator seems more appropriate when he is throwing a temper tantrum, The Great Orator is cuter, so we've settled for that.

I have been trying to get a good picture of it, but you know how it is. Those cute spur of the moment things are hard to catch. Here is the closest I got:



You can't see his face, but you get the idea. My goal is to get this on video so I can hear his cute little voice. Here's hoping.

Anyway, Dallin is a sweet fun little person to have around.

Baby's Room

It makes me happy that I finally have a real decorated baby's room. I never really have before. It has taken me almost a year, but here it is:




It is kind of silly to have this big queen bed in the baby's room, but it can't go anywhere else. The cute comforter makes it fit better though. And I love having a pack n play instead of a crib. It is just so easy. There isn't much adjustment for him to sleep elsewhere (not that we travel much). Plus, when Kyle was about a year old, he would shove his legs through the wooden slats of the crib until he was stuck. Then I would be forced to go get him and untangle him. It was his way of getting out of going to bed. (He was not my easiest sleeper.) But you can't do that in a pack n play.

The room isn't actually all the way done, I need to hang up the curtains and get some cute little knick knacks for his shelf. But so far, I like it.

Spring

Today is the first day of spring, and that makes me happy. I got some of my spring stuff out.


And there are real flowers in my yard now, not just the buds:


Finally! We made it through winter. The days are getting longer and there is light outside when I wake up. It doesn't really matter to me so much when I get up, as long as there is light outside. My favorite seasons, spring and summer are ahead of us. Can't wait for watermelon, fireworks, hot days and letting the kids splash in the water in the backyard. Especially to see Dallin the first time in the pool. Yay!

New Nephew

These pictures make me happy:




I got to hold my new little nephew today. He is so tiny and cute! Congrats to Mike and Sue!