The sweetest sound

"Mama-ma" Adelle finally said, "mama" and it just melts my heart. Phillip said she was yelling that and looking around for me when he was getting her ready for her nap this afternoon. Then she kept saying it while I was making her dinner. Oh, what a happy day!

Have we gone MAD?!

Yes, I think we have. On something of a whim we took the girls out yesterday and adopted a kitty. Phillip and I have had cats in the past and vowed to never have another pet, but yesterday we caved and adopted one. She stole our hearts at the pet store and has fast become a member of our family. She is so sweet and has no problem being carried around so the girls are just in heaven. Her name is Tinkerbell Snuggles which is very suiting for our house full of girls. You may laugh at the name Tinkerbell Snuggles, but that is much better than Tinkerbell Cuddle-Snuggles which is what Grace was voting for. So, Phillip is no longer outnumbered 4 girls to 1 boy, but 5-1!

Shhh...don't tell, but Phillip really loves her. So cute!

Response to Gina's tag...

I've been tagged by Gina. A to Z about ME A--Attached or Single: attached to Phillip for 8 great years B--Best Friend: Phillip, of course C--Cake or Pie: Cake Tonight I made Hot Fudge Pudding Cake with whipped cream D--Day of Choice: Saturday...no school E--Essential Item: This time of year, warm socks F--Favorite Color: Red G--Greatest Accomplishment: Giving birth to my daughter, Grace, completely unmedicated H--Hometown: West Jordan I--Indulgences: Reading J--January or July: July (it's my birthday!) K--Kids: Alexandra, 5; Grace, 3; Adelle, 10 months L--Life is incomplete without: my family M--Marriage Date: November 3, 2000 N--Number of Siblings: 4 sisters O--Oranges or Apples: mmm, depends on my mood P--Phobias or fears: Spiders. enough said Q--Quotes: "What are you looking at, butthead?" (Phillip is watching "Back to the Future" right now!) R--Reason to Smile: My girls. I love when Alexa runs up and hugs me, I love to hear Grace sing, and I love Adelle's funny faces S--Season: Fall T--Tag 5 Friends: Suzie, Julianne, Jenna, and anyone else who wants to play U--Unknown fact about you: My parents got my name from Marianne on "Gilligan's Island" She is everyone's favorite, right? V--Very favorite store: I love to shop at Target W--Worst habit: Staying up too late on a school night X--X-ray or Ultra Sound: ultrasound, especially when we're looking at a baby Y--Your favorite food: I love to eat all sorts of food. I really do. But my favorite late-night snack is chips and salsa Z--Zodiac: cancer

The results are in

Adelle's blood work came back today and she is mildly anemic. Wierd! Her hemoglobin count is 11.9 and it should be somewhere between 12.1 and something. (I sort of have selective hearing!) So she'll be on iron drops until she is re-evaluated in a couple months. I'm so suprised because she is such a happy and active little baby, and my experience with anemia is just the opposite. Hmm. I've never heard of a baby with anemia...anyone have any experience?

PS...today was my first day working in the massage clinic at school and it went really well. Phillip was so sweet and came to be my first client to ease my nerves. What a doll to pay for a massage he could get at home for free. My other client was a fellow student who requested me! Sweet! I'm so relieved to have this first day over with so I don't have to be quite so nervous anymore.

My brave baby girl

Adelle's pediatrician wanted her to have her blood drawn to check for anemia, so Phillip took her to the hospital today to have the test done. He said she was such a brave girl and didn't even flinch when they put the needle in her arm. What a girl! No tears, no crying, only curiosity. I'm so proud of her! She does a much better job than her mommy does. Or her grandma. (that one's for you, Mom! ha ha!)

The loves of my life

My girls absolutely adore bathtime! They take their bath before bed each night and it is such a great opportunity for them to wind down and relax. No, that junk on the wall is not dirt, it's crayon! Obviously they have a great time in the bath.Alexandra loves to take pictures and sometimes we find the best pictures on our camera. I love this picture of her and Grace that she took.

A couple nights ago Phillip caught Alexa reading bedtime stories to Grace. Is that just the sweetest thing ever!

My sweet Adelle with Phillip. She is such a happy little girl and brings so much joy to our lives. We feel so blessed to have her in our family.

And of course, Phillip. We get so excited for those rare moments when we get to go on a date, and appreciate those who watch our little angles so that we have some time to remember how much fun we have together.

Happy Birthday, Phillip!

I'm a few days late posting this, but Happy Birthday to my Phillip! He turned 31 on January 14th and I feel so happy to be married to him. He is a wonderful husband and does such a great job being daddy and mommy while I am in school right now. I am so proud of how hard he works to provide for our family, and to further his own education.My family gave Phillip the hugest balloon I've ever seen, and after displaying it in our home for a few days we let it go outside. It was fun seeing how long we could see it floating away (which was a very long time!)
I accomplished a long-time goal on Friday night...I cooked my first roast. I know, what kind of wife am I since I've been married for eight years and have never cooked a roast?! I guess I've just been a little intimidated. Well, I finally decided to do it and it turned out so yummy! I was so proud of myself! (Thanks, Mom, for all the cooking tips!) Alexa has been into watching "Man vs. Wild" with Phillip this week, and right before dinner they watched Bear Grylls kill and eat a snake. Gross! So all during dinner Alexa kept saying, "I love dead meat!" I really think she meant to say "roast beef", but dead meat was fresh in her brain. So from now on I'll be putting "dead meat" in my slow cooker!

This past week has been finals week at school and I'm so proud to say that I aced all five of my classes. Hooray! I think that my wardrobe to school on Thursday was a good indicator of where my stress levels had been. Lorianne (my sister who is taking this course with me) and I rode Trax to school on Thursday and when I was getting out of the car at the train station I realized that I had forgotten to put shoes on. Whoops! I was still wearing my slippers! So I had to ride the train, walk around downtown, and take my anatomy final in my slippers. Some people (especially some people at Wal-mart and silly high school girls) think it's okay to make dirty slippers a regular part of their wardrobe, but I'm just not that girl. Lucky for me, Grace had an appointment at Primary Children's Hospital so I called Phillip and he took some shoes to the appointment for me. After my final I caught another train and met him at the hospital to get my shoes. Needless to say, my slippers went right into the washing machine when I got home.

Grace face-planted in her walker on Friday and got a big fat lip. My poor baby. She of course cried and cried at first, then was so brave and didn't even complain afterward. It is times like this that I let myself feel frustrated about the struggles she faces. Most days I cope really well with her disabilities, and some days I don't. I was talking to Lorianne about this on the way to school one morning and expressing a concern I have. Does the Lord think me ungrateful for the trials I am given when I express my sadness and frustration for Grace's struggles? I hope not, because it's too hard to be brave every day.

Oh, that sore on her bottom lip is what is left of a cold sore I gave her. Yeah, just imagine the guilt I felt after realizing I gave my daughter the herpes virus! Ugh.

Massage Clinic

I will be working in the massage clinic at my school (Eagle Gate College) beginning Friday, January 23rd from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm each Friday and would like to invite anyone who wants, to come receive a massage. The regular price for a 50-minute full-body massage is $30, but if you mention that you are a friend or family member of mine then you will only be charged $15. Since I am not yet licensed I don't recieve a paycheck for this, it is just part of the hours I need to obtain my license, so the money goes to the school. (Tips are always welcome, though! :0) If the hours I work don't fit into your schedule then you are welcome to schedule with any other student and still receive the discounted price. (Appointments are scheduled from 8:00 am - 7:00 pm) Anyway, I am excited about the opportunity I have to improve people's well-being and wanted to give everyone an opportunity to receive some bodywork at a discounted price. The address of the school is 405 N. Main St. in SLC (inside the Ken Garff building) and the phone number is 333-7142. You'll probably end up leaving a message and someone will call you back typically on the following Thursday. Enjoy!!