The McDowell Family

May I vent for a moment?

2011-03-07T00:57:00.000-08:00

There are so so many things which are far more important than what I am about to discuss but I just have to vent. I know I am virtually alone in the following opinions so please, take no offense.

I'll tell you what I can't handle. Action movies based in medieval times. Thank the heavens above that I was not born in medieval times because I think I would have to shoot myself - or stab myself with an arrow as it were. I refuse to sit through one more movie where everyone is covered in filth to the point where you can barely recognize one face from the next. The clothes look heavy and damp and disgusting and they are all saying crap like "Milady, I beseech you" and "If thou wilt, Milord" and "Fair maiden, I would that thou would see me rightly". It always looks soooo dark and soooo cold. And everyone is being sliced with swords and stabbed with arrows and then there is a bunch of blood mixed with all the filth and I just want to vomit all over myself. I'm over it. I'm sorry, but The Lord of the Rings falls in this category for me. I know, dare I say it? Blasphemy. But I am not a "Lord of the Rings" type of gal. I sat through all three of the LOTR movies in the theater as a Christmas present to my husband. After each one finished all I could think of was that my butt was asleep and I wanted to go home immediately and soak in a hot shower for three hours on behalf of all the filthy people I just witnessed. Nine hours of my life I'll never get back. That's what I think of LOTR. And Brave Heart and Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and Gladiator and Troy and A Knight's Tale etc, etc, etc. Hey, why don't they re-make Robin Hood one more time because we haven't run THAT story into the ground nearly enough yet. And are you kidding me with all the kissing and sex in these movies? I'd like to know what could be more disgusting than the thought of peeling off all of those disgusting layers of dark, sweaty, dingy clothes and chain maille to have sex. I can practically smell the bad breath and body odor from my seat. Vile. And they are always waaaay overly rough and ravenous in their love making - grabbing at each others faces and crap. No. No to that. Then there are the fight scenes which each feel like they last fifteen hours. And every last one of those kinds of movies have about thirty fight scenes where they are fighting in the mud and the rain and the filthy filth. I would rather poke out my own eyes than have to see Russelle Crow raising a sword in slow motion screaming and spraying sweat all over the place with some passionate music playing in the background one more time. I'm all done with that. I've tried to enjoy these types of films. I really have, but I have to call a spade a spade at this point. I'm just not down with any of it. Go take a bath and cut your nasty hair and turn the freaking lights on and we'll talk.

Jude

2010-12-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

On December 1st at 7:05pm at the American Fork hospital I gave birth to another gorgeous creature. Well I don't know if I can really say I gave birth - they went in and fished him out. He never saw it coming and I did no pushing so I didn't really birth him in the traditional sense. Nevertheless he is here and oh my goodness is he amazing.

I am so totally overwhelmed with love. I exist constantly on the verge of tears because I love him so much and I feel like I can't express it properly. The innocence and purity in his sweet expression is all consuming. He is perfect. He is so so beautiful and so perfect. I am so lucky to have this wonderful little precious gift at Christmas time. Don't even get me started on the fact that it is Christmas time! I sit next to our lovely glowing tree at three in the morning and feed my beautiful perfect baby at night. It is the highlight of my day, that three o'clock feeding. We listen to Christmas music and watch Christmas movies and cuddle all day long. I will never forget having a newborn at Christmas time. It is magical.

This morning I was changing his tiny nonexistent bum and he peed AND pooped all over me and my sheets and his last remaining clean outfit that was sitting folded next to his head. That part wasn't so magical, but it was pretty dang funny.

I'm not going to lie, four is proving to be difficult! Especially the 21 month old. We are not free from stress and chaos but his sister and brothers LOVE him. The most common phrase at our house at the moment is "Can I hold the baby?" Even Finn is extremely loving and gentle. He brings me diapers and burp cloths and says "There go!" (There you go) Darling. I love my children. They all have such good, sweet spirits. I love my family. I'm so grateful for every single one of them. I am so lucky to have such an amazing family. And my wonderful, helpful husband. It is so fun to share this amazing time with him.

So we are happy. And healthy. And sleep deprived. And we are loving every chaotic moment of it. Merry Christmas!

Lilly

First Place! Voctory!!

2010-09-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Oh my poor neglected blog. I'm sure I've lost any readers I might have had. My life is insane. Insane I tell you. A few balls had to be dropped and my pathetic little blog was one of them. It was either my blog or Finn. I feel I made the right choice.

So my family and some of our dear friends get together from time to time and have writing contests. A few weeks ago we had one such writing contest with a Halloween theme. I opted for a humorous approach rather than scary. Well, I don't mind telling you that I WON! That is correct. First place. Me. High fives all around. Anyway, I thought I would share it with you to get you all excited for fall. ENJOY!

My Halloween - Start to Finish

Halloween started out rotten. By the time lunch rolled around I had given it a 2 out of 10 and that was being generous.
I decided to be a girlie skeleton with a hot pink bow this year. When I came down stairs my mom said I looked “spooky”. My dad said I looked “super spooky!”. “I was going for CUTE,” I said. “You look like you’re trying too hard,” said Megan.
Megan’s a brat. She’s 15. When she came down this morning she was dressed up like a strung out Lindsay Lohan. My mom yelled “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” and pointed an angry finger for her to go back upstairs and change. This is the sole reason that I had given the day a 2 out of 10 instead of a zero.
And then there is dad. For the third year in a row he is wearing a giant pot he constructed out of card board with wig hair glued all over it. Harry Potter. I might die of embarrassment if any of my friends see.
Rachel is my nice sister. She’s not wearing a costume because she’s 17 and she says that’s too old for costumes. I wonder why Dad didn’t get that memo. When I asked my mom why she’s not wearing a costume she said it’s because she just gave birth to twins and her unrecognizable excuse for a body is costume enough.
Speaking of the twins they are dressed up like Raggedy Ann and Andy. Everyone called them cute. In my opinion a girlie skeleton is way cuter than a couple of drooley lumps that look like freaky clowns with oversized red yarn wigs.
I’m living in the twilight zone.
We had scrambles eggs for breakfast which I strongly dislike. I say “strongly dislike” because my mom caught me using the word “hate” last week and I got in huge trouble. I’ve been instructed to use the phrase “strongly dislike” instead. Scrambled eggs definitely deserve to be in the “strongly dislike” category.
Rachel said she was going to drive me to school but she was running late so Harry Potter had to take me. Before we left I told Rachel if I die of embarrassment to give all my clothes to Zoe Green. Zoe Green is my best friend. She was dressed up as Hello Kitty but really she just looked like a cat. When I got to school she told me that she saw Kendra Holden in Main Hall and that she was dressed up like a girlie skeleton too except she had a hot necklace that looked like real bones.
I wanted to die. Kendra Holden is only the meanest most popular girl in the school. Plus I’ve always had the feeling she strongly dislikes me. That’s okay because I strongly dislike her right back.
I called my mom to see if she could bring me a different costume. I told her it was an emergency. I even started to cry, but she said one of the twins just exploded poop all over their costume and that she too was in crisis. Then she gave me the “Put on a Brave Face” talk. I strongly dislike the “Brave Face” talk. The “Brave Face” talk made me late for first period and I had to walk in late in front of John Kidner. It’s alright though because I’m pretty sure despite science and all the rules of physical matter I am virtually invisible to John Kidner.
Mr. Fitzpatrick gave a pop quiz in history 3rd period. Rude. Who gives pop quizes on a holiday? Miss Tanner said I looked “spooky” when she passed me on the way to 4th period. The next person who called me “spooky” was in serious danger of receiving spooky pop in the mouth. This coming from a non-violent person.
Mike Edwards and Mario Franco were rough housing in the hall and got yellow face paint on my black shirt. Mina Fillmore told me that Nolan Clark was planning on asking me to dance that night at the Halloween Hootenanny Ball. I really didn’t want to dance with Nolan Clark. He smells like a vitamin store.
It was doughnut day and they ran out of doughnuts two people ahead of me in the line at lunch. How can you run out of doughnuts on doughnut day? It was at this point I told Zoe that Halloween strongly disliked me and this day could not possibly get any worse. It was also at this point that somehow, it did get worse.
It got monumentally worse.
I looked up from my cold waxy pizza to see none other than Harry Potter parading through the cafeteria carrying a clown costume, with a huge smile on his face.
“This is it,” I thought to my self. “I will now experience death by embarrassment.”
I closed my eyes and waited for the sweet release. The white tunnel. The singing choir of angels. No such luck. I opened my eyes to see my dad standing proudly in front of me. “Mom told me about your dilemma. I had a long lunch today so I picked up this costume for you at Walmart!”
I snatched the clown costume from him. “Thanks Dad, I really appreciate it.” I managed to say without crying. I gave him a quick hug and a kiss and sent him on his way. As he awkwardly fumbled out of the cafeteria I felt my face turning scarlet red under my white make up. I rushed to my locker and as I was shoving the ridiculous clown costume inside I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey Abby, was that your dad in the Harry Potter costume?”
I looked over my shoulder to see John Kidner.
I was paralyzed. Frozen. My delayed response was practically tangible.
“Um, yeah. He’s a real comedian, my dad,” I let out a mix of a cough and a nervous laugh, which sounded more like a pre-vomit burp. Shoot me.
“He looked pretty freaking awesome.” John smiled. “I wish my dad was cool like that.”
“Thanks,” I stuttered.
“So are you going to the Halloween dance thing tonight?” He asked.
“Yeah, for sure!” I said smiling.
“I guess I’ll see you there then.” He grinned and walked away. I hid behind my locker door with an idiotic grin on my face taking in the last glorious 20 seconds of my life.
This encounter single handedly bumped up the day’s rating to an 8!
Then I heard Kendra Holden’s bone necklace snapped in gym class and scattered all over the floor. I know it shouldn’t have, but this upped the day’s rating to a 9.
We were supposed to have shepherd’s pie for dinner which I despise because it is weird and the ingredients make no sense but we had hawaiian haystacks instead because mom said she knows it’s my favorite and she also knew I had a rough day. Little does she know my day was totally awesome. After all was said and done I can’t believe it, but according to my advanced rating system, Halloween received a solid 11!
John asked me to dance twice! I didn’t step on his toes or nervous-burp in his face (which after the earlier mishap was a big concern of mine). Nolan Clark asked me to dance, but it turns out he was just trying to see if he had a chance with Zoe. So Halloween does not strongly dislike me after all and the feeling is definitely mutual because this Halloween will go down in the history books as the best Halloween ever!

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

2010-08-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

What is cuter than fritzy pixies in spring time? Not much.

Beautiful, tall, lanky brunette = Maggie (Mine)
Fair blonde that looks like a mermaid = Mila (Charlotte's)
The little one with huge eyes = Goldie (Priscilla's)

Thank Heaven for Little Girls from Lilly McDowell on Vimeo.

Sexy Deputy

2010-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

This morning the owner of these traffic stopping gams...

brought me these...

Needless to say we were THRILLED with the result.

Now if that's not a sexy number I don't know what is.

A little serious-faced cat walk action never hurt a soul.

colby + melanie + a wedding

2010-07-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

I just posted this video on my videography blog but I wanted to post it here for the people I love and care about to see. I am so proud of this one for some reason. I think it's the music - My choice, thank you very much. I've always been fine with my work but I'm starting to really love it which is an amazing feeling. Take a look if you are feeling so inclined. Take the HD off if you are having a hard time viewing it.

Colby + Melanie + A Wedding from Lilly McDowell on Vimeo.

I Can Be Reverent

2010-06-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's too funny, I have to share it with you. Henry gave a talk in church on Sunday. Now when I say "gave a talk" I mean he had Daddy at his side feeding him his lines loud enough for the entire primary to hear. This is because, bless little albino monkey heart, you can't understand a word the child is saying. (Not to worry, we are on it . The speech therapist is hopeful that he will be understood by the masses by kindergarten) ANWAY! This is all beside the point. His talk was on reverence. I wanted to keep the primary children's interest so I took a bunch of pictures of Henry and made them each an 8X10 for visual effect. I was not anticipating how freaking CUTE the pictures would turn out! How I love my little dapper man. This is all I will say. See the full talk below. Hilarity and cuteness ensues...

Sometimes I like to play and be loud!

I like to wrestle with my daddy

I like to swing on the swings with my sister

It's fun to run and play!

But sometimes we need to be reverent

Like when we go to church on Sunday

Or during family home evening

We can be reverent by folding our arms

And sitting quietly in our chairs

When we are reverent we can hear the Holy Ghost whisper to our hearts

When we are reverent we make Heavenly Father and Jesus happy.

I can be reverent when I need to. This in one way I choose the right.

Our Trip to Disneyland

2010-05-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

(The kiddies with grandma. Too cute.)

Did you ever go somewhere for the summer? Like grandma's house or a cousin's house for a few weeks? Or a cabin or boat house? I'm talking not just a week long vacation. I'm talking spending some serious time away from home for the summer. Somewhere you consider to be like a second home. I did. Since I was a tiny little girl, my dad was the set designer for the Children's Miracle Network Telethon broadcasted live from Disneyland. This meant he would have to spend a week or so in Disneyland setting up, broadcasting the telethon, and taking it all down afterword. Of COURSE the whole family would join him for this particular business trip. After the telethon was finished, Daddy needed a full vacation too so we would tack on another week or ten days at Disneyland. We grew up a family from Utah with annual passes in our name each year and all those days in Anaheim were spent in the park. Later during the year my mom would get antsy and we would usually go back one or two more times for 3 or 4 days a visit. This meant we had plenty of time to lounge in the shade, take our time, and relax at Disneyland. Most families were running from line to line, eating on the go, and leaving the park sore and exhausted at the end of the day. Our experience was much different. We got to know every nook and cranny of Disneyland. We would pretend we were orphans that lived in New Orleans Square or runaways that lived on Tom Sawyer's Island. Most kids had grandma's tree house in the back yard as their play area for the summer. We had the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse to run through and cause mischief. Disneyland was our playground. It truly is my second home and it will always be where my heart is. It is so much more than a theme park to me. The smells, the sounds, and the beauty found there are a part of me. My sisters and I often tell people the Disneyland "calls to us". I'm sure they think we are crazy. But sometimes I will be in the kitchen doing the dishes and I will suddenly smell the vanilla on Main Street or hear the Swiss Polka that plays in line on the Matterhorn or see Snow White's wishing well next to the castle. I can practically feel the cobblestone under my feet!! This is Disneyland calling to me and it is a cruel and painful experience when our bank account is shouting back "Absolutely NOT!!" This is why I need to win the lottery.

We just returned from a five day vacation to Disneyland. Not NEARLY long enough for me (or my cute husband who TOTALLY understands the magic of Disneyland) but it was sufficient to feed the intense addiction for a little while. Some wonderful things happened there!

Wonderful thing #1. Finn learned how to drink from a straw at the Big Thunder Mountain Barbeque Ranch. YESSS!

Wonderful thing #2. I felt the very first flutter of sweet baby number 4 when it was startled by the fireworks. How cute and awesome is THAT?!! (By the way, I am pregnant)

Wonderful thing #3. Henry got picked to be in the Jedi Training show in Tomorrowland! Hilarious and tear jerking all at once. It was serious business as you will see in the pictures below.

Wonderful thing #4. We were ALL sick with a terrible stomach flu (or violent germs as Maggie would say) on the drive to Disneyland, but miraculously enjoyed perfect health through out the remainder of our trip!

Wonderful thing #5. Maggie pointed out to me how beautiful and charming the evening lighting is in Adventureland. My children are beginning to understand the importance of beauty and atmosphere!! It's not just about the rides to my FIVE year old! The apple doesn't fall far from the tree folks. (Of course it can't hurt that the larger apple constantly points out to the smaller apple that there is beauty all around them every day.)

So that was our trip. And thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, The Tim McDowells, "Unca" James, and our beloved Deakins, it was a trip these apples will never forget.

WARNING: There are 26 pictures following this post for your viewing pleasure. I know it's a lot but trust me, it's whittled down to the bare essentials as there were over 700 pictures to choose from. Also, please note the last picture, Buzz with Mickey ears copping a feel on the blue pixie. You love it.

Who do YOU love?

2010-04-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

Daddy: "I love you, Henry."

Henry: (Pointing adamantly with Xbox controller in hand) "NO! I love YOU!!"

Daddy: "NO! I love YOU!!!"

Maggie: "You are just both loving each other and that's okay."

Henry: "It makes a heart and feels good. I love Mommy, Daddy, Maggie, Finn, and ME! (Still pointing wildly at each with Xbox controller). AND I love the t.v. AND the Xbox!!!"

Daddy: "Well, what good is the t.v. without the Xbox."

Sweet Smells Fill the Air...

2010-04-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

I want you to guess what we have been up to the last few days here at the McDowell home. This lovely picture will give you a hint.

A. Trying out new spring time recipes! Mixing, baking, and singing primary songs in the kitchen with the children. It's been LOVELY!
B. Playing "Army Men" in the back yard using the bowls as helmets. Running through the new spring grass, taking in the new spring air. Laughing, rolling, frolicking, and the like. It's been HEAVENLY!
C. Violently ill. Sloppily laying about the house clinging to our vomit bowls. Rolling back and forth, moaning in our vile, pathetic state. No music, no laughter, no fresh air. Only matted, greasy hair, ill fitting pajamas, and a constant load of freshly vomit ridden bedding in the washer. It's been HELLACIOUS! (special thanks to Lehi Legacy Pool)

Okay, take your best guess! You get a PRIZE if you guess the correct answer! Good luck!

St. George Video

2010-04-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

High School Sweethearts from Lilly McDowell on Vimeo.

Long Winded

2010-03-15T00:21:00.000-07:00

I was just reading over my old blog posts and I have come to the conclusion that I am extremely long winded! I can't believe that you read my ridiculous lengthy posts! I'm so sorry! So to rectify the situation I will try writing shorter, less boring posts. Like this.

Butters

2010-03-03T09:37:00.000-08:00

This is Finn. Also known as "Butters". Butters is what one might call "busy". I give him this title for two reasons:

#1. Butters enjoys putting things in his mouth. Nothing is off limits for that naughty little mouth. Pennies, used Kleenex, Rob's shoes, old Bandaids found in the trash, dust bunnies - all straight to the mouth. It matters not how disgusting or vile the item may be. No discrimination! All items of any shape, size, smell, or color are welcomed and encouraged by the chubby fist to enter the wide open waiting mouth of my child. Pardon me for a moment as I dry heave remembering the hair covered lint ball I pulled from his mouth this morning. (Not to worry, though. When daddy put a small piece of tortilla in his mouth on quesadilla night, it was promptly rejected complete with spitting noises and a look of sheer disgust.) My life is lived in fear that my child will surely choke and die when my back is turned. Fun for all!

#2. Butters can not be bothered with baby toys. Colorful, noisy, obnoxious items made for children are clearly beneath my child's intelligence level. He will have nothing to do with them. He's more of an electronics man. He can often be found stuck behind the TV tangled in wires (one of which will most assuredly be IN HIS MOUTH). He could also be considered an avid reader (or book eater, either way), his favorite author being Grisham. Now that he can stand, the book shelf presents a whole new world for Butters. Glass vases, canvas paintings, wooden sculptures, all thrown to the ground and wildy attacked leaving nearly everything we own cracked, dinged or crusty with baby spittle. I won't go into details, but Butters also enjoys waste baskets and garbage cans. Muy Deliciouso!

He keeps me busy. Extremely busy. Busy to the point where my house and other children probably feel neglected and confused as to where their mother went. BUT I honestly can't complain. He is happy and extremely good natured. He rarely cries or whines. His fat rolls are delicious to munch on and his laugh is completely infectious. He brings a strong spirit of joy into my home and who couldn't use ridiculous amounts of joy in there home? I ask you! At the end of the day I am grateful that he is strong, and creative enough to be busy. But most of all I am grateful that I caught the Barbie shoe before it lodged itself into my child's throat.

All With the Magic of a Ball Point Pen

2009-11-18T15:29:00.001-08:00

Every so often my husband and I will invite some friends over for a game night to break up the daily grind. The other night we were playing a game where we had to write down cleaver and witty things that required a bit of "thinking time" between each round. I passed out a few of my daughter's coloring books to act as a hard surface for everyone to write on. My smart ass brother-in-law Joe got the Sesame Street coloring book and THIS is what HE decided to do with HIS "thinking time"...

He looked so deep in thought and serious over in his little corner scratching away with his ball point pen. What a fun and unexpected surprise it was for Maggie to find the next time she went to color. What could be more ideal than strung out, drunken, slutty, transvestite muppets when a 5 year old opens her coloring book? Not much I tell you. I could pretend to be offended or shield my eyes at the sheer inappropriateness of it all. I could tell you I was mortified and shocked. But the truth of the matter is that it made my whole entire day. I was hysterical with laughter and actually had to brace my self to avoid falling over. Maggie doesn't get to color those pages. First, because that would probably be considered grounds for social services to pay us a visit. And second, because those pages are going STRAIGHT to my special box of letters and keepsakes that I keep to cheer me up. Oh my special box and the ill humored treasures that lie within it. Thanks for the contribution, Joe. I'll let you explain Candy and her tranie muppet friends to Maggie next time you visit.

Irate doesn't even scratch the surface.

2009-11-16T19:35:00.000-08:00

A couple of recent shots of "Finner Finner Chicken Dinner". I found the text on his naughty little jammies appropriate for this post...

Wow what a little perspective won't do for you. I wrote this post about a month ago and I just reread it for the first time. At the time, I was LIVID, but reading it now makes me laugh hysterically. I originally posted it on my "girls only" blog, but now that the calm after the storm has arrived I will share it with all ya'll. Enjoy the horror. :) (Be forewarned, it's a bit dramatic)

I'm fuming and my hands are shaking as I type this. I am on the brink of hysterics.

Today was Maggie and Henry's 6 month dental check up. Of course I remembered 35 minutes before the event so I had to fly around the house finding shoes and brushing teeth with one hand while applying makeup and combing hair with the other. Both of my boys were sleeping peacefully so I had to yank them from their cozy warm beds to be primped and prodded at until they were both presentable. Henry, of COURSE, was in one of his "moods". This meant he cried and whined and lay limp like a doll while I dressed him and put shoes on his namby pamby feet. Then he snuck away from me for TWO SECONDS and shoved his mouth full of Mini Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers just as I was about to brush his teeth. So I said, "Come on Henry! We're late! Chew! Chew! Chew!" This was a bad idea. He stood with that mouth full of crackers and screamed at the top of his toddler lungs for FIFTEEN MINUTES! How he can scream at full throttle for fifteen minutes is completely beyond me. I swear he summons winged demons from the depths of hell to assist him with his tantrums. Unreal. At last we were ready. We were already thirteen minutes late leaving the house. Henry was still hysterical over the tooth brushing/cracker incident and refused to buckle his seat belt. "Don't MAKE me come back there!" I say already buckled, car started and in reverse in the drivers seat. He again began to break down into total hysterics. I held up my cell phone, "I'll call daddy and tell him all about it Henry! Don't think I won't!" The screaming reached it's full potential. So I dialed. Poor Rob answered the phone and I started in shouting into the phone (for Henry's benefit) the events of the past half hour. Not surprisingly, Rob could not understand a damn word I was saying except "Henry" and "dentist" and "screaming raging fit!" So of course he thinks that there is a dental emergency and that Henry is being attacked by the dentist. We were now seventeen minutes late. I tied to keep calm as I clumsily shuffled through the dentist's door carrying a car seat with a 17 pound baby in tow, a purse, a diaper bag, and a weeping Henry. The children immediately busied themselves with all the fascinating no doubt germ infested toys that adorned the office and I made my way to the front desk. "My insurance has changed", I say as I signed the children in. No problem, right? Oh no my friend. No. This is where my day gets REALLY ugly. They don't accept my new insurance. Or rather my new insurance does not accept THEM. I nearly wet myself with rage. I remained composed and smiled as I pried my children from the toys that I had lured them to the dentist with promises of playing with and loaded everyone back into the car. I could feel that my face was red as I made the drive home. And here it is folks. The icing on the cake. The cherry on top of my horrendous day. Are you ready for it? I called Rob to vent and complain about the devil and the antics he has been torturing me with all day and he said to me, "Don't you remember? The insurance didn't change. We thought it was changing, but it didn't after all." I very nearly wept. But I couldn't. I couldn't even speak. However, I think I might have vomited in my mouth a little bit. So now I sit here. I am exhausted and my kitchen is filthy. My children's teeth remain unchecked and I can smell a dirty diaper in the next room. I will now proceed to go and open a can of chocolate frosting and eat it with a spoon in response to today's charade. Yes. That can of chocolate frosting doesn't stand a chance.

A Funny Choice

2009-11-11T13:07:00.000-08:00

Today I overheard an AWESOME conversation between my 5 year old (Magnolia) and my 3 year old (Henry).

Henry: My bum put poo in my ear

Maggie: That story is not a good choice, Hen

Henry: It's not a good choice, it's a FUNNY choice

I need to tack a tape recorder to my bra or something. Moments like these are too fabulous not to hear over and over.

Woody's Roundup

2009-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

It's time for Woody's Roundup! Prepare for 1 minute and 54 seconds of sheer brown eyed goodness.

Special thanks to out of control talented photographer and bestie McKenzie Deakins. See photographybymckenzie.blogspot.com ;)

What would you name YOUR pumpkin?

2009-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's Halloween again! I love it for oh soooo many reasons! Here are three of them:

What have we been up to this season? Well if you would be patient and just keep reading you would find out!

Here we have the adoring older sister "babysitting" Finn. In a few minutes she will tell me she is "all done with that (as she points at Finn)" because she is "worn out from all the moving."

Next we have Henry and the Pirate Pumpkin he made. (In other words the Pirate Pumpkin he pointed at and shouted out demands while daddy burnt his fingers to a crisp with the hot glue gun.) Later Henry informed us that this Pumpkin is named "Pirate Bad Guy".

Next we have Maggie posing with the Princess Pumpkin who she so elegantly named "Dayna" (and why not?) You will also see her gently caressing the chin of "Jamie" the Witch Pumpkin who is still awaiting her hat.

Moving along to the Pumpkin Party! Maggie did the right side of her pumpkin's face all by herself! What did she name this pumpkin, you ask? Get ready for it.... "Amy"! Again, why not?

Henry had help from daddy. After a lot of thought and consideration Henry decided to name his pumpkin "Henry". (It was a close call between "Henry" and "Bad Guy") Clever children here at the McDowell home.

Happy Halloween! From, Rob, Lilly, Jessie, Woody, and Bullseye! (You'll see what that means soon enough! Oh you'll see! And don't blame me if you die from the cuteness!)

More Watchin' Less Talkin'!

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Recently my husband went on a business trip and came home with this little gem.

I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't totally mortified. I think I might have let out a gasp of terror. My reaction was such for two reasons:

REASON #1:
This shirt is completely one hundred percent WHITE TRASH! Which, I hope you all would agree, WE ARE NOT. Here are just a few examples to reiterate this fact:

~I don't have a broken down car parked on my lawn
~I wear a bra
~When I wear said bra, it does not hang out three inches from my shirt for all to see
~I do not use phrases such as "I seen him yesterday" or "alls I know is" or "I come in before them" or my personal favorite "ex-specially".
~I don't call my children "little shits" (pardon the language)
~I have never asked another human being to pull my finger
~I am wise to the fact that the word "classy" is code for "trashy"
~My house does not smell like wet dog

I could go on, but I will spare you. This shirt, when worn outside the confines of my home screams "White trash jack ass on the loose! Don't stand too close lest you be subject to some sort of ignorant fart humor!" Again, mortified.

REASON #2
This lovely character is OBVIOUSLY supposed to be ME in this scenario! The obnoxious, nagging wife! - Bringing her man down, not letting him drink his beer and watch the game. Horrified I tell you! This is SO NOT how our relationship works! We are actually pretty great when it comes to compromise and sports. And Rob is SO NOT white trash! I can't imagine what POSSESSED him to make this hideous purchase. And he bought it at the ESPN Zone, (thanks millions ESPN) so you know that mess wasn't cheap.

I kindly expressed my dislike for the shirt in hopes that he would give it to a homeless person or D.I. or something. "Maybe we could cut it up and make it into cleaning rags that I can use to clean the house on game day!" I say. Unfortunately that little suggestion didn't go over too well and now he wears it when we get in a tiff. Such a mature fellow. I'm considering making a shirt that says:

"He said - Shall we try swapping positions tonight?
She said - That's a good idea... you stand by the ironing board while I sit on the sofa and pass gas!"

I am completely capable of pulling out all the white trash stops when necessary.

And this is how one achieves a successful marriage.

Where's the dang pause button?!

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is five! What is all that about?! It seriously feels like I just brought my tiny pink bundle home from the hospital yesterday! I don't know how I feel about all of this :(

That was then

And this is now

She's a pretty little thing, but I'm not a fan of all the growing up business.

So she wanted a Strawberry Shortcake party (again) and it went swimmingly!...for the most part. Good old uncle BJ managed to single handedly eat all of the Mike and Ike Fruity Chew cupcake decorations that the children were supposed to adorn their cupcakes with. It was like it happened in one breath! One minute my little candy dish was full of colorful delicious sweets and the next minute they were GONE! Vanished before all of the guests had even arrived! But what good are uncles if not to cause a little trouble? And then Maggie's hair caught on FIRE while she was blowing out her candles. That was fun. She didn't even notice the hair flames because of the fierce intensity and concentration that is involved when blowing out candles on your fifth birthday. I panicked for a brief moment as I watched my only daughter's long gorgeous locks of shinny brown hair burst into stinky little flames. I blew a gust of frantic air at the fire and it went out immediately. Maggie was slightly annoyed as she thought I was trying to help her blow out her candles. Clearly a five year old needs no help blowing out their birthday candles! However I would think anyone can appreciate a little assistance when their HAIR IS ON FIRE! But you know, whatever.

Happy Birthday Mags! We love you, stinky singed hair and all!

Enjoy some shots from the party. Please note Henry as he was having one of his "bad days". Jealousy claims another victim. I have also included a shot of the sexy twins as they seduce the camera. I thought you might like that. ;)

Just You Wait....You'll See! You'll ALL See!

2009-09-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

It's inevitable. It will happen one day and then you will know. You will find yourself with three small creatures that you created by your own free will and choice. These creatures will start out tiny and helpless and cute. This is their way of tricking you. You will feed them. They will get bigger. And then the creatures will begin to argue with you. They will talk back. They will demand things. They will draw with sharpie on your favorite living room chair. You will make threats. They will throw their heads back in laughter at your threats. You will do something you promised the universe you would never do. You will say things your mother used to say. These phrases might include: "You are suffering the consequences of your own actions" and "I brought you into this world, I can take you out!" They will jump on you and pull your hair in response. They will tell people at church that you didn't answer the door when the doorbell rang yesterday because you were naked. They will scream at the grocery store at the top of their lungs "Help! This is not my mommy!" There will be many more antics, but I will not go into that now because I wouldn't want to depress or frighten you.

One day you will walk through your once quiet and calm home. There will be globs of toothpaste on the bathroom counter. There will be red crayon on the walls of your hallway. There will be clothes that were freshly folded only two hours before scattered all over the laundry room floor and the basket they were in will have turned into a "boat" somewhere else in the house. There will be dried juice on the kitchen floor that makes your shoes stick. There will be tiny hair bows of every shape and size tucked in the sofa crevices. There will be a Dora doll wearing your husbands garment top and your $80 glasses sitting on the sharpie chair mocking you with her permanent smile. And then you will make your way to the creatures' head quarters where you may or may not still be able to see a bed. You will wander into the creature's lair, but this is a mistake because you will step on a tiny black Lego that with jab so far into the bottom of your foot that it pierces your sole. You will want to scream naughty words at the top of your lungs but you will stifle your scream because of all the "little ears" that are surely lurking nearby. Instead you will bite your fist and squeak out a small cry. It is a cry for help but no one will hear you. At this point you will turn around and see your husband standing in the doorway. He will have a look of despair and confusion on his face that mirrors yours. You will stand side by side taking it in in total silence (aside from the screaming and complete chaos taking place in the living room as the creatures dance to the music of "The Wiggles" who you vow to strangle should you ever meet in person). You will look into each others eyes and there will be no need for words. Your minds will communicate with one other. First his brain will say, "What have we done?" and then yours will say, "I don't know, but it's too late now." and then his brain will say, "It's never too late! I've heard of gypsies who come through town and buy children. It's worth looking into." Suddenly a wave of motivation mixed with the devil's rage will surge through both your veins and you will summon the creatures in your most intimidating voice. You will stand in the doorway with your hands on your hips and shout out commands pointing wildly at the mess. The creatures will put up a fight. There will be stomping of feet and gnashing of teeth. The air will be thick with defiance, but this is a fight you MUST win. They will sulk in the tub after losing "The Cleaning of the Room Battle of '09". They will pout begrudgingly as you scrub them clean of all the filth. You will silently attempt to scrub off some of the naughtiness in the process. This attempt will be in vain. You will help the creatures say their prayers by having them say things like, "Please help us to be gentle and loving and to obey mommy and daddy." This attempt will also be in vain. The creatures will eventually fall asleep but not before goofing around for half an hour, falling off the bed, and demanding a Hello Kitty band aid be applied to a patch of perfectly healthy skin. You and your husband will collapse on the sofa. You will lay there limp and expressionless for an hour. And then the unexplainable will happen. It always does. You will actually begin to MISS the creatures! Why would you do it? So you will stealthfully sneak into each one of their freshly tidied bedrooms and hover over their beds. You will watch the newly bathed peaceful creatures as they sleep. You will say words like "angels" and "sweet". You will ooh and aah and pat one another on the back at your perfect little masterpieces. Then the little fat one will stir, threatening to awaken and you will tear out of there so fast your head will spin. Your heart will be pounding with fear and terror. This serves you right.

I wish you all the best of luck with this very special and obnoxious rite of passage. Later you can ask me who stole my brain straight out of my head when the decision is inevitably made to expand the creatures' numbers to four.

A Few Words...

2009-09-29T23:38:00.000-07:00

Words I hate or think are really ugly:
1. Vagabond (can't even bring myself to say it out loud)
2. Levy
3. Shalom
4. Beefy
5. Fiance
6. Scabby
7. Ma-lady, ma-lord or "ma" anything
8. Pianist (too close to the other hideously ugly word for my liking. You know the one. Speaking of, that brings me to number nine...)
9. Scrotum
10. Rot (ew, put nine and ten together and they become fifty times worse)

Words that I think are funny:
1. Bounty
2. Bamboozled
3. Bejeweled (really "be" anything. Bedazzled, befuddled, etc)
3. Hazzah!
4. Stallion
5. Gaggle (as in of geese)
6. Rascal (ESPECIALLY when referring to the motorized wheelchair. And on that note, I present to you number seven)
7. Hoveround
8. Hubbub
9. Shindig
10. Rumpled

Words I like:
1. Peppered
2. Fabulous
3. Pink
4. Aroma
5. Blossom
6. Dapple Grey (two words, I know get off my back)
7. Willow
8. Simple
9. Papaya
10. Birthday

And that's what I think. Agree? Disagree? Are any of my words your words too? Let's have a listen to your thoughts. What are some of your words? Come on. I'm dying to hear all about it.

p.s. Sorry about the scrotum rot. I hope I didn't make anyone nauseous.

More dialogue to ponder...

2009-09-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

A conversation I recently had with Henry:

Me: Henry, do you have to go potty?

Henry: No

Me: Then why are you holding your penis?

Henry: I don't know.

Me: Well please stop.

Henry: Stop what?

Me: Stop holding your penis!!

Henry: But I like him!

That's right. "Him". The penis is its own being now. It's been assigned a gender. At least its the correct gender I suppose.

Dialogue of the day

2009-09-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

From Pinocchio:

Pinocchio: Father, what are you crying for?

Geppetto: Because... you're dead, Pinocchio.

Pinocchio: No! No, I'm not.

Geppetto: Yes. Yes, you are. Now, lie down son...

A Very Merry Unbirthday Indeed...

2009-09-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

...or BIRTHDAY as the case may be.

We recently received this invitation

So we decked ourselves and the children in the "maddest" and most splendid attire we could find

Soon we found ourselves here

Where we found Alice

A few of them actually

But this one was the birthday girl

The Mad Hatter made a maniacal appearance

And Grey Grey too

There was even a live birthday candle

And a Mexican man who wandered over to our gathering. My friend Liz said that when complimented on his fine mustache, the Mexican man replied: "They're not mustaches, they're caterpillars. I pulled them off a man's butt." Who would have thought?

And this lion kept vomiting pink liquid into our tea cups.

It was all very curious

Curiouser and curiouser

Later the children gathered momerats

Then we sang "A Very Merry Unbirthday" to Alice

Then the littlest and the maddest of them all past out cold from all the excitement

"After this I should think nothing of falling downstairs!"

Happy Birthday Alice!

Sniffle Sniffle...

2009-09-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

My baby is off to Joy School! Has it come to this so soon? Already? REALLY??

We can't afford preschool AND dance so I roped a bunch of moms in the ward into doing a joy school with me. I'll let you know how THAT goes.

As I was getting Maggie ready for her first day of school I told her she needed to be obedient and obey what the teacher tells her to do. She nonchalantly agreed to do so. I asked her what it meant to obey and she said the following:

"Okay so obey is like when you have a dog and you got to be really nice to him and give him treats and then you ASK your mom if you can put makeup on him and she says 'okay' so you put some make up on the dog and maybe a dress and Mommy can we get a dog?"

I guess I need to work on basic principals with my children. I'm nervous to hear what she would say if I asked her to define honesty.

Maggie and cousin Mila off to joy school

Unenthusiastic thumbs up

The backpack

The whole class on their first day. Wish us "teachers" good luck!

I couldn't resist posting pictures of the second day of school too.

Sassy, obedient girl

My favorite part about the fall. Knee highs and Mary Janes.

Luckily for all of dog-kind I am allergic. I would hate to expose any living creature to all the "obedience" they would experience here at the McDowell home...

Maggie's New Room!

2009-08-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

So Carrie convinced me to post pictures of Maggie's newly decorated bedroom. I'm a little shy because for some reason I feel like I'm really putting myself out there showing all of you this. This is the first time I have ever taken an idea to decorate a room and executed it from start to finish, top to bottom. Anyway, here it is. Tada! What do you think?

The Binki Thief

2009-08-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

Be warned. This post involves cruel and unusual treatment of binki suckers.

This morning I spent 45 minutes in bed snuggling with this

There was giggling and cooing and nibbling of fat rolls

All was well until suddenly we were silently attacked by a binki thief!

We were blind sided! It came out of no where! The thief was so stealth and quiet we didn't even see it come OR go!

The thief flung the binki with one quick tug from the unsuspecting mouth, waved it wildly in front of the shocked and confused face, and then left the binki still and motionless on the chest of it's poor stunned victim.

There were tears of sadness and high pitched squeals of anger.

We filed a police report and they are hopeful. Please contact us with any information you might have on who would do such a cruel and sick thing. In the meantime, lock your doors and guard your binkis folks. He's still out there.

(Pictured above: The freshly bathed victim taking some much needed rest after the traumatic ordeal.)

What to expect should you ever be invited to a robot's birthday party...

2009-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

First off, robots are smaller creatures than you might think. They are unpredictable and not as intelligent as one would anticipate...

Despite their lack of intellect, they are usually quite cute...

Much like the human species, robot siblings have a tendency to disagree with one another at times...

You will be fascinated to know that the female robots tend to stick together...

Some robots take their role as a robot more seriously than others...

Be forewarned that wrangling robots for picture taking will take at least ten minutes...

You will find that the birthday robot is easily excited when presented with a jack-in-the-box...

If you are lucky, Grandpa Robot will make an appearance...

The smallest and chubbiest robot will most likely sleep through the entire event in his pack and play...

Happy Birthday Little Robot!

10 Things I say 50 Times a Day to My Children...

2009-07-10T21:54:00.000-07:00

1. Your shoes are on the wrong feet (EVERY TIME!)
2. Did you flush the potty and wash your hands?
3. Because I said so
4. Mommy needs a little space
5. Share with your brother
6. If you wake up that baby, so HELP me
7. That's why we don't jump on the sofa
8. Stop playing with your penis (my personal favorite)
9. Take one more bite

and last, but certainly not least and said more than the rest combined:

10. Mommy loves you

I'm NOT dead!

2009-06-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

BLAH! I have been so insanely busy lately! Chicken with it's head cut off doesn't even come close to describing it!! Here are just a few of the reasons I dropped off the face of the planet:

1. Infant baby boy.
2. Moved into a new house!!! Smile!
3. Packing and then unpacking every last earthly possession into new house. Frown.
4. Had to go to the emergency room (on Easter no less) with STROKE symptoms only to find out I was having some out of control migraine from HELL due to lack of sleep.
5. Wedding season is upon us.
6. Two trips to Las Vegas to film weddings.
7. Got ROBBED in Las Vegas by an asinine thug in desperate need of a conscience.
8. Trying to lose baby weight. (ha ha good one)
9. Attempting to raise three children to be decent, wholesome, God-fearing people. (double good one)
10. Continuing to build a life and relationship with spouse. (the only reason I haven't taken the easy way out by flinging myself wildly off the nearest cliff)

There you have it. I promise to post pictures soooo soon! You won't even recognize Finn. I'll give you a hint by just saying this: FAT!

p.s. Thanks to said asinine thug, I need all of your phone numbers and addresses. Please message or email me with your info!! Thanks Peeps!

Signed,

Not Dead

Happy Birthday Rob!

2009-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my very best friend in the whole world's birthday. I thought I would take this opportunity to let you all know a bit more about him!
1. His favorite movie is The Matrix
2. His favorite color is blue
3. His current favorite music artists are John Mayer, Jack Johnson, and Iron and Wine
4. His drink of choice is Diet Mountain Dew
5. He would be a stay at home dad if he had his choice because he LOVES being with his kids more than anything in the world. (the next few facts will reiterate this fact)
6. He is VERY helpful with the kiddies. I can't remember the last time I bathed my own children because he does it.
7. Every night he brushes the kid's teeth, reads them 2 stories, prays with them and tucks them in bed.
8. The first thing he does when he gets home from work every night is rush to the sink, wash his hands, and steal Finn from wherever he is. He loves that baby!
9. He has never missed a prenatal doctor visit through all three pregnancies.
10. When going over our finances he said that he would rather get rid of his cell phone than cut out Maggie's dance lessons.
11. He does the dishes and vacuums.
12. He grocery shops.
13. He cooks.
14. He supports all of my hair brained ideas wholeheartedly.
15. He is quick to apologize and compromise.
16. He respects me.
17. He listens to me.
18. He ALWAYS puts me first.
19. He loves Disneyland almost as much as me.
20. He hates it when people use the word "literally" when it is NOT literal. For example "I literally died of embarrassment".
21. He has an awesome laugh. It is one of my favorite sounds in the world.
22. He hates it when we are driving and I am on the phone getting directions and I hand him the phone to get the directions instead because I am horrible at conveying directions. This has got to be one of his biggest pet peeves.
23. He has a mild case road rage which is actually funnier than it is anything else.
24. He is a HORRIBLE morning person.
25. He is not a fan of games. Party pooper.
26. When he likes what he is eating he INSISTS I take a bite and gets mortally offended if I decline. He does it with the kids too.
27. He can fall sound asleep sitting in any position in any place at any time.
28. He's ridiculously smart.
29. He's a very good debater. This makes disagreements super fun at my house.
30. He is the best kisser I have ever had the privilege of kissing.

So there you have it. A little insight into my best friend and why it is that I love him so terribly much.

Happy Birthday Rob! You are my partner, my confidant, and my relief at the end of the day. I would be lost without you! Literally ;)

Fun Facts About Finn...

2009-04-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

-He's a great little eater. At his two week visit my Doctor told us that a healthy amount of weight to gain for a two week old is 2 to 3 ounces...Finn had gained 13.
-He's VERY strong. I suspected as much when he kicked me harder and more often than my other two combined, but my suspicions were confirmed at his circumcision when two nurses and the doctor commented on his abnormally strong legs.
-Speaking of...he did NOT enjoy the circumcision. Consequently, neither did I.
-He has a husky, boyish voice that I adore.
-He smiles when I sing "It's a Small World"
-He poops infinitely more than he pees. And he explodes on my favorite outfit of his with the old school Mickey Mouse print on it every time WITHOUT FAIL within five minutes of me putting him in it. A fun little game for mommy.
-He spits up and laughs about it all the live long day. Another fun game.
-He loves to sit on the window sill and bask in the sun while listening to primary childrens music.
-He loves the car and his car seat (thanks heavens!!)
-His baby acne is disappearing (YAY) just in time for the cradle cap to kid in (BOO)
-He has made life surprisingly challenging, but I am completely and totally in love with him.

Finn

2009-02-28T15:11:00.000-08:00

Our sweet, tiny Finn is here and what a welcome little addition he is to our home!

Finley Lewis McDowell was born February 20th (the day Rob proposed to me 8 years ago!) at 7:10am. He weighed in at 7lb 9oz and was 21 inches long. There were no complications other than a mild case of jaundice. He has LOTS of black hair and looks like Maggie when she was a baby. He is very mild and patient and a great little eater! Maggie and Henry are completely in love with him, especially Maggie. They are very "helpful" and try hard not to be "wild around the baby". Maggie is constantly asking to hold him. She sings lullabies to him and kisses him on his head and says things like "Finn likes me, mommy! I'm a very good sister for him!" Yesterday she came in to me as I was feeding Finn and said "Mommy, now I want a sister." I told her I'd get right on that.

This afternoon Finn was surprisingly alert so I held him up to my face so that he could focus on me. I talked to him for half an hour about how amazing he is and what a wonderful surprise he was for us. His darling face was so content as he listened to me, full of innocents and love. You can sense how close a newborn is to God when you hold them. What a spiritual experience it is to be in his presence. It is overwhelming at times, how privileged I feel to have this beautiful little creature in my life. That feeling combined with hormones and sleep deprivation equals lots of happy mommy tears falling on his tiny head. There is an angel at our house and we feel so very lucky to have him!

Children for sale!

2009-01-29T10:45:00.001-08:00

Two top of the line, house broken, brown eyed children for sale!!

You will love the way the girl silently finds your hidden scissor stash and cuts six inches off the front of her hair while you are busy signing a contract with a bride in the next room! And if you are lucky, the boy will sneak upstairs in the exact same moment and dump all of your brand new $28 a bottle color stay makeup all over the carpet, counter, his hair, and clothes! Complete ruining of mascara and lipstick also included! You will LOVE attempting to bathe him after the makeup fiasco without submerging his head in water due to the fact that just days earlier, the girl punctured his eardrum with a pencil while playing doctor! Please note that this incident involved the boy screaming and writhing in pain, a bleeding ear, and an emergency trip to the doctor! For optimum fun, it is recommended that these charades be attempted when carrying an eight and a half month fetus in your uterus! You simply MUST have these two BUSY little children! And stay tuned! There is a good chance that if the fetus makes his big appearance and follows suit, you will have a chance at child number three! Going fast! Grab one before they are going, going, gone!!

My latest stuff...

2009-01-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

Horrible person or tired pregnant woman?

2009-01-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Rob bought me this awesome vacuum. It's small and cordless for when you want to grab it quickly and vacuum up a few crumbs. The handle has the ability to extend but... if you choose NOT to extend it, it is just the right size for a small child to use. We also bought Henry a little "Dirty Devil" vacuum toy that is the same size and color as the real vacuum. (I know a vacuum is an odd present for a two year old boy, but he is obsessed with vacuuming. Such a domestic little man) So basically when Henry is "vacuuming" I get out the real vacuum and let Maggie loose. That's right. My four year old daughter has turned into a tiny vacuuming slave. She loves it! She goes totally nuts and vacuums up every last crumb! She asks me all day when she can vacuum next. BUT I FEEL HORRIBLY GUILTY! MY CHILD IS CLEANING MY HOUSE FOR ME AT THE TENDER AGE OF FOUR! At first I thought it was hysterical, but now I feel as though I have tricked her or something. So I ask for your opinion: Horrible person or tired pregnant woman. Honesty please.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-17T17:27:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas again and I love it so much! Our children are loving it too. Maggie and Henry can sing all of the lyrics to "Santa Clause is Coming to Town". That's right, it's not "Silent Night" or "Joy to the World", nothing to do with the savior or the real meaning of Christmas. They have focused their efforts on memorizing the song that lists the criteria required for receiving presents from Santa Clause. A couple of weeks ago they were in particularly naughty spirits so I called Santa (Rob) on the phone and told him that my children were being terrors and that he might reconsider bringing us any presents this year. My children sat in silence, their eyes filled with terror as I made the call. I then handed the phone over to Maggie and told her that Santa wanted to speak with her. "Santa" then proceeded to tell Maggie in a jovial voice that she needed to be nice to mommy and help her. He told her that she needed to pick up her toys and go to sleep without crying at night. He was pretty mild about the whole thing and Maggie seemed to respond well. The next few days were heavenly. Clean toy room, no fighting, to bed with no tears. I was loving my Santa scare tactic. Then we went to the mall to see Santa and Maggie was so terrified of him that she refused to sit on his lap and had to stand with daddy and watch at a distance as Henry talked to Santa and got his candy cane. That night we called "Santa" back and he told her how proud he was of her and that she was being a very good girl. That banished Maggie's fear of Santa pretty quickly. We saw him at Disneyland last week and she could barely hold herself back as we waited in line. She leaped on his lap and gave him a huge hug. She told him she wanted a "pink electric guitar" so that she can "rock". Luckily Walmart sells such things for $19.99.

My heart is so full of gratitude this Christmas season as I look at my handsome husband, my darling children, and my growing belly every day. I hope you are all having a wonderful December! Merry Christmas!

Baby Mia

2008-11-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

So this post has to be very short and to the point because as an overly sensitive pregnant woman, I break down into tears very easily and it takes me hours to recover.

In short, my friends from college recently had a beautiful baby girl named Mia who has a severe congenital heart defect. I found this on their blog, it explains it all...

Baby Mia was born with a severe congenital heart defect and is in need of a new heart. The McDonalds have a job and insurance but after heart operations, and then a heart transplant, additional operations plus all the doctors and medicine and hospital time that this will require... it would financially destroy the best of us. Imagine the emotional rollercoaster that this would put any family on. These are the kind of people that would never ask for help like this. In fact, Mimi has done charity fund raisers for others in the past with nothing to gain for herself. That is why we are stepping in to ask on their behalf. This is what we propose: Donate a few dollars. Donate ONE dollar. It doesn't seem like much, but if you give one and then forward this on to others who donate one; well, one turns into a miracle. If you can afford to give more, please give what you can. Then, send this link to everyone you know and encourage them to make a donation and send it on to people they know. Ask yourself, "What is a heart worth, what is a life worth?"

There is a pink button on the top right of my page. If you click on it, you can go to their blog, read more about their story, and I'm hoping you will donate what you can. I know this is not a great time of year to be shelling out extra money to people you don't know, but if you can find a dollar to give, it could make all the difference for this little family and their Christmas this year.

Well, mission failed. I am bawling like a baby.

Halloween...

2008-11-16T19:59:00.001-08:00

Better late than never.

Here we have Tinkerbell and Peter Pan frolicking in the Autumn leaves. I am especially proud of the Peter Pan costume as I made it with my own two swollen pregnant hands. I couldn't resist the green tights. This is probably one of the last years I will be able to put my darling, skinny, little Henry's legs in tights for Halloween. I will think I will cry the year he becomes "too cool" for such things.

5 Things I am Trying to Have More Patience For...

2008-11-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

in other words, 5 things that drive me CRAZY!!

1. People who think you have to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas
2. Limited strength and energy during pregnancy
3. Gravity's cruel affects on the female anatomy (nursing doesn't help in this area either!)
4. Hair in the bath tub
5. How stinking fast my children are growing up

Dear Henry,

2008-10-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Today I can't stop thinking about what a blessing Henry is in my life. If I am ever asked about him or his disposition, I tell people that he is my sunshine. I know a parent should never be dependent on their child for anything, but I depend on the joy that he brings into my life every day. I don't know what I would do without it. The other day I was having my blood drawn and the nurse could tell I was nervous. She told me to go to my happy place and immediately my mind was filled with Henry's smile. There is something so amazing and special about him and his sweet spirit. So much of what makes me happy in this life is because of my dear little Henry. I am privileged to have him in my life even more so to be his mother.

Happy Birthday Maggie!!!

2008-10-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

Lately Maggie has been big into the princess scene. Rob bought her a Cinderella dress and she insists on wearing it every day. I can hear her and Henry playing in the other room while she is wearing it, "We're going to be late for the ball Henry! Dance with me Hen Hen! Turn! Now twirl! Dip me Henry, dip! DIP!!" Henry puts up pretty well with the whole thing. I think he actually enjoys it since he insists on wearing a tiara and Maggie's Sunday shoes when they "go to the ball". This is when I decided that Maggie needed to have a royal ball for her Birthday. It went off without a hitch! I laughed hysterically for most of the evening along with all the other mothers. I was shocked when all the children actually danced with each other for the "ball" portion of the party. It was quite honestly one of the cutest things I have ever witnessed. Maggie had the time of her life. She talks about it every 10 minutes. I can't believe my little Maggie is already 4! Happy Birthday Mags!!

I made this little video of the event. Prepare to chuckle. Special thanks to McKenzie Deakins - my lovely photographer friend who took these beautiful images of Maggie in her dress. And also to Charlotte for filming the whole event as I had my hands totally full!

The results are in!!!

2008-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

It looks as though we will be adding little baby "Water" to the mix! (Maggie's name choice for the baby if it was a BOY!!!) Hooray! We are thrilled to finally have the gender oriented organs of this child assigned. My mind can now focus on all things blue and green and red and brown!! We couldn't be happier to add a brother to the mix. Maggie and Henry can't wait to see "Water" and be "Bery gennle and kine" (very gentle and kind) to him. As Rob and I chatted about our new addition last night, we discovered that we are modeling our family after one of my very FAVORITE families from my childhood: The Darlings from Peter Pan. The funny part is that when we found out that our first would be a girl, Rob started calling her Wendy Bird as a nick name even as she was still in the womb! So there you have it. I guess this means we have to be done having children (as Michael is the last) and adopt a giant dog named Nana.

A trip to Snowflake...

2008-09-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

This post is ridiculously long overdue, but I felt overwhelmed because there are sooo many darling pictures to choose from. For the 4th of July (that's right, the 4th of July. I warned you that this post was long overdue!) we went to Snowflake AZ (Rob's hometown) to spend some time with the fam and get family pictures taken. It was really neat to have every last member of the family there and accounted for! This is rare as we are spread out all over the place and the younger boys are doing the mission thing. Maggie was in heaven being able to spend nearly every waking moment with "Gramma", her very favorite person in the world. There were barbecues, pool parties, games and my favorite...the brother's race to keep us busy all weekend long. It was a blast! We can't wait to do it again!

A conversation with Maggie...

2008-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Me: Maggie, is the baby in mommy's tummy a boy or a girl?

Maggie: It's a girl

Me: What should we name her?

Maggie: (long pause, deep in thought).... We'll name her Swimming!!

Me: Swimming?

Maggie: Oh yes, mommy!

Me: And what if the baby is a boy? What will we call him then?

Maggie: (without missing a beat) Water.

So there you have it. I'll let you know on October 8th weather I am having Swimming or Water. I think either way Maggie might be under the misconception that I will be giving birth to a fish... or maybe a penguin.

Boy or girl? To be continued...

Today was a good day...

2008-09-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

...and let me tell you why!

It WASN'T because poor Maggie woke up from her nap with a barking cough and a sour puss attitude.

It also WASN'T because for the first time EVER one of my brides called and canceled with me because she found another videographer's demo that she liked better than mine. (FROWN!)

And lastly, WASN'T because Verison Wireless messed up our cell phone bill and sent me a statement which read $1412.68 as our balance due (causing me to call them and take an HOUR ironing out the mess on the verge of tears as well as a heart attack). You will be glad to know that our balance due now reads $44.18.

No no, none of those reasons contributed to my good day. Today was an excellent day because as I layed lifeless in the bathtub attempting to decompress, I felt the very first flutter of my sweet unborn baby against my abdomen. It was such a long awaited and highly anticipated moment that I looked down at my stomach and said out loud "Hi baby! There you are!!" I cried pregnant tears, overwhelmed with only one thought..."I am blessed!"

This is why I never have time to blog...

2008-08-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

As the summer is slowly coming to an end I feel as though my deal with the devil is close to over and I will once again regain my SOUL! Summer weddings have eaten me ALIVE! If I am not diapering my children or feeding their bottomless tummies, you can find me here, at the computer, editing wedding videos. Don't get me wrong, I actually really love it. The freedom and creativity involved are perfect for me, but I signed on for a lot this summer and I am looking forward to the slow season! Please enjoy couple of the lovely summer weddings I have had the privilege of filming...

A very welcome pattern

2008-07-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

So a few weeks ago, my dear friend Carrie came into town and I was able to spend a couple of days with her. As most of you know, Carrie is my very best friend and has been since we were skinny, fritzy little girls. We began to play together at the tender age of six and were inseparable through college. Marriage has definitely put a bit of a strain on the relationship. We no longer sleep in the same bed or attend one anothers family vacations, but we remain very close. Our dream growing up was that we would move into homes next door to each other and make jam while our daughters had sleepovers. Our hope was that our daughters would become best friends and carry on the legacy. When Carrie's daughter, Roxie was born our silly plan slowly started to roll into motion (or so we hoped). When you are tiny, like our girls, a few months age difference can seam like much more. During each of Carrie's previous visits, Maggie had not shown much interest in the Rox because Roxie was too little to really play. HOWEVER! This last trip proved to be very different! There was giggling, playing, communicating, and even some friendly hand holding involved! And so it starts! I can't say I'm surprised.

Big happenings at the McDowell's!

2008-07-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well it looks as though we will be expanding to a party of five! That's right. MUCH to our surprise, Rob and I find ourselves expecting baby number three and we couldn't be more thrilled! I am eight weeks along and due February 27th. Just around the corner, right? (nervous laughter) So luckily for me, the morning sickness is at a minimum and all that ails me on a regular basis is how insanely tired I am. Each morning when Maggie wakes me up asking for "warm milk and a show" I feel like somehow during the night, I have been hit by a cement truck. Good times. Wish us luck! This will definitely take some rearranging to make it work, but we are more than happy to do so!

So Maggie thinks she can dance...

2008-07-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I spoke to some of my friends with little girls who are Maggie's age and I began to have a Baby Boom moment. Let me explain: Baby Boom is a CLASSIC movie from the eighties about a New York career woman (Diane Keaton) who is quickly brought to her knees when an obscure relative dies and leaves her a one year old baby girl. The woman has no time for the baby, she tries to keep her career and be a mom at the same time, yackety shmack...eventually (after a montage of the woman taking care of the sick baby all night) the woman's heart is softened, she gives up her career for the child, moves to the country, starts a baby applesauce business, makes millions, and marries the local doctor. One of my all time eighties favorites, I must admit. But to get to the point, there is a scene in the movie where the woman is at a park in New York and she overhears a couple of rich, pretentious mothers talking about putting their unborn children on the waiting lists for various prestigious private schools. After that, they list about a thousand classes, activities, etc that their other children are in (fencing, gymnastics, French lessons, violin, etc.) So basically Diane Keaton panics and feels totally inadequate. She thinks her baby is way behind and she is failing as a mother. Well after speaking with my friends about their wildly advanced children and all the amazing activities and lessons they are involved in, I believe I had a strong taste of what Diane Keaton's character was experiencing in that ridiculous scene. I have always thought that those other mothers were silly and that I would be able to clearly see such a situation for exactly what it was if I were faced with the same. However, after our conversation, I believe I had some mild heart palpitations as I began to sweat at the thought of my Maggie being left behind. Moments later I called Center Stage Dance Studios. I have since gotten over my panic. Maggie is three. She is smart, fast, creative, confident, talented, and the farthest thing from "behind". I have nothing to worry about, but in the meantime, I get to go to her dance class once a week and laugh myself senseless while Maggie and six other sprightly pixies flit across the dance floor in tutus and tiny ballet shoes. Easily the most entertaining part of my week, but the best part is, Maggie LOVES it! It is all that she talks about, and for that, I am glad for my Baby Boom moment.

p.s. I am hoping that anyone reading this post is pop culture savy enough to catch that the title of the post is a play on the very popular TV show's title, So You Think You Can Dance, and not my way of mocking my poor little three year old.
p.p.s. So You Think You Can Dance rules! Go Chelsea Hightower! (She is a teacher at Maggie's very exclusive, very upper class, very better-than-you dance studio)

Hooray for Hand Sanitizer!

2008-06-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

Rob and I recently took the chillens to the Orem Freedom Festival. I love to pry my family out of the daily grind and do something totally different as often as possible. I think that allowing my children to crawl through a filthy, portable "fun house" definitely counts as something different. Their favorite ride was definitely the "Big Slide" (such clever names these carnival people come up with). It's the one where you hike up one million narrow metal stairs that have been screwed together moments earlier while holding a dirty potato sack in one hand and clutching your child in the other. Once you get to the top there is a carny (definition: an "interesting" looking person missing a significant amount of teeth with dirty yellow finger nails, an over sized T-shirt, and long stringy hair, unless they are female in which case the hair is short like a boy's and they have no bra). The carny was sitting on the steps that lead us to the top of the slide and we had to maneuver our way around her as we awkwardly situated our potato sacks and children into the sliding position. Conveniently for us there were four slides that sat side by side. With the children on the two inside slides and Rob and I hovering over them on the outside slides, we counted to three and shoved off. It was actually really fun! The best part by far was the intense squeals of joy coming from the children. Maggie shot off ahead of us and finished first. As we hit the bottom, the kids both stood up clumsily, slipping on their potato sacks and screeched "AGAIN! AGAIN!!" Unfortunately the line was 35 minutes long and we had other filthy activities to participate in (see pictures). After that there were more rides that appeared to be duct taped together and Tiger's Blood snow cones. It took me a minute to get over the name. I almost vomited when I read it in the list of flavors, but Charlotte assured me it was delicious. Over all it was a very fun day that we will most definitely make a tradition. I would recommend it to anyone that can pack up the hand sanitizer and be prepared to look the other way as their children roll through more germs than you are willing to imagine.

Our first camping trip with the kiddles...

2008-05-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Rob and I have decided that we have turned into a family of hermits as of late. Somewhere between the messy diapers and scrubbing toddler vomit up off the floor, we have lost our spontaneity and become boring and predictable. This is when we decided (spur of the moment) last weekend that we would take the kids camping! Amazing idea, right? It was 4:00 in the afternoon. The plan was to pack up the car, make a quick trip to Walmart for snacks, and be on the road arriving at our camp sight and making dinner by 7:00. We frantically ran around the house gathering sleeping bags, jackets, tents, coolers, and board games. I even whipped up a pasta salad in the packing frenzy! Feeling proud of our hurried accomplishment we loaded the kids in their car seats and sped off to Walmart (all the while pumping our kids up for the smores, songs, and games that awaited them). Never mind that it was 7:00 already. We weren't going to let this get us down! So the kids would stay up later than we had originally anticipated, big deal. We roll with the punches now with our knew found spontaneity and mad cap approach to life. An hour and six grocery bags of snacks later we were back on the road (no thanks to the painfully slow cotton headed customer in front of us in the checkout line who had coupons-a-plenty and wrote a CHECK to pay). Off to Mapleton Canyon! Rob had printed off Map Quest directions and I began to guide Rob to our destination. The directions led us right into a new developing neighborhood and we found ourselves on a dirt road with a sign which read "DEAD END". Good times. Still in good spirits, we turned around and began to search for an alternate rout. An hour later the sun had gone down and Maggie's voice shyly spoke up from the back seat..."Daddy? Are we lost?" I turned around to see a nervous Maggie and a past out Henry. "We lost one," I said to Rob in reference to the sleeping child. At this point we decided it might be better to go camping the next day instead (Saturday). We would just have to pack up early so that we could be on time to church. We told Maggie that we would go camping tomorrow and tonight we would go to Carl's Jr. playland instead (we wanted her to have something fun to do after dashing her little dreams of sleeping in a tent that night). So we get to Carl's Jr, wake up Henry and drag the disappointed little children inside only to see a ghetto, hand written sign on a dirty piece of card board hanging from the doorway of the playland..."Playland closed. Sorry for inconvenience". I growled a loud involuntary sigh which caught the attention of one of the workers. He shuffled over to us feeling as though he owed us an explanation. He mumbled in an annoyed teenage tone, "Ya, um, it's closed". Rob was in no mood for this kid's antics and said "Where is the sign with your playland hours?" (referring to a professional, permanent sign). The kid pointed at the piece of garbage dangling from the doorway and said "There's a sign right there." Rob pointed dismissively at the sign and said "That is not a sign." He turned around dramatically and we all huffed out of the restaurant. At this point we had to try to explain to Maggie and Henry that the playland was "broken" and that we would try to find another one. My nerves were shot as we drove to the nearest McDonald's with Henry howling in the back seat as though his entire world had ended. Finally we found an open playland where we let our children run themselves ragged until 10:30pm.

After that things went fairly smoothly. We got up the next morning and took the kids swimming, to a movie and last but not least....camping, which was actually really fun. It was one of the most....eventful weekends we have spent as a family thus far. But what can I say, that's just the impulsive kind of people we are.

I think I win!!

2008-04-02T10:48:00.001-07:00

A few of you have been complaining about having bad Easter pictures that didn't quite turn out. Well, I am here to tell you that mine are the worst and I SHOULD WIN! Never mind that I went to tremendous efforts (as we all do) to make my children look adorable on this very momentous occasion. In my life, when it matters most, it is destined to fail. This is my lot, I have accepted it. If you will please notice the following when looking at the pictures you will see why I should take the cake this year for horrid Easter Sunday pictures:

#1. Blurry. Blurry is the worst. I should win on blurry alone.
#2 Not one picture where both children are smiling at the camera
#3. Crabby Maggie
#4. Chocolate stain on Maggie's dress from receiving CHOCOLATE in primary!!
#5. No mommy. I literally look like a shiny whale in every shot and I refuse to subject you to such things.

So there you have it. Easter with the McDowells. It was actually a really fun week. Lots of hunting for Easter eggs, 2 hunts to be exact. The first one was kind of sad. All the big primary kids snatched up the eggs before Henry could really grasp what was going on. He only found 2 eggs total. Our solution was to take the 2 eggs out of his basket while he wasn't looking and re-hide them. It was tricky business! I swear the older kids could smell the freshly hidden eggs and would come running to snatch up poor Henry's pathetic 2 eggs. Rob and I would have to ward them off by hissing and stomping our feet which worked quite well. Henry was very pleased and proud of his findings. Maggie, as you can see from the last picture, has had a kind of glazed look in her eyes from all the candy this week. I think we have turned her into a junky. I keep catching her looking in odd places for candy, trying to find her next fix. One morning I came down to find her standing on the counter looking in the tupper wear cabinet with a wild look in her eyes. Luckily most of the candy is gone at this point. Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that you cast your vote for me, Lilly McDowell for "Worst Easter Pictures 2008"!

I have decided...

2008-03-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

that is is completely unfair for mothers to get sick. For the last two weeks I have been flat on my back, more ill that I have ever been in my entire life! My husband had to take three days off of work to help with the kids as I lay delirious in my disgusting state. At one point I actually thought I was going to die, for real. I was convinced that I wouldn't make it through the night! As I lay in my bed silence, (except for the hum of the humidifier) a hot, feverish tear streaked down my face and I tried to take everything in around me because I thought I would never see it again. I tried to remember the last contact I had with my children earlier that day and was horribly disappointed when I realized that the last encounter with my two sweet babies was me moaning in pain and waving them out of the room. This was one of the most horrific experiences I have had thus far in my 27 years. And I swear to you it was never ending! Every morning I would wake up thinking, "Okay, this has got to be the day I start feeling better!" but no such luck. Two weeks of greasy hair and ill fitting pajamas, hobbling around the house with a blanket like Linus from Charlie Brown. We are kindred spirits, that blanket and I. We understand each other after being inseparable for two weeks straight. We have napped together, cried together, and watched Saved By the Bell in secret together. The one thing we didn't to was laugh together. Oh no, there was no laughter to be heard in this house! At one point my tonsils (which are already ridiculously large by nature, ask Carrie, she will vouch for me) touched and were rubbing together as I rocked back and forth in such severe pain that I am willing to compare it to child birth. No bueno I tell you, no bueno!

So now I am feeling better. I only cringe mildly when I have to swallow at this point. I think that the most frustrating part of it is that all I got out of this hideous experience is a messy house. There is no sweet baby at the end. My eye sight is not better. My boobs are not bigger. I'm not even thinner, which you think I would be after eating nothing but Tylenol and juice for two weeks straight, but no. No good has come from this illness. Only the feeling that I am incredibly behind in every aspect of my life. Don't I do enough as a full time wife and mother that I should be exempt from getting so ill? Don't I change enough dirty diapers? Wipe enough snotty noses? Fold enough laundry? Wash enough dishes? Does this all count for nothing? Apparently so. I suppose I am bitter at the strep throat gods. They are a vicious crew and all I can do is warn you not to cross their path because they will take you down my friend! They take no prisoners! I wish you all the best of luck through the remainder of this wicked flu season that is upon us. Hide your little ones! Lock your doors! And for heaven sake, don't share your cup with ANYONE!

Peace out.

Well Mr. Disney, you've done it again...

2008-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

...you have completely stolen my breath away as well as my girlish heart.

My little family of four returned recently from the happiest place on earth and as far as I am concerned it still holds that coveted title. I have been to Disneyland a ridiculous amount of times. I will be the very first to admit that my love of this place boarders on obsession. I have visited Disneyland during each stage of my life all the way from birth and I must say that I have never seen more magic and wonder in it than I did during this last visit. This is because I viewed it through the eyes of a three year old. It was honestly like I was seeing everything for the very first time. The trip was full of tears of joy, tears of sadness, and tears of anger due to suckers being stolen by younger siblings. We witnessed magical parades, singing birds, talking insects, and my personal favorite, Goofy shifting his personal area when he thought no one was looking. Come on now Goofy, is there EVER a time when no one is looking?

I have come to the conclusion that when traveling with children, there is "good Disneyland" and there is "bad Disneyland". Which one you experience relies exclusively on the mood of your little ones. We experienced BOTH many times through out our stay, and I have pictures to prove it (as you will see). I think my favorite part is that cotton candy and churros can more often than not change "bad Disneyland" to "good Disneyland". Contrary wise, passing a candy stand without indulging can quickly flip "good Disneyland" to "disastrous Disneyland". For example:

In this shot, "good Disneyland" has turned upside down into "tragic Disneyland" because "King Henry" did not want to wear his crown and smile for the picture.

In this shot we were able to quickly salvage the moment and change "sad Disneyland" to "happy Disneyland" by purchasing a $7.00 sucker at the candy shop on Main Street USA

This is what I like to call "tired Disneyland" which is remedied only by sippy cups of milk, blankies, and reclined stroler seats.

This is called "try to stifle the lump in your throat and hold back the inevitable tears at the adorableness of your husband and child Disneyland"

Much to Maggie's dismay, this one is called "you can't please everyone Disneyland"

"Mommy keeping the troops' spirits up Disneyland"

This is called "diapers are changed and tummies are full take a moment to breath Disneyland"

This is called "diapers are full, tummies are empty, and it is waaay past bedtime Disneyland"

"Family portrait Disneyland"

"Nervous to ride the Matterhorn Disneyland"

This is "daddy turns waiting in a boring line into instant laughter Disneyland"

This one is my personal favorite. I call this one "it is worth every penny and we can't wait to go back Disneyland"

Welcome Baby Vanessa!

2008-02-20T19:00:00.000-08:00

So this Saturday was Di's baby shower and let me tell you it was adorable!! It was all decked out in Vanessa's nursery colors; pink and brown (a stunning combination if I do say so myself, Di). It was so totally adorable and so were the gifts! If it wasn't hand sewn it was hand crafted in some other way. This is a talented bunch of ladies you are looking at! We need to go into business or something. Anyway, it was amazing to see you all! Love and kisses and other wonderful things!

My deepest appologies to Mrs. Haws

2008-02-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Well here I sit eating my words. I vowed I would never make a blog because I found it too time consuming . I thought that facebook and myspace were completely adequate for my internet socializing needs. Well most of my friends who I wanted to keep in contact with have deserted those ridiculous sights. And for good reason!! They have become completely tainted and cluttered with:
1. Photos of women who have their perky slutty butts perched high in the air.
2. Silly applications where you can "super poke" one another and tell each other that you are "crushing" on each other's friends.
3. A plethora of mindless quizes. "Which Warner Brothers character are you most likely to date? Take this quiz to find out!"
4. Bulletins. People posting bulletins that say nothing more than "Good night!" or something equally as time waisting.

I ask you this; are we in junior high? What started out as a wonderful way to keep in touch with old friends has now been completely overrun with teenage tom foolery. Now, in stating my opinions, I really hope I haven't stepped on any toes. I have "super poked" my friends, I have taken the quizes. I am not above it, I am just over it. I will continue to check my facebook and myspace. There are still some amazing people on those sights that I will keep in contact with, but I must take the next step and move on. This is where my blog begins!

And now my apology: I must apologize to Jayna. Jayna invited me to join the blogging world months ago and I mocked her and gave her a severe tongue lashing. I told her that I would never be able to spend the time it takes to check other people's blogs or tend to my own. I told her that myspace and facebook were sufficient for my needs and that I would likely never get a blog. I am completely willing to say at this time, Jayna, you were right and I am wrong. I am a trife, and you are a sweet pumpkin on stilts.

Well there you have it. My first entry. I promise to post lots of pictures. We just returned from Disneyland and there are hundreds of adorable moments captured on film that need to be seen by all of you.

Peace in the middle east.