GOT MILK?

I forgot I had these pictures from a recent visit of my sister's family. CAYMBREE and BRIDGER look so tender all cuddled up, drinking their milk but the truth is - that is the only way we could ever get them to hold still so we could take a picture.

Groundhogs Day?

Ya, I know it's the wrong holiday but I swear we are having some serious de-ja-voo (Ok, I can't even get it close enough for spell check) around here. Last Monday night Hallee came home from dancing saying she just wanted to go to bed. Around 11:30pm she started throwing up and did so every two hours until 9:00am the next morning. I braced myself for the rest of us to get it and even strategically planned every meal for the next few days...NO MEAT! Every menu was based around the idea that I was probably going to be seeing it again soon in a not-so-flattering way so we had a lot of pancakes, grilled cheese and tortillas. The week came and went and we flew by in flying colors. Whew! No fast forward exactly one week. Monday night. HOPE comes home from dancing saying she is tired. At almost 11:30 on the dot she comes into my room covered with - well you know where this story is headed. Here we go again. However, to my great delight she only threw up once. She was pretty tired this morning but it's now 11:30 am and she seems like she is 100% back to normal. Perhaps she just got a mellow form of it.
Looks like it's another week of pancakes, grilled cheese and tortillas.

Lean, Green, Girly Machines!

Did you go green? We did. All the way. Decked out in green, green and more green we set out for the day. I volunteered in Hallee's classroom and got high accolades for my green necklace, green earrings and green bracelet. Hallee was beaming with pride :) Oh, and just not to disappoint his girls, Troy did wear a green hair elastic around his finger.

It was a CRAZY day but we managed to fit everything in. Monday Madness includes dance lessons for both girls so at about 7:30 pm we finally sat down to our traditional green dinner.

Easter Dresses

Three girls, three Easter dresses. Three bows, three tights and three pairs of shoes to match. Once again I'm realizing the small fortune required to raise girls. I started my search a month ago and quickly realized how totally ridiculous the cost was going to be to buy cute, fancy dancy matching dresses with the absolute required accessories. Just try this on for size - an
"average" dress probably runs around $25-30 dollars. That's for something simple. (For those of you who don't have girls a formal dress is usually between $65 - $90 dollars) Add $14.00 times THREE for shoes, three bows at $7.00 a piece, tights $7.00 a piece and we are looking at more than $150.00 - FOR SOMETHING THEY WILL ONLY WEAR A SHORT, SHORT TIME! Oh, and since most Easter dresses are meant for warm weather lets add another $15.00 a piece for sweaters to go over the top. Now we are up to $200 dollars. I give up.

I think I settled on buying the dress pictured above for Hallee, Hope gets a really cute hand-me-down from Hallee (remember the days when you only had one kid - so you spent ridiculous amounts of money on a dress?) and Caymbree is going to wear a really fun dress my friend gave me when she was born. They don't match - in fact they will really clash. Thank goodness for pictures in sepia!

THIRTY, FLIRTY, and THRIVING?

Call it an early mid-life crisis. Maybe it's just the words from one of my all time favorite movies "13 GOING ON 30" haunting me, you know, the one she repeats over and over again; "THIRTY, FLIRTY and THRIVING!" Who knows? But lately, I have been on a serious mission to update my make-up. I've tried lots- MaryKay, Sheer Cover (yes I'm a sucker for infomercials), I've been the M.A.C counter more than once, bought some foundation from Lancome and just finished up with a fabulous presentation by Arbonne (whose cleansing line I LOVED but just can't afford :). I've learned lots of tips and tricks some of which I am a believer in and some... well, not so much. Maybe I'm too unrealistic. I want to look like a movie star but don't want to look made-over. I want to look polished but still need a low maintenance routine. I want glamour but not five inches of make-up on. I want fabulous eyes but need a make-up artist to apply it for me each morning. IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK? (I know, I know).

So here is my plea for help. What are your "must have" products? What are your tips and tricks? Just to be fair I'll share a few of my own...

1) WHITE EYELINER - According to my M.A.C. consultant this is one of her two "must haves"and I have to say I agree. You just put it along the lower tear duct line and it instantly brightens and widens any eye.

2) CONCEALER - her second "must have". Using a concealer at least one shade lighter than your foundation you apply under your eye starting about half way and going inward toward your nose. Continue up and around your inner eye creating a moon shape.

3) PINK SHIMMER- This is actually one of my favorites tips! Take a really light shimmer pink (eye shadow or blush works) and apply in a small circular motion to bone right under your eye extending outward. It gives you a fresh bright look!

So there you have it. Now really, any and all help would be appreciated. What are your favorite products and why? Any tips or tricks? I swear I have spent a small fortune trying to find the perfect mascara and eye colors so any help there would also be greatly appreciated.

"Not what I was Expecting"

When Hallee came home from school yesterday I was a little preoccupied trying to get a hundred and one things done. She was telling me all sorts of things and I was doing my best to add in a "uh hu" and a "ya" here and there. Finally, she dropped her shoulders and quietly said, "This is not what I was expecting," as she slowly walked out. Confused, I stopped her and asked her what she meant. She said, "This just isn't what I was expecting." "What were you expecting," I asked. "Maybe like a Hi, Hallee. How are you? How was school today?"
That "Mother of the Year" award just keeps getting farther and farther away.

Hope Moments

Another week, another great "Hope moment." Actually, LOTS of them. Here are some of the highlights that made me smile...

* While walking out of the movie theatre after just seeing SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, Hope stopped two complete strangers in their tracks by stepping right in front of them and saying, "I just saw a SCAWEY movie. Don't go see it kay!" I heard them chuckling all the way to the door.

* Every decision is preceded by "Hmmm, let me sink for wonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn minute."

* After being told to put on her pants for the third time she pulled out the tag and pretended to read it. Then she declared, "Mom! Read this tag. It says "no girls can do it! Only moms! Sowwey! (As she shrugs her shoulders)

* While riding in the car I thought out loud how nice it would be to get a babysitter so I could get my errands done. Hope was thrilled and said, "Ya, mom. You don't want to take me to the stors wis you cause I will just whine and cwy the whole time." I sink I need a babysitter!"

* After being sick for a while I asked her how she was feeling. She put her hand up to her heart and said, "My heart says I's ALL better!"

2 Weeks in Review

So, some of you have noticed a temporary slow-down in my posting lately but rest assured it was with good reason. Troy left for a 13 day business trip to Virginia leaving me with three kids and four nasty colds to contend with. I have to admit I was a little nervous but things actually went really well. Between swimming lessons three days a week, help from my parents on the weekend, a four day trip to Logan/Bear Lake and lots of fun activities, the time went rather quickly. Here is a little recap of some of the highlights....

1) I managed to find the time to make this flower arrangement for my bedroom. I am quite pleased how it turned out!

2) One day was spent with a couple of my friends from high school. Amazingly, the kids played downstairs allowing us to sit and visit almost undisturbed.

Ethan was quite a trooper and didn't even notice that he was the only boy.
3) Lots of cousin time. The kids LOVED their ice cream from Cold Stone and well, so did I.
4) Hope and Adi spent most of the time in Grandma's dress up box.
I'm rather impressed that Troy came home to a house that was still standing, three kids that were all still alive and breathing and a wife who never had to be committed. However, I am SO grateful he is home. We missed him something fierce!

Motherhood and all it's GLORY

Well, I think I reached it. The bottom pit of Motherhood. I guess I should back up a bit. Last Sunday Hope was laying on the bed while I was packing our bags to head to Logan. Suddenly, she sprang up, gasped and then looked at me with horror. After a few little coughs she declared that she had swallowed a dime. I laughed it off, told her to be careful and not to put things in her mouth anymore. She asked how we were going to get it out of her tummy and I told her she would probably "poop it out." "Okay, Mommy, she said worriedly. "I's gonna go poop it out RIGHT NOW!" I laughed and that was the end of that. I thought anyway.

Upon telling my story to my mom and sister-in-law (one's a nurse and the other worked in pediatricians office) they informed me that it was my motherly duty to make sure the dime comes out. Yes, folks that means sorting through the poop for the next few days. Just a warning...it's gonna get graphic. Nurse Cathy suggested putting on some gloves and just going for it. Um, HELLO? I finally resorted to a LONG, LONG bread knife for my in-toilet dissections. Glamorous huh?

At this point your probably dying to know whether we found the dime and the answer is no. We had a few times when we were out and about without our handy-dandy bread knife and who knows, it could have come out then. All I know, is I am through searching.

Wise beyond her years

It's hard to imagine that this cute little toddler is now my "grown up" six year old. Hallee is wise beyond her years and often teaches ME with her grace and kindness. I think I take her for granted sometimes because she is SO willing to do any and everything I ask her. I chuckled the other day when I sat peacefully eating my lunch while she fed Caymbree her sweet potatoes. (Hallee did ask to feed her.) I guess I pushed her over her limit a few days ago because she finally looked at me and said, "MOM! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is when you ask me to do ten things at once! I only have so many hands ya know." Whoops.

Her sweet innocence is priceless. Her little friend was here the other morning while she was getting ready and the conversation went something like this....
H: "Do you have any freckles?"
Friend: "No."
H: "Ya, know that freckles are really angel kisses."
F: "Really? Looking at me for a real answer.
H: "Don't feel bad that you don't have any. You have guitar hero. I have freckles. Some people just get different things."

She puts others above herself. While trying to decide the sleeping arrangements at Bear Lake Hallee whispered that she was worried about sleeping in the same room with her sister and cousin because they would keep her up all night (which indeed they would.) I agreed and told her she could sleep out in the living room. When she noticed the disappointment and tears on her cousin she quickly agreed to sleep on the floor just to keep everyone happy. However, the arrangements had already been made and I let her off the hook so she could sleep out in the other room. The poor girl fretted and stewed about it for the next fifteen minutes. She was so worried that her cousin would be sad or disappointed and even asked me "Mom? Do you think Jesus is disappointed with this decision?"

What ever did I do to deserve this sweet little girl?

Stroll Down memory lane

Hey BROOKE, LINDSAY and MAGEN - Remember our cute little playgroup? I found this picture yesterday and it brought back so many fun memories. I can't believe how fast time has gone by.

Seriously!

Most days I absolutely LOVE having three girls. But sometimes it get's a little ridiculous. Take for example, packing for a trip. With boys, you throw in a couple of pairs of pants a few shirts and one pair of shoes. How rough is that? With girls, I have to lay out EVERY outfit. Coordinate the shoes, the pants, the shirt and a matching bow for each girl. Heaven forbid that you have brown shoes with a black outfit. A four day trip to Logan required a pile full of bows and seven bags. A swim bag, a bag for Hope and Hallee, a bag for mom and Caymbree, a diaper bag, a food bag and let's not forget the two bags full of crafts and projects I hope to accomplish while there. I mean seriously!

Swimming Lessons

Well, it's still February. It's cold, snowing and miserable. What better way to get out of the blahs than to go SWIMMING! (Not me of course! Nothing would give me the blahs more!) The rec center here does swimming lessons that coordinate with the tracks so I signed up both Hallee and Hope to get them pool ready for the summer.

Hallee is doing SO great! On the first day she couldn't stop smiling. She loves being in the water and has made so much progress. Hope on the other hand...
Things went from bad to worse with Hopes swimming lessons. On the first day she ran to the pool, took one look at her teacher and froze. It was obvious that it was going to take some strategic planning to make this work. So the game plan went as follows:

Day 1: Bribe. "If you do your lessons you can pick out a special prize after!" NO GO.
Threaten. "If you don't get in the pool you will go home and go to time-out." NOPE.

So, after numerous threats I had to follow through so we went home and Hope spent the next 35 minutes in time-out. It was rough.

Day 2: While out shopping Hope saw a swimsuit that she really wanted. Okay, I think. This might just work out for me. I buy the suit, get her all pumped up for her lessons and call for backup. This time I brought out the big guns and made Troy come with me. You can see how well that worked...

Day 3: Hope woke up early and declared "I AM NOT GOING TO SWIMMING!" She put on her regular clothes and it was all over. She spent that day fully dressed sitting on the side line. Okay Hope - You win!

Day 4: My last ditch effort. I had to suck it up and put on a swimsuit myself. With me in the pool Hope swam like a fish. However, if the teacher came within two feet of her the tears would make their reappearance.

Day 5: Once again, Mom in the pool. This time I finally said to the teacher "Just take her and go." Hope screamed and cried the first go around but by the end she was tear free. Whew!

Next time just remind me to take $40, shred it into pieces and throw it into the pool . It would have saved us all a lot of grief!

Why we blog...

Okay, here it is. My last ditch attempt to bring you blog fence-sitters to the blog world. I won't name names but if I SHOULD (Jessica, Candice, Tiffany, my sister in-laws...) I would just recommend you to give it a shot. No more questions! No more, "well, maybe..." It's time.

1. I started the blog at the request of a friend. After some hounding they finally convinced me that it was not as hard as it looks, and you know what? THEY WERE RIGHT! It is free and it takes less than three minutes to set up your account.

2. My original thought was that it would simply be a good way to keep the grandparents up-to-date on the grandkids. Why would anybody else care what my little family is up to? I just thought it would be a quick and easy way to share all the cute little things they say and do that aren't necessarily phone-call worthy. Who knew that it would turn into something SO MUCH BIGGER!

3. Blogging has reunited me with long lost friends! I love that I get to see and hear all the details of their lives. Life is crazy and sadly a weekly phone call to each friend is just not possible. This way I can "talk" with friends weekly and sometimes even daily through their blogs.

4. It has become one of my biggest SUPPORT GROUPS! Who needs therapy when I can complain, vent, and brag all online. By reading others blogs it has been a huge comfort and reminder that we are ALL human. We all make mistakes, we all have good days and bad days.

5. I am SO motivated by my blog friends. I get so many wonderful ideas from them. Craft projects, dinner ideas, inspiring words of wisdom, motivation to work out more, eat healthier, or play with my kids more. All of this from simply being a part of this network of wonderful people who are willing to share their blogs with me.

6. It has taken a HUGE amount of pressure and guilt off of me about falling behind on scrapbooking. I actually stopped taking my camera places because the thought of one more picture that needed to be scrapbooked was too overwhelming. Now, the camera goes everywhere AND I actually enjoy scrapbooking again. My friend sent me a link that shows how you can publish your blog into an amazing book. My plan is to publish a book for each one of my kids about once a year. My blog has become my mini-scrapbook and journal.

To learn more about publishing your blog check this out -

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Here is a link to a girl that shows what her book that she had printed actually looks like.
http://hairyshoefairy.com/2007/10/05/im-published/

And that's about it. I laugh at how addicted I have become. Instead of doing laundry I am usually checking people's blogs. Instead of cleaning the house I am trying to post something my kids have said or done. Blogging is actually one of the things I look forward to the most in my daily schedule. (I know, it's pathetic). It's like getting letters in the mail everyday but I don't have to walk through four feet of snow to get it. :)

Thanks to all of you who have let me be part of your blog. One has said that it is somewhat pretentious to think that people out there really care what they have to say. But, you know what.... I DO! Keep posting!

Valentines Grand Slam

When it comes to presents, let's face it; there will always be some hits and some misses. This year for Valentines day, Troy knocked it out of the park. I was on my way home from Logan when he called to say he was at Smith's grocery store picking up a few things. In my mind I thought, "Well, I guess I know what I will be getting." I expected to come home to a bouquet of flowers sitting on the table. Imagine my surprise when I walked in my house and saw a card hanging from the ceiling that said "Look Up." I looked up to see a beautifully, and I MEAN BEAUTIFULLY decorated wall. AN ENTIRE WALL - start to finish decorated. I could not believe my eyes. I screamed, cried, laughed and Troy wasn't even there to see any of it. (He said if he knew he was going to get that kind of reaction he would have been there). It was amazing! I can't believe the time and energy that he put into this gift. I definitely think this was the GRAND SLAM of all Valentines presents. I love you Troy!

A little background info: When you walk into our house you come into a two-story entry. If you look upwards there is a HUGE wall that we have always wondered what to do there. We have discussed lot of possibilities but the project always seemed daunting. For one, it is a big wall and to put something little on it would be silly. And two, it is about 20 feet in the air and everything has to be done by ladder. Because of this I had pretty much just given up on the idea.

Valentines Cookies

I try not to make a habit out of making SUGAR COOKIES. ONE - I eat way too many of them and TWO; they are a huge mess! But when holidays roll around I usually grin and bear it. I figure if you are going to go to the trouble you might as well have people over to enjoy it. It turned out to be a brilliant idea on my part because before I knew it my friend Tara had volunteered to make the cookies AND the frosting. Sweet deal for me hey?

Life with Hope

Cute picture hey? Now look at the BOOTS. This is how she walks around church on Sundays. She refuses to zip them up.

Gotta love the bed head!
"Mom, I's a mean piwate!"

I LOVE the stage Hope is in right now. I would give anything to bottle it up and preserve it forever! She has started to move away from the "naughty" stage and now is just down right funny! I have never seen anyone so animated, dramatic and excited about life. She makes me smile just by looking at her. It's hard to capture her spirit on camera without her cute little voice and facial expressions. Here's just a few of my favoite Hope moments from the past week....

* Her favorite babysitter saw her at church and said "Hope! You gotta tell you mom to call me so I can come over and play with you again." Hope turned around, put up her pointer finger, stuck out her hip and said, "ONE CALL...THAT'S ALL.!"

* After getting sent to time-out (remember I said she was moving away from the naughty stage, not completely out of it), she sweetly called out under the door, "Hey mommy, if you come get me out of time-out I will give use the biggest hug ever! Use, better hurry mommy. I will give you a hug!"

* Her favorite phrase this week is "What was use thinkn MOM?"

* When I say "what were you thinking?" back to her, she always replies, "I have noooooooo idea!" as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head. (How she learned how to do that is beyond me!)

* She was trying to tell Troy a story last night while he was looking over his paperwork. He kept nodding his head and say uh,hu and finally she said, "DAD! You got to look at me to hear me! Look at my face okay!"

* Today I heard Caymbree start crying and saw Hope take off running. When I said, "Hope? What did you do?" she runs up, gives me a huge hug and says, "I so sorry mom. Since I gave you a hug is it okay?" (As it turns out she was trying to give Caymbree a toy and Caymbree tipped over).

* While stopped in traffic Hope looked at all the cars and said, "Come on, party people!"

All about Me 2008

I've been tagged with the 2008 version of "Getting to know you" a few times so I figure it's about time I get around to filling it out. Here goes nothing...

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:30am to my tried and true, rarely fails, cute little "Hopers" alarm. It says "Mom, get me ceweal" over and over and the snooze button seems to be broken.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds baby!
3. What was the last movie you saw? Spiderman (it's the last 12 movies I have seen. It's Hopes latest movie obsession).
4. Where is the most beautiful place you've ever been? Cancun, hands down. I guess I should clarify. The ocean and beaches of Cancun.
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Lately I have been all about hot chocolate and toast. I also do eggos, cream of wheat and cereal.
6. What is your favorite food? I love a good steak with A1 sauce, and any type of pasta.
7. What food do you dislike? Any and all types of fish.
8. What is your favorite CD lately? I love the Wicked soundtrack. It is one my girls and I all agree on.
9. What kind of car do you drive? A Toyota Sequoia (sp?)
10. Favorite sandwich? Hmmm...too many to narrow down
11. What characteristics do you despise? Just down right mean people
12. Favorite item of clothing? Any shirt that hides the extra layer of baby fat but still looks fashionable.
13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Europe
14. What color is your bathroom? Off white. Hopefully that will change soon. Troy will be away on business for two weeks - I have big plans! :)
15. Favorite brand of clothing? No particular brand. Store...Charlotte Russe
16. Where would you retire? I can't see myself going too far.
17. What was your most memorable birthday? My 8th birthday. Besides the obvious baptism, and to make a LONG story short - We miraculously followed and retrieved a mylar balloon that
escaped. It ended up miles away and basically floated right down into our arms.
18. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball and dancing
19. Favorite saying? "Life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."
20. When is your birthday? July 6th. I turned the big 30 this year.
21. Are you a morning person or a night person? Ummm, NEITHER. I'm still trying to figure out what time of day is my best.
22. What is your shoe size? What a random question. 71/2?
23. Pets? Nope. Probably not ever unless the little munchkins can convince us otherwise.
24. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher
25. What are you today?A teacher on sabbatical, a full time mother.
26. What is your favorite candy? Swedish fish!
27.. What is your favorite flower? Daisies
28. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? The week of the fourth of July. My favorite time of year! We spend the entire week at our cabin- 30 years and counting.
29. What are you listening to right now? the television.
30. What was the last thing you ate? I just snuck a couple of swedish fish.
31. Do you believe in Angels? Absolutely!
32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Hot pink! It's bold and sassy!
33. Pet peeves? Road ragers and employees who hate their jobs and in turn hate helping customers. GET A NEW JOB! Hopefully one where you are in a dark room and I don't have to deal with your oneriness
34. Favorite Television show? Let's see. American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and Brothers and Sisters.
35. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Tara
36. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yep! All three of them:)
37. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke with a freshly squeezed lime.
38. Hair Color? Take your pick. It changes frequently.
39. Favorite restaurant? I know it's pathetic but Olive Garden is still one of my favorites. That and Spaghetti Factory.
40. Siblings? 2 brothers and a sister
41. What was your favorite toy as a child? Strawberry Shortcake dolls
42. Summer or Winter? Um, that's a toughy! It was 20 degrees outside today and we have had massive crazy amounts of snow. I'm going with SUMMER!
43. Hugs or kisses? Hugs. There is nothing quite like a big huge hug from the kiddos and an unexpected squeeze from the hubby.
44. Chocolate or vanilla? I've always been a vanilla fan but this last pregnancy did something to my taste buds. I'm actually switching over to chocolate.
45. When was the last time you cried? President Hinkley's funeral. I couldn't stop crying. It was a doozey!
46. What is under your bed? Well, let me check. Not much actually. A few hangers, a tissue and oh wait, a beautifully wrapped valentines present just for me.... Not.
47. Who is the friend you've had longest? All my high school friends
48. What did you do last night for dinner? Invited Betty Crocker over and had a meal in a box. It was actually quite good.
49. Favorite smell? Hot apple pie
50. What are you most afraid of? Being in a bad car accident. Having to watch one of my children suffer for any reason.
51. How many years at your current job? Six years as a mother, 10 years as a wife
52. Favorite day of the week? Sunday. Besides the obvious reason, it's the only day of the week that Troy consistently has off.
53. How many towns have you lived in? Logan, Ephraim, and Riverton. Exotic isn't it?
54. Do you make friends easily? Yes. But not only friends...great friends.
55. Are you happy? Again, a bizarre question. But yes, I am happy. Very happy.

And now...TAG you are it! All of my blog buddies. Jen D, Jen J, Tara S, Josie, Adree, Krista, Brooke, Chelsea, Julie, Kelly, Brittney, Tristen, Liz, Iemei, Lindsey, Evelyn, Tara W. Ok, I've listed ALL of you so you have no excuse. All except Kara and Krista because you beauties sent it to me :) oh, and possibly Lindsey and Chelsea because I belive they just did one. Anyway...

A HAPPY BABY!

PAUSE MY MUSIC (on the right) - THEN DOUBLE CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON


I know it's probably not all that exciting for most of you but to hear Caymbree laugh again was absolutely PRICELESS for our family. It is such a relief to know that we are on the right track again.

GO GIANTS!

THE GANG

Hope kept us entertained with her "fashion show" and funny antics

Hallee and Trinity needed thier "own space" so they watched a movie in our closet.
We set our expectations low. 12 kids under the age of 6. The SuperBowl would seem like a side show compared to that. However, they did awesome. We had kids in every nook and cranny of the house but they had a great time together. MIA: Caymbree, Cash, and Caleb
Well, Troy's Giants finally pulled it off. He has been a Giant's fan since before we were married. At one point I even tried to convince him to stop admitting it in public because they were so pathetically bad. He hung in there and finally got to see them win the Superbowl! We had a few friends over to enjoy the show!

A wealth of information

This morning Hallee had a LOT to say. Interesting information to say the least. Our conversation went something like this...

Hallee: (looking at her furry hooded sweatshirt in the mirror) Ohhhh, I like this sheep skin. It's nice and soft.
Me: "Sheep skin?"
"Ya, don't you know they shave sheep to make these things nice and cozy!"
"I'm pretty sure your hood is not made out of sheeps fur."
"Ya, you're probably right. But they DID do that ya know. That's how they made things in the old days."
"Hmmmm." (politely nodding my head).
"You know what else?" Hallee asks.
"No, what?"
"Did you know penguins stay huddled close together to stay warm." "They live in a place called...(thinking deeply). Um, it's not the North Pole. Did you know Santa lives on the very top of the world?
"Yep, I do." I reply.
"Well, penguins live in....(again, racking her brain). "Antartica?" I ask.
"OH, YA! Antartica! And ya know what else Mom?" "No, what?" "The penguins have to stay together so they don't get eaten by wolves!"
"Really?" I reply.
"Ya, cause the people in the igloos, the pilgrims... "Eskimos?" I ask.
"YA! The eskimos brought wolves and sometimes the wolves eat the penguins."
"Oh," I reply. "Where did you learn all this?"
"Um, at school I guess. Or maybe Reading Rainbow? I learn a lot on Reading Rainbow."
"Hmmm, that's good." I answer.
"Oh, and guess what else? Did you know that some people thought the world was just one big straight line?"
"They did?"
"Ya, and they thought that if you started walking and just kept on going that you would fall of the world? Did you know that mom?
" Yes, I did. So do you think you would fall off?"
"NO! That's crazy!"
"Ya, it kind of is. Did you learn that at school?"
"No, Reading Rainbow." "Hey, did the groundhog see his shadow or not?"

GOTTA LOVE IT!

Glen Beck pays tribute to a prophet

I was a little disappointed in the lack of national media attention when President Hinkley passed away. I don't know what I expected. It's just hard to think that one of the most important and significant people in my life didn't deserve more than a quick blurp on most stations. I love that Glen Beck took a minute out of his coverage to pay tribute on national television.