I wanna be like you!

Jeremiah is at a stage right now where he wants to do everything like everyone else. His favorite person to mimic right now is his uncle Sam. Jeremiah makes sure that he always has his rugby ball for all of Sam's rugby games. He also screams loudly and tries to run on the field to play with all of the big boys.

Because Sam is so good at a wide variety of things, he has a huge opportunity to be an example to his peers. We are so proud of him for always living his standards and being a missionary in the way that he lives. Because of his example, one of Sam's friend's, Joon, is learning about the gospel. Joon is a wonderful guy who is full of faith and has many Christ-like attributes. We feel like Joon is part of our family and enjoy having him around so much. I have been blessed to witness Sam teaching his friend Joon and Joon learning gospel principles.

Both Sam and Joon have been Jeremiah's buddies. They are so sweet with him and even though they could just ignore him and do their own thing, they play with him and make him feel happy. No wonder Jeremiah wants to be like them.

(Sam's friends: Joon and Caitlyn)

  

There is Beauty All Around

 I don't have a lot of time to write but pictures are more fun anyway. Enjoy!

These are pictures taken from behind the house. Everything is in blossom and beautiful. We love going for walks on the trails outside and seeing all of the wonderful things Heavenly Father created for us. Jeremiah loves the wildlife around here. There are always bunnies, dear, giant squirrels or other critters around the house

 For Easter our wonderful Neighbors and ward friends threw a party. All of the little ones were able to play games and hunt for easter eggs. It was so cute to watch all of the babies and toddlers. They didn't quite get the whole easter egg thing but they loves running around and taking eggs out of and putting eggs in each others baskets. 

Jeremiah thought that the eggs were fun all by themselves. He thew them, rolled them and just laughed and laughed. But, once he found out there was candy inside of the eggs he was even more pleased!

We went to Belle Isle for spring break and had a fantastic time. Bell Isle was beautiful and relaxing. Most days were spent playing games in the sun room/dinning room and going canoeing. Jeremiah loved playing in the water but didn't like getting bumped around by the waves.

Chris and I went out canoeing at sunset and enjoyed the beautiful colors.

Skills

We have all been given talents and it's our job to develop them and use them to build up the Kingdom of God. I have always wondered what my talents were and how I could develop them. I have found that we cannot know or understand what our talents are unless we are willing to try things and pray for help. Heavenly Father has given us everything that we have and will continue to bless us with more things as we ask for them and work for them. 

Something that I have always desired to have and have always admired about my father is his talent and ability to create. He can make anything. Since I was a small girl my dad was making up stories, games, toys, drawings, designs, programs, and much more. I loved and still love watching him and learning from him. 

I know that these graphics look very simple but it actually took me quite a while to do. This is the poster I made for Sam's local High School Basketball Team. 

Thanks for teaching me daddy!

General Conference April 2012

Delicioso!

One of my New Year resolutions was to try and eat healthier but, since I've been feeling sick (for a long time!) I use my feeling sick as an excuse to eat yummy things. For desert tonight I decided to try and make Churros. They tasted great but they were a little chewy in the middle because I didn't have a pastry piper to make them the right size and shape. 

Here's how they turned out! Not too bad eh?

Happy Sunday!

Things That Wiggle Make Me Giggle

It was a rainy day today and daddy found a giant worm outside for Jeremiah to see. Jeremiah was so excited by the small wiggly animal that his daddy held in his hand that he had to hold it himself. He sat out on the back deck and played (tortured) the worm for quite a while.

Rainy days mean cookies in our house. So, we made some yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies. I have posted the recipe on my Recipes page.

Days Go By

Jeremiah has loved the wonderful weather. We spend most of our time outside now days. Today, Chris spent his time cutting down some of the large trees in his parents backyard. When Jeremiah saw his daddy in trees he immediately wanted to be in a tree as well. So, I stuck him in the smallest tree in the yard and he was as happy as a clam! 

Here's a picture of Jeremiah the Monkey!

I am the new Beehive advisor in the ward and have enjoyed spending time with the young women. Yesterday, we had our "New Beginnings" program to introduce the Young Women program to the upcoming new Beehives. It was a beautiful night centered around our theme: "Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the Nations." - D&C 115:5

I was lucky enough to get assigned to decorations for the night. So, I made some posters and built a  6' tall night house that lit up brighter every time one of the girls finished talking about a value. Everything turned out really well and I was proud of myself for pulling it all together when I didn't think 

I could.

Here are the posters I made. If you would like the Large files to print just send me an email and I can get them to you. I printed them 24"x37" at Office Depot and they looked awesome! 

Virginia

Life has been good in Virginia. Chris is still trying to find a job and working hard at it. Jeremiah is pretty well adjusted now and loves having his uncle Sam around to play with him all the time. Sam teaches him new tricks all the time. Jeremiah spins around in circles with Sam and they both fall down laughing. Sam also taught him to raise his hands in the air and shout "Lasagna" but Jeremiah says "lalana". He kept doing it while we were eating dinner and loved having everyone react by mimicking him.
Jeremiah's favorite food is still peanut butter. He eats it like Pooh Bear eats honey!

We are so sad that Sam's team is done playing basketball. We had a fun time attending his high school games and cheering on the Westfield Bulldogs. Jeremiah learned to cheer, stomp and clap really well by the end of their season.

Although, life right now isn't as we had hoped we have been so blessed. We have been able to stay with family at little/no expense, we have been given great callings in the ward, we walked away from a car accident without injury, we haven't had major health problems, and we have wonderful family who continually prays for us and supports us. We are so grateful for all that we have. We know that the Lord is looking out for us.

Most Handsome Guy In The World

This is a movie of Jeremiah kissing himself in the mirror. He did this in our hotel for about a half hour. I only caught the end of it but, it's  pretty cute!

A Cross-Country Journey

Christopher, Jeremiah and I just moved from Provo to Washington DC. Along our way we made some fun stops and saw some incredible things. 

We made a stop at a rest area and Jeremiah played in the snow for the first time in his life. He was so excited at first but once he started playing with it for a while he began examining his hands, whined a little bit and flapped his hands in the air. He didn't realize that snow was so cold.

Nauvoo was incredible! We were able to see the temple and visit some of the Church members' homes. One of the highlights included running into my High School Painting teacher who is currently serving in Nauvoo with his wife as a senior missionary couple. The old cultural hall (#5 on the map) was currently being renovated but because I knew Mr. Laney (my old teacher) he took us on a private tour of the building. Chris and I were able to slow dance on the same old floor that Joseph and Emma danced on...such a sweet moment. 

The spirit is so strong in Nauvoo. Tears came to my eyes as I walked around and looked at how much the early saints had done and dedicated to the Lord. 

Just a few miles away from Nauvoo is Carthage Jail. We were able to have another private tour and spend some time walking around in the jail where Joseph Smith Jr. was kept under false charges of treason. We stood in the same room that Joseph, Hyrum, Willard Richards and John Taylor were kept in and saw the bullet holes left in the walls from the angry mob. I knew I would cry at Carthage but, I also assumed that there would be a terrible feeling that accompanied my tears. However, to my surprise, I was met with a soft, sweet spirit that left me feeling only grateful for sweet Joseph and hopeful for the future.

Along our trip I made an effort to stop at some of the restaurants featured in "diners, drive-ins and dives" on food network.  My absolute favorite place was a little "dive" in Cincinnati called Terry's Turf. There best menu item is a burger with a burgundy wine with wild mushroom hamburger topping. AMAZZING!!! I'm not necessarily a burger person but, I could eat a burger from Terry's any day!

We made it safely to DC 2 days ago and are so happy not to wake up and drive 8 hours!

Some updates on Jeremiah (14 Mo. old)

He now does sign language for: "please", "thank you", "more", "diaper", "bye", "drink", "milk", "water", "eat", and "help".

He verbally says, "mamma", "dadda", "please", "nana" (banana), "gawa" (grandma/grandpa), "go", "hi", "bye", "hot", "wow", "ish", and "jus" (Jesus).

He runs around like the Tasmanian-devil and his favorite toys are: cell phones, remote controls, pots, pans and silverware.

 We love you all and are so grateful for all of your love and prayers!!!!

My little Turkey

Thanksgiving was wonderful! We were able to spend time with family that we love and to reflect on the things we are most grateful for in life. Jeremiah helped me make this little halloween decoration for our fridge; all of the feathers are cut-outs of Jeremiah's little hands.

This time last year I was holding a little Jeremiah in my arms.  I went into labor Thanksgiving night and gave birth about 21 hours later. Jeremiah will always be my little Turkey. He reminds me of the wonderful things in life. 

We celebrated Jeremiah's 1st birthday on Saturday. I still can't believe it! He doesn't even know that he's 1 or what a birthday is but he sure enjoyed his birthday cake and loves playing with all of his new toys and gifts.

Celebration and Trouble

CELEBRATIONS

Grandpa Clark came to visit this past week. SO FUN! We love seeing him and spending time with him. While he was here we had a large party at Grandma Christensen's home (the home of all partying) to celebrate November family birthdays. Little Jeremiah, his wonderful grandpa, Kofi (11.11.11.   So Cool!)  and Christina Myers all blew out candles. It was so nice to be with everyone and spend time eating, talking, playing games and more than anything, just being around each other. 

Although, it is not quite Jeremiah's birthday he was able to open a gift from G&G Christensen. He got 3 little stackable, noisy cars that he LOVES. 

TROUBLE

Lately, Jeremiah has been getting into all kinds of trouble; he pulls everything off of the tables, all the books off the shelves, all the food out of the fridge, sticks everything in the trash, pushes all the buttons he can find, touches every knob, heads straight for the plunger every time the bathroom door opens, and escapes the house anytime someone opens the door. Some days I think I'm going to lose my mind trying to take care of him. It's a good thing he's so darn cute.

Sweet Moments

Every day of my life is full of sweet little moments. One of my sweet little moments of today happened when Chris came home during lunch and literally swept me off my feet. With a handsome smile on his face he took me in his arms and began dancing with me in the living room. Only seconds later, we felt tugging at our legs. Apparently, Jeremiah didn't want to miss out on all the fun. So, the three of us slow danced around the living room together while we listened to Brett Raymond. 

Another sweet moment took place when I took Jeremiah out for a walk. He laughed as he did his "waddle run" down the sidewalk, throwing leaves up in the air. He turned back to look at me, gave me a big smile and then waited for me to catch up with him so I could see a pretty leaf he found. He pointed at the leaf and said, "huh?". I never know what "huh?" means so I just told him that the leaf was red. He looked at me, said, "ehhhdah" and then clapped his hands.

What would life be without the people I love most? As I think back on all of the "sweet moments" in my life I am unable to say that a single one of them didn't include someone that I loved ,whether, in spirit, thought or physical presence.

I am so blessed by each person in my life. All contribute to my happiness and "sweet moments".

Thrifty & Nifty

About a week ago I ran out of diapers for Jeremiah. As I was contemplating buying and searching for good deals I was so sickened by a realization that I had. I spend way too much money on something that my baby poops on!!! In an effort to save money and make myself feel better, I searched for a good "not too expensive" cloth diaper. I read a lot of reviews and talked to a lot of moms and found that I could get the best deal for cloth diapers on Ebay. Initially, cloth diapers can appear to cost more money because a cloth diaper costs anywhere between 4$ - 20$ a piece and a disposable diaper are about 20 - 40 cents a piece. However, when I calculated all of my costs over a two year period (including water and electricity for cloth) I saw a clear winner. Cloth diapers (all expenses included) cost about 1/5th of the money spent on disposable diapers. I wish I would have switched to cloth diapers earlier!

Now, you do have decide whether the money is worth not having to deal with more hands-on "stinky diaper time" or if you feel like you can go a little more green and save yourself some green. I was definitely worried about dealing with the diapers but, I have found that it's much simpler than I anticipated. You just need to get a good system going that works for you. And...if you're dealing with poop anyway, what's one more step?

One downer about cloth diapers is they take up a lot more space. I couldn't put all the cloth diapers in my diaper bag without having to sacrifice something else I needed like: a change of clothes, wash cloths, medicine, water, snacks, my wallet, toys or baby blanket. When I searched online for diaper bags I was unsatisfied with either, the price or the size of the bag. I found a bag that I really liked, made by Petunia Pickle Bottom, and guess what the price tag revealed?!? A whopping $160! WHAT? So, I thought to myself..."Hey, self. You can make one of those!" And, that's exactly what I did!

I picked myself up some supplies from JoAnns for just over $15 and made myself a cute, spacious, multi-pocketed, multifunctional, custom "AriAnn" bag! Check it out.

I am proud of myself for being able to save some money by just putting forth a little effort.

You too, can save a lot of money by researching and thinking about ways/alternatives to things that you buy and use everyday. Give it a whirl! :)  I'm sure you'll come up with a lot of great ideas and probably much more quickly than I did.

Create

I love creating things! My favorite things to do include: drawing, cooking, painting, sewing, paper crafting, writing music, taking pictures...anything.

Eventually, I hope that I can earn income for my family by doing some of the things that I love.

Over the past two weeks I have been fiddling around with a new camera and have already taken over 1000 pictures of Jeremiah(my favorite subject). :)